Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Another New Semester and A Lot of Cats
Another New Semester and A Lot of Cats This semester has been quite quiet so far just how I like it. And by quiet, I mean crazy, of course. I live on Tetazoo, after all. I passed my EMT class during IAP, and then the state practical exam last week. All that is left is the national exam, which I am taking within the next couple weeks. Wish me luck! I have been studying a lot and I really hope I do okay Ive been really nervous! But I am taking it with my good friend Claire L. 17, and I know that we have it in ourselves to do well. We just have to show the world! Other than all the stress of passing EMT exams, I am trying to take a less stressful courseload, and so far it has been okay. I am taking one technical class, 3.022, or Microstructural Evolution of Materials. It is all about materials on the microstructural scale. I am still a bit confused about what we are learning and what the class is about, which is a bit concerning given that my first exam is next week. I have been studying what weve learned in class and doing all the problem sets super early, so I hope it goes okay! Other than 3.022, I am working on my management minor with 15.812 and 15.501, or Marketing and Accounting. I really enjoy these classes, and I can see myself continuing to take many more management classes in the future. The professors are really incredible and they are also super interested in us as students, and I want to get to know them more throughout the semester. My accounting professor even has lunches with his students, and I hope that I can attend one eventually! I am also taking two HASS classes this semester, 21W.762 and 21L.430. 21W.762 is a poetry workshop class with the poet and author William Corbet, and he is really awesome. He brings in new poetry books for us each week and postcards, and he always has new witty comments to make on our comments on different poems or lyrics. The other class, 21L.430, is Popular Narratives of the Sixties, taught by the East Campus Housemaster, Kate Delaney. Kate and Tom Delaney are retiring and moving to Hawaii after this semester, and when I found that out I knew that I needed to take a Delaney class before they left. The class has been really cool so far we read and watched Catch-22, talked about what defines the sixties, and watched Dr. Strangelove. All were interesting novels and movies and I am excited to read the rest of the books and watch the rest of the movies for the class. So there is a quick update on my life. I am still a Medlink and I am still an EMT, but I am no longer attending pistol practice or working as many hours as a Tour Guide and Career Services desk worker or UROPing in order to focus more on my academics. Anyway, now I want to show you pictures of cute animals and other things that I have seen around MIT, whether it is in my dorm or around campus. Here you go. Cats Galileo: Derp Cat: Thor: Muffin: Snowy MIT Thats right, Ive been running around campus every time it snows screaming, ITS SO PRETTY!!! (My creepy shot of these people building a really pretty snowman) The Cooking/Baking Ive been cooking and baking a lot lately, and our vegetarian co-op is just starting up again on my hall! Each week, pairs of people cook and serve a vegetarian meal to a group of about 12 people who live on my hall. I cook for the first time tomorrow! My friend Marvin R. 16 and I are making a bean casserole dish that is supposed to be really tasty! Over the past few weeks I have made a pretty quiche: And a beautiful strawberry pie: They were both really good. I am proud of myself! My New Friend This is my new squishable Batty!! He comforts me during stressful times. I got him as a mystery squishable during one of my friends orders. MIT Excellence Awards Chris Peterson and I got to go on stage and receive MIT Excellence Awards today! I went on stage with many other members of MIT EMS to receive the first Collier Medal. It was a great honor and although I did not know Sean Collier (the officer who was shot on duty last April on MIT campus) personally, many people in the service did and it was incredible to see how appreciative the MIT community was of our service and the many hours we volunteer each year. Chris Peterson won a different award the Innovative Solutions award! The presenter mentioned his awesome work with creating the MIT Imagination admissions video and his dedication to MIT students as a senior admissions officer. I am extremely happy that he received this award. Chris Peterson is such an incredible person and he absolutely deserves it. After he was named as the recipient at the ceremony, I e-mailed this blurry picture of him to our admissions bloggers mailing list, and within a couple of hours there were 25+ replies congratulating Petey and just being so immensely proud of our friend. Again, I am really happy that Petey received this award he is the master of innovation, and a really awesome person :)
Friday, May 22, 2020
International Business Case Study - 2274 Words
