Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Essay

Response paper about Turkish Letters of Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Imperial Ambassador at Constantinople, - Essay Example o introduced both the lilac, which generally earned acceptance to the West, and tulip due to his fascination for herbalism local flora according to scholarly records. Based on the scholars, it is interesting to note how Busbecq demonstrated a picture of the international politics at the time through the Turkish letters, especially detailing the relations between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire which is claimed to be given negligible focus in history courses. Hence, Busbecq’s letters are regarded as amply useful as a firsthand reliable source in studying the Western Civilization or European history for students in higher undergraduate levels. Since the inner workings of 16th century European diplomacy are also dealt with, a reader would essentially perceive the historical and personal insights of the Flemish author regarding the culture and society of the great empire of the east. Such undertakings as Busbecq’s become noteworthy of being judged as open-mindedly capable in ridding itself of inevitable biases so as to create a better illustration of the truth which the audience should be left mostly to evaluate. As a polymath who had been able to obtain remarkable education via Europe’s erudite capitals, Busbecq managed to exhibit in the Turkish letters, forwarded to the knowledge of a fellow diplomat at Hungary, the potential to respond to the heightening tensions between the Ottomans and Ferdinand of Habsburg between 1555 and 1562. By chronicling the encounters of his journey in fulfilling the mission assigned him as part of the imperial embassy, the ambassador quite proved that he deserved the position to settle border treaty negotiations between Suleiman ‘the Magnificent’ and the future emperor of Rome. With Ogier Ghiselin’s composition of the Turkish letters, one acquires a perspective of making history through diverse experiential learning like that of Busbecq as he made the most of his stay in Istanbul. Eventually, this establishes

Cultural competence and its promotion in the education system Essay Example for Free

Cultural competence and its promotion in the education system Essay The demise of racial segregation in the 1960s saw the emergence of cultural diversity with colored and non colored students now being taught under the same roof. From then on, schools have seen an increasingly diverse mix of students, matters having been complicated further by globalization, which has resulted in more diverse cultures making the United States their country of choice. Diversity is good and must be appreciated; the only problem is that if not handled well it may have the potential of creating apathy between the different cultures making up the cultural mix so that instead of a system becoming a cultural melting pot, it becomes the crystallization chamber. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of culture in molding competent students. Cultural competence More often than not, competence is construed in its narrowest definition, which is mostly in reference to acquisition of the necessary skills for the performance of a job. For this paper however, competence will be in reference to both culture and knowledge. Ahlawat and Ahlawat (2006) found the influence of globalization to be so enormous to the extent that multicultural diversity is now amongst the key ingredients for students aspiring for a global career. An equally important finding is by Thomas (2006), who emphasized the importance of cultural intelligence in the business environment. The role of culture within the organizations is captured by Berrell and Gloet (1999), who did a study on influence of culture in organizational culture and found it significant. The study implies that for one to blend seamlessly in to an organization there must be a level of cultural competence because there seems to be a thin line between the culture within and without the organization. For instance, according to the study, an organization within Malaysia will most likely have a culture similar to that of Malaysian people. If one has problems adapting to the Malaysian culture then the person’s work output may be greatly limited. The role of the education system in such a scenario will be to create a culturally competent global citizen. It cannot of course be expected that students will be trained to adapt to certain cultures only, instead, skills to adapt to diverse cultures will be imparted. Such a skill is given by Arizaga, Waldo and Castellanos (2005), who found that teachers who participated in multicultural enhancement program showed increase cultural competence in the form of listening and expressive skills. Evidently, these are adaptive skills that once acquired may be applied in any cultural setting. Educator’s role in promoting cultural competence The design of the education system should ensure that it produces tolerant people capable of adapting to any cultures. One of the ways given by Arizaga et al (2005) is by having multicultural enhancement programs to promote listening and expressive skills. Pope and Mueller (2005) also emphasize the need to integrate diversity issues in designing education programs. This can perhaps be described as the cornerstone of achieving cultural competence because if its importance can be taken in to account in the training of educators then eventually the educators that will end up in the field preparing the students will know what it entails to be culturally competent, and will thereafter pass on the skill. Pope, Mueller and Reynolds (2009) appear to agree with the importance of having culturally competent educators when it pays tribute to student affairs professionals for the increased number of multicultural scholarships in the last three decades. The emphasis should therefore be on getting culturally competent educators on board the educational system if substantial results are to be expected. . Further to that, the authors are also urging the educators not to simply embrace diversity; they should actually seek it proactively. In addition to promoting cultural competence in as far as interacting with people from other ethnic, racial and national cultures, the education system should promote tolerance to homosexuals. This is according to Liang and Alimo (2005), who suggested that the education system could promote a more positive attitude of heterosexual students towards homosexual students by encouraging interaction between the two groups, something the study found to increase tolerance between the two groups. An equally important aspect of attitude development in the education system is the acquisition of positive views of self worth and meaningfulness Coll and Zalaquet (2007). Its importance in promoting cultural competence may not be obvious, but it is not hard to imagine how a person with a feeling of high self worth and meaning will find it rational to respect other people’s rights. A challenge to achieving cultural diversity is presented by Salazar (2005) who cites challenges faced by counsellors of color. Counselors of color according to the research are faced with prejudices in their interactions with white middle class students. Sadly, this may be an in built mentality, which may take some time to get rid of but fortunately, cultural competence presents one of the remedies to this inappropriate attitude. Implications of the findings Most people spend over two decades in school, meaning that the education system plays a big role in shaping the national psyche. Among other functions, Gay (2009) says that education plays an important role bringing up constructive students. The element of constructiveness goes beyond cultural competence and ropes in other areas such as raw knowledge and social skills. In fact, according to the article the education system may play role in promoting democracy. The upshot of all this is that an educator must realize that the challenges and objectives of the education system are dynamic and for one to remain relevant, it is important to continuously adapt to the changes. For instance, a few years ago it would have been unthinkable that the education system would want to promote tolerance towards homosexuals; these were outcasts for whom there was little concern. However, the reality of the output focused employment present today has ensured increased tolerance to such people and thus the need for a change in approach. An educator will be differentiated from any other knowledgeable person from their ability to produce all rounded graduates. Some of the important traits to be considered include cultural competence and tolerance. For example, if the task is to teach students mathematics without considerations to the other aspects then that can even be done by anybody with the basic knowledge needed to teach the particular subject. The professional educator must be easy to differentiate from other people possessing the same level of knowledge, and one of the hallmarks of this is the ability to produce culturally competent students among other things. Conclusion From the study, cultural competence has proven to be a very important subject area for one’s development. Most people spend over two decades in school, meaning that they will acquire some of their lifelong traits there. Global occupational mobility is on the rise and one of the key ingredients to it is cultural competence. People with less of it will have a very hard time adapting to the different work environments that will be made available by the increased mobility. One’s work output is not a function of skills competence only; it must also include the person’s ability to work with people, which means adopting the narrow minded definition of education will produce half baked students. References Ahlawat, S. , Ahlawat, S. (2006, ). Competing in the Global Knowledge Economy: Implications for Business Education.. Journal of American Academy of Business, 8(1), 101-105. Arizaga, M. B. , Waldo, M. , Castellanos, L. (2005). Multicultural Sensitivity and Interpersonal Skills Training for Preservice Teachers. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 44(2), 198-202. Berrell, M. , Gloet, M. (1999). Reflections on the cultural dimensions of educational administration. EAF Journal, 13(2), 10. Coll, J. , Zalaquet, C. (2007). The Relationship of Worldviewsof Advisors and Students and satisfaction with advising: A Case of Homogenous. Journal of College Student Retention, 9(3), 273-281. Gay, G. (2009). Similar Concerns, Different Perspectives of Social Studies and Multicultural Education. Social Studies Review, 48(1), 25-27. Liang, C. , Alimo, C. (2005). The Impact of White Heterosexual Students’ Interactions on Attitudes Toward Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of College Student Development, 46(3), 237-250. Pope, R. , Mueller, J. (2005). Faculty and Curriculum: Examing Multicultural Competence and Inclusion. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6), 679-688. Pope, R. , Mueller, J. , Reynolds, A. (2009). Looking Back and Moving Forward: Future Directions for Diversity Research in Student Affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 640-659 Salazar, C. (2005). Outsiders in a White, Middle-Class System: Counselor Educators of Color on Academe. Jounral of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 44(2), 240-252. Thomas, D. (2006). Domain and Development of Cultural Intelligence: The Importance of Mindfulness. Group Organization Management, 31(1), 78-99.

Somatic Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Ethics Essays

Somatic Gene Therapy To a parent, the thought of their child having a severe, yet rare genetic disease brings guilt, sadness, and responsibility to an aching heart. Parents who see their child pass through life with the weight of a terminal illness often wish in their hearts that the curse had been placed upon them rather than their child. To some, the thought of the old clichà © "no parent ought to see their child die" seems to swim endlessly in their mind. The hope for a cure fills the hearts of many waiting on the edge of their seats in hopes for a better quality of life for themselves, loved ones, and human kind. The news of success with a novel technology in putting to rest these diseases brings a purpose in life. Such is the case with Ashanti DeSilva, a four-year-old girl diagnosed with severe combined immune deficiency (Human Gene Therapy). Ashanti hardly lived what would be call a normal life, confined to her sterile home where she battled common childhood diseases, like the cold, with massive amounts of antibiotics. She lived a life of separation, avoiding contact with the public and even those she loved. With a compromised immune system due to a missing gene in her genome, she was vulnerable to every passing germ. On September 14, 1990, Ashanti received a life changing treatment as the first approved gene therapy. In the procedure the researchers removed white blood cells from Ashanti, which were then grown in a lab. These cells were then spliced with the missing gene and infused back into Ashanti. Although this is a treatment and not a cure, Ashanti can now live a life she and her parents dreamed of. She can now attend school and play with friends and family without fear of contact, thereby living a more... ...lt;http://www.wiley.co.uk/genmed/clinical/> Human Gene Therapy (2000). National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature. (Online) 20Nov04. <http://www.georgetown.edu/research/nrcbl/scopenotes/sn24htm>. Questions and Answers About Gene Therapy (1993). National Cancer Institute. (Online) 20Nov04. <http://www.cancernet.nci.nih.gov/clinpdq/therapy/Questions_and_Answers_About_Gene_Therapy.htm>. Rubanyi, G. (2001). The Future of Human Gene Therapy. Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 22,3, pp. 113-142. Walters, LeRoy, and Julie Gage Palmer. Ethics of Human Gene Therapy. Oxford University Press, New York. 1997. Williams, D. (2003). Gene Therapy-New Challenges Ahead. Science. 302, 5644, pp. 400. Wilson, J. (1997) What Is Gene Therapy? The Institute for Human Gene Therapy. (Online) 20Nov04. <http://www.med.upenn.edu/ihgt/info/whatisgt.html>.

