Anorexia Nervosa cannot be satisfactorily accounted for by any single model of abnormality

Anorexia is a condition disputed by psychologists in attempts to find a cause for the problem. Anorexia is when an individual chooses to emaciate themselves in order to be thin. There are two main types of reasoning behind such behaviour. The biological and psychological explanation. Of course, there are many forms of branched out explanations within these, and the two of which that I shall be exploring are the genetic justification (in terms of biological) and the behaviourist approach, for the psychological relation. Biological psychologists believe that human behaviour and what makes us do what we do, is all down to genes. With the new advance in recent science, genes are becoming a more popular reasoning to many psychological issues. Anorexia nervosa for one. The genetic approach proclaims that the cause for anorexia is to do with genes: i.e. the genetic and inherited factors we have within our relations. The idea is that should one family member suffer from an eating disorder, then there is a higher chance that another family member (preferably those who share the same, or like genes) would contract an eating, or another obsessive-compulsive disorder. Holland et al, a group of psychologists, lead a study on the genetic link of anorexia nervosa in 1984. They perused a sample of 34 pairs of twins and one set of triplets, where at least one twin in each pair suffered from anorexia. They found a higher concordance rate of 55% for the 16 monozygotic twins (who share 100% of the same genes) than for the 14 pairs of dizygotic twins, (who share 50% of the same genes) with a concordance rate of only 7%. The results, in imprecise terms, suggested that there was a genetic link between family members suffering from anorexia nervosa. But on closer examination of the study, we can find many other reasons, which may not be genetic, for these findings. For example, the sample amount was very small. This is a major flaw in any experiment, as the sample size often needs to a representative size, which can be extended to the whole of society, but 35 pairs of twins is an extremely small amount. Furthermore, the environmental influences were not considered in this experiment, and so the higher concordance rates for the monozygotic twins could be because they are treated more alike than the dizygotic twins. This is part of behaviourism of which I shall study later on. In terms of reasonability, the genetic link between family members suffering from anorexia seems to be weak. Though it can be part of the reason or perhaps only accurate for only a very few, it cannot be wholly responsible for everyone who suffers from this eating disorder. A problem with this reasoning as being the â€Å"answer† is that there is then no blame of self. Because the condition is ‘purely' biological, the individual is then rendered hopeless and vulnerable to the disorder, as they are not in control of what is in their genes. It can also provide an ‘excuse' so that the subject is unable, or unwilling to become better. Psychologically, behaviourists look at how the environment and outside influences have shaped and created an individual. Predominantly in western cultures, the size of â€Å"beauty† in terms of celebrity and media has dramatically decreased in the last couple of decades. Marilyn Monroe, said to be one of the most beautiful woman of the time was a dress size 14. As the years gone by, we find that the dress size of â€Å"beauty† has gone down, and now, catwalk models are size 8's and lower. It seems that the more rich and advanced we become, the higher our standards are, for skinnier people. The media is a major factor in influencing the ordinary people of our society. Behaviourists believe that this is one of the main causes for people (particularly those with lower self-esteem) to develop eating disorders, in order to become more like the person in the magazine. Because of this, people are often seen as ‘beautiful' when they are thin. This puts pressure on people who perhaps may have been teased and felt self-conscious about their self-image. Once the individual begins to lose weight, it is often found that the criticism stops, and compliments are received in its place. This can then become a habit, and is known as â€Å"Classical conditioning†. They learn to associate being thin with feeling good about themselves. â€Å"Operant conditioning† happens when the praise and admiration from others reinforces their eating habits and causes them to want to lose more weight. This form of explanation is very logical in certain aspects, but there are a few things that, should this theory be true, does not correspond appropriately. For example, once the sufferer begins to lose too much weight and is then the cause for concern, why is it that once the compliments stop, the sufferer still desires to lose weight? The compliments were associated to feeling good and losing weight. The compliments are no longer there, and so one would assume the feeling good should have dissolved, and due to operant conditioning, the sufferer would learn to break the habit. It is true that operant does sometimes work on promoting weight gain in some people, by if this concept was accurate, then why doesn't everyone with anorexia respond in the same way? â€Å"Anorexia Nervosa cannot be satisfactorily accounted for by any single model of abnormality† It is true that anorexia cannot be the result of one cause, as we have looked at two versions of reasoning behind the condition and both explanations still leave gaps where logic or situation does not fit. Each explanation gives a valid justification to anorexia, but the problem still cannot be solved by one account of psychology. The answer may be that it is a mixture of perhaps several models of abnormality, but the fact is that anorexia nervosa is too complex and too different in every case to be the epitome of one explanation.

Gender Stereotypes Essay

Gender stereotypes are type of generalized or oversimplified perceptions, impressions, images, or opinions about men and women (Santrock, 2007, p. 177) It is also the presumption that a certain behavior or trait belongs to certain gender and cannot be applied to the other. In short, gender stereotyping can also involve assigning a certain label to a particular gender. One of the most common gender stereotypes are the ones associated with feminine and masculine behaviors. For example, it is common for most people to perceive that males should always be aggressive and tough. In addition, generally, in emotional situations, men are expected to hold their own and not breakdown or cry. It is also a general perception that young males should always strive to be athletic and active in sports and play toys such as guns, cars, and weapons. On the other hand, there are also several female stereotypes. For example, females are generally perceived to be emotional and are the first ones affected during a dramatic situation. In other words, females are expected to be more sensitive than males. Moreover, females are also generally perceived to be always demure and reserved. Furthermore, sexism is the attitude or idea that one gender is less valuable or weaker than the other or that one gender is better and superior than the other (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). It generally has two forms: old-fashioned and modern sexism. Old fashioned sexism is the belief that there should be differential treatment between women and men because women are significantly inferior to men while modern sexism is the rejection of the belief that there is still antagonism and discrimination towards women and their rights (Santrock, 2007, p. 178). One example of old fashioned sexism is when a male employee has a problem of having a female supervisor or boss. On the other hand, an example of modern sexism is when a male lawyer denies that there is discrimination against women even after his law firm rejected a potential lawyer partner simply because she is a woman. References Santrock, J. W. (2007). Adolescence 12th edition. McGr

Minor Parties or a common feature of United States Politics

Minor Parties (third parties) have been a common feature of United States Politicsa.Describe the point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon above.b.Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor-party candidates winning elections.c.Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates’ success.Describe two of these contributions.a)Describe the point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon above.The political cartoon depicts Ralph Nader addressing America’s â€Å"throw away mentality†. Meanwhile a citizen in the background is casting her vote by dropping a ballot into a trashcan. This is a fairly pessimistic view on voting for third parties, as the cartoonist is showing that votes that are going for third parties are worth nothing. Because the vast majority of the country votes f or major party candidates, third party candidates rarely become elected.b)Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor-party candidates winning elections.The United States style democracy is winner take all.  The majority, however slight, maintains all the say. Basically the â€Å"Tyranny of the Majority†.Minor parties have to overcome ballot laws, which are state laws that determine who may appear on ballots and who may not. Parties without enough money or enough support will not be able to appear on the ballot Presidential debates often do not include third parties. This may be because the Commission on Presidential Debates is a private company created by Democrats and Republicans c)Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates’ success. Describe two of these contributions.Third party candidates running for public offi ce realize that they have slim chances of being elected, so their primary purpose is to call attention to ignored, misrepresented, or little known issues.Eugene Debs with worker rights and Ross Perot with the national debtMajority parties often adapt their own policies to include popular third party stances, so third party voters may in fact get what they want even though a majority party wins.

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business ethics - Essay Example The action would be wrong if the result involved the suffering of the party and would be right if the outcome was good. This was based on the utilitarianism. The argument put the Newspaper Company on the safer side if its actions were for its good. The company paying various parties to prevent its economic figure from spoilage could make it right (Mill 1861). The action would be wrong if the result involved the suffering of the party and would be right if the outcome was good. This was based on the utilitarianism. The argument put the Newspaper Company on the safer side if its actions were for its good. The company paying various parties to prevent its economic figure from spoilage could make it right (Mill 1861). It is also argued that the measure of suffering may determine the claim the right of equality. This pointed out clearly by a philosopher of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham (Singer 1976). In the event of the company seeking to maintain its economic position, the scandal will lead to its economic sabotage. The editor causes the company to suffer socially and economically. Therefore, the argument gives the company a lot of strength to demand for its compensation for the lost trust from people and spoilage of its image worldwide. As a result, the editor is ethically wrong due to the inconveniences caused. On the other hand, the people whose affairs have been interfered with will want to enjoy their privacy. They have been denied their right. The argument of Jeremy Bentham becomes the basis on which the people will claim their rights. This will eventually make the company and the editor liable for the inconveniences they have caused to the people despite the payments made to them by this company. These may have caused the people to lose their trusted customers and will also be seen as those who have no proper security over their information system. This shows that all the parties have a right to privacy. The editor on the hand did the publishing of the info rmation since it was part of his work as an employee. According to the ethic duty, the argument will be based on his moral behavior as an employee. His action was his duty to execute the duties as required by his employer and this was being obedient and being honest. He was expected to observe workplace ethics as argued in this theory. Therefore the editor was right in this case. In addition, Kamm, F.N. (1996) argues that if the motive of the action was to prevent suffering of parties, the action is ethically correct (Kamm 1996). The editor may have had an interest to know the limitations and some information about that would lead to the safety of others. The theory allows this if that is the motive. The editor is not punished for his action. The company wants to protect its employees and customers from the scandal by bribing the concerned parties that would interfere with their being. According to the argument, this is ethically allowed. Contrary to this, utilitarianism says ethics will on be good since these resulted in the bad end to the parties. The resigning of the editor form the work was the outcome. Also as the requirement of the human resource management, the company exercised the right to employ the workers, the editor in this case. This has an advantage to the company since it has the manpower, which is the pleasure it gets. The utilitarian ethic therefore argues that the company is right basing on the main intension of this party which has resulted in its

