The Call Of The Wild Adversity Analysis - 1044 Words

In many ways, adversity is the leading factor for change. People, animals, and things often alter their shape or ideas to fit with their surroundings. Usually, those surroundings include one driving factor that forces the change: struggles or difficulty. This idea poses the question, in what way do people deal with adversity? The books The Call of the Wild, by Jack London, and The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, along with the article â€Å"What Does It Take to ‘Assimilate’ to America?† by Laila Lalami, carry a common theme: it is not just change that helps people deal with adversity, but adaptation. Change is the simple act of becoming different, whereas adaptation is the act of changing oneself to fit in one’s environment. Adversity, however†¦show more content†¦Jack London brings a natural instinct into the spotlight by defining that everyone has that primal call to the wild, and often one feels this when in a difficult situation. Giving into th is ‘call of the wild’ leads to a different kind of adaptation, it makes you become primal to survive in a primal situation. Further into the book it states, â€Å"The others sat down and howled. And now the call came to Buck in unmistakable accents. He, too, sad down and howled.† (London, 1990, p.62). This is the defining moment of Jack’s book when Buck lets go of all ties to humans and decides to carve his own path, adapting the way he needs to, not the way that humans encouraged him. Soon, Buck changes himself completely to fit snugly into the environment and to prevent further torturous struggles with humans. These quotes combine to paint a picture of total and complete change when it comes to a new and unfavorable environment. Adversity can, and will, lead to an adaptation of thinking and opinion to help you rise above the problem(s). In The Prince, Machiavelli describes the necessary lifestyle and tactics to gain power over those whom you may not like (or whom may not like you) and retain it. In Niccolo Machiavelli’s life as a public official, he ruled like any other ruler. Eventually, however, he was unseated from his power. Soon after he wrote The Prince as an example of how to overcome all adversity. For example, â€Å"The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defendShow MoreRelated Human Interaction with Nature in the Works of Aldo Leopold and Elizabeth Bishop1690 Words   |  7 Pageswith a wild animal comes about through hunting. In theory, hunting is a sport, â€Å"a challenge of fang against bullet† (Leopold 129), in which the animal has a fair chance of escaping. In reality, however, there is no real challenge for the hunter in either case. Leopold and his companions, â€Å"pumping lead into the pack† (130), kill the wolf not by skill but by the sheer number of bullets, while Bishop’s speaker testifies, â€Å"He didn’t fight. / He hadn’t fought at all† (5-6). Thus, both call into questionRead More Analysis of The Charge of the Light Brigade Essay1100 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of The Charge of the Light Brigade This particular poem deals with the unfortunate mistake of Battle of Balaclava in 1854. In an attempt to retrieve their stolen firearms, the British, lead by Lord Raglen, took their light cavalry to the innocent Turkish territory, rather than the guilty Russians. In self-defence Turkey protect themselves by attacking the British troops causing hundreds of deaths but not, not the six hundred. Tennyson uses various techniques to involve the readerRead MoreAnalysis Of Where I m Calling From By Raymond Carver2284 Words   |  10 PagesArtapong Intapatana September 16, 2014 English Literature: Critical Thinking and Composition Prof. Jennifer Smith Where I’m Calling From Analysis â€Å"Where I’m Calling From† by Raymond Carver is a short story about a man’s struggle with Alcoholism, and his encounters at a drying-out facility or treatment center. The story itself seems very straight forward in the way it’s presented, 3rd person perspective, narrative writing style, realism (ENotes.com), but in actuality there’s a lot more to the storyRead MoreEssay about Violence in America2573 Words   |  11 Pagesrecently ran alarming stories about the epidemic of criminal and group violence. Rolling Stone in A Pistol-Whipped Nation and both Time and Newsweek ran alarming cover stories about the virtual epidemic of youth violence. Newsweeks Teen Violence: Wild in the Streets, decried the number of young people carrying guns, using them, being shot, and being killed. Accompanying all this was a casual if not blase attitude indicating that, as one expert quoted in Time put it, Violence is hip right now.Read MoreAre the Values of Liberali sm Universal Essay2531 Words   |  11 PagesThis is an immensely complex questions which deserves much more time and space than can be devoted in this essay. However I will endeavor to apply the theories of a number of authors to the problem and arrive at a reasonable conclusion based upon my analysis of them. Throughout the course of the essay I will make reference to a number of authors, writing on subjects of Ethics, Philosophy and Feminism, with the intention of attempting to divine the validity to the claim of liberalism’s universality.Read MoreFrancis Bacon15624 Words   |  63 Pageshas diluted all the effect of his own words said in the praise of the truth. One can find the same strange mixture of high ethics and utilitarianism in the essay â€Å"Of Revenge†. In this essay Bacon condemns revenge by saying: â€Å"Revenge is a kind of wild justice.† And â€Å"One who studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green.† He expressed that there is no place of revenge in high society and it is a high quality to forgive an enemy. Hereafter, Bacon spoils the effects by putting that in some casesRead MoreIntertestamental Period2955 Words   |  12 PagesINTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD NEW TESTAMENT ORIENTATION I NBST 525 AN ANALYSIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN RELIGION LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.1 HEROD THE GREAT’S PALESTINIAN RULE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...7 CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 INTRODUCTION The Intertestamental periodRead MorePopulation Problem in Bangladesh14871 Words   |  60 PagesThe Bangladeshi English Essay Book An Analysis by Robin Upton, January 22nd 2006 Public Domain under (cc) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0 Jan 2006 - Robin Upton - http:// www.RobinUpton.com/research Contents Purpose........................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to Essay Books .......................................................................... 1 Impact of Essay Books ................Read More Psychosocially Therapeutic Aspects of The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway6795 Words   |  28 Pagesmaximum self-control. At the end of the story he mentions, A man is not made for defeat...a man can be destroyed but not defeated. The book finishes with this symbolic sentence: The old man was dreaming about lions. It is a psychological analysis of Hemingway famous story that we have used it as a psychotherapeutic aid for hopeless and depressed people and also psychological victims of war in a more comprehensive therapeutic plan. The first sentence of the book announces itself as Hemingways:Read MorePsychosocial Aspects of the Old Man and the Sea6923 Words   |  28 Pageshave maximum self-control. At the end of the story he mentions, A man is not made for defeat...a man can be destroyed but not defeated. The book finishes with this symbolic sentence: The old man was dreaming about lions. It is a psychological analysis of Hemingway famous story that we have used it as a psychotherapeutic aid for hopeless and depressed people and also psychological victims of war in a more comprehensive therapeutic plan. The first sentence of the book announces itself as Hemingways:

John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men - 774 Words

Having lived at difficult times, John Steinbeck meets human nature and its flaws, which he successfully encompasses in his novel, Of Mice and Men. Throughout his career, Steinbeck has managed to craftily expose the entrails of humankind in an effort to reflect on its rather capricious psyche. In his novel, for instance, he portrays two wandering men—mentally impaired Lennie, and George—who seem to often get in trouble due to Lennie’s naivety. As the characters develop, it becomes clear that they establish the strongest of bonds, yet George numerous times proves humankind’s capricious psyche by demonstrating hate toward the unavoidable circumstances which mental disorders such as Lennie’s carry. In the final chapter, George hesitantly resorts to executing Lennie, thus conveying a universal message: one is not entirely depraved nor solely good, but a combination of both and therefore no act of killing is morally justifiable. Furthermore, George is not morally justified for having killed Lennie, since his feelings often shift between love, disgust, and selfishness. This may be seen when Lennie and he talk about the incident in weed, when Lennie and Curley have an incident, and when Lennie unintentionally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck. Although George certainly demonstrates affection for Lennie, he appears to be fairly selfish all throughout the course of the novel. When the characters first discuss the incident in Weed, George communicates his impatience, disgust, and selfishnessShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1248 Words   |  5 PagesIn Steinbeck s novel Of Mice and Men, He uses imagery many times to create a realistic setting and plot. Steinbeck’s depiction of migrant workers and their daily complications during the depression are objectively precise due to his use of imagery with idioms, dreams, nature, loneliness and animal imagery. The main theme of the book transpires to be loneliness and fate. While George and Lennie, the main characters have a synergetic relationship, fate steps in and does away with their dreams, whichRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men897 Words   |  4 Pagesthat we possess. Many people feel certain emotions based on events that have taken place in their lifetime or how they were raised throughout their childhood. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he portrays the feelings of isolation and loneliness in three different characters. George’s isolation is illustrated in Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men. George expresses many hard feelings towards Lennie at the opening of this story. â€Å"‘...you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and soRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1243 Words   |  5 Pagesis what John Steinbeck achieves by portraying this through the characters in his novella Of Mice and Men. The main characters are affected by loneliness in their own different way throughout the novella. rf The loneliness is maintained by the challenges that the characters have to face, and they sustain those challenges of being inhumane towards each other. Crook, a figure in the story who experiences discrimination encounters the challenge of race, due to the book’s setting in the 1930’s duringRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1080 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"I want you to stay with me Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself.† The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows the relationship between two migrant workers in the 1930s, George and Lennie, along with the other members on the new ranch that they began working on. Georgie and Lennie dreamed of following the American Dream and owning their own patch of land and the novel revolves around the dream and the obstacles that stand in their way. Lennie, a strongRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe realistic fiction novella O f Mice And Men by John Steinbeck explains the journey of two migrant farm workers. Lennie and George are forced to overcome the Dust Bowl and The Great Depression around 1938. This makes jobs even harder to come by because everyone wanted one. Lennie and George were kicked out of Weed and they now work at a ranch in Soledad. At the new farm the friendship between Lennie and George becomes harder to maintain. The people on the farm are all different shapes, sizes, andRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men2167 Words   |  9 Pagesjobs. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George Milton and Lennie Small wander through California in search of a new job that would help them make enough money to live their American dream on â€Å"the fatta the lan’†(Steinbeck 14). George and Lennie’s hard work and determination is not enough for them to live their dream. Lennie has a mental disability that slows the two friends down from living their dream; they have to ru n from job to job because of Lennie’s unintentional actions. Steinbeck incorporatesRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1360 Words   |  6 Pagesfeeling, thinking and acting in everyday life. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a duo of farmers, George and Lennie, search for work wherever they can. Their dream of having a farm of their own is coming into reach, while George has to wield Lennie away from the temptation of Curley’s wife and the reality of what Lennie can do. John Steinbeck uses characterization to illustrate the nature of human existence. Steinbeck portrays George as a man who tries to help, and helps others soRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1448 Words   |  6 Pages In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck discusses the idea of loneliness and how people who work at the ranch have no family and no future in lives. He indicates that all people at the ranch are lonely, but he specifically uses a few characters to highlight their state of being lonely and more miserable than the others. He emphasizes the loneliness of ranch life during the Great Depression, and shows how people are willing to try and find friendship in order to escape from the state ofRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1205 Words   |  5 Pagesand the time period of John Steinbeck s novella, Of Mice and Men, exemplifies the idea that people from minorities are held back from achieving their version of the ‘American Dream’. This goes to prove not everyone will overcome the overbearing tidal waves of their hardship s, which makes the American Dream nothing more than a dream to them. Crooks, the black stable hand, faces discrimination due to his skin color as this unfortunately was common in the 1930’s. John Steinbeck uses Crooks’ situationRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men968 Words   |  4 PagesSolidifying the theme of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the protagonist George expresses his significant loneliness despite a strong kinship with his friend Lennie, â€Å"’I ain’t got no people†¦ I seen the guys that go around the ranches alone. That ain’t no good’† (41). Published in 1937, amidst the horrific turmoil of the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s novella struck a sensitive chord with readers. Set in the heart of California’s Central Valley, this story follows two men, George and Lennie, as they

