Chapter Story

As you read through an example problem, pay attention to the margin notes , such as Helpful Hints, Reading Math notes, and Caution notes. These notes will help you understand concepts and avoid common mistakes. Read ( 4)3 as â€Å" 4 to the 3rd power† or â€Å" 4 cubed. The glossary is found in the back of your textbook. Use it to find definitions and examples of unfamiliar words or properties. The index is located at the end of your textbook. Use it to find the page where a particular concept is taught. The Skills Bank is found in the back of your textbook. These pages review concepts from previous math courses. Try This Use your textbook for the following problems. 1. Use the glossary to find the definition of absolute value. 2. Where can you review the order of operations? 3. On what page can you find aanswers to exercises in Chapter 2? 4.Use the index to find the page numbers where algebraic expressions, monomials, and volume of prisms are explained. Principles of Algebr a 5 1-1 California Standards AF1. 2 Use the correct order of operations to evaluate algebraic expressions such as 3(2x 5)2. AF1. 4 Use algebraic terminology (e. g. , variable, equation, term, coefficient, inequality, expression, constant) correctly. Evaluating Algebraic Expressions Why learn this? You can evaluate an expression to convert a temperature from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit. (See Example 3. ) An expression is a mathematical phrase that contains operations, numbers, and/or variables.A variable is a letter that represents a value that can change or vary. There are two types of expressions: numerical and algebraic. A numerical expression does not contain variables. Numerical Expressions 3 27 2 18 4(5) 3 4 Vocabulary expression variable numerical expression algebraic expression evaluate An algebraic expression contains one or more variables. Algebraic Expressions x p 2 r 4n x 4 To evaluate an algebraic expression, substitute a given number for the variable. Then use the order of operations to find the value of the resulting numerical expression.

Sannu’s Story

Unit 8. Case Study 1. Sannu’s Story Sannu has contracted Leprosy. As a sixteen year old teenager, it is hard to pin point when he was infected since Leprosy has a long incubation period. As a small boy traveling barefoot along trails in his village, Sannu’s body has already adapted to his living conditions. Sannu’s feet are tough and calloused. As Sannu ages, so does his Leprosy infection progress. The infection will cause neuropathy in his extremities which will lead to many injuries to his feet and hands. The wounds acquired will be infected for weeks or even months without treatment.The neuropathy caused by the Leprosy infection is characterized by causing a decrease in sensation in the extremities, muscle weakness, and numbness. Sannu’s feet that have been toughened by his environment and life style have been further injured due to lack of sensation and medical treatment. In an attempt to keep his feet clean to aide the healing of his infections, Sannu is more than likely maintaining a sedentary life style. This life style along with the progression of the Leprosy infection will weaken Sannu’s muscles. A feature common to all forms of Leprosy is nerve infection.Nerve damage appears to result from the multiplication of bacilli within Schwann cells and damage to the perineurium. Most of the deformities occurring from Leprosy are in fact due to trauma or a secondary infection. In a Leprosy infection one of the first symptoms are anesthesia to heat and cold. Leprosy affects the peripheral nervous system by attacking the myelin sheath surrounding the axons which affects the reliability and speed of nerve impulses. In other words, the nerve fibers are no longer insulated and nerve impulses cannot be conducted efficiently.There are different types of sensory receptors located throughout the body and are designed based on a selective stimulus response. The appropriate receptive field is stimulated within a sensory receptor produci ng a response. In Sannu’s condition this action is delayed or absent due to the damage of his free nerve endings. Free nerve endings detect pain, temperature, and touch as well as tickle and itch. Sannu’s encapsulated nerve endings are also damaged. Encapsulated nerve endings detect pressure, vibration, and touch sensations.When Dianna performed the tests to check Sannu’s Achilles tendon and Babinski’s reflex, she was evaluating his somatic senses. Somatic senses involve sensations such as touch, pressure, and pain as well as temperature perception. These are all affected in Leprosy infection. In Sannu’s case he has also lost the sensations of touch, pressure, and pain in his feet and hands due to the affects of leprosy on his nociceptors, mechanoreceptors, proprioceptors, and exteroceptors. These sensations are also present in the sensory receptors free nerve endings and encapsulated nerve endings.Sannu’s interoceptors would not be affected in a Leprosy infection because interoceptors pertain to the body’s internal environment. Mycobacterium leprae grow best in relatively cool areas of the body such as: the skin, peripheral nerves, the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract as well as the chamber of the eye and in severe untreated cases the testes and eventually other vital organs. Leprosy affects the exteroceptors of the external surface of the body. Nociceptors are the receptors of pain and are located in all tissues of the body with an exception of the brain.Proprioceptors do no adapt very much, this is why Sannu still feels pain in his leg that has been amputated. Sannu’s pain is slow pain. Slow pain is referring to pain that is chronic, burning, aching, or throbbing. The peripheral receptors activated during a stimulus are the nociceptors. Like other cutaneous and subcutaneous receptors, Nociceptors transduce a variety of stimuli into receptor potentials. Also, like other somatic sensory receptors, N ociceptors arise from cell bodies in dorsal root ganglia that send one axonal process to the periphery and the other into the spinal cord or brain stem.Peripheral Nociceptors terminate at the site of free nerve endings. Nociceptors are located in the entire body except for the brain. The loss of myelination causes impulses to misfire. Without the myelin sheath the impulses are slower and misdirected. Sannu had little sensation to his extremities because of the process related to his Leprosy infection. Phantom limb pain is a result of neuroplasticity (new neural links can be made), or the brain region that once was responsible for controlling the amputated limb is taken over by an adjacent area of the brain.The phantom limb pain is enhanced by referred sensations, so that stimuli applied to other body parts can be sensed from the phantom limb. In patients with Leprosy, phantom limb pain will not occur with only the amputation of fingers, toes, hands, or feet. Phantom limbs and phanto m limb pain will only occur when the amputation is taken up to the stump of that limb. The representation of Sannu’s amputated leg on the somatosensory map will involve referred sensations because of remapping of somatosensory areas in the brain. The activity of the somatosensory map in the brain leads to conscious experience of body image and somatic sensations.After Sannu’s amputation it is possible for him to initially experience some effects on his balance and equilibrium. This is because after amputation Sannu may still have confused senses of his missing leg. With the introduction of a prosthesis, Sannu’s brain will connect to the prosthetic device causing his brain to remember how to function as if the original leg were still there. The initial sensory loss that Sannu experienced was due to interference of the sensory pathway transmission. Leprosy affects the skin and peripheral nerves which are closest to the exterior of the body where the sensory recept ors are located.Leprosy infection is caused by mycobacterium leprae and mycobacterium lepromatosis. Both forms affect the peripheral nervous system by attacking the Schwann cells, destroying the myelin. At the site of the Schwann cell, the bacteria multiply and cause damage of the nerve architecture and cause secondary inflammation. This disease process results in desensitizing sensory receptors. This is why when Sannu cut his foot, he did not feel the pain, nor the infection that followed. Due to his location in a remote village and lack of medical care, his infection resulted in an amputation.The receptors that should have sensed the initial injury to Sannu’s foot are the exteroceptors. Exteroceptors are responsible for responding to stimulus from outside the body such as touch, pressure, pain, and temperature. After Sannu’s amputation he began experiencing phantom limb sensations. This is considered as a form of neuropathic pain. It is presumed to be a response by t he peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system of an injury. The process of reorganizing occurs from retained nerves from the amputated limb, spinal cord, thalamus, and cerebral cortex.After an amputation the area of the brain that is responsible for processing the sensations from the missing limb are taken over by areas that neighbored the missing limb. It is believed that around 95% of people are naturally immune to Leprosy. Recent research suggests that there is a defect in cell-mediated immunity that causes susceptibility to Leprosy. The area of DNA responsible for that variable is also found in Parkinson’s disease. It is speculated the two disorders are linked somehow at the biochemical level. Research has shown that susceptibility to the disease was linked to region q25 on the long arm of chromosome 6.Further study indicated that the Leprosy susceptibility gene lies within a region shared by two genes for Parkinson’s disease. Resources The Merk Manua l of Diagnosis and Therapy â€Å"Infectious Diseases caused by Mycobacteria† 2004 International Journal of Leprosy and other Mycobacterial Diseases â€Å"Linkage of Leprosy Susceptibility to Parkinson’s Disease Genes† June 2004 www. who. ch/program [email  protected] nl www. encyclopedia. com www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/15372437 en. wikipedia. org/wiki/proprioception rarediseases. about. com. lepercolonies. thalidomide May 16 2009 pubmed. gov Muscle Nerve October 30 2004

