Buying the House in the Area of Northridge Essay

Buying the House in the Area of Northridge - Essay Example b) Sexual Offenders: There were ten sexual offenses recorded in recent days in various parts of Northridge which can also be recognized as the neighborhood area of Rinaldi Street (Office of the Attorney General, â€Å"In Violation†). c) Density: According to the Census 2000, the neighborhood area of the selected house/condo is populated with a total number of 28,049 people (U.S. Census Bureau, â€Å"Fact Sheet†). Thus, the area is not densely populated.   d) Local School Ratings: The selected area of Northridge encompasses with 14 preschools, 10 public elementary, 3 public middles, 1 district, 1 public high, 1 public charter and 17 private schools (Great Schools Inc, â€Å"Districts or Schools in Northridge†). Few of the schools have been ranked as the top schools in the county while most of them are ranked as fairly good between 1 to 6 out of 10 (Los Angeles Times, â€Å"Northridge†). e) Earthquake Fault Location: The area of Northridge in Los Angeles region possesses a high risk of the earthquake from faults such as blind thrust fault and others. The selected area includes itself in the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones (the State of California, â€Å"Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zone Maps†). a) Zoning Regulations: The selected area includes in the Restricted Density Multiple Dwelling Zone. According to the regulations prescribed the area is prohibited to be used for commercial purpose. The residents are also not allowed to have equine(s) in a lot area which is less than 20,000 square feet. Moreover, increasing the building over two stories is also prohibited. However, the selected condo includes itself in the RD2 zone (American Legal Publishing Corporation, â€Å"Municipal Code, Chapter I (Planning And Zoning Code)†.).   

Article Analysis on Mate Selection Essay Example for Free

Article Analysis on Mate Selection Essay The entire article is based on evolutionary psychology and the title of the article is Mate Selection criteria: A trait desirability assessment study of sex differences of Serbia. The entire paper examines the predictions from socio-structural perspective and evolutionary on sex differences in the mate selection in Serbia. There were a total of 127 respondents that were taken from Serbia and the respondents were mainly college students. The method of Likert scale was used and they were questioned about 60 behavioral traits and personality traits. Differences were obtained on the basis of perceived desirably of strengths, self pity, fragility, thinness’s and beauty. The males in this study consider these traits as more desirable and the females valued strength of the male positively. Female respondents are more concerned with the physical appearance of their partners. Similarly, in this study females are also concerned about the socio-economic class of males. A generalized approach cannot be used in this study because Serbian people are distinct in their culture. Similarly, in this study both sexes are attracted with each other on different factors like sexual attractiveness, beauty, socio-economic factors etc. The purpose of the researcher was to evaluate the sex differences in Serbia. However the actual hypothesis of this research paper is based on the functionality of mate selection criteria that is based on the perspective of subordinate position of women. The entire research was carried out by Bojan Todosijevic, Snezana Ljubinkovic, and Aleksandra Arancic (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). The research was headed by the department of psychology which belongs to the University of Novi. As far as the findings of this research is considered quantitative analysis is used in this the entire research to evaluate the findings of this research. Findings of this research depicts that the traits that are assessed are sincerity, tenderness, passion, maturity, intelligence and etc. The desirable traits among both the sexes are courage, thinness, talent for sports, beauty, elegance, aggressiveness and etc. Both the sexes agree on the general ordering of the traits but the research have identifies certain significant differences statistically. Males consider the traits of self-pity, thinness, beauty; fearfulness as more desirable and the probability of these traits are less than 0. 1. Findings suggest that men scored quite higher on the former items and the character traits were considered to be more desirable by the females. Discussion of the topics with respect to the article The topic of selecting a life time companion and the topic of comparison levels can be related with this research paper (Anderson Sabatelli, 2007). Certain traits are discussed in this research paper and the through different statistical tools the results are evaluated. In both the topics of the text book the traits are discussed and both the topics evaluate that effectiveness of traits. The phenomenon of how to select an appropriate life partner is discussed and what should an individual do when he/she is selecting its soul mate. Similarly, the other topic of comparison levels discusses the comparison levels between the two sexes. In this