Rudeness in America essays

Rudeness in America essays In my point of view, lack of education on proper behavior and good ethics is the main reason for increasing rudeness in our civilized and educated country. Therefore, the young generation in America doesnt even know the difference between rudeness and kindness. When my family and I moved to U.S. eight years ago, we had to deal with all kinds of rudeness and discrimination the first few years. It seemed like we were hated just for not talking to anybody and for dressing differently. Little kids would call us different names right in front of their parents, and would tell us to go back to Russia even though we came from Ukraine. However their folks, instead of telling them that such behavior is impolite, would just laugh with their kids encouraging them to do it again. Teenagers would kick our apartment door in the middle of the night and then would burst with laughter watching my dad in his pajamas and barefooted, chasing one of them. Even adults, who seem to have some life experience and basic knowledge of proper behavior, would act rudely by parking their cars in our parking space knowing that we wouldnt call the towing company due to a language problem. These and many other examples show how rudeness and even violence can be passed from generation to generation. As a result, rising population who never been taught differently, take this kind of rude behavior for granted thinking that this is the only way to live and survive. They adjust themselves to this kind of lifestyle passing it every day to the people around them, therefore the effects of that could be seen instantly and in a long term. Some people become aggressive, lose their temper, and get into fights over miner misunderstandings. Others, more emotional and who been often rude to, close inside of themselves from the rest of the world, loose their self-esteem and fall into depression, which often leads to either suicide or m ...

Battle of the River Plate - World War II

Battle of the River Plate - World War II The Battle of the River Plate was fought December 13, 1939, during World War II (1939-1945). With World War II looming, the German Deutschland-class cruiser Admiral Graf Spee was dispatched from Wilhelmshaven to the South Atlantic. On September 26, three weeks after hostilities commenced, Captain Hans Langsdorff received orders to begin commerce raiding operations against Allied shipping. Though classified as a cruiser, Graf Spee was the product the treaty restrictions placed on Germany after World War I which prevented the Kriegsmarine from building warships exceeding 10,000 tons. Utilizing a variety of new construction methods to save weight, Graf Spee was powered by diesel engines instead of the typical steam engines of the day. While this allowed it to accelerate more rapidly than most ships, it required the fuel to be processed and cleaned before use in the engines. The separation system for processing the fuel was placed aft of the funnel but above the ships deck armor. For armament, Graf Spee mounted six 11-inch guns making it much more powerful than a normal cruiser. This increased firepower led British officers to refer to the smaller Deutschland-class ships as pocket battleships. Royal Navy Commodore Henry Harwood1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers Kriegsmarine Captain Hans Langsdorff1 pocket battleship Tracking Graf Spee Obeying his orders, Langsdorff immediately began intercepting Allied shipping in the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans. Having success, Graf Spee captured and sank several Allied vessels, leading the Royal Navy to dispatch nine squadrons south to find and destroy the German ship. On December 2, the Blue Star liner Doric Star succeeded in radioing a distress call before being taken by Graf Spee off South Africa. Responding to the call, Commodore Henry Harwood, leading the South American Cruiser Squadron (Force G), anticipated than Langsdorff would next move to strike the River Plate estuary. The Ships Clash Steaming towards the South American coast, Harwoods force consisted of the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and the light cruisers HMS Ajax (flagship) and HMS Achilles (New Zealand Division). Also available to Harwood was the heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland which was refitting in the Falkland Islands. Arriving off the River Plate on December 12, Harwood discussed battle tactics with his captains and began maneuvers in search of Graf Spee. Though aware that Force G was in the area, Langsdorff moved towards the River Plate and was spotted by Harwoods ships on December 13. Initially unaware that he was facing three cruisers, he ordered Graf Spee to accelerate and close with the enemy. This ultimately proved a blunder as Graf Spee could have stood off and hammered the out-ranged British ships with its 11-inch guns. Instead, the maneuver brought the pocket battleship within the range of Exeters 8-inch and the light cruisers 6-inch guns. With the German approach, Harwoods ships implemented his battle plan which called for Exeter to attack separately from the light cruisers with the goal of splitting Graf Spees fire. At 6:18 AM, Graf Spee opened fire on Exeter. This was returned by the British ship two minutes later. Shortening the range, the light cruisers soon joined the fight. Firing with a high degree of accuracy the German gunners bracketed Exeter with their third salvo. With the range determined, they hit the British cruiser at 6:26, putting its B-turret out of action and killing all of the bridge crew except the captain and two others. The shell also damaged the ships communications network requiring conning instructions to be passed via a chain of messengers. Crossing in front of Graf Spee with the light cruisers, Harwood was able to draw fire off Exeter. Using the respite to mount a torpedo attack, Exeter was soon hit by two more 11-inch shells which disabled A-turret and started fires. Though reduced to two guns and listing, Exeter succeeded in striking Graf Spees fuel processing system with an 8-inch shell. Though his ship appeared largely undamaged, the loss of the fuel processing system limited Langsdorff to sixteen hours of usable fuel. Around 6:36, Graf Spee reversed its course and began laying smoke as it moved west. Continuing the fight, Exeter was effectively put out of action when water from a near miss shorted out the electrical system of its one functioning turret. To prevent Graf Spee from finishing off the cruiser, Harwood closed with Ajax and Achilles. Turning to deal with the light cruisers, Langsdorff returned their fire before withdrawing under another smokescreen. After diverting another German attack on Exeter, Harwood unsuccessfully attacked with torpedoes and suffered a hit on Ajax. Pulling back, he decided to shadow the German ship as it moved west with the goal of attacking again after dark. Following at a distance for the remainder of the day, the two British ships occasionally exchanged fire with Graf Spee. Entering the estuary, Langsdorff made a political error in making port at Montevideo in neutral Uruguay rather than the friendlier Mar del Plata, Argentina to the south. Anchoring a little after midnight on December 14, Langsdorff asked the Uruguayan government for two weeks to make repairs. This was opposed by British diplomat Eugen Millington-Drake who argued that under the 13th Hague Convention Graf Spee should be expelled from neutral waters after twenty-four hours. Trapped in Montevideo Advised that few naval resources were in the area, Millington-Drake continued to press for the ships expulsion publically while British agents arranged to have British and French merchant ships sail every twenty-four hours. This invoked Article 16 of the convention which stated: A belligerent war-ship may not leave a neutral port or roadstead until twenty-four hours after the departure of a merchant ship flying the flag of its adversary. As a result, these sailings held the German ship in place while additional forces were marshaled. While Langsdorff lobbied to for time to repair his ship, he received a variety of false intelligence which suggested the arrival of Force H, including the carrier HMS Ark Royal and battlecruiser HMS Renown. While a force centered on Renown was en route, in reality, Harwood had only been reinforced by Cumberland. Completely deceived and unable to repair Graf Spee, Langsdorff discussed his options with his superiors in Germany. Prohibited from allowing the ship to be interned by the Uruguayans and believing that certain destruction awaited him at sea, he ordered Graf Spee scuttled in the River Plate on December 17. Aftermath of the Battle The fighting off the River Plate cost Langsdorff 36 killed and 102 wounded, while Harwoods ships lost 72 killed and 28 wounded. Despite severe damage, Exeter made emergency repairs in the Falklands before undergoing a major refit in Britain. The ship was lost following the Battle of the Java Sea in early 1942. With their ship sunk, the crew of Graf Spee was interned in Argentina. On December 19, Langsdorff, seeking to avoid allegations of cowardice, committed suicide while lying on the ships ensign. Following his death, he was given a full funeral in Buenos Aires. An early victory for the British, the Battle of the River Plate ended the threat of German surface raiders in the South Atlantic. Sources Royal New Zealand Navy: Battle of the River PlateLangsdorff of the Graf Spee

