Friday, November 29, 2019

Punk Profile Essays - Australian Culture, Punk Subculture

Punk Profile As a kid around the age of 15, I was lost and confused. I knew that I didn't have it all together, and everywhere I looked people acted as if they did. My thoughts and ideas would change day to day as I talked to one person and then the next. I needed a concrete feeling. I tried going to church and finding a release through God, but I was unable to believe. I tried looking at all my friends, but they were all naive, so I turned to music. Music has become my religion, it clearly defines the questions I have no answers to. I found that everything that irritated me also irritated the people in the bands I started listening to. People label this type of music as "punk." "Punk" is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as "a loud, fast, and deliberately offensive style of rock music," and it defines "a punk" as "a) a young hoodlum b) a young person regarded as inexperienced, insignificant, etc. 1[slang] poor; inferior." That is the worst misinterpretation I have ever come across. The members of many punk bands have gone to college and are quite intellectual. Intellect is the basis of a punk attitude. Punk is about change, and as defined by the band, Propagandhi, "The basis of change: educate!/Derived from discussion, not hate, not myth, not muscle, not etiquette./ Intellect, not 're-elect!' Status symbols yield to respect between sex, species, environment...yup!" (Propagandhi, "Hate, Myth, Muscle, Etiquette"). Punk songs aren't about going out and doing drugs, breaking things, and harassing people, they are about life, life as a kid. And since I'm "not really understanding what it takes to be a man, I think I'll stay a kid while I can" (Assorted Jelly Beans, "Plain Life"). It gives people permission to act 18 when they are 50. Punk lifestyles are full of a positive energy that many people lose when they "grow up." Existing as a punk takes the concepts of being an adult and combines them with being a kid. The result is a much simpler and entertaining life. The first issue that punk music covered for me was religion. I felt like everyone had some higher power to look to when things didn't work out, everyone but me. I couldn't conform myself to the ideas of a higher power because the interpretations of reality that brings seem so dillusional to me. There appears to be so many unheard truths in lyrics like, "They say I shouldn't commit no crime/cos Jesus Christ is watching all the time,/ so what, so what./ So what if he's always over my shoulder./ I realize the truth as I get older/. I get to see what a con it is, because it's my life,/ mine, not his" (Crass, "So What"). I always felt that if there was an almighty and pure God that He/She would not make rules like "obey no God other than me." Where does that leave everyone raised under any other religion? A child in India will most likely be raised as a Buddhist or some religion other than Christianity. It is not their fault that they don't follow the Christian God, especially if they haven't heard of the Christian God. I don't see the sense in a all powerful God who shows less sensitivity to people who don't ultimately have the choice of who they follow. Furthermore, any God that is supposedly for the good of mankind should be more concerned with the moral actions of mankind than their preferences of faith . And how could a Savior expect to be worshipped by everyone under the circumstances of today's world. Life isn't fair, so how does that play into an equal religion for all? Hearing the song "No" by the Subhumans brings this thought to an all new reality. The lead singer claims, "No, I don't believe in Jesus Christ./ My mother died of cancer when I was five./ No, I don't believe in religion./ I was forced to go to church and I wasn't told why." At one time I felt alone with these ideas, all my family and friends followed the God in which I was detached. I felt like I was doing something terribly wrong, like I had to conform. But when I started hearing these same thoughts in punk music for the first time I felt secure in my own disbeliefs. "Beliefs are dangerous./

Monday, November 25, 2019

Test-Taking Tips and Strategies

Test-Taking Tips and Strategies Of all the stressors that come with earning a degree in higher education, taking a test – or exam, rather – often causes the most stress. Tests are rarely simple, most always a challenge, and, worst of all, the student hardly knows what to expect – even those who  have done their work, studied hard and prepared well for the exam.  The key to successful test taking, however, is preparation and avoiding carelessness when taking the test. How to Write a College Research Paper Taking a test demonstrates the student’s ability to understand their course material and use that knowledge ina pragmatic way. There are two kinds of tests: objective tests –true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank; andsubjective tests – short answer, essay, oral exams. Regardless of the student, their approach to taking tests, intelligence, skill level, or if they have a proclivityfor performing well on tests, here are a few suggestions for the student who wishes to excel on tests. Test-Taking Tips and Strategies Improve test-taking abilities by looking at old tests. When preparing for any test, the student should review previously taken tests to be aware of areas that may require more attention. Each test a student takes in some way prepares them for the next – especially the Final exam. Be early, early, early. The day of a test, the student should one, get up out of bed at an early hour, early enough to get a good, healthy breakfast before reviewing last-minute notes. Also, the student should arrive early to the test-taking site to avoid any stress or panic. Visualize. It’s a health practice for the student to imagine a successful test – literally envisioning themselves going slowly and successfully over each question, performing each in a confident, competent manner, and finishing every question calmly, thoroughly, with the least amount of stress as possible. Be alert, sit upright and, if possible, choose a comfortable seat/chair and location. A great deal of the student’s success in taking a test depends on their ability to stay focused, alert and comfortable. Stay relaxed, confident – and keep a positive attitude. Like visualizing success, the student must not let their negative thoughts cause a poor test performance. They should keep reminding themselves they are doing their best, will pass the test with flying colors, and get on with their day. A few deep breaths also help to maintain focus and composure. Read the directions carefully and avoid making errors due to carelessness. Most tests do have a time limit; however, it is more than beneficial when the student reads all directions Have a strategy. Answer questions in a strategic order, depending on the student’s strengths/weaknesses, comfort level, and understanding of the content. The student may want to answer easy questions first, as sort of a warm-up, which may build confidence, then answer questions with the most point value. On objective test questions, eliminate incorrect answers: This works with multiple-choice questions, true-false questions, etc. If possible, make very broad outlines for essays. This helps the student visualize their written answer, serving as a makeshift formula for a response. If time allows, look the test over once more. Rather than turning in their test right after they’re done with it, the student should hold on to their test as long as possible. They should check to make sure they’ve answered every question to the best of their abilities and not made careless, pointless errors, have mismarked answers, and so on. Also, the student may find pertinent, helpful information, or even an answer to a question, at a different part of the test. Three Steps to a Great College Essay

