Introduction to African American Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to African American Studies - Essay Example In the movie American History X, the speech Danny makes at the end—in which he quotes Abraham Lincoln—is significant for several reasons. Derek and Danny were both members of Aryan white supremacy groups; Derek suffered violence at the hands of other prisoners due to his friendship with a Black inmate; and Danny was killed by a student like himself, a Black young man with whom he had had an altercation the day before. Derek had not wanted his younger brother Danny to engage in the same kind of senseless violence which characterized the very reason Derek was in prison. When two Black men vandalized Derek’s truck—the only possession left to Derek by his father, who was also a target of Black-on-white crime—Derek killed one man and severely injured the other. That notwithstanding, Derek was sentenced to be incarcerated for a period of a few years and came out of jail wanting his younger brother not to follow in his footsteps. Derek and Danny, at this s tage of the movie, definitely do not consider Black people to be their friends in any respect. Nay, they are enemies—people who are to be feared and regarded in low esteem based solely on the fact that one side is white and the other Black—a most denigrating feeling perpetuated by these two brothers. In jail, Derek’s friend Lamont—who happened to be Black—became Derek’s best friend while in jail. ... This helps Derek realize that it is not the color of one’s skin, but the content of one’s character, that makes a person what he or she is. Once he realizes this, he fears it may be all but too little too late for his dear brother Danny, who takes a similar road he did. The question is,will Derek be able to save his brother the same or similar fate he experienced? Derek now realizes that, since his prior thinking was wrong, he must do something to set things aright now that he is getting paroled from prison. Meanwhile, Danny takes a personalized, private history course—an idea of Dr. Sweeney’s after Danny does a paper on Hitler’s Mein Kampf as an apologetical work—â€Å"American History X† being the name of the class, which is supposed to be a substitute for the other history class in which he was doing very poorly. Unfortunately, just as Derek himself did, Danny found himself in a confrontation with a young Black man over a prior argu ment or beef. This young man proves to be Danny’s enemy—and his realization of his morally reprehensible, wrong, racist attitudes of the past are ones which he no longer agrees with—unfortunately, too late. The idea that both Blacks and whites should be friends, not enemies, is the point that Lincoln the abolitionist, our 16th President, was trying to drive home. Lincoln’s ideology flew in the face of the white supremacy that devoured Derek and Danny’s lives; Lincoln saw the potential for friendships containing individuals of both races; and Lincoln knew the destructive ends of hate, which no one should hopefully have to experience in one’s lifetime. 5) In the essay, â€Å"Toward a Theory of Popular

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

Business Ethics - Essay Example This protest has highlighted the fact that there is a lack of established ethical concepts in the company. Companies, which do not follow the concepts of business ethics and moral values, lack a congenial working atmosphere. The Utilitarianism theory was evolved by Jeremy Bentham and it suggested that a movement should focus on a right action which is for the benefits of the mass people. The protests against the Hyatt hotel were influenced by the Utilitarianism concept. The poor working conditions of Hyatt hotel as highlighted by the workers depict that satisfaction of employees should be the topmost priority of an organization. Ethical Dilemma The Hyatt Hurts Controversy Reports of conflict between the management of Hyatt hotel and the workers of the staff had been reported in the year 2008 (Roff, 2013). The labour contract between hotel Hyatt and the workers of the hotel had expired and the management was supposed to negotiate certain elements of the contract which included wages, benefits, right to organize and workload. However, it refused to negotiate with the terms and conditions and fired most of its housekeeping staff members with temporary staff being recruited from an agency. Majority of the housekeeping staff were working in the company since ten to fifteen years (Roff, 2013). The reason behind this sudden move was to reduce the administrative costs of the hotel due to inflation pressures. This angered the common people, employees of the organization and even certain government bodies and labour unions like UniteHere. The organization UniteHere went on a global boycott against Hyatt hotels to encourage consumers around the world not to visit the Hyatt hotels. The city of Indianapolis passed an ordinance act in July 2011 Hyatt and several other hotels to prohibit unethical practices within the company (Roff, 2013). Stakeholder’s