Tourism in Switzerland Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Tourism in Switzerland - Dissertation Example It is nearly incontestable that people across the world always seek to have new experiences and learn new things; tourism usually provides the best opportunity to enable people achieve this end. Its tourism infrastructure is highly developed, particularly in the cities and mountainous regions. Tourists are attracted to Switzerland’s landscapes and Alpine climate. Also, being one of the great and diverse commercial hubs in the world, tourists find Switzerland a preferable destination Euromonitor International (2011). Tourism plays a very crucial role in Switzerland’s economy accounting to more than 4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) OECD (2011). Besides, it plays a very crucial role in creating employment opportunities especially in the rural areas. Just like in most countries across the world, tourism in Switzerland is impacted by external environmental factors namely political, economic, socio- cultural, and technological among others. Currency fluctuation is a maj or economic factor that greatly impacts on tourism in most countries across the world and Switzerland is no exception. According to O’Sullivan and Schifrin (2003), currency fluctuations refer to a tendency of national currencies to change relative to other national currencies at a given period of time. Currency fluctuations can be attributed to the following factors; political and social stability, country’s economic strength, increased of reduced demand for a certain currency, unemployment rates, and country’s interest rates among others. ... activities of individual or group of individuals travelling to destinations and staying in places that are away from their usual environment for a certain period of time for business, leisure and other purposes. From the definition, it is clear that currency fluctuation in Switzerland not only affects the international tourists but also the local tourists Creel (2007). When the Swiss Franc currency is weak, more tourists are encouraged to visit Switzerland as they will be able to get more Francs for their money. On the other hand, when the Swiss franc is strong, tourists are less likely to visit Switzerland as they will get less Swiss francs for their money Swiss Federal Statistical Office (2011). Tourism is very important in the Switzerland economy. This argument is proved by the efforts that the Switzerland National Bank put in 2010 and 2011 in order to prevent further strengthening of the franc especially against the euro which was impacting negatively on the country’s tour ism sector. Also, over the years, tourism sector has proved to be highly sensitive in regards to prices Luzzi and Yves (2003). Therefore, there is need for Switzerland tourist destinations especially the Swiss Alps to be in a better position to compete with other destinations such as those in France, Italy, Germany, and Austria Ewing (2010). The aforementioned countries offer plenty of hiking and skiing opportunities and mountains that also form important features of Switzerland tourists’ destinations. Ewing (2010) further argues that these countries belong to EU and use euro as their currency and most tourists who visit Switzerland come from these regions. Therefore, it is important to pay adequate attention to the fluctuation of Swiss currency in order to avoid losing Swiss- destined

Individual Value Alignment Essay Example for Free

Individual Value Alignment Essay http://www.homeworkbasket.com/BUS-475/BUS-475-Week-2-Individual-Value-Alignment Discuss an existing organization with which you are familiar that is different than the one you used for the Conceptualizing a Business paper. Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you analyze the individual values and the organization’s values as reflected by the organization’s plans and actions. Include the following in your paper: Analyze the origin(s) and subsequent evolution of your personal and workplace values. Explain how your individual values drive your actions and behaviors, and analyze the alignment between your values and actions and behaviors. Analyze the degree of alignment between the organization’s stated values and the organization’s actual plans and actions. Explain the differences and analyze the degree of alignment between your values and the organization’s values as reflected by the organization’s plans and actions. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. For More Homework Goto http://www.homeworkbasket.com

Critical analysis on Philip Larkin

Critical analysis on Philip Larkin The poem The Trees by Philip Larkin deals with the reflective descriptions of the speakers observation of trees. Despite its misleading superficial simplicity, the poem bears a deeper meaning underneath: the trees that are reborn every year symbolize renewal and hope in the face of the humans who have to face death eventually. Yet, throughout the poem, Larkin ambivalently ponders about this symbolism, as he delightedly views the picture of the growing trees but denies the immortality of their youth as a superficial veneer marked by the inward aging and an eventual death. The poem is in a strictly regular metrical and rhyming structure, arranged into 3 different stanzas, each one four lines long. Such regularity of structure is reflective of the natures cycling of birth, growth and renewal. The Trees demonstrates the transience of youth as a result of the destructive passage of time, one of the recurring themes of Larkins works. In the introductory stanza, through the portrayal of the burgeoning trees as both cheerful and melancholy, Larkin purposefully reveals the meaninglessness of life. Larkin illustrates the trees as coming into leaf. The speaker deploys the diction leaf as a symbol of life and conveys a positive, hopeful connotation. Through this physical depiction, Larkin establishes an image of fresh, growing trees, and sets a mood of liveliness in the scene. Larkin further strengthens this lively mood as he describes the comforting view of recent buds [that] relax and spread. The poet cleverly deploys sibilance to effectively evoke the sound of rustling tree leaves, signifying life and youth. Hence, Larkin further emphasizes the vivacious image of the bustling trees, and enhances the encouraging, hopeful atmosphere. Through the deliberate choice of verbs relax and spread, Larkin personifies the leaves and uses trees as a metaphor for humans, comparing their stage of youth to a humans entering of a ne w stage in life. Such comparison between the trees and humans implies that Larkin is contemplative about the cheerful, comforting message of hope that trees give to humans. The speakers use of trees as a consolation to humans can also be found in his other poem Forget What Did where the natural and celestial recurrences appear as consolation in the face of individual sufferings. However, immediately after such use of metaphor, Larkin repudiates that their greenness is a kind of grief. Larkin deploys the alliteration greenness and grief to highlight that such beauty of life is a grief because it is merely ephemeral. The negative connotation conveyed by the diction grief suggests Larkins abrupt shift of tone from optimism to pessimism. Furthermore, Larkin deliberately deploys the noun grief to create a rhyming couplet of leaf in the first line and grief in the last line of stanza. This rhyming couplet effectively contrasts the two distinct connotations of positivity and pessimism, fur ther highlighting the speakers ambivalence. Additionally, as the speaker compares the growth of trees to something almost being said, the repeated use of ambiguous diction such as something and almost signifies the speakers state of two different minds. Through the predominant tone of ambivalence, Larkin underscores such greenness of nature that seems so cheerful is no less transitory than human life and effectively conveys that all life has an end. In the second stanza, Larkin underscores that trees that outwardly seem perpetually young, in fact, age and eventually have to die, demonstrating the theme of inevitability of death. Larkin questions the immortality of trees in comparison to the transitory lives of humans, as he asks is it that they are born again// and we grow old?. Through the deployment of the diction born again signifying fresh renewal, and of diction grow old signifying death, Larkin reveals the theme of contrast between youth and age. The speaker deliberately utilizes the punctuation of question mark to reveal his pensive tone that effectively causes the reader to ponder about what life really means to the reader and even to look back at all the time this reader had robotically spent in his life. Immediately following the question however, Larkin denies, No, [trees] die too, commenting that the lives of trees are no less transient than those of humans. Larkin utilizes caesura to effectively highlight that his t hought about trees endless youth is immediately defeated by his realization that trees do eventually die as well as humans. This caesura underscores his abrupt wavering of tone from speculative to pessimistic, and further emphasizes the ambiguous mood of the poem. It is through this predominant ambiguity of the poem that Larkin reflects the opaque meaning of life in his perspective. Additionally, Larkin compares the trees renewed youth every summer to a yearly trick of looking new. The speakers deployment of diction trick connotes that all the hope and consolation one may get from viewing the trees vivacious coming into leaf are a superficial veneer. This diction further suggests a negative connotation in the speakers voice, and builds his pessimistic tone that shows his desultory, hopeless attitude towards revitalizing into having a more meaningful life. Through the word choice rings of grain, Larkin implies that despite the fresh outer appearances, the trees are growing old inside , as they leave traces in the trunk, underscoring the theme of contrast between youth and age. The reader can also interpret this expression of the poet in a different way: the speaker is using the trees as a metaphor for humans. As trees outwardly seem lively but inwardly grow old and die in the end, the speaker is mockingly comparing this to the humans efforts to renew their lives by using various ornate luxuries or by going to prestigious colleges or workplaces, even though eventually the only thing that remains after time passes is their death. Through such pessimistic tone, Larkin hints that death is inevitable and therefore underlines his melancholy attitude towards life that is seemingly full of opportunities but is fundamentally ephemeral and meaningless. This theme of inevitability of death also plays a significant role in the poem Dockery and Son. In Dockery and Son, Larkin conveys that no matter what Dockery does in his life, whether getting married or having a son, and n o matter what Larkin himself does in his life, whether eating an awful pie or sleeping, life is first boredom, then fear. Whether or not we use it, it goes. This poem The Trees reflects Larkins similar idea that life eventually has an end and thus is pointless. In the final stanza, Larkin expresses his admiration for the trees that indefatigably strive for a renewal in contrast to his own resignation to reach for a revival in life. Marked by the use of the transition word yet still, implying a change of tone from pessimism to a more positive one, Larkin compares the trees with unresting castles. The speaker uses this metaphor to create an image of masculine, firm trees, like castle turrets. This image of adamant trees is further developed by the speakers deployment of diction full-grown thickness. Larkin creates this image to suggest his new tone of distant admiration towards the trees that tenaciously repeat the cycle of birth, aging and renewal every year. Yet, his constant wavering of tone between pessimism and hopefulness greatly contrasts the image of adamant, unwavering trees. Moreover, Larkin depicts the trees as alive with speech, as they seem to say to him about something. Larkin personifies the trees through the diction say and fu rther emphasizes this personification through the deployment of sibilance. The personification of the trees serves to create the effect of aliveness and joviality of the trees. Additionally, Larkins repetition of the onomatopoeia afresh further enhances the sound of tree leaves bustling and rustling by the wind, thereby signifying life. Through this onomatopoeia, Larkin evokes images of nature and hope. This imagery is symbolic of the trees continuous, unwavering life and renewal. This last line of the poem is a message that Larkin gets from trees to leave the past behind and begin a new life with hope. And yet, the reader can infer from the dominant tone of ambivalence that the speaker is hesitant to act upon this message from nature. Larkin cleverly uses no enjambments at the end of each stanza but instead ends each with a period. The speakers use of this punctuation effectively reflects the predominant message of the poem that even though nature repeats in cycle, there is an end eventually, underscoring the theme of inevitability of death. In conclusion, Larkin purposefully expresses his reluctance towards life, which is meaningless to him. He ambiguously conveys that trees that appear to be young, hopeful and consoling to human eyes, are in fact just as equally mortal as humans. From his ambivalence, Larkin conveys that death after life is inevitable, showing his negligence of the trees cheerful message to begin his life afresh. As an analyzer of this poem, the reader feels differently from the way Larkin feels from viewing the trees: the reader feels from it joy and affirmation, and even motivation to try harder in all he does, as nature and its serene views are what he tends to turn to rely on when faced with dilemma. Yet, the reader feels melancholy when faced with the fact that such feelings are vain after death; indeed, as Alun R. Jones states in his critical notes on Larkins works, the effect [of Larkins writing] is akin to that achieved at times by Mozart and Schubert at their most tender and poignant.

