Evolving Toward Ecstasy Essay

This art review by Robert Smith is on a Matisse Exhibition that was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last November, â€Å"Matisse: In Search of True Painting. † The name of this article comes from a quote from Matisse himself, where he claims to work â€Å"towards what I feel; toward a kind of ecstasy. † From the beginning of the article, Smith raves about this exhibit. He calls it â€Å"one of the most thrillingly instructive exhibitions about this painter, or painting in general, that you may ever see. † His excitement for it is unmistakable, but this may be a biased opinion, as he seems to be a huge fan of Matisse himself. He seems genuinely impressed with Rebecca Rabinow, a curator of modern and contemporary art, and how she put the exhibit together, but his love for the artist most likely influenced his view. He praises the decision to show Matisse’s penchant for copying pieces and working in series. Two still life arrangements with fruit and compote are included along with four views of Notre Dame as seen from Matisse’s window and many other series and copies. He describes the exhibit as spacious as it is spread out through eight different galleries. In each pair or group of works, a mini seminar is created according to Smith. He goes into detail about how you could spend your entire visit in the second and third galleries with their sailors, nudes with white scarves and â€Å"contrasting psychological chords and spatial treatments of the Laurettes. † He comments on the textbook simplicity of how the exhibit is set up, letting your eyes wander through the different styles, textures, colors and overall effect of Matisse’s works. There is no doubt that Smith has a very positive view of this Exhibition. He applauds the 49 exceptional works chosen, for how they skim across Matisse’s long and productive career. In this review, he discusses a large amount of Matisse’s works, which sways from the point of the article, which was to critique the exhibition. His support for it is blatant, but he may have gone off on too much of a tangent on his love for Matisse and his works of art. This review could be beneficial to readers, but it could also be misleading if you aren’t already a fan of Matisse’s art. He aggrandizes the exhibit as a whole, so its not really clear if the quality is really there, or if he’s just smitten with the artist displayed.

Asian Countries

Asian countries are strong in culture values and intelligent minds. It have given birth to popular celebrities, famous priests and good politicians, (Sweetman, K. 2012). However, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are multi-ethnic societies with Malays, Chinese and Indians, (Commisceo Global. 2018). These countries are on ethnicities retain their customs, religions and lifestyles. In Malaysia, people are maintain face and avoid shame. This makes Malaysian strive for harmonious relationships. Indonesia is large diverse nation which have great deal of attention from it government to maintain a cohesion, (Commisceo Global. 2018). Singapore have concepts of group, harmony and mutual security are more important than individual. They also emphasize loyalty, unity and respect for elder.POWER DISTANCEAccording to Geert, power distance is attitude of culture towards inequalities in the society, (Hofstede, G. 2011). Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are scores higher than 71 which is average score of Asian countries, (Sweetman, K. 2012). This shows that Asian culture is more paternalistic, hence people expect and accept different incomes and privileges, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). Subordinates maintain a distance from the bosses and have sense of respect and fear, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). In education system, teachers are treated with respect and class is strict order. Moreover, Parents have big authority and respect to parents and elderly lasts during whole life. Therefore, children are not supported to be initiative. In comparison, Malaysia has higher power distance compare to Singapore and Indonesia. This is because of Malay feudal system and the influence of British, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). Thus, Malay culture is very respectful of a complex of titled classes and untitled ‘commoners' and to great power to top of organisation.INDIVIDUALISMMalaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are geared towards a collectivism culture, meaning that the group is more important than individual, (Merkin, R. 2015). Responsibility exists and when one participant breaks the rule then the whole group feels disgraced. Therefore, these countries give more importance to family. Furthermore, harmony is very crucial and open conflict is avoided, (Globig. 2010). ‘Saving face' for other is always a goal and bosses always calm and respectful, (Globig. 2010). In comparison, Indonesian are highly collective comparing with Malaysia and Singapore. This is because they hold their traditions tightly. The principle of Bhineka Tunggal IKa (unity in diversity) was adopted for the republic, (Rahmawati, M. 2010). Moreover, they idea regarding belief in God, humanity, tolerance, democracy and justice are incorporated in the Pancasila (five principle) which reflects country's way of life as the reflection of collectivism, (Rahmawati, M. 2010).MASCULINITYMasculinity focus on societies with assertiveness, materialism and achievements whereas femininity refer to societies of caring, modesty and quality of life, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). According to Geert, there are slightly differences between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Despite, Malaysia is in middle, that consensus and sympathy are important, as are being modest and humble. However, Singapore and Indonesia have low masculinity which consider as femininity. These countries are social relationship oriented and give importance to quality of life rather than money. Also these give high priority for environmental protection rather than economic growth.UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCEUncertainty avoidance is the way society handles with the things that will happen in future, (Hofstede, G. 2011). According to the chart, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are low preference for avoiding uncertainty which are willing to take risk and try new in life. Furthermore, the countries are prefer to maintain more relaxed attitude and punctuality do not come naturally. In addition, these countries are comfortable with ambiguity and chaos and there is no problem when change jobs. In comparison, although all countries are weak in uncertainty avoidance, Singapore has very low uncertainty avoidance. In other words, Singaporean accepts the change easily and they state their country as Fine country, (Hofstede, G. 2011). Another reason, they also maintain greater level of tolerance towards unorthodox ideas. Therefore, Singapore is more creative than other countries.LONG-TERM ORIENTATIONLong term orientation prefer future more importance than past and present, (Hofstede, G. 2011). According to the Geert, Singapore and Indonesia are long term orientated culture which known as ‘pragmatism', (Hofstede, G. 2011). Basically, it support long term investment, respect to knowledge, honesty, openness to new thought, responsibility and self-discipline, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). Therefore, Singapore and Indonesia have strong propensity to save and invest for future, at the same time also focuses on quick result. In other hand, Malaysia is short term orientated culture which have more focus on their personal well-being and spend very low on environment, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). Malaysian are primarily respect tradition especially Malays. An addition, they also more concern with ‘face saving' and fulfil social obligations. Therefore, they are more independence and focus on quick result compare to Singapore and Indonesia.INDULGENCEIndulgent societies allow free gratification related to enjoying life and have fun, (Globig. 2010). Therefore, Malaysia is indulgent country which majority are happy and most of them are obese. Malaysian have perception of personal life control and focuses more on leisure. Moreover, they educated population with higher birth rates. In other hand, Indonesia have restrained societies that suppress of needs and regulate them by strict social norms, (Globig. 2010). Hence, Indonesian give lower importance for the leisure. Only few people involved in sports. Country with enough food but less obese people. However, Singapore falls in the middle on this dimension.RECOMMENDATIONAs a recommendation, Malaysia should improve on long term orientation. Long term working towards future goal and maintain harmonious relationship for future. Moreover, in business, long term investment will get more profit. Thus, can build strong market position. Singapore should improve on higher uncertainty avoidance. Therefore, Singapore could have more structure and rule, which people do not make mistakes. For example, can reduce car collisions. It also will increase security rather than taking risks. Indonesia should improve on individualism. It brings respects on individual rights and do not require people to change their true personalities for society. Furthermore, individual society motivated people to strive for success. Moreover, individualism can reduce the country's tax pay.

A Mnemonic Device Can Be Used

A Mnemonic Device Can Be Used The beginning development of mnemonic starts with a poet named Simonides of Ceos in fifth century B.C. This mnemonic invented by the Greeks for memory training around 2500 years ago. The Greek lyric poet Simonides, born in 556 B.C., is attributed with inventing mnemonics. His creation have great benefit thought us, many people success is because using this mnemonic method. There do many types of mnemonics device exist and which type works best is limited only by the imagination of each individual learner. Here are the 9 basic types of mnemonics device presented in this paper include Music, Name, Expression/Word, Model, Ode/Rhyme, Note Organization, Image, Connection, and Spelling Mnemonics. Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners remember larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc. Mnemonics device try to transform information into a form that the human brain can remember better than its original form . Although the process of applying this transformation might already aid the transfer of information to long-term memory but this is still benefit to learner. The mnemonic device commonly practice for lists and in auditory  form, such as short poems,  acronyms, or memorable phrases, but mnemonics can also be for other types of information and in visual or kinesthetic forms. This device use is based on the examination that the human brain more easily remembers many form of information. In our daily, we have to remember everything. In school, we have to remember all the knowledge about subject; in workplace, we have to remember all the information about our task, in order to remember this entire thing we have to find out what method can enhance our memory. In my example, I am hardly to spell â€Å"mnemonic†, so I use the concept of mnemonic device and create my word, which is â€Å"Mnemonic Notes Effective Memorized on New Ideas Creativity†. From my creation, I know that every first letter for every word is â€Å"Mnemonic†. Using this method, we not only can spell out those difficult words and also can remember it. Mnemonic device play an important role in our daily life, although it is important, it still has their limitations or advantages and disadvantages. For the advantage of mnemonic devices is it provide a method to help us recall those information which is difficult to remember. Moreover, it involve rearranging or restructuring information that help our personalize information to become a smart learner. Other than that, it also increases our interest to study by creating my way to learn with information. Lastly, mnemonic devices will help us spend less time on retrieving our information in long term memory when we properly use it. Beside advantages, mnemonic devices also have some limitation. If a person uses mnemonics too frequently, he or she will have confusion on their learning process. For example, we use mnemonic to remembe r difficult word, but he or she who too extensively using mnemonic will use this method on every word no matter the word is difficult or not. This problem will occur on those who too rely on mnemonics. In addition, this mnemonic device need more time to practice, create and learn. If someone still cannot understand the practice, which mean that he or she is just wasting time to practice it.

