Perry’s Dialogue

In Perry’s Dialogue, he introduces three fictional characters to explore the concept of personal identity. This topic arises as the character, Gretchen Weirob, lays on her deathbed seeking consolation from her friend, Sam Miller, and former student, Dave Cohen, to discuss the possibility of her survival after death. Weirob’s view is that people are identified by their bodies and that their continued existence relies on the existence of their living bodies (Perry, 319).In this paper, I will argue on behalf of her viewpoint approaching personal identity through Locke’s memory theory using the distinction that real memory can only be associated with the body experiencing it. Personal identity has proven to be a very controversial topic in this dialogue. By the second night, it was argued to be defined neither by the bodily existence nor the existence of an immaterial soul (320). Instead, identity is approached by the concept of person-stages (322).This idea implies that a person lives in consecutive stretches of consciousness connected in a logical manner. In this case, each stretch of consciousness indicates the all thoughts and emotions experienced by a person at a given moment in time (322). This leads to the Memory Theory of personal identity, which Miller suggested according to his readings on Locke. It basically states that all the past events occurring within this stream of consciousness forms memory and our personal identity consists of the accumulation of memory that can be traced linearly through it (322).Weirob was not able to find any flaws in this theory. However, many flaws would surface without the examination of what constitutes as memory? Weirob brings up the comparison of real and apparent memory due to the possibility of deception where a person may â€Å"seems to remember† (323) something entirely inaccurate. Real memory is then defined as an experience remembered by the person who was present at the time of that exp erience(324).Apparent memory is when someone â€Å"seems to remember† but was not actually present at the experience in question (324). In the end, the real remember is the one whose memories were caused â€Å"in the right kind of way† (324) which led Weirob to conclude that â€Å"a person is certain sort of causal process. † (324) This continued to support her belief that personal identity is coexistent with bodily continuity as all her memories were formed by the actions and brain activity of her body. With a stroke of ngenuity, Miller was able to dispute her belief that personal identity lies solely within the confines of bodily identify by stating that one can identify his/herself without examination of his or her physical body (320). He says that a person is able to wake up and realize that they are the person they were the day before, prior to opening his/her eyes. He further proves this using Kafka’s Metamorphosis, which involves the instance of so meone waking up in the body of a cockroach (320). This person still maintains the sameness of person despite the difference of body.Earlier on, Weirob had brought up the case of anticipation. She had concluded that in order for her to accept the possibly of life after death, she must believe that she can exist in another form in which she would be able to anticipate the experiences of her future self and remember the experiences of her past (323). As Miller was able to dispute her belief that personal identity is only bodily identity, he then tempts her to imagine that there will be someone in the future who will remember the conversation they are having and all her past experiences.However, this fails to comforts Weirob as she argues that this merely suggests the possibility of a deluded imposter harboring her memories (323). Once again the issue of real versus apparent memory detains Miller in his efforts. This led to the introduction of an additional restriction to Miller’ s suggestion. To provide the distinction between real and apparent memory, the heavenly person must now be the person who actually performed the actions that he/she remembers (323). So if Weirob can imagine such a person being she, then the possibility of her survival is ensured.Nevertheless, this proves to be too ambiguous for Weirob to accept. She argues that There is no assurance that the heavenly being will be identical to her as opposed to exactly similar(325). She says that if God were able to create one such being on heaven, what is to prevent him from creating two or even three? Since God is all-powerful and not limited in his abilities, he should be able to create an infinite number of Gretchen Weirobs, all of whom would hold her memories (325). These Gretchen Weirobs cannot all be her, so the possibility of her survival is once again irrational.Cohen then points out that Miller was asked only to provide the possibility of survival, so if Weriob were to imagine that God, be ing benevolent, choose to create only one heavenly Gretchen Weirob, then she cannot deny the possibility of her survival (325). To this Weirob replies that she cannot base her survival on such insubstantial conditions; she cannot tolerate that her survival depends on the right relationship between her memory to the memory of the heavenly being as well as the lack of competition of other heavenly beings(325).She says that if there is a possibility if two heavenly Gretchen Weirobs, she would be neither of them as one cannot be identical to two; then memory alone cannot provide the basis for identity. Therefore, even if there were to be only one heavenly being containing her memory, she cannot confirm that it will be identical to her (326). I agree with Weirob’s belief that she will cease to exist upon the expiration of her body. From a biological point of view, there is no earthly evidence that suggest the continuation of a person after the end of his/her brain function.Like We irob suggested, it is her brain that involves the storage of information including the accumulation of her memories(321). If her brain were to stop functioning, all her memories would logically be lost. Meanwhile, there is the case where the body can continue to function without support from the brain. This is commonly known as a coma, a state in which a person is without brain activity and within this state of mind that person can be pronounced legally dead by a qualified physician. Now on the topic of survival after death, the existence of a God must be involved.In this instance, the identity of a person can be suggested to continue if God were to create a heavenly being containing all of the deceased past memories. The possibility of survival through this case is disrupted as Weriob proved that these beings would be nothing more than exactly similar to her(323). She maintains that memory alone cannot ensure the essence of her personal identity, as God can create many heavenly bei ngs containing her memories out of which one of them would be her (323).Her idea of bodily continuity is proven to be the only rational method to interpret her existence as her steam of consciousness containing all the memories that comprises her personal identify ends with her death. However, Weirob’s belief seems to exclude those who are distorted or incapable in their ability to store memory. For example, in the case of the hypnosis mentioned in the second night, the rememberer induced to remember Weirob’s memories is disrupted in his/her stream of consciousness. 323) Yet, after the removal of the trance, he/she will continue to exist as him/herself. Weirob also mentioned people who â€Å"seem to remember† being Napoleon losing the battle of waterloo 323). Although these poeple are visibly not Napoleon, they are also not considered to be nonexistent despite lack of personal identity. Other cases include patients of Alzheimer’s disease who will graduall y lose all their memories or those living with mental illness who are under delusions of who they really are.These people are obviously experiencing inaccurate representations for their personal identity. Nevertheless, this does not prevent these individuals from existing. While it is correct that these individuals exist, I can argue that there is a distinction between seeming to exist and actually existing. Individuals suffering from delusions exist within their own mind, without relation to the their actual environment. They seem to exist, either as Napoleon or as Gretchen Weirob, in that stretch of consciousness.The mind is inarguably still a part of the body so while they may be not physically experiencing these events, their body, or more specifically their brain, is still needed for the creation of these memories. Therefore, they will follow the same laws of existence as any normal person. On the other hand, those who are suffering from Alzheimer’s, or any form of head trauma that forces them to lose their memories are simultaneously losing their identity. As stretches of their streams of consciousness fade away, their personal identity diminishes until there is nothing left to distinguish them from an empty shell, which is their body.

The Pantheon: Temple Dedicated to All Gods

Pantheon, temple dedicated to all the gods. The Pantheon of Rome is the best-preserved major edifice of ancient Rome and one of the most significant buildings in architectural history. In shape it is an immense cylinder concealing eight piers, topped with a dome and fronted by a rectangular colonnaded porch. The great vaulted dome is 43. 2 m (142 ft) in diameter, and the entire structure is lighted through one aperture, called an oculus, in the center of the dome.The Pantheon was erected by the Roman emperor Hadrian between AD 118 and 128, replacing a smaller temple built by the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 27 BC. In the early 7th century it was consecrated as a church, Santa Maria ad Martyres, to which act it owes its survival (see Architecture). The term pantheon also refers to a building that serves as a mausoleum or memorial for eminent personages of a country. The most famous example is the Church of Sainte Genevieve in Paris, designed (1764) in the classical style by t he French architect Jacques Germain Soufflot.It was later secularized, renamed the Pantheon, and used as a temple to honor the great of France. Built in Rome, AD c. 118-28, in the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the Pantheon is the best preserved and most impressive of all Roman buildings. It has exerted an enormous influence on all subsequent Western architecture. The Pantheon asserts the primacy of space as contained volume over structure in the most dramatic fashion.From the time of the Pantheon onward, Roman architecture was to be one of spatial volumes. The Pantheon was designed and built by Hadrian to replace an earlier temple established by Agrippa (the misleading inscription in the entrance frieze refers to this earlier edifice). The existing structure is an immense round temple covered by a single dome, fronted by a transitional block and a traditional temple portico of eight Corinthian columns carrying a triangular pediment.

Reality vs. Pretense: the Leading Binary Opposition in Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner”

