Family Rootedness and Racial Dynamics

Living in contemporary America is coupled with different challenges. The fast-paced industry, the cultural diversity, the financial crises, and the indifference among neighbors all cause to build up some form of alienation in most people. The Virginia Tech massacre and other cases of mad shooting illustrate the struggles of some people of different cultures to assimilate in the American society. In Barack Obama’s â€Å"Dreams from My Father,† the author provides some insights on the importance of rootedness to one’s family and culture in order to survive and attain success in Contemporary America. The experiences of the characters lead readers to realize that one can easily undertake struggles in life upon acceptance of family and racial origins. The author attempts to delineate a number of issues, among which is the problem caused by dysfunctional families, a common scenario in the contemporary American society. Children like Obama manage to survive despite the absence of their parents, in some cases both parents are absent, in others like Obama’s, the father figure is vague. Until after his death, Obama’s father â€Å"remained a myth† (8) to him. He left when Barack was barely two years old, to go back to Kenya, his homeland. The last time he and his son saw each other was when Obama was ten. Due to this, Obama grew up quiet, with some coldness in the way he deals with people, although he always bears respect for others. His acquaintance with an old man who lived in the same building he occupied near Harlem demonstrates this attitude. Never, the absence of Obama’s father made him what he is right now. Although not clearly emphasized, the role of the grandfather in Obama’s life, along with his grandmother Toot, compensated for the loss of his father. In a way, Obama lived in the comfort and care of his mother’s family. Basically, the importance of family is demonstrated in the way his grandfather compensated the absence of his father. The family dynamics that he grew up with, was basically composed of loving and caring grandparents who usually told him stories of the past in order for him to know his father well, and a mother who served as inspiration and guide through the social service she rendered. However, the importance of family is later more emphasized with the connectedness of his father’s family—the extended family relationships that exist among his relatives in Kenya. Obama witnessed this when he met and visited his cousins. Even though he did not know them as a child, he easily got along with them, owing to belongingness to one family. Aside from the importance of family connectedness, rootedness to one’s race and culture is also emphasized. When his father died, Obama had a chance to establish connection with his origins. Prior to this, he felt he felt some void within him, and enmity towards his father. He wished to understand a lot of things, and saw it timely to go back to his roots. Unexpectedly, he found the answers in Kenya as he listened to stories about his father—his childhood, his struggles to prove himself, the reason why he went to America, and why he went back to Kenya. In the end, he found himself crying over the struggles his father fought, and for losing the man who remained in his shadow. Finding the answers to his questions about origins made Obama whole. For a long time, he did not realize that his father shared the struggles he fought. Although they had different situations, he understood that what his father bore was a lot heavier than his. Specifically, his father’s struggle to prove himself to the grandfather and to the rest of the world was double that of Obama when he was younger. For his father, going back to Kenya was the only way to regain himself though it was also a way to face his childhood fears. Despite the pains he tried to leave behind in relation to his past, the older Barack still went back to his people and chose to serve them. Such rootedness to race and culture taught the son the importance of knowing one’s origins. Clearly, the efforts Obama made to get to know his origins led him to what he is now. As he suggests, survival in contemporary American society is difficult. Racial discrimination, although it did not totally affect him, was rampant. Nevertheless, it made him long for his past. The presence of his mother was definitely not enough to fill in the father figure he missed, not to mention his mother’s difficulty to raise him and his sister apart from Obama’s grandparents. At the end, he still needed to know both his father and the race that brought his father up in order to be whole. Knowing one’s past is further emphasized as Barack struggles to build his own family. Lacking the father figure, he himself found it difficult to be an ideal father and husband that he wanted to be. His struggles can be rooted from his own experience, mainly due to the dysfunctional family that he came from. Nevertheless, when he finally gained the opportunity to know his roots, he found the courage to continue and reunite with his family. Based on this, the author makes us realize the importance of rootedness to one’s past and race relations. The familiarity of his aunt Nairobi as she calls her nephew Barry to inform him of his father’s death demonstrates the connectedness of the Kenyans, which other cultures can learn from. For them, distance and unfamiliarity are not barriers to achieving unity and love. Rather, racial dynamics are too strong, enough to conquer physical and cultural boundaries.

Flame Test Lab

Flame Test Lab Question: When a compound is placed in the flame of a burner, what happens to the color of the flame? Hypothesis: When the compound is placed in the flame, the flame changes color depending on the chemical compound. When they’re heated, they gain energy and changed color sometimes. Safety Requirements for this Lab: Wear goggles at all times. If you want to remove them to write in your notebook you may sit at a table in the center of the room. When you sit down remove them and when you stand up put them on. Use aprons. Pull back hair. No loose clothing.Close-toed shoes. NO FOOLING AROUND. It is very important that you DO NOT mix up the nichrome wire hands. Background Information: When chemical compounds are heated, hey gain energy. The electrons in some of these chemicals will jump from their ground state electron configuration (such as the electron configurations we have ben drawing for the elements) to higher energy levels. As these electrons fall back to their original positions in the atom, they emit energy. One form of this energy is light energy. This is what you will be observing in this experiment. Materials: Nichrome wire wand  · Test tubes containing water  · Test tubes containing 6M hydrochloric acid as needed to clean wire  · Test tubes containing: Copper sulfate Potassium sulfate Copper nitrate Potassium nitrate Strontium nitrate Calcium nitrate Copper chloride Strontium chloride Calcium chloride Cobalt chloride Sodium chloride Sodium nitrate Sodium sulfate Barium clroride Calcium nitrate  · Tirrel burner  · Matches  · Goggles  · Apron Procedure: Work in teams of two At each table there are two samples and two tirrel burners and matches.Start the burner as you have learned to do and obtain a low blue flame with the inner blue flame. Next take the nichrome wire and place in the flame. Noticed its color when it becomes red hot. This is not the color of the flame you are looking for. The flame to observe is the one o btained just as you place it in the flame. Place the wand in the test tube with the solution of the compound, quickly place it in the flame and observe its color. Write down the color and any observations on the table provided below. Do this no more than three times.Then rinse the wire in the water Heat the wire in the flame until it has no residue from the compound left. If you have problems ask your teacher. Return the nichrome wire to the water test tube. When this is completed, exchange chemical compound setups with you tablemates. Repeat the procedure for each chemical compound. When your table is done with both chemical compounds, pass them both clockwise to the next table. When all chemical setups are complete, the class will discuss which chemical compounds that you would like to observe again.Analysis: Each element is made up of different atoms. The heat helps the atoms move around and emit different colors of flame. Only certain elements can be identified by the naked eye. With others, you can identify an element by their colors, or if a metal, by their hardness and durability. I do not believe it would be effective because some elements might be similar in most ways and have you confused. I think if the wire in this lab became contaminated, the results of the flame would be different.The colors of the flame would not be correct due to the contamination and chemical compound on the wire. All of the flames don’t have the same color because each chemical on the wire is different. It has to have a boost to a higher energy level. Once they’ve fallen baxck to their first positions, they emit energy. The color of the flame is caused by the exciting metal ions. They are shown once burned just like we did in class. Copper: 1s22s2 2p63s23p64s23d9 , Sodium: 1s22s2 2p63s1 , Potassium: 1s22s2 2p63s23p64s1 , Strontium: 1s22s2 2p63s23p64s23d104p65s2 Flame Test Lab I. Purpose: To observe the colors produced when compounds are introduced into a flame and the electrons become excited. To estimate the wavelength of light produced, then calculate the frequency and energy of the light II. Safety: Standard safety procedures III. Chemical Inventory: Chemical Name: |Hazards: | |Lithium Chloride |Moderately | | |Toxic by ingestion | |Potassium Chloride |Slightly toxic by ingestion | |Calcium Chloride |Slightly toxic | |Barium Chloride |HIGHLY toxic by ingestion.Use extreme caution | |Cupric Chloride |HIGHLY toxic by ingestion. Use extreme caution | IV. Pre-Lab Questions: V. Procedure: 1. Dip the soaked wooden splint in one chemical at a time. Make a few crystal stick to the splint 2. Hold the end of the splint with the crystals in the burner flame and watch the first color you see. When it changes to orange, the splint is burning and we don’t care about that color 3. Use your chart from your prelab to estimate the wavelength of the color being produced 4. Obtain an unknown from your teacher, record the letter of the unknown, and do a flame test on the unknown. It will be one of the chemicals you have already tested. VI. Data and Observations: Chemical |Color produced |Estimated Wavelength (nm) | |Lithium Chloride | | | |Sodium Chloride | | | |Potassium Chloride | | | |Calcium Chloride | | | |Strontium Chloride | | | |Barium Chloride | | | |Cupric Chloride | | | |Unknown___ | | | VII. Calculations: For each chemical, do the following calculations. 1. Using the estimated wavelength, calculate the frequency of the light produced. 2. Using the frequency of the light, calculate the energy of each photon of light produced. VI. Conclusion: VIII. Error Analysis:

Pfizer Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pfizer Inc - Essay Example he organizational structure is anticipated to change to accommodate the changing dimensions of customer perceptions and value expectations from medicines and healthy living (Barrett 2005, 72-82). The case commences with the market segmentation practices and its role in guiding the sales force efforts at Pfizer. Next are the targeting and positioning strategies in place and an understanding whether they need any changes. Adding on to the analysis, whether the company needs a complete revamping of its structure is also discussed along with the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of the change. To its accolades, Pfizer boasts of a 38,000 person global sales force that is competent enough to turn the demand function upside down. However, the traditional sales force efforts seem to be rusting with the changes in perceptions and expectations of physicians, patients and the total customer base. Earlier till date, the onus of marketing and spreading awareness of newly discovered medicines and drugs had been on sales team with frequent visits to clinics and appointments with physicians and doctors as the major activity of Marketing Charter. However, with the knowledge of new and categorical diseases with specialized physicians, mass marketing seems to take a back seat. Now Pfizer aims to focus on specialized diseases with less of talking and persuading the physicians with sales force efforts. Pfizer has learned a lesson from its Viagra sales experience. In its spree to extract maximum benefits from its Viagra proposition for ED (Erectile Dysfunction), it distributed a large number of samples and free medicine to clinics and physicians, resulting into a faulty determination of the exact demand. There were more of curious customers than actually afflicted ones, which led to an instant upsurge in demand at the time of the launch of the Viagra. This was all because the sales team was too aggressive in its efforts. Learning from this experience, the market segmentation now calls for

