Military Defense Spending Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Military Defense Spending - Research Paper Example It is imperative to reduce the defence expenditure since it has minimal contribution to the economy. The decline in defence allocations will result in lower incomes for firms that operate in this industry. The reduction in defence budgets will lead to reduction of operations in the defence-contracting firms. Consequently, such entities will retrench employees to an extent that suit their income levels since they are profit oriented. The reduction in budgetary allocations will result in merging of firms as they attempt to consolidate their operations to reduce their overheads. The reduction in defence spending will result in contraction of the defence industry. Additionally, the reduction in defence spending will result in reduced foreign earning form this industry. The defence industry has few players. As such, the industry has few buyers and contractors. The main contractors include Lockheed, General Dynamic and Boeing. This implies that the industry is monopolistic and inelastic. T his state is due to the nature of their merchandise. Additionally, the above contracts are shrouded in secrecy due their sensitive nature. Thus, customers in this industry prefer certain contractors. (Burns). Evidently, the market forces that characterize other industries are absent. Thus, the cost of products in this industry is dependent on other factors rather than market forces (Dwivedi 54). Such factors include duration of executing the contract, the sensitivity of the technology and global alliances. The factors that drive prices in this industry are different since arms trade is a sensitive industry monitored globally. As such, governments do not licence many firms in this industry. The state of the current industry has benefits and disadvantages. First, the industry deals in sensitive merchandise hence, most governments prefer to keep the deals confidential. Additionally, proliferation of some of the weapons would lead to destabilization of global peace. Therefore, having fe w firms in this industry helps deal with black-market dealers. Having few firms in this industry implies that the present corporations will always get contracts. This means that there is minimal competition among the firms involved. The American government has made efforts to maintain competition among players in this industry by barring any merger of large defence firms since this would turn the industry into a monopoly. As such, the American government barred proposed unification between Boeing and Lockheed (Krieg). This would have resulted in the unification of the two principal aerospace contractors. The intervention of the American government was timely since these are the two leading firms in the industry. Therefore, allowing such a merger would have eliminated competition in totality (Krieg). Evidently, this sector ought to have additional players to make it more competitive. This applies to the large contracts that require massive capital outlay. However, this does not apply to smaller contracts since numerous firms have the capability to bid for such contracts making it competitive. However, competition does not vary cost of contracts. This is a key feature of this industry that will not change since defence-contracting firms use specialized

Anorexia VS. Bulimia Essay Example for Free

Anorexia VS. Bulimia Essay The amount of pressure for an adolescence to be skinny these days, is outrageous. Most eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia, are onset between mid to late adolescence. 0. 5 percent of womben suffer from anorexia, and one to three percent from bulimia. These are both serious psychiatric disorders that are mistaken for one another all the time. Admittedly, they do have many similarities, but very distinct differences. Anorexia and bulimia show many similar symptoms, which is one reason they get mistaken so often. Some of the symptoms are weakness and dizziness, tooth decay, obsession over food, constipation, irregular heartbeat, and swelling of the hands, feet, arms, and legs. One of the most distinct differences is that bulimia is categorized as a complex emotional issue, while anorexia is a combination of biological, psychiatric, and environmental issues. Although both are worried about their weight, they approach food situations very differently. Physical signs of bulimia are harder to recognize, unless on a very personal level. Usually, there are no obvious signs of weight loss. This is because during an average eating binge, one may consume from three thousand to five thousand calories in an hour. Afterwards one feels a great since of guilt, making the decision to purge to make themselves feel better. What one doesn’t realize is, vomiting after a meal will only eliminate fifty percent of the calories ingested. Resulting in that person staying at a normal weight. However, the physical signs of anorexia are much more obvious. This is a disorder that causes people to obsess about their weight and the food they eat. They will pretend to eat or lie about how much food they’ve actually ate. They will attempt to maintain a weight that is far below normal, starve themselves and exercise excessively. The thoughts of dieting, food, and their body take up most of their day. Resulting in rapid weight loss. For a person that suffers with bulimia overeating is more like a compulsion. A person begins to feel increasingly out of control. Although they may try, it is difficult to regain control without help. Anorexia, on the other hand, makes a person feel in control, over atleast one aspect in their life. When a person suffers with anorexia they may lose the ability to see their true self. This means that, no matter how skinny a person gets, it’s never enough to them. They developed strange or secretive food rituials and become very fixated with their body image, to the point that it causes major health risks. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Ryanairs Marketing Environment and Strategy Essays -- Business Manage

Ryanair’s Marketing Environment and Strategy 1 INTRODUTION The aim of this report is to carry out a investigation of Ryanair’s external environment and a strategic analysis of Ryanair, to identify opportunities and threats it might face, and its strategic capability, to isolate key strengths and any weaknesses that need dealing with. Finally, a SWOT analysis will be carried out to assess the extent to which Ryanair’s strategies are suitable to what is happening in its task environment. Ryanair is Europe’s largest low-fares, no-frills short-haul carrier. The organisation was founded in 1985 as a conventional airline but re-launched itself in 1990/1991 as a low-cost carrier, replicating American Southwest Airlines’ business model. Since then Ryanair has grown substantially and successfully. The company currently has 146 routes to 84 destinations in 16 countries, and carries more than 15 million customers annually. Ryanair aims to be Europe’s largest airline in 8 years (www.ryanair.com). 2 ANALYSIS OF THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT -------------------------------------- This is a crucial part of a strategic analysis because organisations do not exist in a vacuum, they are part of a complex world and many factors can influence operations, beneficially and unfavourably. However, these can be difficult to comprehend due to their complexity, diversity and fast changing nature. Necessarily a number of techniques have been developed to facilitate the process and to ‘†¦contribute to answering the key managerial question†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢of what ‘†¦opportunities and threats might arise in the future’ (Johnson & Scholes 2002). 2.1 PESTEL analysis This identifies the main micro-environmental influences by classifying them into six groups: Political, Economical, Socio-cultural, Technological, Environmental and Legal. By applying this framework to Ryanair it is possible to summarise the key forces in the general environment to present opportunities and threats to the organisation. Political = on May 1, 2003, it will mark one of the most important days in recent European history, the continent will see the biggest expansion of EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair new markets will open which suits its growth plans. = Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growing airports in Europe (www.baa.co.uk/... ...) ‘Low-cost airlines likely to resist higher fees to finance Stanstead’, The Financial Times Done, K. (19/12/03) ‘Stanstead outlines pounds 2bn scheme to double capacity’, The Financial Times Done, K. (20/12/03) ‘Challenge to airports operator’s monopoly remains even with its friends in high places’, The Financial Times Done, K. (29/01/04) ‘Ryanair’s dream run comes to an end’, The Financial Times Felsted, A. (04/11/03) ‘Can Michael O’Leary sustain Ryanair’s low-cost success?’, The Financial Times Gow, D. (16/02/04)’Ryanair plans zero frills and fares’, The Guardian Hotten, R. (13/03/04) ‘No-frills deal has impact on bmi’, The Times Insley, J. (18/01/04) ‘Happy New Year for second homes’, The Observer Insley, J. (08/02/04) ‘You can make it if you try’, The Observer Newman, C. (03/12/03) ‘Travellers face big rise in air passenger levy’, The Financial Times Pratley, N. (05/02/04) ‘Clipped Wings’, The Guardian Tait, N. (03/12/03) ‘Ryanair in court over wheelchair fee’, The Financial Times Tran, M. (03/02/04) ‘Ryanair’s airport subsidies’, The Guardian Wright, R. (01/12/03) ‘BA threat to sue if Stanstead gets runway’, The Financial Times

Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Essay

Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). To clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through—both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise and being active, humor and laughter help a lot in the aging process. As earlier mentioned, the elderly tend to be more serious as they reflect on their lives. This may produce a lot of negative feelings as they face regret and sorrow at losses. Negative feelings do not only affect mental health but also the entire functioning of the human person. There are a great number of studies and literature depicting humor and laughter as greatly influential to the improvement of a person’s over-all well-being. It improves the immune system, heart functioning and mental health, among others (Du Pre, 1998). According to studies, cortisol, a hormone secreted by the body during times of stress suppresses the proper functioning of the immune system making humans more inclined to getting sick (Du Pre, 1998). To counter this, studies have been made to show that laughter, in fact, acts against the negative effects of stress. (Du Pre, 1998). In a study made by Dillon, Minchoff and Baker (1985), participants were made to watch humorous videos. They have found that those who watched the videos had a significant increase in an Immonoglobulin A (IgA) level. This substance is a virus-fighting chemical made by the immune system (Du Pre, 1998). Studies like this show that indeed laughter and humor contribute a great deal to improving a person’s immune system. Laughter can be achieved through social interaction and other forms of entertainment such as videos and film viewing. Another study by Adams and McGuires (1986) showed that through a 6-week period observation of elderly participants watching funny videos, there had been a significant decrease in requests of pain-relieving medication (Du Pre, 1998). The social interaction portion of laughter is very much helpful, as well. Unfortunately, for the elderly, as they try to disengage themselves and focus more on â€Å"self†, they forget to interact and the importance of sharing and relating with others. Such is the importance of group psychotherapy. According to Yalom (1995), group psychotherapy brings about instillation of hope, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness and universality. People become more hopeful as they see that there are others who are in the same boat. They find out that there are those who can relate to them and that they are not the only ones who are going through the things that they are experiencing. The same is true for its universality. Group dynamics brings natural concern and care for others. They become more mindful of their surroundings and helpful, allowing themselves to be useful (Yalom, 1995). Interpersonal learning is picked up as each one involves him or herself in discussions. As they share their feelings and work out their problems they become more cohesive as a group and help in the development of the social skills that they thought they do not need anymore. Indeed, humor is a powerful force with the psychological and physiological effects on the body similar to the health benefits of aerobic exercise. The National Council on Aging promotes quality of life as an important factor for successful aging and a major component in one’s perception of happiness. In a study involving 182 participants, Vilaythong, Arnau, Rosen & Mascaro (2003) saw a relationship between humor and hopefulness. The researchers discovered an increase in the state of hopefulness after exposure to humor. Moreover, Wooten, (1996), stated â€Å"Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress and gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. † Of course, in all this, there is a mind set that should be taken into account. One must be optimistic about things and their outlook in life. At the age nearing death, it could be said that this is somewhat very difficult. The elderly is typically viewed as people who are not as functional as they were in their youth (Cox, 1993). The people or family surrounding a senior person should not automatically think that an elder needs his or her assistance. When an elderly feels that he or she has to be assisted in everything and could not perform independently, this may lead to a feeling of low self-worth and they become more pessimistic about things (Cox, 1993). If people can trust elders to carry out tasks, not to difficult for them to perform independently, then they learn to build confidence on what they can do. Furthermore, doubts about themselves, reservations and other unhealthy beliefs that maybe they cannot have purpose anymore, gradually disappears (Dryden, 2001). Here, one can see the effect that positive thinking or optimism provided by the environment, and later on re-learned by self, helps in healthy and a higher satisfaction in aging. Putting all this together, one could see that there is a right way to age. The elderly can get maximum satisfaction in aging if they conserved their energy and strength, if they are able to adapt to challenges and losses, and finally, if they could spend their time productively and wisely (Papalia, 2002). Method Subjects 17 men and women ages 65-89 years who volunteered were administered a pre- and post- self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman, 1976). The form used did not ask for the individual names of the participants. Rather, they were asked to put a fictitious name to ensure honesty and validity of results. The initial testing was conducted during the first session of the Happiness and Humor Group, and the final testing was done on the 10th and final session. Materials A scale survey called Life Satisfaction by Lohman (1976) was conducted. The Happiness and Humor group consisted of a 10-session program which was carried out once a week in a span of 10 weeks. Film viewing was used, this includes DVDs brought by the participants themselves and a few episodes starring Ellen DeGeneres. Lively music was also used in some of the sessions where there was dancing and exercise. Whistles, candies and other paraphernalia were also used in different sessions, serving different symbolisms and purpose. Procedure The first session of The Happiness and Humor Group at their senior center included 15 participants. They were given a test to measure their Life Satisfaction. They were not prompted for real names, rather they were asked to put fictitious names. Afterwards, the first activity began. Each participant was asked to pick a candy or energy bar which best suited or represented his or her personality. The session was ended by the researcher giving a lecture regarding pessimists and optimists. The second session included additional participants. The researcher welcomed the larger group with an activity â€Å"Lighten Your Load† in which everyone shared a way that they could lift pressure from their lives. An intense discussion took place following the introduction of the topic, â€Å"The Typical Wants and Desires of Human Beings†. An activity of light exercise to lively music concluded this session. More people joined during the third session. The importance of Exercise, Nutrition, Recreation and Attitude (ENRA) , and how these all added to a happier and healthy life was discussed. Exploring the ENRA principle of Attitude consisted of an activity â€Å"Count Your Blessings† where the participants wrote down and shared three positive things that happened to them during the week. They were also asked to share with the group how they think they were able to contribute to the positive things that happened to them. At the end of this third session, group members, not the instructor, began to tell jokes which enabled them to connect with each other through shared humor. Similar activities followed after this session, at the same time, more people joined in. Group psychotherapy happens as they share with each other ways to cope with loneliness and how they started thinking more positively. On the seventh session, a discussion was initiated regarding how guilt blocked happiness. Film viewing was also then started. A brief episode that starred Ellen DeGeneres was shown to the group. The video was followed by a laughter prescription issued by the researcher. This entailed all the participants to have a daily dose of 15 minutes of laughter everyday. The session ended with the prescription papers actually signed by the researcher. The eighth session was composed of 25 participants. There was exercise and the researcher introduced an international folk dance. Such activity enforced the ENRA principles. Kazoos and whistles were distributed with the instructions to â€Å"blow the whistle on themselves† when they got too serious. The session again, ended with a summarization of what they have learned that day and group sharing. The sessions that followed were characterized by more film viewing, exercise and dancing. The participants were encouraged to bring their own DVDs or videos should they want to share with the other group members. Later in the session, ENRA principles of Nutrition and Recreation were discussed as they were related to community availability. The researcher offered directories to farmers’ markets nearby and ideas for low cost activities and entertainment around the community. The participants were often reminded that happy people eat healthy foods, exercise, play, and most importantly, have a positive attitude toward life. At the tenth and last session, each participant received a certificate of achievement for being a part of Happiness and Humor Group. They celebrated their success with each other at a healthy buffet which consisted of fresh and healthy food that they themselves purchased from the local farmers’ market. The session ended with humorous stories, ones that they could share with friends or recall for their own 15 minutes of laughter just had been prescribed. Results n=17 Mean SD Pre: 42. 605 54. 256 22. 6 Post: 65. 828 72. 883 13. 7 Difference between tests 5. 6 Table 1. Results for Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman 1976) Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviations of the group before and after the intervention. Specifically, the mean before the intervention is 54. 256, and this has increased to 72. 883 after the happiness and humor sessions. Significance Level 0. 5 Table 2. T-Tests Variable Method Variances DF t-Value Pr>[t] Score Pooled Equal 32 2. 90 0. 0067 Score Satterthwaite Unequal 26. 3 2. 90 0. 0074 The conduct of the t-tests for dependent groups show that the post-test score is significantly higher than the pre-test score (t=2. 90, pF Score Folder F 16 2. 73 0. 0528 The insignificant F-value shows in Levene’s test for equality of variances (F=2. 73, p>. 05) suggests that both score distributions (pre and post) come from normally distributed score populations. Discussion From the statistical results above, one can see that there is significant change in the participants. Also, qualitatively, their outlook has changed significantly and they have become more optimistic. In the beginning, it was evident that group dynamics and sharing are really effective tools. One member, Cam, 75, shared eagerly during the first session that her selection of the candy bar reminded her of growing up in an orphanage in Scotland. Another, Abraham, 82, told about how he would eat a bite-sized candy bar and relax in the afternoon. The verbal and nonverbal connections were being established between group members, even reaching out to the silent and timid ones. Participants also felt more at ease because of the environment that was presented to them. Jokes are highly welcomed and encouraged. In fact, more than once, the researcher would tell a joke, reminding the participants of the group the theme of happiness that is the program. Also, it encouraged people to show and share parts of their lives through funny and touching anecdotes. Group cohesiveness was noticeable by the fourth session and continued throughout the remainder of the sessions. Participants served each other coffee, listened without interrupting, and best of all, made plans to socialize outside of the weekly group meetings. Edna, 68, stated that she felt like a kinder person. She mentioned that she called friends and invited them to her apartment, equating to a more confident and more sociable outlook in life. Another participant, Keiko, a timid, more quite 83-year-old, cried at the end of one of the sessions when she shared that she allowed her son to drain her of happiness. She declared that she was going to put into practice what she had learned in the group. Sharings were always rewarded and welcomed eagerly by other participants. They have learned to become more open to one another’s concerns and have become greatly supportive of one another. Both participants and researcher saw how popular the Happiness and Humor Group grew. People came in wanting to join because they say that â€Å"they want to be happy. † Even during the course of the program changes and positive results could already be seen in the participants. They themselves would say how much they are already evolving. For instance, Sam, 82, disclosed that he was easily annoyed by many people and he wanted to learn a better way of relating to those who bothered him which showed a shift in his attitude. Many other observations and learnings came from the members themselves. There were observed comments such as a time when it was noted how appointments are made with doctors and dentists for specific health concerns, but one never sets a meeting for life-renewing recreation and leisure. This realization came about during the session when they were given laughter prescriptions. In the latter part of the program, one could easily detect that people are greatly more confident to share personal matters as compared when they were just starting. They were able to vent out concerns and this made them feel really better, emotionally, most especially. One member, Dixie, brought up during one of the sessions the issue about families. The participants spoke of family traditions and ritual, children and parents playing together, laughter and honest, open communication without retaliation. Dixie, once an abused spouse, went on to say that the group has empowered her to be happy and feel less guilty. After evaluation of all these, the researcher feels confident that the Humor and Happiness Group program indeed served its purpose. The elderly felt more comfortable to socialize and felt less lonely, seeing that there are those around them who can relate with their feelings and emotions. They think more positively and are more accepting of where they are now, hopefully, looking at the past with less regret. They are equipped with knowledge of adequate exercise, varying forms of it, to keep them fit, proper nutrition to keep their minds healthy and working. Researchers in gerontology, leisure services, social work and related disciplines are eager to discover how to increase the quality of life for older adults, particularly those stressed by loneliness. Furthermore, many researchers have followed a line of investigation comparing the relationship between possessing a sense of humor and good health. Leslie Gibson, a hospice community liaison, has observed that the more developed the sense of humor, the more graceful the acceptance of physical change and deterioration associated with aging. The Happiness and Humors Group developed for an aging population demonstrated that humor was a significant part of increasing their life satisfaction. In part, it was made possible by connecting the participants with others during the ten sessions in order to create a bond, a sense of belonging through humor and laughter. The researcher encourages administrators and practitioners to explore the possibility of launching a similar group within their own communities to help promote greater life satisfaction among the older adult populations that they serve. Lastly, a further study could be conducted similar to the Happiness and Humor Group. Other activities such as one on one consultations with psychologists and patients could be conducted to maybe reach out to those who are really having a hard time opening up in big groups. Frequency of the session could also be improved, making it twice to thrice a week, instead of once a week. The total length of the program could actually be considered enough to host all needed activities for the participants. However, if such program would be revised, adding more that could specifically cater to the needs of other elders in other cultures, a longer program period is advised. Another improvement could be made by asking the participants who just later joined the Happiness and Humor Group to provide feedback and have them accomplish surveys as to how the program actually enriched their lives. Family support could also be added to the curriculum, although this may be hard for those who have relatives or family far from the center where they are in. All in all, the Happiness and Humor Group could be considered a success on its own and in the future when it would actually be implemented in senior centers, the researcher hopes that more elderly would be able to participate and experience the life-changing process the program offers. References Alpert, J. E. & Fava, M. (2004). Handbook of chronic depression:Diagnosis and therapeutic management. New York: Marcel Dekker. Anastasi, A. & Urbina, S. (2002). Psychological Testing (7th Ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Arnau, R. C. , Rosen, D. H. & Vilaythong, A. P. (2003). Humor and hope: Can humor increase hope? International Journal of Humor Research. 16-1, 78-89. Ayres, V. E. , Mackenzie, K. R. , Weisman, M. M. , Welch, & R. R. , Wilfley, D. E. (2000). Interpersonal psychotherapy for group. New York: Basic Books. Bernard, M. E. , & DiGuiseppe, R. (1994). Rational-emotive consultation in applied settings. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Burgess, E. W. , Cavan, R. S. , Golhamer, H. , & Havighurst, R. J. (1949). Personal adjustment in old age. Chicago: Science Research Associates. Boyle, G. J, & Joss-Reid, J.M. (2004). Relationship of humour to health: A psychometric investigation. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 51-66. Cox, C. (1993). The frail elderly: Problems, needs and community responses. Westport, CT: Auburn House Paperback. Dryden, W. (2001). Reason to change: A rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) workbook. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Du Pre, A. (1998). Humor and the healing arts: A multimethod analysis of humor use in health care. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Elmes, D. G. , Kontowitz, B. H. , Roediger III, H. L. (2001). Experimental psychology (7th Ed. ). Singapore: Wadsworth. Macfarland, K.(2005). Battling late-life depression: Short term psychotherapy for depression in older adults-A review of evidence based studies since 2000. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association. 8(4). Papalia, D. E. , & Olds, S. W. (2002). Human development (8th Ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. Pinel, J. P. J. (2003). Biopsychology (5th Ed. ). Boston: Pearson. Roeckelein, J. E. (2002). The psychology of humor: A reference guide and annotated bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood. Szabo, A. (2003). The acute effects of humor and exercise on mood and anxiety. Journal of Leisure Research. 35(2). Turnbull, M. & Wolfson, S. (2002). Effects of exercise and outcome feedback on mood: Evidence for misattribution. Journal of Sport Behavior 25, 4. Wooten, P. (1996). Humor: An anecdote for stress. Holistic Nursing Practice. 10, 49-55. Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.   Plagiarism Report Generated by EVE 2. 4 7/3/2007 11:46:32 PM Document: Humor 1. doc Amount of document detected to be plagiarized: . 54% (less than 1%) Please Note: Because plagiarsm on this paper is below 15%, please check these results carefully to make sure plagiarism has in fact occured. Matching material was found on these sites: http://www. sp. uconn. edu/~yian/frl/26sptrel. htm Student essay with matching content underlined for easy detection: Running Head: LIFE SATISFACTION FOR SENIOR CENTER PARTCIPANTS Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). Ergo, to clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through-both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise.

