Wednesday, October 30, 2019

NO TOPIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NO TOPIC - Essay Example A case where a White man causes an accident and escapes probably because it was a girl child or a black person reveals a lot about the sociocultural standards of that time. Blacks and women had a narrow space in the society. However, the difference between the America of the past and the contemporary one today is really big in terms of sociocultural standards and perceptions (Donnelley 107-108). A salient theme of body hate comes out more clearly. The amount of time and energy that people take in trying to hate and hide some of their body parts that the perceptually deem faulty is surprising. It is possible to have a profound psychological turmoil when hit by a flaw on a conspicuous body part. Moreover, the media’s ‘campaign’ for perfection in their advertisements is the reason that makes people worry of very petty and insignificant problems. They tend to promote businesses by portraying a world of perfection and everyone would want to join their non-flawed worlds (Donnelley 109). Evidently, the author’s intent to practically explore and expose the real life problems that a girl child of that time went through has bee achieved. From the genesis of her problems to its progression until its end, the story is well developed by Alice

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Personal Statement Instruction Essay Example for Free

The Personal Statement Instruction Essay Question 1 Focus: Academic Preparation Question: What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the field developed and describe any experience you have had in the field such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities and what you have gained from your involvement. My early academic requirements such as grammar school and middle school years were spent studying in China. I never wavered in my commitment to do my best academically because in China, if you do not have good grades in school, your future would not be bright. My middle school education was finished in the United States. After, I went on to attend four years of high school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After High School, I enrolled in general courses at Pasadena City College. I am an average student with average grades but a burning passion to learn and draw. I joined various school activities that allow me to hone my architectural skills. I have almost completed all the general courses that I have to take. I am hoping to be able to attend more advanced classes and hone my skills further at your university. I am a very patient person who has the determination to succeed in the field that I have chosen. I have been developing my portfolio of architectural designs over a number of years now. I have also been an active member of various clubs and organizations in Pasadena City College where my design skills are often put to good use. Question 2 Focus: Potential to Contribute Question: Tell us about a talent, experience, contribution or personal quality you will bring to the University of California. *   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I am a friendly person by nature. This is why I would like to be an active participant in school events and politics. I was raised with strong convictions and beliefs about life peoples rights. It is my wish to help the world become united in friendship. I would like to develop my leadership abilities by joining school civic groups and the student council. The school has a large campus and there is always work to be done. I would like to make sure that the student body is always an active participant in the programs that the school has designed to help build character and confidence in a person. College is the happiest time in a students life. I fully intend to enjoy my campus life to the fullest and bring my closest friends and classmates along for the life-changing ride. During my first few weeks at the new school, I expect that I will be joining social activities that will help me blend in with the student body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I want to join in the civic efforts of the university. I would like to join Habitat for Humanity and help build homes in various parts of the United States. I will continue attending workshops and seminars as well that relate to fine arts and architectural designing. I believe that these seminars help me towards gaining a better understanding of the work that I want to do in the future. I am a highly imaginative person. I always want to be kept abreast of the latest design trends and future concepts. So I will want to spend every spare moment I have gaining the knowledge that I will need. I would like to start an architecture organization on campus. The main objective of this club will be to gather the architecture students and even those students who are not enrolled in architecture but have a love for design and concepts and give them an avenue in which to have a free exchange of ideas. We can have weekend outings where in we can tour the city and visit various architectural landmarks. Perhaps even attend seminars as a group as well. I have had encouraging feedback from the seminar and workshop conductors. They give me the courage and will to go on and see this dream through to the end. I know that the line of study I have chosen is in an area where one has to always be up to date and thinking ahead. This is why I will excel in this field. I am a highly imaginative person and I believe my concepts are far ahead of its time. I have a very keen interest in urban design and architecture. It is my ambition to become a highly competent and popular urban designer or architect known for excellence worldwide. Question 3 Focus: Open-Ended Question Question: Is there anything you would like us to know about you or your academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in this application? *   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I am Dong Chen. I am currently enrolled as an architectural student at Pasadena City College. I have been living in the United States for a large number of years now. I came to the United States by way of China where I was born and partially raised. My parents value education highly even though they themselves are not university graduates. My brother and I will be the first two in our family to graduate with college degrees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My family moved to the United States when I was still an adolescent. They have political reasons for the move. Mother and father wanted my brother and I to have a good future so they insisted on us going to good schools They were able to afford our education, a simple apartment and some amenities in life for the family. Mother works as a rank and file employee at a printing factory while father works a chef.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My brother is based in San Diego. He has already finished college. He attended university classes at the University of California San Diego. He graduated with a major in Computer Science. He is currently completing his Masters Degree as a student in Cal-State-San Diego.   He is my role model and I always pattern my life after his.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once I become a student at this university, I will make sure that the chance that has been given to me will not be wasted. I will strive to excel in my field and make sure that I am always at the service of the school and the student body. I can be an adviser to the new Chinese students who are still adjusting to their new life in the USA.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

McTaggarts Argument Evaluation Essay -- McTaggart Time Existence Essa

McTaggart's Argument Evaluation McTaggart takes a bold step in trying to disprove the existence of a phenomenon as taken for granted and unquestioned as breathing when he tackles the issue of time. If for no other reason, this quest is extremely daring in its scope, because he chooses to question an entity whose reality has probably never crossed most people’s minds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McTaggart’s goal in his paper is, on a large scale, to prove that time does not exist. We will, however, be tackling the aspect of time known as the A-Series in this essay. His entire argument rests on his ability to prove this A-Series is unreal. The A-Series is the â€Å"tense† component of time that we perceive. When we refer to happenings in our lives, they occur in the past, present or future tense. Which tense a given event commands depends on its relation to a moving â€Å"now.† As we move through life, things in the future move ever closer to the present and after an event occurs it is forever moving further and further into the past thanks to the forward-moving â€Å"now.† McTaggart’s goal is to prove the logical difficulties that the concept of the moving â€Å"now’s† existence calls to mind, and it is these difficulties that ultimately lead McTaggart to rule out time’s existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McTaggart’s first step in proving his point is to highlight the incompatibility of the respective tenses of past, present and future. The incompatibility lies in the fact that no event can possess all of these properties at once. At first glance this may seem like an obvious and meaningless thing to say, because no one would argue that anything represents all these qualities at one time. Instead, most would be inclined to point out that an occasion holds all three of these qualities at three different points in time. McTaggart has no problem with this claim and goes so far as to label each period during which something has each of these qualities as T1, T2, and T3. When something exists at a certain moment in the future, that moment is T1. This strategy is applied to the event at the moment it enters the present; it is here that it is known as T2. And when the happening is located at a moment in the future, it is referred to as T3. Again, objectors to the t heory that the A-Series is unreal would feel like they still have the upper hand; fully agreeing with McTaggart’s logic, but this is where McTaggart make... ...ature of God’s creation. The vastness of that which He’s created suggests that there will be things that humans won’t be able to logically sort out. This inability should not, however, be mistaken as proof that the A-Series or another complex entity does not exist. McTaggart’s argument lacks proof of his claim; he uses his opposition’s inability to form a definite refutation of his claim while he never really provides one himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While McTaggart makes a pretty convincing case, I don’t feel like there is any real proof in his claims. There is compelling evidence in his arguments, but he definitely leaves room for dissent. One other problem I have with McTaggart’s argument is what his conclusion means. Assuming he has made an air-tight case that cannot be argued against, what has he really said? Following his logical process he doesn’t provide a meaningful conclusion. What have we gained from knowing that the A-Series and our perceived â€Å"now† do not exist as we were once sure they did? Do we change the way we live our lives? Nothing at all changes, because our perception of the world remains exactly the same, with nothing more than a slightly enlightened perspective gained.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Devils Arithmetic - Relationships Essay -- Jane Yolen

The Devil’s Arithmetic is written by Jane Yolen. The story’s main character is Hannah. Hannah is a thirteen year old girl who is unappreciative of her family and everything they do for her. During a Seder dinner, Hannah is transported back in time to rural Poland in 1942. In this time Hannah becomes Chaya. During a wedding procession, she is captured and taken to a concentration camp. In the camp Hannah experienced different kinds of family structures. Some of the family structures Hannah experienced in the camp were with her immediate family, her friendships, and with other strangers. During her time as Chaya, Hannah was involved in many family structures. One of which is with her immediate family. She witnessed self sacrifice of herself and the others around her. While getting ready for her Uncle Shmuel’s wedding, she received two blue ribbons. Her Aunt Gitl gave her a blue dress, and to go with the dress she gave Hannah a pair of blue ribbons, which she had been saving for her wedding night. â€Å"These I was saving for my wedding night-about which you know so much,† (pg. 6) Gitl sacr...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Romulus, My Father – Essay

Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to places in Romulus, My Father. An individual's capacity to belong is primarily dependent on their personal experience, and varies in difficulty depending on the dynamics of each individual's personality and temperament. The landscape in which an individual resides has a definitive impact upon an individual’s sense of belonging. Furthermore, the specific place, in relation to where the individual literally resides, too influences ones sense of belonging.In Raimond Gaita's biographical memoir Romulus, My Father, the notion of belonging is strongly influenced by place. Both belonging and not belonging are explored through the characters sense of place, Romulus and Christine respectively. Romulus is able to successfully transition from Yugoslavia to Australia as he effectively endeavours to integrate his native culture – through Slivovitz, Yugoslavian friends and his native trade †“ into his newfound home. In contrast, Christine is unable to find any means of connection to the place or landscape and as a result becomes alienated.Raimond connects to place in his own unique way, using the landscape of rural Australia as a metaphor for belonging and subsequently finding a ‘place to call home’. Ultimately, Romulus, My Father explores the powerful influence that place holds over an individual’s sense of belonging. Throughout Raimond Gaita’s Romulus, My Father, Romulus Gaita’s sense of belonging is heavily influenced through a connection to place and landscape. Born in Yugoslavia, Romulus emigrated on an assisted passage in 1950 at the age of 28, with his young wife Christine and their four-year-old son Raimond soon after the end of World War II.While the transition between countries can often hold harsh and ominous repercussions on an individual’s sense of self, Romulus seems to successfully establish himself within the A ustralian community. Foremost, Romulus does so though an integration of his native culture. Immediately upon arriving at Baringhup in order to work, Romulus specifically seeks out his fellow Romanians and ultimately finds them in Hora and Mitru. Furthermore, his frequent drinking of Slivovitz, a Romanian brandy, coupled with his commitment to the trade he perfected in Romania highlights his commitment to his native country.This patriotism is ultimately accepted by the individuals Romulus associates with, and as a result strengthens his sense of belonging. The landscape of the Australian outback also has an impact on Romulus’ sense of belonging. Raimond often reflects on how Romulus feels isolated from the world, as a result of being away from the winterly forests of Europe. The effect is a slight diminution of Romulus’ sense of belonging as he at times longs to return to Yugoslavia.The peppercorn tree, situated in Frogmore, symbolises Romulus’ tether between his desire to return to Yugoslavia and his current location of Australia as it represents his native country, albeit located in his newfound home. Christine, Romulus’ wife, in contrast to Romulus himself, has her sense of belonging wrought through a disconnection towards place and landscape. It is evident at the beginning of the memoir that Christine feels a lack of belonging through living in Germany and as a result is the driving force behind the Gaita’s move to Australia.This act shows Christine’s inability to stay and commit to one place. Even upon arriving in Australia, Christine displays an inability to connect with the place she resides, and furthermore the landscape she is presented with. Despite only leaving Europe recently, Christine too seems to feel isolated by the Australian outback. The rural Australian landscape of Frogmore ultimately becomes too much for Christine, who subtly still longs for the winterly forests of Europe.Whether it is a result of h er unaccepted values in the eyes of the local community, her largely misunderstood mental illness or a strong disconnection to place and landscape, Christine is constantly on the move, which further highlighting her temporary nature. Time after time, Christine feels alienated by the landscape she surrounds herself with and ultimately feels the need to escape the alienation for good, resulting in her suicide. The dead red gum tree becomes a metaphor for her desolation, oppression and inability to become accustomed to the land.The tree, like Christine, is of complete contrast to its landscape; drawing parallels to Christine’s alienation. â€Å"The scraggy gum delineated against a dark blue backdrop of a sky. † Raimond is able to fashion his own sense of belonging through place in a way this is distinctively different from Romulus and Christine. The distinctive difference between Raimond and his parents is that Raimond is able to grow up in Australia. This ultimately has a major impact upon the way place shapes his sense of belonging. Raimond embraces his Australian environment, most notably through his school.Raimond, once again unlike his parents, is able to fully embrace the Australian culture without any significant ties to the European culture. It is in this way that Raimond is able to fully feel at home within the landscape of the rural Australian outback. Raimond relishes the rural landscape, which is further explored during his epiphany. Ultimately, an individual's capacity to belong is primarily dependent on their personal experience. However, the difficulties in belonging are derived from the dynamics of an individual's personality as their subjective perceptions of themselves and their surrounds influence their capacity to belong.Raimond Gaita's memoir, Romulus, My Father depicts the varying difficulties in belonging through the parallel portrayal of Christine and Raimond; asserting that Christine' temporary nature prevented her from achi eving a sense of belonging. Raimond's sense of belonging is shaped through coming to terms with his bucolic setting, in contrast to the innate connection to the land of his father. Thus, belonging is seen as a subjective notion whereby the hazards and difficulties of achieving belonging are varied dependent on the dynamics of the individual’s personality and temperament.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Startup of Chupa Chups †Business Essay

The Startup of Chupa Chups – Business Essay Free Online Research Papers The Startup of Chupa Chups Business Essay Chupa Chups, founded in 1985, is a leading manufacturer of sweet worldwide. With a market share of 34 percent in the lollipops market and 0.9 percent in sweet, Chupa Chups is among the top 25 sweetmakers globally and has been popular among many children in the world. It was in 1954 that Matt Williams, Chupa Chupss founder, stuck to revive the sweet manufacturer Granja Asturias (the previous name of Chupa Chups). In the following years till 1985, in order to concentrate on new Chups lollipop, Mr. Williams bought all Granja Asturiass shares and dropped its entire product range. The effects of the restructuring efforts are obvious: Chupa Chups has manufaturing sites in up to five countries, numerous royal customers and a complete sales network. In addition to the traditional flavors of lollipops (focus on children), Chupa Chups is currently building an extensive adult customer base as well as providing aged customers with new flavors. It in deed draws marvelous attention from various segments of parties. Recently, Chupa Chups’s launch of highly-colored â€Å"tongue-painter† lollipops had taken the market by storm. On the other hand, its spectacular surge on sales also gained credit from the clear diversification into a unique flavor: sugar-free mints with Smuit range. Inevitably, all this led to a direct result of Chupa Chups’s revenues growth. The company generated sales volume (in lollipops) of 4 billion in its most recent fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2005. Research Papers on The Startup of Chupa Chups - Business EssayMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaDefinition of Export QuotasThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTwilight of the UAWEffects of Television Violence on Children

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Vernon God Little

Fiction Meets Reality In the novel Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre, the main character Vernon Little is a fifteen year old boy who is the prime suspect in a school shooting. While the novel and the characters are purely fictional, Vernon can easily be interpreted as a real person. The mindset of Vernon and the events that he experiences make him a real life character and in doing so, the book seems more realistic and therefore less fictional. Vernon’s views on fate, his mindset, and the problems he encounters all contribute to his real life quality. One aspect of Vernon that makes him appear as a real life person is that like everyone in the world, he has problems. It can be argued that many characters in different novels have problems as well, but what makes Vernon stand out is the fact that his problems are basic, everyday, common problems. Many times the struggles that characters face are unrealistic and ones that the readers cannot relate to. Vernon’s problems are unlike other characters’. Besides the obvious problems that Vernon is facing with the school shooting and the trial, Vernon also has everyday problems. Vernon and his mother live alone in their house. Vernon’s father, who is only mentioned a few times, is not apart of their lives. Vernon’s mother does not have a job and the family has no source of income. A boy Vernon’s age is normally expected to go to school and possibly maintain a part-time job. Vernon’s mother asks Vernon to get a job to provide income for the family. It is not normal for a fifteen year old boy to have to provide the sole income for a family. The relationship between adults and kids has always held a question of honesty. Kids, because of their age, are often times foolish and make careless choices, but it is simply apart of growing up. Adults on the other hand have much more experience due to their age and feel that they have a better grasp on the world and what go... Free Essays on Vernon God Little Free Essays on Vernon God Little Fiction Meets Reality In the novel Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre, the main character Vernon Little is a fifteen year old boy who is the prime suspect in a school shooting. While the novel and the characters are purely fictional, Vernon can easily be interpreted as a real person. The mindset of Vernon and the events that he experiences make him a real life character and in doing so, the book seems more realistic and therefore less fictional. Vernon’s views on fate, his mindset, and the problems he encounters all contribute to his real life quality. One aspect of Vernon that makes him appear as a real life person is that like everyone in the world, he has problems. It can be argued that many characters in different novels have problems as well, but what makes Vernon stand out is the fact that his problems are basic, everyday, common problems. Many times the struggles that characters face are unrealistic and ones that the readers cannot relate to. Vernon’s problems are unlike other characters’. Besides the obvious problems that Vernon is facing with the school shooting and the trial, Vernon also has everyday problems. Vernon and his mother live alone in their house. Vernon’s father, who is only mentioned a few times, is not apart of their lives. Vernon’s mother does not have a job and the family has no source of income. A boy Vernon’s age is normally expected to go to school and possibly maintain a part-time job. Vernon’s mother asks Vernon to get a job to provide income for the family. It is not normal for a fifteen year old boy to have to provide the sole income for a family. The relationship between adults and kids has always held a question of honesty. Kids, because of their age, are often times foolish and make careless choices, but it is simply apart of growing up. Adults on the other hand have much more experience due to their age and feel that they have a better grasp on the world and what go...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

abotion essays

abotion essays For the last couple of decades women have had the right to choose whether or not abortion was the right decision in their life for their own individual reason. The only way to get an abortion in the United States, at the time, was through a surgical abortion where the doctor removes the egg. Through the advancement of technology over years, doctors have come up with an abortion pill, yet the United States has not made the pill widely available. The abortion pill should be made available in the U.S. because it is the womens choice, the pill is safe, and it has good regulations. One main reason the abortion pill should be made available in the United States is because it is the womens own choice. All abortions should be individualized and no one should choose for the women whether they should have an abortion or not. They all have different reasons: too young, to old, not married, just married, financially unprepared, and mentally unprepared. Its the mothers decision on whether or not the abortion is right for her and not the moral committees decision. The women know what is best for themselves and best for their lives. Also, the first right in the bill of rights is that to the right of freedom. Women have the right to choose for themselves, which is the better option for them. And certainly some women had said its more private and gave them more control over the process. (Fehr-Snyder). If she prefers having a more private abortion then the pill provides that privacy because they are only a mediator while the abortion is taking place. In the U.S. we already have the medical abortion, so the next best thing is abortion by the pill. The right of choice is one of the big reasons the abortion pill should be made more available. Another reason why the abortion pill should be made available in the U.S. is because the pill is safe. The pill is safe if used correctly and within ...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Why did the caliphate collapse during the ninth and tenth centuries Essay

