Concise scientific report on mobilisation and harvest of haemopoietic Research Paper

Concise scientific report on mobilisation and harvest of haemopoietic stem cells - Research Paper Example Transplantation of genetically identical marrow or the animals own stored marrow prevented death. These was applied by Thomas and his colleagues in 1959 in treatment of leukaemia in humans. Survival was also permitted by grafts from histo-compatible donors. In the early 1960s, allogeneic transplantation became feasible after the identification and typing of human leucocyte antigen (HLA). This work provided basis for the understanding hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Haematopoietic stem cells produce some daughter cells that retain stem cell properties. Primitive progenitors produce mature blood cells are continuously produced by less differentiated precursors which descend from the haematopoietic stem cells. In a lethally irradiated animal, a single stem cell can restore an entire lympho-hematopoietic system (Copelan, 2006). Since 2001, there has been an increase in the number of transplants occurring annually (Passweg, et al., 2014). However, when the histocompatibility antigens of the donor and the recipient are incompatible, there could be strong transplant reactions and the intensity increases with the multiple peptides generation from the degraded HLA molecules and in the presence of determinants on the HLA molecules that are recognisable on the cell surface of the cells presenting the antigen. When an immune response is stimulated, an injury referred to as graft-versus host disease (GVHD) occurs due to the preparative regimen used before transplantation causing injury (Copelan, 2006). Haematopoietic stem cell transplant is usually successful if there is a positive outcome. Many diseases are treated with either autologous or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The type and stage of the disease, the age and functional level of the patient, the source of the stem cell to be transplanted and the degree of mismatch of HLA affect the outcome (Dainiak & Ricks, 2014). The autologous transplantation improves survival rather

Rich culture Essay Example for Free

Rich culture Essay Japan is known for its rich culture. Among its many customs and traditions, music is considered to be one of the most essential parts of its culture. The Japanese’ passion for music, particularly traditional folk song music, continues to be a part of their daily lives. Despite the fact that their musical culture has gone through evolution as a result of change in lifestyles and mass media development, they still look at music as an important part of their heritage. For the Japanese, folk music is a medium through which they are able to express their inner feelings, ideas and thoughts. It is also through these songs that they are able to relate their experiences in life and the many ways that they deal with them. These songs depict their daily ways of living such as farming, fishing, mining, and even religious events, to mention a few. To date, traditional folk songs still exist in the different provinces in Japan. It is common among the older generations and sung mostly for recreational purposes. Harich-Schneider believes that because of the influences brought about by Western music and global modernization, Japan’s traditional folk songs are no longer as popular as it was in the ancient times. Over the years, fans and professional folk song singers have decreased. However, the tradition is sustained not only in art music but in the rich variety of folk traditions all over Japan (E. Harich-Schneider: 1973). Just like the Japanese, music plays a vital role in the American culture particularly in the lives of Native Americans. Their music also depicts their regional traditions and customs, history as well as the education of tribes in North America. Rooted in the folk music of many countries such as Ireland, England, Africa, and Scotland, their folk songs introduced the birth of American folk dances such as the buck dance and square dance. Although still dependent on each of North America region’s tradition, their folk songs have developed and taken numerous regional styles especially in the kind of instruments used. Each region still maintains some of the more popular folk songs despite the differences in repertoire and style. Contrary to the perception that traditional folk songs are now unpopular among the Americans, they are actually still alive and well in many parts of the country. Musicians and bands all over the nation are putting great efforts to continue the folk songs tradition. One of these includes the establishment of folk music schools that provide instruction in old-time music. In California, there are summer camps for children and adults as well as families that offer many different concepts of folk music instruction. These programs, which are also available in other US states, saw an increase in people wanting to learn folk music. It can be noted that the Americans are committed to keep this unique tradition alive. Despite the thousands of songs and tunes that have evolved over the years, American folk musicians still heavily rely on this tradition and learn new folk songs. As has been the tradition, folk song writers aim to engage the listeners and evoke their emotions just like how the older counterparts did many years ago. The American traditional folk songs will continue to evolve for as long as there is music. Because it is the sound of the people, it will go on telling tales of their daily lives, the challenges they faced as well as the history of their struggle and triumph in the country, albeit in a more modern fashion. Hence, it can be stated that while both Japan and America put value in their traditions, the latter seems to enjoy folk songs more as they have implemented ways to keep this custom alive not only for the benefit of today’s generation but for the future, as well. On the Taiko drummers, it is indeed an artistic demonstration of superb blending of stick work during performances. Exhilarating energy and amazing speed during Taiko drumming is required. Similarly, percussion instruments such as drums and flutes also occupy an important role in the music of Native Americans. Like the Taiko drums, Native American drums are also huge and played by a group of individuals. The action required when playing these drums is high and often requires great strength. References: E. Harich-Schneider, A History of Japanese Music (1973). http://www. ctmsfolkmusic. org/about/programs/MusicInSchools. asp Japan is known for its rich culture. Among its many customs and traditions, music is considered to be one of the most essential parts of its culture. The Japanese’ passion for music, particularly traditional folk song music, continues to be a part of their daily lives. Despite the fact that their musical culture has gone through evolution as a result of change in lifestyles and mass media development, they still look at music as an important part of their heritage. For the Japanese, folk music is a medium through which they are able to express their inner feelings, ideas and thoughts. It is also through these songs that they are able to relate their experiences in life and the many ways that they deal with them. These songs depict their daily ways of living such as farming, fishing, mining, and even religious events, to mention a few. To date, traditional folk songs still exist in the different provinces in Japan. It is common among the older generations and sung mostly for recreational purposes. Harich-Schneider believes that because of the influences brought about by Western music and global modernization, Japan’s traditional folk songs are no longer as popular as it was in the ancient times. Over the years, fans and professional folk song singers have decreased. However, the tradition is sustained not only in art music but in the rich variety of folk traditions all over Japan (E. Harich-Schneider: 1973). Just like the Japanese, music plays a vital role in the American culture particularly in the lives of Native Americans. Their music also depicts their regional traditions and customs, history as well as the education of tribes in North America. Rooted in the folk music of many countries such as Ireland, England, Africa, and Scotland, their folk songs introduced the birth of American folk dances such as the buck dance and square dance. Although still dependent on each of North America region’s tradition, their folk songs have developed and taken numerous regional styles especially in the kind of instruments used. Each region still maintains some of the more popular folk songs despite the differences in repertoire and style. Contrary to the perception that traditional folk songs are now unpopular among the Americans, they are actually still alive and well in many parts of the country. Musicians and bands all over the nation are putting great efforts to continue the folk songs tradition. One of these includes the establishment of folk music schools that provide instruction in old-time music. In California, there are summer camps for children and adults as well as families that offer many different concepts of folk music instruction. These programs, which are also available in other US states, saw an increase in people wanting to learn folk music. It can be noted that the Americans are committed to keep this unique tradition alive. Despite the thousands of songs and tunes that have evolved over the years, American folk musicians still heavily rely on this tradition and learn new folk songs. As has been the tradition, folk song writers aim to engage the listeners and evoke their emotions just like how the older counterparts did many years ago. The American traditional folk songs will continue to evolve for as long as there is music. Because it is the sound of the people, it will go on telling tales of their daily lives, the challenges they faced as well as the history of their struggle and triumph in the country, albeit in a more modern fashion. Hence, it can be stated that while both Japan and America put value in their traditions, the latter seems to enjoy folk songs more as they have implemented ways to keep this custom alive not only for the benefit of today’s generation but for the future, as well. On the Taiko drummers, it is indeed an artistic demonstration of superb blending of stick work during performances. Exhilarating energy and amazing speed during Taiko drumming is required. Similarly, percussion instruments such as drums and flutes also occupy an important role in the music of Native Americans. Like the Taiko drums, Native American drums are also huge and played by a group of individuals. The action required when playing these drums is high and often requires great strength. References: E. Harich-Schneider, A History of Japanese Music (1973). http://www. ctmsfolkmusic. org/about/programs/MusicInSchools. asp