Night World : The Chosen Chapter 15

The sound of her own voice sent Rashel spinning out of the light. It was as if she were emerging from deep water- from one world into another. Or as if she were re-entering her own body. For a moment everything was confusion, and Rashel wasn't sure of where she was or how she was positioned†¦ and then she felt her arms and legs and saw yellow light. Lamplight. She was in an upstairs room in a mansion on a private island, and Quinn was holding her. They had somehow ended up on the floor, half kneeling, half supported by the wall, their arms around each other, Rashel's head on his shoulder. She had no idea when he'd stopped biting her. She also had no idea how much time had passed. She coughed a little, shaken by what had just happened. That other place, with the light-it still seemed more real than the hard shiny boards of the floor underneath her and the white walls of the room. But it also seemed encased in its own reality. Like a dream. She didn't know if they would ever be able to get back there again. â€Å"Quinn?† He was Quinn again. Not John. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Do you know what happened? I mean, do you understand it?† â€Å"I think,† he said, and his voice was gentle and precise, â€Å"that sharing blood can strengthen a telepathic bond. I've always been able to block it out when I fed before, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish. â€Å"But it happened that other time. Or something like it happened. When I first met you.† â€Å"Yes. Well. Well, I think it's†¦ there's something called†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He gave up and resorted to nonverbal communication. There's something called the soulmate principle. I've never believed in it. I've laughed at people who talked about it. I would have bet my life that- â€Å"What is it, Quinn?† Rashel had heard of it, too, especially recently. But it wasn't something from her world, and she wanted a Night Person to explain. It's the idea that everyone has one and just one soul-mate in the world, and that if you find them, you recognize them immediately. And†¦ well, that's that. â€Å"But it's not supposed to happen between humans and Night People. Right?† There are some people who think that it is happening-now-for some reason-especially between humans and Night People. The Redferns seem to be getting it in particular. There was a pause, then Quinn said aloud, â€Å"I should probably apologize to some of them, actually.† He sounded bemused. Rashel sat up, which was difficult. She didn't want to let go of Quinn. He kept hold of her fingers, which helped a little. He looked more mussed than he had down near the wharf, his neat hair disordered, his eyes large and dark and dazed. She met his gaze directly. â€Å"You think we're soulmates?† â€Å"Well.† He blinked. â€Å"Do you have a better explanation?† â€Å"No.† She took a breath. â€Å"Do you still want to make me a vampire?† He stared at her, and something flamed and then fell in pain in his eyes. For an instant he looked as if she'd hit him-then all she could see was regret. â€Å"Oh, Rashel† In one motion he caught her and held her. His face was pressed to her hair. She could feel him breathing like some stricken creature-and then she felt him regain control, grabbing discipline from somewhere, wrapping himself in it. He rested his chin on her head. â€Å"I'm sorry you have to ask that, but I understand. I don't want to make you a vampire. I want-â€Å" I want you to be what you were two minutes ago. That happy, that idealistic†¦. He sounded as if it were something that had been lost forever. But Rashel felt a new happiness, and a new confidence. He had changed. She could sense how much he had changed already. They were in the real world, and he wasn't raving about needing to kill her, or her needing to kill him. â€Å"I just wanted to be sure,† she said. She tightened her own arms around him. â€Å"I don't know what's going to happen-but as long as we're right together, I think I can face it.† I think we live or die together from now on, Quinn said simply. Yes, Rashel thought. She could still feel lingering sadness in Quinn, and confusion in herself, but they were right together. She didn't need to doubt him anymore. They trusted each other. â€Å"We have to do something about the people downstairs,† she said. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But we can't kill them.† â€Å"No. There's been enough killing. It has to stop.† Quinn sounded like a swimmer who'd been tumbling in a riptide, and whose feet had finally found solid ground. Rashel sat up to look at him. â€Å"But we can't just let them walk out of here. What if they try it again? I mean, whoever set this bloodfeast up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She suddenly realized that she had asked everybody else, but not him. â€Å"Quinn, who did set this up?† He smiled, a faint echo of his old savage smile. Now it was grim and self-mocking. â€Å"I don't know.† â€Å"You don't know?† â€Å"Some vampire who wanted to get the made vampires together. But I've never met him. Lily was the go-between, but I'm not sure she knows either. She only spoke to him on the phone. Neither of us asked a lot of questions. We were doing it for the money.† He said it flatly, not sparing himself. And to be rebellious, Rashel thought. To be as bad and as damned as possible, because you figured you might as well. She said, â€Å"Whoever it is might just go somewhere else and find somebody else to get his slaves for him. Those seven guys could be having a new bloodfeast next month.† â€Å"That has to be stopped, too,† Quinn said. â€Å"How to stop it without violence, that's the question.† His fingers were still tight on Rashel's, but he was staring into the distance, lost in grim and competent thought. It was a new side of Quinn. Rashel had seen him in almost every mood from despairing to manic, but she had never worked with him before. Now she realized that he was going to make a strong and resourceful ally. Suddenly Quinn seemed to focus. â€Å"I've got it,† he said. He smiled suddenly, mocking but without the bitterness. â€Å"When violence won't work, there's no other choice but to try persuasion.† â€Å"That's not funny.† â€Å"It's not meant to be.† â€Å"You're going to say, ‘Please don't kill any more young girls'?† â€Å"I'm going to say, ‘Please don't kill any more young girls or I'll report you to the Joint Council.' Listen, Rashel.† He took her by the arms, his eyes flashing with excitement. â€Å"I have some authority in the Night World-I'm the Redfern heir. And Hunter Redfern has more. Between us, we can make all kinds of trouble for these made vampires.† â€Å"But Fayth-a friend of mine-said they were all so powerful.† In the intensity of the moment, Rashel almost missed the fact that she'd just called Fayth her friend. Quinn was shaking his head. â€Å"No, you have to understand. These aren't rogues, they're Night World citizens. And what they're doing is completely illegal. You can't just kill a bunch of girls from one area without permission. Slavery's illegal, bloodfeasts are illegal. And no matter how powerful they are, they can't stand up against the Night World Council.† â€Å"But-â€Å" â€Å"We threaten them with exposure to the Council. With exposure to Hunter Redfern-and to the lamia. The lamia will go crazy at the thought of made vampires getting together in some kind of alliance. They'll take it as a threat of civil war.† It might work, Rashel was thinking. The made vampires were just individuals-they'd be up against whole lamia families. Especially against the Redfern family, the oldest and most respected clan of vampires. â€Å"Everybody's scared of Hunter Redfern,† she said slowly. â€Å"He's got tremendous influence. He practically owns the Council. He could run them out of the Night World if he wanted. I think they'll listen.† â€Å"You really do think of him as a father, don't you?† Rashel said, her voice soft. She searched Quinn's eyes. â€Å"Whatever you say about hating him-you respect him.† â€Å"He's not as bad as most. He has†¦ honor, I guess. Usually.† And he's a New Englander, Rashel thought. That means he's against vice. She considered another moment, then she nodded. Her heart was beating fast, but she could feel a smile breaking on her face. â€Å"Let's try persuasion.† They stood-and then they paused a moment, looking at each other. We're strong, Rashel thought. We've got unity. If anyone can do this, we can. She picked up her knife almost absent-mindedly. It was a piece of art, a valued possession, and she didn't want to lose it. They walked down the stairs side by side. Music was still blasting from the gathering room at the end of the hall. It hadn't been that long, Rashel realized. The whole world had changed since she'd been in this hallway-but somehow it had all happened in minutes. Now, Quinn said silently before they went in. There shouldn't be any danger-/ don't think they'll be stupid enough to attack me-but be alert anyway. Rashel nodded. She felt cool and businesslike, and she thought she was perfectly rational. It was only later that she realized they had walked into the room like little lambs into the tiger's lair, still dizzy and reeling from the discovery of love. Quinn went in first and she could hear voices stop as he did. Then she was walking through the door, into that ruddy flickering room with shadows dancing on the walls. And there they were again, those handsome young guys who looked like a TV-series ensemble. They were looking at Quinn with various expressions of interest and surprise. When they saw her, the expressions sharpened to pleasure and inquiry. â€Å"Hey, Quinn!† â€Å"Hi there, Quinn.† â€Å"So you've arrived at last. You've kept us waiting long enough.† That from the dark one who was looking at his watch. Quinn said, â€Å"Turn off the music.