Saturday, August 31, 2019

A Book Report on “Heat” By Mike Lupika Essay

Sportswriter named Mike Lupika intelligently wrote a piece of story that proves life is still beautiful despite the heartbreaks and difficulties. The author also portrays a story that illuminates the truth that a person’s talent is special and must be developed by the one who was gifted as such. The social behavior displayed in the book is very degrading that some of the male characters in the book including their adult friends lied to the authorities (â€Å"Heat†). However, the interesting and notable parts of the fiction are those that mentioned fast food like Mc Donald and those drink and clothing brands that were mentioned in the book. According to Common Sense Media Website, the book entitled â€Å"Heat† has 220 pages and published by Penguin Putnam, Incorporated (â€Å"Heat†). The book is also published last April 16, 2006 and its genre is fiction about sports (â€Å"Heat†). There are many things that can be learned in the book like surviving in a difficult life, ethical standards like honesty, and developing a gift or talent that only a few lucky people can have in this world. Moreover, the book entitled â€Å"Heat† is a story about a boy who is so talented in the field of baseball sports. The story of Michael who is a 12 year-old pitcher tells about being poor and orphaned but with positive attitude in life. The story revolves around the hopes of Michael’s father that his son could play with the Little League World Series. Michael’s difficulties worsened when he was accused by a player and a rival coach that the disclosure of his age was fabricated (â€Å"Heat†). As a result, Michael was suspended from playing baseball after it was divulged and alleged that he was older that he mentioned in his profile as a player. However, Michael was able to face all these problems positively by being cheerful and well-adjusted. Works Cited â€Å"Heat†. 2008. Common Sense Media Website. 8 September 2008 < http://www. commonsensemedia. org/book-reviews/Heat. html

Friday, August 30, 2019

Different Types of Sausages

Variations of sausages are made available in different cultures and cooking styles. Nowadays, we see and taste sausages in all forms and their flavors have been quite distinctive as well. Some of it is classified as ready to eat while others require maximum precautions of thorough cooking. This is the reason why there have been various divisions which separates the different types of sausages based on how it has been prepared. Sausages are usually made out of ground or minced meat for as long as it is chopped exceedingly small, with pounded spices, aromatic herbs, and animal fat (Lee 193).This food is always packed in a casing and can be easily perceived as a food which is elongated in form. The casings in traditional sausage making are made out of intestines of animals. However, times have changed and now sausage makers utilize synthetic as an alternative to the animal intestines. There are also variations in its ingredients. A sausage can actually be made out of poultry or red meat , and are served cooked or uncooked. These different kinds of sausages are further classified into various types. Cooked SausageOne classification of sausages is a special kind which is cooked. This kind of sausage is branded with such delight as it is made with a certain way in which it is cooked in a heated oven then eaten immediately after the cooking or may be preserved to be eaten at a later time. The procedure of making this kind of sausage starts with the mincing of the meat in a very fine consistency. Along with the minced meat, come the ingredients, spices, and cure that make up the sausage’s flavor and prolong its shelf life for its storage.After all these are combined, cooked sausages require a great effort of mincing to achieve a certain fine texture requirement. This serves as the stuffing of the sausage. After the combining and mincing process, the stuffed created out of the both processes are put into a casing which is later dried. This, thereafter, is cooked a s its final stage in an oven, then either served immediately or stored in a refrigerator for preservation. Cooked sausages are usually made available through various forms.Some of which are as follows; bratwurst, knockwurst, liverwurst, salami, bologna, blood sausage, hot dogs, jellied beef loaf, thurignger style and braunshweiger (Grigson 84). Fresh Sausage Usually, the curing of sausages which serves as the preservative is used in cooked sausages; however another type of sausage does not require exactly the same initial stage of preservation. This kind of sausage is known as the Fresh Sausage in which it is made out of fresh meats that has not been previously cured. Fresh sausages require tremendous cooling in the refrigerator.The method requires such kind of refrigeration as keeping the meat cold stores the fat. This is true in its sense as the fat melts when the meat is left warm. The lack of moisture out of the warmness of the sausage only leads to the grainy texture of the sau sage. This sausage, after being made and being kept in the refrigerator should be cooked thoroughly before serving. Undercooked sausages are deemed to be toxic at a certain extent if not safely prepared. The content of fresh sausages differs from various styles and forms.A whole hog of sausage, for example, contains swine meat and has no more than a fat weight of 50 %. This goes with breakfast sausages as well as it is similar to fat weight which contains various kinds of meat. Italian Sausage, on the other hand, contains 85 % meat, sometimes a combination of meat and fat. This also contains herbs and spices and a little amount of water. Fresh pork sausages, however, may contain no more than 50% fat weight and is prohibited to contain pork byproduct. Fresh beef sausages, also, may not contain beef byproduct and can only have around 35% fat weight (Coxe 196).Dry Sausage Another type of sausage has been made available to us under circumstances of elongated preservation. Normally, saus ages require tremendous attention in taking note its shelf life. However, a type of sausage is set aside for its prolonged shelf-life under proper refrigeration. This type is called the dry sausage. Dry sausages are very much intricate in production and require more time in preparing compared to other types of sausages. Also, this type of sausage has a more concentrated form of meat.To further illustrate this type of sausage, examples of this are classified into the following; chorizo, pepperoni, Genoa Salami, and Frizzes. Cooked Smoked Sausage Another type of a sausage is classified as a Cooked Smoked sausage. This kind of sausage falls into the same category as the cooked sausage because of its similarities in its production process. As its name suggests, Cooked Smoked Sausage is also prepared the same way as the Cooked Sausage is made, however another method is added into the procedure to make this kind of sausage.Smoking is integrated to complete the procedure. This method is em ployed as a means of preserving the sausage as there are implications on how the chemicals in the smoking process builds up in the sausage’s storage life. However, nowadays the smoking method gives in more than the preservative feature; it is now perceived as a means of cultivating flavor in the sausage brought about by the cooking procedure itself The smoking method is done by drying the sausage as its initial stage of the process as its moist surface may actually mottle the surface.There are two variations in smoking a sausage; cold smoking and hot smoking. Cold smoking is usually done in a room temperature between 70 and 90 degrees. This kind of smoking can actually take up a week to complete the process. Hot smoking, in the other hand, is done in a room temperature that is between 100 and 190 degrees. Fresh Smoked Sausage The smoking method is also employed in fresh sausages. Though smoked sausages are previously discussed as a method which is utilized after the cooking o f sausages in a heated oven, the smoking method also gives the same amount of flavor to fresh sausages.This is the reason the smoking process is integrated to the making of fresh sausages as the distinct smoky flavor gives the exact same flavor it gives to the cooking process. The process of cooking of this kind of sausage is quite simple. It basically integrates the making of a fresh sausage and the smoking process. After making the fresh sausage, which involves constant chilling to keep the texture and the fat intact, the smoking process is subsequently applied.All these types of sausages are classifications which makes it more comprehensible to us the different cooking styles employed to various kinds of sausages. Some of these sausages can be classified into various common forms which have different flavor and ingredients; Salami, Summer Sausage, Italian Sausage, British Sausage, Braunschweiger, Liver Sausage, and a lot more. With the variety of sausages available to us, it is q uite indiscernible as to how a sausage has been made. These types make it easier for us to know the ways in which a certain flavor has been achieved and how the process has preserved it.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

If Only I Had Been More Careful, That Wouldn’t Have Happened Essay

Do you still remember the very last journey we took which ended our relation?I remember every single moment on that day.It still fresh in my mind and i think i’ll never forget in my entire life.I still remember one week before that day.I planned to a trip with you for around five days.I wanted to show you my hometown and introduce you to my family members my family members and bring you also visited some tourist attractions there.Not only that, i had prepared a ring for a romantic moment.When the day came,i felt more excited and even felt a little nervous and anxious.On the way back to my hometown,i was extremely happy and thought about introducing you to my family members.I was holding your hand on my lap while driving.You asked me not to hold your hand too tight. You said i looked cute in my nervousness.We continued our journey but my mind had wondered away,not paying fully attention to my driving.I had increased the car speed and because of that crashed in on other car.The accident not only shocked me but also scared you.Not even one second after the crash,my car had turned over and rolled down the hill.Luckily our car stuck on a big tree.You did not have any injuries from this accident but i knocked my head on the steering wheel and i was bleeding.After leaving the car,i hugged you tightly into my bosom,but this time you hardly tried to push me away.You made me feel the warmth and touch as you rubbed off the blood on my forehead and put on a plaster.I felt more nervous about our relationship although we did not argue about anything. In about 20 minutes,the tow car towed my car to a workshop and we returned to our homes.After that accident,you did not speak.There was no smile on your face and you looked numb,no matter how i tried to make laugh and talk.Nothing worked.The next morning,i went to your room.I could not find you,i saw your room was empty but you had left a letter for me.You left me silently without saying goodbye to me.At that moment,i felt you had been cruel to me,cruel to our relationship.Our relationship just ended silently.Two years of being together had been wasted.The dream to marry you had broken.I felt everything was hopelessIf only i had been more careful,that wouldn’t have happened.

