Banks and Credit System of Exchange Essay Example for Free

Banks and Credit System of Exchange Essay Definition of Banks—Banks are financial institutions that help people to save and borrow money.In a growing economy, the banks help to create a new pool of money to be ised for other economic activities.They complement the money or cash system of exchange with the system of credit. History of Banking in the Philippines During the pre-colonial period, Filipinos also saved and borrowed money, but usually this was done by families, relatives of tribal leaders.The oldest written relic of our precolonial past is the famous Laguna Copperplate inscriptin (LCI), which contains a record of a debt payment in 900A. D.It proves that we have a longt tradition of honoring our debts in our culture. Modern banking, as we know it, really began with the coming of the Europeans. The first credit organizations were the Obras Pias(pious work), created by the Spanish colonial government starting in the 16th century. It is interesting to know that the early Catholics in the Philippines were taught how to tithe(give 10 percent of income to the church).Thus, thye early church in the Philippines was able to collect a fund od money, and its growth and good works increased tremendously. The first general bank in Southeast Asia was the Banco Espaà ±ol-Filipino (now known as Bank of the Philippine Islands), which opened in 1851.It was given authority to issue bank notes.Soon, other banks were opened.The Catholic Church anf their trustees owned and operated most banks during the Spanish colonial period. During the American period, more banks began operations. In 1906, the government established postal savings banks all over the country to bring banking closer to the people.This Promoted the habit of thrift and savings among low-income groups. Now Americans, Chinese and Filipinos also entered the picture. In 1916 the philippine National Bank was organized. Other banks which followed were the China Banking Corporation and the Philippine Bank of Commerce.Before World War II there were 17 banks in the country. The PNB and Postal banks were owned by the Catholic Church and religious organizations, and two by Filipinos and others. The Japanese m,ilitary occupation in 1941-45 briefly restructed Philippine banking. Only Japanese and their Filipino sympathizers were allowed to operate banks. In 1946, after independence, the otigins of our modern banking system were established. Prewar banks were re-opened and resumed operations. The Central Banking Act was passed in 1948. Today, there are thousands of banks all over the country, and some Filipino banks have opened branches abroad. Tyhe Volume of banking services has also increased, as more and more services are being offered. Among these services are car loans, time deposits, automatic tellers, dreive-in windows, night depository, safe deposit boxes, payroll handling, automatic debits, and many more. KINDS OF BANKS There are different kinds of banks as follows: 1. Rural banks-These are located mostly in the countryside. The government encourages the establishment of these small banks in order to bring asavings and banking closer to people in the provinces. For example, a group may set up a rural bank with P20 million capital outside of metro Manila or cities; but p50 million is needed for a bank in the city. The main reason for rural banks is to help farmers with agricultural loans. In 1994, the Pagsanjan Rural Bank founded by Victor Zaide cabreza and Soledad Benitez Cabreza, won the award fo â€Å"Outstanding Rural Bank in he Philippines† 2. Savings and loan association—These small banks gather savings and invest them in long term securities, such as housing loans. A good example is the Monte de Piedad Bank. 3.Special government banks—The Philippine government established several bnks to handle specific duties involving its financial projects.For example, after the war, the Rehabilitation and Finance Corporation (RFC) was created to receive postwar reconstuction funds ang give financial aid to the war-damaged economy. The RFG eventually beame the Development bank of the Philippines (DBP). The Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) helps the government implement the land reform program. The Philippine Amanah Bank was organized in 1970s to cater for the growing economic needs of Muslim Filpinos. The government may also operate postal banks within selected post iffides around the country. Many small savers and children like to use postal banks because it is closer and more familiar to them. 4.Commercial banks—These make up the biggest banking group, and comprises nearly 50% of the total banking resources in the country. The main function of this type is to supply the circulating capital for the economy in the form of short-term loans.Example are the Philippine National Bank, Metrobank, BPI, FarEast Bank and Trust Company and others. 6.Universal Bank- Also known as a ful-service bank, a universal bank provides more servies than a commercial bank. Banks which have reached a capitalixation of P50 million or more can apply for a universal banking liscence. A universal bank can make more investments and lending.It can act as an investment house, a savings bank etc. It can invest directlyin private companies. Several banks are iniversal banks, starting with the Philipine National Bank, republic Planters Bank, United Cocunot Planters Bank, Allied Bank, PCIB, BPI, Far East Bank and Trust Company, and Metrobank. 