Privacy and Confidentiality in the Electronic Medical Record Essay

It was just yesterday when Electronic health records was just introduced in healthcare industry. People were not ready to accept it due to higher cost and consumption of time associated in training people and adopting new technology. Despite of all this criticism, use of Internet and Electronic Health records are now gaining its popularity among health care professionals, as it is the most effective way to communicate with patient and colleagues. More and more hospitals and clinics are getting rid of paper base filling system and investing in cloud base storage. According to HIMSS The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. It includes information from patient demographics, medications, to the laboratory reports. Introduction of Electronic Medical Records in healthcare organizations was to improve the quality care and to lessen the cost by standardizing the means of communication and reducing the errors. However, it raises the â€Å"eyebrows† of many when it comes to patient confidentiality and privacy among healthcare organization. The Problem is 1. Transfer of Information- The problem is remote access of the health records and pooling of large number of data for various purposes like research program and lab work, may lead to an error and confusion. 2. Lack of information centralization- Many patients keep their own records of blood sugars, weight and blood pressure by using various Internet tools. However, healthcare providers cannot access these records because they cannot streamline those records with EHR. 3. Security theft - Internet tools like Google health and Microsoft Vault provides conveni... ...idence of users by agreeing to the policy that the data submitted to their cloud platform will be kept confidential. (Ryan, 2011) The cloud computing is still under development but if it can manage to maintain information privacy and confidentiality than it will become revolutionary in healthcare field. And we never know, in future science and technology might introduce more advanced level of apps and service with enhanced level of privacy and security measures. Patient personalized health cards are also long underling technology that might provide patient a freedom of owning his/her PHI. Transferring data from one hospital to another wouldn’t be a challenge with this password protected health cards. Privacy wouldn’t be much of an issue as all the information is stored in the chip of the card that can be retrieve by a healthcare provider or by patient when needed.

Svenska Handelsbanken Case Analysis

1. Answer to case â€Å"Svenska Handelsbanken† No t e b o o k: Cre at e d : 5. Org Control 2012-05-08 10:45 Up d at e d : 2012-05-08 23:31 1. Using the 7S-model, describe what are the elements and the linkages in Svenska Handelsbanken. Which one of the 7 components is vital? Provide arguments for each of your descriptions, and not mere conclusions. 7 S model consists of 7 elements which are Strategy,Structure, System, Shared Value, Style, Staff, Skills. Applying 7S model to Handelsbanken : Strategy : cost-efficiency => â€Å"low cost† competition. doing safe investment, avoiding speculation. risk control) international expansion. differentiate with customized service/products, targeting for those â€Å"picky† customer concerning about quality of service. use â€Å"network effect† for marketing. (use word of mouth to market their products). focus on small / middle sized customers. open branches close to those giant corporates. provide financial support to N ordic companies who expand internationally. Structure: Handesbanken is a typical decentralized (in term of division/geography) company, which consists of many autonomous branches. Those autonomous branches have large amount of control and responsiblity. lat management : The only layers between branches and CEO is a group of 11 regional manager. therefore the hierarchy of whole company is very flat. (add CFO or something else †¦. ) System : there is no top-down goal setting and annual budgeting. branches compete with each other in term of RoE => league table HRM system => incentive system, employee holdings (Trust company). (put into System or Staff or Share Value, ) Risk control bottom-up product development process. cost management system (both committee and branch manager), Shared Value: (culture) core : customer-oriented. need better wording ) culture of thrift. senor of ownership => from employee level to branch level. people recognition innovation growing people ( ) Au tonomous (structure ) Style : long term orientated customer focused style. (preservative) responsive to customer request. empowerment (share value or style ) Staff : recruit people who has inner drive, self-starting, committed to service. entrepreneurship for the branch manager extrovert/open/out-going Skills: with considerable banking experience. entrepreneurship skill is a must for branch manager. ross-selling skills which one is vital ? (provide evidence) shared value is vital. because it is the internal driver for other six. candidates : strategy, staff, structure. 2. What are the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the Handelsbanken’s decentralization approach? Provide arguments WHY these are key – base your answer on examples and arguments from your group's own business and work experiences and not on ‘copy & paste' from other sources. People =; entrepreneur. (Christian) responsibility of control cost/earning profit/risk management, down to individuals. l ocal resources and market.Customer-orientation (Christian, to provide live example) Autonomy (elaine, to provide live example from her own company to support this point). 3. What does this tell us about the key sources for success of ANY decentralized business? empowerment/autonomy (control & responsibility down to branch) foster the competition among decentralized units. use KPI to closely monitor the performance of decentralized units. Shared value amongst all branches. systematic support from head office for all units. ( ) 4. What are the challenges that Lars Kahnlund faces in this particular organization, in his efforts to drive change and accelerate growth? alance the culture of autonomy and directive approach. =; branch has strong motivation to control its own product and service. =; from perspective of entire company, new competitive products may be also needed. really hard to control the decentralized unit, because there are so many branches out there and structure is so fla t. how would he get his strategy executed effectively and efficiently ? how can we keep them in order ? too many culture in different areas, so he needs to take care culture conflicts. resistance from employees is expected. (elaborate on this later, including the perservative culture)

Ralph Ellison’s “On Bird, Bird-Watching, and Jazz” Essay

Analysis on Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"On Bird, Bird-Watching, and Jazz† Ellison’s purpose in this essay is to prove that â€Å"Parker was a most inventive melodist-a true songster† which is evident in paragraph one. He uses the fascination of nicknames to symbolize the achievements of â€Å"Bird† and the impact the nickname had on others. He adds in a joke near the end of paragraph two, â€Å"why, during a period when most jazzmen were labeled â€Å"cats†, someone hung the bird on Charlie.† to show that even though most jazzmen were called â€Å"cats† at the time, Charles earned the name of â€Å"Bird† because he was above other jazzmen, like a bird would hang high above a cat so the cat couldn’t reach the bird. Charles’s talent was so above all the other â€Å"cats†; they couldn’t even reach his level. In paragraph three Ellison compares the goldfinch to Bird. He uses a short apocryphal story of baby Jesus being given a clay goldfinch for a toy and bringing it to life as a metaphor to indicate that Bird brings jazz music to life. The majority of paragraph three is Ellison going through the species of the goldfinch and how it is characterized, then at the end he hits the reader with the problem of why it does not relate to Bird; it’s like the canary. Paragraph four goes on to show the similarities the mockingbird has that connect it to Bird himself. The sentence structure in paragraph four mimics that of a saxophone holding a long, drawn out note. The sentences are long and drawn out, making the reader have to take a breath in between because the sentences are so long which would happen if a jazzman were playing the saxophone. He is connecting the sound of a saxophone to the sentence structure of the paragraph. The last paragraph also sums up the idea that Bird had a complex life but it didn’t minimize his greatness. All of these strategies bring the reader back to the purpose of the essay which proves that Charles Parker was a â€Å"most inventive melodist-a true songster.†

