LP4- juvenal justice- Family Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LP4- juvenal justice- Family - Assignment Example To begin with, the modern American family did not always have the father as the all powerful head of the household / breadwinner. Before the 1920s, women did their ample share to support the family through cottage and backyard industries that existed within their homes. These jobs could be as simple as dressmaking, babysitting, baking, etc. The common denominator among these jobs is that it allowed the woman to stay at home in order to supervise the rearing of the children. According to sources; â€Å"It was only in the 1920s that, for the first time, a majority of American families consisted of a breadwinner-husband, a home-maker wife, and children attending school† (â€Å"Does the American Family Have a History? Family Images and Realities†). This change marked a major turning point for the American families and how the parents would continue to influence the upbringing of their children. Historical research by Tas (27 - 28) has shown that even during ancient times, the family was considered to be the cornerstone of a childs discipline and upbringing and therefore, should be blamed for any delinquency that might occur. Noted as the â€Å"major causal agent in the genesis of delinquency† even the ancient Mesopotamians left tablet scriptures indicating that they believed the world would come to an end because even back then, children were already showing signs of disobeying their parents . In order to properly determine the influence of changes in the family unit in relation to juvenile delinquency, we must look at the influential variables that help determine the character development of the child. These influential variables include family functioning, impact of family disruption, and two-parent versus single parent households (Doggett, Anika â€Å"Juvenile Delinquency and Family Structure†). The family is the unit where a child is first exposed to the world and its activities. A child who is exposed to

Racism in Philosophy of Hume and Kant Essay Example for Free

Racism in Philosophy of Hume and Kant Essay During the Age of the Enlightenment in European history there was high emphasis on the ideals of reason and individualism. Scientists and philosophers pushed reason as an ultimate guideline to reforming society and challenging its old traditions and faith. This was the philosophers’ attempts to further advancing our knowledge through scientific method. Things like skepticism and intellectual interchange were highly promoted during this period. The true way to gain rational thought was through the process of using logic to make tests and conclusions out of clear evidence rather than superstitious ideas. There are two important enlightenment thinkers, David Hume and Immanuel Kant who despite their high praise of reason and logic, share clearly racist views in their philosophies. Could these two enlightened thinkers actually be capable of contradicting their entire philosophy or could it just be pure ignorance? We are going to discuss what sort of racist views Hume and Kant share and how they possibly created the idea of racial differences. First we must discuss what the idea of reason truly is and what it has to do with human thought. Reason is ultimately what separates us human beings from animals. Animals physically cannot express reason. Reason is the mental capacity to be able to make sense of something. It is how we are able to apply logic to help create facts. Understanding of academics like math, science, and philosophy are attributes only humans possess. The ability to understand and appreciate art and beauty are examples of reason that animals have never shown. Animals may show desire for certain things, but that is not the same as appreciating the beauty of it. David Hume believes that all human beings share similar moral feelings. He does however believe that animals can feel sympathy which is one of the essential foundations of morality. Hume also believes that morality is entirely independent of religion and that morality is found deep in true human nature itself. He states that the belief in God is irrelevant to morality. This is similar to Immanuel Kant’s belief in human autonomy. He believes that human beings have their own free will and can think independently without being governed. Humans can be moral and free without the need of God’s divine support. Hume and Kant believe we have a right to faith but also in the possibility that it limits knowledge to make room for faith. They believe we can have faith in ourselves and be governed by reason rather than our animal impulses. The racism of Hume and Kant are most definitely reflected in their philosophic views. Hume believes in the idea of causation, which is the understanding between two events (one being the cause, the other being the effect) that the second event is always the consequence of the first event. Hume whole-heartedly believes that Europe is the model of all humanity and culture, that blacks are an inferior race. He considers their supposed inferiority to whites to be natural. He states that he has never witnessed any black manufacturers, artists, or scientists and that they are simply a barbaric breed of man. Hume falls into a fatal error of his own causality by saying that there is a causal relation between a person’s skin color and their intelligence. He is identifying that simply the color of one’s skin makes a constant difference between two races of men. This is horribly contradictory and morally wrong. Kant, despite all of his beliefs in that all humans can understand morality and reason, he singles out blacks as totally inferior in these very human attributes. Kant has actually dismissed a person’s statement and position as stupid without a moment of analyzing the content because the person was black. This is extremely contradictory to the sorts of logic and reason a true philosopher should have when regarding any human being whether white or black. The two philosophers show a huge lack in open-mindedness when it comes to anyone non-white. The supposed racial differences that Hume and Kant seem to believe there are have no real proof or logic behind them. This is truly ignorant of both Hume and Kant and it’s surprising that two important philosophers in history could actually believe in ideas that are so close-minded and completely illogical. There is simply no morality or rational thinking behind these false judgments. Kant stating that he has never seen black artists or scientists just sounds like he hasn’t looked beyond his backyard window. Although Kant does indeed believe that all humans are born free and that level of intelligence does not determine who deserves to be a slave to another. Despite this positive belief, he still believes blacks are inferior. As intelligent as their ideas of sharing knowledge for the advancing of mankind sound at first, it is truly sad that they are only speaking for one single race rather than ‘all’ human beings equally. Their racism does indeed cast much doubt on their Enlightenment understanding on what a person was. There should not be such a disregard for the possibility of equal opportunity among all human beings. Peoples’ idea of race is purely subjective and there really are no significant differences. The only true racial differences are geographical. Skin color has nothing to do with one’s mental capacity and ability. Works Cited Denis, Lara. Kant and Hume on Morality. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI), Stanford University, 26 Mar 2008. Web. 7 Mar 2014. http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/kant-hume-morality/. Maduka, Enyimba. Racism and Philosophy. Racism, Philosophy, and African Thought . izuchukwu, 20 Apr 2005. Web. 10 Mar 2014. http://www. frasouzu. com/Issues and Papers/Enyimba Maduka etc on Racism, Philosophy and African Thought. pdf.

Pel?: Edson Arantes do Nascimento :: essays research papers fc

Pelà © was born on October 23, 1940. He was born in the small Brazilian town of Trà ªs Coracones (Tres Coratsoin, translated it means ‘Three Hearts’) in the state of Sà £o Paulo. His birth name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. His father was Dondinho, another excellent soccer player. His birth name Joà £o Ramos do Nascimento. Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s father had been a great soccer player before Pelà © was born. Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s father had to retire prematurely. During a game, he was slide tackled and sustained serious career-ending injury to the knee. Instead of playing the sport he loved, he had to resort to scrubbing floors to support his family. As a result, Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s mother was greatly opposed to Pelà © playing soccer. However, after Pelà © was born, the family moved to Bauru, another city in Sà £o Paulo. He played soccer in the field behind his house. He used Coca-Cola cans to mark the sidelines and goalposts. The ball was made of rags and socks. His father gave him valuable tips during these sessions. After a while, as he played more and more, Pelà © was starting to master the sport. While these sessions were going on, Pelà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s career was off to a running start. He played for the local youth team, Bauru AC. His coach was a man named Waldemar de Brito. He had been another great player in Brazilian soccer history. Brito taught Pelà © the bicycle kick. That is a trick that Pelà © would use very many times to score many goals. When the ball was in the air, he would turn his back, then jump into the air horizontally, then kick the ball. Pelà © played for Bauru AC until 1956. He was fifteen years old. He left home to play for Santos FC in the city of Sà £o Paulo. He ended up playing for Santos for most of his career. Santos was the most successful and widely recognized team worldwide. When he was seventeen, in 1958, he was selected to play in the World Cup for Brazil. He played for the Brazilian national team, in competitions and exhibitions, from 1958 until 1974. In Sweden in World Cup 1958, he scored six goals. These included a hat trick in the semi finals, and two in the final. Brazil easily took the Cup home. Pelà © had his quietest years in 1959, 1960, and 1961. In 1962, Brazil won their second World Cup in a row. Santos won a club championship under the guidance the best soccer player ever, Pelà ©.

