Saturday, August 31, 2019

Langston Hughes

He wrote poetry and short fiction for the Belfry Owl, the school's literary gagging, and edited the school yearbook. It was the summer of 1919 when he visited his father in Mexico for the first time. That visit proved to almost be his moral demise b cause his father was materialistic and, ironically was prejudiced against blacks, Mexicans, and Indians. He thought of them as lazy and ignorant. This changed Hughes perception of hi myself and other minorities.When Hughes graduated from high school in 1 920, he returned to Mexico, where he taught English for a year and wrote poems and literature pieces for publication in the Crisis, the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people In the early sass, Hughes worked as a dishwasher boy in Paris. One year late r, he enrolled at the Columbia University in New York. His freshman year, he droop deed out of college and worked a series of odd jobs to support his mother. In 1 923 Hughes Signs d on as a cabin boy on a merchant freighter en route to West Africa.In 1 925 he resettled with his mother and half brother in D. C. While continuing his writing and poetry. In 1 925 in May and Au just, Hughes verses garnered him literary prizes from both Opportunity magazine and the Crisis. Four months later, Hughes worked as a busboy at a Washington D. C. Hotel, and attracted t he attention of the poet, Vacate Lindsay, by placing three of his poems on his dinner table. Later on that evening, Lindsay read his poems to an audience and announced his discovery of a † En grog busboy poet†. Photographers and reports were eagerly wanting to meet him the next day.His friends, family, and other writers inspired Hughes to write. His style of Poe try, is free verse. One of my favorite poems by Hughes is called Dreams. Some other one s that he wrote that people best know him for are â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†, and â€Å"l too Sing A America†. In 1930, Hughes got a Harmon Gold Medal for Literature. In 1948 he got Honorary Doc tort of Letters, Lincoln University, and also got his PHD. Longboats Hughes died on May 22, 1 967, in New York. He has inspired a great deal of us, including Alice Walker who wrote an illustrated book about him. Langston Hughes He wrote poetry and short fiction for the Belfry Owl, the school's literary gagging, and edited the school yearbook. It was the summer of 1919 when he visited his father in Mexico for the first time. That visit proved to almost be his moral demise b cause his father was materialistic and, ironically was prejudiced against blacks, Mexicans, and Indians. He thought of them as lazy and ignorant. This changed Hughes perception of hi myself and other minorities.When Hughes graduated from high school in 1 920, he returned to Mexico, where he taught English for a year and wrote poems and literature pieces for publication in the Crisis, the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people In the early sass, Hughes worked as a dishwasher boy in Paris. One year late r, he enrolled at the Columbia University in New York. His freshman year, he droop deed out of college and worked a series of odd jobs to support his mother. In 1 923 Hughes Signs d on as a cabin boy on a merchant freighter en route to West Africa.In 1 925 he resettled with his mother and half brother in D. C. While continuing his writing and poetry. In 1 925 in May and Au just, Hughes verses garnered him literary prizes from both Opportunity magazine and the Crisis. Four months later, Hughes worked as a busboy at a Washington D. C. Hotel, and attracted t he attention of the poet, Vacate Lindsay, by placing three of his poems on his dinner table. Later on that evening, Lindsay read his poems to an audience and announced his discovery of a † En grog busboy poet†. Photographers and reports were eagerly wanting to meet him the next day.His friends, family, and other writers inspired Hughes to write. His style of Poe try, is free verse. One of my favorite poems by Hughes is called Dreams. Some other one s that he wrote that people best know him for are â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†, and â€Å"l too Sing A America†. In 1930, Hughes got a Harmon Gold Medal for Literature. In 1948 he got Honorary Doc tort of Letters, Lincoln University, and also got his PHD. Longboats Hughes died on May 22, 1 967, in New York. He has inspired a great deal of us, including Alice Walker who wrote an illustrated book about him. Langston Hughes

Friday, August 30, 2019

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow: Hope and Dreams in a Bi-Cultural Identity

The dilemma of having a bi-cultural identity has oftentimes been neglected as immigrants’ voices have often occupied a marginalized position in mainstream media and literature that mirrors their position at the margins of society. In Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow, author Faiza Guene gives voice to Arab-French immigrants through the character of Doria and allows her readers a glimpse of Parisian life as viewed from the perspective of someone who desperately wants to be a part of it but is kept an outsider by her ethnicity.More importantly, Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow not only illuminates the hardship confronting the children of immigrants as they are caught in between cultures that often clash with each other but also the hope and dreams of better lives that individuals coping with bi-cultural identities nurture in order to survive, often taking and using the best from both worlds available to them as an inspiration to dream of better things.Doria’s story shows the painful experience of growing up in-between cultures as a Moroccan living in the projects of Paris and her struggle to cope with societal and cultural expectations as well as with marginalization. Born and raised in poverty by an immigrant Moroccan family, Doria has to contend with a variety of issues that mirror the problems faced by immigrants everywhere. She shamelessly reveals her bitterness about having to depend on food stamps and cheap housing from the French government although her mother already works long hours to earn a living.As a consequence of her difficulty with fitting into the mainstream French culture, Doria suffers from problems at school and withdraws from others in her immediate environment. Instead she feels most close to Hamoudi, a neighbor and drug dealer, who has known her since she was little and whom, perhaps in her view, she shares a commonality as a social outcast.Although she is regularly visited by a social worker to help her handle her problems, she develops feelings of r esentment for social workers and psychologists whom she thinks are insincere in their efforts to help them. This stems from her opinion that these people cannot truly empathize with the immigrants’ problems given the privileged position accorded to them by their pure French identities. Another source of bitterness for Doria is her gender, which she thinks is the reason why her father left her and her mother since the Moroccan culture places a premium on having a son.It is therefore not hard to imagine the roots of Doria’s hostility towards the world. Doria is doubly stigmatized by her ethnic identity as an Arab and by the impoverished condition of her family. For instance, she pities her illiterate mother whose accent is always being made fun of, a reflection of how the mainstream culture tends to look down on cultural minorities such as Arabs and on other cultures in general.On the other hand, Doria is depressed by the fact that the good Parisian life remains distant to her and her mother as illustrated by their inability to see the Eiffel Tower despite its proximity to their home, or by the fact that they cannot afford a real Levi’s jeans unlike her classmates. As such, Doria resorts to imagination, sarcasm, and even feigning autism to ease her feelings of alienation from affluent Parisian lifestyles.It is clear, though, that Doria has absorbed the value system of Parisian culture. In one of her accounts, for instance, she makes the observation that `waxing hurts, and if you hurt somebody it shows a lack of respect,† a comment that shows her knowledge of French women’s beauty regimen. She also sees the television as the â€Å"poor man’s Koran,† and even bases her fantasies and imaginings on the realities depicted in the television.At the same time, she invents a dream life based on both her Morrocan and French value systems to draw the Parisian life as she perceives it to be in her attempt to bridge the gap bet ween her dream and current reality. It is these dreams of leaving the projects and building a better life for herself and her mother that sustains Doria although she is painfully aware that for people like her these may remain out of reach.Thus, beneath her pessimistic and sarcastic tone, and even the vengeful characteristic of her imaginings, Doria desperately wants to overcome her bitterness towards her circumstances with her recognition of her difficulties as experiences to learn from. She is therefore brought to tears when Hamoudi states the phrase Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow as it represents a hopeful view that things are always getting better.Towards the end of the story Doria and her mother’s situation do not necessarily change for the better or even change at all, but this is exactly what Doria’s story aims to point out to its readers, that despite the hardships and the seeming inability of people like them to rise up from their marginal position, they will always dra w hope from knowing that tomorrow things will not be the same and there will be better times ahead of them.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Casual Layered Analysis

Casual Layered Analysis Casual Layered Analysis is an effective mechanism of developing a wide range of strategic alternatives to achieve a specific goal. A Pakistani researcher called Sohail Inayatullah developed the mechanism. The Casual Layered Analysis tool breaks down the issue under scrutiny into four different divisions in an effort to shed sufficient light on the possible outcomes that the issue might yield. Through this undertaking, the tool is able to facilitate the consideration of a larger amount of scenarios that might result when applying a specific strategy. The four levels utilized by Casual Layered Analysis are Litany, Social Causes, Discourse or worldview and metaphor or myth. Description of Casual Layered Analysis Layers The litany is the first layer in Casual Layered Analysis. As illustrated by Sohail Inayatullah, litany involves the description of a certain issue through the use of quantitative techniques. The projections of current societal problems through the use of figures are often unauthentic in the view of Sohail Inayatullah. Little problems are exaggerated to seem big to ordinary people so as to create an atmosphere of fear. This has been used to draw political influence and prompt members of society to conform to the current conditions. Problems can be anticipated more accurately working back and forth through the different levels of Casual Layered Analysis (Inayatullah, 2009). The second level of Casual Layered Analysis is the social causes. In this level, the various factors that influence the issue under scrutiny are evaluated. The forces that affect the issues can be political, cultural, economic or historical. The environmental conservation issue can be used as an example to clearly describe this level of Casual Layered Analysis. Environmental conservation activists who try to come up with strategies to counter its effects believe that the main causes of environmental pollution are indecent behavior from people in terms of careless dumping and excessive toxic waste from industries. The main purpose of this level is to evaluate the sources of the issue under scrutiny (Inayatullah, 2009). The third level of Casual Layered Analysis is the discourse or worldview. The main focus of this level is the universal perception about the issue at hand. By evaluating the universal perception about the issue, an individual can get a deeper understanding of the issue by looking at the various assumptions that people old about the issue. For instance, in the case of environmental pollution, there is a concurrence among most members of society that the root of the issue is increased industrial activity. The perceptions held by various people can differ based on a persons culture, religion or amount of knowledge about the issue. For instance, a person with rich information about environmental conservation can say that global warming has caused the recent extreme weather cases. Oppositely, a person who is extremely religious will say that the recent cases of extreme weather are signs of the end of the world (Inayatullah, 2009). The fourth level of Casual Layered Analysis is myth or metaphor. These are beliefs and perceptions about the issue under scrutiny that have been existence for a long time. The focus of this layer is to evaluate a persons beliefs about the issue at hand. This layer uncovers the emotional attachments and various aspects of the unconscious mind that have an effect the way a person views the problem. The Casual Layered Analysis enables people to clearly understand the issue from numerous viewpoints. It breaks down the problem into multiple facets so that people can have numerous alternatives when trying to come with strategies geared towards the achievement of objectives regarding the issue. By going back and forth through, the layers provided by this tool, individuals can be able to come up with innovative strategies to achieve their future goals (Inayatullah, 2009). The new layers in the Casual Layered analysis should be geared towards the achievement of a specific goal. The new metaphor will be an adjustment of the previous myths that contributed to the creation of the current situation. The new myth should be full of possibilities and hope in order to give the individual the energy to conceptualize the most effective strategy to achieve his or her future ambitions. The new worldview will then be derived from the new myth. The new worldview should be encompassed of new possible mechanisms that can be utilized to achieve the future goals. The new litany and social causes will have changed to coincide with the new myth (Inayatullah, 2009).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

