Engineering technology and sustainbility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Engineering technology and sustainbility - Essay Example It can be said that technological improvements are due to two reasons; one is the requirement or the necessity of such a product and the other reason is when an opportunity presents itself. It was by a natural process by which farmers around the world learned the methods of practising irrigation and also developed mechanisms to conserve the water which would be available at irregular periods during the year. (Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) Sometimes opportunities present itself like the case of a Chinese princess who accidentally dropped a silkworm cocoon into a cup of hot tea. The events that unfolded thereafter led to the production of silk. Another example is that of tin being discovered in Anatolia. This led to the beginning of the Bronze Age in the Middle East. (Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) The strategic locations of certain advanced civilizations with other developing civilizations was also a contributing factor since mutual exchange of ideas led to mo re technological advances taking place in both regions. Abbasid Empire which had its communication channels open through the Mediterranean Ocean and the Indus River valley had a robust growth in technology. In this scenario Papua and New Guinea who were one of the earliest civilizations to practise farming bananas never had any major technological advancement since it was cut off from major developing regions.( Duiker William & Spielvogel Jackson, 2010) Communication between different regions then manifested itself in many forms. Since man was always restless, the desire for mobility led him to discover the motor vehicle. This then further led to the development of the steam engine and finally the aeroplane. Source: www.eastgwillimburywow.blogspot.com This is not the only form how communication has kept changing. The advent of information technology which stands as the next best thing about the Scientific Revolution has brought about advanced computing methods which the revolutioniz ed the communication field. (Advancing Technology, 2005) Several patterns of thinking have brought about this change in information technology. Compared to the human the computer was capable of doing more work at a lower cost. The degree of accuracy obtained was of a higher quality compared to the same work done by the human hand. (Mahoney Michael et al, 1998) The time involved in such an exercise was also a small percentage of the time required to do it manually. Modern computing methods apart from offering the above advantages also increase the quality of life as a whole. Advanced computing has brought about a large degree of automation thus effectively reducing mishaps caused due to human negligence. Forecasting weather, information on the radar regarding approaching ships and banking transactions are some of the areas that information technology is playing a vital role. Source: U.S. Army Photo" Console of BRLESC-II computer, front view, from the archives of the ARL Technical Lib rary However technology has its share of criticisms. Primarily, it defines what a person should possess in order to be seen as successful in society. (Forman Paul, 2007) The answer which most would give are items that have an element of luxury like cars, television, electronic gadgets. This leads to man having materialistic leanings and unhealthy egos. Technology also tends to tamper with the laws governed by nature which produces a backlash in the natural

The Classification Of Outliers Psychology Essay

The Classification Of Outliers Psychology Essay The concern over the outliers is one of the challenge existed for at least several hundred years. Outliers are the observations those are apart from the bulk of data. Edgeworth (1887) wrote that discordant observations those appeared differently from other observations with which they are combined. Almost every data set has the outliers in different percentages. Grubbs (1969) said that an outlier is one that appears to deviate significantly from other values of data. Sometimes outliers may not be noticed but most of the times they can change the entire statistical data analysis. As Peter (1990) explored those observations which do not follow the pattern of the majority of the data are called outliers. At the earlier stage of the data analysis, summary statistics such as the sample mean and variance, outliers can cause totally different conclusion. For example a hypothesis may or may not be rejected due to outliers. In fitting regression line outliers can significantly change the slope. The detection of outliers before analyzing the data analysis is not done then it may lead to model misspecification, biased parameter estimation and incorrect results. It is therefore important to identify the outliers prior to proceed further for analysis and modeling. An observation (or subset of observations) that appears to be inconsistent with the rest of data set is called an outlier (Barnet1995). The exact definition of an outlier depends on the assumption regarding the data structure and the methods which are applied to detect the outliers. Outliers are observations that appear to be unusual with respect to the rest of the data. Classification of Outliers Outliers are classified into one of four classes. First, an outlier may arise from procedural error, such as a data entry error or a mistake in coding. These outliers should be identified in the data cleaning stage, but if overlooked, they should be eliminated or recorded as missing values. Second, an outlier is the observation that occurs as the result of an extraordinary event, which is an explanation for the uniqueness of the observation. In this case the researcher must decide whether the extraordinary event should be represented in the sample. If so, the outlier should be retained in the analysis; if not, it should be deleted. Third, outliers may represent extraordinary observations for which the researcher has no explanation. Although these are the outliers most likely to be omitted, they may be retained if the researcher feels they represent a valid segment of the population. Finally, outliers may be observations that fall within the ordinary range of values on each of the var iables but are unique in their combination of values across the variables. In these situations, the researcher should be very careful in analyzing why these observations are outliers. Only when specific evidence is available that discounts an outlier as a valid member of the population should it is deleted. Outliers may be real or ericaceous. Real outliers are observations whose actual values are very different from those observed for rest of the data and violate plausible relationships among variables. Erroneous outliers are observations those are distorted due to misreporting errors in the data-collection process. Data set either come from homogeneous groups or from heterogeneous groups, have different characteristics regarding a specific variable, outliers occurred by incorrect measurements including data entry errors or by coming from a different population than the rest of the data. If the measurements in correct, it represent a rare event. Outliers are often caused by human error, such as errors in data collection, recording, or entry. Data from an interview can be recorded incorrectly, upon data entry. Outliers may cause from intentional or motivated misreporting. Many times the outliers come when participants purposefully report incorrect data to experimenters or surveyors. A participant may make a conscious effort to sabotage the research or may be acting from other motives. Depending on the details of the research, one of two things can happen: inflation of all estimates, or production of outliers. If all subjects respond the same way, the distribution will shift upward, not generally causing outliers. However, if only a small sub sample of the group responds this way to the experimenter, or if multiple researchers conduct interviews, then outliers can be created. Another cause of outliers is sampling error. It is possible that a few members of a sample were inadvertently drawn from a different population than the rest of the sample. Outliers can be caused from standardization failure like the weak research methodology, unusual phenomena; faulty equipment is another common cause of outliers. By these causes data can be legitimately discarded if the researchers are not interested in studying the particular phenomenon in question. One type of data entry error is implausible or impossible values, for they make no sense when considering the expected range of the data. An out-of-range value is often easy to identify since it will most likely lie well outside the bulk of the data. Another common cause for the occurrence of outliers is the rare event. Extreme observations that for some correct reason are just fine, but do not fit within the typical range of other data values There are many possible sources of outliers. Firstly, purely deterministic reasons those include: reading or measurement error, recording error and execution error. Secondly, some reasons are pointed out by Beckman and cook (1983) they arrange the reasons of outliers into three broad categories. These are global model weaknesses, local model weaknesses and natural variability. When we replace the present model with a new are revised model for the entire sample. Measurement of response variables are in the wrong scale is called Global model weakness. Local model weaknesses are applied only on the outlying observations and not to the model as a whole. And Natural variability is the variation over the population rather than any weakness of the model. These reasons are uncontrollable and reflect the properties of distribution of a correct basic model describing the generation of the data. The outliers occurs due to entry error or a mistake in coding should be identified in the data cleaning stage, but if overlooked, they should be eliminated or recorded as missing values. 1.3 Problematic effects of outliers Outliers of either type may influence on the results of statistical analysis, so they should be identified by using some suitable and reliable detection methods prior to performing data analysis. When potential outlier(s) is encountered, the first suspicion may be that such observations resulted from a mistake or other extraneous effect, and should be discarded. However, if the outlier in real it may be contained some important information about the underlying population of real values. Non judicious removal of observation that appears to be outliers may results in underestimation of the uncertainty present in the data. In the presence of outliers, any statistical test based on sample means and variances can be distorted. There will be Bias or Distortion of estimates and it will give wrong results. The inflated sum of squares makes it unlikely and will partition sources of variation in the data into meaningful components. The decision point of a significance test, p-value, is also distorted. Statistical significance is changed due to presence of a few or even one unusual data value. The strong building of the statistical methods is based on weak legs of assumptions. Incorrect assumptions about the distribution of the data can also lead to the presence of suspected outliers. If the data may have a different structure than the researcher originally assumed, and long or short-term trends may affect the data in unanticipated ways. Depending upon the goal of the research, the extreme values may or may not represent an aspect of the inherent variability of the data. Outliers can represent a nuisance, error, or legitimate data. They can also be inspiration for inquiry. Before discarding outliers, researchers need to consider whether those data contain valuable information that may not necessarily relate to the intended study, but has importance in a more global sense. . The considerable effects of outliers are bias or distortion of Estimates, inflated sum of square and ended analysis of the entire data set at faulty conclusions. The key features of descriptive data analysis like the mean, variance and regression coefficient are highly affected by outliers. 1.4 Aspects of outlier There are two considerable aspects. The first aspect explains that, outliers have a negative effect on data analysis. Outliers generally cause to increase error variance and reduce the power of statistical tests. Outliers violate the assumption of normality. Outliers can seriously influence estimates. The second aspect of outliers in that they are correct, and they may be provides useful information about data set. It the outliers are most information points they should not be automatically discarded without justification. In this case the analyses perform the analysis both with and without these outliers, and examine their specific influence on the results. If this influence is minor, then it may not matter whether or not they are omitted. If their influence is substantial, then it is probably best to present the results of both analysis, and simply alert the researcher to the fact that these points may be questionable. The data set may contain outliers and influential observation. It is thus important for the data analyst to be able to identify such observation; if the data set contains a single outlier or influential observation then identification of such an observation in relatively simple. On the other hand, if the data set contain more than one outlier or influential observations the identification of such observation becomes more difficult. This is due to the marking and swamping effects. Masking occurs when an outlying subset goes undected because of the presence of adjacent subset of outliers. Swamping occurs when good observations are incorrectly identified as outliers because of the presence of other outliers. An outlier is the observation that occurs as the result of an extraordinary event. In this case the researcher must decide about that event. If it represents the sample then that outlier should be retained in the analysis. If that event should not represent the sample it should be deleted. Some time outliers may represent extraordinary observations but the researcher can not explain it. These types of the outlier may be omitted but sometime the may be retained if the researcher feels that they represent a valid segment of the population. Both the detection and the suitable treatment of outliers are therefore important. In the present scenario of modern sciences where the messy data sets are generated, potentially troublesome outlier detection method(s) should be researched and presented at one place The main feathers of such identify criteria is that imperative to correctly identify outliers amongst large masses of data, so that experts can be alerted to the possibility of trouble and investigate the matter in detail. Outliers can provide useful information about the process. An outlier can be created by a shift in the location (mean) or in the scale (variability) of the process. Though an observation in a particular sample might be a candidate as an outlier, the process might be shifted. Numbers of treatments are taken in order to deal with outlier(s) involved studies. Accommodation of outliers uses techniques to mitigate their harmful effects. One of its strength is that accommodation of outliers does not need to precede identification. These techniques can be used with prior information that outlier exist. One very effective way to work with data is to use nonparametric methods which are robust in the presence of outliers. Nonparametric statistical method fit into this type of analyses and should be more widely applied to continuous or interval data than their current use. Often the observed data set do not follow the any of the specified distribution then it is better to transform the data by applying appropriate transformation(s) so that data set could follow the specific distribution. Only as a last resort should outliers be deleted, and then only if they are found to be errors they can not be corrected or lie so far outside the range of the remainder of the data that they distort statistical inferences Our goal in this thesis is firstly to collect the outliers detection methods in univariate and bivariate/ multivariate studies followed the Gaussian and Non-Gaussian distributions and secondly to modify them accordingly. 1.5 Univariate Outliers In unvariate data sets, the study of outlier(s) is relatively simple but demands careful attention. Outliers are those values located distant from the bulk of the data and can often be revealed from simple plot of the data, such as scatter plot, stem-and-leaf plot, QQ-plot, etc. Sometimes univariate outliers are not easy to identify as would appear at first sight. Barnet and Lewis (1994) indicate that an outlying observation, or outlier, is one that appears differently and deviate markedly from other members of the sample, in which it occur. A common rule for outlier identification might be to calculate the sample mean and standard deviation, and classify all those points as outliers which are at 2 or 3 standard deviations away from the mean. It is an unfortunate reality that the presence of two or more outliers could leave some or most of the outliers invisible to this method. If there is one or more distant outlier and one or more not so distant outlier in the same direction, the more distant outlier(s) could significantly shift the mean in that direction, and also increase the standard deviation, to such an extent that the lesser outlier(s) falls less than 2 or 3 standard deviations from the sample mean, and goes undetected. This is called the masking eff ect, and results in this particular method and all related methods being unsuitable for use as outlier identification techniques. It is illustrated with an example, borrowed from Becker and Gather [1999]. Consider a data set of 20 observations taken from an N (0, 1) distribution: -2.21, -1.84, -0.95, -0.91, -0.36, -0.19, -0.11, -0.10, 0.18, 0.30, 0.31, 0.43, 0.51, 0.64, 0.67, 0.72, 1.22, 1.35, 8.1, 17.6, where the latter two observations were originally 0.81 and 1.76, but the decimal points were entered at the wrong place. It seems clear that these 2 observations should be labeled as outliers; let us apply the above method. The mean of this data set is 1.27 while the standard deviation is 4.35. Two standard deviations from the mean, towards the right, would be 9.97, while three standard deviations would be 14.32. Both criteria regard the point, 8.1, as expected with reasonable probability and do not consider it an outlier. Additionally, the three standard deviation boundary for detecting outliers seems rather extreme for an N (0, 1) dataset, surely a point would not have to be as large as 14.32 to be classified as an outlier. The masking effect occurs quite commonly in practice and we conclude that outlier methods based on classical statistics are unsuitable for general use, particularly in situations requiring non-visual techniques such as multivariate data. It is worth noting, however, that if instead of the sample mean and standard deviation, robust estimates of location and scale were used (such as the sample median, and median absolute deviation, MAD), both outliers would be detected without difficulty. 1.6 Multivariate Outliers Multivariate outliers are the challenges that do not occur with univariate data sets. For instance, visual methods simply do not work in case of multivariate case studies. Even plotting the data in bivariate form with a systematic rotation of coordinate pairs will not help. It is possible (and occurs frequently in practice) that points which are outliers in bivariate space, are not outliers in either of the two univariate subsets. Generalization to higher dimensions leads to the fact that a multivariate outlier does not have to be an outlier in any of its univariate or bivariate coordinates, at least not without some kind of transformation A successful method of identifying outliers in all multivariate situations would be ideal, but is unrealistic. By successful, we mean both highly sensitive, the ability to detect genuine outliers, and highly specific, the ability to not mistake regular points for outliers.

