ABC Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ABC Development - Assignment Example The housing project was scheduled to begin on January 1, 2013 and to be completed in the first few days of the month of December 2013. However, the construction process was delayed by 1 week. The planning process also realized delays of about 3 weeks. In total, delays in the schedule were 4 weeks (approximately 1 month). The planning permission was to commence on March 1, 2013 while construction was to begin a month later (April 1). It means that the first complete housing units were to be rescheduled to the end of October. The sales process should have started on November 1, 2013. The sales would remain at the same rate indicated earlier in the feasibility study since the shifts in house sales have not affected the current revised rate. It remains at 2 housing units sold per month. However, completing the sales would be realized three in February 2014. There are changes on the interest rate charged by the financial institution responsible for the funding of the housing project. With the increase in the rates of interest, loan facility would have to be viable until the end of February 2014. The simple interest would have to be scaled to 1.3% or simply 1% because of the 0.8% rise in the simple interest rates. The interest on the loan facility remains at the original schedule of a quarterly model in arrears. The developer’s cash will be used to pay it out. Roll-ups will not be allowed on the payments. The commitment fee of  £5000 will not be affected by scaling up the interest or the changes in planning and construction schedules. It will still be paid once the loan has been processed. The disposal fee of  £500 per housing sold will also remain unchanged. The funding of construction costs in a revolving basis will not be affected by the changes. It will remain at  £525,000. The remaining land cost ( £80,000) and

Independent Auditors Management Letter Essay Example for Free

Independent Auditors Management Letter Essay To the Honorable Board of County Commissioners of Lee County, Florida: We have audited the financial statements of the governmental activities, the business-type activities, each major fund, and the aggregate remaining fund information of Lee County, Florida (the County) as of and for the year ended September 30, 2011, and have issued our report thereon dated March 8, 2012. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America; the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States; and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and NonProfit Organizations. We have issued our Independent Auditors Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and on Compliance and Other Matters Based on an Audit of Financial Statements Performed in Accordance with Government Auditing Standards, Independent Auditors’ Report on Compliance with Requirements that Could Have a Direct and Material Effect on Each Major Federal Awards Program and State Financial Assistance Project and on Internal Control Over Compliance, and Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs. Disclosures in those reports and schedule, which are dated March 8, 2012, should be considered in conjunction with this management letter. Additionally, our audit was conducted in accordance with Chapter 10.550, Rules of the Auditor General, which governs the conduct of local governmental entity audits performed in the State of Florida. This letter includes the following information, which is not included in the aforementioned auditors’ reports or schedule. Section 10.554(1)(i)1., Rules of the Auditor General, requires that we determine whether or not corrective actions have been taken to address findings and recommendations made in the preceding annual financial audit report. There were no findings and recommendations made in the preceding annual financial audit report with respect to the Board of County Commissioners (the â€Å"Board†). With respect to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections, and Tax Collector (collectively the â€Å"County agencies†), reference to whether corrective actions have been taken is provided in separate management letters for each County agency. Section 10.554(1)(i)2., Rules of the Auditor General, requires our audit to include a review of the provisions of Section 218.415, Florida Statutes, regarding the investment of public funds. In connection with our audit of the financial statements of the County, nothing came to our attention that would cause us to believe that the County was in noncompliance with Section 218.415 regarding the investment of public funds. Section 10.554(1)(i)3., Rules of the Auditor General, requires that we address in the management letter any recommendations to improve financial management. In connection with our audit of the Board, we did not have any such findings. Reference to such matters is provided in separ ate letters for each County agency, where applicable. Section 10.554(1)(i)4., Rules of the Auditor General, requires that we address violations of provisions of contracts or grant agreements, or abuse, that have occurred, or are likely to have occurred, that have an effect on the financial statements that is less than material but more than inconsequential. In connection with our audit, we did not have any findings other than those reported in the Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs. Section 10.554(1)(i)5., Rules of the Auditor General, provides that the auditor may, based on professional judgment, report the following matters that have an inconsequential effect on financial statements, considering both quantitative and qualitative factors: (1) violations of provisions of contracts or grant agreements, fraud, illegal acts, or abuse, and (2) deficiencies in internal control that are not significant deficiencies. Reference to such matters is provided in Appendix A for the Board. We did not audit the responses to our recommendations, which are also provided in Appendix A, and, accordingly, we express no opinion on them. Reference to such matters is provided in separate management letters for each County agency, where applicable. Section 10.554(1)(i)6., Rules of the Auditor General, requires that the name or official title and legal authority for the primary government and each component unit of the reporting entity be disclosed in the management letter, unless disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Such disclosure is included in the notes to the financial statements. Section 10.554(1)(i)7.a., Rules of the Auditor General, requires a statement be included as to whether or not the local governmental entity has met one or more of the conditions described in Section 218.503(1), Florida Statutes, and identification of the specific condition(s) met. In connection with our audit of the financial statements of the County, the results of our tests did not indicate the County met any of the specified conditions of a financial emergency contained in Section 218.503(1). However, our audit does not provide a legal determination on the County’s compliance with this requirement. Section 10.554(1)(i)7.b., Rules of the Auditor General, requires that we determine whether the annual financial report for the County for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011, filed with the Florida Department of Financial Services pursuant to Section 218.32(1)(a), Florida Statutes, is in agreement with the annual financial audit report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011. Our comparison of the financial report filed with the Florida Department of Financial Services to the County’s 2011 audited financial statements resulted in no material differences. Pursuant to Sections 10.554(1)(i)7.c. and 10.556(7), Rules of the Auditor General, we applied financial condition assessment procedures as of September 30, 2011. It is managements responsibility to monitor the Countys financial condition, and our financial condition assessment was based in part on representations made by management and the review of financial information provided by same. This letter is intended solely for the information and use of management, the Board of County Commissioners of Lee County, Florida, the Florida Auditor General and applicable federal and state agencies, and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties. Orlando, Florida March 8, 2012 LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA Appendix A – Management Letter Comments For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 Observation 2011-A Statement of Condition: The Clerk’s Finance and Records Department periodically reviews construction in progress with the County departments to determine which projects should be capitalized and depreciated. However, we noted during our audit that the governmental activities construction in progress balance at September 30, 2011 included certain projects that had been completed or abandoned before year-end. Criteria: Construction in progress projects should be reclassified to depreciable assets once substantially completed and available for service. If the County determines a project is no longer viable, the construction in progress should be expensed. Effect of condition: Construction in progress for governmental activities in the amount of $8,061,000 was not reclassified as depreciable assets at September 30, 2011, and related depreciation expen se and accumulated depreciation were not recorded. In addition, the County expensed $1,242,000 of construction in progress for a project that was abandoned. Cause of condition: The process in place for notification of when construction in progress is substantially complete and available for service or when projects are no longer viable, was not sufficient to identify such projects for proper recording. Recommendation: We recommend that County departments be more diligent in reviewing the status of construction in progress and notify the Clerk’s Finance and Records Department when projects are substantially complete and available for service or when they determine a project should be abandoned. Management’s response: We have asked our external auditors to provide instruction to the Board’s fiscal personnel on this matter, including the importance of capitalizing or writing off construction in progress in a timely manner. Observation 2011-B Statement of Condition: The cost of interest related to borrowings on construction in progress had not been sufficiently capitalized prior to audit review. Criteria: Accounting principles state that interest shall be capitalized for assets in enterprise funds that are constructed for the enterprises own use if the effect of expensing such interest is material. Effect of condition: Capitalized interest cost related to construction in progress was recalculated and recorded in the amount of approximately $1 million. Cause of condition: The calculation of capitalized interest had not included all construction in progress on which interest was to be capitalized. Recommendation: We recommend that the Clerk’s Finance and Records Department review construction in progress annually and determine the amount of interest that should be capitalized. Management’s response: The issue was related to accruing interest for construction in progress based on the total amount of construction in progress rather than the amount that was capitalized in the current year. This has been corrected. LEE COUNTY, FLORIDA Appendix A – Management Letter Comments For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 Observation 2011-C Statement of Condition: During our testing of cash management compliance for the Emergency Operations Center State grant, it was noted that $138,000 of expenditures, out of $849,000 in total, were not requested for reimbursement in the annual reimbursement request. Criteria: Reimbursements requests should include all expenditures for which the County has disbursed payment to vendors for the specific time period. Effect of Condition: Reimbursement for certain invoices was not requested and the County did not receive all of the monies to which it was entitled in a timely manner, which could result in cash flow issues for the program. Cause of Condition: The County did not reconcile the reimbursement request to the accounting records. Recommendation: We recommend that management establish a process to reconcile to the accounting records when preparing reimbursement requests. Management’s Response: Future requests for reimbursement will be made in the same year that they were expended. Observation 2011-D Statement of Condition: The County’s practice has been to write off uncollectable EMS receivables as bad debt expenditures. Criteria: Discounts and allowances in revenue-related governmental fund accounts should be recorded as revenue reductions, rather than as bad debt expenditures. Effect of Condition: EMS revenues and bad debt expenditures were overstated by $6,106,000. This also created a financial statement budget variance because bad debt expenditures have been recorded but not budgeted. Cause of Condition: The long-standing County practice has been to record all uncollectable receivables as bad debt expenditures. Recommendation: We recommend that management modify accounting practices to reduce revenue for uncollectable revenue-related governmental fund accounts receivable. Management’s Response: We will look at this issue in the upcoming fiscal year and handle it appropriately.

