American Allegory essays

American Allegory essays Lester is lying in bed smiling contentedly at the ceiling. I feel like Ive been in a coma for the past twenty years. And Im just now waking up. (American Beauty). On the ceiling is Angela covered in deep red rose petals. Slowly the petals float down from her to Lester, showering him with lust. Does Lester Burnhams quote sound like a line from a comedy? Roger Ebert seems to think so. He has said the film is a comedy because we laugh at the absurdity of the hero's problems, and a tragedy because we can identify with his failurenot the specific details, but the general outline. Even though Ebert clearly packages American Beauty into the cookie cutter drama/comedy, the allowance he leaves in the last phrase should lead a person to reevaluate the films category. Comedy is defined as inciting within the viewer humor and mirth and ending happily (Konigsberg 59). Moreover, dark comedy allows laughter to be somewhat muted by our realization of serious implications and perhaps even by an unhappy ending (Konigsberg 59). The dark comedy definition fits American Beauty quite beautifully. The average person, however, would not equate muted laughter and an unhappy ending with comedy. We are left with only one alternative classification: the allegory. Allegorical films deal with expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence. It is very similar to a metaphor, which uses a seemingly unrelated object in place of another to show similarities (www.m-w.com). The Matrix, for example, can be considered an allegorical film. The audience walks away with an understanding that the movie did not have directly state. American Beauty accomplishes this. After watching the movie trailors, moviegoers expect a Lolita remake. American Beauty is linked to Mena Suvaris character Angela ...

Division Card Games for Kids

Division Card Games for Kids Once your child starts to get a handle on her multiplication facts, it’s time to start looking at the inverse function of multiplicationdivision. If your child is confident in knowing her times tables, then division may come a little bit easier to her, but she’ll still need to practice. The same card games you play to practice multiplication can be modified to practice division as well. What Your Child Will Learn (or Practice) Your child will be practicing equal division, division with remainders, and number comparison. Materials Needed You will need a deck of cards with or without the face cards removed Card Game: Two-Player Division War This game is a variation of the classic card game War, although, for the purpose of this learning activity, you will deviate a little bit from the original rules of the game. For instance, instead of asking your child to remember the number value of the face cards, it’s easier to place a small piece of removable tape (masking tape or painter’s tape works well) in the top corner of the card with the number value written on it. The values should be assigned as follows: Ace 1, King 12, Queen 12, and Jack 11. Insert the face cards back into the deck, shuffle and then deal the cards evenly and face down between the players.On a Ready, set, go! count, each player turns over two cards.Both players can use any of the four visible cards to try to find a fact family with which they can then place in sequential order to make a division problem. For example, if Player One revealed a 5 and a 3, and Player Two turned over a King (12) and a 4, either player could snatch up the 4, 3, and King to create the division sentences: King à · 4 3 or King à · 3 4.The winner of the hand is the first player who is able to recognize and lay out a division problem. Of course, the other player can check the math first!Each player should take back his unplayed cards and start an unused pile. As the game continues, each player turns up two new cards and the cards in his unused pile. This provides more opportunity for players to create division problems. If both players can create a problem using different cards, they both win the hand. The game is over when there are no more cards left, or the players are unable to make any more division problems. Card Game: Division Go Fish The Division Go Fish card game is played almost exactly the same way as the Multiplication Go Fish card game is played. The difference is that instead of creating a multiplication problem to give a card’s value, players have to come up with a division problem. For example, a player who wants to find a match for his 8 could say Do you have any 16s divided by 2s? or I’m looking for a card that is a 24 divided by 3. Deal six cards to each player and place the rest of the deck in the middle as a draw pile.When the first player says his math sentence, the player who is being asked for the card has to do the division, come up with the correct answer and hand over any matching cards. If there are no matches, the first player draws a card from the deck.When a player runs out of cards or the draw pile is gone, the game is over. The winner is the player with the most matches.

Medieval Roman Catholic Traditions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medieval Roman Catholic Traditions - Essay Example Among the traditions that were indoctrinated include the establishment of purgatory as a physical place, the usage of Latin in prayer and worship, the Marian practices and the usage of the Rosary, the establishment of the Papacy and its powers, the veneration and canonization of saints, the dogma of transubstantiation, the confession of sin to the priest, the usage of the scapular among many other things.2 These Traditions cannot be traced back to the Bible, but they are accepted by the Catholic Church to be true and infallible. The doctrine of purgatory was introduced by Gregory the Great in 593. He established a connection between earthly penance and purification after death; that is, those who are alive can pray and purify those who are dead and in purgatory. However, only venial sins can be purified when in purgatory, while mortal sins cannot. This belief has remained constant and in its line of thought, the All Souls day was established on the 10th Century where people who are alive remember the dead and celebrate Mass in their honor for their salvation.3 The Papacy was established quite solidly in the 6th Century, around the year 610, by Gregory I and later by Boniface III. The leaders of the Church before 610 did not have supreme authority over all the Christian communities. Most of them were killed together with their congregations, and they spent most of their time debating on theological matters with other bishops. In 709, the kissing of the feet of the Pope was indoctrinated. The infallibility of the Pope was established almost a thousand years late in the 1870’s. The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is special in that most popes die while in office and it is not common for a Pope to resign (.4 The duration between the last resignation of the Pope and the one in 2013 is almost 600 years. Popes only resign if they are of poor health and unable to offer