research paper research is conducted on the traits of males and females and how both of them select their partners based on these traits. The phenomenon of Likert scale is used in the entire research. Conclusion The hypothesis in this research paper was formulated on the basis of evolutionary psychology. The results of this paper depicts that males give more preference to physical attractiveness of their potential mates. On the other hand women consider socio-economic factors like success in job, capability to earn and wealth related factors as important. The traits that are discussed in this research paper are dependent on culture and it varies with culture to culture. All the traits are evaluated in this research and generalized results are attained from the study (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). The hypothesis that was derived with higher socio-economic interpretation that was related to women should be considered as less important as compared to the hypothesis on evolutionary psychology. In the entire research paper different traits were evaluated and results were achieved through Likert scales. Before reading the article one cannot depict that which traits are more important for women and for men and since the entire article talks about traits and their effectiveness that is the reason why it becomes quite easy to filter out which traits are necessary for men and which are important for women. Statistical analyses are used in this article which helps the reader in finding the viability of the results. This article can definitely help an individual in selecting its partner and after reading this article one can check the traits discussed in this article with the traits that are present in his/her partner or the traits which he/she desires for (Todosijevic, Ljubinkovic, Arancic, 2003). References Anderson, S. , Sabatelli, R. (2007). Family Interaction: A Multigenerational Developmental Perspective. Allyn Bacon. Todosijevic, B. , Ljubinkovic, S. , Arancic, A. (2003). Mate selection criteria: A trait desirability assessment study of sex differences in Serbia. University in Novi.

Human Development Index and the Gross Domestic Product

Human Development Index and the Gross Domestic Product Compare and Contrast Two Indices Used To Measure Development. Which Of The Two Do You Find Most Convincing And Why? You Must Support Your Answer With References To Examples. This essay shall compare the Human Development Index and the Gross Domestic Product. The fundamental reason for this choice is that they are the most commonly used measurements in the literature of development today (Kubiszewski et al, 2013). These two indices also highlight the fact that measuring development is a complex subject as development itself is a multidimensional concept (Kothari Minogue, 2001). The two indices bring to fore the question of who exactly is doing the measurement and for what purposes. As tools they make the complexity that is part of measuring development easier to understand (Greig, Hulme Turner, 2007) and they also highlight the power dynamics inherent in the sphere of development (Kothari Minogue, 2001). Introduction: Development is intrinsically linked to poverty and as such the policies and programmes created to tackle poverty are a huge part of the development project (Greig, Hulme Turner, 2007: Allen Thomas, 2000). Measuring the levels of poverty and human development is therefore a prerequisite of creating effective policies and programs to tackle developmental challenges (Stiglitz, et al, 2009). There are various indices used to measure development for example the ISEW-Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, GPI-Genuine Progress Indicator, Gross National Happiness just to mention a few. The variety of measurement indices draw attention to the divergent views surrounding what is considered important the when it comes to measuring development. The complexity of measuring and defining development for example is seen in the challenging of assumptions that view development as a strictly linear economic progression of a country (Haynes, 2008). However the question then arises whether there is a clearly defined spectrum of ‘developed’ countries at one end and ‘underdeveloped’ countries at another (Haynes, 2008). What about the economic and development heterogeneity within the developing countries? (Ibid). One can hardly conclude that all developing countries are following a trajectory from ‘underdeveloped’ to ‘developed’ as one has to take into consideration the countries who are part of what Collier (2008) calls the â€Å"Bottom Billion†. These countries according to Collier (2008) are caught up in the poverty traps that prevent or frustrate development. According to Collier the four main poverty traps affecting the ‘bottom billon’ are conflict, the natura l resource curse, landlocked countries surrounded by ‘bad’ neighbours who have poor infrastructure and finally bad governance (Collier, 2008, p 5). For example one cannot presume that Uganda which is a landlocked country that has substantial natural resources that include sizeable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt, fertile land and regular rainfall would follow Switzerland’s trajectory. Landlocked