† Someone went to a built-in mahogany cabinet and turned off an expensive stereo. Quinn was looking around the room, as if to appraise each of them. â€Å"Campbell,† he said, nodding slightly. â€Å"Radhu. Azarius. Max.† â€Å"So you're the one who brought us here,† Campbell said. He had rusty hair and a sleepy smile. â€Å"We've all been dying to find out.† â€Å"Who's that?† someone else added, peering at Rashel. â€Å"The first course?† Quinn smiled fractionally, with a look that made the guy who'd asked step backward. â€Å"No, she's not the first course,† he said softly. â€Å"In fact, unfortunately, all the courses have disappeared.† There was a silence. Everyone stared at him. Then the guy with the silver-blond hair said, â€Å"What?† â€Å"They've all-just-disappeared.† Quinn made an expressive gesture. â€Å"Escaped. Vanished.† Another silence. Rashel didn't like this one. She was beginning to get an odd impression from the group, as if she were in a room, not with people, but with animals that had been kept past their feeding time. â€Å"What the hell are you talking about?† the dark one, the one Quinn had called Azarius, said tightly. â€Å"What kind of joke is this?† Campbell added. â€Å"It's not a joke. The girls who were brought for the bloodfeast are gone,† Quinn said slowly and distinctly, just in case anybody hadn't gotten it yet. Then he said, â€Å"And as a matter of fact, it's a good thing.† â€Å"A good thing? Quinn, we're starving.† â€Å"They can't have gone too far,† the silver blond said. â€Å"After all, it's an island. Let's go and-† â€Å"Nobody's going anywhere,† Quinn said. Rashel moved closer to him. She was still nervous. These guys were on the edge of getting out of control. But she trusted Quinn, and she could tell they were afraid of him. And, she told herself, they'll be even more afraid in a minute. â€Å"Look, Quinn, if you brought us here to-† â€Å"I didn't bring you here. In fact, I don't know who brought you here, but it doesn't matter. I've got the same thing to say to all of you. There isn't going to be any bloodfeast, now or ever. And anybody who objects to that can take their problem to the Council.† That shut everyone up. They simply stared at Quinn. It was clearly the last thing they expected. â€Å"In fact, if you don't want the Council to hear about this, I'd advise everybody to go home quietly and pretend it never happened. And to have a headache the next time anybody asks you to a bloodfeast.† This silence was broken by somebody muttering, â€Å"You dirty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meanwhile, Rashel's mind had begun to tick. Just how were these guys going to go home quietly? There weren't any boats. Unless the host brought one when he came-if he came. And where was he, anyway? And where was Lily? â€Å"Quinn,† she said softly. But somebody else was speaking. â€Å"You'd tell the Council?† a lean tough-looking guy with brown hair asked. â€Å"No, I'd let Hunter Redfern tell the Council,† Quinn said. â€Å"And I don't really think you want that. He might put it in a bad light. Raise your hands everybody who thinks Hunter Redfern would approve of this little party.† â€Å"Do I get a vote?† The voice came from the doorway. It was deeper than the voices of the young guys in the room. Rashel recognized the sound of danger instinctively and turned. And later it seemed to her that even before she turned, she knew what she would see. A tall man standing easily, with a girl and a child behind him in the shadows. He was colored by the flickering ruby light of the fire, but Rashel could still see that his hair was red as blood. And his eyes were golden. Golden like hawk's eyes, like amber. Like Lily Redfern's eyes. Why hadn't she realized that before? The face was a face she would never forget. It came to her every night in her dreams. It was the man who'd killed her mother. The man who'd chased her through the climbing structure, promising her ice cream. All at once, Rashel was five years old again, weak and helpless and terrified. â€Å"Hello, Quinn,† Hunter Redfern said. Quinn was absolutely still beside Rashel. She had the feeling that he couldn't even think. And she understood why. She'd seen into his mind; she knew what Hunter represented to him. Stern necessity, even ruthlessness, but honor, too. And he was just now finding out that that was all a lie. â€Å"Don't look so upset,† Hunter said. He stepped forward with an amiable smile. His golden eyes were fixed on Quinn; he hadn't even glanced at Rashel yet. â€Å"There's a reason for all this.† He gestured to the vampires in the room, and his voice was gentle, rational. â€Å"We need allies in the Council; the lamia are getting too lax. Once I've explained it all to you, you'll understand.† The way he'd made Quinn understand that Quinn had to be a vampire, Rashel thought. The way he'd made Quinn understand that humans were the enemy. She was shaking all over, but there was a white-hot fire inside her that burned through the fear. â€Å"Was there a reason for killing my mother?† she said. The golden eyes turned toward her. Hunter looked mildly startled. Beside her, Quinn's head jerked around. â€Å"I was only five, but I remember it all,† Rashel said. She took a step closer to Hunter. â€Å"You killed her just like that-snapped her neck. Was there a reason for killing Timmy? He was four years old and you drank his blood. Was there a reason for killing my great-aunt? You set a fire to get me, but it got her.† She stopped, staring into those predatory golden eyes. She'd searched for this man for twelve years, and now he didn't seem to recognize her. â€Å"What's wrong, did you hunt too many little kids to keep track of?† she said. â€Å"Or are you so crazy you believe your own public image?† Quinn whispered, â€Å"Rashel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She turned. â€Å"I'm sure. He was the one.† In that instant, she saw Quinn's face harden implacably against the man who'd made him a Red-fern. His eyes went dark as black holes-no light escaped. Rashel suddenly had the feeling of glacial cold. Look into eyes like that and what you saw alone might kill you, she thought. But she had her own fire inside her, her own vengeance. The knife was in her waistband. If she could just get close enough†¦. She moved toward Hunter Redfern again. â€Å"You destroyed my life. And you don't even remember, do you?† â€Å"I remember,† the little shadow beside him said. And then the world flipped and Rashel felt the floor slipping away from her. The child behind Hunter was walking into the light-and suddenly she could smell plastic and old socks, and she could feel vinyl under her hands. Memories were flooding up so quickly that she was drowning in them. All she could say was â€Å"Oh, Timmy. Oh, God, Timmy.† He was standing there, just as she'd seen him last, twelve years ago. Shiny dark hair and wide tilted blue eyes. Except that the eyes weren't exactly a child's eyes. They were some strange and terrible combination of child and adult. There was too much knowledge in them. â€Å"You left me,† Timmy said. â€Å"You didn't care about me.† Rashel sank her teeth into her lip, but tears spilled anyway. â€Å"I'm sorry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Nobody cared about me,† Timmy said. He reached up to take Hunter's sleeve. â€Å"No humans, anyway. Humans are vermin.† He smiled his old sweet smile. Hunter looked down at Timmy, then up at Quinn. â€Å"It's amazing how quickly they learn. You haven't met Timmy, have you? He's been living in Vegas, but I think he can be useful here.† He turned to Rashel and his eyes were pure evil. â€Å"Of course I remember you. It's just that you've changed a little; you've gotten older. You're different from us, you see.† â€Å"You're weak,† Lily put in. She had stepped forward, too, to stand beside her father. Now she linked her arm in his. â€Å"You're short-lived. You're not very bright, and not very important. In a word, you're†¦ dinner.† Hunter smiled. â€Å"Well put.† Then he dropped the smile and said to Quinn, â€Å"Step away from her, son.† Quinn moved slightly, closer to Rashel. â€Å"This is my soulmate,† he said, in his softest and most disturbing voice. â€Å"And we're leaving together.† Hunter Redfern stared at him for several long moments. Something like disbelief flickered in his eyes. Then he recovered and said quietly, â€Å"What a shame.† Behind Rashel there were noises of stirring. It was as if a hot wind from the savanna had blown in, and the lions had caught its scent. â€Å"You know, I was already worried about you, Quinn,† Hunter said. â€Å"Last summer you let Ash and his sisters get away with running out on the enclave. Don't think I didn't notice that. You're getting lax, getting soft. There's too much of that going around lately.† Stand back to back, Quinn told Rashel. She was already moving into position. The vampires were forming a ring, encircling them. She could see smiles on every face. â€Å"And Lily says you've been strange these last few days-moody. She said you seemed preoccupied with a human girl.† Rashel drew her knife. The vampires were watching her with the fixed attention of big felines watching their prey. Absolute focus. â€Å"But the soulmate idea-that's really the last straw. It's like a disease infecting our people. You understand why I have to stamp it out.† Hunter paused. â€Å"For old time's sake, let's finish this quickly.† A voice that wasn't Quinn's added in Rashel's mind, / told you I'd see you later. Rashel stood on the balls of her feet, letting Hunter's words slide off her and drip away. She couldn't think about him right now. She had to concentrate on awareness, open her energy, and free her mind. This was going to be the biggest fight of her fife, and she needed zanshin. But even as she found it, a small voice inside her was whispering the truth. There were simply too many vampires. She and Quinn couldn't hold them all off at once.