Teflon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teflon - Essay Example Years after its discovery, it is commercially produced and sold in 1946 while the acquisition of DuPont of Kinetic Chemicals paved way for the usage of PTFE in consumer goods (DuPont 2008). The manufacture of Teflon is modified in order to suit the specific application where it will be utilized. Some of the processes remain proprietor secrets for manufacturers in order to safeguard their competitive advantage. Scientifically, there are two ways of making Teflon. One is through suspension polymerization while the other is through dispersion (Teflon 2008). The starting point for each of the two methods is the synthesis of tetrafluoroethelyne which is undertaken by combining its three components namely fluorspar, hydrofluoric acid, and chloroform in chemical reaction chambers. The main difference between the polymerization processes is by the amount and the strength of force used. In suspension polymerization, the next step will be the addition of water and a reaction agent inhibitor which will cause the TFE to polymerize. On the other hand, the dispersion process introduces TFE into the water-filled chamber together with the initiating chemical. The suspension process requires vigorous shaking while in the dispersion, the reaction is facilitated through gentle agitation only. Thus, tinier beads are formed in the second method making it suitable for metal and fabric coatings (Teflon 2008). The outlined manufacturing process creates a white solid substance with a density of 2.2 grams per square centimeter. Teflon is also known as the solid with the lowest coefficient of friction next to diamond carbon at 0.1 or less which gives it its most notable characteristic of being very slippery and non-stick. Teflon also has very high corrosion resistance making it non-reactive to substances like ozone, chlorine, ammonia, and others. Because of this, Teflon is also non-wetting and adhesion is less likely. Even at extreme temperatures, Teflon maintains its form because of the strong bond of the chemicals comprising it (Polytetrafluoroethylene 2008). Use of fluoropolymers The unique properties of PTFE makes it suitable for various applications in numerous fields namely cookware and medical devices. Manufacturers in these industries have long relied on the characteristics mentioned above in designing more efficient products which can be used by customers in their everyday lives. Aside from these fields, PTFE is also present in more devices and instruments which are indispensible to a typical consumer. Since Dupont holds the copyright for Teflon, cookwares with this brand of non-stick coating source their PTFE from the company. In their manufacturing plant, PTFE is applied directly in the metal surfaces pots and pans. In a normal process, two coatings are sufficient however, some manufacturers sometimes give up to three coatings to achieve the desired output (DuPont 2008). Teflon has become an essential in kitchens because of its ability to make cookware non-stick and easier to clean. The product also gains popularity because of the growing health consciousness globally. As Teflon is non-stick, it enables consumers to fry eggs or sausages without using oil or butter

Team Discussion and strategic paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Discussion and strategic paper - Essay Example He must be clear in his mind about the strategies for the smooth functioning of the business. He should have a thorough research about the success and possible challenges to his business idea before setting it up. â€Å"A balanced scorecard analysis (Developed by Dr. Robert Kaplan and Dr. David Norton) will help the entrepreneur in defining the vision and strategies of his business and translate them into action. The entrepreneur must ensure that his strategies are well known to his employees to ensure the success of his business. The proposed business must be analyzed under different perspectives like Learning and growth, business process, customer and financial perspectives. Within each perspective, identify what needs to be done in order to achieve the overall mission like, What must we do (from each perspective) to achieve the overall mission? What is â€Å"This perspective focuses on how an organisation is improving its ability to innovate, improve and learn in order to support success with the critical operations and processes defined in the Internal Process Perspective. This may include employee training and corporate culture attitudes.† (Balanced scorecard) Innovation always creates leaders in the market. Consumers are always going after new trends and hence the success of a business depends on the innovative strategies of the entrepreneur. For a baby clothing store, the entrepreneur must analyze the current trends and he must be capable of designing new varieties of clothes for kids depend on the consumer interests. Following what others are doing may not help him to compete in the market. The employees must be well versed in the current scientific management theories which will help them in dealing with customers, marketing, accounting, purchasing estimations, etc. For that purpose the entrepreneur must provide adequate training to the employees to make them aware of the current trends in business, corporate strategies and

Limitations in Reliability of Interest Rate Sensitivity Gap Case Study - 1

Limitations in Reliability of Interest Rate Sensitivity Gap - Case Study Example The researcher states that the use of the interest rate gap in measuring the interest rate risk has various limitations. When there is high volatility in the interest rate in the market the use of gap method does not yield desired results. In the duration gap approach, it is difficult to match the duration of assets with the liabilities. Besides, this analysis is useful only when there are small and identical changes in the short term and long term rates of interest. The grouping of assets and liabilities based on duration is difficult in the case of prepayments by the clients or default. When there is a fall in the interest rates the prepayment increases that make the bank â€Å"asset sensitive†. If the interest rates are anticipated to increase by 1 percent then to reduce the impact on earnings the corporation must keep a Positive Gap. This means that the rate sensitive assets should be more than the rate sensitive liabilities. If this is positive then the increase in intere st rates increases the net interest income. The Gap of the corporation is mostly positive for all the time periods except for the investments that are of less than six-month maturity. In all the classes with a positive gap, the corporation will benefit due to the anticipated increase of 1%. It will only lose on the negative gap because the net interest income will reduce for the assets and liabilities of six months maturity. The interest expense will be more on account of increase in the rate and the gap being negative i.e. the number of liabilities exceeding the number of assets, there will be a fall in the net income. The cumulative gap of the corporation is positive at $1194 million.

Describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of Essay

Describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of self-defeating behaviour - Essay Example Thus eventually it results in failure in accomplishing the said objective which amounts to individual frustration. The event of losing confidence culminates in the failure of each of the different tasks taken by such person even if one possesses the optimum potency in completing the desired task. Psychologists have outlined some basic traits which help them to understand the emergence of the Self-Defeating Syndrome. Persons with such syndromes would try to evade the final completion of any particular task undertaken by him or her. These people generally feel outweighed by the amount of tasks entrusted on them which leads to tension and frustration. The losing of trust over oneself makes the persons deny any possible suggestions rendered by other people to help in the solving of the task. These people behave pessimistically and thus happen to fall short of meeting tasks on time. All such above factors make the person take resort to addictions to reduce the amount of frustration in the m and create a vicious environment. Continuous negative behavioral impulses like lack of attention or lack of proper attendance results in loss of work. (Merriment, n.d.). Origins and Causes of Self-Defeating Behaviour Psychologists state many reasons that lead to the emergence of Self Defeating Behavior Syndrome. ... This sense of inferiority developed in their minds amounts to making them all the more depressed and outweighs their potency. Further the lowering of their self confidence also greatly impacts their interpersonal skills which socially exclude them from their external environment. The factors of social exclusion limit the interactive sphere of the people which thereby amounts to events like severe depression and frustration. The people suffering from this psychiatric syndrome also reflect a negative belief about other people dwelling in the external environment. This amounts to restraining oneself from mixing with others which again amounts in increasing the element of frustration in them. High amount of social exclusion in these patients makes the people get outdated about the different social developments taking place resulting in loss of efficiency and competency. (Slusher & Anderson, 1989, pp. 11-14). The increase in the element of frustration and depression among individuals in d ifferent countries has made them to increasingly take resort to things like drug and alcohol to reduce the effect of the tensions. However, in the other way round taking increased resort to such objects make them feel more defeated and decreases their potencies. (Gallozzi, n.d.). In addition to the above factors some previous psychological effects also lead to the emergence of Self-Defeating Behavior among individuals. Psychologists observe that certain traumatic factors affecting early childhood of different individuals amount to create a mental blockage in their minds for which they exhibit the lack of confidence in their activities and also in mingling with other individuals. Early childhood trauma restricts the personality growth and development of the individuals

Ethics and Corruption at News International Essay - 3

Ethics and Corruption at News International - Essay Example d in 2005 when Clive Goodman wrote an article at News of the World stating that a member of the Royal Family, Prince William borrowed a portable editing suite from Tom Bradby, a correspondent from ITV. There were no other people who were aware of it except for Prince William and Tom Bradby and figured it was likely that their voicemails must have been illegally tapped. An investigation followed headed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police that led to search of News of the World London office where they found voice mail accounts belonging to Prince William’s aides that included Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. Clive Goodman and his associate Glenn Mulcaire were later arrested by the Metropolitan Police and were charged with tapping the telephones of the royal family which is a criminal offence under section 79 of the  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (The National Archives). Both plead guilty of the charge and were sentenced to four and six months in jail. During a July 2011 investigation, it was revealed that the phone tapping were not only limited to the Royal Family and other public figures but also included the relatives of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and the victims of the July 7 London bombings. The Metropolitan Police also estimated that there may be 4,000 possible targets from the documents they seized from News of the World Today (BBC News 2011a) Further investigation revealed that moneys were paid to police between  £20,000 to  £30,000 in exchange for information that News International would published as confirmed by a former Scotland Yard chief (Chapman 2011). These incidents of phone tapping and police bribery revealed the extent of unethical practice in the journalism industry in the UK that resulted in a public outcry against New International’s insensitivity for the already aggrieved victims of crimes and its total disregard of ethical propriety in obtaining information. The News International case also

