Monday, September 30, 2019

Reseach on Leukemia

â€Å"LEUKEMIA† CANCER OF THE BLOOD INTRODUCTION â€Å"You have to realize that every well person is a miracle, it takes billions of cells to make up a person, and it will only take one cell to be bad to destroy the whole person†, this quote is from Barbara Bush from one of her past interviews about a daughter she lost with leukemia (Cunningham, 1988). This quote reminded me five years ago, when my niece was diagnosed with leukemia. She does not only have one bad cell inside her body but she has extra 330,000 counts of white blood cells that are not normal.It was summer of year 2008 when my niece who is freshmen in high school was diagnosed with leukemia or cancer of the blood. Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the tissue that forms blood and affects the bone marrow (Anonymous A, 2012). Leukemia is found in white blood cells or leukocytes which characterized by an abnormal increase in white blood cells called â€Å"blast†, they do not fully form as they should and thereby blocking production of functioning blood cells. Unlike normal blood cells, leukemia cells don’t die when they should. They may crowd out normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.This makes it hard for normal blood cells to do their work (Anonymous A 2012). Experiencing this type of cancer in our family makes me realize how a healthy body is truly a blessing that everybody should appreciate and learn how to take care of. Leukemia may not be the worst cancer we have right now, but many people of all ages suffer from this disease. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (2012), an estimated 274,930 people in the United States are living with or are in remission from Leukemia and an estimated 44,600 new cases of leukemia are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2011.It is also said that leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children and adolescents and is the tenth most frequently occurring type cancer of all races or ethnici ties (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2012). Leukemia is a cancer that has a significant effect on our society, it is a non-sexist or ageist cancer that we should be aware of and be educated more on. BODY I. HISTORY OF LEUKEMIA Leukemia was first observed in 1845 by a pathologist named Rudolf Virchow.He observed an abnormal large number of white blood cells in a blood sample from a patient and called this condition â€Å"Leukamie† in German, which he formed from the two Greek words leukos, meaning â€Å"white† and aima, meaning â€Å"blood†. Ten years after this discovery, another pathologist, Franz Ernst Christian Neumann found that a deceased leukemia patient’s bone marrow was colored â€Å"dirty green-yellow† as opposed normal red colored. This finding helped Neumann to conclude that a bone marrow problem was responsible for the abnormal blood leukemia patients.In 1947 pathologist Sydney Farber believed from past experiments that administering, a folic acid mimic, could potentially cure leukemia for children. In 1962, researchers Emil J. Freireich Jr. and Emil Frei III used combination of chemotherapy to attempt to cure leukemia, the test were successful with some patients surviving long after the tests (Patlak, 1998). II. FOUR TYPES OF LEUKEMIA Leukemia is grouped by how quickly the disease develops (acute or chronic), as well as by the type of blood cells that is affected (lymphocytes or myelocytes) (Anonymous A. 012). Acute leukemia cells increases rapidly and usually worsens quickly than chronic leukemia. There are four main types of leukemia which includes acute lymphocytic leukemia â€Å"ALL†, chronic lymphocytic leukemia â€Å"CLL†, acute myelocytic leukemia â€Å"AML†, and chronic myelocytic leukemia â€Å"CML†. * Chronic lymphocytic leukemia â€Å"CLL† is the most common type of leukemia (Bazell, 2011). It affects the lymphoid cells and usually grows slowly or gets worst slowly. I t is also sometimes referred to as chronic lymphoblast leukemia (Anonymous B, 2012).Most often, people diagnosed with this type of leukemia are over the age of 55, it almost never affects children and more common in men than women. * Chronic myelogenous leukemia â€Å"CML† it is sometimes referred to as chronic myeloid leukemia or chronic granulocytic leukemia. This type of leukemia affects the myeloid cells and usually gets worse slowly. This type of leukemia occurs frequently in adults in their 50’s and is rarely seen in children. CML is also classified into three district phases, the chronic phase, accelerated phase and the blast crisis.Knowing the CML phase plays a large part in determining the type of treatment a patient will receive (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2012). Each phase describes the CML’s progression which determined by the number of blast cells. * Chronic Phase, this phase is made up of patients with fewer than five percent blast in their blo od and bone marrow samples (The Survivors Club Staff, 2012). During this phase, the white cells can still fight infection. Patients in this phase have a very mild symptoms or not noticeable. In most cases, long term drug therapy can control this phase. Accelerated Phase, in this phase, the patients have more than five percent but less than thirty percent blast in their blood and bone marrow samples. Most patients within the accelerated phase suffer from loss of appetite and weight loss and do not respond as well as to traditional treatments. * Blast Crisis Phase or Acute Blast Phase, in this phase the patients has more than thirty percent blast cells and the cancer has spread from the bone marrow to other organs (The Survivor’s Club Staff, 2012). Because of elevated blast in the blood, this means lower than normal number of red blood cells and platelets. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia â€Å"ALL†, this is most common type of childhood leukemia, which accounts for about 3 out of 4 cases of leukemia in children. It usually occurs in children ages 2 through 5 years. This disease also affects adults especially those ages 65 and older. ALL is the most successful treated type of childhood leukemia (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2012). This type of leukemia usually gets worse quickly and sometimes referred to as acute lymphocytic leukemia. * Acute Myelogenous Leukemia â€Å"AML† occurs more commonly in men than women and more with adults than children.The incidence of AML increases with age. This is a kind of leukemia that gets worse quickly and sometimes referred to as acyte myeloid leukemia, acute myelocytic leukemia and myeloblastic leukemia (Anonymous, 2012). III. SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF LEUKEMIA Like many other cancer, leukemia usually is diagnosed when it is in the accelerated stage because people usually go to the doctor only when they feel sick, and most often than not the symptoms for leukemia manifest when there is already a large amount of b last in the blood.People with chronic leukemia may not even have symptoms until it is in the accelerated phase. Because leukemia is characterized by rapid increase in the number of immature blood cells and by the excessive buildup of relative mature, but still abnormal white blood cells. The crowding of blast in the blood makes the bone marrow unable to produce healthy blood cells which results in lack of red blood cells that carries oxygen, lack of platelets which is important in blood clotting process and lack of healthy white blood cells which are important in fighting infections.When there is lack of platelets in the body this result in easy bruising or bleeding. Lack of red blood cells leads to paleness and fatigue due to anemia. With lack of healthy white blood cells the body is susceptible to infections and this could lead to patient experiencing frequent infection ranging from infected tonsils, sores in the mouth or diarrhea to life threatening infections (Morgan, 2010). Oth er symptoms of chronic and acute leukemia may include fevers or night sweats, weight loss for no known reason, pain in the bones or joints, swelling or discomfort in the abdomen from a swollen spleen or liver.Having the symptoms mentioned above does not necessary mean that a person has leukemia. If a person is experiencing more than one of the symptoms it is best to check with their doctor or a health care provider and do some blood test, only then can the doctor tell if a person has leukemia or not. Ignoring warning signs and symptoms can make a treatable condition terminal. The sooner a person checks with their doctor the better chances they have in fighting any disease. III. CAUSE OF LEUKEMIAThe exact cause of leukemia is not known and there is no known way to prevent this disease. Many doctors seldom know why one person gets leukemia and the other doesn’t (Anonymous A, 2012). However, according to the National Cancer Institute (2011), there are researches which show that certain risk factors increase the chance that a person will get leukemia. Some of the risk factors are radiation, smoking, benzene, chemotherapy, down syndrome and certain other inherited diseases, certain other blood disorders and family history of leukemia.Exposure to a very high level of radiation will make the person much more likely to get AML, CML and ALL. Exposure to radiation can come from atomic bomb explosions, radiation therapy and diagnostics x-rays. Smoking can also increase the risk of AMC. The average smoker is exposed to about 10 times the daily intake of benzene compared to nonsmokers (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2012). Benzene is widely used in the chemical industry and it is also found in cigarette smoke and gasoline, exposure to benzene can increase a person’s risk of getting AMC.Chemotherapy, down syndrome and other inherited disease, certain blood disorder such as myelodysplastic syndrome and family history of leukemia are all linked with increasing t he risk of leukemia. IV. TREATMENT The ability to listen to one’s body is an important first step in finding a problem, so it can be properly diagnosed and treated (Wedro, 2012). The diagnosis of leukemia starts by going to the doctor and having a blood test. If the person is tested positive for leukemia then bone marrow aspiration test might be needed to check for the blood cells that cause leukemia and what type of leukemia it is.People with leukemia have many treatment options these days. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (2012), chances in surviving this disease is a lot better today than they were 40 years ago. The overall five-year survival rate for leukemia has nearly quadrupled in the past 50 years. From 1960 to 1963, the five-year relative survival rate among whites with leukemia was 14 percent, then it went up to 34. 4 percent from 1975 to 1977 and from 2001 to 2007, the overall relative survival rate was at 56. 6 percent.Treatment of this disease also depends on the type of leukemia, the age of the patient and if leukemia cells were found in the cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment for leukemia can be one or combination of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy and stem cell transplant. * Chemotherapy is probably the most common type of treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy leukemia cells. A patient may receive chemotherapy by mouth, which are pills that can be swallowed, by vein or tube inserted into the vein.Another way to receive the drug is through catheter where a tube is placed in a large vein in the upper chest and drugs will be injected into the catheter rather than directly into veins. The drugs can also be received into the cerebrospinal fluid by injecting drugs directly into the cerebrospinal fluid * Targeted therapy is another treatment for people with chronic myeloid leukemia and some with acute lymphoblast leukemia. This type of therapy use drugs such as Imatinib (Gleevec) tablets that block the growth of leukemia cells, it blocks the action of an abnormal protein that stimulates the rowth of leukemia cells (National Cancer Institute, 2011). * Biological therapy for leukemia is a treatment that improves the body’s natural defenses against the disease. This is a substance that can be injected directly into the muscle or can be given by IV infusion. * Radiation Therapy or radiotherapy is another treatment for leukemia; it uses high energy rays to kill leukemia cells. Some people receive radiation therapy from a large machine that is aimed at the spleen, the brain, or other parts of the body where leukemia cells have collected.Others may receive radiation that is directly to the whole body. Radiotherapy is a standard treatment for many types of cancer (Anonymous, 2012). * Stem Cell Transplant is the replacement of damaged bone marrow cell with healthy cells. Stem cells that are used for transplants can be taken from bone marrow, from the bloodstr eam, or from umbilical cord blood. This treatment is used to treat the disease that damage or destroy the bone marrow and to restore the bone marrow after it has been destroyed by high doses of radiation and chemotherapy.Stem cells may come from the patient, from identical twin, family member and from other donor. People with acute leukemia need treatment right away and the goal of the treatment is to destroy signs of leukemia in the body and make symptoms go away. Many people with acute leukemia can be cured. (National Cancer Institute, 2011). If a person has chronic leukemia without symptoms, they may not need a cancer treatment right away. When treatment for chronic leukemia is needed, it can often control the disease and its symptoms.Unfortunately, CLL is probably incurable by present treatments as chronic leukemia can seldom be cured with chemotherapy. However, stem cell transplants offer people with chronic leukemia the chance for cure (National Cancer Institute, 2011). With a ll the technology available to us right now and with all the research and studies being done to find a new and better ways to treat leukemia, I’m hopeful that a cure for all types of leukemia will be discovered soon. CONCLUSION Learning you have leukemia or one of your loved ones have this disease can definitely change your live and the lives of those people around you.When we learned about my niece’s condition 5 years ago, there was a dramatic change in our family on how we viewed life and the importance of having a healthy body. My niece Shayna has gone through a lot of test, procedures and treatments because of this disease, it is probably her positive outlook in life and prayer that helped her fight this disease. Although Shayna is still taking Gleevec every day to block the growth of leukemia cells, her doctors already considered her to be in remission.She had normal blood counts for over four years now. In any disease, may it be cancer, diabetes, pneumonia or any life threatening or non-life threatening disease, it is important to listen to your body and do the first step of getting checked by a health care professional. It is also important to take life’s obstacle with a positive outlook and to have faith and hope from your love ones, from your health care provider, from yourself and from God, for all these would help a person deal and survive any disease.