International Business Case Study Sun Life Financial and Indian Economic Surge How is the Insurance market in India changing? Why is India an attractive market for investment? The insurance market in India has undergone significant changes over the past few years The Insurance Act of 1938 was the first legislation governing all forms of insurance to provide strict state control over insurance business. Life insurance in India was completely nationalized on January 19, 1956, through the Life Insurance Corporation Act. All 245 insurance companies operating then in the country were merged into one entity, the Life Insurance Corporation of India 1972 - The General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act, 1972 nationalized theâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Liberalization on the Insurance sectors allowed foreign players to enter the market with Indian partners. India also offered immense possibilities to foreign Insurers since it is the world s most populous country having over a billion people. Indian population comprised of 1.05 billion, savings rate being 26 percent and middle class population of 300 million, out of which only 110 million were insured. Insurance density in country, based on per capita premium was just $5 in life insurance segment and $2 in general segment. The share of life insurance premium to GDP was 1.29 percent. Sun Life Financials studied the Indian scenario and saw great untapped potential in Indian Insurance market, economic stability and growth prospects and hence decided to enter Indian Market. What was the entry mode in India for Sun Financials and why? Sun Financials entered the Indian market through a joint venture with the Aditya Birla Group. The joint venture was called Birla Sun Life Insurance Company. The structure and equity pattern was Indian Rayon and Birla Global Finance Ltd having a stake of 69 percent and 5 percent respectively while Sun Life Financial held 26 percent. Sun Life Financials holding was limited to 26 percent because the Indian government set up the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (ââ¬Å"IRDAâ⬠) inShow MoreRelatedInternational Business Case Study7015 Words à |à 29 PagesAssociation of Business Executives QCF International Business Case Study Fiat Automobiles S.p.A Tuesday 4 June 2013, Afternoon This is an open-book examination, and you may consult any previously prepared written material or texts during the examination. Only answers that are written during the examination in the answer book supplied by the examination centre will be marked. 6IBCS0613 à © ABE 2013 J/601/2793 Notes l As in real life, anomalies may be found in this Case Study. PleaseRead MoreInternational Business Case Study934 Words à |à 4 Pagescontaining vitamins and minerals which can prevent heart disease, obesity and dental problems. 2. What, if anything, can Western countries do to help improve the political climate for doing business in Vietnam? Give examples. a. By continuing and growing their exports, this can help to improve business in Vietnam. After the Vietnam war Vietnam became communist in 1975. Even though a lot has changed since then, Vietnam continues to be a communist country today. The politic framework in VietnamRead MoreInternational Business Case Study1558 Words à |à 7 Pages1. What is international business? An international business is the exchange of goods and services with business or individuals in different countries all over the world. 2. Explain the 5 benefits that international trade offers to businesses? The 5 benefits that international trade offers to businesses are: Access to the Market - Itââ¬â¢s when most business depend on international trade for their economic survival. Most countries usually have a larger international market then domestic marketRead MoreUber International Business Case Study1471 Words à |à 6 PagesUber is an international mobile application (ââ¬Ëappââ¬â¢) available on operating systems such as iOS and Android. It uses several technology developments such as geographical tracking and payments processed through their mobile app as opposed to cash in hand payments like traditional taxi cabs. These developments match Uber drivers with customers either individually or using ride-sharing depending on their needs. This is a report that will be based on the research and findings of the case study on Uber UKRead MoreCase Study: International Business and Globalization605 Words à |à 2 PagesSubject - International Business/Globalization Case Study - Matsushita and Japans Changing Culture Question - How did traditional Japanese culture benefit Matsushita during the 1950s to 1980s? Matsushita, a giant Japanese electronics company, was founded in 1918. Its work largely lay in its supplying Japan with radio equipment and other appliances. Traditional Japanese culture benefitted Matsushita during the 1950s to 1980s by creating a close and dedicated relationship between the companyRead MoreInternational Business Case Study Essay1164 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Problem Within This Situation It is this impact upon Krom Bop-A-Leeââ¬â¢s psyche which serves as the primary problem in this particular situation. Krom Bop-A-Leeââ¬â¢s company should be proud to have her representing it; too often liaisons on international business trips of this nature are content to accept the overwhelming hospitality of their hosts and choose to ignore the goings-on ââ¬Å"behind the scenesâ⬠. She should be commended for her dedication and willingness to immerse herself in every level ofRead MoreCase Study - Association for the Study of International Business (Asib)1353 Words à |à 6 Pagesdo take on this large task in-house. However, I feel the potentially high revenues could be significant. Association for the Study of International Business (ASIB) Online Revenue Models Internet Commerce Chapter 3, Case 2 This report covers recommended online revenue models for ASIBââ¬â¢s journals, ââ¬Å"Annals of International Businessâ⬠and ââ¬Å"International Business Today.â⬠ASIBââ¬â¢s current net profit for both journals is $14,400 per year. My revenue model recommendations would amount to a profitRead MoreGreece International Business Case Study1200 Words à |à 5 PagesGreeceââ¬â¢s International Business Greeceà achievedà independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830.