Critical analysis of Bob Dylan’s song “Hurricane” Essay

Bob Dylan’s iconic songwriting, unique and distinctive singing voice, as well as his controversial and thought-provoking lyrics has undoubtedly placed Dylan among the elites of modern, American musical history. This is not to say there are those who dislike and generally do not care for his songwriting, but almost everyone has come in contact with his expansive body of work. Born Robert Allen Zimmerman in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, he moved to New York City in 1961 and legally changed his name to Bob Dylan in 1962. In the onset of his career Dylan focused on politically charged themes and acoustic/folk type guitar playing. Protest songs written in the 1960’s established a reputation as a free-thinking songwriter engrossed in the trials and tribulations of the times. After a break from this style, his 1976 album Desire contained the eight and a half minute mega-track â€Å"Hurricane,† which saw a return to the societal-minded songwriting that had helped him make h is name. â€Å"Hurricane,† is a narrative that describes Dylan’s own account of the events in New Jersey bar in June of 1966, which lead to the arrest and imprisonment of Rubin â€Å"Hurricane† Carter, an American middle-weight boxer. Although this is one of his most popular songs, Dylan no longer incorporates it in his live sets. Also, despite its popularity, â€Å"Hurricane,† is truly a masterpiece and a wonderful lens with which to examine this great artist’s literary style and influence. Through the exploration of several critics’ analysis coupled with a detailed examination of the actual song lyrics, it is clear that the song â€Å"Hurricane† by Bob Dylan intertwines modern social elements of race and equity, the literary aspects of genre, language and metaphor, and his own unique and individualistic songwriting that has established him on a plateau of excellence rivaled by no other modern artist. The racial aspects of the song ring out louder than any other theme. Upon listening to the song, Dylan’s emotionally charged singing and sharp lyrics clearly display that fact that Rubin Carter’s skin color had a major influence in his arrest and conviction. This, of course, is just Bob Dylan’s interpretation however. Evan Schlansky, a critic from American Songwriter.com, explores the issue of race and social equity in his analysis. ‘†Hurricane† functions like a real live detective story. It’s a song that peppers the listener with rich details and impolite truths, many  of which are enough to make the hairs at the back of your neck stand up’ (Schlansky, 1). Paterson, New Jersey in the 1960’s was a hotbed of racism and racial issues, and the lyrics explain the direness of the situation. Dylan sings, â€Å"In Paterson that’s just the way things go/If you’re black you might as well not show up on the street, ‘less you wanna draw the heat† (Metrolyrics.com, 1). Dylan is obviously critiquing the law enforcement and judiciary system, as well as striking a chord with racial and political activists everywhere. As mentioned before, Bob Dylan’s songwriting as always been poignant and controversial and although this song was released ten years after the incident, its themes are just as true. He lays blame on society’s elite with the lines, â€Å"And though they could not produce the gun, the D.A. said he was the one who did the deed, and the all-white jury agreed† (Metrolyrics.com, 1). These lines have been regarded as some of Dylan’s most controversial and along with his use of the â€Å"N-word,† he created an extremely moving and thought-provoking example of how racism is still present in society. The first element of Dylan’s genre in â€Å"Hurricane,† relate to his writing the song as a narrative. This means he is singing the song as a story being told of the actual accounts as if Dylan himself was in the bar that night. Gerard Steen, in his essay â€Å"Metaphor in Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane'† writes, â€Å"†¦such story format options are also part and parcel of well-conventionalized cognitive genre schemes, such as narrative songs† (Steen, 190). Another important genre aspect of â€Å"Hurricane,† is his utilization of a protest song. â€Å"†¦the accusation of false conviction is clear enough to make the song a serious protest song from the beginning† (Steen, 189). Protest songs were elemental in establishing Dylan’s reputation as a singer/songwriter. â€Å"Hurricane,† marked a return to this style of songwriting. Dylan also uses language to convey his message. Usage of extreme language and powerful metaphors enhance the drama and suspense that builds throughout the song. The metaphors used by Dylan are key to his message. However these metaphors are not always clearly displayed throughout the verses, and the reader (or listener) usually has to make up his/her mind (Steen, 196). These important elements of literary style add to the significance and complexity of this monumental work. Aside from his singing voice, Dylan’s unique songwriting as placed him in a class of his own even among his peers. â€Å"Hurricane,† is a delightful piece to examine based on his return to the in-the-moment style songwriting that had made him famous in the 1960’s. Previous staples of Dylan’s first albums like â€Å"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,† and â€Å"Who Killed Davey Moore?,† had plots seemingly taken right from the papers and words beautifully woven into songs in a way completely peculiar to his own style. In fact many critics argue that the song may have fit more unto one of his earlier albums such as Masters of War or The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (Schlansky, 1). The fact that this song was not released until 1976 also leads to the element of surprise that Dylan (ever the individual) would ever back-track to his previous writing styles. â€Å"Harking back to the days when he used to rip his song ideas from the headlines of newspapers, Dylan masterfully sums up and dramatizes Carter’s story, and also manages to embarrass the system by coming off smarter than every lawyer, cop, and jury on the case. To live outside the law, you must be honest† (Schlansky, 1). Through the exploration of several critics’ analysis coupled with a detailed examination of the actual song lyrics, it is clear that the song â€Å"Hurricane† by Bob Dylan intertwines modern social elements of race and equity, the literary aspects of genre, language and metaphor, and his own unique and individualistic songwriting that has established him on a plateau of excellence rivaled by no other modern artist. Although there are those who do not enjoy Dylan’s music, one would be hard-pressed to find someone who had never heard of him. He is undoubtedly one of the most famous and influential American musicians of all-time. â€Å"Hurricane,† stands as one of Dylan’s true masterpieces and incorporates the best aspects of his literary style and songwriting capabilities. The song was so influential many believe it even helped to get Rubin Carter released from jail and acquitted of all charges. â€Å"†¦but only ‘Hurricane’ actually helped get someone out of jail, even if it did take 12 years (Schlansky, 1). In conclusion, â€Å"Hurricane,† is a song that will stand the test of time, and shines as a beacon of accomplishment in an immense and critically acclaimed body of work. Works Cited Levy, J., Dylan, B., â€Å"Hurricane.† 15 May 2009. < http://www.metrolyrics.com/hurricane- lyrics-bob-dylan.html>. Schlansky, Evan. â€Å"The 30 Greatest Bob Dylan Songs: #21 ‘Hurricane’.† 2009. American Songwriter.com. 15 May 2009. . Steen, Gerard. â€Å"Metaphor in Bob Dylan’s ‘Hurricane’: genre, style and language.† 15May 2009. < http://books.google.com/books?id=O1R79- TsVKoC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=literary+criticism+%22hurricane%22&s ource=bl&ots=Ioa4GCmjjQ&sig=MYMBoFGCnh0yV3ihRZ9gRLmnRXQ&hl=e n&ei=jqgNSopHYzCMdmhpbYG&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4 #PPA183,M1>.