Entrepreneurship in the Brazilian offshoring industry Essay -- Brazil

Case 1: Entrepreneurship in the Brazilian offshoring industry Brazil is one of the nations included in BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). In the past, Brazil’s outsourcing industry has been the smallest of the four BRIC nations. This is very surprising due to the close proximity to the United States and the current trend of â€Å"near-shoring†. However, due to recent governmental backing and inflows of capital Brazil has begun to improve and could possibly overtake Russia, India and China in the offshoring industry. The most promising sector in Brazil is their IT sector. Capital Access Index 2009 Access to Capital Brazil is the fourth-best country in Latin America for access to capital for entrepreneurs. Much of this improvement can be seen from their significant advances in bond market development and alternative sources of capital[1]. At the end of 2008, local and foreign investors had committed $28 billion in venture and private equity capital to Brazilian companies. That's up from $6 billion in 2004, amounting to a hearty 50% compound annual growth rate over the last four years[2]. On June 25 2009, Brazilian stock exchange Bovespa hosted the world’s largest IPO, a $4.3 billion offering by Brazilian credit-card processor VisaNet. Conditions in Brazil have been improving steadily. The country has achieved macroeconomic stability and institutional maturity and is now undergoing broad and fast-paced expansion, driven by an increase in income and social ascension as well as an increasingly important position in international trade. As well, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will reach an a nnual record of US$60 billion in 2011[8]. Even though entrepreneurs are currently enjoying easy access to capital, it is a concern that co... ...et and Trade Profile, December 2011, Visit Britain. http://www.visitbritain.org/Images/Brazil_tcm29-14673.pdf [10]Nes, Egil, May 23, 2011, The Brazil Business. http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/trends-of-doing-business-in-brazil-in-2011 [11] Brazil Economic Outlook At A Glance, June 26, 2011, Finance N Investment.com. http://www.financeninvestments.com/economics/brazil-gdp-growth.html [12]Background Note: Brazil, November 30, 2011, U.S. Department of State. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35640.htm [13] Baby Steps, September 17, 2011, The Economist. http://www.economist.com/node/21529045 [14] Comparing Exports of Goods Among BRIC Nations, November 8, 2011, Seeking Alpha. http://seekingalpha.com/article/306378-comparing-exports-of-goods-among-bric-nations [15]Underwood, Graham, 2012, sourcingfocus.com. http://www.sourcingfocus.com/site/opinionscomments/757/