à all throughà the secondà halfà of theà 10thà century and the firstà half ofà the 20th century, ità step by stepà deliveredà neighboring islands and territories,à mostà with Greek-talkingà populations. Inà worldà struggleà II, Greeceà becomeà first invadedà byà Italy (1940) andà in the end occupiedà with the aid ofà Germany (1941) combatingà continuedà in a longà civilà warfareà between supporters of the king andà differentà anti-communistRead MoreInternational Business Programs Case Study834 Words à |à 4 Pageswant to get connected with the international programs, they can do so, by learning who the faculty and staff are. There are numerous of faculty and staff members on the international programs. Some of them include Brad Bodenhausen, a director of international leadership and training center, Yi Winnie Wu, a assistant program specialist, Jinzi Fan , a program specialist in the international leadership and training center, Kelly Cabrera, a coordinator in the international leadership and training centerRead MoreInternational Business Case Study on Boeing4493 Words à |à 18 PagesPolitical and Legal Strategic trade theory / strategic trade policies The political and legal aspect is especially crucial to conducting a business on an international level. Firms involved in global business must be familiar with and obey not only the laws of their home country, but also the local laws of each country in which they do business, and international laws. From a different perspective, governments may also utilize different regulations, such as exchange rates, interest rates, taxation
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Realism and the Humanities - 1718 Words
Realism in and of itself is a broad subject, and has many different areas that can be discussed. The Realism Movement directly challenged Romanticism and the romanticists, because it was more interested in showing how things were, rather than feelings, beauty, and subjectivity that the romantics favored. Many things were gained from the movement, and its effects still stay around today. This is obvious in various works, like Chekhov and Ibsen, and in artwork that is still revered today. The Realism Movement impacted many different areas in literature and the arts, and spanned many countries and centuries, affecting and changing how these things were, and are still, viewed by the people. Realism was first established in France during the late eighteenth/ early nineteenth century to describe literary and visual works where the aim was to create something that accurately showed the world as it was. Nineteenth century Realism was a response to nineteenth century Romanticism, which caused many novelists to focus on the lives and suffering of middle class citizens (ââ¬Å"Realism.â⬠The Bloomsbury Dictionary of English Literature). Realism, though, is not just that simple, because there are different types. For example, the realism that existed in America was different from realism in Europe, but also literature in general. American Realism focused on the rough parts of life, rather than showing life exactly as it was, because during the Civil War writers were unable to see anythingShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Effects of the Civil War on the United States574 Words à |à 3 Pagesfamilies, or even to humanity as a whole. They had to decide if it was right to own another person, or if the slavery system was justified as a way to keep the Southern economy going. Through all this contemplation, people wrote about their thoughts and fears, and as a result, people abandoned romanticism and became realists. Many writings of the Civil War, whether informational or literary, reflect realism and the effects of war on the individual, communities, and humanity as a whole. ââ¬â¹The CivilRead MoreRealism : A World Of Love And Peace1218 Words à |à 5 Pages In a world of love and peace, there is also war; to be specific, there are three types of wars, and I identify with realism. Realism is shown to be the view that suggests that war happens, and perhaps it needs no reason to be justified and violence will occur. Mentioning that, just war, another theory, is a three-part view that shows the reasoning prior to a war, the concerns during and after war, and essentially requires the person to see what difference the war could make. While, pacifism, anotherRead MoreMetamorphosis Analysis1142 Words à |à 5 Pagesexperience of meaninglessness. Furthermore, ââ¬Å"The Metamorphosisâ⬠uses aspects of magical realism, such as transformation of common, distortion of time and loss of identity, featured in other magical realism works such as ââ¬Å"Axolotlâ⬠and ââ¬Å"The Handsomest Drowned Man in the Worldâ⬠. Kafkaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Metamorp hosisâ⬠has both absurdist fiction and magical realism traits, therefore, should not only be classified as magical realism but as a combination of both. ââ¬Å"The Metamorphosisâ⬠is a prime example of absurdist fictionRead MoreThe Elephant Vanishes by Murakami752 Words à |à 3 Pagesto new ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Keeping in mind that The Elephant Vanishes has been translated from the originally stocked Japanese, instead of addressing language, it would be more interesting to review characters, themes/motifs/plots, and realism. Many would argue that a story cannot exist while not made with human characters. The characters Murakami selects reveal his interest in humanityââ¬â¢s deepest secrets.. Most of his stories are told with a robust interior driven person teller, howeverRead MoreThree Ideologies of Political Economy Essay974 Words à |à 4 Pagesrobust debate. At the core of the debate are the three main philosophical ideologies (Realism, Liberalism and Marxism) which create