Global Attitudes to Disability

The purpose of this academic piece is to explore global views of disability within a historical and contemporary context. The assignment will consider the impact of economic, religious and cultural influence and consider how models of disability also perceive disability. The rationale for the selection of subject choice is that the author works within the Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) arena and so disability and views of disability are relevant to person centered care. The majority of clinical research has traditionally focused on the functional limitations of people with impairments.However, a global perspective can provide a powerful insight into views of disability. Mutual respect and understanding can contribute to an inclusive society and the identification of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes to the disabled can be beneficial in providing educational needs and public information. Literature states that globally, a billion people have some form of disability; which equates to 15% of the population (World Health Organization (WHO), 2011, p7).This amount exceeded predicted figures by the World Health Survey which estimated 785 million (WHO, 2004, p8); and the Global Burden of Disease report which anticipated 975 million. Of the quoted billion people, 190 million individuals will have a severe disability such as tetraplegia or blindness (WHO, 2008, p15). It is suggested that this number is set to rise significantly over the next 25 years; both within Eastern and Western societies. This can be attributed to an ageing population whereby older persons are at an increased risk of developing a disability.Additionally there is a global increase in chronic health conditions such as diabetes, mental illness, cardiovascular disease and cancer which can lead to decreased independent functioning (Priestley, 2001, p3). It is suggested that almost every person will experience some form of impairment at some point throughout their lifetime, on either a temporary or permanent b asis (WHO, 2011, p7). Disability is a natural part of the human experience whether it is due to illness, injury or aging.The concept of disability is described as contentious and a complex web of social, cultural, medical, historical and experiential perspectives. Definitions of disability are vast and are said to differ depending on who is defining disability and for what purpose (Smart, 2001, p225). Cultural analysis identifies that the term disability refers most precisely to an inability to perform tasks that are illogically bounded from daily life (Johnson, 2004, p59).The definition of disability provided by the Equality Act (Department of Health (DOH), 2010) states that a person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a long term effect on their ability to perform day-to-day activities. Definitions are vital, not only because they are influential in the recognition of people with a disability/impairment but also because they affect self identity and affirm a common language (Johnson, 2004, p60). Groce (1999, p5) states that disability as a united concept is not universal and many languages lack an actual word for disability.Instead these societies group people with similar impairments. Because so much of the experience of disability comes from outside the condition itself, people in the global disability rights movement emphasise that disability is culturally defined (Chiu and Chan, 2007, p159). Coleman (2006, p17) agrees with this statement and proposes that attempts to provide a universal definition are flawed because they suggest that cultural practices, environment and standards are similar. When in fact, these will differ significantly depending on where the person is living.Patterns of disability in specific countries are attributed to environmental and health trends and other factors such as road traffic incidents, substance abuse, diet, natural disasters and conflict. Uneven economic and political development coinc iding with varying views and attitudes to disability means that children, older people and adults with impairment are affected differently in different parts of the world (WHO, 2011, p5). Worldwide studies have identified that disabled people have poorer health outcomes, lower educational achievements and higher rates of poverty.Negative attitudes/views of disability can have a detrimental effect on the disable person and there is growing literature to suggest that diverse views, policies and practices contribute to decreased life chances and life expectancy (Priestley, 2001, p12). The health issues facing the disabled in a rich technological country with social support differ from those in a poorer environment. In a global context poor people are more likely to be affected by disability and impairment, and are more likely to live in poverty. Kisanji (1995, p90) states that this is not solely to do with disabling attitudes or discrimination.The causes are said to be deep rooted in s tructural inequalities and conflicts arising from economic and political upheaval and development. However, MacLachlan and Swartz (2009, p210) argue that although disability correlates with disadvantage not all people with disabilities are equally disadvantaged. The world we inhabit is described as unequal and the Capitalist mode of production is now said to shape social rehabilitation across the entire planet. Recent years have witnessed massive increases in poverty and economic polarisation.As the rich get richer the poor get poorer and this is happening both within and between nations; thus resulting in the people of the majority world and disabled people worldwide, feeling the effects (Castells, 2001, p471). Those disabled people who are part of the majority world are thus the poorest most isolated group in the poorest most isolated places (Charlton, 1998, p43). Many authors argue that the roots of poverty that are found in the majority world are located in the global capitalist system and its inequitable distribution of wealth (Hoogvelt, 1997, p88).Groce (1999, p5) asserts that much of the discussion of disability in current society is embedded in sweeping stereotypes. The Western world is thought to have a specific culture of ideals with desirable attributes such as wealth, appearance and strength. In a cultural context disability also intersects with other practices and beliefs and a combination of factors will determine what are considered desirable attributes. People with a disability therefore deviant from the norm to which we are encouraged to aspire. Murray (2009, p578) states that as human beings we provide meanings to the objects in our world.Therefore, if disability is viewed as a tragedy, people with impairments collectively become victims. Attitudes to disability are often a combination of persecution, acceptance and tolerance, with McDermott and Varenne (1995, p325) stating that the tolerance shown is typically of a paternalistic kind. A glob al thought process is that those who are disabled need to be looked after, and are therefore viewed as objects of pity and charity. Miles (1995, p49) is in agreement and states that this paternalistic nature is evident in the work of voluntary organisations.Paternalistic attitudes can lead to dependency and helplessness in the disabled and lead to low self – esteem (Tromoeda and Bayles, 2002, p3). Modern practice encourages individuals to recognise and respect the disabled individual as a person first and as disabled second. Stereotyping affects how the disabled are viewed and stereotypical views of disability appear to emphasise the use of wheelchairs alongside other ‘classic’ groups such as the deaf or blind. When discussing the notion of stereotyping it is recognised that people with a disability are seen to represent a minority group within our culture.Tsang et al (2003, p383) suggest that within our society people with a disability are seen to be inferior an d viewed as undesirable, dependent, different, tragic, asexual and lower in intelligence. Therefore, they will potentially be subjected to prejudice, segregation and discrimination that other oppressed groups experience. Tromoeda and Bayles, 2002, p4) suggest that within some cultures people within the workplace avoid working with a person who has a disability; thus contributing to the social negative attitude towards the disabled person; which can have a detrimental effect on the disabled person.Beliefs and prejudices can constitute barriers to education, employment and social acceptance (Schmillmeir, 2008, p611). McDermott and Varenne (1995, p323) affirm that every being in every culture is subject to being both labeled not just disabled individuals. It is evident that negative attitudes and stereotypes have been reinforced by society and religion over many centuries. Through examining historical literature on disability it is clear that many ideals of the disabled were developed from past myths, religion and folklore.In early Greece and Rome those with perfect physique were regarded with admiration and acceptance and the deformed and impaired were rejected. It is said that the philosopher, Aristotle, advocated the practice of infanticide for impaired children. There is still evidence of this attitude in society today with non-treatment of newborns with severe disabilities and prenatal testing procedures to detect defectives (Wininger, 2011, p198). In medieval Europe it is reported that disabled people were accepted as part f the family or group and participated in jobs such as working the land (Wininger, 2011, p199). However, Miles (1999, p50) challenges this and argues that even in ancient times the survival of people with disabilities rested with the able bodied. A dependent caste was born amongst the belief that those who were disabled were incapable of contributing anything worthwhile to society. In times of social upheaval and illness such as the plagu e, the disabled were viewed as evil or sinners that had brought disasters upon society.A reaction to this was the flagellants, a European group who believed that penitence would prevent a person becoming ill or disabled. These individuals beat themselves with the aim of becoming more holy (Ingstaad, 1999, p756). The attitude at this time of being disfigured was very powerful as it marked a person as different which is a prejudice that still stands today. The middle ages brought about the notion that congenitally impaired children were ‘changelings’ and believed to be an indication of evil, with the parents of these disabled children were encouraged to drown them at birth (Barnes and Mercer, 2005, p12).These negative views have continued across time and the 19th century saw greater segregation of the disabled, with the workforce rejecting the impaired. The disabled were seen as lazy and sent to the Workhouse resulting in the disabled becoming more dependent on the medica l profession for healthcare and benefits (Miles, 1999, p51). The United Kingdom’s (UK) Mental Deficiency Act of 1913 categorised the disabled as idiots, imbeciles, feeble minded and morally defective (Ingstaad, 1999, p758).Further historical evidence illustrates that from the 1890’s the introduction of separate special schools was brought about and with it the medical model of disability prevailed. The 20th century produced eugenicists who interpreted Darwin’s theories of evolution and natural selection to their own ends. They argued that they could improve the quality of the human race by selective breeding because they thought that people with disabilities would weaken the gene pool.Following this development disabled people were increasingly shut away in institutions for life (Barnes and Mercer, 2005, p14). In many American states women who were born deaf and anyone with a low IQ were sterilized; and these laws remained in place until the 1980’s (Winin ger, 2011, p202) Perceptions of disability vary worldwide, from culture to culture; and within actual cultures and nations. Within countries it is possible to find differences in perception based on socioeconomic influence, religion, urban or rural setting, region and the actual type of disability.Each culture has views of the disabled and their role in society. When considering the term culture from an anthropologist perspective it can be viewed as containers of coherence that identify the various people who live in their own specific ways and so have their own unique views on specific subjects. Each group is distinguishable from others by a common sense of coherence and a particular way of making sense and meaning, with members who possess individualistic and have varying degrees of knowledge (McDermott and Varenne, 1995, p323).Global views take into account strategies for enabling the disabled full or partial participation within a given culture. The United Nations (UN) states th at 80% of disabled individuals live in so called developing countries, the ‘majority’ world (Stone, 1999, p11) However, much of the published research studies on attitudes to disability take place in the minority world; therefore resulting in disability being portrayed in a medical and social model from a minority viewpoint.Consequently it is imperative to examine views and attitudes to disability from a global perspective to gain a clearer picture (Priestley, 2001, p3). Kisanji (1995, p4) proposes that each culture has it own unique characteristics which may be better understood by indigenous people. Misinterpretations may be made by researchers and so caution should be made when reviewing articles on non-western attitudes. It is suggested by Gilson and Dymond (2011) that there is a lack of research into attitudes towards disability within Asian academic literature.Miles (1995, p68) states that there have been few studies on attitudes to disability within an eastern re ligious context and so more studies are needed in this area to understand their beliefs and to achieve a thorough global perspective on disability. Studies of attitudes to disability in non-western areas are few due to the lengthy time ethnographic research takes to complete. However, Kisanji (1995, p5) suggests that cultural studies can be useful in revealing general views of disability and disabled people.Any indigenous beliefs and attitudes, when described and interpreted by western researchers; often illuminates more about western prejudices and belief systems than they do about the society of which they claim to be gaining an understanding (Ingstaad, 1999, p75). Over the past 30 years disability has progressed from the margins to the mainstream of the international human rights agenda. In the growing field of disability studies, a variety of models of disability have been identified and utilised.The models that are used frame how disabled people are treated and perceived in reg ards to education, employment and socially representation (Evans et al, 2005, p67). Models of disability also provide a framework for understanding how people with a disability experience being labeled as disabled. The two main models which influence modern thinking are the medical model and social model. Within the medical model disabled people are viewed as the problem. The disabled individual is required to change and adapt to circumstances as ability allows.This model underpins the WHO definition of disability and contains no suggestion that society needs to take responsibility/action to change. Fein and Asch (1998, p4) state that the medical model of disability characterises disability as a state of abnormality that is attributable to the individual. Alternatively, the social model has been developed by people with a disability, in response to the medical model. The social model of disability has fundamentally changed the way in which disability is regarded and has had a major impact on anti-discriminatory legislation.The social model consists of the opinion that disability is caused by the barriers that exist within society which they allege discriminate against people with impairments and therefore excludes them from involvement and participation. The social model’s definition of disability has now become more main stream (Priestley, 2001, p6); focusing on how the disabled person is perceived, accepted and accorded citizen rights and responsibilities. Conceptual models and frameworks of disability affect the way in which an individual with a disability sees themselves and the world around them.They influence the manner in which people in their world interact with them; additionally they underpin many social policies that directly affect their lives (Groce, 1999, p6). European cultures tend to view those with a disability as dependent. Other cultures may have differing models and not view that person as disabled or impaired at all (Wininger, 2011, p262). The WHO’s two models of health and disability demonstrate how global views about health and disability have changed with a ten year period. A key change that is noted is the terminology, with a shift from terms such as impairment and disability to more neutral idioms.Additionally the term disability is now an umbrella term to represent the dynamic interaction between a person and the environment (Young and Quibell, 2000, p748). There is considerable variation between cultures in the way in which disabilities are defined. Acceptance is at varying levels and there is no consistency in which conditions are actually seen as a disability. In everyday society variations exist; what might be seen as a serious disability may be readily accepted within a particular culture.Kisanji (1990, p5) suggests that cultural attitudes to disability can be found via artwork, carvings and folk law. A vast continent such as Africa can produce a pattern of attitudes expressed via proverbs, w hich are common in all cultures; but specifically in those that use the written word. Proverbs collected in a research study in Tanzania show a positive attitude to disability with respect and support noted for individual differences, an obvious demand for parents to take responsibility for the disabled child and ultimately disability viewed as a fact of life (Kisanji, 1995, p14).The global diversity of social and cultural views of disability directly influences the degree of stigma or respect experienced by community members with impairment (Coleman, 2006, p211). Tsang et al (2003, p383) identify that the stigma of disability is particularly strong within Chinese society. In fact the traditional Chinese term for disability is canferi which means handicap and useless. In many areas of China a disability is still considered to be a punishment for one’s past life sins.Often the Chinese will visit a temple or a Taoist priest to pray or perform rituals to find out the cause and a solution to their disability. Another belief is that an unbalanced diet and the mother demonstrating a temper or grief during pregnancy can contribute to the birth of a baby with a disability. In China it is seen as a shame to have a disability or a disabled relative and there is a lot of stigma attached (Johnson, 2004, p275). Within Asian society it is also considered shameful to have a disability.Michalko (2002, p23) and Stone (1999, p14) are in agreement that in some cultures disability is seen as a failure of that person’s body and it is therefore seen as the job of the medical, rehabilitation and educational services to restore as much independent function to the disabled individual since the impairment is seen as something to be avoided and/or cured. Nalam (2011) states that in Mumbai, India it is difficult getting admission to a mainstream school and generally disabled people are directed to ‘special’ schools which are specifically for individuals with a severe learning disability; rather than the physically challenged.Nalam (2011) goes on to state that access to buildings and public areas is poor and many people demonstrate unnecessary sympathy and pity. Most disabled people are seen as useless and treated as outcasts; a primitive attitude. Alternatively, the Native American perception of disability is one of a positive view. Unlike many other cultures the Native Americans honour and respect disabled people. The belief is that a person who is weak in body is especially strong in mind and spirit (Johnson, 2004, p263).It is reported that South American countries also generally accept those with a disability into their society. Unlike Central America who seem to have emotional difficulty in accepting and embracing the disabled population (Johnson, 2004, p113). Social analysis indicates that individuals who are labeled as disabled are often subjected to a public response/attitude that multiples any difficulties that the seemingly unabl e are already subjected to (McDermott and Varenne, 1995, p3240.A view towards disability that was expressed within the United Kingdom (UK) was that a person with a physical disability must also have a mental disorder or learning disability (Trooeda and Bayles, 2002, p5). Along with the general concept of disability, literature suggests that there is stigma associated with different impairments and perceptions of where responsibility for the disability lies (Murray, 2009, p573). Those disabilities that have arisen as a result of incidents/ related to drink or drug substances are widely viewed as self-induced and receive little empathy rom society.However, when a disability happens to an individual by causes outside their control then more sympathy is expressed. Kirby (2004, p229) agrees that in many cultures a disability that is attributed to fate, bad luck or genetics is also regarded with empathy. There is a wide expression of acceptance globally of disabilities that are acquired d ue to an external cause. However, many cultures are of the shared opinion that any impairment is a clear indication of bad behavior in the past either by the individual or by a member of their family.Johnson (2004, p253) advocates that Nigeria, Japan, India, Greece and Turkey feel that a disability is a divine sign of bad karma. Within these places there is a strong negative stigma attached to the individual and their family. Fein (1988, p21) and Tsang et al (2003, p384) imply that the degree of stigma was enhanced further if an individual had a disability from birth which is seen as a curse from God. Within Greece, India and Japan this would affect the family prestige within society.Stigmatization of different disabilities is found in all societies, worldwide and culturally informed prejudices. Erving Goffman (1963, p85) applied the term negative stigma to any condition or trait which is viewed as culturally unacceptable or inferior with consequent feelings of shame, guilt and disg race. He identified three types of stigma with a common element of a spoilt identity. A further study by Kleinman and Han (2003) discussed the narratives of a patient group who were suffering from what was labeled as various kinds of stigmatising disease or disfigurement and the fear of contagion.The WHO (2011, p19) advocate that Government and voluntary organisations should utilise social marketing campaigns in order to change attitudes and stigma associated to disability. The use of media can be successful in ensuring the dissemination of positive stories about disabled persons to increase awareness and understanding and change negative views and attitudes. By identifying global views on disability it has enabled an understanding of how these perceptions can influence and affect the lives and outcomes of the disabled person.The literature has been conclusive in identifying that negative views can ultimately cause barriers to learning, health, employment and social acceptance.. Str ategies are used varyingly across the globe which aims to address the barriers that the disabled face. Specific agendas have been identified by the WHO (2011, p12) such as making all existing healthcare systems more inclusive and making healthcare programme accessible to people with disabilities in order to reduce health disparities.It is suggested that understanding the beliefs and attitudes about disability is fundamental for those who wish to foster effective change in the majority world. However, this arguably does little more than encourage a judgment focus on indigenous belief system practices. (Miles, 1999, p50). To conclude, the exploration of global views of disability has provided an insight into the vast beliefs of many cultures across the world. Through examining historical literature it has been possible to understand the origins of many belief systems and how such ideals affect perceptions today.