Viewpoint The conflicts and controversies irked the stakeholders. The reputation of the company was hanging by a thre ad. From a Financial management perspective, stakeholders determine the company’s reputation from the ability of its managers to adapt with the changing environment. This is because a company which is socially responsible has lower perceived risk from an economics point of view (Dimitriou, et al., 2011). The hotel had received the ‘worst employer’ award from UniteHere in 2011 and even organizational bodies like Nation Football League and National Organization of women joined hands together to protest against the hotel (Stangler, 2013). In June 2009, four hundred workers of Hyatt Regency, San Francisco left the company to revolt against the unethical conducts being practised in the hotel (Stangler, 2013). These reports had affected the stakeholders badly. The managers of the Hyatt retaliated by publishing an article in the Washington Post in the year 2011 claiming that the allegations against the hotel were completely false and the hotel provided the best work inc entives and benefits to workers. The vice president of the Human Resource department of Hyatt, Mr. Doug Patrick stated in a press conference that the workers were protesting against the hotel because they wanted to create a union membership in the hotel (Stangler, 2013). The managers of hotel Hyatt had become adamant and refused to apologize. Ethical Issues There is no standardized definition of business

Nursing Theory And Philosophy Nursing Essay

Nursing Theory And Philosophy Nursing Essay Prior to the development of nursing theories, nursing practice was viewed as a series of tasks that required little to no rationale. The evolution of nursing theories and philosophies has facilitated the progression of nursing as a vocation to nursing as an academic discipline and profession. Nursing theory promotes autonomy when used as a guide for critical thinking and decision making. Ultimately nursing theory and philosophy has increased knowledge development and enriched the quality of nursing practice (McEwen Wills, 2011). Nursing philosophy and theory are two interchangeable terms. The philosophy a nurse has on nursing will determine the theory and model he or she uses. Nursing philosophy explains what nursing is and gives insight to why nurses practice the way they do. Nursing theory describes how nurses and patients are able to produce healing and good health, by using models to explain how beliefs and aspects of health are related. Theory is used to explain and analyze what nurses do as well as facilitate communication between nurses and guide research and education. Nursing theory encompasses the foundations of nursing practice past and present and provides direction for how nursing should develop in the future (Alligood Tomey, 2002). Nursing theory is a broad term, according to Marilyn Parker in Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice, which portrays and clarifies the phenomena of interest. Nursing theory provides understanding for the advanced practice nurse to use in actual practice and evidence based research. Nursing theory has many purposes, which imitate the multiples specialties in professional nursing. Ultimately the goal is to promote the delivery of the best quality of care. The functions of nursing theory are to guide thinking, define the place of nursing in health and illness care, and to provide organization for the development of nursing education (Parker, 2006). Nursing theory provides a format for professional nursing to practice and make decisions. There are three major types of nursing theory: grand theory, middle range theory, and nursing practice theory. Each of these theories helps the nurse to provide more proficient patient care (McEwen Willis, 2011). The purpose of nursing theories is guide encourage and increase autonomy of nursing. Nursing theory improves communication with other health professionals and develops ideas and words by building a common nursing terminology. Theories have become necessary for effective decision making and implementation because they provide a basis for collecting reliable and valid data. Nursing theory is key in the practice of nurses and advanced practice nurses because it serves as a guide to assessment, intervention, and evaluation of care. Theory provides a measurable way to evaluate the quality of nursing care (Colley, 2003). According to Meleis, there are many beneficial uses of nursing theory. Nursing theory provides a basis for research and a frame of reference for patient assessment, diagnosis and intervention. It makes nursing practice more competent and valuable. Nursing theory provides a common platform for communication between the advanced practice nurse and other disciplines involved in a patients care. It supports the professional autonomy, responsibility, and liability of the advanced practice nurse (Meleis, 2011). Benefits of theory based practice are structure and organization, a systematic, purposeful approach, focus, coordinated and less