Thursday, October 31, 2019

New Articles from the New York Times about Mammograms Research Paper

New Articles from the New York Times about Mammograms - Research Paper Example New articles from the New York times about Mammograms are important in the addressing of various speculations related to radiation and cancer. In addition, the article helps to clarify facts that exist between the value of the screening test for women  suspected to have cancer and those with cancer (Dronkers, 2011). The news report also tries to enlighten the effectiveness of Mammograms in the determination of the existence of cancer at the early periods' stages especially in the development of this particular malady (Botha, 2014). The news article is significant due to its combination of various research findings in its quest to conclude the average effectiveness of Mammograms. Mammograms are heavily relied on for cancer therapy by most states. Despite its futility in the eradication of cancer cell from an ailing person, it is beneficial in reducing incidences of the disease’s severity when combined with the administration of other drugs like tamoxifen (Botha, 2014). The news article has been significant in clearing doubt on the value of mammograms. In addition to clearing such doubts, it has been significant towards enlightening the importance of the mammograms due to lack of appropriate methods meant to deal with this disease especially breast cancers.  The study has elaborated in depth on how ineffectiveness of mammograms results on its application towards cancer patients (Marchione, 2014). This is in terms of the number of deaths caused by this malady whereby a particular number of individuals that have undergone mammograms being high. According to the study, mammograms procedure is not effective in the prevention of deaths caused by cancer. This calls for the need to find out an improvised way of dealing with the predicament, which is an appropriate alternative.  The worth of this study is evident in its indication and elaboration of varied essential facts that entail relayed to the public as well as oncologists to note the increasing nu mber of deaths when using this particular approach.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Marketing Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Internet - Essay Example eBay has gained the reputation for serving the kind of services they offer online for millions of clients worldwide. Millions of collectibles, appliances, computers, furniture, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, and sold daily (eBay, Wikipedia). eBay business approach comprises mounting profits by increasing international traffic contained by the eBay structure. eBay is continually trying to reach different countries outside the USA, which includes market deals in Asia Pacific and Europe. The company also does acquisition of related business online companies to integrate in their current systems. This strategic approach enables eBay to expand not online in the previous services and business they handle but enlarging its business scale. Consumers and analyst view eBay as a successful business venture with over $4.55 billion total revenues in 2005. Successful as it may seem, why eBay not explore the venture of becoming a brick and mortar industry This may be an issue or another area where eBay may win in the competition though they are already a winner. In a continuing development, large businesses that existed before the invention of the Web (and were therefore bricks and mortar businesses) are becoming clicks and mortar businesses. Companies like eBay.com and others that have never owned a bricks and mortar storefront are usually known as dotcom companies. Considering the brick and mortar business, with having the physical and online business presence, eBay has a lot of opportunities to explore and take into their serious business plan in the future. Like Target Corporation (www.target.com), has practicing this kind of business enterprise as e-commerce since 1999. The corporation started as a specialty discount store and now boomed and became one of a leading merchant store. In United States, there have 1,447 stores. It now has different subsidiaries and planning to expand abroad to reach greater number of consumers. The first few Target stores included leased supermarkets in addition to general merchandise, which during the time was a common practice by discount retailers as they attempted to offer a one-stop shopping experience to customers. As a result, Target stores tend to attract younger and more educated and affluent customers than its competitors. Currently, the median Target shopper is 41 years old, which is the youngest of al l major discount retailers that Target competes directly against (Target Corporation, Wikipedia). eBay may have a behind the scene approach in the e-commerce business and Target Corporation has its own. Ebay started business online while Target Corporation has been on the business since 1960s and just recently moved online to cater consumers who cannot drop by their store outlets across the country. Differentiating their nature may see some advantages and disadvantages of practicing such business. Will one be of gain by practicing the brick and mortar business This engages systematize shipment, access into shops, handling money, signing credit card, selecting/seeing the product, carrying the product and finding the right aisle to get out. Today there are many online stores selling products from books, CD's, flowers, groceries, services, software and more.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Descartes And Opposing Other Philosophical Views Philosophy Essay

