Suicidal Mind Essays - Borderline Personality Disorder,

Suicidal Mind I havent read any books on suicide before. So I thought this book was pretty interesting and it gave me a lot of good information on suicide. This book made me realize that there are many commonalities between suicidal people. The states that the common emotion in suicide is hopelessness-helplessness. Dr. Shneidman concludes that the best way to understanding suicide is not through the study of the brain structure, nor study of social statistics and mental disease, but through the study of human emotions. Dr. Shneidman believes that those persons who commit suicide do so to either put a side or to stop unbearable psychological pain, due to the constant frustration for important psychological needs. The psychological needs that Dr. Shneidam mentions, were first described by Henry A Murray in Explorations in Personality (1938). According to Dr. Shneidman, suicides are partially part to one of the five number of frustrated psychological needs: (1) prevented love, acceptance, and belonging: (2) fractured control, and predictability: (3) assaulted self-image and avoidance or shame: (4) ruptured key relationships and attendant grief: (5) excessive anger, rage and hostility. Suicide isnt so much a factor of the psychological needs but frustration caused by basic needs for that person to function. In general a therapists or psychotherapists goal. Is to recognize a suicidal patients needs. So the therapist can help the patient see the other alternatives instead of suicide. Dr. Shneidman uses three cases from the files of a UCLA thanatologist. That showed, that killing ones self is not easy. The first case is about a lady called Ariel Page 2 Wilson, who chose self-immolation, but survived with really bad burns on her body. Ariels central need was succorance, the need to be taken care of, loved and succored. In the second case is a lady called Beatrice, who wrote out her life story while she was Dr. Shneidmans patient. Her method of suicide was knives and starvation. She was a very different case to Ariel Wilson. Beatrice had a great need for order, sanctuary, and a world that she could depend on, but what mostly showed of her intense need was how she was born with fear and anxiety. For example she would reject other people before they might possibly reject her. Its still unclear whether she has stopped her attempts at suicide. Castro the third patient was unable to speak since he had no more face after attempting to blow his brains out. Castro suffered from constriction, isolation, confused logic, and profound hopelessness. All three cases had different psychological needs and helped me understand why basic needs for peo ple are so important. I found that this book was interesting. I thought book was kinda sad at times cause some of the cases that were shown and the people wrote was depressing. But to honest I wish I did a report that I could relate more to me. Cause Ive never thought of committing and dont know anyone suicidal or who has already committed suicide. But this book did let me have a different perspective on suicidal people. This book answered my questions on suicide. Why do people commit suicide? Suicidal people usually are suffering from emotional problems. The frustration of psychological needs is what leads them to killing themselves. The book also said that everyone at least once in their lives thought about committing suicide. Book Reports

The Body Shop International Essay Example

The Body Shop International Essay Example The Body Shop International Paper The Body Shop International Paper The Body Shop International presents the case of a company whose business model strength initially relied on its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but that afterwards faced problems and challenges, due to mismanagement of internal resources, stakeholders conflicts, and the unawareness of external changes. The model created advantages but also limited growth, as the organization was not prepared for expansion due to the lack of corporate structure required for a global strategy. Anita Roddick believes in the power of businesses and in the use of success as a force of social change, therefore Body initial mission was to make profit with principles, that is, being especially responsible for employees, society, Third World development and the environment. This innovative, radical and daring approach became Body Shops competitive advantage (Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility); and according to this strategy defined a unique marketing approach: desirable and environmental products, moderated prices and relaxed shop environment in order to attract and educate customers (humanistic, environmental conscious). CSR pay offs to Body Shop were clearly appreciated through the 80s when it grew 50% yearly; media attention and customer awareness resulted in boost sales, shop openings, increases in stock value, etc. Exhibit 1 shows Body Shops stakeholders and the strategic outcome or value created by the companys CSR behavior by means of the centrality, specificity, voluntarism and visibility of its actions. Special emphasis and success were obtained in the Visibility dimension, as Body Shop was not always able to practice its social vision, but always was very good at promoting it. Anita is a great PR (loud and quotable) and during her management always made sure the firm gained recognition from internal and external stakeholders. Other keys for Body Shops success were Anitas leadership, charisma, influence and management style; very convenient for an Entrepreneurship venture. She created a corporate culture based on communication, informality and break the rules mentality that resulted in employees loyalty, commitment and productivity. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 90s Body Shop seemed to have lost its magic growth formula. The main problems faced by the company were its inability to align and prioritize stakeholders interests, as well as its lack of agility and flexibility to evolve and adapt to external changes. One of the main causes was the companys low Proactivity. An initial opportunity was pursued by Body Shop due to its leader believes, vision, anecdotic and lucky events, but afterwards the company was never able to plan its behavior in anticipation of emerging trends and threats (competition, globalization, expansion) and therefore leverage its first mover advantage in the CSR field. Body Shops principal conflict of interest was with Franchises, one of its main partners and stakeholders. The company adopted this model of expansion which was initially appropriate due to its low risk (self financing), but failed in improving and controlling the network. Headquarters was not capable of implementing a control system over franchises, critical during an expansion stage, although a strict and time consuming selection was made. Some franchises were becoming unhappy, not aligned with the companys principles and unmotivated with the business and the concept. Some expressed concern about Anitas ethical and political blowups, but the bottom line was they were not profitable and felt they didnt received support and attention from headquarters. This was especially the case of independent franchises, which to date still represent 29% of the shops, who complained they were discriminated in favor of company owned ones. Body Shop is subcontracting its main asset (relationship with customers) to franchises, so they must align them. They contribute with important start up investments and royalties (5%), as well as with their knowledge and expertise about customers and markets. Vertical integration (buying back unmotivated franchises) is an alternative, but the basic problem will not be solved until they can regain control over the network and exercise legitimate authority over them, by means of implementing rules, standards, and hierarchies (Bureaucracy). Conflicts also started with other stakeholders, such as customers, investors, and even employees (complacency), mainly due to Anitas increasingly political actions. Body Shops brand and image started to deteriorate as consequence of public debates about the companys 100% natural products, best practices, thirst for publicity, hypocritical attitude and populist campaigning. That is, the companys real CSR intentions were questioned and there was a tendency to believe Body Shop expressed social concern just for selling. Potentially, customers could be lost and sales affected, as well as shareholders interests in terms of value creation (dividends, capital gains). Anita was over focusing on social activism and was indifferent to businesses bottom line: Profitability. Some of the key issues not addressed correctly by the company were their unawareness of industry changes and competitors reaction, as well as their failure in preparing an international expansion. Premium competitors such as Aveda, Lush and Origins began offering natural products, exercising pressure over Body Shop, who was not successfully innovating anymore and whose products were starting to be perceived as low end with premium price. The companys decision to expand internationally was a sensible one due to economies of scale (it was depending to much on the UK) and scope and to position itself as a global player in the cosmetic industry with the best CSR practices. However, they neither performed detailed market researches nor prepared the organizations structure for such an expansion. The U. S. market was a different one, with a diverse consumer base less concerned with environmental issues but product and price driven, less brand loyal and in where there was a tough competition, especially through advertisement; a bigger and less controllable market with few common characteristics with the English one. The Body Shop has two alternatives for international expansion: full penetration in the U. S. market with previous market segmentation, offering tailored products and services through convenient channels (gain support and capture malls) or a strategy of light penetration in the U. S. combined with focus in other potential foreign ventures, although not with the same size as the American one (Asia Pacific, Continental Europe, etc). In each case, Body Shop must train intensively to local staff, keep their values, refine their marketing strategy locally (strong advertisement in U. S. arket for example), meet local regulatory demands and continuously monitor and control implementations. In order to successfully transit to the next stage of its organizational life cycle, the