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Monday, September 30, 2019

Better Education for the Smaller Family

In recent years, a trend around the world has been toward a smaller family. Most families in the world have one or two children. In Vietnam, the average number of children per family has decreased in the last 20 years. A typical Vietnamese family has only one or two children. In the past, a family with more than ten children was not strange. The better education and the improvement of living condition have caused smaller family size. First, the average number of children per family has decreased because of better education. After the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese government has emphasized on education. Every kid could go to school to study. Therefore, more knowledge and more job opportunities have provided to Vietnamese people. High-educated people concentrate on their work and their income. They do not want to marry soon. The more late married couples there are, the fewer children are born. Consequently, the family size has decreased. Moreover, Vietnamese people used to think that a big family with many children is a happy family. The educated people have a different point of view. They cannot provide their children a good education and a satisfactory support if they had many children. They have realized the benefit from a smaller family. For instance, the parent can afford $1000 to their children a month. If they had four children, each would receive only $250. However, the kid in a single child family would receive the whole supply. A small family would provide the child a good condition to grow up. Besides, a problem has occurred from smaller families. The child becomes mischievous and naughty. The kid does whatever he or she wants because they know that their parent do not have many children. Second, the improvement of living condition has caused smaller family size. During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese people liked to have many children because they were afraid that they would lose their kids for the war. They wanted more and more of their kids to become more and more Vietnamese soldiers. After the war, they did not need more children. As a result, the family size started to decrease. Furthermore, Vietnam is a country base on farm product. Eighty percent of Vietnamese people are farmers. The farm work is very difficult and requires a lot of labor. They needed many family members to help their work. Therefore, they had many children. Nowadays, farmers have used machine and new technology in their work. The apparatus has replaced the labor. The farmers do not need many people to help them. Accordingly, they have had fewer children. In addition, more public services and information have been provided to Vietnamese people. The couples have planed to have healthy marriages. A small family is a good choice for them. This smaller, healthier family contributes to overall development and slower population growth. Nevertheless, the trend toward smaller family needs to be controlled in order to have a best result. Providing jobs and food is hard, but lacking work force is also a problem. Nowadays, people have fewer children then they had before. The more kids they have, the more money and time they spend. In order to have a happy family, they have to support a good environment to their children. Separating the parents† afford and love for three or four children is not a good idea. Consequently, a smaller family is the best choice.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Neurological Effects of Marijuana

The recreational use of marijuana has become an almost mainstream part of our society today, so mainstream in fact that 16. 8% of Canadians older than 15 use it. In government, the debate to legalize marijuana has long gone back and forth yet never coming to a conclusion. But in this debate is the government really examining the psychological effects of the drug, or are they just concerned with the money aspect. In one study of the neuropsychological effects of marijuana it was concluded that â€Å"The low dose produced generalized impairment of all mental processes (concept formation, memory, tactile form discrimination and motor function). † The research question of this essay is â€Å"Are the short and long term neuropsychological effects of marijuana severe enough to leave lasting impressions on our society? † Purpose The thesis of this essay is â€Å"the neuropsychological effects of marijuana are ery apparent through experimental research and the deficits caused by marijuana could become visible in our society and create problems down the road. † The essay will proceed in the order of first examining a case of neuropsychological effects on heavy marijuana users, then we will examine some of these effects and they way they impact teenage marijuana users. It will also be examined how marijuana may be seen as a cause of psychotic disorders, and also the way marijuana affects aggression. Argument The use of marijuana affects the brain and our neuropsychological functions such as memory. But how memory is affected; is it long term or short term memory and is this a lasting effect or not. In a study performed by Kanayama, Rogowska, Pope , Gruber , and Yurgelun-Todd (2003), 12 heavy cannabis smokers, and a control group of 10 others were to completed a spatial working memory paradigm that included two tasks: a perception task and a short-delay working memory task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results showed that the recent cannabis users displayed greater and more widespread brain activation than normal subjects when attempting to perform the aforementioned task. This suggests that the recent cannabis users may experience some neuropsychological deficits and they compensate for these deficits by calling upon different regions of the brain to help out in completing the task. This study shows that for a heavy cannabis user, simple tasks require extra effort from different regions of the brain in order to accomplish said task. This experimental study was well conducted and provided significant findings regarding the neuropsychological functions of a heavy cannabis user. These findings show that the heavy cannabis users had to work harder to accomplish the task at hand, and even though they still managed to accomplish the task, the neurological deficits shown through this study could leave them crippled or handicapped later in life with continued use of the drug. The debate continues in that people are unsure whether neurological deficits associated with cannabis last only as long as the drug does or if the continue afterwards and are more permanent. For example, Fried (2005; cited in Murray, Morrison, Henquet, Di Forti 2007) et al. found no evidence of cognitive deficits in cannabis users after three months of abstention66, whereas Bolla (2005; cited in Murray, Morrison, Henquet, Di Forti 2007) et al. found persisting deficits in decision-making and brain activity among heavy cannabis users who had been abstinent for 25 days. This inconsistency could be due to the age of participants or any number of other variables, which is why this sort of experiments can be unclear and inconclusive at times. One aspect of the age variable is that most experiments of this type are performed on adult participants and so does not show how the neurological effects of cannabis might affect the growing mind of a teenager. In a study performed by Harvey, Sellman, Porter, and Frampton (2007), 70 adolescents aged 13-18 were recruited, and after a 12 hour abstinence from marijuana performed several test. These tests included a demographics questionnaire, a Timeline Follow-Back (TLFB) questionnaire for drug use in the past 28 days. Intelligence was measured using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery was used and the tests administered were: Motor screening (visual and movement problems), Rapid visual information processing (attention and memory), Spatial working memory (memory and strategy), Intradimensional extradimentional shift (attention), and Paired Associates learning (visuo-spatial and spatial span). The pen and paper cognitive tests used were Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. Psychiatric functioning measures used were: Visual Analogue Scale for Mood (present mood), Beck Depression Inventory II, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Conduct Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Timeline Follow-Back showed that 68. 5% of participants had used marijuana in the last 28 days. The results found from this well conducted study show that adolescents who were regular cannabis users showed a significantly worse performance on four measures of cognitive functions; attention, spatial working, memory, and learning. These results suggest that the young mind could be more susceptible to the neuropsychological deficits experienced through frequent use of marijuana. This is very negative considering 68. 5% of participants use marijuana frequently and thus has neurological deficits when it comes to attention, spatial working, memory and learning. If this sample is a close representation of the teenage population then our society could have problems down the road. If these teenagers continue to consume cannabis regularly through to adulthood then we could see these neurological deficits etting worse and worse as these teens earn more responsibility as they progress through life. Another possibility of problems that could come from this is the possibility that cannabis use could lead to psychosis or schizophrenia. It is unclear whether this is true or not but, but in some cases cannabis has been deemed a causal risk factor for schizophrenia. Richard Reading (2004) examined the evidence behind these claims and identified five studies that included a well-defined sample drawn from population-based registers or cohorts and used prospective measures of cannabis use and adult psychosis. After examining these cases thoroughly he concluded that cannabis is a component cause to psychosis. It is part of a complex mix of different factors which lead to psychosis down the road. Through these findings Reading deemed that cases of psychotic disorder could be minimized by discouraging cannabis use to vulnerable youth. Considering how 16. 8% of Canadians use marijuana on a regular basis, this is a very negative finding. Even if marijuana is only one little factor which contributes with many other factors to the chance of a psychotic disorder, then having this many people partaking could increase the number of psychotic disorders in Canada by quite a bit. We also know that a very large part of teenagers use cannabis as a social activity, and when used frequently for long periods of time these teenagers could develop psychotic disorders early on in life, making it difficult for them to contribute to our society to their full potential. On the other hand however marijuana could possibly give some positive to our society as well. In an earlier study conducted by Myerscough and Taylor (1985), the aggression levels of thirty male college students were examined while under the influence of either a light, medium, or heavy dose of marijuana. Since the U. S. government released â€Å"Reefer Madness† in 1936, it has been in question whether marijuana really does drive people crazy and amps up their aggression. The subjects were given either a low, medium, or high dose of marijuana then were sat in booth which corresponded with the booth of another participant. They were told that by pressing on one of eleven buttons they could choose the intensity of an electric shock that would be administered to their corresponding subject and vice versa. The person who completed this task faster would not be administered the shock but would find out what level of shock the other had picked for him. When the participants would see the aggressiveness of the other’s choices and receive shocks they would perhaps become more aggressive themselves. In concluding the data they had gathered showed that people in the low dose group tended to respond more aggressively than those in the mid to high level groups. Those participants in the high dose group were for the most part non-aggressive throughout the entire experiment. These findings indicate that when people are on marijuana they tend to be more calm and relaxed, and less easily aggravated. This could benefit many people by helping to ease stress. It could also help to lessen the aggravation behind many acts of crime, and violence in our society. Unfortunately we could not really use these findings to our advantage because we are unable to control who does what, and when. This does help shed some light on the benefits marijuana could have for our society. Conclusion The mainstream use of marijuana as a â€Å"party drug† or social tool in our society has started to get out of hand. Adults and teenagers alike take part in this illegal habit, but what are the consequences. As we see throughout this paper marijuana causes deficits in the neurological processes of adults by making the brain work harder to accomplish certain tasks. Also in teenagers the mental processes of memory, spatial working, attention, and learning were slowed by the frequent use of marijuana and showed deficits that could be worsened with time. It has also been shown here that marijuana could be a causal factor in the development of psychotic disorders. Though all of these experiments and research show how marijuana negatively influences people in our society there are many discrepancies in the research done on marijuana, and some do show no negativities whatsoever. Though the limited and controversial data we have on marijuana’s effect on psychological processes is incomplete, it is hard to say if it will have a lasting negative impression, however we know that marijuana is not having any useful positive effects on our society.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

When should we trust our senses to give us truth?