Effect of the Internet on Brain and Cognition

Effect of the Internet on Brain and Cognition Robert Deichert Research Article Review Article 1: â€Å"Searching for Explanations: How the Internet Inflates Estimates of Internal Knowledge† (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Published online March 30, 2015) Matthew Fisher, Mariel Goddu, and Frank Keil, the three researchers in charge of this study, were interested in studying the Internet’s effects on the brain and cognition. More specifically, they wanted to find out if having access to the Internet for the purpose of searching for answers to general knowledge questions would increase one’s self-assessment of confidence in answering other questions unrelated to the original Internet-based questions. In introducing the topic, the researchers introduced the idea of a transactive memory system a system wherein multiple individuals encode and retrieve memories and information as a whole. This allows individuals in a group to divide cognitive tasks between group members, and it reduces the mental load on each individual within the group. As an example, in the case of a three-person hunting and gathering group, one individual may be responsible for remembering where to find food, another with how to hunt animals, and another with how to cook the food. Each individual does not have to remember all three the entire set of information is stored across the memory systems of all three individuals. All individuals are required to work together and piece together their individual stores of knowledge to hunt and gather food, and all individuals rely on each other for information. This is a transactive memory system. The idea behind this study is that, theoretically, one individual and the Internet can form a sort of transactive memory system in which the individual feels that the vast stores of knowledge on the Internet are readily accessible at any time, and the individual will feel much more confident in his or her ability to answer general knowledge questions simply because he or she can query an Internet search engine (the other party in this sort of transactive memory system) at any time and access the knowledge stored on the Internet. To test this hypothesis, the researchers used a between subjects design with two groups of participants and two conditions. Participants in the first group were asked a series of general knowledge questions and told to use the Internet to find answers. Participants in the second group were asked the same set of general knowledge questions; however, they were told not to use the Internet to find answers. After this, participants from both groups were asked to rate their ability to answer unrelated questions from various subjects. The study didn’t test actual ability to answer subsequent, unrelated questions, but rather perceived ability, or confidence. The resulted showed that participants who used the Internet to look up general knowledge questions prior to being asked to rate their confidence in answering other questions were significantly more confident in their ability to answer the subsequent, unrelated questions than the individuals who did not use the Internet to search for answers to the initial knowledge questions. Various additional experiments were performed by the researchers to account for time spent answering questions while searching the internet and whether participants were considering Internet knowledge when self-assessing confidence. Additionally, the study showed that this confidence-boosting effect is a result of having access to and using an Internet search engine. After using an internet search engine, participants were much more confident in their own knowledge and in their ability to answer any other general knowledge question, even though the knowledge was not stored in their mind but on the Internet. Article 2: â€Å"Narcissism and the Use of Personal Pronouns Revisited† (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Published online March 30, 2015) In this study, researchers wanted to determine whether or not a connection exists between an individual’s usage of â€Å"I-talk† and his or her level of narcissism. â€Å"I-talk† is the use of first-person singular pronouns such as I, me, and my. It is a commonly held belief that individuals who talk about themselves frequently and use a large amount of I-talk are more narcissistic than those who do not. However, this intuitive relationship between I-talk and narcissism hasn’t been thoroughly tested and concretely proven or disproven. The goal of this study was to definitively identify a relationship between the two, if such a relationship exists at all. Very few studies have been done on this topic, and the results of those studies have been inconsistent. Additionally, previous studies on this topic have not employed very large sample sizes. This research study’s goal was to come to a concrete conclusion on the topic by employing a very large sample size and answering a few related questions concerning the relationship between gender, I-talk, and narcissism and context, I-talk, and narcissism. To accomplish this goal, researchers set up a large database of information from over 4,000 participants and 15 individual samples collected across five laboratories in the US and Germany. Each sample contained anywhere between 68 (in the case of Sample 2) and 1,209 (in the case of Sample 14) participants. Each sample was assigned to participate in a different activity designed to identify usage of I-talk in participants. For example, in Sample 1, university Psychology students videotaped self-descriptions that were later transcribed and analyzed for I-talk. In Sample 4, university Psychology students were seated in a classroom at random and asked to individually step forward and introduce themselves to the other participants in the classroom. They also participated in various other tasks, including writing down attributes about themselves and rating the other students’ presentations. Everything was transcribed, recorded, and analyzed for I-talk usage. Other samples involved a nalyzing participants’ Facebook status updates, performing a stream-of-consciousness recording task, and other various activities designed to allow for the measurement of I-talk. Additionally, each group’s assigned task was categorized based on the context of the activity prescribed by the task. These included identity, personal, impersonal, private, public, and momentary thought contexts. After each participant in each sample group participated in the prescribed activity, he or she completed a narcissistic personality questionnaire and a self-esteem test. Most participants were administered the 40-item or 16-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem test. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that there is not a statistically significant connection between I-talk and narcissism. Participants’ self-esteem and narcissism scores had no significant correlation with their usage of I-talk. Additionally, the context of the activity did not affect this finding. There was a slightly higher correlation between male participants’ use of I-talk and narcissism than females’ use of I-talk and narcissism, but it was still statistically insignificant and near-zero, just as for the female participants. The researchers found that, contrary to popular belief, there is no connection between I-talk and narcissism, and this applies to all conversational contexts and genders. Article 3: â€Å"Finding a Needle in a Haystack: Toward a Psychologically Informed Method for Aviation Security Screening† (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Published online November 3, 2014) The researchers involved in this study identified a significant problem with current aviation security screening procedures and introduced a new security screening method of their own creation. They provide experimental evidence suggesting that their method is much more accurate and consistent in detecting deceptive passengers passing through airport security checkpoints. Currently, most aviation security checkpoints employ a behavioral method of deception recognition. Security screeners look for nonverbal behavioral cues from passengers that may indicate that the passenger is trying to deceive the security screener, including twitching, nervousness, aggressiveness, fidgeting, and some verbal indicators such as stumbling over words and hesitating while speaking. This method results in an alarmingly low rate of passenger deception detection of 5%. This is, according to the researchers, a result of the failure of this method to account for the real content of the passenger’s verbal account and the truthfulness of his or her statements. The researchers proposed an alternative method of screening called Controlled Cognitive Engagement (CCE), which was developed based on laboratory studies done on veracity testing techniques in two-person verbal exchanges. CCE does not focus on behavioral cues, but rather on the actual verbal exchange and conversation content between screener and passenger. CCE involves a security screener conducting a short, one-on-one interview with a passenger. The interviewer does not ask scripted questions; instead, the interviewer uses a process to create new questions in real time for the passenger that are based on the conversational context of the interview. CCE is trained to security screeners as an algorithm that the screeners can use while conducting an interview to create unique questions for each passenger that are designed specifically to test for passenger truthfulness. Interviewers can then analyze a passenger’s answers to all of the question for consistency and, thus, truthful ness. To experimentally test CCE and compare it to the traditional, behavioral method of aviation screening, the study employed two groups of security agents and two groups of passengers. The first group of security agents was assigned to use traditional behavior-based screening at a checkpoint, and the second group was assigned to use CCE screening. The first passenger group was a genuine group of passengers selected from individuals passing through the airport checkpoint. The second group of passengers was a sample of individuals chosen by the researchers to pass through the same security checkpoint, but with a deceptive cover story being told to screeners. The two passenger groups were matched in composition by the researchers. The researchers measured the rate of detection of deceptive passengers for non-CCE security agents and CCE security agents. The results of the study show that veracity testing methods, like the CCE method developed by the researchers, are significantly more effective at detecting deceptive passengers. Traditional behavior-based screening methods only detected about 5% of deceptive passengers in this study, but CCE, a method of veracity testing, detected 66% of deceptive passengers.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay -- Arthur Miller Crucible Essays

The Crucible by Arthur Miller John Proctor says, I'll tell you what's walking Salem, vengeance is walking Salem. Discuss the real evil in Salem, who contributed to it and their motives who do you blame the most? John Proctor says, "I'll tell you what's walking Salem, vengeance is walking Salem." Discuss the real evil in Salem, who contributed to it and their motives who do you blame the most? Before I begin to tell you my opinion on who was to blame, and my reasoning for saying so, I will give you a brief insight into the real point of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. Arthur Miller first produced his play in 1953, in the middle of the McCarthy political 'witch-hunt', although the story had applied for playwright for many years prior to this. This meant that the play was seen as a political parable - it represented the goings on in actual political life. Since 1938, an organisation had existed in America called the House Un-American Activities Committee with the right to investigate any movement, or anyone who seemed to put at risk America's safety. The chairman of this was Senator Joseph McCarthy. Under his rule, the committee became paranoid in its search for people who sympathised with communists. Almost any criticism of the government or its instructions was seen, in the eyes of McCarthy, as an admission of devotion or loyalty to communism beliefs. Witnesses were made to appear in court and answer charges that they were sympathisers of communist followers, and made to name others that they saw at these meetings which took place as long as twenty years ago. Liberal writers, film directors and actors all appeared before the committee and, as a result, many of them found it hard to fin... ... tries to convince all the others that Mary just acting out of fear but he fails, and John Proctor is accused of witchcraft. In the last scene in the whole play, when Proctor is to be hanged, Danforth makes him sign a written copy of his confession so that he can hang it on the church door. Proctor signs it, but then refuses to have his name hung on the church that he built, with so many people feeling disgust with him. Also, seeing the others that are to hang influences his confession as he feels guilt for letting the others die by not submitting to lies. He pleads with Danforth to leave things as they were, saying his confession by mouth was enough, but Danforth will not accept anything unless it be written and signed. Danforth is heartless in doing this, as he knows the confession is not necessary, for he has not taken a confession from anyone else.

Betty Parris

The character Betty Parris plays an important role in the story of the Crucible. As one of the girls who danced in the forest she is part of the play’s central conflict. She is the cause of the townspeople blaming witchcraft in the first place and she is also part of the reason that most of the characters are killed by the end of the fourth act. Through her actions over the course of the play, Betty is shown to be fearful, easily-manipulated, and an attention-seeker. In the Crucible, one of Betty’s main characteristics is her fearfulness.When her father catches her in the woods, she immediately faints to avoid any punishment and continues to pretend to be in a coma for a while after. Abigail convinces Reverend Parris that â€Å"Betty was frightened and then she fainted† (pg. 833) but it seems like what really happened was she was clever enough to avoid being reprimanded. She is also fearful of Abigail. After Betty wakes up, Abigail tells her that Reverend Parris knows everything and this causes her to â€Å"springs off the bed, and rush across room to window† (pg. 837) because she is afraid of what might happen.She is harassed and struck by Abigail after talking about Abigail’s charm to kill Goody Proctor and this causes her to submit to Abigail’s demands that no one speaks of what she did in the forest. Her fear of Abigail leads to her joining Abigail and the other girls throughout the rest of the play even though she seems to resent them. Another main characteristic of Betty is her tendency to be easily-manipulated. As one of the members of the group of girls who danced in the woods, she becomes a part of Abigail’s web of lies and deceit.At first she resists Abigail until Abigail threatens to come to her â€Å"in the black of some terrible night† (pg. 837) if she says anything about the charm. After that, she follows Abigail and the rest of the girls as they condemn the people of the town as well as when they lie in the courthouse and pretend to see Mary’s spirit attacking them. She follows Abigail’s every action and mimics anything that she does. This lets her lead Betty to do horrible things to people just because Betty is unable to stand up to Abigail.In the Crucible, Betty is also shown to be an attention-seeker. As a younger girl, she has the natural need for people to pay attention to her. This need is further amplified by her lack of mother, which leaves her fewer people to entertain her. When she is thought to be unconscious, many people come from all over town to visit her. Among these people is Mercy Lewis who claims to have wanted â€Å"to see how Betty is† (pg. 836). This may be another reason that Betty joins Abigail and the other girls in their escapades.She just needs the attention that the townspeople give them for condemning all the witches. One thing that shows Betty’s attention-seeking is when the psalm can be heard outside of the bedr oom, Betty â€Å"claps her ear suddenly, and whines loudly† (pg. 839). This action convinces everyone that Betty cannot hear the Lord’s name and the others mark it as a sign of witchcraft. Another example of this trait is shown when all the other girls are shouting out names in Parris’ house. When Betty begins to convict people with them, she stands on top of her bed as she does it.Even though Abigail and the other girls are all doing the same thing, Betty still wants the attention and so to stand apart from the others she puts herself on a higher pedestal to be seen. Through her fainting in the woods, to her participation in Abigail’s convictions, Betty Parris is shown to be fearful, easily-manipulated, and an attention-seeker. Her role in the Crucible is an important one that drives the plot and is the cause for anyone thinking witchcraft is involved in the first place.

