Holistic Cures for Depression essays

Holistic Cures for Depression essays There are more than 14 million Americans on antidepressants. That is one out of every ten people in the United States. Consequently, only twenty five percent of people with depression have access to treatment. Therefore, a holistic approach is one way to handle depression, other than treating with antidepressants. Besides, Antidepressants can have serious side effects including, weight gain, lowering the libido, and can cause manic disorders which can lead to suicide. A lifestyle change is more effective when treating depression than with antidepressants; in fact, depression medications can do more harm than good. Introducing a change in diet is one way to help with depression. Specialists agree that a healthy diet full of good food such as fruits, vegetables, and lean meats, can have mood calming effects. Certain foods can raise the serotonin levels in the brain which help boost mental health. Also, be aware that processed foods can have a negative effect on blood sugar levels. Although caffeine and sugary snacks are a nice treat once in a while, they only give a temporary boost; so why not eat something healthy and mood up lifting instead? Lets not forget, that eating healthy will also keep the weight off. Consequently, a healthier approach is one way to deal with depression. Additionally, exercise is a great tool for reducing depression with positive results. Exercise is a great alternative to antidepressants, and there are no side effects. Research shows, that like medication, exercise gives the same biochemical change with no adverse side effects. Dopamine, a brain chemical released during exercise, can have the same effect as an antidepressant. In addition, there really is no downside to exercising and it has great benefits; in fact, studies show that being active can give your brain the boost it needs to fight depression. Another big plus to exercise is the desired boost to the libido. It is a well-known fact; exe...

The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay Example

The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay Example The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay The Evolution of Circus Industry Essay In the early 1980’s the attractiveness of the circus industry seem to be saturated. The industry structure was not stable, being in long-term decline by alternative various type of entertainment, changes of the preference of customers, uprising concerns of animal rights and diminishing clowns in value, which they are the critical elements used by traditional players in the industry. It all brought in decreasing audience and increasing costs by accelerating competition and changing environmental factors. The traditional circus industries also had to compete with numerous competitors through similar performance and non-differentiated performance players in saturation. The traditional circus business has faced the difficult situation with a steady decreased audience and declining both revenue and profit. The limited to expand this industry is according to the five forces analysis, even though the barrier to entry to circus industry is high because of high capital requirement in performers, equipment, workforce, etc. but, the industry suffering from the alternative form of entertainment such as sports event, home industry, and play station. Also, rivalry among firms is high; they have to compete with other entertainment businesses such as theatre, opera, and Broadway. Moreover, the competition is not a price competition but it is based on attracting customers so with the low products differentiation in typical circus industry – clown, animals, and performance lead to a strong buyer power. Thus, the existing circus industry appeared unattractive Cirque de Soleil very successfully entered to an unattractive circus industry by reinvent the industry and creates a new market space. In this case, they did not target the existing market such as children, but they target non-customers of the industry; adults and corporate clients who pay for this entertainment experiences. Also, they invest a lot in equipment in order to raise the venues from a typical circus tent to glamorous venues. Moreover, Cirque de Soleil has succeeded to provide customers with entirely new performances by taking existing acts and compiling them to the thematic line represent a mixture of the arts among circus, opera, and theatre. In addition, unlike traditional circus, the company has multiple productions; shows have distinctive themes allowing people to see Le Cirque several times. Furthermore, they mainly eliminating the biggest name acts and replace by individual performers who essentially anonymous to the audience and the complete absence of the animal shows. They reduce fun experience from the show of clown with garish face paint and an oversize shoe to the sophisticated entertainment with costumes and music. Additionally, they reduce the concessions from their show; nothing is sold during the performance or inside the tent. Finally, these lead to a whole new circus concept with an increase demand to come to circus instead of other entertainment such as theatre, opera, or Broadway. For a while, the company has no competitors and takes dominant advantage to gain high profits. Cirque de Soleil’s performance features itself the unique performance and market is completely new and quite impossible to denote the industry between theater and circus; it is hard to duplicate and results in setting high the entrant barrier to the market. Cirque shows the powerful bargain power as a market leader, so the company would be able to attain the high price. Despite the high price of tickets, the company always drew a large house with high quality performance. It is the most important for goals to pursuit of differentiation and low cost simultaneously because a blue ocean affects both its cost structure and its value proposition to buyers. Cirque de Soleil is the exemplary to show a blue ocean strategy because they looked across the market boundaries to alternatives to the circus. What Cirque de Soleil have done are increased values for the target customers while decreasing their own cost by eliminating unimportant attributes, reduce high expenditure, create the new market segments; new target customers, and then raise the quality of product. By conducting the five forces analysis, companies are able to set up innovative strategies and it brings to implement great performances; it all is on the way of the summit, otherwise the industries will be disappeared beyond the histories.

