Major Reflective Essay Example for Free

Major Reflective Essay I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in the study of Business, Management and Economics concentrated in Accounting at Empire State College. I work full-time as private nurse assistance due to my present job. If I condense all my assumptions and expectations for the time being, I could say that my nearest and primary goal is to earn the degree and be a recognized expert in my chosen field. Here is how I narrated my goals in my previous paper; I have enrolled at the degree course with an aim to achieve my goals in the near future, to be well educated and knowledgeable in many areas, to restore my confidence to continue learning throughout my life, to open my own business preparing taxes in the next five years or be a controller of a company, and build a degree that will qualify me for many job opportunities, to increase my skills and broaden my abilities towards my future, to learn a variety of skills and techniques to help others as well, to work with people, as I enjoy working with them, and set a great example for my daughter which I had right after high school. I want my daughter to know that a college education is important to get what you want in life. As I advanced in my readings I realized that the list of my goals is huge, very obscure and not regulated. I repeated my goals in paraphrased sentences when I spoke about learning and development, I had contradicting concepts when I mentioned about opening my own business and still being qualified for many job opportunities, I related enjoyment with working with people, and I allocated very small portion to my daughter, again, linking my care towards her to my learning and hard working experience. I am undergoing serious reflections while grouping and formulating my goals into four sections; learning, working, family and social life. In my previous statements I had only learning and working in my mind, the words â€Å"family† and â€Å"social life† were uttered, but meant â€Å"working† and â€Å"learning†. At this stage I put the first three are on the same level, and still downgrade â€Å"social life†. I experienced a significant breakthrough during my readings on time management, correlations of work and social life, division of life between career and family. First of all the studies I read, the facts and figures from the history, the revolution in gender concept helped me to view the human life from a wide range of angels. (Kalleberg 2004) What does career mean for people? Is it for the well being of the family, or for the self? What is the secret of simple human happiness; in career advancement, learning, discovery, or love and warmth in the family? (Harvard Business School Press 2000)Those were the questions that I rose while reading information about increasing workload and learning needs, and decreasing marriage and birth rates in our society. The current economy rapidly changes, and this is the reason I wanted to be qualified in many job qualifications, which is practically extremely difficult. The background of this behavior is the insecurity in my future life. Shift of age groups in management greatly concerns me when I am doing a long term planning. Although I am open for learning, I can hardly imagine how I can accommodate myself in the employment market when I am over 40 and less capable of acquiring new knowledge and new skills. (Kalleberg 2004) I realized that my choices should be very limited and meet my learning and working expectations and abilities. I have to consider my career plans in the background of my social and family life. I should have in mind that in a few years I will have to reshape my routine day to day tasks in order to be physically more available for my daughter when she steps the path of learning and self-development. She will not be able to take my best example in learning and working, as she will not see me in the learning and working atmosphere, but will have an evening mother, tired and eager to get rid of her questions as soon as possible. The two time management exercises greatly helped me to experience extension of time (clock time) and full satisfaction after completing a task (event time). (Levine 1998) I am more likely to use the event time, but clock time is essential for the busy life I have already chosen. Although, it doesn’t mean I will not enjoy my weekends beyond any time. My ideal concept of life will be to master using the three categories in different circumstances, or even bind them all together and experience beyond-time feeling during 15 min. coffee breaks. I got very concerned when I assumed that I have put my family and individual values aside. I realized that in order to develop my long term plans I have to study other sides of human nature as well; how the endless working and learning atmosphere may influence on my physical and mental health, what personal problems may arise in my life, and how it my affect on my socialization skills. And finally, how the short and long term planning can be best practiced to contribute to a creation of self reliant and happy old age life? I feel the need to explore human nature and life stories, and get skills on how to save time for things that are more valuable for me. The final conclusion I had from this course is that I have to consider investing time as if I invest money. Investment in my professional development should have tangible outcomes in securing a dignified life for me and my family. This vision should guide me in any minor and major task I take over. Bibliography Harvard Business School Press. Harvard Business Review on Work and Life Balance . Perseus Distribution Services, 2000. Kalleberg, Cynthia Epstein and Arne. Fighting For Time. Russell Sage Foundation Publications , 2004. Levine, Robert V. A Geography of Time. Basic Books, 1998.

