Hamlet by William Shakespeare Essay

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays of all time. Of the many themes and representation of the human condition in this play, one of the most debated questions among critics and lay readers alike is the issue of Hamlet’s sanity. While sanity and insanity can be defined in many different ways, many critics point to Hamlet’s keen observations and clever manipulations as not insanity but confused grief in an otherwise extremely intelligent, albeit sensitive, man. Hamlet tells his friends in Act I of his plan to feign madness. After the ghost’s revelation and call to Hamlet to get revenge, Hamlet decides to assume an air of insanity to allow him a wider range of words and actions around the King and Queen. He tells Horatio of his intention to â€Å"put an antic disposition on† (I,v, 177). Individuals who are insane rarely plan their insanity. In fact, Hamlet knows that people who are crazy are more apt to get away with odd words and activities. This proves true, for he is not punished for appearing half dressed in Ophelia’s chamber or for his taunting of Polonius with references to â€Å"fishmonger† and â€Å"Jepthah. †His plan appears to be working. The King and Queen set to finding out the cause of Hamlet’s lunacy which throws them off the path of his knowledge of the murder. â€Å"He acts the part of madness with unrivalled power, convincing the persons who are sent to examine into his supposed loss of reason merely by telling them unwelcome truths and rallying them with the most caustic wit† (Bates 22). His intelligence almost gets him in trouble. His admission to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that â€Å"I am but mad north-northwest. When the wind is southerly, I / know a hawk from a handsaw† (II,ii,384-385). While these two do not catch his meaning, the more clever Claudius does. He notes, â€Å"Nor what he spake, thout it lacked form a little, Was not like madness† (III,i,167-168) and â€Å"Madness in great ones must not unwatchedgo† (III,i,192). Of course Hamlet is consumed with grief. His choice of dark clothing and brooding countenance is apparent when the reader first meets him. This is understandable upon the death of a father and not something that Hamlet becomes clinically insane about. His depression cannot be compared to psychosis. â€Å"The mental disturbance which it causes becomes apparent while he thinks aloud, almost as soon as the ghost has disappeared; but he is not mad either in the popular or in the physiological sense; it is merely the mental derangement of a noble, but not an heroic, nature, sinking beneath a burden which it cannot bear and must cast away† (Bates 29). Hamlet is depressed, even distraught, after learning of the true fate of his father, but he is not insane. Later, after the play, Hamlet confirms his sanity to his mother in order to convince her of Claudius’ guilt and to implore her to stay away from him. Yes, his Oedipal obsession with his mother is odd for many readers, but coupled with his father’s death and the ghost’s appearance, his desire to save her is more in the realm of understandable. He tells her â€Å"It is not madness/That I have uttered. Bring me to the test,? And I the matter will reword, which madness / Would Gambol from† (III,iv, 146-150). He wants her to know that he is not crazy and to choose his side, which she does. This is one of Hamlet’s goals. Many critics focus on the To Be, or Not To Be soliloquy in which Hamlet considers suicide for the second time as being proof of his insanity. Again, a closer look at Hamlet’s words show this to be false. This soliloquy is an organized, parallel, and logical debate on the issue of suicide. A mad individual would not possess the logic to provide such a point-counterpoint style. He lists all of the vices of the world and sets them up against all the unknowns of the afterworld and concludes, logically, Thus conscious does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry And lose the name of action. (III,i, 84-89). Hamlet carefully weighs the pros and cons of suicide, for him, and concludes that the fear of the unknown keeps him alive. This is not an insane man. In fact, Hamlet’s supposed insanity can be compared to Ophelia’s actual insanity. Ophelia, after the death of her father and Hamlet’s mean treatment of her, has truly gone insane. She is singing songs about her dead father and about losing her virginity in front of the entire court. She is handing out flowers to the King and Queen, and eventually she â€Å"drowns† in inches of water. One critic notes how Hamlet â€Å"differs surprisingly from the pathetic inanities of the gentle Ophelia† (Blackmore 59). This contrast further shows Hamlet’s sanity. â€Å"The mad role that Hamlet plays to perfection, is certainly a proof of Shakespeare’s genius, but by no means a surety of the insanity of the Prince† (Blackmore 57). Hamlet is shown to be sane in this play. That is not to say he is not grieving, angry and depressed at various moments, but textual and critical support show that he is not insane. Works Cited Bates, Alfred, ed. The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization. Vol. 14. London: Historical Publishing Company, 1906. pp. 20-34. Blackmore, Simon Augustine. â€Å"The Real or Assumed Madness of Hamlet. † The Riddles of Hamlet and The Newest Answers. Boston: Stratford Company, 1917 Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Evanston, IL: McDougal/Little, 2003.

Concept Analysis: Mentoring Nurse Managers

Mentoring is a multidimensional relationship that energizes personal and professional growth (Wagner and Seymour, 2007). The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of mentoring and the key role it plays in the development of nurse managers. Introduction Over the past 20 years the concept of mentoring has grown more popular in our workplaces. Many public service organizations, as well as, corporations have developed formal mentoring programs for both management and staff for the purpose of improving overall operations, productivity and overall commitment to the organizations goals. Mentoring is now being recognized in nursing and other healthcare fields. This concept analysis will attempt to clearly define the concept mentoring while differentiating it from precepting and clinical supervision. Finally, this article will discuss the importance of a mentoring program designed for developing managers. Definition While searching the literature, many articles regarding mentoring can be found in business and management journals but few are found in nursing and medical journals. In the nursing and medical journals the concept of mentoring appears murky. In some cases the terms mentoring, precepting and clinical supervision are used interchangeably. This leads to confusion and inaccuracy. The word mentor dates back to Greek Mythology. Mentor was a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus’ son Telemachus. The Webster dictionary defines mentor as a trusted and wise counselor or guide, a tutor or coach (Give, 1966). Other definitions include, â€Å"a learning relationship†, â€Å"a critical companionship† and a process in which two or more people create a connection in a safe environment that allows healing truth and wisdom to be discovered (Wagner and Seymour, 2007). For the purposes of this paper we will use the following definition: Mentoring occurs when a senior person in terms of experience not necessarily age provides information, advice and emotional support for the mentee or protà ©gà © in a relationship lasting over an extended period of time and marked by emotional commitment by both parties. If the opportunity presents itself the mentor uses both formal and informal forms of influence to further the career path of the protà ©gà ©. (Bowen, 1985) The mentoring process consists of four steps: initiation, cultivation, separation and redefinition (Kram, 1983). The first stage involves the mentor and the mentee becoming acquainted and setting goals. During the cultivation stage, information is shared, problem solving, decisions and exploration of alternatives occur. During the separation stage, the mentee is empowered to move towards their goal and enhance their career path. In the final stage of redefinition, the mentor/mentee relationship evolves to a mutual friendship or the relationship is terminated. (Wagner and Seymour, 2007) As stated earlier mentoring should not be confused with the terms preceptor and clinical supervision. Clinical supervision is defined as the process whereby a practitioner reviews with another person his ongoing clinical work and relevant aspects of his own reactions to that work. It is also defines as a practice focused professional relationship involving a practitioner reflecting on practice while guided by a supervisor. (Lyth, 2000) Clinical supervision focuses on an individual situation. Once the goal is reached the process is complete. Precepting is defined as teaching job responsibilities and related tasks (Grossman, 2009). The precepting relationship is similar to that of a teacher and student. Once the task is learned sufficiently, the relationship ends. The precepting relationship is time limited in that the task must be learned within a certain timeframe. Attributes of Mentoring Walker and Avant define this step of concept analysis as showing the cluster of attributes most frequently associated with the concept (Walker and Avant, 2005). Some of the common attributes involved in mentoring are caring, self reflection, confidence and knowledge. In the literature search caring is addressed in every mentoring article I read. Every successful mentor/mentee relationship has a caring base. Consider Watson’s Theory of Human Caring, in the caring moment the caregiver and the cared – for share on a personal level and create a mutual opportunity for learning from each other (Watson, 1999). This statement mirrors the definition of mentoring. Self reflection is the process in which someone stops to re evaluate a situation or action after the occurrence of an event. This is done for the purposes of learning, self growth and self improvement. A good mentor realizes that during the process they too will learn a great deal. Confidence is believing in yourself and your abilities even in the face of adversity. A good mentor does not fear teaching or sharing information. Succession planning is not a threat, but rather, the opportunity to continue their work and legacy in the organization after retirement (Tagnes, Dumont, Rawlinson and Byrd, 2009) Finally, the mentor must possess mastery of knowledge in their area of expertise. If the mentor has no knowledge or information to share, the process cannot start. Antecedents Antecedents are those events or incidents that must occur prior to the occurrence of the concept (Walker and Avant, 2005). Two crucial antecedents to mentoring are the mentor and the mentee or protà ©gà ©. Without either party, the concept will not exist. The other critical antecedent is the mentor must possess knowledge and skills to be shared. Effective communication skills and interpersonal skills are also necessary. If adequate communication cannot occur, the mentoring relationship cannot develop. The mentor and mentee must also be committed to devoting time to the process. If there is no available time, the mentoring process cannot begin. Consequences Consequences are those events that result from the occurrence of the concept (Walker and Avant, 2005). Successful mentoring programs benefit an organization by: increasing retention, reducing turnover costs, improving productivity and enhancing professional development. Creating a mentoring culture continuously promotes individual and employee growth and development (Foster, 2008). Model Case Example Sally is a new nurse manager. During her orientation process, Paulette is her assigned preceptor. Paulette has been with the organization many years and has over 15 year’s management experience. She voluntarily offers her services as a mentor to many new managers. After meeting and discussing goals, they decide Sally needs assistance understanding the various roles of people in the organization and how their roles interact with one another. Paulette takes Sally with her to meet the various employees. She schedules luncheons and meetings with various departments so Sally can better understand their roles. She also brings Sally to the administrative meetings as well as the administrative picnic to learn how decisions are made. Sally is encouraged to voice ideas and concerns in these various sessions. Her input is well received. After approximately 6 months Sally now has a sense of confidence and feels comfortable handling many of the day to day situations presented to her. Although the formal mentoring program is complete, Sally still meets with Paulette every few weeks to discuss life and feels comfortable calling her for advice. Paulette also calls Sally from time to time for her opinion regarding situations. This example sites all of the necessary qualities for a positive mentor/mentee relationship. Illegitimate Case Model As Kim started her role as a manager, the administrator assigned her worthwhile and appropriate assignments and tasks to perform. She had the opportunity to attend a multitude of meeting and had some contact with the major staff. However, she was never invited to listen to informal conference calls or side meetings where all of the major decisions were made. She was not involved in the development of changes. She was however, told what need to be done by her administrator. She was not informed of any history behind decision making strategies. The administrator in this situation served as a preceptor not a mentor. She only took the time to teach tasks and failed to elicit input or encourage professional growth. Conclusion Mentoring is a multidimensional process that can be learned over time. It requires reflection, knowledge of self and profession, knowledge of mentoring process and skills, communication and social skills, practice and support (Vance, 2002). Qualities of a good mentor include: commitment, honesty, compassion, personal/professional ethics, expertise, energy, creativity, effective interpersonal and communication skills (Kappel, 2008). A good mentor is passionate about her work and is committed to helping the mentee successfully meet their goals. Communication between the mentor and mentee is open and honest in a positive caring environment for success to occur. A good mentor creates opportunities and opens doors. Mentors know your strengths and abilities. They do not set you up for failure. Mentors set an example through both their words and actions. Mentors want you to succeed and help you learn from your mistakes. Mentors want you to become independent. Mentoring nurse managers is crucial to the success and survival of nurses. The nursing profession is continually working to recruit more people into the field. Nurse retention can improve under the supervision of visionary nurse leaders because the environment created by their leadership is directly related to the success in retaining nurses (Colonghi, 2009). Nurse Managers need seasoned mentors to guide and nurture them to their full potential which promotes a supportive environment and give them the endurance to survive in difficult times. The mood, attitudes and examples set by the nurse manager set the tone and attitudes of the staff.