Switzerland trades through highly developed and stable Germany and Italy whereas Uganda shares borders with South Sudan, Rwanda and Kenya. Two of Uganda’s neighbours that is South Sudan and Rwanda that have witnessed drawn out and intense conflict that spilled over into Uganda at one point or another and Kenya whose poor infrastructure, high cost of transporting goods through regional boarders as well as corruption at the coastal ports frustrates Uganda’s progress at accessing the global markets (Yusuf, 2013: Ruhanga Mayindo, 2010). The term development is therefore multifaceted and many depending on their theoretical perspective, view the term differently (Allen Thomas, 2000). Its theoretical as well as practical historical progression has been riddled with inconsistencies (Haynes, 2008). For example even though data shows that development has occurred in terms of absolute growth there is the unparalleled widening gap between the rich and the poor countries as pointed out by Sachs (2005) (cited in Greig, Hulme Turner, 2007 p.5). The disparities between the people within countries has also widened increasing the levels of inequality globally (Kothar Minogue, 2001). Amartya Sen defines development as ‘the expansion of the capabilities of people to lead the kind of lives they value †¦and have reason to value’ (Sen, 1999, p.18). This expands the concept of development to include the wellbeing of the society. In this essay the term development will be taken to mean the continuous improvement in the sphere of one’s personal life, socio-economic relationships, culture and general wellbeing. (Allen Thomas, 2000). Development according to this definition is therefore a process. A process that ideally adopts to the context whilst maintaining its focus on improving the overall wellbeing of a society. Comparison of the HDI and the GDP: The HDI: The Human Development Index (HDI) that was introduced by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 1990 has become the main alternative to the economically focused Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which has been used as the main measure of development worldwide (Sagar Najam, 1998). As an alternative form of measurement, it reflected the new approaches to development incorporating Economist Amartya Sens capabilities approach (Bilabao-Ubillos, 2011). The HDI has three main dimensions. These are health, education and Income. The variables included in these dimensions are life expectancy, child mortality, school enrolment, literacy and Income per capita. By including these dimensions the HDI highlighted the multidimensionality of human development as well as puts more focus on the individual as opposed to economic growth in assets and income (Greig, Hulme Turner, 2007). The ease of access to these dimensions within a country increases individuals’ functions and abilities that in turn positively contribute to the general wellbeing of society. For example access to health care improves life expectancy as well as individual agency by increasing their economic output if opportunities to do so are available (Bilabao-Ubillos, 2011). The HDI apart from pointing out that the real wealth of a society are its people also renewed the debate on the measurement of development (Sagar Najam, 1998). It brought together various theoretical concepts of development into a unified theme making it easier for countries and governments to focus their policies on improvement (Greig, Hulme Turner, 2007). This measurement also brought to fore the importance of people participation as well as gender issues in development (Sagar Najam, 1998). With the introduction of the HDI, it has then been easier to incorporate broad and important notions of sustainability into development measures (Ibid). However despite these positives the HDI has come under three main criticisms as pointed out by (Bilbao-Ubillos, 2011, p. 403). These are criticisms of the conceptual definitions of development, of the specific equations that generate the HDI and of the data quality used in its calculations. As the various criticisms are wide ranging, this essay will only focus on a few. To begin with the HDI fails to take into account the level of inequality and income inequity within a country. Distributional inequalities which may be caused by discrimination are significant for wellbeing and human development but are not captured within this measurement and therefore do not reflect the degree of economic and social cohesion within a country (Bilbao-Ubillos, 2011,). Another criticism is that the HDI fails to reflect the issues in countries where economic growth does not translate into human development. In other words there is no mechanism to measure governments’ public sector policies that focus on the idea of human development. For example in 2004 Angola allocated 1.5% of its GDP to health and 2.6% to education whereas Malawi allocated 9.6% and 5.5% respectively (Ibid). Sagar Najam, (1998) point out that there is a design flaw in the HDI as trade-offs between various dimensions are masked. The method of folding the three indices into a single one counters the notion that they have equal weight and therefore a deficiency in one dimension can be made up in the addition of