Philosophy of Judeo Christian Writings Essay

Explain how the Bible portrays the creativity of God. (25 marks) When read in sequence there are many contradictory statements between Genesis chapter one and two. The origins of the world and order of creation are for example different. Although within the same holy text, the two chapters provide contrasting theories on creation. Many Christian beliefs are based around the idea of creatio ex nihilo, creation from nothing. Yet the very first lines of their ancient text contradict this. They imply that in fact God was â€Å"hovering over the waters† before beginning the creation of the earth. If water was already in existence then God did not create from nothing. Some Christians believe this statement to be a metaphor to help us understand. The waters represent the unknown and unseen, the concept of complete nothingness is too difficult to understand so water’s are introduced. Some point to the phrase â€Å"the earth was formless† to show that perhaps creatio ex nihilo is correct. God doesn’t create the world but moulds it into a more recognisable form; he changes from being a creator to being a designer. Many argue this makes the concept of God less impressive, for if God is not the only eternal thing he is no longer unique. The earth is not God’s idea but more his interpretation. A potter can only make so much with clay as God could only create so much from the chaos of the earth. This limitation means the world is not a creation of God’s but the best he could do with what he had. In Genesis 1 the order of creation is: light, land, vegetation, day and night, creatures of the sea, birds, livestock, wild animals and finally humans. Although humans were made in God’s image they are the final addition to God’s world. The phrasing of this produces confusion for God say’s, â€Å"in our image†, this suggests that there is a group of Gods rather than one ruling over all. This is often seen as God’s recognition of human presence becoming inevitable, so when he says, â€Å"our† he refers to him/herself and humanity. In chapter 2 of Genesis the order of creation is much different. Rather than humans creation being the cherry on the top they are the very first creation from which all else is based. Also the verse says the â€Å"Lord God made the earth† which suggests creation ex nihilo rather than order from chaos. Equally different from the first chapter, God only creates man originally and women come much later. These con tradictions are often the basis of many of the criticisms levelled at Genesis. The difference between God the creator and God the builder is very important and is the basis of all Christian belief. Although there is confusion within the text it is interpreted as being a theory of creatio ex nihilo, separating God from all else in existence. God’s omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence are central to his superiority over humans. Yet if God is truly omniscient then why did he plant the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden from which Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit. If God is omniscient he would have known Eve would eat the fruit and therefore deliberately tempted her, if this is correct then it brings in the morality of God. If God knew all this then he deliberately caused Eve pain which would be an evil act, and thus God is not pure goodness, but flawed like the human race. Secondly if God is omnipresence how can he take a physical presence and walk through the Garden of Eden and have a face to face conversation with Adam. As soon as God takes a physical form like when he breathes into Adam’s nostrils in chapter 2 he is less divine and less unique. God is worshipped because he isn’t human, because he is separate and omnipotent, a force that is beyond human understanding. If he isn’t omniscient or omnipresent does this make him less divine? Differences within the genesis story raise these questions and are the basis of doubt for many non believers. â€Å"The creative God of the Bible is similar to Aristotle’s Prime mover† Discuss. (10 marks) A creative God and Aristotle’s Prime mover are similar in a variety of ways. Both are separate and more powerful than anything of worldly origins. They are both eternal and thus timeless. The very basic idea of a â€Å"higher power† is followed in both these examples. Yet there are huge differences between the two theories. The creative God of Judeo Christian beliefs is very much an active participant of the world, he can talk to the people and act upon the requests of humanity. He has the ability to participate in life and have a direct effect on life. This is very different to the Prime mover idea; Aristotle believed that there is a higher being that is in its entirety passive to life. The prime mover is the original efficient cause that began all the activity within the universe but from that action, has taken no further action. Aristotle believed that in order for his prime mover idea to work, the higher force must be infallible in all ways. He must have no potential for potential involves change which the PM can never do. The only effect that the PM has on the world is to attract the people of it, to him. They are attracted to his perfection, he takes no action, never intervenes and has no plan for it, and this is why he is perfect. He has no flaws because on a very basic level he never makes a decision that can be â€Å"wrong†. Morally he also is passive and so therefore can never be evil. Many argue that this inability or refusal to act make the PM an imperfect idea, for he is not perfect but truly neutral. Within the Judeo Christian religions the problem of Evil and suffering is often a reason not to believe or question the beliefs of others. This isn’t an issue within the PM theory for, the PM never intervenes and therefore all evil is human made, yet equally so is all goodness within the world. Within the Judeo Christian religions it is equally the ability of God to do good that attracts people to believe as it is the recognition that evil and suffering is a part of life. God has an active role to play within humanities existence whereas the PM is simply an unmoved ideal that all people are attracted to.

