Affirmative Action Prejudice in the College Admissions...

Last summer, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of race in the college admissions process in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas. Since then, affirmative action has become a big issue in the media; however, many people still do not even know what affirmative action is. Affirmative action is a policy to prevent discrimination on the basis of â€Å"color, religion, sex, or national origin.† Overall, it favors minorities that are often discriminated. It might sound like an excellent policy; however, the use of this policy in the college admissions process is prejudice. In the college admissions process, affirmative action lowers the standards for some races, while raising the standard for other races. For example, an Asian might need a†¦show more content†¦According to the Washington Post, UC has admitted more Latino applicants than non-Hispanic whites to its freshman class this year. The Washington Post also states that forty percent of its students are the f irst in their generation to attend college and four out of ten students come from poor families. The ban on affirmative action seems to be working seamlessly here; however, it is not. This year, UC has admitted 22,000 Asian American, 17,000 Hispanic/Latino, 16,000 non-Hispanic whites, and 2,500 African Americans according to the Washington Post. The diversity on campus is extremely low. There are only 2,500 African American and 22,000 Asian Americans. Because affirmative action increases diversity on campus, many colleges and universities do not want to abolish such a program. Therefore, they are looking for other ways to maintain diversity without violating the constitution. An admission policy favoring first-generation college students helps to increase diversity while still maintain the principles of the constitution. This kind of admission policy would favor students who are the first in their family to attend college. The current admissions policy discriminates against first-ge neration college students. Instead, it favors children who have parents who graduated from the same college or university. According to Business Insider, these legacy children had a 45.1% better chance of getting into eliteShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action And Its Effects On College Demographics Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesDue to strong racial tensions, colleges believe admitting individuals in accordance to race is a positive liberal act, however affirmative action is evolving into quite a social strain. Colleges that endorse affirmative action are alleviating racial pressures based on college demographics but creating repercussions that are impacting all races and ages. If we continue burying the issues with affirmative action, we will not only be lessening the meaning of education but creating isolation betweenRead MoreThe Constitutionality Of Redressing Historic Injustice Essay1484 Words   |  6 PagesLauren Pardue GOVT 2306 M2 27 December 2016 Affirmative Action: The Constitutionality of Redressing Historic Injustice One of the most problematic and controversial issues in The United States of America is affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy of affording minorities certain privileges in order to combat the historical prejudice against them. In an effort to redress the historical injustices faced by African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities, universities and employers acrossRead MoreAffirmative Action For College Admissions990 Words   |  4 Pages Affirmative action in college admissions continues to be heatedly debated. In 2003, the Supreme Court had ruled in Grutter v. Bollinger that diversity was a compelling interest for colleges to use race in admissions. In the amicus brief that the American Sociological Association et al. provided to the Supreme Court, sociological evidence was presented to elucidate the value of affirmative action. Yet in 2006, Proposal 2 was passed in Michigan to ban affirmative action in public education (Levitsky)Read MoreEssay on Affirmative Act ion Discriminates against Asians1146 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative action has been viewed as an effective tool for rectifying the inequalities of racism in our country’s past. It is a set of procedures intended to eliminate the discrimination of an applicant based on their ethnic origin. President John F. Kennedy first introduced the concept â€Å"broadly across the United States with his Executive Order number 10925† and â€Å"in 1978 the Supreme Court ruled that race could be used as an admission standard† (Wilcher). The utilization of race is a â€Å"plus factor†Read MoreEssay On Affirmative Action1556 Words   |  7 Pagesled to complications and issues regarding admission processes admitting minority students who are underqualified compared to students not of color in the name of diversity. Diversity has many benefits and the implemented necessity for a diverse campus has lowered racial prejudice in recent years. However, the need for diversity shouldn’t surpass the standards or requirements necessary to attend a certain university of choice. Admissions councils from colleges all over the country have started overlookingRead MoreThe State Of California Overturn Prop 2091731 Words   |  7 PagesTo: Social Workers, Higher Education Admissions to the State of California From: #34328759 Date: 11/25/2014 RE: Affirmative Action: A Win-Win for all Students in California Beyond Proposal: I propose that the state of California overturn Prop 209, which had previously removed race, religion, sex, color, ethnicity and national origin as consideration factors for admission to universities for undergraduate learning. Increasing additional students of color who enroll not only expands opportunitiesRead MoreAffirmative Action : Discrimination And Ethnicity Essay1459 Words   |  6 PagesLucia Lopez Intro to Philosophy Professor Gill Affirmative Action In â€Å"Arguing Affirmative Action,† Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel discusses the arguments that have arisen from the entry of affirmative action into practice. Affirmative action refers to admission policies, in this case put into effect by universities, that provide equal access to education for groups that have been historically excluded or underrepresented, such as women and minorities. In his essay, Sandel asks whether itRead MoreThe Problem Of A Virtual Unethical Stigma1205 Words   |  5 Pagesmore racial profiling because it is 2015, but this is not the case for college administrations. Quota systems that use race to exclude or include people from higher education and the opportunities it offers are divisive, unjustifiable and difficult to square with the constitution. As a country, government, people, we must battle to react to prejudice wherever we find it, yet as we work to address the wrong of racial prejudice, we need not use means to create another virtua l unethical stigma. AccordingRead More The Perils of Affirmative Action Essay1267 Words   |  6 PagesThe Perils of Affirmative Action    On January 16th of this year, I picked up the Washington Post and read an article by Richard Cohen that weakly criticized the lack of ethnic diversity in President Bushs new cabinet. The article was an interesting analysis of the ethnicity of Bushs cabinet, but it is even more significant as it dealt with an issue that is becoming of greater concern in this country: affirmative action. This issue has affected me in the past. I live in Northern Virginia,Read MoreEssay about The Rotten Apple1131 Words   |  5 Pagesexpects you to perform any better. The Chinese kid is pushed for more and more, never reaching the impossible demands that keep piling up, and the black kid is expected to do less and less, becoming lost in apathy. When it comes time to apply for college, the Chinese kid is about to have a nervous break down from all the pressure put on him to get into Harvard or Yale, since to the world, anything less and the kid is branded a failure. The black kid, on the other hand, wo rks just as hard, gets into

The U.S. Flawed Immigration System Must be Reformed Essay

Memorandum TO: Representative Michael McCaul SUBJECT: Immigration Reform The issue of illegal immigration has daunted this nation for many years. Currently, there are 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Immigration reform is necessary, but amnesty is not. Last year, the United States Senate passed the ‘Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act’ by a vote of 68-32. If this bill becomes law, America will still not have fixed it’s illegal immigration issue. There are many flaws to the current immigration bill in Congress, such as the fiscal costs to taxpayers, government spending, and â€Å"border triggers†. A few commonsense fixes to improve our nation’s immigration dilemma are†¦show more content†¦More night-day sensors will provide improved detection of illegal crossings in remote areas. Thermal imaging systems are essential to law enforcement in areas with tall grass and substantial hiding space. Thermal imaging drastically increases the odds of border patrol capturing those trying to cross illegally, especially in the dark. Reforming the Legal Immigration and Visa System The current U.S. legal immigration and visa system is inefficient and flawed. Immigrant workers who would help grow the U.S. economy often face time-consuming paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense. The current immigration bill does not improve the legal immigration and visa system effectively. Policies that would effectively reform the system are more H-1B visas, a streamlined application, a reduction is fees. Currently, H-1B visas which are capped at 85,000 annually, should be raised as well as simplified to renew. Highly educated and skilled workers benefit the U.S. economy and provide companies great employees. A streamlined application will help make it simpler to obtain a visa. This application would not reduce security measures that help ensure we are only allowing safe immigrants, it would simply remove the time consuming nonsense that hold up most applications. The expensive application process deters many first time applicants and H-1B workers from attempting to re-new their v isas. Many well deserving applicantsShow MoreRelatedModern History.Hsc.2012 Essay25799 Words   |  104 Pages- When a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania in 1915, with 128 Americans aboard, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson vowed, America is too proud to fight and demanded an end to attacks on passenger ships. Germany complied. - Wilson unsuccessfully tried to mediate a settlement. He repeatedly warned the U.S. would not tolerate unrestricted submarine warfare, in violation of international law and U.S. ideas of human rights. Wilson was under pressure from former president Theodore Roosevelt