Abortion and Virtue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abortion and Virtue - Essay Example The main argument is based on the moral characteristics of those who engage in it. However, the paper claims that individuals have a certain character just because they have indulged in various actions; character hinges on the reasons provided for the said choice. The paper orients itself from the viewpoint of the experience of the moral agent. Abortion and Virtue According to Stewart (2009), ethics of virtue or ethics of character holistically informs the rightness or wrongness of the acts that a moral agent undertakes. It gives insights on what to do when confronted by various moral situations. This approach holds that the moral characteristics of a person are formed and trained by the actions that the person engages in or practices. Virtues define the moral character of persons and their actions such as abortion have a bearing on the character of the agent. Ethics of virtue guides an individual in determining the morality of various actions that confront the individual. The approa ch proposes living humanly flourishing lives grounded on virtues. As La Follette (2002) notes, individuals’ views on abortion differ sharply owing to a host of varying reasons. For instance, prochoice proponents argue that abortion gives the mother a chance reign on her life hence respecting her rights. Nevertheless, many view it as wrong simply because it contradicts their religious views. As illustrated, the debate on abortion is not clear cut as there are those who think that it is utterly wrong. This is irrespective of those who argue that it is a moral choice inspired by warranting circumstances (Harman, 1999). In this debate, virtue theorists dwell on whether abortion is a virtuous action or not, by basing their arguments on whether it can be carried out virtuously (such as with compassion). Similarly, they probe if it promotes eudemonia (happiness). Regardless of the antagonism within the debate, the justification of abortion must be grounded on suitable reasons that a vail the best options to both the mother and the unborn. The take of virtue ethics on abortion puts into account the mother’s character, emotional attachment to the child, desires, thoughts, and the social relationships of all parties. The approach offers flexibility by avoiding being immersed in extremes (Stephen, 2011). The abortion decision and experience can be viewed as both morally permissible as well as morally repugnant; abortion is both a moral action and an immoral one. This issue is controversial to the extent that disagreement on the same is obvious. This in turn, infiltrates bias based on the perspectives that one takes on abortion. Harris & Mills (1985) asserts that the moral character and reasoning that informs abortion decision differs from one person to another. The motive or intention determines the moral status of the act and hence should be solely in pursuit of a real good for many rather than an individualized good. Abortion conflicts with moral virtues t hat many people admire and live for. To a large extent, the reasons that many women give in defence of abortion are not morally acceptable. The choice of abortion is often not estimable because the subjects are not the only ones who suffer but also others who are party to the decision. In most scenarios, abortion thrives in poor relationships and hence unfavourable for raising a child. Thus, the relationships are not designed to be receptive to all responsibilities arising from the union. This in some part hints at irresponsibility and dishonesty on the part of the agents. In other instances, women who have had abortion impose rather than engage their spouses in the decision making process. In some cases, the women who undergo the procedure

Dark Tourism in Prague Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Dark Tourism in Prague - Essay Example ke the basic scenario of a fire in an apartment, it is just normal many people will run towards the scene to either assist, get answers or simply just look. Such is the attention dark tourism has achieved amongst scholars, humanitarians and adventurers all over the world. In Prague, the Church of SS Cyril and Methodius is one such site and has even been ranked Best Dark Tourism site by the country’s Tourism authority. (Hannam & Knox 2010, 28).the site acted has a rich history content regarding the assassination of Reichsprotektor Heydrich. These are not the only centres in Prague. Evidently, the increased demand in dark tourism in Prague has been boosted by the number of the sites this country harbours (Martina 2011, 02). An increase in these centres simply means more place s to visit for the tourists. In a bid to access the rich history in Prague’s dark sites, tourists have flocked the country to have a piece of these fascinating stories. Some of these Dark sides include: The aim of this research is to explore dark Tourism in Prague, view all the effects of this practice of economic, social and political life in Prague. This is because of the vast stories every center holds therefore tourists are bound to learn a lot from their visits. Therefore, the ability of these sites to attract tourists must be outlined to discuss the increase demand for tourists in Prague. I am interested in dark tourism in Prague because I find it quite intriguing that areas associated with death could spur interest in people. Furthermore, I think these places harbor vast historical content that I aim at making

LOVE Bussines Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LOVE Bussines Law - Essay Example At the same time, employment law also deals with the various actions of workers and employers, human rights and responsibilities, in addition to their affiliation with one another. In this particular case, Jill Johansen is an MBA graduate from recognized university and this enhances her capability for quick employment in any firm. Soon after this, she applies for a job in St. Louis, Missouri, a firm of â€Å"Momma Mia.† After careful examination of all the resumes, the company wishes to hire a young MBA graduate who can support their business development, enhance their public image and influence customers and clients with pleasantness and charm. However, the company primarily intends to cash on the beauty of the incumbent. The position would need the workers to travel and build up other professionals in the branch offices. After the interview, selection, photo shoot test and on camera presentation, Jill is hired as an independent contractor and in that capability she signs a agreement for $90,000.00 as year for 5years. The agreement includes an arbitration mediation clause, which needs her to complete this process if there is an agreement dispute and th e results will be lawfully binding and she will waive her future civil rights in state and federal court to contest any kinds of violations in employment. Within two months of her posting, she finds that the company also needs her to be the one of the key participant of the client escort service. It is clear that during the initial selection procedure she is aware of this job requirement. She comes from a background of strong religious beliefs and, therefore, she is not in a position to do the escort service. Thus, she opposes the organization’s service and approaches the justice department to turn out be a key witness. Once the organization is indicted, they fire her and refuse to honor the agreement. In this case, she is liable to get compensation from the company. A contract proposes to

Interpretations of skill and skill that only few people have, but all Essay

Interpretations of skill and skill that only few people have, but all people can master - Essay Example These skills are so common that they always go unnoticed most of our life. On the other hand there is the functionality of voluntary skills. Voluntary skills are those skills that can be judged as specialized skill and had to be acquired by an individual with the dint of time management- noted or unnoted. It is this voluntary skill that gave birth to the concept of division of labor and ignited a spark to get the ball of civilization rolling. Picture this: the setting is somewhere in Southern France and the time is around the end of the last Ice Age. You will find a group of hunter-gatherers busy with their daily life. The men folks are coming back from the hard days hunt to their temporary settlement and the women of the tribe are separating the findings of the days work. And out in a corner there is an aged man busy with his Paleolithic tools- working hard to shape and sharp their jagged edges. Now, all the hunters are skillful huntsman and all the women are worthy gathers and this is almost inbuilt quality of the tribe simply because without these skills the tribe would seize to exist. It is but obvious that the sense of hunting and the eye for finding the needful elements scattered all around you requires a specific amount of skill and it should be learned to master them. Some of the women are better gatherer and some of the men are more skillful hunter than the other or average tribal. This could be termed that they have got a talent for hunting or gathering but the focal point of the skill is that this is not any specialized skill to mention as because the other members of tribe are attributed with the same skill, but the other maybe more or less skillful to their task. Thus, these skills could be termed as involuntary skills. On the other hand, the elderly person busy with his 'modernized' primitive tools is an example of the voluntary skill. It is not that he is not able to hunt but he has specialized himself into an occupation that no other in the tribe can share. It is not that this elderly Cro-Magnon is an Einstein of his tribe but it is this specialization that keeps him apart. Thus, this could be safely stated that "there are, however, certain skills that only a limited number of people have, which allow them to be more effective in areas that the average person is not. Even though only a small percentage of the population has mastered these skills, their benefits are too great to be kept to themselves. Conquering them requires time, dedication and patience. Devotion is challenging for the average person due to our busy lives." (Lamb, 87-88) In today's context, the job of a software programming professional is completely 'Greek' to a general person and the skill of a rocket engineer is completely unknown to a software programming professional. This is because these are completely specialized occupations and thereby absolutely voluntary in nature. But for both the software programming professional and rocket engineer driving is a common skill and they both are skillful in it in respective ability. Therefore we can summarize that driving is a involuntary skill that these two specialized persons share commonly. It is such a

The management of people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The management of people - Essay Example Management is a serious task (Aguilar, 2002). Low team morale is a hindrance to success in any project and it is the Manager's responsibility not only to make sure that the project is successful, but also see that the team is satisfied. People work in projects to make something for people. The problems in projects are human problems. For every technical, financial or schedule problem there is a human problem behind it. The most significant resource any business has is its people. A significant element in managing a complicated project knows how to manage the most precious asset the human resources. Perhaps the greatest challenge that is presented by a global project is the management of the human resource pools. This is true at a macro or overall staffing levels and micro or delegation of work to labour pools level. Management is now assuming a greater role to strategic business partners (Holsapple and Joshi. 2000). Successful businesses realize that true competitive advantage lies in the people. Businesses have been forced to redefine the responsibilities and develop a compelling response for critics who dispute human resource's value to the bottom-line. Management has been around since the dawn of civilization (Terry, 1960). In primitive societies almost everybody had to do physical labour. To break away from this burden, about the only choices were going into politics (kings) or religion (priests). Complications arise in tracing the history of management. Others see it by definition as a late modern in the sense of late modernity conceptualization (Ahmed, Lim, and Zairi. 1999). On those terms it cannot have a pre-modern history, only harbingers. Others, on the other hand, detect management-like activities in the pre-modern past. Civilized urban societies led to more specialization, produced new vocational alternatives to manual labour, and saw a tendency of those who did not work with the hands to look down on those who did. Others argue modern management as a discipline started as an off-shoot of economics in the 19th century (Drucker. 1988). Economists provided a theoretical background to resource allocation, production, and pri cing issues (Conceicao, Gibson, Heitor, and Shariq. 1997). About the same time, innovators produced elements of technical production such as standardization, quality-control procedures, cost-accounting, interchange ability of parts, and work-planning. Many of these aspects of management existed in the ante-bellum (pre-1861) US slave-based economy. There, 4 million people were, as the contemporary usages had it, managed in profitable quasi-mass production. By the late 19th century, a new layer of complexity is introduced to the theoretical underpinnings of management (Bennis, 1989). The first tertiary-level course in management in 1881 is offered. Management of People provides managers and human resource professionals with skills and knowledge for managing the people aspects of strategic implementation (McWilliams, Abagail, and Siegel 1999). In the early 21st century, it was easy to see the development of a "third wave" in these well-established concepts (Stacey, 1992). Just as the 21st century has seen new types of organizations and new ways of doing business arise, so, too, will there