Disadvantages of video games Essay

Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. They are a unique form of entertainment, because they encourage players to become a part of the game’s script. Today’s sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game, rather than passively watching a movie. This has both positive and negative impacts on players. Several studies have been published that explore these impacts on today’s children. Sections: What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? Tips on managing your child’s media consumption. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) References What impact does playing video games have on children or adolescents? The most widely used â€Å"positive† impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player’s manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more â€Å"realistic† virtual playing experience. This quality makes the video game industry a powerful force in many adolescent lives. However, numerous studies show that video games, especially ones with violent content, make teens more aggressive. Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games. In one study by Walsh (2000), a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the number of hours they are allowed to play video games. The study also showed that most parents are unaware of the content or the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating (see below) of the video games their children play. In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) â€Å"adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week, whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week†. The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time: Tend to be more aggressive Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers May engage in fights with their peers See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004). The interactive quality of video games differs from passively viewing television or movies because it allows players to become active participants in the game’s script. Players benefit from engaging in acts of violence and are then able to move to the game’s next level. Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns. Video games also encourage players to identify with and role play their favorite characters. This is referred to as a â€Å"first-person† video game (Anderson & Dill, 2000, p. 788) because players are able to make decisions affecting the actions of the character they are imitating. After a limited amount of time playing a violent video game, a player can â€Å"automatically prime aggressive thoughts† (Bushman & Anderson, 2002, p. 1680). The researchers concluded that players who had prior experience playing violent video games responded with an increased level of aggression when they encountered confrontation (Bushman & Anderson, 2002). In a Joint Statement (2000) before the Congressional Public Health Summit, a number of American medical associations — the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry — caution parents about violence in the media and its negative effect on children. Their report states that exposure to violent media can elevate aggressive feelings and thoughts, especially in children. These effects on aggressive behavior can be long-term. Although fewer studies have been conducted on interactive video games, evidence suggests that playing violent video games may have a more dramatic influence on the behavior of children and adolescents (Joint Statement, 2000). Back to top Tips on managing your child’s media consumption Because of the popularity of video games, completely eliminating them from your child’s life might be difficult. But you can decrease the negative impact that they have on your child. Here are a few tips: Know the rating of the video games your child plays (see below). Do not install video game equipment in your child’s bedroom. Set limits on how often and how long your child is allowed to play video games. Monitor all of your child’s media consumption — video games, television, movies and Internet. Supervise your child’s Internet use — there are now many â€Å"video games† available for playing online. Take the time to discuss with your children the games they are playing or other media they are watching. Ask your children how they feel about what they observe in these video games, television programs or movies. This is an opportunity to share your feelings and grow closer with your child. Share with other parents information about certain games or ideas for helping each other in parenting. Back to top The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) The ESRB is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The major video game manufacturers created this board after concerned groups applied pressure over the content of video games. Similar to the movie industry’s rating system, all major game companies now submit their new products for rating to specially trained raters at the ESRB. The ESRB rates over 1,000 games per year. The ESRB looks at a number of factors when rating games. In particular, it considers the amount of violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse found in a game. Based on its developed guidelines, the ESRB then gives an age recommendation and content descriptor to each game submitted. The following are the rating symbols currently in use, according to the ESRB Web site. Early Childhood (EC): Content should be suitable for children 3 years and older and contain no objectionable material. Everyone (E): Content suitable for persons ages 6 and older. The game may contain minimal violence and some â€Å"comic mischief. † Teen (T): Content suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Content is more violent than (E) rating and contains mild or strong language, and/or suggestive themes. Mature (M): Content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Content definitely has more mature sexual themes, intense violence and stronger language. Adults Only (AO): Content suitable only for adults and may contain graphic sex and/or violence. Adult Only products are not intended for persons under the age of 18. Rating Pending (RP): Game has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting a final rating. The ESRB Web site has more details about this rating system, as well as the â€Å"content descriptors† that are used in conjunction with the ratings on game packaging. The site is also useful for parents who want to search for the rating of a particular game. Back to top References Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686. Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed. ), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing. Gentile, D. A. , Lynch, P. , Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22. Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000. ) Available: http://www. aap. org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc. htm. Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.). Back to top Source: http://www. pamf. org/preteen/parents/videogames. html By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Reviewed by the Web Content Committee of PAMF Additional articles: Violent Video Games and Aggressive Behaviors, By Andrea Norcia, college student writer Join the conversation: Website Feedback Site Map  © 2012 Palo Alto Medical Foundation. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U. S. Patent. & Trademark office. 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Saturday, September 28, 2019

