Saturday, August 31, 2019

Miss Greenford

Miss Greenford sat behind her 95 years old typewriter she inherited from the father to type down a letter to her only son who serves with the US army. She said, †Dear John, I miss you so much, my second baby. Daddy hasn't being feeling well for the past three months and he is worried he wouldn't make it before you return from the war. His wish is to see you before going home. Please do come quickly when you get this letter. Grandma sends her greetings, and Doggy your cat too. While she sat typing, John, in the silence of an explosion from the enemy's camp, swallowed a bullet. †Retreat everyone†, the General shouted. Lieutenant Jamal from Afghanistan carried his friend on his shoulder and ran into the tent where the nurses tended the wounds of the injured soldiers. †Johnny, Johnny please speak to me. Open your eyes† he solemnly requested but John quietly was giving up the ghost. The only word that came out of his mouth was ‘mama'. Lieut. Jamal cried! He has lost the only friend in the army that cared for him.He remembered how he used to play basketball with John alone as all the guys refused his company and called him names. One day at assembly, it was announced a war has broken up between the US and Russia and all males were entreated to enlist in the army asap. Jamal was frightened to death because he never liked the sound of a gun. Growing up in a ghetto where the father was a warlord, he was called Ja, the whimp. He always hides under the bed during a fight of guns on the streets but John encouraged him that they can do it. He will be there for him anytime and protect him against the bullies. John was the brother Jamal never had. And now he doesn't know how he can manage without him.Back home, Miss Greenford bought a stamp at the post office, sealed her letter and posted it to his loving son. She can't wait to see him after eight solid months of separation. This war has had a toll on everyone. Miss Greenford herself has been feeling a severe ache in her left breast lately. Scared of the worst, she has refused to visit the hospital for a checkup. †I need to be strong to take care of my two boys, John and his father†, she always whispers to herself. Three weeks later, on the day Miss Greenford had planned on passing by the post office to check if her son has replied, there was a loud knock on the door which startled even the flower pot on the window pane and it came crushing on the floor.'Who is there?' she shouted from the kitchen. ‘Friends of John, the voices echoed. Miss Greenford dashed out of the kitchen like a flash of lightening only to get to the door to see men dressed in uniform carrying a coffin. Immediately, she collapsed. She woke up to the news of her husband passing out of cardio attack when he wheeled his chair to the door because he also heard the shout of †friends of John† from his room.†Both my boys had left me, she cried. What does it profit me to be alive and not happy? The two things that gave me joy have been snatched from me, mama†. Old mama Gracie was there to console her daughter. She told her not stop crying. She should spit every phlegm of bitterness out, then she can have her peace. †I have been here before and I know how it feels but don't worry it will make you stronger. It always does† Your daddy died in the war too. The only man I have ever known tasted death while in an amour defending his country. But he died a happy man. He died knowing that at least he paid his dues to his country. So sad he was before he died when I was pregnant with you for two weeks that the doctor said it is a girl. We had both been praying for a boy, but he prayed more fervently because he wanted his son to be a soldier, a protector of the state and dreams of America. Though disappointed, he loved you so very much, my baby. Be glad you gave daddy a soldier, now his soul will rest in peace.

Friday, August 30, 2019

“Interpreting The Day the Earth Stood Still for Contemporary Film Audiences” Review Essay

In the article â€Å"Interpreting The Day the Earth Stood Still for Contemporary Film Audiences† written in 2008, the Author, Joshua Pardon, writes about the messages that were sent to the American film audience of 1951 through the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, based on a short story by Harry Bates written in 1940. These messages ranged from topics like the societal costs of atomic technology and both a negative and positive view of militarism, to criticism of the mass media. He also writes about how, unlike TV shows, and stories by the baby boom generation portrayed the 1950’s as a time when everything was wonderful for every citizen all the time, the argument can be made that it was a â€Å"strange and weird† time full of uncertainty, fear, and paranoia; and this film portrays these feelings, with strong messages that Pardon suggest could be applied to current world events. To make you better understand his article, he added a very well written summery of the movie followed by interpretations of the film’s scenes that could be applied to what was happening in America in 1951 and events happening in 2008. He compares the Cold War’s potential to lead to atomic catastrophe to the current war on terrorism; the public’s confusion on whether to trust scientist to the current debate of stem cell research, climate change and the scientific basis of evolution; and the media’s need to sensationalize current events take away from the real issues both in 1951 and today. I would have to say that Pardon’s article is very convincing and well written; the amount of information given by the author is very satisfactory. There is plenty of background information on what were the current events in the 1950s on every interpretation on the not so hidden messages of the movie that allow you to see the similarity of today’s issues and clearly see how the movie can be relatable today. Also, it goes into details of every important character, and even compares characters to specific iconic people from that era, such as Albert Einstein; and even the character Tom Stevens, a co mpany man with selfish intentions as a negative portrayal of a greedy American business culture. Such great details of interpretation make this article a very good and fulfilling read. In my opinion, the weakest part of this article is that, although the information given allows you to paint a clear picture of what the author is trying to communicate, it often added too much information of what almost felt like irrelevant information. Additionally, I felt that the author jumped from one subject to the next,  just to bring it back up later in the article, and even though it wasn’t confusing and the information was always different, it made the subject feel redundant. To sum up, Pardon’s article on the interpretation of the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, was a very informative and eye opening article that clearly shows all the political messages in the film. His words were able to paint a very good picture of what was happening in 1951, when the movie was made, so that you can better understand the messages that were being sent by the film that allowed us to b etter see how, even though it had been over 60 decades since this article was written, the film is still relevant today.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Determination of the Causes of Violence Perpetrated by Students Research Proposal

The Determination of the Causes of Violence Perpetrated by Students - Research Proposal Example The issue has exhibited its potential to compromise the quality of education, a factor that places emphasis on the need to understand the real causes of such violence. Parents and school administrators have embarked on a blame game concerning the issue. However, there is a need for a more rational view which should establish why the perpetrators of such violence in school choose to do so. Notably, the majority of the teenagers perpetrating violence are between the ages of 12 and 18 placing them in the category of adolescents. Previous research has sought to highlight some of the leading factors that may motivate students to involve themselves in violent acts. However, none of the previous researches have been conclusive regarding the issue. In a bid to establish the causes of violence perpetrated by students in school, a mixed methodology research will be carried out. In the United States, violence in school has been reported since 1927. However, the 1980s registered an increased prevalence of school shootings and other forms of violence perpetrated within the school. In the 1990s, such cases became more popular and their effects became more widespread. According to statistics, about 200 cases of violence in schools have been reported in the United States. In this country, there is an ever increasing fear of future occurrences of violence perpetrated by students. The type of violence in question denotes school shootings, rape cases, bullying, stabs, and other cases of minor violence. Although the media has been blamed for exaggerating the seriousness of the issue, there is no doubt that violence in schools needs real solutions. In order to define effective strategies of intervention, there is a salient need to understand the root causes of the problem (Barnes, Brynard, & de Wet, 2012). Previous researches have indicated that a considerable percentage of students admit to experiencing a form of violence in school.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Poem Fisherman by Kurt Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Poem Fisherman by Kurt Brown - Essay Example From this research it is clear that a whole life/lifetime would include every activity and this is what the author is looking into which he believes to be spent ‘fishing in himself’ meaning, looking into what is in him that is beneficial. The fisherman is not pictured fishing in the river or ocean but in’ himself’. This statement thus suggests that ‘fishing’ is a metaphor used to paint the act of bringing out something valuable from one’s self like talents, skills, outrageous ideas that could change the world or the modern Einstein who could solve all the problems in this computer age. The second line completes the thought of the author that what the subject is fishing in himself is ‘something grand’. What could be grand in a person other than something that makes him stand out in a crowd? This statement then strengthens the understanding that the man in the poem is fishing or looking into the possibilities of having some sp ecial skills, talents, even attitudes or experiences that could encourage other people or benefit them in some ways as the man himself is benefited for his personal needs. That grand thing the man is trying to fish in himself is described in the next sentence as a ‘lost lunker, big enough to break all records’. This line also confirms that the analysis on the poem is going through the right path, that the grand thing being fished in a person is something extraordinarily huge to be recognized as superior to other men. ‘Rumors, myths, big promises of wonder’ could be stories of achievements and encouragements of people around the world, from different generations. This shows that the character in the poem did not personally witness achievers rather had just heard about them so that they are considered merely rumors, unfounded and unproved. Some stories might even seem to be exaggerated and unbelievable so that they are counted as myths like the successes of H ercules and other heroes of old. ‘Big promises of wonder’ could represent encouragements that express belief in an individual like the adage that goes ‘If others, why can’t I?’ Such leads people to believe that for every person, there is always something special that is sitting somewhere inside of him, waiting to be discovered and nurtured. The ‘shadow of something enormous darkening the man’s life’ might be a metaphor of his doubts and fears about what he has and what he can do. It is mentioned that the man only felt this shadow and did not see it. So many times, men see with their feelings especially with things that are still unknown and have not been tried yet and most of these times, people are overwhelmed with the possibilities of failure that is why they would rather go about with the normal activities of men. Then, the poet suggests that the shadow the man might have felt could be that of another fish’s, greater tha n his doubts and fears. What could be haunting the man is the fear that he might not become as popular as another person, as successful as his neighbor, as intelligent as his classmate, as talented as the other boy or as innovative as the ordinary

