The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability Essay Example

The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability Paper The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s untrustworthiness and mental instability The cask of amontillado is a short story that Edgar Allen Poe wrote in 1846. Poe has written this particular story to be told in a first person point of view. Since Montresor is the narrator this concludes the fact that he is telling the story from his point of view. From the beginning it is clear that Montresor is an unreliable narrator. Throughout the story it is quite noticeable that Montresor is not trustworthy as a narrator, and that he has a mental instability. The very first sentence it shows that this story is going to be told by Montresor (from a first person point of view). In the first sentence of the first paragraph Montresor claims Fortunato has bestowed â€Å"thousand injuries† against him. Even though Fortunato has supposedly insulted Montresor; Montresor never goes on to state what exactly Fortuanto has done to him. Next he states that he â€Å"vowed revenge† on Fortunato. Just from the one sentence Montresor shows he has a bias for how the story happened and played out. The next sentence is Montresor talking to an unknown person, basically telling then that he is going to diverge the story to them. â€Å"You, who so well know the nature of my soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is how Montresor addresses this person. How he has addressed the unknown person gives the idea that it might be a priest whom he is speaking to. If it is assumed that it is a priest, it could be interpreted as a sign of remorse. Although after reading the whole story it is quite clear that he does not regret what he has done to Fortunado. Throughout the story Montressor talks of what he has done to Fortunado with little to no remorse in his voice. I must not only punish, but punish with impunity† shows that Montressor knew completely well what he was about to do to his ‘friend’ and has not the slightest though of not doing it. Not only does Montresor plan to punish Fortunado but with impunity, which means without exemption. He shows the reader he has plans for his revenge but never tells the reader exactly what Fortunado has done to deserve to be punished with impunity. This alone shows that Montresor is trying to get the unknown person whom he is speaking with to sympathize with him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Cask of Amontillado Montresor’s Untrustworthiness and Mental Instability specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Montresor antagonizes Fortunado through the whole story with the allure of the Amontillado. There are at least three occasions that Montresor talks of finding Lushesi instead of Fortunado to try the wine to authenticate it. Montresor obviously knew that it irritated Fortunado when he spoke of having Luchesi come to authenticate the wine. This was almost like a slap in the face for Fortunado and made him want to come to the tombs even more. This move by Montressor shows how desperate he is to keep Fortunado interested in coming to the tombs. It shows how he has calculated his plan of revenge and is trying to execute his master plan. In the very last paragraph, second to last sentence Montresor states: â€Å"For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. † This sentence is referring to the tomb where he has entombed Fortunado to die, as well as the tomb of his other ancestors. Half of a century is at least fifty years, thus Montresor is stating that it has been over fifty years since the incident thus he could have easily forgotten what actually happened in the tomb. Most people can not even remember what happened a year ago one hundred percent accurately, much less fifty years later. In conclusion Montresor is a very unreliable narrator. Not only has it been over fifty years since the event, but Montresor also has a bias as to what happened with Fortunado. Montresor also clearly shows his mental instability with his lack of remorse with what he did to Fortunado. In this story of Edgar Allen Poe’s it is quite noticeable that Montresor is not a trustworthy narrator and that he has a mental instability.

In Hesters Shoes The Scarlet Letter Essays

In Hesters Shoes The Scarlet Letter Essays In Hesters Shoes The Scarlet Letter Essay In Hesters Shoes The Scarlet Letter Essay Essay Topic: The Scarlet Letter It was my first day wearing the letter; I was prepared for the questions that would be thrown at me and the strange and judgmental looks Id encounter once I stepped outside. I wasn’t self-centered to wear it out because I was afraid of what will people say about my well-drawn letter on my chest. As I arrived to school, I wasn’t clearly showing my letter as I was supposed to. Later in the morning, I fully showed my letter for strangers to see and question it. I said to myself â€Å"How am I going to explain to people about my letter without sounding stupid?† By the fact, the questions startled me and made me feel unstable. I was ready for judgments to hit me hard, but basically, those judgements were regular concerns of what was the concept of the spotted letter. Questions, which were expected to be asked, were repeated multiple times by friends and teachers that day. As those questions kept going, I became more confident of answering and less embarrassed of weari ng the letter. This experience made me proud and happy because of the majority of people asking me affected me to express my letter and flaws to them. After school, I went to an Asian market to buy some specific items. I was just being a normal customer, who was especially wearing a letter on their chest, minding my own business. All of sudden, people from the store started to look at me strangely, making me feeling departed from everyone else than at school. At that point, I notice two middle age Asian women were talking about me. How I knew was I heard â€Å"dib dib†, meaning chest. I felt bothered and uncomfortable, so I walked away from them to stop feeling disturbed.At the register, I saw the two women again having the same discussion about me in a pejorative way. What I did next was unthinkable and unprepared for. Like an honorable student that I’m usually not sometimes, turned around to face them, smiled, and said â€Å"Hello. I notice you two were looking at me str

Risk in Multitasking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk in Multitasking - Essay Example Managing different projects at the organization is important. Tasks need to be assigned to employees accordingly. If too much tasks are assigned, then it will result in chaos and employees would not be able to complete the tasks. Therefore a project manager needs to make sure that tasks are assigned appropriately and employees are not overburdened because they can give only a limited time at work and if more work is assigned to them then they may not be able to complete the work within the time or maintain high quality of work (Kerzner, 2003). The main findings of the article are similar to what I have encountered at the workplace. Even at my organizations, manager tends to assign different tasks without even asking whether the previous task has been completed or not. Such a situation impacts the concentration of the employees. If tasks are given one at a time to employees, then they would be able to better manage the task and complete it with better quality. Organizations should also manage the tasks in a way that too many tasks are not assigned to the employees at a time. In this article, it has been analyzed that the projects were not managed appropriately. Managing the resource in projects is critical in making sure that the project is completed within the cost, time and scope. If the projects are not managed considering the resources the organization has, then it will result in such situations and the projects will not be completed (Hamilton,