Personal Ethics Statement

My Personal Ethics Statement My personal ethics have been formed through family influence, religious beliefs, life experiences, my internal reflection and the culture in which I was raised. Family instilled a strong work ethic in me as a child. My parents never missed a day of work. I was taught that if you want something, you must work for it. According to my ethical lens inventory, this supports my classical value of temperance. I seek to satisfy my duties. My strong desire to succeed and lead a fruitful life also comes from the influence of my family.It is important to me to be a good role model for my husband and my children. Actions speak much louder than words ever can. My key phrase according to the ethical lends inventory is, â€Å"I am responsible. † I am guided by my religious beliefs. I try to live by the Golden Rule when dealing with others. It is important to me to do the right thing even if it is not the popular thing. My definition of ethical behavior is fulfill ing duties while balancing fairness. I believe that we should all practice religious tolerance. Each person was created uniquely and therefore each person should be able to worship in his or her own way.My ethical blind spot according to the ethical lens is that I tend to believe that motive justifies method. I trust that each person should be ethical and that ethics are a set of universal rules that we should all be held to. Life experiences have been a big influence in forming my ethics. Setting a good example is one of the most important values you can have. A person is only as good as their word. My ethical lens inventory states that my gift is self-knowledge. I follow through with my duties when I make a commitment. When faced with a challenge you should always do your best.Trying and failing is better than never trying. Because of this sense of duty, I tend to come across as bossy, which is my ethical lens risk. Internal reflection has helped me to develop my personal ethics. I have learned to rely on my gut feelings when faced with a difficult situation. If something feels wrong, there is a strong possibility it is. My ethical lens states that in order for me to see clearly I should listen to my heart. Making hasty decisions does not tend to serve me well. Thinking about my decisions with regard to how the outcome will affect others is important to me.I use reason to analyze problems according to my ethical lens inventory. I have been raised in the culture of Southern hospitality. In the South, manners are taught and expected. I find that I assume that others will mind their manners and I am offended if they choose not to do so. It makes sense that my ethical lens vice is becoming judgmental and legalistic. The female nature is to be the caregiver and nurturer of the family. I fall into this behavior and try to meet the needs of others before I take care of myself.My crisis, according to the ethical lens inventory, is becoming exhausted. My ethics have been formed over a lifetime of experiences. Because of these experiences and my personal beliefs, I use my rationality to decide what my duties are. I believe that each individual is independently responsible for their own morals. This corresponds with my personal preferred lens which is rights and responsibility. When faced with adversity, I use my practical nature to determine the best course of action. I want to ensure I have examined all angles and outcomes prior to making a decision. Personal Ethics Statement Personal Ethics Statement Jessica Dockery GEN/195 February 28, 2012 Jennifer Meunier Personal Ethics Statement To be ethical means to do the right thing and to be the best person one knows how without being judgmental of others, especially if their intentions are honorable. One should get in the habit of displaying good values and morals at all times. When thinking of a personal ethics statement, the Ten Commandments come to mind.The Ten Commandments state that thou shall have no other gods, no graven images or likenesses, not take the Lord’s name in vain, remember the Sabbath day, honor thy father and thy mother, thou shall not kill, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness, and thou shall not covet. These things were taught and practiced even in the bible days and have been passed on from generation to generation. Although these commandments are not taken into consideration at all times, it is known that this is the way one shou ld try living their life daily.The ethics game helped to determine the level of morals, values, and standards a person has. It also explained how one might deal or reason in certain situations. After completing the ethical lens inventory, no ethical lens was determined. This means that the preferred lens was neither periscope nor paralysis. A person that is neither periscope nor paralysis sees the gifts and weaknesses of both and is able to adapt to different situations and get the best results possible. This type of person is non judgmental and considers all things before coming to a conclusion.According to the ethical lens inventory, autonomy and equality are valued equally. Their belief is that everyone has a valid point. No blind spot was determined. The maturity of this person sees both strengths and weaknesses and is able to bring together the four core values of autonomy, equality, rationality, and sensibility. There is a downside to being able to see everyone’s perspe ctive. This may cause confusion with one’s self. Listen to the heart, do not ignore the head, and act with confidence. Exhibiting good personal ethics is something one may want to make habit of.People are often put in situations where those morals and values must come in to play. No one wants to be a called a snitch, but sometimes one must put personal feelings aside. If a person is working alongside another coworker, and they see this coworker pocketing money from the register, the ethical thing to do would be to report this to higher management. This person is obviously untrustworthy and bad news. Everyone has a personal responsibility to ensure the safety and upkeep of their community, work environment, and school. Personal ethics, simply put, means to do the right thing.