ANALYSIS PAPERS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ANALYSIS PAPERS - Essay Example The moral ground on which the imperialists base their stand is founded on the unequivocal assumption of U.S. racial superiority. The Filipinos are considered to be â€Å"a race which civilization demands shall be improved† (Beveridge, Paragraph 6). It is therefore the moral duty of America to â€Å"uplift and civilize and Christianize them† (McKinley). This so-called moral duty, connoted to be â€Å"the White Man’s Burden† by Kipling, does not stand scrutiny, especially in the light of the letters from the soldiers fighting in the Philippines, which confirm U.S. atrocities, such as arbitrary executions, torture, a scorched earth campaign and the establishment of concentration camps. As James L. Blair rightly asserts, the moral responsibility cited by the imperialists is based on the â€Å"very tenuous assumption† (P. 12) that U.S. withdrawal would inevitably lead to anarchy. The anti-imperialists’ stand that moral duty requires the U.S. to fr ee the Filipinos is more convincing than the imperialist’s mantel of racial superiority. Legally, the imperialists justify their stand on the presumption that the Filipinos â€Å"are not capable of self-government† (Beveridge, P. 16). Lack of experience in government, Spanish misrule and, yet again, the assumed inferiority of Orientals, are cited as reasons for circumventing the â€Å"consent of the governed,† which the American Declaration of Independence holds to be mandatory. According to the imperialists, as the Filipinos are too uncivilized to understand the concept of government, their consent is not legally required. The anti-imperialists question the constitutional right of the U.S. to forcibly annex any territory and caution that the constitutional guarantee of citizenship and the vote will lead to future legal complexities. Soldiers Davis and Fetterly reiterate the Filipinos right to independence, and the

African American Athletes Essay Example for Free

African American Athletes Essay American student athletes have always faced stereotypes in and out of the classroom, being seen as self-segregating or dumb jocks that really wouldnt be at school if it werent for their athletic ability. Although these stereotypes are applied to both white and black athletes, African American students, especially men, feel it more than their white counterparts. African Americans are already, for the most part, seen as intellectually inferior, so when they are seen in an academic environment they are automatically judged. If they didnt get into school just for being black, they got into school for being a black athlete. Excuses are made as to why African American student athletes and pro athletes dominate in the world of sports in general. From the time the black athlete stepped into the sports arena and began to compete with whites, white people have been looking for an explanation. In his article Sailes looks into the myths and stereotypes surrounding African American athletes, most of which have been created by whites. In loosely replicated the experiment that Sailes conducted with his students and in doing so I found that the stereotypes he discusses do exist and many people strongly believe in some of the myths. I interviewed both male and female athletes and non-athletes alike and surprisingly most of their answers to my questions were the same. I asked them all the same five questions; 1. Do you think African Americans dominate in sports? 2. Which Sports? 3. Are there certain positions they are better at? 4. Why? 5. Is their demeanor on the field or court different than that of a white athlete? and 6. Have you heard any myths about why black athletes are better? Interviewee #1, A white female on the basketball team at Gettysburg College felt that black athletes were better at all sports and in all positions, but particularly in basketball and football. She has learned from experience that black athletes are more loud and aggressive. It was her belief that African Americans are better at sports because of genetics. She also said that it could be because historically they have done hard labor and had menial jobs, so their physical condition has evolved. The one myth she has heard is that African Americans have an extra bone in their leg which makes them capable of jumping higher and running faster. Interviewee # 2, an African American football player stated that blacks are better at all sports, but especially football, in such positions as cornerback, running back, and wide receiver. When asked why he felt that this is true his answer was because were just nasty like that. In regards to myths he recalled one of his high school classmates expressing to him that the reason blacks were better was because they still had some monkey left in them. Interviewee # 3, a white college graduate, non-athlete articulated that blacks are better at any sport they try but not in any positions that require brain power or thought. He said that they are not usually good quarterbacks because they arent smart enough. When I asked him why, his response was, because they are dumb Ns. He believes that they become athletes because they have no other options to get a job or get rich, unless they can rap. He also stated that the reason they can run so fast is because they are used to running from the cops. Interviewee # 4, A white male who is a former athlete said that he believes that African Americans are superior in all sports except for lacrosse and hockey, and that the reason for this is because they are much more expensive to start up and maintain- as opposed to soccer/football/basketball where all you need is a ball really. He thinks black people on the whole start out life economically feeble compared to whites and believes in the myth that they have been evolved into more muscular and stronger people because of the process of natural selection during slavery where the slave owners bought the biggest and strongest, and theyre offspring are the ones that created the people that are dominating in sports now. My last interviewee was a female African American basketball player who felt that African Americans dominate in football and basketball because it is the only sport they want to play so they strive for it. She also said that blacks are more aggressive because it means more to them. In the majority of my interviews the participants mentioned what Sailes referred to as the Mandingo Theory, in which the physical superiority of African Americans is attributed to the selection and so called breeding process along with the manual labor performed during the days of slavery. The psychological and dumb jock theories were also articulated in the answers I received from the white students for they all said at some point or another during the interview that African Americans are intellectually inferior and all they have going for them is sports, and even in the world of sports there are positions that they are mentally incapable of occupying. The one thing that I believe all the participants agreed on both black and white is that African Americans are somehow genetically different. I was really taken aback by my findings. Even though I have learned throughout this semester that people are more racist than I ever thought they were, I didnt realize that this racism is existent in literally everything. Im not really into sports and do not pay attention to them, so I had no idea that people felt this way about African American athletes. So, it seems as though African Americans are battling this war on racism on yet another front.