Discuss the risks and benefits of the human papilloma virus vaccine Essay

Discuss the risks and benefits of the human papilloma virus vaccine - Essay Example Gardasil, which is one of these drugs, is a tetravalent vaccine that was licensed in June 2006. The US Food and Drug Administration issued the license for this vaccine and its objective in doing so was to ensure that it would be administered to girls and women whose age was between nine to twenty – six years. This particular vaccine is being used in a few other nations. Another such vaccine is Cervarix, and these vaccines are expected to reduce the risk of HPV infection and other HPV – associated diseases, not only in the United States but also in other countries where cervical cancer prevention methods and Papanicolau or Pap smear – based investigative techniques are unavailable (Dempsey). The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, which is to be administered only to females of age nine to twenty – six years, is the first vaccine used for preventing cervical cancer. This vaccine is capable of preventing infections from HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, which cause nearly eighty percent of cervical cancers. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP recommends Gardasil for females aged 9 to 26 years, before they engage in sexual activity and a three – dose vaccine is to be administered within a period of six months. The Gardasil vaccine can be administered along with MCV 4, Tdap and Td (Campos-Outcalt, 2006). In order to magnify the prospective benefits of the HPV vaccine, all adolescent members of the population should be administered the vaccination. Prototypical studies reveal that vaccinating only females does not result in any appreciable decline in the prevention of HPV in women. Female vaccination on its own would not be helpful to a significant extent in eradicating infections caused by HPV among women, because restriction of the vaccine to females would render its effect to curb such infections less effective by twenty – five to forty percent. This is a very significant

Quiz 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Quiz 3 - Essay Example This usually causes challenges for example when the executive does not have majority in the legislature it means that the executives will need a compromise between the executives and the opposing party. A presidential signing statement is a written declaration by the president of United States when signing of bill is signed to be a law. The reason behind this is to point out the best and worst aspects of the bill so as to fit to the administration. The second reason is political purpose; this is to clarify the ambiguous point of the bill. Lastly, is constitution where the president announces the views of the bill on the constitutional aspects. The notion of collective leadership is not compatible with the United States this is because competencies must apply to all the leaders in the government or in organizations. This means performance and accountability is the key issue to be dealt with in all aspects. Legislative veto is two forms of government, monarchies and separation of powers where the congress has the power to take action on the president of other executive officers (Hall, 56). For example French monarch’s veto national assembly when there was French

Answer questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Answer questions - Essay Example There was a resultant concentration of wealth on the remaining populations and the remaining workers were paid five times more. It, therefore, had positive addition to civilization in Europe, hence, the reduced suppression of rights of workers and the concentration on health issues. It equally lead to adjustment on the distribution of land wealth in relation to the landowners. (Fredrick and Cartwright) The medieval communities longing for better lives made them live in brutality and horrible experiences from the acts of their superiors. The community lived in social tied out sets until they were torn by economic strife and the need for changes due to advancements and developments. The division of social class made the lords suppress the thoughts and notions of the peasants with a direct correlation with the tying with religion of which failure to conform would mean religious revolt by the peasants, hence, they had to humble themselves despite the hard times. De jure systems of justice ensured that fear and forceful obligation of the parties involved in conflicts ensued. The crude systems of justice in the middle ages were designed by the lords and powerful individuals in these societies to be able to meet their desired needs at the expense of others illegally and to maintain the status

Explain the process of market segmentation. Why is it thought Essay - 1

Explain the process of market segmentation. Why is it thought necessary for a firm to target specific segments of the market - Essay Example In this era, there is no such thing as a standardized product which is suitable for use by all people. Hence, no firm seeks to target the whole market at large and it is highly difficult to target a large potential market with the same product and the same marketing strategies. No products except maybe staple foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, butter, and other important dietary supplements are aimed at targeting the whole population of consumers and are standardized products. All other products or services are differentiated and conformed to the needs and wants of various target groups (Greenberg and McDonald, 1989, pp. 95-96). Differentiation refers to adapting the characteristics and marketing of your product/service to fulfill the needs and wants of a particular target market. In order to select the target market for product/ service, a firm must indulge in the process of market segmentation (Greenberg and Mcdonald, 1989, pp. 110-112). Market segmentation is the process of dividing the larger potential market into smaller groups according to similar characteristics. The segmentation can be upon the basis of several variables depending upon the product/service the business is offering and how it plans to target its potential audience. Several advantages of market segmentation enable a business to perform more efficiently and make the business’s selling/ marketing strategies more effective. The first advantage of market segmentation is that segmenting the potential market allows the business to be more focused upon a certain group of customers. This prevents duplication of resources and enables the business to directly target the segment that is more likely to be interested in their product/service offering rather than wasting time and resources upon targeting a massive market that may not be interested in the product/service at all (Yankelovich, 1964, pg. 75-77). Market segmentation allows the business to see the

Answer the question from the book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer the question from the book - Essay Example in other instances, most of the IT departments do not have budgets of their own. They, in most cases charge other departments for the services that they provide to them. As such, it becomes hard for the department to project its expenditure levels. Moreover, equipment keeps changing, with the increase in the level of technology and innovation. It makes it difficult to track this whole expenditure record, one that puts into consideration all the expenses including the miscellaneous. 2. To answer the question as to whether IT systems are an expense or an asset, first it is important to understand the difference between an asset and an expense. While an asset is an economic resource, an expense takes away economic resources. Initial investments in IT systems are an asset to an organization like IVK (Austin et al. 54). On the other hand, they are an expense if they became obsolete. It is unfair classifying the systems as expenses, despite their high initial costs. For instance, telephone s were an expense when every department required them. They made communication within the organization easy and simple, and more efficient. They simplified the mode of communication in the organization, and made the daily operations easy. Activities ran smoothly with improved communication. Their contribution to the overall out was overwhelming. These were assets to the organization. However, with the technological advancement in the organizations, there was the introduction of better communication methods such as e-mail. This made telephones obsolete, making them an expense, as the organization had to faze them out indefinitely. This makes them more an expense at the end. 3. IT as a department has little expenses. Because the department provides services to other departments, it is important for the organization to allocate the IT expenses to these departments. On its own, the IT department spends less, as it only require keeping its operations going. The main reason for the establ ishment of IT departments in organizations was to provide technology and communication services to the rest departments. This makes IT the biggest and most interactive department in an organization, as the organization entirely relies on it for these services. Choosing to allocate all IT related expenses to the IT department would leave it with a huge budget. Nonetheless, it is difficult to track all expenses of the IT department. Condensing all the organizational expenses on IT services under the IT department, there would be no track of organizational expenditure on the IT department, and thus poor track of the organizational expenses. 4. The IT should operate just like any other organizational department. Although, due to the sensitivity in operations of the IT department, in most cases, the department runs its operations independently, there should be a limit as to how far this freedom could go. As established by Reuben, it is hard to keep track of all the expenditures in the IT department (Austin et al. 61). On the other hand, there is the need for monitoring of its operations as well as regulation. Therefore, the department should not be independent altogether. There should be a framework regulating the amount IT spends, to make sure it does not overstate its budget. 5. Acquiring new systems is an expensive affair. Therefore, most of the organizations opt to maintain the existing systems, as long as their importance

The Racial and Gendered Messages in Henry Robert's Paintings Essay

The Racial and Gendered Messages in Henry Robert's Paintings - Essay Example The paper "The Racial and Gendered Messages in Henry Robert's Paintings" will discuss a few of his portraits both in the context of his writings about race and also in terms of the racialised critical responses these works received. Within this narrative two major issues arise in terms of Henri's portrait production. This is not to say that Henri never painted images of non-white youthful men. There are a few, particularly before 1905 when he painted his friends and relatives. But after 1906 these portraits are rare and when looking at his portraits en masse it becomes apparent that he was not interested in non-white men of his own age.These images of non-white children and women in a study of white masculinity, communicate how Henri framed both whiteness and manhood. Race and gender exist in dialectics, black informing the construction of white, female instructing male, and vice versa. I think it was not a coincidence that Henri painted so few portraits of white men, and instead foc used his attentions on racial and ethnic minorities. The white man, for Henri, could not be represented, for as he wrote, something had been lost in "the race"- white manhood was unstable, faltering. What he could paint instead was the boundaries of whiteness and the boundaries of manliness. As such, his portraits of non-white sitters become instructive, notifying the viewer of the distinctions between races and between genders. These numerous portraits then become a sort of reverse self-portrait.; Henri looked into each of his sitter's eyes and saw what he was not. This interpretation of the way Henri's portraits functioned is then reflected in the contemporary criticism that the portraits received. As stated before, these works were some of the most successful of Henri's career and indeed resuscitated his reputation after the eclipse of modernism and the Armory Show. Critics were for the most part enthusiastic about his portraits, but beyond that their comments reveal that the rac ial and gendered messages he encoded in the paintings were not lost on the audience. His paintings of African Americans,

Risk Management - Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk Management - Review - Article Example He defines moral hazard as a case where a person is responsible for another’s interests but puts his or her interests first. He matches this with the CEOs who put their interests first but are responsible for the interests of the taxpayers. The CEOs give themselves excessive bonuses out of the funds they manage. The subprime scandal is one case he cites where he addresses how banks issued mortgages with the aim of holding them to maturity. It became a disaster and a contributing factor to the financial crisis because the banks used to make losses due to defaulting on the mortgages. More so, the banks used to sell the mortgages to other parties without considering whether they will default or not, as they were only interested in the initial payments received (Kelvin, 2009). The subprime was, as such, a greed game dubbed as â€Å"privatizing gains and socializing losses.† He, however, does not blame the CEOs only, but also cites the failure of financial risk management. He says that the assumptions made in risk management were not viable, for instance, assuming that financial risks follow the Gaussian distribution, assumptions involving market liquidity and so forth. More so, there were modelling errors in risk models that focused too much on the normal market conditions. The article has content relating to risk management and gives several examples of scandals and disasters happening to particular companies, and most of them leading to financial losses. The financial crisis is the basis for all of them. Several concepts of risk management are applied in the cases provided. Some of the corporations mentioned made some deliberate efforts to counter the losses, and took other measures to recover from the economic shock. Thus, there is risk response and recovery. Response is where the organization counters the disaster, and recovery is the restoration to the