Geopolitics Essay Example For Students

Geopolitics Essay Geopolitics is the applied study of the relationships of geographical space to politics. Geopolitics, therefore, concerned with the reciprocal impact of spatial patterns, features, and structures and political ideas, institutions, and transactions. The term Geopolitics has originally invented, in 1899, by a Swedish political scientist, Rudolf Kjellen and its original meaning is to signify a general concern with geography and politics. However, defining the concept of geopolitics itself is a considerably difficult task because definition of geopolitics tends to changes as historical periods of time and structures of world order change. Therefore, there have been numerous ways of interpreting the term and arguments on them all through the history. In this essay, I intend to examine how geopolitics has influenced on international relations and how it has evolved using well-known geopoliticians theories in a chronological order: Imperialist, Cold War, and New World Order. In early 20th century, geopolitics was a form of power or knowledge concerned with promoting states expansionism and securing empires. It was a time characterized by colonial expansionism abroad and industrial modernization at home. This is also the time when natural supremacy of a certain race or the state has considerably prevailed. The most historically and geographically fated imperialist rivalry of the period was that of between British Empire and the rising imperial aspirations of the German state in Europe. In order to investigate the geopolitical tension between them, the geopolitical writings of the British geographer Halford Mackinder and of the German geopolitician Karl Haushofer have to be thoroughly examined. In addition, it is also needed to examine the view of the far side across the Atlantic, the United States that emerged as a significant player on worlds stage later on. First of all, the starting point for almost all discussions of geopolitics is Sir Halford Mackind er, a member of the British Parliament who wrote The Geographic Pivot of History in 1904. He addressed the importance in the history of geopolitics for three reasons in his work; for its gods eye global view; for its division of the globe into vast swaths of history, and for its sweeping story of geographys conditioning influence on the course of history and politics. First, he argues that Geopolitics is a new way of seeing international politics as a unified worldwide scene and adopts a gods eye global view which looks down on what he calls the stage of the whole world:For the first time we can perceive something of the real proportion of features and events on the stage of the whole world and may seek a formula which shall express certain aspects, at any rate, of geographical causation in history. In this sentence, we implies the geopolitical experts, educated and privileged white men who can perceive the real political features. This sentence shows all the basic elements of imperialist geopolitics, such as the divine eye gaze on the world, only experts can perceive the real and the desire to reveal laws to explain all of history. However, this view has been criticized for the reason that imperialists only see within the structures of meaning provided by their socialization into certain backgrounds, intellectual contexts and political culture and beliefs. Second, he suggests the map of The Natural Seats of Power. To illustrate his thesis geographically, Mackinder labels enormous tracts of territory with simple identities like pivot area. He eliminates the tremendous geographical diversity and specificity of places on earth. Difference becomes sameness. Geographical heterogeneity becomes geopolitical homogeneity. Third, he argues the geographical causation of history in the app lication of the sweeping theory. At the centre of this theory shows the relationship between physical geography and transportation technology. Until the end of nineteenth century, sea power was the supreme, but by then, railroads were making it possible to move large armies quickly over vast land areas. Mackinder wanted his government, which had achieved glory as a sea power, to be prepared for the rise of a land power, obviously Germany at that time. In his famous heartland theory, he renamed Euro-Asia, the world island and the pivot area, the heartland. Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; Who rules the Heartland commands the world island; Who rules the world island commands the world. According to his simple strategic argument, what must be prevented is German expansionism in Eastern Europe and a German alliance with the Soviet Union for the time. In spite of his effort, his idea had a little impact on British foreign policy. The reason is said that his way of interpreting human history is too simplistic and far geographically deterministic, and he failed to aware of the emergence of revolutionary air power in 20th century led by mostly the United States. He underestimated the power of the United States while he overestimated the vast spaces of Russian heart land.By 1904, the United States had emerged as a significant player in international relations. They started expanding their territories with strategic naval forces. Admiral Alfred Mahan who announced sea power doctrine, which stressed the significance of overseas naval bases. He argued in an institutionally self-serving way that the path to national greatness lay in commercial and naval expansionism. All trul y great powers were naval powers. It is not necessary to acquire all territories and formally occupy them; what the Unite States needed was an informal empire based on open door trade and a string of overseas naval bases that would give its navy the ability to protect power in a troublesome region whenever it needed to do so. To back up this view in a concrete sense, Theodore Roosevelt applied social Darwinian ideology. He emphasized that all the races are in a struggle for survival and only the fittest and the strongest can survive. He wrote there is no place in the world for nations who have become enervated by soft and easy life, or who have lost their fibre of vigorous hardiness and manliness. Along with his view, the most civilized and superior state in the world, the United States had a right to exercise an international power in the region to keep troublesome and, namely, uncivilized states. In Germany, a former military officer Karl von Haushofer, who was anxious to avenge Germanys post-World War I humiliations and rebuild the German empire, advocated a strong nationalistic imperialist geopolitics. Like many of veterans of World War II, he had a deep hatred of the peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, which took away Germanys colonies and part of its national territories after the war. After the Treaty, he believed that Germanys need for Lebensraum (living space) was greater than ever. Haushofers crusade to overthrow the Treaty of Versailles led him to found the journal Zeitschrift fur Geopolitik in 1924. This journal helped Haushofer create a new school of geography. Mixing the social Darwinist ideas and the ideas of Mackinder, he attempted to reduce the complexity of International relations. In order to survive, according to Haushofer, the German state must achieve Lebensraum. The best way of achieving is for Germany to develop alliance with the heartland power, the Soviet Union. Furthermore, he argued that Germany should align with Japan and create maritime-continental block, stretching from Germany throughout Russia to Japan. Poems By Robert Frosts EssayThe new breed of communist politician who came to power was Mikhail Gorbachev. He launched a policy of glasnost (openness) in Soviet society in 1986 and envisioned perestroika (restructuring and renewal) of the USSR based on modernized and humane communist principles. His new political thinking helped bring about the end of the Cold War. Gorbachevs policy for arms reductions and his refusal to intervene to save communist dictatorships in Eastern Europe resulted in the fall of Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end of the Cold War in Europe at last. Furthermore, the geographical consequence of his new policies provoked a counter-reaction by hard-liners within the Soviet military-industrial complex in 1991, an attempted coup whose failure spiralled into the consequent dissolution of the USSR and the fitful emergence of the new world order of the 1990s. The end of the Cold War allowed the emergence of a new geopolitical order dominated by geo-economic que stions and issues, a world where the globalization of economic activity and global flows of trade, investment and images are re-making states, sovereignty and the geographical structure of the world. The existence of one of the superpowers, the Soviet Union completely disappeared from the world scene. The end of Cold War effectively left the US as the sole remaining superpower. President George Bush declared a new world order during the Gulf War and it was a way of achieving the national exceptionism of the US. He believed that Americans interests were universal interests for everyone. In practical term, the new world order for Bush was a world where the United States, in alliance with those who were willing to follow, did not ordering. Any change in the status quo geopolitical order unfavourable to the US and the interests of the West, such as Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, was considered unlawful aggression that would not stand. On the contrary, any change in geopolitics initiated by the US, for example, the US invasion of Panama was acceptable and can be justified. Many of geopoliticians argue that geopolitic in the post Cold War era can be explained as geo-economics. Focusing greatly on the economic ability of the state, Japan has emerged as most likely hegemonic contender at the time. What makes Japan look so good as successor in this sort of environments is that its economic prowess is not prevented by any military commitments. However, it is possible to interpret Japan as the antithesis of the USSR, another mammoth mismatch between economic and political power but the other way around. Although by no means likely to suffer the same fate as the Soviet Union, Japans weaknesses have been exposed by the post-cold war situation as for instance their failure to contribute physically to the Gulf War in 1991. There is much less talk now of Japan as a future world leader. For some of the environmentally minded intellectual and policy maker, the new geopolitics is not geo-economics but ecological politics or ecopolitics. Because the relationship of p olitics to the earth became more important than ever as state and people struggle to deal with environmental degradation, resource depletion, transnational pollution and global warming. In many cases, the owners of the land are not the same people as those who traditionally used it before development and imposed a very different understanding of the environment and the appropriate ways of using it. It also tends to be occupied by the state with power for their interests. Like this, the variable and processes in geopolitics differ from international environments and times they get involved. Besides, not only economic and environmental issues, but also the perspectives of race, culture and ethno-minorities came up with a considerable attention in geopolitics. Therefore, as the power of the world and the interests of them changes, new roles and new actors in international context emerge incessantly. The early geopoliticians had emphasis on the sheer friction of distance and the buffering function of space, the value of which were evaluated in terms of military technology at that time. However, the technological revolutions over the period of time have produced the variables and tools of power. For example, economic and environmental variables and technological developments have already started altering the ways of assessing distance, space, influence and power. However, it is important to note how dependent on historical context the evolution and application of the modern geopolitical assumption have been. Whatever the outcome of the period, the awareness of historical dependence remains strong. That is why the question of the current geopolitical understandings for the future has to be solved with examining the geopolitics of the past. It also seems certain that there are perceptible differences to interpret the concept of Geopolitics in historical and contemporary perspectives because it has been changing along with changing historical conditions. However, it is also possible to find some common denominators of geopolitical assumption of geopolitics, such as universality of national interests, the centralization of the state like Mackinders pivot theory, the reasoning of intervention and so on, all through the history. The ways to achieve tend to vary in accordance with prevailing issues and the interests of the power state at the time. To conclude, it can be said that the main purpose of each states geopolitics has been achieving power and maintaining the stance with power in international context. Although the history produced many contending perspectives on geopolitics that seemed to be merely an adaptation to newly emerged issues to keep pace with a rapid radical change. Thus it seems hazardous to assess Geopolitics in a facing contemporary context without considering how it has been evolved. Geopolitics is not only a way of interpreting current geopolitical realities but also an evolutionary process, which constantly reflects the whole picture in a wider historical context. Bibliography:Bibliography1. O Ttathail, Gearoid, Dalby, Simon and Routledge, Paul. The Geopolitics: Reader. Routledge (1998)2. Demko, George and Wood, William B. Reordering the World: geopolitical perspectives on the 21st century. Westview Press (1994)3. Taylor, Peter. Political Geography: world economy, nation-state and locality. Longman Scientific ; Technical (1993)4. Agnew, John. Geopolitics: re-visioning world politics. Routledge (1998)

