Mans Search For Meaning Essays - Fiction, English-language Films

Man's Search For Meaning Viktor Frankl's concept regarding survival and fully living was developed through his observations and experiences in the concentration camps. He used his psychiatric training to discern the meanings of observations and to help himself become a better person. He uses analysis to develop his own concepts and describes them in steps throughout the book. When the prisoners first arrived at the camp most of them thought they would be spared at the last moment. The prisoners believed they had a chance of surviving, but this belief was eventually eliminated and it was at this time when the prisoners began to learn how to survive by using their internal strength. A sense of humor had emerged among the prisoners. This humor helped to get through some difficult situations they faced. Viktor also observed how much a person could really endure and still live. Even though the prisoners could not clean their teeth and were deprived of warmth and vitamins, they still were able to survive. The sores and abrasions on their hands did not suppurate despite the dirt that gathered on them from the hard labor. The challenge of staying alive under these wretched conditions was to have and maintain strong internal strength. During the time he spent in the camps, Viktor learned what was needed to survive and how to keep his internal strength despite his weakening external strength. During the second stage of Viktor's psychological reaction, prisoners lost their sense of feeling and emotion toward events that would be emotional to people outside the camps. This was a result of the violent environment, which consisted of beatings of prisoners and the death of many others. The prisoners could no longer feel any disgust or horror since these emotions where very common. From Viktor's professional point of view, this observation surprised him and also gave him a different point of view of the whole situation. The pain that hurt Viktor the most was the pain he felt when he received punishment for no reason. The punishments were of an insult, and hurt the prisoners on the inside more than on the outside. Viktor also acknowledged the fact that since the prisoners lacked the primary needs, they would dream about them and put all other needs aside. Since there was a lack of food Viktor depended greatly on his inner thoughts to get himself through the suffering. He needed some hope and a reason to live. He thought about his wife and the love that they shared. Every chance, he got he thought about pleasant events from the past to help get through all the hard times. The prisoners had a life of their own in their minds. At one point Viktor gave up on trying to control his life and in sending himself into the path he wanted. He decided to let fate take its course. After a while he found out that he could not allow this to happen, his inner emotions could not stand being helpless. He had to make decisions for himself if he wanted to have some control over his life and if he wanted to get out of the camp alive. When the camps were closing Viktor became the emotional leader of the remaining prisoners. He raised their hopes, and by doing this he was looking at the situation from a different point of view. He believed that life expected more from them and that they had to live in order to accomplish the unfinished work they had left behind when they left their home. When Viktor and the prisoners were released everyone except Viktor had no sense of direction. They did not know what was right and what was wrong. They went around and copied the actions of the SS, not knowing that it was wrong. Victor was fortunate and did not end up like the other survivors, since he had more knowledge than they did and was able to see his opportunity to live his life again. Viktor's concept applies to my life during the times when I am feeling bad or when I just don't know what to do. When I am have tremendous amount of work and I don't know when or how I will get through it I think about how it will turn out in the future. I know that I will get through the difficulty alive, unlike the situation that Viktor and the other prisoners were going through. I just look forward to the future and acknowledge the fact that

B.F. Skinners theory, positive reinforcement essays

B.F. Skinner's theory, positive reinforcement essays In B.F. Skinner's theory, positive reinforcement is defined as a presented stimuli that works to increase or strengthen the probability of a response. An example of this would be a food treat for a dog in return for sitting behavior. A negative reinforcement is defined as the removal of stimuli that acts to increase or strengthen a response. An example of this would be yelling at a child to stop crying, and having the crying behavior stop. While the action of yelling was negative, the response was positive, in that the child stopped crying, thus increasing the likelihood that a person will yell to get the child to stop crying. Punishment is defined as an action to temporarily repress behavior, such as the removal of television privileges for a child who fails a class. This "punishment" would temporarily serve as a repression to the behavior of receiving bad Walden II, B.F. Skinner's world of utopia, is a model illustration of what needs to be done in order for humans to be happy, rather than just furthering the happiness of the ruling class or the majority. The idea that humans are born with nothing, that we are then the product of our history, and thus, that we learn all the problems we have, is a wonderful idea. If this were true, then Walden II would work: no one born in the world would learn the behaviors, and everyone who had previously learned them could simply unlearn them. Without social pressures, and with all needs met, there would be no need for corruption. In the modern world, however, this idea is just that: an idea. Even if all the technologies were in place, we now know, through modern medicine and psychiatry that some behaviors are inane, and thus very difficult to unlearn. While life in Walden II would be blissful, it would also be impossible. Secondary reinforcers are those that get their power from associations with primary reinforcers...

