Japanese Medical Beliefs Essay Example for Free

Japanese Medical Beliefs Essay Japanese Medical Beliefs Medicine is all around us. It comes in all forms and all types of beliefs. Each person has their own beliefs on what medicine can do to or for the body. No matter what country one visits, there will be a medical office to assist, however their views may vary that what one may be use to. In Japan, things are no different; however, Japan has some beliefs that contrast other countries. The Japanese has received influence from other countries, such as the Chinese, but they have turned everything into their own. They have their own superstitions, traditional medicine (including how they view modern medical needs), and different types of current trends that they follow. Every country has its own superstitions. Certain things that are not allowed to happen on certain days or even certain things must be kept away because of its meanings. In 1998, an experiment was done to see if the Japanese was using the Taian-Butsumetsu superstition when discharging patients. The basis of the study was â€Å"To determine the influence of superstition about Taian (a lucky day)-Butsumetsu (an unlucky day) on decision to leave hospital. To estimate the costs of the effect of this superstition† (Hira, Fukui, Endoh, Rahman, Maekawa, 1998). They took figures from patients discharged from Kyoto University Hospital from the beginning of April 1992 to the end of March of 1995, 3 years worth of patients. In the Japanese world, the Taian-Butsumetsu belief is related to the six day lunar calendar and affects the Japanese culture in a variety of ways since the Taian is suppose to be a lucky day where as the Butsumetsu is supposed to mean unlucky. Due to this superstition, some patients have asked to extend their stay so that they can be released on the following Taian day, which means more costs to the hospitals. To get the most accurate data, they used hospital records and calculated the amount of days that patients were released on each day of the six lunar cycle, and then estimated the costs that the extension brought on to the hospital. They also took into consideration the patients age and gender. The results showed that â€Å"Of the 23677 patients discharged from the Kyoto University Hospital during the study period, 12613 (53. %) were female and 11064 (46. 7%) were male. The mean number of discharged patients was 21. 6 a day with the mean age 42. 3 years and the mean hospital stay 37. 1 days. The mean number, age, and hospital stay of discharged patients were highest on Taian and lowest on Butsumetsu. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant difference among the days of this cycle regarding the mean number, age, and hospital stay of discharged patients† (Hira, Fukui, Endoh, Rahman, Maekawa, 1998). Reports also showed that 3. 3% of the discharged patients adjusted their discharge date due to their belief in Taian. It goes on to state the estimation that the mean of a typical hospital charge was 12 600 yen a day. The extra charges the patients caused the hospital to incur in order to stay to the next Taian, amount to 7. 4 million yen a year all due to a superstition. If the patients would have shorted their stay to a prior Taian, there could have been a savings of roughly 12. 1 million yen. Another superstition for the Japanese is blood type. According to superstitions, your blood type can tell your temperament and personality. A man named Furukawa Takeji suggested a link between the two after working in a high school and observing the temperamental differences between applicants. His theory suggests that type A were generally mild tempered and intellectual, while blood types B were opposite (Thatcher). This superstition has influenced the Japanese so much that some companies have actually grouped their workforce together depending on their blood type. In the 1920’s and 30’s blood type grew more intriguing. Scientists in the west found that type B was common in Asia, but rare in Caucasians. As type B was typical in animals, they argued that Asians were inferior, lower on the evolutionary scale. Japan does have some forms of traditional medicine. They are required to have independent licensees for Kampo, acupuncture, moxibustion, and anma-massage-shiatsu. Kampo is only able to be performed by physicians with western medical doctor’s license. Acupuncture and moxibustion can be given by a person graduated from senior high school and later completed a 3 year education at one of the educational facilities specified. Acupuncture, moxibustion and anma are classified within the framework of the Japanese medical care system (Katai). Of these, Kampo seems to be the most widely used in Japan. Kampo medicine is widely practiced and is fully included into their modern healthcare system. The word Kampo means Han Method, which refers to China’s herbal system which developed in the Han dynasty. It was used in ancient China but is believed that Kampo came to Japan from Korea in the 5th or 6th century. In 1976, it was added to Japans national health insurance plan. Although it relies on herb formulas, it uses acupuncture, moxibustion and a few other components. 70 percent of physicians in Japan regularly prescribe it to their patients (Tanaka, 2010). It has been used by gynecologists, urologists, cardiologists and even gastrointestinal specialists. In order to determine the right formula for each patient, they require a sho. This is a diagnosis based on patient’s symptoms and patterns of disease. In 2007 Japan’s Society of Oriental Medicine issued an evidence report which shows all the findings of the research published from 1999-2005. 8 papers were deemed qualified. Some double blind showings were, â€Å"Hypertension related symptoms (flashed faces, etc. ): The administration of Ourengedokuto (Huang Lian Jie Du Tang) decreased hypertension related symptoms (Muli-center study of 116 facilities) Upper Gastric Symptoms: Rikkunshito (Liu Jun Zi Tang) was effective in decreasing upper GI discomfort and related complaints, such as a l ack of appetite. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Administration of Keishikashakuyakuto (Gui Zhi Jia Shao Yao Tang) decreased abdominal pain among IBS patients. The effects were more pronounced among diarrhoea-dominant IBS cases. Muscle Cramping: Shakuyakukanzouto (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang) was effective for reducing muscle cramping among cirrhosis patients. Obesity: 24 weeks of administering Bofutsuseisan (Fang Feng Tong Sheng San) decreased visceral fats and waist circle, as well as improved insulin resistance among obese female patients. Allergic Rhinitis: Shouseiryuto (Xiao Qing Long Tang) was effective in improving symptoms of allergic rhinitis† (Tanka, 2010). Another form of traditional medicine is Acupuncture and Shiatsu massage. Acupuncture is where extremely thin needles are gently placed in certain areas of your body. It can be uses to help balance the flow of energy through pathways in the body or can be used to stimulate nerves, muscles and tissue. It can be a more natural way of making the body feel better, without medication. Shiatsu is a massage that is used to relax people. The massage therapist uses hand, thumbs, elbows and knees to help dig into the more â€Å"knotted† areas of the body. It is an acupressure therapy. By using these additional parts of the body, they can use their whole body to endure more pressure onto the person in order to offset tension. The difference between acupuncture and acupressure is that acupuncture uses needles, where as acupressure uses body part to dig into the tissue. Some people do not truly understand the alternative ways. â€Å"The biggest misconception about alternative medicine is that its just a different procedurethat one can just replace it with conventional medicine, like taking an herb instead of a pill. †(Gray 2009). The Japanese also has strong views on medical beliefs. Things such as organ transplants are strongly discouraged due to Japans belief. In 1987, the Medical Association declared brain death to be equivalent to the death of a human being (Masahiro, 1995). Some Japanese doctors practice â€Å"closed-door medicine†, which is where the doctor fails to properly inform patients about their condition or straight out lies to them about it. A study in 1992 showed that only 20% of terminal cancer patients knew they had cancer because of the doctor’s decision to inform them on the truth. This shows that 80% of patients were lied to or told nothing. Masahiro, 1995) Due to this, Through the brain death controversy quite a few people expressed great fear that in the process of the determination of brain death and transplantation no information might be given to family members, and in the worst case that the doctors might lie to family members. Some pointed out the possibility that doctors might psychologically threaten the family members if they refuse to agree to organ donations from a brain-dead relative. As time passed, it appeared that Japan accepted modern technology in almost every form except human birth and death. Research has shown that they believed a dead person goes to the next world as a soul. If parts of that body were to be donated, then body as a whole would not be together, thus making the soul unhappy in the next world. The Japanese has however become more willing to use terms such as â€Å"informed consent† or â€Å"patients rights†. It appears as if Japans beliefs will simply be based off of their own cultural beliefs, as oppose to something such as the Euro-American beliefs. Due to the fast paced living in Japan, they have begun trends to help ease the stressed out society and bring forth relaxation. They have opened oxygen bars, nap salons and animal therapy. In oxygen bars, you can have personal flavored oxygen cans that can help bring you energy and provide fresh air. You can also purchase them at salons and beauty halls. The canisters, such as Big Ox’s helpfully informs that oxygen is an essential gas for human beings and claims that its 89 per cent oxygen blend (normal air contains about 21 per cent) can help boost energy, particularly during exercise (Feelgood, 2008). In recent years, major cities in Japan have opened nap salons. A particular salon in Tokyo, Napia has over 1,500 members. Fatigued office workers can take a brief lunchtime nap on a daybed there for roughly equivalent of $4. 50 (US). Sleep studies have shown that their naps should not go beyond 30 minutes because it is then more likely for them to fall into a deep sleep and end up waking up feeling extremely groggy. To help ensure that customers do not sleep beyond 30 minutes, they provide customers with coffee right before their nap. Since it generally take 20 minutes for the caffeine to kick in, they can get a quick nap in, then the caffeine will kick in and allow the person to have a more natural wake up (Faiola, 2006). Some Japanese companies have even gotten their health insurance providers to cover the fees for nap salons. If they have not succeeded in that route, they simply take naps at their desk during lunchtime. This way they are not only getting their nap in but the office lights are being turned off which is saving energy. In Japan, bathing in mineral waters is popular as a health-promotion practice. (Miller, 2007) Onsen, which is a hot spring, is in their belief to be opposite of everything in their normal crazy lifestyle. It represents an opportunity for the Japanese to melt down the hierarchical nature of society through mutual nakedness and intimacy (Onsen, 2006-7). It is pretty much a public bath with natural hot spring water for them to use in order to relax from their hectic work schedules. It is their belief that the water holds healing powers. There are a few different types of hot springs: Simple Springs, Carbonate Springs, Salt Springs, Sodium Sulfate Springs, Iron Springs, Acidic Springs, Sulfur Springs and Radium Hot Springs. Most people sit back quietly and enjoy the silence that surrounds them while bathing for roughly 20-30 minutes. The extremely acid hot spring Onsen water is believed to ease neuralgia, alleviate muscle pain and the symptoms of chronic skin disease. It also relieves chronic fatigue and stress. Since ancient times, Onsen water has been renowned to help maintain a beautiful skin. In addition to its other health and beauty benefits, the hot springs energize the metabolism. The Onsen experience is also known to calm nerves and put the bather in a relaxed, meditative state† (Onsen, 2006-7) Unfortunately today there are only three hot spring resorts remaining. One is Kusatsu Thermal Spring which is in a small town roughly two and a half hours from Tokyo by train. It can either be visited for the day, or turned into a mini vacation. If only wanting to spend a day, you can visit one of 18 public hot springs in the town for a quick fix. Another location is Gero Thermal Spring. It is roughly three and a half hours from Tokyo by train to Nagoya, then about an hour and a half to Gifu, where Gero is located. Here, you can stay at one of the resorts or visit the public springs which allows you to test out three of the twenty. The final is Arima Onsen Thermal Spring. This final spring is roughly three hours from Tokyo then another 30 minutes to Kobe, where Arima is located. This spa is the oldest spa known to the country. Here, there is a public theme park which holds 17 hot springs. Another trend is fish pedicures. At some Onsen Springs, there are spas where you can dip you feet into the water and have these fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Although they are considered â€Å"flesh eating† they actually have no teeth, meaning that you will not get bitten. They basically suck the dead skin and cells off, leaving your skin silky smooth. No matter what country you look at, each will have its own beliefs on medicine. Some are traditional and some may by alternative. Japan is widely known for having a mixture of each. While receiving influence from other countries, Japan has incorporated other medical approaches into their own. They have their own superstitions, traditional medicine (including how they view modern medical needs), and different types of current trends that they follow.

