Hardware Replacement Project Essay

Assignment: 1 Hardware Replacement Project: Hardware Replacement Project: Your Name Instructors Name Date Assignment: 2 The IT- department in implementing a new CRM solution to its corporate offices. The hardware currently in use is out of date and will not support the CRM application. The hardware must replace prior to deployment. How do the five major variables of project management-scope, time, cost, quality, and risk – relate to this scenario? Scope: Defines what work is or is not included in a project. For example, the scope of a Project for a new order processing system might include new modules for inputting orders And transmitting them to production and accounting but not any changes to related accounts Receivable, manufacturing, distribution, or inventory control systems. Project management Defines all the work required to complete a project successfully, and should ensure that the Scopes of a project not expand beyond what was originally intended. Time: Time is the amount of time required to complete the project. Project management Typically establishes the amount of time required to complete major components of a Project. Each of these components is further broken down into activities and tasks. Project Management tries to determine the time required to complete each task and establish a Schedule for completing the work. Cost: Is based on the time to complete a project multiplied by the daily cost of human Resources required completing the project. Information systems project costs also include The cost of hardware, software, and work space. Project management develops a budget for The project and monitors ongoing project expenses. Risk: Refers to potential problems that would threaten the success of a project. These Potential problems might prevent a project from achieving its objectives by increasing time And cost, lowering the quality of project outputs, or preventing the project from being Completed altogether. We discuss the most important risk factors for information systems Projects later in this section. Assignment: 3 What consideration must be applied when selecting projects that deliver the best business value? A project is a planned series of related activities for achieving a specific business objective. Information systems projects include the development of new information systems, Enhancing existing systems, or projects for replacing or upgrading the firm’s information Technology (IT) infrastructure. Project management refers to the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to achieve specific targets within specified budget and time constraints. Project management activities include planning the work, assessing risk, estimating resources required to Accomplish the work, organizing the work, acquiring human and material resources, assigning Tasks, directing activities, controlling project execution, reporting progress, and analyzing the Results. As in other areas of business, project management for information systems must deal With five major variables: scope, time, cost, quality, and risk. What factors that influence project risk? Results of not meeting or achieving the goal the company needs. Some systems development projects are more likely to run into problems or to suffer delays Because they carry a much higher level of risk than others. The level of project risk is Influenced by project size, project structure, and the level of technical expertise of the Information systems staff and project team. The larger the project—as indicated by the What strategies would you recommend for minimizing the projects risks? In a parallel strategy, both the old system and its potential replacement are run Together for a time until everyone is assured that the new one functions correctly. The old System remains available as a backup in case of problems. And the direct cutover strategy Replaces the old system entirely with the new system on an appointed day, carrying the Risk that there is no system to fall back on if problems arise. Minimizing the projects risks would be difficult for me I would really have to hire someone that would be more of a High Tech IT- to be sure that all the risks that may come with adding new software systems would be easy to manage for a lower tech that may be in house of the company, in my opinion when you change the entire systems to be updated there has to be a happy medium. In order to keep all systems functioning the way they need to. Data for any company is very important in keeping it safe from and harm during the new change processing as well. The strategies I would consider would be to make sure that every data within the company had a storage space to keep it in to avoid the risks of losing it, I would also make sure that we would start with a small portion of the updating to make sure that this new operating system would work for the company as well. There are many OS available to bigger company’s and provide very good updates for the company’s new systems that can and do run excellent without having a lot of risk or problems, but it was tested before actually putting in to action and use. This gave the company a better view and was able to train the employees that were going to need to know, fix, and keep the main performance and upkeep of them. Any organization can add a new OS’s, but the key is learning to the best of your ability to make sure that it will keep the company functioning to its best and completing the goals and requirements it needs to keep them in business as well. Also if you keep your organization with the right level of systems updating then you can be sure that you don’t need to hire a High tech IT service to have the up keep kept up and you are more likely to be able to train your existing IT, this will also save costs because you will not need to constantly call the high tech when you encounter a small problem. Keeping the operating system to the level of the project and the risk would most likely be less than having a system that would be overboard to what each company needs.

Сivic Sense

As you look around you, you are surrounded by the latest technology and everything seems to be more modern and mature. But, according to me the citizens of India are not mature enough when it comes to civic sense. This is the only thought that is lacking in the attitude of people. They are so focused towards their own goals that civic sense has become a matter of low priority to them. So, what is civic sense? It is nothing but social ethics. A lot of people assume that civic sense is just about keeping the roads, streets and public property clean.But civic sense is lot more than that; it has to do with abiding to the laws, respect for fellow citizens and maintaining decorum in public places. A lot of foreign countries function in a smooth manner because of the strong civic sense amongst its citizens. Even the schools do not give much importance to civic behaviour. Only a couple of lessons focus on this topic and it is out of the students’ mind the next day. Not even the parent s at home give much importance to civic sense.They do not understand that preaching their children about civic sense can make a difference to the country as well as their lives. Vandalism, separation, road rage are the few of the many examples of lack of civic sense. Riots take place as people do not respect each others religions and culture and infact, these are the people that lack civic sense. As you visit different cities of India, you will find one thing in common, roadsides or public places littered with garbage and people spitting in different places.This makes us think that India has been turned into a garbage dump. This is all because of lack of civic sense among us. The other foreign countries are not so poorly maintained and are ten times cleaner and hygienic than India because the citizens of those countries have a stronger civic sense than those of India. They pay a hefty fine for vandalism, road rage and other examples of lack of civic sense.

Write a well-developed response to the following Essay

Write a well-developed response to the following - Essay Example This is the reason why, when Confucianism was to syncretize Judaism, it would not be as easy compared to syncretizing other religions. Judaism believes that there is only one God, the creator of all things, humans and animals and that He is above all his creations, able to deicide on what to do with them according to his personality, that is, Provider, Healer, Righteous Judge, Sanctuary and many more. They strongly believe in a God who is able to do impossible things like the seemingly mythological events in the Jewish Bible. They recognize their being chosen as a people to enjoy the protection and power of God. They believe that the patriarch Abraham was appointed to sire a son who would become a great nation, Israel. During his old age, the promised son, Isaac was born but God gave him a great test that endangered the life of his son. Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed God by faith and he was rewarded with the life of Isaac being spared. Israelites admire and look up to Abraham for the example of faith that he has shown, but they do not worship him because they understand that Abraham is but a man like them. On the oth er hand, Confucianism worships Confucius, the founder of the religion, a mere man like his followers, a despicable act in the eyes of Judaism. One of the strong characteristics of Judaism is monotheism. They worship only one God, the Creator of heaven and earth not like other religions which believe in a higher power but still worship men who walked this earth. Such strong belief is strengthened by the face to face interaction of the Jewish forefather, Moses who brought the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt to the wilderness where they stayed for forty years before going to the Promised Land, Israel. God gave his commandments to the Israelites through Moses and on top of the list is the avoidance of worshipping other gods like the sun,

Brown vs. Board of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brown vs. Board of Education - Essay Example Chief Justice Warren ruled that segregation in the public education system denies children the equal protection of the law. Separation of schoolchildren of the same age because of race creates the feeling of inferiority. The case brought the spirit of the 14th amendment into practice. Â  According to Pennsylvania and Rhode Island statutes, the state provides state aid to a church-related elementary. There are groups of individual taxpayers and religious organizations that went to court to challenge the constitutionality of the programs. They felt that the program only helped the parochial schools. It is for this reason that it violates the establishment clause. Â  The central issue of the case was whether the state can create systems that provide financial assistance to non-public institutions directly. The suit challenged the system if it can financially support the schools directly or they have to reimburse the cost of textbooks. Â  The court held that with a unanimous decision that the systems do not obey the establishment clause. The court did an analysis of the factors that verify the constitutionality of the programs. The court tested whether the legislature passed was for a secular legislative idea. The result was that the tribunal did not find evidence that the aim of the programs was to advance religion. Chief Warren Burger found that the statute must have a secular legislative purpose. In addition to, the formation of the law should not inhibit religion. Â  John Tinker, his sister Mary Beth, and a friend in 1965 went home from school for wearing black armbands in protest of Vietnam. The institution has laid policies allowing students to wear numerous political symbols. Contrarily the school had not permitted the students to put on armbands in protest of the Vietnam War.

