DQ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DQ - Essay Example These rights are further established by the first founding which hails the right of free speech as a democratic constitutional principle (American Government 4:9). Keeping this view in hindsight, the stance of the media in portraying her as a Muslin extremist merely on the grounds of her vocal protestations are indeed unfounded. Having said that, it should also be noted that the Sedition Acts of 1798 prohibit any malice towards the government, or the Congress (American Government 4:11), including the expressions of dissent with the said authorities. Some states still strongly condone this acts, at least in their workings, and together with the state policies of Maintown prohibiting the desecration of the U.S. flag, Miss Nader's arrest is justified as she went against the set laws of the city in which she was operating. America has always been a nation of liberty and freedom, and free speech is the cornerstone of this liberty. It's Constitution states that.

Cold War Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cold War Politics - Essay Example Calling war a ‘savage human behavior’ the general reiterates the importance of establishing an effective security policy; a term that obviously cannot be used interchangeably with a ‘war policy’. It should be noted that a security policy does not necessarily act as a cause of war. In fact, war is decided by the quality of interaction between nations and their eagerness to reach an agreement. (p. 209) General Marshall makes allusions to the World War II to elaborate upon this aspect however, the most interesting point remains that he describes the institution of war from the perspective of Germany and Japan only; the very nations that constituted the opposing side of the Second World War. He states that war is the doctrine of Japan and Germany; the people, who he believes have given a lot of thought to this. Though, his speech was meant to shed light on the lessons that the United States learned as a result of the Second World War, however, comically enough the first half of the speech sounds more or less like an attack on the central powers; the side that not only suffered a humiliating defeat in the great war but were also heavily penalized. Though, the penalty is nothing compared to the number of lives that were lost but stigmatizing an entire nation does nothing to help either. General Marshall seeks to get approval to shape their military strategy and security policy as a mode of protecting America and its citizens from aggressive nations such as Germany and Japan. He makes several statements that not only implicate Japan and Germany as the sole perpetrators of war but also portrays America as a helpless nation. This aspect of Marshall’s speech depicts that the history of war is in fact framed by its victors that largely portray themselves as the innocent party.