In order to answer the question about when we should trust our senses to deliver us the truth, it is important to first understand our senses. Primarily, our senses serves as a jump point of our awareness or our consciousness, as it takes the form of an inner entity within us, somehow becoming a guide for our actions. We perceive our senses as a truth detector, which again goes back to how it guides our actions. For most of us, we consider our senses as a much more reliable truth detector compared to our emotions, as it can often deceive us and possibly lead us to our demise. These senses are able to relay to us whether something is right or wrong, or may be unfit for a situation. Further defining it, I could personally say that it is an instinct, an innate ability, which helps or leads us to perceive the world we live in, including the existence of things and the occurrences of events that may or may not matter to us. We have these five human senses, which include sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. All or some of these senses are present in human beings, and these are very useful in their day to day activities. Our senses enable us to act normally, or even to respond accordingly to whatever predicament we are facing. Our senses are essential in decision making in all of the situations that we may encounter. We synthesize the inputs of our sensory organs and use it to determine what course of action we should take. But still, there are some uncertainties regarding our senses. In a situation where a person sees a car coming when he decides to cross the road at a certain time, how will he be able to tell if what he is seeing with his eyes, what he is hearing with his ears, or how the wind feels in his skin, is really the truth? How can he be so sure that the image or idea that is formed in his head is the reality, and that his senses are not lying to him? In this split second, how will he decide? Should he trust his senses or just ignore them? In the end, it is still up to the person to decide on what course of action he will take, as it is essential to trust ones senses on delivering the truth about a certain event or entity. In order to gauge if we can really trust our senses, we need to lay down certain considerations that we have to follow. One way is to understand the effect of one’s previous knowledge, understanding, and experience, the completeness of one’s senses (whether or not you have all five senses), the presence and the effect of mental illness to one’s judgment and decision making, the usual interpretations of one’s senses, and finally, the accepted norms of the society that one person belongs to. All these considerations have to be understood, as it is essential in understanding whether or not our senses can be trusted to deliver us the truth. Initially, we have to gauge our previous knowledge, understanding, and experience, in relation to using our senses. We could ask ourselves if there are any situations or occurrences that our senses have failed us. We should determine how it has failed us, and what its effect to us is. We should also determine the situation wherein our senses accurately perceived events or objects, and use this to compare on the instances it has failed us. By basing on this previous knowledge, we can see the importance of the stored information that we have generated from the past. This old information will be used to create a new one, and that would be our understanding of our senses, whether they are unreliable or not. If we are able to tell several instances which the senses have failed us, then we start to construct an understanding that at these situations, our senses may not be enough in order to determine the truth. At this point, we start to create a knowledge that tells us how hard it is to perceive an event or an entity with our senses that we possess. One practical example of this is when we need to use the microscope. Before we know about the existence of microorganism unseen to the naked eye, we have a mindset that the world is what is there to see. Our previous knowledge tells us of how surfaces of rocks, soil and other places look like, but with the use of the microscope, we are able to establish a new knowledge about microorganisms that we cannot see with our eyes alone. Our ears are also unable to detect sounds outside the range of our perceivable or tolerable wavelengths. However, we are able to do so with certain devices, and we are even able to put this into practical use, and one example is our use of SONAR. In relation to this information, we would go back to another criterion in gauging the truthfulness of what our senses perceive. This is whether or not one person has complete or incomplete senses. If we look closely at this idea, we become clear to the fact that there are a lot of people living in this world without complete senses, but despite their incompleteness, they are still able to function normally, and that predicament tend to work for them. This is not only a case of faulty functioning sense, but the absence of a sense (or senses). Despite this, they are able to live their lives like people with complete senses do, and this is made possible by their remaining senses. Looking at this in a knowledge standpoint, we may say that they were able to learn how to live even when they lack a certain sense. For a blind man, perception is not limited to the eyes alone, and he is able to navigate his way in the world with the use of his hearing or smelling. They learn to use their remaining senses in different ways, and that enables them to live normal lives. The knowledge that they gain from using their remaining senses becomes different from the knowledge that they gain when they have complete senses. In a way, they are able to fully trust their remaining senses because it’s what they have. Somehow, they were able to hone those senses in a manner that they perceive things accurately, and without failure. Let’s compare a normal person and a blind person when they wait for a train. A normal person relies on a combination of his senses, sight and hearing, in order to determine if the train is already near. He can look far back into the rail and see any hint of the train coming, couple with hearing of the increasing train sound. On the other hand, a blind man would solely rely on his sense of hearing to determine if the train is coming. He could concentrate on the distinct sound that a train makes upon its arrival. The blind man may only rely on hearing in order to determine the train’s arrival, but this doesn’t mean that it is a disadvantage. Even with his sole sense, he can concentrate on the distinct sound made by the train, and it hones his sense of hearing, so that he can accurately perceive the train’s arrival. On the other hand, a man with both sight and hearing could hear and see the train when it arrives, but he may be distracted by one sense and lose concentration of accurately determining its presence. Suffice to say, the presence or absence of any sense does not necessarily mean a diminished understanding of the world a person lives in. The knowledge that he gains with the presence of absence of a sense may vary, but still, he is able to fully understand it, and be able to form his own construct of what is the truth. Another criterion would be the presence and the effects of mental illness to a person’s judgment and decision making. With this criterion, we determine if a person is affected by other things other than his senses in the things that they perceive. Certain cases of mental illness may result to perceiving events or entities which are not real, and are only created by one person’s mind, as a result of his mental illness. If this is the case, then the integrity of what he perceives through his senses is jeopardized. Something that may be non-existent in real life may exist in one’s own perception. This doesn’t mean that he has heightened senses, instead it means that he has a problem, which needs to address in a different manner. This case is also similar to when a person consumes substances that may alter his perception of things. Illicit drugs can often result to hallucinations, but this doesn’t mean that what they may see or experience is real. There is actually no knowledge created in this case, as it invokes the mind to have false perceptions, instead of actually seeing the reality. There is no truth in what the senses may perceive, since it is the person’s mind that creates these images or occurrences that he is having. Our senses are really important in order for us to function fully in our lives. However, there are certain instances that may affect what we perceive with these senses, thus jeopardizing the integrity of what we perceive. Because of this, the knowledge that we create in relation to these senses (their presence or absence) may vary, depending on the situation. Trusting theses senses and understanding their faults are equally important in knowing whether or not they give us the truth. When Should We Trust Our Senses to Give Us Truth Our senses help us interact with the world. Smell, hearing, sight, taste, touch, and external stimulus play a major role in shaping our perceptions of the surroundings and the world. To trust our senses means that we have justified belief of what we perceive is â€Å"true†. To what extent can our senses give us truth? In order to obtain a better understanding of under what conditions we can rely on our senses, we need to compare circumstances where they have most been true with circumstances where they most have not. We appear to rely on our senses in order to perceive the truth in terms of the world and the surroundings. Senses are the representation of reality, we can perceive that there is an apple on the table by touching or seeing it through motor and sensory neurons and electromagnetic rays. Also, senses play a significant role in surviving. A keen sense of smell allows animals to run away from predators and allocate food, similarly, a good eye-sight allows us to see what is going on around us and helps us get familiar with the surroundings in order to adapt. In 2004, many animals such as elephants and flamingos escaped the tsunami in Sri Lanka and India, the animals â€Å"predicted† the coming disaster as they may have more acute sense of hearing or touch which allows them to feel the strong vibration of the Earth. On the other hand, our senses can easily be deceived. Advertisements on TV and internet tell us how great a product is and encourage us to buy it, however, the truth may be that the actual product is not as effective as it seems to be. I bought a shampoo because on the advertisement it said that it can moisturize my hair and make my hair look shiny, and the hair of the model in the advertisement looked pretty which made me want to look like her. However, when I actually used it, it did not have all the effects that were described and my hair still looked the same. Magic performance is successful because of its deception of our senses. Once during a magic show, I saw the performer cut a lady in half but the lady was still alive. The truth is that the performer did not cut the lady, the lady appeared to be in half because of the information that my sense of sight sent. Senses can be misleading because they may only show one side of the situation, unless more senses work togerther and we reasoning the information we get from our senses, we cannot reach the truth. However, we still may not get the truth even if we reason or our senses work together. Different people perceive differently. Blind people do not have their sense of sight so they cannot know that an apple is red but they may have stronger senses of hearing and touch than normal people. It is also understood that emotion affects our perception of truth. I like fast food and therefore I perceive fast food as delicious food and have affection for it, but my mom hates fast food and therefore she sees it disgusting. Despite the problems our senses may cause, they still play a significant role in our areas of knowledge. Evolutionarily, we trusted our sense. According to Charles Darwin’s natural selection theory, the strongest will survive and the weakest will die. Men select the best looking women and women select the strongest looking man. Although the this pattern has now changed, men are still generally attracted to good looking women and women choose men that they feel being safe with. Scientifically, scientists need to observe the phenomenon and conduct experiments through their senses first and then make theories by reasoning. Our senses are limited. We see only a tiny part of reality as we can only see the visible spectrum of the whole electromagnetic spectrum and the things we see are our representation of them. As Hermann von Helmholtz argues, we convert the image we see through our eyes into something that makes sense base on our prior knowledge and experience. The optical illusions created by Hermann and Lingelbach supported Helmholtz’s idea because we have difficulty to see images composed of lines due to limitation in our optical sense. As philosopher Rene Descarte says that â€Å"the senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once†, our senses indeed can be fallible and limited, but we need them to interact with the world. So let us just follow our senses and live in the world our senses provide us.