Gun violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gun violence - Research Paper Example Ownership of gun is restricted in most of the other countries including democratic countries. For example, an individual can own a gun India only if the court or the police authorities grand him the permission of gun license. He should convince the authorities that his life and property is in danger and ownership of gun is necessary for him to protect his life and properties. However in America, it is not necessary that an individual should convince the authorities about the reasons of gun ownership. Anybody, even school children in America can own a gun, legally or illegally. As a result of that, gun related violence is growing in America at present. The Sun (March 12, 2013), reported that a GUNMAN has shot two people at a high school in California - less than a month after 26 were slaughtered in the Sandy Hook massacre. It follows last month's slaughter by Adam Lanza who killed 20 young children and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school - reigniting the gun laws debate in the US (Two shot in yet another school shooting in America, 2010). Sandy Hook massacre shook America recently and the public debates over the topic of gun control heated up again. The relationship between gun ownership and gun violence is researched heavily by prominent scholars now. Many people believe that gun violence is directly proportional to gun ownership. In other words, when the number of gun owners increases in a society, the chances of gun violence also increases. This paper critically analyses this claim and argues that "The states (in the U.S.) with the highest gun ownership also have the highest gun violence related casualties". Literature Review A new study, led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher, Dr. Michael Siegel, published in American Journal of Public Health shows that U.S. states with higher estimated rates of gun ownership experience a higher number of firearms-related homicides. This study analyzed the claim by the National Rifle Associa tion’s (NRA) that increased gun ownership does not lead to increased gun violence and argued that these claims are totally baseless. They have conducted this study across 50 American states and the completion of this study (The largest in the history of US) took around 30 years (1981-2010). They found that for each 1 percentage point increase in the prevalence of gun ownership, the homicide rate increases by 0.9 percent (Siegel, 2013). The study by Hepburn & Hemenway, (2004, p.4170) supports the findings of Siegel and his associates. After a comprehensive study, they found that gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries.   They argued that in homes, cities, states and regions in the US, where there are more guns, people are at higher risk for homicide. The second amendments in United States’ constitution protect the right of individuals to bear arms. Self-defense is accepted as a human right in America. Even after plenty of unpleasant and cruel incidents, the authorities are not much keen in putting any control on gun ownership or gun violence. Even the immature teenagers can possess guns and they can carry such things easily to the schools. Even though president Obama expressed deep concerns about the gun control laws in America, after the Sandy Hook massacre, his earlier stands were neither in favor nor against the strengthening of gun

Analysis and Interpretation to Develop a Narrowly Focused Theme in A Essay

Analysis and Interpretation to Develop a Narrowly Focused Theme in A Passage to India - Essay Example The paper attempts to explore this theme through arguments and incidents along with cultural, spiritual, political and hosts of other aspects that prevent a friendship to evolve between the people of two different races. In the beginning, Forster poses a question through Hamidullah and Mahmoud Ali when they discuss "Whether or not it is possible to be friends with an Englishman" (Passage 5). Forster himself reverts at the end stating "No, not yet – No, not there" (Passage 367). Numerous interactions among the characters gradually unfold how imperialism outlook, besides many others, is the biggest stumbling block for developing a friendly and ever-lasting relationship between the people of two different races. When Mrs. Callendar utters, "The kindest thing one can do to a native is to let him die" (Passage 27), Foster presents such views of the Anglo-Indians to reveal that they do not think from the rational viewpoint and with open-mindedness. As a natural happening, Ronny was quite friendly towards the natives but soon he realizes that his position does not warrant such friendship. This is quite apparent when Ronny rebuked Mahmoud Ali in the Court as much as he could. As a matter-of-fact, he did what he believed necessary in the imperial setup of the time. He clearly articulates with his mother stating "I prefer my smoke at the club amongst my own sort" (Passage 22). Forster is more vocal in his views when he states that Cyril Fielding is not influenced by imperialistic ways because he serves education rather than government. That is why perhaps Fielding's friendship with Aziz is more enchanting than any other Anglo Indians; however, he is quick to add that how long Fielding can maintain such relationship in a Colonial India is worth watching. He observes that as soon as Fielding marries Stella and becomes a school inspector and thus, a part of the imperial Raj, he is a changed guy. Describing this, the narrator states that Fielding too has begun getting corrupted by his position and views that God bole’s school has turned into a granary. Does this mean that friendship between Fielding and Aziz will soon be in jeopardy? Forster, while depicting Ronny, is quite sympathetic toward him. It is quite surprising to note that in spite of his British upbringing and open-minded attitude he has started falling in line with those of older British Indian Officials that see natives in the inferior sense. Ronny's changed personality and blurred vision is the result of colonial imperialistic ruling that now he has become a part of. It is important to note here that colonial imperialism is not an only aspect that is preventing friendship. Because Forster is quite skeptical on this issue that the friendship can ever be achieved. Cultural differences and human selfishness are other aspects that prevent friendship. For example, initially, Mrs. Moore is in a good friendship with Dr. Aziz for she finds a spiritual connection with him; however, s ome bizarre echoes in the Marabar Caves unsettle her and she finds no meaning in the universe. Echo turns every human expression into a dullness as is said "Everything exists, nothing has value" (Passage 160). Forster wants to demean the aspects of reason of the Anglo ? Indians because metaphysical aspects do not have reasons always. Mrs. Moore tends to withdraw herself into oblivion keeping no relation with anyone including Aziz. Finally, she leaves

Career in Victimology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career in Victimology - Assignment Example Therefore, victimologists are professionals who study crime victims as well as the psychological impacts of being a victim to crime. They study both the offenders and the offended individuals in the context of a criminal activity. Students aspiring to be victimologists study various types of victimization and the differences between indirect and direct victims in crime in the society. Moreover, just like in most professional fields, they also work under certain ethics associated with the human and civil rights of crime victims as well as the impacts of these rights on the professionals of criminal justice (Doerner, 2015). This course is designed in a manner that prepares criminal justice as well as law enforcement students to relate with crime victims and to comprehend the complexity of particular victim issues. Keeping in mind that criminal activities are on the rise studying victimology is very important since it helps in identifying factors that may increase the possibility of an individual to get involved in a crime. However, some critics of victimology argue that some of the findings in victimology might not be accurate, moreover, others argue that it is a non-academic program where a hodgepodge of interests, ideas and research methods have been illogically grouped and it should emerged with criminology. What these critics do not understand is that with the aid of the new technology, it has matured from a moderately new development in criminology to an advanced social science that studies victims of crime (Doerner,

OJ Simpson's Rise to Fall Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

OJ Simpson's Rise to Fall - Essay Example However, despite this acquittal, his name had been tarnished and there were few people that believed in his innocence. In fact, in interviews that followed the trial, several of the jurors even voiced their opinions that they believed Simpson had probably committed the murders but due to errors in evidence handling they had produced a verdict of innocence. Though, Simpson was found innocent in the criminal trial this was not the last time he would appear in court regarding the murders. In 1997, after being sued for damages in a civil trial by both the Brown and Goldman families, Simpson was found liable for wrongful death and was ordered to pay $33.5 million dollars to the two families. After both the criminal and civil trials Simpson went on to live life as a free man. Snapshots were often taken of him enjoying time with friends, spending afternoons on the golf course, or picnicking with his children. Photos lead some to believe that Simpson had resumed living a normal life but this was not the case. The public had turned against him. He found it difficult to find work. His career, as he knew it, was over. His endorsements were gone. He was no longer a person people admired, and few people wanted to have their names attached to anything to do with Simpson. He owed large amounts of money to lawyers, the families of the victims, and his children. The type of stardom Simpson had become accustomed to in prior years had ended. The only type of publicity he now received was negative. He became an embarrassment and a mockery of the judicial system. He lost his fan base and had very few valuable supporters. With little income he could no longer make ends meet and eventual ly filed for bankruptcy. Simpson became a mere, shameful, and pathetic shadow of the famed athlete and actor that he once was. His legal issues did not cease after the murder but instead he found himself under the microscope time and time again.

Systems that Transformed How the Organization Operates Essay Example for Free

Systems that Transformed How the Organization Operates Essay Abstract This paper details how UPS was able to stay relevant in the shipping and distribution world by updating old practices with new and proven technology. By spending some of their profits on a newer and more efficient way of doing things, UPS was able to stay ahead of their competition while receiving great reviews and profits from their customers. Specifics of who was impacted, how they were impacted, and what results occurred have been discussed in this paper. Mainly the workers, the business leaders, and the consumers have been affected by this change. When we look back at certain advancements that companies have made, what seems to be the common factor? Technology. Anytime a company rolls out new technology it is not because they want to waste their hard earned profits on something that might make their business business more competitive or increase their profit margin. They spend the money on the new technology because they know they will be more competitive and make higher profits than had they not. In any type of industry we can see examples of this being true, from the automotive, to the postal, and even the medical industry, the use of new technology has mostly lead to benefits that make companies stand out from the rest. One of the companies that has profited the most from new technology or the advancement of technology is UPS. UPS is known in the world as one of the largest parcel and freight delivery companies. Their main competition comes from companies like FedEx, DHL, and USPS (United States Postal Service. The  big wigs as UPS came together because they noticed customer ratings and efficiency rates were down and steadily decreasing year after year. After examining certain sectors of their business, they realized where the mistake was being made. Customer ratings were declining because of packages that were shipped to the wrong address, delivered at the wrong house, or lost in the may lay at UPS’s packaging warehouses and distribution centers all over the world. The way the company decided to rectify this problem was by purchasing and utilizing automated package sorters. They called it package flow technology and basically what it involves is the automatic and rapid sorting of packages to guarantee efficient and accurate shipments. The tradition of relying on human sorters to memorize hundreds of streets and back roads in particular communities leads to a small share of parcels that either are loaded on the wrong truck or misplaced among other customers packages, said Dan McMackin, a UPS spokesman in Atlanta. While the company still relies on people to load customers packages, UPS is investing heavily in technology to make the labor-intensive work more efficient. (Bennett, 2005) This change from people to machine did not sit well with employees who became laid off or switched to a different department, but after seeing the company rebound it was recognized as being the right choice and solution to their problem. The problem UPS did not recognize sooner was humans make mistakes and unfortunately too many were made and the company was placed in the public spotlight which caused this solution to come about. While it is true that often time’s companies choose new technology or manual labor, the results heavi ly favor the new technology. Nobody wants people to be laid off or lose their jobs to a machine, but in this day and age companies have to spend the big dollars in order to remain relevant and successful in today’s economy. The cost for this technology for UPS was not cheap by any means, in fact the upgrade from manual labor to automated machines cost an estimated six hundred million dollars. (Bennett, 2005) Besides the expense for rolling out this new system to all its distribution warehouses, UPS has the potential to still come out on top of this deal. When they devoted themselves to this newer way of doing things the results were less training time for employees and the ability to shift employees into areas that were lacking personnel or that demanded more personnel. The savings though in the year after this upgrade might even be greater than the initial cost and  put the company further ahead. UPS expects to gain immensely from the new system. Between now and 2007, when the system is fully installed , the delivery company expects to save $500 million to $600 million through a combination of less miles driven, less fuel consumption and less delivery miscues (Bennett, 2005) The people who were greatly affected by this change in procedure were the UPS drivers. Instead of going through their trucks looking for packages, the packages are loaded into specific areas of the truck and that information is transferred to the handheld scan tools the drivers use. The drivers seem impressed with the new technology and somewhat relieved that they can do their job no without the added stress of locating mislabeled or lost packages buried in their trucks. The future for this technology is not well known because it has seemed to rectify and solve all the problems that existed before. After all machines can do one thing that humans cannot, and that is do what it is programmed and instructed to do. The fact that a company is willing to spend this kind of money to hone their craft should speak volumes. At the beginning people were pessimistic but as the numbers started turning around and customer ratings increase, the company knew they made a wise choice. This was a turni ng point for UPS and the only thing they became concerned about was why they did not make the switch earlier. References Bennett, D. (2005). Package-flow technology delivers results for UPS. Crains Cleveland Business, 26(29), 8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198625167?accountid=458