Evaluation of an argument through analysis Essay - 1

Evaluation of an argument through analysis - Essay Example To aggrandize on this judgment, it is wise to relate the aspect of rational and irrational factors; while the latter can be related to women, it can as well be used to justify why women speak much. Irrational persons tend not to take close precaution while speaking and factors can be related to their superior speaking techniques which in most cases are situation and theoretically assembled (Holmes, 38). Nevertheless, rational talk attributed to men is based on attributes of honesty, factual and being concise. However, Holmes argument is not based on the amount of words spoken but on the quality of the talk. She challenges women to construct a formidable talk in order to counter balance patriarchy. Primarily, Holmes present women talk based on social factors such as friendship and trivial relationships, compared to male talk which focused on critical global arguments. To justify the above description, it is wise to note that Holmes essay is based empirical evidence in critical examina tion based on science, environment and demagogy principles. The essay has applied strong literature dogmas; for instance, of humor, proverbs, imagery/ symbolism, simile/ metaphors and as well borrowing close examples. This essay will counter examine Holmes essay by; firstly, close checking on the claim and subsidiary claims. Secondly, the essay will base its principles on hilarious practical evidence presented. Thirdly, the essay will examine on technical presentation applied by Holmes; primarily focusing on opposing views, credibility, language, organization and the tone of the essay. Finally, the conclusion will establish whether the argument â€Å"women talk too much is valid†. Claim What is the main claim presented in the essay? Is it clearly stated the essay does it reflect the purpose of the essay The main claim in the essay is the argument against the quality of talk compared between sexes and what governs the talk. While men uses talk to exemplify power, women uses ta lk to express emotions and relations. Women are more interested on trivial elements; for instance, of how the society perceive them as individuals and not what men argues out; how the society perceive the general concept life and how it affects mankind, what are the necessary changes and solutions to challenges. The essay categorizes men as discreet and in very unique cases they would speak out their problems but women are more interested in speaking out their lives to access comfort. According to Holmes (43), men are interested in presenting a certain social point of view and debating on it, while women are more concerned whether the point of view does directly affect them What are subsidiary claims presented in the essay? In other words what claims are used to support the main claim? Are the claims clear and valid? And they related to the main claim? Holmes aggrandizes on the main point of view, literature aspects have been categorically employed to empower the main point. Subsidi ary claims presented stretch from literature, psychological, gender and biological claims. For instance, according to the essay women are more interested to hear their own voice than the validity of what they are talking about. Consequently, biological claims prove that; while a male is developing before conception, the testosterone hormone alters the brain (Brizendine, 2011 56). The hormone is significant in

Communicating Effectively Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Communicating Effectively - Research Paper Example Boys, on the other hand, are exposed to strong tones and power-filled language and are handled less gently as they are tossed in the air and held upright from a younger age to demonstrate their power and strength (Rasquinha & Mouly, 2005) Maltz and Borker (1982) proposed the Sociolinguistic Subculture Approach. They explain that boys and girls grow up in essentially different talk subcultures resulting from the differing expectations parents and peers direct toward them about acceptable ways to talk. As early as two years of age, children classify themselves and other people as belonging to one of two genders. By age three, girls develop skills at talking earlier than boys and these talking skills are utilized to explore relationships with others. They are more likely than boys to deploy language strategies that demonstrate attentiveness, responsiveness, and support (Leaper, 1991). They develop intimate relationships by selecting a â€Å"best friend† and use language to find common ground with that friend. Boys at the same age are not as verbal. They use more strategies that demand attention, give orders, and establish dominance (Leaper, 1991). They engage in group activities with other boys and test out their ‘high’ and ‘low’ status roles: â€Å"I’m the leader†, â€Å"you follow me†, etc. They establish positions among the group and they are apparently louder, more physical and less verbal than girls (Rasquinha & Mouly, 2005). transition to middle childhood, interaction strategies become more gender-differentiated. Whereas girls become more competent in collaborative strategies, boys stick to their reliance on domineering influence strategies. Deborah Tannen, a professor of linguistics, theorized that as adults, men and women reproduce such behavior patterns. Men engage in one up strategies to position themselves in groups

