Cultural Similarities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Similarities - Research Paper Example This paper shall assess the similarities between the African Americans and the Asians, what makes me feel at ease whilst interviewing a person of Asian origin, an assessment of the positive traits and attributes that person displays and finally discuss the changes I would have instilled in the Asian if given a chance to be friends. Being an African American, I selected Asians, for the reason that, we have both undergone discrimination from persons of the European culture since time immemorial. As evident in the work of O'Neil, Asians and Europeans have been through racial tensions; thus, the theme has been of interest to both sociologists and psychologists. Of essence, the individual in question struck my attention, as he was concerned with the kind of treatment they received during their stay in the country. I developed a form of attachment to him, as I in numerous instances, identified myself with the kind of treatment and racial discrimination that he was experiencing. According to O'Neil, African Americans and Asians share similarities in terms of assimilation and acceptance in the society. This explains why a majority of them do not intermarry especially with the Americans. With constant rejection by the society, O'Neil explains the reasons behind constant tension between the two races and the Americans. In this case, the ethnic symbols clearly explain the distinctness between Asians, Americans and African Americans. It is these ethnic symbols that create a form of ethnic unity by the other ethnic groups, as they share the same pleas as ‘outsiders’. This grouping creates a form of boundary maintenance between the ethnic groups. The same applies for Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, and European Americans. I was at first not at ease in the course of my meeting with my interviewee, since he looked held back and I could barely make out the reason behind it. Later on, I realized that my interviewee shares the same outlooks as I do. My interviewee was open, and happened to be very saddened with the racism in the country. In fact, what made me more at ease with him is that he was happy to share his sentiments with me, and was more of the main speaker in the conversation. With this frankness, I realize that the Asians are also affected by the discrimination in the society. As the discussion ensued with my interviewee, I realized that he strongly upholds the virtue of close and strong family ties. As Fong (2002) also emphasizes, family ties differ between the Asians and Americans. My client evidently explains to me how wrong it is for him to leave his family and become independent as they believe in close family ties. In relation to my client, this allows the younger generation to learn from their seniors while in the same family unit. Extended families are very vital for the Asians. I admire and support the fact that Asians are social beings as opposed to the Americans who live as individuals. My client was keen to mention how they pay attention to other persons and I realized that Americans are too individualistic. Despite the fact that Asians have been treated with a lot of discrimination, it is evident that my client is comfortable with his personality and compares himself with the whites as an equal. It is his high self esteem that motivated me, as prior to our meeting I always held the perception that the Whites were superior to Asians.

Why Disney Is Doing Better Than Any Other Animation Company Case Study

Why Disney Is Doing Better Than Any Other Animation Company - Case Study Example e of communication, i.e., Computer, First multimedia software was Microsoft PowerPoint that was easy to use and allows integration of different media to present. Microsoft power point combines animation, flashing text, colors, sounds, music, videos etc. to convey the information. Later flash and other languages are being developed to communicate as a multimedia agent. The interactive media explores up the advertising, moral displays and other presentations electronically on Internet known as Websites. These websites use to commercialize a product or convey different kinds of information. To attract the audience / users, these websites are made more and more interactive and attractive using different media scales on a dingle page. Different animated (.gif files) images, flashing, colorful and special effects text, sounds, videos, and music are embedded to develop multimedia website. Moreover, these interactive multimedia website development is not only highly expensive but also they are heavy to load on user end and requires a good bandwidth Internet connection along with different plugins installed on the computer that allows website to be displayed. Besides this drawback the advantage of using multimedia websites is that it attracts the audience and makes them learn more quickly about whatever the information conveyed. Though, commercially this r eason is enough to over come expensive development as it is helping the business to earn more and fast. Getting in more detail, its one more advantage counted as if the audience is unable to listen, one can read the text and if on is un able to read, he/ she can of course listen to the attractive music and publicizing words for the product. It may takes much time to develop but once it is developed it maximizes the level of... Disney features to be cartoon character creators. It was founded in 1923 and since then