conflicts revolving around the role and significance of the market in the organization of society and economic affairs. This paper will analyze these three philosophical ideologies and explain how the advocates of these ideologies would assess the phenomenon of global integration. Realism, Liberalism and Marxism differ significantly in relation to the IPE. The realist viewRead MoreMise-en-Scene in Edward Scissorhands Essay844 Words à |à 4 Pagessensitive, bewildered by the humanity around him, yet is terrifying- someone who has scissors, the deadly weaponry, for hands. Many viewers may read this film as a ââ¬Å"Tim Burtonâ⬠type of fairytale which includes both an alternative aspect and romance. However, through the presentation of mise-en-scene in this film, Burton drives in a much more serious subject of social criticism by establishing two different understandings of life in the movie. To begin, the idea of two realisms is first illustrated inRead MoreCallicles on Moral Realism1391 Words à |à 6 PagesFall 2012 In Callicles argument on the Superior Individual, Callicles reasoned that in nature as well as humanity the strong dominates the weak. Also known as Moral Realism, Callicles argument on the Superior Individual is in fact one of interest because it is often deemed true, regardless of the false fallacies that exist. It is often believed that in nature as well as in humanity, strength and weakness are viable factors in determining levels of success, social roles and survival etc. AlthoughRead MoreThe Artistic And Technical Aspects Of The s La Grande Illusion1404 Words à |à 6 PagesThe journey and the development of the cinematic genre now called the ââ¬ËFrench Poetic Realismââ¬â¢, unraveled in a French film sector battling for its place in a post-war world, in competition with the American and German industries. While the sector tried to recuperate from the strike of a chaotic political and social environment, the increasing prevalence of smaller companies provided filmmakers s uch as Chenal, Vigo, Duvivier and Renoir with the necessary environment to experiment and produce creativeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Idiot And The Idiot By Ernest Hemingway958 Words à |à 4 PagesDostoevskyââ¬â¢s The Idiot and Ernest Hemingway s A Farewell To Arms feature differing schools of thought in the ever-evolving world of literature; A Farewell To Arms depicting impressionistic realism through Hemingway s objective retelling of events in the First World War, and The Idiot conveying psychological realism In Dostoevskyââ¬â¢s projection of not only his epileptic behavior, but his idyllic sense of man (Neilson Kashdan). Despite these differences in writing styles, each author features the inclusionRead MoreEssay on Naturalism and Realism1298 Words à |à 6 Pages Beginning in the late 19th century, two separate movements spread across America know as realism and naturalism. While the two were very similar in their beliefs and ideals there were still many apparent distin ctions to differentiate the two. Realism and naturalism showed themselves in many aspects of life, from art and sciences to new math techniques and even religion. However, above all else these movements may have been most evident in the literature of this time. Reading through American literature
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Lotus Versus Zen Buddhism Free Essays
William Bettley 4/3/2013 Cul 260 Prof. Grohe Zen (or Chan) and Lotus Buddhism A Comparison Essay Buddhism, like many other major religions has expanded past a simple definition. There are a large number of regions that practice this astronomically large religion, and throughout the years since its introduction to the world it has developed a large number of ways to practice the belief system. We will write a custom essay sample on Lotus Versus Zen Buddhism or any similar topic only for you Order Now The sect with the largest number of temples in Japan is Zen Buddhism, the second largest number belong to the Lotus, or Nichiren Sect. Zen, being the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character Chan, falls into a much larger sect of Buddhism, with many different branches; this paper will look into the Japanese Zen branch and the Soto-Zen branch. These branches will be compared to the almost exclusively Japanese sect of Buddhism, Nichiren. The Nichiren sect, that borrows its name from its founder, is an extremely large sect of Buddhism whose main sutra is the Lotus Sutra. The Nichiren sect of Buddhism is any denomination of Buddhism that derives its beliefs from the teachings of the ancient Japanese teacher Nichiren. Nichiren is comprised of more than forty different independent religious institutions. Nichiren, originally a monk of the Tendai doctrine did not see himself as the creator of a sect, nor did he give his followers a name. It was in his death that his teachings, based on the Lotus Sutra, were denominated to be the Lotus sect of Buddhismâ⬠(Buswell Vol. 2). The largest of the Nichiren branches has its largest temple in Yamanashi and is called Nichrenshu. ââ¬Å"Nichiren adopted the Tiantai School doctrine of reality as three thousand realms in a single thought to explain the theoretical basis upon which ordinary people can reach Buddhahood. He found this single thought doctrine not as an access from meditation, but as concrete manifestations from the three great secret dharmas. He derived these three secret dharmas from the latter half of the Lotus Sutra, or the origin teachings, thus these three secret dharmas became the core of his teachings. â⬠(Buswell Vol. 2) The Daimoku, or name, is the Myohorengekyo or name of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren believed this to embody