Fin 486 Final Exam

Name___________________________________ MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question. 1) The primary emphasis of the financial manager is the use of A) cash flow. B) profit incentives. C) organization charts. D) accrued earnings. 1) _______ 2) All of the following are key strengths of a corporation EXCEPT A) low organization costs. B) readily transferable ownership. C) limited liability. D) access to capital markets. 2) _______ 3) The ________ is a measure of liquidity which excludes ________, generally the least liquid asset. A) quick ratio; accounts receivable B) current ratio; accounts receivable C) current ratio; inventory D) quick ratio; inventory 3) _______ 4) FASB Standard No. 52 mandates that U.S. based companies must translate their foreign-currency-denominated assets and liabilities into dollars using the A) average rate. B) historical rate. C) current rate. D) none of the above. 4) _______ Table 3.5 A financial manager at General Talc Mines has gathered the financial data essential to prepare a pro forma balance sheet for cash and profit planning purposes for the coming year ended December 31, 2004. Using the percent-of-sales method and the following financial data, prepare the pro forma balance sheet in order to answer the following multiple choice questions. (a) The firm estimates sales of $1,000,000. (b) The firm maintains a cash balance of $25,000. (c) Accounts receivable represents 15 percent of sales. (d) Inventory represents 35 percent of sales. (e) A new piece of mining equipment costing $150,000 will be purchased in 2004. Total depreciation for 2004 will be $75,000. (f) Accounts payable represents 10 percent of sales. (g) There will be no change in notes payable, accruals, and common stock. (h) The firm plans to retire a long term note of $100,000. (i) Dividends of $45,000 will be paid in 2004. (j) The firm predicts a 4 percent net profit margin. Balance Sheet General Talc Mines December 31, 2003 5) The pro forma total liabilities amount is (See Table 3.5) A) $650,000. B) $700,000. C) $500,000. 5) _______ D) $550,000. 6) If a United States Savings bond can be purchased for $29.50 and has a maturity value at the end of 25 years of $100, what is the annual rate of return on the bond? A) 6 percent B) 5 percent C) 7 percent D) 8 percent 6) _______ 7) If a person's required return decreases for an increase in risk, that person is said to be A) risk-indifferent. B) risk-seeking. C) risk-averse. D) risk-aware. 7) _______ Table 8.5 Cuda Marine Engines, Inc. must develop the relevant cash flows for a replacement capital investment proposal. The proposed asset costs $50,000 and has installation costs of $3,000. The asset will be depreciated using a five-year recovery schedule. The existing equipment, which originally cost $25,000 and will be sold for $10,000, has been depreciated using an MACRS five-year recovery schedule and three years of depreciation has already been taken. The new equipment is expected to result in incremental before-tax net profits of $15,000 per year. The firm has a 40 percent tax rate. 8) The initial outlay equals ________. (See Table 8.5) A) $44,100 B) $41,100 8) _______ C) $38,800 D) $38,960 Table 9.6 Nuff Folding Box Company, Inc. is considering purchasing a new gluing machine. The gluing machine costs $50,000 and requires installation costs of $2,500. This outlay would be partially offset by the sale of an existing gluer. The existing gluer originally cost $10,000 and is four years old. It is being depreciated under MACRS using a five-year recovery schedule and can currently be sold for $15,000. The existing gluer has a remaining useful life of five years. If held until year 5, the existing machine's market value would be zero. Over its five-year life, the new machine should reduce operating costs (excluding depreciation) by $17,000 per year. Training costs of employees who will operate the new machine will be a one-time cost of $5,000 which should be included in the initial outlay. The new machine will be depreciated under MACRS using a five-year recovery period. The firm has a 12 percent cost of capital and a 40 percent tax on ordinary income and capital gains. 9) The payback period for the project is (See Table 9.6) A) between 4 and 5 years. B) 2 years. C) 3 years. D) between 3 and 4 years. 9) _______ Table 10.1 A corporation is assessing the risk of two capital budgeting proposals. The financial analysts have developed pessimistic, most likely, and optimistic estimates of the annual cash inflows which are given in the following table. The firm's cost of capital is 10 percent. 10) If the projects have five-year lives, the range of the net present value for Project B is approximately ________. (See Table 10.1.) A) $201,000. B) $255,410. C) $303,280. D) $80,560. 10) ______ 11) The ________ is the firm's desired optimal mix of debt and equity financing. A) target capital structure B) book value C) cost of capital D) market value 11) ______ Table 14.5 Caren's Canoes is considering relaxing its credit standards to encourage more sales. As a result, sales are expected to increase 15 percent from 300 canoes per year to 345 canoes per year. The average collection period is expected to increase to 40 days from 30 days and bad debts are expected to double the current 1 percent level. The price per canoe is $850, the variable cost per canoe is $650 and the average cost per unit at the 300 unit level is $700. The firm's required return on investment is 20 percent. 12) What is the cost of marginal bad debts under the proposed plan? (See Table 14.5) A) $765 B) $5,100 C) $383 D) $3,315 12) ______ 13) Much of the commercial paper is issued by A) venture capitalists. C) small businesses. 13) ______ B) commercial finance companies. D) small manufacturing firms. 14) The part of finance concerned with design and delivery of advice and financial products to individuals, business, and government is called A) Financial Manager. B) Financial Services. C) Managerial Finance. D) none of the above. Table 2.1 14) ______ Information (2005 values) 1. Sales totaled $110,000 2. The gross profit margin was 25 percent. 3. Inventory turnover was 3.0. 4. There are 360 days in the year. 5. The average collection period was 65 days. 6. The current ratio was 2.40. 7. The total asset turnover was 1.13. 8. The debt ratio was 53.8 percent. 15) Inventory for CEE in 2005 was ________. (See Table 2.1) A) $32,448 B) $ 9,167 C) $36,667

Marketing and the Fast Food Industry Essay

The ultimate themes of fast food chains are high visibility and global recognition. The earliest establishments, ostentatiously designed in an attempt to attract attention, were strategically placed alongside highway off-ramps in order to draw in customers. Simplistic logos, such as the legendary golden arches, began to bring recognition to the fast food chains. The fast food industry’s ability to sell convenience and taste then allowed the popularity of fast food to gain momentum. Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation, explores the various tactics used by the industry in order to achieve global recognition, target children, and why it is more productive to reach children than to target other age groups. One method used to achieve global recognition was to apply the concept of synergy. Synergy can be defined as the cooperation between two or more organizations to produce results greater than the sum of their separate effects. In simplistic terms, two or more companies combine forces in order to benefit themselves more than they could have done individually. Two companies who have effectively utilized this concept are the Walt Disney company and the McDonald corporation. They were able to propose marketing deals, provide giveaways, and swap executives amongst their companies. The cross promotion strengthened ties between Hollywood and the fast food industry, allowing the McDonald corporation to gain global recognition. Studies show that children have an easier time identifying characters such as Ronald McDonald than major political figures such as the president of the United States. Half of Australian nine and ten year olds thought that Ronald McDonald was an authority on what they should eat. In Beijing, all of the primary school children recognized Ronald McDonald, saying that he ‘understood their hearts’. Germany has more than one thousand McDonalds, many popping up inside of Wal-Marts, because they know lots of children get lugged to Wal-Mart every day. (Schlosser 231). The McDonald corporation had accomplished its goals to reach ‘global realization’, and this achievement paved the way to pursue early targeting. Children became the target group within advertisement, â€Å"the decade of the child consumer† (Schlosser 43). In order to exploit children effectively, focus groups were created solely for the purpose of finding effecting means of targeting ads towards children and collecting demographic information. â€Å"89% requested personal information from kids† through the internet and most children supplied it without parental consent (Schlosser 45). Soon, products such as Coca- Cola and Dr. Pepper were marketed to schools and fast food advertisements were littered throughout the education system. Advertisements were placed on school buses, in school newspapers, written on stadium banners, and announcements were made over the stadium’s public-address system during games (Schlosser 51). Children were not only faced with these ads during their time period at school, but at home too. The media played a huge role in promoting fast food. Television commercials, the internet, and the radio were employed to â€Å"get kids to nag their parents and nag them well† (Schlosser 43). The adults set out to prey on children’s immaturity and to â€Å"exploit their present- mindedness† (Schlosser 46). Unsurprisingly, fast food companies became recognizable household trademarks. Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, and McDonald’s renowned golden arches are a few of the most identifiable symbols today. Companies believed that by propagandizing children at an early age, they would influence the children to remain loyal customers to their company. This leads to ask why marketing to children is the most worthwhile tactic. Foremost, children are impressionable. According to Consumer Reports magazine, young children have difficulty distinguishing between advertising and reality in ads, and ads can distort their view of the world. â€Å"Children are still establishing their tastes and habits†, making them ideal customers because they have many years of purchasing ahead of them (Schlosser 54). â€Å"America’s fast food culture has become indistinguishable from the popular culture of its children† (Schlosser 48). The coalition of the fast food and entertainment industry allowed fast food companies to market toys based on current trends in entertainment. â€Å"The key to attracting kids is toys, toys, toys† (Schlosser 47). In return, the entertainment industry promoted their current trend. Children’s identities should not be defined by their consumer habits. Yet, that is the main way their are portrayed in the media– as consumers. Children were also described as â€Å"surrogate salesmen† (Schlosser 43). Schlosser explains that children need to persuade others in order to get what they want which again, gets kids to â€Å"nag their parents and nag them well† (Schlosser 43). As an incentive to get children to want to eat at their restaurants, the McDonald corporation created playlands in their establishments based off of Disney’s theme park, Disneyworld. â€Å"Playlands bring in children, who bring in parents, who bring in money† (Schlosser 47). Since children need to be accompanied in order for them to get what they want, more customers, such as parents and siblings of the child, are brought into the company as well, thereby benefiting the company. Schlosser argues that the fast food industry’s marketing tactics aim to achieve global recognition, victimize children, and explains the importance behind targeting children. He portrays children as naive individuals who are drawn into fast food through the fast food industry’s strategic efforts, and in most cases, they are. Children are bribed with playplaces, toys, cartoons, movies, and videos, and are reached through contests, sweepstakes, games, clubs, and the media. Schlosser questions the ethic and moral values of the advertisers in the fast food industry for feeding off of the children’s naivety. However, children, susceptible to the world of advertisement around them, continuously fall prey to the marketing industry.

Alzheimers and the effects. This is a informative piece of writing explaining Alzheimers and the effects of the disease.

Alzheimers and the effects. This is a informative piece of writing explaining Alzheimers and the effects of the disease. Alzheimer's is a disease of the brain that causes a loss in memory. This results in dementia, loss of brain functions (thinking, remembering, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with everyday life. When German physician, Alois Alzheimer, first described the disease in 1907, it was thought to be rare. Today, Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting 10% of people 65 years old, and nearly 50% of those age 85 or older. An estimated four million Americans have Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's disease usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events and to have difficulty performing familiar tasks. How quickly the disease advances differs from person to person, causing confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult for Alzheimer's patients. They struggle to find words, finish thoughts, or follow directions. Eventually, people with Alzheimer's become unable to care for themselves.Scientists still don't know what causes the disease.English: Diagram of how microtubules desintegrate ...Age and family history are possible risk factors for the disease. Scientists are exploring the role of genetics in the development of Alzheimer's, studying chromosome 19. Rarer forms of the disease, which happen to people in their 30's and 40's, called "early-onset," often run within families and appear to be related to chromosome 1, chromosome 14, and chromosome 21. Many researchers and physicians are coming to believe that Alzheimer's is a complex disease, probably caused by a variety of influences.Alzheimer's affects both the mental health and Social health. It is mental in the way that Alzheimer's victims can not think clearly, remember, and reason. Patience can not deal with stress. It is social health in the way that victims can not interact well with people to build satisfying relationships. They can not communicate well with family members or friends. Victim's may forget who people are.