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Shawshank Redemption and its Relation to Greek Mythology Term Paper

The Shawshank Redemption and its Relation to Greek Mythology - Term Paper Example Narrated by an older prisoner named Red, the film gives its viewer information about Andy primarily through the external perspective Red provides, and Red sees in Andy many reasons to pay close attention. Red’s way of telling Andy’s story is one of the first attributes of the film to hint at the possibility that Andy is a larger than life character of potentially mythic—and heroic—proportion. Since the film is set in the 1940s, the viewer instantly recognizes differences in the legal system as well as the treatment of prisoners from how those things are today. This remove from contemporary times serves to emphasize the mythical atmosphere of the film, so the viewer more readily accepts the ideas set forth. We quickly identify Andy as a person of uncommon qualities. Although he comes from a middle class background and has no prior criminal record, he maintains his composure during his transition into prison and his first overnight. As the more experienced inmates make bets about who will cry during their first night in prison, some put their money on Andy. They are disappointed to find that not only is he not the first to cry, but he does not make any sound at all. As soon as Andy arrives at the prison, he is subjected to cruelty, abuse, and even torture. Although he fights against the prisoners who torment him, he is outnumbered by them and can not protect himself. From this early point in the film, one can identify the features of the mythological hero in Andy. According to Campbell, the hero often finds himself in a world that suffers from a â€Å"symbolic deficiency,† and feels compelled to set it right (30). The deficiency can be spiritual, as in a fallen world, or it can be physical, as in a world of ruins (Campbell 30). It is undeniable that the world Andy descends into when he arrives at the prison is deficient. He has to pull a maggot out of his food during one of his first meals, he suffers physical abuse from prisoners and guards alike, and above all else he is serving a prison sentence for a crime he did not commit. Considering this, it seems his prison world’s deficiency is merely an extension of the greater societyâ €™s depravity. Despite the phenomenal abuse, Andy’s mind remains solvent and he maintains his ability to plan and strategize. When he overhears one of the prison guards, Captain Hadley, complaining about the money he is going to lose to taxes, Andy seizes the opportunity. Although it is an immense risk, he presents Hadley with financial advice that eventually results in the exchange of Andy’s financial services for goods provided by Captain Hadley. Andy does not ask Hadley for something for himself, but instead requests cold beers for all his workmates that were with him that day, a seemingly selfless action. This kind of selflessness and largesse is evident also in the actions of the hero figure in mythology. Wright describes mythological heroes as people who â€Å"through extraordinary actions, save the group, change the world,† and commit other meaningful acts (146). For example, Heracles of Greek mythology possessed incredible physical strength that gave him the power to change things in his environment for the better (Grimal 185). He defeated a beast that was causing problems for herders, and killed the Stymphalian birds that were destroying Arcadian crops (Grimal 187). Heracles used his physical abilities to engage in these selfless, world changing actions. Though Andy did not slay beasts in prison, he did devote energy toward significant and world changing activities. Buying beers for his friends was not the limit of Andy’s meaningful acts. Not long after he made the request for

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Nazi Deception and the Demoralization and Dehumanization of Eliezer Essay

Nazi Deception and the Demoralization and Dehumanization of Eliezer and his Fellow Prisoners - Essay Example When Elie Wiesel first reached the concentration camp in Auschwitz a sign caught his attention that said "Arbeit macht frei" which translated into â€Å"work makes you free† (Wiesel 40). There was a great deal of irony within that phrase. Like in all other concentration camps, in Auschwitz, Jews were persecuted and forced to work for the Nazi forces. The working conditions of these concentration camps were inhumane, and the death of these workers due to starvation and exhaustion were a common sight. Hard work in these concentration camps never paid off in terms of freedom. In fact, Jews in these camps were even deprived of basic needs such as food water and in some cases even shelter. The Nazis used the sign as a mode of deception, and they were well aware of the fact that providing freedom to Jews was never an option. The sign was put up to provide a fake incentive to the Jews to work harder for them. The concentration camp located in Auschwitz was well famous for the amount of work that was forced upon the Jews and the torture that was brought upon them as well. Different works were assigned to the prisoners at the concentration camp. Some were forced to dig huge craters and few of the prisoners Elie saw carrying bags of sands â€Å"Prisoners were at work. ... According to the author the idea of deception was to confuse the prisoners into ensuring that then they would not be able to trust anyone. In the book the Nazis provided the prisoners with false hope regarding their freedom. They realized that the Nazis were not planning to keep their promise about ensuring their freedom prisoner’s trust in other individuals was also shattered. This led to the prisoners losing value in relationships with friends and family and anyone close to them. Eventually, these prisoners would fall into a state where they would act in a completely non-human manner. Once in a non-human state these prisoners started attacking everyone and anyone that they felt was a threat to them or they felt possessed something that might be of value to the attacker â€Å"Dozens of inmates were there to receive us, sticks in hand, striking anywhere, anyone without reason† (Wiesel 35). In short Nazi’s deception had such a powerful affect on the prisoners that it primarily dehumanized their fundamental nature and forced them to act as animals. Night and has been compared with the likes of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, and If This is a Man by Primo Levi (Franklin). There has been a great deal of controversy regarding the content. A number of scholars believe that Wiesel’s book night may not be completely a memoir and that parts of the books may be fiction (Franklin). Nevertheless Night has been one of the best books to have been written recounting the holocaust. The book gave an account of how concentration camps did not just inflict physical torment on the Jews there but were also subjected to mental torture as well. Nazis gave prisoners within the concentration camps a false hope of freedom and gave them an incentive to work harder at these

Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Time - Essay Example There is truth in what other people say that there seems to be a lump inside one’s chest which is heavy and burdensome and one slowly awaits for this heavy load to be lifted. If this moment would be expressed visually in artwork, one could foresee an interplay of artistic elements that would effectively capture one’s situation to include effective use of colors, shadows, hues, as well as creative style that utilizes applications of space and distance. For instance, since the environment or background is oblivious to the subject, there would be predominance in hues of grey or dark and matte colors. At the focal point would be the subject being interpreted in a challenging and trying scenario, seen visually in contoured image or through clear facial expression of exemplifying worry, anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear. At the same token, the visual design could include an element of hope in a far distant corner, which therefore needs effective use of distance and space, through shading and including a bright yellow or gold color to depict seeing resolution to the problem somewhere in the near

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Hills like White Elephants Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hills like White Elephants - Coursework Example The setting is in Spain, and the fact that the man speaks Spanish puts him in a decidedly advantageous position compared to the girl. Jig has to rely on the American while they are in Spain; or, it is likely, she had to rely on him in all the places they visited. Their relationship is one of imbalance and inequality. Jig is dependent on the American, and obviously she feels compelled to abide by his decision to abort their child, even though the man places the moral responsibility upon the woman (he pushes insistently on the operation being simple, but purports to go through the operation only if she wished). Hemingway meant for the setting to contribute to the central theme, which is Jig’s dilemma of undergoing the abortion. The symbolism is clear that the setting contrasted the barrenness of â€Å"this side† with the fruitfulness of â€Å"the other side.† The station is midway between the two. These are evident in the lines: â€Å"Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro. Far away, beyond the river, were mountains. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees.† The setting is a symbolism for Jig being midway in deciding whether to have the abortion (barrenness) or having her child (fruitfulness). The shadow of the cloud moving across the field of grain shows that she may have considered that deciding to keep her child has become a dim prospect, in the face of the American’s insistence that the abortion is â€Å"an awfully simple operation.† The hills appearing like white elephants symbolizes the child they would have, which is now far off in the distance. The white elephant in Thailand is both blessing and curse – blessing because it is rare and considered valuable, curse because it may not be put to work and thus is fed and cared for

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Econ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Econ - Essay Example n, Jagdish Bhagwati conveys both the India and china’s remarkable upturn of GDP in late 1980s and early 1990s, which resulted from the abolition of trade barriers. This illustrates how trade liberalization usually does to the global states’ economies owing to its free interaction characteristic besides thriving trade across their boundaries. Jagdish Bhagwati believes the remedy to the current global economic crises only rests in adopting trade liberalization or free trade rather than the present protectionism (Bhagwati 38). Jagdish Bhagwati refutes â€Å"Section 24 allowance† orâ€Å"allowance for Preferential Free Trade Agreements (FTA)† which the current US regime is applying besides other global states (Bhagwati 20). Since it yields to numerous economical predicaments presently faced by the global states’ besides posing the issue of economic unpredictability. This is evident in the incumbent US regime where the president Obama prefers protectionism approach and seems to forget its grievous impacts on economy notably in 1930s (Bhagwati 78). Jagdish Bhagwati does not approve the utilization of Preferential Free Trade Agreements (FTA) as a remedy to the present challenges. This is because he refers to the approach as an effective and malicious approach meant to undermine free trade or its liberalization. Therefore, Preferential Free Trade Agreements (FTA) normally erects barriers that prevent the flourishing of economy not only for US but also for other global states (Bhagwati

Monday, September 23, 2019

List 5 notable strikes and the following factors Essay

List 5 notable strikes and the following factors - Essay Example However, during this period beginning 1890, the business started experiencing an economic downturn, as were other manufacturing companies, whereby the market price of steel products went down thereby reducing the amount of profits. As a result, the general manager, Henry Frick, proposed a plan to reduce the cost of production by lowering wages and forcing workers to break ranks with the AA, which did not go down well with the workers (Krause, 1992). Without AA’s presence, Frick felt that he would be in full control of the human resources. As a result, the employees embarked on a strike, which lasted for approximately 4 months. The workers, during this period, were involved in an armed conflict with the Pinkertons, who were armed men hired by Frick to suppress the strikers, a conflict which contributed to the death of 9 workers and 7 Pinkertons while several others suffered bullet injuries. At the end of these confrontations, the workers were defeated and they had to accept the terms set down by Frick in order to be allowed to continue working in the company while the leaders of the strike were fired and subjected to court proceedings though no one was sent to prison (Krause, 1992). The Pullman Strike of 1894 As stated earlier, the early 1890s was a period of economic downturns and most of the industries were affected (Salvatore, 1999). The Pullman Palace car Industry, based in Pullman, Illinois, was one of those companies, which suffered reduced revenues as a result of low demand for their products, which basically included train cars. As a counter measure, the management decided to cut wages and thereafter gave deaf ear to the workers complaints, which included low wages, overworking and high cost of living. As a result, more than 3000 employees of the company decided to go on strike, which was later supported by the American Railway Union, which significantly increased the number to more than 100000 individual members from 26 states, who were advised t o boycott any operations that involved cars from the Pullman industry (Salvatore, 1999). This is a strike which begun on May 11, 1894 to August 2, 1894. The reason for the conclusion of the strike was that the then president Cleveland sent in federal and state troops to crush the strike specially because it was interfering with the deliver of mail and this had begun to disgust the general public, who were shifting their support to the government. The Union leaders were arrested while more than 20 workers lost their lives in the process. Pullman employees tried to negotiate for an unconditional reinstatement to their former positions but the management refused to accept and instead forced them to sign contracts, which forbid them from joining any labor unions failure to which they would lose their jobs. The workers, while on strike, contributed to the destruction of property and loss of revenues especially for the railway line approximated to more than $4 million as per the then valu e of the dollar. The workers also lost more than $1 million in terms of wages not forgetting the magnitude of human labor dedicated by the security organs to crush the strike (Salvatore, 1999). Textile Workers Strike of 1934 The Textile Workers Strike of 1934 was an event in the US history, which was organized by the United Textile Workers of America (UTW), a union whose membership

