Cause and Effect of Social Media Essay

The 21st century is defined by its obsession and advancements in technology, the younger generation in particular. Technology plays as a key factor in most lives, social media especially. Among the most popular of social media are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, all with the main purpose to share or view personal information and experiences, communicate with others and meet new people on social or professional grounds. There are several positives and negatives effects associated with social media, making it a topic of debate whether it is creating more good or harm for today’s society. see more:positive and negative effects of social media We use technology as the number one means of communication, and social media has made communicating with each other even easier. We have the ability to stay linked to the world and available at all times with a simple email, text message or social media post. Because most of our conversations are through a tablet, cellphone or computer, face to face interaction is decreasing. More and more people are isolating themselves and losing the ability or desire to interact with real people in real life. It is becoming easier to go through life with less personal confrontations and conversations. This is a problem because we are social creatures and as human beings, that face to face, in person interaction is necessary. One of the main reasons social media was created was to link up with old friends near and far. In present day times we also use social media to form connections with new people. Through the use of forums and specialized pages on Facebook, you can connect with people who have interests similar to your own that you would not necessarily meet in real life and business connections also. Many people go on to build real friendships and even relationships with people they have met on social media. Only negative to this is that you never really know who you are talking to. Someone can claim to be one person, but in reality are lying to you about their identity the whole time. This has become such a common practice that the term â€Å"catfish† was created. A catfish is a person who invents a persona, or impersonates a person online through social media. There have been situations where people have been lured to meet up with who they’d consider a friend under false pretenses. Getting catfished can put one in a dangerous situation. Facebook, twitter and instagram are all methods used to share your life with others. You’re able to post pictures and type statuses to inform your friends, followers, etc., what you have been up to and how you have been living your life. Adults usually post pictures and statuses focusing on their family, trips and special events in their lives, while the younger generation takes social media a lot more serious. Every moment of their lives are put out there for the world to see, sometimes without the realization. Teenagers on social media are always trying to impress and one up each other. They sometimes post inappropriate material to try to look as cool as possible without realizing that ultimately employers, teachers, parents, law enforcement and strangers all have the ability to see. The problem is once something is on the internet it is there forever, and if caught you can find yourself in major trouble. Often when we’re bored we turn to social media for entertainment. We can check up on family friends or see what the hottest celebrity is up to. Then before we know it, our simple amusement becomes a huge distraction. The amount of people we can connect with on social media is endless and they are all so unique, we can spend an infinite amount of time browsing social media without getting bored. Many people have become addicted to social media and find themselves online way more often than they should. This creates a problem when it comes time to do schoolwork and study and even in the office for some. When trying to tackle tedious tasks, it is easy to get distracted and venture onto Facebook, twitter or Instagram. You may not have the intention to stay on for long, but before you know it hours have passed and no work has gotten done. For social media junkies they may have to turn off their phone and block these websites to focus all their attention on the task at hand and get anything done at all. Endless positive and negative effects of social media affect our society today. On one hand social media creates an easy way to communicate with one another, connect with people on a social and business level, share our lives with others and entertain us when we need it. While on the other hand social media comes with the possibility of causing isolation in many situations, putting ourselves in danger when we don’t know who we’re talking to, causing  trouble for ourselves and distracting us from school and work related tasks. Every person who uses social media needs to set limits for themselves to ensure their experience is much more positive than negative. Once that is completed social media can be used as a tool to do great things.