fragmented care, and identifiable and traceable goals and outcomes. While there are many benefits of nursing theory, there are some barriers to developing and applying nursing theory. Nurses are considered doers, not thinkers. A lot of people choose to pursue the nursing profession to be advocates and to help and assist people, not to think about philosophical or ethical issues. Financial stress and a focus on career advancement within the nursing profession is proven to be a major barrier to philosophical thinking about nursing and seeking out education and training. The biggest obstacle in trying to effectively apply a nursing theory, is trying to use the wrong type of theory, or model, in a specific nursing situation. One type of theory cannot be applied every patient stipulation. Also, many nurses do not have an sufficient understanding of the types of nursing theories to use them effectively (Meleis, 2011). Three popular nursing theorists are Florence Nightingale, Jean Watson, and Dorothea Orem. Florence Nightingale published, Notes on Nursing: What it is, What is not, in 1860. These notes became the true basis of nursing research and practice. Jean Watson developed the Theory of Human Caring between 1975 and 1979. This theory brings significance and focus to nursing as an up-and-coming discipline and separate health profession with its own distinctive ethics, knowledge, and traditions. Dorothea Orems Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory comes from her belief that people have the ability to care for themselves and their families. Her theory explains that nurse have to supply the care patients need when they cannot care for themselves (Im Ju Chang, 2012). Nursing philosophy represents the belief system of the profession that provides perspectives for practice, for scholarship, and for research. Nursing philosophy is the overview of the basic beliefs about nursing practice. It is the outline of the viewpoint regarding what nursing is, what it aims to be, and how that can be realized. Nursing philosophy examines the nature of nursing, the nurse-patient relationship, and the heart of nursing. It serves as a guide for nurses in learning and practice, and evaluates that practice. Nursing philosophy is as active picture of who we are, what and how we know; and of what we do within the discipline (Kikuchi Simmons, 1994). A nurses philosophy consists of the principles and approaches towards life that the nurse upholds and how it affects her outlook on nursing practice. Philosophy leads the nurse to act in a particular way. Ernestine Wiedenbach is credited with developing the conceptual model of nursing called The Helping Art of Clinical Nursing. Wiedenbach theorized that there are three essential parts of nursing philosophy. The first is the respect for life; the second is value for the pride, worth, independence and distinctiveness of every person; and the third is promise to act on personally and professionally held convictions (Wiedenbach, 1964). Virginia Henderson, best known for her Definition of Nursing, believed that the nurses main purpose is to take care of patients needs and to assist them with day to day activities. These are activities that the patients would have been proficient in doing had they not been sick or debilitated (Castledine, 1996). Many facets of nursing have changed since Florence Nightingale and Virginia Hendersons era. However, the necessity for truly understanding about overall patient care remains the same. It is because of these nurses and their interest and concern for the theoretical and philosophical aspect of nursing, the nurses and providers today are able to treat their patients Alligood, M. R., Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work. (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Castledine, G. (1996). Castledine column. virginia hendersons legacy. British Journal of Nursing, 5(8), 517-517. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/ login.aspx?direct=truedb=c8hAN=1996038732site=ehost-live Colley, S. (2003). Nursing theory: Its importance to practice. Nursing Standard, 17(46), 33. Im, E., Ju Chang, Sun. (2012). Current trends in nursing theories. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 44(2), 156-164. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.2012.01440.x Kikuchi, J.F., Simmons, H. (1994). Developing a philosophy of nursing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Lauzon, S. (1995). Gortners contribution to nursing knowledge development. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 27(2), 100-103. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1995.tb00830.x McEwen, M., Wills, E. (2011). Theoretical basis for nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Meleis, A.I.(2011). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress (5th Ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Parker, M. E. (2006). Nursing theories nursing practice. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis. Weidenbach, E. (1964). Clinical nursing: A helping art. New York: Springer.

