Traffick :: essays papers

Traffick This saga of the so-called "war" on drugs is a masterwork of superb performance, smart writing--and, most of all, the mark of a director who not only knows what he wants, but also exactly how to make his ambitious vision a glorious reality. Unlike most multicharacter pastiches, such as the ones made by Robert Altman, or Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, the characters of Traffic's three tales don't constantly crisscross, nor are they all brought together by a big event. Intersections are rare in Traffic, and the junctions that do occur are often fleeting. Yet the stories are strongly linked by their greater thematic concern: to vividly illustrate how the drug problem touches all corners of the country, all walks of life, from people on the harsh urban streets to those in lavish upper-class neighborhoods. Soderbergh and writer Stephen Gaghan, working from the '80s British miniseries Traffik, steadfastly refuse to force easy, comforting conclusions from difficult and complex situat ions; as in real life, one is left to decide for oneself who or what is right, and what it all means. While Traffic is essentially about the war on drugs in America, the film's starting point is the almost-exclusively south-of-the-border (and nearly-completely Spanish-language) story of Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro, doing away with his annoying tics and delivering a career performance), an average Tijuana State policeman who is given the opportunity for greater prestige by working for General Salazar's (Tomas Milian) efforts against the drug cartels. Just north of the border in San Diego is the setting for another thread, in which very pregnant European à ©migrà © Helena Ayala (Catherine Zeta-Jones, her real-life condition adding a deeper layer to her role) learns that the pampered lifestyle provided by husband Carlos (Steven Bauer) comes from dabblings in drugs, not legit business ventures. The film also travels a bit northwest to Cincinnati, the third central locale, where Caroline (Erika Christensen), the teenage daughter of newly-appointed U.S. drug czar Robert Wakef ield (Michael Douglas), brings her father's enemy much closer to home than he could have ever imagined. Soderbergh effortlessly weaves the individual strands into a tapestry that is at once cohesive and characterized by its contrasting colors. The latter can be taken in a literal sense--Soderbergh, under the pseudonym "Peter Andrews" (his father's name), shot the film himself, and he gave each part of the film its own distinct look: grainy, washed-out yellow for Mexico; a solemn blue sheen for Cincinnati; sun-drenched full color for San Diego.

Faust And Frankenstein :: essays research papers

Goethe in Faust and Shelley in Frankenstein, wrap their stories around two men whose mental and physical actions parallel one another. Both stories deal with characters, who strive to be the à ¼bermensch in their world. In Faust, the striving fellow, Faust, seeks physical and mental wholeness in knowledge and disaster in lust. In Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein struggles for control over one aspect of nature and disastrously, through the monster, nature controls him to a much greater degree. Many powers are much too mighty for mortal souls, a lesson that Frankenstein and Faust learn by the end of their tales. While voluntarily excommunicating themselves from society, both characters accomplish a portion of their goal and yet they remain unhappy because they never control the "perfect" life they have built for themselves. In Faust, the intelligent gentleman Faust, seeks spiritual wholeness in knowledge. Through years of hard study, Faust becomes knowledgeable in math, sciences and religion and yet he becomes inept and incapable of having any romantic or physical relationships with the outside world. As Faust strives to become the "over man" through knowledge, he realizes that books will not satisfy his curiosity and that maybe sensual pleasures will. Therefore, in the process of creating his new life, Faust, becomes distant and unconcerned with all reality and humanity around him. Do not fancy anything right, do not fancy that I could teach or assert what would better mankind or what might convert. I also have neither money nor treasures, nor worldly honors or earthly pleasures; no dog would want to live this way!(p. 95) Obviously, Faust has fallen into a inhumane state of living, through the pursuit of the unattainable. He becomes greedy, desperate and feels justified in whatever it takes to achieve a position of the over man. At that time, Christians and society in general considered his pursuit for lust immoral, unjust and irresponsible. When Faust sets his sights on an object, whether knowledge or women, he demands nothing less of himself than that which will get it. In many situations dedication to an act is reputable; education, sports, career. It seems then, that to become the à ¼bermensch and pursue excellence, one must stay dedicated to one's goal and dismiss the world around him. In the process of creating his monster, Victor Frankenstein ignores the outside world; The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit.