Chapter 34 Priori Incantatem Free Essays

Wormtail approached Harry, who scrambled to find his feet, to support his own weight before the ropes were untied. Wormtail raised his new silver hand, pulled out the wad of material gagging Harry, and then, with one swipe, cut through the bonds tying Harry to the gravestone. There was a split second, perhaps, when Harry might have considered running for it, but his injured leg shook under him as he stood on the overgrown grave, as the Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around him and Voldemort, so that the gaps where the missing Death Eaters should have stood were filled. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 34 Priori Incantatem or any similar topic only for you Order Now Wormtail walked out of the circle to the place where Cedric’s body lay and returned with Harry’s wand, which he thrust roughly into Harry’s hand without looking at him. Then Wormtail resumed his place in the circle of watching Death Eaters. â€Å"You have been taught how to duel. Harry Potter?† said Voldemort softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness. At these words Harry remembered, as though from a former life, the dueling club at Hogwarts he had attended briefly two years ago†¦.All he had learned there was the Disarming Spell, â€Å"Expelliarmus†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and what use would it be to deprive Voldemort of his wand, even if he could, when he was surrounded by Death Eaters, outnumbered by at least thirty to one? He had never learned anything that could possibly fit him for this. He knew he was facing the thing against which Moody had always warned†¦the unblockable Avada Kedavra curse – and Voldemort was right – his mother was not here to die for him this time†¦.He was quite unprotected†¦. â€Å"We bow to each other. Harry,† said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. â€Å"Come, the niceties must be observed†¦.Dumbledore would like you to show manners†¦.Bow to death, Harry†¦.† The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemort’s lipless mouth was smiling. Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killing him†¦he was not going to give him that satisfaction†¦. â€Å"I said, bow,† Voldemort said, raising his wand – and Harry felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, and the Death Eaters laughed harder than ever. â€Å"Very good,† said Voldemort softly, and as he raised his wand the pressure bearing down upon Harry lifted too. â€Å"And now you face me, like a man†¦straight-backed and proud, the way your father died†¦. â€Å"And now – we duel.† Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was†¦.White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he’d ever screamed in his life – And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet; he was shaking as uncontrollably as Wormtail had done when his hand had been cut off; he staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and they pushed him away, back toward Voldemort. â€Å"A little break,† said Voldemort, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, â€Å"a little pause†¦That hurt, didn’t it. Harry? You don’t want me to do that again, do you?† Harry didn’t answer. He was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes were telling him so†¦he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it†¦but he wasn’t going to play along. He wasn’t going to obey Voldemort†¦he wasn’t going to beg†¦. â€Å"I asked you whether you want me to do that again,† said Voldemort softly. â€Å"Answer me! Imperio!† And Harry felt, for the third time in his life, the sensation that his mind had been wiped of all thought†¦.Ah, it was bliss, not to think, it was as though he were floating, dreaming†¦just answer no†¦say no†¦just answer no†¦. I will not, said a stronger voice, in the back of his head, I won’t answer†¦. Just answer no†¦. I won’t do it, I won’t say it†¦. Just answer no†¦. â€Å"I WON’T!† And these words burst from Harry’s mouth; they echoed through the graveyard, and the dream state was lifted as suddenly as though cold water had been thrown over him – back rushed the aches that the Cruciatus Curse had left all over his body – back rushed the realization of where he was, and what he was facing†¦. â€Å"You won’t?† said Voldemort quietly, and the Death Eaters were not laughing now. â€Å"You won’t say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die†¦.Perhaps another little dose of pain?† Voldemort raised his wand, but this time Harry was ready; with the reflexes born of his Quidditch training, he flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolled behind the marble headstone of Voldemort’s father, and he heard it crack as the curse missed him. â€Å"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry,† said Voldemort’s soft, cold voice, drawing nearer, as the Death Eaters laughed. â€Å"You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry†¦come out and play, then†¦it will be quick†¦it might even be painless†¦I would not know†¦I have never died†¦.† Harry crouched behind the headstone and knew the end had come. There was no hope†¦no help to be had. And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort’s feet†¦he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible†¦. Before Voldemort could stick his snakelike face around the headstone. Harry stood up†¦he gripped his wand tightly in his hand, thrust it out in front of him, and threw himself around the headstone, facing Voldemort. Voldemort was ready. As Harry shouted, â€Å"Expelliarmus!† Voldemort cried, â€Å"Avada Kedavra!† A jet of green light issued from Voldemort’s wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry’s – they met in midair – and suddenly Harry’s wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn’t have released it if he’d wanted to – and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold. Harry, following the beam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort’s long white fingers too were gripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating. And then – nothing could have prepared Harry for this – he felt his feet lift from the ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by that thread of shimmering golden light. They glided away from the tombstone of Voldemort’s father and then came to rest on a patch of ground that was clear and free of graves†¦.The Death Eaters were shouting; they were asking Voldemort for instructions; they were closing in, reforming the circle around Harry and Voldemort, the snake slithering at their heels, some of them drawing their wands – The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters circled like jackals, their cries strangely muffled now†¦. â€Å"Do nothing!† Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters, and Harry saw his red eyes wide with astonishment at what was happening, saw him fighting to break the thread of light still connecting his wand with Harry’s; Harry held onto his wand more tightly, with both hands, and the golden thread remained unbroken. â€Å"Do nothing unless I command you!† Voldemort shouted to the Death Eaters. And then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air†¦.It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound Harry recognized, though he had heard it only once before in his life: phoenix song. It was the sound of hope to Harry†¦the most beautiful and welcome thing he had ever heard in his life†¦.He felt as though the song were inside him instead of just around him†¦.It was the sound he connected with Dumbledore, and it was almost as though a friend were speaking in his ear†¦. Don’t break the connection. I know. Harry told the music, I know I mustn’t†¦but no sooner had he thought it, than the thing became much harder to do. His wand began to vibrate more powerfully than ever†¦and now the beam between him and Voldemort changed too†¦it was as though large beads of light were sliding up and down the thread connecting the wands – Harry felt his wand give a shudder under his hand as the light beads began to slide slowly and steadily his way†¦.The direction of the beams movement was now toward him, from Voldemort, and he felt his wand shudder angrily†¦. As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry’s wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry’s wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers – He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the bead back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed†¦and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other way†¦and it was Voldemort’s wand that was vibrating extra-hard now†¦Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful†¦. One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemort’s wand. Harry didn’t understand why he was doing it, didn’t know what it might achieve†¦but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort’s wand†¦and slowly†¦very slowly†¦it moved along the golden thread†¦it trembled for a moment†¦and then it connected†¦. At once, Voldemort’s wand began to emit echoing screams of pain†¦then – Voldemort’s red eyes widened with shock – a dense, smoky hand flew out of the tip of it and vanished†¦the ghost of the hand he had made Wormtail†¦more shouts of pain†¦and then something much larger began to blossom from Voldemort’s wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it were made of the solidest, densest smoke†¦.It was a head†¦now a chest and arms†¦the torso of Cedric Diggory. If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then, but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it a ghost? it looked so solid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort’s wand, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel†¦and this shade of Cedric stood up, and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke. â€Å"Hold on. Harry,† it said. Its voice was distant and echoing. Harry looked at Voldemort†¦his wide red eyes were still shocked†¦he had no more expected this than Harry had†¦and, very dimly. Harry heard the frightened yells of the Death Eaters, prowling around the edges of the golden dome. More screams of pain from the wand†¦and then something else emerged from its tip†¦the dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and torso†¦an old man Harry had seen only in a dream was now pushing himself out of the end of the wand just as Cedric had done†¦and his ghost, or his shadow, or whatever it was, fell next to Cedric’s, and surveyed Harry and Voldemort, and the golden web, and the connected wands, with mild surprise, leaning on his walking stick†¦. â€Å"He was a real wizard, then?† the old man said, his eyes on Voldemort. â€Å"Killed me, that one did†¦.You fight him, boy†¦.† But already, yet another head was emerging†¦and this head, gray as a smoky statue, was a woman’s†¦.Harry, both arms shaking now as he fought to keep his wand still, saw her drop to the ground and straighten up like the others, staring†¦. The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle before her with wide eyes. â€Å"Don’t let go, now!† she cried, and her voice echoed like Cedric’s as though from very far away. â€Å"Don’t let him get you, Harry – don’t let go!† She and the other two shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of the golden web, while the Death Eaters flitted around the outside of it†¦and Voldemort’s dead victims whispered as they circled the duelers, whispered words of encouragement to Harry, and hissed words Harry couldn’t hear to Voldemort. And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort’s wand†¦and Harry knew when he saw it who it would be†¦he knew, as though he had expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand†¦knew, because the man appearing was the one he’d thought of more than any other tonight†¦. The smoky shadow of a tall man with untidy hair fell to the ground as Bertha had done, straightened up, and looked at him†¦and Harry, his arms shaking madly now, looked back into the ghostly face of his father. â€Å"Your mother’s coming†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said quietly. â€Å"She wants to see you†¦it will be all right†¦hold on†¦.† And she came†¦first her head, then her body†¦a young woman with long hair, the smoky, shadowy form of Lily Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort’s wand, fell to the ground, and straightened like her husband. She walked close to Harry, looking down at him, and she spoke in the same distant, echoing voice as the others, but quietly, so that Voldemort, his face now livid with fear as his victims prowled around him, could not hear†¦. â€Å"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments†¦but we will give you time†¦you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts†¦do you understand, Harry?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry gasped, fighting now to keep a hold on his wand, which was slipping and sliding beneath his fingers. â€Å"Harry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  whispered the figure of Cedric, â€Å"take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I will,† said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand. â€Å"Do it now,† whispered his father’s voice, â€Å"be ready to run†¦do it now†¦.† â€Å"NOW!† Harry yelled; he didn’t think he could have held on for another moment anyway – he pulled his wand upward with an almighty wrench, and the golden thread broke; the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died – but the shadowy figures of Voldemort’s victims did not disappear – they were closing in upon Voldemort, shielding Harry from his gaze – And Harry ran as he had never run in his life, knocking two stunned Death Eaters aside as he passed; he zigzagged behind headstones, feeling their curses following him, hearing them hit the headstones – he was dodging curses and graves, pelting toward Cedric’s body, no longer aware of the pain in his leg, his whole being concentrated on what he had to do – â€Å"Stun him!† he heard Voldemort scream. Ten feet from Cedric, Harry dived behind a marble angel to avoid the jets of red light and saw the tip of its wing shatter as the spells hit it. Gripping his wand more tightly, he dashed out from behind the angel – â€Å"Impedimenta!† he bellowed, pointing his wand wildly over his shoulder at the Death Eaters running at him. From a muffled yell, he thought he had stopped at least one of them, but there was no time to stop and look; he jumped over the cup and dived as he heard more wand blasts behind him; more jets of light flew over his head as he fell, stretching out his hand to grab Cedric’s arm†¦ â€Å"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!† shrieked Voldemort. Harry’s hand had closed on Cedric’s wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach – Voldemort’s red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into a smile, saw him raise his wand. â€Å"Accio!† Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into the air and soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle – He heard Voldemort’s scream of fury at the same moment that he felt the jerk behind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked – it was speeding him away in a whirl of wind and color, and Cedric along with him†¦.They were going back. How to cite Chapter 34 Priori Incantatem, Essay examples