â€Å"You can bend it and twist it; you can misuse and abuse it, but even God cannot change the reality,† the famous Michael Levy once said. This emblematic quotation assigns the pivotal basis for human beings upon which all other concepts are measured. It is the â€Å"reality† that none pursue but all worship. Since literary works spot the light on realities that people conceal, it is where binary oppositions are truly presented. D. H Lawrence's â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† is no exception. By presenting two main mythemes â€Å"Reality/Pretend† under the concept of attitudes, Lawrence shows how family members, society citizens and even inanimate objects prefer inferior pretense over superior reality. To begin with, the binary opposition of â€Å"Reality/Pretense† is intensively elaborated on by the attitudes of Paul's family. The mother, the uncle and Basset continue putting masks so as to obscure their real intentions towards Paul. The structure of the mother resides in her snake-changing conduct which perfectly conveys contradiction between authenticity and acting as if. She continually behaves as if she loves her children sincerely while â€Å"at the centre of her heart [there is] a hard little place that could not feel love. † The unstable make-believe deeds allow only for herself and her offspring to realize her real inner feelings even though not in front of others. The lack of verbal communication illustrates weakness within the family bonds substituting it with Paul's disapproving glares. By preferring silence over speaking, Paul himself portrays the unprivileged part of another binary: â€Å"presence/absence. The sky blue color of his eyes foreshadows his final end in which he leaves the earth to the skies. However, the uncle's role accumulates this pretend-you-care strategy in order to achieve maximum exploitation out of the child. Oscar shows care for the kid when asking Basset about the reason for Paul being interested in derbies. But digging deeper, one finds that it's the uncle who accompanies him to the derby and offers him five dollars. Furthermore, Basset alleges that he sympathizes with the child's interest. However, the hidden goal is no longer veiled; it's to squeeze out the little child for the sake of money. None of the family members acts in a real manner except Paul himself. What he has in pops out through his speech. Even this soothing reality changes at the end as the narrator says, â€Å"he [has] a secret within a secret, something he [has] not divulged, even to Bassett or to his Uncle Oscar. † Just like his rocking horse, none of Paul's family experiences stability but take the side of inferior part of the binary opposition as their personality determiner. Secondly, pretending a higher status in society is the focus of the mother for which she emotionally abandons her family. As evidence, the narrator declares, â€Å"there [is] always the grinding sense of the shortage of money, though the style [is] always kept up. † Camouflaging the real entitled financial status that the family maintains is what the mother approaches because such a reality would place her on the margins of society. The social networks are obviously built up according to pretended realities. This oxymoron is highly inflected in the way she and her husband expensively dress though the former only obtains â€Å"several hundred† as a salary. The mother's obsession with materialistic possessions forbids her from declaring the reality that they â€Å"are poor members of the family. † Instead, she incessantly pretends to have a prestige she doesn't really afford. The mother's egocentricity structure disintegrates the family and drives Paul to pay his life for her sake. Nevertheless, she quests a luxurious house to secrete their real pecuniary capabilities from society. For instance, the narrator asserts, â€Å"they live[s]in a pleasant house, with a garden, and they ha[ve] discreet servants, and [feel] themselves superior to anyone in the neighborhood. The inferior part of the binary opposition â€Å"Reality/Pretend† is what being avoided to speak about in public confirming the fact that unprivileged mythemes are not praised by society. This life-leading binary opposition is a core principle upon which all other binaries are measured including â€Å"satisfaction/ dis-satisfaction. † This is how readers are introduced to two complex binaries when the mother pretends satisfaction and hides the bona fide discontent. Structuralist Barthes emphasizes that binary oppositions are so etched in humanity's mind to the extent that one cannot conquer. Whether it's the plot structure or the characters’, they all confirm one fact: the quest for money to obey society ends up in a mother's guilt and a child's death. Last but not least, the spine-chilling means, by which inanimate objects in the house act, also contribute to the overall binary opposition that collapses the family. The house and toys pretend a realm of characteristics which are not taken for granted as real ones. The objective reality of the corruption of Paul's environment is based on the personified structures of those inanimate tems. The deluxe-looking house repeats â€Å"there must be more money† twelve times throughout the story leading Paul to a traumatic fall-down. A more convincing clue is illustrated by the fact that only at Christmas parties and birthdays, the house goes crazy and becomes haunted by the phrase. D. H Lawrence is actually intensifying the extreme contradiction between what characters are and what they do by delivering the binary op position under the concept of attitudes. It sounds as a plague moving from animate to inanimate ones. To add, the â€Å"big doll sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram† plays an important role in explaining the binary. â€Å"Smirking† is a sign in which the signified is â€Å"smiling,† and it also contrast reality with pretense. The denotation is to smile offensively with self-satisfied manner, and the connotation is about knowing the eerie truth of the house but not sharing it. It is the structure of the word that exposes unknown truths. Moreover, the puppy â€Å"look [s] so extraordinarily foolish† although it knows what the house breathes. That is related to another second-rate element in â€Å"wise/foolish† binary opposition. The idiotic acts of all residents of the house help them to accept pretense. Briefly, the binary isn't only engraved in humans, but also inanimate objects are affected by the ruined deception demonstrated by the house inhabitants. To conclude, the clashing attitudes which govern the relationship between family members, society citizens and non-living residents of the house add an emphasis to the inferior part of all binary oppositions; therefore they experience a deplorable end as a corollary for their un-approved choice. Structuralism doesn't allow for a truth on boundaries but for a conceivable objective accuracy. What manipulates humanity is made by humans themselves. We create and follow it regardless of our understanding or ignorance, thus preventing ourselves from finding a more productive reality. It's â€Å"Reality† which is the privileged in Barthes`s methodology, but Paul's surroundings don’t follow the center affecting him devastatingly. Back to Levy's first quotation, Lawrence's characters tries to misuse and abuse reality, but they cannot change it. Instead, they bury it and become ill-fated.

Marriott International Business Research Paper

Marriott International Business - Research Paper Example In the paper, one of the Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, 2011, Marriott International has been taken into consideration and the company’s profile including historical background along with a few of the organization behavior practices like group behaviors, communication and leadership approaches have been discussed. Company’s Profile Marriott International Inc is one of the leading lodging companies with in excess of 3400 lodging establishments operating in more than 68 countries and territories among others. Headquarter of this company is situated in Bethesda, Maryland, the USA and has approximately 1, 37,000 employees working across the cross border regions. The company has a standing committee consisting Board of Directors acting as a top management team leading from the front. The company deals with luxurious hotels, resorts and real estate’s around the world particularly located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Carib bean areas and Asia Pacific regions among others (Marriott, 2011). It has been recognized by Fortune as one of the best companies to work for and also is one of the greener companies in America. The company was selected in this prestigious list due to certain changes made in the business policies by the leaders of Marriott International compared to the last year i.e. 2010. In addition, due to performing its corporate responsibilities towards the business values of the company’s ethical and legal standards along with its influence upon the environmental factors and towards the society as well made the platform for Marriott International to acquire the place in Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For, 2011. In lieu of this, the company’s pioneering products and services, diversity in ownership and its positive value towards its owners and franchisees also count for Marriott International to remain in Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For in 2011 (Marriott, 2011 ). Importance of Group Behavior in an Organization A group, in an organization, can be defined as two or more persons’ interaction with each other in such a way that each person gets influenced by the other. It can be defined in terms of perception, motivation and interactions of the organization. It is very much essential for an organization to form such a group in order to understand and analyze the behavior of people within the organization in order to achieve the desired goals of the business. From the managerial perspective, the work group behavior is a key approach where the managers of a particular organization co-ordinates with the individual’s behavior in order to expand its business. The importance of group behavior in an organization constitutes proper control on various policies of the organization, increases the motivation approach among the employees, increases productivity, establishes proper ways of communication and enhances decision making procedure o f an organization (Griffin, 2011). Importance of Communication in an Organization

Religion (Jesus) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Religion (Jesus) - Essay Example He lifted his hand to heal. His heart was at peace.† (Lucado, Max, â€Å"Grace for the Moment†, 2000, J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, ISBN: 0-8499-5624-2, p.44). This excerpt should clearly point to the answer to the above question. Yet, knowing that Matthew, John, Mark and Luke (John and Matthew being among Jesus’ disciples and apostles) wrote the four Gospels of the New Testament, shouldn’t we set the question whether only the apostles and individuals (believers and followers) from His time (I century AD) and later should be considered His disciples? Haven’t we all Christians been His disciples for 20 centuries and more, even those whose atheism has been only a product of the communist regime in some countries? To be able to answer this question, we should clearly understand the meaning of the word disciple. Literally, it means a learner, or someone who follows another’s teaching. To be a disciple of Jesus, therefore means to have a strong desire to follow Jesus and become like him. To become like Jesus, one needs endless love in his/her heart. If we consider ourselves disciples of Jesus, good enough to write ma ybe a New Testament, we should ask ourselves whether we have this endless love for everything alive on this Earth and whether we are true believers. I strongly doubt it.

Understanding of the importance of literary techniques Essay - 1

Understanding of the importance of literary techniques - Essay Example Robert Browning is a master craftsman when it comes to the use of dramatic monologues in his poems. The Dramatic monologue is defined as â€Å"a literary, usually verse composition in which a speaker reveals his or her character, often in relation to a critical situation or event, in a monologue addressed to the reader or to a presumed listener† (Dramatic Monologue-Definition of Dramatic Monologue). Browning’s "My Last Duchess" possesses all these criteria of a dramatic monologue. The speaker in the poem is not the poet himself. In fact, Browning’s speaker in the poem represents a ‘psychological portrait of a powerful Renaissance aristocrat’ (Duke Ferrara) and the poem very well draws, in the minds of the readers, the image of a submissive presumed listener who pays heed to the Duke’s narration of the failings and imperfections of his late wife (My Last Duchess: Introduction). However, the reader can perceive from the dramatic monologue that t he so-called imperfections of the dutches are nothing but expressions of her virtues and her courtesy towards her servants. The very opening lines of the poem are quite suggestive. The lines, â€Å"Thats my last duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive† clearly demonstrates the presence of an unseen audience or listener and the reader understands that the duchess is no longer alive. Similarly, towards the end of the poem, when the Duke states that â€Å"This grew; I gave commands;/Then all smiles stopped together† the reader grasps that it was he who ordered her murder. The actual character of the Duke is thus revealed through the dramatic monologue even when the listener remains absolutely silent. Thus, the poem’s elements of soliloquy (as there is only one speaker) and its dramatic, and lyrical qualities make it a perfect example for dramatic monologue and it is the effective use of dramatic monologue that offer new dimension to the theme an d treatment of

Time is of the Essance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Time is of the Essance - Essay Example Increasing the daily working hours can reduce the working days of a week, whereby ensuring the smooth functioning of the organization. Having a 4/10 routine has some advantages and disadvantages for the organizations as well as the employees, which are analyzed below: The reduced working days in a week give more time to the employees to handle their personal / domestic affairs in a better way. So it is very unlikely that they will require time away from their work for visiting the doctor or any other domestic need. The 4/10 schedule i.e. 4 days a week and 10 hours a day gives employees 52 extra days in a year, providing them freedom of action to meet their personal commitments. Once the employees will be mentally free from their individual issues, their work performance will automatically increase. The other advantages of 4/10 routine can be economy in use of energy i.e. gas and electricity as the organization will remain closed for an additional day. The expenditure incurred on transportation of employees to workplace and back to their homes will be reduced as a complete trip per vehicle will be reduced for a week (Maklan, 1977). Besides having a number of advantages, there are a few drawbacks as well of the 4/10 routine. Although it is giving a day off, but on the other hand it is increasing the workload and committed time during the working days. The biggest drawback is for those organizations which are related to customer service; as such a routine will make them deprive their customers of their services for more days. It may affect the repute as well as social rating of the organization in total. In addition to this, there is an element of boredom attached to such long working hours which will eventually result in less enthusiasm during work. Working ladies, who leave their children in day care, are bound to extend the care timings as well, which ultimately keep them away from their children for

