Monday, September 30, 2019

Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse Effect is a term for the role the atmosphere plays in helping warm the earth’s surface. The atmosphere is largely transparent to incoming short-wave ( or ultrviolet) soalr radiation, which is absorbed by earth’s surface. The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earth’s surface. As this energy passes through the atmosphere, a certain percentage gets scattered. Some part of this energy is reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actually remains behind to heat the earth. n order to establisha balance, therefore, the earth must radiate some energy back into the atmosphere. As the earth is much cooler than the sun, it does not emit energy as visisble llight. It emitsthrought is frared or thermal radiation. However, certain gases in the atmosphere. Without this blanket effect, the earth would be around 30oC colder than it normally is. These gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide along wi th water vapour, comprise less than one per cent of the atmosphere. They are called ‘greenhouse gases† as the working principle is same as that which occurs in a greenhouse. Just as the galss of the greenhouse prevent the radiation of excess energy, this ‘gas blanket’ absorbs some of the energy emitted by the earth and keeps temperaature level intact. This effect was first recognized by a France scientist, Jean-Baptiste Fourier, who pionted out the similarly in what happen in the atmosphere and in a green house. Hence he terms the greenhouse effect. This gas blanket has been in place ever since the creation of the earth. Since the industrial revolution human activities have been releasing more and more of these greenhouse gases into atmosphere. This leads to the blanket becaming thicker and upsets gses are called ‘sources’ and those that remove them are known as ‘sink’. A balance between ‘source’ and ‘sink’ maintains the level of these greenhouse gases. Humankind upsets this balance when new source that interfere with the natural gas. When we destroy forest, the carbon stored in the treeescapes as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Increasing agricultural activities, changes in land use patterns, and other sources lead to rising level of methane and nitrous oxide. Industrial processes also release artificial and new greenhouse gases like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), while automobile exhaust fumes lead to ozone generation. The resulting enchaned greenhouse effect is more commonly referred to as global warming or climate change. Global warming is a result of the increase of thickness of the greenhouse gas layer that is release into the atmosphere through human activity like burning fossil fuel. Increase greenhouse gas concerntration may be resulting in more heat being trap in the atmosphere and increasing global temperature emitted by the cars we drive, the furnaces we use to heat our homes and the industries that produce oil and gas, create electricity and develop products for the world’s marketplace. These greeghouse are completely human caused. They harm stratospheric ozone and so are not as directly responsible for global warming as carbon dioxideis. The question of reducing their presence in the stratosphere is being taken care of in another global convention, the Montreal Protocol. These gases are particularly effective in absorbing long wave radiation from the earth’s surface and preventing heat from escaping. Alhtough the views and opinions of people across the world vary on issues relating to the cause of global warming and its possible impacts, there is a common understanding that is is a cause for major global concern and must be adressed immediately. Greenhouse Effect Greenhouse Effect is a term for the role the atmosphere plays in helping warm the earth’s surface. The atmosphere is largely transparent to incoming short-wave ( or ultrviolet) soalr radiation, which is absorbed by earth’s surface. The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earth’s surface. As this energy passes through the atmosphere, a certain percentage gets scattered. Some part of this energy is reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actually remains behind to heat the earth. n order to establisha balance, therefore, the earth must radiate some energy back into the atmosphere. As the earth is much cooler than the sun, it does not emit energy as visisble llight. It emitsthrought is frared or thermal radiation. However, certain gases in the atmosphere. Without this blanket effect, the earth would be around 30oC colder than it normally is. These gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide along wi th water vapour, comprise less than one per cent of the atmosphere. They are called ‘greenhouse gases† as the working principle is same as that which occurs in a greenhouse. Just as the galss of the greenhouse prevent the radiation of excess energy, this ‘gas blanket’ absorbs some of the energy emitted by the earth and keeps temperaature level intact. This effect was first recognized by a France scientist, Jean-Baptiste Fourier, who pionted out the similarly in what happen in the atmosphere and in a green house. Hence he terms the greenhouse effect. This gas blanket has been in place ever since the creation of the earth. Since the industrial revolution human activities have been releasing more and more of these greenhouse gases into atmosphere. This leads to the blanket becaming thicker and upsets gses are called ‘sources’ and those that remove them are known as ‘sink’. A balance between ‘source’ and ‘sink’ maintains the level of these greenhouse gases. Humankind upsets this balance when new source that interfere with the natural gas. When we destroy forest, the carbon stored in the treeescapes as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Increasing agricultural activities, changes in land use patterns, and other sources lead to rising level of methane and nitrous oxide. Industrial processes also release artificial and new greenhouse gases like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), while automobile exhaust fumes lead to ozone generation. The resulting enchaned greenhouse effect is more commonly referred to as global warming or climate change. Global warming is a result of the increase of thickness of the greenhouse gas layer that is release into the atmosphere through human activity like burning fossil fuel. Increase greenhouse gas concerntration may be resulting in more heat being trap in the atmosphere and increasing global temperature emitted by the cars we drive, the furnaces we use to heat our homes and the industries that produce oil and gas, create electricity and develop products for the world’s marketplace. These greeghouse are completely human caused. They harm stratospheric ozone and so are not as directly responsible for global warming as carbon dioxideis. The question of reducing their presence in the stratosphere is being taken care of in another global convention, the Montreal Protocol. These gases are particularly effective in absorbing long wave radiation from the earth’s surface and preventing heat from escaping. Alhtough the views and opinions of people across the world vary on issues relating to the cause of global warming and its possible impacts, there is a common understanding that is is a cause for major global concern and must be adressed immediately.

Language and Cultural Barriers

With so many people immigrating to the United States and all the companies that are doing business internationally, we must find a way to make it work. There are many ideas, learning groups and classes that are specifically designed to help people of all languages and cultures learn to work together and understand one another. The internet has shown that progress is inevitable; it is time for a change. Foreign-born immigrants are rapidly becoming a central part of the American labor force. This entry of immigrants is creating jobs in the fields of manufacturing, service and construction.With so many immigrants joining our workforce, it is the best idea for employers to embrace this idea and find ways to link these languages and culture barriers. Charleston, WV Immigrant Statistics (quickfacts. consensus. gov, 2010) †¢ Charleston, WV Population as of 2006: 50,846. †¢ Foreign Born Persons as of 2000:3. 2% †¢ Language other than English spoken:5. 3% In 2006, the foreign-b orn population of West Virginia was 2. 5%. The majority of immigrants in West Virginia are from the following (usimmigrationsupport. com, 2010). †¢ 34. 9% Mexico 10. 1% Canada †¢ 6. 7% Germany †¢ 23. 6% UK, Korea, Philippines, China, Japan, India and Soviet Union Cultural and language barriers can create communication problems which can cause hazardous conditions, especially in the blue collar fields. People’s stereotypes can get in the way of hiring a good worker, we need to look beyond the stereotypes and see what kind of person they really are. Some companies require certain educational backgrounds, and don’t take into consideration the applicants experience and education when coming from another country.All countries can stand to learn a little bit about tolerance when it comes to foreigners. In foreign countries, certain acts are considered social suicide, such as receiving a business card from someone in Japan and stuffing it in your pocket. The Ja panese consider their business cards a symbol of themselves. Some other common cultural differences are: †¢ Roles and Status—in some countries women are considered inferior and are expected to walk behind the males. Some countries females are not expected or allowed to work.What is considered normal in American culture regarding etiquette for a working woman is far different in other countries. In Latin American countries, colorful business attire is welcomed, however, in Asia and the Middle East, the norm is neutral-colored clothing and nothing else. When conducting a meeting in Islamic Middle East, a female must have a male host that accompanies them to their meetings, where they may well be the only female in attendance. †¢ Personal Space—Americans usually stand about 5 feet away from each other, however, Japanese cultural likes more space and the Latin cultural likes to stand closer.In China it is acceptable to push your way through a crowd and you may be invited to spa where nudity is considered appropriate. †¢ Body Language—In America, eye contact is considered a sign of respect. People in the Japanese culture considers it is a sign of disrespect to look directly at a superior. Where Americans are very animated with their facial expressions, Asians are sometimes considered emotionless. Closed eyes mean a person is bored or sleepy in America, but in Japan and Thailand it shows that you are listening and concentrating.Such a simple gesture as a friendly kiss is prohibited in parts of Asia where it is considered a sexual act. In the Middle East and parts of Indonesia, the left hand is considered unclean. †¢ Personal Appearance—In various parts of the world, Americans are considered careless with dress, manners and body movements; generous with neighbors, superficial, shallow and short-lasting with friendships, ethnocentric—less interested in others, independent, and individually feeling. In some countri es, our dress is considered provocative and rude.In countries such as China, India and Russia, women must keep their knees and elbows covered and shirts must be buttoned completely up to the neck. Pants are frowned upon in Japan and in the Middle East, cleavage is a definite no-no! However, in Latin America, women are appreciated for wearing bright, stylish clothing. Employers can help by being practical and learning to tear down the barriers, employers can reduce worker’s compensation injuries, improve the ability to recruit, hire and retain workers and increase productivity (charlotteworks. org, 2010).There are a lot of people in the United States who feel that people who live in our country should learn to speak our language; while this might not be the most practical statement, it makes sense when talking about positions such as customer service or anything that requires directions. It is so easy to misunderstand someone and then something goes terribly wrong. However, wh o’s to say it shouldn’t be the same way when we go to another country to work? Most foreign countries have a large number of citizens that do speak the English language, especially in terms of the business world.However, the more languages you can speak fluently will help you if you plan a future in International Business. International businesses should require employees to take language classes in at least one language where they conduct business; it’s only fair to the people in that country. So many things can be misconstrued if you don’t know the language and try to conduct business without an interpreter, especially when it comes to jobs that require strict policies to keep employees safe. If an employee doesn’t understand instructions, or misinterprets them, there is a significant change of injury which can hurt the company as well.Even when foreign workers in America can speak English, there are so many slang terms that they may not really u nderstand what is being said. When going to a foreign country to work, the employee must conduct research and learn as much as they can about the country and their customs and realize that they cannot generalize the people of a certain area. There are many different cultures inside a country and they should not all be lumped together under a stereotype. We must learn that every person is an individual and has different values and ways of life.The employer can provide a mentor to the new employee so they can get better adjusted with the culture and office policies. Culturosity. com (2010) provides the following 10 Strategies for Overcoming Language Barriers: †¢ Speak slowly and clearly. †¢ Ask for clarification. †¢ Frequently check for understanding. †¢ Avoid idioms. †¢ Be careful of jargon. †¢ Define the basics of business. †¢ Be specific. †¢ Choose your medium of communication effectively. †¢ Provide information via multiple channels. â € ¢ Be patient. In summary, our world is changing and the idea of International Business is coming upon us quickly.We must learn patience no matter if we are the foreigner in a different country, or if we are welcoming new employees into our company. They key to overcoming language barriers is education. We must learn about the countries we do business with and they must learn about our country. There are so many different cultures and languages that it will be helpful to learn different languages and brush up on other countries way of life.References 1. 10 Strategies for Overcoming Language Barriers. (n. d. ) Retrieved from www. culturosity. com 2. Breaking Down Language Barriers. (November 19, 2005) Retrieved from www. forbes. com 3. Communication Breakdown; Overcoming Cultural and Language Barriers in the Global Gear Market. (May 2008); Retrieved from www. geartechnology. com 4. Cultural and Language Barriers in the Workplace. (February 2002). Retrieved from the www. charlottew orks. org 5. State and County Quick Facts. (October 26, 2010). Retrieved from www. quickfacts. census. gov 6. Immigration to West Virginia. (n. d. ) Retrieved from www. usimmigrationsupport. org.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

