Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton

Aaron Burr - Biography and the Duel with Hamilton Aaron Burr is mostly remembered for a single violent act, the fatal shooting of Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel in New Jersey on July 11, 1804. But Burr was also involved in a number of other controversial episodes, including one of the most disputed elections in American history and a peculiar expedition to the western territories that resulted in Burr being tried for treason. Burr is a puzzling figure in history. He has often been portrayed as a scoundrel, a political manipulator, and a notorious womanizer. Yet during his long life Burr had many followers who considered him a brilliant thinker and a gifted politician. His considerable skills allowed him to prosper in a law practice, win a seat in the U.S. Senate, and nearly attain the presidency in a startling feat of deft political gamesmanship. After 200 years, Burr’s complicated life remains contradictory. Was he a villain, or simply a misunderstood victim of hardball politics? Early Life of Aaron Burr Burr was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 1756. His grandfather was Jonathan Edwards, a famous theologian of the colonial period, and his father was a minister. Young Aaron was precocious, and entered the College of New Jersey (present day Princeton University) at the age of 13. In the family tradition, Burr studied theology before becoming more interested in the study of law. Aaron Burr in the Revolutionary War When the American Revolution broke out, the young Burr obtained a letter of introduction to George Washington, and requested an officers commission in the Continental Army. Washington turned him down, but Burr enlisted in the Army anyway, and served with some distinction in a military expedition to Quebec, Canada. Burr did later serve on Washington’s staff. He was charming and intelligent, but clashed with Washington’s more reserved style. In ill health, Burr resigned his commission as a colonel in 1779, before the end of the Revolutionary War. He then turned his full attention to the study of the law. Burrs Personal Life As a young officer Burr began a romantic affair in 1777 with Theodosia Prevost, who was 10  years older than Burr and also married to a British officer. When her husband died in 1781, Burr married Theodosia. In 1783 they had a daughter, also named Theodosia, to whom Burr was very devoted. Burr’s wife died in 1794. Accusations always swirled that he was involved with a number of other women during his marriage. Early Political Career Burr began his law practice in Albany, New York before moving to New York City to practice law in 1783. He prospered in the city, and established numerous connections that would prove useful in his political career. In the 1790s Burr advanced in New York politics. During this period of tension between the ruling Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans, Burr tended not to align himself too much with either side. He was thus able to present himself as something of a compromise candidate. In 1791, Burr had won a seat in the U.S. Senate by defeating Philip Schuyler, a prominent New Yorker who happened to be the father in law of Alexander Hamilton. Burr and Hamilton had already been adversaries, but Burr’s victory in that election caused Hamilton to hate him. As a senator, Burr generally opposed the programs of Hamilton, who was serving as secretary of the treasury. Burrs Controversial Role in the Deadlocked Election of 1800 Burr was the running mate of Thomas Jefferson in the presidential election of 1800. Jefferson’s opponent was the incumbent president, John Adams. When the electoral vote produced a deadlock, the election had to be decided in the House of Representatives. In the prolonged balloting, Burr  utilized his considerable political skills and nearly pulled off the feat of bypassing Jefferson and gathering enough votes to win the presidency for himself. Jefferson finally won after days of balloting. And in accordance with the Constitution at the time, Jefferson became president and Burr became vice president. Jefferson thus had a vice president he didn’t trust, and he gave Burr virtually nothing to do in the job. Following the crisis, the Constitution was amended so the scenario of the 1800 election could not occur again. Burr was not nominated to run with Jefferson again in 1804. Aaron Burr and the Duel With Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr had been conducting a feud since Burr’s election to the Senate more than 10  years earlier, but Hamilton’s attacks on Burr became more intense in early 1804. The bitterness reached its climax when Burr and Hamilton fought a duel. On the morning of July 11, 1804 the men rowed across the Hudson River from New York City to a dueling ground at Weehawken, New Jersey. Accounts of the actual duel have always differed, but the result was that both men fired their pistols. Hamilton’s shot did not strike Burr. Burrs shot struck Hamilton in the torso, inflicting a fatal wound. Hamilton was brought back to New York City and died the next day. Aaron Burr was portrayed as a villain. He fled and  actually went into hiding for a time, as he feared being charged with murder. Burrs Expedition to the West The once-promising political career of Aaron Burr had been stalled while he served as vice president, and the duel with Hamilton effectively ended any chance he may have had for political redemption. In 1805 and 1806 Burr plotted with others to create an empire consisting of the Mississippi Valley, Mexico, and much of the American West. The bizarre plan had little chance for success, and Burr was charged with treason against the United States. At a trial in Richmond, Virginia, which was presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall, Burr was acquitted. While a free man, his career was in ruins, and he moved to Europe for several years. Burr eventually returned to New York City and worked at a modest law practice. His beloved daughter Theodosia was lost in a shipwreck in 1813, which further depressed him. In financial ruin, he died on September 14, 1836, at the age of 80, while living with a relative on Staten Island in New York City. Portrait of Aaron Burr courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections.