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 16

Journal - Assignment Example On an economic front, the lives of the Americans started improving as they gained employment even though the wages were still lower and the working conditions were deplorable (I am Marching, p. 3). Employment was created through the numerous projects the federal government authorized through various acts. There were acts such as Works Progress Administration (WPA) which offered jobs to hundreds and thousands of the unemployed working in the projects such as building bridges, post offices and schools amongst many others. There was the Federal Emergency Relief Administration set up to provide relief in terms of money through the local governments among many others (Out of Many, p. 634). On the political front, the federal and state governments were in agreement over the deal even though this was not the initial reaction. The federal government controlled the money but eventually came to an agreement with the state government to be making decisions on disbursement of the money once it reached that level. This however further brought political divisions as most African-Americans were denied the relief by the state government. The government developed programs in line with the new deal and some of these were social service programs involving the women, children and the disabled in the society. The women for example had their own employment agencies different from that of the men and they were offered employment in areas that were not as difficult as that of the men. These included domestic employments such as cooking and serving for the miners and washing the utensils among others (America writes to their leaders, p. 1). They regulated these social services because they were trying to give employment to all genders keeping in mind the fact that with depression, many men disappeared from their homes and women were left to provide for their children. The new deals led to creation of employments but no regulation on wages and working

Week 2 project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 2 project - Essay Example Systematic Strategies: for this lesson, the value added approach will be most efficient. This is a blend between the emergent literally approach and the explicit systematic instruction. In emergent literally approach, the child learns primarily from environmental stimuli for instance a print rich classroom. In explicit systematic instruction, the student is deliberately exposed procedures that enable them to acquire knowledge, for instance, the teacher can do a picture walk of the book while introducing key concepts and vocabulary. Closure: at this point, the teacher does an in-class evaluation to determine the success of the instructions thus far. The students group themselves depending on whether their names start with a vowel or end with a vowel. Extended Follow-up Activities: the teacher will later divide the class into unbiased groups where the students will place into different colored baskets sequencing cards depending on whether the word on the card starts with a vowel or ends with a vowel or both. Placing the students in groups makes it easy for ELL students to get help from native English speaking students in the given tasks. The teacher should ensure that the group is intellectually heterogeneous so that the students with a higher ability can help the other challenged students such as those with autism. There is a lot to learn about phonemes and this lesson is just but an introduction. While the chosen text is not custom made to fit the needs of a teacher intending to teach vowel phonemes it is an exciting read for the children and this is what any instructor need to capture the students

Tariffs and Quotas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Tariffs and Quotas - Essay Example There are many basic similarities between the tariff and the quota, particularly in the way they both relate directly to economic relations within and without a nation; there are several basic differences as well, however, which determine which of these strategies should be employed in any particular situation. Figure 1 lists the ways in which tariffs and quotas and the same and different. Originally speaking, tariffs were imposed in early empires and principalities; ancient Germanic, Slavic and Arabic societies imposed tariffs on imported goods to protect their own established, small economies while simultaneously strengthening trading ties and making beneficial political and economic connections with other parts of the world (Heichelheim, 1957, p. 111). It was the foresight of ancient society leaders that has led to the current state of international trade and helped formulate the basis for contemporary economics. Revenue tariffs essentially help to maintain the structure of a local economy despite the influx of foreign goods and produce; some countries have little income and must rely on tariffs to keep their economies stable (Howard, 2001, p.226). Quotas were introduced in cultures such as the Az... the establishment of the Soviet Union as a way to unite the workers and ensure that everyone was doing their part to keep the economy running (Vaillant, 1962, p.190; Ellman and Kontorovich, 1998, p.221). The idea of the tariff is also quite ancient because since the very beginning of human society there has always existed competition between different groups of people. Despite friendly relations, certain products and produce that is available to one group may not be available to the other, and so trade is a natural occurrence between communities, cities, regions and countries. Figure 1 Tariffs and Quotas ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' * Can pertain to international trade ' ' ' * Responsible for national revenue ' ' ' * Regulate local economy ' SIMILARITIES ' * Regulate international economy ' ' ' * Both can strengthen international trade ties ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' * Tariffs are always used in terms of ' ' ' international trade, whereas; ' DIFFERENCES ' * Quotas may relate directly to internal ' ' production ' ' ' * Tariffs can greatly impact foreign economy ' ' * Quotas create revenue for local sellers ' ' * Tariffs create revenue for the government ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' The Tariff Strictly speaking, a tariff is the tax that is placed on a foreign import upon its entry into another country. There are three basic types of tariff: revenue, protective and prohibitive tariffs. Each of these serves a specific purpose within the economy and is responsible for bringing in money from different market sectors with overseas origins. The imposition of tariffs on various imported goods ensures that the nation that imports

Texas Is the First State To Approve Modified Test Essay

Texas Is the First State To Approve Modified Test - Essay Example According to Zyskowski and O’Malley (2009), TAKS vertical scale allows scores to be compared across grade levels for a subject.   In this manner, it is very much useful for tracking a student's progress in performance across years, at the same time, its performance standards (i.e. Met Standard and Commended) can be numerically compared across grade levels (Zyskowski and O'Malley, 2009). Texas created the so-called vertical scale per Section 39.036 of Senate Bill 1031, which required TEA to develop a vertical scale for assessing student performance on the TAKS assessments (Zyskowski and O'Malley, 2009; TEA, 2009). On the other hand, the Texas projection measure (TPM) is a multi-level regression-based projection model that is applied to TAKS, TAKS (Accommodated), and linguistically accommodated versions of TAKS. Furthermore, it projects student performance separately for each subject in the next high-stakes grade (defined by the Texas legislation as grades 5, 8, and 11) (Zyskowski and O'Malley, 2009, p. 25). The figure below illustrates the TPM: (taken from Zyskowski and O'Malley, 2009, p. 26. According to the stipulations in the Texas Education Agency's Accountability System for 2009 and Beyond - Standard Procedures (Commissioner of Education Final Decisions April 2009), the following quotations revealed the determination of the accountability rating for 2009: Standards for 2009 were published in the 2008 Accountability Manual and adopted as commissioner rule to provide districts and campuses with advance notice before the 2008-09 school year began.The 2009 Academically Acceptable standards are 70% for reading/ ELA, writing, and social studies; 55% for mathematics; and 50% for science. These standards represent increases of five percentage points to the Academically Acceptable standards for four of the five subjects (writing, social studies, mathematics, and science.)The 2009 Recognized standard of 75%, which applies to all subjects, is unchanged from the prior year. (p. 2) Still according to the Texas Education Agency's Accountability System for 2009 and Beyond - Standard Procedures, the following are quoted statements regarding the changes in accountability rating for 2010: Standards for 2010 will be published in the 2009 Accountability Manual and adopted as commissioner rule before the 2009-10 school year begins.The 2010 Recognized standard will increase by five percentage points to 80% as previously planned.The 2010 Academically Acceptable standards will increase by five percentage points for both mathematics and science to 60% and 55%, respectively.The reading/ELA, writing, and social studies standards will remain