The Impact of Information Technology on Governments and Educational Organizations Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Information Technology on Governments and Educational Organizations Essay The Impact of Information Technology on governments: The Information Technology has revolutionized the government in servicing citizen. The nation consists of many varied information. All the information collected in the advanced database system and the concern department can retrieve the data from the single database. simple example in our Indian Institution is Public Deliver Systems (PDS),Citizen Identity Card, Green Card in USA, Residential Card in Gulf Countries. The government Can share the Information over the secured internet to combat the fraud, terrorism, etc. IT had very big impact in the aerospace and defense system of any government. This enabled the government to gather intelligence and transfer the data to the concern department in â€Å"secured way†. Some of the complex and very accurate bomber B2 would be impossible without the development of computer modeling techniques in IT. the Impact of Information Technology on Educational organizations: As IT has developed over the last thirty years and helped the educational establishment to influence in various ways. The most obvious example has been the Introduction of Information Technology related courses. These courses are introduced to the society has for qualified people to develop these Information Technologies. Developments such as the internet, satellite television has created a good platform the citizen of the country to know about what happening in the government, sports, education, engineering, etc . Educational organizations also have a goal to distribute Information from a source (lecture ,books, on-line resources etc) to the student. The processed by educational establishment distribute Information have become increasingly diverse, and the effectiveness of the process has also improved. The internet has helped the education institution where specialization is limited and they are looking for the particular resources which are available far away can be used through the internet to deliver the lecture and lab. Information technologies have enabled researchers to access a wider sources of information than previously available through such technologies as the internet and other related technologies such as electronic email, also enabled collaborative project to be undertaken between geographically distant group.