A play which explores the effect of relationships Essay

Task: Choose a play which explores relationships in a family/community. What strengths and/or weaknesses are apparent in these relationships and what is the overall effect on the family/community. A play which explores the effect of relationships in a family and community is â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† by William Shakespeare. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet, themselves, is key to the play and this relationship also embodies the family feud discussed in the play. Shakespeare conveys the lovers’ relationship as one built upon utter trust and devotion. Yet it is ill-fated due to the ancient feud between their families, the Montagues and the Capulets. The family grudge holds great importance and affects the lives of every citizen in the town of Verona. In the beginning of the play we are introduced to both the lovers. Romeo is portrayed as a depressed and melancholic person as the girl he loves does not love him back and Juliet as a girl who is unwilling to be married to a suitor of her parent’s choice. Romeo is in love with a Capulet girl called Rosaline and in order to see her he goes, uninvited, to a Capulet ball. He catches sight of Juliet at the ball and immediately falls in love with her. Much to his disappointment he finds out she is a Capulet: â€Å"Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt. † Although Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet he knows it is not that simple in Verona. He realises that because they are from rival families their relationship would never be permitted. From the very beginning their relationships is said to be â€Å"star-cross’d† as their families have been mortal enemies. There is a major difference shown between Romeo’s love for Rosaline and his love for Juliet. When he is â€Å"in love† with Rosaline, Romeo is depressed. But, when he sees Juliet, it is a whole different story. He suddenly experiences true love as he had never felt with Rosaline. From the moment Romeo first sees Juliet their bond is very intense. When describing the love between Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare often uses poetic and romantic language: â€Å"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! † Romeo compares Juliet to a candle’s light and says that she is incredibly beautiful. Shakespeare’s use of this â€Å"love at first sight† scenario emphasises that the young lovers have and instant and deep connection. This emphasises the strength of their devotion to each other. In the balcony scene, although Romeo and Juliet have only known each other for a short while, their love is very intense. Shakespeare uses various images to convey this: â€Å"Two of the fairest stars†¦ do entreat her eyes† Juliet’s eyes are being compared to twinkling stars which shows how much Romeo loves her. Romeo believes Juliet to be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and this image conveys this. This symbolises their strong love for each other. Later on we see that Romeo is overcome by his love for Juliet and he even risks his life to see her. When a fight starts to form in the street Romeo makes it clear that he is not interested in fighting: â€Å"Tybalt, the reason I have to love thee Doth much excuse the appertaining rage† Even though the idea of being loyal to your own family is prominent throughout the play, Romeo is willing to forget the family feud and â€Å"love† his enemies for Juliet’s sake. This is important as is shows their commitment to each other. They are both willing to forget a centuries old family feud that shapes their whole life in order to be committed to each other and this is clearly a strength. Even when Juliet finds out that Romeo has killed her cousin, although she is upset and distraught, she is willing to forgive him as her devotion to him is so strong. Another aspect which shapes Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is the feud. The feud is the main weakness throughout the play and it has great impact on the community in Verona. When a fight breaks out in the street it is clear where the citizens loyalties are: â€Å"The quarrel is between our masters and us their men† In Verona, everyone is forced to take sides even the employees. It is clear from this why Romeo and Juliet’s relationship would be a problem as the feud has such a strong grip on society that there is no way of them being together other than in secret. Another scene in which the power of the feud comes through is when everyone is discussing what must be the consequence of Romeo’s actions: â€Å"Romeo slew Tybalt. Romeo must not live† Lady Capulet’s harsh words are conveying how the feud makes everyone stand their ground and the idea of forgive and forget is not even considered. The feud is the reason for Romeo and Juliet’s poor relationship as their families are so hostile towards each other. The feud causes the division in their community and the separation of the two families. In the end, it is only after the death of both Romeo and Juliet, a huge sacrifice, that their families reconcile and agree to live in peace. Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is one that is powerful yet it is always plagued by the feud of their families. Shakespeare’s use of imagery and symbolism to convey their relationship is highly powerful and only intensifies the bond between them.