What are the ethical issues (internal and External)facing organisation Essay

What are the ethical issues (internal and External)facing organisation in xxx sector and how are they being addressed - Essay Example eport highlights ethical factors arising from both internal and external factors based on PESTLE analysis while also including recommendations that might respond to the ethical concerns noted in the report. The UK clothing sector is also characterised by dominant multiple store retailers who sale up to 70 percent of their finished products to markets in Western Europe and 85% percent in the United States (Allwood, Laursen, de Rodriguez and Bocken, 2006). The UK clothing and textile sector has recorded a significant decline since the turn of the 19th century. However, the 1990s were period of greater change for the industry as major players such as Marks and Spencer ended demand for supply from UK clothing and textile manufacturers shifting to importing over 70 percent of supplies from developing countries (Tait, 2000; Gereffi and Memedovic, 2003). The consequence of such changes is that the UK clothing sector has shifted focus from manufacturing to designing. However, the declining production has provided ground for development of innovative aspects of the sector as entrepreneurs and retailers seek to take advantage of niche or high quality products (Allwood, Laursen, de Rodriguez and Bocken, 2006). The decline in manufacturing has also had minimal negative impact on the sector as businesses, especially those operating from the end of supply chain, continues recording high profits. Retailers are now taking advantage of increased demand for innovative products to increase their profits in a sector where retailing and marketing generates higher returns than sourcing, manufacturing, assembly, finishing, packaging, and distribution. Ethical issues in social aspect of the sector revolve around labour practices mostly on the side of suppliers. Majority of the retailers in the clothing industry have adopted outsourcing of raw materials from different suppliers, especially in Asia, in order to establish competitive advantage over other players in the industry (Kumar and

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Development Essay

Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Development - Essay Example No consideration has been given to the impact of business practices on the environment. This has resulted into an increase in the global warming, and the natural resources reserves are diminishing all over the world. As people learned more and more about these facts owing to the immense universal rise in the literacy rate since the past few years, they have developed a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Ethics and ethical concepts like corporate social responsibility were never given as much importance as they are valued in the contemporary age. There has been a general discouragement and disliking for environment ruining businesses. As a result of this, modern day entrepreneurs face additional challenge of having to comply with the ethical standards in order to gain competitive advantage over their contemporaries in the market. Business ethics is a concept that is getting increasingly prominent in the current market scenario. It is a â€Å"buzz word† in the mode rn age corporations (Arrizza, 2009). This has also invited much debate owing to the conflict between the intrinsic nature of business and the ethical standards it is required to comply with. Business ethics is increasingly being taught in schools all over the world presently. ... Discussion: In any kind of business, the owner makes cost and benefit analysis of his decision to know whether the cost incurred in taking the action surpasses or is less than the expected benefits. Interestingly, what is beneficial to an entrepreneur is often harmful for many others and vice versa. Few decades ago, the doyen of market economics, Milton Friedman overtly expressed the concerns of a businessman saying, â€Å"There is one and only one social responsibility of business—to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits.† (Friedman cited in mindfully.org, 2000). Business owners tend to measure the financial benefits of their decisions. Any attempt that is business driven is an attempt to maximize the profits. A successful business is often quite ignorant of the implications of the owners’ actions on the society at large. This can be attributed to the fact that the stakeholders affected by the businessman’s decisions often realize that their rights have been subdued or they have been harmed in any way much after the harm was actually caused. For example, as the technological era was gaining strength, more and more industries were being established. The establishment of factories and industries was seen as a sign of development. People were not educated much. The scientific research was also not quite mature and sufficient to judge the environmental impacts of the conventional practices that were in place. The factories discharged waste into the water, and polluted the air with chemical rich dust. No one actually estimated the dreadful impacts of such practices until global warming showed up in the form of a

Monday, August 26, 2019

Trokosi practice in Ghana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trokosi practice in Ghana - Essay Example By giving a daughter to live her life as a slave of the religious authorities of the tribes, families hoped to be spared punishment for their mistakes against the tribe in general or other specific people. The practice of trokosi is based on the superstitious foundation that every human action has a divine motivation. Effects on Society Trokosi is basically enacted to exact revenge on errant tribe members. The vestal virgins who are forced to become trokosis are their families’ sacrificial lambs. The crimes, in Ghanaian society, which traditionally called for the exacting on a trokosi stealing property and committing sexual assault (Xfm 95.1 NewsCenter, 2008). Essentially, the trokosi system of retribution merely punishes an innocent child for the crimes committed by a mature adult in her family. The trokosi system is based on intricate religious and cultural beliefs and practices that make it had, even in the modern world, to completely eradicate this practice. Slavery was re cognized in most ancient African societies, particularly in Ghana, as a normal institution of society. This practice, it is believed, was first brought in the seventeenth century into Ghana by the Ewe-speaking population that settled in the country. The trokosi system, then, was not really meant to destroy the lives of innocent children but was started to maintain law and order among the members of the tribe even as different changes in their surroundings began to weaken the leadership of the tribe. The changes called for stricter penalties to be visited upon errant members. It was essentially established to discourage people from committing crimes that would result in destabilizing the tribe. For instance, theft of cattle, which seems so trivial in modern society, might have resulted in the starvation of an entire family or clan back then. Also, in the seventeenth century, the Ewe speaking tribes would take liquor or farm animals from an errant community member. The practice of tak ing virgins to appease the anger of other community members as well as the gods would come much later. It actually came about as a result of the greed of the lustful and avaricious tribal priests who realized that cows would not bring as much pleasure as virgin girls who, along with bring physical benefits, could also provide sexual benefits. Today, this practice in which girls are forced to work as sexual slaves without any human affection or education being afforded them, is still prevalent in many Ghanaian tribes under different names. It is a remnant of the practice of slavery in a society that has embraced all other modernisms. Some Ghanaian families, particularly those that are in the lower income bracket, use this system to avoid punishment for serious problems that they cause in the society (Xfm 95.1 NewsCenter, 2008). For instant, a drunk man who decides to sexually molest the children of his neighbor can offer his daughter as compensation to the local tribal priest and thu s avoid being subjected to a court trial or imprisonment. So engrained is this practice in the psyche of Ghanaian mainstream society, that once such a pedophile offers his daughter, policemen will be reluctant to arrest him. The sacrificial daughter, once given to the service of the tribal priest, has to do anything and everything he asks of her for a number of years. The reality, however, is that after experiencing the benefits of such a relationship, most

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Personal and Organizational Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal and Organizational Ethics - Essay Example Therefore utilitarianism in developing morals seeks to develop an account of moral evaluation and moral direction that expands it. Ferrell & Fraedrich (2010) argues that relativism perspective indicates that ethical behavior is derived from the experiences of individual groups and individuals. Therefore, relativists view themselves or the people around their areas, as their basis for defining ethical standards. These are the guiding principles behind developing morals and ethics that form the personal ethics, which have to be exercised on a personal basis and have to be exhibited in private and in any organization. Personal Morals and ethics Largely, my personal values are more shaped by having a good interaction with others. The values that I hold include viewing each and every one as important and having a purpose either in private life or in the organization. Through these values, I have learned to listen to others with keen interests and offer due diligence to their perspectives. Each and every one has a point of view that can be important, and which if followed would offer a better understanding or aid in performing better in a certain perspective. Through these values, I have managed to relate well with others, and earn respect, honor and many leadership positions that I have excellently found myself in. These have put me in a better place to lead a larger setting such as an organization. Through these values, I have always developed an elaborate code of ethics that have aided in achieving good relations with people. As argued above, the principle of utilitarianism requires that one has to increase the good of action to others or promote the benefit that a certain action has to present. This in addition indicates that we have to abide within strong professional and individual ethics that are related. Velasquez (2008) argues that ethics are the rules in which one has to operate. It is through morals that are derived in my values that the rules of action in ethics are derived and have enabled me to cope harmoniously both on private platform and in an organization setting. Ethics are based on morals in that as Velasquez (2008) argues morals are standards of individual that regard what is good or bad , and in the principle of utilitarianism, a good act has to be advocated, leading to being morally upright and hence ethical in practice. The personal mission is always to act ethically and uphold my esteem in private and in an organization level and value the importance and purpose of others whom we have to have close contact in official and unofficial basis. The vision is to be helpful and create value to the lives of others in the organization through my strategic operations or interaction. This is the roadmap through which I have to achieve the overall growth and development on personal basis and in the organization. Organization’s mission statement The mission of the company is â€Å"to sustain commercial success as a global ma rketing company of branded casual apparel. We must balance goals of superior profitability and return on investment, leadership market positions and superior products and service. We will conduct our business this way and demonstrate leadership in satisfying our responsibilities to our communities and to society. Our work environment will be safe and productive and characterized by fair