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 15

Business Strategy - Essay Example strategic thinking is through brainstorming for new ideas and through the application of possibility thinking with an aim of developing strategic goals and direction .It is a way that has specific purposes and characteristics and a well-defined way of thinking. Studies conducted by the Wall Street Journal assert that corporations emphasized on strategic thinking as the skill they sought most after in an executive above other skills. Strategic thinking involves challenging assumptions that have been rooted in an industry, the ability to embrace change and current trends, visualizing as to the direction a company should take and providing leadership for the future. It also involves developing new opportunities that create value today and into the future. A strong foundation promoting critical thinking is important to facilitate the growth of any critical thinking platform. It should also be coupled with a deep understanding of the fundamental drivers affecting an organization and challenging the traditional way of thinking. Strategic thinking has been described as an imaginative strategy which is used to rewrite the rules relating to the competitive game and pursue the potential future by dealing with current realties and creating alignments. Strategic thinking main goal is to create strategies that are in alignment with the organization’s vision in order to gain a competitive edge over its competitors. Strategic intent is a statement by a company from high level management stating its desire to achieve its vision. It has been termed as a statement of design responsible for the creation of a better future and it is simply a company’s vision of what it aims to achieve in the long term. However, strategic intent must convey a sense of discovery, opportunity and direction that can be advantageous to the employees (Pitt 2001). It is not a fit exercise but a stretch exercise. This is because strategic intent formulates a picture of a customer’s daily routine and

Life of a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag and Nazi Death Camp Systems Essay

Life of a prisoner in the Soviet Gulag and Nazi Death Camp Systems - Essay Example Just as engaging is the book by Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Deisovich, which portrays a fictionalized account of his personal experiences. Through explorations about these two accounts and expanded upon through other sources, a comparison of the experiences in Auschwitz and the Gulag can be made. One of the notable things about Solzhenitsyn’s work is that there is little that truly occurs in the book. The novel tells the details of a day, slowly and methodically, so that the mundane nature of life in a prison is revealed. Although there is some discussion of punishment and the cruelty of living in the Gulag, it is the monotony and the long day that has the most impact. Through the oppressive atmosphere and the indignity of being given no trust through constant searches and counting of the inmates, there is a sense of being held in place, that feeling permeating the whole work in a way that portrays a realistic feeling of being in prison. In contrast, the life tha t Levi Primo describes is filled with hardships that are terrible and not mundane. Each new indignity pushes him toward the next lowered level in which he must re-establish some sense of humanity into his life. The strongest concept that creates the biggest differences in the experiences that are described is that in the Gulag, while life is harsh, there does seem to be some hope that the next day will come, and that finally the protagonist will be released from his imprisonment. In Auschwitz, on the other hand, there is the pervading sense that there will be only death at the end of the journey. Hope is a much more precious commodity as the descriptions of the daily life is defined by the knowledge that genocide had been the original agenda of the Nazi party. The low level of human conditions emphasized the lack of respect for basic human existence that was provided in this terrible place. In the Gulag, while demoralizing events were a daily part of life, the intention seemed to co ntain and maintain the prisoners, rather than to encourage death to take them. According to German records about the numbers of deaths in Auschwitz, 1,750,000 people died in the camp (Linn 71). The camp had a finite life, its beginning and end within the time frame of World War II. Its purpose was to facilitate the genocide of those the Nazi regime had determined were unfit as representative of the human species, and were defined as expendable and ideologically unnecessary. The horror of this concept and the number of people lost to this belief system makes it one of the worst events in human history. Where the events at Auschwitz were terrible, the camp only existed in a few short years where the atrocities had a finite beginning and end. The Gulag system, on the other hand, lasted for thirty years in which slow systems of horror and oppression wore down the people from the threat of being detained within its grasp, or the actuality of being detained. The Gulag represented fear for those who were not in its walls, promoting the oppression of Communism and holding sway over the expression of belief and opinion within the nation of the Soviet Union (Applebaum). Cleanliness, health, and food were all some of the more important themes from both writers. Health was not easily kept in either environment, the health of Levi being so poor in the end that he was left behind, which more than likely saved his life from the harsh journey of