My Christian Way of Life Essay

I would not start this personal essay by saying that I am a devout Christian and that I love helping people or something to that effect. I am a Christian; however, I am not the devout type. I do not regularly attend church gatherings. I do not really engage in community services or avoid vices. My moral beliefs were first cultivated by my parents’ teaching. They are devout Catholic, so it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus Christ is the most influential philosopher in my life. It is because of Him that I am able to walk through life confidently and accept different challenges. I am against violence and vengeance because He has taught us to forgive. Nevertheless, I still have my own spiritual doubts and questions about life and about being a Christian. I also consider myself as a victim of popular culture who has the tendency to get easily influenced by unreasonable circumstances. I am skeptical most of the time which is why I am convinced that Pepperdine is the most fitting university which can cater my needs for spiritual development. The fact that George Pepperdine did not mean for any of the university’s students to become full-pledged or devout Christians is what attracts me most in the university’s mission. It interest me not because I do not want to become strictly dictated by Christian values but because in this critical point of my life, I believe that I need all the freedom to make my own choices so I can later ponder about them and reflect on my own life. At a young age, a person must be allowed to discover his or her own spirituality by his or her own means. This way, this person can become more experienced and driven to arrive to what he or she believes is the truth about one’s spiritual being. If one would analyze one’s surroundings closely, it is evident that we live in a material world. Everything that our eyes conceive is physically material. On the contrary, I believe that there is much more in this world than earthly things. The world is a puzzle that we need to piece together—a problem that we need to solve. However, it is a problem unsolvable—a problem too complex and beyond comprehension. Yet, we can only see the world as such if we close our eyes from superficiality and open them to greater extents. Simply put, the world is merely an illusion that we have created to fulfill our sight—and the only way to avoid being fully blinded by it is to develop our own spirituality. A person who aspires to accomplish a developed spiritual being must learn how to act in his or her own accord. Religion can be quite pressuring at times, which can even cause a person to lose his way. However, if one is given enough leeway to discover everything on his or her own, this person becomes more responsible in choosing the right path without any feeling of rebellion or being forced. I am confident that through the guidance of a university which values Christianity, I can become more disciplined and responsible in discovering the spiritual aspect of my life. I do not usually attend Sunday church but I honestly have my so-called personal relationship with God. I am more comfortable in talking to Him like a confidant who is always ready and available to listen than repeating prayers everyday. George Pepperdine is right. Maybe I am not fully aware yet of what is the real Christian way of life. Maybe â€Å"personal relationship† with God is not enough to be called a true Christian. Maybe it includes so much more than just a relationship. I guess I am not that confident yet about my own spirituality which is more than just a reason enough for me to become accepted in this university.

Common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities Essay

1. What are some common risks, threats, and vulnerabilities commonly found in the LAN-to-WAN Domain that must be mitigated through a layered security strategy? A layered security strategy will encompass Rouge protocols such as Bit mining and P2P, Unauthorized network scanning and probing, and unauthorized access to the network. 2. What is an Access Control List (ACL) and how is it useful in a layered security strategy? An ACL is a Control list which will allow or deny traffic or devices based on specifications defined in the ACL. This ACL generally is applied and configured on Firewalls. It is useful in a layered security approach because from an External standpoint it become the first line of defense when hosts attempt to connect to the network. 3. What is a Bastion Host? Provide an example of when a Bastion Host should be used and how. A â€Å"Bastion Host† is a host that is minimally configured software firewall containing only necessary software/services. These are also referred to as bare metal or â€Å"lite† and is managed to be overly secure through a minimalist approach. All traffic coming is directed to the Bastion or â€Å"screened host†. Outbound traffic is not sent through it. The most common threat to the Bastion Host is to the operating system that is not hardened with additional security applications. 4. Provide at least two examples of how the enclave requirement to place a firewall at the perimeter can be accomplished. a. Placing a firewall between two routers and another firewall before a DMZ would be the best requirement choice to use 5. What is the difference between a traditional IP Stateful Firewall and a Deep Packet Inspection Firewall? a. IP Stateful firewall inspection takes place in layer 4, when traffic attempts to traverse the firewall a requested a source port and a destination port pair become part of the session allowing the source to receive information. Stateful inspection firewalls solve the vulnerability of permitting all the high numbered ports by creating a table containing the outbound connections and their associated high numbered port(s). b. Firewalls utilizing deep packet inspection provides enhancements to Stateful firewalls’ Stateful firewall is still susceptible to attack even if the firewall is deployed and working as it should be. By adding ap plication-oriented logic into the hardware, essentially combining IDS into the firewall traffic. Deep Packet Inspection uses an Attack Object Database to store protocol anomalies and attack  traffic by grouping them by protocol and security level. 6. How would you monitor for unauthorized management access attempts to sensitive systems? Acl’s and audit logs can be leveraged to confirm which station is attempting to make the unauthorized connection. 7. Describe Group ID (Vulid): V-3057 in the Network IDS/IPS Implementation Guide provided by DISA? A management server is a centralized device that receives information from the sensors or agents 8. What is the significance of VLAN 1 traffic within a Cisco Catalyst LAN Switch? Describe the vulnerabilities associated if it traverses across unnecessary trunk. VLAN1 traffic will contain the STP or spanning tree traffic, CDP traffic, and Dynamic trunking traffic to name a few. If unnecessary traffic traverses the trunk it could cause the switch instability causing it to go down or become inoperable. 9. At what logging level should the syslog service be configured on a Cisco Router, Switch, or Firewall device? Syslogs traps should be configured at levels 0-6. Logging Level 2 10. Describe how you would implement a layered, security strategy within the LAN-to-WAN Domain to support authorized remote user access while denying access to unauthorized users at the Internet ingress/egress point. To implement a layered security strategy for remote user access, we would start with an application based login, such as a VPN -SSL authentication then pair it with LDAP on a radius or Tacacs+ service. LDAP is bound to Active directory which will leverage Role based access controls to check group permissions. 11. As defined in the Network Infrastructure Technology Overview, Version 8, Release 3, describe the 3 layers that can be found in the DISA Enclave Perimeter layered security solution for Internet ingress/egress connections (i.e., DMZ or Component Flow). 3 types of layers found in the Enclave Perimeter Component Flow include the Network layer security, Application layer security and security of the actual applications themselves. 12. Which device in the Enclave Protection Mechanism Component Flow helps mitigate risk from users violating acceptable use and unwanted websites and URL links? The Web Content Filter 13. True or False. The Enclave Protection Mechanism includes both an internal IDS and external IDS when connecting a closed network infrastructure to the public Internet. True, it is required to have external IDS as well as internal IDS. Requirements include having a firewall and IDS in between the internet facing router and the internal, â€Å"premise†, and router. 14. True or False. Securing the enclave only requires perimeter security and firewalls. False, securing the enclave includes a layered firewall approach both on the inside and outside of the network. Sensitive data can be secured from other segments of the internal network (internal) as well as Internet links (external). 1 5. What is the primary objective of this STIG as is relates to network infrastructures for DoD networks? STIG, or Security Technical Implementation Guide, is an intended guide to decrease vulnerabilities and potential of losing sensitive data. The guide focuses on network security, giving security considerations for the implemented network. The STIG also covers the level of risks and the associated acceptable levels to said risks.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Comparison of Past and Present Students Essay