Foreign and indian education Essay

Anyone who has studied in Indian schools and colleges will vouch for the fact that Indian Education system churn out more engineers, doctors and MBAs in comparison to any other country in the world. This has partly got to do with the mentality of Indian parents who believe that sole purpose of educating their kids is to find a well paying job. In India, parents have a huge influence on the major life decisions of their children including which school or college they attend, what branch of education their kids pursue and even which job they take up later in life. No doubt this creates a huge pool of educated individuals but the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Indian Education System From a very young age it is ingrained in the minds of Indian children that the purpose of education is to find a suitable job. This creates an impression on the minds of these children which is difficult to correct at a later stage. Individual aptitude towards any vocation, interests in any particular stream is sacrificed in the pursuit of a degree, which makes them job ready. The consequences towards this approach of education is that in the short term there is a boom in the number of professionals however in the long term areas like researches, arts and allied areas take a beating. This is dangerous for a developing economy like India. This creates a rat race to get admission in reputed educational institutes right from school level putting pressure on youngsters to perform in subjects which might not necessarily appeal to them resulting in disappointment when unable to perform. Foreign Education System Foreign education, on the contrary in general and western education in particular focuses more on individual interests, learning abilities and aptitude towards any vocations. The social system also supports individual education to a great extend unlike India, the purpose of foreign education system is not to land a job to make a living but holistic development of individuals. The performance measurement and grading system in foreign countries encourages blooming of individuals talents in diverse fields and does not restrict children to mere classroom studies. This approach is more practical and suited to overall individual development. Hence the focus of foreign education system is creating individuals with a broad outlook towards all aspects and does not narrow the purpose of education just for the purpose of getting a job. Both approaches have their pros and cons while education system might create more professionals it definitely needs to broaden its scope and focus more on grooming tomorrow’s citizens who can lead the country in all areas. Foreign education system is more liberal in its attitude which can sometime proof counterproductive especially when children from different educational backgrounds experience it for the first time. If we are to compare both education systems, both have their own merits however looking at the broader picture all we can say is it is up to the individual. As Mark Twain, once said, â€Å"Don’t let schooling interfere with your child’s education!† Education is the key foundation for the success of any country and the betterment of any individual. However, given the culture and mindset of different races, there is a different approach towards education. And to be more precise, there is a difference between the approach towards education in the western countries and in India. Apparently, the fundamental is that there is a chalk and cheese difference in the objective of education in both sides. Apparently, the foreign students treat education more like a learning process. On the other hand, they choose the line they are interested in and go only for that course and line of career. In this process, they tend to wait for the right kind of job and don’t really consider time as a hindrance. On the other hand, the objective of education in India has more to do with a fat salaried job, overseas chances, better marriage prospects, status in society etc. However, analysts on both sides say there is a lot of difference in terms of competition, aptitude and the job markets in both hemispheres. While things are rather relaxed owing to the lesser population, more streamlined procedure and lack of unfair means, things are quite different when it comes to India. As such, money becomes the root cause since most of the higher end courses are taken on study loan. So, it is more about circumstances than choices for many students. However, to those who manage to get admission in the foreign schools, once adaptability is achieved, the path is set and clear. Also, given the infrastructure, access to various resources and other facilities, the quality tends to be higher in terms of conducive learning. Though changes are being noticed in India with top league B-Schools focusing on quality and better infrastructure, there is still that gap between foreign schools and Indian educational institutions. With globalisation happening rapidly and economies getting tighter in developed countries, changes are being noticed so let us see how things take shape.1)The big difference is whatever discarded theories we learn in india those theories are not lernt by foreign people 2)Most part of their education is covered under practicals Well to be practical foreign education is a bit better than Indian education but in a certain aspect. Let me just put some flashlight on few areas why Indian’s prefer foreign education: Jobs: This is the main reason why people go abroad and spend millions of money on it. Many students are directly placed in foreign companies and so they prefer foreign education. Other reasons why it is better is that there is a better understanding and relationship between teachers and students. Schools have an open environment of teaching and has got no shyness on topics such as sex. In India no topic such as sex is taught in any school. Students are encouraged to work on their own projects on science and incentives are provided to them. Here ther’s no such sort of a thing. You are on your own. But recently there has been a boom in our Indian education as we are developing and becoming better than other nations. Due to recession many students are now preferring to stay in India now and pursue their course here as in abroad IT sector is the major head of earnings in companies. Foreign companies are suffering a blow down thereby leading to decline in jobs. If we consider the management area, then yeah we may say that foreign is better in providing management degrees than India. We have here only 10-15 reputed colleges which offer good MBA degree. Of these 10-15 the competition is killing and you really need to tie your boots if you wanna get into them. Regarding Science scenario we are in with other nations. Consider for example the CERN EXPERIMENT. This experiment consisted of colliding two protons. The experiment was successful which was feared by many people as it would lead to collapse of earth planet. The CERN association consisted of more than 200 Indian scientists. I totally agree with Lenin’s statement about what he said on professional value of degree. If we do Phd. or masters degree from abroad it has a greater value than the one done from India. Rest I would say that its totally the mindset of the person who wishes to pursue his education either from India or foreign. Mostly students who pursue from abroad have a greater bank balance and so utilize money by showing their standards. Other reasons are that often students of rich families who are not able to get into top Indian colleges in engineering and mbbs head for abroad. Believe me its true. It happens in medical field. Many students pursue their MBBS from abroad due to non selection in Indian colleges. The basic and most important difference between the two educational systems is the stress on math that is given in India (and Europe, I have been told) at the elementary and high school level itself. Mathematics, in my humble opinion, teaches students logical and rational thinking – it lays the foundation of independent and lateral thinking. Indian schools start teaching maths, like multiplication tables, at the elementary level itself. It is given a lot of importance and is a must for students who plan to do science related study in college. On the other hand, high school in America is so flexible that a lot of students who end up majoring in sciences in college do not take advanced maths and calculus in high school. In general, I found that at the end of their 1st year of university, math majors in the US are equivalent to high school graduates in India in terms of math study. This emphasis on maths in high schools and engineering programs is also the reason why India produces so many â€Å"good† software engineers. The analytical thinking taught by mathematics is exactly what is required for software development. The flexibility of the American education system is its greatest strength and also its greatest weakness. Students can choose among a host of classes and courses in high school and college. This means they can change their major (i.e. field of study) midway through college. This usually means that students in the US receive more exposure to a variety of subjects and hence, are more aware of their career options and opportunities. However, the downside is that they can avoid taking courses which are hard in their major. The computer science students in my department in the US are often criticized for avoiding a lot of important computer science courses by taking easier courses from other departments that fulfill their degree requirements. On digging deeper into the root of the problem, I realized that the general problem with the American education (high school and college) system is that it is designed so as not to reduce/hurt the self-esteem of any kid in class. So, the system is designed in such a way that nearly everyone can pass the high-school level. This leads to lowering the standards at the high school, which in turn leads to lowering the standards for college entrance too and subsequent college programs. So, college students in, say, computer science, are learning much less and at a much slower pace than the students in computer science programs in India and Europe This is one of the main reasons why most of the graduate students in computer science in the US are foriegn students; American students are just not able to compete with the quality of foriegn student applicants. College education is becoming common place, with a large proportion of high school graduates opting for it. Universities are under pressure from state governments to take in more students, that is, in turn, leading to reduced quality and lower standards (quality*quantity=constant). Universities are just not able to cope with the quick increases and the corresponding lack of good faculty. The situation is not improving either ! People kick and scream about the fact that immigrants are taking over the country and the hi-tech jobs, but very few people are examining the reasons why this is happening. Most people are fiercely defensive about the country and refuse to believe that anything can be wrong with the country’s education system since they are the technology leaders. However, nobody realizes or admits that this, to a great extent, is due to brain inflow of immigrants from Asia (India included) and Europe. However, the flip side of the coin is that the Indian education and social systems are very hard on kids and completely ignore their feelings, opinions and ambitions. Kids are pushed to study from the age of 3 and non-performers are treated as dolts and ostracized by parents and society. The preferred choice of learning and teaching is memorizing facts. These facts do help in the long run; the multiplication tables we learned in elementary school keep us ahead of our American peers who need a calculator to find out what 6 times 7 is ! However, the memorization approach to study does not allow and teach kids to think independently. The American school system lays stress on individual ability development and encourages kids to express themselves and their opinions from an early age. As a result, most Americans are way better at getting their point across as compared to people from other countries. However, again, the downside of this is that students in the US who are more out-spoken do well in class and outside class too only because they are more effective speakers. In the Indian system, individuals are not asked to stand up infront of the whole class and recite something. Instead, the whole class reads books out aloud together in unison. This allows more timid students to participate and overcome their fear of public speaking (since they are actually speaking with a group). Individual speaking is only done with the teacher one-on-one during â€Å"oral† examinations, where students are asked questions on the subject matter. Both systems work, however, in the Indian system, just because you can’t speak well, does not mean you don’t do well in class. But students in the US build more self-confidence and are much better at public speaking. Indian students on the other hand find it hard to learn to speak up or express their opinions (I know those are really broad generalizations). Classroom discussion and asking questions to the professors is encouraged. However, in India, professors expect you to treat them like God and often use their almost dictorial powers against students who upset them in some way. On a different note, another observation I made, while I was a teaching assistant (TA) for a senior level (3rd-4th year) class of computer science undergraduates, is that their focus in class and attitude towards the course was completely exam-oriented (ofcourse, there were some highly motivated and intelligent students too). They constantly wanted to know if what was being discussed would be on the quiz or the final. Almost no one in the class was attempting to understand concepts. They wanted to learn to solve all the kinds of problems that may appear in the quiz. One may argue that this is a natural thing for students to want. But the fact of the matter is that the American college education system is industry-oriented and hence, is structured so that it produces people who can do a certain type of job efficiently. So it is like a custom-design factory which produces engineers/workers who can do one or two jobs very well but require massive retraining if they have to do something new. In contrast, the education in India (and Europe) is more towards teaching the basic concepts and a broader mass of information. The products of this education system, are therefore capable of taking up several different types of jobs and are not masters of any single job. To do any single job well, they have to go through some amount of training at work. Another realization that the other TA and myself made was that the students wanted to be â€Å"spoon-fed† and told exactly what they needed to do, in order to do well in the course. This mentality of always being told to read something, do some assignment and essentially, being given goal-oriented tasks to perform, works great when students are being trained to work in the industry. And this is an admirable goal – America is built on the strength of these students who can perform what they have been told to do. However, in the long run, these people are not able to adapt quickly to changes in the industry. And they are definitely not prepared to go to graduate school (for a master’s or a Phd). Graduate school is very different from undergraduate school. There is no single book being followed; the reading and writing assignments require paper chases and are ambiguously defined. Also, most courses do not have regular evaluations such as quizes etc. but rely on a final project or term paper – this makes it very hard for one to know how much effort one needs to put into the course. One has to come out of the â€Å"spoonfeed me† mode and learn to think independently. This lack of spoonfeeding in graduate school also means that one has to be motivated by themselves – especially in PhD programs. The amount that you get out of your master’s or PhD depends on the amount of work you put in (more work also means faster graduation). There is no one motivating you to work harder or checking on your progress regularly. (By the way, my arguments in the Master’s versus PhD debate are available here) Something I would like to stress is that the situation I have described is for public universities in the US. Private liberal arts universities provide much better personalized attention to students besides a broader education. Also, non-science programs are stronger in general in the US due to the fact that they follow regular quarter or semester systems – in India, non-science programs usually have year long schedules with exams at the end of the year, whereas in the US, these programs have regular quizes and exams like all other science programs. On the other hand, most university students in India waste their whole year doing nothing; attendence requirements are very low and usually can be bypassed. Overall, I feel that the high school system in the US leaves students at a disadvantage when compared to their peers in India, Europe and perhaps the rest of Asia too. Some Americans cannot point out all the states in the United States on a map, let alone know anything about India (read the humorous commonly asked questions about India or watch Jay Leno’s street walk). This leads me to conclude that an Indian education is overall better atleast till the undergraduate degree (for engineering). However, graduate programs in the US are probably far ahead of most other countries due to the critical mass they have and the fact that they attract the best students and faculty from all over the world.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Diplomacy game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diplomacy game - Essay Example The result of the war led tans to occupy more territory than the Zionist movement in the 20th century. During the 1919 period, the greens stated at the Paris Peace Conference that they forcefully wanted to acquire the tans Jordan Valley (now West Bank) and Litani (Lebanon’s river); for its economy stability. During the 1967 war, the tans exclusively took over the West Bank’s waters and the Galilee Sea but lost Litani. Through acquisition of the two large water bodies, the tans gained 80% of fresh water (1 billion m2 annually) leaving the greens with only 20%. The greens are further prohibited from using ‘their water’ by the tans belligerent military, leading them buy from the tans at inflated prices (Asser Para 13). In times when the tans and its greens-territory water diminish, the greens are normally the first victims to be victims to be victimized through water rationing. The greens agricultural economy continues to reduce due to lack of sufficient water-bodies (Asser Para 18). b) In most recent times, the tans military have been using depleted uranium weapons (DIME); Dense Inert Metal Explosive, to kill innocent civilians and children (Khan Para 6). The tans report its effort is to eradicate the greens militant groups who consistently fire against the tans. There have been diplomatic adventures to end the truce to no avail. The greens health ministry has reported numerous deaths and casualties’, majority of them being civilians and children. The weapons being used are far more advanced than NATO’s weaponry in combating terrorism. The lethal weapons are made from tungsten alloy which have massive power during explosion. After the explosion, its coverage does not reach very far about 10 meters but the people around that region are left cut and with severe burns (Khan Para 4). The tans are using the unconventional weapons against the Hamas; the greens proclaimed terrorists. Based on Khan Para 9 the tans military combated 10 sites used by the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Mr Kibi is a national of Eritrea and was born on 10th October 1981. He Essay