The Importance Of Exercise In Older People Physical Education Essay

The Importance Of Exercise In Older People Physical Education Essay In older adults, physical activity is a necessary action to provide and maintain health.1 A substantial amount of empirical evidence has demonstrated that the health benefits associated with participation in physical activity can maintain functional independence and ultimately improve quality of life.2-.3 In addition, participation in physical activity improves self-esteem, mental alertness and social interaction, and decreases levels of depression.4-5 Physical activity is also a major independent modifiable risk factor that has a protective effect against the onset of cardiovascular disease, ischemic stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.6-7 However, a preliminary report in 2007 by the National Statistical Office of Thailand showed that more than 58% of Thai elderly engaged in physical activity less often than recommended for good health.8 Therefore, it is imperative that physical activity among the aged population is evaluated. A review of physical activity studies reveals that the physical environment is significantly associated with physical activity participation. According to Bandura, physical environment plays either the role of facilitator or obstacle in human motivation through the interaction between cognitive functions and environment.9-10 Both natural features and human constructs related to environment may affect physical activity engagement.11 Physical environment positively influences physical activity within older people.12-18 While the significance of physical environment is well recognized, an accurate measure is needed to identify the specific characteristics of the physical environment for physical activity, with respect to older people. If there is low error in the assessment, the explanation of the relationship between physical environment and physical activity will be raised. The concept of behavior setting helps to elucidate the influence of physical environment on physical activity.19 Behavior occurs within a physical and social context. So, the behavior of older people will be influenced by environment the neighborhood, community, or home environment. The home environment is a primary setting for the performance of daily activities among older people.20 In Thailand, most older people stay and participate in physical activity in their home. Although previous studies have assessed only convenience of facilities and access to equipment at home related to physical activity, the characteristics of home environment is the least studied potential determinant of participation in physical activity.11-12 Existing investigations use either neighborhood-focused scales to determine physical environment 14,21-22, or have applied both neighborhood and availability of facilities in the community.18,23 A review of relevant research indicates that aspects of the physica l environment, such as safety, traffic volume, street lighting, unattended dogs, having a sidewalk, and accessibility to public recreation places influence physical activity,14-18 whereas other evidence suggests equivocal results.21-22,24 At least one potential reason exists for this inconsistency which may be related to the physical environment measurement, particularly with older adults. Most physical environment questionnaires were developed in western countries. These measurements have involved different neighborhood and community settings; assessed in different dimensions such as convenience, safety, accessibility, and facility. Even though the physical environment questionnaires have been validated in western countries, they have not been tested in others settings. Due to differences of geographic features, culture, and patterns of living, a need exists to assess the physical environment of Thai elderly to confirm reliability and validity in this cultural context. Furthermore, the relationship of the physical environment of home and physical activity of older Thai people is still unknown. Understanding features of the physical environment related to physical activity may provide an effective implementation design to motivate older Thai people to participate in physical activity. For these reasons, a modified instrument, the Thai Environmental Support for Physical Activity for Older Thai people (TESPA) for assessing the physical environment including home, neighborhood, and community environment needs to be modified and validated for the older Thai population. This study addressed this shortcoming by modifying and confirming a three-factor structure for physical environment in a sample of older adults in Thailand. We hypothesized that a correlated three-factor structure for the TESPA would fit the data well and that these factors would possess good internal consistency. Additionally, we hypothesized that higher scores on the subscales of the TESPA would be significantly and positively correlated with higher levels of physical activity. Moreover, our study purpose was to prepare physical environment questionnaire for a large descriptive study related to physical activity in older Thai people. Objective The purpose of this project was modification and assessment of the TESPA scale in older Thai people to provide a reliable and valid measure that is culturally congruent and useful for future research. Measures Demographics. -A personal data sheet was used to obtain demographic and socioeconomic data including age, gender, income, marital status, education level, area of living, the length of living in their residence and medical history. The Chula Mental Test (CMT), an interviewing questionnaire developed by Jittapunkul, and colleagues was administered to determine the cognitive function of older Thai people who has difficulties in reading and writing.25 The CMT consists of 13 items related to cognitive function. Scales are coded on a dichotomous score of 0 (incorrect) and 1 (correct); items 5 and 12 have two sub-scales, and items 3 and 13 have three sub-scales each. Total scores indicate the cognitive function and range from 0-19. Scores 0-4 illustrate severe cognitive impairment, scores 5-9 depict moderate cognitive impairment, scores 10-14 reveal mild cognitive impairment, and scores 15-19 demonstrate normal cognitive function. Physical activity. -Physical activity was assessed by using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long form (IPAQ-L). The IPAQ-L was developed by the International Consensus Group for the Development of an International Physical Activity Questionnaire at the WHO in 1998.26 The IPAQ-L includes 5 parts: work-related activities, transport-related activities, domestic activities, and time spent sitting during the previous 7 days. In addition, the IPAQ-L assesses the frequency, intensity and duration of all daily physical activity. In summary, total physical activity equals the MET score, which is the sum of minutes spent in each domain multiplied by the MET value.26 We used a cut-off point 600 METs, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States of America and the American College of Sports Medicine.27 Threshold values for the IPAQ-L in the present study were categories insufficiently active ( 600 METs-min-week) We translated and adapted the IPAQ-L to fit the habits of older Thai people; content validity was determined by three experts. The content validity index of the IPAQ-L was .96. Numerous studies testing the test-retest reliability of the IPAQ-L revealed results ranging from 0.63 to 0.91, which indicated good repeatability.26,29 In the present study, the stability of the IPAQ-L questionnaire was reported to be 0.77 in 30 Thai elderly. Methods A cross-sectional design was used in the current study. The process of modification of the questionnaire included two phases (see Figure 1). In phase I, the instrument was modified as follows: 1) questionnaire improvement stage and 2) quantification stage. In phase II, instrument assessment was conducted to examine construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis and the known-group method. Insert figure 1 here Phase 1: Modification of instrument Stage 1: Questionnaire improvement stage consisted of measurement review, translation, instrument refinement and item construction. Measurement review and translation procedure: Physical environment is defined as older peoples perception of the physical environment to facilitate or hinder physical activity engagement in three settings: home, neighborhood, and community. We reviewed the relevant research regarding measurement of physical environment from the literature. The existing measurement was chosen based on definition and psychometric properties of measurement. After obtaining written consent from the author, the original questionnaire was translated into Thai versions by the researcher and an independent translator according to the translation-back translation method.28 The Thai version was evaluated by three Thai/English bilingual people. The questionnaire was translated back into English by two Thai-English independent translators who each had taught English to graduate students for more than 20 years. We then compared both versions in the original language, conducted checks with the translators, discussed the differences, and produced a final conse nsus version. 1.2 Instrument refinement and item construction: We modified the translated instruments to achieve a closer cultural fit for older Thai people. During October to December 2007, a preliminary study was conducted with ten elders: five who lived in a municipal area and five in a non-municipal area. The participants were selected from a broad range of backgrounds: five elders had elementary education and had worked in the agricultural sector, three elders had secondary education and had worked as small businesses owners, and two elders were retired and held bachelors degrees. Open-ended interviews were applied to ensure that instrument content and language were suitable for Thai elderly. They were interviewed in their home or a temple in their village. The participants were encouraged to share their opinions regarding the relevancy of items and appropriateness to the culture of older Thai people. Additionally, participants were encouraged to think of additional items that potentially could be used in the questionnaire. Each participant was interviewed twice for 30 minutes for each time, or until no new data occurred. In the preliminary study, no participant refused to participate. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Categories and coding were derived from data sources and previous related studies. Statements by participants about the physical environment were delineated and identified as a content domain. Representative phrases and terms were marked to be used as potential items so that the language of the participants could be preserved. Additional items then were discussed with two Thai experts and an American expert in geriatric nursing. As a consequence, the measurement was modified. Stage 2: Quantification stage This stage involved the validity and reliability of the psychometric properties of the modified measurement. Content validity of the scale was evaluated by three geriatric experts including one physician in geriatric physical activity, one expert in geriatric community nursing, and one expert in geriatric nursing. The experts were asked to rate the level of relevancy between the items and the definition of the concepts as represented. A four-point Likert-type scale ranging from 4 (strongly relevant) to 1 (strongly irrelevant) was used to rate each item. Data collection started in October 2008 after obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Both written and verbal informed consent was obtained in Thai on the same date as the data collection. The informed consent form explained the purpose of the study, benefits, risks, the types of questionnaires and tasks to be completed, and the length of time needed to complete the interview. In particular, it explained about risk prevention and treatment when the risk may occur during the interview or when collection of data is taking place. Permission was obtained from participants prior to data collection. At the setting, the participants were informed about the purpose of the study and their right to refuse participation. If participants chose not to answer the questionnaire, they could withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. They were also notified that their relationship with the health care team would not be affected. Their names were not used; instead, a code number was used to ensure confidentiality. There was no harm to the participants in this study. In addition, to assess the feasibility of using psychometric properties, the modified measurement was determined in the pilot study. The consent was obtained from the directors of primary care units, one in an urban area and the second in a rural area. A purposive sample of 15 older people from each setting was recruited in the pilot study; no respondent refused or dropped out in this stage. The participants were older people, with a mean age of 70+ 4.19 years. Most participants were female (76.7%), married (53.3%), had elementary education (80%), were employed (62.6%), with a household income of less than 5,000 Baht per month (approximately US$147) (76.7%). A substantial proportion (63.3%) lived in urban areas and had lived on average for 44.6 years in their residence. Of the sample, more than half reported sufficient physical activity level (50%), whereas 20% had a low physical activity level. A total of 23.3 % reported having no current health problems, while 16.7 % had hypertensi on. The most frequent type of physical activity reported was household related activity, followed by leisure time activity, transportation related activity, and occupational activity. Stability of reliability was obtained in two weeks, whereas internal consistency was assessed at baseline. Phase 2: Assessing the Instrument Construct validity of the modified scale was determined in the main study. Multi-stage random sampling was employed to obtain a sample of 336 elderly (aged 60 years and older) residing in 12 villages from six provinces of Thailand, who were not part of the preliminary study or the pilot study. In each village, 28 participants were selected by a systematic sampling technique from a name list obtained from the villages primary care unit. A simple random technique was applied and only one member in each family was included in the study. The participants were determined to be eligible to participate in the study if they scored >15 on the CMT, were able to ambulate without assistive devices, and were willing to participate in the present study. Data were collected from November 2008 to April 2009. An authorization letter was sent to officers of the primary care unit in all 12 settings to ask for their consent. After obtaining their consent, the public health nurses of the primary care units were asked by the researcher to make appointments with participants. When verbal agreement was obtained, the participants were asked to sign a consent form. The modified questionnaire was used to conduct interviews lasting between 15 to 20 minutes; each participant received a handkerchief in appreciation for their participation. A total of 336 questionnaires were selected for accuracy of data entry. Statistical analysis showed that two cases with a single or more than one missing value on community environment were deleted, leaving 334 cases for analysis. According to IPAQ Research Committee guidelines, the physical activity scores were processed to reduce data comparability. Ten cases were excluded by the truncation process due to the total duration value being more than 3 hours per activity, and four cases were eliminated because of multivariate outliers. Therefore, 320 cases remained for analysis. Most of the participants in the main study were female, married, had elementary education, and a household income less than 5,000 Baht per month (approximately US$147). Approximately 70% of the participants reported at least one health problem. Shared living was the most frequent living arrangement reported (92.8%) with an average of 4.11 persons per household. A substantial proportion (61.9%) lived in an urban area and stayed in their own residence. Data analysis Descriptive data are presented as mean + SD. The internal reliability of the scale was based on an alpha coefficient greater than or equal to .70; 30 stability of the scale was analyzed by product correlation coefficient. Reliability of each item, overall reliability, and construct validity of the scale were determined using structural equation modeling (SEM).31 The known-group technique was conducted using the multivariate analysis of variance, to compare the physical environment of those who reported sufficient physical activity and those who did not. Statistical significance for analyses except SEM was defined as p Results Phase 1: Modification of instrument Stage 1: Questionnaire improvement stage Following determination of the validity and reliability of the instrument, results were used to make modifications. The following procedures were undertaken. 1.1 Measurement review and translation procedure: Findings from prior studies demonstrated that most physical environment measurements were designed to identify specific characteristics of the built environment (e.g. distance between destinations, presence of sidewalk), and showed moderate to high reliability. Blocks of questions appeared to have different reliability among urban and rural respondents. Only one measurement was constructed for older people.12 A meta-analysis study by Duncan and colleagues concluded that the environmental characteristics in measurement presented in physical activity include facilities, sidewalks, shops and services in walking distance, heavy traffic, high crime, street lighting, and unattended dogs.32 The Social-physical Environmental Supports for Physical Activity Questionnaire (ESPA) is a measurement that designed to capture and assess the supporting social and physical environment for physical activity typically performed by all age.33 The ESPA was selected to collect data in this study because it is closely congruent with the Thai context, and indicates both neighborhood environment and community environment. In addition, the coefficient differences between urban respondents and rural respondents of this scale were small when compared with the other questionnaires.34 Moreover, the previous validity and reliability value of ESPA was acceptable.34 The ESPA is composed of two domains: the social and the physical environment domains. The physical environment is composed of 20 items: 10 neighborhood items (access, characteristics, barriers, use), and 10 community items (access, and barriers). A Likert-scale was used to assess neighborhood items, except for an item on public recreat ion facilities which allowed response options as 1(yes) or 0 (no). The community items have response options of 1(yes) or 2(no), with score form items on recreation facilities, whereas a community item used a Likert Scale. The higher the summary score the stronger the physical environment. The ESPA questionnaire was translated into Thai. Instrument refinement and item construction: All participants recommended that some items of the ESPA questionnaire be deleted and many remarked that the questionnaire format be reviewed. Most participants suggested that 21 physical environment items be eliminated including public swimming pools, sidewalks, parks, walking trails, bike paths, recreational centers, shopping malls (sometimes used for physical activity or walking programs), and being a private member of a recreational facility . These items reflected physical activities and sites that were uncommon in Thailand and thus were not deemed to be valid it this cultural context. As well, five pages of the scale and various types of choices took up too much time and were difficult to answer; for example: In general, would you say that motorized traffic in your neighborhood isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Heavy, Moderate or Light., When walking at night, would you describe the STREET lighting in your neighborhood asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Very good, Good, Fair, Poor or Very poor and How safe are the public recreational facilities in your community? would you sayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Very safe, Somewhat safe, Somewhat unsafe or Not safe at al. Additionally, the literal translation of the word physical activity into Thai git-ja-gam-taang-gaa or à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸-à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¢ (git-ja-gam = activity; taang-gaai= physical) was unfamiliar to older people. Most participants