Saturday, August 31, 2019

Debt and Equity Essay

Long-term financing requires a meticulous understanding of the various features of debt and equity and their impact an organization. While evaluating debt and equity, an investment banker also has to consider the unique characteristics of the organization’s dealings while ensuring that the organization’s requirements are met. Debt CapitalDebt capital includes all long-term borrowing incurred by the firm. The cost of debt was found to be less than the cost of other forms of financing. The relative inexpensiveness of debt capital is because the lenders take the least risk of any long-term contributors of capital. Their risk is less than that of other because (1) they have a higher priority of claim against any earnings or assets available for payment (2) they have a far stronger legal pressure against the company to make payment than do preferred or common stockholders, and (3) the tax-deductibility of interest payments lowers the debt cost to the firm substantially. Equity CapitalEquity capital consists of the long-term funds provided by the firm’s owners, the stockholders. Unlike borrowed funds that must be repaid at a specified future date, equity capital is expected to remain in the firm for an indefinite period. The two basic sources of equity capital are (1) preferred stock and (2) common stock equity, which includes common stock and retained earnings. Common stock is typically the most expensive form of equity, followed by retained earnings and preferred stock, respectively (Pinegar, Wilbricht, 1989). A firm’s capital structure is determined by the mix of long-term debt and equity it uses in financing its operations. Debt and equity capital differ with respect to voice in management, claims on income and assets, maturity, and tax treatment. Capital structure can be externally assessed using the debt ratio and the debt-equity ratio to measure the firm’s degree of indebtedness or the times interest earned ratio and the fixed-payment coverage ratio to measure its ability to meet fixed financial payments. Research suggests is an optimal capital structure that balances the firms; benefits and cost of debt financing. The major benefit of debt financing is the tax-deductible interest, and the costs of debt financing include the  probability of bankruptcy, agency costs imposed by lenders in their loan agreements, and asymmetric information costs attributable to managers having more information about the firm’s prospects than do investors (Modigliani and Miller, 1958). Reference: Modigliani, Franco and Miller, Merton. (1958). The Cost of Capital, CorporationFinance, and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review. Pinegar, J. Michael and Wilbricht, Liza. (1989). What Managers Think of CapitalStructure Theory.

Friday, August 30, 2019

How Risky is Risk

â€Å"The human understanding, once it has adopted an opinion , collects any instance that confirm it, and though the contrary instances may be more numerous and more weightily, it either does not notice them or else rejects them, in order that this opinion will remain unshaken. † Francis Bacon, 1620. Risk is a very interesting thing; people normally tend not to realize the real effect that risk takes in their lives.There are many kinds of risk, we want to focus on studying the financial risk, the perception of it, the effect that it has on the private banking behavior, their clients, and how they would be treated, the effect that it has on decision making, and the effect that it has o behavioral finance. Because when you start talking about behavioral finance you need to try to understand what risk represents and all of the effects it has. During this article we want to show why over 10% return margins shouldn't be viewed as something risky, but as something worth analyzing. Because in this times people are going to need over 10% margins if they still want to be making profits out of their investments. And once people understand what risk represents, what it represents ND all of its effects, they can start analyzing what they want and need out of their investments. And once they understand that, they are going to do anything to accomplish it, because as it is said in the quote at the beginning once the human understanding acquires a goal and an opinion on how to get to the goal, he will do anything to end up successfully. . Risk Risk by definition, is the potential of gaining something of value, weighed against losing something of value but, The term â€Å"risk†, means financial risk or uncertainty of financial loss† (Raglan, 2003). After using these terms for the purpose of this paper e will divide the study of risk into 3 parts: types of financial risk, the ways to measure IR and perception of risk. 2. 1 Types of risk There are many types of risk; we are going to focus on 5: credit risk, market risk, operational risk, regulatory risk, environmental risk.All of these are top priorities for banks to analyze throughout the operational process. Credit risk, is the potential that a borrower fails to meet his obligations on the terms that were agreed. There are 2 key components on defining credit risk, quantity of risk and the probability of default. The banking system manages credit risk using exposure ceilings, review renewal, risk rating, risk based in scientific pricing and portfolio management. Market risk is the possibility of loss caused by changes in market variables, it sums up to four components.Liquidity risk, this is divided into funding risk, time risk and call risk. Interest rate risk, which is the potential of negative impact coming from changes in rates. Foreign exchange risk and country risk. Operational risk: Human error risk. Regulatory risk: The risk implied by the government ‘s ability to make n ew laws and modify regulation. . 2 Wars to measure risk There are several methods to measure risk, we will be focusing on the most common ones and the ones that are better suited for Hedge Funds. Vary is used to quantify the exposure to the market risk, using standard statistics techniques.It measures the minimum expected loss that a firm may suffer under normal circumstances, over a set time period at a desired level of significance. One of the biggest setbacks with Vary is that it's useless in times of booms and crisis as it doesn't prevent you from being part of them. Another big problem with Vary is that it is one of the most moon risk measures and people tend to trust it too much without hesitation. (CITE) Standard deviation is a measure of dispersion of a set of data from its average. It is usually applied to the annual rate of return of an investment to measure the investment ‘s volatility. CITE) After taking a look at these 2 methods that are the most commonly used, we will be talking about the ones more suitable for the Hedge Fund industry, which are the following: Seminarian's or downside deviation is the average of the squared deviation of values that are less than the mean or a â€Å"minimum acceptable return†. This method is similar to variance, the difference between the two is that seminarian's focuses only on the negative fluctuations of the asset neutralizing all the values above the mean. This method primarily provides the estimate of loss that a portfolio could incur, keeping the estimated risk realistic. CITE) Kurtosis is a statistical measure used to describe the distribution of observed data used around the mesas. Kurtosis is also known as the measurement for the volatility of volatility. Its main purpose is to describe the trends in charts. Keenness describes asymmetry from the normal distribution in a set of statistical data. Keenness can come in the form of â€Å"negative keenness† or â€Å"positive keenness† , depending on whether data points are skewed to the left (negative skew) or to the right (positive skew) of the data average. CITE) After analyzing these methods, we can conclude that for a Hedge Fund and especially for clients investing in these it is better to use the seminarian's, kurtosis and keenness methods to analyze the risk of an investment. These three focus more on the downside risk of the portfolio instead of using the Vary that is only good on stable periods and doesn't account for drastic mimes, besides standard deviation and variance can be very deceiving in the context of analyzing the real risk that a portfolio can have focusing also on outlying positive returns. 3.Private banking What we want to analyze is the way private banks operate and especially how clients needs are met, how they are treated, how their money gets almost frozen with interest rates that barely covers their money from the effect of inflation, and how private banks earn a lot of money while clie nts barely earn real returns. Banks offer annulled returns between 3 and 5 percent which is usually not enough to meet paving expenses or inflation for the wealthy clients. An American study showed the following: â€Å"Americans said they need to earn average annual gains of 9. Percent above inflation to make their financial needs. Natives officials noted that inflation since 1964 has averaged 4. 2 percent annually, which means the average American has to generate 14 percent to meet their needs. â€Å"fee,2014) having this in mind clients can realize that they need to expect a bigger profit on their investments because they are actually losing money, their money is losing value and the only way f stopping this from happening is by demanding higher returns using alternative investments. High returns while taking minimal risk is a pipe dream; if asset growth is your priority, taking risk is crucial† Oaf,2014), and that is why clients need to be sure that risk is being managed in the most efficient manner. 3. 1 Clients The most important part of any financial institution are the clients, and most important thing about them is recognizing that every client is different and every client has different needs. Every client has to be treated differently to help them meet his/her goals. As the investigation of Dry.Rene Fischer and his team in the book â€Å"Wealth Management in new Realities†, â€Å"we identify 7 engagements that are shaping client behavior and needs† (Fischer, De Conge, OK, Topper, 2013), with this in mind we will take a look at those seven trends to give clients the best service possible while maintaining a steady margin of returns. Engagement one: Changing demographics. The population is growing and also the markets, clients need security and information that their money is secure and generating profit.Engagement two: Globalization and future markets. With the Gap's of various developing countries rowing at a fast pace, clients are starting to look at investing in new markets. Engagement three: Scarce resources and climate change. Global awareness is growing for environmental issues that can create new opportunities in clean energies, and a new set of investments in ecological matters for clients. Engagement four: Economic crises and insecurities. With the volatility of the market, clients are starting to be insecure about their money.It is the financial institution ‘s Job to keep clients informed about the situation their money is in, and make them feel safe that their money is in good hands. Engagement five: Dynamic technology and innovation. With all the changes in information technologies, â€Å"more and more people are getting connected and are sharing information on the go' (Fischer, De Conge, OK, Topper, 2013), this makes clients better informed and more aware about what is happening to their money.Engagement six: Sharing global interest responsibility. With the shift towards global cooperati on and MONGO ‘s gaining power, clients are demanding socially responsible investments. Engagement seven: Global knowledge society. This trend goes hand in hand with trend number five, with new technologies of information, society has easier access to new information and the tools to know what is happening.With all these trends happening, clients want to be more informed and still get the same yield, but with the misinformation, manipulation and misunderstood promises from the monetary agents, the clients think that having their money working to win Just a little over inflation Just to avoid losing money might be wrong, because with the globalize economy that we have this days studies that are being made all around the world can be generalized, so if something is happening in Europe you could assume that something similar is happening morpheme else.So with this in mind after taking a look in some studies made in India we saw that the inflation is not the same for every social c lass and that the general inflation that everyone takes for granted does really have much effect on the middle and high class, because it is made out from an average of items that don't really affect does two classes, and we are focusing on them because they are the ones that are clients of the financial institutions, and the prices of the items that they acquire are going up stronger that the regular inflation, so that is why they are not retorted with the interest rates that they receive, and they are in fact losing money which is the one thing that they were trying to avoid. 4. Behavioral finance There are many factors involved in the process of understanding behavioral finance.To understand this you have to start with risk perception, understanding why people tend to make certain decisions, and after that study the behavioral biases investors exhibit to see what drives the intuition of most individuals. Behavioral finance can help a financial institution prevent certain human fa ctors that can be mitigated at the mime of making decisions and preventing psychological factors to play an important role in the decision making process. 4. 1 Risk perception Risk perception is one of the most important elements of psychological effect on the market. Trying to understand why people tend to make certain decisions at certain times is one of the biggest questions in this matter.Many investigations have been made about the subject, one that stood out was: â€Å"The Psychological Impact of Booms and Busts on Risk Preferences in Financial Professionals† by Cohn, Fear and Marcella. During this experiment they decided to manipulate two different kinds of lotteries giving different options in different controlled markets. Their final conclusion was that there will always be a psychological/emotional factor that can't be measured with precision but you can be sure that during times of booms people tend to be overly optimistic and risk is not their biggest concern, and during times of busts people usually tend to be overly conservative and almost allergic to risk.This can be obvious in both cases as it is when biases come into play. This is why risk can be a risky thing when you are not certain that is being measured the right way. If the risk is being measured correctly, psychological factors shouldn't have any weight in the decision making process. 4. 2 Behavioral bias Behavioral biases in finance are tendencies to act in a certain way; they can lead someone to a systematic deviation from a standard of rationality or good Judgment. Five biases that we believe can be the most common ones in an investor are the following: 1. – Confirmation bias is the tendency that makes people believe in information only if confirms their beliefs and hypothesis. 2.Optimism bias is the tendency to think that you are less at risk of experiencing a negative event than others. 3. – Loss aversion bias is the tendency that agents take on when they prefer the option of avoiding a loss than the option of acquiring gains. 4. – Self-serving bias is the tendency to distort a process because of the need to maintain and enhance once self-esteem. 5. – Planning fallacy bias is the tendency to underestimate the time that it will take to complete a task. These are only some of the behavioral biases that play a significant factor in the psychological process of making decisions. It has to be taken into account that all of them could affect an investor 5.Conclusion â€Å"The human brain has evolved to be very efficient at pattern recognition, but as the confirmation bias shows, we are focused on finding and confirming patterns rather than minimizing our false conclusions. Yet we needn't be pessimist, for it is possible to overcome our prejudices. It is a start simply to realize that chance events, too, produce patterns. It is another great step if we learn to question our perceptions and our theories. Finally, we should learn to spend as much time looking for evidence that e are wrong as we spend searching for reasons we are correct. † (Millions, 2008). After looking at previous evidence, it is clear that both Private Bankers and Clients have a misconception about risk.Behavioral biases transform risk into fear which if not mitigated by Private Bankers leads to inefficient allocation in Client's portfolios, and a controlling position in their relationship. This is why Bankers usually oversee those investments that they are not familiar with and reject them or cause Clients to reject them without studying their process and risk/reward ratio. This is the case with vast majority of Alternative Investments. We encourage Clients to keep a critical point of view with regards to their portfolios and continuously question their Banker's recommendations. By being involved in their investment decisions and being up to date on current market trends Clients will have a correct attitude towards risk when it comes to investing.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Problems 50 & 51 (Ch. 22)