The Role of Polyglutamine Expansions in Huntington’s Disease Essay

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative dominant disorder caused by the expansions of polyglutamine in the gene encoding for Huntington’s protein. It is a developmental autosomal brain disorder that affects muscle coordination, emotional and personality problems. As well as subcortical dementia, further leading to cognitive decline this is all related with selective neuronal cell death mainly associated in the striatum and cortex (Scherzinger et al., 1997). HD causes emotional problems, uncontrolled movements and the loss of thinking ability. It can lead to disability and death from the illness. There are two forms of this disease: adult-onset and early-onset (juvenile). Adult onset is by the far most common for HD; symptoms develop between the ages of mid 30s/40s, an individual will live an average of 20 years after symptoms and signs begin. Premature signs and symptoms are depression, involuntary movements, trouble learning new information, poor coordination; this can all progress very severely. The development of pre-disease symptoms into twitching or jerking is referred as Chorea. HD can be referred to Huntington Chorea. Although adult onset is more common disorder, juvenile form, defined by the onset of signs and symptoms before the age of 21 years, this occurs in about 7% of HD cases. (Nance, 2001) Juvenile onset has similar symptoms however the disease progresses more quickly compared to the adult onset form. Gente (1985) results showed findings by others, that the most juvenile-onset patients inherit the gene from their fathers and that the late-onset form is more frequently inherited from affected mothers. HD occurs due to CAG/polyglutamine(polyQ) expansions, in the first exon of a gene encoding a la... ..., C. and Bates, G, P. (2004). Huntingtin and the molecular pathogenesis of Huntington’s disease. EMBO reports 5. 958-963 Nance, M, A. and Myers, R, H. (2001) Panov, A, V., Gutekunst, C., Leavitt, B, R., Hayden, M, R., Burke, J, R., Strittmatter, W, J. And Greenamyre, J, T. (2002) Early mitochondrial calcium defects in Huntington’s Disease are a direct effect of Polyglutamines. Nature neuroscience. Volume 5 no 8 Ross, C, A. (2002). Polyglutamine Pathogenesis: Emergence of Unifying Mechanism for Huntington’s Disease and Related Disorders. Neuron, Vol. 35,819-822. Scherzinger, E., Lurz, R., Turmaine, M., Mangiarini, L., Hollenbach, Birgit., Hasenbank, R., Bates, G, P., Davies, S, W., Lehrach, H and Wanker, E, E. (1997). Huntington-Encoded Polyglutamine Expansions Form Amyloid-like Protein Aggregates In Vitro and In Vivo. Cell, Vol.90, 549-558. Zhang,