6. international banks—As the name says international banks have operations in more than one country. Some Filipino bamks have branches in other countries, e.e. PNB, FEBTC, etc. Similarly, some foreign banks have branches in the Philippines, e.g. Hongkong ang Shanghai Chartered Bank, Citibank, Australia New Zealand, etc. Apart from the private banks, thee are government-owned banks, such as the International Bank for Reconstrucyion and Development (IBRD or World Bank) ased in Washington, D.C.; the Asian Development Bank (ABD) based in Metro Manila; the Bank of International Settkements (BIS) based in Basle, Switzerland. The Uses or Function of Banks The services of banks are: 1.To accept aand guard deposits of money.People go to a bank because they trust that their money will not be stolen inside.ThePhilippine Deposit Insurace Corporation (PDIC) encures each depositor’s money up to a limit. In case the bank closes doen or is robbed, the depositor will still get their money bacl up to a fixed limit. In turn, the bank keeps a written list of the deposit in a savings book, a monthly statement or a certificate . For the right to use the money, the banks pay interest. 2. to lend money. Banks led money to qualified clients. in this way, the bank earns interest and profits. loans are ofdifferent kinds: are short-term. Loans may also be typedaccording to purpose( car loan, housing loan, business loan etc.) This may be a property title, which the bank can get in case the loan is not paid. Next, bigl loans must have a co- signer or one who will guarantee to pay the loan if the borrower defaults 9faiks to pay). 3.To remit and collect money. Banks als transfer or collect money for clients. for example, overseas contract workers can send their remittances to family through a bank to be picked up in Manila by the relative. A businesman can pay for a supply ordered from abroad through a local bank which send the payment to the foreign supplier. Usually, a bank has a correspondent bank abroad in case it does not have branches ther. Banks accept checks, bank dreafts or telegraphic transfers from other banks, according to certain conditions. 4..To perform legal roles like supervising a business, managing a private

The main concepts of the behaviorist perspective theory

The main concepts of the behaviorist perspective theory As a reaction to the introspective analysis method in psychology and the focus on the study of mental processes, conscious or unconscious that dominated the beginning of the last century and was considered the object of psychology at that time  [1]  , a new approach was developed under the name of behaviorism. This new psychotherapeutic approach was to dominate psychology for about 50 years. Precursors of this approach are the American psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike  [2]  and the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov  [3]  , but the one who is considered the father of behaviorism and established its theoretical and practical fundaments is John Watson  [4]  . Behavior becomes the focus of psychological investigation because it is the only one that can be scientifically studied and quantified, predicted and controlled. The behaviorist assumptions are that: psychology should be seen as a science and therefore it should deal with observable behaviors that generate empirical data; the environment plays a decisive role in determining behavior as opposed to the psychic inner processes; all behavior is learnt from environment and this learning process is similar to animals. In contrast with the vague concepts used by introspectionism, behaviorism places a high emphasis on the use of operational definitions that is defining various concepts in terms of observable events that may be used to describe human experience in terms of stimuli and responses. A specific characteristic of behaviorism is parsimony seeking the simplest possible explanation for any event  [5]  . Key concepts of behaviorism comprise the stimulus response (S-R) equation, the classical and operant conditioning, and the reinforcement and punishment notions. The method used to analyze behavior is the lab experiment which gave the possibility to manipulate the independent variable in order to study the dependent variable. Stimulus is a measurable change in the environment any object, fact, event or situation that may have an impact on behavior, while response is a measurable change in behavior any reaction to a stimulus either environmental or mental. The behaviorist theory excludes thoughts, feelings and other mental occurrences, and genetic factors as well, that is everything that cannot be study objectively, in observable terms. Watson took further Pavlovs idea of conditioning  [6]  and applied it to humans. According to him humans are born tabula rasa and the behavior is simply learnt from the environment through a process of conditioning. In a famous and controversial experiment because of its ethical implications, Watson and Rayner (1920) conditioned Little Albert an 18-months old toddler to develop a fear response to rats, by associating the rat NS with a strong noise UCS. They conducted their research following the classical conditioning scheme: Noise (UCS) Anxiety (UCR); Noise (UCS) + Rat (NS) Anxiety (UCR); Rat (CS) Anxiety (CR)  [7]  . Close related to the process of classical conditioning is the generalization that occurs. Thus, stimuli similar to the original CS would tend to elicit the same CR. In the case of Little Albert it was reported that the boy was showing strong signs of anxiety to all fluffy objects, which were similar to the white rat used in experiment. Stimulus generalization results in responding to a whole class of related stimuli, after initial