Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Symbolism in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and Sur by...

Guin’s Symbolic Meanings Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† and â€Å"Sur.† In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in â€Å"Sur† there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched†¦show more content†¦With this in mind both the child in the broom closet and drooz are the two most important symbols in â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† because they both help reveal the main theme of the story to the readers. The third most important symbol in â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† is the colors Guin uses to describe the city of Omelas. Guin uses green and gold the most to describe the city Omelas and its citizens. She also uses red, silver, white, and dark blue to help describe the city of Omelas. In â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas† gold is used as a symbol for power and wealth, while green is used as a symbol for energy. Correspondingly â€Å"The horses wore no gear at all but a halter without a bit. Their manes were braided with streamers of silver, gold, and green† (Guin 1). As one can see by this quote green and gold are obvious, yet important symbols. Green and gold as symbols relate back to the citizens and the city of Omelas. Hence green and gold can lead the reader to find many themes they would not think of without these two very important symbols. In â€Å"Sur† Guin uses the w eather as one of the main symbols. Throughout the whole story of â€Å"Sur† Guin is very descriptive about the weather. For instance â€Å"It was over-cast, white weather, without shadows and without visible horizon or any feature to break the level; there was nothing else at all† (Guin 167). This quote shows how Guin is

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Cause Of The Dust Bowl - 1181 Words

Dusty Days Sam Starr Mrs. Terry Westling English III 16 October 2017 Outline Thesis: The Dust Bowl of the 1930s forever changed how Americans thought of and treated our farm lands in the Great Plains. Introduction I. Causes of the Dust Bowl A. The Drought in the Great Plains B. Improper Tending of the Land II. People Affected by the Dust Bowl A. Lawrence Srobin, Aris D. Carlson, and John Steinbeck B. Statistics of the Damage C. Farmer’s Problems Before the Dust Bowl III. FDR’s Fix for the Dust Bowl A. Strategic Planting of Trees in the Great Plains B. Free Education about Soil Treatment for Farmers Conclusion Dusty Days When the dust settled, the farmers of the U.S. were heartbroken over the acreage†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Much of the Roaring 20s was a continual cycle of debt for the American farmer, stemming from falling farm prices and the need to purchase expensive machinery.† (â€Å"The Farming Problem†). Tractors had just graced the U.S. markets which boosted the production of goods greatly. Most would think this was good, but it was more of a problem, the farmers would overproduce goods without enough people to buy them all which made the goods almost worthless. The farmers had to borrow money to pay for their tractors, assuming they would be able to pay back the debt with the money that the tractor made, but when they found they could not it set them up having no money and a debt with no way to pay it back. â€Å"When the stock market crashed in 1929 sending prices in an even more downward cycle, many American farmers wondered if their hardscrabble lives would ever improve.† (â€Å"The Farming Problem†). The stock market crashing made the stocks the farmers though they would be able to get some money from virtually worthless. The Dust Bowl only made matters worse. â€Å"Between 1932 and 1940 it is estimated 2.5 million people abandoned the plains for other regions of the country.† (Woolner) California received the majority of these migrants; roughly four hundred thousand. The Californians who were there before the migrants were unhappy about them coming in and taking their jobs, often referring to them as â€Å"Okies† (most of them came from Oklahoma). They were even prohibited fromShow MoreRelated Dust Bowl Essay915 Words   |  4 Pagesanswers.com, a dust bowl is a region reduced to aridity by drought and dust storms. The best-known dust bowl is doubtless the one that hit the United States between 1933 and 1939. One major cause of that Dust Bowl was severe droughts during the 1930’s. The other cause was capitalism. Over-farming and grazing in order to achieve high profits killed of much of the plain’s grassland and when winds approached, nothing was there to hold the devastated soil on the ground. The Dust Bowl affected the GreatRead MoreThe Great Depression And Dust Bowl1165 Words   |  5 PagesDepression/Dust Bowl The ‘Dirty Thirties’ is perhaps one of the most known time periods in American History. During the 1930s, the worst and longest drought occurred in the United States, this was also know as the Dust Bowl. According to Christopher Klein, the Dust Bowl is considered both a man-made and natural disaster. In fact, many events contributed to the Dust Bowl such as poor farming techniques, a severe drought, and economic depression. One of the main causes of the Dust Bowl was the poorRead MoreThe Great Depression : The Dust Bowl984 Words   |  4 Pagesknown as the Dust Bowl. The problems that the people of the Dust Bowl dealt with however were not a result of the Depression as a whole but instead were the result of a combination of bad farming decisions and a horrible drought. Even though the timing makes it seem like the Dust Bowl experience in the 1930’s was a part of the Great Depression as a whole it was a totally different disaster that was occurring at the same time. The experience of the families that lived in the Dust Bowl during the 1930’sRead MoreThe Dust Bowl Of The United States1132 Words   |  5 Pageshardly quintessential. A notable provoker for this adversity was the dust storm known as the â€Å"Dust Bowl†, that lasted until about 1940. The Dust Bowl had consequences all over the United States. Besides causing the largest migration in American history when people began fleeing the midwest, it lead to the deaths of thousands of people and prompted soil conservation campaigns that called forth on the federal government. The Dust Bowl was an entirely avoidable tragedy rooted in greed and ignorance whereRead MoreFarming During The Great Depression1210 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Great Depression. But one of the main causes of the Great Depression was the farming conditions. Before the Great Depression life was great! The American life was starting to get better and better. But In the early 1930 s soil was reduced to dust and eroded, because of drought and improper farming practice. This period of long, stressful farming conditions was known as the Dust Bowl. It led to the increased number of deaths in the 1930’s. The Dust Bowl has some major effects on the U.S. suchRead MoreThe Black Blizzard And The Dust Bowl1570 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the Dust Bowl many people and kids have suffered, many lost their home and their towns got ruined. One of the people who has suffered in the Dust Bowl is Ashton. When Ashton went to his school he was immediately pulled in by his teacher Mrs. Kam. He was then told that the entire middle east was affected by the Dust Bowl and that a black blizzard will hit very soon. Then the winds outside started to get faster, the windows getting hit by all the dust gathered from the storm, but luckily forRead MoreDust Bowl Bt Donald Worster Essay764 Words   |  4 PagesDust Bowl: Donald Worster The 1930s are a decade marked by devastation; the nation was in an economic crisis, millions of people were going hungry, and jobless. America was going through some dark times. But if you were living in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas (or any of those surrounding states) you had bigger things on your mind than being denied the money in your bank account. From 1935-1939 Winds and dust storms had left a good portion of our country desolate; however our author takes a slightlyRead MoreThe Dust Bowl Essay1038 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was the darkest moment in the twentieth-century life of the southern plains, (pg. 4) as described by Donald Worster in his book The Dust Bowl. It was a time of drought, famine, and poverty that existed in the 1930s. Its cause, as Worster presents in a very thorough manner, was a chain of events that was perpetuated by the basic capitalistic societys need for expansion and consumption. Considered by some as one of the worst ecological catastrophes in theRead MoreDust Bowl of the 1930s911 Words   |  4 PagesThe Dust Bowl of the 1930’s had such an antagonistic effect on the United States economy that was already plummeting. The Dust Bowl affected the U.S economy in just about every way possible ranging from agriculture to finances including government expenses to population changes. This phenomena can be considered as one of the worst natural disasters that has affected the United States. The â€Å"Dust Bowl† was the name given to the Great Plains region that was greatly affected by drought in the 1930’sRead MoreThe Dust Bowl1192 Words   |  5 Pagesat a full moon. When he reached his house, his father rushed him inside. The first of many dust storms hit and the period known as the Dust Bowl began. The Dust Bowl was a brutal time period in Midwestern history; farmers were pushed off their land and forced to find new homes in new states. On a website called Drought Disasters, sponsored by Browing University, it was written â€Å"the seeds of the Dust Bowl may have been sown during the early 1920s. However, overproduction of wheat coupled with the

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station Accident free essay sample