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The tastiest carrot cake Essay Example for Free

The tastiest carrot cake Essay Birthdays have been special over the years, what makes it special is not balloons or parties, but the desert! Every birthday that I can remember I have had a carrot flourless cake, double layer with rich chocolate icing on the top. Its home made by my mom, she is the the only person that can cook a cake like that, I’ve never tried something so good and tasty like this one. Since I was young, chocolate has been my favorite thing to eat, no matter what time of the day, I’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and cannot resist it when I see it. Just the sight of a dark, scrumptious, chocolate makes my mouth water like a little kid at the zoo eyeing some cotton candy. I inherited my sweet tooth from my mom’s dad, grandpa Valdemar; he would cover loads of healthy food such as fruit and cereal with loads of sugar. The warm inside of the carrot cake when it first comes out of the oven makes my taste buds jump with joy. It looks soft as the sky clouds on sunny days and the frosting is as smooth as malaises, rich with 2 pound of chocolate on the top of it. During the singing of the birthday song, I can see the wax from the candles dripping off and just can’t wait to blow them out so I can jump into the cake and relish the taste. This kind of cake is famous as carnival in Brazil and I can’t even find this amazing food in a city like New York, so mixed and with a lot of cultures. I hope that one day Americans will try at least one time. I’m sure that who tried once will never stay without a piece two times a month in a normal afternoon.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Psychological Adjustment Following Mastectomy Health And Social Care Essay

Psychological Adjustment Following Mastectomy Health And Social Care Essay Breast cancer is so common that 1 in 17 women develops breast cancer in her lifetime (Health Promotion Board, 2009). The American Cancer Society (2010) estimated 1.4 million new diagnoses of breast cancer worldwide. In Singapore, breast cancer is the leading cancer among women with an annual incidence rate of 1300 (Singapore Cancer Society, 2008). Data from the National Registry of Diseases Office (2010) shows that breast cancer contributed to a significant 29.2% of cancer in Singapore women, most prevalent at the age group 55-59. The ethnic distribution of the disease is equal and the estimated lifetime risk of breast cancer is 5% which is much lower than that of the American and European women (Singapore Cancer Society, 2010). However, the incidence rate has been rising rapidly exceeding the rate in United States (Jara-Lazaro, Thilagaratnam, Tan, 2010). Mastectomy is inevitable in patients with large breast tumors (Singapore Cancer Society, 2010). It has unique consequences because of the mutilation of an organ that represents a womans femininity and sexuality and plays an important role in sexual pleasure and stimulation. The paper reviews the literature relating to the psychosocial impact of mastectomy on a womans body image and sexuality which can affect her mental health. As survivorship of breast cancer following mastectomy becomes more common, the findings in this review are of significance to nurses caring for these women in providing interventions to address their psychological wellbeing. 2. Literature Review The review has been divided into 3 stressors for post-mastectomy women: body image, sexual functioning and marital adjustment. 2.1 Body image Ample studies had demonstrated mastectomy was associated with altered body image (Morris, 1979; Gottschalk, Hoigaard-Martin, 1984; Lasry et al., 1987). A recent study conducted by Bakhta and Najafib (2010) also found that women who had undergone mastectomy had lower body image than healthy women. However, many other recent studies proved otherwise. Moreira and Canavarro (2010) conducted a longitudinal study on breast cancer patients and found only a slight increased in body shame during the period of surgery to 6-months after the treatments ending. Esmaili, Saiidi, Majd and Esmaieli (2010) conducted a survey on 90 women during the period of 1-3 months following mastectomy and found insignificant change in body image. Hopwood et al. (2000) found that 21% of the women reported no change in body image in the first 3 years following prophylactic mastectomy as they viewed the surgery as a good trade-off for better health. The type of surgery has a predictive role on body image and various researchers have explored its impact on womens adjustment. A quantitative research showed larger proportion of those who had mastectomy without immediate breast reconstruction reported problems with body image (Sackey, Sandelin, Frisell, Wickman, Brandberg, 2010). Studies on the impact of type of surgery have revealed contradictory results with Hopwood et al. (2000) demonstrating that some women disliking the look or feel of the reconstructed breast. Young women reported more body image problems (Bakhta, Najafib, 2010) while older breast cancer patients showed greater acceptance of the mastectomy consequences (Ganz et al., 2002). Salter (1997) states that patients acceptance of body changes is largely influenced by peoples reactions around her, implying that behaviour of the partners and nurses play the most important role in determining patients acceptance of their body regardless of the type of the surgery and the age of the patient. 2.2 Sexual functioning Many researchers have demonstrated the strong impact of breast cancer and mastectomy on sexual function. Reported rates for post-mastectomy sexual problems range from a low 18.6% in those with mastectomy and reconstruction to a high 30.2% in those without reconstruction (Rubino, Figus, Lorettu, Sechi, 2006). The main causes of post-mastectomy sexual problems were altered self-perceived sexual image (Yeo et al., 2004), loss of pleasurable sensation in the breasts and consequent decreased of sexual desire (Graziottin, 2007; Burwell, Case, Kaelin, Avis, 2006). This shows that sexual difficulties can be attributed to physical problems. 2.3 Marital Adjustment Mastectomy affects not only the patient but also her relationship with her partner. In the study of Avci, Okanli, Karabulutlu and Bilgili (2009), it was found that the patients had a moderate level of marital adjustment. Research has shown that quality of a womans relationship is a stronger predictor of sexual functioning than the alteration of the body after mastectomy (Alder et al., 2008; Zee et al., 2008). Whilst each of these factors has been considered separately, it is important to acknowledge that they are interconnected. Women who have a poor body image following mastectomy have lower sexual satisfaction and are more dissatisfied with their relationship with their partners. Future research is needed to acknowledge this inter-relationship, in order to manage the multi-faceted consequences of mastectomy. 3. Discussion 3.1 Relevance to nursing practice This review has demonstrated that there is a compelling evidence that mastectomy can have a significant impact on a womans psychological adjustment in terms of body image, sexual functioning and relationship with their partners, especially in young women. Schultz and Van de Wiel (2003) found that psychological well-being and sexual intimacy help in the recovery process. This suggests that nurses should be particularly sensitive to the consequences of mastectomy for womens sexuality and body image, as well as the consequences for their partners. In view of Salters study in 1997, it is suggested that nurses consider educating the patients husbands about the facial expressions, tone, touch, and behaviour that can enhance their wives body image. The nurses should also understand that their own body language can affect their patients acceptance of the changes in their body. The findings of this review regarding marital adjustment confirmed the need for a comprehensive counseling and education serving the purpose of mental health management for women and partners following mastectomy to facilitate marital adjustment. Patients who reported greater perceived support in a study reported fewer adjustment problems and lower psychological distress (Baidera, Ever-Hadanib, Goldzweigc, Wygodaa, Peretz, 2003). As such, a good relationship with the husband is important, especially as post-mastectomy outpatient care becomes more common, more men will be involved in providing care and emotional support for their wives at home. 3.2 Recommendations for future research On the basis of gaps in the current literature, further research is required to find out about the impact of mastectomy on Singaporean womens body image and sexual functioning. In the local study, it is found that body image and sexuality is often not discussed with patients following mastectomy as most breast cancer patients felt uneasy talking about their concerns, especially among the Indians, Malays and the elderly Chinese (Saraswathi, Suzanna, Ho, 2005). One notable gap in the current literature is an understanding of cultural differences in psychological adjustment which is important to Singapores multicultural society. In exploring post-mastectomy body image and sexuality, a nurse should know about customs of different religious groups so she can be culturally sensitive to the women under their care. However, this important area has received limited attention in the published literature. In the recent years, increasing focus has been given to study the body image among patients following mastectomy (Bakhta, Najafib, 2010; Moreira, Canavarro, 2010; Esmaili, Saiidi, Majd, Esmaieli, 2010). The findings of insignificant changes in body image could be attributed to patients more preoccupied with their survival rather than the physical changes due to loss of the breast in the earlier stages following mastectomy. As such, further study is required to find out the impact on body image after a long period of time when survival is obtained. Similarly, identification of interventions to respond to women with psychological concerns following mastectomy is yet to be explored. As such, further research is needed to ensure the psychological needs of women are met during treatment. 4. CONCLUSION This literature review details the likelihood of altered body image, the nature of sexual difficulties and the implications of marital adjustment associated with mastectomy. Based on the findings of the review, it is suggested that nurses caring for women who had undergone mastectomy to be particularly sensitive to their sexuality, body image and relationship with their partners to promote better recovery. She may consider teaching the husbands of the women how to help their wives accept their body image changes. In view of the importance of family support, a nurse may want to offer counseling to both the patient and the husband so as to facilitate in the marital adjustment following mastectomy. Several literature gaps are identified, including limited attention to local womens psychological concerns following mastectomy, customs of different religious groups that may affect the psychological adjustment and effective nursing intervention for women with concerns regarding body image, sexual functioning and marital adjustment following mastectomy.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Effective Written Communication Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"Even the best ideas are of small value unless communicated well.† People write in response to situations that call on them to put their thoughts and feelings into words. For example, a boss may ask an employee to write a report on how to market a new product line or the company for which an employee works is requesting assistance in designing a home page on the World Wide Web. In a labor force full of mediocre writers, someone who writes well is bound to stand out and succeed, while someone who writes poorly is bound to do just the opposite. It is not to say that the mediocre writer will not be successful, but the success of a person who possesses excellent writing skills will certainly be far greater. Sponsorship of a workshop for employees to improve writing skills would certainly assist in empowering employees, serve as a motivator for boosting company morale, and ultimately result in an increase in business profits. According to Dr. William C. Byham,â€Å"the successful organizations will be the ones best able to apply the creative energy of individuals toward constant improvement† (5). Yet, constant improvement is a value that cannot be imposed upon people. It has to come from the individual. The only way to get people to adopt constant improvement as a way of life in doing daily business is by empowering them. Empowering employees definitely motivates them to take ownership of their jobs so that they take personal interest in improving the performance of the organization. Formal training in empowerment skills and related areas are conceived via personal and organizational success. Personal and organizational successes are achieved through good advertisement as well as excellent relations with the public. Both of these rely heavily on one’s ability to communicate thoughts and ideas effectively. The heart of effective communication is excellent academic writing skills. Participative management stems from the idea of involving employees in the decision-making process. â€Å"In the Fifties, managers thought it meant being friendly to employees. In the Sixties, they thought it meant being sensitive to the needs and motivations of people. In the Seventies, managers thought it meant asking employees for help. In the Eighties, it meant having lots of group meetings.† The very name â€Å"participative management† seems to imply that it is something that management does whi... ...it.† The effect that a positive tone can have on a company’s image is amazing. A simple â€Å"please† or â€Å"thank you† renders desired results and shortens response times as well. Eliminating negative-tone communication and promoting positive-tone communication guarantees phenomenal yields and profits. Thanks to an effective formal writing program utilized by Brown & Brown at the end of the year 2001, the firm’s net income rose sixty percent, from $38.7 million to $61.7 million for the year 2002. Finally, through sponsorship of a workshop where employees can improve writing skills it affords the employee the opportunity to be taken seriously. It allows the employees to feel as if they are personally contributing to the overall success of the organization. When an employee can influence how things get done or when her efforts are recognized and accomplishments are rewarded it empowers the employee to tackle challenges with undying fervor, therefore; increasing quality, customer satisfaction, and productivity. These kind of positive results ultimately render skyrocketing increases in business profits. Isn’t it amazing what a little workshop on enhancing academic writing skills can do?