Consistent Use of That in Parallel Constructions

Consistent Use of That in Parallel Constructions Consistent Use of â€Å"That† in Parallel Constructions Consistent Use of â€Å"That† in Parallel Constructions By Mark Nichol As a conjunction, that is often optional. But when two or more corresponding phrases are involved, employ it consistently or omit it altogether, as explained in the discussion and shown in the revision following each of these examples. 1. It is healthy to recognize that biases exist and everyone has them. In this sentence, â€Å"everyone has them† might be read as an afterthought rather than a second consideration parallel with â€Å"biases exist.† To strengthen its correspondence with the earlier phrase, repeat that: â€Å"It is healthy to recognize that biases exist and that everyone has them.† (A misreading is unlikely to occur if the sole instance of that in the original sentence is deleted, but the sentence is more effectively rendered with that inserted before each phrase.) 2. More than three out of four respondents indicated their organizations are either facing strong pressure to reduce costs or that they are facing increased demand to manage spending levels. Here, if the sentence ended with costs (with either no longer necessary), inserting that after indicated would be discretionary. But if the writer uses it after the conjunction or, it must also appear in the corresponding position in the first part of the sentence, and either must be shifted to an earlier position: â€Å"More than three out of four respondents indicated either that their organizations are facing strong pressure to reduce costs or that they are facing increased demand to manage spending levels.† Alternatively, it can be deleted after or as well, in which case either must remain in its original location. (However, consider a third option that renders an earlier instance of that unnecessary and simplifies the sentence: â€Å"More than three out of four respondents indicated that their organizations are facing either strong pressure to reduce costs or increased demand to manage spending levels.†) 3. Get the facts out and make sure all sides of the issue are voiced, all relevant facts are obtained, and that everyone whose opinion is valued is heard. In this case, because of the list structure, that need not be repeated for each list item, but if it is to be employed at all, it must be inserted at the head of the list: â€Å"Get the facts out and make sure that all sides of the issue are voiced, all relevant facts are obtained, and everyone whose opinion is valued is heard.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:11 Writing Exercises to Inspire You and Strengthen Your WritingHow to Treat Names of Groups and Organizations

