Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Summary and text response Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary and text response - Article Example Economists are surprised at the rate of growth in retail sales because the unemployment rate is still very high and people are not saving as much as before. The news that manufacturing production has increased in New York is a positive sign because the manufacturing sector will play an important part in the economy’s recovery. The reason why growth has now suddenly started to pick up is due to lower gas prices and also the effects of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have started to wear off. Even though the stock market is performing above expectations, investors are cautious due to the debt crisis in Europe. There is a strong possibility that the Fed will attempt to stimulate demand and hiring in the early part of next year. The main concern is that the European debt crisis will spill over into America. Consumer spending is up from previous quarters, but many experts are worried that much of this is coming from savings rather than through cash. Because consumer spending ma kes up most of U.S. economic activity, it is a key indicator to judge how well the economy is performing. I think that the growth in the American economy is only short term. Even though the economy is performing better than most experts had predicted, I feel that it is only delaying the inevitable. In all likelihood, the America economy will enter into a double-dip recession sometime over the next 12 months. Even though retail and consumer spending are up, these are only short term indicators and cannot be relied upon for the long term. What is even more disconcerting is that many Americans are choosing to cut into their savings in order to fund their consumer purchases. This does not lead to sustained growth because if savings decrease, investment will also go down. A strong U.S. economy needs to have good savings so that the government can afford to pay of the U.S. debt. Spending more money isn’t going to solve the problem—only by saving can the economy get back to

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Personal Reflections On Stereotyping Of Ethnic Minorities Social Work Essay

Personal Reflections On Stereotyping Of Ethnic Minorities Social Work Essay   Ã‚  Through the process of  reviewing my journal entries, I was overwhelmed by incidents I went through. I realized some unfortunate and unintentional racism and microaggressions in my journals.   I noticed that resulted in producing weak and imperfect assumptions.   According to Sue and Sue, Microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to a target group like people of color, women and gays (2007. Chap5).   It was obvious I did things according to my own culture and somehow disregarding others cultures unintentionally.   Added to this, I found out that I was immature and unfair to make conclusions without further scrutiny. Scrutinizing all these non-stopping cultural thoughts, I started to think if I am culturally knowledgeable enough to be a counselor who got the necessary skills and means to work effectively with clients from multicultural backgrounds. Trough my previous journal review, I began to think about the reason why I struggle to bring up these multicultural calamities. Being hesitant on how I am going to provide therapy despite existing diversity issues. Despite all the readings, guest speakers and activities conducted in class, I find I still have some prejudice and assumptions in my subconscious mind such as homosexuality, which is challenging according to my religious beliefs as a Muslim. As a professional therapist, it will be helpful to get rid of these feelings and always stay away from being prejudiced against persons practicing different habits and beliefs. Sue and Sue said that the belief in the inferiority of others as well as the belief that one has the power to oblige certain standards upon others of another culture is also witnessed (SS 4). The ethnocentric monoculturalism mindset that Sue and Sue discussed in chapter four both shocks and amazes me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reading my journal entries helped me to reconsider the decisions and stereotypes I made about other ethnic minorities and especially homosexual communities. As a result of the journal reading, what are the measures that would help to avoid these stereotypes, perceptions, and beliefs do we hold about culturally diverse groups and may help us to maintain an effective relationship?   (SS 2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As far as my feelings are concerned, I was very frustrated and feel guilty and ashamed of being careless about a variety of multicultural minorities. Besides, it is not fair not to scrutinize these cultural calamities and not to withdraw from others and their situations and circumstances. This curiosity developed in me a sense of appreciation to tolerate these differences and willingness to find out more about my biases willing to work hard in order to be more aware of my weaknesses and change them. Feelings of shame and pride are mixed in the individual and a sense of conflict develops  Ã‚   (SS 10)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identity was given a generous part in my previous journal entries as I dedicated more space and time for better understanding of myself. More than that, the conversation I had with my colleagues, guest speakers, and class instructor as well as through readings, helped me to define my identity within my family and other groups in which I have belonged, especially the Muslim communities. This considerable wind of change actually taught me to not take cultural issues for granted anymore, to spend more time and effort figuring out who I am. However, it is still hard to devote completely to