it is best for their entertainment, experiences and quality. It is well known for its creative story telling ideas. Now a days Company is divided almost in four groups; The Entertainment Studios, The Parks and Resorts, The Consumer Products and The Media Networks. Disney Studios are the same place where Disney actually started. Creation of Mickey Mouse and Snow White and Seven Dwarfs fame the Disney in a manner it is best for cartoons till now. Disney studios work for different purposes; Work done with hands is a work that can’t be replace by any other thing.That what Disney is famous for? Flash animations, and other Computer Generated Imagery animations no doubt ruling the world now a days but still hand made cartoons like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck are still simple, sophisticated, humorous and colorful. The world of CGI, leads to new innovative to the entertainment on television and theatres. The 2D and 3D animations adds special effects in the movies and make them costly and money earning product. This CGI technology allows us to visualize those things on television screens which are not real infarct nothing in them is real except the voice. Full environments may created, the weather, the sunny rainy day and nights, nature, green and dull, moods and emotions on faces, dresses and surroundings everything. Even every step of the character taking is worked closely on using this technique. It’s less costly for commercials as only a good graphics person is required rather than the shooting utensils, actors and models, along with their beauty staff and beauty accessories. But on the other way, that is true as well that hand drawings are still famous to earn entertainment.

Autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder Introduction Autism is an overall term which is used to describe a group of complicated brain developmental disorder which is also called pervasive developmental disorder. There are other pervasive developmental disorders which include pervasive developmental disorder which is not yet specified, Asperngers syndrome, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder. This group of disorders is collectively referred to as Autism spectrum disorders (Morgan, Jones Jordan, 2001). Prevalence rate The prevalence rate of the disorder is estimated to be about 0.7% among children making it more prevalent than child cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS. It is reported that around 1.5 millions of persons living in the United States and other numerous millions of people around the world are suffering from autism. The United States government figures show that the prevalence of autism among its population has been rising every year. The reason for the increase has not been found, but improved diagnosis and environmental influence are considered to be the cause for the increased awareness. Male children have been reported to be more prone to the disorder as compared to the female children and are diagnosed with the condition quite frequently. In the United States it is estimated that around 1% of the boys are diagnosed with the disorder (Ehlers Gillberg, 1993) Symptoms Every individual who is diagnosed with autism has unique signs which cannot be compared to that observed in another individual. This is so because autism is a combination of disorders, one persons condition can be very severe with the other person having a slight one. The commonly observed signs in individuals with autism include seizure disorders, gastrointestinal problems, mental retardation and illness. Explanations for the existence of these problems in individuals having autism are not known. It is possible to state that these additional conditions observed is evidence of various forms of autism with each being caused by different factors (Haley, 2006). Although the conditions listed above are quite commonly observed in individuals having autism as compared to those people who do not have autism, they are not observed in everybody suffering from autism. The other symptoms observed include social and communication symptoms, sensory and motor symptoms, and personality differences (Rudy, 2009).Autistic spectrum disorders have a common social interactions, communication, and imagination which are linked to stiff, continual prototype of manners. It usually begins at birth or at the fist three years of life, but can also start later on during the childs life. The triad of symptoms can be noticed at all levels of intelligence and can be observed alone or accompanied with some other physical or even psychological disorder (Editorials. 2009) Causes The main cause of autism is not yet established with the researchers citing the main cause being idiopathic. Since the disorder has varying severity and the clinical signs associated with it, it is suggested that the condition has various causes (Novella, 2008). Researchers suspect a cocktail of factors which might be considered to cause autism and they include multiple genetic components which might cause autism alone or when combined with other environmental factors which are not yet determined (Wing Gould, 1979) The time at which the child might have got exposed to these factors is also significant, for example, before birth, during birth or even after the child is already born. Very few cases of autism can be associated with genetic disorders like Fragile X, Tuberous Sclerosis, and Angelmans syndrome. Exposure to environmental factors which are infectious like maternal rubella or cytomegalovirus, or