SYMPTOMS Signs and Symbolism in Medical Discourse :: Essays Papers

SYMPTOMS Signs and Symbolism in Medical Discourse Whether it is regarded as disease or illness, whether it occurs in a society practicing biomedicine or a culture practicing indigenous medicine, sickness is universal. Diseases and illnesses of all types plague each and every society throughout the world. Central to the idea of sickness is the diagnostic element of the symptom. Although many cultures have unique ideologies regarding sickness, healing, and efficacy, these cultures use the symptom as the primary instrument to maintain their culturally constructed idea of health. Regardless of the healing system or society, globally, people tend to use the symptom as a tool to communicate illness to the appropriate medical practitioner. In seeking the healing action of practitioners and the advice of friends and family, the sick communicate their symptoms as a way of receiving social legitimization for their illness. Thus, symptoms are also used by the sick to gain legitimization of the sick role from society. Just as culture is integrated in the beliefs and behaviors of every society, symptoms are deeply embedded in the concept of sickness and healing. Symptoms add clarity to the complex ideas of sickness and healing in such a way that it is difficult to discuss either process without touching on these symbols. The symptom is regarded as a vital part of the illness experience because it offers insight into the physiological and psychological aspects of the patient’s body. In this way, the symptom symbolizes the roots of a tree, anchoring a societal understanding of medical knowledge and healing etiologies. Therefore, it is the purpose of this paper to explore the significance of symptoms and determine their centrality to a culture’s ideas of sickness and healing. Related topics such as the symptom’s significance in the process of social legitimization of illness and its symbolic nature will serve to supplement and support the argument that symptoms ar e, in fact, central in the process of healing. Definition and Importance of the Symptom Due to the intricacy of the symptom, it is difficult to construct a simple definition. Illness symptoms are â€Å"differently labeled by individuals in dissimilar social situations† (Browner 1983: 494).

Buried Child Essay -- essays research papers

It’s amazing what a secret can do to a person. Keeping secrets among friends can be fun, or helpful when you need to confide in someone you trust. Other secrets can do more harm than good. They can fester inside you and cause endless pain. In "Buried Child," this is the case. The family is permanently altered by their secret, which becomes a growing moral cancer to them, leaving each impotent in their own way. The play takes place on Dodge’s farm. About thirty years ago, the farm was fertile and prosperous. Dodge and Halie didn’t have a wonderful marriage, however. Things took a turn for the worse when Halie became pregnant with someone else. It is suggested that Tilden is the father. The evidence to support this includes the fact that the baby was small, and that Tilden would sing to it and take it for long walks all day, just talking to it and treating it as his own. "Tilden was the one who knew. Better than any of us. He’d walk for miles with that kid in his arms. Halie let him take it. All night sometimes." (p. 124) Dodge would not allow this abomination to grow up and live in his family, so he drowned it, and buried it in the backyard. We can guess that this is when the farm ceased to be fertile, and fell into disuse. This is a symbol of the death of honesty and the birth of the family’s terrible secret. Why exactly does everything go wrong for this family? We don’t know exactly when the problems started, but we know that Ansel died on his honeymoon, Bradley cut off his own leg in a chain saw accident and is now mentally imbalanced, Tilden is nonfunctional and has been driven out of New Mexico, Dodge is a crazy old sick guy, and Halie is doing shady things with the preacher. Vince is the only person capable of facing the world and life, but he too is corrupted by the secret at the end. The answer to the question is that their secret, the dead child, is a secret festering them from the inside out. It is unclear how long this moral degradation took, it may have taken years for all this to happen. We do know that it has left everyone impotent. Bradley is the most vivid example of this impotence. His false leg is his crutch, both figuratively and literally. With it, he has the most power of any of the people in the play. He maims and shaves Dodge with no repercussions, intimidates Tilden to the point of making him... ...t the secret out, like the only thing that was keeping him alive was protecting the secret from outside view. Shelley leaves because she is an outsider and has no part of the corruption. It is interesting to note that no one remembers Vince until he is acting as crazy as the rest of the family. He is the only one who is capable of dealing with life outside the house. It is unclear whether or not he is different because the brunt of the degradation happened to the family within the six years since his last visit, or if the act of leaving and forcing himself to live away from the secret changed him. He had no knowledge of the buried child until it was revealed, but the problems of his family members could easily have been passed on to him subconsciously by everyone else. Their actions could have had a profound effect on the way he thinks and acts. It is when Vince is accepted back into that family that Shelly realizes there is no hope for this family. They are lost. She then leaves them all to their permanent insanity. This shows that even though the secret was finally brought out into the open, it was too little too late. A terrible secret kept that long can tear a person apart.

NEBOSH International Diploma Essay

I INTRODUCTION Nalanda Associates is committed to achieving Health, Safety, and Security and Environmental management for all its activities as an integral part of our business. The purpose of Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System (HSSE-MS) is to provide the framework and structure for the delivery of the highest level of HSSE Performance in accordance with best industry practice. I.1 Aim Individual Health, Safety, Security and Environment systems, management tools and techniques have evolved over years. They just needed to be integrated into the business in a structured manner. In order to manage HSSE effectively, we need a sound management system to provide managers with the assurance that they are discharging their responsibilities effectively and as a basis for continuous HSSE performance improvement. The Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System has been developed to meet these needs; it provides a set of arrangements to ensure that we control our HSSE risks in a practical, effective and efficient manner. It builds on experience gained in the application of earlier systems and arrangements and also draws on external developments such as Quality Management standards (ISO 9000), Health and Safety Management (HS(G)65),Environmental Management (ISO 14000) and HSSE Management (E&P Forum). The aim of the HSSE Management System is to provide an assurance to all of us at Nalanda Associates, as well as regulators, partners, licensing authorities and insurers that we are able to comply with Company Policy and Legislation through a process of self-regulation and control. The emphasis is placed on an approach which is both objective setting (establishing what to do and then doing it) as well as proactive (taking action before and not after the event). Plan → Do →Check → Act The focus is on a systems model approach as applied in quality and other business Management systems. This self-regulatory approach is risk based, not at any cost, but on the premise that necessary and cost effective measures applied, should reduce risk to a level that is As Low As Reasonably  Practicable (ALARP*). The management system combines Health, Safety, Security and Environment, and is based on the following key points: †¢ Prominence being given by both industry and the regulators world-wide to the need for self regulation based on internal control; †¢ Managers setting their own objectives, monitoring their achievement and demonstrating that the organisation is self regulating – thus minimising external regulatory burdens; †¢ Synergy to be obtained from managing HSSE together; †¢ Need for sustained effort to improve HSSE performance; †¢ Integration of HSSE into our businesses for efficient use of management resources. * ALARP – a point at which the cost of further risk reduction is grossly dis-proportionate to the benefit gained. It is to be recognized that Nalanda Associates is going through a phase of continuous growth. Hence, the HSSE-MS will need to continually evolve to respond to changing needs of business environment. HSSE Management System cuts across the functional boundaries of different departments/installations/facilities in Nalanda Associates and is a system to manage HSSE in an Integrated and co-ordinated way. I.2 Objective Management Demonstrate Leadership and commitment at all levels of management chain †¢ Establishing performance contracts & key performance indicators related to HSSE deliverables across all levels in the organisation for successful delivery of HSSE Targets & plans for the year †¢ To develop and implement strategies to improve Contractors’ HSSE performance through visible leadership and increased facilitation to contract partners. Environment Reduce levels of environmentally harmful emissions, discharge and waste operations and activities. †¢ Develop & implement targets to reduce GHG emission †¢ To apply best practices for minimising emissions in new projects Safety Ensure ‘zero injury’ operation †¢ To ensure that staff and contractors managing their activities understand & implement Life Savers & associated standards & procedures. †¢ Focus on safety during execution of new projects †¢ Ensure lessons learnt are implemented Health – Zero Occupational Illness †¢ Improve upon current Health Assurance Framework (HAF) score of 85% to 100% Security – Zero Security Incident †¢ Review and effectively monitor security risks and implementation of associated control Measures I.3 Methodology Used for this report This includes observation 1. When ,where, with whom PU foam factory †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Consultation with whom 3. Inspection when,where,how 4. Document verification which documents you verified.

Computer Bugs essays

Computer Bugs essays Original release date: June 19, 2001 There has been a dramatic increase in reports of website defacements and scans for hosts listening on TCP port 80. This activity appears to be related to the "Code Red" worm, a recently discovered worm that exploits the buffer overflow in the IIS Indexing Service DLL. More information can be found at cert.org/advisories/CA-2001-13.html Systems running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with IIS 4.0 or IIS 5.0 enabled Systems running Microsoft Windows 2000 (Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server) Systems running beta versions of Microsoft Windows XP There is a remotely exploitable buffer overflow in one of the ISAPI extensions installed with most versions of IIS 4.0 and 5.0 (The specific Internet/Indexing Service Application Programming Interface extension is IDQ.DLL). The vulnerability allows the attacker to run code of their choice. The attacker may have complete control of the victims system. I think this kind of worm is a common one and administrators need to be aware of new system bugs and apply the appropriate fixes. The solution to this problem is a apply patch. Appropriate patches to protect against attack can be downloaded from the Internet. ...

S. Robson Walton and Founder Sam Walton Essays

S. Robson Walton and Founder Sam Walton Essays S. Robson Walton and Founder Sam Walton Paper S. Robson Walton and Founder Sam Walton Paper Do you think that the values and practices that Wall-Mart founder Sam Walton articulated recognized the claims that employees, as stakeholders, have on the firm? 1. Yes, Wall-Mart values and practices with founder Sam Walton recognized the claims that employees, as stakeholder have on the firm. But that was during those years that the so-called values and principles have worked effectively. What might have changed in the ethical climate of Wal-Mart in recent years to contribute to the lawsuits by dis-gruntled employees? . Not being focus on the company’s mission and vision from the management side might have changed in the ethical climate of Wall-Mart. To think, the company have started with a very strong and ambitious values and principles which employees were given the most importance. Do you think Wal-Mart has an ethical problem? Is the company right to claim that with 1. 4 million employees, some problems are bound to arise? 3. I don’t think Wall-Mart has an ethical problem. I believe no companies dream of just earning without helping their manpower. If you were running Wal-Mart, what steps would you take to address any potential ethical issues, particularly with regard to employees? 4. If I’m running Wall-Mart, I’ll make sure that those people I put in the management have the same vision and dedication to make realize the company’s core values and principles. If I have a company whose focus is the welfare of employees, then I should recruit and train people for the management to become like me.