Existential Lit Final Paper Essay Example for Free

Existential Lit Final Paper Essay Part I 1. In Thomas Nagels â€Å"The Absurd† (1971), he begins by addressing the standard arguments for declaring life to be absurd. The first argument he points out is the idea that nothing humans doing in the present will matter in the distant future, or as Nagel says, â€Å"in a million years† (Nagel 716). People believe that what they do now wont matter at all in a million years, and that they are just one person living in the now that will soon be gone and will therefore not matter and dont matter. Humans see this not mattering as a reason why life is absurd, since if nothing matters then the point of life is questioned. The second standard argument Nagel looks at is the idea that humans â€Å"are tiny specks in the infinite vastness of the universe† (Nagel 717). This idea focuses around space and time, and how individual humans only live for an extremely short amount of time in a tremendously vast universe. People see this as a reason why life is absurd, looking at their lives as such short increments of time, especially on the large scale of the universe. Since humans are so small and take up such little time with their lives, this is seen as a reason life is absurd. The third argument Nagel looks at is about not being able to justifying all of lifes activities, since humans could die at any moment and will eventually. People go through sequences in life, one thing leading to the next, to accomplish something each step of the way, and therefore it is justified. However, eventually, life must end, and the chain of sequences will be cut off in the midst of one of the activities, and therefore will end without justification. â€Å"All of it is an elaborate journey leading to nowhere† (Nagel 717). These are the three standard arguments for explaining why life is absurd that Nagel discusses. Nagel, however, disagrees with these arguments and finds each invalid for specific reasons. When looking at the idea that nothing humans do now will matter in a million years, Nagel objects this with the realization that it doesnt matter now whether or not what we do now in a million years will matter or not. Whether what humans do now will matter in a million years or not is not important, because either way it wouldnt change how people feel now. â€Å"If their mattering now is not enough to accomplish that, how would it help if they mattered a million years from now? † (Nagel 716). If now doesnt matter in the future, than the future must not matter now, and therefore this explanation of why life is absurd is invalid. The second idea, focusing on life being absurd because of how small and short lived humans lives are, is contradicted by Nagels idea that if humans were larger presents in the universe theyre lives would still be just as absurd and that if humans lived for longer, or forever, there lives would just be absurd for that much longer, or even infinitely absurd. This thought of humans as living for such a short amount of time and being so tiny in the universe is clearly not what makes life absurd, even if life is absurd. These facts, if anything, would make humans lives more absurd, if they were larger presents in the universe or lived forever then the absurd would be even larger or last for eternity. Therefore, this is not a valid argument in saying that life is absurd. Looking at the third argument, which focuses on death preventing the justification of human lives and its many sequences, Nagel shows that this idea is actually false as life does not consist of these sequences that all have purposes and continuous justification. â€Å"Chains of justification come repeatedly to an end within life, and whether the process as a whole can be justified has no bearing on the finality of these end-points† (Nagel 717). Many things we do in our daily lives are already reasonable and do not need further justification, such as taking aspirin for a headache, Nagel points out. However, even if someone wanted to further justify any of lifes activities, this further justification would also have to end somewhere, as all things must. â€Å"If nothing can justify unless it is justified in terms of something outside itself, which is also justified, then an infinite regress results, and no chain of justification can be complete† (Nagel 717). All reasoning must end at some point and must be accepted as it is instead of looking at it as incomplete, because if it is looked at as incomplete then reasoning is impossible. With Nagels profound contradictions to these three arguments, he shows that these are not valid reasons to say that life is absurd. 2. Though Nagel discards the standard arguments for stating that life is absurd, he nonetheless says that life can be seen as absurd, just for different reasons than the previous ones discussed. He states that life is absurd because of the clash between humans tendency to take their lives so seriously and the ability of humans to doubt these things which they take so seriously or view them as arbitrary. Humans take their lives seriously, as seen through the idea that many things are necessities for living and that humans actions, such as making choices, are very important. However, humans also are capable of seeing things outside of their lives, which then creates doubt about the things that are taken so seriously. This idea that humans cannot live their live without this seriousness, yet can have a point of view outside of their lives that makes this seriousness doubtful, is why life is absurd. â€Å"It is absurd because we ignore the doubts that we know cannot be settled, continuing to live with nearing undiminished seriousness in spite of them† (Nagel 719). There is a clash between what people think is happening in life and what is truly happening, and because humans are able to have a point of view outside of their own life, they can see what is truly happening and therefore become doubtful of what they think is happening. However, they continue on with what they think is happening, or with this seriousness of life, even with the doubts from seeing what is truly happening. These two viewpoints, one within our own lives and one outside our lives, are both unavoidable yet clash with one another, and this, according to Nagel, is why life is absurd. Nagel states that humans take their lives seriously whether they live in a serious manor or not, and regardless of what their primary concerns in life are. â€Å"Human life is full of effort, plans, calculation, success and failure: we pursue our lives, with varying degrees of sloth and energy† (Nagel 719). Humans can reflect, make choices, question things, and decide what to peruse and what to avoid and who they want to be or become. This alone is signified, but when it clashes with humans ability to think outside themselves and survey this seriousness, it creates absurdity. â€Å"Yet humans have the special capacity to step back and survey themselves, and the lives to which they are committed, with that detached amazement which comes from watching an ant struggle up a head of sand† (Nagel 720). This ability to step back creates these doubts and questions about this seriousness life is taken with, doubts and questions about things that seem so sure before stepping back. Nagel explains: We step back to find that the whole system of justification and criticism, which controls our choices and supports our claims to rationality, rests on response and habits that we never question, that we should not know how to defend without circularity, and to which we shall continue to adhere even after they are called into question† (Nagel 720). According to Nagel, life is absurd not because humans are capable of this stepping back and reflecting on the seriousness of life, but because they then continue with their lives and taking them so serious even after doubts about the seriousness have been identified. 3. Nagel focuses on the idea that humans live absurd lives because of their self-consciousness, and therefore their ability to see themselves as humans and create this clash between seriousness and reality. With this, it can be said that God, all-knowing and self-aware, also lives an absurd life. The mouse Nagel refers to cannot have an absurd life because he is not self-aware, so he does not know he is a mouse and does not have the ability to reflect on this and create doubts about it. God, however, knows he is God and therefore has the ability to step back and have doubts. Being self-aware means that you doubt, and that every justification is doubted. This means that God, self-aware, doubts justifications, just like humans, and has an absurd life with the clash between these. When Nagel describes how the mouses life would be if he was self-aware, he says, â€Å" he would have to return to his meagre yet frantic life, full of doubts that he was unable to answer, but also full of purposes that he was unable to abandon† (Nagel 725). This sentence is applicable to Gods life being absurd, as God has a life full of doubts without answers due to his self-consciousness, but also has great purposes that he is unable to abandon, since he is the higher power that humans rely on. Also, like humans, God cannot refuse this consciousness, because to refuse it would mean he is aware of it, and it therefore he would already be self-aware. Since God cannot escape this self-consciousness, he is trapped, like humans, in this clash between his self-awareness and the seriousness that is taken with it and the doubt that comes with self-awareness where he reflects and doubts all justifications. This makes Gods life absurd, just like humans lives, as he too experiences the clash between self and reality. 4. Nagel stresses that absurdity is one of the most significant things that makes humans humans, and that it is essentially incurable. With this idea in mind, it can be seen that religion cannot cure the feeling of absurdity, and religious people live absurd lives just as all humans do. Humans lives are absurd because they have life goals and strive for things, which is the aspect of taking life seriously, but they also can step back and reflect on things and this causes doubts, which happens regardless of religion. â€Å"What makes doubt inescapable with regard to the limited aims of individual life also makes it inescapable with regard to any larger purpose that encourages the sense that life is meaningful† (Nagel 721). Believing in something larger does not allow escaping to occur, as it can be doubted in the same way that individual life can be. People use a higher being for comfort and to give their lives meaning and justification, however, as pointed out before, justifications end and humans no longer look any further. Moreover, religious people still have the humanistic qualities that all humans do that eventually lead to reflection and doubt. Another way of portraying religious peoples life as absurd just as nonreligious lives is to look at the idea of being self-conscious leading to absurdity and that this is a natural part of being human. â€Å"The only way to avoid the relevant self-consciousness would be either never to attain it or to forget it—neither of which can be achieved by the will† (Nagel 725). Religion does not change this unavoidable self-consciousness, and therefore life it still absurd with religion. The idea of religion is to provide meaning to life, however, if all humans are prone to this inevitable doubt, than this meaning will be doubted in the same way that life without meaning is doubted, or may even be doubted even more and therefore this creates a more significant contradiction, and may mean that religion makes life even more absurd. The gap between seriousness and reality is even larger in a life with religion because life is taken more serious, as there is this idea of more meaning, but still has the contradiction with reflection and doubt, hence a life with religion abets absurdity. Nagels main focus about religion is that it does not cure the feelings of absurdity because, regardless of being religious or not, humans cannot avoid this inevitable doubt of their seriousness, and therefore creating this clash which makes life absurd. â€Å"There does not appear to be any conceivable world (containing us) about which unsettlable doubts could not arise† (Nagel 722). Nagels idea about facing this absurdity is, rather than believing in something higher that gives life a certain meaning that does nothing but encourage absurdity, view life as ironic. He says to â€Å"approach our absurd lives with irony instead of heroism or despair† (Nagel 727). Heroism, as seen in religion, means to value life too much, whereas despair, seen in the depressed or suicidal, means to not value life enough or at all. However, to look at the absurdity of life with irony allows humans to live this contradicting life, aware of this contradiction, but continue to live it without denial, torment, or resentment. In Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot (1953), this concept of absurdity seen from continuing seriousness even after doubting it is portrayed. Vladimir and Estragon have chosen enslavement to an authoritative figure, Godot, and though they have yet to see Godot or even get confirmation that he will eventually come, they still continue to wait for him. This is the same idea that religion brings to humans, as they can live their lives without signs from God or true meaning from religion, yet they still believe because it gives them a sense of purpose. However, this creates absurdity because, for religious people, they also doubt all of this purpose and meaning they are waiting for, and for Vladimir and Estragon, they doubt Godot will ever come. Towards the end of the play, it is clear that Vladimir has doubt about Godot and has a realization that he has been waiting for a long time and will continue to wait, possibly for eternity. He has this realization and doubt about his seriousness for waiting, yet continues to wait. This clash is what makes Vladimir and Estragons lives absurd, and is the same clash that is seen in religious lives as well. 5. According to Nagel, atheistic existentialists, such as Sartre and Camus, dwell on and blame the fact that God doesnt exist as the reason life is absurd. They believe that without God, our lives lack the meaning which they demand, and without this meaning our lives are meaningless, and therefore absurd. However, Nagel has already pointed out that this is not why life is absurd and that whether our lives have meaning or not does not change this clash between the seriousness which we take our lives and the reality that causes us to doubt the seriousness that is the true creator of absurdity. These