Criminological theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminological theory - Research Paper Example The best explanation to this particular thought can be derived by comparing and contrasting the three most applied dimensional theories in criminology, i.e. the biological theories of crime, the psychological theories of crime and the sociological theories of crime. The most apparent dissimilarities of the explanations rendered by these theories concerning crime are inherent in their diverse and often, countering assumptions. For instance, the biological theories assume that individuals commit criminal offences particularly due to physical characteristics, which are gifted by the parents to their children, or are inherited through ancestry. Therefore, the biological explanation to the causes of crime focuses largely on genetic, anatomical and psychological irregularities. On the other hand, psychological and sociological explanations advocate that social factors and economic difficulties cause significant psychological pressures on individuals. These pressures further result in stres s within individuals, persuading them to commit crime. Notably, the biological theories, with its given assumptions, indirectly tend to counter the notion or approach taken by the modern governments concerning correctional policies for criminals. However, rationalizing the same, psychological and sociological theories explain that by bringing certain changes in social and economic structure of a particular region, the government can control crime rates. Based on these predicaments, guided by the assumptions of the biological, sociological and psychological theories of crime, this study will aim at comparing and contrasting the central idea of these concepts, taking into account the historic developments in criminology since ages. Defining Criminology Edwin H. Sutherland had once affirmed that criminology is a form of knowledge which considers crime as a social trend. It principally included the cycle of creating laws to restrict crime, violating laws by criminals conducting offences and then reacting towards the contravention of the laws to further discourage any repeat occurrence of similar incidents. As can be inferred from the statement, criminology, in respect of criminal laws, is a cyclical process which aims to obtain a structured and definitive policy framework to restrict repeat occurrences of crime. Since ages, criminologists have adopted research methods from a variety of societal and behavioral sciences to postulate a particular guideline that can aid in further development of the laws by measuring the kind of offences, criminals’ behavioral traits as well as influences and victims’ characteristics, using different procedures (DeMelo, 1999). Brief Description of the Criminal Law Significance of the criminal law has been a priority to governmental bodies since centuries, to maintain a healthy and sustainable societal development process. In the medieval ages, though, criminal laws were designed to reward greater control of socio-cultura l and geo-political structure to the authoritative bodies. Reportedly, the initiation of criminology theories dates back to over 3500 years before in the history of human civilization, around 1792 BC with the establishment of the code of Hammurabi. The code was adopted from Babylonian and Hebrew laws that were in practice during the early 2000 BC (Vito & Maahs,

Why Do Good Guys Finish Last and Good Girls Like Bad Boys Research Paper

Why Do Good Guys Finish Last and Good Girls Like Bad Boys - Research Paper Example The Dark Triad personality is a highly visible, extroverted, charismatic, and antisocial personality that preys on normal people to feed their egotistical imbalances. This creates maladaptive relationships that cause great emotional pain and suffering long after the relationship is ended. Dark Triad personalities are particularly drawn to co-dependent personalities that take care of them and feed their egos. What the media glorifies as the most desirable type of partner is, in reality, a dysfunctional one. Healthy relationships that are emotionally fulfilling and long lasting depend on them being composed of healthy partners; not dysfunctional ones. Why Do Good Guys Finish Last and Good Girls Like Bad Boys It always seems like the good guys finish last and the good girls like the bad boys; why is that? Throughout history there are so many accounts of relationships where one was destructive and the other was nearly sainted. It’s often said that opposites attract, yet how is it that those opposites also nearly destroy each other in the relationship process? The dating process is aimed at bringing compatible people together, yet what often happens is that compatibility is based on something other than normal relations. The fact that good guys finish last is largely due to the fact that good girls like bad boys. What’s the attraction? What makes a nice girl choose someone who either cheats on her or hurts her in one way or another? Why do so many women put up with that? It almost seems like a nice guy can’t win. There is a term, the Dark Triad of Personality, (Paulhus, Williams, & Hare, 2002) that was created in the late 20th century to describe a group of three distinctly different, yet related personality traits Machiavellianism, narcissism, and subclinical psychopathy. All three are exploitative, short-term and socially negative. People with this personality triad are very attractive, charismatic people who, for some reason, never seem to la ck for either excitement, or someone to share it with. They are people who view the world in terms of how it benefits them, favoring immediate gratification over the sacrifice of waiting for long term gains. This relationship personality is described as having an arrogant and deceitful interpersonal style, deficient affective experience, and, impulsive and irresponsible behavioral style. (Jonason, Kavanaugh, 2010) Individuals who have the Dark Triad personality prefer a short-term style of relating; they keep people at an emotional distance through game playing and cerebral approach to personal relationships. The game playing approach is what is known as ludus; these relationships are marked by high turn over of partners; a cat and mouse kind of game. The pragma approach is a cerebral style where relationships are mind or head oriented instead of involving the heart. People in these kinds of relationships have limited abilities to show empathy; their emotional systems don’t p rocess the flow of the relationship. These relationships are superficial, often practical, and usually based on eros as opposed to agape. They are not long lasting, fulfilling relationships, just a means to an end. There is very little closeness, selflessness, or intimacy. It is thought these individuals experienced little empathy and caring, as well as having inconsistent early childhood interactions with caregivers. Twin studies have shown moderate-to-large inherited traits for both narcissism and psychopathy, and a smaller genetic influence on Machiavellianism; largely due to environmental factors. (Jonason & Kavanaugh, 2010) Numerous researchers have agreed that there are five common personality indicators through which all personalities can be described; they

How to Prevent Nuclear Chemical and Biological Threat Essay Example for Free

How to Prevent Nuclear Chemical and Biological Threat Essay In recent years, people from all around the world have already seen the reports about nuclear, chemical and biological accident frequently from the news media, which have been increasingly threatening the survival of human security. When we are fully aware of the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological accident, we should learn that what target measures should be taken to hold the harm of accidents. With the development of high-tech, various military weapons have appeared in the world increasingly. But what hidden behind the success is not only the consumption of resources, but also the huge impact on human itself. So here are some measures as follows. Firstly, the government should propaganda knowledge on nuclear, chemical and biological accidents to the people, such as posters and seminars. Because there are many people who do not learn about these risks appropriately. Secondly, the immune prevention and drug prevention are two good ways o prevent the danger. Inoculation of various vaccines in advance can improve the body immunity, reduce or even avoid biological weapons against the damage and greatly reduce the power of biological weapons. Thirdly, people should be well prepared with emotion before these danger especially avoid being panic. Just take Japanese nuclear power plant explosion in 2011 as an example, people were lost their mind at that time, especially it was the unwise behavior for them to buy lots of salt. Finally, when facing nuclear, chemical and biological risks, authority should take the corresponding preparation and strategies, the relevant education departments should strengthen the national defense education of the contemporary students. In addition, when facing the great benefits the high-tech brings us at the same time, we should recognize the unfavorable factors.

