Inspirational Quotes on Getting Better

Inspirational Quotes on Getting Better Somebody once said, The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. We can always make room in our lives to get better, whether that means improving our health, our finances or our personal relationships. Even if we think things are perfect, theres likely a small area or two where we could put in a little extra work. Thats not to say that self-improvement is always easy: Its not. But sometimes the words of others who have been through similar struggles can give us the inspiration to carry on and change our lives for the better. Here are some famous and inspiring quotes about improving and getting better. Quotes on Self-Improvement from Writers Those with a talent for expressing themselves in words frequently offer insights the rest of us might not think of. But any writer whos ever worked with an editor knows all about the need to constantly improve and strive to be better. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better.- John Updike Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.- William Faulkner Dont be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. -   Dale Carnegie Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life youve imagined.-   Henry David Thoreau There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and thats your own self.-   Aldous Huxley More Quotes About Getting Better Of course, sometimes inspiration comes from philosophers, business people, and entertainers. No one really has a lock on the self-improvement gig. But its up to you to decide how to apply these quotes in your life. The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.- Confucius Become addicted to constant and never-ending self-improvement.- Anthony J. DAngelo Before everything else; getting ready is the secret of success. Dont find fault. Find a remedy.- Henry Ford Dont start living tomorrow, tomorrow never arrives. Start working on your dreams and ambitions today.  -   Unknown Author Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.- Emile Coue Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.-   Stephen Hawking God has entrusted me with myself.-   Epictetus Good, better, best; never let it rest till your good is better and your better is best.- Unknown Author Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities. Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.-   Norman Vincent Peale Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.- Lao Tzu

The DWT Freelance Writing Course Is Live

The DWT Freelance Writing Course Is Live The DWT Freelance Writing Course Is Live The DWT Freelance Writing Course Is Live By Daniel Scocco As you probably know the Internet is growing faster than ever, and content is what fosters that growth. As a result there is a strong demand for writers online right now, ranging from copywriters to paid bloggers and magazine writers. That is why a couple of months ago we ran a poll asking our readers if they would be interested in a freelance writing course. Over 500 people answered positively, so we got busy and created one. It’s a 6-week course aimed at giving you all the information you need to start making money freelance writing online. The core content was created by Ali Hale. Apart from writing for us she is a very successful freelance writer. In fact after only eight months writing online she managed to quit her job, and today she is a full time freelance writer and coach for aspiring writers. I also contributed to some of the Internet marketing related lessons, and both Ali and I will be hanging in the private forums to answer questions and interact with the students. The course will remain open for enrollment for 48 hours only (i.e., doors close on Friday, 8am EST), so if you are interested I would recommend you to check it out now. You can click here to visit the course page with all the relevant information. If you have a question just leave a comment below with it and Ill be glad to answer. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-Efficient40 Synonyms for â€Å"Different†When to Spell Out Numbers

The Margaret Mead and derek Freeman debate vs Lets' Abolish high Essay

The Margaret Mead and derek Freeman debate vs Lets' Abolish high School by robert Epstein - Essay Example A second article titled The Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman Debate, written by Ann M. Bender, Trevor Humphries, and Trevor Michael illustrates the ongoing contention brought on by the nature versus nurture debate. We are a product of both biology and culture and both Margaret Mead's book Coming of Age in Samoa, as well as Epstein's article, reinforce this understanding of the debate about how much of our teenage years are a product of biology and how much comes from society. Epstein's article, which calls for a rethinking of adolescence, traces a logical path that concludes that our concept of teenager is a product of our culture. Indeed, Epstein's book, which served as a basis for this article, has been the subject of a considerable number of positive reviews. Authors, professional psychiatrists, and other academic professionals have stated their acceptance and praise. Epstein does make several salient points about our view of the teenage years, how we got this way, and the potential problems that it causes. Yet, Epstein seems to contradict his own view of nature. He seemingly supports the nature argument by stating, "technically speaking we're not really children anymore, and presumably through most of human history we bore our young when we were quite young ourselves". However, in the same writing he argues about the impact of society when he laments the teenage years as a time when he "couldn't own property or do any interesting or fulfilling work, and he had no choice but to attend high school for several more years before getting on with his 'real' life". While biology propels the body into adulthood, society meters its progress and deliberates the impact of socialization. Unfortunately, Mead's book, which also found that teenagers are a product of their culture, was heavily criticized and its results were questioned. In fact, both books highlight the need for teaching children how to learn, and the vital skill of being able to think and write critically. These are traits of nurture that nature could never provide. Margaret Mead made several of the same points as Epstein in her book, yet was heavily criticized by Derek Freeman. Though Freeman's criticism largely rested on the quality of the process and not the results, his criticism does attempt to neutralize the view that adolescence is the product of culture. Clearly, both Epstein and Mead were correct in their assessment that adolescence is molded from cultural expectations. We see this when a young man steps up to be the breadwinner when a father has suddenly disappeared from the family scene. It is apparent when a young girl becomes the homemaker when the family faces life without their mother. Freeman, though maybe technically correct, did sociology and anthropology a disservice by diminishing the importance of Mead's work and her revolutionary insights. Epstein's view that we should teach our children how to learn and send them off as teenagers to discover knowledge makes more sense in a globalized community with few borders or obstacles to information. In conclusion, the ages old argument about nature versus nurture is not an either or and exclusive argument. Teenagers are molded by human nature as well as the society in which they are

Gain Laundry Detergent Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gain Laundry Detergent - Assignment Example A true market segment has the same response to market stimulus and is reachable by market intervention. Market segmentation is necessary for any product to sell. However, it is necessary for a company to use unique bases of segmentation to make sure that its product sells well. Among the different bases that will be employed to segment a market, include geographical which is to be based on states, nations, and cities among others. Using this type of segmentation, the largest distribution store will be placed on a region with highest level of consumption of Gain Laundry detergent. Demographic segmentation is another type of market segmentation that will be based on age, gender, family size and income. Areas with high-income earners will receive special attention during distribution where the distributors will even be asked to deliver products at doorsteps of consumers (Porter, 1998). The other type of market segmentation is psychographic segmentation that is to be based on social class, lifestyles of people and personality characteristics. Gain Laundry detergent will be supplied to high social class individuals at special prices and this will be done using special designated cars. These cars will be known even to the clients being supplied to so as to close the loop of misconduct from suppliers as well as developing rapport on the consumers. Finally, there will be behavioral segmentation to be based on peoples’ behavior with reference to detergent consumption. Gain Laundry detergent will be distributed to some regions based on occasions, benefits sought for the product, rate of using and brand loyalty. Gain Laundry detergent is a competitive product and has several target markets to focus on. Women are first customers being targeted by the company distributing Gain Laundry detergent. This is mainly because women control most of households’ chores that