Public Hangings essays

Public Hangings essays Capital punishment seemed to have been regenerated from the beginning of mankind, where beheading was considered an honorable method of meeting death, whereas hanging carried with it a definite stigma. The era of public hanging was emotionally satisfying even though the surroundings was emotionally tense. In contrast to private hangings where they were fewer observers, less theatrical from the accuse and hanging was becoming more of an inhuman punishment to inflict on those found guilty of their crime. Both forms of hangings were though to be an effective way of preventing individuals from committing a crime. Capital punishment seemed morally acceptable, to the public and there were individuals who were willing to carry out the execution. From the books; "...Hang By the Neck...", Hanging in the Balance and The trail of the Dinosaur, gives descriptions of public and private hangings, the responsibilities of the hangman and the general reaction of the public, who were for and againts hangings. In the days of public hangings, gallows or scaffolds were rather crude contraptions. Early contraptions consisted of two post in the ground, with a cross-piece between them from which the victim swung. As the years passed by a second contraption was invented, a single stout post with a timber nailed at a right angle at the top, with supporting boards attached. A third contraption was made which was a platform erected nine or more feet from the ground, in the middle of which was a trap door which swung upon hinges. This latest invention was commonly used towards the end of public hangings. In private hangings the same contraption was used, but the individual were taken down a lot quicker, for their was no need to display the executed to curious observer. Public executions were grim and was a disgusting spectacle to the accuses family and close friends, but for most individuals it was a time to rejoice and to celebrate. Whe...

Sony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sony - Essay Example To be the most competitive and outstanding market player, it is desirable for Sony Company to practice both online and off-line marketing. Sony on the Web Marketers at Sony Corp are looking for alternative marketing and social networks marketing is the most preferable in the modern context. They connect with their customers online. They can promote their goods globally. The most effective strategy of Sony online is online tutorial, where they located the information about digital photography. The name of the company is Sony 101, where four special "campuses" for online visitors are developed: personal computing, entertainment for home, digital photography, and finding different business solutions for the small businesses (Bearman and Bruckner). Online visitors can be enlisted to any course they like in these campuses (Grasby, 2004). For example, one of the most popular campuses is the digital photography campus. Different relevant Sony products are advertised in the process of study of this course. Barbara L. Miller, director of corporate marketing Web services with the Tokyo-based company of Sony claims that they intended to talk about different changes in technology and were not merely focused on promotion of Sony products. Sony launches internal marketing, where their customers can advertise Sony products and tell about them to each other. In accordance with Social Vibe, it is claimed that some of the Company's ads reached up to a 40% share rate. Further on the Company was focused on advertising in the Facebook. The effectiveness of these types of ads is evident: 91% of people looked for the company's ads and paid attention to brand messages. They developed a new advertising campaign to appeal for different types of customers: from families to women and men. A well-known name of the advertising company is: "It only does everything, because the company wants to shift the accents from being a seller of hardcore games and Xboxes to an entertainment center" (). Sony united its power with Deutsch LA, which helped the company to be on the move. Sony makes an emphasis on online ads and decreases the number of printed sources of advertising. Dille underlines: "The ability to have that one-to-one relationship with consumers, monitoring the effective messages, and changing things on the fly gives us a closer relationship with consumers" (Super Facebook Marketing Case Study). They are more interested in mothers, who can take the PlayStation 3 message to their social network friends. Thus, the potential customers advertise products of the company themselves, as well as looking for alternative means of advertising. On the Facebook page Sony has a chance to communicate with more than 1 million fans and Twitter comprises more than 323,000 followers (Super Facebook Marketing Case Study). To measure success of the company online, it is relevant to pay attention for click-through rates. It is of high importance for the company to find out the real reaso n of the customers for being interested in one or another product. The first positive changes are evident: Sony sales increased up to 35% and Microsoft sales decreased up to13%. In accordance with the modern prognosis, it is possible to predict that video game advertising could increase from $24 million in 2009 to $47 million in 2014, which comprises a 14.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) (Super Facebook M

Vital Signs and Nursing Procedures in Postoperative Period of Cardio Essay

Vital Signs and Nursing Procedures in Postoperative Period of Cardio Surgery - Essay Example This discussion stresses that  the abstract of the article presents a structured approach to the entire article as it presents a detailed explanation of section-by-section of the article. The article incorporates the various elements accordingly, revealing the relevant information to the reader as expected. This abstract, for instance, has the objective, in which it directly states the objective of the article as to develop a comparative analysis of the vital signs of patients after cardiac surgery, as well as, the nursing procedures. Further, the abstract follows with the method, outlining the procedures taken in the study, describing the study design and participants, data collection process and methods of analyzing and presenting the findings.This paper outlines that  in the introductory description of the study, the authors present a background of the study accordingly. They reflect on existing concern on the subject of concern, presenting the establishments from these relati onal past findings. Further, they proceed accordingly to present a justification for their study through identifying the gaps in the existing resources on the topic. Thus, from this observation, the authors evaluate the relevant basis of the study, creating the entire purpose of the study clearly. Additionally, the authors project their study through noting the existing problem, which is the existence of aspects of patient exposure after cardiac surgery.

Health Promotion Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Promotion Assessment - Essay Example Second would be perceived severity wherein the health practice that is campaigned and promoted are evaluated of the consequences and the threats that may be associated with it. The third dimension is the perceived benefits such that the usefulness and efficiency of the preventive actions in the health promotion is assessed. The barriers that might affect the health promotion are the fifth dimension. The assessment of difficulties and negative consequences of the preventive behaviour at the same time affects the compliance of the community regarding the preventive practice being introduced or implemented to them. Finally, the fifth dimension is the cues to action that triggers the community or the participating group of the society and helps them to decide as to whether comply with the promoted health practice or not. However, health motivation is further added recently to the model. This includes the individual's readiness to be concerned about their health. The HBM provides a strong framework for health promotion programmes, stressing the need to identify a link between an individual's risk behaviour and disease in order to highlight the severity of the disease and to make it relatively easy to engage in behaviour likely to lead to a reduction in risk for that disease. (Bunton & McDonald, 2002) The Social Learning Theory, however states that behaviour is the outcome of an interaction between cognitive processes and environmental events. One of its basic tenets is that behaviour is guided by expected consequences. Thus, having such principles, given that the community or the participating group have obtained good experiences from the promotion, the reinforcement is possible. This may further lead the group to be more engaged in the behaviour encouraged by the health campaign because of the perceived positive experience. On the other hand, negative experiences, the less likely they are reinforced, their behaviours tend to minimize their participation or worse, not to adapt the practice at all. When individuals avoid such punishments by engaging in an alternative form of behaviour, it is termed negative reinforcement. These processes are important mediators of the uptake and maintenance of many health-related behaviours. (Bunton & McDonald, 2002) Health Belief Model The implementation of Health Belief Model (HBM) involving the now six dimensions that are considered significant in the reinforcement of a health campaign or promotion is generally deemed effective. It has a flexible nature that can be applied to a wide range of health behaviours as well as it can address to a large group of population that is the target participant or group of a particular health campaign. Some of the areas that can be best applied with this theoretical model are those that concerns preventive health behaviours including health-promoting behaviours and heath-risk behaviours. Vaccination and the practice of using contraceptives are also included in the preventive health behaviours that can be covered by the HBM. Another health behaviour wherein HBM can be used would be the sick role behaviours that refers to the target participants' compliance to the recommended medical regimens or

Art history, native american art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art history, native american art - Essay Example This paper will discuss the native history of American art. Native American art comprises of oil, pottery, basketry, wood, leather and water or sand paintings (Phillips and Berlo 10). The creativity that is involved in American art is regarded as sacred and limitless. According to the Americans, the use of art is continually identified as a form of expression. Their artistic works present their love for the environment. In their native way of life, the Americans considered art as a symbol. They usually made their artwork through the use of materials such as fabric, clay, feathers and rocks among others. In the Native American lifestyle, basket weaving was regarded as the most popular form of artistic work (Phillips and Berlo 13). In this case, basket weaving served a twofold purpose. Most of the American artists used corn husks and reeds to make complex woven baskets. Thereafter, the material was dyed to create tribal art on the basket. The final product was a beautiful, artistic piece of work that was also used as a normal basket. The weaving practice was quite prevalent in the Native American era, since; women would spend hours weaving to create colorful baskets. In most cases, the baskets were made from vegetable fibers (Phillips and Berlo 13). Moreover, there were other materials that were used in weaving of the baskets. The most common materials that were used apart from vegetable fibers include cedar bark, native grass and ivory carvings. The material used in making the basket defined the type of basket being made. Recently, weaving leads to ecological activism. Individuals from the Navajo tribe were well conversant with the weaving practice. They even made blankets from woven reeds. Most literary scholars assert that, the Native Americans were the first individuals to design beautiful implements. Furthermore, every artistic object they made entailed a detailed rationale. They developed different forms of artistic