Gender Stereotypes and Toys Essay -- Gender Roles in Society

Often when a couple becomes pregnant and finds out the sex of the infant, stereotypes begin to form. If the child is female, their room will often be painted pink with cutesy borders. The crib will have pink blankets with ruffles on them. The baby girl will be presented with soft toys and cute stuffed animals, as well as perhaps a baby doll or two. At the baby shower, the mother will typically be presented with pink and purple clothing, the colors of choice for a female child. When the baby finally comes along, she will typically be treated as a gentle princess. When it comes to girls, adults are often more careful, as if the baby girl will break. On the other hand, if the couple is having a male child, the room will be painted blue or green with borders usually depicting superheroes or sports oriented paraphernalia. Though the boy may receive stuffed animals, they are typically of a more ferocious nature than the stuffed animals a girl might receive. The blankets are usually blue or another color associated with little boys. Perhaps one of the boy’s first gifts will be a tiny little catcher’s mitt, or something else sports related. At the baby shower, the mother will receive blue and green clothes. Family and friends are more likely to take a little boy to a sporting event than their female counterpart. Clearly, from the moment a child is brought into this world, they are pushed toward a certain stereotype. Now, the real question is – Are boys naturally more aggressive due to higher testosterone levels, or is it more culturally defined, by the way we treat our children and the gifts we bestow upon them? As mentioned in Human Development – A Lifespan View, â€Å"Children don’t live in a gender-neutral world for long. Althou... ... boys, who – away from the battle zone of their friends and brothers – turn out to be surprisingly cuddly and clingy? (Blum, 238)† Not every male or female is going to fit the mold, if there really even is one. The stereotypes stated above created by society and parents are most often useless in truly predicting a child’s choice of play and toys. Kids are going to gravitate toward what they enjoy. Even the author Deborah Blum states â€Å"I don’t think in pastels, myself. I think jungle-green, blood-red. (Blum, 236)† Stereotypes give us something to group people by, but we cannot always judge a person by them. Works Cited Blum, Deborah. â€Å"The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over?† Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 6th Edition. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 573-580. Print.

Behavioral Therapy Essay -- Psychology, Illness, Hypnosis , Pain

Most contemporary psychological treatment approaches are predecessors of the ancient and medieval philosophies and theories. Cognitive behavioural therapy as one of the modern treatment method in not an independently formed treatment, different theories have contributed to its present shape and application. The purpose of this paper is analysing the contributing treatment approaches that resulted in the emergence of the Behavioural Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The paper presents and analyses the contributions that previous psychological treatment methods made in culminating the CBT. To this end, the paper presents the main treatment methods that are assumed to be most important and analyse their main arguments in detail. It also tries to show the logical transition of the previous treatment methods to CBT. For the purpose of this paper it is better to start from the medieval time where the modern psychological treatment started. Many writers would claim that the contemporary psychology and psychological treatment has its beginning from Sigmund Freud’s and post Freudian psychoanalysis movement. However, it is equally correct to appreciate the legacy of Franz Anton Mesmer(1734-1815) who should be credited for introducing the Hypnosis, the evolution and development of which lies the unlocking of the mysteries of a unifying theory of all therapy and healing (Franz Anton Mesmer believed that illness is caused by an imbalance of magnetic fluids in the body that can be corrected through "animal magnetism." He asserted that the hypnotist's own personal magnetism can be transferred to a patient Tommy Hanchen, (2009). Mesmer contributed to psychology in various ways firstly, by revealing that illne... ...cticing RET†. Ellis further says in this book that he is considered to be the father of RET and the grandfather of CBT. However, evidences show that any single therapeutic technique can’t be responsible for the generation of CBT In conclusion therefore, CBT as the modern therapeutic method, was as a result of several developments that activities within clinical psychology and laboratory experiments being faced with that led to advent of techniques such as cognitive therapy. have evolved from the start of the modern psychological treatment method by Mesmer who developed the hypnosis and the concept of suggestibility that follows. We can now see that the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy encompasses different techniques that it received from previous generations of treatment. Similar development also brought Behaviour Therapy and Cognitive Therapy together.