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Human Trafficking in Thailand Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human Trafficking in Thailand - Research Paper Example This essay explores several cases in which human trafficking takes place. Some of the cases are whereby people are convinced into going to other countries with the promise of getting better jobs and comfortable lives. Mostly, it always turns out to be untrue. This context discusses hundreds of workers from Thailand being promised high wages by the California based company named Global Horizons Inc and instead of paying them little to nothing while treating them like scum, taking their passports on arrival and threatening deportation. Human trafficking is one of the most dangerous forms of discrimination. Thailand experiences major challenges as a source, passage and destination country on human trafficking mainly women and children. The tendency of trafficking for enforced labor is rising in level in the agricultural, construction and fishing organizations. Human trafficking is a modern correspondent of slavery. Opposing their will, thousands of people around the globe are enforced t o work for the benefit of other people. For instance, by becoming beggars, prostitutes, working in sweatshops, unintentional servitude or even turning into child soldiers. People that are trafficked are usually enslaved or in circumstances of debt oppression that are deceitful and oppressive. Traffickers will carry away or mistreat the fundamental human rights of their victims, who most possibly have been tricked and enticed by fake promises or physically enforced into their circumstances. Trafficking is a regular practice to convince people to leave their homes and move to neighboring countries that are wealthier where they can work in services like domestic services, adult care or waiter and waitresses in restaurants. Upon advent, their passports, visa, and return permits are taken away from them, efficiently; these people are imprisoned, either bodily or financially or psychologically. The trafficked people are made to labor as household slaves or as agricultural or industrial un it workers, in slave-like circumstances.

Monday, August 26, 2019

London Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

London - Case Study Example Project managers should ensure they select tactics, which will work in favor of the organizations’ goals and objectives. During the 2012 London Olympic Games, the challenge was to ensure maximum participation and revenue for the organizations responsible for managing the events (President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1). A good pricing strategy enables organizations to utilize their resources effectively. The organizations are able to achieve this by ensuring that all available capacity is utilized effectively without unnecessary wastage. This reduces the operation cost since the fixed cost decreases with the increase in units of output. In 2012 London Olympic Games, organizers of the event were able to ensure that all capacity was utilized by selling all tickets for available seats to interested individuals and that no seats were left vacant (According to President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2. The sales of tickets accounts for twenty percents of total revenue for Olympic Games organization. When setting prices for the company’s products, marketers should ensure that their products are accessible to as many people as possible. This will help to make the products and services popular and enable them maximize their market share. They should target clients from different classes by setting different prices for different groups’ people. In 2012 London Olympic Games, the organization responsible for coordinating the games tickets at affordable prices to ensure as many people as possible attended the games (President and Fellows of Harvard College, 3). They had estimated a total of 7.9 million people would attend the function, and so they prepared tickets for the estimated group. Setting prices for the products also requires the company to ensure that their target groups are not locked out of the organizations products. During the London Olympic Games in 2012, organization which was

Sunday, August 25, 2019

There is no topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

There is no topic - Essay Example By utility, Bentham meant anything that would produce happiness or pleasure for the majority of people, and anything that would mitigate suffering or pain. According to utilitarianism, everyone likes pleasure and resents pain, and thus this forms a basis for political and moral judgement. As such, the major point of utilitarianism is to weigh the costs against the benefits of any action before undertaking it (Sandel 32). Bentham’s utilitarianism led to a rise of objections, most of which were concentrated on the impact of utilitarianism on the human rights. The first objection is that utilitarianism holds no value for the rights of individuals. It is argued that this approach cares about the total benefit of individuals in a given situation. It is, therefore, likely to overlook the rights of individuals that could be stamped upon to ensure pleasure for the others. The second objection against utilitarianism is that it assumes that all moral goods can be translated into one sin gle currency. In this case, it means that something is lost in the translation as the definitions of good vary across societies and perceptions (Sandel 32). The issue of economic inequality has been in the limelight in the U.S. with the country’s wealth being in the hands of a few individuals while a majority of the population living from hand to mouth (Sandel 58). The debate goes as far as to the Congress where some believe that the rich should be taxed to offer equal opportunities for economic growth for the poor. However, others believe that such favour taxation is not necessary given that the rich used legal and appropriate methods to acquire their wealth. From the utilitarianism point of view, seems a good idea as it increases the utility of the larger population who are to benefit from the taxes. As such, the taxes imposed on the rich may not affect them as they form a minute fraction of their wealth. However, there are

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Role and Powers of the Presidency Term Paper

The Role and Powers of the Presidency - Term Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  the American Revolution war had a major implication on the economics of the USA. As time had gone by, the settlers in the various colonies were looking to be granted freedom, especially economy freedom from the Britain and started demanding that they be given the right to elect their own government which would tax them and run their affairs. Needless to mention, the British government was not comfortable with this suggestions and refused to grant them the freedoms. The settlers retaliated with an all-out war against the British government. In retaliation, the government tried to close up all the harbors around the United States, especially the ones used for trade.According to the research findings  President Andrew Jackson was trying to curb speculation on land and thus issued a circular regarding specie (gold and silver) circulation. His main intension was to reduce the value of bank notes so that to prevent the increased circulation of the bank notes in the economy. His plan was not entirely effective as it failed to entirely affect the value of the dollar and only affected the value of the same only in relation to the value of gold and silver. The effect was increased deflation of the currency. Eventually, these affected many businesses which under deflated currency could not operate normally. President Andrew Jackson learnt his lesson but it was too late for the economy, it had already slipped into a depression.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business Essay

Latin influence in America social and cultural differences in Business - Essay Example With regard to them, inside cohesiveness is important in that they want to guarantee that there are no betrayals within business. Apart from these attitudes of loyalty and brotherhood in a business, they also tend to have a sense of fair competition which is achieved through agreeing with the competitors and setting the standard of competition. These cultural attitudes towards business are founded on the earlier foundation of Latin business which would be more included to mafia like associations with string completion which went beyond just business competition. Americans have a different culture with regard business which conducts open competition, open membership which mean that the associates of a business do not necessarily have to be close members. Dogmatic loyalty is not necessary as the business are driven by a common agreement which is professional and written on paper as per the ay the business is supposed to be run. The Latin culture has been regarded by Americans as wrong and not good for business. It has also influenced American business in a number of ways. To begin with, most of these businesses have also invested in the American economy. Most mafia-like organizations which are of Latin origin and run in accordance with Latin culture can be seen as establishing their businesses in United States America. Unlike in earlier days where such businesses would operate unofficially and in most cases illegally due to their nature which was more criminal than anything else, today most of these businesses can invest in legitimate businesses such as the real estate (Forbes, Inc). In the modern America, these mafia-like busses own a substantive amount of the real estate wealth in major cities such as Los Angeles. They are able to operate legitimately and to have assets that are legal. This has influenced the way business is done in America, especially

Video Case Meredith Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video Meredith - Case Study Example Another key variable is interest, as this helps define what kind of products they are interested in, as many of the magazines, special interest publications and advertisements are targeted around specific interests. Finally, recent marketing efforts have focused on life events, what factors are changing in the life of the consumer, such as whether they are having a baby or are close to retirement in order to segment the market. Meredith uses survey techniques to get in touch with customers, asking them a wide range of questions including what they do and do not like in the magazines, editorial interests, and where they are in their life. This allows them to build a comprehensive picture of the needs and desires of consumers, their interests and their passion and what they desire in a magazine. The marketing department feels that with the wide range of products now available it is important to have substantial knowledge of the target market. Meredith’s database is large, having 85 million entries, and allows them to reach eight out of ten home owner. As a consequence of this wealth of information, Meredith uses targeted marketing, in particular direct mail to advertise to customers. They use this to send out direct mail offers to consumers on the database that are targeted around this information. Their marketing techniques are very direct, and they prefer to send out a limited number of targeted dir ect advertisements and offers than a large number of broad ones. The direct mail they send is more than simply advertisements, instead the mail contains offers on a large number of products and publications that the consumer is likely to be interested in based on the database information. As a consequence, there is a much higher chance of the consumer responding to the advertising than to non-targeted or mass advertising. Because of their wide database and ability to data mine and analyze the information that is contained within it, Meredith has been

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Definition of Success Essay Example for Free

The Definition of Success Essay Success The American Dream is a large house, a speedy car, and financial freedom. For some, it includes a boat, a RV, and a cottage by the lake. However, another definition of success doesn’t list any of these. Success does not have anything to do with material goods but is rather tied to broader concepts. One measure of success is how happy a person is. For some people, they might feel their happiest when they have luxurious items. However, this is not universally true and is consequently not a true measure of success. Happiness for most people is a happy and loving family. If this is someone’s definition of success, then their family is what defines their success. For some, this success might mean trying new things and a lifestyle that supports it. Success is tied in with happiness because they are both highly subjective. Health can also be considered a defining factor in success. People feel unsuccessful if they, or someone they love, are not healthy. For instance, can father feel successful if his child is ill? This is why doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and hospitals are so important. Not only do they allow people to live longer, but they also allow people to feel successful in their life. Finally, success can mean overcoming hardships. No one likes hard and rough times with tears and pain. Someone who has come through the pain often feels like he or she has accomplished something. An individual that has overcome an obstacle achieves a measure of success. As David Brinkley has stated, a man can be proud if he has laid â€Å"a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.† The most valuable lessons can come from failures. Like Dale Carnegie said, â€Å"Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.† And who could understand the meaning of success if they did not experience disappointment? Light would not exist without darkness and success would not be truly achieved without failure. But we all hope that this failure is only temporary. People want to achieve success and make plans to reach it. However, with a  narrow interpretation of success, many people have no chance of finding it. They will continue to find themselves going the wrong way, missing out on opportunities, and happy moments along the way.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Studies In The Theory Of Emotional Development

