Democracy in Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Democracy in Modern World - Essay Example Gladys argument focuses on the fact that democracies cannot wage successful wars as the case of Athenians waging war in Sicily’s. I do support her argument that democratic countries should distinguish between good and bad leaders, but I find certain flaws in her argument. I agree with Gladys’ premises that suggest the country frightened their generals into sending better news home than the facts on the ground and chose weak generals to wage the war. This argument leads to her argument that democracies cannot wage a successful war. A look at all the premises helps Gladys conclude that a democratic country cannot lead such a war is viable.Her argument in her conclusion is valid since there need to be better strategies in war, and the failure of Athenians was a result of poor strategies and poor execution by the generals. There was a need to evaluate leaders and have better alternatives. In her argument, it is clear that poor intelligence brought the wrong generals, and th ey were overextended. This situation showed that to have the best plans there is a need for good executors for it to be successful. In conclusion, I agree with her argument that democratic countries cannot wage successful war since their strategies are prone to hope and checks and balances. Such checks limit the passion experienced in such wars but to be on the safe side all parties in a war need to appreciate and differentiate between choosing weak and strong leaders to wage wars.

Betrayal and Manipulation in the Accidental Billionaires Essay Example for Free

Betrayal and Manipulation in the Accidental Billionaires Essay In the Accidental Billionaires, the motif of manipulation and betrayal is prevalent. Mark Zuckerburg is the prime embodiment of manipulation and betrayal throughout the course of the work. Another character also attributed with such qualities is Sean Parker. Mark and Sean are similar in this aspect; manipulating their own world to achieve their goals. In the first few chapters of the book, the reader is introduced to the Winklevoss twins. The twins turn to Mark to aid them in their social networking idea, the HarvardConnection. After trusting Mark with their program, Mark begins to manipulate the idea into his own. In a very subtle way, Mark delays the twins in time to sire his own program. This action reveals to the reader that Mark is a lone wolf. Mark, told to us in the book, is not interested in money. For example, â€Å"†¦Microsoft had offered Mark between one and two million dollars to go to work for them-and amazingly, Mark had turned them down† (Mezrich 15). This action should be noted as the aspect of working alone seems to be, to Mark, the most efficient way to achieve fame. Mark is highly influenced by Bill Gates, a man who rose out of the very same school Mark attends and manipulated his way throughout his pursuits of Microsoft, and in Mark’s point of view, individual. With his displeasing physique and social incompetence, it is easy to see why people underestimate Mark and are taken advantage of. Another character to note is Sean Parker. Sean Parker is a foil to the protagonist, Mark. Mark pairs up with Sean after he launches ‘thefacebook’. Sean has a history of manipulating his way through major companies with the agenda of getting rich only, quite the opposite of Mark. Sean is extremely energetic, whereas Mark seems to be lazy as represented by his lack variety in his attire- flipflops, jeans, etc. Sean, however, was betrayed by those companies he used to work for, but, ironically, he pursues yet another company that betrays him in the end. Betrayal, through manipulation, is in the subtitle of the book, â€Å"A tale of sex, money, genius, and betrayal. † Betrayal is mentioned last in this climax because that is to show the most important motif and a symbol of the book’s overall structure- It goes from Eduardo and Mark seeking attention to ‘get laid’, then pursue money with genius innovation of modern social networking, and finally, Mark’s betrayal is concluded when he removes Eduardo and Sean from his life because they threatened his brainchild, Facebook. The motif of betrayal is very subtle to the reader. Even after reading the subtitle that Mezrich so blatantly states before the beginning chapter, I was manipulated into completely forgetting about betrayal and instead was focused on the pursuit to fame. Even the title fools the reader in stating the plural form of billionaire, but only one billionaire is spawned at the conclusion of the book. Just as the twins, Eduardo, and Sean, Mark’s real agenda was cloaked to me, until it finally dawned in the closing chapters.