On August 17th, 2009, the Sayana-Shushenskaya powerplant suffered a massive accident that resulted in the flooding of the engine and turbine rooms and two electric generators to explode underwater due to short circuit. Due to fatigue caused by extensive vibrations, the pins holding turbine number 2 breaks apart. Water rushing down the penstocks forces the 1500 ton turbine through the powerhouse floor launching it 50 feet into the air. A fountain of water flowing at 67,600 gallons per second destroys the roof and floods the turbine hall causing power failures and short circuit to turbines 7 and 9[6]. 4. 1 Design Process Factors Shortly after its installation, turbine number 2 had been experiencing problems due to defects in seals and shaft vibrations. In March 2000, a complete overhaul on turbine 2 was performed where cavities of 12 mm in depth and cracks up to 130mm in length found and repaired. Despite these efforts, turbine number 2 continued to have problems resulting in further repairs in 2005 and 2009[7][5]. Prior to the accident, the turbine was undergoing scheduled maintenance from January through March 2009. During the maintenance period, the turbine blades were welded due to appearance of cracks and cavities caused by long period of operation. The turbine was also equipped with a new electro hydraulic speed regulator supplied by Promavtomatika company [7]. It was resynchronized to the grid on March 16 although the vibrations remained high but did not exceed specifications. The vibrations increased between April and July exceeding the specifications causing the unit to be taken offline until August 16th when the Bratsk fire forced managers to push the turbine into service again. LMZ, the St. Petersburg metalworks that manufactured the turbines gave it a 30 year service lifespan. Turbine 2’s age on August 17th was 29 years 10 months [6]. Turbine 2 was started and switched to regulating mode due to the Bratsk fire. Data on turbine 2’s start-up and operation period through to the failure time is recorded in Figure 5[3]. Figure : Operating condition of Turbine 2[3] The turbine models are RO-230/833-V-677. As shown in Figure 5, they have very narrow recommended zone of power control. Excessive vibrations occur when it is being operated with a power setting out of the recommended zone or when it is in transitioning through the â€Å"not recommended† zone. Furthermore, when turbine 2 was hastily pushed back into service, the vibrations were unusually high and continued to rise. Figure 6 bellow shows data of the vibration from the plant logs. [3] Figure : Increasing Vibration level of turbine 2[3] The log data shows that the bearing vibration level of turbine 2 increased exponentially and exceeded the values of other turbines by more than fourfold. At the period of the accident vibrations were at 840 µm when its maximum acceptable value is 160  µm. Figure 6 also shows that turbine 2 was operating with vibration levels above 600  µm for a long period while the rest of the turbines were at around 200  µm. [3] This led to the equipment fatigue, primarily in the turbine anchor bolts as a result of the extensive vibration causing it to finally reach the point of failure. 4. 2 Human Factors Human factor also played its part in causing the accident at the powerplant. If small details that were overlooked and ignored were fixed instead, the accident could have been averted. For instance, when turbine 2 was under maintenance from January to March 2009, after the repairs on the turbine were completed, the turbine wheel was not properly rebalanced before commencing operation [7]. This might have contributed to why the turbine continued to vibrate extensively during April and July leading it to be halted until August 16. However, turbine 2 was hastily pushed back into operation due to the Bratsk plant fire. The Siberian Unified Dispatching Control Centre (UDCC) made the decision to start turbine 2 at the Sayano-Shushenskaya plant and switch it to regulating mode immediately as cover for the Bratsk plant even though it was halted due to the extensive vibrations. This means that it was subjected to even more intense cycling service due to the flow of water, forcing it through several passes through the â€Å"not recommended† zones of power output as seen in Figure 5. Furthermore, these turbine models have a very fine working band at high efficiency conditions. When this band is exceeded the turbines will begin to vibrate due to the force of water flow. This in turn leads to degrading of the turbine eventually due to vibrations and shocks. The problem was observed many times and yet the load on turbine 2 was not reduced. During the morning of the accident on August 17th, 2009, the plant general director, Nikolai Nevolko, was celebrating his 17th anniversary. While he was away early in the morning to greet the arriving guests, the levels of vibrations were very high because turbine 2 was operating in the â€Å"not recommended† zone to meet grid demands [3]. None of the 50 staff present around turbine 2 had authority to make any decisions about taking further actions to cope with the increasing vibrations. They were used to those high levels of vibration and choose to ignore them. The report of the accident listed former state controlled utility chief Anatoly Chubais as one of the people it says were â€Å"conductive† to the accident [8]. Chubais is said to have approved an order to allow the powerplant to continue operating despite known problems and what the report described as â€Å"lack of an adequate evaluation of its current safety conditions†. It was even more puzzling why the order came years after the plant had actually been operating. [8] 5. 0 Consequences Effects of Accident 5. 1 Health In the aftermath of the accident, rescue operations were started to search for survivors with 400 employees assembled to clear the flood in the turbine hall and clear the wreckage. The operation spanned two weeks with 177,000 cubic feet of debris removed and 14 survivors were rescued from the wreckage. However that was not the case for everyone as 75 personnel were pronounced dead when trapped in the turbine hall. Due to the catastrophic results of the accident, the director of the plant Nikolai Nevolko resigned and was replaced by Valerii Kjari. [6][9] 5. 2 Environment Ecology Due to accident the penstocks had to be shut down due to repairs, hence all the river water was forced to pass through the spillway. The spillway was not designed to sustain large amounts of water during winter partly due to formation of huge amounts of ice blocking its path. The problem was later resolved by running some of the restored units and construction of in-rock bypass channels [3]. In addition to this, transformer oil spillage that was used as the coolant spilled into the river when the transformers exploded. Approximately at least 40 tons of transformer oil was spread over 80 kilometers downstream of the Yenisei River [11]. This spill led to the killing of tons of trout fish in two fisheries downstream and also affected other wildlife by the river [5]. 5. 3 Damage Costs The total cost of restoring the powerplant is at 40,981 million rubles. The restoration process was finances by the RusHydro’s equity capital and also by raising 4,832. 1 million from the federal budget in 2009 [10]. Payments were also made to the families of the deceased amounting to 38,170 rubles for funeral costs, two average monthly salaries of the deceased employee and also one year’s salary of the deceased for each member of the family that are unable to work amounting to about 1,000,00 rubles per family. Furthermore all employees that were injured will be provided with material assistance and their treatment and rehabilitation cost will be covered in full [12]. 6. 0 Improvement Prevention 6. 1 Design Process During the accident, the plant’s automatic safety system did not shut down the turbines and close the entry gates to the penstock at the top of the dam due to short circuits. The system now has been improved to close the gates in case of a power loss. In addition to that, the gates can now also be controlled manually from the main control room. Emergency backup power has been installed for further security incase the main power supply fails [3][6]. The powerplant should also install a vibration monitoring system on each of the turbines. They should be programmed to follow specific rules that do not depend on manual interaction to shut down a faulty unit. This device could act as an emergency shutdown in case of excessive vibrations. The turbines should not be allowed to operate in the â€Å"not recommended† zone for two long. Its operation should be monitored constantly to avoid formation of cracks and cavities. 6. 2 Human Resources The installation and maintenance of all turbines and equipment should be monitored and accepted by the primary equipment manufacturers and not by the powerplant chiefs as before. This is because the manufacturers would have more knowledge of how to deal with defects in the systems. The directors and management board should make sure to never neglect and ignore even a small problem with the operation. They should ensure the turbines be put offline at the first indication of abnormalities. 6. 3 Safety Health The main improvement that can be made is for the directors of the plant to place more value on human and equipment safety than on the economics of power production. Staff should be given sufficient training and guidelines to handle emergency situation. They should be given sufficient authority to make crucial decisions in the absence of a superior. Finally, a fully funded extensive inspection, repair and maintenance program should be put into action more often. Furthermore, random inspections by an independent organization that is familiar to safety hazards should be encouraged. 7. 0 Conclusion To summarize this report, the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroplant was caused mainly by poor management and technical flaws. It could have been avoided if a more tight maintenance had been implemented. Also staff working at the powerplant should have been more aware about problems with turbine number 2 especially since it has been giving problems since the dam was built. Tighter safety rules and safety inspections should be made in the future to avoid this catastrophic event from repeating itself again.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Police public relationship in Bangladesh free essay sample