The Effect of Organization Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Organization Essay In future studies it may be more beneficial to try to carry out the investigation in laboratory conditions rather than in participants own homes to limit distraction and ensure that all participants carried out the test at the same time of day.  Other factors that may have affected the participants are demand characteristics. Knowing that they are taking part in a psychology experiment may have meant that the participants behaved differently when in a normal situation e.g. the situation may have spurred on some participants, whereas others may have felt nervous which could have hindered their performance. Allocating participants into groups should have been carried out in the same manner by each of the experimenters, and in future experiments perhaps the use of Random Number Tables would be more appropriate.  Upon conducting the study it was also discovered that although the words had been shuffled on a computer to compile the random list, the computer had placed them in alphabetical order which imposed some form of organisation onto the list which was pointed out by some of the participants. The randomisation of the words would have to be improved if further studies were undertaken. It had been decided for the purposes of this study that gender was not important. However, further studies could investigate whether there is a difference in memory recall between genders. The same study could be repeated but in this instance four Conditions would need to be satisfied: Condition 1 female participants to study a prepared organised list of words; Condition 2 female participants to study a prepared random list of words; Condition 3 male participants to study a prepared random list of words; Condition 4 male participants to study a prepared random list of words.  This study also did not take into account any possible cultural variations. Investigations into memory are important in finding ways to help people learn, particularly in an educational or work environment. Teachers should use structures within their lessons and encourage students to attach meaning to what they are learning, so that later retrieval of the information will be easier. In addition, children and students should be encouraged to attach some of their own organisation when studying new subjects. REFERENCES Bousfield (1953), The Effect of Organization on Memory, Beginning Psychology, p75  Bower (1969), The Effect of Organization on Memory, Beginning Psychology, p75  Mandler (1967), Category Clustering, Simply Psychology (Michael Eysenk), p16

Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana

Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana IMPACT OF JANANI SURAKSHA YOJANA ON INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERY AND INFANT MORTALITY RATE IN KARANATAKA Mamatha K.G Abstract The Government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) mainly to strengthen health services in the rural areas. It seeks to provide effective health care to the rural population by improving access, enabling community ownership, strengthening public health systems, enhancing accountability and promoting decentralization (Ministry of Health Family Welfare 2005). Under the NRHM, there is a specific scheme, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which was introduced in April 2005. The main objective of JSY scheme is reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by encouraging institutional deliveries, particularly in Below Poverty Line families. The paper intends to study the impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on institutional delivery and Infant Mortality rate. The results show that before implementation of JSY the rate of institutional delivery was less and IMR was high. But after the implementation of JSY the number of institutional deliveries ha s increased and infant mortality rate has reduced significantly. Finally, it can be concluded that NRHM launched by Government of India holds great hopes and promises to serve the deprived undeserved communities of rural areas. If Government improves the awareness on Janani Suraksha Yojana then there is no doubt that Karnataka can increase its institutional delivery and reduce infant mortality rate. Keywords: Institutional Delivery, Infant Mortality Rate, Janani Suraksha Yojana and Karnataka. Introduction Every pregnant woman hopes for a healthy baby and an uncomplicated pregnancy. However, every day about 1500 women and adolescent girls die from problem related to pregnancy and childbirth. Every year, some 10 million women and adolescent girls experience complications during pregnancy, many of which leave them their children with infections and several disabilities (G.R Jayashree). Pregnant women die in India due to a combination of important factors like, poverty, ineffective or unaffordable health services, lack of political, managerial and administrative will. All this culminates in a high proportion of home deliveries by unskilled relatives and delays in seeking care and this in turn adds to the maternal mortality ratios. The institutional delivery plays major role in reducing MMR and IMR. In India, while 77 percent of pregnant women receive some form of antenatal check-up, only 41 percent deliver in an institution. Even though all services are free only 13 percent of the lowest income quintile delivers in a hospital. As per sample registration system 2005, IMR in India was 58 and institutional delivery was 38.7 whereas in Karnataka IMR was 50 per 1000 live births and institutional delivery was 60 (SRS 2001-2003 and NRHM Implementation Plan 2011-12). In developing countries like India, the health care services are not equally distributed. The organizational structure requires a concern particularly with the maternal health. The Government of India has been implementing various programmes from time to time to tackle these issues. It launched the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme in 1997, which aimed at universalising immunization, ante-natal care and skilled attendance during delivery. Reduction of maternal mortality was an important goal of RCH-II that was launched in 2005. One of the main interventions was to provide emergency obstetric care at the first referral unit. Incentives were also given to staff to encourage round the clock obstetric services at health facilities (Ministry of Health Family Welfare 2008). Later in 2005, the Government of India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) mainly to strengthen health services in the rural areas. It seeks to provide effective health care to the rural population by improving access, enabling community ownership, strengthening public health systems, enhancing accountability and promoting decentralization (Ministry of Health Family Welfare, 2005). Under the NRHM, there is a specific scheme the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which was introduced in April 2005. The main objectives of JSY scheme were reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by encouraging institutional deliveries, particularly in Below Poverty Line families. Under this scheme cash incentives are given to women who opt for institutional deliveries and also to the local health functionary ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) who motivates the family for institutional delivery and helps them in obtaining ante-natal and post-natal services. As of today, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a largest conditional cash transfer programme in the world, with the number of beneficiaries increasing from a mere 7 lakh in 2005-06 to almost 92 lakh in 2009-10. Review of Literature â€Å"A Rapid Appraisal on Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in South Orissa† undertaken by Nandan (2008) reviewed the operational mechanism and usage status of JSY Scheme, reasons for non usage, perception and awareness of beneficiary and non beneficiary mothers and the involvement of ASHAs, ANMs along with district and block officers in the implementation of JSY. The study on â€Å"Advantages as Perceived by the Beneficiaries of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in Bikaner District† by Kumari(2009) revealed that some essential advantages perceived by the beneficiaries of JSY were safe delivery at PHCs and CHCs, helpful in population control, payment of Rs. 1400 to the mother (in rural areas) after delivery, full protection after delivery etc. Whereas, last but not least advantages expressed by the beneficiaries were testing of salt sample for protection from Gulgund, availability of water, bed and electricity etc. at PHCs. The study on† Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on Selected Family Health Behaviors in Rural Uttarpradesh† by Khan et.al (2010) informs that Janani SurakshaYojana is a monetary incentives and non-incentivized services and counseling by the ASHA have increased Client-provider contact, the percentage of women receiving three ANC check-ups. This study briefly explores extent to which the JSY has succeeded in achieving its goal or promoting positive family health behaviors that have a significant bearing on maternal and neonatal mortality. Ambrish (2010) in his study â€Å"Effect of Mortality Incentives on Institutional Deliveries: Evidence the Janani Suraksha Yojana in India† observed that the scheme has been in operation only for 5 years and the sample covers only the first three of these years. Hence, the paper captures only the short-run impact of the scheme. The short-term result indicates the JSY is indeed making a difference. Even though the JSY seems to have a positive impact on the institutional deliveries, its impact on maternal and neo-natal mortality is minimum. Mutharayappa (2010) revealed that institutional deliveries have increased, along with knowledge of family planning methods and utilization of government health services. These are encouraging sign. Promoting of institutional deliveries need to be sustained in order to reduce pre natal and neo- natal mortality rates. The study on† Missed Opportunities of Janani Suraksha Yojana Benefits among the Beneficiaries in Slum Areas† by Wadgave et.al (2011) mainly focused on main reasons of missed opportunities of JSY benefits among the beneficiaries. Out of 3212 women 360 (11.20) were eligible for getting the benefits of Janani Suraksha Yojana. Among the 360 only 118 (32.78) women got the benefit of JSY while, 242 (62.22) missed the opportunity of getting JSY benefits due to lack of JSY information, difficulty in getting the documents fulfilled and not filling the form at proper time were three common reasons in not getting the benefit of JSY. The percentage of beneficiaries was more in receiving ANC care delivery done in Government hospitals. Dilip et.al (2012) in their study â€Å"Low Coverage of Janani Suraksha Yojana among Mothers in 24-Parganas (South) of West Bengal in 2009† reported that inadequacy of fund and delayed payments of financial benefits lead to low coverage of JSY. Institutional delivery has increased with decreasing in Infant Mortality Rate after implementation of JSY. Objectives of the Study The present study has the following objectives: To Study the impact of JSY on institutional delivery rate in Karnataka. To Study the impact of JSY on infant mortality rate in Karnataka. Hypotheses of the Study The following hypotheses have been tested Janani Suraksha Yojana has significantly increased the number of institutional deliveries and reduced the infant mortality rate in Karnataka. There is significant relationship between Institutional deliveries and IMR rate in Karnataka. Methodology Keeping the objectives in the mind, the present study employs various statistical and econometrics tools like table, graph, Paired t test and Correlation co-efficient. Sources of data The secondary data is collected from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Statistical Report, RCH Second Implementation Plan, NRHM Operational Guideline, NRHM Annual Reports, Karnataka State Report on NRHM 2005, Karnataka Human Development Reports 2005, SRS Bulletin, WHO Reports, Five Year Plan Documents, Word Bank Reports and Census Reports. Results and Discussion Table.1: Institutional Delivery rate In Karnataka From 2001-2010 NRHM Programme Implementation Plan for 2010-2011 Vidhana Soudha http://stg2.kar.nic.in/healthnew/nrhm/PDF/PIP 2010-11.pdf Chart.1: Institutional Delivery rate In Karnataka From 2001-2010 From the table and chart [Table.1 Chart 1], it is clear that Institutional Delivery Rate in Karnataka from 2001 to 2010. Before implementation of JSY, institutional delivery rate was 60 percent in 2005 but after implementation of JSY which increased 63 percent to 91.3 percent in 2006 to 2010. Table.2: Paired Sample T Test on Institutional Delivery Rate in Karnataka On the basis of analysis conducted by using paired sample T test, there is a significant difference in the number of institutional deliveries. Further, it pointed out that after implementation of JSY scheme a significant increase was observed in institutional delivery rate in Karnataka. Table.3: Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001-2012 Source: SRS Bultain 2012 and Databook for DCH; 10th March, 2014 IMR (*2011, 2012) Chart.2: Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001-2012 From the table and chart [Table.3 chart.2], it is clear that Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka from 2001 to 2012. The infant mortality rate of Karnataka was 58 per 1000 live birth as per the censuses in 2001, out of which 69 percent were rural areas and 27 percent were urban areas. Keeping pace with the national average, Karnataka recorded a sharp decline in the infant mortality rate from 50 percent in 2005 to 32 percent in 2012. It means before implementation of JSY infant mortality rate was high and after implementation of JSY infant mortality rate has declined significantly. Table .4: Paired Sample T Test on Infant Mortality Rate in Karnataka On the basis of analysis conducted by using paired sample T test, it indicates that the IMR rate was 52.80 before implementation of JSY and it has decreased to 43.80 percent after implementation of JSY. Overall, the decreased rate of IMR was 9.00. The t statistic is significant at 1% (df: 5, t: 10.06, sig.0.001) level. Hence the null-hypothesis of no difference is rejected and alternative hypothesis of significant difference is accepted. Table.5: Correlation between Institutional Delivers and IMR Significant negative correlation has observed between Institutional Deliveries and Infant Mortality Rate. Where the correlation of -.971 was found to be significant at .001 level. In other words with an increase in the Institutional Delivery the IMR rates have been reduced. Findings of the Study Before implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana institutional delivery rate was less and IMR rate was high. After implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana has helped to increase the rate of institutional delivery and reduce the rate of infant mortality significantly. Significant negative correlation has observed between Institutional Deliveries and Infant Mortality Rate. In other words with an increase in the Institutional Delivery and the IMR rates have been reduced. Conclusion The result of the formative study clearly indicates that Janani Suraksha Yojana has increased the institutional deliveries in India and Karnataka. It found that institutional deliveries have increased and IMR has been reduced after implementation of JSY. Does, it can be conclude that if the implementation process is strengthened, quality improved and programme is effectively monitored, the institutional deliveries will increases in future their by helps in reducing the IMR rate. Further it will helps to full fill the commitment made towards IMR under Millen Development Goals. References Ambrish Dongre, (2010 â€Å"Effect of Mortality Incentives on Institutional Deliveries: Evidence the Janani Suraksha Yojana in India†, SSRN Publication, 1-27, New Delhi. Basic Indicators: Health Situation in South East Asia. World Health Organization, South East Asia region, Community journal 2004; 56-2-3. Dilip K Mandal,Prabhdeep Kaur, and Manoj u Murhekar, (2012) â€Å"Low Coverage of Janani Suraksha Yojana among Mothers in 24-Parganas (South) of West Bengal in 2009†, Biomed Central the Open Access Publisher. Khan.M.E. Ashok kumar. Health Status of Women in India; Evidence from National Health Survey.2010 August; vol 6:1-21. Khan M.E, Avishek Hazra, and Isha bhatnagar, (2010)† Impact of Janani Suraksha Yojana on Selected Family Health Behaviors in Rural Uttarpradesh†, Journal of Family Welfare, Vol. 56, New Delhi, 9-21. Kumari Vinod, Dhawan Deepali Singh, Archana Raj, (2009) â€Å"Advantages as Perceived by the Beneficiaries of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) in Bikaner District†, Journal of Dairying food and Home Scinces,Vol,28 issues 3and 4. Mutharayappa, R., 2010, Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in Hassan District Karnataka. The Indian Journal of Social Work, 71(2):167-180. Nandan Devadasan, Maya Annie Elias, Denny Jhon Shishir Grahacharya and Lalnuntlangi Ralte, (2008), â€Å"A Conditional Cash Assistant Programme for Promoting Institutional deliveries among the Poor in India: Process Evaluation Results,† International Journal of Commerce, Economics and Management, Vol. No.2. Nandan (2008),â€Å"A Rapid Appraisal on Functioning of Janani Suraksha Yojana in South Orissa,† Indian journal of Community Medicine, Oct-Dec 35(4), 453-454. Operational Guidelines for Implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana. Parul Sharma, Jayanti Seemwal, Surekha Kishore, (2011) â€Å"A Comparative Study of Utilization of Janani Suraksha Yojana in Rural Areas and Urban Slums†, Indian journal of community Health, Vol.22, No.2, vol.23, No1. Wadgave Hanmath Vishwanath, Gajanan M JettiUpendra, Tannu (2011) â€Å"Missed Opportunities of Janani Suraksha Yojana Benefit among the Beneficiaries in Slum Areas†, National journal of Community Medicine, Vol, 2 and Issues1.