The Life And Studies Of W.E.B. Du Bios Essays - Sociology Books

The Life And Studies Of W.E.B. Du Bios Theoretical Analysis Paper The Life and Studies of W.E.B. Du Bois Phillip Stayton Social Theory Prof. Wilcox 11/13/2000 William Edward Burghardt Du Bois entered the world on February 23, 1868. This was less than three years after slavery was outlawed. However, his family had been out of slavery for several generations. He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a small village with only a handful of black families. His teachers quickly made him a favorite, and most of his playmates were white. At the age of fifteen he became a local correspondent for the New York Globe. Du Bois moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he received a scholarship and attended Fisk University. This was the first time that he discovered that being black was a big part of his identity. He spent his summers in Tennessee teaching in rural schools. It was there that he met the real seat of slavery. He had never seen such poverty in his entire life. I touched intimately the lives of the commonest of mankind--people who ranged from barefooted dwellers on dirt floors, with patched rags for clothes, to rough hard-working farmers, with plain clean plenty. (Hamilton, Her Stories). Unlike Massachusetts, Nashville was a southern town that exposed Du Bois to the everyday bigotry he had escaped growing up. While he was there he came in contact with some people that did not think of him as a normal human being. There is a story of one woman that called him a nigger after she accidentally bumped into her. By the end of his college years Du Bois had begun to take pride in his heritage. Du Bois graduated from Fisk and entered Harvard where he received his A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He was the first African-American to receive a doctorate from that university. He also spent two years studying at the University of Berlin, which was at the time the world's most distinguished center for advanced research in history. His doctoral dissertation was a study of the efforts to suppress the African slave trade. He accepted a position teaching at Wilberforce University, a college for black students in Ohio. After an unhappy ye ar, he left to be a researcher at the University in Pennsylvania. There he studied the African-American immigrants to Philadelphia. He published The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study in 1899, the first serious sociological study of the emerging black urban population. In 1897 ?Du Bois accepted a new position at Atlanta University. It was there that he began to enter the realm of political activism that would dominate the rest of his life. He began to help black people devise a strategy for confronting the growing pattern of discrimination that they were facing.?(Microsoft, Encarta Encyclopedia). In 1897 Du Bois accepted a new position at Atlanta University. It was there that he began to enter the realm of political activism that would take control of the rest of his life. He began to help black people come up with a strategy for confronting the growing pattern of discrimination that they were facing. He came up with a ten-year-cycle study. This was to find statistics on morality, b usiness, education, art. environment, religion, and crime in black society's. After WWI broke out Du Bois planned another study. This covered the demographics, biology, socialization according to the family, groups, and class. This was a much larger study. He made this a study program that lasted one-hundred-years. . During the 1890s and early 1900s southern states passed Jim Crow Laws which required black people to stay out of public places that served whites. Separate restaurants, hotels, railroad cars, toilets, drinking fountains, etc. began to appear. Southern states passed laws that required voters to take confusing tests to qualify to vote. African-Americans responded to these conditions in a variety of ways. One response was to leave the South for a more desirable environment, where their rights would be respected and where there was economic opportunity. A second response was to seek some kind of accommodation within the limited opportunities whites were offering. Du Bois pr oposed a third alternative. He attacked Washington's claim that with freedom, Negro leadership should have begun at the plow and not in