Profile of Serial Killer Velma Barfield

Profile of Serial Killer Velma Barfield Velma Barfield was a 52-year-old grandmother and serial poisoner who used arsenic as her weapon. She was also the first woman executed after the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976 in North Carolina and the first woman to die by lethal injection. Velma Margie Barfield - Her Childhood Velma Margie (Bullard) Barfield was born on October 23, 1932, in rural South Carolina. She was the second oldest child of nine and oldest daughter to Murphy and Lillie Bullard. Murphy was a small tobacco and cotton farmer. Soon after Velmas birth, the family had to give up the farm and move in with Murphys parents in Fayetteville. Murphys father and mother died not long afterward and the family remained in Murphys parents house. Murphy and Lillie Bullard Murphy Bullard was a strict disciplinarian. Homemaker Lillie was submissive and did not interfere with how he treated their nine children. Velma did not inherit her mothers same submissive ways which resulted in several severe strap beatings by her father. In 1939 when she began attending school, she found some reprieve from being inside her cramped, volatile home. Velma also proved to be a bright, attentive student but socially rejected by her peers because of her impoverished style. Velma began stealing after feeling poor and inadequate around the other kids at school. She began by stealing coins from her father and was later caught stealing money from an elderly neighbor. Velmas punishment was severe and temporarily cured her from stealing. Her time was also more supervised and she was told she had to help with taking care of her sisters and brothers. A Skilled Manipulator By the age of 10, Velma learned how to control talking back to her stern father. She also became a decent baseball player and played on a team her father organized. Enjoying her favorite daughter status, Velma learned how to manipulate her father to get what she wanted. Later in life, she accused her father of molesting her as a child, although her family strongly denied her charges. Velma and Thomas Burke Around the time Velma entered high school her father took a job in a textile factory and the family moved to Red Springs, SC. Her grades were poor but she proved to be a good basketball player. She also had a boyfriend, Thomas Burke, who was a year ahead of her in school. Velma and Thomas dated under the strict curfews set by Velmas father. At age 17, Velma and Burke decided to quit school and marry, over the strong objections of Murphy Bullard. In December 1951, Velma gave birth to a son, Ronald Thomas. By September 1953, she gave birth to their second child, a girl they named Kim. Velma, a stay-at-home mom, loved the time she spent with her children. Thomas Burke worked at different jobs and although they were poor, they had the basic comforts. Velma was also dedicated to teaching her children solid Christian values. The young, poor Burke family was admired by friends and family for their good parenting skills. A Model Mother Velma Burkes enthusiasm for being an involved mother continued when the children began school. She participated in school-sponsored events, volunteered to chaperone school trips, and enjoyed driving children to various school functions. However, even with her participation, she felt emptiness while her children were at school. To help fill the void she decided to return to work. With the extra income, the family was able to move into a better home in Parkton, South Carolina. In 1963, Velma had a hysterectomy. The surgery was successful physically but mentally and emotionally Velma changed. She suffered severe mood swings and temper tantrums. She worried she was less desirable and womanly since she could no longer have children. When Thomas joined the Jaycees, Velmas resentment soared because of his outside activities. Their problems intensified when she discovered he was drinking with his friends after the meetings, something he knew she was against. Booze and Drugs: In 1965, Thomas was in a car accident and had a concussion. From that point on he suffered severe headaches and his drinking increased as a  way to deal with his pain. The Burke household became explosive with endless arguments. Velma, consumed with stress, was hospitalized and treated with sedatives and vitamins. Once home, she gradually increased her prescription drug use and went to different doctors to get multiple prescriptions of Valium to feed her growing addiction. Thomas Burke - Death Number One Thomas, displaying alcoholic behavior, pushed the family deeper into dysfunctional madness. One day while the kids were at school, Velma went to the laundromat and returned to find her house on fire and Thomas dead from smoke inhalation. Velmas suffering appeared short-lived although her misfortune continued. A few months after Thomas died another fire broke out, this time destroying the home. Velma and her children fled to Velmas parents and waited for the insurance check. Jenning Barfield - Death Number Two Jenning Barfield was a widower suffering from diabetes, emphysema, and heart disease. Velma and Jennings met soon after Thomas died. In August 1970, the two married but the marriage dissolved as quickly as it began because of Velmas drug use. Barfield died of heart failure before the two could divorce. Velma seemed inconsolable. Twice a widow, her son off in the military, her father diagnosed with lung cancer and beyond belief, her home, for a third time, caught on fire. Velma returned to her parents home. Her father died of lung cancer shortly afterward. Velma and her mother constantly quarreled. Velma found Lillie too demanding and Lillie did not like Velmas drug use. During the summer of 1974, Lillie was hospitalized because of a severe stomach virus. The doctors were unable to diagnose her problem, but she recovered within a few days and returned home. Source: Death Sentence: The True Story of Velma Barfields Life, Crimes, and Punishment by Jerry BledsoeThe Encyclopedia of Serial Killers By Michael NewtonWomen Who Kill by Ann Jones

Homemade Dry Ice Recipe

Homemade Dry Ice Recipe Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. Its extremely cold and sublimates into carbon dioxide gas, so its useful for a wide variety of projects. While its almost certainly less expensive to get dry ice from a store, its possible to make it yourself using a CO2 fire extinguisher or pressurized carbon dioxide in a tank or cartridge. You can get carbon dioxide at several types of stores (sporting good stores and some cookware stores), or you can order it online. Homemade Dry Ice Materials CO2 fire extinguisher or carbon dioxide tank.Cloth bagHeavy-duty gloves.Duct tape (optional) Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are labeled as such. If a fire extinguisher doesnt specify carbon dioxide assume it contains something else and wont work for this project. Make Dry Ice All you have to do is release the pressure on the gas and collect the dry ice. The reason you use a cloth bag is that it will allow carbon dioxide gas to escape, leaving just the dry ice. Put on the heavy-duty gloves. You dont want to get frostbite from the dry ice!Place the nozzle for the fire extinguisher or the CO2 tank inside the cloth bag.Either clamp your gloved hand around the mouth of the bag or else tape the bag onto the nozzle. Keep your gloved hand clear of the nozzle.Discharge the fire extinguisher or, if you are using a CO2 canister, partially open the valve. Dry ice will immediately begin forming in the bag.Turn off the fire extinguisher or close the valve.Gently shake the bag to dislodge dry ice from the nozzle. You can remove the bag and use your dry ice.Dry ice sublimates quickly, but you can extend how long it lasts by storing the bag in the freezer. Safety Precautions Dry ice freezes skin on contact. Be particularly careful to keep your hand away from the mouth of the fire extinguisher or outlet of the CO2 tank.Dont eat dry ice. If you use the dry ice to cool drinks, be careful not to get it in your mouth. Dry ice is not edible.Dry ice generates pressure as it sublimates. Dont store dry ice in a sealed container or it may burst.

Constitution and Systems of the State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constitution and Systems of the State - Essay Example The main components of the government of Oregon as outlined in its constitution are the legislature whose duty is to make the laws of the state; the judiciary whose role is to make sure that justice is carried out in the state and that it implements the laws, which have been passed by the legislature. Finally, there is the executive headed by the governor who is elected by the people of the state for a term of four years, and who oversees the administration of the state on a day-to-day basis. The constitution further outlines the distribution of powers within the state with all three arms of government being considered to be equal and each serving as a check over the other two (Cama, 2012). The role of each is well defined and one would find very little reason for any branch of the government to infringe on the roles of the other. There are many services provided by the state that are authorized by the state constitution and these services serve as one of the rights of the people of Oregon. The state constitution specifies that the state government shall provide services, which are required by the people of the state, but which they cannot provide for themselves. Some of these services may be basic such as mandatory education for all children in the state, to more complex services such as the state providing legal representation for those people who cannot afford a lawyer in court. The constitution of the state has been put in place to protect the rights and privileges as well as to ensure that all the people within the state are treated equally (Staff, 2008). This is the reason why it specifies that the state shall provide those services that one would otherwise not be able to afford. For example, when a person is in need of legal representation but cannot afford to have a lawyer. The state is under the obli gation to provide a lawyer for the defendant in a case so that his or her trial is carried out justly and without any

Effect of Evaluation Apprehension on Speed of Performance in a Simple Essay

Effect of Evaluation Apprehension on Speed of Performance in a Simple Manual Dexterity Task - Essay Example This report evaluates the effect that performance evaluation has on a simple manual dexterity task. Evaluation apprehension does have an impact on an individual’s performance. Participants who believe that they are being evaluated while performing a simple manual task are able to complete their tasks faster when they are in the presence of other people compared to participants who do not think that their performance is the same task is being evaluated (Ferris and Roland, 1983). There have been several studies done to evaluate if a person who perceives that he is being evaluated will perform a task any differently if he thinks that no one is evaluating him. Different theories have been formulated to explain how evaluation apprehension impacts on speed of performance in a simple dexterity task. The Evaluation Apprehension Theory, which was proposed by Cottrell in 1972 when he stated that when individuals work in the presence of other people, they normally experience a general concern about how the audience is evaluating them. He further stated that the apprehension has the ability to facilitate performance on simple, well learned tasks (Cottrell, Wack, Sekerek and Rittle, 1968). According to Cottrell, one’s performance is dependent on how well the person understands the social rewards and punishments that he might receive as a result of how other people evaluate him. This is to say that performance can be impaired or enhanced only when one performs in the presence of others who might approve or disapprove the actions involved (Geen, 1983). Cottrell says that individuals are more to experience evaluation apprehension when they are in group that is negatively stereotyped (Cottrell, Wack, Sekerek and Rittle, 1968). There are many situations that can be used as examples of how evaluation apprehension may affect the speed on performance of a simple dexterity task. One is in a class situation where

Legal Counsel Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Counsel Exercise - Assignment Example This he can do whether or not the organization, person or state can be linked to any specific terrorist incidents. He will justify his actions by arguing that, being the Commander-in-chief of the U.S armed force, the constitutions vets him with the authority to use military force in response to emergencies caused by unforeseen, sudden terrorist attacks on citizens, properties or the U.S territory. In certain circumstances, the U.S government transfers foreign detainees suspected of terrorism acts to foreign states where they believe international legal or foreign safeguards do not apply for detention, questioning and interrogation. If your soldiers are detained, they might be transferred to U.S detention facilities are outside the American sovereign authority. They will be interrogated using methods and tactics that are not acceptable according to both international and federal standards. This process I usually referred to as extraordinary rendition. Does the U.S public policy allow for such a practice? No! It does not, but it is still practiced in certain circumstances. Extraordinary rendition or rendition is deemed to be illegal. This is a view shared by the U.S President, Congress, Justice Department and the United Nations. If your soldiers are taken to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, even if they are non-U.S citizens, the Supreme Court in 2004 ruled that, they have the right to challenge the U.S. government in regards to the state of their detention. This can be done within the U.S federal court system. Military tribunals or commissions are a form of military courts that are meant to try enemy forces during war times. They operate outside the scope of normal civil and criminal courts. Their judges are usually military officials who perform the roles of the jurors and are very different from court Martials. The United States have used military tribunal in the past during the reign of President Abraham Lincoln and Roosevelt. In 2001, President Bush tried to form milita ry tribunal to try army detainees from Afghanistan. His attempt was met with very stiff opposition. The Supreme Court declared that they did not conform to the standards of the Geneva Convention. Currently, the U.S government is not using military tribunals. The U.S government has for a longtime been spying on its citizens. ‘Operation Chaos’ established in 1967 is a perfect evidence of the U.S spying on its citizen. This operation was established to spy on American citizens who objected the Vietnam War. Agencies involved in spying activities include the CIA, NSA and the Pentagon. It is not only unlawful for the military to participate in domestic spying activities, but the whole activity by government agencies such as the NSA spying on the U.S citizens is unlawful. It is not lawful for you to attack the United States first even if you believe they are going to attack you. You must have viable reasons to warrant lawful attacks against the U.S. If you decide to proceed an d attack them on the basis of your belief that they are going to attack you, your actions will be deemed to be acts of terrorism. Therefore, I would advise that you reconsider and clearly revaluate your reasons for wanting to attack the U.S. The United States has a constitution. This is the supreme law of the United States of America and all persons are accountable under it. All the other laws are derived from the Constitution. Whenever