Academic Life Essay

New generation of students in university may change their major. When university starts a student is asked to succeed a certain type of courses or requirements to graduate. There is no dead line to take a new path. Thus, it can happen that suddenly for some reasons students change their major ; namely, due to the will of some parents, the student not having passing grades, and the student changing his mind. The first reason that leads a student to change his major may come from his parents. Sometimes children don’t have the choice to follow their own studies. They have to execute whatever their parents want. In this case, nothing is expecting from the child beyond to obey. When students are pushed like this, it mostly happens when a member of the family has previously succeeded well. The child is placed in a position where he has to walk behind the one who was successful. Therefore, whatever the major the student has decided to take, the final decision belongs to the parents. The second cause is failing in class. Many students are not taking their academic life seriously enough to get passing grades. This situation shed light on the fact that there is no choice other than withdrawal the course and look for a new area where the student will feel more comfortable. Many reasons can be found for the failure of students ; however, their own responsibility was engaged when they have decided to pick those majors. As serious students, they should be aware of their behavior during the whole studies period. Accordingly to the cause of this paragraph, students may have no other solution than changing their way. See more: Old Age Problem essay The last and main cause that pushes a student to change his major is the changing of mind. University starts very early in a student’s life, so for this reason it can happen that his first choice of major was wrong. As a result, he can choose to change it by simply switching to another major and complete his studies. In this case, it is very important for the student to follow exactly the type of studies that suit him the best for his own success. For example, a student who applied for the Law course suddenly realizes that it doesn’t concur with his skills. The only escape is to find something more suitable. In other words, the choice of major is not permanent. Hopefully, every student can move to a new major without  complications. It should be clear that even if it is an easy thing to do, it has to be taken with precaution because changing major imply a new education. It has many positives effects but it should remains in coherence with the studies of the student. S omehow, when it is easy for students, the good grades will follow.

The Best Way to Study SAT Vocab Words

The Best Way to Study SAT Vocab Words SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Studying SAT vocab is a confusing topic for most students. It's unclear how many words you should memorize, which words to learn, and how to actually memorize these words without wasting time. If you think you need to memorize a list of 2,000 SAT vocab words you found on the internet, stop right there. We're about to save you a lot of time while delivering the same results. In this guide, we'll discuss which words you should memorize and go over a reliable way to commit these words to memory. First, it's important to understand what impact SAT vocab can have on your score.Test takers who ignore this tend to shoot way off course, wasting more time and lowering their scores. Although vocabulary is much less important for doing well on the SAT now, this guide is still useful for you to learn how to study vocab effectively- for history class, for foreign languages, and for any time you'll need to use flashcards. How Important Are SAT Vocab Words? Vocabulary is a confusing subject on the SAT. On the old, pre-2016 format of the SAT, vocab was heavily tested on the Reading section, primarily throughSentence Completion questions. On the even older version of the SAT, analogies were the bane of high school SAT life. When I took the SAT back in 2004, more than half your Reading section score depended on vocab. Memorizing SAT vocabulary was absolutely necessary to do well on the exam. But with thecurrent form of the SAT,there's far less emphasis on testing vocabulary.Sentence Completion questions have been totally removed, and all vocab is now about medium difficulty, so you won't be seeing any super obscure words anymore. There are two types of SAT questions that deal with vocabulary and definitions of words: Precision and Words in Context. SAT Vocabulary Question Type 1: Writing - Precision This type of question appears on the SAT Writing section, and we call it Precision. Precision refers to the exact word used for the right connotation. Here's an example of such a question taken from an official SAT practice test: This approach increases sales, but it also stands in austere contrast to a time when goods were produced to be durable. A) NO CHANGEB) egregiousC) unmitigatedD) stark This is pretty tough- austere is not an easy word, but egregious and unmitigated might be even less familiar. When you get this type of question, you must know the definition of the words.This is because there aren't any other clues that allow you to figure out what the word means. Here's are examples of other difficult words from official SAT practice tests: complacent confided dispatch eminent emphatic imparted paramount promulgated satiated unveiled There are two to three of these questions on every SAT. So while not a huge deal, they're still important if you're trying to get an800 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. SAT Vocabulary Question Type 2: Reading- Words in Context The other type of question ison the SAT Reading section and is called Interpreting Words and Phrases in Context.This asks you for the definition of a word as used in a reading passage. Here's an example of an official SAT question: As used in line 50, â€Å"bearing† most nearly means A) carrying. B) affecting. C) yielding. D) enduring. Note that in these SAT questions, the words used are often pretty common and have multiple definitions.While knowing the definition beforehand can help, it's more important to choose the definition that best fits the definition used in the context of the passage. Here are all the words of this question type in the SAT practice tests released by the College Board: ambivalent bearing best capture challenged charge clashes common conducted convey credit demands devise directly document embraced expert favor flat form hold low plastic postulate reason rule sixpence state turn verifiable Again, notice that the words are fairly common- you've likely heard of most of these before. Many of them have multiple meanings, though, so it's vital to be able to distinguish the word's meaning as used in the passage from the typical