Stanley in a Streetcar Named Desire

Laura Robertson Ms. Albertson English IV Honors 17 January 2012 A Streetcar Named Desire: Stanley Kowalski In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, an insensitive and cruel character named Stanley Kowalski is depicted. His juxtaposition to Stella Kowalski, his mild mannered and sensitive wife, accentuates his character flaws making them even more prominent and dramatic throughout the play. Through Stanley’s conflicts with Blanche DuBois and his rapist-like sexual advances, Stanley becomes the perfect villainous character, enabling the reader to sympathize with Stella and Blanche. With the violent scenes and the highly sexual content, Stanley is the center of all climactic events in A Streetcar Named Desire. Stanley’s aggressive nature even goes so far as domestic violence, where he savagely beats Stella and verbally abuses her on a regular basis. This is evident in many scenes. Just the presence of Stanley is enough to create fear and uneasiness for the people that surround him. Throughout the play A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams depicts Stanley Kowalski as a villain-like character with a mean streak and vicious personality which creates an uneasy environment due to his pugnacious lifestyle and insensitive demeanor. â€Å"The stage directions say that sex is the center of Stanley’s life. Being sexually attractive assures Stanley’s delusional rapist mind that his sexual advances are being welcomed† (Nagel 10). Stanley’s delusional mind makes him believe that his sexual brutality is respected and is a naturally accepted thing. Throughout the play, Stanley’s character is followed by sexual connotations and innuendos. A very vivid illustration of this starts at the very beginning of the play where â€Å"The vigorous physicality and the echo of his primitive nature, combined with the coarse sexual innuendo of his package of meat suggest passion close to the surface and introduce the audience to Stanley’s inner character† (Nagel 10). The bringing of the package of meat to Stella and how Stanley carelessly throws the heavy package to her even though she insists on not being able to catch it shows the brutal nature of his sexuality. The way the package is described as dripping with blood is used to over accentuate the graphic nature of the ordeal, foreshadowing sexual happenings that will occur later in the play. Another example of the graphic nature of Stanley’s sexual brutality is portrayed in the poker game in scene three. After Stella had fled to Eunice’s house and Stanley sorrowfully called to her the play states that Stella came down to him and they made animal noises together. This shows the animalistic behavior of Stanley and the unhealthy relationship between Stella and Stanley. Stanley is described as highly sexed in the play and when Stanley and Stella are together, they create a bond that Blanche can’t ever break† (Nagel 10). Though try as she might, Blanche’s attempts to keep Stella from Stanley are ultimately thwarted due to Stanley and Stella’s unhealthy bond with one another. In addition to Stanley’s savage and animalistic sexual advances his verbal abuse towards both Stella and Blanche even further assert him as a villainous character from the start to the finish of the play. Stanley is especially cruel to Blanche who he had an antagonistic feeling towards from the moment he met her. One of the first illustrations of Stanley’s harsh words is represented with his first argument with Blanche. â€Å"This first confrontation is over the loss of Belle Reve. Stanley’s composure vanishes and his vision becomes so distorted that he mistakes her cheap jewelry as ropes of pearls† (Nagel 10). When this confrontation occurs and Stanley’s composure becomes compromised when he realizes that Blanche had been telling the truth about losing the estate to the mortgage instead of selling it for profit and lashes out to compromise his mistake. Stanley could not stand the thought of being proved wrong by a woman like Blanche so he explodes into a fit of rage to cover up the pride he had lost in being wrong about Blanche. A particularly tense birthday dinner of Blanche leads to yet another episode of Stanley’s dangerous and violent fits of rage. After Stella scolded Stanley for eating like an animal, with his fingers, he erupts into a disastrous rage. â€Å"That’s how I’ll clear the table! (Seizes her arm) Don’t ever talk that way to me that way! ‘Pig-Polack-Disgusting-Vulgar-Greasy! ’—Them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister’s too much around here! What do you think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said—‘Every man is a king! ’ and I am the king around here, so don’t you forget it† (Williams 107)! This outburst alone highlights the cruel and misogynistic ways of Stanley and further paints him in a negative and harsh light. Throughout the play A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams depicts Stanley Kowalski as a villain-like character with a mean streak and vicious personality which creates an uneasy environment due to his pugnacious lifestyle and insensitive demeanor. His juxtaposition to Stella Kowalski, his mild mannered and sensitive wife, accentuates his character flaws making them even more prominent and dramatic throughout the play. Through Stanley’s conflicts with Blanche DuBois and his rapist-like sexual advances, Stanley becomes the perfect villainous character, enabling the reader to sympathize with Stella and Blanche. Works Cited Nagel, James. â€Å"Critical Essays on Tennessee Williams. † Ed. Robert A. Martin. First Edition. New York, New York: G. K. Halland Co. , 1997 Williams, Tennessee. â€Å"A Streetcar Named Desire. † New York, New York: New American Library, 1951. Pages 13-142.

When a G od brings a life into the world the child Essays

When a G od brings a life into the world the child Essays When a G od brings a life into the world the child is then given a purpose. The decision is yours to de cide if you want to achieve the destiny that was created for you. As a child I almost lost my opportunity to make a difference in the world. At birth I was premature and un responsive so the doctors had to revive me. As a result of me being a premature baby my heart was very weak which led to me having a severe heart attack at the age of three . Times like those , make me feel " My life would never be the same after . " I say this because thinking back at that very moment , I realized that G od has a purpose for me on this earth and if not he I would have died years ago. So for me to be able write this essay is a privilege. However, for me to not apply myself in my life, my studies, and in my dreams would be a slap in Gods face As Plato would say to do injustice is more disgraceful than to suf fer it . So mediocre is no longer an option, because it is an injustice and with my life I declare to be nothing less than extraordinary. With that sa id, during the duration of my life I decide d to live as if every day was the last. So I joined the cheerleading team . Cheer leading for me was not a new love it was something I have always enjoyed .To Perform, is to inspire , and inspiring is what I have love d to do . F rom birth until now , I have been dedicated to 4 performance activities: cheerleading, Dance , choir, and Theatre ( both inside school and outside of school) . Here recently I realized how confident I became at being in front of crowds it just seemed easier to me with all that I have been doing . With my new found talent I decided to become a part of the spoken word group at my school. As a teen I feel our generation needs more positivity and if each one teaches one than my words can go a long way .With my passion I feel I would be a great person to get a degree in psychology , because I like to see how h umans work, what a group of people stress about, not only to find the problem in someone's life but help them see the potential that they have to better themselves. Yes, me , a juni or in high school can make a difference and to help me do so I have joined three programs since my freshman year : FBLA, The Louisville Upward bound program, and The L EEP program. In upward bound I was awarded the best Spanish student and the most improved math student. Each and every program I am in has helped me keep my eyes on my success and be a better leader with a growing desire for business and a better leader in my community all around. As a result of my growth in leader ship ski lls from both being cheer captain and all of the wonderful programs I am in I became a teen youth leader of Cannan Christian Church , I have a job and I am doing pretty well balancing work, school, and dance. So I feel by taking on more responsibilities and balancing school is good preparation for college because I do understand that life is not all golden but I will have to work through my hard time s to follow the path th at I need to be on. There are two things I would do if I were to be awarded with The LEEP student of the year scholarship, I would further my education and purse my desired degrees in psychology and business. To me education is very important and, I just want to give back to the world the inspiration that the world has given to me. I will be honest. Am I the most perfect student? No but I have

why sethes children arent hers essays

why sethes children arent hers essays Why Sethes children werent hers "It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave". These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent in slavery. Sethe's action is indisputable: She has killed her child. Sethe's motivation is not so clearly defined. By killing her "Beloved" child, has Sethe acted out of true love or selfish pride? The fact that Sethe's act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe kill her baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe end her daughter's life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? By examining the complexities of Sethe's character it can be said that she is a woman who chooses to love her children but not hers elf. Sethe kills her baby because, in Sethe's mind, her children are the only good and pure part of who she is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" of slavery. In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. Throughout Beloved, Sethe's character consistently displays the duplistic nature of her actions. Not long after Sethe's reunion with Paul D. she describes her reaction to School Teacher's arrival. Sethe's words suggest that she has made a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be dragged back into the evil of slavery. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believes that her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in her omission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder of her child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughter's death, it is also made clear that Sethe has detache ...

Xenon Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Xenon Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Xenon is a noble gas. The element has atomic number 54 and element symbol Xe. Like all the noble gases, xenon is not very reactive, yet it has been known to form chemical compounds. Here is a collection of xenon facts, including the elements atomic data and properties. Xenon  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 54 Symbol: Xe Atomic Weight: 131.29 Discovery: Sir William Ramsay; M. W. Travers, 1898 (England) Electron Configuration: [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p6 Word Origin: Greek xenon, stranger; xenos, strange Isotopes: Natural xenon consists of a mixture of nine stable isotopes. An additional 20 unstable isotopes have been identified. Properties: Xenon is a noble or inert gas. However, xenon and other zero valance elements do form compounds. Although xenon is not toxic, its compounds are highly toxic due to their strong oxidizing characteristics. Some xenon compounds are colored. Metallic xenon has been produced. Excited xenon in a vacuum tube glows blue. Xenon is one of the heaviest gases; one liter of xenon weighs 5.842 grams. Uses: Xenon gas is used in electron tubes, bactericidal lamps, strobe lamps, and lamps used to excite ruby lasers. Xenon is used in applications where a high molecular weight gas is needed. The perxenates are used in analytical chemistry as oxidizing agents. Xenon-133 is useful as a radioisotope. Sources: Xenon is found in the atmosphere at levels of approximately one part in twenty million. It is commercially obtained by extraction from liquid air. Xenon-133 and xenon-135 are produced by neutron irradiation in air cooled nuclear reactors. Xenon Physical Data Element Classification: Inert Gas Density (g/cc): 3.52 ( -109 °C) Melting Point (K): 161.3 Boiling Point (K): 166.1 Appearance: heavy, colorless, odorless noble gas Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 42.9 Covalent Radius (pm): 131 Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.158 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 12.65 Pauling Negativity Number: 0.0 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 1170.0 Oxidation States: 7 Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 6.200 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) Return to the Periodic Table

Care plan of the Lungs and Thorax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Care plan of the Lungs and Thorax - Essay Example All the terminology used should be appropriate. Correct spellings are also necessary and conclusions must not be vague. Moreover, consistency in charting the medical record is necessary. The workups should follow the accepted documentation standards. All the test results and treatment programs entail logical presentation. In addition, objectivity throughout the gathering and interpretation of facts is very important (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011). Typed notes are mostly preferred but not mandatory. The medical record should read as if the documentation was meant for a third party. Therefore, everybody should be able to read the handwriting. If there is a mistake in the records, one should struck through the error once and then initial his/ her name. The errors are not supposed to be erased, scratched out or blacked out. One should not write on the margins as well. The chart should appear orderly, clean and professional (Marcinko & Hetico, 2011). Both the art and the science of nursing is essential in conducting health assessments and physical examinations. Critical thinking and clinical reasoning are essential in physical assessment of a patient (Estes, 2013). When conducting a physical exam, noting the vital signs is important in giving clues to the individual’s overall health. The lung and thorax examination should include an assessment of any allergy symptoms experienced by the patient. Chest examinations include assessment of breathing sounds. The respiratory rate and the rhythm are also examined. The skin may be examined to find out if an allergic component is at work using evidenced by presence of a rush. Moreover, it is very important to measure the volume of air going in and out of the lungs, the speed of movement of the air and the volume of the air that is moving to identify or rule out other respiratory disease (Clark, 2011). Pre and post bronchodilator tests entail proper application to rule out more respiratory maladies. The patient completes a basic

