Monday, September 30, 2019

Impact of Computer Technology Essay

Man is no longer living in the Age of the Machine, but in the Technological Revolution. He is no longer replaced by machines, but by micro chips built together to form what we call a computer. As a creation of man, it was made to add convenience to his life. However, in the current situation of rising people and industries, a computer became more than a gadget, it also became a necessity to his life and future. The name computer is actually given to a person. According to the website Computer Science Lab, these people are those who do nothing except do calculations for tables, charts and planetary grids. These group of people, predominantly a set of women, were then replaced by an electronic contraption. They complained that to compute on a daily basis was completely boring, and the found the need to completely change that. So inventors took around a century to create something that will take over their task. Since then, it has evolved to a portable gadget for a person’s utmost convenience. Computers today continue to update itself. Softwares and hardwares were made to accomplish simple computations to running complex businesses. In this day and age, computers and internet access can already be considered as part of man’s basic needs. Part of his survival is to remain in the competition, and the possibilities are high for his miserable failure if he doesn’t fight with a computer at hand. Since the recent rise of this Technological Era, changes have become evident. With this, the ethical, social and economic impact of computers are to be highlighted in this essay. These are the aspects of daily living man should never fail to consider. Because change is the only thing constant, there is a need to remind man of these changes, in case he missed it when it passed by. Ethical Impact With the rise of computers, along with it are ethical issues. To define, the website History of Computing noted that Computer Ethics is actually a branch of philosophy aimed to study the overall impact of computers in man’s life. It involves social rights, professional issues and legal issues, as it affects both an individual and an entire business. The primary issue this aspect of computer technology questions is how it shall be used. The outbreak of computers allowed individuals and businesses to do more actions than necessary. As mentioned by a website Research Center on Computing and Society, there was a void in the policies regarding computer technology. Moreover, these policies were merely to fill that void. Its importance lie on how man’s actions are guided by these policies. These failed to completely absolve the many ethical dilemmas related to it. For one thing, computers have become more than a tool. It has become a complete access pass to a person’s private life. With a click, a person’s life can be relayed in a screen like an ebook. It has become an avenue to hack another account, and in turn, another person’s life. Computers allowed a person’s privacy an issue of a public. Hacking, as mentioned by Ecommerce, also involves online theft in company websites and credit cards. These, so far, are the only evident cases of misusing computer technology. A silent agreement on what computer behavior should be like exists, but the concern is until when it is able to hinder seemingly criminal activities. It is further important to consider the ethical impacts of computer technology. Today, almost every individual across the globe is connected by a unit each. This expanse allows even a wider opportunity for hackers to simply connect to another unit and browse without its owner even knowing of the incident. More recently, connections are even at a greater speed. It is no longer questioning possibility. Ecommerce mentioned that the pace of which these computers are updated are too fast for ethical norms to catch up. Social Impact In the recent past, people who lived in little village migrated to the city to find jobs, According to Passion Computing, they left their lands to find better opportunities for them. It can be said that a population transferred to the city to grasp those opportunities. This brought about the break of family units and dependency on the trade industry. However, as earlier mentioned, with just a computer, they are connected to an even wider array of opportunities for them to experience. Also, computers have become the cause of today’s fast paced time line. Every thing had to be done immediately. Time became more precious in the production and progress of individuals and companies. Millersville University characterized this feature as temporality. The same article also mentioned that because of the existence of this technology, two people are able to work efficiently even if they work at different times from different places. Digital connections made working easier, but it can also withdraw people from reality. The changes are actually quite clear. Many can work from their homes and earn even more than those who traveled to test their fates. However, there is also the downfall effect on individuals and businesses. One of these was expressed in the aforementioned website. The article noted that computers gave rise to the alienation of certain individuals. Since connecting to other people, and other business transactions, can be made online, people tend to spend a better portion of their day in front of a computer. Moreover, there are a lot of jobs online that does not require one to have a specialization to earn as much as they can. This hinders a person from growing further with the knowledge he could have gained in school. In a way, computers limit a person from becoming the best he could be. Furthermore, computers are a means of access to a wide array of information. The article from Passion Computing wrote that family ties became vulnerable to divorce, and teenagers to suicide. The more information people are getting, the more likely are they to consider these as possibilities on how they should live their lives. Suggestive information can be more than tempting. Economic Impact According to Creative Computing, it is without that a doubt that computers will have a permanent mark on the changes the people will experience through time. All classes, genders and colors are affected by its advancement. Much like how older generations have been drastically changed by the Industrial Revolution, the generations of today are those who are most influenced by the Technological Revolution. However, the same article highlighted that the latter revolution have a greater effect on the poor. Although it was established that people received quite a number of benefits from this age of computers, one cannot neglect the fact that to have these benefits, they should be able to purchase one first. In the US is an ongoing campaign about promoting computer literacy to each individual. Unfortunately, one unit alone can be very costly. One must not fail to consider that the basic necessities of a person are given top priority. But, as earlier mentioned, in this era, to have a computer is practically a necessity as well. According to the website National Center for Policy Analysis, Economists are still uncertain about the relation of technological updates and the growth of the national economy. Robert Solow, an economist, mentioned in the article that computers are everywhere except in the statistics. Furthermore, in the year 1994, it was found through a study that computers have a very small overall impact. In more recent studies, on the other hand, it was found that computers had a strikingly greater contribution since that study. In comparison to other studies, a steady rise in economy can be observed along with the ascent of the computer age. Conclusion In conclusion, man is currently in the Technological Revolution, wherein his life is most likely driven by the advancements of computers. As such, man’s life has changed and his views about living were altered. There were ethical, social and economic changes since the birth of the computer age. Its impact on the life and survival of man is undeniably clear. However, since this is also the age when everything seemed to be at a faster pace, it would not have been unusual for one to have missed it. The lifestyle of a person changed drastically if compared to a counterpart in the industrial revolution. One of the sources mentioned above emphasized that the age of computers will have a lasting effect on the people who use it. Perhaps, the reason behind this claim is that the Technological Revolution is at a fairly young age, and that it might mark the beginning of a greater revolution one can only imagine. The possibilities must not be closed, as the changes will never stop from occurring. However, with these constant changes, policies and norms should be able to follow its flow. Otherwise, there would be a far greater dilemma to deliberate.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Article on Discipline Essay

Discipline is not only necessary but also vital for any civilized society, as a matter of fact, discipline and Nature are synonymous with each other and whenever anything happens, which defies or interrupts the usual in Nature, it becomes a calamity, and similarly life without discipline can become chaotic. The term ‘discipline’ means any training intended to develop moral character or produce a particular pattern of behavior accepted by afferent institutions and society. Discipline is a way of life. It is vital in happing one’s personality. According to one school of thought, there are here forms of discipline i.e. expressionistic, impressionistic and self- discipline. If-discipline is usually considered to be the best form of discipline here in the term ‘discipline’ instead of standing as a rigid code of conduct obi strictly adhered to, denotes a process of normal growth and learning, of ways to monitor oneself. Self discipline is directly related t o the concept of freedom and motivation. If a child is motivated and given the freedom to choose, discipline becomes a natural way of life. In modern times, discipline is misunderstood and misinterpreted by some students as rigid and fixed set of rules enforced by others and to be followed without any questions being asked. They feel it is encroachment of their freedom and rights. Discipline is not a term which is limited to institutions like schools and colleges only. Neither is it a weapon or tool in the hands of adults to control the younger generation or in other words seeking unquestionable compliance. Discipline is neither suppression nor a means to assert one’s authority rather it is intrinsic motivation in a person to control oneself, one’s emotion, and desires and live in a uniform and orderly manner. That everything in this universe has to follow certain rules, the Sun rises in the East’ and sets in the West, come what may, the cycle of seasons also follows a pattern, Night follows, dusk which follows day and dawn, thus, we humans are also governed by rules and following the same is another term for discipline. In schools, discipline can be exercised through the medium of morning assembly, time table, uniform, break, activities, various competitions and talk shows. An example of discipline is also the happening of activities in t he school premises in a particular order, right from promptness in reaching the school, wearing the prescribed uniform, abiding with the school rules, attending classes etc.  etc. When one learns to conform to a particular set of rules he understands the importance and need to follow a particular pattern in life and how veering away from them can make life difficult and confusing, All successful people understand the importance of discipline in their lives and enjoy the fruits of success. An undisciplined person is prone to temptations and can easily fall prey to a lifestyle which could lead to his failure and doom. Discipline, thus! is inevitable as it gives direction to live life in a harmonious, and orderly way.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

An Overview Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Nursing Essay

An Overview Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Nursing Essay An ambulatory surgery center is indication to the surgery that conducted without the need for overnight hospital stay. This term also recognized as outpatient surgery or same day surgery. This surgery in general not type of complicated surgery, it is simpler than the one which requiring hospitalization. This kind of ambulatory surgery is widely used in present time, where the cost of such surgery is low, simple and required less resources where for the inpatient it is essential to keep the patient in the hospital; that mean reserve bed for that patient in the hospital [1]. Another definition can be used here, that ambulatory surgery is â€Å"the performance of planned surgical procedure with the patient being discharged on the same day† [2]. The ambulatory surgery first found in 1909 by James Nicoll, a scottish surgeon, it was called by â€Å"day case surgery†. In 1912 Ralph Walter in the USA adopted this surgery type in the USA. It was unpopular until the 1960s and 19 70s when the traditional surgeries became a bottleneck for most of the USA’s Hospitals, where keeping the patient on holding list and admitted them in the hospital became more expensive, in addition the availability of beds decreased. Walter Reed introduced the ambulatory surgery to USA’s hospital, since then patient manages improved significantly and rapidly with ensuring the patients’ fitness after discharge [2]. Ambulatory surgery form about 90% of all surgery performed nowadays in Canada and USA [6]. The day surgery can achieve high level of quality, cost effective and safe which lead to high level of patient satisfaction [6]. University of California at Los Angeles developed a hospital based on ambulatory surgery unit in 1962, then other units in the USA were opened in 1966 At Gorge Washington university, until big number of ambulatory surgery is opened now in the USA and Canada [7]. Several associations created to developed a strategies and plans to adopt and improve the ambulatory surgery, one of these association is the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association (FASA), this association founded in the USA since 1974, another 12 national association formed and become member of the International Association for Ambulatory Surgery (IAAS) [8] The advantages from ambulatory surgery system are varied in type, some of these advantages related to patient and their family and some related to the hospitals and the healthcare system as whole. Those advantages for the patient that they will receive more attention from the healthcare team, because the ambulatory surgery designed to serve that patient [9]. The ambulatory patient will return home after receiving the treatment, so it is better to well manage the day surgery units and provide the patient with treatment which allowed them to continue recovering at their family home environment. Small mistakes that could happen for inpatient will not occur to the ambulatory surgery patient, like missin g drug or shot or give different medicine for patient, because in the ambulatory surgery patient is always having everything in plan and no mistakes there [10]. Day surgery is better for children than inpatient surgery where the children will not be separated from their family for long time. The children will be less stressful and feel more comfortable because they can join back their family after that surgery finish [11]. In the European Charter of Children’s Rights states that â€Å"children should be admitted to hospital only if the care they require cannot be equally well provided at home or on a day basis† [12].