Descartes And Opposing Other Philosophical Views Philosophy Essay Descartes had his fair share of opposing philosophers, but one of his main critiques was in the person of John Locke. I do not totally agree with his proposition that only the mind can produce certain knowledge and that our senses are always under the attack of the devil that deceives us. And by that note I will use Locke to oppose the main proposition of Descartes concerning doubt or the first meditation. Descartes first meditation focused on doubt and how knowledge is innate in us. In Descartes first meditation; there was this thought that since our senses can be considered as doubtful or deceiving, therefore the knowledge that came to us thorough the senses are doubtful and the knowledge that we now have is from the mind  [i]  . Descartes pointed out that we are in a dreaming state, that we are but in a state where in the senses that we have deceives us. Locke therefore proposed that we our sense are not deceiving us, we are not in a dream state; because for him knowledge can only be achieved through the senses and not by some innate ideas that is from our mind. This concept of ideas that comes from our minds posts some problems that were identified by Locke; one is that if one possesses this innate knowledge locked up in his mind, he or she therefore must have the consciousness that this knowledge exists, but by the mere fact that a child does not know that his parents are his or her parents proves that knowledge cannot be innate or can be only found in the mind. Locke then suggested that there are two kinds of experiences; one is what he called as external experience. External experience or is what he described as the experience which we can attain knowledge through the use of our five senses; the color, the smell, the motion and etc. of an object can be attributed to this kind of experience  [ii]  . In other words, sense experience is about the analysis of the physical characteristics of an object that is in front of you. The other kind of experience is what he calls as the internal experience or called as reflection  [iii]  ; this experience makes us understand or interpret the several characteristics that the external experience have produced; meaning the shape or taste of a an object is interpreted by this second experience. Locke here proposed that there is this cycle from which a certain object or a thought must go before it can be considered as a piece of information, which I truly believe would be the most correct process of understanding a certain object. Unlike what Descartes has been promulgating, Locke has made a logical process of how we could attain knowledge. Descartes has proposed that since our senses deceive us therefore anything that passes through our senses is considered to be doubtful or untrue. Now let us go to Descartes God argument. Descartes started by saying that the knowledge of God is again innate in us  [iv]  . Again we see the problem here in the statement of Descartes. Experience will teach us the moral principles and the background needed to understand and have the knowledge about God. Then how would God be innate in us if experience would be the basis for us to understand and have a notion about God. Our mind during our infancy and early years is what John Locke considered as a clean slate, a tabula rasa, wherein knowledge is added to it by the use of our sense experience and not by mere innate ideas. Moreover if we had this innate idea of God, then why is it that we all have different interpretations of him? Why is it that some people even come to the extent of not believing him or even not considering him as living? God for Descartes seemed to be the promulgator of all that is true. And for him sense experience is impossible because we can be deceived. So w ho is doing the deceiving? Descartes then pointed out that there was this being that is responsible for deceiving us by the use of our senses. He called this deceiver as the devil the cause of all the falsity that our senses produce. The thought that the senses can be deceived by the devil gives us the notion that all outside objects and might as well our senses can be controlled by the devil. And by saying this Descartes proves that our sense cannot be trusted but rather, our mind is the most trustworthy attribute. God for me is not an innate object or idea. As same as what Locke has said, our ideas of God varies and therefore we cannot say that there is this universal knowledge about God that is innate in all of us. Now that was done we shall now go to his second meditation where in we can find his most famous phrase Cogito ergo sum which translates to I think, therefore I am  [v]  . Using Lockes empiricist look I shall now ponder on this issue of the cogito. Since John Locke adheres to the idea that the senses are the source of knowledge and nothing else, it could be said that there would no need for a concept of the cogito. By the mere fact that we have a body and we can experience it is enough reason to say that we exist. Sense experience, as said earlier, is the basis for knowledge also it can prove that we exist. We can feel other bodies and other objects therefore it is a proof that we exist and we are not being deceived by any supernatural being. Our sense experience is enough proof that we are alive, we exist beyond reasonable doubt. Doubting the existence of our body is like saying that we do not feel or see or hear anything. We can see, we can feel, we can experience pain and pleas ure by the use of our bodies; therefore doubting it would require us to think that we do not feel anything, we do not feel the pain if our hand is put above fire. For me therefore I completely disagree with his second meditation. Next we go shall go to his interpretation of the body and the mind and how