Limitations Of CBT For Social Phobias

Limitations Of CBT For Social Phobias Social phobia, also known as Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is considered as one of the most common psychological disorders on its own, and also as a comorbid disorder (Kessler, McGonagle, Zhao, et al., 1994). Current research literature suggest Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) as the first treatment choice for social phobia, unless in the case where the client opt for medication or if the client is suffering from comorbid depression or another psychological disorder that makes medication essential (Veale, 2003; Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006; NICE guideline, 2004c). The aim of this paper will be to discuss the application of CBT in the treatment of Social Phobia. However, it is important to emphasise that it will not attempt a detailed discussion on the historical development, or theoretical frameworks of CBT. These aspects of therapy will be emphasised, discussed and analysed where necessary, to comprehend its practicality in the treatment of social phobia. Furthermore, the scope of this paper will be limited to examining the use of CBT for treatment of adults with social phobia but, it will not focus on treatment of social phobia in children and adolescent groups. CBT was initially developed by Aaron T. Beck as a structured, short-term, present-oriented psychotherapy for depression, directed toward solving current problems and modifying dysfunctional thinking and behaviours (Beck, 1995). The basic assumptions of cognitive model suggest that distorted or dysfunctional thinking that influence the patient/clients mood and behaviour is common to all psychological disturbances (Beck, 1995). CBT is a collection of therapies that are designed to help clients suffering from phobias, depression, obsessions compulsions, stress disorders, drug addictions and/or personality disorders. CBT attempts to help people identify the situations that may produce their physiological or emotional symptoms and alter the manner in which they cope with these situations (Smith, Nolen-Hoeksema, Fredrickson, Loftus. 2003). The effectiveness of CBT has been widely tested since the first study on treatment success in 1977 (Beck, 1995). Westbrook, Kennerley and Kirk (2007) stated that CBT has many features common to other therapies. However, they acknowledged that CBT is different from the other psychotherapies with some distinguishing characteristics. This therapeutic approach is a combination of Behaviour Therapy (BT) and Cognitive Therapy (CT). However, these will not discuss in detail. However, as a result of having been evolved from a combination of both BT and CT, modern CBT consist important elements of them both. Westbrook, et al. (2007) presents the CBT model of viewing problem development. For instance, individuals develop cognitions (thoughts beliefs) through life experiences (mostly based on childhood experiences, but sometimes with later experiences). These can be functional (ones that allow making sense of the world around and deal with life issues), as well as dysfunctional beliefs. Most of the time, functional beliefs permit individuals to reasonably cope well with life situations. Whereas dysfunctional beliefs may not cause problems unless/until encountered with an event or a series of events (also known as critical incident) that violates the core beliefs or the assumptions, to the extent of being unable to handle ones positive/functional beliefs. This situation may activate the negative/dysfunctional thoughts over the positive thoughts resulting or provoking unpleasant emotional status such as anxiety or depression. Thus, Westbrook et al. (2007) highlighted the interactions between negative thoughts, emotions, somatic reactions, and behaviours as responses to different life events. These dysfunctional patterns lock the individual into vicious cycles or feedback loops resulting in the perpetuation of the problem. Focussing on the effectiveness of CBT as a therapy, the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guideline recommends CBT for several major mental health problems including depression (NICE, 2004a), generalised anxiety and panic (NICE, 2004c), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (NICE, 2005). Furthermore, Westbrook et al. (2007) highlighted the findings of Roth and Fonagy (2005) in their book What works for whom? a landmark summary of psychotherapy efficacy. This book presents evidence on the success of CBT as a therapy for most psychological disorders. However, though there is evidence supporting the successfulness of CBT for numerous psychological disorders, CBT has some limitations as well. Firstly, it is not suitable for everyone. One should be committed and persistent in finding a solution to the problem and improving oneself with the guidance of the therapist (Grazebrook Garland, 2005). Secondly, it may not be helpful in certain conditions. Grazebrook Garland (2005) mentioned that there is increasing evidence of the successful therapeutic use of CBT in a wide variety of psychological conditions. However they pointed that there is a great need for further research to gather evidence on the therapeutic success of CBT in these different types of psychological disorders. Social Phobia Social Phobia is categorised as an Anxiety Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-TR (DSM-IV-TR) of the American Psychiatric Association (2000). This disorder is characterised by persistent excessive anxiety and fear of scrutiny by others, often accompanied by anxiety symptoms such as tremulousness, blushing, palpitations, and sweating (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006). The DSM-IV-TR (2000) presents the following diagnostic criteria for social phobia (SAD). Marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to perceived scrutiny by others. This includes the fear of embarrassment or humiliation Exposure to feared social or performance situations that almost invariably provoke anxiety. This may even take the form of a panic attack. In the case of children, the anxiety may be expressed by crying, tantrums, freezing, or shrinking from social situations with unfamiliar people. The person recognises that the fear is unreasonable and that it is excessive. However, this fear and knowledge may be absent in children. The feared social situation or the performance is avoided or else it is endured with intense anxiety or distress. The avoidance, anxious anticipation, or fear causes significant distress or impaired functioning. Fear or avoidance are not due to another psychological, or physiological condition (e.g., a personality disorder such as paranoid personality disorder, a specific phobia, or due to the influence of substance use/abuse) Specify generalised, if the fears include most social situations (e.g., these may range from initiating or maintaining conversations, participating in small groups, dating, speaking to authority figures, or attending parties hindering most parts of a personal social life) According to the criteria stated above, social phobia can be generalised or non-generalised, depending on the breadth of social and performance situations that are feared. While generalised social phobia hinders a vast range of social and performance situations, non-generalised social phobia may hider/restrict only performance of some social activities or engagements. According to health statistics from year 2002, social phobia affects 3% of the Canadian adult population (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006). In USA 13.3% of the population suffer from social phobia at some point in their life (Kessler et al., 1994). Statistics indicate a life time prevalence of about 8% to 12% making social phobia one of the most common anxiety disorders (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006; Kessler, et al., 1994). Apart from being a high prevalence disorder, social phobia is also known to have a high comorbidity, specially substance abuse and/or alcohol dependency (Schadà ©, A., Marquenie, L., Van Balkom, et al., 2008; Amies, Gelder, Shaw, 1983; Schneier, Johnson, Hornig, Liebowitz, Weissman, 1992). Kessler et al. (1994) stated that while the lifetime prevalence of social phobia is as high as 13.3%, the prevalence reported in a 30-day period is between 3% 4.5%. In addition, other similar conditions, such as shyness, behavioural inhibition, self-consciousness, selective attention and embarrassment are seen to be correlated with social phobia (Beidel Morris, 1995; Beidel Randall, 1994; Leary Kowalski, 1995; Rosenbaum, Biederman, Pollock, Hirshfeld, 1994; Stemberger, Turner, Beidel, Calhoun, 1995). According to Schneier, Johnson, Hornig, et al. (1992), comorbidity of two or more psychological disorders, is also fairly common with social phobia. Research has also indicated that social phobia is also characterised with a higher frequency of suicide attempts (Schneier et al., 1992). Focusing on the impact of the disorder on the quality of life, social phobia is described as an illness of missed opportunities, because its early onset hinders future social progression such as marital success and career growth (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006). The authors of this article stated that these individuals were less likely to be well educated, belong to lower socioeconomic status, and are possibly unmarried. In addition, they also suffer greater functional, health, and physical impairments than individuals without social phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006). Thus the disorder has a significant impact on the quality of life, in particular, socially and emotionally. Emphasising on this point, the authors of this article highlighted that in a community health survey in Canada, people with social phobia were twice as likely to report at least one disability day in the past two weeks, compared to people without social phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder, 2006). Aetiology of social phobia can be traced to Bio-Psycho-Social factors (Smith, Hoeksema, Fredrickson, et al., 2003). Looking at the neuro-biologic factors, research data up to date, provides evidence of dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic systems (Stein, Tancer, Uhde, 19992; Tancer, Stein, Uhde, 1993; Yeragani, Blalon, Pohl, 1990). However, Stein, Tancer, Uhde (1995) stated that the evidence for these neuro-biological factors in the predisposition, precipitation, and perpetuation is far from clear. The authors also present the same regarding the effect of antidepressants on social phobia stating that further work is warranted, although preliminary evidence indicates that antidepressants are not entirely effective on social phobia. From a cognitive-behavioural perspective, a person with social phobia develops a series of negative assumptions about themselves and their social world based on some negative experience (Kessler, et al., 1994). These assumptions of behaving inappropriately and being evaluated negatively and/or being humiliated will give rise to anticipatory anxiety that precedes the social situation adding an extra source of concern and perceived danger. Preoccupied with these fears, clients with social phobia have difficulty focussing their attention on the social cues or their own strengths that help them to effectively cope in the phobic situations. In addition, biased memory and focused attention towards negative signs will prevent the individual from perceiving the positive signs (e.g., acceptance, success, admiration) giving rise to performance deficiencies. These may contribute towards producing patterns of negative interactions that may further contribute to the perpetuation of the phobic con dition experienced at the time (Elting Hope, 1995). These explanations are similar to the generic CBT model, of problem development. Thus the research by Kessler et al (1994) has provided supporting evidence to the general CBT explanation and theoretical framework of problem understanding, assessment and treatment. Another dimension of the aetiology of social phobia is the lack of social skills and/or the lack of awareness of ones own social skills. According to Hill (1989), clients with social phobia vary widely in their knowledge of socially appropriate behaviour skills. Many of these individuals seem to have adequate social skills when assessed in a non-threatening environment such as the clinicians office, but they fail to use these skills when laden with anxiety in an unfamiliar social situation that is perceived as threatening. Hill (1989) further described that there is another group of individuals suffering with social phobia who may be unaware of socially appropriate behaviours in certain situations and therefore encounter repeated failures and disappointments. Thus, Hill (1989) suggest that apart from medication and/or conventional CBT, individuals in this group will benefit more from specific training in social skills either through role playing or modelling as appropriate. In addition to the above dimensions, there are developmental and psychodynamic issues associated with the aetiology of social phobia as well. In this view, children who are rejected, belittled, and censured by their parents, teachers or peers may develop feelings of low self-esteem and social alienation (Arrindell, kwee, Methorst, 1989). The authors of this article further stated that clients with social phobia tend to report, having had hypercritical parents. The article further examine the condition of social phobia from a psychodynamic perspective hypothesising that avoidant behaviour may be caused by an exaggerated desire for acceptance, an intolerance of criticism, or a willingness to constrict ones life to maintain a sense of control. Furthermore, they claim that traumatic embarrassing events may lead to loss of self-confidence, increased anxiety, and subsequent poor performance, resulting in a vicious circle that progress to social phobia. Concentrating on treatment seeking behaviours for social phobia, Hill (1989) highlighted that clients rarely see a physician for symptoms relating to social anxiety. More often seeking help will be for conditions such as substance abuse, depression or any other anxiety disorder (e.g. panic attack). Treatment for Social Phobia As mentioned above, social phobia is the result of biopsychosocial factors. Thus, the treatment choices may also vary which may include pharmacotherapy, and/or different types of psychotherapy. Veale (2003) stated that treatment choice for social phobia is up to the client to decide. Medication is indicated if it is the clients first choice, or if CBT has failed or if there is a long waiting list for CBT. Similarly, pharmacotherapy becomes the choice of treatment when social phobia is comorbid with depression (Veale, 2003). Considering the first treatment choice, UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not have a specific guideline specific for social phobia. However, in its guidelines for anxiety disorders (NICE, 2004), it recommends pharmacotherapy as treatment if the client opts for medication, or if the client opts for psychological treatment, CBT is given as the first choice of therapy. NICE guidelines (2004) too recommend CBT as the first choice of psychologic al therapy for generalised anxiety disorder and other anxiety disorders. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence provides evidence that CBT is more effective than no intervention and that CBT has been found to maintain its effectiveness when examined after long term follow up of eight to fourteen years. This can be used as a cost and time effective therapeutic intervention in group settings and most clients have maintained treatment gains at longer terms (NICE 2004). It further stated that CBT is more effective than psychodynamic therapy and non-specific treatments. Apart from CBT, clients who receive anxiety management training, relaxation and breathing therapy have been proven to be effective compared to having no intervention. Apart from CBT, Veale (2003) also discusses Graded self-exposure as a psychological therapy for social phobia. This therapeutic intervention which is based on the learning theory hypotheses has been the treatment of choice for social phobia for many years. However, as this method of therapy using exposure to previously avoided situations in a graded manner until habituation occurs was only successful with limited amount of clients, alternative approaches such as CBT have become a more frequent therapy choice. NICE guidelines (2006) on computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (CCBT) for depression and anxiety recommend CCBT for mild depressions and anxiety disorders, including social phobia. With reference to two Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and two non-RCTs comparing CCBT (programme for panic/phobic disorders FearFighter) with therapist led CBT (TCBT) the NICE guidelines recommend the use of CCBT for mild phobic/panic disorders. When results of CCBT and TCBT were compared after a three month period of therapy for global phobia, both groups showed statistically significant improvement. Similar results were shown in two non-RCT studies too. When these scores were compared with a group who received relaxation techniques as therapy, this third group did not show statistically significant improvement while the other two groups (CCBT TCBT) did. However, it must be noted that the RCT and the non-RCT studies does not report clinically significant improvement. Nevertherless, the dropout r ate of FearFighter group was twice as many as the TCBT dropout rate. However, from a positive point of view on the practicality of CCBT on phobias, delivery of FearFighter programme at the clinical setting for one group, and the other group having access to the programme at home over a 12 week period showed that both groups showed statistically significant improvement in all measures (NICE guidelines, 2006). In terms of client satisfaction too there was no statistically significant difference between TCBT and CCBT (NICE guidelines, 2006). Thus, though further research is warranted to evaluate the clinical significance of CCBT for social phobia specifically, the NICE guidelines recommend CCBT as a choice of therapy for mild levels of depression and anxiety disorders. In addition to the observed effectiveness of CCBT, NICE guidelines also recommend it as a cost effective therapy alternative. Thus, CCBT for social phobia at mild levels could be useful at a practical level too. In a study by Rosser, Erskine Crino (2004), the researchers studied the treatment success of CBT with antidepressants and CBT on its own as treatment for social phobia. The results did not show a statistically significant difference in the treatment progress between the two groups allowing the researchers to conclude that pre-existing use of antidepressants did not enhance or detract from the positive treatment outcome of a structured, group-based CBT programme for social phobia. Application of medication and CBT is common practice in treatment for social phobia (Rosser et al., 2004). Yet, there are not many studies that have studied the combined effectiveness for social phobia. Citing Heimberg (2002) Rosser et al., (2004) describe that there are three possible outcomes from combining medication and CBT. Combined treatment may produce a better outcome than each treatment alone, by potentiating the gains achieved by CBT and also reducing relapse rates following the discontinuation of medication. Alternatively, there may be no difference between the combined approach and each approach individually, if both therapies (pharmacotherapy and CBT) are sufficiently powerful on their own. Also, depending on how individual clients attribute treatment success, effectiveness of CBT might be detracted by medication in a combined approach of treatment. Referring to literature on treatment success for social phobia Rosser et al., (2004) highlighted that combination treatment (CBT and pharmacotherapy) or pharmacotherapy alone has not been found to be of significant advantage. CBT has mostly been successful in overcoming symptoms, minimising relapses and also effective in terms of cost minimisation (Rosser et al., 2004). Focussing on the conclusions Rosser et al. (2004), there were no significant differences between the combination treatment (CBT antidepressants) and CBT alone could be interpreted in different ways. It is possible that since antidepressants and CBT are both re asonably powerful treatments individually, and thus a combination of the two did not contribute to a significantly to improve the outcome. Alternatively it may be that the group who were already taking antidepressants may have been prescribed with the medication because they were more severe in terms of social phobic or depressive symptoms prior to commencing treatment programme. Thus, it may be possible to argue that the combined therapy may not have contributed to a significant improvement compared to the group that that only received CBT, because there was a difference in symptom severity between the two groups. In addition there was no control in allocating (randomly) participants and or having a control over the medication dosage. Thus, the research findings of the study are subjected to the limitations of these variables that were out of the researchers control. However, it has to be noted that it does not devalue the comparative treatment success on the CBT (alone) group. The researchers of this study therefore emphasise the need for further research on combined therapy for social phobia as in real life clinical settings most clients are on medication while receiving CBT. Moreover, Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) recommends CBT combined with medication as a widely used successful treatment method for social phobia. However, while recommending the above, they also emphasise the need for further research in this regard as the current data reveals mixed results. According to available evidence and theoretical considerations they suggested that some methods of combination could provide short-term benefits, but long-term decreases in efficacy compared to either treatment alone. In this paper Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) emphasised that most research on the effects of CBT combined with medication had the common research gap of failing to control the medication dose and the allocation of participants in to random samples. However, the authors of this paper emphasised that in most studies combined therapy for social phobia had not shown significant evidence of treatment success compared to either pharmacotherapy or CBT. Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) highlighted that there is supporting evidence to the treatment success of combining CBT with relaxation training. While mentioning this, they also noted that relaxation training alone has not proven to have any clinically significant benefit for the clients. Thus, it is when combined with CBT that clients have had a successful experience with relaxation training. Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) stated that all forms of CBT aim to reduce the experience of fear through modification of avoidance and other maladaptive behaviours, thoughts, and beliefs (e.g. through exposure with cognitive restructuring). Thus, in the process of therapy most clients may experience an increase in stress and negative affect and distress in the short-term, but the modification of these earlier components of these earlier components of a behavioural-emotional chain leads to reduction of symptoms over time. In regard to combining treatment methods with CBT as treatment for social phobia, Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) highlighted the fact that all treatment methods have its own limitations and strengths. Thus when combining two therapies (either pharmacological and CBT or CBT with another psychotherapy), the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the two approaches could be magnified, depending on the nature of the combination. Hence, Rodebaugh Heimberg (2005) stated that an empirically supported method of combining medication and CBT for social anxiety disorder is yet to be established, although under varied circumstances clinicians use different combinations of CBT along with other psychotherapies and medication to maximise effectiveness on a case by case level. Concluding Remarks As discussed in this paper, social phobia may literally be a common mental disorder and it is categorised as an anxiety disorder under the DSM-IV classification system (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). While being highly prevalent, it is also a disorder that may have a large impact on a persons quality of life, hindering opportunities for personal growth and/or social interaction/relationships. Therefore, it is an important area of study and clinical practice in mental health, which has the aim of improving the lives of people suffering from this disorder, and minimising its effect on the society. Research literature on social phobia recommends certain types of medication, and CBT as a psychotherapeutic intervention as the first choice of treatment for this debilitating condition. As it is out of our scope, this paper did not pay detailed attention to the types of pharmacotheraputic interventions that may successfully be used to control symptoms of this disorder and enable clients live a healthy life. From a psychological perspective, CBT is widely recommended through evidence based research as the first choice of psychotherapeutic treatment for social phobia. As discussed in this paper, evidence on the successful combinations of therapeutic methods at present denotes the need for further research in order to determine the best combinations for successful treatment. Another area that needs similar attention is combining different types of psychotherapies with CBT as treatment for social phobia. Focusing on CBT for social phobia, although there is supporting evidence for therapy success, and though it is widely considered as the first choice of psychotherapy for this disorder, it is not always successful with all individuals. Thus, form a practical point of view, it is important that clinicians are able to tailor and combine different therapeutic methods (pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy), not only to maximise treatment success, but also to make it useful with different types of clients/clients from different background and life-experiences. Furthermore, although CBT is recommended as the first therapy choice, there are practical issues regarding meeting the demand for services. This becomes an issue in terms of finance as well as in terms of the limited amount of professionals available to deliver treatment. Some successful methods of overcoming these difficulties would be Group CBT for social phobia and CCBT. However, it must be emphasised that these issues become a much grave problem in countries where psychotherapists trained in CBT are rare, and even methods such as CCBT could be unaffordable and inaccessible for certain groups. In addition, there are also limitations in being able to use programmes such as CCBT in countries where English is not used, or it not the first language. Thus, from a global perspective, the use of CBT as a therapy choice is practically challenged due to limitations of resources and trained personals, leavening pharmacotherapy as the most practical mode of therapy for a large numbers of people suffering from social phobia. To conclude, it must be stated that continued research on the successful use of CBT as a therapeutic tool for social phobia and other disorders should be continued as it proves to be a successful therapy for many psychological disorders (Westbrook et al., 2007). Thus, it can be stated that CBT is a useful and successful therapeutic intervention for social phobia. The practical use of it could be further improved through continued research, and through therapist training programmes to meet the demands for therapy, as it would further increase the effectiveness of CBT as a therapy for social phobia.