50. (LO3)Jack and Jill are owners of UpAHill, an S corporation. They own 25 and 75 percent, respectively. a. What amount of ordinary income and separately stated items are allocated to them for years 1 and 2 based on the information above? 1st Year or Year 1: Ordinary income is 42,500. 00 42,500*25% = 10,625 is allocated to Jack 42,500*75% = 31,875 is allocated to Jill Separately Stated Items: Interest Income 2,000. 00 500. 00 is allocated to Jack 1,500. 00 is allocated to Jill Dividend Income: 1,000. 00 250. 00 allocated to Jack 750. 00 allocated to Jill b. Complete UpAHill’s Form 1120S, Schedule K, for year 1. See attached c. Complete Jill’s 1120S, Schedule K-1, for year 1. See attached Schedule51. (LO3, LO4)Assume Jack and Jill, 25 and 75 percent shareholders in UpAHill corporation, have tax bases in their shares at the beginning of year 1 of $24,000 and $56,000, respectively. Also assume no distributions were made. Given the income statement above, what are their tax bases in their shares at the end of year 1. Considering the 24,000 and 56,000 respectively, Jack tax basis is calculated with his original cost of 24,000 + 10,625 + 500 + 125 = 32,250. 00 Jill 56,000 + 31,875 + 1,500 + 375 = 89,750. 00 1. LO1) Joey is a 25 percent owner of Loopy LLC. He no longer wants to be involved in the business. What options does Joey have to exit the business? The remedy to Joeys issue should be contained within the operating agreement. In some states such as CA, this is a requirement for LLC’s. In some cases where operating agreements are not available, a buy out membership interest dissolve the LLC may be the only options. 2. (LO1) Compare and contrast the aggregate and entity approaches for a sale of a partnership interest. Two approaches govern the rules governing the federal taxation of partnerships and partners– aggregate and entity. The aggregate, also known as conduit approach views a partnership as though each partner owned the assets and liabilities of the partnership. An entity approach treats the partnership and its partners as separate entities. Whereas congress is aware, the two approaches are confused due to nonspecific statutory language offering guidance. Under the aggregate approach, section 701 recommends that the owners are subject to tax, not the partnership. The entity approach is recommended by the IRS that subchapter K follow this approach with respect to partnership interest transactions. What restrictions might prevent a partner from selling his partnership interest to a third party? Restrictions on the activities of general partner places a limit on the amount of private investments management of a venture capital can make from any private investment. General partners are limited in their ability to sell their general partnership interest in the venture fund to a third party. These sales would reduce the general partner’s incentive to monitor and produce an effective exit strategy for the venture fund portfolio companies.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Who is the Prophet Isaiah Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Who is the Prophet Isaiah - Research Paper Example Within a year of the death of Jeroboam II, however, the Jehu dynasty in the Northern Kingdom of Israel had come to an end and times of insecurity set in . Despite the greater sense of stability due to the Davidic dynasty in Judah, the spiritual and social problems that shook both Judah and Israel, including the deep socioeconomic divide, seemed pretty much identical . As though to multiply the Israelite woes, Tiglath-pileser III, who had gained the throne of Assyria, turned his attention westwards soon after stabilizing his rule in the East . Consequently, the Northern Kingdom sank into an abject vassalage to the Assyrian empire , and in 722 B.C., Tiglath-pileser’s successor, Sargon II, put an end to its existence capturing the capital city Samaria. Insofar as the Hebrew prophets, as witnesses of God’s vital concerns , had generally spoken to the people and elites in times of crisis, whether spiritual, moral or political , their guidance was badly needed by that time. Thus, the Assyrian menace, first posed by Tiglath-pileser III and then by his successors, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II and Sennacherib, was addressed, to a degree or another, by the prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah, while the prophecy of Isaiah particularly reflected the Assyrian invasions of Syria-Palestine . 8. The moral and religious decay, which according to the prophets constituted the circumstances that led to the end of Israel – the Northern Kingdom – and had grave implications for Judah9, necessitated a source of authority, outside the complacent monarchy and priesthood, that would steer the nation â€Å"through the narrow straits of political uncertainty and moral inexactitude†10. This purpose of this paper is to convincingly reconstruct prophet Isaiah’s life and ministry, as found in the Old Testament; as well as to highlight the historical circumstances and divine inspiration that called forth his visions and prophecies. The Prophet’s Life Prophet Isaiah is thought to have lived in Jerusalem throughout most of the second half of the eight century B.C., namely 765-69511. The biographical details about the prophet are found especially in the Book of Isaiah, chapters 6-8, 20, and 36-39, while the historical – political, social and religious – circumstances of his time are thoroughly presented within 2 Kings 15-2012. However, the opening chapter of the Book of Isaiah provides some general information, namely the prophet’s name, the name of his father as well as the historical time13. The prophet’s name, â€Å"Yesha’yahu†, means â€Å"Yahweh saves† or â€Å"helps† and thus, according to Sawyer, enshrines two elements of immense theologica l significance – ‘yahu’, which stands for the name of Israel’s God, Yahweh, and ‘yesha’, which appears not only in the names of Joshua, Elisha, Hosea and Jesus (Yeshua), but also in the triumphant cry ‘Hosanna’ (save)1415. As for the name of Isaiah’s father, Amoz, due to the similarity between Latin and Greek forms of this name and that of prophet Amos, the latter had been initially mistaken for the father of Isaiah16. Among those, who believed the prophet-shepherd of Tekoa17 to be the father of Isaiah, was St Clement of Alexandria; however, as early as the antiquity there had been voices against that opinion, e.g. St Augustine (354-430 A.D.)18, St Jerome (342-420 A.D.)19, etc. Virtually nothing is known about prophet Isaiah’s ancestry; nevertheless, certain passages from the Book of Isaiah hint at the possibility of notable origin2021. As Souvay points out, a Jewish tradition