Studies In The Theory Of Emotional Development The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development written by Donald W. Winnicott is a fundamental book, which is created from collection of his published and unpublished papers on psychoanalysis and child development between years of 1926-1964. The book informs the readers about the maturation process of a human being step by step from early childhood to adolescence stage. The main theme of this book dates back to Freuds theories to infancy. Winnicott mostly based his discussions on Freuds basic concepts and he had taken Freuds concepts as the frame of his references, however Winnicott did not based his discussions on Freudian concept. Through out the paper, it is observed that the ideas were based on between Winnicotts and Freuds ideas on maturational processes (Winnicott, 1965). In this astonishing collection, Dr. Winnicott analyses the maturational processes in three phases of developmental approach, theoretical approach an d the technique in depth. The book is scripted in a straightforward language that people who are new to psychoanalytic study can benefit from its virtue. Furthermore, the aim of this review is to elaborate on theory of maturational processes in emotional development by analyzing Winnicotts theories in support of different theories at of different theorists who studies the emotional development likewise. In order to accomplish this task, first the author and his theory will be introduced briefly. Subsequently, theories of other theorists will be presented and discussed in depth in order to contemplate the likeliness of maturational processes of human being and psychoanalytical therapy session. The Author Donald W. Winnicott (1896-1971), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and psychoanalyst received his first analysis from James Strachey. Before this event, in 1919 he read Freud in Brills translation of The Interpretation of Dreams. Strachey was attentive to Winnicotts interest in children and child analysis by encouraging him to research about Melanie Klein. Afterwards, he had become Kleins student and spent several years as her supervisee. Way to understand Winnicott, goes from Klein since Klein had pointed out the missing parts from Freuds theory, the emotional development. His accomplishments of working with infants and children clinically, gave rise to psychoanalytic field, and led him to become the second important person after Klein in British Object Relations School. (Phillips, 1988, pp.153-154; Levine, 2006; Winnicott, 1971, pp.7-10). Winnicotts original ideas had differed from Kleinians. According to Rodman, Winnicott differed from others since he was in close contact with mother and infants. He, also, described that Winnicotts conflict with Kleininas was a turning point in his life, which led him to develop the theory of True Self (Levine, 2006). Winnicott had published over two hundred papers and many valuable books including Through Paediatrics to Psychanalysis (1958), Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry (1971), The Piggle (1977), Play and Reality (1971) (Phillips, 1988, pp.153-154; Levine, 2006; Winnicott, 1971, pp.7-10). Play and Reality, one of his well known books, is improved version of his paper Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena (1951), which discusses the importance of transitional stage in an individuals life, and intense experiences that take place in art, religion and fantasy world. Lastly, Winnicott refers to this book the most (Winnicott, 1971, p.15). When Winnicotts differentiation from Klein observed, one can assume that this process is Winnicotts transitional phenomena from his supervisor to become an independent theorist. Brief summary of the book Part One: Papers on Development Winnicott starts off the book from collection of papers on development. First, he explains the importance of the psycho-analysis and sense of guilt by stating A psycho-analyst comes to the subject of guilt as one who is in the habit of thinking in terms of growth, in terms of the evolution of the human individual, the individual emotional growth (Winnicott, 1965, p.15). Afterwards, Winnicott continues stating by sense of guilt is visible when the child enters to Oedipal Stage, since unconsciously the child is wishing his/her same sex parent to disappear and accordingly feelings of love and hate rises in this stage. After this stage, child enters to Superego and ego comes in terms with the superego, leaving anxiety to mature into guilt. Winnicott states that at this stage, child would feel sense of guilt related to masturbation. He continues by describing the individuals who acquired guilt feeling might suffer from melancholia and obsessional neurosis. The origin of guilt feeling aris es from Oedipus complex, when the child starts to experience three way relationship (mother, father and child). Next, Winnicott continues with the term capacity to be alone which is highly related with emotional development of an individual. It is basically experience of being alone in presence of another person, which helps children to build up his/her ego and contributes to build individuals personality. Winnicott includes the importance of parent and child relationship by defining the holding environment. The infant is dependent to holding environment where the mother holds the infant physically, emotionally and in her mind. Following the mother and the infant will live together. The child is now a psychosomatic (psyche indwelling in the soma) being on its own. He sees all the objects, including his mother, as outside of himself. At this stage, the childs ego moves on from the state of unintegration to integration and now he has gained the capacity to develop object relations. In other words, he has now passed on from a subjectively designed object to an on objectively perceived object rela tionship, which the infant can live with the father and mother together. Winnicott includes that the infant development should facilitated by good-enough maternal care in order for infant to survive. He continues stating that it can be said that infants ego is weak, however strengthen by his mothers ego. Further on, Winnicott states the importance for child to experience full dependency, relative dependency and independence, in order to integrate the ego. He includes the importance of ego strength that receives ego-support from the mothers adaptive behaviour and love. Accordingly, Winnicott articulates the relation of needs of children to those of infants in health and crisis. Additionally, he points out the importance of the relationship between childcare that is provided by healthcare providers versus natural care that is supplied by the parents. Correspondingly, Winnicott discussed the development of the capacity for concern in children. His statement was concern was assumes to belong to the stage that is prior to Oedipus complex. The capacity for concern was part of two body relationship, between the mother and the infant. In order the infant to experience guilt or hold it in full expectation of an opportunity to reparation, he needs to develop capacity for concern. Following this paper, Winnicott discussed infants growth from dependence towards independence. There are three categories in this issue. The first one is absolute dependence, which is the early stage of emotional development. The infant is dependent on the mothers womb and care from the beginning. In this section Winnicott states that This term maturational process refers to evolution of the ego and of the self, and includes the whole story of the id, of instincts and their vicissitudes, and of defences in the ego relative to instinct (Winnicott, 1965). In this state, the mothers go through a phase called primary maternal preoccupation where the mothers are preoccupied with the care of their baby starting from the last few weeks of pregnancy and couple of weeks after the birth. Their babies seem part of them and they are identified with the baby. Accordingly, the mothers know how their baby feels like or what their baby needs. In this situation, the mother herself is dependent. The n ext step is relative dependence where the infant is aware of the presence of dependence. In order to explain this phase, Winnicott stated that when the mother is away for a moment beyond the time-span of his (or her) capacity to believe in her survival, anxiety appears, and this is the first sign that the infant knows. The last step is infants journey to towards independence. Once the child passed the both phases normally, he/she will become eligible to meet with world and its hardships, since he/she will be able to observe what is already present in his(her own self. Lastly, this stage explains the attempts of the toddler child and of the child at puberty. Part Two: Theory and Technique In the second part Winnicott, dedicated himself informing the readers about the theories of child psychology and the techniques that is used in child psychoanalysis. Winnicott starts with contributions of direct child observation to psycho-analysis. According to Winnicotts direct observation, the baby must have a physical and psychological maturity in order to have a full emotional development. When these phenomena take place in psychoanalysis the analyst cannot date when it occurred. However, the analyst will be able to describe to patients early infancy. Furthermore, infants play become acknowledge in process of analysis. Play includes the personal growth of through imagination. Winnicotts foremost crucial theory is transitional object and phenomena. In this phase, the normal developing baby adopts a piece of cloth or a teddy bear. For a while the child will subject this object to himself; he will carry it with him all the time and wants to have full possession of the object. Therefore, according to Winnicott, starting from infancy, the mother should tolerate and allow the baby to besmear this object, to harm it, to ruin it. If the mother is wa shing this object, or cleaning it, or mending it or sewing it, she is breaking up and destroying something. What the mother is destroying is the meaning the baby attaches to the object and to what she is doing to the object. Winnicott explains that concentration of environmental phenomena in which crystallizes out a person (p.138), a mother, and within the mother the infant constitutes as anatomically and physically, later on at the birth date, the infant becomes a female or male individual. Winnicott states that there is no such thing as a newborn on its own, what you can see is the mother baby unity; which is called nursing couple. Where you find a baby you will find maternal care. At the beginning the baby exists only by means of the maternal care with whom the baby forms a whole. This care period is before the verbal period. The baby does not talk, in this period which is prior to presenting the baby with word symbols, the relationship between the mother and the baby is a maternal empathy. The baby is completely dependent and with what he receives from this dependency his ego develops and he paves the way for the construction of a separate self. When assumed that the development progressed normally w ith good enough initiation, true self operates steady and protects the being from the false self. False self is described as the breakdown of the childs illusion of omnipotence by the mothers non-empathetic replies at early period results in serious psychopathological consequences. A child in such a situation will gradually develop a false self. He will give up his needs and demands and will quickly try to form himself according to the demands and expectations of the mother or others. He will observe himself and his surroundings all the time and trying to assess reality, he will be inclined to present a superficial concordance. The real self which has not developed, will be enveloped, encapsulated and hidden by false self. Real self