The Frontier of America :: essays research papers fc

::::Just a note, I wrote this my Junior Year in high school, so don't expect anything amazing. Please feel free to use, edit, tweak in any way you want. Just make sure you document :D:::: The United States of America is a perfect name for the country. It is after all many states united. But to have states you must have land for those states. Before those stats become land they must be a frontier, or as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, â€Å"A region that forms the margin of settled or developed territory.† The United States has had a frontier of endless land, which has been settled throughout many years. The Frederick Jackson Turner thesis on the frontier states: Up to our own day American history has been in a large degree the history of the colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development. Expansion of the United States can be traced from the first of those who settled in Jamestown. It all began with a simple idea, a faster route to India. Yet instead of going around Africa someone proposed to just sail west. Yet when these people sailed west they had not reached India. They found North America. They had made the first frontier of America, the colonial frontier. Other groups came to this vast land with its seeming endless frontier. This frontier had multiple challenges, such as Indians, survival, and means of trading for use in mercantilism. The Pilgrims, at Plymouth, followed the Jamestown adventurers. Later the Puritans settled into what today is Boston and Salem. The Frontier, which was ever expanding, and always existent in the United States, grew immensely after the revolutionary war. In the Treaty of Paris the United States received the area known as the North West Territory. It was from the Mississippi River to the present day boundary, which were the Appalachia n Mountains as was stated in the Proclamation Line of 1763. This virtually doubled the size of the United States. This land had already had many settlers, and was a booming frontier. The territory was going to be divided into about 5 states, each of which would not have slavery. The next addition to the United States came at a very prosperous time, when Jefferson was in office. He received the Louisiana Purchase.

Analysis of the Mexican Economy :: Mexico Economics Culture Governmental Essays

Analysis of the Mexican Economy I. Historical, Population, Culture, Political, and Economic Information History Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced civilizations in the western hemisphere. The Mayan culture, according to archaeological research, attained its greatest development about the 6th century AD. Another group, the Toltec, established an empire in the Valley of Mexico and developed a great civilization still evidenced by the ruins of magnificent buildings and monuments. The leading tribe, the Aztec, built great cities and developed an intricate social, political, and religious organization. Their civilization was highly developed, both intellectually and artistically. The first European explorer to visit Mexican territory was Francisco Fernà ¡ndez de Cà ³rdoba, who in 1517 discovered traces of the Maya in Yucatà ¡n. In 1535, some years after the fall of the Aztec capital, the basic form of colonial government in Mexico was instituted with the appointment of the first Spanish viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza. A distinguishing characteristic of colonial Mexico was the exploitation of the Native Americans. Although thousands of them were killed during the Spanish conquest, they continued to be the great majority of inhabitants of what was referred to as New Spain, speaking their own languages and retaining much of their native culture. Inevitably they became the laboring class. Their plight was the result of the 'encomienda' system, by which Spanish nobles, priests, and soldiers were granted not only large tracts of land but also jurisdiction over all Native American residents. A second characteristic of colonial Mexico was the position and power of the Roman Catholic church. Franciscan, Augustinian, Dominican, and Jesuit missionaries entered the country with the conquistadores. The Mexican church became enormously wealthy through gifts and bequests that could be held in perpetuity. Before 1859, when church holdings were nationalized, the church owned one-third of all property and land. A third characteristic was the existence of rigid social classes: the Native Americans, the mestizos, mixed Spanish and Native American (an increasingly large group during the colonial era), black slaves which were brought from Africa and the Caribbean, freed blacks and white Mexicans. The white Mexicans were themselves divided. Highest of all classes was that of the peninsulares, those born in Spain, as opposed to the criollos, or Creoles—people of pure European descent who had been born and raised in New Spain. The peninsulares were sent from Spain to hold the highest colonial offices in both the civil and church administrations.

Hacking Essay -- essays research papers fc

As the world becomes more and more reliant on computers the computer hacking industry is greatly rising. With people such as Kevin Mitnick, who is known as a "computer terrorist" (Kjochaiche 1), computerized information isn't safe any more. Kevin is known as "the most high-profiled computer criminal and responsible for more havoc in the computer world today."(1) He considered this a fun and easy task. He got caught and thrown into prison, but once he got out nothing changed. Kevin stated that as long as the technology is there it just calls to people to break into it. Computer hackers usually start off young, thinking that it is nothing but a little harmless fun. But as they get older, they realize it has turned into an addiction. The definition of a hacker according to the Hacker's Dictionary, "a person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities."(Hackers 1) "The Internet is just another playing field." (Kjochaiche 3) "Hackers regard hacking as a game in which their mind is up against that of the system designers." (Hackers 3) The Internet allows the hackers to take files, programs, passwords, and other information from users that are using it. They use this as a tool to make it easier to beat "the system". There are three major types of hackers, one with good intentions but gets slapped in the face due to the bad reputation of others, there are the hackers with bad intentions, and there are the hackers that fit in between. The bad hacker category is the largest by far. "A bad hacker's motives are to punish someone or retaliate against the owner of a computer system."(2) Computer terrorists fall under this category. Some bad hackers may also hack just to challenge the programmer. The hacker feels that if they can break into it then they are much more superior than the person who actually wrote the software. They can feel so superior that t hey might enter a virus to eliminate a program that was not worthy of their abilities. One of the other many goals of a hacker is to steal passwords. Hackers can steal your password about four different ways. Intercepting your password through email is "not that difficult."(How are they getting my password? 1) This is by far the easiest method because all they have to do is take the email as ... ... out. â€Å"More often than not the hackers are soloists.†(Kjochaiche, 6) It is proven that when hackers work together they get caught more often. Hackers will always do their work just like doctors will always treat patience. With the growth of technology comes new threats, and new problems. â€Å"This will continue to be on the rise due to advances in the world.†(Hackers, 3) Millions and millions of dollars will be put to end this but this will not work because new ways of hacking will always be made. Bibliography Works Cited Computer Hackers [Online] Available Http://www.mc2.nu. Dellert, Brian. Interview with a Hacker [Online] Available http://www.rabble.com/xpress/1997.03.01/hacker.com January 3,1997. Espy, Bob. Crime on the Intenet [Online] Available http://www.techforum. com/tsld009.htm. Hackers [Online] Available http://scitsc.wlv.ac.uk/~cm5220/home.html. How are they getting my password? [Online] Available http://geocities.com/yosemite/2215/password.html. Kjochaiche, Ahmad. Kevin Mitnick: Computer Terrorist [Online] Available http://www.rmit.edu.au/lectures/. Orman, Neil. Is your computer hacker-proof? [Online] Available http://www.amcity.com/austin/index.html Septemeber 1, 1997

