Presidential election Essay Example for Free

Presidential election Essay During the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry offended dozens of military families, both the enlisted men and their relatives, with a gaffe he said was directed at President George Bush. The candidate for president claimed that most American soldiers joined the military because they had no better options, that the economy made them do it. While that may be the case for some soldiers, the reality is that a great many soldiers join the military for more than just the help with school or the paycheck. Especially after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon and New York City, patriotism was a primary reason for joining the military as was the desire to see the world and serve their fellow man. Even for the soldiers that join the military for economic reasons, the service is more than just a paycheck and deserving of far better than the malicious words of an also-ran like Kerry. Jonson Mahathath is a United States Marine stationed at the Marine Recruiting Station in Louisville, KY. Mahathath, 21, will be the first to admit his primary reason for joining the Marine Corps was the opportunity. â€Å"I grew up in the middle of Missouri where the economy is bad, really bad. I knew that if I wanted to get out of there and have a life of my own, the Corps was a way out,† he said (personal interview, May 12, 2008). But that is only half the story. Mahathath said that since joining the Corps he has developed a newfound respect for servicemen and himself. When you choose to be a Marine, you know that you are committing to being part of one of the finest fighting forces in the world. You know the strength of character required to make it through boot and you know that a fellow Marine will never leave you behind. Try finding that kind of friendship and loyalty anywhere else,† he said. Indeed, after serving his first tour, Mahathath will likely reenlist, not because of the economy, but because of his dedication to the Corps. â€Å"This is a closer family than the one I was born into,† Mahathath said. Some people join the military to pay for their education and then discover other reasons for their military service. Rebekkah Henderson Thomas is one of those people. Thomas joined the Army Reserves to pay for her college education, but when the soldiers around her were deployed for war duty, Henderson felt the call to action. â€Å"I felt like I was cheating, like I wasn’t a real soldier. Here were all these people I trained with, going off to war and I was still here. I needed to be deployed, to fulfill my commitment,† Thomas said (Gunnin 2008, p. 1). Thomas could have served her entire commitment to the military without ever seeing combat, but her dedication to keeping her oath of service made her long for more. At the time she was deployed, Thomas left behind a two-year-old son and an ex-husband. Being away from her son will be difficult, but she gave her word and intends to keep it, she said (Gunnin 2008, p. 5). Airman Richard Burnell wrote in an Air Force Press Release that he joined the military for selfish reasons. â€Å"To be quite frank, my initial reason for joining the military was selfish. I enlisted Aug. 15, 1985, because I was unsure what I wanted to do with my life. I believed the military would provide me a healthy environment in which to decide. † (Burnell 2003). But the decision to join the military is not what made him a soldier, or in this case, an airman. â€Å"I became an airman because my squadron commander gave me responsibility that exceeded my confidence. He believed I was capable of things that I did not believe I could do. My desire to not let him down motivated me to accept the challenges he proposed. † (Burnell 2003). Essentially, he wrote, he joined the military to help him find a direction in life and the military not only provided it, it exceeded his wildest dreams. The reasons then why a person joins the military can be as wide and varied as the branches of the service, but to claim as Kerry did that people do it out of economic desperation is to underestimate the appeal and worth of the American military. Yes, it can be just a job to some people, but the old ad cliche is true as well, it’s more than just a job; it’s an adventure. It’s a family and a way of life.

Why Religious People May Have Problems with Transplant Surgery :: Papers

Most Christians agree with transplant surgery however some are opposed to transplant surgery. They disagree with using organs from dead people but accept using organs as donated by living relatives. Jews have a similar view to Christians on this matter. Muslims however are totally opposed to it some Muslims do allow transplant surgery using organs from a living donor as long as the donor is a close relative. More Hindus are for transplant surgery than against and mainly will carry donor cards. Christians that are opposed to transplant surgery believe that transplants can ignore the sanctity of life, God created us in his image so transplanting organs means you interfering with what God intended and therefore â€Å"playing God†. Organs cannot be paid for because this is exploiting the poor which is strictly forbidden in the Bible. The majority of Muslims are opposed to transplant surgery because the Muslim belief in the sanctity of life means that all life belongs to God and that God is the only on who has the right to take life. In the Qu’ran the Muslim holly book, it says that God has created the entire body so to take parts or organs from one body and transplant it into another is to act as God. To act as God is the greatest sin in Islam so you can see how the majority of transplant surgery is strictly forbidden. As well as this the Shari’ah another Muslim holly book teaches that after death nothing should be removed from the body. They are also totally opposed to post-mortems. Muslims have very specific death rituals this is why this is extremely important and therefore organs should not be removed from Muslims that have passed away. Due to Muslims being so opposed to transplant surgery they would also agree with any none religious arguments against transplants. The few Jews, which are against transplant surgery, have similar reasons to Muslim beliefs. They also believe that we’ve God has created the entire body so to transplant organs is playing God.