Feminism: A Constant Stride Towards Equality Essay -- Gender Studies

â€Å"Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors.† -Evelyn Cunningham Feminism is an idea based on the assumption that women have the same human, political and social rights as men, furthermore, that women should have the same opportunities as men in their personal choices regarding careers, politics and expression (Reference.com). A feminist text states the author’s agenda for women in society as they relate to oppression by a patriarchal power structure and the subsequent formation of social ‘standards’ and ‘protocols’. It points out deficiencies in society regarding equal opportunity, and the author will make certain the reader will be aware of this motive (Bahar). In a work of fiction, the main character, or heroine, personifies the social struggle against male domination. Unfortunately, feminism is said to have too many negative connotations and thus it seems the term, and therefore the movement, is restricted by the glass ceiling, of which it aims to fight (Ferguson). Numerous works which we explored throughout t he semester possess characteristics of feminist works, in particular, the short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, written by Flannery O’Connor. These are both considered feminist texts because they aim to portray women as stronger, more independent subjects, and to defy the norms that have been created by men in the past. The feministic ideas that are touched upon help to strengthen the works as well as critique modern society. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† tells a story about a woman’s struggles against male-centric thinking and societal ‘norms’. Feminist allusions are abundant throughout this s... ...y 36.3 (2011): 733-757. Literary Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† 1912. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology For Readers and Writers. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 954-968. Print. Hinely, Susan. â€Å"Charlotte Wilson, the â€Å"Woman Question†, and the Meanings of Anarchist Socialism in Late Victorian Radicalism.† International Review of Social History 57.1 (2012): 3-36. ProQuest Military Collection; ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Social Science Journals. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard To Find.† 1955. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology For Readers and Writers. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2012. 1283-1296. Print. â€Å"Reference.com - A Free Online Encyclopedia & Information Reference.† Reference.com. Web. 8 Apr. 2012. .

The Struggles of Undocumented Students Essay -- Immigration, Legal Iss

If we talk about undocumented immigrants in United States, we usually focus on the benefits and jobs they take from our country, but have we ever stood in their shoes and imagine what life is like for an illegal immigrant? To live as an undocumented immigrant is a bad situation, but I believe to be a child of an undocumented immigrant is even worse, because their choices are limited and they are unaware of their rights to attend colleges. In this research, I will focus on undocumented immigrant students, who are unable to afford for higher education, and the fear of their unknown future which is mainly cause by their undocumented status. The largest invisible group in America, to explore â€Å"what are the struggles and unsolved problems of undocumented students?† Early statistic provide from scholar article has proved that since the 1970s to 80s, Census by state has documented a high population of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Passel and Woodrow indicate that the estimation of undocumented immigrants is 2.06 millions in 1980s; most of the undocumented immigrants are Mexicans. By the year 2000, more than 1.6 million captures were along the U.S border. In southern California, â€Å"with almost 2.5 million unauthorized immigrants residing in the state, California is home to almost one fourth of the nations unauthorized† (Gonzales 473). This group can split into two major types, which are people who enter U.S illegally and people who enter through admission with their overstay visa. The Mexican group represents 60 percent of those who entered between 1970 and 1980. Mexico is the only single country which accounts the largest number of undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. In 1980, 55 percent of the illegal immigrants... ...onvinced that my original question is an important one, therefore I am continuing with this formulation: â€Å"This invisible group in United States: the struggles and unsolved problems of undocumented immigrants† is going to be my argument of supporting â€Å"Undocumented students†. They deserve the rights to extend their education in order to achieve their American dreams. Their choices shouldn’t be limited by their statues, if they could achieve their academics successfully. United States cannot deprive undocumented immigrants of their academic rights for long term because this is a lost-lost situation. If U.S gives the undocumented immigrants their opportunities, there will be more educated people in the country, and they will give the country back with their skills. As a result, the entire country can move forward as a whole to becoming a better and stronger country.

