The Weirdest College Essay Prompts Ever

Supplemental essays are often the most personal parts of college applications. Your essay lets you reveal aspects of your life and character that just dont come across elsewhere. In some cases, though, the essay questions are so strange that they might seem more like puzzles than prompts. Take the following examples. 1. Tufts University Kermit the Frog famously lamented, Its not easy being green. Do you agree? Tufts University frequently supplies eclectic essay prompts, and this is obviously one of them. After all, it quotes someone whos made of felt. Nevertheless, its philosophical. It challenges students to define the existential condition green in their own way. No doubt many respondents will highlight a quirk that makes them distinct. It could be something physical like being tall, or it could be a personality feature like curiosity. Either way, applicants must decide whether that quality has caused them difficulties. Check out our database of successful Tufts profilesfor more inspiration! 2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill What do you hope to find over the rainbow? This UNC prompt is also framed through the lens of popular culture. It references a song from the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. Its asking students what they want their futures to hold once they cross a certain threshold. Again, applicants must define their own terms. What is that threshold, the rainbow, that they must pass? Is it school? Is it the search for a true calling? These questions would probably keep the Scarecrow up at night. Here are UNC Chapel Hill essay examples! 3. University of Chicago What is square one, and can you actually go back to it? When it comes to asking offbeat essay questions, the University of Chicago is Americas reigning champ. This one takes a familiar idiom ― back to square one ― and squeezes out its metaphysical implications. When people find themselves on the wrong path in life, to what extent can they go back and fix the problem? Can you really make amends with other people? Is there a point of no return in terms of decision-making? Take a look at some UChicago success stories. 4. Wake Forest University Give us your top ten list. This request must inspire many different kinds of responses. Many students probably submit earnest lists of heroes, career objectives or the struggles theyve overcome. No doubt others offer humor, perhaps naming their most embarrassing moments or favorite dance moves. Some brave soul might provide ten reasons he or she hates top ten lists. Would you be sincere or irreverent with your list? See what others did in their Wake Forest application! 5. University of Richmond Tell us about spiders. Heres another question thats wide open to interpretation. It also gives applicants the chance to display their unique sensibilities. You could opt for biological descriptions, an examination of how spiders have been perceived throughout history, an autobiographical story about childhood arachnophobia, an amusing look at the world from a spiders point of view or something else entirely. You have to wonder, though, how many admissions officers get the willies reading these essays. Heres a list of Richmond profiles to help you. 6. Brandeis University If you could choose to be raised by robots, dinosaurs or aliens, who would you pick? Why? Given the absurdity of its three choices, this question seems designed to test creativity and reasoning skills. How do you construct a logical argument from an illogical premise? How do you advocate for an idea thats appalling? On the other hand, maybe some people like the notion of robots changing diapers or aliens singing lullabies. Check out Brandeis University profiles! Unusual college application essays certainly arent for everyone. Many students prefer standard queries about inspiring books or extracurricular activities. However, if you have an urge to show off your imagination and unique writing style, you might start hunting for an essay question as bizarre as those above. Which essay prompt has you scratching your heads? Let us know what other strange ones youve encountered this application season! If you still need some inspiration, check out ’s database of 60,000+ successfulcollege application files.

