The Legend of the Double Happiness Symbol

The Legend of the Double Happiness Symbol You may  have heard of the term Double Happiness but know little about what this symbol means, let alone how it came about. With this profile of the Chinese good luck character, get better acquainted with its history and discover if it can be applied to the circumstances in your life. What Is Double Happiness? Double Happiness is a large Chinese character  featured  on red paper. The characters that signify happiness are spelled  xi or hsi in Mandarin  and  pronounced shuang-xi. It is exclusively used in Mandarin  to celebrate weddings. The Story of the Symbol The symbol dates back to  the ancient Tang Dynasty. According to legend,  there was a student on the way to the capital to take the national final examination in which the top learners would be selected as ministers of the court. Unfortunately, the student fell ill halfway when he passed through a mountain village, but an  herbalist and his daughter took the  student to their house and expertly treated him. The student recovered quickly due to their good care. When  the time came for him to leave, he found it hard to say goodbye to the pretty herbalists daughter, and so did she. They had fallen in love with each other. As a result, the girl wrote down half of a  couplet for the student: Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration. The student replied,  Well, I can make it, though it is not easy. But youll have to wait until I have finished the examination.  The young girl nodded. The young man ended up winning first place in the competition. The emperor recognized his prowess and asked him to finish part of a couplet. The emperor wrote: Red flowers dot the land in the breezes chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss. The young man realized immediately that the girls half  couplet was the perfect fit to the emperors couplet, so he used her words to answer. The emperor was delighted with this turn of events and appointed the young man as a minister of the court. But before the student began his new position, the emperor allowed him to pay a visit to his hometown. He ran into the young woman who gave  him the couplet and repeated the emperors words to her. The half couplets complemented each other, and they soon wed. During the ceremony, they doubled the Chinese character happy  on a red piece of paper and placed it on the wall to express their pleasure with the two events. Wrapping Up Ever since the couples wedding, the double happiness symbol has become a Chinese social custom.  It  can be found  all over  during Chinese weddings. It is also used for wedding invitations. In both contexts, it simply means that the new couple will now be united.

How to Apply for Food Stamps

How to Apply for Food Stamps For over 40 years, the federal Food Stamp Program, now officially named SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - has served as a mainline federal social assistance program designed to help low-income families and individuals buy the food they need for good health. The SNAP (Food Stamp) program now helps put nutritious food on the tables of 28 million people every month. Are You Eligible for SNAP Food Stamps? Eligibility for SNAP food stamps depends on the applicant households resources and income. Household resources include things like bank accounts and vehicles. However, certain resources are NOT counted, such as a home and lot, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the resources of people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, formerly AFDC), and most retirement plans. In general, individuals who work for low wages, are unemployed or work part-time, receive public assistance, are elderly or disabled and have a small income, or are homeless may be eligible for food stamps.The fastest way to find out if your household is eligible for SNAP food stamps is to use the online SNAP Eligibility Pre-screening tool. How and Where to Apply for SNAP Food Stamps While SNAP is a federal government program, it is run by state or local agencies. You can apply for SNAP food stamps at any local SNAP office or Social Security office. If you are unable to go to the local office, you may have another person, called an authorized representative, apply and be interviewed on your behalf. You must designate the authorized representative in writing. In addition, some state SNAP program offices now allow online applications.Normally the applicant must file an application form, have a face-to-face interview, and provide proof (verification) of certain information, such as income and expenses. The office interview may be waived if the applicant is unable to appoint an authorized representative and no household member is able to go to the office because of age or disability. If the office interview is waived, the local office will interview you by telephone or do a home visit. What to Bring When You Apply for Food Stamps? Some things you may need when you apply for SNAP food stamps include: If You Are Employed: Last four pay stubs or a letter from employer stating gross and net wages for the past month.If You are Unemployed: Proof that your employment was terminated. Also identification and claim cards for unemployment benefits.Proof of Household Resources: Bring all savings account passbooks (including parents children). Bring all checking account books in addition to your last checking account statement and canceled checks. All stocks, bonds, savings certificates, annuity funds and credit union membership, etc. must be reported and verified.Proof of Income: Bring a copy of income tax return for past year. If you are self-employed, a profit and loss statement for the current calendar quarter is required.College Students: Bring proof of education expenses (tuition) and proof of income (loans, scholarships, contributions, earnings).Social Security Number(s): Bring the Social Security number for each member of your household. If a member of your household does not have a Social Security number, your food stamp certifier will assist you in obtaining one. No More Paper Coupons: About the SNAP Food Stamp EBT Card The familiar multi-colored food stamp coupons have now been phased out. SNAP food stamp benefits are now delivered on SNAP EBT (Electronic Balance Transfer) cards which work like bank debit cards. In order to complete a transaction, the customer swipes the card in a point-of-sale device (POS) and enters a four digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). The store clerk enters the exact amount of the purchase on the POS device. This amount is deducted from the households EBT SNAP account. SNAP EBT cards can be used in any authorized store in the United States regardless of the state it was issued, except in Puerto Rico and Guam. Stores stopped accepting paper food stamp coupons on June 17, 2009.Lost, stolen or damaged SNAP EBT cards can be replaced by contacting the state SNAP office. What You Can and Cannot Buy SNAP food stamp benefits can only be used to buy food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy: Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmeticsAlcoholic beverages and tobaccoVitamins and medicinesAny food that will be eaten in the storeHot foods The SNAP program requires stores to carry a certain number of â€Å"staple† foods- meat, dairy, grain, fruit, and vegetable items.   Trump Moves to Expand List of Allowed Staple Foods On April 5, 2019, the Donald Trump administration proposed a new federal regulation adding canned spray cheese, beef jerky, lemon juice, and pimiento-stuffed olives to the list of staple foods approved for SNAP purchase. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated the change would save SNAP grocery vendors money â€Å"under the revised minimum stocking requirements for staple foods.† Under the proposed rule, stores could stock up to six fewer staple items, resulting in a savings of about $500 per store over a period of five years. According to the Federal Register notice of the proposed rule, canned spray cheese would qualify as a dairy product staple, beef jerky as a meat, poultry or fish staple, and lemon juice and jarred pimiento-stuffed olives would qualify as staple fruits and vegetables. Do You Have to Be Employed to Get Food Stamps? Most SNAP participants who can work, do work. The law requires all SNAP recipients to meet work requirements unless they are exempt because of age or disability or another specific reason. More than 65% of all SNAP recipients are non-working children, seniors, or disabled persons. Some working SNAP recipients are classified as Able-Bodied Adult Without Dependents or ABAWDs. In addition to the general work requirements, ABAWDs are required meet special work requirements in order to maintain their eligibility. The ABAWD Time Limit ABAWDs are persons between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no dependents and are not disabled. ABAWDs can only get SNAP benefits for 3 months during any 3 year period if they do not meet certain special work requirements.​ In order to remain eligible beyond the time limit, ABAWDs must work at least 80 hours per month, participate in qualifying education and training activities at least 80 hours per month, or participate in an unpaid state-approved workfare program. ABAWDs can also meet the work requirement by taking part in a SNAP Employment and Training Program. The ABAWD time limit does not apply to people who are unable to work due to physical or mental health reasons, pregnant, care for a child or incapacitated family member, or are exempt from the general work requirements. For More Information If you would like more information, the USDAs Food and Nutrition Service offers an extensive Questions and Answers Web page on the SNAP food stamp program.