Abortion :: essays research papers fc

Abortion With 2000 being a presidential election year, the question of pro-choice or pro-life is once again a prominent issue. I am and have been a pro-choice advocate since I first understood the issue. The upcoming election has made me revisit the main reasons for my position. For me, two main reasons for supporting pro-choice are the medical and social benefits the country has experienced since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973. The most important medical benefit has been the end of the â€Å"back alley butchers† who left many women dead or mutilated. Legal abortion has proven to be safe, while illegal abortion has not. In 1965, 193 women died from illegal abortions, and 17% of all deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth in that year were caused by illegal abortions. (Medical screen 2) Current death rate from abortion is 0.6 per 100,000. This means that abortion is 11 times safer than carrying a pregnancy to term. (Medical screen 2) In other countries where abortion is illegal it is a leading cause of maternal death. (Safety screen 1) Along with the medical benefits, there have also been many social benefits due to the legalization of abortion. Unfit mothers and teenagers no longer are forced to carry out there pregnancies and have to care for an unwanted child. Couples who have a high risk of giving birth to babies with genetic disorders are now more willing to try and conceive because of the availability of safe legal abortions. (Medical screen 2) States with stricter abortion laws spend far more money per child on things such as foster care, welfare, and education then states with more lenient laws. (Medical screen 2-3) Last is my conviction that each individual woman, and no one else, has the right to carry out or abort her pregnancy. Every woman can do what she wants with her bodies without any government intervention. The Supreme Court based women’s right to an abortion on the right of privacy, or the right of people to make choices about their personal and reproductive life without interference from the state. (McDonagh 4) Upon revisiting my reasons for supporting the pro-choice movement, I am more convinced than ever that my beliefs are justified.

Taking Sides Essay

Taking Sides Essay Fonseca, Ricardo English Period 5 October 3, 2012 In the story â€Å"Taking Sides† by Gary Soto, Lincoln Mendoza, the main character, faces many conflicts that you may think that they won't affect him but when these problems become a major role, the result of them cause him to act differently. Lincoln deals with these problems in different ways. He tries to resolve them by talking to the people he has problems with. Another thing he does is that he tries to avoid the problem.I will give two examples of the kind of problems Lincoln Mendoza deals with. One of the first problems Lincoln is faced with is Roy, his mother's boyfriend. This problem affects Lincoln in many ways; one way this problem affects him is by taking time away from Lincoln and his mother. Lincoln already has little time to spend with his own mother, and the little time they have with each other is being used by his mother to date Roy. Lincoln doesn't like this because his mother can never go to his games and she is always busy with work.Roy was shorter than his mother, pudgy and pale, and drove a baby blue BMW, which Lincoln thought was a girl's color. Roy always flinches when Lincoln's dog, Flaco, barks. He doesn't like it when his mother dates men who flinch when the dog barks. Lincoln had a conversation with Roy and it was about basketball. He had no idea that Roy played basketball when he was his age, but Lincoln learned that when Roy told him about the game when Franklin played against Columbus.Roy told him about how his coach Yesutis cried when a player from Franklin punched him in the face. This is when Lincoln found out why his coach hated Franklin so much. Eventually the conflict of his mother using her time with Lincoln to date Roy was resolved by Lincoln getting along with Roy. They became friends because they had some similarities because of basketball. This changed Lincoln because before he disliked Roy for taking time away from Lincoln and his mother but n ow he likes him. Another problem in the story was his coach Yesutis.The coach is always too hard on him. He never gives Lincoln a break even though he is like the star player. When Lincoln is hurt, his coach still makes him practice or play. For example, Lincoln hurt his toe and he complained to his coach but the coach made him practice through it, he told him to toughen up. Lincoln talked with his friend James about coach always being too hard on him and James said that coach could be weird at times. Lincoln hates his coach for this and thinks that he shouldn't be on their backs all the time.James had told Lincoln that coach Yesutis is just making them stronger, but Lincoln said that you can't coach by calling them names, and he said that sometimes he doesn't even know I'd the coach knows what he is doing half of the times. Lincoln also says that his coach's plays are stupid, and watch when they play a black team. Another example of his coach being too hard on Lincoln was when Linc oln had hurt his knee when he was playing basketball in the rain with Monica and she jumped up and hit him under his chin, which caused him to fall to the floor and bang up his knee.His knee was swollen for days and it was as purple as an onion. His coach put him as someone's back up because he kept complaining about his knee, but he still made Lincoln play through it and didn't give him a break. What Lincoln learns from this is that he can be tough and play through these injuries, but he also learns how idiotic his coach can be. In this story Lincoln faced many conflicts and resolved them on his own. These problems changed him in a few different ways but mostly they changed him emotionally and the way he thinks. He learned a few things about his coach and also more things about himself and his friends.