Critical Reflection on Concept of Cultural Safety †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Critical Reflection on Concept of Cultural Safety. Answer: Introduction: Old age care plan has a central goal to provide the elders of the society a healthy body and mind through medical interventions so that their rest of the life becomes easier and happier. However, cultural diversity becomes a barrier to this system as depending on their diversity, patients requires several special interventions which should be managed by the healthcare facility (Cottrell, 2017). While going through this concept in the session 3a, I was able to understand other concepts such as critical thinking and reasoning, interpersonal relationships and its role in culturally competent healthcare practice. In this assignment I will be reflecting on these learnings in a form of reflective journal and will cover all aspects of it. Cultural safety is an important aspect in nursing as it is the responsibility of the professionals to care and respect the religion, food, personal thinking, family and religion related customs and lifestyle related resources (Truong, Paradies Priest, 2014). This is also important as these facts are important to nourish and maintain the health and wellbeing of associated people. Hence, it has the biggest impact on my practice as this concept is important for me to understand to care immigrants of patients having different preferences. While studying this lesson, the four aspects of cultural safety was an aha moment for me, as I was unaware of these concepts before. Hence, after learning the lesson I totally agree to the fact that to become nonjudgmental towards others choices, we should develop personal and professional self-awareness as well as should possess organizational and community related awareness so that while treating a patient of different culture, we are able to maintai n the cross cultural relations (Patankar, 2012). I would not support any alternative perspective to this as these four aspects are able to manifest cultural competency within healthcare professionals. Hence, while mentioning my thoughts and opinions about todays study, I would like to state the cultural competency is an important aspect of patient and healthcare experts relationship that triggers the speedy recovery of patients. This is because interpersonal communication without being judgmental increases the trust of patients upon healthcare professionals hence, they receive all the interventions without any hesitation to attain recovery. To understand more about cultural competency, I read the book written by Cottrell (2017), which states that cultural competency treats a minor patient equally and removes all of his doubt regarding his cultural safety while receiving care in the healthcare facility. Hence, the cultural competency should be meaningful and sensitive (Gerlach, 2012) . Therefore, this topic has huge implication in my future, as while conducting my professional career I want to treat each of my patients equally despite their different origin, culture, community and society. Finally, this practice has critical role in communication, as depending on cultural safety, patients will be motivated to convey their preferences to the healthcare professionals, depending on which, proper intervention will be applied to the patients (Pauly et al., 2012). While concluding this reflective journal, it should be mentioned that cultural safety is an important aspect of senior healthcare nowadays and therefore, it is the duty of healthcare professionals to learn about concept clearly to manage such situation in future. References Cottrell, S. (2017).Critical thinking skills, 1st edn, pp. 123-145, Macmillan Education. Gerlach, A. J. (2012). A critical reflection on the concept of cultural safety.Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy,79(3), 151-158. Patankar, M. S. (2012).Safety culture: Building and sustaining a cultural change in aviation and healthcare., 2nd edn, pp. 67-89, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. Pauly, B. B., McCall, J., Browne, A. J., Parker, J., Mollison, A. (2015). Toward cultural safety: nurse and patient perceptions of illicit substance use in a hospitalized setting.Advances in nursing science,38(2), 121-135. Truong, M., Paradies, Y., Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: a systematic review of reviews.BMC health services research,14(1), 99.

Rape Trauma Syndrome Essays - Rape, Behavior, Violence, Aggression

Rape Trauma Syndrome Dictionaries most commonly define rape as a sexual act committed by force especially on a woman. (The American Heritage College Dictionary. 1997 pg. 740) Until a few years ago it was limited to penial penetration of the vagina. Penal Code 261 defines rape as "an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a person not the spouse of the perpetrator without the lawful consent."(Roberson, 1998, p. 188) Penal Code 263 goes on to say that "the fundamental wrong at which the law of rape is aimed is . . . the violation of a woman's will and sexuality." (Roberson, 1998, p. 190) All other sexual assaults are classified under varied names, yet the aftermath is usually the same. Rape is one of the cruelest forms of criminal violence. The victim suffers a profound injury. Rendered powerless by physical force, threats, or fear, after which being forced to submit to sexual acts, including vaginal penetration, oral copulation, sodomy, and penetration opening with a foreign object, the victim is left virtually alone. Rape is an intrusion into the most private and intimate parts of the body, as well as an assault on the core of the self. Despite whether the victim suffers any physical trauma, the psychological impact of a sexual assault is severe. Moreover, the painful, post-trauma symptoms that result from rape are long-lasting. Even those victims who appear to have recovered months or years later often find that an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and vulnerability remains close to the surface and can easily, and unexpectedly, be reexperienced. A critical factor in the long-term impact of rape is that the assault radically changes the victim's view of the world. Basic beliefs about the environment, other people, and the self are shattered. These are devastating losses. Thus, many survivors report that the rapist irrevocably alters their lives. The rapist takes away something that the victims can never wholly regain. We can examine the impact of rape in various ways. One perspective takes into consideration the underlying meaning the assault has for the victim. The grave threats and profound losses the victim suffers change their life dramatically, sometimes forever. Another manifestation of the impact of rape is the anguish of the victims. The psychological and behavioral symptoms of distress are poignant symbols of the destructiveness of the rapist's acts. Yet another way to understand the impact of rape is to compare it with other forms of trauma. Rape is an extreme form of human cruelty that in some ways resembles other overwhelming traumatic events. Rape trauma syndrome is the acute phase and long-term reorganization process that occur because of forcible rape or attempted forcible rape. (Bergess & Holmstrom, 1974) Researchers have identified stages that the victim goes through while suffering the effects of victimization. (Abarbanel & Richman, 1990) The initial impact of rape is a feeling of numbness, the victim is in a state of shock and disbelief and may still feel terrorized. (B&H, 1974) The victim's appearance can be misleading, appearing jolted or astonished, sedate and stifled. (A&R, 1990) The controlled behavior masks the serious psychological wound that they have endured.(A&R, 1990) Expressions of disbelief are most likely a reflection of the hidden inner chaos. (A&R, 1990) Usually following the initial stage of numbness follows the stage of denial. Victims have already experienced the worse of lost control. Therefore, any thoughts of this experience may risk another loss of control. Denial can vary from a direct denial; refusing to talk about it but recognizing that there was an incident, to not even recognizing that she knows anything has happened. Women will sometimes express this stage through their behavior, bathing or douching more than usual hoping to wash the rape away. (A&R, 1990) The DSM-IV places in its diagnostic criteria many reactions in this stage such as conversation and thought avoidance. The dangerous side to this stage is avoiding reporting the incident to the police, or not seeking medical treatment. (A&R, 1990) Sometimes serious infections will grow because of this, and the perpetrator is allowed to continue living his "normal" life when the victim cannot. After sometime, most victims enter the next stage of acute stress; acute means it usually lasts less than three months. (A&R, 1990) (DSM-IV) This is a major stage containing most of the diagnostic criteria according to the DSM-IV; including sleeping disorders, anxiety, and mostly a large preoccupation with the event. Fear is also a major feeling during this stage, victims can become hypersensitive to their surroundings and may begin to repeat safety rituals, such as checking door locks, and window

