Aristotle's Pursuit of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aristotle's Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example Another example person who looks for the pleasure through eating must find the mean between gluttony and starvation. The Greek word eudaimonia is usually understood as the translation for â€Å"happiness†. The problem is that happiness is usually perceived with a subjective mental state, as when one claims to be happy enjoying a dozen cans of cool beer on a searing day, or is having enjoyment with friends. On the other hand, Aristotle believes that ideal of happiness is the ultimate end that covers the entirety of any human being’s life. Happiness is not something that can be achieved or discarded in the temporariness of time like that found in pleasurable sensations. Happiness is more likened to the importance of an individual’s life as lived up and measuring how well one has lived up to his or her full potential. It is because of this reason that an individual cannot really make any statement regarding whether he or she has achieved a life of happiness until it has ended.   Aristotle thinks that the most significant reason in the endeavor to accomplish happiness is to practice and cultivate good moral character or virtue ethics. It should be noted, however, that being virtuous is not something that is gained passively. ... The achievement of these various endeavors would lead to the perfection of human nature and enrichment of life. This involves any person to make decisions, some of which may be easier said than done. Most of the time, the lesser goods bring the assurance of instant enjoyment and more appealing, while the greater good more tasking and likely demands some degree of patience and perseverance. For example, it is likely to be easier and more enjoyable to spend the night going to the pub and have some booze and fun, but knowing that it will be better off if dealing for a project in which the due date is the next day. Improvement for a good character demands a strong will in doing what is right, even in the most testing challenges and situations. What this means is that the rational part of the soul should control the rational part (Stumpf, 94). It would be understandable then that Aristotle is highly critical of the culture of instant satisfaction which seems to be predominant way of life in the modern world today. To be able to attain the lifestyle of complete virtue, an individual needs to make right decisions by taking to account the future ultimate result as a whole. Happiness will not be achieved simply by indulging the pleasures at the whims of temporariness. Since the passions are capable of a wide range of action, all the way from too little to too much, a person must discover the proper meaning of excess and defect and thereby discover the appropriate mean (94). However, this undertaking is a task most individuals will find hard overcome in themselves. Eventually, the virtue ethics of Aristotle will bring the awareness to the concept of  akrasia, which means the weakness of the will. Most often than not, the irresistible prospect of some great

The First Essay Example for Free

The First Essay In the first part of this lab, E. coli cells were transformed with an R-plasmid carrying a tetracycline resistant gene, giving rise to tetracycline resistant E. coli strain. This was accomplished through transformation, which allowed E. coli to directly uptake the naked DNA molecule carrying the antibiotic resistant gene (1). However, in order to take up the DNA and incorporate them into their genome via recombination, cells must be competent (1). Therefore, E. coli cells which are not competent under normal conditions were treated with cold and high concentration of CaCl2, in order to make them artificially competent (1). The transformants were grown on the LB with the tetracycline antibiotic, and on the LB without the tetracycline. Then the viable competent cells and the viable cells were counted to calculate the frequency of transformation. In the second part of the lab, lateral gene transfer by generalized transduction was done on E. coli cells. In the process of transduction, the transfer of genes is facilitated by bacteriophage, which is a virus that infects a bacterial host (1). Generalized transduction involves lytic infections that kill the bacterial cells, and during the process, bacterial DNA is packaged into a new phage head which in turn injects the DNA into another bacterium (1). In this lab, P1vir phage was used and grown on the donor strain by making a phage lysate. P1vir phage kills bacterial cells by lytic infections, which is required in the generalized transduction (1). On the other hand, the wild-type p1 is a lysogenic phage and therefore could not be used for the generalized transduction (1). In order to prevent excessive killing of the recipient E. oli strain, the P1vir lysate was tittered by serial dilutions. This would also prevent infection and lysis of the transducing particle. In generalized transduction, trp-pyrF region of CSH61 chromosome, which was the P1vir lysate, was laterally transferred to the recipient CSH54 strain. The genotypes of transductants were tested by patching them onto a Petrie plate lacking tryptophan and uracil, whi ch will allow growth of trp+, pyrF+, and not the trp+,pyrF- transductants. Trp gene encodes for trypsin, while the pyrF gene encodes for pyramidines, such as uracil. Thi, his, and pro genes encode for thiamine, histidine, and proline respeictively (1). Finally, the frequency of transductant was used to obtain the distance between the trp and pyrF gene. Discussion In the transformation experiment, E. coli cells were transformed with Plasmid DNA containing the tetracycline resistant gene, and were tested for competency by growing them in LB in presence of tetracycline antibiotic. Tetracycline is a broad spectrum antibiotic that works by inhibiting translation, thus inhibiting protein synthesis. It attaches to the 30S subunit of ribosome and prevents the charged aminoacyl-tRNA from binding (3). As shown on Table 1, Tube 3 and Tube 2 did not have any growth of E. coli cells. Tube 2 contained E. coli cells only, and when cultured on the LB plate in presence of tetracycline antibiotic, the growth was inhibited by the antibiotic. Because the E. coli cells in tube 2 lacked the tetracycline resistant gene contained in the plasmid DNA, it was unable to grow in the presence of tetracycline antibiotic. Tube 3, lacked the E. coli cells and so, there were no cells to grow in the LB plate with or without the tetracycline. Tube 3 instead was used as a control, to test for contamination in the plasmid DNA and the calcium chloride. In tube 1, which contained the E. coli cells and the plasmid DNA containing the tetracycline resistant gene, transformation occurred. As a result, E. coli cells have acquired the tetracycline resistant gene, being able to grow on the LB plate in the presence of the tetracycline antibiotic. Therefore the viable competent cells were counted from tube 1 contents in 102 diluted LB (with antibiotic), which had cells between 30 and 300 colonies. On the other hand, the total viable cells were counted from tube 1 in 106 diluted plate that was grown on LB without the antibiotic. As shown on table. 2, the viable competent cells were calculated to be 24350 cells/100ul and the total viable cells were found to be 370,500,000 cells/100ul. Finally, the transformation frequency, which is the ratio of transformants per viable cell, was calculated and was found to be 6. 49 x 10-05 as shown on table 2. In the generalized transduction experiment, trp gene from the donor strain of CSH61 (P1vir lysate) was laterally transferred to the recipient strain, CSH54. CSH61 strain are trp+, pyrF+ and the CSH54 strain are trp-, pyrF-, and because trp and pyrF are linked together on the same chromosomal fragment, they are cotransduced (1). The transductants were identified by selecting for the trp+ marker by growing in absence of tryptophan, however the pyrF marker may be present or absent, depending on the crossover event during recombination. This was identified by patching the transductants onto a Petrie plate lacking tryptophan and uracil. The trp+, pyrF+ transductants will be able to synthesize both tryptophan and uracil, and therefore will grow in this minimal medium (1). However, trp+, pyrF- transductants cannot grow in the medium, because they won’t be able to synthesize uracil (1). As shown on table 3, 57. 5% of transductants were trp+, pyrF+ while 42. 5% were trp+, pyrF-. This means trp is cotransduced with pyrF at 57. 5% frequency, which indicates that they are very closely linked. Markers which are separated by less than 0. 5 minutes are cotransduced at 35-95%, and so, trp which cotransduced with pyrF at 57. 5%, is very closely linked (1). This closely matches the actual cotransduction frequency of 55% between trp and pyrF in E. oli (2). According to the Wu formula, the cotransduction frequency of 57. 5% yielded distance of 0. 084 minutes, which was very close to the distance of 0. 09 minutes at cotransduction frequency of 55% found in literature (2). Bacterial genes can also be analyzed by a method known as Southern blotting (4). In this method, DNA is treated with restriction enzymes, which cuts the DNA into fragments of different size. Then the fragments are run on an agarose gel by electrophoresis, which separates the fragments by size.

The Ocean Environment Essay examples -- Marine Environment Essays

Ocean Environment The sea is the most obvious feature of the earth's surface. Approximately seventy percent of this surface is covered by water, in one way or another. Beneath this water are the familiar sands of the beaches, bottoms of bays, and the inshore ocean. Farther offshore this water covers an amazing submarine topography of underwater canyons, trenches, mountains, and plains. Unlike the continents, which are physically separated from one another, the oceans are continuous and interconnected. Since the "world ocean is continuous"(M.J. Keen) it has similar characteristics throughout. In the early 1870s oceanographers collected seawater samples from all of the seas of the world at a variety of depths. When analyzed, the samples were found to have quite similar characteristics. These findings convinced many that a method of study was needed. The study of oceans was named oceanography. Density, salinity, and temperature are very important concepts in the study of oceanography. The salinity and temperature of the water influence its density, and the differences in density are the major factor in understanding the formation of currents and the positions of water masses in the sea. In addition, temperature and salinity play major roles in influencing the distribution of plants and animals. The sediments of the sea floor may be divided into lithogenous, hydrogenous, biogenous, and cosmogenous sediments. Lithogenous sediments are the major sediments on the ocean floor. They are derived from the chemical and mechanical weathering of rocks. Biogenous sediments are composed primarily of the protective outter covering of small marine animals and plants. If these remains comprise at least thirty percent of the sediment it is called an "ooze". "Oozes" were named for the types of organisms that formed them. Hydrogenous sediments form as a result of the chemical reactions that occur in the seawater. These reactions result in the formation of small particles, which are deposited on the sea floor. Currents move these particles and cause them to collide with the other particles. If many of these collisions occur they may form nodules. Nodules are found on some portions of the deep-sea floor. The sediment type frequently determines the type of organ... ...discarge of oil from ships, and the development of emergency response systems to oil pollution accidents have contributed to the decline of ship-based souces of oil pollution over the last two decades. The moratorium on dumping of radioactive waste at sea under the London Dumping Convention also represents another response to concerns about the risks posed by such diposal. Some regions have concluded agreement which ban dumping of any radioactive waste at sea. In the Mediterranean and Red Sea, all discharge of oily wasted from ships is also banned. The differences between terrestial regions are well known. Less well known are the features that distingush the Atlantic from the Pacific Ocean, or the coast of South America from those of Southern Africa. Regardless of this, the various regions of the world's oceans are all affected by human activity, with pollution and harvesting of resouces of resouces being common to all seas and oceans. The various marine resources, as well as the extent of human impacts on them, are examined region by region, illustrating hos stresses on the marine environmet treatened the very resistance of some habitats and species.