Friday, September 27, 2019

Gender and psychology in Carol Ann Duffy's poems Thesis Proposal

Gender and psychology in Carol Ann Duffy's poems - Thesis Proposal Example Issues of gender, society, psychology, surrealism, sexuality, history, and fantasy have all found a place on the pages of her books. In my thesis, I intend to explore her poetic device of the dramatic monologue and its relation to the multiplicity of voices her poetry embodies. To better understand the societal and literary importance that set her body of work apart from others, it is necessary to indicate how this type of monologue gives a sense of freedom and authority to the misunderstood and neglected. Furthermore, I plan to shed light on the mental processing of the marginalized through the speakers reflections; in addition, I will focus on how her characters create their own identity by transforming the narrative language. The objectives of my research are firstly, to explore the various topics Carol Ann Duffy addressed in her writing, such as gender roles, female sexuality, suicide, and childhood, and to discuss what she had to say about each of them; secondly, to explore Carol Ann Duffy’s use of the narrative monologue as a vehicle of expression for her characters; and thirdly, to reveal the importance of Carol Ann Duffy’s body of work in the world of literature. It is my supposition that an analytical exploration of Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry will reveal a female writer who has found her voice in controversial topics by allowing her characters to develop their voice through her writing. The question I want to address is how successful is Carol Ann Duffy at broadening the reader’s perception of women, by shedding light on women’s issues through the unique usage of narrative monologues? In several of her books, such as The World’s Wife, Feminine Gospels, and Selling Manhattan, Duffy uses her writing to bring the female characters from the background to the forefront to emphasize the importance of the female

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Preparedness, Prevention, Response, and Recovery Plan Essay

Preparedness, Prevention, Response, and Recovery Plan - Essay Example The rationale and a preliminary budget for suggested recommendations would be proffered. Emergency incidents occur due to disasters and accidents which happen in the most unexpected place and time. Thousands of lives are lost due to various sudden, haphazard events such as vehicular accidents, slips and falls, animal accidents (bites), medical related errors, food poisoning, and chemical accidents and spills, among others. Aside from work-related injuries and illnesses, natural disasters and terrorist attacks also pose grave threats to people’s lives, properties and the environment. Exxon Mobil Security acknowledges the threats eminent in the abovementioned scenarios. Accordingly, the organization is deeply concerned of mitigating risks through a comprehensive design of a management emergency response procedure. The emergency management response encompasses facets of preparedness, prevention, response and recovery in instances of disasters and other extreme events. The essay would detail a critical incident and emergency management response plan for Exxon Mobil Security. The plan would include preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery to catastrophic events or significant security incidents. In addition, the design would include external relations and communications necessary to execute the plan. The rationale and a preliminary budget for suggested recommendations would be presented. Generally, an emergency is defined as any unplanned or unforeseen event that calls for immediate action as it can cause death or significant injuries to the organization’s personnel or to the public, or that can shut down business, disrupt operations, cause physical or environmental damage, or can threaten the institutions financial standing or public image. Business Dictionary defines disaster response as â€Å"aggregate of decisions and measures taken to (1) contain or mitigate the effects of a

Worplestrop Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Worplestrop Case Study - Essay Example Akin to all other business entities, the Worplestrop Partnership wants to develop an efficient costing and information systems for the management of their organization. This would necessitate the development of budgets, accomplishing responsibilities to achieve the goals, incessant evaluation of real performance with expected standard performance, taking counteractive actions if required in addition to revising the budgets. Assessment of the various product cost and budgetary control methodologies and systems The most commonly employed cost budgeting techniques and tools comprise of ‘strategic budgeting’ as well as ‘contingency and allowance budgeting’ (Owens, 2007). In the former technique, the management of the organization estimates the cost that might be incurred in their operational activities, however it is very difficult to accurately estimate the costs involved. The later cost budgeting technique ascertains that a suitable amount of finances is devel oped to provide accommodation for upcoming hazards or unforeseen expense rises. For the successful implementation of contingency and allowance method of budgeting, Worplestrop Partnership would have to establish their expenditure build-up procedure comprising of base and contingency expense estimations in addition to allowances and finance reserves. This approach involves the grass roots as it builds up and communicates a plan for accomplishing superior estimates with all the workforces. Figure: Expense Build-up Components (Owens, 2007). In addition to this, there are around five different methods of budgetary control, namely, summary budget, fixed budget, financial budget, flexible budget and zero-based budgeting. The assessment of these methodologies reveals that zero-based budgeting would be appropriate for Worplestrop Partnership, because it would enable the organization to methodically assess the various operational activities undertaken by it. This would ensure that the manage ment is able to distribute its resources as per the precedence of its activities. The implementation of this technique would ascertain that Worplestrop takes up activities are vital for the business and that those are carried out in the utmost manner. This is because; this method would connect the budgets with the overall goal of the organization (Shah, 2009). The management of an organization and the decision making processes involved in it can be categorized into three groups, namely, operational, tactical and operational. All the three categories comprise of planning as well as control measures. Nevertheless, the focus of strategic level is more on planning, while at the operational level it is more accentuated towards control. Information Outputs to support Management decision making at operational level The ground level managers or supervisors are directly in charge for those involved in production or manufacturing. They are associated principally with the administration of non -management human resources and the management of routine operational activities. The major responsibility of such managers is to assess performance of the business unit against the standard that has been specified. The manager ought to be familiar with precisely how much was

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marketing Luxury Goods to Chinese Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Luxury Goods to Chinese - Case Study Example The prices will also assist in controlling market prices and competition from Chinese firms that have invested in making fakes. Finally, the luxury makers should also invest in strategic Chinese markets where most consumers are located. The places include posh areas and major cities where consumers can easily access the goods. The makers should also analyze markets to have knowledge on the consumer trends. The consumer styles will be used to highlight potential areas where the luxury makers make market entries. The Chinese market was not affected much by the recession; hence leading to an increased economic growth of up to 30% per annum. The increased growth led to an influx of rich Chinese individuals that were the main targets for the luxury items. Additionally, the country also had increased industrial growth causing employment to most Chinese. Most workers invested in fancy items due to influence from other rich societies. The consumers also preferred purchasing goods from outside China because they believed that the products were of high quality (The Economist, 2014). China’s efforts to surpass Japan and the U.S in consumer ratings also contributed to the taste and preference of luxury goods. The Chinese rich class was also not affected much by the recession; hence providing market for the luxury goods unlike in other hit countries such as the U.S. The luxury makers took advantage of the increased economic growth that meant most Chinese could save and purchase luxury goods. They also ensured good product quality than that provided in the Chinese luxury makers. The Chinese also invested in impulse buying whereby their purchasing trends surpassed those of the Japanese. Moreover, the makers observed Chinese consumer styles such as more men customers than in Japanese markets. The Chinese men were ready to purchase more of the luxury goods compared to the Japanese women; hence leading to increased imports. The Chinese

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

CRIMINAL JUSTICE Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Term Paper Example II. It is also very important to understand the idea of victim in relationship to a hate crime.. A. According to Altheide and Coyle (2006) â€Å"Victims are but the personal side of crisis; a crisis is where victims reside. A personal crisis may affect ‘one victim’, but more generally ‘crisis’ refers to ‘social crisis’, involving numerous people. All take place in a time of fear. All of this requires that citizens have information and constant reminders of the pitfalls and hazards of life, whether potential or realized† (p. 289). B. The Anti-Hate Crime Movement began in the 1960s, but it has taken decades to make it a relevant social issue (Jenness & Grattet, 2004). III. As well, education about other cultures has allowed children to start seeing the beauty in difference rather than fearing it. A. Perry, Levin, Iganski, Blazak, and Lawrence (2009) discuss education of children in a globalized world in order to end prejudices as an investm ent into the future. B. The problem is continued as teachers are not prepared to understand or handle the problems that come from biased bullying and they do not know how to react when they see it or are told about it (Perry, Levin, Iganski, Blazak and Lawrence, 2010). ... Hate crimes can come from many different types of prejudice including gender, the color of skin, sexual orientation, and political differences. One of the greatest influences over the development of hate for people with differences from one’s self is through family built hatreds that sometimes go back for many generations. Although hate crimes have declined in the last few decades, there are still an alarming number in the United States. Decreasing the number of hate crimes happens over generations of decreasing the amount of prejudice in families, but other ways of stopping them can help to provide a quicker end to the problems. One of the ways in which the American government has approached hate crimes is through making the criminal offense carry a deeper sentence when it is associated or caused by hatred that is based on social ideas about classifying others. Teaching students about the differences of other cultures also helps to deter them from having prejudicial ideas tha t might lead to violence later in life. Abolishing ignorance about other cultures is a powerful way in which to approach the issue of hate crimes. An examination of hate crimes can help to understand why they are still occurring and to develop strategies through which a lower number of them will occur within the United States. To understand what a hate crime is first must be done through defining the topic. A hate crime is a crime that is committed because one individual hates something that another individual represents to them. As an example, the ideas that someone has about the Asian culture might provoke them to commit a crime against someone who is Asian. Stereotypes and profiling are two of the ways in which people evaluate others in order to