Doris Lessing - Novelist, Memoirist, Essayist

Doris Lessing - Novelist, Memoirist, Essayist Doris Lessing Facts: Known for: Doris Lessing has written many novels, short stories, and essays, most about contemporary life, often pointing to social injustices. Her 1962 The Golden Notebook became an iconic novel for the feminist movement for its consciousness-raising theme. Her travels to many places in the British sphere of influence have influenced her writings.Occupation: writer short stories, novels, essays, science fictionDates: October 22, 1919 -  November 17, 2013Also known as: Doris May Lessing, Jane Somers, Doris Taylor Doris Lessing Biography: Doris Lessing was born in Persia (now Iran), when her father worked for a bank. In 1924, the family moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she grew up, as her father tried to make a living as a farmer. Though she was encouraged to go to college, Doris Lessing dropped out of school at age 14, and took clerical and other jobs in Salisbury, South Rhodesia, until her marriage in 1939 to a civil servant. When she divorced in 1943, her children stayed with their father. Her second husband was a Communist, whom Doris Lessing met when she also became a Communist, joining what she saw as a more pure form of Communism than she saw in the Communist parties in other parts of the world. (Lessing rejected Communism after the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.) She and her second husband divorced in 1949, and he emigrated to East Germany. Later, he was the East German ambassador to Uganda and was killed when Ugandans revolted against Idi Amin. During her years of activism and married life, Doris Lessing began writing. In 1949, after two failed marriages, Lessing moved to London; her brother, first husband, and two children from her first marriage remained in Africa. In 1950, Lessings first novel was published: The Grass Is Singing, which dealt with issues of apartheid and interracial relationships in a colonial society. She continued her semi-autobiographical writings in three Children of Violence novels, with Martha Quest as the main character, published in 1952-1958. Lessing visited her African homeland again in 1956, but was then declared a prohibited immigrant for political reasons and banned from coming back again. After the country became Zimbabwe in 1980, independent of British and white rule, Doris Lessing returned, first in 1982. She wrote of her visits in African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe, published in 1992. Having rejected communism in 1956, Lessing became active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. In the 1960s, she became skeptical of progressive movements and more interested in Sufism and nonlinear thinking. In 1962, Doris Lessings most widely-read novel, The Golden Notebook, was published. This novel, in four sections, explored aspects of the relationship of an independent woman to herself and to men and women, in a time of re-examining sexual and political norms. While the book inspired and fit in with increasing interest in consciousness-raising, Lessing has been somewhat impatient with its identification with feminism. Beginning in 1979, Doris Lessing published a series of science fiction novels, and in the 80s published several books under the pen name Jane Somers. Politically, in the 1980s she supported the anti-Soviet mujahideen in Afghanistan. She also became interested in issues ecological survival and returned to African themes. Her 1986 The Good Terrorist is a comedic story about a cadre of left-wing militants in London. Her 1988 The Fifth Child deals with change and family life in the 1960s through 1980s. Lessings later work continues to deal with peoples lives in ways that highlight challenging social issues, though shes denied that her writing is political. In 2007, Doris Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Background, Family: Father: Alfred Cook Taylor, farmerMother: Meily Maude McVeagh Marriage, Children: husbands:Frank Charles Wisdom (married 1939, dissolved 1943)Gottfried Anton Nicholas Lessing (married 1945, dissolved 1949)children:first marriage: John, Jeansecond marriage: Peteradopted informally: Jenny Diski (novelist) Selected Doris Lessing Quotations   The Golden Notebook  for some reason surprised people but it was no more than you would hear women say in their kitchens every day in any country. That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something youve understood all your life, but in a new way. Some people obtain fame, others deserve it. Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for yourself. Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so. There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second-best is anything but second best. Whats really terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is the first-rate. To pretend that you dont need love when you do, or you like your work when you know quite well youre capable of better. You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing. I dont know much about creative writing programs. But theyre not telling the truth if they dont teach, one, that writing is hard work, and, two, that you have to give up a great deal of life, your personal life, to be a writer. The current publishing scene is extremely good for the big, popular books. They sell them brilliantly, market them and all that. It is not good for the little books. Trust no friend without faults, and love a woman, but no angel. Laughter is by definition healthy. This world is run by people who know how to do things. They know how things work. They are equipped. Up there, theres a layer of people who run everything. But we were just peasants. We dont understand whats going on, and we cant do anything. It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important It is terrible to destroy a persons picture of himself in the interests of truth or some other abstraction. What is a hero without love for mankind? In  university  they dont tell you that the greater part of the law is learning to tolerate fools. With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one - but no one at all - can tell you what to read and when and how. Nonsense, it was all nonsense: this whole damned outfit, with its committees, its conferences, its eternal talk, talk, talk, was a great con trick; it was a mechanism to earn a few hundred men and women incredible sums of money. All political movements are like this we are in the right, everyone else is in the wrong. The people on our own side who disagree with us are heretics, and they start becoming enemies. With it comes an absolute conviction of your own moral superiority. Theres  oversimplification  in  everything,  and a terror of flexibility. Political correctness is the natural continuum from the party line. What we are seeing once again is a self-appointed group of vigilantes imposing their views on others. It is a heritage of communism, but they dont seem to see this. It was OK, us being Reds during the  war,  because we were all on the same side. But then the Cold War started. Why were the Europeans bothered about the Soviet Union at all? It was nothing to do with us. China had nothing to do with us. Why were we not building, without reference to the Soviet Union, a good society in our own countries? But no, we were all in one way or another obsessed with the bloody Soviet Union, which was a disaster. What people were supporting was failure. And continually justifying it. All sanity depends on this: that it should be a delight to feel heat strike the skin, a delight to stand upright, knowing the bones are moving easily under the flesh. I have found it to be true that the older Ive become the better my life has become. The great secret that all old people share is that you really havent changed in seventy or eighty years. Your body changes, but you dont change at all. And that, of course, causes great confusion. And then, not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. For the last third of life there remains only work. It alone is always stimulating, rejuvenating, exciting and satisfying. Bed is the best place for reading, thinking, or doing nothing. Borrowing is not much better than begging; just as lending with interest is not much better than stealing. I was brought up on the farm in the bush, which was the best thing that happened, it was just a wonderful childhood. None of you [men] ask for anything except everything, but just for so long as you need it. A woman without a man cannot meet a man, any man, without thinking, even if its for a half second, perhaps this is  the  man.

Analysis of Real Time Surveillance System on Hadoop Image Processing Interface

Traditional security systems work to avoid crimes as much as possible. Real-time Surveillance gives an opportunity to prevent crimes before they can happen. Implementing security measures are also very time consuming and usually requires human interference. An autonomous security system will make security economically viable and it works quickly. Using facial, object and behavior recognition on the video feed provided by CCTV cameras, various criminal activities can be detected, and authorities will be assisted to take action. Covering a large number of CCTV’s distributed over wide space can generate lots of data and requires tremendous processing power to process this data. Hence, we will use Hadoop’s image processing interface to distribute the processing task over the cloud network, so communication between authorities of various areas is enhanced. In the current time, at almost all locations, the security systems work in a rather passive way. CCTV cameras installed in these system record videos and feed them to a human supervisor. Such a security system is prone to human errors. Quick actions are not possible which are necessary for many conditions to prevent adversary. The entire security works locally and provides with limited cloud capabilities. Such a static system is outdated and itself is under security threat of being misused and hacked. Hence we propose a modern, dynamic system with capabilities to work in the cloud with powerful real-time surveillance and arguably cheaper than the existing system. Footages from multiple CCTV cameras will reach to a local station. These video feed will be provided to a preliminary object recognition algorithms and will undergo the process of culling in the local station. After the initial process of object recognition, the video feed will be divided into a small unit, which comprises multiple images. This images will be mapped to the respective nodes for processing and their results will be reduced to get the final output. The Authors in [1] proposed a scalable video processing system over the Hadoop network. The system uses FFmpeg for video coding and OpenCV for Image processing. They also demonstrate a face tracking system, which grouped multiple images of the same people together. Video feed captured is stored in the Hadoop Distributed file system. The system does not state proper security mechanisms and storing such huge amount of data in the HDFS will not be cost-efficient, The system in [2] used Nvidia CUDA enabled Hadoop clusters to improve server performance by using the parallel processing capability of CUDA cores present in Nvidia GPU’s. They demonstrated an AdaBoost-based face detection algorithm in the Hadoop Network. Although equipping the clusters with Nvidia GPU’s might increase the cost of clusters, CUDA cores potentially provide massive improvements in Image processing jobs. Although we aim to implement the system into existing hardware to minimize the cost. The Authors in [3] used the Hadoop Framework to process astronomical Images. They implemented a scalable image-processing pipeline over Hadoop, which provided for cloud computing of Astronomical Images. They used an existing C++ Library and JNI to use that library in Hadoop for Image processing. Although they achieve success, many optimizations were not made and Hadoop was not Integrated properly with the C++ Library. A survey in [4] describes various security services provided in the Hadoop Framework. Security services, which are necessary for the framework such as Authentication, Access Control, and Integrity, are discussed including what Hadoop provides and what it does not. Hadoop has multiple security flaws which can be exploited to initialize a replay attack or view the files stored in the HDFS node. Hence as per the scholarly, a good Integrity check method and Authorization control method are necessary. The object recognition stated in [5] provides an efficient way of recognizing a 3-Dimensional Object from a 2-Dimensional Image. In his stated methodology, certain features of the object remain constant regardless of the viewing angle. Extracting these features specifically will save a tremendous amount of resources as compared to the older object recognition systems that recreate the entire 3-D objects using Depth Analysis. As depicted in [6], the original eigenfaces fail to accurately classify faces when the data is coming from different angles and light sources like in our problem. Hence, we use the concept of TensorFace. A vector space of different Images trained at multiple angles is applied to N-mode SVD to Multilinear Analysis to recognize faces. Behaviour Recognition can be carried out as stated in [7]. The features will be extracted from the video feed and applied to feature descriptors, model events, and Event/behaviour, models. The output will be mapped from feature space to behavior label space where a classifier will map it as normal or abnormal. The system proposed in [8] states an economic, reliable, efficient and scalable surveillance system where data is stored using P2P concept. It avoids load on a single Data Centre and divides the load into multiple Peer Nodes. It also provides authentication as a module between the Peer Nodes and the directory nodes. The system doesn’t present any method to implement computer vision and integrity check. Proposes an open source Hadoop Video processing Interface integrate C/C++ applications in the Hadoop Framework. It provides R/W interface for developers to store, retrieve and analyze video data from the HDFS. Using the available security in the Hadoop framework for video data can give poor performance and security was not mentioned in the HVPI. TensorFlow, a machine Learning System, stated in [10], provides multiple tools to implement multiple training algorithms and optimizations for multiple devices on a large scale. It uses data flow graphs for computation states and operations that change those states. TensorFlow can work very well with Hadoop Framework to distribute the processing in the existing hardware. To provide real-time recognition various pre-processing is done to improve Hadoop and neural network performance. The entire process can be divided into the following phases:- Video Collection: The video feed coming from the video capture device like CCTV will be converted to the Hip Image Bundle (HIB) object using various tools like Hib Import, info. After that, HIB will undergo preprocessing using a video coder like Culler class and FFmpeg. In this stage, various user-defined conditions like spatial resolution or the criteria for Image metadata can be applied. Filters like a greyscale filter provide improvements for various face detection algorithms. The images surviving the culling phase will undergo the preliminary object detection phase using object detection algorithms like tensor flow or provided by a library like OpenCV. Weapons, Cars, and Humans will be detected in this phase. The collected Image will be mapped to MapReduce programming model using the HibInputFormat class. The individual Images are presented to Mapper as objects derived from the HipiImage abstract class associated with HipiImageHeader. The header will determine the what data to map to the respective data node in the network. Mapping Phase: Images, which are flagged as humans, will be mapped to the facial recognition and behavior recognition algorithms in the respective data nodes. Images recognized as cars will be mapped to object detection. Various algorithms for recognition in the mapping phase can be derived from OpenCV, which also inherently used Nvidia CUDA and OpenCL for increased performance in the recognition. OpenCV provides Java interface and can be directly used with Hadoop. Although a self-developed can be used and if required, will be written in C++ and JNI ( Java Native Interface) can use to integrate with Hadoop. Reduce Phase: Criminal faces will be detected during facial detection since the node with the highest confidence value will be declared as the winner. Stolen cars will also be detected in the similar fashion. Human behavior will classify and detect specific suspicious behavior. Although the above paper only discusses specific applications, the entire architecture is scalable to be implemented in specific environments. The system can find applications in various companies offices, police department and various high-security facilities for real-time computer vision assistance. The system can also be implemented over the existing hardware either as a complement to the existing system or as a substitute to the existing system. Once enough test samples are collected, various optimizations can be used like different neural networks, more suited to the specific applications. Optimizations can also be made to the Java Native Interface (JNI) to improve further performance. Various pre-processing techniques in the video coder can be applied to improve the neural network performance.