Refusal Memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Refusal Memorandum - Essay Example Although, the problem was to meet the customer demand due to the stiff competition in the construction company business, the business has been effectual and hardworking for last few years. The high competition in the market contributed much in fashioning the new program that we hope will help to reduce this problem, and assist in developing skills that will advance the relationship with other business. Our aim is to look for good helpers enthusiastic to work with us to provide superior services to our client without any political interference from external sources. The main principles of the Dawson and Engels are to be economically beneficial to the community and not to participate in the political activities that can influence productivity of the company or give an unconstructive impression to our colleagues. The motives of the CNV are worth implementing into our company, but some ideas such as protesting in military decisions and peace camps can be politically threatening to Dawson and Engels. The connotation of the program is to give a positive result to the volunteers endeavors and not to highlight negative intentions of our program, that why CNV effort will not be integrated into Dawson & Engels program. The Center for Non-violence viewpoints was exceptionally remarkable, and we appreciably value your participation. However, we would like you to come up with some more suggestion that can be fundamental to both companies without putting any of us at risk. The company entirely supports our employees’ effort and encourages you and any other willing participant to contribute in the volunteer opportunities available in Dawson & Engels Company that will benefit the society. From: Lauren Bernoskie, Meaghan Gaynor, Ting Wang To: Adina Sanchez-Garcia Sent: Friday, October 21, 2011 11:21 AM Subject: Case Analysis Dear Ms. Sanchez Garcia, Analysis is a tool that concentrates mostly on the fundamental features of the practice. It shows that our standpoints cont ribute to certain views about the business, our partners and ourselves. The analysis include discussion of views in which, through our use of language, we are not capable of not only displaying who we are, but also how we want people to understand our principles (Paltridge, 2006). The program analysis commenced when our group lied down different proposals from the best volunteers option of Dawson & Engels program. Our group was chosen to give a systematic way of selecting the best volunteers who will take part in the company program in the community. The task was hard, but we were after the productivity and the superior image of the Dawson & Engels, that why we first selected the major areas that was necessary in the analysis. After we were through with highlighting what was fundamental in our analysis, and what we thought was necessary to write a refusal memorandum to the volunteers, we started our analysis from listed point for appointment and refusal requirements. The analysis in tended to discuss why CNV, one of the volunteers in our program, was not an appropriate support for the program. Meaghan who was a member in our group concluded that the CNV was not suitable because their focus would bring a political threat to the company. He pointed out that since the main principles of the company are to maintain peace to the community at all the cost, the founders would not

Apple vs. Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Apple vs. Samsung - Essay Example Apple and Samsung are world leaders in smartphones and tablets, the two fastest growing consumer electronics market across the globe. For this reason, the success of Apple’s law suit could potentially have global ramifications even though the ruling only applies to the American market. A possible scenario that could play out is for Apple to pursue other competitors in the US – with many analysts seeing the Android Operating System as the main target. However, given that we do not see Apple’s lawsuit succeeding in other jurisdictions, this would segment the global consumer electronics industry into the US and the rest of the world. This would isolate the US consumer electronics industry from global competition. This could be beneficial for the Apple in the short-run but in the long-run the lack of competition could eventually make the US consumer electronics industry to go the way of the US auto-industry. There are three questions that I see arising from this article. First, interaction design is a fundamental component of consumer electronics. Is it ethical to grant proprietary rights to fundamental components that advance the growth of the industry? Secondly, when looking at such patent-infringement battles is the effect on consumers weighed in or only the interests of corporations are taken into account? What is the greater good? Banks, T. (2012, August 28). Apple vs. Samsung - what does it mean for design? Design Week. Retrieved September 11, 2012, from

BlackBoard Online Learning Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BlackBoard Online Learning Environment - Essay Example I find flimsy the argument that we need the upgrade because "upgrades" can improve the system. If a system is already efficient and reliable, then there is no need to change the system. It is said that other universities have already implemented it making it necessary for us to follow suit. I say that this matter should not take on a fashionable nature. You don't just go on changing an online learning environment because others are doing so. I believe that we are free to decide for ourselves what course of action we should take. If, however, the administration still pushes thru with the project then they must charge it to the students at a lower price tag. I personally think that the $150 tag is way beyond what we expect of the price of an upgrade. One must remember that even upgrades for legitimately acquired software can be downloaded freely from the manufacturer's website. How come that the upgrade could cost so much Furthermore, considering the number of students availing of Blackboard, we find that the price tag is quite high leading us to speculate that it is becoming more of an income generating measure. Since I am talking about costs and the inappropriateness of the additional fee, let us discuss on the costs that the school will incur in availing of the upgrade.

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Assignment

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Satisfaction - Assignment Example He has a little â€Å"concern for Employees†. At this stage, it becomes important for Suprana to sit back and rethink her approach. She needs to make herself as a diplomat and need to increase her concern for employees. Aziz however, needs to be consistent and keep on trying. He needs to find other ways to increase his motivational level and try to voice his opinion to the top management. According to the financial reports of 2008, Google has revenues of more than 21.796 billion US dollars. Without any doubts, Google stands amongst the top organizations, when it comes to growth, profitability, brand image, brand recall and brand equity (Honeyman, pp. 19-21, 1982). Experts of organizational behavioral studies suggest employee pleasure as the prime reason for this outstanding performance of Google. The efforts it has been doing for outclassing employee satisfaction has raised the operating cost of Google like anything, but it seems that Google is not even bothered a bit by the increased costs. An uncountable amount of chef is prepared every day at the Google office. State of art Gym, volleyball court, lap pools, onsite car washes, saloons, dry cleaning shops, free on-site medical checkups and free transportation facilities are just some of the facilities that the employees enjoy at Google. Except for these, Google offers to its worker's benefits like parental leaves, automatic life insurance, tuition reimbursements etc. Google management understands that by all these efforts they can shape the attitudes of their employees that in turn results in desired behaviors from them. On the other hand, this will create employee satisfaction and satisfied employees create satisfied customers (Robbins et al, pp. 259-299, 2009). For the past few decades, organizations have diverted their attention towards studying concepts of employee attitudes and emotions, employee satisfaction and leadership issues.

Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Integrity - Essay Example about because it shares the same meaning with the other term; ‘flammable’ which many people would, and, in fact, should understand to be the opposite of the former. In the usage, and ordinarily in English. When the prefix ‘in’ in introduced before the main word stem, then the word created would be understood to mean the opposite of the original word (Kearns 34). In this ordinary sense, the term ‘inflammable’ would be understood to mean that substance that does not catch fire easily or non-combustible. This is because the original word, before the addition of the prefix, is ‘flammable’ and means that which catches fire easily. Secondly, the term ‘inflammable’ originated from the word ‘inflammare’. It is not clear whether this term ‘inflammare’ is a French or Latin word. It is, therefore, not clear where the origin of this term is, and thereby making it difficult to establish the exact meaning of the word. The only sure way of establishing the right meaning of this word is by attaching the prefix ‘in’ before the original word stem and giving it a negative meaning. In addition, when it comes to the current views and uses of the term, it is restricted within a given range of circumstances, which ensures that the common confusion, and especially that which can cause injury to life, does not arise. In this respect and because the term refers to what causes a destruction when mishandled the â€Å"flame†, the term has been widely used in non-technical and figurative contexts. An example could be in general speech where a speaker cold be said to ignite inflammable emotions in the crowd. The other term ‘flammable’ which has the same meaning as ‘inflammable’ is used with a lot of ease in technical circumstances. An example is when giving warnings to vehicles ferry substances which easily catch fire. It is in this regard that that I find it unsuitable that, two terms with the same meaning, i.e. the synonyms should have different

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Assignment

Leadership, Attitude, Emotions and Issues Related to Employee Satisfaction - Assignment Example He has a little â€Å"concern for Employees†. At this stage, it becomes important for Suprana to sit back and rethink her approach. She needs to make herself as a diplomat and need to increase her concern for employees. Aziz however, needs to be consistent and keep on trying. He needs to find other ways to increase his motivational level and try to voice his opinion to the top management. According to the financial reports of 2008, Google has revenues of more than 21.796 billion US dollars. Without any doubts, Google stands amongst the top organizations, when it comes to growth, profitability, brand image, brand recall and brand equity (Honeyman, pp. 19-21, 1982). Experts of organizational behavioral studies suggest employee pleasure as the prime reason for this outstanding performance of Google. The efforts it has been doing for outclassing employee satisfaction has raised the operating cost of Google like anything, but it seems that Google is not even bothered a bit by the increased costs. An uncountable amount of chef is prepared every day at the Google office. State of art Gym, volleyball court, lap pools, onsite car washes, saloons, dry cleaning shops, free on-site medical checkups and free transportation facilities are just some of the facilities that the employees enjoy at Google. Except for these, Google offers to its worker's benefits like parental leaves, automatic life insurance, tuition reimbursements etc. Google management understands that by all these efforts they can shape the attitudes of their employees that in turn results in desired behaviors from them. On the other hand, this will create employee satisfaction and satisfied employees create satisfied customers (Robbins et al, pp. 259-299, 2009). For the past few decades, organizations have diverted their attention towards studying concepts of employee attitudes and emotions, employee satisfaction and leadership issues.