Long term financing

The capital market you may remember deals with bonds and stocks. Within the capital market there exists both a primary and a secondary market. A primary market is a â€Å"new issues† market. It is here that funds rose through the sale of new securities flow from the buyers of securities to the issuers of securities. In a secondary market, existing securities are bought and sold. Transactions in these already existing securities do not provide additional funds to finance capital investment. A large company typically raises funds both publicly and privately. With a public issue, securities are sold to hundreds and often thousands of investors under a formal contract overseen by federal and state regulatory authorities. A private placement on the other hand, is made to a limited number of investors, sometimes only one, and with considerably less regulation. An example of a private placement might be a loan by a small group of insurance companies to a corporation. Thus, the two types of security issues differ primarily in the number of investors involved and in the regulations governing issuance. When a company opted for expansion, it obviously must be financed. Often the seed money (i.e. the initial financing) comes from the founders and their families and friends. For some companies, this is sufficient to get things launched, and by retaining future earnings they need no more external equity financing. For others infusions of additional external equity are necessary. Venture Capital: venture capital represents funds invested in a new enterprise. Wealthy investors and financial institutions are the major sources of venture capitals. Debt funds are sometimes provided, but it is mostly common stock that is involved. This stock is almost always initially placed privately. Initial Public Offerings: If the enterprise is successful, the owners may want to â€Å"take the company public† with a sale of common stock to outsiders. Often this desire is prompted by venture capitalists, who want to realize a cash return on their investment. In another situation, the founders may simply want to establish a value, and liquidity, for their common stock. Initial Public Offerings are accomplished through underwriters. Bonds: a bond is a long term debt instrument with a final maturity generally being 10 years or more. If the security has a final maturity shorter than 10 years, it is usually called a note. To fully understand bonds, we must be familiar with certain basic terms and common features. Par value for a bond represents the amount to be paid the lender at the bond’s maturity. It is also called face value or principal. Coupon rate is the interest rate on a bond for example a 13% coupon rate indicates that the issuer will pay bondholders $ 130 per annum for every $1000 par value bond that they hold. Bonds almost always have a stated maturity. This is the time when the company is obligated to pay the bondholder the par value of the bond. Preferred stocks: it is a hybrid form of financing, combining features of debt and common stock. In the event of liquidation a preferred stockholder’s claim on assets comes after that of creditors but before that of common stock holders. Usually, this claim is restricted to the par value of the stock, if the par value of a share of preferred stock is $100, the investors will be entitled to a maximum of $100 in settlement of the principal amount. Term loans: commercial banks are a primary source of term financing. Two features of a bank term loan distinguish it from other types of business loans. First, a term loan has a final maturity of more than 1 year. Second it most often represents credit extended under a formal loan agreement. For the most part, these loans are repayable in periodic installments. Quarterly, semiannually, or annual – that covers both interest and principal. Lease financing: a lease is a contract; by its terms the owner of an asset (the lessor) gives another party (the lessee) the exclusive right to use the asset, usually for a specific period of time, in return for the payment of rent. Most of us are familiar with leases of houses, apartments, officers or automobiles. Recent decades have seen an enormous growth in the leasing of business assets, such as cards and trucks, computers, machinery and even manufacturing plants. An obvious advantage, the lessee incurs several obligations. First and foremost is the obligation to make periodic lease payments, usually monthly or quarterly. Almost, the lease contact specifies who is to maintain the asset. The decision to borrow rests on the relative timing and magnitude of cash flows. Under the two financing alternatives, as well as on the discount rate employed. To evaluate whether or not a proposal for financing makes economic sense one should compare the proposal with financing the asset with debt. References Neil Seitz and Mitch Ellison (2004), Capital Budgeting and Long-Term Financing Decisions Richard H. Bernhard, (2005), Capital Budgeting and Long-Term Financing Decisions, 2d ed Robert G. Beaves (2005), Capital Budgeting and Long-Term Financing Decisions. Long Term Financing It offers powerful and intuitively pleasing predictions about how to measure risk and the relation between expected return and risk. The risk in this model comprise of systematic risk means risk undiversifiable risk or market risk. This Model basically takes into account asset’s sensitivity to non-diversifiable risk RE: (Capital asset pricing model From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Earlier pricing models do not reflect changes in financial markets but with the emergence of Financial Pricing Models in form of Capital Pricing Models and Discounted Cash Flow models, changes in financial market, risk and return on individual investment can be easily ascertained RE: ( http://www.business.uiuc.edu/~s-darcy/present/ratemake.ppt#256,1,Ratemaking:   A Financial Economics Approach). CAPM is based on certain assumptions such as investors should be rational, fixed quantity of assets, perfect efficient capital markets, production plans are fixed, no inflation, no change in level of interest rate, similar expectation. However having numerous advantage of this model it is also affected by certain limitations and based on certain assumptions which does not perfectly exists. As it fails to appear adequate variation in stock returns, it assumes that there are no taxes or transaction cost which is not suitable in prevailing market situation. It assumes all assets of fixed quality which can never be possible, every market is not perfectly efficient, it varies on the basis of several factors. Inflation makes direct effect on the interest rate so can it be possible to remain unaffected with such change. In comparison to previous Model, Discounted Cash Flow Model (DCF) helps to determine that what one person is willing to pay today in order to obtain the expected cash flow in future years. In short, it can be said that Discounted cash Flow Model is the method of conversion of futures earning in today’s money. DCFM helps in calculation of cash needed to be invested to receive expected cash flow in future years. The DCFM reflects following Reference:- 1.   The time Value of money means investor must be compensated for the delay of their cash   flow. Risk Premium states that investor can demand high amount in form compensation.   The key inputs in Discounted Cash Flow Model are discount rate, cash flows and growth to get future cash flows. This model helps in determining  Ã‚   the company’s current value according to its estimated future cash flows. DCFM is an important tool in making judgment about company performance. However DCFM are powerful, but they have certain limitations as they are limited to mechanical valuation, small changes in inputs may result in large changes in the value of a company. DCFM are not suitable for short term investment as it focus on long term investing RE: (http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pdfiles/dcfinput.pdf). So, from the study of both the model it can be concluding that both are suitable at their own place subject to consideration of certain assumption and limitation. The company’s evaluates various debts policy and dividend policy to arrive at final decision so that maximum benefit can be provided to company, shareholder, creditors or other persons. To valuate debts and equities various theories are discussed in connection with the sum of debt or equity needed in the organization. Cost of capital play a very important role in selection of the amount of debt and equity such as cost of debt, cost of preference shares, cost of debentures, cost of common shares etc. Then to identify factors which affect capital structure such as political risk, cash flows, discount rate and terminal value. Calculation of net present value, interest rate of return and adjusted net present value is done to ascertain the suitability of capital budget.   So first, cash flow forecasting is to be done by adopting various principles. Then categorization of cash require is made in form of shorter cash, medium term and long term. Then the capital structure is decided by considering various aspects such as cost of equity capital. Then after having profits the company decide whether whole or part of  Ã‚   profit is distributed. The factors should be considered while taking the decision policy decision. Then procedure for payment of dividend is sketched and then impact of divided is noted on the position of shareholders RE: (http://www.cma-srilanka.org/pub/professionalII.pdf). Hence it is clear from the evaluation of debt/equity mix and dividend policy that how much they are necessary to strengthen company’s position. Therefore it is advisable that there must be judicious mixture of debt and equity that must add value by reducing taxes and strengthening management as too much debt result in heavy loss of business and perhaps a costly organization. REFERENCE Referred to sites:- 1.   http://www.business.uiuc.edu/~s-darcy/present/ratemake.ppt#256, 1, Ratemaking:   A   Financial Economics Approach Ratemaking: A Financial economies Approach 2.   http://www.biu.ac.il/soc/sb/stfhome/lauterbah/794/part6/fama_capm.pdf The Capital Asset Pricing Model: Theory and Evidence Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French 3.   http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_dcf.html DCF method Discounted Cash Flow 4.   http://www.cma-srilanka.org/pub/professionalII.pdf Internal Control & Risk Management (ICR) Dated 28th August 2007   

