A Prime Example of Authoritative Parenting Essay Example for Free

A Prime Example of Authoritative Parenting Essay Parental styles have a well-documented influence on children, and play a strong role in a child’s development. Authoritative parenting has been proven to potentially reduce a child’s risk of associating with antisocial peers, and deter engagement in delinquent behavior. Authoritative parenting has also been shown to raise adults that have healthy emotional adjustment and prosocial behavior. My parents used an authoritative parenting style that created a stable, engaging, warm and nurturing childhood for me. I plan on being an authoritative parent. It worked well in my family, and because research both contemporary and historically states that authoritative parenting is the preferable style. My family is an American nuclear family composed of a father, mother and two siblings. My father Jim is a very successful architect and entrepreneur and my mother Michele is the CFO of their businesses, which allowed her to be a stay at home mother for me and my older brother Kristopher. My parents are a solid example of the authoritative parenting style; their parenting style created a stable, engaging, warm and nurturing childhood for me. I believe the productive and effective business relationship they developed as business partners directly influenced how well they parented, and that their experience in joint decision making especially benefited their parenting, and ultimately me as well. Throughout my childhood and adolescence they were a solid authoritative parenting team, which helped them create a home with a lot of structure. Minuchin, as quoted by Omer, Steinmetz, Carthy and Schlippe (2013), says â€Å"Structure plays a crucial role in promoting a stable and secure frame for family life (Minuchin, 1974).† I strongly feel that the structure positively affected my development by minimizing conflict and confusion. I believe my parent’s personalities also greatly influenced why and how they are authoritative parents. My mother is intelligent, articulate, willful, persistent, ethical, logical, and astonishingly organized. My mother has a dominate personality, and is a woman whose actions are generally the result of reason not her emotions, which is rare for women. However, she is an incredibly warm and nurturing mother who has always been emotionally available for me. I feel these positive traits influenced why I generally listened to her advice and direction, as she was a reliable and available mother. I have always immensely respected and loved