Vampire Academy Chapter 24

TWENTY-FOUR IN SPITE OF ALL THE training I'd received, all the lessons on Strigoi habits and how to defend against them, I'd never ever actually seen one. It was scarier than I'd expected. This time, when she swung at me again, I was ready. Sort of. I dodged back, slipping out of reach, wondering what chance I had. I remembered Dimitri's joke about the mall. No silver stake. Nothing to cut her head off with. No way to set her on fire. Running seemed like the best option after all, but she was blocking my way. Feeling useless, I simply backed down the hall as she advanced on me, her movements far more graceful than they'd ever been in life. Then, also faster than she'd ever moved in life, she leapt out, grabbed me, and slammed my head against the wall. Pain exploded in my skull, and I felt pretty sure that was blood I tasted in the back of my mouth. Frantically, I fought against her, trying to mount some kind of defense, but it was like fighting Dimitri on crack. â€Å"My dear,† murmured Victor, â€Å"try not to kill her if you don't have to. We might be able to use her later.† Natalie paused in her attack, giving me a moment to back up, but she never took her cold eyes off me. â€Å"I'll try not to.† There was a skeptical tone in her voice. â€Å"Get out of here now. I'll meet you there when I'm done.† â€Å"I can't believe you!† I yelled after him. â€Å"You got your own daughter to turn Strigoi?† â€Å"A last resort. A necessary sacrifice made for the greater good. Natalie understands.† He left. â€Å"Do you?† I hoped I could stall her with talking, just like in the movies. I also hoped my questions would hide how utterly and completely terrified I was. â€Å"Do you understand? God, Natalie. You†¦you turned. Just because he told you to?† â€Å"My father's a great man,† she replied. â€Å"He's going to save the Moroi from the Strigoi.† â€Å"Are you insane?† I cried. I was backing up again and suddenly hit the wall. My nails dug into it, as though I could dig my way through. â€Å"You are a Strigoi.† She shrugged, almost seeming like the old Natalie. â€Å"I had to do it to get him out of here before the others came. One Strigoi to save all of the Moroi. It's worth it, worth giving up the sun and the magic.† â€Å"But you'll want to kill Moroi! You won't be able to help it.† â€Å"He'll help me stay in control. If not, then they'll have to kill me.† She reached out and grabbed my shoulders, and I shuddered at how casually she talked about her own death. It was almost as casual as the way she was no doubt contemplating my death. â€Å"You are insane. You can't love him that much. You can't really – â€Å" She threw me into a wall again, and as my body collapsed in a heap on the floor, I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting up this time. Victor had told her not to kill me†¦but there was a look in her eyes, a look that said she wanted to. She wanted to feed off me; the hunger was there. It was the Strigoi way. I shouldn't have talked to her, I realized. I'd hesitated, just as Dimitri had warned. And then, suddenly, he was there, charging down the hallway like Death in a cowboy duster. Natalie spun around. She was fast, so fast. But Dimitri was fast too and avoided her attack, a look of pure power and strength on his face. With an eerie fascination, I watched them move, circling each other like partners in a deadly dance. She was stronger than him, clearly, but she was also a fresh Strigoi. Gaining superpowers doesn't mean you know how to use them. Dimitri, however, knew how to use the ones he had. After both giving and receiving some vicious hits, he made his move. The silver stake flashed in his hand like a streak of lightning, then it snaked forward – into her heart. He yanked it out and stepped back, his face impassive as she screamed and fell to the floor. After a few horrible moments, she stopped moving. Just as quickly, he was leaning over me, slipping his arms under my body. He stood up, carrying me like he had when I hurt my ankle. â€Å"Hey, Comrade,† I murmured, my own voice sounding sleepy. â€Å"You were right about Strigoi.† The world started to darken, and my eyelids drooped. â€Å"Rose. Roza. Open your eyes.† I'd never heard his voice so strained, so frantic. â€Å"Don't go to sleep on me. Not yet.† I squinted up at him as he carried me out of the building, practically running toward the clinic. â€Å"Was he right?† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Victor†¦he said it couldn't have worked. The necklace.† I started to drift off, lost in the blackness of my mind, but Dimitri prompted me back to consciousness. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"The spell. Victor said you had to want me†¦to care about me†¦for it to work.† When he didn't say anything, I tried to grip his shirt, but my fingers were too weak. â€Å"Did you? Did you want me?† His words came out thickly. â€Å"Yes, Roza. I did want you. I still do. I wish†¦we could be together.† â€Å"Then why did you lie to me?† We reached the clinic, and he managed to open the door while still holding me. As soon as he stepped inside, he began yelling for help. â€Å"Why did you lie?† I murmured again. Still holding me in his arms, he looked down at me. I could hear voices and footsteps getting closer. â€Å"Because we can't be together.† â€Å"Because of the age thing, right?† I asked. â€Å"Because you're my mentor?† His fingertip gently wiped away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. â€Å"That's part of it,† he said. â€Å"But also†¦well, you and I will both be Lissa's guardians someday. I need to protect her at all costs. If a pack of Strigoi come, I need to throw my body between them and her.† â€Å"I know that. Of course that's what you have to do.† The black sparkles were dancing in front of my eyes again. I was fading out. â€Å"No. If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you.† The medical team arrived and took me out of his arms. And that was how, two days after being discharged, I ended up back in the clinic. My third time in the two months we'd been back at the Academy. It had to be some kind of record. I definitely had a concussion and probably internal bleeding, but we never really found out. When your best friend is a kick-ass healer, you sort of don't have to worry about those things. I still had to stay there for a couple of days, but Lissa – and Christian, her new sidekick – almost never left my side when they weren't in class. Through them, I learned bits and pieces about the outside world. Dimitri had realized there was a Strigoi on campus when they'd found Natalie's victim dead and drained of blood: Mr. Nagy of all people. A surprising choice, but since he was older, he'd been able to put up less of a fight. No more Slavic art for us. The guardians in the detention center had been injured but not killed. She'd simply slammed them around as she had me. Victor had been found and recaptured while trying to escape campus. I was glad, even though it meant Natalie's sacrifice had been for nothing. Rumors said that Victor hadn't seemed afraid at all when the royal guards came and carried him away. He'd simply smiled the whole time, like he had some secret they didn't know about. Inasmuch as it could, life returned to normal after that. Lissa did no more cutting. The doctor prescribed her something – an anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug, I couldn't remember which – that made her feel better. I'd never really known anything about those kinds of pills. I thought they made people silly and happy. But it was a pill like any other, meant to fix something, and mostly it just kept her normal and feeling stable. Which was a good thing – because she had some other issues to deal with. Like Andre. She'd finally believed Christian's story, and allowed herself to acknowledge that Andre might not have been the hero she'd always believed him to be. It was hard on her, but she finally reached a peaceful decision, accepting that he could have had both good and bad sides, like we all do. What he'd done to Mia saddened her, but it didn't change the fact that he'd been a good brother who loved her. Most importantly, it finally freed her from feeling like she needed to be him to make her family proud. She could be herself – which she proved daily in her relationship with Christian. The school still couldn't get over that. She didn't care. She laughed it off, ignoring the shocked looks and disdain from the royals who couldn't believe she'd date someone from a humiliated family. Not all of them felt that way though. Some who had gotten to know her during her brief social whirlwind actually liked her for her, no compulsion necessary. They liked her honesty and openness, preferring it to the games most royals played. A lot of royals ignored her, of course, and talked viciously about her behind her back. Most surprising of all, Mia – despite being utterly humiliated – managed to wiggle back into the good graces of a couple of these royals. It proved my point. She wouldn't stay down for long. And, in fact, I saw the first signs of her revenge lurking again when I walked past her one day on the way to class. She stood with a few other people and spoke loudly, clearly wanting me to hear. † – perfect match. Both of them are from completely disgraced and rejected families.† I clenched my teeth and kept walking, following her gaze to where Lissa and Christian stood. They were lost in their own world and formed a gorgeous picture, she blond and fair and he blue-eyed and black-haired. I couldn't help but stare too. Mia was right. Both of their families were disgraced. Tatiana had publicly denounced Lissa, and while no one â€Å"blamed† the Ozeras for what had happened to Christian's parents, the rest of the royal Moroi families continued to keep their distance. But Mia had been right about the other part too. In some ways, Lissa and Christian were perfect for each other. Maybe they were outcasts, but the Dragomirs and Ozeras had once been among the most powerful Moroi leaders. And in only a very short time, Lissa and Christian had started shaping one another in ways that could put them right up there with their ancestors. He was picking up some of her polish and social poise; she was learning to stand up for her passions. The more I watched them, the more I could see an energy and confidence radiating around them. They weren't going to stay down either. And I think that, along with Lissa's kindness, may have been what attracted people to her. Our social circle began to steadily grow. Mason joined, of course, and made no secret of his interest in me. Lissa teased me a lot about that, and I didn't yet know what to do about him. Part of me thought maybe it was time to give him a shot as a serious boyfriend, even though the rest of me yearned for Dimitri. For the most part, Dimitri treated me just like anyone would expect of a mentor. He was efficient. Fond. Strict. Understanding. There was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would make anyone suspect what had passed between us – save for an occasional meeting of our eyes. And once I overcame my initial emotional reaction, I knew he was – technically – right about us. Age was a problem, yes, particularly while I was still a student at the Academy. But the other thing he'd mentioned†¦it had never entered my mind. It should have. Two guardians in a relationship could distract each other from the Moroi they were supposed to protect. We couldn't allow that to happen, couldn't risk her life for our own wants. Otherwise, we'd be no better than the Badica guardian who'd run off. I'd told Dimitri once that my own feelings didn't matter. She came first. I just hoped I could prove it. â€Å"It's too bad about the healing,† Lissa told me. â€Å"Hmm?† We sat in her room, pretending to study, but my mind was off thinking about Dimitri. I'd lectured her about keeping secrets, but I hadn't told her about him or about how close I'd come to losing my virginity. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to tell. She dropped the history book she'd been holding. â€Å"That I had to give up the healing. And the compulsion.† A frown crossed her face at that last part. The healing had been regarded as a wondrous gift in need of further study; the compulsion had met with serious reprimands from Kirova and Ms. Carmack. â€Å"I mean, I'm happy now. I should have gotten help a long time ago – you were right about that. I'm glad I'm on the medication. But Victor was right too. I can't use spirit anymore. I can still sense it, though†¦I miss being able to touch it.† I didn't entirely know what to say. I liked her better like this. Losing that threat of madness had made her whole again, confident and outgoing, just like the Lissa I'd always known and loved. Seeing her now, it was easy to believe what Victor had said about her becoming a leader. She reminded me of her parents and of Andre – how they used to inspire devotion in those who knew them. â€Å"And that's another thing,† she continued. â€Å"He said I couldn't give it up. He was right. It hurts, not having the magic. I want it so badly sometimes.† â€Å"I know,† I said. I could feel that ache within her. The pills had dulled her magic, but not our bond. â€Å"And I keep thinking about all the things I could do, all the people I could help.† She looked regretful. â€Å"You have to help yourself first,† I told her fiercely. â€Å"I don't want you getting hurt again. I won't let you.† â€Å"I know. Christian says the same thing.† She got that dopey smile she always did when she thought about him. If I'd known what idiots being in love would make them, I might not have been so keen to get them back together. â€Å"And I guess you guys are right. Better to want the magic and be sane than to have it and be a lunatic. There's no middle ground.† â€Å"No,† I agreed. â€Å"Not with this.† Then, out of nowhere, a thought smacked me in the head. There was a middle ground. Natalie's words reminded me of it. It's worth it, worth giving up the sun and the magic. The magic. Ms. Karp hadn't become Strigoi simply because she'd gone crazy. She'd become Strigoi to stay sane. Becoming Strigoi cut a person completely off from magic. In doing that, she couldn't use it. She couldn't feel it. She wouldn't want it anymore. Staring at Lissa, I felt a knot of worry coil within me. What if she figured that out? Would she want to do it too? No, I quickly decided. Lissa would never do that. She was too strong a person, too moral. And so long as she stayed on the pills, her higher reasoning would keep her from doing something so drastic. Still, the whole concept prodded me to find out one last thing. The following morning, I went to the chapel and waited in one of the pews until the priest showed up. â€Å"Hello, Rosemarie,† he said, clearly surprised. â€Å"Can I help you with something?† I stood up. â€Å"I need to know more about St. Vladimir. I read that book you gave me and a couple others.† Best not to tell him about stealing the ones in the attic. â€Å"But nobody told how he died. What happened? How did his life end? Was he, like, martyred?† The priest's bushy eyebrows rose. â€Å"No. He died of old age. Peacefully.† â€Å"You're sure? He didn't become Strigoi or kill himself?† â€Å"No, of course not. Why would you think that?† â€Å"Well†¦he was holy and everything, but he was also kind of crazy, right? I read about it. I thought he might have, I don't know, given into that.† His face was serious. â€Å"It's true he fought demons – insanity – his whole life. It was a struggle, and he did want to die sometimes. But he overcame it. He didn't let it defeat him.† I stared in wonder. Vladimir wouldn't have had pills, and he'd clearly continued to use magic. â€Å"How? How did he do that?† â€Å"Willpower, I guess. Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. â€Å"That and Anna.† â€Å"Shadow-kissed Anna,† I murmured. â€Å"His guardian.† The priest nodded. â€Å"She stayed with him. When he grew weak, she was the one who held him up. She urged him to stay strong and to never give in to his madness.† I left the chapel in a daze. Anna had done it. Anna had let Vladimir walk that middle ground, helping him to work miracles in the world without meeting a horrible end. Ms. Karp hadn't been as lucky. She hadn't had a bound guardian. She hadn't had anyone to hold her up. Lissa did. Smiling, I cut across the quadrangle toward the commons. I felt better about life than I had in a very long time. We could do this, Lissa and me. We could do it together. Just then, I saw a dark figure out of the corner of my eye. It swooped past me and landed on a nearby tree. I stopped walking. It was a raven, large and fierce-looking, with shining black feathers. A moment later, I realized it wasn't just a raven; it was the raven. The one Lissa had healed. No other bird would land so close to a dhampir. And no other bird would be looking at me in such an intelligent, familiar way. I couldn't believe he was still around. A chill ran down my spine, and I started to back up. Then the truth hit me. â€Å"You're bound to her too, aren't you?† I asked, fully aware that anyone who saw me would think I was crazy. â€Å"She brought you back. You're shadow-kissed.† That was actually pretty cool. I held out my arm to it, half hoping it'd come land on me in some sort of dramatic, movie-worthy gesture. All it did was look at me like I was an idiot, spread its wings, and fly off. I glared as it flew off into the twilight. Then I turned around and headed off to find Lissa. From far away, I heard the sound of cawing, almost like laughter.