The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans Essay

The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers - Essay Example However, not everything in the Native American/White relations was entirely gruesome. Oppression and conflicts with white people turned Native Americans into a nation with remarkable adaptation potential. The development and change touched all the areas including culture and religion. As a result, while European colonialism was pushing Native American populations westwards, the latter were developing the degree of flexibility, adaptability and cohesion that had been unknown to native populations before 1607. The difference between the frontier line of America and the frontier line of other countries is the following: the other countries knew their boundaries and they knew which countries were beyond these boundaries. The North America frontier underlined the unknown land beyond it. In accordance with Calloway: â€Å"†¦fertile valleys, meeting friendly people bedecked in turquoise, and hearing wondrous accounts of the towns to be found in the north† (p. 133). As far as we can see, the diversity of the North frontier is evident. The nature of the diversity can be found in the first settlers’ necessity to deal with natural challenges and remain self-sufficient. Indian cultures are really unique and peculiar in America. Some Indian tribes have survived, although other tribes have been vanished and completely destroyed. Many of them continued their traditional cultures, while others fully lost their cultures and communities. The history of American Indians in their relationship with Americans is full of brutality and intent destruction and discrimination. (Erchack 1992) Some scientists mention that the history of American Indians is something similar to labyrinth of different opinions and ideas. Indians resides from the cold regions of the Intuit in northern Alaska to the Yahgan. Many Americans consider Indian Americans as noble savages. It became an

Research Project Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research Project Proposal - Essay Example This study will explore the research about the effects of therapeutic massage on stress and quality of life of female faculty working in the teacher education program at a (Name) University. It will enquire into if there will be some impact on the efficiency and life style of the female faculty staff if they are provided with the massage facility in order to reduce the level of stress in imparting their too heavy pedagogical duties. The purpose of this project is to study the quality of life of female faculty working in the Teacher Education program at a (Name) University to determine what effects massage therapy designed to relax and revitalize the mind, body, and spirit has on stress reduction and overall quality of life. The quantitative and qualitative feedback received from pretest and posttest surveys and massage follow-up questionnaires will be used to determine what if any difference the effects of therapeutic massage designed to relax and revitalize the mind, body and spirit has on stress reduction and management, and overall quality of life. 3. In what ways does participation in the holistic health alternative practice of therapeutic massage treatments improve the quality of life of female faculty working in the Teacher Education program at this (Name) University The (Name) University female faculty across schools and departments will benefit from knowing if perceived stress is reduced and quality of life improved as a result of participating in a perceived Quality of Life and Stress survey and three massage therapy treatments designed to relax and revitalize the mind, body, and spirit. The information will be used to increase awareness of the stress female faculty encounter in the Teacher Education program. The findings may result in the development of holistic health programs that improve higher education environments. The information will be shared and published with the Massage Therapy Foundation of the American Massage Therapy Association. REVIEW OF LITERATURE The literature referred to value of life as a qualitative practice that appears from the inside, a mode of concerning to life that twigs from a fresh perceptive and an eternal change in a manner an individual witness life. In order to be familiar with living being and becoming as it communicates to worth of life and transform of the inside out, it was required to examine strain and its consequence on fitness and living being. When the symbols of stress persevere, an entity is in danger for heart infection, cancer, corpulence, hopelessness, obsessive-compulsive, ill treatment, diabetes, and so on. Stress slows down the resistant organism. A destabilized resistant organism effects in ill health. It is necessary to identify the sign of stress and make out what steps should be taken to reduce the stressors that influence physical condition and value of life. Knowing that tension begins when a

The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans Essay

The religious factors that led to the clash between Native Americans and early Euro-American settlers - Essay Example However, not everything in the Native American/White relations was entirely gruesome. Oppression and conflicts with white people turned Native Americans into a nation with remarkable adaptation potential. The development and change touched all the areas including culture and religion. As a result, while European colonialism was pushing Native American populations westwards, the latter were developing the degree of flexibility, adaptability and cohesion that had been unknown to native populations before 1607. The difference between the frontier line of America and the frontier line of other countries is the following: the other countries knew their boundaries and they knew which countries were beyond these boundaries. The North America frontier underlined the unknown land beyond it. In accordance with Calloway: â€Å"†¦fertile valleys, meeting friendly people bedecked in turquoise, and hearing wondrous accounts of the towns to be found in the north† (p. 133). As far as we can see, the diversity of the North frontier is evident. The nature of the diversity can be found in the first settlers’ necessity to deal with natural challenges and remain self-sufficient. Indian cultures are really unique and peculiar in America. Some Indian tribes have survived, although other tribes have been vanished and completely destroyed. Many of them continued their traditional cultures, while others fully lost their cultures and communities. The history of American Indians in their relationship with Americans is full of brutality and intent destruction and discrimination. (Erchack 1992) Some scientists mention that the history of American Indians is something similar to labyrinth of different opinions and ideas. Indians resides from the cold regions of the Intuit in northern Alaska to the Yahgan. Many Americans consider Indian Americans as noble savages. It became an

Financial Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Financial Planning - Essay Example The role of three companies, like Colonial First State Investments Limited and Professional Investment Services Pty Ltd related to provide financial planning services has been sorted out in the assigned study. The of Financial planning in Australia begun in the years 80s, as during those years there were no Financial Planners as they were not existing then. This occurred due to the fact that as there was no prerequisites for the clients within the Marketplace to enable them get efficient financial advice. It was only network of insurance that existed during that period under review. The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) is the peak professional body for Australia's financial planners, representing approximately 12,000 individuals and businesses (The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA). However, (Cowen, Blair, Taylor, 2006, p 4) reveals that "In the early 1980s, a leading Australian financial planning industry stalwart Gwen Fletcher visited the United States intent on pursuing discussions with the U.S. industry association, the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP). These discussions related to the creation of either a new industry body for A ustralia or the establishment of an affiliated chapter of the IAFP. At a later meeting of dealers conducted by the Department of Corporate Affairs (the then-regulatory body issuing licenses to dealers of securities), the affiliation model was proposed but rejected. However, a new industry body consisting of an elite group of independent advisors was formed, the Association of Independent Professional Advisors (AIPA). It is important to note that this group excluded all banks and insurance companies from membership". Additionally, following the International Conference of IAFP held in Australia in the years 1982 and 1984 respectively, Australian IAFP was officially launched. (Cowen, Blair, Taylor, 2006, p 4) states that after the launching, "The IAFP in Australia was to be an open forum for individuals, dealers and fund managers alike. Following U.S. IAFP requirements, the newly formed Australian association sought and was granted a license for the CFP designation and subsequently established the Diploma of Financial Planning (DFP) course. This necessitated strong collaboration between the United States and Australian bodies with the College of Financial Planning in the United States providing much of the DFP educational materials and resources. The US IAFP oversaw and closely monitored the development of educational standards to ensure that the Australian DFP met the educational requirements for the CFP designation. This involved an ongoing process of quality assurance by the U.S. body". It is e stimated that there are about 5,500 financial planning practices in