Succubus Blues CHAPTER 10

Jesus. What had I been thinking? I had to work today. Not only that, I had to work in ten minutes. I had no time for â€Å"real† clothing or makeup. With a sigh, I shape-shifted form, my robe giving way to gray slacks and an ivory blouse, hair and makeup suddenly done to my normal, immaculate perfection. Brushing my teeth and adding perfume could not be faked, and after performing those tasks, I grabbed my purse and sprinted out. When I reached my lobby, the desk clerk called out to me. â€Å"Got something for you.† He handed over a flat parcel. Still conscious of the time, I quickly tore at the wrapping and stifled a gasp at what I found. Black Velvet Paint by Number Kit, read the package. A subheading proclaimed: Create Your Own Masterpiece! Contains Everything You Need to Paint Just Like a Real Artist! The â€Å"masterpiece† I could create depicted a desert landscape with a giant cactus to one side and a howling coyote on the other. An eagle soared in the sky, and a ghostly, disembodied Native American head floated nearby. Terribly stereotyped and cheesy. A small piece of paper had been taped to it. Start small, the note said. Love, Roman. The writing was so perfect as to be unreal. I was still chuckling when I got to work. In my office, I settled in front of the computer and discovered a second morning surprise: another e-mail from Seth. It had been sent at five in the morning. Georgina, A few years ago, while writing Gods of Gold, I met a woman at a class I took on South American archaeology. I don't know how it is for women; it's probably not even always the same for us men. But for me, when I meet someone I'm attracted to, time stands still. The planets come into alignment, and I stop breathing. The angels themselves descend to sit upon my shoulders, whispering promises of love and devotion while less heavenly creatures whisper promises of an earthier, baser nature. I guess that's part of being a man. Anyway, that was what happened with this woman. We fell pretty hard for each other and dated off and on for a very long time. Some days we wouldn't be able to leave each other's side for more than a minute, and then later, months would go by without any sort of contact. I have to confess, this latter behavior was more my fault than hers. I mentioned before that Cady and O'Neill are demanding. During phases when I was hot into my writing, I wouldn't be able to think about or do anything else that didn't involve my novel. I knew it hurt her – knew she was the kind of person who wanted to settle down and start a family, live a quiet and committed life. I was not that kind of person – I'm not even sure I am now – but I liked the idea of always having someone around, someone reliable who I could call up when I was finally ready to make time. It really wasn't fair to do that to her, always leave her hanging like that. I should have ended things early on, but I was too selfish and too comfortable. One day, after not having spoken to her in a few months, I called her up and was astonished to hear a man answer the phone. When she came on the line, she told me she'd met someone else and wouldn't be able to see me anymore. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I started rambling, going on and on about how much I cared for her, how she couldn't throw away what we had. She took it all pretty nicely, considering what a psycho I must have sounded like, but in the end, she closed things by saying I shouldn't have expected her to wait forever. She had her own life to live. The reason I share this embarrassing tale from the canon of Seth Mortensen is twofold. First, I need to apologize to you for what happened tonight. In spite of my grumblings, I really did intend to meet you. A couple hours before the game, I ran home to get something and suddenly thought of a solution to the snag that had been blocking me all day. I sat down to write, only planning to spend an hour on it. As you might be guessing by now, it took a lot longer than that. I got so caught up that I completely forgot about the game – and about you. I never heard my phone ring. I wasn't aware of anything else except getting the story out on paper (or rather, my screen). This, I'm afraid, is a problem I frequently have. It happened with my ex, it happens with my family, and unfortunately, it happened with you. Don't even get my brother started about how I nearly missed his wedding. The worlds and people in my head are so alive to me that I lose track of the real world. Sometimes I'm not even convinced Cady and O'Neill's world isn't the real one. I never mean to hurt people, and I feel terrible afterward, but it is a failing I can't seem to overcome. None of this justifies abandoning you last night, but I hoped this might offer some insight into my unbalanced worldview. Please understand how very sorry I am. My second reason for the memoir is to address your comment about Cady â€Å"getting some.† In thinking about her and O'Neill, I decided that Cady wasn't the kind of person who would wait around forever either. Now, don't get me wrong: I don't think Cady and my ex-girlfriend have a lot in common. Cady isn't looking to settle in the suburbs and pick out curtains with O'Neill. But, she is a bright and passionate woman, who loves life, and wants to live it. A lot of people were upset to see her break out of her devoutly chaste, puppy-at-O'Neill's-side role, but I think she had to do it. Let's face it: O'Neill takes her for granted, and he needed a wake-up call. Now, does this mean steps are being made to finally bring them together, as so many readers have asked? Naturally, as their creator, my lips are sealed on that, but I can say this: I have a lot more books with them in mind, and readers tend to lose interest when protagonists hook up. – Seth P.S. – By the way, I bought the condo. Mistee was so excited that she took me on the spot, and we made love all over the granite countertops. P.P.S. – All right, I'm making up that last part. Like I said, I'm a man. And a writer. My eyes still heavy with sleep, I sluggishly pondered the letter's message. Seth had had a serious girlfriend. Wow. That shouldn't have surprised me, especially considering the sex scenes he wrote. I mean, he couldn't have pulled them all out of imagination. Still, it was hard to picture introverted Seth participating in all the social exchanges normally required of a long-term relationship. And then the other part, his reasons for not showing. What to think of those? He was right in saying his burst of inspiration was no excuse for what he had done. The explanation did take away some of the sting, however, moving him from rude to simply thoughtless. No, maybe thoughtless was too harsh. Scattered, that was it. Perhaps scattered wasn't such a bad thing, I mused, since ignoring the real world allowed him to work on the written one. I just didn't know. I pondered all this for the rest of the morning, my anger from last night growing cold in the wake of time passing and my speculation on a brilliant writer's mind. By the time lunch rolled around, I realized I had gotten over the hockey mishap. He had not intended the neglect, and it wasn't like my night had turned out too badly after all. Around late afternoon, Warren came trolling around. â€Å"No,† I said immediately, recognizing the look in his eyes. I hated his presumption, yet always found myself eerily drawn to it. â€Å"I'm in a terrible mood.† â€Å"I'll make you feel better.† â€Å"I told you, I'm too bitchy.† â€Å"I like you bitchy.† The succubus feeding instinct began waking up. I swallowed, annoyed at it and my own weakness. â€Å"And I'm really busy. There are†¦ things†¦ I should do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My excuse sounded halfhearted, though, and Warren apparently recognized that. He walked over to me and knelt by my chair, running a hand over my thigh. I wore thin, silky slacks, and the feel of his fingers stroking me through that smooth material was almost more sensual than on bare skin. â€Å"How was your date the other night?† he murmured, moving his mouth up to my ear and then my neck. I arched my head obligingly, in spite of my best resistance, liking the way his mouth grew fiercer against my skin, his teeth just teasing me. He was far from being a boyfriend but was still the closest I had to any sort of consistent relationship. That meant something. â€Å"Fine.† â€Å"Did you fuck him?† â€Å"No. I slept alone, alas.† â€Å"Good.† â€Å"He's coming back tonight, though. For the dance lesson.† â€Å"Really?† Warren unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse, revealing a pale pink lace bra. His fingertips traced the shape of one of my breasts, following its inner curve down to where it met the other one. Then he moved his hand up to that breast, playing with the nipple through the lace. I closed my eyes, surprised at my swelling desire. After helping Hugh close the contract with Martin, I wouldn't have thought I'd need a fix so soon. Yet, the hunger tugged ever so slightly within me, mingled with lust. Pure instinct. â€Å"We'll introduce him to Maria.† Maria was Warren's wife. The thought of passing Roman off on her was too funny. â€Å"You sound jealous,† I teased. I pulled Warren toward me, and he responded by pushing me on top of the desk. I moved my hands down to unfasten his pants. â€Å"I am,† he grunted. Leaning over, he pulled the bra down to bare my breasts and lowered his mouth to one of the nipples. He hesitated. â€Å"Are you sure you didn't fuck him?† â€Å"I think I'd remember something like that.† A knock sounded at the door, and Warren hastily sprang away from me, pulling up his pants. â€Å"Shit.† I, too, sat up and returned to my chair. With Warren's eyes on the door, I quickly used some more shape-shifting to neaten myself up and rebutton my blouse. Satisfied we were both decent, I called, â€Å"Come in.† Seth opened the door. I clamped down on my jaw, lest it drop open in astonishment. â€Å"Hi,† said Seth, looking back and forth between Warren and me. â€Å"I didn't mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no, you aren't,† Warren assured him, clicking into public relations mode. â€Å"We were just having a quick meeting.† â€Å"Not a very important one,† I added. Warren gave me a droll look. â€Å"Oh,† said Seth, still appearing like he wanted to bolt. â€Å"I just came by to see if maybe†¦ you wanted lunch. I†¦ e-mailed you about what happened.† â€Å"Yeah, I read it. Thanks.† I smiled at him, hoping to silently communicate that all was forgiven. The worried look on his face was so heart-wrenching that I felt certain his conscience had suffered more than my ego last night. â€Å"Excellent idea,† boomed Warren. â€Å"Let's all go get some lunch, shall we? Georgina and I can meet again later.† â€Å"I can't.† I reminded him about how short-staffed we were and how I was needed for coverage. He scowled when I finished. â€Å"Why haven't we hired anyone?† â€Å"I'm working on it.† Warren ended up just taking Seth out – something the writer seemed highly uneasy about – and I was left alone, feeling abandoned. I would have half liked to hear what else Seth had to say about writing taking over his life. I might have even liked getting laid. Neither was to be. Ah, the injustices of the universe. I apparently had one karmic favor left, however. Around four, Tammi – the red-haired girl from Krystal Starz – showed up to solve my staffing problem. As suggested, she brought a friend. After a quick interview, I felt satisfied by their competency. I hired them on the spot, pleased to have one task taken off my list. When the store finally closed later, those few hours of sleep were catching up with me more fiercely. I felt in no mood to teach a dance lesson. Realizing I needed to change, I closed the office door and shape-shifted my outfit for the second time that day. It felt like cheating, as always. For dancing I selected a sleeveless dress, clingy through the bodice and flowing through the skirt – just right for twirls. Colored in blending hues of peach and orange, I hoped the dress would warm my mood up. I also hoped no one had noticed I hadn't carried a change of clothes in with me this morning. On the overhead speakers, I heard one of the cashiers make the announcement that the store had closed, just as another knock sounded on my door. I called an entry, wondering if it might be Seth again, but Cody appeared this time. â€Å"Hey,† I said, forcing a smile. â€Å"Are you ready for this?† I had taught Cody to swing dance a year or so ago, and he had picked it up remarkably well, probably half due to vampire reflexes. As a result, I had – against his better judgment – recruited him to be my coteacher in these impromptu lessons for the staff. He kept claiming he was no good, but in both lessons so far, he'd proven remarkably efficient. â€Å"What? Dancing? Yeah. No problem.† I glanced around, ascertaining we were alone. â€Å"Any more weird occurrences?† Cody shook his head, blond hair framing it like a lion's mane. â€Å"No. It's been pretty quiet. Maybe I was overreacting.† â€Å"Better safe than sorry,† I advised, feeling like somebody's cliched grandmother. â€Å"What are you doing after this?† â€Å"Meeting Peter at a bar downtown. You want to come with us?† â€Å"Sure.† We'd all be safer as a group. The door pushed open, and Seth stuck his head inside. â€Å"Hey, I – oh, I'm sorry,† he stammered, catching sight of Cody. â€Å"I didn't mean to interrupt.† â€Å"No, no,† I said, waving him inside. â€Å"We were just talking.† I gave Seth a curious look. â€Å"What are you still doing here? Are you staying for the lesson?† â€Å"Er, well I, that is, Warren invited me to†¦ but I don't think I'll actually dance. If that's okay.† â€Å"Not dance? What are you going to do then, watch?† I demanded. â€Å"Be like a voyeur or something?† Seth gave me a sage look, appearing for the first time in a while like the guy who had written the comic observations about real estate agents and old girlfriends. The guy I'd once engaged in a stumbling flirtation with. â€Å"I'm not that desperate. Not yet, anyway. But it's really safer if I don't dance. For those around me.† â€Å"That's what I used to say until she made me try it,† remarked Cody, clapping me on the shoulder. â€Å"Just wait until you've been in Georgina's capable hands. You'll never be the same.† Before any of us could acknowledge that suggestive comment, Doug appeared behind Seth, outfitted as his grunge band self rather than assistant manager self. â€Å"Hey, are we getting this party started or what? I came back here today just for this lesson, Kincaid. You better make the trip worth my while. Hey, Cody.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† â€Å"Hey, Seth.† â€Å"Hey, Doug.† I groaned. â€Å"All right. Let's do this.† We left en masse for the cafe, where tables were being moved to give us space. I introduced Cody and Seth along the way. They shook hands briefly, the young vampire looking at me meaningfully when he realized just which Seth this must be. â€Å"You sure you aren't going to dance?† I asked the writer, still puzzled by his obstinacy. â€Å"Nope. Just doesn't feel right.† â€Å"Yeah, well, after the shitty day I've had, running this shindig doesn't feel right to me either, but we all endure. Put on the happy face and go, you know?