Why US should keep sugar quotas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why US should keep sugar quotas - Essay Example This agreement came to benefit most countries, as they could readily export their sugar to the US where sugar price was higher than in the world market. When sugar from other countries flooded the US market, the availability was higher than the demand and the result was a drastic fall in the prices of sugar. To redress the situation, the government had to intervene to reduce the quotas to be imported from each country. Taking such a measure was to protect the sugar industry as well as the farmers and producers of sugar. The government also ensured that if sugar falls below a set price per pound, it would by the sugar so that farmers are guaranteed a minimum price. With the NAFTA agreement reached in 19942, there have been a number of analyses to show that if care is not taking, then the US would witness dumping in the sugar market. Particularly worrying about this is issue is Mexico. It has been shown that as trade barriers fell with the creation of the NAFTA, U.S. exports of high-fructose corn syrup would flow into Mexico, and soft-drink makers in Mexico would start using high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Project management - Assignment Example Being one of the biggest and most innovative banks in New Zealand, ASB Bank needed to minimize energy consumption in all its headquarters and branch networks. Besides minimizing energy, cost the bank also wanted a solution that would enable a countrywide communication infrastructure, which would be reliable and secure. In addition, the bank also wanted a solution that would be independent of the bank’s data network. Finally, the fact that the smart metering technology was a new phenomenon in the New Zealand market necessitated the bank to find an experienced M2M partner. All these formed the primary goals of the establishment of the Machine-to-Machine (M2M) smart meter solution project. To minimize energy consumption, the bank aimed at installing a network of more than 200 smart meters in the in its headquarters and branch networks all over the country. The proposition of the project was to install smart meters in each ASB bank branches countrywide and around 10 smart meters in the bank’s data centre, call centre, and headquarters. The smart meters installed would collect data in a 15 minute interval, from eight power sources, and then feed the information collected to a central server in a 30 minute interval on a daily basis. This would enable the ASB Bank to monitor the data in each of its branches in a near instantaneous manner, verify the load profile, and respond to any problems in any of the branches accordingly. Smart meters would be installed in all the bank’s branches, key buildings and individual loads in bigger buildings. After the smart meters collect data from all the branches and offices, the data can be manipulated using numerous customized reports and automatically sent to the main server To enable successful project scheduling, the project goals must be broken down into tasks before the delivery dates, resource constrictions, or task contingencies are considered. When

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Week 12 Replies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 12 Replies - Essay Example nice post! i can only imagine how difficult it was to implement that kind of change regarding cell phone use. because people seem to be connected at the hip with their cellphones it is really difficult to find a way to keep everyone in tow. the solution your company came up with is great. however, what is going to be the effect on company expenses in the long run? i mean if im the employee and i knew i was going to get a gift, then id always try to fill up my card fast. hi nice post! you are right. unless people do not see the reason why a change is needed, they will not support the move for change. it is important to show them that the need is necessary. this is the only time people can decide whether they will support the change or not. Thats true Antonia. Meeting all members/workers and listening to their concerns shows them that management respects them. This will foster loyalty. However, I think it also depends on the size of the organization. it can be hard to do this for a very large organization. nice post! i think it will always be hard to implement changes especially if the change affects ones lifestyle. this is something personal. like your example, ive seen many places prohibit smoking in their grounds/facility. what the smokers did was move to a parking lot near those buildings and smoke there instead. i think if people want to get around a change, they will find a way. Hi nice post. i agree with your steps you will take as a leader to meet resistance to change. you are right. forcing change on people without open communication will have bad results. being open to all stakeholders will indeed facilitate a smoother

Monday, August 26, 2019

Deontology, Utilitarianism, and Virtue Ethics Essay

Deontology, Utilitarianism, and Virtue Ethics - Essay Example Decisions and actions should be geared towards fulfilling obligations and existing laws. Consequently, acts that meet the expectations are considered ethical and those that do not meet the expectations are considered unethical. The theory therefore offers no regards to people’s immediate welfare, may subject actors to conflict of interest, and it is not based on rationale. Utilitarianism, however, focuses on consequences of an action or decision, instead of existing rules and obligation that a person has to others. According to utilitarian theory, negative and positive effects of a decision or actions are considered and net effects used to determine morality. Those acts and decisions that yield net benefits are considered ethical, unlike those that offer net harm. This establishes the basis of determining morality as a difference between deontology and utilitarianism as deontology relies on rules and obligations while utilitarianism relies on effects of an act or a decision. U tilitarianism also remedies deontology’s weakness of lack of rationale and this identifies a difference. Focusing on consequences also establishes consistency and therefore minimizes conflicts. However, the two theories aims at determining morality in actions and decisions (Manias, E., Manias, N., & Monroe, 2013). Analysis of virtue ethics, with the other two theories, also identifies both similarities and differences. The theory distinguishes rights and wrongs, just as deontology and utilitarianism.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Critical thinking - Essay Example Another definition of critical thinking is that given by Michael Scriven and Richard Paul, in a presentation at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer of 1987.They defined critical thinking as the intellectually disciplined way of active and skillful conceptualization, application, analysis and evaluation of data collected by observing, experiencing, reflecting, reasoning, and communicating, as a guidance to believing and acting. Paul and Elder (2008), defines the term as Critical thinking as the way of thinking - about something, where the person who is thinking develops the quality of his or her thinking by being skillful when taking care of the structures involved in thinking and forcing intellectual standards on them. In my understanding, for this reason, critical thinking means, thinking outside the box, having creative thoughts, and internalizing the thoughts. Critical thinking involves general intellectual values. Critical thinking includes several skills. These skills include rationality, self-awareness, honesty, open-mindedness, discipline, and judgment. Rationality is based on the fact one is thinking critically when he or she relies on reason and not emotions; when one requires prove, not ignoring evidence, and follow where the evidence leads. Also being rational in critical thinking is concerned more with coming up with the rightful way of explaining other than being right through analysis of apparent confusion and asking questions. Self-awareness in critical thinking involves comparing the effects of motives and bias, recognition of one’s assumptions, biases and point of view. Being honest in thinking critically, is evident when one recognizes emotional impulses, selfish motives, nefarious purposes, or other ways of deceiving ones-self. One is thinking critically, with an open mind when all reasonable inferences are evaluated, considerations of various viewpoints or

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Project plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project plan - Essay Example ‘Cosseted children growing up unable to cope with failure because parents are not allowing them to be independent’ reads the article’s title. She has written that in the past two decades there has been a trend towards parents over-controlling their children. Because of this, modern children are ending up struggling to adapt to setbacks that life throws when mature. Laura insists on the importance of letting kids undergo a certain standard of risk to rectify the mistakes they make as time goes by. Laura argues that children should need to experience some standards of risk to learn how to deal with failure accurately. Laura further points in this text that risk-taking and the learning opportunities it presents help nurture decision-making skills for adolescents and young adults. It is appropriate for modern parents to let their children explore life for them to be prepared to deal with its challenges when they become mature (Clark, 2013). To some extent, Frank Furedi coincides with Laura Clark. ‘University students- are they toddlers or young adults?’ is the title of his article published in The Independent. In this article, Furedi points to reports saying that undergraduates are following a careless lifestyle. Furedi further says that lectures are neglecting students and letting them do as they wish. Modern universities are treating students like toddlers. Furedi argues that children have been denied a chance to think for themselves and, as a result, lack the capacity to be independent and take control of their lives. Furedi criticizes parents who are over-concerned with how their children are faring in university. He points out that during the late 1990s it was an embarrassment for college students to be seen with parents in campus. In recent times, parents are invading their children’s campus life denying

Friday, August 23, 2019

Attack metholodgies ( network security ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Attack metholodgies ( network security ) - Essay Example Thus, the security system attackers and hackers are now using the information obtained after penetrating through the security systems to attack the target individuals or organizations and defraud them. Without full understanding of the nature of threats to the network security systems and the methods of attacks applied, it would not be possible to establish a strong security mechanism that will effectively protect the network systems and their associated data from attack. The understanding of the Network Security Attack Methodologies is therefore pertinent to the establishment of the most effective defense mechanisms and capabilities. The modern computer and network security systems are faced by diverse threats, owing to the fact that there has been a general growth in the internet accessibility and use, as well as the overall growth in the number of targets comprising of both individual and organizational computer and network security systems [1]. The attack capabilities has also increased, due to the development of more advanced hacking and attack tools, following the increased knowledge and skills of computer operation and usage that have come with the advanced technology wave. Securing the network security systems against potential threats, both for the individuals and business organizations is a present effort that seeks to protect older systems already established, while also securing the newly acquired systems. While the protection of the network security systems against known threats could be easy, there is a need to ensure the continuity of proactive efforts to detect emerging new threats and understand their defense mechanisms [2]. The understanding of the network security attack methodologies require a broad focus on who is interested in attacking, what their motivation is and what capabilities they have to exploit the network security weaknesses [3]. The network security systems are far ahead of the available defense

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Interim Report IDBI Federal Essay Example for Free

