What High School Is?

â€Å"What High School Is,† is a chapter from a book called Horace’s Compromise: The Dilemma of American High School, and was written by Theodore R. Sizer in 1984. Mr. Sizer starts the chapter out with a story of a typical boy named mark who is in the eleventh grade. In this story the author describes in detail how Mark spends one of his time blocked days in high school. Mr. Sizer feels it is important to analyze how Mark spends his time because he feels it is a reflection, with some degree of variation, of how most high school students spend their time in school.Mr. Sizer argues, â€Å"taking subjects† in a systematized, conveyer-belt way is what is what one does in high school (Sizer). He feels that this process is not related to the rhetorical goals of education; however, it is tolerated by most Americans. In addition, Mr. Sizer argues that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects and that courses are too broad and there is just not enough time to cove r all the material. â€Å"The school schedule is a series of units of time: the clock is king†¦ ow much time do I have with my kids, is the teacher’s key question† (Sizer pg. 40). School periods are about fifty minute each and students and teacher have a few minutes to go from class to class. Mr. Sizer argues that going from class to class gives the school day a kind of restless and hectic quality and provides the students with many distractions. Mr. Seizer point is strong, restlessness and distractions seem to go hand and hand here, once the children enter the class they must be resettled and their attention refocused leaving even less time for learning.In addition, most schools have at least one class that is called a â€Å"split class†. During â€Å"split classes† the student starts their class period, then, half way through it is interrupted so they can go to lunch or attend another activity. After they have finished lunch or the other activity t hey then return for the second half of their class, talk about hectic, restless, and distracting. However, Mr. Sizer does not address the some of the strengths of taking subjects, for example, the importance of responsibility, punctuality, and time management kills acquired through this type of scheduling. Another point that Mr. Sizer argues is that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects; they are just loosely related. He feels that two or more subjects should be tapped in order to solve a complex problem as learning opportunity. In addition, Mr. Sizer argues that schools feel that covering all the material within the subject is key, however, the material is only â€Å"supposedly covered† because many of these courses are too broad and there is just not enough time.This point is strong, which leaves little room for change or new creative ways to learn. Mr. Sizer points out that the opposition will always challenge and usually win against new creative ideas on learni ng with statements such as, â€Å"what may be thus forgone†, â€Å"we won’t be able to get to programming or Death of a Salesman†, and â€Å"there isn’t time† (Sizer). This kind of scheduling is too rigid and too broad, thus, making it almost impossible for any type of change.In conclusion, Mr. Sizer does not look too fondly on our countries education system, he argues, taking subjects† in a systematized, conveyer-belt way is what is what one does in high school. He feels that this process is not related to the rhetorical goals of education; however, it is tolerated by most Americans. Lastly, Mr. Sizer argues that there is little demand for synthesis of subjects and that courses are too broad and that this type of scheduling too rigid.

Grace Nichols comes from Guyana and Hugh Boatswain from the Caribbean Essay

Writers who came from over seas write the two poems that I have been asked to analyse. Grace Nichols comes from Guyana and Hugh Boatswain from the Caribbean. The poems deal with identical themes, a man who has immigrated to Britain from the Caribbean, and must learn to adapt to a new life and culture. Both men suffer a sense of loss for their past, but in Hugh Boatswains poem ‘Old Father’, the central character tries to forget about his earlier life. Hugh Boatswain writes the poem ‘Old Father’ in a Caribbean dialect. It is a narrative poem, which tells the story of old father’s arrival in Britain. At first old father is very unhappy, we can see this in the quote. â€Å"Man, a takkin’ ‘de nex’ boat back home.† The writer is trying to show the reader that old father is thinking of taking the next boat back home. At this point in the poem old father still uses Caribbean dialect. I think that the use of the word â€Å"home† tells the reader the old father wants to go home. Later as he forgets about his past and rejects his earlier culture. Old father is trying to ignore his heritage and trying to become English. We can see that old father rejects his earlier culture when he makes jokes about his people to the white people, we can see this in the quote. â€Å"tut tut†, he would say, â€Å"isn’t it disgusting how they make a spectacle of themselves.† The poem is divided into four stanzas. The writer uses alliteration and assonance, to give the poem a rhythmical sound. Assonance is where the vowels sound the same in a line, for example in this quote. â€Å"make him bawl in his small basement room.† Boatswain also uses alliteration when he repeats ‘b’ consonants. We can see alliteration in this quote. â€Å"Bouncing down the road with a blond.† We can also see the writer using personification in the quote. â€Å"Cold bite him hard.† The poem gives a lot of detail about old father’s life and now he changes to adapt to his new life. He changes his appearance by straightening his hair and ignoring his old friends. The writer is quite critical about old father, he sees him as betraying his identity. ‘Island Man’ written by Grace Nichols is an imagist poem. The writer gives images or ‘pictures’ of the man’s dreams rather then telling his story directly to the reader. The poem is written in free verse, without rhythm. However, the writer uses alliteration in the phrases. â€Å"Sun Surfacing† â€Å"heaves himself† Nichols also repeats word, we can see this in the quote. â€Å"groggily groggily† â€Å"muffling muffling† Which describes the man waking up. The repetition helps to emphasise the emotions of the man. The poem is divided into the man’s dreams of the Island and his waking life in London. The writer uses enjambment, which means that each line flows into the next. We can see an example of enjambment in the quote. â€Å"Morning and Island man wakes up† This gives the language in this poem a rhythmical pattern like wave on a beach. The use of colours is very important in this poem. The dream Island is â€Å"blue surf† and â€Å"small emerald Island†. In contrast London is â€Å"grey metallic soar†. By reading and analysing the two poems â€Å"Old Father† and â€Å"Island Man† I have come to a conclusion that I think that the poem â€Å"Old Father† is better in the sense of language and themes. I enjoyed reading the poem â€Å"Old Father† more because the writer has used a large range of language skills. It also shows the use of Caribbean dialect, and the way the writer has structured out the poem.

Cause and effect: gambling Essay

Throughout life we take chances with many different things. We take chances for ourselves, and we take chances for others close to us. Chances are things which will give you so much good in your life if you go for the right things and succeed when taking the chance. As is everything in this life taking chances are all and only good within moderation. When you take yourself to an abusive level with anything it becomes dangerous for you and all who surround you. An unsuccessful gambler may carry the same attributes of a very greedy person. A greedy person is someone who always wants more, and in essence a person gambling is looking to get more then they have. Gambling is considered to be addictive for many people, and depending on the degree of your addiction it can affect your life in more places then just your wallet. People engage in gambling through its ever-present incentive. The incentive in gambling is most commonly a financial reward, but it may also be many other different things. The mind of a person is hopefully set to learn from mistakes, and this is the mindset of many gamblers, these are successful gamblers. The reason they are successful is because they are able to establish what the problem was in their loss. After establishing their problem they learn to not repeat their fault. Next, when the mind set of a person is not gauged to learn from their mistakes, but only learn through extreme measures is when gambling becomes a larger problem. A gambler can be successful and not greedy, but a bad gambler is made through greed. If the gambler does not want to lose anymore or accepts his winnings they become unsuccessful. Greed is one of the seven deadliest sins, andn it is so fitting indeed. When a good gambler suffers from losing he or she turns around and puts their loss aside and does not let it intertwine with any aspect of their life other then gambling. When an inexperienced or unsuccessful gambler loses, the loss effects more then just the gambling aspect of their life. The unsuccessful gambler will turn to things of more negativity. The reason the gambler turns to these things is to ease their mind and hide their feelings. This way of coping with losing could ultimately result into hurting financially, as well as emotionally, and even physically. The first problem the gambler will face will be financial loss. The first thing to go in gambling is your wallet, and unfortunately one of the most commonly related problems to depression is debt. Losing money will affect the mindset of the gambler causing possible depression. This is when the problem reaches the emotional aspect it may take. The chain of events continues from depression on ward to abuse among substances, most commonly drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are substances made to relax the mind and take them away from the reality of things. The reality of the situation is that all drugs and alcohol will do is further affect the gambler financially as well as emotionally, and physically. When abuse of alcohol and drugs is brought to the home life of someone all it brings is deceit and ultimately pain. If the gambler has a family life the habits of drugs and alcohol will be tried to be concealed by the user to not hurt anyone else, and ultimately the truth surfaces taking an even bigger toll on the gambler. The abuse of alcohol and drugs is also closely related to physical abuse. Being intoxicated on drugs and alcohol can in fact lead to abusing close friends or family. It is most likely never said, but gambling can lead a person to rehabilitation. It is somewhat ironic that a hobby usually carried by wealthy, or well off people with strong mentalities can lead to complete collapse and weakness. This chain of events the gambler goes through can have almost a ruining effect on their life. Gambling is caused by the mentality of a risk taker or someone who enjoys taking chances wanting more then they have. Taking chances is not a bad thing by any means. It only becomes bad when it is abused. The effects of abusing gambling are never ending. Abusing gambling can lead to many extremes of negativity. It is up to the mind of the gambler to know when it is time to stop, or if it is not risking too much by continuing on.