The family is thriving, both as institution and ideology. OR Essay

The family is thriving, both as institution and ideology. OR Motherhood is a social construction which fulfils women around the world - Essay Example Furthermore, motherhood, for the purposes of this discussion, is to encompass the fundamental activities of childbearing and childrearing. Thus, this inquiry will deal not on motherhood as a personal experience, but as social phenomenon that applies to women in general, in seeking to thresh out the issues that have ruled in the debate. From as far back as history can remember, motherhood has been traditionally regarded as the primary, one may say overriding, role of women. From the farmer’s wife to the royal spouse, marriage between a man and a woman has always been presumed to serve the purpose of pro-creation. There has generally been no long-standing quarrel on the matter, until the sixties when the feminist movement took impetus and forwarded the thesis that family and motherhood are at the core of women’s oppression by a predominantly male world. The social presumption that women were meant to bear children appeared to shift at about the sixties. In Australia, demographics show that after the post-World War II baby boom, a decline in births signified that young women delayed the start of their childbearing, while older women ended theirs sooner. Australian women took to the new contraceptive pill, at a rate that amounted to the world’s highest per capita use. The following diagram, shows the total fertility rate of Australia between the years 1924-1994. (Gilding, 1997 p. 206) In general, feminist critiques of family policy highlighted weaknesses in the â€Å"white nuclear heterosexual family† (Dominelli, 1991). Some feminist ideas were born of oppressive treatment of women under a male-dominated society (Johnson, 1980). The feminist position encompassed two streams – the first, radical, stream posited that women’s biological make-up was the source of their oppression; and the second, liberal, stream questioned the acceptance of male values and achievements as the standard by which women were

High School Prophecy Essay Example for Free

High School Prophecy Essay Life is an exciting, mystical, powerful and romantic adventure in the modern WORD. As we face life, how would we imagine the success of ourselves? We should prepare to face another chapter of our life in the future. Ten years from now I can imagine myself being an administrator of a famous school waiting for my promotion as a division superintendent staying in my own beautiful mansion living in a comfortable life. As I traveled along the shores of the Philippines I couldn’t shut my ears off listening to a beautiful voice inside araneta coliseum oh! It is the nightingale of our school way back when I was in high school, Beverly Rose Mangubat. I couldn’t believe she is now one the most popular singers in the Philippines. Then when I went back to the cruise ship where I am riding I saw a beautiful woman, my eyes sparkled as I saw Ann Maurice Branzuela now a very successful maritime officer. Then I departed the ship and preparing myself to drive off the road with my beautiful BMW. I went on a conference with the different school administrators in the province; I couldn’t help but laugh watching the one and only guy during our high school days who is now an administrator of the newest university in the province Jhon Oneal Collamat, so called to be one the most eligible bachelor in the Country. As I traveled the road way back home, I suddenly stopped and glanced at a huge skyscraper; which is also a bank, and my heart was jumping when I found out that it was Carlyn Mae Tamayo who owns it the math wizard during our time. As I opened my computer at home a new webpage was found, I couldn’t get my eyes staring on the screen as I read the name Jesha Mae Roflo— she was the founder. Don’t even think about it when she even made a virus to hack computers herself. Wow! Life is really amazing. We need to imagine our success to have an excellent future!