atheistic existentialists view absurdity of humans lives as a problem, as something that needs a solution or to be fixed. Camus advice on dealing with this â€Å"problem† of absurdity is defiance. Nagel looks at Camus proposal, and says, â€Å"We can salvage our dignity, he appears to believe, by shaking a fist at the world which is deaf to our please, and continuing to live in spite of it† (Nagel 726). This, of course, will not rid our lives of absurdity, as this is not possible as long as we are self-aware and able to reflect, but Camus believes it will give humans at least a more fulfilled life. Nagel disagrees with these ideas, and says that the absurdity of human lives isnt even a problem at all. He falls back on his idea that absurdity is one of the most significant things that makes us human, and humans lives are only absurd because they posses the ability of a kind of insight that other species do not. â€Å"If a sense of the absurd is a way of perceiving our true situation (even though the situation is not absurd until the perception arises) then what reason can we have to resent or escape it? † (Nagel, 727). Nagel says that it is important that humans are aware of this absurdity, yet do not try to avoid it as it is not possible to do such a thing and one will only dwell on this attempt their entire life. Instead, as mentioned before, Nagel suggests the only way going about absurdity is to approach it with irony. It is important to not let this absurdity become torturous, but is also crucial to not allow it to force an avoidance or attempt to surpass the absurdity. The acknowledgment of the clash between seriousness and reality is important in acceptance and living life in between heroism and despair. If humans can look at their absurd lives with irony, the absurdity will be acknowledged, but will not effect their lives as to cause anything actually problematic from happening. Nagel also states that this absurdity is important because it exposes our human limitations and allows humans to understand these, so there is no reason to try to escape this. Nagels argument helps make sense of these atheistic existentialists works. For example, in Camus The Stranger (1942), the ending is very clear because Camus didnt believe in the idea of approaching absurdity with irony, so he did not end his book like this, and instead ended it with Maurseult approaching the absurdity with the dramatic feeling that Nagel discourages. Maurseult is unable to find irony in his absurd life, and blames Gods nonexistence for his inability to justify morals. It is clear that this happens because these are Camus beliefs, and Nagel portrays these as making a problem out of absurdity that shouldnt be a problem at all. Jean-Paul Sartre, also an atheistic existentialist according to Nagel, falls back on the idea that existence proceeds essence, and in that way humans achieve absolute freedom. However, this idea is contradicted by Nagel when he says that humans are born into absurdity and there is no escaping it, as it would have to have been never attained or forgotten, which is impossible to do if its part of humans from the start. Nagels ideas about absurdity, such that it is unavoidable yet not necessarily a problem, contradict these atheistic existentialists ideas, and he ends with he belief that contrary to what these existentialists say, humans must approach their absurd lives with irony, because if nothing matters, than it wouldnt matter to do anything other than this. Part II a. â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism†, by Jean-Paul Sartre (1946), focuses on freedom as the bases of morality. Sartre defends existentialism as being a moral philosophy by contradicting arguments against this idea with his own thoughts. The first idea that Sartre rejects is that which claims existentialism allows people to â€Å"dwell in the quietism of despair† (Sartre 1). In his argument against this he focuses on the concept that existence proceeds essence, where humans first exist before anything else, such as defining themselves. â€Å"Man simply is. Not that he is simply what he conceives himself to be, but he is what he wills, and as he conceives himself after already existing—as he wills to be after that leap towards existence† (Sartre 2). This is what Sartre refers to as the first principle of existentialism. The next idea Sartre argues against is that existentialism is a pessimistic view, however, he says that existentialism actually reflects severe optimism. He gives the example of the way an existentialist looks at a coward and sees him as personally responsible for being a coward, as something he chooses and commits to, which is an optimist way of looking at such a thing. Sartre then looks at the idea of subjectivity, which is argued as a negative aspect of existentialism as it is seen as living a solitude and therefore selfish or egotistical life, and conveys two meanings for â€Å"subjectivism†. One meaning he points out is the freedom of an individual, and the other meaning refers to man unable to further himself beyond human subjectivity. This is a further look at existence proceeding essence, as it shows that humans do not choose being human but they do choose their actions after becoming humans, and by choosing for ones self, one chooses for all humans. This shows, therefore, that existentialists view humans as not individuals whom are selfish, but rather that their actions speak for all humans. The last argument Sartre rejects is that existentialism denies reality and the seriousness of humanity. However, according to Sartre, existentialism is humanist when looking at a fundamental definition of the word. â€Å"Man is all the time outside of himself: it is in projecting and losing himself beyond himself that he makes man to exist; and, on the other hand, it is by pursuing transcendent aims that he himself is able to exist† (Sartre 13). Existentialists believe that there is no human action that doesnt have an explanation, and if an action has an explanation it is human. These ideas portray Sartes position that existentialism is a moral philosophy and that it is a humanism. However, his ideas are not enough to make this statement. He focuses deeply on the idea of freedom and that because humans are free as seen by existentialists, existentialism is a moral philosophy. For existentialism to be completely moral, however, it would have to compliment Sartes idea of freedom with other values, such as charity, kindness, and serving our duty to the world and others, as this is what is truly moral and humanitarian. Complimenting freedom with something else though would take some freedom away and therefore his idea of the moral system being based on freedom is invalid. One example Sartre provides to express this idea of freedom being the basis for existentialism, and the reason it is moral, is about a man facing a moral dilemma. He must choose between either staying with his mother, whom has been abandoned by everyone else in her life and only has this one son left, or leaving her, alone and empty, to go join the Free French Forces. He looks at this as a moral dilemma, however, this is not a moral dilemma because both choices are good. A moral dilemma is one where an individual is faced with two options and picks the one which is good and leaves the other which is not good. However, whether this man stays with his mother or goes to fight for a cause, he is choosing between two goods and therefore is not making a moral decision. Sartre also looks at the idea that existentialism leaves you uncertain and that all moral decisions operate with a degree of uncertainty. This, to an extent, is true, and it is not wise to base decisions on certainty of the future. However, there are actions that are possible, and should be, taken based on their consequences. For example, the question of whether one should push another individual off an enormous cliff seems very certain. It is true that life is uncertain, but there is quite a high chance that that individual, if pushed off the cliff, will fall and die. The immediate and certain consequences seen in life are not mentioned and are ignored in Sartres moral system of existentialism, and therefore is not enough to make this claim. Sartre focuses on this idea that freedom is what makes existentialism a moral philosophy, however, true morality limits freedom, and there is so much more to morality than what Sartre mentions. b. Ivan Ilytch and Meursault both experience an epiphany at the end of their lives, and therefore die as happy men. Both men lived selfish lives, unaware of what life truly was about. They both lived under an idea of what they thought was the right way to live, with Ivan attempting to live a normal life, fitting into society, and Meursault living a life in effort to embody the universe. Both of these life styles were structured and allowed the men to just follow guidelines which they believed was the right thing to do. However, this was selfish as it led to them ignoring the rest of the world, such as their families and other aspects of true happiness. Meursault went through life seeing it as meaningless and therefore claims he believes in nothing. However, the fact that he in so deeply devoted to this meaningless shows that he believes in this meaninglessness. This becomes clear when Meursault is talking to the priest and realizes that his uncertainty was just as strong as the priests certainty about everything, and when he says that the priest was living like a dead man he realizes that it was really him who was doing such a thing. Meursault comes to terms with the fact the he so deeply believes that nothing matters and life is meaningless, and in doing so he looses his temper and becomes emotional and passionate about something for once in his life. This same insight about realizing that life is not so structured and that it is about existing and having fulfillment is seen in Ivan when, as he is laying on his death bed, he becomes aware that there is no goal in life. He spent his whole life chasing something, but finally realizes that this is not what life is about, as he already had things in his life that could have given him fulfillment, such as his family. As he looks at his son and is overcome by this realization, he is finally happy. Meursault also was pursing something in life, that of embodying the universe, but he too sees that this is not what life is about. Soon before he dies, he really sees the world for the first time in his life, the smells and sounds that it holds, and is happy. He even thinks about his mother and shows a side, lacking selfishness, that he had never shown before. With this thoughtfulness, as well as recognizing that nothing matters and there is no meaning, he finally gives himself the fulfillment that life is truly about and feels happiness. c. In Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot (1953), two men wait for an authoritative figure to appear and convey a message, telling them what to do and what to live for. This is a constant part of society, where humans continue â€Å"waiting† and spend their entire lives hoping the universe will tell them something. The play symbolizes this human waiting and longing for something more in many ways throughout it. Estragon cannot take his shoes off, symbolizing that he is stuck on earth and nothing can be done as he cannot escape. Vladimir looks at his hat, as if to find something in it that tells him something or gives some sort of sign, but finds nothing and continues to gaze at the horizon, which holds hope and something more than this life theyre stuck in. However, as trapped and unhappy as they are, as they even considered suicide, they do not give up hope. In fact, they decide against suicide because they must wait for Godot to come and see what he offers, and then they will decide what to do from there. Vladimir and Estragon cannot stop their wanting to live as they want to live for something, so they are hoping that Godot will give them something to live for, even though he already is just from the hope that he might come. They have lost track of time and are unsure of whether they were here yesterday, as waiting tends to make people lose track of time since it is just what humans do and is inherent in our human condition. In metaphysical time, it is always just now, and waiting is eternal. When two new characters enter the scene, Pozzo and Lucky, the main characters become puzzled. Lucky, who is seemingly not so lucky, carries Pozzos bags for him, but he never puts them down, and he obeys Pozzos every command. Vladimir and Estragon wonder why this is, and why Lucky even puts up with Pozzo. Lucky, however, is not much different from Vladimir and Estragon, as he just seeks authority. He wants this enslavement, where he is told what to do and think and how to live. Vladimir and Estragon have their own symbolic bags that they too refuse to put down, as seen through their choice to continue to wait for Godot, with no one telling them they must wait but it being their own decision to do so and continue to do so. When Vladimir and Estragon find themselves worried that Pozzo wants to get rid of Lucky and leave him behind, it symbolizes that they too are worried of being left behind by Godot. This constant desire for authority is something seen in this play as well as in society, as humans are very frightful of being alone or without someone to tell them what to do or how to live. Though Vladimir and Estragons decision to wait is questionable, it does however give them something to do and comes from a command from authority. As mentioned before, though Godot isnt there, Godot is still ruling over them and gives them the authority that is so desperately sought for. This enslavement to Godot seen in Vladimir and Estragon is actually rather admirable, as it shows their devotion and commitment. The patience seen in their servitude conveys their faith and religious spirit. It brings them hope and a sort of comfort to continue this faith and commitment. When the boy comes the second time to deliver Godots message, Vladimir seems to know that the same thing happened yesterday, and that it will continue to happen, but he still continues to wait. The boy does not tell Vladimir that he will convey his message to Godot and does not give Vladimir his desired recognition that this is real, and Godot has not shown up, yet Vladimir and Estragon still continues to wait and do not lose hope. This idea that they are not just existing as humans but are devoting themselves to this higher authority shows that their existential journey leads beyond existentialism, as they continue to wait by choice but are being controlled by the idea of something more.