Posthuman Figures Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Posthuman Figures - Movie Review Example 2). Posthumanism views the human body as a prosthesis that humans learn to manipulate and replaces it with other prostheses, which is a continuation of a process. Likewise, the posthuman view looks at the human body as something that can be seamlessly articulated with intelligent machines through configuration (Hayles, 1999, p. 3). In the posthuman, absolute demarcation or even essential differences do not exist between bodily existence and computer simulation. The analysis of possessive individualism by C. B. Macpherson is significant of underlying assumption about subjectivity signaled by the posthuman. This analysis posits that the posthuman possessive quality is found in how it conceives the individual as the essential proprietor of his own person or capacities, in which he owes nothing to society. There are convenient points of departure for measuring the distance between the human and the posthuman, exemplified by this notion of "owing nothing to society" (Hayles, 1999). Hobbes and Locke have initially claimed that humans in a 'state of nature' owe nothing to society before the emergence of market relations. It is argued that a foundation upon which those market relations can be built, such as selling one's labour for wages, since ownership of oneself is viewed to predate market relations (Hayles, 1999). Posthumanism and Cultural Identity One of the most frequent criticisms made of cybernetics is that apart from being a new science it is merely an extended analogy between men and machines. It was argued by Michael Foucault that man is a historical construction whose era is about to end (Hollinger and Gordon, 2002). Posthuman has then become a subject in cultural studies and the discourse about the body signals the emergence of the posthuman subject. There is the recognition of masculinist cyberpunk narratives of the possibilities of the elimination of the boundaries between human and machine. However, dualistic gender identity in the interactions between material bodies and technological devices has failed to dislodge (Hollinger and Gordon, 2002, p. 77). It may be furthered that a denaturalisation of the relationship between the body and cultural identity is facilitated by the multiple entanglements of the body with technology. This in turn is said to destabilise the structure and modes of reproduction of Western iden tity, alongside nature of culture (ibid). It is however noteworthy to mention that pertaining to cultural identity, the posthuman view supports the perspective that the wired body is perfect because the technoid life enables the human being to crack out from the dead shell of human culture (Hollinger and Gordon, 2002). The formulation of the technoid life form through the cyborg undermines the knowledge that the human body has a productive and inscriptive capacity of its own, functioning through historical, social, and cultural practices. Culturally constituted bodies do not only experience and live, but are also gendered bodies that define their environments as much as they are defined by them. Information is the defining environment for the contemporary technological body. Thus, the posthuman context must inevitably address the complex and shifting relationship

Yahoo Hands On Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Yahoo Hands On Case - Research Paper Example panies can directly communicate with the potential customers and motivate them to take required steps like making call to a toll free number or visiting a website so that they can assist the company to raise its revenue. Companies often use filters to identify the target customers so that chances of converting potential customers are high. Often a single successful sale can pay for the cost made for the whole campaign. Hence, effective direct marketing is a cost effective way to market the product and services to the targeted customers. Through direct marketing the company can convey all the required information regarding products and services to the target customers in a more personalised manner. The customers can clear all their doubts regarding the products and services and hence it is quite easy to inspire them. As compared to other forms of marketing, direct marketing is one of the most personalised and effective one (Baverstock, p.95). Direct marketing is not equivalent to mass marketing. Rather it is more like one to one marketing process. Companies often use sophisticated form of data management tools to identify the target customers who possess specific characteristics. Direct marketing helps companies to focus on these target customers to convey the specific information. Such selective nature enhances the success rate of direct marketing (Baverstock, p.95). Direct marketing also helps companies to select the best time for arrival of sales message to the target customers. This further makes the process of marketing more effective (Baverstock, p.96). For example, companies often inform customers about arrival of new collection of designer clothes in their shopping malls in end of November or in early December because this is the time people start their shopping for Christmas. Conveying relevant information to the target people at the right time is the main reason behind the success of direct marketing. Direct marketing should not be considered as a

Design a bioreactor that can replicate the in vivo loading conditions Essay

Design a bioreactor that can replicate the in vivo loading conditions experienced by bone cells in the body - Essay Example It is followed by the dedifferentiation of the cells. This process produces only a minimal concentration of the cells. Hence the use of micro carrier cultures is done for the well-mixed bioreactor systems. The defects in the skeleton system are a big impediment to the normal functioning of the human system. The autogenous bone transplantation is practiced for the bone replacement so far. (Schieker, 2006).This method has increased risk of surgery and post operative morbidality to the patients. This method also has the disadvantage of limited quantity and the secondary operational procedure costs. The calcium phosphate ceramics is widely used for the production of the bone supplement. The hydroxyapatites of the calcium phosphate ceramics have considerable clinical use because of their chemical and relvant crystallographic structures to bone. The cell based therapy aims at developing the 3D biohybrid structure of a scaffold and cultured cells. The bioreactors that are established for th e microbes and mammalian cultures are not suitable for the 3D structure constructs. Hence the need for a tissue specific bioreactor design arose. To restore back the skeleton function, the bone tissue engineering is used. The production of tissue engineered piece of spongy bone is one of the challenging fields in bone tissue engineering. The three key elements of bone tissue engineering are osteogenic progenitor cells, osteoinductive growth factors and osteoconductive matrices. Osteoblasts are the differentiated cells that arise from the osteoprogenitor cells. These cells are very mobile and they change the shape and size according to the matrix of the bone. These cells appear with in the vascular tissue. These cells are responsible for the synthesis and the secretion of the organic matrix of the bone. Bone remodeling and the bone reformation are the two types of the tissue engineering processes that can are possible with the osteoblast cells.