† Seth looked like he didn't know, only giving me a small, bemused smile. A moment later, that smile dimmed slightly. â€Å"You said you got the e-mail†¦ did it†¦ do you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's fine. Forget about it.† His bizarre social habits might not mesh with mine, but I couldn't stand seeing him worry anymore about last night. â€Å"Honestly.† I patted his arm, gave him my Helen of Troy smile, then turned my attention to the scene upstairs. Most of the staff who'd worked today milled around, along with a few others who, like Doug, had come back. Warren and his wife waited with them, and so did Roman. He approached with a smile when he saw me, and I felt a faint wave of lust sweep me, independent of any succubus feeding. As good-looking as ever, he wore black slacks and a teal shirt that gleamed like his eyes. â€Å"Group date, huh?† â€Å"For my safety. I've always found it best to keep a few dozen chaperones on hand.† â€Å"You'll need a few dozen more in that dress,† he warned in a low voice, those eyes molesting me from head to toe. I flushed, taking a few steps away from him. â€Å"You'll have to wait your turn, like everyone else.† Turning away from him, I inadvertently made eye contact with Seth. He had obviously overheard the brief exchange. My blush deepening, I fled both of them for the center of the floor, Cody in tow. Putting on the so-called â€Å"happy face,† I pushed my long day out of my mind and grinned at my coworkers' whoops and cheers. â€Å"All right, gang, let's get going. Doug's in kind of a hurry and wants to finish this up as quickly as possible. I understand that's pretty standard for him in a lot of matters – especially romantic ones.† This elicited both positive and negative catcalls from the crowd, as well as an obscene gesture from Doug. I reintroduced Cody, who was less comfortable with the attention than I was, and began sizing up the group. We had more women than men, per usual, and a wide range of skill levels. I split couples up accordingly, putting especially adept women with other women since I felt confident they could dance the male part for this practice and switch effortlessly later. I didn't have such faith in everybody; some of them still struggled to follow a beat. Consequently, I started the lesson by reviewing from last time, turning on the music and making everyone practice basic steps. Cody and I monitored, making minor adjustments and suggestions. My tension from the long day eased slightly as I worked the crowd. I loved swing dancing, had loved it when it first emerged in the early twentieth century, and had been thrilled when its revival came around recently. I knew it was going out of style again, which was part of the reason I wanted to pass on the knowledge to others. Not knowing Roman's level of expertise, I'd placed him with Paige, a pretty skilled dancer. After watching them a minute or so, I shook my head and approached. â€Å"You hustler,† I chastised. â€Å"You acted all nervous about dancing, but in reality, you're a pro.† â€Å"I've done it a few times,† he admitted modestly, taking her into a turn I hadn't taught them yet. â€Å"Stop that. I'm splitting you guys up. Your skills are needed elsewhere.† â€Å"Oh come on,† pleaded Paige. â€Å"Let me keep him. It's about time we had a man around here who knows what he's doing.† Roman cut me a glance. â€Å"She said it, not me.† I turned my eyes heavenward and reassigned them to new partners. After a bit more supervising, I grew satisfied with the whole group's prowess, convinced I'd see little change. Deciding to move on, Cody and I taught them lindy kicks next. Not surprisingly, chaos soon broke out. The gifted in the group picked the move up right away, those who had struggled previously continued to struggle, and some who had performed fine with the basic steps and turns now fell completely apart. Cody and I moved through the dancers, doing damage control, offering our words of wisdom. â€Å"Keep the tension in your wrist, Beth – not too much, though. Don't hurt yourself.† â€Å"Count, damn it! Count! The beats are still the same as before.† â€Å"Keep facing your partner†¦ don't lose track of her.† My role as teacher consumed me, and I loved it. Who cared about vampire hunters and the eternal struggles of good and evil? I caught sight of Seth sitting off to the side, just as he'd vowed. â€Å"Hey, voyeur, still just want to watch?† I chided, breathless and excited from running all over the makeshift dance floor. He shook his head, a faint smile playing across his features as he studied me. â€Å"Plenty to see from here.† Standing up from his chair, he leaned forward in a familiar sort of way, startling me when his hand reached out and pushed up a dress strap that had slipped off my shoulder down to my arm â€Å"There,† he pronounced. â€Å"Perfect.† Goose bumps rose on my flesh at his touch, his fingers warm and gentle. For just a moment, a look I hadn't seen before crossed his face. It made him look less like the distracted writer I'd come to know and more†¦ well, male. Admiring. Considering. Maybe even predatory. The look was gone as quickly as it had come, though I still felt taken aback. â€Å"Keep an eye on that strap,† warned Seth mildly. â€Å"You've got to make him work for it.† He inclined his head slightly toward some dancers, and I followed the motion to see Roman walking one of the baristas through a complex step. I admired Roman's graceful moves a moment before turning back to Seth. â€Å"It's not that hard. I can teach you.† I held up a hand by way of invitation. He looked as though he might agree but shook his head at the last second. â€Å"I'd make a fool of myself.† â€Å"Ah yes, and sitting here alone, while everyone else dances and we're short of men – yes, that doesn't make you look foolish at all.† He gave a soft laugh. â€Å"Maybe.† When no other explanation came, I shrugged and returned to the dance floor, continuing my instruction. Cody and I added a couple new tricks, assisted in more practice, and finally stood off to the side admiring our pupils. â€Å"Think they'll be ready for the Moondance ?† he asked. The Moondance Lounge was a ballroom dance club that hosted monthly swing dance nights. We considered this group's appearance there to be the ultimate triumph of graduation. â€Å"One more lesson, I think. Then we can take them out in public.† An arm caught me around the waist, pulling me onto the dance floor. I recovered my footing quickly, falling in step with Roman as he spun me into an intricate turn. A few people nearby stopped to watch. â€Å"It's my turn to be teacher's pet,† he admonished. â€Å"I've hardly seen you all night; I don't think this counts as a date.† I let him lead me around flamboyantly, curious as to just how good he really was. â€Å"You're always changing what you want,† I complained. â€Å"First you just want to go out, now you say you actually want to be alone with me. You need to pick a story and stick with it. Be more specific.† â€Å"Ah, I see. No one told me that.† He led me into a reverse whip, and I followed through flawlessly, earning a grudging look of approval from him. â€Å"I don't suppose there's a Georgina Kincaid Instruction Manual around somewhere to help me avoid these embarrassing blunders in the future.† â€Å"We sell them downstairs.† â€Å"Oh yeah?† He began improvising steps now, and I enjoyed the challenge of second-guessing where he would go. â€Å"Is there a page on how to woo the fair Georgina?† â€Å"Page? Hell, there's a whole chapter.† â€Å"Required reading, I'd imagine.† â€Å"Definitely. Hey, thanks for the paint by number.† â€Å"I expect to see that on your wall the next time I'm over.† â€Å"With that horrible Native American stereotype? The next time you see it will be on the ACLU's hit list.† He spun me out into a flourish-filled ending, much to the delight of everyone else. They had long since stopped dancing to watch me make a spectacle of myself. I felt slightly self-conscious but shrugged it off, savoring the moment, taking Roman's hand to bow luridly to my coworkers' applause. â€Å"Get ready,† I announced, â€Å"because that's going to be next week's exam.† Cheers and laughter continued, but as they faded and the group dispersed for the night, Roman persisted in holding on to my hand, his fingers laced with mine. I didn't mind. We walked around, making small talk and saying goodbyes. â€Å"You want to go get a drink?† he asked me, once we were momentarily alone. I turned toward him, standing close, studying those gorgeous features. In the now-warmed-up room, I could strongly smell his perspiration mingled with cologne, and it made me want to bury my face in his neck. â€Å"I want to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly, wondering if alcohol and raw animal lust would be a wise combination with someone I wanted to avoid sleeping with. Looking beyond him, I caught Cody's eye. He was talking earnestly with Seth, which I found odd. Suddenly, I remembered my earlier promise to go meet the vampires at the bar. â€Å"Damn,† I muttered. â€Å"I don't think I can.† Still holding Roman's hand, I led him over to Cody and Seth. They stopped talking. â€Å"I feel left out,† joked Cody a moment later. â€Å"I saw you do some stuff just now that you never taught me.† â€Å"You were supposed to have been doing it for homework.† I cocked my head in consideration. â€Å"Have you met Roman, Cody? Or you Seth?† I made quick introductions around, and they all politely shook hands, guy-style. Once that was done, Roman settled his hand comfortably on my waist. â€Å"I'm trying to get Georgina to have a drink with me. But I think she's playing hard to get.† Cody smiled. â€Å"I don't think she's playing.† I looked apologetically at Roman. â€Å"I told Cody I'd meet him and another friend tonight.† The young vampire made a wave of dismissal. â€Å"Forget about it. Go have fun.† â€Å"Yeah, but – † I cut myself off and made significant eye contact with him  §?la Jerome and Carter. I didn't want Cody to go off alone, lest he be targeted by the vampire hunter, but I could hardly say that in front of the others. â€Å"Take a cab,† I said at last. â€Å"Don't walk.† â€Å"Okay,† he said automatically. Too automatically. â€Å"I mean it,† I warned. â€Å"Yes, yes,† he muttered. â€Å"Do you want to call it for me?† I rolled my eyes at him, then suddenly remembered Seth's presence. Feeling kind of embarrassed with him standing there while we all made plans, I wondered if I should offer to invite him along or send him with Cody. As though reading my mind, Seth bluntly declared, â€Å"Well, I'll see you guys later.† He turned around and left before any of us could answer. â€Å"Is he mad or something?† asked Cody after a moment. â€Å"I think that's just the way he is,† I explained, not sure I'd ever understand the writer. â€Å"Weird.† Roman turned back to me. â€Å"Ready to step out?† Seth quickly left my mind. Roman and I walked over to a small restaurant across the street from Emerald City, sitting together on one side of a booth. I ordered my vodka gimlet, and he got brandy. When our drinks arrived, he asked, â€Å"Should I be jealous of anyone back there?† I chuckled. â€Å"You don't know me well enough or have any claims on me to worry about jealousy yet. Don't jump the gun here.† â€Å"I suppose not,† he agreed. â€Å"Still, famous writers and suave, young dance partners are certainly exalted company.† â€Å"Cody's not that young.† â€Å"Young enough. Is he a close friend?† â€Å"Close enough. Not romantically close, if that's what you're still driving at.† Roman and I had snuggled together in the booth, and I gave him a playful poke in the ribs. â€Å"Quit worrying about my acquaintances. Let's talk about something else. Tell me about the world of linguistics.† I meant it half-jokingly, but he complied, explaining his specialty – classical languages, ironically enough. Roman knew his material well, speaking about it with the same wit and cleverness used in his flirtations. I followed these explanations avidly, enjoying the opportunity to engage in a topic few others knew anything about. Unfortunately, I had to taper my participation, lest I show just how well versed in the subject I truly was. It might look a little weird if a bookstore manager knew more about an area of study than someone who had made a career out of it. Throughout this whole gripping discourse, Roman and I stayed in contact – arms, hands, and legs touching. He never tried to kiss me, for which I was grateful, as that would have been walking into dangerous territory. We were really on an ideal date for me: stimulating banter and as much physical contact as a succubus could safely handle. Our flirty conversation flowed effortlessly, like reading from a script. Our drink flew by in an eye blink, and before I knew it, we stood back outside, parting ways and making arrangements for another date. I attempted my protests, but both of us could see how weak they were. He kept claiming I owed him a real, unchaperoned outing. Standing there with him, warmed by his presence, I felt surprised at how badly I wanted that date. The thing about sparing nice guys was that I always ended up lonely. Looking up at Roman, I decided then that I wanted to put off being lonely again – just for a little while. So I agreed to go out again, ignoring the mental warning bells this decision set off. His face lit up, and I thought he would definitely try a mouth kiss now. My heart thumped loudly at the prospect, scared and eager. Apparently my previous neurotic rants about not getting too close hit home, however. He merely held my hand, finally brushing his lips across my cheek in a kiss that was barely a kiss. He wandered off into the streets of Queen Anne, and a moment later, I walked the half-block back to my apartment. When I reached my door, I discovered a note taped to it. My name, done in beautiful, heavily inked calligraphy, lay scrawled across the surface. An apprehensive coldness ran through me. The note read: You are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling – something that doesn't happen nearly as often as it should anymore. Beauty such as yours is effortless, however, when you can make it anything you like. Your large friend, unfortunately, doesn't have such luxury, which is a damned shame after what happened today. Fortunately, he works in the right business to correct any damage to his appearance. I stared at the note like something that might bite me. It bore no name, of course. Ripping it off the door, I hurried into my apartment and picked up the phone. I dialed Hugh's number without hesitation. With the references to â€Å"large† and â€Å"right business,† he was the only one the note could be referring to. His phone rang and rang before giving way to an answering machine. Annoyed, I dialed his cell number. After three rings, an unknown female voice answered. â€Å"Is Hugh Mitchell there?† There was a long pause. â€Å"He†¦ can't talk right now. Who is this, please?† â€Å"This is Georgina Kincaid. I'm his friend.† â€Å"I've heard him talk about you, Georgina. This is Samantha.† The name didn't mean anything to me, nor did I have the patience for this runaround. â€Å"Well, can I please talk to him then?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice sounded strained, upset. â€Å"Georgina, something bad happened today†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Marketing Plan for Magnum in Vietnam Essay