Interim Report IDBI Federal Essay Problem statement: To study workmen compensation in IDBI and determine the satisfaction level of employees. Description of the Project: Reward system is a tool by which employee can attract, motivate, and retain employees. It involves everything the employee perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship successful. The reward system consists of many components out of which â€Å"Compensation† is one the most the important factor in employee satisfaction. Organization try to understand the type of compensation required for each of the employees and the one which has high impact on the system. Research Objective: Employee’s preference towards total rewards system depends on one’s perception and the motivation level he has achieved in life. Various theories have been incorporated to justify the preference. The theories are explained in Literature review. Based on the problem definition, we formulated our hypothesis. * Objectives of the Project: To study the workmen compensation in IDBI -Primary objectives: The main task of the project is to identify: * The various compensations offered to workmen in IDBI and policies used to evaluate various compensations. * The satisfaction level of employees with their compensation at IDBI. -Secondary objectives: * Is there any preference given to compensation by employees at any level of choosing job. * How compensation help organization to retain and attract employees. * Methodology: * Primary Data: the main data collection will be done by surveys on the present as well as past employees if possible. * Secondary Data: the secondary data will be as provided by the company guides through their records and manuals. Hypothesis 1: Employees are satisfied by the timely compensation provided to them under various circumstances by the IDBI. Hypothesis 2: Employees are not satisfied by the timely compensation provided to them under various circumstances by the IDBI. The research is restricted to IDBI employees only, the population size consist of all the employees present in the organization. We shall try to involve the response of every employee. The various theories which help us to understand the satisfaction and retention level of employees in the organization are: The motivational theories which were crucial for this kind of study were Maslow’s need Hierarchy and Herzberg’s two-factor theory * Maslow Need Hierarchy: People are motivated by inner needs. Needs form a hierarchy from most basic to higher order. The value of compensation will depend on the level of pyramid at which the person is residing. * Herzberg’s two factor theory: Employees are motivated by two ways of motivators: Hygiene factor and satisfiers. Hygiene factors in their absence prevent behaviors but their presence cannot motivate performance. Satisfiers such as recognition, promotion and achievement motivate performance. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the person who has achieved the levels of physiological needs and safety would be motivated by other factors. For the people at level 3 may not consider monetary rewards as driving force. Therefore there are chances that employees will not take compensation into matter for changing their jobs. Reward system is a tool by which employee can attract, motivate, and retain employees. It involves everything the employee perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship successful. The reward system consists of many components out of which â€Å"Compensation† is one the most the important factor in employee satisfaction. Organization try to understand the type of compensation required for each of the employees and the one which has high impact on the system. Introduction * Insurance sector in India In India, insurance has a deep-rooted history. Insurance in various forms has been mentioned in the writings of Manu (Manusmrithi), Yagnavalkya (Dharmashastra) and Kautilya (Arthashastra). The fundamental basis of the historical reference to insurance in these ancient Indian texts is the same i.e. pooling of resources that could be re-distributed in times of calamities such as fire, floods, epidemics and famine. The early references to Insurance in these texts have reference to marine trade loans and carriers contracts. The insurance sector in India has grown at a fast rate post-liberalization in 1999. In the last decade, total premium grew at a CAGR of 25% and reached a total of $67 billion in 2010. Indian Life insurance industry (which contributes 88% of total Life and General insurance premium in India) has emerged as the 9th largest life insurance market in the world. Yet, Insurance penetration (measured as ratio of premium underwritten to GDP) was only at 5.2 % in 2010 – significantly lower than Asian peers like South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong which boast an insurance density greater than 10%. With low insurance penetration levels, growth potential remains promising. More importantly, the pace and nature of growth will likely see a change where new behaviors and dynamics of demand and supply will apply. On the demand side, growth is being fuelled by the growing population base, rising purchasing power, increased insurance awareness, increased domestic savings and rising financial literacy. The suppliers are correspondingly playing a market making role as competition heightens and differentiation become necessary for profitable growth. The major insurance companies in India and their market share is as follows– Initially there were only two insurance companies that operated the insurance sector in India, namely, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the other General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC). On December 2000, the subsidiaries were declared independent and began to operate as independent as independent insurance companies. According to statistics the life insurance premiums and general insurance premiums accounts to 2.5% and 0.65% of India’s GDP respectively * Role of HR in Insurance Industry The Human Resources function in the insurance industry is of utmost important. The business of acquiring clients, providing proper awareness and converting them into customers thoroughly depends on the sales force. India being a developing nation, majority of households do not have disposable income. There is a shift in customer loyalty in no time owing to the digital revolution. The population that has enough disposable income at hand also requires proper financial advice. The sales person, hence, need not only be well versed with the art of selling but also needs to be sound with financial knowledge about the products and its implications. Thus acquiring talent and retaining it is a major concern in this industry. The reason being a multifaceted personality is required to work for the company. The major compensation provided to these employees is often variable which keeps them on the edge of performing better every day. * Introduction (Company) IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Ltd is a joint venture of IDBI Bank, Federal Bank and Fortis (Ageas) Insurance International holding 48%, 26% and 26% stake respectively. With the Insurance Regulatory and Developmental Authority (IRDA) setting regulations to protect the interest of the customers, the insurer companies need to maintain a capital structure in the form of solvency ratio. A higher solvency ratio will lead to the company with a higher surplus. As per the Annual Report 2011-12 released by IRDA, IDBI Federal holds a high solvency rate of 6.61 in March 2012. With a very high solvency rate which is second among all the private and public life insurers of India IDBI Federal poses as a healthy and safe insurer. As on March 2013, there are 10 products in the rack of IDBI federal. They are Bondsurance, Group Microsurance, Childsurance, Healthsurance, Homesurance, Incomesurance, Lifesurance, Loansurance, Termsurance, and Wealthsurance.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Divergent Suggested Essays Essay Example for Free

Divergent Suggested Essays Essay Suggested Essay Questions 1.In what ways does Triss identity develop over the course of the novel? Tris began the novel timid and unsure of herself and her desires, which was characteristic of her Abnegation upbringing: she was never allowed to focus on herself, so she never knew exactly what she wanted. Upon choosing Dauntless her bravery obviously begins to blossom, but she experiences some other changes as well. She forges friendships and relationships central to her identity, with people who bring out the best in her. And she learns that though she has chosen another faction, she can still be selfless; and indeed she is, time and time again. By the end of the novel, she is fully aware of herself as Divergent someone who does not fit in, but who cannot be controlled. The events of the end of the novel reinforce who she has been selfless and who she wants to become brave. There are many significant experiences to discuss, both good and bad, that shaped Tris as a person throughout her time in Dauntless. 2.Compare and contrast this rigidly structured society with our own. What are the pros and cons of each? Does one provide a more effective lifestyle than the other? The distinctions between Triss society and our own are very apparent; their idea of becoming a good person involves selecting one virtue to cultivate their entire lives, while for us, being good and morally sound involves a mixture of all of their faction virtues and more. Socially, we have much more freedom of choice, but is that freedom always a good thing? Studying any of the five virtues of Triss world can indeed have positive effects on ones life. It all depends on perspective; either could be seen as the more effective lifestyle, depending on how you look at it, but the faction system certainly makes some significant missteps in trying to control and direct a persons identity and humanity. 3.Discuss the soundness of a government run only by a single faction. Is Jeanine Matthews truly wrong for calling for greater representation, or is it better to keep administration in the hands of the selfless? This is certainly a far cry from our system of democracy. While having the innately selfless run the government seems like a respectable idea in theory, in practice it may fall short. Abnegation do not have the same goals in life as Erudite, Candor, Amity, or Dauntless, so therefore it is natural that their administration is called into question. Perhaps a system with equal representation from every faction would be a better strategy; though policy would not consist of extremely selfless acts, sometimes representatives do have to be selfish advocates for their people. And with everyone having a say, there would be much less chance of a rebellion the size of Erudites. Jeanine wasnt entirely wrong in what she preached, but she certainly went about it the wrong way, and Abnegation wasnt to blame for a system that had been flawed from the start. 4.What are the benefits of sorting people into social groups the way the factions are sorted? What are the drawbacks? We tend to subconsciously sort ourselves into groups regardless; we gravitate towards people with similar interests as us, people with similar backgrounds, people who look like us. With a society organized into groups, citizens are always surrounded by like-minded people, and there is a much greater chance of getting along with those who think like you. On the other hand, though, that separation can promote intolerance and prejudice, which is obviously apparent in the novel; all the factions shunned the values of their competitors, promoting a far too separated way of life. 5.There are only five factions; are there any other human virtues missing from the list? Why would these be necessary in well-rounded citizens? Valuing only honesty, selflessness, peacefulness, bravery, and intelligence seems like a very small slice of the vast majority of honorable human virtues. Another faction could exist based on loyalty; many of the problems  in Triss world (and our own) are caused by betrayal and distrust. A faction based on diligence could ensure that all its citizens are hardworking and productive. And there could also be a faction based on creativity, which shapes the mind in many ways the other factions do not. 6.Discuss Tris Prior as our protagonist. Is she a reliable narrator? Does she always tell the truth? Are we constrained by her point of view? Tris is typically a very straightforward narrator, though perhaps her point of view is often clouded by her own personal prejudices. We do not get a good sense of Peters character, for instance, because she is always so determined to hate him; perhaps there is more to him than meets the eye. Were certainly constrained by her perspective, only knowing what she knows at any given time. We solve the mysteries of Four, her mother, and the Erudite-Abnegation feud only as soon as she does, because the story is told only from her first person perspective. The limits of this perspective does allow for some mystery and tension, though, as well as the strong impression of Tris as a hero. 7.What significance do Triss relationships have in her life? Various relationships begin to blossom for Tris only after shes left Abnegation. Her family is broken apart, but at a distance she seems to get even closer to her mother, learning more about her past than she ever knew before. In Abnegation, Tris never had true friendships, but in Dauntless she becomes close to Will, Christina, Al, Uriah, and some of the other initiates. Without them, she wouldnt have had the support she needed to get through initiation. And finally, her relationship with Four has changed her in many ways; shes been given someone to open up to, who in turn opens up to her, and for a person with as much to deal with as Tris, this is absolutely essential. 8.Compare and contrast Peter and Jeanine Matthews as antagonists. Who would be considered the central antagonist? Both Peter and Jeanine serve as Triss enemies, but in very different ways. Peter is more present throughout the novel, causing trouble for Tris during initiation, her most immediate concern. But Jeanine is an antagonist on a larger scale; though she doesnt make an actual appearance until late in the novel, we know shes been behind the growing rebellion of the Erudite and the hunt for Divergent. Jeanines aims and the reach of her grasp lead to something much, much larger than a struggle for ranking during initiation. For this reason, only Jeanine can be considered the central antagonist. 9.In what ways is the brewing war between Abnegation and Erudite reminiscent of our societal power struggles? Though the battle at the culmination of the novel is fought with high-tech innovations like simulations, the circumstances that caused it can be easily compared to the power struggles in our own society. It starts with a group of people believing theyve been treated unjustly, with an unfairly small amount of say in government, and ends with a bloody battle to determine who stays and who goes. Revolutions and major modern-day wars begin in much the same way. Jeanine Matthews is representative of the persuasive, charismatic, and intelligent leader who is able to convince her people to rally against another group; in this case, Abnegation. Jeanines method of manipulation through propaganda (false claims about Abnegation) and disrespect for others based on a perceived difference or lack mirrors fascist leaders from history. 10.Which theme in the novel would you consider the most significant, and why? Though many major themes in Divergent are prevalent, the one that constantly comes into play is the theme of identity and how ones choices determine self. Tris is constantly making choices that define who she is, starting with the major one on Choosing Day and continuing throughout initiation, ending with her decision not to shoot Tobias in the control room in order to stop the simulation. Her identity develops further with every decision, and eventually she learns that she can truly be brave and selfless at the same time. This theme applies to other characters as well; Caleb, for instance, chose to switch to Erudite in order to stay true to his own identity, but  eventually returns to Abnegation because he decides that Erudites plans were wrong, and he could not be a part of it. Each and every character in the novel makes at least one choice that aids in determining their identity; therefore, this theme is extremely significant.

