An Exploratory Study of Myanmar Culture

Hofstede originally identified four dimensions of culture: power distance, individualism, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance represents the degree of a culture’s acceptance of inequality among its members. Individualism and collectivism represent a culture’s main focus, being either the importance of the individual or the group. Masculinity and femininity represents the stereotypical characteristics of men and women as being the dominant cultural values. Uncertainty avoidance is essentially a collective tolerance for ambiguity for a culture. Later research with Michael Bond (Hofstede & Bond 1988) added a fifth dimension called long-term Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1114625 orientation. This dimension, originally called Confucian Dynamism, measures the preferences of a culture for a long-term and traditional view of time. Hofstede’s work has attracted a number of critics. Some have expressed concerns about the generalizability of the sample, the level of analysis, the comparison of political boundaries (countries) to culture, and the validity of the instrument (Mc Sweeney 2002; Smith 2002). Others have challenged the assumption of the homogeneity of each studied culture (Sivakumar & Nakata 2001). The additional dimension of long-term orientation (LTO) has been challenged on the grounds of conceptual validity (Fang 2003). While many of the concerns raised by his critics can be considered to have some validity, Hofstede’s research, nevertheless, represents the most comprehensive analysis of cultural values to date. This paper provides a preliminary look into the cultural assessment of a country not included in the Hofstede data set. Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia, bordering Thailand, China, India, and Laos. The country, formerly called Burma, gained its independence from Britain at the end of World War II, after a hard fought struggle with the colonial power and the Japanese invaders. Burmese nationalist and national hero, Aung San fought for his country’s independence and for democratic rule (Khng 2000). His daughter, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi continues the struggle today inside Myanmar, even as she lives under house arrest. While Myanmar interacts with its ASEAN neighbors, a number of Western countries have placed economic sanctions on the country for its lack of democracy. These sanctions have limited foreign investment and other forms of economic exchange. A military junta has ruled the country for the past 17 years and the country has operated in various states of isolation from the world over those years. As a result of its isolation, very little research has been conducted on its culture or values orientation.

Professionals in an IT Organization

The twentieth century has heightened the age of information technology (IT). Many professions were created to cater to the need to develop more technologies that will carry free exchange of information among users and consumers. Institutions and organizations also paralleled the development by organizing their own IT departments composed of IT professionals. Basically, this department takes care of the information and technological needs of the company that involves programming and computers.Some of the professions and their job descriptions are outlined below. Information Systems Managers. Because of the development of newer technologies, competitive Information Systems Manager has become more essentials in planning for the future of the organization especially that almost all of the processes now involve computer programming, Internet support and security operations. Managers are in-charge of the overall planning and development of the organizations’ needed programs, network s or softwares that should be incorporated in the systems.They also oversee all resources and systems within the organization and works with their subordinates in the implementation of the plans and designs. Typically, those graduates of master’s degree of both information and business management qualify for the job. Computer Programmers. One of the most valuable assets of IT organizations is the programmers. They have the wits to design programs and systems that will facilitate the information and data processes of the organization. After the planning, they hold the mind, the codes and access and security of the entire organization.They engineer every program and instruct computers of their functions. They are in-charge of the development, test and re-test of the programs in the companies’ systems. Computer Scientists and Database Administrators. If programmers do the actual development of programs, the computer scientists conceptualize and theorize the implications o f the programs in the companies’ systems. They take care of the researches of possible errors of the programs in the future and other developments that may occur in the business.They also develop systems that ensure computer-user efficiency. On the other hand, Database Administrators, as the title connotes, are in-charge of gathering all the data needed for a program to function. It is their duty to guarantee that communication systems like Wide Area Network (WAN) and Local Area Network (LAN) are functioning for the benefit of the company. They are also in-charge of the website content of the company, if there is one, and do every necessary research it entails. Computer Software Engineers.Unlike the computer programmers, software engineers’ jobs are more specific to analyzing user needs and designing, constructing, testing, and maintaining computer applications software or systems. They are also geared toward troubleshooting technical glitches in the programs that need restoration. The above professions may already be sufficient for a company to employ; however, these people also need a team under them; that is why some companies consider employing technical assistants and database specialists.Technical assistants usually are in-charge of the hardware functions of the company. They ensure that all the hardwares being used are functioning efficiently and regularly updated according to the needs of the programs and softwares. They also assist in the installation of the programs and other technicalities like cables for LAN and WAN. Data Specialists, on the other hand, assist in the encoding of specific data needed in the completion of programs or raw data that test the functionality of softwares.

Long-term memory and forgetting, What is the evidence that human Essay

Long-term memory and forgetting, What is the evidence that human long-term memory is modular - Essay Example Significance is also given because of some attachment to some significant aspect (Heffner, 2001). For example, anything that is related to ourselves such as our professional awards and appreciations and so on. Vogel and Drew (2008) inform that long-term memory has massive storage ability. Due to the massive storage ability, the long-term memory can keep massive information in it. We can regard human long-term memory as modular as it retains a wide amount of data. However, this fact cannot be denied that we forget some information. Henderson (1999) describes that we forget because of two factors which are: decay and interference. From decay, he means the impact of time due to which, our long-term memory is sometimes unresponsive and from interference, he means the hindrance or intrusion that is caused because of some event or happening. By considering the phenomenon of forgetting, we cannot disregard the modularity of human long-term memory. Vogel and Drew (2008) report in â€Å"Why do we forget things?† that our long-term memory keeps records of information in a detailed format and the information it keeps cannot be considered as uncertain because the long-term memory keeps an massive amount of information for the lifetime. We forget because of interference and at that juncture, when we forget, we have to voluntarily search our memory for the forgotten event or item and with the search, we will be able to remember the right answer for our question (Vogel and Drew, 2008). Heffner (2001) regards forgetting as a natural phenomenon. He informs that when we are not able to remember anything, it cannot be said that the information is lost forever, it stays there. The information that is saved in our long-term memory cannot be retrieved at sometime because of some distraction and temporary problem. This distraction or interference is only for the time being as the information can be gained later on (Heffner,

Teaching Grammar Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teaching Grammar - Term Paper Example Education is a process of learning and acquiring skills and knowledge and it involves training that allows the learner to improve objectively. Textbooks, videos, modules and e-learning are just some of the ways how education is delivered (Dimarco 18). In the modern times, the said definition of education greatly applies as people prepare themselves for the corporate world after graduation, and organizations function through the application of knowledge and skills of the members and staffs. The education may not be limited only to formal education where classroom instruction is the prevalent method where skills and knowledge are passed on to the learners. Alternative education existed already before the onset of formal education but recently more educators are advocating alternative education since many people still cannot afford the formal education. They also focus on lifelong education and adult learning (Antikainen 11). In short, learning and education are intertwined in the pursu it of improvement of people. In teaching people about language, grammar is one of the main parts as rules must be present in constructing the words and sentences corresponding to certain sounds. Grammar revolves around a set of rules such as being taught widely, it is fixed and difficult. The grammar set and rules are just part of a narrow perspective of what grammar is (DeCapua 1). Grammar can also be defined as the systematic description of the skill level of a speaker as measured by the linguist (Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams 13). In teaching grammar, many approaches can be used like IC analysis, TG grammar, case grammar, communicative grammar, and pedagogical grammar (EDL201). IC Analysis or Immediate Constituent Analysis is used to separate and dissect the words that make up a sentence with layered constructions (EDL201 207). On the other hand, transformational grammar describes the grammatical structure of the sentences using a set of rules that matches the knowledge of native En glish speakers (EDL201 243). Case grammar differs from IC analysis and TG grammar because case grammar includes semantics between verb and noun together with grammatical structure (EDL201 272). The fourth approach in teaching grammar is communicative grammar which is one of the newest methods. Competence in grammar is not the only consideration in linguistics since structure, function and form must also be taught in real life situations (EDL201 297). The last approach is pedagogical grammar which prioritizes the effectiveness of teaching methods to the students. It makes use of different approaches to boost the grammar learning efficiency via consciousness-raising approach and word approach (EDL201 323). The following approaches will be applied in various situations in the succeeding paragraphs. Various situations are provided to explore the importance of the methods described in the preceding paragraph. Each method is designed for particular scenario or needs of the learners, so so me methods may become more effective than other approaches in a particular situation. Five situations will be used: first, Filipino caregivers employed in Japan, Korea, China who have to teach their young wards how to speak, write and read English as part of the wards’ day- to- day school work; second, 15 to 17 year old Filipino high school students who have been hired as tourist guides for international tourists whose common language is English; third, Filipino adult migrant workers who are