thought this term was difficult to understand and felt that it was not applicable to them. The elders preferred the term kleuan-wai-ok-raeng or à  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ·Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ «Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ £Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡ (kleuan-wai= movement; ok-raeng= expend energy) instead to define physical activity. The term kleuan-wai-ok-raeng was therefore applied to this study. The interview findings illustrated that the statements contribute to physical environment among participants was delineated and identified as a content domain. Home was most frequently mentioned as a favorite place for engagement in physical activity. The majority of participants expressed that they generally preferred engaging in physical activity at home because of safety concerns and convenience. Representative phrases and terms were marked to be used as potential items so that the language of the participants could be preserved. As a result, the home environment subscale was formulated, and it was consisted of safety and convenience both inside and around home. Based upon the experts suggestions, 21 items that were considered irrelevant on the ESPA were eliminated and four additional items related to home environment were added to the ESPA. Therefore, the modified scale was called Thai Environment Support for Physical Activity in older Thai people (TESPA). A Likert scale was used to assess physical environment for physical activity. Possible responses were 1(strongly disagree), 2(disagree), 3(neither agree nor disagree), 4(agree), and 5(strongly agree). The possible ranges of scores for home, neighborhood, and community sub-scale were 4-20, 3-15, and 3 15 respectively. The total score was calculated by computing the numerical ratings for each answer. The possible scores ranged from 10 to 50. Higher scores indicated a higher level of perceived physical environment supportive of physical activity. In short, the TESPA was conceptualized to include three subscales, with the six items serving as supportive neighborhood and community environments, and the four new items as supportive of home environment. Neighborhood environment was defined as the area around their home to which they could walk within 10 minutes.23 A supportive neighborhood environment referred to older peoples perceptions of support including: characteristics, access, and barriers of physical activity; a pleasant neighborhood for walking; low traffic volume; and lack of unattended dogs in their neighborhood.23 Secondary, community environment is defined as the area contained within a 20-minute drive from the respondents home.23 Community environment support refers to older peoples perceptions of convenience and safety of physical activity in their community: convenience of facilities of the Primary Care Unit; access to parks, playgrounds, and sports fields; and the safety of public recreation facilities.23 Finall y, home environment support is defined as participants perceptions of convenience and safety regarding their home environment, both in and around their home, in relation to their participation in physical activity. Stage 2: Quantification stage The Content Validity Index of the TESPA questionnaire was 0.92. The reliability coefficients of TESPA scale was 0.73 and the test-retest reliability of scale was .76. The results of the pilot study demonstrated that respondents took between 15 to 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire. The measurements were culturally appropriate for older Thai people and the procedures were followed without any difficulty. Phase 2: Assessing the Instrument The physical activity score ranged from 0 to 2203.50 MET-minute/week with a median of 849.25 (SD = 438.63), and the interquartile rang of 670.13 MET-minute score. The skewness coefficient (.26) and the kurtosis statistic (-.52) indicated that the majority of the subjects reported a moderate physical activity score and a close proximity to a normal distribution. Also, 65% of the participants of this study were sufficiently active and 35% were not. The total sum scores of physical environment ranged from 19.00 to 50.00, with a mean of 34.87 (SD = 6.47). The skewness value (.26) and the kurtosis value (-.49) indicated that the majority of the respondents had moderate physical environment scores and the variance was distributed normally. Construct validation was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, and the known-group technique. Based on confirmatory factor analysis, the findings demonstrated that the construct of TESPA was composed of three underlying subscales: home, neighborhood, and community environment. The correlation among items ranged from .02 to .77 and the total scale could explain 61.01% of the variance of physical environment. The home, neighborhood, and community subscale could account for 29.4%, 19.7%, and 12.0% of the variance, respectively. The next analysis tested the three-factor model. The measurement model testing was designed to estimate which ten items were used as indicators for the model. Although the original model was statistically significant, the model was not consistent with the data /df= 4.59 and RMSEA more than 0.05 (= 151.54, df= 33; p Insert figure 2 here Table 1 illustrates the loading with t-values and squared multiple correlation coefficients among each observed variables for TESPA scale. The results revealed that all indicators of the TESPA measurement had significant low to high parameter estimates, which were related to their specific constructs and validated the relationships among observed variables and their constructs. The squared multiple correlations for observed variables of the latent variables were ranged from 0.02 to 0.92. The R2 of item 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were acceptable indicators, except for the item 1, 7, 8, 9, and 10 which were less than .40. Insert Table 1 here The known-group technique is an examination of relationships based on theoretical prediction. 35 Table 2 shows the mean values for each of the TESPA subscales and physical activity subgroups for the complete sample. Those who demonstrated sufficient physical activity had significantly higher physical environment scores along all three subscales and total score. In addition, each subscale was positively correlated with participation in physical activity including neighborhood (r=.30, p Insert Table 2 here Discussion: Testing of the TESPA measurement model in the current study provided additional evidence for the validity and reliability. The findings are discussed in the following section. The content validity and construct validity of the newly designed TESPA scale were accepted. Continued support for the construct validity of the scale was also provided through confirmatory factor analysis and the known-group method. The TESPA measurement model demonstrated that all sub-scales of the measurement had significant low to high parameter estimates, which were related to their specific constructs and validated the relationships among observed variables and their constructs. Within the known-group method, the findings demonstrated that physical environment was significantly correlated with physical activity. This finding indicated that older people with high perceptions of safety, convenience, and accessibility in their home, neighborhood, and community environment were more likely to participate in physical activity. Similarly, active older people who met guideline recommendations for good health scored significantly higher in each of three factors supportive home, neighborhood, and community environment than those who did not. Physical environments affect the participation in behavior by means of the interaction between cognitive functions and environment through human motivation.9-10 Bandura argued that a better environment provides a great opportunity to perform a behavior.10 According to the empirical data in the present study, a plausible explanation for this result contributed to characteristics of the Thai elderly. The majority of the elders sampled have lived in their home for a median 30 years; consequently, they were familiar with the physical characteristics of their environment in and outside the home. It is possible that the friendly environment contributed to motivate them for physical activity engagement, while unfriendly environments discouraged activity. For reliability, although the R2 for item 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10 indicated that these items should be considered irrelevant for the TESPA scale, the measurement model was a good fit with the empirical data. Not only was this scale firstly modified and validated in older Thai adults, but also normative data for comparison in the elderly or other study were not available. Approximately 61 % of the variance in the TESPA scale was explained by the 10 items, whereas 39 % of the variance in this scale remains unexplained. Corresponding with the SCT approach, Bandura argued that nearly all aspects of the physical environment can influence physical activity.36 Owing to the fact that the TESPA measurement includes only safety, convenience, and accessibility aspects of physical environment, it is possible that other aspects may contribute more to physical activity than these aspects. Other aspects of the physical environment may still influence engaging in physical activity; a need is indicated for work to identify these aspects yet unidentified. Therefore, continued evaluation of the psychometric properties both in the other sample and new additional items are necessary to confirm this study. Limitations and recommendations: This study was limited by homogeneity of the sample. The majority of participants was female, married, low socioeconomic status, and lived in their home. Continued testing of the TESPA scale, particularly with socio-economically diverse older adults, is needed to insure that this measure is consistent. Additionally, using objective measurement should be considered, to further add to the validity of the findings and confirm the subjective report. Further, the item related to community environment should be explored via a qualitative study to explore and understand with the physical environment of Thai elderly. Nevertheless, based on factors of the TESPA, manipulation of these factors with cognitive behav

