Film Girl interrupted Essay

Susanna Kaysen is the author of Girl Interrupted, her memoirs that explore a two-year period that she spent as a patient in a mental institution for young women. Split into three sections, mind versus brain, the clinical definition of a borderline personality disorder, and her diagnosis, her memoirs serve as an argument against her clinical diagnosis. In â€Å"Mind vs. Brain† we are given a layman’s introduction to psychology. Kaysen, through the use of various writing techniques, explains to the average reader what psychology is. Then, as a preface to her main argument, we are shown the different aspects of a borderline personality disorder and how one is diagnosed. Along with this scientific methodology, Kaysen infuses her own thoughts and opinions. And finally, she presents us with her argument where she explores her life as a young woman; how conformity and period sex roles landed her in a mental institution. She revisits her friends and the events that occurred over 20 years ago while she was a member of the institution. Through her exploration, we the reader get to know her better by understanding the views and beliefs of the times and her personal struggle against conformity. Battling the role of women in society, Kaysen exemplifies the classic protagonist. She tells her story to revisit a past that she has locked away, and to educate using her life and experiences as a novel example. By applying the literary techniques of definition, narrative, and figurative language, Kaysen employs a unique writing style, the fusion of these persuasive techniques, to lure the reader in and keep them wanting more. There is a wide variety of figurative language employed throughout this piece that is essential to the effectiveness of Kaysen’s writing. The most notable application of figurative language employed by Kaysen is seen in her introduction, the exploration of the mind and brain. â€Å"I’m you’re mind, you can’t parse me into dendrites and synapses† (269). And with this statement, Kaysen personifies the human mind. Having a living breathing personality, the reader is able to draw a picture of it and see in a brighter light what she is explaining. She expands on this, explaining the interaction in the brain being that of two interpreters, one reporter and one news analyst. She turns the mind into a collection of conversations instead of a ball of gray matter. While this concept of gray matter is tangible, our minds can grasp  the idea of constantly battling interpreters. She continues by providing the reader with a model of the conversation that occurs in the human mind. Interpreter One: There’s a tiger in the corner. Interpreter Two: No, that’s not a tiger – that’s a bureau. Interpreter One: It’s a tiger, it’s a tiger! Interpreter Two: Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go look at it. (270) The dialogue acts as a short play that the reader can act out in his/her mind. By creating this metaphor, Kaysen is able to portray to the reader what many psychology textbooks often fail at doing; She explains how the mind works on a simple level. She then juxtaposes this healthy model with one that is afflicted by mental illness. Simply, the reader learns what separates a healthy mind from an ill one. This approach to modeling the brain is effective because she stretches out her initial thesis on the mind to span her discussion of the mind and brain. It is effective because she doesn’t begin her exploration by scaling the peaks of Everest. She traverses the foothills first, proceeds to hiking, and then begins her ascent of the mountain itself. Many scientific approaches to modeling the human mind begin at the top and evaluate its structure through soil composition, climate, biodiversity, and more. But, Kaysen starts at the roots and crawls slowly up through the branches, mak ing sure not to jump or skip over any necessary parts. Next, she deals with the role of psychoanalysts in the field. She compares their work to reporting on a country they have never visited. This conclusion to her initial thesis is quite effective in summing up the information she presented on the mind and brain. Basically, she explains that you can never really understand what is going on in the mind of a mental patient without being in their shoes and experiencing it for  yourself. â€Å"Psychoanalysts have been writing op-ed pieces about the workings of a country they’ve never traveled to,† (272) is how Kaysen puts it. One could interpret her metaphor as pointing out that they are hypocrites, but it is more accurately a suggestion she puts forth; you can’t understand mental illness fully without actually having been a member in its society. This is perhaps why Kaysen is able to describe the mind with such ease. The language and style employed by Susanna Kaysen in this literary work plays a profound role in conv incing the reader of her beliefs. Kaysen’s use of definition in this piece gives the reader insight to her life and has a profound impact on her argument. Perhaps the most important definition Kaysen applies throughout this paper is that of a borderline personality disorder. The purpose of this whole argument is to deconstruct the clinical definition by picking away at the invalid claims it cites, and proving her point; she was incorrectly diagnosed. Her whole argument teeters on the failure of the clinical definition to accurately classify a mental illness. Clinically, a borderline personality is classified by â€Å"a pervasive pattern of instability of self-image, interpersonal relationships, and mood† (272). She later argues against this claim of instability explaining that this is what defines teenagers. Teenagers, according to Kaysen, are uncertain of who they are and what their futures hold. She also explores the concept of an unhealthy self-image further, which is central to the clinical diagnosis. â€Å"I saw myself, quite correctly, as unfit for the educational and social system. But, [others] †¦ image of me was unstable, since it was out of kilter with reality.† (277) Reality, as Kaysen implies it, is adherence to the role of a young woman. She was different, plain and simple. Nowadays we classify different as good. We equate difference with individuality and everyone strives to be unique these days; we are all searching for that one thing that separates us from the rest of the crowd. Another aspect of the clinical definition is a chronic sense of emptiness and boredom. Kaysen comes clean and admits to this but not without providing a defense against it. She felt â€Å"desolation, despair, and depression,† (279) as a direct result of societal pressures, conformity, and being different. No one understood her and this only perpetuated more feelings of solitude and  isolation. This method of deconstruction is effective because it structures her argument. Her purpose is to provide a defense against this clinical definition. The reader, presented with a comprehensive and in-depth definition of the disorder, is able to juxtapose clinical theory with personal reality and see more clearly Kaysen’s point. This method is very effective in persuading the reader and is often employed in arguments to disprove a belief or position. It allows her to flow easily from science to personal experience and acts as a bond between the two, thereby making her writing a si ngular entity. Through the use of narratives, the reader comprehends Kaysen’s position and is able to explore her life in first person. In the third section, where Kaysen discusses her diagnosis and time at the hospital, we explore her life through a personal narrative. This section is quite important because it is where she begins to pull apart the clinical definition she cited in the previous section. We, the reader, get to see first hand what was going on in Kaysen’s mind as a teenager. She talks of her uncertainties, incapacities, wrist-banging, desolation and depression, self-image and much more. Her discussion of wrist-banging is one of the more memorable vignettes. She describes sitting on her butterfly chair in her room and participating in this extracurricular activity. We learn from her story that these activities were not a result of self-deprecation, but more a result of inner pain and isolation because she wasn’t like everyone else and people resented her for it. Having no one to relate to, and no one to confide in, she was left by herself to constantly question who and what she was. Being a teenager and not having the answers to society’s questions, she could not help but be led to such activities. This particular story is compelling because it arouses emotion in the reader and creates a sense of feeling and understanding for her and the trouble she has been put through. Some cynics would simply chalk this up to a deliberate emotional appeal of the author, but Kaysen has established that â€Å"all [she] can do is give the particulars: an annotated diagnosis,† (275) and leave the rest up to our interpretation. We can be assured that Kaysen’s intent in revealing this activity serves no more purpose than telling her story. She also explains her incapacities. She â€Å"was living a life based on [them],† (277) much like many other kids. We all are bogged down by what we can’t do. It depresses us and thwarts our progression. It wasn’t her incapacities that stopped her, it was those around her. She didn’t provide â€Å"any reasonable explanation for these refusals,† and perhaps that is why it drew so much attention. If she had told them why then maybe they could justify her feelings. But not doing so only perpetuated questions and suspicion. The reader can relate to this indecisiveness because we have all experienced a time in our lives when we just didn’t care about anything. The quintessential teenager is characterized by a chronic indecisiveness towards life. By exploring this aspect, Kaysen is able to draw the reader closer to her and makes this technique an effective strategy in her argument. Finally, in her narrative, she explores what clinicians call premature death and her own experience with Daisy’s death. She admits that she had thought of death, but â€Å"the idea of [it] worked on [her] like a purgative,† (279) and she always came to the final conclusion that it would only make things worse. Her ability to reason gives the reader more insight towards her diagnosis. She could reason between the two interpreters in her mind. She could separate illusion from reality and these abilities strongly emphasized her argument. The use of Kaysen’s narrative in this piece plays an integral role in convincing the reader and is effective in its purpose. Without such a persuasive strategy, Kaysen’s case would be poorly constructed, and lacking in support. While Kaysen’s unique writing format infuses new ideas into the reader’s mind, I do concede that there are several instances where these styles have limitations and even perpetuate a state of confusion in the reader. The main problem with Kaysen’s highly figurative language is that not everyone can follow or relate to it. This prevents those who cannot make a connection with her metaphors and analogies from understanding what she so eloquently writes about. This is a common barrier faced by writers: to simplify or elaborate. While simplifying opens your ideas to all readers, it stifles your exploration and sometimes prevents you from proving your point. Contrastingly, elaborating on your simple statements can lead to a jumble of  disjointed thoughts with no apparent connection. One must be wary. One must ride the thin border between the two and ultimately it is the decision of the writer which route is proper. While Kaysen teeters on the brink of both, in the end she comes through and accomplishes her purpose; to present a multitude of premises against her clinical diagnosis. Without elaborating in places, the reader would be left outside her mind unable to see her innermost thoughts and experiences. It is Susanna Kaysen’s ability to flirt along this border, above all others, that distinguishes her writing technique and makes it effective in supporting her argument. In light of this support, Kaysen is able to gain recognition from the reader. Perhaps most profound is the emotion that her writing induces, leaving the reader in a state of reflection and questioning, and a state of compassion for her and her tribulations. The most effective tool a writer has is the ability to bring about emotion in the reader. This can be considered a basic requirement of all art forms; to promote an emotion that pushes the subject to reflect on the story laid before them and their lives. All good art accomplishes this on some level and Girl Interrupted is no exception.

