Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Ceramics Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ceramics Art - Essay Example The colours move into each other in delicate swirls from greens, browns, blues and turquoise to blacks, whites, beige and mustard. A small spout with brown and pale turquoise glaze is placed on one side of the pot, and a dome shaped lid in shades of brown fits in snugly. A tiny turquoise handle with a minuscule black button is at an angle to the spout, and extrudes out of the surface. The entire egg shape tapers down to a very tiny black foot. The irreducible essence of a teapot is its function, in terms of cultural and human ritual terms. By taking away from this teapot its utility, Swindell does not add a conceptual dimension, or vestigial elements to suggest a different meaning, in the manner of poststructural art, where the lack of function becomes a metaphor for something else in the artist's dictionary. The teapot is still just a teapot, quaint, not functional, but definitely a teapot. This teapot is indeed an example of organic art, in a class of its own. Far removed from post-modern jargon and innuendoes, its expressive criteria are not in tune with the deconstructive and discursive atmosphere of contemporary arts practice. As Bernard Kerr says, " By overly conceptualising our work we run the risk of losing the special somatic and sensual qualities that make the ceramic arts unique and special."(Kerr, 2005). When viewing Swindell's work the correct questions to ask would be whether it is a beautiful, nostalgic piece of evanescence made tangible. Swindell seems to capture the volatile charm of nature in this piece, which emerges with new, subtle meanings every time you look at it. Though out time potters have sought to create man made ceramic forms, which echo the sensibilities of nature, sometimes by mimicking nature or through stylisation and abstraction. The history of ceramics is filled with organic masterpieces. (Thames & Hudson, 2001) It does not have enforced explicit and implicit narratives, and it exists not to faithfully portray the tragedies of existence but seeks to alleviate them through beauty in art. As he himself puts it, "Although political and cultural statements have become fashionable with visual artists I do not make work with a conscious message, preferring to deal with the "abstract" qualities of Art."(Swindell, 2005) To me it is a piece that seems to shift under the eye, to ripple and move if I look at it long enough, and I want to pick it up to trace its contours to assure myself it is real. Its structure is engineered and precise, but the surface and colours bring back memories of sandy beaches, worm casts, patterns seen on sand, and lulling waves. This marriage of the man-made and natural has evolved over time, as some of his earlier exhibits have also exuded similar qualities: His vision is much broader than the size of the work initially suggests. He brings together shapes, motifs and surface qualities that simultaneously manage to be evocative of both the natural and man made worlds. (Jeffery Jones, 2003) Tea and teapots have been a comforting part of our culture ever since they were introduced in England. A teapot evokes warmth, security and reassurance, and the diminutive size reinforces this feeling of intimacy: Teapots traditionally belong in a familiar domestic environment, where potters have always had a significant role in reflecting social fashion and culture by providing ware for

Monday, October 28, 2019

Dead Poet Society Essay Example for Free

Dead Poet Society Essay Is living a crime? Is choice unacceptable? Is suicide typical? Reading this is so simple but going through it is much harder than we think. Forgetting your best friend who suicided, having your close relative killed and been alone was Charlie’s life. â€Å"The perk of being a wallflower† directed by Stephen Chbosky is an astonishing film which involves youngster entering the world of adulthood. Beginning a new year of high school here Charlie finally befriends Sam and Patrick and through this we explore the themes of self-realisation and loneliness. Self-realisation and loneliness is conveyed in both films; Directed by Peter Weir Dead Poet society is a story of a teacher called Mr Keating who makes his students releases the ability they have in them. The film â€Å"Perk of being a wallflower† definitely reinforces the themes in â€Å"Dead poet Society†. Loneliness is deeply attached and expressed early in Charlie’s life. It is shown by him not participating in any class activities. The camera angel that supports this statement is an eye-level shot where Charlie is sitting in class backed down on his chair. This symbolises that he is too afraid to speak out. The body language is dull with a lower self-esteem. Similarly, in Dead Poet Society Todd a shy and insecure guy who is too afraid to come out of his shell. The camera shot used is close-up where Todd’s facial expression is conveyed by tension and fear. So, therefore both films definitely share a similar theme. â€Å"Things change. And friends leave. Life doesnt stop for anybody. † Being intensely devoted to his past Charlie stopped realising who he really is. Every step he took he remembered the past, and that past has stopped his life in one motion; stress and alone. Fortunately, with help from his friend Sam he realises that life is full of happiness and freedom. The Camera Angle used is Medium shot where Charlie is standing on the truck bed, with his hands open, he learns that he can go on with life without being scared, because he is more than a wallflower. Furthermore, Self-realisation in Dead Poet Society is shown by Todd at the end of the film where he is confident and fearless. He seizes the day by standing on his desk as a symbol of his respect to Mr Keating. The camera Angle used is low angle shot of Todd which makes him look powerful and full of dignity. Confident, happiness and self-realisation taught both Todd and Charlie that life keeps going so. So, therefore, again the perk of being a wallflower has expressed similar themes as Dead poet society. To conclude, both films had similarities and differences but overall the same themes; Themes of self-realisation and loneliness. The perk of being a wallflower and Dead poet society show us lives of teenagers that are sometimes unseen and the way they overcome each obstacle. So, what would you do if you were in this situation? Because in life people like Mr Keating or Sam aren’t always there. So my friends seize the day your own way.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Hope in The Lesson, by Toni Cade Bambera Essay -- The Lesson

After reading Toni Cade Bambara's, The Lesson, the reader is left with a sense of hope for the first person narrator Sylvia and her friends. Following her and her friends from the slums of New York, to a Fifth Avenue F.A.O. Swartz, one gets an idea as to the kind of environment they came from, the type of education they received, and the sense of economic imbalance they bear witness to. Through this the antagonist, Miss Moore, is able to let the children evaluate for themselves the difference between the Fifth Avenue world and the one they are from, at an age where the impression made upon them might generate a spark of desire to find out how they might achieve the same rewards Fifth Avenue has to offer. The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, first person narrator, Sylvia. Sylvia is a preteen African American girl, strong willed, intelligent, and the obvious leader of the pack. The story's plot involves a college educated black woman who comes back to an economically disadvantaged neighborhood on weekends and takes the local children on field trips of a sort. On this particular trip she lets the children experience their first ride in a taxicab to a toy store in Manhattan. It is played out through a chronological series of events from the time they leave their neighborhood, until the time they arrive back there. The exposition introduces the reader to, Sylvia, Miss Moore, Sylvia's friends, and the neighborhood. Sylvia's friends consist of a number of round characters, such as Junebug, Mercedes, Fat Butt, and Rosie Giraffe, as well as the stock characters Sugar, Q.T. and Junior. The setting is what seems to be a 1960' circa slum. As the story develops the reader gets a glimpse of Sylvia's â€Å"street smar... ...lack of proper education in the poorer areas of the country, the need for parents to stand up and take responsibility for their children, and the inequality, and huge gap that exists between the rich and the poor in the United States today. The use of Sylvia as the protagonist gave the story a real quality to it. The world as seen through the eyes of a pre-teen, streetsmart kid, and the realization that there was still a lot to learn in an unfair world. Every character was well defined, and seemed to have a life of their own. It was a very easy to comprehend story which I believe should be a staple, if not requirement, in every urban public school Work Cited Bambara, Toni Cade. â€Å"The Lesson.† Literature and society: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Nonfiction. Pamela J Annas and Robert C. Rosen. 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J 2007. P. 647-653

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Essay --

In the twenty-first century, you would never imagine schools being segregated, but in the 1900’s, most schools in the south were segregated. In 1954, the supreme court ruled that black and white schools had to have the same education and the same working environment. That year a girl named Ruby Bridges was born. Ruby ended up being the first black child to go to an all white school in 1960, 6 years after the supreme court ruled that the schools have to be equal. The schools obviously weren’t equal by 1960 because it made Ruby’s parents put Ruby in a better school. Desegregation of schools in the south did not happen as fast as it should have. The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that segregation of schools is legal under the constitution. Linda Brown was black girl in the third grade and her father wanted to enroll her into an all black school. Her father tried to enroll her but the principal refused. Her father got really angry so he went to the Supreme Court. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court said, â€Å" Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold the ...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Analysis of the salient features of Beck’s cognitive theory Essay