The Contemporary Politics of Development in Nigeria

The Contemporary Politics of Development in Nigeria Neoliberalism Background For the past two decades, the concept of neoliberalism has been a subject of intense debate in many political and economic arenas. Scholars argue that we live in a world shaped by the ideology of neoliberalism. The term ‘neo’ means new or recent, therefore by its own definition, neoliberalism is a reincarnation of liberalism; meaning that the ideology of liberalism has undergone a complete transformation; a cycle that all ideologies seem to undergo.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Contemporary Politics of Development in Nigeria specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This process includes the following stages: formulation and growth of the ideology, succeeded by a decline and finally emerging as a new and redefined ideology. Though neoliberalism stems out of liberalism, the two concepts are not identical (Wolfson 2004: 34). Classical liberalism is an ideology that advocates for a fr ee market economy, where the state has limited influence on the day to day business of its citizenry. Definition In an attempt to define and shed light on this phenomenon, neoliberalism can be termed as: â€Å"A theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills with an institutional framework characterized by strong property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an institutional framework appropriate to such practices. The state has to guarantee, fir example, the quality and integrity of money. It must also set up those military, defense, police and legal structures and functions required to secure private property rights and to guarantee, by force if need be, the proper functioning of markets. Furthermore, if markets do not exist (in areas such as land, water, education, health care and social security) then they must be created, by s tate action if necessary. But beyond these tasks the state should not venture. State interventions in markets (once created) must be kept to a bare minimum because, according to the theory, the state can not possibly possess enough information to second-guess market signals (prices) and because powerful interest groups will inevitably distort and bias state interventions (particularly in democracies) for their own benefit† (Harvey 2005: 2) This definition views neoliberalism as a distinctive phenomenon, separate from liberalism. Neoliberalism is therefore, a political ideology which, strongly proposes that the legitimate function of the state is to ensure individual security, commercial liberty and to safeguard property rights. When these conditions are achieved, then the market is said to be free to transact and facilitate exchange of goods and services.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Political Development in Nigeria Background Nigeria is a federal republic with similar institutional structures as those found in the United States. This country has a population of 158 million people and a marked gross domestic product of 384 billion dollars and an annual growth rate of 9.1as per the 2010 fiscal year. Nigeria is an economic giant in the African region with vast resources in agriculture and in the oil industry. According to the report provided by the United Nation, on Human development index (HDI) in 2008, ranked Nigeria 159th out of the 177 countries. The table shows statistical data collected by the CIA World Factbook. Population (200) Life Expectancy (2008) Population below poverty line (2007) Total fertility rate (2008) Literacy (2008) Population living with HIV/AIDS 138,283,240 47.8 years 70% 5.4 Children/women 68% 5.4% Source: CIA World Factbook. The data in the table above shows a number of failures in the overly neoliberal Nigeria. Though Nigeria is endowed with natural resources, a majority of the population still in deplorable conditions with poor sanitation, housing, no piped water and electricity. These conditions are further worsened by foreign oil companies that are exploiting the rich oil resource while leaving behind a devastating surrounding (Ihovbere 1994, p.24). Poverty levels in Nigeria Under neoliberalism, markets forces seem to be dominating the global economy. Despite the vast resources, Nigeria like any other third world is in an unequal global economy, with its development largely dependent on loans from multinational corporations, local banks and the political elite. The Neoliberal policies have been imposed on the African countries. The international financial institutions (World Bank, IMF and WTO) ensure that there are neoliberal reforms attached to the funds that they loan the Africans. Economic disparities are further advanced by the neoliberal policies. In his book Globalization Reducing Poverty and Inequality? Robert Wade claims that there has been a sizable gap in gross national products (GNPs) between the developed and the peripheral states (2004: 384). Wade also observes that claims of neoliberalism reducing poverty are not true, as the world economic inequalities seem to be rising everyday (2004: 400).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Contemporary Politics of Development in Nigeria specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The 2005 Millennium Development goals for the African region, showed an increased number of Nigerians surviving on less than a dollar a day. The report also showed that a growing number of people were slum dwellers (2005: 364-393). The gross domestic product per capita in Nigeria is $ 1,721 (United Nations Development Programme, 2006). This figure perhaps represents data for the wealth few in the State. More than a half of the Nigerians are still living below the poverty lines. The oil companies enjoy a business atmosphere uninterrupted by the state; as a result, there is a little concern over protection of the environment. Every year, there are over 300 oil spills in Nigeria and the oil companies seem less concerned. The locals around the oil fields have been left with barren lands that can not be used for subsistent farming (Okeagu 2006: 202). This has resulted in an increased migration to the urban areas; leading to massive congestions of people with no jobs and housing (Davis, 2006, p.23). This whole process has a net effect of reducing the productivity of the state and creation of slums within business districts. Neoliberalism promotes the ideology that the most efficient way to allocate resources is through the market, this is not the case in Nigeria, resource allocation only benefits a small cluster of wealthy individuals as the poverty gap between the poor and rich widens. Wage regulation is another condition of this ideology, as uncontrolle d wages might push the inflation even higher and that private sectors should be allowed to invest in public institutions and enterprises. These conditions, when applied in Nigeria, the beneficiaries are the few elites as poverty levels keep on rising (Okeagu 2006, p.108). The free- market economy and security The geo-politics of oil in Nigeria Oil accounts for 95% of the total export of Nigeria and like all regions with rich oil reserves, the western countries always find a way to control countries with this resource. Though government has jurisdiction over all oil fields, it is the foreign companies that dictate the terms (Junger, 2007). The free-market ideology has put this resource in the hands of private investors and the political class of Nigeria who work with foreign companies to exploit the extraction process. A militant group, called The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), unhappy with the way the foreign companies destroyed their environment, decided t o wage war against them. In 2006, they took control of the Niger Delta. The MEND was vicious and had resoted to killing as a way of combating the foreigners (Junger, 2007). Neoliberalization claims that the state should use its institutions to safeguard and protect the citizens and their properties.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since the militia started causing havoc, the state militarized the river states at the Delta. In 2006, a joint task force of the security forces attacked and killed 15 members of the MEND. This region had been restricted and considered dangerous to the community around that area. The insecurity also caused the production of oil to decline, leading to a decline of 2.6% in the growth rate of Nigeria. This is what prompted President Olusegun Obasanjo to order the security forces to pacify the region. Ethnic Conflicts In the last four decades, Niger Delta has experienced ethnic conflicts that are fueled by the desire to gain social recognition and the agitation to control the oil resource; thereby posing substantial challenges to economic development. These communities are grossly dependent on socio-economic activities, but they are marginalized, psychologically alienated and underdeveloped (Suberu, 1996, p.31). The MEND and the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) enga ged in constant conflicts over resources and had proposed the creation of states based on ethnicity. In order to deal with these conflicts, the government decided to create institutions that would deal with that problem. These institutions included: the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) formed in 2000 and the Niger Delta Ministry (NDM) formed in 2009. Even thought these institutions were formed to develop the region, there is still a presence of conflict in the region. The free market allocation of resources proposed by the neoliberal theory has only caused more harm to the Niger Delta, as there is no evidence of equitable distribution (Castree, 2005, p.45). In view of this, people will always defend resources that maintain their survival and development leading to violent conflicts (Dibua, 2006, p.67). Neoliberalism visvis human rights According to the tenets of neoliberalism, the state is supposed to guarantee the freedoms and liberties of all the citizens. The fundamental rights of the modern Nigeria were first entrenched in the constitution in 1960 and were further revisited in 1999, when the bill of rights was included. Bill was aimed at protecting the political and economic well-being of the Nigerian people (Kalu, 2001, p.243-267). These rights have however been violated by both the government and its institutions. According to the report by Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and labour (2010), Nigeria experienced human rights violations that included: depriving the citizens the right to change their government. There was extrajudicial killing that was politically motivated and carried out by Nigerian security forces. According to the Amnesty International report (2009), security forces were responsible for exciting detainees in their custody. Societal Abuse and Discrimination Nigeria is currently by the federal law, which prohibits homosexual relations; homosexual offenses carry a sentence of up to 15 years in jail. Northern states of Nigeria are mostly comprised of a Muslim population and apply the Sharia law to its full extent. Individuals found engaging in homosexual activities are punished by stoning to death. In 2008, members of a church were stoned to death by an angry mob because they were friendly to the to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups (LGBT). As a fundamental right, the government should protect citizens against these discriminations (Herskovits, 1980). Another group that is also discriminated against is the group with persons living with HIV/AIDS. Some people regard this disease as an evidence of immoral behavior amongst people living with the virus. This group has further been discriminated against the work places, schools, hospitals and in other social faculties. In 2008, the Bauchi State Agency embarked on a mission to pair up couples that were HIV positive. By March the following year (2009), about 100 couples had been paired up and married. The activity was aimed at reducing and preventin g further spread of the HIV virus. This in itself is gross violation of Human freedoms of association. Rights of Association The law stipulates that all citizens are at liberty to form and join any trade unions of their choice. Though this true, the law has also formulated statutes of limitations. Trade unions have to meet the requirements of the law in order to the recognized. First, they must be registered by the government and must reach the thresh hold of 50 members in order to be considered for registration. These limitations were perhaps aimed at preventing the proliferation of small trade unions which are mostly formed by the lower income earners. In 2009, there were about 8 million people registered by unions, this represented 65 percent of the entire professional staff, both public and private (Koehn, 1998). However these figures have been declining fewer members registered each year. Although the laws states that unions should carry out their activities without any outside interruption, it also fails to effectively define what legal activity is and what is not. The Nigerian law also prohibits the right to strike; this is one of the fundamental rights of workers. The right to strike is universally accepted and it is to this effect that the International Labour Organization (ILO) ruled that this policy by the Nigerian government was contrary to the universal convention. This is to show that the government has failed to affect the ideals of the neoliberalism (Hushala, 2010) Child labour has also been common in Nigeria although this is contrary to the law. The government agents have failed to protect the Nigerian children against unlawful exploitation. The National Agency for the prevention of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) indicated that over 15 million underage children were involved in forced and child labour. The law requires that underage children may be employed to perform small chores and receive wages at the end of the day. This had not been obs erved by the perpetrators of this crime. And so far, nothing has been done to curb this vice. In 2010, the Nigerian parliament passed an Act that allowed workers to be compensated for work related injuries. These laws encompass all workers whether domestic or foreign (Ajulo, and Co. Castle of Law., 2008). Conclusion Contrary to popular belief that neoliberalism defines the modern society, the failure of the third world to successfully integrate it tenets in political and economic policies as witnessed in the case of Nigeria shows that this ideology has a long way to go as far as the developing economies are concerned. Bibliography Ajulo, K., and Co. Castle of Law., 2008. Constitutionalism and Fundamental human rights Nigeria. Legal Directions. Available at:  https://www.hg.org/ . Castree, N., 2005. Nature. New York: Routledge. Davis, M., 2006. Planet of Slums. New York: Verso. Dibua, J., 2006. Modernization and problem of development in Africa. Vermont: Ashgate Gramsci, A., 2007. Africa: The geo-politics of a modern democracy. New York: International Publishers. Harvey, D., 1996. Valuing Nature: Justice, nature and the geography of difference. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers Inc. Herskovits, J., 1980. Democracy in Nigeria. Foreign Affairs. Available at:  https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/nigeria/1979-12-01/democracy-nigeria . Hushala, T. 2010. The politics of a dying Nation. New York: Syracuse University Press. Ihovbere, J. O., 1994. Nigeria: the politics of adjustment and democracy. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers. Junger, S., 2007. Blood Oil. Vanity Fair. Available at:  https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/02/junger200702 . Kalu, K., 2001. Constitutionalism in Nigeria: A conceptual analysis of ethnicity and politics. The Nigerian Judicial Review, 8, pp. 53-84. Koehn, P., 1998. Political Developments in Nigeria-A Review Essay. Africa Today 35(1). Okeagu, J. E., 2006. The environment and social impact of petroleum and petroleum gas. New York. American Library. Suberu, T., 1996. Ethnic minority conflicts and governance in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited. Wade, R., 2004. Is globalization reducing poverty and Inequality? The International Journal of Health Service, 34(3), 381-414.

English Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English Class - Essay Example In a traditional educational setup, the decision making power solely rests with the teacher. When the students are not allowed their adequate share of decision making, they become more of objects rather than conscious human beings with analytic and evaluative senses. (Freire) has identified two basic types of educational concepts, namely the banking education and the problem-posing education, and has discussed the traits of both. The banking education is the typical pedagogical approach in which the teachers are in charge and the students are enslaved. In the exams, children’s memory is checked rather than their analytical skills. The problem-posing concept is on the other end of the scale. In the problem-posing educational concept, the teacher is always cognitive and never narrative. The teacher adopts a reflective approach and inculcates his own reflections in those of the students. In this system of education, neither the teacher nor the students standardize the concepts. T o them, reality keeps transforming and so do the concepts. What is the "banking system" of education? This is a system of education in which the teacher and students do not mutually exert mentally to realize the truth, but the assumed truth is fed into the students by the teacher. The teacher is always right! The teacher prepares the lesson beforehand and makes the presentation in the class.

Reflectiv Writing - The Impact of the Voice of Judgment as a Barrier Assignment

Reflectiv Writing - The Impact of the Voice of Judgment as a Barrier to Moving Through the U - Assignment Example As leaders move from the downward side of the U, they are connected to a world which is outside their institutional bubbles. The movement up the other side of the U brings forth a new experience to the world. In this journey, the bottom section bears a gate which requires a person to drop anything that is not essentially to leadership and their duties as leaders. This is a process of letting go of one’s ego and self and letting come the new future possibilities. The journey is however not an easy one as it experiences a lot of barriers. One of the common barriers is the voice of judgment. Journeying through the U requires seven leadership capacities with the second one being observation. This leadership capacity calls for an open mind. To be able to achieve this, the leader must suspend his voice of judgment. It is only through it that an individual and a leader will be able to move from projection to true observation. According to Kidder (2005), various leadership failures are as a result of the struggle between letting go and holding on. It, therefore, requires one to confront his or herself with very difficult yet purposeful choice of having an open mind. It takes a lot of courage for this to happen. When the line has been crossed, an individual enter into the sense of their true nature and are able to heed to the call of leadership. They then undergo the death/ rebirth and start a journey into restructuring of their egos to emerge as freer leaders (Bennis, Goleman, & O’Toole, 2008). This is a journey and a process that not only make them soulful but also creative and innovative. When the gate is crossed and the voice suspended the individual’s inner flame for creative change and ability to move forward is boosted. Bennis, Goleman & O’Toole (2008) state that majority of the leaders do not recognize the potential of what they are faced with because they excessively dwell on the past trend that they are used to. Working as a work shop

Pet owners who eat meat Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pet owners who eat meat - Case Study Example This law come to the aid of those people who get infected by the infected people purposefully. A concern in regards to this issue comes with a thought provocation as to whether the law shall help in preventing the spread of the disease or the passage of the law shall escalate the spread of HIV/AIDS. The disease has been on the increase since the time it was recognized in the early 1980s. since then, its prevalence rate has escalated though to some extent the medics have tried containing it all along. There has been invention of drugs that can contain the harmful effects of the viruses (Kalichman, 76). The discovery of the antiretroviral has helped in prolonging the life of the infected people. Medics and researchers are also on the lookout researching the mechanisms through, which this disease could be cured. The criminalization of the intentional spread of HIV is not a new concept. The same law is in effect in states such as Illinois, Arizona, and in so many other states and nations in the world have adopted the same law to help curb the spread of HIV and AIDS. The cost of HIV and AIDS is too high. Living with the condition is awesomely high and the trauma of handling the disease is just unbearable though manageable. It would be unfair for one to subject another person to the same condition knowingly. One would therefore have to make a choice because the law would charge one with the responsibility of being free with their sexual partner in regards to their sexually transmitted infections. Failure of which one would be left with dares consequences and choices to make. The probable choices and conditions available for not revealing one’s status would be choosing to go to prison, loose one’s job, and the government housing. The law also would pose psychological effects on people; such issues that may cause stigma and self-concepts. One would feel humiliated and deprived of the right of health privacy (Kalichman, 24). The law also would penetrate th e cultural spheres and create a society where there is not private health information. People would thus be compelled to share their health status without hiding anything from another. There are issues that must be taken care of with the passage of this law lets people shy away from taking the test to hanker on ignorance of their status. There should be incentives associated with testing and in the event one is found HIV positive, the federal government should offer the infected person some incentives. The incentives should include giving of tax breaks and exempting one from heavy work backlog without reducing the pay. The law should also be molded to offer a manageable punishment to the already infected people who have knowingly transmitted the disease to other to prevent causing more harm to a person who has already be harmed by the fangs of the virus. The table below shows the pros and cons of passing the bill into law Pros Cons Option 1: Passing bill that would criminalize the k nowing transmission of an STD -More likely to inform partner, thus decreasing spread (C, A, V) -Medical advances would evolved quicker because the virus would not evolve as fast with less transmissions (C) -Allows person B to protect themselves ( -Less likely to be tested so in case of transmission, it would be unknowing (C) -Economic burden on state (C) -stigma/negative stereotypes that go along with STD’s increase (E) -Violate right to privacy (R) (HOWEVER, right to live trumps right to privacy ie antithesis for this point) -Takes