is the source of needs and expressions itself. False self, on the other hand, is a continuous activity in order to create the positive surroundings the environment has not provided one with. In analysis of a false personality, Winnicott describes, the fact must be recognized that the analyst can only talk to the False Self of the patient about the pat ients True Self (Winnicott, 1965, p.151). He continues stating that in point of transition, the analyst and the patient should be in extreme dependence, when the analyst starts to get into contact with the True Self. Winnicott discusses the importance of counter-transference within the therapy. Additionally, he stated the aim of psycho-analytical treatment is keeping alive, well, and awake. It is crucial to be aware of what, when, and how the patient states the certain statement or releases the emotion. Following, Winnicott discusses how to train for child psychiatry, since it is a different field than psychiatry that is applied to adults. Child psychiatry is involved with the emotional growth of the individual child and his/her maturational processes which is provided by his/her environment and the issues that derives from child him/herself. Accordingly, child psychiatry requires additional education of type which is provided by Psycho-Analysis and Analytical Psychology. Winnicott continues by stating the importance of psychotherapy of character disorders and he elaborates by discussing them in terms of maturational processes. Lastly, he concludes by stating the importance of dependence in infant-care, in child-care, and the psycho-analytic setting. The Critique of the book When the main issue is the maturational process, it is crucial to acknowledge Freuds theory since almost all of the theories stemmed from it. According to Freud, in infancy and childhood, the individuals anticipated concern is survival issues, which are experienced through nursing and the mothers activities with infants body, following infants fantasies about birth and death. Also, the infant will experience these issues through the sexual bond with its parents. Later on the infant will experience, pleasure principle where he/she demands all of his/her needs to be accomplished immediately (id). With reality principle, the infant realizes some gratifications are that problematic, however the infant will realize it is worth to wait for them (ego) (McWilliams, 1994; Mitchell Black, 1995). Freuds drive theory states that the child will go through psychosexual stages of oral, anal, phallic and latency stage (where superego develops). Therewithal, Winnicott values the theories of Freud an d based the fundamental of his theories from his. However, Freud states that patients problems stems from secrets, gaps in memory, while Winnicott believes that the patient is shaping and molding the analytic situation to provide the environmental features missed in childhood (Mitchell Black, 1995, 133-134). According to my observation, even though Winnicott had developed a different style of maturational processes than Freuds, still he based his ideas on his drive theory. Freuds maturational processes of emotional development reciprocate my idea of maturation, since the stages are apprised when the children are observed from the frame of drive theory. Accordingly, I believe that Winnicotts stages of theory builds up on Freuds maturational stages with addition of mother-infant relationship reinforcement. The dedicated theorists, Klein and Anna Freud, had different theories which concerned technical problems with regard to analyzing. Klein believed that children were analysable as long as their play was interpreted, while Anna Freud argued that small children are not analysable since they have weak ego and they cannot handle interpretations. (Mitchell Black, 1995). Klein s play technique of child analysis, which the child is offered with simple toys that represents his fantasy life (Klein, 1975). On the other hand A.Freud states that since Superego is the heir of the Oedipus Complex, the pre-oedipal child will be unable to obtain internal controls of his own erotic and aggressive impulses. Even though, Winnicott was influenced by Kleins theory, he still acknowledged A.Freuds view of giving importance of the childs actual parents. On the other hand, Klein was insufficiently respectful of the role of parents and concentrated on childs internal world of fantasy to the exclusion of exter nal factors (Phillips, 1988). However, Winnicotts benefaction to psychoanalytic theory was formulated to re-introduce the importance of the real mother in development. He gives the mother a relatively passive role, at least from the infants point of view (Katz, 1996). Winnicott believes that there is not only an infant there is a nursing couple between mother and the infant. When I think of these theories, I also, believe psychoanalysis cannot be applied to the children. I support Kleins the play technique, however I believe that children are not ready to hear the interpretations, since they have not accomplished all of the developmental stages as A.Freud stated. Additionally, I disagree with Kleins point of view of excluding parents, when working with children. Since the care of the mother and the environment is crucial in childrens development, I think parents contribution to the therapy session will be meaningful as Winnicott stated. Stern disagrees on the existence of developmental stages as other theorists do. Stern makes an attempt to free infancy and psychoanalysis from predisposition of adult psychopathology. His position is that the infants from the start mainly experience the reality and their subjective experiences without suffering distortion or defences (Downey, 1988). In contrary of Winnicotts developmental stages, Stern uses for senses of self, which are emergent self, the core self, the subjective self and the verbal self. According to Erten (2010), Stern emphasizes the importance of sense of subjective self as the crucial steps of development of the child. Erten states that, according to Stern I think, Stern was influenced by Winnicotts theory of mother-infant relationship and applied to his own theory. In Sterns system the mother and the infant are in a dual relationship, in other words in sync. Stern (1985), and A. Freud (1965) were influenced by Winnicot (1971)s transitional object and phenomenon by describing the importance of having a soft substance in process of differentiating from the mother. However, Sterns view on this phenomenon is different than Winnicotts. Winnicott believes that it is crucial for child to be left alone with the transitional object whereas Stern states it is normal for mother to enter infants play in this stage is normal and she should encourage the infant play with the transitional object. Once the infant gets acquainted with the toy, he/she should be left alone. He states that it is beneficial for development of self-regulation (Stern, 1985). Additionally, Erten (2010) includes that the child will start to take a journey from his inner world to external world as he will travel from subjectivity to objectivity. I think that Winnicotts opinion seems more logical, since the transitional object should be an object that will help the child to differ entiate from his mother in order to take steps in the journey of becoming an individual. I think that transitional object would replace the pleasure that the child is receiving from the mother until the child gets acquainted to his new situation. Erten (2010) within Winnicotts holding theory; the environmental mother will witness the child, through out his development by holding the child mentally. The mother will stand besides her childs existence and will have an optimal dance with her child. By optimal dance, Winnicott meant that the mother will stand by her childs side, while not abusing her childs existence by interrupting him. In another words, the child should live his loneliness in presence of his mother. In my opinion, this optimal dance is similar to Sterns idea of affect attunement. Affect attunement is described below: When the infant is around nine months old, however, one begins to see the mother add a new dimension to her imitation-like behavior, a dimension that appears to be geared to the infants new status as a potentially intersubjective partner. (It is not clear how mothers know this change has occurred in the infant; it seems to be part of their intuitive parental sense.) She begins to expand her behavior beyond true imitation into a new category of behavior we will call affect attunement (Stern, 1985, p. 140). In Sterns theory, the mother follows the affect and behavior of her child in a compatible manner, while in Winnicotts theory, the mother watches over her child without interrupting his being but still keeping a compatible manner mentally. Additionally, Erten (2010) was able relate Winnicotts concept of capacity to be alone with Bowlbys attachment theory. He stated that the individual can form relationship which is free from separation anxiety, if he/she was able to securely attach to his mother in infancy stage. Erten continues by stating the infant who formed insecure attachment will be alone in both cases of when the mother departures (the baby is left alone) and when the mother arrives since he/she ignores the arrival of the mother due to her departure. The reason is as the object leaves (the mother), the baby feels abandoned in his/her subjective world and the anxiety will be stimulated according to frequency of mothers departure. I strongly agree with Winnicotts and Ertens statements since the concept of capacity to be alone is also a way for child to relax in his own time. Accordingly, I believe that the child will learn to soothe himself without requiring someones attention. Conclusion In the book, The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment: Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development, Winnicott informs the readers about the developmental theory ranging from early childhood to adolescence, while he explains the crucial theories that contribute the emotional development of the individual. He concludes the collection by narrating the differences between child and adult psychiatry styles, while he states the possible psychiatric disorders that might stem from infantile maturational processes. The book consisted from the collection of Winnicotts various papers. Winnicott, a former Kleinian, began to separate from Klein as he started to form his own theory by observing infant-mother relationship. By focusing on this two-body relationship and basing on Sigmund Freuds drive theory and nourishing his theories from Kleins and A.Freuds opinions, Winnicott formed different and useful theories about emotional development of individual. Unlike other theorists, Winnicott begins his theory starting from pregnancy period, when the baby is in the womb, instead of starting from the birth. He values the first relationship of mother-infant, the dependency period, immensely. Winnicott, rarely mentions the fathers role in his theories. Winnicott, also, emulates infant-mother relationship with patient-therapist relationship. When it is considered, the concepts that he mentioned can be visible in therapeutic session. Such as, the patients prefer to have capacity to be alone and experience going on being state by being silent in the therapy room. On the other hand, the therapist maintains a holding environment by not interrupting the patient, by being by his side. Finally, Winnicotts current book of collection is a well rounded, detailed book which captures the reader and provokes spirit as the reader dives into the book. The new students of psychoanalysis and pupils who wants to be psychotherapist must read this book in order to apprehend the full journey of individuals maturational processes.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Fibonacci Series And The Golden Ratio Engineering Essay