Friday, November 22, 2019

Is poverty of the third world the fault of the first world Essay

Is poverty of the third world the fault of the first world - Essay Example In this paper I argue that the major reasons for poverty in third world countries is the activities of developed countries. Role of developed countries in causing poverty in third world In one world, as in one state, when I am rich because you are poor, and I am poor because you are rich, the transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor is a matter of rights; it is not an appropriate matter for charity.† Such are the angry claims of Julius Nyerere, president of the African nation of Tanzania. His sentiments are echoed by the Third-World revolutionary Frantz Fanon: â€Å"The question which is looming on the horizon is the need for a redistribution of wealth. Humanity must reply to this question, or be shaken to pieces by it (Davis, 2012). Nobody is taking birth in this world as rich or poor. In fact natural resources are equally owned by the people in this world. However, rich people control the majority of the natural wealth in this world, not because of their rights but becau se of their ability to exploit it. Such people have the ability to exploit the natural wealth of even underdeveloped countries. Lack of education, unemployment and poverty, force governments in under developed countries to accept the strict terms and conditions put forward by the developed nations, for granting financial aids. Thus, the debts of poor countries are getting accumulated as time goes on. In short, developing countries are exploiting the weaknesses of poor countries while providing financial aids and hence the poverty in third world is remaining as a answerless problem. Because people in developed nations may have more wealth and resources than those in developing countries, their standard of living is also generally higher† (Poverty at large: A dark spot in humanity, n.d.). Higher living standards force people in developed countries to practice consumerism at the highest level. For example, wealthy people in developed countries have more than one vehicle in their family. When the number of vehicles increases, the consumption of petroleum products also increase. Since oil is a nonrenewable energy source, uncontrolled consumption of petroleum products results in rapid exhausting of energy sources. Shortage of oil sources cause price hike for petroleum products in global market. Price hike of petroleum products in global market increases the living costs in poor countries since petroleum products are necessary for the transportation of goods like food and other commodities. In short, increased consumption of petroleum products in developed countries is indirectly causing poverty in developed countries. Current world is extremely globalized and interconnected. The problems or developments in one part of the world can affect other parts of the world. MNC’s from developed countries are currently investing heavily in third world countries not for helping but for exploiting the natural resources of those countries. It is reported that billion s of tons of food products are getting damaged in the warehouses of developed countries. In a globalized world, it is the duty of the developed countri

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INDEPENDENT PAPER - Research Proposal Example rch exist on corporate and market strategy of companies in domestic market, yet literature is pretty scarce when it comes to shedding light on corporate and market strategy of companies, while they enter new international territory (Deng, et al., 2012). On the other hand, consideration of research works of Chen and Ho (2004) and Deng, et al. (2012) reveals the fact that importance of China is increasing among multinational companies from USA and other European Union (EU), who are planning to expand international base of the business. In such context, the paper has selected Tesla Motors (an American company that specializes in designing, manufacturing and selling electric vehicles and power train components) as sample organization in order to understand nature of its corporate and market strategy and how the company would enter the Chinese market (Tesla Motors, 2014). From academic perspective, the research findings would bridge the gap in the literature, regarding adjustment of corpo rate and market strategy of companies, during internationalization process and from business perspective, findings of the paper would help Tesla Motors to identify the probable entry mode for Chinese market. Till date, very few researchers have tried to understand corporate and market strategy adjustment by companies, while moving from a developed nation (USA, in this case) to a developing one (China, in this case). Such gap in the literature has influenced the researcher to take up this study and conduct research on the topic in order to fill up certain gaps in the literature. Xue and Zhou (2007) defined corporate strategy as the direction as well as the way used by corporations through integration of different operational activities in order to achieve particular business objectives. In case of corporate strategy, companies use its resource capabilities and operational activities of different departments, such as, production and manufacturing, financial and marketing department, in