Impacts of Public Art on Society

Impacts of Public Art on Society Introduction Art is wholly subjective. Ten people may have ten different interpretations of one single work of art. On the most basic of levels they could love it, hate it or be indifferent to it. On a more informed level they may read different information from it, and ask different questions as to its artistic value. Human behaviour, by the literal meaning of it, is equally as subjective. Each individual has human traits that are based on personal experience. However, group dynamics can be quantified objectively using controlled research methods. For this essay I shall examine how art is used to encourage certain changes in human behaviour, both mentally and physically. This dissertation aims to understand how art affects the behaviour of an individual and the associated effects of the environment on the development of character of an individual as a person. Taking into consideration that art and human behaviour are subjective I intend to research, review, analyse and interpret how organisations have utilised one for the outcome of the other. I shall look at how public buildings, whose main purpose and function are not to display art, have embraced shapes and colours in order to guide the emotional and physical state of its patrons. During the analysis I shall be examining the different theories of experts in this argument. I will be considering the artistic viewpoint and the scientific approach as well as a cultural and philosophical perspective. In my conclusion I hope to have ascertained enough information from my research to confidently state my opinions on how art, in the simplistic terms of shape and colour, has been used to project a subliminal, psychological impact on the people that come into contact with it. Objective The main question I am asking in this essay is whether artistic forms, be it painting, sculpture, shape or colour, has an impact on people and their behaviour in an environment that is not necessarily expected to display art. This question will enable me to research the impact of public art in buildings such as hospitals, schools, libraries and other public locations where steps have been taken to introduce art outside the confines of a museum or gallery. Therefore the objective of this dissertation would be to create an environment that would be beneficial to pupils, patients, clients and even the entire community. Literature Review The connotations of colour and human behaviour, specifically mood, have been understood and utilised for millennia. During the Vedic Age in India (1500BC – 600BC) there was a conceptual belief that colour could represent different emotions, one such concept proposes that: there are three interwoven mental states which are; energy, inertia and clarity and that we all fluctuate between degrees of these states. These three qualities are given colours Energy is symbolised by red, inertia by black or dark blue and clarity is light and colourless. (McDonagh 2003: 170). Considering that this is not a new subject there is a wide selection of literature available on this particular subject. I am attempting to focus my essay on the four most relevant subjects that encompass the whole of my research: Connotation of Colour throughout history; Psychology and Physiology of Human Behaviour (in controlled environments); Public Art in alternative locations (not museums or galleries); and Philosophy of Pragmatism in Art. My literature review will be made up from a combination of books, journals, research studies and interviews. Due to the overlapping nature of this essay I shall be focusing on a wide aspect of subject matter including art history, architecture, philosophy, psychology and sociology. I have accumulated around fifty sources for this essay and have systematically narrowed them down to include only the information that is relevant to my purposes. Having read through the information I have discovered that what started as a simple question has unearthed a number of different theories and interpretations; including opinions that were contrary to my original beliefs; thu s forcing me to truly take on an objective view of my work. Using critical analysis of the literature I intend to produce a well argued, objective essay that shall help me answer my original question. During my research into the above subjects I found a number of published authors, sociologist, psychologists and artists who are experts in their particular field. It was both assuring and eye-opening to read and interpret their views and as such I believe they shaped my approach to writing this essay. I found some more important to my research than others, and these included the following: Malcolm Miles writing about public art in cities in his book ‘Art, Space and the City: Public Art and Urban Futures’; Alexander Schauss’ study on the affect of colour in a controlled; Carolyn Bloomer writing about the interpretation of colour in her book ‘Principles of Visual Perception’; psychologist Tony Cassidy and his research into colour tests in his book ‘Environmental Psychology: Behaviour and Experience in Context’; pragmatist John Dewey and his early twentieth century theories on the conception of art as a means of improving life; and author C hristopher Day in his work on how colours can improve daily living in his book ‘Environment and Children: Passive Lessons from the Everyday Environment’. Methodology The methodology I am using in this essay will predominantly be data-analysis from previously researched case studies, journals and published works. I shall, however, use data-gathering in my essay wherever possible; be it from interviews with art curators, members of the public or my own observation. I have chosen to analyse previous work and research on my subject matters due to the wealth of information available. Where I believe that vital information or data is missing I have decided to collate it myself. I believe this will allow my essay to objectively interpret cited work but also to include subjective and personal opinions on a range of subjects. After all, art and human nature are subjective topics. A questionnaire that aims to investigate what works and what does not work and whether art serves a specific purpose will be given to participants. Within the time constraints to complete this dissertation, a questionnaire is useful for this kind of investigation as it can reach more people. Observation is considered too time-consuming, taking too long to be meaningful. Other factors that need to be taken into consideration include obtaining/seeking permission/consent from the head teachers of the schools or directors of the hospitals to carry out the investigation. A letter to the school or hospital to obtain their approval and consent for the investigation will be written, in addition to a letter to the parents of the pupils who are under the age of 16 for their consent and approval for their son/daughter to take part in the investigation. Human Research Ethics (Ethical issues) Due to the nature of this essay I shall be examining, amongst other findings, how human behaviour can change in relation to the environment that they are in. Because this deals with the mental and physical state of an individual I understand that I am in a position of trust, and as such any data will be gathered in strict confidence. However, because a large percentage of my findings are from data that has already been gathered I do not find myself in a position where my research ethics are questioned. I understand that if I was to delve further into the research on human behaviour patterns I would need to pay close attention to confidentiality and care towards any participants in my research; especially if I was to recreate the ‘Baker-Miller Pink’ test, in which individuals who have just been arrested are place in a pink holding cell and their mental and physical state is measured. It would also be of utmost importance to deal with any participants in prison or mental h ealth facilities with integrity and diplomacy. Analysis and Interpretation – Connotations of Colour In the search for an ideal environment that would benefit people who come into contact with it I believe that the first place to look is in the past, and understand how history has harnessed colour as a means of expressing emotion. The idea of colour may seem like a simple concept but, depending on your particular viewpoint, it can prove to mean many different things. In the world of physics colour is determined by the wavelength of light; to a physiologist and psychologist colour is perceived by neural responses in the eye and brain; to the sociologist it is linked with our own culture and to the artist it is an expressive creation. The basic premise of colour, that is, the colour that we can make ourselves, is that it is made up of three primary colours; red, blue and yellow: Primary colours are ones that cannot be made by mixing other colours. (Morris 2006: 56). When the primary colours are mixed they create the secondary colours: The secondary colours are orange, green and violet . They are produced by mixing two primary colours. (Morris 2006: 56). Finally there are the tertiary colours; these are created by mixing any primary colour with its adjacent secondary colour produces a tertiary colour (Morris 2006: 56) and include combination colours such as orange-yellow and blue-green. The full spectrum of colour is possible by mixing colours in relation to the desired outcome, like adding ingredients to a recipe. The origins of humans recreating colour can be traced back to primitive cave paintings, examples in Europe date back 32,000 years. Although primitive by today’s standards, these depictions of wild animals by the hunter-gatherers were exquisitely painted on the rock surface using red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal. Even though the use of reds and yellows was mainly due to the materials available to them, the colourful imagery could be described as abstract insomuch that the actual animals were not as vividly coloured as t he artwork portrayed. Interestingly the two colours used are primary colours. As mentioned previously the ancient Indian cultures believed that different colours signified separate mental states. The Egyptians also used colours to connote different meaning in that they â€Å"originated the idea of red fiends or red devils, the origin of the Christian image of a red Satan. In later dynasties, words with evil connotations were written in papyri in red ink. (Eiseman 2000: 35). Red is a colour that is perhaps the most powerful hue and