A Review Of Groundhog Day

A Review Of Groundhog Day Groundhog Day is one of those rare films that has been entirely embraced as a cultural artifact by Western society. Roger Ebert says; there are a few films, and this is one of them, that burrow into our memories and become reference points. When you find yourself needing the phrase this is like Groundhog Day to explain how you feel, a movie has accomplished something. As a term it has been absorbed into popular speech, as observed by Ryan Gilbey; Its everywhere in travel writing, rock journalism, advice columns, horoscopes. Tony Blair refers to it in a speech about the Northern Ireland peace process, and it crops up in the Archbishop of Canterburys Richard Dimbleby Lecture in 2002. It makes its way into the headline of a restaurant review (a culinary groundhog day), a cricket report (Groundhog Day for the West Indies), and an editorial on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (No smoking guns, no huge breakthroughs, just a hint that Groundhog Day may be over) while a kidnap victim uses the phrase to describe his captivity in the Colombian jungle. It was even unofficially adopted into the American military jingo with reference to their conflict in Somalia at around the time that the film came out on VHS, and officially adopted into the United States Film Directory as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant in 2006. It was screened in the New York Museum of Modern Art in a season entitled The Hidden God: Film and Faith along with works by Bergman and Rossellini, and the occasion was seen as an opportunity for religious groups to vocalise their suppositions as to its pertinence to their individual faiths. The most vocal were the Buddhists, with a popular urban legend regarding the film stating that in an early draft Phil was stuck in Punxatawny for 10,000 years, a significant number in Buddhist teachings. Danny Rubin, the films screenwiter, denounces this as untrue: Harold [Ramis, the director of the film] likes that allusion, and its good for the legend of the film because of the Buddhist connection. However, that wasnt on my mind. Some interpretations were that the film was intrinsically Jewish, (the movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work doesnt end until the world has been perfected) or Christian (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦clearly the resurrected Christ). The film has also apparently been used in teachings by the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Dafa. If Nietzsche had been at that screening, however, I think that he would have revelled in it as intrinsically Nihilistic (in the positive sense), or (if the term existed when he were alive) Nietzschean. I have always been intimidated by Nietzsche, and indeed by Philosophy in general. I have always found the subject bewildering. Id hear outlandish quotes like God is dead, or about philosophical leanings like utilitarianism, empiricism or relativism, and be frustrated by their opacity, or at least by my inability to decipher what they are. But I also found it fascinating, at least from a distance. My aim for this thesis is to examine Groundhog Day a film I personally have a great love for using the parlance of the philosopher which most intrigued me, so as to better understand the work in the context of something which I have an afinity for. Nietzsches writings and musings had a huge effect on Populist opinion in the twentieth century, and it is my contention that this can be observed clearly in Groundhog Day. Chapter One examines Nietzsches notion of Eternal Recurrence, and how it appears in the film. Eternal recurrence is the idea that we have lived the exact life we are leading now an infinite number of times in the past and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. If weve enjoyed a particularly righteous or pleasurable life, this might sound like the greatest of outcomes. If not, eternal recurrence may strike us as a curse. Our misery, far from being over when we die, is destined to be repeated on us, eternal retribution for our mistakes. This is very obviously manifested in Groundhog Day. Chapter Two then will examine Phil seeking and achieving what Nietzsche refers to as the Ubermensch, or Overman. Nietzsche coined the term Ubermensch in his book Thus Spake Zarathustra; I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. The idea of the overman was misappropriated by National Socialism in the early part of the twentieth century. After Nietzsches death, his estate was run by his sister Elizabeth, a staunch nationalist and rampant anti-semite, two things which Nietzsche himself found unpalatable. She re-edited and reinterpreted Nietzsches work so that he became the representative philosopher for the Nazis, going so far as to print a book called The Will to Power posthumously, which was made up of notes and musings which he had no intention of publishing. This became something of a bible for National Socialism leading to Nietzsche being worshipped by the Nazis, an image which Nietzsche only overcame in the latter part of the Twentieth century. As you can imagine, the idea of the Ubermensch became a standard for the Nazis and their theories on eugenics and ethnic cleansing. But this was not Nietzsches intention. According to documentarian Simon Chu, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery. Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche himself was quite limited physically due to perpetual illness, and socially due to self-imposed isolation, and Phil Connor is similarly limited by his own nature: he creates a bitter faà §ade which, through the course of the film, is broken down through his own endeavours at self-improvement. Ubermensch actually means overcoming, looking for a new path devoid of God. Chapter Three will deal with that notion: the association between Phil Connors self-betterment and the Nihilistic idea which must be embraced by the Ubermensch. Nihilism, as Nietzsche saw it, was not just a viewpoint that nothing in life has any meaning: Nietzsche proposed that we must look within ourselves to find a strong moral compass, rather than be corralled by the external ideals purported by religion. This type of moral opinion is negative; only from looking within ourselves can we find a true moral standpoint. When left to his own devices for an eternity of recurrence, Phil makes the choices which make him a better man for himself, not for anyone or anything else, Maybe the real God uses tricks. Maybe hes not omnipotent, hes just been around so long he knows everything. Eternal Recurrence Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered? Ralph: That about sums it up for me. Phil: I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted, and burned. Rita: Oh, really? Phil: and every morning I wake up without a scratch on me, not a dent in the fender I am an immortal. Groundhog Day concerns itself heavily with the notion of Eternal Recurrence, or Eternal Return, to the extent of illuminating some conflicting interpretations of this key Nietzschean thought. In Nietzsches book The Gay Science, he first hits upon the idea of Eternal Return: What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you, `This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence even this spider and this moon-light between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust! Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him, `You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!' This statement makes the point that Eternal Return, though at first glance a hellish endeavour, is in fact a positive occurrence, if the person that he is referring to in the quotation is in fact happy to repeat their lives. The notion rears its head in earnest in Thus Spake Zarathustra. The semi-autobiographical text sees a fictional interpretation of the prophet of the Zoroaster people make his way down from his mountain retreat to spread the word of Nihilism to the people down below. He arrives during his journey to a straight road leading far off in distant directions under a gateway titled Moment. His dwarf travel companion makes this point: All that is straight lies, All truth is crooked; time itself is a circle. Zarathustra cannot reconcile with the thought of eternal recurrence quite as easily as his companion, largely because he would have to recognize that the mundanity of humanity that he so deplores will never be fully overcome, but rather will be repeated over and over again. This seems contradictory of what happens in Groundhog Day: Phil experiences February 2nd every day in the same small town, but every day he does something different, thus negating Eternal Recurrence as Nietzsche sees it. According to Deleuzes interpretation, Nietzsche was not in fact promoting the idea of the return of the identical but rather the return of the different. Each return selects the life-enhancing while rejecting the life-degrading, leading to each iteration being better than the last. As Deleuze says, We can thus see how the eternal return is linked, not to a repetition of the same, but on the contrary, to a transmutation. It is the moment or the eternity of becoming which eliminates all that resists it. It releases, indeed it creates, the purely active and pure affirmation. Groundhog Day contradicts both the outlined hypotheses. In Phil Connors world, there is no Nietzschean return of the identical he is able to act differently each time and cause different events to happen. And no repetition is more affirmative than the last Groundhog Day presents a far more human version of eternal recurrence. Phil mostly muddles his way through the situation, sometimes winding up less affirmative, sometimes more. Motivated by his love for Rita, he does finally reach a state of metamorphosis and at that point he is extricated from eternal recurrence. Luce Irigaray is perhaps the right philosopher for guiding us to unlocking the Nietzschean essence of Groundhog Day. Irigaray agrees with the conventional view that eternal recurrence concerns the return of the same. She objects to it on the grounds that it is a sterile thought that excludes any notion of the other, of outer influence. She writes of eternal recurrence as nothing but the will to recapitulate all projects within yourself. In other words, it is self-perpetuating and self-referential. We might think of it as a type of parthenogenesis it provides men with the ability to give birth to themselves over and over again, thus denying the role of the female. Irigaray wishes to promote the value of the other, which she largely conceives in female terms, in opposition to the traditional philosophical subject that she considers steadfastly male and masculine. She says For, in the other, you are changed. Become other, and without recurrence. In Groundhog Day, its Phil Connors love for his female colleague Rita that proves decisive. By immersing himself in otherness, by learning everything that makes Rita tick, he performs a type of metamorphosis, a rebirth in a sense rather than a return. He sheds his old, sexist form and emerges as a far more rounded human being, in touch with his feminine side (his inner other). As soon as he has fully achieved this, hes released from eternal recurrence. As argued by Irigaray, in any case. In Nietzsches conception of eternal recurrence, the individual has no memory of his previous lives. In Groundhog Day, Phil Connors certainly does. But hes the only one. All the others with whom he shares his eternal recurrence are perhaps in the classic Nietzschean position of having no recollection of their past existences. However, if they specifically interact (or even not specifically or personally) with Phil then their fate each time is no longer fixed, although they have no memory of the different paths Phil engineers for them. Phils circumstance is in this sense much more horrific than theirs. He is not dealing with eternal recurrence as an interesting hypothesis; he is a conscious participator and victim of it, entirely out of his control. Nietzsches eternal recurrence is, of course, logically problematic because if an individuals life is a repeat of previous lives then he would appear to have no free choice, yet Nietzsche seems to want us to alter our attitude to life in the face of the realisation of the harsh truth of eternal recurrence. If we accept his scenario in its strictest sense then our response to the concept of eternal recurrence is nothing over which we can have any control and our reaction, whatever it may be, is entirely futile, one we have exhibited an infinite number of times before and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. For Phil, this objection is removed. He can change; he has complete free choice. Its up to him to choose his attitude towards his metaphysical and existential predicament. At first, understandably, he experiences complete shock, before enjoying a brief sensation of omnipotence and omniscience. Then suicidal depression kicks in at the utter futility of everything he does. Of course, he is incapable of dying, so there is no way out. He then has few choices within the confines of Punxatawney. After much duress, Phil chooses to make the most of the world he now inhabits. He educates himself in many new fields and becomes accomplished as a scholar, artist, linguist and musician. He also develops as a person and achieves self-awareness, rather than the self destruction that he pursued previously. Through this enlightenment, he at last secures the love of the woman he has pursued from the beginning. In Jungian terms, Rita represents the Self that we all strive to find during our lifes journey. By winning her, Phil has completed Jungs arduous process of individuation, and become Nietzsches monument of self-improvement. This is so momentous that Phil actually escapes from eternal recurrence and re-enters causality, but now he is a transformed human being, completely reborn out of the hardships that he has experienced, given that chance to view the world through entirely new eyes. This then is the key to Eternal Recurrence: its not meant to be interpreted literally, but as an aphorism to guide people to whom Nihilism was becoming an increasingly attractive prospect when Nietzsche wrote about it in 19th Century Germany  [1]  . In a meta-physical sense, its like an Aesops Fable, with an easily discernible moral. Its not to be analyzed and dissected scientifically to ascertain its veracity: as said in The Simpson; Lisa: When a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Bart: Sure it does. Neeeeer-crash. To argue (as Nietzsche himself did), that there is a scientific grounding in the theory is missing the point, I feel  [2]  . The point is that the individual must strive for self-improvement, to aim to achieve the Ubermensch, as I feel Phil did in Groundhog Day. The Ubermensch I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. Larry: Prima Donnas. As said in Simon Chus documentary Human, All too Human, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the human how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery.  [3]  Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche (early on) was what was referred to as a Schopenhauerian, as in he became a disciple of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer after reading The World as Will and Idea. Schoppenhauer was a huge influence on Nietzsche, and talks about the will. Schoppenhauers will is akin to Freuds id, an unconscious, striving, persistent force, it may seem that the intellect drives the will, but it is in fact the other way around. In a Darwinian sense, every individual is striving against the will of others in a self interested way. Schoppenhauer saw the will as essentially evil, and the only way out of this suffering and evil is the denial of the will, a refusal to take part in the egotistical contest for domination of others. Its interesting to take a look at Phil Connors with Schoppenhauers will in mind, seeing as he was such a huge influence on Nietzsche. Early in the film, even before the time loop comes into effect, Phil strives persistently to impose his higher status onto the people around him, mostly by belittling them. In the first three minutes, almost every line out of his mouth is vitriolic, from calling his fellow anchor hairdo, to diminishing Ritas authority through impersonating her, to fussing over the fact he wont stay in the hotel that Rita is staying in, to insulting how Larry eats, the list goes on.  [4]   After the loop sets in and the realization of we can do whatever we [want], he sets about dominating the whole town, to becoming the King of Punxatawney. The loop and the actions that Phil took eventually led to what Schoppenhauer referred to as the extinction of the self. This can all be interpreted as similar or influential on Nietzsches idea of the Ubermensch. Nihilism God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.  [5]   Phil: Im a god. Rita: Youre God? Phil: Im a god. Im not *the* God I dont think.  [6]   Nietzsche does not deny the existence of values, but the denial of value is in some sense what he means by nihilism. Michael Tanner says, What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. If forced to label Nietzsche as a particular sort of philosopher, one would label him as a moral philosopher. But unlike moral philosophers that had come previously, Nietzsche does not provide the reader with a set moral code. His aim is to motivate the reader to come up with their own moral code, one that comes from within. Morality is usually studied philosophically from two different perspectives: normative ethics and meta ethics. Normative ethics is concerned with what is good and what is bad, and providing a perspective for moral decision making. Meta-ethics is concerned with what we mean when we use the word good or bad, and where our definition of those words come from, ie where our morals come from. When we think of the word good, we are probably not tapping into some universal reservoir of goodness, rather our definition more than likely comes from the society we inhabit.  [7]   Nietzsche is mostly concerned with meta-ethical issues. Nietzsche is not so much concerned with the fact that our beliefs are false, but rather the belief about those beliefs. Why should we hold the beliefs that we do? When Nietzsche first declared that God is dead in The Gay Science, he means that society no longer has a use for God, that the belief does not help the survival of the species, rather it hinders it. The ethical implications of this are important, for with the death of God comes the death of religious morality, a morality that has underpinned Western culture for hundreds of years. Morality as it is still practiced derives from the Hebraic-Christian tradition, its origins to be found in the dictates of the god of a small middle Eastern tribe, and that its contents remain very much what they were. This brings us back to Phil Connors in his Punxatawney time-warp. Observing Phil superficially, we can surmise that he was probably raised in a Christian moral system, and would have been raised with the ubiquitous Western moral code. But as soon as he trusts in the fact that there will be no repercussions for his actions in the form of punishment from an external authority figure (a staple of the Christan moral code), he was able to cast aside his morals easily, Phil: Its the same thing your whole life: Clean up your room. Stand up straight. Pick up your feet. Take it like a man. Be nice to your sister. Dont mix beer and wine, ever. Oh yeah: Dont drive on the railroad track. Gus: Well, Phil, thats one I happen to agree with. This signifies that they were not his, merely the morals society applied to him. He then embarks on a spree of ethical naturalism. Ethical naturalism is the view that our morality can be based on our nature. For example, in a utilitarian sense, Our moral beliefs did not fall from heaven and neither are they credentials we can flash like a badge to establish our moral probity p30, Tanner And morality, meaning the variety of attitudes that we find officially espoused in our society? It ministers to our welfare, in its basic form, so that at least we feel safe when our backs are turned on other people Tanner, p31 If he sometimes thinks of himself as the prophet of nihilism, it is not in the sense that he is proclaiming arrival as something to be celebrated, but in the sense that Jeremiah was the prophet of the destruction of Jerusalem. Tanner, p32. What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. Christianity has always been in a state of moral identity crisis. That, though a large factor in the moral bewilderment of the West, is a marginal issue for Nietzsche, whose main interest is in the nature of moralitys sanctions in general. Tanner, p 33. Its interesting to note the moral compass of the film itself. As (despite the philosophical ramification of the premise) a light-hearted entry into the romantic comedy genre, it was unlikely to go to a particularly dark place with the premise. What this means for the character is that Phil represents the morals of the progenitors of the piece: they were unwilling, morally, to allow Phil to become involved in any particularly unsavoury acts or crimes. The repeated suicides were a strong turn in the film (unusual in its genre), but Phil never acts upon his presumed darkest impulses to commit forceful sex acts or to murder. Im glad we dont have to watch a scene where a deranged Phil takes a meat cleaver to Ned, or brutally sexually assaults Rita, but I find it worthwhile to note the morally controlling influence of creator and audience. Imagine Gaper Noes Groundhog Day. Could it be said that this was, in fact, Phils punishment?