Monday, November 18, 2019

E-Marketing Segmentation, Differentiation, and Positioning Strategies Coursework

E-Marketing Segmentation, Differentiation, and Positioning Strategies - Coursework Example ther issue that proper entry research can turn up: no company wants to suddenly find that it has gone from a saturated domestic market to a saturated one. Therefore, companies must research carefully before making the move to market, and know what kind of customers they are targeting. â€Å"With three types of customers-those who shop exclusively through the catalogs, those who purchase strictly through retail, and those who utilize both channels of distribution - The J. Peterman Company is committed to learning all they can about their customers to gain increased market share† (J, 1999). Note that at the writing of this quotation, J Peterman was not involved with online marketing yet. However, at that present, it was proactive, and met the challenge of the future. In terms of the competitor market jpeterman.com shares within various segments, there are various niche competitors, such as Sharper Image, and J Crew, which have a larger market share and presence. It would be a mistake to offer the more lucrative market a product that it could not afford or could easily replace with a cheaper competitor’s product of similar quality. Although this market may be more willing to pay more initially for something faddish than the busy family market segment, it should not be the intention of the company to cash in on a quick fad and lose the long-term perspective warranted by this important market. Therefore, the company should follow a pricing strategy that places a great deal of importance not only on internet price cutting, but also on establishing perceived value in the customer base and leveraging this perception in terms of long-term customer attenuation. J Peterman is in a very competitive industry. The source of this is the popularity of this industry as a commerce supplier that can also now be accessed over the internet. Many businesses like J Peterman are rushing to invest time and money in networked e-commerce systems, so as to enhance consumer

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Beck Depression Inventory vs. Hamilton Depression Scale Beck