Marketing can be defined as â€Å"Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large† (American Marketing Association Board of Director) Base on this definition, Marketing is the set of activities and processes with the purpose that: satisfy the customers, clients, partners and society. In general, it can be said that marketing is the process that combine all company activities to satisfy the customers and, in the end, get profit from customer’s satisfaction. 2. Element in marketing process: Marketing process includes five elements: analysis situation, marketing strategy, marketing mix decision and implementation and control. Analysis situation is first step in marketing process. In this step, company has to collect information, data and figure to understand internal and external environment. Based on the result of the analysis, company can predict the trend of market and compute that whether its ability can adapt with the market or not. In order to carry out this step, the company can do three analyses below: PESTEL analysis: Political, Economic, Social, Technology, Ecological and Legal are five macro-economic factors. They are very important for company to evaluate the market and decide whether it can develop strongly in this market or not. SWOT analysis: This method helps company identify its strong and weakness, also the opportunity and thread. Understand these things can make company developing more stable and limit the risk. It can use the strong to limit the thread and the opportunity to improve the Strong and remove weakness. The meaning of the SWOT analysis can be described in the idiom â€Å"He who sees through life and death will meet most success† 5C analysis: 5 C means: company, customers, competitors, collaborators and Climate. In these things, â€Å"company† helps the firms understand the internal environment, and 4 other help it understand the external environment. All of three analysis methods will help company understand the situation to create the suitable strategy in marketing plan to get achievement. The second step in marketing process is marketing strategy. Of course, after finish situation analysis, company has to make strategy decision in marketing base on the analysis result. In this step, company has to identify the requirement of market and choose the suitable strategy to run business. It has to do the segmentation, the target market selection, the positioning the product and the proposition to the target market. In next step, the firm has to design tactical plan to achieve the purpose. It will make decision for the marketing mix. It includes: 4 P: Price – Place of distribution – Production – Promotion. When these things are completed, company will go to the final step: implement and controlling. Because the demand of market can change quickly, company has to monitor all the changes of market to have the change in marketing mix to adapt with the market and create the competitive advantage with competitor. Marketing process II. Marketing orientation: 1. Definition: Marketing orientation is a company philosophy aim to meet the needs and wants of customers. There are five type of marketing orientation: * Product orientation * Production orientation * Market Orientation * Sales Orientation * Social Orientation a. Product orientation: Product orientation is one of the marketing concepts, which focus on the product innovation to satisfy demand of customers. b. Production orientation: This kind of orientation focuses to the quantity of product. It existed in 1950s – the development period of industry in Europe and American. At this period, the firms make massive products to decrease the cost and product with huge quantity. The firms do not care about whether its product can meet the needs or not. This philosophy is popular in that period because it is the time which has many inventions and people have huge demand for something new and strange. The clear example for this philosophy is Ford. It produced many car in that time with just only color – black and it has many successes with this orientation. Today, this philosophy is no longer popular, but still exist in some industry that produce common product such as toothpick, CDs or DVD. c. Sales Orientation: The next orientation is sales orientation. This philosophy is applied when the company uses aggressive sales. They believe that they will make more sales and more profit when they use aggressive sales method. With these kinds of company, they will focus on promotion product and train the aggressive sales force, which helps them carry out the sale method. The good example for this philosophy should be insurance company. The disadvantage of this philosophy, same as production orientation, is that it does not focus to the customer’s requirement. It just tries to sales product as much as possible. d. Societal orientation: Societal orientation is the marketing concept that provides the long-term benefit for customers and shows its responsibility with social. The products of these companies have same features such as good for health, no harm environment and creating the long-term benefit for customers. They advertise the product through the charity activities. e. Market orientation: The last philosophy, also the main philosophy that is applied to Kinh Do Corporation, is market orientation. This orientation focuses on the customer’s needs and wants. The company produces product, which can satisfy the customer and use the customer’s satisfaction to create the profit. The benefit and cost of market orientation of Kinh Do Corporation will be discussed more in next part. 2. Evaluation cost and benefit of Market orientation in Kinh Do Corporation: As the assignment mentioned above, Market Orientation focuses on the customer’s needs and wants and the company will get profit base on the customer’s satisfaction. The relationship between customer’s satisfaction and company’s profit is shown in the chart below: As the chart shows, when the firm applies the marketing orientation, it will identify the demand of customers. After that, the firm will use the data from marketing department, and connect all the activities of company to carry out the plan, which has the purpose that satisfies the customer. When the customers are satisfied, they will create many benefits for the company, not only money, but also helps company advertise free with the word of mouth method. Kinh Do Corporation applies the marketing orientation, so it also gets the benefit from customers’ satisfaction. a. Benefits from Market orientation: The first benefit for Kinh Do when applying Market Orientation is: advertising free because of the word of mouth. With the suitable marketing plan, Kinh Do can satisfy the customers and improve the relationship between customers and company. With focus on the demand of customers, Kinh Do can improve the level of customer, from customer satisfaction to customer retention and customer loyalty. After getting success to satisfy customers, customers will loyal with Kinh Do’s product and will buy it again. Besides, they will recommend to other people about Kinh Do’s product and so, Kinh Do will have more and more customers. That is the benefit when Kinh Do wants to launch Magnum ice cream. With the huge amount of loyalty customers and retening customers, Kinh Do can easily introduce new product to the market because the loyalty customers and retention customers willing welcoming and buying any product of Kinh Do, as long as it still satisfies their demand. The second benefit is that decreasing the price sensitive. This is very important when Kinh Do wants to sell magnum in Vietnam, because Magnum ice cream is premium product, so it has higher price compare with the domestic ice cream. However, with customer loyalty and customer retention, they will not care about the price of product. If it is suitable with their payment ability, they will buy and support for this product. Last but not least, Kinh Do also can receive the long-term profit from market philosophy. When Kinh Do can satisfy the customers and keep their loyalty, Kinh Do will gain a huge market share and so, create the stable consumption network for its product. After getting profit from customers satisfaction, Kinh Do can also use the profit to invest for new technology or new plan to expand the business and create the competitive advantage with its competitors. Launching Magnum ice cream is one of the important strategies of Kinh Do to get the market share in premium ice cream market. Finally, we can see the different between Kinh Do and Vinamilk- the two biggest food, drink and beverage companies in Vietnam. Vinamilk applies the societal orientation. It advertises its product through some charity programs such as dairy budget for children in Vietnam. The market share of Ki Do – the ice cream brand name of Kinh do- is about 45,8%, equal double the market share of Vinamilk (about 20,8%). It can be seen that market orientation creates more benefit and stronger competitive advantage than other orientation. III. Effect of buyer behavior IV. Positioning:

Civil Rights Era Struggle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Civil Rights Era Struggle - Essay Example However, with the landing of westerners in Africa, slave trade increased with the Africans having no apparent knowledge of the consequences it had on the slaves sold. This is because they had no way of knowing the conditions under which the slaves were kept, but knew only that it was good riddance. In the course of slavery, especially during the journey across the Atlantic ocean, slaves were mistreated, some died, and others fell ill while others were sexually violated. During the trip across the vast ocean, conditions in which the slaves were subjected to be far worse than they were in captivity, slaves were packed in the ships’ hulls and left to persevere hunger and dehydration. Through this treatment, some went overboard to deny the white man dominion over their lives; this was the first step in the struggle for survival and for their rights. Among the slaves taken captive, some made it alive and took charge of their lives by participating in resistance movements. They went on work slowdowns and even ran away in rebellion, while others like, â€Å"Quakers and other prominent persons- among them Anthony Benezet, Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin- publicly opposed slavery†2 (Thurgood and Autherine 4). ... These people included Phillis Wheatley the first African-America writer who published poetry and Benjamin Banneker who studied Astronomy and Mathematics. However, the other black American slaves could not get access to education in public schools despite being freed by their masters. This incited them even the more to rise against the oppressive rules and fight for their rights as equal men in the society. The fight against slavery went on, however, by the time of American Civil war, the population of African-American slaves was significant as it was about 4million and could no longer be ignored. Therefore, as a result of the proclamation of 1863, all slaves residing in the confederacy were declared free by Abraham Lincoln, which was a milestone. Consequently, the black slaves viewed this as another opportunity to take charge of their lives and freedom. During this period, slaves joined the union army to fight for the confederacy that had freed them. This in turn, brought the priorit ies, needs and issues of the 4 million slaves that were marginalized to the attention of lawmakers. However, a break came following the abolition of slavery in 1865 and an amendment granted blacks citizenship rights concerning protection by the rule of law. However, the struggle was not over following violence and lack of acceptance by radical citizens. These groups included the Ku Klux Klan that imposed threats, white supremacy violence and harsh economic conditions. In the case of African-Americans, this did not deter them from fighting for their due rights; they still were elected into local, state and federal offices despite the danger facing them. One renowned person in

