Siera Fitzhugh Essays (849 words) - American Culture, Psychotherapy

Siera Fitzhugh Colleen Harvel English 217-C4019 May 24, 2017 American Dream An essay titled " The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? " is a prime example of how the "American Dream" is perceived in so many ways. The author, Brandon King defines the state of the American Dream this way "I would redefine the American Dream today as the potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future" (573). King believes that t his definition still holds true even though there are others who do not. 47 percent of the American population believes this redefinition needs to be redefined again. Since 2011, when his article was published, the economy has gotten worse for many Americans. For the last 50 years' people rarely found themselves in ever growing fear of losing or finding a job, home, car or basic needs. In the past, they found homes and apartments affordable, and food available at reasonable prices. Many made annual trips to Disney World every year to reap the rewards of their hard-earned mon ey. Now a new reality has taken hold that threatens to destroy that dream and affect the dreams of many Americans. In Brandon King's "The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?" he concludes the American Dream still lives on, but with the ever-expanding gap between the wealthy and the middle class, many people say they increasingly find their dream unattainable. Bankruptcies, foreclosures and homelessness have risen to high levels. Isn't it time to redefine, again, what their priorities should be in this uncertain world. Today's American dream is about surviving not just progressing. The local economy and the global forces and economic pressures have affected people's prospects in achieving a rich lifestyle and rely heavily on government entitlements and programs which so many criticize as going in the wrong direction. In reality, entitlements like Medicaid, food assistance (SNAP), Medicare and Social Security have helped so many Americans survive through these hard times, although many of these programs do not form part of the American Dream in many minds. In the past many Americans depended on manufacturing jobs for their livelihood. When they got a job, there was a great amount of certainty that they could rely on it to progress and sustain a healthy lifestyle for their family to buy a home, car and everything that came with it. Today those jobs have gone to other developing nations who can afford to hire employees at low wage. Many believe there is a worldwide trend towards government and the private sector merging together to preserve the American way of life and their well-being, which is the future answer to solve our economic woes. In his article, King states "providing money to businesses may encourage them to hire more people, thereby increasing job opportunities." (575). But not even President Obama's $33 billion tax credit was not enough to substantially increase jobs in the market. To the contrary, it has gotten more difficult and complicated to keep the job market growing at a satisfactory pace. King claims, "If the Great Recession has taught us anything, it is that planning for the future by saving more and enacting policies that sustain economic growth are what will keep the American Dream alive." Many economists believe that rather than having the resources divided among different competing groups, individuals should be giving unregulated economic freedom to selfishly improve their lot and eventually their efforts would trickle down to the rest of society. Though this thought worked for America for many decade s, the global markets have no dictates what control we have over the economy. Can Americans keep on redefining The American Dream to suit their perception of it? King recognizes there are issues and questions of what the dream really means when he states, "The American Dream, however, is based on perception; on the way, someone imagines how to be successful." (575). Many do believe this to be the case. Otherwise uncertainty and desperation would follow if people stopp ed dreaming about their future. T he dream, however redefined, must go forward regardless of what the reality really is. If the people continue to redefine their dream, some