Neural Markers of Categorization

In 2006, University of Delaware’s Paul C. Quinn and Harvard Medical School’s Alissa Westerlund, and Charles A. Nelson study titled â€Å"Neural Markers of Categorization in 6-Month-Old Infants† was published in Psychological Science. The study was motivated by the lack of existing literature on neural markers in infants. These neural markers have been seen as critical in developing an underpinning concept-formation in infants which in turn influences perception and cognitive development. Despite the importance of the neural markers of categorization to various fields of study, there is limited existing literature about it. Furthermore, existing literatures have not yet determined the neural markers and conditional determinants that can be associated with category formation. Most studies on infants have focused on the use of novel stimuli or the use of behavioral indicators to indicate categorization or concept formation. Study Objectives The main objective of the study was to identify neural activity involved in concept-formation in infants. By analyzing learning a category during familiarization, behavioral performance preference for a novel category global-level category learning, neural determinants will be identified. This will then enhance existing methodologies and research regarding concept formation, in particular, category-learning processes in infants. In doing so, the study will be able to not only further knowledge in neural markers and development but also serve as a means to verify conclusions regarding the topic determined outside of neural indicators (Quinn et al 58). Furthermore, the study is to serve as a foundation for further studies focusing on infant development and learning. Methodology Ten infants were included in the study that was selected from an original group of twenty one. Criteria for inclusion included were the child’s ability to stay focused on the stimuli and behavior. The mean age of participants was 198.8 days and 70% of the selected participant were female (60). The stimuli used for testing were colored photos featuring various breeds of cats and dogs assuming different postures. Luminosity of the photographs was based from analysis of the pictures using Adobe Photoshop: luminosity of the pictures ranged from 225.54 to 248.42 for pictures depicting dogs, for cats 226.05 to 249.57. Shape values ranged from 20.03 to 56.88 for cats and 24.28 to 61.65 for dogs. While the area and perimeter of the pictures was based on LASICO 1281 Area/Line Meter. Testing procedures included event-related potential (ERP) Testing, ERP Waveform Analysis and Behavioral Testing. ERP Testing was conducted in an acoustically shielded and light-controlled room. The infants sat with a respective parent in front of a monitor measuring 48 centimeters across and 31 centimeters tall. The infants viewed the pictures randomly from a distance of 60 centimeters with each picture being flashed for 500 ms. Adjustments were made based on observations on the child through video monitors. The results were then recorded and amplified onto a vertex reference at 0.1- to 100-Hz band-pass filtering and digitized at 250-Hz. Electroencephalographic data was handled through NetStation 4.0.1. Adjustments were made as baseline correction to 100-ms prestimulus recording interval. Final phase of testing was done to determine behavioral evidences for category learning. Two 5-s test trials during which a novel cat was paired with a novel dog in a left-right arrangement with two independent observers, both blind to the lateral position of the animals shown to the infant. Results The study concluded that infants, in the processes of learning a category, exhibited higher negative amplitude on left occipital-parietal scalp in response indicating initial experience with category exemplars with the first cat pictures 1 to 18 and novel dogs. Furthermore, comparisons of average amplitude of ERP signals between 1,000 and 1,500 ms after each picture was shown did not vary in cats 1 to 18. this indicates that neural instantiation of are key behavioral indicants of categorization implying that the infants respond to the novel as something familiar. With regards to novel categories, the results indicated the infants’ preference for such (61). This was indicated by the infants’ response to the novel dogs: negative amplitude over left-central became more pronounced. The implications is that Nc component or negative central component of the ERP  waveform can be e a neural marker of infants’ novel-category preference. Behavioral Performance tests from the looking-time data recorded when paired-preference was conducted indicated the infants’ preference for the novel dog versus the novel cat. The infants also showed novel-category preference by 62.52%. Since this value exceeds probability thresholds which in the study are divided equally between cats and dogs, the researchers are confident in concluding that the infants learned category representation for cats that included novel cats without the exclusion of the dogs. The results also yielded conclusions regarding global-level category learning. The researches believe that global-coding nodes are quickly learned as a means to represent or map large differences when there are a limited number of attributes that distinguished the global level Significance and Implications The discrimination of entities categorically is believed to have its roots during development. Therefore, determining the mechanism of category representations develop together with knowledge structures, vocabulary development and expressions that influence cognition, thus, the importance of measuring infants’ visual timing and recognition when presented with both realistic and abstract figures. This will allow for insights to not only in visual and cognitive development but also provide critical information in the overall development mapping of an individual (59). However, since there are no previous studies existing to evaluate the conclusions of the study to, the determination made by the paper will need further research, a constraint that the researchers themselves recognized (61). Despite this constraint, the study was able to provided significant evidence using neural markers using ERP and brain wave mapping that infants learning a category through the process of familiarization have a preference for novel category and respond to category exemplars at multiple levels of inclusiveness. Therefore, neural architecture required for object categorization processes is present in infants aged six months and below which in turn is giving greater insight to the neurological developments critical to learning and development. Work Cited Quinn, Paul C., Westerlund, Alissa and Nelson, Charles A. Neural Markers of Categorization in  6-Month-Old Infants. Psychological Science 17 (1) (2006), 59–66.