Environmental Regulation of Offshore Essay

The Environmental Regulation of Offshore Waste management in Nigeria has been documented in an article published by Law Environment And Development [1]. Evidence suggest that, Director of Petroleum Resources has to adopt measure to ensure the adequate regulation of offshore oil and gas E&P waste management [3] and further evidence suggest that, all offshore oil and gas E&P activities should also be subjected to environmental impact assessment at every stage of exploration and production in order to facilitate the proper management of wastes generated [124]. There are counter argument that says although the discharge of produced sands containing LSA/NORM into inland waters and near shore waters is prohibited unless treated to the satisfaction of the Director, no mention is made of discharge into offshore waters [53] and however, certain activities such as unplanned discharge of produced water (requiring contingency permits) and the transfer of produced water to another field for treatment and subsequent re-injection (requiring transfer permits) are not covered by permits or approval under Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry in Nigeria [17] and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act 2007 (hereafter NESREA Act) empower NESREA, amongst other things, to enforce compliance with regulation on the handling and disposal of chemicals and waste except in the oil and gas sector (10).

How and why Muhammad was opposed in Makkah Essay

The prophet Muhammad preached in Makkah to bring people in the right path and to believe in one god. However, he was opposed in many ways possible by many people mainly the Quraish. There were many reasons why people opposed the prophet Muhammad in Makkah and many were due to selfish needs such as wealth and power. The prophet Muhammad was opposed in many ways such as verbal and physical abuse. The Quraish were the main people to oppose Muhammad in Makkah. The opposition of the Quraish to the message of Islam greatly influenced the rest of the Arabs to reject Islam as well. In fact the influence of the Quraish was so great that even if they had not exerted themselves in their resistance they still could have swayed the people. That was because all of the Arabs looked to the Quraish and waited for their approval for many reasons such as the high status of the Quraish in the hearts of the Arabs. They revered the Quraish because they were the people who lived close to the Kabah. For this reason the other Arabs honored and respected the Quraish and took pride in rushing to fulfill any need that they might have for food, drink or other things as well. Although Muhammad’s preaching was basically religious, there was implicit in it a critique of the conduct and attitudes of the rich merchants of Mecca. Attempts were made to get him to soften his criticism by offering him a fuller share in trade and a marriage alliance with one of the wealthiest families, but he decisively rejected such offers. Points in the message of the Qur’an were questioned, such as the assertion that men would be resurrected before the Judgment. Commercial pressure was brought to bear on Muhammad’s supporters, and in some families there was mild persecution of junior members who followed him. In about 616 Abu Jahl organized a boycott of the clan of Hashim by the chief clans of Mecca, all egedly because the clan continued to protect Muhammad and did not curb his preaching; but, since few of the clan were Muslims, other questions may have been involved. After three years the boycott lost momentum, perhaps because some of the participants found they were harming their own economic interests. Many in Makkah had become rich, as the city was a central trade hub and a spiritual center for polytheism. They did not appreciate Muhammad’s message of embracing social equality, rejecting idols, and sharing wealth with the poor and needy. Thus, many of  the Prophet Muhammad’s early followers were among the lower classes, slaves, and women. These early Muslim followers were subject to horrible mistreatment by the Makkan upper classes. Several were tortured, others were killed, and some took temporary refuge in Abyssinia. The Makkan tribes then organized a social boycott of the Muslims, not allowing people to trade with, care for, or socialize with the Muslims. In the harsh desert climate, this was essentially a death sentence. The Makkans got together to try and get rid of Muhammad (pbuh) and his teachings. They had already openl y opposed it in public and had even tried to ridicule and slander the Prophet (pbuh). They had spoken to Abu Talib and asked him to withdraw his support and protection for Muhammad (pbuh). They had failed each time and Muhammad (pbuh) continued to preach and slowly the message was spreading. There were only a few months until the pilgrimage would be performed and Makkah would be flooded with many Arabs from all over the peninsula. They wanted to get together and sort out Muhammad (pbuh) and his preaching. They wanted to get together and formulate a new plan! They wanted to minimise the effect of the teachings of Islam upon the pilgrims. They decided if they joined forces they might be able to sort out Muhammad (pbuh). They would make things up, spread rumours and lies so that people stay away from Muhammad (pbuh) and don’t listen to his message. Someone suggested that they accuse Muhammad (pbuh) of being a sorcerer, using magic to trick and influence people. Another said they say that Muhammad (pbuh) is just a madman and is preaching nonsense. Another suggested they say that an evil spirit possesses Muhammad (pbuh) and that the Arabs should ignore him and keep away from him. Another suggested that they say that Muhammad (pbuh) was just a poet and the message of th e Qur’an was just poetry. The fact of the matter was that none of these allegations were true and the Makkans knew this. How could they try and combat the message of Muhammad (pbuh) and how could they halt his message from being preached. They decided that they would consult Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah – a very influential person in his tribe. Al-Waleed listened to all these allegations against the prophet (pbuh) and dismissed them all. He, however, found that the most plausible way would be to suggest that Muhammad (pbuh) was a magician and  that he used magic words to influence people. They said that his ‘magic’ words would separate a father from his son, a husband from his wife, a man from his clan†¦ They finally decided that this was the best excuse they could use to discredit Muhammad (pbuh). They would tell the pilgrims that Muhammad (pbuh) was a powerful sorcerer and that they should avoid him at all costs. To conclude, Muhammad was opposed in Makkah because rich people didnâ €™t want to lose their power, status or wealth. Also because they believed that the idols they worshipped were good enough for their fathers. Their forefathers and so were good enough for them.

Ethical Dilemnas in the School Districts

Ethical Dilemnas in the School Districts AbstractEveryday our school districts are full of ethical dilemmas. Our teachers and other staff have been educated on moral development and implementing these moral values to our children. Teaching personnel experience dilemmas on a daily basis. Having moral obligations to society, to the profession, to the school board, and to students, they find that it often is not clear what is right or wrong, or what one ought to do, or which perspective is right in moral terms (Rushworth Kidder, 1995). Unfortunately, relatively few personnel have been trained to deal with conflicts related to teen pregnancy. Until very recently, ethical issues were given little attention in preparation programs. Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict. A principal who values both teacher autonomy and student achievement will face a dilemma when teachers want to enact a policy that lowers expectations. This kind of conflict is heightened because school leaders are public officials with obligations to many people who often have competing values or interests.Betonwerksteinskulptur "Lehrer-Student" von Reinha...Should parents be informed if a teacher learns that a student is pregnant? This is the ethical dilemma facing our school today.The DilemmaI work for the Tracy Area Elementary school district. We have recently had an ethical dilemma that has increased concern for our students and teachers. The dilemma is a young girl who is 14 years old went to the teacher and told her she was pregnant and did not know what to do. The teacher had quite a shock and did not know how to handle the situation. She encouraged the girl to tell her parents and seek prenatal care. She also helped her to contact the local Planned Parenthood. The girl was quite scared of telling her parents so the teacher took her to the Planned Parenthood (PP), against her...

Crowdfunding †Whether You Need the Money or Not

Crowdfunding – Whether You Need the Money or Not FundsforWriters is all about helping you earn enough money, whether its finding jobs, publishing or freelancing. Crowdfunding is off and running, and its Like with grants, many writers I know do not want to bother with crowdfunding. Its another learning curve, they dont like asking for money, theyd have to pay taxes on the money, you name it. But the one that doesnt make sense is I dont need the money, so I shouldnt ask for it. Crowdfunding has turned into more than the needy asking for funds. Crowdfunding is a strategic method of finding supporters. When you proudly and passionately promote your project, then offer rewards for people to jump on board your train, you are campaigning for all of you to propel a project into fruition. It isnt a poor person asking for a handout. Its the group of you making something exciting happen! Look at the successful BIG projects on crowdfunding. Watches, movies, all sort of inventions. Publishers even post their next book project. i Just saw a nonprofit press post about their next poets chapbook, asking for support. What they are doing is not only financial, but also promotional. Its getting the news out ahead of time, and the blog updates within the crowdfunding page keeps the supporters updated as to progress. It becomes a community effort instead of an author, a publisher, and a reader. Hello Ru 1000 Days of Spring is a memoir that asked for $6,400 and gained $12,790. www.indiegogo.com/projects/1000-days-of-spring With each dollar comes a reader or two! See crowdfunding as a tool in your promo toolbox, not just a place to find money. Not only will you gain readers, but successful campaigns are trolled

