Thursday, October 31, 2019

Post-modern Performing Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Post-modern Performing Art - Essay Example One feature of recognizing dance as a performing art is recognizing its evanescence. Once we accept the transience of dance in this sense, we must still acknowledge its permanence: that the very same dance can be re-performed at some later date. But that fact itself must be explained. And if we want to understand the performing arts a little better here, it is first necessary to say something about the arts more generally. The critic writes an interpretation of a work of art—a poem, a painting or a dance. These interpretations are centrally, often exclusively, verbal in character, even when they are interpretations of dance or music. We call these ‘critic’s interpretations’. Second, there is the interpretation of the performer in a performing art. The performer is irrelevant to what the work of art (in a performing art) means, although my earlier remarks may have tended in that direction. It is not as though something that could be interpreted by the critic is instead interpreted by the performer. Rather, whenever the critic confronts the work of art itself (rather than the score, say) he necessarily confronts something already interpreted by some performer, if this is a work in a performing art. Works in the performing arts come, as we have seen, with a label reading ‘And now perform it’. The content of such a label is always relevant to the meaning of such-and-such a work of art. For only in performance is a token of that type-work available for criticism. The performer’s interpretation does not really.... But that fact itself must be explained. And if we want to understand the performing arts a little better here, it is first necessary to say something about the arts more generally. The critic writes an interpretation of a work of art-a poem, a painting or a dance. These interpretations are centrally, often exclusively, verbal in character, even when they are interpretations of dance or music. We call these 'critic's interpretations'. Second, there is the interpretation of the performer in a performing art. The performer is irrelevant to what the work of art (in a performing art) means, although my earlier remarks may have tended in that direction. It is not as though something that could be interpreted by the critic is instead interpreted by the performer. Rather, whenever the critic confronts the work of art itself (rather than the score, say) he necessarily confronts something already interpreted by some performer, if this is a work in a performing art. Works in the performing arts come, as we have seen, with a label reading 'And now perform it'. The content of such a label is always relevant to the meaning of such-and-such a work of art. For only in performance is a token of that type-work available for criticism. This means that the performer's interpretation does not really constitute a level of interpretation at all. For one cannot confront the work of art except in this 'interpreted' form. So speaking of the dance/language analogy, and of the linguistic character of our understanding, emphasizes that the place at which the meanings of dances are most readily located is in discussions of those dances, that is to say, in the linguistic element which is

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Propaganda - Essay Example This is because it has a way of distorting truths. The media helps in spreading propaganda to reach a wide target audience. The intention of the conveyer of the message is usually to create an understanding that is different from the people’s belief. For instance, a leader can use propaganda to propagate hate in communities. The leader can mislead the masses by giving them false information concerning the ongoing in the government. Interestingly, propaganda contains some element of truth as indicated by Jowett, Garth & Victoria (289). However, propagandist coats the lie with facts to deceive the audiences. Sometimes people who spread propaganda base their information on rumors in most circumstances. In addition, there are occasions when individuals spread propaganda unknowingly. Authorities use propaganda in justifying certain behaviors in the society. This mode of communication during the holocaust period appeared to support the heinous acts perpetrated by the supporters of the Nazi movement in Germany. Besides, I have come to realize that the use of propaganda can be beneficial of the society. For instance, campaigns to sensitize individuals in the community can take the form of propaganda. Consequently, the government can use it to eliminate fears among the masses by providing information concerning certain events in the society. There are times in which propaganda fails to reach its target audience. For example, the opponents of the ideology might receive propaganda aimed at convincing the supporters of a given ideology positively (Jowett, Garth & Victoria 307). Moreover, propaganda creates confusion when the message conveyed to the audience is incomplete. As such, it has contributed to rise of conflicts in the societies. The use of propaganda is not a new concept in the society. Records indicate that civilizations used it in communication during the 15th century. It began as a