Your Chemical World :: Essays Papers

Your Chemical World In today’s world we rely on many different facets to achieve what we normally don’t even give a second thought. As I am sitting here typing this paper I am simultaneously using the culmination of numerous chemical breakthroughs. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a group of over 150,000 chemists, both academic and industrial. â€Å"Your Chemical World,† a book that the ACS has published, is a biography of sorts, where in the uses and need for a chemical world are shown in an easy-to-understand way. Although chemistry would seem to be just a recently invented and used scientific field, chemistry has been an integral part of our lives for a long time. Our early ancestors, unable to even write, figured out that certain substances could be used for painting, hence the archaic cave paintings found in Southern Europe. Today we use chemistry to build our houses, to drive to work everyday, even toasting your toast in the morning. Because chemistry is our link to the hidden world of the earth’s terrestrial fruits like Silicon or Iron our hands will be forever bound to chemistry. The book starts off with our beginning and the unlikely usage of chemistry in pre-historic times. Our ancestors were more then likely concerned primarily with staying alive. Certain things are needed to do that, like food, shelter, energy, and drink. Once those needs were meet our Neanderthal brethren made some archaicaly beautiful cave paintings. In doing so they applied chemistry in a whole new way, to benefit their lives. In time chemistry became an integral part of society, today we have used it to stretch our lives out by more then forty percent of what it would have been in the start of the century by the use of medicine. Later on in recordable history chemistry was implemented through rusty trial and error methods which allowed many things to be created such as Bronze in 3600 BC or glass in 2500 BC. But it wasn’t until the age of Greek philosophers that the question of these materials components, or made them exist. After many theories by many different people a man nam ed Leucippus came up with the idea that all things were made up of indivisible, small particles. Although we now know that that was the correct theory the age of alchemy started and didn’t slow down until after medieval times. The next remarkable step was taken by Robert Boyle a British chemist who defined and coined the term â€Å"elements† as â€Å"pure substance, which resists all ordinary attempts at decomposition.