Managed care backlash Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managed care backlash - Essay Example The notion of gatekeeping generally represents laying down the requirement of visiting healthcare specialists only after getting a referral from a primary physician. On the other hand, the practice of utilization review denotes submission of the proposed processes to the respective insurers and more importantly introduction of a potential denial for covering experimental or expensive treatments (Pinkovskiy, 2013). Though managed care enabled the insurers to reimburse the physicians as well as the hospitals in return for the functions or the procedures performed by them, the practice did not intervened treatment choices of the physicians. This eventually restricted the medical practitioners to provide effective care to the patients, as they lack in selecting best practices associated with delivering quality along with effective healthcare to the patients. Specially mentioning, there exist certain situations based on which the impacts of managed care backlash particularly on reimbursement can be witnessed. In this context, such situations were reckoned to be lowering treatment quality on behalf of medical specialists and limiting patient choices among others (Sekhri,

Health Care Informatics Implication for Advanced Practice Nursing Essay

Health Care Informatics Implication for Advanced Practice Nursing - Essay Example Typically, the foundation of a CIS is the electronic medical record or computerized patient record, which is a digital record of the care delivery episode. Building on this electronic record, a comprehensive clinical information system also incorporates computerized order entry and results reporting, as well as integration with information systems in the laboratory, radiology and other diagnostic services, and the pharmacy. A CIS frequently also includes elements of expert systems that perform quality functions such as alerting physicians to potential drug interactions or dose errors. The CIS also provides for data collection and analysis for administrative and quality processes. All nurses have a role in informatics because nurses are primarily responsible for maintaining patients' records and helping doctors and their supervisors by providing relative information about the patients under their care. That is why nurses must embrace the clinical information system to facilitate and improve patients' healthcare related issues. Most of the time nurses practice informatics without prerequisite education. However, it is the need of time that all nurses must be fully aware of the healthcare informatics and well conversant with the use of computers software and equipments so they put their full potencies to facilitate timely delivery of healthcare to the much needing patients under their direct supervision. ... r this may be the lack of understanding on the part of nurses about how they can utilize information technology to improve the patient care services and how they can save time and generate vitally useful information in shortest time span. Nursing Informatics Nursing informatics is composed of theory and skills and it is a combination of nursing science, information science, and computers in which a nurse stands in the forefront duly supported by informatics and computers (Figure 1). According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), nursing informatics is "a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice . . . to support patients, nurses, and other providers in their decision-making . . . using information structures, information processes and information technology" (ANA, 2001, p. 46). FIGURE 1: The relationship of information technology, computer science and nursing. The main purpose of nursing informatics is to improve the health of individuals, families, and communities. This can be done by optimizing the management and communication of information to enhance the availability of patients' medical history and medicine records, promptly responding to any emergency and utilizing information system to deliver in time service to the healthcare management and patients. In this direction, computers can be used to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge. It is very important that nurses are able to interpret data, utilize the information generated through the collection of data and put their knowledge to make the data meaningful and helpful for timely decision-making process which would enhance the healthcare services. The

The unpredictability of future climate brings significant threats for Essay

The unpredictability of future climate brings significant threats for insurance companies. The unpredictability of futu - Essay Example In order to ensure this security, a deal is entered between two parties - the insurer and the policyholder. In the agreement, there is a given amount referred to as premium that is to be paid regularly by the policyholder to the insurance organization. In return, the insurance company agrees to pay a defined amount referred to as benefit or claim payment incase a predefined loss is incurred by the policyholder (Anderson & Brown, 2005, p.2). To avoid ambiguity during compensation, the agreement has to define which losses to be covered by the insurance policies. This would include medical insurance, life insurance, property insurance and many others. The insurance companies establish the premiums for the different insurance policies based on the value of the losses to be compensated and the frequency with which the losses have been observed to occur. Insurance may seem to be expensive and a waste of resources to a policyholder who has not suffered any loss over a long period of time. H owever, in case the unexpected loss occurs, it will be cheaper to have the loss compensated by an insurer. It is actually a way through which risk is transferred from one party to the other (Anderson & Brown, 2005, p.3; WetFeet, 2008, p.64). The advantage that the insurers enjoy is that not all of their policyholders will suffer losses at the same time. This kind of a pooling by the different policyholders enables the few policyholders that have had some loss to be compensated without loss to the insurance company. Climatic conditions contribute to various losses incurred in various fields in the insurance industry. Poor climatic conditions can interfere with business operations, can cause damage and loss of property, can lead to increased disease infection, and increased mortality rates emanating from accidents, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. The climate unpredictability brings significant threats for insurance companies Supportive reasons The occurrences of climatic chan ges and the inability of insurance companies to predict this future occurrence can be a threat to the success of the organizations. Firstly, the disasters often catch the insurance companies unaware due to poor mechanisms for mitigating the catastrophes. The climatic changes may not follow a predefined pattern and an attempt to make a prediction based on the previous occurrences often leads to miscalculations (Mills, 2005, p.1). This increases the vulnerability of the insurance organizations to the disasters. It often results in an increased liability claim leading to losses by the insurance organizations. The insurers are then not able to compensate for the losses that have been incurred (Godoy, 2011). The unpredictable climatic conditions like future occurrences of floods may make an insurance company to incur losses due excessive compensation of the losses incurred by the policyholders. The climatic conditions resulting into global warming provides humble opportunities for the oc currences of other natural catastrophes like wildfire that can be of great losses to the insurance organizations. For instance, the losses that were incurred by the United State’s insurance organizations due to wildfires were valued at $6.5 billion between 1970 and 2004 (Allianz Group& World Wildlife Fund, 2006,

Inquisitorial System & Adversarial System Article

Inquisitorial System & Adversarial System - Article Example But unlike the suggestion of the name, the continental European Law is not only meant for the European Union, but is also applicable in other continents such as Asia, South America, and Central America. Within the countries that follow the common law standards, the decisions rely mostly on the negotiation abilities of Lawyers which play a major role in examining and cross questioning of witnesses. This law is more prominent for countries that follow the American legal system such as Canada, Australia, and of course the United States of America. Includes the Muslim Law, Jewish Halakha, etc. And is mostly practiced in countries where the government is based on religionist principles, rather than practicability. Most of the Common and Civil law countries oppose Religious laws as these normally bring about severe and extremely dire punishments such as experienced mostly in the case of Islamic Laws. Besides these punishments, where ever these laws apply, other aspects have also been witnessed, such as degradation of the value of women in society, favour of self religion or the prime religion of the country (rest are deemed as outsiders and unfairness can thus be witnessed within the religious legal systems), and others.5 Based on the opinion of the author of this report; Inquisitorial System, which is the better amongst the 2 (adversarial and inquisitorial), is the system to present evidence in such a manner so as it leaves the court to decide who the culprit is or to make a fair decision on the honesty amongst any 2 parties.9 Inquisitorial System very generally implies to inquiries related to criminal procedures, and not inquiries related to substantive law. The inquisitorial system is usually used along with economies that rely on the Civil Legal systems, although it is not followed in 'all' civil legal systems, and still 'some' economies which are even though based on the Civil Legal systems, rely on other methods of revealing evidence in Court. Herewith the judge may directly question the witnesses and the criminal against whom charges have been pressed, in order to clarify the matter to him further. In very simple words, here in the inquisitorial Legal

Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Individual Project - Essay Example The primary factor of the stability of this system is the international relations of dealers. The women are threatened not only by their punishment, but also by their relatives. Corruption also serves as one of the factors for stability of a human trafficking phenomenon, because it â€Å"protects criminals and their political helpers and refuses to citizens in usual justice†. Such situation explains why many countries do so a little for struggle against the networks of human trafficking. The ranges the organizations, engaged in human trafficking, vary from the small groups, annually forwarding abroad some women, up to large criminal structures for which human trafficking is the main source of their income. Some dealers operate through the tourist agencies which form groups and receive visas for such women, as for usual tourists. Such method, in particular, has been revealed while studying the visas received in embassy of Germany in Moscow in the end of 1990th years. For some groups - for example, operating in Israel - human trafficking is a way of money-laundering because the incomes of criminal activity pass through bars and other institutions where women work. Quite often women are sold on account of debts payment of the dealer. The prices differ depending on the region; in Holland, for example, the woman can be sold to the brothel owner for 15 thousand dollars. In Turkey the prices are not so high, but nevertheless the Slavonic women are appreciated more, than th e women from Caucasus. The cruel treatment with the sold women in Belgium and the Netherlands became so obvious problem, that in the middle of 1990th years under the initiative of the Dutch and Belgian women parliamentary trial on this question have been held(Janice, 2001). The human trafficking represents the "multivariate" threat: it deprives with people of their human rights and freedom, it is a global risk for health, and this phenomenon supports the growth of

1.the emperor and the assassin 2.Hero Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

1.the emperor and the assassin 2.Hero - Thesis Example The king’s personality developed from his childhood when he was growing up. Chen Kaige’s character analysis can be extended to an analysis of the Chinese culture. The film has addressed many issues that haunt Chinese culture up to date. It addresses issues such as the value of an individual in a highly populated country, issues of betrayals in politics, and assassinations. The film ‘Hero’ offers a Taoist take on the first emperor’s rule. Taoism is the guiding principle of Chinese activities. The film ‘hero’ conveys Taoism by portraying the human world and natural world as one. By embracing the world, one sees only friends and not enemies. A Taoist faces anything without emotion. The film presents beautiful scenes and images in line with Taoist aesthetics. The images are simple in color and the landscapes are mono colored. The swordsmen wear robes that have a color similar to the landscape. In the entire movie, there are no flowers or delicate things as is expected in a royal palace. The king is the hero every dynasty represents earth, wood, metal, water, and fire (Li

Finance assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finance assignment - Essay Example s is used for production scheduling; number of set-ups is also used for setting up activity; and number of direct labour hours is used for other indirect cost since case facts required cost river for â€Å"other indirect cost† to be the % proportion that they represent relative to the best of the indirect cost. This researcher has interpreted that the best basis is still the number of direct labour hours in the absence of other cost driver that could be used for other indirect cost. In applying the ABC approach for Agostino plc, there was a need to get first the estimated number cost driver units and the estimated share of activities from the unallocated total direct cost. The estimated number of cost driver units was based on the given total annual activity data which can be assumed to stay constant for next year from the three distinct services provided by the company. The data is as summarized in Table I below: It may be observed from above about the need to identify the services for purpose of applying ABC for Agostino plc. It may be further observed that the real issue on the use of ABC costing in on how to have a more rational basis of allocation for purposes of enhancing control on the indirect cost of rendering service (Roztocki, N., 1999; Saldarini, K., 2000). With control comes responsibility for the behaviour of the cost of services. With responsibility for cost comes the responsibility for profits of important departments or components of the organization which render the various laundry services by Agostino plc. After getting the cost driver rate, the same could now be multiplied with the actual cost number driver units. Since the case facts do not appear to have provided the actual number of cost driver units, this paper made use of the forecasted level of activity for next years for the three kinds of services and assume the same to be actual. The process resulted to allocation of the total actual indirect costs based on activities identified

Environmental Ethics. Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Ethics. Assignment 3 - Essay Example Mill (2012) outlines three definitions of nature depending on the benefits derived from it. The first definition is that nature is a collective term used to refer to all events that take place within the universe. He also defines the nature as anything that adds value to life in manner that does not affect the occurrences of events. His interest to show the relations between human beings and nature made him refer to nature as a combination of all phenomena and the unused capabilities by human beings to control nature and derive benefits from him (Mill, 2012). Mill (2012) also states that when human beings neglect nature, it has a way of paying back by causing harm and damage. For instance, Mill states that floods and other natural hazards that occur are only a way of nature expressing its frustrations. Human beings should take care of nature and nature in return should ensure that it meets all the needs of human beings by ensuring that sustainability is maintained. . Mill states that Human beings should correct nature and put it in line rather than try to emulate it. It is only ethical for human beings to correct nature where it goes wrong and make improvements on the existing natural phenomenon. According to Mill (2012) human beings understand the consequences of their own actions but they tend to act ignorant. This ignorance has caused human suffering, and it has also affected the environment. Mill (2012) also outlines that humans are separate from nature and for this reason rules of nature are not applicable to man. From a spiritual perspective, God gave human beings power and dominion over all other creatures and nature itself. Mill (2012) states that God values nature, and he handed over the responsibility of taking care of nature to human beings. For this reason, human beings should take this assignment seriously and invest in nature so as to ensure that it works in their favor. In conclusion, Mill’s philosophical views originated from his

The first experiment Essay Example for Free

The first experiment Essay In the three experiments, we see how different objects fall. We should take note that the experiments are employed with the presence of air (and thus, air friction). In the first case, the quarter dollar coin is bigger and heavier than the penny; therefore, it will drop faster because its gravitational force is greater than that of the penny. Even if there is an air friction which is opposite the direction of gravity, it only has a minimal effect on the coins. In the second case, the crumpled paper falls faster than the uncrumpled one. This is because the presence of air friction acts greater with the uncrumpled paper as its surface is greater, hence creating a bigger space for air friction to occur. The crumpled paper, on the other hand, falls faster because of its compacted state. Its gravitational pull acts greater than the opposing air friction. Thirdly, the case of the coin dropped from the index card accounts for the coin to fall faster. This is because it has greater mass (and therefoe, greater gravitational force) tan the index card. Generally, the mass and weight of an object are major characteristics to consider in predicting its rate of fall. The greater the mass or weight, the faster will it fall. This is primarily due to the fact that gravitational force is mass (m) times acceleration die to gravity (g = constant at 9. 8 m/s2). In the same way, the shape and surface of an object also contribute to its rate of fall. The more compact or solid the object, the faster it will fall; the bigger the surface area, the more slowly it will fall. The frictional force is responsible for this slow down. 2. Describe the difference (in both what happens and why) between a person who jumps from an airplane with a parachute and one who jumps without a parachute. If a parachute is used, what would be the difference when the same size parachute is used on a person and then used on an elephant? In the first instance where a person jumps from an airplane with a parachute (say, person A), as compared to the person without a parachute (person B), person A will be able to land in a safer manner since the chute provides for a decrease in the person’s acceleration towards the ground. As person A drops down, the chute slows down his velocity by adding the oppositely directed air friction; meaning, as the downward velocity increases (or as person A accelerates downward), an upward force (which is the air friction sifted by the parachute) reduces the acceleration, thus creating less impact on person A’s landing. Contrastingly, person B will drop downwards in an accelerating manner, where the increased velocity will account for a less safe landing. In the second instance, the size is given focus with regard to the velocity and acceleration of the falling person/animal. Given the same sizes of parachutes used, a person (say, person C) and an elephant (say, Dumbo) are dropped down from an altitude. The effect would be that Dumbo will fall faster than person C despite the same sizes of chutes. Dumbo’s size accounts for the increase in velocity, as it has been established that mass is a factor for acceleration according to Newton’s First Law of Motion (F = ma or a = F / m). Person C will then fall more slowly as compared to Dumbo’s acceleration. The parachute may provide a decrease in acceleration, but this is more observable in person C’s experience.