Why is it beneficial to have both IT & Management skills together Essay

Why is it beneficial to have both IT & Management skills together - Essay Example Technology is evolving constantly with new applications to simplify how business is done. Management skills on the other hand enable a high level trend of correspondence in business impact. With the revolution of web 2.0, management training becomes a useful tool in doing online business through blogs, RSS feed as well as in the internet and communication with the proper and serious clients. Technology skills have significant impact on business in the coming years in that business strategies are easily achieved. Post & Anderson, (2006) asserts that, managers with technology skills are able to determine new technological impacts and how they can be adopted in the progress of business. It is upon the managers to become more proactive by keeping a breast of emerging trends and understanding the evasion of web 2.0 changes in the world of business models and their applications in business perspectives. Management skills combined with information technology skills enables these managerial groups to focus on what ways promising technologies impinge on business at the high level. The knowledge makes business conscious and informed in decision making on what aspects of new technologies will influence the organization in the coming year of business growth and hence provides a healthier transition of thought into strategic action to be taken and how they can be implemented within the organization or business world. According to Cather, Morris,& Wilkinson, (2001), combining the IT skills with management skills, therefore have enormous gait that help an organization or business to improve its strategies and also gives the management higher level of information to bring effectiveness of the services and products of the organization. This will also reduce time taken to adopt new business strategies based on emerging trends of technologies due to the organizational or business disinterest and lag that keeps on changing the

Consumer Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumer Society - Essay Example In general, society is distinguished by its characteristic modes of production and economic life. However, what is thought to distinguish the society is not solely a new mode of production, but a new social imperative - the changing distribution of economic and social resources. Since 1900s, consumers became conscious about high quality of products and services they received. Fordism was one of the main features of this period. It caused a technological advance in mass production and labour relations, production of low price commodities to the workers. In contrast, upper and middle classes needed luxury goods and high quality services which supported and 'reflected' their high social status. Following Marx's theory of class conflict, it is possible to say that class was defined by its modes of collective action, and sought to show how rights to productive resources, credentials, party membership, lineage, etc., could all be distinct bases for social closure in the struggle for distributive advantage. Similar to other periods of production and social development, race was a silent factor which was often neglected by economists who analyzed distribution of economic and social resources in terms of class location of individuals. During this period of time, com modification was one of the main processes which marked the new era in consumption. Many objects and signs were turned into commodities available for consumers (Dant 1999). The 1920s-1930s marked a new and one of the most important eras in production and consumption modes. After a short postwar recession, the economy grew exceedingly. Unemployment dropped as low as 3 percent, prices stayed steady, and gross national product increased by nearly 30 million in seven years. Some of this prosperity was due to technological advancements such as electricity. New systems for distributing goods also affected the US economy; perhaps the most influential producer of a good economy was advertising. The culture of the 1920s-1930s associated with consumerism and money-oriented behavior. Automobiles, another reason for the boom of the 1920s, caused a need for assemblers, which increased the job market, and by 1930 the automobile industry made up for about 9 percent of all wages. Because of this new found freedom people were able to drive to the chain department stores that perhaps were not convenient before (Weintraub 1958). The 1920s could be described as the "coming of age". Through technology, arts, sport and science American culture was shaped in a 10-year period. Faster music, looser morals, and skimpy dress all contributed to the end of our nation's adolescence. However there was one factor that would later define the 1920s: prohibition. Seemingly, with a "coming of age" also came intelligence. As one faction of society pushed for looser morale, another group was right behind them leading the charge against social evils. The main objective of these groups was to do away with social evil by putting an end to its source: alcohol. Prohibition contributed to the prosperity of the 1920s by leading UK on a dry path to overall well being, reducing alcohol production, plummeting alcohol consumption, and promoting health. In order for one thing to be considered good, something else have to be considered bad. This contrast explains how beauty exists because there is misery in the world, and it exists exclusi vely in the human mind. Personal

Hamlet - Ghosts Speech - Act 1 Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Ghosts Speech Act 1 Essay In the beginning of the play, the reader is introduced to the disorder in Denmark, a prevalent motif. The mysterious death of the king spurred the disorder, and the prospect of revenge was magnified by the supposed appearance of the late King Hamlet’s ghost. The ghost’s appearance and subsequent speech intensify the disorder by validating the reader’s suspicion of Claudius as a murderer and an incestuous, adulterous serpent. Hamlet is torn by this revelation, and responds with justified drama. Thus far Hamlet had a few reasons to hate Claudius; the ghost’s message emboldened everything he had suspected and even added to it. Previously in Act One, Hamlet had criticized Claudius for a few major grievances: for being opportunist upon the death of his father by marrying his newly widowed mother in order to seize the throne instead of Hamlet, for not properly mourning the king by waiting just a month to take his wife, and for acting like an animal by behaving in an incestuous and lustful manner. By playing on many of the same metaphors as Hamlet and bringing forth new claims too, the ghost- whose word the reader takes as truth- bolsters Hamlet’s claims. In the ghost’s rhetoric, Claudius is an unnatural, murderous â€Å"serpent†.(sc. 5 ln. 43) As a â€Å"fat weed,† his parasitic nature is apparent and matches Hamlet’s assessment of the situation as an â€Å"unweeded garden.† (sc. 5 ln. 39) (sc. 2 ln. 139) Later, the ghost goes on to describe â€Å"lewdness† courting â€Å"virtue† in Claudius’ despicable new relationship.(sc. 5 ln. 60-1) To Hamlet and the ghost, the new union is an embodiment of evil though it holds an honorable, royal position. The royal bed is now a couch for luxury and incest. (sc 5. ln.89-90) The queen has been corrupted by â€Å"wicked wit and gifts† and succumbed by what almost sounds like magic. (sc. 5 ln. 51) This too plays on the motif of unnatural existence in â€Å"Hamlet† as exemplified by the ghost. The ghost refers to public opinion as â€Å"the ear of Denmark.† (sc.5 ln.43) By misleading this one representative ear, the entire country has been misled.  The ghost then furthers the ear imagery by describing how he was personally poisoned through his ear. This deception perpetrated by the current king adds to the sense of unrest. The late Hamlet was â€Å"sleeping within (his) orchard,† an emphatically innocent action, as the juice was poured into his ear and coursed through his body like quicksilver. (sc. 5 ln. 66) The poison â€Å"tetter(ed)†¦about†¦with vile and loathsome crust.† (sc. 5 ln.78-79) This vivid and gory description adds to the sense of decay and discord. As Marcellus put it, â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark.† (sc.4 ln. 100) Then the ghost talks about how that napping time was his â€Å"secure hour.† (sc.5 ln. 68) This describes the feeling of routine that once existed in the kingdom. Now time is cursed and nothing is happens in a proper time because of Claudius’ unnatural murder. The senses of touch and sight are very important in this speech. The ghost carefully describes how things looked and felt to actualize his feelings to Hamlet and the reader. When describing the queen, he uses a prickly set of descriptive words. She isn’t just part of a cursed union, she has â€Å"thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her,† by some heavenly will. (sc, 5 ln. 94-5) Additionally, the description of the poisoning is graphic to make it personal and real for Hamlet.