The Day that My Father Left Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Day that My Father Left Home - Essay Example I remember one particular evening when my father came back from a trip. He was very late and my mother was not happy because she had been waiting so long, and the food had been ready for several hours. Soon after he arrived, I went to bed and I could hear my parents arguing in the kitchen below. My father was shouting and my mother was crying. Suddenly I heard a door slamming and I looked out of my bedroom window. He was marching down the street in the rain, carrying his bag and looking very angry. I went to speak to my mother but she sent me to bed. Later that night I could hear her crying and this made me very worried indeed. I could not sleep because I thought that this time my father really had left home for good. I thought he would never come back. I was only twelve years old and I imagined that I would have I would have to look after my mother now, because my father was no longer at home. This was a big responsibility and it was terrifying to think that everything I had known would now change. I thought I was too young for such a big responsibility. My mother worked for my father, and so if they got divorced, she would have no money and no job. Our house, and our plans for my studies at school and then later at college, would all be destroyed. That night I tried to sleep but it was not easy. I had a dream that some big, black birds had come to take away my clothes, and that I had to walk in the street in my underwear. This was a very upsetting dream and I wondered what it meant. The next morning I spoke to my mother about my worries and my troublesome dream. She told me that I should not worry because my father would come back in a few days. She looked so sad, and I wondered if she was just saying that to comfort me and make me get ready for school. I went to school as normal and for three days there was no sign of life from my dad. Eventually, on the fourth day after school I came home and saw his shoes at the door of the house. My joy was very great, and I hugged my father and told him that I had thought he was never going to come back. He just laughed and said that I would understand about such things when I was older. This experience made me think that whatever happens in my life, I will not leave someone in an angry m ood. I think it is better to settle any different opinions with kindness, and to protect children from the fear and pain that I felt on that night. The time when dad didn’t return. Lipogram version. Our house in China was rather small and I recalled how much at home I was in its small rooms. The place had clothing samples and pieces of material scattered around. Mum and Dad were in the clothing trade. Dad had to locate new products to sell, and Mother helped him with the accounts. I missed him when he was gone, and I was glad to see him when he came home. I recall one particular night when Dad came home late. He was so tired and Mother was not happy since she had waited so long, and the dinner was warm for ages. Soon after he arrived, I went upstairs and I could hear Mum and Dad arguing in the rooms below. Dad was shouting and Mum was weeping . All at once I heard a door slamming and I saw Dad out of the window. He was marching down the street in the rain, holding his suitcas e and looking quite mad. I went to Mother and then she sent me upstairs. Later that night I could hear her weeping and this made me most worried indeed. I could not sleep that night. I thought that this time Dad had deserted us. I thought he would not come back again. I was only 12 and I imagined that I would support Mother now, since Dad was no longer at home. This

Art history, native american art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art history, native american art - Essay Example This paper will discuss the native history of American art. Native American art comprises of oil, pottery, basketry, wood, leather and water or sand paintings (Phillips and Berlo 10). The creativity that is involved in American art is regarded as sacred and limitless. According to the Americans, the use of art is continually identified as a form of expression. Their artistic works present their love for the environment. In their native way of life, the Americans considered art as a symbol. They usually made their artwork through the use of materials such as fabric, clay, feathers and rocks among others. In the Native American lifestyle, basket weaving was regarded as the most popular form of artistic work (Phillips and Berlo 13). In this case, basket weaving served a twofold purpose. Most of the American artists used corn husks and reeds to make complex woven baskets. Thereafter, the material was dyed to create tribal art on the basket. The final product was a beautiful, artistic piece of work that was also used as a normal basket. The weaving practice was quite prevalent in the Native American era, since; women would spend hours weaving to create colorful baskets. In most cases, the baskets were made from vegetable fibers (Phillips and Berlo 13). Moreover, there were other materials that were used in weaving of the baskets. The most common materials that were used apart from vegetable fibers include cedar bark, native grass and ivory carvings. The material used in making the basket defined the type of basket being made. Recently, weaving leads to ecological activism. Individuals from the Navajo tribe were well conversant with the weaving practice. They even made blankets from woven reeds. Most literary scholars assert that, the Native Americans were the first individuals to design beautiful implements. Furthermore, every artistic object they made entailed a detailed rationale. They developed different forms of artistic

Hayao Miyazaki Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hayao Miyazaki - Essay Example It left an impeccable impression on him especially the movie’s heroine. It is here that Miyazaki realized the folly of him trying to pursue manga writing by simply aping what was the trend at the time. So he decided to chase his true feelings even if it was deemed foolish (McCarthy). Thus to manage as an animator, he first had to understand the art of human anatomy. He finally graduated from Gakushuin in 19963 with two degrees: political science and economics but also having been a member of the university’s ‘’Children’s Literature Research Club’’ roughly a comic club those days. With a career spanning well over six decades, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as an anime expert and also co-founded studio Ghibli, a film animation studio with Isao Takahata. His success in animation videos is only comparable to American animator Walt Disney, British animator Nick Park and American director Steven Spielberg. Having been raised in T okyo, Miyazaki ventured into his animation career in 1961 with Toei Animation. While working as an in between artist for Gulliver’s travels Beyond the Moon, he pitched his own ideas that eventually became the movie’s ending. ... He left Toei in 1971 and joined Mushi Production, A Pro, Nippon Animation and TMS Entertainment where he co-directed 14 episodes of the first Lupin III series with Isao Takahata. This was when he was able to direct his first ever feature film Lupin; The Castle of Cagliostro, 1979. The two then began a pre-production a Pippi Longstocking series and after investing in writing extensive storyboards for it he travelled to Sweden to acquire permission from the concept owner Astrid Lindgren. Permission was denied and hence the project was not able to be completed. They decided to abandon it altogether. He decided to conceive his own and write it, Panda! Go, Panda! was the result. These were two shorts directed by Takahata. Future Boy Conan (1978) was an adaptation of the children’s novel ‘The Incredible Tide’ By Alexander Key. The series’ success was attributed to the fact the it elaborates on the characters and events of the book, Miyazaki’s later works a lso provide a recurrence of these characters for example a girl who is In touch with nature, a warrior woman who appears menacing but is actually far from an antagonist and finally a boy who is very determined to get the girl. There was also a feature on imaginative croft designs in the series. ‘Future Boy Conan’ therefore immensely served as a base on which Miyazaki would later refer to in his later works and therefore provide a continuity. In 1984, Nausicaa of the valley of the wind was an adventure film that successfully introduced major recurrent themes like the human impact on the environment and a concern with ecology; a fascination with aircraft and flight; feminism and other morally

Pharmacoeconomics Notes Essay Example for Free

Pharmacoeconomics Notes Essay The Confessions is a work by Augustine that outlines his sinful youth and conversion to Christianity. Augustine wrote it between 397 and 401 while serving as the bishop of Hippo Regius. In his book, Augustine gives an account of his own life from birth up to that point. He then wrote about other matters such as the creation of the world, memory and time. A big segment of the book is spent on Augustine’s confession of sins that he had struggled with and how he had pled to God for deliverance from those sins. Augustine writes about his disappointment in living an immoral lifestyle. He regrets having believed in astrology and followed the Manichaean religion. He also writes about how Nebridius helped persuade him that astrology was evil and how St. Ambrose helped in his conversion to Christianity. The Confessions is finally an address by Augustine to God in which he confesses his sins, faith, and praise. Augustine says that he wrote the Confessions for a people curious to know the lives of others, but careless to amend their own. Augustine was aware that people loved to gossip and look deeply into the lives of others to see how they could talk down a person and ultimately make themselves feel better. Augustine knew that his writing was going to be scrutinized but made it his purpose to tell the truth and demonstrate the providence of God in the life of a sinner. He didn’t want anyone to think any better of himself than he actually was. Another purpose in writing Confessions was to create an immediate bond between his new Christian community. His colleagues were distrustful of his pagan influenced education as well as his standing as an ex-Manichee. He wanted to let them know that he was trustworthy and he did that by putting on display the worst and best of his life. In essence, Augustine’s life became an open book for everyone to read and get to know personally. Augustine could have also written Confessions as an attempt to understand himself. He might have considered his enjoyment of sex and the pleasures of this world to be an unbearable weakness and he needed to confess in writing that God alone was his true love. It is obvious that Augustine is broken over his sin and it is probably something that consumed his mind. Getting this horrific past behind him was of the utmost importance and he did it through writing Confessions to God. The writing style with which Augustine writes the Confessions is  amongst other things openly bold, encouraging, and without remorse. This is definitely different from modern writers who try and disguise their true inner feelings while still trying to write with meaningful style. Augustine is not trying to hold back any part of his life that he might be ashamed of. It is quite the contrary as he confidently praises the Lord and declares God’s greatness. Augustine recognizes his place as a speck of dust that vies for a place in the presence of almighty God who created the universe. He is not ashamed to speak highly of his Lord and continuously gives you a feeling that he is not satisfied until he finds his rest in God. He is encouraging throughout his book as he conveys God’s faithfulness to him even when he was deep into sin. No matter what portion of the book one reads, he or she can always take comfort in the fact that no matter how far one runs from God, He is always right there waiting for us with arms wide open. In conclusion, Augustine is so focused on God, that he has no regret in sharing his mishaps and declaring God’s forgiveness. He knows that he ran far from God but that God was right there the entire time. He feels extremely foolish but at the same time so grateful for God’s unending grace. Augustine asserts with passion that he wants to be filled by God and as a result he can truly live.