Beck’s cognitive theory assumes that most psychological problems arise from faulty thinking processes. The theory is centred on three factors that form what can be illustrated as a triad. Beck (1976) noted that the three factors that affect the human mind’s capabilities are thoughts, antecedent events and behavior (Figure 1). Figure 1: The foundation of Beck’s (1976) concept of the cognitive theory Source: Created from the description by Bandura (1976) A point worth noting is that these factors cannot act on their own as they do so in synergy with other factors. For instance, behavior is affected by the environment; thoughts are affected by the self (individual); and antecedent events are influenced by the current events. Beck’s cognitive theory perceives antecedent events, thoughts and behavior to be dynamic. In addition, according to (1998), each of the three constituents of the triad is capable of affecting others. However, Beck (1976) notes that in evaluating the triad, cognition or thoughts require more emphasis. This is because it is through thoughts that human beings are able to change their beliefs, attitudes, interpretation and perceptions in different instances. Moreover, thoughts or cognitive factors serve as a platform for filtering or appraising events. In line with this, if the human mind is biased towards one event at the expense of another, the thinking process would elicit some form of emotional and behavioral responses that would imply some problems in life. Therefore, according to this theory, the way human beings think could actually change the way they feel and behave. The cognitive theory serves as a way of understanding and treating depression due to the approach it takes in addressing the various faculties of the mind. In addition, since it highlights issues related to mental capabilities, it is appropriate for addressing mental health issues and other instances of disorders that arise due to depression or factors such as substance use. In postulating the theory, Beck was of the opinion that depressed people often have low opinion of themselves. Precisely, Beck suggested that depressed people believe that the world, their future, and they themselves were the causes of their depression. In addition, Beck (1998) noted that people might be faced with psychological difficulties due to occurrence of automatic thoughts, negative self-assessments and dysfunctional assumptions. Moreover, Beck connoted that automatic thoughts usually pave the way for emotions but occur considerably fast with the affected individual’s little awareness. As a result, such individuals do not view themselves with high esteem. As an example, people affected by stress may address themselves in considerably high critical tones; they also blame themselves for every mishap that befalls them. Beck’s theory and depression Beck (1987) noted that depressed people, apart from having a low opinion of themselves, also develop schemas in their minds such as â€Å"if many people hate me then I am worthless. † Nevertheless, such beliefs are usually primitive, overstated and rigid. It is worthy noting that the self schemas developed in the minds pf distressed people are usually stable but latent and only discernible when they are stimulated by social stressors (for instance when a person provokes the distressed individual) (Beck, 1987). Once the distressed person is provoked, the depressive diagram in the mind of the individual becomes activated by the stress of the event (provocation) and results into a two-fold consequence (Beck, 1976). The first effect is that the content of the distressed person becomes negative. This is characterized by a cognitive triad and the person develops negative beliefs about himself or herself, the world and the future (i. e. every aspect of the cognitive triad becomes negative). In the second phase, there is a systematic bias in the mind that characterized by distortion of information processing capability and being prone to committing errors. Although not all forms of depression are caused by stimulation of the self-schemas, Beck viewed the negative cognitive triad and negative processing of information as the intrinsic features of all depressions (Beck, 1987). The result of the negative schema is fear for all activities by the individual. This is in spite of the fact that some activities could be easily accomplished. For instance, a negative evaluation of self worth may be â€Å"I am unworthy, I just can’t do this†; and a negative evaluation of the world or daily events may be â€Å"Everything that happens to me is just enough evidence that my world is crumbling, this world does not need me. † On the other hand, a distressed person’s evaluation of the future may be â€Å"It seems that nothing will ever get better for me even in future. † From the above illustration, Beck’s Cognitive Model of Depression clearly shows how early experiences in life can lead to the development of dysfunctional beliefs, which in turn cause individuals to have negative self-views, which in turn result into depression (Beck, 1987).

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Horror of Gas Chamber Poison Zyklon B

The Horror of Gas Chamber Poison Zyklon B Beginning in September 1941, Zyklon B, the brand name for hydrogen cyanide (HCN), was the poison used to kill at least a million people in gas chambers at Nazi concentration and death camps such as Auschwitz and Majdanek. Unlike the Nazis earlier methods of mass murder, Zyklon B, which was originally used as a common disinfectant and insecticide, proved to be an efficient and deadly murder weapon during the Holocaust. What Was Zyklon B? Zyklon B was an insecticide used in Germany before and during World War II to disinfect ships, barracks, clothing, warehouses, factories, granaries, and more. It was produced in crystal form, creating amethyst-blue pellets. Since these Zyklon B pellets turned into a highly poisonous gas (hydrocyanic or prussic acid) when exposed to air, they were stored and transported in hermetically-sealed, metal canisters. Early Attempts at Mass Killing By 1941, the Nazis had already decided and attempted to kill Jews on a mass scale, they just had to find the fastest way to accomplish their goal. After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Einsatzgruppen  (mobile killing squads) followed behind the army in order to round up and murder large numbers of Jews by mass shootings, such as at Babi Yar. It wasnt long before the Nazis decided that shooting was costly, slow, and took too large a mental toll on the killers. Gas vans were also tried as part of the Euthanasia Program and at the Chelmno Death Camp. This mode of killing used the carbon-monoxide exhaust fumes from trucks to murder Jews who were crammed into the enclosed back area. Stationary gas chambers were also created and had carbon monoxide piped in. These killings took about an hour to complete. The First Test Using Zyklon B Pellets Crematorium 1 at Auschwitz concentration camp. Ira Nowinski/Getty Images Rudolf Hà ¶ss, the commandant of Auschwitz, and Adolf Eichmann searched for a faster way to kill. They decided to try Zyklon B. On September 3, 1941, 600 Soviet prisoners of war and 250 Polish prisoners who were no longer able to work were forced into the basement of Block 11 at Auschwitz I, known as the death block, and Zyklon B was released inside. All died within minutes. Just days later, the Nazis transformed the large morgue room at Crematorium I in Auschwitz into a gas chamber and made 900 Soviet prisoners of war go inside for disinfection. Once the prisoners were crammed inside, Zyklon B pellets were released from a hole in the ceiling. Again, all died quickly. Zyklon B had proved to be a very effective, very efficient, and very cheap way to kill large numbers of people. The Gassing Process Aerial reconnaissance film of Auschwitz concentration camp, 1st August 1944.   Bettmann/Getty Images With the construction of Auschwitz II (Birkenau), Auschwitz became one of the largest killing centers of the Third Reich. As Jewish and other undesirables were brought into the camp via train, they underwent a Selektion on the ramp. Those deemed unfit for work were sent directly to the gas chambers. However, the Nazis kept this a secret and told the unsuspecting victims that they had to undress for a bath. Led to a well-camouflaged gas chamber with fake shower heads, the prisoners were trapped inside when a large door was sealed behind them. Then, an orderly, who wore a mask, opened a vent on the roof of the gas chamber and poured Zyklon B pellets down the shaft. He then closed the vent to seal the gas chamber. The Zyklon B pellets turned immediately into a deadly gas. In a panic and gasping for air, prisoners would push, shove, and climb over each other to reach the door. But there was no way out. Within five to 20 minutes (depending on the weather), all inside were dead from suffocation. After all were dead, the poisonous air was pumped out, a process that took about 15 minutes. Once it was safe to go inside, the door was opened and a special unit of prisoners, known as the Sonderkommando, hosed down the gas chamber and used hooked poles to pry the dead bodies apart. Rings were removed and gold plucked from teeth. Then the bodies were sent to the crematoria, where they would be turned into ash. Who Made Zyklon B for the Gas Chambers? Zyklon B was made by two German companies: Tesch and Stabenow of Hamburg and Degesch of Dessau. After the war, many blamed these companies for knowingly creating a poison that was used to murder over a million people.  The directors of both companies were brought to trial. Director Bruno Tesch and executive manager Karl Weinbacher (of Tesch and Stabenow) were found guilty and given the death sentence. Both were hung on May 16, 1946. Dr. Gerhard Peters, the director of Degesch, however, was found guilty only as an accessory to homicide and given a sentence of five years in prison. After several appeals, Peters was acquitted in 1955.