United states Today Economic Situation and its Credibility around the Essay

United states Today Economic Situation and its Credibility around the world - Essay Example However, while reading the comments section of every online news report, I realized that it was not just Americans who were keeping themselves informed of the latest developments on the matter but also foreigners as well. Aside from this, I also read several news reports in which officials from other countries also expressed views on the subject. As I encountered more of such articles, I began to realize that the highs and lows of the American economy do have profound impacts on other countries. Because of this, it is only expected that they have their own views of current economic conditions of the US. It is also apparent that while the US boasts of still being the most powerful nation on Earth, the cracks on its walls have shown and grown worse through the years as its economy continues to remain in deep crisis. This can be observed by the international community who could only express negative opinions on the matter. For more than a century, the US has long held the title as a dominant global superpower. The two most compelling factors regarding this matter are its economic superiority and military strength. In the 1900s, US dominance was ostensibly challenged by the Soviet Union. It was after World War II that the contest between the two superpowers became more intense. However, the Soviet economy was not match to that of the US. Apparently, while the Soviets continued to espouse a closed-door socialist economy, America was extending it market on a global scale. I find this action not as a reflection of the benevolence or generosity of the country’s big business but simply a result of the drive to accumulate more profits from less saturated markets abroad. To some extent, the economic superiority of the US then had managed to scale down the impression that it too was trying to domin ate the world with its military strength just as the Soviets did. From my point of view, this prompted the development of the concept that economic relations with America make other nations richer too even as it is also making infractions on the sovereignty of other countries through military intervention. When a superpower lavishes a poor country with imported products, it could hardly be considered as a bully by the people. This was definitely not the case with the Soviet Union, which only focused on asserting military superiority. The current economic crisis that the US is facing has proven to be disastrous not just to the average American citizens but also to many other countries in the world. This is naturally the result of several decades of dominance also of the country in the sphere of international trade and global economy, in general. Through all those years, especially after the World War II until recently, the US is a major trading partner of a good number of economicall y more backward countries. These had established relations with the US as their largest market of raw materials and, at the same time, supplier of capital goods and other high-value added finished products. With the crisis besetting the US economy though, it has become a less attractive market from the perspective of those countries that export their raw materials to it. Apparently, the crisis has also led to slower production of capital goods and finished products in the US, while countries like China and India are showing successes in coming up with commodities that are competing with those it had been manufacturing. If I were to be the an

Summary of the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Summary of the article - Essay Example According to Adam Smith, as the article explains, it was the obligation of a nation to protect species outflow (LaHaye, 1986). In this perspective, national policies were geared toward the protection of the acquired wealth by encouraging the importation of species and discouraging export. The economic reason for mercantilism was to acquire much power by large competitive nation states such as Europe (LaHaye, 1986). The article points out that, these nations did not have species, but acquired them from colonies through colonization of countries endowed with this species and through international trade. In the mercantilism period, the hustle for economic power resulted in military conflict amid nation states. Laura appreciates that countries minted their currencies in order to finance their military to command a considerable territorial expansion. National policies in mercantilism period defined the relationship between government and mercantile classes. The article outline that mercantile classes (merchants and producers) provided levies and taxes that were used to finance the armies of the nation states and the government was responsible for formulating policies that protect mercantile from undue foreign competition (LaHaye, 1986). Governments of nation-states developed public policies that took different forms. In the home country, the article posits that governments promoted local monopoly over colonial markets, finance new industries, and offer tax exemption and tax holiday to the upcoming industries. The trade policy was coined in order to assist infant domestic industries by imposition of quotas, tariffs and prohibiting the importation of goods that compete with local brands (LaHaye, 1986). Marine transport was an imperative mean of transport for shipping gold and silver from colonies to colonizing countries. For instance, the article identifies that the shipment of gold was conducted to facilitate

Primacy of EU Law over National Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Primacy of EU Law over National Law - Essay Example Regulations are laws with general application, such that member states are under no strict liability to adopt them into national law. In the case of directives, that obligation is unconditional on the part of member states, although they can choose the form and methods by which to implement an EC directive 2. These provisos in the new EU Constitution are highlighted by this paper in its discussion of how to bring law and order to European countries if the EU law relevant to a particular case contravenes the national law of a member state; if an EC regulation favors one national group over another; or if an EC law that could bolster a local case has no equivalent version in the member state that is hearing the case. In so doing, the paper presents two make-believe cases involving consumer welfare promotion and environmental protection, two areas of concern high on the agenda of the new Constitution as embodied in Article II-62 and Article II-97, respectively. Both areas need state legislation to give them real substance. In 2006, EC issued E... The directive imposes criminal liability on anyone who keeps toxic chemicals in his property without sufficient safeguards to prevent leakage. If the stored chemicals, which were specified in the EC directive, escape into the atmosphere and cause harm to people, the offense carries a maximum fine of 150,000 euros or its equivalent. In UK, authorities believed there was no need to enact a new law based on the EC directive because there is a similar environmental law already in place. In March 2007, or one year after UK member states were supposed to have introduced the EC directive into their own legal systems, a man named Simon fell ill after eating vegetable grown in his garden, which is adjacent to a warehouse of Otis Chemicals Ltd. that stored the chemicals identified in the EC directive.QUESTION 1: If you're a lawyer representing Otis Chemicals, do you think Simon can sue your company in UK under the EC environmental directive based on the direct effect principle Can UK authorities also prosecute Otis under the same EC directiveANSWER: Assuming that the chemical substance in question is among those identified in the EC environmental directive, Simon can invoke the same EU law in bringing a case against Otis Chemicals before UK courts. This he can do whether or not UK has adopted the provisions of the said EC law into a national law. Under the Community Method principle of the new EU Constitution, any law enacted by the Community automatically becomes an integral part of the law of a member state, whose courts are

Attractive nuisance doctrine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attractive nuisance doctrine - Essay Example The doctrine can be linked to anything lying on the land, but mostly to dangerous objects such as; abandoned cars, piles of timber, sand, trampolines or even swimming pools (Okrent 18). The doctrine tends to protect small children who are not mature enough to make responsible decisions over their own safety. The doctrine does not carter for adults. However, if an adult sustains injuries while attempting to save a child who is in an attractive nuisance, then the owner of the property will also be held responsible for the injuries of the adult. When citizens reside in areas where there are children, they are expected by the society to come up with responsible ways of protecting the kids (Okrent 19). A situation might arise when a child trespasses to someone else’s property, and in the midst of having fun, for example, swimming, the child drowns. The accident happened without the property’s owner being aware (Okrent 24). Therefore, it would be unfair for the owner to be charged with violating attractive nuisance. If the property owner has knowledge of the presence of children on his or her of the property, and a risk occurs linking it to any object that might harm them, then the owner is responsible for violating attractive nuisance (Okrent 20). In this essay, it is clear that the law of attractive nuisance is actually fair. If a person has something on their property that would raise the curiosity of small kids, for example, a swimming pool or a damaged car, the individual needs to check whether they are sufficiently and safely sheltered. The person should adopt methods like putting up a secured barrier or safe and sound covering over the entity (Okrent 30). Landowners are required to be aware of all the potential dangers posed by their property like tractors or an open ware house. This will help them know what to keep

Liquidation Damages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Liquidation Damages - Essay Example This paper will look at how liquidation damages for Lake River Corp. v. Carborundum Co. were calculated and provide a critical view of the calculation used. Carborundum is a company that manufactures Ferro Carbo. It had entered into a contract with Lake River Company.   In the contract, Lake River Company would receive Ferro Carbo in bulk from Carborundum’s, put it in bags and ship it to Carborundum’s customers. Carborundum insisted that Lake River install a new bagging system to take care of the contract in an efficient manner, which costs $89000. In order to cover the cost and make a twenty percent profit, Lake River insisted on a minimum guarantee clause that ensured that if the full least quantity was shipped the Lake River would make $533000. However, Carborundum only shipped 12,000 of the 22500 tons of the Ferro Carbo at the time when the contract expired.  Carborundum had paid for the amount billed and bagged.   The clause left Carborundum Company owing $241000. That is $533000 (ferro shipped) less what Carborundum had paid. On the other hand, Lake retained 500 tons of bagged Ferro. As such, the issue was whet her the formulae in the minimum guarantee clause inflicts a penalty for breach of contract or whether it was just a deliberate attempt to liquidate damages (Whitney,1985). In this case, the district judge gave a judgment where Carborundum ended up with approximately $42,000. This amount was reached by making use of the following formulae; $269000 +$31000 -$241000-$17000. The last figure represented the prejudgment interest on the Lake river damages (Whitney, 1985). Here the damage formulae were designed in such a way that it will assure the Lake River Company receives more than the actual damages it incurs. This makes it a penalty. It was noted that, since Lake River did not do much work, they were not

Data analysis report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Data analysis - Lab Report Example According to Ajzen (1988); Ajzen (1991); O’Donnel et al. (1994) and Conner (1993), a persons planned behaviour change has a significant contribution to his/her attitudes towards various conditions. Further, to them, the success of the planned behaviour significantly depends on the social-economic situation of the person in the past, present and future aspirations. Ajzen and Driver (1991: 1992); Ajzen and Fishbein (1980); Dejoy and Wilson (1995); DeVellis et al. (1990) and Newcomb et al. (1992) support the above assertions arguing that if one plans to do away of a certain behaviour, then there are strings attached which range from financial stability to family cohesion. Further, intentions and wishes to abandon a certain habit depend on time and gender. From research, time affects any outcome since other factors come into play which might significantly affect the results or influence earlier readings/measurements. The way a person acts now has a significant bearing on how he/she will react in the near future as well as in a distant future. Godin et al. (1993); Adams (1994); Godin (1993) and Heatherton et al. (1991) argue that time lapse has effects not only on the results but also on the validity and reliability of research findings. This is so because of factorial design impacts on the end-term outcome. Gender on the other hand is a very important aspect to consider in planned behaviour changes as it is believed that females are better and more confident to follow a rule they had set than males as the later are easy to influence and change their track than females. Hellman et al. (1991); Godin et al. (1992); Liska (1984); MacKay (1994) and Joreskog and Sorbom (1993) is support of the above argument argue that females are more likely to convince of the negative impact of an habit than their male counterparts since they are most likely to give it a hearing

Abstract about Barriers to KMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abstract about Barriers to KMS - Essay Example The reasons why people shy away leveraging KMS will also be found out in this dissertation. The important of this research is investigate the barriers preventing people to effective use of KMS in PwC(Thailand). The concept of knowledge management will be looked at from a keen eye perspective and after dwelling this concept, the limitations will also be taken into account. The dissertation is divided into several integral sections, each has its own importance and there is something substantial in each section of the dissertation. The case of Thailand will be taken into account in this dissertation; the PwC will be closely monitored in various sections of the dissertation. A well researched conclusion will be arrived at which will sum up all the important points and which will also give a good insight on all the research questions presented in the beginning of the dissertation. The limitations of the dissertation will also be discussed at the end which will focus upon the restrictions that were faced when conducting research on the subject.