Management of Post-Traumatic Piriformis Syndrome: Case Study

Management of Post-Traumatic Piriformis Syndrome: Case Study Diagnosis and Chiropractic Management of Post-Traumatic Piriformis Syndrome: A Case Study Chief complaint A 37-year-old male patient presented himself at a local chiropractic clinic with a chief complaint of persistent low back pain that was radiating into his left buttock, all along the posterolateral aspect of his left thigh and calf, and to the lateral aspect of the foot. History of the patient illness The pain initiated 2 years ago. The patient reported a blunt trauma of his left buttock in a motorcycle accident 8 months before his symptoms were first noticed. The patient was presented with low back pain, radiating from sacrum and gluteal region to the lateral aspect of the foot, all along the posterolateral aspect of his left thigh and calf. The pain was occasionally accompanied by paresthaesia and burning sensation. When asked to rate his pain with a numeric rating scale (NRS), he noted his low back pain to be 3/10 at best and 7/10 at worst. Prolonged sitting and car driving aggravated his symptoms. And standing up and walking a few steps for a moment would make the pain partially relieved. The patient also noted that prolonged external rotation of the affected hip (sitting posture) made the symptoms more intense. He avoided sitting in a cross-leg posture due to the pain. The patient had a transient relief of his pain after treatment of physiotherapy. However, the pain came back after a few days. Other than the traumatic fall on his left hip in a motorcycle accident, the patient’s medical history was not remarkable. Relative family history, social and environment history Both of the patient’s parents were diagnosed with disc herniation of the lumbar spine in their 50s. The patient went to gym 4 times per week, doing cardiovascular and weight bearing training. And he used to play soccer once a week. However he had to stop playing since his low back pain and leg pain started to bother him. The patient was an attorney and his job required him to sit in front of his desk for more than 6 hours per day. He reported that he had to stand up and walk a few steps in the office every 30 minutes due to the pain. Relevant medications The patient’s symptoms were partially relieved by taking Panadols. He was not taking any other prescribed or non-prescribed medications. List of possible diagnoses from the patient history Lumbar disc herniation The patient was presented with symptoms and signs of radiculopathy including sensation disturbance of the lower limb, pain shooting to the foot, and pain worsened by sitting and relieved by walking. According to the dermatome, the nerve roots of L5, S1 or S2 were possibly affected. Considering that both of the patient’s parents are diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation, it should be on top of the differential diagnosis list, for recent studies have suggested that lumbar disc herniation may be attributed more to genetic factors than to environmental and constitutional risk factors. The patient’s occupation which kept him sitting for a prolonged time increases the chance of lumbar disc herniation. The history of blunt trauma could also be a factor of developing lumbar disc herniation. Sciatic nerve irritation of other origins The patient’s altered sensation on the lower extremity is in the distribution of sciatic nerve. Sciatica should be taken into consideration. However, the underlying cause of compression or irritation of sciatic nerve should be revealed with further examination and investigation. Piriformis syndrome Piriformis syndrome is an uncommon form of sciatica in which the sciatic nerve is compressed and irritated by piriformis muscle. It usually occurs in people who are middle-aged (mean age 38 years old). Robinson described 5 significant manifestations of piriformis syndrome in 1947, including: (1) history of trauma in the gluteal region; (2) pain in the sciatic nerve distribution; (3) symptoms relieved by traction and aggravated by sitting or stooping; (4) palpable tenderness or mass over piriformis muscle; (5) positive straight leg raise test. This patient was presented with the first 3 features of piriformis syndrome, whereas the 4th and 5th need further examination. Sacroiliac joint syndrome Sacroiliac joint syndrome is the dysfunction of sacroiliac joint that is attributed to either hypermobility or hypomobility, causing low back pain, buttock pain and sciatic lower limb pain. Lower abdomen, groin and medial thigh are occasionally affected as well. The symptoms of sacroiliac joint syndrome and sciatica are often similar. Hamstring syndrome Another possible differential diagnosis is hamstring syndrome. Hamstring syndrome is caused by entrapment of the proximal sciatic nerve by the hamstring tendons (1). It usually occurs associated with trauma such as hamstring tears or strain (2). However, in many cases, not significant history of trauma is noted (1, 2). Patients with hamstring syndrome present with lower gluteal pain and radiate down to posterior thigh and knee (2). The symptoms are similar to sciatica of other origins. Results of the neurological exams Observation, static palpation and range of motion Observation and static palpation are performed to look for any degree of antalgic posturing, any deviation from a normal spinal curve, pelvic position, and muscle spasm or bulks. Characteristic findings of each differential diagnosis are listed below. Lumbar disc herniation Possible hyper-lordosis of lumbar spine in an antalgic posture; Significant decrease in lumbar active and passive range of motion, especially in lumbar flexion and unilateral lateral flexion; Possible limited hip range of active motion due to muscle weakness; Possible palpable restricted lumbar vertebral segments; Hypertonic or tender lumbar muscles on static palpation, especially erector spinae (ES) muscles; Piriformis syndrome Possible limping or walking with the assistance with crutches due to pain and lower extremity muscle weakness; Possible hip external rotation on the affected side due to excessive piriformis muscle contraction, which is also known as â€Å"piriformis sign† (3); Significant decrease in hip active and passive range of motion, especially in hip internal rotation and adduction; Ipsilateral short leg (3); Tenderness at the sciatic notch on palpation; Possible hypertonic gluteal muscles (3); Sciatica Findings depend on the causes of sciatica such as lumbar disc herniation, piriformis syndrome and hamstring syndrome. Sacroiliac syndrome The posterior superior iliac spines (PSIS) on both sides are not at the same horizontal level; Possible redness and swelling at the affected sacroiliac joint; Possible leg length discrepancy; Significant decrease in sacroiliac joint mobility; Possible local tenderness on static palpation; Hamstring syndrome The pain is more localized, but possibly radiating; Tenderness of hamstring tendons or over ischial tuberosity on static in palpation; Significant decrease in hip active range of motion, especially in hip extension; On observation, static palpation and range of motion assessment, the patient was noticed for: Positive piriformis sign (hip external rotation) on the ipsilateral (left) side; A relatively shorter left leg compared with the right leg; Tenderness over contralateral (right) sacroiliac joint; A palpable â€Å"sausage-shaped† mass in the ipsilateral (left) gluteal region (3); Hypertonic left hamstrings; Tenderness over left sciatic notch on static palpation; Limited hip active and passive range of motion, especially internal rotation; Decrease in sacroiliac joint mobility; Other findings were not remarkable. The results of the assessment suggested that piriformis syndrome and sacroiliac syndrome were most possible diagnoses. Coordination and gait analysis Coordination and gait should be examined before other assessments are done, for this