another. Logically ‘good performance’ based on the HDI should require ‘good performance’ in all dimensions simultaneously. Another flaw in the HDI is that it does not reflect the reality on the ground. For example according to the Human Development Report in 1997, Switzerland HDI was 0.99 while Mexico was 0.96 on the standard of living index yet the GNP of Switzerland was at $37930 and Mexico $4180. Even if one features in the terms of purchasing power parity these two countries do not have a similar standard of living which was the claim of UNDP report (Ibid). Finally but not least the HDI does not capture the environmental dimensions of development which are very important in the concept of wellbeing (Bilbao-Ubillos, 2011) The GDP. â€Å"The GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a given geographical entity within a given period of time† (Schepelmann et al, 2010, p 14). The GDP is the convergence of the demand, production and income of a country’s economy (Ibid). Gross domestic product (GDP) is the most widely used measure of economic activity. Much thought has gone into its statistical and conceptual bases thus making it a user friendly tool that utilises available data to measure market production (Schepelmann et al, 2010, p 14). Over time however, it has been seen as a measure of economic well-being but this is misleading as important variables that constitute overall wellbeing of a society are absent (Stiglitz et al, 2009). The GDP focuses solely on money to measure the economic and living standards of a country as it is a crucial tool within any society. Money is easy to add up, helps in the understanding of markets, but it is not the sole driver of development (Stiglitz et al, 2009). On the negative side, the GDP makes no distinction between the positive and the negative factors that contribute to social progress. For example an oil spill increases the GDP of a country due to clean-up costs totally ignoring the detrimental effect on the environment as well as wellbeing of the society. It therefore does not distinguish between sustainable and unstainable practices (Kubiszewski et al, 2013). Crime and break down of society are also viewed as positives since more monetary transactions in the form of input to counter these vices increase (Schepelmann et al, 2010). The GDP also ignores the informal economy, household and volunteer work, leisure as well as the outputs of government services that are important to the accessing of opportunities that improve individual freedoms (Stiglitz, et al, 2009). Human capital investments like education and health care are treated as consumption and the GDP views technology as an end product discounting the benefits of innovation and efficiency that technology contribute to the wellbeing of a society. Conclusion: Even though the definition of ‘development’ varies and the tools used to measure development have faced criticism for various reasons, this does not negate the fact that measuring development is extremely important for the formulation of policies and strategies to deal with the challenges faced by individual countries that want to improve their citizens overall standard of living. By proposing that human development is more than just a sum total of monetary funds, the UNDP moved the focus away from a unilinear view of progress to encompass the multidimensional truth of what development actually is. The HDI has made it easier for governments especially in the developing world to focus their policies on tackling the root causes of poverty as opposed to dealing with the symptoms. As the rankings come out every year the underperforming countries that want to improve their rankings are then forced to focus on what matters as well as invest in data collection. It should be pointed out that money will always be an important factor in development as the availability of monetary fund’s opens doors to more opportunities to improve one’s life choices and capabilities. The GDP will always be an important measurement tool in development and it should therefore not be summarily condemned just because it only measures one aspect of development. The alternative to improve on both indices is a continuous exercise in the development literature. The inclusion of income remittances from abroad in the GDP and renaming it the GNI is but one example of the flexibility of this tool. Rapley (2002:10 ) quoted in Greig, Hulme Turner(2007) says â€Å"as a rule there is a correlation between national income and a country’s ability to improve the social indicators of its citizenry†. The GDP and the HDI should therefore be viewed as complimentary tools in the area of measuring development. Bibliography: Allen, T. Thomas, A. (eds.)(2000). Poverty and Development into the 21st Century. Bilbao-Ubillos, J. (2011). The Limits of Human Development Index: The Complementary Role of Economic and Social Cohesion, Development Strategies and Sustainability. Sustainable Development. 21, 400-412. Collier, P. (2008). The Bottom Billion. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Greig, A., Hulme, D. Turner, M. (2007). Challenging Global Inequality. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Haynes, J. (2008). Development Studies. Cambridge: Polity Press. Kothari, U. Minogue, M. (eds). (2001). Development Theory and Practise: Critical Perspectives. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Kubiszewki, I., Costanza, R., Franco, C., Lawn, P., Talberth, J., Jackson, T. Aylmer, C. (2013). Beyond GDP: Measuring and Achieving Global Genuine Progress. Ecological Economics. 93, 57-68. Oxford: The Open University in association with Oxford University Press. Ruhanga, I.A. Mayindo, J. (2010). Ugandas Environment and Natural resources: Enhancing Parliaments Oversight. [Online]. Available From: http://www.grida.no/publications/uganda-handbook/. [Accessed on the 1 November 2014] Sagar, A.D. Najam, A. (1998). The Human Development Index: A Critical Review. Ecological Economics. 25, 249-264. Schepelmann, P., Goossens, Y. Mokipaa, A. (2010). Towards Sustainable Development. Alternatives to GDP for Measuring Progress. [Online]. Available from: http://wupperinst.org/en/publications/details/wi/a/s/ad/1113/ . [Accessed on the 1 November 2014] Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stiglitz, E.J., Sen, A. Fitoussi, J.P. (2009). Report by The Commission On The Measurement Of Economic Performance And Social Progress. [Online]. Available from: http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/rapport_anglais.pdf [Accessed on the 1 November 2014] Yusuf, M. (2013). Tanzania Kenya Compete For Trade With Landlocked Neighbours.[Online]. Available From: http://www.voanews.com/content/tanzania-kenya-compete-for-trade-with-landlocked-neighbors/1698969.html . [Accessed 30 October 2014.] 1

Analysis of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth Essay -- Tintern Abbey

Analysis of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth William Wordsworth existed in a time when society and its functions were beginning to rapidly pick up. The poem that he 'Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye', gave him a chance to reflect upon his quick paced life by taking a moment to slow down and absorb the beauty of nature that allows one to 'see into the life of things'; (line 49). Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'; takes you on a series of emotional states by trying to sway 'readers and himself, that the loss of innocence and intensity over time is compensated by an accumulation of knowledge and insight.'; Wordsworth accomplishes to prove that although time was lost along with his innocence, he in turn was able to gain an appreciation for the aesthetics that consoled him by incorporating all together, the wonders of nature, his past experiences, and his present mature perception of life. Wordsworth begins his poem by describing the landscape of the abbey as unchanged during the past five years. He emphasizes the lapse of time by stating, ' again I hear';, 'again do I behold';, and 'again I see';. He seemed to be overwhelmed with emotions that he, though up on a very far away cliff, was certain that a hermit was in his cave sitting by the fire alone. Wordsworth wanted so much to remember the place that he was allowing his perception of the past take over his present reality. More importantly he says, 'I again repose here?'; to express that the scene gives him a sense of reconciliation. He further illustrates the isolation, peacefulness, and greenness of the abbey to tap into his vague memories of past encounters. Although there had been a 'long absence'; from the abbey, the memories of his hurried time in the Wye had consoled him ' 'mid the din of towns and cities'; (lines 26-27). 'With tranquil restoration'; Wordsworth has changed from the state of observing to the state of recalling his 'unremembered pleasures[s]'; (31). He had many times returned in spirit to the Wye, to escape the 'fever of the world'; (53). These memories have produced emotions beyond his understanding; enlightening him and relieving his frustrations. It is the abbey, 'in which the heavy and the weary weight of all this unintelligible world, is lightened'; and makes him become a 'living soul';. (40-49) Wordsworth was claiming th... ...e it was 'full of blessings'; (134). And if she ever happened to be alone, scared, in pain or in grief, Wordsworth wanted her to look upon these 'healing thoughts'; (144) and think of him. Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'; is the poetry of consciousness and becoming aware of this state, and the understanding of where one fits into the scheme of everything within the world. Wordsworth looked into life as an active participant ready to grasp all knowledge and understanding that was available to him. So although he missed the abbey and lost some of his youth, he had gained ten-fold by being able to interpret his feelings through his own perception and knowledge. He had found a way to console himself, he had found a basis for hope in 'Tintern Abbey';. Wordsworth had become more thoughtful and saw the abbey in a different way than in his youth. He had learned how to appreciate things and wanted to instill those values in his sister/';Dear Friend';. Wordsworth had found the true comfort in nature and had incorporated that respect for nature in his life. Works Cited: Wordsworth, William. "Tintern Abbey." Romanticism: An Anthology. Ed. Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998. 265-269.