Project Management Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Project Management Techniques - Essay Example This case is a project aimed at upgrading the staff computers from Windows XP to Windows 7. It should be accomplished during the winter and spring 2011/2012, and shall be carried out by the six member in-house technical support unit of the organization. By the project’s end, all 400 computers located in the company’s 30 locations situated around England should be running on Windows 7. The computers presently are of varied types and specifications, and by project’s end should be running on Windows 7 without compromising or unduly interrupting the regular workload. The purpose of this report is to examine the project management tools that may be used to provide a systematic means of addressing the project’s planning and implementation. The project shall provide the context for discussion, but a full blown analysis is not attempted at this point. Prescribed Project Management Tools This section provides a cursory examination of the traditional project managem ent tools and comment on their applicable use in the context of this project. The traditional tools that will be discussed are the Gantt chart, the PERT method, the Logic Network, the Product Breakdown Structure, and the Work Breakdown Structure. ... In contemporary use, the importance of the Gantt chart as an industry standard is that the time and functional interdependencies of the various tasks are rendered immediately visible (Haughey, 2011). In the figure following, a Gantt chart is presented that may well serve as the initial conceptualization of the project plan. Here it is assumed that the group of six technicians will work in two teams, each team having one member that is familiar with end user requirements. Each of the teams will address half or the 30 locations, and each location can be addressed in two days (including travelling time). The initial schedule is thus laid out in the Gantt chart for one team. Author created The above chart is tentative and not executable for lack of additional data. If the tasks for each location could be broken down further (e.g. hardware modification, software installation, troubleshooting, etc.) and scheduled, e a more detailed and reliable chart results. Even in its tentative state, t hough, it already presents a useful rendition of the work intended and points out what other information are necessary to obtain. Logic Network The Logic Network depicts the series of activities that a project undergoes. The logical and sequential relationships of tasks are emphasized, and may provide information such as the critical path and the important milestones of the project. As with the Gantt chart, the dependencies are established between the timescale, the project elements, and the workflow ((Haughey, 2011). Author created For this case, the Logic Network shown above pertains to the activity of each team for each trip it takes to one of the 15 locations scheduled for it. In the team, a group of three

Billy Graham and His Impact Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Billy Graham and His Impact - Research Paper Example Leading an extraordinary and remarkable life, Billy Graham’s name will forever be remembered as the man who has influenced and shaped the world of Evangelism and Christianity in all of the United States of America. His life is the account of the impact he has made in the world. Born as the eldest on the seventh day in the month of November in 1918, Billy Graham was raised on their family’s dairy farmland in close proximity to the largest city in the state of North Carolina by his parents, William Franklin Graham I who was a successful cultivator and entrepreneur and Morrow Coffey. As he was growing up with his four other siblings namely Katherine, Melvin, and Jean, he was already surrounded by the Christian upbringing in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. When the Noble Experiment was imposed in 1933, when he was only a young man at the age of about fifteen years old, Graham’s father had forced him as well as his sister Katherine into drinking and engaging in alcoholic beverages to the point where they would start throwing up. This event that happened early in his life, only as a young teenager, has caused him and his sister a strong feeling of hatred and abhorrence for alcohol and intoxicating drinks and beverages as well as drugs. Graham, a year after the incident, was converted when he was only sixteen years of age at that time when he was attending a series of several revivals and renewal meeting in which Mordecai Fowler Ham an American Independent Baptist evangelist and temperance movement leader, a social movement that insists on the reduction of in taking and drinking alcoholic beverages, was in charge of. He enthused up quite a number of different issues and controversies when he was charged and accused of ethical negligence and lack of discipline while he was attending and studying at his local high school.

Future challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Future challenges - Essay Example Information is quite crucial to an exporter or an importer. Information gives the status of shipments, the problems that may cause the shipment to delay etc. New competition looks at the consumer’s lead time, making the execution of orders to be within the required time. The new competition will improve the various management processes involving the customer. This is the relationship between a company and its consumers with information on products’ availability. A successful organization has to lay focus on building customer relationships for example positive treatments towards the customer, determining customer satisfaction in order to achieve company goals. Consumer demand will increase and be different in future after them gaining confidence in the company. Creation of a good relationship with the customers will be the determining factor for growth and expansion of the company. Competition has built a fragile environment for businesses operation. Therefore, need to maintain customers will be of importance to supply chain management. Due to intense competition, there will be requests by the customers to have a wide range of goods for example fresh products of good quality. Competition will impact the suppliers on cost consideration to the consumer. Due to the new competition, companies will provide good services, short lead time and good order execution. A good management of the all the function in the organization from engineering, manufacturing, procurement, marketing, and finance will ensure the reinventing of the supply chain. The authority of all the functions in the company to coordinate the activities well with autonomy will act as a way to reinvent the system (Harland 1996). The overall performance of the companies will emerge from the good coordination from all the functions to produce quality services. New competition will bring about reduced prices to favour the consumers. This will come up from the attempts by competing companies