accept given cultural differences and to solve identity issues. But, it was comforting that Slavic people had been referred to as such a strong religious affiliations and characterized as a cornerstone of their identity (MGG 52, pg. 713. In dealing with multiracial backgrounds and issues, it is awkward to ask coworkers or individuals from different counties quest ions like Where are you from? or What are you? because asking questions about ethnicity generates a sense of being offended and differentiated, and it is sometimes perceived as rude, insensitive, ambiguous and misconstrued. However, the idea is certainly not to make the person feel questioned or offended or attacked when asked about their ethnicity (SS 18). Maria Roots Bill of Rights (SS 18) is a great inspiration to me since it gave me a much greater understanding of what we ask multiracial people to do when we ask about their heritage and expect it to fit within the monoracial classification system. Conceptualizing identities and giving them more focus is a good idea (SS 18; Torres, Jones, Renn). It is crucial for more understanding of the topic of identity development.   Personally, I still need to fully recognize and improve my own understanding of myself, my background, and my culture. Added to this the feeling of guilt was also common in my journal entries, and Sue and Sue stated that without such an awareness and understanding, we may unintentionally discriminate among multicultural groups. When this happens, we may become guilty of cultural oppression and be a threat to multicultural minorities (SS 10) I did feel guilty about many things, but it is very significant to be aware of this problem now in order to avoid it in future confrontations. Personal Reflections on My Experiences This class was an important step in my journey in life; it helped me to recognize many unintentional biases and stereotypes.   It was a positive influence on me by improving my competencies, increasing my vigilance and cultural sensitivity. Yet, there is still a threat of underpathologizing a clients symptoms without taking into consideration cultural backgrounds. More than that, the understanding of a clients cultural context, having knowledge of culture-bound syndromes and being aware of cultural relativism, are challenging because, being oversensitive to these factors, the therapists pathology might be influenced negatively. As a result, this process ends up underpathologizing disorders (SS 4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is fundamental to put up with and value the difference of other cultures, and this class helped me also to think about it seriously as I believe during this short semester I achieved a level of cultural sensitivity and awareness by discussing the IDI Profile which presented information about how to make sense and how to react and treat these cultural similarities and dissimilarities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emotions such as anger, sadness, and defensiveness took a part of the discussion about experiences of race, culture, gender, and other socio demographic variables (MGG 1). These feelings can either improve or reduce the understanding of the notion of multicultural calamities. That is why I believe this class was very important to take. As a professional, working with a multicultural population, I am sure that I need to know that I am different and how to deal with it in an appropriate way. Moreover, in my little work experience, I worked with many different people who are from diverse cultures and that led to some challenging times to understand each other in the beginning in terms of language, eye contact, and sometimes body language. I have discovered that by making statements of similarity, I have the possibility to share our differences that can influence my professional and personal life. Discussing the language difficulty openly with a client may be a beneficial tactic in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Working with older adults was a good point that Sue and Sue covered in their book. They are aware that it is important to critically evaluate our own attitudes about old adults and their daily attitudes and concerns. Sue and Sue stated some legal and ethical issues that should be in mind while dealing or working with older adults (e.g., competency issues). Older adults need care and respect in terms of their mental status, and as a counselor, I have to know how to deal with those people in professional way.    The disabled population is another community that I learned to be aware of how to work with. Three models of disability affecting individuals were presented in the Sue and Sue book. First, the moral model is a defect considered a sort of sin or moral lapse. Second, the medical model is represented as a defect or loss of function that resides in the individual. Finally, the minority model is seen as an external problem involving an environment that fails to provide a shelter for individuals with disabilities. (SS 26) I learned that I have to treat people regardless of disability status with the same expectations and gather information about my clients disability. Those people gave me strength.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It was also interesting to be aware of social class issues, and this class was beneficial in helping us as future professionals to figure it out. As discussed in chapter 12 in Sue and Sue, Multicultural counseling and therapy must be about social justice, providing equal access and opportunity to all groups; being inclusive; removing individual and systemic barriers to fair mental health treatment, and insuring that counseling/therapy services are directed at the micro, meso, and macro levels of our society (SS 12.)   