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget four stages

Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget four stages Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget includes four stages of development that children move through during which the explanatory behaviors of infants transform into the abstract, logical intelligence of adulthood. There are three important specific characteristics of Piagets theory of which the first one is being a general theory, that is, cognitions all aspects undergo a similar course of change. Another characteristic is that children move through the stages in an invariant sequence. Piaget believed that there is a same order that children follow. Third, the stages are universal. Stages in cognitive theory assume the theory to include all children everywhere (Berk, 2003). Biological concepts are used in a limited way in Piagets theory. However, he stated the importance of genetic and environmental factors on the way that children move through the stages (Crain, 2005). He emphasized that the speed of children while passing those stages is affected by differences in genetic and environmen tal factors. Jean Piaget used the term scheme while explaining human beings organized way of making sense of experience (Mark, 1969). Traill (2008) explains that the term scheme used by Piaget is different from peoples everyday usage of scheme. The term can be any pattern for exploring and learning from the environment and it has three different intellectual structures. Piaget calls first intellectual structures to emerge as behavioral schemes, ones that appear after 2 years as symbolic schemes, and structures that appear after 7 years as operational schemes (Piaget, 1972, as cited in Traill 2008). For instance, dropping scheme of an 8 month old baby and a 25 months of will not be the same, as sooner it will become more deliberate and creative. Toddlers, different from infants, begin to think before acting and Piaget identifies that transition from sensorimotor to cognitive approach to the world which depends on mental representations. (Piaget, 1926, as cited in Berk 2003) Images and concepts are the two powerful mental representations. Especially, the shift from sensorimotor to cognitive approach is accounted for two processes; adaptation, consisting assimilation and accommodation, and organization. Interpretation of new structures into already existing schemes is called as assimilation and modification of existing schemes into adaptation of new experiences is called as accommodation. Cognitive adaptation aims to adjust to the environment and is a result of the equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation (Block, 1982). While trying to grasp an object, a baby is experiencing the assimilation process, while removing an obstacle and grasping an object, a baby now accommodates the scheme (Crain, 2005). During the organization process more complex intellectual structures are combined with existing schemes by children. For instance, after the baby experienced and covered dropping movement, then he/she will relate it with throwing movement as well as understanding the concepts of near and far (Berk, 2003). The Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years) Jean Piaget observed his children during their developmental period and constructs the stages based on his observations. His books mostly involve many examples from his dialogues and interactions with his children. The sensorimotor stage consists of six substages. (Santrock, 2004) That stage starts with the use of reflexes from birth to 1 month. Newborn reflexes take important place in sensorimotor stage. According to Piaget inborn reflexes are consisted from first schemes. He states that as children use inborn reflexes and experience assimilation, they desire to put them to active use (Crain, 2005). After one month, children begin to repeat their chance behaviors and primary circular reactions period (one to four months) starts. A baby experiences the thumb sucking by bringing her hand to her mouth by a chance, when the hand falls she wants to get it back and experiences many failures until she gets it back (Crain, 2005). At that example the child organizes the hand movement and sucking which is a kind of circular reaction. Piaget also states that children at that period indicate the first efforts at imitation (Berk, 2003). The next substage is secondary circular reactions and is observed between fourth and eighth months. Infants start to experience motor achievements that encourage them to play attention to their environment. Infants begin to get enjoyment from the response of the environment to their attempts and they repeat their movements that get reaction from their surrounding (Santrock, 2004). Coordination of secondary schemes substage takes place during eight to twelve months. At this stage infants begin to coordinate tow or more actions to achieve simple objectives. In addition with an intentional purpose, babies try to imitate behaviors after watching a person. One may be able to observe a baby at this stage trying to stir with a spoon. In addition, a baby may begin to cry when she sees her mother wearing her coat in order to stop her mother leaving (Berk, 2003). In substage 5, tertiary circular reactions (twelve to eighteen months), children are interested with different outcomes. Piaget had observed one of his children hitting on a table at different rates in order to listen different sounds that he creates (Crain, 2005). It should be noted that all experiences are results of childrens intrinsic curiosity about the environment around them that Piaget emphasizes within his cognitive development theory. The last substage of the sensorimotor period is named as beginnings of thought or internalization of schemes lasting from eighteen to twenty months. During that substage children have the capacity to remember the behaviors that are not present (deferred imitation). Their efforts on imitation also indicate progress and they experiment with actions inside their heads. Besides, children can be observed to engage in make-believe play during that period (Santrock, 2004). Object Permanence: Piaget and many researchers concluded that infants appreciate concepts of permanence objects. Up to four months, children do not make any attempt to an object leaving in front of their eyes. During secondary circular reactions stage children are more able to explore their surrounding and they have a better sense of permanence of objects. At stage four children have the ability to find the hidden objects. If an adult takes a toy behind a box, the baby will look at the behind of the box and find the toy. During the stages five and six children are able to follow displacements and follow invisible shifts (Crain, 2005). Beginnings of Categorization: Before the capability of mental representation children are not able to categorize objects. During the first year of their life, children experience perceptual categorization. For example they can categorize the legs of an animal. Conceptual categorization begins with the end of first year; they are now able to categorize similar characteristics and behaviors. Active categorization period starts with the beginning of the second year. It is stated that sorting objects into two classes can be observed in eighteen months babies. In the second year babies can group two different kinds of objects without grasping them (Berk, 2003). When the observed milestones of research and the description of substages of Piaget are compared from birth to two years, both similarities and differences are seen. There are points that seem to occur earlier than Piaget accepted such as categorization, deferred imitation, and analogical problem solving. Those differences are explained differently from many researchers. Some of the surveys indicate that some children born with different intellectual capacities and some of them with a set off limits which causes those differences. The latter argue the theory of Piaget in terms of biological considerations. The Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 Years) Preoperational stage is lasting from two to seven ages in which the child is more capable while dealing with the environment. Although the reasoning of child is still unsystematic and illogical, that is the period that children begin to use symbols and rapidly develop representation. One of the important symbols that indicate increase during that period is language (Santrock, 2004). Piaget believed that experience of internal images occurs before labeling words and he did not take language as an important tool in cognitive development of children. Berk (2003) argues that Piaget had misadjusted the role of language in early intellectual development. She proposes that conceptual abilities of children are highly affected from the dialogues of children with adults. Moreover, there are many psychologists that believe as children develop their language ability, they begin to think more logically. Children experience transductive reasoning during that stage which means shifting from one particular to another. Children place two unrelated situations into the same case as if they have a relationship. One of Piagets children had concluded that she hadnt had her nap yet so it wasnt afternoon (Piaget, 1924). Piaget (1924) explains that statement as an example of transductive reasoning, because the child did not catch the understanding that afternoons include many different events and having nap is only one of them. An important milestone of the increase in mental representation is make-believe play during preoperational stage. The differences in make-believe play between sensorimotor and preoperational stage can be clearly observed. By the middle of preoperational stage make-believe play of children indicate real life conditions. In addition, by preoperational stage children begin to engage in sociodramatic play, they coordinate variety of roles and story lines during their play. One of the criticized points of cognitive theory of Piaget is based on the belief of Piaget that play reflects childrens cognitive and social skills, however there are many recent studies indicating the contribution of play on those skills. Especially during sociodramatic play, children interact with their peers longer and they are more cooperative. Many psychologists believed the role of strengthening of make believe play on a wide range of mental abilities and logical reasoning (Berk, 2003). Egocentrism: Piaget stated that children look at their surrounding from their own viewpoint and they ignore perspectives of others. Three-mountains study is one of the famous observations of Piaget explaining egocentric behavior of children at preoperational stage. He had used a model of three mountains and taken a child for a walk around the model in order to give opportunity for the child to look at the model from different view. Piaget had placed the child from one point of the model and placed a toy to another place. The child had been asked what he/she saw while looking at the model and what the toy would be seen while looking at it. All the children could correctly explain what they were seeing, however children at preoperational stage gave the same answer with their own view (Crain, 2005). Studies emphasize on the relation between egocentrism and social communication. Children at preoperational stage, according to Piaget, fail to recognize the needs of their peers during verbal interaction (Rubin, 1973). As they look only from their own view, they are able to understand view of the person interacting with them. They think that they can be seen from everywhere, everybody see and hear them. An adult may observe a child at this period telling that nobody could see him/her while closing his/her eyes with hands. Animism: Piaget (1951) proposes that the child recognizes no limits between himself and the external world and it is expected that the child would see many nonliving and non acting things as living and conscious and he explains this phenomenon as animism. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, he identifies the reason for him to use the term animisim. He accepts that animism was term used for primitive human beings and responds the criticisms by telling that he had used that term as a generic term and emphasizing on the different types of animism in psychological origins (Piaget, 1951). Children at preoperational stage have a belief that objects are alive because they move and grow. For example, a child may tell that there are not any cars on the road, because they are sleeping. Piaget described animism inside four stages. Initially children accepted useful things as living. At this first stage broken or damaged objects were not alive for them. At the second stage, moving objects, whether are moved by an external factor or by themselves, were considered as alive. In stage three, to be categorized as living, things should move by themselves. Lastly, at the fourth stage, adults know that plants and animals are living things only (Moriarty, 2005). Irreversibility: Going through a series of steps and after changing direction is difficult for children at preoperational stage. Another well known experiment of Piaget indicates that problem in a way that there are children shown 16 boxes, 6 of which are yellow and 10 of which are red. When children are asked whether red boxes are more or boxes, children at this stage responds as red boxes and fails to be aware of that both yellow and red boxes are boxes. In his book The Childs Conception of World, 1951, Piaget gives examples about irreversibility. There are dialogues indicating their inability such as, asking a child about her sister, the child responds that she has a sister named A, then Piaget asks the child whether A has a sister or not, the child responds that A has not a sister. (Piaget, 1951) Inability to Conserve: Piaget propounds preoperational childs lack of conservation by applying experiments of liquids and number. He shows two same size glasses to the children and fulls the glasses with water. He asks children which of the water was more. All the children respond that they were equal in amount. Then he puts the water in one of the glasses into a different size glass (wider or taller) and repeats his question. Children at preoperational stage tell that they are now different. They have not the capability to perceive that certain physical features of objects remain same, even their physical appearance changes. Based on experiments of Piaget, at the beginning of seven children begin to give the correct answer to the conservation tests. Before that age children indicates at conservation but not totally achieve it. They give answers like one is more because it is taller and then change their answers the other one is more because it is wider. Besides, irreversibility of the child can be concluded based on the conservation of liquid experiment. The child cannot understand the end result as a reverse of the original one. Jean Piaget also had thought about the failures of children from the linguistic point. Terms such as taller, more, wider takes time to be understood. He suggests ways to overcome that problem and tells adults to apply experiments by using different sentences and establishing questions by using different words within a particular case. Piaget experimented conservation of children also with using number.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Essay

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder There are many factors to consider in the evaluation and treatment of Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This paper will discuss the strategies that have proven most effective in treating the disorder, including: drug therapy, cognitive therapy, and family-based therapy. It will focus on the benefits of flexibility, emphasizing combination therapy, especially with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has become an increasingly familiar disorder within the world of health and medicine. The recurring obsessions and compulsions associated with the disorder seem quite easy to identify, yet the acknowledgement of OCD in children had been overlooked for quite some time. Many people believe â€Å"that children have no reason to develop depression or anxiety disorder such as OCD† (Wiznitzer, 2003). Diagnoses and treatment of OCD patients has only recently shifted from adults to children. Some of the most important questions facing psychologists studying OCD today are how to determine which children suffer from OCD and what treatments most effectively reduce or eliminate their symptoms. Researchers have offered that by applying some of the information learned from treating adults, our understanding of the disorder in children may improve immensely. With the majority of psychologists agreeing with this proposal, OCD has gained a large amount of attention in the last couple of decades. Recent studies have estimated that â€Å"the condition is 2 to 20 times more common than previously thought and has been the catalyst for research activity in the area† (Waters, 2000). Though this heightened attention is good news for suffering children, it has not been as helpful as originally expected. A number of unnecessary drug-based therapies have been implemented in an attempt to meet the increasing demand of OCD treatment. Many of these drugs have proved successful in treating anxiety disorders; however, many OCD cases require more complex treatments. Many could benefit from several alternative forms of OCD treatment, such as family oriented treatments and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Unfortunately, the advantages of combining these methods with drug therapy have nearly been overlooked in the scramble for easy answers. â€Å"Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has emerged as a s... ... important to realize that OCD varies in type and severity, so treatment will vary in their effectiveness. â€Å"Whatever is tried, it is important to urge flexibility, as a combination of drug and behavioral treatment may be needed† (Rapoport, 2000). Recent studies such as the ERP and RIDE approve and recommend CBT in treating OCD. They also emphasize the importance of flexibility in successfully treating the disorder. Many cases may benefit best from a combination of drug and behavioral treatment. Bibliography Rapoport, J., & Inoff-Germain, G. (2000). Treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 41(4), 419-431. Steinberger, K. (2002). Classification of OCD in children and adolescence. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavic, 106(2), 97-102. Wagner, A. (2003). CBT for Children and adolescents with OCD. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention. 3(3). 291-306. Waters, T., & Barret, P. (2000). The role of the family in childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 3(3), 173-184. Wiznitzer, M. (2003). Why do psychiatric drug research in children? Lancet, 361(9364). 1147-1148.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Dream Act for Dreamers