Monday, October 21, 2019

effects of wars essays

effects of wars essays The onset of WW I marked a turning point in the history of mankind, dramatically redefining the nature of warfare. The brutal restructuring of national policies to involve the entire nation, from industrial production to unwarranted assaults upon civilians, represents a tragic shift. The severity of this change warrants examination of both the general historical factors and specific events that produced such dire consequences, as well as speculation on whether WWI may have been avoided. Historians largely look toward two general trends of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The rapid economic development and industrial growth that occurred in the 19th century, coupled with the diminishing availability of abundant resources, fostered a high sense of nationalism among Europeans. Nationalistic rivalries appeared throughout Europe. Britain jealously guarded its diminishing status as the world power, harboring much negative sentiment towards prosperous Germany. Meanwhile, under the lead of the militaristic Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany attempted to rush its own emergence as an economic powerhouse. Kaiser Wilhelm, both jealous of being shut out of the colonial race and hoping to preserve Germany's rise, cultivated a large naval fleet. This only served to increase tensions with the British, as well as to threaten the French and drive them into a favorable relationship with Britain. Austria-Hungary, an empire rapidly losing its respected status, was also swept u p in the nationalistic fervor, with Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Bosnia largely intended to assert his nation's power. The nationalistic fervor was fed by the absence of a large war involving any of the great powers in over fifty years. Even the most prominent political and military leaders lacked a true sense of what combat entailed. Most viewed war as some idealistic entity, nothing more than a way to heroically promote their interests. T...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on The Life And Times Of Gianni Versace

Years of designing for the theater earned him a respectable reputation in the fashion industry, but his collaborations with American photographer Richard Avedon helped Versace become one of the world's elite designers. His 1982 collection introduced metallic garments that would become his trademark and his elaborate stage costumes for Hollywood’s finest. Versace had an extensive empire that included boutiques, fragrances and household products. Versace became one of the world’s most prestigious fashion designers of all times. His impeccable taste and attention to detail made him superior to all other designers. Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. In the earlier days, his mother supported the family with her small tailor-shop. There, an eighteen-year-old Gianni learned everything about making clothes and soon he designed apparel himself, which he sold at his mother’s shop. In 1972, at the age of twenty-five, Versace decided to move to Milan and where he worked as a fashion designer. There he acquired additional skills working in fabric procurement positions. He got his first chance to show his skills when designing a collection for Fiori Fiorentini, a Lucca, Italy-based company. In the following years, Versace kept designing for labels such as De Parsi, Genny, Callaghan, Alma, and presented hi first leather collection for Complice. On March 28th, 1978 marked the first collection for women signed with his own name in a fashion show at the Palazzo dellaPermente, in Milan. In the same year, he opened his initial boutique in Milan’s Via della Spiga. Versace, who always paid great attention to his image, started collaboration with an American photographer named Richard Avedon. Soon, with the growing popularity of the style, boutiques started to spread across the country. Versace wins the first of a series of awards that would crown his career: â€Å"LÃÅ'Occhio dÃÅ'Oro† for the best fashion des... Free Essays on The Life And Times Of Gianni Versace Free Essays on The Life And Times Of Gianni Versace Years of designing for the theater earned him a respectable reputation in the fashion industry, but his collaborations with American photographer Richard Avedon helped Versace become one of the world's elite designers. His 1982 collection introduced metallic garments that would become his trademark and his elaborate stage costumes for Hollywood’s finest. Versace had an extensive empire that included boutiques, fragrances and household products. Versace became one of the world’s most prestigious fashion designers of all times. His impeccable taste and attention to detail made him superior to all other designers. Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in Reggio Calabria, Italy. In the earlier days, his mother supported the family with her small tailor-shop. There, an eighteen-year-old Gianni learned everything about making clothes and soon he designed apparel himself, which he sold at his mother’s shop. In 1972, at the age of twenty-five, Versace decided to move to Milan and where he worked as a fashion designer. There he acquired additional skills working in fabric procurement positions. He got his first chance to show his skills when designing a collection for Fiori Fiorentini, a Lucca, Italy-based company. In the following years, Versace kept designing for labels such as De Parsi, Genny, Callaghan, Alma, and presented hi first leather collection for Complice. On March 28th, 1978 marked the first collection for women signed with his own name in a fashion show at the Palazzo dellaPermente, in Milan. In the same year, he opened his initial boutique in Milan’s Via della Spiga. Versace, who always paid great attention to his image, started collaboration with an American photographer named Richard Avedon. Soon, with the growing popularity of the style, boutiques started to spread across the country. Versace wins the first of a series of awards that would crown his career: â€Å"LÃÅ'Occhio dÃÅ'Oro† for the best fashion des...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Keflavik Paper Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Keflavik Paper Company - Case Study Example These capital outlays may include a purchase of new machines, modernization of equipments or even introduction of a new product. The capital budgeting process involves commitment of funds by a company in order to receive cash inflows in the future (Baker, 2011). Since funds available for these purposes are limited and the investment opportunities are many, screening and thorough evaluation is the best way to establish whether a proposed project outlay meets a number of set standards for acceptance.Screening entails the process of grouping projects into categories of acceptable and those that are not acceptable. Then from the alternatives, a preference decision is made by selecting the best courses of actions. This procedure also ranks them in order of desirability (Baker, 2011). If this planning is ignored, and the company goes ahead to endorse investment projects without analyzing them, problems are bound to occur. a) Problems Related with Excessive Reliance on a Single Screening Technique.Keflavik Paper will rely on a number of screening and evaluation techniques in order to determine which project to add to their projects portfolio. There are various criteria, which they can employ to determine whether a particular project meets the requirement to invest funds to implement it. Most of these projects will include expansion and diversification investment decisions or even replacement and modernization decisions (Allen, 2010). These projects are aimed at increasing production and also improve operating efficiency and reduce cost. This is reflected in increased profits and where firm replaces obsolete assets with those that operate more economically. The capital budgeting decisions are quite important since their effects continue for many years and entails large amounts of money investments into projects. These resources invested are committed for a long period and it may become hard to mitigate the effects of poor decisions. Thus, the success or failure of the company may rely on a single or relatively few investment decisions (Allen, 2010). Erroneous forecast of requirements of the assets can have grave consequences. If Keflavik Paper Company invests too much into these projects, it may end up incurring unnecessarily high depreciation and expenses. As a result the company may end being less competitive and eventually lose market. Like any other company, Keflavik Paper has scarce capital resources and thus timing is of essence. The various investment decision rules or investment criteria are divided into two distinct categories. First, there are the discounted cash flow techniques, which include net present value, profitability index and internal rate of return. Secondly, there are non-discounted cash flow methods, which comprise criteria such as payback period (Clear, 2011). Non-discounted cash flow techniques can be used to identify the ideal project to include into the company project portfolio. However, these methods of project appraisal do not take into account the project time value of money. Over reliance on these criteria to selecting and screening of projects could cause problems to the company. Payback period criteria attempts to measure the time that a certain project will take into the future to recoup the cost invested into the project. To approve a project the company would have a maximum allowable payback period within its policies, within which investments projects are compared (Allen, 2010). Excessive reliance on pay-back-period as a screening and evaluation technique would result to development of a pool of projects that no longer benefit the company after some years of operation. This is because the criteria do not consider projects’

Friday, October 18, 2019

A letter from Lucy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A letter from Lucy - Essay Example Till date your presence, though it not being physical, still has an immense pact on me and I wonder why? My goals, my education and the very self in me you destroyed for you precious sons were far more valuable than me. What happened I wonder? Was it because I was born a girl? Or did you think that I was incapable to becoming a successful person. You were wrong to even think that I would have been a burden on you. You forgot I am not handicapped instead your indifference and dehumanization instilled in me the fight to become an individual with aspirations. Yes as a teenager I have undergone feelings such as being pulled in so many directions, bundles of contradictions and yet there were times when I felt like a child. Reminiscing ones childhood should provide the feeling of happiness and fulfillment. And these feelings usually provide the effect and comfort to face lives problems. But for me when I remember my childhood it brings back horror filled and sorrow filled memories. But please don’t think that now I have returned to plead for your love. No way. I want you to understand that my anger towards you goes beyond a disagreement on life’s choices and principles. Yes I call out to you; mother the great love of my life for your rejections of motherly love has caused me immense pain and suffering within me. My words of love, my sincerity, my good will-everything you turned into hatred. This lost love because of you has psychologically impacted me. I am in constant search for this love and belonging with the relationships I have realized that intimacy and love have no value for the physical pleasure is far more sustainable and evoking. Louisa the daughter of Lewis and Mariah has entered adolescence and is portraying signs of rebellion and defiance and this reminds me of our relationship which is based on hatred. At times you make me mad, for leaving the British-rules Caribbean island and leaving YOU was my escapism from this influence and

When should the State become involved in family life Essay

When should the State become involved in family life - Essay Example aimed at identifying and protecting children at risk.4 It is therefore accepted and understood that states should have the authority to intervene for the protection of children who are vulnerable to neglect and abuse. This paper analyses the current state of law, policies and practices that speak to a general justification for state intervention in family life for the protection of children. In this regard, this research study is divided into two parts. The first part of this study identifies the state agents that are authorized to intervene in family life for the protection of children. The second part of this paper analyses the laws, practices and policies enabling state intervention via state agents. ... The welfare state by implication serves the collective needs of all and at the same time confers virtual autonomy on the state over its citizens. Neoliberalism takes the position that social services are part and parcel of the free and open market economy. It is generally presumed that the state bears some responsibility for meeting social needs while at the same time recognizing that individuals are free to take care of themselves and their families. In order to achieve social justice, social democracy commands that the state implement measures and policies for promoting and enforcing social justice.7 Pursuant to neoliberal theory and concepts of social democracy, the state constructs rules prescribing how the state and its various agents function to achieve social justice. In the interest of achieving social justice, states may retain for themselves some measure of coercive authority which permits the state to prohibit some behaviour on the part of its citizens. States in neolibera l contexts respond to the demands of social justice by observing society, social institutions and implement or modify public policies that are consistent with their observations.8 In this regard, social justice with respect to children in the UK was originally informed by the death of Maria Colwell which was caused by her stepfather while under the supervision of social services in 1973. Over the last 15 years, there have been a number of high profile inquiries about the efficacy of social services and thus the state in identifying and protecting children from child abuse and neglect. While most of the high profile inquiries involve the failure of the state via its social services agents to