I. Introduction People often remark how different the students of today are to those in the past. Each generation claim that those who come after them are getting worse, while those who came before them are much better than they were when they were students. Are students really all that different â€Å"Now† than they were â€Å"Before†? It’s been said that with every batch, with every generation, students are slowly degrading, that you could count with your fingers, those student who truly excel nowadays. It is a very common proclamation that young people now are disrespectful, unmotivated and without problem solving ability. Most people say that â€Å"compared to when we were in high school† the students are very different, incompetent. This is a common perception today, from non teachers and teachers alike, but is this true? II. Context Of course, each generation is different; technology and culture change forces us to think and act differently, use different tools. The increase in population and politics also contribute to the differences between the students of the past and present. Advanced technology, computer and other gadgets like cell phones and scientific calculator enabled the students do their task quicker and easier, tools that help them to be more efficient. In the past students had to handwrite or use a typewriter for their reports, one mistake and you’ll have to repeat it. Now with computer, to matter how many mistake you make with your grammar and spelling the computer will detect your errors so you can make corrections before printing. With computers, you can edit reports or write additional data without doing it over again. Solving mathematical problem became easier too, with the use of calculators. Students in the past have to manually calculate before arriving with the answer, now with just pushing a few buttons, you’ll get the answer. One can find and download anything that is needed in the internet, without sifting through pages and volumes of books in the library. The printed books are almost phase-out as students now prefer ebooks they can read using their cell phones and tablets. There are various mode of transportation, to take students from one place to another faster. Even the method of teaching had change with technology; PowerPoint presentations are often used, and there are even subjects where students learn about information technology and computers. As a result students of the present tend to be lazy and arrogant, and most of the time the equipments technology brings are taken for granted, and are used for fun and games. Then, they have to go without these gadgets, so students then needed to be precise, not make errors. They learned to concentrate, to go slow but sure not to make mistakes. They are more organized and had more focus on whatever task they are doing. Our culture is constantly changing as we continue to grow, being influence by other culture and with the advancement of technology. We are becoming more materialistic, values and social norms changed brought by the influence we see on televisions or by surfing the internet. Because of these changes it is only natural to observe a difference on the behavior and attitudes of today’s students from students of yesteryears. In the past students are more respectful, industrious, punctual and obedient. Girls are demure and boys gallant; public display of affection is not allowed; teachers are more strict and can use corporal punishment on those who misbehave. The presentation of oneself is very important, having a suitable hairstyle and wearing the proper uniform or appropriate attire is rigidly observed. Today’s student think that they are superior to their teachers as they think they can learn everything they need to know from the internet; they are lacking in their attention span and tend to be irresponsible; having a weird hairstyle and adding unnecessary accessories to their uniform is perceived as being cool. Now it is almost a requirement to have the latest gadgets, fashionable clothes and a boyfriend/girlfriend to be accepted in a clique, to belong. The increase in population and politics also play a part in making a difference between the students today from students who came before them. Then, there are a lot less students and the teacher can pay closer attention to each of them. But with the increase of population more schools are being established especially for those places like in the rural area where the school is so far away a student has to travel several miles just to go to school. When the people in the administration of organization like DepEd and Ched, changes are bound to happen. In the past decade the curriculum is changed several times when the people in the administration changed, teachers and students alike adjust had to a new curriculum before they were used to the previous one. Politicians are also known for passing provisions that could affect the education system of our country; K to 12 is an example. III. Summary Students of the present largely differ from students in the past, from the way they think, act and with the tools that they use. Their motivation, organization and efficiency have also changed. Technology, culture change, increase in population and politics all contribute in making these differences. Technology provides the new tools and gadget that students enjoy today. When culture changes the social norms and values also change, in turn there would be an alteration in the behavior and attitudes of the students, our youth. The increase in population and politics create circumstances such as different education system and curriculum, where teachers and students alike have no choice but to make adjustments. IV. Conclusion Change is inevitable with the passage of time, changes that are caused by different things. Students and teacher alike have to adapt to these changes, it can make a task more efficient, it can make learning more exciting or it can become a distraction. The change affects the motivation and attitude of the students. It must be considered before a comparison is made that every batch, every generation have their own way, leave their own marks, it would be unfair to say that students today are becoming worse for they are only responding to the situations created by these changes.

International Relations - Critical Report Essay

International Relations - Critical Report - Essay Example Those changes are a consequence of the emission and accumulation of greenhouse gases on the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are the major air pollutants which are not only polluting the air, but also causing the atmospheric temperature to rise.  If emissions continue to grow at the present levels, the concentration of carbon dioxide will double those from pre-industrial levels during this century. Hence, to save this planet, the time has come to take appropriate measures for controlling air pollution. (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under such increasing problem of air pollution, the time has come to seriously think of this issue and take some vital steps to solve the problem of air pollution and its negative impacts. However, the major problem that arises while planning any solution measure of this problem is that the issue of air pollution is not a problem of any individual country. It’s a global problem as in this industrial age all the countries are suffering from this problem. Hence, this environmental problem can not be solved by any single country. Every country needs to be involved in the measures of controlling air pollution. Several international agencies, like United Nation, European Union, etc. have been making several efforts to control air pollution. Realizing the extent of potential dangers from air pollution lying in near future if the issue is left unaddressed; almost all the countries across the world have become quite conscious regarding the issue of air pollution and have agreed to cooperate with each other in the process of controlling it. (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an effort to obtain a global solution to the problem of air pollution, a multilateral agreement was signed by a huge number of countries in the year of 1997, at meeting conducted by UNFCCC in Kyoto. This environmental treaty is well-known as Kyoto Protocol. In recent time measures of co ntrolling air pollution included in Kyoto Protocol has become one of the most controversial environmental issues.   (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009) A brief overview of the Kyoto Protocol   A significantly large number of industrialized countries across the world, in the meeting organized by UNFCCC in Kyoto, Japan, on December, 1997, had decided to cut down the level of greenhouse gas emissions by such an extent that the level of emission would become lower than 1990 levels. All the participating countries had agreed to achieve the targeted level of emission by 2008-2012. The target is to reduce overall emissions of six major hazardous greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs. (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009; Oberthur. and Ott, 1999) According to this multilateral agreement, participating nations should meet the emission targets mainly through national measures. However, the treaty also offers these co untries three market-based mechanisms to meet the targets. These mechanisms are emission trading that is known to be as the carbon market, Clean development mechanism (CDM) and Joint implementation (JI). All these three mechanisms help in stimulating green investment and meeting their emission targets. Another crucial feature about these mechanisms is that they are cost. (UNFCC, 2010) In order to monitor the emission level, the Protocol has implemented certain steps. All the transactions by the involved parties re

Friday, September 27, 2019

The use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis, staging and therapy of Essay

The use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis, staging and therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma - Essay Example Also, the incidence of HCC worldwide varies according to the prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections. In the US, the incidence is 4 cases per 100,000. In areas such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the rates are as high as 120 cases per 100,000 (Stuart, 2006). It occurs more commonly in men than in women. The median age of diagnosis the United States and Europe  is 65 years. In the African and Asian countries where the incidence is high, the age of diagnosis can be even in the 4th and 5th decades. The median survival from the time of diagnosis is generally 6 months. Length of survival depends largely on the extent of cirrhosis in the liver. Cirrhotic patients have shorter survival times, and in cases of  portal vein occlusion, the prognosis is even worse (Stuart, 2006). Cure  through surgery  is possible in less than 5% of all patients. Due to the multifocality nature of the tumor and invasion of the tumor into portal vein, surgical resection can be performed only in 20% cases (Wu, 2005). Death in HCC occurs due to hepatic failure, cachexia, variceal bleeding or even due to tumor rupture and bleeding into the peritoneum. The patients generally present with symptoms related to cirrhosis like pruritus, jaundice, variceal bleeding, cachexia, pain in the hepatic region, increasing abdominal girth, splenomegaly and hepatic encephalopathy (Stuart, 2006). The etiology of cirrhosis could be alcohol induced, infections due to Hepatitis B or C, hemochromatosis, aflatoxin or even primary biliary cirrhosis, androgenic steroids, primary sclerosing cholangitis, 1-antitrypsin deficiency, Thorotrast radioactive contrast, oral contraceptives, and porphyria cutanea tarda (Stuart, 2006). In about 80% of cases, cirrhosis is the cause. However, 20% of cases are due to noncirrhotic, nonviral causes (Ulmer, 2000). Liver being the largest organ in the body varies considerably in size and configuration from

Bestbuy's innovation opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bestbuy's innovation opportunity - Essay Example For example Kodak, that invented the digital camera technology but failed to capitalize and now struggling with possible extinction. One of the most important opportunities created by innovation is in the resultant potential of a company’s private brand. Private brand here refers to a brand placed on products that larger manufacturers have made for the smaller retailers (p 23). With innovation, the quality of the products intended to the smaller retailers has improved immensely. The percentage market power associated with these high-valued products has therefore increased the brand’s potential (p 28). More demand for these brands and job creation has surge high with innovation. Innovation also has increased brands’ competitiveness in the market. It is, therefore, evident that with innovation our brand at Best Buy & Apos has increased immensely both competitively and in quality. Apart from brand potential, another opportunity of innovation is ease of market access by our company (p 32). Through incorporation internet in our business operation, our touch with most customers has increased immensely. Our products have therefore reached even markets that were otherwise unattainable (p 36). Finally yet importantly, innovation has opened opportunity for diversity of products we can now

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Building online bookstore for Chines market Assignment