Graduation Speech: The Beginning of Your Life :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Parents, teachers, families and friends, welcome and thank you for joining us tonight at the County High School graduation ceremony for the Class of 2012! Graduation is a time to look fondly upon memories which have been made over the past three years. I am sure all of us have our own memories which we hold close to our hearts and make us grin when we think of them. Events which become very vivid in my mind are football and basketball games, dances, pep assemblies, at least the ones from our sophomore and junior years, and especially time spent with a group of friends just doing whatever. It hurts to think of all these memories and then realize this time period in our lives is coming to an end. From the lyrics of Dave Mathews, "So why would you care, to get out of this place, you and me and all our friends, such a happy human race ... As we all go our separate ways ... I will remember." Graduation is also time to look at what the future has in store for each of us. It is a very serious time, a time to take a look at what path our lives are going to take once the caps and gowns are taken off and we are thrust into a world which is not so well known to most of us. Will you be successful? Will you be unsuccessful? This success I am speaking of has nothing to do with monetary gains but is measured solely by happiness. Are you truly happy? Will you be five or ten years down the road? Begin planning for your future tonight, set goals. Figure out ways to achieve these goals and fulfill your dreams. If you do not like the path your life has taken thus far, if it does not make you happy, re-

The Career of Lance Armstrong :: essays research papers

It’s a year since we bid farewell to a legend the ultimate cycling champion. He is a cyclist who has overcome all the challenges life has thrown his way and still continues to do so. Lance Armstrong known around the world for what he has achieved and overcome. Armstrong’s name has become synonymous with the unique yellow jersey of the punishing Tour De France. It is the life and story of a true legend. Armstrong is just a man like any one of us a man who had dreams as a child of becoming someone famous his dream was to win the tour de France at twenty –four he was well on his way to becoming a top cyclist then in October 1996 he was diagnosed with stage four testicular cancer it seemed as if this time he was fighting a losing battle however Armstrong has possessed an epic sense of determination he dismissed the medical odds on that day his life changed forever this was a battle that would demand all hi energy this was a battle he was determined not to lose this determination helped him to develop into the world class cyclist he became he himself acknowledged the irony that â€Å"cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me’’ Just sixteen months after been discharged from hospital he entered the Tour De France the most grueling of all human endurance tests and won it in the fastest ever time who would have believed that a man on the verge of death would rise to become a champion of this stature Armstrong will admit even though he has won seven tour De France tittles his closet and most intense race was his one against cancer this race had the steepest hills, the sharpest turns and the slipperiest roads. It was a race in which he came face to face with death, and he won. Sunday the 24th July 2005 brought an end to his illustrious career. It was the day he wrapped up his 7th Tour De France victory, the day he retired and a day that will be remembered for many years to come. Since overcoming cancer he became the name that dominates the sport of cycling. Lance Armstrong revitalized cycling and the Tour de France, he turned cycling into a world-class sport and the Tour de France into a mega media event. I am sure that we were all in awe of this amazing mans courage and his wonderful achievements beyond all odds.