Behavioural Analysis of Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Behavioural Analysis of Organisations - Essay Example Organisations are grouped into Mechanistic and Organic groups and this grouping is still relevant. In mechanistic organisations, tasks are broken down into specialisms, technicalities, methods, duties, powers related to positions and all behaviours and responses of workers are according to superiors' decisions without much scope for individuality. These organisations are considered to be more stable and vertically oriented. Organic organisations do not have very clearly pronounced hierarchy and instead, depend more on group decisions after interacting with people of diverse background within company framework. These organisations are considered to be more individualistic where people can make a positive contribution and are of democratic nature. While doing a study of this kind, both kinds of organisations are approached. Human behaviour is always diverse and complex and unpredictable at times. A person who is charming to the rest of the world, could be downright aggressive to people working under him. Many times it is not surprising to come across hidden psychological problems that surface only when the person can dictate terms, and dormant otherwise. In recent years, the necessity of a more psychological approach towards business organisations was felt and much study has gone into this direction. Social Scientists are dedicating time to study worker behaviour, management behaviour, and formulate theories of change for the organisations to follow. "Like the relationship between parents and children, the relationship between an organization and its members has aspects of both hate and love. Employees, manager, owners, customers, and society-at-large find themselves both beneficiaties and dependents of the organization an invention that, though man-made, seems to have a lift of its own, Bobbitt et al (1978, p.4). With the globalisation, organisations found it necessary to undergo unprecedented changes, for working with hitherto alien cultures and facing unfamiliar situations. Today solutions and decisions are made by people of diverse background and organisations have to see that all the decisions go in favour of the business. It has become imperative that certain guidelines should be laid down for all workers and managers to follow in spite of the cultural and background differences. Niccolo Machiavelli is considered to be the main political philosopher who spoke of leadership and organisational power. Max Weber followed him in discussing charismatic leadership. Psychology, after Second World War has become the main subject and organisations have created the norms of judging organisational developments from human resources angle. "Whether a manager defaults or whether he succeeds depends on large measure on his understanding of organizational behaviour and all its complexities. Although organizations appear to take on a life of their own, they remain inventions of man," says

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Originality in Modernism and Postmodernism Essay

Originality in Modernism and Postmodernism - Essay Example The essay "Originality in Modernism and Postmodernism" highlights the phenomenon of originality in modernism and postmodernism. Often, attempting to be original in these schools of literature just results in a sacrifice in meaning and coherence, and ultimately comes at the expense of the reader. In this essay I wish to argue that 'originality' is simply another literary convention which modern writers have now become fixated with. In attempts to produce the most unanticipated and rare piece of work, meaning and coherence become compromised. To show this I will look at T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, John Barth's Lost in the Funhouse, and John Berger's G: A Novel. In the modernist poem The Waste Land, T. S. Eliot attempts to break every possible rule of poetic structure, by alternately mixing multiple types of structures and abandoning any type of structure at all. He adds in near-random quotes from various religious texts and literary sources and switches into German and a few other lan guages at certain points in the text. The five sections tell seemingly unrelated stories about characters who have nothing to do with one another. The reader is supposed to get the overall sense of futility in modern life. As Vicki Mahaffey puts it, it â€Å"takes place in a shared cultural nightmare† a devastated Europe in the wake of the First World War. If the point of the poem is simply to convey a feeling of futility and nihilism, it does that very well. However, any larger plot is lost on readers.

Friday, August 23, 2019

How Jack Welch Transforms Businesses Successfully Research Paper

How Jack Welch Transforms Businesses Successfully - Research Paper Example With his leadership qualities, Jack Welch gained the fame of being the youngest CEO in the history of GE in 1981. Contextually, his continuous efforts, as well as a decent leadership quality, played a major role in guiding GE into one of the most admired organizations valued for approximately $500 billion being recognized as one of the sustainable brands across the globe (Bartlett & Wozny, 2005).   Leadership Quality Possessed by Jack Welch Owing to the continuously increasing significance of leadership within an organizational context, it has emerged as one of the major considerations of a business growth and sustainability. It is believed in this regard that an effective leadership quality can significantly boost the performance of each individual towards the determined organizational objectives facilitating shared values and common principles as well as interests. On the contrary, it is often argued that the absence of effective leadership skills among the decision makers of any organization can lead to a dramatic decline of its overall performances in the long-run (Doh & Stumph, 2005). With this concern, the leadership skills of Jack Welch can be identified with due consideration towards the then external environment of GE witnessing various challenging tasks fundamentally owing to the changing scenario of the global market. According to the prevailing conditions of GE, it is also regarded as one of the leading brands and sustainable organizations with a leading position among the top 10 brands across the different regions of the world. Notably, the majority of the achievements attained by GE was during the later period of Jack Welch’s leadership which certainly fuels up the arguments emphasizing on the contribution made by him as a CEO towards the organizational accomplishments (Dulberg, Paschen, Sprindis & Stawski, n.d.). For instance, during his tenure, GE was able to attain the benefits of rapidly increasing revenues offering greater value to i ts shareholders compared to other business leaders across the global market. Stating precisely, the net worth of market capitalization of GE witnessed a steep increase from USD 12000 million during the year of 1981 (the year when Jack Welch was promoted as the CEO) to USD 500,000 million in the year 2001(when Jack Welch retired from his CEO position). A few of the strategies which Jack Welch had been considering during his tenure in GE, accounted the realignment of the business goals as well as the reduction of the motivational gaps existing within the higher level management and the other hierarchies of the organizational structure. He also played a major role in motivating his managers to extend their productivity and innovation capabilities to previously unknown levels gaining better competitive advantages over its international competitors. The leadership skills of Jack Welch were highly focused on enhancing the efficiency of the operational decision-making process by revitalizi ng the communication process engaging every individual within the organization.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