Fibonacci Series And The Golden Ratio Engineering Essay The research question of this extended essay is, Is there a relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio? If so be the reason, what is it and explain it. The Fibonacci series, which was first introduced by Leonardo of Pisa (Fibonacci), was found to have had a close connection with the Golden Ratio. The relation found was that the limit of the ratios of the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence converges to the golden mean/golden ratio. I decided to carry out a few set of experiments that involved individual concepts of both: the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio. Using their individual applications such as the Golden Rectangle, a computerized calculation supported by a sketched graph, I found that I could arrive at a conjecture that linked the two concepts. I also used the Fibonacci spiral and Golden spiral to find the limit where the values would tend to meet. After carrying out the experiments, I decided to find the proof of the relation using the Binets formula which is essentially the formula for the nth term of a Fibonacci sequence. However, the Binets formula was interesting enough to make me find its proof and solve it myself. From there, I proceeded on to the proof of the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio using this formula. The Binet formula is given by ; . Following the proof, I carried out steps to verify it by substituting different values to check its validity. After proving the validity of the conjecture, I arrived at the conclusion that such a relation does exist. I also learned that this relation had applications in nature, art and architecture. Apart from these, there is a possibility that there are other applications which can be subjected to further investigation. Table of Contents Sl. No. Contents Page No. 1. Introduction to the Fibonacci Series 4 2. Introduction to the Golden Ratio 5 3. The Relationship between them 6 4. Forming the conjecture 6 5. Testing the conjecture 7 6. The proof 15 7. Verification of the proof 20 8. Conclusion 22 9. Further Investigation 22 10. Bibliography 23 Introduction The Fibonacci Series The Fibonacci series is that sequence where every term is the sum of the two terms that precedes it (in the Hindu-Arabic system) where the first two terms of the sequence are 0 and 1. The Fibonacci series is shown below 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Where the first two terms are 0 and 1 and the term following it is the sum of the two terms preceding it, which in this case are 0 and 1. Hence, 0 + 1 = 1 (third term) Similarly, Fourth term = third term + second term Fourth term = 1 + 1 = 2 And so the sequence follows. The series was first invented by an Italian by the name of Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (1180 1250) in 1202. He is better known as Fibonacci which essentially means the son of Bonacci. In his book, Liber Arci, there was a puzzle concerning the breeding of rabbits and the solution to this puzzle resulted in the discovery of the Fibonacci series. The problem was based on the total number of rabbits that would be born starting with a pair of rabbits first followed by the breeding of new rabbits which would also start giving birth one month after they were born themselves.  [1]   The problem was broken down into parts and the answer that was obtained gave rise to the Fibonacci series. The Fibonacci series gained a worldwide acceptance soon as after its discovery and was used in many fields. It had its uses and applications in nature (such as the petals of a sunflower and the nautilus shell). Shown below is the application of the series on the whirls of a pine cone.  [2]   http://www.3villagecsd.k12.ny.us/wmhs/Departments/Math/OBrien/fib2.jpghttp://www.3villagecsd.k12.ny.us/wmhs/Departments/Math/OBrien/fib3.jpg The Golden Mean / Golden Ratio The golden mean, also known as the golden ratio, as the name suggests is a ratio of distances in simple geometric figures  [3]  . This is only one of the many definitions found for the term. It is not solely restricted to geometric figures but the proportion is used for art, nature and architecture as well. From pine cones to the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, the golden proportion is found almost everywhere. Another definition of the golden ratio is a precise way of dividing a line  [4]   There has never been one concrete definition for the golden ratio which makes it susceptible to different definitions using the same concept. First claimed to be known by Pythagoreans around 500 B.C., the golden proportion was established in print in one of Euclids major works namely, Elements, once and for all in 300 B.C. Euclid, the famous Greek mathematician was the first to establish what the golden section really was with respect to a line. According to him, the division of a line in a mean and extreme ratio  [5]  such a way that the point where this division takes place, the ratio of the parts of the line would be the Golden proportion. He determined that the Golden Ratio was such that The golden ratio is denoted by the Greek alphabet which has a value of 1.6180339à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Since then, the golden ratio has been used in various fields. In art, Leonardo Da Vinci coined the ratio as the Divine Proportion and used it to define the fundamental proportions of his famous painting of The Last Supper as well as Mona Lisa. http://goldennumber.net/images/davinciman.gif Finally, it was in the 1900s that the term Phi was coined and used for the first time by an American mathematician Mark Barr who used the Greek letter phi to name this ratio.  [6]  Hence, the term obtained a chain of different names such as the golden mean, golden section and golden ratio as well as the Divine proportion.   The Relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio After the discovery of the Fibonacci series and the golden ratio, a relation between the two was established. Whether this relation was a coincidence or not, no one was able to answer this question. However, today, the relation between the two is a very close one and it is visible in various fields. The relation is said to be The limit of the ratios of the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence converges to the golden ratio. This means that as we move to the nth term in the Fibonacci sequence, the ratios of the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series arrive closer to the value of the golden mean ().  [7]   Forming the Conjecture The Fibonacci series and the golden ratio have been linked together in many ways. Hence, I shall now produce the same statement as a conjecture as I am about to prove the relation through a set of experiments and eventually proving the conjecture (right or wrong). The conjecture is stated below The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. In order to prove this conjecture, I have carried out a few experiments below that shall attribute to the result of the above conjecture. Testing the Conjecture Experiment No. 1: The first set of experiments deal with the Golden Rectangle. The golden rectangle is that rectangle whose dimensions are in the ratio (where y is the length of the rectangle and x is the breadth of the rectangle), and when a square of dimensions is removed from the original rectangle, another golden rectangle is left behind. Also, the ratio of the dimensions ( is equal to the golden mean (). I have used the concept of the Golden Rectangle to test whether the ratios of the dimensions of the two golden rectangles, when equated to each other, give the value of the golden ratio or not which is also said to be the formula for the nth term of the Fibonacci series. The latter part of the statement is in accordance with Binets formula. The following experiment shows how this works. Let us consider a rectangle with dimensions . The dotted line is the line that has divided the rectangle in such a way that the square on the left has dimensions of . Now, the rectangle on the right has the dimensions of where x is now the length of the new golden rectangle formed and (y-x) is the breadth. Golden Rectangle 1: y x y-x The reason why this rectangle is called a Golden Rectangle is because the ratio of its dimensions gives the value of à Ã¢â‚¬  . Hence, the information we can gather from the above figure is that (1) The new golden rectangle formed from the above one is shown below with dimensions Golden Rectangle 2: y x x The above new golden rectangle shown must thus also have the same property as that of any other golden rectangle. Therefore, From the above experiments we can establish the following relation (2) For convenience sake, I have decided to take so as to make y the subject of the equation. Hence, the above equation can now be re-written as On cross-multiplying the terms above we get Writing the above equation in the form of a quadratic equation, we get Using the quadratic formula, , we get Hence, the two roots obtained are However, the second root is rejected as a value as y is a dimension of the rectangle and hence cannot be a negative value. Hence we have, Evaluating this value we have But, from equation 1, we know that However, the value of x was restricted to 1 in the above test. So as to eliminate the variable in order to keep only y as the subject, I carried out the calculations below that help in doing so Rewriting the equation Cross-multiplying the variables Dividing the equation by , we get But we know that . Thus, using this substitution in the above equation we have This is the same quadratic that we obtained earlier and hence the doubt for the presence of x clears out. Experiment No. 2: For my second experiment, I have decided to use the concept of the Fibonacci spiral and that of the Golden Spiral. The steps on how to draw these spirals are given below A Fibonacci spiral is formed by drawing squares with dimensions equal to the terms of he Fibonacci series. We start by first drawing a 1 x 1 square 1 x 1 Next, another 1 x 1 square is drawn on the left of the first square. (every new square is bordered in red) Now, a 2 x 2 square is drawn below the two 1 x 1 squares. Next, a 3 x 3 square is drawn to the right of the above figure. Now, a 5 x 5 square is adjoined to the top of the figure. Next, a 8 x 8 square is adjoined to the left of the figure. And so the figure continues in the same manner. The squares are adjoined to the original shape in a left to right spiral (from down to up) and each time the square gets bigger but with dimensions equal to the numbers in the Fibonacci series. Starting from the inner square, a quarter of an arc of a circle is drawn within the square. This step is repeated as we move outward, towards the bigger square. The spiral eventually looks like this http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/fibonacciSpiralBoxes.gif The shape shown below is the Fibonacci spiral without the squares http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/fibonacciSpiral2.gif A similar process is followed for forming the golden spiral. However, the only difference is that we draw the outer squares first and then draw the arcs starting from the larger squares. Hence, the spiral turns inwards all the way to the inner squares. Golden Spiral The Golden spiral eventually looks like this Golden Spiral On comparing the two spirals, it can be seen that they overlap as the arcs occupy the squares with dimensions of the latter terms of the Fibonacci series. An image of how the two spirals look is shown below http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/spirals.gif From the above experiment, it can be seen that there is a connection between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Mean as their individual spirals overlap each other as the n (which is the nth term in the series) tends to infinity. Experiment No. 3: My third experiment involves technology. In this experiment, I decided to use a program of Microsoft Office, namely, Microsoft Excel in order to record the values obtained on calculating the ratio of the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series. In the table below, I have recorded the terms of the Fibonacci series in the first column, the value of the ratio of the consecutive terms in the Fibonacci sequence in the second column, the value of  [8]  in the third column and the variation of the value of the ration from the value of à Ã¢â‚¬   in the last column. Term of Fibonacci Series Value of ratio of consecutive terms value of variation of value calculated from value of 0 1 1 1.00000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.61803398874989 2 2.00000000000000 1.61803398874989 -0.38196601125011 3 1.50000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.11803398874989 5 1.66666666666667 1.61803398874989 -0.04863267791678 8 1.60000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.01803398874989 13 1.62500000000000 1.61803398874989 -0.00696601125011 21 1.61538461538462 1.61803398874989 0.00264937336527 34 1.61904761904762 1.61803398874989 -0.00101363029773 55 1.61764705882353 1.61803398874989 0.00038692992636 89 1.61818181818182 1.61803398874989 -0.00014782943193 144 1.61797752808989 1.61803398874989 0.00005646066000 233 1.61805555555556 1.61803398874989 -0.00002156680567 377 1.61802575107296 1.61803398874989 0.00000823767693 610 1.61803713527851 1.61803398874989 -0.00000314652862 987 1.61803278688525 1.61803398874989 0.00000120186464 1597 1.61803444782168 1.61803398874989 -0.00000045907179 2584 1.61803381340013 1.61803398874989 0.00000017534976 4181 1.61803405572755 1.61803398874989 -0.00000006697766 6765 1.61803396316671 1.61803398874989 0.00000002558318 10946 1.61803399852180 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000977191 17711 1.61803398501736 1.61803398874989 0.00000000373253 28657 1.61803399017560 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000142571 46368 1.61803398820532 1.61803398874989 0.00000000054457 75025 1.61803398895790 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000020801 121393 1.61803398867044 1.61803398874989 0.00000000007945 196418 1.61803398878024 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000003035 317811 1.61803398873830 1.61803398874989 0.00000000001159 514229 1.61803398875432 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000000443 The aim of the table is to find out whether the value of the ratio reaches the value of à Ã¢â‚¬   or not, as the number of terms increases infinitely. Observation: From the above table, it can be seen that as we reach the nth term of the Fibonacci series, the variation in the value of the ratios from the value of à Ã¢â‚¬  , decreases. This observation is in agreement with the conjecture The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. Inference: From the above 3 experiments, I have found that the conjecture holds true for them all. Hence, I would like to state that the tests for the conjectures have been significantly successful. The Proof In order to find the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio, I followed the proof below that uses calculus to establish the required relation. The Fibonacci series is given by, Assuming that 0, 1, and 1 are the first three terms of the sequence: (3) This eventually goes on to form the well known sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Dividing the Left Hand Side (or LHS) and the Right Hand Side (or RHS) of equation 3 by F(n), gives (By taking the numerator as the denominator of F(n)) By substituting the limit of the ratios of the terms (as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ) of the Fibonacci series with A, the limit is taken on both sides such that n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The above is true as the ratio Hence, the below quadratic equation is formed We can find the roots of A by using the quadratic formula, . or From this we find that This value of is easily attainable using the Binet formula. The Binet formula is that formula which gives the value of by substituting the variable x with one of the n terms of the Fibonacci series. Using the concept of the golden rectangle, the quadratic that was obtained earlier Gave the value of . The proof of the Binet formula shows another possibility to arrive at the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio. The beauty of this proof is that the quadratic first arose from the Fibonacci series calculation and the root that was obtained gave the value of phi. This is from the proof that was written above. Under the heading Testing the Conjecture that was done earlier, the quadratic arose from the dimensions of the Golden Rectangle and the equation thus obtained gave the value of phi. Using this concept, I have followed the proof below which was solved by older mathematicians. The Binet formula is given by Now, from the above tests, we got However, there were 2 values that were obtained on calculating the value of y. The value of y that was negative was rejected then as it was incorrect to consider it a valid answer for a dimension of a geometric figure. Calling this negative root as , we can rewrite the Binet formula as Going back to the quadratic equation, we can substitute in place of y and so the quadratic equation is (4) This quadratic was obtained from the Golden Rectangle. In order to arrive at the Fibonacci sequence, a series of algebraic manipulations will help us reach that step. To start off with, we have the value of in terms of . Now, to get the value of in terms of , we multiply equation (4) into . Using equation (4), we substitute for and we get Using the same method to find the value for raised to higher powers, we have Similarly, Writing the various values for raised to higher powers (5) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Now if we look at the coefficients closely, we see that they are the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series. This can be written as (6) However, the above trend is not enough proof for generalizing the above statement. Hence, I decided to prove it by using the principle of mathematical induction. Step 1: Step 2: To prove that P(1) is true. Hence, P(1) is true (from equation 5) Step 3: Hence, P(k) is true where Step 4: To prove that P(k+1) is true. Starting from the RHS, (from equation 3) (from equation 4) (from P(k)) = RHS Hence, P(k+1) is true. Therefore, P(n) is true for all Now that we have proved that P(n) is true is true in its generalized form. Also, we know that is the other root of the quadratic equation and so the above general equation can be written in the above form as well (7) In order to obtain the Binet formula in the form of We can subtract equation (7) from equation (6) to get Substituting the original values of and in denominator of the above equation, we get Substituting the value of and in the above equation, we get This is the Binet formula which we started to prove. Hence, the formula is valid. Verifying the Proof In order to validate a proof, it must be tested in order to check whether the conjecture is valid and can be generalized. For this reason, I have decided to use the Binet formula (that was proved above) to check the validity of the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio by substituting values for x in the equation Using Case 1: , Which is the first term of the Fibonacci series. Case 2: , Which is the second term of the Fibonacci series. Case 3: , Which is the third term of the Fibonacci series. Case 4: , Which is the fourth term of the Fibonacci series. From these substitutions it is clear that the formula is a valid one which gives the desired result. Also, the above calculations have proved to be substantial examples for proving the validity of the proofs shown above. However, an important note to remember in the Binet formula is that the value of x starts from 0 and increases. So it can be said that (x belongs to the set of whole numbers). This is to account for the fact that the Fibonacci series starts from 0 and then continues. Hence, the conjecture is true and can be generalized. Hence the conjecture below can be considered true. The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. Conclusion From the above tests and verifications, it is clear that a relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio does truly exist. The relation being The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci series as well as the Golden Ratio have their individual applications as well as combined applications in various fields of nature, art, etc. As mentioned earlier, the Fibonacci series was used to find a solution to the rabbit problem. The relation between the two concepts was an integral part of the central idea in the novel The Da Vinci Code. Along with these well known ideas, other applications of the two concepts are present in the whirls of a pine cone, the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, the spiral of the nautilus shell, the petals of the sunflower. These are only very few examples regarding the applications of the two concepts. However, this relation has proved to be useful to environmentalists, artists and many other researches. For example, artists were able to use the study of the concept in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci and decipher old symbols. It also has given them the chance to create art of their own that by using this concept in their procedure of creating. Further Investigation With the great number of applications that were found regarding the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio, there is a possibility that there are other applications of the concept as well. The convergence of the ratios of the values to the value of phi may prove to be of great significance if applied to another theory that has boggled minds of mathematicians for years. Possibilities such as these give rise to the question of further investigation in this aspect of the relationship between the two concepts.