Monday, September 23, 2019

Does Harry Summers understand Clausewitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Does Harry Summers understand Clausewitz - Essay Example The end of World War II saw the rise of nuclear threat and we started hearing terms such as â€Å"limited war† and theory â€Å"analysis†. War has now become just a gimmick and is mainly won by theatrics. The concept of victory has been entirely modified. War and military are now just the servants of an executive. Patriotism and heroism are mere drugs now that are injected into the minds of naà ¯ve and oblivious people to make them do things that no man would choose to do otherwise. According to Summers (and Clausewitz) the system of monarchy still exists. It has just been transformed into something better looking. What conceals it is media tactics and gimmicks. Part II of this study reveals that wars can be won even in most adverse circumstances as long as the political and military objectives are kept in harmony. In the Vietnam War, American people were angry because a war was waged in their name but without their permission. Moreover, the military heads kept making all the decisions of war without any consultation and without any real support. And as a result, the convoluted policies lead them to complete chaos. US army considered the guerillas of war as the main enemy when they were in fact just a proxy force which was very well used by the

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Types of Phones Essay Example for Free

The Types of Phones Essay The telephone is one of the best and most effective ways to communicate with people who are far away from you. It is a common household device used to transmit and receive sound by sending electronic signals through a network. The invention of the telephone basically revolutionized the mode of communication among people from different places in the world as it basically overshadowed the earlier ways of communicating such as snail mail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the vast improvement of technology over the past decade or so gave rise to new types of phones that are being used by people in most parts of the world. These include the car phone and the mobile phone, which can be further classified into analog phones and digital phones. The introduction of the car phone is possibly one of the first significant developments in phone history. Basically, it provided convenience to people who are not at home most of the time and are unable to answer calls from the telephone. However, the boom of mobile phones basically made the car phone obsolete as the latter proved to be more effective and accessible when communicating with other people. Like the telephone, a mobile phone basically can also make and receive calls. It can be classified into two types, namely the analog phone and the digital phone.   The analog phone was the original type of mobile phone. Its size is relatively larger compared to its digital counterpart and its sound, image, and data transmission is done through a continuous signal flow which varies in phase and amplitude, among others. The disadvantage of an analog phone is that is slower in transmitting signals than the digital phone. However, it is more efficient than its digital counterpart when it used in other countries.   On the other hand, digital mobile phones transmit sound, images, and other types of data through a service provider that receives these data and retransmits it to another mobile phone. In addition, digital phones can also send instant messages through a system called Short Messaging Service (SMS) which is now commonly known as text messaging. Moreover, due to the rise of technology, certain digital phones also enable users to access the internet, take pictures, send email, shoot videos, and listen to music, among others. Some digital phones also have the capability to send images and other information through a wireless feature called â€Å"Bluetooth† and â€Å"Infrared† provided that the recipient also has these features. Furthermore, unlike analog phones, the digital phone transmission data faster to other mobile phones as there are usually multiple network providers. Using digital phones, SMS messages can be sent in a matter of seconds. However, a digital phone is not suitable for use especially when traveling to other countries since the network or service provider may not be compatible with the phone or may not be available in the area. Today, while the standard telephone still remains as a standard and necessary device in any home, the continuous surge of technology has made mobile phones almost a necessity than a luxury for almost everyone in the world.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Neural Network Architecture Construction

Neural Network Architecture Construction Introduction This article is going to discuss neural network construction from a different perspective than is usual in conventional approaches. This approach, which will be referred to as Neural Architecture, is intended to explore construction of neural networks using neurons as explicit building blocks rather than anonymous elements trained en mass. Simple Python programs will be used to demonstrate the concept for simple boolean logic functions. The approach of this article is intentionally named Neural Architecture because it is meant to parallel the way in which a traditional architect systematically constructs a fine building: by developing well-known patterns of construction elements, which may be re-used to create ever more sophisticated structures. The conventional approach to neural network development is to define a network as consisting of a few layers in a multilayer-perceptron type of topology with an input layer, output layer, and one or two hidden layers. Then a training algorithm such as backpropagation is applied to develop the interconnection weights. Sometimes a more sophisticated approach is taken such as using a cascade or recurrent topology but for all intents and purposes, the end result is a standard topology of a few highly-connected layers. This approach was a major breakthrough in the field because it led some people to start thinking outside the box of symbolic reasoning that dominated Artificial In telligence at the time. It has also been successfully used in a variety of pattern recognition and control applications that are not effectively handled by other AI paradigms. However, these applications would not generally be considered to represent higher levels of intelligence or cognitive processing. For example, suppose a neural network is developed that can successfully recognize human faces under a variety of conditions. This is a highly useful application and well within the realm of conventional neural networks. However, that is where the capability of the network leaves offat recognizing the facial image. Aside from generalizing facial features, it can offer nothing more in terms of reasoning about those facial features. Further, it is asserted that the standard approach to neural network development is not suitable for realizing these higher levels of intelligence. One of the fundamental problems is the limited manner in which we approach the neural architecture. To illustrate this problem, we will return to the building architecture analogy. In this way, our standard approach to neural architecture can be likened to designing a building using bricks. An architect who always thinks in terms of bricks will not likely progress beyond a certain level of sophistication, because as a component, a brick only offers one purpose: to support other bricks. Instead, an architecture progressively develops more sophisticated, proven structures based on the brick (or other primitive components) which can be re-used to develop higher-level components. A house is conceived, not in terms of bricks and wood, but rather in terms of walls, doors, and rooms. A sophisticated architect might even find these components mundane and instead think in more abstract terms of spaces, energy and flow of human traffic. This is the notion of patterns, and in fact these (architectural) patterns were exactly the inspiration for the field of software patterns. The same thinking can be applied to neural networks: a neuron by itself only serves the function of exciting other neurons. And conventional neural net learning algorithms are geared toward categorization or other mapping operations. As a proponent of neural networks, one believes that arbitrarily complex intelligence processes can be realized, and we have the human brain as pretty convincing support of that belief. However, to continue progress in this direction, it is likely that we have to develop more sophisticated abilities as neural architects and develop useful, proven neural patterns similar to the way that building architects have done over time, and in the way software architects are now doing. Enough philosophy we will now be taking a fresh look at how patterns can be constructed starting with simple neural elements, and specifically we will start with boolean logic elements. Architecting using boolean logic does not immediately offer an advantage over using regular logic gates, but illustrates how crisp logic or symbolic elements can arise from fuzzy neural processing elements. It will also provide a conceptual foundation for future articles. Neural networks Neural network: information processing paradigm inspired by biological nervous systems, such as our brain Structure: large number of highly interconnected processing elements (neurons) working together Like people, they learn from experience. Neural networks are configured for a specific application, such as pattern recognition or data classification, through a learning process In a biological system, learning involves adjustments to the synaptic connections between neurons. The first step in the architecture process is to define the primitive building block, and if you havent fallen asleep at this point, you have no doubt figured out that this will be a neuron. The neuron model we will use is a version of the tried-and-true model used for software neural networks, also known as the perceptron. As illustrated in , the perceptron has multiple inputs and one output. The mathematical model of the perceptron is given by: a = squash(ÃŽ £(iiwi)) where: is input i to the perceptron is the weight for input i is the activation (output) and squash(x) = { 1 if x >threshold 0 otherwise The nature of the perceptron has been discussed many times elsewhere, including in Matthews, so we wont dwell on it here. But basically, the perceptron calculates a weighted sum of the inputs and then subjects it to a nonlinear squashing functionin our case, this is a simple threshold operation. The nonlinear threshold operation is part of what makes a neural net exhibit interesting behavior. Otherwise it would amount to matrix operations. Nature of the game Now that we have the model for a basic neuron defined, we can now proceed to define basic logic gates by simply working out two things: the weight values the threshold For our discussion we will assume that weights can be positive (excitory) or negative (inhibitory) and be in the range between -1 and 1. The threshold will also be assumed to be in the range -1 to 1. If we cast this in terms of signals, then it equates to the requirement that both inputs have to be sufficiently high to produce an output. So, we will set our threshold to a high value of 0.8. Next we will set the weights for the two inputs at 0.5 each. If one input is one (=1) then the neuron activation (output) will be given by a = squash( 1 * 0.5 + 0 * 0.5) = squash( 0.5 ) = 0 since 0.5

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Hessian :: essays research papers