Indias Foreign Exchange System: An Analysis

Indias Foreign Exchange System: An Analysis CHAPTER-2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction: It is a fact that the currencies of different countries have different values that is based upon their actual economic and monetary strength. It is from this difference that the genesis of foreign exchange occurs. Foreign exchange can be termed as the act of matching the different values of the goods and services that is involved in the international business transaction process in order to attain the exact value that is to be transferred between the parties of an international trading transaction in monetary terms. Foreign exchange as an activity had started the day civilization and independent principalities got established in the world. But in those days it was a case of exchanging value in the form of transfer of goods and services of identical value that is commonly identified with barter system. Moreover the transactions were done on a one-to-one basis, and the terms and conditions were determined by the parties entering into such transactions. There was no universal system or rule that determined these transactions. In that way foreign exchange and international monetary system is a modern day trend that gained an institutional form in the first half of the twentieth century and has been developing since then. 2.2 Foreign Exchange: According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Foreign Exchange is defined as different forms of financial instruments like foreign currency notes, deposits held in foreign banks, debt obligations of foreign banks and foreign governments, monetary gold and Special Drawing Rights (SDR) that are resorted to make payments in lieu of business transactions that is done by two business entities or otherwise, of nations that have currencies having different inherent monetary value (www.imf.org). Leading economist Lipsey Richard G.,1993 has mentioned that the foreign exchange transactions are basically a form of negotiable instrument that are resorted to deliver the cost of goods and services that form a part of trading transactions and otherwise, between business and public entities of nations of the global economy. Sarno, Taylor and Frankel, 2003 gives the definition of foreign exchange as denoting the act of purchase and sale of currencies of different economies that is performed over the counter for various purposes that includes international payments and deliverance of cost of various business transactions, where the value is usually measured by tallying the value of the currencies involved in the foreign exchange transaction with that of the value of U.S. Dollar. According to Clark and Ghosh 2004, Foreign Exchange denotes transactions in international currency i.e. currencies of different economies. In such transactions the value of a currency of one country is tallied and exchanged with similar value of the currency of the country in order to exchange the cost of a business transaction or public monetary transfer that is taking place between two entities of these economies. 2.2.1 Foreign Exchange Transactions: Transactions in foreign exchange are done through various types and various modes between different countries of the world. According to information mentioned in the Reuters Financial Training Series, 1999,TOD Transactions, TOM Transactions, Swap Rates, Spot Rates, Forward Rates, Margin Trading and Buy / Sell on Fixed Rates foreign exchange transaction methods are some of the commonly used methods that are widely used by global managers for their foreign exchange transaction activities. 2.2.1.1 TOD Operations: TOD Operations are foreign exchange transaction methods where the trader uses the exchange rate of the day on which the foreign exchange transaction order is to be executed. In other words TOP operations are commonly used in intra-day foreign exchange transactions. As a result they are commonly resorted to by speculators in foreign exchange transactions and those who general speculate on the rates of different foreign exchange markets of the globe. 2.2.1.2 TOM Operations: In this type of transactions the transaction process carried forward to the next day instead of it being an intra-day trading. TOM transactions rate is fixed on the day the transaction is signed, but the rate of exchange is agreed upon to be that of the next day. 2.2.1.3 SPOTTransactions: SPOT Transactions can be compared with TOM transactions because here also the exchange rate is fixed at a value that prevails over the exchange rate of intra-day trading of shares. But SPOT transactions have been separated as a different category because unlike TOM transactions, SPOT transactions contracts are executed on the third day after the signing of agreement between the Bank and the client. 2.2.1.4 Forward Contract: Forward contracts are those exchange rate contracts where the currency conversion exchange rate agreement is decided at a certain rate at a time that is well before the date of execution of the exchange contract. In that way they are similar to TOM transactions. The only differ from them in the fact that these transactions are made for a long term i.e. generally for one year, and the parties involved in making this foreign exchange transaction deposit five percent of the contract value with the bank involved in facilitating the transaction at the time of executing the contract which is then returned to the client after execution of the exchange transaction. The need for depositing this amount is to secure the transaction against any loss due to market fluctuations. 2.2.1.5 SWAP: The greatest advantage of SWAP transactions is that the clients involved in the foreign exchange get prior information about the exchange rate of the currencies that are part of the transaction. In this type of transaction the bank first buys the amount of transaction form the client and resells it to the client after a few days after disclosing the exchange rate of the currencies involved in the transaction process. SWAP transactions are much sought after by traders because here they get to know beforehand the exchange rate of the currencies involved in the transaction process that helps them in avoiding fluctuations in market rate and gives them the advantage of determining the prices of goods, the nature of the currency market notwithstanding. . 2.2.1.6 MarginTrading: The key element of Margin trading is that any trader can opt for SPOT trading round the clock by going through the margin trading mode. The other key element of margin trading is that the traders can make deals with a minimal spread for a huge amount of funds by projecting fraction of the needed amount. In that way it is a unique form of global financial transaction where the threshold value that can be transacted through the margin trading mode is $ 100000 with bigger deals being multiples of $ 100000. But in order to deal in margin trading the trader has to make a security deposit of five recent of the contract value that has to be replenished from time to time in order to maintain the amount from which the probable losses from margin trading transactions are accommodated. 2.2.1.7 Buying/Selling on Fixed Rate Order: This is a mutual agreement between the buyer and seller of foreign exchange. Neither its rate nor its other terms and conditions are based upon actual conditions. Rather the deal is based keeping the mutual profitability of the buyer and seller intact where both of them get their desired amount. 2.3 Global Foreign Exchange Market: According to the table depicting the Triennial Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity done by Bank for International Settlements (BIS)2007, as shown below the global foreign exchange market has an average daily turnover of over $ 2 trillion, which is an increase of around forty percent in terms of volumes . This rise in foreign exchange transactions it is observed has been due to rise in the volume of trading in Spot and Forward markets. This is indicative towards increase in volatility of foreign exchange markets around the world. (www.bis.org). Global Foreign Exchange Market Turnover Daily averages in April, (in billions $) Year 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 Spot Transactions 317 394 494 568 387 621 Outright Forwards 27 58 97 128 131 208 Swaps in Foreign Exchange 190 324 546 734 656 944 Gaps in Reporting (Estimated) 56 44 53 60 26 107 Total Turnover (Traditional) 590 820 1,190 1,490 1,200 1,880 Memo: Turnover (At April 2004 Exchange Rates) 650 840 1,120 1,590 1,380 1,880 (BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey, 2004) As observed by Jacque Laurent L.1996, Studies in foreign exchange point to the fact that the volume involved in foreign exchange transactions in the total markets around the globe has the potential to affect the overall functioning of the global financial system due to the systematic risks that are part and parcel of the foreign exchange transaction system. Most of the transactions occur in the major markets of the world with the London Exchange followed by New York and Tokyo Stock Exchange accounting for over sixty percent of the foreign exchange transactions done around the globe. Among these transactions the largest share is carried out by banks and financial institutions followed by other business transactions i.e. exchange of value for goods and services as well as dealers involved in securities and financial market transactions. According to the studies by Levi Maurice D., 2005, in foreign exchange transactions most of the transactions happen in the spot market in the realm of OTC derivative contracts. This is followed by hedging and forward contracts that are done in large numbers. The central banks of different countries of the world and the financial institutions operating in multiple markets are the main players that operate in the foreign exchange market and provide the risk exchange control mechanism to the players of the exchange market and the system where around $ 3 trillion amount of money is transacted in 300000 exchanges located around the globe. The largest amount of transactions takes place in the spot rate and that too in the liquidity market. The quotation on price in these markets sometimes reaches to around two thousand times in a single day with the maximum quotations being done in Dollar and Deutschemark with the rates fluctuating every two to three minutes with the volume of transaction for a dealer in foreign exchange i.e. both individual and companies going to the range of $ 500 million in normal times. In recent years the derivativ e market is also gaining popularity in OTC dealings with regards to the foreign exchange market. 2.4 Global Foreign Exchange Market Management Risks: According to the researcher Kim S. H., 2005, Foreign exchange transactions are identified by their connection with some financial transactions occurring in some overseas market or markets. But this interconnectivity does not affect the inherent value of the currency of the country which is determined by the economic strength of that country. This means that the inherent value of each currency of the world is different and unequal. So when the need arises to exchange the value of some goods or service between countries engaged in such activity it becomes imperative to exchange the exact value of goods and services. Considering the complexity and volume of such trading and exchange activity occurring in the global market between countries it is but natural that the currencies of individual countries is subject to continual readjustment of value with the currency with which its value has to be exchanged. This gives rise to the importance of foreign exchange transactions as a separate ar ea of study and thereby needs much focus for its understanding (Frenkel , Hommel and Rudolf , 2005). In addition to this it is to be realized that with the growing pace globalization and integration of global economic order there has been a tremendous increase in international business transactions and closer integration of economic systems of countries around the world especially between the members of WTO, that has led to the increase in economic transactions and consequent activity in international foreign currency exchange system (Adams, Mathieson and Schinasi, 1998). Added to this is the fact that the exchange value of currencies in the transactions is not determined by the respective countries but by the interplay of value of the currencies engaged in an international foreign exchange transaction and the overall value of each currency in the transaction prevailing at that time. In fact each country in the global economic order would want to determine the value of its currency to its maximum advantage, which was possible a few years ago in when the countries used to determine the value of their currency according to the existing value of their economy. The individual countries till the early nineties used to follow a policy of total or partial control over the exchange value of their currency in the global market. At the same time there also were a group of countries that followed the policy or system in determining the exchange value of their currency i.e. left it to the interplay of global economic activity where the value was determined by its economic performance. The currencies of countries that provide full or partial amount of control in the international exchange value of its currency are known to follow a Fixed Rate whereas the currencies of countries that allow its currency to seek its inherent value through its performance in the global economic system are termed as following the Floating Rate of foreign exchange conversion mechanism. Though lo gically both the type of mechanism of foreign exchange face the effect of exchange rate fluctuations and consequent volatility in rate it is the currencies having a floating rate that are continually affected by the fluctuations in exchange rate in the global market when in the case of currencies with a fixed rate it is more of a controlled and regulated affair (Chorafas Dimitris N., 1992). 