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho 2.The alchemist (in the form of Melchizedek) says to Santiago, When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true. Write or create a response which captures a time in your own life when you had a wish, and you felt that the whole universe conspired for OR against you. What happened to make you feel that way? Did your wish come true? 3.Santiago is guided by his dreams and by omens which appear to him throughout his journey. Write about a noteworthy dream you have had, or about an omen which guided you somehow during the course of your life. How did you interpret the dream or omen, and how did it influence your life? 4.The old man states that the worlds greatest lieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.is that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of whats happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. Do you, like the old man, believe this is a lie, and that we are always in control of our destinies? Why/ why not? Why do you think people believe the Worlds greatest lie? Orà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Write about/explore artistically a time in your life when you felt as though you had lost control, and your fate was being determined by other forces. Why did you feel that way? Did you regain control? 5. Santiago is told that people are afraid to pursue their most important dreams because they feel they dont deserve them, or that theyll be unable to achieve them. Create a written or artistic response to the following: Do you have a goal or dream which intimidates you? Why do you feel unworthy or fearful of it? What practical steps might you take to make the goal more accessible or easier to accomplish? On the other hand, are there some dreams which we are correct to fear? Do you believe some dreams should simply remain as dreams? Why/why not? Geographical Locations in the Novel: Andalusia Al-Fayoum (oasis in Egypt) Tarifa El Cairum (p.76) Salem (Jerusalem) Nile Tangier (p. 44) Coptic Monastery Ceuta (p. 44) Moors (p.27) Mecca (p. 54) Sahara Desert (36) Regional, Cultural or Spiritual Allusions and Terms: Narcissus (Prologue) Esperanto (p.66) King Melchizedek (Genesis14, King Most High) Helvetius, Elias, Fulcanelli, Geber (p.82) Koran (p. 54) Scarab (p.161) Muslim Simum (p.148 Mecca Coptic (153,154) Allah (p. 71, 97) Tiberius (p.158) Levanter (p.27) hookah (p. 114) Maktub (p. 59) The Alchemists Terms/Expressions: The Soul of the World Philosophers Stone ((p.66) The Unspoken Language Elixir of Life (p. 66) The Language of the World Master Work (p.81) Personal Legend Emerald Tablet (p. 126) Principle of Favorability (p. 29) Urim and Thummin (p. 30) Vocabulary: scabbard (37) treasonous (129) conspire elixir (133) scimitar (112) contemplate (134) brandish (112) fixedly (136) dialect (106) flourish (145) prognostication (111) sirocco (146) monotony (124) tether (151) tracts (126) recount (153) agitated (128) disciple (153) centurion (158) avidly (159) scarab (161) sacristy (163) alchemy infidel (34) Preliminary Notes About the Novel: The Alchemist is written in a fable format. What is a fable, and why would Coelho use it to tell his story? Generally speaking, fables use recognizable, simple characters and settings in order to illustrate a simple truth about life or human nature. What is it that Coelho attempts to teach? Even though you may not initially understand some of the unusual terminology in the story (Soul of the World, for example), its themes are ones which are probably familiar to you. Can you think of some old, familiar proverbs or songs that capture some of these ideas? For example, think about what ends up being more important for Santiago-the journeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.or the destination Where is it that Santiago eventually finds happiness? People have been writing and singing about the answers to these questions for years! The novel integrates ideas and philosophies of many faiths and historical periods. Many of these ideas concern the pursuit of truth, ones intended destiny and the attainment of personal happiness. Coelho refers to these combined elements as ones Personal Legend. He tells the story of Santiago in order to teach us how we may find and live out our own Personal Legends. These ideas, though, have been explored since ancient times in one form or another by countless faiths and peoples. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Christianity, Judaism, countless tribal cultures, in addition to ancient and modern philosophers, all attempt to define the idea of ones Personal Legend (though they may call it by different names), and all subscribe paths to achieving personal fulfillment. Thus, although the legend is about no faith or philosophy in particular, it is about all faiths and philosophies. Alchemy is the medieval science of transforming rocks into gold. Alchemy plays an important part in the plot (literal level) of the story, but it also becomes a symbol, or allegorical device, in the legend (figurative level). Coelho is really using characters, events and symbols as tools to show us how to achieve spiritual alchemy. In other words, how do we find or recognize the gold, our Personal Legend in the rocks of the everyday, ordinary, simple details of our lives? As Santiago discovers, sometimes the gold is not faraway, not glittery, not exotic, and not complicated, but it may require a journey of courage, faith and perseverance to discover what it is and where it is hidden. In an interview, Paulo Coelho talks about Four Pillars of Alchemy- four important tips for finding ones Personal Legend: One must believe in The Soul of the World. The ancient Latin term for this concept is anima mundi. In short, this idea suggests that everything in the world is interconnected; that is, what one does affects everything else, from the smallest grain of sand to the largest whale, and vice versa. Writers and thinkers such as Plato, Walt Whitman and Khalil Ghibran have attempted to illustrate this interconnectedness in their works. One must listen to the voice of the heart. Coelho suggests that sometimes we must follow our feelings and intuitions, even if we do not fully understand them. Through feeling one gains wisdom. One must be faithful to ones dreams, for they both test and reward us. In other words, the path to achieving ones Personal Legend may not be an easy one, but we must endure the tests in order to gain the rewards. One must surrender oneself to the universe. Coelho suggests that we must allow ourselves to be open to recognizing and learning from omens and signs which come our way. Questions for Novel Study: Why does Coelho open with the modified myth of Narcissus? How does the new version differ from the original one? How does it change the myths meaning? What might the author be suggesting about how we perceive ourselves and the world? The novel opens with Santiago thinking about his sheep. What does he observe about their existence? How might the sheep symbolize the way some people live their lives? How does his observation that they have forgotton to rely on their own instincts foreshadow later events in the story? How does Santiagos father react when his son tells him that he wants to travel?