Will Afghanistan achieve peace and prosperity Research Paper

Will Afghanistan achieve peace and prosperity - Research Paper Example It is a landlocked nation occupying part of South, Central and Western Asia. Afghanistan’s population is approximated to be thirty million head counts which almost the same as that of that of Uganda in Africa. Afghans population growth rate is approximately similar to the population growth rates of most third world country like Brazil. Afghanistan is approximately 647,500 square km making it one of the top fifty most populous countries in the world as a result of the large population occupying a small area1. Location of Afghanistan on the globe as produced by the UN, retrieved on December 1, 2013 Afghans urban civilization is believed to have begun in early 3000 to 2000 BC. Afghanistan is home to people from various parts of the world given its strategic location as a connection point between the Middle East, Central Asia and India. This is clearly seen the wake of military campaigns in this nation dating the era of Alexander the great of Britain, Russia, Arab Muslims, and Gen ghis khan. Afghanistan is a nation which was formed after an agreement between British and Russia. The fight for Afghanistan is experienced in the modern era of religious groups likes Taliban and the Western nation each having the desire to control the mineral deposits in Afghanistan2. The history of Afghanistan is begun in 1709 after the establishment of Hostaki dynasty, which led to the rise of Pashtuns. The Hostaki dynasty was preceded by the Duran Empire in 1747. After the great Anglo-Afghan war, the king began to modernize Afghanistan using the British system. This method of modernization was met by opposition from the conservative Muslims. When the British withdrew the neighboring India during the cold war, Russia and the United States started influencing Afghanistan. These influences from United States led to war between Russian backed Afghanistan government, and US backed Mujahedeen militia in 1779. This was the beginning of a series of wars in Afghanistan including the 1990 s civil war, the Taliban wars and the present war led by the United Nations security forces (Riphenburg 2006). A photo of American forces in Afghanistan: produced by CIA, retrieved on December 1, 2013 Resources Afghans natural resources include coal, copper, iron ore, lithium, uranium, rare earth elements, chromite, gold, zinc, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, marble, precious and semi precious stones, natural gas and petroleum. Afghanistan government estimates quite a large number of untapped mineral resources. Afghanistan is endowed with five major rivers which include: Helmand River, the Kunar River, the Oxus River, the Hari rod river and the Panjisher River. The five rivers in Afghanistan are fed by the snows and glaciers on the mountains of Afghanistan, and they flow to the neighboring Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan. This implies that Afghanistan supplies its neighbors with freshwater which is very crucial for the survival of any nation. Poor management of water resources is a contentious issue in Afghanistan3. Afghans landscape; produced by Aljazeera, retrieved in December 1, 2013 This is because most residents of Afghanistan do not get the chance to enjoy this crucial resource regardless of its abundance the country. Everyone wants to control the parts endowed with water resource since most leaders believe that once they take control of water resource, they can control a vast population of any nation. A country like Afghanistan which has this great resource in abundance should not be complaining of scarcity of water. This though does not surprise many due to poor management of water resources in Afghanistan. Afghanistan also lack proper infrastructure, which can aid in water storage since water is available

Evaluating the non-survival of best technologies in the long-term Essay Example for Free

Evaluating the non-survival of best technologies in the long-term Essay Abstract The essay under consideration analyzes the factual statement that best technologies do not survive in the long term. The statement has been considered under real life incidences, scenarios, and personal experiences, by virtue of which, several conclusions have been obtained and justified through relevant logic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology, for the purpose of this paper, has been restricted to the IT only; however, there are other implications and applications. There are several reasons for failure in long term survival of even the best technologies. Some of them are found to be of the highest probability of occurrence, others seem rather less risky.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, analyzing these is extremely important because technology research and development, and implementation require major cash outflows that need to be controlled and planned well in order to avoid struggle for survival. It is also worth mentioning that in majority of the circumstances, latest technologies are implemented without prior research of their impact. Avoidance to this can also make things much easier. Introduction As the facts state, and are known to all, that not more than 10% infact even lesser projects are successful across the IT industry due to several reasons [1]. Similarly, technologies that are really tremendous also do not survive in the long run. Technology may have several definitions, however, the easiest to comprehend definition is: Technology can be defined as the applied part of research and development. Elaborating on the above-mentioned definition, any organization may conduct RD activities but just the part of it that is applied is converted into technology [2]. Technology is generally associated to IT and pertinent topics only; however, technology applies to enhancements and advancements of any entity. Despite this, the scope of this paper restricts the view of technology to IT hardware and software, and pertinent entities/issues only. There are several issues and causes that pertain to the long term success of a technology. Relevance Study of this non-survival is not just important, but is critical to know and analyze. The prime reasons being that it is only its study and exploration that possibly may lead to non-repetition of such issues in the future [7]. However, the past shows history otherwise i.e. repetition of these issues has been witnessed in several failure cases. Also a point where this study gains extreme criticality is the fact that research and development costs and involves huge some of money that needs to be compensated (pay-back) once the technology is commercialized. If it, however, fails to deliver and sustain, survive in the long term, all efforts of RD simply go to waste [3]. Analysis of Issues For deeper analyses, it is most important to define the exact meaning of the topic. Survival in the long run implies that as a technology grows in its PLC (Product Life Cycle), it should have added customer base. When it is being said that best technologies do not survive in the long run, this statement implies that even the best of technologies are unable to sustain their competency in the long run, thus losing out the customer base. Or in other words, the possibility and cases that lead to a decline, referring to the query that why are technologies not able to survive for a longer term of life [16], [4]. Therefore, hypothetically, if the technology losses its clients due to some issues pertinent to the technology itself, the technology may be pronounced as a failure or non-survivor during the long term [17]. For further analyses of the issues that lead to the non-survival of some great technologies, the initial step should be their identification and then exploration. Following are the major issues pertinent to this: Extra-ordinary Expectations It can also be called as the inability of technologies to deliver what is actually expected from them. This can be a dual-sided problem. On one side, it is possible that during the phase of research and development, many technologies are elaborated and exposed to media and other stakeholders as the ultimate benchmarks beyond which no further development may take place. In such a scenario, technologies are bound to perform much below the ‘speculation-built’ expectation of the target audience. The other side is the fact that the technology may be elaborated upon parity to what it actually is, however, it may truly be below par. Thus gradually, those who adapted that technology, move towards a substitute or the previously run satisfying technology, as the case may be, in the long run; this is a trend that leads to the new technology not surviving in the long run [5]. Timing of Updates Updates are another wide issue why technologies may fail. Updates can be identified as patches or additional utilities that enhance the working of a technology. As the world is highly dynamic, technology keeps advancing, thus requiring timely updating of technology. In this regard, there are two prime concerns why a technology may fail [8]: Mistimed Updates The updates may not be timed as appropriately as required. For example, a software vendor may provide an anti-virus update of their software 6 months after that virus has started its destruction. Such updates are mistimed updates that do not satisfy the customers and may cause a technology failure. Irregular Updates A similar concept is of irregular updates. For example, a software vendor may actually provide updates with the first one in first month and then on randomly after any variable interval of time. This again is a hassle for the customer to actually update the technology as per a random walk. The issue might be as critical as it may not sound, and may actually cause the customers to walk away from such technologies causing them to fail. The implementation of a modern technology, which is definite to be costly, leads to the customer expectation of after sales services including regular updates and renewal versions are the primary expectation that a customer may hold. Failure to deliver these may cause the customers to shift to alternatives, causing a decline in the usability of technology. This decline denies the chances of survival in the long term. Costly Maintenance The technology may effectively be the best and most advance; however, its maintenance cost may be on the similar height due to lesser expertise in the advance technology, costly equipments, etc. The lesser expertise may increase the dependency on a single vendor, pushing him into premium charging from the customers, and as a result, customers might want to shift to an alternative or to the previously held technology, that again leads to survival issues for new technologies in the long run [11]. Compatibility Issues In the long run, organizations need to interact with their value/supply chain and thus requiring compatibility among the systems of the two organizations i.e. the technology each has implemented respectively. Failing to endure compatibility may lead to an eventual failure of the technology; primarily because organizations are most definite not to prefer technology that is incompatible with others, unless the organization stands tall in a commanding position in the value chain. Further Advancements in Technology Also referred to as Constructive-Destruction by some authors, technology may fail due to rapid development in the similar field enhancing the scope of accomplishments through enhancements, while these enhancements may fall beyond the scope of the previous technology, causing customers to shift to the latest technology for added services obtainable from the same. Thus, technological advancements may actually lead to the existing technologies not surviving for long. This can also be rephrased as the obsolesce factor [9]. Consider the example of type-writers; these were considered a tremendous technology of their time. However, the advent of computer (keyboard and printer) actually ruined the existing technology of type writers. Another example can be the shift from Infrared to Bluetooth technology in terms of wireless mediums. Alignment of Business Strategy Vs. IT Strategy At times a tremendous technology may just not survive due to absence of in-built/default best practices that may align the IT strategy to the business strategy. Generally, the best practices are indulged, particularly in case of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tools, whereby organizations while implementing these technologies, tend to perform BPR (Business Process Re-engineering). This in-turn has an effect on the whole of the business strategy and of course; BPR at that stage assures the appropriate alignment of the two strategies. Failure to align suitably may not be depicted at once; however gradual illustration of the same would encourage firms to shift their IT solutions and vendors, causing the decline of users and thus, creating a survival struggle. Lack of Vendor Support The best of the best technologies may not survive for even a shorter spam of time if the vendor support is lacking or missing. Many individuals and corporate clients may, for instance, find Linux a better operating system than many others even including Windows. However, lack of support leads to the survival struggle. There are firms working on providing its support but the current market share of it vs. windows says the whole story [10]. Lack of Monitoring Control on the Implementation Due to lack of monitoring and controlling the implementation of a technology, things may seem alright as implemented for a short spam of time. However, in the long run, as soon as problems start to appear, the think-tanks may blame the actual technology. Again, the reduction in usage rate assures a decline and a struggle for survival in the long run. Lack of Creativity Innovation Technological development is no short term or ‘once-done’ sort of a task. For staying in business, a technology related firm must assure constant creativity and innovation in the technology launched in the first go. Creativity, innovation, and basically something new; if these factors missing from the approach, mission, and vision of a technology provider organization, in that case it is certain that the organization itself may not survive in the long run, let alone the technology it is developing. Life Expectancy Expected useful life of technologies has decline tremendously over the past decade. With new technology developed almost all the time anywhere in the world, the product life cycle has reduced x-axis value. In such a scenario, even the best of the best technologies struggle to survive in the long run. This primarily pertains to the competition that has developed so drastically that no technological advancement actually remains advancement over a period of time. In such a scenario, firms should come up with new research and development that could actually be deployed in technology useful for an organization in developing its competency [6]. Technology Migration Strategies A technology should be adaptive in nature, and should be able to comprehend migration strategies across different technologies. Migration here may also imply the development of compatibility with other technology. This becomes more crucial when technological platform has to be changed or back ups need to be regenerated. A weak technology in this regard is most definite to create a non-survival scenario among existing technologies [12]. Conclusion Understanding the root causes of failure is the first step towards its elimination [18], [19]. Technology is useless without application. It can be viewed from the above argument that technology that has the above-mentioned loopholes, may not survive in the long run. A simplest and most routine example that can be considered is the WINDOWS vs. DOS operating systems. Most of the above mentioned problems, if not all, were presence in the DOS systems and absent from the WINDOWS platform, and the stories of survival and accomplishments are known to all [13]. To conclude, it can actually not be said with extreme confidence that best technologies do not survive in the long-run at all. In the long-run, there are further advancements that lead to the non-survival of previous technologies [14]. However, there are some technologies that are still existent in the world from the past and are expected remain so. One of the prime examples of the same is a wheel. Wheel probably is man’s finest creation, and possibly the advent of technology in human age [15]. Despite of prospering a lot today, wheel exists in this world today even in its basic form, let alone the advance version. But yes, mostly technologies do not survive in the long run because they are substituted through their or a substitute advance versions [20]. References James A. O’Brien (1999) Management Information Systems: Managing Information technology in the Internetworked Enterprise, 4th Edition Adas, Michael (1989). Machines as the Measure of Men: Science, Technology, and Ideologies of Western Dominance. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-2303-1. Monsma, Stephen V., et al. (1986). Responsible Technology: A Christian Perspective. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0175-7. Noble, David F. (1984). Forces of Production: A Social History of Industrial Automation. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-51262-6. Roussel, Philip A.; Kamal N. Saad, and Tamara J. Erickson (1991). Third Generation R D: Managing the Link to Corporate Strategy. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. ISBN 0-87584-252-6. Davis, Aquilano Chase (2003) Fundamentals of Operations Management, 4th Edition Applegate, Austin McFarlan (2003) Corporate Information Strategy Management, 6th Edition R. Ray Gehani (2003) Management of Technology Operations Rory Burke (2000) Project Management: Planning Control Techniques, 3rd Edition Camp, J. (2000), Trust and Risk in Internet Commerce, MIT Press, Cambridge MA Goodhart, C and M Krueger (2001) The impact of technology on cash usage, London School of Economics Financial Markets Group Discussion paper no 374, April. NARA/Long-Term Usability of Optical Media [Internet]. Available from: http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/electronic-records/electronic-storage-media/critiss.html [Accessed 9 April 2007] How Failure Breeds Success [Internet]. Available from: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_28/b3992001.htm [Accessed 9 April 2007] Technology and Educational Revolution: Ending the Cycle of Failure [Internet]. Available from: http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/V_Cycle_of_Failure.html [Accessed 9 April 2007] Technology Failure Analysis: Understanding Why A Diabetes Management Tool Developed for A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Didn’t Work in a Randomized Control Trial [Internet]. Available from: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1480274 [Accessed 9 April 2007] Failure Causes [Internet]. Available from: http://www.it-cortex.com/Stat_Failure_Cause.htm [Accessed 9 April 2007] Failure Analysis and Root Causes Determinations for the Legal Profession webinar March 27th [Internet]. Available from: http://www.storksmt.com/page.html?id=12753 [Accessed 9 April 2007] To Avoid Failure You Must First Understand Failure [Internet]. Available from: http://www.tfdg.com/index.cfm?page=45 [Accessed 9 April 2007] When Technology Fails: They Key to Dealing with Technology Failure is to Prepare for it [Internet]. Available from: http://globeandmail.workopolis.com/servlet/Content/rprinter/20020703/cpsa-techfail [Accessed 9 April 2007] The Daily (2004), Electronic Commerce and Technology, 16 April [Internet]. Available from: http://www.statcan.ca/daily [Accessed 9 April 2007]