Asserting Ethnic Identity and Power Through Language Essay Example for Free

Asserting Ethnic Identity and Power Through Language Essay Week-1 The linguistic ideology at work here is founded both on the concept of the ‘mother tongue’ as well as on the ‘one nation, one language’ principle. Communities on the western side of the border are not interested in learning the language of their eastern neighbors. Eastern communities, on the other hand, are strongly motivated to learn western languages. The importance attributed to English as the ‘language of globalization’ is common to both sides. We can actually say that ‘language’ is a very hot and recurrent issue for some communities: namely the German-speaking community in Bernstein (D), the Czech-speaking community in Vejprty (CS), the German-speaking and Slovenian-speaking communities in Eisenkappel/Z? elezna Kapla (A),etc. The term ‘mother tongue’ is often used – forms the ‘way of thinking’ of its speakers, and thus the different ‘mentalities’ and ‘national characters’ are connected with the use of different languages. Many informants are convinced that it is the ‘mother tongue’ which determines thought, social behavior, and exhibition or control of affection and emotions. Thus the confrontation between languages automatically becomes a clash of mentalities. For example, the German-speaking community in Ba? renstein finds there is a relation between the insurmountable difficulty in pronouncing and learning the Czech language and the incomprehensibility of the words Czech-speaking people produce. People in western communities explain this widespread knowledge by saying that ‘the Others’ need to know my language, because my language is the superior One. We can also find indices of implicit prestige in many interview quotes, like ‘my language is useful to find a job’, ‘my language is more international than theirs’, ‘it represents a symbol of upward social mobility’; ‘the importance of my language forces them to learn it, and in this way they show practical sense, intelligence and cleverness, because they well know that the knowledge of the languages spoken on both sides of the border offers more professional and economic opportunities’. People are not generally interested in learning the language of the ‘Other’, and the reason is, as we have already seen, its ‘uselessness’, or its low value on the ‘language market’. They only learn what they need in their commercial transactions. Europe is a multilingual continent in which the tension between linguistic pluralism and assimilation is quite evident at present. Week-2 The topic for this week was â€Å"Creation of a Sense of Belonging through Language†, which we found very much interesting as we have to present our own explanation, views and thoughts. The topic is about Finland, Iceland and Latvia. Firstly we discussed about Finland that Swedish-speaking people along the coastlines, spoke a non-Scandinavian language, namely Finnish. The Finnish language was to become the most effective medium in the nation-building process as well as the most important criterion in creating an awareness of a collective identity. Language became a defining characteristic towards the ‘outside’ and a communicative driving force on the ‘inside’ within the great diversity of local and regional cultures. We could say that for the process of nation-building in Finland during the 19th century two main deficits had to be overcome: sovereign state structures had to be developed and an individual Finnish national consciousness had to be formed. In the process of spreading a Finnish national consciousness – a development often associated with the term ‘awakening’ as in a religious experience – the main focus was directed towards the common people, their language and culture. Finland’s modest cultural life, Finnish had gained the status of a modern cultural and scientific language. The civil servants, scholars, and many artists, continued to use Swedish as their language of communication and publication. But Finnish steadily gained ground. Many people were already, or became, bilingual. The accusation that Finnish was ‘too primitive’ was defeated by generating new terms, which proved that the language was innovative and possessed the potential for development. In the discussion about Iceland by Halfdanarson. The text tells a story of Icelandic nationalism and the struggle for independence of Iceland under Danish rule. Halfdanarson points out the rare case of Icelandic nationalism, and it’s non-violent nature. In fact, according to the article, both Iceland’s struggle for independence and the Danish reactions to it were both surprisingly pacific in nature, partly because of the idea of shared past and cultural heritage between the two countries. There are certain elements in common with the case study of Iceland and Herder’s text, such as the idea of mystic, shared past of a nation, the role of the single language of a social group forming the nation and so on. I think especially in cases like Iceland, language and linguistic identity have essential role in formation of national identity. Iceland is isolated, both in geographical terms as an island in the middle of Atlantic ocean and in terms of language. Although Icelandic is a language related to scandinavian languages, it still differes from them quite a lot. And lastly There was a question that is it possible to have a single language in whole Europe? We think its not possible to have a single langage in the whole Europe as there are many different countries with their own languages from last hundreds of years. In Europe, People communicate with each other using the shared language of their group. The group might be as small as a couple (married or unmarried partners, twins, mother and daughter etc. who share a ‘private’ language where only they know the meaning of some words) or as large as a nation, where everyone understands the allusions in their shared language (often allusions to shared history, to contemporary events, to media people of fact or fiction etc). The ‘secret’ language of the smallest group and the ‘public’ language of the national group are two ‘varieties’ of the same language. Every social group, large or small, has its own language variety, (regional groups have varieties of the national language (as opposed to regional or minority languages) which are usually called ‘dialects’) and there is overlap among all the varieties. However there is a possibility to use English as a second language as use of English gives a considerable advantage to the 13 % of EU citizens who are native English speakers, and to speakers of closely related languages (German, Dutch, Danish and Swedish), over all other Europeans. Week-3 In the week 3, we learned about ‘Language and subjective identity’. The two articles were on Franz Kafka and Simone de Beauvoir. Franz Kafka was German though he never lived among the Germans. He was then living in Prague, Czech. Hence Kafka knew both Czech & German languages. But, he preferred Czech Language as he was of the view that one could express his/her feeling in a better way in a particular language. In this case, he thought that Czech was a better language than German to express his feelings. Franz Kafka was in love with Czech translator Milena Jesenka. He used to demand Milena to write him letters in Czech language than German. He belived in a approach â€Å"belongs to a language†. When Milena replied his letters in Czech, he believed that Czech was much more affectionate, which removes all the uncertainties, he could see his lover more clearly, the movements of her body, her hands quickly which almost resembled as they both are meeting. This shows how Kafka prefered Czech more than German. Kafka encouraged his favourite sister Ottla in her marriage to Josef David, a Czech Catholic, against the opposition of parents and relatives, and wrote affectionately to his new brother-in-law in fluent Czech. For Prague Jews of Kafka’s generation, language and identity could be painfully dissonant. In Kafka’s case, this dissonance reached deep into his own family, conferring an alien quality on the most intimate of human relationships. Franz Kafka died of tuberculosis in 1924. He is buried beside his parents in the family plot in Prague’s New Jewish Cemetery. Simone de Beauvoir is a French Women. She was French writer, political activist, feminist, and social theorist. She gave her whole life for feminine rights and equality with men in Society. Beauvoir was an outstanding student. She did her postgraduate work at the Ecole Normale Superieure, the top postgraduate program in France, where she met Jean Paul Sartre. When World War II broke out in September 1939, Sartre was called for military service. He became a prisoner of war when the French army surrendered, but he was released and both Beauvoir and Sartre participated in the resistance, and after the Vichy Regime dismissed Beauvoir from her teaching position, she began a novel about the resistance. When the war ended, Beauvoir and Sartre became part of a group of leading French intellectuals, who concerned themselves with the perceived failures of modern French society. they founded Les Temps modernes as a means to explain their social and cultural views. At the same time, Sartre suggested to Beauvoir that she undertake a book on the status of women, and she published, La deuxieme sexe (The Second Sex). This was her most famous, and influential book. It became a sourcebook of modern feminism, particularly in the United States for later feminist thinkers such as Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. De Beauvoir used very specific and effective and powerful words to underline her matter. She is willing to deploy language and words towards others, because she knows about â€Å"a manner in which her body and her relation to the world are modified through the action of others than herself†. Asserting Ethnic Identity and Power Through Language. (2016, Oct 22). 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Project Reflective Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Criminal Profiling Deductive vs Inductive - Essay Example Inductive and deductive criminal profiling are different from each other in more ways than one. Deductive criminal profiling is more common because it needs one to have specialized training and education in the field under investigation. This paper will give an in-depth analysis of the differences between deductive and inductive criminal profiling. Profiles work best when the criminal displays psychopathology traits, for example, postmortem mutilation, pedophilia or sadistic torture. A profile usually offers helpful information regarding issues such as age range, education level, and racial identity as well as travel patterns. These demographic variables come in handy when following the trail of the offender and the eventual arrest. Inductive profiling is the case whereby characteristics of offenders who are known are applied to subjects that are unknown. In this case, detectives believe that the two groups have some common features. It is important to note that it is risky owing to the fact that two people can engage in identical behavior but for different reasons. It is challenging to apply data that is relevant to a group of single entities who are members of the group (Turvey, 2011). Inductive profiling id used in the classification of rapists as well as serial killers. Inductive profiling uses all the evidence gathered from police reports, crime scenes, psychological evaluations as well as victimology reports. This is in order to analyze the data empirically and consequently support a theory. On the other hand, deductive profiling is limited to the evidence left at the crime scene. This kind of profiling is very common in the movies. The crime scene is assumed to be the canvas while the criminal deems himself the artist.  

Should Canada, North America, and Central America form an American Essay

Should Canada, North America, and Central America form an American Empire, or super-state, similar to the European Union - Essay Example ree leaders, President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Martin, and President Fox of Mexico conferred to deliberate upon bringing the North American countries as one. The leaders had agreed to settle for a condition in which both political and economic policies on security and antiterrorism would be integrated encompassing sectors as immigration, energy, transportation, and customs and to be complied with by the nations involved. Combining regulations to such extent might to some point yield the desired results however, since it would eventually expedite border crossing and facilitate an approach that favors ease in clearance of commodities and people at the continental level, one would not afford but imagine how it would give further allowance to entries beyond good cause. Once boundaries become freely movable, there would be huge probability toward illegal trade of goods as in smuggling, drug trafficking, and prostitution. Additionally, the common security perimeter would most likely induce elements that run counter to preservation of culture unique for each nation (Edwards). Super-state formation, on considering adoption of foreign policy, may entail threat to laws or acts made to protect both human health and environment. Just like the initial step by NAFTA, SPP has also targeted to modify certain regulations that enable corporations or private business firms to file charges against provincial and municipal governments. Later on, this would lessen the chance for environmentalists to express and defend their concerns since the new set of standards regard commercial motives more than environmental impact and would thus limit favor on establishing safety measures on humanitarian aspect. As it turns out, the union inhibits a sense of democracy especially when Amero becomes the new currency upon the mergence (Wells). The associated plan to establish a global transportation system is initially difficult to gauge given the complexity of the transportation

