Diabetes: The Growing Epidemic

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a growing global health problem that is a disease worth examining in some detail because in many respects it typifies a disease of lifestyle. Diabetes has increased since 10 years ago when it was only 30 million people affected to about 135 million today (Hjelm, et al, 2003, p. 426). By 2025, it is estimated that there will be around 300 million people all over the world who will acquire this disease (as cited in Hjelm, et al World Health Organization 1997).It seems that urbanization and industrialization seem to be the reasons that now face people of every country making them vulnerable to this risk (Hjelm, et al, 2003, p. 237). In fact it is now called a ‘new world syndrome’ because it is the effect of modernization at present (Hjelm, et al, 2003, p. 238). Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body fails to regulate the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Blood sugar levels in most people are 50-150 mg. of glucose per 100 ml of bloo d.If a person’s blood sugar level is persistently high, serious symptoms may develop. Fortunately, nurses are in a good position to employ new research findings to fight and prevent this fatal disease. The increase in Type 2 diabetes demonstrates a disease in transition. The study therefore tries to raise awareness among nurse educators regarding the causes of the disease by reviewing the present literature and discussing implications on the content of nursing curricula especially in Great Britain and Sweden.This is all the more relevant because nurses hold strategic positions to help reduce this problem. References in recent articles were consulted, especially those published between 1985-2001 including critical analysis of contemporary literature. Findings reveal that â€Å"diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia. † (Hjelm, et al, 2003, p. 220). Aside from the other findings that confirm the data already characterizing the di sease, it was known that people with DM have reduced life expectancy (Hjelm et al. 997) and there is a high risk of developing chronic complications such as microangiopathy, neuropathy and macroangiopathy.Social issues about diabetes Diabetes is socially produced, as posited by authors Liburd & Vinicor who state that Type 2 diabetes experienced by racial and ethnic majority groups in the United States needs a refocusing of the public health research and even its interventions. There needs to be further studies on how community health models can reflect the changing status and sociopolitical dynamics of contemporary urban communities (Liburd & Vinicor, 2003).Consequently, the rise in type 2 diabetes comes at the recent discovery of national and international increase in the number of obese people. There is a need to look into the different ways by which the government has intervened in the rise of diabetes among the minority groups. (Bardsley & Want 2004). Type 2 diabetes and obesity has been continuously referred to as the â€Å"diseases of modernization. † This disease has been the first to appear among the people of the Pacific Islanders, the Micronesians, Melanesians and the Polynesian ancestry.While the western medical community continuously conducts studies on diabetes in order to attain a better understanding about it, there is a need to look into the surrounding background on how this ailment came about and how it has now been recognized as fast becoming one of the most common ailments among the people across the globe. Diabetes needs to be addressed in the public health system. Illnesses that are of natural causes â€Å"can be treated by modern medical doctors, herbalists and other doctors of natural illness.While illnesses that are caused by occult forces or their agents can be treated by â€Å"using the power of a conjurer to produce and execute the correct treatment†¦Conjurers are believed to have the ability to summon a supernatural f orce, such as a devil or evil spirit, either to do harm, such as inducing an illness or to expel a disorder† On the other hand, for spiritual illnesses, they are treated through the â€Å"power of a god acting through a religious healer or medium that is required to diminish spiritual illness or induce a return to health in the character of a person believed to be suffering from spiritual illness† (Liburd & Vinicor, 2003).An example are African Americans who are stereotyped as the Black Americans, they are varied â€Å"on almost any dimension one could name† in the sense that many are low income, a growing number are in the middle and upper income categories, and quite a number are categorized as professionals. While there a number in the population who are not schooled, still others are educated in different levels and educational background. Many of them are located in the rural South, but there are increasing in numbers who are located in the urban areas in th e North and West of America.African Americans have a vast array of characteristics thus the western medical community is advised to treat black patients as an individuals. Recent finding reveal that there about 10 million Americans with diabetes. Five million of which do not know that they have this disease. There three kinds of diabetes: (1) Type 1 Diabetes, also called â€Å"juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes†. It is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults. The beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked and destroyed them† This type of diabetes can be treated by taking insulin shots or using an insulin pump, proper choices of food intake, regular exercise, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. (Liburd & Vinicor, 2003). (2) Type 2 Diabetes, is also called adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes. It is the most common form of diabetes that can be developed during early c hildhood.It is begins with â€Å"insulin resistance, a condition in which fat, muscle, and liver cells do not use insulin properly† The pancreas functions to keep up with the added demand by producing more insulin, however in time, â€Å"it loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals† The treatments applied for this type of diabetes are diabetes medicines, choosing the proper food intake, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol (Liburd & Vinicor, 2003). (3) Gestational Diabetes is usually developed among women who develop diabetes during the late stages of pregnancy.It usually goes away after the baby is born. However, a woman can possibly develop type 2 diabetes later in life if preventive measures are not done accordingly. Common symptoms associated with diabetes: Frequent urination, Extreme thirst, Extreme hunger, Dramatic weight loss with increased food intake, Weakness, fatigue, irritability, and drowsiness, Blurred vision or changes in eye sight, Tingling or numbness in the fingers, arms, legs, or feet can also be observed.In sum, cultural systems, values, customs and the environment they say may have contributory effects in the development of ailments such as diabetes in persons. In fact, medical communities make use of these elements as means of understanding the reasons why diabetes and such other ailments are common among certain cultural and ethnical groups like the African Americans. The call for creative yet continuous studies and research is highly demanded among dedicated and committed medical communities today, especially in the development of more effective medical studies.Research works done by considering the role of socioeconomic factors as well as racism, poverty, and race/ethnicity can be helpful and effective tools to widen the scope of research studies. The application of qualitative research methodology is an added tool to place objectivity in the conduct of integrative studies as it also draws a ho listic approach in understanding the context of human behavior as well as human experience of people in their environment.Most often than not these are rich sources of areas of study that make the research work effective and realistic (Bardsley & Want, 2004 p. 107). In sum, the development of Type 2 DM is socially-related. Authorities and experts need to see this and its implications in order to develop measures to educate nurses and other people in the health profession so that more concrete steps can be taken to keep more people healthy as long as possible. The management of self care in diabetic diseases involves an adaptation. Complication can arise due to social, psychological and physical consequences.

Betty Neuman

The theorist I selected is Betty Neuman. The theory’s historical background is extensive and has evolved over the years. According to www. nursingtheories. org it states â€Å"Neumann developed her Systems Model Theory in 1972 with the book entitled The Neuman Systems Model: Application to Nursing Education and Practice which included the Nursing process format & care plans included. In 1989 the book The Neuman Systems Model, 2nd ed. Created environment added to expand concept of environment. Spiritual variable added to diagram as fifth variable. The year 1995 brought about another book entitled The Neuman Systems Model, 3rd ed.Chapters on culture, international use of the Model, applications to administration and construction of conceptual-theoretical-structures for research added. In 2002 The Neuman Systems Model, 4th ed. Co-edited by Drs. Betty Neuman and Jacqueline Fawcett. Guidelines for clinical practice, model-based research, education and administration, plus appropri ate tools highlight this edition. The year 2010 The Neuman Systems Model, 5th ed. Co-edited by Drs. Betty Neuman and Jacqueline Fawcett. Chapters include an expansion of the client system as an individual, family, group and community.Highlights include advances in thinking about the created environment, reconstitution, and critical thinking within the context of the NSM. Middle-range theory development and integrative theorizing conclude the edition† (2013). A Description of key points of the theory are described on the website www. nursingtheories. org â€Å"The Systems model viewed the client as an open system consisting of a basic structure or central core of energy resources which represent concentric circles. Each concentric circle or layer is made up of the five variable areas which are considered and occur simultaneously in each client concentric circles.These are: Physiological – refers of bodily structure and function. Psychological – refers to mental p rocesses, functioning and emotions. Sociocultural – refers to relationships; and social/cultural functions and activities. Spiritual – refers to the influence of spiritual beliefs. Developmental – refers to life’s developmental processes† (2013) There are two major concepts regarded in the model. The first is stress reaction and systematic feedback loops. As it states on the website www. currentnursing. org â€Å"Client reacts to stress with lines of defense and esistance.Continuous feedback loops fine-tune the lines of defense and resistance so as to achieve maximal level of stability. The client is in continuous and dynamic interaction with the environment. The exchanges between the environment and the client are reciprocal (each one is influenced by the other). The goal is to achieve optimal system stability and balance. Prevention is the main nursing intervention to achieve this balance. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities ar e used to attain, retain, and maintain system balance† (2013).