Research paper about the life of a swordfish in the Medditerrean

About the life of a swordfish in the Medditerrean - Research Paper Example It uses its jumping skill to stun targeted preys such as the barracuda, the flying fish, small  tuna and the squid. It usually hunts its food at night. It also uses its sword-like snout to injure or kill preys and, if needed, to defend itself. While the greatest known predator of the swordfish is the shortfin mako shark, there are also the killer whale or the orca, larger sharks and the sperm whale. A very powerful fish, which can defend itself well against predators, the swordfish always keeps distance from its own kind and, though very agile, it has become a favorite catch among fish catchers. It also distances itself from small boats, though it has become an easy harpoon target to bigger ones and, though there has never been any news of attacks to humans, it remains to be a dangerous fish due to its pointed snout. Until the use of fishnets in catching the swordfish, as well as other fish, there has been a great decrease in its number. In fact, in 1999, a restaurant owner wrote to urge her peers to stop or put a strict control over the serving of this healthy and delicious fish meat. She claimed that in the North Atlantic alone, â€Å" nearly 2/3 of swordfish caught . . . are too young to breed, . . . the average size . . . is just 90 pounds, . . .† and the â€Å"North Atlantic swordfish are now at the lowest levels ever recorded (Pouillon). Up until now, the swordfish is a favourite cuisine across the East Coast of the United States. This popular fish can be served in a variety of ways. Its meat, which is more tough than other fish, is usually grilled and served as steak. At present, the swordfish is no longer included in the list of endangered

Repot based on prepared financial statment Essay

Repot based on prepared financial statment - Essay Example The company’ profitability position was strong. It generated strong ROCE of 17.9% and ROA of 15.73. It implies that the company was efficiently utilizing its assets to generate high profits from its operations. It was reflected from operating profit margin of 10.4% and gross profit margin of 48.70%. The liquidity position of the company was reported to be strong. Both current and quick ratios had values greater than one, which is significant as the company had a high value of current assets that could cover its current obligations. The company’s converted its inventory into sales in 76.6 days, which suggested slow movement and inventory turnover of just 4.77. However, the company was efficient to collect cash for its receivables. On the other hand, the company paid its suppliers in 46.7 days. Moreover, the company only generated  £1.51 of sales for every  £1 invested in assets. The company’s leverage position was very weak. The gearing ratio value was 21.28, which suggested that the company highly depends on external borrowing to meet its business requirements. Moreover, it incurred high interest costs that consumer most of the company’s operating profits i.e.

HOW TO MAKE STUFF Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HOW TO MAKE STUFF - Research Paper Example The term DIY itself is a self-explanatory terminology. Many individuals and companies are coming forward and making DIY a commercial venture especially with the advent of internet and modern advertisement techniques. Question # 3 (b) The most important thought that can be observed by the interview in the article is about the documentation of the things made locally on DIY principles. The sole idea of creating new things is that it can be improved by another person. This can only be done if proper videos and documents are present of the original thing. Limor Fried explains that a simple invention can be converted into a complex one when two or three people work on it simultaneously. This can only be done when the information is transferred from one DIY worker to another. To prove her argument, she explained an example about wave shield, which is a self-made audio add-on for the Auduino board. It adds audio quality to the already present audio hardware. Limor explains that this is the first step. Not a long time will be required by someone to convert into a complex machine. Question # 3 (c) The kind of equipment being used by the young generation is very high-tech state of the art which includes microcontrollers and computers. The software which are being used more nowadays are, the ones which help in simulating a scenario. These software include CAD/CAN which help in simulating 3D objects and speculate their properties rather than wasting time and money on making the actual thing physically. This equipment is cheap when compared to the prototype equipment or the ones that were first used in their respective categories. The equipment that I have seen in the article and which is familiar to me is the microcontroller and the lathe machine. I haven’t used the lathe machine but with the proper training, it would not be very difficult. The microcontroller is the one device I have actually used and programmed using PIc device. Question # 3 (d) The article  "How to make stuff out of plastic† was picked because there is not a lot of heavy machinery that has to be set up for this kind of a project. Making miniature plastic items, which are scaled down versions of actual size objects, is a very unique and eye-catching theme. If I get the required hardware and software for such project, I will make small decoration pieces, for placing in show cases. A lot of different kinds of cars, buildings and decorative objects can be carved out of plastic using the 3D model technique that has been described in the article. This can be taken up as a hobby as well as small business, selling miniatures online. Question # 3 (e) Arduino Laser Tripwire is the article I have picked. I chose this article because the thought of having a personal security alarm system is a very attractive feat for me, if somebody actually achieves it. I will put this system outside my corridor and wire the alarm or flash light in my room so that if somebody is coming towa rds my room, I know it before they come. It can be very handy when one is awake and you parents wanted you to sleep. Even before the parents enter the room, one will be tucked up it bed nicely. Question # 3 (f) â€Å"Kickstarter† is a website where armature inventors can post about their ideas and request for financial assistance. Eager people find what projects they like and can help the inventors on the financial side

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle Essay

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle East - Essay Example The Middle East is one of the centres for colonial activities of Europe during the start of the 19th century. This activity persisted until the 20th century. Most of the Middle East countries opposed the colonization with great struggle, resistance and revolt.The European empire is not very efficient with achieving their goal of successfully colonizing most of the countries in the Middle East but there are some countries which were eventually conquered. This inefficiency might be the result of conflicts within the European Empire. Countries like Britain, France and Germany fight each other in order to colonize another country. These countries include Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sudan (Held 2000, p.73). The colonization of the Middle East by Europe is actually part of the second wave which started during the second half of the 19th century. This era is considered as the â€Å"New Imperialism period†. The colonial activity persisted until the start of the decoloniz ation era. Moreover, the end of this era did not occur in most colonies until after World War II (Porter 1996, p.118). This second half of the 19th century was regarded as the shift from an unofficial control of empire using political, military and economic power into direct control, wherein it has also embarked cultural and social influence to its colonies. The Ottoman Empire was composed of the countries included in the Middle East today. Most of these countries were actually the target of European colonization after the Ottoman Empire was destabilized. ... To have an edge and possibility of defeating Europe, the Ottoman Empire should have improved itself in all aspects of its society. However, this is quite impossible since Europe have established this power for a long time since the start of its colonization (Armstrong 2000, pp.141). Because of the fall of the Ottoman Empire during that time, it became easier for Europe to conquer most of its territories. Colonization of countries in the Middle East, as well as other places in Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, spread like a wildfire as the European invade these countries quickly (Porter 1996, p.92). The classic example of this colonization includes the colonization of Syria and Sudan. Sudan, even though part of the Middle East, is located in the continent of Africa. Today, it is known that most countries in Africa are categorized as poor. These countries actually try to combat and revive their heritage from the bad effects of colonial periods. European colonizers did not give enough help to their colonies with regards to adaptation to development and the use of modern technologies ((Mitropolitski 2004). European colonizers do not consider the welfare of its colonies but rather focus only on promoting their own benefit. They utilize the resources of its colonies which make them more developed while neglecting the basic needs of its colonies. In the end, it is the colony who suffers. Sudan has been easily colonized by Britain that time. It is because Sudan has a very diverse population. It is easy to colonize a country where there is a certain division in groups. Also, this British colony was surrounded not only by alliance forces but also by enemies to the colonizers. Because of this, Sudan has become

Morality and Ethics Essay Example for Free

Morality and Ethics Essay As two members of our group are children of sea captains, the case of Exxon Valdez oil spill was extremely interesting for our team. It demonstrates that irresponsible behavior of people can lead to the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters of the past century. Multiple factors have been identified as contributing to the incident. In our group’s opinion, the most important are: the captain was drunk being on duty, the third mate failed to properly maneuver the vessel, possibly due to fatigue or excessive workload and finally, the Raycas radar system was broken, because the company found it too expensive to fix it. To begin with, we think that due to the restricted responsibilities of the crew comparing to the captain, its commitment was relatively low. Therefore the main motivation was their salary and working conditions didn’t play a role. Probably that is why sailors were ready to work overloaded shifts in order to earn as much as they could, to our mind, despite the fact that physically it was impossible. Thus the responsible sailor had to assess his ability to steer the ship before beginning the watch – in this case he had no right to do that being too tired. Talking about the captain of the ship, our group found him being the most irresponsible person in this situation. He did not act according to the ethical norms. Firstly, captain is the person, who is fully responsible for the ship and the crew, but he dared to exceed the allowed norm of the alcohol. Secondly, he had to insist on the radar repair. Finally, he is the one who is responsible for the crew’s adequate performance. Nevertheless, Exxon is fully liable for this disaster and the subsequent oil spill being the owner of the tanker. Hence, in our opinion, the company had to pay for the cleaning up the oil spill. To sum up, our group sees the ethical dilemma only concerning the crew. They had two choices only. On the one hand, when signing the contract they automatically agree to fulfill their duties, that is why no one can afford to skip the watch even if he fills tired. On the other hand, the third mate had no right to expose to danger the ship and the rest of the crew by taking the watch in unacceptable condition. We would like to add, that despite the fact that this was the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters, it pushed the government to develop new laws in this industry and turned to be a good lesson for the human beings overall.