buy custom Rockefeller Drug Laws essay

buy custom Rockefeller Drug Laws essay The problem of drug in America cannot be overstated. Estimates suggest that 12.8 million Americans, equivalent to 6% of the population aged 12 years and above use illegal drugs on a regular basis. This is a great improvement on the 1970s all time high. In 1979 the number of regular illegal drug users was 25 million indicating that the number has fallen by 50 percent since then. This is a great achievement. It therefore follows that the problem of drugs was at its peak in the 1970s and authorities were looking for every way to reduce the problem (Wilson par5). The Rockefeller Drug Laws can be understood from these perspective- harsh laws designed to make it unattractive to engage in drugs. The laws were enacted in 1973 under Governor Nelson Rockefeller to whom they are named (Wilson par1). This paper is going to evaluate the impact of the Rockefeller Laws in New York State. The finds out that since the laws became effective in 1973, the judicial system got distorted, the population of African Americans and Latinos in jails has increased sharply, and the petty drug offenders are denied an opportunity for treatment, broken homes, families and communities, economic distress and diversion of government resources from other more deserving sectors to prisons. The immediate effect of the Rockefellers laws is that the tied the hands of the judges in determining the appropriate jail term or even punishment for the offender. The laws effectively took that power from the judge by specifying how jail terms for people found with illegal drugs according to the amounts and class of the drugs. The judge was in this case reduced to a parrot to just read what the law said even if it would be against his better judgment. Being that there are no two cases that are similar and the offenders are also unique, it is an act of injustice to introduce blanket sentences on the accused. Furthermore since the judge cannot take into consideration an individual defendantscircumstances, it remains that the only other way of receiving a more lenient sentence is to cooperate with the prosecution. However this works well with those who are powerful in the trade because it is only them who have access to information regarding drug cartels and the trade. The implication of these is that the powerful individuals , by cooperating with the prosecution get reduced sentences while those at the bottom of the pyramid end up with longer jail terms (Sayegh par2). Emanating from the point above is the disproportionately high number of African Americans and Latinos in jail as a result of breaking these laws. A report from a study done in 2004 showed that the rates of illicit drug use were 8.1% for the whites, 8.1% for Africa-Americans and 7.2% for Latinos. Among the teens ages 12 to 17 years, the rates are highest among the whites as compared to Africa-Americans and Latinos. Yet among those incarcerated in state prisons on account of drug offences, 90% are Africa-American or Latino. The percentage of African-American in prison due to drug offences is 58.5%, for Latinos it is 31.5% while it is 8.9% for the whites. This contrasts with the statistics on racial percentages of drug users. Among these 80% have never been convicted been convicted of a violent offence yet they are sentenced under these archaic laws to remain in prison. The laws are therefore discriminative against the colored people (Wilson par 5,6,7). Being that Rockefellers laws do not give drug users an opportunity to go for treatment, offenders who were under treatment and others who would have benefited from the same are held in prison. Treatment which is far much cheaper and cost-effective is ignored while thousands of dollars are used to sustain the victim in Jail. Among the prison population, 83% of the inmates have an identified substance abuse. Rockefellers are also to blame for many homes, families and communities that have been broken. With such a high number of inmates, one can only imagine the number of homes, families and communities that suffer the loss. In 2002, an estimated eleven thousand people incarcerated for drug related offences were parents of young children including a thousand women. Approximately twenty five thousand children in New York State had their parents behind bars as a result of nonviolent drug charges convictions. Widowed wives and orphaned children are not uncommon among the affected. This will almost automatically be followed by loss of livelihood. Families that previously provided for themselves may be left to suffer due to imprisonment of the bread winner in circumstances where a more lenient punishment would have sufficed. The lost labor is not good for the economy as a whole save for big corporations that utilize prisoners as laborers for meager pay (NLYCU par 5). The laws were reformed in 2004 under the stewardship of New York Assembly and drug law advocates. The reform lowered the maximum sentences from 25 years to nine years. This change was however too little too late; the reforms have had minimal effects on the ground. The laws have not succeeded in stopping inner-city youths from using and dealing with drugs. The problem persists (Sayegh par 10). Legalization of drugs is a question that had lingered in the public domain for a long time. Legalization of the drug will not automatically lead to decreased violence and profit. Legalizing the drugs will make it available to a lot of people some of them school-going children whose mental judgment cannot be trusted. Legalizing the drugs is therefore a very risky affair whose benefits are not worth the risk involved and whose results one can never be sure of. The Rockefellers laws can be said to be bad laws made in response to a genuine and serious concern. It was meant to tackle the rampant problem of drug abuse but due to the fact that the drafters were overzealous about it, the laws became counterproductive. Buy custom Rockefeller Drug Laws essay

Essay on Sojourner Truth

Essay on Sojourner Truth Essay on Sojourner Truth Andrew Benyamin 3 April 2015 ORP Project Mrs. Martins Sojourner Truth Author- Peter Krass Subject- Sojourner Truth Date- 1988 Place- USA Publisher- Grolier Incorporated Number of Pages- 110 This book is a true tribute to sojourner Truth and has improved my opinion of her. Sojourner Truth has done many things to change my perspective of her. For example she pushed and pushed to fight for not only hers but also other woman’s rights, freedom, and to end slavery over all. Like many colored children back then, she was born into slavery but escaped many years later with her infant child. When she was younger about 12 to be exact both her parents passed away. For someone to have strength like that to keep going and push for her and many others freedom shows great courage and motivation. Her parents’ passing away was a key component for her to push on and to help others. She never stopped believing in her dreams and that later on changed the future. A. What are the details about this person’s life? Sojourner Truth also known as Isabella was born into slavery like many others. As a child she was sold to more than four owners, and as she grew up she was released in 1826, carrying her infant daughter, Sophia. In 1843 she changed her name to Sojourner Truth and announced she would travel the land as a preacher telling the truth against injustice. During the next several years she traveled around the East and Midwest preaching for human rights. She was also known as a powerful figure in many national social movements. She spoke forcefully for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights and suffrage, the right of freedom, and termination of capital punishment. Her first trip was to a place called Battle Creek in Michigan. There she was invited to speak to the radical quacker group, â€Å"The Friends of Human Progress†. The next year she moved to Michigan and bought a little barn on College Street. Unfortunately that is where she passed away on November 26, 1883. Her funera l service was attended by 1000 people. There was a phrase on her tombstone which was â€Å"Is God Dead†. E. What personality traits helped this person achieve success and or fame? There were many traits that helped Sojourner Truth achieve greatness and success. These traits were love, motivation, and determination. Truth’s love was motivated by her love Robert. She saw him get beaten and tortured by their owner when they were slaves. That triggered her emotions and her determination to abolish slavery. Truth went on a tour/ trip across the country preaching too many different groups and people about how slavery is bad and the negatives of it. On this trip she gave her

Management evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management evaluation - Essay Example In fact working with this organization would leave the employee fully satisfied with their job because job descriptions are clearly defined and only those that are interested will apply for them. More so, the organization clearly stipulates its goals and each and every employee working with it knows what is expected of him. This indicates why the turnover rate is low compared to other organizations. Still the organization tries as much as possible to ensure that its employees are well taken care of in the field of recreation which involves outdoors activities which are related to the nature of work and services offered by the organization. Patagonia’s situation about employee motivation is clear and it is based on many theories. To start with, motivation has been known to have a basic impulse to optimize well being of an individual by minimizing physical pain and maximizing pleasure it can also involve satisfaction of basic needs such as provision of food, shelter, sex and resting. According to (Hoffmann, 2007) these factors must be provided as the most basic. Patagonia has truly made these needs available to its employees. For instance it ensures that there is a child care room and enough clothing for employees and all other recreation facilities. This shows that the hierarchy of needs as hypothesized by Maslow’s theory of needs is achieved where employees start with the very basics like food and shelter. Also employee’s job security is assured given that the organization registers a low turnover rate with the highest experienced back in the early 1990s. More so, social wellbeing of employees is promoted through cerebrations. Additionally, there is increased self esteem and self confidence following the freedom that the employees have by working to achieve goals with minimum supervision. The biggest challenge that Patagonia is likely to face

Young womens beleifs regarding human papillomavirus Research Paper

Young womens beleifs regarding human papillomavirus - Research Paper Example The descriptive research utilized a cross-sectional, survey design and included participants from four women’s health clinics and one university classroom. Three hundred and two women between ages 18–24 who could read and write English participated in two surveys. A health and demographic information questionnaire to collect the age, ethnicity, history of STD testing and/or HPV diagnosis, education level, race and relationship status details and a second questionnaire based on Representations of STDs (RoSTD) to survey the women’s beliefs of HPV were issued. The participants also completed a single item evaluating beliefs about the association between HPV and cancer. This research has four major limitations. First, the study employed a cross-sectional research design, limiting the ability to find out causation. Second, the study used self-report data where participants might have biased their responses to establish social desirableness. Third, one half of the participants pointed they were seriously involved in a romantic relationship, a factor that is highly subjective and lacks the ability to directly measure sexual risk behavior. Fourth, the participants were highly literate, largely White, and limited to certain geographic locations, minimizing the ability to generalize findings to other ethnic, racial, geographical, and educational groups. The findings of the study indicate that young women tend to misconceive the cause, symptoms, and chronic nature of HPV and also have negative impressions about the impact HPV diagnosis has on intimate relationships and mental health. Women who had never received STD testing or not diagnosed with HPV have more accurate and less severe representations about HPV when compared with young women with a record of STD testing or HPV diagnosis. Assessing women’s impressions about HPV enables the development of treatment methods centered on patient needs and also enhances HPV management in individuals diagnosed

Managed crisis public relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managed crisis public relations - Essay Example audiences for this plan include the government, customers, employees, stakeholders, the media, regulatory bodies, the affected passenger and his family, as well as the national public. The crisis communications plan seeks to deliver a specific message to each of the above audiences. The plan seeks to reassure the audience of the company’s commitment to working on resolving the issue of promoting the safety of passengers and providing them with remarkable transportation services. The company will rely on the principle of prompt communication as well as providing constant updates concerning the situation. The company seeks to reassure the government, its customers, and the public of its commitment to promoting high levels of safety. The company will also update the public on the progress of the affected passenger and the measures taken to compensate him. The spokesperson will exhibit high levels of confidence and remain accurate concerning the incident to ensure that the public does not have speculations. The company will rely on different forms of media to communicate effectively. There is a salient need for the company to identify a crisis communications team that will take charge of all the communication processes concerning the recent event. The formation of the crisis communications team should take place with immediate effect because there is an urgent need to provide the government, our customers, as well as the public with information. Crisis communications team should identify a reliable spokesperson and develop a communications policy that all the members of the staff must obey. The crisis communications team will exhibit immediate response by notifying the management team of the company concerning the recent incident. Moreover, the team will develop proper media alerts and call for a press conference that will allow the identified spokesperson to give detailed information to the public and the government. The crisis communications team will review the