A Town Like Alice Essay -- Character Analysis, Jean, Joe

In the novel A Town Like Alice an enduring love gets it’s foundation during WWII when Jean and Joe develop the beginning of their relationship based on needs. Needs that are manifested during the horrific times they endured as prisoners of war. During a time of isolation and degradation the barriers of social status were obliterated and they found comfort in each other as well as a momentary escape from the misery of being prisoners of war. The connection Jean and Joe formed in Malaysia, during WWII, set the foundation for an undying and enduring love that lasted a lifetime. Jean and Joe later crossed continents in order to reunite with one another. â€Å"‘Dear Joe. Of course I’m in love with you. What do you think I came to Australia for?’† (248). They had found a bond in the war based on need, a need for companionship and understanding, and in that need they later discovered an enduring love that could never die. In the novel The English Patient war temporarily eliminated the stigma attached with dark skin and allowed for another love based on mutual needs to blossom. â€Å"His only human and personal contact was this enemy who had made the bomb and departed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (105). Kip’s connection with Hana allowed him to connect with humanity again. The love he discovered with Hana filled a need of Kip’s to never be weak. â€Å"He refused to believe in his own weakness, and with her he had not found a weakness to fit himself against† (114). The English Patient also substantiates the fact that love during war gives a reason to hope in often hopeless times. In the novel Return of the Soldier rather than unite lovers war seemed to separate a love that was meant to be between Chris and Margaret. Chris and Margaret were truly in love but war, although tempor... ...ould run down his cheeks, which was to her the most dreadful thing of all, to see a man like Septimus, who had fought, who was brave, crying† (137). His shell shock is exacerbated by the fact the medical field didn’t fully understand or acknowledge the seriousness of shell shock during that time. Neither his family nor his doctors had any idea what he was dealing with or how to help him. War and his mental illness were the cause of Septimus feeling separate from life. Separate mentally and emotionally. Septimus felt trapped, although he did not want to die he felt that there was no way to escape besides death. â€Å"’I’ll give it you!’ he cried, and flung himself vigorously, violently down on to Mrs. Filmer’s area railings† (146). Atonement and Mrs. Dalloway show that war is an unimaginable horror but it also shows that the human condition has unimaginable strengths.

Question: How the concentration of acid (HCl) can be determined by titrating it using base (NaOH)? Essay

How the concentration of acid (HCl) can be determined by titrating it using base (NaOH)? Chemicals needed: 1- Phenolphthalein (color indicator). 2- Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration of 0.5 molar. 3- Hydrochloric acid (HCl), with unknown concentration. Equipments needed: 1- Flask. 2- Pipette (uncertainty à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.05cm3). 3- Burette (uncertainty à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.05cm3). 4- PH meter. 5- Gloves, lab coat and plastic eye protection. Steps: 1- Add a known volume of HCl using pipette in the flask. 2- Add 2 drops of phenolphthalein in the flask using the pipette. 3- Shake the flask until the color changes to red. 4- Start to add NaOH on the HCl, drop by drop. 5- After each drop shake the flask to accomplish the mixing of the acid with the base. 6- Take readings of PH value using the PH meter, after each drop. 7- When HCl color turns to blue, immediately stop adding NaOH, this indicates the neutralization point. 8- To be sure that HCl is neutralized add few drops of NaOH on HCl. 9- Repeat the experiment to obtain more accurate data. Data collection and processing: The table below shows the values of PH recorded over the five trials and indicates the neutralization point at a specific volume of NaOH added: (1.0) table shows the data collected during the trials Below is the table produced after changing the volume of NaOH to the better measurable unit, also after adding the PH values for each volume added of NaOH then divide them by the number of trials to come out with the average PH value. (1.1) table showing the processed data Average PH value 0.0193 13.3 0.0194 13.4 0.0195 13.5 0.0196 13.5 0.0197 13.5 0.0198 13.5 0.0199 13.3 0.0200 07.3 0.0201 01.7 0.0202 01.5 0.0203 01.3 The graph below shows the graphical relationship between volume of NaOH added in dm^3 versus average PH value: As calculated at the neutralization point which is nearly equal to 7, the volume of NaOH added is approximately 0.0250 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.0000450) dm^3 To calculate the concentration of base, it is most desirable to use the equation below: Now substituting the concentration, also volume of the acid (HCl) and the volume added of the base (NaOH), then: 0.6 Molar Conclusion and evaluation:- Conclusion: – It is concluded that the concentration of HCl in the lab that all the trials occurred in is 0.6 Molar. – It is concluded that titration of acid using base must be repeated many times to accomplish more accurate results. Evaluation: – The usage of a digital PH meter may affect the accuracy of the data, as it produces systematic errors. – The volume of phenolphthalein may play a role on the volume of HCl in the flask. – Concentration of NaOH may not be exactly 0.5 molar as there might be impurities. – The PH value as shown from the data collected is changing at a high manner near to the neutralization point; therefore it is not easy to know the precise concentration of NaOH. – Calculating the PH value to indicate the rate of reaction, is not precise, because the PH has a logarithmic function not a linear function, then there will be a small change in the PH value while there will be big change of H+. Improvements: – Using a digital instrument to drop exactly 1.0 cm^3 in each drop. – Using a base with primary standard to titrate HCl may be more accurate to indicate the value of it is concentration. – Using a pipette with less uncertainty may help in improving the data collected. – Using a burette with less uncertainty can determine more accurate results.