Existentialism and Rebt Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Rebt Essay During a lifetime, most individuals question the meaning of their existence at one point or another. Existential therapy aims to help individuals find purpose, have better defined goals, and live life to the fullest. Existential therapy takes into account cultural, social and political values of the client. It attempts to help the client live more deliberately, while accepting life’s unpredictable challenges and contradictions. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is complementary to existential therapy by providing techniques to help clients make changes once their awareness is increased through existential discovery. Existential therapy and REBT integrated approach to counseling can provide successful results by combining individual meaning with reasonable thinking. This empowers clients to take control of their lives. The first step in the therapy process is to help the client become aware of what changes need to be made in order to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life. This is achieved by examining one or more existential themes. In his book Existential Psychotherapy, Irwin Yalom describes four major themes that permeate existential psychotherapy: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. In the first theme, death, here are two major ideas that play key factors in therapy (Yalom, 1980). First of all, death and life coexist. Even though physically they are clearly separated, psychologically they exist simultaneously. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and as one dies, another is given an opportunity to experience life (Kaufmann, 1975). Death is a realistic threat and a part of our daily lives. Every day we are alive, we are closer to death. Frankl (2006) believes that â€Å"if there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete† (p. 67). Nothing in this world lasts forever. It is only natural for humans to see death as a part of life that is unavoidable. The awareness of death has a significant impact on life and â€Å"Although the physicality of death destroys man, the idea of death saves him† (Yalom, 1980, p. 30). Awareness of death allows individuals to live life more fully, authentically, and appreciate how truly precious life is. Authenticity is one of the main concepts of existentialism and is defined as being genuine, true to one’s feelings and beliefs, aware of self and surroundings, and ability to successfully deal with issues related to existence (Sharf, 2008). People come to appreciate life more, exist mindfully and purposefully. Nietzsche wrote: â€Å"He that consummates his life dies his death victoriously† (Kaufmann, 1975, p. 129). Those who live a complete and happy life are less likely to be afraid of death because they have experienced life to the fullest. A potential threat of life be taken away makes it more likely for people to appreciate and enjoy life. Without suffering how does one know pleasure? For example, someone with cancer who previously has taken life for granted may have a greater appreciation for life after beating the illness. In such cases, people feel the urgency to take pleasure in life’s every unique moment and relish the simple joys while they still can. Very often people do not value things until they are taken away or are threatened to be taken away. The second idea is that death anxiety constantly affects the way people experience their life. In addition, most anxiety comes from issues related to death and decreasing anxiety is one the major goals of psychotherapy. Anxiety can stem from many issues, such as control or fear. Fear of death is one of the significant motivators in our society. We constantly come up with new ways to avoid death by building safer vehicles, wearing protective gear, inventing new medical treatments and procedures. Self preservation is a natural instinct and anxiety related to the end of our life is an unavoidable reality. There are many reasons why individuals are afraid of death: inability to take care of dependents, pain and sadness that loved ones will feel, or fear of the afterlife. But one of the most common reasons is the fear of nothingness and loss of self (Yalom, 1980). Death anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways (Yalom, 1980). One’s feeling of missing exciting events or the desire to control the surrounding world, demonstrate this manifestation. These unhealthy thoughts help individuals ease fear of death by dealing not with the real and terrifying source of anxiety, but indirectly, through more socially acceptable actions. Many people protect themselves from death anxiety by denying it. Yalom (1980) discussed two ways that accomplish this goal: the ultimate rescuer and personal specialness. Both ideas lead people to feel that they will not be affected by misfortune like others might be. The ultimate rescuer is a type of defense mechanism leading people to believe that someone will come into their life and save them from their problems. An example of this would be a person with severe financial problems needing money to take care of health problems believing that someone or something will bring the needed money and the situation will work itself out. Personal specialness involves the belief that one is in a way different from others and therefore immune from the hardships of life. Personal specialness can be seen all around us: a healthy woman thinking cancer will never happen to her, couples believing there is no way they can have an autistic child, or a teenager driving recklessly believing that there is no way he will get in an accident and die. The awareness of finiteness enables people to appreciate the surrounding world at a much deeper level and find what it is they are meant to contribute to the world. The second theme of existential psychotherapy is freedom. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Individuals who are responsible are conscious of the fact that the world is not working against them. They come to realize that their experiences are the outcomes of their own decisions. Some people may feel that their environment, their unconscious mind, or genetic make up is working against them. Existential theory takes into consideration that these sometimes uncontrollable factors have an effect on events, but do not completely determine them. Frankl (2006) wrote regarding his experiences in a concentration camp: Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstances, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate (p. 66). In extreme situations as this, freedom represents psychological separation from a difficult situation. In this case, a person has inner freedom to choose how he feels and what he thinks. His physical freedom and material possessions can be taken away, but his thoughts, feelings, his self, cannot. People have the freedom to make any decision they choose, are responsible for these decisions and have to be able to face the outcomes. Yalom (1980) wrote that â€Å"To be aware of responsibility is to be aware of creating one’s own self, destiny, life predicament, feelings, and if such be the case, one’s own suffering† (p. 218). Having the freedom to control one’s own destiny and â€Å"own the insight that you and only you construct your own life design† can be a heavy burden to bear, but once individuals become aware of their power and accept the challenge, they can make significant improvements and live more authentically (Yalom, 1989, p. 38). Simple awareness may not be enough for change to take place. One must be willing and committed to address the negative aspects of life and become responsible for adopting new behaviors. People must accept responsibility for their lives and decisions they have made; otherwise, growth and positive change cannot take place. The third theme of existential therapy is isolation. Yalom (1980) discusses three types of isolation: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and existential. Interpersonal isolation involves separation of self from others. Many factors can contribute to such isolation, such as personality, culture, or physical location. In this case the person does not have a social support network, is not involved in healthy relationships and may feel cut off from other people. Intrapersonal isolation takes place when a person represses certain events, separates part/parts of the psyche or no longer has pronounced personal opinions and beliefs. Yalom (1980) sums up intrapersonal isolation by saying that it â€Å"results whenever one stifles one’s own feelings or desires, accepts â€Å"oughts† or â€Å"shoulds† as one’s own wishes, distrusts one’s own judgment, or buries one’s own potential†. Lastly, existential isolation refers to the feeling of being alone in the world. Regardless of how many friends or family members one has and how closely they are involved together, the person is still isolated and has distinctive experiences of the surrounding world. This may be considered a pessimistic view of life, but it is hard to deny that each person is one of a kind, whose true feeling and experience only they can know. Isolation can be seen as a representation of individuals’ uniqueness. Even though isolation is a part of life, intimate relationships are vital to a fulfilling life. Frankl (2006) wrote â€Å"†¦love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire†¦The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may find bliss†¦in the contemplation of his beloved† (p. 37). Genuine and loving relationships, where both individuals are actively involved, provide means to deal with existential isolation and help people find a sense of self. The final theme of existential therapy is meaninglessness. Many people struggle with the idea of what the meaning