the mind is more known to us than the body  [vi]  . Locke argued that the body cannot be unhinged from the concept of the mind; for it is the body which sucks in outside stimuli to force the mind to think; the body therefore is our receptors for knowledge and since it is our first level of experience it can be considered as more known to us that the mind. Locke continued by saying that as we are not always in a pondering state therefore we are not that acquainted with our mind. Our body is a big strainer where in all of the outside stimuli can be felt. Our body is the receptacle of all things which we can feel or experience. Therefore our body is becomes our first contact with the outside world and by the fact that we can consider it as a first, then we could say that we know more about our body than our mind. For example we see a chubby woman running towards a fast food restaurant, isnt our first thought would be her size, her being chubby and not what she thinks? We first think about her physical appearance thus we could know first her appearance, but we cannot deduce what she is thinking; what her mind contains as we see her walking to a restaurant. Now we go to her third meditation which is about the existence of God  [vii]  . For me his justification of the existence of God is not that strong and I do not agree with it. If for example I have an idea of a dragon, then that dragon must be existing in reality; but it does not. So therefore I shall use the doctrines of St. Thomas on this. Gods existence can be proven by his effects, which are all the things that we can see here. The greatest example would be the world. It would be quite impossible for this sphere of land and water just appeared unwilled. Therefore there must be this all powerful being that created the world and its majesty. The effects of God therefore would be a stronger justification rather than saying that if we have an idea of a God or the God therefore we can say that he exists. Now we can go to the next meditation which involves the existence of material objects  [viii]  . Descartes in this part of his meditations that we can have knowledge, a correct knowledge, of material objects. Though he did say that this knowledge then must not pass through our senses but by again it should directly be processed in our mind. By the use of Locke, I can say that this proposition cannot be trusted or correct. How would external objects be processed through our minds directly without the use of our senses? This proposition seems to be, for me, an impossible thing to be done. Every material object has several physical characteristics that can only be felt by our senses and if we do not use these senses or if we do not experience these objects then it would be impossible for us to understand them or for our mind to interpret them. Lastly we shall now go to his last meditation which is the argument of mind and body  [ix]  . I agree with this part, that the body and the mind are two completely different entities; for the mind function differently from the body. The mind acts upon the by the use of outside stimuli that is received by our senses of the body. Therefore their duties are different from each other; the mind would be to control the bodily functions and interpret what the outside stimuli is expressing and the body is the one acted upon by the mind, but is the first to receive stimuli from the outside source. From my point of view, several meditations that were done by Descartes were simply not logical. His main contention of the mind being the first to receive experience or knowledge is very problematic. It suggests that the senses cannot be trusted, that all that the senses have perceived and the knowledge that has come from them are doubtful even if it is not. As I have said I do not agree with all of the ideas that were given to us by Descartes and I hoped I explained it properly by the use of the examples and by the use of the doctrine of John Locke.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Loneliness and Acceptance Essay -- First Person Narrative Examples

   I feel uncomfortable in my own world. Being alone unnerves me. I always have felt the need to share my world, my mind and my feelings with somebody. My feelings about myself seem less important than what others think of me. I'm scared of being lonely. And so are we all. We all seem to be on a continuous search for someone who will really love and understand us. Someone to provide us with a purpose for life. And yet I think we are all essentially alone. We are alone in our thoughts an emotions. The first time I really felt alone was when I was leaving Kentucky. We were at the airport saying our last good-byes. I was leaving everything and everyone that I loved, understood, cared for, to come and study in the Bay area. I was leaving familiar territory and moving into an unknown, unfamiliar world. I was saying good-bye to people who I had either grown up with or those who had seen me grow up. All my memories and emotions were attached to them. They were people who I thought really knew me and understood me. Yet every one of them had their own impression of how I should feel. Excitement, joy, fear, and sadness being the most popular. However nobody really knew what I was feeling. I felt all these emotions blended into an unique emotion of my own. One that I could not share with even my best friend. When I expressed my fears and anxiety about leaving Kentucky, no one seemed to really listen to what I was saying. They kept saying it would be alright. I was mature and almost an adult and the Western world with its great material temptations wouldn't corrupt me. But in my mind I felt isolated. I wanted them to sit and feel my anguish with me. But they wanted to pacify me, console me as though I were a baby. At that time I fel... ...e or friendship. We are taught that we don't have an identity if we are alone. Which is why we treat loneliness as a disease, one to be avoided at any cost. Loneliness is viewed as an inadequacy of our personalities. Though all of us are taught to be independent, our independence is superficial. We can cook, clean, and do our laundry but we can't seem to take care of our emotions independently. We are taught that we need to share all our emotions. And I believe that however hard we search we can never get the kind of understanding that we are looking for. We are taught to be uncomfortable in our own world. Society conditions us to believe that we are inadequately equipped to be alone and content. And that alone always means lonely.    