Why did the caliphate collapse during the ninth and tenth centuries - Essay Example Sunni has since sustained avowedly professing faith of Muhammad and it was one big blow upon another Islamic sect in Persia, this act is similar to the one that took place in the Roman Empire. Despite the presence of discernment present in Muhammad, he lacked insight in the leader who will succeed him after his death.1 Despite Muhammad’s effort in making caliph grow, he did not prepare Ummah for its continuation after his death. The community did not believe Muhammad had passed away and did not know the person to take over and fill the role of Muhammad, Ali who was Muhammad’s son-in-law was recommended by some people to succeed Muhammad. First successor after the death of Muhammad was Abu Bakr whose roles were more secular as compared to playing a religious role. Abu Bakr encountered cries that were based on the people’s psychology, religion, political and from other nations. He managed to make Islam a world force although during his time, the Islam participated in Apostasy war, which was because of dispute between Makkan emigrants and Ali Bakr’s supporters. During the war, many people died including those who were recognised for the compiling of Quran. Compiling Quran was the biggest achievement of Abu Bakr as compared to other encounters such as the apostasy war. There was a systematic employment of slave soldiers, which was one major innovation that characterised many Muslim regimes.2 Caliphate Umar gave people determination, especially in participating in the Jihad; hence, he wanted to continue conquests that were set by Abu Bakr, targeting Persian Empire and the Byzantime. Caliphate Umar took part in the Damascus conquest including the conquering of Saida. He was responsible for fixing many Islamic traditions including the Muslim calendar. Uthman succeeded Umar and he had both practical, intelligent military and political leadership style. Moreover, Uthuman faced opposition from other Muslims

Friday, October 18, 2019

An Australian MNC has subsidiaries in France, China, Canada, Turkey Essay

An Australian MNC has subsidiaries in France, China, Canada, Turkey and Vietnam, Indonesia and South Africa. With particular reference to legal, political, eco - Essay Example nent â€Å"down under† that expounds on European legacy with a democratically free market economy that just adopted economic reforms in 1980s contributing to its current robust economy. With a Western-style capitalist economy, output had risen beyond the internal needs so that raw materials and agricultural products lead the export sector of Australia. Low inflation, reforms and strong ties with countries like China coupled with conservative fiscal policies have maintained a very strong economy boasting of a $642.1. billion GDP purchasing power parity (CIA, 2006) and a 2.6 percent 2005 growth rate estimate. Australia’s GDP per capita is $32,000 as of 2005 (CIA, 2006). In order to necessitate different approaches to the establishment of an Australian multinational corporation’s (MNC) subsidiaries and their on-going operations in countries like France, China, Canada, Turkey, Vietnam, Indonesia and South Africa, various legal, political, economic and cultural issues must be addressed. Following are a country-per-country exploration on tackling business in consideration of the country’s environments, needs and other issues: Zitta Jewelries Corporation established in 1978 is one of the clienteles of Climax Mining Limited of Australia with vast connection and outlets all over the world, or among country capitals and major cities. Zitta either supplies raw materials such as gold, silver, copper, precious and semi-precious stones to jewelry manufacturers all over the world but they also distribute finished jewelry products, with their own exclusive jewelry shops in France, Canada, China, Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam and Indonesia. It employs about 350 persons all in all. Likewise, Zitta also outsource products from various countries especially where subsidiaries exist and leverage this products in all other outlets. Zitta both supplies raw materials to a subsidiary, or either source out raw materials from the subsidiary country when allowed. This way, each

The National Security Agency and Cryptography Term Paper

The National Security Agency and Cryptography - Term Paper Example In the past, cryptography was primarily used for military and government intelligence, which is still very important to date. However, advancement in electronic communication systems especially the internet has fueled the use of cryptography in sending private messages and information such as medical records, banking data and credit card numbers among others via electronic channels. Cryptography ensures rapid, secure and confidential electronic communication between two or more people (Nsa.gov, 2). Garfinkel points out that mathematical cryptography involves the use of mathematical processes for sending secret information. It uses the method of encryption, which only the recipient can comprehend. Through this method, a plaintext message is converted into ciphertext, which is sent to the other party. The receiver of the message converts the ciphertext back to plaintext using decryption. The channels through which the messages are sent may be open or accessible to outside parties who i ntercept messages but these people cannot understand or interfere with the information. A Cryptographic system is a process, method or system that provides security in terms of integrity, non-reputation, authentication, access control and confidentiality. The system provides encryption and decryption, which may be software, hardware or even a manually performed process. A cryptographic system ensures confidentiality of information by preventing its disclosure to unauthorized persons either in a local network or across a network. Therefore, for a cryptographic system to be effective in preventing unauthorized decryption of messages, it should be strong, making it hard to crack and to break the system. However, a system is considered weak if it is easily decrypted, has defects in its designs or if it allows weak keys (Dulaney 326). The cryptographic system should also provide an assurance that the recipient receives the original message from the sender. It should not allow any kind of modification on the message during transmission because if this happens, the message is altered and it becomes unintelligible and inaccurate, which may have serious consequences on the recipient. For instance, if such alterations happened in medical records that involved drug prescriptions, the patient under medication may be in danger. Therefore, a cryptographic system should ensure integrity in its process by having mechanisms that will indicate that the message was altered or corrupted, hence allowing proper precautions (Dulaney 327). There are four fundamental principles behind cryptography. The first principle implies the use of a plaintext, which is the message that the sender wishes to encrypt. After the encryption, the message becomes a ciphertext, which is the second principle. The third principle involves a mathematical function known as encryption algorithm that encrypts the message and the fourth principle implies the type of key or keys used in cryptography. The key(s) can be a phrase, a number or a word that is used by the mathematical function for encryption. The main goal of cryptography is to ensure that the original plaintext cannot be reproduced from the ciphertext without using the corresponding key(s) (Garfinkel, 33). Cryptography requires both the sender and the receiver to have the knowledge of the procedures involved in encryption and de

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Accounting Information Systems of Air New Zealand Assignment

Accounting Information Systems of Air New Zealand - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that Air New Zealand has a total workforce of 10,453 employees and a reported income of 71$ Million as of August 2012. Air New Zealand can be considered as one of the lifeblood of New Zealand’s economy since it provides services that are essential in the dynamics of commerce. At about 9 am on November 10, 2009, an outage of the computer system of Air New Zealand affected its airport check-in systems as well as its online bookings and call center systems. The outage affected more than ten thousand passengers contributing to the chaos and confusion of affected airports. The disruption not only caused millions of dollars in actual damages to Air New Zealand itself but also to its customers and related business depending on the airline for its logistic needs. On June 18, 2007, Air New Zealand/Eagle Airways Flight 2300 was forced to land on its belly due to the hydraulic system that was being drained via a fatigue crack in its actuator that caused the landing gear to being stuck. There was no recorded fatality in the incident and the damage to the aircraft is repairable. Both incidents while considered accidents could have been prevented if the right information security management system is in place to protect the information assets of Air New Zealand. It should be noted that incidents similar to the ones described may cause the company more in terms of legal if not goodwill costs. Threats not only impact the corporation itself as an entity but also affect its employees, clients, and partners. As predicted on threats not only affect the operation of Air New Zealand, it likewise creates doubt about the safety of its clients and equally affects its financial assets as well as those of its partners. Identification of the threats is therefore not only essential in managing the risks associated to the operation and service provisioning of Air New Zealand it is similarly essential in setting up the inf rastructure that would support its overall security management systems. Threats by any definition is an entity or process if not events that threaten life, disrupt operation, or cause damage to the corporate image of any entity and in this particular case—Air New Zealand—its cause damage to assets of the company, its employee, its clients and even its partners. In the context of information technology in particular Accounting Information System, a threat is a process, thing, or person that will affect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information system, its data, and programs. Natural Disasters and Terrorist Attacks – these are often remediated with the use of backup sites Software Errors and/or Equipment Malfunctions – This will be discussed further at the operational threats Unintentional Acts – These are often done by unsuspecting clients and at times even employees. Strict information security policy is the best way to ad dress these threats. Intentional Acts – This can be done by hackers from the external front and disgruntled employees from the internal front.