Footnote to Youth Reaction Paper Essay

â€Å"The youth is the hope of motherland.† It has always been said that we, the youth, is the hope of our country. This has been the mentality of almost everybody in the society. I, myself had this mentality strongly rooted in my mind before I had read the story, â€Å"Footnote to Youth.† Yes, the youth could possibly be the hope of our country or even of the world. As many have said, we are creative, dynamic, good thinkers, marvelous doers and a lot more. All these positive things also have corresponding negative thoughts from those who don’t believe in our capacity. They say we are lazy, dependent, coward, apathetic and a lot more. I think it is neither laziness nor dependence that drives us youth into somebody useless in the society. We never wanted to become just a piece of crap of course. We always have wanted to do something extraordinary not just for ourselves’ sake. We have always wanted to be something the older and younger generation would be proud of. For me, the dilemma is not within us. It is on how our parents and the people around us treat us and affects us. I admit our minds are not as weak as the minds of the little children. We cannot be easily manipulated. But we’re not also as fixed-minded as the older people. We need guidance. How can we be the hope of the country if our parents themselves don’t lead us to the right path? How can we be the hope if our parents themselves don’t believe that there is real hope from within us? How can we be the hope if our parents themselves cannot correct the mistakes we do? Just like Dodong and Blas, we are preoccupied of the thinking that we can do everything we want to; that we are ready to do the things that the older people can; that what we think is always right. Yes we can do everything if we really insist to but without the guidance of our parents or the older people who know better, we will never know if we are making the right steps toward the right road. They hold the key that runs the engine of hope within the youth. I still believe that we, the youth, is the hope of the motherland but this will just come to reality if the older generatio n, especially our parents know how to bring out the best in us. -Jogie Rodriguez Torres, BST- IV June 25, 2013

Free Essays on Culture

American culture is many things. It is what we were, have been and will be. There are many things that make up the definition of culture. Shared learning, ideas and values are just a few examples of what American culture is. Where a persons identity lies is based on the geographical surroundings of that individual. American Indian culture originated in the Southwest. In early Texas history The Caddo Indians lived in what is present day Collin County. They came for water as well as fertile land. The nomadic and aggressive Comanche Indians roamed and raided The Caddo settlers and the English settlers. The last known fight among settlers and Indians happened along what is known in the Allen area as Rowlett Creek. A lot of settlers began to move and settle in the Collin County area and push the Comanche as well as the Caddo westward. The city that is now Allen was part of the Republic Texas Land Grant The city was part of what was known as Peters Colony. The county grew until 1861 when Texas supported the Confederacy. I am from Allen, Texas so when I learned of the history of Allen as well as Collin County, I was very interested in the information. Many of the settlers had fought against Mexico in order to be free from Mexico. Many Mexican Americans moved to the United states until the treaty of Guadeloupe. Many of the Mexicans moved to New Mexico, Arizona, California, Mexico, and Nevada. When Mexico succeeded their territory, they automatically became citizens. Also, take in to account that several Germans came into the United States most of these immigrants settled in Pennsylvania. Many Irish began to move here, as well as Italians and Jews. The Filipinos as well as the Chinese and Japanese also came over. In earlier times in the United States many men and women from Africa were being brought over from their home and sold to White male land owners beginning in the 1620’s. The A... Free Essays on Culture Free Essays on Culture American culture is many things. It is what we were, have been and will be. There are many things that make up the definition of culture. Shared learning, ideas and values are just a few examples of what American culture is. Where a persons identity lies is based on the geographical surroundings of that individual. American Indian culture originated in the Southwest. In early Texas history The Caddo Indians lived in what is present day Collin County. They came for water as well as fertile land. The nomadic and aggressive Comanche Indians roamed and raided The Caddo settlers and the English settlers. The last known fight among settlers and Indians happened along what is known in the Allen area as Rowlett Creek. A lot of settlers began to move and settle in the Collin County area and push the Comanche as well as the Caddo westward. The city that is now Allen was part of the Republic Texas Land Grant The city was part of what was known as Peters Colony. The county grew until 1861 when Texas supported the Confederacy. I am from Allen, Texas so when I learned of the history of Allen as well as Collin County, I was very interested in the information. Many of the settlers had fought against Mexico in order to be free from Mexico. Many Mexican Americans moved to the United states until the treaty of Guadeloupe. Many of the Mexicans moved to New Mexico, Arizona, California, Mexico, and Nevada. When Mexico succeeded their territory, they automatically became citizens. Also, take in to account that several Germans came into the United States most of these immigrants settled in Pennsylvania. Many Irish began to move here, as well as Italians and Jews. The Filipinos as well as the Chinese and Japanese also came over. In earlier times in the United States many men and women from Africa were being brought over from their home and sold to White male land owners beginning in the 1620’s. The A...