Beck Depression Inventory vs. Hamilton Depression Scale Beck The revised Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), published in 1996 was authored by Aaron Beck, Robert A. Steer, and Gregory K. Brown. Similar to its predecessor, it consists of 21multiple choice questions that assist in determining the severity of depression. Each item consists of four statements arranged in order to ascertain the severity of a certain symptom of depression. BDI-II conforms to the DSM-IV criteria for depression. Clients who are presented with the BDI-II are asked to answer each question based upon the way they have felt for the past two weeks in order to accurately conform to the DSM-IV criteria. The BDI-II is intended for adolescents and adults and should not be administered to those under the age of thirteen. Scoring The BDI-II consists of twenty one questions, all of which correspond to a particular symptom of depression. Each item consists of a four point scale ranging from 0-3. Items 16 and 18 consist of seven items which are used to indicate an increase or decrease in both sleep patterns and appetite. A total score of 0-13 is considered minimal range, 14- 19 is considered mild, 20-28 is considered moderate, while 20-63 is considered to be severe (Beck, Steer and Brown, 1961). The BDI-II may be scored by hand or by using a software program such as Q Local, where the scores may be recorded and monitored by the clinician. The test may be administered frequently, as it is intended to monitor symptoms that have occurred within a two week range. Reliability Becks Depression Inventory II has been used for many years with great success. Its reliability is still questioned by some. Sprinkle, Lurie, Insko, Atkinson, Jones, Logan and Bassada (2002) state that Although the BDI-II manual (Beck, Steer, Brown, 1996) and various other reports (e.g., Dozois et al., 1998, and Steer, Kumar, Ranieri, Beck, 1998) have offered substantial evidence for the instruments commendable split-half internal consistency (with reported coefficient alphas of .91 and slightly higher), there are only two published reports to date on the instruments test- retest reliability (par.6). Sprinkle et al., (2002) further report Beck, Steer, and Brown (1996) reported on 26 outpatients (no diagnostic information is offered) who were administered the BDI-II at the times of their first and second therapy sessions (approximately one week apart), producing a test-retest correlation of .93 (par 6). Validity Validity of the BDI-II appears to be favorable. A study conducted by Storch, Roberti and Roth (2002) examined the psychometric properties of the BDI-II. 414 students from two separate universities participated in the study. Their results supported BDI-II two-factor structure measuring cognitive-affective and somatic depressive symptoms (par.1). They concluded that the validity of the BDI-II was supported by favorable results with self-report measures of depression and anxiety (par.1). The results of this study duplicate past research of a college sample which supported the reliability and validity of the BDI-II. Arnau, Meager, Norris, and Bramson (2001) also conducted a psychometric evaluation of the BDI-II using primary care patients. The study consisted of 340 primary care patients (7 of which were eliminated due to incomplete responses). 68.8% of the participants were female and the age group tested ranged from ages 18-54(M = 36.5, SD = 10.1, Arnau et al., 2001). The average score from the participants was 8.4 (SD = 9.7). They reported that scores of 14 or higher, suggesting at least a mild level of depression (Beck et al., 1996 as cited in Arnau et al., 2001) were observed in 23.2% of the sample (p.3). Arnau et al., (2001) also found an alpha coefficient of .94, which they considered to be excellent internal consistency. They concluded that the BDI-II yielded strong evidence for the factorial validity of the BDI-II in a primary care setting (p.6). They found that the BDI-II could easily be implemented into the primary care setting without disrupting patient flow. BDI-II Reviews Arbisi and Farmer, reviewers of BDI-II indicate that the BDI-II is easy to administer and requires approximately five to ten minutes to complete. Arbisi states concern however, that there are no validity indicators contained on the BDI or the BDI-II and the ease of administration of a self-report lends itself to the deliberate tailoring of self-report and distortion of the results (Beck, Steeler Brown, 1961 par. 5). Arbisi and Farmer concur that the manual BDI-II was well written and provides a multitude of supportive information regarding norms, factor structure, and notably, nonparametric item-option characteristic curves for each item (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 4). They contend that the BDI-II has improved upon the original by updating the items to reflect contemporary diagnostic criteria for depression and utilizing state-of-the-art psychometric techniques to improve the discriminative properties of the instrument (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 10). Although the reviewers have noted their concern regarding the lack of room for diversity, Arbisi and Farmer appear to approve of its use as a depression assessment tool. Hamilton Depression Scale The Hamilton Depression Scale (abbreviated as HDS, HAMD or HAD) is used to measure the severity of symptoms of depression. For many years it was considered to be the gold standard. It was developed by Max Hamilton in the late 1950s and was used to evaluate the performance of the first antidepressants. It was released in 1960. Upon its release, Hamilton acknowledged that it had room for improvement (p. 56). He revised the HDS in 1967. The HDS consists of 21 multiple choice questions. The first 17 questions determine the severity of the depression symptoms, while the additional four questions address the areas of paranoia and obsession and their relation to depression .The HDS can be administered to both children and adults. It is considered to be easy to read and interpret; it is recommended that the HDS be administered only by a licensed professional. Scoring The HDS was intended to be administered by an experienced clinician by conducting a clinical interview.   Scoring and administrating the scale may be considered cumbersome as Hamilton did not provide structured guidelines for this purpose. No standardized probe questions were provided to elicit information from patients and no behaviorally specific guidelines were developed for determining each items rating (Health Care Technology Systems, 2010). Seventeen items are rated on a 5-point (0-4) or a 3-point (0-2) scale. Overall scores of 0-6 are considered normal. Scores from 7-17 are indicative of mild depression. Scores from 18-24 represent moderate depression. Scores that are greater than 24 are representative of severe depression. Reliability Bagby, Ryder, Schuller, and Marshall (2004) state that Clinician-rated instruments should demonstrate three types of reliability: 1) internal reliability, 2) retest reliability, and 3) interrater reliability (par.4). They contend that the internal reliability of the HDS estimates ranged from 0.46 to 0.97, and 10 studies reported estimates 0.70 (par.5). They further contend that the majority of items contained in the HDS indicate sufficient reliability .Per their testing, the following items were met in each sample: (Guilt, middle insomnia, psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety, gastrointestinal, general somatic) and an additional five items met the criteria in all but one sample (depressed mood, suicide, early insomnia, late insomnia, work and interests, hypochondriasis) (par.6). A potential problem was suggested with loss of insight, as it had the greatest number of variables. Interrater reliability was considered to be poor. Cicchetti and Prusoff (1983, as cited in Reynolds and Kobak, 1 995) state in a study of interrater reliability of a 22-item version of the HDRS found low levels of reliability for individual items, with 14 of the 22 items demonstrating intraclass correlation coefficients of less than .40 (par. 4). Retest Reliability Scores for the retest reliability of the HDS ranged from 0.81 to 0.98. Williams (1998 at cited in Bagby et al., 2004) argued in favor of using structured interview guides to boost item and total scale reliability and developed the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (par.8). Doing so increased the retest reliability to 0.54 in spite of the fact that only four items met the necessary criteria for reliability; i.e.: depressed mood, early insomnia, psychic anxiety, and loss of libido (par.8). Validity The Hamilton Depression Scale is comprised of 1) Content, 2) Convergent, 3) Discriminant, 4 Factorial, and 5) Predicative Validity. Content validity is determined by examining scale items to determine correspondence with known features of a syndrome (Bagby et al., 2004 par. 9). Convergent validity is sufficient when a scale indicates Pearsons r values of a minimum of 0.50 in conjunction with measures of the same syndrome. Discriminant validity is determined by indicating that groups that differ in diagnostic status may be separated through the use of the scale. Predictive validity of symptom severity measures such as the Hamilton depression scale is determined by a statistically significant (p HDS Reviews Bernard Carroll wrote a letter to the editor of the American Journal of Psychiatry in December, 2005 entitled: Why the Hamilton Depression Scale Endures. He offers three reasons why the HDS remains the gold standard. First of all, he contends that Hamiltons HDS focused on patients burden of illness (par.1). He suggests that this is the reason why the HDS contains examples of anxiety that are present in depressive episodes, but are not part of the diagnosis for depression. He further contends that Hamilton intended the use of this scale for clients that are well known by the clinician. In this light, the HDS displays a range from mild to extreme illness (par. 1). Second, Carroll contends that the demand for a revised scale based upon modern criteria of major depression is not realistic. Carroll believes that Current definitions of major depression, instantiated in DSM-IV, for instance, are deliberately atheoretical nominalist conventions that lack unifying constructs, predictive validity, and explanatory power (par.2). He believes that this is the reason why those who are diagnosed with DSM-IV criteria for major depression are so contrasting. He adds: In the future, we might add biomarkers or endophenotypes to clinical symptoms in assessing depression, but that day is not here (par.2). Third, Carroll does not believe that the HDS has been outmatched in performance. He does not believe that the HDS is insensitive to changes in the severity of depression symptoms. When compared to the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, he believes that the Hamilton Depression Scale is superior in its sensitivity to change and in detecting early change with treatment while having the advantage of far more comprehensive symptom coverage (par.3). Carroll concludes his letter by stating The endurance of the Hamilton depression scale is remarkable, considering how many unauthorized, nonvalidated, mutant versions now circulate (Hamiltons original 17 items have expanded to 28 at my last count). This is not progress, however, because the text versions and procedural use in many contemporary treatment trials are corrupted (par 4). Paul C Burnett, a reviewer of the HDS contends that the manual is extensive and comprehensive (par.2). The instructions for administering the test are clear and contain examples of the scoring process. All of the symptoms contained in the test are described and provide examples to be used in the interviewing process. He believes that the symptoms contained in the test conform to the criteria listed in the DSM-IV. The manual, which contains a sample of 202 depressed patients, is comprised of 76% inpatients, 24% outpatients, and 69% female (par.3). The manual contends that the demographics are fair, despite the fact that no data is provided to support this. He contends that the manual did not include data to support the procedure that was utilized to select this demographic. Burnett states that Internal consistency estimates were found to be .79 and .81 for the clinical and self-report forms respectively, indicating moderate reliability (par. 4). Other studies suggest that the internal consistency range from .45 to .95, which is stated in the manual as consistent with the results from the verification sample (par.4). Burnett does not consider a range of .45 to .81 as acceptable internal consistency. Burnett concludes that the HDS consists of a well written and concise manual, which clearly describes the administration and scoring process. He finds that the two scales have moderate internal consistency, sound concurrent validity, and relatively consistent and stable factor structures (par. 7). His only complaint is that the verification sample is minimal and does not sufficiently describe the manner in which it was selected. The Stronger Assessment Tool Both Aaron Beck and Max Hamilton have created an assessment tool to determine the severity of the symptoms of depression. While Hamiltons Depression Scale was considered to be the gold standard, and may be administered to both children and adults, one would have to conclude that Becks Depression Inventory-II is the stronger of the two assessments. It appears that the BDI-II can be administered with ease and does not require an interviewing process. The BDI-II has been revised to monitor the severity of symptoms of depression for the last two weeks, while Hamiltons HDS does not state such strict guidelines. It also appears as though the BDI-II contains a stronger internal consistency with an alpha coefficient of .95 as opposed to the HDS internal coefficiency of .79 and .81. Another reason for this conclusion was the original intention of use of the scales. Hamiltons HDS was developed to evaluate the performance of the first generation of antidepressants, while Becks Depression Inventory was developed to determine the nature of the severity of symptoms of depression without the use of medication. Becks BDI-II appears to have surpassed the HDS as reviewers have considered this assessment tool as utilizing state-of-the-art psychometric techniques to improve the discriminative properties of the instrument (Beck, Steer Brown, 1961 par. 10). It appears as though Becks BDI-II is the preferred choice among todays clinicians.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