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay Example for Free

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay Children should be treated and respected as individuals in their own rights. Like any individual, children have rights to shelter, food and education. They too should be treated fairly and equally. Many a times, we have failed to recognise these needs and as adults, we think we know best for the child. If we are able to recognise these rights, it will greatly assist in a childs development both emotionally and spiritually. According to Bruce and Meggit (2002), equality of opportunity means opening up access for every child and family to full participation in early childhood services. There can be no quality in early childhood services unless there is equality of opportunity. Children should not be denied of their rights based on their race, nationality, gender or abilities, boys and girls should not be treated differently. Also, equal opportunities can be defined in general as not discriminating a person by his or her race, gender, family orientation or whether they belonged to the minority in the society. I truly agree with this statement and advocates for equal opportunity to be practiced in every way. It is now the 21st century but can we safely say that children in this world are treated equally? Some parents tend to treat their children differently if they are a boy, especially in the Eastern culture; succession is through boys instead of girls. Several parents have stereotyped the colours that their children should wear, boys should be in blue and gals should be in pink. Stereotyping basically means unduly fixed mental impression (Oxford, p. 546). Society too, plays a role in influencing the parents when it comes to bringing up their children in this part of the world and to a certain extent the childrens interest will be sacrificed. Children are expected to excel academically and those who do not will be branded as slow and they will be frowned upon by the society due to the competitive environment. Parents are ? pressured to have an academically sound child and as a result, children will feel ? inferior if they are unable to excel academically and this would hinder their fitting into the society in the future. In order to uphold the rights of the children in the world, UNICEF introduced the Convention on the Rights of the Child which was adopted by Unite Nations General Assembly on the 20th November 1989. (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf). There are four principles that the Convention rests on and they are; non discrimination, best interests of the child, the childs right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of the child . (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf ). The main idea of having this convention is to recognize that children should be treated fairly as human beings and they should be brought up in a safe and conducive environment in order for them to realize their full potential in life. Malaysia signed the convention in March 1995 and being a multi cultural country that also advocates for human rights has made many changes to its legislation to adopt the convention especially in the area of education and healthcare. However, a question that many Malaysians will ask today; are the changes sufficient to provide the children in Malaysia equal rights? Here, let us look into the two major areas to analyse the impact of the convention on Malaysias legislation concerning children. According to article 28 of the CRC, The child has a right to education, ? (CRC, p. 19). Malaysia however has reservation on seven articles and article 28 is amongst them. The preschool education is Malaysia is under the responsibility of a few government departments and social agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Unity and Social Development, Ministry of Rural Development and also several states departments (http://porta;. unesco. org/education/en/ev. php-URL_ID=46167URL _DO=DO_TOPICURL_SECTION=201. html) Under the Child Care Centre Act 1985, there are 2 categories of childcare centre, one being a home based childcare centre which takes in less than 10 children. The other being an institution based centre which caters for 10 or more children (The Star, 24th March, 1996). The curriculum guidelines of pre-schools are guided by the Ministry of Education and it has to provide a holistic development of the child being in social skills, intellectual skills, physical skills and spiritual skills (www. unesco. org/wef/countryreports /malaysia/Rapport_1. html) which is in accordance to article 29 of the CRC (CRC, p. 21) Due to the increasing awareness of the importance of early childhood education and also the increase in women joining the workforce, many private childcare centres have sprung up especially in the urban areas. These centres are mostly run by the private sectors that cater to mostly working parents from the middle to high income families and they charge a fee for their services. For the poor or rural areas children, the pre school programs are run by the government agencies and to a certain extent Non Government Organizations (NGOs). (http://unescodoc. unesco. org/images/0012/001279/127984e. pdf). The next area that Malaysia made changes to embrace the principles in the Convention is the healthcare policy. Child mortality in Malaysia has decreased significantly due to the effective healthcare programs that the government has implemented since the First Malaysia Plan 1996 (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/ /children_4162. html). The most widely available health care service in Malaysia is public hospitals and for the rural community, there are over 1600 community health clinics (http://www. childpolicyintl. org/countries/Malaysia. html). Generally, children in Malaysia are provided with very comprehensive health services from vaccination to clean water supply and also sanitation. The government has taken steps to promote health programs to children in the rural areas integrating the promotion of health in its rural development strategies and programs. This is in accordance to Article 24 of the CRC where it states The child has the right to the highest standard of health and medical care attainable. Although Malaysia has taken various measures to improve its education system to embrace the CRC, sad to say that there are still children in Malaysia who are deprived of the right to education. This is especially apparent in vulnerable groups like children from the indigenous populations and also children in the rural areas. The indigenous children in Sabah and Sarawak have very little access to education and the curriculum in government schools do not cater to them culturally. Also, Malaysia has lifted its reservation on Article 22 which guarantees the childs rights seeking refugees status in 1995 but until today, there have not been changes when it comes to undocumented children (New Sunday Times, June 25th 2006). Undocumented children basically mean children who are born in Malaysia to migrant parents. Children in this category are deprived of education due to fact that they are not even recognized as Malaysian citizen. Although children in Malaysia are rather well taken care of in terms of healthcare services, there are still children who do not have access to their basic needs like healthcare. These are children born to poor parents, sex workers, alcoholics and sex workers. (New Straits Times, p. 19). Also, with the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia and many children and women from the rural areas are still complacent of this disease. A childs formative years are extremely important as it will affect their growth in the later years. If Malaysia sees the significance of its younger generation, the government should seriously look into its commitment to uphold the Convention guidelines Firstly, awareness amongst the community is extremely important if Malaysia seeks to promote equal opportunity in the early childcare settings. Government should take steps to promote awareness amongst the people in order to change their attitudes towards children and this can be done by including the CRC as part of the school curriculum (The Star, p. N47). Secondly, early childhood education should be made compulsory to all children in urban or rural areas and available to all children in regardless of their background as every child has the right to education. Curriculum for children below the age of four should also address the current issues like AID/HIV and sex education. Materials and books used in the early childhood education should contain pictures of the different ethnic group in Malaysia. Activities organized by the childcare centre should be diversified as this would promote respect of various cultures amongst the children. More importantly, the curriculum should be sensitive to children from various cultural backgrounds especially the indigenous group. After all, Malaysia takes pride in its diversity of culture. Teachers in the early childcare sector should be trained in gender studies and also human rights (http://www. europeanchildrensnetwork. org/resources/infoDetail. asp? ID =12592). As childcare practitioner, the attitude of the person is utmost important in making sure that children under their care is not being discriminated. They have to be fully aware of the childs rights in order for the child to grow up in a positive environment as it is damaging for the child development. A childs potential to learn and develop their full potential should not be limited by prejudice (http://ferl. qia. org. uk/content_files/resources/organisations/caderdale_ council/sharon_chapman/equalops/prejandisc. htm).