Human mortality rate and the resilience of women in the abortion case study Essay Example for Free

Human mortality rate and the resilience of women in the abortion case study Essay In 2014, the abortion rate in the United States was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women. It is the lowest abortion rate recorded since Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973. One of the fears of the decision was that it would lead to an increase in abortions and the termination of pregnancies could have a detrimental effect on the women receiving the abortions. While the increase in legal abortion access did see a rise in abortions, a study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that legal abortions did not cause a significant increase in mental health issues among women that have experienced abortions. With a long history of trauma and disease that caused premature deaths at extraordinary rates, humans have evolved to overcome trauma. Humans are inherently resilient, largely due to the high amount of traumatic experiences our ancestors experienced and the genes dedicated to survival that were passed generation after generation. It is not an unreasonable to believe that abortions could have a severe impact on women’s mental health. Terminating a pregnancy and losing an unborn child has high potential of being a traumatic experience that could potentially have long-standing mental health effects. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry, followed 1,000 women who sought out consultation on potentially getting an abortion. The study followed these women for five years after they received or were denied an abortion. The researchers found that those who received abortions were no more likely than those that were denied abortions to have experienced anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or feelings of life dissatisfaction. Only those that were denied abortions due to being too far along in their pregnancies experienced negative mental health problems, but the study noted that after six months, the negative mental health effects returned to the range observed in other groups in the study. The study shows that humans are extremely resilient and that we often overcome even the most difficult events that can occur in our lives. Modern life is far more safer and less fraught with trauma that our past, where mortality rates across the board were much higher. In evolutionary terms, it makes sense that we are as resilient as we are, considering we would not exist otherwise. For obvious reasons, there are no concrete statistics on mortality rates from our ancient past, but it is believed to be extraordinarily high compared to today, where the worldwide average life expectancy is 71 years. The infant mortality rate in particular is believed to have been very high in prehistoric times. Even in recent times before the advent of standard hygienic norms in hospitals, infant mortality rates were much higher they are today. Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis observed in 1846 that the neonatal mortality rate was five times lower when women   gave birth at a midwives’ clini c, compared to births that took place in hospitals by male doctors. He figured out that the doctors were performing autopsies in the hospitals and the midwives were not. Semmelweis hypothesized that harmful microbes were being transferred from the autopsy bodies to the women giving birth. When Semmelweis advised the doctors to sterilized their hands and tools before delivering babies, the neonatal mortality rate dropped dramatically. Today, it is very rare for a baby to be lost during childbirth, but even within he past century, neonatal deaths would not have been all that uncommon. Modern medicine has drastically cut down on mortality rates for various diseases and medical conditions. It is estimated that approximately 300 million have died due to smallpox. English physician Edward Jenner is credited with the discovery of the smallpox vaccine, which has been successfully deployed worldwide. As a result, smallpox is the only infectious disease that has been fully eradicated globally, with the last World Health Organization declaring it officially eradicated in 1979. Before this time, it wouldn’t of been uncommon to have known members of your own family who had died from smallpox. Other deadly diseases like polio and measles have also been eradicated in the developed world due to vaccines. Infectious diseases caused by bacteria have been largely controlled by the invention of antibiotics. Before Alexander Fleming isolated a mold called Penicillium notatum to be used as the world’s first antibiotic, it wouldn’t have been uncommon for people to die due to an infected cut. The Oxford Constable, Albert Alexander cut his face while gardening and an infection caused by staphylococci and streptococci spread to his scalp and eyes. He was treated with pencillin for five days, but eventually doctors ran out of penicillin and Alexander succumbed to the infection. The world offers many dangers to our mortality and humans have faced these dangers for hundreds of thousands of years. Trauma and disease are in a constant battle with our mortality and only those that could overcome adversity would pass their genes to the next generation. In that evolutionary context, it is not surprising that we often overcome even the darkest of traumas. It will be interesting to see where the evolutionary direction that resiliency will go in our modern world where we are far less likely to face the same dangers that our ancestors faced on a daily basis.

Corporal Punishment in America Essay -- Spanking Child Abuse

Corporal Punishment in America The term corporal punishment means the intentional infliction of pain on the body for purposes of punishment and includes slapping, hitting with objects, pinching, shaking and forcing to stand for long periods of time (Epoch 1). Family researchers define corporal punishment as " the use of physical force aimed at causing children to experience pain but not injury, for the purposes of correction and control of youthful behavior" (Day 83). Spanking is one form of physical or corporal punishment (Epoch 1). The general acceptance, and sometimes support, of corporal punishment as a method of discipline is an aspect of the American culture (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 61). Children are abused, in part, because they are unable to defend themselves against stronger and more powerful adults (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 61). Researchers only recently have recognized that spanking is used primarily with young children and that the incidence and severity of spanking often diminishes by the time children are 8-10 years of age (Day 80). Studies of the incidence and intensity of spanking often provide evidence that most parents have spanked their children. About 90% of parents in the United States report having spanked their children (Day 80). In a research project done using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, researchers examined the antecedents of parents’ spanking behavior. This study represents an important step forward in understanding the profile of parents who spank their children. Even though the study had little theoretical orientation from which spanking could be predicted, it showed that younger mothers spank much more frequently than older mothers; that younger childre... ... violence of corporal punishment. In addition, corporal punishment can and often does become abuse when parents are especially angry or stressed (Barnett, Miller-Perrin, Perrin 292). Finally, we need to know more about the personal resources of parents that can lessen the incidence of spanking. It is found that spanking sharply decreases as the parent ages. Despite ideological motivations, parents can and should be trained to understand alternative strategies of discipline (Day 93). Works Cited Barnett, Ola, & Miller-Perrin, Cindy & Perrin, Robin., Family Violence Across the Lifespan. California: Sage, 1997 Day, Randal., "Predicting Spanking of Younger and Older Children by their Mothers and Fathers." Journal of Marriage and the Family 60 (February 1998): 79-94 National Coalition to Abolish Corporal Punishment and EPOCH_USA., 3 February 1999