Collective Stage, Body Shop should have changed its Roddicks centered organization, in were decision making was only a matter of its leaders. An informal organization was suitable when having few shops; size increase and global expansion demands a formal organization with defined control systems, strict acc ountability, increased bureaucracy and suitable information technology for information flow. A regional structure with decentralized decision making is necessary for gaining international advantage by means of national responsiveness (Multinational Corporation) and future global integration (Global Corporation). Knowledge transfer, headquarters planning, formalization and global teams coordination are key elements. Finally, leadership changes are necessary in order to avoid the organization dependency on Anita and to bring refreshing ideas and industrys best practices. Once a company is public, it needs to operate in its shareholders benefit, so focus should be profits over passion, and agency problems should be avoided, although founders legacy and best practices should be kept. Adrian Bellamy, an ex director who entered the company through a joint venture, is the actual CEO of the Body Shop, after the Roddicks stepped down due to investor pressures. Actually Anita is a consultant, and Bellamy should use Anitas knowledge and expertise in marketing and product development issues in favor of the company; let her continue travel and innovate! Body Shop should maintain its CSR advantage but also refocus its efforts in product development and retailing (franchises), taking into account characteristics of individual markets (adaptive vs. global). Cost reductions, new product launches and packaging, extension of successful ranges, promotions, refreshing store formats, new channels of distribution (Internet), I/T systems support (actually implementing SAP), are some suggested actions in order to re position the brand as one offering credible products at affordable prices. Will Body Shop achieve Sustainable Growth? Anitas legacy (CSR, innovation), together with good business management could make the company return to the success path. Although managing stakeholders relationships is not an easy and straightforward task, the company has still an important network of key partners (franchises) and a brand with global reach, within a sector (personal care) with potential and in were there are still opportunities for expansion.

Swath vs. Swatch

Swath vs. Swatch Swath vs. Swatch Swath vs. Swatch By Maeve Maddox A reader sent me this extract, asking if it might provide material for a post topic: Charles Darwin did a fine job of showing why his theory of evolution explained the living world better than any creationist ideas could, and evidence has piled up ever since, but a swatch of the American public remain unconvinced. The reader was referring to the use of swatch where the context calls for swath. The example appeared in Forbes Magazine. The editors there have since corrected swatch to swath and even include the following addendum: â€Å"An earlier version of this story contained a typo in the word swath.† Unfortunately, about 172 other sites, which copied part or all of the original Forbes article, continue to display the error. I have found the same error- perhaps they are also typos- on news sites. Here are two: During the visit to the site where construction has started and a smoothened dirt road cuts through a wide swatch of the land where olive trees used to stand, border police arrived.- Catholic News. Stanley denounced the demand that American Jews â€Å"unequivocally support Israel against criticism† when â€Å"Israeli policies of the moment can and do betray values held by a large swatch of American Jewry.†- Progressive.

Case for Briefing Dewsnup v. Timm 116 L.Ed. 2d 903, 112 S. Ct. 773 Article

Case for Briefing Dewsnup v. Timm 116 L.Ed. 2d 903, 112 S. Ct. 773 (1992) - Article Example In 1986 and 1987, plaintiff-respondents filed complaints in the Federal District Court for the District of Oregon, alleging that they were induced to invest in the partnerships by misrepresentations in offering memoranda prepared by petitioner and others in violations of inter alia, 10 (b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 and further assert that they become aware of the alleged misrepresentations only in 1985. The court granted summary judgment for the defendants on the ground that the complaints were not timely filed, ruling that the claims were governed by Oregon's 2-year limitations period for fraud claims, the most analogous forum-state statute; that plaintiff-respondents had been on notice of the possibility of fraud as early as 1982; and that there were no grounds sufficient to toll the statute of limitations. The Court of Appeals also selected Oregon's limitations period, but reversed, finding that there were unresolved factual is- sues as to when plaintiff-respondents should have discovered the alleged fraud. No. The judgment is reversed. The court through Justice Blackmun held that litigation pursuant to 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 must be commenced within one year after the discovery of the facts constituting the violation and within three years after such violation, as provided in the 1934 Act and the Securities Act of 1933. It is the usual rule that when Congress has failed to pro- vide a statute of limitations for a