E-Book vs Books Essay Example for Free

E-Book vs Books Essay Nowadays, the world of books has greatly developed; that is why reading a book is easier than in the past. Now, heavy books are not a problem to carry and read them because e-books are virtual books. The way books are read has evolved dramatically. Thanks to e-books, there is another option to read a book. As a result, there are no more invalid excuses for not reading. Both e-books and books have several similarities and differences, which has created new reading options. To begin with, people can read either printed books electronic books, which makes them similar in some aspects. Printed books contain the same information as e-books do; in other words, what people read from e-books can be also read from conventional books. As readers can easily buy a printed book in a bookstore, they can buy an electronic book on the Internet. Also, printed books are sold on the Internet; however, people have to pay a shipping fee to get the book on their hands. Throughout history, printed books have played an important role in society, for they have been the first way of learning. Similarly, the popularity of e-books has increased tremendously and they have become significant in the past few years. Online books have become an important approach to educate children. Wherefore e-books and regular books are essentially important for readers, they have developed in order to meet the needs of a modern society. On the other hand, online books and printed books are very different for some reasons. To read an e-book people need to have an electronic device; in contrast, to read a regular book people just need to have the printed sheets. Unlike readers of books made of paper, e-readers need electrical energy to read an e-book. Another particular difference is that e-books can be shared having the advantage of keeping them on one’s electronic device. However, if people lend physical books, they become unavailable; thus people cannot resort to them as they please. In contrast to printed books, which need more space to carry and keep them, virtual books are easily portable. For example, people can carry a lot of e-books in an ipad, kindle, or another special electronic device and read them wherever they are. Another difference between these kinds of books is that online books help to preserve the environment because they do not use paper as conventional books do. To conclude, printed books or e-books play an important role in society since they facilitate the learning process. Moreover, regular books or online books could teach people better than teachers do. Virtual books have developed the books in a modern way; consequently, they have become extremely useful. Even though there are some similarities and differences between printed books and electronic books, both of them can be very beneficial for people.