Free Essays on Why I Like Hawethorne Why Others Dont (Scarlet Letter)

Why I like Hawethorne; why Others Don’t By Jonathan Milgrom My beliefs supplemented my enjoyment of The Scarlet Letter. I have been brought up Lutheran, I believe in God, but at present I frequently question some of the ideals presented by my religion. I subscribe to the dogma that Love is the recompense to the sullen life given to us from original sin, and believe that even if sin is committed we must make the best of the situation. Being Lutheran, I also believe in the forgiveness of sin; although I do not heed to the teaching that penance must be attained publicly, I do believe that you must truly feel remorse in order to receive penance. Another moral I have accepted as true is the corruption of the naturally pure child by society. I think that in the beginning, everyone is innocent and that, historically, society has corrupted children into molding the confining world in which we live. Hawethorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter was enjoyable to me because of the parallels between Hawethorne’s morals and my morals. â€Å"Come now, let us reason together,† says the Lord. â€Å"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool† (Isaiah 1:18). From Isaiah, Hawthorne borrows the image of a scarlet letter to symbolize sin and also the concept that sin may be followed by redemption provided that the sinner amends his ways and acts in good conscience. The promise of redemption is offered by the wild rose-bush growing outside the prison in â€Å"a grass-plot, much overgrown with ... unsightly vegetation, ... [which] might be imagined to offer [its] fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he [goes] in, and to the condemned criminal as he [comes] forth to his doom. [It is used] to symbolize some sweet moral blossom† (46). Hawthorne opens his book with this metaphor; he uses the â€Å"Conclusion† to bring together his themes and to make c... Free Essays on Why I Like Hawethorne Why Other's Don't (Scarlet Letter) Free Essays on Why I Like Hawethorne Why Other's Don't (Scarlet Letter) Why I like Hawethorne; why Others Don’t By Jonathan Milgrom My beliefs supplemented my enjoyment of The Scarlet Letter. I have been brought up Lutheran, I believe in God, but at present I frequently question some of the ideals presented by my religion. I subscribe to the dogma that Love is the recompense to the sullen life given to us from original sin, and believe that even if sin is committed we must make the best of the situation. Being Lutheran, I also believe in the forgiveness of sin; although I do not heed to the teaching that penance must be attained publicly, I do believe that you must truly feel remorse in order to receive penance. Another moral I have accepted as true is the corruption of the naturally pure child by society. I think that in the beginning, everyone is innocent and that, historically, society has corrupted children into molding the confining world in which we live. Hawethorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter was enjoyable to me because of the parallels between Hawethorne’s morals and my morals. â€Å"Come now, let us reason together,† says the Lord. â€Å"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool† (Isaiah 1:18). From Isaiah, Hawthorne borrows the image of a scarlet letter to symbolize sin and also the concept that sin may be followed by redemption provided that the sinner amends his ways and acts in good conscience. The promise of redemption is offered by the wild rose-bush growing outside the prison in â€Å"a grass-plot, much overgrown with ... unsightly vegetation, ... [which] might be imagined to offer [its] fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he [goes] in, and to the condemned criminal as he [comes] forth to his doom. [It is used] to symbolize some sweet moral blossom† (46). Hawthorne opens his book with this metaphor; he uses the â€Å"Conclusion† to bring together his themes and to make c...

Roman Imperial Succession in the Julio-Claudian Era

Roman Imperial Succession in the Julio-Claudian Era The Imperial period is the time of the Roman Empire. The 1st leader of the Imperial period was Augustus, who was from the  Julian  family of Rome. The next four emperors were all from his or his wifes (Claudian) family. The two family names are combined in the form   Julio-Claudian. The Julio-Claudian era covers the first few Roman emperors,  Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius,  and  Nero.​ Ancient Roman history is divided into 3 periods: RegalRepublicanImperial Sometimes a fourth period is included: Byzantine Period. The Rules of Succession Since the Roman Empire was new at the time of the Julio-Claudians, it still had to work out issues of succession. The first emperor, Augustus, made much of the fact that he was still following the rules of the Republic, which permitted dictators. Rome hated kings, so although emperors were kings in all but name, a direct reference to the succession of the kings would have been anathema. Instead, the Romans had to work out the rules of succession as they went. They had models, like the aristocratic road to political office (cursus honorum), and, at least in the beginning, expected emperors to have illustrious ancestors. It soon became apparent that a potential emperors claim to the throne required money and military backing. Augustus Appoints a Co-Regent The senatorial class historically passed along their status to their offspring, so succession within a family was acceptable; however, Augustus lacked a son to whom to pass along his privileges. In 23 B.C., when he thought he would die, Augustus handed a ring conveying imperial power to his trusted friend and general Agrippa. Augustus recovered. Family circumstances changed. Augustus adopted Tiberius, his wifes son, in A.D. 4 and gave him proconsular and tribunician power. He married his heir to his daughter Julia. In 13, Augustus made Tiberius co-regent. When Augustus died, Tiberius already had imperial power. Conflicts could be minimized if the successor had had the opportunity to co-rule. Tiberius Two Heirs Following Augustus, the next four emperors of Rome were all related to Augustus or his wife Livia. They are referred to as Julio-Claudians. Augustus had been very popular and so Rome felt allegiance to his descendants, too. Tiberius, who had been married to Augustus daughter and was the son of Augustus third wife Julia, had not yet openly decided who would follow him when he died in A.D. 37. There were 2 possibilities: Tiberius grandson Tiberius Gemellus or the son of Germanicus. On Augustus order, Tiberius had adopted Augustus nephew Germanicus and named them equal heirs. Caligulas Illness The Praetorian Prefect, Macro, supported Caligula (Gaius) and the Senate of Rome accepted the prefects candidate. The young emperor seemed promising at first but soon suffered a serious illness from which he emerged a terror. Caligula demanded extreme honors be paid to him and otherwise humiliated the Senate. He alienated the praetorians who killed him after 4 years as emperor. Unsurprisingly, Caligula had not yet selected a successor. Claudius is Persuaded to Take the Throne Praetorians found Claudius cowering behind a curtain after they assassinated his nephew Caligula. They were in the process of ransacking the palace, but instead of killing Claudius, they recognized him as the brother of their much loved Germanicus and persuaded Claudius to take the throne. The Senate had been at work finding a new successor, too, but the praetorians, again, imposed their will. The new emperor bought the continued allegiance of the praetorian guard. One of Claudius wives, Messalina, had produced an heir known as Britannicus, but Claudius last wife, Agrippina, persuaded Claudius to adopt her sonwhom we know as Neroas heir. Nero, the Last of the Julio-Claudian Emperors Claudius died before the full inheritance had been accomplished, but Agrippina had support for her son, Nero, from the Praetorian Prefect Burrus whose troops were assured a financial bounty. The Senate again confirmed the praetorians choice of successor and so Nero became the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors. Later Successions Later emperors often designated successors or co-regents. They could also bestow the title of Caesar on their sons or other family member. When there was a gap in the dynastic rule, the new emperor had to be proclaimed either by the Senate or the army, but the consent of the other was required to make the succession legitimate. The emperor also had to be acclaimed by the people. Women were potential successors, but the first woman to rule in her own name, Empress Irene (c. 752 - August 9, 803), and alone, was after our time period. Succession Problems The first century saw 13 emperors, the 2nd, 9, but then the 3rd produced 37 (plus the 50 Michael Burger says never made it to the rolls of the historians). Generals would march on Rome where the terrified senate would declare them emperor (imperator, princeps, and augustus). Many of these emperors with nothing more than force legitimating their positions, had assassination to look forward to. Sources: A History of Rome, by M. Cary and H.H. Scullard. 1980.Also J.B. Burys History of the Later Roman Empire and The Shaping of Western Civilization: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment, by Michael Burger. For more information on imperial succession, see: The Transmission of the Powers of the Roman Emperor from the Death of Nero in A.D. 68 to That of Alexander Severus in A.D. 235, by Mason Hammond; Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Vol. 24, (1956), pp. 6163-133.

B. Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

B. Activity - Essay Example This way, I would be able to figure out how different Nora is compared to the rest of her classmates in terms of the level of creativity, resourcefulness, and especially the manner by which she expresses herself as well as the content of all her responses. Her degree of responsiveness on certain issues discussed would aid me in detecting an aspect of her conflict. Moreover, I would continue to keep in touch with Nora’s friend in private for updates and probably ask how Nora is coping with her concerns at home or any parts of the community beyond school. I think it might help to advise Nora’s friend to stay by her side during the moments she appears disturbed or bothered to see how his or her comforting presence may prevent any tendencies of self-infliction by Nora. If I can get her to open up to me what the real problem is behind her cutting of wrist in this process, my role as a teacher I suppose could go as far as communicating with her parents, yet only at the hint of her consent or whenever she feels ready. Meanwhile, I ought to proceed teaching the class, of which Nora is part, the essence not merely of academic endeavor but even the values associated with overcoming life’s

Compare the great depression and to the great recession Essay

Compare the great depression and to the great recession - Essay Example After the speculative boom of the 1920’s, Americans invested great amounts in the stock market. However, these were primarily financed through loans and almost two-third of the nominal value of stocks was represented by loans in 1929. Accelerated share prices motivated greater investment as people speculated that share prices would continue to escalate. Consequently, an economic bubble developed and the margin buying meant that investors would incur great losses if the market took a downturn. Similarly, the Great Recession resulted from speculation about mortgages and securities. It was a consequence of providing loans for homeownership to uncredit-worthy people. Mortgage loans were secured with mortgaged securities; so because of margin buying, banks were on the verge of bankruptcy when the market went into recession. Milton Friedman in his book, A Monetary History of the United States advocates that the Great depression was not a consequence of the economic cycles, tariffs o r the Wall Street Crash (Friedman and Schwartz). In fact, what thrust the country into depression was the collapse of banks and financial institutes. Apparently, the same can be said for the Great Recession. More than the actual effects of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the psychological effects deterred investment in the capital markets. In turn, business security affects job certainty so that is why a decrease in capital investment led to a decrease in consumption. However, the Wall Street Crashes did cause bankruptcies, restriction on credit, failing businesses, rising unemployment, decreased money supply and the like. Likewise, the Great Recession led to a decline in international trade, increased unemployment, and dropping commodity prices. The chain of events from significant federal spending to tax increases only aggravated both the crises. Thus, the leaders targeted the scapegoats such as the Wall Street Bankers for the crises.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners effective in the A&E environment Dissertation