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease Research Proposal

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease - Research Proposal Example Definition of Tuberous Sclerosis Tuberous Sclerosis is one of the genetic and rare disorders being closely monitored and evaluated by the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) under the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (ORDR, 2009). It was thereby defined as â€Å"a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous noncancerous (benign) tumors in many parts of the body† (ORDR, 2009, par. 1). The definition provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) more comprehensively identified the affected parts of the body, to wit: â€Å"Tuberous sclerosis--also called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) - is a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. It usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnorma lities, and kidney disease† (NINDS, 2012, par. 1). Both definitions classify this disorder as genetic and manifested through multiple growths of specifically identified tumors in different parts of the body. Causes Since the disease is classified under genetic and rare disorder, its cause is thereby traced through inheritance (PubHealth Med, 2010). As disclosed, â€Å"changes (mutations) in two genes, TSC1 and TSC2, are responsible for most cases of the condition. Only one parent needs to pass on the mutation for the child to get the disease. However, most cases are due to new mutations, so there usually is no family history of tuberous sclerosis† (PubHealth Med, 2010, pars. 2 & 3). This means that although most cases have identified the cause to be directly handed to the sibling from even one parent, there have been cases where both parents did not carry a defective gene but new mutations were manifested. Known through a process called â€Å"gonadal mosaicism. These p atients have parents with no apparent defects in the two genes that cause the disorder. Yet these parents can have a child with TSC because a portion of one of the parent's reproductive cells (sperm or eggs) can contain the genetic mutation without the other cells of the body being involved† (NINDS, 2012, par. 8). Symptoms The symptoms for this illness were categorized into three: skin symptoms, brain symptoms,and other symptoms, and are hereby detailed as follows: (1) skin symptoms include: areas of the skin that are white (due to decreased pigment) and have either an ash leaf or confetti appearance; red patches on the face containing many blood vessels (adenoma sebaceum); and raised patches of skin with an orange-peel texture (shagreen spots), often on the back; (2) brain symptoms include: developmental delays, mental retardation, seizures; and (3) other symptoms include: pitted tooth enamel, rough growths under or around the fingernails and toenails, rubbery noncancerous tu mors on or around the tongue (PubHealth Med, 2010). Genetic Make-Up The explanation provided by Howell (n.d.) on the genetic analysis of this illness clearly and explicitly illustrated the mutation in one of two identified genes, the â€Å"TSC1 gene is located on chromosome 9q34 and the TSC2 gene on chromosome 16p13† (Howell: Gene Analysis, n.d, par. 1). The illustrations are hereby presented as

The Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Federal Reserve - Essay Example Stable prices in a long-term run are requirements for moderate long-term interest rates, maximum employment, and sustainable output growth. This is because, when prices are stable, the prices of services, goods, labor, and other materials are usually less affected by inflation. They also provide guidelines for the allocation of national resources and support services, thereby contributing to higher standards of living (Grey, 2002). Additionally, stable prices normally enhance capital formation and savings. This is because when the value of assets are being eroded due to inflation, there is always a need guard the assets against losses. This usually encourages businesses to invest more while households are encouraged to save more (Grey, 2002). The Federal Reserve Banks control the market for balances, which provides the initial link between the economy and the monetary policy. Depository institutions usually hold accounts at the Federal Reserve Banks, and they trade their balances at the federal funds market at a certain interest rate referred to as the federal funds rate (Grey, 2002). The Federal Reserve Banks have significant influence on the federal funds rate via its influence over demand and supply of the balances, at its premises. The Federal Reserve Banks normally set the federal funds rate at a level, which enhances monetary and financial conditions that are consistent with the monetary policy objectives. These banks also manipulate their targets that are consistent with the emerging economic developments (Grey, 2002). Therefore, a slight change in the federal funds rate and expectations about the future targets of federal funds rate can trigger a number of events, which will affect other long-term interest rates, short-term interest rates, stock prices, and foreign exchange of the dollar (Grey, 2002). Changes in these variables, in turn, affect businesses and households’

Designing a course in technology-Enhanced learning for Adult learners Essay

Designing a course in technology-Enhanced learning for Adult learners - Essay Example This paper aims to present a discussion that revolves around principles of learning design. The focus is to design a unit assessment plan that will educate 65 year old adults on prevention, treatment, and management of foot related complications. Some of the skills that the unit assessment aims to establish among the older population include synthesis of instruction, exploration skills, designing skills, collaboration, and reflection skills. Technological transformations have prompted the majority of educators to adopt newer and advanced forms of newer technology in teaching. Teachers in institutions of higher learning have opted for the use of e-mails, PowerPoint presentations, education applications, and design Web sites to pass knowledge and information to learners (Caulfield, 2011). The mode of connecting teaching to learning has formed the center of current debate, with critics questioning the validity of the relationship. This is because they have argued that such learning techniques are vulnerable to losing their validity with changes in technology. On the other hand, proponents have highly held the phenomenon, citing their value in expanding the learning and teaching experience. Rogers (2003) maintains that the application of skills in learning and teaching is crucial, as it determines the effectiveness of the teaching and learning experiences. When a new technology emerges, there are various levels that educators should undergo in their endeavors to fully adopt any technological model of teaching (Rogers, 2003). However, recent research has revealed that some learning sessions have not fully benefited from the advantages of employing technological based teaching and learning experiences. This is because of the different degrees of adaptation by teachers. Analysts have argued that educators should follow the right procedure in their quest to make some technology based models of teaching part of their professional initiative. Some of the

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease Research Proposal

Tuberous Sclerosis A Rare Disease - Research Proposal Example Definition of Tuberous Sclerosis Tuberous Sclerosis is one of the genetic and rare disorders being closely monitored and evaluated by the Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) under the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (ORDR, 2009). It was thereby defined as â€Å"a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous noncancerous (benign) tumors in many parts of the body† (ORDR, 2009, par. 1). The definition provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) more comprehensively identified the affected parts of the body, to wit: â€Å"Tuberous sclerosis--also called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) - is a rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. It usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnorma lities, and kidney disease† (NINDS, 2012, par. 1). Both definitions classify this disorder as genetic and manifested through multiple growths of specifically identified tumors in different parts of the body. Causes Since the disease is classified under genetic and rare disorder, its cause is thereby traced through inheritance (PubHealth Med, 2010). As disclosed, â€Å"changes (mutations) in two genes, TSC1 and TSC2, are responsible for most cases of the condition. Only one parent needs to pass on the mutation for the child to get the disease. However, most cases are due to new mutations, so there usually is no family history of tuberous sclerosis† (PubHealth Med, 2010, pars. 2 & 3). This means that although most cases have identified the cause to be directly handed to the sibling from even one parent, there have been cases where both parents did not carry a defective gene but new mutations were manifested. Known through a process called â€Å"gonadal mosaicism. These p atients have parents with no apparent defects in the two genes that cause the disorder. Yet these parents can have a child with TSC because a portion of one of the parent's reproductive cells (sperm or eggs) can contain the genetic mutation without the other cells of the body being involved† (NINDS, 2012, par. 8). Symptoms The symptoms for this illness were categorized into three: skin symptoms, brain symptoms,and other symptoms, and are hereby detailed as follows: (1) skin symptoms include: areas of the skin that are white (due to decreased pigment) and have either an ash leaf or confetti appearance; red patches on the face containing many blood vessels (adenoma sebaceum); and raised patches of skin with an orange-peel texture (shagreen spots), often on the back; (2) brain symptoms include: developmental delays, mental retardation, seizures; and (3) other symptoms include: pitted tooth enamel, rough growths under or around the fingernails and toenails, rubbery noncancerous tu mors on or around the tongue (PubHealth Med, 2010). Genetic Make-Up The explanation provided by Howell (n.d.) on the genetic analysis of this illness clearly and explicitly illustrated the mutation in one of two identified genes, the â€Å"TSC1 gene is located on chromosome 9q34 and the TSC2 gene on chromosome 16p13† (Howell: Gene Analysis, n.d, par. 1). The illustrations are hereby presented as

Designing a course in technology-Enhanced learning for Adult learners Essay

Designing a course in technology-Enhanced learning for Adult learners - Essay Example This paper aims to present a discussion that revolves around principles of learning design. The focus is to design a unit assessment plan that will educate 65 year old adults on prevention, treatment, and management of foot related complications. Some of the skills that the unit assessment aims to establish among the older population include synthesis of instruction, exploration skills, designing skills, collaboration, and reflection skills. Technological transformations have prompted the majority of educators to adopt newer and advanced forms of newer technology in teaching. Teachers in institutions of higher learning have opted for the use of e-mails, PowerPoint presentations, education applications, and design Web sites to pass knowledge and information to learners (Caulfield, 2011). The mode of connecting teaching to learning has formed the center of current debate, with critics questioning the validity of the relationship. This is because they have argued that such learning techniques are vulnerable to losing their validity with changes in technology. On the other hand, proponents have highly held the phenomenon, citing their value in expanding the learning and teaching experience. Rogers (2003) maintains that the application of skills in learning and teaching is crucial, as it determines the effectiveness of the teaching and learning experiences. When a new technology emerges, there are various levels that educators should undergo in their endeavors to fully adopt any technological model of teaching (Rogers, 2003). However, recent research has revealed that some learning sessions have not fully benefited from the advantages of employing technological based teaching and learning experiences. This is because of the different degrees of adaptation by teachers. Analysts have argued that educators should follow the right procedure in their quest to make some technology based models of teaching part of their professional initiative. Some of the