How Is Virtue Ethics Different Philosophy Essay

How Is Virtue Ethics Different Philosophy Essay Recently there has been a revival in virtue ethics due to some philosophers like G. E. M Anscombe. In 1958, she suggested that modern moral philosophy is misguided, and therefore we should top thinking about obligation, duty and rightness and let virtue ethics take centre stage. (Rachels, 1999, p. 177a) Since the re-awakening of the theory of virtue ethics, it has been seen as being a rival with other moral theories such as, Kantianism (also known as duty ethics) and Utilitarianism (also known as consequentialist theory). The reason for comparisons is not farfetched the revival of virtue ethics has been perceived by some as a theory that is meant to take the place of the other two theories, however, this is proving to be very difficult since virtue ethics has also been found wanting on some grounds as well. The most significant difference between all three theories seems to me to be the centralised question they ask, which is the basis for each moral theory. Utilitarianism is a theory about actions and consequences, and all it asks is this: which action will produce the best possible outcome? Kantian on the other hand deals with rules and obligations, and asks this: what is the right thing to do? Virtue ethics on the other hand is fundamentally about character of the moral agent and asks the question: what is the right character to have? But it is not just limited to character, if not it would tag virtue ethics as character ethics. It is also about human flourishing. An intriguing aspect in the revival of virtue ethics is the fact that some deontologists and utilitarians have recognized its importance and have therefore added it to their own theories. For example, the revived interest in Kants Doctrine of Virtue (Hursthouse, 1999, p.3a) However, virtue ethics has not come this far without criticism; the list of criticisms is numerous. Amongst others the most popular is that virtue ethics does not give appropriate guidance. I shall start by defining virtue ethics and moving on to analyse the concepts surrounding it. Thereafter I will attempt to distinguish between it and other moral theories i.e. utilitarianism and Kantianism. Furthermore, I will talk about issues in global ethics and how virtue ethics may be applied to them, and finally, address the question on if there are any difficulties in doing so. What is Virtue Ethics? For a long time two methods of understanding morality have been taken up by two moral approaches which are Kantianism and Utilitarianism. Kantianism which is also known as deontology is a result of the work of the German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant which is concerned with ideals of universal law and respect for others; Utilitarianism, also known as consequentialism is known to maximise end results. However, recently, there has been a revival in virtue ethics, a theory which focuses on moral agents and virtuous character finds its roots in the ancient Greek philosophy, and has been neglected over the past years since the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato talked about it. (Baron et al, 1997, p.3) Virtue ethics is an approach to ethics which focuses on character and virtues and has its roots in Aristotle. The two most distinct features of virtue ethics are; it is agent centred, and makes use of areteic terms. According to Rosalind Hursthouse, it has been described as: an ethics which is agent centred, rather than act centred, and as concerned with being rather than doing, as addressing itself to the question, what sort of person should I be? rather than to the question what sorts of action should I do?; as taking certain areteic concepts (good, excellence, virtue) as basic than deontic ones (right, duty, obligation) (1999, p. 25) Other features are numerated by Oakley and Cocking as follows; firstly an action is right if and only if it is what an agent with a virtuous character would do in the circumstances (2001, p.129). Another feature is that goodness is prior to rightness. Virtue ethics claims that we need an account of human good before we can determine what the right action to take is; which makes virtue ethics a teleological rather than a deontological ethical theory. (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.19) Furthermore, virtues are seen as irreducibly plural intrinsic goods i.e. they are valuable for their own sake rather than as a means to promoting some other value. Virtues are also objectively good in the sense that is they can add value to a life (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.21). For example the virtue of kindness is in itself good independently Also, some goods such as friendship are agent-relative while others are agent neutral (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.23), and finally acting rightly does not require that we maximise the good. From the above description, it is easy to see the basic idea that virtue ethics promotes. It emphasizes on the moral agent; that is the character of a human; how the person acts, how the person behaves, how the person thinks, and the whole entirety of this person. For example, it focuses on who I am as a person, not on the things I do. It draws attention to the way I reason which in turns influences the way I behave. If I think about evil things long enough, I will eventually perpetuate such acts. If I have an ill will towards my neighbours and wish them dead, sooner or later, I will begin to act in an ill manner towards my neighbour. Virtue ethics focus on being the right person, and the train of thought follows that if I am a good person, I will do good things; if I am a bad person, it will be difficult and almost impossible to do right things because of the kind of personality and being that I am, It motivates people to work on their character, so that they can know the right action to follow. Hence, virtue ethics asks the question; what kind of person should I be? However, it will be difficult to know the kind of person one should be without knowing what the ideal person should be like. If you are a certain way, you would act a certain way. If you are greedy, you would steal, as a consequence of your greed (that is if you cannot meet your insatiable needs). So what is the kind of person we should be? According to virtue ethics, what kind of person we should be is a result of the virtues we possess because virtues play key roles in our lives. How then can we know these virtues, in other words, what is virtue? How can we differentiate virtues from vices? And why is it good to possess these virtues? Also, do these virtues apply to everyone? (Rachels, 1999, p.185) In answering the first question; what is virtue? Edmund L. Pincoffs, a philosopher who taught at the University of Texas suggested that: virtues and vices are qualities that we refer to in deciding whether someone is to be sought or avoided and that virtue as a trait of character is manifested in habitual action which is good for a person to have (Pincoffs cited in Rachels 1999, p.178). The above definition begs the question of what virtues are, and what kind of characters constitutes a virtue? There seem to be no definite answer for this question, however, there are list of traits which can be classified as being virtues. This is by no means a comprehensive list of virtues but just a summary of lists that are seen as basic virtues. They include; honesty, kindness, courage, generosity, loyalty, discipline, courteousness, fairness, friendliness, compassion, confidence, tolerance etc. In as much as there are categories of virtues, there are classifications of vices as well, some of which are; selfishness, laziness, arrogance, greed, jealousy, anger etc. (Rachels, 1999, p.178) There is a slight controversy on the question on if these virtues apply to everyone or not; some theorists believe that there are basic intrinsic virtues that all human beings should strive to acquire no matter what society or generation or way of life they have as opposed to different people having different classes of virtues. For example, instead of only soldiers possessing courage, all humans should possess that character. Aristotles view supported the above statement, he believed that one may observe in ones travels to distant countries the feelings of recognition and affiliation that link every human being to every other being (Aristotle cited in Rachels, 1999, p.186) However, this belief seems to be lacking credence because people and societies are different and what may be seen as virtuous in one society may not be the same in another; People who live in a particular society have live their lives according to the norm of that particular society. What was believed as virtuous hundreds of years ago may not be virtuous in these contemporary times. For example, if it was seen as virtuous for a woman to be married as a virgin in the ancient times, that may not be applicable now because of the change in our times, yet the fact that a woman does not get married as a virgin in these times does not connote that she is not virtuous. Virtues are good but why are they important for one to develop the virtues instead of vices and why is it necessary? Wallace states that: certain virtues play different roles and functions in a human life, some factors in many different ways contribute systematically to human good and virtues in specifiable ways so contribute as a part of such a system (1978, p.15). Also, Rachels says it depends on the specific virtue being talked about. Therefore we can say: generosity is desirable because some people will inevitable be worse off than others and will need help. Honesty is needed because without it relations between people would go wrong in myriad ways. Courage is a good thing because life is full of dangers and without courage we would be unable to cope with them (1999, p.184) We cannot give all the reasons why every virtue is important but we can analyse the above statement and see that they are important in their own way. Aristotle answered that the reason why being virtuous was important was because the virtuous person will be better off in life, not necessarily richer, and it is needed to conduct our lives well (Aristotle cited in Rachels, 1999, p. 185). Virtue Ethics and Utilitarianism The essence of utilitarianism is in getting the best possible outcome in any given circumstance; Utilitarianism believes in the greater good or maximising outcomes. How can an outcome be defined as good? How can it be characterised as producing the most happiness? If a gang of robbers go into a house and rob Billy of all his possessions, is it okay? Since it will give the robbers greater joy to rob poor Billy as opposed to the aggregate of the happiness Billy will get from not being robbed. For utilitarians, the end always justifies the means, and it does not matter if greater satisfaction is as a result of lying or cheating someone, as long as it satisfies more people. As Mill stated: the utilitarian doctrine is that happiness is desirable and, the only thing desirable as an end; all other things being desirable as means to that end (Mills cited in Rachels, 1999, p.108) Virtue ethics believes that if a person is good, their actions will be good as well, so instead of focusing on the outcomes one should focus on having the right character. Virtue ethics makes character essential to right action at least in the sense that its criterion of rightness contains an essential reference to the character of a virtuous agent, and this distinguishes it from utilitarianism which evaluate an act according to the consequence that it actually results in (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.11) Utilitarianism can be associated with some ideas which distinguish it from other theories. Utilitarian theories are welfarist, consequentialist, aggregative, maximising and Universalist (Scarre 1996, p.4). An action is okay if the greatest satisfaction is achieved. You count the consequences for human happiness of one or another course, and you go with the one with the highest favourable total (Taylor cited in Scarre, p.1) The major distinction between virtue ethics and utilitarianism is this; while virtue ethics is agent based, utilitarianism is agent neutral. For virtue ethics, Hursthouse states: It is agent centred in that it introduces the concept of the virtuous agent in its account of right action, where utilitarianism and Kantianism introduce the concept of consequences and moral rule respectively (1999, p.29). This is different for utilitarianism. Slote says: consequentialism is agent-neutral, ones obligations to oneself are no weaker or stronger than those to any other single person (1997, p.191) Scarre distinguishes utilitarianism further: It is clear that utilitarianism is a theory of moral justification, concerned to lay down conditions of right and wrong actions but should also be seen as a theory of moral deliberation, aiming to inform us how to decide which actions to perform and which to avoid (1996, p. 13) In addition, virtue ethics is also seen as being pluralistic, in as much as it insists upon the richness and complexity of the ethical while utilitarianism treats all values as ultimately commeasurable and of a single kind (Baron et al, p.201) Virtue Ethics and Kantian Ethics Kantian ethics which is another moral approach to morality that differs from virtue ethics, and can also be known as duty based ethics or deontology. It is a theory that focuses on rules not consequences like utilitarianism or character like virtue ethics. An action is either right or wrong not because of the consequences it produces, or the person in action, but because the act in itself is wrong. Kants ethics lays moral rules down that must be adhered to, for instance, do not lie, do not steal, and do not commit adultery. Kants ethics also follow that a person should do the right thing irrespective of the consequences that follow. For instance, if I had to tell a lie to save my life, it would go against Kantian doctrine. Immanuel Kant, believed that morality is a matter of following absolute rules rules that admit no exceptions, that must be followed come what may (Rachels, 1997, p.122). And according to the Kantian tradition, morality is based on a universal and impartial law of rationality (Crisp, Slote, 1997, p.1). The first point of differentiation is that while virtue ethics emphasize that persons rather than actions should be the primary focus of ethics and should address itself to the question, what sort of person should I be? rather than to the question what sorts of action should I do?