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of published research on the public image of the police. The report covers three types of police images: general perceptions of the police as an organization or institution, perceptions of police outcomes, and perceptions of police processes. The report considers research that reflects on improving the image of police. It summarizes the findings and discusses the implications for future research. Methodology Two types of reviews were conducted: a review of published research and a review of archived data sets pertaining to the image of the police held by the public. A comprehensive search of social science research literature was conducted to obtain a base for the literature review. We attempted to obtain all of the publications drawing on national surveys of police. We were selective in drawing upon surveys relevant to specific police agencies, using these where national surveys did not provide insights to important questions. We will write a custom essay sample on Police public relationship in Bangladesh or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A thorough search of publicly available archives of national and major international surveys of the police image was also conducted. Surveys of samples drawn on a state, county, or municipality were not considered unless they offered some valuable insights to broader questions about the police image. Where available we obtained copies of the survey instruments  (or those parts relevant to the police image) and basic characteristics of the sample. From this information we prepared a catalog that will allow IACP to view the entire scope of existing survey data on the police image that are already available. This catalog is provided separately in a form that is electronically accessible. Selected data from these surveys are presented in Exhibits in this report. Major Findings and Recommendations The public image of the police is complex. It has many aspects, grouped under three general categories: overall image, perceptions of police outcomes, and perceptions of police processes. There are different ways to measure each aspect. Findings can vary considerably according to which aspect is measured and how each is measured. Polls of the adult population in the United States since the 1960s show that the majority of the public has an over-all positive view of the police. Depending on the year and the particular measure used, the percentage of respondents with a positive assessment of police has been between 51 and 81 percent. When asked to assess service to their own neighborhoods, respondents tend to produce even higher evaluations. Relatively few citizens offer a negative assessment of police. The police consistently rank among the institutions and occupations in which the public expresses the highest confidence and trust. Most citizens are satisfied with police service in their own neighborhood, and this level of satisfaction appears to vary little from one urban jurisdiction to another. Cross-jurisdiction research on this topic is limited to a small number of jurisdictions, however. Citizens’ experiences with the police affect their over all assessment of the police. The more positive a citizen’s recent experience with the police, the more positive the citizen’s over-all assessment of the police. However, previously held views of police do not change easily and themselves tend to influence how citizens interpret their own experiences with the police. The vast majority of the American public has not had a face-to-face contact with a police officer in the previous twelve months, so it will be difficult for police to make large improvements in their over all public image by the direct contact they have with the public. Large portions of the American public report using the mass media as their primary source of information about crime, and these stories are the context for most mass media accounts of police work. News and entertainment  media portray police and police work in a highly distorted fashion. The recent trend toward â€Å"tabloid-style† journalism – even in mainstream media – appears to reduce public confidence and trust in the police. Between the 1980s and mid-1990s, increasing numbers of the American public gave police protection in their area a positive assessment. Neighborhood residents hold both police and residents responsible for controlling crime in the neighborhood. At the end of the 20th century, substantial majorities of the American public expressed positive views of how police treat the public. Police ranked highest in being helpful and friendly and lowest in treating people fairly. The public image of honesty and ethical standards of police has improved substantially from 1997 to 2000. The majority of the American public does not perceive police brutality in their area, but from the mid-1960s to the end of the 20th century the percentage who do perceive brutality has increased approximately threefold, accounting for a third of the public. This increase may be due at least in part to the public’s changing standards of what constitutes brutality. The public has become less accepting of police use of force during this time period. Across nearly all indicators of the public image of the police, racial minorities consistently show lower assessments of police than do whites. These race effects appear to be particularly enduring for citizens’ assessments of police fairness and use of force. The over-all legitimacy of the police depends much more on citizens’ perceptions of how the police treat them than on their perceptions of police success in reducing crime. Public confidence in and support for the police depends more on citizens’ perceptions of police officers’ motives than whether the outcome was personally favorable to the citizen. The public’s perceptions of how police treat them appear to affect their willingness to obey the law and obey the police. Negative publicity about the police in one city that receives high visibility around the nation may have a nation-wide impact on the public’s view of the police, but the effect appears to be modest and not enduring. When the public perceives major threats to the nation’s security, the overwhelming majority appear willing to give additional powers to the police that invade privacy and restrict liberty, but substantial portions of the public are also concerned about the possibility of police abuses of these powers. Community policing may have some modest, long-term positive influence on citizens’ satisfaction with  police, but it is unlikely to produce a â€Å"quick fix.† The following represents a distillation of the major findings of this study. Between the 1980s and mid-1990s, increasing numbers of the American public gave police protection in their area a positive assessment. Neighborhood residents hold both police and residents responsible for controlling crime in the neighborhood. At the end of the 20th century, substantial majorities of the American public expressed positive views of how police treat the public. Police ranked highest in being helpful and friendly and lowest in treating people fairly. The public image of honesty and ethical standards of police has fluctuated over the years but has improved substantially from 1977 to 2000. At the end of the 20th century, a majority of the American public perceives racial profiling to be a widespread practice and a problem. The majority of the American public does not perceive police brutality in their area, but from the mid-1960s to the end of the 20th century the percentage who do perceive brutality has increased approximately threefold, accounting now for a third of the public. This increase may be due at least in part to the public’s changing standards of what constitutes brutality. The public has become less accepting of police use of force during this time period. Across nearly all indicators of the public image of the police, racial minorities consistently show lower assessments of police than do whites. These race effects appear to be particularly enduring for citizens’ assessments of police fairness and use of force. The over-all legitimacy of the police depends much more on citizens’ perceptions of how the police treat them than on their perceptions of police success in reducing crime. Public confidence in and support for the police depends more on citizens’ perceptions of police officers’ motives than whether the outcome was personally favorable to the citizen. The public’s perceptions of how police treat them appear to affect their willingness to obey the law and obey the police. Negative publicity about the police in one city that receives high visibility around the nation may have a nation-wide impact on the public’s view of the police, but the effect appears to be modest and not enduring. When the public perceives major threats to the nation’s security, the overwhelming majority appear willing to give additional powers to the police that invade privacy and restrict liberty, but substantial portions of the public are also concerned about the possibility of police abuses of these  powers. Community policing may have some modest, long-term positive influence on citizens’ satisfaction with police, but it is unlikely to produce a â€Å"quick fix.† The following summarizes the major limitations of the available research and lists recommendations for future research. Different measures of the public’s image of the police can produce radically different results. Research is needed to identify the best survey items to accomplish specific research and evaluation purposes. Doing this will provide more valid and reliable measures for learning what the public image of the police is and what influences that image. Very little is known about the relative importance of various sources of information on the police’s public image. Research is needed to learn how much influence is exerted by the public’s personal experiences with the police, what they learn second-hand from friends and acquaintances, and what they learn from the mass media. Knowing how much and in what ways each of these sources influence public opinion about the police will help police develop more effective strategies for improving the public’s evaluations of and support for the police. Very little is known about the influence of nationally publicized events on the police image. Knowing how both negative and positive publicity in one community affects the public’s image of police in other communities will help police leaders learn how to deal more effectively with the consequences of those events in their local communities. Very little is known about how much variation there is in levels of citizen satisfaction with the police from community to community, and even less is known about what types of communities and police agencies show the highest and lowest levels of satisfaction. Research on this topic will help to validate what most effectively enhances the police image. Given the tremendous diversity of communities and police agencies, the research must distinguish what works in different kinds of communities. Virtually all of the survey research on the police image has concentrated on relatively large urban jurisdictions. Very little is known about contextual influences on patterns of public opinion about the police. Patterns may be different when crime is high compared to when crime is low, when there are strongly perceived threats to national security and when there are not. Very little is known about the relationship between objective and subjective indicators of police performance. When the crime rate is going up or down does the public credit the police with this  effect? Because police tend to rely heavily on objective measures of performance in dealing with crime and solving problems, it is important to know whether success or failure objectively measured translates into public credit and accountability when measured subjectively through public opinion surveys. Little is known about the implications of public opinion for public behavior that is of concern to police. Are there thresholds of public satisfaction or dissatisfaction in a community that indicate a considerably increased likelihood of citizen support or resistance to the police? What are the consequences of shifts in the police image for the tenure of police leadership? Answers to these questions will help police leaders use poll results to predict short and long-term trends in citizens’ behaviors that are important to police. The report concludes with a proposal for IACP to take a lead role in developing a data collection system that would enable its membership to track its progress in improving the police image and make it possible for researchers to answer the research questions listed above. The working name for this program is the Uniform Public Opinion Poll on Policing (UPOPP). The UPOPP system would be a voluntary program that would provide survey research planning to participating agencies. Those agencies would agree to conduct an annual public opinion survey in their jurisdictions. In addition to a common set of survey questions for all agencies, these surveys could also include questions crafted to suit the special needs of that department and the community it serves. Data would be archived by a research organization selected by IACP. In addition to providing advice on the design and implementation of the annual survey, the research organization would analyze the archived data, issuing an annual report on the state of the public image of police. The following sections of the executive summary provide a more detailed description of findings and recommendations. Findings are divided into major sections on the general image of the police, perceptions of the outcomes of policing, perceptions of policing processes, and improving the public perception of the police. This is followed by a discussion that places the findings in perspective. The executive summary concludes with a discussion of priority issues for future research and an agenda for data collection.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

