Prostate Among African American Men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Prostate Among African American Men - Essay Example The genetic coding of the cells responsible for control of multiplication is interfered with, making the cells to lose control off their multiplication activities (Thompson, 2002). In the case of prostate cancer, the cells that multiply uncontrollably are those found in the prostate gland. The danger of the cancer is that the cells might migrate to other organs of the body. This is called "metastasis" (Robbins, 2007). When they get to these other organs, they make the cells here to also multiply. This makes the organ to become cancerous also. This form of cancer has some effects on the patient. It might lead to pain and difficulty when passing urine and erectile dysfunction (Rosenberg, 2008). This paper is going to look at the issue of prostate cancer among African American men. This is because it has been noted that there are disparities between the occurrence and effects of prostate cancer between African American men and Caucasian, American men. There is a variation in reported incidences of prostate cancer around the world. Countries from the Asian continent, for example china and Japan, report fewer cases than the European or American continent (American Prostate Cancer Association [APCA], 2009). America records one of the highest rates of prostate cancer around the world. ... Another important aspect is that it rarely has symptoms (Washburn et al, 2004). It might manifest itself in form of other complications like that of erectile dysfunction, but no direct symptoms. This, coupled with the fact that majority of those inflicted are above sixty years, makes it hard to diagnose. In fact, the patient might die from other diseases (Arterburn, 2006). African American men record the highest incidences of prostate cancer around the globe (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2008). They make up about a quarter of all prostate cancer cases (NCI, 2008). They are also more likely to die from it than other men. In fact, they are three times more likely to die from it than their white counterparts (NMA, 2008). Prevalence of Prostate Cancer amongst African American Men This cancer is very significant to the African American man. As far as non-skin cancerous conditions are concerned, it tops the list in terms of occurrence amongst this segment (Washburn et al, 2004). It the most diagnosed cancer among these men. The American Prostate Cancer Association estimates that approximately 40,000 cases will be reported this year alone (2009). This is among the African American men. It is fact that the mortality rate from prostate cancer is dropping (APCA, 2009). But still, it occupies the second position as far as cancer mortalities amongst African American men is concerned (APCA, 2009). In 2005, more than five thousand black men in America succumbed to this cancer (Robbins, 2007). This dropped to about four thousand in 2007 (Robbins, 2007). The mortality rate has been in decline though. For instance, between the years 2000 and 2003, approximately sixty men out of 100,000 died.