Frederick Douglass was an emancipated slave who passed from one master to another until he finally found the satisfaction of being his own; he went through almost as many names as masters. His mother's family name, traceable at least as far back as 1701 (FD, 5) was Bailey, the name he bore until his flight to freedom in 1838. His father may or may not have been a white man named Anthony, but Douglass never firmly validated or rejected this possibility. During transit to New York (where he became a freedman) his name became Stanley, and upon arrival he changed it again to Johnson. In New Bedford, where there were too many Johnson's, he found it necessary to change it once more, and his final choice was Douglass, taken, as suggested to him by a white friend and benefactor, from a story by Sir Walter Scott (although the character in that story bore only a single 's' in his name). All throughout, he clung to Frederick, to 'preserve a sense of my identity' (Norton, 1988). This succession of names is illustrative of the transformation undergone by one returning from the world of the dead, which in a sense is what the move from oppression to liberty is. Frederick Douglass not only underwent a transformation but, being intelligent and endowed with the gift of Voice, he brought back with him a sharp perspective on the blights of racism and slavery. Dropped into America during the heat of reform as he was, his appearance on the scene of debate, upon his own self-emancipation, was a valuable blessing for the abolitionists. In their struggles so far, there had been many skilled arguers but few who could so convincingly portray the evils of slavery, an act which seemed to demand little short of firsthand experience, but which also required a clear understanding of it. Douglass had both, and proved himself an incredibly powerful weapon for reform. While the identity of his father is uncertain, it is generally accepted that the man was white, giving Douglass a mixed ancestry. Mirroring this, he was also blessed with an eye that could bring into focus different perspectives and, just as many multi-racial children today are able to speak multiple languages with ease, he had the ability to translate in the most eloquent fashion between the worlds of the black man and white man. Thus, ironically, the torturous beginning of Douglass' existence was inadvertently made (by him) into a treasure for 'us' (being mainly white America). The story of the American Dream, wherein a young

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Stampfer and The Catharsis of King Lear Essay -- King Lear essays

Stampfer and The Catharsis of King Lear  Ã‚   At the end of King Lear, when the only characters left standing are Albany, Edgar, and Kent, is the audience supposed to come away from the play with any feeling other than remorse? This search for emotional release by the audience is one which J. Stampfer believes is the most profound problem in King Lear. The overriding critical problem in King Lear is that of its ending. The deaths of Lear and Cordelia confront us like a raw, fresh wound where our every instinct calls for healing and reconciliation. This problem, moreover, is as much one of philosophic order as of dramatic effect. In what sort of universe, we ask ourselves, can wasteful death follow suffering and torture? In his essay "The Catharsis of King Lear," Stampfer discusses sevearal readings of Lear’s death, proves them faulty, and, through analyzation of this and other Shakespearian texts, arrives at his own conclusion concerning Lear’s denouement and the audience’s reaction. The essay begins with Stampfer defining the relevance of Lear’s death to King Lear and the essay reader. Stampfer does not waste the time of the reader with an elaborate introduction. Instead, the first line defines the problem: The overriding critical problem in King Lear is that of its ending (361). Still in the first paragraph, he quotes the line from Lear that causes the interpretation problems, referring to it as Lear’s "desparing question" (361): Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life, And thou no breath at all? (v,iii, 306-7) The rest of the paragraph discusses problems which, in Stampfer’s opinion, cannot be pushed aside, such as the source Shakespeare used to write King Lear, and the Christian referenc... ...ld, and abandons athiesm and attempts to save Lear and Cordelia. This creates a paradox for Stampfer: if characters such as Lear, Gloucester, and Edmund all go through some sort of awakening, why do they all die? Is there any justice in the universe? Stampfer examines Othello, Hamlet, and Romeo & Juliet, and concludes that in each of those tragedies, the play ends with the "reconciliation of the tragic hero and society" (371). Lear, in Stampfer’s opinion, is "the first tragedy in which the tragic hero dies unreconciled and indifferent to society" (371). So Stampfer finds it necessary to go over the plot of Lear again, and dervie what within the structure makes Lear different from the before mentioned plays, and attempt to find some sort of catharsis. Stampfer comes up with several key points. The first is Lear’s abandonment of everything he once knew.

Personal Narrative- Meeting God through Strangers :: Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative- Meeting God through Strangers Meeting strangers can often times be awkward, but there are other moments when, if given, a stranger can transform your life. The time frame was approximately six years ago and I was working as a photographer for Sears Portrait Studio. As the photographer, I was always meeting new and interesting people. My job was fairly predictable in that we primarily photographed children; except for one day when that would all change. I was working at the front counter when an older couple approached. Their disposition was gentle and soft. They wanted to know if we were photographing that particular day. I said, "Indeed, we were." I might mention that this couple was so polite in asking that I was a bit caught off guard. I told them we could get them in immediately if they were ready. The lady mentioned that all she needed to do was add a touch of lipstick, fix her husband's tie, and they could be ready. The wife made sure to explain that the portraits would be for their 35th wedding anniversary. They both followed me in to the sitting room as I began to take a few poses. After doing so, I started to notice something peculiar about the couple. I was not a Christian at that time, so all I really noticed is that they weren't like everyone else I encountered. I was in a difficult relationship myself, and after seeing their interaction with one another, it spurred me to ask them a question. I said, "I don't mean to pry, but I was noticing something about you both that seems unique; I was curious what makes your relationship work?" The woman paused for a moment and pondered my question. After a moment she replied with sheer confidence, "God." He was what made their relationship work. I took a few steps back. This was not the answer I was expecting. We continued with the sitting and I met them out front to finish up the sale. I told them that "it was nice to meet both of them and I appreciated their advice." But, before I got that full sentence out, the lady reached out and embraced me. I knew at that moment, God had a hold of me and that he was using this couple as a vehicle to my salvation. These "strangers" are my family today.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Mindy’s Sections Essay

Profitability BJB intends to apply a six sigma approach to improving profitability in the innovative CD changers. Using such tools provided through this approach will lead to major cost reduction and quality improvements that will result in an increase in profitability. The approach will involve measuring capability of processes to produce services and products that remain free of defect. Experts at BJB will analyze standard deviation, short term performance data, and critical to quality (CTQ) characteristics to predict long-term process capability. Such analysis will apply concepts to the product, such as opportunity for defect, defects per opportunity, and defects per million opportunities. Experts previously described will use a four step approach to deploy this strategy. These steps include measuring of CTQ characteristics; analysis through benchmarking and gap studies, improvement, and control. With a ratio of 1 expert per 100 employees, BJB will lead more projects per year as well as have a potential savings of $175,000 per project. Reference: Harry, Mikel J. (1998). Quality Progress. Six Sigma: A Breakthrough Strategy for Profitability. American Society for Quality. Retrieved from: http://asq.org/qic/display-item/index.html?item=13334 Customer Complaints Management BJB will apply a Six Sigma approach to manage and improve customer complaints’ management process. This methodology provides an organized structure for solving and analysis of problems. BJB will apply DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) phases to solve and define problems within the organization. First, the problem is defined, variables influencing processes are measured, cause for process failure are analyzed, improvements are planned and made as well as variables are controlled until a defined six sigma level and a solid level of customer satisfaction is determined. Reference: Riesenberger, Carlos & Sousa, Sergio Dinis (2010). Application of the Six Sigma Methodology in Customer Complaints Management: A Case Study in the Automotive Industry. Retrieved from: http://www.pomsmeetings.org/ConfPapers/015/015-0345.pdf Environmental Regulations Compliance BJB must consider environmental regulations compliance in regard to computer and electronic product manufacturing sector (NAICS 334). This sector covers manufacturers of electrical distribution equipment and electrical industrial apparatus as well as other electrical equipment and supplies. Laws and Regulations that BJB must abide by include: †¢ Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program †¢ National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): air toxics regulations: o Degreasing Organic Cleaners (Halogenated Solvent Cleaners) o Magnetic Tape (surface coating) o Semiconductor Manufacturing †¢ Stratospheric Ozone Regulations: o The Phase-out of Ozone Depleting Substances o Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program: EPA’s program to evaluate and regulate substitutes for the ozone-depleting chemicals that are being phased out under the stratospheric ozone protection provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Compliance to such laws and regulations will assist BJB meet environmental obligations. Enforcement of legal action against BJB is a result of noncompliance to such laws and regulations. Reference: United States Environmental Protection Agency (2012). Laws and Regulations. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/compliance/

Monday, September 16, 2019

Benefit of cloud computing and example Essay

Cloud computing provides many different business benefits to business that choose to use to the services. First benefit that the cloud computing offers is the ability to afford the service, cloud computing is very financially affordable for business. Using the service of cloud computing, business is able to save money, able to avoid taxing-in-house systems unnecessarily. Refer to the example from this case, Amazon, cloud computing is the biggest payer, only charges business charges businesses for what they use. Cloud business will charge a monthly payment or yearly payment, this will difficult to some businesses because they don’t know whether the service will satisfy for the business or not. Cloud computing is an affordable service for large and small businesses. And cloud computing offer from financial standpoint, that business can use Amazon’s IT infrastructure and pay a smaller amount instead of creating their own IT infrastructure. Moreover, the benefits of cloud c omputing is improve business in the new way, flexible computing power and data storage, provide data management. Zynga uses these benefits to maximize their experience with their usage of cloud computing, this company is using Amazon Web Services (AWS). When Zynga release new games, they don’t know what amount of computing resource to dedicate to the games. If they using cloud computing (Amazon cloud computing) it will benefits to them because whether their games will be popular or not, it will help them to save money. In case their games are popular, they can move it to the company’s own private cloud computing (zCloud). The problem that they solve: In this case Zynga is using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to solve by release their new games to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. This helps Zynga to increase their efficiency and can save the money in the long run. Secondly, it can solve the problem about capacity of advertising; to launch a coupon promotion. Example from this case study, Outback steakhouse wasn’t sure how popular an upcoming coupon promotion would be, so the company use Microsoft’s Azure cloud to launch promotion. Inter Thirdly, InterContinential Hotels has revamped its infrastructure to include both  private and public cloud usage to improve response time for customers, so customers will receive data faster if the data are located on a server. Lastly, IBM, Cisco and other traditional data center giants realize that cloud computing is threat to their technology infrastructure business, the solution is to rising computing costs, they have been steering their customers toward virtualization software, whic h allows them to run many more applications on each individual server that they buy.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Primary and Secondary Education in the Netherlands and China Essay

