Gross Domestic Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gross Domestic Product - Essay Example The results and data concerning the growth of GDP come along with major influences on decisions made by both private and public policy makers and economists. GDP is based on survey and approximations of data collected over specified a duration (Ang et al. 2006). Quarterly and annual GDP approximates are extrapolated from economic survey and census data recorded from economic sectors like manufacture shipments, housing rates, and retail sales. GDP is a measure of the flow of services and goods produced within the economy market; these are products and services traded for cash. Although some non-market products are included in the data used to compute the GDP, numerous vital bits of data undergo omission from the census data used to compute GDP. Some of the vital information data include countries expenses in bettering healthcare, expenses of combating rising crime and emergency housing due to unforeseen occurrences among others. Such omissions weaken the reliability of GDP as an indic ator of progress (Islam & Clarke 2002). Information and expectations about the growth of gross development product come along with great influence notably echoed by numerous influential and interest groups. Developing countries tend to lay too much trust in the results of GDP as a reflector of their economic and social well fare (Kubiszewski et al. 2013). Since 1960, scores of scholars have expressed negative sentiments on the use of interpretations computed from the calculation of GDP as a proxy for social wellbeing. Since the creation of GDP, respectable economists have stressed that GDP is a measure of the activity of the economy and not the economy’s wellbeing. Scholars have further cautioned against the equation of GDP with social well-being and economic growth.  

Analysis of Becoming Native by J. Lockwood Essay

Analysis of Becoming Native by J. Lockwood - Essay Example Lockwood is suggesting that is part of human nature to avoid change and generally fear situations or ideas that are unfamiliar or unknown. This is the first part of living backward where people tend to revert back to what they feel comfortable with rather than embracing new ideas, thoughts, or people. This is part of being held hostage to the past that is based in inherent biology rather than being more flexible and adaptive to changing surroundings. Lockwood compares this attitude to a type of xenophobia in his essay, suggesting that there has always been a â€Å"fear and loathing of foreigners† all throughout history (Lockwood, 140). He compares situations throughout history that reinforce this fear against foreign or alien peoples. He informs the reader that Irish people were treated poorly as well as Chinese immigrants, showing again how difficult it is to overcome this inherent fear of strange peoples and avoid flexible changes in society. Lockwood further reinforces how this type of attitude is even present in government leadership by describing a conflict between himself (as an expert) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Lockwood was attempting to warn the agency that there would be significant problems if the agency continued about its naturalistic activities, such as his concern over different diseases and wasps being introduced into native lands. The department argued with him about the potential for this type of natural situation, not because he is not an expert but rather because their value system was much like living backwards. The department offered, â€Å"†¦it is our contention that one factor that contributes to species pest status is inefficiency of the native biological control agents†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lockwood, 41). What the author is illustrating is that even government figures are unwilling to see beyond what they have already established as the truth, much like a fixed and rigid schema of thinking. Rather than accepting the advice of Lockwood, the agency uses its power and control to force compliance by Lockwood to simply accept their judgment despite his expert opinion and knowledge. The scientists involved in this particular conflict, Lockwood believed, are not taking a more active role as â€Å"cosmopolitan educators† (Lockwood, 141) and therefore the importance of a particular place is not being expressed properly. He seems to believe that the government agencies would have a much better sense of place at the psychological level with this type of support from the scientific community. Lockwood also describes the idea of who came first when describing the value or importance of native peoples. Lockwood believes that there is a juvenile attitude with a â€Å"finders keepers approach to the world† (Lockwood, 142). He believes that people in society tend to always look behind them in an effort to define who they are today and therefore become locked into thinking about previous struggles for land domination such as Eastern European history. In many ways, the author is suggesting that people are becoming too locked into historical records, none of which could ever be undone, and miss opportunities for expanding knowledge, culture and creativity in this process. This coincides with the concepts discussed by Lockwood about an inflexibility in society that is in-bred where people simply want to reject change and the unknown. When it comes to determining whether the right self-classification is indigenous or native, Lockwood suggests instead to think about