Htrl – Notes

7/5/12 Notes – How To Read Literature by Thomas C. Foster Introduction: How'd He Do That? 1. Interpreting Literature A. Same Story, Different Theory, Why? The Professor is a lot more experienced than his students â€Å"We don't get it. And we think you're making it up. † – His mind is open to different theories and situations, making him somewhat optimistic. While they're pretty much closed minded only viewing situations from one point of view. They're not using the same method of thinkingThey don’t have the same â€Å"language of reading,† the students aren’t applying the same rules and strategies that the professor has learned to apply over time Putting aside the age difference, simply, people don’t think alike B. Grammar of Literature Novels, poems, plays, movies, etc. all have patterns. After the pattern is complete the audience is either pleased or not. Memory, symbol, and pattern are interpreted differently, separating professori al reading from everyone else Memory – After watching a great movie, it sticks to you.So when reading a book that the same events somewhat relates to the characters actions in the movie, one will automatically apply what they saw in the movie to the characters action which opens up another view or interpretation of what’s going on. Symbol – Professors read symbolically, opening their minds to different ideas and comparisons between different things that a student, for example, wouldn’t be able to find alike any way, shape, or form. Pattern – Observing a pattern of literature has a lot to do with mechanism 2.Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It's Not) A. When It's Not? The story with the young teenager didn’t seem like a quest but in fact was because it had the same characters and actions that a quest has, it's a quest in disguise. A quest consist of five things and the story had those five exact things, it just wasn’t so obvious The quester is usually young and inexperienced The quester usually fails the stated task In a quest, there’s always challenges and trials 3. How, Where Have I Seen This Before? A. Connecting the dotsAfter studying and practicing literature for so long, a person begins to recognize patterns and concepts Studying literature is mostly practice After studying one thing and read others, you begin to connect the two and think â€Å"where have i seen this before† 4. It's Greek to Me A. Myths Myths show sacrifice and lost or heroism and loyalty Authors use myths to have a nice plot We sometimes use myths in our daily language, for comparisons Most myths function in the same manor Every myth have a hero with a dangerous and difficult goal that they either achieve or don’t achieve B.Underworld The underworld is a setting for final battle Conflicts in the story is made clear in the underworld 5. Is That A Symbol? A. Symbolism Sometimes an author would use allegories instead of symbols Allegories shows a specific message just as an item can be symbolic, so can an action Imagination, instincts, and past experiences is used to find symbolism in literature 6. Does He Mean That? A. 7. †¦ So Does The Season A. â€Å"†¦ writers can work magic with the seasons† Famous authors have used seasons as an advantageAuthors use seasons as different symbols for different things For example: age, moods, life, and death Not only do they use seasons but they also use holidays 8. One Story 9. Don't Read With Your Eyes A. Perspective You shouldn’t read from your point of view When reading certain things to fully understand and get a clear vision it is important to sometimes feel sympathy or even empathy Reading from another perspective helps you to better understand the text When reading something from a different culture one doesn’t have to accept the idea, just sympathy

Middle East

This narrative proved to be overblown and ultimately the clash of civilizations thesis has been discarded. However, a decade on, the fast-paced events of the Arab Spring have once again revived the question as to whether we are witnessing a clash of collocations Does the Arab Spring reflect a clash of civilizations On the face of it, the Arab Spring appeared to be heading into clash of civilizations territory as Western-backed dictators fell like nine pins, and the revolts appeared to be pre)-lilacs, anti-Western and anti-liberal.Recently, a violent string of protests across the middle east against a us-made film, which was held to denigrate the prophet Mohamed, culminated in a deadly arson attack that killed the US ambassador to Libya. Once again, some commentators have framed these events as a clash of cultures and a pivotal moment in Western and Islamic relations. However, the evidence suggests that the clash of civilizations thesis is exaggerated.So in relation to the Arab Spring , it is more helpful to see it as a clash between people and governments within the Arab world, caused in large part by incompetent governance and an inability to listen to what the people want. Contrary to the clash argument, the Arab Spring is not a clash between Islamic radicalism and the west. Looking closely at the region reveals that each upheaval has Its specific characteristics, each country its own history and ethnic mix. In Bahrain, for example, the Arab Spring has manifested itself in an explosion of long-held tensions between Sunnis and Shih Muslims.There Is some interesting polling that popular concerns about democracy In Bahrain have decreased since the start of the troubles, while encores about Iran have increased. In Egypt, people simply wanted a change Embark was self-evidently time-expired and the longer the military try to hold on to power (prompted in part by their large stake in the economy), the lower their popular support becomes. Similar, although more extrem e, concerns apply In Libya, exacerbated by the tribal nature of Libyan society (a really big determinant).Its also instructive to note what is happening in Tunisia, which seems to be providing a very Arab/North African take on democracy but which seems to be working nonetheless. So In essence, the Arab Spring Is not really clash of civilizations territory at all. The role of Islam in the Arab Spring Jane Simonton, Chatham Houses middle east expert, comments in relation to Tunisia and Egypt that The vague, catch-all term Salamis belies the diversity of movements that seek to draw inspiration, values and legitimacy from Islam. There are enormous differences In thinking both between different Salamis groups, and wealth them.Crucially, this diversity Is likely to Increase as a result of the new-found political opening in the Arab world. Salamis movements OFF uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia succeeded precisely because they avoided the divisions of ideology, class and, in Egypt, religion t hat have traditionally fractured and weakened opposition movements in the Arab world. Certainly Salamis movements were more successful than any other parties in the recent parliamentary elections in Egypt and Tunisia, prompting some observers to accuse them of stealing the revolutions.The protests that drove political changes in 2011 hoisted slogans with universal appeal calling for freedom, dignity, social Justice more than they referred specifically Islamic slogans. They were not Salamis, anti-legalist or non- Salamis protests Psalmists participated alongside secularists, liberals and leftists and there were striking images of Muslims and Christians guarding each others prayers in Their Square. Neither Salamis movements nor other existing political parties can claim credit for these youth-led, spontaneously swelling street movements.Thus, what we are seeing is far from the rise of a monolithic civilizations identity, but rather an intra-civilizations splintering over political and economic ideas. Conclusion clash within the Arab world The Arab Spring is not so much to be seen as a clash of civilizations but rather a power struggle motivated by pollarded sectarian differences within Arab countries. TTY McCormick in the Huffing Post argues It is clear that a clash within civilizations helps to explain the Arab Spring more than a clash between them.William Misacts writing in the Journal, Foreign Affair, also questions the clash of civilizations thesis On 9/1 1, the global Jihads movement burst into the worlds consciousness, but a decade later, thanks in part to the Arab Spring and the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is in crisis. With Western-backed dictators falling, al Qaeda might seem closer than ever to its goal of building Islamic states. But the revolutions have empowered the groups chief rivals instead Salamis parliamentarians, who are willing to use ballots, not bombs.Activities (1) Follow on discussion To what extent is does the Arab Spring constitute a clash of civilizations Given that this topic is in many ways Just a footnote to the wider debate over the clash of civilizations thesis, it might be worth asking groups to draw up precise lists of points both for and against this action. (2) Arab Spring mint-presentations allocate members of the class to one of the Arab Spring countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria etc. ) and ask them to do a one-slide presentation outlining key events etc.

