Thursday, November 28, 2019

Applied Skill for Human Services Essays

Applied Skill for Human Services Essays Applied Skill for Human Services Essay Applied Skill for Human Services Essay The field of Human Services is loosely defined. unambiguously nearing the aim of run intoing human demands through an interdisciplinary cognition base. concentrating on bar every bit good as redress of jobs. and keeping a committedness to bettering the overall quality of life of service populations. The Human Services profession is one which promotes improved service bringing systems by turn toing non merely the quality of direct services. but besides by seeking to better handiness. answerability. and coordination among professionals and bureaus in service bringing. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nationalhumanservices. org/what-is-human-services ) . Human services professional is a generic term for people who hold professional and paraprofessional occupations in such diverse scenes as group places and halfway houses ; correctional. rational disablement. and community mental wellness centres ; household. kid. and youth service bureaus. and plans concerned with alcohol addiction . drug maltreatment. household force. and aging. Depending on the employment scene and the sorts of clients served at that place. occupation rubrics and responsibilities vary a great trade. The primary intent of the human services professional is to help single and communities to map every bit efficaciously as possible in the major spheres of life. A strong desire to assist others is an of import consideration for a occupation as a human services worker. Persons who show forbearance. apprehension. and caring in their traffics with others are extremely valued by employers. Other of import personal traits include communicating accomplishments. a strong sense of duty. and the ability to pull off clip efficaciously. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nationalhumanservices. org/what-is-human-services ) . When you think about it we all are in the human service field in some manner or another. assisting person across the street. picking up something person dropped for them. assisting for the vacations. these are all ways of assisting y our fellow man/woman. The bigger difference is the profession of human service goes farther to make this every twenty-four hours non merely on a random caprice. When it comes to assisting a household on the threshold of dividing up because maltreatment. force. or any other unthinkable act against a kid will you assist or merely turn a cold shoulder. a human service worker has made a pick to set themselves as an advocator for the child/family to step in and supply a safe oasis or manner out and off from the job. When looking at Todd and Reggie. they truly are traveling through a batch individually allow entirely together as a twosome. You know off the chiropteran that this will non be a speedy twosome of Sessionss and name it a twenty-four hours. these cats have a batch of things traveling on from decease to substance maltreatment to being homosexual. which has been non every bit tabu as it has been in the past few old ages. The demand separate guidance to aerate out their ain personal issues so one time that has been dealt with so seek undertaking twosomes therapy. Classs give order to life. and every twenty-four hours. we group other people into classs based on societal and other features. This is the foundation of stereotypes. bias and. finally. favoritism. A stereotype is an overdone belief. image or distorted truth about a individual or group - a generalisation that allows for small or no single differences or societal fluctuation. Stereotypes are based on images in mass media. or reputes passed on by parents. equals and other members of society. Stereotypes can be positive or negative. A bias is an sentiment. prejudgement or attitude about a group or its single members. A bias can be positive. but in our use refers to a negative attitude. Many of the biass and favoritism are passed down to the other coevalss. When the media and parents perpetuate degrading stereotypes and images about certain groups of people tend to know apart others who belong to such groups. Peoples with autocratic personalities tend to prejudice every bit good since their thought has its base on unconscious frights. Ethnocentrism makes people to measure other people’s civilization based on their ain and they are normally leery of foreigners. Group closing which involves maintaining clear boundaries between groups with different features could be another cause. The struggle theory suggests that the people who belong to the bulk. the high societal category and the privileged groups try really hard to keep on such places. Any sort of competition particularly from the minority can convey force and struggle between them. In America. for illustration. black patients may travel to a white counsellor with negative outlooks and prejudices. A recommendation to them would be to seek heartache. intoxicant. and substance maltreatment reding aside from what they are acquiring. There may besides be other plans Reggie could look into for employment aid as he is non truly happening anything with the STARS plan. It seems as if Reggie and Todd may necessitate clip apart before they can go a twosome. They truly need to sit down and be honest with each other and see if this truly traveling anyplace or are they merely hanging on in hopes something alterations for the better. Resources hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nationalhumanservices. org/what-is-human-services hypertext transfer protocol: //www. psychologytoday. com/articles/199805/where-bias-begins-the-truth-about-stereotypes

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The History, Climate, Biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands

The History, Climate, Biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago located about 621 miles (1,000 km) from the continent of South America in the Pacific Ocean. The archipelago is composed of 19 volcanic islands that are claimed by Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands are famous for their variety of endemic (native only to the islands) wildlife that was studied by Charles Darwin during his voyage on the HMS Beagle. His visit to the islands inspired his theory of natural selection and drove his writing of On the Origin of Species which was published in 1859. Because of the variety of endemic species, the Galapagos Islands are protected by national parks and a biological marine reserve. Also, they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History The Galapagos Islands were first discovered by Europeans when the Spanish arrived there in 1535. Throughout the rest of the 1500s and into the early 19th century, many different European groups landed on the islands, but there were no permanent settlements until 1807. In 1832, the islands were annexed by Ecuador and named the Archipelago of Ecuador. Shortly after that in September 1835 Robert FitzRoy and his ship the HMS Beagle arrived on the islands, and naturalist Charles Darwin began to study the areas biology and geology. During his time on the Galapagos, Darwin learned that the islands were home to new species that only seemed to live on the islands. For example, he studied mockingbirds, now known as Darwins finches, which appeared to be different from each other on different islands. He noticed the same pattern with the tortoises of the Galapagos and these findings later led to his theory of natural selection. In 1904 an expedition from the Academy of Sciences of California began on the islands and Rollo Beck, the expeditions leader, started collecting various materials on things like geology and zoology. In 1932 another expedition was conducted by the Academy of Sciences to collect different species. In 1959, the Galapagos Islands became a national park, and tourism grew throughout the 1960s. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, there was a period of conflict between the islands native population and the park service. However, today the islands are still protected, and tourism still occurs. Geography and Climate The Galapagos Islands are located in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, and the closest landmass to them is Ecuador. They are also on the equator with a latitude of about 1Ëš40N to 1Ëš36S. There is a total distance of 137 miles (220 km) between the northernmost and southernmost islands, and the total land area of the archipelago is 3,040 square miles (7,880 sq km). In total, the archipelago is made up of 19 main islands and 120 small islands according to UNESCO. The largest islands include Isabela, Santa Cruz, Fernandina, Santiago, and San Cristobal. The archipelago is volcanic, and as such, the islands were formed millions of years ago as a hot spot in the Earths crust. Because of this type of formation, the larger islands are the summit of ancient, underwater volcanoes and the tallest of them are over 3,000 m from the seafloor. According to UNESCO, the western part of the Galapagos Islands is the most seismically active, while the rest of the region has eroded volcanoes. The older islands also have collapsed craters that were once the summit of these volcanoes. Also, much the Galapagos Islands are dotted with crater lakes and lava tubes, and the overall topography of the islands varies. The climate of the Galapagos Islands also varies based on the island and although it is located in a tropical region on the equator, a cold ocean current, the Humboldt Current, brings cold water near the islands which causes a cooler, wetter climate. In general, from June to November is the coldest and windiest time of the year and it is not uncommon for the islands to be covered in fog. By contrast from December to May, the islands experience little wind and sunny skies, but there are also strong rain storms during this time. Biodiversity and Conservation The most famous aspect of the Galapagos Islands is its unique biodiversity. There are many different endemic birds, reptiles and invertebrate species and the majority of these species are endangered. Some of these species include the Galapagos giant tortoise which has 11 different subspecies throughout the islands, a variety of iguanas (both land-based and marine), 57 types of bird, 26 of which are endemic to the islands. Also, some of these endemic birds are flightless such as the Galapagos flightless cormorant.There are only six native species of mammal on the Galapagos Islands, and these include the Galapagos fur seal, the Galapagos sea lion as well as rats and bats. The waters surrounding the islands are also highly biodiverse with different species of shark and rays. Also, the endangered green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle commonly nest on the beaches of the islands.Because of the endangered and endemic species on the Galapagos Islands, the islands themselves and the waters s urrounding them are the subjects of many different conservation efforts. The islands are home to many national parks, and in 1978 they became a World Heritage Site. Sources: UNESCO. (n.d.). Galapagos Islands - UNESCO World Heritage Center. Retrieved from: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1Wikipedia.org. (24 January 2011). Galapagos Islands - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal%C3%A1pagos_Islands

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How does the oil play a big role in Kuwait economy Essay