Principles of Communication in Adult Social Care Settings Essay

1.1 The diffrent reasons people communicate are to tell others what there needs are for example there are hungry they need the toilet they would like something they need help to carry out a action and many more. They may like to exress or share ideas about themself or others. To obtaine or recive infomation maby about there children family or friends residence in a care home often worry about there family and when they are going to come to see them ect. People communiate to form relationships with others and share life experiences and to get to know each other. people comminicate to do most things it is very important. 1.2 Communication affects relationships in an adult socal care settings for encouraging participation in activities that go on in the home eg bingo outings film days music sessions theres all require communication but are very good to keep are brain active. To create equality so everyone has the same choices and chances in the home. To share understadings to make a better understanding for yourself. Read more: Identify different reasons why we communicate  essay 2.1 Ways to establish the communication and language needs are meet and the wishes and preferences of an individual are just simply asking the person if they are able to communicate verbally in some cases the individual may have had a stroke so may not be able to do this so body language plays a big part if you work with a individual a lot you can read what there needs are just from the way they act.You should always read a care plan before carrying out care so you should have some knowldge on the client but if you are unsure of anything you should go back and read it again. If you do not know the individual well you could ask other staff members who may no alot more about that client and may no the answer to you questions. 2.2 Factors to consider when promting affective communication would be as simple as the way you approach the client and your tone of voice as this makes a big diffrence its not always what you say its the way that you say it. Your body language can also play a big part we as humans can read body language very well. The enviroment is a big factor to consider as if its very loud around the client may not be able to hear you and what you are asking them to do or you may not hear what they are asking you or telling you what they need. If there is poor lighting they may not be able to see the things around them so well so this would effect communication also. Us as care providers must respect values, beliefs and diffrent culture.You must also check if they use communication aids as this is very important if a client can you hear very well they will have a hearing aid this must be in when communication is needed or they will not be able to hear and understand everything you are trying to help them with. 2.3 There are a range of communication methods and styles to meet individuals needs there are non-verbal communication are this things like written words,facial expressions,touch,behaviour,gestures,eye contact,behaviour and flash cards or pictures. The other type of cummunication is verbal these include verbal,pitch and vocabulary. communcation styles mat include positive,assertive,warm and supportive. 2.4 It is important to respond to an individuals reaction when communicating to respond in a appropiate way and to share a understanding when in a care home setting staff and residence become close and genrally get a good understanding of one another. If the individuals reaction is missed they may become distressed, fustrated or maby even frightened as they may be trying to tell you that something is wrong or they are in a need for help this would be more common with individuals who cant communicate verbally. 3.1 Individuals from diffrent backgrounds may use communication mathods in a diffrent ways. Examples of this may be someone who has been in a very close loving family may use touch much more than a individual who has been brought up and lived alone may be very uncomfortable with touch and may like as minimal as possible. Clients from diffrent countrys may use diffent languages and if they are unable to speak english or staff are unable to speak there known language then other forms of communiacation must be used. Peoples tone of voice may be used diffrent depending on there background this must always be respected and understood. 3.2 Barriers that effect communication are not making sure communication aids are avaliable like hearing aids and not checking they are working. If you do not allow sufficient time to listen then the client cant tell you if they need anything else or that they have any problems. If you are a care worker are dismissive they may not feel they can talk to you and this may cause them great stress. You must always give the client privacy if this is not done the client mat become very distressed. A lot of noice when you are trying to communicate is not good things may not be understood or heard from both sides. 3.3 Ways to overcome barriers to communicate may be adapting communication methods so all clients have a way to communivate with staff in a possitive effective way. To make information avalible in a variety of formats so all clients have the chance to udersand the information in the best possible way for them. We as care providers must ensure all the support needed is avalible at all times this will help make the client feel safe and secure. We must always establish an individuals needs and wishes and there culture and abide by there needs. 3.4 Statergies that can be used to clarify misunderstandings may include asking the individual to repeate what they said again and confirming understanding so they understand you didnt hear then correct the first time but when they repeated you understood. You may also ckeck with other that the undertanding you got from the client is correct. 3.5 To access extra support or services to enable individuals to communicate effectively may be there GP,individuals family or friends,socal workers.support groups or a specialised nurse.This would be if there was a problem with communiacation and the client needed extra things to be put in place so there was more effective communication for the client this would make sure all there care needs are meet and it prevented the client possibly becoming very distressed. A service may incude a speech and language service who can help people who can not communicate verbally in a effective way. 4.1 The meaning of confidentiality is to keep information private and only people who have a need to see it are to be able to access information. It also means keeping information safe in the correct locked place. You must only pass private information on with the indivduals permission to others who have a right to it. 4.2 Ways to maintain confidentiality in day to day communication are to keep all written records safe so not leaving records in places where other may see. You must ensure confidentual information is passed on only to other who have the need to know it. There must be paswords protecting electronic files and only people who need to know the passwords to know. We must always ckeck the identity of a person before passing personal information on to them. And we must provide a private environment. 4.3 The potential tension between maintaining an individuals confidentaility and disclosing concerns to agreed others may include breaching a confidence with an individual, It may also raise a safeguarding issue. It also may put the rights of others before those of an individual there are many other health profesionals who may be the agreed other like colleagues,GP,nurse,physiotherapist,family,advocate,dementia care advisior or socal worker. 4.4 When unsure of how to seek advice we should speak with are manager and if still unsure how we should speak with CQC who are the care quality commision. But we should always follow the organisations confidentiality policy.When to seek advice may be when claification is needed or when confidential information needs to be shared with agreed others.