Mental mindset paper Essay

Assume you work in Human Resources as a part of the management team for AAA Transportation in Waukegan, WI, which has recently been acquired. AAA Transportation is an interstate trucking company that specializes in transporting wholesale produce in refrigerated trailers throughout the Midwest. The new owners want to make some sweeping changes in the services offered. One of the things that they would like to do is add delivery of nonperishable products, such as canned foods, to their delivery routes, allowing AAA to expand the area they cover and to provide expanded service to their existing customers. They think that, because many of the routes do not require a full load on the trucks, there is room to add the nonperishable goods and provide delivery at a lower rate than the customers are now paying. Two of your coworkers, Vernon and Bud, are resistant to the changes proposed by the new owners. Vernon supervises the company’s drivers and Bud works in the corporate offices. Vernon does not think that it is a good idea to expand out of their core business, while Bud thinks that AAA is not strong enough to compete with existing companies that service the nonperishable foods market (several of whom AAA has had a long history of mutually respecting each others customers and routes); they risk alienating long-term customers; and transporting nonperishable goods in refrigerated trailers is inefficient. Both employees have been with the company for more than 20 years and have much influence among the rest of the employees. Management does not want to terminate such long-term and  influential employees but need for Vernon and Bud to join the effort to make the company successful  Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you define and discuss mental model/mindsets and their impact on you and your two  coworkers. Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team.  Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets. Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company. Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making?  Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines and how  Identify the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets and how you could use them to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team The first step is to recognize the power and limits of the models. The second step is to test the relevance of the mental models against changing environment and to generate new models. The third step is to overcome inhibitors such as lack of information, lack of trust, desire to hold on to old patterns, and the expectations of the others. The final step is to implement the model, assess the model and continuously strengthen the model (Crook, Wind, Gunther, 2005, p. xxiv). Identify the five forces that influence those mental model/mindsets of your coworkers and discuss how those forces might affect your coworkers’ mindsets The Porter Five Forces model helps to simplify the business decision-making process by breaking down business situations into five key areas, which include Supplier Power, Buyer Power, Competitive Rivalry, Threat of Substitution and Threat of New Entry (Mind Tools, 2011). By using this model to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business and its competitors, aspects of risk, planning and decisions for a course of action can be clarified. However, an incorrect perception in any of the five areas could create a mindset that limits decision-making process (Malone-Kline, 2008). For example, a known weakness in the areas of Buyer Power, Supplier Power or Threat of Substitution could create the mindset of vulnerability to a Threat of New Entry without recognizing that an extremely high cost of entry (hence high risk) places any new entry in a more vulnerable position (Mind Tools, 2011). A large number of suppliers can result in a mindset of relative strength in the area of supplier power, a mental model that could prove disastrous if a sudden shortage occurred (such as was the case when Japanese  silicon chip manufacturers closed down after the recent earthquakes, causing a worldwide shortage of certain high quality chips). The inverse could also be true as was the case for Buyer Power in the U.S. housing market when the low buyer power mindset for many was not in line with the sudden drop in housing prices. For many computer manufacturers, a Threat of Substitution position of power mindset resulted in their demise because they did not recognize the fact that the market was oversaturated. A mindset or mental model of weakness in the area of Competitive Rivalry has resulted in many new inventions not being introduced to market when in fact the invention technology was superior to rivals. Apple is a great example of a company that has recently been successful through a change in mindset in a market where their Competitive Rivalry position and mindset was not favorable only thirteen years ago (Business Insider, 2010). Include examples of what mental models/mindsets are possibly affecting Vernon and Bud’s decision-making processes and affecting their relationship with the company Analyze your most commonly used mental models/mindsets that  guide your decision making in the workplace. How do these models influence your decision making How might mental models and mindsets limit the decision making process. Education, training, influence from others, rewards or incentives and personal experience all help to create our mental model and mindset of the world around us. These factors can shape our expectations such that we make decisions based upon our mental model rather than based upon the information presented to us. For example, if we have a high level of faith in the truth of the information learned through the education process and information to the contrary is presented as a decision factor, because the information is contrary to the mental model created through our education, the new but contrary information is set aside as invalid and decisions are made based upon the mental model. Another example would be making the decision to enter a market where competition is high and so it the power of substitution. If your mental model shaped by personal experience leads you to believe that substitution is less of a factor than it really is, you may opt to take the  risk and enter that market, ignoring the substitution factor entirely, resulting in a failed venture.

Building energy management system (bems) Essay Example for Free

Building energy management system (bems) Essay What’s Wrong with Traditional Energy Management? Start Realizing Untapped Savings Opportunities and Tame Volatile Energy Costs Traditional Energy Management Approaches are Falling Short— How to Fix the Problem Energy utility costs—primarily natural gas and electricity—account for one to two percent of sales for the average business, and can be as much as four to five percent of cost of goods sold for manufacturers. With energy prices turning volatile, corporate management teams are exposed to the risk of unanticipated movements in energy costs. They are feeling relatively helpless because of the perceived inability to proactively manage regulated energy costs. At the same time, firms are publicly committing to sustainability goals and are now wondering how they will achieve them. Although many firms have implemented short-term measures to address energy costs and sustainability commitments, these efforts are falling short. Our benchmark data and research indicates that for most firms, 50 percent of their initial energy savings disappear within the first six to 12 months due to a lack of continuous monitoring, analysis and corrective action. However, significant opportunity to deliver value remains. Analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy indicates firms that embrace continuous monitoring and active energy management practices can achieve 15 to 40 percent energy savings. Conduct an energy audit: To establish an energy consumption baseline—a basic requirement for successful energy cost optimization— firms deploy monitoring devices to measure energy usage from the facility level down to the machine level. Implement audit recommendations: After assessing energy consumption levels and trends down to the machine level, managers can implement process changes to optimize energy consumption. Actions may range from policy formulation (shutting down computers at night, turning off idle equipment, etc.) to automation (automatically turning off lights) to equipment optimization (changing set-points on heavy machinery and equipment). Invest in high-efficiency equipment: With a full view of the energy consumption and equipment efficiency profile of the enterprise, firms can strategically invest in high-efficiency equipment. These capital upgrades can lower energy consumption and may also qualify for rebates and incentives that can significantly enhance potential return on investment (ROI). Figure 1: This paper looks at why traditional approaches are failing, and outlines an active energy management approach that changes the game and generates sustainable energy cost reductions. Savings Typical energy management strategies—and why they fail to deliver sustainable value. For example, when firms conduct energy audits, employees and equipment operators are aware that their energy usage is being monitored and they make changes to reduce consumption, such as turning off idle equipment. But when monitors are removed, initial savings peak and then slowly erode as employee behavior returns to normal. Similarly, when firms implement process changes, substantial initial savings accrue. However, when the monitors come off, gains decline as equipment schedules change. Operators go back to the old way of doing things and set-points revert to old levels. In addition, without detailed machine-level consumption data as a baseline (as opposed to a point-in-time snapshot), analysts are unable to come up with truly optimal process improvements because the data is not granular enough. Finally, with capital equipment upgrades, savings targets are seldom realized due to unrealistic operating assumptions used to build ROI cases and most firms’ lack of market intelligence about the complex array of incentives and rebates. 50% Savings A review of more than 100 companies and their practices reveal that most firms take three common actions to address the energy management challenge: Although these traditional energy management techniques can yield quick-hit results, there is a common pitfall: when the meters come off, it is back to business as usual and the savings disappear. â€Å"50 percent of initial energy savings disappear within the first six to 12 months due to a lack of continuous monitoring, analysis and corrective action† Months from start 2 A four-step Active Energy Management approach Recognizing where most initiatives fall short, an integrated, four-part Active Energy Management strategy can stop the bleeding and address traditional energy management shortcomings: There are several keys to making energy savings persistent. First, take monitoring and measurement from a one-time analysis to an ongoing, active competency. Leading firms use 24Ãâ€"7 advanced metering and monitoring technology with skilled analysts to proactively monitor energy consumption data and patterns. Continuous monitoring helps mitigate the savings leakage described earlier. Active monitoring allows managers to see—in near realtime—if employee behavior is beginning to change or old habits are starting to return, and identify the root causes when actual energy consumption differs from projections. In addition to preventing savings leakage, active monitoring helps identify new, incremental energy savings opportunitie s, raising the cumulative savings realized. Copyright  © 2014 Accenture All rights reserved. Go deeper: Use machine-level consumption data to drive sustainable process optimization. With a detailed understanding of energy consumption down to the individual equipment level, managers can implement detailed process optimization programs, such as changing set-points for heavy machinery. For example, an air compressor energy consumption study (see figure 2) revealed an opportunity to adjust the operating mode from continuous to throttled, resulting in 7 percent energy savings verified by ongoing measurement. In another example, adjusting improper temperature set-points in a chiller plant based on thorough analysis of usage data resulted in 30 percent energy savings. With the right intelligence and detailed monitoring, energy analysts can assess performance and immediately stop energy savings leakage. Analysts also can spot potential maintenance issues and proactively investigate when machinelevel performance deviates from expectations. Figure 2: 250 Baseline Model Target Model Baseline Data Actual Data 200 Air Compressor (kw) Get persistent: Apply â€Å"Active Energy Management† and take monitoring from a onetime activity to an active, ongoing analytical competency. 150 100 50 0 0 20 40 60 80 Air Demand (SCFM) based on Actual Production 100 3 Leverage insight: Use energy demand insight to enhance capital investment decisions and capture incentives and rebates to drive higher ROI. A comprehensive understanding of the consumption profile of the existing asset base enables much better capital investment decisions. Armed with detailed data and realistic energy consumption estimates, managers can rationally weigh the benefits of energy-efficient new equipment versus their purchase costs and other related expenses (decommissioning and disposal cost, production downtime, etc.). Beyond energy data, deep market intelligence of credits, incentives, and local, state and federal rebates can dramatically alter the ROI pr ofile of new capital investments. The opportunities are substantial: In 2011 alone, governments, nongovernmental organizations and utilities distributed more than $6.8 billion in cash payments to promote energy efficiency initiatives. Tackle the supply side: Extend Active Energy Management to integrated energy supply and demand management to drive the next level of savings. As this paper describes, current energy management practices are not delivering on their promises. The short-term benefits of energy audits and near-term recommendations quickly fade without continuous monitoring. On the other hand, Active Energy Management, which includes continuous monitoring and analysis, prevents the traditional savings leakage seen in most energy management programs. It also provides the data and insight that analysts and managers need to identify new savings opportunities and drive continuous improvement and cumulative energy savings benefits. With an established platform of ongoing measurement and management, firms can take energy savings to the next level. Detailed understanding of historical and planned consumption allows for acceleration of supply side strategies. For example, in deregulated markets, the accuracy with which a firm can predict its energy usage determines its ability to secure favorable energy rates by minimizing bandwidth charges. Energy consumers can also capture other savings through techniques like load shifting (shifting usage into lower-rate time periods) and peak shaving. Finally, in regulated markets, contrary to popular belief, firms can optimize their energy expenditures by taking advantage of the various rate structures available to purchasers and being aware of which available rates may be applicable to them. Energy and utilities represent a significant and highly volatile area of expenditure for most businesses. However, traditional energy management approaches frequently fail to deliver sustainable results. Many managers consider high energy spend as an area that cannot be addressed due to market regulations and commodity volatility. However, with continuous monitoring and Active Energy Management programs, leading firms can obtain substantial energy cost savings through better energy demand management, sustain those savings through ongoing monitoring and optimize energy purchases with deep market intelligence. Building energy management system (bems). (2016, Apr 10). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