Psychology Revision Notes Essay Example for Free

Psychology Revision Notes Essay Participants were divided into four groups which were acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar and semantically dissimilar. Participants were presented with the list a total of 4 times and each time was interrupted to try to prevent rehearsing. They were then presented with a 20-minute interval task and afterwards were asked to recall their list. Semantically dissimilar words were recalled the most telling us that encoding in LTM is semantic. Summary of study on capacity of STM and LTM  Summary of study on duration of STM  Peterson Peterson-  Showed PPs a list of nonsense trigrams and asked them to count back from 400 in 3 second intervals for a duration ranging from 3 to 18 seconds. Found that duration of STM was 18-30 seconds maximum.  Summary of study on duration of LTM  Bahrick-  400 participants aged between 17 and 74 were tested using different methods including free-recall tests, photo-recognition test, name recognition tests and photo-name matching test. PPs performed less well on free recall tests (30% after 48 years) but were much better in the photo-name test (90% after 60 years). Models of memory  Description of the multi-store model of memory, plus evaluation inc. research  Atkinson Shiffrin-  Multi-Store Model which consists of three parts sensory, short term and long term stores. Rehearsal is required in order for information to move across stores and retrieval is needed to access the information. If information is not rehearsed it will decay.  Description of the working memory model, plus evaluation inc. research Baddeley Hitch-  Working Memory Model which consists of three parts central executive, phonological loop (store and articulatory control system) and the central executive. Memory in the real world  Knowledge of what Eye Witness Testimony (EWT) is-  The evidence provided in court by a person who witnessed a crime, with a view to identifying the perpetrator of the crime. The accuracy of eyewitness recall may be affected during initial encoding, subsequent storage and eventual retrieval.  Loftus Palmers (1974) study on EWT-  Reconstruction of an Automobile Disaster. 9 student PPs per 5 conditions (bumped, contacted, hit, smashed and collided). All watched a video then asked to estimate speed. Smashed the highest (40.8mph) and contacted the lowest (31.8mph). PPs in second part of experiment then asked a leading question about broken glass. 16/50 of the smashed condition PPs said yes in comparison to 7/50 in the hit condition. Knowledge of the factors which affect the accuracy of EWT  anxiety-  Christianson and Hubinette (1993)  Anxiety and EWT real incidents involving high levels of stress lead to more accurate, detailed and long lasting memories.  Deffenbucher (2004)  Carried out a meta-analysis of 18 studies, looking at the effects if heightened anxiety on accuracy of EWR. It was clear that there was considerable support for the hypothesis that high levels of stress negatively impacted on the accuracy of EWM. Age-  Parker and Carranza (1989)  Compared the ability of primary school children and college students to correctly identify a target individual following a slide sequence of a mock crime. In the photo identification task, child witnesses has higher rate of choosing somebody than adults witnesses, although they were also more likely to make errors of identification than college students.  Weapon focus effect-  Loftus(1987)  In violent crimes, arousal may focus attention on central details e.g. a weapon. Loftus et al identified weapons focus effect. 2 conditions, one involving weapon the other not. Condition 1 (less violent) people was 49% accurate in identifying man. Condition 2 (more violent) people were 33% accurate. Suggests weapon may have distracted them.