Internet Gambling Essay Example for Free

Internet Gambling Essay The technoculture related topic that I am going to explore is the phenomenon of Internet gambling. With the emergence and explosion of gambling on television such as the World Series of Poker of ESPN or The World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, online gaming has quickly become a major player in the technoculture of contemporary society. I feel it is important to explore this issue because of American societys fascination and obsession with gambling. Gambling can and has become a very serious and damaging activity to many people in this country. According to CNN. com, studies have shown that people who gamble on the Internet tend to have more serious addictions than people who wager through more traditional venues. Through my research, I hope to further explore why Internet gambling has the potential to be more dangerous than traditional casinos and how younger generations of Americans and the government are responding to this ever-growing phenomenon. Literature Review The research I discovered on Internet gambling is fairly recent and comprehensive. Since online gaming is a reasonably new trend, the material written on the matter was rather current. Furthermore, there was a substantial amount of information within these three sources. It was evident that the three authors conducted high-quality research, and it showed with the use of graphs, charts, and case studies. Also, the three sources had a very similar outlook on the present and future situation of online gaming. With that being said, given that online gaming is at the peak of its existence, it is imperative that further exploration and examination within the subject be carried out. Because of the instant access one has to a gambling venue and the privacy factor of the Internet, online gaming has become a risky undertaking for many. According to David Schwartz (2003), Internet gambling presents new problems for individuals and society (p. 214). Instead of driving to an actual physical casino, problem gamblers can enjoy betting in the comforts of their own home. At home, they are not monitored by other gamblers and/or casino personnel which results in the ability to set their own limit. The Internet also allows the gambler to maintain a level of privacy not found in real casinos. If there are no friends or family around to supervise, then the gambler can engage in irresponsible betting without any time constraints. Finally, unlike real casinos, Internet casinos are readily available at the click of a button. If an online gaming organization will not accept ones money, one can bet that there are thousands of others that will be happy to take ones funds. The demographics of gambling are interesting to investigate within the subject. According to Rachel Volberg (2001), adults ages 18 to 29 are substantially more likely than older adults to have gambled privately (p. 34). Young adults are also more likely to gamble for excitement compared to older adults (Volberg, 2001). This is not a difficult concept to grasp. Normally, young adults have a less appreciative concept of money because they do not have as great of a responsibility as older people in regards to providing for family, paying bills, and spending money on expenses that are traditionally not familiar to a younger person. Furthermore, young people are usually unsupervised, especially in the collegiate demographic. Without the approval from mommy and daddy, young adults all across America are enjoying the financial freedom to do whatever they want with the money they have. In addition, according to Thomas Barker and Marjie Britz (2000), many college students have deep pockets ? Mom and Dads (p. 139). With this new found autonomy and fiscal assistance from parents, college kids are engaging in online gaming for fun and excitement. However, if left untreated and unsupervised, the fun and excitement can soon turn into a dangerous addiction with serious consequences and ramifications. With the possibility of Internet gambling becoming a serious problem, the government has been asked to step in and legislate the situation. According to Volberg (2001), The fact that Internet gambling is conducted in a networked, data-intensive environment offers opportunities for regulation and oversight in several critical areas, including licensure, testing for game integrity and site security, auditing and oversight, taxation, and consumer protection (p 97). Basically, Volberg is supporting a regulatory system that will be able to monitor the activities not only of the individual gambler, but of the gambling website as well. If the government actually does get involved, certain problems can be remedied. For example, every transaction made by a player can be closely followed and tracked. If a player indicates behaviors that suggest irresponsible decision-making, the player can be flagged and possibly suspended from a gambling website. However, all in all, Internet gambling will most likely always have its problems. Just like alcohols are with minors, people will get their hands on something they probably should not be touching. Internet gambling is an intensifying activity in American culture. With all the limitless possibility and endless potential of the Internet, online gaming will continue to be a major player in the world of technoculture and the information society. Nevertheless, what is important within this public sphere is to be able to responsibly deal with the world of Internet casinos. We need to come to a positive middle ground between the two sides of the spectrum; the fun and excitement of gambling and the spiraling addiction. Current Trends Like anything in life, when you create stimulus you are going to yield a response. In regards to online gaming, the stimulus that was created was the buzz generated by the constant bombardment of gambling programs on television. ESPN annually televises The World Series of Poker during the summer in which thousands of people descend upon Las Vegas to gamble in all types of events including poker, blackjack, craps, etc Many times they tell the story of some average Joe who enters a tournament and eventually ends up winning thousands of dollars. This false sense of hope has grabbed millions of Americans into thinking that they too, have the ability to win a substantial amount of money. The response to this stimulus has been the emergence of online casinos. However, instead of people winning money, crime has actually been the fallout of this risky behavior. According to ABCnews. com (2006), a Lehigh University student by the name of Greg Hogan Jr. attempted to rob a local bank in order to pay off his gambling debts. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty to the offense and now faces up to three years in jail. During his interview with Good Morning America, Mr. Hogan blamed his addiction to online gambling websites for his setback, and cautioned the American public to the dangerous power of Internet gaming. In addition to his story, according to ABCnews. com (2006), 2. 9 million Americans between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two gamble with cards online at least once a week, and fifty percent of male college students and twenty-six percent of female college students gamble on cards at least once a month. To combat this growing epidemic, the House of Representatives took a proactive stance on the matter by passing legislation that would make it illegal to use credit cards on gambling websites and make it significantly more difficult to access these sites. Whether it gets passed by the Senate and the Executive Branch is another matter, however, at least the government is recognizing the problem sooner rather than later. In conjunction with this theory of crime, many Internet scammers have found opportunity within this growing trend. An article on ABCnews. com (2006) describes an elaborate scheme where bookies took sports bets through an Internet gambling site. The insecurity of the website allowed these thieves to launder millions of dollars and corrupt the free enterprise system of the Internet gaming business. Fortunately, these criminals were caught. Nevertheless, it makes you wonder how frequent this sort of thing exists in the online world. Some have argued, nonetheless, that Internet gambling has its benefits. According to Tom W. Bell (1998), the inclusion of the Internet has fostered competition to a business that has long enjoyed the sanctuary of restraining licensing practices. Rather than having to fly out to isolated casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, you can enjoy the experience of gambling in the comforts of your own home. Bell (1998) also supports the belief that gambling in your home allows an individual to escape the traps found in real, physical casinos. A person does not have to be surrounded in a windowless structure while being harassed by cocktail waitresses carrying a tray of free booze. Because of online gaming, the business world has more free enterprise and has given the individual a sense of security not found in traditional locales. In terms of my own personal experience, I actually signed up to one of these gambling websites to investigate how they attract and seize the public. The website was www. gambling. com and in order to register, all I had to give them was a current e-mail address. I found it sort of comforting to know that they pledged that they would not pass any of my information on to any other company and/or website because I did not want my stagweb to become flooded with junkmail from these websites. Immediately after becoming a member, I was granted 400 Ludos. I had no clue as to what Ludos were, but after some probing, I discovered that they were basically a form of Internet currency. For every twenty five Ludos, I received a dollar. That equals sixteen dollars. But, heres the catch. For me to actually receive the Ludos and use them to gamble, I would have to give them my credit card information and pay a montly fee which was actually just about as expensive as the Ludos themselves. Brilliant. Moreover, the website contained links in which I could learn how to play games by reading tutorials, and then, actually play those games. I conducted a little experiment of my own to see how many times I won during one of the games. Out of twenty-five spins on one of the slot machines, I ended up winning sixteen times. That is a sixty-four percent average of winning. Now, anyone who understands anything about gambling knows that the absolute best percentage of winning is fifty percent. However, most of the games are not even close to that percentage. My suspicion leads me to believe that these websites give a false sense of hope to their members. If they succeed in tempting people to try these games, and these games yield a winning percentage better than fifty percent, more often than not, someone is going to believe that they actually have a great chance of making money. It actually is a genius scheme to lure in the public. Make them believe. Once they have accomplished that, these websites have them right where they want them. Conclusions The effects of online gaming are now becoming more clear and transparent to technoculture and the information society. It is apparent that online gaming has become a microcosm of the digital divide that exists within society. According to one of our readings during the semester written by Oscar H. Gandy, Jr. (2002), the differences that make up the digital divide are more than just social constructions. The actual construction is molded due to the new systems of communication that have surfaced within the last twenty years. In relation to online gaming, Internet gaming websites are now competing to display the flashiest, most hypertextual sites in order to attract customers. Due to this competition, better bandwidth and enhanced software will result, thus highlighting the digital divide. Data mining and this notion of surveillance has also entered the conversation regarding online gaming. Because an individual has to present private information about ones self on a website to facilitate gambling, the possibility of gambling website selling personal information in return for financial gain is a distinct possibility. As aforementioned, the site I visited before pledged that they did not engage in data mining. Yet, this seems to suggest that other sites do exercise this right which effectively gives companies useful information about yourself. Moreover, whenever someone uses the Internet, especially in a situation where one willingly submits personal information such as credit card and phone numbers, the possibility of third party surveillance is always present. It really conveys the authentic risks one undertakes when participating in the latest innovation. Another theory that online gaming illustrates is the constant tension between structure and agency. The government represents structure. As a stable entity, it looks to control the path of Internet gambling by establishing rules and regulations in hopes of creating some order. Internet gambling, on the other hand, is the perfect example of agency. Gambling, in and of itself, is the exact definition of what agency represents: the ability of uncertainty and chaos to influence the parameters through which we live. However, as much as these two concepts seem unrelated, there is an interdependence that spurs the creation of new technologies, not only in the world of online gaming, but throughout the technological landscape. Annotated List of Relevant URLS 1. http://www. playwinningpoker. com/resources/sites2. html : This website is a resource for gamblers.It allows the user to learn new games, find new games, and contact certain people involved with gambling. 2. http://www. gambling. com/best/online-gambling-sites. htm : This website directs users to the best gambling websites on the Internet. It has a list on the left hand side with about sixty different links to other gambling sites. 3. http://www. out-law. com/page-6655 : This website is about illegal activities on the Internet. It contains a few articles on illegal mishaps that have occurred through Internet gambling websites. 4. http://www. becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2006/08/on_internet_gam. html : Blog that contains articles about Internet gambling. Website constructed by Gary Becker and Richard Posner. 5. http://www. cardplayer. com/blog/entry/179 : Blog that is pro-Internet gambling. Players write their feelings on why they think Internet casinos are fun and exciting. 6. http://www. istoppedgambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with gambling problems. Includes personal stories, how-to instructions, and negative articles about gambling. 7. http://www. nomoregambling. com/ : Website founded to help people with Internet gambling problems. Has a hotline and other medias to help combat irresponsible Internet betting. Works Cited Barker, Thomas Britz, Marjie (2000). Jokers Wild: Legalized Gambling in the Twenty-first Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Schwartz G. , David (2003). Suburban Xanadu: The Casino Resort on the Las Vegas Strip and Beyond. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Books, Inc. Volberg A. , Rachel (2001). When the Chips Are Down: Problem Gambling in America. New York, NY: The Century Foundation, Inc. http://www. cato. org/testimony/ct-tb052198. html.