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Thomas Hardys Use of Fallen Women in His Writings Essay -- Biography

Thomas Hardy's Use of Fallen Women in His Writings Thomas Hardy sheds new light on the idea of the fallen woman. Throughout several of his works, he portrays the fallen woman through her own eyes, and, in doing so, presents a different perspective. Three of his works which establish this new perspective are the poem, "The Ruined Maid," and the novels Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. In "The Ruined Maid," which he wrote in 1866, Hardy focuses on one woman's recent loss of chastity and how she is perceived by a friend who is returning to town. Rather than feeling ashamed of her actions, she expresses a sense of pride. In the last line of each stanza, she points out how she is ruined; however, the tone of her various declarations is triumphant. For example, at the end of the third stanza she states, " 'A polish is gained with one's ruin' " (l.12). After Hardy portrayed the idea of the fallen woman in this manner through his poetry, he proceeded to explore this idea within his novels. In Far from the Madding Crowd, Hardy's portrayal of Fanny Robin re...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Decision Making in End-of-life Circumstances :: Right To Die Death Essays

Decision Making in End-of-life Circumstances Traveling home on a cold January evening in 1983, a car loses control going around a slippery corner. The car spins, then flips, and the woman inside is thrown into a ditch thirty feet from where the car eventually comes to rest. She sustained numerous injuries and eventually stopped breathing. By the time paramedics arrived, she had not taken a breath for at least 15 minutes, her blood pressure was 0 over 0 and her pulse was 0 beats per minute: This is what is known as a â€Å"Code Blue† (PBS Frontline). Twenty minutes had passed before adequate amounts of oxygen had reached her brain. (Permanent brain damage generally results after six minutes without oxygen.) The woman’s name is Nancy Cruzan and her story is considered one of the most important milestones in the development of â€Å"right to die† policies in the United States because it is the first right to die case the Supreme Court ever heard. After extensive evaluation following her accident, Nancy was diagnosed with â€Å"probable brain damage compounded by significant oxygen deprivation† (Sisters of Leavenworth). Nancy remained in a coma for approximately three weeks and then progressed to an unconscious state in which she was able to ingest some nutrients orally. However, it soon became too difficult for Nancy to orally ingest the proper amount of nutrition, and it was necessary to implant a feeding and hydration tube. The tube was placed under consent from her father. Nancy’s eyes were open and she could move her mouth, but she did not have an understanding of what she heard or saw and could not speak. Nancy was described as being in a â€Å"permanent vegetative state† (American Medical Association). Ten months after her tragic accident, Nancy was moved to a state hospital, where various treatments and rehabilitative efforts were shown to be unsuccessful. After the realization that Nancy would most probably never regain her mental faculties, her parents Joe and Joyce Cruzan asked for the cessation of the administration of medically assisted nutrition and hydration via the gastronomy tube. The hospital did not feel they were authorized to honor the family’s request without court approval (Sisters of Leavenworth). The family was now faced with the emotional difficulties of requesting the removal of the same tube of which they had authorized the placement just a short time before.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Supporting Children and Young People’s positive behaviour

These are the limits within which behaviour is acceptable or what may, and may not be done. Boundaries are there to guide children and young people’s behaviour in the setting and it is very important for all staffs to consistently apply these boundaries fairly. Behaviour is learnt from what we see others do or say, so, it is very important for the staff to watch children closely and make sure that they apply the boundaries at all times.The importance of staffs applying the rules and boundaries are: It helps children and people to know what is right from wrong. For example, when a child knows what is right from wrong, or what is acceptable and what is not, then they will be able to do the right thing most of the time. If they know jumping is not allowed in the setting then they are going to behave accordingly. If all staff applies the boundaries and rules of their settings, then children will not feel they are being misled. For example, one staff says they can bring snacks to s chool and another staff says they are not allowed to bring snacks. If this happens, a child will get confused and feel misled by one of the staff. It enables all the staff to be consistent in their approach in dealing with behaviour issues.For example, if there is no consistency in staff applying the boundaries and rules then there will be chaos in the setting, and this will not help positive behaviour in children. But if there is consistency then every child in the setting will know that no matter whom they go to in the setting, they will always get one answer. The importance of all staff being fair, and consistent are:It helps children to develop a sense of responsibility for their own actions and encourages them to think about the consequences of their behaviour. For example, the rule says no running in the corridor and staff keep reminding children about it all the time then, when a child runs in the corridor the others will tell him or her no running, and he or she will know th at if they run, they will fall and when they fall, they will hurt themselves.So, they  know what will happen when they disobey. It ensures that the school rules are enforced and children behave in a responsible manner. For instance, when staffs are consistent in applying the rules then there will be order in the settings and the promotion of good behaviour. Children will also know what the rules and boundaries are and therefore behave accordingly. It ensures that all children are treated fairly by staff applying the equal opportunity procedures. For example, when two children behave inappropriately, they both must receive the same sanction, one should not be favoured over the other.When two children fight, you have to listen to both sides and be fair in your judgement. Some children behave inappropriately all the time but they must not be victimized in situations but rather listened to and treated fairly as other children. It helps children with unwanted behaviour to improve and b ehave positively. For instance, if a child likes to pinch other children and all the staffs apply the rules consistently, that child is bound to change from that unwanted behaviour to positive behaviour. How to set fair rules and boundaries:Setting realistic rules for the setting; For example, ensuring the set rules are appropriate for age and stage of development. For instance, setting a rule for one to two years that says, â€Å"No crying for toys or You must share,† that is not realistic based on their age and level of understanding. By involving the children in setting the rules and boundaries. If the children are involved in the rule setting then they will apply it because they will always remember and obey it. If everybody agrees on the set rules and boundaries. This means they understand what they are agreeing to so therefore, they can live by it and when others are behaving inappropriately, they will let them know it is unacceptable behaviour.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Copd

COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is treatable and can be prevented. It can greatly impact a patient’s lifestyle. The disease varies person to person and usually progresses. The two major components of COPD are inflammation and airflow limitation. Treatment and prevention of COPD is aimed at treating these. There are four stages of COPD; Mild, Moderate, Severe and Very Severe. Signs and symptoms for all types of severity are; possible cough, sputum and dyspnea, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness and chronic cough. Diagnosing COPD and staging is predicted by the pulmonary function test results, and also again by possible symptoms. Treatment recommendations differ between the different stages of the disease. Treatment for COPD includes a new medication called roflumilast (Daliresp) which selectively inhibits Phosphodiesterase 4 a major AMP metabolizing enzyme in a lung tissue. The therapy goal with that rate of exacerbations improve ABG's pulmonary function tests and decrease the need for rescue medications. Also there is short and long acting inhaled beta antagonists. They are comprised of a cortiosteroid, bronchodilators and they reduce inflammation. Antibiotics can also be prescribed to reduce any increased sputum volume and dyspnea. Oxygen therapy also helps with COPD by improving breathlessness during exercise and daily living. Application to Nursing: COPD COPD has a dramatic impact on a patient’s lifestyle, it is preventable and treatable. Therapy treatments vary with the four stages of severity. Avoiding the risk factors for COPD and getting an influenza vaccine can help for all four of the stages. A short acting bronco-dilator can be used PRN for mild-moderate stages. Regular treatment with one or more long acting bronco-dilators can be used for moderate-very COPD. Rehab therapy is used for moderate COPD. Inhaled glucocorticosteroids are used for severe-very severe COPD. When the patient has very severe COPD they will be on long term oxygen, and also can or will be considered for surgical treatment. Patients with COPD will need support and possible motivation to participate in daily activities due to worry some behavior and or depression, fatigue and increased dyspnea Exercise and smoking cessation is the best intervention for people who have been diagnosed with COPD. This will possibly lessen the troubles that can arise from this disease.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Owning a Mobile Phone