How to Cancel Your SAT Scores

How to Cancel Your SAT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What can you do if you took the SAT already but you decide you want to cancel your test scores? First, stop and take a step back. Ask yourself if you’re sure. Once you cancel your test scores, there's no going back. Second, figure out - can you still cancel your scores? CollegeBoard has a very strict deadline about this and if you miss that deadline, then they won't budge. So what can you do? Well, I'm here tohelp you 1) assess whether you should cancel; 2) know what steps you need to take to cancel; and 3) know what to do if you miss the deadline to cancel, but still need to deal with a poor score. Why are you canceling? Should you really do this? You may have felt unsure about your answers, or you may have taken longer than the people around you to complete the test and are worried that you did poorly. However, keep in mind that everyone feels bad coming out of a test. For tests as long as the SAT, it's best not to make an impulsive decision about canceling. If you cancel your test, then you are probably going to have to take it again. Besides, it's possible that you did better than you thought you did. This is very common! But you have to keep in mind - once you cancel your test scores, you can't take it back.Know that there are other options. Score Choice is one such deal, where you can choose which scores you send to colleges, so your low scores won't necessarily have the terrible impact you think it will. However, some schools do require that "all scores" be sent out, so its important to consider where your top choice schools fall on this list. Take a look atWhich Colleges Superscore the SAT to find out! There is another option as well - you can cancel the free score reports so that they don't go out! This way, you don't have to cancel your scores ahead of time, and you can decide whether anyone else sees them. Until then, you are the only one who will. I talk about this topic more in the last section of this article, so make sre you check that out. So, basically, you have a lot of options. But you still don't know what to decide? In cases like these, I would recommend you carefully go over the checklist we provided below. If you answer YES to any of the questions in the checklist, then you may want to consider canceling. But if you answer no, then what you should really do is step away, and wait for the results, knowing that you did the best you could have that day. CHECKLIST: When should you consider cancelingyour score? You panicked while taking the test and missed a lot of questions You ran out of time repeatedly and could not complete one or more sections Your equipment malfunctioned [your calculator spazzed or ran out of batteries, your pencils all broke and there was no sharpener and it turned out they weren't #2 anyway] You were sick during the test Something happened during the test that you found disruptive [there was construction outside, someone in the room had a medical emergency, etc.] and this really shook up your performance You were late to your test [because of transportation, you woke up late, etc] and because of that you've been distracted the whole time You top choice college is one that requires you to send in all your scores, and does not allow Score Choice You are 100% sure that you filled in your answer circles wrong on an entire section or more (Note: This is possible to fix with Hand Score Grading, $55, by CollegeBoard - check out our article on it here.) You fell asleep during the test If you answer YES to any of the questions on the Checklist above, and you know you want to cancel, then you need to go through the steps outlined below. What steps should you take to cancel your SAT score? At the test center, immediately after the test Ask the test supervisor for a Request to Cancel Test Scores form Complete the form and sign in Return the form to the test supervisor before leaving the test center If you decide to cancel after leaving the test center You must submit a written request to CollegeBoard by :59 PM EST on the Wednesday after the test You cannot submit test score cancellation requests by phone or email because your signature is required. Yes, it’s a hassle, but it is necessary so that they know it's not someone trying to maliciously erase your test. You need the following information: The SAT Request to Cancel Test Scores form found here The test date The test center number The name of the test you are canceling(either SAT or SAT Subject Test) Your signature (required) Remember, once you submit a request to cancel your scores, your scores cannot be reinstated under any circumstances and will not be reported to you or any of the institutions you selected. IMPORTANT: What's the SAT Cancellation Deadline? You must cancel no later than :59 PM EST on the Wednesday following the test date. The only exception is students with disabilities. Because of the extended school testing window, students with disabilities who test in school based testing have until the Monday, 1 week after the published test date to cancel their scores. How to Send in Your Request: By Fax: 610-290-8978 By Overnight delivery with USPS Express Mail: SAT Score Cancellation P.O. Box 6228 Princeton NJ, 08541-6228 By FedEx, UPS, other Overnight Mail Delivery: SAT Score Cancellation 1425 Lower Ferry Road Ewing NJ, 08618 NOTE: The mailing or Fax label should read ATTENTION: SAT Score Cancellation What if you miss the deadline? What can you do? Option 1: Accept what CollegeBoard says and be sad According to CollegeBoard, if you wait until after the deadline, then there's nothing you can do. Your score will become a part of your permanent record Option 2: Be Clever! You can use Score Choice to prevent universities from seeing your bad score. You can make changes to your score recipients easily in your My SAT Account. You can change these recipients until :59 PM EST on the Monday one week after your scheduled test date. If for some reason you cannot delete score recipients altogether, change the recipients to colleges you aren't interested in; some college will get your score, but your chances with your top-choice colleges won't be damaged. Note: if you remove score recipients but then later learn that you did very well, then you will need to pay $10.50 per school to send those results. However, if that's the price you pay for some peace of mind, then it might be worth it. If you decide to cancel, then be prepared for that possible expense. Basically, if you act within a week, after the initial deadline to cancel your scores, there are still ways to keep your scores from getting to your top-choice schools! What's Next? If you haven't taken the test yet and know you don't want to, then check out How to cancel your SAT registration Want to register for the SATs at a later date? Make the process faster with our step by step picture guide Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures SAT Registration Maybe you’re not sure whether you want to take the SAT, but keep in mind Future Years’ SAT Test Dates, Schedules, and Deadlines Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Wedding Blessings and Quotations for Newlyweds

Wedding Blessings and Quotations for Newlyweds Till death do us part. This section  of the wedding vows, or something like it, is the highlight of many wedding ceremonies. As you exchange rings with your beloved, you feel a sense of oneness, a union of souls. For the newlyweds, the journey has just begun. If you want to bless the young couple with a lifetime of happiness, here are some special wedding blessings. John Lennon: 1940-1980; English singer-songwriterwith the Beatles and solo Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear. Oscar Wilde: 1854-1900, Irish poet and playwright Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring. Antoine de Saint-Exupry: 1900-1944, French poet, journalist, and aviator Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. Aristotle: 384 B.C.-322 B.C., Greek philosopher and scientist Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.: 1809-1894, American physician, writer, and humorist Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness. Helen Keller: 1880-1968,American author, political activist, and lecturer. The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart. Leo Buscaglia: 1924-1998, Americanprofessor, author, andmotivational speaker The life and love we create is the life and love we live. Mignon McLaughlin: 1913-1983, American journalist and author Love is the silent saying and saying of a single name. Andre Maurois: 1885-1967, French author A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day. Amy Grant: 1960- present, American singer-songwriter The more you invest in a marriage, the more valuable it becomes.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Year 12 stress levels for australian students Essay

Year 12 stress levels for australian students - Essay Example Because of this, stress is a serious issue for Australian students in year 12. A recent study carried out by an Australian psychologist Karen McGraw of the University of Swinburne indicates that almost one in five year 12 students have thought about hurting or killing themselves because of the stress caused by exam and homework pressures. In this study, 941 Victorian final-year students were surveyed. McGraw has described the effects of stress on the mental health of the students studied as â€Å"alarming†, and further states that while 19% had thought of suicide or self-harm, around one third of students were â€Å"severely depressed† and 41% were suffering from anxiety.2 Another Australian psychologist, adolescence specialist Michael Carr-Gregg, has stated that an inquiry in 2004 into youth suicides found that one in 11 completed suicides is a direct result of stress related to the pressures of year 12.3 McGraw’s study results come after a report in December of last year that Australian scientists had discovered conclusive proof that stress causes physical sickness – it was discovered that during periods of stress, the body releases a hormone called neuropeptide Y that dampens the body’s immune system.4 Thus it is likely that many year 12 students who are suffering from stress may also suffer from stress-related illnesses, which can only serve to increase the pressures that homework and examinations place upon them. An earlier study, carried out in the late 1990s by Lorraine Smith and Kenneth E. Sinclair of the University of Sydney reported that 31% of year 12 and 25% of year 11 students surveyed had suffered anxiety, stress, and depression which fell â€Å"outside the normal range†.5 Together with the results of McGraw’s work, the results of this study suggest that stress is becoming a more severe problem for year 12 students over time. In recent years this has been recognized as a serious issue, and there is an

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Company law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Company law - Essay Example The court of appeal upheld Chandler’s claims against Cape plc., and acknowledged that damages were available for the claimant from the parent firm. The liability was placed on the parent firm for which the claimant was an employee to its subsidiary. The subsidiary firm that employed Chandler had ceased operations by the time Chandler sued for damages. However, the High Court upheld Chandler’s claims, and so did the Court of appeal. Although corporate personality requires that a company within a group of companies should handle its liabilities independently, the court held that the parent company was liable for tortious negligence to Chandler. The decision made by the Court of appeal critically influences the legal provisions that govern corporate operations in more ways than just linking subsidiary liabilities to the parent firms as already seen in the Chandler v Cape plc case. Agency principles that relate to common law are often used in determining closely related cases that are filed on similar grounds. In this respect, parties that are relatively bound to benefit on the same ground as that realized by Chandler could file lawsuits against parent firms for liabilities that could have been rather carried by their subsidiaries. The corporate veil between the subsidiary and the parent firm was lifted on the ground that the parent firm best understood the working conditions that the subsidiary was subjecting its employees to. Legally, the court held that the parent firm was as liable as its subsidiary. However, the subsidiary was no longer operational, thus transferring the negligence liability to the parent firm. Duty of care existed between Chandler and the parent firm, through the employing subsidiary. Corporate veil prompts that the employees clearly understand the direct liable party in relation to whom they act for2. The obligations of all the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Technological society Essay Example for Free