Poem Play Story

House of Cards is a series that was produced by Beau Williamson and takes place in a present- day Washington D. C. Setting. The main character Frank underworld, Is a Democrat congressman from South Carolina's district, who creates a devious plan In order to get himself into a position of power. With the assistance of his wife, he is able to under mind and scheme against the President of the united States, by befriending him and other people of power through blackmail, scheming, and even murder. Frank Underworld used his power to influence electoral votes.He made deals and passed laws 2 not for economical growth but for his own personal endeavors. Frank wasn't always this way, he was very loyal to the president at one time. The president chose another congressman to become Vice President, knowing that Frank waited many years for the position. After the president assigned another person is when Frank became enraged, taking matters into his own hands. â€Å"A great man once said, every thing is about sex. Except sex. Sex is about power† Is one of his favorite quotes.I chose this lay not because I am Intrigued by politics, but because of all the deferent turns the plot has taken during the show. Life a Journey Is a poem that Is written by Noreen Carded. A few lines from her poem goes as follows † Now I'm in my sunset years. I've learned my lessons have no fear. I made mistakes along the way. Each time my conscience made me pay. Advice to youth if they allow. Life is precious live well now. † In this poem the Author discusses that in life we all make mistakes that we have to live with and that we should learn from them and move on.She also writes on how we should Just enjoy life. Chose this poem because a lot of my teen and early twenty years I spent not really enjoying life the way a teenager topically would. I am currently in process of changing that and just living one day at a time. The poem describes her as being young and making mistakes, and allowing it to bother her conscience Once growing older realizing there is much more to be enjoyed in life and telling younger people not to make the same mistakes she has. The short story I chose was of David from the Bible.Some of us may know the story of David, who was the small Sheppard that grew up and became king. When David was 3 just a boy, he had brothers that went off to war. The Philistines were hounding them, and blaspheming God. David ventured out to give his brothers food and noticed had faith in God. Knowing that God will protect him against a large man/giant like Goliath, he took five stones into his hand. One stone for Goliath and each of his four brothers. The Philistines all laughed at him, being such a small boy, challenging a giant.They all stood in disbelief after witnessing David taking Goliath Down with a single stone. I chose this story because it displays the true meaning of self confidence. The story of David is in the Bible 1 Samuel 17. Each of these pie ces have impacted me in some way whether it be life, my way of thinking or self confidence. House of Cards series has given me insight on what I would like to call the down side of politics. Even though this â€Å"show† is Just that, it really makes me wonder if politicians are really that corrupt, and whether their decision making really s for the greater good.Like Frank Underworld road to power is paved with hypocrisy, and casualties. † The poem that I chose gave me insight on how to enjoy the simplicity of life and how not to dwell on the mistakes I have made along the way, but rather to learn from them and keep living. Noreen Carded has wonderful themes and her poems are pleasant. Last but not least the story of David helps me to really understand the importance on believing in yourself, even more when you are doubted by others. I don't think of David as an underdog, but more so a confident being with skills.