Gas Laws Lab Essay Example for Free

Gas Laws Lab Essay Introduction: In this lab we are going to investigate behavior of gas by working with a molecular model. Factors that effect gas behavior our pressure, temperature, volume and the number of moles. We are going to keep to variables constant and record the relationship or change in the remaining factors. Independent variables: Temperature, number of moles, volume Dependent variable: Pressure Controlled variable: apparatus used (computer program downloaded from the internet), volume and number of moles Question: What is the relationship between pressure and temperature of a gas filled container with constant volume and number of moles? Hypothesis: temperature and pressure are directly related. As temperature increases pressure increases. Pressure is directly proportional to temperature when the number of moles and volume are kept constant. Procedure: Log on to the Internet and visit heinnemann.co.uk/hotlinks and enter the express code 4266S. Click on weblink 3.2 the simulation on the right will appear. In this simulation one can set the parameters as per desire. For this experiment we need to set the volume and number of moles constant. Three trials are done for accuracy. For the first trial, we need to set the volume constant. The volume will remain set to the default value. Then pump 100 heavy species particle in the container and keep them the same until the next trial. The temperature will automatically go to 300K, remove heat to lower the temperature to 150K. Record the pressure produced. Add 50K each time, before taking another reading until the temperature reach 500K. Record the change in pressure with simultaneous temperature in a table. Before starting the next trail hit the reset button. Before starting the second trail change the depth of the container to 3.4nm. Measure the depth with a ruler (the ruler is given as a tool for measurement). Pump 100 more heavy species in the container to make a total of 200 particles. Increase the temperature as done before with similar intervals and record the pressure in form of a table. Hit the reset again and start the final trail. For the third trial, increase the depth of the container to 9nm and pump in a total of 300 heavy species particle. Record the temperature and pressure in a table. The uncertainty in this experiment for temperature is +0.5K and for pressure is +0.5 Pa. Use the tables to graph the data to show the relationship between temperature and pressure. Conclusion and Evaluation: From the data collected and the graphs processed we can make out that pressure is directly related to temperature when the number of moles of particles and the volume of the container is kept constant. We know that as temperature increases the particles gain more energy and collide at a faster rate with each other and the wall of the container. As the number of collisions increases, the more the particles exert force on the walls of the container. The force that the particles have on the walls is known as the pressure. All the 3 graphs have a linear relationship and the slopes of their lines are the coefficient of the temperature because temperature is directly related to pressure. As shown by the graphs temperature is directly proportional to pressure. In other words keep the volume and the amount of gas constant and change the temperature (by heating or cooling) and observe the change in pressure (Pressure law: P=const*T). The lines are not straight and a line of best fit is used. The unevenness of the lines on the graphs shows that there are slight errors involved in the experiment. The errors included are systematic, analytical and random. As the pressure was fluctuating the value noted was randomly chosen. The temperature was sometimes a point higher or lower, which again caused the pressure gauge to give a slight of value. Also the uncertainty in the measurement of volume showed that there were some errors also included while taking the measurement of the container. Suggestions for improvements: The lab was precise because of the number of trials done but it could be accurate by reducing the errors made in the experiment. Try to hit the raise the temperature of the container in the simulation accurately if that is not possible try setting the default temperature to the desired value and record the pressure. This would allow the pressure gauge to be more accurate. When taking measurement of the container for volume with a ruler try to avoid the parallax error, which is created by not looking at the measurement perpendicularly. Take the mode value from all of the values produced by the pressure gauge and wait a minute or two after setting the temperature and before noting the temperature. This helps to get a more accurate reading because the particles get enough time to settle. By recording the pressure value after giving certain breaks in the experiment will help the lines on all the three graph to be less uneven and more accurate.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Improving Treatments