Technological society Essay Nowadays, in a highly technological society, human productivity is made more efficient through the development of electronic gadgets. Now, with the advent of such modernization in education, one way to globalize the process of research is to realize that technology is advancing at an incredibly fast pace. Computers are not confined to being used for entertainment but its role in education is also vast. In School, reading materials are stored in libraries. Library is a place in which books and related materials are kept for use but not for sale. It is also organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution or a private individual. In addition, it is a place in which we get information in any format and from many sources. The librarian has to keep the room neat so that it is conducive for learning. The librarian is also the person who is liable for monitoring all the books that are borrowed and returned by the borrowers. The proponents will propose the Simple Library System for Benigno Aquino Jr. High School Annex located at Bagong Silang Caloocan City. The Head Librarian stated that they are currently using the Dewey Decimal Library System. They are still utilizing a manual system. The library users and the librarian still use card catalogues in searching for reading materials and use index card for the records of borrowed and returned books. The proponent’s study was what is which encounter to the Library by the user, Librarian and how the Owner or the Administrator of the said school will provide a good service to their clients to have a good feedback. The study will focus on transaction which done inside the Library like borrowing, returning of books by students, faculties and staffs. In this area, the usage of computerized library system is needed because it is more easy and obviously it saves paper compare to the manual library and it saves a lot more time. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The proponents choose the Benigno Aquino Jr. High School, Located at Phase 3 Bagong Silang Caloocan City. Simple Library System is a process of organizing important information, used to track items borrowed and the scheduled time of returning. This system helps users or people who responsible in recording the data appropriately, it also saves time and more convenient to use than the traditional manual recording. Lack of library system in a school can lead to chaos and troubles, and because of it the librarian is having a problem to serve each students and faculties who wish to use the library. It is extremely useful in the school to use that automated system. From this simple term paper. The librarian can easily monitor the transactions of every students. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The part of documentation states the purpose or the objective of the proponents in developing their proposed system. It is divided into two parts, the General Objective, which is the objective of the study as a whole and the Specific Objectives, a much defined and detailed enumeration of the objective of the proponents. General Objectives Aside from developing an easier way of evaluating the library, this study aims to improve the system and making it more accessible for both students and faculty. Specific Objectives The following are the list of specific objectives of the proponents in developing this system: 1. To upgrade the style or method of the library they have. 2. To lessen the time consumed. 3. To provide a more reliable and effective library system. 4. To provide a faster way of their transactions.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Inclusion Essay -- essays research papers

Although no consensus exists about the definition of inclusion, it can usually be agreed upon that inclusion is a movement to merge regular and special education so that all students can be educated together in a general education classroom. Because of the lack of consensus, inclusion is a hotly debated topic in education today. Mainstreaming and Inclusion are used interchangably for many people. This is where the confusion may lie. For the purpose of this paper I will be using the term inclusion. I interpret this to mean: "meeting the needs of the student with disabilities through regular education classes, with the assistance of special education." (Dover, section 1) Included in the definition of inclusion, it is important to note that there are a continuum of placement options for the child. I found the main difference between mainstreaming and inclusion to be the approach taken towards each one. Mainstreaming asks the question: "WHERE can this child be successful?" Whereas, inclusion asks: Where does this child or regular classroom teacher need support?" The Individuals With Disabilities Act (IDEA), was signed into law in 1975. IDEA requires that schools educate students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible, and it also ensures to the maximum extent possible, children with disabilities be educated with those who are nondisabled. This implies that the least restrictive environment is the general education classroom. Historically, we have separated exceptional children from the rest of society. This act has served to reinforce society's view that to be exceptinal is to be bad. The truth is, separate is not equal. In this paper I intend to address what complications surround the practice of inclusion, and also to give examples of how inclusion has been beneficial to students. WHY NOT INCLUSION? Even for those that support inclusion philosophically, there are questions and concerns about issues when inclusion is put into practice. Some schools interpret inclusion to mean that all students shall receive special education services in the regular classroom, without individual consideration that such placement would meet the needs of that particular student with disabilities. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president, Albert Shanker, warned members against placement of all disabled students in... ...vel academically, but has a behavior disorder, the regular classroom may be perfectly suited for this child. My feelings are different regarding a child that is severely mentally retarded. I think more time with a specialist, outside of the classroom, may be more productive for the student and the general ed. teacher. I think that there is a lot of responsibility placed on the general education teacher, and they do not have the training like specialists. Special ed. teachers are trained especially for these children, they should be able to work with them. At the same time general education teachers make modifications for typical kids by trying different techniques and strategies, so as to help the child understand. So why not be willing to make modifications for children with special needs? In school we are taught-ALL CHILDREN LEARN DIFFERENTLY! This is why I think I fit into the category that supports inclusion philosophically, but has trouble putting it into practice. I read in a book that if we can think of all children as being special and having special needs, then special will no longer apply to only disabled children. We need to change the language to support role change.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Bowen Family Systems Therapy Essay