Project Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Project Risk Management - Essay Example ting because there are number of inputs into the sample model that are unknown and one technique is to obtain the approximate estimate for each input. The Monte Carlo models and methods use the probability distribution of the inputs and generated random inputs. On the contrary, if the approach used is the probability distribution rather than using the best single estimate or the inputs, it is not that easy and often simply impossible (Pietersz, 2011, n.p.) Risk Assessment Process is defined as the process in which businesses, companies and organizations focus on vital and serious areas of concern and prioritize resources in order to maximize the response and recovery efforts (Michigan State University, 2004, n.p.). In addition, risk management plan will not be more effective and complete if risk response strategies are not suitable in developing the mitigating risks (Ahmed, Azhar & Panthi, 2007, n.p.). The risk response matrix grid is populated by a (+) and a (-) signs because it is very useful in making and finalizing a certain decisions. The Grid Analysis (+) sign describes the number of good or positive alternatives to select from and other factors to consider while the (-) sign is not clear and preferred another option to choose from (Manktelow, 2011, n.p.). Thus, I would prefer to use the Monte Carlo Method as it helps a lot in solving mathematical problems in a fast and easy manner. The (+) and (-) signs that are used in Risk Response Matrix contributes in making decisions confidently, clusters the good ideas from bad ones and lesser the time required when people are struggling to make decision. Ahmed, S.M., Azhar, S. & Panthi K. (2007). Risk Matrix as a Guide to Develop Risk Response Strategies, n.p. Retrieved on December 9, 2011 from http://ascpro0.ascweb.org/archives/cd/2007/paper/CPRT145002007.pdf. Michigan State University: School of Criminal Justice. (2004, February 25). Risk Assessment Matrix (RAM) Process (n.p.). Retrieved on December 9, 2011 from

Bloggers as Professional Journalists and Writers Essay

Bloggers as Professional Journalists and Writers - Essay Example In this respect, they are like reporters and journalists probably without an undergraduate degree in the same field, because of which society does not provide them with the same rights as â€Å"professional journalists and writers†.However, bloggers are able to supply information to a larger amount of people in the world. There are many people who do not like watching the news or do not have the time to read newspapers. Nevertheless, they take time to surf the internet and read blogs regarding news topics and current affairs written by bloggers which have all the required information as well as a personal stance on the matter. Most students also prefer reading reports by bloggers because they are able to understand a opinion and use that very opinion for their reports or essays.Bloggers might not be a part of the public eye but that does not mean that they should not be given the same rights as journalists that have been evolving and changing the face of the print media. The f act of the matter remains on an opinion that a person is able to supply a piece of writing. There have been several authors and poets in the past who have written under a veil of anonymity because they do not want people to find out about themselves because of an insecurity crisis issue.It does not matter if a blogger does not want his name to be out in the open; what matters is that he has the guts to put forth his opinion and convince a large number of people that are reading his post. Many times, newspaper reports do not carry the name of the reporter, just the name of the publishing house or company. In this case, it does not mean that the article or information is not authentic; in fact what matters is how the people take the piece of writing.Thus, bloggers should be given the same rights and the nature of the internet does not have to come in the way of their reaching out to the general public.

Scots Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scots Law - Essay Example When the company delegated a duty to Fergus, which was an expansion program, it did not examine that Fergus would have undergone various challenges. In addition, the company did not consider the potential benefits that would have come out of each customer. According to the tenements act 2004, the company should always have the capacity to cater for relevant costs (Scotland 2004, p.9). These are costs that result out of reasonable transactions or dealings between the company and a second party. This is irrespective of whether the costs were catered for in the initial budget. The first argument is that, as a sales person, Fergus might have been marketing Ikant. This exists in the view that the company bears social responsibility over his customers and the general society. Marketing and advertisement are factors that have been proven to impact immensely over a company’s revenues and expansion. This, thus, makes the extra costs that Fergus incurred probable in the company’s rational planning. Another reason for the extra costs might have been a possible unwillingness by customers to engage in a meaningful interaction with Fergus. This would have necessitated that he uses the meals as a basis for the interaction. In concluding this, if the company incurred expenses, in the period stipulated, then it is bound to pay for the costs. In addition, the company would be held liable for payment if the court regards the nature of relationship between the company and Fergus. Fergus is a supervisor in Ikant and has been appointed temporarily to aid the company in enlarging its business. In this capacity, he performs the functions on behalf of the directors. This is called the law of agency. He is engaged in an employment bond with the company. He is, thus, said to have acted in good intentions for the company. Even, if he had wrong intentions, it would be difficult to prove that he had wrong intent. Furthermore, the work given by the company to Fergus does not am ount to delegation. It is appropriately described as an assignment. The directors did not, therefore, describe Fergus’s role aptly. According to the quantum meruit rule, the company is entitled to pay on the basis that the restaurant has already performed its role (Scottish law commission 2000). Advising Ikant on problem B In our second problem, a complexity arises between the directors and Fergus concerning the Scottish contract law. It is noted that Fergus normally travels to promote Ikant’s products and receive orders. The court can, therefore, easily establish that Fergus has been consistently undertaking this duty for some time. Fergus, consequently, engages the company in a form of contract. Fergus, in this capacity, is deemed able to represent the company in a valid contract. According to the Contract Act of third Parties of 1999, this is recognizable legally (Ashton 2003, p.29). The company law recognizes that companies should still have physical representation despite the arbitrary nature of the board of directors. If the court establishes that Fergus acted in good faith, then the company is bound to the contract. However, according the delegation rule, the directors shall still be responsible for a breach of contract since Fergus is conducting a role that they ought to perform. In addition, company will gain rescission, if only it was stated in the contract. The contract, in this case, must comply with

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Final - Essay Example There were several aspects responsible for the ineffectiveness that was part of Decision Tech. one of the elements related to effective teams is that combination of people results in better and more efficient work while individualistic work is not as productive. In comparison, the employees within Decision Tech were simply busy in leg pulling, competing against each other and not trusting each other to function as a coherent and cohesive team. Team mates are supposed to nurture and help each other grow in order to be an effective team. However, in Decision Tech this was not the case at all, as most employees were busy with their own work to focus on anyone else. Each member was focused on making sure they could get ahead instead. This was a clear situation where the organizational performance was being jeopardized. The executive team was such that people would call them the staff within the organization. The main reasons behind this were that the executive body would fight against each other, not letting the other succeed. As a result, in most meetings, it was noticed that the executive team could not come to any mutual decisions successfully. Individually, each person was brilliant in his or her job and was working perfectly fine for the organization, however, collectively, they were not being productive as a team. The team had developed a culture of its own where it was hostile and silent in most cases and the team could not perform well due to these issues in the culture of the executive team. Most elements of the norming stage were not even reached where the team would tend to ignore differences and move towards cohesiveness. Instead, the team was primarily stuck in the forming stage where the team mates were still trying to adjust to each other and were more inclined to work independently than as a team. It was noted that the team had not reached all the four stages of team development at all. From the four stages of team development, the executive team at

Joan of Arc and Her Relationship with Society Term Paper

Joan of Arc and Her Relationship with Society - Term Paper Example Joan was made a leader after passing the board of theologians’ test to allow her fight English troops. Amusingly, she overpowered the enemy’s troops and led a series of triumphant wars along Loire in 1429 (Richey, 37). Joan was given a place of honor in the royal authority when Charles VII was made the king of France the same year. She was incarcerated in 1430 by the Burgundians during in Compiegne near Paris. The charges laid against her were that of witchcraft and sacrilege, and found guilty by a pro-English Bishop of Beauvias. Joan was later parched at the stake in Rouen market place at age 19. Her death is alleged to be a painful one since King Charles did not attempt to rescue her and later found innocent in her second trial. Her life teaches us to discover factors that make humanity human and be acquainted with human thoughts on search for freedom and relationship with society. 1. Relationship with Society Joan relationship with society was affected by her wearing of male clothes since she claimed that the voices advised her to do so (Blaetz, 77). The male clothes provided protection against her male colleagues who possibly could rape her when camping. The clothes made Joan flexible enough to lead her troop effectively; hence, the successful wars she accomplished. Many scholars have infer and come up with different assumptions in this topic in relating to society. Joan is depicted as a lesbian or a bi-sexual because of the male clothes she wore by the society. The clothes assisted her to be treated as equal and enter to male dominated world by associating with them easily. Furthermore, Joan core reason of wearing male clothes was to accomplish God’s mission on the French citizens. Consequently, the male clothes assisted her to fix into the male society comfortably, get acceptance from the people she had come to assist and lastly, to be heard and taken seriously when giving order and suggestions. Consequently, it is established that th e male clothes were just a tool she used to attain God’s mission of rescuing the French from the English army. Throughout her trial, the bishop asked her to remove the clothes, but instead refused since she perceived the clothes as a symbol of her loyalty to God. Her decision to wear the clothes in her trial created a major conflict between her and the society. The major question the society wants to know is whether she denied her womanhood and femininity (Cody & Evert, 268). I think Joan of Arc did not deny her womanhood, since she called herself Jeanne, la Pucelle, which emphasized that she was a virgin and a real woman. Joan relationship with society forced her to spend most of her time sewing and spinning with her fellow women when away from the military camps. Her main goal was to complete her spiritual task given by the voices (Blaetz, 77). In her task, she avoided alcohol, swearing and womanizing, which are significant values a true woman has in the society. Joan did n ot shy from stating her skills in doing femininity chores, such as sewing during her trial that proved to all that indeed was conceited to be a woman. Rape is a regular hitch in society and ruin the intimate relationship among the populace, and the life Joan of Arc who spent most of time in the military camps with groups of male soldiers depicts doubts and worries on whether she was raped or not. Scholars believe that Joan was raped when she was once beaten and attacked.