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Improving Treatments Summary ALS is a progressive, fatal motoneurone disease, ultimately leading to paralysis and respiratory failure within 3-5 years. There is currently only one FDA-approved drug, Riluzole, but its lack of disease prolongation combined with the aggressive disease nature means identifying new treatments is essential. This review highlights 3 of the most current and promising research areas. Recent Phase 1 Clinical trials have proven safety of stem cell (SC) implantation in humans. Parallel rodent SC models show positive results in both decelerating disease progression and promoting anti-inflammatory neuronal protection. Supplementary use of growth factors also shows potential regarding motoneurone survival and dendrite length in cultures, and survival rates in mouse models. Knockout of glial xC- glutamate anti-porter significantly reduces excessive glutamate levels in neurones by 70%, compared to xC- +/+ microglia. Knockout also reduces levels of pro-inflammatory markers. These findings highlight vital role of xC- system in reducing neuronal glutamate excitotoxicity. Antisense technologies effectively reduced SOD1 protein and mRNA levels, consistent in CSF and brain of SOD1 rodent cortices. This supports SOD1 as a good biomarker for future antisense studies. Overall, there is promising research being conducted. However improvements in clinical trial techniques must be addressed in order to reliably compare findings from future studies, and allow identification of a cure in the future. Summary word count: 213 Introduction Also known as ‘Lou Gehrig’s Disease’, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) involves loss of upper and lower motoneurones from the brainstem and spinal cord. Symptoms progress from difficulty in limb movement to paralysis, and finally respiratory failure, the biggest cause of death in ALS. With a prevalence of approx. 2:100,000 and average onset age of 55 years, death usually occurs 3-5 years after onset. Although first identified in 1869 by Jean-Martin Charcot, there remain no conclusive disease causes. The disease is classified into 2 types: Familial ALS (fALS), the inherited form, is responsible for approx. 10% of all cases. There are a handful of genetic mutations linked to fALS, including: C90RF72, TDP-43, FUS, Ubiquilin-2, and currently most relevant in disease-models, Cu2+/Zn2+ Superoxide Dismutase (SOD1). Sporadic (sALS) form comprises the majority of cases, and this unknown nature of the disease makes targeted treatments challenging. Riluzole is currently the only FDA approved treatment for ALS, increasing life expectancy by 2 months. In 2011, ‘Nuedexta’ was also approved as a treatment for pseudobulbar effects in ND diseases. Patients must otherwise rely on palliative care to improve quality of life. This review will focus on the most current and widely researched areas. Proposed mechanisms of disease are beyond the scope of this review, but can be found in a review by Cleveland and Rothstein (2001). Stem Cell Therapy Due to its infamous potential, stem cell (SC) therapy is perhaps the most widely researched treatment area. SC therapy aims to improve symptoms rather than cure the disease, by either targeting re-growth of neurones or promoting their survival. Here we will focus on clinical and pre-clinical SC trials in the last 5 years. Direct neuronal replacement One proposed treatment method is to replace dying motoneurones with SCs. Recent Phase 1 Clinical Trials by Glass et al., (2012) and Feldman et al., (2014) studied the safety of lumbar and cervical SC injections, respectively. Both trials found good patient tolerance and sufficient safety to continue with future trials. Feldman et al. also used histochemical analysis to address concerns over unpredictable SC migration, by highlighting successfully transplanted SCs in spinal cord slices, Figure 1. Figure 1. B) Cross-section of spinal cord highlighting non-native cells C) Close-up shows morphology of cells consistent with pre-implanted SCs, indicative of successful transplantation into spinal cord. [Adapted from Feldman et al., 2014] Despite multiple limitations to the experimental technique, such as absence of a control group, results indicated early SC transplantation has a good chance of slowing disease progression in ALS patients, as 50% of patients showed improvement in 6-15 month post-trial check-ups. The corresponding Phase II Trial commenced in September 2013, and is due for completion this month. Figure 2 shows a previous study by Karussis et al., (2010) where SC injection leads to a significant increase in immune-regulatory cells (CD4+/CD25+) and an overall decreased immune response. Figure 2. Levels of neuronal cell inflammatory markers following injection of SCs [Adapted from Karussis et al., 2014] Reduction in immune response over 24hrs was in fact greater than seen in immunomodulatory medicines, suggesting additional mode of action for SC therapy. Neuronal survival via growth factor delivery Unsuccessful trials in the late 1990s to treat ALS with growth factors (GFs) prompted further studies into appropriate CNS targeting. Development of the SOD1-mutant rat model allowed Suzuki et al., in 2008, to address these delivery issues in a study using SCs as GF vectors. They found GF delivery to mid-stage SOD1 rodents showed increased neuromuscular connections, and a lifespan increase of 28 days, possibly due to reduced neuronal loss. Viral vectors for trophic factors (TFs) provide an alternative delivery route, and in 2010, Dodge et al., carried out mouse embryonic-SC motoneurone studies in which expression of TFs IGF-1 and VEGF-165 using viral vector, AAV4, allowed successful delivery of TFs to entirety of CNS. This slowed MN decline and increased mouse survival. Figure 3 shows initial culture studies using mouse-derived embryonic motoneurone SCs, showing clear protective action on neurones. Figure 3. A) 70% of motoneurones died in control, GFP-CM, compared to high survival with IGF-1-CM/VEGF-CM. B,C) IGF-1-CM/VEGF-CM treated motoneurones showed increased neurite length and survival rates compared to control. [Image from Dodge et al., 2010] Subsequent mouse studies showed increased survival and decelerated reduction in hindlimb grip-strength and stamina on the rotarod, seen in Figure 4. Figure 4. A,C,E) Mouse studies depicting neuroprotective action of TFs, IGF/VEGF vs control. [Image adapted from Dodge et al., 2010] It is worth noting that combined delivery of both TFs showed no synergistic effect, probably due to their affecting the same pathway. Subsequently, in 2013, Krakora et al., modified human mesenchymal SCs to further investigate synergistic effect of combined GFs. A synergistic effect between GDNF + VEGF was seen due to their action on different signalling cascades. This shows promise for future studies into improved neuronal survival. SC conclusions Phase-1 clinical-trials have shown safety of SC injection into CNS with promising, if unreliable, patient outcomes. The mechanism of improvement still unidentified, but hints at inflammatory regulation in neural protection may open an interesting avenue. GF application shows further potential based on rodent/mice studies with a proven effect at slowing disease progression and neuronal loss. SCs make suitable GF vectors as can be made to express/over-express GFs. Combining GF models with SC vectors for targeted delivery requires further exploration. Future trials must consider frequency, dose and administration technique. Neuronal Excitotoxicity Mouse ALS models by Beers et al., (2011) and Liao et al., (2012) indicate microglia conversion from M2 (anti-inflammatory) to M1 (pro-inflammatory) state during disease. Believed to be due to glutamate toxicity, therapeutic work should focus on reducing excessive neuronal glutamate level, and reducing resultant pro-inflammatory response. In 2014, Mesci et al., studied the xC- system; a glial antiporter exchanging cysteine for glutamate release, causing increased neuronal glutamate. The study aimed to show blocking xC- would reduce excessive glutamate release and affect M1/M2 state, to reduce inflammation. xCT (transporter gene) -/- mouse microglial studies demonstrated a significant 70% reduction in glutamate release compared to XC- +/+. Furthermore, Figure 5 shows significantly increased pro-inflammatory factors in xC- +/+ mice microglia compared to -/-, hinting at a shift towards the M1 microglial phenotype via xC-. Figure 5. A-E) Levels of M1 pro-inflammatory factors in xCT -/- vs +/+ mouse microglia [Image from Mesci et al., 2014] Interestingly, Mesci et al., also noted a 10-fold increase in anti-inflammatory M2 marker levels at pre-symptomatic phase in -/- mice which drops off at disease onset, indicating M1/M2 shift upon disease onset. Encouragingly, -/- microglia showed significant increase in motoneurone survival in -/- vs +/+ microglia, at 45% and 35% survival, respectively. This is indicative of a less neurotoxic environment. Finally, xC- -/- SOD1 mutated mice showed an overall deceleration in disease progression, shown by increased survival rates following advanced disease stage (20% weight loss) in Figure 6. Figure 6. Survival in advanced ALS in xC- +/+ and -/- SOD1 mice Neurotoxicity conclusions These anti-excitotoxicity findings are consistent with the action of Riluzole. Future drugs may target xC- system, however current antagonists are poorly specific and available to brain. Identification of a more suitable antagonist would be a good priority before further clinical trials. Antisense Technologies Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) bind to specific mRNA sequences to cause mRNA degradation. In 2013, Leah et al., conducted studies in SOD1 rodents and human subjects with neurodegenerative diseases. SOD1-targeting ASOs were introduced to subjects to reduce SOD1 levels. They found both SOD1 mRNA and protein fell by 69Â ±4% and 48Â ±14%, respectively, in rodent cortices. Interestingly, this matched reduced protein levels by 42Â ±14% in rodent CSF, indicating CSF levels are a good measure of levels in brain. Unfortuntely, SOD1 cannot be a specific ALS marker due to its presence in other neurodegenerative diseases. However, its observed constant levels over time supports SOD1 as a good biomarker in indicating efficacy of antisense technologies and its effective targeting by ASOs may be useful in measuring brain SOD1 levels via CSF levels in future studies. A Phase 1 Clinical Trial by Miller et al., (2013) to determine safety of single-dose intrathecal injection of ASOs found no safety concerns. However, liver cancer and neuropathy was previously seen in cases of chronic low SOD1 levels (Elchuri et al., 2005), so long-term dosage effects must be carefully monitored. Conclusions This review was restricted to three main research areas, but areas such as susceptibility gene identification, oxidative stress and protein misfolding, are also being explored. Current research shows promise, especially in SOD1 rodent models and positive safety data from Phase 1 Trials. SCs continue to have vast potential, and when combined with GFs have shown encouraging effects on disease progression in rodent models. Reliability of these studies, however, must be improved in order to draw accurate conclusions and compare findings from related studies. Ideally, a ‘standard trial protocol’ should be implemented. Trials must also consider long-term effects of reduced SOD1 levels (in antisense techniques) and immunosuppressant use (with stem cells). Some issues may possibly be alleviated by recent development of new autologous SC models (Meyers et al., 2014). In short, current ALS treatments remain palliative care and Riluzole, but with new developments continuously emerging there is definitely an exciting research landscape ahead. In October 2014, ALSA requested Phase II Trial proposals to accelerate work in this area, meaning that the race is on to find suitable ALS treatment that may help patient prognosis in the future. Word count: 1573 119/09/2016