Women In Film Noir essays

Women In Film Noir essays In film noir, there are two archetypal portrayals of women; the whore and the Madonna. The whore is exposed as the dark, sexual and active spider woman out to seduce every man she meets, while the Madonna is a loving, caring virgin who posses no threat. As explained by Janey Place in Women in Film Noir, film noir is a males fantasy where the sexual power and strength of women are visually expressed in film, both through the iconography of the image and through the visual style. From the emergence of film noir in the 1940s, the dark, strong femme fatale is one of the main characters that is often longing for independence from men. Her world is seen as claustrophobic and hopeless, fashioned by strong contrasts in light and dark, off-skewed camera angels and atypical framing. A strong illustration of the classic spider women is Pris (Daryl Hannah) in Blade Runner. Unlike the male androids that use their strength as protection, Pris uses her sexuality to get what she wants. Through out the movie, she is fighting for her own freedom against the humans while being dominated by the male android, Roy. In one scene, she is seen dressed up a doll, paint covering her face and a chain around her neck. Disturbingly, she is portrayed as a sexual object subjected by, as well as a threat to males. Along with a motivational stereotype of the femme fatale is a physical image. She is often seen with long blonde or dark hair, wears lots of jewelry, smokes cigarettes and has lovely long legs. By the use of composition, camera movement, angle and lighting, the beautiful seductress can be shown as a complete angel with underlying malevolent ideas. One example of the beautiful malicious women is shown in Curtis Hansons L.A.Confidental (1997). Kim Basinger plays Lynn Bracken, a Barbie-doll prostitute whose main intentions are to seduce Officer Bud White. She is the idyllic, long legged, blonde, Veronica Lake look-alike whore of ...

Top tips for smart email - Emphasis

Top tips for smart email Top tips for smart email Its easy to think of email as an electronic form chatting, but to do so can be dangerous. For instance, you may say something in email that you would never put in a letter. Yet in law they may amount to the same thing. At the very least, email has a permanence that a chance remark made over a cup of coffee never would. Email is also easy to misinterpret, lacking the visual clues (a smile, a wink) of face-to-face conversations. And you may never know if what you write provokes a strong emotional and potentially damaging response. For this reason, email is best suited for simple communications, such as: scheduling meetings updates easy-to-solve problems minutes. It is not suitable for: emotive issues complicated issues criticism. Anything that is likely to get an emotive response is best done face-to-face (difficult though that may be), or at least with a memo or letter. Why? Well just imagine youre giving someone bad news. The last thing you want to do is provoke them to blow their top in a counter email or even to send an angry email to other people. Cut the clutter Most people complain of getting too many emails. But there are ways to cut down on the number of messages you and your colleagues receive. Here are some tips: Distribute each message only to people who really must see it avoid copying to other people for information. Unsubscribe to e-zines and email newsletters if you never read them. (NB. Dont do this with spam see below.) Set up filters to file or delete particular types of email automatically. Never reply to unsolicited spam to ask to be removed from a mailing list: many unscrupulous companies use this to verify email addresses before spamming them even more. Never use email for complex issues pick up the phone instead. Likewise, avoid emotive topics like appraisals or requests for a pay rise. These are far better dealt with face-to-face.

Mentality and Mindfulness Meanings

Mentality and Mindfulness Meanings Mentality and Mindfulness Meanings Mentality and Mindfulness Meanings By Mark Nichol Mental and its lexical relations, all pertaining to workings of the mind, as well as mind and words and phrases derived from that word, are listed and defined in this post. Mental Mental is descended from the Latin noun mens, meaning â€Å"mind.† It means â€Å"pertaining to the mind,† though it also has a slang connotation of being irrationally agitated, as when somebody is said to be â€Å"going mental.† Demented, likewise, is used both technically, to mean â€Å"mentally impaired,† and informally, to describe someone who is mentally unstable to a dangerous extent; dementia refers to cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease as well as to insanity. (Demential is a rare adjectival form.) Mentality means â€Å"intelligence,† though it more often refers subjectively to one’s way of thinking, as in the phrase â€Å"small-town mentality.† Mentation, meanwhile, is the process of thinking, and from this word science fiction author Frank Herbert derived Mentat, the name of a class of humans endowed with powerful cognitive abilities who take the place of computers in a future technophobic society. Mentalist is a dated term for a mind reader, someone who claims to be able to detect the thoughts of others. The noun mention can refer to a formal acknowledgment of recognition (as in a special mention or an honorable mention) or can denote calling attention to something; it serves as a verb for both meanings as well. A mentor is a person who provides guidance and advice to a person seeking to develop knowledge and skills. The term mentee was superfluously coined to describe the latter person; protà ©gà © serves that purpose well enough. To comment is to note or remark, or provide an explanation or illustration, or a critique or judgment; as a noun, the word refers to any such communication. (A commentary is a formal comment, usually expressed in speech or writing, though it may also refer metaphorically to a phenomenon that unintentionally speaks judgmentally to a state of affairs, as in â€Å"The unsightly litter is a sad commentary on the decline in the sense of personal responsibility.†) A memento is an object that prompts memories, such as a souvenir. (The Latin phrase â€Å"memento mori† means â€Å"reminder of mortality.†) A reminiscence is a recalled memory of an experience; to bring one to mind is to reminisce. The Latin forebear is seen in the Latin phrase â€Å"mens rea,† meaning â€Å"guilty mind,† and â€Å"mens sana in corpore sano,† which translates to â€Å"a sound mind in a sound body.† â€Å"Compos mentis,† meanwhile, means â€Å"of sound mind†; â€Å"non compos mentis† is a legal and medical term denoting the absence of a capacity to understand a situation. The ubiquitous suffix -ment, referring to a condition or state, an action or a location of an action, or an agent, means, or result of an action, is unrelated. Mind The word mind, from the Old English term gemynd, is cognate with mens as well as a href=http://monere, meaning â€Å"warning† (the source of monitor, admonish, and other words). The noun mind is often considered synonymous with brain, referring in general to an organism’s mental activities and capabilities, but the latter term denotes the organ that controls body functions, prompts physical responses, and facilitates learning; the mind is more accurately described as the part of a person that thinks, reasons, decides, perceives, and feels. Other senses include â€Å"memory† (as in â€Å"Keep that in mind†), â€Å"intention† (â€Å"Have you changed your mind?†), â€Å"opinion† (â€Å"She spoke her mind†), and â€Å"mood† (â€Å"I’m not in a good state of mind right now†). In addition, the word denotes a collective mental quality (as in â€Å"hive mind†) or a person of superior intelligence (â€Å"one of the great minds of our age†). Meanwhile, a minder is someone who attends to or oversees someone or something. To mind is to attend to, notice, or pay attention, or to obey or follow instructions, or to be careful or concerned. A reminder is a note about something to remember or a memory aid; the verb form is remind. The phrase â€Å"never mind† is employed to denote something less likely than something else (as in â€Å"I couldn’t even run a mile right now, never mind a marathon†) and is an idiom meaning â€Å"disregard what I said.† The use of Nevermind as the title of an album by the band Nirvana likely contributed to the frequent erroneous occurrence of the phrase as a closed compound, but any treatment of the term as one word other than in a colloquialism such as â€Å"It don’t make me no nevermind† (meaning â€Å"It doesn’t matter to me†) is an error. To be aware or attuned is to be mindful; the quality is mindfulness. To be mindless is to act without thinking or using critical-thinking skills; mindlessly is the adverbial form. Mind control is the practice of influencing someone’s beliefs, thoughts, and actions through hypnosis, propaganda, or other forms of persuasion or suggestion and, in fiction, manipulation of the person’s brain using some sort of technology. Meanwhile, a mind-set is a way of thinking. (Writers often treat this word as a closed compound, but dictionaries still favor the hyphenated form.) A mastermind is someone responsible for plotting or strategizing a scheme or a plan; the word is often used in the context of illicit or otherwise undesirable activities, as in â€Å"criminal mastermind.† One of limited intelligence or judgment is feebleminded (in the first sense only) or simpleminded. One who is forgetful is absentminded. Adverbial forms of these words are produced by adding the suffix -ly. Something that is astonishing, exciting, inspiring, puzzling, or otherwise stimulating or that has the potential to figuratively or literally alter one’s perception is referred to as mind-bending, mind-blowing, or mind-boggling. Such a phenomenon itself is called a mind-bender, mind-blower, or mind-boggler. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph ExamplesConfusing "Passed" with "Past"Using "zeitgeist" Coherently

Schooling Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schooling - Case Study Example the author also highlights the importance of education in the enculturation process. the author analysis Brad's behaviour who grew to adopt antisocial behaviour. The method used to gather data was a face to face interview, Brad who is the respondent is interviewed by the author whereby the respondent narrates his life history and this helps the author to compare his behavior with anthropological theories. Data is analyzed by comparing the character traits of Brad with appropriate character traits of others, Brad life history helps in identifying the importance of an appropriate social system that will ensure adoption of appropriate behavior. From the paper major conclusions are that education plays other major roles other than schooling, this include helping individuals to adopt socially acceptable behaviors whereby individuals adopt cultural traits that control behavior. the paper highlights the importance of proper enculturation in developement of socially acceptable behaviour, from the case study Brad was not raised in an appropriate social system and therefore this has led to some antisocial traits.