An Overview Of Life Satisfaction Literatures Social Work Essay

An Overview Of Life Satisfaction Literatures Social Work Essay This chapter begins with literatures about life satisfaction and important personal and situational predictors of life satisfaction in older persons, then in order to provide a theoretical background for this study attempt to define the most important components of structural and functional support. The next portion will focus on the ways in which significant personal and situational characteristics might affect on structural and functional components. The focus will then shift to the effect of structural and functional components specifically on life satisfaction. And finally specific theories and models that have been proposed to explain the role of structural and functional components in the life satisfaction of older adults will be addressed. Over the past few years, the worlds population has continued on its remarkable transition from a state of high birth and death rates to one characterized by low birth and death rates. At the heart of this transition has been the growth in the number and proportion of older persons. Such a rapid, large, and ubiquitous growth has never been seen in the history of civilization (Norman Henderson, 2003). when the older population will be nearly 2 billion, surpassing the population of children for the first time in human history (United Nations, 2006). For the first time in history, Asian populations and their governments are faced with increasing numbers of older adults, and this raise various social and economic issues, (Chan, 2005) specially issues concerning the life satisfaction (Wu Rudkin, 2000). 2.1 Life Satisfaction The use of different terms such as â€Å"psychological well-being†, â€Å"subjective well-being†, â€Å"life satisfaction†, â€Å"happiness† and â€Å"morale† for the same underlying construct has led to considerable confusion in the literature over exactly what is being measured, however, these concepts and their definitions are not identical, â€Å"all of them involve a psychological response by the individual to socio-environmental situation encountered in life and demonstrate no significant difference in meaning.†(Cloutterbuck, 1987). Stock, Okun, and Benin (1988) defined subjective well-being as combining concepts together; mood, happiness, life satisfaction, and morale. Factors such as morale, life satisfaction and happiness are considered to be important in determining subjective well-being in the elderly (Kim, Hisata, Kai, Lee, 2000). Subjective well-being is composed of two elements: cognitive and affective. Life satisfaction, the cognitive component of subjective well-being, refers to a global judgment of a life as a whole (Jin, 2001).Life satisfaction has also been defined in various ways, including happiness, adjustment, morale, physical health, subjective well-being, and the balance between aspirations and achievements (Nutt, 2001). Life satisfaction has been defined two major ways in the literature: first as an objective entity, usually the quantity of social interactions; and second as an internal and subjective perception, the individuals evaluation of their lives, the second approach is now more widely used (Miller, 1997). Life satisfaction is a very personal assessment, one must decide ones own life satisfaction criteria. Two individuals may share very similar lives, and one may find life satisfactory and the other may not (Quadhamer, 1999). Havighurst proposed that measuring life satisfaction as an â€Å"inner† assessment was a better measure of successful aging. Such a measure would accommodate individual differences in conceptions and values of growing older. Specifically, the individual whose personality most values an active life style could be as satisfied with his life as one who is more passive (Havighurst, 1961). Distinction between life satisfaction and quality of life is not clear and the concepts are sometimes used interchangeably (Borg, Hallberg, Blomqvist, 2006). Jeffres and Dobos (1995) proposed that quality of life consists of two distinct global concepts with underlying domains. The first concept, perceived quality of life or life satisfaction, is a consequence of satisfaction with the personal domains of life. These domains include satisfaction with family life, friends, health, partner and oneself. The second concept refers to quality of life in the broader social environment, environmental quality of life (Jeffres Dobos, 1995). Environmental quality of life domains include satisfaction with housing, schools, health services, safety and security, roads and transport (Evans, 1994) . Personal quality of life is associated with quality of life in the broader social environment (Jeffres Dobos, 1995), but the two domains are not identical (Fadda JiroÃ'‘n, 1999). For example, some i ndividuals rate their quality of life as very good whilst living under extremely difficult environmental conditions, whereas others rate their quality of life as poor even though their environmental conditions are excellent (Westaway, 2006). 2.1.1 Life Satisfaction in elderly Among elders the predictors of life satisfaction were found to be perceived   level of activity (Osberg McGinnis, 1987), age, gender (Fadda JiroÃ'‘n, 1999; Kudo, Izumo, Kodama, Watanabe, Hatakeyama, Fukuoka, Kudo, Yaegashi, Sasaki, 2007), satisfaction with family life (Medley, 1976), the availability of confidants (Strain Chappell, 1982), subjective health rating (Downe-Wamboldt Tamlyn, 1986; Gfellner, 1989; Spreitzer Snyder, 1974) ,   physical health status (Joia, Ruiz, Donalisio, 2007; Kudo et al., 2007; Bowling, 1990) , satisfaction with financial status and socio-economic status (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007; Borg et al., 2006; Spreitzer Snyder, 1974; Welsch, 2007), religious affiliation and private prayer (Korff, 2006; Markides, Levin, Ray, 1987; Sagaza, 2004), marital status, and educational level (Subasi Hayran, 2005), living environment (Subasi Hayran, 2005; Rehdanz Maddison, 2008), personal factors (Borg, FagerstrÃ'†m, Balducci, Burholt, Ferring, Weber, Wenge r, GÃ'†ran Holst, Hallberg, 2008; Sanchez, Jr., 2006) , social support (Abu Bader, Rogers, Barusch, 2003) and   sociopolitical capital (Abdallah, Thompson, Marks, 2008). Based on the International Study   in 1994 and 1999, indicates that the level of satisfaction of the elderly is generally lower in large cities, and lower for those who are in the first half of their 60s, who constitute single-person households, who are not in good health condition, who live in rented housing (Sagaza, 2004) another study showed that good health, high self-esteem, and the absence of worry were associated with life satisfaction (Borg et al., 2008). Analyses of associations with life satisfaction in the study of elderly persons in Hong Kong showed significant associations between life satisfaction and a number of variables including age, education, marital status, self-rated financial situation, religious belief, living arrangement, social support, social network, self-rated health status, functional capacity, number of chronic illnesses and activity level. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the strongest predictors of life satisfaction were self-rated financial situation, activity level and social support (Chou Chi, 1999). Borg et al., (2006) identified several factors of importance for life satisfaction among older people with reduced ability to perform daily activities: social contacts, health, activities, family, negatively losing family members (Borg et al., 2006). Recent work has identified a relationship between personality traits and life satisfaction (Thakral, 2006; Fogle, Huebner, Laughlin, 2002). Among people with reduced ADL capacity in 6 European countries, it was found that personal factors, rather than environmental factors such as social or financial resources, influence life satisfaction (Borg et al., 2008). Life satisfaction and Gender Up to age 65, women tended to report higher rates of life satisfaction than men; however, after age 65 men were more likely than women to report a high degree of life satisfaction (Spreitzer Snyder, 1974).   Significant predictors of life satisfaction were found in female respondents: age, financial strain and depression. In male respondents, the significant predictors of life satisfaction were education and financial strain (Chou Chi, 1999). Medley found standard of living to be a more important predictor of life satisfaction in women, whereas satisfaction with health was more important to men (Medley, 1976). Life satisfaction and Age As age increases there is a slow decrease in life satisfaction (Melendez, Tomas, Oliver, Navarro, 2005) Indeed, survey researchers have noted that older people show consistent increases in life satisfaction with age but a leveling off of more affective characteristics such as happiness (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007). Life satisfaction and Income Previous studies have indicated that financial strain was consistently and negatively associated with life satisfaction and financial situation was a significant predictor of satisfaction (Chou Chi, 1999; Chou Chi, 1999) and satisfaction with financial status was a stronger predictor of life satisfaction than objective financial state (Spreitzer Snyder, 1974). Life satisfaction and Educational level Education is found to have a significant effect on life satisfaction. Higher education attainment is associated with improved socioeconomic status, higher wage rates, and better health, all of which lead to better living standards (Bukenya, Gebremedin, Schaeffeaer, 2003). Life satisfaction and Ethnic Barger, Donoho, Wayment., (2009) evaluated racial/ethnic disparities in life satisfaction, and explored the relative contributions of SES, health status, and social relationships to life satisfaction among two very large, diverse probability samples of U.S. adults. That was the first major evaluation of Hispanic life satisfaction in the U.S. and is the largest U.S. population based life satisfaction study to date. They found that Blacks and Hispanics have lower life satisfaction than Whites, but controlling for SES and health status weakened these differences for Blacks and eliminated them for Hispanics. They also found a modest Hispanic benefit for being very satisfied in multivariable models. The consistently higher explained life satisfaction variance among Whites could represent substantive cultural variation in the types of support relevant to well-being judgments (Barger, Donoho, Wayment, 2009). Life satisfaction and marital status Marital status was found to be positively related to life satisfaction by some investigators (Markides et al., 1987; Strain Chappell, 1982) whereas others failed to show this relationship (Osberg McGinnis, 1987). Marital status significantly affects satisfaction, with being single having a negative effect on both health and quality of life satisfaction. Proponents of social role explanations suggest that men derive greater benefits from marriage than women do because mens roles are less stressful and more gratifying compared to women (Bukenya et al., 2003). Hansen et al., (2004) in a study with title: â€Å"Age, marital status and life satisfaction† found, having a partner (in the household) was strongly associated with higher levels of life satisfaction for both genders. The results showed no differential effect of having a partner by gender. However, for both genders, older cohorts without a partner had higher life satisfaction than their younger counterparts. No age-differential effect of having a partner was found. Interestingly, the effect of having a partner decreased with age for both genders, and significantly more so amongst women (Hansen, 2004). Life satisfaction and Employment Researchers examining employment status and life satisfaction have found a positive relation between these variables. Results of several studies have further suggested that persons 65 years of age and older who remain active in the labor force have higher levels of life satisfaction and morale than do retired persons in the same age cohort (Aquino, Russellc, Cutrona, Altimaier, 1996). Life satisfaction and Strata (rural/urban) Evans., (2005) studied differences in the social supports of rural and urban elders to determine what those differences meant in terms of three markers of successful aging: activity level, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Results showed that urban older adults reported more depressive symptoms as compared to rural older adults. Furthermore, subjective level of social support (perceived satisfaction with support) was positively correlated with life satisfaction and negatively correlated with depressive symptoms for both rural and urban older adults, however, there were no mediating effects of social support in the relationship between residence and levels of activity, life satisfaction, and depressive symptoms (Evans, 2005). 2.2 Functional and Structural components of support In this section a broad overview of structural and functional components of support will be provide and each of these concept consider separately, because each has different properties that can potentially influence the life satisfaction. 2.2.1 Definitions: The concept of social support has been a popular subject of research since the late 1970 and publications on social support increased almost geometrically from 1976 to 1981 (Phillips, Siu, Yeh, Cheng, 2008).The concept of social support has been variously addressed in terms of social bonds, social contacts, and availability of confidants (Johnson, 1996; Seeman, Bruce, McAvay, 1996) and early research frequently unclear the distinctions between four concepts: social relations, social network, social support, and social integration (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007). social support and social support resources such as: social network, social interactions or social contacts, reported as related but distinct concepts (Seeman, Lusignolo, Albert, Berkman, 2001). Social support includes interpersonal communication and interaction, love and understanding, caring and concern, affection and companionship, financial assistance, and respect and acceptance (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007; Loue Sajatovic, 2008). Definitions of social support range from the actual supportive acts that are exchanged between individuals to a personality-like factor based in early interpersonal experiences that then influences how an individual views the likelihood that someone is supportive. The concept of social support has been investigated by researchers in anthropology, epidemiology, medicine, nursing, psychology, and sociology. Given the different backgrounds of researchers in these fields one can appreciate why reaching consensus for a definition of social support has been difficult (Rudkin, 2006). There is a lack of general consensus on how social support should be specifically defined. One useful way to conceptualize social support is that it has both structural and functional aspects, qualitative (subjective) and quantitative (objective) aspects, and social network-based and support-based aspects (Phillips et al., 2008). 2.2.2Functional Component of Support More recent studies of social support conceptualize it as the functions that are provided by social relationships. Although the question of what exactly is provided by supportive individuals varies between researchers, many agree that supportive individuals provide or make available what can be termed emotional support, informational support, tangible support, and belonging support .These functional aspects of social support are often highly related to each other and not easily separated in everyday life. Emotional support, provides individuals with the belief that they are loved and cared for, emotional support involved such things   as giving advice, expressing affection, and providing morale support (Johnson, 1996). Emotional support is probably what most of us imagine when we think about a supportive individual. Emotional support is thought to be beneficial because it provides the recipient with a sense of acceptance and may strengthen ones self-esteem during life challenges (Loue Sajatovic, 2008). Informational support can be a very powerful form of support to the extent that it provides useful direction. Such advice and guidance may also carry an emotional message, it is often the case that useful guidance from close friends can be seen as emotionally supportive in that the person cares enough to speak with you about important decisions (Cohen , Underwood , Gottlieb , 2000). Appraisal supportincludes feedback given to individuals to help them in self-evaluation or in apprais ing situations. The intangible forms of support; emotional, informational, and appraisal support, can be difficult to disentangle (Rudkin, 2006). Tangible support, is conceptualized as the assistance from others in one‘s daily functioning. Emotional social support contributed to positive affect, while tangible social support contributed to life satisfaction as well as reducing psychosomatic and emotional distress (Seeman et al., 2001). For older people tangible support may be as simple as providing a ride to the grocery store or mowing the lawn (Loue Sajatovic, 2008), involves being able to help with everyday jobs around the house, providing financial assistance, and helping in the process of taking care of children (Johnson, 1996). Research findings regarding instrumental support are more mixed. Receipt of higher levels of instrumental support, specifically help with various tasks, has been associated with greater declines in physical functioning. More moderate levels of instrumental support appear to promote recovery and slow decline in functioning. In many studies, however, the direction of causation has not been cle arly established (Rudkin, 2006). Belonging support is defined as the presence of others with whom to engage in social activities. An example of it would be a friend with whom to go shopping or to watch a basketball game. Belonging support may be beneficial because such positive social and leisure activities may enhance ones mood and sense of acceptance by others (Cohen   et al., 2000). Social support functions are often intertwined those who provide tangible support may also be providing reassurance and emotional support. Furthermore, different network members provide different types of support. People tend to turn to their families for instrumental support, friends for emotional support, and during times of illness, health care workers for advice and aid (Loue Sajatovic, 2008). Higher levels of emotional support, both perceived and received, improve outcomes, whereas the effects of instrumental support have been questionable. Older individuals who have more interaction with others and who report more available emotional support, experience fewer and slower declines in cognitive and physical functioning (Rudkin, 2006). The effectiveness of any form of support will depend on the extent to which it meets the demands of the particular stressful event. For controllable stressful events, support such as informational or tangible is predicted to be more important. However, if the event is less controllable, then emotional or belonging support may serve to facilitate adjustment (Uchino, Cacioppo, Kiecolt-Glaser, 1996). 2.2.2.1 Functional component: perceived or received Function components of support are usually organized along two dimensions: what support is perceived to be available (available support) and what support is actually received or provided (received support) by others (Cohen, 2004; Kafetsios   Sideridis, 2006). These measures are not highly related and are often associated with different effects on well-being. What is perceived as available may or may not correspond to what is actually provided (Kahna, Hesslingb, Russellc, 2003). Studies suggest that received support is not related to the perceived availability of support in a straightforward manner, one reason is that measures of available support are related to ones cognitive representation of social support, a person might perceive a high availability of support but decide not to utilize it because of concerns about network members perception of their competence (Cohen   et al., 2000). when elderly individuals indicated that others were available to provide social support, the y were more likely to report greater use of proactive coping (Greengalss, Fliksenbaum, Eaton, 2006). However, the benefits of social support are most strongly related to the perception that support is available. In other words, the highest levels of well-being are found among people who believe that they have a high level of social support, regardless of how much support they receive or how many people they know (Karademas, 2006; Kim et al., 2000; Phillips et al., 2008).National study of economically stressed older adults shows that those who believed that no one would come to their aid in the future had the greatest number of depressive symptoms (Loue Sajatovic, 2008) and a higher level of support was reported in those who perceived the provider as supportive (Pierce et al., 1992). 2.2.2.2 Buffer against stressful life events Social support may act as a buffer against stressful life events and, thus, reduce exposure to the resultant cumulative pathological effects of stress. Alternatively, social support may be a constant, more generally available resource, across time and situations (Alan, Alison, Martha, Lawrence, Ian, 2007; Antonucci Akiyama, 2007).The two type of support are not mutually exclusive and may be viewed as complementary, there is evidence to support both types of effects. It should also be emphasized that the particular pathways or mechanisms by which social relationships affect well being likely depend upon the characteristics of the individual, his or her socioeconomic situation, the health outcome of interest, and the measure of social relationships (Rudkin, 2006). Murrell and Norris (1984) postulated that social support may not only buffer individuals from stressful life events, but may actually be important for the general maintenance of psychological well-being and life satisfaction in old age, independent of adversity or stress (Tho , 2001). Social support can act as a buffer to soften the effects of negative life occurrences, this might explain why some people maintain good health when exposed to stressful life events which would be expected to have a negative effect on health (Bowung , Farquha , Browne , 1991) and those older adults who are going through the loss of a loved one and have a strong social support system report a higher sense of life satisfaction and well-being (Gray , 2007). Coleman suggests that social relationships can act as a form of social insurance, provide communication and information networks, and create norms and sanctions that facilitate social action (Celia Lenore, 2004). 2.2.3 Structural Component of Support Support Network refers to objective characteristics of the network such as total network size (Janevic, Ajrouch, Merline, Akiyama, Antonucci, 2000; Antonucci, Lansford, Akiyama, Smith, Baltes, Takahashi, Fuhrer, Dartigues, 2002), the number of family members, age, sex, proximity, or frequency of contact with network members and living arrangements (Yoshida, Sauer, Tidwell, Skager, Sorenson, 1997). Social networks define as webs of relationships that link the individual directly and indirectly to other people. Social networks include friends and family, as well as familiarity. The size of a social network depends on the person , some people have large families and numerous friends, whereas others may have smaller families and smaller friendship networks (Phillips, 1986; Phillips et al., 2008; Quadhamer, 1999). The Properties of the person and situation significantly influence the structure of the individuals network. Since one occupies a large number of roles, such as child, spouse, and parent, it is natural that this is a time when there are numerous members of the support network, and that they differ widely in age and gender (Antonucci, Akiyama, Merline, 2001; Berke, 1991; Fiori, 2006). 2.2.3.1 Formal social support Formal social support is in many cases essential to an older adults well-being because it provides practical support that becomes increasingly dependent as a person ages. Formal support comes from those individuals and institutions one depends upon for services and assistance such as health care providers, social workers, case managers, shopkeepers, delivery persons, and others in institutional settings (Loue Sajatovic, 2008; Quadhamer, 1999). 2.2.3.2Informal social support There are several aspects of the structure of social networks that have received much attention in the literature on social relations and aging. Including family versus friend relationships, under the umbrella term of structural component is somewhat arbitrary, as this issue also touches on functional component. 2.2.3.3 Family versus Friends Informal Social Support systems are typically those supports such as family and friends and developed over a period of time through interactions with others (Nutt, 2001; Quadhamer, 1999). Informal support members are generally the primary caregivers to the older adult who needs assistance. Psychologically, social interactions with family and friends provide feedback to the individual regarding his/her social role and behavior (Rosenhand, 1999) and both of family and friends social support increase life satisfaction (Miller, 1997). The study of social relations must take into account that convoys of close friends and family members may be both pleasant and unpleasant, supportive and unsupportive (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007). Findings showed that, reliable alliance, or instrumental assistance, was more strongly related to well-being when provided by kin than by nonkin (Felton Berry, 1992). Surveys of elderly people have documented that the most frequently mentioned helpers are wives followed by daughters, particularly in the case of widowed parents (Bowung   et al., 1991). Couples who do not have children may intentionally develop strong relationships with relatives such as nephews and nieces because these relatives serve as informal support to them when children would otherwise assume support (Loue Sajatovic, 2008).   Social support, especially from children and family members, had a significant positive effect on the life satisfaction of older adults when support was provided at a low level. However, excessive support was found to diminish the sense of well-being in the elderly as well as wear away their autonomy and independence (Silverstein Bengtson, 1994). In fact, increasing contact with family members could be viewed by older adults as a sign of lost independence (Fiori, 2006). Older people who are married are much less likely to need formal supports, such as home nurse care or Meals on Wheels, than unmarried people. Family relationships, under normal circumstances, make an important contribution to well-being (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007) however, if the relationship is not supportive and positive, the opposite is true. In fact, intimate relationships that are not supportive, trusting, and loving have negative influences on the physical and mental health and overall well-being of the elderly. Additionally, the very old tend to have smaller circles of social support as many people have outlived spouses, other family members, friends, and sometimes even children (Loue Sajatovic, 2008). Although it is clear that families play important roles in the lives of older adults, providing sometimes extraordinary care giving efforts and instrumental help, friends are also invaluable resources. Indeed, research initially designed to examine the impact of family members alone often finds that the friends are mentioned as a significant support source (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007).The need for friendships among the elderly is self-evident (Hanafy, 1992).When confronting loneliness or needing assistance with social issues, older adults prefer friendships to family Social Support ( specifically spouses and children). The reasons that older adults prefer friendships to family in cases of emotional support are primarily due to sense of continuity with the past that friends can provide (Loue Sajatovic, 2008). Older people obtained a sense of emotional support from having intimate friendships with neighbors and friends and at least one child living close by with whom they have frequent contact (Loue Sajatovic, 2008).Friendships have significant positive effects on the mental health of the elderly (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007) and tend to be a matter of choice rather than birth. People choose friends because of shared interests and desire for contact and friendships share a form of reciprocity that may be absent in family relationships and reciprocity has a strong effect on the satisfaction level of seniors and their friendships (Loue Sajatovic, 2008). In one study of friendships among people over 60 year, 68% reported long-term friendship ties throughout their lives. There were some gender differences, with more than half the women reporting that they remained friends with a close friend from childhood or adolescence, whereas men showed high levels of continuity with close friendships developed at midlife. In one sample of people over 85 years old, it was found that more than half still had at least one close friend, and three-fourths were in weekly contact with people they considered their friends. Furthermore, almost half reported that they had made new friends after age 85, although the criteria for those friends tended to involve less expectation for intimacy or shared history than was common among younger people (Antonucci Akiyama, 2007). 2.3 Functional and Structural Support in elderly The findings from several studies suggest that the social network of elderly adultsmay differ from those of younger persons on a number of dimensions. In modem societies the networks of the aged are generally smaller than those of younger people. There is some controversy in the literature as to whether social networks of the aging decrease in size, frequency of contact with persons in the network, and degree of given and received support (Dorman, 2001). Gender It has been widely recognized that social networks among men and women differ in complex ways, particularly in relation to life stage (Antonucci et al., 2001). In terms of gender, women report providing more support, having more frequent contact with network members, being more satisfied with their friends, and having larger and more multifaceted social networks than do men (Fiori, Antonucci, Cortina, 2006). Male got more support from fa