Financial Institutions & Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Institutions & Markets - Essay Example What happened was, banks are known to financed their mortgage lending using customer deposits which of course is a limit to the amount of mortgage lending they can do. But in recent years, banks in a bit to fund additional borrowing, moved to a new model where they sell mortgages on the bond markets which was widely seen as an easier means of funds. But this form of borrowing led to bank abusing that incentive to carefully check mortgages they issued.1 Banks saw the business to be extremely profitable since they could earn a fee for each mortgage they sold and went ahead to urge mortgage brokers to sell more and more of these mortgages. The market soon extended especially as the private sector dramatically expanded its role in the mortgage bond market that was previously dominated by government-sponsored agencies like Freddie Mac. Prices became so high to an extend that if the boom had to continue, many US populations would have been evicted from their homes since the US interest rates too were interestingly high. The fall in housing prices affected the wider economies. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Schiller index in March 2008 showed that housing prices in the US had fell by 11,4% in January and 8,2% in February 2008.2 In a bit to cushion the US economy from the worst effects of the credit crunch and housing slump due to the sub prime loans, the Fed in January 2008 had to cut down interest rates from 3.5% to 3% for the fifth time since September 18 2007 and today at 2.25%. This was in a bit to encourage consumption among Americans. The economic growth rate had slowed to an annual rate of 0.6% between October and December, half the rate forecast and compared with a brisk 4.9% growth rate in the previous three months due to the credit slump and may further be cut to 1,5%.3 To ward off the pressure of slower economic growth, the Bush Administration and Congress moved ahead to agree on a temporary

Franz Liszt: Biography and Works

Franz Liszt: Biography and Works Franz Liszt and the New German School In pre-modern Europe, most artists were content to follow a proud classical tradition, offering creative embellishments of their own as a contribution to the field and following the rules of composing a proper sonata, concerto, or waltz paying special attention to chord progression, harmonics, and tonality. Because much of the music was purely instrumental, each piece identified a theme in the title (i.e. Danse Macabre, Mephisto’s Waltz, Liebestraume, Moonlight Sonata etc.) and sought to bring it to life through music. While there were noteworthy artists in the field, very few had the creative ability to usher in a new era or popularise a new form of expression, which is probably why only a handful of Europe’s finest are known offhand today such as Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart and Wagner. In the mid-nineteenth century, the idea of the New German School was born and Franz Liszt was one of the most important members. It did not matter that he was not born in Germany, but bec ause the art and culture of Germany had such great influence over his work, he was claimed as one of the Great German Artists by Franz Brendel and other music commentators associated with him. Most classical aficionados have heard of Franz Liszt because of the dark dynamic quality of his work, and the artistic risks he had taken in many of his compositions—he broke conventions relating to harmonics, chord structure, tonality, and quite often did not give the work a suitable ending.[1] This is rather startling because most people settle into a routine at an advanced age—i.e. they would have ‘found their voice’ and spent much of their time refining the message—indeed, it was expected. However, many of his critics believed that Liszt’s later work was not the birth of something new. Instead, it was considered a diminishment of capabilities and a sign of some internal sickness that attacked one’s artistic sensibilities. According to Ernst Gà ¼nter, ‘the music of Liszt’s final decade (1876-1886) is the product of aesthetic weariness and distrust of the very principles of art. The disaffection of the later Liszt, which he vouched for only in isolated remarks, becomes effective in the compositions as the destruction of the aesthetic norms.’ However, one can argue that his later work was a natural progression of his earlier work and tragic events in his personal life and the rapid rate of change in the world may have had a greater influence on his later compositions than simply mere disenchantment with art itself. Instead, much of the research suggests a growing disenchantment with the world itself as he comes to face his own mortality and his interest and focus is further removed from the world around him to the afterlife instead. This paper will examine a sample of Liszt’s final works and attempt to answer the question of whether his change in style is the result of ‘aesthetic weariness’ or the next logical step in his creative path and reflective of his journey as an artist reflecting the times in which he lived. We will examine a few of his past compositions to establish a context and then discuss personal events that had taken place around the time he began to exhibit the noteworthy abandonment o f ‘norms.’ Liszt’s Persona Even today, scholars have a difficult time characterising Franz Liszt’s contribution to the musical world and what he stood for. He certainly had harsh critics and adoring fans during his stage career as expert interpreter and composer and his biography makes it difficult to put him into a box, personally or artistically. According to Liszt Scholars Michael Saffle and Rossana Dalmonte: ‘Here is where many differences of opinion concerning Liszt and his music originate. Liszt’s lifetime spanned the transitions from Napoleon’s Europe to Bismarck’s, and from the earliest railroad trains to electric lighting; his works reflect both romantic (which is to say, modern) and post romantic (which is to say, modernist) concerns. Thus, in the last analysis, it proves extremely difficult to place or describe Liszt, even through comparisons to other great figures of the past. So much is lost if we simply consign him to this or that box.’[2] During his career, he had become something akin to the nineteenth century equivalent of a rock star. Women would fight over his handkerchiefs and gloves, and the expressive passion he brought to his performances often reduced many a patron to tears. Not surprisingly, he was renowned as a ladies’ man and often found patronage (and love) from wealthy noble women. During his travels, he introduced much of the work of German composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Franz, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn to the rest of Europe, and when he switched gears from performance to composition, the German influence became evident although he hails from Hungary. As a composer, his primary aim was to wed music and poetry—a fact that he shared with Agnes Street-Klindworth, a woman with whom he had an affair and corresponded with until his death in 1886.[3] As with most poets, his songs reflected his internal state. At the time, he was absorbed in presenting dramatically flawless interpretations of the masters and he incorporated some elements of theirs into his music, though many of his critics believed that he had taken the wrong ones (i.e. Brahms).[4] Intriguingly enough, many of his contemporaries acknowledged that many of his transcriptions and interpretations of other’s works are so creative that they had taken on a life of their own. However, one can speculate that his early compositions reflected his own grand ambition to utterly master the piano as he rearranged the songs of many of the greats in his field into something that only he, with his unusual hands, could play.[5] Toward the end of his life, he had become much more contemplative, devoting much of his time composing spiritual choral pieces and wandering across Europe, which may also be considered ‘unconventional’ for a man in his mid-sixties (especially as most people did not get to live that long in the first place). Gunter notes that Liszt’s work began to ‘slip’ after 1876, however, it can be argued that his style began to shift radically from the mainstream to a new form of expression entirely. As with many artists, much of the inspiration from Franz Liszt’s music had come from his life experience, his natural temperament, and his passion for his art. In Ihr Glocken von Marling a late composition, it becomes increasingly clear that he is turning toward the more religious themes that started to creep into his work during the latter part of the 1860s. That decade brought much personal loss to Liszt. He had buried his son, daughter, and mother, his marriage to Princess Carolyne was thwarted, and he had to endure smear campaigns by a psychotic stalker.[6] At the same time, he began to turn away from the material toward the spiritual and he began to resemble more closely the archetype of the wandering ascetic. In 1876, he suffered an accident that left him the use of only nine of his fingers—even so, he was still the standard by which most pianists of his time compared themselves and composed at the speed most people write letters.[7] In his final decade, his compositions had become more concerned with the themes of death and dying as his growing ill health and spiritual sentiment was coupled with his belief that he truly had no talent. For instance, Ihr Glocken von Marling approximates the sound that calls the villagers to worship. The repetition of the chords imitates the pealing of the bells in the churchyard. The fact that it is more or less written entirely in the treble clef lends an ethereal sound to the work.[8] While that claim is ludicrous, it is a rather valid concern because he did spend most of his career creating transcriptions of other compositions. He has always had an obsessive and perfectionist streak, which he channelled effectively through his art. In one of his later letters he writes: ‘For the last two weeks I’ve been absorbed in cypresses†¦I have composed two groups of cypresses, each of more than two hundred bars, plus a postludium, to the cypresses of the Villa d’Este. These sad pieces won’t have much success and can do without it. I shall call them Therenodies, as the word elegie strikes me as too tender, and almost worldly. A few more leaves have been added to the cypresses—no less boring and redundant than the previous ones! To tell the truth I sense in myself a terrible lack of talent compared with what I would like to express; the notes I write are pitiful. A strange sense of the infinite makes me impersonal and uncommunicative.’