Role of Disk Formatting in IT Security

Role of Disk Formatting in IT Security Jay Kybert Security is becoming increasingly more important as the internet allows for data to be shared and received instantly, this is why lots of operating systems have pre-installed security software. A utility program, like Windows Defender, provides a good level of security against potential threats from the network. Windows Defender acts as a barrier between the computer and the network its connected to. These types of security programs have user customization which allows people to allow or block access to/from the network. This is important for many people who use the internet frequently as there may be lots of viruses which the defender can block. Although, sometimes security programs can block access to data that isnt a threat but the user can manually give access. Security utility programs are needed by everyone to protect their computer from harm via networks. An image of Windows Defender can be seen below. Anti-Virus software is another security program similar to defenders that stops viruses accessing the computer. They work by scanning a database with all known signatures of viruses, these signatures are essentially their names found within their source code. The reason why anti-virus programs are updated often is because new viruses are found every day so anti-virus software needs to add this into the database so the viruses can be blocked. Polymorphic viruses can essentially hide in files and alter their code to avoid detection. Once they have passed through anti-virus detections, they can infect the computer. Heuristic settings are designed to find hidden viruses by searching the entirety of the computer for any strange data. Even though some viruses may be harmless and can simply be deleted without anything bad happening, there are lots of dangerous viruses which can cost millions to patch. One famous type of virus known as Cryptolocker is a type of ransomware. This uncommon virus can encrypt all files on the computer it infects. The user is prompted to send money to the hackers in return for a decrypting key. There are a variety of Clean-up tools either available for download or pre-installed with a computer. One of the most important clean-up tools is Disk Defragmentation. When files are deleted from a hard disk, they cant simply disappear, they are still technically there, saved onto the disk. However, the hard disk marks the location as free meaning, if other files are within the size of the deleted item, they will be written over it. However, constant installing/deleting can cause gaps on the platter; this leads to longer load times than necessary. Disk defragmenting rearranges the location of files so that there arent any spaces in-between. Because solid state drives dont rely on magnetism, they are affected from defragmentation differently. Although it does work and data can be moved around, it severely reduces the lifespan of the drive as they only have a few thousand read/write cycles. The image below shows the before and after of a disk that ran a disk defragmentation utility pro gram. The blue lines are installed data and the red lines are defragmented data. Â   Disk formatting is a technique used to completely wipe and initialise a disk, it works with both magnetic disks and solid-state disks. All installed data will be erased in the process which means it is only typically done when using the disk for another purpose or installing a new operating system. Also, disk formatting is used when adding additional storage to a computer system as all drives should be clear. While clearing the drive, the disk formatting program checks for any errors that have occurred on the drive, usually being bad sectors. The program can attempt to fix the problems but it isnt certain it will work. Disk formatting is made up for low level formatting, high level formatting and partitioning. The low level formatting focuses on the physical drive, making sure the structure of the drive is correct and ready for storage. The high level formatting part focuses on the file system management, the software that allows users to interact and manage data on the hard drive. F inally, the partitioning splits the drive into logical sections (partitions) that allow data to be stored on. The image below displays the disk management utility program which displays all drives and their partitions. The program can be opened by typing diskmgmt.msc into the run box (Windows Key + R). Furthermore, the computer can be scheduled to automatically carry out any of the functions above, whether formatting disks, defragging disks or a security scan. The schedule can be adjusted to have them carried out outside of working hours or how frequently they do them. However, if something was to go wrong, it could affect the entire system. This is where restore points can be useful. A restore point can be created which holds all current system settings at the time it is created. Therefore, if a problem was to occur, the user can simply reload the reload to the restore point. Although this can help if there was a failure, it does restore the computer to the date the restore point was made meaning there may be a loss of data. Utility programs are intended to keep the computer running healthy, this is why using utility programs frequently can lead to a better performing computer. Security programs constantly (but indirectly) help the performance of a computer. Having them installed doesnt mean that a computer will suddenly run faster or play games at a higher framerate but their job is to prevent any threats accessing the computer. If the computer doesnt have any security programs and a virus manages to gain access, this can negatively affect the computer, slowing it down by mass replicating, stealing data (keylogging) etc. Therefore, installing security software prevents possible problems that can occur via networks, giving the computer better performance than if there was no firewall/defender. Using a clean-up utility tool such as disk defragmentation can improve the performance of the computer. Although, in order to see noticeable differences, the user must have lots of data stored on the hard drive(s). After using disk defragmentation, all files are physically closer together on the platter. This means that the actuator and the read/write head have to travel less distance and check less sectors in order to find the data. This leads to programs loading up faster as they are closer together on the hard drive. This primarily affects software/programs that contain lots of data because their large file size typically results in a long loading time. Having a file like this closer to all of data on the drive means that the load times will be significantly reduced, improving the performance of the computer. Disk formatting does improve the performance of a computer similarly to disk defragmentation. If the entire drive is wiped (except for the operating system) there may be a visible increase in performance, especially if the drives had little to no free space. Having more space on the drive improves performance because files can be accessed and read/written faster because the actuator doesnt have to travel to the far parts of the platter in order to find data. Therefore, formatting a drive allows for quick loading much like disk defragmentation. Unlike disk defragmentation, formatting programs can fix any physical problems with the drive like faulty sectors. Fixing these problems may result in a little boost in performance as the fixed sector may have a faster access time than one currently read/writing to. Partitioning a hard drive may increase performance as it allows a drive to be split up into separate drives with each one hosting different data. For instance, one partition could h ave the operating system installed while another partition has documents/music etc. This increases the overall efficiency of the drive as everything is grouped together which may result in a boost in performance. Sources: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/pc-security/windows-defender.aspx http://threadwheel.com/disk-defragmenter/ http://www.disk-partition.com/windows-8/format-hard-drive-windows-8.html