Database :: essays research papers

The Database   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Databases are becoming as common in the workplace as the stapler. Businesses use databases to keep track of payroll, vacations, inventory, and a multitude of other taske of which are to vast to mention here. Basically businesses use databases anytime a large amount of data must be stored in such a manor that it can easily be searched, categorized and recalled in different means that can be easily read and understood by the end user. Databases are used extensively where I work. In fact, since Hyperion Solutions is a database and financial intelligence software developing company we produce one. To keep the material within scope I shall narrow the use of databases down to what we use just in the Orlando office of Hyperion Solutions alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Orlando office we have three main databases. We have a Microsoft Access Database, a Visual Source Safe database, and a Microsoft SQL server database with a custom web client front end. The Microsoft Access database is fairly simple. We use this data base to keep track of the computer hardware and software configurations that are used when doing quality assurance testing and problem replication and troubleshooting of the software product. For any one product we can have up to twenty or thirty different configurations. Initially keeping track of the configurations along with the machine name and IP address was done on paper with a grid like matrix. After a short period of time, this became extremely time consuming and impractical. A simple database was set up in Access and then the database was shared to allow each user to be able to find out what configuration each computer was in for that day or that week so that the proper tests and or bug reporting could be conducted. The database allows the users to search by software version, platform type, operating system, machine name, IP address, memory size, and several other items that are not as significant. Before the database was created the engineer would have to leave their desk find the chart and to a cross reference using the matrix that was drawn up, and hopefully that matrix was kept up to date. Now as the technicians update or change the machine configurations they can enter that information immediately into the database and it will automatically provide a matrix view or a tabular view for any engineer who needs it.

Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization Essay

Ethical Dilemma Introduction                   Decisions are bound to be made on a daily basis whether on an individual or corporate level. The actions taken after the decision may lead to positive or negative outcomes. Ethics, therefore, is an important aspect that guides decision making both at a personal level and as a company. Ethics is described as the accepted moral values within a society or a given organization(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). It gives organizations and individual the outline of accepted practices and guides the decision making process to yield the preferable results without causing harm to others. Decisions define the success of any given organization because they are made on daily a basis, ranging from the top level management decisions to the support staff routine decision making. Ethical standards are important as they ensure all the stakeholders act sensibly. It is because of this reason that ethical standards play a crucial role in the success of an organization.                   One of the common ethical issues at an organizational level are the issues concerning the management of human resources. I have witnessed a human resource practitioner faced with an ethical dilemma concerning matters of recruitment, selection, fair working conditions, and remuneration(Seglin, 2011). The manager in charge of hiring and managing the human resources of any given organization face tough decision while performing their duties. Under the situation, I experienced, thehuman resource manager was put under pressure by the finance department to reduce the cost of labor for the company to realize sustainable profits. To achieve the set profit target of the company, the human resource manager had the alternative of hiring individual with low qualifications, or fire some of the employees to reduce the wage bill, or significantly reduce the salaries and benefits the employees are getting from the firm.                   From the above situation, the personnel manager is under an ethical dilemma situation. This is because both decisions and actions that he would take will have both positive and negative outcomes. First of all, it is ethical for the human resource manager to respect the directives from the senior management and serve the interest of the company to increase profits(Crane & Matten, 2012). However, by complying with these instructions will cause some employees to lose their jobs without sufficient or convincing reasons. This infringes the rights of the employees by terminating them without good reasons. If he employees with fewer skilled workers, the company will have a low wage bill, but the quality of work will be compromised and hence put the company at stake. Secondly, it is ethical for the human resource manager to protect the employees from termination without valid explanations(Seglin, 2011). Therefore, the manager is faced with two choices that both seem morally correct, but the outcomes have ethical considerations too. However, the manager was left with no choice and decided to terminate some employees, reduce salaries and employee benefits for the remaining workers.                   The stakeholders affected by the decision of the human resource manager include the management, the employees, both the fired and those still working, and the clients of the organization. The management is affected because the company is understaffed and the available resources underutilized. This means most of the resources go to waste and hence increasing losses made by the firm in the long run. By hiring low skilled personnel translates to low wages as directed by the management(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). However, the employees will give poor work quality due to lack of required expertise and hence the management may lose business to their close market rivals.                   The employees who are fired are adversely affected due to the loss of their source of lively hood. It is also against their right, to terminate their employment with no valid reason. Such individuals’ lives are changed and it affects their families too, if they were the main providers(Crane & Matten, 2012). The workers who remain on the job are also affected adversely due to the reduction in their number. They have to perform extra work and take extra time to finish what the terminated personnel used to do. With time such employees lose job morale due to low pay and long hours of work.                   Clients of the firm will also be affected by this decision because of the poor quality of work. Termination of some employees will make the organization to be understaffed and hence unable to meet the growing demand for their products. This affects the final consumers due to the forces of demand and supply. Hiring low skilled employees has a direct impact on the quality of work output(Seglin, 2011). The consumers will, therefore, receive substandard products. This reduces the utility clients derive from consuming the services and products of the firm.                   What would be considered the right outcome of the human resource manager’s decision, is the reduction of labor cost. Some of the things that constitute to high labor cost are high cost of wages and salaries, high number of employees, good working conditions, and employee benefits. By terminating the employment of some employees, the wage bill of the company reduces(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). The management will also offer lower salaries to less skilled employs and the reduction in the remuneration of the existing employees also reduce the labor cost. Therefore, the management would consider this outcome to be ‘right’ according to their expectations.                   However, it would also be considered wrong for the human resource boss to terminate employment agreements, reduce salaries and benefits, and hire less skilled. It is unethical for any employer to terminate the employment agreements of his/her workers without valid reasons. The process of selecting who is to be fired is also faced with ethical considerations and bias may prevail the process(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). Employees are supposed to be remunerated in accordance with their contribution to the company. Underpaying the employee for the benefit of the company is considered unethical and wrong. By reducing the number of employees in an organization makes the remaining workers work overtime. This is unethical as it denies them the crucial time to balance work and family. It is going against the rights of the workers by adding them more tasks without changing their terms of payment.                   The human resource manager made his decision based on the ethical principles of the firm. His decision to implement the directive of the management concerning cutting on labor cost, was influenced by the ethical principal that requires all the employees to respect the management and serve the interest of the company and not their own interest(Crane & Matten, 2012). If he would not implement the plan, then the human resource manager will be considered to have behaved in contempt of his seniors.The management of the firm spearhead the interest of the company and communicate it down to the least of ranks among the employees. In this case the firm’s interest is to reduce the cost incurred on manpower and hence increase the profit margins. As much as this decision when put to action affects livelihood of employees and the success of the firm, the human resource manager has to follow the code of ethics that requires him to respect decisions from persons at a higher rank than him.                   Biases also played a major role in influencing the decision and action taken by the personnel manager. He took the decision in favor of the management since he has a lower rank to them. By favoring them, he reduces the risk of him being questioned or even fired. If he does not be biased in his decision then he would not have served any of the parties due to the natter at hand being an ethical dilemma(Hoffman, Frederick, & Shwartz, 2013). This means that both the alternatives he had seemed morally right. It is ethical for him to protect employees from termination and remuneration reduction, because the company may incur high losses in the long run if that action is taken. However, it is also his moral responsibility to execute the plans and instructions of his colleagues in senior positions than him. Therefore, his action is justifiable as ethical. It is because of this dilemma that the manager had to apply bias for him to find a way out. This bias is mai nly as a result of seniority of management over the personnel manager.                   To address the ethical dilemma at hand, it would be wise for the human resource manager and the management to discuss the issue at hand. Then they organize a forum with both the management and the employees over the cost of labor. During the talks, the personnel manager will have a chance to explain to the management why the human resources are the most important resources for the success of the firm(Seglin, 2011). He would advise the top managers on other methods of costs reduction other than termination and pay cut. Measures such as doing massive advertising and publicity would increase the sales margin of the company. This is directly proportional to profits and it can be adopted instead of firing employees. The company may also invest more in the employees to increase their efficiency and skills. By doing productivity will go high and they will produce quality products and services that would more potential customers and increase sales turnouts. Conclusion                   Human beings and organizations are faced with situations that require decision making on a daily basis. Ethics is those values that are used to distinguish between right and wrong in an organization or a society. The decision made always have consequences and the consequences are judged based on the set moral values. Human resource practitioners are faced with ethical dilemmas in their daily responsibilities, that is; recruitment, selection, training, and termination. During this decisions and actions several stakeholders are affected. The management, the employees, and the clients are all affected by the decisions of the human resource manager. At times it is difficult to consider what is right and what is wrong due to both outcomes seeming morally correct. This situation is called an ethical dilemma. To overcome such situations all stakeholders of a given organization should frequently have meetings and talks to update the code of ethics and discuss so lutions to difficult ethical situations. References Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2012). Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization. New York C: Oxford University Press. Hoffman, M., Frederick, R., & Shwartz, M. (2013). Business Ethics: Readings and Cases in Corporate Morality. New York: Wiley-Blackwell. Seglin, J. (2011). The Good, the Bad, and Your Business: Choosing Right When Ethical Dilemmas Pull You Apart . Boston: Wiley Publishers. Source document