Rrl of My Classmte as Example Essays

Rrl of My Classmte as Example Essays Rrl of My Classmte as Example Essay Rrl of My Classmte as Example Essay Various eye problems have been associated with overexposure to sunlight. CAUSE Ultraviolet Ray WHY? People are unaware of what UVR can cause to their vision/eye sight. WHY? Insufficient spread of information to the public. Sub Problem How can we completely inform the public about the dangers caused by the UVR? INTRODUCTION Another radiation from the sun can harm not only your skin but also your eyes. Extended exposure to the sun’s UV rays has been linked to eye damage, which includes the cataract that clouds the eye’s natural lens that can cause to temporary vision loss. The purpose of this project is to make the public aware of what UV ray can cause to their vision. To protect the eyes from harmful solar radiation, sunglasses should block 100 percent of UV rays. A good quality of sunglasses such as Ray-Ban is a certified item for consumption that manufactures variety of glasses and likewise lenses that deals with overexposure to sun. This variety of lenses indicates the amount of protection it can give to the eyes. It includes the tints in the lenses that keep UV ray from reaching the eyes. Manufacturers add certain colors that block UVB light. Amber and brown tints are especially useful at absorbing UV light; however, any light-blocking tint will help prevent eye damage. Manufacturers either use colored glass or polycarbonates to make these lenses or soak polycarbonate lenses in a tint solution. Sunglasses can also have extra UV coating, although these arent necessarily just for sunglasses, as the coatings are clear and can be applied to regular glasses. The best tint for optimizing performance is a matter of personal preference. Sunglasses labeled UV-400 should offer good protection from the sun. One easy way to keep your eyes protected is to remember to push your sunglasses up on your nosethe closer the lenses are to the eye, the more protection you get. If youre going to be in a high-sun environment, wrap-around shades are a good choice. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Most people know of the dangers of the sun to our skin. But many do not know that too much sun can also damage the eyes. Eyes are sensitive instruments which can easily become injured or diseased from exposure to sunlight, because of the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. Ultraviolet rays are high energy, and are invisible to the human eye because they are outside the spectrum of colors that a human eye can see. Eye diseases are associated with exposure to sunlight Exposure to sunlight can cause damage to the eyes in both the short and long term. In the short term, exposure to sunlight can result in: * Mild irritation: May cause symptoms such as excessive blinking, swelling or difficulty seeing in strong sunlight. * Photo Keratoconjunctivitis: Photo keratoconjunctivitis is a condition similar to snow blindness or welders flash burn. It occurs when the sensitive, skin-like tissues of the eyeball become sunburnt. Individuals suffering from the condition are likely to experience severe pain, and possibly temporary blindness, for 12 days. The condition is temporary and will resolve naturally. In the long term, exposure to sunlight is associated with a range of eye diseases, including: * Eye cancer (also known as squamous cell carcinoma of the eye): A rare condition characterised by the growth of cancerous cells on the surface of the eye. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that5070% of eye cancers around the world are caused by sun exposure. The risk of developing eye cancer increases with lifetime exposure to sunlight. The incidence is highest in countries closest to the equator. * Cortical and posterior subcapsular cataract: Cataracts are characterised by the increasing opaqueness of the lens of the eye. It can lead to impaired eye sight and, in severe cases, to blindness. The WHO estimate 5% of cortical cataract disease is caused by sun exposure. In Australia, the Australian Cancer Council estimates that up to 10% of all cataracts are associated with excessive sun exposure. A study of a United States population found that individuals who had high levels of sun exposure were about 1. 5 times more likely to develop cortical or posterior subcapsular cataracts than those who had low sun exposure, while those with moderate sun exposure were about 1. 2 times more likely to develop each of these types of cataracts. * Pterygium: Pterygium is characterised by a fleshy growth on the eyes surface. The WHO estimates that 4070% of the global burden from this disease is attributable to sun exposure. A study conducted in Victoria reported that 43. 6% of pterygium cases were attributable to sun exposure. * Age related macular degeneration: Based on laboratory studies showing thatUV rays cause retinal damage in rats, scientists believe that exposure to UV rays contributes to the degeneration of eyesight which occurs naturally with ageing. How UVR Impacts the Eye The various tissue layers of the eye absorb the wavebands of UVR to different extents. The longer the wavelength, the deeper the penetration of ocular tissue. Of the radiation from sunlight, UV-B has the greatest impact on the eye. Overexposure can result in photokeratitis or, in rare cases, solar maculopathy. Studies show that chronic exposure to UV-B can also cause cortical cataracts. UV-A is considered a greater threat to produce skin cancer than damage the eye. While the ozone layer filters UV-C from the sun, a welders arc can generate toxic dosages of this potent waveband. Since UV-C is the shortest waveband of the ultraviolet spectrum, the corneal epithelium will absorb it. A welders flash burn therefore will cause a punctate epitheliopathy. Environmental factors and UV exposure The level of UV radiation varies due to a range of environmental factors,including: * Time of day: UV radiation levels are highest when the sun is higher in the sky (in the middle of the day, between 10am and 2pm). * Geographic location: UV radiation levels increase with increasing proximity to the equator, and increasing altitude. * Cloud cover: UV radiation levels are higher when there is no cloud cover, although UV radiation from the sun is present even on cloudy days. Features of the surrounding landscape: As UV radiation from the sun is reflected more or less effectively by some surfaces than others, exposure to UV radiation is also influenced by features of the surrounding landscape. Snow is a particularly reflective surface, and as much as 80% of UV radiation will be reflected back (compared to about 10% for water and grass). Dry beach sand reflects about 15% of UV radiat ion, while the foam in sea water reflects 25% of UV radiation. * Ozone protection: A layer of ozone forms a protective layer around the earth and blocks much of the sun’s harmful rays, including much UV radiation. Ozone levels vary between places and times of the day. The origin of UV protection Most of the UV protection comes from the lenses of UV protection sunglasses. Special coatings on the lenses material during manufacturing are the origin of UV protection. The exact lens coating is named UV treatment, which adds this capability to regular lenses. Always select UV protection sunglasses with labels specifying UV absorption up to 400nm, which is equivalent to 100% UV absorption. Color, style and cost have no direct help in offering sunlight protection. Many people would think that lens color is closely related to the degree of UV protection the lenses can offer. A classical example is dark sunglasses which had dominated the sun wear industry for many years. In fact, lens darkness does not determine directly the UV filtration ability. It is the lens material and additive coating that matters. Measuring Ultraviolet Rays In the United States, the risk for UV exposure is measured using the UV Index. Developed by the NWS and EPA, the UV Index predicts each days ultraviolet radiation levels on a simple 1 to 11+ scale. In addition to publishing the UV Index daily, the EPA also issues a UV Alert when the level of solar UV radiation that day is expected to be unusually high. UV Protection Recommendations| UV Index| Risk Level| Recommendations| 2 or less| Low| 1. Wear sunglasses. 2. If you burn easily, use sunscreen with an SUN PROTECTION FACTOR of 15+. | 3 5| Moderate| 1. Wear sunglasses. 2. Cover up and use sunscreen. 3. Stay in the shade near midday, when the sun is strongest. | 6 7| High| 1. Wear a hat and sunglasses. 2. Cover up and use sunscreen. 3. Reduce time in the sun between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. | 8 10| Very high| 1. Wear a hat and sunglasses. 2. Cover up and use sunscreen. 3. Minimize sun exposure between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. | 11+| Extreme| 1. Wear a hat and sunglasses. 2. Apply sunscreen (SPF 15+) liberally every two hours. 3. Try to avoid sun exposure between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. | | How do you protect your eyes from UV radiation? Protecting the eyes from UV radiation from the sun is the only way to reduce the risk of eye damage. Staying out of the sun at all times is impossible, so it is important that you know how to protect your eyes when they are exposed to sunlight, and about the times at which the suns rays are most dangerous. Steps for protecting against exposure to UV radiation from the sun include: Wear sunglasses when exposed to sunlight Every time an individual goes out in sunlight, they shouldwear sunglasses that meet the Australian standards. Sunglasses provide a barrier between UV radiation and the eyes,thus preventing the harmful effects of UV radiation. The Australian Cancer Council recommends that individuals wear sunglasses with wrap-around (i. e. side) protection complying with Australian Standard AS/ANZ 1067:2003 (these standards outline how manufacturers should make sunglasses and which materials they should use). Sunglasses which meet the Australian Standard will be labelled with AS/ANZ 1607:2003 and a category number. In addition, the lenses of the sunglasses should offer a high level of UV protection, and be labelled UV400, or EPF9 or 10. Wear a broad-brimmed hat when exposed to sunlight A hat with a broad brim offers better protection than a cap, as it also blocks sunlight from the side and back. Such a hat can effectively block about 40% of UV rays from reaching the eye. It not only protects the eyes from exposure to sunlight, but also the ear, neck and face. Exposureat these sitescan increase the risk of cancer. Avoid exposure to sunlight as much as possible, particularly in the middle of the day Levels of UV radiation in sunlight are highest in the middle of the day (10am to 2pm), and thus exposure to sunlight is most dangerous at this time. Limit your exposure to sunlight at this time by staying indoors, wearing protective clothing or using shaded areas. Sit or walk in the shade The shade provided by trees and canopies does not offer full protection against UV radiation, but staying out of full sunlight does offer considerable protection against UV rays. Seek shady areas when outside, particularly when outside for extended periods or in the middle of the day. Avoid indoor sun tanning lamps Indoor tanning lamps emit UV radiation and can cause damage to the eyes and skin. Avoid indoor tanning if you wish to protect your eyes from their damaging effects. It is also important to realise that childrens eyes are susceptible to damage from UV exposure (even though this damage may not produce symptoms until they reach adulthood). In order to protect childrens eyes, parents and guardians should provide children with appropriate protective eyewear and a broad-brimmed hat, and limit their exposure to unlight, particularly in the middle of the day. When to Wear Sunglasses? Wear sunglasses outdoors, particularly in the following circumstances: * During summer: The level of UVR at noon in summer can be more than three times as high as in winter. More importantly, the levels of UVB, the type of UVR that causes the most damage, can be as much as ten times higher (which is why sunburn takes such a short time in summer). * Around noon: (1PM during daylight saving). Seventy percent of the harmful UVB radiation that is received each day occurs within three hours either side of this time. On the beach or boating: There are usually few buildings or structures to block the sun or sky, so people are exposed to direct and scattered radiation from the whole sky as well as reflections from water. * Skiing at high altitude: Solar UVR increases with altitude and at 2000 metres (typical of Australian ski fields) can be as much as thirty percent higher than at sea level. The high reflectivity of snow worsens the problem, so that the UVR dose to the eye can be quite large. Consequently, good eye protection while skiing is very important. Materials and coatings of sunglass lenses Currently, there is a wide variety of materials for sunglass lenses. Thanks to the advancements in the lens technology, different people can now choose lenses that cater individual needs. In general, sunglass lenses are made of either plastic or glass. Plastic lenses are lightweight and come in different tints. Plastic sunglass lenses can block 80% of UV rays and thus provide good protection from sunlight. While offering excellent optical quality, glass lenses are more susceptible to scratches. High index lenses High index lenses are made of the material of high index plastic. This kind of lenses can block out 100% harmful UV rays in the sunlight. In regular, high index lenses are applied with reflective coating. This is because the high index feature also increases lens reflection on the surface. Due to the valuable optical feature of this material, high-index lenses are thinner and thinner than regular plastic lenses. Typically, lenses made of a high-index plastic can be 50% thinner than traditional plastic lenses. Patients with a severe refractive error are perfect target users. Polycarbonate lenses Polycarbonate lenses are one of the most common types of sunglass lenses. Besides features such as lightweight and shatter-resistance, polycarbonate lenses provide natural 100% UV protection. These lenses are perfect for active adults and children. Sunglasses using polycarbonate lenses can offer incomparable eye protection and UV protection. Photochromic lenses Photochromic lenses can provide appropriate lens darkness according to the surrounding environment. This type of lens always flatters people who need to frequently alternate between indoor and outdoor environments. Without the availability of photochromic glasses, vision impaired patients need to remove sunglasses and change to prescription eyeglasses when they move indoors, or vice versa. Polarized lenses Polarized lenses are specially designed for outdoor wear. These lenses can greatly reduce glare by blocking light reflection on a flat surface. Regular participants of outdoor activities including driving, golfing and skiing can significantly benefit from polarized lenses. With the help of polarized sunglasses, the wearers will nearly be free from annoying glare. Aspheric lenses Aspheric lenses are particularly suitable for people with a heavy prescription. With an evenly distributed thickness, this type of lenses will not bring an unwanted look because of excessively thick lenses. These lenses have different curves and are able to reduce or eliminate spherical aberrations. And they also help reduce the distortion of the wearer’s eyes. Scratch-resistant coating In addition to different lens materials, there are still types of coatings. In order to avoid scratches, sunglass lenses can be treated with a scratch resistant coating (SRC), which is usually included in polycarbonate and high index lenses by default. This lens coating is especially helpful for mischievous kids who may frequently drop the glasses. Anti-reflective coating Another common coating is anti-reflective coating (ARC), which is applied in some lenses in order to reduce reflective rays. While eliminating unwanted glare during outdoor activities, lenses with this type of coating are more likely to scratch. Actually, these two types of coatings are mutually exclusive, which means one specific lens cannot have both of them. Lens tints Lens tint is another common issue. With various tint options, sunglass wearers can choose their favoritecolor in order to get distinctive looking. However, only plastic lenses can effectively and uniformly absorb tints. In contrast to high index lenses, polycarbonate lenses are harder to tint. Reference mydr. com. au/skin-hair/eyes-in-the-sun