Role Of Women In Arabic Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role Of Women In Arabic Society - Assignment Example Women in the Arab society are discriminated against especially in institutions such as marriage and areas such as inheritance and divorce. Women are not allowed to own property in some classes. Divorce will always almost favor the men and women end up suffering from the outcome of the divorce. Women in this society are considered a source of evil, social disorder and anarchy, and deception. This consideration is adopted by the prevailing religious ideology. Therefore, the society has created a certain standard of morality that stresses values and norm associated with traditional ideas of motherhood, wifehood, and femininity for the woman (Barakat, 1993). The woman in the society has been relieved of all financial responsibilities that the family might require. These responsibilities are the duties of the father who is seen as the provider of the family. A lot of changes have been witnessed throughout the world in regards changes in the family set up and socio-economic trends. The Arab community has also witnessed major changes especially towards how the woman is viewed in the society. Many women are being educated in the Arab community. This has allowed women to be involved in jobs in the public sectors in contrast to the traditional household women. Education Has made a lot of women to be providers of some of the families and has gained economical independence from the men. The changes in Arab society have begun to undermine traditional roles, relationships, and values within the Arab family.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Accounting Information Systems of Air New Zealand Assignment

Accounting Information Systems of Air New Zealand - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that Air New Zealand has a total workforce of 10,453 employees and a reported income of 71$ Million as of August 2012. Air New Zealand can be considered as one of the lifeblood of New Zealand’s economy since it provides services that are essential in the dynamics of commerce. At about 9 am on November 10, 2009, an outage of the computer system of Air New Zealand affected its airport check-in systems as well as its online bookings and call center systems. The outage affected more than ten thousand passengers contributing to the chaos and confusion of affected airports. The disruption not only caused millions of dollars in actual damages to Air New Zealand itself but also to its customers and related business depending on the airline for its logistic needs. On June 18, 2007, Air New Zealand/Eagle Airways Flight 2300 was forced to land on its belly due to the hydraulic system that was being drained via a fatigue crack in its actuator that caused the landing gear to being stuck. There was no recorded fatality in the incident and the damage to the aircraft is repairable. Both incidents while considered accidents could have been prevented if the right information security management system is in place to protect the information assets of Air New Zealand. It should be noted that incidents similar to the ones described may cause the company more in terms of legal if not goodwill costs. Threats not only impact the corporation itself as an entity but also affect its employees, clients, and partners. As predicted on threats not only affect the operation of Air New Zealand, it likewise creates doubt about the safety of its clients and equally affects its financial assets as well as those of its partners. Identification of the threats is therefore not only essential in managing the risks associated to the operation and service provisioning of Air New Zealand it is similarly essential in setting up the inf rastructure that would support its overall security management systems. Threats by any definition is an entity or process if not events that threaten life, disrupt operation, or cause damage to the corporate image of any entity and in this particular case—Air New Zealand—its cause damage to assets of the company, its employee, its clients and even its partners. In the context of information technology in particular Accounting Information System, a threat is a process, thing, or person that will affect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information system, its data, and programs. Natural Disasters and Terrorist Attacks – these are often remediated with the use of backup sites Software Errors and/or Equipment Malfunctions – This will be discussed further at the operational threats Unintentional Acts – These are often done by unsuspecting clients and at times even employees. Strict information security policy is the best way to ad dress these threats. Intentional Acts – This can be done by hackers from the external front and disgruntled employees from the internal front.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Karachaganak Petroleum Operating Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Karachaganak Petroleum Operating - Case Study Example The agreement was signed for a period of 40 years. The key business area with respect to KPO B.V., Kazakhstan is it Information Technology equipment. The company is strong in its IT equipment which it uses to run its daily operations. The unit holds around 1.2 billion tones of oil and condensate and also 1.35 trillion cubic meters of gas. The major advantage with the plant is that there is a good amount of income being generated to both the national and local economies. Additionally, the plant is also providing long-term employment to almost 80% people of Kazakhstan. The field covers an area of almost 280 square kilometers. The Mission Statement of the Procurement Department at KPO B.V. is - to provide cost effective and efficient service to all Company User groups for the procurement of goods and services. In providing this service the Department maximizes the practical use of commercial competitions to achieve the best overall economic solution consistent with the User Departments requirements. The structure of the Procurement Department at KPO B.V. is as follows: -Vendor Development and Qualification (VNDQ) - The main objective for the existence of this department is to handle all sorts of issues related to the qualification of vendors and contractors whom it feels are potential for the Approved Vendors List and at the same time contribute in developing the local supply sources. -Procurement - The major responsibility of the Procurement department is to manage the activities of procurement that are associated with the field operations. The department is also needed to supervise the wide range of procurement right from goods to the corporate services. -Contracts - Contracts planning, audit, supervision and all sorts of coordination and administration activities of the major contracts are taken care by this department. -Planning & Reports - This department takes care of all the planning activities like the budget planning, cost control, the formulation of the Standard Term & Conditions of Contract, business methods and systems and the formulation of Departmental procedures. The main focus of the Vendor Development with respect to the operations of KPO B.V. is to make the local companies involve in the provision of the required goods and services of the company. The requirement may be related to all the departments like Production and Maintenance, Engineering and Projects, Infrastructure and Services, Well Operations in which the company wishes to develop local supplier capability for a long-term relationship. Supply Chain Management - An Overview The supply chain can be described as the network, covering the various stages in the provision of products or services to customers. It includes not only manufacturers and suppliers, but also transporters, warehouses, distributors, retailers, etc.

Lee Valley Segmentation Essay Example for Free

Lee Valley Segmentation Essay Background Lee Valley——a family-owned business which has been providing customers of woodworking and gardening tools since 1978.Their reputation is based on three principles: 1. Customer satisfaction: Any product may be returned within 3 months and no cost to the customer (for shipments within North America, they will refund your return parcel post costs). 2. Integrity: Product descriptions are matched with the product——even if the product is roughly made, they will give you accurate descriptions. 3. Treat the customer like a friend. â€Å"About one third of their total sales volume is in products of their own design. The vast majority of these are Veritas ® brand products made by Veritas Tools Inc., their manufacturing arm. They have a research and development team of 11 people and 130 more in manufacturing. And, to reinforce the part about listening to customers, they have a number of customers earning royalties on products that they manufacture based on designs received from them† (Lee Valley). Objective Both woodworking and gardening must have a 2.5% increase in total sales in the next fiscal year. To achieve this goal, management has allocated a budget of $500,000—exclusive of the cost of printing and mailing the catalogues. This budget is intended to fund the prospecting activities of both product lines. Current Situation Analysis Since Lee Valley launched its e-Commerce site in 2000, internet sales have been an increasing percentage of total sales. When launched, the sitegenerated about 20% of total sales, with phone sales being 70% and sales from mail at 10%.By 2010, Internet sales have reached 70% of total sales, which phone sales at 25% and mail at 5%. [pic]Fig. 1. Percentage of total orders generated by e-commerce from Lee Valley Tools Ltd. [pic] Fig. 2. Percentage of total orders generated by e-commerce from Lee Valley Tools Ltd. According to the pie charts illustrate above, Internet sales have already dominated the total sales of Lee Valley since its e-Commerce site launched in 2000.About 70% of the total customers obtain their products online in 2010 which means that new market segmentation and promotion which focus on online shopping must be generated to accommodate the needs of existing customers as well as new customers. Customer Segmentation——who the firm will serve Geographic Variables In views of the database surveyed by Euromonitor International in 2012, Home and Garden reveals emerging markets and are growing in popularity, developed countries remain, by far, the highest spenders on gardening products. Higher levels of urbanization and incomes, combined with greater access to a wider range of goods and services in cities, are key factors underpinning demand. -All countries with per household expenditure higher than US$1,000 have more than three quarters of their population. -Economic growth and urbanization are the main forces behind the growth in home and garden in developing countries. Demographic Variables According to the Gardening Market Research, the most popular lawn and garden activities included lawn care (48% of households), growing indoor houseplants (31% of households), flower gardening (30% of households), and landscaping (27% of households). The customer profile indicated from Lee Valley shows that the average gardening buyer characteristics are as follows: -Age: average 47 -Gender: 65% female -Income: average household income $72,017 -Education: 60% have a college education -68% are married -82% are homeowners Psychographic Variables In general, gardening enthusiasts also have their distinguishing lifestyles and personality traits, such as: -Environmental friendly -Family-oriented -Seeking freedom and relaxation -Living a simple and peaceful life -Retired, enjoy DIY and private time -Focus on landscaping Behavioral Variables 1. User status Regular users are those who have their regular schedule for purchase in gardening, most of whom have their own projects. Potential users are people who are intending to access to the market but still with different reasons of hesitation or lacking of stimulation. Ex-users are those who used to purchase gardening tools in the past or 2. Intensity of use In the â€Å"Pareto’s Law†, 20% of the customers are heavy users but the remaining 80% are only light users. That indicates companies should emphasis on the most valuable group of customers who are come from the 20%.It dosen’t mean the rest parts are non-essential. Frenquency of order in terms of the climate where the customers live as well as the purpose of purchase. 3. Innovativeness Since 2000, there has been a double-digit growth in the e-commerce sector; statistics have shown that more than 80% of regular online shoppers have used Internet to purchase products or services, while 50% of the online population recorded to have shopped online more than once. According to statistics from Invesp Blog, shoppers by age group is as follows: 18-30 years (54%), 31-44 years (68%), 45-54 years (64%), 55-65 years (68%), 66 years and up (48%). Teens and the young generation find entertainment and social networks online, whereas older generations use the internet as a tool for research, shopping and banking. According to statistics researched in 2009, Generation X (internet users ages 33-44) continues to lead in online shopping. Fully 80% of Generation X internet users buy products online, compared to teenage online users between ages of 18-32, the next runner-up, which constitute 71% of online shopping total. However, there is a decline of internet shopping between the ages 64-72, accounting to 56%, and 47% of online users between the age 73 and older. Global E-commerce sales are growing by more than 19% a year and will be of almost $1.4 trillion by 2015. Lee Valley has a large numbers of customers (70%) ordering online, which illustrates that customers with these certain characteristics are the key part of gardening market. Most people between 35 and 55 years have their own house and garden, 68% of them are married and they are more willing to live a high quality of life with their families. They prefer to online shopping because it is more convenient and can save most of their time as well as money. As far as I am concerned, I suggest Lee Valley to build up collaborative relationships with multinational internet corporations like eBay to extend their market size. At the same time, cut the budget on printing the catalogues and put it to social media so as to attract more new customers. Meanwhile, loyalty program to exiting customers is also indispensable. For instance, gathering different suggestions from loyalty customers and meet their special demands will not only increase the order frequency but also improve the customer satisfaction. Works Cited Datagraphics, Home and Garden. â€Å"Urban Countries Spend the Most in Home and Garden.† Euromonitor International. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Khalid. â€Å"How Big is E-commerce Industry.† invesp Blog. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Lee Valley. â€Å"About Us.† Lee Valley Veritas. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. National Gardening Association. â€Å"Garden Market Research.† National Gardening Association. N.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. Pew Research Center. â€Å"Generations Online in 2009.† PewResearchCenter Publications. Pew Research Center, 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2012.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Case study: Facial Recognition