Introduction and Overview to World War I

Introduction and Overview to World War I World War I was a major conflict fought in Europe and around the world between July 28, 1914, and November 11, 1918. Nations from across all non-polar continents were involved,  although Russia, Britain, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary dominated.  Much of the war was characterized by stagnant trench warfare and massive loss of life in failed attacks; over eight million people were killed in battle. Belligerent Nations The war was fought by two main power blocks: the Entente Powers, or Allies, comprised of Russia, France, Britain (and later the U.S.), and their allies on one side and the Central Powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey, and their allies on the other. Italy later joined the Entente. Many other countries played smaller parts on both sides. Origins  of World War I European politics in the early twentieth century were a dichotomy: many politicians thought war had been banished by progress while others, influenced partly by a fierce arms race, felt war was inevitable. In Germany, this belief went further: the war should happen sooner rather than later, while they still (as they believed) had an advantage over their perceived major enemy, Russia. As Russia and France were allied, Germany feared an attack from both sides.  To mitigate this threat, the Germans developed the Schlieffen Plan, a swift looping attack on France designed to knock it out early, allowing for concentration on Russia. Rising tensions culminated on June 28th, 1914 with the assassination of  Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand  by a Serbian activist, an ally of Russia. Austro-Hungary asked for German support and was promised a blank cheque; they declared war on Serbia on July 28th. What followed was a sort of domino effect as more and more nations joined the fight. Russia mobilized to support Serbia, so Germany declared war on Russia; France then declared war on Germany. As German troops swung through Belgium into France days later, Britain declared war on Germany too. Declarations continued until much of Europe was at war with each other. There was widespread public support. World War I on Land After the swift German invasion of France was stopped at the Marne, the race to the sea followed as each side tried to outflank each other ever closer to the English Channel. This left the entire Western Front divided by over 400 miles of trenches, around which the war stagnated. Despite massive battles like Ypres, little progress was made and a battle of attrition emerged, caused partly by German intentions to bleed the French dry at Verdun and Britains attempts on the Somme. There was more movement on the Eastern Front with some major victories, but there was nothing decisive and the war carried on with high casualties. Attempts to find another route into their enemy’s territory led to the failed Allied invasion of Gallipoli, where Allied forces held a beachhead but were halted by fierce Turkish resistance. There was also conflict on the Italian front, the Balkans, the Middle East, and smaller struggles in colonial holdings where the warring powers bordered each other. World War I at Sea Although the build-up to war had included a naval arms race between Britain and Germany, the only large naval engagement of the conflict was the Battle of Jutland, where both sides claimed victory. Instead, the defining struggle involved submarines and the German decision to pursue Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (USW). This policy allowed submarines to attack any target they found, including those belonging to the neutral United States, which caused the latter to enter the war in 1917 on behalf of the Allies, supplying much-needed manpower. Victory Despite Austria-Hungary becoming little more than a German satellite, the Eastern Front was the first to be resolved, the war causing massive political and military instability in Russia, leading to the Revolutions of 1917, the emergence of socialist government and surrender on December 15. Efforts by the Germans to redirect manpower and take the offensive in the west failed and, on November 11, 1918 (at 11:00 am), faced with allied successes, massive disruption at home and the impending arrival of vast US manpower, Germany signed an Armistice, the last Central power to do so. Aftermath Each of the defeated nations signed a treaty with the Allies, most significantly the Treaty of Versailles which was signed with Germany, and which has been blamed for causing further disruption ever since. There was devastation across Europe: 59 million troops had been mobilized, over 8 million died and over 29 million were injured. Huge quantities of capital had been passed to the now emergent United States and the culture of every European nation was deeply affected and the struggle became known as The Great War or The War to End All Wars. Technical Innovation World War I  was the first to make major use of machine guns, which soon showed their defensive qualities. It was also the first to see poison gas used on the battlefields, a weapon which both sides made use of, and the first to see tanks, which were initially developed by the allies and later used to great success. The use of aircraft evolved from simply reconnaissance to a whole new form of aerial warfare. Modern View Thanks partly to a generation of war poets who recorded the horrors of the war and a generation of historians who castigated the Allied high command for their decisions and ‘waste of life’ (Allied soldiers being the Lions led by Donkeys), the war was generally viewed as a pointless tragedy. However, later generations of historians have found mileage in revising this view. While the Donkeys have always been ripe for recalibration, and careers built on provocation have always found material (such as Niall Fergusons The Pity of War), the centenary commemorations found historiography split between a phalanx wishing to create a new martial pride and sideline the worst of the war to create an image of a conflict well worth fighting and then truly won by the allies, and those who wished to stress the alarming and pointless imperial game millions of people died for. The war remains highly controversial and as subject to attack and defense as the newspapers of the day.

Figurative and Alternate Meanings for 20 Medical Terms

Figurative and Alternate Meanings for 20 Medical Terms Figurative and Alternate Meanings for 20 Medical Terms Figurative and Alternate Meanings for 20 Medical Terms By Mark Nichol Words used to describe medical conditions or phenomena often acquire new connotations by extension of the original meaning, though sometimes the medical meaning followed rather than fostered the other. Here are twenty such terms and their other senses, as well as the initial definition. 1. Anemic: lacking in some quality, such as energy, interest, quantity, or substance (blood deficiency, resulting in a lack of vitality) 2. Artery: a communication or transportation channel, especially a major one (vessels that carry blood from the heart throughout the body) 3. Articulation: the action, manner, or state of being joined, or expressing or uttering sounds or words; also, an obstruction (a joint or juncture in an animal) 4. Cataracts: waterfalls or steep rapids, or torrents (a clouding of the eye that obstructs light) this word, from the Latin term for a portcullis, a gate that is lowered from above, likely acquired the medical connotation later, from the resemblance of the clouding to a sheet of water 5. Diagnosis: an analysis or investigation, or its conclusion (using signs and symptoms to identify a disease, or the identification itself) 6. Dyspeptic: disgruntled (suffering from indigestion) 7. Hallucination: delusion (false perception caused by drugs or a nervous system disorder, or the object so perceived) 8. Hemorrhage: a significant loss or release (a heavy flow of blood) 9. Morbid: melancholy or gruesome, or related to death (pertaining to or affected by or causing disease) 10. Nasal: a vocal quality suggestion obstruction in the nose (pertaining to the nose) 11. Nerve: boldness, strength, or a sensitive issue (tissue that connects components of an organism’s nervous system, or sinews or tendons) 12. Oral: spoken (pertaining to the mouth, or to personality traits or a stage of psychological development) 13. Paralysis: incapacity or powerlessness (loss of ability to sense and move part or all of the body) 14. Plethora: abundance, excess (an excess of blood) 15. Postmortem: an analysis or discussion of an event after it has occurred (an autopsy) 16. Prognosis: forecast (chances for recovery from disease) 17. Sanguine: bloodthirsty, or optimistic (pertaining to blood, or having a ruddy complexion) 18. Schizophrenia: antagonistic or contrary attitudes or qualities (a psychiatric disorder marked by delusion of perception and thought) 19. Surgical: marked by precision (pertaining to medical operations) 20. Umbilical: used in references to excessive emotional attachment (pertaining to the navel or the center of the abdomen) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Wether, Weather, WhetherThe Possessive ApostropheMankind vs. Humankind