Using examples from recent case law, critically evaluate what is meant Essay

Using examples from recent case law, critically evaluate what is meant by 'market access' and the merits and problems of this approach in the area of free movement of goods - Essay Example The main intention of the Articles 28-31 is to stop member states from involving in the quantitative restrictions. It is to be observed that Article 28 can be extended even when there is no discrimination. In the celebrated Cassis de Dijon case, ECJ held that Article 28 can nibble, where the rule prohibits the free flow of products within the EU subject to certain exceptions when the analogues’ rule extends to both imports and domestic products. Hence, discrimination is therefore, an adequate, but not essential, condition for the invocation of Article 28. Thus, the Article 28 can be said to be a mechanism for policing the periphery between the illegitimate and legitimate national regulation, and the nature of this border may well be challengeable. (Craig & Burca 2008:669). Article 34 of the TFEU pertains to Intra –EU imports and bars quantitative limitations and all initiatives having analogues’ impact between member nations. Immediately after the entry into forc e of the Lisbon Treaty, the EC Treaty has been altered and rechristened as the â€Å"Treaty on Functioning of the European Union.† (TFEU). The provisions of free movement of products got new numbering as Article 34-36 from that of 28-30. (Wolf & Stanley 2010:106). Article 23(9) stresses the free movement of products arising in the Member states and goods from third nations, which are in free movement in the Member States. By making EU as a region without internal borders, there has been removal of all barriers for free movement of product through calling off excise and customs’ duties, creating a common external tariff for the whole of the community, the quantitative limits on trade and equivalent steps. (Moens & Trone 2010:57). Market access can be regarded from the angle of both consumer and manufacturer. For the manufacture angle, free movement of their products helps to enter into various national markets with their sole aim of confronting local manufacturers in th e country of import and the derivative aim of permitting economies of scale to be enjoyed. Market access may be a way to an outcome, the outcome being to exploit maximum revenue /turnover for the individual manufacturer and to improve the best possible distribution of resources for the EU as a whole. If Germans are given an opportunity to drink British beer, then some German may prefer it to the British product, than the local product and this is known as market access mechanism. For instance, an airline operating from any member states is having unrestricted and open access to any air routes within the EU as there had been removal of virtually all price and capacity controls. (Doganis 2006:13). Until the Keck and Mithouard case, the Court perused an analysis of the rule of free movement of goods that made liable any national law to an evaluation of proportionality analogues to cost/benefit evaluation. Due to this approach, any public regulation of the market would be under close wa tch, and this kindled deregulation of the market at the national level. (Shaw 2000:332). In Keck and Mithouard case, they marketed the products like Sati Rouge coffee and Picon beer in France at a price which is well below the wholesale-price or at a loss. There had been a bar in selling products at a loss under French law, prosecution against them was initiated. Keck and Mithouard defended that French law was incompatible with the Article 28

Economic Crisis And Opportunity For Entrepreneurship Research Proposal

Economic Crisis And Opportunity For Entrepreneurship - Research Proposal Example An innovative entrepreneur is expected to possess high-risk appetite when starting a venture with the clear understanding of the correlation between risk & uncertainty which can be calculated by applying known probabilities and impacts. Knowing the industry dynamics, the entrepreneurs are expected to take calculated risks into account to bear the uncertainty of production & trade. The payoff is the profit earned by the entrepreneur which is the primary motive. In this context, the venture capitalist plays the role of trusting the innovation & risk appetite of an entrepreneur and providing funds for transitioning the ideas into action thus helping in the formation of good performing start-ups. A nation having the effective framework of capitalists (Banks, Financial Institutions, Private lenders, etc.) ensures better development of entrepreneurship thus boosting the economic growth. ...Entrepreneurs generate new ideas by virtue of innovations which may comprise of: (a) Introduction of a new product in the market (b) Introduction of a new technology in the market (c) Introduction of a new methodology of production in the industry (d) Opening a new business potential & market in the region which has remained untouched largely by other companies (e) Discovery of a new source of supply of raw materials, support & services which is not known to other companies (f) Building a new organization system with the innovative business model not tested by other organizations (g) Overall, create new profit opportunities An innovative entrepreneur is expected to possess high-risk appetite when starting a venture with the clear understanding of the correlation between risk & uncertainty which can be calculated by applying known probabilities and impacts. Knowing the industry dynamics, the entrepreneurs are expected to take calculated risks into account to bear the uncertainty of production & trade.

Visual Art education and Graphic Design Essay Example for Free

Visual Art education and Graphic Design Essay Computer technology has added a new aspect to all people desiring to broaden their horizons by furthering their education. Over time the traditional methods of learning have evolved with the advancements in technology. In todays society modern technology makes anything possible, even earning a degree online. This is especially popular for those considering a career path in graphics design. However does this mean that a traditional fine arts education is no longer needed for those who are in pursuit of a degree in graphic design? Typically online colleges advertise visual arts degrees under the idea that graphics design is nothing more than computer knowledge and creativity. As a result, students graduate lacking the necessary skills and knowledge to be successful in the graphics design world. All students looking to earn a degree in graphics design should pursue a traditional art degree. Even though anyone is able to achieve a graphics degree online, completing a traditional arts degree teaches you the skills that help you to achieve the highest level of success. Online education in many instances has too often replaced the core curriculum of art with technology. Many traditional art professors, even in graphics design put technological skills last on the their lecture list. Instead, concepts of how art and design function and how to express creativity in the art studio environment are emphasized as being the key concepts of a graphics designer education. Over time, knowledge is gained through a series of art drawings, paintings, photography classes, critical thinking exercises, peer evaluations and problem solving; resulting in students becoming more aware of the variety of ways to go about turning creative ideas into innovative designs. Unfortunately, students who are taught online are not able to grasp the importance of skill beyond technology. As a result the lack of knowledge to express creativity inevitably becomes a liability instead of an asset to a graphics design company. Design is a combination of skill and finding ways to create a visual message to your target audience. The main role of a designer is to communicate a message in the most effective way. Computer programs cannot create the knowledge of the reason behind the image, only the designer can. You cannot  have technical skills only and expect a program to do the creative work. The computer has revolutionized the design studio, but it will never run it. Traditional art education gives students the opportunity to learn these skills and to execute effective designs through hours of instruction in classes like illustration and typography. Online education simply does not offer students this opportunity and will never be able to substitute these skills with numerous amounts of technology. The last benefit of a traditional arts education is the communication skills you learn and the face-to-face interactions you experience by attending an actual university. Social skills are harder to learn when you do not attend school. There is no curriculum for showing students the importance of social interaction in the career of an artist or designer. Sure you may think that having a discussion board is important but it doesnt compare to face-to-face interactions. In a traditional learning environment you attend classes that create situations where students can and must collaborate with one another. Through these environments, the students witness that original design is rarely done alone. Its great groundwork for the reality of the working graphic designer. In the end, knowledge is the measure of success and the more enriched you are in your career field the better communicator you become. Therefore earning an education through a traditional college or university provides students with a variety of skills and knowledge would only be beneficial to those looking to be successful in the graphics design. This is why students looking to earn a degree in graphics design should receive a traditional arts educationWorks CitedSome of the web sites that I viewed while writing this paper are listed below. Most of my knowledge comes from my educational arts background and my previous job, which involved working at publishing company in the art department assisting the graphic designers. 1. American Art Institute Online http://www.aionline.edu/microsite/programs/?keyword=art%20institute%20onlinepublisherSite=DSYahooDS_KWID=p30168552. AllgraphicsDesign:http://www.allgraphicdesign.com/graphicsblog/2007/05/22/gra