Google Glass Essay Example for Free

Google Glass Essay Google Glass should be prohibited to be public for the world. In consequence of technological advances, we have changed our society and have been convenient for few decades. Thanks to advanced technology, we eventually became possible to do anything we want with electronic devices from modern technology. At this point, Eric Schmidt, who is a current Google’s executive chairman, announced that Google will commercialize Google Glass by the end of 2013. Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head mounted display by Google in the Project Glass, research and development. Google glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format that can interact with the internet via voice commands. Briefly, it’s going to be like a smart phone wearing on our eyes. It is believed that modern technology has brought many benefits to us, we should be aware that it’s possible to use for our society. Firstly, the public would be threatened by Google Glass seriously. Inverters of Google Glass say that Google Glass will be equipped with an intellectual camera that can take clear pictures at anytime, anywhere. It means that taking picture with a Google Glass can lead to an invasion of portrait right. Furthermore, it doesn’t have any speakers to let other people know that users are in the process of recording. For instance, cell phones and camcorders have speakers exceeding a background noise level of 60~70dB. Instead of loud speakers, it has bone-conduction headphones near frames. But it mustn’t be a function as alert sound. Secondly, Google Glass will absolutely affect our body badly. What would happen if we wear Google Glass for very long time? Every electronic device has electromagnetic waves as always. According to Interphone Study Group in France (ISG), 2 billion people will have brain cancer by 2020 from cell phones. Unfortunately, Google Glass has the same critical influence as the cell phones have. If we wear Google Glass, we might as well face a terrible situation like ISG said. Moreover, they are saying that a new psychological disease called â€Å"nomophonia’, which makes us feel nervous because of not holding own our device, will occur at the moment. I’m sure that it would be a disaster for us as well as our next generations. At last, I’d say that there will be liability problems by being obsessed with Google Glass. People will wear Google Glass while driving in spite of definite warnings not to do. After that, they will clash with the elderly or any pedestrians and somebody will get hurt seriously. The medical insurance may not be possible to cover the medical care because money can be critical. If Google Glass is commercialized, we will have to take up a liability insurance to use it. It means the we need to add cost of an insurance policy to Google Glass bill. Of course, Using Google Glass will make our life slightly more comfortable and convenient. On the other hand, we should deeply think it has so many side effects that can badly effect to our society. Therefore, I hold very strongly that organizations in charge of license of selling electronic devices shouldn’t allow to release into the world.