CBRE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CBRE - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  since the company is planning to engage in global financial activities, there is a possibility of it facing additional opportunities and risks. The major risks that the company is likely to face are political risk and foreign exchange risk. Due to these risks the company is likely not to maintain its reliable and constant revenues.From this paper it is clear that   the company is also likely to face risk due to the current emerging market banks. This will be risk associated with potential loss, which may arise from the negative effects due to change of interest rates, equity price volatility, and currency exchange inherent from trading portfolio of banks. Since the CBRE Company has many opportunities because it has highly invested and has technological development, the company has potential and future developments. Due to the increasing rate of population and increased residential income, the company is planning to develop more real estates. In addit ion, a large number of people are migrating to urban centers in search of jobs and this gives the company a guarantee that they will still have increased number of customers. The company is also planning to improve its technological standards and dominate the entire town in order to attract a large customer population (Nel, et al 6). It will achieve this goal by reducing the price of its properties and set a price that is slightly lower than their competitors for competitive advantage.

Response to an essay exam Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response to an exam - Essay Example It is evident that believer may be losing the culture war to the non believers because of the continued decline in moral directions and the minimal religious liberty in the United States today. There are different flashpoints that have a greater contribution to the debate of whether God exists or not. Scientists have challenged the notion about the universe’s age. They strongly believe that it must be at least millions of years old while the bible estimates it to be less than ten thousand years old. A major contribution to this flashpoint was when astronomers came up with two systems of measurement to establish that near galaxies are millions of light years away. This brought a viewpoint different from that of believers that consider creation to have taken place in six days. This theory created another flash point of the big bang theory challenging the belief of how the universe was created. Scientist state that the universe was made with the big bang. It started from space then dispersing from each other formed the universe. George Gamow contribution to the culture war was by his theory that the universe may have formed from a hot beginning that would be cooled to form protons. However, he did not have a clear explanation of what caused the big bang. Christians, on the other hand, are sure that God created the universe and structured it specifically to be the way it is. (Edwin and Leigh, 2002) In evolution, Charles Darwin developed a materialistic view of the universe in which he stated that there is no God, only matter. He made the theoretical perception from Ivanivich Oparin’s study of how gases and water formed organic molecules when charged with electricity. Darwin states that the early life begun naturally and evolved to more complex forms as time passed by. Man evolved from animals like apes and monkeys and became more complex in body and mind over the years. He assessed that human beings are no different from animals and share similar

Leadership and Talent Management as a strategy to motivated workforce Literature review

Leadership and Talent Management as a strategy to motivated workforce - Literature review Example In the conclusion we have stated the importance of leadership and talent management in motivation of employees at workplace. They both are required in today’s’ working environment for better outcome. The word â€Å"Motivation† has come from a Latin word â€Å"Mover† which means â€Å"to move†. It is the key factor which stimulate the internal as well as the external factors of the employees of any organization. This particular factor helps to inspire the employee towards their work. By this particular factor an employee finds the inspiration to come to the work place (Oettingen and Gollwitzer, 1996, pp.). The motivational factor can be both emotional as well as materialistic. This motivational factor is totally dependent upon the employer. How the employer wants to satisfy their employees, what are the benefits they want to give to them etc. Now making the employee satisfied is very important as they are the key tools with the help of which an organization achieves their desired goals and earned profit. That is the reason why the employees of any organization are termed as Human Resource. So it is very important to keep the employees happy and satisfied with the work environment. This is so because if they will be in a good and happy state the outcome what the company will get from them will be the optimum one and this will make it easier for the company to achieve their desired target and the company will progress in a healthy manner. A feeling must be there by the side of the employer that they do care for their employee and in any tough situation they are always beside their worke r (Weiner and Graham, 1990, pp. 63-64). Different steps and initiative taken for the motivational factor in an organization will help to develop a positive attitude in the mind of the employee. The initiative regarding this factor will create a thought in the mind of the employee that the employers are concern about them and want to develop their

History and Political Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History and Political Science - Coursework Example Both a stop and an arrest are considered â€Å"seizures regulated by the Fourth Amendment† and â€Å"must be justified by reasonable suspicion of criminal activity on the part of the detainee† before they can be enacted (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 233). Furthermore, the intensity and scope of a seizure determines the transformation of a stop to an arrest (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 233). A stop is considered a temporary detention, while an arrest is more of a long-term detention. ... On the contrary, Terry recognized that it may be the essence of good police work to adopt an immediate response. (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 235) A reasonable suspicion for a stop or a probable cause for an arrest depends on the â€Å"totality of the circumstances† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 235). While â€Å"an anonymous tip, with nothing else, has been held to lack sufficient reliability to establish the reasonable suspicion for a...stop† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 235), other circumstances, such as â€Å"flight from police† may be a â€Å"relevant factor overall† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 235). This should be held in view of â€Å"the totality of the circumstances† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 235). One good example given is when a person suddenly fled at the sight of the police in a high-criminal area. While it may automatically indicate any wrongdoing of the part of the person who fled, the overall circumstances provide the police reasonable suspicion . When evidences are found on the person, then there will be a probable cause for an arrest (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 236-7). How much force can be used by an officer when executing an arrest? How is it determined? => During seizures such as an arrest or a stop, â€Å"Terry allows officers to take all necessary steps to protect themselves if the circumstances reasonably warrant such measures† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 238). If the situation requires such actions, the police officer may 1) â€Å"draw their weapons,† 2) â€Å"have a reasonable number of backup officers,† and; 3) â€Å"handcuff individuals or place them in the back of a squad car† (Harr, Hess, and Orthmann 238). However, sometimes, even just a â€Å"frisk [is enough] protective action† during seizures (Harr, Hess, and