Effect of Australias Two Party System on Liberal Democracy

Effect of Australias Two Party System on Liberal Democracy The two-party system is essential to the health of Australian liberal democracy. The politics of Australia takes place within the framework of a federal constitutional parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The bicameral body of the federal Parliament of Australian to which Australians elect parliamentarians, incorporate a fusion of executive elements inherited from the Westminster system and a strong federalist senate adopted from the United States. Australia largely operates as a two-party system in which voting is compulsory. The Australian political landscape has been dominated by organised, national parties since federation. The Australian Labor party come into prominence during the late 19th Century and represented the organised workers. They were opposed by two main parties the first who represent the middle class business and offered a social conservative aspect, known as the Liberal party of Australia. The second represented rural or agrarian, now the National Party of Australia. While there are a small number of other political parties that have achieved parliamentary representation, these main three dominate organised politics everywhere in Australia. Australian politics now operates as a two-party system, as a result of the permanent coalition between the Liberal Party and National Party.() â€Å"A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate politics within a government. One of the two parties typically holds a majority in the legislature and is usually referred to as the majority party while the other is the minority party.†() The two-party system had its origins in the rise of the Labor Party as a mass political organisation. This occurred in Australia roughly from 1891. Important moments occurred in 1909, when the Protectionists and Free Traders merged, and again in 1946, when Sir Robert Menzies established the modern Liberal party. In this perspective the political game is fundamentally about two main parties periodically contending for public support. () â€Å"The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a self-described social democratic party which has in recent decades pursued a neo-liberal economic program, founded by the Australian labour movement and broadly representing the urban working class, although it increasingly has a base of sympathetic middle class support as well.†() â€Å"The Liberal Party of Australia is a party of the centre-right which broadly represents business, the suburban middle classes and many rural people. Its permanent coalition partner at national level is the National Party of Australia, formerly known as the Country Party, a conservative party which represents rural interests. These two parties are collectively known as the Coalition.†(). The 1913 election was important because it consolidated the two-party system. It was the first time an elected majority government was replaced by another majority government, this time the new Liberal Party that had in 1909 fused together the anti-Labor forces. However it was the introduction of proportional representation that shaped the system of government we have today. â€Å"The Commonwealth Constitution does not govern in detail how members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are to be elected, nor could it dictate the number and strength of Australia’s national political parties and the dynamics of competition among them.†() The political dynamics in Canberra including the roles the two houses of parliament and the relationship between them is profoundly impact by the electoral and party system. Proportional representation has fundamentally affected the balance of power among the parties, the implementation of principles of responsible government, and the practical dynamics of politics in Parliament. â€Å"The decision made in 1948 that thereafter Senators would be elected by proportional representation. Until 1949, Senators were elected in much the same way as Representatives, except that three or more Senators were chosen in each state at each election. Sec.7 of the Constitution provides for Senators to be elected on a state-wide basis—each state voting ‘as one electorate’—unless Parliament provides otherwise, which it has not done. Thus, until the 1949 election, between three and six Senators were elected state-wide at each election, by a plurality system that often led, as we shall see, to one party winning most or all of the seats being contested.†() Preferential voting protects the election against a candidate who receives a plurality, but not a majority, of the votes cast. If more than two candidates run for the same seat, it is quite possible that none of them will receive a majority; most voters will select someone other than the candidate who receives a plurality of the votes. A closely related effect of preferential voting is to encourage more than two candidates to run for the same seat—or to put it differently, for more than two parties to field candidates for the same seat. In plurality district elections, it is typically argued that anyone who contemplates voting for a third or minor party candidate is, in effect, throwing away his or her vote. If the candidate whom a voter truly prefers has no realistic chance of winning, so the argument goes, any voter who selects that candidate thereby gives up the opportunity to affect the choice between the two candidates who actually might win. Under a preferential voting system, a voter can vote for the candidate he or she truly prefers, and then mark his or her second preference for a candidate w ith a better prospect of winning—the political equivalent of having one’s cake and eating it too. Precisely because of this logic, of course, preferential voting can have the effect of encouraging a multiplicity of candidates and so reducing the likelihood that any one of them will receive a majority of the first preference votes cast. In a proportional representation system, lesser parties can moderate policy since they are not usually eliminated from government. It is suggested the two-party approach may not promote inter-party compromise but may encourage partisanship. In the past the two-party system has proved to be extraordinarily robust. The Australian major parties are required to be more pluralistic (Winner takes all) than any other democracy as a consequence of being such a stable bipolar system. Minor parties find it very difficult to gain a foothold in the lower house due to the combination of preferential voting and single-member electorates. The preferential system means minor parties vacuum up discontented voters to deliver back to one of the major parties. Two-party systems have been criticized for downplaying alternative views, being less competitive, encouraging voter apathy since there is a perception of fewer choices, and putting a damper on debate within a nation. Two dominant parties pattern of politics involves an assumption about their ideologies. It implies that the two parties present the community with real and divergent choices and that these are based on broader differences of political philosophy or ideology. In turn, these different philosophies are assumed to provide guidance about how to respond to particular issues. Further, taken together, the philosophies of the major parties broadly exhaust the repertoire of political possibility. Again, these were all valid assumptions for most of the past hundred years. But do any of them still hold? The community is now much more differentiated and pluralised. Australians exhibit a much wider spectrum of attachments and attitudes. We are a much more diverse and pluralised community. We do not divide along binary lines. To think of ourselves in linear, left-right terms would be a gross distortion. A kaleidoscope is perhaps a better image. Relatively small numbers of voters remain rusted on loyalists of the major parties Party organisations have a minimal role in linking the community to politics. We no longer have powerful party organisations. The remnants are shadows of their former selves. But none of the tasks that they once performed are carried out anywhere else in the political system. Power has flowed from the organisation and the members to party leaders. We no longer have two parties divided by a clear programmatic orientation. Rather the major parties agree on many aspects of the broad direction of policy, particularly in relation to the economy. Real disagreement often mostly concerns priorities or important details. Or the major parties may agree and freeze out other voices that have a right to be heard. They may also disagree profoundly about particular issues like gay marriage, environmental protection, euthanasia, education reform etc. There is now often cross-party agreement about the general direction of policy. This creates the incentives for opportunism, populism, manufactured difference and exaggeration outcomes that now irritate many voters. If this is the reality of political life in the early 21st century, we should remember what our parties should be representing, Liberal Democracy. â€Å"Liberal democracy is a form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of liberalism, i.e. protecting the rights of minorities and, especially, the individual. It is characterized by fair, free, and competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into different branches of government, the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society, and the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and political freedoms for all persons. Liberal democracies usually have universal suffrage, granting all adult citizens the right to vote regardless of race, gender or property ownership.†() Liberal democracy is base on four main principles, The belief that all individuals are rational moral, The belief that it is a natural condition of mankind to want growth evolution, the belief that this growth will come through order cooperation rather than chaos disorder and a suspicion aga inst concentrated forms of power. Accordingly, liberal democracies are organised in such a way as to define and limit power in order to promote legitimate government within a framework of justice and freedom, Powers are limited defined through the use of written constitutions that separate legislative, executive and judicial power, These democracies are legitimised by require a high level of support derived from the electoral system, This system provides justice to all citizens by equal treatment and being accorded dignity and respect, and lastly by granting the freedom to make decisions. to learn from them and to accept responsibility for them. Citizens must have the capacity to choose between alternatives and the freedom to do what the law does not forbid.()

Describe The Four Types Of Solid Structures Environmental Sciences Essay

Describe The Four Types Of Solid Structures Environmental Sciences Essay There are three forms of substances exist: liquid, solid and gas in which solid is one of the major state of matter. The solid structure bonds the atoms together by different chemical physical attraction. Chemical bonds are the result of interactions of electrons by various forces of attraction. This attraction can hold atoms together in a stable arrangement. Atoms may transfer or share atoms to form molecules and compounds. When atoms bond together by chemical bonds, they will become more stable. Different types of chemical bonds determine solids properties, such as melting point, conductivity and solubility (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). Electron transferring form ionic bonds while electron sharing and joining molecules form covalent bonds. Linus Pauling came up with a scale, a value for each element called the electronegativity (E.N.) value. Each element has different desire wanting, ability to attract electrons. The strong electron attractions were given high values and some atoms have very low ability to attract were given a low value. These values are relative-comparison values and have no units. The value of difference electronegativity between two atoms less than 1.8 are defined as covalent bonds while the value of difference electronegativity between two atoms more than 2.0 are defined as ionic bonds. This essay will describe four types of solid structures: ionic and metallic which contains of unit cell, giant covalent which is held by network and simple molecular which are small molecules with weak forces of attraction. Ionic Structure First of all, ionic bonding commonly exists in crystal solid structures. Ionic bonding electrons are transferred from mental atoms to non-metal atoms which result in each ion obtaining a full outer shell of electrons to become stable. Commonly, metals form cation by losing valence electrons while non-metals form anions by gaining valence electrons. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is a well known ionic compound. Sodium loses one electron from its outer shell while the chlorine gains one electron to fill its outer most shell. When sodium (Na+) ions bond with chloride (Cl-) ions they form common table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl) (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). In addition, Sodium chloride (NaCl) is made up of giant lattice of ions. There are a large amount of sodium ions and chloride ions packed together which depends on how big the crystal is. Figure 1 (Adapted Steinberg, 2000) shows how does a bit of sodium chloride lattice arranged. Figure 1: Ionic Bonding in Sodium Chloride (Adapted from Steinberg, 2000) Each sodium ion is at a centre surrounded by 6 chloride anions. Each chloride ion is also in the centre, it is also surrounded by 6 sodium cations. So sodium chloride is described 6 co-ordinated. The pattern in this way will be repeated countless times in sodium chloride crystal and ensure the maximum stability in sodium chloride. Because when each ion is touched by 6 opposite charged ions, there is more attraction between the ions which makes the structure more stable (Clark, 2010). Figure 2 (Adapted from Clark, 2010) shows clearly the unit cell of sodium chloride. Figure 2: Unit Cell of Sodium Chloride (Adapted from Clark, 2010) Commonly, the atoms arrange in a regular way, but sometimes this is not the case. All metal atoms consist of a lot of crystal grains which are regions of regularity. At grains boundaries atoms become inconformity. There are various properties in ionic compounds. Firstly, ionic compounds have a high melting point and boiling point. There are strong attractions between the positive and negative ions which take a lot of energy to overcome them. Secondly, one of the main properties of ionic compounds is they conduct electricity when molten, because when the compound is in the liquid state, the ions can carry the charge freely. Ionic compounds are brittle which resulting from an applied stress. The ions will be moved sufficiently to make contact between ions. Ions of the same charged are brought side-by-side leading to repulsion forces within the crystal. Many ionic compounds dissolve in the water. Water molecules have unbonded electrons, called lone pairs. They attract positive ions and negative ions in the compounds form dative bonds and polar water forms electrostatic attractions between the ions. Water molecules also produce energy by hydration to break up the lattice and reduce their attractio n (Clark, 2010). Covalent bonds Atoms sharing electrons form covalent bonds which the electronegativity difference between two atoms are less than 1.8. Giant Covalent Structure In giant covalent structures, all atoms are bonded together by covalent bonds which directly have an influence on specific atoms in a regular extended network. The electrostatics forces hold other structures together to act equally in all directions. Diamond is best example of giant covalent structure (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). Diamond has a tetrahedral shape in three-dimensions, with four covalent bonds from each carbon atom. According to VSEPR theory which can explain the levels of repulsion between chemical bonds (Lane, 2009), to reduce the repulsion four pairs of covalent bonds form and covalent bonds repel each other equally. There are no intermolecular forces of attraction only, between the carbon atoms. Figure 4 (Adapted from Chemcases, 2010) shows the structure of diamond Figure 4 shows the structure of diamond (Adapted from Chemcases, 2010). Diamond is well known as the hardness natural substance, and results from four strong covalent bonds giving diamond a strong rigid extended and continuous structure, so diamond just can be cut by other diamond. In addition, diamond has a very high melting point of around 4000K, because to break up the four strong covalent bonds requires a lot of energy. Next, the electrons which are held tightly are not free to move, resulting in the diamond having neither conduct electricity nor heat. At Last, diamond is insoluble in water because the covalent bonds are much stronger than the attraction of water molecules (Clark, 2000). Simple Molecular Structure The simple molecular substances are non-metal compounds which are made up of atoms by strong covalently bond and relatively weak intermolecular forces. Water is taken as a typical type of the simple molecular structure (Lower, 2010). In water, each hydrogen atom is bound to the central oxygen atom by a pair of sharing electrons. Oxygen has four free electrons in its outer second level to form two lone pairs to reduce the repulsions between clouds of negative charge, leaving two of the outer electrons shared with hydrogen to form covalent bonds. This rule leads to a tetrahedral structure in which the angle between electron pairs is 104.5Â °. In addition, water molecules forms hydrogen bonding. Oxygen likes electrons more than hydrogen and electrons spend more time near the oxygen, resulting in oxygen is part negative charge while the hydrogen is positive charge. Electrons are distributed leading to water form a negative structure of hydrogen bonds. Dipole-dipole attractions occur between two water molecules, due to its polar nature (Lane, 2009). Figure 5 (Adapted from Google, 2010) shows the structure of water molecule. Figure 5: Hydrogen Bonding Between Water Molecules (Adapted from Google, 2010) As the weak forces exist in simple molecular substances, they are not very dense or strong nor solid resulting in it having a low melting point and boiling point. Simple molecular substances can easily become gas or liquid. There are no ions existing in these substances, so they are insoluble in the water and can not conduct electricity (Lower, 2010). Metallic Structure Metals are giant structures which hold the atoms together by metallic bonding transferring the electrons. All elements of metal can easily lose electrons forming positive ions which are in a freely moving sea and electrons. How many electrons have been lost by each metal determine the number of electrons in the sea (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). Most ions in metals pack as close as they can. However, sodium in Group one is more open and less dense and forms a unit called the body-centred cubic (BCC) structure which is a common packing geometry for some metals. This structure is not a close-packed arrangement, just 68% of the space being filled (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). There is an atom located in the centre of a cube which is surrounded by eight other spheres. Figure 3 (Adapted from Clark, 2007) shows the structure of sodium: a coordination of eight and a unit cell containing two atoms. Figure 3: The Structure of Sodium (Adapted from Clark, 2007) There are several properties about metals. Most of metals tend to have a high melting point and boiling point due to the strength of the metallic bonding. The strength of metallic bonding is not only different from metal to metal, but also depends on the number of electrons which each atom can delocalise in the sea of electrons and by the packing. Transition metals have a high melting point and boiling point because they form a unit called hexagonal close packing. Group one such as Sodium is an exception and has a low melting point and boiling point, because it only has one electron to contribute to the bond and it is 8 co-ordinated which can not form strong enough bonds as other metals. Secondly, metals are good conductors of electricity. The electrons in the sea are free to move throughout the structure even cross the grain boundaries. The metallic bonding still exists as long as atoms are touching each other. In addition, these electrons are also responsible for the high thermal c onductivities of metals. Electrons of the metals can pick up heat energy which is transferred to the rest of metal by moving electrons (Clark, 2007). In conclusion, electrons are transferred forming ionic bonding in ionic crystal solid structure. As giant lattice of ions exist in ionic solids, the ionic solids not only have a high melting point and boiling point but also conduct electricity well. Metal hold the atoms together by metallic bonding which determines that metal compounds have a high melting point and boiling point and are good conductors of electricity and heat. Although both of giant covalent structures and simple molecular structures have electron sharing covalent bonding, they have different properties. Strong covalent network bonding is involved in giant covalent structures holding the atoms together, with the result that giant covalent compounds are easily to melt and can not conduct electricity. In contrast, there are some weak intramolecular forces in simple molecular structures which lead to this kind of structure having a low melting point and boiling point, and unable to conduct electricity.