Abstract This paper was designed to fully describe Bowen’s Theory of Family Systems Therapy. The eight concepts that illustrate this theory will be thoroughly discussed and explained. References of professionals who have worked with and studied Bowen theory will be implemented and relied on in order to adequately understand and depict this theory. And finally, the second portion of this essay will include a case study. The case study will present a family profile, a treatment plan and goals, interventions and a projected outcome for the family’s recovery. Through this case study the reader will be able to identify Bowen techniques and get a more kinesthetic look on how Bowen’s Family System Therapy is applied. Introduction Bowen’s Family System Theory is based on the family as an emotional unit. The theory is based on the idea that the family is so emotionally integrated that the effect each member has on the other members can be overwhelming. Bowen’s Theory focuses on that emotional connectedness and assumes that the family can either promote cohesiveness and cooperation or tension and anxiety. Therefore, according to this theory, a change in one person’s attitude or actions will be followed by a reciprocal change in the functioning of the other members. When anxiety levels rise within the family unit the stress levels will also heighten. Therefore, when this happens one or members will end up feeling overwhelmed, isolated or out of control and then the family unit will be shaken as a whole. During this time of distress, the members who feel most out of control or  stressed will work extra hard to accommodate the other members. This is part of the reciprocal interaction. This member who absorbs most of the tension is most likely the member who will end up most susceptible to problems such as illness, alcoholism and affairs. Eight Concepts In order to implement this theory into a therapy session Bowen created eight interlocking concepts to assist the therapist in working with families. The concepts include triangles, differentiation of self, nuclear family emotional system, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process, sibling position, emotional cutoff and societal emotional process. However, it is important for any therapist to keep in mind that, according to Mike Nichols (1988), the core goal underlying the Bowenian model is differentiation of self, more specifically, the â€Å"ability to remain oneself in the face of group influences, especially the intense influence of family life†(p.2). Triangles The eight interlocking concepts are key to understanding Bowenian Family Therapy. To begin, triangles are a three person relationship system. Triangles are considered the building blocks of the larger emotional system. The reason being that the triangle is the smallest stable relationship system. Three people can take on much more tension than two people. Additionally, a triangle can contain a large amount of stress without bringing in a fourth person because the tension can shift around to all three relationships. However, just because a triangle can bear more tension does not make it healthier. Someone is almost always left out and nothing gets resolved in a triangle formation. Triangles and their undesirable effects on the family unit contribute greatly to the development of clinical problems. Within triangles, members are pushed from outsider to insider positions of conflict. Within this inside/ outside drama members will begin maneuvering and manipulating their positions within the group, thus causing fights and with that heavy strain on the relationships. Getting pushed from inside to outside positions can trigger depression and even a physical illness. For example, two parents focusing on what is wrong with a child can trigger serious rebellion within that child. While triangles may seem  comfortable and stable, they end up being a huge problem within the family unit. Differentiation of Self In opposition of triangles is Bowen’s idea of differentiation of self. According to Fritzland (1991, p. 1), the degree to which a differentiation of self occurs in an individual reflects the extent to which that person is able to distinguish between the intellectual process and the feeling process he or she is experiencing. Thus differentiation of self is related to the degree to which one is able to choose between having his or her actions, relationships and life guided by feelings or thoughts. Individuals with the most fusion between their emotions and thoughts and relationships are the lowest functioning people. These people get to a point where they cannot even tell what feelings and thoughts are their own and which are those of other people. Undifferentiated Family Ego Mass Bowen introduced the concept of the undifferentiated family ego mass. Undifferentiated family ego mass is the idea that there is a syndicated emotional oneness that exists in all levels of intensity. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1991, p. 171) give a great example of this in the relationship between mother and child and child and father. They write, â€Å"The symbiotic relationship of interdependency between mother and child may represent the most intense version of this concept; a father’s detachment may be the least intense. The degree to which any one member is involved in the family from moment to moment depends on that person’s basic level of involvement in the family ego mass.† When the emotional closeness is too intense and possibly overbearing this may lead to an uncomfortable closeness within the family, closeness that will lead to mutual rejection between members. It may lead to fights that include intense yelling, slamming of doors and phone hang ups. Bowen insists that maturity and self-actualization demand that an individual become free of unresolved emotional attachments to his or her family of origin. Fritzlan (1991, p.4) notes that Bowen’s theory assumes that every human has an instinctive force inside them that propels the developing child to grow up to be an emotionally separate person, able to think, feel, and act as an individual. At the same time, Bowen proposes that a similar life force, also instinctively ingrained, thrusts the child and family to remain  emotionally connected. As a result of these counterbalancing forces, argues Bowen, no one ever achieves complete emotional separation from the family of origin. However, there are considerable differences in the amount of separation each of us accomplishes, as well as differences in the degree to which children from the same set of parents, emotionally separate from the family. Nuclear Family Emotional System The third concept builds on the idea of differentiation of self and is called nuclear family emotional system. The concept of the nuclear family emotional system describes four basic relationship patterns that govern where problems may develop in a family. Marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of one or more children and emotional distance are the patterns which will govern where problems will probably develop within the family. The more anxiety one person or one relationship sucks in, the less other people must absorb. This means that some family members maintain their functioning at the expense of others, which ends up causing a strenuous amount of tension on the people who must accommodate. People do not want to hurt each other, but when anxiety chronically dictates behavior, someone usually suffers because of it. The next concept that Bowen introduces gives the concept of the nuclear family emotional system more reason to it’s’ rhyme. Family Projection Process The family projection process touches on the different type of relationships that parents have with each of their children. When one child is focused on more than another child, the focused on child will typically be more fused with his or her parents than the unfocused on child. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) say that â€Å"differences in parental behavior make for significant differences in how each child functions† (p.221). Furthermore, the child who is most focused on is most sensitive to disturbances and initial signs of instability within the family. Simply put, when the parents select the most infantile child of the family as the object of their attention, Bowen calls this the family projection process. Multigenerational Transmission Process The next key concept that Murray Bowen developed is multigenerational  transmission process. Multigenerational transmission processing describes how the entire family joins in the family projection process that was previously discussed. Bowen wrote that multigenerational transmission process provides a base from which to make predictions in the present generation and gives an overview of what to expect in coming generations. This process entails the way family emotional processes are transferred and maintained over the generations. In this theory Bowen contends that people choose mates with equivalent levels of differentiation to their own. Thus, the highly undifferentiated person will choose a mate that is similarly undifferentiated from their family and the differentiated person will find a mate who is also differentiated from their family of origin. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 198) say that it is probable that these poorly differentiated people, now a marital couple, will themselves become highly fused and will produce a family with the same characteristics. Furthermore, Bowen believes that the resulting nuclear family emotional system will be unstable and will seek various ways to reduce tension and maintain stability by over indulging in such things as alcohol, drugs, and getting involved in codependent relationship. This can affect a child psychologically as well and it can then perpetuate and become a cycle within the family. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 199) say that psychological impairment in a child is enabling to the parents as they will simply focus attention on the child and ignore or deny their own lack of differentiation. This will only further inhibit the child’s development of self as well as support the already dysfunctional marital relationship. Sibling Position Sibling position is a concept that Bowen stressed. He believes that each child has a place in the family hierarchy and therefore was more or less likely to fit certain projections. For example, the oldest sibling is more likely to be the mature, responsible one. Whereas the youngest child will more likely be the class clown, irresponsible and immature one. While this concept is well known and maybe even intrinsic to most people, Bowen believes this to be key when understanding differentiation and working within the family emotional system. Emotional Cutoff The seventh concept that Bowen developed for his theory is called emotional cutoff. Most people have experienced this concept or have at least heard of it. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) write that emotional cutoff is a flight from unresolved emotional ties, and is not true emancipation from the family (p. 225). Emotional cutoffs do several things; they reflect a problem, such as underlying fusion between generations. They solve the problem by reducing the anxiety in the cutoff relationship. And finally, they create a problem by isolating people who might benefit from closer contact. Fritzlan (1991) notes that cutoffs most often occur in families where there is a high level of anxiety and emotional dependence. Bowen has suggested that when emotional cutoffs exist between parents and grandparents, then a cutoff between parents and children of the following generation increases in likelihood. It is easy to see how cutoffs can occur and how the other key concepts if not understood or resolved can cause an emotional cutoff in a family relationship. Societal Emotional Process Finally, the eighth key concept is societal emotional process. This process is in a way like the family projection process except scaled to a societal level. Families that deal with discrimination, prejudice and persecution will pass on to their children coping methods and ways to which they survived these factors. Basically, these are social expectations about racial and class groups, the behaviors or each gender and their effects on the family. Andreas Viklund (2009) noted that the family unit and society as a whole have the task of promoting the long term interest of individual members and the society as an entirety. Evaluation and Validity of Bowen’s Theory While Bowen is considered to be one of the most effective theorists in marriage and family arena of therapy, there are both strengths and weaknesses to his ideas. His eight key concepts are great tools for therapists to use as a guide for therapy, but it is important to note the validity of his theory and to review his theory in a more critical way. The main concept that Bowen teaches is differentiation of self. This is the founding idea for all of his concepts. Differentiation of self is very important, however Bowen did not leave a sufficient tool as a means to measure clients’ differentiation of self. Richard et al (2004) note that Bowen suggested that clinicians could use a differentiation-of-self scale ranging from 0 to 100; however, he provided few guidelines to help clinicians reliably and accurately assign an appropriate score. Indeed, he claimed that the concept was not quantifiable for researchers. Consequently, Bowen’s scale has been useful only as a theoretical tool. In the last decade there have been two scales, Haber’s Level of Differentiation of Self Scale and Kowron’s Differentiation of Self Inventory, that were developed as a means to measure differentiation. Richard et al (2004) researched the validity of these two scales with Bowen’s theory by having two experts in Bowen theory rate the relevance of the items in these scales. The first scale significantly correlated with chronic anxiety and psychological distress, which is consistent with Bowen theory and, thereby, demonstrates sufficient validity. The second scale was also consistent with Bowen theory, the Differentiation of Self Inventory correlated significantly with chronic anxiety, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated psychometric support for the four subscales. Bowen theorized that people marry according to their same level of differentiation, this is called the multigenerational transmission process. Bowen simply stated, â€Å"People who marry have the same level of differentiation of self (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 225). This is because each spouse has the â€Å"same need for emotional reinforcement from the