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essays -- Death of a Salesman Arth

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman was written after the second World War while the American economy was booming. Society was becoming very materialistic, and the idea that anyone could â€Å"make it† in America was popular. These societal beliefs play a large part in Death of a Salesman, a play in which the main character, Willy Loman, spends a lifetime chasing after the American Dream. Willy was sold on the wrong dream. He was enamored with a myth of American ideals and chose to put aside his real talents in pursuit of a fantasy. In several instances of the play, we see that Willy is a skilled carpenter. He wants to redo the front step just to show off to his brother, and he is constantly fixing things around the house. However, he doesn’t see carpentry as an acceptable occupation. It entails hard work and there isn’t any glory in it. Instead, he chooses to follow the dream of being a successful salesman. The problem is that Willy doesn’t seem to have any of the skills needed to be a salesman. He deludes himself into thinking that he is â€Å"vital in New England† but we find out during his meeting with Howard that even during his good years he wasn’t doing as well as he thought he was. He has convinced himself that he averages one hundred and seventy dollars a week in commission, but Howard tells him otherwise. This is a sh ock to Willy; he’s not used to having reality forced upon him. Willy sees being a salesman as a worthy profession; he apparently puts a lot of effort into his sales pitches. His ideal fate is the same as Dave Singleman’s; to be so â€Å"well-liked† that he can make sales over the phone and to have hundred of people attend his funeral. Willy is blind to the... ... he tries to tell Happy that Willy didn’t know himself. Unfortunately, Happy is still living in a world of illusions, and he becomes angry with Biff and says â€Å"He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have – to come out number one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.† Ironically, Willy killed himself so that Biff could carry out his dreams of success, but Happy is the one who actually believed in Willy’s dream and vows to â€Å"win it for him†. As Linda looks over Willy’s grave, she tells us that the house has finally been paid off; that they are finally out of debt. If only Willy had been willing to take a job from Charley, they could have been living an easy life. But, Willy’s illusions of being a good salesman and his pride in false beliefs would not allow him to. Willy has died chasing the illusion of the American Dream.

Analyzing Suzie Essay -- Health and Wellness

Aspirin binds to COX-2, a protein that makes prostaglandins, inhibiting it from its function. Prostaglandins are normally released by the damaged tissues at Dave’s sprained ankle site, stimulating nerve endings to produce the sensation of pain (Martini, p. 46). Aspirin is also known as an anticoagulant because it inhibits the production of prostaglandins that also form platelets, used for blood clotting. This is why people who tend to have heart attacks take aspirin, to reduce the chance of blood clots. (Hoffman, 2011) B. Fainting 1. Why did Suzie faint when she got up from the table? Explain the specific changes in her CVS that to caused her to faint. There are few reasons that contributed to Suzie’s fainting spell. Skeletal muscle helps propel the blood in veins back to the heart. Suzie has low blood pressure primarily because she is starving herself. Without nutrients from the small intestine, the body is forced to use to stored fats and proteins. The cold environment in the kitchen decreased her blood pressure even more. As a homeostatic mechanism, blood vessels constrict to keep Suzie and the vital organs warm. The lack of oxygen being delivered to the brain caused Suzie to faint and lose consciousness temporarily (Martini, p. 722). Another reason Suzie fainted is because of her prolonged QT interval, detailing the ventricular depolarization/ repolarization time of her heart by the Purkinje fibers. Thirdly, Suzie’s development of anemia contributed to her fainting because there were probably was not enough healthy red blood cells to deliver oxygen to her brain. When Suzie collapsed, she laid in a horizontal position increasing deliverance of blood and oxygen to the brain. (Martini, p. 722) C. Ectopic Hear... ...als.org/content/94/6/2129.full  · Hoffman, Lucas, MD, PhD. â€Å"Aspirin 101† 2011. http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/aspirin3.htm  · Lacroix, Pierre. An Overview of QT Interval Assessment in Safety Pharmacology. Figure 10.7.1. Current Protocols in pharmacology. July, 2006  · Martini, Frederic C. Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology. 7th Ed. Pearson.  · National Heart Lung & Blood Institute. â€Å"Explore Long QT Sydrome†. September 2011. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/qt/  · Pritts, Sarah D., MD. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Diagnosis of Eating Disorders in Primary Care. January 15, 2003. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0115/p297.html  · Yanowitz, Frank G., MD. The Alan E. Lindsay Center ECG Learning Center. The University of Utah School of Medicine. 2006 http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/ecg/ecg_outline/Lesson12/index.html

Xmen Movie Essays -- Film Movies

Xmen movie I am critiquing the movie â€Å"X-men†. This movie is based on a comic book and on an animated series. Both the animated series and the comic book revolve around mutants. These mutants often look human, however many look quite different than any normal human and also their powers are quite extraordinary. This creates one problem when converting to movie form. Make-up gadgets and special effects must be used so that our reality where the film is made may accurately reflect the reality where the film is set. Also, the characters from the animated series and the comic books all have personalities and physical features that the actors in the film must try to match. This is a difficult thing to do. Not only must the actors physically look like the character concept but they must also be able to play the correct personality. The movie also must keep in context with the animated series and the books. The sources both share a timeline and general background knowledge and stories that the movie must conform with. When you add this onto the feat of making a movie that is aesthetically and engaging for audiences you have a very tall order. For the most part however, the movie was successful in many of these areas. The special effects were well done in this movie. Storm’s power over the elements is well displayed. I believe that it is one of the high points in the movie when we get to see storm use her powers. Cyclops’s eye beam was also well done special effect wise. However the head gear that they used, while close enough to the original, was very bulky. This hindered the actors acting capability. Actors do a lot of acting with their faces and facial features. Entire messages are sent with the eyes. This did create some problems for Cyclops in the movie. The headgear, while it was aesthetically pleasing, should have been reduced somewhat in size in order to better see the actor’s features. Rouge’s powers are well displayed as well. At this point in the timeline she has not yet gained her super strength or power of flight. So that is one less problem. She still however has the power of pulling other mutant’s powers from them. This tends to be a case of simply overlaying the special effects onto her from the original. However the only power that she really takes advantage of is wolverine’s healing. The special effects on this part seemed realist... ...e well. The casting was quite difficult also due to the fact that the sources portray the X-men as being larger than life. For instance the average human is six heads tall while the average X-men is eight. However the X-men did tend to dominate over the few humans they encountered, making up for the loss in dynamisms. Most of the movie kept in context with the sources. The back-stories of the characters that were explored were mostly in sync with the sources. The only area where this was truly lacking was an obvious marketing attempt. The younger X-men that were at the academy at this point in time actually should have been long gone at this point. Both Kitty Pryde and Iceman for example were X-men long before Wolverine or Rouge. However as it is portrayed, there is even so much as a teenage romance blossoming between Rouge and Iceman. This was obviously done for marketing purposes in wanting to include as many X-men in the movie as possible. However, if they decide to make a sequel they will have to address this problem or diverge further and further from the time line of the original source material. All in all I liked the movie though and I thought it was rather good.