Integrated Marketing Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Integrated Marketing Communication - Assignment Example Secondly, the group also has a careful marketing thought and strategy, which many companies need and which attracts people. Thirdly, Black Eyed Peas learns fast about the changing dynamics of making sales and can translate this to advertising. The group is not content with its corporate connections and seeks to expand often, which is a good mark for business advertising. Lastly, the group gives its customers equal importance when dealing with them no matter how big or small. This makes them attractive. It would not make a difference what type of product the group was endorsing because the group can be dynamic and create a proper endorsement for whatever product they are given (Jurgensen, 2010). Despite the fact that Black Eyed Peas can do a good job with any brand or product, , endorsements by the group can be excellent when the brand or product involves clothes, cars, cosmetics and others such as jewelry. On the other hands, rock bands can make specific endorsements successful such as jewelry, clothes and music equipment. Country music would do best when they endorse hats, boots, land, farming, and tracks (Moore & Mowen, 1994). If I were designing a TV advert for a concern for the Black Eyed Peas, my target market would be teenagers to young adults (male and female) of up to the age of about 35 years old. The message strategy I would use would be an affective strategy to invoke feelings and emotions and relate them with the good, service or the company. The executional framework would be a lifestyle framework that shows how the product or brand will fit into the consumer’s life. An effective television ad would be one that catches the attention of consumers by engaging their feelings, minds and emotions and responding effectively to those engagements. It should be as real as possible to convince the consumer (Clow & Baack, 2012). Despite the fact that the Black Eyed Peas has been successful in endorsing

The Dramatic Change of Operations Management of Irelands Food and Essay

The Dramatic Change of Operations Management of Irelands Food and Beverage Industry - Essay Example The sector employs 47,000 people directly in over 650 companies; agriculture employs another 110,000 people. Ireland has undergone significant changes since the beginning of the 'Celtic Tiger' phase in the early 1990s. Notable has been the development of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and that Ireland now has the second highest GDP per capita in the European Union (EU). According to John Linnane, a lecturer in food production in his article, A History of Irish Cuisine, Food production inevitably was the principle preoccupation of the mass of the population and, as it was in most societies of that era, it took up most of their working day. Evidence for agricultural activity during the centuries BC is rather surprising, for periods up to 200 years the level of agricultural activity seemed to have declined then increased and declined again. During the periods of decline the consumption of meat and dairy products increased. Periods of forest clearing for agriculture were followed by periods of secondary re-growth of the cleared forests and a return to dependence on livestock, hunting and gathering. This intermittent cycle of forest clearing and planting lasted up until the 3rd century AD when a dramatic expansion of permanent agriculture occurred. Aspects of social changes include domestication of variety of animals, the clearing of forests, plus the co llection of wild edible plants for immediate use, cultivation or storage. Approximately 5,000 years ago this extended to the cultivation of a variety of edible grass seed and leaf plants. The best example of this kind of agriculture in Ireland where the evidence still exists to this day is the Ceide fields in County Mayo, considered to be more than 5,000 years old. The establishment of single-crop production (oats and barley) is believed to have occurred in these fields, which in turn led to long-term storage and elementary processing of food. Alongside and following the establishment of crops, the rural controlled grazing of animals also began. With these dramatic changes came the creation of relatively stable family units. The increase in the quantity and dependability of the food supply somewhat loosened the natural restraints of starvation, disease, and similar forces that held in check the potential growth of the population which began to expand rapidly, and the Irish moved tow ard a civilisation which had its own political organisations dominated by the Druid Priesthood and the Ruling Class. As the food and drinks sector depends upon the interests of agriculture, fisheries, research, retail, manufacturing and export markets, it faces a number of government agencies which were related to the above sectors. This offers a number of problems and priorities according to IBEC. The industry keeping in view the above problems, was lounging for a single window approach with the government regarding its business. This is the thing they feel that is necessary for the survival and in future thriving of the industry. Even the critical sector agriculture which provides food security for the people depends on this industry to make good

Genaral relations of the judicial, executive and legislative body in Essay

Genaral relations of the judicial, executive and legislative body in British - Essay Example This is an exploration about judicial system and its machineries as well as an attempt to recognize and critic some gaps in this literature. British Judicial system The chapter pointed that UK has three court systems. These are in England and Wales; in Scotland and in Northern Ireland. These are independent institutions but the judges and its practitioners are appointed to the Court of Justice, Court of First Instance of the European Communities and to the European Court of Human Rights.2. Author emphasized that UK’s judicial system is not solely focused on civil and criminal adjudications since the parliament made some tribunals as special courts e.g. for election, labor cases, and patent courts. The structure and hierarchy of the court system in England and Wales was also detailed, being the High Court that also decides for cases requiring judicial review and question of laws, although following Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the court is now named as the Senior Courts of E ngland and Wales.3 The broad civil jurisdiction is under the jurisdiction of the country courts and of magistrates’ courts under Legal Services Act 1990.4 The criminal jurisdiction is likewise at the Court of First Instance where the magistrates does a summary trial while those in jury trial by the Crown Court following Courts Acts 1971 (p. 386). Appeals are done to Queen’s Bench Divisional Court of the High Court, to the Court if the High Court, or to the Court of Appeal of the Criminal Division.5 In Scotland, the civil cases are held by the Court of Session, with hierarchy of body to hear cases subject for appeal. Meanwhile, the High Court of Justiciary has jurisdiction on the criminal cases, either for trial or for appeal. The district courts are also mandated of summary criminal jurisdiction. House of Lords has jurisdiction over civil cases while devolution cases, and criminal matters, are heard in the Privy Council. In Northern Ireland, the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland has jurisdiction of all cases.6 The author affirmed that following rules and administrative polices, judiciary maintained its independence from UK’s legislative body, albeit some judicial matters are subject to policies formulated by the legislative body.7 Numerous laws have evolved the procedural processes within the House of the Lords through historic legislation of policies deemed significant in systematizing the procedural aspect of adjudicating cases. The House of the Lords however remained bereft of authority or jurisdiction over Scottish criminal cases.8 One is certain though that the House of the Lords has influential power in the legislation of policies through the â€Å"system of precedent† until its amended to free the system from the rigidity to avoid injustice and may hinder policy change.9 In 2010, UK developed its Supreme Court that would hear cases on appeals from the House of the Lords and the devolution of Privy Council’s juris diction. The SC mirrors the function of other organized civilization and maintains independence from the two other branches of the government whose luminaries are appointed in accordance to Constitutional Reform Act 2005 although the qualifications remained based on the Appellate

HOW SHOULD THE CIVIL WAR BE REMEMBERED Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HOW SHOULD THE CIVIL WAR BE REMEMBERED - Essay Example Remembering the U.S. Civil War on this ground could be an endeavour of looking into its meaning and of reconstructing the image and substance of such meaning as though to retrieve its succulence from the most sensational core of U.S. history. Isn’t it that the Civil War was chiefly fought for the sake of addressing the issue of color that is essentially and most cruelly manifest in black slavery? Even to this day, any American or non-American must have naturally inculcated in the mind the echoes of what it means to be black and what it means to be white. Slavery of the colored race is a subject that raises both psychological and emotional concern over the memory of excruciating negro struggle in the past, considering especially the internal conflicts within its vast enduring realm. The delicate imagery of black slaves in plantation and in other fields that tasted the sweat and blood of negroes slave-driven to free yet heavy menial labor or subjected to physical abuse and death by the discretion of the white master as well as the picture of intimate oppression of black women treated as sex slaves, child bearers, house servants, and companions all constituted what the Civil War had to bring toward grave resolution for good. Keeping or abolishing the treacherous bondage herein that symbolizes racial inequality is a responsibility for which the two major factions in the Civil War ought not to be forgotten particularly the moment of Hood’s defeat where â€Å"The destruction of Hood’s army coincided with the final step toward the constitutional destruction of slavery† (McPherson 503) according to J. McPherson. Much as the Civil War ought to be remembered in the manner that signifies its cause, it should be held in equivalent regard owing to the separation between the federal North and the confederate South along with the intense long years of war through which the bulk of contradicting interests, strengths, and weaknesses of both had been identified in the process. One should remember well, via academic discourse, that the Civil War served to fulfil the duty which the War on Independence had somewhat fallen short to accomplish a century prior and that the South would not have seceded to establish Confederacy were it not to the inevitable occurrence of distaste toward certain aspects of federalism. While the North was industrial, democratic, and progressive, on the other hand, the South remained agricultural, aristocratic, and conservative. A majority of Northerners viewed the inhabitants of the South as indolent, poorly educated, and misbehaved people who would irrationally counter ideas and possibilities which could enable the United States to achieve its goals with capitalism. Moreover, the severe degree of violent opposition between the Union and the Confederacy may be perceived in a fashion McPherson notes the confession of Sherman, remarking in convicted tone:-- â€Å"We are not only fighting hostile armies, bu t a hostile people – Defeating Southern armies was not enough to win the war, the railroads, factories, and families that supplied and fed them must be destroyed; the will of the civilian population that sustained the armies must be crushed† (496). If indeed the Civil War should occupy a place in remembrances to be paid credits of respect in the present,