Culture and History of Spain Essay

The golden age of Spain does not refer exactly to the economic and military hegemony of Spain, as Spain was on the verge of political, economic, and military collapse during this time. Spain engaged in expansionist policy abroad that had necessitated the government to impose an increased taxation, which leads to the revolts in 1640 first in Catalonia, then in Portugal. From then on, Spain was weakened economically, politically and culturally. Rather, the golden age refer to the flourishing in arts and literature in Spain. The main topics during this period were literature and the arts rather than economic or military victories abroad. The period of the Spanish golden age according to John A. Crow and Patricia Craig as featured by AOL Hometown in their article â€Å"Spain’s Cultural life: Literature and the Fine Arts† was between 1530 and 1680. During this time, theatre works, poetry and novels were very popular, and the most well known was the work of Cervantes entitled Don Quixote published in 1605. (AOL Hometown) Among the most popular names were dramatists like Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, and Calderon, which had premiered fine works of Spanish theatre. Spanish Famous artist during this time includes Velasquez, El Greco, Zubaran, Rebera and Morales which were held to be the greatest of their times. The reason behind Spain’s golden age was perhaps the existence of these fine artists whose works captivated even the highest nobility. The golden age of Spain according to history (an article entitled â€Å"Spain†) began with the ascension of Philip II to the Spanish throne. It was during his time that the popularity of arts and literature reached to highest level. However, the consequence of the golden age was the political and economic as well as military decline of Spain both in the home front and in overseas. An article entitled Spain in History (iExplore) pointed out that because of the prominence of art, the Hapsburg monarchy became increasingly less able to deal the empire’s somber problems particularly during the 17th century causing the empire’s gradual economic collapse. Most historians attributed this economic failure to the inability of the monarch to rule the empire because their interest was in the arts rather than in improving the economy. Another consequence of the golden age is the ‘feminization of Spain. Feminization refers to the gender emphasis that proliferated in the Spanish societies during the golden age. Men during this time adopted the customs of women such as mode of dressing and cosmetics. In the summary of Sidney Donnell’s book Feminizing the Enemy featured in the website article LAFAYETE the article pointed out that the gender anxieties during the golden age was related to the emphasis on arts and culture that was prevailing during this period of Spanish history. The Role of Religion in the Rules of the Hapsburg (or Habsburg) Kings During the period of 16th and 17th centuries, Spain was under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty, which was the dominant power in the Central Europe with capital in Vienna, Austria. Spain then was ruled by many kings that brought Spain both success and fall; and that, the â€Å"church enlarged its already dominant position in Spanish life† (High Beam Encyclopedia, par. 27). The Obvious topic during this time was Catholic Faith and Church membership as the reigning Monarchs were committed to impose Catholicism through the empire. The role of religion in the rules of Hapsburg kings according to Victor Perez Diaz (1998) was that the Hapsburg viewed society in the context of teleocratic state, which put society in a secondary position. It means that in view of the Hapsburg Kings, society can be a sphere in which they can generate resources to be use by the ruler to accomplish its mission. The implication of this was that the Hapsburg Kings uses religion or the so- called politics of faith to fulfill their mission. In other words, religion has become a powerful apparatus with which they achieved their aims. According to Diaz, although the Hapsburg kings respected the socioeconomic order, yet they were also devoted to some shared goals that necessitate systematic interventions in the social fabric to reinforce the sovereign’s authority. Thus the Hapsburg, Diaz pointed out, marshaled resources for protecting Catholic faith and shaped the moral character of its subjects, making membership in the church the means to recognition in the political community (Diaz). The reason for this was, the Roman Catholicism became the official state religion in Spain in 1492 after Ferdinand V of Aragon, and Isabella I of Castile married which linked the kingdoms. Because both monarchs were devout Catholics they wanted to impose the purity of the Catholic faith as well as to enhance the royal power. Because of the close relations of the Hapsburg to the Holy Roman Empire they were so dedicated to the Catholic Church prompting them to establish the Inquisitor in order to prosecute, and confiscate property owned by the Moors (Spain Life and Culture). Ferdinand and Isabella imposed religious uniformity through out Spain by aggressive campaign to convert the Moors and the Jews or they face expulsion (Spain Life and Culture). However, the consequence of their emphasis in the purity of Catholic faith, leads to the persecutions of Protestants, which resulted to war with protestant England. This prompted Philip to send a great Spanish Armada against England in 1558 unfortunately, it was defeated, and it marked Spain’s decline of power (Spain). Thus the consequence of the Hapsburg use of religion to enhance their power and to strengthen their rule was costly and it cost the gradual collapse of the Spanish hegemony not only in the home front but also abroad. The Bourbon kings in Spain (efforts to improve Spain) The Spanish Bourbon was one of the most vital royal families in Europe that held thrones in Spain during the 17th century. Philip V of Spain became the first Bourbon ruler of Spain after the death of Charles II (1665-1700). The bourbons ascended to the Spanish thrones during the end of Spain’s hegemonic power with the death of Charles II. In the view of J. Clayborn Laforce, with distressing vulnerability Spain slipped into an embarrassing sequence of decline, which continued until all of Spain’s greatness was gone. However, with the ascension of Philip V, Spain crossed a new threshold marked by the extraordinary progressive participation by government in Spanish economic dealings. The main topic during the Bourbon’s rule was economic recovery, in which the Bourbon monarch had implemented series of economic measures designed to improve the economic condition of Spain. Obviously a learned man, Philip’s knowledge in French mercantilism had helped him in improving the economic condition of Spain. Philip launched a series reform policy and programs for commercial and industrial revival and promotes the production of merchandise of high value that previously had been purchased abroad. The next Bourbon king to inherit the Spanish throne was Charles VII (1759-88) Like Philip; Charles was one of the most enlightened Spanish Monarch, which had contributed to Spain’s short-lived cultural and economic revival. The reason behind all these efforts was that through production of these commodities, the government would minimize its dependency on imported commodities. The third Bourbon Monarch to rule Spain was Ferdinand VII (1784-1833) which perhaps marked the end of the short economic revival started by Philip V and continued by Charles VII. It was during the brief reign of Charles IV, an incompetent Bourbon monarch that the flame of economic revival dies down. The reason for the short live economic revival was the squabble in the royal family that prompted Napoleon of France to invade Spain, and gave the Spanish throne to his brother Joseph Bonaparte. Spain after this was engaged in wars that halted its economic hope of revival. The consequences of disunity in the royal family had not only weakened the economic reforms put in place by Philip V but it also invited napoleon to invade Spain and claimed the Spanish throne for himself. It also led to war against England that further pushed Spain to humiliation and defeat. Indeed the misery of Spain cannot be attributed to the Bourbon rule as they merely inherited a declining kingdom. Had the momentum of economic growth that was laid out by the first two-bourbon monarch, Spain could have recovered from its drooping. Spain’s history was indeed very intriguing and full of difficulties, which are a good source of both learning and inspirations for the student of Spanish history. It features the rise and fall of the empire that had conquered much of the known world through sword and religion, but it had collapsed also because of religion and sword when it wage against protestant England in the name of religion. Work Cited Diaz, V. P. (1998) State and Public sphere in Spain during the ancient Regime Vol. 137 La Force, J. C Royal Textile factories in Spain, 1700-1800 The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 24 No. 3(Sep. , 1964), pp. 337-363 Http://links. jstor. org/sici? sici=0022-0507(196409)24%3A3%3C337%3ARTFIS1%3E2. 0. CO%3B2-N http://www. questia. com/googleScholar. qst;jsessionid=HRpGVQQzlhZJSZhM6QdwhnXtr7jp8dDwrBlY2dyNPJ6GGnyjVrvH! 1976250333? docId=5001368566 Spain http://www. geocities. com/CapitolHill/8823/aboutes. html Spain’s Cultural Life http://www. hometown. aol. com/antmagictg/culture. html Spain History I Explore http://www. iexplore. com/dmap/Spain/History Spain. http://www. geocities. com/CapitolHill/8823/aboutes. html Spain. High Beam Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 7, 2008. http://www. encyclopedia. com/doc/1E1-Spain. html Sidney Donnell will Talk about â€Å"Drag Performance and Hapsburg Spain† today. Lafayete http://www. lafayette. edu/news. php/view/5137/

World and Tone

Tone and point of view are both literary concepts, which provide the reader with an understanding of the author’s meaning of a story. Tone represents the writer’s attitude toward the material, the readers or both. Tone can be angry, ironic, serious, depressed, etc. Through the use of tone, the reader can understand the personality of the narrator. Point of view is the perspective from which the story is told.Point of view can be represented in first person, omniscient narrator, camera’s eye point of view and objective point of view, these are only a few types of point of view. Once the reader understands these concepts, he can understand the author’s intent and meaning. In the story, â€Å"There Will come Soft Rains,† the point of view is third person omniscient. This means the reader sees the story not through the character’s eyes, but through all of the views. The tone is ominous, fateful, and ironic.It’s ironic, because Ray Bradbury depicts the story through many adjectives, as well as personification. â€Å"An aluminum wedge scraped them into the sink, where hot water whirled them down a metal throat which digested and flushed them away to the distant sea,† (Bradbury). For example, Bradbury describes a perfect house, but then the reader finds out everyone is dead. â€Å"The morning house lay empty,†(Bradbury). â€Å"The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles,†(Bradbury).Bradbury uses the point of view and tone together to describe the irony in this story. Julio Cortazar’s story, â€Å"House Taken Over,† has the point of view of first person limited, which allows the reader to see from one person’s specific point of view. The tone is flat, resigned, and very detached. The point Cortazar was trying to get across was that the modern world tod ay, may become like this house. Our world could be taken over, and we wouldn’t even care. â€Å" ‘In that case,’ she said, picking up her knitting again, ‘we’ll have to live on this side. I sipped at the mate very carefully, but she took her time starting her work again. I remember it was a gray vest she was knitting. I liked that vest,† (Cortazar). Once their house is taken over, they just move on barely acknowledging it. In our world, this could be like our democracy taking over, and we do nothing about it. Because Cortazar used first person, the reader only sees the world and the story as the character sees it. The detached tone and first person point of view presents a somewhat alienated and self-consumed character.The tone and point of view work together in this story to predict a possible future where we will become detached from our own world. In the story, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† Ernest Hemingway uses a camera’ s eye point of view. This point of view causes the reader to feel detached from the story, and the reader must make inferences about what is going on. The tone is detached and worldly. A camera’s eye point of view doesn’t put the reader â€Å"in the story† and often makes it difficult to comprehend what is happening. â€Å" ‘It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,’ the man said. It’s not really an operation at all,’ â€Å"(Hemmingway). Hemmingway uses a worldly tone in conjunction with a camera’s eye point of view because it may be too complicated to understand for the reader, even though it’s an interesting story. In conclusion, the previous examples represent how tone and point of view can play an important role in the story. Without tone and point of view, a story could not come to life for a reader. In that way, the two depend on each other. They work together to create an environment for the readerâ₠¬â„¢s imagination.

Case Study on Descriptive Statistical Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On Descriptive Statistical - Case Study Example n various states of the US economy, it is important to find out how far the given observations are scattered around the mean observation for which the standard deviation is used as a reliable measure. For the same reason, this paper has also taken the support of a histogram. The purpose of a histogram is to find out the frequency density, i.e., how the observations are clustered within the different classes. The data for the number of students enrolled in US public elementary schools is obtained from the 2004 report published by the US National Center for Education. This data has been used to find out the spread of elementary education among various states in the US economy. But, before progressing it is important to define some useful statistics that will help to draw empirical conclusions. The degree of scatteredness is measured be the standard deviation; but before defining it, it is necessary to calculate the mean of the observations, because, the scatteredness of observations actually suggests how far they are dispersed about their mean value. Now, mean is defined as, Besides, the coefficient of variation for the concerned data is also being calculated since it will help in finding out the percentage of variations present in the data being collected. Coefficient of variation is defined as, The standard deviation statistic so obtained implies that the observations are rather too highly scattered about their mean value (670.2). This fact is prominent from the value of the coefficient of variation which indicates that the observations are scattered by a degree of 120% around their mean value. The histogram derived from the data show that most of the observations are scattered towards the leftmost position in the graph, thus yielding a positively skewed curve. From the curve, however, one obvious point is that very few states have a high number of students enrolled in public elementary schools. The purpose of this paper was to find out the spread of

Navajo Nation Water Crisis - Propose a legislation change Essay

Navajo Nation Water Crisis - Propose a legislation change - Essay Example Speaker, Lawrence T. Morgan of the 21st Navajo Nation Council seeks to focus the attention of the Council on the need to enact a new piece of legislation to remedy a long-time anomaly in the Navajo area, i.e. convenient access to safe and affordable drinking water. The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous region of Native Americans and is spread in the northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah and northwestern New Mexico, covering just 26,000 square miles of territory. Its unique position of being the largest Native American jurisdiction in the USA, gives it a heightened importance both as a semi-autonomous region and a culturally distinct entity. Thus in the eyes of the external world, it’s a very important civilization with a dynamic cultural dimension. Human existence and survival has been facilitated much more by the presence of water and this need is just second only to the air that humans breathe. Through centuries of human settlement expansion, the available amount of pure drinking water has been depleted and right now sources of such natural drinking water have naturally shrunk to a few spread over a large expanse of the territory. The Navajo Nation is not immune to this creeping problem either. Right now many people in the Nation have to travel considerable distances to fetch drinking water (DeZuane, 1996). Apart from the hazards involved there are such negative factors as costs, inconvenience and loss of time to be taken into account. The relative scarcity of drinking water in the region is a well known problem and so far little or no attention has been paid to possible remedial measures that can be adopted to solve the problem. Before it happens to assume crisis proportions, the Navajo Nation Council ought to actively promote a legislative remedy to bring about a solution. However such a legislative process intended to remedy an existing anomaly or shortcoming of this magnitude requires thorough pre-planning and a rational program of action. As the

Moral, Legal, Political and Practical Dimensions of Assassinations and Research Paper

Moral, Legal, Political and Practical Dimensions of Assassinations and The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - Research Paper Example Publicly, a man named Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested as the sole perpetrator of the crime but intense questioning of Oswald was prevented by another fatal shooting, this time conducted by a man named Jack Ruby who shot Oswald as he was being transported and then died in prison shortly afterward as a result of illness. However, reports continued to come in that shots were heard from another direction from that in which Oswald was hidden, reports that were given more credence once the president’s body was examined. In order for Oswald to have killed the president, it was argued, he would have had to have had a ‘magic bullet’ that was capable of ricocheting around inside the president’s body in an unnatural way before finding an exit. While this report does not promise any definitive answers to what actually happened that day in Dealey Plaza, it does take a look at the event as it is known and some of the controversy that has emerged surrounding the Warren Com mission’s report. President Kennedy was the nation’s 35th president, was the youngest president up to that time and was the first Irish Catholic president to serve (â€Å"John Kennedy†, 2007). As president, Kennedy worked to further the cause of Civil Rights and worked for the rights of the common man, extending America’s hand to other nations as an aid and support for these same efforts. Also under Kennedy, the Cold War heated up, coming to near blows with the Cuban Missile Crisis in early 1963. Following this event, Kennedy began working for â€Å"a world of law and free choice, banishing the world of war and coercion† (â€Å"John Kennedy†, 2007).  