of their life is. People need a reason to wake up every day, go to work, do their chores, and repeat the cycle over and over again. Lack of goals, hope and purpose, can lead to stress, depression, and even suicide. It is a natural human desire to search for order, patterns, and explanations in the world. This need for organization raises the ultimate question of why and for what one lives. The quest for the meaning of life is divided into two groups of thought: man creates meaning and man is in search of meaning. The first idea is non spiritual and is based on the fact that there is no prearranged meaning and people create their own reason to live. The second way of thought regarding meaning of life is spiritual. It states that meaning is predetermined by a higher power and is something that a person needs to find. Frankl (2006) wrote â€Å"Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it† (p. 109). Regardless of the origin of meaning, it helps people truly live and keep going. As discussed earlier, the themes of death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness are used to build self-awareness in clients. Following the point when the client is committed to modify behavior, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) concepts and techniques are incorporated to make lasting changes in the client’s life. REBT therapists’ goal is to â€Å"help clients to give up their demands for perfection and to strive to develop constructive self-acceptance as well as acceptance of others† (Walen, DiGiuseppe, Dryden, 1992, p. 14) by overcoming their irrational beliefs. Irrational beliefs are unreasonable, do not represent actual events, commonly involve â€Å"black and white† thinking, lead to anxiety and prevent people from achieving their goals (Walen et al. ,1992). Within an existential theme of death, a client who has severe death anxiety and constantly avoids participating in various activities in order to avoid potential dangers, would first be guided to examine the reasons for death anxiety, and the irrational belief of death threat would be challenged by the therapist. There are six principles of REBT (Walen et al. , 1992). The core idea of the theory is that â€Å"we feel what we think† (Walen et al., 1992, p. 15). External factors do not cause people to feel a certain way, but rather people’s internal perceptions and interpretations contribute to the destructive emotional and behavioral reactions. The next principle is that irrational thinking causes the majority of emotional distress. Irrational thought patterns such as â€Å"musts†, â€Å"shoulds† and exaggerations can create extreme anxiety in individuals and make them feel out of control. The third principle states that by changing thinking patterns, the person can overcome anxiety causing feelings. Another principle discusses various factors that affect ways of thinking. According to Sharf (2008), Albert Ellis took into account biological and social factors that affect human development and susceptibility to develop irrational beliefs. Ellis believed that people have inborn drives to think irrationally and react to the environment in certain way. People are also strongly affected by their interpersonal relationships. Ellis found that if others perceive the person as worthy, the person is more likely to perceive himself as worthy, too. Our society as a whole contributes to this way of thinking by telling us that we â€Å"must† and â€Å"have to† do things a certain way. For example, parents telling kids to eat everything on their plate. This promotes the belief in children that if they do not finish a meal, they have failed. In adulthood, this can lead to obesity and other health problems, as well as irrational patterns of thought related to food. The fifth principle encourages clients to focus on the present. People may become â€Å"stuck† in the past and previously used thinking and coping patterns. By doing so, they are not able to leave behind destructive habits and move towards healthier ways of dealing with issues. Finally, REBT has an optimistic view and promotes that people can change. With hard work and determination, irrational and self-defeating thoughts can be reduced and lead to a more satisfying life. REBT uses a three part model to help clients overcome their issues: ‘A’ as activating event or adversities, ‘B’ as belief and ‘C’ as consequences. ‘A’ is the perceived unfortunate event in the person’s life which spurs self-defeating reactions. ‘B’ primarily includes believing, thinking, and also emoting and behaving in relation to ‘A’. C is characterized as the destructive consequences of ‘B’. According to Ellis (2002), many clients find it difficult to understand the ABC model as they wrongfully believe that ‘A’ directly causes ‘C’. It is important for clients to understand that their beliefs contribute significantly to the emotionally destructive consequences. It is important for individuals to focus on the adverse event and experience the entire range of emotions that occur as a result. Clients are encouraged to focus on specific thoughts that caused negative emotions, such as perceived ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’. Then, they are instructed to replace damaging thoughts with healthier ones and work to pinpoint which thoughts contribute to positive versus negative emotions. This technique allows the client to better control their thoughts, leading to more functional emotions and behaviors. It is important to help clients understand that thinking, emoting and behaving frequently happens simultaneously rather than individually. If a client is upset with a loved one, he might be feeling hurt, thinking that he is being ignored, and behaving angrily by raising his voice all at the same time (Ellis, 2002). Clients are encouraged to honestly and openly experience feelings, accept their existence and how they influence clients’ lives (Ellis, 1997). Sharf (2008) discusses Ellis’ belief in the importance of concentrating on the long-term goals, which he calls responsible hedonism. REBT believes that enjoyment is a significant part of life, but that many individuals focus on short-term pleasure, such as substance abuse, rather than concentrating on the long-term enjoyment of living a healthy life. Humanism is another core concept of REBT. Each person is viewed as a whole and goal-oriented being. Clients are encouraged to have Unconditional Self Acceptance, which includes assets and flaws. They are taught to value themselves because they are alive, regardless of the mistakes they have made, their socioeconomic status, intellectual abilities or the type of feelings they experience. Existentialism and REBT concepts have several common characteristics, which can make the use of these two therapies together more effective than individual use. This integrated approach provides an â€Å"existential framework that balances the appeal to reason with the unique human tendency to discover individual meaning† (Hutchinson Chapman, 2005, p. 146). According to Ellis (2002), there are seven main ways in which existential therapy and REBT practices are similar and therefore complement each other in achieving change in clients. First of all, both theories accept the fact that anxiety is a normal part of life. Moderate existential anxiety is what keeps people alive. The problem occurs when humans become overly concerned with certain life events and become neurotic. Second, existential theory believes that people are able to rise above potential and existing unfortunate situations. REBT also believes that people can choose to think about difficult events in such ways that do not cause distress. The third similarity is that both theories agree that it is vital to â€Å"directly and firmly show†¦clients the error in their ways† (Ellis, 2002, p. 253). Clients need to be taught skills in order to make changes to destructive thoughts and behaviors. Clients are ‘free’ to change, but might be unable to do so without concrete techniques. Another similarity is that both theories incorporate the idea that individuals have the freedom and power to be in control of their destiny. Ellis (1997) wrote: â€Å"[choice]†¦is one of the main advantages of being human: you can choose, usually, to think one thing or another† (p. 38). People have the ability to decide and control how they think, and consequently how they feel or behave in various, sometimes extremely difficult situations. They can choose to feel depressed, helpless and hopeless or take charge of a situation and focus on what they can control. The goal of purposeful living contributing to a more meaningful and fulfilling life can be seen in existential therapy and REBT. A meaningful life helps individuals become more self-actualized and increase personal awareness. With increased awareness and meaning, people can better control self-defeating thoughts and overcome existential conflicts. The next idea that existential therapy and REBT share is that there is no absolute truth. Each person’s experiences are subjective and unique occurrences. Every individual knows what is true for him only and it is difficult for people to come to an agreement regarding what is true (Kaufmann, 1975). Additionally, both theories focus on the present. It is important to work on problematic behaviors that are happening today. Past and future affect the person, but do not determine the reality. REBT techniques of staying calm and rational can help clients work logically on the issues of meaninglessness, isolation a nd death. The final similarity relates to the therapist client relationship. Existential and REBT therapists aim to be fully present with the client. They strive to empathize, relate and experience the world through the client’s eyes. Psychological health is subjective and depends on the person’s life