A Taste of Honey Essay Example for Free

A Taste of Honey Essay In a normal mother-daughter relationship a mothers part is to provide love and affection all the time. A mother should provide this love and affection even more when the daughter is feeling depressed and down in the dumps. A normal mother should care for her daughter when she is ill and nurse her back to full health. She should give her daughter advice when problems come up and her get through the problem by helping to come up with a solution. A mother should guide her daughter through life and prepare her for its challenges. A mother should learn from her mistakes and ensure that her daughter doesnt make the same mistakes. A mother should provide stability for her daughter. She should do this by giving her a good home in one place, by providing food and doing things like washing clothes for her. A mother should ensure that her daughter gets a good standard of education. She should encourage her daughter in everything she does and push her so that she achieves it to the highest standard. A mother should teach her daughter the differences between right and wrong so that it will give her a chance to build up her own set of principles in life. The most important thing a mother should do is give her daughter unconditional love and sacrifice her pleasure for the sake of her child. The daughters part in a normal mother-daughter relationship is to have respect for her mother and to not do things like calling her by her first name. A daughter should not take her mother for granted and should help her with the housework as much as possible. A daughter should take care of her mother when she is ill. At the start of the play Helen and Jo have just moved into a new flat. Immediately we see that Jo has a lack of respect for her mother, Helen. I know this because Jo calls her by her by her first name. JO: Can I have that chair, Helen? We see that Helen doesnt care about Jos well being and whether shes hurt or not. I know this because Jo wants to put a scarf around an unshaded light bulb and Helen just sits by and watches her burn her hand. JO: Can I have that chair, Helen? (Jo takes chair from Helen, stands on it and wraps her scarf round light bulb burning herself in the process) There are many examples of Helen not caring including the time when Jo wants to turn on the gas stove but she is afraid she will cause a gas explosion. Helen doesnt come and help her like a normal mother would but just gives her a stupid piece of advice. JO: Which knob do I turn? HELEN: Turn them all. Youre bound to find the right one in the end. In the play we also see that Helen is not teaching Jo the basic rights and wrongs of life. For example when Jo tells Helen that she has stolen some bulbs she doesnt tell her off like any normal mother would but she condones it. HELEN: Where did you get those bulbs? JO: the Park. The gardener had just planted about two hundred. I didnt think hed miss half a dozen. HELEN: Thats the way to do things. Helen doesnt care what Jo does with her life and whether she gets proper education or not. For example when Jo tells Helen she is going to leave school, Helen just tells her to do what she likes. HELEN: its your life. Ruin it your own way. A normal mother would have tried to persuade her daughter to finish school and get good qualifications. When Helen recognises Jos talent as an artist she just gives her daughter a backhanded compliment, whereas a normal mother would praise her and push her to go to art school. HELEN: I didnt know I had such a talented daughter. Look at that, its good isnt it? JO: Im not just talented. Im geniused HELEN: I think Ill hang this on the wall somewhere. Now where will it be least noticeable The above quote gives me the impression that Helen maybe wants to encourage her but doesnt know how to. Helen has provided no stability in Jos life. Jo was always moving houses and schools. JO: Too many schools and too many different places. This was because Helen was always running away from one of her fancy men. JO: Why did we have to come here anyway? We were all right at the other place. HELEN: I was fed up with the other place JO: You mean you were running away from somebody Helen is a bad influence on Jo and does not act appropriately in front of her. When Peter arrives she allows him to make sexual advances towards her and doesnt really do anything to stop it. PETER: Arent you wearing your girdle? HELEN: Now Peter PETER: Whoops! HELEN: Well you certainly liberate something in me and it definitely aint maternal instincts. A normal mother would do this sort of thing in private without the presence of her daughter. Another example of Helen being a bad influence on Jo is when she encourages Jo to drink. When Jo refuses Helen almost tries to force it down her. HELEN: have some of this if youre cold JO: You know I dont like it HELEN: have you tried it? JO: No HELEN: Then get it down you A normal mother wouldnt force her 15-year-old daughter to drink. Helen doesnt sacrifice her pleasure for Jo. For example she always throws Jo out of bed, every time one of her fancy men comes. JO: You should have asked him to stay. It wouldnt be the first time Ive been thrown out of bed to make room for one of your A normal mother would go somewhere else. Another example of this is when Helen decides to go to Blackpool with Peter for the weekend. She just leaves Jo to fend for herself with only a quid to live on. HELEN: Can you give us a quid, Peter? Id better leave her some money. We might decide to make a weekend of it and she cant just live on grass and fresh air. Jo is very insecure and is afraid of the dark. JO: Im not frightened of the darkness outside. Its the darkness inside houses I dont like This is probably because Helen left her alone a lot of times since she was a child. Jo is very possessive about her mother. JO: You leave me alone. And leave my mother alone too. This also shows she is insecure. As I said at the start of the essay about Jo not having any respect for Helen, Helen also doesnt have any respect for her daughter as she calls her names like a whore. HELEN: You know what theyve been calling you round here? A silly little whore Jo craves her mothers love and affection throughout the play and for most of the time she doesnt get it. Helen directs her love and affection to her fancy men and not to Jo, leaving her jealous. HELEN: Cant bear to see me being affectionate with anybody JO: Youve certainly never been affectionate with me. You have seen in the above examples about how Helen is not a good mother but Jo is not completely innocent. There are examples of Jo often trying to spite her mother deliberately and annoying her. One example is when she makes her mothers coffee as weak as she can, as she knows she likes it strong. PETER: What sort of coffee is this anyway? It an hardly squeeze itself through the spout HELEN: She always does that. Makes it as weak as she can as she knows I like it strong Between Helen and Jo there are sometimes fleeting moments of affection shared. An example of Helen caring is when Jo tells her mother that she is getting married at her age. Helen tells Jo that she should learn from her mistakes and not ruin her life by getting married. HELEN: Oh Jo, youre only a kid. Why dont you learn from my mistakes? It takes half your life to learn from your own. This is one of the few moments in the play where Helen is acting like a proper mother and giving the advice that she should give. When Helen and Jo are having this conversation they are at the point of having a heart to heart when they suddenly start having the normal banter that they do. This has happened often in the play and it gives me the impression that they cant communicate with each other properly and cant talk about their feelings openly. Throughout the play Helen often refers to Jo as she as if there is a third person in the room. Helen most often does this when she is frustrated with Jo. At a point in the play when Helen is arguing with Jo and is really fed up with her, she says HELEN: Youre asking for a bloody good hiding, lady. Just be careful. Oh shed drive you out of your mind A normal mother would talk to her daughter directly. Helen and Jo often have conversations a normal mother and daughter wouldnt talk about. They talk about things like sex. For example JO: He was thin, weak-chinned, with a funny turned up nose. HELEN: It wasnt the nose I was interested in. When Helen and Jo are in the same room together the atmosphere is always fraught and the pair are always making sarcastic comments to each other. For example HELEN: Do I look all right? Pass me my fur. Oh my fur, do you like it? JO I bet somebodys missing their cat. Helen has never given a second thought to Jo. As soon as a better offer comes along she would take off and leave Jo alone. This comes true when she gets married to Peter as she just leaves to go to live with Peter leaving Jo with no money and no support. Jo is all alone. In the time that Helen is away Jo becomes pregnant. The boy is gone and she needs someone to look after her properly. She finds that someone when she meets Geoff. He is a homosexual boy and he looks after Jo throughout most of her pregnancy. In other words he became a mother figure to Jo. He did all the things Helen should have done like the cooking, cleaning and teaching her things about the pregnancy. When Helen comes back she gets rid of Geoff. So as always a really good thing in Jos life has been short-lived and she is right back to where she started. Helen comes back because Peter has chucked her out. She has nowhere to go. This gives me the impression that Helen only sees Jo as a convenience. In conclusion this assignment proves that Helen and Jo have an abnormal mother-daughter relationship. There is a lack of respect between the pair and they cant communicate properly. They cant express their feelings towards each other even though deep down they do love each other. The assignment proves that that Helen is not a good mother and doesnt know any parenting skills. It also proves that Jo is a neglected daughter who craves her mothers love and affection. Having said that, Helen is not a completely bad mother and has given her daughter worthwhile advice sometimes and Jo has done some bad things to her mother sometimes. The title of the play is A TASTE OF HONEY and it means a little bit of sweetness in life. In the play Helen and Jo have A TASTE OF HONEY in their life. Helen got it from Peter. Jo got it from the boy and Geoff. It was short-lived and they ended up right back to where they started. I thought that A TASTE OF HONEY an interesting play and was quite sad reading about a daughter who was rejected for most of her life and a mother who didnt know how to be a good parent.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Effect of Military Deployment on the Family

Effect of Military Deployment on the Family Jennifer Anderson The Struggles of Military Deployment and the Effects It Has on their Family As a society member, people have rights, freedoms, and responsibilities. The military protects the rights and freedoms of society. It is our duty to watch out for neighbors, community members, and friends that are going through a deployment. Thousands of soldiers are deployed overseas each year in the United States. Multiple deployments for extended periods of time can cause many challenges for military personnel and their families. Deployments are an emotional experience creating feelings of fear, anxiety, happiness, loneliness, and stress. This can have a tremendous impact on the whole family system. As the service members undergo hardships on the battlefield, family members struggle with their challenges at home. Deployment can cause a breakdown in the family system, a lack of natural support and mental health issues for military personnel and their loved ones. Deployments can create an emotional rollercoaster for all family members. All family members go through different phases of emotions at various times which can cause a breakdown in the family system. Blair Paley cowrote an article in the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review about the impact of deployment on military families. The article looked at family systems and ecological viewpoints to understand how deployment can impact the whole families well-being. Paleys (2013) study found the following: More than half of all service members are married, and there are nearly two million children in military families. In deployment, families face many challenges, including extended separation, disruption in family routine and potentially compromised parenting related to traumatic expose and subsequent mental health problems. (p. 245) In a family, if stress is affecting one person it is likely this will affect the whole family. The strain on a parents relationship affects the childs relationship with one, or both parents. If a parent is traumatized during deployment, it is likely this will jeopardize the whole familys well-being. Deployments can place a significant strain on a marriage. Spouses might have feelings of loneliness, anger, or distrust. Having limited communication with their partner can make the separation even more straining. Each spouse might have different ways of dealing with the separation. After a deployment, spouses might distance themselves due to having to do everything themselves, and the member coming home might feel the need to be close trying to make up for the time they were gone. When the couple is dealing with their relationship, they might not see the distress placed on the children (Paley, Lester, Mogil, 2013, pp. 246). Furthermore, a functioning family system is important for the w ell-being of all members and having natural support can eliminate some of the challenges that cause the family system to breakdown. Military members and their family members who dont feel socially connected or have a lack of support can have low self-esteem and social identity problems causing an overall effect of their well-being. Natural social support for military members can come from spouses, unit leaders, friends, and neighbors. The outcome of military personnel having this support is better mental health, perceived mission readiness, and satisfaction with military life (Welsh, Olson, Perkins, Travis, Ormsby, 2015, pp. 70-71). Natural social support for spouses and children can come from schools, community members, or extend family members. If not provided with the quality community and school support, military spouses and children will face continued stress and anxiety which could lead to mental health problems in the future (Russo, Fallon, 2015, p. 414). In leaving for deployment, members of the armed forces face many hardships. Spouses must take on extra responsibilities and children must learn to deal with only having one parent at home. They might also have to deal with a parent not coming home. The whole family is forced to make significant sacrifices which can affect their mental health. It is estimated that 25 percent to 40 percent of returning service members experience symptoms that suggest a need for mental health treatment (Walsh, 2014, pp. 35). Standard conditions include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, substance abuse, and mild traumatic brain injury. Military members can focus on deployment mentally if they know their families are safe and healthy. A military spouse is just as likely to display higher levels of stress, depression, sleep issues and adjustment disorders (Leroux, Hye-Chung, Dabney, Wells, Kum, 2016, pp. 1269). Children are separated from one parent and might experience feelings of grief or loss . When a parent returns re-establishing a connection with a child may cause the child to exhibit challenging behaviors. For example, children might display anger toward deployed parent. Confusion as to why the parent is leaving and withdrawal due to the parent being gone for several months. Research has also found maternal mental health might affect the childrens mental health state (Walsh et al., 2014, pp. 36). In conclusion, before, during and after deployment can have an impact on military families. Dealing with family systems breaking down, lack of natural support and mental health issues can have an influence on the well-being of every family member. We live in a world of freedom, and we owe this freedom to the military. It is our responsibility as citizens to help our enlisted neighbors when they are in need. References Leroux, T. C., Hye-Chung, K., Dabney, A., Wells, R., and Kum, H. (2016). Military Deployments and Mental Health Utilization Among Spouses of Active Duty Service Members. Military Medicine, 181(10). Paley, B., Lester, P., and MogilC. (2013). Family system and ecological perspectives on the impact of deployment on military families. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(3) :245-265. Russo, T. J., and Fallon, M.A. (2015). Coping with Stress: Supporting the Needs of Military Families ad Their children. Early childhood education journal, 43(5) :407-416. Walsh, T.B., Dayton, C.J., Erwin, M.S., Muzik, M., Busuito, A., and Rosenblum, K.L. (2014). Fathering after Military Deployment: Parenting Challenges and Goals of Fathers of Young children. Health and Social Work, 39(1):35-44. Welsh, J., Olson, J., Perkins, D., Travis, W., and Ormsby, L. (2015). The Role of Natural Support System in the Post-deployment Adjustments of Active Duty Military Personnel. American Journal of Community Psychology, 56(1/2) :69-78. doi:10.1007/s10464-015-9726-y

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Anti-viral and Anti-cancer Effect of Sea Cucumber Extracts