Serial Killers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Serial Killers - Essay Example A Serial Killer is usually considered to be a person found killing two or more person within a series of incidents. It has been ascertained that serial killers are usually psychotic. There are different types of serial killers such as ‘Visionary Serial Killer’, ‘Lust Killer,’ ‘Missionary Serial Killer’, ‘Thrill Killer’ and ‘Gain Serial Killer’. As stated earlier, different types of serial killers have different motives (Leung, n.d.). Correspondingly, the primary purpose of this paper is to provide a through description of the criminal background of Dennis Rader (BTK) and explain the criminal’s behaviors. Furthermore, this paper intends to discuss psychological theories and research contributed to the apprehension, prosecution understanding and/or treatment of the criminal. Background Dennis L. Rader popularly known by the name â€Å"Bind, Torture, and Kill† (BTK) was born in the year March 09, 1945 in the city of Pittsburg, Kansas in the USA. He is the oldest son of Mr. William Rader and Mrs. Dorothea Rader. Rader’s father Mr. William was a member of the US Marine corp. who later joined a privately owned firm in the year 1948. After joining the private firm the family moved into a modest but pleasant home on N. Seneca Street which was sold after Rader was arrested in the year 2005. As a child, it was observed that Rader was normal and unremarkable like other children of that age period. It was also viewed that Rader was an active participant of Boy Scouts and was a regular activities in Church Youth group program. It was later accepted by Rader that the desire to torture and kill someone was generated during the childhood stage but had to hide it from the outside world as it was illegal against the law. However, he also admitted that as a child he killed animals by hanging them in order to fulfill his fantasy. Those who knew Rader affirmed that as a youth he was addressed a po lite and quite young man. He was also considered to be one of the most precised speaking among his friends as he only spoke very little but meaningful. With the passage of time in the year 1965, Rader enrolled into Kansas Wesleyan College in Salina. He was considered to be average student amongst his classmates. . However, in the year 1966, he joined the US Air Force with the prime motive of not being drafted into the war going on between USA and Vietnam. Rader was first send to Lack Land Air Force Base in Saint Antonio for 1 year and kept serving in the military sector till his service ended in the year 1970. It is worth mentioning at during his service in the air force Rader was ranked as sergeant for his excellence contribution to the US air force especially in installation of antenna equipment’s. Later he married Paula Dietz one of his fellow classmates and was 3 years younger than him. After their marriage they settled in Park City not far from his father’s home a nd worked in several stores till he was recruited by Cessna in the year 1973 together earning a degree in Electronics in the same year. It is worth mentioning that it took Rader 6 years of night schools to earn the degree and he describes himself as a C minus or D level students. Soon after getting fired by Cessna in the year 1973 Rader was again fascinated by his childhood desire to kill people. Soon after getting fired from the job, Rader searched for situations to fulfill his desire for killing people.

GERMAN FILM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

GERMAN FILM - Essay Example These cinematic tones have the ability and potentiality to bolster the negative perceptions or ideologies concerning the ‘others’ of societies. From this perspective, such films have the tendency of confirming, as well as creating ethnic and gender stereotypes. In this essay, the focus is on evaluation of two popular and recent films, which can influence the stereotypes of the Turkish Germans: Gegen die Wand (drama) and Kebab Connections (comedy). These films have been essential in reinforcing and deconstructing the stereotypes existing in Germany of the Turkish Germans. Stereotype refers to the oversimplified, as well as a standardized image under the influence of the special meaning by group members within the commonplace (Ames, 2012). There are various elements of stereotypes with reference to race, gender, ethnicity, and social clique. Like Germans (and each culture, race, and ethnic group), Turkish Germans have the tendency of facing critical judgement in accordance with the existing stereotypes. Nevertheless, as a minority within the context of Germany, Turkish Germans tend to have specific stereotypes, which play critical roles in ostracising them from the majority of Germany. The two films have critical implications in the course of understanding various aspects of stereotypes relating to the Turkish people. In the first instance, the films are essential to the illustration of the existing stereotype relating to patriarchal community and perception among the Turkish Germans. The stereotype attached to the Turkish Germans’ patriarchal structure relates to harsh fathers, who in most cases come out as physically abusive with the intention of expressing their prowess or dominance in comparison to their female counterparts with the society. According to various feminist practitioners and scholars, the social structure relates

How to Study in Library Essay Example for Free

How to Study in Library Essay 1. Create a new project as a Single View Application. Give it a product name and company identifier. Set the device family to iphone, check the Storyboard and Automatic Reference Counting checkboxes. 2. Select the storyboard file from the project navigator. Drag the table view controller from the object library onto the workspace. 3. Set the initial scene to point to the table view controller by clicking on the table view controller and select the Is initial view controller checkbox on the attribute inspector. 4. Click on the table view and set the content to from dynamic prototypes to static. You may add additional rows or remove rows from the table. Add another section to the table. Refer to the circled area on the figure below. 5. Drag the icons/images from the image folder into the project folder. 6. Back to the table view, drag the image view and label components into the table cell/row. 7. Set the image view holder to the desired icon and label it accordingly. Duplicate the entire cell by pressing the Command + D buttons. 8. Add more view controllers to the workspace for every respective row. Connect the rows to the respective views by selecting the row, press the control key (magic finger) and drag the mouse to the desired view. Select â€Å"push† from the storyboard segue. 9. Add image view and text view to the view controller as shown below. 10. Populate the views with the desired content. Obtain the image from the image folder provided and the synopsis of each game/movie from the sypnosis.txt file. 11. Go to the editor on the menu bar, click on Embed in and select Navigation controller. Run the project.