Two poems by Archbishop Jien

Two poems by Archbishop Jien (Carter, p. 171, poem 327; p. 172, poem 330) and two by Shunzei's Daughter (Carter, p. 175, poem 341; p. 176, poem 342) â€Å"plumb the depths of your intent without laying it [the situation] bare† (Kamo no Chomei, p. 3, No. 6) to depict mankind's paradoxical approach to the moon: seeking reassurance and companionship in its permanence and predictability, despite it being an uncertain mystery, inaccessible directly and impossible to control nor fully understand. The poets merely provide a stark glimpse of the situations in which the speakers find themselves, so that the reader must fill in with his or her resonance to complete the poetic experience. The speakers' attempts to escape their predicament by seeking fulfillment in the deceptive permanence of the moon are left hanging incomplete, creating in turn for the reader an atmosphere embroiled with lack of fulfillment and the mystery of the moon, which probes the reader's depths of intent to understand as best he can. The sense of lack of fulfillment upon which the poems end creates a vacuum into which any careful reader fills to restore the equilibrium. The lingering sense of incompletion creates an atmosphere that â€Å"hovers over the poem† (Fujiwara no Shunzei, p. 3, No. 7), â€Å"plumb[s] the depths of [their] intent†, thereby extending the reader's frame of mind into a realm â€Å"distinct from its words† (Shunzei, p. 3, No. 7). All four poems possess this quality. In Jien's poem 327 (Carter, p. 71), the moon sets before a lone traveler has had enough of the moon's company and beauty manifested in its reflection in the mountain spring water he was drinking, as his cupped hands suggest. As honkadori from Ki no Tsurayaki's poem 171 (Carter, p. 105) on â€Å"Parting, composed upon bidding farewell to someone with whom he had talked near a spring on a mountain road†, it reaffirms the instinctive human desire for any type of company, human or not-Monk Saigyo even makes a companion of solitude: â€Å"If not for solitude,/how dismal my life would be! † (Carter, p. 167, poem 318). In this case, the floating, unanswered to last line â€Å"leaving me still wanting more† conveys the speaker's loneliness and desire for his trustworthy but only temporarily graspable (through reflection) companion the moon. The consciousness of such emotional attachments and desires indicates the timelessness of the emotions, perceptions, and aesthetic sensibilities of past poets, to which humanity has been responding even till now. Furthermore, the experience is not restricted to one specific context; Tsurayaki's speaker was not satisfied with the brief human contact, but Jien's speaker made do with the inanimate moon. That the experience transcends not only minds but also contexts reinforces it. All this was not laid out bare. The speaker in Jien's other poem (Carter, p. 172, poem 330) calls out for someone to understand his sorrow and looks to the moon for an answer. His exposure to the indiscriminate, sharp and harsh â€Å"bright gleam† of the moon suggests through a heightened monochromatic contrast and the fact that no one responds to the speaker's resounding question spoken out loud in this darkness delineates the individual alone in the stark, empty world, on a clear, dark night. Whether or not he answers his question remains ambiguous until one recalls that the moon shining in the darkness has long since been a symbol of Buddhist enlightenment within this transient world of suffering and sorrow. He wonders till he gazes up and his senses seem to drown in the bright gleam of the moon. The reader can imagine that he will follow the gleam of the moon-the moon which is always there, but still subject to mutability and likely to bring sorrow until one arrives at the point of detachment. In Shunzei's Daughter's poem 341 (Carter, p. 75), a lover departs such that his bodily absence creates a vacuum for which the lady tries to compensate by opening the door to let the moonlight stream into the room. The man has his attachments elsewhere, so despite being â€Å"reluctant† to leave, there is nothing he can do, and his body allows him to be only at one place at one time. In stark contrast, right after he leaves, the moon floods the lady's room, detached, impartial and fair to all, sharing its infinite light with all beings everywhere. The moonlight automatically streams in through open doors-there is no need to wait, as a woman then had to wait for a lover who might not come. Hence, in place of any explicit sadness the lady might harbor due to her lover's absence, the moon in the sky at the break of day (as well as the lover's absence) creates a sense of aware that anticipates the sun's drowning out of the moon with the start of another day. This quiet, stark morning atmosphere, again distinct from the words of the poem and was not laid out bare, invites introspection before the day wakes up the rest of the living beings. Lastly, Shunzei's Daughter's poem 342 (Carter, p. 176), the speaker, with â€Å"wait! † calls for the autumn moon not to proceed into the course it follows as autumn deepens and winter approaches. Familiarity with the moon has made the speaker comfortable with personifying the moon as if it is a friend. However, the constant upon which the speaker has always relied-the moon's nightly cruise through the sky-will now change with the seasons. The speaker is thus confronted with the difficulty of reconciling the uncertainty of the future with the comfortable familiarity of the past. This foreboding uncertainty of the future is embodied in â€Å"Now I cannot be so sure/ of seeing you travel/through the same old sky again/as I did so long ago† which is left hanging with no suggested solution. The only constant is change, and every change results in more uncertainty. That the poem does not lay everything bare points toward the uncertainty it embodies. In all four poems, the tendency to search for a resolution in the seemingly permanent and dependable moon is a paradox the speakers in the poems face. The moon's circular shape is itself symbolic of its predictable cyclical patterns, rising and setting, waxing and waning at specific times. Appearing nightly in the sky, people know that it is always there, and is the same one seen from anywhere, anytime. In fact, despite its predictability, it is still mutable and hence subject to unpredictable changes, for instance, in its course (poem 342). In addition, the moon cannot be grasped tangibly, only accessed indirectly through its reflection in the water (poem 327), its visible presence in the sky (poems 330, 342) and its moonlight filling in the room (poem 330, 341). As a result of all this, its fluidity of movement and appearance across time and its inaccessibility contradicts the widespread believed-in permanency of the moon's being. Furthermore, due to its inaccessibility, the moon was to past peoples an object of mystery they could neither control nor fully understand. Nevertheless, many, as illustrated by the speakers in the poems, turned towards it for answers and understanding. The moon does not argue, frustrate, or make you wait. Visible from anywhere in the world, its constancy, predictability and amorality make it an easy source of solace, reminiscent of Izumi Shikibu's â€Å"What am I to do/if the man I have waited for/should come to me now–/not wanting footsteps to disturb/the snow of my garden court† (Carter, pp. 23, poem 218). The empty hands (327), empty mind (330), empty room (341) empty future (342) in all four poems respectively, and the prominent, mystifying, quiet figure of the moon-the paradoxical emblem of mutability and permanence-prove that without â€Å"laying it bare,† a lingering bareness distinct from the words â€Å"plumb[s] the depths of your intent†, invoki ng a reaction. An experience may be eternalized in the words of a poem, but it is what has been left unsaid that triggers the common biological response that ties all humanity. It is the collective resonance by readers across temporal, spatial and situational contexts to the experiences depicted in the poems, and to the universal, ironic attraction to the all-embracing moon that demonstrates the timeless universality of these emotions amongst humanity these past poets illuminate.

A typical Victorian family Essay

â€Å"We don’t live alone. We are all members of one body. We are responsible for each other. † What is Priestley’s main aim in ‘An Inspector Calls? ‘ How successful was he? It year was 1945 when J. B Priestley created his masterpiece, An Inspector Calls. He set the play in 1912 like a typical Victorian family, the male of the family ruling the rest. He intended the play to be viewed by all but I don’t think he expected it to still be played today. The play has a very important message inside. I think the message is that we have to be careful in what we say to others because without us knowing, we could have a negative impact on whoever it is directed to. The play is designed like a detective style. It has the Inspector interrogating the suspects to try and piece together the clues into the suicide of Eva Smith. As well as the play being educational, Priestley made it entertaining so more people would watch the play closely than if it was just educational. Also more people, I think, would go and read it. Every one of us has an individual role into the way we live. We could choose to ignore the wellbeing of each other and bully every one or we could choose to live in peace with every one and live in peace with them. Society is an important thing. Without order, we could all live in fear as many people try to rule our life. When we are in PSD, our teachers are trying to educate us the important rule of respecting each other and their things. Their things could be anything from their cars to their bodies. We need to treat them as we would like to be treated back. We have all got responsibility to respect each other as we would like to be respected. The Characters involved in the play are: Mr Arthur Birling, Mrs Sybil Birling, Miss Sheila Birling, Master Eric Birling, Mr Gerald Croft, Inspector Goole and Miss Eva Smith Mr Arthur Birling in the play is described as being an arrogant, stubborn man. His view of what had happened to Eva in the play is like he wasn’t interested that a fellow human had died from what he had done. He was more bothered about how he thought the people of Brumley would think of him if they saw the Inspector talk to him about a suicide. He tried, several times in the play, to discourage the Inspector blaming him by saying that he was the Lord Mayor of Brumley or that he is the owner of the company Birling and Co. â€Å"Well I only did what any employer might have done. † I put this in because it shows that Mr Birling is only interested in his business and he’s not interested in any of the workers.