Behavioural - Avoidance of Colleague. The WritePass Journal

Behavioural - Avoidance of Colleague. Introduction Behavioural Avoidance of Colleague. IntroductionREFERENCESRelated Introduction Although this model can be criticised for being too simplistic and failing to take social factors into account that can affect all its component parts, it does illustrate how SP can be disabling for the client as it reveals that the emotional distress and avoidant behaviour (C) is a consequence of the negative inferences and evaluations (B), and not, as the client mistakenly believes, a consequence of the activating event (A). There may be many innocent reasons as to why the colleague ignored the client, but it is how the client not only interpreted the colleagues action negatively, but also inferred a negative meaning and subsequently a negative evaluation, as it is certainly not catastrophic if someone does not like you. During assessment, the CB therapist will identify the As, Bs, and Cs by focusing on a specific emotional episode and following this procedure: 1) Assess the C 2) Assess the A 3) Connect the A and C 4) Assess B 5) Connect B to C Both (A) and (C) are assessed before (B) and 2 or 3 of these assessments are conducted as there are often several emotional episodes that have an underlying irrational belief (B) in common.   It is this identification of (B) that facilitates the next stage of formulation. A CB formulation makes an assertion that the client has one or more irrational beliefs underlying several specific episodes.   CB formulations integrate information gathered during assessment and provide a working hypothesis for how the clients SP developed, how the SP is being maintained by the client and how it might be resolved.   Any formulation made by the CB therapist must be based on the clients stated problems and be accepted by the client as a working formulation which then goes on to form the basis for CB intervention. Examples of case formulations include the Three Systems Approach (Rachman Hodgson, 1974), illustrated diagrammatically below, which attempts to understand emotional issues in behavioural, cognitive and physiological terms. However, this model does not take into account any environmental issues that may have precipitated the emotional distress.   This failing was addressed by Greenberg and Padesky, (1995) in the Five Aspect Model, illustrated diagrammatically below. In this model, all aspects are experienced within the environment.   An individuals ethnicity, socio-economic status, education level or upbringing can all be considered as environmental aspects of the problem. Using a fictitious client example, James has been referred by his GP for counselling for SP.   His CB therapist has conducted 3 ABC assessments, the first of which revealed that James is anxious about a job interview (A) and thinks that people will judge him as stupid (B). Jamess second assessment revealed his worry about blushing when dealing with people in authority (A) and that this means that he is physically abnormal (B).   His third assessment revealed his nausea (A) before delivering a best man speech where everyone would laugh at him (B). A general formulation here would be that Jamess SP results from his tendency to misinterpret the facial expressions and reactions of others and his constant negative evaluation of himself in the social situation of work. It is important that the client genuinely understands the formulation.   Irwin et al (1985) found that only 25% of patients genuinely understood the benefits and side effects of their treatment when questioned specifically.   This means 75% did not, and without this understanding, the client will not attribute any changes to their own efforts. Once the therapist is satisfied that the client genuinely understands the formulations, then the 4 steps of intervention can begin.   Firstly, the therapist and the client must agree on specific formulations to work on and secondly, using these formulations as a guide, they must together select specific goals that the client wishes to work on. Step 3 is the selection by the client, and agreed on by the therapist, of specific tasks that will help achieve the specific goals.   These tasks may include the keeping of a diary of events, behaviour and emotions.   Key elements of CBT treatments include Exposure, in which a client enters and remains in a feared situation despite distress, either in vivo or in vetro, beginning with situations that the client has ranked as moderately fear-provoking and moving up gradually to more highly feared situations.   The use of Exposure techniques is based on the assumption that the client must fully experience the feared situation in order for change in emotional and behavioural symptoms to occur (Foa Kozak, 1986). Relaxation techniques are also used in order to help the client deal with the physiological symptoms of SP.   Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) techniques are taught to the client so that they can practice using the techniques during everyday activities and then be able to use them when in a fear provoking situation (Ost, 1987). A final key element in the CBT treatment arsenal is Cognitive Restructuring (CR).   This is based on the assumption that it is the client’s irrational thoughts and beliefs that perpetuate the SP and not the actual situation (Beck Emery, 1985).     CR is often used in combination with Exposure to challenge the client’s irrational thoughts and beliefs rather than simply a process of teaching the client to ignore SP provoking stimuli. Finally, step 4 is the agreement of boundary conditions where the therapist and client agree by negotiation the number, frequency and duration of sessions, the agendas of those sessions, role relationship and locus of responsibility. Strengths and limitations of CBT CBT is a collaborative treatment, with the therapist as an expert in friends clothing rather than an aloof and removed ‘expert in doctors uniform’.   It helps the client to develop new skills for their use in future situations, and its brevity and time-limited aspect makes it attractive for cost-conscious primary care trusts here in the UK. CBTs focus on the issues in the here and now help to break maladaptive thinking and behavioural patterns that maintain the client’s distress levels.   This in turn may help past issues from a current viewpoint, as the new skills develop to cope with one situation, they can also be applied to other situations by the client to effectively heal themselves. CBTs structure and specificity in relation to goals and tasks make it very easy to evaluate and research and also gives the client positive reinforcement by being enabled to achieve realistic goals. Few studies have compared CBT with other psychotherapies in  the treatment of SP, however, Cottraux et al. (2000)  found that CBT was superior to supportive therapy. Treatment  effects for CBT were sustained at 36 and 60 week follow-ups, although the long-term effects of supportive therapy were not assessed. CBT also has its limitations.   Efficacy rates depend on the clients expectations of success, their willingness to complete the behavioural tasks and their ability to confront uncomfortable thoughts (Rosenbaum Horowitz, 1983; Marmar, Weiss Gaston, 1989). Psychological therapies in general are increasingly becoming an integral part of government planning in mental health care with CBT increasingly being viewed by government as the first choice of treatment for many psychological problems (Clark et al, 2009) however, CBTs apparent superiority may be undeserved. The NIMH study, now 20 years old, was the largest in the world and it found CBT performed poorly in comparison to interpersonal therapy and drug therapy (Elkin, 1994, pp. 114-142). There is also the question of CBTs clinical relevance as opposed to its ability to produce change under lab conditions.   CBT may do well in university based clinical trials with participants recruited from adverts but in the real world of clinical practice, not so well.   Leff et al (2000) found that in the London Depression Trial, CBT was discontinued early due to poor compliance from clinically typical patients. CBT does not address the biological issues that may cause SP, as mentioned earlier in Blair et al (2008) and their findings regarding the amygdalas role in causing SP, neither does it take into account the issue of co-morbidity, especially with Axis II disorders that could seriously disrupt CBT treatment.   Alnaes and Torgersen (1988) found that patients with borderline  personality disorder are at heightened risk for developing an anxiety disorder while Oldham et al (1995) found significant levels of comorbidity of anxiety  disorders with borderline, avoidant, and dependent personality disorders. Developmental psychologists argue that SP can result from attachment problems in early childhood. Longitudinal analyses (Brumariu Kerns, 2008) showed that lower attachment security and higher ambivalent attachment were most consistently correlated with higher social anxiety levels. Alternatives to CBT include hypnotherapy (Kirsch et al, 1995; Vickers Zollman, 2001), which has shown promising results when combined with CBT.   Antidepressants were initially developed to treat depression, but they are now also used to treat anxiety disorders. SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) are commonly prescribed by starting at low doses and then increased in dosage levels over time for panic disorder and social phobia (Hauser, 2006). Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP) has also shown to be effective as a ‘fast phobia cure’. Konefal Duncan (1998) provides evidence of significant reductions in SP using the Liebowitz Social Phobia Scale after NLP training. In conclusion, while CBT may have its limitations, and depend largely on the co-operation of the client, the same can be said for any psychotherapy as the outcome appears to be considerably enhanced when the client and therapist are actively involved in a cooperative relationship (Tryon Winograd, 2011).   It is of note that Horvath et al (2011) found that the effect size of the link between alliance and psychotherapy outcomes was 0.275, and that this statistically significant effect accounts for about 7.5% of the variance in outcomes, showing that the alliance-outcome relationship is one of the strongest predictors of treatment success that any research has been able to document thus far. REFERENCES Alnaes, R., and Torgersen, S. (1988). The relationship between DSM-III symptom disorders (axis I) and personality disorders (axis II) in an outpatient population. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 78, 485–492. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C: APA. Antony, M. M., and Swinson, R. P. (2008). The shyness and social anxiety workbook: Proven, step-by-step techniques for overcoming your fear (2nd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Beck, A.T., and Clark, D.A. (1988). Anxiety and depression: An information processing perspective. Anxiety Research: An International Journal, 1, 23-36. Beck, A. T., and Emery, G. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York: Basic Books. Blair, K., Shaywitz, J., Smith, B. W., Rhodes, R., Geraci, M. R. N., and Jones, M. (2008). Response to emotional expressions in generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence for separate disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 1193-1202. Clark, D.M., Layard, R., Smithies, R., Richards, D.A., Suckling, R., and Wright, B. (2009). Improving access to psychological therapy: Initial evaluation of two UK demonstration sites. Behaviour Research and Therapy,  47 (11),  910-920. Elkin, I. (1994). The NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. In A. E. Bergin S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change (4th ed.), 114-142. New York: Wiley. Ellis, A. (1977). The Basic Clinical Theory of Rational-Emotive Therapy. In A. Ellis and R. Grieger (Eds.), Handbook of Rational-Emotive Therapy. New York: Springer. Foa, E. B., and Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 20–35. Greenberg, D. and Padesky, C. (1995). Mind Over Mood. New York: Guilford Press. Heimberg, R. G., and Becker, R. E. (2002). Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social phobia: Basic mechanisms and clinical strategies. New York: Guilford Press. Hauser, J. (2006). Treatments for Social Phobia. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 29, 2011, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/treatments-for-social-phobia/ Horvath, A.O., Del Re, A.C., Flà ¼ckiger, C. (2011).   Evidence-based psychotherapy relationships: Alliance in individual psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 48 (1), 9-16. Kirsch, I., Montgomery, G., and Sapirstein, G. (1995). Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: a meta-analysis.   J Consult Clin Psychol, 63, 214-220. Konefal, J.,   and Duncan, R.C. (1998). Social anxiety and training in neurolinguistic programming.  Psychological Reports, 83 (1), 1115-22. Leff, J., Vearnals, S., Brewin, C., Wolff, G., Alexander, B., Asen, E., Dayson, D., Jones, E., Chisholm, D. and Everitt, B. (2000). The London Depression Intervention Trial. Randomised Controlled Trial of Antidepressants v. Couple Therapy in the Treatment and Maintenance of People with Depression Living with a Partner: Clinical Outcome and Costs, British Journal of Psychiatry, 177: 95–100; Erratum, 177: 284. Comment, 178: 181–2. Marmar, C.R., Weiss, D.S., Gaston, L. (1989). Toward the validation of the California Therapeutic Alliance Ratings System. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1, 46-52. Oldham, J.M., Skodol, A.E., Kellman, H.D., Hyler, S.E., Doidge, N., Rosnick, L., and Gallaher, P.E. (1995). Comorbidity of axis I and axis II disorders. Am J Psychiatry 152, 571–578. Ost, L.G. (1987). Applied relaxation: Description of a coping technique and review of controlled studies. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 25, 397–409. Rachman, S. and Hodgson, R. (1974). Synchrony and desynchrony in fear and avoidance. Behav. Res. Ther.12, 311-318. Rosenbaum, R. and Horowitz, M.J. (1983). Motivation for psychotherapy: a factorial and conceptual analysis. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 20, 346-354. Tryon, G.S., Winograd, G. (2011). Goal consensus and collaboration. Psychotherapy, 48 (1), 50-57. Vickers, A. and Zollman, C. (2001). Hypnosis and relaxation therapies. Western Journal of Medicine, 175 (4), 269-272.

Rules for Capitalization in Titles

Rules for Capitalization in Titles Rules for Capitalization in Titles Rules for Capitalization in Titles By Carla Lowe I used to think there were only two ways to use capitalization in a title: (1) Capitalize only the first word in the title (except for proper nouns), which I learned working for a local newspaper; and (2) Capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words, which I learned was wrong. I also came to learn that the rules for capitalization in titles- like the rules for other areas of English grammar- are not set in stone; style guides and grammarians disagree on which words to capitalize in a title. In fact, there are really only two rules that are consistent across the board: Capitalize the first word of the title Capitalize all proper nouns Sentence case, or down style, is one method, preferred by many print and online publications and recommended by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The only two rules are the two rules mentioned above: Capitalize the first word and all proper nouns. Everything else is in lowercase. For example: Why it’s never too late to learn grammar (all words lowercased except â€Å"Why†- first word in title) Another method is to capitalize all words in a title. This one is considered simple because there’s no struggle trying to remember which words to capitalize and which ones to lowercase; they’re all capitalized. However, one could argue it’s the lazy man’s method or that it’s not very aesthetic. For example: Why It’s Never Too Late To Learn Grammar (all words capitalized) Title case, or up style, is another method. Whether or not you capitalize a word in a title depends on its part of speech. According to most style guides that use title case, the basic rules are as follows: Capitalize the first and last word in a title, regardless of part of speech Capitalize all nouns (baby, country, picture), pronouns (you, she, it), verbs (walk, think, dream), adjectives (sweet, large, perfect), adverbs (immediately, quietly), and subordinating conjunctions (as, because, although) Lowercase â€Å"to† as part of an infinitive Lowercase all articles (a, the), prepositions (to, at, in, with), and coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or) For example: Why It’s Never Too Late to Learn Grammar (all words capitalized except â€Å"to,† a preposition) That last rule for title case is upheld by some style guides, but not all. The Chicago Manual of Style follows that rule (except in cases in which an article, preposition, or coordinating conjunction is the first or last word in a title). However, The Associated Press would have you capitalize prepositions and conjunctions if they are four or more letters long. For others, the magic number is five rather than four. So, according to some guides, you have to worry not only about the part of speech, but also about the length of the words. There is another common- but incorrect- â€Å"method† of using capitalization in titles. I used to follow it myself (see my first paragraph). Many writers mistakenly believe that in a title, you should capitalize the principal and longer words and lowercase the minor, shorter words. For example, writers often lowercase all two- or three-letter words in a title because they’re short, and many articles, prepositions, and conjunctions- most of which should be lowercased- are short, as well. However, short words can be nouns, pronouns, and verbs, etc., which should be capitalized. Part of speech is more important than length when it comes to determining capitalization in titles. For example: Why it’s Never too Late to Learn Grammar (wrong) â€Å"It’s† is a contraction of â€Å"it,† a pronoun, and â€Å"is,† a verb, both of which should be capitalized; â€Å"too† is an adverb, which should also be capitalized. Regardless of which convention you’d prefer to follow (except for the last example), you need to be consistent. Pick one (or follow the style guide of your employer, school, or clients) and stick with it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?Probable vs. PossibleNominalized Verbs