Literature Review on Hand Dominance

Literature Review on Hand Dominance Much research has gone into the study of hand dominance. Strangely, it is common for right and left handed people to use the opposite side of their bodies for activities.5 If you use your left hand, you are right brained, and if youre right handed, you use the left side of your brain.5 A rare form of handedness is ambidexterity.1 Common things such as scissors, paper and instruments such as guitars have to be specially made for left handed people. Surprisingly, the true meaning of left and right is much more than we think. No theories have yet been accepted as to why some people are left handed and others right handed.3Â   Right and left handedness is an interesting topic to study. Handedness is the skill of using one hand more than the other, such as right and left handedness.1 Another word for handedness is laterality, or the human preference to use one side of the body over the other.2 Right handedness is the most common form of handedness.6 According to, The Right Mind, by Robert Ornstein, only ten percent of the population are left handed. This percentage indicates that left handedness is much less common that right handedness.9 There is no prevailing theory that explains why right handedness is so much more common than left handedness.3 Numerous neurological studies and physiological analysis have stated that right handed people use the left side (or cerebral hemisphere) of the brain, and left handed people use the right side.5 It is not uncommon for right handed people to use their left legs and left handed people to use their right legs when playing sports such as soccer.2 There are different types of handedness such as ambidexterity and mixed- handedness (also known as cross- dominance).1 Ambidexterity is the ability to perform tasks equally with the left and right hand.2 Mixed- handedness is the ability to perform some tasks with one hand and other tasks with a different hand.4 Although ambidexterity can be learned, it is a very rare form of handedness.1 Robert Ornstein indicates that only three percent of humans are ambidextrous.9 Even though ambidextrous people can use both hands, they still demonstrate a strong preference for one or the other. Mixed handedness often appears in the example of using the right hand to write and the left to throw a ball. Because our society often defines handedness by which hand is used to write with, mixed handedness is often overlooked. Both ambidexterity and mixed-handedness are rare things to come by. 1 Although America has moved on from the days of disregarding left-handedness, treating left handed people as evil or outcasts, many societies still prefer only to use the right hand. In prior years, people, who were naturally inclined to use their left hand, were forced to write with their right hands.6 Most of the alphabet is written with a preference to right handed people. Because our society is so right hand dominant, writing tablets, books and binders are manufactured for right handed writing. So much so that using your left hand may cause smudges on freshly written words. Hindus only use their right hands for respectful activities, as the left hand is reserved for less desirable usage. Muslims believe that on the day of judgment their good deeds will be written on the right side of the book and their bad deeds on the left.3 Many writings show preference to right over left; the bible is not excluded. In Matthew 25: 32-34, 41 it says, Before him will be gathered all the nations an d he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World. Then He will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.10 In Perhaps right handedness being associated with goodness is part of the foundations of our beings as set forth by God. Even in technology right handedness is preferred. Such things as scissors, can openers, and cameras were originally designed only for right handed use. Papers and binders are also made for right handed people. As society matures, designers have re-engineered many items for right or left hand uses.3 There are now such things as left handed scissors. It is interesting to see the effects of handedness in society. Â  Although we only think of left and right as directions, the meanings of the words are not widely known. Many languages interpret left and right as bad or good. In many areas left means weak, useless, awkward and sinister. On the other hand, right means correct, straight and right.6 Websters Dictionary describes left as clumsiness, underhand, inept, and devious.8 The Oxford Dictionary records that left means weaker, awkward, clumsy, ambiguous, double-edged, of doubtful sincerity or validity, ill-omened and sinister.7 Rogets Thesaurus gives unskillfulness as a synonym for left-handed. These are only a few of the descriptions given.8 As stated before, even the Bible says that the right is blessed and the left is cursed.10 Several languages even associate left with bad things. In French, their word for left, gauche, is translated to awkward. Sinister, is the Latin word for left, which means bad, ominous, and treacherous. The Anglo-Saxon word, lyft, which is where we derive our words left, is translated to mean weak or worthless.6 Meaning left and deceitful, mancino, is the Italian word for left. No ser zurdo, a Spanish idiom, means to be very clever, but a word for word translation means not to be left-handed.8 Words can mean so much more than we realize. Although many theories have been proposed about how handedness occurs, no single theory has been accepted.3 A new theory says that there really is no dominant hand. Both hands work together. In writing, one hand writes the words while the other grips and holds the paper steady. The Brain Hemisphere Division of Labor theory, proposed by the American Psychological Association, is the most accepted theory. This states that speaking and handiwork both require fine motor skills to accomplish them. In order to work efficiently, the brain uses only one hemisphere to do this, instead of splitting the job into two hemispheres, which would require more work for the brain. Although very popular, no single theory has yet been widely accepted by scientists.1 Handedness, the natural tendency to use your right or left hand, has been studied and observed by many scientists and psychological organizations.1 Only three percent of humans have the amazing ability to function equally with both their right and left sides of the body.9 In years past many children were forced to be right handed.6 Websters Dictionary claims that left means devious, clumsy and underhand.8 The Brain Hemisphere Division of Labor theory is the most popular theory as to why some people are left handed and some are right handed.1 The discrimination of left handedness is no longer an issue, but it is still a part of our history. Works Cited Wikipedia. Handedness. Wikipedia.com. 2 December 2009. 4 December 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness Wikipedia. Laterality. Wikipedia.com. 24 September 2009. 4 December 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laterality Wikipedia. Right-Handedness. Wikipedia.com. 19 November 2009. 4 December 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-Handedness Wikipedia. Cross-Dominance. Wikipedia.com. 14 November 2009. 4 December 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-Dominance Williams, H. Robert, Stockmyer, John. Unleashing The Right Side Of The Brain. U.S.A: The Stephen Greene Press, Inc., 1987. Edwards, Betty. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. New York City, New York: Betty Edwards, 1999. Brown, Mark. Left Handed: Right Handed. North Promfret, Vermont: David and Charles Inc., 1979. Springer, P. Sally, Deutsch, Georg. Left Brain, Right Brain. U. S. A: Sally P. Springer and Georg Deutsch, 1993. Ornstein, Robert. The Right Mind. Orlando, Florida: Robert Ornstein, 1997. God. The Holy Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2005. Edition: ESV (English Standard Version).