saychianna book :: essays research papers

~Chapter II~ ~The dream that night~ I dreamed that night for a short time, I’m not sure how long, but it didn’t feel like a dream at all. ~Chapter III~ ~The Moon and its Devilish Red Glare~ As the moon began to come out into view, I stood back upon my feet. I could see a little bit more since it was a full moon, it is glowing an eerie color. It reminded me of the fight that broke out at the palace. It sent a sudden chill of fear strait down my spine. I began to try to remember the way that I came in but it was all a rush altogether. I could not remember a thing. Nothing at all came. Even if I could remember was I come in from it was very dark and I couldn’t see at all now. It was obvious to me that I would have to stay there the whole night, but I hadn’t any thought of where to stay. †¦I’m still bleeding a lot; well not as much as it was. I did not know my way around yet so I just started to stroll along. As a few minuets passed on by I am again on a trail to no ware. There on the other side I could see a small path. I hoped that the path could lead me out of this shadowed forest. .. So I started running to it. I’m running as fast as I can. It is not like I could do that much right now any way. I don’t know if the path leads farther into the shadowy woods, or out of them. Anyway, even if I did manage to escape this wood alive, I don’t know who or what is awaiting my arrival to come out of here. Besides, what if there are worse creatures in here. I really don‘t want to find out. This is defiantly not such a place for me. I do not enjoy sudden attacks on my home and being thrown around like a rag doll. No, that is not I, at all. So once again I started off into this deep dark abyss, I never knew that the woods would be this dark. I was all riled up now since there was no true way of finding anyway out of this forest without daylight. I now feared that I might never be found again alive.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Genre Text Essay