DREAM Act for DREAMers Life is not easy to be a perfect for anyone. Everyone needs something all the time. People always try to effort to get what they want and need. Many people including me come to the United States to get a better future life but immigration to a new country is not as easy as what we expected. Majority of people come to the United States to achieve their dreams. Some immigrants have real documents enter into the United States but some do not. Those people who do not have real documents are called illegal immigrants.Most of them made across the border enter into the United States. No matter what they are legal or illegal, all of them are here looking for a good life. Many different people from different countries come to the United States because America is a land of immigrants. Legal immigrants are properly becoming the United States citizenship under the laws but illegal immigrants are still waiting to fulfill their dreams. We might have a question to ask,  "Should immigration law change for the illegal immigrants to gain their legal status†? Answer may vary from different views.Some people agree that immigration law should change if undocumented immigrants, who already here for many years, they pay taxes, obey the laws and are a good man for the country. Some people do not agree that immigration law should change for the undocumented immigrants because they enter into the U. S. by breaking the law. One of the undocumented immigrants, Jose Antonio Vargas, shares his own experience of living as an illegal immigrant in the United States in his two articles â€Å"My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant,† and â€Å"Not Legal Not Leaving. Vargas was born in Philippine and grew up in the United States from his teen age. His mother sent him to the U. S. without real documents to live with his grandparents when he was 12 years old. Finally, he found out that he came to the U. S. with fake documents after he turned to age of 16. He c oncerned about someone figured out his secret one day and then he kept his status for many years. It made him uncomfortable upon people who help him a lot, he finally decided to announce about his real life and identity to the public.He is not only an undocumented immigrant but also a gay. He declared his status and requested for the DREAM Act (the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), which would help the people, who did not have real documents, to be a legal citizenship available to them. Unfortunately, Vargas does not qualify for the program because of his age —- now he is over 30. Although Vargas does not have a chance to apply the program, he fights for the young undocumented immigrants. The Dream Act is eligible for young people who arrived to the U.S. as minors, graduated from high school in the U. S. , and lived in the U. S. at least 5 years. Lately, the Department of Homeland Security announced that young people who were in the country illegally w ould stop deportation and got work permits under the program. However, The DREAM Act legislation has not passed yet. The U. S. Congress should pass the DREAM Act for the DREAMers who eligible for the program so that they can finish their higher education, contribute to the societies, and make more economic growth in the future for our country.The DREAMers, young people who are illegal immigrants, have grown up here and already assimilated into the culture. All of them were brought here illegally by their parents and relatives. They didn’t have their own choice to come to the United States. According to Vargas’s article â€Å"Not Legal Not Leaving,† there are estimated 11. 5 million people of illegal immigrants live in the United States and they are still struggling like him for a better life (Vargas, 2012, p. 1). Like Vargas, all of illegal immigrants were brought to the United States when they were children.They all are here to find for their better future. The y might face many more problems than regular immigrants face because they didn’t have real documents to show proof of live here legally. Some undocumented immigrants are already deported but some are still remained. Vargas said, â€Å"I am sorry for what I did, but I did it because I had to live and survive† (Vargas, 2012, p. 5). They broke the law because they had no choice for living and surviving their lives in a new country. Although they pay taxes that the U.S. citizens do, they do not get equal rights as a citizen. They only get a benefit from their efforts is a stressful life. We should consider those young people to fulfill their American dream. The Congress should pass the DREAM Act for those young people who eligible to apply the program. If DREAM Act will pass, more DREAMers can finish their education and get well-paying jobs. For example, if some of them will become doctors, they can cure different diseases to safe many people lives.And also they can give m ore support to their societies and the country. Similarly, the DREAMers were obliged by their parents and relatives they had no choice. They did not break the law directly. However, their parents and relatives broke the law. The adults got only one reason which they wanted to give a better future life for their children. Vargas told us that he believed himself as an American even though America didn’t count him yet for an American (Vargas, 2011, p. 2). Like Vargas, they all believe that America is their home.They were raised here and they knew nothing where else. They all are creating a better life and hoping their dream comes true. Vargas describes, â€Å"I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American dream† (Vargas, 2011, p. 2). They all are same as like Vargas and they have their own story why they are here. No matter what they break the law or not, we should allow the young people who have educated here, paid taxes and being a good man to gain thei r status to be a legal immigrant.If the DREAM Act will pass, the minors can step towards their American dream. If so, those millions of minors can make our country to be a better place and more economic growth in the future. The Congress should pass the DREAM Act for those young undocumented immigrants because they have been living here for many years and they are educated, worked, and paid taxes like other residents and American citizens. People are never perfect; we make a mistake at least one time in our whole life. We should give a chance to try their lives better.If the DREAM Act is passed, they will be allowed to stay like permanent residents and will have to contribute more their communities or societies and make their lives better than before. To fulfill their dream come true, the DREAM Act should pass for the minors (or) DREAMers. References Vargas, J. (2011, June 22). My life as an undocumented immigrant. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2011/06/26/m agazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigra nt. html? Vargas, J. (2012). Not legal not leaving. (Cover story). Time, 179(25), 34-44.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis on Ads in Magazines Essay

Magazines are gaining in popularity nowadays as a tool not only to provide information, but also to advertise ads on products that are available on the market. Since magazines gain readers with different kinds of interest, what are the rhetorical strategies used by advertisers to market similar products to different target audiences of similar culture? Capturing the target audiences’ attention requires understanding about the audiences which open new avenues for many strategies to be used by advertisers to advertise an ad in order to make sure that the ad can actually capture the target audience. To describe or analyze the strategies used by advertisers, a variety of analytical tools, such as determining who the target audience is, describing the details in the ad, studying the Aristotelian appeals used by the advertisers, and also the angle of vision involved in the ad are needed to examine these strategies. Describing the details on an ad could be a good starting point to be gin the analysis. Kraft ad for its Macaroni & Cheese in Oct 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine shows a girl standing on her right feet, with a smile carved on her face and an umbrella in her left hand. Beyond her are two boxes of macaroni and cheese of the same size, one of Store Brand and another one of Kraft, sitting right next to each other with the Kraft’s splashing a massive amount of cheese out of the box. What appears right above the bottom line, with all letters capitalized, is â€Å"KRAFT HAS MORE CHEESE THAN THOSE OTHER GUYS. SO GO FOR THE CHEESIEST† and with a bigger font right above it, is â€Å"THE MAC WITH MORE CHEESE†. Emphasis is on the color of the Kraft macaroni, the splashes of cheese, the girl’s boots, and the umbrella, as they stunningly boast the same magnificent orange color, unlike the one that is being used on the macaroni of the Store Brand. Sunchips came up with an ad in May 2010 issue of Women’s Health magazine on page 109. The focus in the ad is on a lady with a black hair and brown skin smiling as she is about to make her bite on a chip that she is holding. Right above her head is a sentence saying â€Å"THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP THE PLANET. HARVEST CHEDDAR IS ONE†. Few steps beyond the lady, happily playing with the fresh water of in the river, are two kids. There is even rock face by the river’s edge with 4 people on it watching the kids. Nothing can beat the feel of having river water flows through our fingers and touches our body as we immerse ourselves in the water. It is amazing of how the water never stops flowing, not even a single second. SUNCHIPS claims that such beauty of nature can be sustain with the use of its plant-made bags that is compostable. Happiness is possible as we can enjoy every single bite of the chips and at the same time, taking care of the nature. Such joy can be seen on the face of the lady that is about to make her bite. Determining who the target audience is should be the next step after describing the details in the ad. Kraft appeared in the Good Housekeeping magazine, targeting middle class and a wide range of age of married women that care about the health of the their family, interested in learning home cooking for the family and care about environment. An article on â€Å"Cook like a Chef† provided some interesting food for the family and how to make it. This article is targeting married women in the middle class who would like to learn how to cook some interesting meal that is affordable for the family. Dixie Ultra came up with an ad showing a picture of a family happily having breakfast by using their paper plates. This ad targets on those who care about the environment. Fresh Step came up with an ad for its product, which is a healthy food for cats. This ad is clearly targeting those who care about the health for the family by promoting a healthy product for pets in the family. It is clear that based on the evidences found in the magazine, the advertiser for the ad for Kraft is basically targeting a wife and a mother that puts family above all else. The ad for Sunchips appeared in Women’s Health magazine, which targets middle-aged up to old women with middle-class income that care about staying in a healthy lifestyle as a consumer. â€Å"Run Less / Lose More†, an article in the magazine provided the information on how do women, ranges from middle-age up to old, lose fat in order to obtain a healthy and nice looking body. Another article that showed the reason for this type of target audience is â€Å"Lose your Fear of Lifting†, which gave some encouragement to women to get a perfect bodyline. The magazine came up with an ad, â€Å"Metabolic Max Program† by Jenny Craig that showed the target audience is those in pursuit of healthy lifestyle and at the same time concern about how much they will have to spend on such program. Another ad showed a lineup of affordable branded cosmetics products for the women. This ad is targeting middle class women that care about their beauty appearances. Different from the ad for Kraft, the advertiser for Sunchips’ ad targets any women, whether married or not, that put physical appearance and health as the top priorities in their life. Now that the details in the ads and the target audience have been figured out, making way for rhetorical analysis for both ads is needed to show how the strategies used by the advertisers to connect the details in the ads with the target audience and how do they give impacts to the audience. In order to attract the targeted audience, Kraft uses a strategy called pathos, one of the Aristotelian appeals, on its ad. The use of orange color in high contrast tends to attract the targeted audience as it can show the amount and quality of cheese that is being used to make the product. Cheese is well known for its delicious taste and good for the health, so this detail will surely attract the target audience, as they would want to choose a delicious and healthy food for the family. A picture of a girl standing on one leg with joy also brings the same strategy. The emotion that is being expressed by the girl tends to catch the targeted audience’s attention because they would definitely want to see their children having the same emotion. These two strategies tend to be related to pathos because they are attracting the audience’s emotions and values. The same strategy, pathos, is being used by Sunchips in order to steal the targeted audience’s attention. Pathos can be seen through the use of a picture of a lady that is about to make her bite on the chips. Such pleasant smile showed by the lady can attract the audience by creating a desire of having the same smile among the audience. Besides pathos, logos is also being used in the ad too. The message in the ad, about what are the bags of the chips made off, gives a clear reason to the targeted audience. For the consumers that care about their health, they will definitely give attention to this message because it helps them maintain a clean environment. Living in a clean environment is another way of having a healthy lifestyle. In this ad, the strategy of delivering emotions to the targeted consumers shows pathos. Logos can be seen by the reasons showed in the ad for the targeted consumers. Another strategy for the rhetorical analysis is the angle of vision, which is the use of important details to be focused on and the omitting of other details that may distract the audiences’ attention, is being involved in the ad too. For Kraft ad, the advertisers focuses on the massive amount of cheese spilling out from the box that contains Kraft’s macaroni and cheese product. The reason why the advertisers did this is because that they wanted to show how large is the amount of cheese present in the product. The advertisers include a text that suggests the macaroni product of Kraft has more cheese and a picture of a girl that is happily standing on one leg, for the audiences to focus on. The angle of vision presents in these details attracts the target audience by showing the quantity of the cheese and how appetizing the Kraft’s macaroni and cheese is. These would probably be the things that the target audience would want to focus on when it comes to choosing f ood that their kids will enjoy. However, there is a scientific detail that the advertisers try to omit from the audiences which is the ingredients used to make the product. Since the target audience wants healthy food for their families, this detail is being omitted because without doing so, the ingredients will show how unhealthy the food is. The advertisers for Sunchips ad focus on the image of a lady that is smiling while holding a chip on her hand and the use of the beautiful scene of a riverbank beyond the lady. Such beautiful smile of the lady and how wonderful is the environment shown in the ad are as if that the secrets lie behind the chips. This would attract the target audience as they would want to see such beauty in themselves. The same detail as in the Kraft ad, which is the nutritional information, is being omitted from the audiences because of not healthy. This is done because the advertisers know that the targeted audiences care about health in their life. The rhetorical strategies used by advertisers to advertise an ad are simply not just strategies. They are a step-by-step method to deliver the message in the ad to the target audiences; from determining whom the target audiences for the ad are, to how to give an impact to those audiences by using Aristotelian appeals and angle of vision in the ad to so that the target audiences could get a clear picture on what is being delivered by the ad. Analyzing the strategies used to deliver what the advertisers wanted to through the ad could actually open up new avenues on how to communicate with the audiences through an ad by just connecting the details available in the ad. In fact, it is not only helpful to gain audiences for an ad, but also to gain readers for our writing work. Works Cited Sunchips. Advertisement. Women’s Health May 2010: 109. Print. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Advertisement. Good Housekeeping Oct. 2009: 108. Print.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