Advanced Nurse Practitioners effective in the A&E environment - Dissertation Example Definition of Nursing - Nursing is an art and a science. - Earlier emphasis was on the care of sick patient; now the promotion of health is stressed. - British Nurses Association definition, 2003: Nursing is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual and potential health problems. Roles of Nursing Whether in hospital-based or community health care setting, nurses assume three basic roles: - Practitioner-involves actions that directly meet the health care and nursing needs of patients, families, and significant others; includes staff nurses at all levels of the clinical ladder, advanced practice nurses, and community-based nurses. - Leader-involves actions such as deciding, relating, influencing, and facilitating that affect the actions of others and are directed toward goal determination and achievement; may be a formal nursing leadership role or an informal role periodically assumed by the nurse. - Researcher-involves actions taken to implement studies to determine the actual effects of nursing care to further the scientific base of nursing; can include all nurses, not just academicians, nurse scientists, and graduate nursing students. History of Nursing - The first nurses were trained by religious institutions to care for patients; no standards or educational basis. - In 1873, Florence Nightingale developed a model for independent nursing A & E department to teach critical thinking, attention to the patient's individual needs, and respect for the patient's rights. - During the early 2003s, hospitals used nursing students as cheap labor and most graduate nurses were privately employed to provide care in the home. - After World War II, technological advancements brought more skilled and specialized care to... A & E departments in hospitals throughout the UK, such as investor-owned organizations and corporation chains, earn profit through aggressive marketing and pricing strategies. Emergency room visits to these facilities result in more inpatient admissions than in other (20 percent more) or public hospitals. And, once patients are in the hospital, professionally managed A & E departments more frequently utilize profitable ancillary services--such as the pharmacy, clinical laboratories, and diagnostic radiology --than do other ownership groups. Further, they charge approximately 80 percent more than publics and 38 percent more than A & E departments in downtown UK hospitals for inpatient ancillary services. Profits are also generated through lower salaries and lower staff-to-patient ratios. Though professionally managed A & E departments tend to have smaller facilities than A & E departments in UK hospitals, they utilize a higher proportion of space for patient care. Nurses, although are cost-effective but difficult to maintain and support in the A & E department, their presence is more likely to help the hospital/A & E Department be accredited than otherwise in various hospitals (Gray 2003). Based on a 2002 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations study, whereas 14 percent of all hospitals are for-profit, 18 percent of accredited hospitals are for-profit. In contrast, whereas 59 percent of all hospitals are other, only 57 percent of accredited hospitals are.

Personal Positioning Paper, Cultures and Contexts, Spanish Modernity Essay

Personal Positioning Paper, Cultures and Contexts, Spanish Modernity - Essay Example We dance to our conservative dance styles and almost religiously strive to save our hard earned money to buy flamenco dresses. Wow! Quite moving, and I am motivated by the enthusiasm, passion and zeal that our people have in protecting what is inherently theirs. â€Å"We are living in the twenty first century† is now a cliche. The context in which these words are in most cases used is in reprimanding, persuading and to urging for â€Å"change!† But you sister, brother, mother, father, grandmother and grandfather will hear none of that. We do not need to change! You would all say, I would too, but not entirely. Change is good and it is not only inevitable, but also obligatory as long as we desire for better lives. Folklore, which is at the center of this party, is a culturally agreed weapon for criticism and fight against the national government whose policies do not work for us. Oscar Wild said that we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Hope is what will drive us to change. Bull fighting motivates ours struggles, our peculiar dressing and dances remind us of our history. The indigenous food enlightens our capabilities and originality. All these things are desirable, but we have to think of the future. Political ideologies have always set me apart with my family, and having harbored those thoughts has made me think that I need my family in order to become a living evidence of change. I want to become an engineer, but I used to ask myself why I need this traditional culture in order to achieve my non- traditional goal of becoming an engineer. I was wrong, because I will still serve you my people once I graduate as an engineer and the culture will still be there to guide, shape and discipline me on what is you expect of me in my service to you. There must be a fusion between traditional elements and contemporary elements, traditional elements and non- traditional goals like

Casual Argument essay based on an article by charles Murray

Casual Argument based on an article by charles Murray - Essay Example would like us to believe that the following data he claims to have collated over time proves that the decline of marriage has a direct effect on the economic status of the middle class (Murray, Charles "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010"): In 1960, extremely high proportions of whites in both Belmont and Fishtown were married—94% in Belmont and 84% in Fishtown. In the 1970s, those percentages declined about equally in both places. Then came the great divergence. In Belmont, marriage stabilized during the mid-1980s, standing at 83% in 2010. In Fishtown, however, marriage continued to slide; as of 2010, a minority (just 48%) were married. The gap in marriage between Belmont and Fishtown grew to 35 percentage points, from just 10. Basing his explanation on those statistics, he argued that the lack of marriage resulted in a lower economic growth for the middle class. After all, the double income family no longer existed in his opinion. Murray basically wanted his readers to equate marriage and economics as a partnership that grows the social class. Regretfully, his claims lacked any solid basis as his essay failed to present supporting data and information to back up his claim. Aside from a changing moral outlook within the middle class society, there truly does not seem to be any solid proof that his claim pertaining to the decline of the middle class economy in relation to the decline in marriage has a direct relation. In a modern society, women are expected to be financially independent. Thus, they are no longer beholden to men for their financial survival. Working class women have increased their participation in the modern work place and as such have managed to prove that they are quite able to take care of themselves, without a man. Although there are some who are in agreement with Murray about the decline of marriage existing in the lower income levels of our society, that does not mean that there has been a change in the moral

Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority Research Paper

Dunlap v. Tennessee Valley Authority - Research Paper Example Dunlap felt that the system of scoring was extremely skewed and in favor of white candidates. This discussion investigates the legal issues in the episode and the decision to credit the claim of desperate treatment and neglect the disparate impact claim. Similarly, the discussion will suggest different ways in which Tennessee Valley authority can improve their process of interview. Discussion Legal issues They include David Dunlap, who believes that the process of interviewing in the TVA is discriminating and violates the Title seven of the 1964 Civil Right Act. David feels that he suffered prejudice under both disparate treatment and impact by the interview, which was increasingly subjective. Dunlap believes that the selection criteria favored white people. The committee evaluated all the applicants during the interview, but Dunlap felt that the evaluation process lacked merit and had limited rhyme. For instance, he scored low marks on a safety question than his colleague who has ha d more than two accidents in a span of 11 years, and for Dunlap, he had no accident, (Markusen, 2003). The system of evaluation itself can lead to various legal issues, for instance, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s subjective hiring and evaluation process allowed racial discrimination against Black applicants such as Dunlap. The Court of Appeal verified the claim of disparate treatment, reversed the claim of disparate adverse and verified the award of the district court of damages and fees to David. Why the disparate impact claim failed The theory of disparate claim demands the plaintiff to show that a seemingly impartial employment practice influences one team increasingly harshly than the other and that the practice of employment is unjustified by business requirements. Under the doctrine, discriminatory testimony intent is not necessary. Even though, the district court construed that Tennessee Valley Authority process of interviewing was influenced to exclude black applic ants, the Appeals Court objected, citing inadequate statistical evidence that a protected team was negatively affected, therefore, creating a prima Facie argument. Dunlap could not support his case by just challenging the employed process in his interview; therefore, his case failed. Success of disparate treatment argument The doctrine of disparate treatment demands a plaintiff to show that the employer has favored some people against others based on their race, origin or cultural background. It also requires the plaintiff create a prima Facie condition of racial bias, the employer to demonstrate a number of legitimate nonbiased reasons for his actions and the plaintiff to show some evidence that the articulated accusation was pre-textual. In this theory, a discriminatory proof is crucial. Nevertheless, in different circumstances it may be concluded from the sole disparities in treatment. Discriminatory motive proof may be gathered from the employers’ false explanation for th e actions. To refute a prima Facie argument, a defendant should show a legal nonbiased reason for rejection of plaintiff. In Dunlap’s case, Tennessee Valley Authority demonstrated the selection medium employed during the interview of Dunlap, and indicated that Dunlap’s interview score did not put his last marks into the best ten. The challenge then turned back to Dunlap to show that the process of selection was pretext for biasness. The district court

Casual Argument essay based on an article by charles Murray

Casual Argument based on an article by charles Murray - Essay Example would like us to believe that the following data he claims to have collated over time proves that the decline of marriage has a direct effect on the economic status of the middle class (Murray, Charles "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010"): In 1960, extremely high proportions of whites in both Belmont and Fishtown were married—94% in Belmont and 84% in Fishtown. In the 1970s, those percentages declined about equally in both places. Then came the great divergence. In Belmont, marriage stabilized during the mid-1980s, standing at 83% in 2010. In Fishtown, however, marriage continued to slide; as of 2010, a minority (just 48%) were married. The gap in marriage between Belmont and Fishtown grew to 35 percentage points, from just 10. Basing his explanation on those statistics, he argued that the lack of marriage resulted in a lower economic growth for the middle class. After all, the double income family no longer existed in his opinion. Murray basically wanted his readers to equate marriage and economics as a partnership that grows the social class. Regretfully, his claims lacked any solid basis as his essay failed to present supporting data and information to back up his claim. Aside from a changing moral outlook within the middle class society, there truly does not seem to be any solid proof that his claim pertaining to the decline of the middle class economy in relation to the decline in marriage has a direct relation. In a modern society, women are expected to be financially independent. Thus, they are no longer beholden to men for their financial survival. Working class women have increased their participation in the modern work place and as such have managed to prove that they are quite able to take care of themselves, without a man. Although there are some who are in agreement with Murray about the decline of marriage existing in the lower income levels of our society, that does not mean that there has been a change in the moral