Case study: Facial Recognition Facial Recognition is the process where the brain recognizes, understands and interprets the human face (Face Recognition, n.d.). The face is essential for the identification of others and expresses significant social information. The face reveals significant social information, like intention, attentiveness, and communication. Goldstein (1983) (as cited in Chung Thomson, 1995) stated that, The face is the most important visual stimulus in our lives probably from the first few hours after birth, definitely after the first few weeks. The loss of the ability to recognize faces, like those who have prosopagnosia, greatly affects the individuals life. The primary focus of this review is to provide an overview of the development of facial recognition, gender and age differences, facial identity and expression, memory, prosopagnosia, and hemispheric advantages in facial recognition. It is also my intention to review past and contemporary theories of development and understanding of facial recognition. The Birth of Facial Recognition The human face has sparked interest in various disciplines within the arts and sciences for centuries (Darwin, 1872 as cited in Nelson, 2001). This fascination of the human face may reflect the psychological significance of the face and the recognition of other faces. Cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists and developmental psychologists are interested in facial recognition due to evidence that faces are somehow perceived differently than other patterned objects, the ability is controlled by a distinct neural circuit, and that faces provide an early means of communication between infants and caretakers. Regardless of the wide-ranged and continued interest in the subject matter, it still remains unclear how facial recognition becomes specialized, and what neurological systems are involved in the development process (Nelson, 2001). The number of research with faces used as stimuli has increased dramatically over the past decades (Chung Thomson, 1995). This may be a result of a change in the cognitive studies from fragmented verbal materials to more meaningful nonverbal memory. It is also noteworthy that the majority of the research on facial recognition has been focused on infants and adults, giving little attention to the developmental changes during childhood (two through five years of age). Studies of Development Studies in Newborns In the early stages of facial recognition (1960s) there were contrasting results as to whether newborns had any preference towards faces over other patterned stimuli. Over the next few decades of research, the view that newborns are capable of recognizing faces and discriminating between their mothers and unfamiliar faces was supported by researchers (Nelson, 2001). Although the findings that newborns can distinguish between faces and may show preferences, evidence for ability to recognize faces earlier than 1 to 2 months of age is extremely weak and not regularly supported. Newborns possess poor visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and cannot determine the high spatial frequencies that make up the fine details of faces (de Schonen and Mathivet, 1990; Simion et al., 1998 as cited in Nelson, 2001 ). Another criticism of newborn studies is that they have used schematized stimuli (having eye sockets and opening for a mouth and nose used as a model of a real face), questioning the validi ty of the stimuli used to serve as a real face. In more current literature by Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen (2008), they found evidence that newborns may have the ability to detect and recognize partially occluded faces. They believe their findings highlight the importance the eyes play in newborns facial detection and recognition. Newborns detected faces even if some low-information portions were missing from the face. The only exception was the eyes-once the eyes were removed, detection and recognition of the stimuli was impaired. This is found in both newborns and adults. The findings of the study were in line with Morton and Johnsons structural hypothesis (Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen, 2008) that states, faces are special for newborns because human infants possess a device that contains structural information concerning the visual characteristics of conspecifics-hiding the eyes implies that the typical face pattern (three high contrast blobs in the correct positions of the eyes and the mouth) would be disrupted. There are two hypotheses offered by Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen (2008) explaining how newborns recognize the difference between the non-obstructed and obstructed faces. The first hypothesis states, Newborns might have filled in the partly hidden surface, thus perceiving the obstructed stimulus as connected behind the obstructers, or might have simply perceived only what is immediately visible of the obstructed face. The second hypothesis suggests that newborns might have perceived the similarities between the non-obstructed and the obstructed face, perceiving only what is immediately visible of the obstructed face. The results found do not explain the perceptual operations of the ability of the newborns to detect and recognize occluded faces. Nonetheless, it demonstrates that the degree of salience highly affects the competence of the obstructed information. Both past and present literature shows a difference in opinions when it comes to newborns and facial recognition. In recent literature the main consensus is that newborns can certainly recognize faces, but the perceptual operations of the newborns ability to detect and recognize are still yet unknown. Studies in Infants In 1972, Fagan (as cited in Nelson, 2001) demonstrated that infants around 4 months old have excellent recognition of upright faces in comparison to upside down faces. This finding suggests that infants around the age of 4 months have developed a face schema and view faces as a special class of stimuli (Nelson, 2001). Infants between the ages of 3 to 7 months can identify their mothers from strangers and recognize faces by gender and facial expression. These findings demonstrate the development over the first 6 months in facial recognition, where infants not only identify but also discriminate faces. Carlsson, Lagercrantz, Olson, Printz Bartocci (2008) measured the cortical response in the right fronto-temporal and right occipital areas of healthy 6 to 9 month old children by showing an image of their mothers faces compared to that of an unknown face. A double-channel NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) device monitored concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin. The mother was asked not to talk to their children during the trials. The children were exposed to four types of visual stimuli: a grey background, a photograph of the mother, a second grey background and a photo of the unknown female face. Eight children (Group A) were presented with a picture of their mother before that of the unknown female face. In Group B, 11 children were presented in the reversed order. Each stimulus lasted a period of 15 seconds. The results showed that Group A (the mother image first) elicited an increase in the right fronto-temporal area, which is statistical different from responses to the unknown image. In Group B, (the unknown females face first) there was an insignificant increase in cortical response in the right fronto-temporal area when shown the unknown female and then spiked when the maternal facial image was presented. The findings in this study show that there was a greater increase in the right fronto-temporal region when the picture of the mother was shown in comparison with the unknown female photo. The effect of this hemoglobin change is most likely due to a discriminatory and recognition process. In addition to the right fronto-temporal region they also illuminated the right occipitotemporal pathway, part of the right prefrontal cortex, the right medial temporal lobe and the right fusiform area. These have been identified as specific target areas involved in face recognition. By looking at the mothers, the facial image is suspected to be an accurate result of the activation in the right occipitotemporal pathway. Difficulties in face recognition among infants born prematurely may be caused by a change or delay in the development of this pathway. The results show that the connectivity between the occipital cortex and the right prefrontal area are present and functional at the age of 6 to 9 months. These findings are extremely valuable to understanding the developmental mechanisms in infant social adaptation. Studies in Children It is highly likely that as we age, ones level of accuracy for facial recognition increases, but the evidence for the underlying processes of age differences is less certain. One of the techniques used was showing inversed pictures of faces to both adults and children. It was found that inversion disproportionately impairs the recognition of faces more so than other objects (Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998). Evidence by Carey and Diamond (1977) revealed that children at the ages of 8 and 10 years recognized a face with better accuracy if it was in the upright position in comparison to inverted position, like adults. However, children at age 6 recognized the inverted faces equally as well as the upright faces. These findings led to the hypothesis that children at the age 6 use a featural encoding strategy for processing faces. This is called the encoding switch hypothesis, where children 6 and under encode upright faces according to features such as the nose, mouth a nd eyes, and around the age of about 8 to 10 years, they begin to process faces holistically. In a second experiment when testing their encoding hypothesis, Carey and Diamond (1977) found that 6 year olds were misled more by changes in clothing, hairstyle, eyeglasses and facial expressions than 8 and 10 year olds. These results suggest that children at younger ages process faces according to their parts until they are about the age of 10, where they switch to a holistic approach. Carey and Diamond received criticism by a researcher named Flin, who believed their results were due the level of difficulty used in the task for 6 year olds and that their poor performance might have obscured the possible inversion effects. Flin (1985) (as cited in Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998) found that the 6 year olds recognition was below the older age group as an overall. He argued that there is little evidence to support the encoding switch hypothesis when taking age related performance differences into account. In more recent research, Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter (1998) stated that although face inversions may reveal performance difference, they provide little insight into the cognitive operations attributable to these differences. Tanka reasoned that if upright faces are encoded holistically, the whole-face test item should serve as a better retrieval cue than isolated-part test items, and if inverted faces are encoded only in terms of their parts, there should be no difference in the isolated part and whole face test conditions. Over a series of three experiments, their findings failed to support Carey and Diamonds (1977) predictions of the encoding switch hypothesis. If young children rely on featural information to encode faces, one would expect differences in their parts and whole performances than older children, which were not found. Their results suggest that by the age of 6 years old, children use a holistic approach to facial recognition and that the holistic appro ach remains relatively stable from ages 6 to 10. Recent research by Baenninger (1994) and Carey Diamond (1994) (as cited in Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998) also supports the idea that children do not encode faces based on features and then switch to a more configural encoding strategy, but instead encode normal faces holistically from the beginning. In fact, Carey and Diamond (1994) suggest that the Age X Inversion interaction may be attributed to a norm-based coding scheme (relational properties of the face that is encoded relative to the norm face in the population), which may explain experimental factors in changing the absolute levels of holistic processing. The norm-based coding model predicts that as one ages, facial recognition improves, whereas facial recognition should remain constant. The inversion task used by Carey and Diamond (1977, 1994) eliminated capability advantages by blocking norm-based encoding of relational properties, which could attribute to the lack of evidence for the holistic model. Th e single process that configural and featural information are encoded together supports the holistic approach to face recognition (Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998). Prosopagnosia A large amount of facial recognition research comes from the assessment of patients with prosopagnosia. Prosopagnosia is [a] visual agnosias that is largely restricted to a face recognition, but leaves intact recognition of personal identity from other identifying cues, such as voices and names (Calder Young, 2005). Regardless of who they are looking at, face recognition can be severely impaired. Patients typically recognize people by paraphernalia (voice or distinct features, such as a mole). Patients often cannot distinguish men from women, but hair length is a good retrieval cue for recognition. Areas related to prosopagnosia have been found the left frontal lobe, bilateral occipital lobes, bilateral parieto-occipital regions, and in the parieto-temporo-occipital junction (Ellis, 1975). It is possible to have several areas of damage for the specific function, but most occur in the right hemisphere. Gloning et al. (1970) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) found it is common for patients to exhibit symptoms of other agnosias. Such as foods looking the same, difficulty identifying animals, and inability to locate themselves in space and time. Some other, typically uncommon defects include visual field defects, constructional apraxia, dyspraxia for dressing, and metamorphosia (Ellis, 1975). The symptoms attributed with identifying faces are described as overall blurring, difficulties in interpreting shades and forms, and the inability to infer emotions in the face. Gloning et al. (1966) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) reports some patients have the most difficulty with the eye regions and others found the eyes the easiest to recognize. Regardless of the symptoms, an interesting aspect of prosopagnosia is that patients can always detect a face, but are unable to recognize it. This suggests that there is a two-part process in facial recognition. First, faces are detected, and then undergo further analysis where information such as age and sex are analyzed and compared in long-term memory. In comparing left posterior hemisphere to the right posterior hemisphere, Yin (1970) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) found that those with damage on the right side were poorer at face memory tasks than those with left side damage. They found that visual categories may all be difficult to recognize because they all have a high degree of inter-item similarity. De Renzi Spinnler (1966) (as cited in Young, 2001) found similar evidence, showing that patients with right-hemisphere damage were worse at recognizing faces, and other abstract figures than those with left hemisphere damage. These significant findings led them to believe that those with right-hemisphere damage are limited in high level integration of visual data. It also led to the hypothesis that prosopagnosia patients have lost the ability to recognize the individual members of categories with items of similar appearance (Young, 2001). The finding of covert recognition (Bauer, 