Building online bookstore for Chines market - Assignment Example China could become the world's largest online marketplace in two years (Register.uk), with a current base of 30 million users (Asiasource). With growing spending power and a fast-paced lifestyle, the Chinese consumer is today, the favourite for all online marketers. Books, Game CD's and other computer gear seem high on the wishlist of the young Chinese buyer (Register.uk). In order to establish an online bookstore in China, we must focus on a customised business development plan that caters to the specialised buying and behavioural needs of this particular segment. China is much different from the United States or Europe in its approach to online marketing, and the following points must be kept in mind before embarking on any online business venture in this country. Amazon.com opened its maiden store in China with a localised affiliate called www.Joyo.com , and has succeeded in tapping its potential. Online Credit card transactions are the norm in the US and Europe for E-commerce (with a number of private players like PayPal, E-Gold and Discovery carrying out highly reliable transactions), but in China, except for affluent buyers, the penetration of such pay mechanisms is slow. Owing to sheer ignorance, many people still feel insecure about divulging their banking information to a remote web server. These precautionary moves are here to stay as long as the penetration of E-commerce continues. Two-thirds of present transactions happen by cash-on-delivery or post-office methods (Register.uk). Upfront payments are increasingly frowned upon thus, because of fraudulence fears. Transportation and logistics is an important area of concern for the far-flung regions of this huge country. Despite large-scale development, it is not uncommon for online agencies to miss out on delivery dates. Information infrastructure lies at the heart of spreading E-commerce. ISP quality and service value directly affect the convenience posed by the Internet for online buying. In China the ISP costs are still very high and the quality of service, poor. According to a survey, 49.3% of complaints are due to slow speed and 36.8% due to high costs (Jiacheng). Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) is a serious bone of contention between Western and Chinese governments, and till date, shows not enough signs of resolving. Piracy is not just an issue in China, it is practically a way of life. There are many small, niche players in the Chinese market who make their daily profits out of duplicating Books, CD's and other branded products. Many of them have ventured online to take advantage of the corresponding boom in Internet spending, and can easily eat into the profits of any large MNC investing in China. The Government acts as watchdog to monitor any online activity that it sees

Social Responsibility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example Organizations that follow CSR policies recognize their responsibility towards the society in which they operate. Although they operate with profit motives, their sole objective behind running the business is not maximizing profit. A company cannot run without the support of the community and it can only grow when it takes such steps that would improvise the status of the society as a whole. Every organization feels an obligation towards fulfilling the demands and well being of its customers, welfare of its employees, profit of shareholders and the interests of the whole community (Hassan & Harahap, 2010). Besides, the company also has a responsibility towards the environment. They have to make ecological considerations in all their operations. It is a big responsibility for socially responsible organizations to reduce their ecological footprints and make more environmentally friendly activities. Managers that develop their business policies by synchronizing their objectives with prin ciples related to these aspects, finds success in making socially responsible moves. Social responsibility of corporate organizations Concern towards CSR is rising fast among the companies operating in the gulf countries. A number of ways have been devised to make the socially concerned organizations operate in socially responsible way. Research shows that organizations in UAE base their CSR activities on the four pillars strategic governance, human capital, shareholder capital and environment (Hancock, 2005). The companies dedicate a portion of their profit for the funding of art and culture in different countries, for providing academic scholarship to less advantaged students belonging to the grass root level in the society and for supporting any type of community-building initiative (Du, 2013). The theory of CSR links closely with the concept of Sustainable Development (Shahwan & Hassan, 2013). According to this concept, enterprises are supposed to make their decisions on the bas is of short term financial factors as well as long term factors that have deep environmental consequences. It is strongly believed that while short term profits or dividends allow the company to occupy good market position in the short run, in the long run, companies can become successful by making holistic moves towards the development of the entire society in which it is operating (Hassan, 2009). For achieving this end, organizations have to look after the environmental cost of their activities. Four important arenas that companies should look after while making socially responsible action, besides presentation of environment are human rights, labor rights and anti corruption. CSR practices in UAE Organizations based in UAE are actively thinking about their CSR initiatives. These are aimed at a number of purposes. Some of the most important objectives of practicing CSR activities by the companies are building community relationships, enhancing living standards of the population of the country and also helping the people of the country defend themselves against natural calamities. Various companies in the Emirates take socially responsible actions in the form of â€Å"social marketing projects† (Flynn, 2012). Corporate managers in the country demonstrate high level of responsibility towards the society.

Rebekah Nathan's My Freshman Year Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rebekah Nathan's My Freshman Year - Essay Example Thus leaves the profoundest question that the book infers: 'Is it plausible for teachers and professors to influence the dominant student culture' The question then becomes, 'why would the professors of today want to influence student behavior and thinking' From Rebekah Nathan's research which steers clear of criticism, I see clearly three main reasons for wanting to affect change in the minds of students: one is the ignorance of world affairs and peoples; the other is the materialism that marks modern American priorities; and the third being the apparent lack of discipline and integrity in the more honorable precepts of what a higher school of learning is for in the first place. Some of the more profound research that Rebekah Nathan conducted was her interviews with minority students in revealing the lack of knowledge American students have of worldliness and in relating with other people outside of the dominant culture. Comments made by American freshman students such as, "Is Japan in China" or "Is it North Korea of South Korea that has a dictator" and even, "Where exactly is India" amazed international students (Nathan 84). In regards to friendships with people from other races, minorities were not so easily befriended by American students. A student from France noted, "Friendship is very surface-defined here. It is easy to get to know people, but the friendship is superficial. We wouldn't even call it a friendship. In France, when you're someone's friend, you're their friend for life" (Nathan 75). Many other examples from students around the world felt this way too. One student was befuddled that nobody ever even asked him about the country in which he c ame from. I believe that American students need to improve in their interest, acceptance, and knowledge of people from around the world and to understand that America is not the center of the world. Another deterrent from students developing more substantial relationships appears to be because of technology and America's strong views of independence and freedom. For example, many students communicate by computer, even when they are in close proximity to each other; television and computer gaming is a typical activity shared that does not provide much opportunity for interaction; and, because everyone wants to be independent and free, students are finding it harder to commit to group related activities and causes. Rebekah Nathan portrays college to be both a rite of passage but essentially a jumping off place for acquiring a future job. In Rebekah Nathan's surveys and questioners it was only a select few individuals who stated their purpose for going to a university was to learn. The main reasons involved: future jobs, relationships, social interaction and fun. This leads us to the question Rebekah Nathan asks in so many indirect ways, 'Why are students coming to universities in the first place' More students are attending college then ever before; a privilege once reserved for the elite is now made possible to all. More modern-day students need to work while in school in order to pay for college. Student's time is limited and the debts wait at the end of college life with the hopes of landing the perfect job to pay off those debts. The reason for attending a university I understood from Rebekah Nathan's notes

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher Term Paper

Assess the argument that a new era of automation is leading to higher inequality and threatening the social order - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, the fact that technology has also resulted in the loss of jobs and layoff of some employees in the course of creating efficiency within organizations is also a fact that cannot be denied. The major difficulty therefore arises in the attempt to balance the positive impacts and the negative impacts of technology on economic progress, employment and the consequent social change. Thus, while the proponents of the argument that technological automation is likely to create higher unemployment going forward are pitching their argument on the negative effects that technology has created historically, the opponents of this argument counter it with pointing at the positive effects of employment creation arising from technological automation. Overall, there is no single industry in the global economy that has not felt the impacts of technological changes that have created automation and replaced manual processes. The difference emanates from the fact that; while technological automation has favorably affected certain industries, it has affected the other industries unfavorably (EMSI, n.p.). Thus, whether technological automation increases or decreases unemployment, is all dependent on which industry is affected. For example, a study undertaken by the Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) to assess the impact of automation on job losses in different industries indicated that the tourism industry in the USA has lost 24% of its jobs by laying-off 38,000 workers between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). However, the internet marketing industry created 99,000 new jobs between the same 12 year period running between 2002 and 2014 (EMSI, n.p.). The increase or decrease in employment has a major impact on the social equal ity or inequality within the society, respectively. Nevertheless, it can be easily concluded that a new era

Colombias dispossessed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Colombias dispossessed - Essay Example This social problem plagued almost all of the population everywhere in Latin America, and so as in Colombia. Stories of hardships of families and ethnicity of some native groups and communities of Colombia were best described and stated on books of Latin American authors such as Alfredo Molano. In his The Dispossessed it is clearly stated how the many families and ethnic groups were impoverished and are unlawfully forced out of their homes to work to coca fields and production of drugs though the violent acts of the military and the paramilitary forces. Molano stated the example of the inequality and violence of the military, paramilitary or sometimes local policemen which forces innocent families, communities or sometimes regions to flee for their own safety, not knowing if the next place they settle will mean salvation. For the desterrados, dispossessed families and ethnic groups of Clombia, there is a constant feeling of struggle between whether their original home where they stayed and lived for a long time or the home they make when they are forced to leave is the safer option. It is obvious and frightening that the dispossessed people cannot feel safe due to the ongoing violence of the paramilitaries as well as the guerillas. Either side of the violence could attack any innocent barrio at any time. The violent acts of the military and paramilitary forces some people into hiding in the wilderness where there is no chance of stability. Toà ±ito from Molano’s book: â€Å"I ran until I couldn’t hear the screams anymore† (105), but later he realizes the jungle will not save him either, â€Å"†¦I thought to myself, no, it’s better to go back and look for death than wait for it to find me† (107). Another example of the oppression of the paramilitary and military forces is the forcing of the families to abandon their homes. Imagine how you could live to see that you are being forced to abandon and leave the home you built and stayed for a very long time,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Pick a country other than india and write a paper on business ethics Research