its meaning around the world has always symbolised energy and life; the word ‘red’ in many different languages is derived from the word for ‘blood’. However, different cultures interpret colours in different ways; like the Egyptians before them, the Japanese saw red as the colour of demons and devils, yet in the Middle East that imagery was not apparent: During the early Kamakura period, about AD 1200, Japanese artist Jigoku Soshi painted his ‘Hell Scroll’ with frightening red demons chasing to rmented victims; while to Persians and Turks, as reflected in their magnificent carpets, red symbolizes happiness and joy. (Eiseman 2000: 32). In the West our cultural understanding of semiotics has conditioned us to add extra information to data that we can see. In the UK red is seen as the colour of danger; a red light means stop, a red traffic sign is a warning. Because red is such a vibrant colour, and the fact that is the first primary colour of the spectrum of light, it holds an unrivalled importance in the way it used in the natural and man-made world: Reds are generally regarded as stimulating and exciting. (Miller 1997: 104). In terms of human physiological reaction to the colour red, it is thought to speed up heart and respiration rates and to raise blood pressure, and [is] associated with strength, passion, and the colour of blood and fire. (Bloomer 1976: 120). Red has always been seen as the colour of power and energy; this has been demonstrated in the socio-political ar ena by the Communist movement; so much so that during the McCarthy Communist witch-hunts in 1950s American, the phrase ‘Better Dead than Red’ was echoed around the country. The phrase is a strong indicator of how powerful the word ‘red’ truly was. Only three letters long, it embodied all that was ‘un-American’ in the world, promoting fear and a Cold War that lasted over forty years, yet when include with two other colours it symbolized undying patriotism: ‘red, white and blue’. Looking at another primary colour, blue, it is interesting to see how different cultures perceive this particular colour to that of red. In the modern West the most simple, almost child-like reading of the two colours is ‘hot’ and ‘cold’. However, throughout history the reproduction of the colour blue has meant more than just a signifier for cold water. In ancient Egypt the colour was used to connote loyalty and virtue: these identifications with the hue go as far back as 1340BC to the Egyptian civilization and the reign of King Tut. (Bleicher 2004: 37). However, whereas the Egyptians considered blue to be a symbol of truth, the Cherokee tribes and the Japanese see it differently: to the Cherokee, blue is a symbol of defeat. In Japanese theatre, blue is the colour for villains. (Hullfish Fowler 2003: 28). In Western culture the colour blue was not widely used until the Church began to paint religious figures, notably the clothing of Virgin Mary, with a pigm ent extracted from a blue gem stone, lapis lazuli. This religious link led the colour to symbolise â€Å"piety, truth and goodness† (Bleicher 2004: 37). Today blues are considered: â€Å"calming, restful, serene, cool, comfortable, sober, and contemplative. (Miller 1997: 104) and are thought to reduce blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates. (Bloomer 1976: 120). Navy blue, a dark blue, is still used in the clothing of the business world to promote a feeling of truth and honesty. Blue is perceived as being a neutral colour in so much that it is the colour of the sea and, unlike land, is not owned by tyrannical, or democratic, rule. It also symbolises a form of depression, as in ‘feeling blue’ and can connote coldness, or even something that is beyond the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, that is, blue language or blue movie. The final primary colour, yellow, has always held an integral part of any man-made creation. It is the colour of the sun; the shining star that gives energy to the planet. The ancient civilizations used the yellow as a symbol of their beliefs and religion: As a colour sacred to the Chinese and important to the Egyptians and Greeks, yellow gradually became a symbol of power. (Walker 2002: 24) In many indigenous tribes the colour yellow bore the deepest religious meaning, in south America the Aztecs believed yellow was the colour of life and food and the Mayans celebrated the colour as one that had the power to bring daily life: â€Å"The Mayas of Yucatan assigned it to the dawn and the east. (Brinton 2004: 237). However, the fact that yellow was so important to the ancient civilizations was detrimental to the beliefs of the early Christians, and yellow began to become associated with negativity: Yellow has been associated with deceit, cowardice, and jealousy† (Walker 2002: 24). In certain parts of Africa yellow is associated with love â€Å"because its the colour of honey. (Kaldera Schwartzstein 2002: 21). Gold is a softer shade of yellow and therefore seems to shed any of its negative images, but perhaps this is because the connotations are so intrinsically linked with wealth. Today yellow is considered sunny, cheerful, and high spirited, the happiest of all colours. (Miller 1997: 105) and it is also seen as being an expansive colour, one which appears to spread out as well as to advance† (Swirnoff 1988: 38). Throughout history yellow will always be seen as a bright, force-giving colour. This is perhaps due to the very child-like imagery of the sun; give almost any child a yellow crayon and ask them to draw the sky and in the corner of the picture appears a bright yellow orb with rays of sunshine emitting from it. The negative connotations seem to be rooted in cultural and religious differences, even racism. Chinese and Japanese people were often referred to as ‘yellow’ by an ignorant West. This was fundamentally based on the complexion of the skin; however, early Chinese rulers were called yellow emperors due to the power imagery of the colour, and the importance of the Yellow River. Obviously the primary colours are not the only colours that civilization has encapsulated in culture, religion or art; the secondary and tertiary colours are just as important. Unfortunately I do not have the space to describe every single colour but feel that some important ones need to be mentioned. Green is a very popular word in that its connotation seems to be of more value than its denotation. Like ‘red’ was in the 1950s, the word ‘green’ means far more than a colour. Green is an ecological, economical and political word that covers anything from Amazonian rainforests, nuclear power stations, recycling and political parties. In wooded and forested areas of the planet green is the background colour, in cityscapes green is what the majority of people miss; ‘the grass is always greener’ is a Western saying that strikes home in this situation, as in things are always better on the other side of the fence, country or world. If looking at a glob e of the planet the two main colours are blue (water) and green (land). Green can be considered neutral, but at the same time it means jealousy; a human trait that has shaped our political world for millennia. This duality allows green to be both warm and cool; it contains both the calming presence of blueness and the energy of yellowness. (Miller 1997: 104). Green can be the bridge between the natural and man-made world: Low saturation greens can serve as a transition between architecture and nature. (Kaufman Dahl 1992: 130). The combination of red and blue creates purple, a hue that can evoke delicacy and richness or appear unsettling and degenerate.† (Miller 1997: 105). Purple is a very regal colour and is often worn by royalty and world leaders during ceremonies; the leading figures in the Roman senate would proudly display purple within the design of their togas. Purple is cold colour and can connote physical harm such as a bruise or visible veins. Yet the pretentiousness of the colour is by far its strongest meaning and is considered dignified, exclusive, but lonely, mournful, or pompous. (Mahnke Mahnke 1993: 13). Orange is the mix of red and yellow, the two energetic primary colours. From a geological perspective this is the combination of lava and the sun. Historically orange has always had connotations of heat, energy and intensity; mainly rooted from its representation of the flames from a fire, and the warming embers of man-made safety. Perhaps it is this safety that affords the colour to be neither good nor bad: Orange has always suffered something of an identity crisis. It has spent its history playing second fiddle to red, and occasionally to gold. (Varley 1980: 194). It is hard to think of an example where orange is used as imagery: It has virtually no negative associations, neither emotionally or culturally†¦ and its emphatically positive meanings are few. (Varley 1980: 194). Even though technically black and white are not colours, but the result of an object reflecting or absorbing light wavelengths, they form an important role in the world around us. Things are labelled in the most simplistic terms of being either black or white; it is a situation where there can be no middle ground, it is right or wrong, yes or no. Cultural and political education enables us to know that this is very rarely the case, and using a similar analogy: there is no black and white, only different shades of grey. What black tends to imply is nothingness, a void. In contrast white is pure, enlightenment and goodness. In terms of race using black as a prefix seemed to connote the opposite, making the word derogatory; black magic, black arts and black mark. The connotations of colour are complex and centred on diverse cultural meanings from different civilizations around the world. The meaning of a word can change over the course of history. The language surrounding colour is so advanced that even on the most basic of levels one person could identify a certain shade of colour positively, yet another could read it negatively. With this in mind I can move on to how art and colour is used to study the complexities of human behaviour. Psychology and Physiology of Human Behaviour (in controlled environments) The next logical step in my search for the most beneficial environment is to use the above information on colour and relate it to scientific study, predominantly in the areas of psychology and physiology. The simplest and most common definition of psychology is that it is the scientific study of behaviour, in other words psychology is â€Å"the science that makes use of behavioural and other evidence to understand the internal processes leading people and members of other species to behave in the ways that they do. (Eysenck 2000: 3). Physiology and in particular human physiology: â€Å"studies the functions and activities of living human bodies and their components (Torshin 2007: 11). In this essay I shall use physiology to study human responses such as heart rate, blood pressure and the effects of tension. As mentioned at the beginning of this essay most of my data has been gathered from previous studies. I intend to investigate how mood and emotion can be measured, and ultimately influenced. Mood states were not always welcomed by the scientific community; the behavioural and cognitive paradigms so prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s often tended to devalue the significance of moods. Frequently, mood and effect went without mention in prominent analyses of behaviour (Zajonc 1980). However, this devaluation has changed in recent times and most behavioural analyses today include significant affective components (Tomkins 1981). Mood is clearly a bio-psychological process that involves the whole individual. In other words, mood would not occur without biochemical, psycho physiological and cognitive components, as well as subjective reactions: â€Å"Implicit assumption that mood is nothing more than a response caused by cognitive, physiological and biochemical events. Thus, subjective feelings are regarded as the last process.