A brief history of entertainment Essay

Entertainment is a keyword, when we speak about the spare time of modern people. Anyway, entertainment is nothing particularly new on this globe†¦ The execution and use of entertainment has just developed, adapted to modern world and its spectrum has grown bigger. I think that entertainment is and was aroused when people were bored, and it seems to be a human’s habit to want to be entertained. Since humans are so intelligent and on top of the food-chain they have got more and more bored through time. Our x-great-grandparents, the stone-age-people, had already learned to entertain. They did it, probably by fighting, struggling and measuring forces on each other. Later on in world history humans have learned to tell stories, to sing, to act, – simple theatre was invented. At this time primitive games were also applied. Games had the advantage that their users were not only passively entertained but they could compete against each other and all be active. Theatre has since tat time been an important point in entertainment history. Because people were very much separated in older times, things have developed differently in the different parts of the world. In Italy, Greece and France the theater styles were unusually different. These countries were leading the formation and the developing of modern theatre. Nowadays the video film is mostly more common and liked by humans, than the theatre. The invention of the video began a hundred years ago†¦ In 1885 the German Max Skladanowsky presented his so-called â€Å"Lebendige Bilder† in Berlin and the French Lumià ¨re brothers presented the so-called â€Å"Cinà ©matographe† in Paris to a wider audience. At that time films were made for science; and of course – entertainment! It took another 40 years, until the foundation for modern cinema was made.  The film â€Å"The Jazz Singers† was the first film with sound and voices. Warner Brothers already ruled the cinema business at that time. The film technique developed extremely fast; today we have an enormous bunch of film stars and an extreme amount of movies. Later on another milestone of entertainment was invented. It’s called home entertainment and it began with the gramophone. After that the radio was invented. It struck like a bomb, because people could hear live news and music from home. Later on the T.V., the television, had its debut. Today we have so many possibilities of getting entertained, but the good old theatre is still there and the very simple games are to. That’s because they still have so much charm!

The advantages and disadvantages of using psychodynamic concepts of repression and resistance