meaning you already know. There are about seven to eight of these questions on every SAT Reading section.This is more common than the Precision question type above, but you'll also usually need less vocab knowledge to answer these. So ... How Important Is Vocab for Your SAT Score? At the end of the day, there are only about two to four questions that feature really difficult vocabulary.This means that, at most, vocab questionscan have a 20-30 point impact on your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score (out of 800). This really isn't that big. If you're scoring in the 400-600 range (which means you're missing 1/3-2/3 of all EBRW questions), vocabulary is definitely not the best way to improve your score. Instead, it's much better to spend your time learning passage-reading strategies and key SAT grammar rules. Only when you're breaking 600 on EBRWand really trying to get that perfect Reading/Writing scoredoes studying vocabulary start to become a worthwhile endeavor. Overall, you should be smart about analyzing your SAT practice tests and seeing if you're missing easy questions that test vocabulary, or whether you're only missing hard ones because you don't know the vocab. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Why Do So Many People Obsess Over SAT Vocabulary? It's true that many students think vocab is a great way to spend their SAT study time, which might make you think it's a good idea, too. But if what I just told you is true, why do so many test takers waste time studying vocab? Here are a couple of major reasons: #1: Test-Prep Companies Push Vocab to Appear Smarter Vocab studying is a great way for SAT companies to seemas if they're teaching you something. For example, a test-prep company might claim to have an exclusive set of words, or it might boast a comprehensive 2,000 word collection, which is "definitelybetter than a 500-word collection!" This is more marketing speak than it is something actually useful for improving your SAT score. In addition, some test-prep companies still haven't fully adjusted to the 2016 SAT change. As an example, some of the SAT prep books that are supposed to target the "new SAT" still use old SAT questions and material! #2: Studying Vocab Often Feels Productive Studying vocab can make you feel as though you're making a lot of progress in your prep. After all, you're learning a lot of words you never knew before! Just like collecting stamps, it feels great to have a complete set of words committed to memory. Unfortunately, this might not lead to an increase in your score. Imagine you memorized 1,000 French words; this wouldn't actually increase your SAT score, right? Well, studying most SAT vocab lists is the same- most words on these will have a very low chance of appearing on the SAT. How to Study SAT Vocab the Right Way: The Waterfall Method As I mentioned above, if you are scoring above 600 on EBRW and are also aiming for a near-perfect score, it's appropriate for you to study vocabulary.In this section, we're going to cover the most effective method for memorizing SAT vocab. This is the same technique I myself used to memorize enough vocab to score a perfect 2400 on the old SAT (and a perfect 1600 on the very old SAT). First, you're going to need a set of SAT words. Luckily, we've prepared alist of 262 SAT vocab words most likely to appear on the SAT. All of these words come from official SAT practice tests and other high-quality SAT vocab lists, so memorizing these is an excellent place to start! Exclusive Free Bonus: Download a free guide containing 200 SAT vocabulary flashcards and instructions on how to print them. Use them with the strategy coming next to memorize them in the best way. I call the way I study SAT vocab the Waterfall Method.This method essentially forces you to focus on words you don't know while preventing you from wasting time on words you already know. It's based on a proven memorization technique called Spaced Repetition. Start with a stack of 30-50 vocab words: Review each card. If you know the definition right away, put it in a Know It pile. If you struggled to remember the definition, put it in a Struggled pile. You'll end up with two stacks of word cards: Pick up the Struggled pile and repeat the process. The Struggled pile will have fewer words than your Starting Stack does. Put the words you know this time around into a second Know It pile and the words you're still struggling with in a new Struggled pile. You should now have three separate stacks of cards: Keep repeating this process until you have just one to five words left in your last Struggled pile: I call this method the Waterfall Method because we essentially have a cascading waterfall, in which words that are really hard for you keep tumbling into farther and farther piles. Theoretically, at this point you should know nearly all the words in the entire set. Now, we're going to go back up the waterfall. Combine your last Struggled pile with your last Know It pile. This will become your Working Pile: Now, review all the words in this pile. If you forget any words, go through all of them again. Yep- this is harsh, but it's the only way you're going to memorize all the words. You'll need to be strict about making sure you learn each and every word. Once you've remembered all the words, combine this pile with the next highest pile: At the very end, you should end up back with a Starting Stack. And you'll know every single word! Why Does the Waterfall Method Work So Well? The reason that this method is so effective is that you'll review the hardest words for you more than 10 times more often than easy words. Most students just go through vocab lists from front to back. They might already know half the list, but they spend equal time on words they know and words they don't know (but really,really need to learn). Now that you've learned how to use the Waterfall Method, you'll be a smarter SAT studier and can concentrate far more on getting down the hardest vocabulary words for you. Where Can I Find More SAT Vocabulary Words? Looking for more SAT words or other vocab lists to study with? You've come to the right place. At PrepScholar, we've created tons of relevant guides for you. Here are some of our best resources for SAT vocabulary practice: ACT Vocabulary . The Best ACT Vocabulary Lists on the Web:Once again, since the SAT is so similar to the ACT, it's a good idea to also look for (quality) ACT vocab lists. This guide goes over the very best online ACT/SAT vocab lists. The 200 SAT Words You Need to Know:Although this list actually targets the old version of the SAT (back when vocab words on the SAT were a lot harder and more obscure), it's a good resource to use if you've already exhausted the materials above and are aiming for a perfect SAT Reading/Writing score. As a bonus, you also get free printable flashcards. The Vocabulary You Need for SAT Reading