A Review Of Literature: Bullying Effects

A Review Of Literature: Bullying Effects In this section of my thesis I reviewed articles thematically. Bond, Carlin, Thomas, Rubin, and Patton (2001) establish a relationship between repeated peer bullying and the indication of anxiety and depression in early teen years. A cohort study over a two-year period was done in Victoria, Australia. The participants were 2,680 students surveyed twice in 8th grade and once in 9th grade. Students completed a survey at school via laptop computers supplied by the researchers. Overall surveys took about 40 minutes to complete (Bond et al., 2001). Reported victimization on the first survey was 49%, 51% on the second, and 42% on the third survey. The respondents reported the following: (a) 33% reported recurrent victimization, (b) 33% indicated being bullied at one time, and (c) 33% reported not ever being bullied. The frequency of stated anxiety and depression at all three survey points were as follows: First point 16%, second point 18%, and third point 15% (Bond et al., 2001). Bond et al. (2001) found evidence that past events of victimization and reduced social interaction foresees the start of emotional problems. Prior recurring emotional problems are not notably related to impending victimization. These results have proposition for how important the occurrence of victimization is cared for and for the motivation of intervention programs focusing on mental health problems and bullying (Bond et al., 2001). Bond et al. (2001) concluded there is a strong connection between victimization and indications of depression and anxiety. Results confirmed the reasons for indication of anxiety or depression is a result of a history of victimization. Therefore, poor social relationships with peers and a history of victimization lead to problems in adolescents (Bond et al., 2001). In a quantitative research study Peterson and Ray (2006), worked together to research if gifted children were especially vulnerable to being bullied. The quantitative analysis was used to find the frequency and influence bullying has on gifted students. There were two surveys done one of which there were 432 participants who were gifted eighth graders in 11 states, these students were given verbal questionnaires inquiring if they had encountered bullying behavior, such as name-calling, pushing, hitting and other physical violence, or teasing about family, grades or appearance (Peterson Ray, 2006, p. 155). The results of the first survey are as follows: The researchers found 67 % of gifted students had encountered bullying by eighth grade, 16 % defined themselves as bullies and 29 % had aggressive ideation. Interviewed participants identified unexpressed violence, depression, and missing days of school as a reaction to bullying. Teasing about appearance, intelligence and grades, name-calling, and pushing and shoving are the most frequent kind of bullying throughout the first nine years of school. Mocking students about appearance had the most damaging outcome psychologically (Peterson Ray, 2006). The second survey was done on 57-bullied students throughout six states who were mailed individual surveys that conducted in-depth follow up questions. The quantitative survey consists of four questions: (a) having been bullied, (b) has been a bully, (c) thinking of being violent, and (d) done any violence. The results of the take home survey found males were most likely to be the bullies, be bullied, think violently, and conduct violence over females (Peterson Ray, 2006). Peterson et al. (2006) concluded by noting bullying appears to be a problem with gifted children and adolescents. Evidence is concerned with the escalation in bullying from middle school going to high school and carrying it on to adolescents. Even though after the sixth grade the name-calling and teasing go away, much stronger and violent bullying accrues (Peterson Ray, 2006). In a quantitative research study, Voss and Mulligan (2000) worked together to find out if short pupils are at risk for being bullied. There were 92 short normal teenagers who were under the 3rd percentile height at school admission. Also, taking part in this study was 117Â  controls equivalent for gender and age that completed the bullying survey. Throughout the bullying survey the study confirmed there was no major gender or social class distinction between the groups. The majority of the ages were around 14 years old and their height was around four to five feet. More short students informed they were bullied at some time in middle school more so than the controls. The study has revealed that shorter boys are more than twice as likely to be victims of bullying then as for the control boys. Bullying also saddens shorter boys much more than control boys. In many of the cases bullying had stopped, but significantly more short pupils than controls, regardless to sex, reported current bullying (Voss Mulligan, 2000, Subjects, Methods, and Results section, Â ¶ 1). Voss and Mulligan (2000) concluded by stating bullying is happening in schools and is harmful to the victims. Generally, victims stated to be more vulnerable than their bullies. This would imply very short students are less likely to be the attacker and more likely to be the victims. The growth study allowed them to observe the occurrence of bullying, as experienced or perpetrated by pupils of different heights (Voss Mulligan, 2000, Comment section, Â ¶ 1). According to Yoneyama Rigby (2006) bullying behavior has an effect on the students perception of the school environment. Research has shown that lesser quantities of bullying behavior are found in schools with a positive school environment. It was hypothesized that judgments of classroom climate would be less positive among students who were identified as (a) bullies, (b) victims, and (c) bully-victims than others who are not involved in bully/victim problems (Yoneyama Rigby, p.36). There was three different questionnaires developed using the following measures: (a) the school climate scale, (b) the victimization scale and (c) the bullying scale. The questionnaires were given to 531 students attending grades eight and nine in Australia. The subjects were taken from five different schools. Average age of the subjects was 14.1 years, for males and 13.9 years for females. In this study, students were only allowed to participate with their parents permission (Yoneyama Rigby, 2006). The average score obtained by Yoneyama Rigby (2006) suggests that the observed school/classroom environment was not negative at the five schools used in the study. The female students rated the classroom climate more positive than the male students. The male students were more likely to be involved in bullying than the females. The male students were also reported to have been involved in more bully/victim problems than the females. Yoneyama Rigby (2006) concluded that students who are involved in some sort of bully/victim problem have a less positive view of the school climate than those students that had no involvement in bullying. The results show that there may be a link between the perception of the classroom climate and student learning. It seems likely that the negative perceptions of school climate that are characteristic of students involved in bully/victim problems may serve to hinder their learning and to disadvantage them academically(Yoneyama Rigby, 2006, p.40). Entenman, Murnen, Hendricks (2005-2006) investigate how bullies and bullying actions are showed in K-3 childrens books published from 1995-2003 and how teachers can utilize these books to inform students about bulling in their classrooms. In the study, 25 books about bullying were selected based upon the criteria set by Jalongo (1983). A subject study was performed on each book to identify the behavior of the bully. The behaviors were broken into different categories: (a) physical intimidation, (b) name-calling, (c) stealing, (d) verbal intimidation, and (e) teasing (Entenamn et al., 2005-2006). The reviewed childrens books showed the roles of the bully, the bystander and the importance of adult involvement when bullying takes place. Entenman, et al. (2005-2006) suggests the teacher can take part in a big job by stopping the actions of the bully early on before the behavior has the opportunity to become part of the childs everyday life. It is significant to communicate that the victim in each of the stories used was capable of rising above the problem and get back their self-confidence by the end of the book, with the help of an adult (Entenman et al., 2005-2006). Research has shown that childrens literature is an effective way to help children resolve problems. Using these books in the classroom is one way teachers can help reduce bullying and discourage bullying behavior. The primary goal of this study has been to give the teachers a list of books that they may be able to use in their classrooms when bullying occurs. Entenman, et al. (2005) inquires about the correlation of labeling a student as a bully at an early age and the ramification of victim blaming and the schools role. The only way to answer these questions is with more research on the subject of bullying and its impact on children (Entenman et al. 2005-2006),. Salmon and James (1998) used a quantitative methodology to examine the psychological health issues of students being bullied. This study assessed: (a) indication of anxiety and depression in bullied students, (b) self esteem in bullied students and students that were not bullied; and (c) self esteem for both bullies and those who were not bullies. Four questionnaires were anonymously completed by the 904 participants aged 12-17. Two secondary schools were used for this study. The first school is in a low income area. The second school is in a high social class area (Salmon James, 1998). Salmon and James (1998) found that boys aged 12-13 with high anxiety and lying scores were most likely to be bullied at the low income school. Boys aged 15-16 with low anxiety and lying scores and high depression scores were most likely to be bullies at the high social class school. Girls ages 13-14 in the advantaged school with low anxiety and lying scores were least likely to be bullied. Girls aged 12-13 with high anxiety and lying scores and low depression were least likely to be bullies (Salmon and James, 1998, Subjects, Methods, and Results section, Â ¶ 2). The study concludes that the low occurrence of bulling may show the value of bullying intervention programs already implemented at the two schools that were assessed. A new finding from this study is the link connecting an excessive depression score and being a bully (Salmon James, 1998). Bishop JH, Bishop M, Bishop M, Gelbwasser, Green, Peterson, Rubinstaj, and Zuckerman (2004) explore the relationship between study behavior and academic engagement of individual students, the norms and attitudes of close friends, and the peer culture of school. The study is particularly interested in how the academic orientation of students and their close friends invites or protects them from harassment (Bishop et al., 2004, p.236). A qualitative research design was used. The participants were from eight New York State suburban high schools. Surveys were done by 35,000 students at 134 schools and information was examined. Interviews and respondents were matched on gender (Bishop et al., 2004). The study found harassment and bullying are directed toward students who are rejected by their classmates. Surveys conducted in 1998 and 1999 found that 13.1% of boys and 6.7% of girls were teased, insulted, or made fun of almost everyday. Another 19.5% of boys and 13.3% of girls were insulted to their face about once a week (Bishop et al., 2004, p. 237). Male outcasts are usually harassed in front of others. Certain types of achievement: (a) athletic, (b) funny, (c) friendly, (d) popular, and (e) attractive are better in the eyes of students classmates. However, for academics, a slightly above average rank of school effort and accomplishment is the norm. One is approved for going beyond it. Students feel that if a peer is smart they are lucky. Students describe nerds as asking a lot of questions and not having fun in their spare time (Bishop et al., 2004). Bishop, et al (2004) found that harassing students poison the school climate teachers attempt to create. To many students at the primary school level, nerds demonstrate that the teacher should be expected to help learn. The secondary school students are saying to them that reliance on teachers is babyish. Schools need to represent the position that school is always about learning and getting an education, and students are suppose to work hard. Schools with the most commanding teachers indicate considerably lower levels of student harassment; students studied together more often, were more occupied in class, and finished homework on a daily bases (Bishop et al., 2004). In an article written by Brown University (2006) it indicates children at elementary school level are involved in bullying either by being the bully or being the victim due to being sad, not belonging, or feeling unsafe. This study was carried out in a West coast urban public school district. There were 3,530 students from grades three through five with an average age of 9.6 years who took part in a thirty-seven questionnaire survey. Survey results showed that 22% stated they took part in bullying as both a victim or as the bully. From the 22% being involved with bullying 6% reported always being bullied, 14% reported bullying others, and 2% reported being the bully as well as being a victim. This study done by Brown University (2006) also indicates 71% of students surveyed state the playground is the most common place where bullying happens (Brown University, 2006, p. 4). Brown, Birch, and Kancherla (2005) wanted to understand the behavior of bullies by searching for the viewpoint of young children, to determine if they thought of bullying as a problem. They wanted to know what the children would do if they were bullied and what they did when they witnessed someone being bullied. One thousand two hundred twenty-nine children between the ages of 9 and 13 were sampled. The students were from seven different states, and 31 different schools. Students could only participate in this study if they got permission from their parents (Brown et al., 2005). Students were given a variety of closed end questions with anonymity being protected. The questions consisted of two demographic questions and eight questions on their individual experiences with bullying. The results of the data collection were compared using a chi-square analysis. One third said they had been bullied once in a while, another 15% admitted to being bullied weekly. Six out of seven said they were never afraid of going back to school as a result of bullying. One half of the students respond to bullying by fighting back and only 8% said they try to talk it out. One fourth of the students believe bullying to be cool. Over 40% of students admitted to bullying at some point in their life with only one in five frequently bullying, more than once a week. The study concludes although boys indicate being victims of more every day bullying, the girls were more likely to inform a teacher (Brown et al., 2005). The student responses seem to be consistent, that is, if the student is bullied and tries to talk to a bully they will usually step in and help another student who is being bullied. The same goes for the opposite, students who fight back when they are bullied tend to be involved during other bullying incidents. In almost every category, according to the student addressing the issue through lesson is the least effective way to stop bullying. This dichotomy of victims may point to the need to customize anti-bullying campaigns. Specifically, victim-bullies need to understand the difference between what they perceive as self-defense