Marketing Management and Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Management and Strategy - Essay Example Different Firms use different strategies for the local and foreign marketing management. The main aim of this report is to critically analyze the international operations of an organization and the chosen company for the purpose is Coca Cola which is such a successful company due to its unique strategies. The Coca Cola Company is known widespread for its fizzy carbonated soft drink which is being sold in stores, cafeterias and retailing machines within more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola head offices are situated in Atlanta, Georgia, from where it was originated. The Coca-Cola Company actually produces beyond three thousands drinks and possesses four of the topmost five brands of soft drinks (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta). ‘Coke’ brand is among the world’s top familiar and extensively sold profitable products. Its biggest competitor is Pepsi. Though coke has been fronting a lot of criticism from many NGOs due to the presence of huge amount of Acid and the unhealthy impacts of the carbonated water but it has built strategies to overcome these and is still most familiar and favorite drink. Additionally the company is known for its ethical and safety considerations (Ford, Stephens, & Cooper, 2007). Initially this carbonated drink was envisioned as a patent medicine in the time it was first invented during early nineteenth century, then Coca Cola was subscribed by wise businessman, named Asa Griggs Candler, who made belligerent marketing strategies and enthusiastic marketing campaigns which steered the brand ‘Coke’ to be the most super and widely accepted brand in the world through the twentieth century. While confronted with charges of tenacious lateral impacts on the health of customers and unchallenged practices of the Coca Cola Company, Coke has continued to be a widespread soft drink in the twenty first century as well (Ford, Stephens, & Cooper, 2007). The company has also made its 2020

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Ethical issues relating to fire investigation Essay

Ethical issues relating to fire investigation - Essay Example Unfortunately, this can usually imperil important physical evidence (Lentini 2006). It is hence vital that emergency services members are knowledgeable of, and employ, methods which are not merely effective, but deter unethical damage to the people, surroundings, and structure. This essay will discuss the ethics of fire and explosion investigation with regard to security of the scene, health and safety concerns, scene recording, and some other methods of forensic investigation. Once a scene has been secured, the investigation of proofs of cause can begin (Daeid 2004). This can range from a fairly easy undertaking where the damage or the larger scene is minimal, to the most difficult challenge requiring separating apparatus, larger numbers of investigators, examining grids, etc (Daeid 2004). In an explosion incident, the secured area should consist of both the main recovery area and the defence zone (Zonderman 1999). The main recovery area will extend to the point of the outermost projected point or portion of fire damage, whilst the defence zone should go beyond this expanse by one half, so as to facilitate preliminary underestimation and to restrain the possibility of removal of, or damage to, physical evidence (Horswell 2004). In a number of cases, specifically where there are directional features to the explosion, the secured zone may not be circular (Pepper 2005). Furthermore, it may be necessary in several situations, to restrict the size of the buffer area or to lessen it at certain points (Horswell 2004). For instance, this may be reasonable if a slight decrease in the buffer area would facilitate the operation of a railway line or where the impacts of the fire have been somewhat limited in a structure. In the instances of fires, the limits to the scene are fairly simpler to delineate (Horswell 2004). For fires in buildings, the whole structure should be protected because proofs of minor fires or deactivated ‘time-delay ignition

Monday, August 26, 2019

Critical legal issues in criminal justice Research Paper

Critical legal issues in criminal justice - Research Paper Example Legal regime permits individuals’ right to self-defense and justifies the employment of force in times of danger so that people may defend themselves from external harm and secure their lives and properties. Dictionaries define physical self-defense as the employment of physical force to counteract an immediate attack. Physical self-defense may be armed-defense or unarmed-defense. Individuals can use a wide variety of weapons as part of armed self-defense adhering to the policies of the concerned jurisdicti Unarmed self-defense involves different styles of martial arts. In many jurisdictions, law permits people the right of self-defensive killing. However, the law states that the employment of physical force in self-defense must be proportional to the fatality of the violence. In order to avoid the misuse of the self-defensive killing, the law ensures aggressors do not claim the right of self-defense. It is on the assumption that aggressors are responsible to the attack or fat al situation, and hence they do not have the right to claim self-defense. In addition, law considers the reasonableness of belief while evaluating the self-defense claim of a defendant. Explicitly, the use of physical force must be reasonable to justify the self-defense claim. What constitutes reasonable employment of force is usually uncertain, and hence the jury has the potential to determine whether or not the defendant’s act (use of force) was reasonable.... Wallie Howard, a federal agent working for the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the confidential informant Luther Gregory planned to arrest this drug racket through a buy-bust scheduled on 30th October 1990. However, their plans flawed as Davidson and his team had attempted to rob Gregory using firearms. During the process of assault, the gang broke Gregory’s wrist. In order to counter attack them Howard took his gun and shot off. At this time, Lawrence (one of the gang members) fired at agent Howard and killed him. As cited by the United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (1994), all the defendants were found guilty of charges alleged including narcotic conspiracy, murder, robbery, and international killing of a federal agent, and consequently all of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. During the course of trial, Lawrence argued that agent Howard would have killed him unless he had not shot him down. However, the court observed that the defendantsâ€℠¢ need to defend themselves emerged out of their own aggression. The court held that the person who commits robbery using deadly weapons and gets murdered by the targeted victim on the victim’s counter-attacks to defend may not obtain the benefit of self-defense. Based on this observation, the court clearly stated that â€Å"it has long been accepted that one cannot support a claim of self-defense by a self-generated necessity to kill† (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit,1994). This paper will critically evaluate the above court judgment and discuss why â€Å"one cannot support a claim of self-defense by a self-generated necessity to kill.† Reasonableness of Belief Reasonableness of belief is an important factor in determining the necessity of

Sunday, August 25, 2019

One significant aspect from the book Narrative of the Life of Essay

One significant aspect from the book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave - Essay Example Early on Douglass acquaints his reader with the dehumanizing aspects of slavery by making a subtle reference to horses. The reader learns that Douglass is not aware of his own age but he quickly points out that such a thing was common among slaves who â€Å"know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs.† (Douglass, 47) The underlying message here is that the connection between horses and slaves is a reflection of the attitude of slave owners who regarded slaves as mere property in much the same manner as animals are regarded. Another message conveyed by this comparison between the slave and the horse is Douglass’s way of demonstrating how the mind of the slave was shaped by the slave owner and the contained world in which he was forced to live. This world which is forged by slave owners dictates that slaves were not human and having been born in this environment the slave had nothing else to go on. In other words the slave is not permitted to attain personal growth and having been born and raised in the slave owners’ world the slave is not permitted to subscribe to independent thought. In keeping with the dependency of slavery and cultivating a passive acceptance of forced labour slaves were not educated. They were merely put to work. Education would bring in a measure of self-consciousness and with self-consciousness comes rebellion or resistance. Douglass comes to this awareness once he learns to read and write and comes to the realization that he is human. The irony is however, that once Douglass becomes self-conscious and learns about the world around him he also becomes poignantly aware of his containment and comments that he â€Å"...would at time feel that learning to read had been a curse rather than a blessing.† (Douglass, 84) Douglass comes to the realization that it is the very essence of self-consciousness and independent thought that separates man from

Saturday, August 24, 2019

How does society influence individual human behavior, and is that Essay

How does society influence individual human behavior, and is that influence greater than the personal and biological forces within each person - Chad Richardson - Essay Example From birth or even before the child is born, humans have to learn to respond and interact to different stimuli unique to his environment. One of the primary influences of the society comes in the way of family structures. This is where the first pattern of behavior is learned outside of the hereditary traits. The family, to a large extent helps to shape the belief system and influence other social habits such as dressing, eating, speaking. Emotional bonding can also be seen as an outcome of the family’s treatment of the individual. Parental favoritism can be an influence. A sibling receiving more love may develop differently from his or her less favored sibling (Rowe, 1994). The school also plays a major part in how the society influences behavior. This usually acts as a measuring stick in determining what are acceptable and non-acceptable patterns and standards of behavior. Through the existence of positive and negative reinforcement humans are guided as to uplifting moral and social behavior and are exposed to a certain way of thinking that should help them to strive toward self actualization. A person’s value system is also developed largely through a combination of home and school influences. The larger society, group alliances and cultural settings also influence human behavior. Religious beliefs also help to set the norm. According to Rutherford and Ahlgren (1990), â€Å"Culturally induced behavior patterns such as speech patterns, body language, and forms of humor become so deeply imbedded in the human mind that they often operate without the individuals themselves being fully aware of them (Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990, p.89). The age old question of whether the influence of society is greater or lesser than the biological influences is really difficult to determine. In many cases persons from the same social and cultural backgrounds and from the same family in some instances end up displaying different behavior patterns. In cases like these

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Signifance of Susan King Taylor During The Civil War Research Paper

The Signifance of Susan King Taylor During The Civil War - Research Paper Example Notable among them was Susan King Taylor of Georgia, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. In April 1861, when Maj. Gen. David Hunter attacked Fort Pulaski, he freed all of the slaves in the area, including King. The new found freedom became a spring board through which King was to serve in the Civil War with profound effect3. Much of the reliable information on King’s roles and engagements before, during and after the Civil War are self written in her memoir, â€Å"A black woman’s Civil War memoirs: Reminiscences of my life in camp with the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops, Late 1st South Carolina Volunteers†. Susan King Taylor was born in slavery on August 8, 1848, on Grest Farm, Isle of Wight in Georgia. As a seven year old, King moved to Savannah where she lived with her maternal grandmother, it is while here that she was first encouraged to enroll in school and she eventually attended clandestine school4. She continued with her education until she was 14 when she esca ped with her uncle’s family to the Union-controlled St. Catherine Island. The escape was enabled by the successful occupation of Fort Pulaski by the Union. Following the occupation, US Gen. David Hunter released all slaves and granted them freedom allowing Susie’s uncle to take the entire family to St Catherine’s island5. ... King married Sergeant Edward King of the South Carolina Volunteers, later known as the 33rd U.S. Colored Infantry. At around the same time, she was hired as the regiment’s laundress. This was her first opportunity to serve in the Civil War as she extensively travelled with the regiment a factor that provided her with great insight into the intricacies of the War7. This factor is especially brought out in her memoir where she describes activities and engagements during the War in great detail. Though initially a laundress, King was later to become a nurse as the number of injured soldiers soared and greater need for specialized care arose, she would also serve as a cook for the regiment8. The extent of her involvement in the Civil War is intense, at least this is the impression one gets on reading through her memoir. Apart from the first few pages of the close to a hundred page memoir, the rest of it focuses on military life. Her military life evolves through two parties, self and the work and engagements of her husband’s regiment, which she served in9. The first recount of her military involvement occurs in 1862 when she was relocated to Beaufort, South Carolina where she served as a laundress. It is here that she first witnessed the full extent of the War, she narrates of frequent battles and intersperses giving an account of both personal experience and the regiment’s activities. Although initially hired as a laundress, King did very little of this, this was majorly due to the immediate needs of the soldiers who required tutoring and medical care10. While serving in the War, she made use of every skill and knowledge she had gathered in her then tender life, she would spend time teaching the soldiers and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Native Americans in the United States and Pocahontas Life Essay Example for Free