Promotional Communication analysis :: essays research papers

Promotional Strategy Promotional Communication Analysis Company name: Windsor Smith Contents Page Introduction ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K. Page 3 Marketing Strategy ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K.Page 4 The Target Market & Consumer Behaviour ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K.Page 5 The Communication Process ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K.Page 6 Evaluating Windsor Smith ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K..Page 12 Conclusion ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K.. ¡K.. ¡KPage 15 References ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K ¡K.. ¡K ¡K.Page 16 Introduction________________________________________________ The magazine advertisement chosen for this assignment was selected from FHM June 2004 edition. FHM is predominately a male magazine being the biggest selling men ¡Ã‚ ¦s magazine in Australia and New Zealand. The chosen advertisement is a Windsor Smith advert on page 73 of FHM, a little bit less then halve way through the magazine and positioned between some of the hottest articles in the magazine. Analysis of this advertisement suggests the Windsor Smith advertisement is positioned at male metro sexual readers, wanting to purchase exceptionally fashionable shoes for themselves. Marketing Strategy__________________________________________ Opportunity Analysis  ¡Ã‚ ¥Marketing opportunities are areas where there are favorable demand trends, where the company believes customer needs and opportunities are not being satisfied, and where it can complete effectively. ¡Ã‚ ¦ (Belch & Belch 2001, p.40) Windsor Smith has effectively seen the opportunity of marketing to the new breed of Aussie males, the  ¡Ã‚ ¥metro-sexual-man ¡Ã‚ ¦ 60 minute reporter Charles Wooley, describes this new male breed as  ¡Ã‚ ¥Like Sex and the City, only for blokes, they are into makeovers, make-up and moisturisers. They know everything there is to know about shirts and shoes  ¡X and they ¡Ã‚ ¦re straight. ¡Ã‚ ¦ FHM describes the  ¡Ã‚ ¥metro-sexual-man ¡Ã‚ ¦ in his mid-to late twenties, intelligent and in a professional position, he knows all the latest brands and trends, he can chose a shiraz with his risotto and tie a perfect Windsor. Competitive Analysis  ¡Ã‚ §Competitive Analysis is something special a firm does or has that gives it an edge over competitors ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Belch & Belch, p.41) Other advertisement in the same edition of FHM includes a Julius Marlow, advertising stylish male shoes. It is not known if the marketers of Windsor Smith were aware that the Julius Marlow advertisement was to be placed in the same issue. The Julius Marlow advertisement is on a double page spread on the nineteenth page of FHM. It is informing the reader that Julius Marlow shoes, not only make the pricey male dress shoes that they are well known for. But also now make fashionable shoes similar to the shoes advertised in the Windsor Smith advertisement, similar in style and price. The Target Market and Consumer Behaviour____________________  ¡Ã‚ ¥Target marketing is the process of identifying the specific needs of segments, selecting one or more of these segments as a target and developing marketing programs directed to each. ¡Ã‚ ¦ (Belch & Belch 2001)