Works Cited Macdonald, Elizabeth. "Odalisque" Encounters (Edt. Pat C. Hoy, Robert DiYanni) The Mc.Graw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Education and Transcendentalism Essay

Education is an important necessity that all people should have. Individuals need education for choosing their path in life and living on their own. People must possess the right knowledge and reason to do those things. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Tupac Shakur have both written articles with their views on education in the United States. Emerson’s â€Å"On Education† and Shakur’s â€Å"On the Topic of Education† have generally the same ideas. Emerson and Shakur convey their strong opinions about education to show that people should learn from their own experience and should not be learning unnecessary information. The best way to learn is from one’s own experiences. Learning from books is important; however, they don’t give an individual the full perspective of something. Emerson states, â€Å"This function of opening and feeding the human mind is not to be fulfilled by any mechanical or military method†¦ in education our common sense fails us, and we are continually trying costly machinery against nature† (Emerson). Individuals should be learning more from nature and personal experiences. This generation is too connected to technology to the point where people lose sight of the world around them. Nature gives one the knowledge they need. It makes it easier to learn when one visualizes and sees the world. Similar to Emerson, Shakur wrote that schools are â€Å"not getting us ready for today’s world†¦ that’s why the streets have taught me† (Shakur). Students generally don’t learn about life lessons in school. In other words, an individual gains the most knowledge from â€Å"the streets† or being outdoors and experiencing life through their own eyes. It is important to have book smarts but also street smarts and common sense. Without street smarts and common sense one will have a difficult time living on their own. A Transcendentalist theme that is similar to these ideas of Emerson and Shakur is valuing nature. Nature and the outside world give us knowledge that we can’t learn from books. Schools fail to teach students things that are truly important. Instead, they tend to repeat the same information. Shakur points out, â€Å"After you learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, that’s it. But what [teachers] tend to do is teach you reading, writing, and arithmetic, then teach you reading, writing, and arithmetic again, then again, just [making] it harder and harder† (Shakur). Once students learn the basics, they shouldn’t keep learning them over and over again. They should be learning other important things that exist in the world. Students should have classes for drugs and alcohol, crime, racism, and other important topics that exist in America. Shakur says, â€Å"I think it should be like college where you can go and take the classes that you want. I think that Elementary school should be that way, where they give you the classes you take, for the basics. And then Junior High School and High School should be the classes that you need, in order to choose your path† (Shakur). First, students beginning school should learn the basics. Then as they get older, students should learn the things that they need to help them decide what they want to do when they are on their own. But, schools today do not follow this method. Students should not be learning what they have already learned in the past. Basic information will always remain in individuals’ minds. In addition to not teaching the right and necessary information, teachers rely too much on memorization. Emerson states, â€Å"Nature loves analogies, but not repetitions† (Emerson). Learning comes from deep thought. Students should not be tested on their ability to memorize information. In most cases, memorizing information is not actual learning. Learning is acquiring knowledge not only through studying but also experience. Furthermore, nature learns in different ways rather than the same way. Therefore, students should not be learning things in the same way. They should be learning information in different perspectives. In other words, students should learn by reading, listening, visualizing, and experiencing to fully understand things. Emerson also said that students have â€Å"educated eyes in uneducated bodies† (Emerson). This means that students are not absorbing the information they are given. This information is being forced into the minds of students through reading books and listening to lectures that are usually boring and uninteresting. This is not the best way for students to learn. A Transcendentalist theme that is similar to these ideas is not only valuing nature but also simplifying one’s life. Simplifying one’s life is a theme because students should be learning only the things that they need and the things