World Issues: Comparing two articles – Colin Powell at the World Summit

Recently many of the worlds leaders met in Johannesburg for the earth summit. It was called to mark the 10th anniversary of a meeting in Rio de Janeiro which managed to set up a number of important environmental agreements. Unfortunately the USA's president, George Bush did not attend but sent his secretary of state, Colin Powell instead. There were 65, 000 delegates and 174 countries were represented. The first earth summit, hosted in Rio de Janeiro (1992) managed to set up several agreements, based on the environment and the future shape of global industrial development. It set up an agenda called agenda 21. This agenda set out the way that planet-wide environmental improvements could be achieved if local authorities made more of a priority of issues such as recycling and energy conservation. Now looking back at the summit from 10 years in the future, I personally think it was a failure, nothing seems to have changed. Problems such as pollution and energy conservation just seem to have gotten worse. Although things like recycling have begun to grow in some countries e. g. UK. The Articles The Sun article states facts about what happened when Colin Powell was eing â€Å"heckled†. It has little information about what was actually discussed. It could have stated the history behind the summit and the reasons for the heckling. The Times article is more â€Å"in depth†. It goes behind the summit and states its background while still stating information about Colin Powell's heckling and also the achievements of the summit e. g. the agreement, aimed at reducing world poverty and protecting the environment. It also has statements from the some of the world leaders such as â€Å"there should not be any more such mega-summits† which was ade by the Prime Minister of Denmark and the president of the European Union. Comparing the two articles, I find that The Times article is more detailed than The Sun article. Also there are the differences in language which you find between a tabloid (Sun) and a broadsheet (Times). The Sun seems to deal with the main issue of Colin Powell's heckling while The Times deals with the summit as a whole with Colin Powell's heckling included. The writers approach the article in different ways because of the types of newspaper they work for (e. g. tabloid) and perhaps there ersonal opinion on the subject. The Sun article is based more on the interesting parts of the incident with Colin Powell and also has hints of the writers opinion e. g. â€Å"agreement was branded inadequate†. While The Times article deals with issues of the summit and includes information about Colin Powell's heckling. e. g. â€Å"Powell's speech made it clear that the Bush administration has written off the planet† Both articles are biased but The Sun is more than The Times. The Sun seems to be pro-America which means most of its comments seem to make America seem in the right and are trying to create sympathy for Colin Powell. But The Times is very critical of America â€Å"Bush has written off the planet† even though it is critical, it does not mean that its against America but it does seems to â€Å"nit-pick†. To draw this to a close, I think that The Times article and The Sun article expressed different opinions on these events. Some points were bad while others were good. I believe that The Times article is the best due to its contrast of opinion and â€Å"in depth† information of the summit. I think that the Johannesburg summit like its predecessor was a failure even though some agreements were made. Some of the delegates branded the agreements inadequate therefore not everyone liked it. Also one of the biggest problems (America) did not seem to take much notice and as I stated have written off the planet. The main problem with putting agreements into practice is that perhaps some countries will adopt a scheme but not all countries will so the problem goes on and that some of the people on these countries will not do the extra work required to make it work (e. g. Recycling)