Fair Value accounting Essay Example for Free

Fair Value accounting Essay The squabble on the issue of what accounting measurements will be used as the standard for financial instruments had caused the on-going debate with various proponents of accounting standard; even today, proponents of every side argues on the basis of their advantages over the others. Among these contending parties are the proponents of the fair value accounting and those who favored accounting standard based on the historical costs. Hitz (2007, p. 324) pointed out the increasing importance of fair value as an accounting measurement attributes. Hitz stated that today, the â€Å"cost and transaction-based reporting model is in decline and a new market value and event-based model is on the rise† (Hitz, p. 324). Citing the significance of fair value accounting, Hitz mentioned that starting out as a specific remedy for the iniquities of the reporting model for certain financial instruments â€Å"fair value has manifested it self as a dominant measurement paradigm for financial instruments and, more recently, has increasingly been implemented for measurements of non-financial items† (Hitz, 324) such as investment property. On the other hand, while Hitz adhere to the tenets of fair value accounting, he recognized the views of the opponents of fair value accounting particularly the criticism regarding the questionable reliability of fair value measures notably for model-based estimates relying on management’s expectation and projections. However, Hitz asserts that results on empirical research regarding value measurement â€Å"support the incremental value relevance of fair value disclosure for securities (Petroni and Wahlen, 1995; Barth et al., 1996 as cited by Hitz). The Australian accounting standards Board (AASB) though recognizes other accounting standards it recognizes fair value accounting as the main financial instruments which applies in various financial processes and transaction within AASB. The AASB defines Fair value as â€Å"the amount for which an asset could be exchanged or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arms length transaction† (p. 21) Fair value has been the standards in evaluating and managing the performances of a group financial assets or financial liabilities. In the ASSB 7, paragraph 9 to 11 and B 4 the ASSB require the entity to provide disclosures about financial assets and financial liabilities it has designated at fair value through profit or loss including how it satisfied these conditions (ASSB, p. 17). This clearly indicate that fair value accounting as a financial standard instrument have been effectively use and provide significant contribution to the financial situation. This is clearly reflected in the following statement from the ASSB as follows: â€Å"investment in equity instrument that do not have a quoted market price in an active market, and whose fair value cannot be reliably measured shall not be designated as at fair value through profit or loss† (p. 18). The Fair value of any investment plays an important in determining market condition as the fair value of a particular financial instrument is based on the following factors a. the time value of money, b. the credit risk, c. foreign currency exchange prices, d. commodity prices, e. equity prices, f. volatility, and g. payment risk. Regardless of the accounting standard used, accounting plays an important role in financial reporting. While M. J. Milne’s discussion focus on the importance of accounting in financial management including accounting standards that lead to increases in reported earnings,   citing the arguments of Watt and Zimmerman Milne (2002) puts it â€Å"Managers have greater incentives to choose accounting standards which lower earnings thereby increasing cash flows, firm value, and their welfare, due to tax political, and regulatory considerations than to choose accounting standards which reports higher earnings and, thereby increase their incentive compensation† (p. 372). Obviously, accounting standards contributes to the financial situation not only of the firm that uses such standards but the entire financial realm. In this case, Milne partly hinted as to why trillions of dollars went off the global financial market balance sheets and why asset values experience decline. Milne seem to mean that managers choose accounting standards that reported lower earning yet, it increase the firm’s cash flows, the firm value, and their welfare, due to higher tax and political pressures. In this case the real market value as well as the real earnings were reassigned to somewhere else or as Milne suggest, to cash flows and their value. Given this accounting standard, it is no wonder that management will lobby financial instrument that reduce reported earnings to avoid taxes, regulatory procedures, and all other costs. As Milne stressed, â€Å"ordinarily, managers are predicted to have greater incentives to lobby for accounting standards that lead to increase in reported earnings and thereby management wealth. However, since changes in cash flows and stock prices can also be affected by taxes, regulatory procedures, information costs and political costs, managers also have to consider the effects of reported earnings might have on the likelihood that such costs could be imposed on the firm† (p. 372). The trillions of dollars that were written off the global financial market balance sheets and the massive decline of asset values can therefore be attributed to these factors accompanying this accounting standard, and the commentators were partly right in their opinion regarding this massive decline of asset values. However, this does suggest that that money going to taxes, regulatory procedures, political costs, and information costs are lost money and that regulatory procedure should be viewed as negative for business activities. Regulatory procedures should be viewed in even broader terms that include all forms of social control and influence. Michael Greiffin emphasized that this should also include â€Å"not only the corporations legislative requirement but also other rules and directions, such as professional accounting standards and stock exchange requirements† (p. 2 par. 3). Graffikin pointed out that regulation is considered desirable â€Å"where there windfall profits† – where through some fortuitous event is able to make above â€Å"normal† profits. Regulations should be seen as necessary in the rationalization and coordination of economic activity so as to organize behaviour of industries in an efficient manner (graffikin, p. 3).

Learning a second language

Learning a second language 1 Can learning an L2 cause L1 attrition? Attrition is the non-pathological, not age-related loss of a language. Speakers learning a second language often experience a change in the way they process their native language, a process called L1 attrition. L1 attrition often occurs in migrant individuals, since they immerse themselves fully into another language. It is expected that, as someone learns an L2 in an immersion environment, some crosslinguistic interference might happen. This interference can happen in both directions: just as the L2 is influenced by the L1, the L1 can assimilate to the L2. The present paper discusses the possibility of L1 phonetic attrition caused by the acquiring of an L2. Phonetic attrition is the loss of phonetic segments and/or suprasegmental features and/or the adaptation to other phonetic units. This paper will discuss how phonetic attrition can affect the production of sounds and suprasegmental features, specifically peak alignment. It will also discuss how phonetic attrition can happen in be ginner learners in classroom settings as well as the more expected case of complete language immersion. Mennen (2004) pursued the question of whether Dutch non-native speakers of Greek are able to produce cross-linguistic differences in the timing of peak alignments in both their languages. He conducted two experiments to answer his question. The first experiment tested whether experiences L2 speakers (Dutch non-native speakers of Greek) can produce accurate f0 timing in their L2 (Greek). A further aim of this study was to see whether an influence from the L1 (Dutch) can be observed in the L2. The participants were divided into three groups: five native Dutch speakers (D), five native Greek speakers (G), and five non-native (Dutch) speakers of Greek (DG). All participants in the LG group were late bilinguals with experience in their L2 ranging from 12 to 35 years, used their L2 regularly, and were college educated. The materials used in the first experiment were 20 declaratives in Greek and 40 declaratives in Dutch (further divided into 20 declaratives containing short vowels and 20 declaratives containing long vowels). The participants were asked to read the test sentences twice in a random order. Group D read two sets of sentences in Dutch (declaratives containing short and long vowels), awhile groups G and DG only read the set of sentences in Greek. The readings were recorded and their peak alignment onset measured. The speakers were asked to repeat any mispronounced sentences. When comparing group DG’s alignment data to that of groups G, the results showed clear differences in their peak alignment times. Four out of the five L2 learners aligned their peaks earlier than native Greek speakers. When compared to group’s D data, the peaks alignments were closer in time but still not native-like. This result showed that L2 speakers could not reach a native-like production of peak alignments in their L2, Greek. At the same time, this shows cross-linguistic influence from the L1 into the L2. The second experiment was conducted to investigate if Dutch non-native speakers of Greek were able to maintain correct peak alignment times in their L1. The materials and procedure were the same as in experiment 1, as for the participants, only groups D and DG were required for this experiment. The results from this second experiment showed a difference in peak alignment times in both sets of sentences in Dutch for both groups; this difference however was smaller in the DG group, and therefore non-native like. From both these experiments, Mennen concluded that Dutch on-native speakers of Greek fail to produce native-like peak alignments in their L1 and L2, which can be interpreted as L1 phonetic attrition. In 2012, Chang conducted an experiment with the goal of examining the extent to which the L1 can change during L2 learning in beginner L2 learners, and also if the L1 would be affected within the first weeks of acquisition. For this experiment, two groups of participants were recruited: an L2 learner group, consisting of 36 adult nave speakers of American English learning Korean and a control group consisting of nine native Korean speakers. The L2ers group lived in a South Korean university campus and were starting an intensive six week course of introductory Korean (the equivalent of a semester of college-level Korean classes) The participants had no significant previous exposure to Korean and although they were living in Korea, their interactions were limited to other L2 learners. The materials in this experiment consisted of 22 Korean and 23 English monosyllabic items. There were 15 critical items beginning with plosives. The participants were asked to read the monosyllables and their VOT for the critical items was recorded. The results from this experiment showed that by week five, phonetic attrition of the learners’ English in approximation to Korean. That is to say, the VOT of the learnersà ¢â‚¬â„¢ English plosives stopped being native-like and drifted into being more like the Korean stops they had been learning. The learners’ production of English voiceless stops and Korean aspirated stops lengthened in VOT in a manner that suggests they were coordinated. From this experiment, Chang concluded that phonemic attrition can occur rapidly, in a class-room setting, due to cross-linguistic interference even during the first weeks of instruction. The next study, by Mayr et al. (2013), investigates whether L1 attrition has occurred in the speech of a monozygotic twin who emigrated from the L1 environment 30 years ago. This was tested by comparing her speech productions to those of her identical twin sister, who has been living in the L1-speaking environment all her life. The participants consisted of identical twin sisters MZ and TZ, both of which were consecutive Dutch-English bilinguals. They were 62 years old at the time of the study. Their language background is as follows: MZ and TZ grew up together in the Netherlands, where they acquired their L1. In high school, both were introduced to English as their L2 and later acquired jobs in an international telecommunications company, where they only spoke English. At age 32 MZ left the Netherlands to live in the UK, where she had a daughter (also Dutch-English bilingual). MZ reported to preferring English in her everyday life, but speaks both Dutch and English with her daughter (she also reported frequent code-switching with her daughter). In contrast, TZ stayed in the Netherlands her whole life and stopped using English once she left her telecommunications job. The materials consisted of 20 monosyllabic Dutch target words and 20 monosyllabic English target words. The participants were asked to produc e each target word four times, randomly, in the following fashion: â€Å"I say X† (for English targets) and â€Å"Ik zei X† (for Dutch targets). This resulted in 80 Dutch tokens and 96 English tokens per participant. The researchers measured the VOT of plosives in both languages. The data for each language was recorded in different days (appropriately far from each other) to avoid the effects of language suppression and activation during the process. The results of this experiment showed clear phonetic attrition in MZ’s production of voiceless plosives, which indicate cross-linguistic assimilation patterns. She produced VOT values that are longer than the Dutch norm, while TZ’s VOT values were perfectly within the Dutch norm. MZ’s VOT values were much more similar to her English VOT values than to her sister’s Dutch VOT values. The researchers concluded that this difference was caused by cross-linguistic influences from MZ’s L2 into h er L1, which caused L1 attrition. They also mentioned that MZ’s code switching interactions with her daughter might have a large part in her L1 attrition, since bilinguals that code switch are more likely to be perceived as foreigners or more heavily accented by native speakers. The last study, by de Leeuw et al. (2010), investigated how the acquisition of an L2 affects the accentedness of the L1 in two different consecutive bilingual groups with different L2s by comparing them to monolingual native speakers of their L1. For this experiment, 34 German immigrants in Anglophone Canada, 23 German immigrants in the Netherlands, and five German monolingual controls in Germany were recruited. The speakers were questioned on different aspects of their language usage, such as the frequency with which they used their L1, or if they code-switched between languages (this question was not asked explicitly). A group of 19 German listeners were also recruited. They had a minimal or non-existent knowledge of English and Dutch and were not bilingual. The materials consisted of speech samples of a film retelling (not a script, but a scene to describe spontaneously). The participants were asked to record the speech samples in their own homes to ensure their comfort. One speech sample from each participant was obtained and then presented to the group of 19 German judges, which then assessed the speech samples in a scale from 1(certain of non-native status) to 6 (certain of native status). The results showed that biling ual speakers (both English and Dutch as L2) are more likely to be perceived as foreigners than the German control group. Also, that the amount of informal use of the L1 does not impact on the degree of perceived foreign accent, and that speakers who use this language for professional purposes are less likely to be perceived as foreigners. From these results phonetic the bilingual speakers can be concluded to experience L1 phonetic attrition, which would explain why their L1 production was perceived as foreign. In the present paper, the possibility of phonetic attrition as a result of acquiring a second language was assessed. The results from the previously discussed experiments all point towards the obvious conclusion that phonetic attrition can be caused by cross linguistic influence from the L2 into the L1. The results also show that phonetic attrition can occur rapidly among beginner L2 learners in classroom settings, but that it is more prominent in immersion settings, such as that of immigrants. Although phonetic L1 attrition, and L1 attrition in general, is a common phenomenon among immigrants and there is no evidence that it affects L1 speech in a way that prevents other speakers of the language from recognizing what has been said, there is a prominent negative opinion about the process. This could be caused by the pride that countries take in their languages and how their languages are representative of their traditions. Even then, L1 attrition should be regarded as a completely normal process, as it does not hinder, in any way, the ability of a person to communicate in their L1. Further studies of L1 attrition could help dispel the negative views that surround the subject, as it is an area not yet developed completely. For example, a better definition of the word ‘loss’, used to describe the process, might help dispel the stigma behind attrition. The ‘loss’ of the native language does not give any indication as to how permanent or irreversible i t is. It also does not provide any clue as to how deeply it affects the L1 and how it might impact the lives of those who go through this process. References Chang, C. E. (2012). Rapid and multifaceted effects of second language learning on first language speech production. Journal of Phonetics 40, 249-268. de Leeuw, E., I. Mennen J. M. Scobbie. (2013). Dynamic systems, maturational constraints and L1 phonetic attrition. International Journal of Bilingualism 17:6 Mayr, R., S. Price I. Mennen (2012). First language attrition in the speech of Dutch–English bilinguals: The case of monozygotic twin sisters. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15.4, 687-700. Mennen, I. 2004. Bi-directional interference in the intonation of Dutch speakers of Greek. Journal of Phonetics 32, 543-563.