relationship† (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 171). This concept is probably one of Bowen’s weakest. There have been numerous studies, Richter (1998), Richards (1988) and Skowron (2000) just to name a few, that totally refute this idea of Bowen’s. While this does not necessarily knock down his entire theory it does poke some holes in it and force the common therapist to rethink their approach to working with married couples and their families. While the above concept is a fairly weak one, there is another aspect of multigenerational transmission process that proves to be stronger. There is a vast amount of research supporting a specific aspect of Bowen’s concept of multigenerational transmission process. The aspect that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated seems to have strong validity according to studies. Many of these studies were conducted in the field of social gerontology and date back to the early 1970s when research about the â€Å"generation gap† was conducted to examine continuity between generations (Troll & Bengtson, 1979). These studies have consistently found that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated, as assumed by Bowen. There is also a substantial amount of literature that gives evidence that levels of individual and relationship functioning are passed on from one generation to another. For example, Richard et al (2004) write that studies have revealed that there is a multigenerational transmission process for violence (Alexander, Moore, & Alexander, 1991), divorce (Amato, 1996), and marital quality (Feng, Giarrusso, Bengtson, & Frye, 1999). Richard at al (2004) also remarks that â€Å"research has also shown that eating disorders (Whitehouse & Harris, 1998), depressed affect (Whitbeck et al., 1992), and alcoholism (Sher, Gershuny, Peterson, & Raskin, 1997) are transmitted inter-generationally† (p. 9). Through many studies testing different aspects of Bowen’s theory there are and will continue to be weak points exposed. However, there proves to be a vast amount of validity to his theory as well. The weakest suggestion is definitely that people marry according to their own differentiation. In my own life Bowen’s idea proves to be untrue and while looking at different marriages around me I do not see any sort of pattern in this regard. If anything, I have observed people marrying opposite of their own differentiation level rather than finding a spouse who matches their level of differentiation. Even still, differentiation of self as a whole demonstrates to be the most valid and prominent idea in Bowen theory, both Biblically and psychologically. Biblical Integration and Evaluation I believe God was first to introduce the idea of differentiation of self, especially differentiation of self when entering into marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, â€Å"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.† According to this verse it seems that differentiation is shown by one’s ability to leave their parents before they can rightly cleave to their spouse. Since Bowen emphasizes the need for a person to be emotionally differentiated from parents in order to maintain healthy balances of individuality and togetherness in ensuing relationships, this seems to be paralleled with the command presented in Genesis. According to Bowen and Kerr (1988), only a differentiated person can be securely attached. Furthermore, this seems to be God’s stance on differentiation as well. It seems that God, being omnipotent and all knowing, designed marriages to work out best when spouses are healthily differentiated from their families of origin. In my opinion, differentiation of self is very important and seeing how the Bible supports this idea I feel even stronger about its’ significance. This is the main reason I chose to write about Bowen’s Theory to begin with. I appreciate Bowen’s eight concepts, as I believe they are great tools for therapists. The concepts help the therapist to work within this theory without feeling lost or overwhelmed by the new ideas or different facets they are implementing into the therapy session. Even more personally, I think that my own differentiation of self has been weak until the last year or so. This is another reason I chose to work with Bowen’s Theory. When I first got married I was very attached to my family and often chose them over my husband or even over myself. I know that this not only hurt my husband’s feelings, but also the quality of our marriage. When I finally understood that I was spending too much time with my parents and choosing their events over quality time with Elden (my husband), things drastically changed between us. Many problems we were having fixed themselves and he became significantly happier. Elden emphasized to me that he felt much more respected by me when I began deferring to him rather than my parents regarding issues. And in turn, I began to feel much more loved by him because he became mindful of the way he was treating me since it was  obvious I was making conscience decisions to be more attached to him and to my own independence than my family. While I still spend a good amount of time with my family, Elden is much more willing to spend time with them along with me because he knows and feels that he always comes first. Also, I take much more time for myself and the things I enjoy, which makes everyone happier. Looking back I wish that I would have truly understood differentiation of self before getting married, but I am so grateful that I did learn it early on as it will only help us for the rest of our lives together. Seeing how this very small aspect of a lack of self-differentiation played out on my own life drew me to Bowen’s Theory. I wanted to understand how great of a role this theory could play in everyday life. I see now that differentiation of self has a much larger role in familial success than I had thought. And I believe Bowen’s eight aspects only further make the point of this theory’s significance in family systems therapy. Case Study Looking at my own life would be a perfect case study for Bowen Theory. However, since Elden and I did not get any therapy for our issues it would be difficult to use. Keeping my previous story in mind, here is the profile of the case I have chosen to illustrate: The client family consists of three boys and a mother and father. Stan, the father, called in to make an appointment because his wife, Jen who is in her late 40’s, is having anxiety attacks and is overwhelmed by her three sons. She tends to yell at the boys and feels like she has not patience for them anymore. Stan says he has been out of a job for three years and Jen ‘s parents have been supporting their family for the last 6 months. The boys, Joel, Derek and Steve range in ages from pre adolescent to late teens, the eldest being Steve who is graduating from high school soon. Stan reports that they are very high energy, but well behaved and successful in their school and sports activities. Stan emphasizes that h e is most worried about â€Å"mom†, Jen, and thinks the boys are handling things just fine, as is he. After seeing the family as a whole once it is obvious that Jen is not the main problem, it is Stan. However, since Stan is out of work Jen is taking  on the stress of the family and it is more than she can bear. The three boys are very close to their parents and the youngest one, Joel, is totally fused with Jen. Joel sat on Jen’s lap during the session and acted very much like a baby when she was not able gives him her full attention. Stan seems to have come to terms with not having a job and the fact that Jen’s parents are supporting them, however he continues to call Jen â€Å"mom† and talk about how sensitive and delicate she is. There seems to be a lack of intimacy between Stan and Jen along with a lack of respect for one another. And finally, the only one of the children who does not call Jen â€Å"mommy† is Derek, the middle child. Goals, Treatment Plan and Interventions Before presenting the family’s treatment plan and prognosis it is important to understand what the goal of Bowen family systems therapy is. The goal is to increase the capacity of one or more members to adapt to and deal with the constant change and evolution of family life. Graefe (1955) describes the differentiation effort by using a metaphor from sailing: â€Å"you cannot change the velocity of the winds, but you can change the direction of the sales† (p.2). It is with this goal in mind that the treatment plan can be created. To begin, this family’s treatment plan will be to complete a genogram so that I can fully understand their families of origin. It is easy to see that in this family there is a lot of triangulation, mostly between the parents and Steve, the oldest son. At times Derek takes Steve’s place in the triangulation between Stan and Jen. However, he is mostly in an alliance with Stan and has picked up much of his father’s sexist attitudes. The genogram will allow me to see if there was any domestic violence or abuse in the family’s history and will also allow me to get a better idea of the attitudes men had towards women in Stan’s family of origin. Furthermore, the genogram will help indicate how differentiated Stan and Jen are from their own parents and how self-differentiation looks in their family’s past. The genogram will reveal many aspects of Jen and Stan’s family history, some more important than others, but all useful in understanding this couple. Once the genogram is completed I will be able to focus on generational issues. However, in order to help the family more immediately, decreasing the anxiety that Jen is feeling will be absolutely necessary. When anxiety  is decreased presenting symptoms will begin tomodify or decrease. Nevertheless, this will mean that Stan, Steve and Joel will need to learn to be more differentiated from Jen. Stan is interesting, because he has a very sexist attitude toward Jen, but totally relies on her and her parents for most things in life. He needs to recognize this in order to help Jen lessen her anxiety. One way in which I will help the boys become more differentiated from Jen is by, first of all, asking Stan to stop calling Jen â€Å"mom†. Since Stan sets the tone and attitude for his children, having him break this habit will be helpful. It might also create a more intimate attitude toward the couple. Furthermore, Joel will need to sit at least two chairs away from Jen for all futu re sessions. And finally, Jen will be asked to allow Joel to speak for himself so that he can find his own voice. Part of this family’s treatment plan will rely on my use of interventions. It will be very important that I am able to model to them what healthy parenting relationships may look like. I also will need to develop a functioning healthy triangle between Stan, Jen and myself. I believe that once the parent’s relationship is put into a more healthful place, the children will begin to differentiate themselves from their parents. A component of working on Jen and Stan’s relationship will include Stan having more communication with his own mother and with Jen’s parents. It will also include Jen and Stan taking some time out to research their own family history which will hopefully enlighten both of them on a few different levels. Finally, Jen’s major homework will be to take an hour out of each day where she is not available to her family in any capacity and she must journal about this process three times a week. This â€Å"homework† will expectantly allow her family to learn to differentiate themselves from her and reduce some anxiety in her immediate stage of life. Also, I believe this exercise will be very eye opening for Stan to see how much he actually relies on Jen. Stan and Jen’s family should continue therapy for a minimum of one year, as Bowen believes four years is a more reasonable prognosis schedule. If the children do not continue, Stan and Jen should follow through with couple therapy. I would imagine that couple therapy will be more beneficial in the  long run and that their sons will only need to be in family therapy initially. In fact, if I have done my job properly the children will want to discontinue therapy on their own accord. This will be a great indication of the differentiation they are achieving. However, once Joel, Derek and Steve terminate their role in therapy the reason why Stan and Jen will need to continue is so they can fully appreciate the generational transmission process and understand how their emotional projection onto their children is prohibiting growth and differentiation in their circle of five. Conclusion Bowen Family Systems Therapy is a therapy that focuses on emotional process rather than content. Murray Bowen’s eight concepts outline this idea of emotional process very clearly and make following a system and intervention plan easier for a therapist. While some of Bowen’s Theory and concepts are based on his own secular viewpoint, God shines through this theory in His own way. Biblically, many facets of Bowen’s theory are sound which only make a better case for the knowledge that the Bible has to offer the world. Since God is the Ultimate Counselor, it makes sense that differentiation would be mentioned in His Word first. In conclusion, looking at the case study, along with the treatment plan, interventions and prognosis one can get a much better idea of how Bowen Theory can be implemented into family therapy. The family depicted in the case study thought that the problem was the mother, Jen. But it turned out that she was not the only problem. In the treatment plan it was important to focus on the family’s emotional process rather than â€Å"fixing† Jen. All of the members of the family needed to learn to think on their own two feet and live parts of their lives without Jen’s approval. Once this happens, Jen should feel substantially less anxious and angry. Thus, this case was classic for employing Bowenian Therapy. However, Bowen Family Systems Therapy can be applied to any case and will always achieve satisfactory results as Bowen is a master at family therapy. References Fritzlan, L. (1991). How to Get Your Own Life and Not Get Overwhelmed by Your Family. Pacific Grove. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Goldenberg, I., Goldenberg, H.(1990). Family Therapy: An Overview. Pacific Grove, CA. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Kerr, M., Bowen, M. (1988). Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory. New York, NY. W.W. Norton & Company. Miller, Richard B., et al. (2004). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Family Systems Therapy: Is Bowen Theory Valid? A Review of Basic Research. Blackwell Publishing. http://www.interventions.net/BowenTheoryUpdated.pdf