Top 6 Resume Template Resources to Refresh for the New Year

Top 6 Resume Template Resources to Refresh for the New Year New year, new you. It’s an annual tradition since our ancestors first overindulged over the holidays. And while you’re starting that hot new juice cleanse or renewing your gym membership, give some thought to your resume as well- especially if you’ll be looking for a new job this year. The great thing about revamping your resume is that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel- it’s a pretty standardized document by now, and there are many online resources that can help you get your skills and accomplishments into a format that virtually all employers have come to expect. Here are some websites to help you take that first step and download a template.HloomPossibly the Best in Show, Hloom offers more than 275 free resume templates which you can download. With such a huge selection, you can easily find a template that suits your style and your level of experience (for example, an entry-level resume should look different from the resume of someone with 20 years of experience). One thing to note is that this site is ad-supported, so you should be careful that you’re downloading the templates themselves and not clicking on third-party links.Google DocsIf you already have a Google or Gmail account, then you already have access to these templates. This program can import information from other docs (like Microsoft Word) and drop them into a template. This also has the added benefit of being available anywhere you have an internet connection- no need to save your resume on a USB drive or specific computer.Coverlettersandresume.comThis site offers downloadable templates for resumes, as well as pointers for how to flesh out each section of your resume.Resume2016.netThis site has templates with a more modern flair (format, fonts, etc.) and emphasizes different types of resumes. Functional, chronological, targeted, â€Å"mini-resume,† combination, and non-traditional resumes all have downloadable templates available.Super-resum e.comSuper-resume.com is a resume-builder, which means it’s an online app that helps you craft your resume by importing information into their existing templates, rather than having you download the template and go from there. Please note that this site requires a free account signup.LiveCareerLiveCareer offers full-service resume creation (including writing help from in-house experts). Many of LiveCareer’s services require a premium subscription, but the site does offer a free 7-day trial period for new users.So as you get ready to tackle the job market along with all those other resolutions, you’ll want to get your resume in the best fighting shape as possible- and these resources can help.And as with any online resources, you should be extra-careful about anything you’re downloading. Always double-check to make sure the download links are part of the site and not a third-party link disguised to look like download links. And before downloading any docum ent from a source you don’t know very well, make sure your anti-virus software is updated.

The In-Vivo and In-Vitro Effects of Sildenafil (Viagra) on Oocyte and Literature review

The In-Vivo and In-Vitro Effects of Sildenafil (Viagra) on Oocyte and Embryo Development - Literature review Example .. 7 1.2.1 Physiology of Fertilization and Implantation Process †¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 1.2.2 Physiology of Ovarian Function and Reproductive System .†¦ 12 1.3 Ways on How Secretion of Ovary Controls the Reproduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 1.4 Historical Development, Chemical Composition, and Mechanism of Action .......................................................................................................... 18 1.4.1 Historical Development of Sildenafil Citrate ............................ 18 1.4.2 Chemical Composition of Sildenafil Citrate ............................. 20 1.4.3 Mechanism of Action ................................................................ 22 1.5 Sildenafil Citrate and Ovarian Response †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......†¦.. 24 1.5.1 Possible Effects of Sildenafil Citrate on Female Reproduction . 24 1.5.1.1 Treating Female Sexual Arousal Disorder †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 1.5.1.2 Effects of Sildenafil Citrate on the Endometrium Lining †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 1.5.1.3 Effects of Sildenafil Citrate on Oocyte †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 1.5.1.4 Effects of Sildenafil Citrate on the Embryonic Development †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 29 1.6 Purpose and Rationale behind the Purpose of this Study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 1.7 Research Hypothesis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 33 1.8 Overall Objective †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 33 1.8.1 Specific Objectives †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 33 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 35 - 43 Chapter I – Introduction 1.1 Infertility Problems in Women... 12). It means that infertility happens when a couple failed to conceive after they had unprotected intercourse for a time span of 12 months. In general, infertility is classified as either primary or secondary infertility. Primary infertility means that the couple had never conceived a child despite their willingness to get the wife pregnant whereas secondary infertility happen when the couple is having difficulty getting pregnant after a pregnancy or having at least one child or more (NHS, 2012; Camacho, Gharib and Sizemore, 2007, p. 138; Inhorn and van Balen, 2002, p. 12). Boivin et al. (2007) revealed that roughly 80 million couples around the world are having difficulty conceiving a child. In UK, the NHS reported that around 3.5 million individuals or one out of six couples are facing problems related to infertility (NHS, 2012). There are quite a lot of factors that can lead to infertility. Based on the study that was conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), these factor s were identified as: female reproductive disorders (38%), biological abnormalities in men and women (27%), male reproductive disorder (20%), subfertility (10-15%), and unknown causes (15%) (Kretser, 1997). The term â€Å"idiopathic† means that there is no specific known cause for a given disorder (Falcone, 2006, p. 58). Therefore, idiopathic amenorrhoea means that there is an unknown cause behind the absence of menstruation. Although problems related to infertility may not cause serious threat on the physical health of a couple, it will always remain a fact that their inability to conceive a child may trigger serious harm on their social and mental well-being. Among

Political Science Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political Science Reflection Paper - Essay Example king is naked, and hence, Kingdon is liable to be beheaded by the American capitalists who, for years, promoted the idea that America has the best form of government. Evidently, there are many people in the American society like me who are made to believe for years that the American public policies are unique and the best in the world. This is all the more so because of the concept of liberalism, that means one is allowed to decide ones own destiny. In other words, the nation does not interfere in the lives of people as much as other nations do. This is a stunningly attractive proposition considering the fact that the tax American people pay is much less than the amount people in industrialized nations pay. However, Kingdon points out that the founders of the nation have done a dubious job by crafting the policies of government with ideologies of distrust in government, thus preferring a limited government. In addition is the check and balance among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. In sharp contradiction with my view that this check and balance will help the nation continue with its great unique features of less governmental intervention, Kingdon has shown how tricky it was from the part of the nation builders to develop such a system. It, in practice, ensures that even if American people or the leaders they elect want to make radical changes in the policies, it becomes a difficult task because of the burdens involved in passing laws and policies of reformation in the existing check and balance system. Evidently, the ones who are eager to make changes like the Native Americans and the African Americans will never be able to make radical changes in the governmental policies, and this is the uniqueness many people including me believed the best in the world. In addition, Kingdon points out how greatly the myth of equal opportunities has affected the public policy system in America. It is pointed out that this equal opportunity proposition also

Applied Statistics for Finance and Economics Project

Applied for Finance and Economics - Statistics Project Example The two will guide the analysis of the rest of the analysis. The first section of the project focuses on the brief description of the two variables representing the log return series. It will apply various statistical approaches including the descriptive methods and graphical methods. Consequently, it will conduct the test for normality to ascertain whether the mean difference and median difference really exist, as well as confirming the randomness and volatility of the stock distribution. The project culminates in the analysis of the capital calculation through the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as well as the OLSE (Estimation of the Ordinary Least Squares, in order to test relevant observations concerning the Bata estimation. The figure above shows the summary of the descriptive statistical techniques, for all-important information on the log return on stock value series as well as the log return value of the sap series (Standard and Poor). This is based on the 252 observations forming the entire dataset. The log return of the stock series (lsap) shows a mean of the distribution to be 7.14367. It also gives the standard Deviation of the distribution to be 0.0502348 while the variance of the distribution is 0.0502348. In this regard, the standard deviation of the sample mean can be calculated as 0.0953768 / √252 = 0.006008. The Skewness of the distribution is a positive value of 0.148524 while the nature of Kurtosis is described by the positive coefficient of 2.175841. This according to Tinsley and Brown (2000), indicates a right-skewed distribution with a positive skewness. The lowest quartile is 3.462919; the median value is 3.615367 while the highest quartile is 3.827336. The log return of the stock series (lsap) shows a mean of the distribution to be 3.62903. It also gives the standard Deviation of the distribution to be 0.502348 while the variance of the distribution is 0.0025235. In this regard, the standard