(Baron, 1997, p.34). Kantian ethics is believed to focus more on rightness of an action than about virtuous character based on its principle of the Categorical Imperative which is the basis of all other rules. This principle aims to provide the right guidance on actions that are morally permissible. Wood writes: a moral imperative is categorical because its function is not to advice us how to reach some prior end of ours that is based on what we happen to want but to command us how to act irrespective of our wants or our contingent ends (2008, p.67) Another distinction between Kantian ethics and virtue ethics is their different understanding of the nature of character and that of a virtuous person. Baron states: many virtue ethicist have as their model of the virtuous person someone whose dispositions and temperaments are ideal; someone for whom acting virtuously is a second nature, and whose desires, tastes, likes, and dislikes, interests and manner just naturally are those of a virtuous personfor Kantians, being virtuous involves more conflict between ones desires and what one sees one should do; less automatic responses and more reflection (Baron et al, 1997, p.40). Also, unlike virtue ethicist, Kantians are believed to act out of duty and obligation. Baron states that virtue ethicist favour areteic terms (good, bad, virtuous, vicious) over deontic terms (right, wrong, duty, obligation) (Baron et al, 1997, p.34). Furthermore, another distinction has to do with motivation; a virtuous person does not act from duty rather he/she is motivated because they have desires that virtuous people have. The virtuous person has virtuous desires, and a right action is one that issues from virtuous desires (Baron et al, 1997, p.34). Virtue Ethics and Corruption Corruption is a global ethical problem in the sense that corruption is multicultural and is found in every strata of a society and every race. It can also be distinguished into different degrees which can be either minor or major forms of corruption, but no matter the distinguishing of varying degrees, no one is better off than the other. Corruption is corruption and should not be condoned. No one can claim ignorance to it since it is something that can be found in different levels and at varying degrees. Elliott writes: It occurs in democracies and military dictatorships, and at all levels of development and in all types of economic systems, from open capitalist economies such as that of the United States to centrally planned economies such as the former Soviet Unions (1997, p.1). Corruption has globalised in the past few years and has emerged as a global issue. Corruption does not have a singular universal definition but several authors have come up with different definitions that will sum up the concept of corruption. Several scholars have sought to define it but corruption is not a concept that can be confined to one simple definition because different people and offices define it differently, as it relates to them. Corruption can be defined by public opinion, as well as official law of nations and also as it affects the general public. Therefore there are different definitions of corruption. However, I will prefer to focus on public corruption, which is corruption by public officials. Public corruption is defined by Neild as: the breaking by public persons, for the sake of private financial or political gain, of the rules of conduct in public affairs prevailing in a society in the period under consideration (2002, p.5). Features of corruption can include c ronyism, bribery, fraud, nepotism, embezzlement, favouritism, trafficking. There have been a lot of suggestions and ways on how to tackle corruption; different organisations such as the OECD, Transparency International (TI), and European Union have initiated a lot anti-corruption reforms such as taxation, development aid, and  governance, however, it has not been as effective as it ought to be. This is where the need for the application of virtue ethics emerges. I believe that virtue ethics once combined with other anti corruption initiatives will effectively reduce the rate of corruption because virtue ethics is the only moral theory that encourages individuals to develop positive character traits, and if people do have good character they will not be involved in vices such as corruption, and although moral practices differ globally, there are still some character traits that are consistent and valued globally. For instance, virtues such as respect, courteousness or friendliness are universal. In Africa for example, it is a sign of respect for one to greet elders by kneeling down before them, while in South East Asia, it is by bowing. Both are respectful acts and although both acts differ because of their custom, their actions are a representation of the same values. This goes to exemplify how universal the virtue of respect is. So now that we have laid down the ground work of what virtue ethics is and what core virtues really are, we can suggest that virtue ethics can combat corruption alongside other anti corruption policies. Khan suggested: reducing the discretion of public officials through liberalization and privatization, Improving salaries of public officials, thereby addressing their low living standards in many cases, but also increasing the opportunity cost of corruption since they stand to lose their positions if detected, improving the rule of law so that corrupt bureaucrats and politicians can be prosecuted and punished, and encouraging greater transparency of government decision-making through deepening democratization, decentralization and the creation and encouragement of civil society watchdogs (http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/gdsmdpbg2420064_en.pdf). Since corruption is an abnormally in the morality of a society, moral reasoning is also needed to treat this issue. Dramer suggested: an ongoing ethics programme containing two main parts: a character development part aimed at developing dispositions, attitudes, habits or virtues such as honesty, loyalty, fairness, benevolence, conscientiousness and more, and a reasoning ability part aimed at (1) sensitising public servants to moral problems, (2) improving their analytical skills, and (3) developing their ethical imaginativeness (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/15/2093526.pdf). Other forms of combating corruption seem to be about coercion and enforcement, but virtue ethics is a non-coercive method because it encourages individuals to develop morally acceptable ethical behaviour, which consequently will promote integrity. There seems to be no hitch in applying virtue ethics to this global ethical problem. Virtue Ethics and Euthanasia Another problem in global ethics is the issue of Euthanasia also known as mercy killing. Euthanasia is the act of ending someones life, especially someone who is sick or terminally ill to end their pain and suffering, thus when we define euthanasia, it should be as: death understood as a good or happy event for the one who dies (Foot, 1979, p.15). Euthanasia can be justified only if the person involved is undergoing so much pain that even drugs do not relieve him or her and if the prognosis of their health is declining. Euthanasia is classified into different types such as; voluntary euthanasia (whereby the patient is coherent enough to request for it), involuntary euthanasia (the person is not capable of giving consent, e.g. people in comas) and non-voluntary euthanasia (whereby it is imposed on the patient). It can be further classified into passive euthanasia or active euthanasia (Ladd, 1979, p.8). However, my analysis will be based on voluntary euthanasia which has been characterized by Tooley as a situation whereby a person in his normal reasoning has chosen to end his/her life because living does not pay off in the long run based on available prognosis (Tooley cited in Brock, 1979, p.101). Euthanasia has been through many debates, is ending the life of someone in great physical pain regarded as paying them a favour? One school of thought believes that if the patient actively ends their life because they can no longer bear to go through pain, it may be considered as suicide. On the other side of the coin, is the school of thought that believes that if the persons life is ended by someone else, it can be placed on the same shelf as murder. The question is can virtue ethics be applied to euthanasia? Stewart suggests: If the focus is on the virtues in play, the character of the patient, their families and friends and the doctors involved-and if the desire to have euthanasia stems from a virtuous character then it would be a good thing, a noble act, where active or passive, voluntary or involuntary (2008, p.91) As long as the decision to have euthanasia comes from a virtuous person, then it is the right thing to do, because a virtuous person always does the right thing. Hursthouse says that in tragic dilemmas a decision is right iff it is what a virtuous agent would decide, but the action decided may be too terrible to called right or good. I believe we should live a life of happiness, people living in misery cannot be said to be living in eudemonia, and so in such cases I believe eudemonia is compatible with euthanasia. If not giving euthanasia to a patient is going to make their life more painful and full of misery then it does not tally with Aristotles concept of human flourishing. Brink suggests: a valuable life consist in the possession of certain character traits, the exercise of certain capacities, and the development of certain relations with others and the world (Brink cited in Scarre, 1996, p.6). Living can only be considered flourishing if the patient goes through less pain, and if euthanasia seems to be the only option, then by all means, we should go down that route. It is out of the virtue of compassion that euthanasia is applied, and it is a courageous thing for the patient to do also, virtue ethics would promote a painless, peaceful way to end the patients life to alleviate suffering rather than an exit full of anguish. Virtue ethics is fine with euthanasia as long as it is done virtuously. According to Aristotle: an action is virtuous only if it is the right sort of action performed for the right sort of motive (Brody, 1988, p.35) Stewart states that different virtues are necessary in order to apply euthanasia; the virtue of courage is needed when the patient makes the decision on when to die, also the virtue of pride, and the virtue of wisdom to know when the right time is. As for the medical staff, virtues needed are professionalism, compassion and also wisdom. Family and friends would also need wisdom to advice the patient if they feel he/she is making the wrong decision (2008, p. 92) There is a bit of difficulty in applying virtue ethics to the issue of euthanasia, due to the fact that it does not present what the right time is for a person to be euthanized. It just says that the virtue of wisdom will be applied and this answer does not seem sufficient based on the reason that virtue ethics does not gives rules or directions on how things ought to be done. Aristotles theory emphasizes only one moral appeal which is an appeal to the virtues, and this feature is both its strength and weakness. Its weakness, apart from the question on whether it adequately defined the virtues, is that it fails to take into account the other many moral appeals which must be incorporated into any adequate moral theory (Brody, 1988, p.9) Also, concerning the virtues, there might be some conflict, in the sense that, courage needed for euthanasia is considered a virtue, what if the patient decides to be enduring? Or exercise more patience? Courage and patience are classified as virtueswhat then, does one do? This question is insufficiently answered by virtue ethics as relying upon the virtue of wisdom to prevail. I agree with Hursthouse, who states that: Charity prompts me to kill the person who would (truly) be better off dead, but justice forbids it. So virtue ethics fails to give me any guidance over the rightness or wrongness of euthanasiavirtue ethics lets us down just at the point where we need it the most, where we are faced with the really difficult moral quandaries and do not know what to do (1999, p.43) CONCLUSION In the beginning of this essay, I defined and analysed the concept of virtue ethics, and in the following paragraphs I attempted to distinguish between the three moral theories which are, utilitarianism, virtue ethics and kantianism by enumerating the features. I also tried to apply virtue ethics to two issues in global ethics which are corruption and euthanasia. Virtue ethics can be applied to some problems in global ethics like corruption and euthanasia because virtues are relevant to the moral evaluation of individuals and their actions (Brody, 1988, p.35), however, it wont be without some difficulties. In summary, I believe virtue ethics was compatible with corruption because I discovered that an ethics of virtue can reduce the rate at which corruption is globalising if public officials possess or develop certain virtues however; there seem to be difficulty applying it to euthanasia because of the many criticism of virtue ethics that I stated earlier, the major being that virtue ethics does not provide guidance. It only tells us to develop ones character but it seems to be vague.