and bullying (Brown, Birch, Kancherla, 2005, p.390). Chapell, Hasselman, Kitchin, Lomon, MacIver, and Sarullo (2004) conducted a study of 119 undergraduates from an eastern university and discovered students who were bullies or were a bully-victim in elementary school and/or high school were also bullies or bully-victims in college. This study found there is more bullying in elementary schools than in high schools. At the elementary school level the bullying rate is at 14% and by the end of high school that rate drops down to 2%. According to the study those students who were bullied in elementary and high school experienced more verbal bullying than social bullying or physical bullying (Chapell et al., 2004). A study of 154 5th-grade students in a rural area in Georgia was conducted by Pellegrini, Bartini, and Brooks (1999) to find the factors linking the group connection and victimization in early teenage years. The participants were given a class list and the researchers requested participants to put their classmates in categories of whom they were friends with, who they liked the most, and who they liked the least. This study concluded bullies tend to group with other bullies due to their aggressive behavior toward others. Pellegrini, et al. (1999) also concluded victims of bullying tend to be friends with other victims. Bullies tend to have a positive view on bullying and victims have a negative view on bullying; which allows each group to become friends due to having the same view about bullying (Pellegrini et al., 1999). Pellegrini, et al. (1999) also distributed Olweuss Senior Questionaire to each participant. The questionnaire asked the participants five items about bullying other students, nine items about experience to direct and indirect victimization, and three items about individuals negative attitude toward bullying. Next the students were put into three groups; bullies, victims, and aggressive victims. Out of these participants 14% were put in the bullies group, 18% in the victims group, and 5% were aggressive victims. In this study bully results connected to anger and temperament. It was found that the leaders of the bully groups are those who use anger successfully. They also seem to validate their negative actions by having positive attitudes toward bullying. As for the victims group they do not support the use of anger to get things done. However, they may use proactive anger as a reaction to being bullied. This is an adaptive strategy used commonly among victims. These outcomes are also consistent with intervention work, if students in schools do not accept bullying rates of victimization decline (Pellegrini, et al., 1999). Dake, Price, and Telljohann (2003) explore the occurrence of school bullying actions and examine the connection between bullying and academic problems. The responsibility of school staff in bulling prevention is also explored. A quantitative research design was used in diverse settings, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Spain, Scotland, Austria, Japan, Canada, and the United States. The participants are all elementary school students in grades one through five. The frequency of victimization varies from a low of 11.3% in a sample of 5,813 students in Finland to a high of 49.8% in a nationwide sample (7,290) of students in Ireland. In the Unites States the estimated amount of students being bullied is 19% (Dake et al., 2003, p. 173). Studies agree a connection between bullying and academic performance exists but studies are not coherent in their results. A British study of children ages 8-13 found a harmful relationship between being bullied and the level of scholastic ability. The same study also showed a harmful relationship between children who bully and the level of scholastic ability. For the British both bullies and their victims demonstrated poorer scholastic ability. A comparable age study of children from the United States found victims and bullies suffered lower academic aptitude. Other school associated issues such as school changes (doing well in class, following school policies, completing homework) and school connection (getting good grades, being content at school, realizing school is serious). Students involved in school bulling had low levels of school adjustment and school bonding. The bullied were affected more than the bullies. Bullies were 2.1 times more likely to feel separated from school t han those not involved with bullying (Dake et al., 2003). In Pattersons (2005) article they define bullying for primary school children as when people are mean to someone or hurt them on purpose (Patterson, 2005, p. 27). This article brings a variety of other studies into his article. Collins et al. (2004) describes different types of bullying such as; physical bullying can be shoving, kicking, or hitting and direct verbal bullying includes spreading rumors, social exclusion, and telling tales (Patterson, 2005, p. 27). Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests 1 in 4 primary students are bullied (Patterson, 2005, p. 27). While Aggelton et al. (2000) says between 5% and 10% of children experience long-term persistent bullying which actively interferes with their mental health (Patterson, 2005, p. 27). Pattersons (2005) article continues on to say in the study done by Karstadt and Woods (1999) they indication a connection between mental health issues and bullying, with children often experience lowered self-esteem and depression. Thompson et al. (2002) suggest bullies experience more negative feelings and thoughts about themselves than their peers (Patterson, 2005, p. 28). For example: The bully may have problems of their own, maybe they will get bullied themselves, they are scared of getting picked on, they want to brag and seem strong, or many do not like themselves and so they pick on others. Kumpulainen and Rasanen (2000) state later in life children who have bullied remain troubled and they may be violent with criminal behaviors and convictions (Patterson, 2005). Greens (2007) research states statistics about students who committed suicide due to being bullied at school. This was from a studied done by Greenbaum (1991). The study states in Norway in 1984 three middle school students committed suicide after being bullied by classmates. In another study done by Barone (1997) the Japanese government reported a 13 year old hung himself after being bullied by classmates and gang members in his school and neighborhood (Green, 2007, p. 333). In Littleton, Colorado in 1999 two students committed suicide after killing 13, because they too had been victims of bullying (also known as the Columbine shooting) (Green, 2007). Dulmus, Sowers, and Theriot (2006) hypothesize a better understanding of the bully-victim, victims, and rural school bullying will be obtained from this study. The knowledge gained from this study will guide future studies as well as school or community based intervention programs to help the victims of bullying. The subjects studied were 192 primary and secondary school students from three different rural areas. The area of this study is severely poverty stricken. Nearly 43-61% of the participants get free or reduced lunch programs and about 12% do not even have a telephone in their homes. The student population is 98% Caucasian. Parent consent forms were signed before the study took place (Dulmus et al., 2006). The students completed an Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was designed for students grade three to ten. The questionnaire consists of 56 questions pertaining to perceptions, observations, and participations about different aspects of bullying in their school. Dulmus, et al. (2006) states for this study any student who reports experiencing any of the bullying behaviors at least two to three times a month is classified as a victim. The results read using chi-square and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests. Of 192 children in this study, 82 have experienced some type of bullying at least two to three times a month during the three months prior to data collection, including 60 victims. The other 22 victims meet criteria to be both bullied and a bully, or a bully-victim. This group is 11.5 percent of the total sample or 27% of the victim sub sample (Dulmus et al., 2006, p. 21). School-based intervention programs are an important feature that will be needed to counteract the bullying in the schools. According to Dulmus et al. (2006) participants who are victimized are more terrified of bullying. Forty to fifty percent of the participants state educators do little or nothing at all to offset the bullying in the schools. The study concluded future research needs to be conducted in order for victims needs to be met (Dulmus et al., 2006). Anti-Bullying Programs Dake, Price, and Telljohann (2003) found intervention of school bulling needs to become the number one concern. Peer intervention programs to decrease bulling have had modest results. The best approach to have is for the whole school to participate. The whole school participation would combine multiple activities to decrease bullying. To assist schools in the United States to determine what method of bully prevention works best, more studies need to be completed (Dake et al., 2003). In a study done by Siris and Osterman (2004) a group of elementary school teachers decide to do an action research in their classrooms school wide. These teachers noticed the victims of bullying in their school differed from their peers by looks, culture background, clothing, or actions. These victims tend to be lonely and insecure. The teachers study their classes for three weeks and identified conditions in which students picked for the study that experienced a sense of belonging, capability, and independence. The teachers began to pay more attention to students that were victims and ask the students more personal questions throughout the week for instance: What did you have for dinner last night or what do you do for fun (Siris et al., 2004, p. 290)? This action research concluded once the teachers started to pay more attention to these students and giving positive reinforcement they felt better about themselves, they were happier, enjoyed coming to school, and other students trea ted them better. An anti-bullying program could be as little as paying more attention to victims of bullying and giving them positive feedback by teachers (Siris et al., 2004). According to Whitted and Dupper, (2005), some of the best practices for preventing or reducing the prevalence of bullying within schools are as follows: (a) school-level interventions, (b) classroom-level interventions and (c) student-level interventions. A school-level intervention develops classroom and school wide rules prohibiting bullying and promote modeling of respectful and nonviolent behavior. (Whitted Dupper, p. 169). The message of bullying will be taken seriously is the message that needs to be sent. The bully must know bullying will not be tolerated; this idea must come directly from the principal and be followed through by the administration and teachers. Having a written policy in the school community with a clear definition of what bullying is and the procedures to report incidents is an integral part of the plan. Parents must be encouraged to report if they suspect their child being bullied or being a bully. According to this study (as cited in Rigby, 1995) an evalu ation will increase school staff awareness about the characteristics, popularity, and consequences of bullying. After the needs assessment the coordination of a committee should take place states Whitted and Dupper. The committee should arrange to improve the supervision in the sections of the school that lack it and bullying usually occurs (Whitted Dupper, 2005). Classroom level involvement includes educators integrating bullying prevention materials into the curriculum, and holding classroom meetings to discuss bullying. Involving students in creating and implementing classroom rules against bullying and discussing the importance of bystanders in stopping bullying are two interventions discussed by Whitted and Dupper (2005). This study states (as cited in Rigby, 1995) programs instructing bystanders to notice and report bullying have the biggest influence on reducing bullying (Whitted Dupper, 2005). Garrity, Jens, Porter, Sager, and Short-Camilli (2004) give positive feedback on an anti-bullying program good for schools to use. The program is called Bully Proofing Your School. Throughout the article it does give some interesting statistics about bullies. One statistic is that children who are recognized as a bully by the age of eight are six times more likely than non-bullies to be found guilty of a criminal actions by the age of 24. The second statistic is by age 30 students who were bullies are five times as more probable to have a serious criminal record. It states several times in the article anti-bullying programs are best effective the earlier they are started in childrens education. The study indicates by the time aggressive students reach middle and high school, thought patterns and maladaptive behaviors have solidified into habit, often rendering intervention extremely problematic (Garrity et al., 2004, p. 186). This study also cites another study from Hoover and Oliver (1996) as saying educators need a minimum of 20 hours of instruction to be taught on how to intervene and instruct students with troubled and troubling behaviors (Garrity et al., 2004, p. 186). The article goes further into depth of what comes with the Bully-Proofing Your School program and how each item or manual is effective. Garrity et al. (2004) suggests for this program to work schools should utilize their administrators, teachers, specialists, and behavioral teams to implement the program. The program provides training for schools and parents who choose to utilize it (Garrity et al., 2004). Greens (2007) research discusses a variety of different studies and how important it is to implement an anti-bullying program into schools world wide. Interventions have promising benefits and should be used more often by schools. Some benefits from intervention is students will feel safer at the school they attend, bullies will benefit because several studies show if left alone they show social failure and failure in academics, and if nothing is done to stop bullying it can escalate to more serious violence. According to the article some tips to prevent bullying at schools from another study by Hazler, Hoover, and Oliver (1993) is that bullying does exist and that all school personnel understand this problem. Administrators next step is to train their staff on the steps they must take to handle bullying. Finally, there needs to be a familiar comprehensive plan for the members of the entire staff can follow with ease. Green (2007) quotes, When we listen to our students, we can bring our perception of bullying closer to reality (Green, 2007, p. 336). The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (1994) is an anti-bullying program intended for ages 6-15 years old. The efforts of this program are aimed at improving peer relationships and making the school environment a safe place to learn. In this intervention all students take part with the students who bully or victims receiving additional help. The program first identifies some of the risk factors of bullying. The Bullying Prevention Program includes the following approaches: information sharing, counseling, behavior modifications, parent training classes, and in school curriculum. Each part is as important as the next in successfully implementing this program (Olweus, 1994). This study goes on to state nine positive remarks about his program; which was evaluated by 2500 students from grades four through seven in Bergen. Here are some of the positive feedbacks from the results of the study: Classes agreed that they show a de