The Real Inspector Hound When you think of the term ‘genre’, what does it exactly mean to you? Well I’m sure it’s without a doubt that you all commonly believe it constitutes either a kind or category of text, but in actual fact does it really? Good morning Year 11. The prime focus of your studies during the HSC course next year, I’m going to discuss how the genre of crime fiction has extended through time, whereby a variety of notions and characteristics exhibited throughout a text may either reinforce, challenge or extend on genre parameters. So what is genre then? Although genre is quite difficult to define, there are numerous interpretations of the term since the confines between genres are constantly evolving due to changing values. As Daniel Chandler states, â€Å"defining genres may not initially seem particularly problematic but it should already be apparent that it’s a theoretical minefield. † However, Jane Feuer believes â€Å"genre is ultimately an abstract conception. † These critics therefore prove that yes, while it may be easy to classify a text to a particular genre, we must understand genre as a concept that can apply to varying applications rather than its fundamental relevance to a text. In saying this, as changing contexts and values have developed over time, resulting in new-found conventions, I’ve come to agree with Stephen Neale’s understanding; â€Å"Genres are instances of repetition and difference†¦ difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre. † (Neale, 1980). This my friends, effectively reflects constant changing cultural values and attitudes in our social milieu, don’t you think? Hence, my aim today is to focus on the conventions of the genre of crime fiction and how they have been recreated in a number of ways to reflect the social and cultural aspects that are dynamic to their survival within the popularity of a text. As Neale further suggests, â€Å"genres exist to assist in shaping values. † Subsequently, I will discuss how and why Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear window and Tom Stoppard’s play The Real Inspector Hound have re-worked and extended upon crime conventions prevalent in crime writing through genre, often defying audience expectations in one way or another. As a result, Rear Window highlights and expands upon the cosy conventions of its contemporary society by paralleling the post-war issues of voyeurism and women and subverting them, reflected through its social milieu. The Real Inspector Hound also utilises cosy conventions but parodies them instead, challenging the classical Golden Age’s ‘whodunit’ storyline in a satiric way, so as to query the restoration of justice and the idea of reality vs. allusion. Thus, whilst both texts seek to extend and challenge crime conventions, they also serve to explore society’s human conditions and issues at the time in order to become seminal texts of the genre. Directed in 1954, Hitchcock’s Rear Window reinforces the fact that very few works exemplify all required characteristics of a particular genre, by cleverly breaking the ideal conventions of a suspenseful circumstance in a crime fiction text. The film is rather based around the notion of both solving the crime and proving that it happened. Rear Window further revolves around the concepts of the changing roles of women and queries the morality of voyeurism. Such notions reflect the contextual concerns of the post-war era where a revolutionary social change was clearly prevalent in society, thus endangering the traditional gender restrictions marked by WW2. Through the mis-en-scene of Jeff holding his camera looking outside the window as blinds are swiftly raised to reveal vignettes of apartments, it’s evident that a didactic message outlining the unethicalness of voyeurism is contained within Rear Window. As voyeurism further exposes hidden worlds within the film, Hitchcock manages to reflect upon American society through each of these blocks acting as a microcosm. But it stops there. Quite similarly to our other text The Real Inspector Hound, Hitchcock withdraws from typical crime conventions by not showing the occurrence of the crime itself. This was due to growing conflict between the conservative American government and growing acceptance to sexuality by society at the time, as a result of censorship on films. The concept of voyeurism is cleverly employed by Hitchcock via subverting a cosy setting, a convention to reflect the concept of McCarthyism where there was a fracturing of society due to the paranoia of communism, which was most prominent during the Golden Age. This is illustrated as the camera pans across Jeff’s apartment, focusing on his photography tools and emphasising his infatuation for observing life. Thus, Jeff’s dilemma of being entrapped in his apartment persuades him to do â€Å"something drastic† to remove him â€Å"out of the swamp of boredom,† which metaphorically foreshadows his forthcoming hobby of spying on his neighbours. I’m certain you all must think he’s strange, but the aspect of social insecurity and fear at the time was what Hitchcock was seeking to embody. Where spying begins as an innocent obsession, it soon becomes a neurotic effort to prove Thorwald’s criminal actions. Therefore, after the growing tension depicted through continual panning shots, Jeff takes action which exposes clues in Thorwald’s apartment. However, the consequences of voyeurism are made apparent through the non diagetic sound and quick motion of Jeff falling out the window. Hitchcock hence questions the moral ambiguity of voyeurism due to society’s fear of maintaining social order, by focusing on the depraved aspect of society becoming â€Å"a race of peeping toms. † Despite changing perceptions of females in the workforce, how exactly did Lisa become an amateur detective and femme fatale, whilst presenting the evolving independance and roles of women? In actual fact, Hitchcock broke a key crime convention – there must only be one detective! A high angle shot first characterises Jeff as bound to his wheel chair, and the cast around his injured leg is symbolic of the identity boundary he endures. Consequently, Jeff is left helpless, a frequent motif that’s prevalent throughout the film in which Jeff is metaphorically incapable of embracing his male dominance, hoping to â€Å"emerge from his plaster cocoon. † Thus when Lisa emerges, the dark lighting and shadows surrounding her signifies Jeff’s intimidation, as men were startled by the role of women in the post-war period. By having Jeff restricted at home in a feminised position, Hitchcock underpins Lisa as the amateur sleuth, sustained through her constant dominance over Jeff within the framing. Hitchcock further challenges the authority of women in crime fiction as femme-fatales, whereby negative connotations strengthen the presence of conceited masculinity. Yet Lisa’s strong persona and sheer determination leads to her fatal participation in â€Å"the next assignment,† exhibited in the panning tracking shot of her investigating Thorwald’s apartment, underlining Lisa’s unusual role as a detective and the film’s conclusion of restoration. Subsequently, Hitchcock illustrates the development of crime conventions by challenging traditional crime conventions, via representing the shift in the growing independence and role of women in society, by maintaining both genders as main detectives. Thus, Rear Window not only reinforces and extends upon crime genre parameters, but also reflects society’s changing values, hence explaining why it’s considered a critical crime fiction text even today. Unlike Hitchcock who reinvented some crime writing rules, Stoppard completely goes against them. Whilst Stoppard experiments with the classical Golden Age crime conventions, the crime genre is seen to continuously mirror society’s changing attitude and values. In successfully challenging the audience to interpret whether the perceived distinction between what is real and an allusion in crime is essential, Stoppard also leads them to question the restoration of justice. The perceived distinction between reality and allusion is no longer relevant in today’s post-modern world as it was in the Golden Age, due to changing societal expectations, like Stoppard suggests. He breaks traditional conventions, as the margins of a play-within-a-play have been intersected, demonstrating the blurring of reality. Whilst Rear Window uses a cosy setting to depict society’s issues, Stoppard instead parodies it to demonstrate that a crime isn’t always within its confines, and hence defies crime conventions to outline the irrationality of society. The cosy method of contrivance supports this, being parodied through Mrs. Drudge’s absurd dialogue about the â€Å"somewhat isolated Muldoon Manor, which is surrounded by deadly swamps and fog. † Thus Stoppard criticises S. S Van Dine’s code where â€Å"the detective himself† â€Å"should never turn out to be the culprit,† by forwarding the murderous role onto Puckeridge, whom the audience come to learn as Inspector Hound and Magnus also. This is depicted in the final scene through an exaggerated climax of a string of revelations. For eg. â€Å"I am not the real Magnus Muldoon! It was a mere subterfuge. Stoppard effectively emphasises the melodramatic and absurd situation of the play, by demonstrating multiple pauses and an overuse of explanation points in union with stage directions. Through a variety of dramatic devices, the distinction between reality and allusion is dissolved, as Stoppard denounces the lack of innovation and irrelevancy of crime fiction conventions. Society is further challenged by Stoppard to query the relevancy of the nature of truth and justice within the traditional crime fiction genre. So must there always be a hero within the context of the text? The authorities within the play are not central figures, just like the police aren’t in Rear Window, as justice isn’t achieved. But whilst the police in Rear Window are idiotic, Inspector Hound doesn’t even convey detective traits. Alternatively, Inspector Hound is continuously ridiculed through stage directions. For eg. He is wearing â€Å"inflatable swamp boots and carrying a foghorn,† in his entrance. Therefore, The Real Inspector Hound has eloquently challenged the conventions of crime fiction, leading the play to become a significant crime fiction text as it crucially contributes to the revolution of crime over time. In summation, it’s without a doubt that Hitchcock’s Rear Window skilfully challenges the conventions of crime fiction in such a way that classifies the film as unlike your traditional crime film, as he endeavoured to reflect the cultural values of the post-war era. Moreover, Stoppard also extended upon genre parameters in The Real Inspector Hound by satirising the classic conventions of characters and plot from the Golden Age, whereby he duplicated postmodernist beliefs at a point where it was seen as time for change. Thus, both texts have grown to become seminal crime fiction texts, by cleverly reinventing already established crime conventions in numerous ways.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Marketing reflections