1984 as cited in Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000) helped the cases of prosopagnosia as a domain-specific impairment of facial memory, showing parallels to priming effects. Bauer tested his patient LF by measuring his skin conductance while he viewed a familiar face and listened to a list of five names. Skin conductance was shown to be greater when the name belonged to the face LF was looking at. However, when asked to choose the correct name of the face, LF was unable to do so. These results showed a significant difference between the inability to overtly identify the face and the higher levels of skin conductance in the covert recognition. Bauer believed that there were two routes in the recognition of faces that both began in the visual cortex and ends in the limbic system, but each taking a different pathway (Bauer, 1984 as cited in Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000). Although Bauers neurological hypothesis was dismissed shortly after, his psychological hypothesis of a separation between overt recognition and orienting responses has been generally accepted (Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000). Models of Facial Recognition Bruce Young Functional Model Bruce and Young (1986) have proposed a functional model suggesting that the structural codes for faces are stored in memory and then connected with the identity and name of the matching face. The model mainly supports how individuals recognize familiar faces. This is one of the better models for face recognition. Their model is outlined in a box and arrow format, where face recognition is completed in stages. In the first stage, structural encoding, individuals encode visual information from a face into information that can be used by the other stages of the face recognition system. Within the structural encoding are two separate processes, view-centred description, and expression-independent descriptions. These two are in a serial position where expression-independent descriptions take input information from the view-centred descriptions process. These allow for identification of facial features when viewed from various angles. The next few stages are part of a series of parallel processes after the structural encoding stage. The expression analysis stage takes its input from the view-centred descriptions processes, allowing facial expression to be analyzed. The next stage is facial speech analysis. The last branch is directed visual processing, which targets more general facial processing such as distinguishing between faces. These sets of parallel processes take input from both structural encoding processes. All of these four links of parallel face processing feed into the general cognitive system, where all are bidirectional links receiving some input back from the cognitive system (Bruce Young, 1986). The last three stages of Bruce and Youngs (1986) model are the recognition, identification and naming stages. The recognition stage involves face recognition units, also known as FRUs. They are individual nodes associated with familiar faces. When facial features are detected, nodes are activated and fed into the FRU system. Whichever node reaches the threshold activation level is the one that corresponds to the face being observed, and is then recognized. The face recognition units interact with person identity nodes, also known as PINs. PINs and FRUs bidirectionally share input information, with a two-way interaction. Activation of the PIN for a person can create some activation in the FRU, allowing recognition time for the face to be faster. Last is the name generation process. Both the PINs and name retrieval interact with the cognitive system. However, only the PINs have a two-way interaction, whereas name retrieval process solely sends input information to the cognitive system. IAC Model Burton, Bruce and Johnstons (1990) adaptation of McClellands Interactive Activation and Competition model of concept learning is an extremely basic form of a connectionist model, consisting from pools of simple processing units. The goal of the model is to explain repetitive priming, associative priming, distinctiveness and face naming. All of the units within a pool inhibit each other. There are excitatory links connecting individual units across different pools, where activation passes between these links (all links are bidirectional). Each FRU is paired to a known face and any form of recognition will activate the appropriate FRU. The second level of classification occurs at the Person Identity Nodes (PIN), where one unit is paired to each known person. Familiarity is signaled when any PIN reaches a common activation threshold. This implies that there is one decision mechanism used for all person familiarity judgments, regardless if they are faces or other kinds of information. The third level of classification is the pool labeled Semantic Information Units (SIUs), where information about known individuals are coded in the form of a link between the persons PIN and SIU. The fourth level of classification is a pool of units labeled lexical output, which capture the first stage of processes involved in speech and other output modalities. The fifth and final stage is a pool of units labeled WRUs (Word Recognition Units), where code names link directly to a pool of Name Recognition Units (NRUs). Finally, all Word Recognition Units are connected directly to the lexical output units, in which the model contains the elements of a dual route model of reading. The IAC Model is different from the Functional model because FRUs signal face familiarity, pins are modality-free gateways to semantic information, and that the details and spread of activity are more clarified. This model has had success in simulating phenomena such as relative timing of familiarity, repetition, semantic and cross modal semantic priming. Both the Bruce Young (1986) and Burton, Bruce and Johnston (1990) models show how activation levels are used in recognition processes. These two models help us theorize exactly what is happening in the mind as we analyze and recognize facial features and faces as a whole. The main idea of the model is the idea that facial identity and expression are recognized by functionally and neurologically independent systems. These models have started great advances in the research of facial recognition. Memory Load on Facial Recognition Memory in facial recognition has had limited research, which is surprising considering its importance to understanding facial recognition and how it could impact research. Goldstein and Chance (1981) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) found two critical variables that have received little attention when reviewing laboratory settings: memory load and delay. Memory load is defined as the number of faces shown in the study phase and delay is defined as the delay between study and recognition phase. Researchers have found that increasing age is associated with a decline in facial recognition ability. However, the variables interacting with age are still unknown. Nevertheless, mixed evidence on the question of whether face age has any impact on elderly participants is still debated. Evidence by Shapiro Penrod (1986) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) reveals that as memory load increases, face recognition performance decreases. Due to the limited research on the subject matter, Podd (1990) wanted to inquire about the possible effects that it has on the field of research for facial recognition. Podd tested subjects in small groups, where they were asked to look carefully at a series of faces that the subjects were asked to identify at a later time. Subject had to discriminate between faces that they had seen previously and those that had yet to be seen in the recognition phase. The results showed that an increase in both memory load and delay correlate to a decrease in recognition accuracy. Podd believes this could be contingent on the fact that increased memory load decreases accuracy by decreasing the portion of targets correctly identified, while delay decreases accuracy by increasing the likelihood that a distractor will be called a target. Depending on how similar the target is from the distractor, there will be fewer attributes to use to differentiate between the targets. In more current literature, Lamont, Williams Podd (2005) have tested both aging effects and memory load on face recognition. They looked at two interacting variables: the age of the target face and memory load. They were curious in finding out if memory load had a greater impact in the elderly than in younger individuals. Another variable they looked at was recognition load, the total number of target and distractor faces seen in the recognition phase. The main objective was to see if they could determine whether the effects of memory load could be teased out from recognition load. In the results they found that, as expected, older age was correlated with a decrease in accuracy of facial recognition. Surprisingly, older people had a decrease in accuracy for younger faces but not in older faces. The results of the study were not consistent with past research, which found that recognition accuracy in the younger groups was higher with younger faces than with older faces. The current study showed the exact opposite results. One possibility of these results is that with increasing age, features of the face fade more quickly. Also, with increasing retention intervals, there is more time for peoples memories of the target to fade, where the least salient feature fades the fastest (Podd, 1990). They believe that the elderly have fewer distinctive facial features available in memory to make the judgment, meaning an increase in judgment time. It is also noteworthy to say these findings are consistent with Podds earlier work, (1990) showing that increased memory load is associated with a reliable decrease in performance in recognition accuracy. The findings show that recognition load produced the decrease, which is independent of age. Another important finding is that recognition load is the true source of the association between increased memory load and decreased face recognition. Lamont, Williams Podd (2005) state that, [f]ew studies dealing with memory load have taken account of this potential confound, and our results challenges the interpretation of all such research. Crook Larrabee (1992) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) suggest that the present studies implications are of considerable value to future research, since some authors do not report age of their target faces. Therefore, the results are crucial for proper interpretation of facial recognition research. Sex Differences Hemispheric Advantages in Facial Processing Extensive research has been completed on facial recognitions hemispheric advantages. Unfortunately, little has been concluded due to contradicting evidence. Patterson and Bradshaw (1975) (as cited in Turkewitz Ross, 1984) found that when drawings of faces varied by only one feature, participants showed an advantage in the left hemisphere; however, when all features varied, there was an advantage in the right hemisphere. Prior studies have shown that advantages in both hemispheres are contingent on the conditions being used, which produces different results. Even when the conditions are held constant, conflicting results emerge, resulting in individuals showing both right and left hemisphere advantages. Ross and Turkewitz (1981) (as cited in Turkewitz and Ross, 1984) found hemispheric advantages were associated with the nature of the information process strategy being used by the participant. Those with a right-hemisphere advantage showed signs of decline when inversion of faces was being tested, whereas those with left hemisphere advantages showed a decline while omission of selected facial features were tested. They suggest that these results show that those with a right-hemisphere advantage recognize faces based on gestalt qualities (whole) and those with left hemisphere recognize faces based on a more individual and distinctive features. Turkewitz and Ross (1984) were interested in researching age-related changes in hemispheric advantages in recognition of presented faces and determining whether a dual-mode of right hemisphere processing exists and if it associates with differences of age and gender. The participants were students ages 8, 11 and 13 years old. Participants were seated in a chair in front of a screen, where facial stimuli were presented. The objective was to point to the face presented in the response sheet for each trial. The data found suggest that there are age- and gender-related differences in the nature of hemispheric advantages shown when confronted with the task of identifying unfamiliar faces. The findings also support the hypothesis of processing stages, where different hemispheric advantages are associated with the stages. Both adults and older girls exhibited a right-hemisphere advantage, suggesting an age-related shift, responding to the undifferentiated and global characteristics of the faces. Younger girls showed no advantage which suggests they use right and left hemisphere strategies equally well. This suggests that girls are using more advanced and integrated right hemisphere modes of functioning, which tends to be more effective when engaging in facial recognition. Everhart, Shucard, Quatrin Shucard (2001) tested 35 prepubertal children in facial recognition and facial affect processing. They were trying to find similar results to those found in the previous literature stating that males show higher levels of activation in the right hemisphere, where females tend to show higher levels in the left. They were also looking to see if this change developed before puberty, similar to those of adults, and to see if gender-related differences would be present in cortical processing during the performance of face recognition. Auditory probes were used to gather ERPs during a Facial Recognition Memory task. They used a facial identification task to gather data on matching and recognition of facial affect, reaction time and accuracy. Their results showed that boys show greater levels of ERP amplitude in the right hemisphere, where girls showed greater levels of activation in the left hemisphere. The findings also showed that boys might process faces at a global level, which is in the right hemisphere, and girls might process faces at a more local level, in the left hemisphere. This study states that its findings have potential clinical implications. Due to the finding that boys use more resources in their right hemisphere and girls use more in their left, then sex related differences will be evident following lesions to the right hemisphere, suggesting that males may be more at risk to have prosopagnosia. Conclusion Facial recognition has interested humans for centuries. Although all evidence out there on the subject matter is useful and important, I selected the findings I believe to be the most important. Based on the research in the development of facial recognition we can conclude that, humans, from newborn age through adulthood, can identify faces. By the age of 6 months, people can discriminate between faces. It has also been found that children do not encode faces based on features and then switch to a more configural model, but rather encode faces on a more holistic level. Other aspects looked at were prosopagnosia and different models of face recognition. Some of the most important research on facial recognition comes from comparing prosopagnosia patients to normal adults. The last two topics examined in this review were memory load and hemispheric advantages. Both help us understand where we process facial information and also how our memory works to store faces. The location of facial recognition has been narrowed down to specific areas of the brain and pathways, further research must be done to get a better idea