The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Essay Example

The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Essay Example The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Paper The Controversy of Clinical Versus Actuarial Prediction Paper In clinical prediction, psychologists use their clinical experience to formulate a prediction based on interview impressions, history ATA and test scores (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). The formula in the title refers to statistical or actuarial prediction. In actuarial prediction, clergies access a chart or table which gives the statistical frequencies of behaviors (Actuarial Prediction). Advocates of the clinical method say that clinical prediction Is dynamic, meaningful and sensitive but actuarial prediction Is mechanical, rigid and artificial (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). On the other hand, advocates of the actuarial method claim that actuarial method Is empirical, precise and objective but alnico prediction Is unscientific, vague and subjective (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 4). The controversy of clinical versus actuarial judgment is not limited to the field of psychology; it also affects education in terms of predicting school performance, criminal justice system in terms of parole board decisions and business in terms of personnel selection. Although this controversy can be traced back half a century ago, social scientists today are still asking: Which of the two methods works better? Can we view any prediction dichotomously as either clinical or actuarial? And, if actuarial predictions are more accurate, should we abandon clinical predictions all together? On one side of the controversy, some people feel that using mere numbers to determine whether students can enter graduate schools or whether prisoners should be released Is dehumidifying (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). In her book about social psychology, Thompson describes a young woman who complains that It Is horribly unfair that she has been rejected by the Psychology Department at university of California on the bases of mere numbers, without even n interview (88). When my psychology teacher surveyed our class on this issue, about 20 percent of students believe that it is unethical to make predictions based on mere numbers (Brenner). The crux of this ethical concern lies on the belief that each individual is so unique that rigid statistics or equations cannot make the correct prediction in every single case. Indeed, most psychologists agree that rigid statistics are not sensitive to special cases. Paul Mà ªlà ©es well-known broken-leg example Illustrates how the special powers of the clinician can predict behaviors ore accurately in some special cases: If a sociologist were predicting whether Professor X would go to the movies on a certain night, he might have an equation Involving age, academic specialty, and Introversion score. The equation might yield [a very high probability] that Professor X will go to the movie tonight. But if Professor X Ana Just Darken Nils leg Ana en Is In a nil cast Tanat wont NT In a denature seat, no sensible sociologist would stick with the equation. (Clinical versus Statistical 24-25) Essentially, it is very important for clinicians to detect the characteristics of each unique individual and make predictions accordingly because clinicians deal with individual cases; they make predictions for each unique individual, not for a group of people. Thus, it is the individual case that defines the clinician (Melee, Clinical versus Statistical 25). Because of the insensitivity of statistics to special cases and the importance of predicting individual cases, many psychologists argue that statistics simply cannot apply to individuals (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). They believe that clinicians can make predictions about individuals can transcend the predictions bout people in general (Melee, Causes and Effects 374). For example, Patriots emphasized in his research on personality inventory that: In [nonproductive] tests, the results of every individual examination can be interpreted only in terms of direct, descriptive, statistical data and, therefore, can never attain accuracy when applied to individuals. Statistics is a descriptive study of groups, not of individuals. (633) On the other side of controversy, advocates of the actuarial approach have questioned the logic behind the assumption that statistics do not apply to single individuals or events. Stanchion uses a very good analogy to illustrate the fallacy behind this assumption (179). He asks us whether we want our operation done by an experienced surgeon who has a low failure probability or an inexperienced surgeon who has a high failure probability (179). Of course, any rational man will choose the experienced surgeon. However, if we believe that probabilities do not apply to the single case, we should not mind to have our operation done by the inexperienced surgeon. This question brings us to think about the role of chance in making reductions. Stanchion noted: Reluctance to acknowledge the role of chance when trying to explain outcomes in the world can actually decrease our ability to predict real-world events Acknowledging that our predictions will be less than 100 percent accurate can actually help us to increase our overall predictive accuracy. (175) An experiment done by Fainting and Subsidiaries (58-63) demonstrates Stanchions last point that we must accept error in order to reduce error. In this experiment, the participant sits in front of a red light and a blue light and is asked to predict which eight will be flashed on each trial (60). The experimenter has programmed so that the red light will flash 70 percent of the time and the blue light 30 percent of the time (59). Participants quickly pick up the fact that the red light is flashing more, thus they predict the red light roughly 70 percent of the time and the blue light roughly 30 percent of the time (62). The problem is that they do not understand that if they give up on trying to predict correctly on every trial, they can actually be more accurate. We can demonstrate the logic of this situation through a calculation on 100 trials. In 70 of the 100 trials, the red light will come on and the participant will be correct on about 70 percent of those 70 trials. That means, in 49 of the 70 trials (70 times . 