style, culture and many other factors. However, there are a number of characteristics that can be used to define psychological health. In regard to existential theory, Sharf (2008) considers that â€Å"to be truly human, individuals must be aware of their own being-in-the-world†, which involves realization of one’s personal value, destiny, and responsibility (p. 151). Considering existential theory and REBT, a psychologically healthy person lives rationally, authentically, purposefully and accepts the uncontrollable life events. Authenticity is one of the main characteristics of a psychologically healthy person. Authenticity includes meaningful existence which allows individuals to feel alive, genuine, aware and fully present in the moment. Healthy individuals are honest with themselves and are able to accept their freedom to make positive choices, accept the outcomes of their decisions, and successfully cope with unanswered questions of their existence. Genuine and meaningful relationships with others are a significant part of the person’s life and one is able to maintain a healthy relationship without losing a sense of self. Avoidance of feelings that one ‘has to’ or ‘must’ do certain things is also vital. Psychologically healthy individuals do not overreact, overgeneralize and otherwise examine situations logically and rationally. These individuals are tolerant of difficult or undesirable situations, exhibit low frustration levels, focus on long-term goals, live purposeful and meaningful lives. The increased state of psychological health can take a long time and requires commitment and patience from the therapist and the client. According to Yalom (1989), the first step to increased psychological health is assumption of responsibility. In order for the client to change behavior patters, he must first accept that his current position is due to his own actions. For the client to change, therapist and client must find specific issues and tensions that play into the client’s life. A significant part of the therapeutic process is to facilitate the client to accept the contradictions and challenges of human existence. Therapist assists the client to set goals and find purpose in life, while accepting and rationally dealing with the obstacles that the client might have to face in the process. The main goal is to empower the client to realize his full potential, accept personal freedom, and be more aware of thinking, emoting, and behaving patterns. Clients increase personal awareness and start living authentically, with an ability to communicate effectively with others and understand the true self. In addition, clients explore what is important to them and how they can achieve what they want in life. In the process of working through life’s everyday challenges and experiences, clients explore deeper issues having to do with humanity in general, such as death, isolation, and meaning. Clients learn to better control self-defeating emotions, thoughts and behaviors. They start thinking more lucidly and rationally, which gives them the ability to experience life to the fullest. There are a number of methods and techniques to help clients improve psychological health, authenticity, and life satisfaction. Existential therapy and REBT agree that each person has a unique perception of reality. In existential therapy, an important strategy is to accept the world through the client’s eyes and allow the client to guide the course of therapy. Once the path of questioning is determined, the therapist uses Socratic dialog to help the client come to his own conclusions and decisions. This technique is a component of both existential therapy and REBT. It involves questions that help the client come to an understanding of a problem or situation or make a decision. Socratic dialog is used â€Å"to prompt the discovery of life purpose and meaning at a spiritual level†¦[as well as] challenge the inflexible shoulds and musts, absolutistic demands, self-downing, and catastrophic beliefs† (Hutchinson Chapman, 2005, p. 151). Such ways of questioning also contribute to a ‘buy-in’ from the client and improves self-discovery information retention (Walen et al. , 1992). Existential therapy and REBT take into consideration the past and future, but therapeutic change takes place in the present. By focusing on the present, the client is helped to continually self-actualize, experience his personal existence, and work through the issues preventing authentic existence. The main goal of REBT is to dispute the client’s irrational beliefs. The ABC model discussed earlier is the tool used to change the client’s dysfunctional thinking, but in the actual therapeutic process two more elements are added: ‘D’ as Disputation and ‘E’ as new effect. Once the activating event is clearly outlined, the therapist points out to the client his irrational beliefs which led to the undesirable consequence. Disputing involves detecting, discriminating and debating irrational beliefs. The therapist outlines and questions the client’s irrational beliefs, helping the client understand the destructive thinking patterns. Now the client is ready to adopt a more functional way of thinking, by replacing irrational beliefs with appropriate thoughts, therefore reducing unpleasant feelings about self and others and start living a more fulfilling life. Existential discussions can help clients discover personal freedom to change their state of existence and find more pleasure in life. Such self-awareness can make the disputing process easier by providing the client with the power and freedom to overcome self-defeating thoughts (Hutchinson Chapman, 1992). A genuine therapeutic relationship is a vital factor in existential therapy. The therapist strives to be authentically caring and validate the client’s feelings, thoughts and experiences. The client must feel comfortable expressing himself and allowing the therapist into his innermost thoughts and feelings. In order for this to happen, the therapist must communicate to the client that the client and his feeling and thoughts are fully accepted. A strong relationship also makes the client more likely to follow the therapist’s advice and trust the REBT disputing process. Although existential therapy and REBT are complementary in many ways, the integration has a number of limitations. The process counts on the client to be fairly insightful and self aware. Someone, whose intellectual abilities are not as strong, may not benefit as much from therapy. Past experiences of the client are taken into consideration, but are not actively explored. This may limit the insight achieved by the therapist and client, therefore slowing down improvement. Additionally, this integrated approach is more targeted towards individual therapy, so family systems techniques would need to be incorporated in order to accommodate families and couples. Existential therapy and REBT have many common objectives and share a number of underlying concepts. Although this integrated approach to counseling is somewhat directive, the client’s concerns and personal goals are in the center of the therapeutic process. Therapy is based on leading the client to self-discovery, authentic and rational existence. By combining themes and techniques of existential theory and REBT, clients gain the benefit of examining multifaceted existential themes with the addition of empirically supported REBT techniques. My interest in the integration of existential therapy and REBT originally came from personal beliefs and experiences. Congruent with existential theory, I have often questioned the purpose of my life and whether human beings are interconnected or isolated. I relate to the spiritually oriented existentialism and have always believed that every person has a certain calling; the difficulty only lies in finding what it is. Consistent with the ideas of REBT, I many times find myself and people around me overreacting, overgeneralizing, and otherwise making inappropriate statements and having irrational thoughts. By becoming more aware of my own existence, thoughts, beliefs and actions, I will be able to help my clients come to similar understandings and lead more fulfilling, purposeful, and authentic lives. My philosophical inclination, my strive to understand other people’s points of view and my focus on the present will provide a healthy and successful environment for clients to achieve their therapeutic goals. References Ellis, A. , Harper, R. (1997). A Guide to Rational Living. Chatsworth: Melvin Powers Wilshire Book Company. Ellis, A. (2002). Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Integrated Apporach. New York: Springer Publishing Company Inc. Frankl, V. (2006). Man’s Search For Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press. Hutchinson, G. T. Chapman, B. P. Logotherapy-Enhanced REBT: An Integration of Discovery and Reason. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Vol. 35, No. 2, 145-155 Kierkegaard: Dread and Freedom. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Kierkegaard: Authority. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Kierkegaard: Truth is Subjectivity. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Nietzsche: The Portable Neitzche. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp121-133). New York: The New American Library Inc. Sharf, R. S. (2008). Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling: Concepts and Cases. Belmont: University of Delaware, Thomson Brooks/Cole. Walen, S. , DiGiuseppe, R. , Dryden, W. (1992). A Practitioner’s Guide to Rational- Emotive Therapy. New York: Oxford University Press. Yalom, I. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books. Yalom, I. (1989). Love’s Executioner: Other Tails of Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline :: Pro Con Essays

Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate commonly used in gasoline in America, Europe, and other countries throughout the world. It is a compound created by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene that is added to gasoline because of its high octane level, allowing gasoline to reach the required octane levels and still include a gasoline component. In addition, because it is an oxygenate, MTBE helps gasoline more fully combust, which increases performance and reduces the amount of harmful pollutants such as CO, VOCs, NOx, and particulates released into the atmosphere from automobile exhaust [EFOA]. However, opposition has recently arisen against the use of MTBE in gasoline. Every underground gas tank eventually leaks, and the gasoline is soaked up by the surrounding ground. MTBE is not soluble in water; therefore, when the gasoline leaks out of the tank, the MTBE pollutes the ground water (well water), and eventually the surface water also. In addition, though MTBE reduces the amount of most pollutants released from automobiles, it also produces a harmful pollutant, formaldehyde, when combusted [CECA]. Even worse, a study performed by a medical researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that MTBE may be the cause of a seventeen percent increase in asthma among kindergarten students since it has been utilized in gasoline. The study also shows that MTBE has failed to improve smog levels in the years it has been in use [Jones]. Therefore, is MTBE good or bad? It is still early to give a definite answer, however the banning of MTBE in many states in the US in exchange for its most common alternative, ethanol, shows signs that MTBE is doing more harm than help. To be fair, if more strict legislation were to be passed to force gas stations to maintain leak free tanks, much of MTBE’s pollutant problems would be solved. Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline :: Pro Con Essays Pros and Cons of MTBE in Gasoline MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is an oxygenate commonly used in gasoline in America, Europe, and other countries throughout the world. It is a compound created by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene that is added to gasoline because of its high octane level, allowing gasoline to reach the required octane levels and still include a gasoline component. In addition, because it is an oxygenate, MTBE helps gasoline more fully combust, which increases performance and reduces the amount of harmful pollutants such as CO, VOCs, NOx, and particulates released into the atmosphere from automobile exhaust [EFOA]. However, opposition has recently arisen against the use of MTBE in gasoline. Every underground gas tank eventually leaks, and the gasoline is soaked up by the surrounding ground. MTBE is not soluble in water; therefore, when the gasoline leaks out of the tank, the MTBE pollutes the ground water (well water), and eventually the surface water also. In addition, though MTBE reduces the amount of most pollutants released from automobiles, it also produces a harmful pollutant, formaldehyde, when combusted [CECA]. Even worse, a study performed by a medical researcher from the University of Pennsylvania, shows that MTBE may be the cause of a seventeen percent increase in asthma among kindergarten students since it has been utilized in gasoline. The study also shows that MTBE has failed to improve smog levels in the years it has been in use [Jones]. Therefore, is MTBE good or bad? It is still early to give a definite answer, however the banning of MTBE in many states in the US in exchange for its most common alternative, ethanol, shows signs that MTBE is doing more harm than help. To be fair, if more strict legislation were to be passed to force gas stations to maintain leak free tanks, much of MTBE’s pollutant problems would be solved.