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Evaluating Societies Culture by Norms, Values, and Laws Essay

Almost every society participates in a unique culture that cannot be accurately judged without acquiring viewpoints from the individual’s in it. While reading the article India’s Sacred Cow by Marvin Harris (1978) I was able to gain insight about the Hindu people and their reasons for â€Å"worshipping† the â€Å"sacred cows† (Harris, 1978). According to the textbook Sociology Thirteenth Edition by Richard T. Schaefer, â€Å"through cultural realism, or the sincere attempt to understand an individual’s culture from his or her perspective, we might obtain information on how to better ourselves and our society† (Schaefer, 2012). At first, many factors of Hindu culture seemed a little arbitrary compared to American cultures, but after I gained information regarding Hindu religious beliefs, I was able to understand, and somewhat relate with, the â€Å"values†, â€Å"norms†, and â€Å"laws†, that make up the culture of Hindu p eople. According to Schaeffer (2012), â€Å"values are conceptions of what we consider good, desirable, proper, or bad, undesirable and improper in a culture†; I believe that no value is correct or incorrect because not everyone has the same opinion on what’s â€Å"good† or bad† (Schaeffer, 2012). In a Hindu culture worshipping cows is considered proper and most likely desirable. This would most likely be labeled as abnormal and undesirable in most American cultures, because people in America usually do not depend on cows for their society’s well-being. According to Harris(1978), â€Å"the Hindi people depend on the cow with their lives, if they did not have the cow, then they would not have means to produce oxen to transport them from place to place and to plow the fields so they can have food (Harris,1978). This differs greatly from most American societ... ...even bizarre human cultures may appear, they can be understood at least in part.† He (1978) further supports this statement by claiming that â€Å"India’s sacred cow is in fact quite a rational cultural adaptation, because the cow is so extraordinarily useful† (Harris, 1978). Before judging a culture on a seemingly odd belief, think about it in context of the other individual, it may not be odd to them because it may be their norm, it may have value, or it may be the law. If every person can relate with the views of others there will be a more harmonious existence for all societies and their cultures. Works Cited Schaefer, R. T. (2012). Culture. Sociology: a brief introduction (13th ed., pp. 53-65). New York: McGraw-Hill. Harris Marvin.(1978). India’s sacred cow. Retrieved from http://www.sociology101.net/readings/Indias-sacred-cow.pdf

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Self-imposed Estrangement in Pauls Case Essay -- Willa Cather