A Weird Experiece :: Personal Narratives Violence Crime Essays

A Weird Experience We were a threesome that late winter. Friday afternoons when Thomas got home at a decent hour he called on the intercom and I went down the hall to their apartment for drinks. Sometimes when he was late Krystal knocked on my door and asked me to come on down and keep her company. Later we might go out to dinner. Or we skipped dinner and just talked and listened to music. Sometimes on Saturdays he took his car and we drove down the Jersey shore or up the Hudson Valley or to Connecticut. Once we went out to The Hamptons where they were looking for a vacation house. Our friendship lasted exactly three months. A lucky number, Krystal said of the three of us. The perfect number. Thomas Milton was an investment banker. After getting his Masters from Harvard Business School, he'd returned to New York to a major firm and at 32 years old had already made $100 million, or close to it. Thomas was tall, handsome, charming—and Jamaican. His beautiful photo model wife, Krystal, was Dominican and rich in her own right. The Miltons had just bought and were remodeling a penthouse in a nearby Central Park West apartment building and would soon be moving from the cooperative. :: Inevitably we ended up talking about what I was calling in those days the great American divider—the color line. Not that Thomas and Krystal initiated our discussions; they said race didn't matter. No, it was I, the white liberal for whom race does matter, who turned an everyday conversation into a social study. I think they were embarrassed at my endless talk about such an immutable situation—they were black and basta, as Thomas once said soon after we met. And in general, he said, people are racists. That's just the way things are. Yet with each racial affront encountered, with each new racist attack reported on TV, with each new case of police humiliation, I returned to the attack. Relentless, I forced them to participate. How long, I asked piously, this chasm between whites and blacks? Why the fears? Why the silence? I often asked that winter why race had to change our relationship? Change everything? And deprive me of what I above all needed—their respect. One evening after a number of cocktails in the sprawling salon of their big 10th floor apartment I asked them point blank what it was like being black here in the city.

Air Canada

A recent review of any business magazine will often reveal that the secret to the success of many companies lies in their ability to not only generate profit for their stockholders but also in being able to improve the lives of their employees.Over the years, more and more companies are investing in the development of their human resources departments in the hopes of taking advantage of this trend.There are some companies, however, who have long taken advantage of this by making sure that not only are their employees well motivated, driven and well compensated but that these factors show well in the customer service that is provided.   One of these companies is Air Canada.As Canada’s largest and oldest airline, this company has a rich history as both an outstanding employer and airline.   Founded in 1937, Air Canada has grown immensely since then is now the world’s 11th largest passenger airline in relation to fleet size (Milton 2005).The flag carrier for Canada, Ai r Canada, has consistently held the record for having the best service in the world and this was affirmed on January 19, 2007 when it received the award for Best Airline in North America (Milton 2005).This founding member of the Star Alliance has time and again prevailed over the challenges and tests that the growing aviation market has presented over the years (Milton 2005).   This is a testament to the good management practices and upstanding record that this company has developed in its 70 year history.Air Canada has always emphasized that Flight Attendants are ambassadors of the customer experience onboard each Air Canada flight (Milton 2005).Air Canada has also prided itself in the fact that the flight attendants of Air Canada play many roles such as safety professional, caregiver and service provider.   These are the qualities which set Air Canada flight attendants apart from any other flight attendants from other airlines (Milton 2005).The fact that they are considered as Ambassadors of the customer experience does more than just add a dignified label to flight attendants but rather emphasizes the fact that customer experience also comes first aboard any Air Canada flight.Perks and salary not included, Air Canada also differs from other airlines in that the employee advancement program offers a more stable future than others.Air Canada prides itself in improving the quality of all in its employ including Flight Attendants (Milton 2005).   These are the reasons why Air Canada is far superior to other airlines for anyone wanting to pursue a career as a flight attendant.On a personal level, I feel that I have developed the skills to become an Air Canada flight attendant because I am a hard working and driven individual.   All my past working experiences have equipped me to dealing with all sorts of people.   Being the frontline at a Pizza Hut is not exactly a dream job for most people.Yet for some reason I found that it was in this type of enviro nment that I was able to thrive and flourish.   The going gets tough when the people start coming in at rush hour.   To make matters worse, no other people in the world are more irritable than hungry people.   I also pay close attention to detail and make sure that I get things done.The job gets done faster and more efficiently as and when the objectives are clear, the strategies acceptable, and the resources are available such as in this company. My language proficiencies are also quite excellent as I am fluent in both English and Spanish.I am very methodical with my work.   I take charge and own up to my responsibilities.   With regard to co-workers and subordinates, I am very demanding, meticulous but I also believe that I am fair and considerate.   These character traits and abilities are the main reason why I believe that I have the necessary skills to become an Air Canada flight attendant.The rich history that Air Canada has had in the aviation industry is truly so mething to behold.   To be voted the best Airline in North America is no easy feat and I am quite sure that the outstanding performance of the flight attendants had much to do with that fact.As such, to be part of that elite core of flight attendants who have made a mark in the aviation industry, would constitute the fulfillment of one of my career goals.References:Milton, Robert (2005) Straight from the top; the truth about Air Canada Greystone Books, [c]2004 266 p.

Economics Essay

1. What did Keynes think some of the chief benefits and defects of capitalism were? Keynesian theory which was developed by Keynes advocates for a mixed economy where the government and private sector are important. In Keynesian model economy is assumed to be below full employment.   Keynesian argues that the aggregate demand for good which seek to increase employment of resources in the country is the driving force of an economy.   According to Keynes, the government’s role is to reduced unemployment rate and deflation level to enhance increased output in an economy (Baqliano and Bertola, 2003). Capitalism developed by Max argues that the poor in capitalistic society are so because of exploitation by the merchants who own the means of production and distribution.   The merchants are said to exploit the poor through low wages.   Marx argued that the value of any economic good should be determined by the labor used to manufacture.   Any cost that is higher than the cost of labor represents the surplus which is the profits the capitalists realize from exploitation of their laborers.   Marx believes that all means of production should be owned by the government or should control by the government.   Marx advocated for socialist government that owns the means of production or democratic administration that control them. Economists who include Keynes deny the claims of Marx that labor is the only measure for surplus.   According to Keynes who support capitalism, employers and employees are guided by the prevailing market wages hence employers offer employment to willing workers. John Keynes believes in capitalistic economy and called on the government to stimulate it but not eliminate it.   However, Keynes site defect in capitalism where he argues that capitalism does not promote full employment, wealth and incomes which the model seeks to achieve in the long run. Keynesian ideologies have been employed by politician but both abuse of the model, inflation has resulted.   This is evident with government manipulating policies to make economic conditions favorable during election which has led to high inflation in most state.   Action by government leads to reduce real wages and real incomes which do comply with Keynes model.   Capitalism has led to segregation of the society into strata according to income and wealth owned.   Most politician use Keynes ideologies by making promises that will earn them votes.   Implementations of the promises require higher taxation which reduces income of individuals (Baqliano and Bertola, 2003). Keynesian advocate for full employment which should be accompanied buy steady controlled inflation level as an effective means of guiding the economy in he interests of capital.   Keynes argue that real wages can be allowed to fall, government expenditure on schools, hospitals and infrastructure can be reduced as anti-inflationary measures and this inflationary measure should be continued until employment level desired is achieved. According to Keynes denied that unemployment is contributed by capitalism. However Keynes argued that unemployment in capitalism is brought by inadequate demand of personal articles of consumption and productive articles of consumption.   Keynes argue that inadequate demand is as a result of the workers tending to accumulate part of their incomes through savings and the inadequate demand   for productive consumption is brought by failure of people to invest their capital profitability which would lead to increase in output and hence reduced unemployment. Keynes advocates that employment can be increased by lowering real wages through inflation introduction and decreasing rate of interest.   Increased rate of interest will encourage investment of capital which will increase aggregate demand.   The government should then expand its budget to allow mass investment. Consumptive demand can be increased through increased extravagance of the ruling class; investing in war prone areas and increased non-productive expenses by the state.   The increased non-productive expenses to attain full employment of the population will actually lead to diminished living standards of laborers. Keynes in his support for capitalism argued that the workers should not be assisted to rise above the capitalists because capitalists who consist of intellectuals are the quality of life and they carry seed of achievement.   Keynes argued against socialism where the government owns the production. Keynes in support of capitalism advocates the governments to support monopoly.   The wage freezing policy by the federal government in Middle East helped increase the profits of the monopolies while lowering the living standards of the workers. Keynes argue that inflation bring about equilibrium position I n capitalism.   In Capitalism â€Å"Boomâ€Å" lead to increased profits and hence increased prices.   Production expands up to overproduction point where equilibrium is achieved through â€Å"boom bursting. 2. What is the `identification problem` in using econometric analysis? Identification problem in ecometrics involves solving unique values of the parameters of the structural model from the values of the parameters of the reduced form of the model.   Reduced form of a model presents a model where endogenous variables are expressed functions of exogenous variables. For example prices in a marker are determined by supply and demand, hence must establish the demand and supply functions.   However, the equation obtained by regressing quantity on market price cannot be identified specifically as either supply or demand function.   In special cases, we use regression to get demand function.   While holding supply function constant or vice versa, but cannot obtain regression while accommodating fluctuation changes in both (Baqliano and Bertola, 2003). Economics Essay The three areas of economics affect an individual both positively and negatively. First, in making decisions, a person often has to decide on tradeoffs because he/she just cannot afford to buy everything that he/she needs. In other words, sacrifices must be made. Economics, after all, is about allocating the resources available to a person – which happens to be scarce most of the time. This would mean, for instance, that if one has set aside $10 dollars for chocolates and he/she wants to buy some oranges, the decision would often entail buying less chocolates to enable him/her to buy some oranges. This effect is often interpreted as a negative one because a person has to let go of one want in order to satisfy another desire. This illustration clearly shows that budget constraint plays a major role in decision-making. (Mankiw, 2004) The second area of economics, interaction with others, affects members of society positively because in a free market economy, prices could not just be dictated by producers and sellers without the involvement or say of the consumers. In other words, if the price of a certain commodity proves too expensive, consumers would usually look for cheaper alternatives, thereby causing the demand for the more expensive version to fall. If the 21† colored television set produced by Sony Corporation, for instance, has been priced much higher than the 21† colored television of Philips, chances are that consumers would opt for the television set being sold by Philips because of the lower price. In this case, preference for Sony, which might prove to have a higher quality, could only be expressed by those who have the money, therefore feeling no budgetary constraints. Finally, the workings of the economy could affect an individual both positively and negatively. One instant is when government decides to print and circulate an abnormally high volume of money. This situation forces money to depreciate in value, thereby resulting to inflation. A high level of inflation causes prices to increase because of the additional costs being shouldered by manufacturers owing to the lower value of money. An upside of this situation, however, could be a temporary increase in employment. Because of the availability of money, employers can afford to hire additional workers. (Mankiw, 2004)