The Contribution Of Human Resource Planning Commerce Essay

The Contribution Of Human Resource Planning Commerce Essay Human resource planning determines the human resources required by the organization to achieve its strategic goals. According to the Bulla and Scott (1994) it is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements. In human resource planning people are the most important strategic resource for an organization. Whereas HRP generally concerned with matching resources to business needs in the longer term, although sometime address shorter-term requirements as well. HRP also looks at broader issues relating to the ways in which the people are employed and developed in order to improve organizational effectiveness. So HRP plays an important role in strategic human resource management. The contribution of human resource planning The evolution of HR planning has been led by many developments which are following below: . Computerised HR information systems. . Closer links between the business environment and the activities of HR managers. . Skill shortages, necessitating the need for skill databases. But on the other hand organisations are increasingly focusing on HR planning for the following reasons: . Supply of skills to address strategic and demographic change. . Need to focus more on demand and supply for an external and internal perspective of an organisation. . Value of using scenario planning to model the fit with future business environment. HR planning plays an important role in business planning. The strategic planning process defines projected changes in the types of activities carried out by the organization and the scales of those activities. It determines the main goals of the organisation and also its skill and behaviour requirements. All these plans HR planning interpret in terms of people requirements. It also focus on solving the problems that the people required will be available at the rite to make some necessary contribution. As Quinn Mills (1983) says, HR planning is a decision-making process that combines three important activities: Identifying and acquiring the right number of people with the proper skills. Motivating them to achieve high performance. Creating interactive links between business objectives and people planning activities. The changing nature of the internal and external labour market requires the need to develop a strategic response. HR planning is increasingly necessary process to ensure the organisation is keeping these issues central to these thinking and that the outcomes from the planning process feed into all HR decisions. Acting non-strategically or in a non-planning way will stifle creativity in thinking behind HR policies. Let us consider demographic changes, for example. In response to the short fall of younger people in the workforce, and an increasing rate of early retirements, organisations can face the following responses: . Do nothing. Allow entry standards to reduce; Outsourcing activities can address the absence of internal skills. . Compete. Intensify recruitment and pay higher salaries, which might tend to increase costs, and short-term poaching of staff. . Substitute. Review new labour market sources. . Act. Improve the research mix, organisational image and working environment, restore employee turnover. Model of human resource planning There are three stages of human resource planning: Reconciling future resourcing needs with future HR plans. Considering and applying HR policy so as to have an impact upon the flows of human resources in an integrated way. This includes this pattern of engagement of staff and their movement through the organisation and the stages of exit. 3. Assessing the effectiveness of HR policies in accessing, creating and using human resource capability. The following chart shows how the organisations can view the flow of people and skill into, through and out of the organisation. It can also be the basis on which decision about reshaping the flows of skills and people can be made. Approaches to human resource planning Resourcing strategies shows the way forward through the analysis of business strategies and demographic trends. They are converted into the action plans based on the outcome of the following interrelated planning activities: . Demand forecasting- this is the key area of forecasting in the short, medium and long term. The organisation must determine the demand profile of skills, including their life cycle and decline, and the competence mix. . Supply forecasting-estimate the supply of people by reference to analyses of current resources and future availability, after allowing for wastage. The organisation must determine the supply of skills both internally and externally. . Investigation and analysis: The organisations must keep the knowledge about, (1) The external environment and labour market, looking at for example, national training plans and the location of markets. (2) The internal environment and labour market: the age and gender balance of the workforce, the number of employees, wastage rates and so on. (3) The organisations systems, resources, culture, practices and industrial relations. (4) Commercial performance requirements such as sales targets, product mix, market segments and profits. . Decision-making The organisation must then make plans to balance supply and demand of skills. The influences will include skill levels, development and the cost effectiveness of accessing a wider skill base. The areas in which decisions will be taken include: recruitment retirement and redundancy selection and assessment outsourcing promotion and reward development and retraining organisational development and culture the type of employment contracts performance management employee relations For example if we use the example of financial services sector, including banks, building societies and credit/loan agencies, using the above model we suggest that over the last 10-15 years the following picture might emerge: . External environment: reduced demand, changing skills, increased competition. . Internal environment: redundancies, new career skills, new culture. . Organisation system: a need for performance and productivity improvement, incentives, flexibility. . Commercial performance requirements: sales of more products, new markets reducing margins. These days in many sectors of the new economy, including finance, banking and it skills have moved from being administrative and routine skills to more complex competences based around diagnostic and interpersonal skills and knowledge. This has an important consequence for selection, labour market and developmental strategies. Key issues faced by such sectors are the need to focus on retention of key staff together with the allowance and possible encouragement of turnover on certain categories of employment. The training implications are about internal skills upgrading. From a recruitment point of view targeting external staff with the right knowledge and skills becomes critical. There are also employee relations implications such as the need to communicate the expectation of staff and demonstrate support for the changes. Professionalism in HR planning The first part of professionalism is understanding the customer, the customer requirements and providing customer satisfaction. HR is increasingly viewed as a service; a service both to employees and to the business. As such customer requirements need to be well understood. Delivering the right services to the customer at the right time, to the right quality and to the right cost must be the goal of HR. In this global business environment, the customer demand on HR is changing rapidly. From the business point of view, HR needs to understand the changing resourcing requirement of the business, flexibility in headcount in response to business cycle, the core competencies the organisation is trying to create and the culture it is trying to establish. HR has to understand the needs of a mobile workforce supporting a global organisation, the knowledge- based workforce the organisation is trying to nurture, the frequent re-structuring due to increased mergers and acquisitions activity, integration of new staff and so on. From the employee point of view, HR need to be clearly understand the increasing needs for workplace flexibility, distance and e-working, improved work-life balance, accessibility of HR operations. Some of the evolving requirements identified above can be enabled by technology. For example, technology underpins mobile/home working and facilitates the accessibility of HR operations at any time and from anywhere. It must be emphasised that technology alone cannot drive results, deliver customer satisfaction or deliver professionalism. Professionalism requires that HR practice be fair, open and transparent. Today, there is a legal obligation for organisations to ensure equality in the areas of race, disability, age, sexuality, gender, religion and belief. HR practices must ensure that equal opportunity regulations are adhered to by all the levels of organisations. Policies and practices should cover recruitment, promotions, remuneration, working conditions, customer relations and the practices of contractors, suppliers and partners, procedure must be in place to ensure that managers do not stifle or limit the promotion prospects of particular groupings or minorities, or discriminate in the selection of new recruits. Professionalism in this area requires the adoption of formalism in capturing customer requirements and selection criteria, and checking adherence against the agreed criteria. This applies to all aspects of HR practices including recruitment, selection, promotion and separation. Professionalism is also e nhanced by engendering, within the organisation as a whole, a culture of equality and respect. One way is to promote this is to ensure workforce diversity training is provided to all levels of staff. Limitations of human resource planning However, it must be recognised that although the notion of human resource planning is well established in HRM vocabulary it does not seemed to be embedded as a key HR activity. As Rothwell (1995) suggests, apart from isolated examples, there has been little research evidence of increased use or of its success. She explains the gap between theory and practice as arising from: . The impact of change and the difficulty of predicting the future-the need for planning my be in inverse proportion of its feasibility; . The shifting kaleidoscope of policy priorities and strategies within organisations; . The distrust displayed by many managers of theory or planning- they often prefer pragmatic adaptation to conceptualization; . The lack of evidence that human resource planning works. Conclusion The whole theory shows the importance of having HR planning system and process in place to support HR strategy. Human resource planning is seen as having increasing importance in addressing both quantitative and qualitative approaches to planning, with the strategic importance of identifying core competencies and sponsoring new techniques. The above theory examined the broader context and information now used for planning and the links to human resource policy decisions.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Warm and Cold Blooded Nature of Dinosaurs :: Anthropology Essays Paleontology Papers