the essence of all Buddhist teachings. He felt that all that Buddha is and was and ever will be can be embodied in a practitioner through the faith and chanting of this name. He felt that through reciting this mane, the essence of the Buddhist teaching can be transferred to the practitioner in a moment of faith. This was the first dharma of lotus teaching. As with most major religions, and religious sects, there is an identifying object. The Lotus sect of Buddhism is no different. The second dharma of Lotus teaching was the honzon, or object of worship. During Nichirenââ¬â¢s lifetime he developed a calligraphy Mandala, an example of which you can see above. This is an example of the item of worship you would bear reverence to in this sect of Buddhism, and this can be found in every Lotus Buddhist temple. Namu Myohorengekyo is inscribed down the center, and to the left and right are inscribed the names of Buddha, along with the representatives of the assembly of the Lotus Sutra. The third dharma is the most controversial. The kaidan is to some a platform of belief, while to others it is a physical thing. By definition it is a platform loosely described in Nichirenââ¬â¢s writings. It is more definitely an ordination platform. In the esoteric sense it means that wherever one embraces the Lotus sutra is the Buddha land. There is not much to say about this but to say that Nichiren has mixed reviews on what he believed this to be. ââ¬Å"Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Japanese character Chanâ⬠(Buswell Vol. 2). This was one of the first quotes in my paper, and allows us to look at Zen in a different light. While it remains the Zen school of Buddhism in Japan, it is a branch of the Chan school of Buddhism, thus to look at Zen, you must first see Chan. This section will look into both the Japanese Zen Buddhism, and the Soto Chan Buddhism. Japanese Zen Buddhism is almost exactly like the original Chan School, because it took upon itself Chan concepts in Japanese style. There is not much of a difference between the Chan School and central Buddhist practice, and thus I will not look deeply into it. One of the primary notable things about the Zen school is that it, much like other schools, incited much violence between the schools because of a difference of views. Soto Chan Buddhism takes as its main concept that one is already Buddha, and to take up the mantle, you must sit in meditation without the attempting to become Buddha. This is interesting and much different from what we have learned prior in this paper. Most schools of Buddhism do not see themselves already being Buddha, and most strive to achieve Buddhism, and that takes a huge parting path from original Buddha teachings. Thus far in this paper we have broken down many branches of Buddhism schools and how they differ in belief. That being the target of the paper would imply that this is the end, but I must make a few additional remarks. In Buddhism one strives to achieve enlightenment. In that cause Buddhism is different from many religions. It takes a walk away from heaven, and strives towards the land of Buddha. But like many other religions there is discrepancy, and thus there is conflict. That does not mean that Buddhism is bad, just normal. There is much more depth this paper could look into, but doing so would make this a Buddhism paper, and not just the cores of the sects I am looking into. To see more of how this paper applies to Buddhism, would much improve the knowledge of the coherency of this paper. References Buswell, Robert E. Encyclopedia of Buddhism Vol. 1 Macmillan Reference USA. 004 PP, 134-135 Buswell, Robert E. Encyclopedia of Buddhism Vol. 2 Macmillan Reference USA. 2004 PP, 595-598, 293 Princeton EDU Nichiren Buddhism, Author Unknown, https://www. princeton. edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Nichiren_Buddhism. html Yusa, Michiko. Japanese Religious Traditions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. Print. All images belong to their original owners and no profit will be made from their inclusion in this paper. Any profit from this paper will be distributed to the owners of the original image holders at their request. How to cite Lotus Versus Zen Buddhism, Papers
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Language and the Brain Essay Example
Language and the Brain Essay Language and the brain Many people assume the physical basis of language lies in the lips, the tongue, or the ear. But deaf and mute people can also possess language fully. People who have no capacity to use their vocal cords may still be able to comprehend language and use its written forms. And human sign language, which is based on visible gesture rather than the creation of sound waves, is an infinitely creative system just like spoken forms of language. But the basis of sign language is not in the hand, just as spoken language is not based in the lips or tongue. There are many examples of aphasics who lose both the ability to write as well as to express themselves using sign-language, yet they never lose manual dexterity in other tasks, such as sipping with a straw or tying their shoes. Language is brain stuffnot tongue, lip, ear, or hand stuff. The language organ is the mind. More specifically, the language faculty seems to be located in certain areas of theà left hemispheric cortex in most healthy adults. A special branch of linguistics, New medical imaging techniques such asà PETà andà fMRIà have allowed researchers to generate pictures showing which areas of a living brain are active at a given time. In the past, research was primarily based on observations of loss of ability resulting from damage to thecerebral cortex. We will write a custom essay