I learned that as counselors, we need to be hard working and supportive for immigrants and offer needed services for minorities and provide for local, state, and federal immigration laws. It is a big challenge to be able to work within different cultures setting, but keeping up will help people face all the barriers coming in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within my family, I feel powerless. I still have some issues that cannot be discussed with them, and most of these are cultural issues that I cannot change immediately always lead to conflict. The issues range from the handling of emotions, such as being able to express anger or shame about specific things, or being able to talk loudly about making my own decisions such as my relationship with the person who I choose to live who is from another culture.   I learned also that sometimes, even the married couples of similar backgrounds; they may still face some intercultural concerns. However, relationships from multi cultural backgrounds reach to the edge of success and go beyond given culture differences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As far as my IDI-personal plan is concerned, I mentioned that culture is about the rules of how to function within cultural context. Within the process of understanding these cultural differences and rules, I was somehow sensitive to those rules, but it is an important factor that participated to ameliorate my cultural awareness. I think I need to learn more effectively about my own culture including history and rules of myself and my family. The encapsulated Marginality part in my IDI- personal plan signified that I am trying to figure out how to correlate my intercultural beliefs with my identity and how to make such transition. This condition transition between culture and identity is referred to as Adaptation and Integration. To demonstrate this transition, I am saying to myself, Who I am? compared to What is my true culture? like my Berber origins compared to other cultures in my country. Another brief statement in my IDI-personal plan stated that I avoid learning about other cultures and ignore their history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The profile also shows that I may have a commitment to the idea that people from other cultures are like us, or those people should share the same set of universal values I have. I may also have difficulties in identifying important cultural differences that influence intercultural relations, and I need to resolve these issues before I can exercise my greatest potential of intercultural competence (Bennett Bennett, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my professional part of my IDI-Personal plan, I mentioned that I have to be able to experience the existence of other cultures and I should be sensitive and aware in order to be effective with my clients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     It terms of working with people of color, it is useful to discuss the reaction of the client to a professional who is from a different ethnic background (e.g. Sometimes clients feel uncomfortable working with a counselor of a different race) and be aware of mistrust and work to earn a clients trust (SS 14).  Ã‚   It is very significant to comprehend the dissimilarities, assist the clients to be relaxed in working with me as a professional, and be trusted and well-liked. Assessment of the Effectiveness to date of The IDI-based Personal Development Plan    My IDI Individual Profile helped me reflect on my experiences around cultural differences and similarities. As I reviewed my IDI profile results, I considered past situations in which I attempted to make sense of cultural differences and similarities; this can assist me discover statements that may have guided my actions in these situations. Moreover, I need to focus on a situation I am presently facing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The IDI-based personal plan helped me to learn more about my own culture. I was surprised when I read the outcomes of my IDI result, especially in terms of being aware of my biases that I was thinking were strengths.   In my developmental task, I stated that I have to recognize cultural differences that are escaping my notice. I have to learn more about my own culture especially its heritage. I will explore my own culture by gathering necessary information. The IDI gave me the chance to be more conscious of who I am and where I came from. Steps to continue developing my sensitivity to difference and cultural competence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I need to continue developing my sensitivity to difference and cultural competence and be able to work successfully with clients from diverse ethnics and cultural backgrounds. I need to continue developing awareness by recognizing the value of population diversity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is correct that one cannot discover everything about other cultures. However, I need to get awareness about other groups. I also need to separate my religious insights and respect others religion beliefs. I need to recognize and be mindful of who I am and where I came from. I need to be aware of my privilege as an educated person in my family. Finally, in order to continue developing my own sensitivity to difference and cultural competences, I have to recognize how my culture is viewed by others. I need to attend workshops and seminars about other cultures. I need to learn about others culture by watching documentaries and movies as much as possible. Visiting other countries and participating in its cultural events and festivals, and sharing experiences with other people will be a very effective plan.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