Palm oil oral presentation

Today I would like to talk to you about a rather large problem. It is responsible for most of the deforestation In the world, It has caused lots of damage to the bio-sphere and atmosphere. It has caused huge amounts of damage to the species living In the rainforest's. This problem Is catastrophic and caused by us humans. If some of you are thinking Its palm 011, your rightly (change) What is palm oil? Palm oil is a highly saturated oil that comes from the fruit of a palm tree growing in tropical climates. Today most palm oil is produced in Indonesia and Malaysia. Rainforest's are destroyed to make room for palm oil plantations.These areas, which are the lungs of the world and home to native wildlife, are destroyed at an alarming rate. Every hour rainforest's the size of over 300 football fields are cleared. (change) As much as hundred different species are now becoming extinct every day. Some animals that are becoming close to extinct are the Sumatra and Borne Orange- tan, the Sumat ra tiger, the pigmy elephant and the Sumatra rhino. Ten years ago there were still over 1 50,000 orange-tans in the wild and that number has dropped to 30,000 today! Sumatra tiger and rhino numbers have dropped dramatically to having only 30-40 in the wilds. Change) Every year at least 1,500 orange-tans die cruelly when beaten to death by plantation workers as they are considered a pest and some of these beautiful animals are burnt to death by the uncontrolled fires to clear land, which also kills hundreds of other fauna and flora species. There Is a huge risk that none of these animals will be living in the wild by he year 2020, because of the fact the demand for palm OLL Is huge and Increasing. (change) Although, 30 years ago, no many products contained palm oil, today palm oil is in 50% of our products. It's in confectionery foods, food items, personal care items and house care products.It may surprise you that some of your favorite products are contributing to the palm oil probl em. Startups, Skittles, Mars chocolate, Ores, Nutshell, Ben and Jerry, Amiability, cover girl cosmetics and thousands more. Re deliberately not labeling their products clearly and this makes it harder to identify products containing palm oil. Consumers can help by learning the other names that are potentially used like vegetable oil or one of the 30 different chemical or common names Lists are available on the WFM and the Melbourne Zoo websites. Here you will also find lists of products and brands to avoid as well as better alternative choices.Other things you can do to help are, -Educate yourself about the problem -Spread the message to those around you -Join campaigns and fundraisers Make a conscious decision to stop using palm oil and let manufacturers know that you want them to switch to alternative oils -Buy ethical products and support companies that are doing the right thing -Encourage your government to change labeling laws -Encourage your government to aid affected communit ies and help them to find alternative income sources, for example tourism and sustainable plantations I hope that this will inspire you to become a crusader for Orange-tans.

Come one and all for England

Come one and all for England, rally to the flag†¦ From North and South and East and West Come one and all for England! † (Cloud 9) Act one of Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill is set in a British African colony in the nineteenth century. The first scene takes place on the verandah of a house. The scene also opens with an opening song introducing all the characters in the show. Before the show even starts, the actors come out, not fully dressed, and warm up. I think that this was a director's choice to show the audience which characters are female and which ones are male.Evelyn Gaynor was one of the actresses who came out before the show in a wig cap to show she was playing a boy in the first act. Evelyn does an excellent Job with transitioning from a male in act one to playing a female in the second act. In the opening scene you see Evelyn play the role of young Edward. You see Edward tending after Victoria's doll, which annoys his father because he thinks this is unmanly. You also question Edwards sexuality during this scene because of Evelyn's character choices with the doll. Evelyn embraces the doll like it is her prized possession as well as talking to it.All of these interactions with this prop gives the audience a sense that Edward has some feminine qualities. You also sense the feminine qualities in Edward through his interactions with his uncle Harry. You see the the love Edward has for his uncle in the opening scene and throughout the rest of the first act. At first it looks as if Edward is just longing for that loving father figure that Clive doesn't provide to his son, but as act one proceeds, you See Evelyn make very strong character choices to show that it's more than that.You see Evelyn draw nearer and nearer to Harry each time they are together in a scene. You also see the innocence shine though Evelyn when she asks her uncle to â€Å"do that thing† again that they did during Harrys last visit. Evelyn beams with happiness when she a sks this question which make the performance believable. I honestly believe that Edward doesn't know the impact of what's going on because Evelyn plays The innocence of Edwards character so well. I feel that Evelyn's overall intention of playing the part of Edward was to show the Journey of Edwards true truggle.You can see through Evelyn's performance that Edward constantly battles with trying to impress his father and also be true to himself. Evelyn Does an excellent job in playing the true, young, innocent age of the young Edward. Because Evelyn's choices to talk as a would it makes the character more believable. By this, I mean the way she is either whining, pouting, or Just talking as a young child would. This helped me to actually picture a young child go though these true struggles with his father as well as his sexuality.At the beginning of act two you can see that Evelyn has made the transformation from Edward, a male, to Betty, a female. These two characters, in my opinion, are polar opposites, and for Evelyn to master both parts is nothing short than amazing. Unlike act one, Evelyn now plays Betty, a now more liberated Betty (unlike Betty in act 1). Evelyn plays this role with the utmost class†¦.. at first. She holds her ground and takes her beats to collect herself during he first chunk of lines but as you see Betty unwind and tell her children about the divorce, you see an underlying anic in Evelyn's voice.This shows that Betty still is quite afraid to hold her own. I overall intentions in act two were to be able to branch out by nerselt and realize she doesn't need a man to support her in order for her to survive. with this said, Evelyn takes us on a Journey of realization by showing each side of the new Betty. You see the stronger, more confident Betty and also the more venerable Betty. You can see that Evelyn chose to show her most venerable point when she was trying to leach onto the lats chance in having a relationship with her own daught er.