Weather and Aircraft dispatch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Weather and Aircraft dispatch - Research Paper Example This individual makes sure that he authorizes, regulates, controls and then terminates aircraft flights which are in sheer compulsion and accordance with the airline and the regulations as brought forward by the government as well as the policies to maintain and assure safety at all times possible. This is indeed a job that takes care of many significant aspects, most important of which are related with weather control as related with the flights that are being flown worldwide. An aircraft dispatcher’s job is indeed a Herculean one. It is because he has to manage a number of things upon his shoulders. The weight of responsibility always makes him feel that he has to perform his job very dutifully and without any lapse whatsoever. The effectiveness of the aircraft dispatcher is emphasized by the works that he does in the wake of the economics, the operational control as well as the passenger service requirements which are made use of for daily flights on a worldwide basis. Henc e the complexity of the job is directly proportional to how expansive his works are and what he has to report at the end of the day. The manner in which the weather information is determined and discerned is very significant because it states the basis of his work that he has to perform at all times (Scanlon, 2003). ... The aircraft dispatcher therefore has to plan things accordingly (Utley, 2011). He must make sure that flights are prepared with information which includes the maximum allowable takeoff and landing scenarios. These comprise of the weights that have to be studied in-depth nonetheless. He has to see whether or not the flight reports are drawn up properly, adjust the field conditions as well as compile the relevant information and update his own self and the flights with regards to the completion of safe flights. He has to be in the loop as far as preparing the dispatch release on which he alone is the signing authority. This is a legal document that provides relevant authorization for the departure of the flight at a particular time and date (Mahadevan, 2010). Since he has the right to delay, divert or cancel a flight for a number of different reasons, most significant of which are the ones related with unsafe conditions that become a risk for the safety of the aircraft, its cargo, the passengers and the flight itself, his role becomes even more magnanimous all the same. Some of the pros that the aircraft dispatcher has are that he has to see everything in detail. His activities are in line with the safety and security compulsions that come attached with his job. However, the cons are something to speak highly of. These disadvantages comprise of the fact that he cannot relax on his job for even a single moment. Since there are many lives at stake, his role is immensely significant and thus motivation for the job must remain supreme at all times possible (Youngdahl, 1996). What is even more important is how well he has to take care of his issues that engulf his personal life and thus keep them separate from his own

Should the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax Essay - 4

Should the UK government restore the 50% additional rate of income tax - Essay Example From a general perspective, one can easily identify the motives of the UK government in terms of pumping out fund flow from the economy. Observing with an economic perspective, the tax hike initiative of the UK government can be categorized as a major deterrent factor that has slowed down the pace of functionality of this nation’s economy by a considerable extent (Young & Saltiel, 2011). UK citizens, in the present market economic scenario, are literally forced towards paying high rates of taxes whereas the lower income groups are made to pay marginal amounts. Considering all these aspects, the discussion will majorly focus towards answering the currently rising question regarding whether the UK government should restore the 50 per cent additional hike of income tax rates. Maintaining correspondence, the details regarding these aspects have been elaborated in the underneath sections. As mentioned above, the objective of this paper is to analyse the impacts of income tax hike on the overall trade practices and economic pace of development of the UK. Based on the findings generated thereupon, appropriate conclusions will be made constructed as to whether the UK government should bring down its present income tax levels to 50% as previous. In contemporary macro-economic concepts, taxation is deemed as one of the fundamental tenets that holds significant influence on the stability and performance of any nation. It operates as a basic mechanism in the financial system of a country. The history behind imposing an additional 50% on the existing income tax rates can directly be linked with the hollow and un-rational mentality of the coalition government. The coalition government intended to impose a higher level of tax burden upon the richer income groups with the intention of attaining better revenue inflow along with stability in the overall wealth distribution process within

Communicate in a business environment Essay Example for Free

Communicate in a business environment Essay 3.1 Describe ways of verbally presenting information and ideas clearly 3.2 Explain ways of making contributions to discussion that help to move them forward 3.3 Describe methods of active listening 3.4 Explain the purpose of summarising verbal communications 4.1 Describe ways of getting feedback on communications 4.2 Explain the purpose of using feedback to develop communication skills Describe ways of verbally presenting information and ideas clearly to present any information or ideas I need clearly I often use simple language and short sentences this makes it easier for everybody to understand. Also I present the information is a variety of ways as some people understand things and concepts in different ways. For example; some people understand by hearing or seeing. Before I present any information or ideas I always plan out what I want to say, I often also take out any information that is not necessary. I also use active and personal language like ‘’you’ and ‘we’’. Explain ways of making contributions to discussion that help to move them forward To make conversation move forward, I often learn to listen to people and give importance for everybody’s ideas. This way I can make positive contributions that can lead to further discussion. I also often do not make a contribution to a subject who isn’t positive or may not affect me or my work. Describe methods of active listening In order to perform within LSG and to develop my skills listening is one the most important skills I should obtain. As it will portray the quality of my relationship with my team and clients. Listening is important as I need to often obtain information from others to learn new things. Methods of active listening include: Listening calmly without interrupting, so that I let the other person speak and show them that I care and respect them Asking others to repeat if I do not understand anything, in order to avoid mistakes Taking notes of important points, so that I do not forget or miss out on any important points Confirming what I have understood, so that there is no misunderstanding of information Explain the purpose of summarising verbal communications The purpose of summarising verbal communication is to identify major points, behaviours, thoughts and feelings that have been discussed. I then often collate all the information I have collected. By doing this is helps to have a clear precise outline of all communications. Describe ways of getting feedback on communications I believe that feedback completes the entire process of communication. Feedback helps us to decide if the communication was effects and useful. I often get feedback from my line manager Scott or I often get it from clients on the phone. If any feedback given is to improve on anything I often make note of the feedback and make a working progress for myself to include the suggestion in my work. Explain the purpose of using feedback to develop communication skills I use feedback for improve my work performance. It helps improve my work ethnic, team work and quality of my work. To help develop communication skills the feedback has to be received and acted upon. Once I have acted upon feedback I always let my line manager Scott know so that he can see I am willing to learn and enthusiastic and this may encourage people to offer me feedback in the future.

Theodore Geisels Emergence as Dr. Seuss Essay example -- Literature C

Theodore Geisel's Emergence as Dr. Seuss The appellation , "Dr. Seuss," has become a name that often evokes fond memories of a cherished childhood. Entrenched in monotony of gray day when, "The sun did not shine./ It was too wet to play," we only had to look at the grinning face of Dr. Seuss's famous cat to remind us that there was more to do than wait as time slipped away. There was something appealing in the simple anapestic tetrameter rhythm, coupled with nonsensical words and illustrations of outlandish creatures that seemed to call out to the vibrant, dynamic imagination of a child. Through over forty-two books Dr. Seuss has been able to encourage children to seek delight in reading and has opened the minds of successive generations. He designed books that inspire children to learn through entertainment, by providing according to Steven Brezzo, Director of the San Diego Museum of Art, "a fantastic refuge of wacky characters, convoluted logic, and silly vocabulary." The accomplishments of Dr. Seuss are far-ranging: not only did he resurrect the pleasure of reading for children, and inspire them to think creatively, but he taught many a moral lesson to us during what researchers have discovered are our most formative years. We have learned tolerance and consideration, individuality and compromise, and even morality concerning the ideology of nuclear armament(The Butter Battle Book, 1984) and materialistic society's effect upon the natural world(The Lorax, 1971). These lessons were often taught subtly, subconsciously embracing our young psyche, for as children Dr. Seuss was primarily a wonderful synonym for fanciful adventures that showed us a life we could create beyond reality, where having fun was paramount. For many ... ...in his wife. All the children of the world were his, for he was a child and in that a friend. I would argue that with his death in 1991, rather than being gone forever, Dr. Seuss is here forever...in the minds and hearts of those who already love him and those who are picking him up for the first time, in over twenty languages and in homes throughout the world. Theodore Geisel is truly is a creative genius who will continue to guide the minds of those who have opened up to him and in this way Dr. Seuss will live on. Bibliography Kanfer, Stefan. "The Doctor Beloved by All, Theodore Seuss Geisel: 1904-1991". Time Magazine, October 7, 1991. MacDonald, Ruth K. Dr. Seuss. Boston: Twayne Publishers., 1988. Morgan, Judith and Neil. Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel. New York: Random House, 1995. Stofflet, Mary. Dr Seuss from Then to Now. New York: Random House, 1986

Dr. Faustus as a Tragic Hero.