† (Thayer 1989: 5). It is my opinion that subjective feelin gs interact together to affect the mood of the individual. Mood is related to emotion, but when the term ‘mood’ is used, it usually implies a longer course of time, which is probably the central distinction between the two. In 1965 the Nowlis Mood Adjective Check List (MACL), a statistical method to define and analyse mood, was introduced that consisted of 33 adjectives selected from a large pool of emotion and mood terms. The subjects are asked to check each item that applies to their mood state of the day (Frijda 1986: 181). I have prepared and sent out questionnaires to subjects that ask them to disclose if they believe they have an emotional response from specific colours. It is the psychological and physiological response to colours that I believe is most beneficial to my research. In 1978 Professor Alexander Schauss of the American Institute for Biosocial Research in Tacoma, Washington set up a scientific experiment to study the effects that colour had on human behaviour. Working from initial ideas he had read in published work by Swiss psychiatrist Max Luscher, Schauss found that concentrating on a certain shade of pink (originally labelled P-618) after physical exercise lowered his heart rate, pulse and respiration as compared to other colours (Schauss 1981: 1). With the assistance of the United States Naval Correctional Centre in Seattle, Schauss was able to begin his study. Schauss renamed the colour to ‘Baker-Miller pink’ in dedication to the two officers at the centre, Commander Miller and CWO Baker. The walls and ceiling of one of the admission cells was painted in Baker-Miller pink (figure 1), while the remaining cells were left untouched. Newly confined prisoners were systematically admitted to the cell and observed for fifteen minutes du ring which no incidents of erratic behaviour were recorded (Eiseman 2000: 40). This research continued for 156 consecutive days, beginning on 1 March 1979. The results during this period were reported to the United States Navy’s Bureau of Naval Personnel, Law Enforcement and Corrections Division, Washington, D.C., stating: Since initiation of this procedure on March 1, 1979, there have been no incidents of erratic or hostile behavior daring the initial phase of confinement. (Schauss 1981: 1). The data from this study showed that after only a period of fifteen minutes exposed to the Baker-Miller pink, detainees were not demonstrating any violent or aggressive behaviour. This calming effect could actually continue for up to thirty minutes after the subject had been removed from the cell. So successful was Schauss’ experiment that he took it to a county sheriff’s office in California where he noted that its effectiveness was increased within a smaller space; the sm aller the cell the less chance of violent behaviour. (Schauss 1981: 1). The Baker-Miller pink has been used widely in detention facilities: â€Å"The use of this colour in juvenile correctional centres, psychiatric hospitals and its testing under laboratory conditions with students confirms its effect in suppressing violent and aggressive behaviour. (Cassidy 1997: 84) In 1988 an experiment was set up to determine the effects of colour in the office workplace in relation to the mood of its workers. Professors Nancy Kwallek, Carol Lewis and A.S. Robbins of the University of Texas assessed the effects of a red, green and white office environment on worker production and mood. It was predicted that those who worked in the red office would find it a more tense environment and would make more errors.† (Miller 1997: 104). It was also expected that the subjects working in the green office would perform better than those in the red office. The white office was included as a comparison as it is the most common colour for an office working environment. The white office was expected to provide results that were better than red, but worse than green. In actuality the results told a different story. The workers in the red office actually made fewer errors than those in the white or green offices, even though they found the colour â€Å"distracting. (Mill er 1997: 104). The research team found that subjects working in the white office made more errors than those working in the red or the green office. On a personal level the subjects stated their preference to working in the white environment, considering it a â€Å"more appropriate colour for an office than either red or green.† (Miller 1997: 104). However, in response to this test, Ainsworth, Simpson and Cassell in their study, Effects of Three Colours in an Office Interior on Mood and Performance in 1993 found no effect of colour on performance or emotion. (Cassidy 1997: 85). Their hypothesis led them to believe that the warm colour, red, would induce high arousal and activity, whereas blue will induce feelings of low arousal. However, their results did not support their hypothesis. They concluded that the reason for error was in their methods, not in their actual hypothesis. If the data gathering was flawed then we must omit their findings and focus on the original test. T he red office environment produced the least amount of mistakes, whereas the white office was the preferred colour of the subjects. What these two studies show is the importance of colour and how human behaviour reacts to it. The science behind this is complex and an understanding of how a human ‘sees’ colour is vital. Colour exists everywhere there is light. Sir Isaac Newton, analysing the rays of the sun, detected that all the different colours, except extreme purple are contained in light. The brain responds to it instinctively and unconsciously. As Schauss demonstrated, the colours within our immediate environment affect our mood and ultimately our behaviour. This behaviour is individually subjective but reactions to colour combinations can be predicted with startling accuracy: â€Å"Science has always recognised the link between colour combinations and mood or behaviour. (Conway 2004: 76). The exact science of how we see colour is due to how the various wavelengths of light strike our eyes in different ways, affecting our senses: â€Å"Within the eye, the retina converts these waves into elect rical impulses, allowing the brain to decode this visual information. This information is passed to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain governing our endocrine system producing hormones, and hormones affect our mood. (Conway 2004: 76). In other words the eye must operate with light for the brain to interpret colour: Everything we see is coloured. Nothing visible is free of colour. This has profound consequences, for colour affects the autonomic nervous system, muscle tension, cortical activity, enzymatic and hormonal secretions. (Day 2007: 115). With this in mind it is important to quantify how different colours affect our behaviour, both mentally and physically. Our cultural and historical upbringing will play a part in how we react to certain colour schemes. In simplistic terms it could be argued that warm colours such as reds, oranges and yellows will incite an active response, exciting the subject; whereas cooler colours such as blues and greens will calm and quieten them. In fact it has been argued that the power of colour placement is a science and should not be left to the uneducated: So powerfully do they influence mood, and such potential do their relationships have for harmony or discord, spirit-uplifting beauty or teeth-gritting ugliness, that colours are too important just to leave to fashion or dramatic whim. (Day 2007: 116). But how does colour affect human behaviour? In the Schauss experiment one colour managed to pacify, it even lowered pulse and heart rates of its subjects. This goes one step further than th e subject merely relating to the notion of seeing a soft colour. One theory is that we do not only ‘see’ with our eyes, but we indirectly see with the glands that produce hormones in our brains; the pineal gland, a gland that produces melatonin, a hormone that may weakly modulate wake and sleep patterns: Although a person may not be able to differentiate colour, transmitters in the eyes pick up information from visible radiant energy sources and transmit that energy to the hypothalamus, and the pineal and pituitary glands. So it may be possible to see with your glands. (Eiseman 2000: 40). This theory is one that Schauss promotes in his Baker-Miller study: â€Å"One possibility includes the existence of a hormone (e.g. thyrotropin-releasing hormones, TRH, thyroliberin) acting as a neurotransmitter to the hypo-thalamus or pineal gland. This could in turn effect other cells in the adrenal medulla, supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus, the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system, and the turberoinfundibular cells of the hypothalamus.† (Schauss 1981: 1). What these theories allow is the possibility that in a controlled environment, clever use of colour can and will affect the psychological and physiological behaviour of targeted subjects, albeit in a basic premise of colour application. Moods are influential, but they not always control behaviour, the tenden