Hamlet Didnt Have No Prozac :: essays papers

Hamlet Didn't Have No Prozac According to Webster's New World Dictionary madness is defined as "mental derangement that makes a person incapable of what is regarded as rational conduct or judgement." There is much madness in Shakespeare's Hamlet; written around 1600, but Prince Hamlet is not included in the insane camp. Throughout the play Hamlet's seemingly irrational behavior served quite rational and sometimes ingenious ends. The Madness of Hamlet is certainly counterfeit and was recognized by Hamlet as being necessary to complete the revenge of the Murder of his father. In act I, scene i we are introduced to the Ghost of Hamlet's slain father. The reader may be more inclined to believe that Hamlet's madness is in fact true if he himself was the only one to view the Ghost. However, there were actually three individuals to whitness the Ghost. Hamlet's sane and trustworthy friend Horatio says "Before my God, I might not this believe/ without the sensible and true avouch/ of mine own eyes" (I. i . 55-57). It was a warning from Horatio that gave Prince Hamlet to fabricate his madness to more easily work out his plan of revenge. Horatio warns Hamlet, "... And there assume some other horrible form/ which might deprive your sovereignty of reason,/ and draw you into madness? Think of it " (I. iv. 72-74). Hamlet respected and adamantly listened to his father, so when the Ghost told him "but howsomeever thou pursues this act,/ taint not thy mind." (I. v. 83-84). Hamlet would surely listen and obey these wishes of his father from beyond the grave. Hamlet's first signs of his fraudulent insanity are revealed at a meeting with Ophelia. She describes him as "... No hat upon his head; his stocking's foul'd/ undergarter'd and down-gyved to his ancle/ pale as a shirt; his knees knocking eachother; ..." (II. i. 80-83). It is because of these seemingly insane actions that Polonius believes Hamlet to be truly demented. Polonius asks Ophelia if Hamlet is "Mad for thy love?" (II. i. 86); however already jumped to the conclusion that was indeed neurotic. The more fully convinced Hamlet could persuade the court members that he was insane, the easier he could seek hi revenge on king Claudius. Hamlet acts reasonable; not like an insane man by knowing that a faked madness would facilitate his plan, and being able to successfully undertake it further proves his sanity.

Analysis of the Movie “Juno” Essay

Sixteen year-old Juno MacGuff is the type of girl that beats to her own drummer, and doesn’t really care what others may think of her. She learns that she’s pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Juno and Paulie like each other, but don’t consider themselves to be exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend let alone be ready to be a family complete with child. Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is fairly pragmatic about her situation. Paulie really leaves all the decisions about the baby to Juno. Initially, she decides that she will have an abortion, but that’s something that she ultimately cannot go through with. So she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. But first she has to tell her father, Mac, and stepmother, Bren, that she is pregnant. Although they would have preferred if Juno was on hard drugs or expelled from school, Mac and Bren too are pragmatic about Juno’s situation. The next step is to find prospective parents for the yet unborn child. In the Penny saver ad section, Juno finds Mark and Vanessa Loring, a yuppie couple living in the suburbs. Juno likes the Lorings, and in some respects has found who looks to be a kindred spirit in Mark, with whom she shares a love of grunge music and horror films. Vanessa is a little more uptight and is the one in the relationship seemingly most eager to have a baby. On her own choosing, Juno enters into a closed rather than open adoption contract with the Lorings. During the second and third trimesters of Juno’s pregnancy which she treats with care but detachment, Juno’s relationships with her family, with Paulie, and with the Lorings develop. She gives the baby to Venessa, when she gives birth. At the end, Juno and Bleeker get together and they realized their feeling to each other. After summarizing the movie, I want to analyze it. The 2007 film release of Juno offers certain challenges to past conceptualizations of girlhood, yet the representation of female sexuality as tied to traditional notions of ‘‘femininity’’ remains substantially unchanged. Juno represents a cultural artifact of changing ideologies of girlhood, yet it also functions as an example of the pervasive ambivalence towards the sexual subjectivity of girls. The representation of girls as sexless is challenged. Rather than a stereotypical depiction of the female body as sexual object, sexual desire is visibly expressed and acted upon by the girl character. Throughout the film, Juno is shown as agentive in the decisions she makes about her body, sexual desire, and modes of self-expression; her classification as a girl who identifies as a ‘‘freak,’’ cares little about what other people think of her, and dresses in grunge style clothing connote an independent self-confidence that is apparent in all of her intimate relationships. Although Juno has received praise for its originality, the story is most notable as a surprisingly familiar cultural fairy-tale. Juno’s character is understandable as a metaphor for conditions of female sexuality that continue to limit girls’ full expressions of sexual desire. Like the character of Juno, girls today are caught between increased expectations of agency on the one hand and continuing restrictions of their sexual expressions of desire on the other. In conceptualizing Juno’s agency it is important to recognize the material and social ways in which Juno’s agentive ‘‘choice’’ is constrained. Juno is not a free agent; her actions and her agency operate in connection to material and social structures influencing her daily livelihood. The central paradox within Juno is that it celebrates agency for girls while simultaneously linking that agency to their physical desirability and role as potential reproducers.