The Government of the Russian Federation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Government of the Russian Federation - Essay Example The transformation in foreign policy thinking profoundly impacted policy making and was based on the realization that the real security threat to Russia came from the deteriorating economy due to excessive military spending. Rather than applying the overt exhibition of military power, Gorbachev chose to apply political influence. He improved diplomatic relations and economic cooperation by such actions as unannounced personal appearances at public events both within and outside Soviet borders. Gorbachev charismatically utilized the world media and made political concessions in the resolution of regional conflicts and arms negotiations that were previously unimaginable under the old regime. The ‘New Thinking’ aided the Soviet Union in garnering wide approval of many nations. Its peace-making policy that released Soviet control over Eastern Europe ultimately led to the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. Its success would entail radical changes not only in t he way the economy functions, but in social and cultural policy, in Soviet political life, and ultimately, in the way in which the Soviet Union deals with the larger international community. By-products of the ‘New Thinking,’ perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) initiated far-reaching governmental policy changes that affected virtually every aspect of Soviet life. These new concepts were a distant departure from previous Soviet practices. This discussion will focus on the building of the Russia Federation, the competing ideologies within the government along with Russia’s new approach to foreign policy and how it was designed to tie in with internal reforms. It will briefly review recent political history leading up to this new way of thinking including how such a radical departure from past procedures and policies was accomplished and the subsequent consequences this reversal of political thought inspired as well as its far-reaching

Genaral relations of the judicial, executive and legislative body in Essay

Genaral relations of the judicial, executive and legislative body in British - Essay Example This is an exploration about judicial system and its machineries as well as an attempt to recognize and critic some gaps in this literature. British Judicial system The chapter pointed that UK has three court systems. These are in England and Wales; in Scotland and in Northern Ireland. These are independent institutions but the judges and its practitioners are appointed to the Court of Justice, Court of First Instance of the European Communities and to the European Court of Human Rights.2. Author emphasized that UK’s judicial system is not solely focused on civil and criminal adjudications since the parliament made some tribunals as special courts e.g. for election, labor cases, and patent courts. The structure and hierarchy of the court system in England and Wales was also detailed, being the High Court that also decides for cases requiring judicial review and question of laws, although following Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the court is now named as the Senior Courts of E ngland and Wales.3 The broad civil jurisdiction is under the jurisdiction of the country courts and of magistrates’ courts under Legal Services Act 1990.4 The criminal jurisdiction is likewise at the Court of First Instance where the magistrates does a summary trial while those in jury trial by the Crown Court following Courts Acts 1971 (p. 386). Appeals are done to Queen’s Bench Divisional Court of the High Court, to the Court if the High Court, or to the Court of Appeal of the Criminal Division.5 In Scotland, the civil cases are held by the Court of Session, with hierarchy of body to hear cases subject for appeal. Meanwhile, the High Court of Justiciary has jurisdiction on the criminal cases, either for trial or for appeal. The district courts are also mandated of summary criminal jurisdiction. House of Lords has jurisdiction over civil cases while devolution cases, and criminal matters, are heard in the Privy Council. In Northern Ireland, the Court of Judicature of Northern Ireland has jurisdiction of all cases.6 The author affirmed that following rules and administrative polices, judiciary maintained its independence from UK’s legislative body, albeit some judicial matters are subject to policies formulated by the legislative body.7 Numerous laws have evolved the procedural processes within the House of the Lords through historic legislation of policies deemed significant in systematizing the procedural aspect of adjudicating cases. The House of the Lords however remained bereft of authority or jurisdiction over Scottish criminal cases.8 One is certain though that the House of the Lords has influential power in the legislation of policies through the â€Å"system of precedent† until its amended to free the system from the rigidity to avoid injustice and may hinder policy change.9 In 2010, UK developed its Supreme Court that would hear cases on appeals from the House of the Lords and the devolution of Privy Council’s juris diction. The SC mirrors the function of other organized civilization and maintains independence from the two other branches of the government whose luminaries are appointed in accordance to Constitutional Reform Act 2005 although the qualifications remained based on the Appellate

The Government of the Russian Federation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Government of the Russian Federation - Essay Example The transformation in foreign policy thinking profoundly impacted policy making and was based on the realization that the real security threat to Russia came from the deteriorating economy due to excessive military spending. Rather than applying the overt exhibition of military power, Gorbachev chose to apply political influence. He improved diplomatic relations and economic cooperation by such actions as unannounced personal appearances at public events both within and outside Soviet borders. Gorbachev charismatically utilized the world media and made political concessions in the resolution of regional conflicts and arms negotiations that were previously unimaginable under the old regime. The ‘New Thinking’ aided the Soviet Union in garnering wide approval of many nations. Its peace-making policy that released Soviet control over Eastern Europe ultimately led to the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. Its success would entail radical changes not only in t he way the economy functions, but in social and cultural policy, in Soviet political life, and ultimately, in the way in which the Soviet Union deals with the larger international community. By-products of the ‘New Thinking,’ perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) initiated far-reaching governmental policy changes that affected virtually every aspect of Soviet life. These new concepts were a distant departure from previous Soviet practices. This discussion will focus on the building of the Russia Federation, the competing ideologies within the government along with Russia’s new approach to foreign policy and how it was designed to tie in with internal reforms. It will briefly review recent political history leading up to this new way of thinking including how such a radical departure from past procedures and policies was accomplished and the subsequent consequences this reversal of political thought inspired as well as its far-reaching

If I Could Change 3 Things About Myself Essay Example for Free

If I Could Change 3 Things About Myself Essay Yes, maybe you will say:†Hey! Thats not enough! I need MORE! † but what are the three most importance things that you decide to change? If I could change three things about myself, I think first and foremost, I would change my desirous of food-ness. I got the stomach ache-ness when I was at Japan and tried not to eat so much. Well, to late for regrets now! I am eating now and just ate some ice-cream just now and ate fish chops for dinner. Well, good luck to me! Secondly, I would like to change my laziness. I had been pretty darn lazy through my whole life until now. Except for the time when my sister who is older than me by a year got to go to school and petty little me didnt get to go. So, I got so interested in learning that I read ALL of my sisters textbooks. And ever since my sister knew that I knew   that she was learning, made up a lame excuse and threw her homework to me and went to play some stupid computer game like MINES. Because she doesnt know how to play it, she just simply pushes some buttons. But now, I inherited her laziness and she inherited my hardworkingness and its the other way round than the time we were kids. Lastly, I would like to change the fact that I dont really have any talents. Im suck in studying, not really good in sports. I would want my talents to be: singing, dancing and acting. So, I could just be a pop star when I grow up. Well, its really nice to be a star, you know, with people fan boy and fan girling you. You just sing, which you awesomely have HUGE talent at and you get tons of money for just ONE song you sing! It would be such an awesome life! Well, its probably pretty obvious that nobody is going to magically materialize from thin air and grant those for me. So seems like I would just need to keep working at it.