French Revolutin DBQ

The French Revolution of 1789 caused many changes in the social, political, and economical world of France. The French Revolution sparked the beginning for many new reforms in France that were previously unavailable to the 3rd estate. The things that led up to the French revolution were all caused from within the social, political, and economic world of France. The Social causes for the French Revolution were varied. One such problem was the well being of the 3rd estate.According to Travels in France by Arthur Young the conditions of the 3rd estate were terrible as people could not purchase bread due to the high prices and the ragged conditions of the children (Document #1). Because of these factors the people were forced to fight each other for a piece of bread alone. Another problem was the middle class’ knowledge of the Enlightenment. According to The French Revolution historian Albert Mathiez, the middle class’ knowledge of the Enlightenment made them start the revo lution rather than the unintelligent working class (Document #3).The social world of France was a front for the revolution to begin because of the people who were mistreated by the government. The political reasons for the Revolution were also varied. One such reason was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. According to Lord Acton, the spark supplied by the signing of the Declaration of Independence was the cause of the French Revolution (Document #5).Another reason was the 3rd estates demands of the monarchy. Some of their demands were to lower the taxes assigned to them, have definite meeting times, and take votes by head (Document #3). The political state of France did not fare well in preventing the revolution. Finally the Economic reasons for the revolution were less varied than the others but just as important. One economical reason for the revolution was the unfair taxes to the 3rd estate.A chart of the tax and land ownership percentage in the 1700’s clearly shows how much more the 3rd estate was being taxed than the 1st or 2nd estate (Document #2). The economical causes for the revolution most likely set off the 3rd estate when their request for a tax change was denied. In conclusion the French Revolution was a result of the three different worlds of Frances system: Economy, Social, and Politics. The changes caused by the Revolution paved way for modern France and spelled out a new era for France.

Divine Wind essays

Divine Wind essays The Kamikaze Special Attack Corps was destined to become not only the most famous of Japans suicide weapons but also the most effective (1.WW 2 Kamikazes, Earle Rice Jr. 12). The Kamikaze method of attack was first developed and used to fight the Americans in the war for the Pacific in 1944. These Divine Wind attackers would swoop out of the sky and sacrifice themselves for their country. The Kamikaze attack method was a very affective weapon in the Battles for the Pacific in WW 2. One way that these suicidal bombers were affective was that they had no fear of death; it was better to be someone who dies very bravely than someone who lived to surrender. Fighting to the death regardless of the odds and chances of success was a deeply embodied tradition in Japan (2. Thunder Gods: The Kamikaze Pilots Tell Their Story, Boye De Mente). It is obvious that if you step onto a battlefield with a fearless attitude, that you have a definite advantage over the competition. Do not fear to die for the cause of everlasting justice. Do not stay alive in dishonor (New orders issued by General Hideki Tojo on Jan.3 1941). Once again this demonstrates the nature of the Japanese resolve. They are being ordered to be ready to die to for the sake of justice and to maintain order to their family. The Kamikaze was one of the most effective killing tactics in the Second World War. Attackers flying at a low altitude were instructed to climb quickly to about fifteen-hundred feet upon sighting their target before commencing a steep dive on target...to ensure a steep downward plunge for maximum effectiveness (1. 65). Kamikazes were not only pilots with a death wish; they were trained to fly the most effective route because it could cause the most damage. In fact, only some of the most skilled pilots could do it. Suicide pilots were instructed to concentrate their efforts on ...

Descrimination in the 1920s Essays - Politics Of The United States

Descrimination in the 1920s Essays - Politics Of The United States Descrimination in the 1920s subject = History title = Descrimination in the 1920s American History Imigration and Discrimination in the 1920's Beginning in the early nineteenth century there were massive waves of immigration. These "new" immigants were largely from Italy, Russia, and Ireland. There was a mixed reaction to these incomming foreigners. While they provided industries with a cheap source of labor, Americans were both afraid of, and hostile towards these new groups. They differed from the "typical American" in language, customs, and religion. Many individuals and industries alike played upon America's fears of immigration to further their own goals. Leuchtenburg follows this common theme from the beginning of World War I up untill the election of 1928. If there was one man who singlely used America's fear of immigrants to advance his own political goals it was Attorney General Palmer. The rise of Communism in Russia created a fear of its spread across Europe, and to America. Palmer tied this fear to that of immigration. He denounced labor unions, the Socialist party, and the Communist party in America, as being infultrated with radicals who sought to overturn America's political, economic, and social institutions. Palmer exasperated this fear in Americans and then presented himself as the country's savior, combatting the evils of Communism. He mainly centered his attack on Russian immigrants. During the infamous Palmer raids thousands of aliens were deported and even more were arrested on little or no evidence. Their civil liberties were violated, they were not told the reasons for their arrests, denied counsel, and not given fair trials. What followed was an investigation of Palmer led by Louis Post which overturned many of Palmer's actions. Palmer's cretability was shattered after in a last minute attempt to gain the 1920 presidencial nomination, he made predictions about a May Day radical uprising, the nation perpared itself, but on May 1st 1920 all was peaceful. While the raids had stopped, the hostilities towards immagrants still remained prevelent. Immigrants were used by organized industries as a source of cheap labor. But as labor unions began to form and push for better pay, shorter hours, and improved working conditions industries saw that it was not as easy to exploit these immigrants as it had been before. Like Palmer, they tied the American's hostilities towards immigrants to the newly emerging fear of radicalism. When workers struck, industry leaders turned public opinion agains them by labling the strikes as attemps at radical uprising. As a result, workers were often left with no other choice than to accept the terms of industry management. The fight for prohabition was aided by America's antagonism for immigrants. Protestants and "old-stock" Americans attempted to link alchol with Catholic-Irish and Italian immigrants. They were viewed as immoral and corrupt for their vice. Prohabition was a means of counterattacking the evils of the urban cities and their immigrant dwellers. In addition, the rise of the KKK was a direct result of the hostilities harbored towards the immigrant population. Started by native born, white, Protestants, the KKK was afraid of "the encroachment of foreigners," expecially those who answered to a foreign Pope as their religious authority. Playing upon these fears, the KKK gained support and was it's members were able to politically control parts of Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and much of Indiana.