Link Between Forgetting, Distortion, And Repression Of Memories

Link Between Forgetting, Distortion, And Repression Of Memories Cognitive psychologists and neuroscience researchers have proposed theories that explain why people forget, distort, or repress memories. From a historical perspective, Freuds contributions on the topic of memory offered insights into the concept of forgetfulness and repression (Knafo, 2009). According to Knafo, forgetfulness stems from intentionally repressing unwanted memories to avoid emotional distress. Even though forgetfulness may be intentional, unintentional forgetting of memories is frustrating. Forgetfulness can result from retrieval-induced forgetting or contextual differentiation (Lehman Malmberg, 2009; Storm, Bjork, Bjork, 2008). Forgetting effects based on the theory of interference can block or distort memories due to emotional distress (Smith Moynan, 2008). Camp, Pecher, Schmidt, and Zeelenberg (2009) argued that interference theories and inhibition theories create forgetting. Studies by Schneider and Dixon (2009) on the construction of memories indicated that disr uptions in the short-term working memory interfere with maintaining memories for later retrieval. In contrast, Fabiani, Low, Wee, Sable, and Gratton (2006) argued that memory decay due to ineffective filtering of sensory information causes forgetfulness. Memory retention can be subject to memory hazards caused by proactive or retroactive interference consequences (Chechile, 2006). Even though an individual encodes information properly, some memories are subject to interference or decay during the retrieval processing (Wixted, 2005). Wixted posited that the long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmissions in the hippocampus maintains memories and contributes to memory distortion when damaged. MacLeod and Saunders (2008) linked memory retrieval to memory distortion through an inhibitory induced mechanism. Inhibitions to avoid certain memories induce forgetting which can lead to distorted memories. Memory malfunction affect memory recall (Loftus, 2003). As Renk, Donnelly, McKinney, and Baksh (2007) pointed out, misattribution, suggestibility, and bias effects distort memories. Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) argued that memories are reconstructions of schemas of past events. Memory failure distorts the information if encoding processes fail to describe the event with accuracy. False memories of repressed events result in a decline of memory accuracy over time (Brainerd, Reyna, Ceci, 2008). Although false memories can be harmless such as misremembering the name of a prior boyfriend, there are sources of harmful false memories. Memories vary in terms of their vividness. Perceptions, contexts, emotions, and cognition can produce familiarity. Fuzzier memories are phantom recollections of events that seem to be accurate but are susceptible to misinformation (Lampien, Meier, Arnal, Leding, 2005). Aminoff, Schacter, and Bar (2008) contended that people embed objects in memory with other objects of similar contexts, which activates the cortical network system in the brain responsible for processing and retrieving information. Brainerd et al. (2008) discussed the shift of false memories over time that leads to misinformation of data. Studies show that misinformation about fuzzy events can lead to suggestibility of eyewitness memories (Brainerd et al., 2008; Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). People who have experienced unpleasant encounters often repress or inhibit their experiences in order to avoid anxiety (Garssen, 2007). McNally, Clancy, Barrett, Parker, Ristuccia, and Perlman (2006) posited that abused children repress their memories in an effort to forget the traumatic event. Repression describes the tendency to inhibit negative feelings associated with unpleasant experiences in order to eliminate any threats to a persons self-image (Garssen, 2007). Garssen investigated the voluntary suppression of negative emotions as a coping mechanism to control and protect the inner self. Rofà © (2008) focused on clarifying what people remember or forget. People have a tendency to forget trauma. Rofà © argued that people do remember traumatic experiences but choose to repress such memories as an innate instinct to protect their wellbeing. From a neurobiological perspective, Anderson et al. (2004) discovered that reduced hippocampus activation suppresses unwanted memories. In addition, Buchanan (2007) posited that the neural connections in the amygdala in conjunction with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex play a role in the retrieval of emotional experiences. Definitions In reviewing the influences that forgetting, distortion, and repression has on memory, it is important to define these terms in order to clarify the relationship between encoding, storage, and retrieval of memories. Forgetting refers to the failure to retain previously encoded information in memory. Often cue-overload in memory storage prevents previously stored information from reaching consciousness (Wixted, 2005). Distorted memories refer to forgetting the actual details of prior experiences or events. Factors such as the encoding specificity of events, cue manipulation of events stored in memory, and retrieval cues can change the context of prior memories (Buchanan, 2007). Cognitive psychologists refer to this phenomenon as false recognition or false memories (Aminoff et al., 2008). Loftus (2003) described false memories as inaccurate recollections of events stored in long-term memory that people distort when recalled. Repression focuses on forgotten traumatic memories that peopl e tend to suppress in their long-term memory to avoid recalling expressive negative emotions that harm their self-image and self-worth (Garssen, 2007). Piper, Lillevik, and Kritzer (2008) argued that repressing harrowing memories is an unwilling and automatic process out of conscious awareness as soon as an unpleasant event happens. For repression to occur, a person must first encode the event but be unable to recall the event (Piper et al., 2008). Based on the information provided in the above-mentioned articles and the definitions of terms, a connection between forgetting, distortion, and repression of memories may explain the intricacies and complexities of memories in everyday life. People do forget certain memories but there may be a link between what memories a person forgets, what memories become distorted and what memories are repressed. Forgetting Knafo (2009) contended that Freuds interest in the functioning of memory played an important role in current theories and findings. Freud distinguished forgetfulness from repression by stressing its defensive nature. Repression refers to the banishing of distressing memories from consciousness to avoid emotional distress. According to Knafo, neuroscience research supports Freuds idea of repression. The right frontal lobe prevents painful memories from entering the left hemisphere to be processed and stored (Knafo, 2009). In essence, people want to forget the memories that cause distress. Although such memories are intentionally forgotten or repressed, Lehman and Malmberg (2009) discussed the relationship between intentional and unintentional forgetting. According to Lehman and Malmberg (2009), free recall is the memory task that unintentionally frustrates people. The differential rehearsal hypothesis states that changing the encoding procedures through improved rehearsal techniques should enhance recall. However, the inhibition hypothesis in a retrieval-induced forgetting domain affects recall in both unintentional and intentional situations. Retrieval-induced forgetting results from a temporary incapability to recall items from memory (Lehman Malmberg, 2009). Storm et al. (2008) hypothesized that the retrieval strength not the storage strength reduces recall. Intentionally inhibiting items from memory during retrieval creates intentional forgetting of that item while unintentional inhibition of items interferes with the recall of other items (Storm et al., 2008). Items in memory have two separate strengths. The storage strength denotes the interconnection between items in memory while the retrieval strength embodies the accessibil ity of items in memory at any given time and in certain contexts (Storm et al., 2008). The contextual differentiation hypothesis states that forgetting depends on the changes in the context during encoding. Recall depends on the persons ability to restore appropriate context cues, which reduces forgetting effects (Lehman Malmberg, 2009). For example, to recall a misplaced item, a person needs to reconstruct a mental representation of the environment in order to recall where he or she placed the item. However, in emotional situations people can block memories of items or events during retrieval to reduce distress (Smith Moynan, 2008). Smith and Moynan (2008) hypothesized that there are individual distinctions in vulnerability to forgetting effects. Individuals tend to remember emotional experiences more readily than unemotional events. When given a list of emotional violent words, traumatized individuals experienced unintentional forgetting. Interference and inhibition can invoke long-term forgetting. According to Smith and Moynan, providing appropriate independent cues reverses these effects. Their studies indicated that after giving participants emotionally laden cues, it induced a reversal of forgotten memories (Smith Moynan, 2008). To make a distinction between interference and inhibition effects, Camp et al. (2009) hypothesized that recall depends on the relationship between items when competing for retrieval. A competing relationship between items decreases the strength between the cue and target item, which interferes with memory retrieval. Interference in the retrieval of memories decreases retrieval time and creates forgetting (Camp et al., 2009). In contrast, inhibition effects are not cue dependent. Forgetting occurs even after the presentation of cues because people can actively control items in memory and can inhibit certain memories from reaching consciousness. Despite the cues used to access items, people forget these memories (Camp et al., 2009). Similarly, Schneider and Dixon (2009) argued that disruptions in short-term working memory could impede retrieval of items in memory. Mental representations of complex tasks require individuals to eliminate any distracters during retrieval. These interrupti on effects symbolize the time needed to restore mental representations of the tasks into short-term memory, which reduces forgetting and increases comprehension. Thus, suggesting the visuospatial cues are important in maintaining retrieval accuracy (Schneider Dixon, 2009). In contrast, Fabiani et al. (2006) posited that items in memory decay over time. As people age, their working memory capacity becomes overloaded with information which effects memory. The decay theory emphasizes a reduction in attention control based on complex cognitive performances. Fabiani et al. argued that memory decay is due to a reduction in filtering irrelevant sensory information rather than decline in sensory processing due to age. The ineffective filtering combined with reduced attention control creates problems in the working memory, which in turn increases forgetting (Fabiani et al., 2006). Chechile (2006) expanded on the decay theory by examining memory hazards in retention of information. Decline in memory retention and memory span indicates improper encoding procedures caused by either proactive (before learning) or retroactive (after learning) interference (Chechile, 2006). Wixted (2005) argued that failure to encode novel information induces forgetting. An alternative explanation for the interference theory and decay theory posited by Wixted (2005) is a lack of memory consolidation. Neuroscience research suggests that memories are susceptible to disruption during consolidation. Encoding memories involves the release of neurotransmitters in the presynaptic neuron, which causes the postsynaptic neuron to fire. This chaining of events known as the LTP mechanism responds to presynaptic neuron stimulation in the hippocampus (Wixted, 2005). Wixted posited that induced stimulation of the LPT in the hippocampus from drugs or alcohol serves as interference for forming new memories, causes forgetfulness of an earlier learned task, and impairs LTP maintenance. Alcohol and drugs can interfere with the encoding process that prevents memory consolidation by blocking memory formation and inducing forgetting. From a psychopharmacological perspective, Wixted contended that interference to the hippocampal LTP causes a failure of new memory to form (a nterograde amnesia) or impairs previously formed memories (retrograde amnesia) in the consolidation process of memories. Wixted hypothesized that memory consolidation after the encoding process is subject to interference based on storage decay and retrieval overload during the retention stage, which may be the cause of forgetfulness. From a neuroscience research and psychopharmacology perspective, poor memory consolidations and retention can provoke forgetting or memory distortion (Wixted, 2005). Distorted or False Memories MacLeod and Saunders (2008) hypothesized that people rely on their memories to solve everyday problems. Because todays social world is constantly changing, people need to update their memories continuously. In order to update memories, individuals have to revise their old memories with new information. However, the problem lies in determining what information is relevant. Redundant information may be necessary to solve future problems. Therefore, there is a need to retain both old and new information. The interrelationship between episodic memory of knowing where and when events happened and semantic memory of general knowledge content can create problems when accessing prior events or experiences. The retrieval-induced forgetting mechanism that inhibits unwanted memories from entering consciousness is different from the traditional interference and decay theories (MacLeod Saunders, 2008). MacLeod and Saunders argued that retrieval inhibition underlies the misinformation paradigm. F or example, when updating old memories with new memories, people tend to distort their memories when they include misleading information during the encoding process (MacLeod Saunders, 2008). MacLeod and Saunders concluded that if people activate the inhibitory mechanism during the memory retrieval process, then the new misleading information replaces the original information, which distorts memories. Their research indicates that eyewitness reports are susceptible to post-event suggestions. Loftus (2003) also studied the effects of distorted memories when recalling prior events. According to Loftus, eyewitness informants are susceptible to suggestibility and biases of misinformation. The misinformation effect can affect memories when questioning informants in a suggestive manner (Loftus, 2003). Misinformation about an actual event can influence a persons perception of that event. Planting false memories of an event exposes individuals to believing something happened when in reality it did not happen. As Loftus pointed out, peoples memories are fragile and influenced by their thoughts, by what someone has told them or led them