Framing, persuasion, and emotions Research Paper

Framing, persuasion, and emotions - Research Paper Example There has been an emphasis on the need to use gain-framed messages that promote positive behavioral changes by highlighting the potential benefits of behavior adjustments. On the other hand, many scholars have highlighted that loss-framed messages may promote the undesirable behavior. Notably, both gain-frames and loss-framed messages may contain similar information. However, different studies have revealed that gain-framed and loss-framed messages have a different capacity in persuading people. According to Seo and Shen (2013), there are different persuasive effects of gain and loss framing. These authors recognized that gain and loss framing determined the kind of decision that individuals are interacting with the message made in the end. The researchers placed emphasis on the need for advanced research in an effort to identify the frameworks that explain the different persuasive effects of gain and loss framing. Seo and Shen also explored the need to combine visual images with a persuasive message. They highlighted that visual imagery combined with framing registers a high level of persuasion. These authors highlighted the exemplification theory is of critical importance in explaining how a mediating mechanism does exist between an image and the persuasive outcome. In addition, the authors highlighted that the duo coding theory is of critical importance in understanding how verbal and nonverbal mental systems encode information gained from the interaction with the enviro nment. Because the verbal, mental system focuses on language and symbols, the non-verbal system gives close attention to non-symbolic types of information. For this reason, framing corresponds to the verbal system while the use of visual images corresponds to the non-verbal system. Seo and Shen also described persuasion as a process, which constitutes of numerous linked changes. For this

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION IN ORGANISATIONS Assignment

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION IN ORGANISATIONS - Assignment Example 88). Innovation introduces a change, a new combination from what is familiar. Schumpeter, a pioneer in the study of innovation and entrepreneurship, posits that the main force that brings about this structural change is the â€Å"perennial gale of creative destruction† (Schumpeter, 1942). Thinking out of the box seems to be one valuable trait of innovators and entrepreneurs. Although related, the processes of innovation and entrepreneurship are different. Innovation is sparked by a new idea. The idea can be a new technology such as a gadget that can provide more convenience to consumers, a new service like an alternative form of relaxation, a new product, or even a new administrative procedure. Such ideas are driven by needs that are seen by the innovators. Innovation requires creativity. Engle, Mah & Sadri (1997) define Creativity as the ability to develop ideas through one of three processes. One is creation or the development of something new. Another is the synthesis or combination of concepts. The third process is modification or the changing or improvement of things (Anderson, 1992). Indulging in such processes makes the entrepreneur a creative thinker who modifies or rejects previously accepted ideas to build innovations from practically anything. In organizations, innovation becomes the growth of a new idea from its initial state into its actualized form as a full-blown innovation (Roberts, 2006). Schumpeter (1939) mentions various types of innovations: the introduction of new products, new methods of production and new forms of business organization as well as the penetration of new input—and output markets. The people who drive and protect the innovative ideas are the entrepreneurs. They are responsible in designing and developing a programme of activities that push the innovative idea forward.