Motivation Working In Groups Education Essay

AbstractionThe planetary competitory environment is witnessing a new displacement where more and more companies are forming their activities and undertakings around groups. Bing able to work efficaciously in a group is now considered a important demand for any employee. This write up inside informations my motive behind fall ining a Masters class in direction at the Bangor Business School and how this is assisting me to smooth my accomplishments as an effectual group member and a future director. This piece of work besides identifies assorted issues faced when working in groups and simple solutions that can be applied to antagonize these booby traps to maximise end products.MOTIVATION FOR JOINING A POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM IN MANAGEMENTThe undergraduate plan in Commerce at Bishop Heaber College Trichy, India introduced me to a broad scope of subjects in my nucleus topic such as economic sciences, statistics and mathematics. The commercialism course of study non merely inculcated a high g rade of job resolution and analytical accomplishments in the nucleus field but besides gave me a opportunity to briefly explore other practical concern spheres such as direction, finance, selling, accounting and jurisprudence. These subjects are extremely relevant in the current economic scenario and it is really interesting to look into how the interplay of assorted forces thrusts planetary growing. What fascinated me most was the fact that many of the theoretical subjects in direction have profound practical public-service corporation and when applied to assorted jobs these guarantee of import procedure and merchandise betterments. In order to carry through my dream of going a high-tech concern adviser, I decided to fall in a postgraduate plan in Management at a reputed university that would supply me with ample chances in footings of growing, personally every bit good as professionally. Harmonizing to McClelland ‘s Theory of Needs motive depends on three demands – Accomplishment, power and association ( McClelland, 1961 & A ; 1975 ) . These 3 factors were instrumental in actuating me to fall in a postgraduate plan and work towards accomplishing my ends.THE BANGOR BUSINESS SCHOOL: A GLOBAL PLATFORMThe following challenge that I faced was to calculate out a university that would run into my criterions and demands and would turn out cardinal to my success in future e nterprises. After a thorough research, I zeroed down on the Bangor Business School at the Bangor University. Harmonizing to Clayton Alderfer ‘s ERG Theory, being, relatedness and growing are the three chief factors that motivate people for fall ining an organisation. My determination of fall ining the Bangor University was based on these three factors as this university provides personal attending to pupils, offers chances that pupils can associate to and nowadayss ample infinite to turn ( Alderfer, 1969 ) . The Bangor concern school provides a overplus of classs in direction with a extremely trained staff and coactions worldwide with the industry supplying first-class future chances. The fact that this concern school has been late rated by the Research Assessment Exercise ( RAE ) as the best in UK for accounting and finance farther strengthened my determination of fall ining this university ( Bangor, Homepage, 2010 ) . In recent yesteryear, the university staff was responsible for transporting out extremely acclaimed consultancy undertakings for authorities and non-government organisations with assorted publications in the prima diaries. The Bangor concern school provides abundant chances for heightening and developing competences in direction. Besides, in order to go a successful adviser I require custodies on experience and cognition of planetary concern, foreign markets and competition with a thorough apprehension of planetary forces and concern schemes. Bangor, through its coaction with foreign companies and universities provides sufficient exposure in the planetary domain, both practically every bit good as technically.Students AT BANGOR BUSINESS SCHOOLAnother factor that attracted me towards the Bangor concern school apart from the module and installations was the pupils. As the college undertakes merely a limited figure of extremely qualified pupils who are selected after stiff competition, quality of pupils is the kernel of this university. The chief advantages offered by this layout include: Fewer figure of pupils enrolled guarantee that an first-class resonance is developed with all the members of the class. This helps in interchanging rich cognition and expertness from assorted subjects such as humanistic disciplines, commercialism, jurisprudence, scientific discipline, concern disposal, selling, etc. amongst different pupils. The familiarity, good will and contacts built during the continuance of the class prove to be really effectual and of import in the long tally when different pupils join different industries at assorted profiles. These pupils have varied positions and backgrounds and sharing this enormously helps in bettering any professional. Therefore, interacting with this creme de la creme was a large motive for fall ining the Bangor University.APPROACHES TOWARDS LEARNINGDetermining an appropriate and contributing attack towards larning is indispensible to the procedure of deriving cognition. Harmonizing to Biggs & A ; Telfer ( 1987 ) , the chief attacks undertaken by pupils comprise of two elements – Motivation and Strategy. Based on this, he identified three chief attacks adopted by pupils. These were the Surface Approach, the Deep Approach and the Achieving Approach. Surface Approach: In the Surface Approach, positive and negative extrinsic motivations play a critical function and pupil ‘s scheme is to try the least to go through a topic. In the procedure he renders himself inefficient of understanding the significance of what he has learned and the interplay of factors because the motivation is superficial and he has no personal involvement in what he is making. Deep Approach: In the Deep Approach, motivation is an intrinsic wonder to larn things and the scheme undertaken by the pupil is one of personal committedness towards larning. In the procedure he comprehends and understands things in the best possible mode, attempts to co-relate things learned with past experiences and accomplishes the chief undertaking of analyzing. Achieving Approach: In the Achieving Approach, the motivation is to accomplish a peculiar end such as high classs and the scheme adopted by the pupil is to make at the most what is required to accomplish his end.MY Approach TOWARDS LEARNINGDuring my full pupil life I have ever strived towards deriving a deep cognition of each topic that I studied. In the competitory universe that a professional faces one time that he comes out of the college, a strong foundation is required if he wishes to boom and turn. Hence, when I joined the Bangor University my chief motive was to construct a strong and deep apprehension of assorted topics, variables and subjects of direction.Influence OF THE BANGOR BUSINESS SCHOOL ON MY APPROACH TOWARDS LEARNINGIn 2001, Biggs described two chief influences that shape a pupil ‘s attack towards larning – Personal factors and Teaching. These are described below: Personal factors such as background, upbringing or personality may hold a positive or negative consequence on the pupil and may motivate him towards developing a Surface Approach or a Deep Approach. Teaching: Conventional learning methods such as everyday scrutinies, clip force per unit area, taging strategies, detainment, etc. lead pupils towards developing a Surface Approach of larning. On the other manus, newer learning methods such as instance surveies, activities, tutorials, job resolution, flexible rating systems, etc. promote pupils towards developing a Deep Approach. At Bangor, the module believes in an synergistic instruction manner where the pupil is free to inquire inquiries and is encouraged to believe out of the box. In fact the techniques employed have molded assorted pupils from being Surface attacks to Deep attacks. This procedure has been accelerated by advancing student-student interactions that result in an exchange of expertness and in bend actuating pupils to travel for an in-depth analysis of assorted jobs and issues. In short, the unique and latest learning methods employed at Bangor have helped direction pupils in developing a strong apprehension of assorted direction related subjects such as Problem Solving and Decision Making, Planning, Delegation, Internal Communications, Meeting Management, Leading, Coordinating and Controlling, Pull offing Self, Managing Stress, etc. ( McNamara, 2010 ) . These methods provide a alone environment where the pupils contribute towards the growing of each other therefore maintaining one and all motivated. Simultaneously, the university achieves the primary end of instruction by heightening the acquisition ambiance of pupils and by increasing the efficiency of the module.UNITY IN DIVERSITYAs discussed earlier, Bangor demonstrates a broad scope of diverseness by uniting different people from different parts with different academic backgrounds as one large group. As a portion of the MBA course of study, many times pupils are required to be grouped harmonizing to ac tivities, instance surveies or undertakings assigned to the category. This brings the subject of working in groups. Harmonizing to Robbins ( 2004, pp:219 ) :â€Å" A Group is defined as two or more persons, interacting and mutualist, who have come together to accomplish peculiar aims † .Working in groups can be either pleasant or hard or at times both. On the brighter side, uniting people with heterogenous backgrounds and experiences ensures best consequences in footings of value add-on to the batch. Students demonstrate a high degree of originative thought, solutions design and job work outing guaranting better end products. The kineticss achieved by this theoretical account guarantees a healthy ambiance within the campus and pupils staying positively competitory.POSITIVE ASPECTS OF WORKING IN GROUPSIn Management classs, pupils are divided into groups to accomplish assorted motivations which in bend help them in deriving a competitory border when they venture out in the indu stry. A individual who works good in a group is in all possibility traveling to be an first-class squad worker when he joins an organisation. Assorted positive results achieved by working in groups are described below: When pupils work in groups they draw on each others knowledge and expertise to accomplish better consequences. This is due to the fact that a multiple sentiment is ever better than a individual sentiment as it shows heterogeneousness and avoids prejudice. Group working achieves best consequences for rating studies such as instance studies, reappraisals and reviews, research undertakings such as those that entail primary and secondary research and little undertakings that involve an statement such as a argument. Students working in groups besides make the best of the available strengths within the group. For e.g. in a written undertaking, one of the members who has an first-class bid on vocabulary can compose the paper whereas other who has an expertness in the linguistic communication can proofread. Working in groups makes pupils responsible as they work coherently to accomplish a common undertaking and in the procedure maintain actuating each other to execute better. While working in groups there is a least possibility for members to stall. Group working ensures that single manners ever come to the head supplying enhanced consequences.Press FACTORS ON GROUP WORKINGGroup working is governed by assorted pressing factors such as efficiency of members, degree of struggle, external conditions, procedures, internal communicating, etc. These factors give rise to assorted issues within the group ( Goodman, 1987 ) . Group work is seldom perfect and one is expected to meet a broad scope of issues and jobs when working in groups. For any direction pupil to be effectual it is really of import that he uses solutions design and advanced schemes for antagonizing these issues. What remains indispensable is the fact that whatever 1 does, he should non ache or pique other group members. Few issues associated with working in groups along with executable solutions will be discussed in the undermentioned paragraphs.Working IN GROUPS: ISSUES & A ; SOLUTIONSI ) DisagreementDisagreement and following a collaborative working manner are the bigg est issues when working in a group. Each person in the group should understand that the basic thought of the course of study behind transfusing a collaborative working manner is the fact that thoughts will be challenged to accomplish better consequences and a struggle is non ever bad ( Schellhardt, 1994 ) . There are opportunities that other members of the group might come up with thoughts that are right or more relevant and can be supported by grounds. In order to stay competitory in such a scenario one should promote dissension to measure the strength of 1s ain thoughts and to research other possible options. A collaborative working manner should be promoted in the group to antagonize dissension. Collaborative manner has assorted paradigms associated with it. These include stating non merely what to make in the group but besides activities required for carry throughing a peculiar undertaking i.e. how to accomplish desired consequences. Collaboration is most fruitful when a certain degree of formality is introduced in the group behaviour such as everyday meetings and advancement sheets and by maintaining the group ‘s involvement before personal 1s. Another step to antagonize dissension is to be ready to compromise. This means that each member of the group should be ready to listen and suit each others sentiment and forfeit or modify his ain theories in the visible radiation of cognition and grounds. Encouraging dissension, as discussed above, is really effectual but what should be understood is the fact that groups that merely differ do non stay functional. Therefore, it is really of import to equilibrate the 2 forces of dissension. As per Robbins ( 2004 ) a working group is non an unorganised crowd but should hold a construction and most significantly a leader or a captain or a go-between. Therefore, a go-between or chair individual can be assigned for each meeting who will listen to all the parties and come up with concluding indifferent recommendations. All groups have specific norms that are established early to guarantee smooth operation ( Hackman, 1992 ) . Discussion regulations such as no personal onslaughts can be decided early in the procedure. Group behavior encourages people to develop a critical attack towards inquiries which proves to be an advantage in existent universe puting where an person is confronted with assorted pressing issues and jobs.II ) DIVISION OF WORKDivision of work Division of work and duties is indispensible to the success of working in groups. Undertakings should be divided in such a manner that all resources are adequately utilised without over burthening any specific person. Th e existent undertaking can be broken down into smaller sub-tasks and each sub-task can be assigned to one individual. Care must be taken to guarantee that sub-tasks should be divided harmonizing to single strengths. For e.g. a individual good at proofreading can be assigned for proofreading and one good at forming should be assigned to forming informations and concluding end product. Furthermore, interpersonal accomplishments are a deciding factor for high public presentation and members should show and larn these from each other to better their competences ( Stevens & A ; Campion, 1994 ) . Therefore, to maximise the use of resources work should be delegated harmonizing to the strengths and expertness of group members.III ) SOCIAL IdlenessCovering with Slackers is another issue in group working. This phenomenon called as Social Loafing ( Comer, 1995 ) refers to the inclination of people to work less when working in groups. Normally persons on a individual undertaking are uniformly g raded hence go forthing a large room for one or more members to go dawdlers. To cover with this state of affairs, regulations should be laid down at the start itself. These can be simple penalties such as if a member does non go to a meeting without any specific ground he would purchase a Burger for everyone in the group to harsh 1s such as non including the name of the individual on the concluding study. Usually group members end up making excess work because they do non take shirkers to undertaking and do non talk their head. On the contrary, such sentiments and issues should be flagged at the earliest in the group.IV ) RESPECT FOR INDIVIDUALAnother chief issue associated with working in groups is keeping regard for persons. The image becomes hard when one or more members in the group see themselves superior and smarter than others. This is a unsafe attitude that may do clash within the group. Besides there is a opportunity where persons may believe that they would hold learnt bet ter if they had worked separately on the subject. Researchs have demonstrated that group working is more efficient in doing better quality and speedy determinations when compared to single working ( Cooke & A ; Kernaghan, 1987 ) . It is besides of import to promote members to discourse their strengths and failings at the first session itself so that they can be best utilised. Sharing of ideas by and large consequences in coherence within a group as people feel nearer to each other. Group members should be encouraged to develop and heighten their ability to LISTEN. Group works best when all members are ready to listen to each other with an unfastened head. Furthermore, in a campus environment where pupils come from different states and civilizations, something which is acceptable in one civilization might non be the same in another ( Axtell, 1991 ) . Therefore, regard for persons, their civilizations and values is indispensable to the success of any group.V ) CommunicationTimely communicating on all undertaking and single related affairs is paramount to the success of any group. Unable to run into at distinct clip or topographic point can take to perturbations in the smooth running of a group. Regular communicating should be maintained in the signifier of regular meetings to be held at a stipulated clip agreed amongst the group members. Here, persons can v oice their findings on assorted subjects every bit good as flag their personal jobs if any. Other options such as electronic mails, telephones, confab suites, couriers, etc. may be used if in instance one-to-one treatments can non be planned at all. One of the members can be assigned to enter proceedingss of the meeting and can go around the meeting notes to everyone. This formalizes the procedure of communicating and makes certain that everyone in the group is on the same platform. Besides it is easier for the members to look back on the notes and see if they are on the mark and have achieved what was decided as per agenda.VI ) TIME MANAGEMENTInefficient clip direction besides causes a batch of jobs if things are non achieved as distinct. Therefore to avoid clip lags the best attack is to hold pre-agreed mileposts for the undertaking that can be converted into Gantt charts. It is a misconception that working in a group takes lesser clip. In fact, working in a group can be really cl ip devouring due to encephalon storming, developing understanding on a subject, collating information, alterations and proofreading, etc. Thus, group work should ne'er be considered as less work in lesser clip. It is besides of import to use meeting clip expeditiously to avoid slowdown subsequently on. To accomplish this, the docket of the following meeting can be decided in the current one itself ; all members should come prepared for the meeting ; go-between can direct a reminder through electronic mail or phone before for the approaching meeting ; go-between or chair individual should be rigorous about the timelines.Decision: MBA & A ; BEYONDTo sum up, prosecuting a Masters grade in Management for me is non merely a tool to accomplish position, richness and wealths but a ladder to understand and research assorted spheres of direction. The chief motive behind trailing this plan is to play with assorted direction patterns in order to understand the interplay of factors and to larn ways of using latest theories of direction to pattern. This will assist me in going an first-class director by steering my accomplishments to plan efficient and advanced concern solutions. Continuous chase for wisdom has made me look up to the cognition that I already had and has farther motivated me to hone my accomplishments. The Bangor Business School has provided me an first-class chance to carry through my dream by fall ining this class and deriving sufficient in footings of proficient accomplishments, interpersonal accomplishments and contacts. This concern school has non merely equipped me with a deep cognition of the class stuff but is determining me to be an effectual scholar and hearer. Assorted direction attacks and rules that I am larning in this class such as working in groups will fit me better to accommodate easy when I join the existent universe of concern. My love for direction patterns will do me take up challenges whole heartedly.APPLICATIONS OF THE CURRENT TOPICThis organic structure of work can be used by pupils to understand the importance and kineticss of working in groups. Furthermore, simple solutions proposed can be easy adopted and implemente d by one and all to maximise end products when working in groups.