Karl Marx & Political Life Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Karl Marx & Political Life - Term Paper Example It was these that guided these revolutionaries in their struggles to change the status quo and introduce a new system in society. At the core of Marxist ideas is the tool of analysis that is to be used in understanding the essential features of society. The Marxist social analysis is actually the most essential principle behind the socialist ideology. Without social analysis, it is apparently impossible to discover the factors that could lead to the progress of society from one historical stage to another. Without it, the leadership of such movements for change would not be able to identify the motive forces as well as those that would seek to maintain the status quo. As a social scientist, Marx was among the first to articulate that to understand society, it is necessary to focus on the material basis of its existence, the economy. He actually began his investigations of society by first understanding the dynamics of capitalist economy, particularly its mode of production. It was th rough his observations in the relationship among the people involved in production that he was able to formulate a theory about social classes and the political structure arising from it. Therefore, Marx does not consider politics as independent from economic life. Instead, he considers it to be a reflection of the relations in production. At the same time, however, he also explains that the nature of the economy can also be altered by changes in politics. Even as Marx formulated a social theory that eventually led to the organization and mobilization of the working class for social change, he was not a worker himself. A lawyer by training and education, he belonged to the middle class. Therefore, it was impossible for him develop the political standpoint and ideological viewpoint of the proletariat. However, he was drawn to socialist ideas and was also a Hegelian; both of which were contributing factors to his determination in learning about the potential elements that could lead t o radical social transformation. As a socialist, Marx appreciated the benefits of a society where there are no distinctions based on wealth and participation on labor. As a Hegelian, he was also very interested in discovering dialectics in society; the contradictions that could lead to change. Aside from being a socialist and a Hegelian, Marx also upheld the principal aspects of political economy as articulated by Adam Smith and David Ricardo, especially in the concept that the wealth of society originates from the combination of nature and human labor. All these were vital to the development of Marx’s systematic theory. Inspired by his socialist principles and Hegelian-influenced methods of analysis, Marx went on to investigate the mode of production. As a result of his investigation he concluded that â€Å"the increasing value of the world of things proceeds in direct proportion to the devaluation of the world of men† and that labor produces not only commodities; it also produces itself and the worker as a commodity – and does so in the proportion in which it produces commodities generally.† (Marx 43) As the working class reproduces itself, individuals who are not involved in labor but are related to production emerge. These are the capitalists or the bourgeoisie; the class whose existence is based on the appropriation of a certain percentage of the wealth created by

Ugly renaissance babies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ugly renaissance babies - Essay Example In renaissance, painters gave careful consideration to muscles, fat, plurals, than excellence. Furthermore the style got popular to a considerable measure of painters. While painting infants they attempted to make nitty gritty look so when somebody paints skin plurals on children they look like old ones, I mean painters demonstrated their system on skin subtle elements. In the event that you take a gander at infants face they have a few plurals of fat on their skin, yet in genuine they are not exceptionally detectable and we see immaculate skin yet in the event that we look closer and attempt to draw all that subtle elements on paper it will look monstrous. So cute face need to be drawn obviously and painstakingly, and I dont intend to say that renaissance painters are not experts, I cherish the greater part of them. Be that as it may that was their style. Renaissance children were not generally expected to be practical. Renaissance craftsmanship is about religious imagery. The figures are intended to be rousing and common; the congregation was about holding social order under control, and utilizing symbolization to bond the enormity of god, and the congregation, in individuals personalities. The ability and expertise still beams through years after the fact in Old Master artworks, yet the Renaissance craftsmen more than once did something that we dither at today. They painted kids like scaled down old men. This was presumably because of the way that the idea of youth is a moderately late pattern ever, however in some fifteenth and sixteenth century meets expectations, it would appear that the painter never looked at a child. I think that great number of the Renaissance Babies are not particularly missed formed they are simply merciless accurate to-life. Maybe we want individuals, babies, in sketches to look a bit "upgraded." Well the Renaissance craftsmen clearly finished not. I think they were simply

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. Essay Example for Free

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. Essay The problem associated with this case is whether or not the company should introduce a new energy beverage brand into the market. If a profitable market opportunity exists for the company to enter the energy beverage market the next step would be to identify a target market and marketing mix along with a product line and brand positioning. The best opportunity for the company to gain market share is to target adult energy drinkers from ages 35 to 54 since none of the competitors are catering towards this segment. Bottlers, distributors, and retailers are unlikely to produce and stock more than two SKUs of a new energy drink brand so it would be best to introduce a regular 16ounce single-serve package that consists of two different flavors. Since regular energy beverages hold 80% share of the market selecting regular is best, and since the 16ounce energy drinks represent 50% of case sales in convenience stores and want a high turnover to maintain prevalence in convenience stores its best to go with a 16ounce size. Also having two different flavors to choose from will help increase chance of trial rather than have only one flavor and have regular and sugar free or have one flavor and two different sizes. In positioning the brand the company should differentiate the energy drink from competitors by basis of packaging and select the 16.9ounce single-serve aluminum bottle with a resealable screw cap, and also by ingredients in having lower carbohydrates in the formulation. The energy brand should be distributed to all types of off-premise retailers where beverages are sold for maximum sales. The company’s U.S. media expenditure should be $12.6 million, equal to that of Tag Energy’s U.S. media expenditure which lead to a 2.3% dollar market share, because Tag Energy was also new to the energy beverage market and targeted to a certain demographic the company should experience a similar result. The manufacturer’s suggested retail selling price should be $2.29. Higher than the average $2.00 per single-serve because of it’s unique  point of difference – lower carbohydrates and aluminum bottle with resealable screw cap. Market sales potential for the company’s target market is equal to $1.608 (Exhibit 1) billion and market sales forecast is equal to $133.202 million (Exhibit 2). With a retail trade margin equal to 40% the company’s selling price to retailers would be $.961 (Exhibit 3). Thus from the market sales forecast of $133.202 million the company would receive $79.921 million in revenue, and with the company’s contribution margin of 30% total profit would be equal to $22.378 million (Exhibit 4).