A comparison study of teacher self-efficiency beliefs of Korean and Native teachers of English

Communication is one factor in human relations that could not be removed from existing within the community of humans. This is primarily because of the fact that it is something that keeps the relationship of people from all over the world intact in creating one particular community.Communication is indeed one of the oldest procedures of humans in connecting with each other. Within the ancient years, people utilized sounds to be able to connect to each other. Later on, the sounds developed into words, words into phrases and now, people are already capable of expressing themselves through speaking different languages.This fact leads to the proof that one of the most important needs of people is to communicate. It is the particular factor that separates humans from other creations, since they are able to connect to others through the use of words, or body language, they have the means by which they are able to express their innermost thoughts through communicating their minds to others .Larry Alan Nadig further describes communication in the following manner:â€Å"Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and effectively is only half of the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness. The other half is listening and understanding what others communicate to us. When a person decides to communicate with another person, he/she does so to fulfill a need.The person wants something, feels discomfort, and/or has feelings or thoughts about something. In deciding to communicate, the person selects the method or code which he/she believes will effectively deliver the message to the other person. The code used to send the message can be either verbal or nonverbal.When the other person receives the coded message, they go through the process of decoding or interpreting it into understanding and meaning. Effective communication exists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the sender intended it.† (TEL, 2001, Internet)However, through the years, the development of the artistic and strategic way of using communication as a link towards other people has been continuously improving.Now, at the brink of globalization, more and more people are having the capability of connecting to others of different races from their own through communication, yet they are lacking the skills of doing so. How then are humans supposed to face this particular challenge of social progress? The book of Rudolph and Kathleen Verderber discusses of the four major ways by which the human society could gain the right skills to communicate.The Four keys of Successful Communication [A Summary of Chapters 1-4]According to the Verderber[s], successful speech communication with others could only be attained through constant practice. This practice through does not only involve one’s own effort of attaining the skills of rightful speech. In a concise discussion within the f our chapters of their book, Kathleen and Rudolph gave the four basic steps by which people could gain good and considerably practical communication skills.(1) Foundations of Communication, the first 100 pagesThis section includes some topics such as verbal and nonverbal communication, plus the perception of self and others. The said topic primarily focus on the ability of the person to use all the possible ways to be able to connect with others in the society, making a certain stress on the fact that people do need to communicate with others because it is innate in them to do so. Using this as the main foundation of learning the skills for speech is certainly a fine start for someone wanting to gain the rightful knowledge needed to converse with others.(2) Interpersonal Communication, the next 110 pages  This part of the book includes several topics ranging from listening and job interviews to communicating in relationships. Most likely, the focus of this part is to show the reade r how communication skills are practically applied in real life. The aim of the authors is primarily to encourage the readers to believe the fact that they cannot do away with the fact that communication is a regular part of human living and they could not do away with it.(3) Group Communication, ranging at only 20 pagesThis particular section tells the reader how to participate in groups as well as to how to apply leadership within groups through the use of fine communicating skills on the part of the one creating the conversation.(4) Public Speaking, the last 160 pagesThe Final chapter discusses on how to pick a topic, research it, adapting to an audience. It also gives a clear description on the differences between informative vs. persuasive speaking. This part mainly focuses on the capability of the readers to develop their skills in expressing themselves in front of a crowd as they hold their attention through the discussions that they are addressing to them.Through the discuss ion of the four major chapters of the book Communicate!, it could be noted that the authors of the book wanted to stress on the importance of an individual’s ability in expressing himself whether personally or publicly. The constant recognition of the fact that people are indeed capable and are responsible of communicating themselves with others have particularly made this reading material a must read.It could not be denied that through the discussions that the authors presented, the importance of listening is given ample focus. The authors even noted: â€Å"Listening is one part of communication that cannot be denied of attention; there is certainly a non-existent communication if the art of listening is not applied by the parties that are having a particular conversation.† (Verderber, 25)