Ford Motor Company Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Ford Motor Company Business - Case Study Example Vertical integration strategy is adopted by Ford and it provided them competency in the industry. Along with the success report, unresolved problems existed with the company. In the beginning of 1990s, Ford automotive-focused on the North American region made huge success whereas, at the same time, the business sector focused on the European Car market recorded greater losses and break even. Since the year 1999, the company showed greater developments through different operational strategies. In between 1999 and 2001, the newly appointed CEO of the company implemented consumer services sector as a part of the Ford Motor business. It was affected by the challenges aroused from safety issues related to the rollover accidents of Ford Explorer Sport. The business relations of the company with the tire manufacturers Firestone was broken from these issues. Nearly 20 million defective tires were required to be returned to Firestone. Operating loss faced by the company after September 11, 20 01, due to the requirements of sales incentives on the recalled tire on the ground of aging of the product. â€Å"Ford now encompasses many global brands, including Lincoln and Mercury of the US, Jaguar, and Land Rover of the UK, and Volvo of Sweden. Ford also owns a one-third controlling interest in Mazda. Ford also recently purchased the Rover name to keep others from using it to capitalize on Land Rover.† (Ford Motor Company Production File Archive for Stock Certificate Design – 1951 2009).... The tax application seems to be the main default with the conversion of profitability in greater stock market return. Vertical integration strategy is adopted by Ford and it provided them competency in the industry. Along with the success report, unresolved problems were exists with the company. In the beginning of 1990s, Ford automotive focused on the North American region made huge success whereas at the same time, the business sector focused on the European Car market recorded greater losses and break even. Since the year 1999, the company showed greater developments through different operational strategies. In between 1999 and 2001, the newly appointed CEO of the company, implemented consumer services sector as a part of the Ford Motor business. It was affected by the challenges aroused from safety issues related to the rollover accidents of Ford Explorer sport. The business relations of the company with the tyre manufacturers Firestone was broken from these issues. Nearly 20 million defective tyres were required to be returned to Firestone. Operating loss faced by the company after September 11, 2001 due to the requirements of sales incentives on the recalled tyre on the ground of ageing of the product."Ford now encompasses many global brands, including Lincoln and Mercury of the US, Jaguar, and Land Rover of the UK, and Volvo of Sweden. Ford also owns a one-third controlling interest in Mazda. Ford also recently purchased the Rover name (which is no longer in use) to keep others from using it to capitalize on Land Rover." (Ford Motor Company Production File Archive for Stock Certificate Design - 1951 2009). In the year 1999 the company attained position among the world's ten largest corporations by revenue and one of the world's most profitable

Comparisons Culture Between Ghana And Colombia Cultural Studies Essay

Comparisons Culture Between Ghana And Colombia Cultural Studies Essay Cultural festival is a important thing. Its needed for all of us. All peoples needed to know about cultural festival. So I take Colombia and Ghana 2 countries for my assignment. Make assignment Different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There is no scientific standard for considering one group as intrinsically superior or inferior to another. Studying differences in culture among groups and societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism. It does not imply normalcy for oneself, and for ones society. It, however, calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies different from ones own. Information about the nature of cultural differences between societies, their roots, and their consequences should precede judgment and action. Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, right and wrong are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another societys customs. Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of Right and wrong or good and bad. Comparisons Culture between Ghana and Colombia: Ghana and Colombia both are highly established country by culture. Both of these countries have their own culture based on their location, language, religion, climate, food etc. Ghanas culture: Main article: History of Ghana There is archaeological evidence which shows that humans have lived in what is present day Ghana from about 1500 BC.[11] Nonetheless, there is no proof that those early dwellers are related to the current inhabitants of the area. Oral tradition has it that many of Ghanas current ethnic groups such as the multi-ethnic Akan, the Ga and the Ewe arrived around the 13th Century. Figure: 1 Ashanti yam ceremony, 19th century by Thomas E. Bowdich Facts and Statistics: AKWAABA! (Welcome) greets visitors as they arrive at the airport in the capital city of Accra. In 1957, Ghana (formed from the merger of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory) became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Today it is one of the most thriving democracies on the African continent. Currently the countrys economy is dominated by agriculture, which employs about 40 percent of the working population. Location: Ghana shares boundaries with Togo to the east, Cote dIvoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and the Gulf of Guinea, to the south; only a few degrees north of the Equator. Area: total: 238,533 sq km Land: 227,533 sq km Water: 11,000 sq km Area Comparative: Slightly smaller than Oregon Current Weather: Tropical: warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north Figure2:Ghanasmap Population: Total 18,412,247 Religions: Ghana is a Muslim country. The Ghanas language: Different sources give different figures for the number of languages of Ghana. This is because of different classifications of varieties as either languages or dialects. Ethnologue lists a total of 79 languages. Ghanas 3 Society Culture The Ghanas Family: At the center of Ghanaian society is the institution of family. Sustained through a series of kinship networks and marriages, the family is acknowledged as the bedrock of all social life. The family is not only the basis of Ghanaian social organizations, but is also the main source of social security in old age (emotionally and financially) and the primary or sole caretaker for the young. Ghanas Pride: Russians are proud of their country. Patriotic songs and poems extol the virtues of their homeland. They accept that their lives are difficult and pride themselves on being able to flourish in conditions that others could not. They take great pride in their cultural heritage and expect the rest of the world to admire it. Communal Mentality: This is a remarkable piece of writing. Leadership compassionate, caring, and responsible leadership is threatened in Ghana. I am particularly interested in the issue of chiefs and the sale of communal land to foreigners and non-aliens alike. Why should a farmer lose their ancestral land to a rich property developer who has paid millions of cedis to a chief or his representative? These days it is common proactive for chiefs and their Town Planning and Lands Commission cohorts to zone productive agricultural or greenbelt land without any consultation with occupants of the land. Figure3: Ghanas dreams house Despite the presence of Islam and Christianity, traditional religions in Ghana have retained their influence because of their intimate relation to family loyalties and local mores. Figure4: Ghanas tradition Colombia Culture: Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombias native civilizations (see: Muisca, Tayrona). The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites. After independence from Spain, the criollos struggled to establish a pluralistic political system between conservative and liberal ideals. Figure4: Bullfight-Bogotà ¡ Facts and Statistics: Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 72 00 W Map references: South America Area: total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, Serrana Bank, and Serranilla Bank Capital: Bogota Population: 42,954,279 (July 2005 est.) Ethnic Groups: mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1% Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, other 10% Figure5: Colombia Map Climate: tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands Terrain: flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains. Languages in Colombia: The official language of Colombia is Spanish and spoken by around 43 million people. In addition there are approximately 500,000 speakers of American Indian languages. Colombian Society Culture: Catholicism: Most Colombians would consider themselves to be Roman Catholics. The Church has historically been a very important influence over personal affairs such as marriage and family life. The parish church is often seen as the centre of a community, with the local priest representing divine authority and leadership. The Role of the Family: The family takes centre stage in the social structure. It acts as a source of support and advice and therefore great loyalty is shown to families. Although extended families rarely live under one roof, apart from in rural areas, many are still live very close and frequent one anothers houses often. Figure6: Colombia culture Hierarchies: Colombia can be termed a hierarchical society. People earn respect due to age and position. Older people are naturally perceived as being wise and as a result are afforded great respect. Colombian Clothing: Covers a variety of clothes that are commonly worn by the people who live in the country of Colombia in the continent of South America. The climate of Colombia is tropical in the coastal regions and the eastern plains and it is quite cold in the highlands. Therefore, the clothes of Colombia have to cater to a variety of weather conditions. Figure7: Colombian clothing Comparison of Culture: These two countries has their own and individual culture. Both of this culture is far different from one to another. They have different location, different language, different climate, different food, different religion and different cloth. These countries have different government system. Different religion makes them different by cloth from one to another. Most of the people of Ghana are Muslim by religion and they use to put on Islamic dresses. On the other hand, in Colombian total people is Roman Catholic but majority of people follows Ghana Orthodox as their religion. This religion comes from there tradition. So that, they use to puts on traditional dresses. Conclution: Every nation has their culture. This culture is unique and individual from others. Russia and Morocco also has their individual and highly established culture. Both of these cultures are far different from one to another. They have their own language, religion, belief, respect, climate, location, food, cloth etc which differ them from one to another.