Passages: It's important to make sure you know the meanings of common reading-related words such as "allusion" and "simile." This way, you won't get stuck on a question that asks you to identify the "tone" of a passage! These are our best, most comprehensive articles on SAT vocab. But what about other resources? Below are our picks for the topadditional resources you can use for SAT vocab prep: Official SAT practice tests and sample questions:Perhaps the best resources (aside from our own!) for SAT vocab practice are those made by the College Board itself. Look for words in official practice tests and questions, and make flashcards for the ones you don't know. Khan Academy:This free online SAT prep website offers tons of College Board-approved SAT Reading and Writing questions, which you can use to pinpoint new vocab words. You should also check out our guide onhow to effectively use Khan Academy in your SAT prep. Your Dictionary- 100 Most Common SAT Words:Although this vocab list was written for the old version of the SAT, most of the words on it are still super relevant to the current SAT. Finally, if you're interested in usingpre-made vocab flashcards,I recommend browsing the SAT-labeled decks on Cram andQuizlet. In general, stick with decks that were made in 2016 or later; this lets you ensure that the words in them are relevant to the current SAT. (Note that it's OK to use older decks, just as long as you're aware that they're going to have much harder words than you probably need to know.) For more tips, read our in-depth guide on how to find quality SAT vocab resources and use them effectively in your prep. What's Next? Vocab doesn't play a big part on the SAT, but it's still important to know if you're aiming for a high score. Learn how important vocab is on the SAT, and get info onhow many vocab questions there are on the SAT and how to prepare for them. Want more help studying SAT vocab?Check out our guide to learn the best resources you can use for quality SAT vocab practice. If you liked this method of studying vocab and want to make your SAT prep more effective, check out our industry-leadingSAT prep program. Unlike other online programs, we believe that your program shouldcater to your strengths and weaknesses. We use advanced education techniques to customize your SAT prep so that you're always learning the most effective skills to increase your score. We have a 160+ point money back guarantee: if you finish our course and don't improve by 160 points, you get all your money back, no questions asked. Try our program with a 5-day free trial today:

Cop in the Hood Essay Example

Cop in the Hood Essay Example Cop in the Hood Paper Cop in the Hood Paper Setareh Salehi Cop in the Hood Peter Moskos‘, Cop in The Hood, is the story of a sociologist going native by going through the Baltimore police academy, becoming a cop and working for over a year. The book follows Moskos chronological journey, from the academy to the street and the last part of the book is dedicated to a pretty thorough analysis of the War on Drugs. The first interesting observation from Moskos’s work is his analysis of the police academy as relatively useless for the job: â€Å"So what’s the point of the academy? Primarily, it’s to protect the department from the legal liability that could result from negligent training. To the trainees this appears more important than educating police officers. † And second, despite the lax approach toward academics, instructors were very concerned with officer safety, the aspect of the job they emphasized most: â€Å"The most important part of your job is that you go home. Everything else is secondary. † This philosophy is reinforced at all levels of the police organization. Formal and informal rules concerning officer safety are propagated simultaneously. By the end of the academy, less than half the class saw a relation between what police learn in the academy and what police need to know on the street. A strong antimedia attitude, little changed from sociologist William Westley’s observations in the 1950s, grew steadily in the police academy. At the end of training, just 10 percent of trainees believed that the media treat police fairly. After six months in the academy, trainees learn to: * Respect the chain of command and their place on the bottom of that chain. Sprinkle â€Å"sir† and â€Å"ma’am† into casual conversation. * Salute. * Follow orders. * March in formation. * Stay out of trouble. * Stay awake. * Be on time. * Shine shoes. † But Moskos’s conclusion is that the training actually demoralizes trainees even before they start working on the streets. Physical training is not boot camp and provides a poor preparation (after all, most officers will spend their days in their patrol car) , and academic training does not really impart knowledge and does not encourage thinking. Once training is over, the bulk of the book follows Moskos on the beat, on the Eastern side of Baltimore and the constant contradictory demands placed on officers (between following a very strict military-style chain of command and having to make quick decisions). In that sense, the book is also a good study of the necessity of developing informal rules in in highly formal, bureaucratic environments. Working around the rules is the only way to keep the work manageable and within the limits of efficiency and sanity. But for Moskos, the gap between formal and informal norms is especially wide in policing. They constantly have to innovate while on patrol because the rules do not work on the streets (of course, some officers do lapse into ritualism especially in a context where protecting one’s pension is the concern all officers have and that guides their behavior on the street). These informal rules are constantly at work whether it comes to stopping, frisking, searching, arresting, writing reports. In all of these aspects of the job, covering one’s butt and protecting one’s life and pension are paramount concerns. This means that officers actually have quite a bit of leeway and flexibility when it comes to their job. These  informal  norms are described in details in Moskos’s book and there is no underestimating their importance. Once on the streets, police officers mix a culture of poverty approach to â€Å"these people† (the communities they are expected to police, where gangs and drugs culture produce poverty with quite a bit of eliminationist rhetoric that reveals an in-group / out-group mentality between police officers and civilians: â€Å"A black officer proposed similar ends through different means. â€Å"If it were up to me,† he said, â€Å"I’d build big walls and just flood the place, biblical-like. Flood the place and start afresh. I think that’s all you can do. † When I asked this officer how his belief that the entire area should be flooded differed from the attitudes of white police, he responded, â€Å"Naw, I’m not like