Term structure of interest rates Research Paper

Term structure of interest rates - Research Paper Example The tendency to slope upwards occurs when short-term rates of interest are low, and the tendency to slope downwards occurs when short-term rates of interest are high. Thirdly, in most cases, the yield curve slopes upwards (Fisher, 6). The paper shall also present a model that can be used for the pricing of bonds. The model is known as Vasicek’s Model. According to economic theory, one primary factor used to explain the differences in interest rates on various securities might be variations in their terms. That is in terms of lengths of time before maturity. The term structure of interest rates refers to the association between the terms of securities and their market rates of interest (Russell, 36). Economists usually use a diagram known as a yield curve to designate the term structure of interest rates on particular types of securities at a certain point in time. Consequently, the theory of the yield curve is used to describe the term structure of interest rates (Russell, 36). The determinants of the relationship between returns on securities and their terms of maturity have remained an issue of interest, for economists for a long time. By providing a conclusive schedule of interest rates over a period, the term structure captures the market’s speculations of future events. A description of the term structure offers a means of extracting this information and predicting how variations in the underlying variables affect the yield curve (Cox, Ingersoll, and Ross, 385). In an attempt to understand the term structure of interest rates, this paper shall explore three common theories that have long been used to explain the term structure. These theories include the Expectations Hypothesis, the Segmented Markets Theory, and the Preferred Habitat or Liquidity Premium Theory. The expectations hypothesis has several variations. However, they all place a predominant focus on holding-period returns or the expected values of future spot

Leadership and Self-Efficacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and Self-Efficacy - Essay Example Influence of leadership on employee motivation Mullins (2007, p.155) argued that â€Å"leadership is not about being a wonder woman or a man; but it's about valuing individuality†. Plenty of people have the illusion that wonderful people may become effective leaders. However, the fact is that effective leaders are the ones who are successful in motivating the followers or individuals. Leadership is all about influencing others. Leaders can influence employees both in positive and negative manners. In other words, leadership can inject both positive and negative energies in the minds of the employees. Clawson (2008, p.1) pointed out that â€Å"leadership is about managing energy first in yourself and then in those around you†. Leaders who cultivate negative energy in the minds of employees may fail to motivate the employees whereas those who cultivate positive energy may succeed in motivating the employees. A lot of leadership models are currently popular in the organiza tional world. The major objective of all these models is to motivate the employees properly. For example, servant leadership is one of the rapidly evolving leadership styles at present. â€Å"It is an approach that aims to satisfy the needs of the employees so that it enhances job satisfaction and inspires them to reach higher levels of performance in organizations due to its emphasis on serving, vision, values, teamwork and empowerment† (Mehta, & Pillay, 2011, p.24). In this type of leadership, the leaders are giving more attention to satisfy the needs of the employees. The principle behind this model is that only the satisfied employees contribute heavily to the organization and therefore it is necessary to provide peace of mind to the employees at any cost. Therefore, servant leaders try to serve the employees as the name indicates. Some leaders have the illusion that leadership and management are all about using power. However, servant leadership says that leaders should act even as servants at times to derive the most out of the employees. Another important leadership model in the corporate world is transformational leadership style. The core principle behind of transformational leadership model rests in providing enough motivation to the employees to perform certain tasks. â€Å"Correlational and regression analysis revealed that there is a direct and positive relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Results also show that emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment† (Farahani et al., 2011, p.211). As the name indicates, transformational leaders try to transform the minds of the employees. They cultivate positive changes in the behavior, attitudes and work philosophy of the employees so that the organization gets benefits out of it. Consistency in approaches and dealings is one of the major characteristics of transformational leade rs. In other words, transformation leaders will never be opportunistic. They will assist the employees both during good times and bad times. Nohria et al, (2008, p.3-4) conducted some studies in order to learn more about the employee motivating factors. In their opinion the four drives that underline motivation are; the drive to acquire, the drive to bond, the drive to comprehend and the drive to defend. It is the duty of the leaders to make sure that all these drives of motivation are met properly. For example the drive to acqu

Women, Religion and Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women, Religion and Politics - Essay Example But the religious doctrines often hinder the women from actively participating in politics. A notable example is the women in Arab countries who particularly remain under-represented in parliaments. When the percentage of women constitutes 16.3% across all the parliaments, it is very low in Arab countries. In Iraq women population constitutes 50% while their representation in parliament is only 31%.It may be because of the strict influence of religion on women folk. But there is a remarkable change in Africa and in Latin America where there has been an increase of more than 5 points during the past 10 years. In these countries religious rules are more liberal that enable women to participate actively in politics. The reservations allotted to women in all the parliaments are controversial even now. This is made clear by Gila Stopler when the author states: â€Å"Though modern liberal theory is commonly understood as guaranteeing similar rights to both men and women, I will argue that there exists a tremendous gap between this understanding of liberal theory and the reality of both liberal theory and liberal practice in relation to discrimination against women. A similar gap exists between the liberal attitude toward sex discrimination and the liberal attitude toward racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination.† ... In USA, the Republicans could keep clear view about women, religion and politics. Their female candidate Hillary Clinton launches a contemptuous attack against the current insurance industry in USA .She accuses that the covetous reforms deliberately lying in all reform plans are based on defending their profits. She may be the first lady who publicly attacked any Americans or American industries. In USA we can't find a clear cut margin between US women's religion and politics even though the female candidates of Republican party including Hillary were the followers of Roman Catholic Religion. Structured religion in the world always has been and remains the enemy of women's rights .Roman catholic churches fought with tooth and nail against the developments of woman .Today the most dreadful enemy of women - socially, politically, and economically - is the religious constraints. Even the sexuality of women is under religious scrutiny. Religion overpowered the equal right debate. The Bible establishes women's inferior status, her unseemliness, and the god practiced a master/servant relationship. Even the Bible itself produces the evidence for gender discrimination. Ferrara and Wilson make it clear when they state: "Jesus Christ took the flesh of human nature and made it wholly his own. In the unity of the Church, a Gentile is as much an image of the Jewish Christ as a Jew; a slave is as much the image of the freeborn Christ as a citizen; a woman is as much the image of the male Christ as a man. It is arbitrary to slice up the unities in one way and not in the other. It is a b izarre fixation on gender that requires male body parts to represent Christ. In fact, it is a denial of Jesus' incarnation and resurrection alike to say that women cannot stand in persona

Red Lobster Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Red Lobster - Case Study Example Initially, the proposition was to make an easy to utilize programming bundle that did not require exceedingly a lot of computing force. MapInfo gave the first instruments to Microsoft that permitted them to incorporate mapping usefulness in their items, particularly the mapping extra marked as Microsoft Map for Microsoft Excel as a major aspect of MS Office 95. A Geographic Information System known as GIS view shed is the aftereffect of a capacity that decides, given a territory model, which territories on a guide or rather a map can be seen from a given point or rather focuses, line or range. In the communication industry, this capacity can be utilized to model radio wave scopes and to site handset towers for cell phones. However, there are lapses included with this capacity and, without the essential information; it cant represent building statures that may influence perceivability in urban zones. It is a crucial aspect for one to precisely show observable pathway which is well known as the line of sight, LOS of the radio wave scopes with a specific end goal to secure the feasibility of supplanting existing field routines with a geographical information system view shed analysis (Monedero, et al. 2008, p. 337). An inception point equipped for supporting a line of sight of a radio wave transmitter is to be chosen, for instance, from inside the Virginia Tech grounds study region which is the best zone for source point. A view shed analysis is then performed with ESRIs ArcView geographical information system, utilizing this site as the perception point and a 30 meter determination Digital Elevation Model, DEM from the United States Geological Survey is likewise compelling for that. To check the exactness of the view shed, it is fitting to transmit at 27.5 GHz, a line of sight of recurrence that ought to have properties regularly in the wireless telecommunication industry. Also, the use of Super Pad 3.1a as a geographical information system

Devotion of St Augustine to the Sacrament of Penance Essay

Devotion of St Augustine to the Sacrament of Penance - Essay Example At a very impressionable age Augustine was quite impressed and influenced by Cicero’s dialogue â€Å"Hortensius† and therefore left to Carthage for further studies in rhetoric. He was very unfortunate as he gave up his Christian faith and practiced the Manichaean faith which really broke his mother’s heart when she heard about it. Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle in his youth and hence developed a close relationship with a young woman who remained his concubine for fifteen years and got a son by her named Adeodatus. By the age of thirty, Augustine had carved an enviable niche for himself in the Latin world. â€Å"Confessions† written by Saint Augustine, gives us a vivid account of the pagan life he had led as well as his spiritual transformation as a devout Christian. The word â€Å"Confessions†, take on two meanings – one is to confess ones sins before God and the other is to acknowledge the truth about God. Therefore â€Å"Confessions†, can be taken as praise and glory to God Our Father. (Warner, Rex 1963) Augustine is considered as one of the most steadfast and important figures in Christianity and is considered as a great saint and a patron of the St. Augustine religious order. In Book One, Augustine tells us of how he hated going to school and used to get beaten by his elders. He also claimed dishonest victories and pilfered things from his parents and traded them with other children. He was also gluttonous and had other disgusting habits. Finally, when realization comes to him he cries out to the lord in despair saying, â€Å"Oh, God! Woe to the sins of men! When a man cries thus, thou showest him mercy, for thou dids’t create the man and not the sin in him†. In his ‘Confessions’, St. Augustine tells us of how he lived a dangerous and precarious life and it was only because of Ambrose that he was brought back to the Christian faith. Referring to the topic of

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Essay Example for Free

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Essay When I say Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, what comes to mind? To most of you new age listeners, absolutely nothing, just Spanish guy name, but to all of you in touch musical geniuses, only one word clouds your brain. Volta. The mars Volta is an Avant garde progressive rock group, who at times may not make sense with words, but completely and utterly make up for it with insane riffs, original scales and crazy drum segments. Omar is the guitarist and founder of the mars Volta; he is also the main song writer. Omar has incorporated guitar into his world and career ever since he was twelve year old, starting off with a bass. When he turned fifteen, he claimed he â€Å"needed more strings† and switched to a guitar, this decision changed his life forever. Omar was born on September first 1975 in Puerto Rico, although he grew up in El Paso Texas, and spent much time in South California. He attended high school in El Paso at Coronado where he met his future band mates. In my eyes, Omar is a musical genius; I mean have you ever listened to l’via l’viaquez? Boom, starts off straight with pure riff, of course the Spanish lyrics add to the awesomeness of it, but this guy is a genius. His music never gets boring, ten minute long songs, anthems if you will, they’re long, but not too long, never repeat a scale or rhythm, but you can still hum the chorus, perfect? I think so. Once Omar realized he was an artist, he did more than just play in a band and write music, he decided to write films, including music for the soundtracks. His first film was called the sentimental engine slayer, which was played in numerous theatres, he was good at this indeed, but his true calling obviously lies in the world of fret boards and fender amps. Omar is actually a big fan of Ibanez guitars, his first two were custom, then Ibanez decided to make him his own, which is available for purchase. Omar lives a low radar life, and loves it. He is inspiring to many, including me, the ways he incorporates and uses guitar in his life.