to believe. By reinventing memories, people become the person in their own imagination because their memories have malfunctioned (Loftus, 2003). Renk et al. (2007) expanded on the memory malfunction occurrence in everyday life that affects a persons ability to recall events. Using Schacters theory of memory distortion, Renk et al. contended that misattribution, suggestibility, and biases could distort memories. The misattribution effect assigns a memory to an erroneous source or to an event that did not occur. For example, individuals who have a fuzzy recollection of an event may recall facts but misattribute the facts by linking prior experiences together to form a whole picture. Even though the event is easy to recall, it may never have happened. In addition, incorporating suggestions by other people into their memories can distort the facts (Loftus, 2003; Renk et al., 2007). Suggestibility can greatly influence eyewitness testimonies (Loftus, 2003). The questioning of eyewitnesses during an investigation or trial can lead people to believe facts that did not happen by suggestions of misleading information. Misinformation o f facts by the media or other biased accounts can influence people into believing something happened (Loftus, 2003). In this situation, bias refers to recall of events that support a persons beliefs (Renk et al., 2007).. Renk et al. (2007) discussed various types of biases that distort memories. Consistency biases promote the recall of prior beliefs to be similar to current beliefs. Hindsight biases interconnect current knowledge with past knowledge, which makes people think they knew all along what happened but simply forgot. Egocentric biases use self-enhancing mechanisms to recall prior events. Stereotypical biases manipulate memories and perceptional awareness based on diverse social cultures (Renk et al., 2007). The false memory or distorted memory phenomenon suggests that the recall of fuzzy memories is outside the control of conscious memory, which can induce forgotten, distorted or false memories (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) implied that discrepancies between forgotten memories and recovered memories are debatable. Memories of memorable prior events are more likely to be remembered that memories of traumatic experiences. People store interpretations of ambiguous situations in previously formed schemas. Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker contended that the Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT) incorporates two memory traces, which explains the false memory phenomenon. Verbatim traces refer to the actual physical stimuli while the gist traces puts meaning to the stimuli. Because verbatim traces decline quicker, false memories increase through the gist traces. Memory errors occur when improper encoding procedures do not separate episodic memories from gist information. As a result, memory distortion occurs because the encoding specificity failed to portray an episodic event with accuracy (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). Brainerd et al. (2008) believed that false memories are due to a decline in episodic memories. As time passes, events get fuzzier. The FTT measures the accuracy of events by administering recall tests. After giving participants misleading information about an event, they tended to distort their recollection of that event (Brainerd et al., 2008). For example, suggesting that a thief may have worn gloves and a hat elicits the illusion of a thief wearing gloves and a hat when in reality neither item may have been a fact. Brainerd et al. referred to this phenomenon as gist traces that induces perceptual inaccuracies and can lead to wrongful convictions of innocent people. Lampien et al. (2005) argued that memories vary in content but familiarity of content produces vivid false memories. Content borrowing of similar items can activate perceptions of similarity. If items share similar perceptual contexts, people integrate their perceptions to create new memories that tend to be false. Lampien et al. referred to this experience as phantom recollections of events that borrow content from previous similar perceptions, contexts, emotions, or thoughts. As a result, familiarity produces memory inaccuracies or false memories (Lampien et al., 2005). Aminoff et al. (2008) argued that object familiarity creates associations that predict what a person expects to see in a contextual setting within their environment. For example, seeing an object such as a desk activates visual representations of other items such as a computer or books that share the same context of items in an office. Aminoff et al. conducted several studies that investigated the cortical network activity in the brain. They hypothesized that increased activity in the cortical area elicits object familiarity of contextually related items, which in turn increases the possibility of falsely recognizing items as related. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, Aminoff et al. were able to examine whether context affected the old to new memory recognition performance. The results indicated that the cortical regions that process contextually related items include the retrosplenial complex (RSC), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and the parahippocam pal cortex (PHC) which increases in activity when participants viewed strong contextually related items. As a result, Aminoff et al. contended that people tend to store memories within a context frame, which contains prototypes of particular items. The RSC processes information is more of a gist context which interferes with the old to new responses and contributes to memory distortion as proposed by Brainerd et al. (2008) (Aminoff et al., 2008). The current trends in the study of distorted or false memories suggest that memories are vulnerable to many mitigating factors. As Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) pointed out, research on the reconstructive nature of events stored in memory is mental representations of events and experiences. People use existing schemas or prototypes as a guide for storage and retrieval of memories. To solve everyday problems, people make inferences about prior experiences and relate those experiences to the current situation (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). However, if prior experiences caused trauma, Garssen (2007) hypothesized that people tend to repress or inhibit these memories to minimize distress. Repressed Memories Repression describes the desire for people to inhibit memories of unpleasant experiences to protect their positive self-image from threat. According to Garssen (2007), repressed memories can be conscious or unconscious avoidance of prior negative emotional occurrences. In some situations, people may be aware they consciously inhibit unwanted memories but empirical research shows most repressed memories are unconscious coping techniques to avoid anxiety. People who use repressive coping styles tend to distort information and make false conclusions (Garssen, 2007). McNally et al. (2006) hypothesized that repressive individuals have trouble in retrieving unpleasant situations such as child abuse. Because these individuals fail to remember specific abusive occurrences but experience related symptoms of abuse, they infer that abuse happened and simply forget the abusive situations. Their findings suggest that people who forget or suppress traumatic experiences have more difficulty in acce ssing those memories (McNally et al., 2006). Piper et al. (2008) argued that suppression and repression of traumatic experiences have separate and different meanings. For example, suppression means to defer unwanted memories from consciousness (McNally et al., 2006) while repression operates unconsciously to bury memories from reaching the conscious mind (Piper et al., 2008). Piper et al. contended that scientific research on the recovered memory phenomenon lacks credibility. Repression theorists claim that traumatized people fail to remember certain details of the event (partial amnesia), simply forget details, and deliberately avoid thinking about the event. Piper et al. believe these premises are flawed. Studies show that people do recall the essential details of harrowing experiences very vividly. The trauma experienced is usually so severe that people seldom forget which refutes the everyday forgetting phenomenon. In addition, if people intentional avoid thinking of the event they are suppressing the event not repressing t he event as mentioned in the above definitions. Piper et al. argued that traumatic experiences are no different from ordinary experiences. Memory recall works by assembling the neurons in the brain that represent memory to reconstruct a mental representation. The memory process of encoding, storage, and retrieval operate the same for any type of information, which a person can modify or reorganize before and after the encoding procedure. Piper et al. believed that this analysis supports the claim that science fails to support the repressed memory phenomenon. Although repression of memories has been a debatable topic among psychologists, Rofà © (2008) argued that repression is a valid concept. Research findings suggest that people are motivated to forget trauma intentionally. As Rofà © pointed out, intentional forgetting of trauma does not necessarily mean using repressive coping mechanisms but unintentional forgetting is susceptible to defensive coping mechanisms. He contended that repression is a multidimensional component comprised of memory, pathogenic effects, and unconsciousness. Memories of traumatic experiences overwhelm most people and motivate forgetting. As a result, people experience a type of amnesia to deal with trauma. Pathogenic effects focus on the distortions of memories that protect wellbeing. Inhibiting emotions is beneficial to a persons physiological and psychological wellness. Unconsciousness is a powerful cognitive system that protects a persons wellbeing and controls the pathogenic effects of repression (Rofà © , 2008). Garssen (2007) hypothesized that people do use repressive and defensive mechanisms to deal with unwanted memories. From a conceptual perspective, repression and anxiety defenses are coping strategies people use to prevent psychological harm. Garssen referred to repression as a tendency to act or cope within the environment in a certain manner to protect a persons self-image from harm, thus, supporting the theory that repression may be unconscious techniques to reduce distress. Although Freud suggested repression included a voluntary suppression of unwanted memories from conscious awareness, Anderson et al. (2004) proposed that neural systems within the brain control repression. From a neurobiological perspective, the hippocampus activates successful memory recollection of subjective experiences or events. In order to suppress these memories, the lateral prefrontal cortex must disengage the hippocampal activation (Anderson et al., 2004). During fMRI scans, Anderson et al. had participants deliberately suppress memories. The results indicated that the control mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex reduced the hippocampal activation, which in turn inhibited memory recall. Momentary interruptions of intrusive memory recall triggered the executive control to override retrieval of unwanted memories. Anderson et al. posited the theory that a neurobiological representation of memory helps people to control their memories in order to adjust their cognitive assessments of traumatic events. Buchanan (2007) argued that cognitive neuroscience research suggests that the amygdala enhances emotional memories. The retrieval of mood-congruent autobiographical memories increases the neural activity in the amygdala as well as the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. The interconnection of the functional activity in these neural structures during the retrieval process triggers the recollection of emotional memories. According to Buchanan, the amygdala does not store unwanted memories but rater stimulates other neural networks to retrieve these memories to be experienced again. In essence, the interconnected activities of various neural networks elicit an affective state similar to the original experience. Thus, emotions do play an integral part in altering memory recall during the retrieval stage. From a neurobiological perspective, the neural networks associated with emotion affect how a person remembers an unpleasant event. Conclusion The current studies presented in this article on memory indicate that there may be a link between forgetting, distortion, and repression of memories. Freuds discoveries revealed the persistent consequence and complexities of memories (Anderson et al., 2004; Knafo, 2009). Research into theories that explain nature of memories and their role in everyday life have contributed to finding better ways to understanding the relationship between different aspects of memory. Forgotten memories caused by retrieval-induced mechanisms limits memory recall (Lehman Malmberg, 2009: Storm et al., 2008). The interference, inhibition, and decay theories explain blocked memories, which induce forgetting (Camp et al., 2009; Chechile, 2006; Fabiani et al., 2006; Schneider Dixon, 2009). If prior memories fail to enter consciousness, misinformation of facts may result in memory distortion. Distorted memories or false memories result from the forgotten memories of prior experiences, which people change to fit present situations. The misinformation effect creates memory malfunctions and distorts memories (Loftus, 2003; MacLeod Saunders, 2008; Renk et al., 2007). Inhibiting memories from entering consciousness creates repression Wixted, 2005). Repressed memories may be memories intentionally forgotten or distorted to relieve anxiety (Garssen, 2007; McNally et al., 2006; Rofà ©, 2008; Smith Moynan, 2008); Storm et al., 2008). From a neurobiological perspective, the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex are the main parts of the brain that play an important role in how memories are encoded, stored, and retrieved (Aminoff et al., 2008; Anderson et al., 2004; Buchanan, 2007; Knafo, 2009; Wixted, 2005). The connection between neural network functions as posited by Wixted, explains how people forget memories that have not be consolidated properly during the encoding procedure which interferes with the retention, storage, and retrieval of previously learned tasks. Aminoff et al. implied that items stored in memory are subject to increased activity in the cortical regions, which can distort memories. Both Anderson et al. and Buchanan posited that neural activity control the retrieval of information. Highly emotional events may be more susceptible to an increase in neural activity, which may modify the retrieval process of cognitive assessments. The evidence presented in this paper provides a possible explanation for the link between forgotten, distorted, and repressed memories. Future studies on the psychological and neurobiological factors that cause memory failures may give cognitive psychologists a better understanding of the relationship and implications that different aspects of memory has on problem solving and psychological wellbeing in everyday life. Memories affect actions and changing actions creates social change.