Main Divisions Between Mainstream and Critical Social Psychology

One of the main divisions between mainstream and critical social psychology is that of the methods adopted. Discuss with reference to the cognitive social and at least one other social psychological perspective. Social psychology has existed for about 100 years, before which psychology was a branch of philosophy. Social psychology studies individuals in their social contexts. It is a diverse discipline made up of many theoretical perspectives and variety of different methods are used in social psychological research. This assignment explores the main principles of different methods in social psychology. It will look at the underlying theories or perspectives that organise contemporary social and discursive psychological research and knowledge and critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives and methods. Cognitive social psychology studies the information processing individual in a social context to analyse individual cognitions in controlled social conditions. It is a quantative approach. It dominates psychological social psychology and emerged from the critique of behaviourism in the mid twentieth century. Researchers use an experimental approach involving controlled experimental conditions to produce quantitative data that can be measured and analysed to produce statistically valid conclusions. Discursive psychology focuses on the external world of discourse, its meaning and effects and studies the socially constructed, situated and contingent identity. It is a qualitative approach. It emerged in the 1970s with the linguistic turn, and was influenced by sociological social psychology. Researchers use discourse analysis to produce qualitative data by conversational and textual analysis. Phenomenological psychology focuses on the detailed description of social experience derived through the senses. It is a qualitative approach using the rich description of experience. It studies the internal world of the psyche in relational settings and its effect on action using first-person written account of experience, interview and literary text. It originated in the philosophy of Husserl in the late nineteenth/ early twentieth century. Social psychoanalytical psychology or psychosocial studies the internal world of the psyche in relational settings and its effects on actions. It is a qualitative approach. It looks at the conflicted psyche in dynamic relation with the external world. Using case study and free association narrative, interviews and observation qualitative data is evaluated through interpretation of what is unsaid as well as said. Its original development was in the clinic and it became an area of academic study in the late twentieth century. There are four overarching themes that can be used to interrogate a set of value issues that permeate social psychology. These are known as interrogative themes and they are outlined below. Power relations are central to the way that all knowledge is produced and interpreted. Power permeates everything we do and all our relationships . Power is neither good nor bad but it is what is done with it that determines this. Power is relational and the balance changes in different contexts. It is contextual and situated rather than absolute. Questions of power were first raised in relation to the deception of participants in the name of science. For example in Stanley Milgram’s (1965) experiment where participants were required to give increasing levels of electric shock to Milgram’s colleagues who posed as recipients of the electric shocks. The focus was on power relations between the scientist and participants, many of whom performed, as they believed, harmful and sadistic acts on the instructions of the scientist. Ethical guidelines in social psychology have been hugely influenced by this. The question of who has the power to interpret people’s experiences applies to all social psychological research. We need to be careful how we base interpretations on evidence, and we must interrogate how that evidence and those meanings came to be produced: within what assumptions and power relations. Power relations raise the issue of the relationship between the researcher and the participants. Another interrogative theme is situated knowledges. Knowledge always comes from a belief or view point Knowledge is always situated somewhere and sometime – it changes with time and is situated in terms of values, cultures, belief systems and history. It changes with social change. Knowledge production needs to be situated at the level of every piece of research. Methods are highly influential in the knowledges that are produced. Another interrogative theme is individual-society dualism. The most enduring theme in social psychology is whether individual or society is privileged in the explanation of social psychological phenomena and derives from the wider dualism of explanations that have characterised western thought since the Enlightenment. Individual-society dualism often manifested in a reduction of explanation to either biological (often genetic) or social causes. Sometimes ‘both/and’ explanations also suffer form this dualism because they behave as if there is no other level of explanation, only an ‘interaction’ between biological and social factors. Genuinely social psychological explanations get squeezed out. Agency-structure dualism is the twin problem of individual-social dualism. The binary terms ‘agency’ and ‘structure’ mirror the terms ‘individual’ and ‘society’ in the following way: if individuals are seen as relatively independent of social influence, they can be theorised as agents of their own destinies. On the other hand, if social structures are overwhelmingly influential in individual action, people’s choices and desires would be irrelevant. Traditional social theory placed such emphasis on the power of social structures in governing peoples actions that this led to self determinism. A challenge for social psychology is to be able to understand the dynamic tension between desires and actions that are relatively free and ones that are heavily constrained by circumstances, rather than fall into assumptions on either side of the agency-structure binary. This interrogative theme will help us remain aware of dangers which, like individual-society dualism, have strong political and ethical implications. All of these interrogative themes are useful in evaluating social psychological research and theories. There are differences and similarities between the four perspectives on social psychology that have been defined in this essay. They all have reflexivity because the researchers are prepared to put themselves in the picture of knowledge production. They are all explicit about the way their approach is appropriate to the object of analysis. A difference between the qualitative and quantitative approach is whether the object of analysis is hidden from view. This is highlighted as an advantage of the cognitive social psychology experimental method and is also central to the free association narrative interview method which draws from the psychoanalytic concept of unconscious dynamics. Phenomenological psychology, whose object of analysis is conscious experience, aims to elaborate qualities previously hidden form view through rich description. In contrast, discourse analysis is not interested in underlying significance but in words. Whereas discourse analysis is interested in emotion terms, social psychoanalysis looks for emotions themselves , while the object of phenomenological analysis is the emotions that people are aware of and can therefore describe. Social psychoanalysis and the experimental method look for causes of actions, but discourse analysis rejects this, and phenomenology focuses on experience rather than its causes or motives. Control of the research setting is the issue that most clearly differentiates quantitative and qualitative approaches. Experimental psychology ‘models’ social processes in order to control them. The other three approaches seek ecological validity by researching in social settings. Within the qualitative approaches there are differences in emphasis. Discourse analysts prefer to collect discourse as it can be found, although they also conduct interviews. The social psychoanalytical and phenomenological approaches rely in eliciting experience, often grounded in a narrative of actual events. Narrative is becoming an overarching theme in qualitative social psychology, partly because of the critique of unstructured interview techniques on the grounds that they dictate the terms in which participants can give their accounts. When interviews are relatively unstructured, participants have a tendency to give accounts in narrative form. It is useful to compare the different methodological approaches in relation to their analysis of The Guardian’s story published on 24 May 2004 about an Iraqi family, a mother an her children. The woman’s husband ( the children’s father) had died in detention during the American/British invasion and the newspaper quoted the woman’s response – ‘I will always hate you people’. The Cognitive Social Psychology Experimental approach outlined by Russell Spears states that experimental evidence is the lifeblood of psychology and experiments provide the control to assess causal relations and patterns among variables that may not be apparent to the naked eye. Whist acknowledging that we cannot reproduce in the lab the conditions that foster this kind of hatred, we can model some of the proposed processes and test implications of theories. The psychoanalytical perspective referred to by Wendy Hollway is a clinical rather than a research method. Free association interviewing is used to reach beyond the structured interviewing that dominates qualitative research and risks constraining interviewees with assumptions provided by questions. Derek Edwards discussion of discursive social psychology proposes looking at the report and how the words and, descriptions and accounts are assembled and put to work. He focuses on the reports themselves , how they provide for causal explanations, invoke psychological states and build implications for politics and policy. This approach examines how people deploy commonsense psychological ideas. Darren Langridge explores phenomenological social psychology as a descriptive enterprise. Data is collected though first person written accounts or interviews. The rush towards explanation is avoided. The aim is to identify structural qualities that are invariant across the experience, as well as those that are more idiosyncratic, focusing on the reasons but not the causes behind the phenomena in the hope of providing new insights that may enable us to effect change. In conclusion, there are similarities and differences between the methodologies used to explore the four perspectives in social psychology that have been discussed. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses, and all can contribute to the continuing development of theories and approaches within social psychology. References Milgram, S ( 1974) Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View, London, Tavistock. Spears , R. , Hollway, W. and Edwards, D. (2005) ‘Three views on hate’, The Psychologist, vol 18, no 9, September, pp. 844-7. Social Psychology Matters Book 1, Chapter 2 by Wendy Hollway, Book 2, Chapter 1 (Introductions) – Open University Press. DVD 1 Social Psychology : Critical Perspectives on Self and Others.

Bridge building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bridge building - Essay Example However, some simple bridges are set on the ground without first installation of the supporting systems it is of importance to note that when this is done underground preparation has to be done. Every edge of the bridge is always tested to make sure that there is stability. Shoring and underpinning techniques are important to ensure that we come up with a stable bridge. For more stability, excavation of the soil as well as the backfilling of the soil is important however, it is not necessary. Piers are always laced vertically on the edges of the bridge to make sure that the bridge gets the correct support. To make these piers, we can use a range of materials ranging from masonry, steel, or concrete and to ensure that the base is stable, we have to embed it with concrete. Building the bridge When building a beam bridge, the bridge span is always made at a different place and then transported to the area where the bridge is to be made. The bridge is made by bringing together two concre te or steel girders that get support from some decking materials. To add weight, the bridges are made with grudges, which comprise solid beams and built with trusses that are webbed to provide support. A crane is then used to lift the bridge to the supports then it is welded to ensure that the bridge is firm. ... In a well made beam bridge, the forces do not exist. The main risk that may be found here is the accidental collapse of the bridge in case the bridge is not correctly placed on the supports, this leads to the bridge collapsing on the ground due to lack of support. To prevent this, ground engineers are useful in ensuring that the bridge is correctly placed on the supports. There are a number of considerations that have to be put in place to ensure that the construction is economically feasible as well as being environmentally friendly. First the bridge has to be made of materials that are not soluble in water since some of these bridges are placed above water channels and if the materials are water soluble then it will pollute the water below. We also have to weigh the costs of the materials to ensure that we use the cheapest materials that are available in the market. And all in all the workers have to know the right proportions of the materials that they are using so that there is n o wastage that occurs in the making of the bridges. Bolting The best bolting technique for this particular bridge is the shear connection method. In this type of bolting, a central plate is made to align with the central beam so that a hole is drilled inside it for the bolt to b able to get into it. To attach the shear connection, we use standard bolts shear bolts. Arch bridges Construction Construction of the arch bridge starts with the designing of the bridge. When designing, you have to have the arch and the roadway in the mind. Most of the known arches are found under the road, however it is important to know that some arches exists such that roads pass through them. All these have to be kept in mind during the design method. After the design, we have to prepare and