Native Americans in the United States and Pocahontas Life Essay This book was the bases and the most informative piece I have seen on a review of Pocahontas life in my perspective. Pocahontas life is a difficult piece of history to analysis for the fact that her life is only denoted by other persons of history writings. She has no known piece of writing of her own so all knowledge is personal based of outside parties. This makes it for sometimes difficult to truly believe everything for many of the views were from white men during a time period where they had not seen many females weren’t around. I believe the author thesis of the book for the Pocahontas part was her involvement with the English and her growth throughout her life. The other thesis of the book from the Powhatan side was there involvement with the English as well and there plan to use the culture but at the same time push them away. Within the first five chapter of Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma it gives you a base review of history. This first part of the book it explains the culture of the Powhatan and how they are laid out. At this point in the book within the first chapter we find out that Pocahontas is only 9 years of age and her mother is nowhere to be found, but her father is Powhatan the chief of many native people and villages. It talks about the arrival of English in 1603 and we learn that many ships have come before us truly being to talk about John Smith and Jamestown. It also mention the arrival of Don Luis and the Spanish, but doesn’t get into much detail he just seems to pop up with the first few chapters her and there. We learn that Pocahontas name means â€Å"mischief† or the â€Å"little playful one. † The author tells us that the native were not completely different from the Europeans just simply behind the times. We also learn that within the native culture of the Powhatan that there chiefs do not come from the next up son, but from marriage of the daughters. We also learn that the Europeans felt that the women of the tribes need to be saved due to their work in the fields and other jobs around the village. It speaks of the native’s religion of their belief in spirits within everything. John Smith comes into play in 1606 when the English begin to prepare for the Virginia campaign. What I learn from John Smith was that he was a captain that has been captured a lot and has numerous stories of being saved by women that fall lustful in love with. As kids watching films and stories we are told of Pocahontas is her and John Smith fall in love, but at the time of them meeting Pocahontas would’ve been ten years of age. The plans of the English and John Smith was to: improve native culture, use the land properly, get there before the Spanish, and bring English enlighten, and a place to send the unemployed English. One of the main fears that I read about in the reading was the fear of the English to become like the Indians. The term we learned in class for this is recolonization. After the landing John Smith gets taken by the Powhatan and convince them not to kill him by way of trade. He promises them weapons which out of smarts gives them a cannon which cannot be moved. Both the native and the English realize the need of each. Without one another the English could not survive without food and the natives want weapons or easier put there technology. Over time many English were sent to live with natives to learn their culture and a native would be sent with the English. The most notable was Pocahontas herself was sent with the English to learn their language and lifestyle. The book talks of Pocahontas marriage first to a native warrior, but it fails to mention what happens to him. She later marries John Rolfe an English man who experience much of the reverse colonization. Before her marriage though Pocahontas was kidnapped one of the main characters they looked over her kidnapping was Sir Thomas Dale who was the first Marshall of Virginia. Pocahontas would declare herself a Christian in 1616 and then start her life with John. They would build a log on the land John was granted from the Virginia Company. They would have two children together in their lifetime. Shortly after being settled in there Pocahontas would go to London and experience true English culture. Pocahontas would become very ill around the time the Rolfe family was ready to head back to Virginia. Pocahontas died on March 21, 1617 in the Rolfe inn. What I learned from this book that for someone of her time period and of native culture Pocahontas got to see much more than any Native American of her time period for sure. I learned that much of what we were taught or told of her in are childhood was wrong. I learned that john smith stories could not be trusted. The feeling I receive as well is Pocahontas rejected her culture and tribe, but in return was probably rejected in a way due to her mother situation. Though she might have be royal in a way just from some of the information I read. The book was good though and I enjoyed the insist of Pocahontas life.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Applications of Machiavelli Essay Example for Free

Applications of Machiavelli Essay There are many ideas people can learn from history’s great thinkers and achievers. The Renaissance Era had the fastest progress in history. During this era, many thinkers and achievers such as Niccolo Machiavelli, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo introduced new ideas and new forms of art. Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian politician and diplomat. The reason his theories are advanced is that he is already used critical thinking while he lived in a country where most people explained things using God and religion. He was also a philosopher, and his many theories about managing a kingdom were quite innovative in Renaissance times. The Prince is a manual about how to manage a kingdom successfully. The Prince was written for Lorenzo de Medici of the Medici Family, which was the best known family in the Renaissance Era. Medici Family made great contributions to the culture because it traded and paid for many works of art in that period. The Medici Family was rich and powerful in Italy, and it was the Renaissance equivalent of a major corporation. Machiavelli lived hundreds of years before the major corporation of today, but The Prince can still be used as a guide to getting ahead in business, just as it is a guide for building a successful princedom. The Medici Family had existed for hundreds of years, and it was powerful and rich just like the Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company may also last for hundreds of years since it has been successful for over a hundred years. The Prince tells readers how to use power correctly; it also tells readers how to sustain the kingdom’s power and prevent the kingdom’s  decay. More specifically, Machiavelli tells readers that what kind of personality and morality a successful prince should have. The Prince contains some of Machiavelli’s ideas which were very advanced for that period. These ideas are still useful now and can also equally be applied to the Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company is the leader in the beverage industry, and it is a very successful global company. Managing the Coca-Cola Company is similar to managing a kingdom. Therefore, Some of Machiavelli’s theories could be used by the Coca-Cola Company. In the chapter â€Å"How princes should honor their word† and â€Å"The constitutional principality†, I found some appropriate ideas which may be helpful to The Coca-Cola Company. Thesis statement: Although Niccolo Machiavelli died hundreds of years ago, some of his ideas such as showing only the good qualities, keeping a good relationship with people, and making the product indispensable to people are helpful to the Coca-Cola Company. Honor the word: In The Prince, Machiavelli makes some recommendations to the king about how princes should to honor their word. The recommendations can also apply to the advertising of the Coca-Cola Company. Machiavelli said, â€Å"A prince, therefore, need not necessarily have all the good qualities I mentioned above, but he should certainly appear to have them.†(57) No one is perfect, including the prince. Machiavelli believes that a prince should show his good qualities, and hide his bad qualities. It is like the advertisements of the Coca-Cola Company. A good advertisement should show all the advantages of the products or services advertised, and hide the disadvantages. Furthermore, we use our genuineness to earn other people’s trust. However, Machiavelli has a unique perspective on how to earn the trust of people. In chapter eighteen of The Prince, â€Å"†¦princes who have achieved great things have been those who have given their word lightly, who have known how to trick men with their cunning, and who, in the end, have overcome those abiding by honest principles.† (56) If princes want to earn the trust of people, they need to use some type of scheme instead of being honest. This idea can also be used in advertising. A good advertisement is impressive, and it shows only the advantages to the customers instead of showing  everything about the product to the customers. According to Interbrand, Coca-Cola is the most valued brand in the world. Coca-Cola has good sales performance because it attaches great importance to its products’ advertisements. It placed advertisements in magazines, on TV, in websites, and on street signs. In China, the Coca-Cola Company hired a number of well-known Chinese movie stars and athletes to make commercials for Coke. Coke is a great drink for summer because it is thirst quenching and cool. One of the short commercials was very impressive. A group of teenagers was running on the street, and they were sweating hard. Everyone was tired and thirsty. At this time, a van with a Coca-Cola logo passed by. They recovered their energy by drinking Coke. The whole advertisement focused on the teenagers’ athletic bodies and their expressions of enjoyment. This advertisement showed the advantages of Coke, which are the wonderful taste and the cool refreshment; however, it did not show the disadvantages of Coke including high amounts of sugar, caffeine, and chemical additives. After watching the commercial, people have the desire to buy Coke. As Machiavelli advised, The Coca Cola Company is using cunning to trick customers into drinking their soft drinks by showing only the positive aspects of Coca Cola. Relationship with people: Machiavelli has written about the relationship between the prince and the people. â€Å"I shall only conclude that it is necessary for a prince to have the friendship of the people; otherwise he has no remedy in times of adversity†(34) If a prince does not have a good relationship with the people, he will soon lose his power. A prince brings peace and prosperity to the people, and the people give their support to the prince. The â€Å"people† in The Prince are similar to customers in modern society. If a company wants to hold a great market share in the industry, it must focus on its relationship with customers. The Coca-Cola Company has a positive image for customers. The product is shown as â€Å"energetic and youthful†. When people visit the Coca-Cola Company’s official website, they can feel the company’s enthusiasm. The Coca-Cola Company has a short film on its home page which shows polar bears. This film is about the happy life of polar bears. The bears in the film are really cute and kind, and they are enjoying Coca Cola. It definitely leaves a good impression on the customers. Also, the Coca-Cola  Company has successful marketing strategies. The Coca-Cola Company has a great amount of loyal customers because it serves more than 200 countries in the world; customers can buy their products everywhere because they have the most advanced distribution channel. As a result, Coca-Cola is the most valued brand in the world; it has held about a 48% market share of the beverage industry. The Coca-Cola Company is the leader in the industry because it has a good relationship with customers. Make products indispensable: According to The Prince, â€Å"Therefore a wise prince must devise ways by which his citizens are always and in all circumstances dependent on him and on his authority; and then they will always be faithful to him.†Ã¯ ¼Ë†35) That is to say, If a prince wants the people always be faithful to him, he should make people dependent on him. The Coca-Cola Company has a similar idea. When it was introduced, Coca-Cola contained cocaine, and this is the origin of the name â€Å"Coca Cola†. Cocaine is a stimulant from the leaves of the coca plant. People become addicted to cocaine by the long-term use of it. After cocaine was prohibited, The Coca-Cola Company put caffeine in Coke instead of cocaine. However, caffeine still can make people become addicted to Coke, thus, they become dependent upon having Coca Cola for the unique flavor and for the caffeine. One of the most important people in the Coca-Cola Company’s history is Robert W. Woodruff. He was the CEO of the Coca-Cola Company in 1923. Woodruff had the same idea as Machiavelli, which is making customers â€Å"dependent† on Coke. He mentioned that if the customers could not get Coke immediately when they were thirsty, Coca-Cola would lose in the competitive marketplace. The first vending machine was invented, and the Coca Cola Company began to sell coke in retail stores and convenience stores. Woodruff’s idea was to satisfy all the customers no matter when and where the customers wanted Coca Cola. The Coca-Cola Company made a very successful commercial in 1937, which was groundbreaking for that period because the theme was lifestyle. In this commercial, The Coca-Cola Company highlighted the importance of Coke in life instead of the attributes or ingredients of Coke. The most famous advertising slogan from this commercial is â€Å"The Pause That Refreshes†. Woodruff spent a lot of money and time on promoting Coke, but it was well worth the effort. The Coca-Cola  Company still spends lots of money on advertising even in nowadays. In 2012, the Coca-Cola Company spent more than three billion dollars on their advertising and increased the sales of firm and brand recognition. The Coca-Cola Company now has many loyal customers, and Coke plays an important role in our daily lives. Conclusion: Machiavelli wrote The Prince for the Medici family. The Medici family was like the big corporations of today. Because of this, Machiavelli’s ideas are just as important now as they were during the Renaissance era. As Machiavelli advised, princes should only show their good qualities and hide the bad qualities. Through its advertising, the Coca-Cola Company is using cunning to trick customers into drinking its soft drinks by showing only the positive aspects of Coke. Moreover, Machiavelli believes that if princes have a good relationship with people, people will always support them. In modern society, the Coca-Cola Company has many loyal customers because it has a good relationship with them. Furthermore, Machiavelli advised that people will always be faithful to a prince if people are dependent on him. The Coca-Cola Company is using caffeine in its products, so when people drink Coca Cola, they become addicted. Also, the Coca-Cola Company spent a lot of time and money promotin g its products. As a result, the Coca-Cola Company has a great number of loyal customers. All in all, many of the ideas in The Prince are similar to the ideas of the Coca-Cola Company, although The Prince was written during The Renaissance hundreds of years before Coca Cola was introduced. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. London: Penguin Group, 1961. 106.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Naipauls The Mimic Men: Mimicking Decultivation

