Ask Me: Poem Analysis Essay

This is one of my favorite poems as it has allowed me to relate in so numerous ways when it comes to life. All through my life there have been many ups and downs, and many people that have come and gone; but no matter what the series of events that I have come across have made me who I am today. There have been many people that have played important roles in my life but as William Stafford entails people will come and go; and people will play all kinds of roles in your life. When people make inquiries from me whether I would take anything in my life back if i had a chance, I answer with no since the people I have been involved with and the blunders I have made shaped who I am today. The poem is written in the future tense; from the first person perception of â€Å"I†. This is style isvery different from other poets. Stafford reaches out to audiences in the first line with the words â€Å"ask me†. Stafford writes of a future occasion when questions will be asked of him. It begins with a dialogue between the orator and another person. We have no reason to believe that the orator is not Stafford himself. The other person could be the audience, but sounds more like a close companion or at least somebody who knows him well. The poem begins: â€Å"Some time when the river is ice ask me mistakes I have made. Ask me what I have done in my life.†(Stafford) In these two sentences, he brings in two things: first, what the poem is regarding (his life), and second the main metaphor (the river iced over). For the rest of the first stanza he talks of the consequence other people have had whether good or bad. Or somewhat he is asking the listener to ask him; which is odd since the second verse begins: â€Å"I will pay attention to what you say† (Stafford). The second stanza reddens out the metaphor of the ice-covered river. That while it looks immobile; what’s beneath is a different story: â€Å"We know the current is there, concealed; and there are comings and goings from miles away† The river in the rhyme, for Stafford, as it has been for many poets although the ages, is an image and metaphor for the orator’s life. Fascinatingly in an interview, when he is talking about himself he make use of the same image:â€Å"I keep following this kind of concealed river of my life, you know, whatever the subject or impulse which comes, I follow it along gullibly (Stafford). And I don’t have any sagacity of its coming to a sort of upsurge, or of its petering out either.† The poem is saying that there is a difference to be made, between how immobile and peaceful the ice-covered river may look on the facade; this could be how human beings remembers their life, a sequence of actions and events frozen in recall. And what is beneath, that actions and blunders cannot be seen in isolation, but are managed and influenced by events and people. In the same way the path of a river is influenced by things that govern its course. Stafford gives us the eventual life lesson concealed within life’s blunders. We all ask ourselves and others as well if our choices are slip-ups. But in reality no choice in life is a slip-up, but an example in which we learn from. You will always have people within your life that are there to upset you or help you, but in the end what is done is your option. We as humans are not ideal and shouldn’t hide behind â€Å"the ice† for the â€Å"mistakes† we have made, for in our life is already planned out for us it’s our choice on what road to take. Stafford gives us encouragement within his rhyme; permitting us to see ourselves for who we are and not what we do. Work cited Stafford, William. â€Å"Ask Me.† Gioia, X. J. Kennedy and Dana. Literature. New York: Pearson, 2010. 643. Book

Adolescent Psychological Disorder: Depression Essay

Depression is a common psychological disorder which is more likely to be experienced by young people. Although this psychological disorder could be manifested in all age range, studies show that individuals who are in their adolescence to early adulthood stage have greater tendency to feel depress (Costell, Swendsen & Rose, 173, 2008). This disorder is often accompanied by feelings of sadness, despair or hopelessness which eventually causes a person to become isolated among the other individuals. Several issues regarding the frequency of depression occurrence had been studied by researchers. It is said that the rate of depression is determined by the differences in gender, race and ethnicity. This claim suggests that women are more likely to experience depression than men and the same holds regarding the issue of ethnicity and race. Thus, the whites were less to experience depression than the minority (Brown, Meadows & Elder, 1300, 2007). Most of the time sadness and depression is interchangeably used. While it is true that depression is a product of intense sadness, one must know the distinction between these two. As to elaborate a little, the feeling of sadness has less damaging effect and usually last within a short period of time. Individuals learn to let go of this feeling at a much faster phase while people who embrace this feeling for a long time would eventually develop the depression disorder. Two types of depression basically arise, that is, major depression and minor depression (dysthymia). The degree or state of depression varies as an individual ages. The major depression disorder usually last in a short period of time but is basically more severe than the other type. The consequences that depression posed on one’s individuality are essential consideration to be reflected on. Most of these consequences are harmful and can bring damaging effect to the life of an individual thus thorough understanding of this psychological disorder would impose a great advantage. Causes of Depression Occurrence of depression is brought by numerous factors. Events, people, the environment as well as genetic factors contribute to the incidence of depression. In this paper, three causes of depression from different studies conducted would be discussed. Some of these causes of can eventually be modified while some are not liable to change. Nutrition was viewed to have a vital contribution to depression. (Shariatpanaahi et al, 532, 2007). It is established that the mental and cerebral mechanisms are being affected due to nutrient deficiencies therefore resulting to mood disorders including depression. Prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia was viewed to have certain contribution to depression. The study conducted by Shariatpanaahi and his colleagues looked at the association between serum ferritin level and depression. Their study resulted that students who are experiencing depression have lower serum ferritin level than the healthy ones (Shariatpanaahi et al, 534, 2007). With reference to the result generated, lower serum ferritin level which indicates minimal presence of iron in the body was viewed to have a vital role in the brain function and in the establishment of depression. The stressful experience of college freshmen to their new environment inside the learning place could also trigger depression. Being in an unfamiliar environment is a stressful event that brings a sense of discomfort (Dyson and Renk, 1231, 2006). Accompanying this feeling of discomfort is the change on depression symptomatology that they experience. Being in their transition stage towards adulthood, stress and depression were showed to be greatly triggered. Race and ethnicity is also viewed for depressive symptoms to occur. The study conducted by Brown and his colleagues (2007) resulted that different race-ethnic groups (including Hispanics, Asians, Blacks and whites) shows different level of depressive symptoms. In their study, the whites showed the lowest level of such symptoms while the Hispanics and Asians showed the highest. The level of depressive symptoms among the blacks falls between the whites and the two other race-ethnic groups (1300). Explanation for the occurrence of such depressive symptoms are said to be interconnected with the mental health and stressful experiences of these different minority groups. The location or condition of the Hispanics, Asians and Blacks in the society greatly contributes to their depression. Most of these groups, as well as their family, belongs to the lower class in the society thus receiving minimal benefits in terms of health care and tends to dwell in neighborhoods which are characterized as unsafe (Brown, Meadows & Elder, 1298, 2007). Upon the exposure of these race-ethnic groups to these conditions, the depression disorder develops and is heightened. Symptoms of Depression Basically the most obvious symptom of depression is an intense feeling of sadness manifested most of the time. Different symptoms are expressed by individuals in different age brackets as well as different instances or conditions of these individuals in the society. Taking in consideration the study conducted by Brown and his colleagues, symptoms of depression manifested by the race-ethnic minority includes anxiety and a sense of inferiority (Brown, Meadows & Elder, 1307, 2007). For new colleges trying to be familiar and adapting to their new environment, behaviors including a depressed mood or sadness most of the time (being away from their parents), irritability, inability to enjoy things and inability to concentrate are apparent (Dyson and Renk, 1234, 2006). Other symptoms that are most likely associated with depression includes withdrawal from friends and family, significant weight loss or gain, change in sleep patterns, pessimism and indifference, feeling tired, feeling numb emotionally and the worst is entertaining the thought of death or suicide. Effects of the Disorder Depression, if not given thorough attention could bring the worst effect to an individual. How an individual responds to the feeling of depression determines the effect of the disorder in his actions (Nolen-Hoeksema, 569, 1991). The feeling of depression is more likely to bring about negative thoughts in an individual’s mind. With these thoughts in mind, negative emotions would also be triggered. Entertaining such thoughts and emotions would bring distraction in one’s health, education, work and relationship with other people. Adolescence performance in school tends to decline as a result of depression (Dyson and Renk, 1234, 2006). Because of their inability to concentrate or focus on the lessons being thought in the learning place, their grades used to decline. Academic failures, school dissatisfaction as well as negative relationship with teachers and other students may take place. Depressed individuals seem to be pre-occupied with their thought of being depressed therefore interfering with their capability to think critically, perform well and socialized with other individuals in the learning place. Such scenario is true in the work place. Because of the disorder, individuals are more likely to be out of focus on their work thus they are more likely to accomplish lesser job (or they do not accomplish anything at all) within a given period. This type of behavior in the workplace would bring unwanted effects on the part of the individual as well as in the company. This could also lead to an individual’s dismissal in the job. Again, such dismissal would only trigger further depression and could bring forth to a worst event. Depressed individuals also shows attitude of wanting to be alone. Sharing one’s frustration (which eventually causes the prevalence of depression) with his family is sometimes hard to do. This ultimately contribute to a reduce interaction and may develop poor family relationship. Sometimes, depressed adolescent causes negative confrontation between parents as well as between siblings. Psychiatric hospitalization can also occur among adolescence if the level of depression is severe (Herman and Ostrander, 484, 2007). Some depressed individuals tend to be engaged in accidents in roads. They tend to drive recklessly thus resulting to several body impairments (Nolen-Hoeksema, 570, 199). Such action of reckless and violent driving is a means to pour out the feeling of depression. However, Nolen-Hoeksema argued that the relief from depression through this action is only for a short run. Coping up with Depression Several therapies and combination of these therapies are being suggested by psychologists as well as doctors to cope up with depression. In the study conducted by Nolen-Hoeksema, 570, 1991), she suggested the used of distractive response as a way to cope up with depression. In this response, adolescence experiencing depression are encourage to draw their attention to other things such as engaging in activity with friends or doing a hobby. In this way, Nolen-Hoeksema hypothesized that an individual would tend be distracted and would somehow overcome his feeling of depression. Guidance and support of family members (especially support from mothers) is also a means to help adolescence to cope up with depression. The multi family group approach (Lemmmens et al, 51, 2007) is greatly encouraged. This approach is concern to provide the needs of the patient and also guides the family to stand the difficulties of depression that are experience by the family as a whole. Fostering interaction between the patient and members of his family would put the patient at ease. Recognizing the fact that his family is there to support him and guide him all through out would lessen his burden and would therefore aid in treating depression. Cognitive therapy was also studied to aid in the treatment of depression (Beevers and Miller, 68, 2005). The result of there study shows that the used of mentioned therapy ‘may help patients to deal more functionally to their negative thoughts. ’ As stated on the discussion regarding the effects of depression, negative thoughts are said to be the driving force in which depression arises. Effectively managing these negative would lessen the occurrence of the disorder. This type of approach or therapy is basically more of prevention rather than treatment. Nevertheless, its efficiency in the control of depression is noteworthy. Conclusion  Depression is brought about by several factors faced by an individual in the society. Although this psychological disorder is somewhat inevitable and is said to be a common disorder, prevention and treatments should be provided. As to any other physical or psychological diseases, severe state of depression could bring unwanted and detrimental effect to the individual himself as well as to other people. Manifestation of symptoms of this psychological disorder must be taken in deep consideration. The stage of adolescence undeniably entails a lot of stress that could somehow cause an individual to incur depression. Adolescents are vulnerable to changes because different emotional as well as physiological activities are happening within their body. It is therefore important to be considerate and out lay the necessary actions to guard the adolescents to the threats of depression. Involvement of parents and other family members in preventing and treating the said disorder is greatly encourage. Other therapies should also be considered as a treatment for this disorder. Thorough understanding of the causes, symptoms and treatments of depression would be of great significant. The harm that this disorder imposes to adolescents is truly alarming. Its effects on the individual’s well-being and activities are disturbing. Psychologists together with other medical researchers are continuously finding ways to lessen the occurrence of this disorder. Thus, in order for their efforts to efficiently work, a collaborative support from the society is needed. The society should not undermine the effects of depression but instead thorough knowledge regarding this disorder as well as the harm that accompanies it must be explained and made clear.