Psychodynamic Theories Essay

As a group over the last few weeks we have been dicussing has a group the 3 main theories of counselling and after careful deliberation ive chosen to do my presentation on the psychodynamic theory. Psychodynamics is the theory and systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie human behaviour. It is especially interested in the dynamic relations between conscious and unconscious motivation . Psychodynamic therapies depend upon a theory of inner conflict, wherein repressed behaviours and emotions surface into the patient’s consciousness; generally, one conflict is subconscious . Psychodynamics was initially developed by Sigmund Freud ,Carl Jung and Alfred Adler. By the mid 1940s and into the 1950s, the general application of the â€Å"psychodynamic theory† had been well established. When talking about Psychodynamic theory the first name that pops into most peoples heads is Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was Born in Austria on May 6, 1856, Sigmund Freud theorized and practiced neuropsychology, studying first hysteria and then sexuality. A highly controversial intellectual figure of the 20th century, he studied dreams, defined what he called the Oedipus complex and laid out three stages of infantile sexual development . He remains one of the most influential figures in today’s world. His name alone symbolizes the importance of his theories, and the name that comes to most people’s heads when saying the word psychology is Sigmund Freud. Freud was a psychodynamic psychologist and that came from Freud’s view on the mind is in the shape of an iceberg. He believes that mankind’s mind works in the unconscious. Every choice that mankind makes he is aware of, but maybe the consequences of our action might be unknown. The Structure of Personality which is another interesting part of Freud’s theory basically states that we have an ID, a Superego and an Ego. The ID is a biological reservoir of urges and impulses that need to be gratified. He says the ID does not have a conscious , it acts on instinct and it seeks out gratification and pleasure. It is the pleasure principle. The Superego is the Morality Principle, and the Superego knows the difference between right and wrong. The Superego is a bunch of learned internalized morals and values of society. This is  basically the thing that keeps the ID in check. Freud said that Superego is our conscious, and that the Superego is the most powerful tool (guilt and pride). Last but not least is the Ego, which is the reality principle. The Ego finds socially acceptable ways to satisfy the ID. It finds the balance between the ID and reality. The functions of the Ego is to find a compromise between the ID and the Superego. The Ego must also learn to deal with anxiety, and it also helps to boost the self-esteem. Without the Ego there would be no mental health. After researching Freud’s theory of the Structure of Personality I feel we have different parts of our behavior that we can control and that we are conscious about and there are other behaviors that come directly from our unconscious . Our ego lies to us, denies, falsifies, and distorts reality which in turn causes us to create what Freud likes to call the seven defense mechanisms. The first of the seven defense mechanisms is Repression. Repression pushes the problem to the subconscious. It is the exclusion of impulses and thoughts from the conscious mind. Next comes Denial, and denial is the cutting of the conscious mind from external threats. ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 3 An example of this would be when you are walking in the mall with your girlfriend and a beautiful woman walks by and you look but when your girlfriend asks you say, â€Å"I wasn’t looking at her. † Next there is a defense mechanism called Sublimation which is the changing of bad behavior and impulses into socially acceptable behavior and impulses. One example of this could be playing football for a scholarship in order to go to college. Another defense mechanism is Reaction Formation which is a development of behavior opposite of that which brings you anxiety . The next mechanism is called Projection whichis when the unconscious attribution of your thoughts and feelings is brought onto others. Finding flaws in others is a good example of Projection. Displacement is the next defense mechanism, and this is when an urge is placed onto another object. Taking out anger onto others when you really should be mad at yourself. Last but not least is the defense mechanism of Rationalization which is giving a good reason in place of the true reason. Another well known psychologist which is actually a student of Freuds’ is Carl Jung who is also a psychodynamic psychologist, Carl Jung was born July 26, 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland and he went a little deeper than Freud did in his theories and he challenges some of his ideas. One is that Jung’s iceberg is right side up and at the top of the iceberg is the ego, and the level underneath that is the personal unconscious, and the final level of the iceberg is finally the collective unconscious which is almost the exact opposites of Freud’s. What I mean by deeper is that he feels that man is not just sexual but spiritual as well. He says that the major difference in man is based on the Libido which is your sex drive. As you can see Jung has a much broader level of human interest. Jung theories are strongly based on Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Jung thinks we evolved behaviorally which has allowed us to prosper and move forward in order to keep up with society. The next part of Carl Jung’s theory is the Archetypal Complex, which are common ways of dealing with the world. In other words it’s a genetically transmitted response strategy. It ensures survival. There are two examples of Archetypal Complexes and they are the enemy archetype and the social archetype. . There are examples in everyday life when a person does not know what something is they immediately show some sort of aggression or frustration which proves they are afraid of what is different or what they do not really know or understand. The social archetype basically means strength in numbers. Also the social archetype is what we look to for support and look to interact and socialize with. The response strategy is to develop a need to conform. With the whole idea of Archetypal Complexes different people use different ways to deal with the world’s problems, and enemy archetype could not be more precise about mankind being threatened by something that is different. The next part of Jung’s theory is the idea of Individuation which is the integration of our conscious perceptions of the outside world with our unconscious archetypal experiences. Polarities, which are opposite extremes, which ties in the Principle of entropy which, is a state of disorder and a randomness of energy. The last thing Jung states in his theory is the idea of wholeness which is having both polarities of our life met. Carl Jung’s theory challenges much of Freud’s, but in some ways is similar. Jung gets more into man being more spiritual than sexual which is almost the opposite of Freud. The next psychologist that I will mention will be a social psychodynamic psychologist by the name of Alfred Adler. Adler was born on February 7, 1870 and Adler’s theory states that all of us are born with a sense of inferiority as evidenced by how weak and helpless a newborn is. ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 4 By this, Adler was able to explain that this inferiority is a crucial part of our personality, in the sense that it is the driving force that pushes us to strive in order to become superior. In addition to the Inferiority Theory of Personality, Adler also considers birth order as a major factor in the development of our personality. He believed that first born children may feel inferior and may even develop inferiority complex once their younger sibling arrives. The middle born children, on the other hand, are not as pampered as their older or younger sibling, but they have a sense of superiority to dethrone their older sibling in a healthy competition. Thus they have the greatest potential to be successful in life. The youngest children may feel like they have the least power to influence other members of the family. Because they are often the most pampered, they may develop personality problems of inferiority just like the first born. He was much less of a pessimist than Freud was; Almost a complete opposite from Freud. Adler believed that society impedes humans. His view of the mind is much like Carl Jung’s, but instead of having the ego at the top he has the conscious at the top with the unconscious on the bottom. He felt that social interests drive motivation, which is an innate drive to be social and to belong. He also stated in his theory that mankind is dependent on others and their reactions and their acceptance which in turn leaves mankind very vulnerable. The main idea of this theory is that he feels that mankind is more social than biological. A great example ofthis would definitely be that in today’s schools there are cliques and clans of different people that feel that they are cooler or better and than the people who are not as popular do whatever they can to fit in with a certain group. Teenagers nowadays are probably the best example there is of Adler’s theory of social interest. Another part of Adler’s theory that he brings up is the idea of the creative self which he says drives us toward human nature. There are two parts to this theory and they are the superiority complex and the inferiority complex. First of all the superiority complex states mankind tries to better itself in order to overcome our weaknesses. The second part of this theory is the inferiority complex which is when society measures us up to their standards. This is when we begin to avoid our weaknesses instead of trying to overcome them. The next theorist is Erich Fromm who was born in Frankfurt on March 23, 1900 and he was a liberal social psychodynamic psychologist who was also a student of Freuds. He believes that man is innately good and society is the thing that corrupts him. He also feels that the conscious mind dominates over the unconscious. Fromm says man is a social creature and he believes that mankind has social needs. He says life is a struggle and society makes our lives difficult. Fromm feels that the four needs of mans’ social life are relatedness, frame of reference , identity, and transcendence. Relatedness is a basic need and it states that man needs to feel connected to humanity whether it be friends, family, or activities. It also states that man has to beinteracted with other in order to belong. The problems start when a person feels that they are not a part of something. Relatedness is probably the most powerful need. Frame of Reference are common ideas and beliefs of looking at the world. This is when we seek out a belief system or a value system. We receive our frame of reference from where we find our relatedness. Without frame of reference there is no meaning to life. Identity is the next out of the four needs of mans social life which is when you know who you are and what you stand for. With identity you have to establish your own uniqueness or identity. Recognizing differences in others help you to find your own identity. ANTHONY BILLSON 5. 2 PAGE 5 Next comes transcendence which is rarely achieved and this means to rise above societies conformities in order to be an individual. With transcendence there is a risk of losing your relatedness, and for this not to happen relatedness must allow you rise above society. A conflict of freedom and loneliness means that the more that we become transcendent the more we lose the relatedness. My last theorist to talk about is Erik Erikson, he was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1902 . Erikson impacted psychological theories by expanding upon Freud’s original five stages of development. He believed that each person progressed through eight, and ultimately nine (added by his widow), stages of development throughout their lives. Erikson’s theories were founded on the premise that environment played a major role in self-awareness, adjustment, human development, and identity . His belief in the Life Cycle later won him a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. He was selected for the Jefferson Lecture and recognized for his achievement in the area of humanities. Erikson was best known for his impact on psychology through his theory on social development and his lengthy teaching career at prestigious institutions. Now after all my researching which has took me quite a while to get through cause there are so many sources to choose from ive realised that has psychodynamic theories have developed over the years our understanding of the human psyche has evolved and so as the effectiveness of the methods used by counsellors today. There is a negative side to this theory though cause some critics argue that psychodynamic theories are not falsifiable and therefore unscientific. In response to this criticism, proponents of psychodynamic theories point out that evidence does support some psychodynamic concepts. For example, research shows that there are unconscious mental processes, that people have mental representations of other people, and that people use unconscious defense mechanisms to protect themselves from unpleasant emotions such as anxiety. Other critics argue that psychodynamic theories are made by generalizing from a small number of patients to the whole human population. Relying only on case studies can lead to faulty conclusions. Still others argue that most psychodynamic theories are not based on studies that follow people from childhood to adulthood. Instead, psychodynamic theorists listen to descriptions of an adult patient’s past and draw conclusions about the relevance of childhood experiences however memories are not always reliable.