Radial Symmetry in Marine Life

Radial Symmetry in Marine Life Radial symmetry is the regular arrangement of body parts around a central axis. Definition of Symmetry First, we should define symmetry. Symmetry is the arrangement of body parts so they can be divided equally along an imaginary line or axis. In marine life, the two main types of symmetry are bilateral symmetry  and radial symmetry, although there are some organisms that exhibit biradial symmetry (e.g., ctenophores) or asymmetry (e.g., sponges). Definition of Radial Symmetry When an organism is radially symmetrical, you could cut from one side of the organism through the center to the other side, anywhere on the organism, and this cut would produce two equal halves. Think of a pie: no matter which way you slice it, if you slice from one side to the other through the center, youll end up with equal halves. You can continue slicing the pie to end up with any number of equal-sized pieces. Thus, the pieces of this pie  radiate  out from the central point.   You can apply the same slicing demonstration to a sea anemone. If you draw an imaginary line across the top of a sea anemone starting at any one point, that would divide it into roughly equal halves. Pentaradial Symmetry Echinoderms like sea stars, sand dollars, and sea urchins exhibit a five-part symmetry called pentaradial symmetry. With pentaradial symmetry, the body can be divided into 5 equal parts, so any one of five slices taken out of the organism would be equal.    In the feather star shown in the image, you can see five distinctive branches radiating from the stars central disk. Biradial Symmetry Animals with biradial symmetry show a combination of radial and bilateral symmetry. A biradially symmetrical organism can be divided into four parts along a central plane but each of the parts is equal to the part on the opposite side but not the part on its adjacent side. Characteristics of Radially Symmetrical Animals Radially symmetrical animals have a top and bottom but dont have a front or back or distinctive left and right sides.   They also have a side with a mouth, called the oral side, and a side without the mouth called the aboral side.   These animals typically can move in all directions.   You can contrast this to bilaterally symmetrical organisms like humans, seals or whales, who usually move forward or backward and have a well-defined front, back and right and left sides. While radially symmetrical organisms can move easily in all directions, they may move slowly, if at all. Jellyfish primarily drift with waves and currents, sea stars move relatively slowly compared to most bilaterally symmetrical animals, and sea anemones barely move at all.   Rather than a centralized nervous system, radially symmetrical organisms have sensory structures scattered around their body.   Sea stars, for example, have eyespots at the end of each of their arms, rather than in a head region. One advantage of radial symmetry is that it may make it easier for organisms to regenerate lost body parts. Sea stars, for example, can regenerate a lost arm or even an entirely new body as long as a portion of their central disk is still present.   Examples of Marine Animals With Radial Symmetry Marine animals that exhibit radial symmetry include: Coral polypsJellyfishSea anemonesSea urchins References and Further Information: Morrissey, J.F. and J.L.  Sumich. 2012. Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life (10th Edition). Jones Bartlett Learning. 467pp.University of California Museum of Paleontology.  Bilateral (left/right) Symmetry. Understanding Evolution. Accessed February 28, 2016.