Does Prayer Make a Difference for Patients Research Paper

Does Prayer Make a Difference for Patients - Research Paper Example The supervisor asked her if there was any evidence to ascertain the benefits of prayer therapy on the health of patients. This incident triggered the search for evidence-based practice for prayer therapy and the results of the literature review and implications for practice are described below. Several research studies have been conducted to ascertain the benefits of prayer therapy with reference to patients. However, for evidence-based practice, only some studies can be taken into account. The gold standard for any evidence-based practice is randomized controlled trials which when performed with optimized research designs that can answer pertinent questions. However, meta-analysis and a systematic review have topped the hierarchy list and when present, they are preferred to randomized controlled trials (Evans, 2003). It is interesting to note that prayer does not only have therapeutic effects on those who pray, but also on those who are prayed by other people who do not actually kno w them. According to Hefti and Koenig (2007), "active prayer within the framework of a doctor-patient relationship can strengthen the patient's optimism and activate the body's healing resources." The first randomized controlled study evaluating the benefits of prayer therapy was studied in 1988 by Byrd. The study was conducted on 393 patients admitted to the coronary care unit of San Francisco General Hospital at San Francisco. In this study, the intervention group received structured intercessory prayers by persons unaware of them. Results of this study pointed to the benefits of intercessory praying in decreasing hospital course scores.

Accounting Essay Example for Free

Accounting Essay Problem 1 The Commonwealth Company uses a job-order cost system and applies manufacturing overhead cost to jobs using a predetermined overhead rate basedon the cost of materials used in production. At the beginning of the year, the following estimates were made as a basis for computing the predetermined overhead rate: manufacturing overhead cost,$186,000; direct materials cost,$155,000. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay The following transactions took place during the year (all purchases and services were acquired on account): a. b. c. d.  Raw materials purchased,$96,000. Raw materials requisitioned for use in production (all direct materials), $88,000. Utility bills incurred in the factory,$17,000. Costs for salaries and wages incurred as follows: Direct labor, $174,000 Indirect labor,$70,000 Selling and administrative salaries, $124,000 Maintenance costs incurred in the factory,$12,000. Advertising costs incurred,$98,000. Depreciation recorded for the year, $75,000 (75% relates to factory assets and the remainder relates to selling and administrativeassets). Rental cost incurred on buildings, $80,000 (80% of the space is occupied by the factory, and 20% is occupied by sales and administration). Miscellaneous selling and administrative costs incurred, $12,000. Manufacturing overhead cost was applied to jobs. Cost of goods manufactured for theyear, $480,000. Sales for the year (all on account) totaled $900,000. These goods cost $550,000 to manufacturee. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. Requirements: Prepare journal entries on the following page to record the information above.

Biometrics Identification Attendance Monitoring System Essay Example for Free

Biometrics Identification Attendance Monitoring System Essay Time is a special resource that you cannot store or save for later use. Everyone has the exact same amount of time each day. Time not well used cannot be retrieved. Most people feel like they have too much to do and not enough time. They blame lack of time for their poor finances, unachieved goals, stress, bad relationships and not exercising their body. Wise time management can help you find the time for what you desire to do or need to do. You need time to get what you want out of life. Waiting for more free time to appear is losing the game of life. Through time management you can â€Å"create† the time you need, and not just wait for it to come. By planning your time wisely, you will have more time to do more things. You can learn to find the time for the things that are important to you. Even a small amount of time once a day, or even once a week, will take you closer to your goals, and you will be surprised at the progress you make. You become more productive using improved time management skills and tools, and can accomplish more with less effort and time. Time management can help you reduce wasted time and energy, help you become more creative and productive, and enable you to do the right thing at the right time. This will of course lead to more balance and fulfillment in your life. Working time is the period of time that an individual spends at paid occupational labor. Unpaid labors such as housework are not considered part of the working week. Many countries regulate the work week by law, such as stipulating minimum daily rest periods, annual holidays and a maximum number of working hours per week. Impact on system domain or impact on domain functionality, the risks between implementations and there. Ideally the monitoring is a tiny fraction of each applications footprint, requiring simplicity. The monitoring function must be highly tunable to allow for such issues as network performance, improvements to applications in the development life-cycle, appropriate levels of detail, etc. Impact on the real goal for the system must be considered In this paper, we proposed a system that automates the whole process or taking attendance and maintaining its records. Managing people is a difficult task for most of the organizations and maintaining the attendance record is an important factor in people management. Manually taking the attendance and maintaining it for a longtime odd to the difficulty of this task as well as wastes a lot of time. For this reason an efficient system is designed. This system takes electronically with fingerprint sensor and all the record are saved on a computer server. Biometric Identification Attendance Monitoring System serve as a time-log that is set up as a computerized database. This system maintains a daily record of a employee’s arrival and departure time for works. It keeps records in order and is frequently updated. When seeking employment, an employee can request certain reports to be printed from the Biometric Identification Attendance Monitoring. Biometrics have been widely use of the purpose of recognition, it is the most secure it is impossible to forge or tamper fingerprint. Fingerprint sensor is place at the entrance of faculty office. In order to mark the attendance, employee has to place his/her finger on the fingerprints sensor. On identification employee attendance’s, attendance record is updated in the database and he/she is notified through monitor. No need of all stationary materials and special person for keeping records. Fingerprint based time attendance-monitoring system provides a foolproof solution using fingerprint authentication. It is very effective in resolving proxy entry problems inherent in other traditional systems. The system records details such as arrival and departure of employees besides maintaining information regarding their personal and official profiles. Official employee information such as designation, department, shift, location, leaves status, compensation, etc. can be linked to any payroll software to automate the complete process. Biometric Identification Attendance Monitoring System completely eliminates â€Å"proxy† inherent in other traditional systems. There is absolutely no recurring cost and smart finger can also be integrated into any existing payroll application to automate the complete process is extremely user friendly and enables you to generate any kind of attendance report required by querying based on name, department, shift, date, type of activity, etc. It can be customized as per the specific requirements of Customer; fingerprint can also be integrated into any existing payroll application to automate the complete process.