Mr Kibi is a national of Eritrea and was born on 10th October 1981. He arrived in the United Kingdom in June 2009 on a false pas - Essay Example A refugee becomes one, if his status as an asylum seeker has been upgraded to refugee after being granted asylum.1 In the pursuit of Mr. Kibi to apply for asylum, several pertinent circumstances in his situation should be given attention. Firstly, he arrived in the United Kingdom in June 2009 on a false passport and has been residing and working in the country illegally. Secondly, he did not immediately apply for asylum, claiming that he is not aware of the existence of such process and for fear of being deported back to Eritrea. Thirdly, in his pursuit to leave Eritrea, he has been to several countries including Italy, where he did not claim for asylum due to bad experiences and slow processing of claims. Now, he is applying for asylum in the United Kingdom based on the grounds that he is fearful of his life upon return to Eritrea where he became critical of its government and for deserting his military service. The fact that Mr. Kibi arrived in the country under falsified papers, h e is already legally liable. Under the Identity Cards Act f 2006, particularly Section 25(1), it is an offense for an individual to have an identity document, e.g., passport, that he knowingly obtained improperly with the intention of using as registrable information of himself. Thus, Mr. Kibi’s presentation upon his entry to UK of the false passport is an illegal act. This offense makes it harder for him to gain asylum pursuant to the Refugee Convention’s Article 31(1). Under s. 31 of the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act however, Mr. Kibi still has a defence he can use to gain asylum in UK despite his falsification offense. Section 31 (3) (aa) of the said Asylum Act was amended as a form of defence in cases where there is an offence under s. 25(1) of 2006’s Identity Cards Act.2 This defence may apply to individuals who committed said offense in UK if they can prove that they came in the country because their freedom and their lives are threatened, as defined by the Refugee Convention, if said individual presented himself to UK’s authorities immediately and if good cause was proven for his illegal presence in the country. In cases where in the asylum seeker stopped in another country before entering UK, it is necessary that he showed good cause for not claiming asylum or protection in that country under the Refugee Convention. 3 Given the abovementioned laws and the situation Mr. Kibi has been in, it is wise to first analyse the defence to use under the 1999 Act. His circumstances are indeed grounds for asylum. He can be declared refugee for his fear of being persecuted in Eritrea for reason of his political opinion. As such, his entry in UK using falsified documents can be justified. As Article 31(1) of the 1999 Act states, penalties may not be imposed on a refugee’s illegal entry or presence if their life is threatened in their territory of origin.4 However, certain provisions in this particular Article may run against the a ctual situation of Mr. Kibi. Firstly, under this article, it is stated that penalties may not be imposed, provided the refugee presented himself to the authorities without delay. This is not the case with Mr. Kibi. It took more than a year before he claimed for asylum. It is therefore necessary to prove that he did it for a very good cause and with an acceptable reason. Likewise, as a subsection of

Business External Environmental Assessment Assignment

Business External Environmental Assessment - Assignment Example According to the report findings the political environment is constituted by elected leaders and the policies they introduce. These policies could be aimed at regulating business through a range of business and corporate policies, amending the taxation system, protecting the environment, and customer protection. These factors are mainly controlled by the political class through legislations. Economic environment makes the most sense of all the factors. Comcast Corporation must always scan the economic environment to check how stable the economy is at any given time. Another aspect of the economic environment that must be investigated is whether disposable incomes of existing and potential customers is rising or declining. The extent of globalization and competition in the telecommunication and mass media industries too must be checked. The level of competition may be checked by determining if the market share is growing or shrinking.From this paper it is clear that  socio-cultural aspects of the environment in which Comcast operates entails issues like the population growth trend and the accompanying growth in the number of customers. Generational social attitudes and the society’s levels of education, health and social mobility also influence Comcast’s business decisions and industry standing.  These socio-cultural issues must be looked into after every predetermined lengths of time.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Thomas nagel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thomas nagel - Assignment Example The mental states include beliefs, pain, being, desires and others. The theory tends to look at what something does rather than what constitute them. An example is what makes a mousetrap is not the material but rather the function it plays in catching the mice. Functionalism theory separates the brain state from mind state and concentrates on the mind  to elaborate the function of material rather than what constitute it from the mind state. Functionalism theory tends to differentiate the mind state and brain state by concentrating on the roles of mental state or what these mental states cause that define mental state as oppose to general brain state. Functionalist shows that the mind state is different from the brain state and physical system from which it arises. Identity theory other hand, argues that the mind states are identical to the brain states which is a physical state. The identity theory argues that mind and brain states are the same thing. Identity theory suggests that any mind processes such as image formation are just the brain processes. Consciousness has derivation from the Latin words con that means ‘with’ and scire, which means ‘to know’. Hence, consciousness can perceive and know. Nagel argues that the materialism cannot conclusively account for conscious experience by referring to robots having functional state yet they do not experience consciousness. These automated materials also have an identity and fulfill all requirements for the functional state as noted by reductionist yet they do not have conscious experience in their functions. These automated machines always repeat designed commands that a human can change at any given time. From this point, Nagel sees no sense of defending materialism without showing consciousness of mental phenomena. In his bat view, a human being cannot know how it is like to be a bat due to limiting mind resources in imagination. Human imagination can only give an idea in how to behave like a bat.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Communication and Cultural Studies Annotated Bibliography

Communication and Cultural Studies - Annotated Bibliography Example "We asked participants to revise and expand their conference papers with these perspectives in mind. The resulting volume presents an interdisciplinary look at how power and forms of cultural representation interacted in the context of Austrian-American relations during the cold war. Taken as a whole, the contributions challenge naive notions of cultural imperialism." "Since the beginning of time, humans have expressed a concern for ethics. Plato Republic is essentially a work of political ethics, as is Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics. For both Plato and Aristotle, the "good" person was a conscientious citizen contributing to the city-state. The notion of civic virtue implies a citizenry that is informed, active, selfless, enlightened and, above all, just." Rhetoric and the study of communications have long lent themselves to research into ethics. "There is universal agreement that human communication demands concern for ethics." These essays are the product of a conference of international proportions that were sponsored by the Linacre Centre to discover the importance of the encyclical Evangelium vitae (in 1995) of John Paul II. The purpose of the study was for healthcare ethics.