Pick a country other than india and write a on business ethics - Research Paper Example This paper analyses some of the ethical principles that business operators in PRC have to adhere to and the challenges posed by these requirements. Natural right and social construct Property rights give people legal ownership of property and hence decide on how and with whom to share such properties. This therefore would leave all wealth with the rich as the poor forever remain in poverty. But Nair (2012) argues that owners hold a legal obligation to other people in the community and that this principle propagates that. Therefore, to operate ethically, there is need to give back to the society. Unlike the Western countries’ promotion of individualism culture, PRC propagates Confucianism with focus on organization of the society to propagate collective welfare and stability. This appreciates the interdependence in humans and their welfare which determine the resultant quality of the society. Wang (2006) gives an example of the Chinese authorities’ requirement for more e ndowed businesses to be taxed more than the ones who are not, for the benefit of the whole community. Production This type of business ethics dictates that firms have the duty of ensuring that their processes do not cause harm needlessly. This covers even the products that get released to the market. But most organizations would hold the fact that the products they produce do not have any risk to the consumers. It would be however important to consider other related factors such as the environment. Firms have a legal obligation to ensure that their processes and products do not harm the environment. Therefore, they would be responsible for the environment for the entire product cycle. Wang (2006) gives an example of eco-economics ethics that combines both ecological and economic ethics in business. In China, there is emphasis on human harmoniously living with nature (Chan, 2001). The Taoist philosophies require that man finds ways to adapt to the environment and integrate with it in order to achieve unity between nature and man. The government has crafted various regulations to conserve the environment but lack of emphasis on implementation has led to continued pollution as witnessed in its capital, Beijing. International issues China being an international player in trade has players from all over the world. Therefore, business entities operating in the region face the challenge of adapting to regulations that are in line with the international communication behavior due to some localized regulations in the country, China known for its richness in culture. The confines of Guanxi for instance dictate that â€Å"if someone does a favor for you, there will be an expectation that you, at some point in the future will return the favor† (Clair & Norris, 2011, p.4). From the international perspective, this could be viewed as corruption and therefore unethical. But in China, this would simply be taken as a promise for a future accomplishment, which if met woul d be considered as ethical. This relationship-focus nicety is what differentiates Guanxi from corruption which international corporations should be aware of so as to avoid falling into problems with the Foreign

Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Essay Example According to World Health Organization (2013), environmental risks also lead to climatic change, destruction of ozone layer, change in water system, destruction of natural resources and alternation of food producing system. This directly affect human being in form of drought and malnutrition due to climatic changes and water borne diseases due to flooding and lack of water. Sustainability is a major strategy to increase competitive advantage of business organization. Most companies are for sustainable business (D’Amato, Henderson and Florence 2009, P.1). This can be attained when an organization is concerned with the well being of all its stakeholders such as employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers and community. Governments are supporting organizations and other stakeholders in their effort to reduce and manage greenhouse gases emissions. GHG emission is a complex global risk that have both direct and indirect affects different stakeholders such as international organiz ations, businesses, education institutions, governments, non-governmental organizations and general public (World business solutions for sustainable development,   n.d.).Increase in GHG emission has been accompanied by decrease in absorption of the gases by sinks due to decreasing forest covers especially in developed countries (Creyts at el, 2007, P. xiii). There is need to mitigate GHG emission to reduce damages (Chichilnisky and Heal, 1993 P. 65). GHG emission reduction to sustainable can be achieved. through commitment of different goverments as indicated by Meinshausen at el (2009, P. 1158), where about 100 countries has committed to reduce emissions by the year 2050. GHG emission can through capital investment, changes in development patterns, investment in energy saving technology and innovation in new technology. These could reduce Greenhouse gases emission as well as management cost. USA is a major contributor of GHG emission with is annual emission expected to rise from 7.2 gigatons by 2005 to 9.2 gigatons by 2030 due to economic expansion, infrastructure development, use of non renewable energy (Creyts at el, 2007, P. xiii). GHG emissions of China are expected to rise until 2030 compared to USA due its economic growth but government regulation has mitigated these emissions (Leggett, 2011). These arguments have also been supported by International Transport Forum (2010), which indicates that developed countries like Germany, France and Japan has achieved GHG emission reduction despite their economic growth from 2008. UK has recorded decrease in Co2 emission since 1990 to 2012

Monday, September 23, 2019

Is Behavioral Treatment of Obesity Effective Essay - 2

Is Behavioral Treatment of Obesity Effective - Essay Example Apart from the high cost of treating and managing obesity and the related health effects, the high prevalence of obesity increases morbidity and mortality. The obesity problem has attracted significant attention from multiple stakeholders including governments, health sector, and researchers. This has resulted in the identification of potential treatment strategies, most of which are related to preventive treatment. One of the proposed preventive treatment approaches for obesity is behavioral treatment. Apparently, obesity is widely regarded as a lifestyle health condition that can be effectively managed through altering our lifestyles. With the real health and cost effects of managing obesity, it is important to consider the effectiveness of proposed treatment approaches. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether behavioral treatment of obesity is effective by analyzing three peer-reviewed articles on the same subject. This article presents the details of an empirical study that sought to compare the effectiveness of behavioral treatment for obesity using three delivery methods including via the internet, in-person, and a hybrid of the internet and in-person. The researchers’ primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the comparative efficacy of delivering a comprehensive behavior treatment for obesity using the three methods. The secondary purpose was the evaluation of perceived social support and treatment adherence to the three treatment delivery methods. To realize these, the researchers recruited 481 overweight adult participants for the longitudinal study which lasted for a period of six months (Harvey-Berino et al., 2010).

Why do we love and cheat Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why do we love and cheat - Research Paper Example Love has always been an inspiration for people around the worlds in all ages and civilizations. However, there had been always a dark side attached to the romantic stories of earlier times .This was that the lovers always get desperately obsesses with each other and mostly are ready to give up their life for this immeasurable emotional and physical attachment. According to (Obringer) â€Å"Love is a chemical state of mind , that's part of our genes and influenced by our upbringing. The scientists are discovering that the same chemical process that takes place with addiction takes place when we fall in love†. Love is a beautiful experience, but the other side of it is very dangerous and vicious and that is cheating stage. Cheating has always been a hidden part of love and many have been victimizes to this hazardous phenomena. However, with all this turmoil and fatal turns and twists, people still knowingly engage in love affairs. We never want to stop loving, after all the nega tive emotions we have been through, we still want to fall in love. This is where the scientist, anthropologist and psychologist get confused and they are definitely sure that love is not a chemical play but largely something beyond it. Helen Fischer here is talking about the mysterious topic of love and cheating and how all this works out in the brain of an individual. Helen is an anthropologist who researches on gender differences and human emotion and behaviors. She here explains that love is a concept which has mesmerized men and women at all times of history and the idea behind it is still unknown to human species. But loads of experiments and researches have been undertaken by Helen to understand the real reason behind why people fall for a particular person leaving the rest behind. She states that people are even ready to die for the person they loved which shows us the power of love and affection. From her speech we can make out that the real culprits behind love is the chemi cal rushing through our nervous system. The chemical dopamine has an upper hand in developing love and making the people involved in love addicted to a particular person. Dopamine is considered to be the pleasurable chemical which gives a felling of happiness and bliss to the people involved in romantic relationships. Helen states that, lovers she experimented had rush of chemicals in their brain and according to her love is a combination of lust, attachment and romantic feeling. However, it is not only human who have this chemical movement in brain but animal also do feel the same. As per (Ghosh) â€Å"In animals, scientists have observed that a chemical called oxytocin is involved in developing a bond between a mother and her young†. Apart form loving, people also do cheat and it is not always men who cheat but also women commit this sin. According to Helen, world can be a deadlier place, ff love never existed between people and this is an extremely worthy statement. Withou t love what would be the purpose of existence for human being. It could be utterly foolish to tell that eating, mating and defending is the sole purpose of life. A life without the feeling of love is bland, less purposeful and deadly. It would not be wrong to mention that no one would want to live this life without feeling love or giving love to someone. Helen here explains that women are more loving, undestanding and articulate and communicative than men. She explains that both of men and women brain work different and it is definitely an undeniable truth. â€Å"On average men; and women’s brains are not the same. Men’s and women’s were engineered , in part to handle quiet different tasks ,and that engineering is expressed in us

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Managing the employment relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Managing the employment relationship - Essay Example mmunicated down to the employees and workers is affected by line managers who lack effective communication skills and the information is ultimately relayed in an untimely way. Small and medium scale enterprises depend on relations between owners and employees. This level of informality fosters positive social relations of production and helps develop close team working, and facilitate rapid and direct communication channels. On the other hand, this same informality situation also presents the problem for subjective, highly-discretionary, ill-informed and unjust managerial approaches. The negative outcome of this set-up can lead to a poor firm performance and consequently, presents a poor safeguard for the protection of employee rights. Smaller companies tend to ignore important labour rights of workers. Hence, there are calls for improving employee participation and employee grievance procedures in small firms such as SMEs. Generally, smaller organisations like the SMEs adopt varying degrees of informality in their labour management practices, hence the adoption and incorporation of any formal employment regulation to these firms can be challenging in the area of compliance. A distinct possibility is to encourage these firms by way of specific government regulations to set up alternative systems for addressing employee rights and grievances. basic right for workers to extend a degree of control over managerial decision making in a Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SME). Economic efficiency emphasizes that it makes sense for employers to encourage closer employee participation in the business as it creates more understanding and commitment. These practices actually mean a lot to the participants and these schemes fosters organisational effectiveness and employee well-being. (Dundon et al. 2004) Direct employee participation takes on renewed forms. Direct participation involves individual techniques such as written and electronic communications, face-to-face