Explaining The Iraqi Invasion Of Kuwait Politics Essay

Explaining The Iraqi Invasion Of Kuwait Politics Essay Baram (1994) explains that Iraqs claim to invade Kuwait is based on the argumentation that Kuwait was a district governed by Basra under Ottoman rule and, thus, Iraqi leaders have seen it as historically belonging to Iraq (p.5). Baram goes on to explain that this claim is wrong because Kuwait has long before been under autonomous rule by the Sabah family. Furthermore, she states that Iraqs aspiration to bring Kuwait under its control is partly due to Iraqs need to strengthen and stabilize its regimes legitimacy by uniting the different religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq under Iraqi patriotism (p.5). Iraq opposed the British-drawn borderline between Iraq and Kuwait because it left Iraq with only a short Gulf coastline and gave Kuwait control over the entrance and exit of Iraqs only port (p.6). Even though Iraq accepted Kuwait as a sovereign state in 1963, it did not accept the exact borderline. Iraq was supported by the Soviet Union and because the latter would not support an ann exation of Kuwait by Iraq, Iraq did not act earlier (p.6). Moreover, Iraq received aid from Kuwait during the Iran-Iraq war. Following this war, due to bad economic policies, Iraqi economy stagnated and as a result, Iraq could not demobilize its army which amounted to over 1 million at the end of the 1980s. The reason for this was that Saddam could not risk a high number of unemployed men which might result in social unrest (p.7). However, in order to keep such a high number of soldiers in the standing army, Saddam needed a good reason. Therefore, he started to revitalise the American and Zionist enemy (p.7). Iraq kept on spending on military expenditures which had the intention to turn Iraq into the Gulfs hegemonic power as Iraqs weapons could be used against Israeli offenses which, additionally, would make Iraq the Arabs protector (p.7). The downfall of the Soviet Union was disastrous for Iraq as it lost its biggest supporter in the face of the US. Furthermore, Iraq was alarmed by the Eastern European democratic revolutions bringing the totalitarian regimes down which were equally designed as Saddams Iraq (p.7). Another reason for Iraqi worries in the late 1980s was Iraqs failure to force the Syrian army to leave Lebanon and which was tolerated by the US and other Arab states (p.9). This became, according to Baram, an example for Iraq which saw the possibility to invade Kuwait and which then would be treated by external players like the Lebanon case (ibid.). After the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq invoked the Kuwait crisis two years later by bringing up several issues, such as the border dispute with Kuwait, the Israeli-Palestinian problem, Americas presence in the Gulf, the issue of oil production quotas and Iraqs demand for financial aid (p.9). In order to solve all these issues, Iraq increasingly started to see an invasion of Kuwait as the best solution (ibid.). In 1990, Iraq for the first time publicly offered to take up the role of the Soviet Union as protector for the Arabs (p.10). Additionally, Iraq started to threat Israel in case it would attack any Arab state. These manoeuvres had the purpose to avert the public from increasing economic hardship, as well as the happenings in Eastern Europe and the regimes failure in the Lebanon case (p.11). Iraqs increasing public threats and announcements opened up the danger of Saddam being sucked into a war by his own rhetoric (p.14). Furthermore, this approach showed that Iraq was more and more diverting from a path of domestic policies to external ones in order to solve Iraqs problems (ibid.). Saddam by including the Israeli-Palestinian rhetoric and pan-Arab security, diverted the Arab world with Libya, the PLO, and Jordan being its closes supporters, but also Egypts Mubarak in the beginning supported Iraqs approach towards Arab security by believing in Iraqs good intentions (p.16). After receiving support from at least a fraction of the Arab states for its Arab security approach, Iraq started to accuse Kuwait of stealing oil from Iraq and thus, two strategically important islands in the Gulf should be given to Iraq (ibid.). Iraqi-Kuwait relations further deteriorated when oil prices fell and the OPEC quota was not fully supported by Kuwait (p.17). This in turn led to Iraq starting to mobilise troops and station them at the Kuwaiti border. Iraq shifted its demands whenever it fitted best from economic reasons to territorial claims (p.19). Egypts Mubarak in this period publicly proclaimed that Saddam promised to him that he would not attack Kuwait. The USAs reaction to the build up of the crisis was to send their ambassador Glaspie to talk to Saddam. The ambassador misjudged the situation which had the outcome that diverting and ambiguous signals were sent to Saddam and Washington (p.20). Glaspie did not put pressure on Iraq, instead she followed the approach to ally with it and improve US-Iraq relations (p.20). Glaspie, being in line with the State Departments pos ition, told Saddam that the US does not interfere in inter-Arab affairs such as the Iraq-Kuwait border dispute (ibid.). Seen in this context, the American diplomatic approach was not helpful because it sent the wrong signal to Saddam, namely that America would not use force in inter-Arab disputes (ibid.). Furthermore, in July 1990, the State Department spokesperson announced that the US has no special defence or security commitments to Kuwait (p.21). This made Saddam believe that he could invade Kuwait without US involvement and that it would not make a difference if he took only parts or the entire area of Kuwait (p.21). Taking this risk of invading all of Kuwait was based on the assumption to solve the economic problems of Iraq and to put Iraq into a power position in the Arab region and by doing so mobilise domestic support (p.25). A further explanation of why Iraq invaded all of Kuwait was, according to Baram, Saddams personality treats. Advisors could not interfere in any decis ions already made by Saddam because of his personality. He saw himself as invincible warrior and empire-builder (p.26). Barams text about the reasons of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is very comprehensive and comprehensible and it looks at the issue in detail and from different perspectives. What was especially interesting was the detailed description of the US diplomatic approach and how a misjudgement can lead to such far-reaching outcomes. Furthermore, Barams text looks in detail at Saddam as leader and how his decisions were very logical and calculating even though they were based on false assumptions and miscalculations. Therefore, Barams text shows that Saddam did not in any way act irrationally or injudiciously. However, it could be looked at in more detail in how far Saddam became able to act in this way after the fall of the Soviet Union, its main supporter. Baram mentions that the Soviet Union would not support an invasion of Kuwait, but she does not go into more detail concerning the timing of the invasion of Kuwait and the downfall of the Soviet Union. I think the question could have been e xplored in more detail in how far that was also a part of the reason for Saddams invasion at that time or Saddams possibility for invasion since the Soviet Union no longer kept Iraq from invasion. Mark Heller (1994) discusses Iraqs army power and Western perception of the strengths of the Iraqi army. His claim is that the Gulf war was a result of Western misperception of Iraqs army strength and capabilities (p.37). According to him, a Western threat to use military force would have been enough in 1990 after the invasion to persuade Saddam to leave, however, the debate in the Western public undercut this option and made it impossible (ibid.). It was argued that a war with Iraq would result in high numbers of casualties and thus, the message that was send to Saddam was that a military US intervention was very unlikely and withdrawal was not necessary (ibid.). Heller argues that the debate about Iraqi army strength completely ignored the armys performances in the past, which had not been able to perform well in wars against foreign powers even if its weapons were plenty and effective (p.38). The reason for this is that due to Iraqs regime type, it had to give more priority to the preservation of the regime than to the military (p.47). This is due to the fragmentation of the Iraqi population and the lack of legitimacy as well as national identity which makes the regime vulnerable and the army less effective (ibid.). For this reason, Saddam had acquired weapons which could be operated by a highly centralised small elite of soldiers in order not to have to rely on the rest of the army which was rather ineffective (p.48). Heller argues that a war might have not been prevented but at least American response could have been more effective diplomacy-wise if the military capabilities of Iraq had not been overestimated by the public (p.38). Thus, Iraq would have withdrawn if the diplomatic messages and pressure would have been more evident. This article shows a very interesting view point which is not taken up by most other texts which deal with the topic. It shows a completely different angle by looking at US diplomatic shortcomings and where these were rooted in. Even though this article is rather short and more detailed evidence should be given about the public debate in the West, this article tries to give a plausible explanation for US behaviour and why the US did not put more diplomatic pressure on Iraq. However, a little flaw that occurs to me in this text is that even tough the military strength of the standing army overall were more limited, the weapons that could be used by a small elitist group could still be as disastrous concerning casualties as a high number of soldiers. Therefore, in my opinion the argument that the public overestimated the military capabilities loses a little bit of its ground. Nevertheless, the end argument still works because Saddam could have been deterred if the US had used more dipl omatic pressure but this was halted due to public discourse. Clawson (1994) discusses Iraqs economic situation prior to the war and the effects of economic sanctions on Iraq. Clawson establishes that Iraq has all the good preconditions for a well-working economy and a prosperous population. This includes that Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world, Iraq has vast and rich agricultural areas and a, to a certain extent, well-trained manpower is available; nevertheless, Iraq has economic problems and the people liver under economic hardship (p.69). According to Clawson, the Iraqi economy has a lot of potential; however, successive Iraqi regimes have put ideology before economic stability and the well-being of the Iraqi population (ibid.). Due to damaging policies, especially the oil and the agricultural sector have been harmed (ibid.). Iraq pursued a confrontational policy towards the oil industry by making claims to Kuwaiti oil fields and it did not pursue closer relations with other oil states as well as developed countries in ord er to profit from efficient technology for oil production. Furthermore, the Baath party completely controlled the economy which halted economic growth (p.70). The government, especially under Saddam, wasted its resources for large-scale projects and investments which did not serve any useful purpose for economic growth. Clawson attributes this to Saddams Nebuchadnezzar complex which means that Saddam wants to build glorious buildings in order to underline his magnificence as a leader (ibid.). In the time prior to the war, Iraq claimed that its financial situation leads it to take action. Iraq, furthermore, claimed that Kuwait is to be blamed for part of its economic situation, which was used in order to distract the Iraqi public from the fact that it was Saddams disastrous economic policies which are responsible for the peoples hardship (p.71). According to Clawson, Iraqs economic situation in 1990 was actually better than it had been the years 1986 to 1989, which could be seen in I raqs ability to repay more debts in 1990 (ibid.). Therefore, Iraqs economic problems are long-term and not due to an allegedly short-term crisis with Kuwait. Saddam was unwilling to cut back on his grand projects for his own glorification and thus, was unable to meet the peoples expectation that after the Iran-Iraq war the economic situation of the population would improve (p.72). Saddams quest for more and more grand projects could only be continued if more money would flow in. At the same time, the argument that many economically important sites have been irreversibly destroyed during the Iran-Iraq war is also not true (p.77). Rather the damage was minor or at least easily reparable and not all economically important places have been destroyed if they were not associated with military sites (ibid.). Therefore, the main obstacle to economic growth for Iraq is Saddams anti-growth policies and the claim that Kuwait is responsible for it or that Iraq would recover with more money floa ting in is wrong. Clawsons article gives a good insight into Iraqs economic situation prior to the war and what the reasons for Iraqs miserable economic situation are. The article invalidates the claim that Iraqs invasion can be justified by short-term economic problems. Rather it is the regimes attempt to divert the attention from its own bad economic policies. Even though this article shows a different perspective on the underlying problems of Iraqs bad economic situation and it does invalidate the claim that Kuwait is in any way involved in Iraqs financial problems, this does not give a satisfactorily explanation why Iraq acted as it did towards Kuwait. The author indeed states that Saddam wanted to disguise the fact that it is his long-term policies that are damaging the economy. However, Saddam could have done that by different means. Therefore, this article should be treated as a one-sighted argument in the context of other arguments. Otherwise, the question could arise why Saddam did not simply spend a little more fraction of the money on the population in order to avoid unrests in the future, or why Saddam did not try to get closer to other states, Western and Arab, in order to receive more aid etc? Thus, overall the articles gives an interesting insight in the domestic economic situation of Iraq but it falls short of giving a complete and satisfactory explanation on why Iraq invaded Kuwait and why not another state or why it did not use other tools to counteract to the economic problems. Halliday (1994) does not approach the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in terms of the reasons for Iraqs decision; rather he describes the invasion and its impact on International Relations theories. Halliday states that the Gulf war in 1990 was one of the most significant international crises of the post-1945 epoch (p.109). Not only was a very high number of soldiers involved but also a high number of international diplomats and diplomacy attempts from various countries. According to Halliday, not enough attention was given to historical events. According to him, the crisis began with the death of Khomeini in 1989 (p.115). Saddam was not able to gain any influence in Iran because it remained stable after the death and therefore, Iraq turned to Kuwait (ibid.). Moreover, Halliday states that the ideology of the Baath party was not taken into account and thus, the outcome was wrongly predicted. Baathism represents the ideal for an Arab nation, a glorification of war and the strong man who figh ts for the Arab nation (p.115). Furthermore, the reason why all the diplomatic efforts that were actually undertaken failed was that Saddam believed that the US would not intervene militarily (p.116). Additionally, Saddam was only expecting sanctions which would have not meant an irreconcilable for him and Iraq (ibid.). According to Halliday, realists see the Gulf war as an interstate-conflict. For transnationalists the economic dimension was most important and the preservation of economic, i.e. oil, interests on all sides (p.120). For Marxists and structuralists, in turn, the war was one of a dominant and a subordinated power and which was justified by Western materialist interests, i.e. oil and which reinforced hegemonic power in the Middle East (ibid.). However, all these theories fail to explain the entirety of the Gulf war. Realists cannot properly explain why Iraq invaded all of Kuwait if it was not seen as one of the biggest miscalculation and misjudgements by Saddam (p.120). Furthermore, Iraqs references to pan-Arabism and Islamic issues cannot be properly explained by realist theory. Transnationalism, in turn, do not have a satisfactorily explanation for the UNs decision outcome which was not based on mutual decisions by various states but rather it was based solely on US ideas (ibid.). Furthermore, Marxists and structuralists theory is not completely applicable either because if the war was of imperial nature then this would mean that Iraq has to display a more progressive level of development in the international arena, which is not the case due to Iraqs Baathist ideology and its brutal regime among other reasons (p.120). As a reason Halliday concludes that such an event as the Gulf war in 1990 means that theoretical approaches have to be revised and thought through again more thoroughly (p.129). However, this does not mean that the existing theories have to be overthrown altogether, rather the war tested the limits of these theories and accordingly they have to be amended and adjusted. Even though this article does not contribute to the answering of the above stated question, it does give an interesting insight into the studies of IR and the reactions of theorists from different strands to this political event. Furthermore, it shows how such an event as the Gulf war can lead to a revision even if of limited degree of the existing theories. The summary of the article above is only a small extract of Hallidays text but it still shows the impact of political events on the studies of IR. The text is well-written and comprehensible, however, one question arises for me and that is how an outcome due to misconceptions and a rational intention are mutually exclusive as stated by Halliday in the context of realist assumptions? Saddam could have had intentions based on rational thinking; however, these rational ideas could have been based on misjudgements. Even tough this point is not clear to me, the overall message of the article, namely that the war presented new realitie s and facts which cannot be satisfactorily explained by existing theories and, therefore, a revision and partial reconsideration has to take place, is still an important conclusion. This shows that IR theories cannot be rigid and that constant improvement is important if they want to be able to explain and discuss political events in a future international arena.

picturing society :: essays research papers

In the article, Family Photograph Appreciation, Richard Chalfen discusses a teenage view of the relation between family snapshots and home videos. He first explains the value of personal photos using an example of natural or humanly coerced disasters and the mourning of visual traces of the past, or in other words, photographs. Family photographs are a very important aspect of peoples lives and without them we may never remember our past. By looking at snapshots, slides, home movies, etc, we stimulate our memory of important dates and events. He asks many questions about memory and video verses photography which will be discussed with teens he has interviewed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chalfen has structured an exploratory project that asked a small sample of thirty teenagers, living in the Cambridge/Boston areas of Massachusetts to evaluate the relative merits of using still photography and/or videography as a preferred medium of family photography. (Richard Chalfen) He conducted the interviews with two teens at a time while having a meal in a small restaurant. He was interested in their opinions on comparing photography and videography, which came out to be very interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The teens explained to him about the effects of video tapes and how they were a way of â€Å"being there† all over again. Some of them felt it was more realistic than flipping through a picture album. Here we will introduce a few more of the theories made by teens during their interviews. Videotapes seem to supply the viewer with more information and makes it easy to remember. You get sound and movement to enhance the overall effect which brings you to see the whole experience. In many interviews the teens did not feel that videos were the best way to go. By looking at photographs it set off a whole lot of memories, not just what happened play by play like a home video. By looking at photographs you can use your imagination and over the years the stories from one picture will grow and change. You don’t have to think when you watch videos but by looking at photographs you search your memory for the details. One girl explained that she can look at photos over and over but watching a video will get boring after a few times. Perhaps we can conclude from this that there is a higher liking of still photographs over videography by most teens. They seem to be willing to put some work into collecting this important information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To explain the difference, Chalfen discusses some examples, such as the two acting as memory aids in their own significant way.