How does the oil play a big role in Kuwait economy - Essay Example Kuwait has beautiful sandy beaches along the turquoise blue Gulf. In the southwest of the country, the landscape rises to a maximum elevation of 306 meters (1,004 feet). Islam is the predominant religion of Kuwait. Most of the Kuwaitis are Muslims are generally very conservative and governed by traditions and practices from very long ago. The Kuwaiti society is very family oriented. Kuwaiti families are usually quite large, and many different families are interconnected and related to one another through ancestry and marriage. For a country of such small size, Kuwait boasts a very broad and rich culture, containing a particular heritage and encompassing certain trends whose roots are embedded in the cultural traditions of antiquity. Kuwait holds a strong tie to its past, and the government takes pride in its assistance in the retaining of historical artifacts and antiques, as well as in the preservation of the arts and modern cultural endeavors. The official language of Kuwait is Arabic. All members of the government are required to have a working knowledge of Arabic in order to be eligible for the post. English is also widely spoken and is the country's official second language. Kuwait's government plays a dominant role in the country's economy. The government employs 92 percent of the population. Kuwait was the first Arab country in the Gulf to have an elected parliament. Moves to change the male-dominated political structure culminated in the granting of full political rights to women in 2005. Kuwait's most pressing environmental challenge is its limited water resources. In this regard, Kuwait has developed some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities, which now provide much of Kuwait's water. History of oil in Kuwait. Until the discovery of oil in the region in 1911 by a British concern, the Arab states in the gulf were weak and the faltering economies. The numerous rulers in small pockets kept up their autonomy with the help of the British. The Sultan of Omar was the largest of them all and but he couldn't further his rule because of the resistance. The Anglo Persian Oil Company or APOC was the first to start producing oil in Iran. In 1932 Standard Oil Company of California (Socal) discovered oil in commercial quantities in Bahrain. Socal then obtained a concession in Saudi Arabia in 1933 and discovered oil in commercial quantities in 1938. This triggered a flurry of oil exploration in the Gulf States in the 1930's. United States and Britain were the two main nations competing for the oil concessions. The new Iranian Government of Reza Shah Pahlavi revoked APOC's concession. Although the Shah and the British later agreed on new terms, the threat of losing Iranian oil convinced the British in particular that they must find other sources. The small states of the Persian Gulf were a natural place to look due to similar geological conditions to those in Iran. This did not mean immediate wealth for the Arab countries. Large deposits of oils were found in Bahrain. Oman was unable to export until 1967 and it was 1950 by the time oil rich states found it to be commercially beneficial. The oil fields in Kuwait were developed the fastest, and by 1953 that nation had

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Should national energy policy in the US focus on building more nuclear Research Paper

Should national energy policy in the US focus on building more nuclear power plants - Research Paper Example Due to the growing issue of safety and security globally, many terrorist organizations are trying to access nuclear facilities for endangering the security of the United States. Internally, the existing nuclear reactors in U.S. will experience change in their design as they have received 20 year operating license extensions (Blatt 228). Nuclear disposal management poses a severe challenge for the authorities as well. The problem of highly radioactive waste disposal and storage has adopted a controversial aspect. Consequently, it is more feasible to use alternative energy resources such as biomass, wind energy, ethanol, and other resources. In the subsequent part of this research paper, first the Energy Policy is accounted for, which is followed by cost, safety and security side, and waste management of nuclear plants. Before summary, alternative sources to nuclear plants are elaborated. Energy Policy The Energy Policy Act (EPA) accounts for energy production in the United States (Env ironmental Protection Agency). The Policy includes the issues such as energy efficiency, oil and gas , coal, renewable energy, nuclear matters and security, tribal energy, vehicles and motor fuels including ethanol, energy tax incentives, hydrogen, hydropower and geothermal energy and climate change technology. ... On the other hand, the secondary energy source is provided by electricity that is produced from the primary sources. According to the statistics provided by the EIA, the breakout of total energy production in 2010 was: Coal- 30 % Natural gal -30% Petroleum (crude oil and natural gas plant liquids)- 19% Nuclear electric power- 10% Renewable energy- 10%. Cost Side of Nuclear Energy Development Nuclear energy requires higher cost for development and maintenance as well. In this regard, Holt (2) contends that the reasons for the 30-year halt in U.S. nuclear plant orders include higher capital costs. Holt further elaborates the construction costs for reactors completed since the mid-1980s remained within $2 to $7 billion, averaging more than $ 3,700 per kilowatt of electric generating capacity- in 2007 dollars. Without any doubt, the higher cost of development would put more pressure over the U.S. economy which is already squeezed by the current waves of financial crisis. Additionally, th e 30-year halt in nuclear plant development clearly highlights the existing concerns over developing or going nuclear for fulfilling energy needs. Safety Side of Nuclear Plants Safety of Nuclear plants has become a burning issue. On the external side, many terrorist organizations such as Al- Qaeda and its associates are putting everything they could to destabilize American economy and people. For their dirty aims, they can go to any extent. Under such conditions and threats, the nuclear safety has become more significant than ever before. On the internal side, Blatt argues that over the next two to three decades, the existing nuclear reactors in U.S. will observe change with improved designs as most existing reactors are receiving twenty-year operating