Motor Development Autobiography Essay

The motor development was consisted of seven periods across the lifespan, each period is characterized by the different motor skills. Progression from one period to another would depend on the changes in three critical constraints, as well as individual’s skills and experiences. According to the developmental perspective, the changes in the motor skills were defined as sequential, cumulative and individual. Everyone would follow the same sequence of the motor development, however, age does not determine the sequence because the skills are built based on individual’s background experiences and knowledge. Prenatal Period The first stage of motor development is the prenatal period, it is the period from conception to birth. The prenatal period is characterized by three major sub periods: Germinal, embryonic and period. The germinal period represents the first two weeks after the fertilization, where the ovum attached the uterine wall and the cell layers are formed. The embryonic period began from two to eight weeks, when the cephalacadual and proximodistal growth took place. At this time, infants could move around to obtain the upright posture, where different parts of the body are also distinguishable. Our motor development began prenatally, usually started from the embryonic and fetal period. The fetal period started from two to nine months, when most of the body systems were getting more structurally developed. However, the organs and body systems were still functionally immature. The fetal period was characterized by rapid growth and organ completion, as well as reflex activities and movements. As early as three months, babies could demonstrate both spontaneous and reflexive movements. My mother told me that she first felt my kicking and hand movement around the fourth month, and she also went to do the ultrasound to check if I was a healthy baby. My mother kept the testing record updated, the doctor also told her about my gender when I was a six-month-old baby. During the prenatal period, the development represented the interaction of  heredity and environment. The organism constraints such as genetic makeup, would dominate the development, while the environmental constraints could also affect the development. Teratogen was an environmental factor that cause harm to the embryo or fetus, it could lead to the birth defects. However, the baby’s genetic makeup and the amount of exposure would play important roles that affect the degree of harmfulness. The epigenetic crisis represented a time of particular susceptibility to harm, that different trimester exposed to teratogen would lead to different degrees of functional or structural damages. I was a healthy baby and received high APGAR scores mainly because my mother did not drink alcohol nor smoke during the pregnancy. My mother was a housewife, she stayed home most of the time looking at baby pictures and listening to classical music. Her daily exercise was walking, when she had to g o to the supermarket near my house. During the pregnancy, my mother’s life was simple and worriless, she was also a happy and a healthy mother. Reflexive Period The reflexive period started from birth to two weeks, the reflexive or spontaneous movements are used to insure the infant’s survival. There were two types of reflexes, the primitive and postural reflexes. The primitive reflexes were used for the protection and nutrition purposes, usually disappear by the sixth month. I demonstrated the rooting reflex when I was one month old, when my mother tactile my cheek, I immediately turned my head toward her finger (see picture five). My mom also told me that I used to like sucking my thumb before I go to sleep (see picture four). It showed sucking reflex, which was the biological response for the basic needs and helped infants to survive. The asymmetric tonic neck reflex appeared around the same time, when my right arm was extended and the left to keep my body facing a direction (see picture four). On the other hand, the postural reflexes are used for the development of later voluntary movements. The postural reflexes may never disappe ar, those reflexes also automatically provided the maintenance of infant’s upright position in relation to the environment. Setting up an upright posture could also help infants survive in the environment, as the environmental constraints began to have more  influences on the development. Overall, the organism constraint dominated the development during the reflexive period, and the environmental constraints were influential. Preadpated Period The motor development of preadapted period would usually take place when an infant is around two weeks to a year old. During this early developmental period, the organism constraints played a dominated role, the environmental constraints were influential, and the task constraints organized the action. The goal of the movement would be the attainment of independent walking and independent finger feeding. When I was an infant, I followed the sequence of motor development to obtain my upright posture. At two weeks, I couldn’t lift my head off the support surface to gaze about the environment. I would need help on lifting my head, therefore my mother would put her hand behind my trunk to support my body (see picture two). The posture at this age was the prone position (see picture one). At birth, infants would show their first motor movement by learning to prone. Soon after that, I began to elevate myself on my arms. As soon as I reached five months old, I was able to sit alone