Dances With Wolves Essay - 1128 Words

The film, Dances with Wolves, staring Kevin Costner gives a historically accurate presentation of the Sioux Indians and their way of life. In this production, Lieutenant John Dunbar, played by Costner, is rewarded for his heroic actions in the Civil War by being offered an opportunity to see the American frontier before it is gone. Dunbar is assigned to an abandoned fort where his only friends are a lone wolf and his beloved horse, Cisco. After several weeks of waiting for more American troops, a Sioux Indian makes contact with Dunbar and reports this finding to his chief. This incident sets off a train of events that would forever change John Dunbar and the Sioux tribe he encounters. When Dunbar realizes that the Indians know where he†¦show more content†¦At the village, Dunbar was reunited with the woman he found on the prairie, Stands With A Fist, and she became the interpreter between the two sides. This made it much easier for the Sioux and John Dunbar to communicate and substantial progress was made between the two. Dunbar then came to the conclusion that the Indians were not just beggars and thieves, but he actually enjoyed their company. Early one morning, Dunbar felt what seemed to be an earthquake. He ran outside to see hundreds of thousands of buffalo stampeding past the fort. Dunbar then jumped on his horse and rode to the Sioux village to inform them of the good news. Although he wasn’t welcomed warmly, when the Sioux realized what Dunbar was telling them another celebration broke out. From that moment, Dunbar felt as a celebrity among the Indians and the majority of them accepted him. Dunbar participated in the buffalo hunt and saved the life of a young Sioux boy by killing a buffalo that was charging towards him. That evening, Dunbar took the some of the first steps to becoming one of the Sioux. He traded away his soldier jacket and hat for Indian goods and joined in on the feast and celebration of a successful buffalo hunt. Dunbar no longer saw these men as savages but quite the opposite. The Sioux were a civilized tribe that loved nature and family, as well as acted on carefully thought outShow MoreRe latedAnalysis Of Dances With Wolves1093 Words   |  5 Pagessavages. Dances with Wolves represents a shift in this mindset. It was one of the first movies to paint life on the Great Plains as complex. Nevertheless, the film still contains many of the familiar Hollywood Indian myths. Dances with Wolves follows John Dunbar, a former Civil War soldier, who is transferred to Fort Hays. There Dunbar meets his Sioux neighbors, and slowly builds a relationship with the entire tribe. By the end of the movie, Dunbar has become fully integrated into the tribe. Dances withRead MoreDances With Wolves And Avatar1142 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Dances with Wolves and Avatar: Similar but Different† Dances with Wolves and Avatar are thought to be very different, but they are actually more similar than viewers may realize. First off, these are two must see films! The viewer walks away with much more than just having seen a movie. Both of these movies encourage cultural understanding, motivate, and teach individuality. Dances with Wolves and Avatar are alike in plot and cultural significance. These two films are alike in plot because in bothRead More Dances With Wolves Essay2082 Words   |  9 PagesDances With Wolves No matter how you choose to categorize human beings, whether by race or religion, nationality or gender, the resultant categories will display at least one immutable constant. Each group, no matter how diverse their beliefs or how dissimilar their behaviors, will contain men of honest and peaceful natures as well as men of divisive and violent natures. In the film Dances With Wolves, we are exposed to two distinct categories of people inhabiting post civil war America, theRead MoreThe Film Dances With Wolves2160 Words   |  9 PagesSpoken by Joseph Campbell, myths â€Å"support a certain social order and define humanity under any circumstance.† The film Dances With Wolves tells a fictional story that expresses those two mythological functions through the journey of John Dunbar beginning as a United States soldier and becoming a part of a Native American tribe, the Sioux. Through this transformation, the mythological functions help define what it means to be a true human bein g. A true human being is someone who has become so awareRead MoreEssay about Dances With Wolves1291 Words   |  6 PagesDances With Wolves In his movie Dances With Wolves actor Kevin Costner tries to do away with any preconceived notions that the viewer might have had about the Native American Indians being a savage and inhuman race. He does this by first unraveling the mysteriousness of the Indians then he brings the viewer to a point of connectedness with the Indians and their culture. We then come to a sincere appreciation for them as human beings and individuals and find ourselves siding with them in mattersRead More Dances With Wolves Analysis Essays2123 Words   |  9 PagesDances With Wolves Analysis The movie Dances With Wolves was produced in 1990 and directed by Kevin Costner who starred as the main character. Dances with Wolves tells us the story of a white man who gets acquainted with the Sioux, who learns to love and respect them as valuable people with a culture and who discovers how wrong white peoples preconceived ideas about Native Americans are. A sense of adventure and drama is the feeling Dances with Wolves gives us. With this movieRead MoreEssay on Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake1805 Words   |  8 PagesDances With Wolves by Michael Blake is a novel that covers the topics of cross-culture, equality and respect. It also shows me the history of modern America. Reading this novel is a great adventure to me. Through years of getting ready, Michael Blake spent nine months on writing the book and got it done in 1981. The story happens in 1863, when US civil war was in ongoing. Knowing the potential amputation of his wounded leg, Union Army Officer Lieutenant John J. Dunbar turns suicidal and ridesRead More Shifting Perceptions in Dances With Wolves Essay1821 Words   |  8 PagesShifting Perceptions in Dances With Wolves In Kevin Costners motion picture Dances With Wolves, a white veteran of the Civil War, John Dunbar, ventures to the American frontier, where he encounters a tribe of Sioux Indians. At first, both parties are quite wary and almost hostile to each other, but after some time, Dunbar realizes that they have both grown to love and value each other as friends. As the movie critic Robert Ebert comments, Dunbar possesses the one quality he needs to cut throughRead More Overcoming Stereotypes in the Movie, Dances With Wolves Essay1768 Words   |  8 PagesOvercoming Stereotypes in the Movie, Dances With Wolves Everyone has a preconceived opinion of how a certain ethnic group is in terms of the way they live, the morals they hold, the way they deal with people different from them, and how they deal with one another. We come to these conclusions by what we have seen in the media, heard from other people, or actually experienced ourselves. Most people would consider these opinions to be stereotypes. Dances with Wolves is a motion picture that deals withRead More Changing Native American Stereotypes in the Film, Dances with Wolves1546 Words   |  7 PagesChanging Native American Stereotypes in the Film, Dances with Wolves The film Dances with Wolves, that was written by Michael Blake and directed by Kevin Costner, helps to shift our perspective of Native Americans from one of stereotypical distaste, to one of support and respect. According to an anonymous critic on www.eFilmcritic.com This is one of the few westerns that devotes its time to looking at the plight of the American Indians (particularly the Sioux), who were thought by some as