Comparison of American Education and Asian Eduction

Joshua R Coleman Mrs. Kumler English 10 4-26-12 Comparison of American Education and Asian Education For many years, the United States has prided itself in producing the most intelligent people in the world. Much of the U. S. ’s advances have been through the contributions of many brilliant scientists, doctors and other professionals. However, recent studies have shown that America is losing this advantage to many Asian countries including Japan and South Korea. American education has fallen short of the education found in the countries of Asia due to the lack of the competitive culture in America.To show the competitiveness of a nation one can look at a country’s population, average wages, and the amount of time spent in school. When compared to countries such as Japan and South Korea, the U. S. has a much higher population. However, it is not the total population that would make a nation competitive, but the amount of people living in a certain area. According to the National Census of 2011, there are over 300 million people in the United States living in the 3,537,422 sq. iles of the country (â€Å"Profile†). According to the U. S. Department of State, country of South Korea has a population of 48,754,657 people in its 38,023 sq. mi. To put the population of South Korea in comparison to the U. S. , imagine about one sixth of America’s population in side of the state of Indiana. The population of Japan consists of about 126,457,664 people living inside of its 145,902 sq. mi. The population density of Japan is about half of the United States’ population inside of the state of California.The population density shows how many people are competing with each other for jobs and college acceptance. Since America has such a large amount of territory, the people are not as threatened with each other, thus lowering its competition levels. Americans were once thought of having the richest population in the world. In 2010 National Wage Index, the average wage was $41,673. 83. This beats the average wage in South Korea, which is the equivalent of $33,000 U. S. dollars, yet loses to the citizens of Japan, who make the equivalent of $46,800 U.S. dollars (â€Å"2012 Average Salary Survey†). The wages help us determine whether the average man has a well paying job, for him to get a well paying job, he would probably need a good education. The amount of time spent in the classroom also may improve the superiority of the students it produces. The average American student goes to school for 6. 5 hours a day, 180 days a year (O’Mara). In South Korea, the required amount of time for children to attend school is 220 days (Pellissier). In Japan a total of 240 days is required.Students must also pass an entry exam to get into high school, thereby increasing the level of competition even higher (â€Å"Daily Life†). The longer school year and the entry exams force a student to become more focused and competi tive. South Korea, Japan, and the U. S. A. are part of the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), which â€Å"evaluate[s] education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in participating countries/economies (PISA). † After the 2009 test scores were published, the U.S. fell below the average in the math section but remained only slightly above average in the reading portion of the test. Japan placed fourth in the mathematics section, and fifth in the reading section. South Korea, however, was the country that had the highest scoring in both mathematics and reading, ranking at the top of the list. These tests are proof that America is not producing the level of high scoring students as Asian Countries. This is yet another example of how a competitive culture can effect and improve an education system.From what the information suggests, the educational systems in Asian countries far exceed that of America. The level of comp etition in these countries plays a major factor in their success and will continue to allow only the best and brightest students to be selected in universities and jobs. If America is to retain her status as the world’s leading producer of brilliant minds, then it must somehow improve its educational systems in order to match not just the competition within her own borders, but across the globe.