[9] Perhaps his uncommunicativeness can be interpreted as his growing inability to conform to mainstream preferences. It is true that many of his later works focus on spirituality and Hungarian nationalism. This religious sentiment grew to a raging crescendo as he was writing the Via Crucis in which he was forced to contemplate the passion and death of Jesus and his own emotions on the matter, as he was a deeply religious man. ‘The Via Crucis possesses a complex cyclical structure unified on a variety of levels through precisely controlled motives and pitch relations, many of which take on an iconographic significance. This strange and profound work should silence those who cast doubt on the sincerity of Liszt’s religious beliefs. It is the product of deep, anguished contemplation of the passion of Jesus, a process during which one can well imagine Liszt came to identify strongly with the suffering Christ. Via Crucis conveys not only the horror and sorrow of the crucifixion, but also the wonder of God’s redeeming love for humankind.’[10] It is very clear that at this point in his career, he is finished competing with the greats of his age and is simply looking to express his true self through his art. In other fields, refusal to imitate was often seen as an affront to the scene and the fruits of one’s labour were not even considered art (i.e. Vincent van Gogh). Rather than simply producing brilliant transcriptions, he is looking to himself as a Christian, as a Hungarian, and a man that is looking at the winter of his life for inspiration. Instead of becoming despondent about his art, he was invigorated with passion, creating pieces that he intended for performance, particularly about the great Hungarian heroes in history, Mosonyi in particular. Although he had not previously done much work in the Hungarian style during the 1870’s, during the 1880s, he had become much more interested in freeing himself from the stylistic constraints of Western European music. When we had quoted him previously, Liszt said that he lacks the talent to express what he wants to say because there are so many tropes and ideas that he wanted to create through music and he simply did not have sufficient talent to carry it out. From what we know of him historically, he was never one to suffer from a lowered sense of self so he may have meant that his ideas have simply outgrown his ability to express them in art. Using the portrait theme was one of the defining art forms of the 1870s as Mussorgsky created his famous Pictures at an Exhibition ten years before. However, unlike the nationalist sentiment that had become a form of religion in modern Europe, it did not displace his faith in God as noted in Liszt’s letter to his publisher when he first brought up the idea in 1885.[11] As with Via Crucis, scholars concur that his Hungarian Portraits have the depth, resonance, and relevance to the period and served as a foreshadowing of other pieces of that nature. ‘The piece touches upon a number of harmonies which resonate with significant moments earlier in the cycle. It builds to a climactic apotheosis of the main theme in D minor, which subsides to a tender recollection of the contrasting theme in D major, and closes on a solemn note of faith and hope. In spite of the strong projection of the tonic at the conclusion, however, Liszt rigorously avoids stating the tonic root in the low bass, perhaps signifying that life is part of a greater continuum in which only God has the final word.’[12] Conclusion Much of Liszt’s work in the last decade of his life revealed an even deeper understanding of life than when he was younger. Although he was more likely to observe the conventions of composition in his youth (quite brilliantly in fact), he did not yet have more than the intellectual understanding that art was expressive and indicative of life—indeed, that it was not separate from that of the creator but instead flowed organically from his mind and his talents. Unfortunately for Liszt, his knowledge of life’s pain and the existence of other great talents in the arena (i.e. Wagner) led him to doubt his own abilities as an artist. Because he had experienced one of the most devastating losses of all—the deaths of his children, he may have lost all faith in the ‘natural order of things’ recognising that life was often chaotic, out of harmony, and progressed along unexpected paths. Because art is not formed in a vacuum, he poured his energy into crea tion, which is why the body of his later work is characterised by a focus on the sacred, death and dying. In his later years, he tried to turn these realizations into art, and indeed succeeded in creating poetry from his music. Do Liszt’s late compositions perpetuate the progressivism of the 1860’s? Not by a long shot: his songs are religiously themed with sub-themes of destruction, death, and dying in a time characterised by invention, discovery and increasing secularism. Nevertheless, it would not