Stanislavski Essay Example for Free

Stanislavski Essay * Realistic theatre has been dominant for the past 100 years, on cinema and stage. * The idea is to create believable characters and situations and t=give the illusion of real life * It makes the audience believe what they see/hear and become involved in the play * This style evolved during the twentieth century, moving to selective realism (focus on particular characters and events) and magical realism (similar to realism but with magical/supernatural elements involved). * The movement of realism in theatre began in the 19th century to move away from melodrama. Stanislavski started this through he creation of his own theatre company. * Born in Moscow 17th Jan 1863 * Well educated as a child and often went to the opera and theatre. Took his name as Stanislavski in a amateur theatre in 1885 * Joined a group and directed/acted in plays, did not enjoy melodrama as much * He met with a successful playwright to discuss ways of changing theatre and as a result the Moscow arts theatre was created. * Its production were famous and a success. * In 1906, Stanislavski also began to develop a system to train actors, in 1912 set up a studio to experiment with these techniques and continued this for the rest of his life. * The Moscow arts theatre toured Europe and Stanislavski work was known worldwide. * He suffered a heart attack while acting and gave up acting, instead focusing on training actors and writing books on his techniques. * He died in Moscow on 7th august 1938. Most influential director developed a whole style of staging and acting that worked. * He experimented with himself and actors to develop his work and performers. Teaching them to observe and exercise their creativity. * â€Å"Theatre of living experience†- actors had to believe everything happening on stage and what they were doing. Actors needed to have self-control and intensive training. * Aims of the techniques were all the same: develop creative intelligence, complete self-discipline, control over their voice, diction and physical movement and experience and create human emotions. * Insisted that the actors made their own techniques too * He was extremely dedicated and demanded the same of his actors, made them repeat scenes if they were not real enough. * Had integrity and was willing to accept ideas and techniques but only did what he believed in. * Refused to do propaganda plays, even if it meant death. However he was rewarded, as they believed his almost scientific experimenting fitted with communist theory. He was honoured well I his own country. Grotowski * Transformation: mixture of realism, surrealism and ideological theatre. Actors transform themselves and the space representing not just characters but the entire context of the play: location, sound, and the whole world of drama. Actors transform the imagination of the audience by changing themselves on stage. * Experimented with Artaud’s techniques, shock and mesmerise the audience and Brecht’s epic theatre, strong political and social messages through narration, actors changing orles and simple objects to signify sets and locations. * Born in Poland. Setup a theatre in 1959 to study the way theatre worked, experimenting with staging and acting. * Through 1960s and 70s the company had brief tours overseas making his theatre and techniques world famous. In 1976 he moved away from acting and directing and worked with small groups to develop self-awareness and self-realisation using his techniques. * Even though he moved away from mainstream theatre, his contribution has been enormous and his training techniques and the most demanding and intensive. He also revolutionised directing and staging. * Grotowski always knew that theatre could not compete with v and films complex technical equipment. He eliminated these from his theatre and created a theatre of poverty where the important elements were the actors themselves and their relationship with the audience. * To make the relationship more intense, he abandoned traditional theatre building style and stage his plays in old buildings with small audiences. The actors and audience had to share the space. * He aimed to do what v and film could not and that was to bring the audience face-to-face with living characters and live action. He directed the plays so that the actors were all around the audience and sometimes in their personal space. * There was failure in trying the physically involve the audience. Instead he arranged the space to make the audience completely involved as possible. * The plays he directed dealt with important issues and in many of the productions, the protagonist was a Christ-like figure, tormented and crucified. He made the audience confronted with terrible questions. He said that the spectators of his show were researching for the truth about themselves and their purpose in life. * Often he would direct plays just to test out his new techniques.