70), the participant will correctly predict that red light will flash. In the same way, we can calculation that approximately in 9 trials (30 times . 30), the participant will correctly predict that the blue light will flash. Therefore, the participant can only predict correctly 58 percent of the time (49 percent from the red light and 9 percent from the (B). However, IT ten participant simply gives up on getting every trial relent Ana just predicts the red light on every trial, he can predict correctly 70 percent of the time (because the red light will come on 70 percent of the time), which is 12 percent better than switching back and forth trying to get right on every trial. This is what Stanchion means by accepting error in order to reduce error. Research on this controversial issue has consistently indicated that actuarial prediction is more accurate than clinical prediction. In Paul Mà ªlà ©es classical book Clinical versus Statistical Prediction, he had reviewed 22 studies comparing clinical and actuarial prediction (83-126). Out of these 22 studies, twenty show that actuarial prediction is more accurate than clinical prediction. These twenty studies cover almost all the clinical prediction domain, including psychotherapy outcome, criminal recidivism, college graduation rates, parole behavior and length of psychiatric hospitalizing. A graduate student at JIBE had also done a study comparing clinical and actuarial prediction (Simmons 3). In this study, Simmons compared the predictions made by a regression equation and by two experienced counselors on the school performance of JIBE freshmen (Simmons 3). The results again indicate the actuarial prediction using the regression equation was more accurate (Simmons 64). In addition, a recent meta-analysis using 136 studies has also confirmed that actuarial prediction is better regardless of the Judgment task, type of Judges, or Judges amount of experience (Grove et al. 9). Researchers found that actuarial prediction substantially outperformed clinical prediction in 45 percent of the studies whereas clinical prediction was more accurate in only 10 percent of the studies (19). Regarding the research consistently showing that actuarial prediction is more accurate , Paul Melee said, There is no controversy in social science which shows such a large body of qualitatively diverse studies coming out so uniformly in the same direction as this one (373-374). Mà ªlà ©es actuarial stance is strongly challenged by Robert R. Holt, who is also a renowned clinical psychologist. Holt criticizes that the twenty studies Melee cited in his book only focus on the final step of the prediction-making process, which is making the prediction (339). Holt rejects the dichotomous classification of studies as clinical or statistical because in field settings, clinicians do not simply make a prediction by evaluating the given data (338). In field settings, before the clinician can make the prediction, he has to carefully identify the criterion he can predict and choose predictive variables he wants to use. (Holt 339-340). For example, if a counselor wants to predict the school performance of first year university dents, he first identifies the criterion he is able to predict; the criterion can be Gaps or average marks of the students, but it can also be the students lecture attendances. He also has to choose which predictive variables he should use; he may use the students entrance grades or their scores on an aptitude test or a combination of both. Then, finally, he can make the prediction using either an equation or his own Judgment. This example shows that even if the clinician uses actuarial approach in the final step of the prediction-making process, he still plays an important role in all the preceding steps. I agree with Holt that Melee has oversimplified the distinction between clinical and statistical prediction. I believe that we should view these two methods as falling on a continuum rather than make an all-or-none distinction. Some predictions that can be completely done on computers are more statistical toner protections, Tort wanly psychoanalysts need to collect Ana analyze data, are more clinical. I also agree with Holt that we should still value clinical judgment although it is not as accurate. Without clinical Judgment, scientists will to be able to form hypotheses and theories, and to analyze research results and data. Like Western and Weinberg said in their article reviewing this controversial issue, try as we might to eliminate subjectivity in science, we can never transcend the fact that the mind of scientists, clinicians or informants is the source of much of what we know (609). Nevertheless, when countless research findings point toward one direction, I think we should recognize that actuarial predictions are more accurate than clinical predictions (at least in the final step of the prediction-making recess). Some people think that using mere numbers to make predictions is dehumidifying. They feel that using an equation to forecast a persons action is treating the individual like a white rat or an inanimate object (Melee Causes and Effects 374). However, I argue that in certain cases, it is unethical to use clinical judgment when actuarial approach has shown to be accurate. For example, when a clinical psychologist makes a prediction about whether a student is going to commit suicide within a year, would it be more ethical to use the actuarial prediction that is here times more accurate than the clinical prediction (Brook et al. 03)? The answer to this question should be as obvious as the question about whether we want our operation done by an experienced or an inexperienced surgeon. By admitting that actuarial Judgment is more accurate, clinicians who engage in activities in the role of experts and imply that they have unique clinical knowledge of individual cases may lose prestige and income; however, the field of psychology, and society, will benefit if we underst and that accepting error is reducing error.