without support (see picture seven). Around five and half month old, I could demonstrate rolling, which was the earliest pattern of infant locomotion development. However, I skipped the stage of crawling, an important stage of motor development that helps infants to prepare for later walking skills. Because I was the oldest child in the family, my parents thought maybe I was too fat to demonstrate crawling (see picture six – I couldn’t crawl up to a chair). I thought the main reason for not crawling was that I often played with older children in our community. Since I am able to see many â€Å"role models†, it is likely that I learn how to stand first, thus skipped the crawling. The environmental constraints played an important role for me in the process of learning to stand, walk, and later running. The rate enhancer would be the opportunity for me to play with the older children, and to learn more motor skills from them. However, the rate limiter and organism constraints for not acquiring the walking or running skills would be the strength. Because my  mother was a housewife, she spent a lot of time taking care of me. She taught me how to stand by holding both of my arms first, to give me strength support (see picture nine). Soon I was able to acquire the standing motor skill, I can stand by myself (see picture ten). My parents then bought me a â€Å"walker† to help me learn how to walk (see picture eight). The walker was very helpful because it had wheels under the chair, I can actually go anywhere I wanted, just like a walking person. Around approximately ten-months old, I began to cruise and showed walking patterns. However, the rate-limiter and constraint of walking is my posture, because I have not yet obtained the upright posture for walking. It might be the fact that I wanted to play with the older children, and I was also able to see how other children walk, I showed early mature walking patterns at the age of eleven-months old. At this time, I was an independent walker with newly learned walking skills! When I first began to walk, I was walking very slowly, making short strides and put my arms up high to make balance. The primary rate limiters for not acquiring the upright position in walking were the postural control and strength. My body proportion was also a disadvantage to obtain the walking skills, because the proportion of my head was thirty percent of the body while my legs are only fifteen percent. I had heavy body and short legs, (heavy center of mass and light base of support) it would be hard for me to keep the upright postural control and balance for walking pattern. At this point, the environmental and task constraints would show more influences on the motor development. As I obtained the skill of independent bipedal locomotion (walking), I encountered movement problems. According to dynamical systems perspective, the degrees of freedom and context-conditioned variability are the problems for a new walker. If I was able to go anywhere I want, then I had the right of choosing where to go, or how to get to the desired place. However, the problems were solved from self-organization of the body system and the emerging of the constraints. The major rate limiters for not acquiring the running skills would mainly come from the organism constraints, such as the posture, strength and motivation. For me, I was motivated to learn those motor skills because I  wanted to play with older children. I was a fast learner also because my parents spent time and efforts to help me obtain the locomotion skills. Therefore, six months after I learned how to walk, I was able to run anywhere I want to go (see picture eleven). I have also developed manipulative skills as I learned to use hands to feed myself, and I was able to show better hand-eye coordination and movement. Fundamental Motor Skills Period The fundamental skills period began at the age of one, ends by the age of seven. In a way, this period of time would be a sensitive period to learn certain motor skills for later skillful movements. The fundamental motor skills period would be the building blocks for later emerging skills, and acquiring those skills were essential to later developing motor skills. Those skills were characterized as the phylogenetic skills, which are skills typical to individuals. Obtaining the locomotion and manipulative skills would be the fundamental and developmental process to obtain later movements. At this time, both fine and gross mother skills were beginning to develop. Those skills might not be maturational determined, and the arm and leg coordination were still immature. When I was a year old, I would throw a ball only using my arm movement, my legs and trunks barely made any movements. As I grow two more years older, I could demonstrate the pattern of block rotation, at the point where my body moved as one long axis. I would step my feet first, then put my arm backward ready to throw. My arm, leg and trunk have lined up as straight along the axis, and allowed me to have more power in throwing. Around the age of six or seven, I was able to demonstrate the differentiated rotation movement. My arms, legs, hip and shoulder would move separately as I began to obtain higher level of throwing. When I threw, my hip usually showed the first movement, followed by my shoulder and arms. At this young age, I had difficulties to demonstrate the locomotion skills of skipping. Skipping would be the latest motor movement for children to learn, not only because it had higher level of difficulty, but also it required the ability to hop