Learn About Spanish Interrogative Pronouns

Learn About Spanish Interrogative Pronouns Quà © and cul  are two words that can be confusing to people learning Spanish, because they can be translated as the same word into English, namely, what.  It is sometimes said that  quà ©Ã‚  is closer to what in meaning, and  cul  is closer to which. But that rule isnt always true. When to Use Accent Marks The two words, when they have  accents, are used as interrogative  pronouns  in questions to mean what or which.  Quà ©Ã‚  is the same in the singular and plural forms; the plural of  cul  is  cules. Accented  forms of these words appear only in exclamations and in questions, which includes an  indirect  question. The accented  quà ©Ã‚  is found most often at the beginning of a sentence, although  it sometimes follows de  and other prepositions, especially in indirect questions.  For example,  Ã‚ ¿De quà © color es la  camisa?  meaning, What color is the shirt?   Without accents, normally que  and  cual are not being used as a question. Most often, they are connecting words or, technically speaking, relative pronouns, translated to mean which or that. They can stand for either feminine or masculine objects as well as ideas or concepts. An example of this usage is a popular phrase,  Creo que sà ­, meaning, I think that is so. Use Cases of Quà © and Cul When Asking Questions There are a number of ways to ask questions using the words  quà ©Ã‚  and  cul.  A speaker can ask for a definition, like What is this?, which uses quà ©.  Or, you can ask for a choice selection from a group, What looks better, this red blouse or this black one?, which uses  cul. Quà ©Used for Definitions A number of examples may help explain usage of quà © asking for a definition:  Ã‚ ¿Quà © es una ciudad?,  meaning, What is a city? Or,  Ã‚ ¿Quà © hace un presidente?, meaning,  What does a president do? Or,  Ã‚ ¿Quà © significa talanquera?, asking, What does talanquera mean? Quà ©Used Before Nouns Quà © is usually the interrogative pronoun that is used right before nouns. For example,  Ã‚ ¿Quà © casa prefieres?,  meaning, Which house do you prefer? Or,  ¿Quà © libro leà ­ste?,  asking, Which book did you read? CulUsed Before Forms of Ser Cul  is used before  es  and other forms of the verb  ser, meaning to be, when not seeking a definition. For example,  Ã‚ ¿Cul es tu nà ºmero de telà ©fono?,  meaning, What is your phone number? Or,  Ã‚ ¿Cul es tu problema?,  meaning, What is your problem? Or,  ¿Cules son las ciudades ms grandes?,  asking, What are the biggest cities? Cul Used toMake a Choice Cul  is used to suggest or ask for a selection or choice from a group. For example,  Ã‚ ¿Cul miras?,  meaning,  Which one are you looking at? But,  ¿Quà © miras?,  would be used to ask when you want to know, What are you looking at? An example of the plural form of the interrogative pronoun used in making a choice would be,  Ã‚ ¿Cules quieres?, meaning,  Which ones do you want? But,  ¿Quà © quieres?,  would be the proper way to ask, What do you want? Quà © as an Idiom An  idiom  is an  expression, word or phrase that has a figurative meaning traditionally understood by native speakers. For example,  Ã‚ ¡Quà © lstima! meaning, What a shame! Or,  Ã‚ ¡Quà © susto!  meaning, What a fright!   Some of the most common idiomatic expressions that are used daily in native Spanish speech  are  ¿Y quà ©? or  ¿Y a mà ­ quà ©?,  both meaning, So what? Or,  Ã‚ ¿Para quà ©? or  ¿Por quà ©?,  meaning,  Why?

Employee Motivation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Motivation - Coursework Example The secret to Motivating Employees,† university management professor Adam Grant proposes an easy strategy to motivating employees for a healthy organizational framework: a brief contact with the beneficiary. With case studies as backbones, Grant proves to a certain extent how such kind of approach boosts employee productivity to a notch higher than usual. In one study in a call center, an agent was made to interact with a recipient of a school fundraising program (â€Å"Open Secret,† 2010). The agent was able to generate twice as much as sales. In another study at a community recreation center, the certain group of lifeguards who were liberated of their abilities to save lives has worked up to several more hours than the group who only learned about the personal rewards of the job (â€Å"Open Secret,† 2010). In these experiments, Grant proposes the need for a social-emotional link between the end-users and the workers which could actually titillate employee motiva tion at its peak. With a consistently motivated employee, it is a no-brainer that a business can run its course into the industry for a long time. Furthermore, he also proposes a customer-driven approach not merely for the benefit of the customers but also to mold the interpersonal relations of the employee which any individual needs.   Grant’s proposition is a psychological assertion in the same way the larger context of ‘motivation’ itself stands on a psychological platform. Psychologist Frederick Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory has been putting important stress on the effect of employee motivation on the overall performance of an organization. In this model, the motivators refer to achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, growth, and advancement (â€Å"Herzberg’s,† n.d.). By adding awareness about who benefits from their jobs, employees will learn the gravity of their social responsibility, the extent of their achievement, and to feel the nature of their work.  Ã‚  

Adjusting to Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Adjusting to Terrorism - Essay Example The U.S Department of Defense defines terrorism as the â€Å"unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (Levine, 2001). In the context, it is suggestive that the goal of terrorism may vary, including the possible take over of the terrorists in the administration. The September 11 attack dubbed for serious threat in humanity of the harm those terrorists able to do. Bush administration proposed doctrines in the U.S. Foreign Policy. However, the continuous social mishaps brought by terrorists in certain parts of neighboring countries deny the effectiveness of the policy, which also raised serious questions of its reliance (Eitzen and Zinn, 2004). Proposals to Combat Terrorism Through numerous filed case of terrorists’ attacks, in addressing this issue, could already lead the intellects to come up with the possible strategies and proposal for its combat. Islamic extremists is one of the many possible sources of terrorism, it is suggestive to concentrate on this substance, as to neutralize its current threat. In this type of cold war, military strength and missile shield are not the answer. Overwhelming military and economic dominance did not guarantee protection from nineteen men who hijacked four planes with plastic knives, and turned them into guided missiles (Eitezen and Zinn, 2004). Responding to the similar violent attacks would not benefit any of the fighting forces, but most like likely it will just resume to never-ending violence. In a strict strategic of terrorists, the savage response could be their anticipation to win sympathy and converts to their cause (Lewis, 2001). The most effective way to deal with terrorism is to address its root causes. Social scholars like Stanley Eitzenn and Maxine Baca Zinn, through their work Social Problems, Ninth Edition, (2004) suggested that it’s about time for

Consumer Segmentation Process Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer Segmentation Process - Case Study Example It has changed the nature of health care. The marketing technique used by this brand can be called as customized branding. It is a process to accommodate the brand according to the needs of to specific individuals for particular purposes. The market Segmentation plays important role during this process. For instance in the case of NHF 'Tick' products it helps to understand and identify a particular group of customers for defining the needs of customers and also for evolving guidelines to find the required product. The segmentation process also used instrumentally for developing and communicating the customized brand proposal. Market segmentation is the method of separating the market segments into specific categories. Different groups of consumers need different types of products. They should be accessed by using specific strategies. By using target marketing method developing sales and evolving marketing strategies. Product positioning is used by companies to offer specific products to specific group of people. Purpose of market segmentation can be achieved with the help of various methodologies. The main segmentation variables for consumer markets depend upon geography, demography, psychology and behavior of consumers. These variables are used in conjunction with market requirements. Marketing experts think that they are in a better position to know market segments where requirements of consumers are not fully met. Managers should use different segmentation variables in association to target markets precisely. Geographic Variable The geographical association of consumers plays an important role in market segmentation process. Research reports show that preferences of vary from village dwellers to city inhabitants. There is quite noticeable difference in the purchasing power of these categories of the consumers. Moreover these preference vary from developing regions to developed regions. As far as Australia is concerned the consumer preferences are quite different in city centers as compared to rural consumers. It would be interesting to know that major city dwellers are more prone to heart diseases because of their busy lives and also because of fast food culture. Whereas in rural areas, people are involved in physical activities on greater scale. So there is less chance of heart diseases. Consequently they would pay less attention to NHF recommended products. So it can be concluded that companies would have to target specific regions. (Michman, 1991, p. 27) Demographic Variable Analyses of polls and survey results show that age play an important role in market segmentation process with special reference to NHF recommended products. Heart diseases and other similar symptoms are likely to develop in people of high age group. So it would be appropriate to target the groups of older age people who may feel interest in 'Tick' products. The age factor is also associated with geographic variables as well. Companies can target those thickly populated areas where aged people are dwelling higher proportion who are more prone to heart and high cholesterol related diseases. Consumers can be further

Melting ice glaciers due to global warming Term Paper - 1

Melting ice glaciers due to global warming - Term Paper Example The increase in carbon content in the air has increased the global temperature which has caused glaciers to melt (Kayne). The resulting increase in the sea level is the main cause of hurricanes and cyclones which have endangered life on Earth. The enormous increase of temperature can greatly affect many ecosystems. Most importantly, ice is melting away. The following figure depicts fluctuations in the sea level along with the temperature variations over the last 450,000 years: From the figure, it can be seen that the content of carbon dioxide in the Miocene caused the sea levels to become 25 ft higher as compared to the present day level. The increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the air in the recent years has been so enormous that the global temperature and sea levels did not get sufficient time to increase, and so they could not increase as much as they would have, had the increase of carbon dioxide taken longer. It is noteworthy here that it is not the phenomenon of melting away of the pack ice that causes any rise in the level of sea. Ice that floats in an ocean is lesser in density as compared to water. When it melts, the additional water that goes into the sea is no more than the volume of ice that was originally above the water line. Nonetheless, ice which is on the land does play a big role in adding to the sea level upon melting. Many researches in the past have spoken of a consistent rise in the level of sea. Presently, rate of increase of sea level is about 1.8 Â ± 0.3 mm per annum which makes about 7.4 inches per 100 years (White et al. cited in Deem). The present rate of increase of sea level is dangerous and if the trend sustains over some period of time, sea levels would increase enough to cause damage to the life on land. Many islands particularly the ones which are in the Pacific are greatly endangered by the