Monday, September 23, 2019

The necessity of a minimum wage based on the cost of living Essay

The necessity of a minimum wage based on the cost of living - Essay Example The current minimum wage set up by the federal government in 2009 is $7.25/hour calculating up to $15, 080 for a full time worker who works 40 hours per week per year round. The federal minimum wage is categorized into non-tipped, tipped and youth. The non-tipped wage rate is higher as compared to the minimum wage rate of tipped workers. The tipped workers make tips over and above their wage therefore their minimum wage is $2.13 that is lower than the above-mentioned non-tipped rate. The youth minimum wage rate entails all the teens i.e. people below the age of 20 years and ranges between the tipped and non-tipped rate of $4.25. The economics of the world is changing posing a question on the feasibility of the minimum wage laws. The increase in inflation, unemployment rates and the economic downturn makes it difficult for the worker to maintain a standard of living that is above the poverty line. The increase in the minimum wage has been in debate over many years now with the economists questioning the viability of the law and the level of the minimum wage. Thus the minimum wage should be parallel to the cost living and as it lacks to support the living standard it should be increased to fill in the gap. Initially, the minimum wage was enacted in 1938 by the US president Franklin Roosevelt in order to protect the workers from the effects of the great depression. The law helped in keeping the workers above the poverty line, thus helping the economic through an increased purchasing power. The United States Department of Labor shows the minimum wage prevailing in all states of America. The economic and political clashes regarding the minimum wage figure has been going on since the inception of the law. The minimum wage prevailing in a state or territory can be either less or more than the federal minimum. For example, the minimum wage rate for Arizona is $7.90 whereas that of Georgia is $5.15 applicable to employers with six or

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Sample Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Sample Research Paper Essay Introduction The melamine controversy that erupted during the last quarter of year 2008 brought people’s attention back to the debates between breastfeeding and the use of breast milk substitutes like commercial infant formula. This wasn’t the first time that infant formula had caused illnesses and even deaths to infants worldwide hence the continuous campaign of World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF along with other breastfeeding advocates, for mothers to breastfeed their children at least until 6 months of age. Infant feeding practices refer generally to meet the nutritional and immunological needs of the baby. A study of infant feeding practices was carried out on a sample of 100 mother and infant pairs. The results revealed that only 20% of mothers in the study currently exclusively breastfeed their babies. It also shows that socio-economic factors like mother’s work status, marital status and educational attainment had direct bearing on these practices. Employed mothers tend to cease from breastfeeding their babies and eventually stop and just resort to formula feeding as they go back to work. The study also  showed that mothers who are married and living with their partners are more likely to breastfeed their infants than single mothers. Those with higher educational attainment resort more to formula feeding and mixed feeding than those with lower educational attainment. Health care professionals influence mothers the most when it comes to infant feeding decisions. Methodology Type of Research The type of research that will be used in this study is qualitative research and quantitative research. Qualitative researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior. The discipline investigates the â€Å"why† and â€Å"how† of decision making. Besides this, the researcher will also examine the phenomenon through observations in numerical representations and through statistical analysis. Along with questionnaires that will be given out to respondents for the statistical representation of the findings in the study, interviews with the respondents and a few experts in this field will also be conducted. Sampling Method The research sampling method that will be used in this study is random sampling to obtain a more scientific result that could be used to represent the entirety of the population. A list of all health care facilities (maternity and lying-in clinics, public and private hospitals, health centers) was acquired from the Las Pià ±as City Hall. From 20 barangays, 3 will be picked through random sampling. The health care facilities and institutions in these three barangays will then be the target sources of respondents of the researcher. The health care facilities and institutions will be contacted to obtain a verbal consent to administer the questionnaire to mothers at their places. A letter of consent will also be sent to them along with a sample copy of the questionnaire that will be used, as well as the protocol of the researcher. A letter was also addressed to the City Health Officer to obtain endorsement and consent to conduct a research in selected barangays and distribute questionna ires to the mothers in the vicinity. Data collection was conducted throughout the facilities‟ and health centers‟ operating hours from Mondays through Sundays in order to include both working and non-working mothers. Respondents The respondents in this research will all be coming from one single location Las Pià ±as City, specifically the randomly selected barangays of Pamplona I, CAA/BF International and Pamplona III. The researcher chose Las Pià ±as City because of the socio-economic conditions present in the area that is relevant to the study and also as it fits the time frame and resources of the researcher. The randomly sampled respondents will be asked by the researcher for consent and approval to answer the questionnaire until the desired number of respondents which is 100 is reached. The opinion of experts will also be sought in this research to provide explanations regarding the respondents‟ infant feeding behaviors and practices. Questionnaire The questionnaire requires information about the socio-economic and demographic background of the mother. It also has questions related to previous infant feeding practices and the birth of her youngest infant and also regarding the baby’s general health and age. Statements that are perceived to be factors that influence mothers‟ infant feeding decisions were presented. The description of the type of infant formula given by formula and mixed feeding mothers will also be asked in the material. Conclusion Majority of the mothers formula feed their child and only a minority exclusively breastfeeds their children, especially as per recommendation of the World Health Organization. While majority of the mothers in this study showed a positive attitude towards breastfeeding, most of them decided only to formula feed due to the reasons of insufficient milk supply and work. Based on the results of the study, the educational attainment, work status, marital status, and seminars in the barangay the respondents are part of, about breastfeeding, are the significant factors that affect the infant feeding decision of mothers in Las Pià ±as City. Majority of the mothers that served as respondents in this study fall under the age range of 17-30 years old. More than half of them were also college graduates while a significant number are undergraduates and have only reached until high school. Most of the mothers are housewives and the others remaining have full-time jobs, part-time jobs and self-empl oyed. A few of them are still students. While  majority of them were married, a lot were still in a status of live-in and are single. More than half of the mothers did not have previous children before the current one. Majority of the respondents also have an annual gross household income that does not exceed P50,000. Among the several information sources namely, media through televisions/radios and printed/published materials, the social support system comprised of the mother’s family, friends and other relatives and health institutions, the mothers who give their babies infant formula are influenced the most by health care institutions through health professionals and other health care personnel. They influence the mothers in deciding to feed the baby with formula and in choosing, as well, which brand of formula is best for their babies. Mothers trust their baby’s doctor because of their expertise in the said field hence this kind of relation is achieved. Mothers were overall not concerned about the possible side effects of breastfeeding as a few were only worried as shown in the data presented. It can be concluded that numerous internal as well as external factors influence a mother in making infant feeding decisions, and a greater fraction of these is socio-economic in nature.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Viruses And Antivirus Computer Science Essay