How has Massachusetts differed from other states in dealing with Essay

How has Massachusetts differed from other states in dealing with fiscal problems in the last couple of years - Essay Example Since the recession started, most states have closed more than $425 billion in shortfalls. All states have to balance operating budgets at least biennially unlike the federal government, which can go on providing services even with a financial downturn. Since federal economic assistance is to expire before the recovery of most state budgets, the states must address these shortfalls by a combination of tax increases and spending cuts. This paper aims to discuss how the state of Massachusetts has differed from other states in dealing with their fiscal problems. An annual update released by the US Census Bureau for local and state government finances provided national data for the year 2010. The amount of local and state taxes in Massachusetts as total personal income share was 10.2% in the fiscal year 2010. Using this measure, the state of Massachusetts, recorded lower taxation when compared to twenty-four other states (Ellwood 23). Measuring of taxes as a personal income share allows financial experts a meaningful comparison tool to compare states. Taxes act as the primary funding source for people living in various states that are provided to government for the provision of such functions as public education, safety nets, libraries, playgrounds and parks. The new data from the census shows that Massachusetts has a level of taxation ranging at 10.42%, below the average nationally that came at 10.59% in 2010 (Ellwood 23). If the state of Massachusetts had a taxation level at the average nationally, then local and state government would have had an extra $1.1 billion to spend during the fiscal year. Most states across the United States started implementing budget cuts in spring 2008 with the recession bringing weakened revenues sharply into focus. These cuts have increased given the persistently high unemployment. Most states cut funding by 4.2% in 2009 and a further 6.8% in 2010 despite the continued need for services that are funded by the state (Ellwood 25). Ho wever, in Massachusetts, a few diversions were noted, especially with budget cuts. Massachusetts has four major categories in their budget where they spent much more than other states despite/ instead of effecting cuts. These were public welfare, transit, veteran services and unemployment compensation. Public welfare, behind education, is the second largest category in the census encompassing temporary assistance for needy families, food stamp program and Medicaid. Unlike other states, Massachusetts has seen overspending in this category, indicated by the low ratings for welfare reform. TANF afforded flexibility to most states for the administration of benefits provided the goals set out by TANF were satisfied. A comprehensive study gave Massachusetts a low grade for the satisfaction of these goals, with a score of 34.9% and a ranking of forty-sixth out of fifty states (Ellwood 28). Unemployment compensation includes benefits that are funded by the federal government such as basic u nemployment benefits and cash benefits for military and civilian employees. This includes shared expenditure, for example, extended employment for those states with high rates of unemployment. One significant indicator that Massachusetts overspends in this category compared to other states in this category is the fact that, in 2008s second quarter, Massachusetts recorded the second highest rate of weekly payment at $391.91 in comparison to the national average at $285.28 (Gold 250). Massachusetts’

Romantic Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Romantic Love - Essay Example As the essay declares love is one of the most profound emotions known and as exhibited from the thesis statement above, every person has an affinity to feel loved and wanted to make their lives interesting and bear meaning. Others seek romantic relationships where they are able to express their feelings to another compatible partner (preferably of opposite sex) as the main type of love. A romantic relationship for this reason is the most meaningful of elements in human lives that provides a deep source of fulfillment from the mutual association. According to the paper findings the ability to have a loving and healthy relationship is not innate. A great deal of evidence suggests that love possess certain specific characteristics, the ability to form a stable relationship right from infancy. A child’s earliest experience of love may be from a caregiver who reliably meets the infant's needs for food, protection, care, stimulation, and social contact. Consequently, romantic love is an invention of the modern world not an archaic relic. Most of historical societies did not experience or know love as compared to the modern society where individuals are allowed to make their individual, independent choices on the person their heart loves cutting across ethnic diversity, races and nationality. Popularly, parents would arrange marriages based on the families mutual attraction in the ancient days giving linking people with a destiny not of their own choice or selection. The modern society hence allows grounds for love to thrive and add meaning into life.

Medical Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medical Admission - Essay Example I was feeling very embarrassed because it took me the longest to scrub into surgery, so I decided that I needed to leave the surgery first to get a head start preparing for the next surgery. In addition, I wanted to grab a cup of coffee to help wake me up. I was still wearing the surgical hat and smock as I passed through the double doors of the entrance of the surgical wing. While I was passing through the doors, an older man approached me and asked if Catalina was okay. He had the look of worry and fear in his eyes. I did not know what to say because I was not a doctor. Before I could say anything, the rest of his family members, who were sitting on the chairs lining the hallway, got up and approached me. All of them with the same look of fear and concern asked me questions about Catalina. I was not sure if I should say anything, but I felt the need to say something to comfort them during what must have been the longest hour of their lives. I told them the operation went well and C atalina was going to be just fine. Their eyes and faces immediately became full of joy and happiness. They hugged me, thanked me, and the mother and grandmother even kissed me. That moment motivated me to become a physician. I had never felt anything like that before. It was at that moment when I made the final decision to serve the mankind by becoming a doctor. A month before traveling to South America to shadow my uncle for the summer, I had been volunteering at a hospital next to campus for about a year.  

Introduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction - Essay Example It contains the case studies that I have done. The case studies are the students approach to how they would with certain healthcare situations that do arise all the time. I have done five case studies that have been graded with an excellent score. Along with the case studies are the articles that I summarized along with the summaries. I have again gotten perfect scores on the summaries, which is something that I am very proud of. Then I have listed five scientific journals that are in the subject of health science. They were useful to me over the past five years. Last but not least I have used my upper division Health Science projects where I indicated what my responsibilities for each of them were. The second section is the career section where I have indicated what where my career goals and where I want to go in future. I have included a job ad for public health educator in Forsyth County, North Carolina. I have used my cover letter as well as my resume that has been tailored to the field of Public Health and Safety. Also I included my personal essay which goes into what factors made a difference in my academic career. As you read my essay, one can almost say that I am heavily influenced by my parents. Hopefully one can also read how determined I was. The third section is system analysis. In this section, students were asked to use an organizational chart. I used a chart for a government agency that I may consider working for in the future. The agency that I choose is the San Francisco Department of Health (SFDPH).This chart lists the current positions in the field as well as their hierarchy. The vacant places are indicated as well. The fourth section is the papers. The first of the papers is the legacy role. The legacy role really examines the student’s perspective on how the overall Health Science coursework has impacted them. For me, I have chosen to pick the positive and the negative of each spectrum.Overall; I stated that I made the right

The Hyper Modern City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Hyper Modern City - Essay Example In ‘Drifting in Las Vegas: A Postmodern Ethnography’(1995), the author speaks of how American, British, as well as other geographies have been shaped to be similar to Las Vegas and other brands to make cities as carnivals: The super-hyper version is Las Vegas. I call Las Vegas the Versailles of America ... long after Las Vegas’ influence as gambling heaven has gone, Las Vegas’ forms and symbols will be influencing American life. That fantastic skyline! Las Vegas’ neon sculpture, its fantastic fifteen-story high display signs, parabolas, boomerangs, rhomboids, trapezoids and all the rest of it, are already staple design of the American landscape outside of the oldest parts of the oldest cities. They are all over every suburb, every subdivision, every highway ... They are the new landmarks of America, the new guideposts, the new way Americans get their bearings (Wolfe 1965, p. xvi) The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2003) defines utop ia as â€Å"(the idea of) a perfect society in which everyone works well with each other and is happy†. Due to technological advances, the speed of our lives has increased with the speed of communication, fast foods, and the information age so much so that we try to create our own utopia. Like the thousands of images flashing before our eyes on television, at the cinema, everywhere, we want it our way and we want it now.

Leadership and Decision Making Assignment Term Paper

Leadership and Decision Making Assignment - Term Paper Example The major problem that might occur while working as a team is when the team members do not listening and follow the instructions of their colleagues. The lack of sharing of information is also one of the prime reasons for the failure. This is the reason why leaders are required to handle the team in the right direction with various leadership styles in resolving conflicts and work with the same motive and objective as a team. Conflicts are common in working as a team but it demands competent leadership in solving the issues and for managing all the concerned members in the right path. The true leaders are competent enough in taking decisions and manage everyone as per the desired objectives of the organization. In clinical teams, motives, traits, knowledge and skills are commonly found but there is a lack of leadership quality in the team. In any kind of organization, the importance of leadership is prevalent. The leaders are accountable as they take up the responsibilities; identify various techniques in motivating the team members and initiate effective decisions. As per Professor Lars Qvortrup, â€Å"The leader can only identify the learning need of the organization and exceed the organization’s knowledge horizon by standing outside the organization† (Qvortrup, n.d.). In an organization, responsibility and accountability are very important. Responsibility will create accountability of all the deeds that are carried out in the organization. Leaders in the organization take up the challenge and work with others in generating benefit to their organizations. A leader knows best about his/her work force people better. Leaders can identify the motivating factors for the employees and try to motivate them either in monetary terms or in non monetary methods. The tools used by the leaders in motivating the work force are divided into