on each leg sequentially. Older children would have no problem demonstrate skipping because they have better postural control, movements and coordination. Fine motor skills were begun to develop, such as drawing skills. When I was a one-year-old child, I would draw some scribbles on the paper, the outline and the shape of the objects were not clear to see. As I grew older, I showed more realistic drawings by making more clear lines, shapes and forms. I was also able to draw many different emotions on the faces and I used more variation in coloring my pictures. At the age of six, both my sister and I were interested to learn roller-skating. My father had brought two roller-skates for us, and we also took roller-skating class. It was really hard for me when I first started to learn roller-skating, and it was difficult to keep the balance. Skating is a complex motor skill because the arm and leg movements could not be in the same direction. My arm and leg coordination was also messed up, because I would always freeze my arms as I put it up high to obtain the balance. After many practices and countless falls, my sister and I have finally learned some basic fundamental skills of roller-skating (see picture fourteen). We wore kneepads because it was impossible not to fall, but we took them off as we were able to perform better in roller-skating. My father have also signed me up for a swim class, because he thought swimming was a very healthy exercise and it would help me to become healthier (see picture fifteen). Swimming was also a complex motor activity, while I tried to keep my legs padding in the water, the degrees of freedom limited me from doing any arm movements. Overall, the organism constraints dominated the development, the environmental constraints were influential and the task constraints organized the action. The rate limiter would be the proficiency barrier, the immature functional organism constraints held me back from acquiring the higher level of motor movement. Context-Specific Skills Period As I began to get older, around the age of seven to eleven, I reached the context specific period. The context specific period was characterized by the ontogenetic skills, which are skills unique to individual. Most children  at this period have obtained context-specific knowledge and experience to acquire their individualized skills. The context-specific period also represented a transition period between the attainment of the fundamental motor skills and the transformation into skillful motor performance. Because it was influenced more by the environmental and task constrains, motivation and parental support would be important to help children move on successfully to the skillful period. Organism constraints also played important roles, such as physical, social and emotional development. At this time, I have grown taller and gained more body weight. There were also changes in my cardiovascular system, the aerobic power increased because I was able to uptake more amount of oxygen at a time. The improvement can be seen from exercising, such as swimming. I was still at the swimming class, my swimming had improved and I was moved up to a higher level. In order to graduate from the swimming class, it was required for everyone to pass an examination by performing the swimming skills in a weekly competition. I remembered how nervous I was when I had to swim butterfly in the competition, I felt so relieved when I passed the examination and get the award. Because of the training from swim class, I had more swimming experiences and obtained better swimming skills. Swimming has also helped me to improve arm and leg coordination in the development of gross motor skills. At this time, both fine and gross motor skills have also improved. I was still in love with roller-skating, but I have also fallen in love with ice-skating. Once my friends asked me to go ice-skating with them, they were surprised to see my skating skills. I have never gone ice-skating before, but because I knew how to roller-skate, thus it was easier for me to stay balanced. I showed better skating skills because I had already obtained the gross motor skills needed for skating, the arm and leg coordination had also improved as I gained more skating experiences. During the winter of my senior year in high school, my uncle asked me to go skiing with him. I was a little nervous because I have never skied before, and also I heard that skiing was a dangerous sport. However, all those worries had gone away as I began to learn skiing. As my uncle taught me how to ski, he was surprised to the pattern of well-coordinated arm and leg movement, as well as my balance. I was still in love with flute, and I had also become a member of the concert band in my middle school. At this time, I am more skillful in playing flute. Because I have been practicing everyday, my fingers are also more flexible as I gained more experiences. As I practiced more, the perceptual and speed processing increased, which allowed me to read the music faster. During my last year of the school, our concert band was informed to attend a National Musical Competition. We were invited to go to Florida State for three days for the competition, which we had to play against ten middle schools in the United States (see picture sixteen). I still could remember that moment when the judge announced our school to be the one winning the first price, for a moment I thought I was dreaming. It was unbelievable, it was the happiest moment in my life, and all the hard work has been paid off. I felt so proud to be