Assignment 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Assignment 6 - Essay Example Most of the explanations associated with destination management define it as the progression that comprises of resolutions taken on diverse stages which creates a new chapter of commercialization of the tourism Industry. All a DMC demands are to control and manage the flow and orders in collaboration with local businesses and services providers (Downing, 84; Presenza, 33). The main objective behind the establishment of every DMC is to focus on fulfilling tourists’ expectations. This paper presents the concept and operations of DMC along with an introduction of three DMCs located in the Bay Area along with the summary of their functions and operations. The intention of this paper is to stress the importance of the destination management in the contemporary tourism and to emphasize the added value creation process. Destination management Companies (DMC) major role is to manage and market the destinations and provide tourism services with excellence. Destination management Companies can be national, regional or local, based on the area they cover in providing services. These companies require to be centered on consensus-based approaches amongst the stakeholders and provide sufficient suppleness to adaptability for the management of organization of destinations. DMC are the companies that market the destinations to get maximum business, delivers outstanding services to their clients whether they are businessmen or tourists and confirms favorable settings for expansion and growth of tourism and their business. In order to understand how a DMC operates, three different DMCs located in the Bay area have been identified. The First Incentive Travel is a Destination Management Company in based in New York, offers to assist with formal meeting requirements, keeping the emphasis on the company and its clients with exceptional services. Its collaboration with other

Data versus information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data versus information - Essay Example When the electric circuit is on it represents a â€Å"1† and when it is off it represents a â€Å"0†. Thus when a computer is processing data the trillions of small electric circuits within the microprocessor are in various patterns of on and off states. Information, on the other hand, is knowledge that is communicated (Millar, 1999). Given that humans find it difficult and time-consuming to work with binary digits, computers are able to store, process and deliver data in various formats that are much easier for humans to comprehend. Some of the data formats that computers give as output are: numbers, characters, graphics, digital audio and video, animation and multimedia (Scanlan, 2002). It from this combination of data formats that humans are able to derive meaning from the computer’s output. Of course before giving output, computers perform combinations, permutations or any other instructions that have been input by the user to manipulate data and create

Case study: Behavioral Appearance Behavioral Appearance

Case study: Behavioral Appearance Behavioral Appearance To those who find themselves in contact with schizotypal individuals they often range appearing eccentric and aberrant to outright bizarre in their actions. Their behavior is clearly erratic. School and employment histories of these individuals show marked deficits and irregularities. Not only are they frequent dropouts, but they drift from one source of employment to another. If married, they are often separated or divorced. At times, their behavior appears eccentric, that is, they prefer social isolation and may engage in activities that other find curious. In more severe cases, their behavior may seem clearly bizarre. The presence of odd speech patterns is an example. Schizotypal individuals may verbally digress or become metaphorical in their expressions. According to the DSM-III, Often, speech shows marked peculiarities; concepts may be expressed unclearly or oddly or words used deviantly, but never to the point of loosening of associations or incoherence (American Psychiatric Association, 1980, p. 312) Interpersonal Conduct Interpersonally, schizotypals experience a life of isolation, with minimal personal attachment and obligations. As their lives progress it is not uncommon to find these individuals drifting into increasingly superficial and peripheral social and vocational roles. These individuals have virtually no close friends or confidants. They have great difficulty with face-to-face interaction. They commonly experience intense social anxiety at relatively minimal social challenge. For these reasons, we believe the interpersonal conduct of schizotypals may be categorized as ranging from being interpersonal detacted and secretive to inaccessible. Cognitive Style The cognitive style of schizotypal individuals may be ruminative and autistic in less severe variations to blatantly deranged in more severe forms of the disorder. The cognitive slippage and interference that characterize the thought processes of this disorder in its milder forms are simply amplified here. Schizotypals are frequently unable to orient their thoughts logically. They tend to become lost in a plethora of irrelevancies. Their thinking appears scattered and autistic as the disorder manifests itself in its more severe variations. According to the DSM-III, these individuals may report magical thinking (i.e., clairvoyance, telepathy, a sixth sense, or just extreme superstitious behavior). Similarly