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Primary research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Primary research - Essay Example Though de Vaus (2002) distinguishes between a survey and questionnaire, but at the same time it is also emphasized by him that quite often questionnaire happens to be a part of the survey. Direction of the research is set depending upon how the data is analysed. To facilitate the results of this survey and ensure its usefulness to the researchers, the study aims at producing valid and reliable data. To this end, all answers will be listed; this includes those answers that were duplicated by multiple respondents. The tables will be formatted and designed to be read easily--ensuring that the information will be interpreted accurately. Vague answers with multiple possible interpretations will be further clarified to reduce the chances of misinterpretation. Simple frequency tables will be used to help draw out and sort the information gathered from the returned questionnaires. The number of responses reflecting each possible answer and the number of unique responses will be indicated on the accompanying tables. These findings will then be pulled together into a report format with preliminary notes and comments used to explain the presented information in detail. The research questionnaire is prepared to gain knowledge of the current HR scenario, acceptance level of such policies, working attitudes as well as practices that came in close relation with the effective management of companies. To this end, primary data will be collected through the responses of participants during the process. Similarly, an account will also be maintained of the people who do not wish to participate in the survey, when we approach them, for various reasons. This will be done purely for academic reasons, as it will also help in throwing some light on how the workers feel safe and secure enough while talking about the HR policies. To gain the responses of about 100 people we might have to approach more people (say about 125-140 professionals because 25-40 people might decline to participate in the survey. We need to prepare a table to keep the record of respondents. Table can be prepared as follows. Table-1 Number of Respondents Age groups Prompt in responses Declined to respond Upto 30 yrs 31-40 yrs 40+ Total Subsequently we can also enlist the reasons for saying 'no' to the survey. Some of the responses could be as written in the table below (but we will be tabulating different types of other responses as well). Table-2; Reasons for saying 'No' to respond Reason for not Responding Age

Week1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week1 - Essay Example d only be possible if the government knows what kind of economic scales are divided amongst people and in what proportions the wealth needs to be distributed. A wholesome number needs to be checked first so that the whole process turns out to be successful at the end. Thus the government needs to make accurate decisions in such a situation and this would involve the census department to get down on their relevant work and give a correct figure of people as well as their intrinsic and most needed data and information. In aerospace industry, it is needed that the primary research methods include sampling through questionnaires, survey methods and one-on-one interviews. The questionnaires could be open ended where there is room for respondents to spell out as much information as needed or these could be close ended where the respondents are tied to certain answers from which they need to choose. These could also be mixed ended – having a combination of open ended and close ended questions and queries. The survey could be through interviews and questionnaires. This is basically a case of quantitative research where quantities and figures could be tabulated rather than quality which is judged through the use of secondary research methods. The secondary research methods include the usage of books, journals, websites, encyclopedia and other related information and knowledge which have already been sorted out for the aerospace industry earlier and has been documented for pretty much the same purp oses. The research process is somewhat in close coordination with the process of forming opinions since opinions could only be based when there is certain information which has come through the relevant doors and these doors include the basis of research – both primary and secondary that has been done. Without proper research at one’s disposal, forming an opinion is an exercise in futility since there would be absolutely null basis of authenticity for the opinion and hence

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Primary research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Primary research - Essay Example Though de Vaus (2002) distinguishes between a survey and questionnaire, but at the same time it is also emphasized by him that quite often questionnaire happens to be a part of the survey. Direction of the research is set depending upon how the data is analysed. To facilitate the results of this survey and ensure its usefulness to the researchers, the study aims at producing valid and reliable data. To this end, all answers will be listed; this includes those answers that were duplicated by multiple respondents. The tables will be formatted and designed to be read easily--ensuring that the information will be interpreted accurately. Vague answers with multiple possible interpretations will be further clarified to reduce the chances of misinterpretation. Simple frequency tables will be used to help draw out and sort the information gathered from the returned questionnaires. The number of responses reflecting each possible answer and the number of unique responses will be indicated on the accompanying tables. These findings will then be pulled together into a report format with preliminary notes and comments used to explain the presented information in detail. The research questionnaire is prepared to gain knowledge of the current HR scenario, acceptance level of such policies, working attitudes as well as practices that came in close relation with the effective management of companies. To this end, primary data will be collected through the responses of participants during the process. Similarly, an account will also be maintained of the people who do not wish to participate in the survey, when we approach them, for various reasons. This will be done purely for academic reasons, as it will also help in throwing some light on how the workers feel safe and secure enough while talking about the HR policies. To gain the responses of about 100 people we might have to approach more people (say about 125-140 professionals because 25-40 people might decline to participate in the survey. We need to prepare a table to keep the record of respondents. Table can be prepared as follows. Table-1 Number of Respondents Age groups Prompt in responses Declined to respond Upto 30 yrs 31-40 yrs 40+ Total Subsequently we can also enlist the reasons for saying 'no' to the survey. Some of the responses could be as written in the table below (but we will be tabulating different types of other responses as well). Table-2; Reasons for saying 'No' to respond Reason for not Responding Age

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are Essay

Based on recent events, discuss whether the stock markets are efficient according to the EMH - Essay Example Whether the market is efficient or not remains a debatable topic among the stock market investors. Secondly, according to this hypothesis, a single investor is never able to get higher profitability than another investor by investing the same amount of fund. Lastly, EMH asserts that no investor would be able to surpass the average annual returns that all the funds and investors are able to achieve cumulatively. Discussion A competitive information market would allow private gains from producing private information, and tests of competition would require estimates of the cost of private information production. According to the efficient market hypothesis, stock market participants tend to form rational expectations of the future in the aggregate by comprehending all the information available in the market. Assuming the stock market efficiently discounts the rational expectations of investors, the prices of stocks accurately reflect an assessment of the intrinsic value based upon the r elevant information available (Gorda, 2005, p. 234). Thus, only the unexpected new information is likely to affect a movement in stock prices. A close look at stock prices sometimes reveals day-of-the-week effects wherein stock prices tend to rise on Mondays and fall on Fridays; time-of-the-year effects wherein stock prices tend to rise in January; and small firm effects wherein the prices of small firms’ stocks may rise by a more difference than those of large companies. But there is no evidence that an average market investor can follow these effects to earn super normal profits after the transaction costs are considered (Forbes, 2013). According to Fama (1970, p. 72), an efficient market is one in which the prices are always reflective of the information available, and the sufficient conditions for a market to be efficient are: the information is available without cost to all the market participants; there are no transaction costs involved in trading of securities; and all market participants agree on the implications of the current information. In practice, the information generated in the market has a significant effect on the stock prices of related companies. For example, after Microsoft announced that it would acquire Nokia, the share prices of Nokia almost doubled, increasing its value to about 22 billion Euros. Also, as a series of lawsuits occurred between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics over the design of smartphones and tablets, the share prices of both companies declined in the stock market. The stock market has been inefficient in recent times because of the substantial frictions that the market has been experiencing (Beechey, 2000, p. 57). Efficient market is not likely to exist even when there is complete absence of frictions and irrationality in the market. The central bank plays an appropriate role in the intervention in the financial markets with the objective of stabilising the asset prices. The market shows patterns of inefficie ncy due to the financial instability majorly driven by human myopia and imperfect rationality. The market does not show such quick adjustment to the receipt of new information as is stated in the efficient market hypothesis. The market is not efficient considering that the stocks with lower price to earnings ratios have higher risk adjusted returns than the stocks with higher price