Teens in Therapy Essay Example for Free

Teens in Therapy Essay Richard Bromfield, PH. D, is a psychologist, he is also a faculty member at the Harvard Medical School, and he specializes in therapy with children and adolescents. He is a writer and wrote several best sellers about children, adolescents and psychotherapy. This book is one of Bromfield’s many award winning writings. Introduction The book I chose to review for this assignment is entitled: Teens in Therapy: Making It on their own: Engaging Adolescents in Successful Therapy for Responsible Lives, by author Richard Bromfield. This book offers therapeutic advice and key insights into overcoming difficult clinical terrain. I selected this book based on my passion and fervor for working with adolescents. It is my belief that working with adolescents and being quite young myself would be a challenge. This book’s key focus is to help clinicians engage adolescents in therapy as most individuals are coerced into the activity, and are reluctant at giving their all during therapy sessions. The backbone of the book consists of clinical case material, which explores real stories, and events that take place in most therapeutic sessions. Bromfield uses adolescents and their stories as authors of the book, as their experiences shape the stories making them vivid and noteworthy. The books content is highly comprehensible, realistic, intellectual, and honest. It caters to an audience of beginner therapist, as it explores the essentials of adolescent therapy without jargon or over reliance of theory. Critique â€Å" Only when people realize what is in their lives can they make decisions to continue their old ways or choose active paths towards change. † (Pg. ) this was one of the many quotes that stood out for me during the course of readings as it is one of the first concepts that all therapist need to accept and acknowledge. The author emphasizes that adolescents, like all people, do not change until they want to, and only after they see and accept their challenges can the therapy begin to progress. Each chapter mirrors the therapeutic process, from treatment planning, confrontation, opposition, motivational ass essment, to crisis management, boundary setting, and enduring failed therapy sessions. Each chapter is well laid out with the order and content that it covers, as it explores various different scenarios in a step-by-step process. The first three (3) chapters echo the first stages of therapy, such as creating the correct settings, going through the initial greeting and meeting phases and addressing the preliminary difficulties that may occur during therapeutic sessions. Just as it is difficult for us to trust people and let them into our lives so to he says is the case with adolescents. Building trust has been described as one of the earliest developmental task and the foundation on which all others are built (Erikson, 1980). Establishing a trusting relationship is fundamental to the development and the progress of any therapeutic relationship. The therapist is portrayed in this book as someone who enables the adolescent client to take control of their life, by recognizing and regarding them with all their weaknesses and the challenging systems it may take, setting parameters, and meeting these adolescents wherever they are, sympathizing and interacting with them on their level using their jargon. A major technique that Bromfield describes in his book as he speaks about interacting with adolescents is creating a shared language. He depicts this by using a case study of a boy named Karl. â€Å"Bitch Alert, Headache no 25 and pretending to strangle his own neck were like minded key words used by my teenage patients to speed dial how they felt†( pg. 116) . Bromfield adds, â€Å" Whether embodied in a word, catch phrase, play scenario, secret world or entire world of metaphor, languages and world that therapist and their adolescent patients mutually create can become their own. These shared meanings become the powerful routes through which the therapist and teenager communicate best† (pg. 117). This suggestion has allowed me to broaden my style and approach to creating a more comfortable space for adolescents to open up and share. This he adds would serve as a shortcut for difficult events and the way they express those events verbally, allowing a more unique and connected space for the teenager and myself. Empathy is a central theme that runs through the entire book. Dr.  Bromfield highlights the importance and significance of empathy, understanding adolescents while balancing the need to challenge and push them. Empathy is an emotion, I value highly as a future humanistic counselor as I believe it can be a very potent tool in therapy. â€Å" As to this day I am awed at empathic understanding’s near miraculous power to soften children’s and adults’ defensive resolve† (p48), he describes the miraculous power of empathy and how it can allow persons in therapy to uncover those other emotions that they may have suppressed quite well. In chapter six (6), Bromfield points out several small gestures that therapist may do to create a more comfortable and secure environment for adolescents. I concur with this belief, as feeling a sense of security and importance in therapy are key in its progression. He claims that simple gesture such as; offering a shawl, opening a window or simply adjusting the heater can assure these teenagers that their needs are important and valuable to you. Bromfield’s passion for helping adolescents are mirrored in every case study that he describes, where he goes the extra mile to ensure that the engagement in therapy is successful. His patience, fervor and persistence are what ensure most therapeutic sessions are successful. Those characteristics are the ones that should be heeded and exhibited by each new counselor. Bromfield uses a whole chapter to discuss a key subject in therapy, honesty. His chapter entitled, â€Å" Truth or Consequences: Assessing and Promoting Honesty in Therapy†, assesses one significant moral characteristics for me as; I believe honesty is a key moral characteristic that is needed in therapeutic sessions. Bromfield points out that honesty in therapy should be a two-way communication, and that both the therapist and the adolescent need to adhere to this trait. The importance of respecting someone’s honesty is also highlighted in the books as to not be judgmental or disappointed when the truth is revealed in sessions. He reveals that being genuine and real with adolescents aids the therapy, as they are quite keen on detecting when therapists are being fake or unreal with them. The aspect of sincerity have always been a hurdle for me, as I often ponder of what may occur if I demonstrate negative facial reactions to any information that a client may reveal to me during a session. The author gives insightful and detailed suggestions as to how to avoid or rather prepare oneself to hear the most outrageous and absurd stories, in so doing, avoiding the element of surprise. Reading some of the stories that the author portrays has helped me overcome that hurdle as he offers other suggestions and avenues for avoiding judgmental comments or expressions. The author cautions â€Å" Therapist do not take the fact that a teenager has opened the door a crack, as an invitation to kick it down with critical and probing questions†, instead he gives alternative responses that may show adolescents recognition for their bravery of telling the truth. The subject of balancing between clients and their parents is also discussed whereby he examines the importance of confidentiality. This being another main battle that I see myself having a struggle with as being pressured for results from some parents, and then balancing the confidentially and trusting relationship the child and I may have developed. Sending parents out the room is never an easy task; Bromfield fails to elaborate on this key aspect of therapy and the mechanisms one may use in order to address such an issue. The issue of clients ‘falling in love’ with the therapist is an important issues that Bromfield doesn’t take into account in his book. The age of adolescence is quite a complicated stage, during this time hormones begin to release and new feelings and motions are experienced. Therefore, having an adolescent ‘fall in love’ during sessions is quite a prevalent phenomenon. One of the most engaging chapters —â€Å"Failures, Missteps and Lost Causes† — it sets a tone of consolation, as it highlights that having failures is normal and that not every therapeutic session will always be a success. â€Å" Do your best and forgive yourself when you fall short†, Bromfield argues that therapists, can only do as much as they can and not always their attempts in fixing a situation is successful but each failure should be looked at a lesson and a chance for growth as a therapist. Bromfield claims â€Å" When I began doing psychotherapy with teenagers and children I was naive, I saw myself as a purist† (pg. 29). An increased sense of comfort came when he added that he found himself being taught by his young patients and he needed to find other methods of helping them. He learnt a little, by little after each session where he added new skills and tools to his repertoire, in an attempt to help adolescents engage in successful therapy. This assertion challenged my misconception that therapist had to know it all and helped to realize that everyone has to start somewhere and not always would we have all the answers r solutions for the problems that are presented to us, but as time goes along we would add to our knowledge and experience. However this chapter fails to address the topic of recognizing professional limitation, where a counselor must recognize their inability to work with a specific client or deal with specific problems. When a client’s personal dilemma, begins to cause a counselor personal difficulties to a stage at which their own effectiveness is compromised, then a referral should be considered. This issue of â€Å"burnout† is also deficient in this chapter. Burnout may affect many counselors and can compress their effectiveness of their professional life Grosh and Olser (1994) The book does contains a few grammatical errors which occasionally requires the reader to re-read a sentence to work out its meaning. However, this book is a well-written, pragmatic guide for beginning therapist or students pursing courses in therapy, psychology or counseling. It can also be a beneficial guide for parents of adolescents as it offers advise on coping with many difficult situations. It teaches and addresses minor situations to extreme situations, from introvert issues to violence. However, I disagree with the author’s recommendation for it being suitable for seasoned professions, as I believe they would have already had the knowledge and experience into most of these scenarios that he has revealed in his book and the information maybe monotonous to them. The book also lacks theoretical framework, as it is highly reliant on simply clients that Dr. Bromfield interacted with. It is a highly subjective book and as it is based purely on his perspective and experience as a counselor. I would highly recommend this book to students and beginner therapist, as it is easy reading. Bromfield is a humorous writer, his use of witticisms, vignettes and unfiltered language would entice and hold a readers attention. This book led me to find myself taking every free opportunity to engage in further reading; at no point did I ever feel confused or unable to comprehend the messages that were being illustrated. The use of real life situation deepened my understanding, as I tend to be a visual learner. I have already ordered another of Bromfield’s books, as I believe his writing has a lot to offer me as a future child and adolescent counselor as it has made me feel more confident and prepared.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Sound of the Sea Essay Example for Free