(p.9) To what degree is his fathers observation about travelers (They come in search of new things, but when they leave they are basically the same people they were when they arrived.) true about Santiago? Why does the old fortune teller say that Santiagos dream is difficult to interpret?(p.12-14). Why is Santiago suspicious of her? The old man tells Santiago the story about the miner and the emerald on p. 24. How does it connect to Santiagos situation? What does he mean when he says that treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents? What does this quote have to do with the miner/emerald story? What point does the old mans story about the boy in the castle and the drops of oil (p.30-32) make? How might this story apply to us in our modern lives? How does the King assist Santiago in recognizing omens? When does Santiago use this help? How do Santiagos thoughts and perceptions about himself and the world begin to change on pp. 42-44? Describe three things that Santiago sees now that he had never noticed before. What lessons does Santiago learn by working at the crystal shop? Why do you think Coelho chose crystal? How does the crystal merchants explanation for not taking the pilgrimage to Mecca (p.55) highlight the difference between Santiago and the merchant? What effect does the merchant say Santiago has had on him? The Englishman and his goals are described on pp.65-70. What is he looking for? What does he demonstrate to Santiago that he already knows? On p. 78, he says that the progress made at the crystal shop is an example of the principle of the Soul of the World. What does he mean? How does he define this? How does he connect the idea to the relationship between the caravan and the desert? The oasis is described in great detail. How does its lushness, laughter and color reflect what Santiago finds there? Where else in the story does Coelho provide details about the physical setting in order to lend more meaning to the events which occur there? Explain how Santiagos union with Fatima represents the Language of the World, according to Santiago on p.93. Why does Fatima accept that her new husband wanders the desert, as she explains on p.98? What is the meaning of the two dead hawks and the falcon in the oasis? How does this omen change Santiagos status in society? During his trek through the desert with the alchemist, Santiago is told of many basic truths. The alchemist says,There is only one way to learn. Its through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey(p.125). What are some of the things Santiago has learned through action? Why do you think the alchemist tells Santiago the story about the mans dream about the two sons (the poet and the soldier) on p. 156? Why did Santiago have to go through the dangers of the tribal wars on the outskirts of the oasis in order to reach the Pyramids? At this point, the boy remembers the old proverb: The darkest hour of the night came just before the dawn. How does this apply to his situation now? At the end of the journey, why did the alchemist leave Santiago alone to complete it? Earlier in the story, the alchemist told Santiago when you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed. At the end of the story, how did this simple lesson change Santiagos life? How did it lead him back to the treasure he was looking for? Topics for Research: What is alchemy? What processes were involved? Who performed it and why? Who were the famous alchemists of the medieval period? Who is Melchizedek? What role does he play in the Old Testament? What are the Five Pillars of Islam (p. 54). What is the Koran? Explore the concept of Soul of the World as different religions and philosophies define it. Research the tribal ways of the Bedouins of the Sahara (77). Research one of the geographical settings from the novel. What are the basic theories of Freuds or Jungs dream analysis theories? Catalog all of the dreams that occur in the book, and attempt to interpret one according to a theorist. Research levanters, siroccos and other regional weather features described in the book. Post-Reading Activities: Map out Santiagos journey. Include obstacles he encounters and lessons he learns in their geographically correct locations. Provide a key which suggests ideas, progress, symbolism, etc. (I will explain) Read Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass and keep a reaction journal which connects his verse to Coelhos Soul of the World idea. Keep a dream journal for one week. Try to interpret what you think they mean on your own, then research what they might mean according to Freud or Jung, or according to an ancient culture (medieval, Egyptian, Greek, African,etc.) Create a dance, pantomime, musical or other performance in which you use Unspoken Language to convey the story of Santiago. Create a painting, collage, photo-essay, shapescape (I will explain) or sculpture which captures an idea, relationship or moment from the story. Provide a written explanation of your work. Produce a creative writing piece which captures some of the central ideas of the book. Some ideas: Journal: A Day in the Life of a Shepherd Two or three songs (with lyrics) from The Alchemist: The Musical Rewrite a portion of the story from a different perspective: Fatima, the Alchemist,the Fortune Teller, the crystal merchant the sheep! Write Santiagos How-To Find Your Treasure Handbook, or Personal Legends for Dummies Scrapbook (with explanatory notes) of Santiagos travels-feature pictures and items which Santiago accumulates as he learns about life Letters between Fatima and Santiago Unspoken Language Journal-Tune in to the various forms of unspoken language we experience around us every day. What gestures, facial expressions, intuitions and signals do we give and receive to guide us in our responses, actions, reactions and relationships? Observe interactions at school, at home, in nature, and in public places, and record incidents which illustrate that unspoken communication is sometimes as (if not more) powerful than the spoken word.