Internet Addicition Essay Example for Free

Internet Addicition Essay Much evidence has been alleged that social pathologies are beginning to surface in cyberspace (i.e., internet addictions). A lot of controversy is surrounding the question, is there proof that the internet is being abused and misused by individuals on an everyday basis and should we consider this to be a major mental health problem? Key Arguments: * Why do people have attachment insecurity and dissociation with their lives to make them choose to be disorganized, and allow a fantasy world to take over resulting in problematic internet abuse. * How information and communication technologies changing our way of interacting with reality. * What are the psychological symptoms involving disturbed relationships with technologies emerging, how some are more affected than others. * How different forms of related dependence behaviours, such as an addiction to social networking, cybersex, online gambling, or web-based role-playing games are affecting our need to be on the internet. * How some games reward achievements and goals making the cyber game goals more important of that than reality goals. * Does social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other forms of cyber communication have detrimental effects related to internet addiction. * Internet Gambling, main reasons for internet addiction, however not just costing their health but impacting finances and crippling family relationships. Critical Analysis Article 1: Reference (2) Researchers have begun to examine the personal and social consequences associated with excessive online involvement. The present study examined college students problematic Internet use (PIU) behaviors Its specific aim was to investigate the links between PIU with both internalizing (depression, social anxiety) and externalizing (substance use and other risky behaviors) problems. Article 2: Reference (4) There are many psychological factors surrounding the present issue of internet addiction, using evidence such as Social Networking Sites (SNS)e.g., facebook , twitter etc, Massive Multiplayer Online games and Internet Gambling as my three key topics. The aim is to provide a clear and concise method about how individuals who consistently spend their time on the internet are having detrimental effects on their physical, social and psychological life. Article 3: Reference (5) There is an increasing need for the provision of both internet addiction prevention and care for any sufferers, psychologist should be weary of the dangers of internet abuse when youth present with anti-social, aggressive behaviours. Socialization in girls may be warped towards online contact and the user may beneï ¬ t from providing alternatives. The aim is to focus on internet-related addictive behaviours and how to include the use of suitable diagnostic tools, a detailed personal interview, a mental health status examination and information regarding the overt behaviours gathered by the surroundings. I want to engage the reader to believe that internet addiction is a real mental health issue, that effects youth all the way to late adolescent, whether it be an addiction though games, gambling, social media etc, there is evidence to say that individuals influenced by this addiction are not progressing in life, because excess use of a cyber world has become a major part of their li ves or taken over their lives. Structure: – Evidence addiction in Video Games (Kuss, Daria J; Griffiths, Mark D. Studies): Main conclusions stemming from this source – Psychological Evidence to Addiction (Griffiths, M Study Gencer, S L Koc, M Study): Main conclusions stemming from this source – Evidence addiction to Social Networking Systems (Kittinger, R., Correia, C J., Irons J G Article): Main conclusions stemming from this source References Bozkurt, H; Coskun, M; Ayaydin, H; Adak, I; Zoroglu, S S (2013). Prevalence and patterns of psychiatric disorders in referred adolescents with Internet addiction. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 67(5), pp. 352-359. De, L., Josepth, A. (2013). Problematic Internet Use and Other Risky Behaviours in College Students: An Applicationof Problem-Behaviour Theory. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(1), pp. 133-141. DOI: 10.1037/a0030823. Gencer, S L Koc, M. (2012) Internet abuse among teenagers and Its relations to internet usage patterns and demographics. Journal of Educational Technology Society. 15(2), pp. 25-36. Griffiths, M. (2010). Internet abuse and Internet addiction in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(7), 2010, pp. 463-472. Kittinger, R., Correia, C J., Irons J G (2012) Relationship Between Facebook Use and Problematic Internet Use Among College Student. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 15(6), pp. 324-327. Kuss, D J; Griffiths, M D., In ternet video game addiction: A systematic review of empirical research in the literature. Revue Adolescence. 30(1), 2012, pp. 17-49.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students