Lady Macbeth Analysis Essay

Lady Macbeth has a manipulative, vindictive nature. She is a very controlling character yet we see her troubled mind reveal itself as the play progresses although as a character, in my opinion, when her mind unravels and her actions of insanity later occurs in the play I do not feel an ounce of sympathy for the murderous malicious actions of Macbeth’s temptress that lead him to doom and destruction. Therefore Lady Macbeth is just like a serpent that poisons her prey. In the opening scenes of the play it is clear to see how acutely in love Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are. When Macbeth is told the prophecy by the witches he immediately writes a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her of this news. Macbeth addresses Lady Macbeth as â€Å"my dearest partner of greatness† act 1 scene 5; this shows the magnitude of his love for her. He thoroughly respects her and reports to her, â€Å"deliver thee† not failing to tell her any new information. The first time we meet Lady Macbeth it doesn’t give the reader a great perspective. She immediately becomes captivated in Macbeths letter and the prophecy of him being King, and conjures up a plan to kill Duncan, it is later revealed they are mutual friends, as he addresses her as â€Å"honored hostess† act 1 scene 6. This cold hearted nature and deep desire for social status and thriving ambition makes her desert any feelings of guilt and remorse, (for the time being). She is confident and strong, she fears Macbeth is not evil enough to execute a friend to reach the final goal of high status we hear this in her soliloquy, â€Å"too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way,† act 1 scene 5 she prays for help â€Å"metaphysical aid† act 1 scene 5 to help Macbeth become ruthless. She fears he is â€Å"without ambition† act 1 scene 5 and so would not carry out the deed properly. Lady Macbeth even would do the murder herself as she prays to become manlier â€Å"unsex me† act 1 scenes 5-7, she prays that she will have no conscience and to be filled with poison. This shows the extent of her ambitious mind. It also reveals that although how evil she is, she still needs an extra push to give her confidence, this doesn’t mean however that she is an innocent flower, she is still an evil serpent at the fact that she wishes to be even more evil and filled with malice. When she first meets Macbeth she begins to goad and persuade him to do the deed she administrates ideas of looking above suspicion. She tells him â€Å"look like th’innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.† act 1 scene 5, Shakespeare uses very expressive language here with contrasting imagery of a flower (which represents good) and a serpent (which represents evil). This could also be interpreted as a metaphor for Macbeth’s relationship with his wife in that when Lady Macbeth is plotting murderous schemes and manipulating her husband, Macbeth is presented in a good and vulnerable light. The same applies for when Macbeth decides to take the murders further later on in the book and the audience gains sympathy for his wife. Macbeth is left with little to say and is interrupted by his wife on several occasions in that scene, providing the audience with a clear insight into Shakespeare’s intentions for the hierarchy within the relationship. That hierarchy being where Macbeth is more or less controlled by what Lady Macbeth tells him to do, almost like a spell of her own. This provides strong evidence for those who believe that Lady Macbeth is like a serpent. Lady Macbeth shows more serpent techniques as she hides her malevolent plans while greeting her guest, the King, at her household. She is skilled with her welcome of politeness towards Duncan as she has already planned that Duncan will die, â€Å"fatal battlements,† act 1 scene 5 yet she can mask her wickedness and still seem courteous towards Duncan. Progressing through the book from the start Lady Macbeth now symbolizes the character of wickedness to her full extent, like a snake that targets its prey and is not satisfied until the aim is achieved. In Act 1 scene 7 we see how Lady Macbeth belittles her husband in an attempt for him to agree whole heartedly to kill the king of Scotland. She tries to make him feel weak and cowardly. She uses foul phrases with appalling imagery such as telling Macbeth that while she was breast feeding her baby she would: â€Å"while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn you had done to this.† She tries to come over as very menacing and heartless at this point in the play, making a point of the fact that if she had promised to kill her own child she would do so. The role of women at the time when Shakespeare wrote this play was that women were mothers and supported their husbands, there main objective would be to look after the home. A Shakespearian audience would be appalled that Lady Macbeth is neither and that she even threatens a life of a child. This shows how Lady Macbeth would have done almost anything to persuade Macbeth however, after the murder of Duncan, she contradicts herself ra ther strongly as she comments on not being able to kill her father. In Act 2 scene 2 Lady Macbeth shows strength. Macbeth returns from killing the king to discuss the event with his wife. Shakespeare uses this as an opportunity for the audience to feel sympathy as we see his grief and guilt. We also get to see a very new side to Lady Macbeth, she admits that if he had not looked like her own father she would have done the deed herself, showing that underneath her hard exterior, there are elements of compassion and guilt that though she expresses little, she still feels them just like any other human being. The audience then can see her snap out of her sensitive phase and channel her emotions into reassuring and controlling her husband. She tells him to dismiss his hallucinations about the dagger and to return them to frame the guards who were guarding Duncan’s room. â€Å"These deeds must not be thought, after these ways; so, it will make us mad.† The audience could consider this as foreshadowing of what occurs as the play progresses as both Lady Macbeth and her husband experience mental disturbances because of the horrific crimes they committed. Hands are used as a metaphor throughout this scene and as an extended metaphor throughout the play. Macbeth refers to his as â€Å"hangman’s hands† and uses phrases such as â€Å"ravelled sleeve of care†, whereas Lady Macbeth is far more literal and tells him to â€Å"wash this filthy witness from your hand.† This could be interpreted as the hands representing guilt and so each character handles the guilt in different ways; Macbeth is very open about his guilt and remorse by using dramatic devices such as personification and metaphors, for example: â€Å"Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.† Lady Macbeth, however, deals with her culpability in a different way in that she pretends to feel nothing towards the situation but it obviously haunts her as we see in her final scene in Act 5 scene 1 where she sleep walks and hallucinates. Shakespeare illustrates this well when Lady Macbeth mocks Macbeth for being so gentle: â€Å"My hands are of your colour, but I shame, to wear a heart so white.† She also says rather flippantly, â€Å"A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it then! Your constancy hath left you unattended.† Shakespeare’s intention for this scene, I think, was to show us that there is a sensitive, guilty side underneath her shell of ambition and malevolence. Conversely the depth of evil she has shown so far throughout the play cannot make her an innocent flower but an evil and manipulative serpent. When Macduff discovers Duncan’s murder with great astonishment, he alerts the whole castle including Banquo, Malcolm and Donaldbain of the king’s death and so Lady Macbeth enters. She acts very much â€Å"like th’innocent flower† by pretending to be oblivious to what had happened in the previous scene, â€Å"What’s the business that such a hideous trumpet calls to parley, the sleepers of the house?† Then with immense dramatic irony, Macduff replies calling her â€Å"gentle lady† and commenting on the fact that the talk of murderous deeds is too tender for a woman’s ears. The audience would find this somewhat amusing as they know that Lady Macbeth is responsible for persuading Macbeth to commit the murder of Duncan and so would not in any way find the subject too sensitive or painful. Lady Macbeth is very much out of control in this scene, she is surprised to find out that Macbeth killed the two attendants which weren’t in her plan and she begins to falter. In the Macbeth’s relationship this is somewhat very different from the beginning, Macbeth did not consult Lady Macbeth of killing the attendants and this shows their relationship distancing. Lady Macbeth shows her fragility by fainting, although it is unknown to the audience if she genuinely fainted or if it is an act. Lady Macbeth experiences a loss of power and control in Act 3 scene 2, where Macbeth arranges his next murder without her involvement. Shakespeare has her character showing compassion to her husband’s ‘sorriest fancies’ when he complains of insecurity about his dangerous thoughts and deeds. She tries to make him forget what has happened by instructing him: â€Å"Using those thoughts which should indeed have died, with them think on? Things without all remedy should be without regard; what’s done is done.† But Lady Macbeth has lost some of her control, her serpent like naturisms have become wilted but like a serpent, it always remains. Lady Macbeth presents herself as the gracious hostess once more as she invites the lords to dinner in Act 3 scene 4. At the beginning of the scene the audience is presented with the news of Banquo’s slaughter. Lady Macbeth suspects this but is not directly informed as her husband has somewhat distanced himself from her, implying that he does not need her influences for villainous thoughts any more, he can do it all by himself now. This scene manages to arouse some sympathy for Lady Macbeth as we see her power lessening downfall. This could be what ultimately leads to her suspected suicide. The audience gets to understand that Shakespeare did not want to present Lady Macbeth as a character who takes pleasure in the sight of bloodshed and gore, but one who craves power and enforces her ambitions upon those she can manipulate. We also see a role reversal here for the second time in the play. She already has upset the natural order of marital hierarchy from the beginning of the play where she presents herself in the dominant role which was extremely uncommon for that period. Then as the play progresses she becomes part of a downward spiral where she loses power and the status within the marriage as she becomes the more recessive figure next to her now dominant husband. Which in essence, could her suicide later on in the play be reflected upon the idea that Lady Macbeth needs to be the dominate figure? I think that she becomes so broken by her husband’s horrific actions that even she wouldn’t commit and she can’t take anymore of the division between the once close couple this could be seen as an innocent flower but considering everything that has happened throughout the play, she can certainly not be called innocent. The ghost of Banquo makes an appearance at the dinner table in this scene but of course only Macbeth can see (another one of his deluded hallucinations like the dagger). He becomes extremely unsettled by this and begins to shout at the ghost with a fiery passion that stuns the rest of his guests. â€Å"Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me!† Ross initiates the lords standing up and leaving their new king in peace to rest and collect himself but Lady Macbeth being â€Å"th’innocent flower† that she pretends to be assures the lords that he is fine and is just unwell. The audience feels some sort of consideration for her as we can see her husband’s mental health deteriorates and her power disintegrate. She snaps at Macbeth â€Å"Are you a man?† as she quite obviously feels utterly embarrassed by his reactions to the ghost. She tries to use this as an opportunity to regain her status above Macbeth which is understandable as she f eels defeated but is selfish considering her husband’s state, she shows serpent qualities, the need to be in control of her prey. In the most dramatic scene in Lady Macbeth’s presence on stage, the audience is given the opportunity to see the real Lady Macbeth as her subconscious takes over her physical state. Having no further matters to occupy her mind as Macbeth no longer tells her his plans, she begins to dwell on the past, slipping further and further from reality until she eventually completely loses her hold on sanity and takes her own life. At the beginning of her last scene, Act 5 scene 1, the doctor and gentlewoman are analyzing her recent behavior, â€Å"She has light by her continually, ’tis her command.† As light is a common metaphor for purity this insinuates that she doesn’t want to be considered evil and wants to redeem herself but can’t because she is too involved to dig herself out now and so her subconscious speaks the words she cannot. â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear? Who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?† A Shakespearian audience would have recognized the spot as the devil’s mark and would have reacted with horror as they saw this scene being played; this shows that once again she can be called a serpent. Shakespeare has used very disjointed language with punctuation separating every short phrase. This translates to her being very edgy and emotionally unstable. She then reels off a list of other people for which she feels responsible for their deaths as well as her husband. She refers back to the common theme of hands which has occurred throughout the play. â€Å"What, will these hands ne’er be clean?† â€Å"All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O.† She still refers to her hands as being â€Å"little† and the need for them to be ‘sweetened’ and so this indicates the want for her to be filled with good and that she is feeling genuine guilt and mental anguish. This anguish finally leads to her suicide by unspecified means. Shakespeare probably chose not to present the death of Lady Macbeth on stage to add to the impact of her exit and last scene and also to be slightly ambiguous. I think a dying scene would have been effective for Lady Macbeth’s last scene; she could perhaps have given a soliloquy explaining how she truly was feeling. To let her portray her malice side and let the audience be satisfied to call her an evil serpent. The significance of Lady Macbeth being an evil woman becoming tortured with guilt and grief is off great importance to a Shakespearian audience, in that time they believed in witchcraft and in my opinion Lady Macbeth could be portrayed as how people who are evil and malicious never get away with the deed. I think a Shakespearian audience would think witchcraft would have been involved in Lady Macbeth’s downfall and this would be very real and true for them. She was certainly a bold character for going against the ‘Chain of Being’ in which God was considered to be ultimately at the top with monarchs under that and other members of society such as lords and townsfolk following after, but at the bottom were women and so she was courageous to consider herself to be above even monarchy! Though wrong, especially considering what was said if the chain of being was to be disrupted, that chaos would arise, disrupting the natural order of life on earth and in the heavens which is seen as inexcusable a definite serpent quality. To conclude, it is evident that Shakespeare had Lady Macbeth’s emotional state disintegrate as the play proceeded to in effect show the downfall of a control freak. In the first two acts we have little sympathy for Lady Macbeth as Shakespeare only provides the audience with her vindictive exterior, at this time we cannot see what she is truly thinking and feeling. It is only as the play progresses that we understand why she turns out to be the way that she is, that she has a very ambitious character and so enforces that upon her husband. She feels that Macbeth becoming king will benefit them both and sees killing the existing king as the fastest way to get to the throne. She then becomes gradually defeated as Macbeth’s ambition and obsession with becoming king begins to soar and spiral. She is then over-ridden with guilt and eventually feels that she cannot bear the guilt that torments her troubled mind and so decides to end it all. Had her ambition not overridden her sense of morality, she could have been a respectable, intelligent woman who complemented her husband’s abilities to form a perfect partnership. However, she ended up becoming a tortured, immoral, dejected soul, and disliked by many people becoming a serpent.