Case solution Essay Example for Free

Case solution Essay Solution: Moving from â€Å"make do† to â€Å"can do† Meeting SUBWAY’s expectations meant IPC needed topnotch management of key issues: Card programs: A newly implemented Gift card program – and management of an existing loyalty card program – brought high customer demand for IPC to handle card issues and placed a serious burden on them to respond efficiently. Customer service: Efforts to address issues were being duplicated and the process was managed manually. There was no real control of customer service, so issues were falling through the cracks. Centralization: IPC needed a system to centralize customer issues and eliminate redundancies. IPC had no way to know or track if multiple resources were working independently to resolve the same customer issue. With a holiday season quickly approaching, IPC expected higher volume demands, which meant they more support resources. They decided the timing was right for CRM Solution: Moving from â€Å"make do† to â€Å"can do† Meeting SUBWAY’s expectations meant IPC needed topnotch management of key issues: Card programs: A newly implemented Gift card program – and management of an existing loyalty card program – brought high customer demand for IPC to handle card issues and placed a serious burden on them to respond efficiently. Customer service: Efforts to address issues were being duplicated and the process was managed manually. There was no real control of customer service, so issues were falling through the cracks. Centralization: IPC needed a system to centralize customer issues and eliminate redundancies. IPC had no way to know or track if multiple resources were working independently to resolve the same customer issue. With a holiday season quickly approaching, IPC expected higher volume demands, which meant they more support resources. They decided the timing was right for CRM

The Cool Web Essay Example for Free

The Cool Web Essay In their respective poems, the poets examine language and the importance of it in our life and culture. Robert Graves uses a metaphor of a web to depict language, one that gives form, structure and release to daily events. The image of language being constructed like a web is reflected in the structure of the poem, in iambic pentameter form. Graves describes in the first stanza how children are unable through words to describe how hot the day is. They are completely dumb and unable to express their discomfort, and in this manner lessen its intensity. The black wastes of the evening sky alludes also to the negativity and oppression that daily living inflicts. How dreadful the tall soldiers drumming by reinforces this, suggesting war, reinforcing also the feeling of conflict and negativity. The second stanza turns the poem around, starting with But. Graves explains how we have speech to chill the angry day, to dull the roses cruel scent. The philosophical proposition of speech as a release, as a poultice or panacea, is amplified through the poets use of repetition.  But we have speech, to chill the angry day, And speech, to dull the roses cruel scent.  We spell away the overhanging night,  We spell away the soldiers and the fright. The second half of the stanza, on a conspicuous level, describes the craft of a poet. It also insinuates language as a form of magic, as if poets are magicians who have power over the natural world. The third stanza links directly back to the title of the poem, describing language as a cool web that winds us in. It also carries a warning of withdrawing too much from emotion, joy or fear:  We grow sea-green at last and coldly die  In brininess and volubility. Language is here described as an Ocean, one that if we immerse ourselves too deeply in, we drown in brininess and volubility. Graves choice of elaborate words demonstrates the power of language. The final stanza is also a warning, a warning that without words and language to provide rationalisation, form and structure to our thoughts and emotions we shall go mad no doubt and die that way. The poet is ambivalent in his viewpoint, arguing that we need a balance between verbosity and losing self-possession of our tongues, that without the escape language and poetry offers we are like children, dumb to express ourselves. In Edward Thomas poem, Words, he suggests that eloquence and language are not voluntary. The poem uses enjambment, reflecting the flow of inspiration and free thought. Addressing words directly in his poem, he asks for inspiration:  Will you choose  Sometimes   (.) Choose me,  You English words? Thomas insinuates that words choose the poet or writer, contrasting with Graves opinion (as suggested in his poem The Cool Web) that we have control over our use of language. Thomas compares inspiration coming to the poet as wind, whistling through as if through a crack in a wall, or a drain. The imagery of words being weightless and almost supernatural is amplified by their comparison to light as dreams. The reference to words being as precious as poppies can be interpreted perhaps as opium dreams, and corn is the basis of bread. Through these comparisons the poet implies that language and words are a basic need of human culture, as necessary as bread and dreams the allusion to dreams being an escape from reality, and also a source of inspiration. An old cloak implies familiarity. The majority of the second stanza appeals heavily to the senses, using aural imagery:  Sweet as our birds  To the ear,  As the burnet rose  In the heat  Of Midsummer  Thomas also describes the mystery of words and language by comparing them to the races of the dead and unborn. The similarities between words and the dead and unborn alludes to the idea that there are poems and books not yet written, the dead implying potentialities not reached and the unborn suggesting poems and inspiration growing and developing within poets. The verse describes natural beauty, depicting roses, yew trees, hills, and streams after rain implying that words are also natural beauty. In the third stanza, Thomas alludes to the different dialects of Wiltshire, Kent and Herefordshire, drawing attention to the diversity of the English language. From the names, and the things / No less.  The final stanza eulogizes the act of writing a poem, addressing inspiration directly as you again.  Let me sometimes dance  With you,  Or climb  Or stand perchance  In ecstasy,  Fixed and free  In a rhyme,  As poets do.  Thomas personifies language and inspiration a tactile being, Let me sometimes dance / With you, also reflecting back on his previous description of poetry being dream-like, Or stand perchance in ecstasy. Fixed and free describes the rigid backbone of a poem, the technical structure and form, but also the freedom the language gives it.

Benefits of Evidence Based Practice (EBP)

Benefits of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Evidence Based Practice, also known as EBP according to (Liamputtong, 2013) is a â€Å"process that requires the practitioner to find best empirical evidence about the effectiveness or efficacy of different treatment options and then determine the relevance of the evidence to a particular client’s situation†. EBP values, enhances, and builds on the clinical proficiency, knowledge of the disease mechanisms, and pathophysiology. It involves complex and conscientious decision making built not only on the available evidence but also on patient physiognomies, circumstances, and preferences. It also recognizes health care as an individualized and ever changing that involves uncertainties and probabilities. Ultimately EBP is the formalization of the care process that the best clinicians have practiced for generations (McKibbon, 1998). Effective evidence based practice takes time, extensive research, proper understanding and is dependent on its five steps. The first of these is formulating a searchable clinical question or questions which than needs to be answered to satisfy the health carer or other specific needs of the patient. The second step involves the retrieval of best evidence such as textbooks, verified journal literature/article etc. to answer the questions. Appraising the retrieved information to help make a clinical decision forms the third step. The fourth steps involves applyingthe evidence with clinical expertise, taking the patients wants/needs into consideration and the fifth step involves the evaluatingtheeffectiveness and efficiency of the process. (McKibbon, 1998). Evidence based practice is vital, demanding and highly respected amongst health care disciplines because of its ambitions to provide the most effective care that is accessible, with the aim of improving patients outcomes. It promotes an attitude of inquiry in health professionals and gets them into thinking about questions such as: Why am I doing this in this way? Is there evidence that can guide me to do this in a more effective way? Therefore, facilitating their practice into professional accountability. Evidence based practice also plays an important role in ensuring that health resources are used wisely and that relevant evidence is considered when decisions such as funding health services are made (Hoffmann, Bennett, Mar, 2010). Most health professionals use both individual clinical expertise and the best available external evidence as a guidance to their decision making. Without clinical expertise, practice risks becoming tyrannised by evidence, for even excellent external evidence may be inapplicable to or inappropriate for an individual patient. Without current best evidence, practice risks becoming rapidly out of date, to the detriment of patients (McKibbon, 1998). Clinical Expertise is important as it depends on the knowledge and skills of health care professionals providing care. The clinical expertise of a health professional depends on his/her year of clinical experience, current knowledge of research/clinical literature and educational preparation. The stronger the health professional’s clinical expertise the better his or her judgement in using the best research evidence in practice. Extensive research is needed to develop sound empirical knowledge for synthesis into the best research eviden ce needed for practice. This research evidence might be synthesized to develop guidelines, standards, protocols and policies to direct the implementation of a variety of health practice interventions (Burns Grove, 2010). Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as gloves is an essential component when practicing in any health care setting. Published Evidence based articles indicates that wearing of gloves in infection control practice can reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infection and exposure to communicable disease among healthcare workers (Olsen, et al.). Therefore, the correct use of gloves is vital in the healthcare environment. To make sure gloves are effective evidently on the health practice the 5 steps of evidence based practice can be implemented. The first step can involve developing a clinical question regarding the gloves such as what kind of gloves are relevant and effective in my practice which can then be answered i.e.- Non sterile single use medical glovesto satisfy the health professional. The second step can involve the retrieval of best evidence such as verified journal literature/article about the Non sterile single use medical gloves. The third step can involve appraising the information from the journal literature/article regarding the gloves to help make a clinical decision. The fourth step can involves applyingthe Non sterile single use medical gloveswith clinical expertise whilst taking health professionals wants/needs into consideration and the fifth step involves evaluatingtheeffectiveness and efficiency of the Non sterile single use medical gloves. Once these measures has been taken, the effectiveness of the specific gloves can be taken into account and if satisfied can be used for the practice. While implementing the five step of EBP in the gloves, the major facilitators that are most likely to be found are organization and communication whilst the barriers while implementing the EBP are most likely to be lack of time and lack of autonomy to change practice (Kitson, Harvey, McCormack, 1998). Thus, implementing Effective EBP requires time, energy, knowledge and authority and without these vital components, there is always bound to be barriers and proper EBP cannot be achieved. In conclusion, the emergence of Evidence based practice has been rapid, dramatic, spreading in popularity amongst many health care disciplines and is changing the way health care is undertaken. The dependence on the partnership among hard scientific evidence, clinical expertise, individual patient needs and choices is the reason why evidence based practice is vital, demanding and highly respected amongst health care disciplines (Hoffmann, Bennett, Mar, 2010). Despite this, Evidence based practice does have limitations and therefore, research is always needed to improve retrieval methods for EBP information and this is the reason why health professionals need to constantly develop and retain their research skills durable. References Burns, N., Grove, S. (2010). Understanding Nursing Research: Building An Evidence-Based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences Division . Hoffmann, T., Bennett, S., Mar, C. D. (2010). Evidence based Practice-across the health professions. Elsevier Australia. Kitson, A., Harvey, G., McCormack, B. (1998). Enabling the implementation of evidence based practice: a conceptual framework. Qual Health Care, 7(3), 149-158. doi:10.1136/qshc.7.3.149 Liamputtong, P. (2013). Research Methods in Health (2nd edition, 2013 ed.). Oxford Uni Press (OUP). McKibbon, K. A. (1998). Evidence-based practice*. Health Information Research Unit, 396-401. Olsen, R. J., Lynch, P., Coyle, M. B., Cummings, J., Bokete, T., Stamm, W. E. (n.d.). Examination Gloves as Barriers to Hand Contamination in Clinical Practice. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03510030074037 Page 1 of 5 HLSC 122 ASSESSMENT 1 ARPAN PANT S00173785

Developments in Iraq After United States Involvement Essay -- essays r

Ask anyone about the current issues in Iraq and you will hear a multitude of answers, questions, remarks, backlash, and support for our countries involvement. Sure some things could have been done better, some things could have been avoided completely, but when you talk to someone who has personally witnessed 184 women setting themselves on fire in protest to the way men are treating them you can’t help but admire the change today. With the help of US and various foreign countries, Iraq is rebuilding itself from the ground up, repairing itself from previous dictatorship. There are three major concerns in Iraq, political freedom (including freedom of religion), women’s rights, and better education. These issues are far from being resolved, but they have also moved far from where they were before. According to President Bush, the US is looking to help â€Å"build a government that answers to its people and honors their country’s unique heritage.† In doing so US troops are helping train military forces and elect leaders, who interestingly enough 85 are women, this coming from a country that dismissed women’s rights. Iyad Allawi, Iraq's Interim Prime Minister believes â€Å"that the unity of the country will be enhanced [and] will be strengthened by the process of an election.† The new government will consist of a 275 member Transitional National Assembly, a Presidency council, provincial councils and a Kurdistan National Assembly. Currently Iraq is working under a Interim constitution, b...