be fair to say that his works signalled artistic breakdown because his exploratory approach created the brilliant sacred pieces Via Crucis and Rosario, Years of Pilgrimage, and The Hungarian Portraits among many others. However, in an age where spirituality becomes increasingly unpopular, artists that reflect it in their work are often alienated by the mainstream and their work is deemed inaccessible. Bibliography Baker, James M. ‘Larger Forms in the Late Piano Works’ in Ed. Hamilton, Kenneth. The Cambridge Companion to Liszt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005 Botstein, Leon. ‘A Mirror to the Nineteenth Century: Reflections on Franz Liszt’, Franz Liszt and His World. (eds. Christopher H. Gibbs Dana A. Gooley) Princeton: Princeton University Press: 2006 Gorrell, Lorraine. The Nineteenth-Century German Lied. New Jersey: Amadeus Press LLC, 2005 Hamilton, Kenneth. ‘Liszt’s early and Weimer Piano works’ in Ed. Hamilton, Kenneth. The Cambridge Companion to Liszt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005 Liszt, Franz Agnes Street-Klindworth. Franz Liszt and Agnes Street-Klindworth: A Correspondence, 1854-1886. New York: Pendragon Press, 2000 Saffle, Michael and Rossana Dalmonte. Liszt and the Birth of Modern Europe. New York: Pendragon, 2003 Walker, Alan. Franz Liszt: The Final Years, 1861-1886. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 1997 1 Footnotes [1] Leon Botstein. ‘A Mirror to the Nineteenth Century: Reflections on Franz Liszt’, Franz Liszt and His World. (eds. Christopher H. Gibbs Dana A. Gooley) (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press: 2006) 518 [2] Michael Saffle and Rossana Dalmonte. Liszt and the Birth of Modern Europe. (New York: Pendragon, 2003) 8 [3] Franz Liszt Agnes Street-Klindworth. Franz Liszt and Agnes Street-Klindworth: A Correspondence, 1854-1886. (New York: Pendragon Press, 2000) 116 [4] Hamilton, Kenneth. ‘Liszt’s early and Weimer Piano works’ in Ed. Hamilton, Kenneth. The Cambridge Companion to Liszt. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) 57 [5] Hamilton, 65 [6] Alan Walker. Franz Liszt: The Final Years, 1861-1886. (Cornell: Cornell University Press, 1997) 175 [7] Walker, 369 [8] Lorraine Gorrell. The Nineteenth-Century German Lied. (New Jersey: Amadeus Press, LLC, 2005 ) 246 [9] Liszt qt. Walker, 370 [10] James M. Baker. ‘Larger Forms in the Late Piano Works’ in Ed. Hamilton, Kenneth. The Cambridge Companion to Liszt. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005) 126 [11] Baker, 134 [12] Baker, 135

Mother Nature Knows Better in Chemistry Essay

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to protect our environment. Being thinking beings, we have all that it takes to keep our surroundings free from abuse and misuse. All we really need is to know what we do right and which actions we do wrongly to help lessen the effects of modernism to our planet. The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings (Carson 420). Mother Nature is wise. Although all creatures have been given the proper habitats and basic needs to live, earth also provided organisms that would limit each species’ reproduction so that a healthy balance is acquired. This equilibrium has given peace on earth until man had learned to use his mind to alter his environment. The want for a better and comfortable life has always been man’s weakness. This has been the reason why history shows that different cultures have tried to get the best of other worlds into their own lands. Plants and animals have been imported by different countries to adapt these creatures to another culture’s different needs. However, this has destroyed the balance that nature had intended and has resulted to negative effects such as the transportation of unneeded microorganisms. Carson explains that each organism has counter creatures and aspects in its natural habitat that limit its population to the number that is needed to balance the environment it belongs to. Whenever an organism is transported to another place, there is no guarantee that the new habitat will be able to control its population. This, therefore, can become a threat to its new environment in the form of pests or even epidemics. Another reason for imbalance is the farming system that has been developed. When more than the normal quantity of crops are planted in just one place, the insects that are attracted to these also grow in abundance. Therefore, upsetting the natural balance of the environment causes problems like pestilence. Urban lifestyle has also contributed to the problems of insect infestation. In some countries, the natural habitat has been interrupted by the build up of too many houses (and slums) in just a particular piece of land. Irresponsible disposal of garbage and unhealthy habits also give rise to the problem of mosquitoes and other pests. Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) has been the first synthetic pesticide that was ever invented to control infestation. Carson believes that this chemical and the other man-made pesticides leave particles on the areas that have been treated and this harms the other parts of the environment. This has become the premise for the invention of chemicals that will counter attack the problems of insects. The term â€Å"chemical† is defined by the Oxford Dictionary noun a distinct compound or substance, especially one which has been artificially prepared or purified. Being man-made, it can destroy the balance of nature. Modern society has a wide inventory of many chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. Some of these such as hair sprays, cleaning aids, smoke from cigarettes and cars, etc. do not seem harmful but researcher say otherwise. DDT has even been ascribed as a factor that leads to cancer. Ronald Bailey (427), an environmental reporter, believes that DDT has been falsely accused of being a carcinogen because research cannot prove that it really does cause cancer. However, environmentalists like Rachel Carson have ignorantly used this premise to increase awareness for our planet. Whether or not DDT is a carcinogen, it is just one of the synthetic materials that have come to dominate human living. Thousands of other inventions using chemicals have brought forth many problems that are not just harmful but also irreversible. Global warming, based on Encyclopaedia Britannica, is an increase in global average surface temperature resulting from an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (caused by natural emissions of plants and combustion from carbon-containing materials), methane (produced industrially by the destructive distillation of bituminous coal in the manufacture of coal gas), and certain other trace gases in the atmosphere. Industrial emissions and smoke belching automobiles are being blamed for this phenomenon. This has caused a lot of controversy because it means that the earth is becoming too warm for human existence. However, according to climate scientists, human activities have very little effect on the climate, compared to many other factors, from volcanoes to clouds. (Sowell) Global warming is just an issue being used by other scientists to get grants for their studies. These researchers claim that with or without man’s inventions, nature has its own causes of global temperature changes. The truth in the many arguments about what civilization has done to the environment is hard to decipher for common students. However, whether or not pesticides are carcinogens and even if global-warming is a doubtful issue, our environment is a very important place that all must protect from abuse and misuse. Pesticides may not be immediately fatal for humans but to comply with universal laws, there is a need to use these in moderation. Anything overdone can lead to serious consequences such as food poisoning and allergies. Industrial wastes, even if they apparently do not really affect global-warming, can still cause pollution that leads to many health issues. The earth is the only home for us human beings. It is where we get our food and breathe the air that we need to survive. It provides us with the shelter we need to protect ourselves from the harsh realities of our own habitat. We need to find ways to start ensuring the safety of our environment against man’s drive to improve lives by ignoring possible negative consequences. The European nations are a model right now for environmental protection. Car companies need to recall their older less-functional models so that these can be recycled into new products for their later models. Other electronic gadgets like personal computers and mobile telephones are also being eyed for this project. Forced to recover value from their discarded consumer goods, companies will have a strong incentive to design the toxics out of their products and to make them easier to disassemble and remanufacture (Greider 3). As students, there are many ways that we can also help protect the environment. Proper garbage disposal not only makes places look neat but also drive away the possibility of diseases that are brought by the insects that get attracted to garbage. Maintaining electrical and mechanical gadgets according to manufacturer’s advice also ensures that these are performing safely instead of emitting probable poisonous discharges. Reporting to authorities regarding the incidences of environmental abuse or misuse can also bring solutions to possible harmful situations. It is often said that the roots of environmental destruction lie in treating natural resources as â€Å"free† and not giving them â€Å"value. ’ (Shiva 443) Each little creature on earth serves a purpose for Mother Nature in balancing our environment. It may be hard to understand the impact of our small actions but putting value to the environment can make big changes that can only be seen collectively in the future. We have our own place in this natural balance and it is our responsibility to find the ways to maintain this balance. Works Cited Carson, Rachel. â€Å"The Obligation To Endure. † The Informed Argument. Place Published: Publisher, year. â€Å"Chemical. † The Oxford English Dictionary. 23 May 2007 . â€Å"Global Warming. † Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 23 May 2007 < http://www. search. eb. com/eb/article-9037044>. Greider, William. â€Å"Apollo Now. † The Nation. 02 Jan. 2006. 23 May 2007 < http://www. thenation. com/doc/20060102/greider/3>. Shiva, Vandana. â€Å"Values Beyond Price. † The Informed Argument. Place Published: Publisher, year. Sowell, Thomas. â€Å"Global-Warming Swindle. † National Review Online. 15 March 2007. 23 May 2007 .