United States Dominance After Civil War Essay Example for Free

United States Dominance After Civil War Essay The American Civil War, also known as the â€Å"War Between the States† was a war between the Confederate States and the Union. The Confederacy was composed of eleven states which supported slavery, while the Union was comprised of all free American states and five states bordering the slave states. The American Civil War became one of the most important events that led into the emergence of the United States into world dominance. The development of the American nation as a world leader came after a series of events and wars being won. The Civil War all throughout was highlighted by the intense social, political and economic conflicts and differences between Northern and Southern States. The war commenced in about 10,000 states and more than 3 million American people have been involved in it. The years between 1861 to 1865, the war has escalated between American states and resulted to the destruction of peace and unity among fellow Americans. The war made the American nation ironically more oblivious to the concept of freedom and individual rights, given that the civil war was fought on the basis state rights and freedom in America. However, by the end of the Civil War, the American nation took the whole experience as a â€Å"new birth of freedom† for the people and the government. And as such, the years following the end of the Civil War marked the start of the American dominance in the international community. America After the Civil War: Unification, Expansion and Industrialization Despite the destruction, the death toll, and the chaos that the Civil War has drawn upon the American society, nonetheless, it has become as one of the focal points for world domination for the United States. The separate states which used to be hostile to one another due to their differences, became a single united and strong nation The end of the war marked the new era of expansionism for the United States of America. Indeed, the start of the 19th century was highlighted by the intensifying of the American expansion. Alongside America’s move to industrialize and urbanize its territory, the American exploration pushed further to the west. In 1803, Louisiana was obtained from the French government; and during the period between 1816 to 1821, a total of six states were added to the American territory. Aside from the westward expansion, in 1865 the American government also took control of eastern states. This westward and eastward expansion of the United States territory became strategically beneficial to the industrialization in the United States. And as such, the strength of the United States industrialization became one of the strongest points of the United States emergence as a world superpower. Although the industrialization in the United States before the Civil War was largely preempted and minimal due to the political and social conflicts of the time, the end of the war and the emergence of the new American society greatly hastened the industrial development in the United States. And despite the fact that industrialization has been an old trend in other advanced countries such as England, Belgium, France, Germany and Japan, the United States transformation was more profound, developed and powerful. In addition to United States’ more sophisticated and impressive industrialization, the American government was able to carefully and strategically utilize its unique advantage over its colonies and among those less developed and powerful countries. The American government used its sphere of influence in order to drive economic advantages and power towards them. Moreover, the United States territory, given the vastness of its newly acquired areas and colonies were greatly endowed with raw natural resources that once tapped, can be used to generate a large amount of benefits and profits. The states acquired by the United States became its focal points of industrialization, modernization and development. Some of these states served as main centers for finance, manufacturing and commerce. Other states were also suitable for agricultural growth and revolution in the transportation sector. In addition to these developments, the wave of immigrants between 1840 to 1860 also strengthened manpower stability in the country. As such, by the end of this period of expansionism and industrialization, the United States emerged as one of the most successful countries in the world. The American government grew extremely confident of the stability of their economic, political and military strength. In addition, the wide sphere of influence that it was able to establish became one of the assets that qualified United States as one of the strongest country in the world. Threats to American Power and Leadership A series of American war involvement has been etched in the world’s history. And as such, each war wherein the American nation has took part in signified a threat against the United States’ dominance. The First and Second World War, though commenced between a large gap that went for years were fought on almost same reasons. Economic imperialism, military conflicts, trade barriers, proliferation of weapons, political rivalries and balance of power were among the main cause of the first and second world wars. During these wars, the world was divided into two spheres. And of which, both wars were won distinctively by the side that the United States has taken. The victorious emergence of the United States and its allies in these wars has further established its government as one of the strongest leaders in the world. During the Second World War in particular, the victory of the United States, the Soviet Union and their allies became the closest call to the American dominance. At the end of the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as two world leaders, and as such, became the pillars for balance of power. The end of the Second World War and the emergence of two dominant states resulted to another series of conflicts and hostility. After the Second World War, the Cold War commenced and a series of indirect confrontations took place between the United States and the Soviet bloc. The Cold War served as a proxy war between the two states wherein instead of a direct confrontation, their allies became more involved in the war. The Cold War became the measure of stability, leadership and influence of the two world superpowers. Political ideology became the main focus of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet bloc. During this period, the American government was largely threatened by the spread of communist ideology within the European states. As such, the antagonism between capitalism and communism became the root of the conflict between the two states. In addition to this antagonism, nuclear arms race, espionage, economic rivalry and the Cuban missile crisis were among the issues that further intensified the conflict. Despite the absence of direct confrontation between the Americans and the Soviet bloc, the outcome of the Cold War still became one of the most important factor in the emergence of a lone world superpower. As such, by the end of the Cold War, the Soviet bloc disintegrated and the communist ideology became less influential. Although the American government and its allies were not successful in fully containing the communist ideology, the Soviet disintegration became a step to weaken communist states. In addition, the disintegration of the Soviet bloc marked the end of the Cold War. And the triumphant emergence of the United States in the Cold War automatically rendered the United States as the lone world superpower. United States in the Present Era Following the end of the Cold War and the demise of the biggest threat to United States leadership, the American government is now considered as the lone hegemonic power in the world. The establishment of international organizations such as the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Center to name a few, strengthened the American hold on world dominance and leadership. In the present generation, the most probable threat against the American government is the current proliferation of terrorist organizations posting terrorist activities that might induce chaos and fear amongst the citizens. However, despite these threats and current economic and political dilemma experienced by the American nation, United States still stands as one of the strongest, influential and stable countries in the international community. Bibliography AE Television Networks. â€Å"The American Civil War.† History.com. (2008). Database on-line. Available from http://www.history.com/minisites/civilwar/ (accessed October 10, 2008). American Information Resource Center. â€Å"History of the United States.† The United States Diplomatic Mission to Poland. (n.d). Database on-line. Available from http://www.usinfo.pl/aboutusa/history/slavery.htm (accessed October 10, 2008). Burns, Ken. â€Å"The Crossroads of Our Being.† The Civil War. (2002). Database on-line. Available from http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/ (accessed October 10, 2008). Mabry, Donald J. â€Å"Triumph of Industry in the United States.† Historical Text Archive. (2008). Database on-line. Available from http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?op=viewarticleartid=597 (accessed October 10, 2008). Nosotro, Rit. â€Å"The Cold War.† HyperHistory. (n.d). Database on-line. Available from http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/big/w30coldwar.htm (accessed October 10, 2008).

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.

Politics of Jamaica :: Essays on Politics

The political and economic history of Jamaica is based upon its foundation as a slave colony. From the beginning, the colony was under Spanish rule that relied upon native slave laboring in the sugar fields. The first law to be implemented upon the island under Spanish rule was the Repartimiento, introduced by Governor Esquivel, the first governor of Jamaica. The law enabled colonists to apply for and receive special permission to use the natives for a period of time; forcing them into labors such as planting and logging (Bennett 70). Francisco de Garay, who became governor in 1514, enacted an other set of regulations called the Requermiento (The Requirement) (Bennett 70). This system was implemented with the basis that the colonists had to convert the natives to Christianity; Garay was hopeful that in doing so, the natives would â€Å"be tractable, properly maintained and live and greatly multiply† (Sherlock 70). The Jamaican natives and imported African slaves endured Spanish rule for 150 years until the invasion of the British in 1655. The fleet of Admiral Penn and the ground troops of General Venables were able to conquer the island fairly quickly; although there was several failed attempts by the Spanish to regain the land. A civil government was established in English Jamaica in 1663 which attracted settlers to the island (Bennett 84). Lord Windsor, who succeeded D’Oyley as governor in December 1661, implemented a proclamation that defined the â€Å"status of the settlers† (Bennett 86). The proclamation allowed settlers to benefit from generous land grants in Jamaica. Governor Windsor was the administrator of the island along with a council of twelve men; a House of Assembly with 30 or more elected representatives; and a local council of justices in each parish (Bennett 86). The ‘council of twelve’ was nominated by the Colonial Office in England based upon recommendations by the governor (Sherlock 86). This council later became the Upper House of the Legislature. This new government had the power to pass laws; all of which had to be approved by the Crown within two years of being passed (Bennett 87). The introduction of a Crown colony government in 1865 was a central change for Jamaica, as the power shifted from a white minority to Parliament in England (Bennett 375).

The K+ Channel Revisited :: Chemical Neuroscience Chemistry Papers

The K+ Channel Revisited Many scientists enter the field of neuroscience with a desire to understand how the human brain functions to create our actions. Some take a large approach and study reactions to stimulus in live animals. This approach leaves us still wanting to know about things that aren't a result of an outside stimulus. Other scientists take the minimalist approach and start by studying the exact mechanisms of individual cells of the brain. But, what good does that do us for everyday life? There is also the approach of taking our knowledge of behavior from diseases of the brain. Would we have thought about how our brain regulates our moods if it weren't for the fact that some people experience depression, in which the regulation of mood goes amiss? Many of the disease have led us to a deep understanding of the chemical interactions in our brain and body. At a very broad level, and ignoring religious discussions, we can say that every part of our existence is a result of chemical interactions . Besides giving us our substance, chemistry also gives us a mode of communication throughout our bodies. In our brain a large chemical component is that of the action potential that is conducted along a neuron as a result in the changing permeability of the cell. The axons of our neurons are the pathway for the communication that exists in our nervous system. This communication takes the form of an electric signal, also called an action potential. The action potential occurs due to a change in voltage across the membrane of the axon. The change in voltage is achieved by a change in the permeability of the neurons to the ions, Na+, Ca+, and K+.(1)The cell starts with a large concentration of potassium ions, K+, inside the cell, and a large concentration of sodium ions, Na+, outside the cell. The action potential propagates down the axon due to openings and closing of different channels allowing changing of the permeability to the differing ions (10). Channels are proteins that span the membrane of the axon. These proteins have a structure so that they can be allow ions to flow through pores that are only open at the appropriate times. Some of the channels are opened and closed by other chemicals, while some are initiated by a change in the membrane potential.