The Information Seeking Behavior of Graduate Students People seek information in different ways and using different methods to access the information they need. One individual might prefer to get the information from a news agency while another might prefer to access the latest news online or from TV, newspapers, and SMS services. Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. From my experience as a university graduate student in Kuwait University, graduate students face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their work. Because there is an absence of a course and a curriculum in Kuwait University that teaches the basics of information, information types, information searching process, information seeking behavior, and an information seeking guide or strategy design, the graduate students spend most of their time struggling to find a suitable way to seek and obtain the information they need correctly. This information seeking process is done on a trial and error basis by the graduate students during their coursework assignments and projects. It would be more helpful to have this kind of information incorporated in the universitys courses and curriculum especially in the first year of study to help the students improve their information seeking process. Some students also face access problems bec ause they are not given access to the databases from outside the campus by some universities. This thesis will investigate how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It is also important to know in this research whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important area of investigation that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. It is interesting that there arent many or enough previous research studies that study graduate students research activities and problems students faced during the information seeking process. For this reason, graduate students information seeking behavior will be examined to identify the types of search activities undertaken, and the problems they faced during their coursework and research papers. Although a number of studies have been conducted on information seeking behavior, but the issue of research activities interrelation with topic-related activities, how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, and whether the students feel that they have satisficed their information needs and achieved information fulfillment particularly in the context of Kuwait University graduate students in Kuwait, as one of the developing countries, have not been given much consideration. Also, there is a gap in the information seeking models described in the literature revi ew, whereas the models dont show the integration of students library usage or knowledge about their resources as well as citation analysis. There needs to be an integration of library use and citation analysis in these models to give a better understanding of students information seeking behavior. It is important to understand how students browse the variety of resources because it helps educators in developing and assessing courses designed to instruct their students in library and electronic usage. However, there might be a possibility that students may not be familiar with library resources, or not be aware of which resources a library might have, or how to make use of them. It is therefore of interest to us to try and understand what makes one student go out and explore library resources, while another one might not use the library for printed material but instead uses only electronic or web resources to access the material needed from a remote location such as from the working offices or from home (Waldman, 2003). 2. Related Work Since this thesiss research questions focuses on investigating the information seeking activities that are undertaken by graduate students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment, it is important to define these terms in relation to this research. There is an increasing recognition that in order to understand information seeking we need to understand the context in which it takes place and which to some extent shapes it (Allen and Kim, 2001; Brezillon and Saker, 1999; Chang and Lee, 2000; Cool, 2001; Kuhlthau and Vakkari, 1999; Solomon, 2002; Sonnenwald, 1999; Talja et al., 1999; Vakkari et al., 1997; Wilson and Allen, 1999 cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183). Information seeking within its broader context is often termed information behaviour, defined by Wilson (1999, p. 249, cited in Ford, 2004, p. 183) as: those activities a person may engage in when identifying his or her own needs for information, searc hing for such information in any way, and using or transferring that information. The notion of information behavior broadens that of information seeking by including consideration of the use of information in satisfying the purposes for which it was required. But taking into account such wider context may also have a narrowing effect, since the contextual elements that broaden the focus of a model may at the same time narrow its generality, in that they may be specific to particular domains of activity (Ford, 2004, p.183). Simon defines satisficing as a decision-making process through which an individual decides when an alternative approach or solution is sufficient to meet the individuals desired goals rather than pursue the perfect approach (Simon, 1971, p. 71 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). When individuals satisfice, they compare the benefits of obtaining more information against the additional cost and effort of continuing to search (Schmid, 2004 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In fact, in many organizations, problems are considered resolved when a good enough solution has been found, that is the manager satisfices as she looks for a course of action that is satisfactory (Choo, 1998, p. 49 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). Theoretically, decision makers consider all potential alternatives until the optimal solution emerges (Stroh et al., 2002 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). However, such an exhaustive analysis would require additional time and expenditure which information se ekers must weigh against the likelihood that they will find additional information of sufficient value to offset the cost of continued searching. The consequences of putting time and effort into finding optimal solutions can be costly; therefore, decision makers must be willing to forgo the best solution in favor of one that is acceptable (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78). In so doing, information seekers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦satisficeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and choose the one [solution] that produces an outcome that is good enough' (Stroh et al., 2002, p. 94 cited in Prabha et al., 2007, p. 78) The foregoing examples suggest that users may satisfice their need for information based on what they are able to find and thus stop looking for more information. Users may also stop looking for information prematurely if the information systems are difficult or unusable. The very abundance of information makes it crucial for information seekers to decide what information is enough to meet their objectives. (Prabha et al. 2007, p. 78). Information Fulfillment can be defined as the achievement of all information needs. The provenance of the term can be traced back to the 1870s when it was used to describe the fulfillment of a commercial order. The aim of an information system is to ensure that the end user is able to function effectively within the organization and able to access all the necessary information in order to complete a task. There have been a variety of information models proposed which aim to plot the sequences of events from the initial information seeking to information finding (Burke, 2006, p.446). Seeking information is still a fundamental activity which involves searching, collecting, organizing, storing, retrieving, and using information (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) stated that it has become easy to save time and make less effort in retrieving information on a subject or to get a information source by its title, author, subject, and date of publication through the use of information based research tools. He also explained that the tasks of making several information seeking strategies and retrieving information have been improved by the emergence of new generations of hardware and software (Machionini, 1995 cited in Abouserie, 2007, p.3). Adequate knowledge about the information needs of users is imperative for libraries in re-orienting their collections, services and activities to synchronize them with the information seeking behavior of users. New technologies have affected the information seeking process. These technologies have affected some functions and processe s in universities, schools, libraries, and information centers (Abouserie, 2007). Abouserie (2007) also described that storing, organizing, retrieving, and providing access to information are the main processes that have been positively affected. Many library materials are available in online databases. In addition, it becomes possible for many users to use each database at the same time without affecting the quality of the service or the response rate. He also stated that information seeking is a broad term that includes the ways individuals formulate their information needs, seek, evaluate, select and use the needed information. Many factors contribute to the selection and use of different information sources such as: cost, past success, accuracy, reliability, comprehensiveness, usefulness, currency, response time, accessibility, technical quality, and the format. Investigations into the information needs and information seeking patterns of individuals would help improve the current information systems and resources for providing to the continuous changing needs of their users (Abouserie, 2007). In this thesis information seeking behavior is described as an individuals way and manner of gathering and sourcing for information for personal use, knowledge updating and development (Kakai et al, 2004 cited in Ajiboye, 2007, p.546). Waldman (2003) stated that information seeking behavior is the way people search for and utilize information. It is important to understand what factors are relevant in motivating a person to seek out information. A particular focus of inquiry has been on those factors that play a role in deciding to use the library and its resources as a place to seek information, either physically or virtually, as opposed to just surfing the Internet. He also stated that it would appear that more people are using the Internet to find information they need, and information that is unmediated by the library. He stated that informed library users are aware that libraries have resources that are more comprehensive and scholarly in nature than most Web resources available on the Internet. Also, libraries may provide access to scholarly literature that is not freely available on the Web, or may not be online at all. Equally important, users become aware of libraries resources, usually while having to write research papers in their undergraduate or graduate studies. Waldman (2003) also said that it is critical to understand what makes students use the librarys resources whether (print and/or electronic) while others will not think of the library as a place to find scholarly resources for their papers. One difficulty to the use of a librarys resources, and in particular its electronic resources, is that they are not seen as being direct. In contrast to an Internet search engine, where a single keyword search will usually result in thousands of hits, no matter what the topic is, on the other hand, in the library, students have to choose a particular database and be more selective in the search words they use according to Waldman (2003). 3. Objective of the research and the proposed methodology The aim of this thesis is to know how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. It also aims at knowing whether the students were satisfied with the material they found during their searching process, and whether the resources found was enough for them in which they got to a point where they stopped searching for any more materials. Another important factor that this research aims at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established information behavioral model, and if that model can help us explain more clearly the seeking behavior and the process students go through when searching for and obtaining the information they need. The following objectives will be used in the study to structure the inquiry and to guide the development of the research procedures and methodologies: To identify and synthesize the literature relevant to information seeking behavior. To determine the place of this research within the published literature. To select and develop a method of data collection. To examine and analyze how students obtain the information they need. To gather and represent data on the information seeking activities and strategies of students. To investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students. To test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. To examine what difficulties students face and what types of behavior they experience during their information seeking process when finding or not finding the appropriate information. For this reason, an exploratory qualitative research approach with semi-structured, in-depth interviews was chosen as the methodology, because this research focuses on studying the information seeking behavior of graduate students, and the most suitable method to study the behavior of students as well as their information needs and process of acquiring information is through the qualitative method. According to Ambert et. al. (1995) qualitative research seeks depth rather than breadth, and instead of drawing from a large sample of an entire population, qualitative researchers seek to acquire in-depth information about a smaller group of persons. The aim of qualitative research is to clear about how and why people behave, think, and make meaning as they do, rather than focusing on what people do or believe on a large scale. In addition, qualitative research frequently results in discovery of new information, and new practices or behaviors rather than verification. It may also involve complete redirection, or modification of, or additions to, existing ideas or models. Qualitative methods are a set of data collection and analysis techniques that can be used to provide description, build theory, and to test theory Van Maanen (1979 cited in Shah and Corley, 2006, p.1824). The reason why quantitative method is not being used in this research is because this thesiss aims and objectives are not to develop and employ mathematical models and hypotheses concerning phenomena using calculations and statistical procedures. Qualitative research is a better method to be used for this thesis because it provides a deeper understanding of the issues and insight into the process we are studying. Researchers in this field such as George, C. et al. (2006) study explored graduate students information behavior related to their process of inquiry and scholarly activities. Qualitative method was used through in depth, semi-structured interviews that were conducted with one hundred graduate students representing all disciplines and departments from Carnegie Mellon Univers ity. Other researchers like Foster (2005) offers a new, nonlinear model of information seeking behavior, which contrasts with earlier stage models of information behavior and represents a potential cornerstone for a shift towards a new perspective for understanding user information behavior. The model is based on the findings of a study on interdisciplinary information-seeking behavior. The study followed a qualitative approach using interviews of 45 academics. The interview results were inductively analyzed and an alternative framework for understanding information seeking behavior was developed. The research approach that will be applied in this thesis will be the use of Grounded Theory (GT). This thesis and its research questions try to find an answer or an explanation to the phenomenon which is the graduate students information seeking behavior. This research has no previous theory or a hypothesis to test, but it seeks to generate a new idea, information, added value, or a theor y to previous research done in the subject of information seeking behavior of graduate students. Therefore, the most suitable qualitative data analysis method chosen for this thesis is Grounded Theory (GT). Grounded Theory is a general, inductive, and interpretive research approach which was originated in 1967 by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Glaser defines grounded theory as an approach that is based on the systematic generation of theory from the data collected and analyzed that is obtained from social research. Theory is generated during the actual research, and this is achieved through continuous interplay between analysis and data collection. Researchers who use GT as their research method do not test or verify any preconceived hypothesis. In contrast, researchers in this approach develop new theory based on the collected data. Instead of having hypotheses to test, researchers in GT studies have research questions to address. In grounded theory, a researcher should keep his/her mind open to any possible evidence that might exist in the dataset. In Glasers words (1992, p. 8) GT is inductively generating theory through qualitative analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data. To define the meaning of qualitative analysis, Glaser (1992, p. 1) states that qualitative analysis entails any kind of analysis that generates findings or concepts, as in grounded theory, that are not arrived at by statistical methods. Although GT is a well-established methodology, it is an approach to research rather than a detailed research method. The general goal of GT research is to develop theories in order to understand the phenomenon under study. GT has been developed and also used within the field of social science, and has been successfully employed by people in a variety of different disciplines including information science. In addition, Pace (2004) states that the main and essential stages in the process of GT development involves first coding the data collected, memo writing, sorting the data, and then writing the theory. This study is also significant because the uses of information resources especially electronic resources are used by students in universities and academic libraries. Since the access and use of electronic resources is faster and less time consuming, it makes it more appealing for students than that of obtaining printed resources. This research will be applied in Kuwait University in the College of Graduate Studies by choosing a sample of graduate students to study, because students in Kuwait face problems related to how to search and seek out related information in the appropriate databases for their research papers. Graduate students in Kuwait University need a strategy to guide them in their information seeking process. New information, added value, and a theory integrated with the information seeking models will be proposed in this research paper. 4. Results of data collected The sample was drawn from the population of graduate students enrolled at the College of Graduate Studies at Kuwait University. The 24 students that were interviewed and observed in the library and computer labs were from the Information Systems, Social Sciences, and Library Departments. The data that was collected from the students transcribed interviews were coded into meaningful categories using qualitative data analysis and represented in the figure below and will be described in 8 key points that will hopefully help in answering the research questions of this thesis and address the gap or problem in this research. From the data collected it is clear that the students information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that the y dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in the following key points, topics, or themes: types of research activities, activities interrelation with topic, library usage and role in obtaining information needs, Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs, result of search activities understood by students, support from instructors and fellow students in getting information, achieving satisfaction with information needs, and achieving information fulfillment. 4.1 Data Analysis The main approach to the data analysis involved a detailed analysis of the interview transcripts collected from the graduate students at Kuwait University. First of all, notes from each interview, made both during the interview and immediately after it, were reviewed and then highlights as well as new concepts were identified. Secondly, the transcript from each interview was reviewed and coded. Thirdly, each new interview was compared to the previous ones for confirming or disconfirming evidence. Open coding using Key Point Coding was used for coding the responses from the interviews to give P1, P2, and so on where P indicates key point (Allan, 2003). The codes are then analyzed and those that relate to a common theme are grouped together. Concepts are then grouped and regrouped to find categories. Then these concepts and categories lead to the emergence of a theory. If the data has been analyzed without a preconceived theory or hypothesis, that theory is truly grounded in the data b ecause it came from nowhere else. Preliminary patterns describing the factors that influence information-seeking behavior were developed based on concepts identified during the literature review (Mansourian, 2006). Key Points Responses from sample P1: Types of research activities Only university courses related activities from (I1 to I27). I3, I26 also researched for personal work. P2: Activities interrelation with topic Activities are interrelated with topics from (I1 to I27) P3: Library usage and role in obtaining information needs I3, I4, I6, I9, I11,I13, I16, I22, I25 P4: Internet usage and role in obtaining information needs I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23,I24, I25, I26, I27 P5: Result of search activities understood by students I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I9, I11, I12, I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I24, I25, I26, I27 P6: Support from instructors and fellow students in getting information I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I9, I10, I11, I12, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P7: Opinions on achieving satisfaction with information needs I1, I3, I4, I5, I6, I7, I8, I10, I11, I12,I13, I14, I15, I16, I17, I18, I19, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I25, I26, I27 P8: Achieving information fulfillment I18, I24, I25 Key Points are presented using the code (p) as in key point no.1 (P1), key point no.2 (P2). Responses from the sample that was interviewed are presented as (I1, I2). The code (I) refers to Individual 1, Individual 2. This thesis examines what types of research activities are undertaken by graduate students, and how these activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. This thesis identifies how the results of the search activities were understood by the students, when students feel that they have satisficed their information needs, and did the students achieve information fulfillment. Also, this thesis sets out to investigate the extent to which model of the information seeking models could explain the information behavior of graduate students, and to test the applicability of a generic (Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981) and a non-linear information model (Fosters 2005 information behavior model) to the information behavior of graduate students. From the data collected during the interviews and observation, it is clear that the students search activities were interrelated with topic-related activities. Their information seeking behavior and activities were only caused by their course-related homework and that they mainly used online resources to find information they needed for their coursework in a hope to reach information fulfillment. Also from the data collected during the interviews, the students expressed that they dont seek information or make any research activities outside their university coursework or for personal use. Plus, so far from the data collected, the students seem to follow Wilsons first information seeking behavior model of 1981 and Fosters 2005 information behavior model that were explained in the literature review and they are applicable in their situations. The findings were summarized in 8 key points, topics, or themes. The students all expressed that they always feel that they havent satisficed their information needs and dont achieve information fulfillment. They also face problems during their information seeking behavior and demanded that Kuwait University find a solution to these obstacles to improve their i nformation seeking experience. One student recommended that, Kuwait University must provide us with training courses and workshops for all types of searching that is organized with the library and should be incorporated within our courses. Also, skilled librarians should be hired who are aware of other fields and majors so that they can help us with our searching process and save us time when finding materials. Plus, the university should subscribe to more databases as well as English and Arabic journals in addition to the ones that are already available. Moreover, there should be one web page or portal to unite the access to all database web sites by entering just one username and password, because there is the burden and difficulty of entering a username and a password for each database web site. There is no portal that unites all of the universities databases where only one username and password is entered at the beginning and then you can browse all the databases. Another studen t suggested that, My information seeking process and obtaining experience could be improved by being able to download all articles from the universitys databases, because right now I face a problem in downloading some articles. Also, the university needs to subscribe to more databases so that I have a variety of resources to search for my topics. The databases that the university is currently subscribed to should work. Finally, there needs to be more organization in the university library in terms of keeping articles or books so that we can easily find them and not take so much time in searching for resources that could be lost without us knowing. Furthermore, a student said that it would be lovely to see the university, Provide me with full access to databases off the university campus. Additionally, meetings should be organized with librarians and students to help them on the ways of searching for materials, and on how to get the printed and electronic resources available physical ly at the library or on the universitys online web site. Equally important, all students suggested that the university should provide them with up-to-date software programs and good hardware devices with no technical problems or defaults. 4.2 Graduate Students Information Seeking Behavior Model at Kuwait University The following proposed model describes and shows the steps and process of what graduate students actually go through and what they do in their information seeking behavior. The boxes in the model show processes, inputs, outputs, steps, and people, and the arrows represents a mixture of information and decision making trajectories and the relationships and inter-relationships between them. First, the graduate student is given the option of choosing his or her topic to do a research on, or a topic is assigned to them by the instructor during the coursework. The topic is interrelated with the research activities or the information seeking behavior. Then, the students seek for information either from the library or from the Internet. The graduate students use mostly electronic resources from the web via Google Scholar, The Invisible Web, and from the databases that the university is subscribed to. When the students are experiencing their information seeking behavior, they sometimes get h elp, support, and advice from their instructors and fellow students or friends. Afterwards, the student gets the results of his or her search activities and the information seeking behavior might result in satisfaction and happiness to the student or non-satisfaction which then leads to lack of satisficing and information fulfillment. Finally, the satisfaction of the information should lead to information fulfillment for the student. 5. Conclusion Academics and students have their own unique seeking behavior and their own ways of obtaining information whether it is from a scholarly database, the web, library collections, or from their peers, therefore, it is important for us to know in this thesis how students go about seeking and obtaining their information needs taking into account their behavior. Another important factor that this research is looking at is whether the information seeking behavior of the graduate students follows an already previously established informatio