Understanding the Great Commission by the Grace of God and the Help of

Understanding the Great Commission by the Grace of God and the Help of a Cloud of Witnesses â€Å"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.† Matthew 28:18 Clear as a bell, Jesus calls from the pages of scripture to share His love with one another, making disciples of all nations, teaching all peoples to obey his commandments. But how do we do this? What design would God have us follow in evangelizing in this world? What is the best method of sharing witness of Christ in human life, without alienating and condemning people who do not share our knowledge of salvation? In sharing stories of faith and life experience, an author shapes both personal and public perception of what it is to live with Christian faith. To write is to give voice to thoughts from the mind’s inner tissue and the spirit’s impulse, to interlock energy and life into communication of ideas and conceptions. As a transformative thinking process, autobiography transcends physical limits. In reading Breathing Space, I became familiar with Neumark’s personal world, familiar with her feeling on relationships, her church, her sense of mission and her desires for God’s presence in her life. Though I had never met her before she flew to campus to speak about her book, I felt as though I knew her on sight. This suspension of physical limitations on the transmission of thought and feeling holds an incredible potential for communication of faith, though it is not necessarily reciprocal; she hadn’t a clue ... ...ing to accept â€Å"the love of Jesus down in my soul,† and accepting myself as sinner, I trust that God’s will in my life is coming to fruition. For I have a piece of love that will never grow old! Bibliopgraphy Hettinga, Donald R. Presenting Madeleine L’Engle. New York: Twayne, 1993. L’Engle, Madeleine. Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage. Toronto: Collins, 1988. L’Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Weaton, Illinois: Harold Shaw, 1980. Neumark, Heidi. Breathing Space. Boston: Beacon, 2003. Yohanannan, K.P. Revolution in World Missions. Carrollton, Texas: Gospel for Asia, 2003. Sources Consulted Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shift in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2000. Thomas, Nicholas. Colonialism’s Culture: Anthropology Travel and Government. Princeton: Princeton, 1994.

Introducing Constance Essay

In Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), the audience is swept into the playful subconscious of the protagonist, Constance Ledbelly. Before she speaks, her imaginative nature is introduced by way of Act I, The Prologue. The chorus enters giving an intriguing monologue in which the first stages of an exciting transformation begin to unfold. The Prologue is so useful in that it gives indications of plot, theme, conflict and so on. All of which carry a heavy dramatic significance. However, Ann-Marie Macdonald suggests that the biggest use of The Prologue is in developing the character of Constance. The chorus begins by asking â€Å"What’s alchemy? The hoax of charlatans?† (5) In other words, is alchemy a transformation of base metals into gold, or just the trick of a fraud or phony? Can such transformation exist, not just in the mind, but also in reality? Such a statement indicates that there shall be a changing of sorts. This change is seen literally as Constance’s fountain pen is later transformed to solid gold. But this change is also seen as a transformation of character. From something plain, to something miraculous. Constance begins as a flighty, insecure, and somewhat foolish daydreamer. Some might call her a push-over. She is full of eccentricities and is not taken too seriously, dressed in her frumpy clothes. However, later after her encounters with Desdemona and Juliet, she becomes strong and opinionated. She opens herself to the possibility of embarrassment and mochary by speaking her mind, and interfering where she deems fit. The Prologue gives the audience a clue of the changes Constance will endure. Thus setting up her character. In The Prologue the chorus speaks of opposites coming together. He mentions the ‘merging of unconscious selves’ and the ‘marriage of true minds.'(6) These unconscious selves perhaps are actually Desdemona and Juliet living within Constance’s unconscious. They are parts of her. Desdemona represents the driven and somewhat violent side, and Juliet is the hopeless romantic side of Constance. These two selves are about to be brought together and made aware to Constance for the first time. â€Å"Unite these lurking shards of  broken glass into a mirror that reflects one soul.† (6) The chorus says to bring together these two sides of Constance in a way that she will see they are her own within herself. Two references are made to the Philosopher’s Stone in The Prologue. This is yet another indication of change. The Philosopher’s Stone was once believed to turn other metals into gold. The chorus announces the Gustav Manuscript as the key to Constance’s Philosopher’s Stone. â€Å"Here is the key to her Philosopher’s Stone – the psychic altar that will alter fate.† (6) Constance uses the manuscript, and her forced exploration of two of Shakespeare’s plays, (Othello, Romeo and Juliet), to discover herself. The manuscript and the events in it lead to Constance’s journey of self discovery. She accepts her likeness to the characters of Desdemona and Juliet. She realizes that the three of them are all one in the same. Gemini is the sign of twins and is often associated with split personalities. Also having two different sides to one. After removing the discard items from the wastebasket and replacing them on Constance’s desk, the chorus says, â€Å"Swift Mercury, that changing element, portrayed as Gemini, hermaphrodite and twin, now steers the stars of Constance Ledbelly, and offers her a double-edged re-birthday.† (6) Another tease that Constance’s two sides that will soon come together, and be revealed to her. Act I, The Prologue is full of dramatic significance. However it seems to be directly related to the characterization of Constance Ledbelly. By toying with the use of metaphors and clever wit, Ann-Marie MacDonald fully succeeds in her use of The Prologue to set up the main character of her play.

Introduction to Personality

Introduction to Personality Paper Katie McMichael Axia College of University of Phoenix November 26, 2012 Introduction Who am I? What are my good qualities? What are my bad qualities? Why do I behave like that sometimes? Why can’t I stop doing this? How do I see myself? How do others see me? How did my personality come to be what it is today? How has it changed? When thinking about our personality, these are questions that we ask ourselves. The only way to answer these questions is to observe ourselves and analyze what we found as a result of this research.There are several theories of personality that were introduced in order to do just that. The purpose of this paper is to further understand personality and it’s concepts by defining personality, Examining theoretical approaches in studying personality, and Analyzing factors that may influence an individual’s personality development. Defining Personality Since so many theories of personality exist, there is no s ingle definition. The most widely accepted of personality is â€Å"a pattern of relatively permanent traits and unique characteristics that give consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior. (Feist & Feist, 2009) as you can see from the definition, each personality is different from each other. Also, from the definition you can see that personality is made up from the combination of characteristics and traits and serves as its base structure. Characteristics and traits are adjectives such as pretty, overweight, athletic, anxious, smart, etc. These adjectives help to give you a sense of self as well as influence your behavior. The reason that these traits and characteristics are the base structure of your personality is because they have consistency and stability in your behaviors over time. Feist & Feist, 2009) Traits have more to do with actions or physical appearance. For example, blue eyes would be considered a trait. A characteristic is merely anything that stand s out or is noticeable that can be used to describe them. For example a pitched laugh can be a characteristic. Although similar, these two parts are different, what is similar is that they work together in developing patterns what is known as your personality. People will have similar characteristics or traits that will produce similar personalities but no two personalities will ever be the same. Theoretical ApproachesAs stated earlier there are many different theories of personality. Each theorist has different methods, research and obviously conclusions as to why personalities are what they are and why they are so different from one another. One thing is certain with each theory is that a specific order of approach is important to substantiate a theory. Most theories of personalities grow from the personality of the theorist (Feist & Feist, 2009). As stated earlier, in order to get a better understanding of personalities, including your own, you must start with observations and ex perimental research.Psychologists use systematic approaches such as assessment techniques to support their hypotheses. Tests such as the Big Five Personality Test are the most valid and accurate personality assessment to date. The Big Five Personality test breaks down five areas of personalities which include dimensions such as: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. When it comes to other tests, the two types of validity focused upon by psychologists are construct and predictive.In construct validity â€Å"A test has construct validity if it demonstrates an association between the test scores and the prediction of a theoretical trait. †(Cherry, 2012) An example of construct validity would be an IQ test. In predictive validity â€Å"the criterion measures are obtained at a time after the test. †(Cherry, 2012) An example of this would be a career aptitude test. Both are hypothetical tests based on traits and preferences and neither wo uld be extremely accurate. These tests would be a way to get an idea of where you are and where you might end up based on your personality.Factors that Influence Personality There are two generally accepted factors that contribute to personality development which are heredity and environment. Obviously, if your traits are heretic, they were past to you through your genes from your parents and other ancestors. These traits are commonly skin color, eye color, hair color, face shape, height, and body shape. â€Å"Research by psychologists over the last several decades has increasingly pointed to hereditary factors being more important, especially for basic personality traits such as emotional tone. (Neill, 2006) This is different than what most people think. Most people seem to believe that environmental factors are substantially more influential because they have root in our morals, beliefs, and behaviors. Environmental facts that would influence personalities would be that of childh ood upbringing, learning atmospheres, social interactions, occupational interactions, and child rearing. All of these unique influences contribute to personality and even if two people have the same experiences they will respond to them different.For example men and women are different and interact and respond different usually because their upbringing is different. â€Å"Boys and girls are socialized differently to some extent in all societies. They receive different messages from their parents and other adults as to what is appropriate for them to do in life. †(Neill, 2006) It is hard to tell which factor is more influential but as you can see each one plays an important part. It doesn’t really matter what has the most influence, just important to remember that they both have influence. ConclusionWhether you take a test or just observe yourself for a while you might find out more about yourself than you knew. Observation and research are what really keeps us finding new things, why not ourselves? With a little time and effort, a person can accomplish anything. With each unique person and each personality we are doing more and learning more every day. The world never stops changing and neither do we. Our personality above all changes its face day to day from birth to death. That is what makes us unique, that is what makes us different from the animals.We have the ability to change and are smart enough to recognize it. We can define it, analyze it, study it, observe it, but our personality is always going to change as we do. In essence, our personality makes us the people that we are. References Cherry, K. (2012). What is validity? Retrieved November 26, 2012 from http://psychology. about. com/od/researchmethods/f/validity. htm Feist, J. , Feist, G. (2009). Theories of Personalities. (7th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill O’Neill, D. (2006). Personality Development. Retrieved November 26, 2012 from https://anthro. palomar. edu