test provides us a big picture of the patient’s lower extremity function including motor function, joint integrity and coordination. Any gait dysfunction or antalgic gait should be recognized and further tests should be performed to look for the causes. No abnormal movement or disturbance of the patient’s gait was observed. He also reported a partial relief of symptoms when he was walking. The insignificant findings made lumbar disc herniation less likely, however, there was still a possibility. Sensory exam Sensory exams of peripheral nerves were performed to look for any sensation change on the symptomatic lower limb, which would lead to localization of the lesion. Assessments included fine touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception. Decrease in two-point discrimination and light touch was noticed over the lateral aspect of the left leg and foot. Motor exam Lower extremity muscle strength was tested to identify which nerve roots were affected according to myotomes. On examination, no significant findings were noticed. deep tendon Reflex Abnormal deep tendon reflex may be seen in lesions of muscles, sensory neurons, lower/upper motor neurons, neuromuscular junction and mechanical factors such as joint disease. On examination, the patient’s Achilles reflexes were normal (+2) on both sides. An abnormal Achilles reflex suggests a tibial nerve lesion (S1-2). Neurodynamic assessment Straight leg raise The test is designed to look for any impingement of the dura and spinal cord or nerve roots of the lower lumbar spine, especially in sciatic nerve (L4, L5, S1). The patient’s result was negative (70 °), suggesting less possible lumbar disc herniation. Bonnet’s test Bonnet’s test is a variant of straight leg raise and used to test for entrapment of sciatic nerve by piriformis muscle. The patient’s result was positive, indicating possible piriformis syndrome. Bowstring test Bowstring test is another variant of straight leg raise and used to test for entrapment of sciatic nerve by hamstrings. The patient’s result was negative, suggesting less possible hamstring syndrome. Orthopaedic examinations Valsalva maneuver Valsalva maneuver was done to look for any disc herniation causing radiculopathy. This would increase intrathecal pressure which may reproduce the patient’s symptoms. The patient’s result was negative, indicating less possible lumbar disc herniation. Lumbar compression-distraction test This test is also designed to look for disc herniation. When the compressive force is applied, it increases the intrathecal pressure and replicates symptoms if the patient has disc herniation. And the symptoms are relieved by distraction. The patient’s result was negative, suggesting it was less likely to be disc herniation. Gaenslen’s test Gaenslen’s test is to assess sacroiliac joint involvement. The patient’s result is negative. Yeoman’s test Yeoman’s test is designed to assess the integrity of the sacroiliac joint. The patient’s result is negative. Squat test Squat test is designed for quick screening of lower limb pathologies including joint disease, motor and sensory neuron lesions. The patient’s result was positive. Supported belt test Supported belt test helps to determine whether the pain is of lumbar origin or pelvic origin. The patient was noticed for having pain only without supported belt, suggesting his symptoms were caused by pelvic dysfunction. List of possible diagnoses from the neurological exam Piriformis syndrome Sacroiliac syndrome Further blood and radiological tests At this stage, no further imaging or other tests are needed, for the diagnosis can be made based on the patient’s history and results of neurological and orthopaedic examinations. It is recommended that the patient should be treated for piriformis syndrome at the start. A conservative treatment plan should be designed to reduce pain intensity, stretch hypertonic muscles and increase lumbar and sacroiliac joint mobility. However, if the patient does not respond to the treatment or the symptoms are worsened after the treatment, further investigations should be done. Considering a large extent of soft tissue and nerve involvement, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) would be the most effective imaging method. A lumbopelvic view should be taken. This does not only demonstrate possible hypertrophied piriformis muscle and sciatic nerve entrapment, but also helps to rule out other differential diagnoses such as lumbar disc herniation. Nevertheless, many studies failed to show consistence of radiographic abnormalities in piriformis syndrome. Therefore, no significant findings on MRI do not necessarily exclude piriformis syndrome. CT and ultrasound are also used to look for abnormality of piriformis muscle, but they are not as sensitive as MRI. EMG is an investigation to assess abnormal spontaneous activity of muscles which are innervated by sciatic nerve, thus differentiating sciatica and lumbosacral radiculopathy; however, EMG findings are often normal in piriformis syndrome. Local injection of anaesthetics or steroid can be applied for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes (4). This technique is widely used after initial evaluation. However, the specificity and efficacy is not well determined by clinical trials (4). A certain portion of patients with piriformis syndrome do not respond to piriformis muscle injection (5). Final diagnosis Based on the patient’s history, the results of neurologic and orthopaedic examinations, and likely radiographic findings, piriformis syndrome is the most likely diagnosis. Chiropractic management Conservative treatment is recommended at this stage, for 79% of patients with piriformis syndrome showed a significant improvement with use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants, thermo-therapy and rest (fishman, osteopathic approach). The aim of the chiropractic treatment is to reduce the intensity of pain, relax piriformis muscle, increase the range of motion of the hip joint, and increase mobility of lumbar and sacroiliac joint. The tone and length of the left piriformis muscle and other affected muscles (hamstrings, other lateral rotators, gluteus muscles) should be assessed with chiropractic muscle test and static palpation. Any trigger point, tenderness, hypertonia are noted. Stretching exercise and muscle release are introduced first to help the patient relax the hypertonic piriformis muscle. The patient needs to receive the muscle release training daily for 2 weeks until the muscle tone is assessed again and any improvement of his symptoms is seen. Stretching of other affected hypertonic muscles is also required. The mobility of the patient’s lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint should be assessed with orthopaedic examinations and chiropractic motion palpation. Any restricted segment is adjusted with high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) spinal manipulation. Chiropractic adjustments help to relieve pain, increase joint mobility and re-establish biomechanical stability of the body. References 1.Saikku K. Entrapment of the proximal sciatic nerve by the hamstring tendons. Acta orthopaedica belgica. 2010 06;76(3):321-4. 2.Puranen J. The hamstring syndrome. A new diagnosis of gluteal sciatic pain. The American journal of sports medicine. 1988;16(5):517-21. 3.Boyajian-ONeill LA. Diagnosis and management of piriformis syndrome: an osteopathic approach. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2008 11;108(11):657-64. 4.Jankovic D. Brief review: Piriformis syndrome: etiology, diagnosis, and management Article de synthà ¨se court: Le syndrome du muscle piriforme – à ©tiologie, diagnostic et prise en charge. Canadian journal of anesthesia. 2013 10;60(10):1003-12. 5.Martin HD, Martin H. Diagnostic accuracy of clinical tests for sciatic nerve entrapment in the gluteal region. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA. 2014 04;22(4):882-8.