Weekly assignment 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Weekly assignment 7 - Essay Example In his time he participated in several non- violent protests for combating racial inequality. In this letter he tries to defend his perception about the ‘just’ and ‘unjust’ laws and his non-violent protests. In his letter he quotes different leaders and even Jesus Christ in order to make his views and argument strong and sound. Luther’s this quotation has a deep meaning to it. It says that any non- violent movement needs a systematic approach in order to cure the disease that one fights for. His first step ‘collection of the facts’ suggests his approach to deal things. In order to make one’s protest and non – violent fight sound and reasonable one has to collect the facts about the existence of injustice and the limits of it. This approach also defines the approach of a well learned man that is fighting for a cause, a cause that is carried out by non- violent intentions. After detecting that injustice does exist, the second step ‘negotiation’ suggests that one has to arrive at an agreement after having a clear understanding of things and opposed party. This step helps one to conclude that what is the basic need that one is striving for and what is the basic motif with which one wants to move forward. Thirdly ‘self – purification’seems to be the most vital step that suggests that one has to do internal personal sacrifices that are needed for the sake of growth and development. It says that self – purification is one way through which human can achieve the target need. Lastly ‘direct action’ is the last step that he suggests. In this step he does not mean ‘brutal acts’ or ‘bloodshed’ activities but ‘non – violent’ intentions and activities because according to him non – violent acts carry a deeper meaning and message for the target audience. Luther also defends his last step ‘direct action’ by saying: non- violent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster

Aritzia Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aritzia - Statistics Project Example Spring and autumn prove to a host the country’s best weather. However, the geography of England means that the weather can change in short distances (Woodlands, 2014). The surrounding sea gives England a varied climate but generally there are warm summers but they are cooler than those on the continent. The winters are also milder and do not go below 0 degree centigrade frequently. The summer temperature is around 32 degrees and is often damp and subject to frequent changes. The warmest month in England is July and around the coastal area, February is normally the coldest month (Woodlands, 2014). These conditions can greatly affect the product range which should be present at Aritzia. This means that the range of jackets and sweaters must not be too heavy duty. Really warm fur or fleece lined jackets and sweaters would not be suitable for the generally mild winters. Warm woolen ranges should suffice for the winters in the United Kingdom. Their category of blouses, dresses, jeans, t-shirts and jumpsuits etc. should be extensive and not made of cloth that is too warm. Seeing the damp and summery conditions, their clothing line should include clothes made of material that breathes and is suitable for the mild hot and damn summers. To make full use of the brand equity of Aritzia and to successfully compete with the competition, it will be necessary to set up a local subsidiary in the United Kingdom. Aritzia is a Canadian women’s fashion boutique that was started in Vancouver in 1984. It has stores in North America including Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago and New York (Aritzia, 2014). It is a brand endorsed by many celebrities including Megan Fox, Emma Stone and Eva Mendes (Fashion Base, 2014). Hence in order to make full use of this brand equity, it is necessary to have full brand presence in the country and not rely on joint ventures of sales agents which might

Habitual Offender Laws in Alabama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Habitual Offender Laws in Alabama - Essay Example While Erwin Chemerinsky tries to prove that the three strikes law does not always work and the absurdity of applying it to the Leandro Andrade and other nonviolent offences, Helland and Tabarrok have estimated that it effectively deters as well as incapacitates both soft core and hard core offenders, by reducing crime between 17-20 percent. It is costly since the average offender under three strikes law spends at least 20 years in prison. Even so, it helps prevent at least 31,000 crimes a year by keeping criminals off the streets for longer terms. Introduction The three strikes law is a law that allows State Courts to impose a life sentence with possibility of parole for people who have been convicted of three or more crimes of violent or serious nature. It was popular in the 1990s but has been criticized of late - it does not allow for judges to look at the circumstances of the case and let the punishment fit the crime. Discussion It seems that three strikes law is another form of m andatory sentencing, and those guidelines were thrown out of the window by the Supreme Court in 2005 (MSNBC News Website, 2005). Writing against the habitual offenders law in California, Harvard graduate and Constitutional Law expert Erwin Chemerinsky’s article entitled ‘Is California’s Three Strikes Mandatory Sentencing Law Cruel and Unusual Punishment?’ argues against the Three Strikes Law in the light of three or four cases. Leandro Andrade was sentenced to 50 years or two consecutive terms of 25 years each because of stealing kids’ videotapes on two separate occasions- the total value of which was $153. Because he had two prior convictions, the judge decided to slap a felony on him- instead of a misdemeanor that carried a much lesser sentence. The main impetus for change has come from FAMM or Families Against Mandatory Sentencing, which states that these laws are unrelenting and pass sentence just on the basis of the weight and type of drug an o ffender possesses (FAMM, 2012) The Law has clearly established that grossly disproportionate punishments are cruel and unusual and violate the Eighth Amendment. In Atkins v. Virginia (2002) the Court had ruled that the Eighth Amendment succinctly prohibits excessive sanctions. What is to be looked at is (1) the gravity of the offence and the harshness of the penalty; (2) sentences imposed on other criminals in the same area and (3) sentences imposed on criminals for the same crime committed in other areas. In Coker v. Georgia (1977) it was ruled that the sentence of death prescribed for rape was grossly disproportionate and excessive in terms of the Eighth Amendment. Similarly in Solem it was argued that to convict a man to life imprisonment for passing a bad check for $100 and six prior lighter and nonviolent offences was unconstitutional and excessive. Both the Helm and Andrade cases were non-violent offences and involved amounts less than $400, which separates grand theft from pe tty theft. By looking at prior records, the three strikes law is punishing a criminal for prior offences for which he has already served time. It could be upheld if reasonable men supported the decision, but no reasonable man will. Writing in support of the three strikes law in Does Three Strikes Deter? Eric Helland and Alex Tabarrok (2007) state that this law was enacted in California in March 1994.

Research Design Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Research Design Challenges - Essay Example It is due to the fact that, according to Slavin (1985), "most of the time, students work independently, and they are continually in competition with one another for grades, praise, and recognition" (Slavin, 1985, p. 5). And as each one of us may agree, for an intellectually-endowed student, it would be difficult to be paired with a low-performing classmate, considering the fact that it would not cause the former to gain intellectual benefits from the latter. In a similar way, the low-performing student would find it intimidating to be paired with a highly-competitive classmate, where the former is perceived to be having a hard time in coping with the latter's exemplary abilities. These challenges only typify the proposition that the classroom environment and the schools in general are least characterized by cooperative activities (Slavin, 1985). In regard to the aforementioned facts, conscientious implementation of the research design is hereby warranted in order to meet those challe nges. Furthermore, adequate orientation and information dissemination pertaining to the purpose of cooperative learning- to help each other achieve the goals (Kennesaw State University., 2009) - will surely enhance the confidence of both classifications of students (the achievers and the low-performing ones), thereby promoting cohesiveness. The target audience for this study would encompass the students and individuals who are most likely in

Designing a Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Designing a Study - Assignment Example To test the hypothesis, the Wilcoxon signed rank tests would be the fitting test. This test examines whether the data available supports the assertion that a prolonged daily exercise length implies a faster rate of weight loss. The test has been used previously in similarly befitting roles. (Han et al. 2011) notes: We used two-sided Wilcoxon rank sum tests for differences in location for these variables as well as for age and years of education. To carry out the test, the researcher needs to calculate the differences in recorded weights before and after the study period. All weight losses will be noted with a plus sign and all gains by a minus sign. Because the positive results (those with plus signs) are the center of our study, we assign them the title k-observed, denoted as kobs. Then using the value of the smallest integer kÃŽ ± we shall calculate the rejection region for kobs. We then observe whether our kobs is contained in R, that is without the boundaries of the rejection region. If kobsЄR, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Let us put our R at 4, just for illustration. If kobs=3, then we fail to reject the H0 owing to the earlier explanation that kobsЄR. Han, X., Rozen, S., Boyle, S. H., Hellegers, C., Cheng, H., Burke, J. R†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦, Kaddurah-Daouk, R. (2011). Metabolomics in Early Alzheimer’s Disease: Identification of Altered Plasma Sphingolipidome Using Shotgun Lipidomics. Lipidomics in Alzheimer’s Disease. Vol 6. Issue 7. p. 7. Nishiumi, S., Kobayashi, T., Ikenda, A., Yoshie, T., Kibi, M., Izumi, Y.,†¦..Yoshida, M. (2012). A Novel Serum Metabolomics-Based Diagnostic Approach for Colorectal Cancer. Metabolomics for Colorectal Cancer. Vol. 7, issue 7. p. 4. Plichta, S. B., Kelvin, E. Munros Statistical Methods for Health Care Research. Statistical Methods for Health