The Sound of the Sea Essay â€Å"The Sound of the Sea† is a sonnet by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, describing the sounds of the sea and relating it to human inspiration. Through only auditory images of the sea and other powerful natural forces, Longfellow effectively alludes to the nature of human inspiration. Through detailed and sensory imagery, Longfellow communicates the subtle details of the human soul and how inspiration functions. The Sound of the Sea† consists of fourteen lines and a particular rhyme scheme (abba abba cde cde). The first eight lines of the poem consist of one drawn out sentence, which is the description of the sound of the sea and other natural forces, which then in the final sestet, which also consists of only one sentence, are used by Longfellow as a metaphor to allude to the inspirations of the human soul. The change in the rhyme scheme of the sonnet and the two concrete sentences, serve to aid this transition from description of the sea to meditation on the source of inspiration. Longfellow uses this depiction of the sea to communicate the nature of human inspiration, which he claims comes to us from an unvisited and solitary space in our soul and though we credit it to ourselves, it is in fact something beyond our control or understanding, something of a divine nature. With the starting line, Longfellow effectively conveys this concept that inspiration comes from an â€Å"inaccessible† space within us by describing the sea as having â€Å"awoken† at â€Å"midnight†, as midnight is associated with the center of the night, the dark and the unknown, this suggesting that inspiration is aroused within dark dimensions of ourselves, somewhere our conscious mind has not strayed. This also suggests that the sea, whose many vast dark depths remain unexplored, represents this unknown space within our soul, and this imagery is furthered by the description of the wave of the tide rushing onto the â€Å"the pebbly beaches far and wide†. Beaches are the extremities of the sea, where land, a terrain very well known to us, begins and sea ends, and this imagery suggests that these beaches are the edge of our consciousness. Furthermore the labial sounds of the letters â€Å"p† and â€Å"b† in â€Å"pebbly beaches† give an uneven pronunciation to the words, which are contrasted with the smooth drawn out â€Å"ar†, â€Å"ide† sounds in the words far, wide and tide. This contrast serves to communicate the scattered nature of our consciousness with the unity, elegance and fluidity of our subconscious. Furthermore, these drawn out sounds serve to also further the imagery of the tide’s â€Å"uninterrupted sweep† which is particularly effective in conveying the image of the wave rushing to envelope the shore, the word â€Å"uninterrupted† conveying this sense that the wave of inspiration is all smooth and relentless. This imagery is furthered by the 3 line-long segment, uninterrupted by punctuation. Yet, the central point made in these four lines is when the speaker states that â€Å"(he) heard† the waves. The description of the sea gives you a mental image, but Longfellow stresses upon the fact that the speaker only hears the tide, as this can be seen reflected in the title of the poem â€Å"The Sound of the Sea†. Hearing is an auditory action that allows one to be aware of the presence of the object through the sound, but not visually or physically grasp it. This suggests that inspiration is similar, in the sense that one can be aware of it but cannot consciously grasp, control or dominate it. In the fourth line, Longfellow states that it’s â€Å"A voice† from the â€Å"silence of the deep†. Here, the reader once again encounters this concept of being limited to only the auditory senses, yet in this instance, a â€Å"voice† is something distinctly human. The concept of a voice you can listen to and follow, but not see the source, is usually associated with a divine presence. This concept is solidified by the description in the following line, describing it as a sound â€Å"mysteriously multiplied†, as the word mysterious suggests that its provenance is not known and the word multiplied insinuates this multiplication of the strength of the voice, communicating a sense of power. This sense of power is furthered by the natural descriptions in the two consecutive lines, where the voice is compared to a â€Å"cataract from the mountain’s side† and a â€Å"roar of winds upon a wooded steep†. Both these descriptions are natural phenomenons of immense power, and who’s sources one can’t see, the wind being invisible and the cataract having its source deep within the mountain. These four lines can be related to the last four lines of the poem, where it claims that these inspirations aren’t our own, but some â€Å"divine foreshadowing and foreseeing of things beyond our reason or control†. This insinuates that this inspiration is in fact some sort of divine glimmer, a voice shedding light, and that these divine influences are like the tide, beyond our human understanding or control. There is a cyclical pattern in the poem, where the content of the first four lines with rhyme scheme abab, are tied with the content of the first three lines with the rhyme scheme cde and conversely between the second and fourth part of the poem. The first and third part of the poem insinuate that inspiration comes from within an unknown part of your soul, conveyed through imagery of the sea, and the second and fourth part convey the sense that these inspirations are actually due to a divine presence, communicated through imagery of powerful natural occurrences. These two concepts are intrinsically interlinked, and Longfellow uses this poem structure to further this concept, which is that inspiration comes from within you because God is within you, and he uses natural imagery to communicate God within nature. In conclusion, â€Å"The Sound of the Sea† effectively creates a parallel between the metaphor of the sound of the sea with the divine nature of inspiration. Longfellow does so effectively through finely detailed imagery that gives rather precise insight into the human soul.