The Concept Of Youth So Difficult To Define Sociology Essay

The Concept Of Youth So Difficult To Define Sociology Essay The concept of youth could be seen as difficult to define, as it covers such a diverse area, Pierre Bourdieu (1978)(In Jones 2010) suggested that youth is just a word and that it has been an evolving concept which has developed over the centurys into a social construction. Youth could also be defined by some, especially in western societies as the life stages between childhood and adulthood and becoming independent from dependent (Kehily 2007). Some favour biological markers, in which youth is the period between puberty and parenthood, while others define youth in terms of cultural markers a distinct social status with specific roles, rituals, and relationships (USAID/CMM 2005). Definitions of youth by age vary drastically across different institutions; the UN has defined youth as person from 15 to 24 years of age, whereas the National Youth Policy of Nepal defines youth as persons from 16 to 40 years of age. Therefore in understanding the difficulties in defining youth, it is impor tant to look at the many different ways , as to why age from the earliest of ages, industrialisation, cultures and the biological concept, to identify some of the key issues as to why the concept of youth is so difficult to define as it has such a diverse range of ideas and notions. The term youth is defined by sociologists as a transition between childhood and adulthood (Roche et al 2004) the alternative is the term adolescence which is often: Used within psychology to describe the common biological, psychological, emotional and sexual maturation phases associated with the onset of puberty and the teenage years From this notion it appears that some perceive youth as a sociological category rather than a biological one (Frith 2005, in kehily 2007) in that youth is a social construct rather than a biological and psychological concept as G Hall (1904) (In Kehily 2007p.57) noted that the biological side changes can have an effect on different people at different times in their lifes through hormonal and psychological changes from which they are not in control over and can have effect over their feeling and behaviour. However the sociologist Margret Mead1972 disregarded Halls concept that adolescence was brought on by biological changes which hall suggests occurs during puberty, from her own study concluded that this period in a young persons life was the effect of sexual repression in society and of societys handling of young people (kehily 2007). However as these studys by Hall and Mead were carried out in a specific area of Samoa, this study maybe relevant to this area but it cannot be genera lised to the rest of the world. Social anthropologists on the other hand try and understand the concept of youth from a cultural perspective for instance rather than seeing it from biological view, they study their behaviour, cultural beliefs, family lives, social, political organisations and their relationships with each other (kehily 2007, p.47) although it must be noted that most cultural studies are based upon non-western and traditional societies (keily 2007). Van Gennep 1960 (in kehily 2007 p.62) studies the rites of passage, and states there are three stages: the leaving behind of the familiar, living away from the community and thirdly reintegration, he backs this up with the study of Nelson Mandelas ignition of becoming a man, Gennep 1960 re-enforces this idea with the ritual of circumcism as some countries carry out rituals in order to publicly show the transition from one stage of a life to another (kehily 2007, p.63). although rites of passage can be observed in western countries it can be interpreted i n different ways, for instance, celebrating a birthday, leaving school, going on to university and getting married can be seen as an initiation process into either the passage to youth or the transition into adulthood as Gennep notes rites of passage were similar in structure and function wherever they occurred in the world. Aries (1962) (In kassem et al 2010) suggested that the concept of youth did not exist in the middle ages and that it has been socially constructed over the centuries, as Aries states, in medieval society the idea of childhood did not exist, and that from the age of 7 a child would be classed as an adult, as Heywood (2001 p.11) noted that the transition into adulthood took place when a child no longer needed their mother and could survive without them, which was somewhere between the ages of 5 and 7, he states they were launched into the great community of men, although some would argue with this concept, as kassem et al (2010) suggests that Aries work is only based upon the ideas of childhood and not children themselves. Pollock (1983) (In kassem et al 2010) also criticises Aries and suggests that from studying first hand accounts from diaries and autobiographies that this was not the case and that families in the 1500s did acknowledge childhood as kassem (2010) notes that Pollock q uotes numerous examples of grief at infant death, from mothers and fathers and that Aries work in only based upon secondary sources rather than actual accounts. Although some researches would agree with Aries that the term childhood has only arisen from the 1700s due to it being something which has been constructed (kassem et al 2010,p.3) from the growth of the middle class and the Industrial Revolution (Stone 1977 in kassem et al 2010) as this conctrucuralism could be seen as to arise after the era of industrialisation, for instance from the early age of around 6 years old children were working , which was reported by the Royal Commission on the Employment of children (1843) that children began work at around the age of 6 (Heywood 2001,p.130). By the late eighteenth century it was emerging that children needed a childhood as it was noted by Hendrick (in Heywood 2001 p.142) that it was emerging that the young was in need of a childhood and that we needed to start taking note of this , as Hendrick noted that children were now being seen as innocent, ignorant, dependent, and vulnerable. However some may only define youth, especially by age as they can be seen to have a vested interest for their own personal gain, their motivations may be different as the media for instance may have an interest to inform, whereas connection service see youth at the age of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as they have an interest in improving the lives of youth by ways of empowering them into looking for work or improving their educational needs to enable them to work, wheras the high street stores such as newlook, topshop/topman aim their establishments at youth as for private gain in making money from them. In conclusion as to why youth is so difficult to define, as it is quite diverse and complex and there are numerous reasoning behind the concept of youth from nature v nurture to cultural and sociological explanations it also varies globally as their values and beliefs differ from others therefor as jones notes (2010) when youth is taken to mean age, then it really is just a word. Therefore the concept of youth will always be difficult to define as there is no neutral definition and we all define the concept of youth in many different ways. Word count:References Social and Human Sciences http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/youth/ the concept of youth http://www.allenandunwin.com/publicsociology/files/ch6RETHINK.pdf Heywood, C. (2001) A history of childhood, Cambridge: polity press. Kehily M.J. (2007) Understanding Youth: Perspectives, Identities and Practices. Milton Keynes:Open University Press. Roche, J, et al. (2004) youth in society, 2nd ed, London: sage publications. Kessem, D, et al (2010) Key issues in childhood and youth studies. Oxon: Routledge. Jones, G. (2009) Key concepts: youth. Cambridge: polity press.

Two Electronic Products :: Technology Essays

Two Electronic Products It is hard to imagine how an improvement in technology affects the electronic products that you use in daily life. The engineers around the world are working hard to keep up with the pace of technology because consumers have higher demand. As the world becomes digitally technological, every electronic product will function digitally because it is more convenient, time conservative, and money saving. In order to see the differences between old fashioned technology and modern technology, I will be comparing the two types of cameras that I own – a digital camera and a film camera. It is obvious that a digital camera has many more advantages than a film camera. First of all, a digital camera is evaluated. The model that I have is the PowerShot S230 with 3.2 megapixels. You might wonder what the function of megapixels are if you are not familiar with a digital camera. Therefore, it is better to explain the benefits of the digital camera from a block diagram. From the above block diagram, a digital camera will work if you plug in all the necessary items such as a fully charged battery and a CompactFlash card. You will need several cables to view the pictures in different kinds of machines. The above diagram shows that an AV cable is needed to view a picture on a television or a video. Direct interface cables and a USB cable are needed to print the pictures and view the pictures in the computer respectively. The digital camera serves as a filmless camera. However, the CompactFlash card that comes with the camera contains 16 megabytes only, which in turn stores up to only 20 pictures. In order to store hundreds of pictures, the consumers usually purchase another memory card with 256 megabytes or 512 megabytes, which can store up to 500 pictures. If you do not like some pictures, you can always erase them in order to get back some memory. The pictures in the camera can be viewed either in the computer or as a hardcopy. To process the pictures in the hardcopy, we just have to bring the CompactFlash card to the image machine to develop the pictures. However, if you want to store the pictures in the computer, you will have to use a USB Interface Cable to connect the camera to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the computer.

Opportunities and Threats facing the U.S Airline Industry Essay

Opportunities and Threats facing the U.S Airline Industry The health of the overall U.S airline industry is still tenuous in-spite of the passenger traffic volumes returning to pre-9/11 levels. A survey estimated that from 2001 through 2003, the US airline industry reported to have lost $23.2 billion dollars, compounded by an additional $1.6 billion in the first quarter of 2004. This $24.8 billion shortfall exceeds the total profits earned over the entire six-year period 1995-2000 Drastic changes in the Economic, Political/legal and technological segment of airline’s external environment contributed to some of the major looses seen by the industry. The key factors that heavily contributed to the loses include †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economic slow down in the country †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Massive decline in business travel †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SARS epidemic †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Increase in competition †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Availability of substitutes for air travel †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  soaring fuel prices †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Weak dollar In response to the industry’s financial crisis, Congress made available several forms of relief that amounted to over $20billion. This relief includes the payment of upto $5billion in pretax cash assistance to reimburse air careers for losses incurred as a direct result of the 4-day government shut-down of air traffic after 9/11. However, relief measures were not enough to bring the airline industry out of hot water. Most of the airlines have accumulated vast amounts of debt which brought them on the verge of bankruptcy. The list includes Atlas/Polar Cargo, Midway, National, Sun Country, TWA, United and US Airways. American and Delta airlines narrowly avoided bankruptcy but have warned about such possibility. †An average carrier is now well over 90% leveraged (net debt to equity ratio) compared to 60-70 percent historically. This means most airlines are now completely leveraged and unable to obtain capital. This has added to significant debt service costs and will make the industry even more vulnerable to any future economic downturns. With industry debt well over $100 billion, much of it due in the next 24 month. 11 of 12 airlines are rated â€Å"junk bonds† by S&P. Only Southwest remains at an â€Å"investment grade. Almost all airlines are faced with the same challenges and threats in the external environment like rising fuel cost, weak travel demand etc. Some airlines like Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran whi... ...work and take necessary action to adapt and sustain its competitive posture. Southwest employs integrated low-cost and differentiated strategy which enables the firm to †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adapt quickly to environment changes †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learns and implement new skills and technology quickly †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effectively utilize its core competency while competing against rivals. To sustain a competitive advantage and to seek above average returns, Southwest implements this strategy to produce relatively differentiated service at lower cost compared to its rivals. Yes this strategy is appropriate to offset the forces in the industry. Southwest should grow internationally as the demand for air-line travel has substantially declined domestically in the last couple of years and will continue to decline further in some segments like business or corporate travel. The major reason I feel is the growth in communication technology enabling people to work remotely without the need to be present in the office. Voice and data over IP, Live meeting and communication services have substantially reduced the need for corporate executive and divisional managers to travel thus lowering the demand further.

Medicinal Uses of Rainforest Plants Essay examples -- Exploratory Essa

Medicinal Uses of Rainforest Plants It is estimated that nearly half of the world's estimated 10 million species of plants, animals, and micro-organisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation. Rainforest plants are complex chemical storehouses that contain many undiscovered compounds which are a vital part for the growth and development of the world. Therefore, we can only gain access and knowledge to these materials if we study and conserve the species that contain them. Rainforests currently provide sources for one-fourth of today's medicines, and 70 percent of the plants found have anti-cancer properties. However, they are only found in the rainforest. The rainforest and its immense undiscovered biodiversity holds the key to unlocking tomorrow's cures for today's devastating diseases. In 1983, there were no US pharmaceutical manufacturers involved in research programs to discover new drugs or cures from plants. However, today over 100 pharmaceutical companies and several branches of the US government, including Abbott, Merck, Bristol-Meyers, Squibb and the National Cancer Institute are actively engaged in plant-based research projects for possible drugs and cures for viruses, infections, cancer, and AIDS. However, I am presenting the preservation of the world=s rainforests by showing how much more valuable plants are standing rather than cut down. Indeed, it is a race against a clock whose every tick means another acre of charred forest. Yet, in a competitive market, whoever presents new evidence in chemical bioprospecting will secure health and a piece of scientific immortality. We are now losing the earth=s greatest biologic... ...avin, and Hilary French Sate of the World. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1999. Caufield, Catherine. In the Rainforest. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1994. Emerich, Monica. AWhat You Should Know About Rainforest Remedies.@ Preserving Mayan Medicine. March 1998, Galileo. Online. Dialog. 1 Oct. 2003. Gay, Kathlyn. Rainforests of the World. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999. Henahan, Sean. ARainforest Medicines.@ Newsmaker Interviews. (1996): 6 pages. Online Internet. 1 Oct. 2003. Available Jenkins, Mark. AThe Secret Garden.@ Men=s Health. Oct. 1997, vol.12: 142. Galileo.Online. Dialog. 25 Sept. 2003. Available Meyers, Norman. Rainforests. Emmaus: Rodale Press, 1993. Newman, Arnold. Tropical Rainforest. New York: Edison Sadd Editions, 2000. Taylor, Leslie. Herbal Secrets of the Rainforest. Rocklin: Prima Publishing, 1998.