British Petroleum: PESTEL and SWOT

British Petroleum: PESTEL and SWOT This Report will assess the altering business background of a one of the largest perpendicularly incorporated oil and gas companies British Petroleum, over the last five years. The Micro and Macro business environment of the company have influenced by some main factors and the motive of this report is to focus on them to recognize, analyze and understand. In order to do this, some important tools need to be considered. PESTEL analysis is one of the tools can support the organisations to estimate macro-environmental factors which can have an impact on them. SWOT analysis is another important tool, which assists organisations in additional developing their self consciousness. Introduction Business environment can be defined as a complex of policy, legal, institutional, and regulatory circumstances that administrate industry activities. It is a sub-set of the investment policy and includes the administration and enforcement mechanisms that implement government policy, as well as the institutional activities influence the way key factors operate (e.g., government agencies, regulatory authorities, and business membership organisations including businesswomen associations, civil society organisations, trade unions, etc.). Macro-environment Macro-environment is the uppermost level of the environment, which consists of broad external factors that can influence the business. In this case, PESTEL analysis is a useful tool to identify these factors and this can be based on the analyses of future trends such as political, economic, social, environment and legal etc. Using this tool, managers can categorize the key drivers of modifications and this can be used to build the potential trend to future scenario (Johnson et al, 2009). According to Worthington and Britton (2003), some manners may influence the business; renovate the inputs (resources such as labour force, technology, finance and materials) in outputs such as goods (products that can be touched such as foods, cars, and so on) or services (products that cannot be touched such as insure services). These performances can be used and prejudiced by companies in order to create their policy. Considering that this macro environment is very complex and companies cannot control it, its analysis is very important. Companies need to identify them and understand the negative impacts they can produce, therefore they can be prepared to reduce them (Palmer and Hartley 2009). Political Factors According to Palmer and Hartley (2009), politicians are usually responsible to create and exceed legislation to companies and occasionally they may create direct influence some types of businesses, such as: client defence law, workers protection laws, regulates of effluence and so on. In addition, according to Lancaster (2008) others political decisions as the workforce education, health and environment, and even the economy infrastructure can also influence businesses operations. Economic Factors Economic factors are very significant for an organization because it is directly associated to GDP (gross domestic product), economic development, redundancy rate, inflation rate and so on. Any modification in the economy can influence businesses. One good example is the oil spill at Gulf of Mexico has made BP a huge quantity of financial loss. The increase in the crude oil price affected all the chain such as power charge, oil-based raw material, plastic, synthetic fibres and so on (Lancaster 2008). This example indicates the significance of monitoring the economy, either nationally or internationally, in order to recognize possible opportunities and threats. Social and Cultural factors The socio-cultural environment is possibly one of the most difficult factors to evaluate, considering that is based on people manners changes, such as religion, ethics, priorities, attitudes, philosophy and social changes (Lancaster, 2008). On the other hand, Palmer and Hartley (2009) state that a crucial part for businesses is to understand the cultural value of a society; companies should be monitoring this frequently to better match to customers desires and requirements. Technological Factors According to Lancaster (2008), technology is an important macro-environmental feature which is presented in many products that we use on our daily breathes, as television, calculators, video records, computers and so on. Companies play an important responsibility on generating more technologies due to this some of them has their own research and development department or work in partnership with universities or research institutes, seeking to provide new products or with better excellence to clients. Environmental Factors This factor has been constantly increasing, especially for multinationals, due to the challenging of social responsibility activities and projects with focus on the centre of population and the environment. These corporations have an important function on contributing to the social development (Worthington and Britton 2009). BP, in the last five years, has worked proactively to reduce environmental risks and, as a result, it has improved its indices across the years. In its eco efficiency activities, they have focused on: reducing water consumption, energy, generation of effluents, production of residues solids and pastes. Moreover, it is also preoccupied with the society and develops projects in partnerships with the communities to improve factors such as people education, quality of life, social projects and so on (BP plc, 2010). Legal Factors Companies should work according to the law otherwise they can have important collision on their businesses. Some laws are changing to defend clients (municipal licences, anti-monopoly laws); workers (minimum wage, workers safety) and suppliers (copyright and patent laws which favour business investments). Some of them can manipulate market constitution and performance (Worthington and Britton 2009). Microenvironment Microenvironment, on the other hand, is the internal factors which generally business decisions are made. The internal environment is composed of various components such as employees, suppliers, customers and so on. Therefore, microenvironment can be divided in various small parts inside a company and each part is extremely important for the business. Lancaster (2008) argues that one of the main objectives of marketing is to concentrate the requirements of consumers. In order to achieve this, companies can make use of their internal property and capabilities, their microenvironment, over which they have control, and use this as a foundation of information to create the better policy to please costumers requirements. In addition, the microenvironment is easier to realize than the macro environment because it refers to everything that is part of a company such as suppliers, employee and so on. Everything that is direct or indirect interrelated to the company (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Customers They are one of the most important parts of the microenvironment. Companies need to focus on monitoring possible changes on consumers trends and on creating an efficient relationship with them. In other words, companies need to be one step ahead, trying to calculate consumers requirements and needs and developing products to concentrate these demands. Moreover, companies must not focus just on this simple replica (creating a good products to customers), but think away from it (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Intermediaries They correspond to associations between companies and customers. Some companies, mainly large ones, have some complications to attend all final costumers therefore they choose to sell their products through mediators to be present even in small supermarkets. Some companies can fail because they do not recognize this as an important policy (Palmer and Hartley, 2009). Shareholders At the end of 2010, there were 345,581 holders of BP ordinary shares and a further 163,397 holders of American depository shares. One American depository share (ADS) represents six ordinary shares. One of the holders of ADSs represents some 824,700 underlying holders. ADSs can be bought and sold on North American stock markets. The total number of actual shareholders in the US and UK is in excess of 1 million. About 80% of the ordinary shares and American depository shares are held by institutions such as pension funds and insurance companies. For more than 20 years, BP has encouraged its employees to purchase shares in the company on favourable terms, giving them an extra stake in the companys success. Competitors Companies need to keep their eyes on their competitors, monitoring them and trying to expect their next steps. Furthermore, there are two different types of competitors: direct competitor, which sells comparable products; and indirect competitor, which is more difficult to identify, because sometimes competitors can appear in different forms. For example, who is the indirect competitor for a cinema? Is it another cinema? A home rent movie? (Palmer and Hartley 2009) The following companies are some competitors of BP Plc: Chevron Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation TOTAL S.A. Petrobras (Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.) (Datamonitor, 2010) SWOT SWOT is a tactical development tool, used in management and strategy formulation in order to identify strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of a particular company. It mainly focuses on analysis and understanding the organisations internal and external environment. Strengths are considered internal positive factors within an organization which can add value; Weaknesses, on the other hand, are negative aspects, which can disrupt the business from achieving its goals. Opportunities are external factors which help business and can represent one possibility of acquiring competitive advantage if the company has the ability of identifying them quicker than its competitors. Threats are also external factors but which can affect businesses operations negatively (Campbell and Craig, 2005). SWOT analysis is used as an analytical tool to achieve significant information about the company in order to take suitable actions. A company can do better decision makings when it understands the quarter points of a SWOT analysis. Strength factors can be used as a foundation for constructing advantages, enchanting the opportunities; weakness can be seen as a challenge and used to correct errors (NetMBA, 2010). Applying SWOT analysis on BP, we can see their strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities: (S)trengths Dominant market position Vertically integrated operations Wide geographical presence (W)eaknesses Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico Explosion in the Texas refinery Violation of tax laws in Turkey (O)pportunities Acquisition of Devon Energys assets in Brazil, Azerbaijan, and the US deepwater Gulf of Mexico Oil and gas exploration projects (T)hreats Saturation of resources in the North Sea Instability in some oil-producing regions Environmental regulations (Datamonitor, 2010) Company Overview BP is one of the biggest perpendicularly incorporated oil and gas companies in the world. The companys operations principally include the searching and production of gas and crude oil, as well as the marketing and trading of natural gas, power, and natural gas liquids. BP is headquartered in London, the UK and employs about 80,300 people. Case Study The Deepwater Horizon oil spill out (also referred as the BP oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the BP oil disaster or the Macon do blowout) is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed for three months in 2010. The impact of the spill continues since the well was capped. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The spill stemmed from a sea-floor oil gusher that resulted from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. The explosion killed 11 platform workers and injured 17Â  others. On July 15, the leak was stopped by capping the gushing wellhead, after it had released about 4.9Â  million barrels (780ÃÆ'-103Â  m3), or 185 million gallons of crude oil. It was predictable that 53,000Â  barrels per day (8,400 m3/d) were evading from the well just before it was capped. It is supposed that the daily flow rate diminished over time, starting at about 62,000Â  barrels per day (9,900 m3/d) and decreasing as the reservoir of hydrocarbons feeding the gusher was gradually exhausted. On September 19, the relief well process was successfully finished and the federal government acknowledged the well successfully departed. Impact on BP and the UK economy BP at the time the United Kingdoms largest corporation and a major business in the UK investment world came under powerful popular, media, and political pressure to terminate its 2010 dividends in their entirety. Media reports state that BP is of such a size and significance in that country, that one pound in every seven of investment and pension fund income in the UK is derived from BP. Local media offered views on what this might mean for citizens. As BP was reported to be offloading billions of dollars in assets in preparation, some estimates suggested the total legal responsibility could amount to as much as US $100 billion (UK Â £67.5 bn) by the conclusion of the tragedy. Financial analysts commented that BP was able of addressing the probable liabilities that might effect, and BP stock rose to some extent on the news that the preliminary US $20 billion compensation fund had been arranged. Political and foreign relations impact The disaster was seen by some as placing stress on US-UK relationships, insofar as BP is a British company. Both US President Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron were under considerable pressure to comment politically on the matter. Insurance Times reported an open letter from the Chairman of RSA Insurance Group, the head of one of the countrys leading companies, to President Obama (text of letter) that expressed a concern over double standards compared to the sub-prime based banking crisis of 2007-2010 and over prejudicial and personal comments in the media. Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, was also reported to have made a similar comment, and similar concerns related to the tenor of media releases were also expressed by Labour MP and ex-Parliamentary Secretary Tom Watson, Vince Cable the Business Secretary, and the UK Foreign Office. The Department of State stated that the issue will not affect US-UK relationships, calling the UK its closest ally. Cameron stated that sensible dialog was needed and BP would require certainty over its liability for compensation. Obama was later reported to have said that his frustration over the mammoth oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not an attack on Britain and that he had no interest in undermining BPs value, as the two leaders tried to soothe trans-Atlantic tensions over the disaster. Impact on BP due to US tourism On May 25 BP gave Florida $25Â  million to promote the beaches where the oil had not reached, and the company planned $15Â  million each for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The Bay Area Tourist Development Council bought digital billboards showing recent photos from the gulf coast beaches as far north as Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta. The U.S. Travel Association estimated that the economic impact of the oil spill on tourism across the Gulf Coast over a three-year period could exceed approximately $23 billion, in a region that supports over 400,000 travel industry jobs generating $34 billion in revenue annually. On November 1 BP announced plans to spend $78 million to help Louisiana tourism and test and advertise seafood. Other economic consequences On July 5 BP reported that its own expenditures on the oil spill had reached $3.12Â  billion, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs. The United States Oil Pollution Act of 1990 limits BPs liability for non-cleanup costs to $75Â  million unless gross negligence is proven. BP has said it would pay for all cleanup and remediation regardless of the statutory liability cap. Nevertheless, some Democratic lawmakers are seeking to pass legislation that would increase the liability limit to $10Â  billion. Analysts for Swiss Re have estimated that the total insured losses from the accident could reach $3.5Â  billion. According to UBS, final losses could be $12Â  billion. According to Willis Group Holdings, total losses could amount to $30Â  billion, of which estimated total claims to the market from the disaster, including control of well, re-drilling, third-party liability and seepage and po llution costs, could exceed $1.2Â  billion. On June 25 BPs market value reached a 1 year low. The companys total value lost since April 20 was $105Â  billion. Investors saw their holdings in BP shrink to $27.02, a nearly 54% loss of value in 2010. A month later, the companys loss in market value totaled $60 billion, a 35% decline since the explosion. At that time, BP reported a second-quarter loss of $17 billion, its first loss in 18 years. This includes a one-time $32.2 billion charge, including $20 billion for the fund created for reparations and $2.9 billion in actual costs. On October 1, BP pledged as collateral all royalties from the Thunder Horse, Atlantis, Mad Dog, Great White, Mars, Ursa and Na Kika fields in the Gulf of Mexico. At that time, BP also said it had spent $11.2 billion, while the companys London Stock Exchange price reached 439.75 pence, the highest point since May 28. By the end of September, BP reported that it had spent $11.2 billion. Third-quarter profit of $1.79 billion (compared to $5.3 billion in 2009) showed, however, that BP continues to do well and should be able to pay total costs estimated at $40 billion. Recommendations Companies should observe regularly for new challenges, by focusing on developing strategies which can allow them to develop them better than their competitors. On this case, BP should do the same and seek for a strategy to become the first company in the world of petroleum industries, selling products with quality and diversity, achieving customers first choice. If the company wants to be competitive, companies should evaluate its products with the ones from foremost competitors. They can also achieve competitive benefit by investing on its employees; looking for joint ventures with other companies in different countries so that they can achieve information from different markets; in search of operational efficiency and cost regulation; seeking for new partnerships, assessing where there are greater opportunities for export. Conclusion The micro and macro business environment of companies are influenced by various factors. They can change them when necessary (such as production, marketing strategy, etc) by taking immediate actions with respect to internal factors. Conversely, companies cannot take action directly on external factors. But in order to minimize their impact they can identify them with appropriate time. Managers decision making capability can be based on the use of these tools and analysis the company can obtain a general overview about the company and aspects what kinds of impacts can happen such as politics, laws and regulations, economy, environment, technology and so on. Due to high competition, with demanding requirement companies should use these tools such as PESTEL or SWOT to build up a successful policy and competitive with the market. BP has developed a variety of strategies by focus on customers, by producing quality products for domestic and international market and it is always doing a great job for the benefit of the society, employees, and environment.