Assessment Tool Analysis Essay

The purpose of this paper is to examine the tools that evaluate on-physical measures while applying Watson’s Theory of Human caring that integrates the mind-body-spirit dimensions to the three assessment tools chosen. In this paper, I will describe each tool and the population for which it might be useful, assessment tool data such as cost, length and each in using the tool. I will also discuss the population at which it is best designed, and the validity of information gained. In addition, how this tool could enhance the assessment phase of the nursing process and how it impact quality of health care delivered by the nurse will be discussed. These assessment tools will be applied to adolescent and teenage pregnancy chosen in Week Two in the Vulnerable Population and Self- Awareness assignment. Definition of Assessment Tools Assessment is the deliberate and systematic collection of data to determine the client’s current and past health status and functional status and to determine the client’s present and past coping patterns. Nursing assessment include two steps. The first step involves collection and verification of data from a primary source (the client) and secondary sources (e.g., family, health professionals, and medical record) (Potter & Perry, 2005). Assessment tools are the materials needed to establish data collection. Data collected may be subjective (client’s perception) or objective (data measured by collector). Example of objective data includes client’s body language, facial expression, vital signs e.t.c. The three assessment tools chosen for this paper are: Beck Depression Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Well-Being Picture Scale. Beck Depression Inventory There are many assessment and diagnostic tools that either measure  intelligence, aptitudes, achievements, and behaviors so it was no surprise when Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was created in 1961 by Aaron T. Beck, a pioneer in cognitive therapy, with the sole purpose of determining the severity and intensity level of the symptoms of depression. Depression Inventory is defined as a validated measure that has been instrumental in leading to numerous diagnoses due to its most recent revisions that more closely resemble the diagnostic criteria for depression (Farinde, 2013). The Beck Depression Inventory is a widely utilized 21-item self-report scale in both clinical and research studies. The most recent version; The Beck Depression Inventory-11 which is a completely self-administered format, is a depression rating that can be used in individuals that are ages 13 years and older, and rates symptoms of depression in terms of severity on a scale from 0 to 3 based on the 21 specific i tems. Patients that endorse multiple items on the questionnaire (i.e. sadness, pessimism, past failures, loss of pleasure, guilty feelings, punishment fears, self-dislike, and so forth) typically have higher scores with a maximum score of 63 compared to others. For the general population, score of 21 or greater is associated with depression but for individuals who have been clinically diagnosed, scores from 0-9 represent minimal depressive symptoms, scores of 17 to 29 indicate moderate depression, and scores of 30 to 63 indicate severe depression (Farinde, 2013). Perceived Stress Scale Stress has long been a major research concept in health science since it is linked to various health outcomes and illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis (Lee, 2012). The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is one of the more popular tools for measuring psychological stress. It is a self-reported questionnaire that was designed to measure â€Å"the degree to which individuals appraise situations in their lives are stressful.† The Perceived Stress Scale items evaluate the degree to which individuals believe their life has been unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded during the previous month. The assessment items are general in nature rather than focusing on specific events or experiences (Lee, 2012). According to Lee (2012), the original instrument is a 14-item scale (PSS-14) that was developed in English, with 7  positive items and 7 negative items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Five years after the introduction of PSS-14, it was shortened to 10 items (PSS-10). A four-item PSS (PSS-4) was also introduced as a brief version for situations requiring a very short scale of telephone interviews and the PSS is currently translated into 25 languages other than English. The criterion validity of the PSS was evaluated only in a few studies; the criteria used were all questionnaires that showed a weak to moderate association, demonstrating unsatisfactory criterion validity (Lee, 