Monday, August 19, 2019

BMG Entertainment Essay -- Business Case Studies Essays Papers

BMG Entertainment The Internet, by making free and non-free online distribution of music, has profoundly affected how business is conducted in the record industry in terms of distribution channels, copyright and the economic structure of the major players in the global market. Initially, the Internet was viewed as an opportunity by some of the major players as a new channel of promotion. However, after the existence of Napster and few others, the majority considered it as threat because of the increase in the free file sharing. Consequently, for the Internet to be an opportunity for the major players, they had to adopt new business model in terms of distribution for online customers while keeping their conventional distribution channels. Early response to this threat was searching for technological solution in order to prevent piracy, going to court to sue for copyright infringement, the five major players and others offered their own authorized online distribution joint venture, all in attempt to kee p their power in the market. By fall 2000, there were 80 million users for Napster, and according to survey that was conducted on Napster users, there was an increase of 9% in music fans spending, among more experienced users there was an increase of 20% in their music spending, in addition to an increase of 19% among those using high speed connection. Napster and other free file sharing had caused the record sales to suffer. However, the file sharing services altered the conventional way of lessening to music for consumers. In 2001, 50% of U.S. households owned PCs; consumers spent $1.6 billion on CD burner, blank CDs and digital-audio players. 54% of PCs sales came with CD burners. More than 26% of online music users were ... ...threats that the major companies are facing. The five major companies have to use all of their albums in the new giant venture, and in this way competing by others would be very hard. Consumers would use this channel because it has more than 85% of the albums in the market. Through online promotions, the new venture would gather information on new prospective buyers for new albums. Therefore, all the major companies can make their marketing strategies more efficient. By following the third alternative, BMG would reduce the risk that is associated with the next move. BMG would be heading in the same direction of the industry as well as focusing on its core competence. Because of the uncertainty of how the new business model would look like, there would be new business model for the whole industry. This alternative is the lowest risk in terms of financial cost.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Ethical Foundations of Starbucks and Humana Essay -- GCSE Business