learning with a single stimulus and can enable organisms to adapt better to their environment though it may not always be adaptive  [8]  . Behaviorists draw the conclusion that generalization is the first response of an organism when encountering new situations. Sometimes this generalization may take the form of stereotyping that occurs when generalizing based on group membership. To fight this phenomenon, behaviorists undertook and exemplified through research the concept of stimulus discrimination  [9]  , according to which an organism may be tr ained to discriminate between two or more stimuli that progressively increase in alikeness. As Glassman and Haddad point out stimulus discrimination always requires training in the absence of such training, organisms tend to generalize (emphasis theirs)  [10]  . Opposed to the concept of conditioning is the concept of extinction which suggests that what can be learned can also be unlearned, and that a conditional response is not necessarily permanent  [11]  . However, as some research indicate  [12]  , extinction is likely to appear in humans in some basic behaviors involving muscle responses like withdrawing from a hot surface, but not in complex behaviors which involve fear responses or other responses of the automatic nervous system and which are very hard to extinguish. Using Pavlovs extinction procedure, Watson and Rayner tried to eliminate the conditioned fear response associated with rats in Little Alberts case by presenting the rat for a period of three weeks w ithout associating it with the gongs noise. Contrary to their expectation the fear did not extinguish. Stimulus generalization and discrimination concepts as well as the extinction principle have a great importance for our discussion because they will be used in the process of developing behavioral psychotherapeutic techniques. Skinner developed the concept of operant conditioning. He argues that all behavior is modeled by complex reinforcement patterns from the environment. In his view, humans and animals actively engage with their environment, as opposed to the Watsonian emphasis on classical conditioning where they are more passive waiting for the environment to produce stimuli to which they may respond to. Skinners main idea is that human behavior is determined by the consequences of its past behavior. If from a Watsonian perspective the behavior is triggered by external stimuli, starting with Skinner the behavior may be elicited by internal stimuli as well, as a result of past internalized experiences. Thus operant conditioning is a type of learning where future behavior is determined by the consequences of past behavior. According to Skinner the past behavior may influence feature behavior depending on three types of consequences: if it had no consequence, the probability of that behavior to occur in the future is neuter; if the consequence is found pleasant, then the behavior is likely to be repeated in the future this was called positive reinforcement; if the consequence is negative, then it acts as a punishment and makes that specific behavior unlikely to appear in the future. By extrapolation, learning occurs through manipulation of positive reinforcements and punishments. Newer behaviorist approaches acknowledge that although the two types of conditioning reflex and operant were developed independent of each other by different researchers, they are interconnected and in real life situations both processes can occur simultaneously  [13]  . Practice therapeutic process and methods The behavior therapeutic approach emerged from these behavioral principles of classical and operant conditioning. All behavior is learnt and therefore abnormal behavior is seen as the result of faulty learning. In order to cure the individual needs to learn the correct behavior. The behavioral therapy applying the principle of here and now focuses on the present behavior which the patient finds problematic as opposed to the psychodynamic therapy that focuses on identifying and uncovering unconscious conflicts from childhood. The therapist sees the patient as standing at the intersection between genetic inheritance and learning that occurred through interaction between individual and environmental stimuli. These result in maladaptive thoughts, feelings, attitudes and verbal behavior. Conventionally, the psychotherapeutic process starts by behavior analysis  [14]  . The focus is on indentifying the current stimulus response relationship. Based on the disruptive behaviors identified the therapist designs a program (the psychotherapeutic process) meant to help the patient unlearn the faulty responses and if appropriate learn more adaptive behaviors. The patient is explained how the psychotherapy works, how the conditioned responses were learnt somewhere in the past and how the very same behavioral responses can be modified using the techniques of behavioral therapy. According to Bennet, behavior therapy differs from psychoanalytic therapies in the following regards: it is directive, the therapist actively involves in the therapeutic process, using methods based on learning principles; the goal of therapy is different in that it intends to change behavior not to reconstruct personality; the therapy is shorter than other forms; the interventions are symptom specific, closer to the medical model of intervention rather than the psychoanalytic catharsis or insight  [15]  . Behavioral techniques emerged from the classical conditioning principle involve systematic desensitisation, aversion therapy, implosion therapy and flooding. Operant conditioning techniques