Dr. Faustus the protagonist of Christopher Marlowe's great tragedy can be considered as a tragic hero similar to the other tragic characters such as Oedipus or Hamlet. Dr. Faustus who sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange of twenty four years of knowledge ought to have some special features in order to be considered as a tragic hero. But first of all let me present Aristotle's definition of a â€Å"Tragic hero† and then I will elaborate on each element in relation to the tragedy of â€Å"Dr. Faustus†. According to Aristotle, â€Å"the tragic hero evokes both our pity and terror because he is neither good nor thoroughly bad but a mixture of both; this tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is better than we are. Such a hero suffers from a change of happiness to misery because of his mistaken choice which is led by his hamarcia (error of judgment). The tragic hero stands against his fate or the gods to demonstrate his power of free will. He wants to be the master of his own fate. He decides to make decisions but mostly the decision making would lead to weakness or his own downfall. Now according to Aristotle's definition of a â€Å"tragic hero† it is time to elaborate on the clues in details in order to conclude that Dr. Faustus can also be a tragic hero according to following reasons: Firstly because Dr. Faustus as a tragic hero evokes our pity. We feel some form of connection with him because he has a sense of realism. Dr. Faustus makes mistakes which can be also all h uman condition. He wants to gain more knowledge that is also another part of human condition to learn and understand more. We sympathize with Dr. Faustus because his feelings are similar to other human beings at the end we really want him to repent in order to change his fate radically. We sympathize with him at the end of the drama when it is time for a farewell to his soul. Although he has done many faults but we really want God not to be so fierce towards a human being. He desires: O soul, be changed to little water drops And fall into the ocean. Ne're be found. My God, my God, look not so fierce on me! ( Act V, Scene ii: lines 180-182) Secondly because Dr. Faustus is a well-known and prosperous character, so the reader notices to his reputation as a well-respected scholar inevitably. In Act I, Scene i ; he calls for his servants and students in his speech about various fields of scholar ship which suggests him to be a prosperous intellectual. Philosophy is odious and obscure, Both law and physic are for petty wits, Divinity is basest of the three, Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile; ‘Tis magic, magic that hath ravished me. ( Act I, Scene i: lines 107-111 ) His reputation as a scholar has been mentioned both in the beginning and at the end. It is one of the clues to present Dr. Faustus as a tragic hero so that the readers would be able to sympathize with him throughout the whole drama. In the closing lines the scholars put emphasis on this aspect more when they lament about their respectful professor's death. Yet for he was a scholar once admired For wondrous knowledge in our German schools, We'll give his mangled limbs due burial; And all the students, clothed in mourning black, Shall wait upon his heavy funeral. (Act V, Scene iii: Lines 14-19) Thirdly because Dr. Faustus' mistaken choice, exchange of his soul to Lucifer, results in his downfall. His agreement with the devil blinds him in choosing between right and wrong. In the opening speech, in Act I, Faustus tells that he is skillful in different sciences but he wants to know more. FAUSTUS. How am I glutted with conceit of this! Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please, Resolve me of all ambiguities, Perform what desperate enterprise I will? I'll have them fly to India for gold, Ransack the ocean for orient pearl, And search all corners of the new-found world For pleasant fruits and princely delicates; I'll have them read me strange philosophy, And tell the secrets of all foreign kings; I'll have them wall all Germany with brass, And make swift Rhine circle fair Witttenberg; I'll have them fill the public schools with silk, Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad; I'll levy soldiers with the coin they bring, And chase the Prince of Parma from our land, And reign sole king of all the provinces; Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war, Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp-bridge, I'll make my servile spirits to invent. ( Act I, scene i: lines 79-98 ) Actually the desire for learning is part of human nature but he chooses the wrong way without some sense of guilt. His hasty desire for power and honor did not allow him to repent. He was so confused that he couldn't decide on following the ways of God or the path of Lucifer. Fourthly because Dr. Faustus wanted to support his own plot to make his own decision. This aspect of his character was as a result of the Renaissance period, unlike the medieval period, the dominance of fate upon human life became as a matter of ignorance. It was time for secular matters. Therefore, the dominance of science shadowed upon individuals thought . Dr. Faustus wanted to take destiny in his own hands to demonstrate the power of free will against fate. A case in point is when he passionately demanded Mephistophilis to: Go, bear these tidings to great Lucifer: Seeing Faustus hath incurred eternal death By desperate thoughts against Jove's deity, Say, he surrenders up to him his soul, So he will spare him four and twenty years, Letting him live in all voluptuousness; Having thee ever to attend on me, To give me whatsoever I shall ask, To tell me whatsoever I demand, To slay mine enemies, and to aid my friends, And always be obedient to my will. Go, and return to mighty Lucifer, And meet me in my study at midnight, And then resolve me of thy master's mind. ( Act I, Scene iii: lines 91-104 ) He did not want to be a puppet dancing to the strings of destiny, despite the fact that tragedy functions paradoxical towards human destiny. Hence according to the aspects which I elaborated on, I can describe Dr. Faustus as a tragic hero. Although he devoted himself completely to Lucifer, never choosing right and making a tragedy out of his own downfall, but I found the drama as an optimistic and didactic one. I believe that Marlowe wanted to teach Christian faith besides a chance for salvation. Marlowe uses the tragic irony of Dr. Faustus as his ultimate intention to illustrate the downfall of a tragic hero.

Bas Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet Essay

Baz Luhrmann’s main aim from his Romeo and Juliet film was to create a film which would trickle the minds of youngsters, or what is also known as the MTV generation, who don’t enjoy watching Shakespeare’s plays. His main aim was getting the MTV generation to watch and ‘enjoy’ Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet without dieing of boredom. He did this by looking at the movies MTV generation watches today, which mainly includes technology, action, guns etc to get youngsters interested. What he concluded in the film which attracted youngsters was that he replaced the original assets used in the original play into modern equipment, for example, swords were changed to guns, old fashion clothes into today’s clothes etc but one thing which he kept in the original form is the dialogue, the script. He also had other aims which were to make a film so that youngsters world wide would want to watch it. The film was a success in the world as it made à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½98m worldwide, in America alone it made 46m so the film was a hit all over the world.  The prologue in the beginning of the film was set out to make us, the audience, understand what she is saying clearly. This was done by showing a news presenter on TV quite far away, she was wearing modern clothes but basically she was a normal news presenter to us. All she done did was read the prologue from the play. This simplifies the language used by Shakespeare as we think the words, which the news presenter is saying is in modern language but because it is set out in a modern way, we automatically presume it is in modern language and understand what she is saying. The layout of this is, a female TV presenter reading the prologue from the TV which is in a distance, but the camera slowly zooms into the TV so that at the end all we see is the news presenter reading the prologue with a picture over her left shoulder showing a broken ring and the title underneath which is ‘star crossed lovers’ all in modern day settings. The prologue also tells as that this is a story about two families who hate each other and who compete with each other to show who’s greater. The prologue, voice over, images, words, is used to guide audiences who didn’t completely understand the news presenter as it had images describing what she said, words written after it was said by the voice and images shown to describe what she meant. This simplified the whole prologue, you could almost say Baz Luhrmann was holding our hand and taking us through the prologue slowly again and again until we understood it. The images in the prologue were taken from the streets of America, they were mainly violence which is what consists in our society today. IT had fast camera action, for example, it zoomed in and from the Jesus statue, it had fast camera movements from the helicopter, from the streets, police pursues etc after each word or sentence was read out from the prologue, and if this wasn’t enough, Luhrmann put the words on the screen scrolling through or just appearing to show that audience what was said. IT had modern music in the background which includes hip hop, rock music etc to attract youngsters to watch the film without getting bored. Baz Luhrmann chose to begin like this because it was the most suitable way to keep the audience, especially the youngsters, to say ‘what happens next?’ and want to carry on watching the film without getting bored. Luhrmann’s main idea was to get the begging fast and furious to hold on to the audience and want them to understand Shakespeare’s script with them imitating what the words meant in movements, body language, how they said it etc. He used this because is most other films, the beginnings were started off with action to hold on to its audience without boring them and making want more. The gas station was the most important scene in the beginning of the film. This is because they used 170 different shots just to make up the first five minutes, this is because there was a lot of action, slow motion, fast movements, cameras zooming in and out, fast editing of certain scenes etc. IT started off with the Montague’s coming in the scene with their car in to one part of the gas station and the Capulet’s entering the scene on the other part of the gas station. The introduction of each character is set out by showing the characters and pausing them with their names on them. They introduce each side to us by zooming onto the bottom of their guns when they threaten each other, under each sides guns, their names are written which is the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. The fight starts off when the Montague’s see the Capulet’s, the Capulet’s scare the Montague’s and the Montague’s insult the Capulet’s by biting their thumb at the them. At this moment the head of the Montague’s come out and start the fight, straight away a shoot out starts and they shoot at each other. When they shoot at each other the camera uses slow motion, fast editing etc to show the audience action to get their focus on the film. The camera basically introduces the characters slowly and then uses fast editing thereafter. The music used in the film varies a lot as there was a mixture of music used, this ranged from, rock to spaghetti western. This were used in specific parts of the film. The beginning started off with classical when the dialogue was read out by a deep male voice, the part when the Montague’s are in their car is rock and hip hop, and the part where the Capulet’s are introduced is spaghetti western. There were also other sound effects used in the film when one of the Capulet’s had ‘SIN’ written on a metal plate above his tooth which was an animals voice which frightened the Montague’s. There’s also other sounds for instance ‘whoosh’ when bullets fly past their heads, music played when the characters are in slow motion etc This is all used to attract the audiences attention and to get them pumped up, the music is basically ion your face. Tybalt’s shoes makes a particular noise when he walks, this is ‘ching’, this noise particularly gets to the audience when he puts out a match in the gas station by rubbing the metal part on the match to the floor, this sends a shiver through the spines of some people which is used to get the full attention of some people or it makes them look at it in great detail. The representations of each gang is set out differently. Montague’s is introduced first and are shown as trouble makers, this is done by them being dressed up in normal casual wear, for instance, baggy colourful clothing, more open etc. The music used to show them is more of a rock type of song but it also features them listening to hip hop when one part of the music goes ‘the boys! the boys!’. They are shown to be the cool boys of the town who have a great car and ride around listening to loud music. They shout when they talk, this is to attract the audiences attention once again. They also chase off the sisters in the gas station by one of the members licking his nipple in front of them who he then confronts the Capulet’s. The Capulet’s are shown to be more serious with their gang but the representation of the Montague’s are shown as they are the hipsters of the area who are out for a laugh and a good time. This represents the Montague’s innocent in the shoot out and the Capulet’s of the more powerful side having a laugh with them with their powerful ook.