Publishing Controversial Photographs

Publishing Controversial Photographs Ephron argued that since death is part of life, readers should not be sheltered from it. She asked why photos from fatal car accidents show the wrecked vehicles and not the victims. Mangled steel is worthless; a human life is priceless. Why not capture on film the loss of that which is truly precious? (Ephron, www.haverford.edu/) The so-named Boston Photographs were taken in 1975 by photojournalist Stanley Forman.. I made all kinds of pictures because I thought it would be a good rescue shot over the ladder, (Ephron, 433) Forman said in explaining why he took the pictures. In the first frame, there is a fireman with his arm around a woman he is attempting to rescue from a burning apartment building. The woman clings to her child. The fireman is reaching for the rescue ladder an arm s length away. It appears that everything will be all right, that the woman and her child will be saved. This picture, by itself, does not foreshadow the tragedy to come. It is a dramatic photograph, to be certain, but one that would assure the viewer that confidence in the bravery and skills of firefighters is not misplaced. The second photograph shows the fire escape pulling away from the building. Whereas the first photo makes the reader want to cheer, the second one reminds us that something can go wrong. The rescue is not successful until everyone is on the ground and safely away from the burning building. The photo shows, too, that the firefighter did everything he was supposed to do. His training prepared him for a moment such as this. More than anything else, this photo shows that courage and skill are not always enough. No one could have anticipated that the fire escape would pull away from the building. It is a picture that at once captures the good fortune of the woman in being rescued and the horrific moment when her luck turned. The third photograph is the most dramatic because it shows the woman and her child falling through the air. The child, naturally, looks frightened. Her arms and legs are splayed and we see the speed of her descent with her shirt, which the air has pushed up to expose her round, babyish tummy. Her eyes are open and her mouth is distorted by a grimace. The mother s fall is even more dramatic because she propels through the air headfirst. The viewer cannot see her face but can only imagine the horror reflected in her expression. It is impossible to know what the woman was thinking. Did she know that she was moments from death? Did she think about her child? Did she ask for God s help, or curse His failure to protect them? The woman is barefoot and she is wearing shorts. On a summer s day, it would be expected that someone be so attired at home. Yet the woman seems particularly vulnerable when dressed this way. She seems so exposed although, of course, long pants and shoes would not have made any difference to her survival. Who was this woman? We cannot really know anything about her from the picture. We can see that she is young, with the long, gangling limbs of a teenager. She looks like a child and yet she also has a child of her own. The picture causes us to reflect on death made more tragic by the fact that, for this mother and child, they come too soon. The falling flowerpots add to the poignancy of the photos. The apartment building, obviously older, represents urban life as experienced by someone who is young and poor. The flowers represent an attempt to add a little beauty to the surroundings. What sort of person is it who puts a flowerpot on a window ledge high above the city streets? The flowerpots give us a tiny glimpse into the character of the young woman. We feel we know a little more about her and that makes her death more tragic. To plant a flower is to feel hopeful about the future, and when we see the photograph, we know that the woman s hope in the future, unbeknownst to her, was misplaced. We feel a greater sense of loss. But do we know her? Of course not. The shocking photo arouses emotion within us and, whether we realize it or not, causes us to ascribe thoughts and characteristics to the victim that we can never verify, even when reading the accompanying news story. Perhaps the young woman did not care at all about the plants. It is even possible that they were left there by a previous tenant of the apartment and went unnoticed by the young mother. Perhaps she did not notice beauty and felt no hope at all for the future she and her child would share. There is no way the viewer of the photograph can ever know any of this for certain. The newsworthiness of the tragic fire is the photos themselves. Unfortunately, people die in fires in the United States all the time. The accounts of the fires are tragic, but as news stories they are usually only relevant to families and friends of the victims and the people who live in the community where the tragedy took place. Photographer Forman, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the photos, expected to record an event with a far different outcome. He was taking advantage of a relatively new technology, a motor-driven camera that allowed a photographer to take a series of pictures in rapid succession. He expected to capture, in still photographs, the sequence of events leading up to a dramatic rescue. Instead, he captured the moments before death. The third photograph as the last that he took of the rescue attempt. I realized what was going on, he said afterwards. I completely turned around because I didn t want to see her hit. (Ephron, www.haverford.edu/) The pictures are much more powerful than words in telling this story. It is not that words cannot sufficiently describe a scene or convey emotions. Author Stephen King is famous and wealthy because of his ability to construct tales that frighten us. John Grisham has used the power of words to make us feel outrage on the behalf of the underdogs whose stories he tells. Nicholas Sparks writes romances that bring some of his readers to tears. Forman s pictures tell a story for which each individual viewer provides his own words. More than that, however, the pictures evoke an emotional response that is instantaneous, even quicker than words can form. The pictures certainly drew attention to the event in a way that words alone would not. Newspaper editors know this and it can be argued that it was for the purpose of selling newspapers, not the imperative to show readers that death is part of life, which motivated them to print the pictures. Charges of sensationalism, voyeurism, and exploitation constituted many of the angry responses from readers. The reality is, though, that graphic images do capture people s attention. A news story, without photographs, would have dehumanized the tragedy. When we read that a woman fell to her death, our reaction is not nearly as strong as seeing the picture. We may soon forget that a woman died, particularly in reading the story and learning that the child survived. The picture, on the other hand, makes us confront the notion of death head-on. We may experience, even for a fraction of a second, that shiver of fear of falling. We think about what it must have felt like to fall, and what it must have felt like to watch the horror unfold. The fact that the woman and child were African-American also plays a part in judging the impact of the photo versus a story in words. A written story might not mention race; in a photo, it is there to see. To some viewers, race might matter. People assumed, because the young woman was black, that the burning apartment building was in a ghetto, when in fact it was not. African-Americans might identify more strongly with the photo than they would with just a story; white readers might identify less. For some readers, and it is hoped that it means more of them, not less, race is a non-issue and what they see is not the color of the victims skin but the horror expressed in their faces and body language. It is this horror that writer Ephron believes readers should see, but not because horror itself has value even though it does, in a way, in its ability to sell newspapers. As Ephron pointed out, though, these were great photographs. They captured something real and evoke strong emotion in people who look at them. That they disturb readers, she wrote, is exactly as it should be: that s why photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism. (Ephron, 438) The Boston Photographs are by no means the only pictures to evoke strong emotions and cause controversy among newspaper editors and their readership. This essay will discuss two other pictures that were considered controversial at the time they were published. Seven years before Stanley Forman won the Pulitzer for his photo, war photographer Eddie Adams earned the prize for his now-iconic photo showing the execution of a man by a military officer on the streets of Saigon. As was the case with Forman, Adams never expected that the situation would take such a dramatic and horrific turn. As Adams told the story in a video entitled An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story, he was in the Chinese section of Saigon on the second day of the Tet Offensive. He saw a man in a plaid shirt being led out of a building and into the street. He followed to see what would happen. He was not surprised or shocked when a man in uniform, a military officer, held a gun to the head of the man in the plaid. Adams interpreted the action as a means of intimidation, a threat used as part of an act of interrogation. ? Retrieved from PulitzerPrize.org [http://pulitzerprize.org/photography/vietnam/] In retrospect, it seems like an incredibly bold and even foolhardy move, to stand with a camera so close to someone with a loaded gun. Adams was an experienced war photographer, however, and danger was part of the job. He did not anticipate what happened next. Adams snapped a photograph; he moved his finger on the camera s shutter in the same instant that the officer pulled the trigger of his gun. The shocking photograph that resulted captured the moment in time when the bullet entered the man s head. The photograph is shocking for several reasons. The most obvious is the expression on the face of the man in the plaid shirt. It reflects both pain and terror. The lines around the right side of the mouth suggest the rapid and violent movement of the head as an involuntary response to the impact of the bullet. The man doing the shooting has a matter-of-fact expression. He does not take any pleasure in killing the man, but he does what he feels he must without flinching. He is very certain about what he is doing. Over the left shoulder of the shooter, we see a helmeted soldier wincing at the horrible spectacle before him. There is a military vehicle at the end of the street. There are other people in the street, but there response to the shooting cannot be discerned from the photo. The photograph is shocking because the shooting appeared to take place in broad daylight, in the middle of a city street. The shooter does not appear to be concerned about concealing his identity or his action. The photo is shocking in its close-up look at violence, and it is violence that is made very personal because we see it from a unique perspective. As with Forman s photo, we do not see death in its aftermath but in the moments before it occurs. Both photos are shocking and frightening. Both photos appear to show people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffer fatal consequences as a result. Unlike Forman s photo, though, a news story accompanying Adams photo has the power to change one s perception of the brutal act caught on film. Looking at the picture, one might assume that it showed a military man killing a civilian execution-style. There was more to the story. The man in plaid was a Viet Cong Army officer; he was the prime suspect in the murder of an entire family that day. The family belonged to the aide of Brig. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan, South Vietnamese National Police Chief and the shooter in the photograph. Did it make a difference that the man being shot was on the side of the United States enemy? Perhaps it did to some who looked at the picture and read about it. It may be easier to explain the violence if one can justify it as necessary to bring about justice. The woman in Forman s picture was a random victim of a very unfortunate accident; the man in Adams photo was a suspected criminal, thought to be responsible for the killing of innocent civilians. Some people, reading about the circumstances under which he was shot, may believe that he deserved to die. Some might believe he deserved to die by virtue of the fact that he was a Viet Cong officer. Killing is part of war. We are not at all surprised that there is death on the streets of Saigon, but we are shocked when an image of it is captured so vividly. There was no justice to be served to the woman who plunged to her death in Forman s photo. We are shocked by her death and surprised by it. Forman s final photo is prefaced by one in which it looks as though the woman and her child will be rescued. There is no doubt, in looking at Adams photo, the man in plaid will die. It is the more shocking photo of the two because it makes us look right into the face of death. We can hold out hope for a miracle when we look at Forman s photo, and it is only upon reading the accompanying story that one learns the woman died and her child survived. At least there is some good news in that story. There is no miracle in Adams photo and no good news waiting for the reader of the story behind it. Adams photo, much to his dismay, became an iconic antiwar image. That was never his intent. Forty years later, the image endures. The story behind the photograph matters little. The photo has come to symbolize the horror and brutality of a war to which many Americans were, and still remained, opposed. Even more evocative in its antiwar sentiment is the 1972 photograph by Nick Ut, showing a young Vietnamese girl, naked, screaming, and horribly burned by napalm. ? Retrieved from BBC News [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4517597.stm] The photo needs no accompanying words to explain it or make it any more powerful. It is a heart-breaking photograph of a child in abject terror. There are other children in the picture but it is the nakedness and total vulnerability of the little girl that shocks and saddens us. There is nothing one can write about the horrors of war that exemplify it more than the perils of this child. As with Forman s photo of the mother and child, we can look at the little girl and hope that somehow she will survive this terrible event. Forman s photo showed the terrible circumstances of two people. Ut s photo, on the other hand, showed the terrible circumstances in which millions of people found themselves as a result of the war. The photo is a painful reminder that there are many victims of war, not just the soldiers who fight. It is difficult to look at the photo and not feel outrage, at the same time wishing there were a way to gather up the children and transport them to safety. We know now t hat the little girl survived; even knowing that, however, does not make the photograph any less shocking. The final photo to be discussed in this essay was taken September 11, 2001, by photographer Richard Drew. Often referred to as The Falling Man, it depicts one of the many people who leaped from the inferno of the Twin Towers, making the horrible choice to die by suicide than in the smoke and flames. ? Retrieved from Esquire Magazine online [http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN] The photo is shocking because, as one first looks at it, it seems to be some sort of optical trick. The vertical lines of the tower do not look like a building. The man does not look as though he is falling. In Forman s photograph, the woman and child fall from the building with arms and legs distended, desperate to seek purchase on anything that would break their fall. By contrast, the falling man appears to be holding a pose and is elegant in the way he does so. He is falling straight downward, his arms at his sides, one leg bent at the knee in a manner that resembles a casual stance. It is difficult to look at the picture and not be immediately transported back to the horrible events of the day. Much has been written about 9/11 and there were many pictures taken. The falling man was only one of many people who jumped that day, yet it is his picture which touches us the most. Words could not adequately describe the falling man s descent and the emotions the picture evokes. After an initial look at the picture, one realizes exactly what it depicts: a man hurtling towards his death. Junod (2009) wrote that the body fell at an estimated speed of one hundred fifty miles per hour. The fall would have taken approximately ten seconds. One cannot even imagine the crushing agony the jumpers experienced in the final moments of their lives. What must it feel like to know you have only seconds left to live? Looking at Forman s photo, one can hope that there was a good outcome. Looking at Adams photo, we see death. The bullet has entered the man s head but, because the camera can capture a fraction of a second, the man has not yet dropped. Looking at Drew s photo, we wee impending death and a man literally falling toward it with grace. It is incredibly sad, both the circumstances of his death and the calm dignity with which he goes to meet it. Newspapers and television news programs showed photographs of jumpers until there were too many complaints from the public about their indecency. Drew was able to identify, almost with certainty, the Falling Man, yet the family would not provide confirmation, becoming angry when asked to do so. They felt, as did many of the people viewing pictures of jumpers, that showing anyone in the last moments of life robbed those people of their dignity. Photojournalism can be much more powerful than written journalism. In describing the four photos discussed in this essay, writers would bring their biases to the work. The use of the word bias is not pejorative; it simply means that a writer s knowledge and experience contribute to the interpretation of the photograph. The four pictures shown are shocking and evoke strong emotion. The depth and range of emotion, however, depends on the person who is looking at the pictures. Each of us notices different elements; each of us is touched in a different way. When reading a newspaper account of a tragedy, we think about the story as we make our way through the printed words. Reaction to a picture is instantaneous and much more powerful. A picture puts us at the scene in a way that words do not. Ephron illustrated this by including the Boston Photographs in her essay. She discussed the impact of the photos and the controversy they caused. Without seeing the photos, it might be too easy to ask what all the fuss was about. By seeing the photos, one can understand why the inspired strong feelings. Ephron does not argue that newspapers should print photographs of death. She argues that they should print great pictures that tell a story and evoke strong emotional response from readers. Work Cited: BBC News. (2005). Picture power: Vietnam napalm attack. http://news.bbc.co .uk/2/hi/4517597.stm. Ephron, N. (2005). The Boston Photographs, reprinted in Chris Anderson and Lex Runciman, eds., Open Questions; Readings for Critical Thinking and Writing (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2005). Print via Retrieved from http://www.haverford.edu/writingprogram /development/Ephron.pdf Junod, T. The falling man. Esquire 9/8/09. Retrieved from http://www.esquire.com/features /ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN PulitzerPrize.org. (2010). Photography: Pulitzer Eddie Adams Vietnam. http://pulitzerprize.org /photography/vietnam/