are related to what is commonly known in therapy as behavior modification, behavior shaping and token economy. Systematic desensitization is the treatment of choice for phobias and various anxiety inducing behaviors. It aims at replacing the patients anxiety response with a relaxation one, by increasingly exposing the patient to a hierarchy of stimuli from the less anxiety evoking to the anxiety evoking stimulus itself. During the process, the patient goes to the next stage of the stimulus hierarchy only after succeeding to be fully relaxed in the present of the previous stimulus. This method requires the training of the patient in relaxation techniques  [16]  and involves the use of imagination, since when is impossible to be confronted with the actual situation (like is the case in social p hobias) the patient has to imagine being in those situations, following that life itself will offer opportunities to see if the therapy is successful or not. So, the exposure can be done in vitro or in vivo, depending on the phobic stimulus. However, studies have emphasized that the important factor in curing is the exposure to the feared object or situation by breaking the avoidance cycle created and reinforced in any phobia. Aversion therapy is used to induce an aversive response to stimuli which are associated with existing undesirable behaviors. It has been used in trying to treat alcoholic addiction, by associating a nausea producing drug or a small electric shock with the undesired behavior of drinking. As a result of this stimuli association, the patient is provoked to vomit. This supposedly might determine the patient avoid drinking in the future. However, this method raises serious ethical and effectiveness problems, the rates of relapse being reportedly very high. Implosion therapy and flooding involve that the patient has to face the worst possible fear producing situation, in imagination only in the former and in the physical context in the latter. In contrast with systematic desensitization which presupposes a gradual exposure to the stimuli, these techniques are more radical and less time consuming. If successful, the patient might be cured of a phobia in one hour. The advantage of this method is that the patient learns that there are no objective bases for his/her fear by accepting to openly confront it. Ethical problems are associated as well in regard to suffering from therapy. Derived from operant conditioning, the behavior modification method is largely used in educational and clinical psychology contexts. It reinforces desired behaviors and ignores or punishes undesired ones. This techniques raises problems in choosing reinforcers since people can potentially respond to a wide range of such stimuli. Similar to behavior modification is the behavior shaping technique successfully used in working with autistic children in order to maintain a desired behavior. Another operant application has been used in institutions (for examples schools and hospitals) within the programs called token economies, where conditioned reinforcers are offered to strengthen specific behaviors. Tokens are offered in exchange of a desired behavior and can later be transformed in something that the individual wants. Token behave as a secondary reinforcement for the primary reinforcements which are in fact desired. It may be also used to extinguish undesired behaviors by taking away t he earned tokens to punish undesired behavior. Taken economies are uncommon and inefficient in treating mental disorders, although they might contribute to alleviating some disruptive behaviors associated with mental disorders, such as aggressiveness, inadequate social interaction and use of bad language  [17]  . Evaluation of the approach strengths and limits One of the major strengths of this approach is questionably considered its scientific background. Developed from lab experiments on animals (Pavlov-dogs, Thorndike cats, Watson rats, Skinner pigeons and rats) it focuses exclusively on behavior which can be observed and objectively measured. The behaviorist human being is concrete, realistic, determined in its actions by the environment and the society that he/she lives in. This theoretical approach proved to be productive in creating psychotherapeutic methods, mainly successful in the area of phobias and addictions. Compared to other approaches behaviorism is supported by many experiments. However, there are discrepancies between the empirical and the theoretical developments in behaviorism, which is considered a limitation of the approach. Initial empirical studies were made on animals (as mentioned above) while the theoretical studies are done by generalizing observations made on animals upon humans. This fact cumulated with the declared behaviorists rejection of the importance of mental processes offers a very fragmented and simplistic view of human being. Watson believed that observing and describing behavior is enough to predict and control it. Thus, he eliminated explanation from psychology. Psychic life was acknowledged but its understanding was not considered necessary because it will finally manifest itself at behavioral level. At this point we need to reconsider what meaning we give to the term scientific, in regard to our double perspective taken by the present work. If scientific means that positive methods in studying human being (similar to the study of rocks, animals, meteorological phenomena etc.) are favored, then we might as well consider this psychological approach a step forward on the terrain of positive science. But if scientific means to conceptualize the human