Charles Fraziers Cold Mountain Essay -- Charles Frazier Cold Mountain

Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain In Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier describes the epic journey home of wounded Confederate soldier Inman from Petersburg to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inman’s physical voyage home is paralleled by the mental journey made by his sweetheart, Ada, in her transformation from ‘city girl’ into ‘mountain woman’. The story is woven around the experiences of Inman and Ada trying to rebuild their lives from the desperation and disaster of the war, all the while trying to find a way to see each other again--whilst they are so far apart. It also blends the horrors of war into their current lives, and the corruption that has scarred them forever. Inman and Ada’s respective ordeals help develop the themes of war, homeland, women and children which this essay aims to reveal. The motivation behind Inman’s desertion, when he â€Å"set his foot on the sill and stepped out of the window†, is not an issue that Frazier ever invites his readers to question. Having been surrounded by the dying, having witnessed the horrors of the first industrialized war which pitted countryman against countryman through the eyes of Inman, one feels deep sympathy. The horrifying battle scenes further add to the sense of the impermanence of escape offered by the war: â€Å"The fighting was in the way of a dream, one where you foes are ranked against you countless and mighty. And you are weak. And yet they fall and keep falling until they are crushed.† Frazier’s somber cataloging of the horrors of war creates enormous sympathy for his protagonist’s desertion, making it eminently justifiable. Inman’s disinterest in the issues of the war serves to show the lie of the common soldier’s involvement in the war. Frazier would posit that it is the job of the common soldier just to die, and in the most inhuman way possible: "Inman could hear the firing, but also the slaps of balls into meat. A man near Inman grew so excited, or perhaps so weary, that he forgot to pull the ramrod from his barrel. He fired it off and it struck a Federal in the chest. The man fell backward, and the rod stood from his body and quavered about with the last of his breathing as if he had been pierced by an unfletched arrow." Inman’s return home to a deeply changed place where he no longer has a role is indicative of the common fate of soldiers. What he has seen and done marks him out so distinctively fr... ...ich their mothers had been before their assimilation of each others characteristics. In the light of the horrors of the Civil War, and of Inman’s death after having journeyed home, it is also spiritually important for the novel that something of worth is seen as coming from all the hardship. There is nothing which could possibly equate with the magnitude of the birth of a child, offering hope where Inman’s wasteful death had seemed to banish it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Odyssey, closely alluded to in Cold Mountain, imposes a multitude of trial and tribulations on Odysseus and Penelope. Inman takes on the role as the modern American hero who is irreversibly changed by the circumstances of the war, enduring ‘rainy days’ and waves of hardship to return to his sole hope-giver, Ada. The individual experiences of the young couple liken to peeling an orange; each peel unveils images of the horrors of war, the romance with one homeland, the women’s strength and of the importance of children, all of which construct the themes that soundly define the novel. Biblography This paper aims to discuss the themes in the story "Cold Mountain", that is revealed through Inman and Ada’s respective ordeals.

Essay --

When it come to be publicly acknowledged that the United States government planned on using atomic bombs to fight the war against Japan, a group of scientists who had worked on the atomic bomb for many years, felt the need to protest the idea. Leo Szilard who was a head of the group of scientists came up with a petition for the president for his associated scientists to look over. In his petition he asked the President â€Å"to rule that the United States shall not, in the present phase of the war, resort to the use of atomic bombs† (Szilard, par. 1). Szilard’s thoughts mentioned in the petition sought the strength and persuasion needed to sway the President that the use of the atomic bomb was uncalled for because of the shortage of facts presented, their poor reasoning found in the writing, and the failure to communicate the significance that their arguments held in the decision. In the petition Leo Szilard uses pathos over and over to try and sway the President’s view of using an atomic bomb to fight against Japan. While the argument is persuasive, he used the advantage of the alre...

iPhone Security Essay -- Mobile Technology, Computer Forensics

iPhone Security Nowadays, technology is speeding our way of communication and the way in which we handle our personal lives. Zdziarski (2008) described, â€Å"How the iPhone has quickly become a market leader in technology and has been a big success around the world† (preface.iX). The iPhone has become a very useful tool in many aspects of people lives. However, people should be aware that this device can store a great amount of data in its memory and that if you ever lost or had it stolen all off your personal and professional information can be available to whoever has it in their hand. Today many companies do their business directly from the iPhones. Business people and non-business people alike are using the iPhone in order to achieve most of their office work or maintain contact with their family and friends. For example, in the commercial sectors most employees nowadays execute many of their tasks from anywhere and not necessarily have to go to their office and login into their computers. By using the iPhone employees can create important documents, save important announcements and do important transactions by using the iPhone. On the other hand, people who are not in the business sectors use the iPhone for their personal use. For example, talk with their family, friends, or spend time doing web searching in different areas that they are interested in. Nevertheless, the iPhone contains sensitive information in their memory that belongs to the owner and information that can belong to other people with who the owner of the iPhone had established a conversation or any type of chat in the network. Zdziarski (2008) described, â€Å"that the information saved in the iPhone memory can be e-mails, photos, documents, text messages, phone... ...iminals are getting benefits from the iPhone. Engdahl (2011) described how the police and forensic investigators have to work together in order to find all the complete evidence that the criminals left in the iPhone before they committed their crime (p. 15). With the techniques, the skills, and knowledge of law enforcement officers and forensic investigators they will be able to confidently prosecute those criminals involved in fraud, bribery and other corrupt practices and criminal acts. Judges and prosecutors have to have all the evidence before they condemn any person to jail. The job of law enforcement and computer forensics will never end because the criminals are using new tools to commit their crime. In fact, the job of law enforcement and forensic is to reveal the hiding information of the criminals who commits crimes to those who are innocent people.