Shanghai transportation PowerPoint Presentation

Shanghai transportation - PowerPoint Presentation Example ating in Shanghai city and this number is expected to rise in coming years as a result of rapid industrialization and general increase in disposable income associated with the growth of Shanghai’s economy. Motorcycles have increased over the last decade as more people prefer to use them for their convenience in snaking through traffic jams. These together with a staggering 7 million bicycles significantly increase crowding in the city (Dargay et al. 2014). Nanjing road in the city is known to be the most crowded street in the world with various holidays including New Year and Christmas among others being celebrated in it. These attract significant crowds that gather to enjoy fireworks. Shanghai is renowned for the worst rush hour traffic jams that are unmatched in any other Chinese city with a jam index of 2.16. These rush hour jams mainly occur on Monday and Thursday mornings as well as on Friday evening when the jam index as high as 2.3 has been recorded. Express ways have been built to lower the traffic jams but their effect has been minimal (Danielson, 2010). There are special lanes for buses with the city being home for the world’s broadest network of urban bus ways. There are a total of 1,000 bus routes that are run by many transportation firms. The Shanghai metro is a rapid transit system, which is a clever transportation idea comprising subways and light railways reaching all the major urban districts in the city and its suburbs (Chen, 2011). The Shanghai metro lines form the longest rapid rail network with a daily commuter population of over 7 million passengers. The bullet train is a rapid transport system that allows fast movements to and from Shanghai. Public transportation is not affected by airport operations and does not stop 2 miles from the airport as is the case in Los Angeles (Chinese academy of sciences, 2010). Public transport accounts for over 90% of the daily journeys in Shanghai, which is the highest among global cities. China does

The current status of childhood obesity on measured outcomes Essay

The current status of childhood obesity on measured outcomes - Essay Example A child who attends a public school and is eligible for national school lunch and school breakfast programs has a higher prevalence of BMI than one attending private school (Hooker, 2009, p. 100). Approximately 70% of the children being obese have a cardiovascular risk while on the other hand, 30% of them are at risk of hypertension (MMWR, 2011, p. 42). Due to increased concern about the condition, an initiative needs to be started to reduce child prevalence of obesity. The research indicates that the obesity levels are increasing tremendously especially with the increasing low child activity with one hour on TV and playing games being associated with 0.08%-1.4% increase in obesity (MMWR, 2011). For the condition to be reversed, children are to be encouraged to participate in physical activities such as games. This will play a great role in reversing the condition and reducing the escalating