Welfare Drug Testing Essay Example for Free

Welfare Drug Testing Essay Welfare was originally designed to help out poor families in need. Throughout the years, there have been issues with people taking advantage of the system. The government has made efforts to try to help welfare recipients to get a job instead of seeing welfare as a lifestyle. The next step government should take is to drug test welfare recipients. If a person has enough money to get his or her drugs; he or she should have enough money to support their family. It is unfair for us tax payers to support other people’s family and addiction. It is clear that drug testing welfare recipients would benefit not only the system, but also recipients themselves, and tax payers. One of the first benefits the system would get by drug testing welfare recipients is decrease the number of people who take advantage of it. I personally know people who get all the government help they can without having a real need. I had a coworker whose husband would sell their food stamps in order to get his marijuana and other drugs. My coworker had 5 kids and would get about $800 worth of food stamps, plus WIC, plus section 8, and plus cash aid. She made sure she only worked enough hours not to go over the low-income limit requirements. Of course hours where available for her, but why would she get tired and work more when she can get more money by not doing much? And just like her, there are many people who do this. I think if a person is healthy he or she should have no problems getting a job. Talking about jobs, don’t we all must take a drug test in order to get hired? Why should getting welfare be different? Unconstitutional? Unconstitutional is using taxpayers’ monies to support other individual’s addictions. Individuals, who oppose drug testing welfare recipients, are either recipients who are afraid to be deny due to drug use, or confused tax payers. Confused tax payers might think that by drug testing all welfare recipients the government would have to invest more of our tax money on this programs. What tax payers should know that in the long run, this is very beneficial and needed for us. Recipients who are abusing drugs would think twice before applying for welfare. The number of recipients abusing the system will dramatically decrease. It could even be beneficial for the recipient who abuses drug, since if he or she really has the need they would seek help to stay clean. Usually when an addict recovers, he or she sees life as new beginning and his or her enthusiastic will more likely encourage being someone in life. According to US Department of Health and Human Services, U. S. Department of Commerce, and CATO Institute: â€Å"The government spends on welfare annually (not including food stamps or unemployment) $131. 9 billion dollars. There is 40 states where welfare pays more than an $8. 00 per hour job and even 7 states where pays more than $12 per hour. Hawaii’s welfare hourly rate is equivalent to $17. 50 per hour and our neighbor state California $11. 59 per hour. † I personally think is not fair at all that hard working individuals like me, have to struggle to pay bills, rent, groceries, health care etc. o support our family; when others are living so comfortable and buying drugs with our taxes. Research shows that 20 percent of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) recipients admitted to using an illicit drug sometime in the last year. In addition, substance use is associated with increased duration (and cycling) of TANF receipt. With approximately $33 billion spent on TANF payments each year, it is alarming if over $6 billion is supporting drug users (Substance Abuse Policy Research Program, 2007). In conclusion, if the working class has to be drug tested to make their money, those receiving assistance should be drug tested to receive their check. The government would get numerous benefits if they start drug testing welfare recipients. Clearly, drug testing welfare recipients would benefit not only the system, but also recipients themselves, and tax payers. As of April 17, 2013, at least 29 states have proposed legislation requiring some form of drug testing or screening for public assistance recipients in 2013 (National Conference and State Legislatures, 2013).

Devised Work Challenging Established Ideas Of Drama Film Studies Essay

Devised Work Challenging Established Ideas Of Drama Film Studies Essay Foremost, it is important to establish what is meant by the devising process. The devising process is an approach; an approach undertaken by a whole Company, in creating a performance of some kind. It focuses on the long process of exploration allowing the performers to free their imagination and bodies(Complicite, 1). Each branch of the process develops from play and improvisation, instigated by games and exercises. The more traditional and established ideas of conventional drama, focuses upon the often patriarchal, hierarchal relationship between playwright and director (Oddey 1996, 4). The practises of conventional drama therefore rely upon the interpretation of the playwrights text, and the handling of the text by the director and actors, and how this then becomes realised on stage, through a production process in a theatre building (Oddey 1996, 4). Historically, Post War British theatre has rooted its practises with the play text and playwright. Thus the emphasis has always been upon the relationship between the writing and the performance. However, as an alternative the devising process offers a collective creation of theatre, rather than the importance being solely upon the writer. As Oddey states Devised work or the process is more of a response and a reaction to the playwright-director relationship(Oddey 1996, 4). Yet it is still met with a sub-genre perception in terms of theatre form, with the only reason being, it has not been constructed in the establishedway of making theatre from playwright, via director and actors, to performance(Oddey 1996, 4). Surely the devising process should be accepted as an approach nonetheless than traditional approaches in theatre. For even though it takes the opposite view, inevitably challenging established ideas, its purpose is not in replacing traditional forms but instead creating a new path where artistic endeavour can be expressed. The devising approach allows different forms and mediums to come together, rather than the focus being on traditional text-based performances or the exploration of naturalism. It reveals an inclination almost always towards the physical, surreal, and the abstract and is often instigated by a conceptual genesis that potentially eventuates in to its own language of non-verbal forms (Oddey 1996, 5). This was definitely found true during the semester, in which our focus was on devising our summative performances. Initially, after receiving our stimulus, of Hansel Gretel, we were encouraged immediately to start working on our feet. We participated in games and exercises that seemed to be far from the outcome of any performance. However, the utilising of this process enabled us to experiment from scratch and help initialise our final ideas. For example, the use of balloons and toys incorporated into the games we played helped establish the foundations for our final piece. Abstract notions certainly grew out of these games, where we tended to explore the space using our physicality rather than prompts from a premeditated script. Physical expression seemed to grow out and become the dominant form, whilst experiencing the devising process. However, there were still concerns about the approach and whether, in comparison to the traditional forms of drama, the outcome of our piece would be just as relatable and comprehendible to our audience. Thus it carried the unknown risk of whether we would be able to actualise our ideas into a tangible creation. All dramatic form encompasses a certain amount of risk. However, it is appropriate to comment that through the experience of this module, Devising encounters the highest factor. This probably stems from creating something initially from scratch that revolves potentially around the physicality of the body, more so than the written word. Furthermore, as Joan Schirle states There is no guarantee that the best ideas will emergeor that the simultaneous contributions of numbers of people can unite in a work of power and vision(Schirle 2005, 91). During our summative projects, we had to combat this barrier in particular, as effectively as possible. Everyone wanted to see their own vision realised and sometimes this meant it was difficult to maintain a calm composure and not bombard or pressure others into taking on your idea. On the other hand, we found holding back was just as detrimental. We discovered that it was important to determine the balance of vision, enthusiasm and acceptance and respect for others and structure our rehearsal processes by this policy, so that we could utilise our development time successfully. Another factor that suggests the Devising process carries more risk than other art forms is the developmental time allotted. Of course with any approach, traditional or alternative, there is a finite amount of time to explore and create. Still the traditional approach uses the script, which potentially dictates every aspect of the production, therefore assumingly making work the more easier; for example, the characters, the set, the length of the piece have already been decided, to name a few. However, the devising process can be infinite to an extent and therefore challenges the established approaches as aforementioned. For it is not bound by a play-text, but instead, is a process of un-layering and exploring a world of tangents. Yet with this supposedly new found freedom of breaking away from the traditional rules that are laid down within script work, there was still a reluctance to compromise personal artistic ideals(Schirle 2005, 91). I experienced this certainly within our group, where there was an overwhelming concern of what others might think. I found this frustrating as it wasnt related to the task at hand, of which was to create a comprehendible piece of drama. It was more about the testing of barriers, and how others would react to new drama. Surely drama, conventional or alternative, aims to provoke, disturb, question or consolidate thought, for its audience, for society. This timorousness towards the devising process, probably instigated by entrenched traditional approaches, seemed to echo the words of Raymond Chandler There is no art without resistance from the medium(Schirle 2005, 91). Devising is an approach that challenges traditional forms of drama through its ability to constantly redefine performance. It entices us as artists to formulate new techniques to communicate our reflection to society. Upon reflection of the process of our Devised work it was interesting to experience a new way in working with drama. We saw our initial idea of Hansel and Gretel encounter many tangents along the way. There was a constant battle of vision after vision, which led us down far away paths. However, working through this maze it was always important to come back and realise the aims and the outcome that we collaboratively wanted to create. Within the process of devising, the many tangents and themes that can potentially be discovered, was at times overpowering. Trying to incorporate too many ideas, in such little time, was almost an impossible feat. In comparison to established practises of drama, this approach was much more challenging. For example, a script in some respects has done the legwork for you. It has been carefully constructed and planned with a vast amount of time in perfecting it. Within the devising process there is no initial structure of which to fall back on, therefore making the struggle for ideas to be realised on stage or in performance that much harder. Nonetheless it does provide the opportunity, in contrast to established approaches, to be boundless in creativity. Furthermore, within the devising process, the initial genesis of a piece can be changed and its original intention significantly altered. Throughout our summative piece we encountered such a happening. It came to be justified in changing the intention of our piece to reflect a specific theme, food. Initially, we wanted to recreate the Hansel and Gretel story, with the incorporation of different forms of theatre, and the exploration of many themes. However, due to time constraints, it became clear that the focus on one particular theme would be more appropriate. It was through discovery in games and exercises that we came back to the relatable theme of food. Throughout the rehearsal process, we tried to re-create this, and eventually came back to our fairytale, interweaving its plot line through our performance. It was then realised that the problematic relationship of writing to devising cannot be ignored(Heddon 2006, 110). In comparison to traditional approaches to drama this conund rum is practically non-existent (Heddon 2006, 11) and therefore the decision to incorporate a director figure head, of which we would all take turns at, was undertaken. This benefited our piece positively as we were able to gain an objective insight in to the work we were creating. In hindsight we perhaps needed more of a figure head to aid the process in devising our final piece. We discovered how easy it was to lose track of our vision and it was always beneficial to have someone listening in to make sure we didnt lose focus or stray too far away from our vision. In terms of my personal development I feel the devising approach as a process, has enlightened me to the endless possibilities of interaction between different forms and mediums of drama; that necessarily wouldnt take place using a Shakespearian text for example. We did decide to explore different forms of drama, and considered naturalism and realism as one of the routes to explore in our piece. However, due to the physically expressive nature of our piece, it did not fit well, suggesting that introducing more traditional forms of theatre wasnt going to work in this type of performance. The practitioners that our group were mostly influenced by were the theatre companies whose expressivity lay in physical theatre. For example, Frantic Assembly, and Shockheaded Peter were a great inspiration to our group. We specifically looked at Frantic Assemblys production of Stockholm, an interesting collaboration that interweaved amazing physical scenes around food. It was through this inspiration that we came to create unison movements that would achieve the effect of being both shocking and mesmerising to our audience. Shockheaded Peter was influential in inspiring our costume and makeup designs. Their fun and fabulous use of masks and elaborate makeup, juxtaposed with sometimes normal outfits, engaged our group in creating a similar contrast. We particularly wanted to overindulge the face, seeing as it is such a prolific body part relating to food, and create it as the centre of focus for the audience. There were times during the process where we experienced low momentum, simultaneously stumbling across a devisors block. At times this was bitterly frustrating, as we were all significantly aware of time constraints placed upon this process. In restoring our motivation, we went back to our roots, to become invigorated. This encompassed researching and reflecting on music, art or drama that we felt was inspiring to us. It worked very well, as more often than not a quick emergence into such creativity produced a flash of thought that provided a way out of the darkness. In conclusion, it is clear that the devising process has initiated a change in my concept of the text, expanding it to various forms of media, of which can all equally be as successful as a written piece. Furthermore, I have fortunately been able to gain a new skill set, enabling me to develop another way in approaching material. The process has been both a flexible and fun approach that has helped to initiate the breakdown of barriers between colleagues and the material presented to us at the very beginning. The journey has been one of discovery and opportunity, opening a new spectrum to the world of creative expression.