Five Basic Corporate Finance Functions

Five Basic Corporate Finance Functions Introduction UBS AG is a diversified global financial services company, having its main headquarters at Basel and Zurich, Switzerland. In June 1998, Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Bank Corporation (SBC) completed the merger announced six months previously. Just two years later, UBS acquired the US brokerage firm Paine Webber, greatly increasing the size and scope of its business. Then the new firm set the seal on these achievements by proclaiming a single brand. In this light, UBS is both a new institution and new brand. In the picturesque Swiss region of Valposchiavo, for example, one UBS branch traces its origins as far back as 1747. The core components of todays UBS date back to the second half of the nineteenth century. At the same time, its history extends many generations into the past, particularly in Switzerland, the US and the UK. UBS is ranked second worlds largest asset manager of private wealth, and is the second-largest bank in Europe, in both market capitalisation and profitability. With its major presence in United States UBS has its headquarters located in New York City; Weehawken, Private Wealth Management in New Jersey; and Stamford, Connecticut for Capital markets, UBSs has its retail offices throughout the U.S., and has its presence in more than 50 countries (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). UBS was force to turn to the Government of Singapore for fresh funding after incurring a huge loss in 2007. After funding, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation became the largest shareholder of UBS in 2007. UBS managers pledged to return bonuses after a dramatic loss in November 2008. New financial aid was expected from Swiss government after the UBS shareholders voted to restore the shaken trust in UBS (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). Credit Suisse found a new cross-town rival in the form of UBS which has evolved on a similar path. Both of them originated from Switzerland indulging in commercial and retail banking who purchased major investment banks in United States and both are being investigated by U.S. authorities currently for helping 17,000 American citizens to avoid taxes. Based on the order by the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA), UBS on 18th February 2009, immediately has agreed to provide the identities of and account information of about 250 American clients to United States and also agreed to pay US$ 780 million in the form of compensation and fines (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). Corporate Finance Modern companies need to raise finance from the capital market in order to invest in the real and intangible assets they need to earn profits. Their first priority is to ensure that they can source finance for both their short run and their long run needs in the most economical way possible. Corporate investment is by its nature risky and often capital intensive (Ryan, 2007). In order to justify the use of other peoples money a firm needs to ensure that the investment decisions it makes, taking into account its cost of capital, lead to an overall increase in the value of the firm and hence its investors wealth. Alongside the problem of sourcing finance at the cheapest cost, the firm has to make sure that all the investment decisions it undertakes are value adding. If they are not the firm will not be able to justify its existence for very long and will find itself out of business (Ryan, 2007). The ability to trade the financial claims of business ventures has been known about and practised for centuries. In the modern era the standardization of financial claims into homogenous trading units has transformed the way markets operate. Until the 1930s companies, for example, borrowed money from banks but following the Wall Street Crash in the United States there was a sudden loss of confidence in the banking sector. As a result, companies started to practise what governments had been doing for some time and sidestepped the banks going directly to lenders and offering them securitized debt in the form of bonds (Ryan, 2007). Although modern financial intermediaries are marvel of efficiency, the role of traditional intermediaries such as banks as providers of debt capital to corporations has declined for decades. Instead, nonfinancial corporations have increasingly turned to capital markets for external financing, principally because the rapidly declining cost of information processing makes it much easier for large number of investors to obtain and evaluate financial data for thousands of potential corporate borrowers and issuers of common and preferred stock equity (Megginson and Smart, 2006). The Five Basic Corporate Finance functions: Although corporate finance is defined generally as the activities involved in managing cash flows (money) in a business environment, a more complete definition would emphasize that the practice of corporate finance involves five basic functions: Raising capital to support companies operations and investment programs (the external financing function); Selecting the best projects in which to invest firms resources, based on each projects perceived risk and expected return (the capital budgeting function); Managing firms internal cash flows, its working capital, and its mix of debt and equity financing, both to maximize the value of firms debt and equity claims and to ensure that companies can pay off its obligations when due (the financial management function); Developing company-wide ownership and corporate governance structures that force managers to behave ethically and make decisions that benefit shareholders (the corporate governance function); and Managing firms exposures to all types of risk, both insurable and uninsurable, to maintain and optimal risk-return trade-off and therefore maximize shareholder value (the risk-management function). (Source: Megginson and Smart, 2006) External financing When corporations are young and small, they usually must raise equity capital privately, either from friends and family, or from professional investors such as venture capitalists. These professionals specialize in making high-risk/high-return investments in rapidly growing entrepreneurial businesses. Once firms reach a certain size, they may decide to go public by conducting an initial public offering (IPO) of stock-selling shares to outside investors and listing the shares for trading on a stock exchange. After IPOs, companies have the option of raising cash by selling additional stock in the future (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Capital Budgeting The capital budgeting function represents firms financial managers single most important activity, for two reasons. First, managers evaluate very large investments in the capital budgeting process. Second, companies can prosper in a competitive economy only be seeking out the most promising new products, processes, and services to deliver to customers. Companies such as Intel, General Electric, Shell, Samsung, and Toyota regularly make huge capital outlays. The capital budgeting process breaks down into three steps: Identifying potential investments; Analysing the set of investment opportunities and identifying those that create shareholder value; and Implementing and monitoring the investments (Source: Megginson and Smart, 2006) Risk Management Historically, risk management has identified the unpredictable act of nature risks (fire, flood, collision, and other property damage) to which firms was exposed and has used insurance products or self-insurance to manage those exposures. Todays risk-management function identifies, measures, and manages many more types of risk exposures, including predictable business risks. These exposures include losses that could result from adverse interest rate movements, commodity price changes, and currency value fluctuations. The techniques for managing such risks are among the most sophisticated of all corporate finance practices. The risk-management task attempts to quantify the sources and magnitudes of firms risk exposure and to decide whether to simply accept these risks or to manage them (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Corporate Governance Recent corporate scandals-such as financial collapses at Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, and Parmalat-clearly show that establishing good corporate governance systems is paramount. Governance systems determine who benefits most from company activities; then they establish procedures to maximize firm value and to ensure that employees act ethically and responsibly. Good management does not develop in a vacuum. It results from corporate governance systems that hires and promotes qualified, honest people, and that motivate employees to achieve company goals through salary and other incentives (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Developing corporate governance systems present quite a challenge in practice because conflicts inevitably arise among stockholders, managers, and other stakeholders interests. But rarely is it in the interest of any individual stockholder to spend the time and money needed to ensure that managers act appropriately. If individual stockholders conducted this type of oversight, they would personally bear all the costs of monitoring management, but would share the benefits with all other shareholders. This is a classic example of the collective action problem that arises in most relationship between stockholders and managers (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Bankruptcy and Corporate Financing Patterns The more debt a firm uses in its capital structure, the less likely the firm will be able to meet its debt service obligations, and the more likely default will occur (Benning and Sarig, p.347). It is this default likelihood that introduces bankruptcy costs into capital structure. As argued by Van Horne (p.268), the presence of bankruptcy costs is an important source of imperfection in the markets for corporate funds. Under imperfect conditions, there are the administrative costs of bankruptcy, and assets may have to be liquidated at less than their economic values (Bekter, p. 56). It is also this tendency that Myers (p.218) describes as the direct cost of bankruptcy. The implication of the presence of bankruptcy cost in financial leverage is manifested more by the fact that debt-financing generates risks. Not only that, but it has been argued that for instance that every financing decision comes with some risk implications on the value of the firm (Glen and Pinto, 1994). The largest bankruptcy in U.S. history was finally coming to an end. On April 20, 2004, MCI, Inc. Emerged with an announcement that it had begun distributing securities and cash to its creditors according to a court-approved reorganization plan. MCIs chief executive officer, Michael Capellas, heralded a new beginning for his company, which had filed for bankruptcy court protection twenty-one months earlier-when the company was called WorldCom-after disclosing and $11 billion accounting fraud. At the time of its Chapter 11 filing, WorldCom had assets totalling nearly $104 billion and debts of $32 billion (Megginson and Smart, 2006). WorldCom shocked the business world when the company announced in June 2002 that it had fraudulently overstated $3.9 billion of expenses as capital expenditures, which had allowed it to book higher profits during the telecom boom years of 1998-2001. WorldCom chief financial officer Scott Sullivan was fired the day the accounting fraud was disclosed, and his exit followed that of founder and long-time CEO, Bernine Ebbers, who had been forced out in April 2002. Over the next two years, more than $7 billion in additional accounting errors and frauds were uncovered,, bringing the total misstatements to $11 billion, and in a March 2004 restatement of its 2001 and 2002 financial results, the company wrote off over $74 billion in previously booked profits and goodwill (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Corporate Control Transactions Changes in corporate control occur through several mechanisms, most notably via acquisitions. An acquisition is the purchase of additional resources by a business enterprise. These resources may come from the purchase of new assets, the purchase of some of the assets of another company, or the purchase of another whole business entity, which is known as a merger. Merger is itself a general term applied to a transaction in which two or more business organizations combine into a single entity. Oftentimes, however, the term merger s reserved for a transaction in which one corporation takes over another upon the approval of both companies boards of directors and shareholders after a friendly and mutually agreeable set of terms and conditions and a price are negotiated (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Statuary Merger A statutory merger is a form of target integration in which the acquirer can absorb the targets resources directly with no remaining trace of the target as a separate entity. Many intrastate bank mergers are of this form. Subsidiary Merger Conversely, an acquirer may wish to maintain the identity of the target as either a separate subsidiary or division. A subsidiary merger is often the integration vehicle when there is brand value in the name of the target, such as the case of PepsiCos merger with Pizza Hut in 1997. Sometimes, separate tracking or target shares are issued in the subsidiarys name. Sometimes, these shares are issued as new common shares in exchange for the targets common shares, as occurred when General Motors issued new Class E and Class H shares to acquire, respectively, Electronic Data Systems and Hughes Electronics during the 1980s. Alternatively, a new class of preferred stock may be issued by the bidding firm to replace the common shares of the target as well (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Consolidation Consolidation is another integrative form used to effect a merger of two publicly traded companies. Under this form, both the acquirer and target disappear as separate corporations and combine to form an entirely new corporation with new common stock (Megginson and Smart, 2006). Dealing with the Crisis The merger of the Union Bank of Switzerland and the Swiss Bank Corporation in June 1998 resulted in UBS evolution. The new company was named originally as Union Bank of Switzerland, but officials chose to call it as UBS as the name was clashing with United Bank Switzerland a subsidiary part of the United Bank Limited, Switzerland. United Bank of Switzerland is no longer known for its name as it made its brand name UBS like 3M. The carried over logo from SBC, which stands for confidence, security and discretion has remained with UBS. With its acquisitions of Dillon Read in New York and S. G. Warburg in London, SBC had investment banking business all over the world before the merger. Due to the Long-Term Capital Management crisis, in October 1998, the first chairman of the merged bank resigned which affected the Union Bank of Switzerland. After the acquisition of Paine Webber Group Inc. by UBS in 2000, it became the largest private clients wealth management company in the world. A CHF 3.265 trillion assets was invested in wealth management businesses, including the U.S. As the company began to operate as one large firm, all the business group of UBS were rebranded under the UNBS name on the 9th June 2003. All major companies bought by Union Bank of Switzerland like UBS Paine Webber, UBS Warburg, UBS Asset Management and others were just called UBS. With the retirement of the Paine Webber brand UBS took a US$1 billion write-down for the loss of good will associated with as a result of the rebranding (www.ubs.com/1/ e/about/history.html). In a report released on 01st April 2008, 15 billion Swiss francs (US$15.1 billion) in a new capital was seeked by Swiss bank UBS AG as it expected to post net losses of 12 billion Swiss francs (US$12.1 billion) for the first quarter of 2008. Approximately US$19 billion on U.S. real estate and related credit positions were expected to write-down as UBS was hit by U.S. Subprime mortgage crisis and losses. Fitch Ratings and Standard Poors, and Moody are cut down the long term credit rating of UBS in April 2008 to AA and Aa1 respectively. A new capital of CHF 6 billion through mandatory convertible notes was announced by UBS which they had on the 16th October 2008, and was place with Swiss Confederation. Transfer agreement of approximately USD 60 billion currently illiquid securities and various assets from UBS to a separate fund entity were made between the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and UBS (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). The third quarter Group net profit was announced by UBS on 4th November which was in line with their 16th October pre announcement, CHF 296 million standing with net profit attributable to UBS shareholders. A further CHF 4.8 billion of write-downs and losses on risk positions affected that quarter in gain on tax credit of over CHF 900 million and own credit of CHF 2.2 million. In an announcement made on the 12th November 2008, UBS said that from 2009 there will be no more than one-third of any cash bonus paid out in year it is earned with the rest held in reserve. Top executives will have to hold 75% of any vested shares; incentives would also vest after three years on shares with share bonus accounts subject to malus charges. US$6 billion of equity was put into the new bad bank entity by UBS in November 2008; a benefit option was kept only if the value of its assets were to recover. UBS structure guaranteed clarity for UBS investors by making an outright sale, which was indicated as a neat package by the New York Times (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). The head of the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Chairman Jean-Pierre Roth on Friday the 30th January 2009 was quoted on Reuters as saying that the two best capitalised banks in the world are UBS and Credit Suisse. In an announcement made on the 09th February 2009 by UBS, said that it lost nearly 20 billion Swiss francs (US$17.2 billion) in 2008, which is the single-year biggest loss in the history of Switzerland. The commitment to each of the UBS business divisions and strategy were confirmed by UBS Board of Directors and the Group Executive Board on the 10th February 2009. Investigations relating to UBS U.S. cross-border business are getting resolved by entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice and a Consent Order with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. US$380 million represents disgorgement of profits from its cross-border business out of US$780 million which UBS agreed to pay. And the remaining represents the tax amount of United States which UBS failed to withhold to the accounts. The interest, penalties and restitution for unpaid taxes are included in the figures. UBS also entered into an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of the deal in which it agreed to the charges of having acted as an unregistered broker-dealer and investment adviser for Americans (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). Initiative taken CHF 20.9 billion (US$ 18 billion) loss was posted by UBS AG on the 11th march 2009 which was stated in their revised FY 2008 report. It was said that UBS was extremely cautious about the outlook of 2009. UBS announced in its Annual General Meeting held on 15th April 2009, it has plans of cutting 8,700 jobs in its return to profitability. UBS had to make about US$50 billion in write-downs and announce of 11,000 job cuts since 2007 due to the global financial crisis. UBS agreed to sell its Brazilian financial service business, UBS Pactual, to BTG Investments for approximately USD 2.5 billion in a statement made on the April 21st 2009. UBS was aiming to reduce its risk profile and to become more profitable by the sale of the Brazilian business. U.S. federal grand jury charges were made on private banker Raoul Weil for which UBS formally cut all its ties on the 1st May 2009. Raoul had been suspended in November 2008 after he was indicated in correlation to the tax evasion affair. A first quarter net loss of two billion Swiss francs (USD1.75 billion) was confirmed by UBS on May 20th 2009 which was less than initially expected. UBS restated its 2008 annual report on the May 20th 2009. A further reduction in the net profit was announced by the bank of CHF 450 million, and CHF 269 million in reduction of equity and equity attributable to UBS shareholders (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). UBS strengthened its capital base by placing 293.3 million shares from existing authorized capital by taking the advantage of current market conditions. A small number of large institutional investors were placed with the shares. In the view of the regulators it was consistent that this capital raising aims at strengthening confidence in UBS and the Swiss financial centre which is claimed by UBS. The second quarter loss of CHF 1.4 billion (US$1.32 billion) was reported on the 4th August 2009. The Swiss government made a statement of selling its CHF 6 billion stake in UBS on the 20th August 2009, making significant profit; the mandatory convertible notes of 332.2 million which it had purchased in 2008 to help UBS clear its balance sheets of toxic assets (www.ubs.com/1/e/about/history.html). In the Lundquist CSR Online Awards 2009, UBS ranked No.1 in Switzerland and No. 2 globally in November 2009. The award is given for demonstrating best online CSR communications.