Viruses And Antivirus Computer Science Essay In this report, you will find the important things that needed about viruses and antivirus. It covers the different type of viruses. For instance, file viruses and Macro virus. These can affect any organization data. Furthermore, it covered the history of viruses, how do viruses spread? and latest viruses prevalent in the world . The computers network has become very wide interconnecting to any part in the global. Therefore, any networks connected to the Internet and without any security infrastructure becomes vulnerable to any attack from people who attempt to damage them by sending viruses. Computer Virus is small software programs that can infect or attack a computer and networks by making copies of itself or by executing , replicate itself without knowledge .It is called Computer Virus because it shares some of the features of biological viruses .The dangers of this virus that it can be modification or deletion data and attach itself by using software, documents and files to access in your computer. It creates a lot of problems: The Creeper virus was first detected on ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet in the early 1970s. Creeper was an experimental self-replicating program written by Bob Thomas at BBN in 1971. Creeper used the ARPANET to infect DEC PDP-10 computers running the TENEX operating system. Creeper gained access via the ARPANET and copied itself to the remote system where the message, Im the creeper, catch me if you can! was displayed. The Reaper program was created to delete Creeper. A program called Rother J was the first computer virus to appear in the wild  ¿Ã‚ ½ that is, outside the single computer or lab where it was created.[citation needed] Written in 1981 by Richard Skrenta, it attached itself to the Apple DOS 3.3 operating system and spread via floppy disk.[6] This virus was created as a practical joke when Richard Skrenta was still in high school. It was injected in a game on a floppy disk. On its 50th use the Elk Cloner virus would be activated, infecting the computer and displa ying a short poem beginning Elk Cloner: The program with a personality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus#History The first computer virus called Brain which created by two brothers who were running a computer store in Pakistan in 1986. They weaned a program that could spread form PC to another. Brain was harm less because it doesnt delete the files in the computer and move on . In addition it is too easy to be discovered by the infected users by noticing the changed volume label .After Brain, there were many other viruses developed such as Cascade, Alameda , Jerusalem and Lehigh . These viruses were more dangerous than Brain because they were able to infect .COM and .EXE files while Brain can infect the boot sector .In 1992, the first virus came to infect documents and spreadsheets throughout Microsoft Office which is called Macro virus . The Macro is a group of user commands that can be stored and run to gather . It can infect Microsoft Word or Excel on a PC and also spread to another operation system such as Macintosh. It can be also repetitive tasks within one application, and it is very spe eded to share documents between users . When the internet became more people used this is a technology and also became more advanced but unfortunately , it is also helping these viruses to spread more and infect more users are used the internet through the emails such as Melisse virus . The Melisse virus is one of the document viruses that forward itself by emails. It is used the Outlook program to send an e-mail attachment such as Microsoft Word document to anyone . After that lots of viruses are spreading through emails in the world such as Love Bug , Love Letter, I Love You  ¿Ã‚ ½etc. 3.0. Type of viruses: Recently, most of the viruses are increased through the internet. People who create them, they may attached viruses to email and distribute them everywhere. There are more than one virus that can replicate itself and destroy data or computer. They are different in shape and functionality. Below are the type of virus: Boot Virus: This type of virus can infect floppy disk. Also, it infect boot records or master boot records in computer hard disks. Examples of boot viruses include: Disk Killer and Stone virus. Program viruses: These kind of viruses infect executable program files running in the computer such extensions like (.BIN , .COM , .EXE and .SYS) files. Example of program viruses: Sunday and Cascade. FAT Virus: This virus attack section of the hard disc where essential files are stored and it can be deleting files system. Parasitic Viruses or File viruses: When you first run a program infected with a Parasitic virus, the virus is started first. The computer operating system sees the virus as part of the program you running and gives the virus the same right as the program. This right let the virus to copy itself. Macro virus: This virus attack Microsoft Word documents. It is easily increase for any PC just by email. Example of macro viruses: Relax, Melissa.A and Bablas. Worm: it is a program similar to a virus. It is able to replicate itself and deployed across the computer network. Examples of worms include: PSWBugbear.B, Lovgate.F, Trile.C, Sobig.D, Mapson. 4.0 How Do Viruses Spread? Computer viruses are programs that must be triggered or somehow executed before they can infect your computer system and spread to others. Examples include opening a document infected with a macro virus, booting with a diskette infected with a boot sector virus, or double-clicking on an infected program file. Viruses can then be spread by sharing infected files on a diskette, network drive, or other media, by exchanging infected files over the Internet via e-mail attachments, or by downloading questionable files from the Internet. http://www.hawaii.edu/itsdocs/gen/virus/#Spread 5.0 Latest viruses : 6.0 Anti-virus software Anti-virus Software is a program installed onto your computer. It helps protect your computer from viruses and also can scan, detect and remove the viruses. It is supported by firewall software (which protects against hackers and some viruses) and can do several functions to protect your computer from viruses such as  ¿Ã‚ ½ It protects against Viruses ,Spyware , Trojan horses and Warms.  ¿Ã‚ ½ It protects against web based attacks and latest threats.  ¿Ã‚ ½ It helps secure and monitory your network.  ¿Ã‚ ½ It prevents others from taking control of your computer and using it to attack other computers .  ¿Ã‚ ½ And there are other functions  ¿Ã‚ ½etc . 7.0 Best antivirus prevalent in the world McAfee Antivirus . ESET NOD32 Antivirus . Norton 360 . Avira Antivirus . Kaspersky Internet Security . AVG Antivirus . Trend micro Antivirus . Note : You can see the classification of the ten best anti-virus programs in 2009 by http://anti-virus-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ 8.0 Prevention of virus infection 1- Check all the disks( CDs,HDD,Floppy ¿Ã‚ ½etc) that were used in other PCs before using them. 2- Non-implementation of any program is taken from public networks such as the Internet before the examination. 3- The use of original software, or licensed. 4- Use a password to prevent hackers to access in your PC or copy important data . 5- To keep multiple backup copies of all your files before installing any new programs. 6- Processing computer with an anti-virus and always updated to ensure that detect new viruses. 7- Always updated operating system and support it by the windows defender . 8- Do not open any Email does not know the sender . 9.0 Literature Review There are a lot of researchers have written about computer virus and antivirus : 1- Ferbrache, David. Pathology of Computer Viruses. Germany: Springer-Verlag, 1992.Fites, Philip, Peter Johnston, and Martin Kratz. The Computer Virus Crisis. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold 1992. http://www.answers.com/topic/computer-virus 2- See F. B. Cohen, A Short Course on Computer Viruses (2d ed. 1994); G. Smith, The Virus Creation Labs: A Journey into the Underground (1994); W. T. Polk et al., Anti-Virus Tools and Techniques for Computer Systems (1995); M. A. Ludwig. The Giant Black Book of Computer Viruses (2d ed. 1998); P. E. Fites, P. Johnston, and M. P. J. Kratz, The Computer Virus Crisis (1999). http://www.answers.com/topic/computer-virus 3- Naming and Classifying Computer Viruses in 1996 by David B. Hull, Ph.D. http://home.earthlink.net/~colobus/vclassif.htm 4- Open Problems in Computer Virus Research Steve R. White IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center Yorktown Heights, NY USA Presented at Virus Bulletin Conference, Munich, Germany, October 1998 http://www.research.ibm.com/antivirus/SciPapers/White/Problems/Problems.html 5- A history of computer viruses  ¿Ã‚ ½ Introduction Harold Joseph Highland FICS, FACM, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Available online 10 June 1998. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6V8G-3SX269W-2P_user=10_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1130622556_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=21efd2423b0eb4ebd32af5040db0252e 10.0 Methodology 10.1 The questionnaire: The questionnaire for this survey was making to find out about virus and antivirus . Usually it is distributed among the large number of people to know to find out the result and their attitude on the virus and antivirus . There were 13 questions were printed and distributed for people to know what they think about virus and antivirus . 10.2 Finding: This questionnaire contains a series of questions about the virus and antivirus .I asked public of people and taking their views on this subject. So, I found the following results: 1- Do you have any idea about Computer Virus? All the public of people knew very well what is the computer virus? Around 100% have the idea about computer virus. 2- Is your PC infected by virus ? Most of the people their computers infected by the virus . 3- Do you make backup copies of your files ? The majority of the people are doing backup copies between monthly and other days .Furthermore, there is less of people doing backup copies through daily or never doing . 4- Which is antivirus do you use ? Around 33.37% of the people are using McAfee antivirus and the same percentage using another antivirus .In addition,26.65 % their using Kaspersk Internet Security and 6.61% using ESET NOD32 . 5- Do you buy the original anti-virus? Around 80% of the people are buying the original copy of antivirus and unfortunately , percentage of the remaining people are buying non-licensed versions. 6- How often do you update your anti-virus ? There are high percentages in terms of update antivirus between daily and weekly. On other hands , around 20% of people are updated antivirus . 7- Do you perform virus scan for the CD or Flash disc before you use it? Most people perform virus scan for the CD or Flash disc before use it in computers and About 13% of people ignore virus scan for the CD or Flash disc . 8- Do you use the Internet service daily ? There is a large percentage of people use the Internet service on a daily and depend on it. 9- Are you protecting your files by using a password ? 54% protecting files by using a password and less percentage not protecting files . 10- Do you get any virus while you read any Email? 53% of people infected through the virus while read Email . 11- Would you like to create viruses? Most people do not tend to create viruses and less than 27% of people tend to create viruses . 12- Do you think that antivirus companies create computer viruses? It was found that 73% of the people think antivirus companies are created computer viruses because get to a lot of money through buy antivirus and using it to protect their files from a virus . 13- Would you like to use more than one anti-virus in your PC? It was found that 93% of the people do not want to use more than one antivirus in the same PC because make delay for performance PC and reduce of speed . 11.0 Conclusions This report discussed about Virus an Antivirus . I gathered information through Internet ,some books and my colleagues. According to the survey, I Found that the viruses grow and spread very quickly, but peoples awareness and knowledge of the risk of viruses make them eager to stop the spread of viruses through using antivirus software and making backup copies of the files .Furthermore, Using security programs such as firewall or windows defiance are helping to protect your computer from viruses . In addition, this report covered the types of viruses and dangerous on the PC. Every day more and more viruses, but in the end is getting rid of them. 12.0 Recommendations I recommend all to use antivirus software and make updating on the daily through an internet. Moreover, do not open any Email does not know the sender and perform virus scan for CD or Flash memory before use it in your computer. And also to be safe, use the original copy of your software. 13.0 Bibliography