The Warm and Cold Blooded Nature of Dinosaurs The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold blooded or warm blooded has been ongoing since the beginning of the century. At the turn of the century scientists believed that dinosaurs had long limbs and were fairly slim, supporting the idea of a cold blooded reptile. Recently, however, the bone structure, number or predators to prey, and limb position have suggested a warm blooded species. In addition, the recent discovery of a fossilized dinosaur heart has supported the idea that dinosaurs were a warm blooded species. In this essay, I am going to give supporting evidence of dinosaurs being both warm and cold blooded. I will provide background information on the dinosaur that was discovered and what information it provides scientists. Until recently, scientists believed the chances of finding a fossilized dinosaur heart were extremely slim. The heart belonged to a 66 million year old dinosaur found in Harding County in Northwestern South Dakota. The dinosaur, found in 1993, weighed over 650 pounds and was 13 feet long. The dinosaur was in fairly good condition with the exception of the left side of the skeleton. The small, plant-eating Thescelosaurus, nicknamed ‘Willo’ has been acquired by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Thescelosaurus was an ornithischian, or "bird-hipped," dinosaur that lived in the latter stage of the Cretaceous period. This was approximately 1 million years before the end of the dinosaur era. Native to North America, its range extended from the northern United States up into Canada. Since using the 3-D software to reveal Willo's heart, scientists have also used it to create 3-D images of the fossil's skull, and of remains from other dinosaurs in the museum's collection. (Fisher, Paul) A group of scientists from North Carolina and Oregon used medical technology to search an iron-stained concretion inside the specimen’s chest. With the assistance of imaging equipment and software, they were able to reconstruct 3-dimensional structures through the interior of the concretion. The images reveal a heart that was more like that of a bird or a mammal than those of reptiles, significantly adding to evidence suggesting that at least some dinosaurs had high metabolic rates. In addition, the heart appears to have been four chambered with a single aorta, which is most commonly found in mammals or birds.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Understanding OPEC: An Economic Analysis Essay -- Oil Economics Econom

Understanding OPEC: An Economic Analysis In the last few months, much has been said of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Interestingly enough, one of Iraq’s motivating factors was economics. Kuwait provided Iraq with a pretext for war as it violated the economic policies of the Organization of Oil-Exporting Countries by exporting oil above its quotas. This is but one chapter in the complicated history of OPEC. OPEC is an international assembly of nations which co-ordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of eleven countries and has enjoyed the highs and weathered the lows of oil prices in the last few decades. To solve their problems, both member countries and oil-importing countries must address the complex nature of oil price elasticity in making their policy decisions. An analysis of OPEC’s policies demands a cursory review of its history and the recent and current structure of the oil market. Acting in concert, OPEC’s eleven member countries set per country quotas for oil production to limit the oil supply. It seeks to â€Å"co-ordinate and unify their petroleum policies in order to promote stability and harmony in the oil market† (OPEC 2). In other words, OPEC seeks to secure a long-term profitable stream of income for OPEC members by exploiting its market power in an oligopoly. OPEC has commanded tremendous market power in the oil industry ever since Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela founded it on September 14, 1960. Today, the number of member countries has risen to 11 and now includes Algeria, Indonesia, SP Libyan AJ, Nigeria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Together, these countries have pooled their tremendous resources: â€Å"OPEC Members Countries produce about 41 per cent of the world’s crude oi... .... 2000. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. 19 April 2003 . Answers to frequently asked questions about the petroleum industry. 2000. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. 19 April 2003 . Foreman, Gary. Use the â€Å"Law† to Save Thousands. Soho America. 19 April 2003 www.soho.org/Finance_Articles/Spply_and_Demand.htm. Hwang, M. J. and C. W. Yang. Unstable Price Elasticity and High World Oil Prices. October 2001. The 52nd International Atlantic Economic Conference. 19 April 2003 < www.iaes.org/conferences/past/philadelphia_52/prelim_program/d00-1/index.htm>. Taylor, Jerry. No Need to Panic over Oil Prices: Don’t Believe the Politicians’ Rhetoric. 2003. Cato Institute. 19 April 2003 .

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Hydrogen Fusion is the Future Source of Energy Essay -- Energy Power G

Hydrogen Fusion, the Future Source of Energy Abstract The world is currently in an energy crisis with no end in sight. Many technologies can help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and have the possibility of ending the energy crisis. Hydrogen fusion holds great promise with its no pollution energy output. If more energy can be created than is used to start the fusion process, the energy crisis might become a thing of the past. Over half of the energy used now comes from fossil fuels, which is around 2.77*10^14 KJ in 2003. ITER, which is under construction right now in France, will have the possibility of releasing 500 MW of energy as an output. By developing methods that reduce the energy needed to start the fusion process, hydrogen fusion might end our need to use fossil fuels. Introduction Humanity has faced many crises in the past few millennia. From the Black Plague of Medieval Times to World War II in the 1940’s, humans have always had some form of large-scale problem to deal with. Now in our modern times, we as humans are facing one of the toughest: the energy crisis. This dilemma will have the greatest involvement of human minds to figure out a possible solution. The majority of all the energy produced in the world comes from fossil fuels. In these strange times, humans are now looking for new viable sources of energy to replace the highly depleted fossil fuels. One of the newer possibilities that can be used as a new form of energy is hydrogen fusion. One of the earliest experiments in this technology was in the late 1960’s with the development of the Tokamak. The Tokamak was a Soviet-built magnetic confinement device developed by Igor Tamm and Andrei Sakharov. The shape of the Hydrogen Fusio... ...al Total Primary Energy Consumption (Demand) Information. 25 July 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2005 from http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/contents.html ITER. 3 August 2005. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 3 August 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER JET. 27 July 2005. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 31 July 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_European_Torus Nave, C.R. Hyper Physics. Retrieved July 21, 2005. From Georgia State University Department of Physics and Astronomy Website: http://hyperphysics.phyastr. gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/fusion.html Tokamak. 27 July 2005. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 31 July 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokamak WEC Scenario A3 jpg. 20 July 2005. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 31 July 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:WEC_Scenario_A3.jpg

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” Essay

Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a short story set in Louisiana in the late 1800’s. Slavery was still prominent in society, and the color of a person’s skin chose what caste he or she would occupy. Desiree has married Armand Aubigny, a wealthy bachelor. The origin of Desiree’s family is shrouded in mystery; she was found by her adoptive parents, the Valmonde’s, when she was young. Years later, Armand and Desiree have a son, whom they both adore. But after three months, their son has gotten darker in skin tone. Armand instantly recoils from both him and Desiree. His coldness towards them eventually leads Desiree to the bayou, their son in hand. After weeks of no contact from his wife, Armand burns all of her things, where he stumbles upon a letter from his mother. It reveals that he is the son of a slave woman. The major theme Chopin was using throughout â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is the impact society has on race. If a person was white, he or she was considered superior to other races. A white man could vote, own property, and run for council; though a white woman wouldn’t receive these rights until the 1960’s, she was still held in a higher position than a black woman or man. Blacks had little rights given to them, and it still took a hundred years before they were viewed as equals. Mixed children weren’t exactly rare; some white slave owners thought little of taking advantage of one of their black house-keepers or slaves. If the child had lighter skin, sometimes they were treated better. Such is the case with Armando. By the end of the story, Chopin drops a bomb that leaves her audience with a chill: Armand’s mother was African-American, meaning Armand was a slave’s son. It wasn’t Desiree who gave their son his dark skin, it was Armand. Armand was incredibly narrow-minded, as he no longer cares for either his wife or his child because he thought Desiree’s genes gave their son dark skin. Although intolerance towards blacks wasn’t exactly unpopular back in the 19th century, Armand takes it to a new level when he doesn’t attempt to stop Desiree from leaving. He was smitten with her from the moment he laid eyes on her, and yet at the thought of having a diluted bloodline, his adoration transformed into hatred. Chopin was making a point when she allowed the story to end the way it did. She is noted for writing about taboo topics that women normally didn’t breach, such as women’s role as subservient characters to the male-dominated society. Although she was just writing a short story, she also wanted to leave the reader with lasting emotions once the story ended. Desiree killed herself, as well as her son, because she couldn’t stand the repulsion Armand felt towards her. With ethnicity being the major theme of this short story, I have chosen that topic as my critical approach. It’s clear that Chopin was focusing more on the injustice served to blacks then any sort of injustice women were handed in 1800’s society.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Souls of Black Folk Critical Analysis