chemicals like thalidomide or valporate at the time of pregnancy (Ehlers Gillberg, 1993) There is an increasing interest among researchers on the function of immune system in the control of autism. There have been suggestions that autism may involve inflammation in the central nervous tissues (Wing Potter, 2008). Animal studies have also produced evidence on how the immune system of the body can influence symptoms which are linked to autism. There have been organized autism talks which aim at increasing the level of awareness and also investigations of useful immunological facts to researchers who are not in that field and those within the field of autism at the community level (Haley, 2006). Previously, autism was believed to be caused by bad parenting as was proposed by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943. Because the definitive causes of autism is not yet established, it has become clear that bad parenting is not one of the possible causes of the disorder. Dr. Bernard Rimland who founded the Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute enabled the medical community to appreciate that autism does not come about as a result of cold parents but from biological origin (Mauro, 2009) Reasons for the recent awareness According to the professionals in the field of child development in Britain, there has been increase in the number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders. Dr. Kanner was the first person to characterize autism when he described it as a condition in a certain group of children with a strange pattern of behavior noticed after birth or before attaining the age of 30 months. He later referred to the condition as early infantile autism (Editorials. 2009) Many clinicians have a feeling that there has been an increase in the number cases of autism as compared to the past. Some current studies have showed high prevalence rates for autism. According to California health and human services agency report between the years 1987 to 1998, a period in which the research was done, there was rise in the number of individuals diagnosed with the disorder (Morgan, Jones Jordan 2001). Conclusion can therefore be made that the increase in the number of individuals reported with autistic spectrum disorders can be attributed to changes in referral patterns and in the methods of diagnosis, and the much knowledge of the different manifestations of the autistic conduct (Ownby, 2008).There might also be changes in the prevalence rates either locally and internationally with the cause not being known. Failure to carry out properly resourced prevalence studies, the condition of the disorder is likely to remain bleak (Mauro, 2009) Conclusion The evidence for the increase in the autistic spectrum is not yet clear because various researches has showed conflicting figures relating to the prevalence of the disorder. The condition still requires a lot of research work to shed light in its causes, prevalence rates and its management. References : Editorials (2009). Autistic spectrum disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/312/7027/327 Ehlers, S. Gillberg, C. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger syndrome: a total population Study,Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34 (8), pp. 1327-1350. Haley, B. (2006). Vaccines and the changing epidemiology of autism. Child Care Health Dev. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.whale.to/a/autism_diagnosis.html Mauro, T. (2009). Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://specialchildren.about.com/od/gettingadiagnosis/g/Autism.htm Morgan, H., Jones, H. Jordan R. (2001). A Guide to Services for Adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders for Commissioners and Providers. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://autism.bibliomaker.ch/BM_DIRECTORY/H/BM000001710/7723/JOR3.pdf` Novella, S. (2008). The Increase in Autism Diagnoses: Two Hypotheses. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from:http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=95 Rudy, L. J. (2009). A Definition of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from:http://autism.about.com/od/autismterms/f/defautism.htm Ownby, M. H. (2008). Raising Autism Awareness. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.com/article.cfm/raising_autism_awareness Wing, L. Potter, D. (2008). Notes on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=364a=2618 Wing, L. Gould, J. (1979). Severe impairments of social interaction: and associated abnormalities in children: epidemiology and classification Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9 (1), pp. 11-29.

Personal Essay - I Welcome the Challenge -- Personal Narrative, essay

I have learned a great many things from playing soccer. It has changed my entire outlook on and attitude toward life. Before my freshman year at Cool high school, I was shy, had low self-esteem and turned away from seemingly impossible challenges. Soccer has altered all of these qualities. On the first day of freshman practice, the team warmed up with a game of soccer. The players were split up and the game began. However, during the game, I noticed that I didn't' t run as hard as I could, nor did I try to evade my defender and get open. The fact of the matter is that I really did not want to receive the ball. I didn't' t want to be the one at fault if the play didn't' t succeed. I did not want the responsibility of helping the team because I was too afraid of making a mistake. That aspect...