Kate Chopins novella, The Awakening Essay -- English Literature

Kate Chopin's novella, The Awakening In Kate Chopin's novella, The Awakening, the reader is introduced into a society that is strictly male-dominated where women fill in the stereotypical role of watching the children, cooking, cleaning and keeping up appearances. Writers often highlight the values of a certain society by introducing a character who is alienated from their culture by a trait such as gender, race or creed. In Chopin's Awakening, the reader meets Edna Pontellier, a married woman who attempts to overcome her "fate", to avoid the stereotypical role of a woman in her era, and in doing so she reveals the surrounding society's assumption and moral values about women of Edna's time. Edna helps to reveal the assumptions of her society. The people surrounding her each day, particularly women, assume their roles as "housewives"; while the men are free to leave the house, go out at night, gamble, drink and work. Edna surprises her associates when she takes up painting, which represents a working job and independence for Edna. Leonce does not appreciate this. The reader sees how he assumes what she should be doing from this quote on page 57: "Mr.Pontellier had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met a certain tacit submissiveness in his wife. But her new and unexpected line of conduct completely bewildered him. ... Then her absolute disregard for her duties as a wife angered him." Leonce says himself, "It seems to me the utmost folly for a woman at the head of a household, and the mother of children, to spend in an atelier [meaning a studio for painting] days which would be better employed contriving for the comfort of her family." This quote is rather symbolic as it uses the word "emplo... ...men surrounding her succumb to in life. By defying these "laws" Edna makes clear the morals that all the other women value; the satisfaction of their husband, the acceptance of society, and the conformity to stereotypical roles of a woman. In The Awakening, Edna is used as a tool to emphasize the surrounding society's assumptions of a woman and the morals that they value. Often, a character is set apart from their culture for this sole purpose, to stress a point the author wants to make. In this case, Chopin wants to show the reader how male dominated society has been, how quickly women succumb to their "roles", and how easily people can be shaped to consider a different and all too meaningless set of morals. Edna is strategically alienated in the novella so as the reader can discover society's assumptions and moral values of the era and up until today.

In the Road of Becoming a Novelist Essay -- passion, novelist career, s

â€Å"Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.† -Terri Guillemets. Passion is like a fuel, it keeps us moving in life. It is medication to our wounds that hurt us internally, yet, it can be the road to success and satisfaction. Passion is the world people run to when reality shuts them down. Painting, dancing, writing, math, and endless hobbies can be someones passion, and all of those things lead to careers, big or small it does not matter. Finding passion could be hard for some people and easier for others. I am one of the people who have found their passion. My passion is writing. I want to become a novelist but before I can do so, I must know the education to become a novelist, the knowledge on how the job process works, and how it fits my career ideals. The very first answer starts with Education. Education is generally the start of success. It blooms one’s skills and expands one’s knowledge. The education a novelist must take is really nothing. Surprising right? Think about back in the older centuries where education isn’t open to everyone, yet there was so many great scholars and writers with poor education. Becoming a novelist isn’t all about the education, rather it is about the skills instead. In order to build the skills, education is needed. I must build my English grammar skills in order to become a decent writer. That means writing as much as I can. After high school it’s a good idea for me to enter into a college even if a post secondary isn’t needed, unless I want to write in a specialized area such as scientific writing, I will then need a Bachelors degree in Science of Technical writing. Same thing with a journalist, a journalist must have a Bachelors degree in communication, English, or journali... ....†- Criss Jami. Works Cited "Fiction Writer Job Description, Career as a Fiction Writer." - StateUniversity.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. "How to Become a Writer: Education and Training Requirements for Becoming a Professional Writer." Educhoices.org. EduChoices, 12 Aug. 2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. "How to Publish a Book: An Overview of Traditional & Self-Publishing." How To Publish a Book: An Overview of Traditional & Self-Publishing. F+W Media, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. "Novel Writing Careers | Salary | Information :TheArtCareerProject.com."TheArtCareerProjectcom RSS. The Art Career Project, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. Smith, Dominic. "The Millions." : How Many Novelists Are at Work in America? The Millions, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. "Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2014.

Essay --

As I began my research for this essay, it became clearly obvious that there is no consensus on the roots of nations. From Gellner to Smith, a million little points in time and space can be credited for the creation of a nation, which in itself carries various meanings and connotations. Believing that both modernists, who interpret nationalism as being associated with industrial economy and centralized authority, and primordialists, who argue nations are ancient and natural phenomena, make valid points, I have opted to adhere to Michael Mann’s explanation that the structure of nations ‘had multiple causes and stages cascading on top of each other in unexpected and unfortunate ways. They were contingent because different causal chains, each of which we can trace and explain quite well, came together in a way that we cannot explain in terms of either of them, yet which proved timely for the outcome’ (Mann 2012: 3). Nevertheless, despite the range of explanations for nationalism, one concept is reoccurring. Humans, either in their local, state or international societies, are driven by power, and those who have the ability to force their decisions upon others yield power. Regardless of the fact that colonialism and imperialism are no longer recognized as current practices, international society still exists under the umbrella of neo-colonial influences, of which globalization is a product of. In this essay, I will explore the status of the nation and nationalism as it currently exists under neo-colonial influences. For long-term survival, human cultures, and therefore nations, have had to adapt to different environments and shifting conditions. Today’s technological growth has challenged nations to adjust at an ever-faster pace, unse... ...each into the international community. This is evident in the types of nationalism I’ve explored, both new nationalism and cosmopolitanism. They are opposing views of what nationalism is or can become in the future, but both have qualities that allow smaller nations to continue their existence in the international society. I have inadvertently expressed my opinion that nations are structurally political and that it is in the interest of their leaders to appeal to their unique traditions in order to maintain their power. Either way, the choice between these two approaches rests on the hands of the nation and its relationship with the international society. Globalization does not hinder the existence of the nation but rather helps it establish a place in the structure of power in a world which is still dominated by politically and economically dominant super powers.

Love or Fame: Which is More Important?