In the Dutch education system one ought to have 12 years of education, starting at the primary school from the age of 4. After 8 years of primary education the children will do a CITO-test that determines to which level of secondary education they can attend. The Dutch secondary education consists of three levels, respectively: VMBO, HAVO and VWO. VMBO is a 4 year program that has a more practical focus than the remaining levels and it is subdivided into four groups: BBL, GL, KBL and TL. A VMBO degree gives access to the subsequent vocational programs (MBO), which are 2 to 4 years depending on the chosen courses. The intermediate level of the secondary education is the HAVO program of 5 years. After completion and obtaining the HAVO degree, one can choose to do either a higher vocational program (HBO) of 4 years or a MBO. However, recently the Dutch government has declared a HBO degree to be equivalent to a university’s bachelor degree and therefore it is more attractive to HAVO graduates to pursue a program in HBO. Finally, the highest level in the Dutch secondary education is VWO. After completion of this program of 6 years, one has access to all universities in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, some popular courses, such as medicine and psychology, do have a minimum grade as entry requirement and therefore students willing to pursue a career in those fields will have to face a strong competition. In the Chinese education system one has 9 years of compulsory education, starting at the primary school from an age of 6. However, before the primary school many Chinese children will go to a preschool to develop their linguistic skills. After 6 years of primary school, the children will do a national test that ultimately determines to which secondary school they can attend. In china there are no distinctive levels in the secondary school system, but reputation and ranking distinguish the schools. Therefore there are the so-called key-schools that only accept students with high grades or have rich parents. The first 3 years in the secondary education is the junior-stage, wherein one will have a central examination in the last year. The results of that examination will either allow the student to the senior-stage of the secondary education or direct the student to another school specialised in vocational education. The students who are able to enter the senior-stage will do another central exam in their last year. The results of that exam will subsequent give the student access to the universities in China. The popular universities usually have a good reputation and high national ranking, therefore only the students with the highest scores in their final exams can fulfil the entry requirements. In comparing the two education systems, one should have noticed that the Dutch primary education is extended over a longer period than the Chinese primary education, respectively 8 and 6 years. Moreover, the more complex Dutch secondary education system allows students to jump between levels. In other words, a hardworking student could start in VMBO-BBL in the first year and end up in VWO the next year. This switch between levels is not possible in the Chinese secondary education system and the central exams determine the future destiny of the students.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Materialism: Want and Life Essay

Materialism refers to a collection of personality traits. The modern world is full of people who possess the need to be materialistic. Many have a belief that owning things and having the right to acquire everything are the main ingredients to happiness. These people think that success is judged by the amount of possessions owned. Philosophers have been complaining for long that materialism is not needed in moral life. More often the goal of gaining material wealth is regarded as an empty joy and in result prevents a person from being involved in a normal lifestyle. The consequence of pursuing a materialistic lifestyle is the issue in attaining a state of true happiness in one’s life. The empirical studies conducted have shown that there is no connection between materialism and real happiness. Imam Ali warned his followers about materialism, saying that it would â€Å"blind them from the life in the hereafter in two ways.† It would lead them to believe that only this world matters, and getting anything a person wants would not be able to satisfy their needs. Secondly, it would lead to excess, which would lead to human suffering, a truth which has been discovered by many and is the main principle of Bhuddism. If one becomes too materialistic, then this would cause them to try to do all that is necessary to get what they want, not what they need. Being materialistic is a bad trait to own, as it leads to the creation of the world of difference in the way people treat other human beings(although everyone has a slight habit of materialism in them). The materialistic people rarely treat others as their equals and often try very hard to show off their wealth. They hardly care about anyone but themselves and frequently tend to exploit and ruin people only to get themselves put higher on the social ladder. It is, in my opinion, important for people to read and follow the teachings of the Bible and try to posses morality. The little traits we own, we must share with the poor as this will try for equality in the society. Materialism causes society to be impoverished. In today’s society, materialism takes part in almost every ones life, no matter what social class they may be labeled. The idea of being materialistic can be considered immoral (I consider it immoral), but there is a fine line between morality and personal interests. It is safe to say that everybody is materialistic in some way, whether it be from buying the same brand of jeans because they fit nice, to purchasing a wide variety of very nice cars. It is obvious that the more obvious of the two is the one where you might say they are crossing the line. Buying some nice clothes here and there is normal for people and most try to do it once in a while. While on the other hand, buying five or six sports cars can be considered quite materialistic. Many factors go into a person being immoral based on the materials that they have. Greed and too many luxuries are what can determine the immorality of a person. Growing up in a fairly poor community, it was easy to distinguish the differences among different levels of social class and the way which they are shown in the community. Thoreau believed in â€Å"Living deep and sucking all the marrow out of life,† and so he lived on Walden Pond for two years to see how he could simplify his own life in order to live life to the fullest. I wish I could create my own â€Å"Walden,† a place I could go to in order to escape the materialism of my society. The place that I would like to create to go would be a place where there is no materialism and I can be myself and be who I want to be. It is a place that’s far away, deep in the woods. This is a place that anything is possible. All around me I see nothing but flowers and animals, beautiful green grass and my own little house to spend my days in. Out there I don’t need to struggle with having to pay bills or having to find and be able to keep a job. All I need to do is sit back, relax, and do what ever I please. I would like to fish for food, but I would only catch what I could eat, because I wouldn’t want to waste. I will sometimes hu nt for my dinner and look for food on the ground like bushes of berries. Out in the forest no one has to worry about materialism, they only have to be themselves. I would choose this place because I love the forest and I love animals. I don’t want to put up any fuss about doing anything that I don’t want to or enjoy doing. I could enjoy living out there in the wilderness, only listening to nature and the birds and all the things that surround me. I bathe in a river that flows with fresh water every day. I’m quite happy that I would have pets with me because if I didn’t then I would be lonely all the time and I would have no one to share my many secrets with. My home would be rather simple, but it fulfills my needs, and out there I wouldn’t need much. All I would have inside is a chair to read in, a toilet under the tree, and a bed. I would only possess the necessities that I need to live. I will build a fire every night to keep me warm and to cook my food. My house would be just a cabin that can only fit me and my dog (I’d get one to live in the forest alone) just the way that I want it. I would surround it with flowers to make it look pretty and interesting around my cabin. It’s something that’s cozy and something that I could just go to and think and be by me and never have to worry about the pressure of the world, my society or community, and the materialistic crowds that surround me. Materialism in my eyes, and many others’, creates a world filled with chaos and stress. Everybody needs a place to go and relax to get away from it all. What I gathered from my research was that there is always a need for someone to have a place they can go for comfort and relaxation. Materialism weighs down the real, true value of life and causes many to take for granted what they have. When you compare someone who owns many items high in cash value, who rarely gets to see their family or spends an inconceivable amount of hours at a job they hate, with someone who doesn’t have as much money, but spends their life doing the things they love, who is really truly happy? This question haunts us all, for it is hard to know what real happiness is when surrounded by such a commercial world. But I, for one, will work on my materialistic traits. I wont be able to rid myself of them completely, but changing my lifestyle and values will hopefully heighten my feeling of self worth, and I think every one should live by this philosophy. Bibliography http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/materialism.htm http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_vitzthum/materialism.html http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/materialism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_materialism Belk, R.W. (1985). Trait aspects of living in the material world. Journal of Consumer Research, 12, 265-280. Novack, George (1979), The Origins of Materialism, New York: Pathfinder Press

Friday, September 13, 2019

Naked Lunch (William S.Burroughs)+Naked Lunch(David Conenberg) Term Paper

Naked Lunch (William S.Burroughs)+Naked Lunch(David Conenberg) - Term Paper Example ypewriter company, and thus enjoyed a manner of wealth and support from his family over time that allowed him to pursue literature as a career as well as to travel. However, it was Burroughs’ â€Å"street-wise† sense and knowledge of the subculture of junkies, addicts, pimps, prostitutes, petty thieves, and drug dealers that impressed the other Beats in addition to his mind. Burroughs’ first works before ‘Naked Lunch,’ entitled ‘Junky’ (1953) and ‘Queer’ (written at the same time but published in 1985) , told the story of this sordid underworld with a dry, realistic style from the perspective of a heroin addict, also including seeds of science fiction themes he would return to in later works. Burroughs life is in many ways determined by his homosexuality, and the relationship with his family that entailed in his youth. Homosexuality was repressed and an object of hate crime in America frequently during his time in Missouri, and homosexuals were discriminated upon in ways by society that fueled Burroughs’ identity as an outsider. Nevertheless, his earlier work is written in a style that is traditional and not revolutionary as in ‘Naked Lunch’ and later cut-up novels. When Ginsberg refused Burroughs’ advances sexually in the mid-fifties, Burroughs went into a type of depression that also fueled his drug addiction to new levels. Burroughs and Ginsberg had experimented with the Amazonian entheogen Yage, or Ayahuasca, as well as other psychedelics like mushrooms, acid, & peyote, as well as street drugs like pot, heroin, amphetamines, speed, and cocaine. (Burroughs & Ginsberg, 2001) The drugged state of massive hallucinations is a theme that drives t he majority of Burroughs’ work, as he seeks to express in â€Å"Naked Lunch† and other books a theory of mind and an expanded sense of self that he experienced himself in altered states of consciousness as well as the desperate and self-loathing states of despair. â€Å"There is no line between the real

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Business and Management Research (Leadership topic) Coursework