Importance of Monera :: essays papers

Importance of Monera a)Production of food: cheese, yogurt, vinegar, wine, sour cream, etc. b)Industry : cleaning up petroleum, remove waste products from the water, synthesize drugs and chemicals. Symbiosis : The interdependence of different species, which are sometimes called symbionts. There are three main types of symbiosis, based upon the specific relationship between the species involved: mutualism, parasitism, and commensalism. Symbiosis that results in mutual benefit to the interdependent organisms is commonly known as mutualism. An example of mutualism is the coexistence of certain species of algae and fungi that together compose lichens. Their close association enables them to live in extreme environments, nourished only by light, air, and minerals. Living separately, the alga and fungus would not survive in such conditions. In parasitism, also known as antagonistic symbiosis, one organism receives no benefits and is often injured while supplying nutrients or shelter for the other organism. Parasites include viruses and bacteria that cause many diseases; certain protozoans that can infect plants and animals; tapeworms and flukes that infest the intestinal tracks and internal organs of animals. The type of symbiosis known as commensalism is a food-sharing association between two different kinds of nonparasitic animals, called commensals, that is harmless to both and in many cases is mutually advantageous. Many commensals are free to separate. Other commensals function together so completely that they cannot separate. They do not harm each other. An example is a polyp found in deep water off the coast of Newfoundland. It attaches itself to the shell of a certain species of hermit crab and, by budding, covers the entire shell with a colony that dissolves the original shell. Because the colony grows at the same rate as the crab, it furnishes continuous protection, and the crab does not shed its shell at periodic intervals as it normally would. The polyp, in turn, benefits by moving about with the crab, thereby obtaining a greater food supply than it would if attached to a stationary object. Uses of Bacteria in the Environment : Bacteria feed on dying material and convert it back into basic substances. This process of decomposition is as significant as photosynthesis, for without it food chains would cease, and fallen trees, leaves, and other refuse would simply pile up. Bacteria also strongly influence the movement of key elements, such as sulfur, iron, phosphorus, and carbon, around the globe. The weathering of rocks, which releases elements back into life systems for use, is substantially enhanced by the breakdown processes of bacteria. Uses of Bacteria in Sewage Disposal : The main cleansing agents in sewage treatment are a variety of specialized bacteria that convert,

The Advantage of School Uniforms Essay -- Arguement Argumentative Pers

Did you know that as many as twenty-five percent of the nation?s pubic elementary, middle, and junior high schools have successfully implemented a school uniform policy? (Isaacson, 1998) School uniforms greatly benefit both the students and faculty by creating an atmosphere in which the students are able to get the most out of their education. I believe that all students should wear school uniforms regardless of whether or not the school is public. Below are clear-cut arguments in favor of school uniforms. First, one of the chief benefits of school uniforms is their ability to make schools safer. Studies have shown that they help to reduce gang influences. (Isaacson, 1998) Many gang members wear particular types of colors and clothes to signify their membership to a certain gang. With every student wearing the same articles of clothing, gang members will not be able to establish a rivalry within the school. Uniforms also minimize violence by reducing some sources of conflict. A Long Beach Superintendent stated the first year that the uniforms had been implemented into his school, crimes decreased by thirty-six percent, school violence by fifty-one percent, and vandalism to the school dropped eighteen percent. (US Dept. of Ed., 1996) Uniforms will also make it easier for trespassers to be identified. (Ryan & Cooper, 2000) These trespassers will stick out like a soar thumb because they will not have on a uniform like everyone else. Identifying and properly escorting the...

Principles of Decision Making Essay

â€Å"Our economy is the result of millions of decisions we all make every day about producing, earning, saving, investing, and spending† by Dwight Eisenhower (UBR, Inc. , 2007). What are the principles behind an individual’s decision making? According to Mankiw, the four principles of individual decision making are as follows: â€Å"people face trade-offs, the cost of something is what you give up to get it, rational people think at the margin, and people respond to incentives. † People face trade-offs by having to give up something to get what they want or need. This is no surprise for most people who learn early in life that few things are free. A trade off is when you put more into one and less in the other. As an example of a trade-off, many times college students give up spending time with their families and friends in order to do homework and accomplish their long-term goal of earning a degree. Because of â€Å"trade-offs, making decisions require comparing the costs and benefits of alternative courses of action† (Mankiw, 2007, p. 6). The cost of something is what you give up to get it. This clearly emphasizes that there are always costs to every decision that we make. These are what we called opportunity costs. An opportunity cost is what we have to give up to gain something else. It does not always have to be about financial matters but also situational issues. If individuals make the decision to return to school, they not only have a cost of monetary impact on life but also a cost of time because they have chosen to study over their alternatives of working or socializing. Rational people think at margin. A rational decision maker â€Å"takes an action if and only if the marginal benefit of the action exceeds the marginal cost† (Mankiw, 2007, p. ). Economic decision makers act in a rational manner. This means that decision makers prioritize the end results of their actions. They decide based on their wants and needs. â€Å"Rational people systematically are purposefully do the best they can to achieve their objectives, given the opportunities they have† (Mankiw, 2007). According to Mankiw, marginal changes are just slight adjustments to what is already being done by comparing the marginal cost and marginal benefit of something. This could be an individual going to the store to buy sugar. If the store has two brands of the same size that are of different prices, a person will buy the least expensive because there is no benefit to purchasing the more expensive sugar. Also, if a person desired to achieve higher grades, it is most likely that he would spend longer hours studying and reviewing his/her course. Also, if there were two competing companies, one offering a large compensation with benefits, the other lacking resources to render incentives, it is assumed that the applicant would prioritize the more productive company. In deciding what is profitable in any economic situation, a decision maker has to assess the costs and benefits of any specific course of action. An example of a decision comparing the marginal benefit and the marginal cost associated with that decision occurs when purchasing a marked-up, last minute cruise line ticket for a very important business transaction. The other alternatives are to either drive a car, ride on a plane or wait seven days to pay a much lower fee. The marginal benefits of less travel time, increased comfort and being able to meet the deadline on time all outweighed the marginal cost of the increased fee. The decision made was based on personal incentives and satisfaction. Of course, if the cruise line ticket fee had been higher than traveling by car, I would have chosen driving to have more vacation time and be able to reduce cost. Truly, marginal benefit and marginal cost help in making financial decisions. Our personal budgeting skills will improve as we measure the costs of a financial decision. We will also consider the affordability of the products and services. The principles of economics affect decision making, interaction, and the workings of the economy as a whole because all people make decisions based on what they want and is best for them personally. For instance, the marginal costs and benefits are a vital part of economics because they help provide the relevant measurement of costs and benefits at a specific level of production and consumption. Even if we do not realize it, we all make decisions based on our marginal evaluations of the alternatives. Like in buying a car, we consider not only affordability but also convenience. Economics plays a very significant role in many different aspects of people’s lives. Every decision people make from how much they work, spend, save, and invest plays a role on their economy. Economics is something people use in a daily basis without even realizing it. Applying the said principles in decision making will allow us to plan and organize our goals in a rational and distinct manner. Knowing the cost of doing something will bring us awareness and make us more cautious as we implement our plans. It enables us to identify the trials and hardships that we have to face before reaching our goals. Exploring more about trade-offs brings us to the reality that in every aspect of our life, we have to consider giving up something before achieving what we really want. For example, big or small businesses have to consider the trade-offs in order to gain higher profitability. That is why some companies decrease manpower to reduce cost. On the other hand, doing this means depriving many workers the opportunity to earn for their families. The principles of economic decision making widens our perspective and guides us in implementing productive ideas.

Human Population and Population Growth

In early years human population and population growth has not been an issue. This is because of the variety of different environmental factors. Sickness and disease has played a large role in keeping human population under control since the beginning of time. It seemed that when a population would get over crowded an epidemic such as, the influenza or small pox would break out. This would drastically decrease the population enough that it would be under control again. Famine is another great controller of population. When a famine strikes an area only the few with enough food will be able to reproduce or even survive. An examination of world population control would not be complete with out including war. War also performs wonders at controlling population by murdering most men of child rearing age. In today†s day and age, with our current technology increases disease outbreak and famine (except in some 3rd world countries) is not much of a factor any more. War is not considered a valid population control method due to today†s â€Å"new† wars. Without the three largest population controllers much of a factor any more, population is free to run out of control. This provides us with an ever-increasing controversy; this is whether government or society should dictate family size. I believe that society can infringe indirect controls over family size, but these are considered more community norms as opposed to hard fast rules such as governments can set. Two examples will follow. First, we will look at our society. Yes, the USA†s turn to no child and one-child families. This was caused by society. Society pushes Americans to have successful careers both male and female. There has been a switch from families to careers. This does not providing Americans with the time or means for multiple children, but cutting the number down to one or none. Another example of society's control is the push in some Asian/Middle Eastern countries for a family†s first child to be male. Even when there is no government regulation many cultures push for your first child to be male. This forces families to abort females and even murder them once they have been born. Once again this is a society/cultural push not a mandated rule. These instances are what different societies have created for themselves, when included in one of these societies it is hard to say whether it is right or wrong. I will first address the aspect that government should not control family size. First of all, it is a natural and religious right to produce offspring. Breed, multiply and populate has been the belief since the beginning of time. The idea is to grow population so that our beliefs and way of life may be spread and passed on. Who is government to take these right away? Governmental control over family size goes against everything that the USA stands for. This would be an age-old idea called freedom. When a government starts dictating the kind and size of family a person can have. Almost all freedom is lost. Another topic briefly addressed above is the aborting and murdering of babies that aren†t male. A first hand example of this is China. China regulates or gives incentives to families that only produce one child. This is where the problem begins because most families want this child to be male. Male children are providers and will go out and join the working world. They will be â€Å"successful†. Many female babies are aborted once sex is determined. If sex is not determined before birth, once born many female babies are abandoned or destroyed. This showing the cruelty that government controlled family size will push people to. Government should control family size because in most instances the general population cannot handle this for themselves. A prime example of this is our already over crowded inner cities. People with chemical addictions and no financial means are cranking out babies right and left. They have no means of providing for all of these children. Government currently provides for these under privileged children, that as cruel as it sounds, should not have been born. I have had a first hand example of this problem. A family friend in another state has adopted three crack babies from the same mother; this mother is also on welfare. This certain mother is by no means an exception. China is another example of why government needs to control population. Look at the current problems that they are faced with because in previous years they have done nothing. Left uncontrolled, population will snowball out of control. Government needs to be aware of the ever -increasing population growth problem. I believe that rather that mandating how many children a family can have. They should educate its population on different means of birth control and possibly start providing for free. Especially in this country a harsher penalties needs to be imposed for chemical dependent mothers that become baby factories. An education/management plan can be imposed allowing individuals the freedom to determine the number of children they desire to have.