Engagement Strategy Presentation and Outline Research Paper

Engagement Strategy Presentation and Outline - Research Paper Example Employees are highly affected by the changes that take place within an organization including all kinds of mergers, acquisitions or takeover, management changes etc. the negative effects of these make the employees less engaged as well as de motivated and as a result, the employees become less dedicated and less satisfied and this is reflected in their work and performance. Therefore, it is extremely important for organizations to keep their staff motivated because a de motivated staff will affect the employees` performance as well as the performance of the entire organization. In order to increase staff morale and make them for satisfied, the human resource department should adopt strategies to boost staff morale and as a result, improve their performance. Employee engagement is usually low when a firm merges with another firm and there is some kind of a change in the management positions or styles. Similarly, the merge of the consulting firm with a software development agency results in low morale, low performance as well as high unrest. Employees should be given clear instructions and should be informed about the company`s mission for the future. As senior human resource leaders, it is our responsibility to introduce measures through which staff morale and performance could be restored. It is also extremely important to introduce equal policies and practices for both the new as well as old employees to deter future conflicts. Therefore, we propose the following engagement plans and strategies to help build the morale of old as well as new employees. The incentive theory of motivation includes that incentives should be given to the employees including both monetary and non-monetary rewards. These compensation strategies are in compliance with the expectancy theory which states that for a specific task given to the employees, they will exercise a certain amount of effort with the perceived level of compensation they will receive. If employees expect a greater

Other Foundations' of Catholic Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Other Foundations' of Catholic Theology - Essay Example My Experience at the Celebration of a Catholic Liturgy In the Catholic Church, liturgy is understood as the official common prayers of the Church. Liturgy is meant to continue the priestly office of Jesus Christ (Pious XII, Mediator Dei). Understood in this sense, liturgy therefore is the official prayers of the Church that is meant to unite the believers, through Jesus Christ, to God, the creator. In the Catholic Church, there are many forms of prayers that are considered as Liturgy. One of the most common and important Liturgy in the Catholic Church is the celebration of the Eucharist. In this paper, I am going to describe my experiences at the celebration of Eucharist. In the description of my experiences at the celebration of Eucharist, I have focused on my experiences of the participant’s interaction, how I experienced the presence of Jesus Christ in the liturgical actions, how I experienced Liturgy as a teaching action, and how my experiences drew me closer to the commun ity with whom I celebrated the Eucharist. On the interaction among the participants of the Eucharistic celebration liturgy, I experienced that there was a close interaction among all the participants of the liturgical celebration. ... Among them, there are choir members who lead the congregation in hymns. Also, there are those who read/proclaim the word, but the Gospel is proclaimed by the priest. But although, there are different roles played by the members of the congregation in the celebration of the Eucharist, the liturgical celebration, however, runs harmoniously and all the members participate keenly in each and every aspect of the celebration of the liturgy; while the priest leads in the celebration of the liturgy, the other members of the congregation participate in the mass keenly and lively and they make some responses where necessarily. In summary, all the participants in the Eucharistic liturgy relate closely and harmoniously in the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy. In the celebration of the Eucharist, I experienced the presence of Jesus Christ in various ways. First, in the rite of the priest blessing the congregation with the holy water at the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration made me ex perience a lot of joy and inner peace as the mass started. Secondly, during the proclamation of the word, I felt deeply touched by the word of God. The word of God challenged me, inspired me and encouraged me to be more committed in my Christian life. Also, the preaching of the priest made me experience the presence of Jesus Christ more and more. The preaching of the priest made me understand the content of the word of God more. Then, the Consecration of the bread and wine into body and blood and Jesus Christ made me experience the presence of Jesus Christ more deeply. Again, the receiving of the Holy Eucharist made me to experience the presence of Jesus Christ more deeply. Apart from the prayers in the Eucharist that made me to experience the presence

Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job - Essay Example One of the most important consequences of saying ‘Good Job!’ to a child constantly, Kohn argues, is that it reduces the child’s real achievement. â€Å"As if it weren’t bad enough that ‘Good job!’ can undermine independence, pleasure, and interest, it can also interfere with how good a job children actually do. Researchers keep finding that kids who are praised for doing well at a creative task tend to stumble at the next task – and they don’t do as well as children who weren’t praised to begin with.† (Kohn) In a reflective analysis of this argument made by Kohn, it becomes evident that the author is highly sensible in making this point, because practical experience as well as research evidences supports his claim. One must agree with the author that it is time to stop praising children by saying ‘Good Job!’ because it creates pressure to the youngsters to keep up the good work. It is unquestionable fact that ‘Good job!’ often ignores the thoughts, feelings, and values behind the behaviors of human beings and it unfortunately promotes the less desirable motives in the child.

Literacies for Learning Essay Example for Free

Literacies for Learning Essay The necessity for educational institutions to equip students with the skills to cope in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse and globalised 21st century society, has led academics, such as the New London Group, to encourage educators to acknowledge the various literacy forms utilised in the new millennium (The New London Group, 1996) and to adopt a pedagogy of multiliteracies. This essay will explore the components of a pedagogy of multiliteracies and identify the transformations needed for the successful implementation of multiliteracies into educational practice. Likewise, the notion of language as a social practice which influences teaching content and assessment practices in secondary education will be examined, as will the use of multiliteracies in the teaching of the Mathematics curriculum. To understand the role of multiliteracies in pedagogy theory development, it is important to define the term literacy. Literacy is an evolving term that refers to an individual’s ability to construct and comprehend meaning via the accepted symbol systems of one’s country or language group (Winch, Johnston, March, Ljungdahl, Holliday, 2010). These symbol systems include written and spoken language and visual information such as icons and other graphical information. While literacy was traditionally viewed as a cognitive process with a focus on reading, writing and numeracy identification, in recent years its definition has become broadened to encompass the burgeoning text types being generated via multimedia and information technology (Winch et al., 2010). These electronic text types have quickly established themselves as integral components of a diverse range of 21st century vocations and social interactions (Tan, 2006).  A pedagogy of multiliteracies encompasses multimedia and digital text forms as well as traditional written and spoken texts. Likewise, the central role of literacy in a diverse range of knowledge domains and vocations has resulted in educators being encouraged to view literacy as a vital skill underpinning successful teaching and learning in all curriculum areas. The New London Group (1996) viewed the role of design as an ever changing paradigm of three stage teaching and learning processes. The first step, ‘Available Designs’ is determining what resources are available. These resources include texts, symbols, audio and visual resources. The second step is ‘Designing’ which takes these ‘Available Designs’ and places them within a social context, such as the classroom or learning environment, and is facilitated by an individual such as a teacher. This step creates an output with new meaning for both the learning environment and facilitator. This knowledge or new meaning is known as ‘Redesign’ (The New London Group, 1996). Literacy is a social practice that is not just taught in secondary schools, it is something which is part of each individual’s everyday life. According to Anstey Bull (2000), the way in which an individual may read the world will be strongly linked to the contexts of their own life. The NSW Department of Education and Training (2006) maintains that literacy is a skill that continues to grow and develop and is fundamental to students’ success at school as well as for the rest of their life. For literacy to be successful in schools, it is planned in collaboration with parents and teachers. This collaborative approach reinforces that literacy is inherently a social practice. This approach must include a range of social influences and practices, in order to increase student’s knowledge and skill in the real world for real purposes (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006). As literacy development is undoubtedly a whole school and community approach, it is essential that a multiliteracies pedagogy, be utilised in the teaching of all curriculum areas. The impact of societal and cultural change is clearly reflected in the mathematics curriculum through the use of digital technologies such as graphical programs and spreadsheets. This use of technology provides numerous opportunities for the teaching of multiliteracies. Through explicit teaching and learning  experiences of digital texts, students are provided with the skills to successfully navigate and comprehend information communicated digitally. These skills can be acquired through students being provided with opportunities to access information via Internet websites. Likewise, students can use information technology to construct their own texts, thus allowing them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. This may be achieved by encouraging students to construct texts through the use of software programs such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Visio, both of which allow students to communicate information graphically. These digital mediums allow students to acquire skills which will assist them in acquiring real world skills which they can utilise to gain