The term â€Å"psychodynamic† suggests any explanation that emphasises the process of change or transformation and development, i. e. , the dynamics (changeability) of behaviour or the forces that drive an individual to behave the way he or she does. â€Å"Dynamics† are the things that drive us or a machine to behave in particular ways. (Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 172)i. Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical theory is probably the best-known example of the psychodynamic model. His view was that psychological disorders did not have a physical origin but instead arose out of unresolved, unconscious conflicts, which formed essentially in early childhood. All psychodynamic concepts arose from Freud's theory of personality development in which he essentially argued that the mind is divided into three parts. First, there is the id, which consists of mainly unconscious sexual and aggressive, essentially selfish, instincts. The motivating force is the innate sexual drive found in every human i. e. the libido. Second, there is the ego, which is the rational and conscious part of the mind. Third, there is the superego or the conscience. These three parts of the mind are frequently at conflict with one another. Conflicts occur most often between the id and the superego, because the id wants instant gratification, where as the superego takes account of moral standards and decorum. Since, conflicts cause anxiety, the ego defends itself against anxiety by using several defence mechanisms to prevent traumatic thoughts and feelings reaching consciousness. One of the major defence mechanisms is repression, which forces memories of conflicts and traumas out of consciousness and into the unconscious mind. Other defence mechanisms may include resistance, displacement and projection. Resistance is also another term to represent the process whereby thoughts and memories that are in the unconscious mind are prevented from reaching the conscious mind. Also within psychoanalysis, the term is used to refer to the way in which the person being analysed, offers resistance to the interpretations offered by the analyst (Cardwell,1996,2000)ii. Displacement occurs when aggressive or other intense impulses are transferred away from a threatening person to someone or something non-threatening. Projection occurs when someone who possesses an undesirable characteristic or attitude, attributes it to other people. For example, someone who is very hostile may claim that other people are hostile to him or her (Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 173)iii. According to Freud, psychological disorders can arise when an individual has unresolved conflicts and traumas from childhood. Defence mechanisms, such as the before mentioned, may be used to reduce anxiety caused by such unresolved conflicts, however, all they do is hide the conflict rather than resolve it. This psychodynamic model proposed by Sigmund Freud was the first systematic model of mental illness/disorders that focused specifically on psychological factors as the cause of a mental disorder and on a psychological form of treatment. Before Freud, all explanations of mental illness were in terms of either biological (physical) causes or fantastic ideas such as possession by evil spirits. For his time, Freud's ideas must have been revolutionary but in this day and age, it is impossible to accept his concepts and theories without due criticism. Considering the concept of repression, one may find it hard to test the theory, and therefore hard to prove the validity of the concept of repressed memories. However there have been attempts to conduct experiments to demonstrate the phenomenon of repression. These typically involve creating anxiety to produce forgetting or repression. After that, the anxiety is removed to show that repressed information is still in long-term memory (referred to as â€Å"return of the repressed†). To their disadvantage, such experiments are ethically questionable-is it right to expose anyone to anxiety provoking situations or information in order to study the concept of repression? (Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 174)iv One of the main methods used by Freud earlier during treatment in order to gain deeper insight into the patient's subconscious was hypnosis. The very first disadvantage of this method is its unreliability. Not everyone can be hypnotised, and there is no way of determining who can or can't be. In addition, when under hypnosis, a person is extremely vulnerable and susceptible to influence. Memories can thus be unintentionally implanted or suggested by the therapist by use of descriptive details or leading questions. There are essentially three times when memory can be affected: when it is stored, while it is being stored and when it is retrieved, which basically covers all the time. Therefore, at any of these times something could be misunderstood, associated or implanted in our memories. Psychologists are not the only influences our memories may be affected by. Everyday memories like recollections of horror movies, comic books, nightmares, anything on TV etc. are very capable of becoming embedded in our memory and then muddled up with other memories. Memories of these things can come out in the hypnosis therapy and if they are in line with the therapists own interpretations, he or she will think it to be true and valid information. Remembering detailed accounts of events that never took place is known as the False Memory Syndrome (FMS). Thus, not only is it up to the reliability of the technique being used to resurrect a repressed memory but it is also depends on the mind of the patient to distinguish these other influences and recall only the true event. One would think why people would want to dredge up memories if they are not real. The reasons can be plentiful, it can simply be fraud, or as the FMS suggests, since the persons mind has been all jumbled up with the therapist's suggestions and other influences, he or she himself/herself believes the memory to be true. Ultimately, there is no easy answer or explanation to the theory of repression and retrieval yet. The implications for treatment under such a psychodynamic approach are that the primary goal of therapy is to enable patients to gain access to their repressed memories and conflicts, and to encourage them to face up to whatever emerges from their unconscious mind. Freud used the term â€Å"insight† to refer to the processes involved. He assumed that insight would permit the repressed memories to be integrated into the ego or conscious self, after which the patient would be better able to cope with life. Since, even though memories of the anxiety provoking conflict or trauma were repressed, they tended to surface in different forms of neurosis or psychological disorders. In the beginning, Freud used hypnosis as a means of accessing repressed memories (the famous case study of Anna O) but later felt that this was an unreliable method. The other two methods were dreams, as the â€Å"royal road† to the unconscious, and free association, a technique where the client is encouraged to say the first thing that comes to is or her mind. Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 174)v One of the first disadvantages of such a mode of treatment is that psychoanalysis depends heavily on the therapist's interpretation of what the patient says. How, for example, does the therapist know that a boy who has a fear of horses is actually afraid of his father and not simply scared that the horse might hurt him in some way? At his defence, Freud argued that the acid test, which was the patient's reaction to the therapist's proposed interpretation could be used here. If the client accepts the accuracy of the interpretation, then it is probably correct. On the other hand, if the patient rejects the therapist's interpretation of say a dream, that may simply be resistance by the patient's conscious mind to an unacceptable but entirely accurate interpretation made by the therapist. The problem with this is that therapist seems to win both ways because he or she either uses the patient's acceptance or denial of the reasonableness of an interpretation as corroborating evidence that the interpretation is accurate. Freud argued that we can regard psychoanalysis as similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle. It may be hard to decide whether a given interpretation is correct, or to decide where to place a particular piece of the puzzle. However, the interpretations of dozens of a patient's free associations and dreams should form a coherent picture, just as the pieces of jigsaw puzzle can only be arranged in one way. â€Å"(Eyesenck & Flanagan, 2000. p 174) Another disadvantage of treatment based on the psychodynamic approach, is that it is very time consuming, due to the concepts of resistance, i. e. , the patient's reluctance to face his or her past. As Freud said (1917,p. 289)vii: â€Å"The patient attempts to escape by every possible means. First he says nothing comes into his head, then that so much comes into his head that he can't grasp any of it†¦ At last he admits that he really cannot say anything, he is ashamed to†¦ So goes on, with untold variations. In all fairness, there is quite a bit of evidence to support the concepts of repression and resistance. But one seems to wonder if a person cannot recall a certain memory, was it ever really a memory? Did it ever really happen? Due to the breadth of recorded cases of repression, no one can deny its existence, all we can conclude is that until psychologists can drag our unconsciousness completely into the light, the reliability of retrieval of repressed memories will b e left in the dark.