The Court and Sir Thomas Wyatt - 1386 Words

The Court and Sir Thomas Wyatt During the 16th Century, English poetry was dominated and institutionalised by the Court. Because it excited an intensity that indicates a rare concentration of power and cultural dominance, the Court was primarily responsible for the popularity of the poets who emerged from it. Sir Thomas Wyatt, one of a multitude of the so-called Court poets of this time period, not only changed the way his society saw poetry through his adaptations of the Petrarchan Sonnet, but also obscurely attempted to recreate the culture norm through his influence. Though much of his poems are merely translations of Petrarchs, these, in addition to his other poetry, are satirical by at least a cultural approach.†¦show more content†¦Complaint poems were often aimed in the sixteenth century at correcting the problem of which the poems speaker complains; in some of these poems the complaint merges with satire to urge correction of mans foolish and vicious behaviour. Wyatts complaint poems show an attempt to change the laws of Courtly love and to employ the Renaissance philosophy of old freedoms regained, thereby classifying them as satirical. In addition to criticising Courtly love, Wyatt mocks the relationship of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in his sonnet Whoso Lists to hunt. In the poem, Wyatt compares the fantasy of courtly love with hunters chasing after a hind. The hunters symbolise the courtiers while Anne Boleyn is the hunted hind. The poem contains the bloody imagery that can be associated with a hunt; the speaker does not Draw from the deer his wearied mind. This imagery accompanied with the inscription on the collar around the deers neck, for Caesars I am, shows the disintegration of the institution of the Court. Henry VIII, who was well known for hisShow MoreRelatedA Brief Look at Sir Thomas Wyatt Essay877 Words   |  4 Pagesreach them. This explains a part of Sir Thomas Wyatt’s life. He attended St. Johns College, University of Cambridge. Wyatt also carried out several foreign missions. He also served various offices at home. Wyatt also had many court appearances in his life. He was also famous for his poem â€Å"Whose List to Hunt.† Being the son of Henry and Anne Wyatt, Sir Thomas Wyatt was born at Allington Castle in Kent in 1503. At the age of 17 he named the daughter of Lord Cabham. Wyatt attended St. John’s College, UniversityRead MoreThe Poetry of Sir Thomas Wyatt507 Words   |  3 PagesSir Thomas Wyatt was born in the year 1503. The son of Sir Henry Wyatt and Anne Skinner, he went on to attend St. John’s College in Cambridge. He first took a place in the court of King Henry VIII in 1516. In the year 1520 he was married to Elizabeth Brooke at the age of seventeen. His son, of the same name, was born in the year 1521. Wyatt’s marriage to Elizabeth was miserable and the couple is believed to have been â€Å"estranged by the second half of the 1520s† (Burrow). Thomas Wyatt and ElizabethRead MoreAnalysis of Petrachs Poetry: a Translation of Italian Poem Rime 1401561 Words   |  7 Pagesliterary work however can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Petrarch whose poetry was about the idealistic approach to love, caused for several Renaissance writers to revisit them and translate them to represent different meanings. Basically, Sir Thomas Wyatt in his poem The Long Love That in My Thought Doth Harbour and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in his poem Love That Doth Reign and Live Within My Thought, both explored the varying view of the original poem created by Petrarch. Their views onRead More Comparing The Long Love That in My Thought Doth Harbor and The Flea891 Words   |  4 Pagesmore about the court than the lover.nbsp; In the next century (the seventeenth), the poems of love were more about courting the lover.nbsp; An author from the