that because I’d let the good people build an ark and float out. Old people, working people, line ’em up, two by two. White cops will be standing on the walls with big poles pushing people back in. † The painful universal truth of this officer’s beliefs came back to me in stark relief during the flooding and destruction of New Orleans, Louisiana. Police in some neighboring communities prevented displaced black residents from leaving the disaster area, turning them away with blockades and guns. † That in-group / out-group outlook also involves dehumanization and stigmatization: â€Å"In the ghetto, police and the public have a general mutual desire to avoid interaction. The sociologist Ervin Goffman wrote, â€Å"One avoids a person of high status out of deference to him and avoids a person of lower status . . . out of a self-protective concern. † Goffman was concerned with the stigma of race, but in the ghetto, stigma revolves around the â€Å"pollution† associated with drugs. Police use words like â€Å"filthy,† â€Å"rank,† â€Å"smelly,† or â€Å"nasty† to describe literal filth, which abounds in the Eastern District. The word â€Å"dirty† is used to describe the figurative filth of a drug addict. It is, in the drug-related sense, the opposite of being clean. † The â€Å"dope fiend† becomes the loathed representative figure of all this. But the dehumanization applies equally to them and the dealers. In that sense, there is no sympathy for the people who have to live in these communities and have nothing to do with the drug trade. They are put in the same bag. And whatever idea of public service trainees might start with tends to disappear after a year on the streets. And quite a bit of what goes on in the streets between police and population has a lot to do with forcing respect and maintaining control of the interaction: â€Å"Although it is legally questionable, police officers almost always have something they can use to lock up somebody, â€Å"just because. † New York City police use â€Å"disorderly conduct. † In Baltimore it is loitering. In high-drug areas, minor arrests are very common, but rarely prosecuted. Loitering arrests usually do not articulate the legally required â€Å"obstruction of passage. † But the point of loitering arrests is not to convict people of the misdemeanor. By any definition, loitering is abated by arrest. These lockups are used by police to assert authority or get criminals off the street. † And, of course, the drug dealers also know the rules and become  skillful  at working around them, avoiding arrest, challenging the police authority and have structured their trade accordingly. It would indeed be a mistake to look at this illegal and informal economy as anything but a trade structured around specific rules hat take into account having to deal with the police and the different statuses of the actors involved in the trade reflect that: * lookouts have the simplest job: alert everyone else of police approach, * steerers promote the product, * moneymen obviously hold the money for the transactions, * slingers distribute the drugs after money has been exchanged * and gunmen protect the trade. The transaction is therefore completely decomposed into steps where money and drugs are never handled by the same person while the main dealers watch things from afar, protecting themselves from legal liabilities. For most of these positions, the pay is not much better than fast-food joints, but that is pretty much all there is in these  urban  areas. Of course, just like everything in the US, there is a racial component to this. The drug trade is not a â€Å"black thing† (like mac and cheese as Pat Robertson would say) and it has its dependency theory taste: â€Å"The archetypal white addict is employed, comes with a friend, drives a beat-up car from a nearby blue-collar neighborhood or suburb such as Highlandtown or Dundalk, and may have a local black drug addict in the backseat of the car. A black police officer who grew up in the Eastern District explained the local’s presence, â€Å"White people won’t buy drugs alone because they’re afraid to get out of the car and approach a drug dealer. They’ll have some black junkie with them. † The local resident serves as a sort of freelance guide, providing insurance against getting â€Å"burned† or robbed. The local addict is paid informally, most often taking a cut of the drugs purchased. † The complete mistrust between the police and the community is also a trademark of impoverished urban environments. And indeed, what would residents gain by interacting with law enforcement and the court system? At the same time, police work is arrest-based (the more the better) which officers all understand to be futile. For Moskos, part of the problem with policing was the advent of policing-by-patrol-car: â€Å"The advent of patrol cars, telephones, two-way radios, â€Å"scientific† police management, social migration, and social science theories on the â€Å"causes† of crime converged in the late 1950s. Before then, police had generally followed a â€Å"watchman† approach: each patrol officer was given the responsibility to police a geographic area. 5In the decades after World War II, motorized car patrol replaced foot patrol as the standard method of policing. Improved technology allowed citizens to call police and have their complaints dispatched to police through two-way radios in squad cars. Car patrol was promoted over foot patrol as a cost-saving move justified by increased â€Å"efficiency. 6 Those who viewed police as provocative and hostile to the public applauded reduced police presence and discretion. Controlled by the central dispatch, police could respond to the desires of the community rather than enforce their own â€Å"arbitrary† concepts of â€Å"acceptable† behavior. Police officers, for their part, enjoyed the comforts of the automobile and the prestige associated with new technology. Citizens, rather than being encouraged to maintain communi ty standards, were urged to stay behind locked doors and call 911. Car patrol eliminated the neighborhood police officer. Police were pulled off neighborhood beats to fill cars. But motorized patrol- the cornerstone of urban policing- has no effect on crime rates, victimization, or public satisfaction. † This has encouraged a detachment of officers from the communities they police. Quick response time becomes the goal and officers spend time in their car waiting to be â€Å"activated† on 911 calls. The only interaction between officers and residents is limited to such 911 call responses, which can all potentially lead to confrontations. But that is still the way policing is done and the way it is taught at the academies, guided by the three â€Å"R†s: * Random patrol: give the illusion of omnipresence by changing patrol patterns * Rapid response: act quickly, catch the criminals (doesn’t work) * Reactive investigation: solve crimes rather than