Zeus Obstacle :: essays research papers

One of the greatest goddesses who lived atop mount Olympus was the goddess Athena. Athena was known as being the goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, and industry, Furthermore; she aided many desperate warriors on their journeys, and for this she is considered very just. With all of her contributions to the race of man such as the olive, the ability to tame the horse, and her creation of the potters wheel, she was greatly admired by humans. Athena was a very thoughtful and intelligent goddess, very rarely did she become angered, and more often thought of a solution, which was beneficial rather than vengeful. She was also one of the three virgin goddesses; she withheld her appetite for love and kept her chastity. With many sources of evidence, it is clear that Athena was one of the greatest of all gods and goddesses, her intellect, moral values, and great gifts to humanity put her atop any other goddess in respect to popularity in Greek culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Athena had one of the strangest births of any of the gods. Out of the many gods and goddesses, who lived atop mount Olympus, Zeus reigned above them all. He was the most powerful and strongest of all the gods and goddesses, even if you combined all of their attributes together, they still were no match for Zeus and his dominance, It is no surprise that a god this great should need no woman to bear offspring at the level of the gods. Zeus was told by mother earth and father sky that him, and his wife metis would bare children, which would jeopardize his position as ruler of everything. With this foretold conclusion, Zeus decided to swallow Metis who was about to give birth, and in so gaining her intelligence and wisdom. It is said however, that the result of metis being eaten were Zeus' tremendous headaches. Hephaestus had the solution to these headaches, an axe, the result of the axe and Zeus' skull was that Athena sprang out, fully-grown and Armored. Athena had b een given a numerous amount of traits from her mother, more over; the main qualities were wisdom and justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because of her passion for war and battle, Athena was the protector of those who were brave and valorous. One of the many stories, which include a warrior receiving help from Athena, was Perseus. In his quest to kill the gorgon medusa, Athena gave Perseus his most helpful tool, a great shield in which he could view the reflection of the monster (anyone who looked directly into her gaze would be turned to stone).

Comparison of Themes: Exercise of Free Will Essay

The stories of Odyssey and Alchemist were brought into existence in two different periods of time and place; however, there are significant similarities that could be seen from the stories, in which one of these is the expression of the free will of the two main characters. In the story, both Odysseus and Alchemist were placed in a difficult situation that compelled them to act based on their philosophical view that guided them through the course of their journey. Free will produces determination. The best expression of free will is being unwavering in his decision. In the stories, Odysseus and Santiago went into a journey for the dream they most desired to achieve. At first, Odysseus had to be deceptive not to reveal his true identity in order to restore his kingdom and family; while Santiago had to experience being swindled during his journey to get his treasure. Free will is a manifestation of beliefs. The strategies made by the two characters are contradicting in views yet revealing their true conviction. As a warrior himself, Odysseus knew a lot of tactics to oust his enemy; thus, by hiding his identity, he was able to overthrow the suitors in the palace. While Santiago passively accepted his ordeal for he knows in that way, he could get what he desired most. Free will molds characters. The best decision is in most cases undergoes difficult process that molds character. Odysseus and Santiago had learned patience and courage, which brought them success in their endeavor. Indeed, the most desirable means to get something in life is exercising free will that manifests true self and conviction. However, the result may be desirable or undesirable but all depends on one’s philosophy in life. Decision making therefore requires careful planning founded on one’s belief and value system. Reference The Alchemist Summary/Plot Review. LitSum. http://litsum. com/alchemist/ The Odyssey: Themes, Motifs and Symbol. SparkNotes. http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/odyssey/themes. html