Top Management Style (TMS) | Case Study

Top Management Style (TMS) | Case Study Introduction: Cohesiveness in the teams especially in Top Management Teams (TMT) is one of the most significant factors that influence the Superior Performance (SP) and strategic competitive advantage of the organization. There are many factors that influence cohesiveness of teams and this essay is especially going to focus on an organizational factor, Top Management Style (TMS). Many researches proved that TMS is a crucial factor which influences the cohesiveness of the organizations, particularly new ventures. The literature review in this essay will explain how the TMT in new ventures can influence the cohesiveness and in turn the Superior Performance (SP) of the organization. Furthermore, this essay will analyze how practically TMT of my previous organization successfully established a highly cohesive team and made cohesiveness as a strategic asset of the organization. The essay also analyze how cohesiveness in TMT facilitate the successful decision making and on the other hand, how a highly c ohesive TMT experienced impaired decision making in few scenarios because of the concept of the group think and suggests what could be a possible solution to improve decision making in those scenarios. Research setting: My previous organization is UST-Global which is one of the most successful and young organization in the Information Technology (IT) services Industry. UST-Global was established on 1999 with only 14 members and currently spread across 4 regions (North America, Europe, South America and AMEA) and 15 countries globally with the employee count of around 7000.Comparitively the organizations growth rate in profitability, financial position and number of employees is phenomenal. In my observation, the TMT is the primary reason for this success. Recently the organization successfully established a joint venture with General Electric Company (GE) in Chile, South America. Established with strong culture and values the organization is build with high cohesiveness and as a result showing superior performance in the market. The organization achieved $500 million yearly sales mark with 15-20% net margin in few years after establishment and continues to growing better. Organizations head count an d sales is increasing by more than 15% each year which clearly shows the SP of the organization in the market. UST-Global is one of the best young companies in IT industry to analyse cohesiveness because of the culture and values established in the organization. Literature review: Cohesion: Cohesion is a multifaceted asset of a group and strong forecaster of the group behavior which has been defined and analyzed in many different ways by researchers. Cohesion can be defined as the measure of the ability of a group to exert a pull on its members and encourage them to remain as a part of the group. In essence, cohesion would serve as a strong centripetal force binding a team together in the presence of strong centrifugal force like conflicts (NV 371) Relationship between TMT and Cohesion: There are many factors that can influence the cohesiveness. These factors have been classified by (Rollinson) as group factors, environmental factors and organizational factors. According to (Homans 1950) there are many organizational factors like technology usage, management style and personal background of members are influencing the cohesiveness. Many researches show that especially the TMS can greatly contribute to the cohesiveness of the organizations. This section will explain how the TMT of an organization can influence the cohesiveness of the organization. A TMT is a group of high level managers accountable for devising and executing the firms strategies. The power to organize the direction and performance of the organization possibly makes TMT as most crucial and prominent team in the firm (LS 6). In particular, the new venture TMT consisted of those people identified as the CEO, president and critical line or staff function executives (NV 373). By establishing appropriate c ulture, member criteria, technology usage and work environment and other important factors, TMT has the ability to influence on group cohesiveness of the organization. (LS 5)Michael suggests that both task leadership and social leadership can provide positive contribution to the cohesiveness by keeping the team focused on the task and by maintaining good relationship and team harmony. In essence, effective leaders maintained group harmony and cohesiveness of the organization by attending both to mission-specific task outcomes and to the personal qualities of crew members. (LS 4) Relationship between Cohesiveness and Superior Performance of organization (SP) The cited references and many theories show that cohesiveness is positively related to the SP of the organization. According to Resource Based View (RBV), resources are key drivers of sustainable competitive advantage. The most precious resources referred to as strategic assets are concurrently valuable, rare, complex and costly to imitate and non substitutable. Resources are valuable when they permit the firm to take advantage of opportunities and/or neutralize threats in external environment. (LS 6).Thus in relation to RBV logic, the available empirical evidence converges to suggest that cohesion in teams especially in TMT should constitute a highly valuable resource to the firm (LS 7). In essence, cohesiveness in teams, particularly Top Management Teams (TMT) is positively associated with Superior Performance (SP) of the firms.(LS 8) Relationship between Cohesiveness in TMTs and SP of the organizations: In new ventures, Top Management Team Cohesiveness (TMTC) is especially important because of the complex and ambiguous nature of the teams task. (NV 368). This section will explain how cohesiveness in TMT associated with the conflicts experienced during decision making process and in turn relate with the SP of the firms. Studies shows that cohesion in the TMT related directly to ROI and sales growth which are main factors in SP of the organization (NV 372). Moreover, theories show that the cohesiveness in the TMT is related to the conflicts experienced in the teams during decision making. Recent research shows conflict to be multidimensional, the cognitive dimension of conflict is considered to be generally functional, this occurs when the team members consider a number of alternatives from variety of diverse perspectives in decision making. On the other hand, the affective dimension of conflict is generally dysfunctional and occurs when personally oriented disagreement focusing on in terpersonal dislikes and disaffections. (NV 369).Generally cohesion will relate positively to the level of cognitive conflict and negatively to the level of affective conflict experienced during decision making.(NV 370,371).Top Management Team Cohesion (TMTC) also have the potential to operate as an intangible strategic asset by helping the TMT to reach consensus on strategic direction and organizational controls, as well as by facilitating communication and commitment to shared organizational goals.(LS 2)TMTC appears to possess all the attributes of a strategic asset and thus according to the RBV and previous empirical findings, TMTC should be positively related to superior firm performance. Theories explain that, surprisingly another dimension of cohesion leads to shrink the level of cognitive conflicts in decision making process because of the concept of group think. As the groups become highly cohesive, and in the presence of dominant leader, group members, may in fact, with hold useful ideas that may contradict the popular opinion in order to maintain their positive status in the group (Janis 1982 NV382). As an essence, the literature review discussed that, especially for new ventures, Top Management style is one of the crucial factor significantly associated with cohesiveness in the organization, which in turn is significantly associated with sustainable competitive advantage and SP. Furthermore, high cohesiveness in TMT may also lead to group think which lead to impaired decision making and affect the SP of the firm. Analysis: Analyzing how the TMS influenced the cohesiveness in UST-Global: From my observation, the following are the important factors established by the TMT improved the cohesiveness of the firm significantly. The TMT established values and culture in the company which offers dignity to every employee and enforced the employees to treat everyone in an unbiased manner. We give respect to people and an opportunity to accomplish their maximum potential in an atmosphere where there is no fear and also initiative and creativeness are truly encouraged(Sajan). Thus the social leadership perspective (LS 5) of TMT in UST-global enhanced the cohesiveness in the organization by encouraging respect for team members and maintaining group harmony by clear behavioral norms and imposing these norms by rejecting deviant behavior.(Fedman 1984 LS 5).Moreover, the TMT formed a harder membership criteria to improve the cohesiveness. The organization attracts best talents from all over the world. The medium and high level management team consists of people from best business schools and knowledge workers are hired after four level of filtering interview processes. Competent people working in harmony will produc e the best results. Both competence and harmony are equally important (Menon). The TMT improved the communication and cooperation between team members by introducing highly interactive communication technologies. This shows the effectiveness of the TMTs Social leadership((LS 5). The TMT also created a world class task tracker software which improved the task management significantly which in turn explains the effectiveness of Task leadership(LS 5).we are setting an example by showing how heavily we are using IT for our own internal operations(Sajan).Furthermore, The TMT provide a working environment where people assist each other and able to perform in a team environment. This environment enables employees to deliver their best and at the same time get highest job satisfaction. IT employees are knowledge workers.If the environments supports the employees to use their creativity and ideas, that is what satisfies them and enables them to provide outstanding service to the client. Thus the Top Management Style (TMS) in UST-Global facilitated the cohesiveness throughout the organization by establishing appropriate culture, member criteria, technology usage, work environment and other important factors, and bring the firm highly successful with in a short span of time. Analysing how cohesion in teams especially TMT influenced the SP: In my observation, the Top Management Team (TMT) in UST-Global is highly cohesive and this fact was also accepted by my interviewee in TMT that, Job fulfillment is our key to attracting people and that is something we have been capable to accomplish because of our Values and Culture. Thats is the reason, UST-Global TMT has even CIOs of many firms not only joined but are in fact energized to be a part of the company(Sajan). Organization has built a powerful higher level team to focus only on clients which includes Robert D, former General Manager of Reebok IT department, Marsha B, former VP and CTO of safway, and Paul M, former VP of AIG Technology department. In my observation, the similarity between the team members in terms of background experience, TMT in UST-Globlal become truly a unique composition, where competitors lag behind a lot, especially harder for competitors to imitate. Also,It was accepted by my interviewee that The TMTC is a crucial strategic asset for UST-Global. Conflicts arising during decision making is an obvious one. Inevitably some disagreement will happen in decision making but, all of our team members consider the conflicts as a alternative solution in decision making. According to (NV 369) Those TMT are able to take advantage of the disagreements by keeping it task focused and constructive should outperform those for whom the disagreement becomes personally focused and destructive. So it is evident that UST-Global TMT is able to take advantage of disagreements in decision making which leads to the SP of the organization. Discussion Most of the decisions made by the TMT were highly successful. For example, the decision of fewer clients and higher attention gave the organization a high strategic competitive advantage in the service market.Fortune 500 clients of UST Global like the attention they receive when the companys priority is on client share as opposed to market share. To ensure relentless attention to its clients the company targets only a few clients in a year for a long-term business relationship and concentrates and invests on them fully. This was a conscious decision we made in the very early days of the company. Even if there is a short term opportunity for revenue we ignore it(Dan) Even though the organization TMT is highly cohesive and successful in decision making I can notice that in very few scenarios the decisions of TMT went less effective. I am explaining three of the ineffective decisions by the TMT which I have noticed below. In last six years the TMT has changed the organization name three times for several reasons. Although the TMT explained the reasons for the name change, this affects the recognition and brand value of the company in the market. Furthermore, the organization hired more number of people to achieve the expected growth and not able to manage the huge talent pool and end up with many HR related issues. Particularly, the TMT has announced to the media that it will go public by first quarter of 2009 but the TMT was not able to make it up until now. Sajan told that Going public is expensive, more expensive than ever before, so we want to get a critical mass(Article UST_Global)Although the TMT explains the reason of uncontrollable external environmental changes and other factors as reason, This affects the image of the company in the market and among employees. Even though only a very less decisions made by the TMT in UST-Global became ineffective and this will generally happen in every fast growing organization, the above issues explained are clearly because