schizotypals may experience recurrent illusions where they report the presence of a person or force not actually there. Psychotic thought, when it does occur, is transient and not indicative of a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Affective Expression The deficient or disharmonious affect of many of these patients deprives them of the capacity to relate to people, places, or things as anything but flat and lifeless phenomena. Their affective expression ranges from being apathetic to insentient and deadened. On the other hand, some schizotypal individuals seem in a constant state of agitation. Their affective expression ranges from being apprehensive, perhaps even frantic in their affective expression. We will present more on these clinical variations later. Self-Perception Schizotypal individuals often view themselves as forlorn and lacking meaning in life or, in more severe cases, on introspection, they may see themselves as vacant. They may experience recurrent feelings of emptiness or of estrangement. Experiences of depersonalization and dissociation may also be present in these patients. In sum, schizotypals appear virtually self-less as they look inward towards self-appraisal. Primary Defense Mechanism The schizotypal personality disorder is characterized by extreme social and affective isolation as well as autistic and bizarre cognitive functioning. The defense mechanism commonly used by individuals who possess this disorder is undoing. Undoing is a self-purification mechanism in which individuals attempt to repent for some undesirable behavior or evil motive. In effect, undoing represents a form of atonement. In severly pathological forms, undoing may take the form of complex and bizarre rituals, or magical acts. These rituals, such as compulsive hand washing, are designed to cleanse or purify the individual. These compulsions not only cause these individuals discomfort, but they may also consciously recognize them as absurd. Nevertheless, individuals employing such a mechanism appear to have lost the ability to control these acts as well as the ability to see their real meaning. Differential Personality Diagnosis The schizotypal personality disorder is likely to be confused with another severe personality disorder, the borderline disorder. Both the schizotypal and the borderline patterns represent severe personality disorder. Furthermore, according to the present biosocial learning theory, they both emerge when the less severe personality variants decompensate. Yet, there are marked differences in these two disorders. The schizotypal disorder features schizophrenic-like symptoms. These symptoms reflect disturbances in cognitive processes. Thus, the schizotypal is characterized by perceptual pathology as well as social withdrawal and isolation. The most obvious feature of the borderline disorder, on the other hand, is instability of mood. The symptoms of the borderline reflect disturbances in affect rather than cognitive. Finally, the borderline individual is interpersonally dependent, unlike the socially isolated schizotypal. A final note should be made regarding the schizotypal disorder in contrast to the Axiz I schizophrenic disorders. Axis I disorders are characteristically more severe and of relatively shorter duration. The Axis II schizotypal disorder represents the operation of internal, ingrained, and more enduring defects in the patients personality. Although schizophrenic episodes often reflect a psychosocial stressor, the schizotypal disorder represents an underlying and persistent characterological pattern. CLINICAL VARIATIONS The description of the schizotypal personality disorder presented in the previous section portrays the generic aspects of this disorder. It is more common, however, to see the schizotypal pattern manifest itself in one of two major variations. The two major clinical variations of the schizotypal disorder are (1) the schizotypal-schizoid pattern and (2) the schizotypal-avoidant pattern. Schizotypal-Schizoid Variation Schizotypal-schizoid individuals are characteristically drab, sluggish, and inexpressive. They display a marked deficit in their affective expression and appear bland, untroubled, indifferent, and unmotivated by the outside world. Their cognitive processes seem obscure and vague. Such individuals seem unable to experience the subtle emotional aspects of social exchange. Interpersonal communications are often vague and confused. The speech pattern of these individuals tend to be monotonous, listless, or at times, inaudible. Most people consider these individuals as strange, curious, aloof, and lethargic. In effect, they become background people satisfied to live their lives in an isolated, secluded manner. Case 11.1 portrays such an individual. Schizotypal-Avoidant Variation Schizotypal-avoidant individuals are restrained and isolated. Similarly, they are apprehensive, guarded, and interpersonally withdrawing. As a protective device, they seek to eliminate their own desires and feeling for interpersonal affiliation, for they expect only rejection and pain from interacting with others. Thus, apathy, indifference, and impoverished thought, which we saw in the cognitive and affective insensitivity, is presented here as a result of an attempt to dampen an intrinsic oversensitivity. The case of Harold T. is a study of a schizotypal-avoidant individual. SELF-PERPETUATION OF THE SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY DISORDER The prognosis for the schizotypal personality disorder is perhaps the least promising