Marxist theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marxist theory - Essay Example Marxist theory He believes that the existence of poverty and inequality only is not what may turn the employees against the capitalist system. This capital crisis has been a major problem in almost among the daily human workings. Of greater ideological and social impact the instability, ruin and insecurity that periodically inflicted on the working- class people’s lives by the economic crises (Blackledge, 2006pp. 84). This theory states that capital crises have a large impact on the capitalists’ fortunes as well. The saying, ‘operating the union of the capitalist class’ is broken up and led to all- out fight for survival between capitalists themselves and the capital against the working class. Due to this, political instability, an intensification of the class struggle, war and ideological confusion among the ruling class may come around as a result of the capitalism crises. In that case, Marx argues that capital crisis is the most frightful devastation and like an earthq uake, it causes bourgeois society to shake to the very foundations. Out of the capitalist crises there is an emerging of the revolutionally change. This is not guaranteed but it comes about in the hands of the working class. Most of the cases, the people found in the lower classes do not look forward living in their old ways (Cohen, 2000 pp.75). Additionally, the capitalism crises persistence makes the revolutionary change possible and an urgent necessity. ... Conversely, he agues that the capitalism which is prone to crisis brings about the need to socialism. It does not only abolish inequality and poverty but it eliminates the recurrent economic and social disasters that are endemic to the capitalist system (Dougherty & Pfaltzgraff, 2001 pp. 85). Many people have argued differently concerning the capitalism. For instance, Adam said that the free market and the capitalism were caused by the propensity in human nature in order to truck the barter exchange. Conversely, Lionel Robbins argued that capitalism consist of an interdependent series which is in the relationship with the men and economic goods. They both viewed the economic relationships as the relationship between the people and the products. On the other hand, Marx went in to their contrast and argues in capital as the relation between capital and labour wage. He said that the two determines the whole character of the production mode of the capitalist. He was aiming at studying th e process of exchange which clearly tells the under surface happenings. He stated that if the rules and the mechanisms are focused only, the economists will claim that everybody participated as equal whether one was rich or was poor (Eubank, 2011 pp. 94). The Marx’s method Conversely, he argued that by analysing the production sphere the relation between the capital and the wage-labour is able to expose the hidden class contradictions in the system. These contradictions are the ones that are likely to be ignored by the capitalist economists. Additionally, Marx also views capitalist relation as the natural order of things that is rooted from the propensity of the human nature where he supported Adam smith.

Spanglish Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Spanglish - Term Paper Example This aspect of Spanglish is also properly discussed in the paper. Spanglish and its History Spanglish is one of the most common languages among the Hispanic Americans. It is nothing but a mixture of English and Spanish. According to Oxford English Dictionary, Spanglish can be described as â€Å"a type of Spanish contaminated by English words and forms of expression, spoken in Latin America† (Lipski, John M. â€Å"Is â€Å"Spanglish† the third language of the South?: truth and fantasy about U. S. Spanish†). The word ‘Spanglish’ was first used by Salvador Tio who was a Puerto Rican journalist. In 1952, Tio used this term in a newspaper article. Quite expectedly many consider him as the creator of this word. Some of the articles that were written by Tio in early days contained few Spanglish words which are humorous in nature. However, most of those words were not used later. As a result initially there was some confusion regarding legitimate examples of Spanglish. Apart from Tio there are experts like Nash and Fairclough who tried to gain insight into this language (Lipski, John M. â€Å"Is â€Å"Spanglish† the third language of the South?: truth and fantasy about U. S. Spanish†). At present, Spanglish is considered as one of common languages especially in the places like Los Angeles where a major section of the population is ‘Hispanic’. ... Some of the Spanglish sentences are found to be Spanish dominated whereas some are mostly English in nature. Over the last two decades, use of Spanglish has increased significantly with the increase in the number of people who are migrated from Latin American countries to United States. English has collided with Spanish on a regular basis in workplaces, retail stores and classrooms (Castro, Janice. & Cook, Dan. â€Å"Language: Spanglish Spoken Here†). Such collisions between two of the most respected languages in the world has developed the growth track of Spanglish. The unique language is found to be very popular among the young people in United States. According to, Ilan Stavans who is an expert of Latino culture, Spanglish is a â€Å"jazzy and a very creative way of being Latino in the U.S. today† (Thomas, Jeffrey. â€Å"Spanglish Offers Stepping-Stone to English†). Stavans is a self-declared promoter and admirer of Spanglish who has defined the language as â €Å"the verbal encounter between Hispano and Anglo civilizations† (Lipski, John M. â€Å"Is â€Å"Spanglish† the third language of the South?: truth and fantasy about U. S. Spanish†). Spanglish and Media Globalization In America people who speak in Spanglish are those who have enough knowledge of Spanish but follow American culture. They use clipped and shorter phrases rather than using longer and graceful expressions. Such style is found to be very much suitable in America where ‘time is money’ (Castro, Janice. & Cook, Dan. â€Å"Language: Spanglish Spoken Here†). Most importantly Spanglish speaking people in US are likely to have the spending power of almost 200 billion dollar. As a result, many companies are eager to make the best out of this huge market. It is found that