Evaluating NAPLAN as a Performance Measurement System Assignment

Evaluating NAPLAN as a Performance Measurement System - Assignment Example According to the ACARA website, the NAPLAN testing widely reflects the aspects related to numeracy and literacy, which are common to the curricula of all the states and territories (â€Å"My School Fact Sheet†). The test formats as well as questions are chosen in such manner that they remain familiar to the students and teachers all across Australia. It is designed in such manner that it can be taken on the same date in any particular year all across the country (â€Å"National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy 2010†). Problems associated with design or use of NAPLAN Management accounting enhances the decision making by suggesting methods and methodologies. In this part of the project, the problems in the design and framework of NAPLAN would be reflected by taking into consideration the management accounting theory. Three problems associated with NAPLAN are given below: The content coverage of the NAPLAN test: With 40 questions in every test, NAPLAN always assess es fragments of the student achievement. This is not appropriate because testing a portion of the curriculum does not give indication about any student’s learning in all the curriculum areas. The result of the students in this test reflects the percentage of questions that could be answered by them out of all the questions present in the questionnaire. However, the test fails to reflect achievement of the entire numeracy and literacy domain. The bureaucrats have explained it as a test score gap, where they stated that there is an achievement gap between the students and the schools. As the NAPLAN test only assesses limited aspect of the learning of Australian students, the result is not useful for inferring the overall achievement. Moreover, achievement related to any student must not be so narrowly confined to only the grounds of literacy and numeracy. There should be assessment made on other grounds as well, such as critical thinking, creativity, capability of following any inquiry, motivation, compassion etc. But test on these grounds are not assessed by the NAPLAN. In contrast to this, the Australian teachers know about the ability of the students in much broader way apart from numeracy or literacy. Accuracy in the identification of overall level of the students in grounds of numeracy and literacy: The test instrument comprising of a set of only 40 questions cannot judge and separate the students accurately on grounds of literacy and numeracy. The NAPLAN does not provide any additional information, which a teacher does not have with him/her. For identifying the student level much more accurately, there should be long tests conducted. Matching the assessment procedure with the curriculum: In order to assess the achievement of the students on grounds of literacy and numeracy, it is very important that the assessment matches with the curriculum, which is being taught by the teachers. ACARA states that the test item is informed to the teachers by Ã¢â‚¬Ë œNational Standards of learning for English’. But the document based on which the test would be taken remain unknown to the teachers in most of the schools. It is not an appropriate process of planning the NAPLAN test on the basis of new Australian Curriculum because there are still some states, which did not adopt the curriculum yet. Moreover, even after adopting the curriculum, it would require time for these schools to implement them. As the learning of the

Environmental Science Essay Example for Free

Environmental Science Essay Our world looses 40,000 species a year, while ocean fisheries collapse and global warming threatens ecosystems from the coral reefs to the melting of the North Pole poles to the grain-producing mid-latitudes. There is a greater need than ever before to understand ecosystem processes, man’s impact on these processes, and the value systems that will determine our future interactions with our own ecosystem. Conservation is akin to problem solving, hence the emphasis on the art of solving problems and the critical-analytical approach toward understanding the underlying issues. Conserving nature is thus related to solving problems arising from human interference. It thus combines the complexity of nature with the human dimension, which is complicated to say the least. Hence the multitude of dimensions, confusion of ideas and the widespread involvement in all facets of daily life.Conservation is rooted in the belief that something can be done to prevent the loss of an endeared entity. When we saw native forests disappearing to shipbuilding and firewood, we began to protect them, goes the story. However, the truth follows a slightly different path. Forests were saved because people discovered coal, which was much more efficient to use. Instead of building ships from timber, steel proved to be a better choice. Instead of burning firewood for locomotives, coal proved more efficient. Thus coal and steel saved the remnants of native forests. Likewise it was fossil oil that saved the whales. If no economic replacement can be found, people will use the resource to the last little bit. Conservation in its early days, often happened by accident. However, today, people are using knowledge, foresight, labour and technology for proactive conservation. Soil conservation: soil has become threatened by human cultivation and climate change, resulting in loss of fertility, erosion and desertification. Water conservation: water is needed for food and industry, but in many nations a severe shortage is looming as humans use over 50% of fresh water that never reaches the sea. Atmosphere conservation: clean air is needed by all organisms on Earth. The atmosphere regulates the Earths temperature and protects it from harmful radiation. Global warming and ozone depletion threaten all organisms, including humans. Natural habitat conservation: wildlife needs natural habitat, Wildlife conservation: preventing extinctions, maintaining biodiversity. Mineral conservation: the mining of minerals rests almost exclusively in the hands of mining companies. Their business is to supply an ever hungrier market. Conservation of minerals can be done only at the consumers end, by reducing the need, reusing by-products and recycling wastes Energy conservation: energy is the main driving force behind industry and indeed our civilisation. Our entire standard of living depends on energy to the extent, that people in developed countries use the equivalent of 50 human slaves each, or more. Fossil fuel is going to run out and alternatives have to be found, as well as energy conserved. Urban conservation: in recent times, many cities have grown so rapidly that they have become unlivable due to overcrowding, traffic jams, inadequate public transportation systems, air and water pollution, noise, and lack of recreational parks. People flee the cities to live in suburbs, causing urban areas to sprawl, which exacerbates the transport-related problems. Urban conservation aims to make cities more livable, while halting urban sprawl. Marine conservation: the marine environment has its own rules. To do conservation for the benefit of nature is difficult enough, but because humans are involved in every step, the matter becomes very much more complicated. In fact, this aspect can become quite time-consuming and energy-sapping, often obscuring what the whole purpose of conservation is all about. Human society has become more complicated over time, and will continue to do so. People have occupied every bit of land, and have also been allowed to own it. By having an interest in an area planned for conservation, or an extractable species, human lives are affected and conflicts arise. People who have a claim to be considered, call themselves stakeholders. Dont be surprised that a stakeholder can live hundreds of kilometres away from the place of conflict. Here are the human interests that need to be considered along every step: economic: peoples incomes are affected. Countries with a Bill Of Rights, require such people to be compensated financially. It increases the cost of conservation. However, often new opportunities present themselves, and people can get better jobs through re-training. Where fishing is stopped, boat owners and skippers can learn to earn a living from eco-tourism. Park rangers are required, and those displaced from the area make good rangers due to their local knowledge. rights: over time, people have given themselves all kinds of rights. Their present predicament is seen as a right obtained through custom, and any change to it is seen as an infringement of such rights. tradition: people have been doing what they do for many generations, often passed down in families from father to son. Villages have a tradition, and so do areas. A conservation effort may upset such traditions. culture: every ethnic group has a different culture. Within a culture, specific rights and beliefs are held dearly. Conservation may infringe on such cultural values. spiritual: persons and groups may have spiritual values, arising from beliefs and superstitions. emotional value: people often value a place or a species emotionally. Such values cannot be measured but are real to the beholders. A large range of emotional values can be held. race: racial matters may dominate conservation efforts. Original People like the Maori in New Zealand, the Aborigines in Australia and the Indians in America and Canada, have lived in the area for a long time, and have cultural and spiritual ties with an area. However, often the race issue is used to gain power and income. Nevertheless, it seems that the three underlying causes, population growth, economic growth and material needs (standard of living) are too holy to be stemmed, or even discussed. So it happens that all our conservation efforts are directed at fixing problems, rather than preventing them. Worse still, the concept of sustainable development requires us to increase economic activity while also conserving the environment, two opposing goals. Conservationists now try to improve our quality of life, the need for a clean environment, such as clean air and water, uncluttered living areas, and unspoiled scenic lands. Only very recently has the concept of biodiversity entered the conservationists vocabulary. It requires healthy ecosystems, not just for the benefit of people but also for those other millions of species. The ecological crisis, as an outcome of human impact on nature, has reached a point that could threaten the very survival of humanity. In keeping with the economic interests of a small minority, new production forms be implemented faster and faster, with no prior evaluation of their ecological consequences. These minority interests also require maintaining production techniques recognized as harmful. This is going on while technological progress is increasing the possibility of acting upon nature, and hence upsetting or destroying it. Industry, transports and the breakdown of more or less durable consumer goods release a great variety of toxic substances into the air. The unbridled and apparently uncontrollable growth of motor vehicle traffic makes this the primary source of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, far ahead of household and industrial heating. Formic aldehyde, mercury and asbestos, for example, are industrial pollutants. These are also found to a very significant extent in everyday consumer products, such as building materials in the case of formaldehyde and asbestos, and mercury in batteries. Waste, of household, agricultural or industrial origin alike, is carried off in the worlds waters, turning them into gigantic sewers. Continental waters, rivers and lakes are the hardest-hit, but pollution is reaching the sea more and more, via rivers and coastal cities. The direct consequences are the accumulation of heavy metals; mercury, cadmium, etc, and highly toxic organic compounds, in sediment on the ocean floor, riverbeds and lakebeds. Above all, fertilizer build-up, involving nitrates and phosphates, has led to an unbridled proliferation of algae and water plants. Their breakdown then exhausts the oxygen dissolved in the water: resulting in a massive death of aquatic life. Among the most dramatic manifestations of the ecological crisis, the destruction of the worlds forests is among the most disturbing, because of the extent of its consequences. In 50 years, one third of the worlds woodlands has disappeared. This has hit tropical countries the hardest. In the industrialized countries, the wooded area has remained relatively stable, but forests are slowly dying from air, oil and soil pollution. However, in the Third World, deforestation is at the heart of the ecological crisis. Deforestation is the outcome of a vicious cycle of poverty and depletion of arable land. Another cause is the over-harvesting of tropical woods, with no concern for sustainable management. This destroys biodiversity the tropical forests are home to over 50% of the plant and animal species of our planet and the forest populations resources, in order to provide a cheaper product for Western building and furniture markets. In future, we must see our neighbours as partners and friends rather than as poachers and foes. This partnership can also extend to adjoining industries, farming enterprises and business ventures. It does, of course, mean that human attitudes and behaviour will have to change. We should all see ourselves as custodians of the environment and learn to live in harmony with it. Only then will we see light at the end of a dark tunnel. Worked Cite: Daniel B. Botkin, Edward A. Keller Published by Wiley Text Books (June 2002) Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet

What Cause These Soldiers To Suicide Philosophy Essay

What Cause These Soldiers To Suicide Philosophy Essay Suicide is now the leading cause of death among military. Suicide occurs when a person chooses to end their life as he or she view suicide as the only way out of the problem. The causes of suicide are different and unique for each person. The stressor caused by war is one of the reasons these soldiers to choose to suicide. Some of them could not cope with what they had been through during the war. Kelly (2004) discussed about a former Army sergeant, Matt La Branche, who shared the memories when he was in Iraq War. He constantly struggles with the image of the Iraqi woman who died in his arms after he had shot her (Kelly, 2004). According to Buncombe Duff (2006), When you go to bed at night you wonder will you be sent home in a flag-draped coffin because a mortar round went off on your sleeping area. another army also shared his experience after the war. These examples showered how the soldier experienced severe anxiety, suffered from a serious depression, and become dependent on alcohol. They keep toughing themselves with negative thought and cannot stand the memories that they are murdered, seeing children killed, families wipe out and even the loss of comrades. Killing and brutality of the war have led to many sold iers feel shame, embarrassment, and guilt. The untreated depression, frequent deployments, financial stress, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder, often brutal choices and the family separation have been linked to suicide rate among soldiers. Some soldiers appear to be at particularly high risk for suicide after break up of a relationship. Some of the soldier sees depression as a sign of weakness and it might bring an end to their career. Thus, most of them will choose to deny the existence of their depression. However, as one constantly choose not to acknowledgement that one is suffering from depression, things will become worst and possibly ended with a mental break down. From the studies, Michael and Ian were highly valued, integrity, well-educated officers with families and with bright future chooses to commit suicide. Michael had been depressed for roughly 7 years and the final years of his life. He sought help, but took it frivolously and did not take it seriously. In addition, the commander did not order him to seek help as it did not sound like an army issue to him. He sees depression as a sign of weakness and he was afraid it will ruin his career. The stress came from the family especially when his oldest son was diagnosed with leukemia and possibly a relationship break down as well. In his last email, he noted that he regretted his failure as a husband, as a father. We can see the stress of being a husband and father; he felt that he was useless and could not do the best for his family. As a man like him, he could not stand the stigma somehow and did not acknowledge about his depression. However, as a commander, he needs to understand the situation objectively and should not be saying those irresponsible words à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this doesnt sound like an Army issue to me (Thompson Gibbs, 2012). It does not mean someone who is doing well at work would not be affected by depression. The problem can come in many other ways that are not visible. Ian Morrison, on the other hand, struggled with his anger, anxiety, restless, and sleeplessness. He had the perseverance to figure out how to stop his anxiety and sought for help. He sought help from the army and military 6 times and three days before he died. Sadly, he was always told to be on hold, and the responses give to him was you come to the wrong place, or stay on the line, we cant help you right now. Although he managed to reach the doctor, it was upsetting because the doctor had not treated his anxiety and only gave him sleeping pills in order for him to improve on his sleeping habits. He also tried to enrol in an Army sleep study but was told that he could not join it. In my own perception, the incident of him almost hit by a rocket in one mission and the reassignment is the cause his anxiety and sleeplessness. Ian tried his very best to seek help from the professionals but no one could help him to look into the issues.(Thompson Gibbs, 2012). This is an issue for us to reflect on. There is no response from mental health professionals as they work is overloaded or there is a shortage of staff. The phone lines are always busy as there are too many people calling in seeking for help. I hope the military will really take actions to help other soldiers, and concern about those who need help. QUESTION 2 What is PTSD and how PTSD affects these soldiers? PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder. According to Longe Wells (2007) and Farlex, Inc. (2012), Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating psychological condition triggered by a major traumatic event, such as rape, war, a terrorist act, death of loved one, a natural disaster, or a catastrophic accident. It is marked by exposure to stressor, unhappy memories of the unpleasant experience, increased arousal, avoidance, numbing and severe personality changes. People with PTSD sometimes have frozen eye movement such as shell-shocked soldiers. Thus, moving the eyes might accelerate the integration of traumatic memory with adaptive cognitions that are stored elsewhere in the brain. It is possible that the gentle processing biochemically alters the brain so that it becomes desensitized. (Schiraldi,2009). Most of the symptoms are resemble to traumatic brain injury. The common symptoms of PTSD are hyper alertness, feeling of isolation, guilt, nightmares, depression, fear and anxiety, increased substance abuse, flashbacks, gastrointestinal complaints, negative world view and others. According to Fredericks (2010) and WebMD (2012), People with PTSD have symptoms for longer than one month. For a person with PTSD, these feelings continue and even increase, becoming so strong that they keep themselves from living a normal life. The statistics show that PTSD increased dramatically among soldiers from World War II, War in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. According to Hazelden Foundation (2011), PTSD often leaves ones feeling out of control, vulnerable, and as if one is in constant danger. These feelings are persistent, strong, and do not disappear over time on their own. Fredericks (2010) notes that soldiers who struggled with the PTSD can significantly disrupt their daily routine, work and relationship. PTSD will affect their performance of work such as absenteeism, fatigue, poor concentration, restless and so on. Communication will also be affected by anger, aggressive, detachment, avoiding people and others. According to Fredericks (2010), people with PTSD will always be restless, unable to sleep, and always have the feeling of anxiety. PTSD also affects these soldiers perceived extent of threat, upset, fear, panic, terror which are uncontrollable. It may turn a person from an amazing father to a person who is always hard to family members. The number of people suffering from PTSD among the military and veterans are alarming and needs to be solved. QUESTION 4 The statement it was not the war that turned out to be hard, it was the peace. Interpret the meaning of the statement? In one study, The War on Suicide (Thompson Gibbs, 2012), It was not the war that turned out to be hard, it was the peace. This statement clearly expresses a feeling from a soldier who was returning home from a military life. The daily routine for an army is to get up at the exact time, to eat, and to work out. Everyone is obliged to strict rules and schedules. Some experienced troubles while trying to cope with the normal routine and social skill when they returned home. A lot of the soldiers are always alert for their personal safety. Some are easily frighten with a deafeningly loud bang and easily get panicked and could not walk down the street without worrying. Sleep may be scarce, and theres no real down time. This is a result of an improvised explosive or artillery going off in a combat zone. Some soldiers look normal when they returned home alive. It is very hard for them to readjust after the torment that they had been through the war or mission. It is because, some soldiers returned with missing parts of their bodies, permanent scars, torment loss of comrades and confront with killing and death daily. Some of them come home for nothing; families have abandoned them (e.g. divorced, parents death and so on) or losing their jobs. Buncombe Duff, (2006) describe a life from a former army reservist, Douglas Barber, he said We come home from war trying to put our lives back together but some cannot stand the memories and decide that death is better. We kill ourselves because we are so haunted by seeing children killed and whole families wiped out. The path they had gone through was unthinkable for anyone to imagine. Most of them do not know how to cope with returning to a society from a military. QUESTION 5 The comment made by General Dana Pittard was indeed arrogant and ignorant but I believe it is the truth. What is your opinion? It is okay if you think differently than me. According to Thompson Gibbs (2012), the comments made by General Dana Pittard complaining that he was personally fed up with absolutely selfish troops who kill themselves, leaving him and others to clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems. To a certain extent, I believed that it is correct. Everyone goes through pain and pleasures in their life. I strongly believed that there is an unknown story behind every hardship. Each experience and pain will change ones perspective about life, especially regarding matters related to surviving. Those who could not control their state of mind after being often suffers from depression, anxiety and low self-esteem as they could no longer cope with the daily routine of a normal life. It is always a saddening moment to see people ending their precious life. I believed everyone knows the phrase of life is precious. However, we tend to forget the existence and meaning of this phrase when adversities strike and often could not view the matter from a more optimistic perspective. In the end, the fragile life was simply put to an end when one could not handle the amount of pressure and stress, leaving their loving parents, caring friends and relatives to mourn for their death. Everyone has a responsibility to their own life. There are always solutions to any problems, and one shall not give up as help will always be given. However, we could not always fully understand the reasons why certain people choose to end their life as we did not went through nor experience their journey of life. There might be other contributing factors that lead to this decision. We could not judge from the surface and view the matter one-sidedly as it involves complicated issues and sometimes beyond ones control. Are they anyone who is willing the help when they are depressed? Are there any close friends, relatives or families who notice the changes in their emotions and feelings? Are there any listeners or counselors present when they need to express their feelings or seek advice? These are some of the questions we should acknowledge before drawing the conclusion. In my personal opinion, a comment made by General Dana Pittard was utterly disrespectful towards the troops. These soldiers were not selfish; it was just that they could not find the right person to help them when they needed one. There seems to be no light at the end of their tunnel, whether the light could come from someone, or through self-reflection. However, I do not agree that these soldiers should end their life when they could not find any help. What matters now is to focus on those who are desperately in need of help. We should not give up hope on these soldiers and should always care for them, especially those who are near and close to us. Tragedies like this should be prevented in the future to avoid innocent soldiers from ending their precious life. Respect and honor shall be given to these soldiers as they sacrifice their lives for the safety of the nation. I believed that through consistent support and motivation, these soldiers would not feel alone anymore as there wil l always be someone who is willing to help them during their darkest days.