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Essay -- Charles Frazier Cold Mountain

Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain Overcast by the gloom of the Civil War, Charles Frazier’s "Cold Mountain" details the growth of his characters as they cope with uncertain times. The two protagonists, Ada and Inman, traverse parallel paths toward redemption. While Ada adapts to an unfamiliar mountainous existence, Inman braves the risk of desertion to return to her. Both characters, however, seek love, spirituality, and an understanding of their disrupted world, and through their kindred courses, Frazier conveys the theme of questioning life. As the story opens, both Inman and Ada survey their unfamiliar situations. Inman nurses a near-fatal wound in a makeshift hospital where he sits â€Å"brooding and pining for his lost self† (23). Ada also grapples with a lost self, the self of city social status she abandoned to accompany her father on a mission. Intellectual and â€Å"educated beyond the point considered wise for females† (30), Ada lacks survival skills. The death of her father, Monroe, lays bare the extent of her incompetence. Though frustrated, Ada refuses to return to Charleston, where â€Å"she could expect little sympathy and much withering commentary† (64), and determines to overcome the challenges presented by her run-down farm. Similarly, as Inman’s wound heals, he cannot resign himself to continue fighting. He steps out the hospital window and into his future. Although under the perpetual threat of the Home Guard, he resolves to waste no more time under the direction of o thers and begins trudging home to Cold Mountain. In both circumstances, the characters embark upon journeys prompted by setbacks of the past. While the two sojourners embark upon independence, they also appraise their feelings towards one an... ...ace, an intricate and â€Å"luminous quiver of life† (138). In this thought process, Frazier exposes Ada’s maturity—whereas previously she relied on books as her primary source of knowledge, Ada now trusts her intuition and casts her own conclusions. The maturity and growth of both Ada and Inman stems from the hardships inflicted by the war. Throughout the novel, Frazier utilizes the introspection of these characters to present the enduring riddle of life. Attempts to decipher its meaning litter history. Various religions and myths resulted, but whom the world will favor over another cannot be predicted. Ultimately, Frazier illustrates that while faith and legends often furnish guidance, each person must interpret the world for himself. In the end, â€Å"all you can choose to do is go on or not. But if you go on, it’s knowing you carry your scars with you† (421).

Executive Summary of AcuScan :: essays research papers

Executive Summary This is a summary on the current situation at AcuScan concerning the development of the iScanner for use in the retail industry. It will summarize the situation, discuss key points and recommend actions that can be taken to address the issues described. The main problem is that we have failed to improve or maintain market share through the development of new products. Because our overall 40% market share is declining, the company faces declining revenues based on the sales of the iScanner. Despite making tremendous cost-cutting efforts, AcuScan is still in a short-term budget crisis. To regain our position as a market leader, AcuScan must develop the software for using the iScanner in retail industry by the year’s end. Secur-A Corp is reported to be in the process of developing similar software, so we must act quickly. Creating a new product, while at the same time making budget cuts, has created an internal crisis among the staff. The Chief Engineer of Product Software is especially adamant about not being able to get the job done in a way that insures quality by the deadline. I have proposed to Kelly that after looking for ways his staff can work more efficiently, we hire contract workers to do the work that his staff is unable to complete in a timely manner. I also proposed that he and his staff decide which tasks need to be completed by the contract workers. I plan to keep in close touch with Kelly to keep him advised about the work, and I will report to you any further problems. I am rather confident that we will be able to meet our deadline as long as we are responsive of the concerns of department heads and staff and help them with problems as they arise.

Excessive Laws and the Self-Interest of Lawmakers, Lawyers, and Judges

Excessive Laws and the Self-Interest of Lawmakers, Lawyers, and Judges The basis of a civilized society is law. The law allows for standardized treatment of men, the law allows people to plan their futures, the law gives people assurance that wills, contracts, and trusts will be enforced, that certain behavior will be allowed while other behavior (crimes and torts) will be punished, etc. Five important characteristics of "the law" in a civilized society follow: 1) The law must be of manageable size so the average man can learn the law without a lifetime of study. 2) The law must be simple enough for the average man to grasp and understand. 3) The law must be stable so men can, once they learn the law, live their lives with great assurance that they know the law and are not violating the law. 4) The law must be internally consistent so a man who follows one law does not find himself violating some other law. And last, but not least, 5) "man made" law must harmonize with the unchanging law of God. Each of these principles needs to studied in light of America's current legal structure: Manageable size: The typical public or academic law library contains over 100 million pages (in excess of 100,000 volumes) of statutes, regulations, reported legal decisions, commentaries, cross indexes, law dictionaries, legal encyclopedias, law review articles, etc. However, most law libraries have found all these pages inadequate. In the last ten years they have added "on line" access to great legal web sites run by Lexis and West Legal Publishing. These web sites allow law students and lawyers to do quick searches of all published material related to a given topic. These web sites are expensive but if the right legal key words are entered the results are very useful. Twenty to one hundred pages of information is displayed on the screen. In an hour or two any journeyman lawyer will know all that is worth knowing about some narrow area of the law. Of course, total or complete knowledge is beyond human reach. No one not even the most dedicated legal scholar can claim to kn ow "all the law". In fact America's situation recalls ancient Rome, just before its fall, when the laws began to multiply. A sage of the late Roman Empire remarked "A corrupt society has many laws". Simplicity: As the preceding description makes clear, ma... ... in their lives and that He is unrelated to the central activity of their daily routine? It is obvious that each such step is simply another step on a slippery slope away from God. So why do lawmakers, lawyers, and judges violate these five obvious rules. The only answer that makes any sense is self interest. Lawmakers want to be re-elected so they pass laws which pander to man's baser instincts and give special advantage to large contributors. Judges at the appellate level (and bureaucrats in the executive branch of government) are lured by the evil urge to become "little gods". They put God's Laws aside and set off on their own to re-define right and wrong. Judges at the trial court level become friendly with the lawyers that appear before them so they act in ways which increase the power and/or wealth of these lawyers. Lawyers themselves are in need of income to support their families in an aristocratic fashion, so they encourage judges and lawmakers to increase the complexity of courtroom procedures and/or law in general so more "lawyer's work" is created. Simple laws and simple court room procedures are not the stuff upon which grand le gal fees are built.