of all the personality disorder discussed in this text. Let us examine why. The self-perpetuating spiral of deterioration that occurs in the schizotypal disorder is fostered by three major factors: (1) social isolation, (2) dependency training, and (3) self-insulation. Social Isolation Individuals who possess the schizotypal disorder are often segregated from social contact. They are kept at home or hospitalized with minimal encouragement to progress on a social basic. Social isolation such as this serves not to perpetuate the difficulties these individuals have with cognitive organization and social skills, but also serves to worsen the status of both. In many instances, the social isolation seems to stimulate a regression on the part of these individuals. They will tend to lose what cognitive and social abilities they may have had before the isolation. Jane W. was clearly capable of returning to society if she had been provided adequate social support. Without such support, the only option was to keep her institutionalized. Dependency Training Often found in conjunction with social isolation is the tendency on the part of those around schizotypal individuals to be overly protective. They will tend to patronize or coddle them. Such overprotection tends to reinforce dependent behavior on the part of the schizotypal. According to Millon (1981), Prolonged guidance and shielding of this kind may lead to a progressive impoverishment of competencies and self-motivation, and result in a total helplessness. Under such ostensibly good regimens, schizotypals will be reinforced to learn dependency and apathy (p. 427). Self-Insulation Finally, not only through mismanagement and neglect will the schizotypal disorder be perpetuated, but also through the tendency of these individuals to insulate themselves from outside stimulation. As we described earlier, to protect themselves from painful humiliation, rejection, or excessive demands, schizotypals have learned to withdraw from reality and disengage themselves from social life. Even though exposed to active social opportunities, most of these individuals will participate only reluctantly. They prefer to keep to themselves-to withdraw. Without active social relationships, these individuals will simply recede further into social isolation, apathy, and dependency. Thus, the disorder is perpetuated. The case of Harold T. demonstrates a condition in which his ability to insulate himself has served as an effective barrier to rehabilitation. His apathy, lack of verbal communication, and habit of drawing strange and religiouslike pictures has effectively insulated him from other and has removed any hope of improvement for almost 10 years. So, in summary, we see that through social isolation, dependency training, and self-insulation, the schizotypal disorder is perpetuated. Although the motives for socially isolating and overprotecting these individuals are usually good, that is, with best interests of the patient in mind, the tactics are actually counterproductive for they deprive the patients of the opportunity to develop social skills while reinforcing dependency. The schizotypals own tendency to insulate himself/herself from social contact serves to exacerbate the disorder even further. Such self-insulation serves to foster and further perpetuate the spiral of cognitive and social deterioration that typifies the schizotypal disorder. Schizotypal Personality Disorder DSM-IV Criteria A pervasive pattern of social and interpersonal deficits marked by acute discomfort with, and reduced capacity for, close relationships as well as by cognitive or perceptual distortions and accentricities of behavior, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following: Ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference) Odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g., superstitiousness, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, or sixth sense; in children and adolescents, bizarre fantasies or preoccupations) Unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions Odd thinking and speech (e.g., vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, overelaborate, or stereotyped) Suspiciousness or paranoid ideation Inappropriate or constricted affect Behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar Lack of close friends or confidants other than first-degree relatives Excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self Reproduced with permission from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Copyright 1994 American Psychiatric Association. Therapy The schizotypal is perhaps one of the easiest personality disorders to identify but one of the most difficult to treat with psychotherapy. The thought disorder and accompanying paranoid ideation work to distort communication between therapist and client and inhibit the formation of a trusting therapeutic alliance. Moreover, because schizotypals are inherently isolative and nonrelational, the therapist may sometimes be experienced as an intrusive presence. Because the alliance is the very foundation of therapy, medication is often needed before lasting progress can be made, especially with subjects who express the disorder severely. THERAPEUTIC TRAPS The expectations of the therapist and their influence on therapy are particularly important and may require careful monitoring. Most schizotypals initially see the therapist as attacking or humiliating (Benjamin, 1996). As anxiety increases, they may retreat further behind a curtain of disordered communication as a means of