Spastic Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Children Health And Social Care Essay

AbstractionBackground: Cerebral paralysis ( CP ) affects motor and postural development and causes centripetal upsets and larning disablement. Shock moving ridges are defined as a sequence of sonic pulsations mostly used in the intervention of diseases affecting bone and sinew every bit good as muscular contractures. Radial daze moving ridge therapy ( RSWT ) produces lower extremum force per unit area, longer rise clip and low energy with energy flux denseness as compared with extracorporeal daze wave therapy. Purpose: The purpose of our survey was to measure the effectivity of RSWT on spasticity and motor map in hemiplegic intellectual paralysis kids.Methods:IntroductionCerebral paralysis ( CP ) consequences from an abuse to the underdeveloped cardinal nervous system ( CNS ) [ 1 ] that cause terrible physical disablement in childhood with non-progressive syndromes that affect position and motor public presentation [ 2 ] . The most common damage is hemiplegia in which born babes had a individual hemisphere hurt in most instances [ 3 ] . The major job of CP is spasticity which is defined as a velocity-dependent opposition of musculus to stretch [ 4 ] . Spasticity may take to musculoskeletal jeopardies such as contractures, hurting, and subluxation. The riddance of spasticity licenses many intellectual paralysis kids to utilize what selective motor control they possess more efficaciously and functionally. [ 5 ] Most CP instances with spasticity are managed by a utilizing of a combination of modes throughout childhood. The usage of a combination of physical therapy modes can increase the benefits of spasticity control [ 6-7 ] . Various curative modes and attacks are used to pull off spasticity, including unwritten medicines, injection therapy, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery and rehabilitation therapy [ 1 ] . One of the recent modes which used in the physical therapy field is shock moving ridge therapy. The daze moving ridge was foremost applied in 1980 to patients with kidney rocks [ 11 ] . It was applied in either extracorporeal or radial daze moving ridge therapy. Extracorporeal daze moving ridge therapy ( ESWT ) is a sequence of sonic pulsations with by high extremum force per unit area ( 100 MPa ) , fast force per unit area rise ( & lt ; 10 N ) and short continuance ( 10 I?s ) . [ 7 ] While radial daze moving ridge therapy ( RSWT ) is a pneumatically generated low to medium-energy daze moving ridge that is produced by acceleration of a missile inside the intervention handpiece and transmitted radially from the tip of the applier to the mark zone [ 8 ] . The force per unit area and the energy denseness lessening by the 3rd power of the incursion deepness in the tissue. RSWT produced lower extremum force per unit area, longer rise clip and low energy with energy flux denseness ( EFD ) less than 0.1 mJ/mm2 ) as compared with ESWT [ 9-10 ] . Many surveies have demonstrated ESWT in the intervention of bone diseases like pseudoarthrosis [ 11 ] and calcified tendonitis of the shoulder [ 10,12 ] and in soft tissue diseases like epicondylitis, [ 13 ] plantar fasciitis, [ 14 ] and sinew hurts, particularly in jocks. [ 15 ] ESWT was effectual in cut downing the hypertonus in patients with shot in comparing with placebo. Long last clinical consequence of ESWT suggested its possible usage for patients with muscular hypertonus [ 7 ] . Amelio and Manganotti, [ 7 ] showed that ESWT can alter the postural attitude and organic structure stableness of kids with CP by a lessening in hypertonus in the plantar flexor musculuss of the treated limb with an addition in the base of support at that side. [ 7 ] In order to mensurate the alteration in spasticity degree objectively, a broad assortment of electrophysiological physiological reaction surveies have been performed to measure spasticity and research neural circuits within the spinal cord. The H -reflex trial can be utile for the nonsubjective step of motor neuron hyper-excitability. Besides, the ratio of the maximal amplitude of the H- physiological reaction to maximum M- amplitude ( H/M ratio ) is an nonsubjective step of motor neuron hyper-excitability. In instance of spasticity, the H -reflex depression is significantly lower in spastic patients [ 16-17 ] . Increased H/M ratio means increasing the irritability degree while the reduced H/M ratio means diminishing the irritability degree [ 18 ] . Increased H/M ratio has been reported in the spastic stage of unilateral paralysis and it is considered the preferable index for measuring the motor nerve cell pool irritability of the spastic side in hemiplegic patients. [ 19 ] The decre ase of amplitude of these measurings demonstrates decrease of spasticity in those patients. [ 20 ] A survey conducted to measure the effects of using ESWT on spasticity by utilizing by analyzing F moving ridge and H-reflex of the gastrocnemius in hemiplegic shot patients. The determination showed that there were no important effects of ESWT on the conductivity speed, distal latency and amplitude of tibial nervus conductivity, minimum latency of tibial nervus F moving ridge, latency, or H/M ratio of H-reflex in either the healthy or stroke group. However, the modified Ashworth graduated table ( MAS ) of plantar flexor was significantly reduced after using ESWT in the shot group. [ 21 ] Besides, Yoo et al. , [ 22 ] reported that there was no consequence of ESWT ‘s on lower limb spasticity in shot patients, and its mechanism is still unknown. [ 22 ] Sohn, et Al. , [ 30 ] inquired that farther surveies is needed for measuring the decreased degree of spasticity by ESWT on functional abilities such as ambulation or activities of day-to-day populating with stressing that farther surveies refering the most effectual degree of strength, figure of ESWT interventions, and continuance of curative consequence, demand to be conducted in a larger figure of patients. [ 23 ] Although RSWT has been successfully used since the late ninetiess for the direction of assorted orthopaedic upsets, really small clinical survey – for the available literature – has yet been performed in the intervention of spasticity in intellectual paralysis kids. The purpose of our survey was to measure the effectivity of RSWT on spasticity and motor map in hemiplegic intellectual paralysis kids.MaterialsSubjects56 kids ( 32 male childs and 24 misss ) were take parting in this survey. Their age runing from ( 6-8 ) old ages with a mean ( 7 A ± 1.2 ) were indiscriminately selected and participated in this survey. Patients were referred to Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation section of El-Noor Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia and selected harmonizing to the inclusion and exclusion standards.The inclusion standardsThe inclusion standards were as follows: The participated kids had a confirmed diagnosing of hemiplegic intellectual paralysis in the prenatal, perinatal, or p ostpartum period confirmed by magnetic resonance images obtained from medical records or personal doctors. The grade of spasticity in involved lower appendage harmonizing to modified Ashworth graduated table ranged between classs 1, 1+ and 2 [ 24 ] . The degrees of gross motor map runing between degrees I through III harmonizing to Gross Motor Function Classification System ( GMFCS ) [ 25 ] . Persons with GMFCS degree I ambulate independently without restrictions, but may hold restrictions in more advanced gross motor accomplishments ; individuals with degree II ambulate independently but have restrictions walking out-of-doorss and in the community ; and individuals with degree III ambulate with an assistive device. Children were cognitively competent and able to understand and follow instructions. There were no serious medical complications harmonizing to the medical study signed by their doctor. During the survey, kids were non having other intercessions to better involved lower appendage map.The exclusion standardsThe exclusion standards included kids who had ocular job that would forestall them from executing the intercession, , uncontrolled ictuss, had no recent history of spasticity-altering specially for tendoachilis and c alf musculuss in the affected limb.They were at least one twelvemonth station orthopedic or neurological surgery, 6 months post botulinus toxin type A ( Botox ) injections, and had no history of spasticity medicine within 3 months prior to proving. Children were besides excluded if there were fixed contractures or stiffness in the affected lower appendage that would restrict activity battle.Treatment groupsThe participated kids divided into two groups. The first group ( 35 participants ) received traditional neurodevelopmental physical therapy rehabilitation plan in add-on to RSWT. The other control group ( 21 participants ) received the same plan but with placebo daze wave therapy. The traditional plan consists of beef uping exercisings, stretching exercisings, postural reactions facilitation exercisings, automatic inhibiting forms except for Achilless sinews of affected limb, pace preparation. The plan last for an hr, three times / hebdomad for 6 hebdomads. A individual blinded randomised clinical test was