and construct meaning, both in and out of the classroom. (Winch et al., 2010). Technology is an essential part of the transformations taking place in the social, political, cultural and economic spheres of contemporary society (Groundwater- Smith, Brennan, McFadden, Mitchell and Munns, 2009). Secondary school teachers need to prepare students with the skills necessary for life in a rapidly changing, technological world. In order to equip students with these skills, teachers must possess deep knowledge of relevant technologies (Treadwell, 2008). The Mathematics curriculum includes teaching of: statistics, probability, algebra, financial concepts, economics, technology, measurement and trigonometry. These strands include skills applicable to an individual’s school/work life, social life and personal life. Mathematics content areas, focus on aspects of society, reform, technology and life skills. It is important for teachers to link the social practice of literacy with the factors of a pedagogy of multiliteracies to create the best teaching environment they can (The New London Group, 1996). Walsh (2006) cites an example of successfully teaching his students literacy practices, through social relationships. Students worked in groups and were able to demonstrate specific social language structures. They were able to â€Å"enact, recognise and negotiate† in a social environment (The New London Group, 1996, p. 3) by design and re-design of Internet web pages. The created web pages were diverse, with each student using their own discourse to create what they believed the web page should contain. Prior to using multi-modal and digital literacy mediums in their teaching, it is essential that teachers be aware of cognitive and language factors in learning. The  ability to use multimodal learning, digital literacies and genres specific to each curriculum area must be carefully planned by the teacher. According to Winch et al., (2010) a multiliteracy pedagogy involves developing the ability to use language purposefully and skillfully in a range of social settings, rather than learning isolated segments of knowledge such as grammar conventions and spelling. Multiliteracy includes the use and creation of multimodal and multimedia texts (Winch et al., 2010). Multiliteracy seeks to address the rapid changes in literacy brought about by globalisation, cultural and social diversity and information technology (Winch et al., 2010). In response to these societal changes, The New London Group (1996), questioned the role of schools and outlined a need for change in literacy teaching due to key changes in three areas of life: working life, public life and personal life (life worlds). Central to these changes, was the need for schools to integrate learning with life experiences that students have both in and out of the classroom. â€Å"As these three major realms of social activity have shifted, so the roles and responsibilities of schools must shift† (The New London Group, 1996, p.18). The New London Group advocated for a change in the way, education was delivered, by enhancing the existing structures and overlaying with a new â€Å"what† and â€Å"how† of literacy teaching (The New London Group, 1996). The ‘how’ of pedagogy comes from a view of how learning is acquired, embedded and utilised. The New London Group (1996) proposed that a pedagogy of multiliteracies is a complex blend of four methods of design. The first is Situated Practice which involves learning by creating meaningful learning experiences that allow students be in an environment where the learning replicates the social use of what is being learnt. It is an environment where risks can be taken and ‘trial and error’ is used to gain mastery of skills or knowledge. It should be used â€Å"developmentally, to guide learners to the experiences and the assistance they need to develop further as members of the community, capable of drawing on, and ultimately contributing to, the full range of it’s resources.† (The New London Group, 1996, p. 33). Situated Practice should be designed to motivate students to want to know, and engage students in their learning in a safe environment . Assessment or evaluation is not considered part of Situated Practice. Overt Instruction is the second method of how a pedagogy of mulitliteracies is  implemented.  This involves teachers guiding and using effective teaching techniques such as scaffolding or explicit instruction to build student’s knowledge and confidence. Examination of the current secondary school’s Mathematics curriculum, (NSW department of Education and Training, 2010) reveals many opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate and engage in dialogue related to mathematical concepts which will guide and provide a scaffold for student learning. For example, the teacher makes links with prior learning, through asking open questions to the group, and uses multi-modal methods such as mathematical symbols, diagrams, charts and pictures to add to the learning. With each progression of new learning in the lesson, the teacher labels a new part of the diagram. Overt Instruction â€Å".includes centrally the sorts of collaborative efforts between teacher and student wherein the student is both allowed to accomplish a task more complex than they can accompli sh on their own and they are conscious of the teacher’s representation and interpretation of that task.† (The New London Group (1996, p. 20). Thirdly, Critical Framing focuses on the â€Å"how† of a pedagogy of multiliteracies, through the use and application of real world knowledge. This method is where assessment and evaluation of one’s self understanding can begin in relation to cultural, social, political and historical influences on what has been learned (New London Group, 1996). Teachers are able to encourage students to apply their learning in a practical sense and assess the transfer of student’s knowledge or skill. This knowledge is based on what they have previously learned, and requires students to â€Å"constructively critique it, account for its cultural location; creatively extend and apply it and eventually innovate own† and strengthen their ability to demonstrate what they have learned (The New London Group, 1996, p. 37). A mathematical example of this process is the conversion of degrees to radians. Its real life use is the calculation of the speed of a piece of machin ery. This calculation includes the formula in terms of radians rather than degrees. Finally, Transformed Practice is â€Å"where we try and re-enact a discourse by engaging in it for our real purposes† (The New London Group, 1996, p. 36).  