shielding themselves and confusing the intruder. Occasional retreats are universal. Therapists who become vexed when greeted with silence and emotional distancing only create an atmosphere that justifies such a reaction. Instead, the need for distance must be respected, without conveying feelings of disapproval or inducing guilt, to which many subjects are especially sensitive. Not pushing too hard or too fast can prevent severe anxiety and paranoid reactions. Extraordinary patience may be required because schizotypals repeatedly misperceive aspects of the therapeutic relationship and then act on these misperceptions. Subjects who believe they have privileged access to information beyond the five senses sometimes apply their extrasensory powers to therapy and the therapist, believing that they can read the therapists mind or arrive at conclusions about what the therapist secretly desires on the basic of tangential or irrelevant cues. Accordingly, communication should be simple, straightforward, shorn of psychological jargon, and require a minimm of inference. Schizotypals find it difficult enough to bring order to their own thoughts, much less penetrate ambiguities and double messages carelessly introduced by others. The concrete is to be preferred over the poetic because the latter is naturally rich in connotations, which play havoc with schizotypal cognition. Special attention to the countertransference is in order, for unconscious feelings emitted by the therapist bring an unknown complexity to communication and are especially likely to be misconstrued by subjects. STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES What can be done in therapy often depends on the extent to which the thought disorder intrinsic to the syndrome can be controlled. Otherwise, every aspect of therapy becomes more complicated. Further, the appropriate goals and strategies for any particular subject depend on whether his or her symptoms most resemble an exaggerated schizoid pattern, an exaggerated avoidant pattern, or a mixture of the two. Strategies and techniques appropriate for the dominant underlying personality disorder can be used to supplement the primary goals of treating the schizotypal pattern (refer to the appropriate chapter). Establishing a more normal pattern of interpersonal relationships is a primary goal of therapy. Social isolation intensifies cognitive deficits and allows social skills to atrophy. Contatc with a therapist can prevent further deterioration. Because patterns of disordered family communication typify the early developmental environment of these subjects, therapy offers the chance for a novel, corrective interpersonal relationship through steady support and euthenticity. Accordingly, as emphasized by Benjamin (1996), the basic skills of humanistic therapy, including accurate empathy, mirroring, and unconditional positive regard, become particularly important. Benjamin states that the therapeutic alliance may represent a chance to experience a nonexploitive protectiveness, one that eventually permits the schizotypal to give up management of the universe by magical means (p. 360). After an alliance has been established, subject can be encouraged to voice distortions of reality as they occur, and these can be discussed in the context of the therapeutic relationship. Benjamin (1996) further stresses that many schizotypals are likely to belive that harm may come to the therapist through their association. As such ideas are voiced, they can be tested realistically and tactfully refuted. In general, interpersonal therapy should enhance subjects sense of self-worth and encourage the realization of positive attributes, an important step in defeating detachment, rebuilding motivation, and providing confidence necessary to take the first steps toward constructive social encounters outside therapy. Because schizotypals have difficulty sorting the relevant and irrelevant in interpersonal relationships, therapists may find that much of their time is spent helping the schizotypal test interpersonal reality and gain perspective on which behaviors might be appropriate in whatever situations are current in the subjects life. Repeated discussions of essentially similar situations may be necessary, as many schizotypals fail to realize that these are but variatio ns on a theme. Basic social skills training are often helpful. Modeling behaviors provides an example that even concrete subjects can imitate. The ability to appraise interpersonal realities appropriately is an important step in decreasing social anxiety and accompanying paranoid symptoms while creating a capacity for appropriate affect and a sense of reward. From a cognitive perspective, psychotherapy must adapt to the schizotypals limited attentional resources and tendency to intrude tangential factors. Because many schizotypals are either overly concrete or overly abstract, learning may be generalized to other settings and situations only with great difficulty. Simplicity and structure help prevent the lessons of therapy from being obscured by the discombobulating effects of thought disorder. Furthermore, cognitive techniques allow the content of thought to be identified and eventually modified. This suggests that the combination of medication and cognitive therapy should be particularly effective. Writing in Beck et al. (1990), Ottaviani indicates that the first step is to identity characteristic automatic thoughts, such as, I am a nonbeing, as well as patterns of emotional reasoning and personalization, reviewed previously. Moreover, she