Change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Change management - Essay Example Change management could either be individual change management or organizational change management. The individual change management consists of three steps – unfreezing, adapting to change and refreezing. The in the first stage the existing mind-set has to be released and then the confusion and transition starts. In the third stage the new mind-set is crystallized and the individual’s comfort levels returns to the previous level. There has to be awareness why change is needed, desire to support and participate in the change, the knowledge how to change, the ability to implement new skills and behavior, and finally sustain change. Organizational change management requires processes and tools for managing the people side of the change at an organizational level. The management needs to first detect the trends in the macro and micro environment. Change in an organization can be due to downsizing, redundancy, change of management through mergers and acquisition, change due to expansion, and most important due to the advancements in technology. According to Worrall, Campbell & Cooper (1999) redundancy is the most evocative and fear inducing form of organizational change for many workers. Landale (2004) believes motivation is the key to empower the staff and get the front line managers to take collectively responsibility. A study by Patterson et al., (1997) confirmed that management of people was more important than the combined effect of strategy, product, service quality, or even the manufacturing technology or the expenditure on R&D (cited by Gollan, 2006). There is a definite relationship between employee performance and their attitude. Communication organizational aims and objectives are important. Difficult issues can be resolved through discussions. Honesty, trust, openness, employee participation, all helps to achieve high motivation among staff. Recognition of staff through promotional material also helped to

Ecology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ecology - Research Paper Example The transitions did not follow a successive order but were rather random for each squirrel. In addition, it became evident that a relationship exists between the behavioral transitions. From the analysis, the behavioral changes appeared to be the results of chance and were very random. The highest transition frequency was between the food searching behavior and food handling. The lowest frequency occurs in vigilance behavior and food searching. The animals must strive to strike a balance between safety precautions and food searches. For the balance to occur, squirrels have to set the priorities right. It is critical for them to determine when the urgency for security must surpass the urgency for food. Introduction The Eastern Gray squirrel’s main habitat is the eastern North America and parts of Canada (Makowska and Kramer 2006). This species relies on seeds, nuts, acorns, beechnuts, butternuts, and hickory nuts for food. These squirrels usually remain in their dens and nests during winter. The Gray squirrel must avoid getting into the way of its multiple predators. These predators include hawks, owls, raccoons, and snakes. Socially, these squirrels value relationships and have close associations within their communities. This species of squirrels exhibits unique behaviors when feeding. These squirrels have many predators and have to stay wary of while searching for food. This is the reason why squirrels exhibit multiple behavior changes in their search for food, as they have to strike a balance between feeding and remaining secure. Many scientists have tried to decipher the behavioral patterns of the squirrels in the venture for the search of food. Numerous ecologists have been striving to explain why these behaviors result. This experiment sought to establish the different patterns portrayed during the squirrel’s search for food (Parker and Nilon 2008). Prior to this experiment, we predicted that the gray eastern squirrel portrays several foragi ng patterns. In addition, we hypothesized that there was a relationship the transition from one pattern to the other. Specific predictions suggested that there was vigilance behavior that led to food searching. There was also a possibility that food-handling behavior would precede vigilance behavior. Methods In this experiment, we observed squirrels for duration of fifteen minutes. We used focal fallows to observe the behavioral patterns of the squirrels. After observation, we tallied the frequencies of transitions indicating. Finally, we used chi-square test to determine the relationship between the transition behaviors. Results Statistical analysis of the data derived from tallying the observations presented the data available in the table 2 in the figures shown. The graph in figure shows the number of squirrels that exhibited different transition behaviors. The highest frequency occurred between food searching and food handling. The transition from vigilance behavior to food sear ching presented the lowest frequency. The squirrels also switched from vigilance behavior to food handling at a remarkable frequency. Only in few occurrences did the squirrels exhibit a transition from either vigilance or food handling behavior to engage in social behavior. It became evident that the squirrels did not exhibit any transition from social behavior to food

The meaning of the marine NCO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The meaning of the marine NCO - Essay Example War is usually fought by trained personnel who are either expert in ground combat, air combat or water combat. However the USA Marine Corps is a special unit that is a maestro both in ground and water combat. In this sense they might be termed as the amphibians as powerful as a tiger lurking its prey on ground and as vicious as a crocodile waiting silently beneath the water without a hint that its probable prey could have catch. United States of America has a rich and engrossing military history. Over the centuries they have not only protected their home land rather came into rescue for several times to other nations well. The two of the prime example might be the first Great War followed by the second one within a span of quarter of a century. Such aggression and military success by no means qualifies the country as war monger, but war is an evil necessity and at times to restore peace or to save the world from evil dictatorship dedicated to wards military regime instead of fostering democracy; war cannot be avoided. The effort of the USA military can best be classified under these two headings one to restore global peace and the other to tame the evil dictators who came with a dream to rein the entire world through force of military not by the power of love. The USA armed force has several sectors, each dedicated to its own cause and entrusted with their specific responsibilities. The entire armed force of USA might be sub-divided into four parts namely, US Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Air Force (Wisegeek, 2013). The term USA Marine Corps brings peace to the heart of each American people and runs a chilly wave along the spine of all the enemies of United States of America. The first question that hover the mind of a researcher is what was the need for the USA Congress to initiate a new division of armed force? The Marine Corps started as an infantry division within the Navy with a view to protect the ship from any mutiny and

Ecology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ecology - Research Paper Example The transitions did not follow a successive order but were rather random for each squirrel. In addition, it became evident that a relationship exists between the behavioral transitions. From the analysis, the behavioral changes appeared to be the results of chance and were very random. The highest transition frequency was between the food searching behavior and food handling. The lowest frequency occurs in vigilance behavior and food searching. The animals must strive to strike a balance between safety precautions and food searches. For the balance to occur, squirrels have to set the priorities right. It is critical for them to determine when the urgency for security must surpass the urgency for food. Introduction The Eastern Gray squirrel’s main habitat is the eastern North America and parts of Canada (Makowska and Kramer 2006). This species relies on seeds, nuts, acorns, beechnuts, butternuts, and hickory nuts for food. These squirrels usually remain in their dens and nests during winter. The Gray squirrel must avoid getting into the way of its multiple predators. These predators include hawks, owls, raccoons, and snakes. Socially, these squirrels value relationships and have close associations within their communities. This species of squirrels exhibits unique behaviors when feeding. These squirrels have many predators and have to stay wary of while searching for food. This is the reason why squirrels exhibit multiple behavior changes in their search for food, as they have to strike a balance between feeding and remaining secure. Many scientists have tried to decipher the behavioral patterns of the squirrels in the venture for the search of food. Numerous ecologists have been striving to explain why these behaviors result. This experiment sought to establish the different patterns portrayed during the squirrel’s search for food (Parker and Nilon 2008). Prior to this experiment, we predicted that the gray eastern squirrel portrays several foragi ng patterns. In addition, we hypothesized that there was a relationship the transition from one pattern to the other. Specific predictions suggested that there was vigilance behavior that led to food searching. There was also a possibility that food-handling behavior would precede vigilance behavior. Methods In this experiment, we observed squirrels for duration of fifteen minutes. We used focal fallows to observe the behavioral patterns of the squirrels. After observation, we tallied the frequencies of transitions indicating. Finally, we used chi-square test to determine the relationship between the transition behaviors. Results Statistical analysis of the data derived from tallying the observations presented the data available in the table 2 in the figures shown. The graph in figure shows the number of squirrels that exhibited different transition behaviors. The highest frequency occurred between food searching and food handling. The transition from vigilance behavior to food sear ching presented the lowest frequency. The squirrels also switched from vigilance behavior to food handling at a remarkable frequency. Only in few occurrences did the squirrels exhibit a transition from either vigilance or food handling behavior to engage in social behavior. It became evident that the squirrels did not exhibit any transition from social behavior to food

Data, information, and Organizational knowledge Essay - 3

Data, information, and Organizational knowledge - Essay Example ers’ orders are met on time and for a transaction to be complete it must pass all stages of the transaction process that is collection, storage, modification and retrieval. The second type of IS is decision support system which are generally computer based systems and subsystems intended to help decision makers use communications technologies, data, documents, knowledge and/or models to complete decision process tasks. . In most situation, it may be aimed at business executives or knowledge worker. The third type of IS is EIS (Executive Information System) that facilitates and supports overall management of an organization information and decision-making needs. This system specifically targets the needs of the upper management, and helps to provide useful information to the management in order to help facilitate decision making. It involves the computers, network, people and procedures. The forth type of information system is OAS (Office Automation system) refers to a type of system that facilitate information exchange between people in an organisation. A variety of office automation systems are now applied to business and communication functions that used to be performed manually or in multiple locations of a company, such as preparing written communications and strategic planning. The main benefit is that the more freely the information flows the more its productivity. The final type of information system is ES (expert systems) is a computer based decision tool that uses procedures that exhibits, within a specific domain to solve difficult decision making problems, based on the knowledge acquired from the expert. Instant messaging software like what’s up and 2go are good example of information systems. They lie under database information systems and categorized under communication driven DSS.DSS that are communication driven have primary purpose to help conduct a meeting or for users to collaborate. The internet messaging software allows a group of people