being in all its wholeness in order to understand its starting point, its inner resorts and teleological direction, then behaviorism might be seen as an unacceptable lessening of the complexity and mystery of human being. The intense use of lab experiments present the disadvantage of a low ecological validity  [18]  . In time it became obvious that understanding of behavior cannot come from the laboratory. On the other hand behaviorism was criticized as being reductionist by eliminating the meditational processes and too deterministic by the fact that human being is presented as not possessing free will. Another weakness identified by ethnological studies show that the principles of conditioning are not as universal as was once asserted  [19]  . However, maybe the most informed criticism is provided from within, by a behavior therapist like Lazarus connected with Joseph Wolpe, who states in regard to behavior therapy that: the methods of behavior therapy are extremely effective when applied to carefully selected cases by informed practitioners. But when procedures overstep the boundaries of their legitimate terrain, ridicule and disparagement are most likely to ensue. Far from being a panacea, the methods are then held to have no merit whatsoever, and the proverbial baby gets thrown out with the bath waterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The danger lies in a premature elevation of learning principles into unwarranted scientific truths  [20]  . Comparison with psychodynamic perspective Within the behaviorist approach various theorists hold positions that may vary in some degrees but fundamentally assert the same thing: behavior is the new found object of psychology; this allows psychology to behave and to be considered a natural science; a belief that its legitimate to study the animal behavior and compare it with human behavior; the emphasis on environment as causation of behavior and consequently dismiss mental processes. The psychodynamic and behaviorist perspectives on human being are opposed. They started from very different points in defining what human being is. Furthermore, the behaviorism appeared as a reaction to psychoanalysis and other currents in psychology that used the method of introspection to define and explain the inner, immaterial and unseen mental processes. Their approach was considered by behaviorists as mysticism. The focus in psychodynamic theories and practice is on inner processes that are seen as motivating and influencing behavior, while the focus in behaviorist theories and practice is on the outer world, i.e. environment that is seen as determining behavior. The change in psychoanalysis comes by uncovering unconscious conflicts that are the underlying causes of behavior, while the change in behaviorism comes by manipulating the environment in order to remove undesirable behavior. These opposing perspectives do not completely eliminate dialogue since the unification point i s the human being itself. For example, if a Freudian theorist suggests that adult behavior can best be understood by looking at childhood experiences, Skinner agrees but suggests that the connections are based on the reinforcement history of the person, not some vague concept of conflicts between id and ego  [21]  . In the Freudian understanding of human nature, the person is born with instincts, hence the development of the drive and unconscious psychology, as opposed to the Watsonian perspective where humans are born tabula rasa. The behaviorist theorist Skinner describes the inner life as a black box. He acknowledges its existence but he sees it in behaviorist terms. For him the private inner life is also behavior  [22]  . However, in the view of the major differences presented above we are enabled to draw the conclusion that psychoanalysis and behaviorism have as a starting point different assumptions concerning human nature and therefore, develop at the conceptual- the oretical and practical-therapeutic level towards two distinct finalities. This point is very well made clear by Watson in one of his famous quotes: Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and Ill guarantee to take anyone at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant -chief and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors. I am going beyond my facts and I admit it, but so have the advocates of the contrary and they have been doing it for thousands of years  [23]  . Contributions to new developments Despite all its limitations, the behaviorist approach has some positive points as well: provided psychology with new and quantifiable concepts, opened the gate to new theories and explanations in psychology, crated more realistic methods. Somehow ironically, one of the major contributions made by behaviorism concerns the possibilities of research opened towards the investigation of cognitive processes that they initially rejected, which will fundament the new cognitive approach in psychology. For example, Edward Tolman, regarded as one of the founders of the cognitive approach, considered himself a behaviorist though not a radical behaviorist like Skinner. In addition, the study of many cognitive issues, such as observational learning imitation) and the use of hypotheses in problem solving, began with similar behaviorist studies of animals. Where the introspectionists failed in their attempts to make sense out of mental processes the behaviorists have pointed the way to new possibil ities for a scientific psychology of the mind  [24]  . Neobehaviorism introduces the meditational processes (motive, emotion) between stimuli and response.