Naipauls The Mimic Men: Mimicking Decultivation Naipauls The Mimic Men: Mimicking Decultivation The Mimic Men sets the tone of Naipaulian malaise of the New World conditions and their deep impact on ones psyche. For it is important to remember that Ralph Ranjit Kripal Sing, the exiled ex-politician hero of The Mimic Men is an insider, one who has practiced the most dubious forms of colonial mimicry as a politician and dandy, as husband and businessman and sees through the charade of politics, the deep humiliation and self contempt that results from defeat and failure. Naipauls The Mimic Men is divided into three parts and surprisingly the author has kept the name of the protagonist a secret until the beginning of the second part. The action of the first part takes place in London in the protagonist Ralph Sings youth. He has come there as a student on a scholarship. He lived in the boarding house owned by one Mr. Shylock. The house-keeper is a Maltese woman known as Lieni. The narrator counts plenty of experience to save himself from extinction and the resulting dust to dust; rags to rags; fear to fear ( Mimic Men 48). In fact, the word extinction has been used in a number of times in the novel. The situation where the narrator finds himself is an existential nothingness and he says, The tragedy of power like mine is that there is no way down. There can be only extinction (Mimic Men 48). By the time the narrator looks back and begins to write his past, he is forty. Later when the narrator took to writing like his creator Naipaul himself, he says, that he did so in order to give expression to the restlessness, the deep disorderwhich this great upheaval has brought about. ( Mimic Men 38) Part II of the novel talks about the protagonists unhappy childhood, unenterprising boyhood and the pressures that exerted him to leave his native island Isabella. He hailed from a poor family background in his words, On Isabella when I was a child it was a disgrace to be poor (Mimic Men 101). He descended from generation of idlers and failures. That caused him deep, silent shame (Mimic Men 101). Though his father was a schoolteacher and poor, his mother was from a rich family. Her brother Cecil was at school with the protagonist. He used to imagine that his father had landed on the island after his ship had been wrecked and he had lost all hopes of going back. Part II also talks about his Aryan background in India and how he added another name to his original name of Ranjit Kripal Sing. Ralph Sing is the example of thoroughly, psychologically colonized man, one who knows both the hurts and the excitements of the short-lived euphoria of inconsequential empires of our times. The burd en of guilt and betrayal, the consciousness of a collective shipwreck which all imitative and third-rate mimic societies suffer, makes Ralph Sing the voice of a quiet acceptance of colonial complicity. Ralph is the mimic man raised through a thorough-bred colonial education. The vision of disorder that haunts Sing is not only political, though. He can see no link between action and its result, man and landscape, the perennial reminders of slavery and brutalization. So, in the end a kind of neurosis sets in to carry Sing to the limits of self- derision. In part III the narrator Ralph Sing shares the ups and downs of his eventful life in Isabella soon after his coming over to that island nation with Sandra his wife from London. His marriage and his entry into politics were aberrations, whimsical, arbitrary acts(Mimic Men 219). Sandra quietly left him on a shopping trip to Miami. She never returned. And he never heard about her after that. It was with the instigation of one of his friends Browne that he became a politician. Browne was a man of the people. He was editing a newspaper called Socialist and was regularly contributing articles in it. Like Browne, Ralph Sing was not a thorough politician. He did not want to make a quick buck. The prospect of power in Isabella fatigued him. He felt he had no hold with the earth. He had no positive vision and hope. He had only a vision of a disorder which it was beyond any one man to put it right (Mimic Men 248). After 4 long years Ralph Sing was in a dilemma whether to return to Isabella as a failed politician or to stay back in London. In order to get some respite from his terrible loneliness and to boost up his self-image, he went to a brothel. With her also he failed as a sexual partner. His partner, to quote his words, was in despair. The smile of hysteria was replaced by tears; she reproached her self for my failure (Mimic Men 283). Quite secretly he went back to Isabella. He had thrown away his power. Such a state psychologically decolonized him. The mimic mans emancipation is impossibility, knowing the degree to which he has betrayed and violated himself, killing all truth and native purities. The precariousness of colonial or post-colonial leader, highlighted in The Mimic Men, is his slavery to the West on the one hand and his unease with his portion of the world. The imported culture, economy, industry, institutions and education are the mark of societies that Sing or Browne hoped to retrieve from disorder. Sings escape, his stay-back in London after the delegation has gone back to Isabella follows a penultimate, short visit to Isabella. But his ultimate exile in England is the most fruitful for him, for he is once again, as he says, in well-organised country and he has no wish to go back to the cycle of events he has freed himself from. Ralph Sing, the mover between cultures and geographies, politics and exile, finally turns a complete colonial, waiting perhaps to work on a history of the British Empire. Sings trying to find a settled role in a society defined by the extremes of Negro proletariat on the one hand and the ex-colonial Creole aristocracy on the other, presents the difficulty to place himself and the world he has come to. The attitude of the reader to Sings renouncing of public life, rejecting its emotions as fraudulent and settling down to write a memoir, will naturally be confused. Naipauls tendency for engraving and supplanting one narrative over the other reaches a limit in The Mimic Men. V.S. Naipauls postcolonial citizen helplessly reveals doubleness of identity in his existence whether in his island Isabella or in his city of choice and dream, London. Along with doubleness, irony and black humour also go with it. In fact such are the popular devices of Naipaul in all his fictional works. Ralph Sings increasing tension and alienation wherever he is, is a result of this awareness. He is also not able to identify with the colonizer though he find himself in his own colonizers state and gets the colonizers education and speaks the colonizers own language. The case of Ralph Sing it is simply not possible for him to shake off disposition and disunity. He chose London because he thought that a glamorous city like London could help him beat his sense of alienation. But London fails because Ralph Sing does not have a distinctive cultural identity with one particular culture. What Shashi Kamra points out as the general characteristics of a Naipaulian protagonist quite aptly fits in Ralph Sing ofThe Mimic Men: Naipauls narrator, subverting the chronological and objective order he has created through subjective ordering of his protagonists life and by questioning that order in his tone of irony and satire, creates the terror of placelessness and timelessness as a void- a pit without bottom. (79) Works Cited Kamra, Shashi. The Novels of V.S. Naipaul: A Study in Theme and Form. New Delhi: Prestige Books, 1990. Naipaul, V.S. The Mimic Men. Harmondasworth: Penguin, 1969. Should Guns be Permitted in Colleges? Should Guns be Permitted in Colleges? There are many debates over the question Should guns be permitted on college campuses. They should not be permitted because there are people with anger issues, violence , kills caused by alcohol, and committing suicide from depression/stress. Anger issues is one of many examples of why guns should not be permitted on college campuses. Having such an issue is already dangerous because people tend to take that anger out with yelling or fighting. People with that problem tend to snap quickly with just the wrong use of words. So theres no way of telling what might go through a persons mind having a gun on him. Would they take it out with shooting someone for a miss understanding? For example theres a class going on and everyone except one of the students is working, and the teacher tells one of the students to turn his phone in to her because he was on it instead of working. The teacher ask several times but the students decide to keep refusing to hand it to her. When the teacher decides to walk over and ask one last time he can easily take that as a threat because the teacher is in his personal space. When that goes on he decides to pull out his gun and shoots the teacher because of a problem so small. Not only is the teache r dead but the other people in the class are in danger as well. To prevent this from happening the option of weapons allowed shouldnt be allowed to the students. Another reason guns shouldnt be permitted is because of the use of alcohol. When being consumed with too much alcohol you dont think straight, which may cause you to make a bad decision, at the wrong time. There are many parties in colleges where students are introduced to huge amounts   of alcohol.   For example one of the most popular students on campus throws a huge party in one of the dorms where there is a lot of acholic beverages. After a couple of hours when everyone is drunk a guy gets a drink spilt on him. His reaction to the situation is going to be a lot different because of the fact that he is under the use of a high amount of alcohol. So when the drink is spilt on him he gets extremely mad so without thinking twice he pulls out a gun and shoots the person that spilt the drink on him. After this happens he starts freaking out because he realizes what he did so he gets scared and starts shooting all the witnesses there. From him carrying that gun caused him to put ever yones life at risk and because of him being highly influenced by the alcohol at the party. Theres already enough dangerous situations because of drunk driving at the campuses no need to put more dangerous situations. Another dangerous situation that can be caused is if there are people with violent behavior. Violent behavior can be defined as the use of physical force with the intent of physical force. An example would be if there was a class going on and one of the students in there is one of the violent students that dont like being told what to do. The teacher is giving the class because he was being loud and all the students were paying attention to him instead of the teacher. When the teacher decides to get on to him he tells him that no one tells him what to do that he doesnt care who it is and who ever disrespects him like that will pay the price. The teacher replys by saying that is his class and he talks to anyone however he wants. The arguing continues until the student finally gets tired of him he decides to reach in his bag and shoot the teacher. He just killed someone in front of a whole bunch of witnesses. So now he could either put his gun down and surrender or turn even more viole nt because there are witnesses around. Another option he could do is keep them hostages and keep them there until the authorities meet his commands. Everyones lives are at risk now because the opportunity was given to him to bring a lethal weapon. One of the biggest and most dangerous situations come from   depression and   stress. Most of the schools shootings that happened the year of 2015 were because of depression. There are plenty amount of shooting cases happen because of the amount of bulling going on in the schools from elementary schools to colleges. A great example is if theres a student being bullied throughout the whole school year just because he has no friends and always tries to fit in with the rest of the kids. He gets bullied because the way he dresses and because his parents arent financially   stable. Hes been holding all that anger of getting bullied ever since he was little because he knows in a fist fight he wont win against the other guys. In college he gets messed with too but even though it isnt as bad as it was in high school the other students still play pranks on him. Ever since the bullying started he would write down the names of the kids bulling just so he could remember who they were and the pain and embarrassment the would make him go through. One day in the middle of the year of his sophomore year of college he just had enough he was going through depression beca use he had no friends and he was going through a lot of stress because he was trying to keep his grades up but the other students would throw paper balls at him or just   laugh at his clothes theyd do anything to keep him from learning. The day he had enough though he started planning on what he was going to do to stop the problem. He would go to pawn shops and buy guns to help him go forward with his plan and since the college had permitted the students to carry concealed weapons,   he would have no problem getting in the college with the gun. After he buys his ammunition and guns now he just waits for the day of the plan to come and to finally get his revenge on all the students that made him go through depression and that would bully him into lots of stress. Next thing you know the day of the plan comes and he prepares everything he puts the small guns in his pockets and the bigger ones in his back pack. He pulls up to the college and goes to class like if it was any other regular day of school and as the class starts the students that always mess with him start throwing paper balls and spit balls at him. He gets up and turns to look at the group of guys. He reaches in his pocket and pulls the first weapon out and starts shooting one by one the students go down dead. Then he starts walking around the campus looking for the rest of the students on the list. After hes finished killing as many of the students as he can, he may commit suicide because he doesnt want to accept the consequences and hes juts tired of being bulli ed and stressed and just believes that its the only way out. The option of weapons allowed in   colleges shouldnt even be in mind. There are a lot of cases where there are people killed because of fire arm accidents and why put peoples lives even more at risk when theres no need to. Work Cited A Bullet for Teacher: Violence in Schools. Economist 24 July 1993: A26. General OneFile. Web. 8 Feb. 2017. Fear Factors The Three F Words. Officer.com Feb. 2017: n. pag. General OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. OMeara, Kelly Patricia. Antidepressants May Trigger School Shootings. School Shootings. Ed. Susan Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2006. N. pag. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. OMeara, Kelly Patricia. Antidepressants May Trigger School Shootings. School Shootings. Ed. Susan Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2006. N. pag. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2017. Students, Administrators Share Thoughts, Questions on Proposed Conceal Carry. Janesville Gazette [Janesville, WI] 15 Oct. 2015: n. pag. General OneFile. Web. 6 Feb. 2017. Three Wounded in Shooting at Texas College; Not Designed to Bring Us Together; GOP: Obama Wants Era of Liberalism; Reports: Two. Situation Room [CNN] 22 Jan. 2013: n. pag. General OneFile. Web. 6 Feb. 2017