American medical care Essays

American medical care Essays American medical care Essay American medical care Essay These early immigrants survived the rough times and hard American clime every bit good as the wilderness on crude basic inherent aptitudes. The early colonies were frequently ravaged by famishment and disease. During the colonial epoch. doctors’ instruction was informal. Most were literate. but some who were raised outside of New England were non. A adult male who wanted to pattern medical specialty did non necessitate any type of enfranchisement. Most did hold a period of apprenticeship with an established doctor. but even this was non a demand. Up until the late nineteenth century. really few physicians had a college instruction. Medical installations were unofficial. Most patients were treated in their places. However. even the smallest towns had poorhouses. where destitute people could populate and have limited medical attention. The few infirmaries that opened in North America during the colonial period were opened in topographic points like Quebec and New Orleans. Public wellness was unknown in North America at this clip. Towns and metropoliss did non hold boards of wellness except during times of epidemics. Because most topographic points did non hold public H2O or sewer systems. most Americans got their H2O from pumps and used privies until good into the nineteenth century. There was no trash aggregation so the streets became a genteelness land for all types of disease. There were a few efforts to act upon public wellness. For illustration. when smallpox inoculations were developed in the eighteenth century. many little town physicians had groups of people that had to remain quarantined for a few yearss to do certain they merely developed a mild instance of variola. Remedies may hold killed more people than the diseases themselves. The populace developed a really disbelieving attitude towards regular physicians. In the early nineteenth century. the bash it yourself attitude of many Americans was popular. These people freely gave medical advice. emphasized the participant of the patient in his or her ain intervention. However. other medical treatments were available besides. Probably snake oil is best remembered. Andrew Taylor Still started the pattern of osteopathy. Osteopathy incorporated bodily uses. similar to those seen in modern chiropractics. In osteopathy. these uses affected the magnetic flow of energy in the organic structure. Osteopathy discouraged usage of medical specialties. but did non prohibit them. Another reaction against epic medical specialty was homeopathy. A university-trained German physician named Samuel Hahnemann started it. Heinemann said that physicians were giving their patients excessively much medical specialty. He believed that bantam sums of drugs should be diluted in H2O before being given to a patient and that practicians should take really thorough medical histories of each patient. Quackery was a manner to gull people into believing they were being cured while doing money from them. Quackery had even been licensed in London. but it was wholly ignored by the America authorities for 100s of old ages. Hydropathy was another particular instance. The mending power of H2O. hydrotherapy indicated the value of the remainder remedy. importance of holding like-minded people around. the utility of light exercising and the fact that adult females who wore baggy vesture by and large felt better and had fewer physical ailments than the 1s who did. Another particular instance is the full issue of faith-only healing. While empirical grounds in favour of faith-only healing is missing. anecdotal grounds suggests that some people who pray do experience self-generated lessening of certain diseases. The late nineteenth century saw major alterations in medical specialty in the United States. Medicine went from being mediaeval to integrating many elements of modern scientific discipline. The progresss in chemical science. and biological science had major impacts on medical specialty. As medical practicians began to understand that the organic structure was comprised of basic chemicals and non cryptic wits. effectual interventions for diseases and hurts were developed. As medical specialty became more scientific. physicians needed both preparation and licensing. In 1847. Dr. Nathan Davis founded the American Medical Association ( AMA ) in Philadelphia to assist make professional criterions for physicians and put minimum educational demands. Medical colleges opened up across the state. increasing demands from a few months without any college background to a figure of old ages with a college grade. However. these colleges provided an highly unpredictable degree of medical instruction. with some of them a sheepskin and others provided a to notch medical instruction. As American metropoliss exploded in size during the nineteenth century due to in-migration from Europe. public wellness became more of an issue. With many 100s of 1000s of people populating in metropoliss: highly crowded. insanitary conditions ; TB was frequently at epidemic degrees in the metropoliss. During the nineteenth century. people understood that TB was non caused by miasma. but was caused by bacteriums. Peoples with TB were sometimes sent out of the metropolis to topographic points in the state. where the cleaner air seemed to assist their recovery. It was obvious that people needed clean H2O for imbibing. and bathing. So metropoliss started monolithic cloaca undertakings to assist convey clean H2O into the metropoliss while taking effluent from the metropolis. Dead animate being remains and refuse littered the street until the late 1800s when metropoliss started sanitation crews to take the rubbish out of town and mopess to travel the waste to. Many metropoliss started dispensaries so the hapless could have intervention and medicines for low cost. With the urban population detonation. the poorhouses ( likely today’s HMO Urgent Care’ ) became even larger and harder to pull off. With new medical progresss. people needed to be in large metropoliss to have certain types of intervention. Americans began to construct infirmaries across the state in the nineteenth century. The new infirmaries were by and large cleaner than the old poorhouses.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Slave Trade