The History Of Incidental Advertising Exposure Psychology Essay

The History Of Incidental Advertising Exposure Psychology Essay Following the suggestion, the effects of incidental advertising will be examined in terms of implicit memories (cognitive responses), emotions and attitudes (affective responses) and consideration set (behavioural responses). The endogenous variables consist of factors that, as consumer traits, affect the whole advertising response process. Among various factors, involvement and cognitive style were two principal psychological variables that influence consumers incidental ad processing, while gender was considered an important demographic variable. Comparing to the meta-analytic model, we choose to introduce two new variables that were never been tested in the context of incidental advertising: gender and cognitive style. III.2. Incidental advertising exposure Ferraro, Chartrand and Fitzsimons (2005) define incidental exposure as an automatic processing of visual brand information while conscious attention is directed elsewhere. Vanhuele et al. (2005) talked about focal versus non-focal attention in the case of visual perception. Focal vision is restricted to 1,5 to 5 degrees from the current point of focus. To define it, Shapiro (1999) suggests that while a person spotlights conscious attention on a primary task, other information that is not attended to can be processed. This nonconscious, incidental exposure often occurs without explicit memory for advertisement, product, or marketing stimuli and can affect persuasion. Scholars call incidental advertising by preattentive advertising (Droulers, 2004, Yoo, 2005, Adams, 2007). This preattentive processing can be distinguished from attentive processing in individuals lack of awareness of the stimuli, deficit of a speci ¬Ã‚ c goal for the process, inability to control the process, and att ention resources not required for the process. More speci ¬Ã‚ cally, preattentive processing occurs when an individual is preconscious exposed to stimulus in his peripheral  ¬Ã‚ eld of vision (e.g., banner advertisements) while focusing his attention on a primary task (e.g., reading an article on the web) (Ruy and al, 2006). In the field of advertising Shapiro, McInnis and Heckler (1997) were the first to propose the incidental exposure paradigm where they stipulate that subjects are directed to focus their attention on primary task, thus reducing the resources accessible to process secondary information bordering the primary information. In most cases, the secondary information is located to the left or the right of the primary information and is described by its distance (in degrees) from the primary information (parafoveal is 1.5-5 degrees from the attended information, peripheral is greater than 5 degrees) (Janiszewski, 1988). Attentional resources available for processing the secondary information are limited, so secondary information cannot be explicitly recognised-memory traces for this information are unlikely to be strong enough to be restored during a direct search for memory. When reading a newspaper, subjects are inable to recognise having previously seen the ads, Janiszewski (1988) has shown , however that this exposure can boost a consumers liking for the ads and brands. Some marketing studies have investigated conditions that facilitate processing of secondary information (Janiszewski, 1993), the effect this processing has on the comprehension of focally attended material (Janiszewski, 1990), and why this processing affects ad attitudes (Janiszewski, 1993, Shapiro and McInnis, 1992). Prior research has attributed incidental advertising exposure effects to perceptual fluency arising from a feature analysis that occurs during exposure (Janiszewski, 1993; Shapiro et al., 1997). It is necessary to review the process by which preattentive processing may facilitate individuals responses. Two underlying mechanisms have been suggested: feature and semantic analysis. Both analysis mechanisms during preattentive processing will be briefly discussed: Feature analysis: Perceptual fluency asserts that when exposure leads to a memory trace for the perceptual features of the stimulus (e.g., shape and brightness), the features of the stimulus are more easily processed on a subsequent occasion. Without explicit memory for having just seen the stimulus, this ease in processing is misattributed as an increase in familiarity and/or preference for the stimulus (Bornstein, 1989). Perceptual fluency may be ascertained as the ease of processing the perceptual features of a stimulus (Jacoby and Kelley, 1987). Prior exposure is thought to create a feature based representation of the stimulus in memory, with the result that processing of the stimulus on subsequent encounters is facilitated and experienced as subjective ease. Shapiro, McInnis and Heckler (1997) indicate that the effects of incidental ad exposure on stimulus-based judgements (attitude judgements made in the presence of an ad or brand) are due at feature analysis that occurs during processing (Janiszewski, 1993). This processing allows secondary information to subsequently be perceived more easily and hence thought to be more familiar, evaluated more highly. When a person builds a mental representation of a distinguishing item, any ensuing processing takes place faster and, in many situations, lets the messages give the impression more appealing and accurate than they would be if they were crucial or perturbed to process (Reber and Schwarz, 1999). Furthermore, Bornstein and DAgostino (1994) construed the likeability of more readily accessible information conceding to a cognitive perceptual fluency/misattribution model, whereas Winkielman and Cacioppo (2001) suggest a hedonistic fluency model that ascertains constructing smoothly positive affective responses toward fluently processed stimuli. Referring to hedonistic fluency, gracious and affirmative emotional responses happen in consequence of the fact that accustomed stimuli frequently signify a harmless situation, successful. Recognition generates good feelings and comprehensible interpretation attends to positive mood. Janiszewski (1993) further leads the hemispheric approach to the branch of incidental advertising exposure and discerns that abonded verbal messages are more persuasive when they emerge on the right side of the chief area, but they convince inferior to visual cues if they are located on the left. Rendering to Janiszewski (1993) explanations of secondary messages are actuated chiefly by feature analysis, which contains the recognition and processing of the perceptual features of the stimulus in the subconscious mind (Shapiro, 1999). Therefore, when both test and visual stimuli appears to the left of focal point, viewers brains naturally accredit more capacity to treat the visual cues, which commences in higher acquaintance and likeability for the visual messages during ensuing confrontations. However McQuarrie and Mick (2003) found that incidentally exposed with ads figures produce more favourable attitudes and improved memory, whereas Clark and Brock(1994) declare no significant effects of images in ensuing processed ad warnings, along with greater attitude alterations after the exposure to peripheral verbal warnings (Acar, 2007). Semantic analysis: Although perceptual fluency relies on the encoding of feature information during exposure, an analogous process may occur if incidental ad exposure involves the processing of semantic information (Shapiro, 1997). A study by Whittlesea (1993) shows that fluency effects can instead beyond instances of perceptual processing by demonstrating that semantic processing can lead to feelings of conceptual (vs. perceptual) fluency. Whittlesea (1993) suggests that conceptual fluency will affect any judgement regarding a stimulus that relies on conceptually based processes, such as decisions of semantic relatedness. It was mentioned previously that perceptual enhancement may be used as a criterion for determining inclusion in a consideration set. The predominant theory accounting for this facilitation effect suggests that contextual scene information activates a schema for the theme or gist of a scene prior to object identification. The activated schema in turn creates expectancies about what objects are likely to be present. These expectations facilitate object identification (Shapiro, 1997). Di pace et al. (1991) found incidental semantic priming effects after 200milliseconds but not after 2,000 milliseconds. This supported their notion that automatic, non intentional semantic processing of parafoveal information is very short lived (Shapiro, McInnis, Heckler, 1997). In his research, Shapiro (1999) concludes that ad information can undergo a semantic analysis during incidental exposure. Advertised products can more easily take advantage of this analysis when they are depicted in a consistent scene. When advertised products are depicted in this fashion, incidental ad exposure leads to conceptual fluency effects, exerting unconscious ad influence during consideration set formation. When a product is depicted by itself, unconscious ad influences rely on a feature analysis that occurs during exposure. This analysi s creates perceptual fluency effects. The results of experiments in Shapiros (1999) study showed that subjects in the context condition had greater levels of unconscious ad influence and those in the no context condition. This demonstrated that semantic relatedness between the product and other contextual ad information affects differentially the likelihood that the products name would be activated in memory, and, thus, the likelihood that the advertised product would be included in consideration set. This suggests that semantic processing of contextual ad information is what accounts for the context facilitations effects. In our work, we refer to one of the major theories that explain the effects of incidental advertising which is the theory of Zajonc (1968) called  «mere exposure and subconscious processing ». In fact, Zajonc (1968) defines the mere exposure effect as the observation that « mere repeated exposure of individual to a stimulus is a sufficient condition for the improvement of his attitude toward it ». By mere exposure is meant a condition which just makes the given stimulus attainable to the individuals perception. It arises when repeated or single exposure to a stimulus, even in the absence of acquaintance, results in the formation of a positive affective reaction to the stimulus (Zajonc, 1968). In another side, Janiszewski (1993) defines mere exposure to a brand name or product package as the process that encourages a consumer to have a more favourable attitude toward the brand, even when the consumer cannot recollect the basic exposure. This theory is interesting for our study as Zajonc (1968) found that as number of exposure increased, so too did the favourable evaluations. Bornstein, Leone and Galley (1987) have approved these effects when participants are aware as well as not of the presence of stimuli. Further, Ye and Raaij (1997) suggested another definition of mere exposure as they claim that the mere-exposure effect in the absence of awareness represents implicit memory. Mere exposure is the formation of a positive affective reaction to repeated or single exposure to a stimulus, even in the absence of awareness. Bronstein (1989) reveals that research on the influence of repeated stimulus exposures has demonstrated that preferences can be formed without an accompanying awareness of the preference formation process. Thus, there was a positive affective reaction to the previously presented stimuli (as assessed by their preference judgements) in spite of the fact that these stimuli had not been perceived consciou sly. Another major theory that explains the effects of incidental advertising is the theory of hemispheric processing styles. In reality, many a myth has advanced around the brains asymmetry. The left cerebral hemisphere is supposed to be the calculatedly logical, verbal and governing half of the brain, while the right is the utopian side, emotional, spatially aware but suppressed (McCrone, 2000). Recording to this theory, the human visual system is organized as stimuli located within the individuals field of foveal vision, roughly 1.5 degrees to the left or right of the current field of focus are initially sent to the right hemisphere for processing, and stimuli placed to the right hemisphere for altering, and stimuli placed to the current field of focus are originally sent to the left hemisphere. This theory suggests that summing information to support verbal claims in an advertisement may influence the subconscious processing of the claims. Janiszewski (1990) affirms that processing st yle refers to the procedure or process each hemisphere uses when attacking to achieve a task. Hemispheric resource theory predicts that the availability of resources to form a memory trace of the outputs of a feature analysis may be sensitive to an activation created by the feature analysis its self. To apprehend the effects of incidental exposure to advertising, Janiszewski (1990) recommends the cooperative interaction model which is based on two hypotheses that affect directly to the problems of a dual strategy processing system. The first is that the brain is reciprocal, parallel processor-each hemisphere has its own independent bank of resources and each hemisphere is able of involving concurrently in multiple operations (Janiszewski, 1990).The second assumptions that the hemispheres collaborate cooperatively (Allen, 1983).The assumptions of the cooperative interaction model can be applied to anticipate how nonattended material might intercede with the apprehension of an unattended verbal messages (Janiszewski, 1990).The model is based on capacity theories of attention ( Broadbent 1971; Kahneman, 1973) as well as on general models of information processing, in which motivation, competence and opportunity factors affecting message processing are synthesized (MacInnis and Jawor ski 1990). A key belief underlying these theories and models is that the attentional faculty (or processing capacity) that is accessible to a consumer at a distinct point in time is limited, and that the part that is designated to the stimulus studied is a function of both exogenous (opportunity) and endogenous factors (motivation and ability). The autonomy versus cognition mediation controversy has come to an impasse and has been surpassed by the rise of perceptual fluency as a popular account of the mere exposure effect. Consistently, Wang et al. (2002) found that placing a brand name to the right of attended pictorial information should send it to the less activated left hemisphere, where it will receive a greater degree of subconscious processing than if sent to the right hemisphere. The possibility that placement influences evaluation of a peripherally placed stimulus stems from the hypothesis that the hemispheres have different processing styles. The differential competency of the left and right hemisphere for forming a mental representation of a stimulus during a preattentive processing has a direct implication for our understanding of one potential benefit from manipulating the location of the incidental ads. Thats why we adopt this theory. In fact, referring to the works of Janiszewski (1988, 1993, and 1999) we suppose that ads were more liked when placed in the left, as opposed to the right, visual field because this draft encouraged the viewer to use the holistic processing resources of the right hemisphere to initially. This theory is very ancient, many researchers adopted it and even neuroscientists have supported it. Neuroscientists affirmed, in fact, the distinction between the processing that occurs in the right hemisphere and left hemisphere. In this study we stipulate that incidental ads placed in the left were more liked. III.3. Implicit memory One of the important cognitive responses are memories. A large number of studies have studied memory for