sixteenth century, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, is well known for his lyrics pertaining to love.nbsp; An author from the seventeenth century is John Donne, who is most famous for his love-poetry.nbsp; When comparing these two authors, the theme of love is very apparently different.nbsp; Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder’s loveRead MoreCompare Contrast on Poems.962 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Whoso List to Hunt† by Sir Thomas Wyatt and â€Å"Sonnet 67† by Edmund Spenser are sonnets that are very similar at a first glance, but delving deeper, a difference can be found. Both of these sonnets use imagery and figures of speech relating to the hunt of an unobtainable woman as well as that central theme. Through a deeper analysis it is revealed that these two authors have a different interpretation of this failed hunt. A comparison and contrast of â€Å"Whoso List to Hunt† and â€Å"Sonnet 67† reveals thatRead MoreElizabethan Poetry941 Words   |  4 PagesGeorge Puttenham’s The Arte of English Poesie (1589) and Sir Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesie (1595): early attempts to think about English poetry as a distinct national tradition. Puttenham and Sidney were concerned to build a canon and help shape English poetry into a tradition capable of rivalling more prestigious literatures (for example of Italy and France). The courtly lyric/ Petrarchan love sonnet introduced to English by Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey: not the only poeticRead MoreSir Thomas Wyatt s Defence935 Words   |  4 PagesSir Thomas Wyatt’s defence covered two major areas; the possible insulting of the king and conspiring with Catholics in a newly decided protestant country. His 1541 defence guards his actions on both parts, however due to the lack of historical evidence it is impossible to know if this defence was ever used, even if we do know he somehow did manage to get himself off the charges. Nevertheless, it offers great insight to the mind and feelings of an otherwise elusive and ambiguous historical figureRead MoreAlbert Of Austria, Queen Claude Of France And France1272 Words   |  6 Pagesoffered dangerous results for a project round onto another year. With his prize in sight, and Catherine stuck away in another manor, on January 25th, 1533, the couple wed. Although the King s first marriage remain intact, Henry’s wording in the court proceedings assumed the union never truly existed, therefore there existed nothing to impede his proper marriage. On May 23rd, the Archbishop officially proclaimed Catherine’s marriage invalid and Anne’s valid. Anne again appears in the Hall’s ChronicleRead MoreRenaissance: Impact on English Literature1723 Words   |  7 Pagespoetry awoke as from a long sleep at the court of Henry VIII. The English poetry was kindled into new life by contact with the Italian Renaissance. There appeared a group of courtier-poets who, under the influence of Renaissance individualism, inaugurated a new fashion of writing poems of personal kind (for the great characteristic of medieval poetry was its impersonal character) dealing particularly with love. The two members of this group-Sir Thom as Wyatt and the Earl of Surrey were the chieftainsRead MoreSir Philip Sidney’s defence essay, â€Å"An apology for poetry,† refers to poetry â€Å"as an art of1900 Words   |  8 PagesSir Philip Sidney’s defence essay, â€Å"An apology for poetry,† refers to poetry â€Å"as an art of imitation [†¦] [that] speaks metaphorically† (Ferguson, Salter Stallworthy, 2005: 331). Sidney’s essay epitomises the pivitol importance and art of creating poetry. From the 1500’s to the 1660’s, England found itself a process of complete rebirth of all its important facets. Transformation in its social and cultural, as well as philosophical and religious approaches was evident. This transformational process