Pythagorean Philosophy and its influence on Musical :: essays research papers

Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics. New York: Dover Publications Ferrara, Lawrence (1991). Philosophy and the Analysis of Music. New York: Greenwood Press. Johnston, Ian (1989). Measured Tones. New York: IOP Publishing. Rowell, Lewis (1983). Thinking About Music. Amhurst: The University of Massachusetts Press. "Music is the harmonization of opposites, the unification of disparate things, and the conciliation of warring elements...Music is the basis of agreement among things in nature and of the best government in the universe. As a rule it assumes the guise of harmony in the universe, of lawful government in a state, and of a sensible way of life in the home. It brings together and unites." - The Pythagoreans Every school student will recognize his name as the originator of that theorem which offers many cheerful facts about the square on the hypotenuse. Many European philosophers will call him the father of philosophy. Many scientists will call him the father of science. To musicians, nonetheless, Pythagoras is the father of music. According to Johnston, it was a much told story that one day the young Pythagoras was passing a blacksmith’s shop and his ear was caught by the regular intervals of sounds from the anvil. When he discovered that the hammers were of different weights, it occured to him that the intervals might be related to those weights. Pythagoras was correct. Pythagorean philosophy maintained that all things are numbers. Based on the belief that numbers were the building blocks of everything, Pythagoras began linking numbers and music. Revolutionizing music, Pythagoras’ findings generated theorems and standards for musical scales, relationships, instruments, and creative formation. Musical scales became defined, and taught. Instrument makers began a precision approach to device construction. Composers developed new attitudes of composition that encompassed a foundation of numeric value in addition to melody. All three approaches were based on Pythagorean philosophy. Thus, Pythagoras’ relationship between numbers and music had a profound influence on future musical education, instrumentation, and composition. The intrinsic discovery made by Pythagoras was the potential order to the chaos of music. Pythagoras began subdividing different intervals and pitches into distinct notes. Mathematically he divided intervals into wholes, thirds, and halves. "Four distinct musical ratios were discovered: the tone, its fourth, its fifth, and its octave." (Johnston, 1989). From these ratios the Pythagorean scale was introduced. This scale revolutionized music. Pythagorean relationships of ratios held true for any initial pitch. This discovery, in turn, reformed musical education. "With the standardization of music, musical creativity could be recorded, taught, and reproduced." (Rowell, 1983). Modern day finger exercises, such as the Hanons, are neither based on melody or creativity. They are simply based on the Pythagorean scale, and are executed from various initial pitches. Creating a foundation for musical representation, works

Ernest J. Gainess Gathering of Old Men :: Essays Papers

Ernest J. Gaines's Gathering of Old Men In A Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines, racism plays a huge part of life in the south. When a white man is found dead; his family and friends start to gather to find the man who did this. After time these men start to drink and make a plan to kill the man; who just happened to be black. This just shows how even though the Civil was brought freedom to blacks, there is still hate towards them because of their skin color. After time the black men also start to gather at Mathu’s house (the man who murdered the white man) and they all bring twelve gauge shotguns. The sheriff arrives and asks who killed that man, and all the black men say, â€Å"it was me.† The sheriff then threatens to take them all to prison, but he cannot because he does not know who the murder is. The sheriff knowing the racism of the town; has a deputy stand on Mathus sidewalk to make sure nothing happens. As time goes by and the white men are starting to get angry the man who’s son was killed steps in and says â€Å"this cannot go on any longer.† This shows how after time color or race does not matter to people, and how after time a man is a man and a woman is a woman. This upsets the rest of the men even more because this shows them how they are not superior to the black men anymore. As time goes on the sheriff is starting to worry even more; because he knows the men have been drinking excessively. When night falls the sheriff and his men go home, praying that nothing will happen. By this time the white men are very drunk and want revenge. To the white men’s surprise when they arrive to Mathu’s house they are out numbered at least two to one. The white men realize that they are going to loose once again. When the white men start to shoot this shows how childish people are when they are not on top of the world. Ernest J. Gaines's Gathering of Old Men :: Essays Papers Ernest J. Gaines's Gathering of Old Men In A Gathering of Old Men, by Ernest J. Gaines, racism plays a huge part of life in the south. When a white man is found dead; his family and friends start to gather to find the man who did this. After time these men start to drink and make a plan to kill the man; who just happened to be black. This just shows how even though the Civil was brought freedom to blacks, there is still hate towards them because of their skin color. After time the black men also start to gather at Mathu’s house (the man who murdered the white man) and they all bring twelve gauge shotguns. The sheriff arrives and asks who killed that man, and all the black men say, â€Å"it was me.† The sheriff then threatens to take them all to prison, but he cannot because he does not know who the murder is. The sheriff knowing the racism of the town; has a deputy stand on Mathus sidewalk to make sure nothing happens. As time goes by and the white men are starting to get angry the man who’s son was killed steps in and says â€Å"this cannot go on any longer.† This shows how after time color or race does not matter to people, and how after time a man is a man and a woman is a woman. This upsets the rest of the men even more because this shows them how they are not superior to the black men anymore. As time goes on the sheriff is starting to worry even more; because he knows the men have been drinking excessively. When night falls the sheriff and his men go home, praying that nothing will happen. By this time the white men are very drunk and want revenge. To the white men’s surprise when they arrive to Mathu’s house they are out numbered at least two to one. The white men realize that they are going to loose once again. When the white men start to shoot this shows how childish people are when they are not on top of the world.