advertisement. Yoo (2005) revealed that prior literature in memory research suggests that when consumers are exposed to an advertisement, multiple representations of the advertisement are encoded in memory. In this study, we give a great importance in studying the memory. In fact, to understand how unconscious advertising affects consumer preference, it is first necessary to understand something about how consumers think. But previously marketing studies examining memory for advertisements have relied approximately wholly on examining effects contingent on explicit memory retrieval. In psychology, memory is an organisms ability to store, retain, and recall information. Kronlund, Whittlesea and Yoon (2001) define memory as the commander of all acquired human behaviour, containing speech, conceptual apprehension, skilled activities, social interactions, and consumer preferences. In another side, neuroscientists define memory as the retention of learned information, the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information. To achieve a true understanding of any aspect of human behaviour, it is therefore essential to have an effective theory of memory. In fact, extant literature offers strong evidence that product judgement and brand choice decisions are often influenced by information retrieved from memory (Alba and Hutchinson, and Lynch, 1992). One type of memory that emerges from an exposure event is explicit memory (Yoo, 2005). At the time of exposure, a depiction of the information is encoded in memory and is correlated with a spatio-temporal context that attaches the information to the exposure incident. This memory depiction is attributed to as explicit memory, as known as episodic memory. Explicit memory is characterised by a persons conscious recall of the event and replies what he or she remembers about the event (Lee, 2002). Its also, characterized by a respondents conscious recollection of the preceding exposure. Thus measures of explicit memory make direct reference to the past exposure, and suspects are interrogated to demonstrate what they can remember about the prior event (Yoo, 2007). In fact, Bertrand and Girardi (2007) reveal that explicit memory codifies information on autobiographical events, moreover knowledge of facts. Its creation builds upon cognitive processes of the evaluation, conflicting and assum ing type. Implicit memory has an unintentional and impulsive attribute, and its formation and recall are not entirely dependent on the aptitude of having or attaining knowledge of cognitive processes (Lee, 2002). Cooper and Schacter (1992) defined implicit memory as nonintentional, nonconscious retrieval of previously acquired information and is demonstrated by enhanced performance on tests that do not require conscious recollection of the past. Explicit memory: on the other hand, requires intentional, conscious recollection of the past. The difference between implicit and explicit memory in terms of nonconscious and conscious retrospection is enigmatic because these states of consciousness loss accepted defining criteria. However, the term implicit memory was formulated by Graf and Schacter (1985), with attributing to the phenomenon of remembering without awareness (Lee, 2001). Implicit memory is analyzed to be revealed by relief in tasks that use memory whereas explicit memory is affirmed by straight testing memory (Jacoby, 1991). This memory is unallied of cognitive resource, acts constantly and inevitably whether we are paying a lot or a little attention or even no attention at all, and i s able of attaching emotional meaning to anything that it perceives (Heath, 2007). Our interest to study those memories comes from the fact that Shapiro, McInnis and Heckler (1997) advice that the presence of unconscious processing would be indicated by two measures: (1) implicit memory for the object brand names (2) no manifestation of explicit memory of the target ad (Yoo, 2005). Berry and Dienes (1993) affirm that in the case of incidental advertising, contextual knowledge is acquired through implicit attaining processes which concede complicated information about the stimulus environment to be without intention or awareness. They supplementary propose that incidentally acquired contextual knowledge forms a highly robust, instance based and implicit memory for context. The favour of implicit learning is that permits more information to be acquired than is possible through consciously linked channels. The capital advantage of implicit learning is that it may allow cognitive systems to memorize more information about stimuli than can be processed through consciously controlled channels (Lewicki et al., 1988). Jacoby and Dallas (1981) define the facility with which a person recognise the physical characteristics of a stimulus as perceptual fluency and is identified to be enhanced through preceding exposures. Especially, empirical proof from implicit memory research arrays that prior exposure to a target of ten benefits task performances such as lexical decision, word completion and anagram solving that involves the identification of the perceptual features of the target (Lee and Labroo, 2002). They reported that conceptual fluency eases consideration-set membership and memory based-choice as the result of extended accessibility of the brand in memory (Lee, 2002, Nedungadi, 1990, Shapiro, McInnis and Heckler, 1997) and they lead to the apprehending of the processing fluency model by showing that conceptual fluency influence judgements, too. Enhanced performance has been examined even when respondents are not aware of their having been exposed to the information earlier. Enhanced performance as the termination of preceding exposure recommends that people have memory of the exposure event, even though they may not consciously remember it. This enhancement reflects implicit memory of the event and is often mentioned to as priming. According to the cue accessibility hypothesis, an emotion may effect ones evaluations of ad stimuli because materials stored in memory that are conforming that emotion state will be more available, and consequently more likely to come to mind then they would at another time. Current findings in the mere exposure literature show that perceptual fluency is positively valenced, thus peoples assessment of an object grows as it becomes perceptually more fluent. Extended literature has displayed that the level of attention in encoding does not affect implicit memory but actively influences explicit memory. Schacter (1987) check out numerous alternative theoretical clarifications of such dissociations. One explanation, the activation view, holds that implicit memory performance rests on concepts that are briefly activated in memory due to the antecedent exposure (Yoo, 2007). One of the theories conducted in the field of neuroscience is the competence hemispheric theory. This theory recommends that memory traces are essential to bring the order in which material is presented. The right hemisphere has a more accurate performance of sequentially presented events because it does not commonly essay to reconfigure information as does the left hemisphere (Janiszewski, 1990). The left hemisphere sounds more able to process written or verbal ads, where as the right part of the brain triumph at visual ads. Janiszewski (1990) support Friedman and Polsons matching activation hypothesis and suggests that the greater activation of the right (left) hemisphere during the processing of attended pictorial(verbal) information should improve processing of supplementary material represented within the left(right) hemisphere provided that the material in opposing hemisphere can be treated by that hemisphere. During preattentive processing, if individuals bank only on perceptual fluency (feature analysis), their responses should be independant to the advertisement message, if indeed the individuals are knowledgeable only of features (e.g. size, color) in print advertising. However, if semantic analysis is possible, cognitive responses may implicitly embody the advertisement message, such as a brand name or impressive message cues, even though individuals do not explicitly remember them. Sine this research predicted that semantic analysis is also struggled during preattentive processing, it is anticipated that individuals have implicit memories of print advertisement message as a result of preattentive processing. Processing a print advertisement in a preattentive way will notify the brand delineated within the advertisement and thus construct an implicit memory trace for the brand, even though an individuals explicit memories for of the advertisement will be at levels no greater than thos e awaited by chance (Raman and Leckenby, 1998). Based on the above discussion and the results of anterior studies, the first hypothesis is suggested: Hypothesis 1. Incidental processed advertising is more likely to generate implicit memory than that expected by chance. III.4. Emotional responses Until now, there is no scientific and precise definition of the term emotion. In colloquial language, the term is used to refer to feelings and moods and also refers to the way these are expressed both in behaviour and bodily answers (Kandel; Schwartz and Jess ell, 2000). The Longman Dictionary definition of emotion is strong feeling (e.g. anger, fear, joy) usually incorporating physiological change (1984). Further, according to the complete Oxford English Dictionary, in a psychological classification the term emotion refers to a mental feeling or affection (e.g.: of pleasure or pain, desire or aversion, surprise, hope or fear, etc.) as distinguished from cognitive or volitional states or consciousness also abstr feeling as distinguished from the other classes of mental phenomena (OED, 1994 version). Far from the traditional approach to the study, the cognition accentuates information processing of view that has generally excluded emotion. In contrast, the recent emergence of cogniti ve neuroscience as an inspiration for understanding human cognition has stressed its interaction with emotion. An understanding of human cognition requires the consideration of emotion. Research in neuroscience has resulted in a definition that is distinct from feeling. In contemporary neurological research, emotions are unconscious processes, occurring in the inner and most primitive parts of the brain. Damasio (2003) have written that emotions play out in the theatre of the body so by contrast feelings play out in the theatre of the body. To understand the effects of incidental advertising on emotion we refer to the works of neuroscientists. In fact, decision neuroscience offers the commitment of deepening our understanding of emotion and decision making in a number of ways. Neuroscientists like Damasio and Le Doux have shed a great deal of light on the critical roles that emotion plays in the brain (Damasio, 1994; Le Doux, 1996). Le Doux (2002) claims that emotion can be defined as the process by which the brain determines or computes the value of stimulus. Other aspects of emotion than duplicate from this computation (Meyer-Dinkgrà ¤fe, 2007). In his book, Descartes Error, Damasio declares that the French philosopher may have blow when he came up with his famous dictum, I think, therefore I am. Had Descartes understood the central role that emotions play in the workings of the m ind, he may well have written, I feel, therefore I am (Plessis, 2005). Damasio (1994) can be trusted with initiating modern thinking about how emotions are processed. He uses the concept of a limbic system in the mammalian brain, a construct developed by MacLean (1952) to represent the original mammalian brain, which lies beneath the more recently developed neo-cortex. He shows that activity in the proto-self always anticipated activity in core consciousness. This therefore means that emotions and feelings are always formed pre-cognitively (Heath, 2007). The role of emotion in mental processes is a matter of fervent reflection, where Damasio (1994) argues for strong, but not unique, role for emotion within an exhibited nervous system in general. In particular, the research reviewed above confirms that ads victoriously appealing to the emotions are better remember than their cognitive cousins, although very little is known about the mechanisms supporting the formation of the emotional memories and their effects on consumer choices (Palessman, 2005). It is so important to differentiate between the affective responses toward the stimulus and the global feelings. In this context, emotion represents specific feeling states at the time of incidental exposure. This goes with the definition of Batra and Holbrook (1987) who have distinguished emotional reactions from subcategories of affective responses toward the advertisement. We have also to distinguish emotion from moods. Different to moods, emotions are more stimulus particular (Cohen and Areni, 1991) and emotions may fluctuate highly in their intensity level. Thus, emotions may impact the effectiveness of print ads differently than do moods (Mherabian and Russell, 1974). As there is a delay between the incidental advertising exposure and subsequent brand choice, memory processes ought to be important in determining the effectiveness of particular kinds of advertising. We will examine in the experimental part the critical link between emotion and memory and look how this argues strongly for a dynamic understanding of the way emotion works as we process advertising. The findings of Percy (2003) suggest that in addition to the words and visual images, we also store the emotions that are present at the time so when we recall that event, the emotions associated with it are also recalled whether we are conscious or unconscious of those feelings. Memory in particular, has been studied in terms of its relationship to affect by a number of researchers (Batra and Holbrook, 1987). Hall et al. (2006) stipulate that emotionally arousing the scenes are better remembered than neutral one so emotion has an impact of the memory formation. Events associated with emotions were found to be more memorable. Canli et al. (2000) have found that amygdala activation reflects moment-to-moment subjective emotional experience that this activation enhances memory in relation to the emotional experience and that this activation enhances memory in relation to emotional intensity of experience. They discover also that memory for emotional stimuli and experiences varied the sexes; women seem recalling emotional autobiographical events than men, produce memory with greater emotional intensity in response to cues. Always referring to neuroscience, it has been known for some time that the amygdala is a key brain region for the formation of emotional memories. Cognitive neuroscientists have begun recently to illuminate the psychological and neural mechanisms underlying emotional holding of past events (Percy, 2003; Plessis, 2005). Emotion-memory interactions occur at several stages of information processing. By adopting the perspective of neuroscientists, we struggle to forward our understanding of the link emotion and memory. LaBar and Cabeza (2006) reported that emotion has authoritative influences on learning and memory that comprise multiple brain systems engaged in at different stages of information processing. Further witness of the link between emotion and memory was provided by Ashby et al. (1999). They found that positive affect of individuals facilitates the reinforcement of long term memory as it systematically influences performance on many tasks; their new neuropsychological theory postulate that accounts for many of these effects by assuming that positive affect is associated with increased brain dopamine levels. For Jacoby (1991), recognition memory is treated as dual process that includes recollection (a conscious, controlled process) and familiarity (an unconscious, automatic process). The dual process model stipulates that, for recognition, recollection acts as a discrete state and familiarity can be vi