High School Reflective Essay

First Time Stepping out under the bright lights, Crowd roaring with cheer and shouting our names. The feel of adrenaline going through my body is almost ecstasy like. Knowing that this doesn’t represent you, it’s for your school and even more your community. This is the kind of things that were going through my mind when I first stepped out onto the field as a Varsity Football Player. All the years of playing the game since I was a little kid had paid off, and now it would be time for the big show and the highlights of my career.All the hills and the Two-Twenty’s we put in day in and day out, end up being worth it. The summer days spent in the blazing sun and not at the beach take a lot out of me but the cravings for big games drive you through it. Even though we condition for almost five months in the end the two month season is all we live for. Football begins to be all you can think about, whether it is training hard at the gym or just eating better at home it drives you to be a better person.It pushes you to do things that will improve your skills and talent, usually things you wouldn’t normally do. This is why I love the game; it’s become a part of me. The lessons of hard-work, dedication and brotherhood have been drilled into me for years already. These things are going to forever be with me, as well as the people that I got to play alongside with. Our coaches sometimes sit us down and talk to us about life and how football will teach us things, we might sit there and just nod our heads. But we all do know that it really does.They tell us that when we walk around we don’t represent just us, not just our households anymore. But that we are our school, our community and that we have to be exemplary people and lead in a positive way. These are things that I’ll never forget due to the vast amount of times I’ve heard these speeches before, but also because I believe them. The rush that I feel when I get o nto that field is like nothing else; when you hear the crowd go wild after you make a big play is just a feeling that you can ever get enough of.It’s like an addiction to be the best and do great. Football has become more than just a sport to me but somewhat of a lifestyle. On and off the field everybody knows who you are because you play. But it affects me outside of school too, I’ve meet some of my best friends through football. When you hear people asking â€Å"Is that so and so from the Mililani Football team? † You get a feeling like no other. These are just some of the things football has taught me, done for me and gotten for me.

College Campus Essay

In this assignment we are going to design a campus network. Delta Community College (DCC) is a small college. It is attended by 600 full and part time students. The students do not live on campus. There are three dormitories for the students and each dorm can accommodate 400 students. Distance from the college campus to the dorms are: †¢ Dorm1 College Campus = 22KM †¢ Dorm2 College Campus = 5KM †¢ Dorm3 College Campus = 15KM Numbers of students are expected to be doubled every 4 years. There are 4 departments: †¢ Arts and Humanities †¢ Business †¢ Social Sciences †¢ Mathematics. Every department has an average of 150 Students and an average of 10 professors each. There are approximately 20 Administrative personnel available. It is expected that everyone in the college should get access to the network. Students when they are in the dormitory should also get access to the college network. We need to design a computer network so that it is good for next 4 years. Now do the following: A. Every department and dormitory should be put on their own subnet. When you design the subnetting make sure your design support the following: 10 Points i. 3 subnets for 3 dorms each should support 400 hosts ii. Different subnets for 4 departments †¢ Students and professors should be in different subnets. There are 300 students and 10 professors per department iii. A subnet for administrative department which should support at least 30 hosts The assigned IP address is 10. 5. 3. 0/20. So do you think using this IP address we can design all the necessary subnets with at least the required numbers of hosts? If yes then design the subnet structure by showing the assigned IP address range for every subnet. If no then say why. B. Apply a hierarchical approach to design this network. Your design should include:7 Points i. Core Layer ii. Distribution Layer iii. Access Layer In the designed network you need to mention what network device such as: cables, hubs, switches, routers etc. you are going to include in each layer. C. Dormitories are connected to the campus network via Single Mode Fiber Optic Cable. Because of attenuation loss we need to splice the fiber optic cable every 10km. if the splicing loss is: 0. 35dB then find out total splicing loss for every connection to each dormitory. 3 Points Note: There is at least 500m distance from the main server to different departments. So choose proper cabling when you connect the departments to the main server.

Analysis of Beyoncé’s Formation Video (Black Lives Matter)

Analysis of Beyoncà ©s Formation Video (Black Lives Matter) Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation Video (Black Lives Matter) A Literary Analysis Research Paper Abstract Beyoncà © is one of the singers most recognized in the world and United States of America. She assumed a political role since some events aroused against Afro-American People, related with racism and police brutality. She created the musical video â€Å"Formation† to transmit a message to the people in favor of black lives matter. Keywords: Beyoncà ©, Video, Black Lives Matter, Illuminati, Creole, Alabama, Louisiana, Black Culture, Rapper Beyoncà © launched in 2016 her album â€Å"Lemonade†, including one controversial song, the number twelve in the list whose name is â€Å"Formation†. This unique song is accompanied with an award winning, well-produced and elaborated video, released on purpose, next to the birthday anniversary of Trayvon Martin and Sandra Bland, whose deaths are well remembered by Afro-American people as victims of brutal law enfor cement and racism. Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s â€Å"Formation† messages are about many more things than simple racism and police brutality. This song delivers messages about feminism, Creole culture, Beyoncà © pride, Black pride, Black power, sexism, LGBT, Hurricane Katrina remembering’s, and Beyoncà © intention to dispel the rumor that she is an Illuminati. This video masterfully reveals to faces of Beyoncà © at the same time, as an Entertainer and an Activist. (Caramanica & Wortham, 2016). All â€Å"Formation† messages could be classified in major and minor messages. This writing only deals only with major messages, and minor will be ignored. The major messages are one of this two possibilities: direct and explicit messages, or in the other hand are ambiguous, subliminal or hidden messages. This visual and musical work apparently deliver inconsistent sentences with multiple meanings, but that aspect is irrelevant to the first time viewer, because the video is very rich on visuals and plays sticky rhythms that distracts him from the powerful hidden and subliminal messages. This video is holistically great, verified by its numerous well written articles and awards received. Under a rigorous and serious analysis, many messages emerge with multiple meanings. Specially two types of messages could be identified: first, direct or non-ambiguous messages, and second, ambiguous messages with multiple or hidden meanings. Any person, not necessarily an expert will be able to recognize that the lyrics and visuals of this video were semantically engineered by a linguist or carefully designed by an expert on semiotics. Some messages are direct and non-ambiguous like: The Hurricane Katrina aftermath, the Police signs, Beyoncà © pride, Black pride, Black power, Creole Culture, and the effort to dispel the rumor that Beyoncà © are an Illuminati. On the other hand, there are ambiguous messages delivered with multiple or hidden meanings about sexism and LGBT. Those messages appear to the viewer to have multiple interpretations, but the final meaning decision is left free to the particular audience, their will, their virginal minds or the predominant psyche of the individual. Every sentence has two interpretations: the vulgar and the non-vulgar, the formal and the non-formal, the explicit and the implicit message. One of the first message delivered is about the Hurricane Katrina, when the video starts with a living phrase of a killed rapper, whose name was Messy Mya. The voice of the rapper expresses: â€Å"What happened at the New Wil’ins?† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), then the video shows up many scenes related with New Orleans Katrina flooding’s. Along the video are Police signs delivered with an apparent neutral connotation, but at the end they suggests indirectly a judgement to the collectively subconscious mind, who has been extensively influenced by the media with the events on police brutality. Beyoncà © is laying at the top of a New Orleans white and blue car, with the word â€Å"police†, partially submerged in the flooding water, sitting squatting, while the back scene displays a neighborhood with flooded houses. Some police departments may considered that scene disrespectful. In other scene, after a sequence of images of New Orleans daily living, the observer can see the word â€Å"police† at the back of a man that resembles a guard. Once again, the video attracts the mind of the viewer to the word â€Å"police†. It is unforgettable the scene when the young boy is dancing with a New Orleans Style, in front of an anti-riot line of policemen and they rise their hands, after that the camera shows a graffiti in the wall with the legend â€Å"Stop Shooting Us† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), this could be interpreted in many ways, but one of them, is the triumph of the weak using non-violent methods, over those that represent the governmental power By the end of the video, the police car got totally submerged under the water, with Beyoncà © lying at the top, drowning, giving the impression that the police problem is a lose-to-lose situation. This is confirmed by some critic’s affirmations that Beyoncà © is not trying to defame the police. (Logan, 2016). Black power is depicted when Beyoncà © shows up in an elegant long black dress with a big black hat, agitating his hand with a piece of his long hair in circles surrounded by Afro-American guys, also dressed in etiquette black clothes, at the door of an antebellum house, the image evoked in the mind of the viewer is about the power and the way that wealthy and powerful black people lives. The Black power is also depicted in the scene that shows a lonely black cowboy with a golden necklace. An explicit message occurs when Beyoncà © try to defeat the rumors affirming that she is an illuminati, using a unique phrase: â€Å"Y’all haters corny with that Illumi nati mess† (beyonceVEVO, 2016). The video exhibits some dual interpretations with sentences like this: â€Å"Paparazzi, catch my fly and my cocky fresh† (beyonceVEVO, 2016). This message could be interpreted as a sexual reference or a pride reference. Also there are some explicit sexual references, like: â€Å"When he fuck me good, I take his ass to Red Lobster, cause I slay† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), and there are ambiguous, hidden or second meaning sexual references, when she said: â€Å"I got hot sauce in my bag, swag† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), this sentence has two simultaneous interpretations: first as a reference to Creole culture in which women carries hot sauce in their purses, or a female sexual reference. The controversial word â€Å"swag† may be used in this video as a synonym of promotional items, stylish confidence, or with a sexual orientation reference, also this word correspond to a very well-known LGBT word that means â€Å"secretly we a re gay†. But the most incredible fact is that the word â€Å"slay† is mentioned 49 times along the video, probably, with the meaning of â€Å"extraordinary† or â€Å"killer performance†, but let’s consider that is also a well-known urban sexual reference. Beyoncà © pride is evident when she expresses â€Å"I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), or â€Å"I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), or â€Å"Earned all this money, but they never take the country out me† (beyonceVEVO, 2016). It is unavoidable that The Black and Creole culture message earned a strong reference in this video, with direct and explicit sentences like this: â€Å"My daddy Alabama, momma Louisiana† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), â€Å"You mix that Negro with that Creole, make a Texas bama† (beyonceVEVO, 2016), â€Å"I like my baby hair with baby hair and afros† (beyonceVE VO, 2016), â€Å"I like my Negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils† (beyonceVEVO, 2016). There is a direct reference to feminism and women leadership when she says: â€Å"Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation† (beyonceVEVO, 2016). In the second middle of the video there is a black man holding in his hand a newspaper named â€Å"The Truth†, whose cover story displays the phrase â€Å"More than a Dreamer† with the photo of Martin Luther King, suggesting that his Leadership was bigger than his famous discourse â€Å"I have a Dream†. The final conclusion is evident. Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s â€Å"Formation† video direct and indirect messages are multiple and not only about simple racism and police brutality, but also was produced with the intention to reveal some paradoxical aspects of the southern living in the United States. This well acclaimed by the critics video was produced by professionals with the same intention as the â€Å"Bl ack Lives Matter† movement, probably become his Anthem. WORKS CITED [beyonceVEVO]. (2016, December 9). Beyoncà © – Formation. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDZJPJV__bQ. Caramanica, J. , Morris, J. and Wortham, J. (2016). Beyoncà © in ‘Formation’: Entertainer, Activist, Both?. New York Times, Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/arts/music/beyonce-formation-super-bowl-video.html?_r=0 This is a critical review of Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation Video is made by three recognized critics, in the form of a dialog. They suggest that Beyoncà © is an activist and at the same time she is an entertainer. This source is reliable because it’s Currency (2016), Relevance (Critical review), Authority (New York Times, Best Recognized journalists), Accuracy (Content reliable and credible), and Purpose (the point of view appear objective and impartial). Logan, B. (2016). No, Beyoncà © is not bashing the police: H ere’s what her new song ‘Formation’ is really saying. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-messages-in-beyonces-formation-2016-2. This article corresponds to a review of Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation Video and clears out to the audience that Beyoncà © is not ridiculing the police. In the opposite side this video is a call for peace and an altruist apology to the black culture in America. This source is reliable because it’s Currency (2016), Relevance (Critical review), Authority (Business Insider, Recognized journalists), Accuracy (Content reliable and credible), and Purpose (the point of view appear objective and impartial). Macpherson, A. (2016). Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation review – a rallying cry that couldn’t be more timely, The Guardian, Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/feb/08/beyonce-formation-review-super-bowl-rallying-cry-black-consciousness This article correspond s to a review of Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation Video that states that the world tour is timely deliveries. This source is reliable because it’s Currency (2016), Relevance (Critical review), Authority (The Guardian, Best Recognized journalists), Accuracy (Content reliable and credible), and Purpose (the point of view appear objective and impartial). Hoby, H. (2016) Beyoncà ©: Formation tour review – defiant, victorious and glorious, The Guardian, Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/28/beyonce-formation-tour-review-defiant-victorious-and-glorious. This article corresponds to a review of Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Formation Video that states that this is the event of the year, masterfully produced. This source is reliable because it’s Currency (2016), Relevance (Critical review), Authority (The Guardian, Recognized journalists), Accuracy (Content reliable and credible