used as the patients did non cognize in which group was assigned and which intervention would be taken. Randomization was performed merely by inquiring the one of the parents to take a piece of one of two documents in which A, B missive was written. ( A ) considered as a RSWT group, while ( B ) considered as a traditional exercising group. All parents were given a full account of the intervention protocol and a written informed consent signifier to subscribe their understanding for engagement in the survey and publication of the consequences. The survey was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the module of applied medical scientific discipline, Um Al Qura University and parents signed a consent signifier authorising the kid ‘s engagement.Appraisal of GMFM:The GMFM is a standard mention tool designed to mensurate alteration in gross motor map over clip in kids with motor damage, and has been validated for sensitiveness to alter in kids with CP. The judges ( physical healers ) who performed all the appraisals throughout the survey did non take portion in the intercession plan. They besides had non been informed about which group was belonged ( blind assessors ) . The GMFM was used to measure alterations in gross motor accomplishment and mobility. [ 26 ] Merely the points from the walk/run/jump dimension were administered. Both the GMFM-88 and GMFM-66 tonss were used to take advantage of the improved grading with the GMFM-66 [ 27 ] .H/M ratio rating:Before get downing the measuring, the kid was prepared for entering by cleaning the sites of stimulating and entering electrodes by rubbing the tegument utilizing intoxicant. The process was repeated until the tegument becomes somewhat ruddy to guarantee removing of the degenerated cells and take downing the tegument opposition. Precautions were taken to avoid skin annoyance particularly at the exciting site. Then the kid was placed in prone place comfortab ly on the scrutiny tabular array. The pess were placed over the border of the tabular array or supported with a pillow placed under the mortise joint, so that the mortise joints were placed in a impersonal relaxed place. The caput of the kid was kept in mid place to avoid the evocation of any crude physiological reaction, which may change the distribution of tone over the kid ‘s organic structure during entering. The recording was conducted from the soleus musculus where the active ( negative ) electrode was placed along the mid-dorsal line of the lower leg, 2 centimeter below the point of separation of the gasterocnemius and secured by adhesive plaster. The other indifferent ( positive ) electrode was placed distal to the active electrode in a consecutive line over the tendoachillis and secured by adhesive plaster. The Earth electrode was placed between the stimulating and entering electrodes [ 28 ] . The stimulating electrode was placed over the tibial nervus merely median t o the center of the articulatio genus fold in the popliteal pit. The stimulus continuance was 0.1msec. , which makes it more selective for exciting the sensory nerve La nervus fibres and evokes a stable H-reflex. Stimulation was at the rate of one time every 3 seconds to avoid barricading response and let full recording of the automatic response. After puting up the kid decently on the tabular array and adequately suiting the different electrodes in the antecedently described places, bifocal nervus stimulation was conducted by utilizing EMG stimulator.Shock wave therapyA RSWT device ( shock maestro 500 ) consisting of a control unit, a 15 millimeter handpiece and a medical air compressor ( 40 dubnium, 8 saloon, 50l/min ) was used. The compressor generates a pneumatic energy ( Positive end product force per unit area: 18.5 Mpa, Frequency scope: 1 to 21 Hz, Max. energy denseness: 0.38 mJ/mmA? ) that is used to speed up a missile inside the handpiece. The RSWT was administered utilizin g a V-ACTOR manus piece ( applicator diameter 15 millimeter ) . Each kid in the intervention session received 1,500 urges per session ( 500 urges with a force per unit area of 0.5 saloon and a frequence of 15 Hz and 1,000 urges with a force per unit area of 1.0 saloon and a frequence of 20 Hz ) , an EFD of 0.10 mJ/mm2, and a fixed impulse clip of 2 msecs. The intervention country was prepared with a matching gel ( ultrasound gel ) to minimise the loss of shock-wave energy at the interface between applier tip and tegument. The force per unit area pulsations were focused on the hypertonic musculuss of the lower limb: shootings were used to handle each gastrocnemius musculuss and soleus musculuss chiefly in the center of the belly. Because low energy is used, the therapy is painless and does non necessitate the usage of anaesthesia, analgetic drugs or utilizing an ultrasound arrow usher during application. A placebo intervention was applied with the indistinguishable instrumentality. The same high-intensity sound was utilized in all patients.Outcome stepEvaluation of alterations in gross motor accomplishment utilizing the GMFM and the spasticity alterations by determined by measuring H/M ratio and entering the sum of take downing in this per centum between pre and station intervention scenes were the mensurating result.Statistical analysisA descriptive statistical computation of the mean and standard divergence was performed. Clinical and electrophysiological values for each patient were analyzed by Wilc oxon signed-rank and Mann Whitney trial. The degree of significance was set at 0.05 for all trials.Consequences60 intellectual paralysis kids with spastic unilateral paralysiss were take parting in the survey. A figure of 5 kids were excluded from the engagement because they did non finish the intervention agenda. Merely 32 male childs and 24 misss with spastic unilateral paralysiss were included in this survey. There was a non-significant difference in the mean of kid ‘s age between intervention groups where the average age in Shock wave group was ( 7 A ± 0.85 ) and ( 7 A ± 0.65 ) in traditional group.GMFM:Evaluation of the pretest value of the daze moving ridge group and traditional group by Mann-Whitney trial revealed a no important difference between the pretest values where the P value was 0.0821 and the average rank of the pretest was 25.17 for daze moving ridge and 35.02 for traditional. Wilcoxon matched pairs trial demonstrated a important consequence in the ESWT group where P & lt ; 0.0001 with a important betterments in GMFM as compared consequence of post-test to pre-test value. Besides, there was a important addition in the post-test values in traditional group P & lt ; 0.0001 as compared to pre-test values. In order to compare between the consequence of the post-test consequence between the two intervention groups, Wilcoxon signed rank trial was applied and revealed that there was a important difference between the two intervention groups where the average rank of the ESWT group was 35.02 and traditional group was 15.7 and the P & lt ; 0.0001.H/M ratio:Mann-Whitney trial compared the pretest value of the alterations in the H/M ratio between the ESWT group and traditional group and revealed a no important difference between the pretest values where the P value was 0.227 and the average rank of the pretest was 30.53 for daze wave 25.12 for traditional as shown in tabular array ( 1-2 ) . Wilcoxon matched pairs trial demonstrated a important consequence in the ESWT and traditional groups where P & lt ; 0.0001 with a important lessening in the H/M ratio as compared consequence of post-test to pre-test value. Besides, there was a important lessening in the post-test values in traditional group P & lt ; 0.0001 as compared to pre-test values. Wilcoxon signed rank trial was applied and revealed no important difference between the two intervention groups where the average rank of the ESWT group was 27.63 and traditional group was 29.95 and the p=0.605.DiscussionThe consequence of this survey showed important decrease in GMFM and H/M ratio station intervention as compared with pretreatment in the two survey groups. The H-reflex trial as Akbayrak et al. , [ 28 ] explained can be utile for the nonsubjective step of motor neuron hyperex-citability Although assorted techniques for this survey have been introduced, the ratio of the maximal amplitude of H-reflex to maximum M-amplitude ( H/M ratio ) is most practical because of the easier technique. H/M ratios tend to be increased in patients with CNS lesions and upper motor nerve cell marks, and enlisting curves are altered in a mode consistent with increased irritability of the cardinal motor nerve cell pool. Conversely, H reflexes during cataplexy are depressed. H-reflex surveies in patients with CNS disfunction have been helpful for understanding the pathophysiology of these upsets [ 29 ] . Many Potential benefits could deduce from RSWT, compared with ESWT, because it is less painful consequence and therefore can be administered without anaesthesia, thereby cut downing the hazards of intervention for patients. Furthermore, due to the radial emanation of RSWT, the calcification, one time located radiographically, is certainly included inside the moving ridge extension country. Contrarily, when the daze moving ridge is focused, as occurs in the ESWT, refocusing of the applier