Essay --

Used to turn the chickens out on the alfalfa on a sunny morning" reinforces the idea that everyone has a dream, a goal and a fantasy. Crooks may be negative, yet even he, the "nigger", has a vision of one day experiencing the pleasures of his equality again. Crooks Room Crooks room is clearly downgraded compared to all the other workers. As we see he lives in the stable with the horses, and the other workers get a bunkhouse. â€Å"this room was swept and fairly neat†; This shows that he is not an animal like other characters think he is. They also refuse to share a room with him, although this does allow him to leave his â€Å"possession lying freely around†. A number of these possessions reflect his personality; â€Å"a tattered dictionary† which suggests that he is quite articulate. Some of these items also highlight his treatment and segregation from society. He had â€Å"a few dirty books† suggesting they were pornography because he was not allowed into the cat house due to his skin colour or it could just be old books expanding on the fact he was an articulate or intellectual. Crooks did not have a bed as it was basically a hay stack, â€Å"Crooks bunk was a long box filled with straw on which his blankets were flun g†; showing how he was thought of by the boss. As many people saw black men the same as animals, they were treated in the same way; â€Å"Crooks had his apple box over his bunk and in it a range of medicine bottles, for himself and the horses†. Showing that he has no medicine for himself it is all he can gather. All of these possessions were deliberately emphasised by the author to show that Crooks was indeed equal to the others but no one thinks he actually is. How Lennie affects Crooks As Crooks has been so beaten down by loneliness and... ...s born right here in California†. This shows that Crooks does not seem himself as a Negro, he sees himself as an equal because he was born here, where they are born. Crooks tells Lennie about his past; how he use to play with other white kids and never knew why his father did not like it. But as he got older, he realised and has hated white people ever since, because of their treatment towards him. As Crooks is reminded of his hatred towards white people, who tries to show Lennie how it feels to be lonely in an injurious manner. As Crooks knows that Lennie does not understand anything that is being said, he takes this and uses it against Lennie. â€Å"His excitement had increased George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter". Crooks tries to get Lennie to feel what it is like to be alone, but shortly after, he becomes threaten by Lennie physical power over him. Essay -- Used to turn the chickens out on the alfalfa on a sunny morning" reinforces the idea that everyone has a dream, a goal and a fantasy. Crooks may be negative, yet even he, the "nigger", has a vision of one day experiencing the pleasures of his equality again. Crooks Room Crooks room is clearly downgraded compared to all the other workers. As we see he lives in the stable with the horses, and the other workers get a bunkhouse. â€Å"this room was swept and fairly neat†; This shows that he is not an animal like other characters think he is. They also refuse to share a room with him, although this does allow him to leave his â€Å"possession lying freely around†. A number of these possessions reflect his personality; â€Å"a tattered dictionary† which suggests that he is quite articulate. Some of these items also highlight his treatment and segregation from society. He had â€Å"a few dirty books† suggesting they were pornography because he was not allowed into the cat house due to his skin colour or it could just be old books expanding on the fact he was an articulate or intellectual. Crooks did not have a bed as it was basically a hay stack, â€Å"Crooks bunk was a long box filled with straw on which his blankets were flun g†; showing how he was thought of by the boss. As many people saw black men the same as animals, they were treated in the same way; â€Å"Crooks had his apple box over his bunk and in it a range of medicine bottles, for himself and the horses†. Showing that he has no medicine for himself it is all he can gather. All of these possessions were deliberately emphasised by the author to show that Crooks was indeed equal to the others but no one thinks he actually is. How Lennie affects Crooks As Crooks has been so beaten down by loneliness and... ...s born right here in California†. This shows that Crooks does not seem himself as a Negro, he sees himself as an equal because he was born here, where they are born. Crooks tells Lennie about his past; how he use to play with other white kids and never knew why his father did not like it. But as he got older, he realised and has hated white people ever since, because of their treatment towards him. As Crooks is reminded of his hatred towards white people, who tries to show Lennie how it feels to be lonely in an injurious manner. As Crooks knows that Lennie does not understand anything that is being said, he takes this and uses it against Lennie. â€Å"His excitement had increased George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter". Crooks tries to get Lennie to feel what it is like to be alone, but shortly after, he becomes threaten by Lennie physical power over him.

The Effects Of Drug Use

Maybe some of us have a good idea that the illegal drug business is still huge but covered somewhere among the â€Å"black† economy markets. After all the numbers one could hear tossed around, I am afraid that the sad truth could be, that no one really knows just how huge this business might be, how many people die, how much blood money has been made and than laundered into legal businesses. It is terrible to imagine how many subways and basements come to be â€Å"the places for being in the clouds†. According to the National Drug Prevention League drugs are an object of the fastest growing trade, except the Internet. Some of you might share my opinion that it is a billion-dollar industry that takes a comfortable place in our society. Drugs have always been with mankind as we seem to carry an inherent need to consume mind altering substances. Many people, who didn’t use drugs before, know only that â€Å"that thing† can make them feel in a strange way. But drugs could harm people when using them. It is not a secret that the consequences could be severe for the users. It is essential that people are educated at a very young age and presented with the appropriate social re-enforcers to understand that there are viable reasons that drugs are dangerous – they destroy lives. Drugs affect people’s thinking, awareness and senses. They have huge effect on people’s physical and mental health because of the chemical reactions they provoke in humans’ bodies. They lead to hallucinations, hearing voices, suspision and a feeling of â€Å"everyone is out to get me†. Also they make most of the organs in your body disfunction, poison blood, kill brain cells and finally, in most cases, kill the person that abuses them. Hallucinations can make people experience things that aren’t real. Probably drug users are looking exactly for that â€Å"escaping the reality† for a while. Don’t you think that until now, modes of life have been based on the material slavery of the masses? Does our society offer us a different life than working all day long and going home to get some rest for the next working day? Maybe not, and maybe that is why people who are using drugs do believe drugs are the magic formula that leads someone to a world totally different from the boring every-day life. There is a clich? that says – â€Å"People have the strange instinct to break every rule once it is established†. When I went to Holland 3 years ago, I found that the government had established some rules that were quite strange for me at first. In 1976, Holland decriminalized marijuana possession. From that time on one can go into a retail shop and purchase small amounts of marijuana. This could be one of the reasons why Holland has a low level of heroin use, a low level of cocaine use, much lower than most of the other countries do. What actually happened was that the marijuana became the filter, preventing harder drug use. But do people of our society really know where the drugs are going to and who are their greatest consumers? It is a pity that one of the easiest places to find some drugs could be in schools. Students who turn to more potent drugs usually do so after first using cigarettes and alcohol, and then marijuana. Maybe there are some people who know that drugs transform schools into marketplace for dope dealers. However, students who continue to use drugs learn that drugs can make strange things with their thoughts and feelings, and the greater a student’s involvement with marijuana, the more likely it is that student could begin to use other drugs in conjunction with marijuana. When talking about night parties, I got used to seeing guys smoking marijuana as imperturbably as they drink their beers. Can you think about somebody you know who has taken drugs in front of you? Here, the bad thing could be that you might have seen at least one person taking drugs freely. â€Å"This is a family problem†- some could say. And according Dan Check’s book † The Success and Failure of George Bush’s War on Drugs† the problem is coming rather from the family than somewhere else. Maybe the society has to rely on the family, as being the strongest entity in its structure to solve the huge-spread drug problem that exists. But here, the weird thing is that parents can’t really see the symptoms of drug addiction in their children. And it is a â€Å"public secret† that the gap between parents and kids is getting bigger and bigger. I don’t want to imagine what the difference between parents and children could be in the next generations. But parents shouldn’t wait until they think their child has a problem. Many young people in treatment programs say that they had used alcohol and other drugs for at least two years before their parents knew about it. Maybe their parents should begin to talk earlier about the effects of alcohol and other drugs use and keep the lines of communication open all the time. Isn’t it better to let your child know that you are concerned, and that you can work together to find answers of these so important questions? It is really harder to stop drug use among children once it is there. Most of the times, after students get involved with drugs, they start to sell them or begin to steal from family, friends, or employers in order to buy the next dose. Determining the consequences of harder drug use could help the new generation stop using them. Maybe facing the answer of this question will make people think about the real price they are paying when drugs are involved. Along with â€Å"escaping the boring reality†, the teeth rot out, the appetite is lost, and the stomach doesn’t function properly. The gall bladder becomes inflamed and eyes and skin turn yellow. In some cases, membranes of the nose turn a flaming red and breathing becomes difficult. Oxygen in the blood decreases, bronchitis and tuberculosis develop. Good traits of character disappear and bad ones emerge. Sex organs become affected too. Veins collapse. Nerves snap. Imaginary and fantastic fears blight the mind. Sometimes complete insanity results. Many times, death comes much too early. Such is the torment of being a drug addict and such is the plague of being one of the walking dead bodies. The statistics show that in the period 1994 – 1999 the rate of death caused by â€Å"hard-core† drugs use has increased with 6%. Maybe the answer for preventing humans and most of all the young people from taking dope is hidden somewhere among all these questions that are hard to be faced by the society. Who is responsible for this to happen? And who is really interested in preventing the dope disaster? Is there something that can be done if we, the human beings, do not realize the importance of the dope problem? Drugs have made a tremendous impact on American society over the past thirty to forty years, yet many Americans are ambivalent regarding their opinions relating to drugs in terms of decriminalization, availability, impact on society, and mental and physical health impacts.