Bonnie and Clyde in Oklahoma essays

Bonnie and Clyde in Oklahoma essays Two of the Southwest's more noted desperados during the early 1930's were Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Bonnie and Clyde (or the "Bloody Barrows", as they were then commonly called) terrorized the country, from Texas to Iowa and back, for two years, slaughtering at least a dozen men, most of whom were peace officers. They regularly visited Oklahoma in the course of their depredations. Raised in the slums of West Dallas, Clyde Chestnut Barrow (or Clyde Champion, as he preferred to be called) and Bonnie Parker Thornton apparently met in early 1930. He was the son of a former sharecropper who now ran a gas station in West Dallas. Both Clyde and his older brother, Buck, then in Huntsville Prison, had been arrested several times for burglary and car theft. Bonnie, as yet, had no record, but did have a husband, Roy Thornton, who was doing 99 years at Huntsville as an habitual criminal. She briefly found solace with Clyde Barrow but their budding romance was interrupted by police, who hauled Barrow off to Waco, where he was wanted for a series of burglaries and car thefts. Clyde pleaded guilty to two burglaries and five car thefts and was sentenced to two years, with 12 years probation. On March 11, 1930, he escaped from the Waco jail, with two other men, William Turner and Emory Abernathy. The suspicion was that Marvin "Buck" Barrow, having escaped three days earlier from Huntsville, arranged Clyde's jailbreak. According to Bonnie's relatives and Clyde's fellow escapee, William Turner, it was Bonnie who smuggled the a gun into Clyde's cell. At any rate, Barrow, Turner, and Abernathy left Bonnie behind and lit out for Middleton, Ohio, where they were arrested on March 18, after robbing a railroad depot of $57.97. The three were soon returned to Texas in chains, accompanied by Sheriff Leslie Stegall of Waco. Clyde's probation was revoked and, on April 21, 1930, as Clyde Champion Barrow, #63527, he was received at the State Penitentiary...

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted

A Google HR Chief Shares The Secrets to Getting Promoted While there’s no one set way to guarantee you’ll get promoted, there are a few strategies that seem to work much better than others- even across a range of industries. Here are a former Google HR chief’s top 5  tips. 1. Get constant feedbackDon’t be a pest, but do constantly ask your boss what you would need to demonstrate to her to advance. Or, even more subtly, what she values most in a truly trusted employee. Then do that. Exactly that. Get in the habit of naturally, casually asking for feedback after meetings or presentations (â€Å"How’d that go?† â€Å"Anything I could have improved?†). Check in and ask periodically what skills you should be accumulating or developing.2.  Be the office problem solverThe first thing you need to do to be in good standing for a promotion is to earn the trust and confidence of your boss and the company at large. Do this by assessing, first and foremost, your boss’s biggest crisis or concer n, and set about solving it for them. Once you prove that you can listen carefully and pick out the most important priority and square it away, you’ll be well on your way.3.  Think in the long termYou should always be thinking three to five moves ahead, both of your colleagues and your boss. Make yourself a 5, 10, 25 year plan and start to map your progress to meeting your longest term goals- now. This way, you will continually generate new opportunities for yourself. Invest in your skills and career- even in unorthodox or sideways ventures. You never know when you’ll hit the magic alchemy to catapult yourself to the top.4. ASK!You’ll very rarely get a promotion if you don’t assert yourself as wanting one. This is particularly a problem for women, who nominate themselves far less frequently for advancement. Regardless of who is doing the promoting- your boss or a committee who hardly knows you or your work- be sure to put your name in every chance you g et. And ask your boss to help support you in moving forward.5.  Have a strong sense of realityIf you’re facing a ceiling- glass or any other kind, accept reality and figure out a smarter move. Say your boss’s job is the logical next step for you in your career path; if she’s not going anywhere, neither are you. Consider lateral moves to different departments, or even different companies, to give yourself the room to grow. If you’re not being recognized in a way you know you should be, move on. Always be willing to accept a difficult reality and pivot yourself to a solution.

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

Governance - Essay Example The right role requires board member engagement. The traditional model has a passive board that requires minimal participation from the board whose main job was to approve management decision. The CEO has the discretion and the board has limited accountability. The certifying board model focuses on credibility to shareholders ensuring that the business is managed properly and CEO meets requirements. The engaged board is likened to a CEO’s partner that constantly provides insight, advice, and support on key decisions and actively defines role and boundaries. The intervening board asserts its presence and deeply involved in key decisions through intense meetings. The operating board decides what the management implements and usually characterized by start-ups where executives still need more management experience. The right work requires the boards to potentially participate in dozens of distinct areas although focus may be on legal areas such as counseling senior management, ev aluating CEO, and ensuring effective audit, among others. Ideally, the working board must also be able to provide support to directors who need help, whom to retain for the next term as well as those to release. Committees may also help them stay in focus and concentrate on specific issues. The right people in the board require competence as a group and as individuals, but in reality, capabilities mismatch expectations. The right agenda requires the need for the board to discuss then thoroughly through annual off-site meetings beyond the regular ones where they mingle with the management and employees to gain insight as well as get fruitful results. Right information should not be too much or too little but enough to provide exact and necessary information that they need to know and discuss. The right culture engages the board with candor and willingness to challenge as it reflects the social and work dynamics of a performing team (Nadler, 2004). The Principles of Good Governance an d The Seven Practices Lawrence and Weber (year) prescribed five principles of good governance for the board through selection of outside directors to fill majority of positions, conduct open elections for members of the board, appoint independent lead director or chairman of the board and hold regular meetings without the CEO present, align director compensation with corporate performance, and evaluate the board's own performance on a regular basis. The overlap between the lists of Nadler and Lawrence and Weber is that Lawrence and Weber’s list is encompassed on Nadler’s right mind-set. Nadler’s is more encompassing, extensive, and specific while Lawrence and Weber’s were traditional at most. Executive Pay and the Principles of Board Practices Through the right people method, Nadler’s practices may eliminate those which are performing questionably, thus maintaining performers that may be threatened with competition. In addition, transparency and eq uity is also promoted in order to determine that it is not only senior management or executives that monopolize compensation but must be distributed equally to all members of the organization as one component should be determined as important as the others. This will help distribute compensation from the executives down to the rank and file (Martinelli, 2011). Board Performance and Application to Disney One of the bigger problems of the Walt

Interest Rate Options Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interest Rate Options - Essay Example As the paper delcares a common example of this bond is, the Treasury Bond Futures Option. Others are Treasury Notes Futures Options and Eurodollar Futures Options. The Treasury Bond Future Options is priced at 1/64th of 1% of the Treasury Bond face value; the Eurodollar Futures Bond is calculated at 0.01 basis point value being equivalent to $25. It is to be noted here that the interest rate futures prices are indirectly proportional to the bond price increases or decrease. This report discusses that Black’s model is a mutation from the Black Scholes Model, which uses the rate of interest as the base for pricing the options. The most important factor is that it functions on the assumptions that â€Å"a key market variable will be lognormally distributed at a future time†. When Black's model is used to value the price of European interest rate options, the worth of future price of V for a contract maturing at time T, is usually set equal to the forward price of V rather than its futures price. This is more theoretical than practical since in this case you will have to assume that the rates of interest also remain constant while discounting over the same period of future, which is definitely not the case. This is an option which has pre-determined selling price and time. This value is determined based on the Black’s Model assumptions, that the price is lognormal at the pre-fixed time in the future. The value of the bond option can be worked out with the following equations using the Black’s model which sets Fo equal to the forward bond price.

E gov Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

E gov - Case Study Example he effect of the established water projects in people’s lives, demonstrate institutional failures and corruption of Thar government and how they have led to distrust in the public and my opinion to reduce such occurrences. Decrease of monsoon rainfall is caused by Arabian Sea that branch north of Cambay gulf resulting in extreme drought conditions in Thar Desert, unexpected change of air currents, and the dry air of Sind. Karakilcik and Kalyar (2014) argue that deflection of air currents to the east in Arabian Sea is increasing causing the air to move east and southeast. As a result, the rain bearing wind reaches south-west of Arabia and marks the end of monsoon rainfall. This has caused increasingly drought conditions in Thar Desert. Thar Desert in south East Pakistan has been suffering from extreme drought conditions for a period of three years. Jillian (2015) notes that Tharparkar region is the most neglected areas in Pakistan. Lack of proper rain for the last three years has affected people and livestock greatly. An interview with one of the residents of Thar parkar region in Pakistan indicates that drought has left nothing edible for people and livestock. Halepoto (2012) indicates that 90% of the agricultural land has perished due to inadequate water. Human beings are suffering. Reports from the local doctors and hospitals indicate that children are the most affected due to malnutrition and premature births. Despite the increased efforts by the government to get the people of Pakistan from crisis, the continuous increase in drought is dragging their efforts (Halepoto, 2012). Water borne diseases from saline water and malnutrition have caused increased number of infant deaths. In search of greener pastures, thousands of people migrate to the nearby farming districts close to River Indus (Poonia and Rao, 2013). Trained Health care workers are migrating to big cities, such as Karachi to look for employment (Halepoto, 2012). There is also no continuity in