prevent them But the institutional context very poorly accounts for the interaction rituals that guide the interaction between officers and residents: â€Å"Police officers usually know whether a group of suspects is actively, occasionally, or never involved with selling drugs. Some residents, often elderly, believe that all youths, particularly those who present themselves as â€Å"thug† or â€Å"ghetto,† are involved with drug dealing. If police respond to a call for a group of people known not to be criminals, police will approach politely. If the group seems honestly surprised to see the police, they may be given some presumption of innocence. An officer could ask if everything is all right or if the group knows any reason why the police would have been called. If the suspects are unknown to a police officer, the group’s response to police attention is used as the primary clue. Even with a presumption of guilt, a group that walks away without being prompted will generally be allowed to disperse. If a group of suspects challenges police authority through language or demeanor, the officer is compelled to act. This interaction is so ritualized that it resembles a dance. If temporary dispersal of a group is the goal, the mere arrival of a patrol car should be all that is needed. Every additional step, from stopping the car to exiting the car to questioning people on the street, known as a â€Å"field interview,† is a form of escalation on the part of the police officer. Aware of the symbolism and ritual of such actions, police establish a pattern in which a desired outcome is achieved quickly, easily, and with a minimum of direct confrontation. Rarely is there any long-term impact. When a police officer slows his or her car down in front of the individuals, the suspects know the officer is there for them and not just passing through on the way to other business. If a group of suspects does not disperse when an officer â€Å"rolls up,† the officer will stop the car and stare at the group. A group may ignore the officer’s look or engage the officer in a stare-off, known in police parlance as â€Å"eye fucking. † This officer’s stare serves the dual purpose of scanning for contraband and weapons and simultaneously declaring dominance over turf. An officer will initiate, often aggressively, conversation from the car and ask where the suspects live and if they have any identification. Without proof of residence, the suspects will be told to leave and threatened with arrest. If the group remains or reconvenes, they are subject to a loitering arrest. Police officers always assert their right to control public space. Every drug call to which police respond- indeed all police dealings with social or criminal misbehavior- will result in the suspect’s arrest, departure, or deference. † And a great deal of these interactions are also guided by the need, on both sides, to not lose face, be seen as weak or easily punked. These interactional factors may often determine whether an officer gets out of his car or not, sometimes triggering contempt from the residents. So, officers tend to like car patrols as opposed to foot patrols which are tiring, leave one vulnerable to the elements, and potentially preventing crime. Rapid response is easier and more popular with officers. People commit crimes, you get there fast, you arrest them. Overall, Moskos advocates for greater police discretion and more focus on quality of life issues as opposed to rapid response while acknowledging that this is not without problems. I don’t think there ever was a time of policing where communities and law enforcement worked harmoniously together for the greater good. But the bottom line, for Moskos, that the current War on Drugs is a massive failure and a waste of resources (and Moskos does go into some details of the history of drug policies and enforcement in the US, a useful reminder of the racialization of public policy) and should be replaced by a variety of policies (not all drugs are the same) with three goes in mind: * preservation of life (current policies increase the dangerous nature of drugs) * reduce incarceration save money (through reduced incarceration, depenalization and taxation). I think that the poor economy is to blame for drug dealing to be the main source of income for the residence. I believe if the city spent the money it spends on arrests and prosecutions on creating a better environment instead, then the problems would dramatically decrease. If there were after school programs or recreational facilities where the entire community could benefit from, the level of drug sales and abuse would drop. If there were new businesses created in the city, people wouldn’t turn to selling drugs or at least the majority would turn away from the drug dealing business. I also think that if drugs were legal and the residents wouldn’t get arrested for having a small amount of drugs, the relationship between cops and residents would improve.

Ethnobotany essays

Ethnobotany essays Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants. Cultures have been using the environment around them for thousands of years. The use of plants were mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi in Babylon circa 1770 BC. The ancient Egyptians believed that plants had medicinal powers in the afterlife of the pharaohs (King and Veilleux WWW). Indigenous cultures of the rainforests and other areas still use plants today in their everyday lives. If plants work to help these cultures, should not they be researched to help the rest of the world? Many jungles and rainforests contain unexplored species of plants that could contain medicinal uses. Ethnobotanists explore how plants are used for things, such as food, shelter, clothing, hunting, and religious ceremonies. These scientists spend long hours of hard time in the field doing research of these plants (King and Veilleux WWW). Ethnobotanists are usually biologists that have had additional graduate training. They may have had training in things such as archeology, chemistry, ecology, anthropology, linguistics, history, pharmacology, sociology, religion, or mythology. With these skills, they can look at more than just the plant. They look at the culture and the resource of it (King and Veilleux WWW). There are many ethnobotanists that have helped to bring ethnomedicine to the United States. Each Ethnobotanist has their own unique way of researching cultures and plant species. The following Ethnobotanists are prominent figures in their field of research. Paul Alan Cox took his first trip in to the jungle in 1973, on a mission as a Mormon. He later got his Ph.D. at Harvard and taught at Brigham Young University. In 1984, Coxs mother died and he became determined to find a cure for cancer. So later that year, he returned to Samoa with his family in order to continue his research. His research has led to the develop...