Nutrition Behavior Change Project Essay

Keeping up a behavior can be hard, â€Å"the motivation must come from within.† For the past 23 days I have been striving to change and succeed, by the 22nd of October, in two specific nutritional behavior goals. One of them was to intake at least 30 grams of fiber on weekdays and at least 25 grams on weekends. The other was to reduce my sodium intake by a quarter, on weekdays, of what it was per day and reduce it by an eighth on weekends. This preparation all started about a week before my 23 days of transformation. In the three beginning days I tracked my diet and found that my low fiber and high sodium consumptions were eye-opening problems. My average fiber intake per day rested at 21.18g, which was significantly lower than my goal of 38g per day. As this issue arose so did my awareness that multiple aspects of my health were at risk. For example, my low fiber intake could place me in danger of developing heart disease. Fiber nutrients reduce the chance of disease like heart disease, diabetes, and many other frightful illnesses. In addition, foods that consist of fiber provide a feeling of fullness without additional calories being added to a diet. As for my Sodium intake, I was recommended a target of 1500mg a day but I was actually devouring a skyrocketing 3959.4mg a day. Without thinking twice I knew I had to make significant behavior changes. Concerning my towering sodium intake, I found that high sodium consumption makes the body preserve more water, which can raise the blood volume and, in turn, increase blood pressure. Considering my high blood pressure it would be essential and crucial to lower my sodium intake. Fortunately, the data collected demonstrated that the amount of sodium I have been taking in each day has been playing a role in my elevated blood pressure. After reviewing this data and conducting research on these two nutrients I felt very serious about changing my dieting behavior s. In which case, relative to the Stages of Change/Transtheoretical Model of behavior change, at the start of this project I was most certainly in the preparation stage. I began with a determined attitude that would help me change my current behaviors within a month. To change my behavior I made  goals to reach by the 22nd and used strategies that would help me to complete my SMART goals. For example, I made sure that I controlled my environment by buying fruit and other healthy snacks instead of unhealthy snack foods. I also had peer support from my roommate who reminded me when I was snacking unhealthily to instead snack on a banana or apple. My excellent preparation skills granted me success in my dietary behavior goals. Overall I feel confident that I have succeeded in changing my behaviors. Everyday I have been conscious of my fiber and sodium goals. Rarely did I go eat off campus. I consistently ate lunch at the Hanwell dinning hall, except for 1 day when I was sick and in bed, and I always ate dinner at Smith dinning hall. Hanwell and Smith provide a great selection of fruit and mixed greens, so everyday I could eat my essential bowl of fruit for lunch and required dinner salad. I didn’t eat a salad or a bowl of fruit on solely one day, however, I felt very ill that day. Also, since I only had Gatorade, juice and water with my meals, my sodium level decreased substantially. My typical day consisted of eating microwavable breakfasts with juice in the dorm, lunch at Hanwell and dinner at Smith. My achievement in changing my supporting behaviors was due to keeping up with my tracking sheet. In turn, I increased my fiber intake to 34.34g on weekdays and 26.61g on weekends. This data exceeded my goal of fiber intake on both weekdays (30g or more) and weekends (25g or more). My sodium intake also exceeded the par; weekdays I consumed 2841.32mg a day and 3303.9mg a day on weekends. With dedication comes success and in order for me to stay dedicated I needed to construct thought out strategies. A strategy that contributed the most to my accomplished goals was to eat off campus only two times a week. Usually I saved eating out for the weekends but eating on campus made it easy to make healthy choices. For instance, when I ate off campus for lunch on the 9th my sodium intake was 1324.22mg for that single meal and when I ate lunch on campus on the 29th, a weekday, my sodium was less than half the sodium of the off campus meal I ate on the 9th. Another strategy that helped my success was my use of environment control. I stopped buying junk  food and ended up snaking on fruit, particularly bananas, and occasionally canned beans. In turn, I increased my fiber above my weekday and weekend intake goal. These two strategies acted as a spine to my success in my goals. Even though I was very successful in my goals, I faced two major barriers in the process. Finding a way to eat healthy on weekends was a huge barrier with my busy soccer schedule. Breakfast is easy to make but lunch and dinner is very difficult to attend due to afternoon practices and night games. The weekends on average boosted up my sodium about 600mg higher than the weekdays; nevertheless, I still fulfilled my sodium intake goal. I knew weekends would create a problem even before I started the project because it’s been an ongoing issue since school started. Furthermore, time was also a complicated barrier to work around. Time is a common barrier when trying to eat healthy, be more active or simply going about a routine. When I was in a rush to class or hurrying around campus taking care of things, I would sometimes compromise for quick microwavable products, which I learned contain more sodium than the normal. Out of the barriers I faced there was one that I did not predict, my ADHD medicine. This medication minimized my hunger, sometimes to the point where I did not want to eat. When this happened I force-fed myself but with smaller portions. I tended to eat more salad greens instead of the heavy, filling food. Despite these obstacles, after one week I made only one change to my behavior. I developed better shopping skills that helped me obtain superior quality microwavable foods and I started to keep fruit in my bag in case I felt crunched for time. This change helped me to complete my activities and thrive in my goals. During this project three major issues emerged regarding my nutrition. One was that some foods that I thought were healthy aren’t. For example, I always ate flavored instant oatmeal thinking it was very healthy and nutritious, however, oatmeal that has flavoring in it, I learned, usually has more than 12 grams of sugar in it per serving. As I learned more about this product I found that this oatmeal was not whole oats which are far more healthier and can be just as quick to make as instant oatmeal. Choosing an alternative for this food was important to decrease my intake of sugar.  Another major issue that emerged was what food I took in when traveling with the soccer team. It had nothing to do with the organization. It was my personal choice of snacks that I decided to bring on the bus rides; like popcorn or as surprising as it sounds, yogurt. Yogurt is healthy as long as its kept simple, however, my yogurts were loaded with flavoring and coloring that boosts up the sugar c ontent. In result I made alternative choices (apples, bananas) that would improve my game and boost my energy healthily. Lastly, I experienced a major issue with my roommate. As much as he helped me to make healthy decisions, hypocritically, he seemed unable to make healthy decisions for himself. He usually always has a bag of chips and an immense amount of candy laying around which didn’t help in contribution to my goals; my sodium intake goal. Although I learned that in order to get in a habit of eating better and more healthy, I spent less time in the room. Now I am pretty good about saying â€Å"NO† when fatty junk food in in my presence. Overall I learned many things about changing a health behavior. I learned that changing a behavior takes time and effort in order to succeed. Most of all, changing a health behavior takes determination because without that it is impossible to change. After completing this project I am proud to say I have moved form the preparation stage at the beginning of the project, to the action stage in the Transtheoretical model. This came with the help of my commitment, in accepting the responsibility of change, goals, to keep me motivated, rewards, when I completed my goals I bought a redskins jersey I’ve been wanting, and lastly environment control, where I only bought healthy foods like fruit and vegetables. Currently I am successfully changing my negative behaviors and adopting new healthy behaviors in my quest to stage number 5, the maintenance stage.