Kohls Dillards Essays

Kohls Dillards Essays Kohls Dillards Paper Kohls Dillards Paper FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING Kohl’s Corporation and Dillard’s Inc. – Financial Statement Analysis A. Kohl’s Corporation and Dillard’s Inc. are in the retail industry which is a highly competitive industry. There are a high number of retail stores, department stores which compete between each other on local, regional and national level. That competitiveness is highly influencing operating results of the company. The importance of the retail industry emphasizes the sentence below: â€Å"An estimated two-thirds of the U. S. gross domestic product (GDP) comes from retail consumption. Therefore, store closings and openings are an indicator of how well the U. S. economy is recovering after the Great Recession in the late 2000s. †[1] Regarding the size, Kohl’s Corporation has 929 stores in 47 states and Dillard’s Inc. has 326 stores in 29 states. They offer apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children, soft home products and other consumer goods. As we can see they differ in numbers of the stores and also in the approach. Kohl’s Corporation is more like discount store where Dillard’s Inc. offers more sophisticated and upscale approach, although both of the companies offer also on-line shopping on their websites. For Kohl’s Corporation we can see their expansion below: | | | | | | |Region |  Ã‚   |States |  Ã‚   | |Net Sales |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | |Cost of merchandise sold |63. 5% |63. 6% |64. 4% | |Gross margin |36. 5% |36. 4% |35. % | |Operating expense: |25. 6% |24. 7% |25. 0% | | Selling, general, administrative |22. 4% |21. 9% |22. 2% | | Depreciation and amortization |2. 7% |2. 5% |2. 5% | | Preopening expenses |0. 4% |0. 3% |0. 3% | |Operating Income |11. 0% |11. 6% |10. 5% | |Other expenses |0. 4% |0. % |0. 5% | | Interest expense |0. 5% |0. 4% |0. 5% | | Interest income |0. 1% |0. 2% |0. 0% | |Income before income taxes |10. 6% |11. 4% |10. 0% | |Provision for income taxes |4. 0% |4. 3% |3. 7% | |Net income |6. 6% |7. 1% |6. 3% | DILLARD’S INC. COMMON – SIZED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS |Dillard? Inc | Feb 2, 2008 | Feb 3, 2007 | Jan 28, 2006 | |Net Sales |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | |Cost of merchandise sold |64. 9% |64. 4% |65. 2% | |Gross margin |35. 1% |35. 6% |34. 8% | |Operating expense: |33. 0% |31. 2% |31. % | | Selling, general, administrative |28. 0% |26. 8% |26. 5% | | Depreciation and amortization |4. 1% |3. 9% |3. 9% | | Rentals |0. 8% |0. 7% |0. 6% | | Loss on disposal on assets |-0. 2% |-0. 2% |0. 0% | | Asset impairment and store closing charges |0. 3% |0. % |0. 8% | |Operating Income |2. 1% |4. 4% |3. 0% | |Other expenses interest |1. 2% |1. 1% |1. 4% | |Income before income taxes |0. 8% |3. 3% |1. 6% | |Provision for income taxes |0. 2% |0. 3% |0. 2% | |Equity of earning in joint ventures |0. % |0. 2% |0. 1% | |Net income |0. 7% |3. 1% |1. 6% | KOHL’S CORPORATION COMMON – SIZED BALANCE SHEET |Current Assets | Feb 2, 2008 | Feb 3, 2007 | Jan 28, 2006 | |   | | | |   | |   |Cash |1. % |2. 1% |1. 4% | |   |Short-term investments |4. 6% |4. 8% |1. 7% | |   |Merchandise inventories |27. 0% |28. 5% |24. 4% | |   |Accounts Receivable |0. 0% |0. 0% |18. 0% | |   |Deferred Income Taxes |0. 7 % |0. % |0. 3% | |   |Other |1. 3% |1. 7% |0. 7% | |   |Total Current Assets |35. 3% |37. 6% |46. 6% | |   | | | |   | |   |Property and equipment, net |61. 6% |59. 3% |50. % | |   |Favorable lease rights, net |2. 0% |2. 4% |2. 3% | |   |Goodwill |0. 1% |0. 1% |0. 1% | |   |Other assets |1. 0% |0. 6% |0. 5% | |   |Total Assets |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. % | |   | | | |   | |Total Liabilities Shareholders’ Equity | | |   | | | | | |   | |Current Liabilities | | |   | |   |Accounts payable |7. 9% |10. 3% |9. 1% | |   |Accrued liabilities |7. 6% |8. 0% |7. % | |   |Income taxes payable |1. 2% |2. 6% |1. 8% | |   |Current portion of long-term debt and capital leases |0. 1% |0. 2% |1. 2% | |   |Total Current Liabilities |16. 8% |21. 2% |19. 1% | |   | | | |   | |   |Long-term debt and capital leases |19. 4% |11. 5% |11. % | |   |Deferred income taxes |2. 5% |2. 7% |2. 4% | |   |Other long-term liabilities |3. 5% |2. 6% |2. 0% | |   | | | |   | |   |Total Liabilities |42. 2% |38. 0% |34. 9% | |   | | | |   | |   |Common stock $. 1 par value,800,000 shares authorized, 350,753 ; 348,502; and|0. 0% |0. 0% |0. 0% | | |345,088 shares issue | | | | |   |Paid in Capital |18. 1% |19. 4% |17. 3% | |   |Treasury stock at cost, 40,285; 27,516; and 0 shares |-22. 5% |-18. 0% |0. 0% | |   |Retained Earnings |62. 2% |60. % |47. 8% | |   | | | |   | |   |Total Shareholders’ Equity |57. 8% |62. 0% |65. 1% | |   | | | |   | |   |Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ equities |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | DILLARD’S INC. COMMON – SIZED BALANCE SHEET Current Assets | Feb 2, 2008 | Feb 3, 2007 | Jan 28, 2006 | |   |Cash and cash equivalent |1. 7% |3. 6% |5. 4% | |   |Accounts Receivable |0. 2% |0. 2% |0. 2% | |   |Merchandise inventories |33. 3% |32. 8% |32. 