It may seem that the male characters in classical cinema are given power and control over female characters, but the relationships between characters in Billy Wilder’s 1944 noir Double Indemnity and Michael Curtiz’s 1945 drama Mildred Pierce are complex and do not conform to specific gender roles. Rather, both of these films feature female characters that are both controllers and the controlled. The characters Mildred Pierce and Phyllis Dietrichson hold both of these roles in their respective films but are inverses of each other: Mildred acts strongly and independently but is actually controlled emotionally and financially by others, while Phyllis is presented as submissive but is the grand manipulator. As such, these two films present different images of the â€Å"independent woman,† both of which are destined for failure. On the surface, it seems like Mildred Pierce undergoes a positive transformation and develops into an independent woman. At the beginning of Mildred’s first narrated flashback, she describes her life as little more than â€Å"cooking and washing and having children.† She works as a housewife. Her attire and environment reflect this: her first interaction in the flashback is with her husband in the kitchen with an apron on. Bert’s departure pressures Mildred to enter to workforce to support her family and their wants. Her wardrobe changes to represent this change, also, since she is usually seen in working clothes. She builds the motivation to start her own restaurant and eventually starts her own successful restaurant chain, and once again, her physical appearance changes in that she is dressed in fancy clothes. Once she understands that her marriage with Bert would hurt her financially, she actively seeks a divorce fr... ...nity and Mildred Pierce have two models of the â€Å"independent woman,† but both of them fail in the end. Mildred’s love interest dies and her daughter is sent to prison. Phyllis is murdered by Walter. It would seem that the messages of these films are represented by the failures of these women. Mildred could not escape her maternal instinct as it ruined her life. Phyllis treated people like tools and met a fatal end. â€Å"Independence from men,† then, is not the final goal for these women on the road to happiness. These films represent this trait as shallow, since not only do these failures arise, but Mildred and Phyllis never truly escape the â€Å"male gaze.† The notions of independence presented in these two films lead to disaster because they are incomplete; â€Å"independence from men† is a necessary step, but there is still more that the women in the films need to accomplish.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Bio Lab Report Crime Scene

On Saturday morning of the 24th of October, there was report by an employee of a homicide incident on 4011 N. Central Eave, Phoenix, AZ. University Center building on the 3rd floor of Arizona State University. The victim was describe as a 24 year old Caucasian female, by the name of Kelly; who works as a programs coordinator for Arizona State University. The victim was working late hours as usual on a Friday night, she was on her office cubical.The body was found laying on the floor in front of her desk chair, the body was facing up with three bullet wounds on her body; the action of the shots were one in right shoulder, right hip, and middle of the stomach. Observations found in the crime scene were the chair was knocked over, the victim was facing up instead of facing down. There were bullet holes in the wallboard as well as the cabinetry and biological stains of the victim. Information gathered about the victim she appeared to be talking to her mother while the incident happen, an d it was not unusual seen her work late at night.Also, there was some information about five suspects that might have been involve in the homicide. Licensee Scale S. Microbiology Professor, at the time of the murder he stated he was looking for money from students so he could buy another pint of beer, and was wearing blue t-shirt and jeans. Daffy Patrick D. Microbiology Lecturer, at the time of the murder he stated he was drinking at Hooters and was hearing a blue button down shirt and black pants.Olson John P. Biology Professor, at the time of the murder he stated he was at an all night Chinese buffet, and was wearing blue flannel shirt and Jeans. Hutchins Jason O. Chemistry Lecturer, at the time of the murder he was teaching Chemistry 101 lab, and was wearing a blue polo shirt and Jeans. Waffle Debra A. Lab Technician, at the time of the crime scene she stated she was preparing for Microbiology 206 lab, and she was wearing blue lab coat and khaki pants.The homicide case is under i nvestigation, once there has been examine the pieces of hair, fabric, and blood samples from the suspects, it will be determine who was the murder of the victim. Methods and Materials The investigation began by first collecting evidence from the crime scene and suspects. This includes fingerprints, hair and fiber samples, along with blood samples. Along with these, a bullet was found at the crime scene, which was added to the list of evidence. Fingerprint Testing To collect the fingerprints from both the suspects and the crime scene, the print lifting technique was used.This method included using a fingerprint wand and powder to dust the fingerprints on the object, and then putting adhesive tape over the latent prints to â€Å"lift† the fingerprints' image. The adhesive and fingerprint were then transferred to a backing card to be examined. To analyze the prints, a magnifying glass was used to determine if the prints pattern was an arch, loop or whorl. The fingerprints examin ed are a type of biological evidence. Fingerprints Suspect Arch Loop Whorl Daffy x HutchinsLicensee Olsen Waffle We then compared these fingerprint patterns with the fingerprint collected at the crime scene, which was a loop. Metallurgy Next, the bullet found at the crime scene was tested using metallurgy. The bullet was a type of physical evidence. To determine what type of metal the bullet was made of, the densities of the three standard metals in the tool kit had to be determined. To measure the metal's mass, an electronic scale was used while a water displacement was used to measure the volume. From these measurements, the density was calculated (D=MN).The mass, volume and density of the metals in the kit were lactated as follows: ; Aluminum o Mass = 8. 