Relationship Between Child Abuse and Delinquency

A child is an innocent figure only looking for love and care from those around them. No one can ever imagine that the lives of children are put in danger everyday. Child abuse is commonly known for physical marks such as bruises or broken bones. It is obvious that some marks are not from falling off a bike and those are the signs that appear that something is wrong with the child. According to the Florida Statue, abuse means any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental, or sexual injury or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child’s physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired.Abuse of a child includes acts or omissions. Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or legal custodian for disciplinary purposes does not in itself constitute abuse when it does not result in harm to the child. [s. 39. 01(2),F. S. ]. However, there are several types of abuse. Emotional abuse and neglect can also mean making a child feel worthless , not paying attention to them, and putting them in dangerous situations. Whether it is physical or not child abuse is never an answer to a situation because the end result will only cause harm.Some often wonder about child delinquents and the reason behind their actions. Children’s behavior can be the result of genetic, social, and environmental factors. In addition, it can relate to their emotional, cognitive, and physical characteristics. In this particular topic it is a factor as to why children become a delinquent. Some may debate that it is not a result of child abuse that children’s behavior become corrupt but there are behaviors that mirror what the child is going through in their life. I. Prevalence Once a child has been abused there are several outcomes for them as they grow up.With that outcome creates a strong relationship between child abuse and later delinquency. Being abused at a young age increases the occurrence of a child to become delinquent and resu lts in being arrested. Researchers found that the prevalence of child abuse was a risk factor for delinquency, violent delinquency, and moderate delinquency. It was seen frequently in a more serious form of delinquency in dealing with assaults but not in lesser forms of delinquency such as underage drinking (Cross, 2003). On the other side of this issue some people believe that being abused as a child does not ecessarily mean that the child will become a delinquent. Abuse alone does not lead to an act of violence. It would seem that something peculiar about certain kinds of abuse would promote delinquency or that additional factors interact with abuse and together it will contribute to the development of antisocial, often aggressive behavior. Although about 20 percent of abused children go on to become delinquent, retrospective studies indicate that surprisingly high percentages of delinquents were previously abused, neglected, or both.The United States Department of Health and Huma n Services has estimated that approximately 3. 4 children per 1,000 per year are physically abused. These proportions provide some measure with which to compare the prevalence of a history of abuse in delinquents (Cicchetti, 2001). II. Effects on Children There are several effects on children involved in child abuse. These effects are so strong that a child may never be able to deal and cope with what they have experienced. Effects may range from having trouble in relationships with others to not being able to function in a work setting.For children as young as twelve months old there are immediate effects of child abuse such as injuries resulting from shaking. Physical child abuse can vary from child to child depending on six factors: severity of the physical abuse, frequency of the abuse, age of the child when physical abuse begun, child’s relationship to the abuser, availability of support from people, and child’s ability to cope (Pipe, 2008). How hard a child is st ruck is only one aspect of severity. The object in which the child is struck with can also be a factor.It does not mean that a fist or an open hand will cause less effects but, the measure of damaged done to the child can make a big difference in how the child will cope. It only takes one punch, one slap, or one broken bone to lead to a severe trauma and the more a child is abused on a regular basis the more effects will be placed on the child. If a child is being abused at a young age it will leave more of an impact on them. It will also show a bigger impression as they continue to age. As for the abuser, it is usually someone the child knows and has a close relationship with such as a parent.When being close to the abuser it makes it harder for the child to betray their trust in telling others what is occurring. A child may even fear the abuser and is force to keep quiet so they will not face harsher punishments. Instead of having that person take care of them they are hurting the child. Sometimes a child has one person or friend who they can turn to when they feel lost or confused about what is happening to them but, when there is no one to lean on they may encounter feelings of abandonment which then adds on to more effects of abuse.Coping strategies can also be a form of effects for children. An abused child may be the class clown in class where they use their humor to cover up their sufferings. Some other effects include lack of trust and relationship difficulties. Being abused by the one person who should be the first person to trust is putting a child in a position that no one is safe. By breaking that bond and trust with a child it will forever make it difficult for them to have a relationship with anyone.They may never understand what a good relationship consists of since all they know is how to be abusive and controlling over another person. Another effect on children is feeling worthless. Some believe that name calling should not leave a mark on a person but for young children not knowing any better or understanding the concept of what is being done to them can make them truly believe whatever is being said to them. They will believe that they are not smart or pretty and grow up thinking that they are damaged and are good for nothing.Lastly, abused children tend to have problems expressing their feelings and regulating their emotions. Some children keep quiet to themselves and hold all their emotions inside while others may lash out unexpectedly causing them to become aggressive and harming others. If these emotions are not dealt with right away it will carry on to their adulthood where they will struggle with issues such as anger and depression which then can lead to drugs and alcohol. The effects of abuse can continue on in a variety of ways but this is only a handful of effects that can occur. III.Role of Professional Social Worker in addressing the issue A social worker, whether protective or one who has other job functio ns, is considered to be a professional (Popple and Leighninger, 2007). A professional is one who possesses the following: a systematic body of knowledge, authority because of his or her expertise, sanction from the community, a code of ethics, a professional culture, and an obligation to professionalism or to perform competently (Crowsson-Tower, 2010). As for child abuse, a social worker must know and understand what is going on in the home of an abusive child.He or she will need to have the knowledge of how to work with the family and what they do and do not like. Being in this field of work a social worker will have the role of working with different systems such as the community and the government. They will need to be aware of what will always be best for the client even if it results in removing a child from the home. A child may not understand why they are being taken away from their home but the social worker will have to trust their instincts of how to handle the situation.A social worker will always have the authority from their agency to take and place children into the foster care system. From knowledge, authority, and community sanctions social workers are able and are mandated to report any situation they feel should be reported. By committing these acts, a social worker is following the code of ethics as well as a professional mannerism. In addition, social workers and administrators may hold divergent views on the needs of the clients within the context of overall agency responsibilities.Thus, there is a culture of related professionals who, despite similarities, are often quite different in their views and opinions (Crosson-Tower, 2010). Other roles a profession social worker must carry is having ethical competence. There are many diverse clients who social workers will come across and will need to be able to relate to their client’s values, language, history, traditions, and basic ways to accommodate the needs of the minority clients. F urthermore, when having clients that are young like children, social workers will need to know personal qualities such as showing warmth and sensitivity.These qualities are crucial in this role as many children who have been abused do not understand how it feels to be nurtured. A social worker may not get carried away with their sensitive side as it is also their responsibility to provide structure and allocate the duties of the child’s case. IV. Intervention Techniques Once a child has been abused and a social worker has been informed everything becomes intensified when dealing with the family. An intervention process is then put into work where techniques are brought into the scene so no harm is done and no one will remain upset.Effective intervention that is, to intervene so as to cause the least damage and prove the most helpful with culturally diverse populations necessitates several areas of expertise on the part of the worker and agency (Fontes, 2008; Leigh, 1998; Roth man, 2007). If there is a city with a high culture of Hispanics, it is a good technique to have many case workers who are fluent in Spanish. Creating intervention techniques may be easy or difficult depending on the family. However, one main technique that is proven to be helpful is identifying the strengths of the family.Before they know what they have done is wrong it is easier to develop a bond with them by assuring them that they can trust you as their social worker. As this trust is gained it is merely one step at a time and one problem at a time for the family. The social worker will then help the family choose their goals and how to go about accomplishing them. In this particular circumstance in child abuse there are a lot of resources that must be used during the intervention stage. A family will need to focus on treatment of an abusive parent, legal issues, employment, parenting skills, and any other services needed for the intervention.Removing a child from the home may be best at this point since signs of abuse are obvious but it may also be a benefit for the parent where they are able to relieve any tension and focus on themselves. Techniques that are commonly used in intervention also consist of self-disclosure, instilling hope, working through resistance, and use of a sense of humor. Demonstrating similar stories on how people overcome problems in the same situation will help the client realize that they are not the only ones who have been put in their situation and it is possible for them to make a turnaround.Instilling hope gives the client the strength and confidence in themselves and the ability to become a better person. There may be some parents who refuse to work through treatment but social workers should not take this as an offense as it may be that the parents have always been passive. The social worker will then have to work with the parents in trying to get to them to open up. Lastly, by demonstrating a sense of humor with laughter gi ves off a comfort to the client. V. Implications for PracticeAs the saying goes, practice makes perfect however, in this profession one can never receive enough practice. Working with others is a big responsibility where the life of someone such as children is placed in your hands to protect. The most evident ways to practice for this career is to take as many courses as possible to prepare you for any and every situation possible. Never assume to work with only one client population as there are a various ethnicities. One must be able to work with diverse populations and be able to research on cultures if it is not known.Some other suggestions for practice are to role play with others who are involved with working in the same field. Being put in a position is the experience that all future social workers need whether they are the client or the case worker. Researching on cases and learning the concepts behind the meaning of why and how protocols are used can be an immense amount of help. Volunteering as well will give the experience a person will need to work in this field. It is better to find out early on that this is a career one wants then to be stressed over why they chose to do it.Shadowing workers can also give good practice on what to do and what not to do when working with clients. In the end, once you are placed in the field and are working with others, a social worker will grasp the concept and procedures of how to handle each case. As long as the passion is there to do what it best for the client the social worker will always be doing their job. References Chapter 39, Florida Statues and excerpts from the Florida rules of juvenile procedure. (2005). Tallahassee: Florida Cicchetti, D. (2001).Child maltreatment: theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect. New York: New York Cross, Theodore P. , Wendy A. Walsh,  Monique Simone,  Lisa M. Jones, â€Å"Prosecution of Child Abuse: A Meta-Analysis of Rates of Crimin al Justice Decisions,† Trauma, Violence, & Abuse: A Review Journal. Volume 4 (October 2003): pages 323-340. Crosson-Tower, C. (2010). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (8th ed. ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Fontes, L. A. (2008). Child Abuse and Culture. New York: Guilford. Leigh, J. W. (1998). Communicating for Cultural Competence.Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Pipe, Margaret-Ellen, Yael Orbach, Michael Lamb, Craig B. Abbott, Heather Stewart, Do Best Practice Interviews with Child Abuse Victims Influence Case Processing? (pdf, 123 pages), Washington, D. C. , National Institute of Justice, U. S. Department of Justice, NCJ 224524, November 2008. Popple, P. R. , and Leighninger, I. (2007). Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Rothman. J. C. (2007). Cultural Competence in Process and Practice: Building Bridges. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson

American Indians Today Essay Example for Free

American Indians Today Essay The Native Americans were the primary citizens of America long before white men set on foot in the area. When the Europeans conquered the American soil, an estimated 10 million Indians composed the Population of America. It is situated at the north of the country, present-day Mexico. According to history scholars, the Native Americans were believed to settle in the country approximately 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. (nativeamericans) The Native Americans were able to get into the country through the land-bridge situated from the northeastern Siberia into Alaska. The primary Indian cultures in North America is classified into Sandia, discovered in 15000 BC, Clovis in 12000 BC and Folsom in 8000 BC. The identification of the Native Americans should not be misguidedly understood as the Indians of Asia since the term was coined by Christopher Columbus when he mistakenly believe the Native Americans as part of the islands of America as part of the Indies in Asia. (nativeamericans) When the Europeans arrived in the country, the Native Americans welcomed them graciously and considered it a marvel to see white men. Considering also the technologies the European brought, the Native Americans were impressed with their conquering guests. However, as the Europeans started to degrade the forests inhabited by the Native Americans, the Native Americans realized the real intention of the Europeans that has consequently disturbed the balance in their nature. Aside from the natural resources employed by the European conquerors, even the Native Americans were seen as a commodity for manpower and labor. (Berkhofers) The Native Americans began to attribute the Europeans into soulless creatures that were in their territory to destruct their natural environment. Not only did the Europeans abuse the environment, they also brought diseases that were infectious to the Native Americans. This eventually led to several uprising of the Native Indians. (Berkhofers)The Europeans were accustomed to conquests, so the Native Americans responded against the Indian Wars and the Indian Removal Act which enabled the Europeans to have ownership of the country. It was a great disadvantage for the Native Americans because of their number, lack of weapons and unwillingness to cooperate even at their own expense. In a final blow against the Native Americans, U. S cavalrymen massacred Indian warriors, women and children in 1890. (â€Å"Native America: Portrait of the People†; Thomas) For many years, many have believed that the Native Americans are extinct cultures. That is why many American Indians are advocating their right to be known as a culture which fought hard and survived whatever they have experienced in their own native land. Many American Indians are still trying to establish their own identity in a country that has become to be white men populated. American Indians Today. (2017, May 29).

Covenant of the Old Testament Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Covenant of the Old Testament - Research Paper Example Meaning of Covenant Covenant is considered as an agreement taking place between two people as a method to relate with the God. The term ‘covenant’ has been derived from Hebrew roots which refers the action ‘to cut’. With concern to the meaning of covenant as specified in the Holy Bible’s Old Testament, it has often been categorised as the most significant term defining the relationship between God and His people. In a Biblical sense, a covenant means much more than a contract or a mere concurrence taking place between two parties. The term ‘covenant’, in the Old Testament, offers an additional insight to the meaning of God’s expectation from humans. The act of covenant, in particular tends to demonstrate the tradition, where two people with agreement attempted to pass through the cut bodies of assassinated animals as a method to get closer to the divine soul. However, other acts of covenant were learnt to have possibly taken place in terms of circumcision and also by sprinkling animal blood on the people engaged in the agreement. Such a ceremony escorted the making of the agreement in the Old Testament. ... However, it has been noted that He approves of entering into an agreement with the man who tends to be weak, sinful as well as flawed in order to direct them in the path of wisdom and peace (Schulten, â€Å"Legal Models For The Old Testament Covenants: An Issue of Contract or Real Property Law†). While entering into relationship with man, God was found to possess unilateral freedom. Therefore, He began, defined as well as confirmed each of the agreement not depending upon the human merits but completely according to His own elegance as well as clemency. Consequentially, the role of human beings has been to act as a recipient rather than acting as a contributor. People did not bargain, barter or dared to contradict with God. However, it was found that man beheld his power to decide upon whether to keep with the promises made to the God or to reject them; to obey Him or to transgress. Hence, stating precisely, God was completely accountable to look after covenantal security. The role of man was thus restricted to believe and obey (Weinfeld, â€Å"The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East†). There are nearly six covenants in the Old Testament. The Covenant with Adam It is worth mentioning that the first covenant enacted in the Garden of Eden was in agreement with Adam and Eve where the Holy Spirit explicitly directed them stating, â€Å"You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat it, you will surely die†. According to the description given in the Old Testament, Eve was the first sinner as she had contradicted the order of the Holy Spirit. Consequentially, when Adam followed the same path making a sin,