Harry Potter Essay -- essays papers

Harry Potter In the past couple years, there has been a growing phenomenon in the world of children's literature, this phenomenon is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowlings series of novels about a young wizard and his years at "Hogwarts School of Wizarding and Witchcraft," has become one of the most successful children's book series of all time. Before reading any of the now four novels, one may find it hard to believe that a children's novel may be so entertaining. But once one starts reading any of the four books, it is plain to see why these books are so popular. Before first reading a Harry Potter novel, I was skeptical that a children's book about an orphan wizard going to school would be entertaining. But within 15 minutes I found myself unable to stop reading. There are many elements, which contribute to this novels addictiveness. The character development is simple yet complex enough to get an adult reader interested. From the large gentle giant Hagrid, to the malicious trouble maker Lucious Malfoy. Another aspect which I believe makes the novel so great, is the authors wri...

A Ladys Maid and Cinderella :: essays papers

A Ladys Maid and Cinderella The Lady’s Maid and Cinderella: Two Similar Storylines Children’s stories are often simple, with loveable characters and a feel-good ending. However, these simple plots sometimes have an underlying meaning that may be the basis for adult stories with social, intellectual, or emotional themes. For example, The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, is not only about a girl who is looking for the way home who meets some charming friends along the way. It was written as Populist propaganda for the entire Populist movement of the early 1900’s! The children’s tale of Cinderella can be interpreted in much the same way. It portrays a young orphaned girl named Cinderella who is enslaved by her stepmother. She works diligently throughout her life, searching for love, comfort, and a home. The myth in Cinderella is very strong. The presence of a Fairy Godmother creates a supernatural element in the story. Through the mythical godmother, Cinderella eventually obtains happiness by marrying Prince Charming. In â€Å"The Ladyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Maid,† by Katherine Mansfield, the narrator and maid is named Ellen. (Name similarity?) She, much like Cinderella, is loyal and quiet in performing her daily duties. Ellen is also searching for something to complete her life. But several incidents in Ellen’s life contribute to her un-Cinderella-like ending, including the fact that she does not have a mythical figure to help her out. These scenes, which are shown through Ellen’s responses to interactions with characters around her, prove Ellen to be a very complex character. Both Ellen and Cinderella experience sadness from childhood experiences and devotion to the ladies that they serve, but whereas Cinderella overcomes her problems in the end and finds happiness, Ellen carries her emotions so deeply that she cannot break free from her enslaved life. When comparing Cinderella and Ellen, a their childhoods are obviously similar in many respects. Both the girls lack a constant loving home and a strong mother figure. Losing a parent at a young age is distressing to Cinderella in much the same way as it is for Ellen. Because the girls were never close with their parents because of death, they never developed the ties of loving mother-daughter relationships. Cinderella worked for her stepmother at a very young age, and after Ellen lived with her grandfather and an aunt, she was sent to work as a maid at age thirteen.