Link Between Forgetting, Distortion, And Repression Of Memories

Link Between Forgetting, Distortion, And Repression Of Memories Cognitive psychologists and neuroscience researchers have proposed theories that explain why people forget, distort, or repress memories. From a historical perspective, Freuds contributions on the topic of memory offered insights into the concept of forgetfulness and repression (Knafo, 2009). According to Knafo, forgetfulness stems from intentionally repressing unwanted memories to avoid emotional distress. Even though forgetfulness may be intentional, unintentional forgetting of memories is frustrating. Forgetfulness can result from retrieval-induced forgetting or contextual differentiation (Lehman Malmberg, 2009; Storm, Bjork, Bjork, 2008). Forgetting effects based on the theory of interference can block or distort memories due to emotional distress (Smith Moynan, 2008). Camp, Pecher, Schmidt, and Zeelenberg (2009) argued that interference theories and inhibition theories create forgetting. Studies by Schneider and Dixon (2009) on the construction of memories indicated that disr uptions in the short-term working memory interfere with maintaining memories for later retrieval. In contrast, Fabiani, Low, Wee, Sable, and Gratton (2006) argued that memory decay due to ineffective filtering of sensory information causes forgetfulness. Memory retention can be subject to memory hazards caused by proactive or retroactive interference consequences (Chechile, 2006). Even though an individual encodes information properly, some memories are subject to interference or decay during the retrieval processing (Wixted, 2005). Wixted posited that the long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmissions in the hippocampus maintains memories and contributes to memory distortion when damaged. MacLeod and Saunders (2008) linked memory retrieval to memory distortion through an inhibitory induced mechanism. Inhibitions to avoid certain memories induce forgetting which can lead to distorted memories. Memory malfunction affect memory recall (Loftus, 2003). As Renk, Donnelly, McKinney, and Baksh (2007) pointed out, misattribution, suggestibility, and bias effects distort memories. Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) argued that memories are reconstructions of schemas of past events. Memory failure distorts the information if encoding processes fail to describe the event with accuracy. False memories of repressed events result in a decline of memory accuracy over time (Brainerd, Reyna, Ceci, 2008). Although false memories can be harmless such as misremembering the name of a prior boyfriend, there are sources of harmful false memories. Memories vary in terms of their vividness. Perceptions, contexts, emotions, and cognition can produce familiarity. Fuzzier memories are phantom recollections of events that seem to be accurate but are susceptible to misinformation (Lampien, Meier, Arnal, Leding, 2005). Aminoff, Schacter, and Bar (2008) contended that people embed objects in memory with other objects of similar contexts, which activates the cortical network system in the brain responsible for processing and retrieving information. Brainerd et al. (2008) discussed the shift of false memories over time that leads to misinformation of data. Studies show that misinformation about fuzzy events can lead to suggestibility of eyewitness memories (Brainerd et al., 2008; Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). People who have experienced unpleasant encounters often repress or inhibit their experiences in order to avoid anxiety (Garssen, 2007). McNally, Clancy, Barrett, Parker, Ristuccia, and Perlman (2006) posited that abused children repress their memories in an effort to forget the traumatic event. Repression describes the tendency to inhibit negative feelings associated with unpleasant experiences in order to eliminate any threats to a persons self-image (Garssen, 2007). Garssen investigated the voluntary suppression of negative emotions as a coping mechanism to control and protect the inner self. Rofà © (2008) focused on clarifying what people remember or forget. People have a tendency to forget trauma. Rofà © argued that people do remember traumatic experiences but choose to repress such memories as an innate instinct to protect their wellbeing. From a neurobiological perspective, Anderson et al. (2004) discovered that reduced hippocampus activation suppresses unwanted memories. In addition, Buchanan (2007) posited that the neural connections in the amygdala in conjunction with the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex play a role in the retrieval of emotional experiences. Definitions In reviewing the influences that forgetting, distortion, and repression has on memory, it is important to define these terms in order to clarify the relationship between encoding, storage, and retrieval of memories. Forgetting refers to the failure to retain previously encoded information in memory. Often cue-overload in memory storage prevents previously stored information from reaching consciousness (Wixted, 2005). Distorted memories refer to forgetting the actual details of prior experiences or events. Factors such as the encoding specificity of events, cue manipulation of events stored in memory, and retrieval cues can change the context of prior memories (Buchanan, 2007). Cognitive psychologists refer to this phenomenon as false recognition or false memories (Aminoff et al., 2008). Loftus (2003) described false memories as inaccurate recollections of events stored in long-term memory that people distort when recalled. Repression focuses on forgotten traumatic memories that peopl e tend to suppress in their long-term memory to avoid recalling expressive negative emotions that harm their self-image and self-worth (Garssen, 2007). Piper, Lillevik, and Kritzer (2008) argued that repressing harrowing memories is an unwilling and automatic process out of conscious awareness as soon as an unpleasant event happens. For repression to occur, a person must first encode the event but be unable to recall the event (Piper et al., 2008). Based on the information provided in the above-mentioned articles and the definitions of terms, a connection between forgetting, distortion, and repression of memories may explain the intricacies and complexities of memories in everyday life. People do forget certain memories but there may be a link between what memories a person forgets, what memories become distorted and what memories are repressed. Forgetting Knafo (2009) contended that Freuds interest in the functioning of memory played an important role in current theories and findings. Freud distinguished forgetfulness from repression by stressing its defensive nature. Repression refers to the banishing of distressing memories from consciousness to avoid emotional distress. According to Knafo, neuroscience research supports Freuds idea of repression. The right frontal lobe prevents painful memories from entering the left hemisphere to be processed and stored (Knafo, 2009). In essence, people want to forget the memories that cause distress. Although such memories are intentionally forgotten or repressed, Lehman and Malmberg (2009) discussed the relationship between intentional and unintentional forgetting. According to Lehman and Malmberg (2009), free recall is the memory task that unintentionally frustrates people. The differential rehearsal hypothesis states that changing the encoding procedures through improved rehearsal techniques should enhance recall. However, the inhibition hypothesis in a retrieval-induced forgetting domain affects recall in both unintentional and intentional situations. Retrieval-induced forgetting results from a temporary incapability to recall items from memory (Lehman Malmberg, 2009). Storm et al. (2008) hypothesized that the retrieval strength not the storage strength reduces recall. Intentionally inhibiting items from memory during retrieval creates intentional forgetting of that item while unintentional inhibition of items interferes with the recall of other items (Storm et al., 2008). Items in memory have two separate strengths. The storage strength denotes the interconnection between items in memory while the retrieval strength embodies the accessibil ity of items in memory at any given time and in certain contexts (Storm et al., 2008). The contextual differentiation hypothesis states that forgetting depends on the changes in the context during encoding. Recall depends on the persons ability to restore appropriate context cues, which reduces forgetting effects (Lehman Malmberg, 2009). For example, to recall a misplaced item, a person needs to reconstruct a mental representation of the environment in order to recall where he or she placed the item. However, in emotional situations people can block memories of items or events during retrieval to reduce distress (Smith Moynan, 2008). Smith and Moynan (2008) hypothesized that there are individual distinctions in vulnerability to forgetting effects. Individuals tend to remember emotional experiences more readily than unemotional events. When given a list of emotional violent words, traumatized individuals experienced unintentional forgetting. Interference and inhibition can invoke long-term forgetting. According to Smith and Moynan, providing appropriate independent cues reverses these effects. Their studies indicated that after giving participants emotionally laden cues, it induced a reversal of forgotten memories (Smith Moynan, 2008). To make a distinction between interference and inhibition effects, Camp et al. (2009) hypothesized that recall depends on the relationship between items when competing for retrieval. A competing relationship between items decreases the strength between the cue and target item, which interferes with memory retrieval. Interference in the retrieval of memories decreases retrieval time and creates forgetting (Camp et al., 2009). In contrast, inhibition effects are not cue dependent. Forgetting occurs even after the presentation of cues because people can actively control items in memory and can inhibit certain memories from reaching consciousness. Despite the cues used to access items, people forget these memories (Camp et al., 2009). Similarly, Schneider and Dixon (2009) argued that disruptions in short-term working memory could impede retrieval of items in memory. Mental representations of complex tasks require individuals to eliminate any distracters during retrieval. These interrupti on effects symbolize the time needed to restore mental representations of the tasks into short-term memory, which reduces forgetting and increases comprehension. Thus, suggesting the visuospatial cues are important in maintaining retrieval accuracy (Schneider Dixon, 2009). In contrast, Fabiani et al. (2006) posited that items in memory decay over time. As people age, their working memory capacity becomes overloaded with information which effects memory. The decay theory emphasizes a reduction in attention control based on complex cognitive performances. Fabiani et al. argued that memory decay is due to a reduction in filtering irrelevant sensory information rather than decline in sensory processing due to age. The ineffective filtering combined with reduced attention control creates problems in the working memory, which in turn increases forgetting (Fabiani et al., 2006). Chechile (2006) expanded on the decay theory by examining memory hazards in retention of information. Decline in memory retention and memory span indicates improper encoding procedures caused by either proactive (before learning) or retroactive (after learning) interference (Chechile, 2006). Wixted (2005) argued that failure to encode novel information induces forgetting. An alternative explanation for the interference theory and decay theory posited by Wixted (2005) is a lack of memory consolidation. Neuroscience research suggests that memories are susceptible to disruption during consolidation. Encoding memories involves the release of neurotransmitters in the presynaptic neuron, which causes the postsynaptic neuron to fire. This chaining of events known as the LTP mechanism responds to presynaptic neuron stimulation in the hippocampus (Wixted, 2005). Wixted posited that induced stimulation of the LPT in the hippocampus from drugs or alcohol serves as interference for forming new memories, causes forgetfulness of an earlier learned task, and impairs LTP maintenance. Alcohol and drugs can interfere with the encoding process that prevents memory consolidation by blocking memory formation and inducing forgetting. From a psychopharmacological perspective, Wixted contended that interference to the hippocampal LTP causes a failure of new memory to form (a nterograde amnesia) or impairs previously formed memories (retrograde amnesia) in the consolidation process of memories. Wixted hypothesized that memory consolidation after the encoding process is subject to interference based on storage decay and retrieval overload during the retention stage, which may be the cause of forgetfulness. From a neuroscience research and psychopharmacology perspective, poor memory consolidations and retention can provoke forgetting or memory distortion (Wixted, 2005). Distorted or False Memories MacLeod and Saunders (2008) hypothesized that people rely on their memories to solve everyday problems. Because todays social world is constantly changing, people need to update their memories continuously. In order to update memories, individuals have to revise their old memories with new information. However, the problem lies in determining what information is relevant. Redundant information may be necessary to solve future problems. Therefore, there is a need to retain both old and new information. The interrelationship between episodic memory of knowing where and when events happened and semantic memory of general knowledge content can create problems when accessing prior events or experiences. The retrieval-induced forgetting mechanism that inhibits unwanted memories from entering consciousness is different from the traditional interference and decay theories (MacLeod Saunders, 2008). MacLeod and Saunders argued that retrieval inhibition underlies the misinformation paradigm. F or example, when updating old memories with new memories, people tend to distort their memories when they include misleading information during the encoding process (MacLeod Saunders, 2008). MacLeod and Saunders concluded that if people activate the inhibitory mechanism during the memory retrieval process, then the new misleading information replaces the original information, which distorts memories. Their research indicates that eyewitness reports are susceptible to post-event suggestions. Loftus (2003) also studied the effects of distorted memories when recalling prior events. According to Loftus, eyewitness informants are susceptible to suggestibility and biases of misinformation. The misinformation effect can affect memories when questioning informants in a suggestive manner (Loftus, 2003). Misinformation about an actual event can influence a persons perception of that event. Planting false memories of an event exposes individuals to believing something happened when in reality it did not happen. As Loftus pointed out, peoples memories are fragile and influenced by their thoughts, by what someone has told them or led them to believe. By reinventing memories, people become the person in their own imagination because their memories have malfunctioned (Loftus, 2003). Renk et al. (2007) expanded on the memory malfunction occurrence in everyday life that affects a persons ability to recall events. Using Schacters theory of memory distortion, Renk et al. contended that misattribution, suggestibility, and biases could distort memories. The misattribution effect assigns a memory to an erroneous source or to an event that did not occur. For example, individuals who have a fuzzy recollection of an event may recall facts but misattribute the facts by linking prior experiences together to form a whole picture. Even though the event is easy to recall, it may never have happened. In addition, incorporating suggestions by other people into their memories can distort the facts (Loftus, 2003; Renk et al., 2007). Suggestibility can greatly influence eyewitness testimonies (Loftus, 2003). The questioning of eyewitnesses during an investigation or trial can lead people to believe facts that did not happen by suggestions of misleading information. Misinformation o f facts by the media or other biased accounts can influence people into believing something happened (Loftus, 2003). In this situation, bias refers to recall of events that support a persons beliefs (Renk et al., 2007).. Renk et al. (2007) discussed various types of biases that distort memories. Consistency biases promote the recall of prior beliefs to be similar to current beliefs. Hindsight biases interconnect current knowledge with past knowledge, which makes people think they knew all along what happened but simply forgot. Egocentric biases use self-enhancing mechanisms to recall prior events. Stereotypical biases manipulate memories and perceptional awareness based on diverse social cultures (Renk et al., 2007). The false memory or distorted memory phenomenon suggests that the recall of fuzzy memories is outside the control of conscious memory, which can induce forgotten, distorted or false memories (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) implied that discrepancies between forgotten memories and recovered memories are debatable. Memories of memorable prior events are more likely to be remembered that memories of traumatic experiences. People store interpretations of ambiguous situations in previously formed schemas. Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker contended that the Fuzzy Trace Theory (FTT) incorporates two memory traces, which explains the false memory phenomenon. Verbatim traces refer to the actual physical stimuli while the gist traces puts meaning to the stimuli. Because verbatim traces decline quicker, false memories increase through the gist traces. Memory errors occur when improper encoding procedures do not separate episodic memories from gist information. As a result, memory distortion occurs because the encoding specificity failed to portray an episodic event with accuracy (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). Brainerd et al. (2008) believed that false memories are due to a decline in episodic memories. As time passes, events get fuzzier. The FTT measures the accuracy of events by administering recall tests. After giving participants misleading information about an event, they tended to distort their recollection of that event (Brainerd et al., 2008). For example, suggesting that a thief may have worn gloves and a hat elicits the illusion of a thief wearing gloves and a hat when in reality neither item may have been a fact. Brainerd et al. referred to this phenomenon as gist traces that induces perceptual inaccuracies and can lead to wrongful convictions of innocent people. Lampien et al. (2005) argued that memories vary in content but familiarity of content produces vivid false memories. Content borrowing of similar items can activate perceptions of similarity. If items share similar perceptual contexts, people integrate their perceptions to create new memories that tend to be false. Lampien et al. referred to this experience as phantom recollections of events that borrow content from previous similar perceptions, contexts, emotions, or thoughts. As a result, familiarity produces memory inaccuracies or false memories (Lampien et al., 2005). Aminoff et al. (2008) argued that object familiarity creates associations that predict what a person expects to see in a contextual setting within their environment. For example, seeing an object such as a desk activates visual representations of other items such as a computer or books that share the same context of items in an office. Aminoff et al. conducted several studies that investigated the cortical network activity in the brain. They hypothesized that increased activity in the cortical area elicits object familiarity of contextually related items, which in turn increases the possibility of falsely recognizing items as related. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, Aminoff et al. were able to examine whether context affected the old to new memory recognition performance. The results indicated that the cortical regions that process contextually related items include the retrosplenial complex (RSC), the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and the parahippocam pal cortex (PHC) which increases in activity when participants viewed strong contextually related items. As a result, Aminoff et al. contended that people tend to store memories within a context frame, which contains prototypes of particular items. The RSC processes information is more of a gist context which interferes with the old to new responses and contributes to memory distortion as proposed by Brainerd et al. (2008) (Aminoff et al., 2008). The current trends in the study of distorted or false memories suggest that memories are vulnerable to many mitigating factors. As Steffens and Mecklenbrà ¤uker (2007) pointed out, research on the reconstructive nature of events stored in memory is mental representations of events and experiences. People use existing schemas or prototypes as a guide for storage and retrieval of memories. To solve everyday problems, people make inferences about prior experiences and relate those experiences to the current situation (Steffens Mecklenbrà ¤uker, 2007). However, if prior experiences caused trauma, Garssen (2007) hypothesized that people tend to repress or inhibit these memories to minimize distress. Repressed Memories Repression describes the desire for people to inhibit memories of unpleasant experiences to protect their positive self-image from threat. According to Garssen (2007), repressed memories can be conscious or unconscious avoidance of prior negative emotional occurrences. In some situations, people may be aware they consciously inhibit unwanted memories but empirical research shows most repressed memories are unconscious coping techniques to avoid anxiety. People who use repressive coping styles tend to distort information and make false conclusions (Garssen, 2007). McNally et al. (2006) hypothesized that repressive individuals have trouble in retrieving unpleasant situations such as child abuse. Because these individuals fail to remember specific abusive occurrences but experience related symptoms of abuse, they infer that abuse happened and simply forget the abusive situations. Their findings suggest that people who forget or suppress traumatic experiences have more difficulty in acce ssing those memories (McNally et al., 2006). Piper et al. (2008) argued that suppression and repression of traumatic experiences have separate and different meanings. For example, suppression means to defer unwanted memories from consciousness (McNally et al., 2006) while repression operates unconsciously to bury memories from reaching the conscious mind (Piper et al., 2008). Piper et al. contended that scientific research on the recovered memory phenomenon lacks credibility. Repression theorists claim that traumatized people fail to remember certain details of the event (partial amnesia), simply forget details, and deliberately avoid thinking about the event. Piper et al. believe these premises are flawed. Studies show that people do recall the essential details of harrowing experiences very vividly. The trauma experienced is usually so severe that people seldom forget which refutes the everyday forgetting phenomenon. In addition, if people intentional avoid thinking of the event they are suppressing the event not repressing t he event as mentioned in the above definitions. Piper et al. argued that traumatic experiences are no different from ordinary experiences. Memory recall works by assembling the neurons in the brain that represent memory to reconstruct a mental representation. The memory process of encoding, storage, and retrieval operate the same for any type of information, which a person can modify or reorganize before and after the encoding procedure. Piper et al. believed that this analysis supports the claim that science fails to support the repressed memory phenomenon. Although repression of memories has been a debatable topic among psychologists, Rofà © (2008) argued that repression is a valid concept. Research findings suggest that people are motivated to forget trauma intentionally. As Rofà © pointed out, intentional forgetting of trauma does not necessarily mean using repressive coping mechanisms but unintentional forgetting is susceptible to defensive coping mechanisms. He contended that repression is a multidimensional component comprised of memory, pathogenic effects, and unconsciousness. Memories of traumatic experiences overwhelm most people and motivate forgetting. As a result, people experience a type of amnesia to deal with trauma. Pathogenic effects focus on the distortions of memories that protect wellbeing. Inhibiting emotions is beneficial to a persons physiological and psychological wellness. Unconsciousness is a powerful cognitive system that protects a persons wellbeing and controls the pathogenic effects of repression (Rofà © , 2008). Garssen (2007) hypothesized that people do use repressive and defensive mechanisms to deal with unwanted memories. From a conceptual perspective, repression and anxiety defenses are coping strategies people use to prevent psychological harm. Garssen referred to repression as a tendency to act or cope within the environment in a certain manner to protect a persons self-image from harm, thus, supporting the theory that repression may be unconscious techniques to reduce distress. Although Freud suggested repression included a voluntary suppression of unwanted memories from conscious awareness, Anderson et al. (2004) proposed that neural systems within the brain control repression. From a neurobiological perspective, the hippocampus activates successful memory recollection of subjective experiences or events. In order to suppress these memories, the lateral prefrontal cortex must disengage the hippocampal activation (Anderson et al., 2004). During fMRI scans, Anderson et al. had participants deliberately suppress memories. The results indicated that the control mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex reduced the hippocampal activation, which in turn inhibited memory recall. Momentary interruptions of intrusive memory recall triggered the executive control to override retrieval of unwanted memories. Anderson et al. posited the theory that a neurobiological representation of memory helps people to control their memories in order to adjust their cognitive assessments of traumatic events. Buchanan (2007) argued that cognitive neuroscience research suggests that the amygdala enhances emotional memories. The retrieval of mood-congruent autobiographical memories increases the neural activity in the amygdala as well as the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. The interconnection of the functional activity in these neural structures during the retrieval process triggers the recollection of emotional memories. According to Buchanan, the amygdala does not store unwanted memories but rater stimulates other neural networks to retrieve these memories to be experienced again. In essence, the interconnected activities of various neural networks elicit an affective state similar to the original experience. Thus, emotions do play an integral part in altering memory recall during the retrieval stage. From a neurobiological perspective, the neural networks associated with emotion affect how a person remembers an unpleasant event. Conclusion The current studies presented in this article on memory indicate that there may be a link between forgetting, distortion, and repression of memories. Freuds discoveries revealed the persistent consequence and complexities of memories (Anderson et al., 2004; Knafo, 2009). Research into theories that explain nature of memories and their role in everyday life have contributed to finding better ways to understanding the relationship between different aspects of memory. Forgotten memories caused by retrieval-induced mechanisms limits memory recall (Lehman Malmberg, 2009: Storm et al., 2008). The interference, inhibition, and decay theories explain blocked memories, which induce forgetting (Camp et al., 2009; Chechile, 2006; Fabiani et al., 2006; Schneider Dixon, 2009). If prior memories fail to enter consciousness, misinformation of facts may result in memory distortion. Distorted memories or false memories result from the forgotten memories of prior experiences, which people change to fit present situations. The misinformation effect creates memory malfunctions and distorts memories (Loftus, 2003; MacLeod Saunders, 2008; Renk et al., 2007). Inhibiting memories from entering consciousness creates repression Wixted, 2005). Repressed memories may be memories intentionally forgotten or distorted to relieve anxiety (Garssen, 2007; McNally et al., 2006; Rofà ©, 2008; Smith Moynan, 2008); Storm et al., 2008). From a neurobiological perspective, the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex are the main parts of the brain that play an important role in how memories are encoded, stored, and retrieved (Aminoff et al., 2008; Anderson et al., 2004; Buchanan, 2007; Knafo, 2009; Wixted, 2005). The connection between neural network functions as posited by Wixted, explains how people forget memories that have not be consolidated properly during the encoding procedure which interferes with the retention, storage, and retrieval of previously learned tasks. Aminoff et al. implied that items stored in memory are subject to increased activity in the cortical regions, which can distort memories. Both Anderson et al. and Buchanan posited that neural activity control the retrieval of information. Highly emotional events may be more susceptible to an increase in neural activity, which may modify the retrieval process of cognitive assessments. The evidence presented in this paper provides a possible explanation for the link between forgotten, distorted, and repressed memories. Future studies on the psychological and neurobiological factors that cause memory failures may give cognitive psychologists a better understanding of the relationship and implications that different aspects of memory has on problem solving and psychological wellbeing in everyday life. Memories affect actions and changing actions creates social change.