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Evolution: Just More Proof of God Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Evolution: Just More Proof of God      Ã‚   The world around us changes. This simple fact is obvious everywhere we look. Streams wash dirt and stones from higher places to lower places. Untended gardens fill with weeds.   - National Academy of Sciences    Humans are inquisitive creatures. Throughout the centuries, we have thought, "Why are we here?" This one question has brought thousands of answers. Once Gods and Goddesses reigned. The many hands of Tishri and Buddha, Tao, Confucius, Muhammad, Huitzpotcly of the South Americas, Re of Egypt, and countless others have been worshiped. From these gods comes the creation of man. In our local, modern society, Christ is present in the vast majority of homes, and behind Christ, the Bible, or the book of God's word.    In the New International version of the Bible, creation was performed by GOD. It took Him seven days. On the first day, He created the earth, covered in water. The "glory of God" provided the light for Earth, as He proclaimed, "Let there be light." He created an atmosphere on the second day. Dry land emerged, on day three, from the sea, displacing it. On this day, He also brought forth trees and plants, which grew and matured before the end of the day. God distinguished night and day on day four. The sun and moon were placed to mark the passing of time. Adam, Eve and all of their descendants knew it to be so. Day five: creatures reproduce according to species. The next day, day six, brought the reproduction of humans and animals alike. Then, God rested on the seventh day (hollaway2).    This is the accepted Christian story of creation. People believed it undoubtedly until Charles Darwin, possibly the world's most noted evolutionist, ... ...more secure faith in a greater good, or possibly a great god.    Bibliography Bethel, Tom. "Evolution Is Not a Scientific Fact." Science and Religion: Opposing Viewpoints. RohrJanelle. San Diego, CA. Greenhaven Press Inc. 1988 davidll@cit-tele.com. November 30, 1998. Evolution vs. Creation Resource Center. Evolution vs. Creation Resource Center. Halloway, Kevin1. November 18, 1998. Is Evolution Science? Evolutionism vs. Creationism; Is Evolution Science? Halloway, Kevin2. November 18, 1998. Creation; Faith or Fact? The Final Countdown? Creation; Faith or Fact? Johanson, David. Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind. New York. Simon and Schuster. 1981 National Academy of Sciences. November 30, 1998. "Teaching about evolution and the nature of science [Working Group on Teaching Evolution, National Academy of Sciences]".      

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Hitlers Gain of Power :: Papers

Hitler's Gain of Power When Hitler came to become chancellor in January 1933 his powers were relatively weak. Hitler had been appointed chancellor by the president, Hindenberg. Hindenberg had the power to appoint any chancellor he wishes, and can get rid of Hitler at any time. This means that Hindenberg controlled all of Hitler's power. The Nazi politicians were in the minority in the cabinet and in the Reichstag - only 3 in the first cabinet. Hitler only won 33% of the vote in 1932. Without this support it was hard to gain much support for Hitler. Also, the Generals had no loyalty to him. The German army, the Wehrmacht, were very powerful and had the power to overthrow Hitler is they wished. They were afraid that Hitler would replace the army with his own SA - which had increased in size dramatically since it was first created. Hitler managed to achieve complete control by 1934 by establishing a one-party state where he would have full control. He did this in several ways. The Reichstag building was burned down on 27 February 1933. This helped Hitler to gain a majority in the upcoming March election. The Nazis blamed the fire on the communists, specifically Van der Lubbe - and they claimed that he intended to spark a communist uprising in Germany. It is debatable as to who really caused the fire. Although Van der Lubbe confessed to it, some historians claim that the Nazis started the fire themselves deliberately to increase their chances of success. It is undeniable that Hitler did use the fire to help win the election. He launched a propaganda campaign to whip up fears of a communist uprising. This was hoped to frighten the middle-classed landowners into voting for them. The day following the fire, the "Reichstag fire decree" was introduced. This gave the Nazis the power to arrest a number of communists and socialists and hold them for unlimited periods of time without having to appear in court. The Nazis still failed to gain a majority in the Reichstag, receiving