is sporadically necessary to be certain that the moving ridges hit the calcification [ 30 ] . Furthermore, no ultrasound usher is needed to execute curative applications of RSWT [ 8 ] . Possible repressive effects of daze moving ridges on hypertonic musculuss and sinews might be attributed to the consequence of mechanical stimulations of daze moving ridges on the musculus fibres following to the sinew that can non be excluded as suggested by ( Leone and Kukulka. [ 31 ] Besides uninterrupted or intermittent tendon force per unit area produced by daze moving ridge could diminish the spinal irritability without durable clinical or neurophysiological effects. Another possible mechanism was the mechanical vibratory stimulation, which reduces irritability of motor nerve cells and induces the alteration of F moving ridge. [ 31 ] Despite transitory and short enduring repressive continuance of mechanical vibratory stimulation on musculus, the clinical consequences of this survey continued for hebdomads and assisted in suppression of monosynaptic irritability of tendoachillis as revealed by take downing of the H/M ratio in the survey group.This happening proposing a different mechanism of action need farther probe and account. Geldard [ 32 ] in his work found that Pressure technique has been therapeutically effectual to change motor response and when force per unit area is continuously applied, there is a diminution in sensitiveness. Tuttle and Mc Clearly [ 33 ] added that mechanical force per unit area ( force ) , provided continuously is repressive, possibly because of force per unit area version. It is hypothesized that this deep force per unit area activates pacinian atoms, which are quickly altered receptor ; nevertheless, the version may change with the strength of stimulation and with the country of the organic structure being stimulated. This force per unit area seemed most effectual on sinewy interpolations [ 33 ] . Pacinian Corpuscles as Quillin [ 34 ] explained are located deep in The corium of the tegument: in entrails, mesenteries, and ligaments and near blood vass. They are most plentiful in the colloidal suspensions of the pess, where they seem to exercise some influence on position, place, and ambulation. The pacinian atoms adapt rapidly and they are activated by deep force per unit area and speedy stretch of tissues. [ 34 ] Umphred et al. , [ 35 ] reported that Because of the rapid version, a kept up stimulation will efficaciously do suppression by forestalling farther stimulations from come ining the system. The technique of deep force per unit area is applied to hypersensitive countries to normalise skin responses. Besides, they recommended that changeless force per unit area applied over the sinews of the wrist flexors may stifle flexor hypertonicity every bit good as elongate the tight facia over the sinewy interpolation. The force per unit area is applied across the sinew with increasing force per unit area until musculuss relax [ 35 ] . Pierson [ 36 ] recommended that the kept up force per unit area is effectual in cut downing spasticity if it is applied to the sinew than the musculus belly. It is thought to move as a counter thorn that overwhelms centripetal ability to intercede other types of stimulation. H-reflex testing has shown that the motor nerve cell is inhibited in the sinew being pressed [ 36 ] . In their work about the consequence of soleus musculus force per unit area on alpha motor neuron automatic irritability in topics with spinal cord hurt ( SCI ) Robichaud and Agostinucci [ 37 ] found that Circumferential force per unit area applied to the lower leg decreased soleus musculus alpha motor neuron automatic irritability in topics with SCI. [ 37 ] The consequences of survey tested the effectivity of intermittent tendon force per unit area on the depression of alpha motor neuron irritability. Kukulkaet al. , [ 38 ] showed that the application of intermittent force per unit area to a sinew produced a statistically important lessening in the amplitude of the H physiological reaction, bespeaking a depression in alpha motor neuron irritability. This depression was sustained over a 30-second period of intermittent force per unit area application. These findings support those reported earlier by KuKulka et al. , [ 38 ] in which sustained tendon force per unit area was found to bring forth a transeunt suppression of motor neuron irritability. Intermittent tendon force per unit area, hence, may be utile for patients who require a sustained decrease in musculus activity, and sustained tendon force per unit area may turn out most utile for transeunt decreases in musculus tone. [ 38 ] Sing to the repressive consequence of quiver, Maisden [ 39 ] in their surveies showed that Because its ability to diminish allergic tactile receptors through supraspinal ordinance, local quiver is considered an inhibitory technique. Vibration besides stimulates cuteaneous receptors, specifically the pacinian atoms, and therefore can besides be classified an extroceptive modes. Vibrators function with frequence below 75 Hz is thought to hold an repressive consequence on normal musculus. [ 39 ] Umphred et al. , [ 35 ] concluded that low-frequency quiver used alternately with force per unit area can be extremely effectual. It should be remembered that these combined inputs use different neurophysiological mechanisms [ 35 ] . Vibration is an effectual manner to stamp down the H-reflex as stated by Delwaide. , [ 40 ] and Braddom & A ; Johnson. [ 41 ] Somerville and Ashby [ 42 ] added that Using a vibrating stimulation to the Achilles sinew in the limb under probe consequences in depression of the H-reflex that may outlive the continuance of the quiver by several hundred msecs. The mechanism of H-reflex suppression as explained by Taylor et al. , [ 43 ] is unknown but may affect presynaptic suppression through primary spindle sensory nerve fire or neurotransmitter depletion. The consequences of this survey agreed with the determination of the work done by Manganotti and Amelio [ 44 ] who used 1,500 shootings of daze moving ridge to handle flexor musculuss of the forearm and 800 shootings for each interosseus musculus of the manus with 0.030 mJ/mm2 strength. They reported that ESWT on the flexor hypertonic musculuss of the forearm and the interosseus musculuss of the manus was effectual for the betterment of upper limb spasticity in shot patients for more than12 hebdomads. Besides the determination of Yoo et Al. [ 22 ] proved important decrease of spasticity on the cubitus flexor and carpus pronator for 1 to 4 hebdomads after 1,000 shootings of ESWT with 0.069 mJ/mm2 strength. In their survey aimed for measuring the spasticity and electrophysiologic effects of using extracorporeal daze wave therapy ( ESWT ) to the gastrocnemius by analyzing F moving ridge and H-reflex. Sohn et al. , [ 23 ] concluded that after using ESWT on the gastrocnemius in shot patients, the spasticity of the mortise joint plantarflexor was significantly improved, with no alterations of F wave or H-reflex parametric quantities. They recommended that farther surveies are needed to measure the mechanisms of the antispastic consequence of ESWT. The important betterment in the development of walking accomplishment in the participant kids in the survey group might be due to the application of traditional neurodevelopmental intercession technique in add-on to the long permanent decrease of spasticity produced by daze moving ridge therapy and its function in take downing calf musculus spasticity.This inhibitory consequence on tendoachillis hypertonus assist the kids in the survey group to develop their motor map and walking abilities which was positively reflected on the gross motor map step mark in the walk-to portion following station intervention period The transition of Achilles tendon hypertonicity and its influence on bettering motor functional and walking abilities for hypertonic CP kids is attendant with the position of Natarajan and Ribbans [ 45 ] who strongly affirmed on that â€Å" Achilles sinew is involved in a assortment of padiatric conditions † .So its shortening or failing is a characteristic of many neurological conditions impacting the cardinal or peripheral nervous system such as intellectual paralysis. And Achilles tendon spasticity, failing or contractures in these conditions lead to detaining of walking and pace abnormalcies.DecisionA individual active RSWT significantly cut down spasticity and better map compared with placebo in kids with intellectual paralysis.Practical applicationsRSWT are effectual tools that could be used individually or in combination with neurodevelopmental technique in intervention of kids with spastic unilateral paralysis.RecognitionsThe writers would wish to show their grasp to a ll patints participated in this survey with all content and cooperation and particular thanks to our co-workers at the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm AL-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.Conflict of involvementThere are no fiscal and personal relationships with other people or organisations that could unsuitably act upon this work.FundingThis research received no specific grant from any support bureau in the populace, commercial, or non-profit-making sectors.