Impact Of Mental Illness On Family

Impact Of Mental Illness On Family A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people, the term mental disorder is also used to refer to these health problems. Mental health problems also interfere with how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, but to a lesser extent than mental illness. Mental health problems are more common and include the mental ill health that can be experienced temporarily as a reaction to the stresses of life. Mental health problems are less severe than mental illnesses, but may develop into a mental illness if they are not effectively dealt with. This study examines the impact mental illness has on family members. When people first knew about mental illness they thought it was demon possession, but today research has shown the effects that psychology has on treatment and recovery. This qualitative research was done in the area of La Brea, with questionnaires being randomly given out to 25 families. Before they answered the questionnaire they will be questioned on mental illness and given some information about the different types. After filling out the questionnaire they are going to have a choice to drop it into my mail box or personally hand it in. The results show that many people are affected by mental illness especially young adults which can have many effects on the family, like financial stress, emotional and feelings of guilt. Mental illness can affect any one at all ages, gender, cultures, educational and income levels. What is important is the support the individual and family gets, therefore by supporting the family members it becomes easier for them to care for the sick person. Mental health awareness should be done in communities to increase peoples understanding towards a greater mental health society so there can be less stigmatization. Introduction Background of the Problem Mental illness has its earliest history of the healing arts; there has been an evolution of theories regarding the root causes of mental illness. Early writings from such ancient civilizations as those of Greece, Rome, India, and Egypt focused on demonic possession as the cause; this concept eventually disappeared only to resurface again in the Middle Ages in Europe, along with inadequate treatment of the mentally ill. Demons or foul spirits were believed to attach themselves to individuals and make them depressed (poor-spirited) or mad. The word mad became an early synonym for psychosis. Unfortunately, the possessed included people with seizure disorders as well as others were suffering from what are now known to be medical disorders. Few genuinely helpful treatments were available to relieve the suffering of the mentally ill. By the eighteenth century they began to look at mental illness differently. It was during this time period that madness began to be seen as an illness beyond the control of the person rather than the act of a demon, and due to this, thousands of people were confined to dungeons of daily torture and were released to asylums where medical forms of treatment began to be investigated. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, several European neurologists began actively investigating the causes of mental illness. Chief among them, and destined to change forever the understanding of mental illness, was Sigmund Freud. Although psychology and psychiatry have advanced considerably since Freud, his explorations were revolutionary. Freud introduced the concepts of the unconscious and the ego to modern thought, and reintroduced the ancient art of dream interpretation, but from a psychological standpoint. Freud also regarded human psychological states as an energy system in which blockages in the flow of thought would result in disease or illness, expressed as mental or emotional loss of balance. He introduced the notion of a talking cure; through the use of talk therapy alone, and this showed many improvements to patients. Today, the medical model continues to be a driving force in the diagnosing and treatment of mental illness, although research has shown the powerful effects that psychology has on a persons recovery. Statement of the Problem What is the impact that mental health of individuals has on the lives of family members? Purpose of the Study The intent of this study is to understand how families cope with a member which suffers with mental illness. This study also seeks to explore how mental illness affects them and the person as they interact with other in society. Scope of the Study This study will assist me the student in my studies to gain an understanding and knowledge about mental illness. The result of this study will encourage people to know that mental illness is not a life sentence and that people who suffer from mental illness can recover where they can live normal lives. Definition of Terms Mental Illness- mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves, and interacts with other people, the term mental disorder is also used to refer to these health problems. Diminished to make smaller or less or to cause to appear so. Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Schizophrenia schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it hard to, tell the difference between what is real and not real, think clearly, have normal emotional responses and act normal in social situations. Bipolar Disorder bipolar disorder is a condition in which people go back and forth between periods of a very good or irritable mood and depression. The mood swings between mania and depression can be very quick. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviours that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions). Panic Disorder panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder in which you have repeated attacks of intense fear that something bad will happen. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after youve seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps patients understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviours. CBT is commonly used to treat a wide range of disorders, including phobias, addiction, depression and anxiety. Interpersonal Therapy Interpersonal therapy focuses on the interpersonal relationships of the depressed person. The idea of interpersonal therapy is that depression can be treated by improving the communication patterns and how people relate to others. Psychosis psychosis is a loss of contact with reality that usually includes: false beliefs about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that arent there (hallucinations). Stigmatization stigma is a perceived negative attribute that causes someone to devalue or think less of the whole person. People tend to distance themselves from individuals in stigmatized groups, to blame individuals in these groups for the perceived negative attributes, and to discriminate against and diminish the stigmatized individuals. LITERATURE REVEW What is the impact of mental health of individuals on the lives of family members? Mental illness has been an area under discussion and was bounded with mystery and fear, but at present, there have been remarkable improvement in our understanding and, especially in our ability to offer effective treatments. However, questions about mental illness often go unanswered and stand in the way of people receiving help. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a persons thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. Mental health refers to our cognitive, and/or emotional wellbeing it is all about how we think, feel and behave. Mental health, if somebody has it, can also mean an absence of a mental disorder. Approximately 25% of people in the UK have a mental health problem during their lives. The USA is said to have the highest incidence of people diagnosed with mental health problems in the developed world. Your mental health can affect your daily life, relationships and even your physical health. Mental health also includes a persons ability to enjoy life to attain a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder; post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with mental illness recovery is possible. Mental illnesses affect people of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan. Mental illness can be treated with the use of psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. It cannot be overcome through will power and are not related to a persons character or intelligence. Mental illness usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but the young and the old are especially vulnerable. Without treatment the consequences of mental illness for the individual and society are staggering: unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, suicide and wasted lives. It is very critical and of vital importance that mental illness is identified for effective recovery to be accelerated and the further harm related to the course of illness is minimized. The exact causes of mental disorders are unknown, but an explosive growth of research has brought us closer to the answers. We can say that certain inherited dispositions interact with triggering environmental factors. Poverty and stress are well-known to be bad for your health-this is true for mental health and physical health. In fact, the distinction between mental illness and physical illness can be misleading. Like physical illnesses, mental disorders can have a biological nature. Many physical illnesses can also have a strong emotional component. According to WHO (World Health Organization), mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. WHO stresses that mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. The NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health, USA) mental disorders are common in the USA and internationally. Approximately 57.7 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder in a given year that is approximately 26.2% of adults. However, the main burden of illness is concentrated in about 1 in 17 people (6%) who suffer from a serious mental illness. Approximately half of all people who suffer from a mental disorder probably suffer from another mental disorder at the same time, experts say. Scientists, psychiatrists, and other health care professionals know that the brain is made up in large part of essential fatty acids, water and other nutrients. The evidence is growing and becoming more compelling that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatment of people with mental health problems, including depression, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to name but a few. According to a Swedish study, half of the family members have had to give up their own recreational pursuits. The burdens of caring for a patient at home are considerable. They often affect the caring relatives social and leisure activities, and financial problems arise frequently. Relatives have difficulties in understanding and coming to terms with illness-related behaviour. Negative symptoms are often a particular problem. Despite their burden, relatives do not complain much, although they receive little support, advice or information from the professionals