Career Options Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career Options - Assignment Example s skills in software graphics and programming, be imaginative and creative, able to cope with the changing technology, have good communications and interpersonal skills and flexible to work under extreme situations. Web developers are employed across all industries from retails to finance as well as other private and public organizations. Most employers expect web developer’s applicants to have relevant degree education, with an added advantage of postgraduate certification in the relevant field. I agree with the post because the ideal duty of a computer programmer is to develop programs for organizations or companies. Coding is the main task that computer programmers work on. They test programs before selling or implementing them in the work place. However, i disagree with the post because computer programmers earn more than $74,240 per year. I also disagree with the post since it takes more than the four or five years of studying computer programming to become one. Apart from the classroom teaching, computer programmer undertake professional course in order to adopt in various programming platforms. Generally, computer programmers earn around $7000 dollars to $8000 a month (Soloway, Elliot, and Spohrer

The role of self in the workplace relationships Essay

The role of self in the workplace relationships - Essay Example Social psychology represents a blend of sociology and psychology in its investigation of attitudes and behavior in groups (Bellevue Community College, 2006). Social psychology studies the behavior of individuals in social setting. An individual's thoughts, actions, and even the conceptualization of the self are influenced by external factors, such as people within the immediate surroundings, friends, family, and location. This paper takes a look at a work in which both the protagonist and the work setting are considered. Through this dual integration (in relation to workplace, and self) this paper will achieve a broader and deeper understanding of how an individual's thoughts, actions, and even the conceptualization of the self are influenced by others. Individuals found in a happy and entertaining atmosphere tend to be more creative and involved than in places where they face admonishment and pressure. Research claims that individuals who 'feel good' are prone to a cognitive process that instigates a more flexible, fluent, and original thinking. This can have a positive influence on other individuals around them. When effective laws, rules and regulations, financial incentives or penalties, and social pressure leave little room for personal values become weak, do personal factors influence an individual's behavior. And because a variety of factors influence an individual's behavior, creative approaches involving multiple influences on behavior offer the greatest potential for change (Stern P.C, 2005). There are quite a few environmentally significant behaviors attributed to an individual. In the context of this dissertation however, the following situations address the subject of workplace relationships and its effect on self, co-workers and the work environment. The first type of behavior is committed activism; the second is non-activist; and the third relates to the influence of individuals on the environment in which they work, affecting the actions of the organization. An individual can be categorized to be under committed activism, if, he or she is involved actively in organizational and political demonstrations supporting public policies that affect the work environment. Non-activist on the other hand, indirectly affects the environment in which they work, such as the financial contributors to organizations. The above two classes of individual

Post 9 11 America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Post 9 11 America - Research Paper Example This could be divided into, A. Suspicion Prior to the terrorist attack, the interaction between various persons in the United States of America was smooth. This was very good at societal and national level. After the attack, a different perspective on things viewed innocently changed. The citizens were unaware of when the next attack could be conducted. As a result, they became more suspicious in everything they undertook (Tweedie 1). For the people with Arabic origin, they were perceived to be sympathizers of terrorism and thus were somehow alienated from the society. A good example is the removal of six Muslim imams from the plane due to them raising suspicion to other passages and the airline administration. B. Discrimination This followed from the risen suspicion of the American citizens towards people who were Arab, Muslim, Sikh, and south Asian (Gohil and Sidhu 91). This was mainly because they were either perceived to be directly or indirectly involved in the attacks. In some cases, vandalism was conducted. In the call for the construction of a mosque in USA, the citizens demonstrated in a bid to obstruct the implementation of the idea. This clearly indicated that people of Muslim and Arab origin were not accepted in USA. As time has been passing on, various transformations have been achieved in which the interaction has been building up. Since not all Arabs and Muslim are involved in terrorist attacks, various persons processing the same faith have declared their intentions in assisting in identifying people linked to terrorism (Smith 1). C. Department of Homeland Security The successful conduction of the terrorist attack on 9/11 indicated the limitation in capacity of the American security forces at the time. As a result, it was necessary to form a body that would entirely be mandated in looking into potential threats in USA and taking precaution in order to ensure that similar attacks were not conducted. This was implemented by the formation of depart ment of homeland security. It has since then been very useful even in cases of natural disasters. Its council conducts their control from the white house. Due to its importance in national security, it has continuously been transformed as the technology advances and currently it forms part of the top three cabinet departments in the US federal government. Thus despite the attack bringing pain and suffering, other merits such as formation of department of homeland security were reaped. D. Politics The attack led to numerous transformations in the US politics. At the time, both parties combined their effort and brought forth the necessity of implementation of foreign policies that clearly addressed the issue. A good example is the Patriot Act passed by the congress and signed by the president at the time, George W. Bush. The act reduced restriction initially imposed to the security officers. As a result, intensive search was conducted to persons at various locations in a bid to identi fy and prevent terrorist attacks (Drash 1). In addition, the officers were capable of looking into the personal details such as communication and finance. The secretary of treasury’s authority was empowered to regulate financial transactions especially those involving foreigners. After the attack, terrorist was modified to take into account domestic terrorism and many immigrants suspected

Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Western Civilization - Essay Example Karl Marx was known for his theories on the following: economic interest; class struggle; industrial capitalism, and; socialist society. According to Marx, it is economic interest which is the universal motivator and dictates political, religious and cultural trends. Everything will eventually end up in a class struggle between the haves and the have-nots. The former dictates how the state is run and what ideas circulate around society. On industrial capitalism, Marx believed that capitalists are locked in competition with one another, and newer and bigger machineries are being built everyday to outdo each other. Eventually, everything will spin out of control and the periodic crises and competition will diminish the bourgeoisie while the working class grows, who would then institute a revolt and take over all machineries of capitalism. This will result into a classless society and the abolition of the state and a totally free society. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, conservatism became predominant in France, the German states, Italy, Russia, and Great Britain. In France, the successive rules of Louis XVIII and Charles X saw the predominance of conservative policies; the former imposing a mild militaristic style and the latter favoring the old aristocracy. In the German states, which included Austria and Prussia, conservative policies likewise prevailed.

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry Research Paper - 1

The Impact of the US Economy on the Events Industry - Research Paper Example To the customer or guest, as special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the The definition was corroborated by Getz who traced the evolution of the events planning and management as a profession and disclosed that â€Å"events are an important motivator of tourism, and figure prominently in the development and marketing plans of most destinations† (Getz 403).With more organizations pursuing endeavors that focus on a variety of events, it was, therefore, imminent that a categorization of events naturally occurred. From among the events categorization that emerged, the following were noted: local, major, hallmark and mega events (Skoultos and Tsimitakis); and the typology of planned events as presented by Getz who differentiated cultural celebrations, political and state events, arts and entertainment, business and trade, educational and scientific, sport competition and recreational events, and finally, private events (Getz 404). At this point, the definition of events tourism has been clearly established as â€Å"a systematic planning, development, and marketing of festivals and special events as tourist attractions, image-makers, catalysts for infrastructure and economic growth, and animators of built attraction† (Ghazali, Collins and Minnis qtd. in Skoultos and Tsimitakis 2). In different studies, it was clearly established that holding significant events generate marked impacts on the promoter of events, as well as in the location within which these events were organized and implemented. From a more traditional perspective, it was deduced that event tourism aims to spur economic growth and gain profound benefits in terms of money generated from the event (â€Å"expenditure on travel, entertainment, shopping, and pre- and post-conference tours† (â€Å"Labour Market Review of the Events Industry† 29)). Getz, on the other