a member of our concert band, because I had also contributed my effort to win the price. My parents and friends were very happy for me, and they encouraged me to take more challenges. The environmental and task constraints are the rate enhancers to help me move on to the next skillful period, and I have also gained more confidence in myself. However, the rate limiter for not acquiring the skillful skills would be the proficiency barrier, because of the functional organism limitation. I have not yet obtained the skillfulness of the perceptual cognitive functioning, such as not having enough knowledge base and a slower speed of processing. Skillful Period The skillful period usually started at the age of eleven, the word â€Å"skillfulness† could also represent context-specific because the skills were also individualized. After winning the first price and gaining the recognition, I decided to devote myself into playing flute. My parents supported me, they have also asked a professional flutist to be my tutor. With the hope that I might be a professional flutist someday, I have been practicing two hours per day to improve my playing skills. It was the organism constraints that influenced my determination and persistency, because I was motivated go achieve the goal (see picture seventeen). The environmental constraint also played an important role during the skillful period. For me, not only because my parents set high expectations toward me,  but also we were in the middle socio-economic status where the money for tutoring was affordable. If I ever become a successful swimmer or flute player, I’d thank my parents for gi ving me the opportunities. I have also been consistently going to swim, and it had become my regular exercise every week. At this time, my father did not need to force me nor sign me up for a swim class, because I liked swimming as much as I loved playing flute. I would still go ice-skating with my friends, and I have also learned how to perform some tricks. My uncle would still take me up to the mountain every winter to ski, I was able to ski on a higher hills and under more complex tasks. For those motor activities, I know if I were able to be persistent to practice, it would enhance my knowledge and experiences and my performance would get closer to the professional level. From the dynamical systems perspective, self-organizing system and organism constraints have set a balanced, equilibrium and coordinated state in the individuals. Compensation Period The compensation period represented a time when a skilled individual is compensating for a change in an organism constraint. Throughout the life span, our motor skills performance would keep on improving. As we reached at the point where organism constraints took place to change, our motor skills performance would decline. It showed the adjustment of our motor behavior, and our movements might not be as skillful. Due to the changes in organism constraints, a person at this period of time was also particularly vulnerable in gross motor skills, because those skills required larger forces and aerobic efforts. Changes in organism constraints are due to the declines in the body system such as maximum oxygen uptake, stroke volume, or maximum heart rate. There would be changes in our fundamental motor skills, such as locomotion and balance. At this time, our walking skills and balance have declined and we became more vulnerable to falls and injuries. It is also because the decreased bone ma ss, led to the changes in strength characteristics of the bones. In addition, our auditory and somatosensory systems would not be functioning well; a person could suffer from hearing loss or loss of sensitivity. Changes in the environmental constraints would also influence an individual at this period of time. The lifestyle, societal expectations or socio-economic status would make differences on their perceptions and actions. At the compensation period, the declining of physical abilities had impact on individual’s psychological and emotional systems. A person at this period might lose the interests in doing their favorite sports, or change the interest or hobby. Other than obtaining an active lifestyle, the higher socio-economic status would play a role to help an individual at this period to live longer and healthier, because of the better medical care. Future Goals As for now and the future, I would keep up with the concert band in the University of Maryland College Park, and attend as many musical performance as I could. I would still take private lessons and practice one to two hours per day to get myself on the right track. I know my dream would come true if I could keep up my persistency and hard work. This could be characterized as my organism constraints, because I was self-motivated and have confidence at what I do. My uncle would still invite me to go skiing with him every winter, we have been great skiing partners. However, it was harder to keep up with the skiing skills at a certain level if you just practice once or twice a year. The environmental constraint had limited my skiing skills, if I were to live somewhere in Alaska, I would have better chance to be a skillful skier. I also would continue my swimming practices, because it would be hard to catch up the butterfly if I stopped practicing it. I know I would never forget how to m aster those motor skill performances, they have been a part of me. However, to reach a certain level of expectation and goals, I would still need my parental support and encouragement, as well as my persistency and practices.