2.5 Foreign Exchange Risks Prevailing in the Global Market: Risks related to the exchange rate of a currency in the global market as has been mentioned, occurs due to the interplay of inherent value of each currency of the respective countries that are part of the global financial mechanism. Risks related to foreign exchange come into picture and are also inevitable in this world marching towards increased interaction due to globalization. The risks will occur due to business interaction and consequent exchange of value for goods and services. According to Kodres LauraE., 1996, the risks related to foreign exchange occur when there is increased interaction between the currency of a country with that of other countries in the international market and that too if the currency has a floating exchange rate. In that case the value of the currency is continually affected by its business and financial performance. This relation with other currencies in the market affects it during the time when the need arises to exchange it with another currency for settlement of financial transaction in some business or financial purposes and gives rise to various types of risks. The prominent risks associated during this situation are Herstatt Risk, and Liquidity Risk. 2.5.1 Herstatt Risk: Herstatt risk is a risk that is named after a German Bank that got liquidated by the German Government in the seventies of the last century and made to return all; the claims accruing to its customers. This is because its creditworthiness was affected and it could not pay the settlement claims to its customers and also on behalf of its customers to their clients. It is basically connected to the time aspect of foreign exchange value claim settlements in which the foreign exchange transactions do not get realized as the bank loses its ability to honour the transaction in the intervening period due to some causes. In the particular case the German bank failed to honour the financial settlement claims of its clients to their counter parties that were to be paid in values of U.S Dollars. The main issues that arose were regarding quantifying the amount to be delivered and the time of the transaction process due to the two countries financial systems being located and working according to different or separate time zones. This case has established a phenomenon in foreign exchange market where there may erupt situations in which the working hours of banks located in different time zones may never match with each other leading to foreign exchange settlement transactions getting affected during the mismatch of the two banks closing and opening time. In fact the Alsopp Report that studied this phenomenon in detail said that though the foreign exchange transactions are made in pen and paper on a single day the actual transfer of value takes place within three to four days. And with the exchange value of currencies operating in the international market always remaining in a state of flux they either get jacked up or devalued. In either case it affects the clause of transactions that was decided on an intra-day rate, as the value of both the currencies in the international market has changed during these days. 2.5.2 Risks related to Liquidity: There can crop up different problems related to the banking systems operations and dynamics i.e. in both technical and management systems as well as inability in terms of volume of available liquidity strength or in mismatch in tallying of time etc; that can affect the capacity of banks to honour foreign exchange transactions in terms of transfer of liquidity. These types of risks are being commonly witnessed in newly emerging economies that are being unable to cope with the sudden surge in volume of global business transactions thereby leading to exchange rate settlement and payment delays, outstanding payments and dishonouring of financial commitments in the exchange rate transaction market. 2.5.3 Financial Repercussions: According to the Studies in foreign exchange related risks by Dumas and Solnik, 1995 aver that risk related to transactions in foreign exchange have increased with globalization and the rise of global economic integration process with the countries getting affected in relation to the volume of their transactions in the global financial and business marketplace. This is because the market is now more oriented towards market value driven convertibility of currencies that is influenced by the global financial movements and transactions, and any independent transaction especially of transnational and multinational companies; will automatically affect other transactions happening in the global financial marketplace (Klopfenstein G.,1997). However, according to another study by Gallati Reto R., 2003, these multinational and transnational companies are simultaneously being affected by the fluctuations in exchange rate of different currencies of the global market that is exposing their business operations in different global markets to exchange rate related risks especially due to difference in Spot and Forward rates and the inevitable fluctuations (Choi , 2003) that give rise to foreign exchange settlement related problems. 2.5.4 Remedies to Foreign Exchange Settlement Risks: As there risks that have cropped up in foreign exchange transactions due to increase in volume and frequency of transactions mainly as a result of globalization so, also there have come up remedies to minimize the risk related to adverse conditions in foreign exchange transactions. The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in one of its studies in 1999 has said that settlement of claims is the most predominant risk that is related to foreign exchange transactions, especially the speed with which these transactions are materialized and the roadblocks that they may face in the process due to tremendous increase in volume of foreign exchange transactions that cannot be cleared in expected times. The solution to these risks according to the study is to simultaneously clear transactions on either side i.e. for both the parties side so that they simultaneously give and receive payments at the agreed rate of exchange. This would solve the problem of extended time of actual payment when the rate of exchange fluctuates, thereby creating problems for both the parties. This arrangement is related to deals being processed simultaneously, which requires the concurrence and common cause of both the parties. This is because the party that is expecting a hike in value of it s currency may not agree to such a proposal. In that case there should be some law or arrangement that would make it mandatory for both the parties to settle their intra-day payments on that day itself so that there is no scope left for speculation by them. According to the study, such arrangements have been made in USA and Europe where systems like Fedwire and Trans- European Automated Real-Time Gross Settlement Express Transfer (TARGET) have been established. Fedwire facilitates payments in foreign exchange transactions under the mode of Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS)and TARGET facilitates intra-day transfer of foreign exchange between parties of member countries of Europe on the same day itself. But, for simultaneous release of funds by both the parties and the intra-day settlement of claims to succeed it is imperative that the member countries of the global economic system should come together have concurrence on these issues. This is because all said and done the foreign exchange transaction related rules and laws are still governed by the respective countries. And most of these countries are reluctant to make any headway in linking their currency system to the global currency system for speedy disposal of foreign exchange transactions for fear that such a move would expose their currency end financial system to the baneful effects of risks and volatility of global foreign exchange system (Hagelin and Pramborg, 2004). At the level of international trading corporations there has been initiated some steps whereby they have formed a private arrangement known as Group of Twenty. They are a group of twenty internationally acclaimed global clearing banks who have formed an system called the Global Clearing Bank that acts as a connection between the payment systems of different countries and verifies international foreign exchange transactions in order to simultaneously satisfy both the parties regarding authenticity of the process of transaction. The thing is that this system puts a high amount of strain on the financial and foreign exchange system as well as reserves of individual countries along with requiring them to bring about some amount of commonality between the financial rules and regulations of individual countries which is easier said than done. All the same the establishment of Bilateral Netting System and Multilateral Netting Systems as well as of Exchange Clearing House (ECHO) are trying t o facilitate foreign exchange transactions and minimize the inherent risks involved (McDonough ,1996). 2.6 Indian Foreign Exchange System: 2.6.1 Historical Background: The historical background of foreign exchange system in India was a saga of excess control and monitoring with even minor transactions being made to undergo the rigorous scrutiny of concerned government authorities to avoid any risks associated with such transactions and save the scarce foreign exchange reserves from being frittered away in some transactions considered unimportant or anti-national by the government. The Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) that was enacted in 1947 and made more stringent in 1973 was the embodiment of the prevailing sentiment of the governments of those days, which was to completely regulate and control all the foreign exchange transactions and protect the foreign currency reserves. (Mehta, 1985) All these changed in the nineties of the last century with the opening up of Indian economy in 1991 in keeping with the recommendations of the High Level Committee on Balance of Payments set up under the chairmanship of Dr C. Rangarajan by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and subsequent entry of India into World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1994. This was preceded by the liberating of current account transactions and establishing full convertibility of current account transactions in 1993. In 1994 also the Government of India accepted Article VIII of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund that established the system of current account convertibility and the exchange value of rupee came to be determined according to the market rates with only the convertibility of capital account being under the control of the government (Krueger,2002) as the Tarapore Committee on Capital Account Convertibility of 1997 (Panagariya A., 2008) suggested the government to keep adequate sa feguards before allowing the convertibility of capital account to be determined according to the market forces as there was need to consolidate the financial system and have an accepted inflation target before such a venture. The Tarapore Committee also suggested that the legal framework governing the foreign exchange transaction system in India also needs to be modernized before going for total convertibility of the capital account due to which the Government repealed the FERA Act of 1973 and promulgated the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in 2000. This new act did away with the system of regulation and control and established a system of facilitation and management of foreign exchange transactions thereby promoting all the activities related to foreign exchange transactions. The most important thing that was done by FEMA was to recognize violations or mistakes in foreign exchange transactions as a civil offence instead of a criminal offence as was done by FERA. FEMA also shifted the responsibility of proving the violation or mistake in foreign exchange transaction and related rules from the prosecutor to the prosecuted. And if the prosecuted was proved guilty he or she was to pay only monetary fine or compensation instead of being jailed as was the earlier provision under FERA. FEMA also simplified many of the rules and notified specific time frames for delivering judgments related to violations of foreign exchange rules and regulations and provide rules for establishing special tribunals and forums to deal with such cases. Th e compounding rules were also made less stringent and all matters related to compounding rules were notified to be dealt by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) instead of the previously assigned Enforcement Directorate. RBI was made the designated Compounding Authority in all related matters. Only the cases involving hawala transactions were left from its purview As per Mecklal and Chand