Poetry reflexition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Poetry reflexition - Essay Example here, the author has shown qualities of resiliency (as represented by the Sapele, tree being a sturdy and tall tree that is able to withstand strong gust of wind), and conscientiousness. As the literary piece loosens its meaning, the reader may found out the destruction whatever forces which had wreaked the environment. â€Å"This was before the sawmills†, â€Å"Forged copper scraped me a hollow body† and â€Å"The sharpest blade cut me a mouth† could only and literally mean the process of wiping out significant forested areas areas to make way for so-called development. However, the reader can consequently find out that it also meant the diminishing art, music, literature and the culture of Congolese people brought upon by the process of Westernization and assimilation. â€Å"I never learned Mangbetu language, its voiced and unvoiced trill. I speak only with a mouth carved shut.† And this was the sorry state of colonized countries in Africa which had most likely inspired the author to write the

Melting ice glaciers due to global warming Term Paper - 1

Melting ice glaciers due to global warming - Term Paper Example The increase in carbon content in the air has increased the global temperature which has caused glaciers to melt (Kayne). The resulting increase in the sea level is the main cause of hurricanes and cyclones which have endangered life on Earth. The enormous increase of temperature can greatly affect many ecosystems. Most importantly, ice is melting away. The following figure depicts fluctuations in the sea level along with the temperature variations over the last 450,000 years: From the figure, it can be seen that the content of carbon dioxide in the Miocene caused the sea levels to become 25 ft higher as compared to the present day level. The increase in the content of carbon dioxide in the air in the recent years has been so enormous that the global temperature and sea levels did not get sufficient time to increase, and so they could not increase as much as they would have, had the increase of carbon dioxide taken longer. It is noteworthy here that it is not the phenomenon of melting away of the pack ice that causes any rise in the level of sea. Ice that floats in an ocean is lesser in density as compared to water. When it melts, the additional water that goes into the sea is no more than the volume of ice that was originally above the water line. Nonetheless, ice which is on the land does play a big role in adding to the sea level upon melting. Many researches in the past have spoken of a consistent rise in the level of sea. Presently, rate of increase of sea level is about 1.8 Â ± 0.3 mm per annum which makes about 7.4 inches per 100 years (White et al. cited in Deem). The present rate of increase of sea level is dangerous and if the trend sustains over some period of time, sea levels would increase enough to cause damage to the life on land. Many islands particularly the ones which are in the Pacific are greatly endangered by the

Consequentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consequentialism - Essay Example Having to make decisions based on the general welfare of people or its capacity to bring about positive change is justifiable under all circumstances. Consequentialism has been accepted by many realists, who understand that some actions, even if considered wrong with regard to moral rules, may have positive outcomes, benefitting a large number of people, which then justifies the act. The argument presented is to validate the superiority of Consequentialism over other ethical theories in practice. It is important to defend the ethical theory of Consequentialism which can be the key to maintaining stability in the society, without forcing upon them a set of rules to accept as moral standards, giving them more realistic options, and allowing them to decide upon the moral implications of their actions based on its outcome. It requires to be accepted as a moral theory and not an incessant practical casuistry as alleged by opponents of Consequentialism. Standard rules that define moral values are not practically feasible, as many decision making situations may be indefinable in terms of morality. Standard Consequentialism is a theory of decision. It attempts to identify, from a given set of options, the option which is right that an agent should take. The right option to any decision is the option that maximizes probable value or that which will have the best probable consequences, which directly aims at common welfare, which should be the underlying goal of an ethical theory such as in Consequentialism. The function which determines what is the right decision is also the function which ought to be applied in decision-making: it serves at once to evaluate options, and to select them. (Pettit) Consequentialism promotes a more realistic and futuristic approach to define moral standards, implying that, a certain act may be justified by its