Foreign Policy Judiciary Politics Essay

1. Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, these developments often face serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of those who opposed the growing power of the national government in TWO of the following: Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, 1798-1799 Hartford Convention, 1814-1815 2. To what extent did the Jeffersonian Republican’s of economic boycott in the years 1807 – 1812 affect the new nation? 3. To what extent was the early United States foreign policy a primarily defensive reaction to actual or perceived threats from Europe? Evaluate with regard to United States foreign policy on TWO major issues during the period from 1789 – 1815. 4. Analyze the contributions of TWO of the following in helping establishing a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution John Adams Thomas Jefferson George Washington 5. Explain the influence of TWO of the following on the U.S. decision to go to war in 1812. Embargo policies of Jefferson and Madison British impressment of American seamen Settlers’ conflicts with Native Americans Expansionist goals of the war hawks 6. Compare and contrast the political and economic views of the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans. When, why and how did the differences between the two parties blur? 7. Evaluate the relative importance of domestic and foreign affairs in shaping American politics in the 1790s. 8. â€Å"Since the treaty of Ghent addressed none of the issues for which the United States had fought, the War of 1812 has no positive consequences for the American nation. Assess the validity of this statement 9. To what extent was the Election of l800 aptly named the Revolution of l800? Respond with reference to 2 of the following areas Economics

Commanding Heights video series Reaction Paper Movie Review

Commanding Heights video series Reaction Paper - Movie Review Example Moreover, free trade has threatened emerging firm as a result of competition. This has raised concern in the United States because most of the companies are near closure contributing to increased unemployment. Nevertheless, globalization have made it possible for an increased global market and areduction in inefficiency in the production of goods and services. The story also covers the new challenges of terrorism and it effect in the developing world. For example, the attack on American on September 11 ignited a debate about how safe our top world economies are and the best way to counter the threat to investors confident (Yergin, 2012). The movie also discusses the impact of globalization and free trade to the developing world. The poor nations ought not to be a market target for the developed world, but should be incorporated into web of financial and capital flow so they can feel they are part of the system. The prosperity of the rich continues while the poor get worse off. The gap between the rich and the poor widens more as globalization takes root throughits eminent challenges. The free market has become unpredictable leading to thefinancial crisis. For this reason, a new debate has arisen in the opposition to globalization. Scholar’sdoubtwho will change the rule of the game to tame the spread of thefinancial meltdown (Yergin, 2012). The world has abandoned the old order for its failures. Communism was disillusioned, and it did not encourage or contribute to trade, commerce or the growth of capital. On the other hand, capitalism proved to motivate people to trade due to high returns. However, United States and other capitalist countries grappled with boom and burst. Moreover, the growth of democracy has been a challenge to free trade as political parties create political turmoil. To address some of these challenges, the U.S. government has embraced Keynesian theories. Keynes suggested that a free market economy was not

Explanation of the graphics figures upon budget Assignment

Explanation of the graphics figures upon budget - Assignment Example The budget line implies that if Susan spent all her income on clothing she would be able to purchase OB units of it. If on the other hand, Susan spent all her income on food, she would be able to purchase OA units of food. If she allocates her income on both goods then all combinations of food and clothing she can attain are those on or within the line AB. Thus the triangle OAB defines the combinations of food and clothing attainable by Susan, given her income and the prices of food and clothing. Assuming that Susan is rational, and the law of diminishing marginal utility holds for both goods, and she has continuous and complete preferences, her preferences can be depicted by downward sloping convex indifference curves. Susan’s objective is to attain the highest possible indifference curve within the reach of her budget set. This is shown in figure 2. Figure 2: the utility maximising choice in Adelaide As shown above in figure 2, given her budget constraint, Susan’s utility maximizing choice in Adelaide is point E. She consumes OC of food and OD of clothing and this generates the level of utility denoted by the indifference curve IC1. Linda is aware that in Melbourne the prices of both goods are higher and that food is relatively more expensive than clothing compared to the situation in Adelaide. Therefore, with her present income (that she earns by working in Adelaide) Susan will be able to by lesser of both food and clothing. Additionally, because food is rela tively more expensive, not only she will be able to buy less of food if she invests all her income in food compared to the amount of food she would be able to buy in Adelaide, the reduction in the amount of food she can buy will be more than the reduction in the amount of clothing she will be able to buy. What this implies is that i) her budget line will shrink inwards and ii) it will be relatively more flat compared to her budget line in Adelaide. This is depicted in figure 3. Figure 3: FG - Susan's budget line in Melbourne if her income remains equal to her Adelaide income In the diagram above, FG is Susan’s budget line in Melbourne if her income remains unchanged. Observe that not only can she buy fewer amounts of either products, the reduction in her capacity to purchase clothing had she chosen to invest all her income in clothing, depicted by the amount GB in the figure above, is less than the reduction in the amount of food she can buy if she invests all her income in f ood, AF. This is implied by the fact that food is relatively more expensive than clothing in Melbourne. Figure 4: Susan's new budget set relative to her old preferred bundle and utility level. Therefore, as reflected in figure 4, Susan can no longer access the utility level denoted by the indifference curve IC1 and nor can she afford the commodity bundle she preferred when she was in Adelaide. Therefore her real income will fall if she has to move to Melbourne but her income is still as it was back in Adelaide. Linda, if she has to make sure Susan accepts the offer, will have to pay her enough to ensure that her real income is at least as high as it is presently in Adelaide. There are two possible ways of achieving this. I. If Susan is paid an income so that she can purchase a commodity bundle that places her again at the utility level IC1. This implies paying her an income over her present Adelaide income that will allow her to access her old indifference curve IC1. This would be w hat is termed as the Hicksian compensation. The idea is that Susan will be back at her old real income level if she has access to her old utility level. Figure 5: The Hicksian Compensation - PQ

Economics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics Assignment - Essay Example Other ways to alter money supply in the economy may include altering discount rates, quantitative easing and Funding; however, the main emphasis of monetary policy is the â€Å"Open Market Operations† through which the government alters money supply in the economy. It is first important to understand how banks operate; banks lend out money to open public, this money when lend out in the economy is bound to come back to the banks as deposits by other people. Thus, the bank has more and more money to lend out. However, the bank keeps certain amount of money as a safety measure to cater to demand of withdrawal of money by customers. The percentage of deposit kept safe by the bank is determined by the â€Å"Liquidity Ratio†. Example, if the liquidity ratio is 10%, and Mr. X comes and invests $100 in a bank, the bank would keep $10 as a reserve and would lend out the remaining $90 to customers. This increases money supply; the more money that flows in the bank, the more cred it creation takes place. Open Market operations refer to buying and selling of bonds that happens between the Central bank and the commercial banks. Commercial banks are very powerful when it comes to money creation or contractions. Thus, in case the government wants an expansionary monetary policy, the Central bank would ask the commercial banks to print fancy stamped papers with net amounts written (known as BONDS) and sell them to Central Bank. The central bank would buy the bond and pay the commercial bank money for the bond. Thus, this money is used by the commercial banks to make more credit as they give out this money to buyers. These people spend, Example, Mr. X borrowed $90 and bought a Dell Computer, now Dell would deposit the $90 back in the bank and thus the bank would make a further loan of $81 (90% of $90) and this cycle goes on. This leads to money being multiplied and as a result, because of the Money Multiplier effect, $100 becomes approximately $1000 in the economy at a 10% liquidity ratio rate. This is an expansionary monetary policy that is used in times of recession to bring the economy back or close to the full employment level of output. Money Multiplier = 1 / Liquidity Ratio Similarly, if the government wishes to contract the money supply, it does the opposite; the central bank prints and sells bonds to the commercial banks (taking out its reserves) thus the commercial banks have lesser funds to give out as loans in the economy and the overall economy contracts. This contracts the money supply and is used in times of inflation. This concept also has another vital aspect to it, the impact of interest rates as a result of money supply. Money supply is directly linked to the interest rates, as shown below: Increases in money supply (via expansionary monetary policy) decreases interest rates (as shown above, from i1 to i2), this means people would be less willing to save and hence have a greater marginal propensity to consume*. Consumption will likely to go up as people would tend to spend more than they save, owing to low interest rates. Credit card purchases would be encouraged and investments would be made more attractive at lower interest rates. Also, owing to the wealth effect, the people would be willing to spend