Hands-on Learning Motivates Students in the Science Classroom Thesis

Hands-on Learning Motivates Students in the Science Classroom - Thesis Example References 27 6.0. Appendices 28 6.1. Appendix 1: Student Survey Questionnaire 28 6.2. Appendix 2: Teacher-To-Be Survey Questionnaire 29 6.3. Appendix 3: Results of Test-Retest Reliability Analysis 30 List of Tables Table 1. Gender and Age Profile of Grade 10 Student Respondents 7 Table 2. Gender and Age Profile of Teacher and Student-Teacher Respondents 8 Table 3. Detailed Data Analysis Plan 12 Table 4. Student Level of Interest on Lecture 19 Table 5. Level of Student Interest on Hands-On Activities 20 Table 6. Students’ Preferred Method in Science Teaching 21 List of Figures Figure 1: Why Students Take the Science Course 13 Figure 2: What the Students Like to Do in the Science Classroom 14 Figure 3: Frequency of Conducting Group Activities 16 Figure 4: Perceived Usefulness of Labs or Hands-On Activities 16 Figure 5: Student Understanding of Concepts through Hands-On Activities 17 Figure 6: Teaching Method That Helped Students Better 18 1.0 Introduction The term hands-on lear ning means â€Å"learning through doing† (Gardiner, 2005, para.2). Hands-on learning is used commonly in the science classroom to describe a form of learning where students investigate and develop understanding of a scientific concept by active involvement in an activity or an experiment (Gardiner, 2005). Askell-Williams and Lawson (as cited in Brophy, 2010) reported that middle school students frequently mention hands-on activities when asked about interesting elements of lessons, together with features which satisfy their need to for independence, competence and relatedness, experiments, outdoor learning, design projects, and innovative and creative assignments. Meanwhile, high school students enjoy classes for different reasons, and tend to rate highly those related to learning, creation,... Grounded on the findings of the study, all groups of respondents demonstrated their concurrence with the thesis statement that â€Å"hands-on learning motivates students in the science classroom†. The following conclusions were drawn for the specific objectives of the study. This report makes a conclusion that the uniqueness of each individual is one of the perplexities of humankind. Even twins have different set of fingerprints and different ways of learning styles and preferred teaching method. Even student teachers who are well-versed on the efficacy of various teaching methods prefer different teaching styles. The experienced science teachers recognized such individual differences and attributed different favorite teaching styles to such differences. The teachers declared that there is no one single style which can help develop the cognitive competence of students in science. In some concepts, however, one or a combination of two methods have proven to be more efficient that other styles. Teachers have to be aware of student preference and needs to adapt lessons and activities to these varying needs. The Science teachers enumerated several advantages and disadvantages of hands-on activities. Among the advantages identified were: hands-on activities e nable students to experience scientific phenomena through experiments with physical materials; these activities teach a student in planning investigations, utilization of scientific instruments, and in the collection, recording, and analysis of data.

SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SLP - Essay Example It is however the slowest in starting up of the three and it seems that the application has heavy files. The slowest of the three search engine to load a website is internet explorer. It requires twice as much time to load compare to chrome and even fails to load sometimes. There are only two utility of a website that I find useful for what I need which is for research work in school and recreation (social networking, interesting websites etch). So the important utility that I need is how fast does it load a certain website and how fast does it load videos and pictures. Of the three, google chrome loads the fastest which I find very useful to what I need. I have to be honest that I am quite impatient when I surf the net. Speed is very important for me that is why I was annoyed using internet explorer because it is very slow and has a lot of bugs evident with its constant failure to load. This experience made me realize that user experience is very important to make an application relevant and useful. So if I will create applications someday, I will bear in mind the need and experience of the users so that the application I created will become

The Anatomy of Decisions Essay Example for Free

The Anatomy of Decisions Essay †¢ In the real world managers are paid to make decisions on a daily basis, on how your firm’s resources are controlled to meet goals that have been set by higher managers or by yourself. †¢ There are some essential characteristics that manager’s share when making a decision; they are usually made with someone else’s money and need to be justified, they build on one another, the outcome is important to other people, and they are also forgettable. †¢ Decisions with other people’s money: As a manager and not being a self-financed entrepreneur, your job is to make decisions with the money of others, therefore a justification has to be provided to the financers. I believe this puts a pressure on the managers to make sure they make the right decision, since they are not using their own money. That is the reason why managers tend to make their decisions based on instinctive judgment. Previous experiences can save managers from telling their shareholders that they lost money based on the rational and analytically defendable decision. †¢ Decisions that build on each other: Previous experience can be very influential at the time of making the right decision. Managers are asked to â€Å"do their homework† before making an important decision, therefore they look back into previous decisions that have led them to the actual one and analyze what would benefit the firm the most according to previous decisions. Each decision is taken as more information becomes available. †¢ Decisions that matter: Every decision made weather is a good one or a bad one is valid and it matters. Bad decisions are the ones that push managers and the world to become better and keep working to make the right decision on future opportunities, in other words bad decisions are ways to keep progressing. †¢ Decisions that will be forgotten: The way memory works is very beneficial to managers when a good decision has been made. â€Å"Hindsight bias is a tendency to believe that we predicted what actually occurred, when in fact we forecasted the opposite†. After a decision was made and the outcome is positive, managers tend to forget what would have happened if the wrong decision were made. When a bad decision is made and a project fails, partners and other managers who supported the failure decision will claim that they always knew the plan was going to fail. They will believe that they were right all along the way, but never actually tried to convince the other manager to over look at different options before making a decision. In conclusion to this chapter managers are told by different texts and books diverse ways to be great decision-making managers. However, the best decisions yet made, have been made not taking in consideration the characteristics taught to managers through texts. â€Å"The challenge as a manager is not to denying our instincts and following rational theories that cannot work in the real world, but by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of how we do make decisions and by learning to handle uncertainty†. Great managers focus on success and forget failures.