Owning a mobile phone When I was in the 7 grade, I dreamed of owning my mobile phone. The day I got my mobile phone was one of the happiest days in my life. Owning a mobile phone gave me freedom, cost me money, and made me be careful about the bad effects from mobile phone. Owning a mobile phone made me had the freedom. First of all, I didn’t have to use telephone anymore. Every time I used it to call my friends, my paren't looked at me really strange, they seemed unpleasant. Moreover, they were always worried about a person who called to me and the person whom I talked to. Second, I don’t need to borrow my friend mobile phone.I was really embarrassed every time when I asked for his phone. With my own mobile phone I can communicate to my friends no matter what or where I am. For instance, I can easily contact to my friends by calling or sending messages everywhere. I had to pay for the mobile phone and related expenses. A phone with many features and capabilities can be expensive. I had considered about size, battery life, price, internet access and other features. Finally, I had to pay about 14,000 baht for my mobile phone. Moreover, a mobile phone cost a few to maintain such as screen protector, battery, battery charger and fixed if necessary.Of course, I had monthly phone bill. Mobile phone expenses can be controlled in limit budget. I look at my current phone bill and see how I’m using my phone. How many minutes do I use a month? Am I a big texter? So, I choose the properly package and control myself in limit budget. When I have to pay for my mobile phone, I became a more careful consumer. I became worried about the bad effects from mobile phone. Using a lot mobile phone can harm my brain. If I use mobile phones too much, I will get bad effects like dizzy, blood-brain barrier, or ears problems. In addition, when I use mobile phones while I am driving, I might get an accident.It is essential not good for me and others. Moreover, â€Å"r adiations emitted from the phone are dead harmful for the eardrum†, has proved by many scientist. Owning a mobile phone gave me freedom, but it gave me responsibilities and worries, too. Even with the stress of monthly phone bill and mobile maintenance but I would never give up my mobile phone. Furthermore, my fear of using a lot mobile phone can harm my brain cannot keep me from the joy my mobile phone. I am really happy to use it properly and sensibly, mobile phone is one of a wonderful piece of utility in my life.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Letter To The Manager Essay

Greetings! I am so pleased and overwhelmed that I was given this particular opportunity to present you with a proposal that I think is highly beneficial not only to the progress of the students that are to enter the institution but would also impact the reputation and competency of the school in catering to the needs of its students. Every child or student in this case, who is under a development period needs a careful attention with regards their physical growth as well. Besides that, it could also be noted that athletics department intend to offer programs that are likely to have an impact on the development of the children or the students towards a more active physical and mental performance. I am really hoping that somehow, you would spare sometime in considering examining the presentation that I have prepared herein, thus be able to consider the development of and the application of the suggestions presented in the actual institutional operations. Again, thank you so much for sparing some of your time. LIST OF TABLES: Proposed Pattern of funding the department   and Paying for the Service of the personnel †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.2 Personnel Roles and Responsibilities  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proposal Page 1 ADDING AN ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT IN A NEW EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION Introduction It is undeniable that sports facilities are always treated as primary sections in any educational institutions today. This is primary because of the need of assisting students in developing their physical stamina as a part of their growth towards maturity. Studies even prove that it is not only the physical strength that is being developed through this procedure. Moreover, it could be noted that psychologists have found out that the ability of a child to think is actually empowered when their physical bodies are exercised well as part of stress relief from the mind towards the body that eases their minds to think better. Too much lecture and no exercise can actually make the brain less productive. This is the reason why educational institutions are investing well for the development of athletic departments that are expected to help their students become better academic performers. Also , with having an athletic department as part of their school, it has been made aware that this has increased competency in handling the educational needs of their students. This is the reason why I think that the establishment of an athletic department would best support the needs and the goals of this school in both the mental and the physical abilities of the students that the school is preparing themselves to cater to. Further discussion of the matter and how it particularly applies to the system of education that the institution prefers to offer shall be presented within the paragraphs that follow. Significance of the Proposal As noted earlier, physical development is a vital part of one’s growth. In establishing an athletic department within a school, it is aimed that the students receive the best service that they ought to have from all the programs offered from the educational organization. With the improvement on the process by which the students are able to relax, and learn their lessons well, the school can then gather a good reputation from their parents and staff, which would likely be passed on through word of mouth. The institution would likely have a higher number of parents trusting them for the education of their children. It is very important that the physical health of the students is given high level of attention as well as their academic achievements are given well training through the process. Through the major application of the program that the department of athletics would imply within the annual academic schedule of the institution, it is expected that the treatment of the matter would be balanced by giving more of a benefit to the development of the students of whom the organization caters to.   Proposal Page 2 How the Department is to be Established Like any other departments in educational intuitions, an athletic department needs to have a lead officer that would be in charge of setting annual schedules for the group as well as for the entire academic department. Aside from the head officers, it is important to have assistants, who are likely to assist in the process of pursuing athletic lessons, as well as athletic events that are usually handled annually as recreational break for the students of the school every now and then. But who are actually qualified to take responsibility for the said positions? Proposed Pattern of funding the department and Paying for the Service of the personnel ACTIVITIES PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TIME-LENGTH APPLICATION PAYMENT SYSTEM PAYMENT RATE Lecture and school activities Teacher or instructor for the subject (Preferably bachelors-masters degree of educational attainment) Whole year (scheduled lessons etc) Every 15th of the Month As per decided by the school administration and board of trustees Forming of Athletic Clubs for Aspiring Students Teacher/Officials (same educational attainment as above) Whole School Year [depending on the required training schedules for the selected athletes] Every 15th of the Month As per decided by the school administration and board of trustees Offering Scholarship Program for aspiring student-athletes Administrational Officials (Masters Degree of Education) Whole Year then Renewal of Terms Every 15th of the Month As per decided by the school administration and board of trustees Note: employees are to be compensated every 15th of the month for this department as the said individuals are not required to attend school everyday. There are certain schedules when they are needed thus making their job easier than that of the other employees of the institution. The rate are then decided upon by the administration depending on the hours that they spend within the premises of the school and participate on the operations of the institution. Proposal Page 3 Who are to Work within the Department Undoubtedly, an athletic department is expected to be divided into different measures of separation that would likely focus on the different aims of the department. These different sections are actually expected to handle the separation of the lecture and lesson sections of the department with that of the special events section that are used to access the athletic aims of the department. Particularly, it is understandable that the matter requires professionals who are masters of physical education instruction for the highest positions and other positions such as assistants of the program could actually be taken by other fresh graduates from college who are screened and considered competent enough to handle the responsibilities that are intended for the said job positions. Personnel Roles and Responsibilities POSITION Job Description Impact of the position within the Department and the Institution’s Success Teacher/instructor These personnel are expected to handle lecture and student regular activities offered through the institution’s curriculum. This increases the competency of the organization in handling physical health instructional responsibilities of the administration towards the community it serves. Coach Handles athletic events and motivation to the chosen athletes of the institution for competition purposes This increases the chances of the institution in making a name in the field of scholastic athletics in the community. Scholarship Assessor Examines whether who among the students are worthy to receive scholarship grants from the administration. Makes the institution more of a pillar of education that gives chances to worthy students through honing the talents and skills that they posses with regards sporting events and competitions. Administrational Head Handles the major scheduling issues of the department and gives careful arrangement for the completion of the department’s responsibilities Makes the department much organized and the institution better informed of the activities of the department. Assistantship Positions Supports the other officials of the department Makes the task much easier to complete    Proposal Page 4 Conclusion From the proposal presented, it is highly suggested that the department be carefully planned as to who shall be appointed for its important positions as it would particularly detect the competency of the entire group. Thus through this process, the surety of the department’s success is likely to be expected. Undeniably though, the cooperation of the entire institution’s body of administration is highly needed for the success of the said department. Consequently, with support from everyone in the organization, an Athletic Department could not only bring fine assistance and physical training for the students but also bring the institution a fine reputation of high excellence within the society that they are serving as a primary school. Works Cited: Richard J Dippel. (2002). An investigation of athletic department handbooks – Richfield Senior High School Athletic Department. B0006R7USW. Jennifer Foley. (2000). Design and implementation of an athletic department handbook for the Red Lake Falls school district. B0006S5LMS. Wayne Mazzoni. (1998). The Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship Guide. Mazz Marketing Inc; 1 edition.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Internet - Essay Example D by the name of Gloria Kindell. The author has divided the article in three different sections mainly with the names "what's the fuss", what is an endangered language", and "so, what should we do" These three parts can be scientifically termed as the problem, the matter and the recommendations. In the first part the author gives a brief overlook of the problem that is the extinction of language due to globalization. As people move towards languages that are more widely spoken dumping their own language. In the second part the writer explains the symptoms of languages that are endangered to extinction. And in the third part the author explains how does SIL International helps in preserving the languages that are endangered. The website also has three more sections that enable a user to browse through links to other resources plus a FAQ's section that helps a user in getting answers to the same questions that have been previously asked. The website content is very interesting but is o f a level for a user that is completely unaware of the language extinction problem which is a major threat and only provides a brief over view of the problem. The website has been designed using the simple Java Language. The website also gives the contact information of SIL their address, telephone number, and fax number.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Airline regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Airline regulation - Essay Example deregulation of the industry, it is reported that many airline companies have opted to merge or engage in airline alliance, which are characterized as virtual mergers to circumvent government restrictions (Doganis, â€Å"Flying Off Course†). An implication of these mergers is that the few surviving consolidated airline companies may exhibit oligopolistic behavior. This may include monopolizing of routes and charging excessive rates for some fares. In this regard, the industry competition is somehow diminished. Other airline companies may experience substantial profit reduction as their service offerings become relatively less competitive as compared to big industry players. In view of the above, the government must intervene by implementing policies that would promote competition within the airline industry. By enforcing policies such as the prohibition of oligopolistic/monopolistic business practice, the government is able to promote greater efficiency in the market (Samuelson & Nordhaus). As the government deregulated the airline industry, airlines have become better equipped in negotiating their operating arrangements with different airports as well as their entry and exit routes. Furthermore, these airline companies have become better in levying airfares and supply flight based on market demand (Doganis, â€Å"The Airline Business†). The deregulation boded well for both airline companies and their customers. However, with the anti-competitive practices discussed above, the objective of the deregulation is being violated. Given this, the government should somehow tighten its control over the industry such that competition and consumer welfare are promoted. With the September 11 attacks, the airline industry experienced economic shock as people became traumatized of flying. Furthermore, security restrictions rendered traveling more difficult. Considering this, thousands of employees were laid off as major airlines filed for bankruptcy. To address