Perfume by Patrick Suskind Analysis

Perfume by Patrick Suskind Analysis The novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind explores deep into raw human emotions, such as love, hate, and death. By doing so, the novel purposes a universal question that supports numerous themes in the novel. The universal question: are human beings ever extremely detached and cruelly inhuman? is examined throughout the novel with many themes such as the importance of childhood, the hatred for humanity, and the power of scent. With these themes in mind, the question is further analyzed and answered. Madame Gaillard, who was brain-damaged by a blow from her father in her childhood, is entirely incapable of emotion. She is also unable to smell anything, so Grenouilles lack of personal scent does not bother her. Thus she raised him for years, and with her as a role model, Grenouille did not have much chance to be capable of normal human emotions such as having concern for other human beings. Already hampered by the horrors of his birth, his strange fascination with his sense of smell, and his regrettable looks, he was not cared for with any kind of love or affection. This is explained when a past wet nurse says This baby makes my flesh creep because it doesn`t smell the way children ought to smell, (Suskind 11). His basic needs were taken care of (as if he were a domestic animal), and Madame Gaillard gave him away as an apprentice to Grimal because the parish stopped paying for his room and board. Therefore, Grenouille was never taught that he was a valuable human being, and theref ore his psychotic tendencies were magnified. Grimal the tanner also treats Grenouille no better than a domestic animal. The tanner locks Grenouille in a closet to make sure that he doesnt run away. While Grimal does not actively try to hurt Grenouille, he does not treat him much like a human being either. This is shown when Suskind narrates the following By evening his clothes were dripping wet and his skin was cold and swollen. After one year of an existence more animal than human, he contracted anthrax, (Suskind 31). The tanner also seems to feel no regret over how he treats Grenouille. This is shown when Suskind explains He was no longer locked in at bed time. His food was more adequate. Grimal no longer kept him as just any animal, but as a useful house pet, (Suskind 32). In consequence to the fact that Grenouille was not treated as a human being, he began to become less attached to society. When Baldini is willing to take him off of Grimals hands (for a good price), Grimal coul dn`t wait to get rid of Grenouille and send him off to Baldini. Baldini treats Grenouille only as a source for perfume invention, and he feels extremely uncomfortable in the presence of the young man, yet he is too concerned with appearances to treat Grenouille cruelly when Suskind states Baldini was shocked of the magnificent scent, and realized he had to be firm on Grenouille in order to get full results, (Suskind 85). All of these factors diffidently contribute to a persons personality when they reach adulthood. Grenouille as an adult progressively becomes extremely detached from society because of his neglected childhood. As a result of the characters: Madame Gaillard, Grimal, and Baldini, the protagonist Grenouille forced upon characteristics by how they treated Grenouille during the course of the novel. Due to these characteristics, they allowed the protagonist to become a very detached and inhuman individual. In addition, these characters also nurtured the protagonist to have hatred for humanity, which is another rising theme in the text. Grenouilles hatred of humanity, while not surprising (considering his upbringing and early adulthood), is so complete that he retreats to the farthest point he can to get away from the smell of human beings. This takes the form of a seven-year hermitage on the top of a volcano in the Massif Centrale in what amounts to solitary confinement. This is shown when Suskind clarifies He had withdrawn from society for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself, (Suskind 123). He retreats so far into himself that the only thing that matters to him is his own very pathological fantasy life. To call this a hatred of humanity is an understatement; Grenouille tries to be the only person in his world. Once Grenouille has concocted his ultimate scent, which is the scent that inspires love from all other human beings, Grenouille finds that he has no use for this love. It doesnt fulfill him. Since he has no more places to explore Grenouille is ready to die the author describes He had experi enced that life once and it had proved unliveable, (Suskind 251). Nothing in this world other than the pursuit of scent has any attraction for him; no human being holds any interest or love for him (or he for any of them other than scents to collect), so he decides to die. Thus substantiates that the character Grenouille is a perfect example of a human that has become detached from society and inhuman. His final rejection of humanity and life goes beyond a hatred for human beings and extends to himself. Grenouille is perchance the perfect pessimist. This novel takes as a premise that scent controls a large portion of human behaviour, usually on an unconscious level. It is important to note this evidence, for the entire internal plot turns on this idea. It is not only his supernatural sense of smell that is the focus of Grenouilles life, but the idea that humans scents are integral to their humanity. Grenouille is subhuman, both in his own mind and, at least unconsciously, in the minds of others because he has no personal odour. When he discovers this personal characteristic in his hideout in the Massif Centrale, he is shocked and somewhat horrified Suskind clarifies Grenouille needed a long time to believe what he was smelling, (Suskind 121). He has never met another human being with no smell; that he cannot smell himself, despite his marvellous nose, seems monstrous to himdemonstrating why he seems monstrous to everyone else. This shows a factor as little as scent can have a huge role in whether or not a person will be disconne cted from society. Grenouille suffered inflictions with his lack of scent, and has contributed to the protagonists downfall. Grenouilles collapse occurred when the character decided that there was nothing more to live for. In June 1766, Grenouille arrives in the city of Paris. Grenouille goes to the Cimitià ¨re des Innocents and waits for nightfall. A ruffian-looking group gathered around a small bomb fire; they are mostly murderers and criminals. Grenouille comes to their bomb fire and immediately covers himself with the entire contents of the bottle of the exquisite perfume. In short order the mob surrounds Grenouille, tears him to pieces, and eats him alive. The cannibals feel incredibly happy, if a bit embarrassed, when Suskind explains For the first time they had done something out of love (Suskind 255). In any case, Suskinds novel Perfume is much more than a spine-chilling tale of a murderer. It is visibly shown that Perfume goes further into the subject of humanity by exploring the universal question: are human beings ever this detached and cruelly inhuman? In Addition, the novel explores this concept with the many themes depicted in the novel such as the search for acceptance, the hatred for humanity, and the sovereignty of scent. Through these themes and the knowledge from the novel, perfume explains that human beings can, in fact be detached form society and very inhuman, and can be clearly shown through the character of Grenouille.