Diet and Digestion as Factors for Large Size in Sauropods

Diet and Digestion as Factors for Large Size in Sauropods Dinosaurs have captured the imagination since the very first fossils were discovered. The mystical creatures in many ancient cultures may be attributed to fossils weathering out of the earth. Nearly every culture had some form of dragon in their mythology, a uniformity best explained by fossilized dinosaurs. Some scientists believe the fossils of ceratopsians are the source of the mythological griffin. Part of the fascination with dinosaurs is their size. With few animals reaching such massive proportions, the creatures that produced single bones as tall as a human must have seemed other worldly to ancient peoples. They still draw fascination today; their features so different from anything living. As more and more fossils are found, explanations and extrapolations of the features, size, and behavior become more comprehensive. The unknown element of dinosaur life allows for wild projections and suppositions, and the drama of discovery and scientific discourse and hypothesis disproval continue to draw the interest of people. As more is discovered, more questions are raised. One field of questions pertain to sauropod size. Sauropods are distinct in their absolutely massive bodies. Far larger than anything known by living humans, they are fascinating to consider. Trying to imagine their size is in some ways like trying to imagine the vastness of space. Without actually standing next to a mounted skeleton, there is no living reference to fix the size of sauropods in the imagination. Some estimates place the largest sauropods at 80,000kg, or 170,000 lbs. Conservative estimates suggest weights of 40,000-50,000 kg. Sauropod height is in some specimens 60 feet, about 3 times the height of a two-story house. Some sauropods were a third of a football field in length! Such sizes are nearly unfathomable, raising the question of how they got to be so massive and how their bodies functioned. Modern herbivores are often much bigger than carnivores, because in general, their e nergy expenditure is less and the biomass of their food source is higher. The huge size of sauropods is definitely tied to their diet, and it is likely that their food source and digestive mechanisms were a major factor in their growth to such massive sizes. The food available to sauropods was not very nutritive. Before the evolution and diversification of angiosperms 125 million years ago, herbivorous animals had to rely mainly on gymnosperms and ferns. The best measure of plant nutritional value is in the concentration of nitrogen and nonstructural carbohydrates like sugars. Protein levels largely correspond to the nitrogen levels in leaves. Because non-angiosperm plants dont have the xylem transport network that evolved, there is less nutrient flow, and therefore less nitrogen concentration. Ferns, cycads, and conifers, some of the main plant types available to the sauropod dinosaurs, were low in nutrition, and gymnosperms had secondary chemical defenses that made them unpleasant to eat and harder to digest (Midgley, 2005). A study by Zvereva and Kozlov (2006) found that the nitrogen concentration in gymnosperms drops in environments with elevated temperature and CO2 concentration, compared to the modern environment. Sugar levels tend ed to stay the same. The toughness of leaves increases when CO2 levels are higher. The carbon-nitrogen ratio is significantly increased by elevated CO2. It is well-known that the environmental conditions during the age of dinosaurs was both higher in temperature and higher in CO2 concentration. This would have produced plant material significantly less nutritious than the plant matter today. The lesser food quality supports the evolution of large sauropod dinosaurs, as the Jarman-Bell Principle states that larger species can feed on diets of lesser quality food, evidenced by the relatively large size of modern grazing mammals (Clauss, et. al., 2009). The physiology of the dinosaurs shows evidence of partitioning. Some sauropods, such as diplodocids, were low browsers, who were unlikely to life their heads higher than a couple meters (Stevens and Parrish, 1999). This separated their food source from the mid to high browsers, limiting their available food source in some ways, yet also preventing competition amongst sauropod species. The lower plant quality requires that herbivorous animals consume more material in order to meet their nutritional and energy needs. Given the quality of available plants, extended digestion would have been required. Of several methods to process plant material, sauropods digestion was extremely fermentation heavy. They had very little oral processing. Their teeth were either broad and leaf like, with serrations in the crown, or later more narrow and peg like. In most sauropods, teeth were present in the front part of the mouth but not the back. The body plan in the early Mesozoic seems to have been to maximize food intake through teeth adapted for cropping, stripping, and pulling plant material but with little oral processing. There is some evidence in the tooth replacement rate and wear that teeth farther back in the mouths of sauropods were not used in oral processing or food acquisition, but rather served the purpose of cheeks, to keep the food in the mouth (Schwarz, et. al., 2015). Prosauropods had some check development, but in the sauropod line, cheeks were lost early (Chure, et. al., 2010). There have been no teeth found in association with sauropods that had a large horizontal surface, indicative of use for chewing (Christiansen, 1999). The heads of sauropods were extremely small compared to their body size. Any dental batteries or cheeks would have increased the head mass and likely made it prohibitively heavy, especially at the end of a long neck. Christiansen also noted that the muzzle width in sauropod dinosaurs is proportionally wider than the width in herbivorous animals. This enables sauropods to intake more food per bite, increasing their intake rate. With relatively poor food nutrient quality, sauropods would need to consume a great amount of food to meet their daily needs. The length of the neck adds length to the digestive envelope, another way to maximize food consumption. The lack of oral processing, wide muzzle, and long neck work in conjunction to increase the consumption capability or sauropods, increasing their ability to meet their dietary needs and shortening thei r feeding time. With such high consumption and such little processing, digestion would be almost entirely focused in the gut. The particle size would be very large, making digesta harder to break down, and the longer it takes to digest. There has been some debate about the presence of gastroliths and a gastric mill in sauropod dinosaurs. Gastric mills certainly would help break down the plant material into smaller particle sizes and speed the digestion process. Unfortunately, the fossil record seems to rule out the presence of a gastric mill for most sauropod dinosaurs. Wings and Sander (2007) tested the hypothesis of sauropod gastroliths by testing gastrolith usage in farm ostriches. They found that rose quartz, which has the same properties as the white vein quartz found in association with sauropods, last the longest. Using granite cubes, they found that the general shape of the stone stays the same. They also found that the gastric milling process quickly roughens the face of the stone. None of the stones that he used in his test retained a shine, unlike those suspected to be sauropod gastroliths. He also found that gastroliths are about 1% of the total body mass. According to them, the largest mass of gastroliths found in association with a sauropod is 15kg, much lower than 1% of the estimated sauropod body mass. Gastroliths likely scale with body mass simply because organ size roughly scales with body mass. The stomachs of sauropods could have been proportionally smaller than expected, although it is unlikely with the amount of food that they are estimated to have consumed. Using projections from living herbivores, it is estimated that the large sauropods would consume several hundred kilograms worth of food (Englemann, et. al., 2004). This estimate accounts for the proportional decrease in required food consumption for successively larger and larger organisms. In another study focusing on the distribution of gastrolith stones amongst sauropod remains, it was found that gastroliths were found with about 4% of sauropod fossils. There are some species of sauropod that have strong evidence of gastric mills, but they are not widespread enough (Wings, 2014). With little to no processing of plant material, and with no evidence of any other break down processes, sauropods must have heavily relied on fermentation to digest their food. The relatively low density of nutrients in the gymnosperms at the time already required longer fermentation times. In order to achieve longer fermentation time, the gut size needs to increase, or the amount of food eaten needs to decrease. As the food particles must have been large, the time taken for fermentation would need to be even longer. With no internal soft tissues preserved in the fossil record, it is hard to determine where fermentation took place in the gut. Fermentation demands a large digestive tract. Larger intestines allow for longer digesta retention, pulling more nutrients from the food. The large torsos of s auropods could certainly fit and extensive gut. Estimates based on living animals gives a digesta retention time between 8 and 16 days. Galapagos turtles, which do not chew their food, retain theirs for 11 days (Franz, et. al., 2009). Sauropod dinosaurs could have evolved to be so large because those individuals with larger guts had better survival chances than those who had smaller guts. As stated previously, the amount of food needed in relation to the body mass would likely have been much lower than other, smaller herbivorous organisms. As sauropods heads were evolved to take in the maximum amount of food, the intake of food would likely not have consumed most of the sauropods time. This time advantage would have been especially needed in semiarid environments, like the Jurassic area preserved in the Morrison formation. Although there is lush vegetation in the Morrison fossil record, it is not widespread instead found in clusters. The Morrison Formation suggests that the environm ent during the time of sauropods was savannah-like. The dense vegetation found was likely due to seasonal rains, or centered around areas of water, such as lakes or streams. The vegetation likely moved, growing in different areas depending on rainfall (Englemann, et. al., 2004). Large herbivores would need to follow the seasonal changes, and migrate in search of new food sources. The size of the sauropods and the advantages of that size would have been a major edge in a semi-arid environment. Such sizes would have also made locomotion more efficient. Longer strides afforded by the overall large body size decreases the amount of energy per unit of distance. This, too, increases the ability of sauropods to migrate in search of food. Sauropod reliance on fermentation was so great that their methane production has been linked to the warm climate of the Mesozoic era (Wilkinson, et. al., 2012). Assuming a more reptilian metabolism, one paper puts the global biomass of large sauropods at 2 00,000 kg/km2. Their total estimated annual methane emission is about 520 million tons. For comparison, modern day ruminants produce about 50-100 million tons of atmospheric methane, and the total modern day global emissions are about 500-600 million tons a year. The author notes that their estimate could have been overstated by a factor of two, but also understated by the same amount, depending on assumed metabolic function and density of sauropods. Sauropods large sizes and reliance on fermentation to digest food was a major influence on their environment, and created a positive feedback loop, where the temperature increase would push nutritive values of plants lower. Massive sauropod bodies were well adapted to their environment and digestion. Of course, such large sizes bring their own challenges. The most debated question is whether or not dinosaurs were endothermic or ectothermic, and whether endothermy was even possible in mega dinosaurs like the sauropods. At body masses estimated between 20,000 kg and 80,000 kg, overheating would have been a huge problem in large sauropod dinosaurs. While it is unknown if they had special soft tissue adaptations in order to combat their size, it is speculated that their long necks and tails may have helped them keep cool by increasing surface area without adding too much internal volume (Eagle, et. al., 2011). The accelerated growth capable in endothermic animals is a major factor in favor of sauropod endothermy. Sauropods grew several size magnitudes, from hatchlings estimated to be about 10kg, to the hulking adult dinosaurs, in only a few decades (Sander Clauss, 2008). But does the size of adult sauropods rule out endothermic metabolisms? According to Eagle and others (2011), endo thermy was not impossible in large sauropods. In lower temperatures, more 13C-18O clumps form, which are preserved in the fossil record. The analysis of these clumps is not dependent on knowing the oxygen isotope composition of the surrounding water. These clumps can be observed in the tooth bioapatite of dinosaurs. The accuracy of this method is 1 °C, with precision within 1 °-2 °C. The accuracy of this method comes from tests of modern taxa, in which the isotopic temperature agrees with the expected temperature of the organisms. Eagle found the average body temperature of Brachiosaurus to be 38.2 °C  ± 1 °C and the temperature of Camarasaurus to be 35.7 °C  ±1.3 °C including a sample from a different fossil site. These temperatures are within the range of modern mammals, and lower than the body temperatures of many birds, which can be greater than 40 °C. Eagle does note that the temperature reflects the temperature of tooth formation, which may differ from the main body temperature. Body temperature is a product of metabolism, size, environmental temperature, and any special adaptations for the regulation of heat. The temperatures given for these sauropods is close to the temperatures estimated by earlier research done by Gillooly (2006). Such temperatures in such large animals suggests that they were either ectothermic, had low basal metabolic rates, or had some special methods of heat dissipation. Some researchers suggest that large sauropods were fermentative endotherms (Mackie, 2002). Because sauropods needed a lot of energy to reach their adult size in such little time, it is likely that they were endotherms who underwent some sort of change at maturation that prevented overheating as an adult. Metabolic changes through development is not unusual, so it is very possible that it also occurred in sauropods. They could have shifted from a higher metabolic endothermy during their rapid growth phase, to a lesser metabolic homeot hermy supported by the fermentation heat output from their fully formed guts. Other evidence in support of endothermic sauropods are growth lines, or the lack there of, in sauropod bones (Kohler, et. al., 2012). Lines of arrested growth are normally associated with ectotherms, which have periods of rapid growth interspersed with periods of slow growth. These lines are found in mammals as well, and in the majority of dinosaurs. The pattern the lines leave are not found in sauropod bones. This suggests unbroken, stead growth rates, highly unlikely in ectotherms. The evidence suggests endothermy in sauropods, even in large ones. Because endothermy requires more energy to maintain, sauropods would have had to consume a massive amount of food, unless they had a low basal metabolism. Hippopotami, while mammals and clearly not the size of sauropods, have particularly long retention times because they have low food intake and enormous gut capacity. Their required energy for maintenance is r emarkably low. This strategy is common in non-ruminant foregut fermentators and some small hindgut fermentators (Clauss, et. al., 2009). The metabolic process of sauropods is linked to their energetic needs and dietary restrictions. In some research, one of the byproducts of fermentation, heat, supports the endothermic theory, and endothermy in sauropods as juveniles helps explain how they managed to reach their massive adult size. The herbivorous, fermentative nature of sauropods is not an obstacle in understanding their ability to function at such large sizes. Sauropods likely evolved to be large because of the abundance of plant materials, especially after many herbivores died out during both the Permian extinction, but also the Triassic-Jurassic extinction. Their adaptations allowed them to widely diversify and fill the newly opened ecological niches. Some have speculated that their large body size was driven by predation, as larger bodies, especially the size of sauropods, were a natural defense (Sander, et. al., 2011). Given the evidence, it is more likely that immunity to predation was a lucky side effect of size, not the driving factor. It seems more likely that the resource opportunities of plants drove the initial adaptation, especially with the diverse nature of sauropods and their apparent partitioning, than protection. The size of sauropods is inextricably linked to their diet and digestive methods. Much of the discussion of sauropod feeding is based on conjecture is based on living animals, that are obviously very different from sauropods. As there is are no known records of internal tissues, it is hard to know anything about how sauropods functioned internally beyond comparing them to existing behaviors and traits in todays animals. Even though todays herbivores are different than sauropods, patterns of herbivory are similar in very different taxa. The circumstantial evidence offered by analysis of modern organisms still enables scientists to attempt to fit sauropods within the known herbivorous patterns, with allowances for the unknowns. Perhaps this analysis is just another element of the imaginative aspect of dinosaur life. Until more evidence is found, I believe that the evolution of the massive sauropods was in large part due to their diet and digestion. The nutrition offered by gymnosperms demanded higher levels of processing. The minimal oral digestion evidenced by small heads and non-chewing teeth led to greater digesta retention times in the gut. A greater gut size would have sped fermentation, compensating for the large particle size of the plant material and its low nutrient density. There is some evidence for resource partition amongst sauropods, both between different species and within the same species. Different tooth structure and browsing levels are some adaptations driven by available resources. The other benefits of the large body size of sauropods, in my opinion, do not seem likely to be as important in size evolution as the plants and their digestion. When the sauropods appeared, they filled an ecological niche left by previous extinctions, and quickly diversified, creating a hugely successful group of organisms, both in overall diversity, but also in longevity. Works Cited Christiansen, Per, 1999, On the Head Size of Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs: Implications for Ecology and Physiology. Historical Biology, v. 13, iss. 4, p. 269-297. Chure, D., Britt, B. B., Whitlock, J. A., Wilson, J. A., 2010, First complete sauropod dinosaur skull from the Cretaceous of the Americas and the evolution of sauropod dentition. Naturwissenschaften, v. 97, iss. 4, p. 379-391. Eagle, R. A., Tà ¼tken, T., Martin, T. S., Tripati., A. K., Fricke, H. C., Connely, M., Cifelli, R. L., Eiler, J. M., 2011, Dinosaur Body Temperatures Determined from Isotopic (13C- 18O) Ordering in Fossil Biominerals. 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