that will be useful to them later in life. Students should not acquire or possess unnecessary information just as people should not possess or be attached to unnecessary items. The minds of individuals should contain only the important things that will guide them through life. In â€Å"On Education† and â€Å"On the Topic of Education†, Emerson and Shakur express their opinion about school and education. Emerson believes that students should be learning more from nature and their own experiences. Also, memorizing information is not the proper way to learn because students don’t absorb the information well this way. Comparable to Emerson, Shakur believes that people gain the most knowledge when they are experiencing life and interacting with others. In addition, students shouldn’t be taught the same things repetitively but instead the significant things that will help them later in life. It is crucial that students are getting proper education. Most importantly, teachers have an obligation to help students obtain the necessary knowledge they need to succeed in life.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Mass media not only gives the latest news and trends Essay

Over decades, mass media has been used to propagate information to the target audience. It has been a powerful tool that has been used by different people to express their interests on their audience. However, it comes with both positive and negative effects to the society depending on the channel used. Sometimes, channels are not sensitive on the kind of audience thus arousing fear, controversy, violence, or other emotions associated with the message being conveyed. Many experts have conducted research on the effects of mass media on the youth (Guarino & Carter, 2013). Their findings indicate that mass media has a positive effect on the young people due to its educative nature. However, they advise that the youth should be exposed to information that is in synch with their development phase. All the media sources enhance knowledge through provision of information. For instance, news increases self-awareness by updating the audience about the daily events happening in the society. This develops concern about social issues within the population segment, which is most productive. Mass media not only gives the latest news and trends, but also contributes to the enhancement of vocabularies and command of language. Young & Launer (2011) explain that advancement of general knowledge leads to the rise of a youthful population that is able to express their views with appropriate language that alleviates conflicts and controversies as a result of misunderstandings. The print media is vital for the development of a reading culture in the society. The habits ensure that the youth are well informed on the social trends and other aspects that are vital for socio-economic growth in the whole social matrix (Bacal, 2013). Studies indicate that the methods used to deliver information influences the cognitive processing capacity of the audience. Moreover, the methods improve the learning progress of the youth since their brains are at their optimum learning phase. Axon (2011) states that significant knowledge gains have been witnessed when the participants are exposed to current affairs, social issues, and other forms of information based on varying contexts. Due to the broad range of information being propagated, mass media overwhelms us with tons of information. The nature and amount of information increases the brain’s capacity to gain more knowledge. So, mass media creates an avenue that stimulates the need for exploration and curiosity, which are essential for effective development of the brain (Donohue, 2011). In addition, mass media develops the reflective segment of the brain that processes the factual, objective, and analytic elements, which influence response to varying situations. The development of this segment leads the person to have rational thoughts: they are the ones that determine the formulation of response depending on the situation. Therefore, the youth who are conversant with the dynamics of mass media develop a balance between the real world and the environment created by media activities. The efficiency of knowledge acquisition and retain ability depends on the ability of the mind to access long sequences of information and putting it together in order to establish relationships. Wilson (2011) explains that our culture is dominated by activities which improve declarative memory if well utilized. Therefore, mass media is a major contributor to the development of various segments of the brain, which is an advantageous effect on the young population since they are a part of the target audience. In his article, Debatin (2013) further explains that mass media has profound effects on the modern culture. The availability of constant information influences the social behavior of the youthful population due to the nature of messages being propagated. They not only promote the intended interests, but also stimulate attitudes, moods, and other forms of emotions that define social behavior. Therefore, mass media influences the transformation of the social and cultural values of the general audience. The influential nature of media contributes to positive development of thoughts and behavioral patterns of the youth. The media has contributed to positive transformation of the way people think. In reference to Gentile (2011), cultivation of good behavioral patterns strengthens the social bonds in the community. It also creates a young population that is able to work and live together as a way of developing the country. The advent of media technologies that enable propagation of information to all population segments has led to