Are Bilinguals Smarter Than Monolinguals Essay

Because of this, there is a debate to decide whether the next generation of children should be exposed to a Bilingual education. This has led to research into whether Bilingual education slows the learning of literacy and numeracy (Barnett, Yarosz, Thomas, Jung, & Blanco, 2007). Research has also looked at specific enhancements (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009) and downsides (Kaushanskaya & Marian, 2007) to being Bilingual. This essay reviews the evidence from Literature to determine whether Bilinguals are smarter than Monolinguals. There is a current debate as to whether Monolingual or Bilingual education is a better approach to produce smarter students. Specifically this debate looks at whether Bilingual education hinders the development of literacy and numeracy. Barnett et al. (2007) reported that statistically there was no hindrance to literacy and numeracy in 3 to 4-year-old English-Spanish Bilinguals compared to English Monolinguals (p. 288). They also reported that the Bilingual education produced significant increases in Spanish vocabulary (Barnett et al. , 2007, p. 277). This suggests that Bilingual education produces more knowledgeable and hence smarter students. Studies also found that Bilinguals have enhanced reasoning capabilities (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009). Kovacs, (2009) found that 3-year-old Romanian-Hungarian Bilinguals performed significantly better than Romanian Monolingual children in several different reasoning tasks (p. 48). The increased capacity to reason which Bilinguals experience is likely to produce superior educational outcomes. However, not all studies show that being Bilingual is advantageous. Kaushanskaya and Marian (2007) found hat Russian-English Bilinguals were sensitive to the phonology of Russian language (p. 140). This means that when these Russian-English Bilinguals come across a new word in English, they are less likely to be able to understand its meaning. This phonological ability is commonly used in testing intelligence quotient (IQ) (Williams, McIntosh, Dixon, Newton, & Youman, 2010). IQ has been shown to only have a partial effect in predicting educational success (Alloway & Alloway, 2010). Hence, although this phonetic ability is useful, it does not necessarily measure smartness. In conclusion, current Literature suggests that Bilinguals may be smarter than Monolinguals. Through specialised education research has shown that Bilinguals are more knowledgeable without sacrifice to the quality of literacy and numeracy (Barnett et al. , 2007). Research has also shown that Bilinguals have enhanced reasoning ability (Goetz, 2003; Kovacs, 2009). In contrast, they may also suffer from interference to their phonology from knowing several languages (Kaushanskaya & Marian, 2007). This means that they may have difficulty in discerning meaning from unknown words. However, this is not a measure of smartness but rather of IQ. Although Bilinguals may be smarter than Monolinguals when considering the current Literature, to be conclusive, further research should be completed, to ascertain the successfulness of Bilingual students in comparison to Monolingual students, in higher level education. References Alloway, T. P. , & Alloway, R. G. (2010). Investigating the predictive roles of working memory and IQ in academic attainment. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 106(1), 20-29. doi: 10. 1016/j. jecp. 2009. 11. 003 Barac, R. & Bialystok, E. (2012). Bilingual Effects on Cognitive and Linguistic Development: Role of Language, Cultural Background, and Education. Child Development, 83(2), 413-422. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-8624. 2011. 01707. x Barnett, W. S. , Yarosz, D. J. , Thomas, J. , Jung, K. , & Blanco, D. (2007). Two-way and monolingual English immersion in preschool education: An experimental comparison. Early Childhood Research Q uarterly, 22(3), 277-293. doi: 10. 1016/j. ecresq. 2007. 03. 003 Goetz, P. J. (2003). The effects of bilingualism on theory of mind development. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 6(1), 1-15. doi: 10. 1017/S1366728903001007 Hatt, B. (2007). Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts: The Figured World of Smartness in the Lives of Marginalized, Urban Youth. The Urban Review, 39(2), 145-166. doi: 10. 1007/s11256-007-0047-9 Kaushanskaya, M. , & Marian, V. (2007). Bilingual Language Processing and Interference in Bilinguals: Evidence From Eye Tracking and Picture Naming. Language Learning, 57(1), 119-163. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-9922. 2007. 00401. x Kovacs, A. M. (2009). Early bilingualism enhances mechanisms of false-belief reasoning. Developmental Science, 12(1), 48-54. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-7687. 2008. 00742. x Rubio-Fernandez, P. , & Glucksberg, S. (2012). Reasoning About Other People’s Beliefs: Bilinguals Have an Advantage. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 38(1), 211-217. doi: 10. 1037/a0025162 Williams, T. H. , McIntosh, D. E. , Dixon, F. , Newton, J. H. , & Youman, E. (2010). A confirmatory factor analysis of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales with a high-achieving sample. Psychology in the Schools, 47(10), 1071-1083. doi: 10. 1002/pits. 20525

Extreme Working Conditions Essays

Extreme Working Conditions Essays Extreme Working Conditions Essay Extreme Working Conditions Essay In order to answer to these severe challenges majority of the organizations are forced to cut costs In order to boost their performance; yet instead of seriously examining the options, they are primarily doing it through downsizing (Denis and Shame, 2005; Guthrie and Data, 2008). Therefore, even though human resources are widely recognized as the most Important value-add asset and the critical resource for overcoming the crisis, they are usually In the first line to be cut when crisis knocks on the door. Despite the fact that lay-off have become the fact of organizational life over the sat few decades, the great recession has made the rate of lay-offs take extreme proportions and made the unemployment rate an Issue number one worldwide (Data et al, 2010). It can be argued that the excessive downsizing approach is not the appropriate way of absorbing the shock of crisis, since it is bound to have serious repercussions on working conditions and behavior of the employees who stayed in the organization- the survivors (Icemaker-Mueller and Lila, 2006). For Instance, according to Matures and Figurers (2010) the survivors are most Likely to suffer from read Job insecurity long after the critical events took place. Adding to its importance, the Job insecurity is widely recognized as an extreme work-related stresses and therefore affects the attitudes and behavior of employees. More often than not the stress and pressure are the cause of workplace bullying which includes physical, verbal or psychological Intimidation (Bartlett et al, 2011). Bullying may include various types of behavior such us: yelling, gossiping, false accusations. Personal Jokes, threatening etc. And all of them undoubtedly have active impact on employees health and well being (D]uric et al. , 2005; Aggrieved, 2007; Bailing et al. , 2009). Some of the consequences of these behaviors are additional stress, chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and various types of psychological issues (depression, PETS and even suicidal thoughts) (Johnson, 2009; pace and smith, 2009; Wildfire, 2009). According to Removal (2009), besides higher Job insecurity and stress, downsizing caused by crisis can also lead to .. Less teamwork, heavier workloads and sense of being less valued (p. 24). Likewise, both Moral (2009) and Mullah (2008) agreed upon the fact that employee reduction is rarely followed by decrease in workload and 1 OFF working noirs; as a matter AT Tact, ten workload Ana work noirs usually Increases since fewer people have to perform the same amount of tasks. Moreover, this fact has been confirmed by both French and European survey of working conditions, although they were conducted long before the great economic crisis of 2008 (Cartoon Global, 2002; Bastard et al. , 2003). As a result, pressure and stress put on the rest of the employees are increasing further and reversely affect their emotional and hysterical state negatively. Interestingly enough, even before the great recession, downsizing, long working hours and great work intensity have been identified as huge problems for majority of employees (White el al, 2004; Webb, 2004). Therefore, it can rightly be argued that these working conditions got worse or even extreme after the economic crisis occurred. Although the literature is scarce concerning this issue, some evidence that can support this fact do exist. Namely, according to a study conducted in a banking sector of Pakistan, employees who worked both before and after the crisis have ported that the recession influenced their workload, motivation, Job security and levels of stress in a negative way (Cabal and Meir, 2011). Furthermore, according to WAS Report (2010), almost 40% of the respondents have confirmed that the great recession has extremely worsened the working conditions in their organizations. Finally, the study conducted in the UK with over 2000 participants (employees) has displayed more specific changes in the working environment. For instance, 50% of respondents reported feeling more anxious than before the crisis, 38% have felt the increase in Job insecurity and 20% have reported being sick due to increased stress at work (Unloaded, 2009). Still, the question of whether all of these changes (extreme downsizing, higher Job insecurity, extreme work-related stress, bullying etc) in organizations have made the working conditions reach the extreme point or not is not yet supported by clear evidence and literature. On the one hand, the very fact that these working conditions are severely affecting employees health and quality of life can most certainly be considered as extreme (Bartlett, 2011).

New developments in digital crimes and the challenges to computer forensics The WritePass Journal