Tattoos on the Heart: Success

Gregory Boyle begins chapter eight: â€Å"Success with a few questions that seem so simplistic at first glance. What is success and what is failure? What is good and what is bad? Setback or progress? † (Boyle 167). Taking a few moments to process these questions, one realizes that the question is quite complex and difficult. Success has such a subjective definition that it can only be defined by the one who answers the question of â€Å"what is success to you? † and has no universal definition. Specifically with gang members, success in the context of their lives is about personal growth and less about tangible results. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect†(Biblegateway). Their lives have endured much turmoil and through experiences they find what is good and acceptable and perfect to themselves. Individuals may have their own views on success and failures, and these views may be similar or vastly different. Success for anyone, particularly the gang members, is doing the best one can in any given situation. This may be forgiving the killer of your son or deciding to discontinue participation in gang activities. Although defining success proves to be elusive there are many forms of success that should be embraced with open arms. From personal experiences my definition of success has differed greatly from time to time. This is similar to how success of a gang member is dependent on where they currently happen to be in their lives. On one day success was defined as getting out of bed and staying awake for me, just as how a gang member thinking about changing his life. Getting out of bed is quite an insignificant act on its own, but in that period of my life I was not able to function and this was considered to be quite successful. A gang member simply thinking about his life may not be a significant act on its own, but when he has dwelled in chaos all of his life, this thought is like a shining light piercing the clouds that hinder him. All of a sudden these insignificant acts take on the form of complete success. On another day success was thriving and excelling in college. Getting out of bed and staying awake was success for me when I was in the midst of a depressive episode, and now success is fully applying myself in college courses. Simply getting up out of bed compared to excelling in college, one can recognize that these actions differ greatly, but given the circumstances, are both successes. This same philosophy can and ought to be applied to former and current gang members. Consider Stan, he is the co-founder of the Crips street gang and is on death-row for past crimes he has been convicted of. Stan is also the epitome of success. Father Gregory Boyle has said that Stan is â€Å"not the person he was 27 years ago, and if he is granted clemency, his impact on kids, who plan their funerals and not their futures, will continue† (Allen). He has transcended from his previous life and become a resource against his original foundation of gang life. When we acknowledge the past decisions Stan has made and compare those decisions to where he is now, the amount of success found in that comparison is absolutely immense. In any circumstance speaking out against the negative consequences of gang banging is a feat on its own, but in the context of Stan’s life he lived and breathed gang life. Now he is speaking out against gang violence and this is what makes Stan the epitome of success. From where he was to where he is, he is a changed man. Success is like the silver lining of every cloud. Even in the case of a grieving mother screaming and wailing out of agony when hearing her son has died, success can be found. â€Å"All the homies gathered together plotting vengeance†¦ I lean over and whisper to her that Victor is dead. And this time the homies are there to hear†¦ Screams that curdle your insides. The homies didn’t do anything that night† (Boyle 170). No parent should need to bury their children and this enunciation of pain along with proximity to the homies was enough to alter their planned vengeance. Just like the questions Boyle proposed at the beginning of the chapter; there was difficulty in making a connection between the death of a child and the idea of success. With further evaluation it became evident that success was not in what happened, but what did not happen. It is safe to assume that the majority of people would consider the death of a child a failure, but the majority of people fail to look past this isolated event. The gang members were ready to claim vengeance as theirs and continue the cycle of pain, death, and violence. But because of a tragedy stricken mother the cycle was broken right then and there. The breaking of this negative downward spiral is a success in its own right. Another mother would not need to receive the news of her son being shot, another confused gang member would not end up in the penitentiary system, and another child would not be left fatherless. Just as every cloud has its silver lining; unfathomable sadness has positive aspects within itself. Mark Torres, S. J. , beloved spiritual guide at Homeboy Industries, says, â€Å"We see in the homies what they don’t see in themselves, until they do† (Boyle 178). The gang members hold within themselves a poisonous shame that corrupts their sense of self. Without a sense of self it is tremendously difficult to move forward and people tend to stay stuck in what they know. Homeboy Industries nurtures these members and provides them with the support and stability to shed that poisonous shame, which allows them to find their sense of self and succeed. Albert Ortega was recently released from prison and says, â€Å"I wanted a new way of life. †(Jordan) This statement alone is success. Here is a man wanting to change his life for the better and taking actions to acquire that change. In the context of Albert’s life he was a past criminal and the fact that he wanted better for himself is a major step and major success. Not only did he want more, but he took the initiative and seized the opportunity Homeboy Industries offered him. Just as clay can take many forms, so can success. Whether Albert takes the steps to improve his life through education or a grieving mother’s scream sways gang members from pursuing vengeance; these are both successes in differing forms. As much as how success can be displayed differently through actions; our own views of these actions influence what form of success we may come to the conclusion of. Homeboy Industries is consistently looking for funders to provide resources and help the nonprofit flourish, but funders tend to fund success that can be measured in quantitative values. What have you done and why should we, the funders, pool our resources into your organization? This is one way to view success, but this view is narrow sighted and fails to see so much more of the bigger picture. This perspective fails to see all the men and women deciding enough is enough and taking steps to better themselves, or the former gang member who wants to better his community. These successes may not be able to be tallied up on paper, but are successes in their own respective form. These people are doing the best they can and bettering themselves given the hand dealt to them. Success has no universal definition and cannot be limited to measurable values. Particularly funders, but everyone should not limit their field of vision by only observing this miniscule idea of success. On Friday $60,000 to $70,000 worth of equipment was stolen from Homeboy Industries storage, but will not cripple the 3-year-old program. All this burglary did is reverted it back to an older form of graffiti removal–buckets and rollers (Mccartney). The homies working in a graffiti removal unit were utterly disrespected by others and they simply decide to continue doing their job—graffiti removal. â€Å"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself† (Mark Caine). These former gang members were not affected or provoked by these acts. They were not held captive of their environment, accepted what had happened, and moved forward. Similarly to how success can be displayed and viewed differently, sometimes the simplest acts are the most significant. A typical person losing $70,000 worth of equipment would go on an absolute rampage, but these former gang members faced adversity with resilience and simply picked up where they had to. There is a sense of awe in how such a simple act portrays so much success. The act of continuing to move forward and denying oneself of ruminating is simplistic, but powerful. Especially given the background of these men and women, this act of continuing just shows how successful they are and how successful they will continue to be. Although success takes on many forms and depends on our own personal views of what is considered successful, the real success is ones acceptance of each other’s actions. From my experiences of getting off of the couch to a crew of former gang members facing adversity with resilience; the idea of success shrouds itself within our own perceptions and prejudices. Just like the saying, â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder,† so is success. Living in this world we ought to strive for the same level of objectivity that God projects when looking upon us. We cast aside our own perceptions and inherit the perception of God where we can see the whole picture, not just the portion we prefer. After taking a moment to analyze the questions posed at the beginning of chapter eight, it is clear that these questions demonstrate and stress the subjective aspects of success. When Gregory Boyle included the chapter based on success, he wanted us to get a sample of the different forms that success may present itself in. Regardless of the act that has occurred, we ought to welcome success in its many forms. Success may present itself in the form of a baby taking her first steps or a gang member acknowledging she has a problem. These scenarios may seem different at a first glance, but in the end, all successes are welcomed and celebrated in their own forms.