The issue regarding which is more important, love and family ties or fame and political power are issues that are always present in every generation. Well, which is really more important that we should devote our lives in search for the more important thing? Is blood really thicker than water? It is a subjective topic in which persons have different experiences and stand about the subject matter. This paper aims to answer this question by referring to three different epic plays: Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles, and Aeneid by Virgil. It is also important to look at the values and actions displayed by the characters of the stories and to analyze whether they are still applicable in our contemporary time. In the story of Antigone, Haemon must choose between her love for Antigone and the fame and political power that await him if he obeys his father. Now Haemon is facing a dilemma because of the conflict between his love and his father. The same choice goes for Antigone for she wants to give her brother the honor of being buried in the right way. However, doing so would mean that she must disobey King Creon’s order. Disobeying the king does not only take the opportunity to be the princess by marrying the king’s son, Haemon, but her own life as well. But Antigone and Haemon decided to follow their hearts. In the end, Antigone killed herself. Knowing that his love is death, Haemon also decided to end his life. Thus, their value for their love ones cost them their own lives. However, they still gain the respect and sympathy of the people of Thebes. It can be said that the actions of Antigone and Haemon are not applicable in our present time. Although there are several movies that portray the same idea, this rarely happen in reality. It is a very rare case in which lovers decided to end their lives since it is impossible for them to be together. They can be considered as martyrs rather than heroes because of the act. Antigone also displays the kind of courage and determination that is greatly needed in our society today. Although she is a woman, she defies the odds and even the king for what she believes is right. Adding to the fact that she lives in the period when woman are considered inferior to man. This kind of courage is really needed by the present generation. Not only woman but men as well that have the courage to stand up and are willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to make a change. Today, although woman are accepted by our society and are ‘said’ to be equal to men, there are still some times that they are afraid to speak out and fight for their rights. Also both men and women are sometimes afraid to question some of the things that they find unjust in the society. They are afraid to face the consequences and are unwilling to make a change to improve social order. This characteristic is really needed in our society today, the courage to fight for what is right even if the whole society is against us. If only there are those like Antigone that are willing to give it all in order to make a change, I’m sure that our society will be a better place to live. On the other hand, King Creon cannot consider himself victorious. His persistence and determination to exercise his power over the people of Thebes had a considerably great cost. Not only had he lost the sympathy of the people of Thebes and the approval of the gods but the life of his son and wife as well. His authority blinded him and the result is loosing the persons that he values the most. If our present leaders will demonstrate the same reason and behavior like that of King Creon, the people will surely revolt and take their powers and authority away and give it to someone more deserving and just. The people will surely not tolerate such actions. In the Aeneid, Dido falls in love with Aeneas. They live together that makes Dido thinks that they are really husbands and wives. However, due to Aeneas vision of building a great city, he left Dido. Thus, Dido killed herself using Aeneas own sword. This action by Dido can also be considered as inappropriate in our time. Having that wealth and power is what everyone wants and throwing it all away together with your life is a very foolish thing to do. The same thing also goes for Aeneas, staying beside Dido ensures that a good future awaits him. No one would dare to exchange a wealthy living to a future that is unknown especially putting his or her own life on the line. But Aeneas is in search of greater glory and power. He pursues his desire to build a strong city. Indeed, he was able to build a great city and fulfill his destiny. He was a successful warrior, leader and founder and was able to fulfill a great vision. Still, things had not been easy for him. He also lost some of his love ones including his beloved wife and father. On the story of Oedipus, Oedipus chooses love over power. Although his known father Polybus is the King of Corinth, Oedipus decided to ran away from Corinth, sacrificing his title as the prince and the opportunity to be the future king. The fear of killing his father and marrying his mother had been the basis of his actions. In order to protect the people that he loves and to thwart the destiny that had been foretold about him, Oedipus lost everything that can be considered of great value, the easy and good life that he has in Corinth. In the end, he blinded himself and left Thebes without anything because of the words that he had given and as a punishment for all that he had done.   T oday, such punishment is not applicable and no one will also have the courage to do such thing. There are so many ways in which you can pay the wrong things that you had done and doing something like what Oedipus did is something unimaginable.   Death would be more acceptable than to suffer in the same way like Oedipus suffers. In the case of Queen Jocasta and King Creon, no one would abandon his or her child because of a prophecy. Abandoning a child at an early age is a very terrible thing to do. Yes there are times that we consult things like tarot reading, fortune telling an the likes in search for the answers to our questions about the future, but these visions are never considered as the primary basis of making decisions especially when life is involve. The respect given by the characters to the members of their family is also needed in the contemporary time. Today, youths are said to be losing respect especially to their parents whom they owe everything. Respect is a very important component of building a strong family ties. Also, respect for the authorities is needed in building a strong nation. Conflicts and wars arise because of the lost of respect to those who have the authority and to the right of every individual to live a peaceful life. In the three stories, those who value their family and love ones so much ended up in misfortune. The same thing goes for those who wanted to protect and achieve power. Thus, to search for love and for power both have negative consequences. To pursue love means to put your own life in the line and to face several hardships, to pursue power means to endanger the lives of the persons that you love and be left alone. Whether to choose love and family over fame and political power is really a big decision. You cannot have the best of both worlds. To pursue love means to let go of powers and fame and vise versa. Also we cannot really determine which is important, whether to choose love and family ties over fame and power depends upon the situation. What is important is that we do not only consider our own benefit in making the right decision. Also the stories show that to pursue love and power is not wrong, however living your life to attain just one of them is sure to cost you a lot. In making a decision we should both consider the heart and as well as the mind in order to come up with the right decision. Reference GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). The Aeneid. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/aeneid/fullsumm.html GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). Oedipus the King. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/oedipus/section3.html GradeSaver LLC,. (2007). Antigone. Retrieved December 8, 2007 from http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/antigone/section3.html         

King Richard III by William Shakespeare Essay

T he plays depict the collapse of English control over parts of France and the bitter and fierce internal struggles between the Houses of Lancaster and York in the fight to gain the crown of England. King Richard III is regarded (Hume 202) as a piece of prop aganda support ing the Tudor monarchs who succeeded Richard after he was killed in battle . This essay examine s how the theme of conscience is evidenced in Shakespeare’s play, and how the issues addressed are reflected in my daily life. (100 words) One prominent theme in the drama is the theme of conscience. Throughout the drama, Richard,  Duke of Gloucester, murders and betrays to gain the English crown. His conscience , however, is evident. In Act I scene iii, Margaret, an exiled former queen , has a special curse for Richard , who kille d her husband and her son (lines 224 – 9) : The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul. Thy friends suspect for traitors while thou liv’st, And take deep traitors for thy dearest friends. No sleep close up that deadly eye of thine, Unless it be while some tormenting dream Affrights thee with a hell of ugly devils. Most of Margaret’s curses are fulfilled during the play. Richard struggles  with his heavy conscience. In Act IV scene I Lady An ne , his wife is distressed to learn that she is to be crowned his queen, and speaks of her unhappiness and his guilty conscience: For never yet one hour in his bed Have I enjoy’d the golden dew of sleep, But have been waked by his timorous dreams. Spec tacularly, in the scene before the battle at Bosworth, King Richard is visited by the ghosts of h i s victims . His soliloquy in Act V scene iii suggests that he is overcome by a ‘coward conscience’ (lines 191 – 6) : O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me! The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight. Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. 2 The theme is developed . Co nscience can be a manipulative tool used by cowards , Richard declares: Let not our babbling dreams affright our souls: Conscience is but a word that cowards use, Devised at first to keep the strong in awe: Our strong arms be our conscience, swords our law. I shall now consider how conscience relates to my daily life. It has often been remarked (e. g. G ui 203; Palfreyman 80) that Richard’s assertiveness, his strength and determination command a respect of their own, his crimes aside. Every day, I read in the papers that someone has exercised ruthless power over other people in some way, and so made ‘swords [their] law’ to wi n a contest, whether it be in the form of school bullying, or rise to political power as in this play. I am still unclear as to how far we should assert ourselves to gain things that we want at others’ expense like this. It frightens me that I can understa nd such tyrants and see them as essentially very human. Such things are an integral part of life and ourselves and will never go away. I believe, though, that  there is such a thing as conscience, yet whether it is only something we have been taught is har d to establish. It is possible to see Shakespeare’s play as an elaborate wish fulfillment or fantasy, therefore. In sum, Shakespeare directs us to focus , non – simplistically, on tyranny and ruthlessness in our midst. In a sense , the portrayal of Richard as a man with a conscience and, at the same time, with astute manipulative powers gives the drama unresolved humanistic problems. We may need to ask ourselves how far we can go to attain our ends while still sleeping at night.

Humanity Case Essay

Humanity.   Perhaps this is the only word that can explain the strange comings and goings of the man from Nazareth, called Jesus.   â€Å"The Lost Tomb of Jesus,† aired March 3, on the Discovery Channel, an amazing piece of documentary.   In the city of Jerusalem, in the midst of an apartment complex, was found a place of burial.   Perhaps the burial place of, Mary Magdalene, her son Judah, and two brothers-in-law, Simon and James.   Were these the relatives of Jesus the Christ, in the scheme of things the question seems to be irrelevant. Humanity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although there is great emphasis placed on the Christ, the Messiah.   Very few people seem interested at all in Jesus’ humanity.   People are offended at the thought that Jesus may have deigned to have been with a woman, much less married to a whore.   Yet this is the very story told in Hosea.   God’s unquestioning love of even, maybe most especially, one who would be unfaithful.   It seems to me of all of Jesus’ disciples, Mary is the one who ‘got it.’   Only an outcast could truly understand the message of Christ.   To be offered kindness, when only suffering has come at the hands of man, is an indescribable miracle.   How Mary must have loved this man, Jesus.   The Divine, the Christ.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jesus’ humanity is controversial.   And I don’t know why.   If Jesus was not fully human, how could God come to know what it is to be human?   To struggle?   To be defeated?   To know unbridled joy?   To be shortsighted as man is and yet still have the ability to hope.   How God must love us for that!   Yes, ‘all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.’   Who among us is not aware of their own shortcomings?   Everyone I know.   To be human is to be all to aware of what we are not.   Was that the purpose of Jesus’ coming?   To remind each of us of our all too familiar failures?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Many others are outraged that anyone should question the Divinity of Christ, as though questioning such a thing changes the very nature of God?   Hardly.   What question could man possibly ask that could be found to be offensive to God?   Yet, this question of Divinity versus Humanity, people seem to struggle over.   Christ is all or none.   Even those who would say Jesus was both human and God, cannot admit that Jesus could have succumbed in his humanity to be human.   And what a terrible misrepresentation.   All throughout the Bible God is represented as part of humankind.   Why would humanity be denied what most Christians’ believe to be God’s only Son.   There is of course, great misrepresentation and misunderstanding about the chronology of the canon.    That Jesus’ divinity was not even declared until 300 years after his death.   By whom?   Why man of course?   I wonder if God would be pleased with all that the ‘church’, not the body, has accomplished?   Just recently, I visited a new church and although I liked the people.   I was saddened when the pastor started talking about the ‘building’ fund.   Is this what Christianity has been reduced to?   Buildings?   What of the starving?   What of the homeless?   What of the person who has not known the kindness of a human touch, due to illness or simple isolation?   What of these?   Does God not plague us to be in touch with his light, his life, his children?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Lost Tomb of Jesus is a wonderful representation of the possibility that Jesus was all he said he was.   A miracle.   A blessing in disguise.   Both human and Divine.   Just like the rest of us.   A bit of God rests in us all at the heart of God’s highest creation, mankind.   Rejoice!   Awake!   God is among us!   Living when we thought he was dead!   Alleluia!   Jesus is Alive!