New developments in digital crimes and the challenges to computer forensics Abstract New developments in digital crimes and the challenges to computer forensics ).   Others argue that remote servers have the capacity to increase security in several cases using emerging technology in order to better serve consumers (Reilly, Wren, and Berry 2010). Cloud computing allows users to keep information and data, of all varieties, on remote servers.   Cyber criminals are turning to these areas more and more in their efforts to co-opt personal information in the pursuit of crime (Accorsi and Ruan 2012). Cloud server companies often dispute the claim of vulnerability and cite increased security statistics (Reilly, Wren and Berry 2010). The combined elements of cost reduction and ease of access are driving the industry to expand at a very challenging rate for digital forensics to match. The drive to implement a standard for oversight and enforcement is a significant challenge for digital forensics (Accorsi and Ruan 2012).   Many who argue for the standardization cite the reduction in safety concerns as decreasing overall implementation cost (Reilly, Wren and Berry 2010).  Ã‚   Others demonstrate that a standard system is increasingly vulnerable to risk factors (Accorsi and Ruan 2012).   Each unique server and company will have the responsibility to upgrade their elements in order to aid in the digital forensic requirements of the modern and emerging era (Reilly, Wren, and Berry 2010).   This leads to the recognition of larger issues that must be dealt with in order to achieve progress. Another field of digital forensic challenges rests in the sheer quantity of data that must be analysed in order to justify the expense of resources (Garfinkel 2013).   As the global market for electronics continues to grow and become incorporated into daily life, the number of opportunities for cyber-crime will climb. However, many companies cite the presence of emerging technology has being able to cope with the mass of information (Accorsi and Ruan 2012). The area of machine learning in computers has the potential to alleviate much of the tedious work that digital forensics entails (Ariu, Giacinto and Roli 2011). However, machine learning has been argued to produce security issues that could further complicate the digital forensics task at hand (Garfinkel 2013).   Much of the issues of security have the potential to be resolved with the implementation of a wide ranging standard (Ibid). A published standard is argued to be more vulnerable and predictable than the piece meal appr oach used today (Casey 2004). While a good idea a standard substantially increases the overall risk factors. As opposed to the area of cloud computing the areas of quantity and network forensics stands to become a primary area of concern as companies and individuals employ the technology for gain (Pilli, Joshi and Niyogi 2010).   The development of Network Forensic Analysis Tools, or NFATs, is a challenge that must be met by regulators and oversight entities in order to minimize the fundamental impact of cyber-crime.   Others illustrate that these same tools hold the potential to be turned against a standardized system (Ariu, Giacinto and Roli 2011).   There needs to be a balance between oversight and individual freedoms as regards privacy and security. Conclusion The area of digital forensics is facing many new challenges going into the next generation.   There is a need to balance the rights of the individual with those of the enforcement agencies. Further, the lack of a standard regulation around the world makes any long term enforcement prospect dim.   At the same time, any implementation of a wide ranging standard runs the risk of becoming easy to corrupt, thereby raising even more digital issues. The area of Cloud Computing, due to the low cost to consumer and easy accessibility is a primary concern for the area of digital forensics. With challenges ranging from the acquisition to the processing to the legalities of the use of the data acquired form this market, there is a real sense of urgency in the drive to rein in cyber-crime. Each of these factors makes the market attractive to cyber-crime and a continuous challenge for digital forensics. Further areas of development and increasing challenge rest in the processing of high quantities of data and the accompanying levels of security present on any single network.   In each case of computer forensics in these areas there is a critical need to continuously update or risk the threat of being overrun by the sheer numbers.   There is a need to innovate in order for computer forensics to recover and utilize evidence in the face of an ever increasingly complex digital world. References Accorsi, R. and Ruan, K. 2012. Challenges of Cloud Forensics: A Survey of the Missing Capabilities.  Cybercrime, p. 32. Ariu, D., Giacinto, G. and Roli, F. 2011. Machine learning in computer forensics (and the lessons learned from machine learning in computer security). pp. 99104. Casey, E. 2004.  Digital evidence and computer crime. London: Academic Press. Crime-research.org. 2013.  Computer Crime Research Centre Daily news about computer crime, internet fraud and cyber terrorism. [online] Available at: crime-research.org/ [Accessed: 10 Dec 2013]. F3.org.uk. 2013.  F3 – The First Forensic Forum | Uniting digital forensic practitioners. [online] Available at: https://www.f3.org.uk/ [Accessed: 10 Dec 2013]. Forensics.nl. 2013.  Computer Forensics, Cybercrime and Steganography Resources. [online] Available at: forensics.nl/ [Accessed: 10 Dec 2013]. Garfinkel, S. 2010. Digital forensics research: The next 10 years.  Digital Investigation, 7 pp. 6473. Garfinkel, S. 2013. Digital Forensics Modern crime often leaves an electronic trail. Finding and preserving that evidence requires careful methods as well as technical skill.  AMERICAN SCIENTIST, 101 (5), pp. 370377. Pilli, E., Joshi, R. and Niyogi, R. 2010. Network forensic frameworks: Survey and research challenges.  Digital Investigation, 7 (1), pp. 1427. Reilly, D., Wren, C. and Berry, T. 2010. Cloud computing: Forensic challenges for law enforcement. pp. 17. New developments in digital crimes and the challenges to computer forensics Abstract New developments in digital crimes and the challenges to computer forensics , p52) claims that the cyber criminals continuously create new methods of circumventing forensic and security techniques through different means like quickly embracing new technologies, targeting outdated or emerging technologies before their weaknesses are noticed and corrected. The contemporary cyber criminals have even gone further to devise anti forensic techniques that may at times require the forensic experts to carry out endless investigations into the attacks but still fail to generate enough information for generating meaningful inferences. These criminals have also noticed that the forensic officers often rely so much on windows operating system and have switched to using other operating systems like Mac OS and Linux to make it more difficult for the forensic officers to unearth their activities (Ec-Council2009, p98). The over reliance on Windows by the forensic officers is weakening the power of forensic officers in investigation other non-Windows systems and in the proces s giving the criminals an upper hand in continuing with their unlawful activities.   This is the reason why computer forensics should embrace new better ways of investigation using all types of operating systems to ensure that the criminals are dealt with in the best way possible. Conclusion Computer forensics is a very important field as it plays a critical role in mitigating and investigating criminal activities. However, there are very many different challenges facing the forensic officers in the modern society as highlighted in the paper. This calls for quick adoption of new, better ways of dealing with the cyber criminals to regulate their activities in good time before the whole situation spins out of hand. These new challenges can be addressed by pursuing an active approach to forensics and not allowing the cyber criminals to act first before moving in to generate solutions. The forensic officers should fully liaise with the manufactures of new devices and work together in tackling any use of such gadgets in unlawful activities. Computer forensics is an important field that should be enriched so as to not only mitigate the effects of cybercrime but also punish the criminals heavily to deter the criminals and other similar minded people from committing crimes. Bibliography Ec-Council (2009).Investigating Networking Intrusions and Cybercrime.Course Technology Ptr. Kruse, W. G., Heiser, J. G. (2003).Computer forensics: Incident response essentials. Boston, Mass.: Addison-Wesley. Maras, M.-H. (2012). Computer forensics: Cybercriminals, laws, and evidence. Sudbury, Mass: Jones Bartlett Learning. Mohay, G. M., Anderson, A., Collie, B., Vel, O. ., McKemmish, R. (2003).Computer and intrusion forensics. Boston, Mass: Artech House. Newman, R. C. (2007). Computer forensics: Evidence collection and management. Boca Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications. Phillips, N., Enfinger, S. (2009). Guide to computer forensics and investigations. Clifton Park, N.Y: Delmar. Sheetz, M. (2007).Computer forensics: An essential guide for accountants, lawyers, and managers. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Shinder, D. L. (2002).Scene of the cybercrime: Computer forensics handbook. Rockland: Syngress Media. Solomon, M., Rudolph, K., In Tittel, ., Broom, N., Barrett, D. (2011). Computer forensics jumpstart. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Vacca, J. R. (2005). Computer forensics: Computer crime scene investigation. Hingham, Mass: Charles River Media. Volonino, L., Anzaldua, R., Godwin, J. (2007).Computer forensics: Principles and practices. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