Monday, November 18, 2019

Is Cloud Computing Beneficial to Organizations Research Paper

Is Cloud Computing Beneficial to Organizations - Research Paper Example Vast potentials for improving monetary revenues, performances and environmental concerns in these organizations were identified. Businesses, libraries and universities can substantially grow by using strategies to overcome cloud computing challenges identified in this study. 1. Introduction 1.1 History and Development of â€Å"Cloud† Development of â€Å"cloud† can be considered as an inevitable trend which began in 1950s as hardware time-sharing (Earnst and Young, 2012) and â€Å"Utility computing† and â€Å"Grid computing† in late 1980s (Global Technology Industry, 2011). Thus aggregating assets had been beneficial over on-premise computing since the beginning of IT industry. â€Å"Utility computing† allowed consumers to pay for computer software based on the amount they utilized as opposed to the traditional method of purchasing the entire software. â€Å"Grid computing† aggregated the processing power of several idle computers, decreased the time taken for operations of large software and provided multiple accesses to the data bases stored in remote computer labs, libraries and other offices in the universities (Educause, 2006). Moreover, Utility computing and Grid computing decreased the cost of purchasing license for software, increased convenience in monitoring the information systems in universities, aggregated the processors and decreased the time consumption on detailed-software such the 3D graphic designing. But these concepts were restricted to small scale operations in these organizations. Development of cloud enabled large scales businesses reaping benefits from resource aggregation and virtualization. It contains similar characteristics to Utility computing, Grid computing, High Speed Computers and clusters. But cloud computing essentially defers from Utility and Grid computing, due to many attributes. Example: services, deployment, associated issues and scope for development. These are described in detai l in the proceeding chapters. Furthermore, public used remotely hosted servers for connecting to the internet and obtaining web services such as Gmail, chat, e-banking and social-networking in large scale for a considerable time period in the history. But resource virtualization was not recognized as a possible venture involving vast economic benefits until the development of cloud in recent history. Cloud computing involves large scale aggregating and vitalizing of IT assets. It delivers a number of economic and operational benefits to all the consumer segments (Gong, Liu, Zhang, Chen and Gong, 2010). It has a growing potential to decrease the firms’ production costs, create virtual business firms and market business process as a service in modern economies (Earnst and Young, 2012). As opposed to Grid computing which mainly involved academic and government institutions cloud computing service providers involve commercial IT giants such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, IB M and Oracle (Gong et. al, 2010). And also private, cooperate and contract software developers and venders also market in clouds. Consumers of cloud computing services vary from small to large scale business firms, universities federal to individuals. Thus cloud computing provides benefits to many layers in the internet based market. Critical drawbacks had been identified related to operations of contemporary cloud computing. Building of cloud involves technologies and human creativity. Latter component also innovate methods for software piracy, hacking, frauds