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Iranian Protest Music

There are a few reasons that I would like to point out as the â€Å"goals† of the presentation. After studying about Iranian Protest Music I feel that it is a good topic to educate yourself on, or more like protest music in general is a good topic to know a little about. One of the goals was to educate our peers on what exactly Iranian Protest Music is, why it happens, and how it is done. We want them to know the history behind it such as how it dates back to the revolution back in 1979.This played a role in the publicity of the protests. We also wanted them to know about the most recent uproar† with the protests in Iran. It is crucial in this topic to know about the protests during the election that happened in 2009, and the reasoning behind it. The Iranians didn't like the fact that Maidenhead was supported by the U. S. So they were protesting the fact that his name was on the ballot. We also wanted them to know that it happens day and night, and what exactly the sligh t differences are between the two.The daytime is for the ones who don't mind being in the limelight, whereas the nighttime chants are more for the ones who don't necessarily want to be associated with the protests. Another topic that we wanted to touch and talk about was the movie Yard-e- Debating-e-Man. This was a very meaningful video that kind of shows the soft side and the â€Å"heart warming† side of the protests. It shows the fact that two people were best friends as children, but life took them on two completely different paths.One went down the path of law enforcement, and the other went down the path of the protesters, two different sides of the fence. Once the masks are taken off though, and they recognize each other, they rekindle those memories, which in my mind kind of wows how everyone is a person, no matter which side of the fence you are on, we all bleed the same. One other point that I believe was crucial, yet a tad graphic, was showing the video with the son g â€Å"Need† from the popular singer Shania Nasal in the background.I don't believe that many people; Americans in the majority realize how serious and violent these protests are. They don't realize that being associated with it can get you killed, and taking part in the protests can do the same. These arena a Joke, and I think that it is a big point to realize. Now on to how it went. Overall I think that it went well, and the information was taken well. I think that they truly understood the history behind the protests, and how they work, day and night. The Powering went over well but in hindsight I think that we should have utilized the Powering more than what we did.We believed that the more information that we had was better, which was true, but I think that if we would have had more slides it may have all been easier to understand and comprehend what we are trying to explain. One thing that I regret the most about the Powering is that we didn't use a map, which was a hu ge mistake in my opinion. It was simple to explain in our eyes because we had studied it for awhile, but I know that I am a visual learner, and without the map to show the exact place that we were talking about I believe that it was tougher to understand.With the video that I talked about earlier in the â€Å"goals† section I believe that it was a hit. We were under the mindset that the video at the end was crucial to the presentation, but we had no idea that it would be the main focal point. We spent more time on the video than we expected but it was good to be able to show our peers a video that was and is a big part of the protests. It is a cartoon that is very simple to follow along with and understand what the message is that's being portrayed.One of the biggest things that I would change if I could is showing the graphic scene that went along with the video. The intent behind it was purely educational, but in hindsight it may have been a tad graphic for the classroom. T hat being said though I believe that it came across in a very serious manner, and it was taken the way we wanted it to be, to help them realize how truly horrible the scene of a protest can become. It is not Just a disagreement but it is people that are very seriously outing their life on the line for the cause, and are willing to do whatever it takes to have their views seen.Overall I think that the presentation was very effective. I think that they took the information that we had to offer well, and can understand more about Iranian Protest Music as a whole. Though there are things that I wish we could change for sure, the biggest would be to dive more into the history. We defiantly had it in there, but I wish we would have emphasized it more than we did. We focused more on the present issue with the election, but I believe that the history is crucial as well.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Book Cover Design Advice and Inspiration

Book Cover Design Advice and Inspiration The level of digital media rapidly increases every day, but take a trip to your local bookstore and youll probably notice that print design is still alive and well. Although I love working in both digital and print media, theres something special about being able to hold a beautifully designed printed object in your hands, and some of the best and most unique designs in the field today are found on the covers of books.Designing a great book cover can be a challenge- in order for your design to be effective, it has to creatively represent the material inside while being distinct enough to grab the attention of a viewer and make a significant impact. Because of the complexities of the various different kinds of books, designing book covers can be a valuable exercise to practice your design thinking skills. Here are a few tips to get you on your way to designing stunning covers.Start with a conceptThe best way to get started on a book design is to develop a solid concept that reflects t he overall key message or tone of the book. Thoroughly understanding the content and the goal of the content are critical steps in making a successful cover. In order to do this, its a good idea for you to actually read the content if its available to you or if time allows. Even if you have a fast-approaching deadline or the content is complicated, there are still ways you can gain a true understanding of the content without reading it word-for-word. Read summaries or synopses, character sheets, reviews–basically, any material you can get your hands on in order to really comprehend the book.Next, its time to translate themes and messages of the content into visuals. There are a few different techniques to do this, but my favorite is to develop a mood board- itll help you organize any visual inspiration you get from the content. Go through your content and make a list of adjectives that describe the tone or overall feeling. Some example adjectives might be dark, mysterious, pl ayful, hopeful, serious, noir, classic, scholarly, and funny. Find any recurring objects, settings, motifs, or important scenes and add them to your board. You might find that these words and images start to evoke certain color palettes or typefaces that you can start to explore. The goal of your mood board is to create a visual picture of the content and its meaning which you can draw inspiration from. Generally, covers that are more symbolic tend to be more visually interesting than literal cover designs, so think about how you can represent themes with a subtle visual metaphor that might intrigue a reader. Understanding the tone of your book will help you to create visuals for your cover that are appropriate for the content and that hint at the overall theme. Think of the cover as a sneak peek for the reader- the first chance to draw them into whatever is inside.Stick to your genreKeeping the genre of your book in mind is important- the cover of a mystery novel looks very differe nt from a textbook or childrens book, and it might contain different information with a different hierarchy. Depending on the genre, youll have a different audience to cater to and should design with this audience in mind. For example, a young adult novel cover should appeal to teenagers, so you might use a more youthful design or employ trendier colors and typefaces. For a nonfiction book about politics, the cover you design might feel more formal and academic. Keeping the design applicable to the genre helps readers to quickly understand what kind of book it is and what kind of content theyll find inside.Take a look at other book covers in your genre to see what kinds of techniques they use. This can provide a bit of inspiration, but it can also help you to avoid repeating concepts that have already been done or using common visual clichà ©s which show up frequently within the genre. For example, mystery novels often use doors, long shadows, dead trees, etc.- this doesnt mean tha t you cant use these elements, but your cover will stand out more if you find a way to fit within the genre while still being unique. Try putting a new spin on a clichà © or use unexpected visuals or type treatments.Keep it simpleOne of the biggest mistakes I see with novice book cover designs is trying to do too many things at once. Keep typefaces, colors, and information to a minimum- remember, you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of a reader. This doesnt mean that you have to create a minimal design, but making sure the elements of your cover arent overwhelming together is critical to a professional-looking design.Make sure your layout has a clear hierarchy- this will help a reader navigate through the presented information and understand it easier and faster. Keep all copy as legible and easy-to-read as possible- this is especially important if youre given a lot of copy to put on the cover. Contrasting your type and imagery can help create a pleasant visual balance . For example, if you choose a busy, complicated image as a background, contrast that with a simple typeface so that the two dont compete. Relate the placement of your type with the image so that the design feels intentional and cohesive. The two should work together harmoniously so that the cover feels great and cohesive as a whole.Dont forget productionProduction is another important aspect of book cover design to keep in mind. Make sure you know the specifications of your book cover- this includes things like spine width, bleed, margins and safe areas, and where the barcode will go. Having this information before you start designing will help save time and hassle in the long run.There are a variety of binding and finishing options that can elevate your design and get a passerby to pick it up. Depending on the project budget (and how much control you have in the production process), elements like spot gloss, foil stamping, coatings, and embossing can be options to consider. Howeve r, as a general rule, I would avoid using too many of these options at once- simplicity is key to keep your cover from looking too gimmicky or overwhelming. The production of your book cover should feel as intentional and thought-out as the design itself so that nothing feels like an afterthought or out of place.When deciding on finishing options, I like to stop by bookstores and take notes on what other books are doing- what kind of paper they use, whether the covers are matte or gloss, what elements are embossed, etc. This can help inspire you on where finishing would be best-suited on your design. Be sure to discuss production with your client and/or printer to see what options are feasible for the timeline and budget of the project youre working on.Break the rulesOnce you have the basics of design and layout down, dont hesitate to try something completely unconventional or risky. Some of the most successful book covers take this unorthodox approach in ways that make sense for th eir content. Try altering the orientation of the text, losing the margins, or making the text really big or really small. Use jarring or impactful imagery, die cut holes in the cover, or spread the title over the whole front and back. Breaking the rules doesnt work in every situation, but it can allow you a little more artistic freedom to explore and push the memorability of your cover. Doing something bold with the cover is a great way to prompt a reader to pick up a book.Practice!In my opinion, book cover design is one of the best (and most fun!) ways to practice your overall design skills, especially if youre new to the field. Covers require critical thinking, concepting, sketching, typography, layout, and production- skills that can be applied to many other projects. And unlike other mock projects, its fairly easy to develop a fake brief for a book cover assignment. Try redesigning an existing book, or use a site like Plot Generator to develop fake titles and blurbs. Doing a han dful of fake covers as a personal project can help you to improve your skills and provides great portfolio work when youre just starting out. And, because the projects are your own, youll have more freedom to try new things than you might with a real-life client.Below are three fake book covers I designed for three different genres. Each one uses a different stylistic approach and organizes the information differently.This cover for a made-up thriller uses bold, brushed typography and a subtle textural background of a city. The pop of yellow color conveys a sense of urgency and helps the title stand out over the mysterious background.Just because a book is educational or instructional, doesnt mean it cant be beautifully designed. I designed this cooking guide to be simple, using only blue and white, to create an approachable feel for new chefs. The clean, sparse typography contrasts nicely with the more detailed vintage illustrations which make the book feel classic and timeless.For a romance novel, I went with a minimal approach that uses warm colors and lots of white space. I pulled the simple circles off the edge of the cover to reference a sun setting, and the overlapping circles create a sense of connection and movement.Book cover design can be a difficult and complex process, but keeping these few guidelines in mind will help you to create more successful and meaningful covers.