Impact of New Technology on Lifestyle and Health Essay Example for Free

Impact of New Technology on Lifestyle and Health Essay As a start I would like to give a short and simple definition of the concept â€Å"technology†. Technology will, in this case and this paper, refer to any physical object, product, environment, or symbol that has been created by human beings. Another frequently used concept with the same meaning is â€Å"artifact† (Simon, 1969). Technology has had a great impact upon the living conditions of people all over the world. Technology has helped us to perform many tasks safer, faster, and with higher precision than would be possible without its help. Technology has also made us stronger, helped us to travel faster, and made it possible for us to perform tasks that otherwise would be impossible to perform. With the help of technology we can perform many tasks that are dangerous for people to perform, like working in a hostile physical environment, for instance in a contaminated or radioactive environment. Technology has helped us to perform boring manual tasks day and night, every day in the week, even without a coffee brake. Technology has made it possible for us to travel all over the world and reach new destinations, quicker than ever. Soon we might even travel to other planets in our Solar system. The invention of machines, computers and other technological artefacts has improved our mental abilities too. Technology can make us smart (Norman, 1993) by increasing our abilities to remember better, by storing information in different formats, and support our reasoning activities. Thanks to computers we can perform complex calculations quickly, simulate processes of different kind, create art and music, and so on. Technology has also helped us to pick up information that earlier was impossible to pick up. Microscopes and telescopes, only to mention a few technological devices, have made it possible for us to look into worlds that we otherwise would not have any access to. New intelligent hearing aids have helped people with hearing deficits to pick up auditory information better and improved the possibilities to communicate with other people. Technology can improve our abilities to control vehicles of different kind, for instance to improve the ability to steer, brake and shift gears in the car. New technology has been used to create systems that can help drivers to find new destinations, or find the quickest route to known destinations. New technology has also been developed for helping drivers to avoid collisions and other dangerous situations. Technology has made it possible to adapt cars to drivers with functional handicap so that they can drive (nearly?) as safely as drivers without these problems. Technology can help mariners to navigate ships across the Atlantic with high precision, to assist pilots in their task of flying to selected destinations, avoid collisions in the air, control the aircraft, and so on. Process industries, manufacturing industries, energy producing industries can today be controlled with the help of new advanced technology. Technology has had an impact on the way we live, work, enjoy ourselves, and communicate with each other. Thanks to improved transportation systems we can now live at a distance from our working place, and commute to our job. Some of us can work from home thanks to the computer and the ability to send digital messages to different destinations. Thanks to the World Wide Web we can communicate with people at very distant places and arrange virtual meetings. We also have new ways of entertaining ourselves. Technology in the Health sector has made important contributions to the treatment of diseases and with the help of advanced technology it is now possible to save lives in a way that was not possible only a few decades ago. In her key note, professor Axelsson has shown how technology can be used in health care. Soon it may be possible to replace missing limbs with artifacts that can perform the tasks the missing limb should have performed. Changes in lifestyle? I believe we can identify some important changes in our lifestyles that are, at least partly, caused by the technological development. With the focus on human work I believe we can identify the following, and many more changes. A shift from physical to mental workload One important trend in our working life is a shift from physically demanding tasks to mentally demanding tasks. Human work has for a long time been more or less dominated by tasks that were physically demanding. Some of these tasks are still with us, but in many cases new technology can help us to perform them with less physical effort. A farmer, say 150 years ago, performed many manual tasks. Today there exist machines that can help the farmer to perform many of the tasks. A miner used to perform many heavy manual tasks when my father was working as a miner. Today trucks are doing the job, quicker and faster. Instead of performing the physically demanding tasks an operator of a machine has to control the machine and supervise its performance, indicating a shift to a mentally demanding task. A task is mentally demanding if it imposes a workload on our abilities to search for and pick up relevant information, store information, use information to make decisions, solve problems, develop action plans and supervise the performance of action plans. Many working tasks today have the character of being more mentally demanding than physically demanding. A shift towards supervising processes The condition for workers has, in many cases, changed from being in direct contact with the working task to using some kind of technological device to perform the task. This has quite often resulted in a new role for the worker. The new role is more of a supervisor of a process. Examples may be found among pilots who are interacting with a computer, the flight management system, which is performing part of the flying task. Another example can be found among workers in highly automated industrial processes, where an automated system is controlling a large part of the process. Increased complexity The introduction of computers has increased the complexity of many tasks. The amount of information we are forced to process in working life has increased. As a result is it has become harder to understand the way different systems are working. The logic of many systems is hidden in the computer and not possible to inspect directly. Negative impact of technology There are some psychological consequences of the changes that has occurred as a result of new technology. In some cases technology can make us stupid, confused and disoriented. Please let me illustrate this statement by giving a few examples on how technology can confuse us and make us look stupid. Technology that may make us stupid Doors are equipped with some kind of device to open and close them. In some cases it is perfectly obvious how the device works by looking at it. In other cases it might be confusing. There exist doors where the device to open and close the doors are identical in shape, but works completely different. A good design should make it obvious how a door should be opened and the principle of consistency should be used. In some cases it may be extremely important to be able to open doors quickly and without involving higher mental processes. Another example of a violation of the principle of consistency is when you have a door with two locks, and to open the door you must turn the key in different directions in each lock. Still another example can be taken from the medical sector. A number of studies have shown that errors are made in this sector, and that errors tend to occur when patients are given their medicine. One possible explanation to this is that different medicines may be stored in bottles that look very much like each other. An interesting question is how the container for different medicines should be physically designed so that it is easy to distinguish different drugs. An example from the automobile industry has to do with the relationship between controls and, in this case, windows. A good principle, stemming from Gestalt psychology, is that you should place a control of a certain device close to that device. This is called the â€Å"proximity principle†. In some cases this is not done, and controls for the windows in a car might be located far away from the windows. The design of the physical environment is also of interest. When a new living area is created and houses and paths are designed, it is common to find that people living there are not walking on the paths that have been so nicely designed. Instead they quite often are using the shortest route across some sensitive area(s). A simple solution here would be to wait and see where people are walking, and after that decide the paths should be located. In some hotel rooms you must use most of your brain power to figure out how the shower works. The problem in many cases is that the function is hidden, and it is not possible to directly see how the shower must be operated. Technology can be used to supervise people – Big Brother can see you In some cases technology is used to supervise worker’s performance at workplaces. This may increase the stress level of the involved workers, and in some cases increase their stress level, and make them sick. On example comes from call centres. The number of call centres has increased rapidly in Sweden. A common definition of a call centre is a working place where people are engaged in telephone communication with customers and are doing that with the help of computer support. In a call centre the operator’s performance can be effectively supervised with the help of computers. It is possible to measure the number of telephone calls each employee is performing during the working day, and also measure the number of breaks that occur during a working day. A psychological effect of this registration is, sometimes, an increased stress level among the workers. Big Brother can see you! Technology can be used to supervise traffic streams, control traffic streams, and identify speeding drivers. Cameras on the road side are being more and more common in Sweden. Some drivers don’t like being supervised by â€Å"Big Brother† and one solution seems to be the destruction of cameras. Technology can also be used to prevent drunken drivers from using their car. Before the car can be started the driver must exhale (breathe) into a measuring device. If the device detects alcohol in the air then the car will not be possible to start. Some drivers which have been found guilty of driving when intoxicated by alcohol have, as a part of their treatment, accepted to install this kind of device in their car. A follow up study has shown that many of these convicted drivers have stopped using this device. Technology can give an invitation to â€Å"Human Error† Besides making us feel stupid, improper design of technology can cause incidents, accidents, and in the worst case kill people. Please let me illustrate this by using some well known accidents as examples. Three Mile Island, USA. This accident happened in the USA 1971. A problem occurred in the Nuclear Power Plant and the situation gradually developed into something problematic. One, out of many, aspects of this accident is that the alarm systems in the Power Plant were activated, and very soon a large number of alarms and warnings were sounding. This probably increased the stress level of the operators who were trying to understand the problem and what to do with it. A high level of stress is not an optimal condition for solving a complex problem. One problem here was that instead of helping the operators to solve the problem the alarm systems made the situation worse. The crash in Gottrà ¶ra, Sweden. A certain similarity can be found in an accident with a passenger plane in Sweden, 1991. A plane (MD 81) started from Arlanda airport (Stockholm) and soon after the start it lost the power of one engine and shortly thereafter the power of the other engine. The captain’s plan was to fly the plane without the help of the engines (basic flying) and perform an emergency landing on an empty field at a distance from the airport. During the four minutes, from the moment the engines had stopped until the aircraft landed safely (!), the plane was shaking and the instrument panel were blinking. Auditory warnings were activated and a female warning voice was talking continuously. The information from the plane to the captain was chaotic and did not offer any useful help to him. In one interview after the accident the captain stated that on the wish list was a warning system that can offer help in situations of this kind. Not a system that distracts and increases the pilots stress level. In Linkà ¶ping, Sweden, a number of patients were treated with the help of a machine that should purify their blood. A nurse misjudged the information from the machine and by mistake turned the machine off. A number of patients died as a result. The machine was built by some technicians and when it was working correctly a number of indicators (lamps) showed the colour red. Normally red is a colour that is used for warnings of different kind. There are also a number of accidents that have occurred as a result of automation. Automation of some tasks may solve some problems, but can also create new possibilities for errors (Bainbridge, 1987). It has been found that people may have an over trust in automation and believe that an automated system takes care of more that it actually can take care of. Automation can also have the effect that an operator becomes less involved in the control of a system and has a problem to take the control back when so needed. What can we do to avoid the negative sides of technology? In the cases where technology is used to supervise people and this is not totally accepted by people this may be regarded as a political question and should be treated as such. This case will not be discussed further in this paper. In cases where the design of technology has caused problems it is possible to provide some guidelines. Improper design of technology is common when technology is designed without consideration of the user’s needs, abilities and limitations. The following advices can be given: Start the development process of new technology by investigating the needs of the intended users! Perform a task analysis (see for instance Kirwan and Ainsworth, 1993) and try to understand what the users need are in order to perform the task efficiently and safely. Involve the intended users early in the design process! Remember that they have a lot of valuable knowledge concerning the task and how it may be performed. Respect individual differences! There are sometimes large individual variations among users of a technological device and the design should be flexible enough to take care of this variation. Make it possible for users to understand the technical device. If users can understand the way a technical device works (if I push this button, then that will happen) the risk for so called â€Å"human error† will most likely decrease. Use the scientific method – test and test again, until you have eliminated the worst problems. The empirical testing of a technical device should have a high priority. Design for human error! People will, in the long run, get tired, distracted or anything else and make an error. This is sometimes called Murphy’s law – if anything can go wrong then it will, sooner or later. Human beings are not like machines and we have to design with that in mind. A technical device should be designed to make it possible to escape the error that sooner or later will be made. Provide feedback (this happened) and feedforward (that will happen). Feedback and feedforward from a technical device should be clear and easy to understand. This will give the user a possibility to understand the system. If possible introduce an undo function! As mentioned earlier people will make errors and this is an error correcting possibility. Use a system perspective! Any kind of technological equipment will be used in a certain context. Analyse the context and see whether the new artefact can successfully be mixed into the context. These are general rules to follow, and by following them I strongly believe that we can influence the design of technology in such a way that our lifestyles and health will be improved. References Bainbridge, L. (1987). Ironies of Automation. In J. Rasmussen, K. Duncan and J. Leplat (Eds.) New Technology and Human Error, John Wiley Sons Ltd Kirwan, B., and Ainsworth, L.K. (Eds.) (1993). A guide to task analysis. Taylor Francis Norman, D.A. (1993). Things that make us smart. PERSEUS BOOKS, USA Reason, J. (1990). Human error. Cambridge university press, USA Simon, H. (1969). The Science of the Artificial. The M.I.T. PRESS