Influence of Sex in Society

Sex plays a major role in today's society. From television, radio, music, and advertisements, to video games, the Internet, and even art and pictures, all forms of media use sex to help sell their products. With the public being exposed to so many different types, the overuse and exploitation of sex is common. Is sex a useful tool, or a ploy to get the attention of the public? Before discussing sex in the media, one must understand why it has come to be that people use sex as a gimmick. â€Å"The writing of modern history has resulted in a viewpoint that is nothing short of a stag party. The history of women is ignored, hushed up, and censored in the most literal sense of the term. This method of eliminating the social and political destiny of half of humanity is the most effective form of supremacy. † (Janssen-Jurreit, 1982, pp. 15-16) The world we live in today is still man-made, no less now then in the nineteenth century. Eve Zaremba states in Privilege of Sex: â€Å"Women's self-awareness as females has until very recently reflected the world's (i. e. men's) image of them; how well their personal performance matched male expectations. As English Canadians began to develop an identity in 19th century society, they mirrored the â€Å"ideals† for women of the Victorian period: gentility, weakness, ignorance and submissiveness. (Zaremba, 1974, p. i ) These individual roles, as described by Oneill and Leone in Male/Female Roles: Opposing Viewpoints as the relationship of a man or woman to society on the basis of gender, became essential in shaping male and female attitudes towards one another. Over the past twenty years remarkable changes in these traditional male and female roles have been witnessed. The subsequent impact on men, women, and families due to these changes is believed to be, by many social historians, caused by the re-emergence of the women's movement. (p. 13) Though a positive alteration of roles has occurred, how is it that children of this century still may obey stereotypes? â€Å"A baby is born knowing nothing, but full of potential. † (p. 19) Oneill and Leone believe that the process by which an individual becomes a creature of society, a socialized human being, reflects culturally defined roles and norms. The first crucial question asked by the parents of a newborn baby is â€Å"What is it? A boy or a girl? † (p. 25) Other queries about attributes of health and physical conditions are only brought up afterwards, the first priority is to establish its sex. † Indeed, almost immediately, gender identity is permanently stamped on the child by the name it is given. † (p. 26) Recent research has established beyond a doubt that males and females are born with a different set of â€Å"instructions† built into their genetic code. Studies at Harvard University and elsewhere show that marked differences between male and female baby behaviour are already obvious in the first months of life. Females are more oriented towards people. Male infants, on the other hand, are more interested in â€Å"things. † Stanford psychologists Karl Pribram and Dianne McGuinness conclude that women are â€Å"communicative† animals while men are â€Å"manipulative† animals. Some people believe this is hereditary, while others think that if boys and girls were brought up in exactly the same way then all behavioral differences between men and women would evaporate. Beginning in early adolescence, children develop their own ideas of male and female roles with the perception of the conduct and activities of his or her parents and other adults in their world, including characters on television. Young people are exposed to advertising from a very early age. The effect, says the Ontario Ministry of Education, especially of advertising on television, â€Å"has a significant bearing on girls' and boys' behaviour, and their aspirations. To most children the commercial message is another piece of information received from the television set. It is often difficult for them to distinguish truth from fiction, particularly when the fiction is packaged in compelling words, striking images, and catchy music. † (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1975, pp. 5-7) An overwhelming amount of the visualizations that young kids see are the stereotypical images of women and girls. â€Å"This almost makes it seem legitimized, states Hon. David Macdonald, as it is reinforced and perpetuated by the mass dissemination of these images in broadcasting. (Macdonald, 1979, p. 3) Children know in their minds that women, like men, come in all ages, shapes, sizes, and colours, but they do not see this represented in the broadcast media. The increasing diversity of women's lives is also omitted in most broadcasting. For example, commercials and programming most often portray women as mothers performing domestic tasks, as economically dependent homemakers, or as sexual lures for products or decorative objects. â€Å"Such images constitute a limiting or narrowing of women's, men's, and children's perceptions of themselves and their roles in society. † (pp. -5) Sheila Copps made public her comments that â€Å"sexist and racist stereotypes were prominent in advertising. † (Curtis, 1996, p. 6) A member of the Canadian Advertising Foundation (CAF), Patrick McDougall, fired back by saying Copps had no clue what the CAF does and adds that Canadian advertising has immensely cleaned up its act and that there is very little if any sexist advertising being broadcasted. (p. 6) The overall content of television nowadays has changed dramatically from that of the past. Today characters deal more and more with important issues such as teen pregnancy, stds, spousal abuse, and birth control. Impoco, 1996, p. 58) Five to ten years ago, this subject matter was unheard of for use in programming content, as TV families tended to be occupied with trivial things such as outrageous clothing and hairstyles. Although Canadians have improved their broadcasting standards, not everyone is completely following their trend. In an intensive study done on American programming, it was found that a sexual act or reference occurred every four minutes on average during prime time. (p. 59) â€Å"Sex Sells,† the old adage goes. (Menzies, 1996, p. ) Sexiness, as a component of the good life, is a staple for advertisers – Coca-Cola decorated its drug-store posters at the turn of the century with coquettish young women who male drinkers wished to date and female drinkers to emulate. (Carter, 1996, p. 53) Finnish yogurt makers ran an ad with hot, young, well-built Finnish boys holding containers of yogurt, with the slogan â€Å"Less fat, more taste†¦. Eat it. † This aroused a scandal and nationwide debate. A formal pole was conducted on these ads and some interesting statistics were produced. Two-thirds of respondents were male, and two-thirds thought the ad was sexist. There was a sharp contrast in the female contingent, as the vast majority of whom thought the ads were sexy and quite acceptable (Holland, 1996, p. 31) These stats just prove that when the shoe is on the other foot, women view ads much in the same way that men do, and men are offended at seeing themselves portrayed as objects. Nowadays everyone seems so sensitive about anything brought up in the media. â€Å"Even when it comes to the etiquette of using sex appeal in advertising, it seems that there is a wrong way (exploit women) and a right way (exploit men). The pendulum has swung the other way now. If one is to gaze upon an exposed chest in an ad these days, chances are it belongs to a man. Male models have emerged as the politically correct â€Å"babes† of the 90's. Yet, pray tell, where is the massive public outcry? † (Menzies, 1996, p. 9) Mediawatch, an organization that â€Å"monitors† the depiction of women and girls in the media, admits that you certainly see more naked male flesh today, than you did three years ago. They contend that the effects of objectification on men and women aren't equal because â€Å"men and women aren't equal to begin with. Author of this column, David Menzies writes â€Å"Hmmm, I still dunno. Isn't a double standard, by any other name, still a double standard? † (p. 9) There is another more serious problem then offending the genders, with sex in the media today.. â€Å"Advertising images featuring young models in suggestive poses are sending out sinister messages to pedophiles,† according to one of Australia's leading forensic psychiatrists, William Glaser. He argues that some advertising messages are giving pedophiles subconscious approval to commit crime. It's a very subtle thing, but a young girl posing suggestively in a revealing bikini can send out the wrong message,† Glaser says. He adds â€Å"I don't blame the advertising industry, but feels it fuels the fire when it comes to pedophilia. † (Johnson) Also, the attractiveness of sexual aggression as crime news, and therefore as prime news, has been recognized by many newspapers lately. â€Å"While comfortably hidden under the cloak of objective crime reporting, sexual violence can be endlessly exploited for its titillating value, its crypto – pornographic quality and its sexist slant. † (Johnson, 1997, p. 24) As rape and sexual assault became a more serious social problem in the 80's, this prime news story has helped many papers to sell more copies in the competitive news market, while creating an impression of responsive and responsible reporting. â€Å"Newspapers are adept in sensing issues that arouse general interest and they then subtly alter the terms of the debate to achieve the end result of selling newspapers and making a profit,† alleged authors Maria Los and Sharon Chamond. â€Å"There is a thin line when it comes to educating the public on a problem, or exploiting it for it's shock value. † (Los and Chamond, 1997, p. 93) Although this is a horrible exploitation, there is yet another form of media that rivals this problem. The Internet is the worst for having excessive sex in the media, as it is not regulated. All of the other forms of broadcasting have some sort of committee or association that analyzes and approves all ads and shows before they are released to the public. With the Internet, there currently are no real ways of suppressing the content. There are programs such as Net Nanny that will not open sites containing certain material, but what's stopping a kid from going over to a friend's house or to school and going to the Playboy site? With it's vast geographical span, the Internet has the most numerous amounts of possibilities for media purposes, due to it's ability to reach anyone that can access a modem. Problems such as pornography and hackers generate a fear in a lot of people and scare them from using one of the greatest information resources of our world. We've all seen and heard how sex is used in today's media. With all of these problems and outcries being raised about it, some may as why is it used at all? Well sex is a part of life, everyone's life. It is a common ground to all people. Everyone will experience it or will be or have been affected by it. Producers, advertisers, writers and musicians must believe that if they include it in what they're trying to sell to the public, people will somehow relate to it, and be drawn in by it. A lot of times, writers and critics just go overboard and over analyze things that may not be as terrible as they make them out to be. Sex in advertising can be a useful and educational tool, when employed properly, but if people in the media offend just as much of society as they win over, by producing worthless, excessive overloads of eye candy, then the use of sex is wasted.

Ethical Decision Making Model analysis Essay

What is the ethical decision making model? What is critical thinking? In this paper I will discuss the ethical decision making model and how critical thinking impacts ethical decisions. Personal experiences will be used as examples. When we are faced with making an ethical decision we are usually faced with an ethical dilemma. To make a good decision we need to use â€Å"Logical thinking that draws conclusions from facts and evidence† which according to www.ncrel.com is the definition of critical thinking. Recently I was personally faced with an ethical dilemma that has to do with work and school. I’m currently on a tuition reimbursement program though my company and there are certain criteria that will make my paid education taxable or nontaxable. Of course if my tuition is nontaxable I don’t have to pay taxes and I’ll be saving lots of money. One of the criteria for making my tuition taxable is if my educational program qualifies me for a new position at work. If I answer no, the tuition is not taxable and I’ll save some money but, in my situation the answer would be yes so my tuition should be taxed but, If I answer no, no one will find out and I’ll be cheating my company or the government out of some money. I’m now stuck with an ethical dilemma. In the end I choose to answer yes and pay the taxes, following an ethical decision making model helped me do the right thing. The ethical decision making model I followed and will break down is from the Josephson institute of ethics. The model follows 7 simple steps to finally come to a conclusion and make a decision. 1. STOP AND THINK One of the most important steps to better decisions is the oldest advice in the world: think ahead. To do so it’s necessary to first stop the momentum of events long enough to permit calm analysis. Stop and think won’t always be used if you are faced with a decision that needs to be made very quickly but, if you’re permitted the time to think about the situation you should. In my case I though about what could happen if I were to avoid paying taxes. I could get in trouble with the law and even my  company. Would it be worth getting fired? No I don’t think so. â€Å"Stopping to think provides several benefits. It prevents rash decisions. It prepares us for more thoughtful discernment. And it can allow us to mobilize our discipline† (1). 2. CLARIFY GOALS Before you choose, clarify your short- and long-term aims. Determine which of your many wants and don’t-wants affected by the decision are the most important. The big danger is that decisions that fulfill immediate wants and needs can prevent the achievement of our more important life goals. If I were to break the law it would definitely affect my goal of getting my BS in business management. I could also loose my job if I didn’t pay taxes and I wouldn’t have the resources to pay for school. 3. DETERMINE FACTS Be sure you have adequate information to support an intelligent choice. You can’t make good decisions if you don’t know the facts. To determine the facts, first resolve what you know and, then, what you need to know. If you don’t have enough facts then go find out more about it. Once we know more facts we then see that more decision factors come into play and it’s easier to make a decision. Here are some guidelines provide by Josephson institute: Consider the reliability and credibility of the people providing the facts. Consider the basis of the supposed facts. If the person giving you the information says he or she personally heard or saw something, evaluate that person in terms of honesty, accuracy and memory. Remember that assumptions, gossip and hearsay are not the same as facts. Consider all perspectives, but be careful to consider whether the source of the information has values different than yours or has a personal interest that could affect perception of the facts. Where possible seek out the opinions of people whose judgment and character  you respect, but be careful to distinguish the well-grounded opinions of well-informed people from casual speculation, conjecture and guesswork. Finally, evaluate the information you have in terms of completeness and reliability so you have a sense of the certainty and fallibility of your decisions. To find out the facts about my tax evasion I ask my friend Megan Kau who’s a tax attorney what she thought I should do. Let’s just say that the punishment is worse than the crime and that’s all the facts that I needed. 4. DEVELOP OPTIONS â€Å"Now that you know what you want to achieve and have made your best judgment as to the relevant facts, make a list of options, a set of actions you can take to accomplish your goals† (2). If it’s an especially important decision, talk to someone you trust so you can broaden your perspective and think of new choices. If you can think of only one or two choices, you’re probably not thinking hard enough but, in my case I would be breaking the law so actually there were no other choices. I was either breaking the law or not breaking the law. 5. CONSIDER CONSEQUENCES Two techniques help reveal the potential consequences also provided by Josephson Institute: â€Å"Pillar-ize† your options. Filter your choices through each of the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Will the action violate any of the core ethical principles? For instance, does it involve lying or breaking a promise, is it disrespectful to anyone, is it irresponsible, unfair or uncaring, does it involve breaking laws or rules? Eliminate unethical options. Identify the stakeholders and how the decision is likely to affect them. Consider your choices from the point of view of the major stakeholders. Identify whom the decision will help and hurt. In this case, I’ve said before, I would have been breaking the law and if I  anyone were to find out about it I would be very ashamed of what I did. In prior readings I remember a quote that said â€Å"to make a ethical decision ask yourself, would you be ok with it if it was posted on the front page of your local news paper†, If the answer is no, then don’t do it. 6. CHOOSE It’s time to make a decision. If the choice is not immediately clear, use on of the following strategies to make the decision: Talk to people whose judgment you respect. Seek out friends and mentors, but, once you’ve gathered opinions and advice, the ultimate responsibility is still yours. What would the most ethical person you know do? Think of the person you know or know of who has the strongest character and best ethical judgment. Then ask yourself: what would that person do in your situation? Think of that person as your decision-making role model and try to behave the way he or she would. I choose to do the right thing which is to pay taxes. 7. MONITOR AND MODIFY Since most hard decisions use imperfect information and â€Å"best effort† predictions, some of them will inevitably be wrong. â€Å"Ethical decision-makers monitor the effects of their choices. If they are not producing the intended results or are causing additional unintended and undesirable results, they re-assess the situation and make new decisions† (3). In my case I think I’ll live with the decision I’ve made. No one will be hurt by my decision and the law won’t be broken on my part. As you can see making an ethical decision can be broken down with the 7 steps provided and if the steps are followed, an ethical decision should be made. Critical thinking plays a big part in making my decision even when following the 7 steps listed. Again critical thinking is â€Å"Logical thinking that draws conclusions from facts and evidence†. Critical thinking plays a huge role in step 3 of the model that I used. I think step 3 is one of the most important steps in the process. Sometimes I still have the urge to save some money and skip out on paying taxes but, because I’ve used critical thinking as part of my decision, I’ve learned to know that facts are important and in the end making the right decision will better me in the future and also help me reach my goals with less obstacles. Works Cited The seven step path to better decisions http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/MED/MED-4sevensteppath.htm Web definitions www.ncrel.com