Womens Suffrage :: Women Suffrage Vote

People in this time viewed women as citizens, but only when it came to certain aspects. One of these aspects did not include the right to vote. The right to vote was for landowners or passed-down political power. By most of the authors in Chapter 10 (WRW, 276-294) women were looked at as inferior. Men have always been the strong one and they thought without man we would not be anywhere. Some even suggested that since the male had a penis he was automatically stronger than a woman who did not have one. If a man were to become castrated, he would ultimately be weaker and he would lose â€Å"virile qualities.† Women as we all know do not have the male reproductive organ, so we could ultimately conclude that this author thought of women as inferior. People also felt that a woman already had its responsibilities. The women’s job was to be there for the husband and bare his kids. The jobs that came with baring his offspring were to nurse and teach the kids and make sure the homestead is ready for the master. How would a woman have time to vote or think about current issues? The whole idea of a women voting just did not fit in most peoples minds. Many people have different views on what the role of a citizen is. Some view a person as a citizen if they take part in the community. But then again, some people view citizens as others that are aloud to vote and make a difference in our community. Some think that they must own land. Either way, the view is that people must have a part in the community. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon showed a very restricted view on women’s citizenship. In his piece, he speaks about the inferiority of women physically, intellectually, and morally. He shows how he feels that women â€Å"have no reason to exist other than in the couple and the family.† He makes it clear that he feels

Monday, August 19, 2019

Biography of the Literary Works of Dylan Thomas Essay -- Dylan Thomas

"Drunk with melody, and what the words were, he cared not." This was a very common view among early commentators about Dylan Thomas (Cox 1). Thomas was a poet who was either loved or hated. It depended on the individual, and how they viewed his poetry. He was very famous for his poetry because it contained visions of life, aspects of birth and death, fear, grief, joy, and beauty. At a younger age, Thomas was a very violent poet. As he grew older, he spoke for all men greatly when he wrote. He wrote his poems referring to the qualities and sensations of life. The strength of feelings, which were expressed in his writings, gave many different impressions about Thomas’ attitudes toward religion and spirituality, relationships, and the passion in his poetry. Thomas published his first book, Eighteen poems, in 1934. He then moved to London, and wrote his second book, Twenty-Five Poems, in 1936 (Locher 471). The two books were written similar to each other. In one of his poems, "Twenty One", he complains that there is a time when sun or moon is not visible. The mystic elements were "light," and perceiving that night also sheds light. This is an example of his spiritual discipline. In a later poem, "Thirty Two," Thomas writes with mature mysticism. He then included in his poem contraries like life and death or pleasure and pain, so that they are tangible in nature. He did this when he explained that he was suffering with Jesus, and that all things are sensible. He then included in his poem contraries like life and death or pleasure and pain, so that they are tangible in nature. In a number of his later poems Thomas started them with "For the love of man and in the praise of God" (Korg 33-34). This shows how Thomas perceived h... ...y read his works. His works re-illustrate how he wrote through the eyes of an adult, and the innocence of a child. Critics state that the when Dylan Thomas died at the age of 39, the poems he had written, were the best of his time. Bibliography: Cox, C.B. ed. Dylan Thomas: collection of critical essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996, Pg. 1-75. Ferris, Paul. Dylan Thomas: A Biography. New York: The Dial Press, 1977, Pg.166-233 Knepper, B.G. "Dylan Thomas". Critical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs; Salem Press, 1982, Pg. 2878-2888. Korg, Jacob. Dylan Thomas. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1965, Pg. 33-55. Locher, Frances C. Ed. "Dylan Thomas" Contemporary Authors. Vol 104. Gale Research Company, 1982, Pg. 471. Magill, Frank N. "Dylan Thomas" Collected Poems. Ed. J.M. Dent; New Directions,1982, Pg. 53-55.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Robotics Essay -- essays research papers fc