Comparing A Midsummer Nights Dream and Romeo and Juliet :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Midsummer Night's Dream is, in a way, Romeo and Juliet turned inside out--a tragedy turned farcical. The tragedy both are based on is the story of "Pyramus and Thisbe." In one, Ovid's story is treated as a melodrama (in Romeo and Juliet) and in another, it is fodder for comedy (in A Midsummer Night's Dream). The tale of "Pyramus and Thisbe" is simply told in Book IV of Metamorphoses. The title characters are in love with one another, but they cannot be together because they are separated by a wall. More importantly though, they are separated by their parents who forbid the relationship to progress. The two lovers will not be denied and so plan to meet in secret one night. However, each arrives at the arranged rendezvous point at different times, and this complicates things. Pyramus arrives after Thisbe, but she is hidden from sight at that moment, and he believes she has been eaten by a lion because he finds a bloody scarf of hers, so he kills himself. When Thisbe comes out of hiding, she finds her beloved dead and, too, commits suicide. All this is certainly very sad and pathetic. So what better story to base a melodramatic play on? Shakespeare does just that in Romeo and Juliet. He uses Pyramus and Thisbe, borrowing their plight of being separated by parents, their clandestine relationship, and their suicides. Through this, he satisfies the qualities of melodrama. Romeo and Juliet wrings a good cry out of audience members probably every time it is performed. That is because it is easy to identify with the "star-crossed lovers" and the fact they are kept from what they want most. Empathy plays a major role, as much as any of the characters. It almost makes the audience part of the play. The spectator is part of the action in essence, rooting for the good guys, for "us," and not "them," the bad guys. However, the protagonists do not win in the end. This is yet another melodramatic quality found in both "Pyramus and Thisbe" and in Romeo and Juliet. It seems that they should, and will, be together in the end and be allowed to love each other freely, but that is not the way it turns out. Instead, the young lovers are dead by play's end because of pride and hate. The entire audience watching this spectacle is left feeling the same way and asks, "But why couldn't they just be together?

Spread of Christianity Among People Groups Essay -- Research Papers Ge

Spread of Christianity Among People Groups From the very beginning times of Christianity, its message has identified with and transformed communities of people. Christianity itself grew out of a people group who had an identity that stretches back in time thousands of years. The worship of Yahweh, geographically born in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) has spread through history to the farthest islands of the seas. Born into the people of Israel, Jesus gathered a small group of followers living and working with them until his ascension to heaven. From these few, the Christian faith spread to other Jews in Israel and the further reaches of the Roman Empire, including parts of southern Europe and Southwest Asia. As Christianity was later adopted by the Roman Empire, much of Europe became the focus of conquest for Roman Christianity, though much of this was due in part to the fall of Western Rome. Rome and beyond Justo L. Gonzalez documents this spread of Christianity into Europe through the avenue of Rome’s influence. He quotes from a Roman Citizen, Paulus Orosius who condenses this historical phenomenon into his own words. He thoughtfully writes, "If only to this end have the barbarians been sent within Roman borders,†¦that the church of Christ might be filled with Huns and Suevi, with Vandals and Burgundians, with diverse and innumerable peoples of believers, then let God’s mercy be praised†¦even if this has taken place through our own destruction."(1, p231) The various people groups documented by Gonzalez are primarily groups who claim a common ethnic and political identity in the form of a kingdom. These were at times conversions of coercion through political structures and at times conversions of conveni... ...cepted the gospel. Some of these groups have either made the mistake of claiming the Christian religion as their own, while others have sought to make it their own. Rather, the truth is that the gospel becomes yours when you share it with another. (3) Works Cited: 1. Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. San Francisco: Harper Publishing, 1984. 2. Winter, Ralph D.; Hawthorne, Steven. Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Pasadena, CA: The Paternoster Press LTD, 1992. 3. Coptic church, http://pharos.bu.edu/cn/, (5/6/99) 4. Frumentius, http://www.catholic.org/saints/saints/frumentius.html, (5/6/99) 5. Vikings, http://www.csn.net/advent/cathen/11115b.htm, (5/6/99) 6. Crusades, http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/religion/crusades/Crusade.html, (5/6/99) 7. St. Patrick, http://wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm, (5/6/99)