Enraged Driving essays

Enraged Driving essays If you have ever been driving down the road, minding your own business, and got cut off, ran off the road, or were given the finger than you have fallen victim to road rage. Each day Americans grow more and more likely to take out their personal frustrations on other drivers. It is called aggressive driving and it is on the incline. Other forms of aggressive driving you have probably experienced include such things as illegal or improper lane changes or turns, failing to stop or yield right of way, excessive speeds, and an assortment of gestures, looks and verbally abusive language. Everyday you have to deal with these people on our roads. We run a great risk just driving around the corner to go to the store or a quiet trip to church. Two-thirds of car related fatalities are at least partially caused by aggressive driving. Fortunately, there is something you can do about it. To overcome aggressive driving we must first understand it. The major cause of aggressive driving is a discourteous or inattentive driver. The number one cause is probably the "left-lane hog" other discourteous driving behaviors include failure to signal before a lane change, changing lanes too closely to other drivers and tailgating. It is then that you, an unaware driver that infuriates the aggressive driver and triggers the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation. Reduced enforcement, highway traffic, congestion or personal issues also play a large role in the disposition of the aggressive driver. The angry driver then may demonstrate his displeasure by speeding around the you, cutting you off or with a number of verbal and nonverbal messages. Though the driver may feel justified in his or her action, this kind of display is most times very dangerous and often will result in damage to either your car, you, and possibly anyone else around. As mentioned before, two-thirds of the 42,000 highway deaths last year were related to aggressive d ...