Robotics The image usually thought of by the word robot is that of a mechanical being, somewhat human in shape. Common in science fiction, robots are generally depicted as working in the service of people, but often escaping the control of the people and doing them harm. The word robot comes from the Czech writer Karel Capek's 1921 play â€Å" R.U.R.† (which stands for "Rossum's Universal Robots"), in which mechanical beings made to be slaves for humanity rebel and kill their creators. From this, the fictional image of robots is sometimes troubling, expressing the fears that people may have of a robotized world over which they cannot keep control. The history of real robots is rarely as dramatic, but where developments in robotics may lead is beyond our imagination. Robots exist today. They are used in a relatively small number of factories located in highly industrialized countries such as the United States, Germany, and Japan. Robots are also being used for scientific research, in military programs, and as educational tools, and they are being developed to aid people who have lost the use of their limbs. These devices, however, are for the most part quite different from the androids, or humanlike robots, and other robots of fiction. They rarely take human form, they perform only a limited number of set tasks, and they do not have minds of their own. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between devices called robots and other modern automated systems. Although the term robot did not come into use until the 20th century, the idea of mechanical beings is much older. Ancient myths and tales talked about walking statues and other marvels in human and animal form. Such objects were products of the imagination and nothing more, but some of the mechanized figures also mentioned in early writings could well have been made. Such figures, called automatons, have long been popular. For several centuries, automatons were as close as people came to constructing true robots. European church towers provide fascinating examples of clockwork figures from medieval times, and automatons were also devised in China. By the 18th century, a number of extremely clever automatons became famous for a while. Swiss craftsman ... ...ng time. Research into developing mobile, autonomous robots is of great value. It advances robotics, aids the comparative study of mechanical and biological systems, and can be used for such purposes as devising robot aids for the handicapped. As for the thinking androids of the possible future, the well-known science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov has already laid down rules for their behavior. Asimov's first law is that robots may not harm humans either through action or inaction. The second is that they must obey humans except when the commands conflict with the first law. The third is that robots must protect themselves except, again, when this comes into conflict with the first law. Future androids might have their own opinions about these laws, but these issues must wait their time. Bibliography Buckley, Ruth V. "Robot." Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. 1993. Gibilisco, Stan. The McGraw-Hill Illustrated Encyclopedia of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, 1994. Warring, R. H. Robots and Robotology. Tab Books Inc. Blue Ridge Summit, Pa. 1984. And various sites on the internet.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Infant Motor Developm

Infant Motor DevelopmentI.   First MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   can already raise its head for a momentB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   twists its head from side to side when lying on rearC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   hands remain grittedD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   has already a sturdy clutch reflexE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   stares and goes after object moving ahead of him/her (range of 45 degrees)F.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   performs husky soundsG.  Ã‚  Ã‚   gazes closely at parents when they speak to him/herII.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   raises its head about 45 degrees when resting on stomachB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   head nods forward when grasp in sitting positionC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   clutch reflex declinesD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   goes after hanging objects with eyesE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   makes smilesIII.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Third MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   begins to stand partial load on both legs when clutched in a standing positionB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   able to grasp head up when sitting but still nods frontwardC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   can lift head and shoulders when resting on stomach (amid 45 and 90 degrees)D.  Ã‚  Ã‚   stands load on forearmsE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   grasps objects but does not get in touch with themF.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   grasps own hands and drags at bedspreads and clothesG.  Ã‚  Ã‚   goes after object (180 degrees)H.  Ã‚  Ã‚   makes more soundsI.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   smiles when sees recognizable features.IV. Fourth MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   has already a fine head controlB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   sits with helpC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   stands some load on legs when clutched erectD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   lifts head and chest off plane (90 degree angle)E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   turns from back to sideF.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   discovers and plays with handsG.  Ã‚  Ã‚   attempts to get in touch with but missesH.  Ã‚  Ã‚   clutches objects with two handsV.   Fifth MonthA.    sign of teething startsB.    grasps head up when sittingC.    turns from abdomen to rearD.    p laces feet to mouth when resting on rearE.      freely holds objects and gets objects openly to mouthVI. Sixth MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   starts to masticate and nibbleB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   raises head when dragged to a sitting positionC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   turns form rear to abdomenD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   holds and manages small objectsE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   clutches bottleF.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   seizes feet and drags to mouthG.  Ã‚  Ã‚   bends body to make out an objectH.  Ã‚  Ã‚   twists head from side to side and then stares up or downVII. Seventh MonthA.   learns to sit without help (may bend forwards on two hands)B.   stands full load on feetC.   springs when grasped in standing positionD.    shifts objects from one hand to anotherE.    hits objects on planesF.      and able to grip on small objectsVIII.      Eight MonthA.    sits fine without helpB.      stands load on legs and may rest holding on to fixturesC.      lifts out up objects by index, fourth, and fifth fi nger alongside thumbD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   able to discharge objectsE.      drags cords to get objectsF.       seeks for objects that are farIX.    Ninth MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   starts swarmingB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   drags up to standing position from sittingC.      sits for extended time (at most 10 minutes)D.    employs thumb and index finger to lift up objectsE.      places arms ahead of face to shun having it washedX.    Tenth MonthA.    goes from abdomen to sitting positionB.    sits by rundownC.   recuperates balance effortlessly while sittingD.    raises one foot to make a step while standingE.      wields byeF.      recurs actions that draw attentionXI.    Eleventh MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   learns to stroll gripping on to fixtures or other objectsB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   puts one object following another into a potC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   returns back to lift up an object while sittingD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   able to control objects out of stretched fitting placesE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   turns a ball when requested, and quakes head for rebuffXII.   Twelfth MonthA.  Ã‚  Ã‚   strolls with one hand graspB.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bears and tries first steps unaidedC.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   rests from standing position aloneD.  Ã‚  Ã‚   tries to construct two chunk towers but may fall shortE.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   goes after fast moving objectsF.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   grips to parents in odd circumstancesG.  Ã‚  Ã‚   seeks object where it was previously seenReferences:Piek, J. P. (2006). Infant Motor Development. Human Kinetics Publishers.Gallahue, D. L. (2006). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Adults. McGraw-Hill Companies.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Intimate Violence and Sexual Abuse: Lived Experiences Essay