Business and Management Research (Leadership topic) - Coursework Example According to several eminent authors around the world, leadership activity plays critical roles in initiating the actions of the organization, motivating the workforce, providing guidance to the team followers, building a proper working environment and also coordinating with the upper management in order to ensure smother work flow (Duke, 2009; Mackay, 2007; Harrell, 2008). This segment of the study will undertake a critical review of the article, â€Å"Combinative aspects of leadership style and the interaction between leadership behaviours† by Gian Casimir and Yong Ngee Keith Ng. This journal article was published in the year 2010 in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 31 No. 6, and can be found in pages 501-517. The authors carried out this study for the principal purpose of testing an alternative standpoint of interaction, which is purely based on the technique or way leaders amalgamates various leadership behaviours (Casimir and Ng, 2009). The two principa l leadership behaviours considered by the authors are socio-emotional leadership and task oriented leadership. The subsequent section of the study will enumerate brief summary and review the findings of the paper. In addition, this paper will also critically review the study by Gian Casimir and Yong Ngee Keith Ng in the context of its weaknesses and strengths. Review and Summary of the Paper The study by Gian Casimir and Yong Ngee Keith Ng was about examining the interaction between socio-emotional leadership and task-oriented leadership. According to the authors, there were two major underlying principles for which the subject of study was opted. The first and most important reason was that these two leadership styles have always been the centre of attention when it came to test of interaction in the field of leadership literature. The second reason was that the authors identified that a number of day-to-day organizational leadership involve attitudes and behaviour that can be arti culated as task oriented behaviour or socio emotional behaviour (Luthans, Hodgetts and Rosenkrantz, 1988; Judge, Piccollo and Ilies 2004; Komaki, 1986). Lastly the topic of interaction is also considered to be significant (Blalock, 1965; Cronbach, 1987). In the meantime, it is also necessary to define the two leadership style being discussed here in the study. A proper definition will help in better understanding of the subject and will also help in reviewing and summarising the paper. Task oriented leadership is often deemed as multifaceted and encompass wide range of behavioural traits (Glass, 2010; B. Bass and R, Bass, 2009; Northouse, 2011). Some of the typical function of task oriented leadership is allocation of resources, assigning the particular job to the followers, emphasizing on the deadlines, to cross check whether the followers are actually following the rules and regulation and maintaining the decorum of the organization and pressurizing the followers to work hard towa rds the achievement of the goals (Delamater, 2006; Heinemann and Zeiss, 2002; Lussier and Achua, 2009). Therefore, from the perception of the authors, it is evident that one of the most vital features of a task oriented leader is pressurizing the followers to accomplish the task in timely manner by delegating the tasks as per the capabilities of the followers (Misumi, 1985). On the

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Edgar Allan Poe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Edgar Allan Poe - Essay Example As Quinn (119) states, at the age of 18 Poe joined the United States army claiming that he was 22 years old and served there for two years. He released his first book of poetry named ‘Tamerlane and Other Poems’, relying on his salaries from the army. However the book got little noticed in the market. Frank (5) illustrates Poe’s biography that in 1829 when he was 20 years old, Poe enlisted in the west point military academy but unfortunately got dismissed just after one year; again in 1831 he moved to Baltimore where his aunt Eliza Clemm had lived. From there, he fell in love with his young cousin Virginia whom he married later. This marriage and thereby increased family obligations influenced him to think about a new income source. In 1833 he won a contest for his story ‘MS found in a Battle’. As described in the article ‘Edgar Allan Poe’ on www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/130 , Poe enthusiastically accepted the post of an editor as well as contributor of the Southern Literary Messenger. Subsequently, he worked with other publications such as Gentleman’s Magazine, Graham’s Magazine, Evening Mirror and Godey’s Lady’s Book; and it was the starting point of his career as an appreciated critic and essayist.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

CONSTRUCTION OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY - Essay Example We can say that a contemporary society is based on these characteristics of people. A contemporary society is the place where people having similar interests interact with each other and thus mutually shares their thinking and ideas (Hobson 2012). In this research essay, we will discuss all the factors, which actually construct a contemporary society, in brief. The main focus of consideration will be social classes and the Race, as the main constituents of construction of a society. Gender is very important factor for making the identity of any person. There are huge differences in the behavior of a man and a woman. Many philosophers are of opinion that gender identity has great impact on the society. The association between society and the gender identity is can be negative or positive depending on the situation. Gender roles are the responsibilities and the tasks which a male or female is assigned to do, while living in a society. 21st century is focusing on gender equality very much. The concept of gender equality arises because of certain differences and discriminations, which society keep between males and females. In short words, we should focus on maintenance of gender balance in the society so that no one feels inferior between other just because of his or her gender identity (Why Gender 2012; Kristina et al. 2009). Sexual orientation is another important factor for making a society identifiable form many other people. The basic difference between gende r identity and sexual orientation is very slight in nature. Gender identity refers to the natural characteristics of any human being whereas sexual orientation refers to the inclination of human beings towards other people (Tando 2011: Litvine 2003). Religion is another important factor or the characteristic, which constitute the base for making the identity of any human being in a contemporary

Monday, September 9, 2019

What is the problem of communication with aliens, according to Peters Term Paper

What is the problem of communication with aliens, according to Peters - Term Paper Example Otherness is the condition in which an individual develops the belief of being different or possessing another form as compared to the majority around him/her. The notion of otherness in philosophy has been advanced since the debate on the existence of extraterrestrial beings and other unidentified objects within space. The feeling of otherness exists in a number of situations and depends on an individual state of being, experiences and level of knowledge and exposure (Peters 231). In the development of the otherness feeling, two classification of individuals arises which includes the 'us' versus 'them' feeling, one which is currently dominant in the discourse of aliens and terrestrial life. The out-group, which in this situation happens to be the aliens, is coherent as a group due to the opposition it receives from the in-groups, which are the human beings. One common example of the feeling of otherness arises from the western versus others feeling which is created by the strong bel ief that the west are more superior to the others. In this ethnic discourse, the feeling of otherness is strengthened by binary logic, which is more attached to the strong principle of self-identity. Within this set of argument, 'us' and 'them' hypothesis and reasoning is created from the grouping that exists in us and the distinctions from their groupings. For example, the division of one group into heterosexuals and homosexuals while the other group forms the male and female dichotomy forms the basis behind the advancement of this notion (Peters 243). The preoccupation with alien invasion and the need to develop communication means with the extraterrestrial beings has led to the establishment of the communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, which seeks to develop communication protocols. Just like the craze for developing human-animal communication processes, alien communication has grown since the 20th century. In case of any alien encounter, attempts to communicate will occur due to human instinct power but communication will not be the end of the problem. Just as human-animal communication has been described as one way communication, human-alien communication can also fall into this category. In an attempt to understand and discern the information from the aliens, human may be subjected to erroneous fabrication and interpretation of the message from the aliens. It is common knowledge that the desire to communicate with extraterrestrial beings is capped with dialectic enlightenment. Human have shown interest in communicating with the aliens and the number of studies that followed the telephone signal that was received from space demonstrates this. According to Peters in his speaking to the space discourse, there is no other kind of communication other than that with the aliens, a statement that he supports in his writing. Whenever we speak, we speak to the air and the aliens are the real occupants of space according to this discourse. The electroma gnetic communication that occurs from voice vibration results into the travel of sound into space, which incites the aliens. All communication, whether between ourselves may seem to be internal communication but it is all directed to the others who are not part of the ‘us’ (Peters 235). With communication, misunderstanding occurs from several avenues and this may be possible in instances where there is no otherness. However, miscommunication with aliens does not occur as a result of the semantics as words have the same meaning but from figuring out what is meant by otherness. Through this statement, Peters refers to the fact that without misrepresentation of the words from the aliens, it would be possible to understand each other’

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 64

Assignment Example (2010) studied the organizational culture of college universities that were being relatively newly established in Malaysia compared to universities. MacIntosh and Doherty (2007) selected a random sample of clients as participants in the research at five clubs across four different cities located in the province of Ontario, and asked them to complete a survey. Clients were at least 18 years old. Client’s perceptions were measured by focusing on the focal organization’s core values. Core values and many items were retrieved from the original survey conducted by MacIntosh and Doherty (2005). The study used a total of 42 items representing nine corporate values. Data was collected using 113 surveys from participants 59% of whom were women whereas 41% were men. On the other hand, in Ramachandran et al’s (2010) research, HEI is the unit of analysis divided into public and private strata. College universities were chosen because of their evolving OC. Data was gathered f rom a total of 594 faculty members of which 33.9% were from public HEIs whereas 52.8% taught in the private HEIs. Data was collected with the CVF. Ramachandran et al. (2010) stated that no definition of OC is widely accepted as the term has been defined differently by different scholars and authors. Organizational behaviour is affected by different regional and national cultural groupings. The different types of OCs can be classified by different parameters. Artefacts of an organization can be understood by studying the organization’s espoused values. Every organization is based on certain assumptions that are not challenged and are taken for granted by the employees. Values of an organization are more accessible than its artefacts or assumptions. The theoretical underpinning of this study is based on Cameron and Quinn’s (1999) operational definition. Denison’s (1990) four hypotheses i.e. the consistency hypothesis, the mission

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Smoking Cessation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking Cessation - Essay Example It is a significant factor in three out of the five leading death causes in the US – cancer, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Berndt et al., 2011). Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco. To curb these negative effects of smoking, cessation programs have to be promoted. Rice, Hartmann-Boyce and Stead (2013) define smoking cessation as the discontinuation of use of cigars, pipes and cigarettes. Smoking cessation reduces the risk of suffering from lung cancer and smokers who quit cause a reduction in their mortality ratio to 1.20 in a span of 10 years of non-smoking. The nursing process provides a systematic framework in provision of professional and quality nursing care in smoking cessation (Maurer & Smith, 2013). It directs activities on smoking cessation towards health promotion and protection and prevention of associated diseases. After assessing the collected data on smoking problems from a community, it would be important for nurses to diagnose t he data. According to Maurer and Smith (2013), this involves the analysis and synthesis of the assessed data in response to potential or actual health problems associated with smoking. Rice et al. (2013) observe that this stage involves the determination of ineffective health management resulting from smoking. It also encompasses the determination of lack of information on smoking and its effects in the community. Having identified the smoking problem, nurses plan how to execute the smoking cessation plan so as to achieve the intended goals (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Planning involves setting of goals. It encompasses aiming at the patient demonstrating maintenance of more effective health patterns. The patient should openly discuss the problems faced due to smoking and the benefits that cessation would offer. Nurses should also aim at keeping the patient free from being injured during the smoking cessation treatment. The intervention phase involves the nurse’s role of care for p atients manifesting smoking related problems. This should meet the needs of the patient and develop a cessation relationship that teaches on smoking and the effect on an individual, family and community as a whole. Nurses should organize for seminars, trainings and community education on smoking and the related lifestyle and assist in the development of a comprehensive care plan (Maurer & Smith, 2013). Health promotion partnerships would be used for strengthening social networks and developing smoking cessation support and influence policies. Thus, intervention generally involves maximization of therapeutic plans and minimization of factors that encourage smoking habits. The third phase would encompass executing the appropriate intervention. With nursing focusing on the public, community level intervention would be appropriate for smoking cessation. The issue of smoking cessation could be approached from a community level where nurses devise approaches that would promote the communi ty norm as noted by Berndt et al. (2011), where the benefits of smoking cessation is advocated for. It would be important to also plan for preventive approaches. According to Maurer and Smith (2013), this reduces known risk factors and enhances protective factors. This nursing process should promote non-smoking habits in the community. As such, during detoxification, Rice et al. (2013) advocate for frequent assessments as the