Francisella Tularensis Gene Sequencing

Francisella Tularensis Gene Sequencing Francisella tularensis, a pathogenic gram-negative bacteria and the only bacteria recognized under the genus Francisellaceae of the gammaproteobacteria family, was isolated by George Walter McCoy from ground squirrels in 1912. There are four subspecies of F. tularensis: biovar tularensis (type A), biovar holartica (type B), subspecies novicida, and biovar mediasiatica. Type A, most commonly found within North America, is the most virulent subspecies and includes the fully sequenced laboratory strain, SCH4U. Type B is most commonly found within Europe and Asia but is rarely linked to fatal disease while subspecies novicida and biovar mediasiatica, found within North America and central Asia respectively, are non-virulent strains in human hosts, however, little is known about the latter. F. tularensis is non-motile , aerobic and rod shaped with an approximate size of 0.2  µm. Despite F. tularensis having been categorized as a Class A Select Agent by the U.S. government as a prospective instrument of bioterrorism, human-to-human transmission of the bacteria has not been observed. F. tularensis is most commonly spread through vectors such as ticks or deer flies, with aquatic rodents, deer and lagomorphs being common reservoir hosts. F. tularensis has the ability to infect a host via skin contact and inhalation, leading to ulceroglandular forms of tularemia and pneumonic tularemia. Without treatment, pneumonic tularemia has been shown to be fatal (mortality rate of 30-60% if left untreated), causing symptoms such as fever, anorexia, and septicemia within approximately three to four days after infection. Although human-to-human transmission has not been identified, F. tularensis’ ability to infect human hosts is not hindered. F. tularensis requires a low infectious dose (approximately 10-50 bacteria), contributing to its high virulence. Being an intrac ellular bacterium requiring cysteine for growth can be limiting, however F. tularensis is capable of surviving outside of a host for weeks at a time. This characteristic leads to its easy spread when one comes in contact with water and grasslands, particularly during activities like brushcutting or lawn mowing in which the carcasses of dead reservoir animals may be present within the environment, leading to what is commonly known as â€Å"lawnmower disease† or â€Å"rabbit disease†. Tularemia is endemic in North America, Europe and Asia with 5-10% of cases being waterborne infection opposed to the most common method, via contact with reservoir animals. At risk groups include those who are immunosuppressed. The life cycle of this intracellular pathogen is important in determining which aspects are of main focus when dealing with potential virulence factors. There are approximately five steps of this pathogens life cycle: entry (associated with type IV pili), phagosomal escape, cytoplasmic multiplication (associated with biofilms and ppGpp), lysis and release (associated with MglA). The entry of this pathogen is dependent on complement factor C3, mannose receptors and cell surface-expressed nucleolin (encoded by the ncl gene). Within the cell, the bacterium colocalizes within arrested, late endosomal phagosomes. Within 15-30 minutes, the phagosomes are destroyed and the bacteria escape into the cytoplasm of the host cell. After multiplication, two distinct mechanisms for host cell lysis occur: Type 1-induced apoptosis and caspase 1-mediated pyropoptosis (in which immune cells that recognize signals of infection within themselves, go through programmed cell death via production of cytokin es). The pathogens response to innate immunity within the host cell also plays a role in it’s virulence as evading innate responses (such as production of cytokines) is crucial when infecting host cells, macrophages in particular. Being able to detect environmental changes through use of two-component systems help the pathogen survive in different conditions within or outside of host cells, which can have a huge impact on its virulence as well. Biofilms also play a significant role in the virulence of F. tularensis. Biofilms are a community of microbes attached to a surface, encased in a matrix. Biofilms help provide protection from antimicrobial agents as well as protection from the immune system of the host. Biofilms play a role in chronic infections as they protect the bacteria which are most resistant to antibiotics or antimicrobials that may be administered to the host. In the case of F. tularensis, biofilm formation is increased when the relA gene is inactivated. Production of hyperphosphorylated guanosine diphosphate and triphosphate analogs or (p)ppGpp, is used to combat limited nutrient conditions. Uncharged tRNA molecules bind the ribosome resulting in stalling of translation and activation of ribosome associated RelA. This causes the production of (p)ppGpp which is then converted to ppGpp. ppGpp molecules bind RNA polymerase to alter gene expression under certain conditions. Inactivation of the relA gene causes d efective production of (p)ppGpp which leads to increased biofilm formation and increased resistance to stress. These biofilms make it hard to treat infections resulting from this pathogen as eliminating the pathogen from the body becomes more difficult with increased production of biofilms and increased resistance. The ability for this pathogen to survive without a host is due, in part, to its ability to adapt to different environments by activation and repression of genes, some of which are found within what are known as pathogenicity islands. In the case of F. tularensis, the pathogenicity island FP1, contains 17 highly controlled genes that are crucial to its survival. In the laboratory strain of Type A alone, the expression of approximately 658 genes are up regulated and/or down regulated during infection within macrophages. The change in expression of these genes has helped researchers understand F. tularensis’ reactions to specific environmental stimuli such as temperature, limited iron source and oxidative stress. In terms of temperature as an environmental stimuli, F. tularensis is able is to alter its outer surface when growing in temperatures of 25 °C as opposed to 37 °C in a human host, by modifying the lipid A of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This pathogen is capable of tempe rature changes through involvement of alternative sigma factors as well as heat-shock proteins. In F. tularensis, the only alternative sigma factor that is encoded is RpoH. In terms of iron acquisition, intracellular pathogens require the ability to acquire iron because of the limited availability within mammalian host cells, as intracellular replication is iron-dependent. F. tularensis contains siderophores. These small molecules grow under iron-limiting conditions and bind iron from inorganic and host sources. Studies show that iron-starved F. tularensis expresses an additional 80 genes, including some within FP1, and that F. novidica growth in broth and macrophages is inhibited as well as it virulence in regards to causing pneumonic tularemia in mouse models. In addition to temperature and iron acquisition, the detection of oxidative stress is important as oxidative stress is hugely involved in innate antimicrobial responses by macrophages in the host. Reactive oxygen species (RO S) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) have the ability to produce superoxide and hydrogen peroxide molecules which cause damage to biological molecules within bacterial cells, such as DNA, as well as important enzymes which lead to metabolic defects. F. tularensis has the ability to inactivate these reactive species by inactivation of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase which is found within the phagolysosome and is required to reduce oxygen to superoxide anions. Environmental stimulus is important when studying the virulence of this pathogen as it is directly related to regulation of virulence gene expression. In fact, the gene MglA (or macrophage growth locus) has been linked with responses to oxidative stress. MglA in particular, is required for replication within macrophages. MglA is highly up-regulated during infection and mutant strains are unable to escape macrophage phagosomes. MglA binds with SspA (a transcription factor that responds to nutrient limitation) as well as RNA polymerase in a heterodimer which is required for FP1 gene activation. In order for the pathogen to detect these environmental stimuli, however, two component regulatory systems composed of membrane-bound sensor kinases and cytoplasmic response regulators are essential. The F. tularensis genome codes for two of these systems, one of which is of major importance and contains a response regulator that resembles PmrA of E. coli bacteria, involved in LPS modification. Inactivation of this gene increases susceptibility to killing through antimicrobial actions, decreased growth and inability to escape macrophages. PmrA is described as a DNA binding protein that allows for binding of the MglA and SspA complex bound to RNA polymerase to initiate FP1 gene transcription. Aside from gene expression relating to virulence, genes within F. tularensis’ genome have also been shown to produce structures that aid with its life cycle and its virulence. One structure in particular is type IV pili. Multifunctional and flexible, these appendages are capable of adhesion, motility, biofilm formation and conjugation, all of which are important aspects of colonization of pathogens. In human strains of the virus, type IV pili have been shown to be essential for virulence, specifically in type A. In type B strains (which have relatively low virulence), however, pseudogenes of genes encoding type IV pili have been found which further support the idea that virulence is somehow connected to type IV pili. In the case of F. tularensis, type IV pili are essential for the binding of the bacterial cell to host cells to allow phagocytosis to occur. Mutant strains lacking the genes responsible for the production of pili (mainly pilA, pilB, pilC, pilD, pilT, and pilQ) are considerably attenuated in pathogenicity. Another structural virulence determinant is the ability of Francisella tularensis to suppress and avoid early innate immune responses (which slows progression of infection and allows for adaptive immunity to develop) by modifying its LPS, as mentioned previously in regards to PmrA and temperature as an environmental stimulus. Through removal of Kdo (3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid) saccharide, F. tularensis is able to kill the host before adaptive immunity matures. Mutant strains with the inability to modify its LPS are shown to be attenuated in mice models, inducing an early innate immune response. The O-antigen present within the LPS of F. tularensis is also important for multiplication. O-antigen is a repetitive glycan polymer, composing the outermost domain of the LPS. Mutant strains lacking O-antigen show susceptibility to killing by serum. F. tularensis also produces AcpA (burst-inhibiting acid phosphatase) which inhibits respiratory bursts (release of neutrophils by macrophag es when they encounter bacteria) in order to help evade host immune system responses. Though the genome of F. tularensis has been sequenced, not many genes have been shown to be identical or even similar to those currently within bioinformatics databases. This makes it challenging to determine what genes are responsible for what functions. As described above, the major factors that determine F. tularensis’ virulence are mainly two-component systems which detect environmental stimuli, helping the bacteria adapt to environmental change (including temperature, iron limitation and oxidative stress), which leads to expression of important regulatory genes such as MgIA, PmrA, and relA, all of which are associated with specific stages of its life cycle. MglA is of major importance because of its role in initiating transcription of another virulence factor, the FP1 pathogenicity island. Biofilms, LPS modification and type IV pili also influence virulence through their ability to aid in multiplication, resistance, and evasion of innate immunity as well as entry into hos t cells. Even though the functions of many genes within the genome of F. tularensis are unknown, this pathogen is still very important to the world of biotechnology because of its ability to be used as a biological weapon. This is due to several characteristics of F. tularensis including being: easy to aerosolize, highly infective (requiring only a small dose of 10-50 bacteria for infection) highly incapacitating to infected hosts (with a relatively high mortality rate if its associated disease is left untreated). WHO estimated, in 1969, that 50kg of aerosolized virulent F. tularensis could result in 250,000 illnesses and 19,000 deaths if dispersed over a population of approximately 5 million people. This has led to production of a live vaccine as well as an attenuated; however the live vaccine has not yet been approved within the United States and the attenuated vaccine is only available in special cases. Disease associated with this pathogen is currently treated with antibiotics, the drug choice being streptomycin or tetracycline-class drugs. The best way to prevent an infection by F. tularensis is through proper protection when skinning wild animals, particularly lagomorphs (rabbits), avoiding ingestion of uncooked reservoir animals and untreated water sources in which these animals inhabit as well as wearing repellent to prevent tick bites.