Nostradamus and his Quatrains

Michel Nostradamus was a 16th century French physician and astrologer who had the figure of a prophet as perceived by his disciples. However, Nostradamus’ predictions were usually muddled and obscure before so-called predicted event but crystal-clear after the event had occurred. He wrote four-line verses that were particularly meaningless until an event had occurred; hence, the verse of prediction was considered as â€Å"shoehorned† into a prophecy, which can be sometimes classified as retroprophecy of his quatrains or four verses predictions. Hence, within this study, the discussion aims to link the concepts of quatrains with Nostradamus’ predictions. Michel de Nostredame, born in December 14, 1503 and died in July 2, 1566, had been considered as one of the mythical seers of prophetic fields. Nostradamus had been his popular name throughout ages, and with this, the subject of prophecies links with his name. The French so-called â€Å"prophet† by his disciples was significantly known for his poetic quatrains that depict some sort of indirect and unclear predictions. However, the magic of his statement only occurs right after its occurrence. Most of his prophecies revolved in world state issues but try to conceal their meanings with the literary way in Nostradamus writings. Discussion Overview on the Concept of Quatrains From the historical perspective, Nostradamus’ quatrains had been published in 1555, which he entitled Centuries. His book contained his visions and all his predictions about the future of the world. Nostradamus was able to conceptualize 10 chapters of the book with 100 quatrains present each except for chapter 7, which only contained 42 quatrains. In addition, the quatrains of Nostradamus did not indicate any signs of time or date; hence, the actual interpretations of these predictions became vague and somehow literary severed. The quatrains in his book had this jumbled characters and the arrangements of its meaning took a long time before being organized. Most evidently, Nostradamus used the literary poetic style of four-lines in a verse or known as Quatrains. The most evident characteristic of his statements was the absolute use of figure of speech that made it hard for the reader to interpret the predictions initially; however, these statements somehow magically revealed their meaning right after the event had passed. The quatrains of Nostradamus, according to the book of Cannon (1992), contained obscure and foreign words wherein beneath possessed severely unexplainable interpretations (4). Although some can be interpreted, most of Nostradamus quatrains had used the vague identities of the statements in order to conceal their true meaning for a while. Cannon (1992) added that most of Nostradamus’ statements had not been interpreted in satisfactory manner so far (4). Nostradamus’ quatrains were so vague that they could have applied to many possible events, or symbolisms that could be convoluted with many possible interpretations. Nostradamus was able to cleverly disguise the meaning behind his quatrains in order to confuse those attempting to interpret the prophecies before their fulfillment. As supported by Oliver (2004), Nostradamus’ quatrains were hand-written in Old French, which could be very difficult to translate (11). Through these clever literary disguises, Nostradamus was able to veil the predictions prior to its occurrence; hence, saving the world from preparing prior to tragic events or future world disasters. Out of more than 900 prophecies of Nostradamus, none of them comprised of date, which further complicated the interpretations of these quatrains. However, despite of the vague identities and thoughts of Nostradamus’ quatrains, he had used some patterns that could be used as guides in understanding his quatrains. Although, most of the modern observers and readers did not considered the applications of Nostradamus’ predictions towards the globally occurring events.   As for the explorers of Nostradamus’ predictions, they had considered the quatrains of Nostradamus’ as predictions of the future; however, from the term itself, a prediction should fist be relayed and interpreted prior to the occurrence of the events. With the proposed argument of Diamond (2004), after the President Kennedy was shot, everyone jumped on the Nostradamus quatrain bandwagon and said that through his quatrain, he had clearly predicted the Kennedy shooting. However, this is not predicting since predicting means successfully calling a circumstance prior to its occurrence rather than using post-hoc reasoning to explain something (161). From his supporting statement, the predictions of Nostradamus and the vagueness of his quatrains had somehow initiated the concept of retroprophecy or the revealing of truth to his prophecy only after its occurrence. Despite of diverse critics on Nostradamus’ quatrains and predictions it conceived, some of these were extraordinarily and undeniably accurate. According to Goldberg (1999), the style of predictions made by Nostradamus may or may not be intentionally being veiled for future assumptions of interpreters (218). The retrograde characteristics of Nostradamus’ prophecy cannot be entirely considered as due to his intention of hiding it to the readers, since he had conceptualized this during his time and possibly without the knowledge of the changing French language. However, arguments would rise from this reason, since Nostradamus did not only use Old French language to veil his prophecy but also his figurative way of expressing his predictions. Arguments on whether or not to consider the validity of Nostradamus’ predictions aroused because of the retrograde characteristics of his predictions. On the other hand, the mystery of these quatrains was more understood in relation with American society and, as against to the early translations, the European society. As the twentieth century entered in, some of the predictions of Nostradamus regained its clarity and application not with the European society, but most often to the United States (e.g. September 11, 2001 bombing, etc.). As supported by McClaine (2000), Nostradamus had mentioned the birth of different personages who were born after his death and the rise of nations that were unknown or unthinkably despicably in his day (20). Nostradamus’ predictions may even faced this character of revealing itself right after the scenario occurred; however, his quatrains had somehow considerably predicted most of the events occurring within the global context, most especially with the American society; hence, the quatrains of Nostradamus did provide significant means of hiding its meaning and further exposing it right after fulfillment. Nostradamus and his Predictions Many of Nostradamus’ readers had long attempted to translate the prophecies in his statements. Unfortunately, even the original translations were not as accurate as it seems, and so far, no significant changes in the translations had been made. Adding into the complexities of Nostradamus’ quatrains, the Old French meanings had been modified by time for the last 400 years; hence, most of the words can no longer be applied to the translations of modern French.   Two points were common to his predictions, which were the presence of allegory and deep literary disguise. According to Ned (1999), the predictions of Nostradamus utilized codes, patterns and oracles that had been camouflaged in references to the past and molded in to rhyme of verses (8). Nostradamus simply wrote down the prophesies that arrived to his thinking; however, he was able to document it properly without further giving patterns via place, time, or events. From the complex meaning and diverse possible interpretations from Nostradamus’ predictions, it should have been easier if Nostradamus’ indicated the dates of his predictions; however, as supported by Halley (1999), Nostradamus himself did not consider placing it for good reasons (8). Overall, the vocabularies that Nostradamus used within his predictions were approximately 8,000 words; however, some of these, despite of similar means, were used in differently in a poetical form. As supported by Thurston (2004), some of the predictions in his quatrains seem unarguable accurate, and particularly fulfilled in his own society and time (39). However, only few of Nostradamus quatrains would possess significant linkage to historical events. The sense of ambiguity and enigma still governed the multiplicity of meanings in his predicting quatrains. Some of the skeptics would consider the predictions of Nostradamus by either problematic or significantly true. In the sense of being problematic, Thurston (2004) argued that some of the articles in Nostradamus’ predictions were impossible to have been conceptualized or even grasped (e.g. aircraft vessels, guns, sky-scrape buildings, etc.) four hundred years before its actual occurrence (39). On the other hand, the same reason could be applied to justify Nostradamus’ realistic predictions since there were no possible means to grasp these ideas except for truthfully seeing them through predictions (Desrosiers 46). For the sake of interpretations, some critiques in this study would defend the presence of pattern in Nostradamus’ predictions; however, Welch (2000), argued that Nostradamus’ punctuations were wildly erratic, apparently following no particular rule or pattern (7). There were no patterns employed in any of Nostradamus predictions in order to facilitate the revealing of his quatrains message only after the occurrence of the incident. In some perspective, Popkin (1992) provided the statement that even Nostradamus claimed that his capacity to predict came as a divine providence from God, which allowed him to predict the coming future (182). According to his argument, Nostradamus had to ensure that the revelations of his quatrains will only occur after the events had already pass in order to avoid the change of predictions and the future. If human civilization can to obtain control over these predictions, the chances of its failed occurrence will be likely since humans will eventually prepare prior to the event’s occurrence (Frank 204). Somehow, Nostradamus had to ensure the retrograde character of his quatrains in order to protect predictions stored with it, and further prevent warnings from ever arriving to human thinking. An Analysis to Nostradamus Four-Line Verses The disguises of Nostradamus’ quatrains involved various confusing parts because of some sort of punch lines that he had incorporated, which, if interpreted correctly, could provide a new picture of interpretation. In one example, Nostradamus’ Quatrain 87 from Chapter 1 says (cited in Oliver 12): Great symbols on fire in the center of the mainland Will cause trembling in the towers of New York City Two great skyscrapers will be continuously attacked, This is when Arethuse turn-around to a new course. This has been one of the famous quatrains from Nostradamus’ prediction, which gained its popularity during the bombing of 1993. Civilians and believers of Nostradamus’ predictions had thought that this was the fulfillment of his statements; however, things went clearer during the September 11, 2001 attack in the World Trade Center twin towers. According to Oliver (2004), quatrain 87 refers to the World Trade Center as the French Old English suggest, â€Å"Enno-sigee†, which connoted enno as great one and sigee as standing silent; hence, depicting the great ensigns of the New York skyline (12). After the event had occurred, the statements from media repeatedly reported the downfall or incident of the symbols of American capitalism or in translation, the great ensigns or symbolisms (Ward 117). Lastly, the Arethuse in the last statements of Nostradamus’ prophecy did not actually appeared in the modern context of French language, but rather considered to be the Old French language. From etymological analysis, Arethus could be translated to Aerthuse and if interpreted right, â€Å"Are† should mean air, while â€Å"thuse† should mean tubes. If these words were translated, it could somehow mean â€Å"air-tubes† or â€Å"air-vessels†, which if interpreted with the statements, â€Å"this is when Arethuse turn-around to a new course†, could mean the aircraft that changed its course to hit the twin towers during the September 11, 2001 disaster  Ã‚   (Oliver 12-13). Hence, as for the thesis of this study and with this statement analysis, the predictions of Nostradamus could be composed of vague and unclear statements; however, upon the fulfillment of events, these prophecies revealed their meaning to the readers with correct interpretations. This was only one of the many prophecies of Nostradamus that provided a significant character of being â€Å"retroprophecy† or revealing of predictions after its fulfillment. Ironically, Nostradamus distributed his Centuries of 1955 in order for men to possess basis that these significant global events were destined and already plotted, but clearly not to warn or save humanity from the impending disasters and conflicts that future had in store for human civilization. Conclusion In response to the thesis of the study, Nostradamus had indeed utilized a retrograde feature for his quatrains or four-line verses in order to hide the predictions from humans preventing them to possess warnings and prepare for the upcoming future. Evidently, Nostradamus purposively disguised and used Old French in order to conceal the meanings, provide multiple interpretations, and hide the actual predictions of his quatrains. However, after the fulfillment of the given statement had been fulfilled, the events were being revealed to human minds. Scholars had suggested possible patterns in his quatrains that may hold access to deciphering his predictions; however, so far, little portions of success had been made due to the complexities his quatrains. Works Cited Cannon, Dolores. Conversations with Nostradamus: His Prophecies Explained. Ozark Mountain Publishing, 1992. Desrosiers, Gilbert. An Introduction to Revelation: A Pathway to Interpretation. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000. Diamond, Leonard. Alien Conscious: Sixty Years of Abduction Experiences. Gate Way Publishers, 2004. Frank, Joseph. The Atlantis Encyclopedia. Career Press, 2005. Goldberg, Bruce. Astral Voyages: Mastering the Art of Soul Travel. Llewellyn Worldwide, 1999. Halley, Ned. Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. Wordsworth Editions, 1999. McClaine, Lee. Across Centuries: Nostradamus, Apocalypse, Destiny and the Great Millennium. Universal Publishers, 2000. Oliver, Edward. Trail Of Prophecy. Virtualbookworm Publisher, 2004. Popkin, Richard. The Third Force in Seventeenth-century Thought. BRILL, 1992. Thurston, Mark. Edgar Cayce's Predictions for the 21st Century. Star Enterprises International Inc., 2004. Ward, Charles A. Oracles of Nostradamus. NuVision Publications, 2007. Welch, R W. Comet of Nostradamus: August 2004-Impact!. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2000.