Overview of the Sepoy

Overview of the Sepoy A sepoy was the name given to an Indian infantryman employed by the armies of the British East India Company  from 1700 to 1857 and later by the British Indian Army from 1858 to 1947. That change of control in colonial India, from the BEIC to the British government, actually came about as a result of the sepoys - or more specifically, because of the Indian Uprising of 1857, which is also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. Originally, the word sepoy  was used somewhat derogatorily by the British because it denoted a relatively untrained local militiaman. Later in the British East India Companys tenure, it was extended to mean even the ablest of native foot-soldiers. Origins and Perpetuations of the Word The term sepoy comes from the Urdu word sipahi, which is itself derived from the Persian word sipah, meaning army or horseman. For much of Persian history - from at least the Parthian era on, - there was not much distinction between a soldier and a horseman. Ironically, despite the words meaning, Indian cavalrymen in British India were not called sepoys, but sowars. In the Ottoman Empire in what is now Turkey, the word sipahi  was still used for cavalry troopers. However, the British took their usage from the Mughal Empire, which used sepahi to  designate Indian infantry soldiers. Perhaps as the Mughals were descended from some of the greatest cavalry fighters of Central Asia, they did not feel that Indian soldiers qualified as real cavalrymen. In any case, the Mughals armed their sepoys with all the latest weapons technology of the day. They carried rockets, grenades, and matchlock rifles by the time of Aurangzeb  who reigned from 1658 to 1707.   British and Modern Usage When the British began to use sepoys, they recruited them from Bombay and Madras, but only men from the higher castes were considered eligible to serve as soldiers. Sepoys in British units were supplied with weapons, unlike some of those who served local rulers. The pay was approximately the same, regardless of the employer, but the British were much more punctual about paying their soldiers regularly. They also provided rations rather than expecting the men to steal food from local villagers as they passed through a region. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the British were hesitant to trust either Hindu or Muslim sepoys again. The soldiers from both major religions had joined the uprising, fueled by rumors (perhaps accurate) that the new rifle cartridges supplied by the British were greased with pork and beef tallow. Sepoys had to tear the cartridges open with their teeth, which meant that Hindus were ingesting sacred cattle, while Muslims were accidentally eating unclean pork. After this, the British for decades recruited most of their sepoys from among the Sikh religion instead. The sepoys fought for the BEIC and the  British Raj  not only within greater India ​but also in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, and even Europe during World War I and World War II. In fact, more than 1 million Indian troops served in the name of the U.K. during the First World War. Today, the armies of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh all still use the word sepoy to designate soldiers at the rank of private.

Career Review Pharmacist essays

Career Review Pharmacist essays On the surface, daily routines of Pharmacists may appear to be rather simplified and involves little work hazard and responsibilities. As pharmacists dispense prescribed drug and medicine by doctors or dentists, they may provide assistance to those who seeks help with non-prescribed products. This is a correct yet very generalized view of pharmacist, this career interacts with many different industries. As an example, technology plays key role for pharmacist. Computer skill enables individual to make use of computer database constructed for patients ¡Ã‚ ¯ prescriptions, thus ensuring efficient service and preventing potential risks such as harmful drug interaction. Pharmacist has many affiliations other then just Doctors and its medical organizations; pharmacists are required in numerous fields for selection and use of drugs. This career branch itself out to many different opportunities such as research, education and training. Not just your neighbourhood pharmacist. This essay wil l explore many aspects of this profession, starting with job description. The typical tasks for the occupation of pharmacist and the relationship to required aptitudes are as follows. Their training and credentials allows them to handle general task like compounding and dispense of prescribed pharmaceutical products. Customer interaction on the selection and use of non-prescription medications often requires verbal and communication skills. Needless to say, they face many numerical challenges, thus mathematical prowess is more of necessity then asset. Visual perception receives extra attention as comparison and screening is exercised when preparing pharmaceutical compounds. Clerical organizational skill is demonstrated as they maintain medical profiles of customers, and to keep up with many different aspects such as registry of poisons, narcotics, and other controlled drugs. This occupation requires methodical, innovative, and directive interest because i...

Differences of marketing strategy between Apple and Samsung in smart Dissertation

Differences of marketing strategy between Apple and Samsung in smart phone industry - Dissertation Example Smartphone helps the users in accessing internet based applications in a much faster manner owing to its potential of global connectivity. Further Smartphone in comparison to other mobile phones also helps its user base in applications facilitating complex computing. Existence of Smartphone has helped in enhancing the aspect of personalisation pertaining to the consumers where the user base can delete and keep a large number of mobile applications according to one’s selectivity and desire. Thus the emergence of a Smartphone has in total revolutionized and transformed the cellular communication market by enabling the user base to avail internet application anywhere and anytime. With the help of Smartphone the consumers thus tend to enjoy a large number of applications pertaining to the ambit of social networking and also internet based activities like e-mails in an enhanced fashion for which global demand for such tends to rise in an accelerated mode. Moreover usability of Smar tphone also enables the people to retrieve large amount of information relating to their surroundings and interests relating to food and restaurants, news, games and sports and others. The global market for Smartphone in comparison to normal mobile phones is found to gain a rapid acceleration despite the economic fluctuations affecting the global telecommunication devices market. A survey conducted during the period ranging from 2007 to 2010 reflects that the global market for Smartphone has gained a compounded growth rate of 4 percent. Moreover the percentage of sales in units for Smartphone has increased along the 2007 to 2010 period by a rate of 20 percent. The same percentage rise has also been located in terms of market volume growth of such along the stated periods. Focusing on such rise along the 2007 to 2010 period forecasts pertaining to the sales volume for Smartphone has been made along the period ranging from 2009 to 2015. It is observed that where during 2009 the number of Smartphone sold were 173 million the same is taken to reach around 619 million units by the close of 2015. This exponential rise in the demand for Smartphone is related more to the incorporation of 3G and Wi-Fi enabled network in the cellular gadgets thereby contributing in the enhancement of the potential of the Smartphone (Song, n.d.). The global Smartphone market is governed by leading competitors like Apple, Samsung, Motorola and Research in Motion mobile phone companies. These companies compete with each other pertaining to the Smartphone industry in terms of the emotional and rational enhancements shared with the consumers. Samsung tends to gain command over other players in the Smartphone market by working on the frontiers of innovating different models. Moreover Samsung also focuses to gain the market lead by rendering Smartphone that are affordable in terms of cost. Competing with Samsung, Apple focuses in rendering Smartph

The Painted Monasteries in the Southern Bucovina Essay

The Painted Monasteries in the Southern Bucovina - Essay Example The giddying, scope and detail of the Voronet Monastery fills every reasonable square centimetre of the external Western wall. â€Å"These walls have been roundly declared as the most interesting and marvellous Bucovine fresco. Just like any of the existing Monastery paintings in Romania, the Voronet Monastery painting is something of a miracle† (Vorhees, 19). Voronet Monastery painting pigment is only 2 millimetres thick, making the lasting sturdiness of the frescos easier said than done to explain. With the exemption of the Voronet’s northern wall, which has absorbed the impact of centuries of Romania’s elements, the external frescos remain unbelievably vibrant. The northern wall represents Genesis. The southern walls comprise a tree of Jesse with the lineage of biblical personalities. The photograph was taken using a much-digitalized camera that makes it clear and more balanced. The most important part of photography is to be sensitive to natural light. Lookin g at the picture below, you will realize that a brilliant sun found a hole in the clouds and lighted the monetary from the side hence making the entire picture glow. The colour in the picture creates a sense of history, place and emotion about Romania tourism sector. Additionally, the photography used Adobe Camera Raw, comprised of Photoshop CSA and Photoshop element that ensures that the image is high quality. The Monastery paintings are a true reflection of ethical art. The monastery paintings are framed as western frames and it is used religiously hence they have both symbolic and religious significance.