‘Sub-Roman’ Britain? Essay -- British history, Imperial Rome Rule

The term ‘sub-Roman’ Britain is traditionally the name that refers to the period of British history that loosely charts from the end of Imperial Roman rule in AD 410 to the arrival of Saint Augustine and his Christian missionaries in AD 597. However, the date for the definitive end of the period is arbitrary as sub-Roman culture continued to develop in the country that would subsequently be known as Wales and similarly in the west of England in areas such as Cornwall and Cumbria. The term ‘sub-Roman’ has become synonymous with this period due to the classification of pottery from this era by archaeologists as degenerate forms of Roman craftsmanship. However, To say that sub-Roman Britain was simply Roman Britain in decay is to overlook both its achievements (monasticism, penitentials) and the continuity with its Roman (Latin education, Mediterranean trade) and Celtic (La Tà ¨ne jewelry, the bardic tradition) past. The Focus of this essay shall be to assess the period to understand and consider the legitimacy of the term â€Å"Sub-Roman† Britain. Several terms to describe Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries have had a popular and reinforced usage throughout the history of scholarship. Apart from being known as objectively as two centuries between the end of Roman Imperial rule and the return of christianity, the period may also be considered a part of the early Middle Ages, if continuity with the following periods is stressed. Popular (and occasionally some academic) works use a range of more dramatic names for the period: the Dark Ages, the Brythonic Age, the Age of Tyrants, or the Age of Arthur. The term â€Å"Post-Roman† is emerging as the preferred form of classifying this confusing and enigmatic time as it is more sensitive to the... ...lyn. Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications Moorhead, S.,; Stuttard, D., (2012). The Romans who Shaped Britain. London, Thames & Hudson. Morris, J. (1973) The Age of Arthur, a history of the British Isles from 350 to 650, London, Weidenfeld and Nicolson Reece, R. ( Jun. 1980) â€Å"Town and Country: The End of Roman Britain† in World Archaeology, Vol. 12, No. 1, Classical Archaeology, Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Snyder, C. (1997) â€Å"Sub-Roman Britain, an Introduction† on Vortigern Studies.org.uk http://www.vortigernstudies.org.uk/artgue/snyder.htm [accessed 02/01/14] (1996). Sub-Roman Britain (AD 400-600): A Gazetteer of Sites. British Archaeological Reports (BAR) British Series No. 247. Oxford: Tempvs Reparatvm Stenton, F. M. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (Third ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press Thomas, C. (1981) Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500 London: Batsford

The Fruitland Community Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Friutland Community   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A utopian society is very hard to come across these days. People tend to start a utopian society in order to better the life’s of others. Bronson Alcott of the Fruitland Community tries to find a utopian society that will last and be productive. The Fruitland’s goal is to abstain from worldly activity and integrate systems of trade and labor in order to find spirituality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fruitland Community differs from the novel, Anthem more than it is similar. Bronson Alcott designed a community which would help others carry out all their philosophies. His practical needs to act on his high ideals made this community popular, but only for a short time. In the Fruitland community people are not free in all respects. This brings similarity and differences in relating Anthem stated that no individual is free. No one could express one’s thoughts, ideas, or even one’s feelings in Anthem. The Fruitlanders did have individuality, but the people in Anthem felt that it was a sin to see themselves as an individual person. The Fruitland leaders â€Å"wanted to eliminate cattle from the drudgery of farm labor and spare them from the degradation of slaughter for food. However, they also meant to end the need for human contact with animals due to the fact they felt that animals were revolting to the spirit† (3). The Fruitlanders only used resources that would grow above ground; consequently, their food became scarce. They only produced eno...