Health :: science

Health Twenty-five years ago, the great Athenian doctor Hippocrates believed that balance is health and that imbalance is the cause of all illness and pain. For more than three hundred years, this concept has been in disfavour. Now, clinical experiences with Phen/Fen suggest that Hippocrates was right. While both phentermine and fenfluramine have been available since the mid-seventies, patients were generally reluctant to use them because of the always present fear of addiction. During many instances when people did try either one of these new drugs, they could not tolerate the side effects. The pills in fact do work, because they trick the brain into thinking that the stomach is full. But they also seem to affect the brain in other, less desirable ways. The thought process behind creating a ‘superdrug’ such as Phen/Fen, was that by combining the two medications, one could take advantage of their different pharmacologic actions getting, in essence, better effectiveness while hopefully minimizing the "mild" side effects (Michael D. Myers. 1997). Despite the side effects that are still present, drug companies are making lots of money off of Phen/Fen. It is the second fastest growing drug in the country. In 1996, it earned about $191 million for its maker, Wyath-Ayerst (CNN. 1997). Obesity, poor nutrition, and inactivity are estimated to contribute to about 300,000 deaths a year (National Institution of Health. 1996), thus there is an increased demand for such pills as Phen/Fen. In this paper, I will discuss the two drugs that make up Phen/Fen, Fenfulramine and Phentermine, and discuss the side effects for each of the pills. I will introduce Serotonin and Dopamine, two of the brain’s neurotransmitters and the effect of Phen/Fen on them. I will also discuss who should and who shouldn’t use this potentially dangerous diet. Finally, I will look at a case study from Michael D. Myers which makes some very important conclusions about the diet. Fenfluramine Fenfluramine was discovered at approximately the same time as it’s cousin, Phentermine. Fenfluramine has always been strongly associated with many side effects. The most prominent of it’s side effects is Primary Pulmonary Hypertension which is a life threatening complication (Michael D. Myers. 1997). An estimated 1 in 17,000 patients that are treated for longer than 3 months will develop this condition (New England Journal of Medicine. 1996). The symptoms may be vague chest discomfort of development of an insidious feeling of shortness of breath (Abenhaim, L.

Google in China Essay

Google is the fastest growing Internet search engine company. Google’s mission is â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.†(International Business: Competing in the Global marketplace, pg 148-149) They have a mantra of â€Å"Don’t be Evil.† Google started this mantra to be the main message to show consumers they would not compromise the integrity of its search results. This case reviews the situation under which Google was required to censor its content and chose to launch its new search engine site. The case explains the role of the Chinese government and its regulations in the Internet market which had a negative effect on Google’s operations in China. In 2000, Google started a Chinese language service. This service was operated from the United States. Chinese authorities blocked the site in 2002 because China censors information to their citizens. This block surprised Google’s managers . This was a challenge the managers did not plan on. If they done their research of the Chinese Government and culture prior to launching the Chinese language service, they would have known the block would be inevitable and they could have tailored their service to the Chinese regulations, culture, and laws. Google knew China was an advantageous business and they would need to adapt their service in order for it to be acceptable and profitable. Google also had to move the Chinese operations to China. Operating from the United States caused slow connection speed and hinder their operation and growth. This was a good move because it enabled Google to employee Chinese citizens who would be able to help understand and adapt to the Chinese laws, regulations, and censorship demands. Google managers made a mistake by not researching their target market. However, they acted quickly in learning and correcting this mistake. Google still offered Chinese citizens a better search engine, but it was not without censorship. The Google search engine offers more results than its competitors, Yahoo, Microsoft’s MSN, and China’s own company, Baidu. Google states Chinese consumers will â€Å"get more information on their site, though not quite all of it.† (International Business: Competing in the Global marketplace, pg 148-149) In 2006, Google had 30 percent share of China’s internet search engines. Baidu had 40 percent. This left another 30 percent split between Yahoo and Microsoft’s MSN search engines. These percentages are good, especially when one considers Yahoo and Microsoft had entered the Chinese search engine market prior to Google. Baidu has several advantages over Google that are mostly associated with it being a Chinese based company, the search engine has â€Å"competence in pinpointing queries in the Chinese language† (Yin & Yulin, 2010, p. 4). Government relations with China are precarious for businesses effectiveness. Google did not have a clear understanding of what they would be involved in. China has become more supported and self-assured due to its increasing economic significance. They are more reluctant to be pressed by Western governments or companies into changing its long term regulations and censorship. Because of this aspect, China does not yet comprehend global strategies and the importance of global public relations. This causes them to be more rigid in their international business dealings. All-in-all, Google has been able to grow successfully in the Chinese search engine market and maintain the number two spot (behind Baidu) in China despite their lack of early research on the Chinese culture, governmental regulations, and laws. References International Business. Competing in the Global Marketplace, Seventh Edition, Chapter 3: Differences in Culture ISBN: 9780073381343 Author: Charles W. L. Hill copyright  © 2009 McGraw-Hill, a business unit of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Marriott Corporation Essay