engaged in treating the patient; much is now known about the difficulties relatives face, but we still need to know how they can best be helped. Todays model of psychiatric care recognizes the importance of families as part of the treatment team. Enlightened interventions which help families struggling with child abuse and neglect, domestic and community violence, substance abuse, or school failure increasingly integrate psychiatric consultation into their programs. Any or all of these interventions may be used in tailoring a treatment plan for patients. Methodology Mental illness affects many individuals in society, some known and others unknown. People who is affected by mental illness needs the support from family members in the process of their recovery, therefore it is extremely important that they have this which will make a major difference to their well being. This study is a qualitative research and will be done with the use of questionnaires which will be given out to 25 families in the area of La Brea. They are going to be informed that a study is being done, in the highest of confidence and it is part of my course of study. The respondents will just have to fill out the questionnaire without their names or addresses, after it is filled out they can drop it into my mail box or they can personally hand it in. The results of these questionnaires are going to be organized by tallying each question to understand how many people said what, and it will be presented through the use of either charts, tables and graphs. This study on mental illness aims at investigating, How many people suffer from mental illness within their family? What did they do to assist? How they felt when their family member got sick? Were they hospitalized or they got private treatment? What support factors were there? Was there any stigmatization from anyone? This study is going to have some unavoidable limitations, which can be the time limit of eight weeks, this research is being conducted in one limited area and the group chosen may not represent the majority suffering from mental illness. Data Sample The participants for this research were selected based on their availability, their willingness to participate due to the understanding that this is just for research purposes and their knowledge that mental illness is a matter people work with everyday. A selection of 25 participants will take part in the study in the area of La Brea. In terms of ethnic background (20) 75% African and (5) 25%East Indian background, with about 20 female and 5 male ranging from the ages 15 to 65. The participants focused on in this study have had or have family members with mental health issues. Results Figure 1 Figure one shows that in the district of La Brea, 60% of the homes are of African descent, 20% are of East Indian, there is no Spanish, 12%are of Mixed Ethnicity and 8% are of another descent. Figure 2 Figure two shows that in La Brea, there are 40% of nuclear families, 40% of extended families and 20% of single parent families. Figure 3 Figure 3 shows that 80% said yes that their family suffered from mental illness are 80% and 20% said no. Figure 4 Mentally ill people are of different ages therefore; figure 4 shows that the highest age range is persons in the age group twenty years at 32% which indicates that younger people suffer from mental illness, then thirty five years at 28%, twenty five years at 16%, thirty eight years at 12%, and eighteen years at 4%. Figure 5 Figure 5 shows that more males than females suffer from mental illness as 60% of males and 40% of females has at some time in their life suffered from this sickness. Figure 6 Treatment can range be medication, counselling, change of diet or other which is a combination of two or all three. Medication was the highest being 60%, counselling and other had 20% each. Figure 7 Mental illness can have many effects on family members as 40% were stressed, 20% each became scared and confused while 12% were sad as too the fact that their family is suffering from this and 8% were helpless because they did not know how to deal with it. Discussion This study looked at the impact of mental illness of individuals on the lives of family members which can be described as a painful and sometimes traumatic experience. The majority of persons said that they had a family member who suffered from mental illness which became a bit difficult for them to go through, as some felt isolated while others needed help and support for themselves. Some family members also felt guilty and shame because they thought that they were to blame for the illness and not knowing how to handle this type of crisis. Referring to the literature todays model of psychiatric care recognizes the importance of families as part of the treatment process. Scientists and psychiatrists clames that diet can play a significant role in the care and treatment process. It also states that more males than females suffer from mental illness and people between the ages of 20-35 years are highly vulnerable to this illness. Therefore, this study indicates that mental illness is real, it is treatable by medication, therapy and other modalities, as psychiatrists help patients to understand their illness. My recommendations after doing this research on mental illness many people were not aware that there are different types and help is available. I would recommend that lectures, flyers and having activities where the community can interact with each other to increase awareness on mental illness. Conclusion Mental illness can have a devastating effect on an individual, his or her family, friends, and on the community in many ways. How it affects the individual is obvious, reduced ability to care for themselves, strong negative emotions, distorted thoughts, inappropriate behaviour, and reduced ability to maintain a relationship are only a few possible outcomes. On friends and family, it can be a major responsibility to care for someone suffering from a mental illness, the emotional and behavioural components of some illnesses can be very difficult at times to understand and to deal with. Mental illness also affects the community due to the high incidence of homelessness and unemployment in some serious disorders such as schizophrenia. We as a society are starting to see that depression doesnt mean weakness, that anxiety doesnt mean fear, and that schizophrenia doesnt mean violence. We finally understand that needing help for mental or emotional reasons does not represent a character flaw. Weve got a long way to go, but compared to the time when this was seen as demonic possession, and even compared to a few years ago, weve already come a great distance. References Anoka Co. 5k Walk for Mental Wellness is Saturday | kare11.com. (n.d.). Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN | News, Weather and Sports | kare11.com . Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.kare11.com/news/local/mornings/sunrise_article.aspx?storyid=851346 About Interpersonal Therapy | Psych Central. (n.d.). Psych Central Trusted mental health, depression, bipolar, ADHD and psychology information .. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/about-interpersonal-therapy/ Bipolar disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001924/ Cherry, K. (n.d.). What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?. Psychology Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators Enthusiasts. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/a/cbt.htm DMHAS: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. (n.d.). CT.gov Portal. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ct.gov/dmhas/cwp/view.asp?A=2901Q=489746 Educational Psychology Interactive: Readings in Educational Psychology. (n.d.). Educational Psychology Interactive. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/materials/elecfile.html Effects of Mental Illness on the Family. (n.d.). Psychology Free Online Medical Advice, Mental Health, Anxiety, Relationship Advice. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://web4health.info/en/answers/life-family-mental-illness.htm Major depression: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000945.htm Mental Health à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Love Ur Soul. (n.d.). Your Guide to a Healthy Mind, Body and Soul Love Ur Soul. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.loveursoul.co.uk/microsites/mental-health/ NAMI | About Mental Illness. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_Mental_Illness/About_Mental_Illness.htm NAMI | About Mental Illness. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=About_Mental_Illness NAMI | About Mental Illness. (n.d.). NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=about_mental_illness Obsessive-compulsive disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001926/ Origin of mental illnesses children, causes, effects, therapy, paranoia, adults, withdrawal, drug. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Origin-of-mental-illnesses.html Origin of mental illnesses children, causes, effects, therapy, paranoia, adults, withdrawal, drug. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Origin-of-mental-illnesses.html#b Panic disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001922/ Post-traumatic stress disorder PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001923/ Pregnancy and Depression. (n.d.). Pregnancy Home Page. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://pregnancy.emedtv.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-and-depression.html Psychosis PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002520/ Schizophrenia PubMed Health. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001925/ The burden of care: the impact of functional [Br J Psychiatry. 1987] PubMed NCBI. (n.d.). National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3311267 Therapy Providers in Psychology 101 at AllPsych Online. (n.d.). Psychology Classroom at AllPsych Online. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/therapists.html Welcome to PAFO!. (n.d.). Welcome to PAFO!. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.pafo.co.uk/ What Is Mental Health? What Is Mental Disorder?. (n.d.). Medical News Today: Health News. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154543.php What is Mental Illness? | Canadian Mental Health Association. (n.d.). Canadian Mental Health Association | Mental Health for All. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.cmha.ca/mental_health/what-is-mental-illness/#.UIyCMsVfCSo What is mental illness?. (n.d.). Department of Health and Ageing Welcome to the Department of Health and Ageing. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-w-whatmen-toc~mental-pubs-w-whatmen-what century, t. e. (n.d.). History of Mental Illness and Psychopathology in Psychology 101 atAllPsych Online. Psychology Classroom at AllPsych Online. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://allpsych.com/psychology101/psychopathology.html five, t. a., the. (n.d.). Psychology by Radlyn on Myspace. Myspace | Social Entertainment. Retrieved October 28, 2012, from http://www.myspace.com/rb61/blog/265960420#! Top of Form