Different Types of Credit Cards Essay Example for Free

Different Types of Credit Cards Essay INTRODUCTION In this assignment, I am doing a particular study about the different types of credit cards. A credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the holders promise to pay for them. The issuer of the card creates a revolving account and grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. A credit card is different from a charge card: a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers a continuing balance of debt, subject to interest being charged. A credit card also differs from a cash card, which can be used like currency by the owner of the card. A credit card differs from a charge card also in that a credit card typically involves a third-party entity that pays the seller and is reimbursed by the buyer, whereas a charge card simply defers payment by the buyer until a later date. The size of most credit cards is 85.60 Ãâ€" 53.98 mm (33/8 Ãâ€" 21/8 in), conforming to the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 standard. Credit cards have an embossed bank card number complying with the ISO/IEC 7812 numbering standard. Credit cards Credit cards now are of various types with different fees, interest rates and rewarding programs. When applying for a credit card, it is important to learn of their diverse types to know the one best suited to their lifestyle and financial status. Different types of credit cards available by banks and other companies/organizations are briefly described below. Standard Credit Card: This is the most commonly used. One is allowed to use money up to a certain limit. The account holder has to top up the amount once the level of the balance goes down. An outstanding balance gets a penalty charge. Premium Credit Card: This has a much higher bank account and fees. Incentives are offered in this over and above that in a standard card. Credit card holders are offered travel incentives, reward points, cask back and other rewards on the use of this card. This is also called the Reward Credit Card. Some examples are: airlines frequent flier credit card, cash back credit card, automobile manufacturers rewards credit card. Platinum and Gold, MasterCard and Visa card fall into this category . Secured Credit Card: People without credit history or with tarnished credit can avail this card. A security deposit is required amounting to the same as the credit limit. Revolving balance is required according to the buying and selling done. The cardholder of a secured credit card is still expected to make regular payments, as with a regular credit card, but should they default on a payment, the card issuer has the option of recovering the cost of the purchases paid to the merchants out of the deposit. The advantage of the secured card for an individual with negative or no credit history is that most companies report regularly to the major credit bureaus. This allows building a positive credit history. Although the deposit is in the hands of the credit card issuer as security in the event of default by the consumer, the deposit will not be debited simply for missing one or two payments. Usually the deposit is only used as an offset when the account is closed, either at the request of the customer or due to severe delinquency (150 to 180 days). This means that an account which is less than 150 days delinquent will continue to accrue interest and fees, and could result in a balance which is much higher than the actual credit limit on the card. Limited Purpose Credit Card: There is limitation to its use and is to be used only for particular applications. This is used for establishing small credits such as gas credits and credit at departmental stores. Minimal charges are levied. Charge Credit Card: This requires the card holder to make full payment of the balance every month and therefore there is no limit to credit. Because of the spending flexibility, the card holder is expected to have a higher income level and high credit score. Penalty is incurred if full payment of the balance is not done in time. Specialty Credit Card: It is used for business purposes enabling businessmen to keep their businesses transactions separately in a convenient way. Charge cards and standard cards are available for this. Also, students enrolled in an accredited 4-year college/university course can avail this benefit. Prepaid Credit Card: Here, money is loaded by the card holder on to the card. It is like a debit card except that it is not tied up with a bank account. This is directly connected to savings account. The payments from this card can be made until there is balance in the account. Low Interest Rate Credit Cards: This credit card is highly useful as they will have low interest rates. Business Credit Cards Credit cards that are specifically for business use only. They give the privilege for business owners to have an easy method of keeping and separating personal and business transaction. This credit card is available for businessmen who have large scale, small scale or medium scale business to look after. This card is highly useful for facilitating businessman’s training programs, travel and entertainment programs. Gold Credit Card: Gold credit cards are made for higher income groups who also have higher credit rating. It is a status symbol and is considered prestigious. The features of gold credit cards are: Cash withdrawal limit is higher Credit limit is higher Provides one Add-on card which can be given to either, spouse, children or parents of the credit card holder Provides many privileges such as travel insurance, reward points, cash back offers etc. Platinum or Titanium Card: P latinum or Titanium cards are similar to gold credit cards but they have few more additional benefits. The additional features may differ from bank to bank. Few common features are listed below: Protection against credit card loss and theft. Protection against online fraud transactions Protection against sickness and injury by an accident. There is no yearly fee Silver Credit Card: Silver credit cards are the standard credit cards available and most of the employed people with 4 or 5 years’ experience can own this type of card. The features of silver cards are: Lower membership fees The applicant need not be a high- salaried person to buy silver card. The interest rate is 0% initially between 6-9 months when transferring account balance from one credit provider to another one. If the credit history of the card holder is good, the credit limit provided will be the same as provided to other credit cards. There are many other types of credit cards sold in India. Few are mentioned below: Rewards Credit Card: This card has rewards attached to it on based on usage of the card, for e.g. A card may offer 5% discount on fuel, if it is used to buy fuel and gas, or a card may offer cash back facility if a certain amount is spent through it. Balance Transfer Credit Card: This card is bought to pay outstanding amount of one card with the other. In this too there are cards that offer interest-free time period. List of credit cards provided by the various banks: Indian Overseas Bank Visa International Credit card Axis Platinum card Bank of Indias India Card Gold International Card Citibank Dinners Club International card ICICI Bank Online card Syndicate Global Gold Credit Card CorpBank Gold card Vijaya Bank Visa Gold Credit Card HSBC Platinum card CorpBank Classic card Vijaya Bank VISA Classic International Card HDFC Silver credit card Conclusion Here we discussed about various types credit cards that using for the simplicity in transactions. Many credit cards can also be used in an ATM to withdraw money against the credit limit extended to the card, but many card issuers charge interest on cash advances before they do so on purchases. As well as convenient, accessible credit, credit cards offer consumers an easy way to track expenses, which is necessary for both monitoring personal expenditures and the tracking of work-related expenses for taxation and reimbursement purposes. Credit cards are accepted worldwide, and are available with a large variety of credit limits, repayment arrangement, and other perks (such as insurance protection, rewards schemes in which points earned by purchasing goods with the card can be redeemed for further goods and services or cashback). Some countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, limit the amount for which a consumer can be held liable due to fraudulent transactions as a result of a consumers credit card being lost or stolen.