Critical Analysis Madonna R. Stengel Spalding University In the selections, Forethought, Chapter I and Chapter V from W. E. B. De Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk, the author is attempting to explain the inner struggle playing out in the subconscious of African-American’s minds following the era of reconstruction, as well as offer his common sense solutions to this matter. He refers to this battle of dueling realities within the mind as double consciousness, using â€Å"the veil† as a metaphor to illustrate the isolation and sometimes the protection felt when living within the veil.He attempted to help African-Americans, as well as whites find peace with each other and within their souls, by being true to themselves, instead of accepting the ascribed identities or being the offenders who ascribe those identities. This theme of autonomy and injustice is obviously a common thread of many African American authors, although De Bois takes the concepts a bit further by an alyzing ascribed vs. avowed identity and the reality of human limitations.The message, especially in Chapter V is a forward thinking, broad view that involves setting ethical priorities, educating people appropriately, while not allowing imposed limitations regarding race, gender or socio-economics to hold some back nor the stumbling block of human limitations hold other back. Therein lies the difference between De Bois and some other authors, who endeavor to empower by offering only grandiose ideals without common sense solutions. W. E. B De Bois was very concerned with this dual consciousness theory and image of the â€Å"veil† as an approach to bringing broad understanding to the African-American experience.He believed that it was important for African-Americans to recognize this phenomenon, but equally important was the education and recognition of those who imposed the â€Å"veil. † De Bois is implying, not so subtly, with the veil analogy that it’s a tool to separate and diminish whoever is wearing it and if there is no ability to look figuratively into the eyes, one can’t know the soul, and if one can’t know the soul, one does not have to recognize the humanity. Therefore, injustices and sub-human treatment is much easier to carry out and defend.Also, as educator De Bois was concerned with access to an equitable and appropriate education for all, even if that meant â€Å"teaching the worker to work. † He realized that the key to empowerment was education. He also realized that it was not only the African- Americans population that was in need of an education. He held strong to the belief that it was imperative to train blacks and whites with respect to one another’s culture, in an effort to bring peace and understanding between the races. He also realized that some people, regardless of their race, social status or gender were more inclined to be scholarly than others.He writes, â€Å"Neither or both: te ach the worker to work and the thinker to think; †¦And the final product of our training must be neither a psychologist nor a brickmason, but a man. And to make men, we must have ideals, broad, pure and inspiring ends of living—–not sordid money-getting, not apple of gold. † The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not fame. So, the message is be true to oneself, and the rest will follow. Works Cited Du Bois, W. E. B. (1969) The souls of black folk: Essays and sketches. New York: Fawcett World Library.

Police Discretion Essay

Police discretion is an unwritten law meaning it is not concretely represented in the constitution or any other rules or regulations governing law enforcement. However, it is a practical part of law enforcement because there are times when sound personal judgment and decision-making becomes necessary in the process. Police discretion is highly important in situations wherein the role of rules and laws are ambiguous or inapplicable. Although unwritten in documents presenting laws, it is valid because the police is an institution granted authority and power. Moreover, law enforcement agencies are expected to abide by ethics and morality at all times when practicing police discretion. Police discretion is valid because it is exercised by an authority or power, but then it becomes steadfast and trustworthy if it is practiced within the bounds of ethics and morality. (Atherton, 2001) Herein lay judgments and criticisms regarding police discretion. Police discretion is ideally utilized to determine whether to intercede with behavior and activities. This is supposed to be the primary purpose of police discretion. (Seri, 2008) For instance, a police man happens to chance upon a man shouting at his wife in a public place. Police discretion concerns making the decision of whether to intervene in the process with considerations to privacy issues since it is a private matter between husband and wife, but since it is in public, the situation’s relation to public disturbance is not something to be disregarded. At this point, police discretion addresses the matter of whether to intervene or not. (Kelling, 1999) The fabled and fictitious source aspect of police discretion is its relation to the philosophical foundations of ethics and morality. Conflicts in the practice of police work require discretion for its resolution. However, conflicts and ambiguities do not depend on just discretion, but count on morality to frame the judgment and decision-making process in order to uphold sound preferences when carrying out decisions. Morality talks about what is right from wrong – the right, based on the rules and commandments presented by God to man. Moreover, morality talks about intention as a primary factor in determining the goodness of an action, behavior or decision. This philosophical concept builds on what police discretion is about, guiding judgments and rationalizations in order to arrive at a morally good action. (Greenawalt, 1987) Perhaps it is rational to include the mythical concept of ethics and morality in framing police discretion guidelines and policies. Controlling philosophical concepts as a means to guide police discretion practices ensure that intentions are upright and the end action of the decision is morally good. This upholds accountability and values development in the field of law enforcement. Moreover, it addresses the matter of debate regarding the negative implications of allowing law enforcement agencies freedom to make decisions in their line of industry. It eliminates the abuse of power, and shifts it to the use of police discretion conscientiously. Another purpose of police discretion is making a decision of whether to label a particular action, behavior, or activity as criminal. (Seri, 2008) Juvenile crimes are primary targets of this issue since charging children with crimes is a sensitive concern. If for instance a police man catches a minor stealing from a grocery store, police discretion is practiced to make a decision on whether to charge the child with a criminal case. Other options include giving the child a chance by advising him to not repeat the act again and then letting him go, talking with the child’s parents directly to ensure that a the negative nature of the child does not go undisciplined, turning the child over to social welfare services, and charging the child with a criminal case. The decision of what to do in this particular scenario as well as similar situations, wherein there are opportunities of making sound judgments and decisions unguided by laws, is part of police discretion. Overall, police discretion is a power granted to members of the law enforcement as a means of raising the accountability of the institution by empowering them to learning and applying sound and moral concepts that promotes progress and development in the field of law enforcement. (Seri, 2008) To delineate further the concept of police discretion, five police actions will be discussed and analyzed in order to determine the expediency of practicing police discretion and identifying whether it is reasonable or an abuse of power. Harnessing the influence of the community as an effort to promote community policing is one task that law enforcement should work on. This is reasonable as the decision to formulate a neighborhood watch program to realize the goal of community policing sustains peace, order and security in the community. This action becomes an abuse of power if members of the community are forced to help in the process of enforcing laws. Community policing should be a voluntary effort. Minors are given light sanctions for criminal activities because of their inability to think rationally and independently without guidance from people in authority. Police discretion is acceptable when it comes to adjusting the enforcement of law to a particular situation where a minor is concerned. Police discretion becomes an abuse of power if minors who are caught committing crimes are directly charged with criminal cases without reviewing the need for social work intervention, counseling, and other lighter sanctions and disciplinary actions. When it comes to police interrogation, questioning techniques is part of police discretion. Policemen are given authority to subject suspects, witnesses, and victims to interrogations. Police discretion is acceptable if questions, in whatever form or manner executed, are relevant to the case and properly carried out in the process. It becomes abuse of power if people who are being interrogated are subject to threats and hostilities, forced to answer questions, and are asked personal matters. This goes the same with searching properties to look for evidence. Police discretion is deciding what areas within the properties to search, of course with the grant of a search warrant. It becomes an abuse of power if damage is inflicted to property as a means of hostile interaction with other people. Lastly, respecting the privacy of any individual should be maintained by law enforcement agencies. Although sustaining laws requires the obtainment of truth and factual information, police work should also consider privacy of other people in order to practice police discretion ideally and not abusively.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Knowledge English Essay

So the world I came to know started when I was six, when I moved here in the United States because of my father’s job. At such an early age, I was transported to a place where everything seems weird and different. Clueless, I wept for having no choice at all. There was no one to talk to, who would understand, and who would care. I asked myself how was I supposed to survive in this country when I do not know anybody and with little knowledge on English. The first days were a struggle – I miss my old home, my old school, my friends, everything in and about Japan. I was sick and homesick, did not want to go to the first day of grade school. But my mother forced me to. The diligent child that I am, I went to school in San Jose. I expected to be isolated; but my expectations were incorrect because I was welcomed by the entire school. People did not see my differences; they gladly accepted me. I was happy finding myself in the company of new friends, one of whom was Corey Tucker. It was lunchtime; I sat alone on the bench, crying. Someone suddenly reached over and stuck a chocolate-chip cookie in my mouth. The boy opened an interesting conversation. When I told him I came from Japan, he was excited, incessantly asking questions. With awkward smiles, I answered each of his queries even though I knew my English was not so good. By the time the lunch ended, Corey and I were best friends. He soon introduced me to his friends and was easily accepted to the school and the society I did not quite understand. They made sure I knew where the bathroom, canteen, library, clinic, and classrooms were and tutored me in the language; good thing I learned fast. As we matured, my friends did not only teach me English but also American culture, lifestyle, beliefs, and values. They have been very positive influences, especially Corey, who was always there for me and have remained my very good friends. Because of them, I came to love and appreciate life in this country. Homesickness and tears were all wiped out because I started being integrated into the society. I would come home from school tired yet happy. Thus, my parents enjoyed seeing my bright disposition, realizing I have adjusted successfully. In high school, with much proficiency in English, I persevered to perform well in my studies, regarding every course essential in my pursuit of knowledge and meaning in life. Truth is, I got disappointed whenever a classmate argues about the unimportance of studying math or physics because he or she sees no point in spending time to learn something that will not be of good use in the future. I hated this line of argument, as I deem every aspect of education as an essential tool in our lives. There is a reason why math or physics is in the curriculum and why we need to learn it. Whenever someone contends that a certain course or field of study is useless, I heat up, compelled to demonstrate the fallacy of such argument by providing specific examples from my own life or everyday circumstances. This is the world I came from. Much of what I know today, I owe to the friends who have guided me, the teachers who have taught me beyond what the textbooks said, and my family that has stayed intact and happy despite problems and difficulties. All these people have shaped my dream and aspiration to pursue a degree in math or physics. My friends knew that I am most passionate about physics and math. They have encouraged me to take this passion to a higher level. They have always joked that one day they will gladly see the Japanese friend they used to tutor become a physicist. I knew they will be happy if I pursue my dream. There is no better way of showing my appreciation for the years we have been together than showing them that the newbie they have welcomed has grown up to be a successful man. Moreover, the school world I came from have taught me not only factual knowledge but also values I need in facing bigger tasks in a bigger world. I want to make them proud that I, who was once a crybaby, feeling left out on the first day of school, am now successful in my own field and able to make a difference in others’ lives. Furthermore, the world I came from will not be the same without the family that sacrificed leaving Japan just to better provide for my needs. My aspiration of pursuing math or physics, practice it, and put into good use is largely for my mother and my father to show my appreciation for their efforts and sacrifices. Since America is my world now, I aspire to realize this here in the land I have come to call my home. I have always believed that the measure of learning is its application. Therefore, I prepare myself and try to achieve holistic development. I continuously hope that the education I have received and will receive can be used for the betterment of my world.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Reflection on the History & Systems of Psychology Essay