Enzyme Activity As A Function Of Substrate Concentration Biology Essay

Enzyme Activity As A Function Of Substrate Concentration Biology Essay The effect of concentration on enzyme activity. It can be noted that both enzyme solution used had different results. Enzyme activity was greater when using the chicken liver rather than the cow liver. Generally the enzyme activity increases as the drops of the enzyme (concentration) increases. There was a significant increase when six drops of enzyme solution (chicken liver) was added. The height of the bubble rose to 4 cm. there was a steady increase between when 9-12 drops solution was added. A sharp increase occurred when 15 drops of enzyme solution was added. The height was recorded as 7.5 cm. There was no significant increase onwards When enzyme solution (cows liver) was added there was no significant increase in the first set of drops. The height was recorded to be 3.5 cm when 3 drops of enzyme solution was added. There was an increase from 3.5 to 4cm when 6 drops of solution was added. There were no further significant increases un adding the enzyme solution. Graph 2 shows the effect of temperature on enzyme activity. For this experiment an enzyme solution of cow liver was used. There was an increase in bubble height when the solution was placed at 25 C. There was a further increase in the height when the solution was placed at 50 C. The height was recorded as 4.2 cm. However at 70 C, there was no change. There was no evidence of bubbles suggesting that the enzyme had been denatured. EXPLANATION Generally enzyme activity increases with increasing temperature. However in this experiment there was an increase then a sudden drop in enzymatic activity. Enzymes require certain conditions to be effective in their functioning. Some require certain temperatures to function. A reason behind the denaturing of the enzyme at 70 C is that the temperature was too high for the enzyme to function and it denatured due to this. Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity Knowledge of basic enzyme kinetic theory is important in enzyme analysis in order both to understand the basic enzymatic mechanism and to select a method for enzyme analysis. The conditions selected to measure the activity of an enzyme would not be the same as those selected to measure the concentration of its substrate. Several factors affect the rate at which enzymatic reactions proceed temperature, pH, enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, and the presence of any inhibitors or activators. Temperature Effects http://www.worthington-biochem.com/IntroBiochem/images/ie21.gif Like most chemical reactions, the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction increases as the temperature is raised. A ten degree Centigrade rise in temperature will increase the activity of most enzymes by 50 to 100%. Variations in reaction temperature as small as 1 or 2 degrees may introduce changes of 10 to 20% in the results. In the case of enzymatic reactions, this is complicated by the fact that many enzymes are adversely affected by high temperatures. As shown in Figure 13, the reaction rate increases with temperature to a maximum level, then abruptly declines with further increase of temperature. Because most animal enzymes rapidly become denatured at temperatures above 40Â °C, most enzyme determinations are carried out somewhat below that temperature. Over a period of time, enzymes will be deactivated at even moderate temperatures. Storage of enzymes at 5Â °C or below is generally the most suitable. Some enzymes lose their activity when frozen. Effects of pH Enzymes are affected by changes in pH. The most favorable pH value the point where the enzyme is most active is known as the optimum pH. This is graphically illustrated in Figure 14. http://www.worthington-biochem.com/IntroBiochem/images/ie22.gif Extremely high or low pH values generally result in complete loss of activity for most enzymes. pH is also a factor in the stability of enzymes. As with activity, for each enzyme there is also a region of pH optimal stability. The optimum pH value will vary greatly from one enzyme to another Enzyme Concentration In order to study the effect of increasing the enzyme concentration upon the reaction rate, the substrate must be present in an excess amount; i.e., the reaction must be independent of the substrate concentration. Any change in the amount of product formed over a specified period of time will be dependent upon the level of enzyme present. Graphically this can be represented as: http://www.worthington-biochem.com/IntroBiochem/images/ie09.gif These reactions are said to be zero order because the rates are independent of substrate concentration, and are equal to some constant k. The formation of product proceeds at a rate which is linear with time. The addition of more substrate does not serve to increase the rate. In zero order kinetics, allowing the assay to run for double time results in double the amount of product. The amount of enzyme present in a reaction is measured by the activity it catalyzes. The relationship between activity and concentration is affected by many factors such as temperature, pH, etc. An enzyme assay must be designed so that the observed activity is proportional to the amount of enzyme present in order that the enzyme concentration is the only limiting factor. It is satisfied only when the reaction is zero order. Enzyme activity is generally greatest when substrate concentration is unlimiting. Effects of Inhibitors on Enzyme Activity Enzyme inhibitors are substances which alter the catalytic action of the enzyme and consequently slow down, or in some cases, stop catalysis. There are three common types of enzyme inhibition competitive, non-competitive and substrate inhibition. Most theories concerning inhibition mechanisms are based on the existence of the enzyme-substrate complex ES. Competitive inhibition occurs when the substrate and a substance resembling the substrate are both added to the enzyme. A theory called the lock-key theory of enzyme catalysts can be used to explain why inhibition occurs. The lock and key theory utilizes the concept of an active site. The concept holds that one particular portion of the enzyme surface has a strong affinity for the substrate. The substrate is held in such a way that its conversion to the reaction products is more favorable. If we consider the enzyme as the lock and the substrate the key the key is inserted in the lock, is turned, and the door is opened and the reaction proceeds. However, when an inhibitor which resembles the substrate is present, it will compete with the substrate for the position in the enzyme lock. When the inhibitor wins, it gains the lock position but is unable to open the lock. Hence, the observed reaction is slowed down because some of the available enzyme sites are occupied by the inhibitor. If a dissimilar substance which does not fit the site is present, the enzyme rejects it, accepts the substrate, and the reaction proceeds normally. ACTIVE SITE This is the part of an enzyme or antibody where the chemical reaction occurs SUBSTRATE In biochemistry, a substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions involving the substrate(s). In the case of a single substrate, the substrate binds with the enzyme active site, and an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The substrate is transformed into one or more products, which are then released from the active site ENZYME SUBSTRATE COMPLEX This is when the substrate binds reversibly to the enzyme forming a complex ANABOLISM Anabolism, or biosynthesis, is the process by which living organisms synthesize complex molecules of life from simpler ones. Anabolism, together with catabolism, are the two series of chemical processes in cells that are, together, called metabolism. Anabolic reactions are divergent processes. That is, relatively few types of raw materials are used to synthesize a wide variety of end products. This results in an increase in cellular size or complexity-or both. Anabolic processes produce peptides, proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids. These molecules comprise all the materials of living cells, such as membranes and chromosomes, as well as the specialized products of specific types of cells, such as enzymes, antibodies, hormones, and neurotransmitters. CATBOLISM Catabolism, the opposite of anabolism, produces smaller molecules used by the cell to synthesize larger molecules, as will be described below. Thus, in contrast to the divergent reactions of anabolism, catabolism is a convergent process, in which many different types of molecules are broken down into relatively few types of end products. ..

Playing Basketball Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

Playing Basketball Being part of the basketball clique in high school helped me learn the intrapersonal and social communication skills I use today. As a child playing basketball was my favorite activity or hobby. It's also the way I met a lot of my good friends that I have now. All my close friends I have met. I have met them through playing basketball.. Whether they were on my team, the opposing team or just fans in the crowd who admired my play. Not only has basketball helped me gain friends, but basketball also taught me a lot about life. There are many aspects of life that coincide with basketball. For instance basketball is a team game and an individual game. Like in life you have to work together with other people. The communication skills I learned from basketball helped me communicate with friends, girlfriends, parents and bosses at work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I started playing basketball in the fifth grade. In the fifth grade I was a quiet and shy little boy. I rarely talked to my teammates and kept to myself. As the years went by I learned how to communicate with my teammates and my coaches and began to break out of my shell so to speak. I started making more and more friends that also went to my junior high. Basketball helped me meet a lot of new people. By the time I left junior high I had already a core group of friends I hung out with that I met from playing basketball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I remember my first day of high school like it was yesterday. A lot of my friends were...