Analysis of The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein Essay

Analysis of The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein â€Å"The Lost Children of Wilder† is a book about how the foster care system failed to give children of color the facilities that would help them lead a somewhat normal and protected life. The story of Shirley Wilder is a sad one once you find out what kind of life she had to live when she was a young girl. Having no mother and rejected by her father she has become a troubled girl. Shirley Wilder was rejected from foster care because she was black. The system failed to place children of color into these homes because they weren’t white, Catholic, or Jewish. I cannot even believe that this went on years ago. Just because you are of a different race meant that you could not benefit from the system. This is absolutely ridiculous that children could not get the proper care and supervision that they needed. One example of race discrimination is of a girl from my town. She was not able to go to our local swim club because she was black. I know this has nothing to do with foster care but both of her parents died and she was adopted by a white family whom she babysat for. They wanted to take her to the swim club but she was rejected because she was black. She sued the club and was awarded $200,000. I think she was lucky to have gotten the money but nothing can undo what it feels like to be discriminated against. â€Å"Under New York’s Family Court Act, treatment was the legal justification for taking troubled children in...

Antidepressants :: Drugs Depression Essays

Antidepressants Antidepressants should be taken off the market. Depression is simply a condition of the mind. Events that take place in ones life can bring upon a depressive episode. With the variety of people in the world, there comes a variety of ways in which people cope with things. Some people can cope with depression, when in turn, people that are emotionally unstable, cannot. With all of the antidepressants on the market today, people are becoming dependent on these drugs that virtually ?mess with their heads? rather than ?clear their minds?. In the past, people dealt with depression without these ?happy pills? and did just fine coping and recuperating. Everyone gets depressed at some point in his or her lives; it?s part of our human nature. These so-called ?wonder drugs? may help in some aspects of the depressed person, but overall Prozac and its chemical cousins are nothing but problem pills. Antidepressants should be taken off of the market. Doctors overly prescribe antidepressants to patients that don?t even need these drugs. That is one of the main problems with antidepressants. A person could walk into a doctor?s office, announce that he or she has been feeling down, and could walk out with a prescription for Zoloft. All doctors should more strictly enforce the distribution of antidepressants. The diagnosis of depression is the quick way to solve medical problems for doctors to their patients. Now days, regular family doctors can prescribe antidepressants when in the past, psychiatrists were the only types of doctors to prescribe such drugs. Some antidepressants like Prozac for instance, can cause certain side effects to where many users are unable to stay on them long enough to derive any real benefit. In fact, Prozac?s manufacturer admits that 35% of all patients receiving Prozac in pre-release trials stopped taking it due to adverse reactions. A vast personality change is another effect. Some users reported that after being on Zoloft for two months (which is the time it takes for their bodies to become chemically dependent) one day without their pill would make them more on edge, more reluctant to ?snap? at people and more sensitive to others remarks. The depressed patients also reported feeling dependent on the drug and without it, they felt they would not be able to function how the normally would. Once a person starts taking any type of antidepressant, that person cannot just stop taking the pills cold turkey.