Each of these aspects of the financial strategy support Marriott’s growth objective, except for the repurchasing of undervalued shares, which is not based on feeling of significant undervaluing of the stock by the market, but based on an internally generated intrinsic value of the company. Marriott’s cost of capital estimation process involves consideration of debt capacity, cost of debt and cost of equity. This data, plus consideration of capital structure and effective tax rate, is then applied to the Capital Asset Pricing Model, using the U.S. Government 10-year bond as the risk-free rate and the spread between the S&P 500 composite and the U.S. Government 10-year bond rate. Beta is based on the last five years of monthly return data. The resulting corporate WACC is 10.22%. However, new investments in the different divisions requires the application of a hurdle rate that reflects the business risk of that particular unit, rather than the overall   corporate hurdle rate, which is primarily applicable to corporate capital expenditures, such as headquarters and IT support systems. The table below summarizes the WACC for each Marriott division based on its mix fixed and floating rate debt, capital structure, and applicable unlevered beta for its industry. Introduction Marriott Corporation is diversified company in the lodging, restaurant and contract services. Its lodging business unit consisted of managing the operation of 361 hotels of a variety of star ratings. Its restaurant business unit ran and owned a handful of fast food and diner chains. One of the perennial challenges that Marriott management faced was the close integration of its financial strategy, growth objectives, determining the appropriate hurdle rate for investments, and how to add a capital cost component to incentive compensation plans. Marriott’s Financial Strategy The overall objective for Marriott’s vice president of project finance, Dan Cohrs, was to support the company’s growth objective in being the most profitable company in its lines of business. To support this growth objective, Marriott developed a financial strategy that consisted of four tactics – manage rather than own hotel assets, invest in projects that increase shareholder value, optimize the use of debt in the capital structure, and repurchase undervalued shares. Manage Rather than Own Hotel Assets Marriott would develop hotel properties and then sell them off to investment partnerships. Its typical deal would consist of it being granted a long-term contract to operate and manage the property on behalf of the owner, where it receives 3% of revenues as compensation and 20% of profit over and above a specified return for the owner. If you wanted to maximize growth and shareholder value, this was a more prudent approach to being in the lodging business because the company wouldn’t be held down by large amount of debt associated with these properties and it eliminated a lot of long-term market risk. If a hotel went under, Marriott’s risk was limited to the portion of debt that it guaranteed instead of the entire amount. Therefore, this tactic supported the company’s growth objective because it did not tie up huge amounts of investment capital in fixed assets and allowed it to focus on activities and projects that could generate significant revenue growth. If Marriott could make a hotel very busy, it only had to make small increases in staff to accommodate large increases in business. Plus, its profitability would accelerate once it was able to clear its property owner’s return requirement. By being service oriented, Marriott greatly reduced the capital intensity of its lodging business unit. Invest in Projects That Increase Shareholder Value Technically speaking, this is a tactic espoused by every company. Marriott purposed to only invest in NPV positive projects based on the hurdle rate appropriate for the type of investment. The pro forma cash flows for investment opportunities were developed at the division level using corporate templates. This provided consistency in methodology while allowing for variation in unit specific assumptions. This will also support the company’s growth objective because it promotes Marriott getting the best results for its investment funds to maximize the value created by the projects it invests in. It also means that projects in riskier areas have to be that much profitable to generate the NPV to make an investment competitive versus alternative investments in less risky units. Optimize the Use of Debt in the Capital Structure Marriott used a targeted interest coverage ratio to determine its optimal use of debt instead of a debt-to-equity ratio. Because this approach bases debt capacity primarily on financial operations instead of market capitalization, it is supportive of growth by limiting debt based on near term financial performance rather than the ups and downs of the capital markets. Repurchase Undervalued Shares Marriott calculated its own valuation of its stock called its warranted equity value. Whenever its stock price went below the warranted value, Marriott would buy back stock. This tactic does not support growth because Marriott is using an intrinsic value of its stock to supersede the market value of the stock, which is the best indicator of the value of a publicly traded company. The company also assumed that this was the best use of cash and debt than investments. Although companies have used debt to repurchase stock, it is usually to try to â€Å"game† the system and improve the profitability related financial ratios by reducing the amount of total equity and the number of shares outstanding. Three more legitimate reasons for Marriott to buy back its stock would be mitigate the impact of stock dilution due to the exercise of stock options used as incentive compensation; to disburse excess funds to shareholders without the tax penalty associated with dividends; or to cheaply remove stock when the market it trading it at a steep discount to historical trends when the company is performing well. Buying back stock when it falls a small amount below an intrinsic value does not contribute to growth and those funds could have probably been used in a profitable, value-increasing project. Marriott’s Cost of Capital Estimation Process Marriott uses the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) to determine its corporate hurdle rate, as well as estimate the hurdle rates for its different divisions. The process begins with the company determining its debt capacity, cost of debt and its cost of equity, also being a function of the amount of debt. After determining the corporate level cost of debt, it allocated a portion of that debt to each of the business units to facilitate their unit hurdle rates. Each unit had a different debt weighting and cost of debt. Marriott annually updated its cost of capital for making investments. It does make sense for Marriott to determine a hurdle rate for its different business units because it is a diversified company, even if it is related diversification. Its business units carry the business risk of the industries they inhabit, regardless of the corporate make up of Marriott. To make the best use of Marriott funds and maximize value, Marriott has to take into account the risk associated with each unit’s projects. Having a hurdle rate for each business unit eliminates bias in project selection that would occur if it used the corporate hurdle rate. Marriott’s Corporate Weighted Average Cost of Capital In its use of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) formula below, Marriott uses its long-term debt to total capital ratio (total capital = total assets – current liabilities) for its debt weighting. Cost of Equity To determine the cost of equity, Marriott used the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which relates the returns for a single stock against the excess returns for the market over the risk-free rate. Marriott has a target debt percentage in capital of 60% for the company. Its 1987 debt percentage is 58.8% for which a beta of 1.11 was calculated based on the past five years of monthly returns. The average corporate tax rate for the past five years is 43.7%. The target debt percentage in capital is 60% and is treated as the debt-to-value ratio. For the target percentage the beta must be unlevered and then relevered based on the equation below. This produces a relevered beta of 1.135. The market risk premium is based off of the spread between the S&P 500 composite returns and long-term U.S. government bond returns of 7.92%. The risk-free rate is 8.72% based on the 10-year U.S. government bond maturity rate. Using the CAPM equation below, this produces a cost of equity of 17.71%. Cost of Debt Marriott has fixed and floating debt. Its projected mix will be 60% fixed debt and 40% floating debt. Overall, Marriott has estimated that its debt risk premium is approximately 1.30% above U.S. government debt securities. Fixed rate corporate debt is going to be consistent with 10-year maturity U.S. government debt and the floating rate debt is going to be consistent with 1-year maturity U.S. government debt. The 30year debt is not applicable because Marriott manages rather than owns the hotel properties it manages. The resulting weighted cost of debt is 9.29%. Debt Type Corporate or Firm Level WACC By applying Marriott’s corporate cost of debt and cost of equity from the previous sections, we calculate a WACC of 10.22%. Which Investments Can the Corporate Hurdle Rate by Applied To? The corporate or firm level hurdle rate cannot be applied to all projects because of the bias it presents when business units have less or more risk than the company as a whole. However, there are investments to which the corporate hurdle rate would be applicable. That would involve any capital expenditures on behalf of the corporate parent, including buildings, as well as enterprise resource systems and any other support systems that serve all three business units. For example, the three business units should be using the same system to do financial reporting and accounting. If Marriott only used the corporate hurdle rate for all investments, in the long-run, it would do poorly because the rate would cause the company to invest in projects that are too risky and avoid projects that could increase company value. Basically, Marriott would be worth a lot less than it otherwise would have if it didn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to its hurdle rate for different projects in the business units. Or worse, it could go out of business or be acquired by a competitor that had a more rational approach to its project selection process and was able to buy Marriott with the value it had created. Cost of Capital for Individual Divisions The process that Marriott employs to determine the corporate hurdle rate can also be applied to its different divisions. For the lodging and restaurant divisions, the cost of equity can be determined by using the weighted average unlevered beta for a group of peer companies and then relevering the beta for that division’s leverage circumstances. Contract services will require a residual approach for determining its cost of capital. Peer groups were used to calculate weighted average unlevered betas for the groups, using 46% as the highest marginal corporate tax rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1987. For the lodging and restaurant divisions, the same risk-free rate and market risk premium was used. Although both divisions own long-lived assets, they are closer to 10-year versus 30-year assets, other than any facilities owned. As for the lodging and restaurant properties, the bulk of the capital investment is made in renovation, updating or modernizing hotel properties and updating of the restaurants. For example, Marriott will periodically update the furniture, dà ©cor, color and amenities at the properties it manages to keep them competitive. This is a regular part of the business, so long-lived assets in those properties would be replaced anyway. This even occurs in restaurants, although less frequently. Contract services would also operate its long-lived assets in the same time frame. To determine the cost of equity for the lodging division, a group of peer companies were gathered and key data related to capital structure, revenue and beta was compiled to calculate a weighted average unlevered beta for the group. That beta was relevered based on the lodging divisions projected debt percentage in capital of 74% as the debt-to-value ratio for the operating unit, resulting in a cost of equity of 20.13% To determine the cost of equity for the restaurant division, a group of peer companies were gathered and key data related to capital structure, revenue and beta was compiled to calculate a weighted average unlevered beta for the group. That beta was relevered based on the lodging divisions projected debt percentage in capital of 42% as the debt-to-value ratio for the operating unit, resulting in a cost of equity of 19.08% With the cost of debt and cost of equity relative to its industry, the restaurant division cost of capital is equal to 13.45%. Contract Services Division To calculate the cost of capital for the contract services is more complex because there aren’t any publicly traded peer companies to compare against and privately held firms either do not report their results or do not report results compliant with the financial reporting requirements of publicly traded companies. Based on the projected mix of fixed and floating debt, the cost of debt for the contract services division is estimated at 10.07% A residual approach will be required to determine the cost of equity for the contract services division according to the formula below using the unlevered betas, weighted by identifiable assets. Solving the formula for ÃŽ ²C will provide us with the last piece of information needed to calculate its cost of capital. This results in an unlevered beta of 0.610. Based on the projected capital structure of the division, it levers to a beat of 0.839. With the cost of debt and cost of equity applicable to this business unit, the contract services division cost of capital is equal to 11.33%. Conclusion There are already many assumptions made in a traditional cost of capital calculation for a single-industry company. When a company is diversified, like Marriott, it cannot use a single corporate cost of capital for making investment decisions. It must make decisions for each division according to the business risk faced by that business unit because the level of risk varies from industry and that must be accounted for. Otherwise, a firm will engage in biased decision-making, if they use discounted cash flow and net present value for making investment decisions because a single hurdle rate will inflate the value of some projects, while lowering the value of others. Epilogue To stay competitive and generate the most value that they can for shareholders, companies review and update their strategies. Marriott Corporation is no different. Not long after the time period associated with this case, Marriott began to take dramatic steps to maximize shareholder value. First, the company sold is restaurant operating division in 1990 (White, 1989). The competition from industry leaders was too intense and rapid expansion would have required a lot of additional capital. Subsequently, the company would go through multiple spinoffs. In 1993, the company spun off Marriott International, which managed and franchised hotels and retirement communities (Marriott International, 2012). The remaining company changed its name to Host Marriott Corporation and owned many of the properties managed by Marriott International. In 1995, Host Marriott Corporation spun off some of the contract services business with the name Host Marriott Services. This allowed Host Marriott Corporation to focus on its real estate assets. In 1998, Marriott International spun off its management services business in a merger with Sodexho to create Sodexho Marriott Services. Later that year, Host Marriott Corporation spun off is senior retirement real estate business as Crestline Capital Corporation. At the end of 1998, Host Marriott Corporation converted into a real estate investment trust called Host Hotels & Resorts (Marriott International, 2012). The last spin off conducted by Marriott International occurred towards the end of 2011, where it spun off its time share operating segment as Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC). Marriott International is only involved in lodging now and reorganized into four lodging divisions – North American Full-Service, North America limited-service, International Lodging and Luxury Lodging. In terms of the financial strategy outlined by the Marriott Corporation in 1987, that strategy continues in Marriott International. It doesn’t own the properties. It just manages and franchises them. At the end of fiscal year 2011, its debt-to-market value ratio is 0.1579. The company appears to be attempting to minimize the amount of debt it uses. The cost of debt is approximately 5.485% and the cost of equity is approximately 11.44%. Marriott International’s WACC, based on 2011 financial statements is 10.12%. References Marriott International (2012). 2011 Annual Report. Retrieved from http://investor.shareholder.com/mar/sec.cfm?DocType=&DocTypeExclude=&Sort Order=FilingDate%20Descending&Year=&Pagenum=4 Marriott International (2012). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from http://investor.shareholder.com/mar/faq.cfm White, G. (1989, December 19). Marriott to Sell Its Restaurants, Focus on Hotels : Services. LA Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1989-1219/business/fi-598_1_marriott-s-bob-s-big-boy