Anti-viral and Anti-cancer Effect of Sea Cucumber Extracts The Anti-viral and Anti-cancer effect of secondary metabolite extracts from sea cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota) in vitro Abstract Sea cucumber is used as food purposes and traditional medicine in Asia and Middle East society. In this scientific study we try to examine antiviral effect of organic extracts, obtained from sea cucumber Holothuria leucospilota species against HIV-1. For this reason, sea cucumber collected from 10-30 meters depths, around Larak Island. In order to extract, were used from methanol and diethyl ether solvents. All obtained extracts concentrated by rotary evaporator in 40  ° C and then changed to lyophilized powder by vacuum freeze dryer. After that, potential antiviral effect of each extracts on HIV-1 was investigated. The results of this experiments showed that all extracts in some concentrations were able to inhibit the replication of HIV-1. IC50 for their was variable between 5.03  ± 1.90  µg/ml until 337.60  ± 1.34  µg/ml . but cytotoxic effect of all extracts in host cell were also many and CC50 for their was variable between 5.11  ± 1.89  µg/ml until 56.27  ± 1.54  µg/ml. results shown detail ether body wall extract have highest antiviral effect and also it was relatively less cytotoxic effect. 2.79 TI for this extract was shown, it has potential to inhibit HIV-1 after identify and extract effective substances. For survey anti-cancer probably effect have used XTT assay. The results of this experiment showed, all different extracts could be able to prevent Human carcinoma oral epidermoid cells (KB) in some concentration. But also, they had strong cytotoxic effect on normal cell line (HEK293T). Totaly between all different extracts, body wall diethyl ether extract had less cytotoxic effect on normal cells and with 2.46 TI index, showed rather anticancer activitythan other extract. Introduction In recent years, many bioactive compounds identify and derived from various marine organisms. Searches for discover new metabolites led to isolated 10,000 new combination from marine animals. Many of these compounds are related to medicine and pharmacy. This compounds and natural products have been source of materials that have medicine effects (Faulkner, 1996). These bioactive compounds isolated from various marine organisms, including Corals, crabs, seaweeds, Echinoderms, fishes, sponges and etc. Sea cucumbers belong to the phylum Echinodermata, meaning that, they are spiny-skinned, under the class Holothuridea. They are found throughout the nearshore coral reef environment and are also found in the deepest parts of the ocean. Sea cucumbers play an important role in reef recycling, gathering organic detritus and bacteria from the water or sand for food. These particles are digested by the animals in order to extract nutrients, a process that helps turn over sediments to maintain an environment that supports other marine life. Other animals, including fish, crustaceans, and molluscs, eat sea cucumber eggs, larvae and juveniles making them an important member of the food web. Many species eject Cuvierian tubules when threatened. These are very sticky and can be toxic or irritating to predators. They are a diverse group of flexible, elongated, worm-like organ- isms, with a leathery skin and gelatinous body, resembling cucumber (Bordbar, Anwar, Saari, 2011) Sea cucumbers are one of the marine animals which are important as human food source, particularly in some parts of Asia . Sea cucumbers, informally named as bà ªche-de-mer, or gamat, have long been used for food and folk medicine in the communities of Asia and Middle East. In Holothuria leucospilota live specimens have reddish-purple until black and their color is converted to brownish-pink in alcohol. they have Cylindrical body and their abdomen is a little flat. The body wall of the sea cucumber lacks the rigidity found in other echinoderms because the calcareous plates (ossicles) that compose the skeletal system are very small and widely isolated. These ossicles are secreted by special cells called sclerocytes and are embedded in the outer layers of the skin. Ossicles are species-specific in structure and complexity, and can be used to identify species ( Lambert., 2005). Many bioactive compounds have been reported from different species of sea cucumber. A number of these compounds possess biological activity (Bryan et al., 1992; Villasin and Pomory, 2000) Some of sea cucumber species in Malaysia water are being used in traditional medicine to treat wound, eczema, arthritis or hypertension (Farouk et al., 2007). Sea cucumbers have been well recognized as a tonic and traditional remedy in Chinese and Malaysian literature for their effectiveness against hypertension, asthma, rheumatism, cuts and burns, impotence and constipation [18–23]. Several unique biological and pharmacological activities namely anti-angiogenic [24], anticancer [25], anticoagulant [26,27], anti-hypertension [28], anti-inflammatory [29–31], antimicrobial [32,33], antioxidant [34], antithrombotic [35,36], antitumor [37,38], and wound healing [39] have been ascribed to chemical compounds extracted from different sea cucumber species (Bordbar et al., 2011). These medicinal benefits and health functions of sea cucumbers can be attributed to the presence of appreciable amounts of bioactive compounds, especially the triterpene glycosides (saponins) [40–42], chondroitin sulfates [43], glycosaminoglycan [26,36], sulfated polysaccharides [44], sterols (glycosides and sulfates) [45], phenolics [46], peptides [47], cerberosides [48] and lectins [49–51]. Unlike bacteria, fungi and parasites, viruses have no cellular structure. when Viruses are outside live cells they behave like organic compounds and they are not able to replicate and clone independently. They do not have inner cytoplasmic organs such as ribosomes, mitochondria and lysosome. HIV-1 virus or human immunodeficiency virus is an RNA virus of the retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS) in humans. According to the World Health Organization, 60 million people worldwide are infected with HIV and each day 5,700 lose their live because of this disease.( UNAIDS, 2010) HIV tends to infect and kill T lymphocytes that cause reduction and losing host cellular immunity and will make susceptibility to opportunistic infections. The presence of various materials, such as Liouvillosides A and B which are trisulfated triterpene glycosides and fucosylated chondroitin sulfates (FCS), are causing appear anti-viral effects in extracts of these animals. The body is made up of trillions of living cells. Normal body cells grow, divide into new cells, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a persons life, normal cells divide faster to allow the person to grow. After the person becomes an adult, most cells divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells or to repair injuries. Cancer begins when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. There are many kinds of cancer, but they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells. Cancer cells can also invade (grow into) other tissues, something that normal cells cannot do. Growing out of control and invading other tissues are what makes a cell a cancer cell. Cells become cancer cells because of damage to DNA. DNA is in every cell and directs all its actions. In a normal cell, when DNA gets damaged the cell either repairs the damage or the cell dies. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired, but the cell doesn’t die like it should. Instead, this cell goes on making new cells that the body does not need. These new cells will all have the same damaged DNA as the first cell does. People can inherit damaged DNA, but most DNA damage is caused by mistakes that happen while the normal cell is reproducing or by something in our environment. Sometimes the cause of the DNA damage is something obvious, like cigarette smoking. But often no clear cause is found. Material and methods Sample collection All samples collected from 10-30 meters depth around Larak Island and they had transferred to shore with ice. Upon reaching the shore, samples were frozen using dry ice and transported to the laboratory. Samples kept in separated labeled plastic bags in frozen at -20 C until extraction. Extraction Sampels thawed with water and then mud, or sand, foreign particles remaining from the body surface and were washed away with tap water. Samples were cuted from both sides of the midline of the body. internal organs separated from body wall and they cleaned with tap water before extraction. Extracts were prepared following Naik et al. at first, fresh holothurians were rinsed and cut into small pieces. Then cut samples moved to Erlenmeyer with 1000 cc diethyl ether solvent. The sample was collected in diethyletter about 24 hours, the semi- polar and non- poplar extraction was produced. After solution filtered and evaporating diethyletter to dryness, at low pressure at 35- 40C by using Rota vapor. Then the sample put in methanol for 72 hours, The polar extraction was produced The polar compounds in the phase of methanol- aqueous extracts were separated. The concentrated methanol extracts was then dried to obtain crude semi-solid extracts. The crude extract was then weighted and percentages of extraction from sea cucumber were calculated. After 72 hours evaporating methanol to dryness, at low pressure at 40-45 C by using Rota vapor and at the end , extract changed to lyophilized powder by vacuum freeze dryer. Production of Pseudotyped Single-Cycle Replicable HIV Virions Single-cycle replicable HIV-1 (SCR HIV-1) virions were constructed by deleting a 2-kb segment within the Pol region of the HIV-1 genome from the pNL4-3 strain (provided by Dr. Navid Madani). Pseudotyped SCR HIV- 1 virions were produced by co-transfection of HEK293T cells with pmzNL4-3 (containing the mutated genome), psPAX2, and pMD2G plasmids obtained from Addgene (www.addgene.org) (10, 11). The pmzNL4-3 plasmid encodes the HIV-1 full-length RNA, with packaging ability containing the above-mentioned deletion in the Pol region; the psPAX2 plasmid encodes HIV Gag and Gag-Pro-Pol polyproteins, in addition to all the viral accessory proteins; and the pMD2G plasmid encodes the vesicular stomatitis virus surface glycoprotein (VSVG), which is necessary for virion assembly and the budding process. These pseudotyped virions are able to infect a broad spectrum of cells, even without the CD4 receptor. After co-transfection of the HEK293T cells with the  above-mentioned plasmids b y using the Polyfect reagent (Qiagen, Germany), supernatant containing the  virions was harvested at 24, 48, and 72 h. Virus stock was concentrated 20 times by ultracentrifugation, p24 load was quantified (HIV p24 ELISA, Biomerieux, France), and the stock was stored at -70 °C (10, 11) Cell lines The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)–infected cell line Hela and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells and Human carcinoma oral epidermoid cells (KB) (American Type Culture Collection) were cultured at 37 °C with 5% CO2 in RPMI1640 medium (Biosera, England) and DMEM (Biosera, England), respectively. The media were supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (Biosera, England), 200 units/mL of penicillin G, and 80 µg/mL of streptomycin (Sigma, USA). XTT-Based Cytotoxicity Assay The cellular toxicity of methanol and diethyl ether extracts in HEK293T, Hela and KB cells were assessed using a cell proliferation XTT kit (Roche Diagnostics, Germany), as described previously (9). Briefly, cells were plated in triplicate in 96-well plates in the presence or absence of various concentrations of methanol and diethyl ether extracts. After incubation at 37 °C with 5% CO2 for 3 days, 50 ÃŽ ¼L of prepared XTT mixture was added to each well. The cells were incubated for an additional 4 h to allow the production of XTT formazan. Absorbance was measured using an ELISA plate reader (BioTek ELx800) at a test wavelength of 450 nm and a reference wavelength of 690 nm. Percent inhibition was calculated using the following formula: Inhibition (%) = [100 – (At/ As)] Ãâ€" 100, where As is the absorbance of the solvent and At, of the test sample, respectively. The cytotoxic concentration that resulted in a reduction of the number of viable cells by 50% (CC50) was calculate d from doseresponse curves. Replication assay Vesicular stomatitis virus glyco ­protein (VSVG)-SCR virions can infect Hela cells and complete their replication cycle by assembling of inactive virions. Hela cells (6Ãâ€"104) were seeded in each well of 24 well plates containing 250 ÃŽ ¼l of complete medium and infected with 400 ng P24 VSVG-SCR virions. Cells and virions were incubated together overnight and cells were then washed two times with pre-warmed 5% FBS supplemented DMEM. Complete medium (400 ÃŽ ¼l) was added into each well and cell supernatants were analyzed for p24 load after 48 hrs (HIV P24 ELISA, BIOMERIEUX). Result Antitumor effect of the sea cucumber extracts Evaluations of sea cucumber H. leucospilota extracts for potential anticancer activity on growth human cancer cell lines, Human carcinoma oral epidermoid cells (KB) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) were evaluated by XTT assay. Methanol digestive organs extract with 2.46 TI index (table 1), showed better anti-cancer effect than other extracts obtained from sea cucumber. Compared to untreated control was detected. The dose dependent decreasing in the percentage of viability of treated cancer cells comparing to controls was represented in the (Fig. 1A to D). As shown in (Fig. 1B), among the other extracts, only methanol digestive organs exhibited antiproliferative effects against the cancer cells. In addition this extract was rather less cytotoxic against HEK293T compared with other extracts. Bars represent means of triplicate determinations, and error bar indicate SD. Results were accepted to be significant at p Table-1- Inhibitory effects of sea cucumbers extracts on growth growth human cancer cell lines, Human carcinoma oral epidermoid cells (KB) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293T) Extracts IC50 CC50 TI (CC50/ IC50) KB HEK Methanol body wall 224.9  ± 1.33 281.0  ± 1.18 1.24 Methanol digestive organs 152.5  ± 1.29 375.4  ± 1.11 2.46 Methanol gonad 500 360.1  ± 1.75 0.72> Diethyl ether body wall 279.0  ± 1.17 284.9  ± 1.19 1.02 Diethyl ether digestive organs ~ 449.4  ± 2.51 444.2  ± 1.55 ~1.01 Diethyl ether gonad 367.1  ± 1.29 302.2  ± 1.12 0.82 The IC50 (inhibition concentration 50% of extract that caused inhibition cancerous KB cell line), CC50 (50% cytotoxic concentration of the extracts on HEK) and TI (therapeutic index) of different extracts of sea cucumber by using XTT assay, mean  ± SD . Comparison of the cytotoxic effects of sea cucumber extracts on cancerous (KB) and normal (HEK293T) cells, was determined using the XTT assay (un- treated control (1  µl DMSO) cells) Effect of sea cucumber H. leucospilota extracts on KB and HEK293T cells. Internal organs extracts (50 mg/ml) highest antiproliferative effects against KB cells and don’t significant cytotoxic effects than other concentration. Values are mean  ± SD of three determinations. Anti-HIV activity of the sea cucumber extracts In this study first we evaluated the cytotoxic activity on hella cells of different concentration of each extracts with XTT assay. XTT assay appeared all extracts have substantial cytotoxic effect on host cell line. The antiviral activities of each extract are summarized in Table 2. We further determined whether the inhibitory effects on HIV-1 replication of these extracts were dose-dependent. We infected hella cells with HIV-1 viruses and then treated the cells with each of the extracts at a concentration of 10  µg/ml to 1000  µg/ml fig 2A to F. None of the extracts showed significant inhibition of HIV-1 replication but the concentration of 100 µ g/ml methanol digestive organs, inhibit HIV-1 replication with less cytotoxic effect compared to other extract fig 2A.in addition body wall extract, with 2.79 TI index has rather better antiviral activity than other extracts(table 2). We also included 0.1% DMSO as a negative control and nevirapine as a positive control in these experi ments. Bars represent means of triplicate determinations, and error bar indicate SD. Results were accepted to be significant at p Table-2- The IC50 (inhibition concentration 50% of extract that caused inhibition of viral replication in HIV-1), CC50 (50% cytotoxic concentration of the extracts on host cells (Hela)) and TI (therapeutic index) of different extracts of sea cucumber Extracts IC50 CC50 TI (CC50/ IC50) Methanol body wall 35.89  ± 1.21 19.15  ± 1.45 0.53 Methanol digestive organs 57.61  ± 3.02 23.79 ± 1.67 0.41 Methanol gonad 337.60  ± 1.34 9.084  ± 1.15 0.02 Diethyl ether body wall 20.14  ± 1.16 56.27  ± 1.54 2.79 Diethyl ether digestive organs 37.01  ± 1.19 49.65  ± 1.53 1.34 Diethyl ether gonad 5.03  ± 1.90 5.11  ± 1.89 1.01 The average percentage of HIV-1 replication with extracts treatments based on three independent experiments. The percentage was considered as 100% when HIV-1 replication of DMSO sample reached to the peak. Instead, the rest of other samples with extracts treatments were calculated and converted into percentages based on DMSO and nevirapine used as a positive control in these experiments. The data were mean  ± SEM of three independent experiments.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Problems with Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Essay examples -- Euthan