The Freshman 15 Essay -- essays research papers fc

When I arrived here at college I was extremely disappointed with the selection of food here in the cafeteria. I frequently found myself eating only hamburgers and pizza over and over again, simply because I did not like the other choices. About four months into the school year I had do go to the doctor for a virus and when the nurse weighed me I was a little surprised by what I saw. I had gained a little over ten pounds, close enough to what some refer to as the â€Å"Freshman 15.† It is a common fear among college students that they are going to gain fifteen pounds during the course of adjusting to college life. However experts have stated that the idea of the so called â€Å"Freshman 15,† is not that accurate. Every college student is obviously not going to gain fifteen pounds. However I believe that it is possible and it is a problem for many college students. College life completely changes eating habits among college students. Most students do not make the right c hoices about eating and exercising. College students across the country are severely unhealthy in their behaviors, and for some students the â€Å"Freshman 15† may be a reality. Experts who study the concept of the â€Å"Freshman 15† are deeply divided in their findings. Some downplay the significance of the problem of freshman weight gain, basing their findings only on the average weight gain among college students. In a study done by the Journal of American College Health, found that of the 59 percent of students who gained weight the average increase was only 4.6 pounds. They concluded their study by stating that they believed the Freshman 15 is a myth, based upon that premise (Graham, and Jones). The truth is that fifty-nine percent of the students studied did gain weight, and not all students are going to gain exactly fifteen pounds. Other experts do however believe that weight gain among college freshman is a very serious problem. Registered dietitian Ann Selkowitz Litt recently authored, â€Å"The College Students Guide to Eating Well on Campus,† which is designed to help college students make the right eating choices. On an online chat with several college students on USA Today’s website she stated that â€Å"College students now are gaining the "freshman 20" or "freshman 25.† She blames the growing problem on erratic eating habits, the drinking large quantities of alcoh... ... State University. Graham, Melody, Amy Jones. â€Å"Freshman 15: valid theory or harmful myth?† Journal of American College Health. Jan 2002. Expanded Academic ASAP. InfoTrac. YCP 18 Mar 2003. . Linder, Lawrence. â€Å"Eating Right; the Freshman 15 recalculated.† WashingtonPost. 12 Sep 2000, Final Ed: WH9. 18 Mar 2003. . Litt, Ann. The Freshman 15. 28 Aug 2001. USA Today. 12 Apr 2003. . Interview. â€Å"The Freshman 15.† Personal Interview. 29 Mar 2003. Somers, Elizabeth. â€Å"College Freshman can avoid the Freshman 15.† CNN Online. 19 Aug 1999. 20 Mar 2003.

Interpretation of the short story “Yellow”

Interpretation of Yellow The short story â€Å"Yellow by Peter Carry Is about being Insecure and how lack of self- esteem can lead a person to suicide. It Is also about changing as a person by gathering enough courage to do It. The story revolves around the mall character Jon, a second-string writer on a London listings magazine, who has been forced on a learn-to-scuba-dive trip in Egypt. Jon is an insecure, overweight man with no willpower, pushing forty and dealing with a midlife crisis. There are also two minor characters in the story, Beret the scuba diving instructor and Brian the other student n Beret's group.The story is told over a few days and mainly takes place in the ocean, the diving school and his hotel, though the hotel is used for nothing more than drinking liquor. The story is told by an omniscient third person narrator that gives us a better impression of Son's way of thinking so we can tell why he in the end chooses to drown himself. Jon is lonely on the trip, the editor didn't pay for his girlfriend to come with him and he Is envious of the other student Brian. â€Å"But he envied Brian his calm, the methodical way he assembled and clambered Into the ear. † (p. 1, l. 9-20) Brian Is a calm, methodical person who Is In control of his own life, unlike Jon. They do not have anything In common besides knowledge of alcoholic beverages, and all conservations just lead nowhere. Son's relationship with his girlfriend does not go well either, â€Å"The silences between them had multiplied, then lengthened into an empty continuum. † (p. 2, l. 54-55). The primary reasons for Son's mid-life crisis are his not-so-well relationship and his suppressed frustration over always being called â€Å"Yellow, a term meaning coward. He thought of his fear and became angry. Well, this would show them he wasn't yellow. (p. 2, l. 128-129). He is sick and tired of his life and tries to drink his misery away but even the alcohol is not on his side, â€Å" He poured more gin, but no matter how much he swallowed it was never enough. † (p. 1, l. 57). In