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Why Do You Want to Become a Child Development Associate Credential Essay Example for Free

Why Do You Want to Become a Child Development Associate Credential Essay My educational goal is to complete a Child Development Associate Credential, an Associates of Arts Degree, and a Bachelors’ of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education. With a CDA I will be a lead teacher in the classroom; I will be able to plan developmentally appropriate activities for the children in my care. I will also have the basic fundamental understanding of Child Grow and Development, how to support children’s social and emotional development, how to plan a safe healthy environment, steps to advance children’s physical and intellectual development, strategies to establish a positive relationship with families, how to manage an effective program operation and most of all maintaining a commitment to professionalism. The Associates of Arts Degree with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education, will increase my level of expertise in the fundamentals of the CDA Credential, and provide me with a broad knowledge, the skills and training required to teach children from age zero to five year old. The practicum courses will provide opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to planning and presenting curriculum. A Bachelor’s Degree will strengthen my education skills, while enhancing my understanding of the many aspects of children’s development and education. With the professionalism, expertise and communication skill needed, I will be able to take on a job as a director at a center, or teach up to the third grade in a public school. Education is very important in order to have a successful life. Without a proper education it is very difficult to reach your maximum potential. My career goal is to be a qualified early childhood education teacher. I chose this career path because I have always had an interest in children, and the way they develop: physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally, while being in an intimate multicultural environment. The abundance of knowledge children gain in the first five years of life is remarkable; it is amazing to watch them adapt to the environment both physically and socially. I delight in their curiosity, imagination, sense of adventure and playfulness. The emotional traits children’s develop at this tender age will be shape by the people they come into immediate contact with. I am privilege to have an influence on the development of children during their most impressionable years. I believe that the Early Education Studies will affect my future as a teacher a parent and as a member of my community.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Forces of Gravity Essay Example for Free

Forces of Gravity Essay Throughout the course of the following investigation, I will be exploring a variety of methods to discover how a changed variable affects the speed in which a controlled type of paper (printer paper), formed into a model helicopter will descend from a specified height. Variables There is an abundance of variables in which I can change throughout the duration of this analysis that ultimately may have an affect on the speed that my helicopter falls. The first variable possible is the wingspan; my reason for choosing this variable in my investigation is that, as the surface area of the wing decreases, this leads to speed of the helicopter increases proportionally to the size of the wings. Evidence to support this is that the air resistance will have a smaller surface area and as the helicopter drops friction between the helicopter and the air molecules will convert kinetic energy into heat energy, if less wingspan is available their will be less friction, therefore the helicopter will fall faster. In order to ensure a fair investigation, I must consider the thickness of the paper I use to make my helicopter, as this too may affect the rate in which the helicopter falls therefore I will not be able to judge whether the wing length was the deciding factor or whether the type of paper had a decisive role. This leads me to my next variable I could choose to explore, which is the mass of the paper helicopter. In order to implement and successfully accomplish the effects on mass of the helicopter, I would add paper clips to the bottom, which on average have a total mass of 0. 25g to the helicopter. This supplementary weight would cause a greater resultant force in the favour of gravity, which would cause a greater acceleration. This is because the weight is great than the drag force, causing there to be an unbalanced force. The force necessary to accelerate an object by a given amount depends on the objects mass, therefore the greater the mass, the greater the force must be. Chosen Variable I have decided choosing the total surface area of the wingspan in my investigation and the reasoning behind this decision is that I believe this variable from my preliminary work would be much better to collect results from for my analysis. When executing my preliminary tests prior to this investigation, I noticed that when dropping my helicopter with an altered mass, the vertical acceleration time did not seem to have considerable differences between the starting and finishing points as it did for the wingspan. Therefore, this would make the investigation very difficult to accomplish since there is not much evidence to examine. So I have come to the decision of changing the wingspan, as I think it will provide a more reliable set of results, and will be able to explain more clearly in scientific reasoning for the increase in speed. Prediction. I believe that as I slowly decrease the helicopters wingspan by gradually measuring and cutting 1 cm off my wing length each time repeatedly should lead to an overall increase of the helicopters vertical acceleration. My plan is to be able to show that my hypothesis is correct but in order to ensure this I must be able to relate the information to the Speed formula to calculate the speed at which the helicopter gradually falls from the certain height. Overall, I believe the graph will show a negative correlation for both wingspan to time taken to fall and the Speed in relation to surface are of the wings.i ormula: Speed = Distance Time My prediction for the speed of the helicopter is that as the wingspan decreases the vertical speed of the paper helicopter increases, which I believe is as a result of the rotation of the wings going through a different cylinder of air each occasion, which suggests the fact that a wing span of 8cm would have a cylinder volume of air of ? r2. Therefore, as the wingspan decreases, the amount of air molecules contained inside the cylinder of air would be decreased proportionally to the wingspan. Furthermore, this would conclude in less air resistance against the force of gravity that forces the paper helicopter to fall because of the reduction of the wingspan, less air resistance would be needed to restrain the overall vertical acceleration. Although, as the helicopter gradually gains speed, the air resistances would increase likewise, until it becomes so great that it pushes against forces of Gravity, which ultimately forces the helicopter to vertically accelerate downwards. Nevertheless, eventually the resistance force will become equal to the opposing force, which in this case is Gravity, thus resulting the helicopter in not accelerating anymore since the forces are balanced. Therefore, it has met its Terminal Velocity (maximum speed). In relation to other theories, the three laws of Motion by Sir Isaac Newton begin to investigate Gravitational attraction and discovered that theres a gravitational attraction between all masses, giving everything a weight. This suggests that everything without air must have the same acceleration, which is ten m/s. This would mean that without gravity applying forces to push the helicopter downwards, it would still eventually land, because of its mass and because of this I would be made to believe that this may another reason for the acceleration of my helicopter. He also discovered that in most changes of Velocity, more than one force is acting on the accelerated object, such concurrent forces produce a signal net force. If the force pushing down on the helicopter is greater than the upwards draft, there will be a net force in the downward direction, therefore the helicopter will accelerate in that direction.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Study of alberto Giacometti