Reflective Letter

In Class Assignment 4 4 Reflective Letter: Introduction 4 People are capable to learn from several basis of knowledge throughout their life. Knowledge can come from sciences or language. Actually, language may come first according to the demand and affectedness of arrangement. It is the link of all other sciences skills. Through fourteen weeks period of learning â€Å"English Academic Writing II † I have gained three important points that I hope they will lead me to be an independent writer.These points are thesis statement, discussion leader and Read, Reason, Write activity. Body 4 Thesis statement is the master key of the essay . Whenever you have read an essay, but keeps feeling that something is missing, it will be surely in the thesis statement. Thesis statement is a sentence , a couple or even more in which arrange, clarify ,state and simplify the main points which will be discussed in detailed each one alone in the essay .Thesis statement helps understand the structure and systematic arrangement of the essays. I have learned how to write a strong thesis statement through a lot of practices of different types of essays. The second point that touched me through attending this course was leading a class discussion through a new topic with several points to be discussed. A discussion leader activity has inspired me and it has enhanced my self-confidence as an independent writer.In addition, it improves other skills for the person to achieve better experience of understanding how to write, specify or conceive people through your piece of writing. Last point, but not the least, † Read, Reason, Write’’ assignment which focuses on justifying the reasons behind a written essay through writing. Therefore, it is a kind of challenge or inverse of writing skills by giving a written response. This helped me gathering a nice collection of ideas of arrangement, new stylistics of writing, and ways of expression.This collection can support my sk ills as an independent writer and improve it as well. Conclusion 4 In conclusion, the benefits I got from past practices provide better quality of writer and writing . Thus, it results in improvement or developing the skills of language, writing, or even both. Discussion leader and â€Å"Read, Reason, Write† activities have integrated my writing, while thesis statement and its practices have fluently achieved the understanding of different essays.

Management: Paying for patching Essay

Patch software has been designed to assist with updating computer programs and fixing a wide range of computer related problems. At the same time, patching has also been designed to update a computer’s supporting data. This is normally done in an attempt to make better the performance of a computer. Patch management involves the process of strategically planning and deciding on which system, the exact patches to use on these systems and at what time (Andress, 2006). Over time, many software companies like Microsoft have resorted to enabling their customers to be able to use patch securely as a free software. In XP SP2, Microsoft made updates that enabled its customers choose to allow Microsoft make automatic background updates on their computers. Such technology companies have also come up with strategies that continuously evolve in attempt to ensuring that their customers do not have to pay for basic patch management which provide security to the entire server farm. As a result, getting a management to allocate money to pay for patching has become a difficult task given the fact that such software companies offer patching for free to all their customers (Semilof, 2004) Additionally, patching has been configured in a relatively simple and consistent manner which can be used in businesses which have simple and constant configurations. As a result, getting the management to allocate funds in order to pay for patching becomes hard since the updates configurations are simple and efficient in handling computer affected systems. For instance, when the environment is more complex, Windows update have made provisions and improvements on already existing software so as to allow the customer be able to use their free updates to fit the different IT environments (Semilof, 2004).