The Ethical Foundations of Starbucks and Humana Executive Summary This paper examines the ethical foundations of two companies operating in very different markets. Starbucks’ is a chain of coffeehouses specializing in gourmet coffee lines. Starbucks is based on sound ethical principals permeated through the central core of its business operations. The result of several probes leads to a conclusion that Starbucks does business in a profitable and morally sound manner. Humana Inc. is a large Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) with operations that place it third among the top players in the field. In contrast to Starbucks’, research demonstrates that Humana, and arguably all for-profit HMO’s, lacks a sound ethical foundation. The boundaries between generating a healthy return and providing quality medical care produce conflicts of interest, which for all involved lead to bad decisions and moral dilemas. The conclusions reached in this paper are the result of extensive investigation conducted through the Internet, personal interview, literature review, and legal findings. The consensus drawn from this analysis is that Starbucks is a shining example of corporate social responsibility and Humana is not. Introduction to Starbucks Starbucks is the United States number one specialty coffee retailer and a presence known around the world. It has over 2,600 coffee shops from Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Starbucks not only sells coffee but: pastries, food and drinks, mugs, and coffee making accessories. Starbucks sells their beans to restaurants, airlines, hotels, and by mail order. Starbucks mission statement is †¦Ã¢â‚¬ to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow. The following six guiding principles will help us measure the appropriateness of our decisions:† ï  ¶ Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity. ï  ¶ Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business. ï  ¶ Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee. ï  ¶ Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time. ï  ¶ Contribute positively to our communities and our environment. ï  ¶ Recog... ...engaging in price reduction schemes that are not only unethical, but quite possibly illegal, Humana finds no problem paying its Chairman of the Board $4.5 million and its President and CEO, $3 Million. Humana Foundation The charitable wing of the Humana organization was founded to â€Å"support charitable organizations and institutions that promote education, health and human services, community development and the arts.† While the group believes that these endeavors are indeed noble, Humana can not make up for a poor ethical foundation by throwing money at the problem. Bibliography 1. www.hoovers.com 2. www.starbucks.com 3. www.citizensfunds.com 4. www.businesswire.com 5. www.responsibilityinc.com 6. www.amcity.com 7. www.archivetwst.com 8. Ashby, Francine, Starbucks Case Study, Bucknell University 9. Kotha, Surest and Melissay Schilling, Starbucks Corporation, The University of Washington, WA 10. www.starbucked.com 11. LawCrawler. http://lawcrawler.findlaw.com/ 12. Vertuno, Jim. Texas Sues 6 HMO’s Over Health Care. Associated Press. December 17, 1999. 13. http://www.hmopage.org/ 14. http://www.familiesusa.org/

ITHotels in Europe :: Free Essay Writer

ITHotels in Europe Introduction The future, what is that. What will happen when the inhabitants of our globe start travelling and ask for connections to the world? Connections that will provide us with information about the world and the place we are visiting? What will happen when people ask for better evacuation alarms in our hotels and what will the digital TV give us. With a digital TV, we mean a television that is intelligent, the only thing we need to do is program the television and the digital electronic chip will figure out the rest for us. We will feed the TV with the information we want and it will automatically display them on the TV screen in a way that will be the best to you. It is in the specification that a single channel of digital television can have as many as 1,024 different programs, but they don't all have to be TV. It might be radio, computer signals or telephone signals. Can we in the hospitality industry offer all this? YES WE CAN. To remain competitive in business today, every organization needs to adopt new technology as it develops. As businesses become increasingly dependent on this new technology. Hotels called IT Hotels (information technology hotels) are under growing pressure to design and implement systems that provide greater business benefits. When a hotel adopts the new technology or Internet based-solutions, it has widespread implications throughout the organisation. The hotel might require a whole new set of skills to manage a completely new way of doing business. Whether the hotel implements an Extranet to integrate its supply chain or an Intranet to manage the flow of internal information, the new technology will create both opportunities and challenges for every IT-Hotel. The story behind IT-Hotels is their need for connections to the world and the publics’ demand for access to the world wherever they are. A certain amount of confusion has arisen over the meaning of an â€Å"IT Hotel†. Guests wonder what this means and in certain cases even â€Å"ordinary† hotels have called themselves IT-Hotels. The time when a well-furnished hotel room consisted only of a chair, a bed, a table and a lamp is over. For this reason the term IT-Hotels is here to give us a new meaning of what a well-furnished hotel room is. IT-Hotels will offer the hotel guests the means of using analogue connections, digital connection (ISDN) telephones and data communications, as well as network connections to the Intranet and Internet.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Management Power and Change Essay

1 Abstract The dynamics of power relations and their effects on organizational change was often underestimated by researchers. Analyses of the role played by power in organizational change are increasing in intensity, scale and impact (Munduate and Bennebroeck-Gravenhorst 2003). The appropriate and effective use of power is fundamental for managers engaged in major change processes. This report deals with the topic of management power and change. It focuses on the exercise of power and its function in organizational change. At first power and change management will be defined and then the bases or sources of power and the responses which are provoked according to the type of power being applied .how power can be used to influence and facilitate organizational change. 2 Definition of Power There are many variations to the definition of power and there are disagreements on its definition and what the best way is to measure it. The definition also depends on the context in which power is used. In this case, since the report focuses on the explanation of the use of power in the setting of organizational change, power is â€Å"the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to get people to do things that they would not otherwise do† (Pfeffer, 1993: 204-5). 2.1 Power and Influence In trying to understand how change is achieved, social psychologists have used the concepts of social power and influence (Raven 1999) and therefore the terms power and influence are sometimes used synonymously, but there are discrepancies between them. Social power indicates the various tools a person has to influence the environment or the other party, while influence is referring to the actual use of a specific tool in a particular situation (Munduate and Medina 2009). According to French and Raven (1959) influence is a force one person (the leader or agent) exerts on someone else (follower or target) to induce a change in the latter, including changes in behaviors, attitudes, and values. Social power was subsequently defined as the potential ability of a person to influence someone else. â€Å"Basically, influence is the effect a person’s actions have on the attitudes, values, beliefs, or behavior of others. Whereas power is the capacity to cause a change in a person, influence may be thought of as the degree of actual change† (Daft, 2006: 679-680). Boddy defines influence as the process by which one party attempts to modify the behavior of others by mobilizing power resources. Hence, in order to apprehend the function of the change agent in the promotion of change in an organization, the reactions of the targets involving a proactive disposition toward change have to be considered first and then the available tools for the change agent to influence the targets (Munduate and Medina 2009). 2.3 Types of Influence Processes There are clear differences in the way followers comply to direct and indirect social pressure from a leader and actually being convinced by him. In one case the influence may just be sufficient to exercise control over the followers’ behavior, guaranteeing a public agreement no matter if the followers are privately convinced. In another case the influence could be so strong that it changes the followers’ opinion and merely makes him committed to the leader’s request. Consequently, different types of influences have been proposed by social psychologists, whereby the most important was Kelman’s distinction (1961) between compliance, internalization, and identification. 2.4 Bases of Power For a manager to be effective, he has to possess a source of power which he can use to influence employees to take actions or carry out orders which they would not have done in the absence of that power source.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Paraphrasing and Summarizing Essay

Paraphrasing is restating someone else’s ideas in your own words while providing proper in-text citations and references to acknowledge the original source, and let the readers know that the idea is not yours. It plays an important role in academic documents, legal documents, articles journals, etc. It requires crucial thinking, understanding and writing skills to rephrase a document in your own words.| paraphrasing reflects the understanding of a person rather than the writer who has presented the original work. Moreoever, a good quality paraphrased version of a work can be more concise and yet thorough than the original piece of writing. A summary is a concise version of a long detailed text while keeping the context clear. A summary can also be called an abstract, synopsis, executive summary or recap of the original. It highlights the main points of the original text, but it is smaller than the main article. Without summaries, a reader would have to read the entire text that definitely needs a lot of time. Instructions Summarizing 1. Read the original text straight through, quickly but thoroughly. 2. Reread the original material, highlight ideas that stand out to you as being important, and underline key terms. 3. Break the text into sections, with each conveying one of the author’s main points. The goal of a summary is to express the central ideas of the original work, leaving out secondary material. 4. Write your summary in sentence form, using the main points and key terms as the muscle of your summary. Try to keep the ideas in your summary organized in the same sequence as in the original text. 5. Compare the original text to your summary to ensure you have covered the main ideas and haven’t left out any key terms. Paraphrasing 1. Read the original text straight through, quickly but thoroughly. 2. Reread the original material, taking note of the concept the author is trying to convey. 3. Express the text in your own words without changing the author’s meaning. The goal of a paraphrase is to rewrite the original text without leaving out anything of substance. 4. Compare the original text to your paraphrase to ensure you have captured the essence of the author’s ideas and have not quoted the text directly. The paraphrase must be written with language and sentence structure entirely your own.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

A Critique on Rawls

Wealthy nations are morally obliged to assist poorer nations, with regards to assisting their economic development. I have come to this conclusion based on the ideals of American philosopher John Rawls. Distributive justice is Rawls’ theory that basically augments the equal distribution of goods throughout society.This philosophy relies on fluent interaction between nations, which is often complicated by the bias inherent in many national cultures.   Rawls argues that his Law of Peoples is the perfect solution for this gap in communication between nations.   I agree that his constitution is a start, but it lacks a clear understanding of how deeply intertwined terrorism is within the political structure of society.Skin color and religion should not be influential on the distribution of goods throughout the world, but the reality is that they are a major cause for social unrest.   This coincides with the theory of relative deprivation which acknowledges that there is a sen se of injustice aroused when individuals grow to believe that the conditions of their lives is not compatible with those of the people like them in similar situations.This feeling of disadvantage is thought to be the cause of social dissent and challenges posed to the status quo.   The most immediate circumstance that would drive a person or group to challenge their ruling system would be if their fundamental needs were not being met.   This is why distributive Justice is such an important, and much needed concept within society.The universal equality that can result from Rawls method and the statement it makes on political standards is credited by Michael Walzer as a Communitarian Critique on Liberalism.   Through what Walzer refers to as Spheres of Justice, he bridges many disagreements between liberals and communists, pointing out that the communist critique on liberal society will forever resurge throughout history.The core drive behind both Walzer and Rawls’ theori es is the immorality that stems from unequal and unjust disbursement of goods.   Though, their pursuit of equality is very valiant, there are some valid hurdles that threaten the adoption of Rawl’s theories into societyThere are many arguments that can be made for and against Rawls theory.   According to one of his positions, people have the right of self-defense but no right to instigate war for reasons other than self-defense (Rawl).   This can be seen as the specific policy applied to the U.S.’s initial declaration of war on Iraq.   After the attack in 9/11, The Law of Peoples enforces the grounds that the U.S. was morally ethical in their attempt for retaliation.But, now that this war has ended, many critics find it hard to justify the United State’s continual deployment overseas.   Rawl also states that, People have a duty to assist other peoples living under unfavorable conditions that prevent their having a just or decent political and social re gime.   This concept is easily contrasted by political theorists who argue that funding to uplift the dire conditions in Iraq are inadvertently funding further terrorism.The concept of the U.S. funding a country’s economic stability and then having it turn around and use that contribution against them is a tradition with international interactions.   It can be seen in the gradual change in Germany’s relationship with the United States.   This is just one of the major hurdles for Distributive justice and poses a political threat to the affectivity of what Rawls proclaims as the solution to injustice between nations.In sum, though more affluent nations are morally responsible for the wellbeing of other neighboring and distant struggling countries, they should still be wary of potential terrorist attacks that might result from their generosity.   There are moral implications at stake, but sacrificing the affluence of a country’s economy should not result in the sacrificing of that country’s safety as well.   This fault in Rawl’s theory will have to be assessed before it can work as a valid solution to inequality.   

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

How does Carter portray power throughout the novel Wise Children? Essay

The novel Wise Children, written by Angela Carter, is the memoirs of two song and dance girls, Nora and Dora Chance, following both their trials and tribulations, but also parts of their families. Carter wrote Wise Children once she had discovered she was dying of cancer and suddenly the power to control her life had been taken out of her hands. Throughout the novel, Carter displays the use of power to change the readers perspective on certain things in life, such as when Nora loses her virginity. It is in a back alley with a married man and so could appear seedy and inappropriate, however, Nora chooses this situation, having made clear decisions about how and who with she wants to lose her virginity to, ‘she would have him. ’ Nora has the power in this situation, and it is exactly what she wants. This makes it more acceptable, ‘He was the one she wanted, warts and all. ’ Nora is not taken advantage of or made to do anything she doesn’t want to, and because she has the power and control at the time, what she is doing does not seem as unacceptable as it would if Nora did not seem to entirely understand what she was doing. Dora wants to be in charge of her own identity and her own opinions, and in control of her own life. Irish, who Dora meets in Hollywood, wants to change Dora to what he thinks is right, ‘he kept on insisting on forgiving me when there was nothing to forgive. ’ Dora, in her eyes, was doing nothing wrong, but simply being herself. This was not enough for Irish, he wanted her to be educated to his standards. Irish however controls what Dora learns so he is in charge or what she says and does as much as possible, ‘What he wanted for himself was an infinitely renewable virgin. ’ Irish wants a girl who will listen to what he teaches her and not question him. Dora knows she cannot stay with Irish as he was the control in their relationship, but she does not want him to be in charge of who she is. Dora takes the power, and she chooses to end the relationship. Gengis Khan knows women come to him for fame. Gengis is a very powerful man in Hollywood and he uses this to manipulate and take advantage of people, ‘he was the master/madam of a very peculiar brothel, where all the girls for sale were shadows. ’ The girls Gengis ‘sells’ are on a quest for fame and he uses his great power to use them and sell them with empty promises, ‘Why actresses go down on their knees to me! ’ Gengis uses women for sex to show them who is in control. Gengis keeps a photo of his wife ‘Daisy Duck’ or Delia Delaney in his office, in on display so that anyone that goes into it will see the image. Delia is one of the most famous women in Hollywood, and her fame is because of Gengis. The image is on display so that the women that come to Gengis for fame can see what he could possibly make them if they do what he requests when and how he wants. This is clearly a sordid abuse of his power, however, he knows girls that are desperate for fame will do almost anything if they think it will make them famous. Dora does not let Gengis manipulate her. Gengis wants her to sleep with him however she will not, ‘I’d feel ever so more comfortable if you put your shirt back on Mr Khan. ’ There is a power shift here, as suddenly Dora is taking the power over Gengis, rather than how it ususally is, where Gengis is able to abuse his power over women in Hollywood. Another shift in dominance and power is when Tiffany takes control over her relationship with Tristam. ‘I love you†¦ Forgive me. ’ Here Tiffany takes control, ‘Fat chance. ’ She now has the power in the relationship, knowing she’ll be better off without Tristam. Tiffany does not want to spend her life with Tristam, ‘I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man in the world. ’ She won’t let herself be controlled by Tristam any longer, as she knows he is not going to be a good Father or partner, ‘You’ve not got what it takes to be a father. There’s more to fathering than fucking you know. ’ Tristam does in fact seem very self-centred, he cares mostly about himself and his money and appears to believe that his status gives him power over Tiffany as he has given her a job and he is wealthy. This however is not true as soon Tiffany realises in fact she will be better off without Tristam and knows she can cope alone as it is obvious Tristam only proposed to her as she is having his child and he was desperate to try and appear like he was dealing with the situation correctly, showing a slight feminist edge that appears during the novel. Power is displayed in many ways throughout the novel. Carter often allows the women to take control over the men, although the men in many situations try to take over and change the women, such as Dora and Irish. Irish tries to educate Dora, because he does not think she is intelligent and often thinks the sings she says are wrong, whereas she disagrees. She leaves him because she does not feel she is right for him. She is too strong willed. We could reflect the power struggle to Carter herself as she is losing control over her life and so perhaps this is why she displays power in such ways throughout the novel. Power is often taken away from the men and given to the women throughout the novel as they stand up for themselves and their lives, such as Tiffany and Tristam, when Tiffany will not marry him simply because she is having his child. Carter shows the men in the novel to be flawed throughout the novel, as their grasps on power fail as she dispels the idea of male superiority throughout Wise Children.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Quakers' Contribution in Anti-Slavery Movement Research Paper

Quakers' Contribution in Anti-Slavery Movement - Research Paper Example All thirteen of the colonies permitted slavery and did not allow slaves the basic freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Slaves in America had no freedom and were subject to the whims and demands of their masters. The Louisiana code stated that "A slave could not make contracts, own property, or form legal partnerships on his or her own" (Oakes xiv). Family relationships among slaves were not honored and as a result, there were no requirements that slave owners keep families intact. In fact, many times, children were taken from mothers and sold as soon as they were strong enough to work themselves. Husbands and fathers were sold without regard to the feelings of wives or children. The people who were most against slavery were those who were involved in organized religion. Quakers believed in ending slavery one slaveholder at a time. They sent letters, wrote to newspapers, authored pamphlets and almanacs, using any form of publication they could to decry the institution of slavery and encourage slave owners to free their slaves. Quakers outlined a method through which slaveholders would "first educate slaves in reading and writing, teach them the principles of truth and righteousness, teach them a trade, and then set them free" (Brown 6). While it cannot be argued that the Quakers, or Society of Friends, played a crucial role in the anti-slavery movement, in all likelihood the movement would have gone on and would have been successful without their influence. There were many people in antebellum America who were willing to make great personal sacrifices to see that there was eventual freedom for all Americans. These people spanned the races, religions and cultures of the time and were dedicated to the idea of freedom for all. Body The Quakers brought up the inappropriateness of slavery in the 1600s, thus bringing the issue to the forefront of many political and social debates. They began work against slavery and did not stop their work until the e nd of slavery in America. One distinct advantage that the Quakers had in their anti-slavery work was that they had an already established network of people willing to assist runaway slaves and those who had already been freed. Friends could meet in large, public groups to make plans regarding their abolitionist activities without fear of raising suspicion because that is what they had been doing prior to their involvement in the Underground Railroad and other abolitionist activities. Additionally, the Quakers involved in anti-slavery activities knew that they could trust their fellow Friends with their lives, which is what was at stake when they assisted runaway slaves to freedom. Before slaves began to receive help from Quakers, or anyone else, in their resistance movement, they had devised many ways to confront slavery. They discovered that violence was rarely a very successful method of resistance, as the slaveholders responded immediately and intensely. Instead, they used more s ubtle methods of resistance such as "work slowdowns, feigning illness, breaking tools, and sabotaging equipment under the guise of clumsiness" (Horton and Horton 120). Slaves also used song to fight slavery. These songs told stories of escape, sent encoded messages, set the pace for work and placated slave owners by giving the appearance of passivity and contentment. Running away was another form of