Alkali Metal Definition (Chemistry)

Alkali Metal Definition (Chemistry) An alkali metal is any of the elements found in Group IA of the periodic table  (the first column). Alkali metals are very reactive chemical species which readily lose their one valence electron to form ionic compounds with nonmetals. All elements in the alkali metal group occur in nature. List of Alkali Metals The alkali metals are: Lithium  (Li)Sodium (Na)Potassium  (K)Rubidium (Rb)Cesium  (Cs)Francium (Fr) The IUPAC excludes hydrogen (H) as an alkali metal because it occurs as a gas under ordinary temperatures and pressures. However, hydrogen displays many of the properties associated with elements in the group and does become an alkali metal under extremely high pressure. Alkali Metal Properties The alkali metals are all soft, shiny, reactive metals. Although they are soft enough to cut with a knife, exposing a bright surface, the metals react with water and air to quickly tarnish. The pure metals are stored in an inert atmosphere or under oil to prevent oxidation. All of the metals react vigorously with water, with the energy of the reaction increasing as you move down the periodic table. None of the alkali metals exists free in nature. They are found as salts. All of the metals form crystals with the body-centered cubic structure. Sources Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0-08-037941-9.Lide, D. R., ed. (2005). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (86th ed.). Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-0486-5.

Hypothesis Testing With One-Sample t-Tests

Hypothesis Testing With One-Sample t-Tests Youve collected your data, youve got your model, youve run your regression and youve got your results. Now what do you do with your results? In this article we consider the Okuns Law model and results from the article How to Do a Painless Econometrics Project. One sample t-tests will be introduced and used in order to see if the theory matches the data. The theory behind Okuns Law was described in the article: Instant Econometrics Project 1 - Okuns Law: Okuns law is an empirical relationship between the change in the unemployment rate and the percentage growth in real output, as measured by GNP. Arthur Okun estimated the following relationship between the two: Yt - 0.4 (Xt - 2.5 ) This can also be expressed as a more traditional linear regression as: Yt 1 - 0.4 Xt Where:Yt is the change in the unemployment rate in percentage points.Xt is the percentage growth rate in real output, as measured by real GNP. So our theory is that the values of our parameters are B1 1 for the slope parameter and B2 -0.4 for the intercept parameter. We used American data to see how well the data matched the theory. From How to Do a Painless Econometrics Project we saw that we needed to estimate the model: Yt = b1 + b2 Xt Yt Xt b1 b2 B1 B2 Using Microsoft Excel, we calculated the parameters b1 and b2. Now we need to see if those parameters match our theory, which was that B1 1 and B2 -0.4. Before we can do that, we need to jot down some figures that Excel gave us. If you look at the results screenshot youll notice that the values are missing. That was intentional, as I want you to calculate the values on your own. For the purposes of this article, I will make up some values and show you in what cells you can find the real values. Before we begin our hypothesis testing, we need to jot down the following values: Observations Number of Observations (Cell B8) Obs 219 Intercept Coefficient (Cell B17) b1 0.47 (appears on chart as AAA)Standard Error (Cell C17) se1 0.23 (appears on chart as CCC)t Stat (Cell D17) t1 2.0435 (appears on chart as x)P-value (Cell E17) p1 0.0422 (appears on chart as x) X Variable Coefficient (Cell B18) b2 - 0.31 (appears on chart as BBB)Standard Error (Cell C18) se2 0.03 (appears on chart as DDD)t Stat (Cell D18) t2 10.333 (appears on chart as x)P-value (Cell E18) p2 0.0001 (appears on chart as x) In the next section well look at hypothesis testing and well see if our data matches our theory. Be Sure to Continue to Page 2 of Hypothesis Testing Using One-Sample t-Tests. First we’ll consider our hypothesis that the intercept variable equals one. The idea behind this is explained quite well in Gujarati’s Essentials of Econometrics. On page 105 Gujarati describes hypothesis testing: â€Å"[S]uppose we hypothesize that the true B1 takes a particular numerical value, e.g., B1 1. Our task now is to â€Å"test† this hypothesis.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the language of hypothesis testing a hypothesis such as B1 1 is called the null hypothesis and is generally denoted by the symbol H0. Thus H0: B1 1. The null hypothesis is usually tested against an alternative hypothesis, denoted by the symbol H1. The alternative hypothesis can take one of three forms:H1: B1 1, which is called a one-sided alternative hypothesis, orH1: B1 1, also a one-sided alternative hypothesis, orH1: B1 not equal 1, which is called a two-sided alternative hypothesis. That is the true value is either greater or less than 1.† In the above I’ve substituted in our hypothesis for Gujarati’s to make it easier to follow. In our case we want a two-sided alternative hypothesis, as we’re interested in knowing if B1 is equal to 1 or not equal to 1. The first thing we need to do to test our hypothesis is to calculate at t-Test statistic. The theory behind the statistic is beyond the scope of this article. Essentially what we are doing is calculating a statistic which can be tested against a t distribution to determine how probable it is that the true value of the coefficient is equal to some hypothesized value. When our hypothesis is B1 1 we denote our t-Statistic as t1(B11) and it can be calculated by the formula: t1(B11) (b1 - B1 / se1) Let’s try this for our intercept data. Recall we had the following data: Intercept b1 0.47se1 0.23 Our t-Statistic for the hypothesis that B1 1 is simply: t1(B11) (0.47 – 1) / 0.23 2.0435 So t1(B11) is 2.0435. We can also calculate our t-test for the hypothesis that the slope variable is equal to -0.4: X Variable b2 -0.31se2 0.03 Our t-Statistic for the hypothesis that B2 -0.4 is simply: t2(B2 -0.4) ((-0.31) – (-0.4)) / 0.23 3.0000 So t2(B2 -0.4) is 3.0000. Next we have to convert these into p-values. The p-value may be defined as the lowest significance level at which a null hypothesis can be rejected...As a rule, the smaller the p value, the stronger is the evidence against the null hypothesis. (Gujarati, 113) As a standard rule of thumb, if the p-value is lower than 0.05, we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. This means that if the p-value associated with the test t1(B11) is less than 0.05 we reject the hypothesis that B11 and accept the hypothesis that B1 not equal to 1. If the associated p-value is equal to or greater than 0.05, we do just the opposite, that is we accept the null hypothesis that B11. Calculating the p-value Unfortunately, you cannot calculate the p-value. To obtain a p-value, you generally have to look it up in a chart. Most standard statistics and econometrics books contain a p-value chart in the back of the book. Fortunately with the advent of the internet, there’s a much simpler way of obtaining p-values. The site Graphpad Quickcalcs: One sample t test allows you to quickly and easily obtain p-values. Using this site, here’s how you obtain a p-value for each test. Steps Needed to Estimate a p-value for B11 Click on the radio box containing â€Å"Enter mean, SEM and N.† Mean is the parameter value we estimated, SEM is the standard error, and N is the number of observations.Enter 0.47 in the box labelled â€Å"Mean:†.Enter 0.23 in the box labelled â€Å"SEM:†Enter 219 in the box labelled â€Å"N:†, as this is the number of observations we had.Under 3. Specify the hypothetical mean value click on the radio button beside the blank box. In that box enter 1, as that is our hypothesis.Click â€Å"Calculate Now† You should get an output page. On the top of the output page you should see the following information: P value and statistical significance:The two-tailed P value equals 0.0221By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be statistically significant. So our p-value is 0.0221 which is less than 0.05. In this case we reject our null hypothesis and accept our alternative hypothesis. In our words, for this parameter, our theory did not match the data. Be Sure to Continue to Page 3 of Hypothesis Testing Using One-Sample t-Tests. Again using site Graphpad Quickcalcs: One sample t test we can quickly obtain the p-value for our second hypothesis test: Steps Needed to Estimate a p-value for B2 -0.4 Click on the radio box containing “Enter mean, SEM and N.” Mean is the parameter value we estimated, SEM is the standard error, and N is the number of observations. Enter -0.31 in the box labelled “Mean:”. Enter 0.03 in the box labelled “SEM:” Enter 219 in the box labelled “N:”, as this is the number of observations we had. Under “3. Specify the hypothetical mean value” click on the radio button beside the blank box. In that box enter -0.4, as that is our hypothesis. Click “Calculate Now” P value and statistical significance: The two-tailed P value equals 0.0030By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be statistically significant. We used U.S. data to estimate the Okuns Law model. Using that data we found that both the intercept and slope parameters are statistically significantly different than those in Okuns Law. Therefore we can conclude that in the United States Okuns Law does not hold. Now youve seen how to calculate and use one-sample t-tests, you will be able to interpret the numbers youve calculated in your regression. 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What are the main motives for US involvement in the region after 1945 Essay

What are the main motives for US involvement in the region after 1945 - Essay Example The most important of them is access to oil and gas deposits. Obviously, the desire of American capital to acquire control over the production, processing and marketing of Arab oil has been the main motive for economic expansion of the U.S. in the Arab countries. Still, Americans’ intervention has begun under the guise of their off-board assistance to the countries in their economic recovery, since â€Å"†¦states all across the Middle East soon proved incapable of properly managing the economy† (Khater, 197). There is another motive: â€Å"†¦the United States declares its goal in the region to be the spread of democracy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gelvin, 5). Surely, there have been particular benefits for the Middle East nations, but â€Å"†¦ many in the region have paid a high price for America’s support of every kind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gelvin, 5). As for America’s benefits resulting from its interference in the Middle East with its oil deposits, it has gained a great success in oil possession, while the same cannot be said for the fate of Arab people living in the region. In conclusion, America’s participation in domestic affairs of different countries of the idle East region after the end of World War II has its certain motives resulted from its desire to assume the regional oil deposits as well as to intensify the spread of democracy within Arab