Euthanasia Problems      Ã‚  Doctors do err on cancer patients' survival times, so how can they say when the time is ripe for assisted suicide. A study in the July 1 issue of Cancer, the journal of the American Cancer Society, finds that doctors are often wrong in predicting how long terminally ill cancer patients will live. After studying the accuracy of doctors' predictions regarding 233 patients with end-of-life cancer, the researchers found most doctors had a tendency to overestimate survival time. But among patients who lived longer than six months, 40% had been expected to die sooner. The results are relevant to decisions to refer patients to hospice care -- and also to decisions for assisted suicide, which in Oregon can only be made by patients who are expected by their doctors to die in six months [A. Vigano et al., "The Relative Accuracy of the Clinical Estimation of the Duration of Life for Patients with End of Life Cancer," 86 Cancer 170-6 (July 1, 1999); Reuters, 6/30].    Numerous US studies have established that the Americans most directly affected by the issue of physician-assisted suicide -- those who are frail, elderly and suffering from terminal illness -- are also more opposed to legalizing the practice than others are:    * A poll conducted for the Washington Post on March 22-26, 1996, found 50% support for legalizing physician-assisted suicide (Washington A18) Voters aged 35-44 supported legalization, 57% to 33%. But these figures reversed for voters aged 65 and older, who opposed legalization 54% to 38%. Majority opposition was also found among those with incomes under $15,000 (54%), and black Americans (70%).    * An August 1993 Roper poll funded by the Hemlock Society and other euth... ... suicide: attitudes and experiences of oncology patients, oncologists, and the public." 347 The Lancet 1805 (June 29, 1996):1809    Humphry, Derek. "What's in a word?" Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization 1993, Table 1-A.    Koenig, Dr. Harold et al.. "Attitudes of Elderly Patients and their Families Toward Physician-Assisted Suicide." 156 Archives of Internal Medicine 2240 (Oct. 28, 1996)    Lee v. Oregon, 891 F.Supp. 1429 (D. Or. 1995), vacated on other grounds, 107 F.3d 1382 (9th Cir. 1997), cert. denied, 118 S. Ct. 328 (1997).    "Poll Shows More Would Support Law Using Gentler Language," TimeLines (Jan.-Feb. 1994):9    Washington v. Glucksberg, 117 S. Ct. 2258, 2262 n. 7 (1997. -- -- --. 117 S. Ct. at 2272, quoting United States v. Rutherford, 442 U.S. 544, 558. 1979.    Washington Post, April 4, 1996.

Acting Career :: essays research papers fc

Works Cited â€Å"An Acting Career.† â€Å"Actors.† Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-2005 Edition. 27 January 2005. . â€Å"Careers in Acting† 1 February 2005. . Moore, Dick. Opportunities in Acting Careers. Chicago: Career Horizons, 1999. 6-7. Yehling, Carol. Careers in Focus: Performing Arts. Chicago: Ferguson, 2003. 5-13. â€Å"OPENING NIGHT†¦ †¦IT’S OPENING NIGHT! IT’S MAX BIALYSTOCK’S LATEST SHOW. WILL IT FLOP OR WILL IT GO? THE HOUSE LIGHTS ARE DIMMING, THE FOOTLIGHTS ARE BRIGHT, THE TOAST OF SOCIETY’S BURNING TONIGHT! WE’RE SO EXCITED WE CAN’T SIT DOWN†¦,† the Usherettes sing in the Broadway Musical, The Producers, written by Mel Brooks and Tom Meehan. With every new show, there is always competition to be the best show. Since the tender age of six-years-old, I have performed in over fifty stage productions. Out of those productions, I have done a New York City World Premier, tours, regional theatre and many other types of theatrical demonstrations. I would like to continue my hobby as an occupation. To continue with my thespian career, what do I need to make this goal come true?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An actor is a person who performs on a stage or on the screen. To be a thespian takes time, patience and talent.(Actors; Yehling)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Several people believe the misconception that acting is not a respectable profession. Where in fact, apart of being a thespian is understanding that people won’t give them the full respect they deserve. Another important part of being an actor is to feel good about what their doing. In addition, to feeling good about yourself you need to, â€Å"interpret life through the window of your own life experiences.† (Yehling) Although jobs are very scarce, it helps to do a show that has good material. To increase the chances of getting employed professional training is imperative. According to Careers in Acting eighty-six percent of non-equity actors receive training of some kind. Before a production begins, an actor must memorize all lines and cues for the first rehearsal. Once in rehearsal for a show, it is now even more critical to spend numerous hours on their own time to go over blocking and songs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS ONLY FOR NOW.† (Avenue Q) Unlike regular jobs that you can stay in for a lifetime, acting jobs are usually short-term. The average chorus job could last for around five months. Lead roles however could last for sometimes years. For most jobs you go to interviews for the job, for acting you attend an audition in a very nerve-racking environment.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Shakespeares The Comedy Of Errors :: essays research papers

Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors The Comedy of Errors was Shakespeare's first comedy. It is a light yet dramatic play about a family of twins, their parents, and their twin servants, who have been separated for over twenty years due to a tragic accident at sea. The story, following the usual format of Shakespeare's work occurs and is concluded all in one day. The twins run into each other the whole day through and are mistaken for each other more than once. This confusion makes the tragedy all the more hilarious. The action is ended in a dramatic and whirlwind ending. All matters are cleared up, although the sanity still remains on the brink of collapse. However, the tone of the play is overall cheerful and upbeat and the ending maintains the mood. I particularly enjoyed the confusion that identical twins caused even to their close family members. The fact that Shakespeare was able to make the dialogue fit in with the scenarios made the action even more comic. The idea of the plot, although not completely original is still unique and is still used in modern work, such as the TV sitcoms like "Sister, Sister." Something that surprised me in the play was Adriana's character. She was insecure and portrayed the typical damsel in distress. She was completely dependent on her husband and this fact alone made the play somewhat out of date. Shakespeare is said to be "not of an age, but for all times," but Adriana's character, in my opinion, would not fit in to the modern world. I feel the most important part of the play is the message it conveys and should be used as a moral today. The whole play is based on family members who are trying to reunite. The play says that even though there are troubling issues in our lives, we must remember our

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Their Eyes Were Watching God Analysis

â€Å"The Power Struggle in African American Marriages† Zora Neale Hurston is recognized as one of the key contributors to the Harlem Renaissance that occurred during the 1920s and 1930s. Her multitudes of literary works explore and celebrate African American culture and heritage without directly addressing the subject of racism which was prevalent during this time. Hurston incorporates both the positive and negative aspects of African American culture into her stories in order to give a true depiction to her audience.In a number of her works, including â€Å"Sweat† and Their Eyes Were Watching God, domestic violence plays a very frequent role in marriages. Husbands would hit their wives to establish their power in the relationship, even when the wives did not do anything to deserve such cruel brutality. In Hurston’s short story, â€Å"Sweat†, oppression of women in the black community is demonstrated through the marriage of Delia and Sykes Jones. In anoth er of her short stories, â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†, Hurston writes about a married couple who is completely in love and share a balance of power in the relationship.In 1937, Hurston published one of her more well-known works, Their Eyes Were Watching God. The novel is about a young African American girl, Janie Crawford, and her journey from a young girl into an independent woman. This transformation is gradually seen through her three marriages. Although each of the marriages was very different from one another, they all shared the same underlying conflict: a power struggle between genders. Due to the death of her mother at an early age, Janie is raised by her grandmother who grew up as a slave. Nanny, her grandmother, is extremely dissatisfied with the way that black women are treated.She explains to Janie that the white men oppress the black men who then oppress the black women. It is a brutal cycle that forces black woman to act as the â€Å"mules† by doing all of the hard work (14). In order to protect Janie from this oppression, Nanny forces the sixteen year old girl to marry Logan Killicks. Before the wedding, Janie tries to convince herself she will be happy when she thinks, â€Å"Husbands and wives always loved each other, and that was what marriage meant. † (21). Nanny has the opposite view of marriage as Janie; Nanny views marriage as a contract in which the couple does not have to be in love.Many years older than Janie, Logan is a dull farmer who owns sixty acres of land. After almost a year of being married to Logan, Janie is disheartened by the fact that she still does not love him. As time passes, Logan gradually begins to oppress Janie. At the beginning of the marriage, he would chop the firewood and bring it indoors to Janie. Then, he started expecting Janie to chop the firewood herself and bring it into the house. He not only demands Janie to serve him in the home by preparing his meals and cleaning, but he also expects J anie to serve him in the field by plowing or moving cow manure.One day when Janie is in the kitchen cooking dinner, Logan yells at her to move some cow manure. Janie refuses his order by saying that she is in her place in the kitchen. Logan verbally exerts his power over his wife as he tells her, â€Å"You ain’t got no particular place. It’s wherever Ah need yuh. † (31). He also expresses his power through violence when he threatens Janie by telling her that he will kill her with an ax if she talks back to him again. To Logan, Janie is just an object that he can utilize for labor and chores. He even plans to buy Janie her own mule so that she can plow the fields as well.The irony of this is that Nanny only wanted Janie to marry Logan so that Janie would not have to be worked like a â€Å"mule†. When Logan is gone for the day to pick up the mule, Janie meets a man by the name of Joe Starks (Jody). She is very fascinated by this confident and charming man. When Jody hears that Logan is making her plow the fields, he is appalled. He convinces Janie to run away with him by telling her he will treat her like a wife and take good care of her. Janie makes her first step towards asserting her independence when she leaves Logan to run away with another man.Although Hurston’s short story â€Å"Sweat† exhibits a more extreme case of domestic violence and oppression than in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Delia’s marriage with Sykes is somewhat parallel to Janie’s marriage with Logan. Delia is constantly working as a wash woman in order to provide for her and her husband. Sykes does not contribute anything to the marriage. He has been verbally and physically abusing Delia since their second month of marriage, which was fifteen years ago. The balance of power in their relationship begins to shift when Delia starts to stand up for herself against her husband like Janie did against Logan.She even scares Sykes off when she threatens to hit him with a frying pan if he comes close to her. Janie and Delia both realize that they deserve to be treated with respect by the men who supposedly love them. Upon running away together and getting married, Jody and Janie move to an all-black community called Eatonville in which Jody eventually becomes mayor and ends up owning most of the town. Jody is very power hungry and likes to be in control. He even holds multiple positions in the community besides being mayor. Unlike Logan, Jody did not think women should work in the field or perform tough labor.He referred to Janie as his â€Å"pretty doll-baby† (29). He molded Janie into the perfect submissive â€Å"mayor’s wife†. She always had to be dressed perfectly and she was not allowed to participate in conversations in which she voiced her opinion. He was not only in control of Eatonville but he was also in full control of Janie. He frequently used violence to assert his power over her. For ins tance, if he did not enjoy a dinner she prepared, he would hit her to punish her. One day, Janie could not take being silent anymore so she jumped into a conversation with Jody and the townspeople.She made the mistake of expressing her opinion on a matter that they were debating. Outraged and humiliated by his wife’s behavior, Jody hit his wife in front of everyone to remind her of her submissiveness to him. As Jody gained power in the community, Janie continued to lose her identity and whatever was left of her marriage. Whereas Logan treated Janie as an object that he could use in the house and field, Jody treated her as an object that people could admire from afar. When Jody is on his death bed, Janie finally speaks her mind and tells him all of the flaws that he possesses.She takes all of her anger and resentment that has built up over the past twenty years and lets it out on Jody on his death bed. This event was very significant in Janie’s quest for independence. O nce again, Janie has shifted the balance of power from being the one controlled to being the controller. Jody dies very soon after Janie’s outburst. For the first time in twenty years, Janie is free again. Although Janie is content with being single and free, an unexpected visitor shows up in her life one day. Tea Cake is about twelve years younger than Janie and he possesses a care-free attitude that Janie loves.She ends up falling in love with him because of the way he makes her feel; when they are together, starts to find out her true identity. Unlike Logan and Jody, Tea Cake does not instruct Janie to play a certain role or try to silence her voice. He wants to hear her opinions and everything that she has to say. He teaches her to play checkers and other games that she was not allowed to play in her previous marriage to Jody. He even taught her how to shoot a gun. They always had fun together, no matter what they were doing. They move to the Everglades where they are abl e side by side in the field, bonding with one another every day.They view their gender roles as equal; he would cook dinner sometime while she worked in the field. One certain person does not hold power over the other one, which is very rare in marriages during this time period in their culture. In fact, when Janie get jealous of another girl to whom Tea Cake talks, she hits Tea Cake. This is a reversal of the gender roles that Janie encompassed in her previous marriages because she was usually the one being hit by her husband. When Tea Cake gets jealous of his wife and another man, he also hits Janie to remind everyone that she belongs to him.Even in a well-balanced and healthy marriage, violence is still used as a way to exert power during this time period. During an awful hurricane in the Everglades, Tea Cake is bitten by a dog with rabbis. Because he contracts rabbis, he becomes very violent and tries to kill the love of his life, Janie. For the first time ever, Janie fully asse rts her independence when she kills the only man she has ever loved in order to survive. Janie and Tea Cake’s marriage is very similar to Missie May and John Banks’ marriage in the beginning of Hurston’s short story, â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†.Missie May and John treat each other equally and never try to oppress one another. John does not use violence to gain power over Missie May like most husbands did during this time. The biggest similarity the two couples have is the playfulness of their relationships. Janie and Tea Cake are always playing games or doing something fun. On that same level, Missie May and John always have a â€Å"play-fight† on Saturday to â€Å"keep the spark alive†. Merriam Webster Dictionary’s definition of power is â€Å"possession of control, authority, or influence over others†.During the early 1900s in African American culture, there was a large power struggle between males and females. African America n males had been oppressed by white men for so long that in turn, they oppressed their African American women in attempt to feel powerful. Unfortunately, most people would not even blink an eye at a man hitting his wife or verbally abusing her in public. As seen in Janie’s transformation, a person cannot truly live up to their true potential until they are completely free of anything or anyone that would confine them. When Janie returns to Eatonville after Tea Cake’s death, she walks through the town with confidence.She learns not to care what other people think of her because it is not their life; it is her life and she is the one in control of it. Bibliography Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print. Hurston, Zora N. â€Å"Zora Neale Hurston's â€Å"Sweat†Ã¢â‚¬  American Literature Research and Analysis Website. University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . Hurston, Zora N. â€Å"Zora Neale Hurston's â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†Ã¢â‚¬  American Literature Research and Analysis Website.University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . â€Å"Power. † Dictionary and Thesaurus – Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. . Uppling, Jill. â€Å"†Sweat† and â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bits†: Between Hurston's Biography and Education. † American Literature Research and Analysis Website. University of South Florida in Fort Myers, July 1996. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