2012). Well-Being Picture Scale The theoretical framework that has guided the investigation of well-being from a Rogerian perspective is based upon the observation and measurement of health-related variables that are unique to the Science of Unitary Human Beings. Rogerian-science derived principles and the concepts of well-being. The term well-being, as a measure of health, is compatible with the concepts and variables that are unique to the development of knowledge (Reis and Alligood, 2008). The Well-Being Picture Scale is a 10-item non-language based pictorial scale that measures general well-being within the unique human environment field process. Each item on the scale has a numeric value of I to 7, with 70 being the maximum score possible and 10 being the lowest score possible. Higher scores indicate higher well-being. Conceptually, the instrument appraises the energy field in regard to frequency and intensity of movement, awareness of oneself as energy, action emanating from the energy field, and power as kno wing participation in change within the mutual human and environmental energy field process. The WPS was reported by all participants to be easily understood (Reis and Alligood, 2008). This scale can be used by all individuals regardless of their ethnic groups. How these tools enhance the assessment phase and quality of health care Using the Beck Depression Inventory in the assessment phase of the nursing process will facilitate and aid the treatment of depression in all ages. This assessment tool will aid the early diagnosis of depression and reduce further complications of depression. Depression is common in Adolescents who are undergoing stress as a result of pregnancy, low self-esteem and diseases. The nurse can affect the quality of health care delivered to patients by reassuring them and referring them to  appropriate health care providers. Using Perceived Stress Scale in the assessment phase of the nursing process, the nurse is better able to identify patients at higher risk for stress, help these patients to identify and implement coping skills during difficult times. This process improves the quality of patient care and outcome. Pregnant adolescent undergoes a significant amount of stress and challenges as a vulnerable population. Using the Well Being Picture Scale in the assessment phase of the nursing process, the nurse is better able to detect a patient’s well-being and health. The nurse is able to detect if the patient is healthy or not. This is more of a primary prevention for patients of all ages. This assessment tool is mostly recommended for pregnant women. Health care providers are able to follow up with patients to monitor their wellness or impact of diagnosis on their general health. Application of tools to Adolescent pregnancy Adolescent girls face pressures that are unique to their population and make them especially vulnerable. Girls carry disproportionate domestic world burden and are denied leadership opportunities and active community affairs (Bailey, 2012). These factors made the life of adolescent girls stressful and complicated which could cause depression. Beck Depression Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Well-Being Scale are tools that can be used during the assessment phase of the nursing process in adolescents. Adolescent girls who become pregnant may develop depression while trying to balance school, child, work and relationships, thereby, making all three tools helpful to the nurse during initialInventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Well-Being Scale as assessment tools help facilitate better nurse-patient relationship and better care for our patients References Alligood, M. R., (2010). Nursing Theory: Utilization and Application. (4th ed.). Retrieved from University of Phoenix eBook database Collection. Bailey, L. D., (2012). Adolescent Girls: A Vulnerable Population. Journal of Advances in Neonatal Care, 12(2), 102-106. Retrieved from http://search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?ctx_ver†¦.. Farinde, A., (2013). The Beck Depression Inventory. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 2(1), 56-58. ISSN: 2277-7695. Retrieved from http://www.thepharmajournal.com Lee, E. H., (2012). Review of the Psychometric Evidence of the Perceived Stress Scale. Journal of Asian Nursing Research, 6(4), 121-127. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/1507280852?pq-origsite=simmon Potter, P. A. & Perry, A. G. (2005). Fundamentals of Nursing. (6th ed.). MO: Elservier Mosby Reis, P.J., and Alligood , M. R. (2008). Well-Being in Pregnancy: a plot study using the Well-being Picture Scale. Journal of Rogerian Nursing Science, 15(1), 8-17. Retrieved from http://av4kc7fg4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/?ctx_ver†¦.