Leonardo Da Vinci Essay -- Painter Artist Biographies Essays

Leonardo Da Vinci A Renaissance man in Renaissance times, Leonardo Da Vinci frequently defied a simple description. As a scientist, inventor, artist, and so much more, Leonardo Da Vinci’s works continue to impact our lives even now. Born on April 15th, 1452 in Anchiano (now a part of Italy), Leonardo came into a world on the brink of change. The Italian renaissance was sweeping through the peninsula during Da Vinci’s lifetime and he would soon come to be one of its foremost figures. While there is not a great deal known about Leonardo’s early life, it does not seem atypical from that of a normal boy born into a fairly wealthy family during that time period. Born of a notary named Ser Piero and a peasant woman named Catarina, Da Vinci was an illegitimate child. However, at age five, he moved from his birthplace to Vinci, which is in the Tuscany region of Italy, to live with his father. While there, Leonardo began his formal education. Beginning with reading, writing, and arithmetic, Da Vinci excelled at his studies and soon moved on to an apprenticeship with a man named Andrea del Verrocchio in 1466. Verrocchio, a Florentine artist, was known for his works in several different fields of art. He practiced sculpture, painting, and also worked with gold and bronze. Leonardo continued under the tutelage of Verrocchio for several years, studying these different types of art. In 1472, Leonardo had completed his apprenticeship and had his name entered into the Florentine book of painters, which signified that he had officially joined the ranks of the Painters’ Guild. Though he had completed his apprenticeship with Verrocchio and joined the Painters’ Guild, he did not yet leave his master’s house. Leonardo’s artistic talents... ...ve are told to people from all walks of life. His very unique life and his many accomplishments serve as an inspiration to painters, scientists, doctors, inventors, and anyone else who wants to push the boundaries of art and education. Being such a visionary figure in history has also made Da Vinci the focus of many stories and movies from The Da Vinci Code regarding his artworks and his backwards writing, to Mona Lisa Smile a movie about art appreciation centering on the much discussed smile in his most famous portrait. Works Cited Kausal, Martin. "Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519." http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/index.html. 21 Jan 2005. O'Connor, J.J., E. F. Robertson. "Leonardo." http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Leonardo.html. 21 Jan 2005. Boston Museum of Science. "Leonardo da Vinci." http://www.mos.org/leonardo/. 21 Jan 2005.

Gender Inequality in the Ancient World

Francesca Succi Dr. Brown Western Civ I 18 September 2012 Gender Inequality in the Ancient World Throughout history, women have been regarded as unequal and subordinate to men. In the male-dominated Western culture, the issue of women’s rights seems unending; even thousands of years after the first evidence of gender inequality, society has yet to even the playing field. Although it seems like our culture is progressive, we still share many qualities with the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Greece.Women were in no way equal to men during these ancient times; in fact, in some areas, they were considered subservient to men, with no rights or privileges. However, there were some areas of Ancient Greece that had a different model for social structure. The treatment of women in Mesopotamian culture differs greatly from that of Greek culture, as well as within Greece, between Lacedaemon and Athens; despite this, gender inequality was still present in each culture at some le vel.Of these three areas of the ancient world, Lacedaemon indisputably had the most progressive model for social structure, with Mesopotamia close behind. Athens, which seems like it would have the most liberal model for society, actually had the highest level of gender inequality. In ancient times, there were several aspects of life that caused a divide between genders. First, and probably most obviously, women had various levels of responsibilities and several social roles within the different areas of the ancient world.In the most progressive social structure of Lacedaemon, women played an indispensable and essential part. Since the basis of their culture was to train and sustain an unconquerable army, this occupied most of the time for almost all men, who left many responsibilities that the women needed to take on. Girls learned from age seven not only how to cook and clean and be a good housewife, but also everything that was required to run an estate (Brown, Lecture, 2012). Yo ung women were taught math and accounting so they would easily be able to take on and run an estate when they were older.Lacedaemon â€Å"was unique among ancient Greek cities in the freedom it granted to its female citizens—this was partly due to reliance on women to manage estates while men were away at war† (Sacks â€Å"Sparta†). This culture relied almost equally on both the men and women in society for very different jobs. Since the responsibilities were so evenly distributed, there was more of a sense of gender equality. Indeed, Lacedaemon was quite unique in this tendency to treat women relatively equally to men.The Mesopotamians, who were the second most liberal of these three areas, set women on a much lower pedestal than the Lacedaemonians: Mutually exclusive extremes [like male vs. female] are at the core of ancient Near Eastern gender roles†¦ [cuneiform] makes it very plain that the place of a woman was considered the domestic sphere, where she gave birth and raised children; cooked, baked, and brewed; made textiles by spinning, weaving, and sewing; laundered and cleaned; and kept the household running (Radner). The women’s social roles and responsibilities were much more restricted than those of Lacedaemon women.They were only expected to clean and be a suitable housewife. One of the only similarities between Lacedaemon and Mesopotamia is that the women were held somewhat responsible for running the estate. Males and masculinity were associated with power and strength, while females and femininity were associated with passiveness and weakness. This probably sounds relatively familiar, because in the modern and post-modern eras, society still experiences these gender roles that were established in ancient times. Mesopotamia, the foundation of Western civilization, is where these moderately-conservative gender roles truly began.Even more extreme gender roles could be found in Athenian culture. Women were, in the most literal sense, inferior to men. The Athenians took the conservative gender roles that were found in Mesopotamia and inflated them to enormous proportions: Male Greek society valued rational discourse, military courage, and physical endurance and self-restraint. Women  were believed to be irrational, fearful, and ruled by physical desires. One reason why  women  were kept secluded at home is that they were thought liable to sexual seduction (or other mischief) if they ventured out unescorted (Sacks â€Å"Greece†).Women were predominately seen as mothers – they would be married off at a very young age, begin bearing children as soon as possible, and consequently died much younger than men, often during childbirth. Women were taught not to speak unless spoken to, and were required to tag along beside their husbands the rare times they were ever permitted to leave the house. Although Athens was the birthplace of democracy and was one of the most progressive cities i n history, they still stripped women of some of the most basic equality rights (Brown, Lecture, 2012).Athenian culture perpetuated the gender stereotypes that began in Mesopotamia and exaggerated them to ostracize women in society more than the Mesopotamians or Lacedaemonians ever did. Women and men were separated not only in their social roles and responsibilities, but also in their legal rights and punishments. In Mesopotamia, citizens were under the command of Hammurabi’s code. Although this code was harsh in general, it is important not to compare the laws and punishments to modern or post-modern practices, but instead to compare Mesopotamian legal treatment of men vs. omen. Where men had to pay monetary fines for crimes that broke Hammurabi’s code, most times women had to pay with their lives. With more serious crimes, Hammurabi seemed to follow the â€Å"eye for an eye† philosophy when it came to men, but women were once again subjected to more serious pun ishments, and men were permitted to add to the abuse: â€Å"In addition to the punishments for a man’s wife that are written on the tablet, a man may whip his wife, pluck out her hair, mutilate her ears, or strike her† (Brophy 33).However, while men could physically abuse their wives with no penalty, women were sentenced to physical punishment if they laid a hand on their husbands. The one accommodation that the Code made for women is that they were allowed to own property. If the scenario arose where a woman was widowed, they would inherit the land that her late husband owned. Although the Code of Hammurabi was an effective ruling tool in Mesopotamia, it created a double standard that is still prevalent in society today. This double standard is seen not only in Mesopotamian culture, but in theAthenian society as well. The Athenians treated women as subservient and inferior, so naturally the laws would favor the males in the society over the females. Similarly to the M esopotamians, the punishments for women were more severe than those for men. Women had no rights in society, while most free men had the right to vote in the original democracy, whether it was in the Assembly or the Council of 500 (Brown, Lecture, 2012). Since the Athenian double standard is more extreme than the Mesopotamian one, it seems clear that their law codes would in turn be more extreme.Athens solidified the gender inequality between men and women, and it lasted through pre-modern, modern, and post-modern eras. One of the cultures that went against the grain of gender inequality is the Lacedaemon society. Because the society was more inclined to equality between genders, the laws were more predisposed to be fairer towards women. Although the voting rights were similar to Athens, where only free men could vote, the women still had more rights than they ever would in Athens or Mesopotamia.As aforementioned, women were educated on how to run an estate in Lacedaemon, so even at a young age they had more privileges than women in other cultures (Brown, Lecture, 2012). Since women were so essential in the society, their rights, as well as their punishments for broken laws, would naturally follow the same trend and be relatively evenly matched. After seeing all of these variances between different cultures, a logical progression of thought would lead one to ask, why? Why is there some much differentiation between cultures in the same time period, and even in similar geographical locations?The answer may lie in a group of people called the Dorians. The Dorians invaded and conquered the ancient city of Mycenae, taking the Mycenaeans as slaves (Brown, Lecture, 2012). Later on, the city developed into Lacedaemon. This sort of shift in power happened only in the Lacedaemon civilization, not in both the Mesopotamians and Athenians. It could be that the Lacedaemonians, so afraid of a slave uprising with their new political paradigm, developed a different system of g ender roles to try to remedy the potential situation (Sacks â€Å"Sparta†).This could be the reason that Lacedaemon differed so greatly from the other two civilizations, while Athens and Mesopotamia – although they has some dissimilarities – were relatively parallel to each other. Overall, each culture has at least some level of gender inequality woven throughout the society, despite the variances between levels of different cultures. No matter the level or severity of gender separation, it is indisputable that women were treated as subservient and inferior to men.The developing Western civilization began a double standard between men and women that would perpetuate through thousands of generations, and is still prevalent today. This inequality between genders can be clearly identified in the ancient traditions, laws, customs and social structure. The issues of women’s rights, uneven distribution of responsibilities and privileges, and unequal treatment b ased on gender are obviously not going away any time soon, because they have endured through thousands of years of societal development. Even post-modern era thinkers cannot eliminate this disparity.The everlasting discrepancies between genders are more a result of Athenian and Mesopotamian customs, rather than Lacedaemonian. Western civilization has always been, and very may always be, male-dominated. Works Cited Brophy, James M. , Cole, Joshua. , Epstein, Steven. , Robertson, John. Perspectives from the Past: Primary Sources in Western Civilizations from the Ancient Near East through the Age of Absolutism. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. , Inc. Print Brown, K. M. 2012. Lecture. York College of Pennsylvania. Radner, Karen. gender structures and roles in ancient Mesopotamia. † Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Sacks, David. â€Å"Sparta. † Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Sacks, David. â€Å"women in ancient Greece. † Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2005. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Looking Beyond “Black Skin, White Masks” Essay