sample on Language and the Brain specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Language and the Brain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Language and the Brain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Indeed, medical imaging has represented a radical step forward for research on speech processing. Since then, a whole series of relatively large areas of the brain have been found to be involved in speech processing. In more recent research, subcortical regions (those lying below the cerebral cortex such as theà putamenà and theà caudate nucleus) as well as the pre-motor areas (BA 6) have received increased attention. It is now generally assumed that the following structures of the cerebral cortex near theà primary and secondary auditory cortexesà play a fundamental role in speech processing: * Superior temporal gyrusà (STG):à morphosyntacticà processing (anterior section), integration ofà syntacticà andà semanticà information (posterior section) * Inferior frontal gyrusà (IFG,à Brodmann areaà (BA)à 45/47): syntactic processing,à working memory * Inferior frontal gyrusà (IFG,à BA 44): syntactic processing, working memory * Middle temporal gyrusà (MTG):à lexical semanticà processing The left hemisphere is usually dominant in right-handed people, although bilateral activations are not uncommon in the area of syntactic processing. It is now accepted that the right hemisphere plays an important role in the processing of suprasegmental acoustic features likeà prosody. Most areas of speech processing develop in the second year of life in the dominant half (hemisph ere) of the brain, which often (though not necessarily) corresponds to the opposite of theà dominant hand. 8 percent of right-handed people are left-hemisphere dominant, and the majority of left-handed people as well. What can language disorders tell us about the brains language areas? Tourettes syndrome, which produces random and involuntary emotive reflex responses, including vocalizations This type of disorder, which often affects language use, is caused by a disfunction in the subcortex. There is no filter which prevents the slightest stimulus from producing a vocal response, sometimes of an inappropriate manner using abusive language or expletives. These words are involuntary and often the affected individual is not even aware of uttering them (like um in many individuals) and only realizes it when video is played back. This syndrome is not so much a language disorder per se as a disorder of the filters on the adult emotional reflex systema kind of expletive hiccup. True language is housed in the cortex of the left hemisphere, not in the subcortical area that controls involuntary responses. Certain types of brain damage can affect language production without actually eliminating language from the brain. A stroke that damages the muscles of the vocal apparatus may leave the abstract cognitive structure of language intactas witnessed by the fact that right hemisphere stroke victims often understand language perfectly well and write it perfectly with their right handalthough their speech may be slurred due to lack of muscle control. We have also seen that certain disorders involving the subcortexthe seat of involuntary emotional responsemay have linguistic side effects, such as in some cases of Tourettes syndrome. But what happens when the areas of the brain which control language are affected directly, and the individuals abstract command of language is affected? We will see that language disorders can shed a great deal of light on the enigma of the human language instinct. SLI. One rare language disorder seems to be inborn rather than the result of damage to a previously normal brain. I have said that children are born with a natural instinct to acquire language, the so-called LAD; however, a tiny minority of babies are born with an apparent defect in this LAD. Certain families appear to have a hereditary language acquisition disorder, labeledà specific language impairment, orà SLI. Children born with this disorder usually have normal intelligence, perhaps even high intelligence, but as children they are never able to acquire language naturally and effortlessly. They are born with their window of opportunity already closed to natural language acquisition. These children grow up without succeeding in acquiring any consistent grammatical patterns. Thus, they never command any language welleven their native language. As children and then as adults, their speech in their native language is a catalog of random grammatical errors, such as:Its a flying birds, they are. These boy eat two cookie. John is work in the factory. These errors are random, not the set patterns of an alternate dialect:à the next conversation the same SLI-afflicted individual might sayà This boys eats two cookies. These sentences, in fact, were uttered by a British teenager who is at the top of his class in mathematics; he is highly intelligent, just grammar blind. SLI sufferers are incapable of perfecting their skills through being taught, just as some people are incapable of being taught how to draw well or how to see certain colors. This is the best proof we have that the language instinct most children are born with is a skill quite distinct from general intelligence. Because SLI occurs in families and seems to have no environmental cause whatsoever, it is assumed to be caused by some hereditary factorprobably a mutant, recessive gene that interferes with or impairs the LAD. The precise gene which causes SLI has yet to be located. Aphasia We know which specific areas of the left hemisphere are involved in the production and processing of particular aspects of language. And we know this primarily