effective social control. Through media, announcements, advertisements, and messages that require the audience to follow some form of instruction is possible. This has been made successful by the strong link that exists between the youth and mass media (Gunther, 2013). Its positive effect has created an audience that is obedient and flexible to the changes occurring in the society. In addition, the media influences the health status among the youth by providing educative programs about physical fitness and diet. The programs can be used to influence the lifestyle of the young people by offering nutritional recommendations that promote a healthy lifestyle. Statistics indicate that commercials that encourage healthy eating take fourteen percent of the time spent by the youth in mass media platforms (Moran, 2013). Since the young people make up the most active population segment, many companies target them. Products such as alcohol and cigarettes are mostly consumed by the young people. The mass media can be used to influence their consumption behavior through passive advertisements, which discourage their use. Therefore, the mass media can be used as a positive influence on the social behavior of the target population (Sterin, 2011). Oliver & Jinhee (2012) explain that one of the positive media effects is the enhancement of interpersonal relationships and communication. They further elaborate that the interpersonal relationships developed influence the complex social dynamics. This is because the messages propagated affect the social institutions depending on their context as a major deciding factor on the choice of their response. Therefore, the efficient delivery of information to the target audience is a fundamental factor for determining effective interactions in the society. Porfilio, Car, & Miranda (2011) state that media activities change peoples’ perspective on various issues that affect society. These activities cultivate positive perceptions on the modern youth over time due to continuous exposure to mass media. Although the creation of perceptions is a complex process, it shapes the methods, which the audience approaches social challenges resulting to the development of better social norms. Therefore, the role of mass media in manipulating perceptions within the social context comes with positive consequences on the young population. In conclusion, the amount of benefits derived from mass media depends on how its capacities are utilized. Its influential nature can be used to create social trends that promote better lifestyle, which is an essential factor for optimizing human capital. In addition, it has made the world a global village where information reaches its target audience within a short time irrespective of their locations. This availability of information is vital for expanding the information processing capabilities of the modern young population. It also expands the knowledge base and command of various issues of concern in the society. At the same time, it creates self-awareness and a sense of responsibility among the young population. Therefore, the mass media has positive effects on the population segment under consideration. References Axon, D. (2011). Effects of Mass media on the Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from American Communication Journal: http://services. trueserials. com Bacal, R. (2013). Mass Media and the Effects on Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Presse Radio: http://www. presseradiotv. com Debatin, B. (2013). Media Ethics in a Fast Changing Media Environment. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Journal of Mass Media Ethics: http://www. tandfonline. com Donohue, T. (2011). Mass Media Flow and Differential Growth in Knowledge. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Public Opinion Quarterly: http://poq. oxfordjournals. org Gentile, W. (2011). Impact of media use on children and youth. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from National Institutes of Health: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov Guarino, M. , & Carter, B. (2013). The rise of new media and Internet power schemes: An impact study of social media rise. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Academia. edu: http://www. academia. edu Gunther, A. (2013). The Persuasive Press Inference: Effects of Mass Media on Perceived Public Opinion. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Communication Research: http://crx. sagepub. com Jacobs, R. (2012). Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. diesel-ebooks. com Moran, M. (2013). Understanding the Global TV Format. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. diesel-ebooks. com Oliver, M. , & Jinhee, B. (2012). Exploring Implications of Perceived Media Reinforcement on Third-Person Perceptions. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Communication Research: http://crx. sagepub. com Porfilio, B. , Car, P. , & Miranda, M. (2011). Youth culture, the mass media, and democracy. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Academic Exchange Quarterly: http://rapidintellect. com Sterin, C. (2011). Mass Media Revolution [Kindle Edition]. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www. amazon. com Swanberg, A. (2013). The CNN effect: can the news media drive social trends. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from CNN: http://www. cnn. com Wilson, B. (2011). The Anatomy of Mass Media. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from Journal of Media Psychology: http://services. trueserials. com Young, M. , & Launer, M. (2011). The Impact of New Media on Traditional Mainstream Mass Media. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from BBC: http://www. bbc. co. uk