suggests that assumptions underlying social interaction present an especially profitable avenue for change, as schizotypals usually believe that other dislike them. Subjects must be taught to act as naÃÆ'Â ¯ve scientists and test their thoughts against the evidence. Feelings do not make facts; instead, each cognition is a hypothesis and should be disregarded if found inconsistent with the objective evidence. Even bizarre thoughts can be dealt with in this way. The thought, I am leaving my body, for example, can be countered with prepared countercognitions: There I go again. Even though Im thinking this thought, it doesnt mean that its true (p. 141) Because an effective grasp of objective reality is the Catch-22 of the cognitive approach, Ottaviani further suggests that schizotypals also be taught methods for gathering contrary evidence. Subjects can list evidence inconsistent with their predictions, for example. Going beyond content, cognitive style interventions can also be made. Rambling can be countered by requests for summary statements, and global statements can be countered by asking for elaboration. Finally, where subjects are not too paranoid or bizarre, group settings can be used to practice social functioning and provide feedback about distorted cognitions. Because classical psychodynamic therapy is inherently unstructured, its use is probably not advised. As noted by Stone (1985), the purpose of psychodynamic therapy should be to internalize the therapeutic alliance. Because the early home environment of most schizotypals is likely to feature fragmented and chaotic communications, the ego boundaries of the schizotypal subject are only poorly developed. The interpretation of conflict not only disregards their desire for distance but also plays into their fear of engulfment. Accordingly, silence should be accepted as a legitimate part of the personality (Gabbard, 1994). Once this acceptance is felt, the subject may then begin to reveal hidden aspects of the self that can be adaptively integrated. Analytic procedures such as free association, the neutral attitude of the therapist, and the focus on dreams may foster an increase in autistic reveries and social withdrawal. Probably the most useful analytic suggestion comes from Rado (1959), who suggests that identifying and capitalizing on some source of pleasure, however small, is a superordinate therapeutic goal. Motivation develops from the capacity for pleasure, and ultimately, only this can balance the painful emotions, attach the schizotypal to the real world, and prevent the dissolution of the self and cognitive disintegration that results from autistic withdrawal.

Project Management Tools Essay

There are a wide variety of project management and planning tools available to help manage tasks and track deliverables. Two of the most popular tools are Microsoft Project from Microsoft and SmartDraw from SmartDraw. com. Each of these software packages allows the user to create a project and graph it in various formats, such as calendars, Gantt charts, flow charts, etc. In order to evaluate each of these applications, a test project was created to allow a comparison of the features. MS Project is considered to be one of standards for project management; and as a part of the Microsoft Office package, it provides a level of integration that is beneficial in Project Management (Microsoft Project 2003). The MS Project 2003 application offers an approach that is primarily oriented toward Gantt chart tracking, with other viewing options in a calendar format, network diagram, and task usage format (Microsoft Office, 2008). The product has a lot of features and options which allow a user to track tasks and resources, along with reporting capabilities to provide details and help manage the project. This application was a little difficult to figure out without a training manual. Some basic knowledge of other Microsoft products helps when attempting to create a project for the first time. A sample of the demonstration test in MS Project is provided in Appendix A. SmartDraw touts itself as ‘the world’s most popular business graphics software’â„ ¢ (SmartDraw. com Corporate Profile, 2008). Providing pre-designed templates in more than 100 formats, this application offers a wide variety of options for project managers to track their projects (SmartDraw v. 2009-08). Over and above Gantt charts and calendars, there are also a variety of formats for flowcharts, timelines, floor plans, and organization charts. When the application is initiated, it gives the user a chance to select from a list of possible formats before beginning the project setup. A sample of the demonstration test in SmartDraw is provided in Appendix B. Based on the tests performed for this project, the SmartDraw application is more user-friendly, especially for a new user who is interested in a variety of tracking options without intensive training. The MS Project application has a big advantage in the area of integration with other applications in the Microsoft suite of products, but it seems to require quite a bit of training to be proficient in the use of the features. Both products are popular in the world of project management, but this demonstration shows that SmartDraw is easier to navigate for a novice user and offers a wider variety of presentation formats. Although knowledge of MS Project is almost required in the world of project management, the recommendation from this test would have to go to SmartDraw for students interested in an effective, easy-to-use solution.