Students need to think and learn outside their own discourse and think about how they can re-create their meaning, linking their own discourses to understand what they have learned. An example of this practice was where students were asked to plan and present a lesson including a Wiki activity and a Prezi (presentation tool) that teaches the concepts from a previous mathematics lesson. In groups, students collaboratively utilised the Internet to research topics, and create: work sheets for others to complete, interactive wiki activities, team tasks, and their own YouTube clips. The lesson included the use and creation of multimodal texts and scaffolding of existing knowledge. Students developed new knowledge through authentic multimodal texts such as image, sound, video and written text (Tan, 2006). Gunning (2002) explores the impact of reading and writing difficulties in a social stance, and highlights that poor instructions given by teachers can contribute to a student’s difficulties. Gunning’s (2002) observations and research serve as a reminder that teachers must be sure to provide the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of multiliteracies, to ensure each student has the opportunity to progress. Teachers need to evaluate their current practice and identify the text types typically used in the Mathematics content areas and consider the social needs and teaching strategies that will develop student’s literacy skills (Goos, Stillman., Vale, 2007). In a mathematics lesson, students were introduced to the ‘Simpson’s rule’ formula. The lesson’s aim was for students to measure the area beneath a real life object, gain an understanding of what is needed to complete the formula and how the variables are calculated. Students were required to work collaboratively in pairs, discussing various ways in which measurements were taken in order to obtain an accurate result in working out the area of the object. Likewise, students were required to engage in higher order thinking, in order to formulate possible solutions to the dilemma. These experiences provided students with the opportunity to be inclusive in their learning, and consolidate their understanding of key concepts that are relevant to the lesson goals (Prain Hand, 1999). Teacher observations and questioning during group work, guided the student’s discussions, with the teacher embracing a teaching style where multiliteracies were used. The New London Group (1996) have profoundly impacted on teaching practices, literacy research, policy curriculum and pedagogy (Mills, 2006). Gee (1991) explores  social literacy and the impact of a student’s discourse that are established outside the classroom, from their social group, fa mily and cultural ties. Their view of literacy as social practice and their emphasis on incorporating the rapidly increasing number of electronic and multimodal text types in 21st century society into teaching practice represents a clear break away from the single dimensional teaching of literacy. However, for multiliteracies such as digital literacies, multimodal resources and ICT to provide best learning for students, teachers must be prepared to embrace the view that literacy is a social practice and and an essential skill underpinning all curriculum areas. Teachers also need to recognise that each lesson they teach to students provides the opportunity to develop the student’s literacy skills. In order to facilitate this change in pedagogical ideology, teachers must be prepared to evaluate their current teaching practice and adopt a more holistic approach to developing literacy skills in their students. As a consequence, students should be exposed to participative learning experiences with re al life learning outcomes. References Anstey, M., Bull, G. (2000). Developing multiple and critical readings of text. Reading the visual: Written and illustrated children’s literature (pp. 201-214). Sydney: Harcourt. Gee, J. (1991) What is literacy? In C.Mitchell K. Weiler (Eds.), Rewriting literacy. New York: Bergin Garvey Goos, M. Stillman, G. Vale,C. (2007). Teaching secondary mathematics. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen Unwin. Gunning, T. (2002). Factors involved in reading and writing difficulties. Assessing and correcting reading and writing difficulties (2nd ed., pp. 26-62). Sydney: Allyn Bacon. Mills, K. (2006). Discovering design possibilities through a pedagogy of multiliteracies. Journal of Leading Design, 1(3), 61-72 NSW Department of Education and Training. (2010). NSW Department of Education and Training. (2007). Literacy K-12 Policy Retrieved from https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/literacy/PD20050288.shtml?query=literacy+policy New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2006). State literacy plan 2006-2008: Equitable literacy achievements for all students. Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupprt.education.nsw.gov.au/policies/literacy/guidelinies/plan/index.htm Prain Hand (1999) Tan, L. (2006). Literacy for the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://iresearch.osprey.url3.net/iresearch/slot/u110/litreviews/literacy4_21st_century.pdf The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. In B.Cope M. Klantzis (Eds.), Multiliteracies, literacy learning and the design of social futures (pp. 9-37). London: Macmillan. Walsh, C. (2006). Beyond the workshop. Doing multiliteracies with adolescents. English in Australia, 41(3), 49-58 Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and childrens literature (4th ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press Cope, Bill and Mary Kalantzis (eds), Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures, Routledge, London, 2000, 350pp. | link