Cellular Phones on the Road :: essays research papers

Cellular phones are one of the most widely and most popular forms of communication today. Cell phones are so easily accessible and portable that it only makes sense that cell phones and automobiles will sometimes go together. Cell phones are a cause of some of the accidents we see today, but does this mean we should ban the use of them all together or just change the way we go about using them?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An article published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997, reported the results of a study of 699 drivers in Canada. All were phone-using drivers who had been involved in a collision. The study concluded, â€Å"Collision risk is four times greater if you use a phone while driving† (Burk). In another study conducted by Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal in 1998, found that if a driver is in an accident while using a wireless phone, the chances are nine times greater that it will be a fatal accident.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a lot of controversy going on right now and so far New York is the only one state that has outlawed the use of cellular phones while driving. Many other states are in the process of trying to get this new law passed. As for Missouri, the legislation is still in committee and we wont know any more until the next time they meet to discuss this, in January 2002. Talking on a cell phone, in my opinion, while driving is no more dangerous that lighting a cigarette, operating the radio or dealing with children and I don’t think there is much chance of getting all of these things outlawed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A 1996 study be the Japanese National Policy Agency found that â€Å"many phone-related crashes occurred while the driver was responding to a call, which included being startled or distracted by the ringing, dropping the phone or tuning to pick it up† (Burk). If people would just be smarter about how they use their cellular phones by doing things such as, not responding to a call while in a trying traffic situation, setting the phone on a lower ringing volume while in their vehicle, etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Many people who use wireless phones while they drive argue that the benefits of their phones (flexibility and convenience) outweigh any potential risks† (Radelmeier 27). Almost all of the people, who responded to a survey given by Motorola, argue that wireless phones increase their flexibility.

Individual Optimism and Health

Iris Hobnobs Optimists take proactive steps to protect their physical and mental health as well as focusing on goals that benefit their socioeconomic standing. â€Å"The trait of optimism may provide cognitive, coping, and contextual resources that promote better mental health† (Carver, et al. , 2010. P. 880 up. 2). Optimism is a behavioral trait that describes people who look for the positive in a situation. Optimism can help people cope in negative situations and lead to greater well-being.Optimists ability to cope with negative situations gives them increased opportunity to succeed and live healthier lives, compared to pessimists, because they believe a positive result is more likely. Comparatively, optimists should be measured the same against pessimists on a scale of very pessimistic to very optimistic with the majority of people falling somewhere in the middle (Carver, et al. , 2010). People display varying degrees of capability when confronted with positive and negative situations and tend to react based on their acquired behavior.Past experiences can affect the espouse of a person to either pessimism or optimism depending on whether the cause was permanent or temporary (Peterson & Salesman, 1984). How a person responds can influence the ultimate outcome of a situation whether it pertains to physical or psychological health. Psychologically, optimists seek a positive outcome in the face of negative causes or conditions that range in influence anywhere from benign to malignant.A person dealing with a stressful situation There are rare instances in which optimists fall short on their ability to overcome a negative tuition, which are mostly discounted due to the specificity of situations. For example, if a pregnant mother is optimistic about the health of her baby but has a miscarriage despite her positive attitude. A mother's optimism for her child's health did not influence the possibility of a miscarriage and left her especially vulnerable because she had not prepared herself to deal with the possible negative outcome.This situation is uncommon because the prevalence of medical assistance in most industrialized nations supports an optimistic viewpoint for the birth of a healthy child. Past causes that have a persistent negative effect can influence a person to think pessimistically because the stability of negative effects increases the likelihood of a perceived negative outcome. Conversely, temporary negative effects can influence a person to think more optimistically because the negative effects do not have a strong enough correlation with the perceived outcome (Peterson & Salesman, 1984).The idea that ‘everything will turn out all right in the end' removes a person's need to analyze potential negative conditions due to the eventual positive outcome. By not focusing on the potential negative conditions, the level of distress experienced during negative situations is decreased, also fostering continued dispositional o ptimism. Therefore, optimism is seen as an acquired behavioral trait and coping mechanism and can be taught to pessimists to improve their well-being.Patients with terminal illnesses may overlook the negative conditions of their illness by emphasizing the positive conditions with dispositional optimism. Researchers have also found that a person with dispositional optimism can positively influence heir physical recovery or management of life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer or HIVE, because the increased capability minimizes the level of distress they experience and allows them to use additional bodily resources toward recovery. The general line of thinking underlying this research is that optimists may be less reactive than pessimists to the stresses of life; the lower physiological stress responses may (over many years) result in less physical wear and tear on the body; the end result may be better physical health and even greater longevity† (Carver, et al. 2010. P. 883 up. 13). Optimists are also less likely to engage in activities that can harm their physical health or develop harmful habits and addictions, such as smoking and drinking.Engaging in physically harmful activities can be seen as an escape mechanism (Carver, et al. , 2010) in response to conditions or experiences that the person feels are too stressful to cope with or overcome. In moderation, these activities may not have a direct influence on a person's immediate physical health but can foster behavior that increases the risk of continued harmful activities. Smoking one cigarette can make a person feel more relaxed and may not seriously affect their health, but smoking every day increases the risk of serious health problems with little prospect of physical recovery.Optimism can foster behavior that benefits a person's well-being, psychologically and physically. It allows a person to overlook or cope with emotionally stressful situations despite the negative circumstances and see an o utcome to which they will ultimately benefit. A person with dispositional optimism also shows a motivation toward goals that improve physical health and a decrease in the level of engagement in activities that might be harmful.Optimism is a behavioral trait that does not have to be inherited and can be taught to anybody that wish to improve their well-being.