An Analysis of Shakespeares The Tempest Essay -- Tempest Essays

An Analysis of Shakespeare's The Tempest There are many ways of interpreting Shakespeare's The Tempest. A Post-Colonialist critic, such as Stephen Greenblatt, will look at the influence of historical and political implications of colonialism on the text. Along these lines, a Reader Response critic, such as Paul Yachnin, will look specifically at Shakespeare's audience and their concerns at the time in which the play was written. Very different from these approaches, a Psychological critic, such as Bernard Paris, will completely ignore what was in the author's and audience's minds, and look at the psyche of the main character in the play. Regardless of which critical approach is used to analyze the play, all interpretations should be considered objectively for they all provide a great deal of insight for studying the text. However, I believe that it is imperative to keep in mind that the story offered in The Tempest is told from the point of view of the main character, Prospero. This has a definite impact on the interpreta tions and their validity. According to Stephen Greenblatt the preoccupation with political power was not unfamiliar to Shakespeare and his audience. In his essay, "The Best Way to Kill Our Literary Inheritance Is to Turn It Into a Decorous Celebration of the New World Order," Greenblatt argues that recognizing the presence of issues such as colonialism and slavery in The Tempest will deepen the pleasure of the ordinary reader. He explains that it is very difficult to look at The Tempest without thinking about imperialism. The play, which is set on a mysterious island inhabited by natives and taken over by a European prince, is filled with allusions to the process of colonization. For example, one can f... ...rtin's, 2000. 119-20. Paris, Bernard. "The Tempest." Contexts for Criticism. 4th Ed. Donald Keesey. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. 235-43. Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest." The Tempest: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Ed. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 10-88. Vaughan, Alden T. "Shakespeare's Indian: The Americanization of Caliban." Shakespeare Quarterly 39.2 (Summer 1988): 137-153. Willis Deborah. "Shakespeare's Tempest and the Discourse of Colonialism." The Tempest: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Ed. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 256-68. Yachnin, Paul. "Shakespeare and the Idea of Obedience: Gonzalo in The Tempest." Contexts for Criticism. 4th Ed. Donald Keesey. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. 34-46.

Lord Of The Flies :: essays research papers

In Leonard Adame’s poem, â€Å"Black and White,† he describes how the ruling minority of the whites treated blacks. The main idea of the poem is to tell the reader of that time, how the blacks were being treated. He uses great diction to describe the treatment. For instance he says, â€Å"they lay like catch in the plaza sun,† which helps the reader understand that the men were on the ground like fish in the sun. He also uses imagery, in which many words described in the poem refer to black and white.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The diction Adame uses tries to describe the relationship between black and white. For example he states, â€Å"photographers stare and snap at the dead men, at the keyboard of rifles above their heads.† These two lines describe the white photographers starring at the dead black men and taking pictures of them for the newspaper. The newspaper that the white photographers are taking pictures for is symbolic because it is made up of the colors black and white. He also uses a metaphor in describing the rifles taken from the dead men. He says, â€Å"Keyboard of rifles,† which describes the rifles all lined up like the keys on a keyboard. The diction he uses in this poem really lets you understand the differences between black and white in the African town of Rhodesia. The author uses great detail to describe his poem. For example he writes, â€Å" Rhodesia, sweaty flank of the world,† which lets the reader understand that Rhodesia is a hot place. He also writes, â₠¬Å"I read as quietly as they lay.† This means that he is reading as quietly as the dead Africans lay, meaning very very quietly. The detail the author uses helps the reader tremendously understand the poem and the setting it is in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The structure of the poem is very easy to follow. The first stanza talks about the author reading and then says that the men were put as a lesson to others. Then in the second stanza it describes what the men look like. The third stanza states what a secretary says to the people. The final paragraph states the photographers surrounding and taking pictures of the dead men. The author does not use many sound patterns in this poem. He does use some near rhymes such as, â€Å" sweaty† and â€Å"quietly† or â€Å"lesson† and â€Å"sun†. He uses an onomatopoeia in the 21st line to describe the sound of, â€Å"snap† that the cameras made.