Self-imposed Estrangement in "Paul's Case," by Willa Cather Many times, we try to separate ourselves from the world around us; we distance ourselves from society that gives us life. What is worse, we are voluntarily subjected to the lonesomeness which precedes wallowing in our own self pity. "Paul's Case," in which the theme of the fatal progression of deliberate seclusion presents the major conflict, centers around a young man, in his alienation, suppressing his need for attention and satisfying himself through his own world established through his seclusion. The author, Willa Cather, renders this main theme by her insinuations of the character, by the point of view she chooses to illuminate Paul"'"s characteristics, and by key symbols that contribute to the overall work. The character presented by Cather through Paul, withdraws himself from his environment creating the base for the theme of his progressively intensifying need for distinct separation. The reasons Paul acts the way he does seems two fold. First, the sequence of events could be caused by psychological damage or some mental condition, possibly stemming from his mothers death, which was only alluded to in the story. Paul was a teenager who displayed certain signs of a mental illness. According to The Medical Advisor#, Paul suffers from many of similar symptoms of a narcissist. Although the personality disorder was not diagnosed until 1977, and was not perfected until 1987 and expanded upon in 1994, Cather"'"s character of 1904 embodies many of the symptoms listed. Of those Paul qualifies for are: highly developed sense of self importance, preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, belief that he or she is special, feeling he has the envy of peers... ...in a connection with his mother. This bond further alienates him with the world by association with the departed; his mother is separated by death, thus by professing to the world his connection with his mother brings him one step further from sanity. As he comes to realize that the mere emotional connection with his mother is not enough to isolate him, the flower becomes submersed into a sea of white as it is buried in the snow, and Paul achieves his ultimate escape and suicide creates the desired connection with his mother. Willa Cather, carefully weaving together a deep character to which understanding is complex, an interesting and enlightening twist on the point of view, and multi-dimensional use of symbolic motifs that describe the character"'"s personality and dreams, has created a universal theme of the grave progression of self-imposed estrangement.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Safe Sex, Or Is It

The number of teenagers having sex is increasing every year. With sexually transmitted diseases prevalent more than ever, the Philadelphia Board of Education has decided to allow high schoolsto distribute condoms to students. The board of Education isdoing this, to demonstrate to students that safe sex is a goodidea. I agree with the distribution of condoms in public highschools because it promotes safe sex among teenagers, allowsschools to supplement parental education, and teaches sexualresponsibility. Sexually transmitted diseases affect teenagers because someteenagers are not told the consequences of unprotected sex. Besides abstinence, condoms are the best protector from sexuallytransmitted diseases. High schools that distribute the condomsshow that they do not want to see children infected with diseasesor a teenage girl to become pregnant. Continuing to promote safesex, the high schools and the Board of Education decrease thechances of teenagers catching a disease or becoming pregnant. The promotion regarding safe sex, almost seems like theconversation a parent would have with their child about sex. The Board of Education promotes safe sex that way to make thesubject of safe sex more comfortable for a parent to talk to hisor her child about safe sex. The distribution of condoms in high schools allows the Boardof Education and public high schools to intervene as a parentalfigure and give parental advice. Their are a lot of households,were the parents do not bother themselves with their children andlet their kids run wild. Kids who are raised in thosecircumstances sometimes will have sex to get the attention theywant and to be loved. The distribution of condoms shows that theBoard of Education and public high schools care about the welfareof teenagers. Some parents object to high schools distributingcondoms, because the parents say the Board of Education and the high schools send the wrong message. Some parents complain thatthe Board of Education is promoting premarital sex. Theseparents say that the best policy of preventing disease andpregnancy is to practice abstinence. The Board of Educationargues that if the students decide to have sex, then they shouldbe protected. This is why condoms are being distributed. It isnot to say Go ahead and have sex, but if a student decides tohave sex, that student should protect his or herself. Thedecision to have sex is the students responsibility. Distributing condoms also teaches responsibility, by givingthe student the opportunity to protects his or herself. TheBoard of Education and public high schools teach teenagers tolook at the situations and decide for his or herself what is right, and what is wrong. After all, the teenagers are the oneswho make the decision whether or not to have sex. As teenagersget older, their responsibilities increase, but with sexuallytransmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy, the teenagersresponsibility starts when they decide to have sex. The Board ofEducation feels that the responsibility of safe sex is not theparents, but the teenagers. The distribution of condoms is a sincere gesture by theBoard of Education, and by allowing high schools to do this itshows that the high schools care about their students. Condomdistribution promotes safety, and it teaches responsibility. Themembers of the Board of Education know what it is like to be ateenager and a parent, and the Board of Education does not wantto see another teenager become pregnant, or worse die from beingirresponsible and having unprotected sex. The Board of Educationwants to see teenagers enjoying high school. High school is animportant step in a teenager s life and if teenagers are educatedabout all aspects of life and taught responsibility, they willgrow up to be mature adults.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Glass Castle Essay

There are references of bad parenting around the world every single day. Everybody is always so quick to point the finger on someone else’s choices and behaviors, that they don’t even notice to look back and reflect on themselves. Even though I am not a parent I am sure every day it comes with its struggles and obstacles. Like I said before, because I am not yet a parent and don’t plan on being one anytime soon I always have the up most respect for them. Of course from time to time there are going to be instances that you regret like any human naturally does. But that label what kind of person that you are, and especially labeled as a â€Å"bad parent† I personally don’t understand how we can judge people for what kind of parent that may be when society is so hypocritical. Often we choose what’s right and wrong but do we really know the difference? How can one parent psychically abuse their child and another parent give them so much attention that there â€Å"suffocated† but both examples being labeled as a â€Å"bad parent†. But in some circumstances when children are getting bad parenting all it takes is for the child to completely forgive the parent and that’s a great achievement in itself to make. All it takes one little piece of his or her inner character that holds such an influence on the child that it will always make her unquestionably love them. In the book, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls is that child, reminiscing her favorite childhood memories spent with her family. Jeannette and Rex Walls shared some of the best moments of her life, regardless of Rex’s clear irresponsibility and destruction brought onto her now aspects of her life. Despite the many instances in which her father failed to protect his children, refused to take responsibility for them, and even stole from them they always stayed by his side even up to his last days. Jeannette still loved him until his dying day for a couple reasons of course. First off that’s her father, Secondly he made her feel special and lastly for his never ending inspiration that he had for himself and his family that she admired. When were leaded through the Christmas scene in which her father gave his children stars for presents, Jeannette often recalls Rex as an intelligent and loving father and teacher. With her describing the memory with so much gratitude in her tone. Jeannette begins by saying, â€Å"we had no money at all,† The fact that the way she described this moment it was as if that her family’s differences and financial struggles were gone at this moment (39). This shows his moment of being a real â€Å"Dad†. Jeannette’s overall admiration for her father was shown when she described that the stars were â€Å"one of the special treats for people† like Jeannette (39). Her father also often compared their family with the â€Å"rich city folks† and leads her to think, â€Å"We’d have to be out of our minds to want to travel places with any of them† (39). With the straight-forwardness of this story. Jeannette describes her father with very simple attributes. As her now use of basic language reveals her experience of any bad upbringing and shows only achievement’s of her experience. Her father’s ability to make her feel unique is one of the main reasons why she holds onto him when others give up on him, as that ability gave her one of the most significant moments of her life. The sentence â€Å"And he gave me Venus† conveys a lot of meaning (40). This emphasizes her excitement in the action of her father giving the special present. Perhaps the fact that she was able to receive a planet when her other siblings received stars as presents made her feel so positive about herself. It becomes obvious that Jeannette’s admiration accumulates at this moment as she continues to describe the experience in good terms. The final quote at the end of the passage, as her father says â€Å"Years from now†¦you’ll still have your stars† is another strong example of her father emphasizing her uniqueness. As he clearly sets the Walls children apart from the others that they could of never received. Jeannette also learns a valuable lesson from her father at the zoo. It becomes a characteristic for Rex to praise his children for their uniqueness. It is her trust in him that allows her to fully believe in him. A certain calmness and fascination comes over Rex at this time. Finally, during her last visit to see her father as he confirms that he is dying, Jeanette admits how inspirational he is to her. She admits her reflects her father’s continuous effect on her, even as he is about to die. She sums up her relationship in two clear, complex sentences, saying, â€Å"But despite all the hell-raising and destruction and chaos he had created in our  lives, I could not imagine what my life would belike—what the world would be like—without him in it. As awful as he could be, I always knew he loved me in a way no one else had† (279). The uniqueness that he makes her feel feeds for her affection for him. Ironically, just as he had a special love for her, that was on was only for her, she was the only person in his life who hel d onto his love and respected him regardless of his other issues. Throughout Jeannette Wall’s life, the challenges and setbacks she faced we tremendously hard to to imagine and probably to even experience. The way that Jeanette portrays herself now you would never imagine all that she went through. As the question was stated if I thought that Rew Walls was a bad parent? I say No. Yes. Of course he had a fair amount of decisions that he made for himself and his family that he shouldn’t of but that made him into the person that his family loved and adored him for. We have to constantly remember that were human and were going to make mistakes and I am sure I Rex Walls was here today he would say the same thing.