Abraham Maslow’s (1970) Hierarchy of Needs listed love and belongingness as the third level of human need (Kozier et al., 2006). Indeed, among the most basic needs of human beings is â€Å"belongingness.† Thus, humans go into intimate relationships to fulfill that need for love. Intimate relationships cover a wide range of interactions. It may include marital relationships, but it is not confined to these. It may also include formerly married partners, dating partners, and live-in partners  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2006). Unfortunately, though, instead of fulfilling the need for love and belonging, some of these intimate relationships cause more harm than good. Sadly, a lot of abuse and violence occur within the supposed â€Å"shelter† of these relationships. In US alone, 4.8 million cases of physical assaults and rapes recorded each year occurred within intimate relationships  (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). With this, the study aims to examine the lived experiences of individuals in an abusive intimate relationship, focusing on its perceived cause, and its effect on the abused individual. However, it is the study’s ultimate hope that with the data gathered; it may provide and serve as a basis for preventive and curative interventions for intimate relationship violence.   More specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the most common reasons and risk factors for abuse as perceived by individuals experiencing intimate violence? 2. What are the perceived physical and emotional/psychological health consequences of intimate relationship violence and sexual abuse on the abused individual? Literature Review Intimate partner abuse or violence, in its most basic sense, is defined as a maltreatment occuring between two non-blood-related individuals interacting in an intimate relationship (CDC, 2006). The term â€Å"intimate relationship† is most commonly associated with marriage. However, it can also refer to any relationship between individuals not related by blood or consanguinity. Therefore, intimate relationships also cover â€Å"dating or courtship relationships, relationships where partners live together, relationships where two people have children in common but are no longer formally involved with one another, and marital relationships  (Mouradin, 2000).† And in all these relations, intimate violence or sexual abuse can occur. Intimate partner violence manifests itself in different forms. Physical abuse involves the actual use of force to inflict physical harm. It may include hitting, cutting, slapping, choking, spanking, kicking, hair pulling, pushing, and others  (Mouradin, 2000). Emotional abuse, on the other hand, involves verbal and non-verbal acts that inflict harm on the other, without the actual use of physical force. It can include threats, yelling, swearing, insulting or belittling, and other treatments that lack the respect deserved by the other partner (Mouradin, 2000). However, although physical and emotional abuse are most common, there are also other forms of abuse that exist. Economic abuse entails the deprivation of a partner’s right for financial independence. This type of abuse achieves the same result as emotional abuse by inflicting fear and dependence in the abused individual  (Mouradin, 2000). Another type of intimate partner abuse includes social isolation. Social isolation refers to prohibiting a partner to go out, socialize and maintain social support networks  (Mouradin, 2000). Still, perhaps among the worst kind of intimate partner violence is sexual abuse. Intimate sexual violence includes a â€Å"range of coercive behaviors from suggestive comments to forced intercourse  (Allen, Raimer, & Rothman, 2004).† Although research studies on intimate partner violence are limited, surveys have shown that this problem has increased in prevalence over the years. In a national survey conducted by the National Violence Against Women, it was revealed that 0.3% of males and 7.7% of females experience in their lifetime an attempted or consumated rape by an intimate partner  (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). In addition, statistics suggest that Hispanic and Native American women are at a greater risk for intimate partner sexual abuse  (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Further, a study conducted by Campbell et al. (2002), revealed that out of 2,005 women participating in an organization for health maintenance, around 361 reported that they were forced into sexual activities at least once in their lifetime (Campbell et al., 2002). Overall, an estimated number of five women and one man out of 1,000 individuals, are documented as new cases of intimate sexual abuse cases per year  (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Survey organizations point out a lot of factors causing intimate sexual   abuse. Among these factors include unemployment, drug or alcohol use, low educational attainment, early onset of sexual experience, and a lot others. Also, another cause of intimate sexual abuse is the existence of myths on rape (i.e. some people deserve or benefit from rape), and the idea that rape can serve as a proof of power or dominance  (Allen, Raimer, & Rothman, 2004). In all these, women respond to sexual abuse in different manners. However, most commonly, victims of intimate sexual violence sustain psychological trauma and negative effects, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder  (Allen, Raimer, & Rothman, 2004). Methodology Primarily, this study utilized a qualitative research design. Qualitattive research focus on the quality, rather than the quantity, of a human experience. This study design gives emphasis on the â€Å"inherent depth of humans, and the ability of humans to shape and create their own experiences  (Polit & Beck, 2006).† This study follows the phenomenological qualitataive research tradition, by attempting to understand the social context in which intimate partner abuse occur  (Polit & Beck, 2006). Twenty individuals experiencing intimate violence and sexual abuse were chosen for this study through snowball or network sampling. All respondents were aged 18 y/o and above, with mixed genders: 17 females and three males. Race was not expressly considered among the respondents, but some cultural variations were noted. After being ensured of confidentiality and anonimity, the respondents gave their consent to participate in the study. Data For this study, data was collected through secondary data analysis and surveys. In secondary data analysis, previously existing data related to the study is examined. Data may come from journals, books, records, magazines, documents, previous studies, and others. This is done to establish a baseline and support for the study  (Polit & Beck, 2006). Surveys, on the other hand, are nonexperimental studies involving polls. In here, researchers use questionnaires, inteviews, and checklists to gather data  (Polit & Beck, 2006). For this study, after the analysis of secondary data, a simple questionaire was constructed. The questionnaire focused on the causes and perceived health consequences of intimate violence and sexual abuse on the abused individual. It was administered among the respondents and then was followed by an interviewed to expound on each specific topic. Hypotheses This study aims to prove the following hypotheses: 1. The commonly perceived causes/risk factors for intimate abuse are drug and alcohol use, unemployment, childhood abuse history, conflicts, and stressful life events. 2. The perceived physical health consequences of intimate violence and sexual abuse on abused individuals are wounds and lacerations, fracture, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, bleeding, emaciated body state, eye/facial damage, and abdominal injuries. 3. The perceived emotional/psychological health consequences of intimate relationship violence and sexual abuse include post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, trust issues, depression, eating and sleeping disorders, and unsafe sexual behavior. Discussion and Interpretation This chapter deals with the discussion of the data gathered from the survey and analysis. Perceived Causes/Risk Factors of Intimate Abuse After the data was tallied and analyzed, it was revealed that most of the causes of abuse among intimate relationships are personal and situational, although some societal factors may also come into play. It must also be remembered that abuse is the effect of the interaction of multiple factors, and not just the effect of a single event or factor. In the survey, 80% of the respondents said that their partners abuse them due to the influences of alcohol, while 55% responded that the abuse was due to the partner’s drug use. This was supported by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Report on Violence and Health that there is a direct relationship between a man’s drinking frequency, and a woman’s increased risk for being a victim of violence (World Health Organization (WHO), 2005). Respondents also confirmed that unemployment was another factor for intimate violence. Nine out of 20 respondents said that their partners abused them because he/she has no job or is having a hard time finding one. This was verified by Allen, Raimer & Rothman (2004), who listed unemployement as a cause or factor for intimate abuse (Allen, Raimer, & Rothman, 2004). Another reason agreed on by respondents are marital or relationship conflicts. Ten respondents claimed that they fight about a lot of things. Indeed, the WHO enumerated the following as parts of conflict that cause intimate abuse: lack of obedience on wife’s part, arguing back to the partner, questioning the man’s actions, refusing sex and the woman’s suspected infidelity (WHO, 2005). Further, five respondents added that their partners beat them due to a sexual compulsion/ dysfunction. These dysfunctions may also be attributed to personality disorders that affect a person’s sexual behavior. Although research on this topic is limited,   it was included as a risk factor for abuse by the WHO (WHO, 2005). However, a most serious cause and risk factor for intimate abuse pointed out by respondents was the presence of a history of chilhood abuse. Ninety percent of the respondents reported that their abusive partners were abused emotionally, physically, and sexually as children. According to the WHO, history of violence in the family of origin is a powerful risk factor for intimate violence and sexual abuse. Studies all over the world showed that â€Å"rates of abuse were higher among women whose husbands had either been beaten as children or had witnessed their mothers beaten (WHO, 2005).† In addition to this, victims of intimate abuse themselves presented a history of abuse as children. Sixteen respondents claimed that they were abused as children. In an interview, a respondent revealed that this history of abuse made her feel â€Å"like abuse was a normal thing, since [she] grew up with it.† Other factors pointed out was lack of education, lack of information on rights as a wife or partner, and the acceptability of intimate violence as a social norm. Among the respondents, abuse was greater among individuals who did not finish high school and among those with low self-esteem. Around 45% of the respondents did not finish high school, while 70% claimed that â€Å"they were ugly and worthless.† Abuse was also higher in those that experienced a recent stressful life event, and in some cultures that considered the wife as a â€Å"property† of the husband. Perceived Physical Effects of Intimate Abuse Depending on the prevalence of these causes, the severity of abuse can vary. However, the effects are all the same. Among the respondents, 100% of them reported that after each abuse, there were cuts, wounds, bruises and tears in their body, especially in the vagina or anus. Seventy-five percent of the respondents reported abdominal or chest injuries and disorders, 60% reported the presence of fracture, 55% reported vaginal/anal bleeding, 50% reported fatigue or tiredness, 35% reported nausea, vomiting and eye/facial damage, and around 25% claimed that the abuse led to an emaciated body state.Still, some added that the sexual abuse led to unwanted pregnancies and that the intimate violence caused miscarriage or stillbirths in some pregnant women. This finding was validate by the WHO’s report which enumerated physical effects of abuse very much similar to those found in the study (WHO, 2005).

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Historical context: book of 2 thessalonians Essay

Thessalonica was one of the key cities of Macedonia. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he had expressed that their efforts to spread the Gospel to their place were not wasted because their faith in God became evident and in fact, became known to many places in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1). Because of the good news Paul had been hearing about the Thessalonians, he longed to visit them again. The second letter, probably sent about six months after the first letter (The Book of 2 Thessalonians, 2008), contained reminders about the coming of Jesus and about idleness. The first time Paul had visited Thessalonica; he stayed there about 3 months and shared the Gospel in their synagogues. Many Thessalonians belief in Jesus through Paul. But because of the Jewish who got jealous of Paul started trouble that caused Paul to leave Thessalonica. News came to Paul that there were issues concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Thessalonians were confused whether Christ had already come or not. Paul was proud of the Thessalonians for they had accepted Jesus Christ and their faith was growing more and more. Yet, they were easily disturbed by the issue of the coming back of Christ. The devil had seen the faith of the Thessalonians. He looked for ways to shudder their faith and he found the opportunity by creating news that Jesus had already came back. In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul had instructed the Thessalonians not to get alarmed easily on such reports. He encouraged the Thessalonians to stand firm on their faith to God. Paul had explained that the devil was doing his best to discourage them from serving God. Among the churches of God, Paul and his company boasted about the Thessalonians because of their endurance in times of trials. So the work of the devil was also evident here for many Thessalonians, through the help of the Holy Spirit had truly developed a good relationship with the Father. But since they were also â€Å"new† to the Gospel, some Thessalonians had rattled easily on the issue for Jesus’ coming back. So in the second letter, Paul had reminded them not to be deceived immediately. Trust God. Another news that came to Paul was regarding idleness. Some Thessalonians were lazy. Paul reminded them that during his stay with them, he worked hard so he would not be a burden to them. In fact, he said, he worked day and night just to provide for what he needed. Paul had reiterated to the Thessalonians that they should never be influenced by those who are idle and by those who did not live according to Christ’s teachings. He set as an example himself when he was with them. He was never lazy, for Paul believed that if a man won’t work, he couldn’t eat. For those who did not live according to Christ’s teachings, Paul told them not to be associated with them. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians also contained his thanksgiving to the Lord for the continuous growth of the church in Thessalonians. He commended the Thessalonians for their perseverance amidst persecutions. This was God’s working. The Thessalonians remained with God for God had allowed it. With the present condition in the churches during Paul’s time, his second letter also contained prayer requests. Persecutions of the followers of Jesus were great during the earlier times. So prayer was very necessary and since the Thessalonians had deep relationship with God, Paul requested them to pray for the successful advancement of the Gospel. The letters of Paul showed the relevant development and issues concerning the Christian life of the Thessalonians. Paul also used this letter to encourage them to stand firm in the faith and live according to God’s plan. Works Cited â€Å"Book of Lamentations. † Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 25 September 2008 â€Å"Lamentations. † The University of Sheffield. Edited by Rogerson, J. W. and J. D. W Dunn. 30 May 2000 (online publication). 25 September 2008 â€Å"Lamentations. † New American Bible. 09 December 2002. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 25 September 2008 â€Å"The Book of 2 Thessalonians. † IBS-STL Global. 2008. 25 September 2008 Malick, David. â€Å"An Argument of the Book of Lamentations. † bible. org. 25 September 2008 Pride, Lesley. â€Å"Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians. † EasyEnglish. January 2004. 25 September 2008 The Holy Bible, New International Version. USA: International Bible Society, 1984.