The Complete Prep Guide for SAT Writing Grammar, Strategies, and Practice

The Complete Prep Guide for SAT Writing Grammar, Strategies, and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips This complete guide includes everything you need to know about SAT Writing.As experienced tutors, we’re all too familiar with the shortcomings of most test-prep materials, so we've created our own free guide to SAT Writing,which we believe is the best available (even compared to expensive books from big-name companies!). To create this guide, we carefully analyzed real SATs, read the best SAT books we could find, and thought carefully about what you actually need to know to succeed on SAT Writing.Rather than trying to condense all the info we came up with into one page (which would be insanely overwhelming!), we’ve created this article to serve as a table of contents and take you through the different parts of the SAT Writing section. The first part of our guide covershigh-level ideas about the test,such as general structure and important big-picture concepts. The second part outlinesevery grammar skill you’ll need to knowand the best strategies for approaching SAT Writing questions. The final section rounds upall kinds of strategies and tipsthat you can use both on the test and as you study. It also includes detailed explanations of how to plan your prep time, and suggestions for where you can find further practice tests and study material, should you need them. How you use this information will depend on what you’re hoping to get out of it. This guide is designed to work as a complete walkthrough of the SAT Writing section,the same as you would find in a test-prep book- simply read through each guide and practice the skills they explain. If, however, you’re only looking to brush up on specific topics or find some helpful tips for test day, just scroll through this page to find what you need! High-Level Guidance for SAT Writing One of the key ideas you must understand about the SAT is that it's completely different from the tests you take in school.SAT Writing might test some of the same grammar rules that you've learned in the past, but it does so in its own unique way. In order to do well on SAT Writing, you need to understand how it's structured. These guides will help you do so. What Is SAT Writing and Language? 5 Tips to Excel What’s Tested on the SAT Writing Section? Grammar and Questions The first step to succeeding on SAT Writing is knowing what’s on it. These two guides outline all the basics, including how the SAT Writing section is formatted, what kinds of reading passages it has, and which grammar rules it tests. What Is SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing? On the SAT, Writing makes up half of your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score (the other half is the Reading section). This guide goes over how the two sections are scored together, and gives you a few tips on how to excel on both of them. The New SAT Writing: What's Changing? The SAT underwent a big redesign back in 2016, which included a makeover to the SAT Writing section. If you're curious about how the current Writing structure differs from the old one, check out this guide. The Best Way to Read the SAT Writing Passages Since all SAT Writing questions are based on passages, it's important to be able toread passages both fast and effectively. We explain the best ways to approach passages on SAT Writing so that you'll save time and give yourself a better shot at choosing the right answers. The 12 SAT Grammar Rules You Must Know The main point of the SAT Writing section is to test your understanding of English grammar. Read this guide to learn the 12 most important grammar rules likely to appear on test day. Words in Context: Key SAT Reading and Writing Strategies This question type (and subscore) on SAT Writing asks you to improve word choice and syntax in sentences selected from passages. Use this guide to learn how often you can expect to see these questions on the test and the best way to approach them. Command of Evidence: 3 Key SAT Writing Strategies Another subscore on SAT Writing is Command of Evidence. These questions deal with choosing evidence to support your answers and making sure the answers you select accurately reflect the information in the passage. Organization Questions on SAT Writing: Tips and Tricks These Writing questions ask you where to place a certain sentence or paragraph in a passage. But knowing where a certain sentence fits can be difficult. This guide covers how to recognize these questions and offers a step-by-step approach you can use on the test. Add/Delete Questions on SAT Writing: 6 Steps to Answer With these questions, you must figure out whether to add or delete a sentence from a passage. This article touches on what these questions look like on the SAT and gives clear guidance on how to solve them. How Often Is "No Error" Correct on SAT Writing? The "No Error" option is a source of stress for many students. Make sure you know how frequently you can expect it be the right answer on SAT Writing. SAT Writing Grammar and Punctuation Skills Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can just listen for the errors because you speak English, after all. SAT Writing tests specific grammar and punctuation topics in specific ways, and you need to know them to do well on the test. We've written guides for each topic on the test (listed roughly in order of their importance). The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules Above, we gave you a link to our guide on the 12 most important grammar rules- but these aren't all the grammar rules you'll see on the test. This guide summarizes every possible grammatical structure you can get on SAT Writing. SAT Punctuation: Tips for Commas, Colons, and Dashes In addition to grammar, punctuation plays a major part on SAT Writing. Read this guide to learn all the most important comma, colon, and dashes rules you'll need to know, as well as how to spot them on the test. Possessives and Apostrophes on SAT Writing: 4 Key Tips Aside from commas, colons, and dashes, you'll need to know how to use apostrophes correctly if you wish to get a high score on SAT Writing. This guide expands on the punctuation one above by specifically going over how to identify apostrophe problems on the test. Complete Parts of Speech for SAT Writing SAT Writing doesn’t explicitly ask you to identify parts of speech, but you’ll need to know the grammatical basics in this article in order to understand the rest of our skill guides. Start here to begin building your foundation in grammar. SAT Writing: Word Choice and Diction Errors Diction questions, which deal withpickingthe right word for a given context,pop up often on SAT Writing. These questions are tricky because the exact words they test vary. Transition Questions on SAT Writing: Tips and Examples Remember how your teacher used to tell you to use transitions to connect different ideas? Well, the same basic principle applies to the SAT. These questions require you to choose the correct transitional word (such as "therefore," "however," etc.). Take a look at this guide to learn what kinds of transition-related words and questions will be on the test. Sentence Fragments and Run-ons in SAT Writing: Tips and Questions Fragments and run-on sentencesappear a loton the SAT Writing section.Learn the telltale signs of these types of errors with this guide. Wordiness and Redundancy in SAT Writing Questions One of the key rules is that given more than one grammatically correct answer,the right answer will likely be the most concise one.Make sure you know what this means in the context of SAT Writing. Verb Tenses and Forms on SAT Writing Verb issues in general, and verb forms specifically, are also tested on SAT Writing. It’s especially important to make sure you understand how to use gerunds (â€Å"ing† verbs such as â€Å"jumping† and â€Å"celebrating†). Subject-Verb Agreement on SAT Writing: Strategies and Practice The other type of verb error is subject-verb agreement issues, which occur when the subject is plural but the verb is singular, or vice versa (e.g., â€Å"he talk† or â€Å"they is yelling†). This guide walks you through the different ways this error can appear on the test, many of which you might not expect. Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing: Tips and Practice Pronoun errors come in a few different forms, but, generally, they occur when you use a pronoun that doesn’t match the noun it’s referring to, such as in the sentence "The doctor couldn’t believe their cooking class was canceled" ("their" should be "his" or "her"). Pronoun errors can be among the hardest to spot because we routinely misuse pronouns in everyday English. Pronoun Case on SAT Writing: Tips and Practice Questions Pronoun-case questions, which deal with the difference between subject (â€Å"I†) and object (â€Å"me†) pronouns, appear less often on SAT Writing than pronoun-agreement ones do. Nonetheless, it’s important to know how to answer these questions, especially if you want a high score. Parallelism for SAT Writing: Tips and Practice Parallel structure questions require you to recognize that all the words or phrases in a list need to be in the same form.Though they aren’t the most common topic on SAT Writing, they’re still important to know. Faulty Modifiers on SAT Writing: Grammar Rule Prep Faulty modifiers, which include both danglingmodifiersand the less common misplaced one, occur when a modifying word or phrase is placed in the wrong part of a sentence. They are one of the trickiest topics on SAT Writing because we often make these mistakes when we speak and write. All the SAT Idioms You Need: Complete List Idioms can be a couple of different types of phrases (including common sayings such as "one step forward, two step backs"). But on SAT Writing, the term refers to questions about consistent preposition, conjunction, and gerund use (e.g., "I’m excited to go to Disneyland† rather than â€Å"I’m excited going at Disneyland"). Illogical Comparisons: The Weirdest Topic on SAT Writing Faulty comparisons are another weird error you might not be familiar with. They occur when you compare two things that aren’t of the same type, such as â€Å"Juan’s favorite band† and â€Å"Tim.† Adjectives vs Adverbs in SAT Writing: Practice + Tips Occasionally on SAT Writing, you’ll see an adverb (e.g., â€Å"sadly†) used where an adjective (e.g., â€Å"sad†) is needed, or vice versa. This guide explains how to spot these errors as well as those with superlatives and comparatives. Relative Pronouns Questions specifically about relative pronouns (who, which, where, etc.) aren't super common, but these words play important roles in other types of questions. Make sure you understand how to use them correctly. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Building an SAT Writing Study Plan Now that you've got a basic understanding of the test, you probably want to start doing some SAT Writing practice. Great! The guides in this section will help you understand how to make your SAT Writing prep as efficient and effective as possible. SAT Writing Prep: The Best Methods and Strategies If you’re studying for the SAT independently, it can be hard to figure out how to best organize your SAT Writing prep. This guide lays out everything you must know to study effectively on your own. Where to Find the Best SAT Writing Practice Tests Complete Official SAT Practice Tests, Free Links All the prep time in the world won’t do you any good if you’re using bad materials. We’ve collected all the best SAT Writing practice tests, for free and for sale, and explained what qualities to look for and what to avoid in practice materials. You can also practice with any official SAT practice test. The Best Prep Books for SAT Writing Best SAT Prep Books 2018 If you’re looking for further reading on grammar rules or how to read passages, these two guides have got you covered. We’ve reviewed the best SAT prep books out there, for both the Writing section in particular and the test as a whole. Use these books to guide your study sessions. SAT Writing Tips and Tricks In this section, I've collected all our best test-day tips and general advice to help you ace SAT Writing.Read these to understand how best to approach questions on this section, and get advice on how to attack tricky questions and how to navigate the unique structure of the test. The Top 9 SAT Writing Strategies You Must Use This article rounds up key big-picture strategies for studying SAT Writing. For the best results, be sure to incorporate them into your practice. How to Improve Your SAT Writing Score: 8 Key Strategies If you’re struggling with a low score, this guide can help. Here, a perfect SAT scorer offers histop eight strategiesfor raising a low SAT Writing score closer to (or even beyond) the 600 (30) range. How to Get 800 on SAT Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer Aiming for a super high Writing score? This guide, written by a 1600 scorer, explains thetop nine strategiesyou need for a perfect score on SAT Writing. You'll also learnhelpful tips for keeping yourself motivated and focused. The 8 Most Common SAT Writing Mistakes Students Make There are a few mistakes that routinely bring down students’ SAT Writing scores. Make sure you know how to avoid them with this guide. The Top 7 SAT Writing Tips to Boost Your Score These suggestions can help raise your SAT Writing score even if you’re taking the test tomorrow, but they’ll be even more helpful if you use them every time you practice. How to Analyze Data Graphics on SAT Reading and Writing On SAT Writing, you're guaranteed to see at least one data chart; thus, it's extremely important to be able to read charts and other data graphics. This guide tells you how to do just that on both the Reading and Writing sections. How to Ace SAT Writing for Math and Science People If grammar and punctuation aren't your fortes, you'll need to come up with a different approach to SAT Writing. This guide, which specifically targets math and science whizzes, offerstons of helpful tipsfor attacking the Writing section head-on and getting the score you want. The 12 Hardest SAT Writing Questions Ever This article explains the answers to some of the hardest SAT Writing questions. If you’re shooting for a score below 700 on EBRW, you will likely want to skip these types of questions. But if you’re aiming for a high score, make sure you know how to attack even the most challenging questions. What's Next? You hopefully have a good idea what your next step should be: practice!Reading about the SAT can only teach you so much. To really understand SAT Writing, you have try out these strategies and tips on a real test. Before you go over your practice test, make sure you know how to review missed questions. The fastestway to improve is tolearn from your mistakes. 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A good ruler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A good ruler - Essay Example Krishna derives his code of conduct from the ancient Hindu tradition of Varna Dharma, which was an extension of the caste-system followed in India. According to this system, members of each of the four castes have their own social roles to perform1. Striving to fulfill these roles without questioning them is considered a virtue. Arjuna, having born into the Kshatriya caste (the warriors and rulers) is expected to fight the righteous battle, even if his opponents are his own cousins and eventually one of them might be killed. The people across the battlefield, waiting to confront Arjuna2 with swords, arrows and spears are people like Bhishma and Dhronacharya3, the former being his uncle and the latter his teacher. Not only were they elderly and respectable individuals but were also related by blood. The other contenders were the hundred odd sons of King Dhritirashtra, Arjuna’s father’s own brother4. Indeed, the dilemma and confusion that set in Arjuna’s mind were understandable. It is at this juncture that Lord Krishna consoles Arjuna by extolling to him the virtues of performing one’s designated duties. The duty (dharma) for a warrior prince is to defend his side from enemies. If Arjuna did not carry out this noble calling of his caste, then he will neither achieve peace in this lifetime for his own warring cousins will bring about his death, nor will he attain peace in the afterlife due to the digression of not having performed his duty. As per the code of conduct prescribed by Varna Dharma, a Kshatriya (warrior) should not hesitate to kill his own brother if the latter is wrong. Arjuna, the warrior prince is impelled to decimate those forces that are devious and corrupt. In the war of Kurushetra, the devious and corrupt forces have assumed the form of his Kaurava cousin brothers and hence Arjuna should not express such sentimental notions which are unbecoming of his caste. When Arjuna doubts the very necessity of this war, Krishna

Racial differences (introduction) Personal Statement

Racial differences (introduction) - Personal Statement Example I am a firm believer of the theory that allows for people to remain glued to their own racial and ethnic backgrounds and I am all for their resolute beliefs in them no matter how difficult the circumstances are. This indeed is what I am proud of and it makes me strong and committed day after day. The aspect of my identity that is in line with my work regimes and my academic qualifications are something that I hold on to very firmly. I let the same remain communicated to all and sundry so that my personality develops due to such strong points being on my side. I would rather want people to focus more on my personality traits than choosing to discuss my racial and ethnic priorities because I believe these are insignificant and trivial matters, not providing benefit to anyone at all. Thus I choose not to share such matters with anyone as it creates a sense of animosity between people belonging to different races and ethnicities. The cultural events and occasions have strengthened my perspective upon life and my childhood is full of festivities, cultural exchange, weddings, death anniversaries and so on. I believe all of these points form up as strong basis for my association with my self-identity and this is one characteristic within my personality that I am in love with. My feelings for these occasions and incidents are tied with emotion and a sense of belonging all the same while I have tried my best to remain attached to my roots in the wake of both happiness and grief - a very quintessential feature of my values and the overall upbringing. 4. What or who was influential in shaping your present attitudes towards your own background and toward people from different background' My grandfather was the person who provided meaning to my life. It would not be wrong to suggest that he was and still is my source of motivation that comes from within. He developed in me a sense of finding out the world around me on my own and journeying through the thick and thin of things with a sense of challenge for my own self. He made me a strong person - up for attempting anything in life and this indeed me a tough woman. I cannot think of anything else apart from my rich background and this provides me a cushion to fall back upon in the event I run into problems and distress. I know there are my roots upon which I can place my trust. 5. If your feelings regarding your perceived identity have changed since childhood, who or what has contributed to this change' The only change that I believe has contributed in a small quantity has been in the wake of relationships which in the world of present times have started to diminish unfortunately. Children are getting away from their parents and grandparents and for a woman like me who has been brought up with the patronage of my grandfather; this comes out as a complete surprise for me, living in the time and age of today. However since my personality is molded in a strong way courtesy my family, I know that whatever that is

Human Rights and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Rights and Women - Essay Example Women were therefore sexually exploited. Until quite recently, women were relegated to the background in respect of social and economic status, education, politics, health and non - recognition of her unpaid work at home in domestic food production, etc. Until quite recently even in Great Britain, a women's property was considered to belong to her husband. American Women were denied their civil right of suffrage until 1920. In 1960 Women got together to obtain legal equality with men. After the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, women obtained many gains in employment. In 1970, efforts were made by women to change the unfair practices and attitudes towards women in society. In 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court passed a landmark judgment in the case US V Virginia. The Supreme Court decided that Sex Discrimination is unconstitutional unless the state can advance an exceedingly persuasive justification. (Microsoft Corporation, Encarta article Women's Rights, Katrin Schultheiss) The atrocities against women are universal in their prevalence, as attested to by the fact that in the World Human Rights Conference held at Vienna in 1993, special mention was made of these issues.