Same Sex Marriages Should be Legal Essay example -- Argumentative Pers

Same Sex Marriages Should be Legal    Flowers, candles, and music are all part of a wedding. As the organist plays "Here Comes the Bride," I notice this is where the similarities end. The bride, who is a woman, is marrying a groom, who is also a woman. Single-sex marriages are only allowed in a few states. However, single-sex marriages should become legal so that couples could enjoy the advantages of marriage. Legalizing single-sex marriage would create more family units and create more tolerance from society, allowing single-sex couples a legal way of expressing their love to each other. One of the major complaints of heterosexuals against homosexuals is that homosexuals are involved in many sexual relationships instead of a monogamous relationship. If the country would allow same-sex marriages, the people involved would feel as if they could seek out life-long companions. The couple's relationship would have a goal that is accepted by society. This goal is the same as heterosexual couples' goal, which is to find that special someone to spend a lifetime with until "death do us part." Sheila and Annette, friends of mine, have lived together since high school. Sheila and Annette would marry if they were allowed the opportunity. Sheila's concern is that the gay lifestyle is encouraged to be permissive because of society's rejection of same-sex marriage. She has a friend, Alice, who has had thirty different partners. Alice says that changing so often is allowable because there are no legal binding contracts to hold one in a relationship. Alice feels that if same-sex rela tionships had some sort of binding contract, she would be more careful in entering into a serious relationship. So, if the country would legalize same-sex m... ...want a family, and want to be accepted by society just as heterosexual people want that special person, want to raise children, and want to be accepted by society. So, as I watch the happy couple stroll down the aisle with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts, excited about their future together, I am happy that at least this state allows same-sex marriage. Hopefully in the future all states will allow people freedom to choose who they want to be with for a lifetime. The positive outcomes could be beneficial not only to the homosexual community by allowing them a binding contract of marriage, but also to many children who could grow up in an atmosphere of two adults loving and interacting together as a family unit. Love is what all humans want and need, whatever package it may come in. Society needs to relax and permit people to love whom they want.   