Role of Language in the Internet and the effect of the Internet on Language

The Internet is one of the most remarkable things human beings have ever made. With the past few decades, internet has become so popular and it is an integral part of our daily lives. Email, instant messaging and chat are rapidly replacing the conventional forms of correspondence, and the Web has become the first port of call for both information enquiry and leisure activity. How is this affecting language? There is a widespread view that as ‘technospeak’ comes to rule, standards will be lost. This project is an attempt to explore this linguistic problem.A qualitative and also quantitative study is conducted here to see how internet’s global scale and intensity is having an effect on language in general, and on individual languages in particular. Covering a range of Internet genres, including e-mail, chat and the Web, this is a revealing account of how the Internet is radically changing the way we use language. The thesis work will first discuss the role of langua ge in the internet and thereafter, the effect of the internet on language with central focus on the latter.David Crystal, in his book Language and the Internet says that language is at the heart of internet. Internet comes increasingly to be viewed from a social perspective, so the role of language becomes central. Thus internet is a medium of communication which is inevitable aided by language. Whether it is browsing, blogging, chatting or e-mails, language has a great role to play because if we do not know the language, then we cannot use the internet at all. The influence of internet over the language has to be viewed in much broader aspect.There is of course nothing new about the fears accompanying the emergence of a new communications technology. In the fifteenth century, the arrival of printing was widely perceived by the Church as an invention of Satan, the hierarchy fearing that the dissemination of uncensored ideas would lead to a breakdown of social order and put innumerab le souls at deadly risks. Around 400 years later, similar concerns about censorship and control were widespread with the arrival of telegraph. When telephone arrived, people said it would undermine the society.And when broadcasting enabled selected voices to be heard by millions, there was an immediate debate over which norms to use as correct pronunciation, how to achieve clarity, etc. Internet is an amalgamation of television, telephone, and conventional publishing, and the term cyberspace has been coined to capture the notion of a world of information present or possible in digital form. The electronic medium presents us with a channel that facilitates and constrains our ability to communicate in ways that are fundamentally different from those found in other semiotic situations.Many of the expectations and practices which we associate with spoken and written language does not hold valid in the way we communicate using internet. Therefore the first attempt of this research is to investigate the linguistic properties of the so –called ‘electronic revolution’, and to take a view on whether the way in which we use language on the Internet is becoming so different from our previous linguistic behaviours that it might genuinely be described as revolutionary. The wide use of internet has led to a new branch in linguistics called netlinguistics that deals with the study of internet language.It has brought tremendous effect in the daily language of people, and mainly in the English language. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) is the communicative transaction that occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. While the term traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer mediated formats, for example; instant messaging, chat rooms, email and so on, it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging. Popular forms of CMC include email, video, audio or text chat, bulletin boards, blogs etc.The Internet slang came into use primarily in order to ease communication. Such short-cuts save time for the writer but it may be difficult for the reader to comprehend. Slang is also a way to indicate a group membership in Internet. Internet slang does not constitute a homogeneous language variety. It differs according to the user and the type of Internet situation. Some examples of Internet slang are: letter homophones, abbreviations, acronyms etc. An abbreviation for abbreviations is â€Å"CU† for â€Å"See you†.An acronym, on the other hand, is a subset of abbreviations and is formed from the initial components of a word. Examples of common acronyms include â€Å"LOL† for â€Å"laugh out loud† or â€Å"lots of love† and â€Å"BTW† for â€Å"by the way†. There are also combinations of both, like â€Å"CUL8R† for â€Å"see you later†. Punctuation, Capitalization and other symbols, such features are co mmonly used for emphasis or stress. Periods or exclamation marks may be used repeatedly for emphasis, such as â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. † or â€Å"!!!!!!!!!! â€Å". Grammatical punctuation rules are also relaxed on the Internet.â€Å"E-mail† may simply be expressed as â€Å"email†, and apostrophes can be dropped so that â€Å"John's book† becomes â€Å"johns book†. Examples of capitalization include â€Å"STOP IT†, which can convey a stronger emotion of annoyance as opposed to â€Å"stop it†. Bold, underline and italics are also used to indicate stress. Onomatopoeic or stylized spellings have also become popularized on the Internet. One well-known example is â€Å"hahaha† to indicate â€Å"laughter†. Onomatopoeic spellings are very language specific. For instance, in Spanish, laughter will be spelt as â€Å"jajaja† instead.Deliberate misspellings, such as â€Å"sauce† for â€Å"source†, are also used . Keyboard generated emoticons and smileys; Emoticons are generally found in web forums, instant messengers and online games. They are culture-specific and certain emoticons are only found in some languages but not in others. For example, the Japanese equivalent of emoticons, kaomoji literally meaning â€Å"face marks†, focus on the eyes instead of the mouth as in Western emoticons. They are also meant to be read right-side up, for example, ^_^ as opposed to sideways, =). More recently than face emoticons, other emoticon symbols such as Role of Language in the Internet and the effect of the Internet on Language The Internet is one of the most remarkable things human beings have ever made. With the past few decades, internet has become so popular and it is an integral part of our daily lives. Email, instant messaging and chat are rapidly replacing the conventional forms of correspondence, and the Web has become the first port of call for both information enquiry and leisure activity. How is this affecting language? There is a widespread view that as ‘technospeak’ comes to rule, standards will be lost. This project is an attempt to explore this linguistic problem.A qualitative and also quantitative study is conducted here to see how internet’s global scale and intensity is having an effect on language in general, and on individual languages in particular. Covering a range of Internet genres, including e-mail, chat and the Web, this is a revealing account of how the Internet is radically changing the way we use language. The thesis work will first discuss the role of langua ge in the internet and thereafter, the effect of the internet on language with central focus on the latter.David Crystal, in his book Language and the Internet says that language is at the heart of internet. Internet comes increasingly to be viewed from a social perspective, so the role of language becomes central. Thus internet is a medium of communication which is inevitable aided by language. Whether it is browsing, blogging, chatting or e-mails, language has a great role to play because if we do not know the language, then we cannot use the internet at all. The influence of internet over the language has to be viewed in much broader aspect.There is of course nothing new about the fears accompanying the emergence of a new communications technology. In the fifteenth century, the arrival of printing was widely perceived by the Church as an invention of Satan, the hierarchy fearing that the dissemination of uncensored ideas would lead to a breakdown of social order and put innumerab le souls at deadly risks. Around 400 years later, similar concerns about censorship and control were widespread with the arrival of telegraph. When telephone arrived, people said it would undermine the society.And when broadcasting enabled selected voices to be heard by millions, there was an immediate debate over which norms to use as correct pronunciation, how to achieve clarity, etc. Internet is an amalgamation of television, telephone, and conventional publishing, and the term cyberspace has been coined to capture the notion of a world of information present or possible in digital form. The electronic medium presents us with a channel that facilitates and constrains our ability to communicate in ways that are fundamentally different from those found in other semiotic situations.Many of the expectations and practices which we associate with spoken and written language does not hold valid in the way we communicate using internet. Therefore the first attempt of this research is to investigate the linguistic properties of the so –called ‘electronic revolution’, and to take a view on whether the way in which we use language on the Internet is becoming so different from our previous linguistic behaviours that it might genuinely be described as revolutionary. The wide use of internet has led to a new branch in linguistics called netlinguistics that deals with the study of internet language.It has brought tremendous effect in the daily language of people, and mainly in the English language. Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) is the communicative transaction that occurs through the use of two or more networked computers. While the term traditionally referred to those communications that occur via computer mediated formats, for example; instant messaging, chat rooms, email and so on, it has also been applied to other forms of text-based interaction such as text messaging. Popular forms of CMC include email, video, audio or text chat, bulletin boards, blogs etc.The Internet slang came into use primarily in order to ease communication. Such short-cuts save time for the writer but it may be difficult for the reader to comprehend. Slang is also a way to indicate a group membership in Internet. Internet slang does not constitute a homogeneous language variety. It differs according to the user and the type of Internet situation. Some examples of Internet slang are: letter homophones, abbreviations, acronyms etc. An abbreviation for abbreviations is â€Å"CU† for â€Å"See you†.An acronym, on the other hand, is a subset of abbreviations and is formed from the initial components of a word. Examples of common acronyms include â€Å"LOL† for â€Å"laugh out loud† or â€Å"lots of love† and â€Å"BTW† for â€Å"by the way†. There are also combinations of both, like â€Å"CUL8R† for â€Å"see you later†. Punctuation, Capitalization and other symbols, such features are co mmonly used for emphasis or stress. Periods or exclamation marks may be used repeatedly for emphasis, such as â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. † or â€Å"!!!!!!!!!! â€Å". Grammatical punctuation rules are also relaxed on the Internet.â€Å"E-mail† may simply be expressed as â€Å"email†, and apostrophes can be dropped so that â€Å"John's book† becomes â€Å"johns book†. Examples of capitalization include â€Å"STOP IT†, which can convey a stronger emotion of annoyance as opposed to â€Å"stop it†. Bold, underline and italics are also used to indicate stress. Onomatopoeic or stylized spellings have also become popularized on the Internet. One well-known example is â€Å"hahaha† to indicate â€Å"laughter†. Onomatopoeic spellings are very language specific. For instance, in Spanish, laughter will be spelt as â€Å"jajaja† instead.Deliberate misspellings, such as â€Å"sauce† for â€Å"source†, are also used . Keyboard generated emoticons and smileys; Emoticons are generally found in web forums, instant messengers and online games. They are culture-specific and certain emoticons are only found in some languages but not in others. For example, the Japanese equivalent of emoticons, kaomoji literally meaning â€Å"face marks†, focus on the eyes instead of the mouth as in Western emoticons. They are also meant to be read right-side up, for example, ^_^ as opposed to sideways, =). More recently than face emoticons, other emoticon symbols such as

Language, Gender, and Slang

If the feminist critique of language is correct, and much of language reflects and embodies masculine and male experience (Cameron 1998, 9), then it should come as no surprise that slang, which is one particular mode of language, should reflect the same masculine and male experience.   However, it seems that little quantitative research had been done on slang directly until relatively recently. The first study was Kutner and Brogan’s research (1974), just over 30 years ago.   The object of this study is to test my peer’s knowledge of slang, and how aware they are of its usage.   One of the common ideas about slang is that slang words change fast, from generation to another;   the other is that slang is not mainstream. But where it comes to gender and slang, slang words have proven rather stable and common, even the vulgar slang – being a virgin or a whore has had meaning since time immemorial.But first, I will define slang and give a little bit of backgro und about its study since the 1970’s. What is slang?   Slang refers to worlds and dialects that are not used in mainstream culture.   As such, it can be the marker of a subculture, or of areas of discourse or ideas that are taboo in mainstream thinking.   A subset of slang are what we normally take to be slang, namely vulgar, sexualized, or derogatory language.   For the purposes of this paper, we will focus on slang that has a particularly gendered aspect – that is, words that are used to designate â€Å"male† and â€Å"female† genders in slang language.   These slang words include, but are not limited to: Chick, bitch, babe, and guy, dude, and stud. The fact that these slang words are common where it comes to talking about the relationships between the sexes, on topics such as sexual attraction and gender relations (activities and relationships).According to Flexher (1975), who produced the first dictionary of slang, the use of slang and the c reation of new slang is almost exclusively the purview of males (xii).   Women tend to use the language that is invented for them by males.   This may account for the disbalance of terms in a gendered distribution:   there are more slang terms to designate female or feminine behaviors, and more of these terms are negative, and much more negative than its male/masculine counterpart:   for example, compare bitch and asshole.   First off, you would almost never call a man a bitch unless you were trying to feminize him, but you can call women assholes without masculinizing them.   Second, bitch has a more negative charge than asshole, which might even carry a positive charge.   These are just some informal observations that may or may not holdup under the scrutiny of a quantitative study.Males may use slang more because they are more at home in all of language, and so this violation of language norms becomes possible.   There is a sense in which the use of slang is a dar ing thing to do, and doing brave things is consistent with masculine patterns of behavior and development.   Young women tend to want to abide by the rule, be these rules linguistic or otherwise.   That they are already not wholly at home in language means that they already risk not communicating, which does not afford them the room to play with language in the daring way that slang demands.   In this same vein, the use of profane language is more expected and praised of boys and men than it is of girls and women.These ideas, which could be summarized as the general thesis that gender slang is the domain of males is one that has come to be evidenced and accepted by many scholars, women, men, feminist and not, since the 1970’s.   For example, one study quoted in the text (Stanley, 1977) found that whereas there were 220 ways to designate woman in English slang, there were only 22 comparable ways to designate men.   More interesting is that both men and women share th e use of these same terms – there are not two set of slang terms, each appropriate for each gender, but only one that is determined and reflect men’s experience.   This has lead some feminists to argue that women need to develop and independent lexicon (see Irigaray in the Cameron, 1998).   And while this disparity is completely obvious once you start to think about it and investigate language and slang use, it seems to be rather transparent to the everyday language user – or at least, this is what this project has set out to test.BibliographyCameron, Deborah.   (1998) The Feminist Critique of Language.   New York, Routledge.de Klerk, V. (1992). How taboo are taboo words for girls? Language in Society, 21, 277-289.Eckert and McConnell-Ginet. (2003)   Language and Gender.   New York:   Cambridge University Press.Flexner, S. B. (1975). Preface to the dictionary of American slang. In H. Wentworth & S. B. Flexner (Eds.), Dictionary of American slang. N ew York: Thomas Y. Crowell.Kutner, N. G., & Brogan, D. (1974). An investigation of sex-related slang vocabulary and sex-role orientation among male and female university students. J of Marr and the Family, 36, 474-484.Risch, B. (1987). Women's derogatory terms for men: That's right, â€Å"dirty† words. Language in Society, 16, 353-358.