Essay on Maladaptive Behavior and Psychopathology

Essay on Maladaptive Behavior and Psychopathology Essay on Maladaptive Behavior and Psychopathology Essay on Maladaptive Behavior and PsychopathologyCase VignetteJoanne is a 26-year-old single African American female of the Pentecostal faith, who recently moved to the Chicago Area to take a job in the publishing business. Joanne is requesting medication because she fills â€Å"unstable†.   The history she describes seems to have begun about four years ago when she was in college, getting As in most of her classes, and having a wide circle of friends. During a particularly stressful period of final exams, she began to feel depressed, had difficulty sleeping and eating, and lost about fifteen pounds.Although she completed her exams satisfactorily, her symptoms continued for about the next two months, and during that time she became more isolated socially. After she graduated, she felt much better, got a job, and felt increasingly energized. She began feeling so energized she didnt seem to need much sleep and would wake up after 3 or 4 hours  feeling wide awake and could pu t in 10 and 11 hour days of work.She would feel her thoughts racing with new ideas and seemed to come up with creative ideas, although she often did not carry through on these, or other people didnt seem to understand them. Although she denies the use of drugs or excessive use of alcohol, she does admit that she was partying and socializing a great deal. She said that at this time she found herself preoccupied with sexual thoughts and found sexual implications in whatever people said to her or what she saw on TV.She was also very talkative and felt euphoric except at those times when she became extremely irritable and cranky towards people. She found herself striking up conversations with complete strangers. She began to feel like she could hear people that actually werent there talking to her, and she began to think that her apartment could be haunted. These voices would sometimes tell her to do things, like line objects up in a certain order, or take a different route home, or sta rt saying certain words aloud. She also felt like she could read other peoples thoughts and was sure they could read hers and that they would answer her thoughts even when she didnt say them out loud. Im sure Ive always been psychic, she said, but it just really took off. I could sense all kinds of things.She said her friends became concerned and took her to an emergency room. She was hospitalized for several days and put on lithium. Most of her symptoms seemed to abate. Although she felt more fatigued and slowed down, her sleeping pattern improved, and her appetite increased. In the course of the move to the Chicago land Area, she had discontinued her use of the medication shed been given- the prescription had run out, and she had lost contact with the prescribing psychiatrist. She has been noticing that she has been having difficulty sleeping, feels jittery, has been getting concerned about what other people are thinking, and is having difficulty focusing on work projects because her thoughts are racing.DiagnosticI would diagnose Joanne with major depressive disorder. To be diagnosed with major depression disorder Joanne must have five of the nine symptoms listed in the DSM-5 present during the same two week period. These systems can last for a week, a month, or several years. It started four years ago while Joanne was in college during a particularly stressful period of final exams. (1) Joanne reported having a major depressive episodes exceeding a two week period, in fact lasting two months, where she has felt depressed. (2) Joanne has reported having insomnia where she will sleep 3 to 4 hours a night and work 10 to 11 hours. (3)Joanne’s appetite changed causing a significant loss of weight, 15 pounds without dieting. (5) Joanne who has many friends but she has become socially isolated.I suspect Joanne to have an Alcohol- Related Disorder.   Although she denies the use of drugs or excessive use of alcohol, she does admit that she parties and socia lizes a great deal.   Joanne’s thoughts raced with new and creative ideas, although she fails to carry through on these ideas. Joanne’s parting has created a physical hazard and interpersonal problems. Joanne finds herself preoccupied with sexual thoughts and sexual implications in whatever people say to her and with what she watches on TV.   There are times when Joanne is very talkative and feels euphoric, and times when she is extremely irritable and cranky towards people. Because Joanne suffers from major depressive disorder and Alcohol-Related Disorder, She finds herself striking up conversations with complete strangers. The alcohol is allowing her to relax and let down her barriers. Joanne reported hearing people that actually werent there talking to her, and she began to think that her apartment could be haunted. The voices that Joanne is hearing are probably due to the severity of the depression.Looking at the diagnostic criteria for Alcohol-Related Disorder s, I’m going to have to change my mind about diagnosing Joanne with alcohol-related disorder, because I don’t see where she has used alcohol to the point where it has become a clinical significant impairment.I still believe Joanne to have Major Depressive Disorder along with Bipolar I Disorder.   In order to diagnose Joanne with bipolar I disorder criteria must be meet for current or past hypomanic episodes plus criteria must be met for major depressive episode. (1) Joanne has lived a normal life and has moved to Chicago to start a career. She is now displaying hypomania, which is consistent of a person with bipolar I disorder. (2) Joanne’s thoughts race with new and creative ideas, although she fails to carry through on these ideas, and other people dont seem to understand them. Joanne flies from one idea to the next.   (3) Joanne is displaying hyperactivity and a (4) decreased need for sleep. She began feeling so energized she didn’t seem to need mu ch sleep and would wake up after 3 or 4 hours  feeling wide awake and could put in 10 and 11 hour days of work.Essay on Maladaptive Behavior and Psychopathology part 2

Spanish Verbs Followed by De and an Infinitive

Spanish Verbs Followed by De and an Infinitive One common way of connecting verbs in Spanish that has no full equivalent in English is to follow the verb with the preposition de and an infinitive. A simple example would be a sentence such as Dejaron de fumar, where a conjugated form of the verb dejar (here meaning to give up or to quit) is followed by de and the infinitive fumar (meaning to smoke). This sentence would typically be translated as They quit smoking; although the infinitive after de is translated to English as a gerund, that isnt true in all cases where a verb and de are followed by an infinitive. Note that with most of these verbs, de isnt translated as of or from but gains its meaning as part of a unit with the verb. Commonly Used Verbs Followed by De Following are some of the verbs most commonly followed by de and an infinitive, along with examples of their usage. Note that many of the verbs have to do with ending an action. acabar de (to finish, usually recently): Acabo de leer la biografà ­a de Simà ³n Bolà ­var. (I just read Simon Bolivars biography.)debo de (to have to, to be obligated to):  ¿Quà © medicamentos debo de tomar? (What medications do I have to take?)dejar de (to quit, to abandon): Mi esposa quiere dejar de trabajar para cuidar a nuestro bebà ©. (My wife wants to quit working in order to take care of our baby.)depender de (to depend on): El futuro de nuestra sociedad depende de ganar la lucha al crimen organizado. (The future of our society depends on winning the fight against organized crime.)disuadir de (to dissuade from): La disuadà ­ de ir sola. (I talked her out of going alone.)haber de (should): Todos hemos de aprender a abrazar a los necesitados. (All of us should learn to embrace the needy.)parar de (to stop): Los aficionados no pararon de gritar durante todo el partido. (The fans didnt stop shouting for the entire game.)pensar de (to think about): Pienso de salir entre la 2 y 3 por la tarde. (Im thinking about leaving between 2 and 3 p.m.) terminar de (to quit, to stop): He terminado de creer en la humanidad. (I have quit believing in humanity.)tratar de (to try to): Trata de ser feliz con lo que tienes. (Try to be happy with what you have.) Reflexive Verbs Followed by De Many of the reflexive verbs followed by de and an infinitive involve mental processes and/or actions based on emotions: acordarse de (to remember): No me acuerdo de ver a nadie sacando fotos. (I dont remember seeing anyone taking pictures.)alegrarse de (to be happy to): Se alegra de haber realizado el cambio y afirma que eso era la carrera que estaba buscando. (He is happy to have made the change and says that was the career he was looking for.)arrepentirse de (to regret, to repent of): Mi hija se arrepintià ³ de subir el video de su novio a YouTube. (My daughter regretted uploading the video of her boyfriend to YouTube.)cansarse de (to tire of): Nunca me canso de verte. (I never get tired of seeing you.)jactarse de (to boast about): El presidente se jactà ³ de que la economà ­a estaba estableciendo rà ©cords. (The president bragged that the economy was setting records.)olvidarse de (to forget): Me olvidà © de comprar leche. (I forgot to buy milk.)preocuparse de (to worry about): Como no me he preocupado de nacer, no me preocupo de morir. (cita de Federico Garcà ­a Lorca) (Just as I havent worri ed about being born, I dont worry about dying. (quote from Federico Garcà ­a Lorca)) quejarse de (to complain about): Muchas personas se quejan de trabajar mucho, pero yo les digo que demos gracias a Dios de tener un trabajo. (Many people complain about working a lot, but I tell them lets give thanks to God for having a job.) Key Takeaways Some Spanish verbs are typically followed by de and an infinitive. The combination of the verb and de can be thought of as having a meaning in itself, so that the de usually isnt translated as of or from.Many of the verb de combinations involve the ceasing of action.Many of the reflexive verb de combinations involve mental actions.