Negotiations Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Negotiations - Coursework Example This requires an in-depth research on the various cars available that will suit my preference. After some critical research online I have narrowed down the possibilities and there is particularly one that has interested me the most. It is a Subaru and after some extensive research on Subarus in relation to performance and the general lifespan, it is seemingly the best option for me at the moment. Additionally, the dealer selling the car allows for a trade in and also payment in instalments with a significant down payment depending on the car. Therefore, there seems to be several available options for me from the dealer hence prompting the need to go and check it out and have a further discussion with the dealer regarding the Subaru. After a relatively long talk with the dealer on the available deals regarding the Subaru and also other available cars in the yard, I have decided to buy the new Subaru I had earlier on spotted during my search. In the course of our talk, the dealer presented the current offers available ranging from cash to a trade in to paying in instalments after a down payment. Based on my current financial position the only offers suitable are either a trade in or paying in instalments. In both options I have to part with the Jetta, which is a decision I had already made. If I settle for a trade in the dealer has agreed to give me $8800 for the Jetta and paying in instalments requires me to first pay a down payment of $9400. With the down payment, I will get a loan with some manageable though steep monthly payments. However, with this option I have to settle for a buyer of the Jetta from among those who had been contacting me in order to give the down payment failure to which I will be forced t o take the loan at prime with an increment of 5% interest. From among the earlier calls there is particularly one seemingly good prospect with whom I have agreed to meet for a discussion on the Jetta sale at 1300 hrs. On meeting with the

Ethos, Logos, Pathos Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethos, Logos, Pathos - Assignment Example In his speech â€Å"I have a dream†, he stated firmly that all men were created equal despite other social constructions such as race or color. He swayed and captured his followers by using three devices which include ethos, logos and pathos (Braet, 1992). He represented the ethos quite well in his speech which was his credibility in the speech. Being an African-American, he and other Negroes could undergo various discriminations. He stood firm to change people’s views by giving real examples for the people to judge their conditions of sufferings. Braet (1992) asserts that the rhetorical device of logos which refers to reasoning is another style King made excellent use of. In his speech he narrated the history of America and then used this to explain the reason why he gathered people for the speech I have a dream that day as Braet (1992) puts it. By saying that the time to open the door of opportunity to all God’s children, King uses the style of reason to make a promise that all men black or white is guaranteed the right to life, liberty and happiness. Eventually, was the usage of pathos style which is the heart and emotion of the protest in martin’s speech. King used to go to his audience on the same level as they were on and spoke both his heart and that one of the audience (Braet, 1992). The use of emotion was demonstrated when he spoke of freedom, justice and liberty and the level of his voice and gestures would emphasize this

LEGAL ASPECT OF NURSING Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

LEGAL ASPECT OF NURSING - Case Study Example The physician is reluctant to perform the surgery because of the patient’s recent stroke. However, Mr. Suarez’s adult children are insistent that the surgery should commence. As the main caregivers, they are charged with the responsibility of managing their father’s health condition. It is for this reason they push for the best medical care for their father. In light of the unfolding events, there is an ethical dilemma. The ethical committee should act in the best interest of the patient. Due consideration should be made for the physician’s evaluation. There are few kidneys available for transplant but there are many patients in need of kidney transplant. Unfortunately, many patients have succumbed to death during the waiting period. It is disheartening that there is a worldwide shortage of kidneys available for transplant. Potential kidney donors are living donors or deceased donors. For deceased donors they can either be non-heart beating donors (donatio n is made after cardiac death) or heart beating donors (donation is made after brain death). There has been an increase in the kidney donations made by both living donors and non-heart beating donors, but the donations from heart beating donors have declined. ... Given Mr. Suarez’s cardiac complications, a cardiac evaluation is necessary. Physical examination and history is essential for transplant candidates. Patients exhibiting cardiac failure are highly predisposed to cardiovascular events peri-operatively and post-transplantation (Suphamai &. Danovitch, 2007). Abnormal ECG results would warrant further cardiac evaluation. Mr. Suarez’s age is above 50 years, and a stress test should be administered. However, there is need to appreciate the current critical health state of the patient. Several independent medical experts on kidney transplants should be consulted by the ethics committee. They should give a report of the expected kidney transplant in light of the hemorrhagic stroke. There is need to determine if the stroke is a major risk factor that predisposes the patient to a critical health state. If there is a high possibility of an unsuccessful surgery, Mr. Suarez’s eligibility for a kidney transplant declines. The kidney transplant is for the purpose of saving a life and if there is a likelihood of an unsuccessful surgery, it would not be ethical to select Mr. Suarez as a kidney recipient. Comprehensive information is required on the physical and mental health state of Mr. Suarez. Mortalities are mainly caused by malignancy, infection and cardiovascular disease as they are the main complications arising from immunosuppression in the majority of kidney transplant recipients. The transplant assessment process also requires a comprehensive evaluation of Mr. Suarez’s psychosocial, medical and surgical history (Pham et al. 2010). This evaluation is a challenge for transplant physicians as they have to screen for complex medical issues in potential candidates, and another challenge is the non

Ethos, Logos, Pathos Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethos, Logos, Pathos - Assignment Example In his speech â€Å"I have a dream†, he stated firmly that all men were created equal despite other social constructions such as race or color. He swayed and captured his followers by using three devices which include ethos, logos and pathos (Braet, 1992). He represented the ethos quite well in his speech which was his credibility in the speech. Being an African-American, he and other Negroes could undergo various discriminations. He stood firm to change people’s views by giving real examples for the people to judge their conditions of sufferings. Braet (1992) asserts that the rhetorical device of logos which refers to reasoning is another style King made excellent use of. In his speech he narrated the history of America and then used this to explain the reason why he gathered people for the speech I have a dream that day as Braet (1992) puts it. By saying that the time to open the door of opportunity to all God’s children, King uses the style of reason to make a promise that all men black or white is guaranteed the right to life, liberty and happiness. Eventually, was the usage of pathos style which is the heart and emotion of the protest in martin’s speech. King used to go to his audience on the same level as they were on and spoke both his heart and that one of the audience (Braet, 1992). The use of emotion was demonstrated when he spoke of freedom, justice and liberty and the level of his voice and gestures would emphasize this