In recent years the world’s toleration for different cultures and races has increased, however in light of this, the issue of black and white has not faded. There is still a large division between both races due to the sentimental and resentful anguish that the past has brought. I recently read the essay â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† by Franz Fanon, in which the author discusses psychological and sociological issues surrounding the black race. I feel like the authors underlying message throughout the story is the role of the black man in white culture, and how in today’s society the past is used to determine the future. In this essay, I will explore the idea that the past has affected the relationship between both races and how moving on and looking at the future will create â€Å"ideal conditions of existence† (764). Throughout his piece, Fanon is persistent on the idea of moving on from the past and looking towards the future. This is an idea that is relatable regardless of skin colour. Fanon says, â€Å"In no way should I derive my basic purpose from the past of the peoples of colour. †¦ I will not make myself a man of past. I do not want to exalt the past at the expense of my present and of my future† (761). In regards to the black man, their history of slavery and mistreatment has led to a resent not easily eased by an apology. Many still live in the past, holding grudges against those who offended them so many years before. I consider this a rather unpleasant way to live; to have resent held in one’s heart for so many years takes a toll on how they carry themselves and how that person treats others. Perhaps Fanon’s ideology of moving forward is an accurate one, and perhaps it is the key to erasing the line between the black race and the white race. â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† also explores the role of the black man in white culture. The title itself is an indication of how Fanon feels about the role; how black people wear white masks in order to feel more accepted within society. This often means giving up their traditions and way of life in order to assimilate into the culture that rules society. Fanon makes the statement â€Å"I as a man of colour do not have the right to seek to know in what respect my race is superior or inferior to another race† (762). The author makes it clear that he does not consider himself to be above or below the white man, or any other race for that matter. The black man can be considered a man just as much as the white man is in society and equality is the only way to merge the two races together. In his analysis Fanon stressed the importance of moving forward. He wants the black race to be able to put the suffering they experienced behind them. Fanon points out that just as the black people shouldn’t â€Å"claim reparations† (762), they should also not hope â€Å"there will be a crystallization of guilt† (762) in the white man. Fanon makes the statement â€Å"There is no Negro mission; there is no white burden† (762). In that, he describes that the white man should not feel obligated to help the black race by assimilating them just as they did decades ago. By placing themselves in others’ shoes, each race might be able to see beyond their own surroundings and into the bigger picture. It is this notion that will help create a more communicative connection between the two races. It is safe to say that merging two races together after years of racism is a difficult task, and it is clearly visible between the black race and the white race. Fanon expresses his ideas on the subject by saying that people should look beyond the past and into the future. He describes the place of the black man in white society, and how in order to bridge the barrier between the two, equality must be a factor. Regardless of when Fanon wrote his analysis, one can see that his ideologies apply to today’s society and that the issues still remain.

Free Will and Religion: A Nietzsche Perspective Essay

Free will has been studied for many centuries and has still puzzled ordinary people, many thinkers, scholars, theories, literary figures, and theologians worldwide. It has been confused with so many factors such as necessity or determinism from which the individual wonder whether his actions are based on self will or driven by conditions he cannot control. Other scholars linked it with moral responsibility and faith in God claiming that there is really no free will since it is influenced and manipulated by many factors (Kane 2). For many essentialists, free will is not recognized as an independent concept but rather a dynamic and essential context (Sack 79). Over the decades, ancient doctrines had been made recognizing the existence of free will; however many philosophers questioned it such as Friedrich Nietzsche who was one of the known philosophers to criticize free will. In the ancient and medieval studies of free will, a theological dimension has been recognized by many philosophers as a connection to ‘free will’. St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine, whom Nietzsche share similar conclusions, considered free will as a gift from God and by possessing it means that we are beyond animals. More thinkers were intrigued by free will such as Descartes, Hume, and Kant who offered several solutions, a metaphysical framework, and a dichotomy of passion and reason to explain its dynamics. Free will becomes even more problematic as more ideas and concepts were linked to it such as ‘determinism’ and ‘causality’ offered by Schopenhauer and Freud (Dilman 2). These studies seemed to accept that many factors influence free will yet free will still exists. However, for Nietzsche free will is not affected by the course of events, fate, and it has no law (Dworkin 178). Nietzsche criticized â€Å"free will† by differentiating Christian free will and aristocratic free will. He believed that it is just an idea used to make an individual feel guilty particularly as a Christian religion control mechanism over the people. He argued that the â€Å"will† is not free because it is commanded within by the â€Å"I† and that the â€Å"I† and the power within the will is not the same. Additionally, he argued that the actions expressing the will are incorrectly connected to the human will; the power behind willing is separable from external events. Hence, free will is just a matter of â€Å"strong† and â€Å"weak† will (Dworkin 178). In Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future published in 1886, Nietzsche continued to explore about his previous work—Thus Spoke Zarathustra. His arguments attacked on moral consciousness which led to the human presuppositions of â€Å"self-consciousness†, â€Å"truth†, including â€Å"free will†. Instead, he offered the idea of will to power as a concept to explain human behavior and concluding that there is no universal morality. He criticized philosophers and suggested qualities for new philosophers: creation of values, originality, imagination, self-assertion, and danger. He arrived at a concept of the perspective of life which he called â€Å"beyond good and evil† (Nietzsche, Faber, and Holub). The assumptions in Beyond Good and Evil are disturbing and unsympathetic to the traditional moral and philosophical assumptions. Nietzsche strongly suggested an â€Å"aristocratic† perspective of life as he probed on the history of moral values and the demise of strong cultures. These made his work attractive especially the chapters On the Prejudices of Philosophers, The Free Spirit, The Religious Essence, On the Natural History of Morals, and What is Noble (Spinks 167). Nietzsche disagreed with free will but he did not explicitly approve that the will is â€Å"unfree† either. Some wills are strong and some are weak. Given a tautology â€Å"the light shines†, there will be no light unless it shines and that the light does not have a free choice whether to shine or not to shine at all. Hence, the power in will is manifested only through the action or on how it is manifested. Nietzsche further argued that will cannot be free or unfree such that a power has no free choice whether to materialize itself in mild or severe fashion. However, this kind of perspective was not perceived by a common consciousness among people and the notion of strong and weak will is not accepted (Kazantakis and Makridis 28). According to Nietzsche, free will is an idea created by the weak so that they could elevate themselves as an equal to their masters. If the status or worth of an individual is not measured according to the quantity of power he possessed, the weak who use his power mildly becomes better or greater to an individual who is able to manifest a deed in a mild or harsh manner. The strong accept this theory of free will but this indicates pride. One will consider that his actions have undivided responsibility, either â€Å"good† or â€Å"evil,† and come up to a conclusion that his actions is independent and free from regulation of other wills (Kazantakis and Makridis 29). The metaphysics of â€Å"weakness† is explained by Nietzsche by referring to the soul, God, and free will which he described as words that refer to nothing. Will, on the other hand, is a complicated idea that is represented only by a word and commanded by a superior being within a man he assumes is able to obey. The soul, on the other hand, becomes a subject that is eternal, stable, and represents morality and emotions. The notion of stable entity proves the instability of reality and of the world. It cannot be avoided and experience through suffering particularly of the weak. Hence, there is weakness and the weak in return tries to invent an alternative to this kind of reality (Dudley 152). In Beyond Good and Evil, it is impossible to explain free will in relation to morality without the religious framework or a philosophy with God. During the time that famous scholars (including Nietzsche) dealt with free will, Christianity has been the prevailing religion all over Europe and its influence greatly manifested on numerous publications. God is hailed as the source of all morality and its meanings through holy writings such as the Bible, divine interventions, and intermediations. However, Nietzsche presented an overman that is beyond â€Å"good and evil†. The overman is independent, creates his own values, and disregards good and evil. Nietzsche reversed the reality instead by saying that God is created by people, they associated him with values, and followed its doctrines â€Å"as if these values had been decreed by divine will† (Earnshaw 51) As an essentialist, Nietzsche shared the same belief that people create and live by their own values. Hence, the definition of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is relative to the people and their respective societies. Despite man’s lack of ability to discriminate between what is truth and imaginary, the â€Å"will to truth† is probably the highest â€Å"good†. The unfolding of will, which he described as neither free nor unfree, is perhaps an action of the will to what is true. Nietzsche presented another assumption that can be considered logical. He said that even though searching or willing for the truth is the highest, there are more fundamental matters behind this: affirmation of life, preservation of species, and so on. Therefore, â€Å"untruth† becomes a part of the will as â€Å"truth† is. If this is the case, then conventional philosophers are not seekers of the universal truth but simply rationalizing their prejudices (Earnshaw 52). Since Nietzsche did not accept either free or unfree will, his idea of will is reflected on his concepts of ‘will to truth’ and ‘will to power’. He found out that philosophers like him have an incredible role and impact in creating directing what to will for. Philosophers have great and creative minds and most of them are commanders and legislators. Through their knowledge, they can create; their creation leads to legislation; and their legislation push for will to truth. However, the meaning for will to truth is will to power. Hence, his idea of an overman who is beyond good and evil is externalized since philosophers can extend and reach visions that are not good or God oriented (Allen 71). Religion not only signifies an important role to explain Nietzsche’s â€Å"good and evil† and to describe what to will but also it can also be an instrument for the philosopher-legislator. As Nietzsche described human beings as â€Å"free spirits† or individuals having the â€Å"most comprehensive responsibility who has the conscience for the overall development of mankind†, he argued that a philosopher will use religion for his knowledge to be cultivated. Through religion, the philosopher’s creations can influence human beings and dictate their wills. However, the religion that Nietzsche is referring is a religion that is linked with philosophy and used merely for education and cultivation, a means among other means, but not the ultimate end. Otherwise, if religion is used separated from philosophy and as a legislator on its own, the effects are unexpected and dangerous (Allen 72). Fate, consequences, or course of events do not play significant roles in Nietzsche’s will. The act of willing is not similar to the power behind willing or the causal relationship brought by the natural science. No necessity can influence willing and unfree will is just a mythology. No law is bound to change will other than the power in other wills. The belief on the â€Å"unfreedom of the will,† or the idea that an individual might decide or act upon dictation or influence, is just a mere excuse used by individuals to prevent them from responsibilities and point the blame to other matters. Nietzsche’s argument on â€Å"unfree will† was similar to St. Augustine’s who argued that God indeed has ‘foreknowledge of events’ but gave man a ‘power to will’. If a man’s will is not successful in doing what it wills, fate is not the cause but a more powerful will. However, the weak often blame fate as the root of suffering instead hence Augustine said that â€Å"fate belongs to the weaker of two parties, will to the stronger. † (Dworkin 178). At first glance, Nietzsche argument on will can be vague, confusing, and challenging but given the mass of ideas presented in Beyond Good and Evil, readers and thinkers can get plenty of advice from a seemingly manual type for philosophers publication. In defining his analysis on will, Nietzsche began by attacking the conventional philosophers and philosophical assumptions. The assumptions can be pretty confusing and devastating to other philosophers and his views on God can be described as anti-Christ. Undeniably, he made a strong conclusion by saying that the â€Å"will to power†Ã¢â‚¬â€the strongest will of all that is driven by emotions and things that man is passionate of, can change numerous things in the world. In order to correct this kind of prejudice, Nietzsche offered a solution he called the â€Å"free spirit† which can be achieved through isolation and independence or living a different live, the difficult one. In order to grasps what he meant about â€Å"free spirit†, he further described morality and truth which can be confusing and might unacceptable to others. He said that the only real things in this world are man’s emotions, passions, and motivations. Nietzsche provided a doctrine that is simplified and meant to be understood by ordinary people. The shift is observable since his previous works were mostly misunderstood and used for destructive purposes. Nietzsche attack on Christianity and/or religion intrigued numerous scholars. He described religion as the cause of the distortion of people’s values, pushed many to become non-believers, and offer self-sacrifice. On the other hand, some found his assertions contradictory such as man’s inability to know the truth yet in his book he seemed to declare a lot of truths. He said that philosophers must avoid justifying their own opinions yet Nietzsche sounded like a dictator of his self-declared truths. Nevertheless, he is able to point out that truth is relative among people, that there is no universal truth, and that man should will for his own truth. Works Cited Allen, Douglas. Comparative Philosophy and Religion in Times of Terror. Lexington Books, 2006 Dilman, Ilham. Free Will: A Historical and Philosophical Introduction. Routledge, 1999. Dudley, Will. Hegel, Nietzsche, and Philosophy: Thinking Freedom. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Dworkin, Ronald William. The Rise of the Imperial Self. Rowman & Littlefield, 1996. Earnshaw, Steven. Existentialism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Continuum Publishing Group, 2007. Kane, Robert. Free Will. Wiley-Blackwell, 2002. Kazantakis, Nikos & Makridis, Odysseus. Friedrich Nietzsche on the Philosophy of Right and the State. SUNY Press, 2006. Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhem, Faber, Marion, & Holub, Robert. Beyond Good and Evil. Oxford University Press, 1998. Sack, Robert David. A Geographical Guide to the Real and the Good. Routledge, 2003 Spinks, Lee. Friedrich Nietzsche. Routledge, 2003.