the end, he could only numb his pain by drinking water. Jon actually clings to life at one point, refusing to die. â€Å"Beret grabbed him and thrust in a mouthpiece just before Jon broke the surface, gasping for life, clawing in air. † (p. 3, l. 99-100). This shows that he is not completely ready to let go of his life, even though having contemplated suicide a number of times.He finally transform in the end, he gathers up courage to prove that he is not a coward and let go of his old self. He starts drinking of the ocean water and look back up at himself from below. â€Å"Well, this would show them he wasn't yellow. Then he was calm again and looked back up at himself from below. † (p. 2, l. 128-129). He finally experiences the calm which symbolizes the transformation to his new self. He has left the old ‘Jon' behind and has come the new, free and Ideal ‘ Jon'. Longboats Hughes' â€Å"Suicide's Note†, where the calm face of the river asks for a kiss, fits Jon perfectly, as he accepts the river's kiss of death. Heir nothingness part of an immeasurable emptiness, as if they has shows how he thinks of the depths as an opportunity to leave his life behind. In William Wordsmith's poem, â€Å"Lines composed a Few miles Above Tinder Abbey', where he feels freed by natures living air, blue sky and round ocean Just like how the ocean is Son's beautiful escape way, which releases him from his depressed thoughts ND frees him of his misery. Man vs.. Nature William Wordsmith is a poet who lived during the Romantic era and was heralded as a genius and was the source of inspiration to many.In his poem, â€Å"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tinder Abbey', he is saddened by man's inferiority when compared to natures many wonders such as the beauty of a sunset, a raging waterfall and the living air. William Wordsmith felt that nature was an everlasting source of inspiration that knew no boundaries and is astounded by Mother Nature hat fills people up with calming and positive thoughts whereas the human mind chains people with stressful and negative thoughts aiming to hurt and dominate the mind of the individual.Jon and William Wordsmith share the same love for nature because it is their source of inspiration. Jon has grown tired of the Job, his life and the cruel and the indifferent society he lived in. Jon was inspired by the oceans deep dark abyss and felt like this was the place he could get away from it all, the place where he could be at peace.

Positive Effects On Social Media Essay

I believe that their is a postitive affect in social media because it builds up confidence and allows people to stay organized and in the loop. It has been around since the 80’s. In an interesting DM article apparently 30 million of us who use the internet visit social networking websites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Bebo. Social media can also help find a missing person. The first reason social media has helped is because it lets you stay in touch with friends and family. You can get to know other students at your school or stay connected with other people who share a common interest. It also helps strengthen long distance relationships. For example, I have a friend whose parents got divorced and his dad lives far away from him. He said, â€Å"The only way we can communicate is through facebook†. I personally think facebook is a neat website that can help with communication. In the article â€Å"Teens in Survey Paint Positive Picture of Effect of Social Media on Their lives† I read that â€Å"Half of teens said social networks have helped their friendship† and I also agree with this. The second reason that it has helped is that it keeps us up to date with what’s going on. A reporter from a social media article stated that â€Å"Many teens express an almost-like wearness with the pressures of constant texting and posting involved in their lives†. People post and text online to express themselves. I talked to my sister this morning, and asked her how social media has helped her in life and she said â€Å"It provides me reminders for meets or practices for cross country†. I thought that was really intersting and I also believe it helps teachers with things like that too. Since theyre always busy and forget things I think they need some kind of reminder to remind them. see more:cause and effect of social media Finally, the third reason that social media has helped is that it makes you feel less lonely or if you’re not having a good day talking to your friends online can change your mood for the day. In the same social media article it said, â€Å"Many teenagers say that using social networking sites makes them feel more confident, popular, out going, and sympathetic to others†. So this is why social media is helpful for your life and others. Most parents I know and some teachers think social media has a negative perspective on it thinking it’s just a waste of time. But in cases like having communication with far away relatives, getting reminders or just by expressing yourself can bring a postive effort in your life style.