Jean-Baptiste Lully :: essays research papers fc

Jean Baptiste Lully was a prolific composer who is best known for establishing French Opera. (Boynick) Born in Florence on the 28th of November 1632, (Boynick) Giovanni Battista Lulli was a miller’s son. (Sadie 2000 pg 166) Lully first arrived in France in March of 1646 (Jean Baptiste Lully) to work as an attendant for a female courtier. (Sadie 2000 pg. 166) â€Å"During his six years in her household, Lully, already an expert at the guitar and violin, polished his skills as a performer and composer.† (Straughan (a)) He made a name for himself as a dancer in the court ballets. (Straughan (a)) He caught the attention of King Louis XIV and initially served him as "composer of instrumental music† (Straughan (a)) He soon took over compositions of entire ballets. (Straughan (a)) â€Å"Some time before 1656, he also took over responsibility for the string ensemble called the Petits violons, which he transformed into a group widely renowned for their discipline and artistic excellence.† (Straughan (a)) A clever diplomatist and thorough courtier, he completely won the royal favour, and in March, 1672, he succeeded in ousting Abbe Perrin from the directorship of the Academy of Music, also known as â€Å"the Academie Royale†. (Knight) â€Å"Ten years later he had consolidated his position by obtaining sole rights over all dramatic performances with singing.†(Sadie 2000 pg. 166) â€Å"Any production not affiliated with The Academie Royale was limited to two singers and six players.† (Jean Baptiste Lully) From that point on, he successfully founded modern French opera. â€Å"His involvement was not limited to musical composition. He collaborated with his poets in the production of libretti, and even took an interest in the acting and declamation of the performers. His insistence on discipline and high artistic standards in the opera orchestra was legendary† (Straughan (a)) â€Å"Louis XIV became ill in late 1686.† (Jean Baptiste Lully) While conducting a Te Deum on January 8, 1687, (Straughan (a)) to celebrate the king's recovery Lully accidentally hit his foot with the point of the cane he used to keep time. (Sadie 2000 pg. 166) This wound caused an abscess which proved fatal as Lully died on March 22, 1687. (Straughan (a)) Jean Baptiste Lully made significant contributions to French music. His initial compositions â€Å"ballets de cour† didn’t deviate from the Italian forms. (Straughan (a)) They were merely collections of dances and burlesque scenes. (Gregory) â€Å"A step in Lully’s progression from ballet to opera was the increased role of music in his ballets.