of the ineffective decision making in the TMT. Also, in my personal observation and with my interviews, it is clear that there was more cognitive conflicts happened in decision making process and helped the TMT to be more effective in decision making. So in my opinion, the effect of group think could be the possible reason which led the highly cohesive TMT to make the above impaired decisions which affects the performance of the organization. High Cohesiveness in teams is a competitive advantage to achieve the common objectives but while taking important decisions the TMT should highly reconsider the decision and make sure that the high cohesiveness doesnt led to group think and affect the decisions. Philosophical Concepts: What is real? Philosophical Concepts: What is real? What is real? Philosophy We live in a Universe that is infinitely enormous, upon a planet that plays home the only existing life forms that we know of. In the movie; The Matrix, our world is nothing more than a mere computer program, run through our brains while the world deteriorates from within. How can we ever know, that this is not happening to us at this very instant? This essay is obviously not condoning the idea that we are run by computers, however, it will attempt to take a deeper look into a question that is rarely thought about, but should perhaps be a more common one; What Is Real? This essay will analyze many different views of realism, from different places, at different points in time, considering each point of view, and seek to further the reader’s knowledge in this realm of philosophy. At the present time, we, as humans, have no direct way of knowing what is real. It is a mystery, far more complex than any computer or robot we possess. What is strikingly odd about this question is that if you ask a seven year-old what is real, it is probable that you will receive an answer. Clearly this answer will be very basic, and chances are that the seven year-old will not explain why they chose that answer, but is it not fascinating that in two minutes, a mere child is able to respond to a question some adults, can waste their whole life trying to answer? Many would argue that the child only gives that answer, because he or she is none the wiser, but is it possible that philosophers, or anyone who makes an attempt to answer this question, are none the wiser, for having overlooked the simple answer of a youngster? – Once again, this is from a completely un-biased point of view, and seeks solely to provoke thought in the readers mind. â€Å"If we’re good, we go to a heaven of some sort.† An answer many people around the world would give when asked what happens when we pass away. Is that possible? There is a theory that when we die, we lose 21 grams, and that these 21 grams represents our soul, either heading up, or down. Is this an actual possibility, that as we die, a part of us lives on? Is it possible anyone will ever know for sure? Another theory on afterlife; is that when we die, it’s the same as before we were born. This uncertain nothingness, of a dark or light blank screen. And as we wait in this dark/lightness, we are just sitting in line to be reborn. This theory leads to the argument of what is â€Å"nothing†? Is â€Å"nothing† possible? There is no clear definition of â€Å"nothing† in the dictionary, only vague attempts such as â€Å"a non-existent thing,† or â€Å"in no way; to no degree.† The idea of nothing being impossible is quite fascinating, as it is not possible to think of nothing, leading us further to believe that something, must be real, even if they are mere images, they are still â€Å"real images.† These real images are what we witness in everyday life, although they differ from person to person, we know that we are seeing something real, because we know that we cannot see nothing. We live in an unpredictable world. No one can tell for sure what’s waiting around the corner, or what’s going to happen tomorrow. Yet some people believe in something called destiny: The seemingly inevitable succession of events ¹. Destiny goes against everything logical. It is a truth, worldly known that nothing is provable by means of the technology, science, math or experiment, which we possess in our day and age. Furthering our question, to something more along the lines of; â€Å"How do we know what we think is real, if we have no way of actually proving it?† So is it possible that destiny does really exist, and that we may all be following a list of events that have already been thought out? Perhaps the determinists are right? As humans, most of us are blessed with five senses; touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. These acute senses vary from person to person. What may appear as an orange to one may appear as a banana to the next. One’s acquired taste for sushi might be considered disgusting to another. There is a saying that says â€Å"one mans garbage is another’s treasure.† This saying represents how not only senses vary from being to being, but how perspective does as well. It is arguable that perspective all depends on things such as background, beliefs, and perhaps most importantly, wealth, but these opinions are solely in the eye of the beholder. It is firmly believed that perspective is influenced by how one see’s an image, object, or person, primarily, and secondly by wealth etc. These varying perspectives can be captured in full motion at Stanstead College, where there is a clash of cultures. There are Mexicans who prefer their candy hot and spicy, to almost anyone else who frowns at first taste, and asks for something sweet instead. This does not only hold true for candy, it can be found in almost any other perspective of life; style, likes, sports (aside from soccer as it is known as the global language), and interest in the opposite sex. Where one boy might find a girl in his class to be the next best thing since sliced bread, the young man next to him might completely disagree. Another example can be found in the music industry, where one boy might find Mozart atrocious, and be madly in love with his favourite heavy-metal band. The guy in the room next to him that gets mad at this loud, satanic noise as he might refer to it, might fancy classical music and think it is amazing. All these reasons may lead one to believe that we are not all witnessing the s ame images, or hearing the same sounds, that tastes and likes are more than acquired, that perhaps it’s the way it comes through our ears or mouth that differs. These examples all lead to the next question; if people’s perspectives and tastes vary so heavily, how do we know which one is right, or real? Is their a wrong side of the bridge? Is there a way to determine this? No. Due to the limitations of reason and logical thinking, for now all we have is our opinionated guesses. These opinions have been known to get us in trouble as a race. Since the first religious wars, people have been fighting over beliefs, territory, and who the stronger is. Life would almost be much easier if a right answer was determinable. Exert from: From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest: p. 207 Hegel’s Metaphysics: Absolute Idealism Reality as totality of conceptual truth† – Idea that total reality is an absolute mind, or the mind of god, which is an integrated and structured source of truths. â€Å"Reality as absolute mind† – reality is absolute conceptuality which reveals itself through human experiences in all aspects of life. â€Å"The real is the rational and the rational is the real† â€Å"Reality is knowable by its intelligible, rational structures† – Hegel is very against the principle that reality is unknowable, for he believes it is present for every human to attain through reason. Hegel, much like Plato, is a relativist, and a strong one at that. â€Å"Hegel is as confident a rationalist as Plato had been.† (From Socrates to Sartre, p. 209) He is a firm believer that reality, and what is real, is determinable through rational thought, something that is present in all humans. He feels that â€Å"what is real?† all depends on the person, and their personal experiences. Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings – p. 178 â€Å"Let us settle ourselves , and work and wedge our feet downward through the mud and slush of opinion, and prejudice and tradition, and delusion, and appearance, that alluvion which covers the covers the globe till we com to a hard bottom of rocks in a place which we call reality.† –James Thomson. Thomson feels that for humans to have a solid sense of reality, furthermore, what is real, they must first put behind them their differences in opinion, tradition, appearance etc. This is found to be a very good point, as it makes sense. How can we expect a world to come to terms on things such as reality, when we cannot come to terms on smaller things such as oil prices? As a race, our attitude towards each other must change, and as a people, we must take into account everyone’s perspective in a respectful manner. Globalisation, as much as it is frowned upon by some, is believed to be a possible answer. Globalisation is allowing us to become more united as a world, making it easier to reach out to one another. â€Å"1st phase of globalisation(discovery of the new worlds in 1490’s) changed the size of the world from large to medium, 2nd phase(industrial revolutions) changed it from medium to small, the 3rd phase, which is taking place now, changed it from small, to tin y.† ***politics paper The Materialist View (â€Å"materialism: the metaphysical position that reality is ultimately composed of matter† definition from Philosophy, a Text with Readings) Eastern- Eastern materialism dates back to around 600 B.C.E, was a principle held by the Charvaka philosophers of India. They believed that the only form of reasoning was sense perception. They felt that other sources of knowledge, such as inductive, or deductive reasoning were invalid. They believed that the only reliable source of knowledge is what we can see, hear, touch, smell, or taste with our senses. Along with this belief, they argued that if we cannot know something, it is wrong to say it exists. They did not believe in spirits, nor did they believe in an afterlife, because it is not something we are able to perceive with our senses. â€Å"Human life begins in this world, and ends in this world, so people should try to get as much of the bodily pleasures of this life as they can.† Charvakaian Belief Western- Western materialism can be traced all the way back to 460 B.C.E. Much like the Charvakian philosophers, the early Western philosophers believed that reality could be explained in terms of matter. According to Democritus, everything in the universe, even the soul, is made up of atoms. Almost a millennium after Democritus came another great Western philosopher, Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes felt quite similar to Democritus, as he believed that measurable matter is all there is in the universe, that only matter is real. â€Å"The universe, that is the whole mass of things that are, is corporeal, that is to say body; and has the dimensions of magnitude, namely, length, breadth, and depth. Also every part of body is likewise body, and has the like dimensions. And, consequently, every part of the Universe is body, and that which is not body is no part of the Universe. And because the Universe is all, that which is no part of it is nothing, and consequently, nowhere.† exert from Hobbes’ Leviathan Objections to Materialism- The main objection to materialism is the fact that it is very neglectful in accounting for human consciousness. Many people feel that activities such as loving, wishing, dreaming, hoping and hating all come from nonmaterial spiritual entity. The Idealist View (â€Å"idealism: in metaphysics, the position that reality is ultimately nonmatter, in epistemology, the position that all we know are our ideas – definition from Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings) Western Idealism- Western idealism dates back to the ancient Greek, Pythagoras (about 600 B.C.E). Pythagoras held the belief that â€Å"individual entities are merely shadows of reality.†( Exert from: Philosophy, a Text with Readings) This thinking can also be found with the Christian thought, developed by Saint Augustine. In The City of God, Augustine warns the reader to beware of the world, and flesh, as they are temporary. What was claimed as real is the spiritual world, or; the world without matter. Eastern Idealism- The most commonly known Eastern idealist, is an Indian philosopher by the name of Vasubandhu. He strongly believed that all we ever perceive are sensations within us. He is famous for saying â€Å"Only mind exists.