An Analysis of the Blind Optimism in Something Wicked This Way Comes, a Novel by Ray Bradbury

An Analysis of the Blind Optimism in Something Wicked This Way Comes, a Novel by Ray Bradbury While reading this book, I first struggled with the question of how it pertained directly to the class material. It seems almost as if the book is written as one long poem. While I was typing my exam, I began to take notice of similarities between the characters in the book and the over arching theme of optimism that I stressed in my paper. The first fifteen, or so, chapters describes one single day where we get to know the characters. In this section of the book we meet Will and Jim, two 13 year old boys. Jim is the more adventurous of the two boys and will is more reserved. It seems like he always follows Jim at a distance, but either way Jim can persuade him to do almost anything. We also meet Charles Halloway in this first part of the novel. He is Will’s father and works in the town library. In this early part of the novel I can relate to the attitudes that were present in America after the first World War. Jim represents America’s blind optimism in regards to creat ing in a utopia. Jim is all of the wall street speculators who believed there was no end to the rising stock prices. Will can be related to America’s more reserved side, he is equally ambitious but. Like I said, follows Jim at a distance. He lets Jim make mistakes but is always there to help him. Will plays a similar role to the presidents during the early half of the 1920’s. He doesn’t over regulate Jim but is always there to support him. Will’s father Charles Halloway is the lessons that we don’t learn from history. His demeanor in the first part of the novel is that of sadness. There is a sense that he knows how the world really works and despite this he is still secretly intrigued by the arriving carnival. This is where Will gets his reserved side , similar to how presidents are always studiers of history. Will learns from the mistakes of his father. When the carnival finally arrives at town, members of the community such as the boys’ teacher Miss Foley, Mr. Cougar and the lightning rod salesman are all enticed and seduced by the carnival and the tattoo ed man that runs it. Mr. Dark has the ability to fulfill their desires but as a result these people will lose themselves to the carnival. This is similar to the theme of selling ones sole to the devil. The role Mr. Dark Plays is in our history textbooks is that of money. The members of the community are so blinded by the spectacle of the carnival(the stock market in 1921-1928) that all they see is an optimistic future ahead. Jim is one of these people enticed by the carnival. He also follows blindly. As the evil nature of the carnival is revealed, one can relate it to the stock market crash in 1929. As a result of people being over optimistic, they face negative consequences. Towards the end of the novel while Will and his father attempt to save Jim and end the carnival, they play a role similar to that of Presidents, Hoover and FDR, who attempt to restore America through their economic and social plans after the 1929 crash. At the end of the novel Jim(the optimism of the American people) has ended up confused and close to death. Will and Charles halloway save Jim by dancing and laughing. Jim’s revival symbolizes the countrys return to normalcy through the industry that happens during WWII. This brings us into the current day where the people of Green Town and people in modern day America still have the same opportunities to make mistakes or succeed through optimism. As far as a review go’s I did not enjoy the book that much. The writing was a little too poetic for my taste. I am more of a non fiction fan. I was reading it looking for it’s historical significance. The book serves the purpose of an allegorical reference to the optimist ic and foolish hopes of Americans.

IB International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

IB International business - Essay Example Finally, the competition arising from globalization encourages creativity and innovation, in addition to keeping commodity prices, and services in check (Stief 5). However, just like everything else, globalization comes with its demerits. Firstly, the interaction of different world cultures has  eventually  begun to meld, thus fading the  identity  of each. The second negative effect is that while outsourcing provides job opportunities to people in one country, it takes away those opportunities from another country thus leaving most of the population jobless. Finally, globalization has increased the chances of spreading highly contagious diseases worldwide, and it might be an  immense  challenge to  stop  the spread (Stief 6). Globalization also has  various  effects on developing countries such as Honduras, a country rich in natural resources, but like most third world countries, only the wealthy and foreign corporations benefit from this wealth, not the poor.  The first effect is that third world countries can now  improve  their  economic  performance  and their living standards as more money gets channelled to these countries.  Secondly, developing countries have the  privilege  to enjoy the benefits of highly developed technology available in the market without having to  develop  them. Finally, the opening up of trade barriers has made it possible for developing countries to  take  their local resources to the global market (Stief

Security Operations in the United States since September 11, 2001 Term Paper

Security Operations in the United States since September 11, 2001 - Term Paper Example This essay discusses the September 11, 2001 attacks, that led to the implementation of various security policies by the government. These policies were meant to improve the apprehension of terrorists and the prevention of more terrorist attacks and activities. These security measures have provided safety and security for Americans, ensuring that authorities can carry out security measures efficiently. However, these changes have caused various negative elements into play. Firstly, entry and migration into the US has become tighter and more difficult. Secondly, these security measures have caused violations of rights, especially those which relate to the rights of privacy, rights of the public to be informed about government actions, and the rights to due process. Finally, security measures have caused racial tensions in US. In effect, although we may be safer now, we have become less secured in our civil rights. These security measures have provided safer conditions for Americans all owing the government authorities to carry out security measures with minimal legal interference. However, the price for these security operations has been and is being paid for by the American public. Firstly, going into and out of the ports has become a very difficult and tedious process. Secondly, these security measures have also led to the violations of liberties and rights, especially those which relate to the rights of privacy, rights of the public to be informed about government actions, and the rights to due process.

Geographical Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geographical Information Systems - Essay Example The most important part of a GIS is the ‘gencode’ to which information is connected. It represents a geographical code to highlight a place or location anywhere in the world. A GIS shows vital data in a diagrammatic manner, displaying extended spatial locations, territorial divisions, neighborhood vicinities and their inhabitants with unparalleled clearness. The GIS displays structure upon structure of data {such as characteristics and statistics of human population, income levels, voting preferences, poverty levels, pollution rates, and Internet availability}, and the manner in which all structures work in cohesive unity. The GIS user then selects the data to structure according to the queries that need to be solved. The precise information provided by GIS is being increasingly used for public safety purposes. Public safety officials have discovered that its geospatial information is derived much more spontaneously, and is more productive as compared to data supplied by ambiguous orthodox photography due to the very fast rate at which imagery of a certain area can be displayed as well as the cost savings involved. It is estimated that GIS use has resulted in cutting short land-use and field visits by as much as 70%. Tasks like on-the-way and on-the-scene skillful planning, highlighting the precise origin of wireless calls, advance planning of interior safety and security strategies, and re-directing traffic in times of emergencies have become much easier to undertake and solve more quickly and efficiently (Earth Imaging Journal, 2005). The use of GIS as a crime-fighting tool is increasing in the United States. It enables the police to examine and evaluate crime trends and find precise geographic locations where some crimes are concentrated, connect those crimes to the area in which they take place, and highlight the locations

A Man Dedicated to the Struggle for Racial Equality Research Paper

A Man Dedicated to the Struggle for Racial Equality - Research Paper Example Though Dr. Chavis is well-known as a civil right movement leader who worked closely with the Prominent African-American leader, Martin Luther King, he has actively took part in a number of other movements including â€Å"National African American Leadership Summit† (NAALS), â€Å"National Association for the Advancement of Colored People† (NAACP), Million March, etc. From the very beginning of his youth, he has started an activist’s life. While he had been a freshman at St. Augustine College in 1965, he became Martin Luther King’s youth coordinator for the State of North Carolina. In the same year, he also joined the â€Å"Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee† (SNCC), the â€Å"American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees† (AFSCME), and the â€Å"Congress of Racial Equality† (CORE). Religious Activism of Benjamin Chavis Mohammed One of the most significant aspects of Benjamin Chavis’ activism is the religiou s dimension. ... In 1968, starting his career as a field officer in the â€Å"United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice† Chavis Mohammad significantly contributed to the coordination of racial justice strategies with American Black community. Starting with the membership in the â€Å"Southern Christian Leadership Conference† (SCLC) Benjamin had been involved with a significant number of Christianity related organizations throughout his whole life until he joined the Nation of Islam. Though his strategy to join the Nation of Islam was to set an example of peaceful religious cohabitation and to increase the religious tolerance, he was suspended by the authority of the â€Å"United Church of Christ† (UCC). Often some critics allege that Benjamin Chavis’ religiosity was more of a strategy to survive amid the hostility of the whites than of a wholehearted Christian emotion. In this regard, Encyclopedia of World Biography writes that in the mid 20th century, even as the walls of racial segregation was crumbling down under the crushing pressures of various civil society movements, leaders like Chavis Muhammad and Martin Luther King’s were being â€Å"shaped against this back drop of hatred and bigotry. Chavis became involved in his church, finding shelter from such hostile attitudes†. (Encyclopedia of World Biography 1) Racial Awareness and Family-inspiration to Fight for Rights Since Benjamin Chavis was blissfully born in a self-aware African-American family, he was familiar with the black people’s struggle for right in the white dominated US society.