Analyzation of Emily Dickinson’s Poetry

Succeeding in life, or achieving one’s own goals, seems to be the central theme in everyone’s life as is in Emily Dickinson’s poetry. Dickinson expresses the lessons learned in life throughout her poems. There can be many hardships and obstacles preventing one from their own succession. The prevailing of these obstacles leads to one’s success is life. In the poem â€Å"’Hope’ is the thing with feathers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dickinson uses a bird metaphorically as hope. The feathers as she tells are the hope in a person.The feathers create the wing and let the bird fly so in a sense it’s as if hope is lost in one place and can be found in another, as if flying to a new hope. In another sense somebody’s wings, or hopes, can be broken down by life’s hardships which can lead to a sense of hopelessness. Hope perches in the soul which Dickinson uses as the home of the bird, perch, and the soul metaphorically. The bird lives from suppo rt of its perch; one’s hope is within one’s soul.Without the support of the perch the bird’s nest will fall. Without the soul, one loses hope in everything that means something to them. And sings the tune without the words; and never stops-at all†. Dickinson continues to use a bird as a metaphor for hope, but in this stanza she speaks of the bird’s singing. The bird’s song is also used for hope. The bird â€Å"never stops-at all† is referring to the song and one’s never ending hope. â€Å"And sore must be the storm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is used to refer to the guilt and pain somebody or something that crushes the hope that others will feel. â€Å"I’ve heard it on the chillest land; And on the strangest Sea; yet, never, in extremity; it asked a crumb of me† (Dickinson 9-12).Rad also  We grow accustomed to the darkIn the last stanzas of the poem, Dickinson, refers to hope as being able to be found everywhere, or in the ch illest land or on the strangest sea. Hope will be there for you and won’t ask anything from you. There should be hope in everyone who has a soul. This hope that is felt is for the continuance of one’s life because without hope, one does not succeed in what is to be accomplished; life. Success is the goal and key to life. Success can differ from person to person based on what they want to achieve. â€Å"Success is counted sweetest; by those who ne’er succeed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickinson 1-4). This can also be made as a reference to envy.People want what they do not have. To feel success at its sweetest, â€Å"to comprehend a nectar† one must feel the â€Å"sorest need† or great hardship either through failure or with obstacles. Overcoming these obstacles will lead to one’s success and to some, success is the sweetest to those who cherish the opportunity. The â€Å"Purple Host† who took the enemy flag does not know victory better than the defeated enemies. â€Å"As he defeated-dying; on whose forbidden ear; the distant strains †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Dickinson explains in the last stanzas of her poem that the defeated army understands the success of victory better than the victors.The reasoning behind this is that in order to understand the feeling of succeeding one must feel failure first to truly understand triumph. The victors do not know failure, which in this case is death, which Dickinson states will prevent them from understanding triumph or success. Succeeding in life to some is to become recognized and to be known by the public or achieving fame. â€Å"I’m nobody! Who are you,† Dickinson was not known by the public through her lifetime and she dreaded her infamous life. â€Å"Don’t tell!They’d banish us-you know† refers to not being accepted by society and being out cast for being different than others. â€Å"How dreary-to be-Somebody; how public-like a frog; to tell your name-the livelong day; to an admiring bog! † (Dickinson 5-8) is a reference implying that her private secretive life is of her preference. Being secluded is better than being in the mess of things. â€Å"How public like a frog to tell your name the livelong day†, so she’d rather not have to worry about keeping a good name if it’s going to be a nuisance to her, â€Å"To an admiring bog†, which she refers to as the judging public.The success she wishes to achieve is for her and not for anybody else. Achieving life’s goals should be for one’s own satisfaction. Emily Dickinson’s poetry can be referenced to many things in life. Succeeding in life, to one’s preference, seems to be the central theme in her poetry. Whether it’s hope in succeeding, failing to learn to succeed, or achieving fame from your success, everyone has goals to achieve. These goals will lead the succession in life.