† The other Eastern idealists held most of the same ideas as the Western ones, letting idealism to be quite similar all over the globe. Objections to Idealism- Almost all objections to idealism are based upon the fact that it is all based upon assumption. Idealists have also been accused of committing the fallacy of anthropomorphism (giving human attributes to nonhuman entities, mainly god). Nancy by Chuck Close | Overview and Analysis Nancy by Chuck Close | Overview and Analysis What can be seen as a beautiful work of art by one person may not appear that way to someone else. So much in the art world is subjective, yet when artists are able to come up with something revolutionary while showing technical prowess it tends to garner attention. Nancy by Chuck Close is one of those paintings that forces people to take notice. Creating portraits at a time when they were considered dead by many; Close was able to achieve success while overcoming diversity with his larger than life portraits. Nancy not only helped to vault Closes career into the mainstream, but also assisted in the rebirth of realism into American art. Close took the fame that came with his early portraits and later on adapted the style around his needs and feelings at the time. All of these reasons are part of why Chuck Close is one of Americas most influential artists today. Painted in 1968, Nancy was Chuck Closes second portrait belonging to his heads series. Measuring in at 108 3/8 x 82 1/4 in, Nancy is a black and white portrait painted using acrylic on canvas (Milwaukee Art Museum). It shows a woman from the neck up looking at the viewer with an empty almost emotionless stare. It is rather bland in the fact that there is no real focal point that stands out in the portrait. Instead he centers Nancy on the canvas with no background behind her. Close portrays Nancy with a lot of details. When first looking at it she seems unwelcoming. She has straw-like hair, which is shown unkempt; she has a bit of a cross to her eyes, and a slight snaggletooth. Close shows all of her wrinkles and age lines along with all of her freckles. Nancy does not appear to have any hidden symbols seeing as how it follows the photorealism style. Nancy is a portrait that does not hold anything back. Everything about her face is there for everyone to see. It is incredibly detailed having even the hair follicles on her face being visible. When you look closely it looks like a whole different picture than when you view it from afar. Up close one can become confused as to what they are looking at because of its enormous size. Since all the physical features of the face are so grossly enlarged it is difficult to determine exactly what everything is. Even though Close used a grid system to paint Nancy, just like all of his heads portraits, it is not as if the grid is actually visible to the naked eye (Dantos). He does a good job of smoothing everything out to look fluid. From further away Nancy has all the details seem to take shape together and it is possible to tell it is a portrait of a person. Again because of its colossal size, even when standing afar it is possible to see Nancy is an exceedingly detailed portrait. Chuck Close has done a lot of different types of work in his career but none are as famous as his heads portfolio which stems from his notorious self-portrait (OHagan). Nancy belongs to this famed portfolio and has an interesting background on how it came to be. Close started painting these close up portraits almost by accident when one of his previous projects seemed to be on the verge of failure. It started when Close decided to paint a giant scale 11 by 22 foot nude portrait of a woman rendered from a photograph. As he started to work on it he realized that while it certainly was big in size, it lacked certain flair. In the midst of this he decided to take a picture of himself and start experiment painting that on the same grand scale. His photo was of him from the neck up in a disheveled type of manner. The photo is taken in such a real manner that it seems very uncongenial and unexpressive. He took the photo and divided it up into a grid and from this grid he took the small sect ions of the photograph and one at a time transferred them over to the larger canvas (Gomez). This allowed him to concentrate on depicting all the little details in a large, almost photograph like fashion while still maintaining the big picture effect. The result as previously discussed is a very powerful portrait with a looming presence. From the success of this self portrait, Close then started on a whole collection of these close up portraits. The subjects were himself, his family, and his friends. One of these people was the artist Nancy Graves. One of the things that make Nancy different from some of Closes portraits is that most of Closes subjects were not known before the portraits and gained notoriety after; Nancy Graves however was already in the midst of making a name for herself with her own artwork at the time. He took the photo of her that the portrait was based off in much the same manner as the one he took for his original self-portrait. This means she was sitting there showing almost no expression, seemingly void of all emotions. Taking these kinds of photos requires a certain comfort level with the subject seeing as how they are essentially being shown with all their faults exposed. Robert Storr, an organizing curator for one of his exhibitions, describes the dynamic between Close and his subjects wel l when he says Close has an, extreme intimacy with his subjects which Close, as a portraitist, presumes would be impossible to sustain if the artist were genuinely indifferent to them (Johnson, Learning from Exhibitions: Chuck Close. 34). This might be the reason Close used friends and family with whom he had a strong relationship with, and therefore people who he cared for. Storr goes on to say the corresponding intimacy he establishes between a given sitter, locked in photographic permanence, and the view, who is at liberty to examine his or her every crease and follicle, as if he or she were a laboratory specimen, is predicated on a subdued yet powerful sense of mutuality. (Johnson, Learning from Exhibitions: Chuck Close. 34). Here he reaffirms the notion that his portrait subjects had to feel a sense of connection and trust with Close in order to be viewed by everyone in a kind of vulnerable state. Close has always had certain affection for photography, daguerreotypes in particular, and therefore loved working in this manner of portraits from photographs. Daguerreotypes are early photographs created by using the developing process of Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (Craven 238). The daguerreotype had a huge impact on the world in the 1800s because they brought photography within the reach of the common population. People praised them for the accuracy in which they could represent things. While a very old technique, Close appreciated daguerreotypes and showed this by choosing them to be the things from which he painted from. Close has said Its like holding a book in your lap. When you look at something with a bunch of other people it is a different experience. I just love the object status of a daguerreotype (Beem). This is a viewpoint that visibly carries over into his work. He uses the photographs over actual models because he says the photographs give him something very specific to do that wasnt going to change (Beem). Another major driving force behind using photographs compared to the actual person is that Close suffers from a disease called prosopagnosia. This condition makes him unable to recognize peoples faces. According to him from an interview with Jeffrey Brown, taking the photograph and working from that makes things flatten out for him which allows him to establish it to memory. Close goes on to say that one of the reasons he does portraits of people who are close to him, such as family and friends, is because that is who matters and how he helps himself create their faces in his memory. This fact also goes back to relate to the previously discussed comfort level with his friends and family members as subjects. Close says this is the only way he has found to work around his condition with such detail and prowess. Working in photographs helps him recognize things as they are and create the images as well as portrays the message he wants to pass along. This methodology was common in a lot of his portraits and even underwent some evolution as his career went along. Nancy belongs in his early portraits from photographs in that it is in black and white and still uses the grid system of representing each grid square as an individual portrait that come together as a whole creating a very real almost photo like quality. He later took this method and expanded upon it to include the use of colors, as well as taking the grid system and making each square their own abstract in which they blend together to create a general portrait, almost having a mosaic quality. This has made his later works lose their photographic quality but they still take on a style of their own. This evolution has occurred due to a couple of different reasons but the biggest is due to the fact that he has been partially paralyzed from a spinal artery collapse in 1988, an occurrence in which Close calls The Event (Brown). He now paints using brushes strapped to his wrists but still maintains the same portrait from photograph style with the grid system. While Close himself does not like to classify his works as part of art movements (Brown), a lot of his works, including Nancy, fit into the pop art movement; more specifically the New Realism or photorealism style in the 1960s. The term photorealism was created by Louis K. Meisel in 1969 and became to be known by other names including super-realism, hyper-realism, new realism, and neo-realism. (Meisel 12) While it may have all these different names, the art works are very similar in format. They usually take a photograph of something to capture all of the little details and then recreate a painting of it on a grander scale. The end result is a painting that mimics a photograph but the viewer still views it as a painting. The attraction that brings people to view these paintings has a lot to do with the technical detail and in the way it is painted more than the subject matter itself (Genocchio). This can also lead to the paintings seeming a bit stale and seemingly devoid of life however. Due to the high levels of details in these works, the artist needs a high level of technical prowess to depict everything as it is. Genocchio goes on to compare photorealism to Trompe loeil in that it elicits the same response from people in the way that the painting may not be of the most important or beautiful subject manner, yet the viewers attention is grasped by the technical prowess and tricks it plays on your eyes. Nancy definitely falls into this category seeing as how the painting itself cannot be claimed as beautiful, but it still garners interest due to its realism and bluntness of detail. Another interesting aspect of Nancy, and all of his heads portraits, is the timing of their painting and release to the public. At the time Close, along with many others, thought portraiture was viewed as a bankrupt form, dead in the water (OHagan). Close called them heads for this reason so as not to attach a negative stigma to them. Tim Marlow, a British art historian, has said of Close that he was a main driving force in reinventing portraiture in America (OHagan). These portraits were so different from other things at the time that there was not a correct term in describing them. In this way one could say that Close did succeed in creating a movement by himself which transcends a traditional label such as photorealism. The reason I picked this particular work to write this paper on was because it had a shock value on me when I first saw it. It was interesting how such an unattractive portrait could capture my interest and force me to do a double take. At first glance I thought it was quite grotesque and did not recognize that it was actually a portrait of a real person; I thought it was some distorted idea of an ugly person. In fact as I was standing there more than a couple of people came along and commented on how hideous it seemed, further adding to the mystique. It also got my attention because the incredible detail levels make it seem as if it actually is a photograph instead of just a portrait. As I looked at it more it seemed to emit a sort of aura or presence due to its enormous size. I thought it was one of those painting that you can look at for a long time and still find small little nuances you did not notice before. It also has the ability to play tricks with ones eyes depending on how far away one views it. Up close it does not seem to be much of anything and it is possible to see all the intricacy that went into the portrait as it seems to come together all smooth. When gazed upon from further away one is able to see that it comes into focus and look like a detailed photograph. I went back home and researched Chuck Close, became engrossed by his style and story and therefore determined Nancy was the work I decided to write about. The feeling it gives me is almost unsettling in some regard. It is in such large scale that it almost takes a life of its own. Nancy also amazes me because it makes me think how confident Nancy Graves must have been to have her portrayed in such an unsightly manner with every flaw on showcase for people to see. It is almost as if she is making a statement with Close of that even though the human body is not perfect and can be ugly at times, that it still can be used as an art form. This seems to add an almost mystical quality that is hard to describe. The fact that Close can make something like this portrait and still make it a beautiful because of its detail is absolutely astounding to me. Typically when asked to think of famous portraits it is human nature to think of such greats as DaVincis the Mona Lisa or Gilbert Stuarts Portrait of George Washington. These are portraits which are much more aesthetically pleasing and follow closer to the thought of form that makes up portrait pa inting. While it seems as if no one thinks of Closes portraits in this same beautiful manner, I enjoy how Close makes them well revered and well heralded among art critics and general viewers alike. It makes me think when one takes anything and zooms in enough to expose all the little flaws and it becomes grotesque just as Nancy looks, how even grotesque things can still be subjects of great works of art. The fact that Close works with faces even though he cannot recognize them because of his condition also interests me. Coupling this with his paralysis suffered from the Event, along with him being wheelchair bound makes him a remarkable topic of study. From reading some interviews with him and looking at some of his quotes he seems very driven and passionate about his work which adds to the mystique of not only Nancy, but also his artistic career as a whole. He also seems to be quite the eclectic character and likes to do things his own way. Chuck Close accomplished setting himself apart while painting his heads series, including Nancy. By painting Nancy he created an awe striking portrait that captures the viewers attention. Nancy showcases Closes technical proficiency with all of its details, yet also manages to congeal all the details into one smooth image. Close not only started to set himself apart, but also helped bring photorealism into the mainstream in America with his larger than life portraits. These portraits exude a sort of mystique that is not easily ignored and it is one of the many reasons Close remains one of the most influential painters in the history of American art.