Friday, October 11, 2019

Descartes & Hume Essay

Rene Descartes was a rationalist, meaning he thought that reason alone, not sensation or experience, was the source to attaining knowledge about the eternal truths of the universe, such as mathematics, epistemology, metaphysics and the existence of God. He excluded physics from this list, admitting that knowledge of physics only comes through experience (Descartes). Regardless, his rationalistic epistemology made it so that Descartes could only accept the truth about something if it was based upon a principle that was clearly and distinctly certain. Innate, a priori knowledge is fundamental to Descartes philosophy. A priori refers to any knowledge that is attained without appealing to sensation (O’Connor, Class Notes). Being a rationalist, he completely doubted every sensory experience he had ever had. Sensation is ever-changing and sometimes misleads or deceives us, so according to Descartes, trusting in an experience of sensation to provide us with any kind of universal truth would be foolish (Descartes). Whereas rationalism directly focuses on reason as being the only way to attain knowledge about the world, empiricism concentrates fully on all knowledge being a posteriori, or attained through experience and sensation. In an obvious way, David Hume’s empiricist epistemology directly contrasted Descartes rationalism, specifically by how he believed humans can attain knowledge. According to Hume, humans understand the world by experiencing different perceptions: impressions/sensations and ideas/thoughts. The amount of force and vivacity of the perception allows humans to differentiate between the two. Impressions and sensations are more forceful and lively since they are a product of direct experience. Ideas and thoughts are simply weak recreations of the original impressions that were perceived. While Descartes believes that certain ideas are innate, such as the existence of God, Hume absolutely denies the possibility of innate ideas. He claims that humans could never fully know or comprehend anything beyond our impressions. If an impression is not perceived, then it cannot be acknowledged. Since our knowledge is limited to the impressions we perceive, we have no real way of comprehending causality, instead it is often confused with correlation. Cause and effect events tend to occur in close temporal order, but that does not mean we can know whether those events are intrinsically related or not. Instead, we can only place our faith in the customs and habits of human life. Oppositely, Descartes believed we gain knowledge a priori, and we can only know that which we have clear and distinct justification for. In order to justify what we know, we cannot appeal to anything except for reason. Lastly, we must judge those justified ideas by applying Descartes’ specific and logical method of reflection. Thusly, by accepting Descartes’ method, the universal and eternal truths of the world can be known.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Exploring Cultural anthropology Essay

Cultural difference(s) is one of the research topics that best suits for a cultural anthropologist to study. In my own perspective as a cultural anthropologist, cultural difference in the United States of America is one of the topics I might propose to research. In the United States where the issue of racism is of most major concern among other races, the history of racial discrimination has passed down until today. Many races including Asians are discriminated with regards to services, priorities, socialization, and its laws. Although there are sufficient laws that suspend racial discrimination among other races, this issue will still be in existence because of each cultural differences. This study may help in understanding better cultural differences/racism where it is in existence in the whole and is at most importance to international relations. Why would you choose this culture and topic for research? I chose the culture of United States since it has been the model of every other culture in the world. Many countries are instigated to pattern their country to the United States political system, diversity in religion, economy, and culture and traditions. As a world’s sole superpower, its culture plays an important role in maintaining its political and economic power to the world. American sports in example, military tradition, and advancement in science, arts and in entertainment (Hollywood); these are the things that draws political and economic power to the United States. Its culture is of most interest by other countries in the world. With regards to racism, I chose this topic for the reason that, until today, the United States struggles in eliminating or otherwise minimized racial discrimination domestically. It is a human nature to treat other races superior or inferior among them. It is of our interest the better ways if eliminate, prevent racial discrimination among others. The study of United States culture will give better understanding what it takes to be a charismatic country and a representation to the world. The study of racism will give better understanding how will we become accustomed to other races (The Journal of American Culture, 2009). What do you hope to discover, accomplish, or address by studying this culture? How could you prepare for culture shock? The culture of the United States through careful study would lay the foundation how a developing will and/or a poor country rise to power, elevate their political and economic influence to developed countries, and improved their standard of living via instigating American culture. I’m hoping to give details on different cultures, and address the needs of other people towards information dissemination. With regards to culture shock, studying culture may help in adjusting and/or adapt to culture differences. References â€Å"The Journal of American Culture. † American Family Traditions, (2009). American Family Traditions. Retrieved June 11, 2009 from americanfamilytraditions database.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Math Driving Map Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Math Driving Map - Essay Example a. Interstate 25 to Cheyenne, WY Road distance in miles (from the map) = 549 Driving time = = = 9.98 hours b. Interstate 80 to Rock Springs Road distance in miles (from the map) = 158 Driving time = = = 2.87 hours Total driving time from Albuquerque to Rock Springs = 9.98 + 2.87 =12.85 = 13 hours (to the nearest half hour). Answer 2. A brief description of the process used to construct the problem: The average aircraft groundspeeds for the two stages of travel are provided with the help of atlas and road maps. Since the students are required to find the travel time, they have to use an atlas or road map, which can give the air travel distance as the straight line distance between the required points. Problem Statement : Given: You travel by air from Memphis, TN, to Las Vegas, NV, with stops in Oklahoma City, OK, and El Paso, TX, en route. Average aircraft groundspeed is 380 km/hour from Memphis to Oklahoma City and 310 km/hour from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas. What would be your total travel time (to the nearest half hour)? Steps: 1. Find the air travel distance between the points from the map. This can be done by measuring the distance between the points in the map and multiplying this distance with the scale of the map. 2. To get the Travel Time, divide the distance by the aircraft groundspeed. Travel by air from Memphis, TN, to Las Vegas, NV, with stops in Oklahoma City, OK, and El Paso, TX, en route. Air travel distance from Memphis to Oklahoma City = 756.39 km

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Dr Harold Shipman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Dr Harold Shipman - Essay Example According to the study this habit of keeping to himself was copied from the mother who was known as Vera. Shipman was a comparatively bright student in school but turned out to be mediocre in his upper level in school. On January 2000, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died after hanging himself in prison in 2004. His father was a lorry driver and his mother was a house wife. He was a very good rugby player. The mother’s death from lung cancer had very devastating effects on the psyche of Harold. He met his wife at the university in Leeds where he was studying medicine. After completing his medical studies, he was employed at Rochdale Canal Commission and later joined Todmorden. It was while here that his signs of criminal behavior began to be noticed. He begun having blackouts that were at early stages linked to epilepsy. However, it was later discovered that the fits were caused by a drug called pethidine. He was administering this drug to the patients. He was also later accused of forgery. The news of his crimes was made public in 1998. From this paper it is clear that psychological explanations of crime are basically a reflection of very many ranges of perspectives in psychology.It is mainly pegged on individual differences. However, crime can occur in a social context therefore factors like ethnicity, gender as well as other dynamics can be ignored. The contribution of psychology is therefore very important in broadening our understanding of crimes and criminals. Earlier theories explaining criminal behavior explain criminal behavior to be as a result of defects existing in an individual. These defects are often viewed as either biological as well as psychological in nature. These defects are responsible for separating the criminal from the being a law abiding citizen.  

Monday, October 7, 2019

Structured decision making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Structured decision making - Essay Example Disagreements, if any, are made transparent, thus enabling the stakeholders to use new perspectives or knowledge for re-evaluation. The process also helps come up with decisions that are of higher quality, transparent, informed and respond to the values of stakeholders involved. It also evaluates and identifies alternative options for resource management through the engagement of experts, stakeholders and decision-makers in the process while addressing the uncertainty in management of resources in a transparent and proactive manner. The scholars note that the results from associated technical, social and economic analyses that should predict the performance of a particular solution make more relevance when measured in regard to what makes the most sense according to the stakeholders. This makes it easier, over time, to make responses to changes within a system of management. This tool would be best used where there is difficulty in making a decision regarding a resource management, for instance improving water quality, the main end objective being the restoration of ecosystem health. The decision makers involved would explore other objectives such as the traditionally scientific like the maintenance of environmental health and the value based like creating recreational opportunities before coming up with the ultimate decision (Wilson & Arvai, 2011). Other objectives would include restoration of vegetation and also provision of habitat for

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Relations between the Sexes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Relations between the Sexes - Essay Example James Joyce is one of the authors who successfully depicted the relationship between the different sexes in his book titled Dubliners. The book comprises of different short stories, and many of the stories highlight the relationship between men and women in Dublin. In addition, Fritz Lang also depicted the relationship between different sexes in the movie titled Metropolis.   James Joyce authored stories that belong to the Victorian period. Although the book was first published in 1914, James Joyce had been writing most of the stories before that period. Therefore, many of the stories are estimated to have been written in the Victorian period, which spanned between 1840 to early 1900s. During this era, there were distinctive roles for men and women. The Victorian society had societal ideals that defined the relationship between the two sexes. In the story titled â€Å"A Mother†, Joyce tells the story of Miss Devlin, who eventually became Mrs. Kearney after marriage. Joyce introduces us to Mrs. Kearney, who settled down with Mr. Kearney a man older than she was because most of the young men she met did not have the capacity to give her a better life. Joyce depicts her as a perfect Victorian woman in the home setting because she takes care of her homestead, daughters, and husband (Schwarze 2002, p. 67). However, Mrs. Kearney is well educated unlike o ther women of the Victorian era. Joyce introduces the reader to some men in the society who had a lower place than Mrs. Kearney did. From the confusion exhibited by Mr. Holohan, it becomes evident that Mrs. Kearney is more intelligent than him. She is the one who helps him out with organizing his work and determining the right artist for each event. However, Mrs. Kearney respects her husband because she felt secure and protected with him.  Ã‚