Aa Meeting Paper

I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The meeting I attended was on a Sunday morning at 8am. A group of 11 gathered to share their experiences under the deadly addiction of alcoholism and it was an open lead meeting. It was a very interesting experience for me. I have never been to an AA meeting, so I really didn't know what to expect. When I got there everyone was really friendly and I explained that I was a UNK student and I was just there to observe because I had to write a paper about AA. The first part of the meeting was a reading from the big book as they call it.The first reading summarized the AA creed and the second was a passage from the â€Å"book. † I noticed that almost everyone had a copy of it. It looked just like a Bible, and indeed, they treated it as such. A guy reading the mission of AA started the meeting and then a different man read the 12 steps that an alcoholic follows to gain sobriety. Then the lead was introduced and he had everyone go around th e room and say their name. When everyone said their name they would say, â€Å"My name is â€Å" ¦and I am an alcoholic. † The guy giving the lead told about how he started drinking and the various experiences that he went through while drinking.Some of the things he talked about sounded really rough. It was surprising to me that someone could stand up there and tell their life story and all the awful things they had done. After he talked about her alcoholism, he then began to discuss how he became sober and how great it feels to have his sobriety. Following was a guy in his early 50s who spoke about his sobriety ,he discussed about his struggles with alcohol and how he feels like he don’t have a ‘’real family â€Å", joining these meeting gives him a family that was After the lead, the group leader came up and read announcements.Then a collection basket was passed around, and everyone put some donation into the basket. Then the group leader asked for everyone to hold hands and say the â€Å"Our Father† prayer. After the prayer, the meeting was over with. There were some brochures at the front of the room about addiction and AA. I thought that having brochures was a great way for people to get information. On my way to the meeting I had all kinds of images of what an addict look like , as it turned out I was wrong , an addict don’t look a specific way , everyone looked normal , my first impression was ‘’ wow they look like an everyday normal personal.I thought they were going to look dirty , smelly it turns out that I was , the men and women that was there had families , grand kids , they weren’t criminals , except for one who was a dope dealer . After the meeting I spoke with one of the lady who’s been AA for almost five weeks , she ‘s a CNA with two kids and is currently engage . One of the things brought up which I thought was very interesting was during the times of her struggles with this disease she didn’t want to admit to her problems because she felt like he had an Image to keep at work ‘’. It really changed my view of what an addict alike .

Analysis: Short Story and Robin Black Essay

Divorced, Beheaded, Survived† by Robin Black In this essay will I analyse and interpret Robin Blacks short story â€Å"†¦ Divorced, Beheaded, Survived†. I will focus on the structure and the use of symbols in the short story in a part of my essay. The short story â€Å"†¦ Divorced, Beheaded, Survived† is written by Robin Black in 2010. The short story is about a woman who thinks back of her childhood, where her brother still lived. She recalls how everybody started ignoring her and her brother when he got sick and died. In present her son loses his best friend and goes through the same type of sorrow. She thinks back at a stage play they used to act with some other kids in the back yard. The short story takes place on Manhattan in about 2004. The main character thinks back at her childhood in Massachusetts. In the present the main character lives with her husband, Lyle, and her two children, Mark and Coco, on Manhattan. In the past she lived with her parents and her older brother in a house. Her childhood home had a small yard with rosebushes and a Japanese maple. The main character is named Sarah. She went to high school and college. She has had a brief marriage with another man, but is now married to Lyle, whom she has two children with. Her to kids are 16 years old, Mark, and 12 years old, Coco. She had a brother named Terrance, called terry, who died in 1974, when he was about 14. Sarah was about 12 when he died. Sarah did not want her two kids to be closer at age, because she would not want them to be like her brother and her. But I put our second child off, and so my boy and girl were always Just a little different from the air we used to be† (Page 2, line 63-64) Sarah tries to protect her children and her self from sorrow and from being frightened, by taking down the pictures of her dead brother. â€Å"l was afraid my brother’s face would become a fearful thing for them. And maybe for me as well, with kids of my own. † (Page 4, line 139-140) Sh e thinks a lot of the stage play she performed in her childhood home with her brother and some of the neighbour’s kids, and how her friends vanished when Terry got sick. She remembers how it felt and how hard it was to get trough, and she knows it will take Marks some time as well to get over his loss. â€Å"And I know that he will. It Just takes time (†¦ ) It’ll take some more time† (Page 4, line 152-153) The short story is written with a 1st person narrator. â€Å"l don’t think about Terry everyday, anymore† (Page 4, Line 127) It is not an omniscient narrator, because we only get to now the main character’s feelings and thoughts. The short story Jumps in time by the main character’s thoughts. It begins with Sarah’s childhood, where you near now it was betore Terry got sick and it switches to present atter we near he ied. As a reader you get thrown right into her present life, where she get a call regarding her son’s best friend’s death. Just as she is about to tell her son, we are en the past again hearing about how the time was when Terry was sick. Through the whole story does Robin Black switch from past to present and reverse in exiting moments, which catches the readers attention. We alternate between hearing about how she was and how she is now. It is first in the very last part we hear how she got trough the rough period. Robin Black uses the tree words â€Å"divorced, beheaded and survived†, not only in the headline but more than one time in the story. The tree words are a symbol of the 3 periods you are going through, when a loved one gets sick and die. Divorced is the time where your friends start avoiding you, not because they do not love you, but because they do not know how to react. The second period is beheaded, where the loved one dies, which is the rough period. The last word is survived. Even though it has been hard, will there be light again. You will get trough it. In the beginning of the hort story Sarah remember how everybody wanted to be Anne Boleyn, the plum role, and how Terry was the best to play her. I think Terry is a symbol of Anne Boleyn. The people surrounding them admire both of them and they both die anyways. I think they are a symbol of how nothing comes easy and you should be happy for what you have. The main themes are sorrow, dealing with sorrow and how life goes on. Trough Sarah’s thoughts we hear how you cannot be prepared to lose a person you love. Many people have a hard time dealing with death and do not know how to act. In â€Å". Divorced, Beheaded, Survived† Robin Black describes how Sarah’s friends quietly start ignoring her and the brother begins as well. She feels alone with her sorrow, which many people do. â€Å"We had played together all our lives, and then it ended. There was no more ease between us. Not even between my brother and me. † (Page 3, line 105-106) In the short story the main character is dealing with her sorrow by burying it. â€Å"Silences, agreed to. Intimacies, put away. † (Page 5, Line 173) Her friends who knew her brother were avoiding her, so she could not talk to them about her feelings.