Friday, August 16, 2019

Afghan American Story Essay

The entire story of the book entitled â€Å"West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story† started as an e-mail sent by the author himself to at least 20 people which in turn got forwarded to 1,000 or more people in the entire American region and some other parts of the world. The email was sent after the September 11 bombing in New York which wiped out the twin towers [World Trade Center] and some parts of the Pentagon structures. The startling situation that surprised the whole world began to bring up notions and allegations against the Afghan community which was the primary suspect in the said event. This particular situation has lead to the wanting of the author to present his situation as bi-cultural American-Afghan and the views that he may be able to partake in clearing some issues in the case. The author, Tamim Ansary was a well-known author of Children’s books. However, with the even of the September 11 bombing arising in the scene, he decided to change his approach for a while and set a straight path in presenting the reality behind the Afghan communities and cultures against that of the Taliban fictionary stories that were mixed up with the reports during that particular event in history. The use of his personal experience in this reading has made Tamim Ansary one of the most entertaining authors of history. His enlightened view of his situation and his personal being gave at least a glimpse of the reality behind the Afghan communities. The issues were at least presented in a less political approach thus making the readers focus more on the personal views of the author as a person who is torn between two conflicting cultures at the time. Using the emails as a prologue to the book made it more personal and highly regarded by the public. Although it was not a mere process of marketing on the part of the author himself but a personal aim of reaching to the hearts of those who are concerned about the current situation governing Afghanistan and America, it could not be denied that the emails became the most effective invite to the readers to buy the book of Ansary. One particular part of the book that highlights the personality change in the author’s being is that of his transfer to the Americas during his 16th year of age. Most likely, being half American, half Afghanistan made him a bit torn on which culture he ought to follow as a growing teen. However, the circumstance of his life seems to already have decided on this matter. His being acquainted and later on familiarized with the American culture during his earlier years of teenage has actually shaped him into an exact American individual that he is right now. Something that made a great impact on him that even though when he went back to Afghanistan and learned about his Islam roots in a deeper view, he remained being an American thus deciding to be called as â€Å"Tamim Ansary, the American†. This particular decision on his part may have caused several readers to exclaim that he may not have considered his Afghan roots as much as he should. However, it should be noted that as a person who is bicultural, he has every reason of deciding on which part of his being he should stand strongest at. Seeing the situations entangling both cultures, perhaps he saw himself better as an American than that of an Afghan. This particular decision is based upon his own gauge of himself. No one should actually judge him based on this decision as it only depicts the real person that he is with regards his own measurement of his personality and nothing more. This decision is a right that he has to accept and act upon; anyway, whether he chooses to be an American or an Afghan, in the end, it would still be him that would decide on how he should be known by the people that he lives with and it is not through the historical roots of his cultures but through the being that he has become as an individual who aims to become the best . As mentioned earlier, Ansary decided to come to America for his high school education. This may have raised issues, but on the other hand, he is indeed able to see his American roots in as he made this particular decision in his life. As a 16 year-old young man, he was able to rationally consider the differences of being and Afghan and an American thus making him more knowledgeable of who he really is or who he really wants to become. His standing as an individual on which culture he wanted to be most likely acquainted with has been further developed in this stage in his life. Undeniably, this experience in his life made him more developed as an individual giving him all the skills and the possibilities that he needs in his life. Obviously, he became the author that he wanted to become because of being an American. His career soared because his choice was quite clear. He did not abandon being an Afghan through this process as others may conclude. As he turned into a more adult person, his want of seeing his Afghan roots furthered that he decided to travel back to Afghanistan and discover the culture and the history of the country with a more mature view as a freelance journalist. This decision in his part made him see what kind of life he would have possibly been living through all his life if he chose to remain in Afghanistan. This situation made him appreciate the decision that he has made in transferring to America for further high school education. He knew within himself though that the afghan part of his being remained in tact and is still and would always hone the individual that he is inside. It is already a part of who he is and would always be a part of who he becomes later on. He grew up as a Muslim. This is obviously no part of his own decision, but getting absorbed with the culture at an early age could have been one of his particular decisions to have taken responsibility about. Being absorbed much in the Muslim culture has further hardened his process of recognizing his other culture in a much acceptable process. This may have been dealt with earlier in a more decisive way on his part. However, giving him the benefit of the doubt, he was rather young during those years to make certain actions and decision upon himself. At some parts of the book later on, he points out the differences of the Americans and the Islam communities in the east. The differences were quite presented in a biased view that showed more concern of the American culture’s positivity. This may have raised questions but it could not be denied that the author had these views because of the fact that he was able to actually see the differences of the two cultures in different distinctive perspectives of knowledge and involvement. He could have at least made the differences depict the positive effects of the culture to his development as an individual. As an Afghan-American individual, he was further developed into a person who knows the differences of a traditional life with that of a more democratic way of living. He showed how much an Islam could change in a different culture that is presented to him in a more vivid picture. He changed as much as he could and became a democratic individual as he embraced the American culture as a youngster. The presentation may however be one particular flaw of the book to some readers particularly because of the fact that it may have been viewed with some certain bias on the presentation of the views of the author with the situations that he faced as a young Afghan American in fitting in with the western culture. To present the facts with more objectiveness on the subject, it is constantly required among authors to have a balanced presentation of both sides of the facts that they are tying to show the readers. This could have been done consistently in the entire book as to how Ansary presented the first parts of the reading. One more part of the reading that ought to be changed is that of the author’s handling of the changes that he had to face as an Afghan-American during his 16th year of age. He ought to have been able to immediately adapt to the changes needed in his original culture if he has tried to make the changes more delicately related to his original Islam culture. Adjustments were acceptably hard to accept immediately but the changes were likely more effective if he was able to relate how Islam culture could be more related to that of the American lifestyle.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Millennial Generation

————————————————- Using the five paragraph essay format, please present your perspective on the following topic. Provide examples to support your response. Include the proper APA citation(s) in your essay. ————————————————- Topic: Organization, time management, and effective communication are key elements to online learning. Discuss how you can use each of these elements toward your professional career. ————————————————- ————————————————- Today’s young Airman comes from the Millennial Generation and believes they inherently understand three important skill sets; organization, time management and communication. In speaking with them, they all point back to their mastery of today’s technology and social media applications as the reason they believe these skill sets come so naturally to them. Leading, managing and training Airmen in today’s Air Force is not only complicated, it can be quite frustrating for those who did not grow up with the technology currently available. The millennial Airman not only grew up with a full range of technology, but considers it a requirement to daily life. Hartman and McCambridge (2011) citing references (Tyler, 2007) describe millennials as those individuals born between 1980 and 2002, characterized as technologically sophisticated multi-taskers, who are accustomed to working in teams and who rely on their parents for guidance as they struggle to make decisions independently. While technology and resulting social media sites can assist us in organizing, managing and communicating, there is no substitute for experience. ————————————————- The Air Force, like most companies, businesses and groups requires organization skills at every level. While military life is full of structure, leadership within internal groups cannot effectively manage without organizing the force. Of the three skill sets discussed, this is where the millennials seem to excel. They eagerly embrace and utilize available tools to quickly accomplish the mission. When grouped and tasked with a project, they will immediately seek out the best tool to map out the plan and track progress, regardless of whether that tool is a white board or Microsoft Office © applications. ———————————————— Unlike their organizing aptitude, time management skills are clearly lacking in the millennial Airmen. Constantly bombarded with text messages and Facebook © updates on their readily available smart phone, they will halt a task just to check updates and st atuses on any number of applications. Hansen and Hansen (n. d. ) in their quintcareers. com article recognized effective and timely project implementation as one of the skills sought most by today’s employers. Not only is timely project completion important, but so is managing daily tasks. Talk with a millennial and you find they place stock in multi-tasking, but get distracted easily, thus failing to complete projects in a timely manner. ————————————————- Finally, effective communication is by far the most important of the three discussed skill sets and where the millennial Airman requires the most training and education. After researching numerous studies, Hartman and McCambridge (2011) concluded that effective communication is directly linked to an organization’s success. While communication comes in many forms (spoken, written, gestured, etc), the millennial tends to fall short in many, if not all. Just review a short email and you will find misspellings and a complete lack of grammar similar to a phone text. The millennial will argue that text messaging is evolving with its own grammar and syntax. While this may be true, an office’s professional correspondence requires effective grammar in order to move the mission forward. ————————————————- The Air Force’s future relies on the many aptitudes its people possess. While the three discussed here are just a sampling, they represent some important areas leaders and managers must concentrate on remain effective. In the book Taking Charge: Making the Right Choices (Smith, 1993), the author has rank-ordered twenty fundamental skills that every leader must possess and continually improve upon. Communication, time management and organization are numbered two, five and nine respectively (pages 2-5). By building upon these and many other skills, an organization will ensure its success and continued growth. With regard to the discussed skill sets, the millennial Airman brings an impressive array of tools centered around online collaboration. While they do not lack enthusiasm, they do require leadership to fine-tune these skills and make positive changes. ————————————————- ————————————————- References: ————————————————- Hartman J. & McCambridge J. (2011). Optimizing Millennials’ Communication Styles. Business Communication Quarterly, 74, 22-43. ————————————————- —————————— ——————- Tyler, K. (2007, May). The tethered generation. HR Magazine, 41-46. ————————————————- ————————————————- Hansen R. & Hansen K. (n. d. ), What Do Employers Really Want? Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers. Retrieved from http://www. quintcareers. com/job_skills_values. html ————————————————- ————————————————- Perry, S. (1993), Taking Charge: Making the Right Choices. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing Group Inc. ——————————————â €”—- ———————————————— ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————— ———————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————-