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

A Personal Manifesto on Success and Happiness Research Paper

A Personal Manifesto on Success and Happiness - Research Paper Example As the paper declares work as a noun defines an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. Another conception of the word work is that it is an activity as a means of earning income or employment. From these two concepts of work can be drawn different perceptions. Work as merely an act of doing something productive and work as an activity that generates income such as employment. The latter concept of work suits the definition that is widely known by most people. Having a job, an employment, running a business, all these are confined in the context of work that has an end goal of making money, salary, income or profit. According to the report findings the history of work is far rooted in the history of mankind. How work is viewed today is a byproduct of human experiences along the path of historical milestones of men. The concept of work can be traced back even into the realms of the Bible. God said to Adam, "In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground". Even in the beginning according to the Bible, God assigned the allegedly first ever work to Adam. Work then can be described as some activities that need sweating in order to eat. In that sense it would tilling the soil and planting and growing plants to bear fruits to eat. Work then spells really hard work and is contrasted with leisure as Adam Smith puts it as toil and trouble. Thus leisure is a different story from work that is why according to the bible God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work. (Genesis 3:19 as cited by Dupre and Gagnier). If to rely alon e from the following context it can be concluded that God wants people to work really hard during work days and set a separate day for leisure which is somewhat deviated from the modern context of work that can go along with play—having fun while working all at the same time. People of yesteryears works comparatively different than modern people does work. The work they knew then was more on physical exertion. Tracing back the first humans, they did not work in the way that we understand it today. Primitively like before, our ancestors spent much of their time searching for food and shelter, a short-term and endlessly repeated process that was necessary for survival (The Readers Digest Australia). This repeated process lead to the definition of work division wherein some are hunters and others are gatherers and basically women do the cooking for the whole group to survive and move on. Work in this essence brings definition to food and survival. The idea of the working day is a product of

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Land law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Land law - Essay Example ld in relation to different cases wherein various individuals residing in her accommodation considered themselves as tenants and e refused to pay rents among others. In relation to the case scenario, Hild has provided an unoccupied flat to Albert who is the son of an old school friend. She provided the flat to Albert as Albert was not having any place of accommodation after the broke up of his marriage. There was no written agreement regarding the accommodation provided to Albert by Hild. Additionally, Hild accepted no payments from him but occasionally she used to accept the payments in relation to bills of Council Tax. It can be viewed that Albert has been residing in the flat of Hild for a prolonged period of one year and now he claims that he is a tenant of the flat and shows no sign of moving on. According to the case scenario depicted above, it can be apparently observed that there was no agreement made between Hild and Albert in relation to the flat that has been provided to Albert by Hild for accommodation. Conceptually, tenancy agreement provides adequate information regarding the rules along with the conditions in relation to any property rented. Additionally, tenancy agreement provides important information including deposit, rent, renewing as well as termination of tenancy, discrimination, homelessness and services1. It can be affirmed in this regard that with the absence of written agreement amid Albert and Hild, the obligatory rights offered to the parties are not affected as both the parties are observed to be protected under statutory law of tenant rights. Due to the absence of written agreement, Albert might consider himself as a tenant of the flat possessing certain rights like illegal eviction, claiming housing benefits and appropriate notice to quit in accorda nce with tenant rights. However, owing to the lack of written agreement, Albert will not be facilitated with the opportunity of residing in the flat for a fixed period of tenancy, rather

Litercy Criticisms on How The People In A Street Car Named Desire Research Paper

Litercy Criticisms on How The People In A Street Car Named Desire represent those of tennessee williams life - Research Paper Example Meaning of Streetcar Named Desire The play â€Å"Streetcar Named Desire† was written after William’s first success of â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† and was known to develop with his own cliche statement which he called a ‘streetcar named success.’ This was based on his early achievements as a playwright and with the inability to move in the correct direction with his next plays. The confusion which came from this success was one which was based on the ability to indulge in life while not carrying a sense of direction about future prospects. The result was William’s moving into a controversial lifestyle where he was able to indulge in drinking, fine dining and gambling (Torres, 162). The conflicts which were faced then combined with the understanding that William’s had of himself which led from fame to a self – destructive attitude. The overall plot line and the different actions which take place, as well as the main theme of the pla y, all show this specific attitude and the way in which William’s is reflecting about his life at this particular time (Bloom, 11). The writing of this specific book was also based on the philosophies and interpretations which William’s had during this time. He created a looking glass of his own life and how he had struggled then instantly broken through into success. This left him with the need to re-examine relationships, morality and the conflicts which occurred either in his own life or in general. The idea which he began to move around was to find the ideal of what was good. â€Å"Then what is good? The obsessive interest in human affairs, plus a certain amount of compassion and moral conviction, that first made the experience of living something that must be translated into pigment or music or bodily movement† (Williams, 22). The philosophy which William’s fell back on at this time then led him to delve into his personal relationships, specifically with his sister, and to re-examine the interest of his personal affairs and the way in which he believed he had interacted with them. It was this specific component that led to the questioning of his character and the reflection of this in his next play (Thompson, 47). Direct Relationships to Characters The different characters used throughout â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire† are recorded as having a direct association with William’s life. The characters in the play are known to be representative of the family that William’s had, specifically in reference to Blanche, who is found to go through several brutal relationships and end up in a mental hospital. Blanche is known to be directly linked to William’s sister, Rose, who struggled with mental health for several years and later became incapacitated after a lobotomy. The problem and crisis which William’s associates with is reflective of watching his sister go through the victimization and with the concept of explaining the complexities, emotional conflicts and the deeply rooted problems of the mental health which he sees through his sister. Each of these become associated with Blanche and the struggles noted throughout the play with her mental health and relationships with others (Vlasopolos, 322). The character of Blanche is the main focus which William’

Monday, September 9, 2019

Quality management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Quality management - Essay Example In its quality management system, there is a continuous effort on improvement most probably on certain issues that concern about the customers and their interest about the quality of the actual products. As a result, Toyota invariably employs the move to study about its customers’ needs and the right thing to do in order to ensure market acceptance of its product offerings. In this entire process, quality management system cannot just be simply overlooked. Quality management ensures trust and reliability in offered products and services and even a potential market share for them. On the other hand, Volvo stresses out safety as its way of differentiating its product offerings. It has to do this as this is its main source of strength for its competitive advantage. The concern about safety on the other hand is another significant issue involving quality management especially on continuous quality improvement. Safety is such a broad concern but its bottom line especially in the case of Volvo is to strengthen the quality of its product offerings. Ensuring safety on its products requires continuous monitoring on the production and even from the acquisition of raw materials. Thus in the case of Volvo, there is a guaranteed quality assurance in whatever it does in order to deliver offerings with impeccable standard for safety. In other words, quality management ensures consistency in whatever an organization simply wants to achieve. BMW focuses on performance, which is another organizational concern associated with quality management system. In order to stay consistently in the market, BMW requires testing and monitoring the kind of performance its product and service offerings provide to its customers. In other words, along with the top of its priority is to provide a high value for customers. However, the bottom line of this goal is the continuous monitoring and implementation of the

Sunday, September 8, 2019

SYSTEMS SAFETY MANAGEMENT 440 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

SYSTEMS SAFETY MANAGEMENT 440 - Research Paper Example The identified components of a robust safety management system plan for the aviation industry include safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance and safety promotion. The above safety management system components have the potential of providing the necessary frameworks and guidelines for managers in the aviation industry to execute and implement effective system safety program plan in the organization. The central role and aim of aviation organizations is to deliver services, achieve production output and generate return on investments so as enhance their growth and sustenance of operations (Castro, 2005). Airports, airlines, air traffic organizations and aviation service providers are key components of the aviation industry. Safety in the aviation industry is an important aspect and this has been further reaffirmed by the increasing public expectations regarding aviation safety. A safety management system refers to a systematic approach that is geared towards managing safety and it entails the necessary organizational structure, accountabilities, policies and procedures (Castro, 2005). The aviation industry extensively relies on safety management system in order to achieve overall safety at both the organizational level and individual level. The role of safety management system in the aviation industry is to prevent human injury or loss of life and to avoid damage to the environm ent and to property (Yilmaz, 2008). Despite the overarching need for safety in the aviation industry, safety management system has not been fully implemented and fostered across the industry. This paper examines the role of safety management system in the aviation industry and strategies and approaches that can be used to implement and execute a safety management system in the aviation industry. System safety refers to the application of engineering and management principles, criteria, and techniques with a view of optimizing safety within the constraints of

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Quality Education to Students in Monroe College Essay

Quality Education to Students in Monroe College - Essay Example I have always believed that studying at Monroe College would bring many benefits to my life. Education wise, Monroe has received nothing but positive reviews regarding the quality of its curriculum. Given the opportunity to study at Monroe, I am confident that I will grow in leaps and bounds in the field of my interest which is criminal justice. Starting from when I was still a child, I always dreamt of working in the criminal justice department. The interest I have had in this career has led me to expand my knowledge and interests by reading related journals, enabling me to expand my view on the subject. Monroe will certainly provide me with the greatest honour in growing in this career both as a student and as an individual. I still believe that there is more to come because criminal justice is a wide and detailed area of professionalism. Criminal justice entails law enforcement, legal studies, human services, corrections, probation, and parole. In addition to that, it extends to h uman services offered at both the federal and state level. Monroe College will adversely provide me with the opportunity to study and understand the wide range of issues that exist in our society. Currently, my community is ravaged by a mirage of problems, all criminal related. Existing solutions seem to work, but there is a need to provide long-term solutions especially for the complex problems. I believe the knowledge that I will garner at Monroe will provide me with the knowledge and skill to provide lasting solutions to the benefit of the community.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Philosophies of Religion Essay Example for Free