7% | |   |Other Current Assets |1. 2% |1. 3% |0. % | |   |Total Current Assets |36. 4% |37. 9% |39. 0% | |à ‚   |Property and Equipment: | | |   | |   |Land and land improvements |1. 6% |1. 7% |1. 6% | |   |Buildings and leasehold improvements |58. 4% |54. 3% |50. 7% | |   |Furniture, fixtures and equipment |36. 9% |40. 0% |38. % | |   |Buildings under construction |1. 8% |1. 1% |1. 7% | |   |Buildings and equipment under capital lease |0. 9% |0. 9% |1. 5% | |   |Less accumulated depreciation and amortization |-39. 8% |-39. 7% |-37. 3% | |   |Total property and equipment |59. 8% |58. 3% |57. 1% | |   |Goodwill |0. 6% |0. 6% |0. % | |   |Other Assets |3. 2% |3. 1% |3. 2% | |   |Total Assets |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | |Total Liabilities Shareholders’ Equity | | |   | |Current Liabilities | | |   | |   |Trade accounts payable and accrued expenses |14. 1% |14. 8% |15. % | |   |Current portion of long-term debt |3. 7% |1. 9% |3. 6% | |   |Current portion of capital lease obligations |0. 0% |0. 1% |0. 1% | |   |Other short-term borrowings |3. 7% |0. 0% |0. 0% | |   |Federal and state income taxes including deferred taxes |0. 7% |1. 4% |1. 5% | |   |Total Current Liabilities |22. 2% |18. 1% |20. % | |   |Long-term debt |14. 2% |17. 7% |19. 2% | |   |Capital lease obligations |0. 5% |0. 5% |0. 6% | |   |Other liabilities |4. 1% |3. 8% |4. 7% | |   |deferred income taxes |8. 2% |8. 3% |8. 7% | |   |Guaranteed preferred beneficial interests in the companys subordinated |3. 7% |3. 7% |3. % | | |debentures | | | | |   |Total Liabilities |52. 9% |52. 2% |57. 7% | |   |Common stock Class A |0. 0% |0. 0% |0. 0% | |   |Common Stock Class B (convertible) |0. 0% |0. 0% |0. 0% | |   |Additional paid in capital |14. 6% |14. 3% |13. 6% | |   |Accumulated other comprehensive loss |-0. 4% |-0. 4% |-0. % | |   |Retained Earnings |50. 2% |48. 9% |43. 7% | |   |Less Treasury stock at cost Class A |-17. 3% |-15. 1% |-14. 7% | |   |Total Shareholders’ Equity |47. 1% |47. 8% |42. 3% | |   |Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ equities |100. 0% |100. 0% |100. 0% | D. ROE = NI / Average stockholders equity KOHL’S CORPORATION ROE2007= 18. 5 % ROE2006=19. 18% DuPont Model |2007 |2006 | |Cost of Taxes |37. 78% |37. 52% | |Cost of Debt |3. 46% |2. 22% | |Operating Profit |10. 95% |11. 64% | |Asset Turnover |1. 68 |1. 72 | |Capital Structure Leverage |1. 67 |1. 57 | |Return on Equity (ROE) |18. 52% |19. 18% | ROE = NI / Average stockholders equity DILLARD’S INC. ROE2007 = 2. 11% ROE2006 = 10. 00 % |DuPont Model |2007 |2006 | |Cost of Taxes |11. 17% |3. 3% | |Cost of Debt |60. 20% |25. 67% | |Operating Profit |2. 06% |4. 37% | |Asset Turnover |1. 37 |1. 43 | |Capital Structure Leverage |2. 11 |2. 22 | |Return on Equity (ROE) |2. 11% |10. 00% | E. Trends in Subcomponents of ROE Trends for Cost of Taxes Kohl has a pretty stable tax rate around 37. 5% while Dillard has a highly unstable one, growing from 3. 42% and 3. 23% in 2005 and 2006 to 11. 17% in 2007. Trends for Costs of Debt While Kohl has fair costs of debt of 3. 6% in 2006 (which is below the industry average of 4%), Willards cost of debt worsened to 60. 2% in 2006 (from 25. 7% in 2005). Trends for Operating Profit Kohls profit slightly dropped by 5. 9% to 10. 95% from 2006 to 2007, Dillard worsened by 58. 2% to an EBIT of 2. 06% from 2006 to 2007. Trends for Asset Turnover Kohls asset turnover rate stayed relatively stable, slightly declining from 1. 72 to 1. 68. Dillard declined from 1. 43 in 2006 to 1. 37 in 2007. Trends on Capital Structure Leverage Kohl nearly doubled their long-term debt and increased their capital structure leverage from 1. 57 in 2006 to 1. 67 in 2007. Dillard reduced their leverage from 2. 22 in 2006 to 2. 1 in 2007. Profitability With 18. 5% ROE in 2007 (19. 2% in 2006), Kohl is by far more profitable than Dillard, whose ROE dropped to 2. 1% in 2007 (from 10% in 2006). While both firms have a similar gross profit (Kohl 36. 5%/2007; Dillard 35. 1%/2007), Kohl achieves an EBIT of 10% against 2. 1% for Dillard. Looking at both companies RNOA, it confirms that Dillard is struggling with a very low NOPM of only 1. 75% in 2007 against 6. 8% in the same year for Kohl, while Dillard is making better use of their net operating assets. F. Kohl’s Corporation asset efficency Dillard’s Inc. asset efficency G. Liquidity and solvency for Kohl’s Corporation Liquidity Solvency |2007 |2006 |2005 | |Current ratio |2. 10 |1. 78 |2. 44 | |Quick ratio |0. 49 |0. 43 |1. 16 | |Debt-equity ratio |0. 73 |0. 61 |0. 54 | |Interest cost |5. 76% |3. 64% |8. 36% | Liquidity and solvency for Dillard’s Inc. |Liquidity Solvency |2007 |2006 |2005 | |Current ratio |1. 64 |2. 10 |1. 7 | |Quick ratio |0. 14 |0. 28 |0. 30 | |Debt-equity ratio |1. 12 |1. 09 |1. 36 | |Interest cost |170. 30% |35. 68% |86. 90% | COMPARISON OF CURRENT RATIO‘S FOR KOHL’S CORPORATION AND DILLARD’S INC. [pic] COMPARISON OF QUICK RATIO [pic] COMPARISON OF DEB T TO EQUITY RATIO [pic] COMPARISON OF INTEREST COST [pic] [1] Farfan, Barbara â€Å"Retail Industry Information: Overview of Facts, Research, Data Trivia  2011†. About. com June 2011 http://retailindustry. about. com/od/statisticsresearch/p/retailindustry. htm