Appreciating a Gothic Cathedral: Milan Cathedral Essay -- Architecture

All over the world people still come to admire the beauty of European cathedrals. Many of the cathedrals are fragile due to age, neglect, pollution, and insufficient funds available to restore these historical and beautiful buildings. Nevertheless, visitors to these architectural masterpieces are fascinated by the design and structure of these churches. The cathedral builders using their own ingenuity, expertise, and limited resources were able to defy the laws of gravity and time. (Icher 30) There were two main types of architecture during the middle ages, the Romanesque style and the Gothic style. The Romanesque period took place approximately between 1096 and 1270 (the eleventh and twelfth centuries) and the Gothic period took place approximately between 1150 and 1450 (the thirteenth through the fifteenth centuries) (Bersson 383). Evidence of both styles of architecture emerged throughout Europe. The political landscape had changed and the Christian church provided a measure of unity throughout the centuries of this medieval era (Stalley 13). The Romanesque period began a time when the interest in religion intensified. The church was a place that all people could belong to regardless of their status. It was during these times that big churches called cathedrals began to emerge. The age of the Crusades took place emphasizing the need for places of worship and a place for the community to gather together. People sought the churches not only to see the relics housed in the church brought back from the Holy Lands by the Crusades but also to seek redemption as well. This influx of seekers brought in money to help then pay for the churches. This allowed for the emergence of new towns, the exchange of goods and services, which ev... ...stinations. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . Icher, Francois. Building the Great Cathedrals. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998. Print. "Italian Gothic." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Web. 22 Nov. 2010 . . Keyes, Zachariah. Personal Interview. Denise Keyes. 21 Nov. 2010. Stalley, Roger. Early Medieval Architecture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Print. Tyler, Ellen. "Milan Cathedral - Symbolizing the Gothic Structure." 14 May 2010. Ezine Articles. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. . Wilson, Christopher. The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1990. Print.

SAD in the Winter Essay -- Journalism Journalistic Essays

SAD in the Winter Could Seasonal Affective Disorder Be Disrupting the Lives of Northeastern Students? Becky Venne, a 31-year-old Northeastern graduate student, says she doesn’t socialize much in the winter. In fact, she claims that she finds it hard to get out of bed and spends most of her day watching T.V., satisfying her cravings for carbohydrates and starchy foods. We’ve all experienced it at some point or another. The weather gets colder, the days become shorter, and no matter how much sleep you had the night before, you still feel tired. These, along with weight gain and feelings of sadness and lethargy are common during the winter months. But what happens when these feelings become debilitating, and begin affecting one’s personal life? â€Å"There is a period of time that I think most people who have SAD realize there is more to it,† said Venne. â€Å"It wasn’t until I had some quiet time that I realized this isn’t normal.† What Venne is referring to is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mood disorder that more commonly affects people of all ages in the Northern regions of the Unites States. Although most people experience some forms of depression during the winter months, SAD is diagnosed when this change in mood becomes debilitating, causing a sever impact on the daily life of the individual. Venne says she was diagnosed with SAD about five years ago, shortly after she moved to Boston. She describes her diagnoses as a long, drawn out process, jumping from doctor to doctor, until finally she found the right psychopharmacologist. Dr. Elisa Castillo works at the Center For Counseling at Northeastern University, where she works with many students who have been diagnosed with SAD. She explained that there are... ...the answer to SAD? Castillo suggests seeking help through Counseling, such as the Center for Counseling and Student Development. â€Å"The counseling center can provide support, help diagnose SAD, help with referrals to psychiatrists that have experience in this area and follow up with students to make sure the treatment is working,† said Castillo. Castillo also says that it is important to learn how to manage winter, and can be difficult, especially if someone has moved from a warmer climate to Boston. She recommends finding ways to exercise, socialize, and learn how to have fun both indoors and out. Venne agrees that it is important to find help if a person is experiencing symptoms of SAD. â€Å"Once I was able to realize what the problem was, I was able gain some sort of control,† said Venne. â€Å"I just take one day at a time, and know that summer is on its way.†