Practical book review Essay

Petersen breaks down the book in five parts . He starts off with part one the value of of communication balancing: listing awhile , talk until the other person stops hearing , Listen until the person calms enough to hear again. He furthers this in a another chapter. He then moves on to the Flat-brain theory . He uses diagrams to explain the different levels of Stomach functions which is where the our emotions are located . This area is were we experience our inner nudges . He also explains how the heart functions , the heart functions as a filter it gives and receives concerns , suggestions, and support. The next function is the head. The functions of the head is thinking, planning , remembering. The next couple of chapters begin to talk about he goes into a deeper understanding of the the flat brain theory until he reaches the flat- brain syndrome where he talks about how our brains function better in a short football shape. However when our brains are squished it creates a serious defect in our head fiction.he continues to talk about this concept . Part two starts off with the talker listener process taking turns talking and listening. This can and will determine the role of talker or listener. The talker-listener card was introduced and we were provided a actual card to put to use in our personal time. The purpose of this card is to create an atmosphere and role of each persons involved. The card provides instructions on when to talk and when to listen this the opportunity of the talker to without being interrupted and the listener to be attentive to what the talker is talking about. Chapters 8 through 15 go deeper in depth of the talker- listener card and its many functions from the talker prescriptive and the listener prescriptive. Part Three Petersen highlights the six communication traps, 1. Ritual listening, 2.Perry Masons( which made me chuckle ) 3. Why? 4. Not?5. I understand, he goes in depth to help the reader understand the difference between the five communications traps. He also talks about when trying new things and some of the thoughts that come long with that . When trying new skills you always have negative reactions such as: To much repetition grates, new skills often sound fake, friends and family co-worker get rattled by change. He further part three by discussing basic listening technique . He uses technique such as : para-feeling ( putting the talker’s feelings into your words), decoding . He futhers the conversation of why we don’t listen better in part five Where you can use TLC( talker-listener card) in group settings . The TLC card can help aide through difficult discussion as well help moderate a two person conversation . In conclusion in part five he states â€Å" how if you go beyond skill to increase empathy, genuineness and warmth you’ll tap into reservoir of healthy humanness that’ll out wheels on your technique( Pg 210). RESPOND! I remember growing up and my mother would ask me â€Å" how are you? what are thinking about?† I would have such a difficult time in expressing my feelings. I felt like when no one really cared about me , and my thoughts. In chapter eleven Petersen talks about the first talker goal: sharing your feelings. I immediately become more in tune with what I was reading. I recently had an encounter with a very close friend and she made the statement: Kia you listen to everyone else’s problems but you never seem to open as easy as we do to you. That’s unfair to us as friends. I thought to myself I trust them as friends but sometimes its easier for me to keep my thoughts to my self . However from reading this chapter I understand that it hinders my communication not only with my friends but with others . It puts a stumbling block on me to be open and receptive. So I went back to that friend and we went to dinner and I used skittles as props; we sat down and for every skittle in my hand I had to share my feelings or thoughts on questions she had or asked. I can honestly say that just by having this little prop it open the door and I was able to release so much that I was holding back from her. I now see the difference of talking and listening she listened attentively and this allowed me to be honest and not feel judged by her or her actions. REFLECT! Honestly the thought that popped in my head as I was reading this book was our relationship with Christ. I have said this before but it seems to be more imperative . We often talk to Christ and we tell Him all the troubles of our lives and how we need this or we need that.However we often neglect the fact that Christ has to something to say to us. I started to reflect on the stories of Jonah , Moses. They did not want to recognize the many clues that was present to them throughout their walk so it took spectacular things to happen to them before they got the message. Isn’t like God to speak to us In the loudest moments of our lives. In those times of anger and frustration and we miss the mark because we are so loud internally. He took Jonah inside of the fishes belly in order to get the message to him . It took a burning bush to get Moses attention and it took me reading this book ; to recognize that internally I’m so loud that I need to learn how to calm myself down and others to experience me. Could it be that God has to extreme measures sometimes for me to stop and recognize Him? I often am on the go and pray on the go but I have recognize that in the moments when I feel like giving up or fighting or screaming He speaks quietly and calms my mind , soul, and spirit. He speaks often I guess the question is how much are we really listening ?Silence keeps you bound , talking gets you free, listening brings understanding! ACT! Some of the techniques that I plan on using are the Talker- Listener card . I plan using this in my personal life ,when I have arguments and as well as in just simple conversations when trying to come to an agreement. I believe that this strategy will be helpful in my prayer time . The concept of talking and listening and really allowing God to minster to me as I minster to Him. Another technique I will use and will keep visuals of is the balancing scale of the emotions, heart, judgement or thoughts. Remembering the scale will help balance my conversations in the future especially when it comes to a misunderstanding. I really thank Petersen because I am a visual learner and the pictures put what he was saying in perceptive for me. Another technique that is really important to is remembering the pointing finger. In many conversations I often use my hands to communicate how I’m feeling . After reading this section of the book I understand how my hands and fingers can seem more offensive then helping . I will remember this and will try to not use my hands as much in explaining my feelings. I plan incorporating the talker- listener card in my youth groups and after school programs. Teaching our youth to the stages of communication now . View as multi-pages