Emerging Technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Emerging Technology - Assignment Example If implemented, the use of brain computer would contribute positively to both business and the society. For instance, by intercepting the computer memory to the human brain would be a recommendable effort in treating patients suffering from mental related illness such as stress or shock. Moreover, such implementation to the brain can also be used by those who suffer from memory loss in sustaining information such as an eyewitness account in a court of law thus leading to a safer society (Afeyan Para 40). If the use of brain computer interfaces can be performed in a real scenario, then it would have the benefits of correcting medical disorder such as trauma that does not have a specific cure. Besides, it would help in sustaining significant amount of memory beyond the normal brain capacity hence considered important in different professional sectors. However, it is not very easy for people to accept the integration of system into the human body and as usual, this would be a challenge. Secondly, it is very expensive to implement such systems because it would call for both technical and medical personnel to integrate physical systems to accommodate biological transmission (Afeyan Para

Establishing & implementing a charitable program in the sport of Essay

Establishing & implementing a charitable program in the sport of equestrian show jumping - Essay Example Background: The world witnessed lately several major natural calamities like the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused by a strong earthquake in Aceh province, Indonesia. It was one of the largest natural disasters in recent memory that claimed the lives of 250,000 in several countries bordering the Indian Ocean and hit as far away as the coasts of Africa. All in all, it adversely affected fourteen countries by destroying tourist sites, tropical beach resorts and altering their way of life because their economies had been greatly devastated. Hurricane Katrina is a very good example also of how even governments with plenty of resources are sometimes ill equipped to deal with victims of natural disasters due to some bureaucratic red tape that hinders rapid responses to pleas for help and assistance. There are other such as disasters such as the massive earthquakes to have hit countries like Haiti which hit January 12, 2010 and in Chile last February 27, 2010 with the latest to be hit was China on April 14, 2010 in the northern province of Qinghai near Tibet. There are also many cases of man-made disasters due to environmental degradation causing massive flooding, landslides, soil erosion resulting to poor agricultural productivity and siltation of river systems. Perhaps the worst kind of man-made calamity is that one caused by armed conflicts in which mostly civilian populations became victims of forced displacement. Children, old men and women often huddle in temporary camps without adequate food, water and shelter. Most cases of these conflicts are in Africa such as the Darfur Crisis in Sudan resulting in 300,000 deaths and 3 million people forced to leave their homes and live in squalid camp conditions. It is a human tragedy of untold dimensions in modern times but also totally preventable if all its warring parties had come to the negotiating table ready to make compromises. There are still many such on-going conflicts in Africa today which are

The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay The peasant has figured in modern Chinese fiction as a central character, through which point of view the political and social atmosphere in China can be seen. The peasant has been used a vehicle to communicate the concerns of modern China: the lack of food and supplies, the inaccessibility of education, the poverty, the uncertainty of the future. The peasant in China was regarded as the means towards progression; yet they were mere workers, insignificant compared to the grand dream. In the selection of Chinese fiction however, the peasant figures prominently as the heart and soul of its society. Even though the peasant has become the subject of Chinese fiction, it is important to understand that the peasant is a general term, and it is composed of great number of people characterized by their station in life; thus, peasants all over have similar qualities: they are uneducated, poverty-stricken, and largely overworked-underpaid. Further, it is equally important to see that the peasant is not singular and all-encompassing; there are different depictions of the peasant, to capture their different facets. In this paper I will discuss the changes in the image of the peasant in modern Chinese fiction. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was presented as a person who first saw the world as a human being just like his master; in Gao Xiaosheng’s â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a persevering and ambitious albeit a naà ¯ve peasant; in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument† the peasants were shown as self-interested, lazy and short-sighted individuals; in Mo Yan’s â€Å"The Cure† the peasants were too superstitious for their own good; and in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief† we saw that peasants were dependent and passive. In this paper, I would like to show that although the peasant in modern Chinese fiction remains largely as an uneducated and subservient class, these manifest in more ways than one. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was introduced through the eye of Master Xu going home. The master saw the peasant, Jun Tu, from memory. They were young, and although Jun Tu was the son of their servant that automatically makes him his servant, they became friends. From the text it was clear that the young Master Xu looked up at Jun Tu because he knew how to catch birds, have seen many different colored seashells, and knew so many stories outside the young master’s experience. For the brief time that they were together, the boundaries of master-servant collapsed and they were simply children who knew friendship. It is through this that we see an image of the peasant as equally human as any – first and foremost, before he is a servant he is an individual, he has dreams and aspirations, he was once a child. Jun Tu the child saw the world as brightly as his young master, if not more so. He had seen more of the world and loved it. However, as Master Xu realized when he saw the grown up Jun Tu, the child was no longer there. The harsh realities of life have forced the wonder out of his eyes, and in its place set eyes who have known suffering intimately. In â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a different kind of peasant – Li Shunda was naà ¯ve and almost childlike in his simplicity, but he is persevering and ambitious, and although he believes in being a follower, he learns to think for himself in small ways. The family willingly sacrificed to build their dream of a house, starving themselves to save money to but the materials only to be duped into contributing the fruits of their sacrifice to the commune. In this story we see a cast of peasants – Li Shunda, his sister, his wife, his son. The wife showed more sense than Li Shunda, despite her being a beggar before, when she saved and hid a number of belongings from being donated to the commune by her husband. Even with her sensibilities, she kept silent because of the political atmosphere during that time which was hostile to objections, and because in Chinese culture women are submissive to their husbands. His sister Shunzen stayed with him despite wealthy suitors so she can help him pursue his cause; after all, Li Shundan had taken care of her since she was small. She grew old and ended up with an utterly destitute man, which did not bother her since she was used to hard work. In Li Shunda’s sister we see a peasant who values paying back the family more than seeking better opportunities. Clearly, this behavior is borne out of culture and lack of education – in her case, she did not realize that by marrying into a wealthy family she would be in a better position to help her brother. All she knew how to do was manual labor, and that what was she was going to pay him back with. Li Shunda was a loyal follower – he believed the leaders and he followed what was said even though he did not quite understand it. He worked hard and never lost sight of his dreams (although from the two-storey house he eventually conceded to building just a one-storey), despite having lost his money and investments one way or another through a cunning official or a failed revolution. Still, not losing faith in the power of an honest work, he kept on despite his disappointment in the leaders he loyally followed. In Li Shundan we see an image of a hard-working peasant who does not get the appropriate compensation for all his work. In the end of the story he manages to build his house, but the questions begs whether it was all worth it. If he was in a different place and time, if he knew what the ideology of socialism and communism meant, if he understood what was happening in his country at that time, maybe he could have built his house sooner, all the sacrifices and failures he had to endure were unnecessary. Perhaps what separates Li Shundan from the other peasants in the collection is that he has a dream he was willing to give up anything just to reach it. In this story, the image of the peasant is one who never gives up irrespective of the hardships he has to endure. On the other hand, in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument†, we saw the events unfold through the eyes and voice of a peasant. The peasants lived blissfully in their village going about their and followed what was handed down to them even if they did not understand what it was about. They worked to survive and feed themselves, and although they have an idea of what will be a more efficient system for them, they did not do it because their old ways are working just fine for them. In this attitude we the peasant as having no ambition or desire towards progress – they are content and comfortable with their lives. They dislike hard work – they knew that no matter how hard they worked the fruits of their labor will not be for them anyway, so they find excuses not to toil. Also, they dislike those who do not conform, who they do not understand. As a peasant village generally unsatisfied with their lives and yet unwilling to work hard because it offers them no incentives, they are naturally miserable. They passed their days not thinking and analyzing their actions, not knowing why they do the things they do. To vent out their misery they picked on the things they do not understand, like the monument which they turned into a bridge, and later on picked on the old school master Xu Shuge. They were particularly angered with Xu Shuge who will not bend according to their ways, who will not walk on the bridge, who will not even speak despite torture. They cannot understand why Xu Shuge chooses to suffer when he can easily opt out and join their protests. It reflects their behavior – they dislike suffering. They want money and better lives without working hard for it. They get easily jealous of somebody else’s good fortune, and gossips and fights ensue. In a nutshell, the peasants were depicted as self-interested, lazy individuals who cannot comprehend the value of working together as a group to build their community, and they have no desire to learn; for them, what they need is food and money, not education or learning about the past or future. Mo Yan depicted a more sympathetic peasant in his â€Å"The Cure†. Although it is tempting to credit the peasant’s overly superstitious nature as rooted also in the lack of education, it could be that the violent and vicious atmosphere at that time has forced people to search for and turn to anything that could offer them hope. In this story, we see a peasant and his son driven by desperation and out of love for the grandmother to take out the gall bladder of his masters. He reasoned that the master is not bound to live because of the gunshots, but nevertheless he asks for forgiveness even before he takes out the gall bladder, sending his master to his already certain death. The feudal system of servants and masters, and of children and parents have trapped the peasant to do what is only available for him to perform his duties, if not as a servant then at least as a son, no matter how absurd these are, since no other alternative is possible. The fallacy of superstition then becomes the only way for the peasants, the only truth they can grasp. Lastly, in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief†, we are faced with a dependent and passive image of the peasant. First, we saw the peasant as getting even with the team leader by electing him as the most possible thief, and it seemed like a victory for them to finally take over their lives and their production of grain. And yet, when the team leader resigns in disgust, the peasants find themselves lost and unable to lead themselves. The peasant have been used to being subservient that they cannot imagine being responsible for themselves; even if being a peasant meant hard work and measly pay, it is better than being burdened with responsibility such as securing grain. After all, they have grown accustomed and comfortable with that kind of feudal system, that they can no longer imagine how they could survive outside of it. We see here that even though the peasants were given the opportunity to be free, they would probably seek the old limitations that hindered their growth and industry because they have been trained to look down at themselves as incapable of handling such a huge task of leadership, and they see themselves as workers of the community not as producers or providers for themselves. From the selections, we have gleaned that although the recurring problem of the peasants stem from their lack of education and their subservient mentality, there are varying depictions of the peasant’s life. Also, we saw how the peasant tries to cope with the challenges of his time. The image of the peasant might be the poverty-stricken and desperate peasant, but let us remember that the peasant wears different faces, has different images. That for every lazy peasant who disliked work there is also the peasant who persevered and gained the respect of men despite his simple-mindedness, that the peasant was once a child and owned the world, and that there is always the peasant who was handed freedom and refused to drink from it.