Richard Character analysis Essay

The film Little Miss Sunshine directed by Valerie Farris and Jonathon Dayton tells of the Hoover Family’s emotional and physical journey from New Mexico to Florida for the youngest member, Olive’s beauty pageant competition. The viewing audience is introduced to several characters in the beginning of the film and are able to see their development and change as the film progresses. Richard Hoover is the father of the dysfunctional Hoover family who shows an important change in values and viewpoint of life and people. He is introduced as a narrow-minded and arrogant character, however as a result of his emotional journey he encounters he is later viewed as a respectable family man after re-evaluating his own perspectives, and priorities in life. Richard shows the change in thinking and life philosophy, from narrow-minded to accepting of those around him and himself. In the beginning Richard is very concerned about his status, and lives off his definitions of losers and winners. â€Å"There are two types of people in this world, winners and losers.† This shows the extent of his narrow-mindedness as he does not acknowledge or understand that an individual could exhibit traits of both a winner and a loser, and that we should not be defined by a superficial title. The diner scene is a key scene in the beginning of the film that shows Richard’s narrow-mindedness through his black-and-white perspectives about the controversial issue of concern for one’s appearance throughout the pageant society. Richard shows a clear bias towards those thinner through his words of â€Å"fat†¦or nice and skinny.† He is portrayed as a dislikeable character in the beginning scenes of the film. However, when faces with the difficulty of Olive’s eccentric character that does not fit in with the strict expectations of competitors in the beauty pageant, Richard accepts that fact although society may not condone or view Olive as the ‘winner’ of the pageant, Olive is still the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ of their family and ultimately a winner. Through his consistent encouragement and support whilst Olive is performing on stage, we are able to see the newfound acceptance and appreciation he demonstrates. He exhibits the attributes of a supportive and caring father, who is able to accept Olive for who she really is. From this,  we see the change of Richard from a narrow-minded and careless character to an accepting and supportive father. Richard began as a character that was extremely conscious and perhaps uptight about pleasing society and upholding the law, however he develops into a character that is willing to break rules to meet the means of the situation at hand. When faced with a dangerous situation of getting pulled over by a police officer. Richard acts very cautiously, not wanting to displease the officer or raise suspicion for their potential crime. â€Å"Everyone pretend to be normal.† is a quote said by Richard, showing his need to please society and ‘acting normal’ when clearly they are a very unique, dysfunctional family of characters far from normal. We see his priority of upholding the standards of society and pleasing people. However, from this we can see his self-consciousness and uptight character displayed in the film. Later as the film progresses, Richard is able to develop into a character that is unafraid to break the rules at times to fulfil an ambition or goal. With the H oover family running late to the pageant venue, Richard is sent o make the abrupt decision of â€Å"I’m not going back!† and potentially puts his family at risk. He bypasses the chained gateways and parking barriers in order to fit the means of the situation and arrive on time through this shortcut. He is decisive in leading his family to the objective and now willing to bend rules, though he would have been reluctant to do so previously. Through this we are able to see the change in Richard’s behaviour and actions, as he is able to quickly assess the situation, be decisive and less uptight. Another significant change Richard demonstrates is the change in his priorities, where he begins as a selfish man with no regard for those around him including his family. He changes into a father wiling to sacrifice his pride, for the sake of his daughter’s potential happiness. In the beginning scenes of the film, we are able to see Richard’s selfishness as he hastily listens to the family’s voicemail machine recordings and dismisses all information irrelevant to himself. When talking on the phone about a business matter he te lls those around him to remain silent for him. His only shows concern for himself. We are able to see that he doesn’t tend to prioritise family above his personal matters, and displays his selfishness through this action. However, as the film progresses he becomes more  selfless and willing to sacrifice his pride to beg for Olive’s chance to compete in the pageant. As he gets down on his knees and begs â€Å"You don’t know what we’ve been through.† for a chance, we see the vulnerability and selflessness in Richard which contrasts greatly with his character in the beginning scenes. He changes into a more selfless character, with the newfound sense of what his priorities truly are, as he puts the happiness of Olive before his own pride. The character of Richard Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine displays a significant change in philosophy, attitude, priorities and behaviour through the contrasting in character in the beginning and end of the film. He is introduced and developed into a dislikeable character due to his selfishness, close-mindedness, uptight and need to please society’s expectations of people. However, he develops and changes into a selfless, accepting father with his family as a higher priority in his life. The happiness he receives and gives to those around him due to his change in perspectives and character show us the importance of discontinuing a life centred around ourselves. He demonstrates the change one goes through in behaviour, thinking, and actions when able to prioritise others before oneself.