Multiple Main Characters in Your Story Follow These 3 Tips

Multiple Main Characters in Your Story Follow These 3 Tips 3 Tips for Featuring Multiple Main Characters in Your Story Writing a novel with multiple main characters   can seem insurmountable. Who’s on stage when, and what do you do with the others at the same time? When your top priority is crystal clarity for your reader, you must somehow weave different perspectives in a way that makes sense. Common wisdom says you get one perspective or point-of-view (POV) character per scene, preferably per chapter, and usually per book. My latest novel, The Valley of the Dry Bones, has one perspective character throughout. Though it’s written in third person, it’s limited to just my lead character’s perspective. He is the camera, so everything that happens on every page is seen through his eyes, heard through his ears, and any internal dialogue is his. That’s the easiest, most direct, and clearest way to handle POV. Using more than one is not for the faint of heart. It’s complex and tricky, and only more so if you go beyond two. I first used two perspective characters when I wrote my novel Left Behind. So why did I do it? Because the scope of my story demanded it. I needed my airline pilot (Rayford Steele) to get around the world- and I told a cosmic tale that also impacted him and his immediate family. But meanwhile, I also needed my globe-trotting journalist (Buck Williams) to be where Rayford wasn’t. If your story likely requires more than one main character to make it work, it’s crucial you learn to deftly navigate featuring multiple main characters. So what’s the secret? A few clear guidelines can make it work. Here are three: Need help writing your novel?  Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. How to Successfully Feature Multiple Main Characters 1. Think Reader-First You want nothing to stand in the way of the reader’s experience. She should know who your POV character is without having to re-read or ferret it out. When I began a scene Rayford Steele’s mind was on a woman he had never touched, there was no question he was the main character and that we would experience this scene through his lens. For some reason, many beginning writers mistakenly assume that rendering a scene from one character’s perspective means it must be written in the first person from his or her point of view. As you can see from the example above, it can be done just as well in third-person limited. Also, remembering that you get only one POV character per scene should keep you from head hopping- where readers get a peek inside the minds of others. Say Jim is your POV character and he notices Mary is scowling. You can say, â€Å"Jim thought Mary looked skeptical, so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  But you cannot say, â€Å"Mary was skeptical. She doubted Jim knew what he was talking about.† If you do, you have hopped into her head mid-scene and have either switched the POV from Jim to Mary, or you have slipped into an Omniscient Viewpoint where the author is not limited to one person’s perspective. You know all and tell all, and unless you are a master like J.K. Rowling, you’re unlikely to sell such a manuscript. I’ve written 192 books, two-thirds of those novels, and I wouldn’t even attempt such a thing. In Left Behind, when I switched to my second POV character, I added double the space between paragraphs (and some authors or publishers also center a typographical dingbat like * * * between paragraphs, just to make things clearer) and introduced him this way: Next to a window in first class, a writer sat hunched over his laptop. He shut down the machine, vowing to get back to his journal later. At thirty, Cameron Williams was the youngest ever senior writer for†¦ Handling it that way ensured that no reader could miss that I had switched from Rayford in the cockpit to Buck in first class. 2. Make Your POV Characters Distinct In subsequent books in the Left Behind series, I used as many as five different perspective characters for one novel. That made it even more vital to make clear to the reader who my perspective character was whenever I switched. But just as important, my individual perspective characters had to be crisply distinct from one another. I established Rayford as a middle-aged family man, while Buck was younger and single. Another perspective character was female, another an elderly man. The more distinct the better. Some novelists have multiple perspective characters speak from their POVs in the first person. That can make it easier to distinguish between characters, provided you work hard to give each his own voice, pace, vocabulary, and delivery. 3. Choose Carefully The point of having multiple main characters is to allow your story to expand geographically. But you may find, as I did, that eventually your perspective characters wind up in the same scene. Then from whose perspective do you tell it? If one of your main characters is most main, if you know what I mean (in Left Behind  Rayford and Buck were both strong leads, but Rayford was really the star), stick with that character. Otherwise, choose the one who has the most to gain or lose in the scene. You Can Make This Work As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when you try to tell a story featuring more than one main character, but if you’re careful and intentional and always consider your reader first, you can enhance a story this way and make it something special. Our best writing often results from working through such difficult challenges. Need help writing your novel?  Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Tell me how you’ve handled multiple main characters, or pose any questions raised by this post. Connect with me in the comments below.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 14

Strategic Management - Essay Example The company’s mission statement claims, â€Å"To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.† In a statement, Bill Bowerman, who is among the founders of the company, states, "if you have a body, you are an athlete† (Nike 2014). Nike integrates Bowerman’s statement as part of the company’s mission statement. Among the key values of the company is its aspiration â€Å"to deliver growth in the right way† through the development of sustainable strategies that are capital-efficient, profitable, and enhance the company’s brands(Nike 2014). These are among the company’s core values of developing brand-enhancing initiatives. Despite Nike’s stand on brand-enhancing initiatives, its production and growth strategies were harming the company’s image. The labor crisis in Indonesia almost destroyed Nike’s corporate image (Braddock 2011) The company’s use of contracted sweatshops was among the issues that contributed towards the development of a negative image towards the company. Nike took measures aimed at enhancing the company’s brands and its market sustainability including aiding the creation of the Fair Labor Association (Nike 2008). Consequently, the emergence of issues concerning practices in its affiliates factories led to comprehensive audits of its factories across the world. Though various issues emerged after the audit, Nike has since taken measures to prevent the recurrence of such issues in the future. Rindova & Kotha (2001) contend that firms co-evolve their organizational form and function to maintain a competitive edge in a dynamic environment.Nike’s competitive strategy is the unique differentiation of its products and focuses on sustaining the brand to grow its operations across the world markets. The organization’s growth depends on strategies that focus on enhancing the core competencies in