Crusader Castles: A Medieval Culmination :: miscellaneous

Crusader Castles: A Medieval Culmination King Edward I of England made a number of military campaigns during his reign, in two of which he captured modern-day Wales. In order to hold his gains he built a series of castles, which are said to still be some of the world’s greatest strongholds. But, over 3500 kilometres away a period of fascinating castle building took place prior to Edward’s as a result of the crusades. These constructions were designed by absorbing the constructive wisdom of the crusaders and those they came into contact with. The crusader castles were built faster, larger, and stronger, to create what are without a doubt, the world’s greatest strongholds. The crusaders designed their castles to provide the essentials needed for survival while developing design techniques capable of turning a castle into a stronghold that were mimicked throughout the medieval world. Once their castles were designed the crusaders displayed a construction ability and ingenuity that turned the designs into r eality, taking any material they could obtain and use it to create anything they needed. So successful was their construction that attacking forces of incredibly larger numbers were needed to capture only a select few of the castles over a hundred year period, and often the circumstances of capture were not a fault of design but an unfortunate twist of fate. Through design, construction, and history, a picture emerges of a pioneering period of military construction that was never matched. The design of a castle is most certainly the greatest factor in its defensive capabilities, and many of the innovations credited to the development of the castle finds itself in the history of the crusades. The most significant development is the concentric castle; this is the concept in which the inner walls are able to fire over the outer walls, either because of close proximity or size. In this manner the maximum amount of firepower can be directed at any one point. Belvoir (See Fig. 1 in appendix) is not only a perfect concentric castle but is also the first datable one (circa 1168). The outer wall was built with flanking towers and towers enforcing the centre of each wall span, with the exception of the gatehouse wall. This wall encloses an area of 130 x 100 meters1, making it one of the largest enclosure castles, it also encloses two further walls, the first of which has only one tower because of its close proximity to the outer wall, the inner wall is built with flanking towers to support the middle bailey.