Apart from creating ‘loyalists' who support the company at all mimes, such schemes also aim at enticing customers away from competition (Morgan, 1996). Price, location and convenience are other determinants of customer loyalty. The case study mentioned in the article presents an overall negative picture of loyalty cards In the hospitality business. It says majority of the customers purchased the loyalty cards of the hotel because it provided good value for money and cheap local deals. Despite having high satisfaction, such ‘mercenaries' had very low commitment towards the hotel (Morgan, 1996).It mentions that other means like customizing arrive for each individual, giving same room to regulars, ‘business roundtable dinners', happy hour etc. , with special attention to profitable customers, might be more successful in retaining customers. However, the above doesn't seem to hold true for supermarket chains. Owing to a change in management, Jewel Coco's move to ditch i ts loyalty card and opt for â€Å"everyday low prices† instead was not received very well by the regular customers. They felt that their right to exclusive discount was being taken away from them and thus, Coco lost quite a few customers.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy stood out from most writers of yesterday and today. His works were based on the happenings around him whether it involved government, religion, or even romance. Leo Tolstoy faced many problems in life. Starting at an early age to the day he died, he took on all obstacles. Tolstoy was a man respected by almost everyone. He stood strong for what he believed in and did what he could to help someone out, no matter what the consequences were. On September 23, 1862, at the age of 34, Tolstoy married 18-year-old Sophia Behrs, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family whom he had watched grow up. During their early days of marriage, he conceived the idea of a novel based on the Decembrists, a group of noble families who attempted to bring the idea of a constitution to state attention in December 1825. As soon as he started doing research on their work, however, the whole period of the Napoleonic wars unfolded. The novel was to eventually become Tolstoy's great epic, War and Peace. The novel was serialized over a period of five years, 1864-1869, and at first the critics were completely baffled by it. Even Turgenev was unsure of the novel's importance. It did not gain critical adoration until a number of years after it was completed. Anna Karenina, Tolstoy's next work, was based on the real-life case of a young woman Tolstoy knew. She was a young society woman who threw herself under a train over what was then called "a romance." The novel was serialized during 1873-1876 and was widely regarded as a triumph. At the time of Anna Karenina's composition, Tolstoy was undergoing another important stage in his religious process. He was questioning the integrity of the Greek Orthodox Church and the morality of the Russian society world; those questions are brought to fore in this work. Throughout the composition of Anna Karenina and later works including Resurrection and the masterful short novel The Death of Ivan Ilyitch, Tolstoy was... Free Essays on Tolstoy Free Essays on Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy stood out from most writers of yesterday and today. His works were based on the happenings around him whether it involved government, religion, or even romance. Leo Tolstoy faced many problems in life. Starting at an early age to the day he died, he took on all obstacles. Tolstoy was a man respected by almost everyone. He stood strong for what he believed in and did what he could to help someone out, no matter what the consequences were. On September 23, 1862, at the age of 34, Tolstoy married 18-year-old Sophia Behrs, the youngest daughter of a wealthy family whom he had watched grow up. During their early days of marriage, he conceived the idea of a novel based on the Decembrists, a group of noble families who attempted to bring the idea of a constitution to state attention in December 1825. As soon as he started doing research on their work, however, the whole period of the Napoleonic wars unfolded. The novel was to eventually become Tolstoy's great epic, War and Peace. The novel was serialized over a period of five years, 1864-1869, and at first the critics were completely baffled by it. Even Turgenev was unsure of the novel's importance. It did not gain critical adoration until a number of years after it was completed. Anna Karenina, Tolstoy's next work, was based on the real-life case of a young woman Tolstoy knew. She was a young society woman who threw herself under a train over what was then called "a romance." The novel was serialized during 1873-1876 and was widely regarded as a triumph. At the time of Anna Karenina's composition, Tolstoy was undergoing another important stage in his religious process. He was questioning the integrity of the Greek Orthodox Church and the morality of the Russian society world; those questions are brought to fore in this work. Throughout the composition of Anna Karenina and later works including Resurrection and the masterful short novel The Death of Ivan Ilyitch, Tolstoy was...