17 Weird Hobbies for Students That Will Change Your Life

17 Weird Hobbies for Students That Will Change Your Life College can be a stressful time, so it is a good idea to find some fun activities to fill your spare time. However, for some students this can lead to some weird hobbies! Let’s look at some of the most unusual hobbies you might want to try. 1 – Toy Voyaging There are some weird hobbies that are stranger than others and one of them must be toy voyaging. You can register online to send your toy off on vacation to another part of the world – or you can host someone else’s toy. People take it incredibly seriously, giving their toy life missions they wish to fulfil while hosts complete travel journals and take photographs of the toy enjoying its vacation. 2 – Quidditch Harry Potter captured thehearts of children and adults alike and continues to have a huge fanbase today. Many colleges and universities are playing homage to that by setting up their own real life Quidditch teams. There may not be flying brooms, but the muggle equivalent of this wizard sport certainly counts as one of the weird hobbies you might find on campus. 3 – Soap Carving Some weird hobbies are quite artistic when you look more closely. Soap carving transforms standard bars of soap into intricate works of art using specialist tools and techniques. 4 – Element Collecting As weird hobbies go, one that might appeal to chemistry students in particular is Element Collecting. This involves trying to collect elements from the periodic table. There are many ways to approach this with some enthusiasts opting for a specific row or group rather than the whole table. A word of caution – collecting heavy elements, poisonous elements and of course radioactive ones is not recommended! 5 – Making Snow Globes Who doesn’t love playing with a snow globe? Wouldn’t making your own be even more fun? This is a hobby shared by one of the world’s most well-known celebrities – Taylor Swift. Even the stars have weird hobbies they enjoy on their down time. 6 – Beetle Fighting Beetle fighters pit their insects against one another in small plastic arenas with the bouts often being filmed and loaded to YouTube. Some enthusiasts even go so far as to breed their own beetles in an attempt to create a champion. 7 – Hikaru Dorodango You have likely never heard of Hikaru Dorodango, also known as dirt polishing, but it is apparently a popular hobby. It involves take a small ball of mud, extracting all the moisture and then coating it with fine layers of soil. Eventually it becomes possible to polish the ball of dirt into a smooth sphere. 8 – Entomology Entomology is the study of insects. In terms of weird hobbies bug collecting must be up there, right? One celebrity who doesn’t agree is model Claudia Schiffer who has an extensive bug collection and is also a huge fan of spiders! The logo for her clothing line even features a spider. 9 – Duck Herding Did you know? It is possible to train ducks to be herded just like sheep? In fact, it is a competitive sport and one of the most popular choices for corporate team building days. 10 – Extreme Ironing Believe it or not Extreme Ironing is a competitive sport which is growing in popularity. It involves ironing laundry, but in more extreme situations such as while rock climbing, kayaking or even skydiving. 11 – Newsraiding Have you ever wanted to appear on television? You are not alone if the growing popularity of newsraiding is anything to go on. This hobby involves appearing on television as a bystander on news reports and other live broadcasters! One of the most prolific newsraiders is Paul Yarrow from the UK who has appeared in the background of hundreds of television broadcasts always wearing his signature beige sweater. 12 – Noodling If your college is located near a fishing spot, then maybe you would like to try your hand at noodling quite literally. Noodling is the art of fishing with your bare hands. Catfish are the most common prey for noodlers. 13 – Ghost Hunting Are you a fan of paranormal TV shows like Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Lockdown? Why not try a little ghost hunting in real life? Many paranormal teams across the country run events taking members of the public to investigate spooky buildings. 14 – Collecting Barbie Dolls Perhaps collecting barbies isn’t one of the strangest entries on our list, but one of its enthusiasts made it interesting enough to be included. Johnny Depp is an avid collector of the dolls and says he often plays with the dolls in his collection when getting into character for a role. 15 – Tree Shaping Tree shaping is not a hobby for those looking for instant gratification as it can take years. However, it is extremely cool as you can train trees to grow into artistic shapes or even into your own living furniture. 16 – Geocaching What if we told you that you could go on a real-life treasure hunt? Geocachers use satellite technology to locate caches – small boxes of trinkets and other treasures which can be swapped. There is also a log book to sign inside each one. It may seem a little weird at first, but it is totally free, a great way to stay fit and good for meeting other players. 17 – Suing People Not all the weird hobbies we have come across are advisable and we certainly don’t recommend taking up suing people. Jonathan Lee Riches made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the person who has filed the most lawsuits. His list of targets includes the likes of Britney Spears, Martha Stewart, the Eiffel Tower and even a selection of Buddhist Monks. These weird hobbies might sound a little strange to you right now but consider this – the hobbies you mention on your resume are something that helps companies with their recruitment. If you prefer to try something more conservative, check out these cheap hobbies for students. A prospective employer is not necessarily looking for a hobby connected to the job, but if you have an interesting hobby then it could help you to stand out from the crowd of applicants!

When I was a Kid.The most important piece of advice in my life Essay

When I was a Kid.The most important piece of advice in my life - Essay Example As a child I acted as if I was in my own little world and did not seem to care about anyone else. However, there is one memory that is so vivid in my mind because I remember it was the day when I received the most important piece of advice in all my life. My father said to me that it did not matter how many times I fell to the ground, but what was really important were the number of times I picked myself back up and continued on with the same determination that I once had as a young child. The first time I remember these words of advice coming in handy was when I joined my first soccer team. I was the smallest kid on the team and it showed through my lack of enthusiasm to tackle some of the other players. It did not matter to me that I was the smallest player because what I lacked in size I sure made up with grit and determination. Because of my stature within the team, both figuratively and literally, I had to work hard to even get noticed, whereas other players seemed to have a muc h easier job getting the attention of the coach. There was one time that I remember just like it was yesterday. I was sent onto the field to play a game during a thunderstorm. My team was trailing and I was expected to change the course of the game for my team. At one stage the ball fell to me right in front of the opposing goal but I slipped during the moment I had a chance to become a hero. I felt so disappointed that I had let the team down, but ultimately I was dismayed with myself. Even though the field was very slippery that day, I could not blame the poor weather conditions for falling to score the goal. I picked myself up and wiped all the dirt and mud off my face. As I was doing that, I could hear my father whisper those words of advice in my ear. I knew then that I had to make a choice, and I chose to forget about what happened and continue like the incident had never occurred. I threw myself at every ball that came near me and I was determined to turn the game around for my team. At the end of the game, we had turned things around. The game was won and I felt vindicated for choosing to forget about what happened and focus on the task at hand. As I was walking off the field, I glanced toward my father and saw him nod in approval. Another time where my father's words of advice proved invaluable was when I was failing some of my courses at school. I admit that I did not put in the effort required in order to do well, but this does not mean that I did not care about my schoolwork. I could have chosen the path of continuing to be toward the lower end of my class academically, but I decided to put in place some steps that would help me to improve my grades. First of all, I asked questions of the teachers whenever I was unsure about something or did not understand it fully. I began to take notes during class and I would go over them in my spare time. There were occasions when I even stayed back after school to study some of the subjects that I was doing po orly in. It took me about a semester to pull up my grades, but I think it was worth it in the end. There was a lot of hard work involved, and I had to change my attitude toward learning. Admitting weakness and seeking out improvement is not an easy thing to accomplish, but the words of my father helped me to see that I had the option of turning things around and that is what I did. Since I was a child, I would say that I am still similar in many ways; however, one thing that has changed has been that I am much more focuser now than I ever was. I have done this by setting achievable goals and then putting plans in motion that will help me to accomplish them. As my father once said, the times you fall are not important, it is only the times you get back up that