Critical Thinking at Work Essay

The aforementioned â€Å"Rational Model† actually entails following 4 processes including: First of all is to pinpoint or identify the problem; second is to bring into being diverse alternatives/answers to the problem that has just been identified; third is to choose or pick a solution from the second stage or process; and last but not least is to implement the chosen solution before finally assessing it (Decision Making, n. d. ). The description provided will be further understood in the following example taken from my personal experience at the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start. Example from My Personal Experience at William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start Keith A. , a student of the William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start has often been exhibiting temper tantrums. There are times when he would throw objects at other kids, slap them, lash out at them, etc. He does not seem to know how to calm down. The same thing happened during one of the weekly field trips. All of a sudden, he pushed his seatmate in the bus, yelled at her, and then eventually hit her. Following that incident, a school official seated behind him stood up and sat next to him. I thought she was just going to speak to the child, remind him that what he did was an unacceptable behavior, and oblige him to apologize to his seatmate, etc. But instead of doing so, he held the boy’s hands tightly and angrily told him to behave. When the young boy yelled at the school official, he held Keith’s cheek tightly, said â€Å"you better show some respect young man†. Keith spit at the school official as a response and so he was slapped in return. I did not protect the child. I did not have the courage to tell the school official that he should not treat the young boy that way even if what he did was wrong. Later that day, I was torn between telling the truth and just letting the occurrence pass. I knew in my heart that what the school official did was wrong. It clearly defies the philosophy/vision/mission, as well as, goals of the programs offered in William Smith Sr. Tri-County Early Head Start (William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. , n. d. ). I would like to tell the head of the school about what I saw so that the school official who did that to Keith would be subjected to disciplinary action/s and so that such an untoward incident would never happen again because if it did so many students will probably be traumatized if that is how they will be treated if they misbehaved. It is quite difficult on my part to go to the head of the school though and relay what I had just witnessed earlier that day because I am only an ordinary â€Å"rank-and-file employee†. It would be my word as an ordinary employee against the high and mighty school official. It could mean loss of a job on my part. Importance/Benefits of Critical Thinking in the Decision-making Process I utilized the â€Å"Rational Model† here. First, I have identified the problem, which is whether or not to report the untoward incident that I witnessed. Second, I have realized the choices: a) I will tell the head about it to prevent such occurrence in the future; or b) I will just keep it to myself so as to keep my job as well. Third is to pick choice â€Å"a† because it is the right thing to do. Finally, carry it out. Critical thinking played a large role in the decision-making process that I had engaged in since I was able to balance/weigh everything before I moved. Without the â€Å"Rational Model† and without the process of critical thinking, I would not be able to decide objectively and probably arrived at the wrong/unethical decision. References Decision Making. (n. d. ). Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://72. 14. 253. 104/search? q=cache:ycQOog9jFygJ:www. unf. edu/~gbaker/Man6204/Decision. PDF+decision-making+models&hl=tl&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ph&client=firefox-a William Smith, Sr. , Tri-County Child Development Council, Inc. (n. d. ). About Us. Retrieved January 17, 2008 from http://www. wsstricounty. org/About. html