The Defensive Mechanisms in Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Ordinary People by Judith Guest is the story of a dysfunctional family who relate to one another through a series of extensive defense mechanisms, i. e. an unconscious process whereby reality is distorted to reduce or prevent anxiety. The book opens with seventeen year old Conrad, son of upper middle-class Beth and Calvin Jarrett, home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, there because he had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. His mother is a meticulously orderly person who, Jared, through projection, feels despises him. She does all the right things; attending to Jared's physical needs, keeping a spotless home, plays golf and bridge with other women in her social circle, but, in her own words â€Å"is an emotional cripple†. Jared's father, raised in an orphanage, seems anxious to please everyone, a commonplace reaction of individuals who, as children, experienced parental indifference or inconsistency. Though a successful tax attorney, he is jumpy around Conrad, and, according to his wife, drinks too many martinis. Conrad seems consumed with despair. A return to normalcy, school and home-life, appear to be more than Conrad can handle. Chalk-faced, hair-hacked Conrad seems bent on perpetuating the family myth that all is well in the world. His family, after all, â€Å"are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the face of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem. † Yet, there is not one problem in this family but two – Conrad's suicide and the death by drowning of Conrad's older brother, Buck. Conrad eventually contacts a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he feels the â€Å"air is full of flying glass† and wants to feel in control. Their initial sessions together frustrate the psychiatrist because of Conrad's inability to express his feelings. Berger cajoles him into expressing his emotions by saying, â€Å"That's what happens when you bury this junk, kiddo. It keeps resurfacing. Won't leave you alone. † Conrad's slow but steady journey towards healing seems partially the result of cathartic revelations which purge guilt feelings regarding his brother's death and his family's denial of that death, plus the â€Å"love of a good woman. Jeannine, who sings soprano to Conrad's tenor†¦ † There is no doubt that Conrad is consumed with guilt, â€Å"the feeling one has when one acts contrary to a role he has assumed while interacting with a significant person in his life,† This guilt engenders in Conrad feelings of low self esteem. Survivors of horrible tragedies, such as the Holocaust, frequently express similar feelings of worthlessness. In his book, â€Å"Against All Odds†, William Helmreich relates how one survivor articulates a feeling of abandonment. â€Å"Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me? † Conrad expresses a similar thought in remembering the sequence of events when the sailboat they were on turned over. Buck soothes Conrad saying, â€Å"Okay, okay. They'll be looking now, for sure, just hang on, don't get tired, promise? In an imagined conversation with his dead brother, Conrad asks, â€Å"‘Man, why'd you let go? ‘ ‘Because I got tired. ‘ ‘The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go! ‘ ‘I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then! ‘† Conrad feels terrible anger with his brother, but cannot comfortably express that anger. His psychiatrist, after needling Conrad, asks, â€Å"Are you mad? When Conrad responds that he is not mad, the psychiatrist says, â€Å"Now that is a lie. You are mad as hell. † Conrad asserts that, â€Å"When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy. † When his psychiatrist questions him about his relationship with his mother, Calvin says, â€Å"My mother and I do not connect. Why should it bother me? My mother is a very private person. † This sort of response is called, in psychological literature, â€Å"rationalization†. We see Conrad's anger and aggression is displaced, i. e. vented