from the study of patients who have had damage to certain parts of the left hemispheric cortex. Damage to this area produces a condition calledà aphasia, or speech impairment (also called dysphasia in Britain). The study of language loss in a once normal brain is calledà aphasiology. Aphasia is caused by damage to the language centers of the left hemisphere in the region of theà sylvian fissure. Nearly 98% of aphasia cases can be traced to damage in theà perisylvian areaà of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. Remember, however, that in the occasional individual language is localized elsewhere; and in children language is not yet fully localized. SUMMARY Lets sum up three important facts about language and brain. First, humans are born with the innate capacity to acquire the extremely complex, creative system of communication that we call language. We are born with aà language instinct, which Chomsky calls the LAD (language acquisition device). This language aptitude is completely different from inborn reflex responses to stimuli as laughter, sneezing, or crying. The language instinct seems to be a uniquely human genetic endowment:à nearly all children exposed to language naturally acquire language almost as if by magic. Only in rare cases are children born without this magical ability to absorb abstract syntactic patterns from their environment. These children are said to suffer fromà Specific Language Impairment, orà SLI. It is thought that SLI is caused by a mutant gene which disrupts the LAD. The LAD itself, of course, is probably the result of the complex interaction of many genesnot just oneand the malfunction of some single key gene simply short-circuits the system. For example, a faulty carburetor wire may prevent an engine from running, but the engine is more than a single carburetor wire. Many thousands of genes contribute to the makeup of the human brainmore than to any other single aspect of the human body. To isolate the specific set of genes that act as the blueprint for the language organ is something no one has even begun to do. Second, theà natural ability for acquiring language normally diminished rapidly somewhere around the age of puberty. There is aà critical ageà for acquiring fluent native language. This phenomenon seems to be connected with thelateralizationà of language in the left hemisphere of most individualsthe hemisphere associated withà monolinear cognitionà (such as abstract reasoning and step-by step physical tasks) and not the right hemisphere, which is associated with 3D spatial acuity, artistic and musical ability. Unlike adults, children seem to be able to employ both hemispheres to acquire language. In other words, one might say that children acquire language three-dimensionally while adults must learn it two dimensionally. Third and finally, in most adultsà the language organ is the perisylvian area of the left hemispheric cortex. Yesterday we discussed the extensive catalog of evidence that shows language is usually housed in this specific area of the brain. Only the human species uses this area for communication. The signals of animal systems of communication seem to be controlled by the subcortex, the area which in humans controls similar inborn response signals such as laughter, crying, fear, desire, etc.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Free Essays on Anatomy Of Inequity
, it was a very slow paced work environment. One Saturday afternoon, I had finished all of my regular chores and was waiting for customers. I mentioned to a co-worker that I was bored. He said that when he was bored he would smoke a cigarette. He suggested that I have a smoke and offered me one of his. It is true w... Free Essays on Anatomy Of Inequity Free Essays on Anatomy Of Inequity Anatomy of Inequity Can a person pinpoint the single worse decision of their life? I know I can pinpoint mine. Oh, Iââ¬â¢ve made numerous choices that were questionable, but there is one that stands out like the south side of a goat facing north. That was the day I smoked my first cigarette. Blame could be cast here or there, but it was my choice. If I could, I would reverse that fateful decision. Unfortunately, there is no magical time machine that will allow me to go back. The easiest way to stop smoking is to never start. By identifying the underlying causes of why I started and the resulting effects, maybe someone who is presented with a similar situation might decide not to take that first puff. I became an addict after smoking my first cigarette. How could this be? I grew up in a family of smokers. To the best of my recollection, everyone smoked. Oh, there were a few oddballs in the family, but most everyone was lighting up at the family get-togetherââ¬â¢s. In the 1960ââ¬â¢s people had never heard of the term second hand smoke. Unless I was outside playing, I was breathing in second hand smoke. Throughout the years my body was being primed. When I took a drag off of that first cigarette, I was hooked. But, why did I take that first drag? I was working as a salesman at the local Kinneyââ¬â¢s Shoe store and was bored. It was located off of 83rd and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. If the store had been located in a mall, I may not have smoked that first one. But, a shoe store, situated so far from the hustle and bustle of the city, was not exactly a hotbed of the marketing world. In other words, it was a very slow paced work environment. One Saturday afternoon, I had finished all of my regular chores and was waiting for customers. I mentioned to a co-worker that I was bored. He said that when he was bored he would smoke a cigarette. He suggested that I have a smoke and offered me one of his. It is true w...