Birth of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses

Birth of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses How did the world start according to your worldview? Was there a sudden cosmic spark emerging from nowhere? Did life then emerge from some sort of almost living form? Did a supreme being create the world in seven days and form the first woman from the rib of the first (male) human? Was there a great swirling chaos from which emerged a frost giant and a salt-licking cow? A cosmic egg? Greek mythology contains creation stories that are very different from either the familiar story of Adam and Eve or the Big Bang. In Greek myths about the early world, themes of parental treachery alternate with tales of filial betrayal. Youll also find love and loyalty. There are all the essentials of good plot lines. Birth and cosmic creation are linked. Mountains and other physical parts of the world are born through procreation. Granted, it is procreation between things that we dont think of as procreating, but this is an ancient version and part of the ancient mythological worldview.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Parental Treachery: In Generation 1, the sky (Uranus), who is seemingly without any love at all for his offspring (or maybe he just wants his wife all to himself), hides his children inside his wife, Mother Earth (Gaia).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. Filial Betrayal: In Generation 2, the Titan father (Cronus) swallows his children, the newborn Olympians. In Generation 3, the Olympic gods and goddesses have learned from the examples of their ancestors, so there is more parental treachery:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zeus swallows one mate and sews the soon-to-be born offspring of another inside himself after he kills the mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hera, the wife of Zeus, creates a god without a mate, but even he isnt safe from his parents, for Hera (or Zeus) hurls her son from Mt. Olympus. 1st Generation Generation implies a coming into being, so that which was there from the beginning is not and cannot be generated. What has always been there, whether it be a god or a primeval force (here, Chaos), is not the first generation. If for convenience, it requires a number, it can be referred to as Generation Zero. Even the first generation here gets a bit tricky if examined too closely since it could be said to cover 3 generations, but thats not terribly relevant for this look at parents (particularly, fathers) and their treacherous relations with their children. According to some versions of Greek mythology, at the beginning of the universe, there was Chaos. Chaos was all alone [Hesiod Theog. l.116], but soon Gaia (Earth) appeared. Without the benefit of a sexual partner, Gaia gave birth to Uranus (Sky) to provide covering and father half-siblings. With Uranus serving as the father, mother Gaia gave birth to the 50-headed Hecatonchiresthe Cyclopes (Cyclops)the 12 Titans 2nd Generation Eventually, the 12 Titans paired off, male and female: Cronus and RheaIapetus and ThemisOceanus and TethysHyperion and TheiaCrius and MnemosyneCoeus and Phoebe They produced rivers and springs, second generation Titans, Atlas and Prometheus, moon (Selene), sun (Helios), and many others. Much earlier, before the Titans had paired off, their father, Uranus, who was hateful and rightly fearful that one of his sons might overthrow him, shut all his children inside his wife, their Mother Earth (Gaia). And he used to hide them all away in a secret place of Earth so soon as each was born, and would not suffer them to come up into the light: and Heaven rejoiced in his evil doing. But vast Earth groaned within, being straitened, and she made the element of grey flint and shaped a great sickle, and told her plan to her dear sons. - Hesiod Theogony, which is all about the generation of gods. Another version comes from 1.1.4 Apollodorus*, who says Gaia was angry because Uranus had thrown his first children, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus. [See, I told you there was love; here, maternal.] At any rate, Gaia was angry with her husband for imprisoning their children either within her or in Tartarus, and she wanted her children released. Cronus, the dutiful son, agreed to do the dirty work: he used that flint sickle to castrate his father, rendering him impotent (without power). 3rd Generation Then the Titan Cronus, with his sister Rhea as a wife, sired six children. These were the Olympic gods and goddesses: HestiaHeraDemeterPoseidonHadesZeus Cursed by his father (Uranus), the Titan Cronus was afraid of his own children. After all, he knew how violent he had been towards his father. He knew better than to repeat the mistakes his father had made in leaving himself vulnerable, so instead of imprisoning his children in his wifes body (or Tartarus), Cronus swallowed them. Like her mother Earth (Gaia) before her, Rhea wanted her children to be free. With the help of her parents (Uranus and Gaia), she figured out how to defeat her husband. When it was time to give birth to Zeus, Rhea did it in secret. Cronus knew she was due and asked for the new baby to swallow. Instead of feeding him Zeus, Rhea substituted a stone. (No one said the Titans were intellectual giants.) Zeus matured safely until he was old enough to force his father to regurgitate his five siblings (Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia). As G.S. Kirk points out in The Nature of Greek Myths, with the oral rebirth of his brothers and sisters, Zeus, once the youngest, became the oldest. At any rate, even if the regurgitation-reversal doesnt persuade you that Zeus could claim to be the oldest, he became the leader of the gods on snow-capped Mt. Olympus. 4th Generation Zeus, a first generation Olympian (although in the third generation since the creation), was father to the following second generation Olympians, put together from various accounts: AthenaAphroditeAresApolloArtemisDionysusHermesHephaestusPersephone The list of Olympians contains 12 gods and goddesses, but their identities vary. Hestia and Demeter, entitled to spots on Olympus, sometimes surrender their seats. Parents of Aphrodite and Hephaestus Although they may have been Zeus children, the lineage of 2 second-generation Olympians is in question: Some claim Aphrodite (goddess of love and beauty) sprang from the foam and severed genitals of Uranus. Homer refers to Aphrodite as the daughter of Dione and Zeus.Some (including Hesiod in the introductory quote) claim Hera as the sole parent of Hephaestus, the lame blacksmith god. But Zeus himself gave birth from his own head to bright-eyed Tritogeneia (29), the awful, the strife-stirring, the host-leader, the unwearying, the queen, who delights in tumults and wars and battles. But Hera without union with Zeus for she was very angry and quarreled with her mate bare famous Hephaestus, who is skilled in crafts more than all the sons of Heaven.-Hesiod Theogony 924ff It is interesting, but to my knowledge insignificant, that these two Olympians who had uncertain parentage married. Zeus as Parent Many of Zeus liaisons were unusual; for instance, he disguised himself as a cuckoo bird to seduce Hera. Two of his children were born in a manner he might have learned from his father or grandfather; that is, like his father Cronus, Zeus swallowed not only the child but the mother Metis while she was pregnant. When the fetus had fully formed, Zeus gave birth to their daughter Athena. Lacking the proper feminine apparatus, he gave birth through his head. After Zeus had frightened or burned his mistress Semele to death, but before she was completely incinerated, Zeus removed the fetus of Dionysus from her womb and sewed it into his thigh where the wine god-to-be developed until ready for rebirth. *Apollodorus, a 2nd Century B.C. Greek scholar, wrote a Chronicles and On the Gods, but the reference here is to the Bibliotheca or Library, which is falsely attributed to him.

Myanmar Government a Help or a Hindrance Research Paper

Myanmar Government a Help or a Hindrance - Research Paper Example It is the hope of this author that such a level of discussion and analysis will be beneficial in engaging a more definitive understanding of the issue of systemic corruption and the means by which it impacts upon a society. Regardless of the metric or scale that is employed, it is clear and apparent that the issue of corruption and the manner through it affects the economy is differentiated and cannot be understood categorically. Complicating this issue further is the fact that corruption exists to a different degree and different level within regions, counts, states, provinces, and governments throughout the world. On the whole, scholars have focused upon research questions that discuss the negative ramifications that corruption has upon overall economic growth. Whereas this particular discussion is certainly useful, it fails to capture the underlying truth that corruption is not a static force with respect to reducing overall economic potential/output. Instead, as has been briefly noted above, the differentials that have been enumerated help to create a situation in which corruption affects different entities and people/groups/governments in unique ways.1 Beyond this understanding, it should also be realized that certain countries with a very high degree of corruption can exhibit a surprising level of overall economic growth; whereas other countries that exhibit nearly the same level of corruption face a situation in which static or negative economic growth takes place. As a function of seeking to expound upon this seemingly incongruous fact, the following analysis will be concentric upon analyzing why this might be the case. It is the hope of this author that such a level of discussion will provide the reader with a more definitive and differentiated understanding of corruption within the modern world and the means through which certain nations are able to continue to grow under

The Role of Geoprofiling in the Analysis of Crime Series Annotated Bibliography

The Role of Geoprofiling in the Analysis of Crime Series - Annotated Bibliography Example In this book Boba has tried to explain the use of crime mapping in crime analysis. It offers a great deal of information regarding the integration of geospatial techniques into criminal investigations. Further, this nook offers methods for using different crime mapping methods for analyzing criminal activities. Crime mapping case studies: Practice and Research is written by Chainey, S. The book offers various methodologies used for crime mapping. Further it offers an approach to bring crime mapping into practice, along with new directions in this field of study. This book elaborates the present trends in crime mapping research. The book offers numerous case studies that help the readers in understanding the basics of crime mapping and its use in the real life. Chainey and Ratcliff has combined the theoretical principles, analytical techniques from geographic information system, methods for processing data sets, measures for sharing information, problem solving, and lots of other related topics. This book offers case studies and real life examples to elaborate and explain the integration geographic information system and crime mapping. This book is useful for the students as well as for the professionals. It can be used as a reference guide for solving problems associated with crime mapping. The growth of science and technology has made information security a great concer. Organizations need to obtain fool proof information security systems in order to prevent it from being lost or being accessed by unauthorized user. Authentication and retrieval of information requires efficient system that ease out the access to the information sources for the authorized users, yet it prevents interruption from third party. Companies spend a great deal of their assets in preserving their information, because loosing information is equal to the death of the company. This is an interview/ article by Marc Goodman,