on another, as when he physically attacked a schoolmate. Yet, he also turns his anger on himself and expresses in extreme and dangerous depression and guilt. â€Å"Guilt is a normal emotion felt by most people, but among survivors it takes on special meaning. Most feel guilty about the death of loved ones whom they feel they could have, or should have, saved. Some feel guilty about situations in which they behaved selfishly (Conrad held on to the boat even after his brother let go), even if there was no other way to survive. In answer to a query from his psychiatrist on when he last got really mad, Conrad responds, â€Å"When it comes, there's always too much of it. I don't know how to handle it. † When Conrad is finally able to express his anger, Berger, the psychiatrist says to Calvin, â€Å"Razoring is anger; self-mutilation is anger. So this is a good sign; turning his anger outward at last. † Because his family, and especially his mother, frowns upon public displays of emotion, Conrad keeps his feelings bottled up, which further contributes to depression. Encyclopedia Britannica, in explicating the dynamics of depression states, â€Å"Upon close study, the attacks on the self are revealed to be unconscious expressions of disappointment and anger toward another person, or even a circumstance†¦ deflected from their real direction onto the self. The aggression, therefore, directed toward the outside world is turned against the self. † The article further asserts that, â€Å"There are three cardinal psychodynamic considerations in depression: (1) a deep sense of loss of what is loved or valued, which may be a person, a thing or even liberty; (2) a conflict of mixed feelings of love and hatred toward what is loved or highly valued; (3) a heightened overcritical concern with the self. † Conrad's parents are also busily engaged in the business of denial. Calvin, Conrad's father, says, â€Å"Don't worry. Everything is all right. By his own admission, he drinks too much, â€Å"because drinking helps†¦ , deadening the pain†. Calvin cannot tolerate conflict. Things must go smoothly. â€Å"Everything is jello and pudding with you, Dad. † Calvin, the orphan says, â€Å"Grief is ugly. It is something to be afraid of, to get rid of†. â€Å"Safety and order. Definitely the priorities of his life. He constantly questions himself as to whether or not he is a good father. â€Å"What is fatherhood, anyway? † Beth, Conrad's mother, is very self-possessed. She appears to have a highly developed super-ego, that part of an individual's personality which is â€Å"moralistic†¦ , meeting the demands of social convention, which can be irrational in requiring certain behaviors in spite of reason, convenience and common sense†. She is furthermore, a perfectionist. â€Å"Everything had to be perfect, never mind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on them all. † Conrad is not unlike his mother. He is an overachiever, an â€Å"A† student, on the swim team and a list-maker. His father tells the psychiatrist, â€Å"I see her not being able to forgive him. For surviving, maybe. No, that's not it, for being too much like her. † A psychoanalyst might call her anal retentive. Someone who is â€Å"fixated symbolically in orderliness and a tendency toward perfectionism†. â€Å"Excessive self-control, not expressing feelings, guards against anxiety by controlling any expression of emotion and denying emotional investment in a thing or person. â€Å"She had not cried at the funeral†¦. She and Conrad had been strong and calm throughout. The message of the book is contained in Berger's glib saying that, â€Å"People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile†. We see Conrad moving toward recovery and the successful management of his stage of development, as articulated by Erikson, â€Å"intimacy vs. isolation†. At story end, his father is more open with Conrad, moving closer to him, while his mother goes off on her own to work out her issues. Both trying to realize congruence in their development stage (Erikson), â€Å"ego integrity vs. despair†.