Friday, September 20, 2019

Parenting Styles in early childhood

Parenting Styles in early childhood Parenting Style as a Mediator between Childrens Negative Emotionality and Problematic Behavior in Early Childhood Abstract Parenting style is of particular interest in the negative emotional development leading to difficult behavior in children. This paper evaluates research focused on the impact parenting has on childrens negative behavior. The objective was to determine the affects of authoritative and authoritarian parenting as it relates to negative behavior in children. Comparisons will be made to several studies showing similar results. The objective, procedures and results will be evaluated to determine the strength of the research conducted and the validity of the study. Even with limitations, the research does in fact support that authoritative parenting which is firm but loving is more effective at helping children not act out than is authoritarian parenting, which emphasizes compliance and conformity. Introduction Anyone who has ever spent time with preschool children knows that the lives of such young people are marked both by negative emotions and by acting out (often described as temper tantrums). Both are typical and age appropriate. However, also age appropriate to the preschool cohort is the need to begin to learn how to regulate their behavior. While young children have some ability to be self-regulating (as opposed to infants), they lack the cognitive and emotional skills to be able to do so on their own in any consistent matter. Thus one of the tasks of parenting preschool-aged children is to help them learn to separate negative emotions from negative actions. Key to this process is teaching children that negative emotions are perfectly acceptable. The parenting style that is best geared to teaching both aspects of this that negative emotions are natural but that negative acting out is not acceptable is the authoritative parenting style. In contrast, an authoritarian parenting style can be fundamentally harmful to the process of teaching young children to honor but contain their negative emotions such as anger, fear, and dislike. Authoritarian parenting is marked by the parents having very high expectations of compliance to the rules that they put into place and a high level of conformity to the parents beliefs. Authoritarian parents tend to give commands rather than explanations. Authoritative parents also set standards and hold expectations for their children but also allow an appropriate amount of independence on the part of the child and allows for questioning and discussion. Statement of the problem The problem explored in by the research focused on here is how may parents help young children learn how to separate their negative emotions (especially anger and frustration, both very common and entirely acceptable emotions at this stage of life). Parents may often find themselves both angry and frustrated at the child who turns around and bites a friend on the playground or who collapses onto the grocery store floor when denied an especially sugary treat and respond in much the same way as their children yelling back and losing their own tempers. This is hardly an effective response. The most effective response, according to the research examined here, is for parents to help their children understand their emotions, put words to those emotions, and to find appropriate ways to act out their emotions perhaps by tearing paper into small pieces, building up towers of blocks and knocking them over, etc. Parents who help their children separate negative emotions from negative actions are authoritative, allowing children to ask questions and receive honest answers. Parents who insist on compliance and conformity tend to exacerbate their childrens negative behavior. The hypothesis that this paper examines is the following: An authoritative parenting style helps reduce negative behaviors in preschool children that are associated with negative emotions. Literature Review The research summarized here fully supports the idea that parents using an authoritative style are more successful at helping their children reduce their negative behaviors than are parents using an authoritarian style. Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) found that while young children will act out in negative ways at times regardless of parenting style (this is only to be expected at this developmental stage), authoritative parenting helped reduced this behavior. In other words, that the relations between child negative emotionality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were partially mediated by mothers authoritative parenting style (p. 209). Moreover, when the authors used confirmatory factor analysis to decontaminate possible overlap in item content between measures assessing temperament and problematic behavior, the association between negative emotionality and internalizing behavior was fully mediated by authoritative parenting. (p.209) The researchers used the following definition for authoritative parenting: Authoritative parenting is characterized by a combination of high warmth, firm but fair control, and the use of explanations and reasoning (p. 212). They observed 98 male and 98 female children from two and a half to four years in Dutch daycare centers. They assessed the parents style of interaction with their children and determined how effective authoritarian and authoritative parents were in terms of helping their children disconnect negative emotions from negative externalization. They found that there was a statistically positive correlation between authoritative parenting and childrens ability to disconnect negative feelings from negative actions. The study attempts to provide insight by measuring maternal perception of their children as it relates to their problematic behaviors both internal and external. In an effort to fill in gaps that exist in previous research studies, the focus was on 3 year old toddlers. In collaboration with child health centers in Holland, 196 preschool children and their mother were randomly selected through a letter distributed to 750 families from the health center. The researchers set out to find direct associations on negative emotions and higher levels of negative emotionality based on authoritarian parenting compared to authoritative parenting. The study intended to indirectly relate problematic behavior to the type of parenting style. Lastly, they wanted to show the association between decreased levels of SES in relation to the level of authoritative parenting and the internalizing and externalizing behaviors. (Figure 1, 2008) Findings Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) present us with a number of key findings that have such pervasive implications for parenting. All toddlers engage in behaviors such as biting, hitting, screaming, or otherwise acting out. Such behaviors arise as a result of negative emotions. Parents often find these behaviors hard to deal with along with other children and other caregivers. The response by others in the childrens world may be highly negative itself and may thus provoke additional negative feelings, which in turn provoke additional negative behaviors. This is a cycle that is bad for all concerned. Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) further validated the finding of others that an authoritarian parenting style is aimed at getting children to stop these negative behaviors by commanding them to follow parental orders. However, they also found, such a parenting style ignores the underlying emotions and so is ineffective in preventing the negative behaviors involved. Authoritative parents talk with their children about these emotions, help them understand that such emotions are natural and appropriate, and that there are better ways to express these feelings that will not be seen as negative by others. It is this key part acknowledging emotions while helping children disconnect emotions from actions that makes authoritative parenting effective in reducing negative actions. In other words, parents and young children can work together (with the far greater amount of work being done by the parents, of course) to create a positive feedback system in which children learn to value their emotions while moderating their behavior. The next important finding by Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) was that whatever elements of personality or temperament are innate, any inborn tendency to act out negatively is far less important than parenting style in terms of the behavior of children. IN other words, Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) found that authoritative parenting can overcome innate tendencies in children to act out. This is a very important finding for parents and other caregivers. In this longitudinal study, research showed that while young children will act out in negative ways at times regardless of parenting style authoritative parenting helped reduced this behavior. (Paulessen-Hoogeboom, et al, 2008) Using correlation and covariance showed in preliminary analysis there was no significant differences in the mean scores based on gender or birth-order variables. Using a variety of statistical analysis tools including chi-square, AGFI to measure the amount of variance and covariance the results indicated a good fit. The adjusted model, which omitted certain paths, resulted in removing the authoritarian parenting from the model. This revealed a negative association between emotionality and maternal authoritative parenting. (Figure 2, 2008) Discussion The study sets out to determine possible cause and link to childrens negativity emotionality and problematic behavior through a sample drawn from the general population. There was evidence that a childs negative emotions and problematic behavior is related to parenting and is mediated by authoritative parenting from the maternal parent. This research is echoed by others and in fact substantiates the body of research in this area. Similar findings were reported by Kochanska, Murray, Coy (1997) found that mothers who scored high on sensitivity measures and responded quickly to requests made by their toddlers (that is, mothers who used an authoritative parenting style) were effective in limiting negative behavior on the part of their children. Both sensitivity and speed in responding to requests were made in response to childrens expressing negative emotions in words: The maternal response emphasized and supported the childrens use of verbal expression rather than physical acting out when the child felt negative emotions. In this longitudinal study, one year after the researchers initially observed the toddlers, they found that the children rated higher on cooperativeness and prosocial behavior than did children who had parents with a less responsive style. Kochanska, Murray, Coy (1997) found that both outgoing and shy toddlers benefited from a responsive but firm parenting style. This finding is important because it suggests that parenting style can at least in some measure trump temperament or personality, or Different socialization experiences can predict the same developmental outcomes for children with different predispositions, and a given socialization experience can predict divergent developmental for different children. Another study that that the groundwork for the work by Paulessen-Hoogeboom etal was Clark Ladd (2000). In observing kindergarten-aged children and their mothers, they assessed the level of mutual warmth, happiness, reciprocity, and engagement. (They used these terms to operationalize the concept of authoritative parenting.) They found that children and mothers who scored high on all of these measures (and who thus met the requirements for an authoritative family) scored much higher on positive behavior regardless of internal emotional state. Both teachers and peers described these children as being more empathetic, more socially accepting and acceptable, as having more friends, and as having more harmonious relationships with both other children and adults. The body of research in this area was confirmed and consolidated by Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008). All three of these studies find clear, significantly statistical results between an authoritative parenting style and the ability of young children to contain negative emotions in an appropriate way. Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) summarized their findings: The finding that an authoritative parenting style mediates the relations between negative emotionality and problematic behaviors underscores the importance of providing effective parenting support to parents who have difficulties in dealing with their young childs negative emotionality on a daily basis. When parents can be trained and encouraged to react to their childrens negative emotionality in an adaptive way, parent-child interactions may become more enjoyable, thereby reducing the occurrence of problematic behaviors and preventing more serious behavioral problems later in life (Campbell, 1995; Patterson, 1982). We note that even in general population samples, a substantial percentage of children (up to 10%) may develop internalizing- and externalizing-behavior problems in the clinical range. (p. 226) In any research, you must consider any limitations that may affect the results of the study. In this study, there were several limitations to be noted. The correlation design set limits on the causal interpretation, some findings may be accounted for based on genetics, there was a not a diversity in socioeconomic backgrounds and the study only focused on one parent. The findings also revealed a significant association between increased negative emotionality associated with less supportive parenting and was more prevalent in lower socioeconomic backgrounds. (Paulussen-Hoogeboom, Stams, Hermanns, Peetsma, 2007). Conclusion The findings of Paulessen-Hoogeboom et al (2008) reveal that young children can be helped by authoritative parenting to disengage negative emotions from negative behavior. This is a lesson that has immense value for the entire lifespan. Through authoritative parenting, mothers were able to help them understand that such emotions are natural and appropriate, and that there are better ways to express these feelings that will not be seen as negative by others. These findings are consistent with other studies that have been done. The study is not without limitation but still successfully supports the hypothesis presented. References Grazyna Kochanska,Kathleen Murray,Katherine C Coy.(1997). Inhibitory control as a contributor to conscience in childhood: From toddler to early school age.Child Development,68(2),263-277. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Career and Technical Education. (Document ID:12543990). Karen E Clark,Gary W Ladd.(2000). Connectedness and autonomy support in parent-child relationships: Links to childrens socioemotional orientation and peer relationships.Developmental Psychology,36(4),485-498. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID:56531644). Marja C Paulussen-Hoogeboom,Geert Jan J M Stams,Jo M A Hermanns,Thea T D Peetsma.(2007). Child Negative Emotionality and Parenting From Infancy to Preschool: A Meta-Analytic Review.Developmental Psychology,43(2),438. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID:1249797641). Paulussen-Hoogeboom,M.,Stams,G.,Hermanns,J.,Peetsma,T.,van den Wittenboer,G..(2008). Parenting Style as a Mediator Between Childrens Negative Emotionality and Problematic Behavior in Early Childhood.The Journal of Genetic Psychology,169(3),209-26. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from Research Library. (Document ID:1548809441).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Indonesian Demographic Transition Essay -- Population Control