Analysis of News Reports

Analysis of News Reports INTISAR SAIF SALIM AL HASHMI Hard News – Court Drops Murder Charges against Mubarak STAGE ONE Introduction Hard news is a term often used by media practitioner or journalists to refer to the fast-paced information that is worth appearing on the newspaper front, usually a headline. This does not mean it is a controversial one, with topics of interest like business, political uprising, new transport system introduction that will reduce traffic congestion and other international news. It is argued that what defines hard news is not about the controversy in the subject matter but rather what some will call fast paced or heavy reports on it that makes it hard news. The term hard news is not of scientific and can be traced back to have been first used by the US journalists to classify various types of news. Since then, the two terms have found their way into the academic circles being used in journalism. Schramm (1949) was one of the first people to document the types of news as hard news or soft news. In this work, the hard news chosen is the acquittal of former president, Hosni Mubarak of murder charges which hit the headlines this week. It was reported in almost all mainstream media in the world and for the purpose of this study, we have picked only the three Omani newspapers; The times of Oman, the Oman Tribune and the Muscat Daily. This news is going to be analyzed in terms of the already set principles that make it newsworthy to be printed in the headlines. These set principles include; timeliness, proximity, impact or consequences, prominence, conflict, human interest. Timeliness This is the immediacy of the news item. Because news, become outdated quickly, it is better if a hard news hits the newsstands immediately and it happened in the case in which an Egyptian court acquitted the former president on 29th November 2014 and the following day, the newspapers reported it. This was a timely reporting and on the part of print media. Proximity This refers the closeness of an event to home. The concern of what was going to happen to the former leader, Hosni Mubarak was something of interest to the whole Arab world. Since the beginning of the famous Arab spring, people in the entire region have always focused to the events shaping the politics in the region. This kind of news is closer to Oman and therefore qualifies under the proximity principle. Impact or Consequences The impact of his acquittal is seen by many as a miscarriage of justice to the families of those who died in the demonstration that saw the former leader ousted. Others also see it as a relief to his supporters since someone who has led a country peacefully should not be humiliated when he leaves power and they argue he should retire honourably. The consequence of the news serves as a warning to those who think they should shame a president who has devoted his time to lead his people. Prominence This story carried on the three newspapers is about a prominent personality, Hosni Mubarak and Egypt, which is known place with rich historical background ranging from history of ancient education to the Pharaos and the Pyramids. The country is well known for the continuous and persistent demonstrations that hit its cities forcing their president to resign. This news is definitely of interest to many readers. Conflict The newspaper article also shows some kind of conflict between the supporters of the former president and the relatives of those who died. The supporters see the ouster and subsequent humiliation of Mubarak as not worth since there has been no change to the problems facing them and in any case, it has just gotten worse. The bereaved relative on the other hand view this as justice denied by dropping the case of murder against him. Human Interest The news is of human interest in the sense that people would like to know how the Egyptian democracy progresses after the ouster of Mubarak and Morsi. In fact, democracy has not been granted to the Egyptians since their democratic leader was dethroned by the military and since then, there have been demonstrations after demonstrations. Grading of News In Terms of Accuracy, Clarity and Style Accuracy The reporters have done this work accurately bearing the power such reports have on the people. This is because what they write can easily influence people’s decisions. They have done it so accurately that what appears in the three papers have no spelling errors. The news also doesn’t mislead the public or distort what the court announced. Clarity Since newspaper reporting is different from an academic writing, it should be brief and to the point. This is because no one has the time to devote to the news except to obtain information. Looking at these news reports, they have been written with the clarity that the journalism approves. The writers seem to have the readers in mind by using simple language, short paragraphs as well as short stories while avoiding no bombastic words. Style The designs on the newspapers are done in styles that beckon the reader to buy. They are arranged in layouts that are attractive to the eyes and this has the aesthetic value and ability to kill boredom. It also assures the reader of the value for money when the paper is still on the newsstand. Even though the primary objective is to report the news to the people, the three newspapers have been done artistically that is different from the old type of writing. The different fonts have also been used to appeal to the buyer. STAGE TWO HAND WRITTEN NOTES AND FLOW CHARTS ON MAJOR INFORMATION ON THE THREE NEWSPAPERS. STAGE THREE My own hard news Hosni Mubarak murder charges dropped by Court HIS TWO SONS AND 7 COMMANDERS ALSO ACQUITED AS JOY AND JUBILATIONS RETURN TO EGYPT. MAJAN TIMES REPORTER CAIRO An Egyptian court dealt a terrible blow to the relatives of those who were killed during the uprising by declaring that the former Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak has no case to answer. Mubarak was accused of killing the protesters in 2011 during the uprising which saw the former president tender his resignation to allow the military takeover to manage a transition. His supporters went into jubilation when the announcement, which also cleared his former interior minister, was made. The judge also noted that charges should not have been preferred against the former leader. The relatives of those killed were not happy and one by one they started to assemble in the famous Tahrir square to oppose the move. They said this is a blow to the rule of law and miscarriage of justice. The sons of the former dictator, Alaa and Gamal, were also cleared of corruption charges. When a private radio station contacted him on phone in his hospital room, he remarked, â€Å"I did nothing wrong at all. And when the first verdict was read, I laughed.† Former president Mubarak The former leader also praised his three decades of rule which was what looked like a police state. There was heavy handedness in his last decade which saw many people with divergent views arrested and imprisoned. In his ruling, the judge said it was not fair to try him for the charges according to the penal code and insisted that there should have been no charges in the first place. Mubarak’s lawyer supported the ruling and added, â€Å"it is approved the Mubarak’s regime’s integrity†. This looks like the Arab spring and the efforts to bring democracy has been dealt a terrible blow according to some analysts. STAGE FOUR COMPARISONS BETWEEN MY HARD NEWS AND THE NEWSPAPER’S. One idea per sentence In the ‘Times of Oman’, the rule of one idea per sentence is adhered to since in the first paragraph, when the reporter writes about the court acquitting the former leader of murder charges on the 800 people killed during the uprising. Also in the second paragraph, he brings two issues but separates the sentences using a comma. This trend continues until the end of the story. In the Muscat daily, the same trend of one idea per sentence is maintained, separating the Mubarak acquittal, his ongoing imprisonment and the acquittal of his generals and sons. In the Oman tribune, the reporter maintained the one idea per sentence as we observe him writing about the dropping of corruption charges against the sons and separating it from the acquittal of the military generals so that these two or three ideas do not go into one sentence. In my own constructed hard news. I have maintained this journalistic requirement by preserving the one idea per sentence rule. Manageable sentence length (20 – 25) words per sentence In these three newspapers together with my own story, the sentence length is about 20 – 25 words at most. Though there are some sentences that are shorter than this but all the same, they are still comprehensible. I have also made sure that my sentences are within the same range of manageable length to avoid giving the readers hard time in comprehending the news. Subject verb order The subject verb order is observed in the following instances: in the Oman Tribune, â€Å" I did nothing wrong at all†, (The Oman Tribune 30 November 2014, p. 16) his lawyer Farid Al deeb said that the verdict was a good ruling in that it proved the integrity of Mubarak’s era. In the Muscat Daily, the sentences are of subject verb order for example, â€Å" the court also acquitted the ex-strongman of corruption charge†, (Muscat Daily 30 November 2014, p. 1) and the same trend can be identified in the whole story including my own version and even in the times of Oman. Use of strong verbs and active voice The tribune of Oman uses strong words such as ex-strongman, the Muscat daily also uses the same term but in my story, I avoided this because it may not depict what I really felt about Mubarak. There is a contrast between my view and that of the other reporters as it appears that he was just doing his own job. Without him, Egypt is not any better, it is worse than before. Use of simple and precise words There are very simple sentences which can be comprehended by any person who has learnt some English be it as a first or second language. The simple words like. â€Å"When I heard the first verdict, I laughed†, Rashidi also acquitted Mubarak of corruption charges for exporting gas to Israel†. (The Oman Tribune 30 November 2014, p. 16). Similarly, in my own hard news, I have written some short sentences like, â€Å" judge said it was not fair to charge him according to the penal code† Not more than three prepositional phrases per sentence. In these writings, like the Oman tribune script, we see sentence such as; â€Å" the court also acquitted the ex-strongman of corruption charge but he will remain in detention because he is serving a three-year sentence in related graft case†. (The Oman Tribune 30 November 2014, p. 16) They are only three in this case. In same news by the Muscat Daily, I met a sentence like; â€Å"seven of his security commanders, including the feared former interior minister Habil al Addy, were acquitted in connection with the deaths of some 800 people killed during the revolt† (Muscat Daily 30 November 2014, p. 1). The same prepositional phases are less than three. References Wilbur S., (1963), â€Å"Communication Development and the Development Process,† in Lucian Pye (Ed.) Communications and Political Development, NJ: Princeton University Press. Mass Media and National Development: The Role of Information in the Developing Countries. Stanford University Press. 1964. ISBN9780804702270. Roberts, D. F. (Eds.). (1971). The process and effects of mass communication (Rev. ed.). Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. Appendix 1