World’s Reliance on Computers

Computers are used in many different ways; they are used in all sorts of different fields of work and are very important to many different people. Practically anything that you use is made by computers. Today’s modern vehicles and airplanes were are designed on a computer. Our country’s traffic signals are run by a network of computers. In a hospital, most lifesaving machines are run by computers. Space exploration would not have been possible without the help of computers. Most employers today require the use of computers. Most people in this 21st century would be lost if they didn’t have the computer.In the early 1800’s with no computers, the medical field had no cures for life threatening diseases. But now in the 21st century most of the cures we have discovered were created with the aid of computers. Computers our found everywhere, in places such as pharmacies. Where without them they would have a hard time keeping inventory, and managing which medicin e goes to which patient. The votes for elections are counted, it may have been done by hand one day, but that makes them inaccurate and easily tampered with. But with the growing population and security risks it would be unmanageable without computers.As said previously space exploration would not be possible at all without the guidance of computer systems. You got to admit life would truly suck without computers. Many people do not agree at all and argue that we don’t need computers at all to live on. Well they could be right, but they sure do not know what would happen to the economy and the quality of life without them. At one point in time there were computers that were nowhere near as intricate like the ones we have learned to love today. Older computers were not as small as the ones we are used to having on our laps today.In fact the first computer ENIAC (electronic numerical integrator and computer), weighed 30 short tons, was roughly 8 feet by 3 feet by 100 feet, took up 1800 square feet (size of a modern apartment), and consumed 150 kW of power. Now compare that to your Apple MacBook Air. ***Computers changed the world a lot. It helped man step forward into the future. Thanks to computers, space exploration came true, new designs of vehicles and other transportation were made, entertainment became more entertaining, medical science made more cures for diseases, etc. . . The computers impacted our lives in many ways. You may not notice it but they did make life a lot easier. Without computers, the world would be a harder place to live in. Thanks to the computers, everyday life is easier for us. Some people may disagree but most wouldn't. Some people say that computers are taking away man power. That may be true but computers did make the impossible possible. *** In this modern age, most businesses today depend on computers and its comparable equipment. Computers have been the key tool to build a successful business.Business computer users have m any different uses for the computers, such as keeping a database on inventory, or managing client accounts, keeping track of money, and so much more. Laptops are another type of computer which is portable, and can be used anywhere. Many business user like laptops because the allow them to do work while on an airplane, or a train. Business users tend to use applications like Microsoft Office Suite where they can make slideshows with pie-charts and graphs to present information to other people in meetings. Any of the new movies you watch are made with special effects.These special effects are made on the computer; in fact most of the graphics you see have all been enhanced on a computer as well. To the left is a picture from the movie â€Å"Avatar. † Avatar was created by specially made suits attached to computers which then turned movement into animation, and then used high tech texturing and graphics to create these creatures. This wasn't the only movie made with computers. M ovies like Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Fight Club, Star Wars, and many more used computers to make them seem more stimulating and accurate.There are movies that have been entirely made on computers such as Finding Nemo and Despicable Me. Now computers are not only used in motion picture graphics they are even used to create the video games we all love to play. In facts the game console you play your video games on are considered mini computers such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Wii. Without computers you would never experience what it feels like to play Halo! Schools all over the country are starting to need more money to invest in their computer systems.Computers are starting to play a huge role in the education field. They help students create magnificent essays such as this one. Make PowerPoint presentations for their school projects. They can easily find the information they need on the thousands of different databases there are on the internet. Most high schools and colleges are re quiring that you type all of your essays and reports. Teachers also benefit from the use of computers as well. They can use the computer to do attendance, manage grades, and communicate with student outside of class time.Medical technology is the most important use of computers. Computers have helped save countless numbers of lives in the hospitals. All of the hospitals newer equipment is all running on a computer. Right now majority of the computers in the hospital help the hospital keep track of patient data, and they make sure the patient doesn’t have a balance! Scientists use computers to find cures for diseases that need cures like cancer and Alzheimer’s. Some of the cures we have found today would not have been possible without computers.It is astonishing how computers have changed the way we live. Something simple such as purchasing fare for the metro lines needs a computer. Tokens are no longer used today. As a replacement for tokens we now use metro cards. The metro cards store data that made by a computer. Also, online shopping has been very effective in previous few years. For the people who don’t have the time to shop in a store this them to just shop online. It also provides ease around the holiday season when the stores are mobbed. The internet has opened so many doors for the world.Computers are not only a luxury anymore they are now a necessity for businesses, homes, and schools. They have become learning devices, great information organizers for businesses. They have made communication instant. Without computers, we as a nation would not be move forward as fast as we are! If all of the computers in the world were to stop working, we would all be in big trouble. If you think that our society is prepared for a world with no computers, well, Godspeed. The fact is our world would be at a halt and mass chaos would arise. A world without computers, well, it’s unimaginable!