Gulf by Robert Westall Essay -- English Literature

Gulf by Robert Westall Gulf by Robert Westall is a breathtaking novel seen through the eyes of a boy named Tom. In this story Tom gives a recount of the past events of his life during the Gulf war. In this essay I will be looking closely at Tom’s little brother Andy A.K.A Figgis and how he and his family change during this book. This story revolves around a boy named Figgis who has the strange supernatural ability to look into other people’s lives; in their eyes. The problem starts when Figgis starts to see the life of a small boy soldier in Iraq. The boy named Latif slowly takes over Figgis’ body. Figgis is strange but smart character which makes him very interesting. The thing that makes Figgis slightly different from other people is his special ability to see what other people are seeing many miles away. Figgis is brought up in a mainstream family who care very much for him. Figgis’ brother Tom cares about him the most as they share a special bond. The bond was created from the minute Figgis was born. The relationship happened because; before Figgis was born ...

Shirley Chisholm :: essays research papers

Shirley st. hill chisholm (1924-2005) A Brief Biography of Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005) S hirley St. Hill was born in New York City on November 30, 1924 she was the oldest of four daughters. Her parents were Charles and Ruby St.Hill. In 1927 at age 3 Shirley was sent to live on her grandmother’s farm in Barbados. She attended British grammar school and picked up the Caribbean accent that marked her speech. Shirley moved back to New York in 1934 at the age of 11 and went on to graduate in 1946 from Brooklyn College with honors later earning a masters degree from Columbia University. During this time it was difficult for black college graduates to find jobs. After being rejected by many companies, she obtained a job at the Mt.Calvary childcare center in Harlem. I n 1949 she married Conrad Chisholm, Shirley and her husband participated in local politics. In 1946 she ran for an assembly seat. She won and served in the New York general assembly from 1964 to1968. In 1968 after finishing her term in the legislature, Shirley Chisholm campaigned to represent New York’s Twelfth Congressional District. Her campaign slogan was â€Å"Fighting Shirley Chisholm—Un bought and Un bossed.† She won then election and became the first African American woman elected to congress. During her first term in congress, Chisholm hired an all-female staff and spoke out for civil rights, women’s rights, the poor and against the Vietnam War. In 1970 she was elected to a second term. On January 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her candidacy for president. She stood before the cameras and in the beginning off her speech she said, â€Å"I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interest. I am the candidate of the people.† Though Shirley did not win a single primary during the 1972 presidential election, she captured over 150 votes on the first ballot and later said her campaign had been a necessary â€Å"catalyst for change.† Shirley went on to serve for ten more years in the House and retired in 1982 after seven terms in congress. S hirley kept active in politics following her retirement by co-founding the National Political Congress of Black Women and serving as its founding in 1984 until1992.

Hamlet (Shakespeare): “Mad,” “Sane,” or “None of the Above”? Essay

A form of theatrical representation, metadrama (Danner), revealed Hamlet’s convictions about the behaviors and character of his mother, father, step-father, and, most importantly, himself (Shakespeare).   Metadramatic techniques reveal to the audience that characters in a play themselves are aware they are in a play and are providing additional information that the audience can accept as truthful (Danner). While these characters have no motivation to be deceitful, they may demonstrate to the audience their ability to deceive themselves.   Most notably, in Hamlet, the audience can accept information in particular soliloquies, the play-within-a-play, and from the ghost of Hamlet’s father as accurate representations of Hamlet’s and even the ghost’s own perceptions.   Why would any self-respecting ghost return to earth other than to reveal the truth?   And why would Hamlet choose to lie to us through a soliloquy? However, most importantly, we have an opportunity to witness Hamlet’s own unintentional self-deceptions.   In using examples of these techniques to evaluate Hamlet’s mental condition, â€Å"sanity† was not conceptualized as a categorical variable with two levels, â€Å"sane† or â€Å"mad.† Creating â€Å"madness† in a fictional character in a literary masterpiece (e.g., Ophelia in Hamlet) does not impose the difficulties encountered when trying to differentiate between those who are legally â€Å"mad† vs. â€Å"bad† (Emery & Oltmanns 429-433) or when trying to form two discrete diagnostic categories (Emery & Oltmanns 3-14). Regarding the question of whether Hamlet was â€Å"mad† or â€Å"sane,† in the analysis presented below, he has been conceptualized as unfortunate in having characteristics that did not match the particular demands needed for the unusual circumstances of his life and also in having the facility for self-deception that prevented him from recognizing the futility of nonetheless persevering. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet was a young man grieving following the death of the father he apparently still had worshipped as young boys not infrequently do, until they learn what is and isn’t â€Å"cool†.   Hamlet, of course, seemingly for worse rather than for better, actually had that all-powerful father, strong, courageous, respected and also loved by all.   Not prepared for his father’s death, Hamlet was even less prepared for his mother’s fast re-marriage to her brother-in-law. Magnificent poetry is no less magnificent if it comes from the mouth of someone too inexperienced to have learned the difference between the kinds of painful events that characterize human existence and those that will always get our own or most anyone’s attention, for example, the difference between our recently widowed mother having sex with the village idiot and her being sent to Hitler’s gas chambers.   The intensity and obsessive nature of his suicidal depression alone would have permitted a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; American Psychiatric Association manual, as cited in Emery & Oltmanns):   â€Å"O, that this too too solid flesh would Melt{,} and resolve itself into a dew!   Or that he Everlasting had not fix’d His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!   O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!† (Hamlet 10). Interestingly, more than two centuries before Freud’s birth, Shakespeare had dramatized the kind of observation on which the latter based psychoanalytic theory (as cited in Shaffer).   First, in the soliloquy cited above, Hamlet did not yet even know that the cause of his father’s death was homicide and would not himself have recognized that his suicidal depression was caused not by his father’s death but by his mother’s sexual betrayal (in Hamlet’s view) of his father, when she went with â€Å"most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!† (10). Without apology for violating one of the many dictates of the politically correct (PC), the dictate never to mention the name â€Å"Freud† without including the phrase â€Å"sexist† (Bowers & Farvolden), it does not even seem possible to avoid imagining Dr. Freud, while rubbing his whiskers thoughtfully, concluding that while Hamlet had resolved his fear of paternal retribution for his Oedipal desires by closely identifying with his father, his resolution of the Oedipal stage was incomplete because, regarding his mother, in wording compatible with Hamlet’s revered Bible, he still was â€Å"lusting in his heart† and, rather than blame his mother as an individual, he instead (innocently and blissfully untroubled today’s PC) blamed women’s nature, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† (10). His ambiguous view of his mother was perhaps not unlike children who blame their mothers for all that is wrong with their lives and the world, yet for whom the phrase â€Å"your mother,† in themselves, are fighting words.   To reinforce the doubts he already had about Gertrude (noted above), Shakespeare gave him the ghost of his father who simultaneously condemned and forgave her, in effect setting her up as a target for both justifiable rage and self-restraint: Claudius â€Å"won to his shameful lust The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen† (20) and Hamlet should â€Å"Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest.   But, however, thou pursuest this act, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (21).   The ghost of Hamlet’s father encouraged what already was his simmering attribution of blame, not overly concerned about the fairness of Gertrude sharing Claudius’ guilt.   In fact, we know that people distort their own perceptions and memories in a direction consistent with their beliefs (Schacter), explaining how Hamlet managed to interpret the ghost’s condemnation of Gertrude as strong enough to warrant his own conclusion, â€Å"O most pernicious woman!† (22). Indeed, people who have suffered misfortune frequently do seek out other people to blame.   We do not like to believe we are at the mercy of random inexplicable accidents or that there is no meaning to account for the occurrence of adverse events or that we do not have immortal souls.   Thus, while Claudius most certainly was guilty of committing â€Å"murder most foul† (20), what did Gertrude actually do to warrant her son’s animosity?   When does she ever show us the loathsome side of herself we have come to expect? Regarding her husband, she, in fact, does not seem guilty of anything more than being naively trusting, when as a recent and lonely widow, she was human in being receptive to the sexual overtures of a man she believed shared her own grief.   Despite what her son and her husband’s ghost indignantly protested, for centuries, marriage between even blood relatives might be considered a national European sport (Coontz). Regarding Hamlet, her â€Å"crimes† seemed no more than being overly tolerant of his disrespectful treatment and overly supportive to the extent of being his cheerleader in what she failed to recognize was not a game but a lethal battle with Laertes: â€Å"He’s fat, and scant of breath.   Here Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows; the queen carouses to thy fortune† (Hamlet, 99).   In her exuberance, she drank poison from the cup her husband had prepared for Hamlet. It would seem that Hamlet’s fatal flaw was less his inability to exact revenge from Claudius than his facility at finding and deceiving himself into believing about any possible excuse, thus preventing him from accept himself for not being the â€Å"man of action† expected of the son of a great king.   Under other circumstances, differing from his father regarding physical accomplishments might have led to no more than the timeless struggle between, for example, the father who had been star quarterback in high school and the son who was in his father’s eyes the star high-school nerd. It was Hamlet’s incredible myopia regarding the excuses he was making for failing to act that led inexorably to a tragic bloodbath in the end.   Hamlet, it turned out, like J. Alfred Prufrock, was â€Å"not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be† (Eliot line 111).   Had Hamlet a chance to â€Å"grow old† (line 120), he might have recognized his own nature in time to avoid becoming â€Å"an attendant lord†¦deferential, glad to be of use† (lines 112, 115). However, he too had â€Å"wept and prayed† (line 81) and rather than finding â€Å"the strength and courage to force the moment to a crisis† (line 80), he found only excuses for failing to act.   Indeed, Hamlet seemed to sincerely believe he would have been able to end his torment through suicide had his religion not prohibited â€Å"self-slaughter† (Hamlet, 10). These excuses included an odd need for evidence that the ghost was truthful (53), failing to act after the play-within-a-play elicited the demonstration of guilt Hamlet sought from Claudius (surprisingly, since the sociopath of Hamlet’s description would not be likely to even feel guilt – and after a stunningly convincing description of his own conscience, why did Claudius not remember this conscience after again Hamlet failed to kill him?) because of his mistaken perception of Claudius being in the act of prayer.   Ironically, as Claudius was acknowledging that his â€Å"offense is rank it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t, A brother’s murder. Pray can I not† (64), Hamlet, echoing the ghost of his father at the beginning of the play, could not kill Claudius because if killed while in prayer, â€Å"he goes to heaven †¦Ã‚   this is †¦ not revenge† (65).   At this point, he failed even to question the justice of a religion that rewards a minute of remorse with heaven and punishes anyone unfortunate enough to die suddenly with hell.   Hamlet never did describe what his father might have done so that he was â€Å"cut off even in the blossom of my sins† (21). Was Hamlet â€Å"mad†?   He was not mad unless the label is consistently used to describe anyone demonstrating self-destructive patterns of thought.   For that matter, if we describe Hamlet as â€Å"mad,† there would be no reason for excluding the millions of people who fit, to varying degrees, even one diagnostic description in the American Psychiatric Association manual (as cited in Emery & Oltmanns). Is Hamlet â€Å"sane†?   The label again would fit only if it also were used to describe virtually all of us who demonstrate any of the subjective feelings of distress described in the same manual.   The text of Hamlet did not even provide enough information to form a reliable conclusion about his thoughts and behaviors prior to his father’s death.   He might have been feeling distressed his entire life because of experiences such as the death of his pet flea or a stubbed toe. The genuine tragedy of Hamlet was that the eloquence and stunningly brutal clarity with which he expressed the universal human condition in his most famous soliloquy did not prevent his doom and, indeed, might have been so brilliant that he would have been blinded had he not turned away: a condition where the only escape from â€Å"the whips and scorns of time† is into the potentially worse â€Å"undiscover’d country †¦ [that] makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of† (48). Works Cited Bowers, Kenneth, & Farvolden, Peter.   â€Å"Revisiting a Century-old Freudian Slip – From   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Suggestion Disavowed to the Truth Repressed.† Psychological Bulletin, 119   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1996): 355-380. Coontz, S.   Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marriage.   New York: Viking, 2005. Danner, Bruce.   â€Å"Speaking Daggers.† Shakespeare Quarterly, 54 (2003): 29-62. Eliot, T.S. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.   Retrieved 17 May 2009, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   www.bartleby.com/1981.html. Emery, Robert E., & Oltmanns, Thomas F. Essentials of Abnormal Psychology.   Upper