Transition to Democracy in Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transition to Democracy in Africa - Essay Example The first part analyzes the decisive transition to democracy by South Africa and the policies adopted by the country, and the second part examines the difficulties and challenges that hinder the transition to democracy for many African nations. Part 1 The decisive democratic transformation by South Africa has been a source of inspiration for civilization across the world. Only a few analysts predicted such radical progress, considering the bloody and long history of the country against apartheid. Indeed, majority of the experts expected the country to succumb to ethnic violence common in many African nations when repression begins to transform to revolution. Today, many parts of the African continent and across the world are experiencing civil wars, with international terrorism plugging both developing and developed world into a state of anarchy. There is need to design democratic preventive and resolution methods to create a peaceful world free from hatred, bitterness, wars, enmity, and oppression (Donaldson and Marais, 2002). The experiences by South Africa may provide some invaluable insights for transition to democracy for other countries. The apartheid regime responsible for the reign of terror for more than four decades and the subsequent incarceration of thousand of people is among the most ruthless and heartless regimes to ever occur since Hitler’s reign in Germany. This is why the peaceful transition to democracy by South Africa remains one of the most significant democratic transitions in the world. The racial prejudice and discrimination against the natives of the country began in 1652 with the first Europeans from Holland. The intensity of racial discrimination against the indigenous people, particularly the San and the Khoikhoi increased during the subsequent domination by the British and Dutch in Cape Colony. However, the Dutch established inland colonies, resulting to clashes with the British coastal colonies, and ultimately culminated to the Boer war between 1899 and 1902. Nevertheless, there was some power sharing between the British and the Dutch (now refereeing to themselves Afrikaners) until in 1940s when the Afrikaner National Party gained a stronger majority (Nathan, 2004). The African National Party institutionalized discrimination after coming into power in 1948. The strategists in the party invented apartheid to enable them cement their control over the social and economic system. The concept of apartheid was to ensure white dominance and extending racial separation. Thus, the â€Å"Grand Apartheid† plan was set in motion in the 1960s, focusing on police regression and territorial separation. The party enacted apartheid laws touching all aspects of life. With the assistance of the European Community and the United States, the pressure began on the South African President Botha to dismantle apartheid in 1980s. The end of 1991 saw the revoke of the legal apartheid framework. However, internal violence continued, but Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk reached an agreement for the implementation of majority rule in 1993. Mandela was able to convince the United Nation to lift the remaining sanctions on the country.

Critical analysis of Yemens current Military Capabilities Research Paper

Critical analysis of Yemens current Military Capabilities - Research Paper Example The Yemen military has demonstrated that it follows the basic doctrine of the Yemen armed forces. The military uses different weapons, artilleries and ballistic missile, during the wars and conflicts to reduce the strength and fighting capabilities of the rivals. The military doctrine of Yemen shows that the armed forces have compulsory reserve training for several specialist groups. After the civil war a series of proclamations was issues by the Councils of Ministers in 1994 that provide the guidelines for the organization of the armed forces and the allocation of the authorities to different personnel (Nation Master, 2010). The military of Yemen has been divided in two three branches including army, navy and air force. The warfare proficiency of these three branches of Yemen army is discussed below The Yemen air force has been given the name al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Yamaniya. The army was created in 1926 however; the unified air force was created in 1990 after the unification of South and North Yemen. Since its establishment in 1926 the air force has received several weapons from different western and gulf region countries (Damen, 2008). The northern Yemen Arab Republic Air Force (YARAF) got MiG-15, MiG-17 MiG-21s from Russia and F-5E and F-5B and two C-130H Hercules Transport aircraft from Saudi Arab. The Southern air force got BAC 167 Strike master Mk81s, DHC-2 Beavers, Jet Provost Mk52As and Bell 47G helicopters from the British government. The Yemen air force employs 3500 personnel. An air defense force is also included in the Yemen air force. After the union of the south and north Yemen, the navy is more focused towards getting more MiG-29s. It has modified the MiG-29s that could attach air as well as land targets. These equipments have proved their significance in the fight against terrorism and Sah’da conflict. In 2004, Yemen received first MiG-29SMT whereas two MiG-29UBs are also modified to take them to the SMT standards. The