Friday, November 15, 2019

Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination

Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination As far as historical records show, no society or nation has been immune to discrimination, either as victim or victimizer. Contemporary forms of discrimination date back to when European colonizers penetrated and transformed previously isolated societies and peoples. The more extreme forms of discriminatory practices include genocide, slavery, legislated discrimination (such as Apartheid), discriminatory immigration laws, and disenfranchisement. Less extreme forms of prejudice and discrimination, but nevertheless pervasive and oppressive, include social exclusion at the institutional level (such as in schools and hospitals), and the more subtle forms practised by the media. Some groups appear to suffer from more persistent forms of discrimination, such as Jews (as in anti-Semitism) and the Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies), regardless of time and place. The keywords that need to be looked into before delving the topic in question are discrimination and disturbing. According to the Oxford Dictionary, disturbing means causing distress or worry or anxiety, upsetting, an unpleasant mental state by such effects as irritation, unfairness and distraction. Discrimination, brings the meaning unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice and partiality. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. In humans, it is a mild or serious form of suffering, often with anger about this, in particular, if applicable, anger at the person or persons who caused it. This essay examines the cause and effects of discrimination in its various forms, on an individual, society or nation. Our world has always been faced with the problem of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of discrimination that affects different groups of people. The definition of discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that may be differentiated by things such as their religion, color of skin, or gender. Discrimination can be confused with other terms such as prejudice and stereotype. The world we live in has been struggling with this sensitive subject for as long as we have recorded. Stereotypes are images held in our minds in regards to certain racial or cultural groups, without consideration of whether the images held are true or false. Stemming from stereotypes is prejudice. The prejudicial attitude occurs when we prejudge a person, good or bad, on the basis that the stereotypes associated with the person or group being prejudged are tru e. Discrimination is the combination of the terms mentioned above, but involves actually acting out with unfair treatment, directing the action towards the person or group. Prejudice and discrimination do not just occur racially, but it is found among gender, religion, culture, and geographical background. Remember that prejudice is a result of attitude and discrimination is a result of action. Many people believe discrimination has made big steps forward, but has it really? If it has, why do people still get turned down, receive hate mail, or get ridiculed simply because they differ from each other. I guess these are questions we must ask ourselves. I guess you could also ask yourself if you have ever called anybody a name, looked at them different or judged them when you did not even know them or understand them. You may be thinking That is not discrimination, but, in fact, it is. CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION There are many forms of discrimination, besides the more familiar forms like race and gender, based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age , disability or handicap, and sexual harassment. The mentioned characterization refers to a situation of the direct discrimination, in which a person is treated adversely directly on the basis of a prohibited ground. Indirect discrimination, refers to a situation in which an apparently neutral provision or practice is discriminatory in its effects. Besides direct and indirect discrimination, we may use the term institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination refers to the practices or procedures in a company or an institution, or even the society as a whole, which are structured in a way that tends to produce discriminatory effects, for example in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. As to the root cause, discrimination appears to be no clear acceptance of any theory of causation but that discrimination often causes a chain reaction of disadvantages. For instance, it should be noted that there is a connection also between discrimination and social distance, given that it is usually psychologically easier to discriminate against people that one is not familiar with. Although there is no wide agreement as to the cause of discrimination, there is a consensus that they constitute a learned behavior. The internalization of discrimination starts with parents and, later, teachersthe groups primary in the formation of attitudes within children. The media and social institutions solidify discriminatory attitudes, giving them social legitimacy, since discrimination is learned. At best, one can reduce discrimination. Society looks most often to education and legislation to alleviate discriminationfor reasons still not clearly known, intergroup contact alone is not enough to reduce discrimination. On one hand, multicultural education, whether direct or indirect, constitute the mainstay of educational efforts to eliminate discrimination. On the other hand, the emphasis on civil rights, enlightened immigration policies, and mandates for quota hiring are the cornerstone of legal approaches to alleviating the effects of discrimination. The most overlooked area in resolving the problems of discrimination lies in the web of close relationships where genuine feelings of love can be fostered and strengthened. Discrimination produces immense effects in the psychological, social, political, and economic domains. Whether intended or not, the effects are compounded by the loss of self-worth, a sense of alienation from the wider society, political disempowerment, and economic inequalities. Prejudice and ethnic hostilities constitute a major danger to peace both within a nation and among nations. As a consequence, the emergence of a new global moral order increasingly provides a leverage point to counter the effects of prejudice and discrimination. While many agree that the various international instruments to protect people against prejudice and discrimination are still not universally followed or even implemented, it is clear that a new international consciousness is indeed emerging and is, in fact, intensifying. The effects of discrimination in society are reflecting on race, religion, and disable discrimination. One of the main reasons cause violence is race discrimination. It is easy to find evidence from Hollywood movies. The black people always fight with white people because they were discriminated. Now in Australia, the aborigines are discriminated. Many people do not understand their culture, so the Australian looks down on these people. In addition religion discrimination can endanger the world peace. Different religion has different god and the numbers of believers are huge. Once the conflict between different religions break out, which can easily cause a world war. Discrimination is about exclusion an d subordination and it effectively conveys an explicit message of differentness and inferiority of the victim Humiliation. Studies carried out in the field of racial discrimination provide also direct proof of this humiliating nature of discrimination, as it has been found that experiences of racism and racial discrimination have a direct bearing to the psychological well-being of persons w ho have suffered ethnic discrimination: such experiences were found to increase symptoms related to anxiety and depression. There are no reasons to believe that the same would not apply with regard to the other grounds as well. Victims of discrimination cope with these experiences in a variety of ways. As a response to experiences of discrimination, victims often consciously or unconsciously develop a strategy of survival. Some engage themselves in what might be called denial of discrimination. They may explain the incident in terms other than discrimination, or even believe that the discriminatory framework was legitimate, blaming themselves for what happened. One very typical strategy of survival is avoidance, by way of which an individual seeks voluntarily to avoid situations in which the probability to end up discriminated against is particularly high, by way of self-imposed restrictions. From the point of view of the society this is not however a desirable strategy, as lessened social contacts ruin the possibility of integrating vulnerable groups to the general society. Discrimination leads to disunity which results in the dissolving of society, through strife and war. World peace will elude our gras p while discrimination continue to bedevil the collective life of humanity CONCLUSION Discrimination runs against the most fundamental values of a modern society. In fact, it is a threat to democracy, which is predicated on the idea of a society in which arbitrary hierarchies and preferences based on, for example gender, ethnic origin, and wealth have been eliminated with a view to achieving equality. Democracy recognizes worth and equal rights of all whereby, equality prohibits discrimination which is also the cornerstone of human rights. Discrimination not only forms a menace to the society, but also to the individual who is subjected to such an adverse treatment as it is a direct denial of the equal worth of the victim. It is a violation of a persons identity. The consequences of discrimination match the severity of the offence, a causal link to alienation, exclusion, radicalization and decreasing psychological well-being. Therefore, discrimination is wrong because it is selfish. Discrimination throughout the world today occurs to many extremes. From one extreme to another, it is in any way wrong. Discrimination is happening all over the world, today for many reasons. One being because parents have taught their children to believe and think the way they do. The only thing we can do about it is to raise our children to not discriminate against others. It could lead to more tension and fighting within people and groups. To sum up, the discrimination can cause many problems. The government should constitute laws to avoid it, and society should also set up some organizations, programs or communities to help build a better plateau rid of discrimination.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Comparing Barry Lopezs A Presentation of Whales and Scott Russell Sand