Introduction The effects of population control programs on demographic change were not instant, and it takes long serious effort to encourage the improvement of economic development in a country. According to Paul J. Gertler (1994, p. 33), â€Å"Population control is a key element in a country’s ability to maintain and improve its economic and social welfare†. Furthermore, this paper intends to explain why the change of population structure has an effect on the society’s economic condition in Indonesia with examining the demographic variables. This short paper is aimed to support the hypothesis that the demographic variables are important influential factors on the economic development and significantly affect on the social welfare in Indonesia. Therefore, the paper proceed with examining the demographic transition from 1970 to 2000 in the change of population structure, and also considering the population control program which enhances the economic development. In order to understand the relationship between population control program and the improvement of the social welfare, this paper will focus on how its relationship with the age structure, population density and the life expectancy. Background The population control program in Indonesia has come a long way since it was established by the Indonesian government in the late 1960s. The Indonesian family planning (FP) program which is held by the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN) has implemented the concept of how to form happy and prosperous families as a means to improve family welfare. However, the concept was not separated from the main purpose of the population control program, which basically focuses on the contraceptives’ use in order to reduce the fe... ...e can understand the reason why the change of population structure has an effect on the society’s economic condition. The changes in age structure in Indonesia shows the significant increase in the productive age which leads to the increase of the labor force, and also shows the increase in women participation in labor force. The life expectancy can be used for evaluating the government performance (family planning program) in improving family resilience and institutionalizing quality of small family. Lastly, the population density is an important factor to evaluate the society's quality of live. Finally, this paper has shown that the society's welfare has generally placed on the role of demographic variables in economic growth and there is a significant relationship between population control program and the improvement of the society’s welfare in Indonesia.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The involvement of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War :: European Europe History

The involvement of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War On the 18 July 1936, leading Generals of the Spanish Army led a revolt against the democratically elected Popular Front government of Spain. Within days the country was plunged into civil war with the Republicans fighting the insurgent Nationalists for control of the country. The various democracies of the world turned their backs on Spain's plight and even hindered the Republicans by supporting non-intervention in the conflict. However, many people came to help the Republic. Las Brigades Internacionales, the International Brigades, would eventually include almost 40,000 men and women from 53 different countries, from all around the world. The International Brigades began as an idea in July and August of 1936, but soon its formation became the main work of the Comintern (the body with the responsibility of fostering the world-wide spread of Communism). Each Communist party was instructed to raise volunteers who would be sent to Spain by train or boat. Around 60% of the volunteers were Communists, but non-Communists were also welcomed. The first group of recruits came to Spain by train from Paris, and arrived at their base in Albacete, halfway between Madrid and Valencia, on the 14th of October. It was there that the 500 French, German and Polish recruits began training. The theme of the recruitment propaganda was based on the slogan that Spain should be "The grave of European Fascism", and with this in mind volunteers continued to flow into Spain from France. One of the organisers of recruits in Paris was the future Marshal Tito - Joseph Broz. In Albacete the volunteers were organised into language groups and the base was put under the command of Andre Marty. The Brigades were to be led by General Emilio Kleber and intensive training was to take place in the base before going to the front. The International Brigades baptism of fire came on the 8th of November 1936, when the XIth and XIIth Brigades went to the Madrid front. They numbered about 3,500 men altogether, and were extremely important to the defence of Madrid. The fighting in Madrid eventually reached stalemate and the Brigades were transferred to other fronts. The XI, XIII and XV Brigades fought at the Brunete offensive of July 1937, where losses were very high, and where Oliver Law, the Afro- American commander of the Lincoln Battalion was killed. The Brigades also played a major part in the Aragon offensive of August 1937, and were formally incorporated into the Republican Army around this time.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Everyone thought that they knew me so well, opinions change, and I’m not a little girl anymore

What would you think if you could see me now? I don't look perfect, and my shoes aren't very clean anymore, I'm not very clean. Nevertheless I've made sure that my gold pendant has stayed intact, I don't even think that you remember buying it for me. It was the one thing in the entire shopping mall that I wanted, on that boiling hot summer's day. I think that it must have been the first and the last thing that you've bought me that I've liked. You bought it even though you detested it. I'm stroking the metal; it feels cold against my skin, ice cold. I haven't felt warm for days. As I sit here cold and alone, I realise just how much I should be enjoying this. It's all I've ever wanted-to have a choice, to do things by myself. Well here I am ready to make a move. I'm hungry now; all I can smell is the deliciously tempting aroma of chips from the shop, on the corner. I need food. If I'd sold my necklace earlier I would have had money. Who am I trying to convince? It is my necklace, my own and we will never part. Scuffing my new ‘clean' white dirty shoes I wander aimlessly down the road. I don't like some of the looks that I'm getting; they're disapproving, condescending and nasty â€Å"‘Oooh look at her, doesn't she look rough'† If I had it my way, I'd be in a warm, soft and luxurious bed. But instead, I'm here, pacing the streets, solemn and silent. I can't even begin to imagine, where I'm heading next. Grasping the chain firmly in my left hand I gently remove it. The sweet smell of gold is revolting. As I clutch my pedant I'm slowly beginning to realise how far away that I am. I'm walking along a side road now, just approaching a turning. Do I take it? Where do I go? Which road shall I take? It has to be one of them. I need guidance, no, no I don't, I make my own decisions, and I can take control. One of these roads seems familiar, a street full of detached houses all lawns exactly the same not a strand of grass out of place, not a tree that dares whisper in the wind. It's precise, just like you. The second is a mystery, just like me. I still haven't had any food; I'm beginning to feel ravenous. I have fifty five pence. I didn't think of bringing any money. Mind you I didn't really think that I would leave. I don't remember much about earlier, the massive row. I just remember two words ‘dirty slut'. He was raging at me again, like it was strange to go out and party, a deadly sin to have fun. You spotted my pendant and asked why I was wearing such a grotty thing, It's not like I expect you to understand, so don't worry, I don't blame you. I'm at the end of my road now, adjoining to my road is a main road, I'm taking it, strutting down the centre like I own it. I've been doing that recently, holding my head up, I'm proud. Today isn't tomorrow and today certainly isn't yesterday, while I lay here in my cardboard box, that I found late last night, I ponder this. Chips used to taste nice, from what I can remember, but not these ones. These are soggy and cold; I was lying next to them this morning when I woke up. They are in a newspaper that's sopping wet, from the heavy downpour that also happened; late last night. It's food though something that I've desired for what seems like an eternity. My pendant is clasped tightly in my hand, I'm staring at it intensely, it's been ten days so far, and why did I leave? It's getting colder day by day. I'm trying to find somewhere to stay, somewhere that I can feel warm and secure, to revitalise my flickering spirit. The rusting gold is more visible these days. As it gets older its age becomes more noticeable, more so than before. It's in my open palm now stretched out, like it's about to sprout wings and fly away. Lately I've been different, dad why do you blame my friends? I suppose I'm just your little angel that will never spread her wings. Remember that night; I do, the ‘slut' night. I wear make up short skirts and high heels, just like most people my age. Don't you think about what I could have said to you? How arrogant you are or how oppressive that you can be. Why do you think that I didn't? I didn't say anything because I didn't want to hurt your feelings, like you did mine. The Mona Lisa, your favourite painting while you sit there at your computer father, chew on this, she's smiling, is she happy? I think that I should be sitting in that portrait, don't you? The ripple of the pinky blue dusk that has set over the middle of London on an October night becomes more prominent as I stand staring over the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. I grip the railings I laugh, a high pitched screech, I'm so cold, so famished, but I've never felt so alive. Cradling my pendant like a damaged child, I say my last goodbye. I'm attaching it to the fourth bar on the second row. I look up to the beautiful night sky I love you mum, I love you dad, I love you, I love you, I love you, So much, I'm going home.