Chinese Mythology Essay Example for Free

Chinese Mythology Essay Mythology is a collection of myths or the study of ancient traditional stories of gods or heroes, giving an explanation to an unexplained event. For Plato, the fist known user of the term, muthologia meant know more than the telling of stories (Kirk 8). Mythology is an important aspect to the world, today. Through the study of myths help us develop an idea of what the cultures were like. It includes hints that exhibit how they lived their lives. Myth is its serious purpose and its importance to the culture (Lansford 1). Every culture has its own myth that explains about the nature of that particular culture. The Chinese culture has been around for many centuries, its myths have accumulated into varies stories of gods and their culture. China is the worlds oldest continuous civilization (Cotterel 9). Evidence show the earliest Chinese civilization to be found around 1650 B. C. The beginnings of Chinese mythology, started around the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Influenced by alchemist ideas, Taoist and Buddhist superstitions, various writers created storied about their enigmatic surroundings. The beginning of the Chinese civilization is based on mythology. One of the creation myths is about the beginning of the world. In it, the world began as an egg and cracking open, the top of the shell grew to be the sky, the lower shell became the Earth, and in the middle stepped a man named Pan-gu. Mythology of the ancient Chinese is apparent through art, music and literature. Since, there is no explanation of how the Chinese civilization began; mythology has been a way of explanation to the Chinese culture and other cultures around the world, today. Chinese mythology, as with many other cultures, has many gods and goddesses that are in charge of various things. In the Ancient Chinese culture, there are gods and goddesses for every important aspect of the peoples life, even things as unlikely as the stove god and the door god. Other deities that were important to the Chinese people were the gods of the elements such as Chu Jung, the fire god, Lei Kun, the thunder god, the wind god, and the lightning goddess. Most of the element gods devoted themselves to punishing criminals and keeping evil spirits away. There were also important gods in charge of fields such as Kuan Ti, the god of war, Kuan Yin, the goddess of compassion, TShai-shen, the god of wealth and Tsao hsang, god of the hearth. Although there gods were very important to the Chinese people, one of the most important gods was Nu wa, the mother goddess. She was a compassionate goddess who created mankind and bestowed love and creation to them. She helped her people when they were in need, like when she created rice from her own milk and blood in order to feed her people. She was very humble and a modest goddess, not wanting credit for her benevolence. The gods and goddesses of Chinese mythology were basically deities that symbolized the good and just qualities that people should imitate in their everyday life. The basis of Chinese life was a belief in harmony and balance (Williams 20). The Chinese believed in harmony with nature, and sometimes honored the spirits with gifts, feasts, and rituals. The Chinese believed the souls of the dead returned (Williams 20), a concept of Buddhism. The family held Chinese society together (Williams 20). In China, many generations of families lived together, even in the same house, and the children were taught to respect and obey their elders (Williams 20). As in all cultures, men were ? superior to women in China. Parents believed they would become gods after they died, if they had a son (Williams 21). This belief was taken fiercely to the point that the parents would kill a newborn female. A custom that the upper-class women followed was of foot binding, which was believed to make the foot appear tiny, since the culture considered small feet feminine and delicate. The most important festival in China was the Chinese New Year, it is held in the spring of each year. During this festival, offerings were given to the sprits. In China, the color white is considered the mourning color and the children showed respect for dead parents by fasting and wearing thick clothes (Williams 21). Most beliefs and customs of the Chinese culture appear from the religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Chinese culture has a long history of beliefs and customs, which are used by the generations before and now. It is highly unlikely that the generations to come would not be following the same beliefs and customs of the ancient Chinese. The origin of religion goes back to prehistoric times when the earliest people of China sought answers to the same basic questions that have baffled primitive men over the world: what is the unseen force that brings darkness and light, winter and summer, drought and rain, life and death; what must men do to appease this force? (Schafer 57) Ancient China has three main religions Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Confucius was concerned mostly with laws made by people, and whether people were naturally good or naturally evil. In contrast, the followers of Lao-tzu believed people were guided by universal laws, not human ones. This was the basis of Taoism (Williams 18). Taoists tried to live a life of simplicity and meditation close to nature. Taoism was mystical and influenced by ancient Chinese folk religion. Its followers used magic as well as prayer and diet to seek eternal youth (Williams 19). Taoists were peaceful people who generally lived peaceful lives. Buddhists follow the teachings of Buddha (born 563 B. C. ), a north Indian prince who devoted his life to a search for personal peace, or enlightenment. The name Buddha means enlightened one. He believed that by giving up worldly desires, such as for fine food and clothes, a blissful state called nirvana could be achieved. In nirvana there was freedom from sorrows of the world. Indian belief as that time held that people were reborn many times. Persons who had lived badly in former lives might be born in an animal or insect form. Buddha said that by reaching nirvana, this endless cycle of rebirth could be broken (Cotterell 27). Buddhists follow an eight-fold path, this is like a code by which they live. Confucianism came in earlier than Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. The so-called Confucian classics were, in fact, complied long after the death of Confucius by disciples of his disciples, and were edited and interpreted in Han times by government scribes; but they purport to reflect the views of the great sage of antiquity on history, religious rites, morals, and standards of behavior. The state officers of Han times accepted these interpretations and associated them with the standardized pagan nature worship of state cult as a part of the acceptable way of life for a Han gentleman. We in the west sometimes call this way of life, which includes both reverence for the ? ancient books and the ? ancient gods, ? Confucianism (Schafer 60-61). Confucianism flourished in China as so did the other religions. The Chinese were inquisitive people, always inventing and always wondering how things worked. It is only logical for them to generate religions that explain how life is and how it will be in the afterlife. In Chinese mythology, myths and legends deal with aspects of human nature, human relations and social life (Owens). Chinese myths use human traits, like emotion, to convey lessons. The myth on the creation of man clearly depicts the basics of a Chinese myth. After Pan-gu, creator of the world, died and his body transformed into different elements of the Earth, Nu wa, the dragon goddess, came down from heavens and admired Pan-gus creation. In order to honor Pan-gus sacrifice to the Earth, Nu wa decided to create humans. She started to make them out of yellow clay, but since it took much of her strength, she dipped a rope into the mud and when she took it out, the drips became people. Her clay and mud people were not alive, so her heart took pity and she breathed her divine breath into them. She also whispered thoughts of love and creation into their ears and told them to reproduce. The people made of yellow clay became the rich and the people Nu wa made of mud became the poor. This myth explains many aspects of human life. It explains how the social classes came to be and also human emotions. Nu wa shows human emotions like honor, when she was determined to let Pan-gus death not be in vain; in compassion, she breathed her divine breath into each and every human. This myth represents human relations because Nu wa put ideas of love and procreation into the human races mind. These Chinese myths explain how the good and bad came to be and how a person should live a happy a fulfilling life. Mythology is not a subject that should be ignored. It is an important subject that should be learned and understood by all cultures so that as a world, we can come to understand each other better. The first step in hatred is fear. Fear of the unknown can generate more hate than anyone could possibly fathom. If everyone became educated about other culture, there would be little to know unknown, and there would probably be less hate in the world. Mythology, the study of myths, gives people an insight to others dreams, hopes, and their fears. We all have hopes, dreams, and fears. By learning about other cultures hopes, dreams, and fears we can feel more connected to each other and reach out. Mythology is a key element in keeping peace without shedding blood. Work Cited Cotterel, Arthur. Ancient China. Kirk, Geoffrey Stephen. Myth: its meaning and functions in ancient and other culture California; University of California Press. 1970 Lansford, Tyler. Mythology Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2002. Microsoft Corporation, 2002 Owens, D. W. Ancient Chinese Mythology: Gods and goddess folklore Google. com. November 5, 2003 Schafer, Edward H. Ancient China. New York; Time Inc. 1967 Williams, Brians. Ancient China. Middlesex, England; Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, Ltd. 1996.