The Birth Mark

Critical Essay 4 Close Reading â€Å"The ‘Birthmark† that was written a little over a century ago by Nathaniel Hawthorne, seems to be an early story of our modern fascination with physical flawlessness. In looking at today's society, it is simple to see that humans are fascinated with perfection. This fascination may be for physical perfection, emotional perfection, or career perfection. Unlike today's society, where flawlessness is wanted by the person directly involved, the character in this story looks for flawlessness in the one he should love without condition.The character becomes so obsessed with wanting perfection that he gives up true happiness. Thus, we can say that â€Å"The Birthmark† expresses a very profound meaning; men make an effort to change nature in order to make it more flawless than it already is. Even though â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its subject and ideas still play a part in todayâ€⠄¢s society. â€Å"In the late eighteenth century, where the story took place, science was still somehow associated with magic. †(1) And Aylmer's ‘science', could be called alchemy, which is somewhere between science and magic.It can be stated that Aylmer, the scientist in â€Å"The Birthmark,† is very much a result of this age of invention. Aylmer could have been a scientist or maybe even a magician. But we can definitely say he was in pursuit of control. He seeks control. The story starts off with a scientist who finds a bride. As the story continues on the freshly married couple starts to make discoveries about each other. Aylmer who is a man of perfection bases his decision to marry Georgiana believing that she is nothing but perfect. Nevertheless, his bride, Georgiana, appears to have a birthmark on her face that Aylmer wants to remove.Aylmer believes that the birth mark is a symbol of flawlessness on a beauty; On the other hand, Georgiana believes it is a b lessing. To me Aylmer made the mistake of marrying Georgiana because of perfection. In life we must understand that not everyone is perfect. Everyone has flaws including ourselves, and in this story Aylmer did not understand this. Georgiana’s birthmark on her face made her very different and special from other women. Aminadab said, â€Å"If she were my wife, I’d never part with that birth-mark† (Hawthorne 6). This quote opposes what Aylmer thinks; that the birthmark is ugly and needs to be removed.Aminadab tells Aylmer that the birthmark is unique, and he would not want to remove it because it makes her different. The birthmark has a very unique shade and shape to it, â€Å"In the usual state of her complexion- a healthy, though delicate bloom; – the mark wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosiness† (Hawthorne 2). Hawthorne often refers to the birthmark as the â€Å"Crimson Hand. † Not onl y is the color of the birthmark unique, but the shape is unique, as well. Not all birthmarks are crimson and look like a hand, and few people have a birthmark as unique as Georgiana did.Although Georgiana birthmark is unique, it is also a human flawlessness to Aylmer. Aylmer wanted to prove to Georgiana it was flawlessness to her face. Aylmer convincingly said, â€Å"No dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect- which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty- shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection† (Hawthorne 2). Aylmer thinks the birthmark makes Georgiana ugly and wants to do whatever it takes to remove it from her face. Aylmer cannot stand to look at his wife with this horrible birthmark on her face.I feel as though everybody has their own beauty that’s within them that can’t be changed. I understand that nobody can change the inner or outer beauty of a person it wil l always be there no matter what changes they make or try to hide. Beauty is something unique and it shouldn’t be altered by any one, each individual has something that is beautiful about them even if there outer appearance is not so beautiful. In the end of the story we understand that the symbolism of the birth-mark had represented death because, Georgiana died at the end of the story because, Aylmer was trying to change something that was meant to be left alone.Hawthorne said,† As the last crimson tint of the birth-mark that sole token of human imperfection-faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere, and her soul, lingering a moment near her husband, took its heavenward flight. † (p. 650) Had Aylmer would have accepted his wife as she was she probably wouldn’t have died of the death of his hands. So it was his fault really because, he made her felt as if her birth-mark was an ugly thing on her face. When it really was not ugly it brought her appearance out it made her even more beautiful and special.As individual we must learn sometimes to let things be, as I like to say â€Å"let and let God. We must know that everything is not meant to be change. â€Å"The Birthmark† is very psychological, rigorously dealing with the plain mind of the characters as if the portentous narrator told the story from within their mind, other than observes it from the outside. The description by a person outside of the story, other than a character from within, does not inspire the reader to understand with one character more than the other. It also allows the reader to understand the story and its characters based on how the audience feels.Using third person point of view, Hawthorne defines the characters and lets the audience to try to understand what each of them is thinking. Hawthorne wrote a great story in this story Hawthorne sends a message that we as individuals have always made every eff ort for perfection in all aspects of our life, but sometimes our own pleasant perception of it dominates the possibilities that some people will take to achieve those aspects of perfection. Whether an athlete decide to us drugs in order to be able to run faster or to hit harder, for them to be able to reach a greater level than anyone else to that unachievable goal of perfection.Better yet, surgeons who try and play God and perform plastic surgery on patients to make the patient believe and feel that they have the perfect look and smile or appearance. â€Å"The Birthmark† was a very interesting book, in that Hawthorne explores a person’s sense of perfection and how far they will go to reach it. Works Cited Booth, Alison and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Tenth Edition. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Birthmark. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes