Saturday, October 12, 2019
Gabriel Garcia Marquez :: Spanish Essays
Nacio el 6 de marzo de 1928 en Aracataca, Columbia , en el hogar de Gabriel Eligio Garcia, telegrafista y de Luisa Santiaga Marquez Iguaran. Siendo muy nià ±o fue dejado al cuidado de sus abuelos maternos, el Coronel Nicolas Marquez Iguaran -su idolo de toda la vida- y Tranquilina Iguaran Cortes. El reconoce que su madre es quien descubre los personajes de sus novelas a traves de sus recuerdos. Por haber vivido retirado al comienzo de su padre, le fue difà cil tratarlo con confianza en la adolescencia; "nunca me sentia seguro frente a el, no sabia como complacerlo. El era de una seriedad que yo confundia con la incomprension", dice Garcia Marquez. En 1936, cuando murio su abuelo, fue enviado a estudiar a Barranquilla. En 1940, viajo a Zipaquira, donde fue becado para estudiar bachillerato. "Alli, como no tenà a suficiente dinero para perder ni suficiente billar para ganar, preferia quedarme en el cuarto encerrado, leyendo", comenta el Nobel. En 1946 termino b achillerato. Al aà ±o siguiente se matriculo en la Facultad de Ciencias Politicas de la Universidad Nacional y edito en diario "El Espectador" su cuento, "La primera designacion". En 1950, escribio una columna en el periodico "El Heraldo" de Barranquilla, bajo el seudà ³nimo de Septimus y en 1952, publico el capà tulo inicial de "La Hojarasca", su primera novela en ese diario, en el que colaboro desde 1956. En 1958, se caso con Mercedes Barcha. Tienen dos hijos, Rodrigo y Gonzalo. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, quien esta radicado en Ciudad de Mexico desde 1975, en una vieja casona restaurada por el mismo, es amigo cercano de inportantes personalidades mundiales, lo fue de Omar Torrijos y conserva fuertes lazos con Fidel Castro, Carlos Andres Perez, Francois Miterrand, los presidentes de Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia y otros muchos. El 11 de diciembre de 1982, despues de que por votacion unanime de los 18 miembros de la Academia Sueca, fue galardon ado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura por su obra. La vida y obra del Nobel Garcia Marquez ha sido reconocida publicamente: en 1961 recibio el Premio Esso, en 1977, fue homenajeado en el XIII Congreso Internacional de Literatura Iberoamericana; en 1971, declarado "Doctor Honoris Causa" por la Universidad de Columbia, en Nueva York; en 1972, obtuvo el Premio Romulo Gallegos por su obra "La Candida Erendira y su abuela desalmada". En 1981, el gobierno frances le concedio la condecoracion "Legion de Honor" en el grado de Gran Comendador.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Perception of Depression amongst North American and African Cultures Essay
Depression or â€Å"Unipolar depression is another name for Major Depressive disorder. It is a mood disorder characterized by depressed mood, it often manifests in lack of interest in family, school and social life, changes in eating and sleeping habits, emotional and medical disregard for the self, difficulty in concentrating, and loss of interest in life†(Rush, 2007). Just like any other pathological disease, it has risk factors, signs and symptoms, and a natural course. Like any other disease it can be treated with proper medical and psychological therapy. Yet it is not perceived as such by the community.            There is remarkable lack of awareness about depression in the communities, in spite of the staggering statistics about the disorder. Unipolar depression affects 7-18% of the American population at least once before the age of 40 (Kassler, McGonagle & Zhao, 1994). In the United States alone, the number of females are reported to be suffering from clinical depression (Murray, 1997). It has also been observed that 2.5 percent of children and 8.3 percent of adolescents are depressed at any given time. These rates are considerably higher than the figure of the past decades (Depression Statistics Information, Internet). Yet, it has been found that only 20 percent of depressed people undergo medical treatment (Depression Statistics Information). This is caused by numerous reasons with ignorance or lack of concern and awareness about the disorder considered as the biggest suspect. In fact, a United States surgeon general report in the Hispanic community states that less than 10 percent of the mentally ill people will ever approach a mental clinic (U.S. Department of Health, 2000). This is possibly the result of lack of concern on their part, or due to the fact that in the Hispanic community’s, non-medical methods of treatment for the depressed. It is imperative that we find out whether other communities also show a similar of lack of awareness and concern about depression.            Social Science & medicine attempts to find cultural differences in the conceptual models of depression by an interviewed with North American immigrants and African Americans (Karasz, 2005) . His study demonstrated that Americans were more of the view that depression was a pathological disease of the body just like any other disease and required medical therapy. According to the author, the people from the African community were more likely to explain depression in terms of a social and moral problems and conformed to the belief that self management was the right way to deal with the issue of depression.            Different communities have different perceptions about the disease, people of certain cultures prefer going to spiritual healers rather than seek medical attention (Nayem, 2005). Some cultures prefer to treat this ailment with alternative therapies to allopathic ones. Depression, though a serious and debilitating disease, does not command the same attention as other medical disorders like heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, or even obesity. According to Pasacreta (2008) there has been little attention given to depression and its consequences when we compare it with other diseases. For example obesity has been associated with diabetes many times. Even though depression also has a similar association with type II diabetes, not many people are aware of this fact. Since public concern is lacking in communities, many depressed people fail to come forward, and receive proper treatment. If this trend continues prevalence of depression will continue to rise.            Though the attitudes of different cultures may vary toward the disease, it does not change the fact that â€Å"depression poses enormous costs for individual, family, and the society†(Nayem F, 2005). Depression is a severe disease with far reaching effects, starting from the patient, who may inflict self harm, leading to a family life, which cannot function in the same way as before (Scott, 2003). There has been research demonstrating depression as a burrden to people, communities, and health services as the treatment is long term and the patient has little or no productivity to society (Nayem, 2005). This research further highlights the need to conduct a survey to assess the perception of depression across various cultures.            People are unaware of the magnitude of the problem and its economic implications. In certain cultures, inability to diagnose the disease or disregard of its seriousness lead to delayed medical opinion and treatment. Through this study, we will try to substantiate the various levels of awareness that different cultures have about the disease. The severity of depression usually gets aggravated if it is not treated promptly after diagnosis. This leads to a greater burden on the country. Scott (2003) echoed this sentiment when he stated â€Å"In the National Health Service the cost of treating depression ( £887 million) exceeds the cost of treating both hypertension ( £439 million) and diabetes ( £300 million). However, here, the direct health care costs are dwarfed by the indirect costs (i.e. days lost from work owing to depression exceed all other disorders and the economic burden on family members and society is considerable).                                                                                          North American and African cultures both differ in there perceptions about depression as a disease. Different cultures may feel that depression is a problem but western cultures are more likely to view it as a disease which needs medical therapy just like any other, whereas the people from the non western culture will perceive depression as more of a social and moral problem which requires self-management. There will generally be a lack of knowledge about depression as a disease in the non western community. The false beliefs and stigmas will be more present in non western cultures as compared to their western counterparts.            How widespread is serious depression? According to Dr. Nathan S. Kline of the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene, â€Å"it has been estimated that 15 per cent of the adult population of the United States has some degree of depression which is serious enough to be in need of treatment. This amounts to about 20 million people, which makes it not only the most frequent psychological disorder but also one of the most common of all serious medical conditions.†Depression is so widespread that it has been called â€Å"the common cold of mental disturbances.†           Studies report that women outstrip men in suffering from depression by a ratio of about 2 to 1, though some claim that this is because women are more willing to admit that they are depressed. Depression afflicts all races and every social and economic level. While the malady is most common between the ages of sixty and seventy, it strikes all age groups and has been rising among persons in their twenties. Why do so many millions of persons suffer from depression?            Much study has gone into uncovering the root causes of mental depression. Flaws in human society constitute one main source of the problem. Illustrating an aspect of this are comments by Dr. John Schwab, of the University of Florida College of Medicine: â€Å"We’re in an era of change right now. Old values such as the old work ethic are being rejected and people are caught in an ideological vacuum. Kids see that the fruits of four hundred years of scientific progress may be more bitter than sweetâ€â€but they don’t know what to put in its place, and consequently there is a sense of futility.†Because of this, many disillusioned youngsters seek â€Å"escape†through drugs and other means. â€Å"The search for highs among the young,†observes Dr. Schwab, â€Å"is often only a flight from the lows.†           Also contributing to the rise in depression is â€Å"supermobility.†Families that keep changing their places of residence, hopping about from house to house and city to city, do not stay in one place long enough to build solid relationships with other people. A psychiatrist at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center wrote: â€Å"Psychiatrists around Boston have been aware for some time of what is called ‘the Route 128 syndrome’ or in Florida ‘the Cape Kennedy syndrome.’ It is found in young families who have moved too much, and its components are a husband too centered in his career, a depressed wife and troubled children.†           Sometimes depression results when a person reaches a â€Å"plateau†in his life after many years of painstaking labor. A hard-driving business executive may finally achieve the top position in his company, only to realize that he no longer has a goal in life. Housewives in their forties and fifties often suffer from what psychiatrists call â€Å"empty nest syndrome.†By this time their children usually have grown up, their husbands are at work for most of each day and they must face lonely hours in houses devoid of people.            What about the feelings of inferiority that often accompany depression? Here too the responsibility may rest with human society. How so? Because it is often at a tender age that children are made to feel unattractive. Their peers may ridicule them if they are unable to do what the majority consider the â€Å"in†thing. If a youngster tends to be clumsy and uncoordinated, schoolmates and playmates can influence the child to believe that he â€Å"can’t do anything right.†Children of this type often combine the generalization: â€Å"I am weak,†with the value judgment: â€Å"It’s disgusting to be weak.†Such youths are likely candidates for depression. Method  Participants        Approximately 40 students (20 western, 20 international) students from a Midwest liberal arts college will participate in this study. All of them would be selected using randomized sampling. Participants will be offered candy for the completion of the survey. Materials  The survey questionnaire will consist of questions related to assessment of knowledge and attitudes towards depression and a demographic data form. The survey forms will contain closed ended questions only. It will consist of 3 parts. The first section will consist of demographic questions to gather information about the participants: How long have they lived here. Have they adopted the western culture of living or not. The second part will consist of closed questions. The participants will have to choose from the given options in the questionnaires. There will be questions that ask whether they consider depression to be a serious disease. Whether they believe it is a disease of the mind, body, or mind and body. Questions related to stigma would also be included for example do they believe mentally ill people are more aggressive than others? Do they believe mental illnesses are not as severe as physical ones? Do they believe depressed people can be cured with drugs only, or do they require social and community help? Moreover, to support the validation of the results of the survey, the review of literature to be utilized within the research shall show a specific scale of measure that is used by psychologists to identify the behavior of humans with regards to depression from different cultures all over the world. Procedure            It is imperative to find out exactly how different cultures perceive depression as a disease. The researcher plans on conducting this research. This research will deal with the perception of depression as a disease amongst western and non western cultures. The research will also look into the level of awareness in different cultures about the prevalence of disease in their societies. This research will try to substantiate if the perception of depression varies with different cultures. To complete the said aim, the research will be conducted on campus. Participants will be debriefed on the study being researched. The researcher would then have the participants sign a consent form before they participate in the study. After which, a survey kit would then be handed out to them and they would be given three days to return them back. Data analysis A one way ANOVA would be conducted to analyze the data. Since we have two independent sample populations and more than two variables. This will allow for the comparison of attitudes about depression for members of Western and non-Western cultures. Using the ANOVA we can calculate whether the stated answers have associations with either the western or non western societies.                                                  References Depression Information and Fact Statistics (2008), Depression statistics and information, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com/Depression/statistics.htm Haasen C, Levit O, Gelbert A, Foroutan N, Norovjav A, Sinaa M, et.al, (2007), Relationship between mental distress and acculturation among migrants, psychrische praxis,  retrieved on February 13, 2008, from the NCBI database on    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez Karasz, A. (2005), Cultural differences in conceptual models of depression, Social Science & medicine, 60, 1625-35, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15652693?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn Kessler, R., McGonagle K,, & Zhao S, et al. (1994) Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry;51:8-19. Murray, C., Lopez, A.D. (1997). â€Å"Alternative projections of mortality and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global Burden of Disease Study†. Lancet 349 Neem F, Ayub M., Izhar N, Javed Z, et al (2005). Stigma and knowledge of depression, Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 21(2) 155-158. Pasacreta. J, (2008), Depression: Is society taking the wrong approach? , retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http://www.helium.com/tm/646939/novel-approach-managing-depression Scott, J. (2003), Global burden of depression: the intersection of culture and medicine, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 183: 92-94, retrieved on February 13, 2008, from http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/183/2/92 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. Mental Health: Culture, Race, Ethnicity – Supplement, A Report of the Surgeon General 1999.from: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cre/default.asp.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Significance of the Title to the Novel the Pearl
The significance of the title to the novel ‘The Pearl’. The novel ‘The Pearl’ by John Steinbeck is such a novel that really interest me as a reader. What is really appropriate is the title itself which incorporate ‘the pearl’, the essence of the story. The pearl is very significant to the title because without ‘the pearl of the world’, the story just would not exist. The novel could not stand by itself if the pearl is not found. We can also see that any story would not be interesting without conflicts.The pearl has created conflicts among the characters in the novel. Thus, it can be said that it is the pearl that moves the story. The characters are nothing without the pearl. The pearl is the beginning and the end of the novel. As readers, we can see that the pearl appears as something significant when Kino found it. The finding of the pearl is described vividly in the story. Its colour and shape are shown by the writer graphically. The response from Kino who clinched his fist triumphantly and his friends who come in drove show the importance of the pearl.We realized that the story revolves around the pearl. This continues till the end of the story. The disappearance of the pearl when it was thrown by Kino marks the end of the story. Therefore, the pearl is a single entity which is very important to the novel. The pearl is crucial as the title as it differentiate between good and evil and between the poor and the wealthy. It becomes a priceless commodity that turns the character into who they are. Those who wish to be evil use the pearl for evil purposes whereas the good just need it for their normal life.Thus the pearl is very significant to both parties, and to the title of the novel. A novel energy lies in the existence of powerful characters and plot. Although the pearl is not a character, its involvement in nearly all the important happenings is a statement that it is the energy that drives the story forwa rd. Those who touch it become obsess with it and those who haven’t are willing to do anything to get it. Kino becomes obsessed with the pearl promises and the doctor is willing to sacrifice his professional etiquette to obtain the pearl.It seems that the energy of the pearl is uncontrollable. This makes ‘The Pearl’ a remarkable tale that interest readers. A story needs a suitable setting which suit the period. The pearl is a perfect instrument that suits a story that takes place in La Paz, an important pearl producer in American Continent. We can imagine that if the pearl is replaced with other thing, the novel would become dull and the story becomes irrelevant. It is an important tool that require by many people in La Paz, including the natives and the wealthy immigrants.Kino himself said that the pearl is his soul. The pearl that drives the economy of La Paz is also the one that drives the plot of ‘The Pearl’. The points above have shown that the t itle of the novel ‘The Pearl’ which uses the pearl of the world as its main ingredient is rightly chosen. The title ‘The Pearl’ perfectly suits the story plot. It also provides the right ingredient for conflicts and a foundation for a never ending quests for a good life.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Meeting the psychological needs of teaching staff Essay
Meeting the psychological needs of teaching staff - Essay Example In April 2000, Pamela Relf, a teacher with over 36 year’s experience, took her life after an Ofsted inspector criticised her teaching at Middlefield Primary School in Eynesbury, Cambridgeshire. For a teacher of her experience to be criticised like this, was more than a rebuke. Pamela, the school’s senior most teachers left behind a note echoing the sentiments of many teachers, saying "I am now finding the stress of my job too much. The pace of work and the long days are more than I can do." Similarly, three other teachers have also been linked to stress, bullying and Ofsted inspections. They are Janet Watson (33) of Northwick, Cheshire, Jenny Knibb (47) of Exeter, and James Patton (29) of Birmingham. Though the numbers of casualties are unknown and definitely much more, the above cases alone characterise the heat teachers undergo in the face of prolonged stress and bullying. Though these teachers took their lives because of the workload and pressure to perform, it is ar gued that their suicide was because of mental health problem. But this can also come about due to the result of psychiatric injury caused by prolonged negative stress. Psychiatric injury is not the same as mental illness (Tim Field, 2006). The cases of stress and strain are numerous and would go beyond many, many pages. In order to understand the impact of stress and strain on teachers, the above cases were quoted. To overcome the negative thoughts of leaving the profession, teachers had to be offered perks and cordial work environment for retention.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8
Economics - Essay Example As a way of influencing the demand and supply of money in the economy, the Federal Reserve use either contractionary or expansionary money policy. Because, the interest rates are low there is a high availability of money supply in the economy as a result, there is moderate inflation occurrence that is currently at two percent. As the Fed chairperson, the use of restrictive monetary policy measures ensure s there is a steady flow of money in the economy during the period (Bartolotti, 2006). This is because restrictive monetary policy ensures that there is a higher level of depository interest rate for commercial banksas it borrows money from the Federal Reserve banks as they keep their reserves at the authorized level. In addition, it is critical to increase the open market operations by ensuring the citizens with extra money to save can invest in it because of the highly expected returns leading to money being drained out of the economy. As a result, the banking institutions will cha nge a higher rate as it lends less money with increased reserve requirement thus, individuals will seek alternatives for seeking funds rather than borrowing money. In addition, the government can make investments with the funds collected from open market operations leading to increased gross domestic product (GDP) growth. With an unemployment rate that is quite high, there is a need to carry out measures that will influence the growth of employment levels in the economy. Concerning, the new classical economists notion on unemployment and inflation, they highly advocate for a stable inflation-unemployment trade-off that is achievable through the Phillips curve. Based on the Philips curve the trade off is achievable on the assumption of changes in the price level in the private sector freely. This is because the Philips curve enhances the relationship between inflation and unemployment because of fiscal and monetary policy changes (Knoop, 2004). Nonetheless, the classical economics ar gue based on the conceptualization that the expectations-augmented in the Phillips curve emphasizes that the unemployment rate should not extend further than the natural level as it could lead to increased inflation rates. More significantly, it is critical to implement fiscal and monetary policies to influence employment levels (Knoop, 2004). This is because the economy is recovering from a recession period and the economy tends to grow with the aggregate demand (AD) increasing therefore, the levels of employment will increase. Even though, there is an increased pressure for a raise in wages after rescission, the rate at which the economy grows is faster, and the wages begin to rises slowly. Based on the Philips curve an outward shift of the aggregate demand AD curve because of increased consumer spending causes the equilibrium level of national output to shift to the point Y2 beyond potential gross domestic product (GDP). As a result, this creates a positive output gap, and it is more preferably attributed to cause a rise in inflationary pressure
Monday, October 7, 2019
Genetically modified animals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Genetically modified animals - Research Paper Example It is imperative to modify the DNA of the germ line cells during the process of creating genetically modified animals. By modifying the DNA of germline cells, it becomes easier for the modified DNA to be inheritable (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). While introducing the foreign DNA, it is necessary to consider only those that have the capacity to differentiate into different cells of an adult animal. Besides, the embryonic stem (ES) cells and cells of embryos at very early stages might also be considered for the process of creating genetically modified animals. Even though such cells are post-zygotic, they clearly represent a development phase characterized by incomplete separation of the germline and the soma (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). In essence, such cells usually have the capacity to give rise to both the germline and somatic cells. Apparently, a transgenic animal is normally produced when a foreign DNA molecule is introduced into the cell of an animal through artificial means. The transgene (the foreign DNA molecule) may contain just one or several genes. The transgenic animal produced upon inserting a transgene into the already fertilized cells or oocyte from the early embryo, will be able to transmit the foreign DNA in its germline (Starr, Evers, & Starr, 2013). ... Incidentally, gene targeting has only been possible in mice while efforts to employ it in other mammals have proven futile (Forman, 2010). The design of several new animal of human disease has been necessitated by the ability of the transgenic mice to perform specific changes in a prearranged or predetermined gene via gene targeting. In addition, other experimental approach that involves genetic manipulation of various animal species has highly influenced the genetic engineering procedure (Forman, 2010). The somatic cell nuclear transfer procedure has ushered in a new era in mammalian genetics. For the first time in history, the procedure approved the cloning of an adult mammal. Social and Ethical Implications Various social groups have come out as the strongest opponents of the efforts to adopt the genetically modified animals. For example, different religious groups consider GMOs as a gross violation of the fundamental tenets that have kept society moving (Nelson 2001). Incidentall y, many of the religious faiths believe in creation. However, a scenario where man seems to have the powers to create or even modify an animal generally violates the values, ethics, and morals associated with the society. Today, most scientists are finding it much easier to interbreed and genetically manipulate the organism following the discovery of DNA. In essence, biomedical scientists can now build animals at the microscopic level (Nelson 2001). This scenario goes against Christian or even the Islamic faith as they always believe the power to create organisms is a reserve of the Supreme Being. On social grounds, vets now find it easier and even economical to treat
Sunday, October 6, 2019
A Caucasian Man Changed by the Grace of God Essay
A Caucasian Man Changed by the Grace of God - Essay Example The paper talks about my feelings and the risk of being a Christian. It talks about my personal experiences and my way of life after being changed. The paper also contains the story when I entered into my High School life. It talks about the fears I had and the things I did that made me walked away from the presence of God. It tells about how I overcame those trials and testing in my life. It talks about the result of overcoming those trials.Before the world began, everything is nothing but then God created life and light throughout the world. Whoever repents, believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be saved and will receive the great joy of being a Christian.I was young and aggressive back then when I heard the most beautiful story that I have ever heard. It is the complete, enjoyable and touching story of Jesus Christ that was delivered by a very tiny and soft voice, the voice of my Sunday school teacher. As I was hearing the story of Jesus Christ’s suffering s with thirty-nine lashes and was tortured to death, I felt like I was a lost sheep that have gone astray. I was just like a lost sheep turning and running from nowhere. But then with the realization that God will accept me because of His grace and mercy, I willingly offered my life into His hands. That was the time that I have received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. In that very sincere prayer I uttered, I felt like I was floating on the air. I felt like I was free from any kinds of bondage. I felt like no one can defeat me because my life is already in God’s hands.
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