Development as a Leader

Leadership refers to a process through which a person influences others to accomplish a specific objective and directs the organization in a way such that it makes it much more cohesive and coherent. This process can be carried out by leaders through applying their leadership attributes which include beliefs, knowledge, values and skills.A position of someone as a manager, supervisor among others, may make one have the authority to accomplish some tasks and given set objectives in an organization, this however does not make one to be a leader. It may make one a boss. Leadership would make the followers aim to achieve much higher goals rather than just directing people around. What determines leadership is the character coupled with willingness to serve and sacrifice purely for the sake of the company or organization.There are various theories that explain how someone is likely to become a leader. Some of the basic theories are as follow:Trait theory.There are people who believe that leaders are born. The theory basically centers on this factor. There are specific traits that may be common among al the leaders. Therefore it is a belief that they are born with these characteristics. These characters are usually referred to as the qualities of a good leader. Therefore the theory defines what qualities that a good leader should have rather than looking at the quality of work that one has achieved. It only bases on the fact that if one is a leader then he should have these leadership traitsBehavioral TheoryHere the group of expert dwelt on what the leaders had done in relation to their followers. The theory groups various different forms of behavior that leaders possess towards their followers in sections which include:Participative leadership Directive leadership Task oriented People oriented Contingency theoryThe theory of contingency takes into consideration the weaknesses of the trait theory and the behavioral theory. Leadership is always a dynamic situation the refore it can only be logical to say that different traits and styles work in different situations. This theory puts into consideration the level of context. The basis to the approach is due to the variety of reasons that determine whether a leader can become active or not. Therefore defining ones leadership then a greater consideration on the style and traits are best within the given situation.Transformation theoryTransformation theory defines a leader as change agent.   a leader is vied   as someone who is likely to initiate change. A leader is looked through the follower. There are three ways through which a leader can make changes to the followers:Increasing the level of awareness about the value of work and how to attain the fitEnabling the team to be focused towards the bigger goals of a given unit and not just individual goals.Giving the followers the motivation into towards a higher–order need, for instance, basing on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.Charisma i s viewed as an important aspect of the theory. It is a belief that charisma is able to affect the followers through stirring their strong senses of emotion and enabling followers to associate with their leaders. Transformation leadership has got five pillars namely: stimulation, team building, inspiration, coaching and vision. When the five are combined then the results are always tremendous.Nahavandi (2003) similarly suggests that there are transformational leadership factors which include intellectual stimulation that compels one to generate new ideas coupled with empowerment, inspiration together with charisma to overcome any form of resistance to change. The other factors are individual incentives and the consideration to be able to motivate and give the followers the needed encouragement.Weaknesses of Trait TheoryResearchers are said to subjectively decide the type of traits that are important. So far there is no definitive list of trait that has been published. To add on that, traits have never been shown to give quality results that are desired in organizations therefore this has proved to be a major weakness. It is also hard to train future leaders due to the existence of the theory. There is always the acceptance of the belief that ability is bestowed upon someone at the moment of conception, a fact that can be misleading.Weaknesses of contingency theoryThe theory does not explain the reason as to why individuals are likely to be more effective in various situations than others. When there is a mismatch that might exist between the leader and the situation there has to be an explanation to this, the theory does not provide the explanation. Leaders who are more effective are likely to be promoted or moved to handle new roles which may not fit them basing on the strength and the level of performance in the roles they play.Weaknesses of Transformation theoryAccording to Vries (1994), this type of leadership is likely to fail due to â€Å"the Faust syndr ome†, a situation whereby the leader feels that he or she has already achieved almost everything and nothing more is left to be achieved, â€Å"the false connection† whereby the followers are not able to respond appropriately to the reality of the fact. They become people who can only accept anything due to the leadership fear. Leaders are afraid of any form of betrayal response from the followers.Unrealistic expectations about a vision, depending too much on leaders, disenfranchisement of leaders of the next levels of managers because of the strong influence and the limitations of the leaders. Transformation theory also shows that effective leaders require charismatic leadership and instrumental leadership that mainly focus on the management teams, control and the mechanisms of rewards.The role of leadership in businessAn increase in the rate of change in the business sector is one of the main factors in the current emphasis on leadership. Sometimes back the managers w ere supposed to maintain the status quo to be able to move ahead. Increased levels of the new forces within the market place have made it necessary to broaden the narrow focus. Visionary leaders are the new leaders of tomorrow. They are both teachers and learners. These are the kind of individuals who are able to foresee paradigm changes but still have very strong sense work ethics and can easily build integrity within their organization.Raymond Cattell (1945) developed an equation known as Leadership Potential Equation which has used to date to determine the traits that determine some the traits that characterize an effective leader. They include the following:Emotional stability: Eligible leaders should be able to overcome stress and frustration. Generally, they have to be well-adjusted and psychologically mature to handle any form of task they are required to handle.Dominance: Leaders are to be competitive and decisive. They should enjoy overcoming obstacles. The generally need t o be assertive in thinking and posses good attitude when dealing with others.Enthusiasm: In most cases, leaders are supposed to be seen in active form, expressive and full of energy. They have to be quick and alert and inhibited.Conscientiousness: Leaders are usually possessed with a sense of duty and tend always tend to be exerting in their sense character. They posses high levels of excellence and an inward desire to perform to the maximum. Self-discipline is one other trait that they have.Social boldness: Great leaders are spontaneous takers of risks. They are socially aggressive and thin-skinned. Generally, they are responsive to others and usually they are very high in emotional stamina.Tough-mindedness: Effective leaders are highly practical in nature, logical and are usually to the point. To some extend they tend to be low in sentimental attachment and are not moved with criticism. They become insensitive to hardship and they are generally very much poised.Self-assurance: Res iliency and a sense of self-confident are some of the common traits of the leaders. They are very free of guilt and they tend to have little or even no need for approval. They tend to be generally free and quite free from any form of guilt and are generally unaffected because of past mistakes and failures.Compulsiveness: Leaders have to be controlled and highly precise in their social interactions. Generally, they have to be very much protective of their own integrity and that of the organization they serve. They have to jealously guard the reputation in addition being socially aware and careful, highly abundant in foresight and cautious when making decisions or even while determining some specific actions.Leadership and Gender perspectiveHistory has always tried to make many believe that leadership is a traditionally masculine activity. However observations have been made that if women in some organizations can emerge as leaders, it is crucial that they are perceived as influential and motivate individuals. Research carried out way back in 1970s indicated that there was too much gender bias regarding the achievement of women in the business sector. However, in contrast, Charles & Joel (1980) were able to observe that the likelihood that the female would be able to emerge as leaders increased steadily as the number of women increased.Currently leadership qualities can be possessed by any individual irrespective of the gender. What one needs is the ability to accomplish the challenges that are involved.   Other researches have shown that women amount to almost half of the labour force. Though they go to the Universities in large numbers, they fill disproportionately a very small percentage of the senior positions of leadership. According to Charles and Joel (1980), women can bring a very different perspective towards business problems through enhancement of creativity. It is for this reason that promoting women can be a vital and strategic move in fostering d evelopment. Many people have always assumed gender difference before making any form of research.Leadership EthicsLeaders’ conduct and character are always under a microscope. The aspect of influence of leadership refers to enacting on the lives of the followers. Leaders therefore have to be ethical enough. The values of a leader can always be equated to the values of the organization. It is always stated that the need for leadership morals are mandatory in the 21st century. This is actually an integral to leadership, and not just an optional add-on. The definitions of ethical leadership, however, rely on the perception of an individual and not on empirically tested theories this is because a concrete body of research has not been produced yet.Leadership, corporate culture and Personal valuesAny one that would wish to push for the organizational improvement must always deal with cultural and behavioral obstacles to change. The attempts to organizational change must consider t he three key features of the life of the organization:The culture of the firm Leadership of change effort The exiting network of power.In dealing with the organizational culture, the management must work with the present culture to be able to transform the organization. It does not matter whether the culture’s changes is secondary; the most vital thing is to improve the level of performance of the company. Leadership plays an integral part in dealing with culture. Leadership has to take a given direction in order to be able to handle the culture of the organization. Based on the resent research, the top management must lead the effort of change. There are also key leadership actions that are likely to assist din helping those efforts to succeed. Goals can only be accomplished within the organizations mainly through the use of power and politics. So it is almost obvious that changing an organization requires some use of intelligence.Leadership and InfluenceMost efficient leade rs should be able to combine different forms of leading styles. They should not be bogged down by the thought and some of the related models they once learned but should continuously observe various changes I the environment together with the state of the organization. Through doing this they will be able to look for the best instruments of influence for each given situation.   With this kind of leadership, there is need for an open mind and the promptness to renew oneself on a basis that is very much continuous. The kind of leaders who are continuously developing themselves and are quick to find right channels to influence, are usually worth the weight in gold in any given networked society. These are the kind of individuals who constitute the highest element of competitiveness. However, it is, a little bit easier to encourage continuous learning coupled with the best application of novel approaches to any given situationReferencesCharles, T. & Joel Y. (1980). Leadership and Gend er perspective. Ondeo Nalco  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Energy Services: Longman Publishers.Nahavandi, R. (2003). Leadership theories and Practices. New Jersey: Prentice Hall  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PublishersRaymond, C. (1945). The role of leadership in business. University of Michigan: Climax  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Molybdenum Company Publishers.Vries, D. (1994). Weaknesses of Leadership theories. Paris:   Barnes & Noble Publishers.