Study of alberto Giacometti When working on Units 1 and 2 I was drawn to the human body and this was shown in my work. The human body has always been an interest so this is why I decided to study portraits for Unit 3. There were several things about portraits that interested me. First of all the idea of drawing/painting a portrait of someone and getting it to resemble that person was an exciting idea for me. At a younger age I was interested in getting a likeness of the models I would draw. I wanted to develop that ability. In the past when I had drawn from life I had only used pencil. By choosing this as my theme I knew this would give me the chance to draw portraits using other media. The first artist who helped me start this project was Pablo Picasso. I spent much time studying Picasso by looking at his different periods. I started with his African inspired work. However it wasnt until I studied his Rose and Blue Period that I really became interested in portraits. It was this era of his work that inspired me to study portraits. His works in the Blue Period captured my imagination. I feel they are powerful in capturing mood and emotion through Picassos use of colour, realism etc. This was something that pushed me in the direction of portraiture. I wanted to capture mood and emotion in my portraits. He was the inspiration that led me to study other artists including Giacometti and Lucian Freud. I studied artists which had relevance to my work and to the themes I wanted to explore. Alberto Giacometti: The first artist which I studied was Giacometti. The son of a painter, Alberto Giacometti was born in Stampa on October 10th 1901. He began to draw and model at an early age and in 1919 he enrolled at the École des Arts-et-Mà ©tiers in Geneva. He travelled in Italy in 1920-1921. He studied with the sculptor Émile Antoine Bourdelle at the Acadà ©mie de la Grande Chaumià ©re in Paris from 1922-1925. After sharing a studio in Paris with his brother Diego from 1925-1927, Giacometti set up his own. He would often use his brother Diego as a model. I studied his portrait of Jean Genet. Giacomettis technique with line drawing and gesture was something I wanted to explore through my own work. Another painting which reminded me of his style was a portrait of Giacometti. I chose this portrait because of the artists style in gesture drawing. I was interested by his ability to capture his models expressions through line and gesture drawing. I used this technique in my initial sketches in order to feel my way around the subject. Something that I found very interesting was choice in colour. The colours he uses in this particular portrait are all very warm (consisting of different shades of browns). They give a feeling of warmth and comfort yet the expression on the models face appears quite sad and cold. I found this to be somewhat of a paradox. This use of expressive colour I found very exciting and was a concept that led to more research for my project. I decided to paint a self portrait keeping these paints in mind. It led to the creation of a self portrait in this style using similar colours too. One technique the artist has used that I tried to show in my work was the layering of paint thickly. I felt this added volume and history to the portrait. Giacometti uses strong and thick layers of paint in order to emphasise the contrast between light and dark. He paints a dark figure on light background. I found the texture of the brush strokes very interesting but also hard to create in my own work. Giacometti usually focused on sculptures of the human body and for one of many portraits he created, this one shows how skilful he was at creating figures. I think the main aspect, of his paintings I have studied, that captures my interest is his style of painting. He uses free brush strokes and brush strokes which are applied like the crosshatching pencil strokes in a drawing. The shapes he creates with these brush strokes I think are most effective. I have tried to use mark making in my own work in this way. Francis Bacon: Having completed my self portrait I began to feel that it would be a good idea to try and capture expression in my work. I was interested in Francis Bacons expressions that he created in his models faces. Often distorting the faces, Bacons portraits and self portraits push the boundaries in portrait painting. The mood in his paintings is often sombre. Bacon uses dark colours such as dark green, blue and black. Much of his work conveys feelings of suffering and despair. His work is similar to that of cubist style painting and reminds me of Picassos work, such as the Demoiselles dAvignon, in particular the facial expressions of the figures. I studied The Screaming Pope. Bacon completed this painting after being inspired by Velazquezs portrait of Pope Innocent X in 1953. Bacon creates a claustrophobic and nightmarish scene. The figure of the pope is ghost-like. He looks dead or like he is dying. There is a haunted feel about the painting. The screaming face of the pope and the strokes down the painting adds to the horror of the image. One can almost hear his cries. I am not sure why Bacon decided to create such a horrific image of a religious figure who is seen by many as someone holy and graceful. Bacon may be expressing his feeling toward religion or to the concept of the pope. The fact that Bacon was a catholic who later came out as homosexual, perhaps he was suffering from quiet retribution. He may also have been challenging the status of the pope, shocking the public. Bacon had asthma as well as allergies to horses and dogs. During his attacks, he was given morphine, a strong drug, which may explain some of the creative expression in his work which have the quality of drug hallucinations. I am interested in this portrait; the colours convey a sense of horror. The use of purple and gold compliment each other very well but also signify riches and royalty. The black shadows in the background may represent growing shadows around the figure. The use of these colours and the dark aggressive feeling Bacon creates are very effective. When looking at the painting one can almost feel shivers down ones spine. The fact that you can see through the figures robes and that no legs are visible adds to the horror of this painting. After studying this painting I felt compelled to create a piece aiming to capture emotion in a similar way. I wanted to capture the expression in my portrait as Bacon did. I did another self portrait however this one differed from the first. I used different shades of blue acrylic paint. I did not however paint the whole face. Focusing from the nose down to the neck I painted a piece in which my mouth was wide open. I did this to try and capture a similar atmosphere which Bacon captured in The Screaming Pope. By focussing on the shapes created by the lips and cheeks, I was pleased with the result. However I think that perhaps the texture of the hardboard breaks up the brush strokes and makes the brush marks difficult to see. Lucian Freud: When it came to studying Lucian Freud I was amazed by the way he creates skin texture. One of his finest pieces of work was his self portrait entitled Reflection. Portraits and nudes are Freuds specialties and with this piece it is clear to see why. The thing I found most fascinating about this piece of art is the texture of the flesh. Freud seems to capture the raw and ugly nature of the human flesh. In this self portrait Freud has successfully captured every wrinkle and crevice on the face. He uses strong contrast in shadow and highlights and this is something I took into consideration with future paintings. His brushstrokes are carefully applied to create an accurate portrait, whereas Giacomettis portraits and figure drawings have a more abstract quality. Lucian Freuds portraits are so realistic that they become almost surreal. Freud captures every shadow and highlight in a meticulous manner and I was interested in achieving something similar in my own work. There is a strong significance about the colours and paint he uses: I want paint to work as flesh my portraits to be of people, not like them. Not having the look of the sitter, being them as far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as flesh does. www.about.com/painting Freud uses a granular pigment called cremnitz white to achieve his unique painting of the flesh. I mixed sand with paint to give more texture to my paint to imitate the texture. I thoroughly enjoyed working with it. I felt it added character to the portrait and made the texture of the skin far more interesting. I found the texture of the hair quite intriguing. I liked the rough and coarse look Freud creates and it was an option to try and achieve a similar look when painting my models hair. However the hair was probably the thing I had most trouble with. I struggled with texture and colour. Perhaps I should have spent more time studying how artists paint hair put it into practice before applying it to a large portrait. The expression in Freuds self portrait is interesting in relation to what it is I am trying to achieve in my work. I have looked closely at the forehead: the lines created from the artists frown. This was something else that I wanted to achieve in my own work. Final Pieces Self Portrait: This portrait was inspired by the portrait of Giacometti which I studied. Using similar colours I attempted to get that similarity to his work. For a first attempt I do not believe I achieved this. I did however succeed in getting a self portrait to actually look like me. This was a great boost of confidence for a first self portrait. From this piece I learned that I should create the background and plan it at the early stages of the portrait. I learned that the background is just as important as the face when creating mood or atmosphere. Oil Pastels on Brown Paper: This was the first time I used oil pastels for a large piece. My aim was to try and set a mood of strong emotion, so I went for feelings of anger and rage. This idea was inspired from paintings from artists such as Picasso and Bacon who use colour to manipulate the mood of their work. I used a strong red to achieve this, combined with black for shadows, orange for mediums and yellow and white for highlights. I drew from life. While looking in a mirror I tried to draw myself with an expression of anger. From this piece I learned how effective colour is in a portrait. For example I could have used a different colour other than red and a different feeling of emotion may have been evoked. Open Mouth Acrylic on hardboard: The aim with this piece was to capture emotion, a feeling of pain, fear or shock. I thought the use of different shades of blue would emphasise these feelings. This was influenced by works from Francis Bacon. The emotion in some of his paintings such as The Screaming Pope appealed to me and I wanted to portray that emotion through my work. However, I decided to take a different approach. Rather than painting my whole face I focused only on the bottom half, from the end of the nose down to the chin. My intention was to capture the emotion from just the open mouth, as I felt that is where most of the strong feelings of emotion exist in Bacons The Screaming Pope. Eyes can often show a persons true feelings, so I wanted achieve this without painting the eyes. The recycling of the hardboard was chosen to give myself experience working with other material. I used the rough side of the board to add texture and to give the piece some more character. In all I felt I had successfully created feelings such as pain and fear through not just my use of a cold colour like blue, but by focusing on the wide open mouth. Portrait of Brother: On A3 paper, I drew a portrait of my brother in pencil, from life. Before this I had practiced drawing portraits in pencil from photographs. This was to prepare me for drawing from life. I wanted to get an idea of shading, proportion, texture, etc. It was a challenge drawing from life as I was quite comfortable with drawing from photographs, however I needed to take that step in order to develop my skills in drawing portraits. Looking at the portrait now I see it lacks in volume. An obvious problem was that I only had a 4B and 6B pencil, so I learned the importance of having different grades of pencils. The portrait required more time in capturing the highlights and shadows. I also had a slight problem with measurements, as the eyes were a little out of proportion. I learned to spend more time in studying shading and to be stricter with my measurements. After drawing this portrait I then photocopied it. Working with the photocopies I tried to capture mood atmosphere by adding colour. I used blue oil pastels in the picture which ultimately led to a colder mood. I also tried to get a different effect. After colouring the picture I scrunched up the paper into a ball and dampened it with water. This then led to cracks on the page which I felt added to the mood, perhaps suggesting a mood of feeling cold and broken, etc. I then used a photocopy to draw it in a larger scale and with different material. Drawing on a sheet of brown paper larger than A2 I used chalk pastels with colours like orange, yellow and blue to try and get different effects. However I soon learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to use brown paper. I used the smoother side of the sheet which led to problems. It proved very difficult to work with as the chalk did not stick well. Portrait of Mother Pencil Charcoal: with this piece I drew my mother from life at a profile view. This was the first time I had drew someone at this angle, so I was interested to see how it would compare with my previous portraits. I used pencils grading from 2B up to 6B. I also used a rubber for the strong highlights that appeared on her hair. I found it challenging doing a profile view. I found that I had to be much more aware of the measurements from the ear to the eye and from the eye to the bridge of the nose. This was quite a challenge but I feel I was quite successful in getting the measurements quite accurate. I achieved a likeness in the drawing to my mothers face so this I felt was an achievement. I then moved on to a bigger piece using this drawing as a guide. On A2 grey card, I created a charcoal copy of the drawing. First however, because of our schools lack of resources, I was restricted to using a sheet of card, which was of poor quality. It had a shiny texture that did no agree with the charcoal. To solve this problem I mixed grey paint with sand. This changed the colour of the sheet but also made it rougher to allow the charcoal to stick. My measurements were a little off this time leading to a failure in getting a likeness to the model. I used the black of the charcoal for the dark shadings, the grey pain acted as a medium and I used white chalk for the highlights. From this I learned that it is possible to create better textures with the use of substances such as sand mixed with paint. I also learned that I have to be even stricter with my measurements as the charcoal piece was less accurate in comparison to the pencil drawing. Portrait of Tom: I drew a classmate from life using charcoal. When drawing this I wanted to explore different effects from light. I did it in a dark room with one office lamp. I feel I was quite successful in getting a likeness. My proportion has become more accurate. I then painted a final piece from this charcoal drawing. This I found a challenge as it is the largest portrait I have done yet. My aim was to get a Lucian Freud look and feel to it. I painted on the background first as I had learned from the past that it was easier to work in this progression. I painted thick brush strokes to create texture. I used shades of cream and pink for the skin colour. Then for the highlights I mixed sand with paint to give more texture to my paint to imitate the texture of Freuds cremnitz. I enjoyed working with this as it created an unusual and interesting texture. It proved to be effective in contrasting the highlights with shadows. The size was important as I wanted to experience with working on something large scale also I felt it would have a larger impact.