Analysis of Grendel, by John Gardner essays

Analysis of Grendel, by John Gardner essays The Novel Grendel by John Gardner gives the reader a different viewpoint of the good against evil plot scenario.   From the beginning of the book the reader can see that this book is very well written and that Gardner has a very unique way of writing it.   It is clear that the narrator is a very attentive and how he changes his writing to illustrate the growing up of Grendels writing as well.   The reader many times before has dealt most likely with a hero defeating an evil villain.  Although the twist to the story is that, the traditional, evil monster is telling his side of the story.   Having to be forced to now view the events from Grendels eyes, Gardner allows his readers to see the other side of the coin.   Thus, during the events that play out in the entire novel, it gives the reader a chance to comprehend how Grendel plays an important role to how humans are conveyed. Whenever Grendel first encountered humans, he was fairly young at the time, and described it as a bad experience.   After unintentionally catching himself in a tree he was noticed by a group of Hrothgars men walking through the woods.   As the men got nearer, Grendel tries to communicate to them, having no intention of harming these "ridiculous" (Gardner 24) creatures that "moved by clicks." (Gardner 24). After the men bump into Grendel, they are very confused and dont know what to make of the situation. Like wild animals, they are afraid of anything that they are not used too.   Whenever Grendel tries to speak and connect to the men, while hanging from the tree, the men showed ignorance.   Instead of taking the time to understand the abnormality in their world they panic and do the only thing they know how to do to best, destroy it.  Had the reader not read Grendels side of the story, the reader would have assumed that the men had every reason to attack Grendel, but in r eality they didnt.   An altern...