Philosophies of Religion Essay This Essay portrays the basic philosophies of religion particularly Christianity. This will be helpful for Christians to refresh or enhance their faith or take the challenge in strengthening their beliefs. Among the important and basic Christian philosophies to be discussed include; the true religion, real and false churches, minds and soul, heaven and heal, life after death, love and forgiveness, perfect marriage, miracles, Trinity, the challenging questions about the Da Vinci Code, Christians and Muslims, perfect marriage, etc. The discussions presented in this article are focused on indepth reflections of my previous work entitled, Echoes of Heaven: Gods Love is Better than Life Itself. This further simplify the understanding of mysterious things concerning Christian faith and the challenges that shaken or strengthen the beliefs of a Christian. Introduction Many people (Christians and non-Christians) are in a great religious confusion with tough questions about faith, life, death and many other challenging concerns that will most likely affect the faith or belief of the people. Most are searching for answers through reading literatures, the holy bible or the Koran, discussions with peers, religious institutions, and even through prayers. This essay will attempt to offer explanations of the many questions that challenge the beliefs of Christians and non-Christians. Some inputs of this essay are generated from my article, â€Å"Echoes of Heaven: Gods Love is Better than Life Itself† that aim to enhance man’s relation with God. What is Soul? Soul is the energy that God places within a human body so it would receive life. It is in the form of spirit which is invisible to human eyes. It does not reside in one part of the body but keeps on moving throughout the blood. It can leave the body, go to another place or world, and come back into it as long as it remains connected. It happens so fast because it can move at the speed of light. It has the ability to travel into the future and tell how the future will be, that is a vision. Soul gives light and lives in the body and also prevents the body from decaying, and once the soul is unconscious or leaves the body, the body has no life, and therefore it starts decaying. The soul is the body’s life giving spiritual thing which is separate and distinct from the body. They are inseparable in any way when the body is conscious, but the soul could be away from the body when the latter is unconscious. How do minds and soul communicate? Soul has no language barriers. There is only one language understood by all souls, or perhaps the soul has the ability to understand all languages. It has unlimited power and the ability to perform anything. When God created man, He granted this power and authority where the soul operates in human flesh in which the latter is ruled by a human mind. Human minds are limited in terms of power, their ability to perform, language, and mobility, among other things. Mind’s desire is for material or physical things while the soul desires for the things that are spiritual. The soul has the ability to see beyond what the naked eye cannot see and has the ability to gather information from different places in an instant. It is stated that even the absence of language, the soul still communicate with mind in harmony. Soul is therefore, considered as master over mind. A gap is identified between the human level and the spiritual level where either the spirit of God resides or the spirit of the Devil. The soul provides information to the mind. The spirit of God empowers the soul to act at its fullness, but the evil spirit empowers the mind or the flesh. The mind has the ability to process and store information or idea communicated from the soul which can be destructive or creative, depending on its source. What is a true religion? A true religion is the one that follow God’s guidance by building a good relationship with God. God is interested in having a good relationship with people; this is the true religion, knowing what God wants and knowing that we are doing what pleases Him. Likewise, the ISLAM HERALD (2003) stated that a true religion is teaching true concepts like the existence of God, that He is powerful and loving, He is aware of us and wishes to help us, and that certain things are required of us in return. It is therefore imperative that everyone should think that religion is just a vehicle to let people know that there is God and that He wants all the people to follow what He wants. Hence, the issue on true religion should not be argued. People who argue and claim that their religion is the true religion are those who did not follow what God wants them to do, hence, they are fools influenced by the thoughts of the devil. What is death, and how do people feel when dying? Death is the state when the soul has completely left the body and has no connection, or the soul is still in the body but unconscious. When a person meets an accident, the flesh may completely fail to function but the soul is fully conscious, preoccupied with many things, without expecting in meeting death. In this situation, the death of accident victim is declared but remains fully conscious within the body in which souls are looking for mercy, and they can talk. However, after some days, the soul gives up and became unconscious because they can no longer gain strength. What happens when one dies? When some people die, their souls remain unconscious within their bodies; others get out of their body and begin roaming around while the holy ones go to paradise, led by angels. The death of the holy ones will open the gate to a bright world where the angels are waiting to take them home (paradise), but those who remain in the grave are surrounded by darkness; they are not warm or cold. The latter’s case will be determined during the Day of Judgment. The rebellious ones still go on roaming the world and their souls are fully dedicated to the Devil. Are heaven and hell real? The Holy Bible tells everyone that there is heaven and hell. This contention can be read in some passages of the Bible, and among them are the book of Revelation and the gospel of Mathew which can be read below. Heaven Revelation 21:1-4 reads: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. Hell Jesus used different images to describe hell. He used the images of torment (Matthew 25:46), a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12), a place of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), and a place of fire (Matthew 3:12). Revelation 21:8 describes it as the lake which burns with fire and brimstone To demonstrate that hell is a place of continual and eternal torment, Revelation 14:11 states that â€Å"the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worships the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. This is the biblical teaching on hell. Those who try to dilute it are only hurting people; hell is real, and everyone who does not submit to the gospel of Christ will go there. However, Rev. Douglas Taylor of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, argue that Hell, like Heaven, is essentially a state of mind although the very opposite state of mind to heaven. If hell is within us, it will be seen outside of us as a place (a hideous place), ref lecting the hideousness of the evil within†. Is there life after death? Yes, there is life after death. This is supported by the Bible’s passage particularly in John 11:25-26 where God said â€Å"There is only one way – through faith and trust in Gods Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, â€Å"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Furthermore, this can also be read in the book of Mathew 25:46 which states that â€Å"Those who have been made righteous will go into eternal life in heaven, but unbelievers will be sent to eternal punishment or hell†. Who is right, Christians or Muslims? Christians and Muslims believe in the same God, and their faith is based on the Old Testament. These believers are both believe in the Day of Judgment and the coming of Jesus Christ for the second time. Many are amazed that the Koran talked more about Mary, the mother of Jesus, in regards to the birth of Christ than the Bible itself. Both groups of believers believe in the living God, the Most High King, and the God of the universe. At that high level, both groups have no difference. Those who called by His name are given the power and authority to rule and judge the world. God was just using different messengers for the Christians and the Muslims; Christ Jesus for the Christians, and Mohammad for the Muslims. But, they the same believed the old testament of the Holy Bible. In the eyes of God, the righteous are those who believe that there is God; obey His commands, and those who recognize that He is the most powerful and merciful God. What is a perfect marriage? A perfect marriage is a marriage that put God in the center. A perfect marriage is bound with open communication, faith and trust with each other. In Ephesians 5:23-33 of the Holy Bible, God describes that perfect marriage is based on love. He commands the husband to love his wife more than he loves himself, and to nourish and cherish her. A man should provide for his wife’s needs and consider her a precious possession. The most important part of a good marriage is LOVE, not just a physical attraction, but true love and concern for each other before God. Marriages that last are built on love (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The wise man Solomon said that enjoying life’s blessings with a loving companion is a great reward. Love’s endurance knows no limits, its trust no end, its hope no fading; it can outlast anything. If, we will but follow Gods pattern for the marriage relationship, we can find the happiness that God intended when He ordained it. The pleasure and happiness are there when the husband and the wife have the proper love for each other and for God. These explanations about perfect marriage are anchored on LOVE. What is the secret behind miracles? The secret behind miracles is faith. Many scriptures in the Holy Bible (in the New Testament) tell how Jesus shown that faith makes miracles. However, in some cases, miracles are used by the devil to mislead the people of God and forget the true miracle from God which is the miracle of forgiveness of sins. Do all miracles come from God? Not all miracles come from God. Dan Corner of Evangelical Outreach reveals that miracles come from two sources that is God and devil. The book of Exodus that â€Å"some of Gods miracles were duplicated by Satans power channeled through the Egyptian magicians: a wooden staff became a snake† (7:10, 11); â€Å"water was changed into blood† (7:20-22)† and frogs came out of the water and covered the land† (8:6, 7)! † Demons can and do perform miraculous signs† (Rev. 16:14, p. 142). In the Holy Bible (New Testament) Jesus Christ made many miracles of healing the sick people, giving life again to the declared dead person, calming storms, etc. All the miracles performed by Jesus came from God. Are all churches real? Not all churches are real. Elephant shared in his article that the real churches are those where the worshippers are singing with the same voice, moving in the same direction, without confusion, and seek God for salvation. Real churches are those with true worshippers. True worshippers of God are poor in hearts seeking God and left everything behind just to follow God with one purpose, salvation. Is there any false church or prophet? There are so many false churches and prophets even during the time of Jesus Christ. False church is look like a market place where there are lots of confusions; people are seeking God for material things not salvation. Yes, there were false prophets as supported by Ezekiel 13, even God warn the people against false prophets and said to Ezekiel â€Å"These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions. Christians of today, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of the city. They do not guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they build the walls, and so the churches cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true! I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I have not spoken to you†. Jeremiah was told by God to â€Å"Tell my people not to listen to what those false prophets say; they are filling you with false hopes. They tell you what they have imagined and not what I have said. To the people who refuse to listen to what I have said, they keep saying that all will go well with them. And they tell everyone who is stubborn that disaster will never touch him. † Is man a complicated creature? Why and why not? Man is a complicated creature because God has provided them everything, the life, the trees that produces foods they need. In Genesis 2:15-16, God even give man a companion in the presence of Eve. With a condition that he should not eat the fruit of the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and bad because the punishment of death will be accorded to him by God. Man’s complication started when he disobey God. The complication continue when God give different languages to human beings and scattered them all over the world. It is hard to understand man because something else that God had no intention to create was created after eating the fruit of the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Man became a complicated creature and that is why we suffer, because we need to prove to God that we can be faithful and trusted once more. Our first parent chose to follow or listen to a stranger, the devil. He ignored the instruction of God, despite or everything provided to him by God.