Insightful feedback Essay

Your money or your data; Ransomware With hackers running rampant today, more demands are given by them, now with old-fashioned ransoms. Computer users are now faced with a virus called â€Å"ransomware†, which gives users an option of either giving up their data or retrieving it with a fee. Ransomware isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, as new options of exchanging money are now on the internet, from companies such as bitcoin and Paypal, criminals might find them a haven to go to, as there can be anonymity and use of digital currency. Additionally, its programmers are always ahead since they are constantly modifying their code, which keeps them in an advantageous position, and unfortunately, not all their victims get a fair share, many have gotten a broken promise to ransomware’s demands. While this problem will persist, web-users must protect themselves with the best possible solutions to the attack of ransomware’s programmers. Feedback: Never start a sentence with â€Å"With†. Your message appears unclear, it need adjustments. Instead of saying: â€Å"†¦which gives users an option of either giving up their data or retrieving it with a fee.† You can say: Users are deceived into downloading a malicious software that hijacks storage files in their drive(s); prompting the hijacker(s) to demand a ransom before said files are released. Always create multiple drafts before arriving at a conclusion. Start Wilth a long version then refine it. Do it over and over again, until it sounds like something a reporter will say. Read it aloud! If you pause, put a comma. If you run out of breath. put a full stop. Again, always create more than one draft, then refine it until there’s nothing left to add.

Jack of All Trades

â€Å"Mom can I have a dog? † I cannot tell you how many times those six words came out of my mouth, almost everyday since about second grade I asked my mom for a puppy. Once when I was in fifth grade, my mom let me take home one of my aunt's dog's puppies. But at the end of the day she made me take it back. I was so close to getting what I had wanted for years. I had named the dog and everything, and as you can tell it still upsets me to this day. You're probably thinking, â€Å"Eh, every child wants a dog or some sort of pet, it's really not that serious. Oh but it was, I became obsessed with the idea of a puppy, every time I saw someone else with a new puppy or even an older dog I became jealous to the point of tears. It's not like I never had a dog, when I was born we had two, Buster, and Sheena. But they both died of old age by the time I was seven. We also had cats, and birds, and fish. But all of a sudden there was nothing left, it was me, my mom, and my dad, being an only child was always hard, but at least I had my animals to keep me company. Yeah, yeah, here it comes, being an only child isn't hard, you're spoiled, you get everything you want, and tons of attention. But have you ever thought of the hardships of being the only thing your parents have to focus on, or maybe the not having anyone to play with, you can only play dress up and school with yourself for so long before it gets extremely boring. Okay but I'm getting off topic, actually I've kind of been rambling on about nothing for the last couple of sentences, but I promise this will all have a point. My freshman year of high school, I began having a lot of issues with being alone, and not having anyone to talk to or keep me company. I began to struggle with my schoolwork, and everything began to spin out of control. I met James, he was amazing, but that's a completely different story for a completely different time and space. Now the wanting of a dog had kind of went away for a little, but now in my time of loneliness, and need, I think my mom finally realized how much I truly not only wanted but needed a dog to keep me company, because that year around my birthday my mom began to talk of getting a dog, (it might have also been because Simone's mom let her have a dog, and my mom felt bad because that's all I could talk about, so thanks Sandy. So we talked about getting a dog, and decided on a female Jack Russell, oh my, we were not aware of what we were getting into. We were told numerous times that these dogs were crazy, but we just said it couldn't be that bad, all puppies are hyper. We planned to keep her in a squared-off area in the basement, oh boy, were we mistaken. We ordered her from a farm in Missouri, the breeder seemed nice, and told us that she had a lot of energy, we got her at eight weeks, the breeder had named her Kayla, but we knew from the pictures that this name was just unbefitting. We decided on either naming her Sage or Zoi, and the second we picked her up from the airport we knew Zoi was the perfect name for her, she ran out of her crate right into my arms, while all the other puppies were hiding in the back corner of their crates, afraid of their new owners. It was raining but she wasn't afraid, the entire walk to the car she wiggled and squirmed eager to see everyone and everything around her. That first night, Simone and I figured it'd be a good idea to sleep downstairs with her, just in case, but we were in for a rude awakening, quite literally, she whined and cried every minute she was alone. Simone and I ended up staying up the entire night with her; this squared off corner in the basement was just not enough for this tiny little dog. The next night we tried keeping her in her crate, then a bigger cage, needless to say neither worked and she now sleeps in bed with my mom and dad. This dog was a handful; she chewed on everything, dirty underwear being her favorite snack. Her energy never seemed to end. She jumped played and barked all day, she was a very happy dog. Yet it just seemed like she was lonely, she carried this tiny stuffed puppy with her everywhere, and carried chew toys over to her favorite stuffed tiger. She'd whine and cry when it wouldn't play with them, maybe it was our imaginations, but it just seemed that the only way to tame her energy was to get her a companion. First we looked at the pound, but decided anything bigger might just hurt Zoi, so we ended up on the search for another Jack Russell, this time a male. We looked and looked, the first one we decided on ended up being sold already, so we finally decided on another dog, he was from Texas, and named KC. He came from a puppy mill, and when we got him he just didn't seem right, we were worried. At the airport we expected him to run right out into our arms like Zoi, but that's not quite what happened. He hid in the corner of his crate and cried, he seemed so afraid, we walked him to the car and I cuddled him in my arms, it was late, almost midnight, and I was worried how him and Zoi would react to each other. He didn't seem like a social type dog. When we got him home and put him down, he wiggled and squirmed, him and Zoi sniffed each other and from that second they were inseparable, but Dash (which is what we named him, after a character in the Disney movie, The Incredibles,) just still wasn't right, he had a swollen bee sting on his arm, and after taking him to the vets we discovered he had three different typed of worms in his belly. His nickname had been Wiggle-Butt, how appropriate. He was incredibly unhealthy, and we were thankful that we had saved him from that place he had called a home, no wonder he was so afraid. It was strange that these two dogs that were said to be the same exact breed were so completely different, but maybe that's why they got along so well. After Dash was nursed back to health, he slowly began to come out of his shell. These dogs were a handful alone, but together, oh my. Zoi was clearly the boss, and she let it be known. There were times when she beat the living daylights out of him, but he still followed her around, and whined and cried when she was gone. Dash was quite the interesting dog, he'd growl and bark at other people and dogs, but then run and hide behind you if you put him down. The two would chase each other around in circles around the house and yard, it's like they both had this endless amount of energy, I couldn't imagine Zoi would have lasted long at any other household. She ate everything, beat up Dash, ran away, jumped all over people, and scratched like crazy. Once we got Dash and Zoi, it was like having newborn babies, we had baby gates in every doorway, so that they couldn't get in and chew things, you couldn't open the door without holding them back or you would be in for a jog. Every time they got out it was a good twenty-minute journey to get them back. They'd run up to everyone that was outside, bark at other dogs, run into everyone's yard, and you'd have to jump and dive in order to catch them, it is not a fun thing to do. My favorite story would have to be the time my little cousin let Zoi out and my 40-year-old uncle chased her around in the January snow, eventually jumping, sliding, and diving only to miss her by an inch. These dogs were quite the handful. Nobody could come into the house without being jumped all over, and barked at. And you couldn't leave if you didn't give Zoi her treat first. Actually you still can't. You think after two years she'd be a lot calmer, well she's a little calmer. We tried obedience classes, yeah did not work to well, actually now she'll sit, bark, and play dead on command†¦ but other than that†¦ yeah. A few months after we first got them, we went away on vacation. We left Dash and Zoi with a family friend who raised and watched dogs for a living. I remember him saying, â€Å"Oh, I'll have her trained by the time you get back. † Yeah, not so much. Not even the man who watched ten dogs a day, could tame her. He's raised tens of dogs from puppies, all his dogs listen to his every command, but not Zoi, she'd run around take stuff, even beat up the larger dogs. The second we got back home we went to pick up our puppies, and you could tell that Jay (the man that had watched them) had had quite the time watching those two. He couldn't get rid of them quick enough. Zoi loves the water, but Dash is afraid of it. Zoi will jump right in the pool and swim around but Dash wouldn't go near it for anything. Zoi jumps in and climbs right out. She chases the hose when my dad is watering the lawn, tries to eat the backwash water from the pool. Another thing that she loves to chase is the vacuum, Dash once again is afraid, but Zoi chases and barks like always. Sometimes, they're too predictable. Another one of my favorites is when Zoi decides to take things for ransom. Her favorite I think is the remote control for the television. I can't tell you how many times I've seen her running around with that remote in her mouth waiting for her treat. It's not like she really wanted it, she'd drop it in front of you as soon as you reached for the bone box. And of course Dash reaps the benefits, so I think he encourages her to steal things. But after all of this, the second you sit down on the couch, or lay down in bed, they're both right there, lying on your lap. Dash will nudge and nudge until you let him under the blanket. They love, love, love to cuddle. Which is good, because so do I. They keep you warm in the winter, which is good since Zoi chewed the wire to the heater on the blanket, and the couch, so neither work. Okay two crazy dogs†¦ the point of this is? I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it, promise. These dogs have actually kept me sane. I'd have the longest day ever, but I know I could come home and have two amazing dogs jumping on me and kissing me. No matter what I need, I can turn to my dogs, if I need to play, or just cuddle. Zoi is like the dog version of me she can be hyper, loud, loving, all at once. She'll be angry one minute and kissing and loving you the next. She can't stay mad, kind of like me. Having these two amazing dogs has kept me sane. I'm no longer alone and bored all the time. They may be a pain sometimes fighting to leave in the morning, eating underwear, stealing socks and remotes. But I know at the end of the day I have two creatures that love me unconditionally.