A research on the effects of birth order on personality family and society Essay

How Does Birth Order Affect Personality, Family, and Society? Introduction This research project will investigate birth order and how it directly affects one’s personality. This project explains why individuals behave differently within the family. According to the systems theory, families adapt in response to changes in internal and external needs and circumstances, including the development of individual family members (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). For primary research, opinions from different hierarchical perspectives will be provided through a survey. Depending on one’s position in the sibling hierarchy, personalities differ because different stages carry different roles and responsibilities. This research project will look at how each stage affects personality. Method For the primary research, a total of fifteen questions were asked to 6 people. Each of the interviewees was of different levels in the sibling hierarchy, i.e. first born, last born, the middle child, only child, and twins. In between each question, the subjects would have time to properly think about their next answer, this way results would be accurate and as substantial as possible. The first interview was conducted with a set of 20-year-old twins, this interview was the most interesting and had the most answers. The next subject was a 13-year-old girl who is the only child of her family, the interview lasted seven minutes. The third interview was conducted with a 17-year-old girl, a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy, they were all siblings and would represent each part of the sibling hierarchy. Topics about the personality and how it affects relationship within the home and outside of the home were discussed. The topics covered were: personality traits and parent-child relationships. Results All of the subjects were teenagers specifically because they would be experiencing the effects of their birth order currently as they are still at home with parents. One hundred percent of the interviewed subjects identified with, and agreed upon the following characteristics and stereotypes: First Borns: High achievers Perfectionists Obsessive Responsible Controlling Middle Children: Very Social Generous Diplomatic Mediators Values friendships and relationships Somewhat rebellious Last Borns: Attention seekers Outgoing Selfish Creative Humourous Discussion This study is supported by Alfred Adler’s theory of personality development. Alder was influenced and inspired by Charles Darwin’s study of genetic evolution and adaptation. Darwin’s phenomena can help explain why children tend to differentiate their personalities and carry out tasks uniquely based on their own individual approach to life in order to reduce competition and conflict. Children influence most of the relations that happen within the family, they decide for themselves the role they will play in the family, parents only help reinforce those choices (Schafer, 2015). Some might deem themselves as the â€Å"responsible one†, the â€Å"goody-two-shoes†, the â€Å"smarty pants†, the athlete, the persevering etc†¦ Alder, who is a world-renowned psychologist would suggest that children be raised or treated individually; meaning as the unique individuals that they are. The primary socialization in a child’s life is determined b y the family. The family helps you gain a sense of who you are (Holloway, 107). If a child is not raised individually, with each of their stereotyped personality traits taken into consideration, it could result in a low self-esteem, conflict and possibly distance within the family. The Theory of Ego development, founded by Jane Loevinger discusses how ego is developed in three stages (Holloway, 105). The second stage of this theory talks about people understanding and accepting their individual differences and through that, distinguishing variations in feelings and emotions that make people unique (Holloway, 105). Most parents might not understand the psychology that is behind a child’s position in the family, which is why many children especially the middle child, might complain of lessened love and misunderstanding. A parent should feel responsible for the well-being of their child, but many of them overlook the importance of understanding the essence of birth order. 2 out of 5 interviewees described their relationship with their parents as normal without any real problems. The other 3 however, agreed upon the fact that their parents do not understand them and in fact treat their siblings and them the same and bringing them up as â€Å"one person†; saying things like â€Å"Be like sibling A†, â€Å"Sibling A gets very high grades, why is it different with you?†. It is a challenge for parents to understand their children and treat them based on their different characters and psyche, which is why most parents don’t even bother. Feelings of neglect and unimportance may arise within certain children when they compare their relationships with their parents to that of their siblings. Sibling relationships are one of the most significant relationships people experience through life. They help define our early social and cognitive skills. The emotional connection and protection that comes from a sibling bond is a great life satisfaction that helps reduce levels of depression. They can teach us about conflict resolution, managing social tensions, conduct friendships and handle ourselves in group situations (http://internationalschoolparent.com/). Gender also has a role to play in birth order positions. In the case of the first-born child, oldest males are more of leaders as they tend to take charge. Oldest daughters, on the other side of the spectrum, are more aggressive and confident, sometimes bossy. â€Å"Middleborns are the Type O blood of relationships: They go with anyone,† (Schipani, 2010). Middle children tend to be good at making compromises as they would have bossy older siblings and needy younger siblings. The youngest child of the family is usuall y treasured and in many cases treated as babies for much longer than their older siblings. The youngest siblings of the family also tend to stray away from taking charge and might be seen as the shy and quiet sheep of the family. The only children of the family are usually stereotyped to be precious and would be pampered as they have all the attention on them; parents would not have to split attention and in worse cases love between siblings because there is only one child. Many say that only children are more mature for their age because of the amount of time they spend with their parents. My research showed that the 13-year-old girl interviewed who is the only child of the family, considered herself more socially aware than her peers and is very much accustomed to and satisfied with her own company. Symbolic interactionism examples that a child’s self-esteem is determined by the parent’s appraisal of the child’s worth, this occurs during the parent-child interaction. It assumes that supportive parental behavior like nurturance, approval, and love all determine a child’s inherent worth (Adkins, 2003). The child will be able to confirm that his parents accept him for who he is and see him as a competent and worthwhile person. The more the parent interact with a child using positive sentiments, the child will positively act upon not just her immediate family but the environment around her. The theory states that if parent-child relationships are spread across equally amongst all children, all the children within the family will have an equal self-esteem.    Conclusion As proven by Alfred Adler’s theory, birth order does have an effect on one’s personality. As well as individualistically, a child’s position in the family can reflect on his immediate family, meaning sibling and parent relationships as well as how they relate to the outside world. If parents don’t learn to properly care for their children individualistically, conflict and feelings of incompetence could arise within the family.    Citations Adkins, K. L. (2003, May). Predicting Self-Esteem Based on Perceived Parental Favoritism and Birth Order. In Tennessee State University Graduate Studies. Retrieved from< http://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1907&context=etd> Schafer, A. (2015, May 5). Birth Order Theory. In HUFF POST PARENTS CANADA. Retrieved from Schipani, D. (2010, May 28). How Does Birth Order Affect Relationships? In Women’s Day. Retrieved from White, James Martin., and Margaret Holloway. Families in Canada: Social Contexts, Continuities, And Changes. Toronto: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. Print. Whiteman SD, McHale SM, Soli A. Theoretical perspectives on sibling relationships. J Fam Theory Rev. 2011;3:124–139. What Does Birth Order Say About You (n.d.). In International School Parent. Retrieved from