27 g Volume = 4 ml = 2. 07 vim Density = MN Copper Mass = 57. 1 g Volume = 7 ml Density = MN = 8. 16 g/ml o Mass = 37. 95 g o Volume = 4 ml o Density = 9. 49 g/ml As stated before, to find the volume for all the measurements, wat er displacement was used. By this, the change in the water level (measured in ml) in the graduated cylinder was measured before and after each metal was added to determine its volume.For the bullet, it was determined that: o Mass = 12. 9 g o Volume = 2 ml o Density = 6. 45 g/ml Because the bullet was silver, it was determined that it was not made of copper and u to the fact that density wasn't similar to aluminum, it is likely that the bullet was made of steel and maybe another metal. Fiber and Hair Testing The next pieces of evidence that were analyzed were hair and fiber. The hair samples are a type of biological evidence while the fibers are a type of physical evidence.For these samples, microscopy was used, which allowed the researchers to examine and identify the fine features of each. The tables below include the collected data. Hair Color Features Brown Short, smooth Blonde Short, split Black Short, wiry Evidence Fiber Texture Blue Woven, denim-like Pink Tight, cylinder-like Tulle Wispy, feather-like Tulle and wispy/feather By comparing the evidence found at the crime scene to the samples collected from the suspect, it narrowed the possible suspects down to Olsen and Waffle since both of their fibers were found at the crime scene.Blood Testing The last task was to examine the blood samples collected from the suspects to the blood found at the crime scene. The blood samples were a type of biological evidence, but chemical reactions were used to determine the blood type. â€Å"Anti-A Serum,† â€Å"Anti-B Serum† and an â€Å"Anti-Re Serum† were used to test what type of blood he samples were and if they had an Re D antigen. Three drops of each suspect's blood, along with the blood collected at the crime scene, were placed into three different wells of a clean blood typing plate.Three drops of each serum were added to the three different wells and then stirred until they either reacted or remained inactive to the serum. A way to tell if the blood reacts to the serum is if it results in agglutination, or clumping. The results are listed in the table below. Suspect Reagent ABA-Re Blood Type Anti-A Serum Anti-B Serum Anti-Re Serum A+ Because some of the blood tests didn't react with the serum, the researchers had to SE the blood type information provided in the suspect's profile and then determine how the blood would have reacted if the tests worked properly.Analysis: Fingerprint Testing: After analyzing the data from the crime scene and the suspect sheets provided some educated assumptions can be made as to the possible perpetrator. The prints found at the scene of the crime had a loop configuration. Considering Licensee has an arch configuration, and Hutchins has a whorl configuration, they were ruled out as potential suspects. The suspects who possessed prints similar to those found at the scene were as follows: Daffy, Olsen, and Waffle.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Charlemagne Robert Folz

Frannzen Linares Thursday, October 14, 2010 Knowledge Summary of Source. Report #1 – Charlemagne Robert Folz. The Coronation of Charlemagne(Book), first written in french in 1964, this book is now available in English translation. Robert Folz is well known for his monumental studies of the legend of Charlemagne in the Middle ages. Robert Folz was a French medievalist and a specialist in the Carolignan era; for this reason he is better qualified than most historians to convey a deep understanding of the efforts and signifance of Charlemagne for France and Europe.Folz concentrates on the growth of Frankish power, starting with Clovis and leading to Charlemagne. The focus is on political and religious developpments that explain the imperial coronation, rather than on social and economic history. Folz presents all this with brevity and clearly; the elegance of style shows his familarity with the source material. He wrote numerous books all related and similar to Charlemagne such a s: * (French) Le souvenir et la legende de Charlemagne dans l'Empire germanique medieval. (1950) * The concept of empire in Western Europe from the fifth to the fourteenth century. 1953, translation published 1969) * The coronation of Charlemagne. 25 December 800. (1964, translation published 1974) * (French) Les saints rois du Moyen Age en Occident, (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1984) * (French) Les saintes reines du Moyen Age en Occident (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1992) This book also uses extraits and portions of the book â€Å"Life of Charlemagne†(Vita Karoli Magni) which was written by a man named Einhard who actually was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne which adds to the reliability of this book.At the same time, he uses extraits from letters written by a man named Alcuin to Charlemagne himself and books written at the time and date back to Charlemagnes reign. Book written by Robert Folz and translated by J. E Anderson, the publisher of this book is London : Routledge and Kegan Pa ul, 1974 and is a Translation of: ‘Le Couronnement imperial de Charlemagne (trente jours qui ont fait la France : 25 decembre 800)'. Paris : Gallimard, 1964 The company has also published a book with a small portion of the life of charlemagne, The Philosophy of John Scottus Eriugena: A Study of Idealism in the Middle Ages By Dermot Moran.