Camels – Adaptations to Extreme Environments

The Camel: How it has Adapted Organisms exist in many environments, some are arid, some flooded, some are basic, some acidic, some are hot, and some are cool. Regardless of the conditions, animals have adapted themselves to survive in their surroundings. One of the main ecosystems that is classed as an extreme environment is the desert ecosystem. A classic example of a desert is the Sahara. Aridity is a characteristic shared amongst all deserts. As reported by Smith (2013), the reason most deserts are arid is because of uneven levels of evapotranspiration and precipitation.Aswel as adapting to very dry conditions, organisms in a desert ecosystem have also adapted to hot temperatures. The temperatures range from as high as 40oC during the day to as low as below freezing during the night due to lack of cloud cover. Evolution: As wrote by Long & Savage (1986) in the late Eocene period and to the end of Miocene, camels evolved and diversified solely in North America. During this time the y were similar in size to rabbits, and their feet contained four toes. In Oligocene times, camels were similar in size to goats, with the lost of the lateral toes, with the remaining digits showing signs of evolution.During the Miocene time, camels adapted a new of walking, it is know as pacing gait. This is where the camel moved both left or both right legs in one movement, instead of opposite legs. During this time camels feet produced pad like structures, which helped them from sinking in soft terrain i. e sand. Then they arrived in South America during the Plio-Pleistocene times. This is where they diversified into 2 more genus under Camelinae family of the more known species, llama and alpaca, and 2 less known, guanaco and vicuna.As this happened, they crossed into the ‘Old World', where they then spread across Europe, Asia and Africa, this is where they branched out into the ‘single humped' Camelus Dromedarius, and ‘double humped' Camelus Bactrianus. Characte ristics of Camelus Dromedarius: An animal that has adapted well to this environment is the Camelus Dromedarius. Wilson (1984) as cited by Kohler-Rollefson (1991) describes the features of the camels body. Dromedary camels have a shoulder height of at least 1. 8m, with the hump extending a further 20cm. They can weights upwards of 400kg.Dromedary camels have a long upward curved neck, with a single hump on it's back. This is all supported by their long, strong legs and wide webbed feet. Body Temperature / Water Conservation: In the desert temperatures fluctuate. On average, a dehydrated camels body temperature fluctuates by up to 8oC in a single day, it can increase from an average of 34-36 to 42oC. There is less of a fluctuation if the camel is hydrated (2oC). If camels did not tolerate this fluctuation in temperature and instead tried to keep the body cool, up to 5 litres of water could be lost due to sweating.This allows the camel to conserve water and energy. The camel then takes advantage of the cool evenings to dissipate heat, with no energy cost. Camels, like all other mammals do sweat to maintain an acceptable temperature, however, it is not continuous. (Mares, 1999). Composition of Camel's Hump: Mares (1999), reports that a common misconception associated with camels is that their hump is composed of water, this has been disproven, and instead replaced with the fact this it is fat. Another common misconception associated with a camels hump is that water is produced by the oxidation of fat.This is has been proven to be false, or at least, partially untrue as the oxidation of fat requires an increased oxygen intake, this results in an increased rate of breathing, which increases the amount of water lost as vapour from the lungs. This nullifies the effect of the metabolized fat, yielding no net gain in water. As previously discussed, camels have adapted to keep their bodies cool, without sacrificing water. Another adaptation that is seen with camels is th at their main fat store is their hump. A camel does not store fat on other parts of their body.This is because the fat would act as insulation and reduce the amount of heat lost at night, at a time when the temperature is cooler, and most heat dissipation occurs. Excretion in Camels: Richards (1973) as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) explores the fact that camels are able to produce urine that contains twice as much salt as sea water. It was noted by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) that the Kidney is composed of Henle loops of varying lengths. Camels are seen to contain a lot of longer loops than any other species, so there is a bigger potential for water to be reabsorbed, and the urine becoming concentrated.This coincides with the camels ability to facilitate water and plants with a salt content higher than normal. Schmidt-Nielsen (1964) as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa (1981) compared the volume of urine excreted by the camel while hydrated and while dehydrated. The camel while hydrated, excreted up to 4 litres of urine in a single day, compared to the when it was dehydrated, where it excreted up to half a litre of urine. It was also noted that the camel produced faeces, almost completely absent of water.It was composed of a large number of pellets approximately 3cm in length. As they lacked water, they were light to lift, with a shiny appearance. Conclusion: Camels like animals in other extreme environments have adapted well to suit their environment of temperature fluctuations and a lack of water. Camels have evolved in such a way that moving has been made easier, they do not sink into the sand, so they do not expend more energy than is needed. The camels adaptation to a large fluctuation in body temperature allows water to be conserved as it is not lost as sweat.The camels hump proves as an invaluable energy source when food sources are scarce, as is common in desert ecosystems, the fat is metabolized and used as energy. It's all these adaptations that allows the camel to live in such an extreme environment. The absence of one or more of these adaptations would lead to the inability of camels to survive in this environment. In this day and age global warming is increasing the average temperature of the earths atmosphere, if there was a significant increase, could these organism handle an increased temperature luctuation? References: Jeremy M. B. Smith desert 2013. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. Retrieved 01 March, 2013, from http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/158992/desert Kohler-Rollefson, Ilse U, (1991). Camelus Dromedarius. Mammalian Species. 375 (1-8), pp. 1-4 Mares, Michael A. , (1999). Encyclopaedia of Deserts. 1st ed. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. Richards, S. A. , 1973. Adaptation to heat. In Temperature regulation. London, Wykeham Publications, pp. 191-197 as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. , (1981).The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius): A Bibliographical Review. 1st ed. Ethiopia: International Livestock Centre of Africa Savage R . J. G & Long, M. R. , (1986). Mammal Evolution. 1st ed. United Kingdom: Facts on File & The British Museum. Schmidt-Nielsen, K. 1964. The Camel. In Desert Animals: physiological problems of heat and water. Oxford, Clarendon press, 277 pp as cited by Mukasa-Mugerwa, E. , (1981). The Camel (Camelus Dromedarius): A Bibliographical Review. 1st ed. Ethiopia: International Livestock Centre of Africa