The British Transatlantic Slave Trade offers a selection of primary printed resource texts relating to the British slave trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The edition is of particular interest to scholars of History, Economics and American Studies, and the collection as a whole provides a stimulating and accessible range of contemporary commentary, facilitating research on all major facets of the British slave trade. Most of the texts have not been reprinted or edited in modern editions, and will now be made more widely available to scholars. The new edition complements Pickering & Chatto’s set Slavery, Abolition and Emancipation (1999), and texts have been selected so that the range of material covered does not overlap the more literary orientation of the previous set. The British transatlantic slave trade, which flourished from the mid-seventeenth century until the early nineteenth century, was a major conduit for the enforced migration of Africans to the Americas. Between 1660 and 1807 over three million Africans were dispatched to the Americas in British vessels. This trade has been the subject of intensive academic scrutiny over the past generation and has also attracted a growing popular curiosity. The set is divided up thematically. The first volume contains two late eighteenth century texts covering the operation of the slave trade in Africa. John Matthews’s A Voyage to the River Sierra Leone offers a descriptive account of that part of west Africa based on the author’s naval work there in 1785, 1786 and 1787. It includes an account of production and trade in Sierra Leone just before it was resettled by the black poor shipped out from London, a well-known but ill-starred philanthropic scheme of the time. It also contains a description of the modes of dealing in slaves. John Adams’s Sketches taken during ten voyages to Africa offers a detailed account of slave trading in Bonny and Old Calabar, w... Free Essays on Slave Trade Free Essays on Slave Trade The British Transatlantic Slave Trade offers a selection of primary printed resource texts relating to the British slave trade in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The edition is of particular interest to scholars of History, Economics and American Studies, and the collection as a whole provides a stimulating and accessible range of contemporary commentary, facilitating research on all major facets of the British slave trade. Most of the texts have not been reprinted or edited in modern editions, and will now be made more widely available to scholars. The new edition complements Pickering & Chatto’s set Slavery, Abolition and Emancipation (1999), and texts have been selected so that the range of material covered does not overlap the more literary orientation of the previous set. The British transatlantic slave trade, which flourished from the mid-seventeenth century until the early nineteenth century, was a major conduit for the enforced migration of Africans to the Americas. Between 1660 and 1807 over three million Africans were dispatched to the Americas in British vessels. This trade has been the subject of intensive academic scrutiny over the past generation and has also attracted a growing popular curiosity. The set is divided up thematically. The first volume contains two late eighteenth century texts covering the operation of the slave trade in Africa. John Matthews’s A Voyage to the River Sierra Leone offers a descriptive account of that part of west Africa based on the author’s naval work there in 1785, 1786 and 1787. It includes an account of production and trade in Sierra Leone just before it was resettled by the black poor shipped out from London, a well-known but ill-starred philanthropic scheme of the time. It also contains a description of the modes of dealing in slaves. John Adams’s Sketches taken during ten voyages to Africa offers a detailed account of slave trading in Bonny and Old Calabar, w...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

African Americans and the Civil War Essay Example for Free (#2)

African Americans and the Civil War Essay African American (597) , African (466) , Civil War (178) , Martin Luther King (60) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? In the world we live in many people take a lot for granted. Just the small simple things people don’t really appreciate, being ungrateful for the things that have been given to them. Many people and different situations have paved the way for our generation to become much easier to live in. African Americans during the civil rights movement had to face a lot of trills in order to make the world a better place. Many people don’t appreciate that because they are unaware of just how much grief African Americans had to go though to create a path for the upcoming generation. African Americans faced many hardships during the civil rights movement, some of those hardships were segregation, voting rights, and assassination of prominent African American leaders. Segregation was such a big obstacle for African Americans because not only were they not allowed to go certain places it became bigger than that. Everything in African Americans lives were split in half. There were white only signs places all over there towns. White only signs for bathrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. Everything was separated between the two races blacks and whites. One event that really stuck out like a sore thumb was The Montgomery Bus Boycott. During, the time of segregation blacks were allowed to ride the buses, but many rules had to apply. Blacks had a black’s only section on the bus that could be moved in any location of the bus. That means that the blacks’ only sign could be moved in front of two rows on the bus if that’s what the bus driver wanted. Black riders had to pay their bus far on the front of the bus and get off to walk to the back of the bus to ride. Some bus drivers would allow the blacks to pay and when the step off the bus the bus driver would drive away and leave them. When blacks did receive a chance to ride on the bus, if a white person did not have a seat to sit in a black person had to give up their seat. The blacks of Montgomery, Alabama, decided that they would boycott the city buses until they could sit anywhere they wanted, instead of being relegated to the back when a white boarded. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for not standing and letting a white bus rider take her seat. The plan to stop the whites from making the blacks move was the boycott. Blacks would no longer ride the buses anymore. That means that the bus companies were losing a lot of money. Blacks would walk to work or school and even carpool, but would not step foot on the buses. The boycott continued for over a year. Eventually, the United States Supreme Court put an end to the boycott. On November 13, 1956 the Court declared that Alabama’s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses were illegal. On December 20th federal injunctions were served on city and bus company officials forcing them to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling. African Americans had to face a lot just so that they could be treated as an equal on the bus. Segregation played a huge role in the school system. In public schools more so than any. That’s what stated the big flare Brown vs. Board of Education. The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in Oliver L. Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) is among the most significant judicial turning points in the development of our country. Originally led by Charles H. Houston, and later Thurgood Marshall and a formidable legal team, it dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation in schools and other public facilities. Brown vs. Board of Education was not simply about children and education. The laws and policies struck down by this court decision were products of the human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics. Ending this behavior as a legal practice caused far reaching social and ideological implications, which continue to be felt throughout our country. The Brown decision inspired and galvanized human rights struggles across the country and around the world. The U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown began a critical chapter in the maturation of our democracy. It reaffirmed the sovereign power of the people of the United States in the protection of their natural rights from arbitrary limits and restrictions imposed by state and local governments. These rights are recognized in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U. S. Constitution. Brown was giving African Americans the opportunity to be accepted as an individual and not just as a race. Now, you would think that after the Brown vs. Board of Education whites would accept African Americans and treat them better. That was not the case and segregation did not stop there. Although, many people had hoped that it would it took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to really make a change. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against blacks and women, and ended racial segregation in the United States. It ended unequal application of voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that served the general public. Once the Act was implemented, its effects were far-reaching on the country as a whole and had an immediate impact on the South. It prohibited discrimination in public facilities, in government, and in employment, invalidating the Jim Crow laws in the southern U. S. It became illegal to compel segregation of the races in schools, housing, or hiring. After passage of the law, the NAACP was the only major civil rights organization to maintain a large membership in the South, where it concentrated on organizing the ongoing struggle for black civil rights. During 1965-75, the NAACP remained committed to using litigation to challenge racial injustice. African Americans had to fight hard to get what they deserved and it took a lot of patients and time to receive change but it finally happened. That is we segregation ended and Africans were free to sit, eat, talk, shop, and work anywhere they wanted. Being able to vote is a very important ordeal. Many people in this day and time take advantage of being able to voice their opinions. Not taking advantage of who we desire to have in office is a sign of being ungrateful. African Americans were not given that right years ago. African Americans had to fight just so that they could vote. That’s when the Voting Act of 1965 came in play. Before, this Act was enforced African Americans had to take a literacy tests and pay poll taxes. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 abolished literacy tests and poll taxes designed to disenfranchise African American voters, and gave the federal government the authority to take over voter registration in counties with a pattern of persistent discrimination. Echoing the language of the 15th Amendment, the Act prohibits states from imposing any â€Å"voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a Democrat, who had earlier signed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Being able to vote was an honor and so many people don’t even both to go vote during the elections today. African Americans fought for the right to vote without having to take tests or pay poll taxes and people still don’t go out to vote. That is taking voting rights for granted. Being an African American during the civil rights movement was a challenge, but being an African American woman was even difficult. That’s when the period of women’s suffrage played its role. Women’s Suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or marital status. Being a woman in this time period restricted of many rights. Women’s suffrage has been granted at various times in various countries throughout the world, and in many countries it was granted before universal suffrage. Without women’s suffrage women would still be restricted to make decisions and just be limited to being mothers and wives. The women’s suffrage broke that cycle. The best way to leave a positive mark on the world is being a leader. It takes a lot of heart, courage, and sacrifice, in becoming a great leader. Leaders are persons that people look up to. They depend on a leader to give them hope to carry on and a positive role model to look up to. There were not too many people that wanted to take the position of being a leader, but a few chose to step up to the plate. African Americans needed kind and encouraging words to help uplift them during the civil rights movement. Two great leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Melcolm X took on a job to lead the world into a better place called freedom. The two leaders gave African Americans hope to continue on when they wanted to just give up. African Americans depended on these two prominent leaders to strengthen them. African Americans during the civil rights movement needed to relay on someone and those leaders were the perfect ones. No one would have ever been ready for what was expected to come. For years African American have been told what they could and couldn’t do. They have been talked about, abused, lied on, and have had everything taken from them. But, still they have stayed strong through it all. When all they had were two great prominent leaders and they were taken from them as well they still stayed strong. Two great prominent leaders were assonated. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He was best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. King was often presented as a heroic leader in the history of modern American liberalism. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. But, as people have said â€Å"all things must come to an end. † At 6:01 p. m. on April 4, 1968, a shot rang out. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , who had been standing on the balcony of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, lay sprawled on the balcony’s floor. A gaping wound covered a large portion of his jaw and neck. A great man who had spent thirteen years of his life dedicating himself to nonviolent protest had been felled by a sniper’s bullet. African Americans and the Civil War. (2016, Dec 21).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Management and Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management and Information Systems - Essay Example And when the management team and the employees work together, they will be aided by various tools, including technological tools Through out the 20th century, many technological products including Information Technology products were developed around the world, which had and is still having applications in all spheres of human lives. Out of the many technological products developed, a good number are being used in organisations, particularly Information Technology products. That is, organisation of today have used or integrated technology in every aspect of their functioning. From opening a simple door to carrying out advanced operations, technology has become an omnipresent entity in organisations, with their entire operations hinging on the support provided by technology, particularly Information Technology. The employees working in organisation will use the technological tools in various ways to complete their works effectively, easily and quickly. But, at the same time, the same employees could use the technological tools, specifically Information Technology products negatively to gain undue advantages or profits for themselves, and thereby cause damages to the organizations. This could happen when the employees’ thought process due to the certain negative situations and intentions, starts functioning in the negative direction. Negative direction in the sense, the employees instead of positively contributing his/hers skills, knowledge and experience to the organization, will try to damage their employers in all aspects using Information Technology. The employees could wreck the organisations in which they are working, by using Information Technology in both ways, that is, they could alter or break down the Information Technology products found and functioning in the organisatio ns, and also they could bring in or use other external Information Technology products from outside to disable the technologies used in the organisation. Apart