Citibank

Policy and Purpose The purpose of the GTAG is to serve as the primary payment method for DoD personnel for official travel expenses incurred during Toys and also allows access to the GSA City Pair Program. Military personnel who violate and misuse the travel card can be prosecuted under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCM) for failure to obey a lawful order or regulations, as well as any other applicable article of the JACM based on the nature of the misconduct involved.Civilian personnel who misuse or abuse the travel card may be subject to appropriate administration or capillary action up to, and including removal from Federal service. There are many laws and documents governing the travel card program. Some of these are listed below: ; Public Law 105-264 public Law 107-314 public Law 109-115 DoD Financial Management Regulation (DOFFER) – Volume 9, Chapter 3 ; DoD Statement of Understanding You will learn more about each law and document in this course.Pu blic Law Public Law 105-264, Public Law 109-115 and Public Law 107-314 govern travel cards. A brief description of each law is provided below. Mouse over each Information icon to read about each Public Law. Public Law 105-264 Establishes the travel card program within the Department of Defense (DoD). ; Mandates the use of a Government-sponsored travel card for costs associated with official Government travel. Public Law 107-314 Establishes the requirement of split disbursement directly to the travel card vendor.Public Law 109-115 Requires each Executive department and agency to evaluate the credit worthiness of an individual before issuing a GTAG. DoD FM, Volume 9, Chapter 3 and DoD Statement of Understanding The Doffer, Volume 9, Chapter 3 establishes command, supervisory, and personal responsibility for use of the GTAG and the operation of the DoD travel card program. It is the responsibility of commanders and supervisors at all levels to ensure compliance with this regulation.The DoD Statement of Understanding must be signed by each traveler. It states that the applicant understands the provisions of the travel card program and proper use of the travel card. DoD Components may modify the DoD Statement of Understanding to reflect specific organization requirements. Benefits of Using a Travel Card Now that you are aware of the various laws and documents governing travel cards, let's look at some of the benefits.A Travel Card: Is an efficient tool for conducting official travel Eliminates the need for you to pay for your own expenses ; Saves administrative costs incurred on paper-based transactions ; Saves costs due to tax exemption status in select states ; Improves organization cash management Provides financial readiness Allows access to the GSA City Pair Program Reduces the need to issue traditional travel advances (cash/electronic funds transfer) Individually Billed Account In order to obtain a travel card, you first need to apply for an individually bill ed account (BIB).An BIB is issued only for payment of the traveler's official Government ravel expenses. It is not authorized for personal expenses; it is not transferable and can only be used by the cardholder. Expenses for any individual other than the cardholder and their authorized dependents are strictly prohibited. Payments for travel card Bias are the cardholder's responsibility. The Government is not liable for such accounts. You will receive your monthly billing statement directly from the travel card vendor at the address provided on the application and/or the address on file with the travel card vendor.We will discuss how to apply for a travel card BIB in the next topic. Types of Cards The two types of Bias are standard and restricted. Use of these cards is limited to official travel expenses only. A restricted travel card helps control delinquency by limiting the cardholder to a minimal amount of credit. Restricted travel cards look just like standard travel cards. A res tricted travel card is issued in the following situations: ;An individual does not meet the credit requirements for a standard travel card. ; The individual declines a credit check.The commanding officer, supervisor, or APPC requests a restricted travel card be issued. Usually this is done only if there has been financial counseling in the past. Credit Limit The credit limits for standard and restricted travel cards differ with respect to the total credit limit, monthly ATM limit, and monthly retail limit. The table shows the credit limits for standard and restricted travel cards. The cardholder's APPC can temporarily raise total credit limits, with the commanding officer or supervisor's approval, in order to meet mission requirements.If the cardholder's APPC increases the credit limit amount above a certain level, additional approval within the cardholder's major command, service, or agency chain of command is required. Processing Routine Applications The APPC and travel card vendo r will perform the following steps when processing routine applications: 1. The APPC will verify the information entered by the applicant and complete the billing hierarchy information. 2. The APPC will approve the application within three days of receipt of the completed application package. 3.The travel card vendor processes the application and mails the card within three business days of receipt of the approved application. The applicant should receive the card within 10 days of submission of the application to the travel card vendor. Processing Expedited Applications An expedited application will be processed when a traveler is in a TIDY status and requires a card or no longer has possession of their travel card due to loss or theft. The APPC and the travel card vendor will perform the following steps when processing emergency applications: 1 . The APPC will call the travel card vendor to request an expedited travel card. . The APPC will fax a hard copy application to the travel card vendor as soon as possible. 3. The APPC will annotate ‘Expedited Application' prominently on the application and verify with the travel card vendor whether the application has been received. . The travel card vendor will process and forward expedited cards within 24 hours to the individual cardholder's stated address, the TIDY location, or an address as otherwise directed by the APPC. Expedited mail delivery time is 2 to 3 business days. Services are available for travel cards to be delivered in 1 to 2 business days or Saturday delivery. 5.The travel card vendor charges an additional fee for expedited travel cards, which is reimbursable and should be included on the travel voucher. Payment Policy When you start using your travel card, you will receive a monthly billing statement if NY transactions have been made to your account during the billing period. This statement lists all the transactions that occurred during the billing cycle. If there are incorrect transactions on the statement, you may dispute them. Disputes must be filed within 60 days of the statement date on which they first appeared. A dispute form may be obtained from your APPC or on the TOM and/or Cit website.You are expected to make payment, in full, by the due date regardless of whether or not you receive reimbursement. Accounts are past due if you do not pay by the statement due date. Accounts become delinquent and are suspended at 61 days after the statement due date. Fee Policies There are several fees associated with the travel card. These are: ; Late fees Return check fees Expedited delivery fees ATM fees Surcharge fees Address Change It is the cardholder's responsibility to notify the organization's APPC and the travel card vendor of changes in contact information (e. . , new address, phone number, e-mail address, name change, or employer). Cardholders should perform the following actions when changes occur to contact information: ; Inform the travel card vendor y using the form provided on the back of the statement or by calling the travel card vendor's toll free phone number ; Contact the APPC Failure to notify the travel card vendor and APPC of an address change may prevent the cardholder from receiving the travel card billing statement on time.In addition, the travel card account may be closed until the correct address is provided to the travel card vendor. Delinquency An account is delinquent when a cardholder fails to pay the outstanding balance in full within 60 days of the billing statement date. After 60 days, the account is suspended and further action will be taken if the account remains delinquent.Contributing Factors & Consequences of Delinquency Some contributing factors to delinquency are: Failure to pay the travel card vendor by the billing statement due date ; Failure to file for reimbursement within 5 days of return from travel ; Failure to use split- reimbursement to pay the travel card vendor ; Failure to claim all authorized expens es Excessive/unauthorized ATM withdrawals or card use for personal expenses ; Failure to update mailing address with the travel card vendor and APPC Some of the consequences of delinquency are:Counseling Oral and/or written reprimand Suspension of charging privileges Cancellation of the travel card account Salary Offset Negative reporting to credit bureaus (after 210 days of delinquency) Account Closure and Cancellation While you enjoy the benefits of having a travel card, you must be careful when using it. Misuse of the travel card or not making timely payments can result in account closure or cancellation.A card will be cancelled for the following reasons: Two checks returned due to insufficient funds in a 12-month period ; Two suspensions in a 12-month period (the card will be permanently closed on the third suspension) ; When the account is 126 days past billing and remains unpaid ; The travel card vendor may close a travel card account upon the request of the cardholder's APPC; Travel card is lost or stolen Reduced Payment Plan Salary Offset is the term used to describe the withholding of money from the cardholder's salary.To avoid Salary Offset you may request a Reduced Payment Plan (RIP). A RIP is a written agreement between the cardholder and the travel card vendor where the cardholder agrees to make monthly payments to the vendor. The number and amount of payments will be negotiated with the cardholder and will be eased on what is required to resolve the entire account balance in a reasonable timeshare. A RIP can be requested any time before Salary Offset takes place. You previously learned that one of the consequences of delinquency is Salary Offset.Salary Offset is a process that allows DoD, on behalf of the travel card vendor, to automatically collect payment from the cardholder's pay for any amount owed as a result of undisputed delinquencies. DOFFER Volvo AAA and 8 Travel Card I Travel Card Policies Salary Offset Dispute Process Janet, a cardhold er, has received a letter stating her salary will be offset to pay her liniment travel card account if she doesn't make payment within 30 days. What can Janet do? Once an account is 91 days past the billing statement date, the travel card vendor will send a Salary Offset Due Process Notification Letter to the address on her account.Janet may then petition for a hearing, disputing the validity or amount of the debt, and the amount of the proposed offset schedule. It is important that Janet files the request for a hearing within the stipulated deadline stated in the Due Process Notification Letter. If a hearing is requested, the Salary Offset process is suspended temporarily. Split Disbursement Split Disbursement is required by DoD policy and is there to assist cardholders with timely payment of travel card accounts.When preparing your voucher you need to review the Split Disbursement amounts to ensure money is being disbursed to completely pay all charges made to the travel card. Mis sion Critical Status Mission Critical Status is a special designation used to accommodate the unique requirements of individuals deployed long-term to locations that prevent them from filing interim vouchers (if authorizations were created outside of TTS) and making prompt payments to the travel card vendor. The APPC or Component Program Manager (CPM) designates Mission Critical Status with prior approval of the traveler's commander or supervisor.This status must be authorized in the travel orders. Key Summary Points The key points covered in this class are: The GTAG will be used by all DoD personnel (military or civilian) to pay for all costs related to official Government travel. ; There are laws and policies that govern travel cards, such as eligibility, mandatory use, and the requirement for split-disbursement. Using a GTAG offers many benefits. A travel card is an efficient tool for conducting official travel and enhances financial readiness. There are two types of travel cards : standard and restricted.

Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer

TWELVE KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER Why does God not answer most people’s prayers? Do you know how to pray in a way that will get real results? Here are 12 practical steps that will help secure the favor of God for answered prayer! Key #1—Pray Sincerely to the True God It is absolutely vital that you pray to the very real God of the Bible if you expect genuine answers to your prayers. He reveals Himself to mankind in many ways—in creation, in the Bible, in His foretelling specific divine intervention in world affairs and in direct ANSWERS to those who seek and obey Him through fervent holy worship. In our modern, ecumenical (worldwide) approach to religion, we may think that praying to some vague â€Å"blob† in the sky or to an idol of Buddha is just the same as praying to the CREATOR—the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel and Jesus Christ, but it is not the same at all! The true God was revealed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27). To one of His disciples, He said, â€Å"Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known ME†¦? We read of Jesus Christ acknowledging that God was a loving, divine Person—a â€Å"Father. And we see the Father acting through Christ to heal the sick, to comfort the downcast and to teach those whom He calls to keep not only the Ten Commandments, but all of His words as a way of life (Matthew 19:17). Christ also set an example for us in praying to the Father: â€Å"Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify Youâ€⠄¢Ã¢â‚¬  (John 17:1). We serve an awesome God, with limitless power and glory! When you get down on both knees and lift up your hands in prayer to the great CREATOR of the universe, you should think of to whom you are praying. Remember that He is not only the Creator, but also the active Sovereign ruler of the entire universe and the Bible says that it is God’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom and all that is contained in it. Be sure you always pray specifically to This God—the true God—and to no other. As you begin your prayer, think about whom you are praying to and consciously worship this Great God who gives you life and breath. Key # 2—Study the Bible It naturally follows that praying to the true God involves believing what He says. And we find His words—instructing human beings how they should live—in the Holy Bible. It reveals essential knowledge that we could not acquire in any other way. It is God’s â€Å"Instruction Manual† for humanity. It tells us who God is what He is like and how we ought to serve Him. In its pages we find God’s own instructions (not suggestions) as to how we ought to live for and pray to Him. You will not receive this full instruction by just â€Å"going to church† or by carelessly reading bits and pieces of the Bible for comfort or inspiration. God commands us in His Word, â€Å"Earnestly study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth† (2 Timothy 2:15). To know God, to understand His will and to believe in His promises, one needs to regularly study His inspired Word in an orderly way—just as you might study a science textbook or a volume on history. A good place to start is the book of Matthew. Read this through slowly and carefully—noting what Jesus actually said, paying particular attention to the many examples of answered prayer. Key #3—Deeply Repent of Your Sins Although from time to time God hears the prayers of anyone who sincerely cries out to Him in time of need, He is not bound by His Word to do this. God’s Word says, â€Å"Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear dull, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear† (Isaiah 59:1-2). It is not our job to psychoanalyze or â€Å"spiritually dissect† those who have not had their prayers answered in the past. But we have a duty to ask ourselves: â€Å"Do I worship the true God? Do I do His will? Please be honest with yourself. It is easy to rationalize or to reason around this very clear scriptural teaching about obeying God’s law for having your prayers answered. As you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), He will live His life in you more and more fully over the course of your Christian life. Certainly you will not be perfect (mature) all at once, and no human being has ever been perfect (spotless) except Jesus Christ Himself. But you will be walking in the way of the Ten Commandments by surrendering to Him. By walking with Christ in this manner, you can be assured of having more powerful answers to your prayers than ever before. Key #4 Forgive Others Another vital key to answered prayer is our willingness to truly FORGIVE others. Frankly, our loving Father in heaven simply does not hear those who come to Him in a spirit of revenge, bitterness or hatred. Immediately after giving us the â€Å"Lord’s Prayer†Ã¢â‚¬â€the outline prayer describing the right general approach to talking with God—Jesus went on to instruct His followers: â€Å"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also for give you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your Father for give your trespasses† (Matthew 6:14-15). And Psalm 66:18-20 says, â€Å"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: but verily (truly) God hath heard me: He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be the God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me. † Key #5—Seek God’s Will Another key to successful prayer is to be absolutely sure that—as far as possible—you align your will and your requests with God’s will. As you zealously study the Bible and yield to let Christ live within you, His will increasingly replaces your own. It affects how you pray. You come to realize that God has made all men and women in His image—that He will call all mankind to understanding and repentance in His own time. With this in mind, you will not be praying just for your own good, but for the good of others as well. Then you can sincerely say to God, as Jesus did: â€Å"Not My will, but Yours be done† (Luke 22:42). Remember this key phrase from the outline prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6, â€Å"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven† (v. 10). We all need to focus on this as we pray. What is really best for us and everyone concerned in the long run—only God knows for sure! On the other hand, the Bible contains literally dozens of promises and/or direct indications of what God has done or will do in regard to answered prayer. If we pray in faith that God will hear us—and in accordance to His will—we may be sure that He is listening. â€Å"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him† (1 John 5:14-15). Key #6—Have Faith in God The more you drink in of the Bible, the more deeply you will realize the importance of FAITH. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him† (Heb. 11:6). The bottom line is that you cannot please God without Faith, and generally speaking, the Bible makes it crystal clear that God will not hear and answer your prayer s unless you come to Him in faith. â€Å"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord† (James 1:6). We need to take careful note of this vital teaching of Jesus Christ with respect to prayer and faith: â€Å"Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE that you receive them, and you WILL have them† (Mark 11:22-24). By continually drinking in of the Bible and praying for faith, you will find that your faith will increase more and more. Understand that living faith is produced by God’s Holy Spirit within us, and Jesus said, â€Å"If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him! † (Lk. 11:13). God wants to give us those things we ask for if we humbly ask for them and our motives and priorities are not selfish ones. So we need to pray to Him continually to give us the FAITH we need. We need to learn to BELIEVE in the promises of God. We need to learn to believe that God is REAL—that He has perfect wisdom, perfect love and perfect POWER. Realize that He will KEEP all his promises! We need to learn to imitate Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:16), for he â€Å"did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also ABLE to perform† (Rom. 4:20-21). This is real faith. This is the attitude you must have to receive genuine answers to your prayers. Key # 7—Be Persistent If your child asks you just once for a bicycle and then seemingly forgets about it and never brings the subject up again how deep is his or her desire for it? How much do you think they would appreciate it if they did get one? And so it is when we ask for something from our Heavenly father. Before He supernaturally intervenes, God wants to know that we deeply desire whatever we ask for, and that we will respect and worship Him for answering our prayer. In other words, God uses our need or desire as a vehicle to draw us closer to Him, spiritually—to cause us to focus on His will and on what is really best for us and for any others who might be involved. If we carelessly ask for something, and then virtually forget that we ever did, what would that indicate? It might tell God that we are not all that interested in His doing what we ask! Or it could be that all our desires are shallow, perhaps constantly changing, and that we would not feel a deep sense of appreciation and worship even if He constantly answered such shallow prayers! (See Luke 18:1-8). God wants us to be persistent. He wants us to walk with Him, talk with Him and commune with Him continually—day after day in this age, and ultimately throughout eternity! The Apostle Paul instructs us to â€Å"pray without ceasing† (1 Thess. 5:17). David said in Psalm 55:16-17, â€Å"As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. † So pray regularly. Spend plenty of TIME communing with Jesus Christ and your Heavenly Father. And never—EVER—stop praying to God! For, in more ways than one, your very life depends upon this contact! Key #8—Pray Fervently In Hosea 7:14 God cites as one of the reasons He did not hear the prayers of ancient Israel was that â€Å"and they have not cried unto Me with their heart. The Moffatt translation of this same verse reads, â€Å"They never put their Heart into their prayers. † What about us? Do you and I pray with our entire being? Or do we just rattle off a memorized prayer like some pagan chant or perhaps sleepily mumble a few half-hearted requests to God just before drifting off to sleep? Again, remember Jesus’ example of getting up early to pray to the Father. For prayer was vitally important to Christ. That is why He apparently put it first on His schedule—before anything else could interfere. And he probably came back to God repeatedly as the day progressed. The Book of Hebrews tells us about Christ’s passionate, heartfelt prayers: â€Å"Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear† (Heb. 5:7). It is good to go to a private place to pray as Jesus instructed in Matthew 6. Alone, we can occasionally cry out to our temptations or difficulties where only the help of God Himself can fully take care of the situation. In Luke 22:44 Jesus was crying out to His Father in such an intense and passionate manner that some of His capillaries may have literally burst—filling certain sweat ducts with blood. In our modern secular, hedonistic, laid back society, we need to grasp that the truly vital issues of life are not material. Rather, they are spiritual—having to do with our Creator and with all eternity. They are certainly worthy of getting excited about. So let us put our hearts into our prayers. Let us be fervent! Let us be passionate as we pour out our hearts to the awesome Personality who wants to be our real Father: the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity† (Isaiah 57:15). Key #9—Ask God to Fashion and Mold You A genuine man or woman of God is one who has totally surrendered to the will of the Creator. Through the Prophet Isaiah God tells us: â€Å"But on this one will I look: on Him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word† (Isa. 66:2). This attitude of seeking God’s will rather than our own—of total submission to our Heavenly father—is vital to our prayer life if we are to receive constant and powerful answers. Do you want to truly grow spiritually? Listen to Ephesians 4:13: â€Å"Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. † If you’re serious about growing and becoming mature then we need to all â€Å"wrestle with God† in our prayers as Jacob literally wrestled with Him and prevailed (Gen. 32:24-32). We need to engage Him in long, thoughtful conversation about how we can more fully yield to Him, walk with Him in our lives. We need to constantly ask God to help us fulfill the great PURPOSE for which we were born. It is fine—within limits—to pray for physical things. BUT THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS TO HELP US FOCUS ON GOD, YIELD TO HIM AND SURRENDER OUR WILL TO HIS AS WE CULTIVATE A VITAL INTERACTIVE RELATIONSHIP. In this way He becomes increasingly real to us. Through constant and heartfelt Bible Study and prayer we must seek God’s will. We must grasp that our past ideas and attitudes about God and religion in general need much improvement. This process will bring us to a point in our lives where we learn to walk with Him, talk with Him, quietly commune with Him off and on all day long. Sincerely ask Him to mold you into His own image. The approach of yielding to God as you pray, of asking Him to rebuke and chasten and fashion you, is one of the vital keys to really powerful prayer. Key #10—Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God Another of the qualities that made King David a man after God’s own heart was the sincere love, worship and adoration that he continually expressed toward the great creator who blessed him, sustained him and guided him. The entire Book of Psalms is literally filled with David’s prayers of worship and adoration. Listen to Psalm 18:1-3, â€Å"I will love you, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. † Fifty (50) verses and David never asked for one thing! All he does is give God praise and thanks for what He has already done. When was the last time you got down on your knees or walked on your feet and just gave God continuous repetitious praise and thanks for what He has already done? We need to constantly thank and praise God for every good gift and for His help and blessing in every situation (1 Thess. 5:18). Instead of losing control in our enthusiasm for sports figures, rock and rap stars or any other human idols, let us unashamedly pour out our whole being in thanking, praising and worshiping the God who made us and who gives us life and breath. This is the God who forgives us time and time and time again, who guides and blesses us, and who in the end—plans to share His eternal glory with us if we will only respond and learn to love Him as He loves us. Key #11—Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ To truly and correctly use Jesus’ name in prayer we must OBEY Him and again ask according to His will. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ warned: â€Å"Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Those who do not really know the true God or His way are simply not capable of properly coming before Him in the name of Jesus Christ. To pray in the name of Jesus is to approach the throne of God through the name—the office and authority of Jesus Christ who gives us access to the very throne room of God. So as you approach God in heartfelt, regular prayer, be sure you are obeying your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Though He does not expect instant spiritual maturity, He does want us to walk in His way through the help of the Holy Spirit. When we do we can then come to the Father through Christ alone to make the direct contact of effective prayer. And remember, James said, â€Å"the effectual (unceasing) fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much† (James 5:16b). Key #12—EXPECT AN ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!