Pre-modern, modern and postmodern frames of reference have all helped shape important, contemporary psychological theories and issues. In this paper I will attempt, in a reflective manner, to walk through and revisit the areas we covered in course, the end aim being to gain a measure of insight into where the field of psychology stands today, particularly with regard to oppressive forms of ethnocentric monoculturalism. In terms of pre-modern perspectives, in the course we first discussed historical issues concerning the mind-body problem. I stated the nature of the relationship between body and mind and whether they are one and the same or two distinct substances, which is the center of the debate between monists and dualist. Descartes, the most well known dualist, argued for a separation of mind from soul and body. Also an interactionist, Descartes held the mind influenced the body as much as the body impacted the mind (Goodwin, 2009). Plato, his predecessor from antiquity, was also a dualist and an interactionist arguably, and believed the body and soul/mind were temporarily at one during life; each came from a completely different place, the body from the material world and the soul from the world of ideas. At the moment of death, the body withered away in time and space, the soul or mind returning to the world of forms and there realizing universal truths (Wozniak, 1992). Delving deeper into pre-modern views of the mind-body problem I touched upon Spinoza. Spinoza, a contemporary of Descartes, dismissed Descartes’ two-substance view in favor of what is called double-aspect theory (Wozniak, 1992). Double-aspect theories hold the view that the mental and the physical realms are varying aspects of the same substance. For Spinoza, that single substance is God, perceived as the universal essence or nature of everything in existence. In Spinoza’s view, there is no partition of mind and body, therefore. Instead they are of a single substance, in a pre-established coordination, reflecting the divine essence. In reflection, I continue to side with Spinoza and double-aspect theory in terms of pre-modern perspectives. I do believe that there is a pre-established coordination between mind and body that is reflective of the divine creation. â€Å"I am therefore I think† is my continued response to Descartes. In terms of modern perspectives in the course we examined the origins of psychology as a subject discipline. During the course I stated that psychology first appeared as a subject discipline in 1879 when Wilhelm Wundt started a psychology lab in Germany at the University of Leipzig. The laboratory devoted itself to the analysis of conscious thought in its basic elements and structures, which was uncovered through a process of introspection (Gross, 1996). What differentiated this ‘new psychology’ at the time from philosophy was its use of measurement and control as well as its emphasis on the scientific method to study mental processes relevant to human consciousness. Due to his influence on Edward B. Titchener, Wundt’s frame of reference arguably helped give birth to structuralism. Indeed Wundt’s disciple, Titchener, is credited with developing and labeling structuralism in an 1898 paper called â€Å"The Postulates of a Structural Psychology (Goodwin, 2009). In the paper he compared and contrasted structuralism with functionalism, which he claimed infested most US universities, save Cornell where he was cultivating what would come to be  called the â€Å"the Cornell school of psychology.† Notwithstanding, Goodwin (2009) has stated that Titchener and the Cornell view of psychology was extremely narrow largely because of its insistence on introspection and due to Titchener’s attitude that his way was the only way, a position that often does not bode well in academia. In this vein and perhaps arrogantly so, Titchener, likened structuralism to anatomy, its purpose being analysis he surmised — whereas functionalism he likened to physiology, stating that functionalists examine how the mind is able to adapt one to his or her said environ ment, which to Titchener was a waste of time without a deep understanding of structure. As one needs to know the ins and outs of human anatomy before being able to fully delve into physiology, so thus was the  functionalist at a loss, in his view, without the ability to outline the structures of human consciousness via a highly difficult process of systematic, experimental introspection as stipulated by him in almost cult like exclusivity, which spawned criticism. Accordingly, his movement never gained the momentum it needed to win American hearts and minds, falling into the dustbin of history in favor of functionalism. Nevertheless, in spite of Titchener’s unpopularity in the US, his enduring contribution is that he helped create a place for the lab and experimental psychology in all colleges and universities with programs in psychology. While functionalists were also interested in looking at mental processes such as consciousness in so far as assessing human behavior in terms of how it aided people in adapting to ever-changing environments, they did not, unlike followers of Titchener, emphasize introspection (Goodwin, 2009). Psychologist James R. Angell, a follower of John Dewey, the founder of functionalism in America, became its most outspoken spokesperson, criticizing Titchener and drawing a sharp contrast to him in a 1907 popular paper called â€Å"The Province of Functional Psychology.† It was a damning response to Titchener’s 1898 paper. For Angell, the structuralist was  interested in the â€Å"what?† of conscious thought, whereas the functionalist psychologist wished to know the â€Å"how?† and â€Å"why?† of it, asking what is consciousness for? (Goodwin, 2009). This way of viewing psychology in terms of its practical applications, became an important influence in modern times, because it led to the study of topics such as developmental and abnormal psychology, in addition to examining the individual differences of mind, (which Titchener and the Cornell school remarkably had no interest in). When asking how psychology can be used to solve everyday problems in a practical way, we are taking from the functionalists and their movement. Perhaps the most prominent movement in the field of modern 20th century psychology was behaviorism. Behaviorism began essentially due to the work of Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov who did not consider himself a psychologist, but, rather a physiologist interested in the process of digestion in dogs, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904 (the year B. F. Skinner was born) in Physiology and Medicine. In the course of his research, Pavlov observed that the dogs would often start salivating before any food being given to them, when they would see the food or the food’s container, or when they heard the footsteps of the lab assistant who was on his way to feed them. His observations led to the study to what we now call classical conditioning (Gross, 1996). The first attempt to apply Pavlov’s findings on conditioning to humans was made by John B. Watson in a dubious and arguably unethical experiment on a small boy named Albert, showing that the fear of rats can be deliberately induced (Watson and Rayer, 1920). The experiment served to popularize a new behavioral approach to psychology that would within a decade become the dominant force in America, Watson its founder, propagator and publicist (Goodwin, 2008). To the modernist Watson (1913), psychology is an objective natural science,  its theoretical goal the prediction and control of behavior. Wundt and Titchener’s view on introspection has no place in its methods, nor is consciousness addressed or studied. There is no marked borderline between people and animals. Due to Watson’s input and influence cats, dogs, rats, and pigeons became the major source of psychological data. As ‘psychological’ now meant ‘behavior’ rather than ‘consciousness,’ animals that were easier to study and whose environments could be more readily controlled could replace people as experimental subjects (Gross, 1966). B. F. Skinner, also a behaviorist and modernist, went steps further than Pavlov and Watson, casting behavior in a more interactive light. He made a distinction between respondent and operant behavior and argued that most animal and human behavior is not brought about in the way Pavlov and Watson indicated and surmised. Skinner, like Edward Thorndike before him, was interested in how animals operate on their environment and how this operant behavior brings about particular consequences that can determine the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. In experiments he used a variation of Thordike’s puzzle-box, a Skinner box, which was made for a rat or a pigeon to do things in, rather than escape from. Fundamentally, Skinner saw the learner as much more actively involved than did Pavlov or Watson, for whom behavior was due to stimuli, unconditioned stimuli before learning and conditioned stimuli after learning. In addition to behaviorism, modern views of psychology took twists and turns. As a reaction to both Titchener’s structuralism and Watson’s behaviorism, the Gestalt psychologists of the 1920s and 1930s in Germany and Austria were primarily concerned with perception and held that perceptions could not be deconstructed in the way that Wundt and Titchener wanted to do with thought, and that behaviorists had sought for with behavior. Their belief could be  succinctly stated as follows: ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ (Gross, 1996, p.3). The whole is essentially destroyed when you break down perception and behavior into parts, the Gestalt psychologists held. There are organizing principles of perceptual organization which were voiced by Gestalt’s founder Max Wertheimer. These principles are frequently highlighted in units on perception in general psychology textbooks and are as follows: the principle of proximity, the principle of similarity, the principle of continuation. All of the organizing principles have in common what is called the law of simplicity or what Gestaltists term Prà ¤gnanz. This refers to the tendency for perceptions to mirror reality as closely as possible (Goodwin, 2009). In the course I gave an example of gestalt thinking, which in reflection I would like to return to as it clearly remains in mind. I used the example of a bus stopping at a bus stop in one’s neighborhood. On a given day the bus stops at the same corner the person is accustomed to, and is recognized to be that bus. The person gets on, but has made a mistake. She did not realize that there was a route change that morning and the bus she took was numbered differently. What gives? Is it only a matter of not paying attention? In Gestalt inspired, top-down conceptually driven processing, we begin with one’s prior knowledge, motivations, expectations and beliefs. In the bus example, the inability to see and decipher or register a different number on the bus and get on it, means it was recognized it to be the customary bus due to top-down processing (Danner, 2009). If one were to notice the different bus number, however, that would entail bottom-up processing, because such processing is data driven. The different number is perceived in terms of information in the sensory input, in conjunction with top-down processing, revealing to the person that it is not the customary bus. Perhaps after realizing her mistake, the person in  the example will be more careful next time, thereby exercising more bottom-up processing. If Austria was home to some of Gestalt’s most prominent members and adherents, it was also home to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Freudian psychoanalytic theory was the first to state the significance of innate drives and define abnormal and normal behavior in relationship to the role of the unconscious mind. Its importance is that the theory of personality popularized contextualizing human behavior in terms of the id, ego, and superego, notating development in five psychosexual stages. Each stage was marked by shifts in what Freud believed were the underlying modes of gratification: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital (Glassman, 2000). In reflection, I continue to find merit in Freud’s concept of stages for sure. I would still prefer to call them development stages, however, and not necessarily put a sexual meaning on them, as Freud and his supporters have done and continue to do. There is no need to detail the well-known limitations and criticisms of Freudian theory, which according to Glassman (2000) are its falsifiability, the great deal of emphasis put on case studies, and its cultural bias towards women. Regardless of such naysaying, his supporters would passionately argue for and be adamant about such a sexual narrative of the human person, which if not fodder, certainly has entertainment value. In fact, Freudian theory is fascinating to me largely due to the dramatic (almost cinematic) conflicts and challenges that mark each psychosexual stage. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the Oedipal conflict (which occurs in the so-called phallic stage). It was interesting to read that some analysts calle d the female variant, the Electra conflict, but Freud himself did not use the term (see Freud 1924). Perhaps the most attractive modern theory of personality, in my view, would belong to Carl Rogers. In Carl Roger’s theory, a person is the source of his  or her basic needs such as food and water. He or she is also the source of a growth motive which he called an actualizing tendency, which is an innate drive that is reflective of the desire to grow, to develop and to develop one’s capabilities (Glassman, 2000). It is the actualizing tendency that stimulates creativity, causing a person to seek out new challenges and skills that motivate healthy growth in one’s lifetime (Gross, 1996). According to Rogers (1961, but originally proposed in 1947): Whether one calls it a growth tendency, a drive towards self-actualization, or a forward moving direction tendency, it is the mainspring in life†¦ It is the urge which is evident in all organic and human life – to expand, extend, become autonomous, mature and develop. In reflection, I continue to feel that Roger’s influence and continuing popularity in the psychotherapeutic community give his theories merit. APA members have been asked which psychotherapist they believe to me the most influential figure in the field (Smith, 1982). In 2006, this survey repeated in the Psychotherapy Networker. In both surveys, Carl Rogers was the â€Å"landslide† choice. While this does not prove Rogers to be correct, certainly it gives his theory of motivation more credence than not, increasing its believability. Certainly, I feel influenced by Rogers as I move forward in my career. While Roger’s theory of an actualizing tendency and the overall nature of the client-centered approach may be controversial due to its allowance to let the client call the shots and as stated by Goodwin (2009) for its overemphasis on the the self at the expense of the importance of the community, in addition to being clearer what it was against than what it was for, it is nevertheless, a credible postulation in terms of its application in therapy and remains my preference over Freud. Accordingly, I continue to feel that all clients  innately wish to be successful in life and to be praised as contributors to their own selfactualization. They wish to expand their knowledge and achieve  higher levels of success beneath all the guises that seem otherwise. When clients are not performing to their fullest potential, praise and support can help ignite the actualizing tendency in a manner that would otherwise have remained dormant. When exploring postmodern views of psychology we have to inherently speak about cultural narratives and meta-narratives. What is psychology today and who defines it? What is psychology’s story, who told that story historically, and who gets to tell it today? When we look at psychology as a practice, historically and today, is important to bring to the fore the ethnocentric monocultural aspects that were oppressive to women and continue to be to minority groups in reinforcing white male Euro-American culture as the normative and desirable culture. Indeed, therapists and helping professionals should try to help deconstruct and unveil monoculturalism whenever it rears its despicable head. When oppressive forms such as heterosexism, ageism, gender and sexism come to the fore in therapy, for example, therapists should not reinforce them but try to encourage reflection on such prejudices with the aim being for the client to indentify for what it is – and to grow accordingly. The field of psychology itself is not immune but remains at risk to the debacle of monoculturalism. According to Yutrzenka, Todd-Bazemore and Caraway (1999) even though the data forecast that by 2050, ethnic minorities will make up over 50% of the US population, this quickly changing demographic has minimal effect on the number of ethnic minority psychologists. This is particularly true for Native Americans, who are far more underrepresented than any other ethnic body. Though the APA as stated by Goodwin (2009), is vigorously addressing this entire issue at present, with such efforts to be praised, still the legacy of ethnocentric monoculturalism is a stain on the profession, and will remain so until  significant numbers of minority psychologists abound. In spite of the barriers confronting them, women and minorities have made many notable, valuable and vital contributions to the field of psychology. During the course I discussed Eleanor Gibson who received the National Medal of Science in 1992 for a lifetime of research on topics dealing with the development of depth perception to the fundamentals involved in reading, faced discrimination while at Yale from psychologist Robert Yerkes who wanted no females in his lab (Goodwin, 2009). While she was able to get her PhD there under the guidance of the neobehaviorist Clark Hull, she unfortunately went on to experience difficulties at Cornell (where her husband had gained a position) forced into an unpaid research associate position in spite of winning competitive and prestigious research grants. As a result of these grants, however, she was able to carry out pioneering studies on depth perception with Richard Walk. When Cornell, home to Titchener’s legacy, removed its nepotism rules in 1966, only then did she become a full professor. Furthermore, as discussed in the course, African-Americans have also made outstanding contributions to psychology. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark again come to mind in terms of their best known research titled Racial identification and preference in Negro children (Goodwin, 2009). In this research it was shown that black children showed a preference for white dolls over black ones when asked which they would like to play with and looked more like. The Clarks concluded, according to Goodwin (2009) that one insidious effect of racial segregation was its negative influence on African-American self-esteem. As a result of this research, in part, the Supreme Court was compelled to do the right thing and reverse the racist separate but equal doctrine in Brown v. Board of Education. The Clarks’ contribution to psychology and the contributions of other AfricanAmericans preceding them were not without struggle. Their mentor at Howard University, Francis Sumner faced huge obstacles when attempting to get a graduate degree and gain employment in academia. African-Americans have often had their basic intellectual abilities questioned (Goodwin, 2009). The legacy of white racism and of the field of psychology’s complicity by not taking a firmer stand until only recently is without question a significant reason why African-Americans remain heavily underrepresented in the profession, in spite of the gains made for women. 60 percent of doctorates in psychology are awarded to women today, while Native Americans as we discussed and African-Americans continue to be awarded a paltry percentage in turn. Such dismal figures have nothing to do with intelligence. We know that early intelligence tests were normed on just Caucasian, middle-class populations and only recently has such bias been addressed and perhaps abated. This also was the case for the MMPI personality tests as well. In the case of the MMPI, many of the original items became dated and according to Kassin (2008), to bring the test up to the 21st century and more postmodern views, new items were written in, and a more diverse cross-section of the US was sampled. The result of that updating is the newer 567-item version called the MMPI-2. In reflection, my guess is that similar advances have been made or are being considered in IQ testing as well; otherwise we would have to call into question whether biased IQ tests are valid for minority groups. Accordingly, great care should be taken when formulating test questions as well as interpreting the results of test-takers from different cultural groups and urban tribes. Fundamentally, it is crucial that test makers be made aware of cultural differences when putting together IQ test questions, as recommended for the MMPI (Church 2001). Exercising caution does not mean  minority groups are treated with kid gloves, but rather that a lens of understanding is in place — and that can come about as a result of the test makers and assessors informing themselves. Otherwise an IQ test’s validity for minority groups is at issue. Pre-modern, modern and postmodern frames of reference have all helped shape important, contemporary psychological theories and issues. Accordingly, I have attempted in a reflective manner to revisit the areas of psychology’s history we covered in course. If psychology as a profession is to continue to grow and develop, it will occur through a similar process of reflection, followed by action. It is important for psychology to know its origins, its history and respective story. However, in realization of the depth of ethnocentric monoculturalism, its leadership, particularly in the APA, must act on the call to bring about the inclusion of more minorities. Otherwise, the oppressive stain of monoculturalism shall abound and continue to blemish the profession we hold dear. References Angell, J.R. (1904). Psychology. New York: Holt. Church, A.T. (2001). Personality measurement in cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Personality, 69, 979-1006. Danner, N. (2011). Psychology: ORG5001 survey of psychology I. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions. Freud, S. (1924) A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. New York: Washington Square Press (reprinted 1952). Glassman, W (Ed.). (2000) Approaches to psychology. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Goodwin, C.J. (2009) A history of modern psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Gross, R. (Ed.). (1996) Psychology, the study of mind and behavior. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Kassin, S., (2008). Psychology in Modules: ORG 5002 Survey of psychology II. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing. Rogers, C.R. (1961) On becoming a person. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Smith, D. (1982) Trends in counseling and psychology. American Psychologist, 37, 802–809. Watson, J.B. (1913) Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychological Review, 20, 15877. Watson, J.B. & Rayneer, R. (1920) Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14. Wozniak,R. (1992) Mind and body: Renà © Descartes to William James. Retrieved from http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%206%20MindBody/DUALISM.htm. Yutrzenka, B.A., Todd-Bazemore, E., & Caraway, S.J. (1999). Four winds: The evolution of culturally inclusive clinical psychology training for Native Americans. International Review of Psychiatry, 11, 129- 135. ProQuest: 43479524.