The birth and rise of islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The birth and rise of islam - Essay Example God, provides the basis for a collective sense of loyalty to God that transcends race, nationality, class and even differences in religious practice. Thus, all Muslims belong to one community, the umma, irrespective of their ethnic or national background Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, about 570 C.E. His father, ‘Abd Allah, died before Muhammad’s birth. His mother, Aminah, died when he was about six years old. At that time the Arabs practiced a form of worship of Allah that was centered in the Mecca valley, at the sacred site of the Kabah. A simple cube like building where a black meteorite was revered. As Muhammad grew up, he questioned the practices of his day. At age 25, Muhammad married Khadija, a well-to-do, 40-year-old woman. At age 40, during a retreat in the hills outside Mecca, Muhammad had his first experience of Islam. The angel Gabriel appeared to a fearful Muhammad and informed him that he was Gods chosen messenger. Gabriel also communicated to Muhammad the first revelation from God. Terrified and shaken, Muhammad went to his home. His wife became the first person to accept his message and convert to Islam. After receiving a series of additional revelations, Muhammad started preaching the new reli gion, initially to a small circle of relatives and friends, and then to the general public. The Meccans first ignored Muhammad, then ridiculed him. As more people accepted Muhammads call, the Meccans became more aggressive. After failing to sway Muhammad away from the new religion they started to persecute his less prominent followers. When this approach did not work, the opposing Meccans decided to persecute Muhammad himself. By this time, two main tribes from the city of Yathrib, about 300 km (200 mi) north of Mecca, had invited Muhammad to live there. The clan leaders invited Muhammad to Yathrib as an impartial religious authority to arbitrate disputes. In return, the leaders pledged to accept Muhammad as a prophet and thus support the new

The Pandigital Novel Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Pandigital Novel - Research Paper Example black and white to help accommodate the personal needs of each consumer.1 Of course, as with any product, there are good and bad reviews. One review mentions that the good aspect about the Pandigital Novel e-reader is that it incorporates Wi-Fi, web browsing, extra slot for additional memory, imaging and video, as well as audio capabilities. The poor features are the â€Å"resistive touch-screen is problematic; extremely sluggish performance; interface could be more intuitive; overall user experience could be better.† 2 The main product in which the Pandigital novel is consistently compared to is the Macintosh iPad. The reason for this being that the popularity of the iPad is substantial and thus the push to mimic the Mac device. Already the significant difference of the two is that the Pandigital Novel is much less in cost than the iPad ($199 vs. $499+). Unfortunately, the consumer appears to be getting what he or she pays for in the less expensive model due to the fact that the screen is not as responsive and the programs can be slow-acting in the Pandigital Novel. The iPad carries many more features including two cameras, HD recording, dual-core A5 chip, 10-house battery life, thinner, lighter, and comes with 16 applications to name a few.3 Apple as a producer was able to quickly produce a newer version of the iPad faster than the Pandigital Novel producers. ... cripples reaching Wi-Fi hotspots.4 Although, it allows for more memory space by having a slot for an SD card, the natural memory storage in the iPad super exceeds the Pandigital Novel. In essence, the Pandigital Novel has its issues, especially in light of its top competitor, the iPad. However, what consumers must recognize is that the Pandigital Novel is significantly less money than the iPad. It is also offering specs that many consumers would be satisfied with dependant on their needs. If the consumer is not desiring all of the extra applications or browsing features that are better on the iPad and wanting a simple, but radiant e-book reader, than the Pandigital Novel is a befitting choice. Works Cited Carnoy, David. "Pandigital Novel (white)." Cnet Reviews. Ed. John P. Falcone. N.p., 17 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 July 2011. . "iPad: There's more to it. And even less of it." Apple.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2011. . Joan, Ben. "Difference Between Apple iPad and Pandigital Novel." Differenc eBetween.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2011. . "Pandigital Novel Color Multimedia eReaders - U.S." Pandigital. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 July 2011.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

THE GENERAL ELECTRIC AND THE HEWLETT PACKARD (HP) Essay

THE GENERAL ELECTRIC AND THE HEWLETT PACKARD (HP) - Essay Example The competitive advantage refers to an advantage gained over competitors either by providing greater value to consumers, by lowering the prices, or by offering more benefits and service which justifies the higher price. Corporate strategies are the central point of achieving the competitive advantage by making assumptions on an organization’s external environment and its resources, and by creating policies on how the organization should operate. General Electric and Hewlett Packard are the two most influential companies in the technology market. A comparative study of the strategies used by GE and HP reveals that both have formulated analogous strategies in the various aspects of their business operation. ----------------- Introduction The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly known as the HP, is a well established and very large global firm founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard and headquartered in California, United States. Their products focus mainly on technology li ke computer, printing, digital imaging, and also software services. General Electric (GE) is the producer of diversified technology, media, and services, and was incorporated in 1892. It offers products and services ranging from aircrafts engines, power generation, technology in medical imaging, business and consumer financing, and many more over 100 countries. The GE has a long history of success in their technological trade and their achievements prove the value of their view, â€Å"why predict the future when you can create it?† (Our history). The Economical Environment The economical environment of the business consists of four elements, they are Political, Economic, Social, and technological. The economic environment today is moving through vibrant and unstable phases due to globalization and increasingly competitive markets. However, the Hewlett Packard Company takes advantage of exploiting new markets all around the world, engaging with other multinational corporations . A big advantage to the company is their product diversity which helps them to survive the recession. At the same time, the GE is faced with many social issues regarding environmental pollutions. It has become a topic for controversies with regards to the immense ownership and control over the media sources. The company has been alleged for spending millions of dollars on commercial ads and television program sponsorships to ensure its environmental friendly image. The General Electric Company performs its functions in micro and macro environment. The micro-environment consists with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders of the business. The GE treats its customers as an integral part of the company in the successful running of the business. The GE has taken higher efforts to integrate the company’s view with the customers’ view rather than considering them as mere investors. As customer service has been considered as the vital part of the performance, it mainta ins three crucial components regarding the quality offered to customers; the employees, the process, and the customers themselves. On the other hand, the organizational culture of HP is built up progressively over a time, which helps the employees to define how they feel about their job. The HP has succeeded in creating a positive influence of the culture on their employees. A positive culture helps to stimulate commitment towards the job and to achieve the proposed goals. Decision Making The General Electric Company employs some basic strategies in their decision making. One among them is to invest and tap the internal market within the reach of the company. This strategy seems to have utilized the principle that ‘a business must be employee-oriented if it wishes to be customer-oriented’

Mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Mangment - Essay Example ng a project is usually desirable when the project timeline is inaccurate, and the project implementation process lags behind the set schedule, or project completion date is raised up (Pinto 298). In these situations, it is difficult to complete a project within the stipulated period as set in the original schedule. Therefore, it is recommendable to crash the project or activities to establish new completion dates. Additionally, crashing is sometimes desirable when penalties or late fees are incurred. In some cases, it is advisable to crash activities than pay the extra activities (Pinto 299). The critical path is usually the longest path within the network. Crashing project or activities is performed on the critical path to reduce the overall project duration period (Pinto 302). This is because crashing projects or activities outside the critical path increase overall cost. It also only reduces the time for the completion of a single activity, but not the overall time of the project completion. Therefore, it is advisable to crash activities that lie, on the critical path to reduce the time for project completion and extra

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Educational Strategies for Dyslexic students Essay