Uk Lifestyle Magazines And The Representation Of Masculinity Media Essay

Uk Lifestyle Magazines And The Representation Of Masculinity Media Essay This thesis seeks to investigate the understanding of masculinity as a construction of identity. This study explores developing identities, and how this may relate to wider constructions of masculinity in the media, with particular reference to lifestyle magazines aimed at men. Methodologies This Study focuses on For Him Magazine known now as FHM, one of the leading mens magazines that is published in 27 countries. The methodology that will be used to carry out this study will be a content analysis. Through a content analysis, 6 issues of FHM in from the years 2005 through to 2010 will be examined, in order to examine if there has been any shifts in the portrayal of men or what is meant by the term masculinity. Bibliography from year two Benwell Bethan, (2003) Masculinity and mens lifestyle magazines: chapter 6; Published by Wiley-Blackwell) Bignell, Jonathan (1997), Media Semiotics, an introduction. Manchester: Manchester University Press Edwards Tim, (2006) Cultures of Masculinity; men masculinity and feminism, chapter 1 (Routledge) Jackson Peter, Stevenson Nick, Brooks Kate (2001) making sense of mens magazines; chapter four (Wiley-Blackwell). Galician Mary-Lou, L. Merskin Debra (2007) Critical thinking about sex, love and romance in mass media: media; chapter three (Routledge) Gaunlett David, (2002) Media, gender, and identity: an introduction, Mens magazines and modern male identities; chapter eight (Routledge) Gunter Barrie (2002) Media sex: what are the issues? chapter 6 (Published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates) Itzin Catherine, Newman Janet (1995) Gender, culture and organizational change: putting theory into practice chapter fourteen (Routledge) Litosseliti Lia, Sunderland Jane (2002) Gender, Identity and discourse analysis. (John Benjamins Publishing Company) The Construction of the Male Identity in the UK Mens Lifestyle Magazine FHM (DRAFT) INTRODUCTION: THESIS OUTLINE This thesis seeks to explore how masculinity is represented and constructed within the pages of FHM (UK) magazine of the modern male identity. Through a content analysis of the branding of masculinity in the UKs leading mans magazine, the study explores the trends and the portrayal of men but also the types of products advertised in mens magazines. It will examine the rationale of FHM in constructing the portrayals of men and masculinity and the role that FHM plays in shaping attitudes about masculinity. The central research question is: Exactly what ideas does FHM generate or convey about masculinity? More specifically, in the magazines construction of masculinity, what is emphasised and what is ignored? Considering gender and sexuality to explore and address the stereotypical representations and attitudes that are likely to be reinforced to its readers. The first chapter of this thesis demonstrates a detailed depiction of the UKs FHM position and role in the mens lifestyle magazine market, from its inception from For Him Magazine through its incredible development to its contemporary brand expansions. It also discusses FHMs influence on the mens magazine market as well as on broader industry concerns related to the young male market, particularly advertising. Essentially, this chapter offers a rationale for why FHM is an important site for investigation. Chapter 1 The mens magazine market is a moderately new phenomenon. Mens magazines today have become sites of significant inquiry that offer alternative views on the representation of the modern man. Men have purchased and read magazines in the past, though previously, the term mens magazine referred to publications structured around masculine themes to designed to interest men, such as cars, fishing, DIY and pornography. However, as sociologist Tim Edwards (1997) notes, It is, to put it simply, that they werent called mens magazines and this is what constitutes the key difference: the self-conscious targeting of men as consumers of magazines designed to interest men if not necessarily to be about men (p.72, emphasis in the original). Since contemporary mens magazines are embedded in the rise of a new lifestyle genre, they are considered mens lifestyle titles as opposed to simply mens interest magazines (Edwards, 2006).1 The growth of the mens magazine market in the UK, which saw an invasion of lifestyle titles in the 1980s, commencing with the launch of Arena in 1986. The Focus The aim of this study is to investigate and analyse the different representations of masculinity in the modern day 21st century. The endeavour of this is to answer the research question, which is; has the definition of masculinity and or the portrayal of men changed over time, in particular in print advertisements in mens lifestyle magazine FHM (For Him Magazine). Although this may sound like a popular research case study, very little academic research has been performed in the field of mens magazines and even less on the construction and representation of masculinity. This study therefore aims to firstly, classify the term masculinity, to conclude a definition, of what is means to be a men?, which is often used to ascribed to males in todays society. This study will also explore sex roles and common stereotypes that men are regularly being labelled with. This study will further examine if the characteristic that what once associated with traditional masculinity is dying out, or if t here is more than one masculine identity. Thirdly, this study will examine the presentation of male images and products in advertising exploring the emerging trends of mens images where the predominately female female-orientated markets of body enhancements, cosmetics, and personal grooming products are being aimed at male consumers. Through a context analysis, this study addresses male images in advertisements in For Him Magazine (FHM) from 2005 to 2010. Examining the changing trends in the portrayal of men and the types of products advertised in mens magazines. Furthermore, this study will argue, that masculinity makes more sense in relation to individual performances of identity than it does in terms of any measurement of gender or sexuality, a notion which is often disregarded in both popular and academic discourses about gender identity. Chapter 1: Introduction Over the last few decades the role of men in British society has changed considerably. Traditional notions of masculine images, such as males being the sole breadwinner or provider has come under attack, undermining traditional images of the masculine identity. Males have also faced a changing Image in advertising. Traditionally, females were the ones that have been associated with sex in advertising, but today males are also being used to connote or imply sexual situations in advertisements. Modern day advertisements feature provocative images of men and women in reveal outfits and postures selling a variety of products, most of which have no association with sex. There has too been an increase in product advertisements in mens magazine, most popular out of these is beauty and accessions. Suggesting that men today, have developed a conscious self-awareness of the way they look. Men in are taking great pride in their appearance, replacing beer or health supplements and abs tonners. M en now have a keen eye for fashion, and indulge in grooming/beauty products- this identity has today been coined as metrosexual. Adapting the characteristics of men, this new man has blurred the distinction of masculinity. Traditional masculinity referred to heterosexual men, interesting in extreme sports, cars and DIY. This request the question is the term masculinity (means to be macho) changing? Or is there more then one masculine identity? Metrosexuality was first developed by Mark Simpson in his book Male Impersonators. According to Simpson (2003), metrosexuality is a new, narcissistic, self-conscious kind of masculinity produced by film, advertising, and glossy magazines to replace traditional repressed, unmoisturised, unreflexive, unmediated masculinity.  [1]  However, this term has become widely used in the United States media and in the advertising industry in the late 1990s, referring to straight men who posses feminine traits and care about fashion, grooming, cleaning and using beauty products (Mereditch and Wells; 2003).  [2]  However, very little academic research exists on the meaning of metrosexuality for masculinity. This study examines modern masculinity and metrosexuality of men in the 21st century mens lifestyle magazines, within the UK, drawing particular attention FHM. However, there are limited studies on masculinity and mens images (Windholz, 1999/2000; gates 2001; Tincknell and Chambers, 2002)  [3]  . Although media across the globe are widely discussing the newly emerged phenomenon- metrosexuality- there is almost no academic research on this phenomenon. Since metrosexuality and masculinity are so closely related to each other, this study aims to explore both issues within mens lifestyle magazines. Chapter 2: Definitions of Masculinity Whilst, we have identified the main attributes that can be grouped under the term traditional masculinity, we still do not have an recognized definition of what masculinity itself might be. Craig contests that masculinity is what a culture expects of its men (1992:3). This description suggests that masculinity exists only in a cultural context, as something that stems from traditions, codes and in particular expectations commonly held by society. Similarly, Mosses definition of masculinity as the way men assert what they believe to be their manhood (1996:3)  [4]  insinuates that masculinity is widely understood as a way of behaving in accordance with ones sex-defined characteristics, either as a manifestation of ones sexual identity, or by the way of a responsibility towards the general order provided by understanding of gender. Gilmore (1990; 1)  [5]  defines manhood as the approved way of being an adult as the approved way of being an adult male in any given society. Within the cultures, where value is attracted to a notion of manhood, Gilmore further claims that there is three particular criterias that are repeatedly associated with the masculine role, firstly, to impregnate women and secondly, to protect dependents from danger (1990; 223). Berger, Wallis and Watson (1995) states that masculinity, the asymmetrical pendant to more critically investigated femininity, is a vexed term, variously inflected, multiply defined, not limited to straightforward descriptions of maleness.  [6]  Masculinity takes a variety of forms for men and it differs according to sexuality, race, class and age. It is noticed the society and media hold very distinct stereotypes towards different ethnic and race groups. For Caucasians, the most common dominate ideology of masculinity represents ideals of strength, toughness, coolness, attractiveness, heterosexuality and whiteness (OShaughnessy 2003).  [7]  However, these ideals are very difficult for men to attain in reality. With the increased attention given to mens bodies and the resurgence of their imagery with the media, men nowadays pay more attention to the media and work to improve their physical appearance (Wienke, 1998; Shilling, 1993).  [8]  These effects are further pushed f orward with the new ideal metrosexual, which simply suggests that men who possess feminine traits are ideal. As men are now facing so many identities, so what makes a man? A closer investigation is presented next. Chapter 3: Gender and Masculinity In general, the characteristics associated with men are grouped under the term traditional masculinity by many writers.  [9]  Three of its main character traits are strength, command and ambition- all useful in getting ahead, and more often than not viewed in a positive light. Even the less positive attributes associated with traditional masculinity such as competitiveness, aggression and stubbornness maintain an air of respectability in that they remain symptomatic of power and control rather than weakness. Theorists in the field of gender studies have sought to understand how these masculine traits came to be associated with the male role first and foremost, and why they continue to permeate society and popular discourse as common sense notions of gender roles. Consequently, gender as a concept is open to much greater debate than sex, and it is clear that masculinity, as one aspect of gender identity, can take on an entire range of potential meanings. Mort observes that we are not dealing with masculinity, but with a series of masculinities (1988; 195; his emphasis).  [10]  As well as recognizing that class, race and sexual orientation, and several other factors all enter the equation at the level of identity, the term masculinities refers to the fact that no two peoples performance of so-called masculine characteristics will ever be exactly the same. As Horrocks states, there is clearly not a homogenous monolithic identity possessed by all men in all contexts (1994:3).  [11]   Byne suggests that, as human beings, we are motivated to create an identity for ourselves that allows us to make sense of our position in the apparent world. In order to be understandable, this must accord with the already existing conventions, as we perceive them; no matter how we seek to position ourselves in relation to these, we still accept that they exist. Conversely, men must strive to meet an extremely demanding stereotype of the male role as provider, achiever and conqueror- a task that is, in its self unattainable, and which causes men much self-doubt and anguish. This, Kaufman conclude, also inspires fear for it means not being a man, which means, in a society confusing gender and sex, not being a maleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦losing power and ungluing basic building blocks of our personalities (p.149)  [12]  Together, these two behaviours are more destructive than either on its own, combining to both cause the problem and make it impossible to escape from. Chapter 4: Masculinity in the United Kingdom British Men According to Benynon (2002), there are three ideal versions of contemporary masculinities in the United Kingdom. The old man is relatively uninterested in fashion, is married and holding down a regular job, and remains somewhat sexist and homophobic in outlook. The new man is narcissistic, progressive and ambivalent in his sexuality, yuppie- influenced and generally anti-sexist. When he first emerged he was viewed variously as the same as the same old wolf, but in designer clothing, a revolutionary in his relations with women and his willingness to display the emotional side of his nature, and a marketing opportunity, for new visual codes. The new lad is defensive about fashion, ambivalent in his attitude towards women (he has pornographic notions of them rather than relationship with them) and he believes life should be one huge alcoholic and drug induced festival. (Beynon, 2002, p.118)  [13]   Among the above three ideals, the new man seems to be the most popular ideal in the United Kingdom. These ideals can be illustrated by the most influential British celebrity football player, David Beckham. David Beckham defines a new trend of men in the United Kingdom. In a recent study reported in The Observer (Campbell 2003), One David Beckham: Celebrity, and the Soccerati, co-authored by Andrew Parker of Warwick University and Ellis Cashmore of Staffordshire University, highlights how Beckham successfully combines a mixture of traditional and modern values to create an inspirational healthy role model. The study praises Beckhams different public personae including the national ambassador, aggressive competitor, loving husband, doting father, fashion model and gay icon. This study further concludes that Beckhams massive popularity could influence young males, encourage greater tolerance and acceptance of a new concept of masculinity. As suggested by the author of the study, Beckham has helped create a complex new concept of masculinity by defying expectations in areas such as what clothes men should wear or how men should style their hair. Indeed, Beckham fits all of the contemporary masculinity ideals he is a combination of new man (nurturer and compassionate partner), new lad (football legend, fashionable father, conspicuous consumer) and old man'(loyal dedicated, bread- winning) (Cambell, 2003).  [14]   Chapter 5: Gender Representation in Advertising Research has revealed that advertising does not exist in a vacuum but instead is very much interrelated with the existing social relationships within society (Duffy, 1994).  [15]   Goldman (1992)  [16]  suggested that we tend to take for granted the deep social assumptions embedded within advertisements as we are so used to the quantity of advertisements around us and the routine ways in which we read them. More importantly, we do not see or recognise advertising as a sphere of ideology. In a consumer society, advertising acts as a magnet, luring individuals into embracing a consumption culture that is part of an economic and social institution that helps to perpetuate what Goldman called the supremacy of commodity relations. Interactions between individuals are now greatly being defined by the material possession of commodities. The consumer society is primarily about contentment and pleasure, but there are broad complications beyond the realm of Contentment and pleasure. One of the most important implications is the area of gender identity. Sex-role stereotype, like any other stereotype, allows us to make sense of the world that we live in. Gender, of course, is one of the most important forms of systematised behaviour in all societies, and every culture has accepted routine forms for communicating gender identity (Leiss, Kline Jhally, 1990, p. 215)  [17]  . Our everyday environment is articulated mostly by what we see in the media and the task of advertising is crucial. The target audiences self-identification with the gender images is a basic requirement for an advertisements effectiveness, and the meanings encoded in the images are persuasive cultural symbols for societal behaviour. The earliest research into the portrayal of men in sex roles in advertisements was carried out in the 1970s by many re searchers and drew many conclusions: men were portrayed as more self-governing than women. They were portrayed in different occupations in comparison to women who were usually shown as housewives, cleaning, cooking and caring for children. Specific products such as Alcohol and cigarettes were most frequently portrayed by men, while women were mostly depicted in advertisements for household products (Dominick Rauch, 1972; Schneider Schneider, 1979; McArthur Resko, 1975; Courtney Whipple, 1974). According to Fejes (1992), the results from these researchers carried out in the early 1970s, did not fluctuate much from those conducted in the late 70s and early 80s.  [18]   In the last few decades, the role of men in the UK has changed considerably there has been an increasing visibility of the male body in the media and popular culture. Men are getting increased exposure not just of their bodies, but of their lifestyles, consumption preferences and emotional needs. Men are gradually gaining on women in the display of their bodies on billboards, fashion photography and magazines. Moreover, it is not just the number of images of men that has increased; it is the emergence of a new representation in popular culture where male bodies are depicted in an idealized and erotized manner (Moore 1988; Simpson, 1994).  [19]  Furthermore, in the consumer markets around the world-the predominantly female-oriented market like cosmetics, personal grooming and even body enhancements are attracting seeing more male consumers. Through a content analysis of advertisements over six years in a magazine for men, this paper studies the trends in the representation of imag es, products and sexual portrayal of men. Chapter 6: Men in Advertising Fejes (1992) noted that Skelly Lundstrom (1981)  [20]  conducted a study on print advertisements analysing a total of 660 magazine ads from 1959, 1969 and 1979 to establish whether there was any change in the portrayal of men in print advertisements over the two decades. They found that there was a small and gradual movement towards more non-sexist portrayal of men. Fejes (1992) also noted that Lysonskis study (1985)  [21]  showed similar results. Kervin (1990) too carried out a research study on the ads, focussing particularly on Esquire magazine. He examined whether the representation of men and the definition of masculinity had changed or remained over time. The study closely examined at ads from Esquire magazine for 50 years from the 1930s to the 1980s, and discovered that specific stereotypical representations of masculinity still remained after 50 years. What is fascinating, though, is her suggestion that these stereotypes exist because they complete certain needs and concerns of the men in society relating to their sense of powerlessness as individuals. She suggested that these stereotypes may be there to offer some form of compensation, in the form of admiration from others and possession of products for the men to define themselves adequately in society. She also discovered other new constructions of masculinity emerging over the years. The form of the male body is beginning to be portrayed as an erotic spectacle, suggesting that advertisers are adjusting to the changing attitude of consumers and exploiting it. Marian Salzman, Director of Strategic Content, JWT Worldwide, in her new book, The Future of Men (2003), interestingly, notices an important gap of the young male demographic that marketers and advertisers often fail to notice. Salzman, who conversed about the rise of the metrosexuals in 2003, deems the days of the metrosexual are numbered as men want their manliness back, and they are tired of taking their behavioural and fashion cues from their female companions and from mens magazines.  [22]  But this may not be true, as Kelton Research discovered in his research which was performed on 600 men, found that men can now be classified into men who value their personal style and appearance without sacrificing their masculinity, and ubersexual men who care about their appearance from head to toe. Moreover, men may try to act laid-back when it comes to personal maintenance, but the reality is, nearly two out of three surveyed not only own a variety of grooming products, but use them again and again. More importantly, about 98% of these products- men have no qualms about strolling into a store to buy a grooming related product (Wellikoff, 2006)  [23]  . Chapter 7: The Macho The Metrosexual Lee (2003) noted that men of all sexualities are taking a wider interest in their appearance. Hairdresser is where they go for a haircut instead of the barber shop and they are turning to other form of cleanser as soap is too harsh on their skin. More men are going to the gym instead of engaging in outdoor activities such as sports and some of them are even indecisive when it comes to choosing something to wear. These men are called the metrosexual and David Beckham who has been credited as the man who is changing male behaviour is classified as the ultimate metrosexual. A few years ago, concern over weight and diet regimes was strictly womens issue and having a pot belly was accepted for a man. But now, it is completely acceptable for men to watch their weight too and follow diet plans. This new breed of man blurs gender lines. In the Future Man'(Salzman, 2003) concludes that British men are becoming metrosexuals who have embraced customs and attitudes once deemed by women. Salzman further connotes that men today are confident in their masculinity and in their sense of self. In addition, they look and feel good and are knowledgeable about fashion and accessories regardless of what people might consider these things unmanly.  [24]  This new breed of man does oppose the traditional male role. ABC news reported that Leo Burnett, a Chicago advertising firm, conducted a global study of masculinity in 2005 and half of the men in their sample say that their role in society is unclear than in previous decades. More than seventy percent of them said that advertising is out of touch with mens reality.  [25]  Reports seem to indicate there is a new form of manliness emerging that is both macho and sexual at the same time. Stephen Perrine, editor in chief of Best Life magazine in the United States, mentioned on ABC news, The new manliness is about being competent and of value. Its less of men looking into their own navels. He also listed actors like Huge Jackman and Brad Pitt as the role models for this new manliness (ABC news, 2006).  [26]   Research Questions Advertising is an incorporated part of any economy in the world. And where there is rapid growth and changes in the economic profile of a society, there is a parallel increase in consumption patterns. This study aims to examine the portrayal of men in advertising as the emerging trends indicate that the predominantly female-oriented markets like cosmetics, body enhancements and personal grooming, are being directed at more male consumers. By studying the changes taking place in the portrayal of gender roles in advertising, it would allow us to get an insight into the changes that are taking place in society at given times and trends over periods of time. RQ1: What are the changes in the images (as per the categories) of men in FHM Magazine from 1998 to 2005? RQ2: What is the classified level of dressing (as per the categories) of the male models in FHM magazines used for the various categories of pictures? RQ3: What are the differences in the race of male models in FHM magazines in the categories of photographs/illustrations? RQ4: What are the differences in the types of products advertised in FHM magazines from 2000 to 2010? RQ5: What is the classified level of dressing (as per the categories) of the male models for the various categories of products? RQ6: Has the portrayal of men in Print advertisements changed in any way over the last six years? Methodology For the purpose of this study a content analysis was chosen and deemed appropriate as it will provide an overview on the coverage and frequency of use of male models in the advertisements selected. This quantitative research method is also useful for evaluating empirically the changing trends in society, while allowing us to summarize results and report findings in accurate, quantitative manner. The unit of analysis enables replication of the study over periods of time, thus providing an opportunity for comparison and review. Sampling Selection and Sample Size Six years (72 issues) of FHM magazine, from the United Kingdom were selected for this study. These magazines were published over a six year period from 2005 through to 2010. Through a systematic random sampling method of these 72 issues, one was selected from each year making it a total of 6 issues in the sample size. The unit of analysis is all full and half page advertisements or posters that have male or female models. Those advertisements without any models were excluded from the categorization. Categorization System The advertisements and posters from each year were systematically coded by placing them in pre-defined categories. Category of dressing Description Demure dress Everyday, casual clothing, including walking shorts and sports outfits. Suggestive dress Excluding evening gowns, which expose cleavage. Mini skirts, short shorts, muscle shirts, hiked skirts that expose thighs Partially clad Models in bathing suits, wearing undergarments and three-quarter length or shorter lingerie. close- up shots of models bare shoulders. Models in nothing except a towel. Nudity Unclothed Models, including; translucent lingerie/ undergarments and silhouettes. Extent of Contact Description No contact Positioned side by side. Not touching. Tame contact