criminal justice Essay examples -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The use of deadly force is used throughout the U. S. , and the definition of deadly force is best described by the FBI which states that : deadly force is the intentional use of a firearm or other instrument resulting in a high probability of death. But who determines when it’s okay for a police officer to use deadly force?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When does deadly force cross the line and when does officer feels his/her life is grave danger and to escape has to use deadly force? What circumstances will justify the use of deadly force? Deadly Force depends on the officer discretion, when the officer makes the decision to investigate suspects. Also it depends on the how strongly the officers follow the Code of Ethics. In the Code of Ethics in paragraph 3 it reads â€Å"I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will , never employing force or violence and never accepting gratuities.† So an officer who truly follows the Code of Ethics I think would be less likely to use deadly force, and the officer probably has a higher tolerance than a officer who doesn’t follow the Code of Ethics so closely. The Bureau of Justice statistics in 2001 reported nearly 400 felons died from use of deadly force. But also when an officer decides to use deadly force they must be thinking if their actions are going to be justifiable through the publics eye and their police department and so forth. So many things come into ... criminal justice Essay examples -- essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The use of deadly force is used throughout the U. S. , and the definition of deadly force is best described by the FBI which states that : deadly force is the intentional use of a firearm or other instrument resulting in a high probability of death. But who determines when it’s okay for a police officer to use deadly force?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When does deadly force cross the line and when does officer feels his/her life is grave danger and to escape has to use deadly force? What circumstances will justify the use of deadly force? Deadly Force depends on the officer discretion, when the officer makes the decision to investigate suspects. Also it depends on the how strongly the officers follow the Code of Ethics. In the Code of Ethics in paragraph 3 it reads â€Å"I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will , never employing force or violence and never accepting gratuities.† So an officer who truly follows the Code of Ethics I think would be less likely to use deadly force, and the officer probably has a higher tolerance than a officer who doesn’t follow the Code of Ethics so closely. The Bureau of Justice statistics in 2001 reported nearly 400 felons died from use of deadly force. But also when an officer decides to use deadly force they must be thinking if their actions are going to be justifiable through the publics eye and their police department and so forth. So many things come into ...

American City Life and Rural Life Essay

Was life in an American city better or worse than life on the farm for the average American? † Substantiate your answer with facts/examples. (Ch. 18) Does it really make a difference where you live? Is there any change in people’s lives if they live in the city or the country? With no pun intended, this is a chicken and egg question – do urban and rural residents choose where they want to live based on their lifestyle preferences or do lifestyles change because of the environment? The word Rural† is defined by population density which means how many people are there in a given square mile. Urban areas are defined by the â€Å"census blocks† that have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile. The life in a city and on a farm has its own pros and cons. Even though my life is in the city (suburban) area, I prefer to live life on a farm. There are different aesthetic experiences between city and farm life. Even the prepositions show the difference-The farmer lives â€Å"ON† a farm and the urban friend lives â€Å"IN† a city. The cities attracted people from the countryside looking for higher wages and cultural enlightenment (Brinkley p496). In addition, life in an American City was visualized as an escape for many citizens, an escape from what they considered â€Å"The Boredom of Rural Life† (p. 502). Also, the city was preferred because people can experience the new forms of entertainment, amenities and cultural experiences unavailable in rural areas. People moved to cities because new forms of transportation made it easier for them to get there. (pg 503) but this also was a cause for increased crowding in the cities. The unemployment rate is also much higher than in the city. Some differences between city and farm life: First of all, countryside is not polluted,so you can breath there fresh air. Besides, the road traffic is much lesser compared to cities, thus you can enjoy silence in the country. You can also relax and go for a nice walk in the forest or in the meadows. What is more important, is that the country people can grow their own fruit and vegetables which are healthier than those you can buy in the greengrocer’s in the city. Another advantage of country life is it is safer than life in a metropolis. In small towns or villages, crime rate is usually very low and people need to be afraid of having their house broken into or of being attacked and robbed in the street. In addition, it seems that in the country the relationship between people are more genuine as people are more friendly and open there. On the other hand, divorce rates in rural areas are generally lower, in part because couples don’t move around as much. While incomes tend to be lower in rural counties, the cost of living is also proportionally lower. As they become older, people are tired with the hectic and stressful city life and often decide to move outside the city. All things considering, it is obvious that both country and city life have their advantages and disadvantages. Some people find city life more exciting and appealing than small towns but others prefer beauty and tranquility of the countryside, but a lot of people prefer city life because it is much easier. The choice whether to live in a city or country side depends on every person’s character and preferences.

Describe and Evaluate Social Explanations of Aggression

Describe and evaluate social explanations of aggression. Aggression can be defined in many different ways. Bandura suggests that it is the intent to cause harm to another human being who is motivated to avoid such treatment. One of the main social psychological explanations of aggression comes from Bandura and Walters in 1963. He suggests that aggression is learned either indirectly; through observational learning and only replicated if vicarious reinforcement occurs, or directly- where aggressive behaviour is directly reinforced.While both are a form of operant conditioning, the direct approach parallels the ideas much closer. Bandura outlined the following three steps in the modelling process of SLT: Observation- by watching the behaviour of role models and then imitating that behaviour, mental representation- the child will only display the learned behaviour as long as the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment, and production of behaviour- if the chil d is rewarded (maintenance through direct experience) or by building the confidence from expectancies of like likely outcomes of their aggressive behaviour (self-efficacy).In support of this theory, Bandura et al. proved that if children watch someone else behave aggressively towards a Bobo Doll, they were more likely to be aggressive themselves later on, specifically imitating individual actions they had previously seen. When the model was rewarded, the child was more likely to reproduce through vicarious reinforcement compared to those models punished, thus showing that observational learning only results in imitation when it is vicariously reinforced. This study however, does not take into account of the nature vs. urture debate. Although it seems that Bandura's research proves that behaviour is learnt (nurture), it must however be noted that there were many gender differences where the boys produced more physical aggression than girls, which consequently support the argument tha t such behaviour is innate (nature). In addition, research findings are not only culturally bound but may be due to demand characteristics. It was noted by Noble (1975), after the study occurred, that many of the parents told the children what to expect, consequently causing little face validity.Furthermore, although this study tells us that children do acquire aggressive responses as a result of watching others, it does not tell us much about why a child would be motivated to do so in the absence of the model, nor does it include the cognition or biology of these behaviours. This study also holds many ethical issues. It was carried out in the knowledge that children may reproduce the aggressive behaviours they were exposed to and therefore it is difficult to establish the scientific credibility.It is also difficult to further test the social learning theory experimentally due to the concern of needing to protect participants from psychological and psychical harm. Moreover, a weakne ss of the Social Learning Theory is that people are never consistently rewarded for aggression. Often, and if not in most cases they are punished, not rewarded. While media can sometimes portray certain acts as ethically ambiguous, it is rare to find these days aggressive behaviour rewarded in a mainstream way to suggest that the population are learning this behaviour through SLT.Deindividuation, another social psychological theory is defined as the loss of a sense of personal identity that can occur when, for example, in a crows or wearing a mask. It is associated with a reduced sense of personal responsibility and increased anti-social behaviour. The theory relies heavily on two components; anonymity and reduced self-awareness. Anonymity describes the presence of crowds (or groups) leading individual members to feel anonymous and act according to a different set of norms and values which are imposed or encouraged by them (Zimbardo 1969).The alternate explanation for deindividuatio n to cause aggression is reduced self-awareness. Proposed by Prentice-Dunn ; Rogers 1982, they suggest that crowds do not lead necessarily to anonymity or public awareness (while this may contribute) but instead lead to a lack of private awareness, often strengthened by the presence of drugs and alcohol. Normally, people are aware of their personal morals, however within a group it is argued that they may lose sight of such ‘private' principles and instead follow the group.The majority of research evidence in deindividuation comes from the work of Zimbardo. He repeated the Milgram paradigm, where female participant were either wearing a nametag (individuated) or in a hood (deindividuated) and it was found that by wearing a hood, participants were much more likely to give shocks to the learner. Furthermore, Diener et al. observed the behaviour of over 1000 children on Halloween. The children were asked their name, and for those that didn't give it, rates of stealing candy or mo ney when alone rose ramatically. These studies support the idea of anonymity and how they are more likely to carry out antisocial behaviour when they cannot be identified. Cannavale et al. (1970) found that male and female groups responded differently under deinviduated conditions and therefore reflecting gender bias in Zimbardo’s research. This can further be linked to the biological approach as it fails to consider the biology of aggression, such as the hormones.The male sex hormone, testosterone, is thought to influence aggression from young adulthood onwards due to its action on brain areas involved in controlling aggression. This is supported by Dabbs et al. (1987) who measures salivary testosterone in violent and non-violent criminals. They found that those with higher levels of testosterone had a history of violent crime whereas those with the lowest levels had committed only non-violent crime. Dramatic support for the deadly influence of deindividuation comes from a s tudy by anthropologist Robert Watson (1973).He collected data from tribes on the extent to which they killed, tortured or mutilated their victims. He found that societies where warriors changed their appearance (through the use of war paint and tribal costumes etc. ) were more destructive towards their victims compared to those who did not change their appearance. This study not only provides research support for the idea of anonymity, but also gives evidence that this theory takes account of cultural differences.However, most of the research focuses on the relationship between deindividuation and antisocial behaviour. But Spivey and Prentice-Dunn (1990) found that deindividuation could lead to either prosocial or antisocial behaviour depending on the situational factors. When prosocial environmental cues were present (such as a prosical model), deindividuated participants preformed significantly more altruistic acts (giving money) and significantly fewer antisocial acts (giving ele ctric shocks)c compared to a control group.Furthermore, desirable effects of deindividuation can be found on cyberspace. Adolescents reported feeling significantly more comfortable seeiking help with mental health problems under deindividuated circumstances of Internet chat rooms as opposed to individuated circumstances of a personal appointment with a health professional (Francis eta al. 2006). This lends support to the deindividuation theory and displays the positive aspect of deindividuation.