Educational Strategies for Dyslexic students - Essay Example Dyslexia is found to cause extreme depression to the affected individual as he understands his inabilities and deficiency in sharp contrast to the other consummate all-rounders around him. It can greatly reduce a person's confidence as one's extreme efforts may even seem futile when normal competitors toil not even as much and achieve better results. This study shows that with the right learning techniques and an added amount of struggle, along with individual attention of a patient helper, dyslexic children can overcome this problem to a great extent in their formative years. Almost every other school teacher finds at least one incidence of dyslexia in their life-long teaching experience. Teachers often witness cases of extraordinary students suffer from acute stress in class, extreme low self-esteem and a general distrust of the world. It is quite likely they are suffering from a learning disability disorder called Dyslexia. Affected individuals, particularly those unaware of their disorder, are prone to extreme depression and suicidal tendencies which proves them to be a persistent challenge for not only the parents but also the teachers as they require more attention than the other typically developing children. Dyslexia is now declared by Psychologists to be a common learning disability that is characteristic of severe reading impairment without any physiological or psychological problems. No proven cause has been found for dyslexia except that it is surely innate.Dyslexia is a high-incidence disorder among people from all cultures, ethnic groups and socio-economic backgrounds. A tough challenge for school teachers, childhood dyslexia is found in children as a continuous difficulty in writing and reading, both lexically (confusing word meaning) or grammatically (confusing writing rules and word order), of printed words which hinders their reading capabilities. Dyslexia is a genetic neurological problem which affects both men and women equally regardless of their intelligence and is symptomized by frequent aggression, early hearing problems, embarrassment, irritability, headaches, difficulty sleeping, fingernail biting, loss of appetite, bed wetting etc. School is particularly a special challenge for dyslexic children, where so much of their day is focused on dealing with text. Their confusion with vowel sounds, letter reversals (such as 'b' for 'd', or 'p' for 'q') or the inability to write symbols in the correct sequence (such as 'tar' for 'rat') affect their comprehension of the content taught at school in great contrast to t heir typically developing classmates. Various attempts to strategize effective educational practices for these special children have brought about fruitful results when put into application at different schools. Following is a case study of a dyslexic child assigned to a single teacher, who with sufficient attention and appreciation of the teacher, along with his added amount of struggle was able to achieve second place in a class of normal students. Sam, when diagnosed with

Mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Mangment - Essay Example ng a project is usually desirable when the project timeline is inaccurate, and the project implementation process lags behind the set schedule, or project completion date is raised up (Pinto 298). In these situations, it is difficult to complete a project within the stipulated period as set in the original schedule. Therefore, it is recommendable to crash the project or activities to establish new completion dates. Additionally, crashing is sometimes desirable when penalties or late fees are incurred. In some cases, it is advisable to crash activities than pay the extra activities (Pinto 299). The critical path is usually the longest path within the network. Crashing project or activities is performed on the critical path to reduce the overall project duration period (Pinto 302). This is because crashing projects or activities outside the critical path increase overall cost. It also only reduces the time for the completion of a single activity, but not the overall time of the project completion. Therefore, it is advisable to crash activities that lie, on the critical path to reduce the time for project completion and extra

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Is the Chinese Renminbi Undervalued Essay Example for Free

Is the Chinese Renminbi Undervalued Essay Since July 2005, first time being revalued after 11 years of fixing at 8.27, Chinese Yuan has been heading towards only one direction – all the way from 8.27 to 6.27. Although Yuan is a highly regulated currency by government, Chinese officials could no longer peg the Yuan as it used to be in a closed economy because WTO had opened up doors for Chinese manufacturers in 2001 to export cheap goods and services to developed countries. With trillions of foreign capital flooding into the country, Yuan has appreciated over 30% over seven years. However, this one-way money flow cannot be sustained. Though it is not sure whether Yuan is at the absolute equilibrium, it is currently neither significantly undervalued nor overvalued. This essay is going to explain why Yuan is modestly priced with analysis in both the fundamentals and money flows. Needs for appreciation in past In theory, two open economies should have equivalent purchasing power – that is, if 10 units of foreign currency can buy something that is valued at 1 unit of domestic currency, the implied equilibrium exchange rate should also be 10(domestic as based money). Otherwise, there is an arbitrage opportunity. We call this Purchase Power Parity. In reality, despite some limitations about this theory, it explains most of the valuation problem in China. Take a look at China’s Balance of Payments over 2003-2010 and it is obvious to observe huge surplus annually in both current and capital financial account, accumulating to a foreign reserve of $3.3 trillion. Reach equilibrium? At the government level, on one hand, it had to increase money base to maintain exchange rate against USD at a gradual appreciation pace. On the other hand, it needs to hold huge foreign assets, primarily in USD, to back up its currency from deprecation in the event of capital outflows. Amid the money inflow, Chinese central bank faced mounting pressure of inflation on local assets. The private sectors are impacted in two ways. Firstly, Chinese residents and companies feel much richer now because higher RMB increases their purchase power of foreign assets. This means more imports and capital account outflows. Secondly, inflation and appreciation means that Chinese products and services are more expensive. And this would lead to less exports. Pew Survey showed that 70% of Chinese people feel financially better off than five years ago, which among the best in the world. In the last a few years, the fact of continues Yuan appreciation, associated with stories about how China is cash rich and how Chinese investors are buying everything they can in the world, raises interesting discussion if Yuan had appreciated enough. There is also a trend that more goods are manufactured in new WTO members such as Nepal and Vietnam that have price advantage over China. Moreover, in the currency forward market, investors have priced in modest depreciation for Yuan in the next 12 months and spot market is no longer moving towards one direction. Data shows†¦ All those various observations reveal the same process that drives RMB exchange rate to an equilibrium level. Recent data also suggests that at current FX level, the rise in trade surplus and capital finance account surplus slowed (see chart below). So does foreign reserve. What does it means? If we apply a popular formula: Capital out flow = Foreign Reserve – FDI – Trade surplus Numbers imply that 62.4 – 128.5 – 145.8 = 211.9 billions has flown out of China in the first three quarters of 2012. Although this estimation still lacks of actual evidence, the scale of growth slowing down in foreign reserve in 2012 is worth attention since it is so large that it is hard to be justified by seasonal adjustment or calculation period discrepancy. This might signal the start of reverse capital flows of Yuan, which means Yuan is no longer undervalued. Ultimately†¦ The answer to Yuan’s valuation problem is complex especially given that it is still mostly controlled by government and there are so many dynamic factors to consider. So far there are some money flows and data support the conclusion that Yuan is no longer significantly undervalued. In the long run, as expectation of Chinese government to allow a fully conversion Yuan is built on, maybe the real answer can only be found out by then.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Basic philosophy of the skilled helper model