Music and Brain Development Essay

There are three major perspectives on the positive impact of music education to the core curricula in school. The study on how music shares value to brain development has opened new views for all educators. According to the study of Neurological Research in February 1997, music develops abstract reasoning skills needed for the learning process of children in math and science. It was proven that training in music is more efficient than computer learning for teaching math and science skills (Peretz and Zatorre, 2005).   It was reported that music training could be more effective than computer instruction for teaching these skills. The findings were the result of a two year experiment with preschoolers by Rauscher et. Al. Wriht et al in 1997, compared the effects of musical and non-musical training on intellectual development as a follow-up to their studies on music can enhance spatial-reasoning. They concluded that music enhanced brain functions that were required for learning mathematics, science and engineering (Brust, 2003). Several studies have suggested that beginning music training early corresponds to greater growth in certain areas of the brain (Schlang et al, 2003). For example, researchers in Germany identified the planum temporale, a part of the left hemisphere as the region of the brain responsible for the perfect pitch and speech. This term used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look at the planun temporale in non-musicians and professional musicians, some with perfect pitch and some without it. They discovered that the planum temporale in those with perfect pitch was twice as large as the other groups. Also with perfect pitch has started a music lesson before age seven. Rauscher et al. (1997) found that musicians had thicker nerve fibers in the corpus callosum, the part of the brain that carries signals between the two hemispheres, if they started keyboard training before the age of seven. Babo (2001) discussed, researchers, work at the University of Konstanz in Germany which focused that exposure to music helped to rewire neural circuits. They concluded that the brains of pianists were more efficient at making skilled movements than the brains of others. These findings suggested that musical training could enhance brain function (Trainor and Schmidt, 2003). Schlaug et al. (1995) used MRI to discover that musicians who started studying music before the age of 7 had regions in their brains (the corpus callosum and the right motor cortex) that were larger than corresponding regions in both non-musicians and musicians whose training began at a later age. However, in response to questions about his study, Schlaug et al preferred not to recommend when music should be taught, since some very skilled musicians began performing in their twenties or thirties. Schlaug et al. also reported that most musicians who have perfect pitch started music lessons before the age of seven. However, according to Diamond and Hopson (1998), â€Å"early music training is associated with more growth in this one particular brain region†¦. if training starts later or is absent altogether, perfect pitch rarely shows up† (p. 4). Zatorre (2003) reported evidence that infants are born with nervous systems devoted exclusively to music. Studies are showing that early and ongoing musical training can help organize and develop children’s brains. In a study to determine the effect of systematic prenatal musical stimulation by observing musical behaviors exhibited between birth and 6, Fujioka et al (2006) found that infants who received systematic prenatal musical stimulation exhibited â€Å"remarkable attention behaviors.   Those infants could imitate accurately sounds made by adults (including non-family members), and appear to structure vocalization much earlier than infants who did not have prenatal musical training† (p. 21).   Only quite the researches focused on the prenatal musical training of the fetus. Personal Reflection I believe that musicians have more active contribution to brain development because they are required to perform in more complex sequences of finger movements. Musicians are regularly adapting to decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing and feeling-training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and performing a lot of activities all at the same time. Musicians in my point of view, exercise orchestration that have better payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence and skills in self-knowledge and self-expression. In my own opinion, there is a significant relationship between music and brain development. There is an interrelationship between music and education because of the eight basic intelligences:   linguistic; logical-mathematical; spatial; bodily-kinesthetic; musical; interpersonal; intrapersonal; and naturalist. Although, these intelligences are different from musical intelligences:emotional, spiritual and cultural than the other kinds of intelligences. Most importantly, he assumed that music could help some organize the way they think and work by helping them develop in other areas, such as math, language, and spatial reasoning. Gardner criticized school districts that sacrificed music in children’s education, calling them â€Å"arrogant and ignorant about the value of music education† (p. 142). Essay 2-The Mozart Effect Rauscher et al. (1993) used the term Mozart effect to describe the results of their study on the relationship between music and spatial task performance. It is based on the ear’s role in the development of movement, balance, language and pre-verbal communication as well as the integration of neurological responses stimulated by music The Mozart effect also refers to the way music is used to enhance the quality of life. For example, music helps children in obtaining good health, education, and creativity (Cjabris, 1999).   Rauscher et al. (1997) gave a group of college students three 10-minute-long sets of standard IQ spatial reasoning tasks: listening to a Mozart sonata for two pianos, listening to a relaxation tape, and sitting through silence. The results showed that the individuals who listened to Mozart had a distinct advantage in spatial task performance. Steele et al (1999) noted that students performed better â€Å"on the abstract/spatial reasoning tests after listening to Mozart than after listening to either the relaxation tape or to nothing† (p. 2). Although conditions differed significantly between music, silence, and relaxation, Shaw and his colleagues were careful to qualify the study results. Although spatial reasoning test scores rose as a result of listening to Mozart’s piano sonata in D major (K488), the effects were temporary. Jenkins (2001) noted that â€Å"the enhancing effect of the music condition is temporary, and does not extend beyond the 10-15 minute period during which subjects were engaged in each spatial task† (Rauscher et al., 1993, p. 2). The authors posed several questions for further research: â€Å"Could varying the amount of listening time optimize the Mozart effect? Could listening to Mozart also enhance other intelligence measures such as short-term memory, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning? Would other kinds of music have an effect on IQ performance† (p. 2)? Though the answers to these questions were unclear, the authors concluded that music lacking in complexity failed to enhance performance. They also concluded that the complexity of Mozart’s music was responsible for its enhancing effect. Rauscher et al. replicated and extended these findings in 1995. They used the same tasks used in their first experiment but extended the types of listening examples used. College students were divided into 3 groups: those exposed to silence, the same Mozart music used in the 1993 study, and a piece by Philip Glass. As before, the Mozart group showed a significant increase in spatial IQ scores. Tomatis, a French physician, psychologist, and educator, researched the connection between early childhood development in the 1960s and the music of Mozart (Jenkins, 2001). College students listened to a Mozart sonata, then performed complicated visual tasks involving cutting and folding paper. However, there was no difference in the way these tasks were performed by either the students who listened to the sonata or the control groups who just relaxed before taking the test or listened to other kinds of music. Schellenberg (2006) pointed out that the studies on music instruction insubstantial overall because researchers only tried to repeat and extend their findings. For example, no one knew exactly which kind of musical training produced results and which kinds did not, who benefited most from it, and how long any intellectual gains resulting from music training lasted. In another study, Chabris (1999) reviewed previous studies and compared the effects of the Mozart recordings. Results revealed a statistically insignificant increase in the ability of individuals to complete tasks requiring spatial visualization skills and abstract reasoning. Chabris noted that â€Å"if listening to Mozart improves cognitive performance at all, it’s by improving overall cognitive arousal and concentration. It shouldn’t be viewed as an intellectual miracle drug† (p. 1). Steele (2001) agreed with Chabris, by stating that â€Å"there is a problem with the concept of classical music as Gatorade for the brain† (p. 1). A number of other researchers (Crncec et al, 2006) supported the belief that classical music does not increase basic intelligence. Rauscher, et l (1995) noted that because many researchers only measured the effect on general intelligence instead of on spatial-temporal abilities, they failed when they tried to repeat the original experiment. In 1995, Rauscher et al. replicated this study and again found that spatial-temporal reasoning improved after listening to the Mozart Sonata. Though daily exposure to Mozart’s music produced daily increases in scores, this effect did not apply to all styles of music or to all areas of intelligence. For example, Phillip Glass’ minimalist music did not enhance spatial-temporal reasoning. Further, the students’ scores did not improve when they performed a short-term memory task after listening to Mozart. Rauscher et al. (1999) concluded that â€Å"although the Mozart effect is intriguing and holds great promise for further explorations into the transfer of musical processing to other domains of reasoning, merely listening to music probably does not lead to lasting enhancement of spatial-temporal intelligence. Listening to music is a passive experience for most people, and does not require the involvement that actively creating music does† (p. 2).   This observation led researchers to suspect that actively creating music has greater benefits for spatial temporal intelligence than simply listening to it. Combining separate elements of an object into a whole or arranging them in a specific order are spatial-temporal operations. They require successive steps, which are dependent upon previous steps. Spatial-logical operations also require recognition of similarities or differences among objects and are generally one-step processes. For example, a child who is asked to classify objects according to their color or shape would be performing a spatial-logical operation. The Rauscher et al. (1999) model predicted that music training may increase spatial-temporal task scores, but not necessarily spatial-logical tasks. These studies did suggest casual relationships between music and spatial task performance. The authors concluded that music education was helpful for maximum cognitive development by demonstrating that music could improve the intellectual functioning of children. Personal Reflection In my own opinion, the study in Mozart effect is a new proof of music’s education and its importance. Since it is believed to development a child’s IQ, schools must offer music programs to help their students in a very substantial way. Music educators should work towards the inclusion of music education in the curriculum of public education. Also, the public’s perception of music education must be altered so that policymakers in education are forced to provide for conditions where music education may thrive. Many educators and researchers posit that music should be a more central part of   the school curriculum in light of studies that demonstrate a relationship between music and intellectual growth. Also, tentative research findings in support of music education have shown that people believe that there is an essential value to learning about music. Diamond (1998) argued that learning to play an instrument could increase a child’s capacity for â€Å"voluntary attention† (p. 7), while Porter (1998) concluded that music can teach â€Å"discipline, care, concentration, and perseverance† (p. 7). Music Learning and Memory for Music When memory for a sequence of visually presented letters is tested, the marked recency effect that characterizes studies of the PAS system is absent. Nonetheless, clear evidence of phonological coding is found in the form of a marked effect of phonological similarity ( Schlkind et al, 2003). auditory input. Further evidence for the interaction between self-generated phonological codes and auditory input is, of course, offered by the irrelevant speech effect. Performance is impaired by unwanted spoken material, with the crucial feature of the material being its phonological rather than its semantic characteristics, again suggesting that the interaction is occurring at a common phonological level ( Dowling, 1994). It should be pointed out at this stage, however, that the nature of the irrelevant sound is crucial. While speech in a foreign language is quite disruptive to performance, white noise is not, even when the intensity of the noise is pulsed so as to resemble the intensity envelope of the speech signal that has been shown to disrupt memory ( Dowling et al, 1995). The fact that memory is more disrupted by vocal than by nonvocal music might seem to suggest that the system is essentially speech based. It is possible, however, that the greater disruption by speech reflects the nature of the primary task, namely remembering digits, a task that is likely to operate principally in terms of the spoken names of the digits. It is entirely conceivable that a different primary task would lead to a different degree of disruption. One possibility then might be to look at studies investigating memory for environmental sounds. Unfortunately, the evidence in this area seems to be relatively sparse. Deutsch (2004) showed that their patient was better at remembering environmental sounds than spoken digits, but, unfortunately, it is possible that the task was done by first identifying the sounds and then remembering them semantically. Personal Reflection . Thinking of music memory as schematic is probably accurate for many of the interactions that both trained and untrained people have with music. However, recently I have become interested in the nature of representation when memory for music is essentially perfect. Whereas it appears that the majority of work in music cognition has examined short-term memory, I would like to examine longterm memory. By this I mean that I am interested in the way well-learned music is represented. People are able to remember a large repertory of music and retain it for many years. What kinds of codes make this retention possible? Clearly, proposing verbal codes in the traditional sense is impractical when trying to understand memory for melody (as opposed to the lyrics in vocal music). Even if we assume that a small minority of musicians can encode tunes in terms of musical structure, motor commands, or musical notation, the successful retention of music by untrained people suggests the existence of other types of durable codes. The explication of those codes has been the goal of my current program of research References    Blood, A., & Zatorre, R. (2001). Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,98, 11818-11823. Brust, J. (2003). Music and the neurologist: A historical perspective. In I.Peretz, & R. Zatorre (Eds.) The cognitive neuroscience of music (pp. 181-191). New York: Oxford University Press. Chabris, C (1999). Prelude or requiem for the ‘Mozart effect’? Nature, 400, 6747, 826-7. Crncec, R., Wilson, S., & Prior, M. (2006). No evidence for the Mozart effect in children. Music Perception, 23(4), 305- 317. Deutsch, D. (2004). The octave illusion revisited again. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30 (2), 355-364. This article can be downloaded from Psych Info and from the author’s web page. Dowling, W. J. (1994). Melodic contour in hearing and remembering melodies. In R. Aiello (Ed.) Musical perceptions, (pp. 173-190 ). New York: Oxford University Press. Dowling, W. J. , Kwak, S., & Andrews, M. ( 1995). The time course of recognition of novel melodies. Perception & Psychophysics, 57(2), 136-49. Fujioka, T., Ross, B., Kakigi, R., Pantev, C., & Trainor, L. (2006). One year of musical training affects development of auditory cortical-evoked fields in young children. Brain, 129, 2593-2608. This article can be downloaded. Jenkins, J.S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine,   94,170-172. Patel, A. (2003). Language, music, syntax and the brain. Nature Neuroscience, 6(7), 674-681. This article can be downloaded. discuss it from the neuroscientific perspective. Peretz, I., & Zatorre, R. (2005). Brain organization for music processing. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 89-114. This article can be downloaded. This is an excellent review. Rauschecker, J. (2003). Functional organization and plasticity of auditory cortex. In Peretz, I., & Zatorre, R. (Eds.) The cognitive neuroscience of music (pp. (357-365). New York: Oxford University Press. Rauscher, F. (1999). Reply to Prelude or requiem for the â€Å"Mozart effect’? Nature, 400, 6747, 827-8. Schellenberg, E. G.(2005). Music and cognitive abilities. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14 (6), 317-320. This article can be downloaded. Schellenberg, E.G. (2006). Long-term positive association between music lessons and IQ. Journal of Education Psychology, 98 (2), 457-468. This article can be downloaded. Schlaug, G. ( 2003). The brain of musicians. In Peretz, I., & Zatorre, R. (Eds.) The cognitive neuroscience of music (pp. (366-381). New York: Oxford University Press. Schulkind, A., Posner, R., & Rubin, D. (2003). Musical features that facilitate melody identification: How do you know it’s â€Å"your† song when they finally play it? Music Perception, 21, (2), 217-249. Steele, K., Dalla Bella, S., Peretz, I., Dunlop, T., Dawe, L., Humphrey, K., Shannon, R., Kirby, J. Jr., & Olmstead, C. (1999). Prelude or requiem for the ‘Mozart effect’? Nature, 400, 6747,826-7. Trainor, L., & Schmidt, L. (2003). Processing emotions induced by music. In I. Peretz, & R. Zatorre (Eds.) The cognitive neuroscience of music (pp. 310-324). New York: Oxford University Press. Zatorre, R. (2003). Absolute pitch: A model for understanding the influence of genes and development on neural and cognitive function. Nature Neuroscience, 6 (7), pp. 692-695.