Monday, November 4, 2019

To what Extent was Imperial Germany the Main Reason for the Outbreak Literature review

To what Extent was Imperial Germany the Main Reason for the Outbreak of WWI - Literature review Example Austria-Hungary announced war on Russia as France and Great Britain declared war on Austria-Hungary six days later. Historians and academicians understand the origins of the First World War, or â€Å"the Great War† as it is known, as complex, intense and intricate. This write-up presents a literature review on the causes of World War 1 and particularly Imperial Germany’s role in it. The scale of the war was vast as European powers increased their military spending by more than 300% during the war. Overall, thirty-two nations participated in the war, twenty-eight of which were Allied and Associated Powers, whose principal belligerents were the British Empire, France, Italy, Russia, Serbia, and the United States of America. The Central Powers opposing them were Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire. 2. Causes of World War I One of the initial writings concerning the causes of war, the summarized revisionist history, â€Å"Origins of World War I†, by Sidney Bradshaw Fay discusses the Immediate and Underlying Causes of the war (Fay, 1966). Fay suggests five key reasons behind World War 1: the system of secret alliances, militarism, nationalism, economic imperialism and the newspaper press. Other academicians (Weikart, 1993) have also added social Darwinism to one of the underlying causes of War. Scholars, however, give different weightages to different causes, based on the importance they place on each of the above factors. Author S.R. Williamson takes on a pragmatist perspective by emphasizing that, in the period immediately leading up to World War I, there was a â€Å"militarization of attitudes† all across Europe (Samuel R. Williamson, 1988). â€Å"Militarism† and â€Å"imperialism† were key motivating forces in majority of the European countries to attack each other. Williamson, in his study, however singles out Austria-Hungry as the distruptive force amongst all other nations. The Austria-Hungry Em pire was on a verge of disintegration and hence was preparing a realiatory attack on Serbia for the assasination of the archduke. Historian N. Ferguson, in his book, The Pity of War, elaborates further on the â€Å"Imperialistic virtues† of Europe, and that all European powers were preparing for the war within the confines of their empires. A naval arms race was gaining momentum between Germany and Britain and both countries wanted to demonstrate their strength as world’s greatest imperial powers (Ferguson, 1999). Each European country was also facing fears and threats to their existence and to their expansion plans. The Austrians dreaded the collapse of their multi-racial Empire if they did not challenge the danger of Serb nationalism and Panslavism. The Germans feared the fall of their closest and only reliable ally, Austria that in turn would have weakened their stance in Europe. The Russians were threatened of a humilating defeat to Austria and their failure to pro tect Slavs. The French felt the threat of their German neighbours as Germany increased its might in population, economy and military strength. France's primary defence against the threat of German invasion was its alliance with Russia. This it was essential to protect. The British were vulnerable as well, as their global empire was exposed to hostile forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary with modern navy and war

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Structure of the DNA and RNA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Structure of the DNA and RNA - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  the DNA sequence is composed of four types of DNA which are adenine A and Guanine G, Thymine T and Cytosine C.  A sugar known as 2’-deoxy ribose is phosphorylated at its 5’hydroxyl group and free nucleotides have phosphates representing the mono-, di-, or triphosphate form of the nucleotide known as dGTP, dATP, dTTP and dCTP.  This paper highlights that DNA does not exist in a single strand since it is not stable; it links with a second strand and intertwines to form a double helix structure. The bases are bonded to each other at the centre in a particular way whereby Adenine bond with thymine with 2H-bonds and Cytosine bond with Guanine with 3H-bonds. The linear geometry and rigidity of the H-bonds prevents the base pair formation since the plane lies perpendicular to the axis of the helix. Watson and Crick described the B-DNA as the physiological form of the double helix DNA. The sequence of bases in the polymer encodes the genetic information for protein synthesis. The real structure of the DNA, however, deviates slightly from the B form in a sequence dependent manner as well as depending on the interaction with DNA-binding proteins.  A double helix has the minor and major grooves winding along the helix surface. In those grooves, parts of the ring structures of the purines and pyrimidines are exposed to the surface of the helix this is the site where most protein-DNA interactions occur.