Essay --

Before 2003 there were six million people living peacefully and all of the sudden there were three million people displaced, 400,000 people dead, and one despot. This sudden change was due to the Darfur government killing the citizens of Darfur. It began in 2003 when two peacekeeping rebel groups challenged the Darfur government, accusing it of neglect. The government responded by killing and raping as many people they could making it a national genocide. A Genocide is the action of deliberately killing a group of people, specifically one certain ethnic group or religion. Darfur's government and the Janjaweed army have been devastating lives of the Darfurian people by destroying their homes and killing many Darfurians since the beginning of 2003. The Genocide has been said to have officially started on February 26, 2003 when a rebel group called DLF publically claimed that they had attacked Golo, Western Darfur. Even before the genocide had began there were several attacks on the Darfur government by rebel groups. For example, on February 25, 2002 the rebels attacked an army garrison on a mountain. This all started in Sudan, which is the largest country in Africa, located south of Egypt. Darfur is one of the eighteen states in Sudan is about the size of Texas. Darfur is broken up into five smaller states, which are West Darfur, Central Darfur, East Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur. Darfur is bordered by Chad, Libya, and Central African Republic. The Darfurians have not only been troubled by the government, but also by the lack of food and water. The rough and desert like terrain makes it hard to grow crops. The region is also very drought prone making it hard to grow crops too. The state of Darfur has about six mi ... ...e in that one shooting 136 men was killed. This incident happened in Garisla, an area south of Zingei, in Wadi Saleh. Darfur's government and the Janjaweed army have been devastating lives of the Darfurian people by destroying their homes and killing many Darfurians since the beginning of 2003. Darfur’s genocide has impacted the world greatly by warning people what could happen with a corrupt government. The current issue has put fear in everyone’s lives by making them think about every decision that the government is making. I believe that the current situation in Darfur is unfair for the people. Instead of living life, they are trying to survive. A newspaper has said that the â€Å"United Nations officials have characterized the situation as ‘the greatest humanitarian catastrophe ever.’† Everyday the Darfurians wake up thinking â€Å"will I see the sun rise tomorrow?†

Psychology of Prediction Essay

Over the decades, there has been much controversy on the effectiveness of clinical predictions which are mostly based on experts’ intuition. Researches from the past decades have proven that statistical methods are more accurate than clinical predictions and other researches examined heuristic principles used in predicting and judging outcomes during times when there is uncertainty or insufficient information. Although relying upon these heuristics simplifies judgment to a certain degree, this may lead to severe errors. Basically, there are three heuristic principles proposed by Kahneman and Tversky (1974). The first is called the availability heuristic, wherein predictions are made based on the information available. The second is anchoring, wherein predictions are based on a series of numerical estimates or â€Å"anchors†. The third one is called the representativeness heuristic, wherein predictions are made based on the subsistence of apparently similar cases. This paper studies one of these heuristic principles namely, representativeness heuristic, to show how this heuristic can lead to bias on clinical predictions and hence, show that such heuristics are, indeed, less accurate than predictions based upon statistical methods. First, the author feels compelled to give a little background on a few studies over the on-going clinical-statistical controversy. In 1996, Grove and Meehl proved that statistical method â€Å"is almost invariably equal to or superior to clinical method† (p. 293) in terms of accuracy in prediction. They analyzed secondary data coming from 136 published English researches since the 1920s which dealt with the prediction of health-related phenomena or human behaviour. These researches should also contain at least one of each prediction — that is, at least one clinical prediction or one based on human judgment and at least one mechanical or statistical prediction. As have mentioned earlier, all of the researches they included in their studied proved that statistical method is indeed almost always equal to or superior to clinical method because statistical prediction obtained from organized data are almost always free from bias. These data are observed from actual experiences and are recorded with precise instruments instead of relying on unaided memory. Moreover, statistical inferences are more objective than the human mind which can be bias at times or which can neglect certain important attributes that are necessary before even concluding on the result and thus, sometimes resulting to severe errors in predictions. Hence, predictions obtained from these statistical methods produce unbiased results in contrast with predictions made from human judgment. There are many reasons and examples that can show the superiority of statistical method over clinical method. In this paper, one type of heuristic is presented based on the observations of Kahneman and Tversky in their paper On the Psychology of Prediction (1973). Their paper is chosen due to the fact that it presents how people, specifically clinicians, judge certain events based on similar events that happened in the past. In the end, this paper shows how such a heuristic (representativeness) can lead to certain and possibly severe errors in judgment as compared to the event of using statistical method. Data analysis, discussion and conclusion are all based upon the findings of Kahneman and Tversky (1973) and Grove and Meehl (1996). In 1973, Kahneman and Tversky discussed two classes of prediction, the categorical prediction, in which predictions are presented nominally and numerical prediction, in which predictions are presented in numerically. They first examined category predictions by dividing 248 participants into three groups — 69 participants for the base-rate ¬ group, 65 participants for the similarity group and 114 participants for the prediction group. The base-rate group was asked to guess the percentage of first-year graduate students in the US who are enrolled as of the time the study was in progress in each of the nine fields of specialization namely, Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Library Science, Medicine, Physical and Life Sciences, and Social Science and Social Work. The similarity group was given a personality sketch (see Kahneman and Tversky, p. 38) and asked to rank the nine areas in terms of â€Å"how similar is Tom W. to the typical graduate student in each of the following nine fields of graduate specialization? †. The prediction group, which consists of graduate students in psychology at three major universities in the United States was also given the same personality sketch as that given to the similarity group with some additional information (see Kahneman and Tversky, p. 239) and was asked to predict Tom W’s choice of specialization. Kahneman and Tversky compared the results of these three groups by presenting a table (see Kahneman and Tversky, p. 238) and computing the product-moment correlations between the columns of the table. In so doing, they confirmed their hypothesis that most people predict certain events based on representativeness. Kahneman and Tversky explained that this happens because all the participants ignored certain important features before drawing their conclusions. In this way, they violate the normative rules of information. The participants, basically, ignored the three types of information relevant in any statistical analysis namely, prior or background information (presented to the participants using base rates of fields of graduate specialization, specific evidence concerning the individual case (presented to the participants using the personality sketch of Tom W. ) and the expected accuracy of prediction. The statistically correct method of predicting Tom W’s choice of specialization would be to compare the relative weights assigned to specific evidence and prior information with that of expected accuracy. As Kahneman and Tversky explains â€Å"when expected accuracy decreases, predictions should become more regressive, that is, closer to the expectations based on prior information† (p. 239). However, the participants in their study predicted without even considering the prior probabilities assigned to the specific evidence as described in Tom W’s personality sketch. Kahneman and Tversky (1973) also examined in their paper how numerical predictions can also lead to bias judgments or severe errors. In a study designed analogously with their study on categorical predictions, they showed that people also tend to predict by representativeness. That is, most predict an outcome using a score that is most representative of the description they were provided. Kahneman and Tversky’s showed us that whether people were given nominal or numerical data, they tend to predict outcomes by representativeness. Most may think that predicting by representativeness is more efficient than statistical methods since one should only consider similar or representative events while statistical methods require rigorous (as most think) tasks such as observing and gathering data and computing for too many measures such as mean, standard deviation and the like. However, this can become less accurate since they fail to consider some important parts in their analysis before drawing conclusions whereas statistical methods consider all of the important parts required before completely analyzing a data. Such statistical and mechanical methods reduce bias since these methods rely on precise measuring instruments than heuristic methods which rely almost entirely to memory or past knowledge which are most of the time insufficient or cannot wholly represent a certain event. Moreover, results derived from heuristic methods such as representativeness can vary depending upon the perception of different people. Results from statistical method, on the other hand, vary only because of variation between groups or within-groups. But even if data is given to five hundred different people, as long as the data is still the same, it will still yield the same result.

Introduction to counselling

Counseling Skills Day one was one of nerves mixed with anticipation. I already told myself not to have an expectation Just to turn up openly and approach the course as I progress. The Introduction was as expected, Mrs../Miss Rachel Ellis, our tutor introduces herself then explain her she will like us to get to know each other for 10 minutes then talk about the person who Just told you about them self. We were sat in a semi-circle awards the front of the class.It was a matter of Just the person next to you In an anta-clock wise manner. Sitting to my right was fellow student Citrine (CIA) happily married, two kids, employed and was on the course as a matter of exploring. As Citrine and I were the two last persons to Introduce each other, we had the opportunity to listen and establish what background the other students/landfalls and possible the â€Å"driving force† behind the course. As expected It was a diverse, In seasons and profession, and this for me was a really good thing within.Although the reasoning was diverse due to the diversity of employment, not until the end I realize the goals were common. Everyone just wanted to reach out to others in some way. This was made clear through communicating and relating to other members of the group conducting various exercises. Mainly, the points of reflection study/discussion sessions. With all this said a few of the fundamental things I were reminded of/ earn of today was the important aspects confidentiality issues, especially in the training group.In addition I'm able to recognize the importance of building a relationship with others within our group. With these two, other members will be more expressive (openness) and therefore there will be more rewarding for all concerns. Finally, I can apply the study skills to reflect on my learning.