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
William Quantrill and Jesse James
William Quantrill and Jesse James It wasnââ¬â¢t always possible to determine on which side certain individuals fought for during the U.S. Civil War, especially when Confederate guerrillas were involved in the State of Missouri. Although Missouri was a border state that stayed neutral during the Civil War, the state provided more than 150,000 troops who fought during this conflict- 40,000 on the Confederate side and 110,000 for the Union.à In 1860, Missouri held a Constitutional Convention where the main topic was secession and the vote was to stay in the Union but to remain neutral. In the 1860 Presidential election, Missouri was one of only two states that the Democratic candidate, Stephen A. Douglas, carried (New Jersey being the other) over Republican Abraham Lincoln. The two candidates had met in a series of debates where they discussed their individual beliefs. Douglas had run on a platform that wanted to maintain the status quo, while Lincoln believed that slavery was an issue that needed to be dealt with by the Union as a whole. The Rise of William Quantrill After the onset of the Civil War, Missouri continued itsââ¬â¢ attempt to remain neutral but ended up with two different governments that supported opposite sides. This caused many instances where neighbors were fighting neighbors. It also led to famed guerrilla leaders like William Quantrill, who built his own army that fought for the Confederacy. William Quantrill was born in Ohio but eventually settled in Missouri. When the Civil War started Quantrill was in Texas where he befriended Joel B. Mayes who would later be elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1887. It was during this association with Mayes that he had learned the art of guerrilla warfare from Native Americans.à Quantrill returned to Missouri and in August 1861, he fought with General Sterling Price at the Battle of Wilsonââ¬â¢s Creek near Springfield. Shortly after this battle, Quantrill left the Confederate Army in order to form his own so-called army of irregulars that infamously became known at Quantrillââ¬â¢s Raiders. At first, Quantrillââ¬â¢s Raiders consisted of just over a dozen men and they patrolled the Kansas-Missouri border where they ambushed both Union soldiers and Union sympathizers. Their main opposition wereà the Jayhawkers- guerillas from Kansas whose loyalty was pro-Union. The violence got so bad that the area became known as Bleeding Kansas.à By 1862, Quantrill had approximately 200 men under his command and focused their attacks around the town Kansas City and Independence. Since Missouri was divided between Union and Confederate loyalists, Quantrill was easily able to recruit Southern men who resented what they perceived to be the harsh Union rule. James Brothers and Quantrills Raiders In 1863, Quantrillââ¬â¢s force had grown to over 450 men, one of whom was Frank James, older brother of Jesse James. In August 1863, Quantrill and his men committed what became known as the Lawrence Massacre. They torched the town of Lawrence, Kansas and killed more than 175 men and boys, many of them in front of their families. Although Quantrill targeted Lawrence because it was a center for Jayhawkers, it is believed that the terror that was imposed on the citiesââ¬â¢ residents stemmed from the Union imprisoning family members of Quantrill supporters and allies, including the sisters of William T. Anderson ââ¬â who was a key member of Quantrillââ¬â¢s Raiders.à A number of these women died, including one of Andersonââ¬â¢s sisters while imprisoned by the Union.à Anderson who was nicknamed Bloody Bill. Quantrill would later have a falling out that caused Anderson to become the leader of most of Quantrillââ¬â¢s group of guerrillas which would include sixteen-year -old Jesse James. Quantrill, on the other hand now had a force that only a few dozen. The Centralia Massacre In September 1864, Anderson had an army that totaled approximately 400 guerrillas and they were preparing to assist the Confederate Army in a campaign to invade Missouri. Anderson took about 80 of his guerrillas to Centralia, Missouri to gather information. Just outside the town, Anderson stopped a train. On board were 22 Union soldiers who were on leave and they were unarmed.à After ordering these men to remove their uniforms, Andersonââ¬â¢s men then executed all 22 of them. Anderson would later use these Union uniforms as disguises. A nearby Union force of approximately 125 soldiers began to pursue Anderson, who by this time had rejoined his entire. Anderson set a trap using a small number of his force as bait which the Union soldiers fell for. Anderson and his men then surrounded the Union force and killed every soldier, mutilating and scalping bodies. Frank and Jesse James, as well as a future member of their gang Cole Younger,à all rode with Anderson that day. The Centralia Massacre was one of the worst atrocities that occurred during the Civil War. The Union Army made it a top priority to kill Anderson and only one month after Centralia they accomplished this goal.à In early 1865, Quantrill and his guerrillas had moved on to Western Kentucky and in May, after Robert E. Lee had surrendered, Quantrill and his men were ambushed. During this skirmish, Quantrill was shot in the back causing him to be paralyzed from the chest down. Quantrill died the following as a result of his injuries.
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