Basic philosophy of the skilled helper model In the first edition of The Skilled Helper,published in 1975, Egan expounded a model of the helping process with the goal to establish a training technology that applies to helper training and to the helping process itself. The subtitle of The Skilled Helper is A Problem Management and Opportunity Development Approach to Helping, and this reflects Egans focus on problem solving and goal setting rather than dwelling on the past causes of problems. It provides a structured approach to the helping process rather than providing a theory of personality. The Skilled Helper is now in its ninth edition, and with each edition Egan has developed and refined the model, with differing emphasis upon its various stages. Egan does not claim the model asThe Egan Model but regards it as his own version of the basic dynamics of the problem management process (Interview 1995). It is influenced by the Person Centred approach of Carl Rogers and the Cognitive Behavioural theories of Albert Ellis, amongst others. The Rogers Core Conditions help provide the basis of the client-helper relationship whilst the Cognitive Behavioural approach of Albert Ellis can assist with the problem management stages of the model. The model is extremely flexible, and its integrative style allows for the introduction of various psychotherapeutic techniques into the helping process. Its fluidity allows the process to readily flow to any stage of the continuum to suit the clients current needs, whilst providing the helper with orientation on what stage the process is at. It has proved an enduring and successful approach to counselling and problem solving, and has readily crossed into other cultures. Egan partly describes its success as due to its logic being embedded in human beings. The problem solving process is recognised by humans around the world almost as a universal principle and therefore the stages of the model are readily identified with. The use of CBT techniques can introduce problems for under skilled helpers who may provide inappropriate guidance through the problem solving stages. The inexperienced helper may also view the model as a process of rigid stages and this may lead the helper away from the person centred relationship resulting in a poorer outcome for the client. From my own experience in the skills workshops there can be a tendency to rush through each stage of the process rather than develop the relationship at the clients own pace. 2. The key concepts and principles of the model The model breaks the helping process down into three sections, each describing a stage of the helping and problem-solving process. Each stage is further sub-divided into three tasks that help define the stage and the processes involved. Whilst in theory the implementation of the stages is sequential, in practice they overlap, and the helping process may move backwards and forwards freely between stages. Stage 1: The Current Picture This stage sets the scene and is the clients opportunity to say what is happening in their life and to tell their story. Task 1a: The Story The client is encouraged to talk and say why they have come to counselling and what is happening in their lives. The counsellor must draw upon Rogers Core Conditions and their active listening skills to build a relationship that expresses their understanding and acceptance of the client. Such skills would include open questions, reflection, paraphrasing and summarising The narrative should progress at the clients own pace. Task 1b: Blind Spots and New Perspectives The purpose of this task is to help the client recognise the blind spots in their story that they may have overlooked or not recognised, and to help them take a new perspective on them. The counsellor can draw upon their skills of advanced empathy and immediacy to raise questions that challenge the clients perception or understanding. Self-disclosure may be used with caution by the counsellor if it is felt appropriate, whilst the counsellors use of immediacy may challenge the client to consider what is going on here and now. Task 1c: Leverage As part of stages 1a and 1b the client may have raised many issues that could be discussed. However, stage 1a helps the client, through appropriate questioning, to focus and identify one issue that would bring the greater benefit and make a difference in their life. Often managing such a problem or opportunity may minimise or eliminate the other issues raised. Alternatively the large problems in a clients life may seem so unresolvable that they need reducing to smaller issues that will help the client cope with the present, and allow them to address further issues one step at a time. The issue chosen should be of sufficient gravity to continue working with, often clients will choose problems that they can manage happily themselves. It is also important that the client is able to take ownership of the problem and show commitment to resolving it before moving to stage 2 of the model. Stage 2: The Preferred Picture At stage 2 the client is helped to envisage what their ideal outcome would be, what they want their world to look like. From the future possibilities the counsellor can help the client focus on a range of objectives to work towards. Task 2a: Possibilities The client is helped to consider the possibilities for a better future and to explore what that future may be. This task often involves a level of brainstorming and creative thinking. Clients should be encouraged to use their imagination and suspend judgement. A typical question the counsellor may ask would be If you had a magic wand what would you want? Task 2b: Change Agenda From the range of possibilities identified in task 2a, workable goals can be identified which constitute the clients change agenda. The goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based) and it is important that they are the clients goals. Task 2c: Commitment When a client leaves a counselling session and has to face the distractions of daily life, goals set at 2b are easily forgotten. The counsellor can help by ensuring that the goals chosen are appealing to the client and the clients own. The client should be helped to embrace and take ownership of the goals Stage 3 The Way Forward Without a strategy, the client may feel that the goals chosen at 2b remain unrealisable. This stage helps formulate strategies for achieving the clients goals. From these strategies a plan can be drawn to help the client move forward. Task 3a: Possible Strategies The client is encouraged to think about the possible paths that can be taken to achieve their goals. Like at stage 2a, the client should be encouraged to brainstorm and be imaginative. The counsellor may use their skills in probing and prompting to help the client focus on different avenues. Task 3b: Best-fit Strategies There may be a number of possible strategies identified at stage 3a, however not all may be suitable to the clients circumstances. At this stage the counsellor can help the client to choose the most appropriate. Ideally, the preferred strategies will be those that are most likely to succeed and that the client has enthusiasm for. 3. The Introduction of Material From Two Other Therapeutic Schools Transactional Analysis (TA) TA is a theory of personality developed by Eric Berne (1910-1970), a Canadian psychologist that looks at the analysis of social interactions. Berne stressed the importance of early life experiences on our personality and was influenced emerging humanist ideas that people are born OK. The philosophy of TA is based upon 3 assumptions: People are born OK We can all make our own decisions Nobody can make us do, think or say anything without our consent. TA comprises three key areas: A theory of personality comprising 3 ego states. Child, Adult, Parent that reflect our thoughts and behaviours A model of communication or transactions. In particular Berne was interested in what ego state people were transacting from and to. A developmental model referring to life scripts. We all develop a life script from an early age and live our life by it. Both the Egan Model and Transactional Analysis challenge clients to have a new perspective upon problems and both are influenced by Rogers Person Centred approach and the core conditions. However whilst TA is a theory of personality based upon ego states, the Egan model does not address personality or social theory and provides framework for helping into which elements of other theories can be introduced. TA therapy is generally over a much longer period than counselling under the Egan model which defines the specific goals of the counselling sessions much more clearly. Psychodynamic Therapy Psychodynamic Therapy is based upon the personality theories of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) and psychoanalytical psychotherapy. Freud recognised a difference between the conscious and the unconscious, or repressed, mind. A mid way between the two is our pre-conscious where our subconscious filters into our dreams or fantasies. Psychodynamic counselling aims to bring the unconscious to the conscious, enabling the client to construct a more effective personality through their increased awareness. Freud developed three components of personality: Id. Our basic, unconscious instincts. Our animal drives Ego. the ego represents what may be called reason and common sense, in contrast to the id which contains the passions (Freud 1923) Superego. An internal moral, parental voice. Freud believed that our childhood influenced our later personality and that we later re-enacted the patterns established at an early age. Psychodynamic counselling focuses on early development and experiences to help the client understand the present. Psychodynamic Counselling is insight orientated and tries to gain understanding by delving into our past. The Egan approach is goal orientated, looking to a better future created by the clients own actions. Egan is built upon the Person Centred ideas of Rogers and is therefore client centred. The best person to solve the clients problem, is the client. In contrast Psychodynamic counselling is expert based. The counsellor interprets the evidence provided by the client. Egan looks to change current situations whilst Psychodynamic Counselling looks for understanding. However,the flexibility of the Egan framework allows psychodynamic, or other, theories to be introduced if the counsellor believes this would be of benefit. 5. Recognition of Using Methods and Techniques Without Adequate Training

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Unladylike Lady in Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

The Unladylike Lady in Macbeth      Ã‚   William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth presents in the role of the leading lady an intimidating and selfish Lady Macbeth. Let us in this paper get to the bottom of her character.    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" describes the unnaturalness of Lady Macbeth's words and actions:    Thus the sense of the unnaturalness of evil is evoked not only be repeated explicit references ("nature's mischief," "nature seems dead," " 'Tis unnatural, even like the deed that's done," and so on) but by the expression of unnatural sentiments and an unnatural violence of tone in such things as Lady Macbeth's invocation of the "spirits" who will "unsex" her, and her affirmation that she would murder the babe at her breast if she had sworn to do it. (95)    Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare underscores how ambition by the protagonists leads to detestation on the part of the readers:    The danger of ambition is well described; and I know not whether it may not be said in defence of some parts which now seem improbable, that, in Shakespeare's time, it was necessary to warn credulity against vain and illusive predictions. The passions are directed to their true end. Lady Macbeth is merely detested; and though the courage of Macbeth preserves some esteem, yet every reader rejoices at his fall. (133)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson specifies the fears within Lady Macbeth:      I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature. Lady Macbeth fears her husband's human nature, as well as her own female nature, and therefore she fears the light of reason and the common dayllight world. As for Macbeth, he knows from the first that he is engaged in an irrational stunt: "I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself / And falls on the other." In this sequence there is also the theme of outwitting or transcending time, an aspect of nature's order as we know it: catching up the consequences, jumping the life to come, and the like.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Raves :: essays research papers

We’ve all seen them before. Maybe at a bus stop, in our schools, or at the coffee shop. â€Å"They† look odd enough to frighten a circus clown, but for some reason, they always smile when you look their way. Perhaps it’s that their hair is the color of the sunset or that their pants look like they could house a small family. It could be that their headphones seem permanently glued to their ears and that they’re never afraid to groove on the sidewalk. Whatever the reason, you know that â€Å"they† are not quite normal. You may call them â€Å"freaks,† or â€Å"punks,† or simply â€Å"those crazy kids.† But if you did, you’d be misled for â€Å"they† are not you’re average young people, no, â€Å"they† are ravers. Before we go any further, I think I should first dispel some rumors and ease your mind of the negative thoughts that must be sweeping through it. What do you think of when you hear the word rave? Drugs? Hoodlum kids running amuck? Loud music that interferes with the whole community’s sleeping habits? Violence? The dictionary defines the word â€Å"rave† as a numerous amount of things, such as â€Å"an act or instance† or the verb â€Å"to talk with extreme enthusiasm,† but this is one case where Webster has got it all wrong. What is the true definition of a rave? In most cases, a rave is simply a dance party where guests experience a sense of camaraderie and elevated consciousness through the presence of music. This means there is an abundance of dance expression, interaction with other such ravers, and a positive mood change. And while there are sometimes drugs involved, there is absolutely no deliberate disturbance of the peace and zero tolerance for vio lence. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s divulge into the history of this invigorating phenomenon. The exact origin of raves is unknown, though many say the gatherings are reminiscent of American Indian religious ceremonies, like pow-wows. The first modern raves are said to have occurred in English warehouses around 1987 and were focused around homosexual males. Since then, raves have grown more than anyone might think possible. With this growth has come evolution as well. Raves are now held in nearly almost city or town, whether it be heavily populated or in the middle of cornfields. Customarily, they are centered in abandoned warehouses decked out in black lights and strobes, but they have taken place on beaches, in caves, and virtually any other place with enough room for the 500-1500 person congregation.