Comparing Barry Lopez's A Presentation of Whales and Scott Russell Sander's Buckeye Was it just a coincidence that I had my first—televised—encounter with sperm whales only a day after I read Barry Lopez’s essay, â€Å"A Presentation of Whales†? Was my strong spiritual response to Scott Russell Sander’s â€Å"Buckeye† a sign that I, too, will feel the ghostly presences of my beloved kindred when they leave this world? No way! I am not a mystic. I am not supernaturally connected to sperm whales or spirits, but I will admit that I entertained self-important thoughts while reading both essays. Not only did I stare at the professional headshots of the writers before I read their essays; I adored them and empathized with their visions. Perhaps nature writers are advantaged: they can be scientific and not be perceived as being such by non-scientific readers. After all, the word ‘nature’ generates images of the earth and all of its sensory treasures, whereas ‘science’ generates images of laboratory coats, long calculations, laborious extractions, and obscure words like genome, polypeptide and spermatozoa. Nature writers are free to incorporate various genres in their writing, which interests a broad population of readers. Readers are attracted to writing styles that reinforce their subjective perceptions of themselves and the world. A readers’ opinion does not necessarily indicate the success or failure of a writer, but rather the state of mind of the reader when she approaches the piece. This is also how we approach people and events in our lives. We are animals, and therefore we must engage with nature. While Barry Lopez and Scott Russell Sanders have a keen sense of t he innate connection between animals and landscapes, ... ...aren’t scientific or historical, they are still objects in his immediate landscape. Alone, they are solitary objects, but together they create a story of human life. Curiosity and neediness attract humans to philosophy, in a similar way that they attract humans to religious dogma, cults and magic. Fortunately, nature narratives draw on human interests in various disciplines without simultaneously wreaking havoc on society. Writing helps us create and understand ideas. Personal values and scientific information are often used interchangeably by Barry Lopez and Scott Russell Sanders. Unless the reader is indifferent, both writers prove they are capable of illustrating essential elements of the human experience in both public and private moments. As readers, we are bonded to Lopez and Sanders because of our role in the innate chaos of human interaction.