Rational Choice Theory Human Essay Example for Free

Rational Choice Theory Human Essay Kidnapping John was an ordinary struggling employee of a newspaper firm. One cannot tell by appearances what the mind is capable of, or is it situations that can arouse criminal intelligence in any one of us. However, it is when thoughts transform into actions that crime is committed and what is it that causes this transformation: opportunity. Crime Script John sat thinking of possible options. It has been a mistake to switch two jobs in three years. Not only did he not have a decent designation, he barely made enough to sustain himself, let alone repay the 00 loan installments. Mr. Woolmar, the Boss, did not even know his full name properly in the six months that he had worked, let alone give him any financial help. He would have to do something drastic, something quick and maybe even something illegal. And it would have to be alone. Nothing in office, there were too many cameras. The next-door neighbours just had a baby kidnapping? Yes, but not a baby. Rob someone, take their cash, ATM, and car. Parking lots are good for that, no police, and hardly any public to get alerted and call 911. Yes, parking lots, that is where most crimes are committed, at least in the movies. Resources and setting up John required first of all, a gun. The only person whom he knew had a gun was his colleague, Sarah, who after attempted burglary at her residence had obtained an official permit to keep a gun for self-defense. He mentioned having to write an article on gun engineering and asked if he could borrow it for a few hours†¦office time only. He would take it at twelve ‘o clock, study the components, and return it at five before she leaves for home. Sarah, as her permit allowed her to carry the gun on her person, bought it to office the next day. All he cared about was that it was small in size, not too visible in his coat. Could have been a toy gun, some do look scarier than the real thing. The mask was cut out of a ladies polo neck shirt that he had bought at Labels yesterday, two holes for the eyes, a little slit for breathing and one for talking. Black, and cotton, he did not want the stifling nervous feeling to make him faint. A sports bag, to carry everything and sports gear, to look like: ‘I have just left gym and an going home. ’ This disguise also allowed him to wear joggers, which made less noise as he approached. Another factor that made him soundless was the linoleum floor of the parking lot. Linoleum is especially designed to absorb noise and shock from car tyres so that parking lots are serene. Little did floor manufacturers know how this ‘benefit’ would transform into a security hazard. He had also chosen a parking area that is mostly vacant during office lunch hours. A block away from his office was Hallman’s Securities: home to few of the richest brokers in the city. These were people who had it all and more. For them, a few thousand dollars amiss would not matter. All this was information gained from his very own newspaper articles. Actors and doing it As soon as it was One, John changed into his sports gear in the restroom, signed out ‘Gone for lunch’ walked two blocks down and started jogging as he approached the parking lot. A few stretches and he even smiled at a few lady lawyers walking out with their coffee flasks who waved back distracted. Most cars he had noticed parked in the morning, as he had stopped on his way to office, were not there. The red BMW was missing, it had particularly caught his attention because of its shine. The guard on duty was nowhere to be seen, lunch hours for everyone, hopefully. He continued with his stretches and hoped for the gentleman who had parked his Vitz at exactly 8:45, at the other end, to come out after a few more minutes when the movement died down. And there he was, navy blue shirt, maroon tie, grey trousers and the salt and pepper hair. Not really elderly enough to make John feel guilty, more of a younger wealthy CEO variety. John could now understand ‘rob the rich, give to the poor. ’ Ducking under the fichus undergrowth, John quickly put on his mask and sprinted to the other end. The gentleman nonchalantly put the keys in the lock, the rustling of leaves in the wind providing further cover to Johns hurried arrival. It was only â€Å"I have a gun, do as I say! ’ that made him stop, stiffen and put his hands up. â€Å"Get into the car, fast, don’t look back! † and John crouched low in the back seat. Once in the car, he could talk more, explain his situation, now that the gun was out of the view. â€Å"Give me your wallet, watch, and anything else that you are carrying! And you had better not hold anything back or else † said John as he poked the nozzle into his ribs. But the white-faced man was too shocked to comply. â€Å"Can’t you hear me?!! † and the second jolt startled his poor victim into action. John felt like an actor in a play. He had to force the ruthlessness into his voice; it was not coming naturally. Maybe that is how all criminals feel the first time. He wished he had not started this, but it was too late now, he had started committing the offence, might as well go all the way and reap the reward. At least he could thank his oratory skills for not fumbling with the words or faltering in volume to give away his own apprehensions. â€Å"Now you have to drive to the nearest ATM, NORMALLY, smile at people as they pass, NO ONE MUST SUSPECT, YOU UNDERSTAND! † said John, and the car started. Both the villain and the victim were on auto-pilot, like a robot drove the grey-haired man, knowing exactly where to turn, to stop at red lights, stare straight ahead, not looking here or there. John kept his gaze and nozzle fixated at his victim, ignoring the need to look around lest he give away the game. It was a slow mechanical drive. The car stopped at the ATM. It was one of those booth varieties. â€Å"I will wait outside† said John. â€Å"Take out your maximum and be out in two minutes, or I will come and shoot you inside. † Those two minutes seemed like eternity. John kept looking at his watch. What if the man had two cell phones, and had given John only one. What if he will look up the window and see a blue uniform holding a gun at him? A girl passed by the pavement, oblivious of everything except the tune in her I-pod. Then he heard the thud of the booth and saw a flash of Navy blue. Alerted to his teeth, he only breathed as he realized it was his fellow, not the cops. The man turned around and handed the cash. â€Å"That was all the limit allowed. † Silence as John counted the nine hundred and fifty dollars. Add that to the six hundred in the wallet, the five hundred the Tissot would go for, John realized that he would have to execute Part B of the plan, steal the car. Anyway it would be better to have the car to drive off in than to have to disappear from the crime on foot. â€Å"Drive and stop where I tell you! † China town was what John had in mind, there were less phone booths and more Chinese than American in that area. It would take longer for an American to get help there than anywhere else in New York. Jumping onto the passenger seat, John shouted’ â€Å"Get Out! † at the back alley. Yanking the mask off and driving at full speed John neither looked left or right as he speeded to the little repair shop run by the Mexican who had repaired the almost falling-apart foxy belonging to his Indian friend, Ranjeet. That was the only place he had ever seen a shady deal done, when suddenly a brand new Volvo was deposited by two high schoolers who walked away with cash in their pockets and smiles on their faces. The economic and emotional decadence that had disgusted him then, seemed so all right and understandable now. A crime does not feel like a crime if your needs are greater than the needs of your victim. Here too, the actions seemed rehearsed. Stop the car near the garage, walk inside, but a cigarette and open the packet to find the 4 smokes and the amount the Mexican feels is appropriate for the new arrival. Which was appropriate for John as well: A full two thousand and five hundred dollars. He may even give four hundred to charity to wash away his sin. He was just waiting for a taxi as he saw the Vitz being slowly pushed into the repair shop and the gate being closed. A few directions to the Indian cab driver, a speedy drive to office, a rush to the restroom where John changed back into his office attire, leaving the clothes and joggers in the huge trash bin, John was back at his desk at 2:15. â€Å"Rather early lunch? Was it a date? † asked Bob, his colleague â€Å"Yeah, sort of† said John as he finished formatting the article on why it is dangerous to polish guns on your own inside the house. â€Å"Here Sarah, thanks a lot, how do u use this thing? † Rational Choice Theory Human beings are rational creatures. That is why God created heaven and hell. We make the right choices there, because God is always watching. But cops are not always watching, so it is possible for would-be criminals to get away with a lot of things since â€Å"where there is a will, there is a way. † Crime arises when motivation meets opportunity. One may have the mind but not the means. If crimes such as Johns are to be prevented, either one or both of these factors would have to be reduced/removed from society. Motivation for crimes of financial nature, such as Johns, arises from need. It is not a case of a rich man trying to get richer by swindling the shareholders of his company. It is performing the big crime of kidnapping for a few thousand dollars. As said ‘Rationality involves an end/means calculation† (Sutton). Kidnappers may face lengthy terms in prison. The harsh sentences imposed and the poor risk-to-benefit ratio compared with other crimes have caused kidnapping for ransom virtually to die out in the United States. It may be that John was not aware of the consequences of getting caught. Here the question arises as to what were the violent actions the loan shark had threatened to take, that provoked John to risk something greater. A loan shark, is someone who illegally charges interest over the states legal limit, which could range up to, or even over 100% and threatens violence or damage to a persons reputation. John could have come clean to the local police and requested for security. However, if the motivating factor was damage to reputation, it would have been disastrous for John as his career as a writer in a newspaper. A more comprehensive approach is needed to reduce the incidence of such crimes. The government may need to create public awareness about the seriousness and penalties of committing various crimes so that the law is not taken lightly in times of stress. The underlying problem, however, is economical. â€Å"With the new decade of 2010 upon us, little has changed and further victimizing seems inevitable as financial desperation increases globally in more households† (Sifakis, 1999). The government must crack down on the loan shark system and introduce schemes of credit borrowing from the State itself depending on merit and below market interest rates. In fact, why not without interest at all? Interest has been looked down upon in a few religions of the world because it makes the poor, poorer and the rich, richer. Had John had access to such a borrowing system, he may not have fallen prey to a local loan shark. John’s situation mentions that he has no family or friends. A very often and sad situation in the new American society is the loneliness of the individual. In other cultures, expenses and liabilities are shared by family members especially those living in a joint family system. Such a system also automatically keeps an emotional check and an eye on every member where deviance in behaviour or mood is immediately noticed. Problems are discussed and sorted out. When society becomes individualistic and there is less and less of a support structure, financial and psychological factors combine to breed crime Motivation is all in the mind. But the body acts only if there is an opportunity. If there is a situation in which the crime can be performed. John chose not to rob a bank because he did not have access to professional assistants. John chose not to defraud his employer because he lacked the IT expertise and there were surveillance cameras in office. He had the motivation for both of these, but did not have the opportunity so the crimes were not committed. Therefore the government needs to focus on situational crime prevention. This includes making public areas safer for people. Parking lots and parks often get deserted. More surveillance cameras must be installed. Security guards must be employed in shifts. Criminals commit crime mostly because they think they will not get caught. A general awareness of crime prevention must be installed in society. Situational crime prevention does not mean obtaining permits for guns. The more guns there are out there, the more the chances of anyone getting hurt. Obviously a gun is made to kill. One in ten will. The danger of it falling into the wrong hands is too great. Guns get jammed and fire at the wrong times. There have been numerous deaths around the world because of guns kept at home. Another factor in urban crime prevention is to assimilate the various ethnicities of a metropolitan into the community whole-heartedly. â€Å"Immediate steps can be taken to reclaim the urban environment and recreate a sense of community. Migrants in multicultural cities, who have internalized the culture conflict between two worlds, can be assisted in gaining new identities and allegiances† (United Nations Team, 1995). Poverty-stricken, derelict areas on the outskirts of metropolitans are like breeding areas or crime ports, where goods can be deposited, sold, purchased out of need but always with a racial revenge in the subconscious. In John’s case the Mexican was a character, which symbolized this mafia. If at the end of his crime, John did not have a place to sell the Vitz, the crime may not have arisen at all, since no one would be carrying four thousand dollars cash anyway. The crime had not been completed until John sold the car. The victim had time to contact the authorities. However, in such situations a victim’s reactions are often late especially if the aggressor is strong or loud. While the victim was inside the ATM booth he could have looked into the CCTV camera and made signs to indicate his situation. A compulsory self-defense course must be introduced at all private and public schools so that victims are at least able to respond for help at the right time and place. This would ensure a lot of criminals being taken off guard. After a crime is committed, it is the States responsibility to punish. â€Å"The Swiftness, Severity, and Certainty of punishment are the key elements in understanding a laws ability to control human behavior† (Keel, 1997). The rational choice theory states that the benefit of the crime is greater than the pain: ‘Choice can be controlled through the perception and understanding of the potential pain or punishment that will follow an act judged to be in violation of the social good, the social contract,† (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 1995). Whenever a crime attempt is aborted, a criminal punished, the story must flash on the media and be registered into the minds of the public, for human beings learn readily by example. Some societies go to the extent of public floggings and executions, so that all ye may learn. Utilizing the media for the good of the community is a governmental responsibility. The State may do much but it is the power of the people that can also be quite a deterrent to crime. † Self-help schemes have proven highly effective in well-organized communities. Specific crime prevention measures, such as neighbourhood block watches and neighbourhood courts, work best in partnership with local authorities, scrupulously avoiding vigilantism. † (United Nations Team, 1995. ) In many metropolitans, for example in Karachi, citizens have joined hands with the local area police to make their localities / cities safer places to live in; an organization named CPLC (Citizens Police Liaison Committee) with the slogan ‘Lets beat crime together’ has distributed car stickers with phone numbers easily displayed so that anyone who notices anything suspicious may inform it. Conclusion All efforts of the State and citizens alike must be more focused on eradicating ‘the way’ (that is, opportunity) because it is easier to eradicate than ‘the will’ (that is, motivation), which requires a long-term strategy. ‘To err is human† and the devil may open his workshop anywhere but as long as there is no opportunity, crime commission does not occur. The rational choice theory states that motivation and opportunity combine for crime commission. However sometimes motivation is not a factor at all. Even if the State and community are ideal, there are serial killers and psychopaths who commit crimes only because there are opportunities. John had the opportunity to kidnap and commit theft and he would have done it even if he were a serial killer who had a fetish for killing grey-haired men, instead of having been driven to it because of financial problems. Sometimes it is just temptation or the thrill of doing something daring and forbidden, that replaces motivational factors such as poverty or racism. So we may conclude that opportunity of crime can be equal to possibility of crime and though economic and sociological environments must be such that they deter crime, it is more relevant for the authorities to focus on situational crime prevention. References Kopel, D. B. (1995). Guns: who should have them?.. New York: Prometheus books. Keel, R. O. (1997). Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory. Lilly, J. Robert, Cullen, Francis T. and Ball, Richard A. (1995). Criminological Theory: Context and Consequences (2nd ed. ). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Sifakis, C. (1999). The Mafia Encyclopedia Checkmark Books Sutton, D, Ronald V. Clarke. Retrieved May 17th, 2010 from http://www. criminology. fsu. edu/crimtheory/clarke. htm United Nations. (1995, April). Stop Crime. Retrieved May 17th, 2010, from http://www. un. org/ecosocdev/geninfo/crime/dpi1646e. htm