Substance Abuse and the Elderly Essay -- Prescription Drug Abuse

The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of substance abuse in the elderly community. There is concern that as the population ages in the United States, there will be a significant increase in the number of older adults being treated for substance abuse problems. This paper seeks to understand the issues and concerns that are consequently involved with substance abuse among the elderly. There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged adults. Alcohol, medications, illegal drugs, and over-the-counter medicines can be both abused and misused. It is a widespread belief that age plays a role in the level of influence that drugs and alcohol diminishes. As a person becomes older, drugs and alcohol is not as influential in their loves. This widespread belief has truth. However, it is important to understand that substance abuse is still prevalent in the elderly community. Drug use appears to negatively affect the health of the elderly at a higher rate than other populations (Benshoff & Koch, 2003). This may be a result of old age. So, it can be understood there is a biological effect of substance abuse among the elderly. The elderly are more susceptible to being admitted into the hospital for adverse effects of substances, while other populations of society are not. Benshoff and Koch asserts, â€Å"Intentional abuse of prescription medications to get high is thought to be rare, but over-use does occur among this population. Often this over... ...in elderly emergency department patients. Journal of the American Geriatric Society (40):1236-1240 Atchley, R. C. (1997). Social forces and aging: An introduction to social gerontology (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadswortli. Benshoff, J. J., & Koch, D. (2003). Substance abuse and the elderly: Unique issues and concerns. Journal Of Rehabilitation, 69(2), 43. Kail, B., & DeLaRosa, M. (1998). Challenges to treating the elderly latino substance abuser: A not so hidden research agenda. Journal Of Gerontological Social Work, 30(1/2), 123-141. Mavandadi, S., Ten Have, T. R., Katz, I. R., Durai, U. B., Krahn, D. D., Llorente, M. D., & ... Oslin, D. W. (2007). Effect of Depression Treatment on Depressive Symptoms in Older Adulthood: The Moderating Role of Pain. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 55(2), 202-211. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01042.x

The Way the Internet Has Changed Business Operate in the Global Market

The way the Internet has changed businesses operate in the global market Nowadays more and more people use the Internet in their everyday life and we can clearly see the progress of businesses. The Internet has changed the ways businesses operate in the global market. The long-distance communications become possible with the help of progressing technology. It helps businesses to develop and to operate in better and more productive way.The Scientific and Technical progress enable people to discover great opportunities. The Internet, personal computers, laptops and other different up-to date devices and programs replace the more old-fashion ways of managing with different tasks. Moreover, people can be always well-informed. You can enter the Internet in any time and any place, even with your telephone, in order to keep track of events and to be always ready to manage with new tasks. So, the Internet is moving and gives us more opportunities. Also you can read  Business Ethics ComprisesVideo conversation, Skype, E-mails, instant messengers and different conference calling help us to organize meetings, to discuss different perspectives and problems in a wide circle of participants. Through the network people can create better working atmosphere than in the office. More and more people start to make money through the Internet. They prefer working from home rather than in the office. As the result, they have better productivity and self-realization. In the same time that modern technologies has no boundaries.The Internet joins people all over the world. It became possible for people and teams from the great distance to communicate and to do their businesses through the virtual world in any time and place. Furthermore, the last and probably the greatest change are marketing. People can sell and buy different things through the Internet. You are also able to pay for everything through the Internet. It makes life easier and b etter, because you can do everything from your place: to order, to pay and then to get everything.There are a lot of different on-line services, courses and schools as well. In conclusion, the Internet within the latest technologies allows a great number of different services and offers in order to improve and to simplify all human needs. Up to that point, the users enjoy the ways that the Internet has changed. On one side, it simplifies life of commoners and the owners of big businesses. On the other side, it makes good money and in this case it increases profits and wages.

History of Marie Antoinette as a Leader Essay

Marie Antoinette has acquired a rather bad legacy in world history. She was the Archduchess of Austria, the Queen of France, and the fifteenth minor of Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria. She was besides the wife of tabby Louis XVI, the un pop king of France. She was also the compensable symbol of taste, office staff, and nonoriety. Indeed, one when servant said, the citizenry of capital of France are rioting because they pick up no bread, Marie Antoinette replied Then, they should eat cake. Marie Antoinettes Austrian origin had made her an easy steer of the revolutionaries who accused the majestic family of treason.Many of the kings decision and some of the diplomatic ministers were to a gravid extent captured by the king. One such(prenominal) role model was the kings decision to carry outdoor(a) Jacques Necker as minister of finance. The libelles accused the tabby of having illegitimate sexual encounters with several lovers a violation of state and church la w. These accusations reflected the run across of the Cr suffer and in general the authenticity of the ruling dynasty. Indeed, throughout France, the queens name was synonymous with disgust and luxury. The queen however was a leader cloak in notoriety. As Larry Wolff arguedPrecisely the qualities that were qualification Marie Antoinette into an emblem of decadence for the ancient governance had been realized on the brink of the French Revolution. The queen led by notoriety and abuse, whilst the king led by simulation and authority. Indeed, Marie Antoinette was not sole(prenominal) the symbol of abhorrence and disgust, she was in essence the manifestation of such qualities (25). As a woman, Marie Antoinette was initially a person of integrity. When Maria Antoine became the only probable bride in the family, Empress Maria Theresa was generally dismayed.Marie Antoine had a cracked smile, due perhaps to the mental defectiveness of her teeth. The empress commissioned a French s terilize to perform some painful staven surgeries. After several months, France and Austria set a large dowry for Marie Antoinette. On the s sluiceth of May 1770, Marie Antoinette was handed to the French monarchy. Madame Antoine showed coarse interest in the marriage, as it was the only way to forge a puissant alliance between the two great powers. Reaction to the marriage was initially mixed. The would-be-queen was popular among the French public.Indeed, her first appearance in the French capital was considered a success. At court, Marie Antoinette was not in truth popular. The nobles called Marie Antoinette the Austrian woman. fully grown officials of the court accused the queen of attempting to head off the king to Austrias interests. The queen was silly of French politics. Indeed, in a garner to Empress Maria Theresa, her mother, she said Madame, my very erotic love mother, I am delighted that bestow has not damaged your health. Mine is even rather good. The same c an be said of my husband and the public.I am very grateful that the French mint have accepted me as their queen. My feel is politics. Politics is what drives the kingdom into excitement and bias (32). Marie Antoinettes relationship with the mistress of Louis VX was not very good. The mistress, Madame du Barry biasd the king to remove duc de Choiseul from power. Marie Antoinette spoke to Madame du Barry to resolve the crisis. After their conversation, the mistress was satisfactory and the crisis over. The king, Louis XV, was pleased with Marie Antoinette. The influence of the Dauphine increased dramatically after the crisis.Marie Antoinettes anxiety constrained her to spend more on trend and gambling. She spent mindlessly on clothing, particular trips, shoes, and perfumes. She also substantial intimate friendships with the ladies of the court. The princess de Lamballe became the superintendent of the Household the duchesse de Polignac became the Governess of the imperial ch ildren the comtesse de Provence became the teacher of the royal children. On the 27th of April 1774, the king brute(a) ill. Marie Antoinette pressured the king to send his mistress away from Versailles. On the 10th of May, the king died of smallpox.The Dauphin was enthrone King Louis XVI of France at Rheims. Marie Antoinette, unfortunately, was not crowned queen. Marie Antoinette became more and more horrendous after the comtesse dArtois gave give up to a son. The queen plunged into a spending spree buying clothes from prominent dressmakers from Paris and gambling. The queen also attracted admirers from the kings court. Louis XVI gave Marie Antoinette a duty. She was addicted obligation to renovate the Petit Trianon. She ordered the construction of an plump garden with an arboretum of exotic species.Madame de pompadour became one of the queens circumferent friends. With the con displace of the king, the queen instituted several changes in the court. The queen abolished seg regated dining spaces in the court and abandoned heavy opus and widehooped panniers. The queen also participated in plays and musicals. She was very fond of acting and singing. She also started to influence the appointment of officials in the state. The Marquis de Castries and the Comte de Segur became minister of the navy and minister of war respectively. nameless to many, their appointments were ap be by Jacques Necker, the finance minister.On the 29th of November 1780, Empress Maria Theresa, the queens mother, died. Marie Antoinette was worried that the death of her mother would exterminate the Franco-Austrian alliance. She sent a letter to emperor butterfly Joseph to request an assurance that Austria had no tendency of leaving the alliance. The success of Marie Antoinettes equaliser saved the country from embarrassment. The king rewarded her with cherished items for her services to the French nation. She soon gave stimulate to a male heir the Dauphin. However, after the death of her mother, Marie Antoinette was semi-retired from politics.The king shelved the queen from the affairs of the court. Indeed, the king rarely talked to the queen astir(predicate) official policy. As a mother, Marie Antoinette dedicate so much time for the royal children. She would tirelessly look after her children and even the children of her courtiers. The queen also read historied historical novels as well as Rousseaus political philosophy. The queen developed an appetite for leaning the English language. On the 27th of March 1785, the queen gave birth to a south son. There were, of course, suspicions of infidelity.The characterisation of a conspicuous, hard-headed, and spendthrift queen was abundant a public locution. A second daughter was born two long time later. According to Wolff and Hubert, Marie Antoinette was a concocted image of power (92). She was the power behind the throne, not in its classic sense. Her actions were beyond the reprove of the king. Ind eed, her actions proved detrimental to the kings position. She also played one minister against another(prenominal) in an attempt to strengthen her own position. It is not a classic expression of power play, but a hypertrophied reaffirmation of the queens indistinct position.The queen, above all, was never deterred by the persuasiveness of French politics. She was politically independent. An example of such instance was her management of the Trianon. According to Sheriff From the minute of arc she was in possession of the petit Trianon, it was spread close in some societies that she had changed the name of the sport pavilion that the king had just given her and had substituted that of fiddling capital of Austria or little Schonbrunn. A man of court, simple enough to believe the rumor and desiring to enter into her fraternity at the petit Trianon wrote to M.Campan to ask permission of the queen. He had in his letter called Trianon little Vienna (61). During the French Revolut ion, the queens uncomparable qualities as a born politician and power player began to emerge gradually. She sent letters to the German and Austrian monarchs to restore Louis XVI to the throne. She also sent equalizer to the British prime minister, enumerating the dangers of the Revolution. From time to time, she was actively involved in conspiracy. When she was about to be beheaded, she remarked with haste Long Live the Bourbon dynasty.From a historical perspective, Marie Antoinette was an effective leader in its classic sense. Her power plays were not without purpose. Indeed, her influence was based on pure politics and charisma. Works Cited Sheriff, Mary. Portrait of a Queen. Marie Antoinette literature on the bole of a Queen. smart York Macmillan Publishing Company, 2008. Wolff, Larry. Hapsburg Letters. Marie Antoinette Writings on the body of a Queen. New York Macmillan Publishing Company, 2008. Wolff, L and G. Hubert. The Monarchy in Flames. Oxford Oxford University Pres s, 1991.