Ackoff Management Misinformation Systems :: essays research papers

â€Å"Ackoff Management Misinformation Systems† Ackoff identifies five assumptions commonly made by designers of management information systems (MIS). With these assumptions, Ackoff argues that these assumptions are in most cases not justified cases, and often lead to major deficiencies in the resulting systems, i.e. "Management Misinformation Systems." To overcome these assumptions and the deficiencies which result from them, Ackoff recommends that management information system should be imbedded in a management control system. The Ackoff Assumptions are that: (1) Due to lack of relevant information, most managers operate under this deficiency; With the first assumption and contention, I’d have to disagree. According to Ackoff, it seems that only certain information is useful, while the other is useless and it overburdens the managers. Therefore, top management usually receives filtered input that subordinates have carefully screened several times. However, top management needs more information and data, more qualitative input, and less formal analysis than it receives. Sometimes, the useful information might seem useless at one time, may become more important at another time. Therefore, I believe that all information be readily available for the manager to proceed forward in a timely fashion. (2) The manager needs the information he wants; I agree to a certain aspect to this ideology. Without a doubt, without the proper information, the manager is useless because they are not able to direct their workers in the right direction. People working for the manager tend to require more information from the top. More important, they need a general and, sometimes, a specific sense of direction and support. Without a proper direction, all people involved will concurrently feel underutilized, and will try to gather all information, relevant or irrelevant and fill up their work time, without achieving any goals. (3) A manager will improve his decision making, if he has the information he needs, This is a straight-forward logical agreement with the author. It is obvious that if the information is available, the manager will be able to make a better judgment. Without proper information from above, the people working for the manager will be lost. On the other hand, if the manager has the information need to complete the task, then the objective will be solved in a short period of time, with everyone contributing in a positive way. (4) A better communication between managers will improve organizational performance; I agree with the statement above on the basis that communication is the most important thing when it comes to working in unison.

Christian Gospel Essay

This is an inspiring story of how a man of God grew into a man of great influence. Examining his life and ministry from the wise and humble perspective that has made him one of the world’s most beloved and respected leaders, in this memoir, Graham looks back at age 78 on his lifetime of personal relationships, ministry, leadership, and experiences. He chronicles such events and stories as his boyhood in North Carolina, his first steps in ministry, details of evangelistic trips and revivals, and meetings with world and local leaders. Billy Graham’s gift has been to appreciate that in matters of faith there is no approach too simple, no argument too crude, no question too basic. The most striking thing to notice about Graham’s career concerns the most important matter, his view of God. Here the question is whether Graham’s strategies of access and ecumenicity undermine his message. The charge that perhaps they do arises from two ways in which Graham has seemed to reduce the Christian Gospel to a utilitarian device existing for other, more ultimate purposes. In the first instance, it is possible to glimpse pressure on his message from the moral calculus, singularly American, of republican citizenship. This calculus suggests that in a republic the good health of the polity depends upon the morality of the citizenry; that the best thing for personal morality is religion; and that, since Christianity is the best religion, it is positioned to do the most for America. Especially in the first part of his career, Graham was prone to statements that seemed to make the destiny of the United States loom larger than the fate of the Christian Gospel. â€Å"I seriously doubt if the old America is going to exist another generation unless we have a turning to Christ. † Some who share Graham’s beliefs would agree with him, but also wonder if he was making the penultimate into the ultimate. In the second instance, Graham throughout his career has spoken of Christianity, again in his words, as â€Å"alone† pointing â€Å"the way to individual peace, social harmony, life adjustment, and spiritual satisfaction. † For a Christian, true enough again. But priorities seem disarranged when sermons conclude as, for example, one did in New York in 1957: â€Å"All your life you’ve been searching for peace and joy, happiness, forgiveness. I want to tell you, before you leave Madison Square Garden this night of May 15, you can find everything that you have been searching for, in Christ. He can bring that inward, deepest peace to your soul. He can forgive every sin you’ve ever committed. † The charge that may be laid against the utilitarian drift of Graham’s Christian message is the charge that so troubled Martin Luther as he struggled to find a merciful God nearly five centuries ago. The heart of Luther’s spiritual dilemma was the fear that his supposed search for God was really a search for his own ease of soul, the fear that he was seeking God primarily for what God could do for him. Luther may have been overly scrupulous, but he could tell idolatry when he saw it, and tell it most clearly when he saw it up close. Billy Graham claims for himself neither Luther’s theological acumen nor his penetrating powers of self-analysis. Yet what rescued Luther from himself was also what has preserved the authenticity of Billy Graham’s message. The reason that Graham’s message, though admittedly soft at the edges, remains solid as a rock is that at its center is the Cross. In the early 1950s Graham solidified early practice by dedicating himself to the saving work of Christ as the heart of his message: â€Å"I made a commitment never to preach again without being sure that the Gospel was as complete and clear as possible, centering on Christ’s sacrificial death for our sins on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead for our salvation. â€Å" At the close of his memoirs, as at the close of so many sermons, Graham restates the appeal for conversion that is the trademark of his career. As he makes that appeal in this book there is his customary attention to what the Gospel does for us. But under girding all, from first to last, is an equally full sense of what the Gospel does to us: We are not here by chance. God has put us here for a purpose, and our lives are never fulfilled and complete until His purpose becomes the foundation and center of our lives. . . . When you [open your heart to Jesus Christ], you become a child of God, adopted into His family forever. He also comes to live within you and will begin to change you from within. No one who truly gives his or her life to Christ will ever be the same, for the promise of His Word is true: â€Å"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation† (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). We have seen this happen countless times all over the world, and it can happen in your life as well. Open your life to Christ today. If in the hands of Billy Graham, the Gospel bends, nonetheless, it does not break. To conclude that Graham has remained faithful to the message that God saves sinners for His own purposes, as well as for theirs, is the highest accolade a fellow-believer can bestow on this remarkable man. But Graham, of course, has become more than just a rallying point for Christian believers. Graham’s apparently bottomless kindness, combined with the lightning pace of his narrative—so many visits, so many good friends, so many celebrities—means that Just As I Am is not a particularly challenging book. It is, nonetheless, worth reading carefully, both because Graham is the genuine article and because many of its details and much of its tone are in fact quite useful for attempting a more complex assessment of his career.

Ganhi, King, and Mandela: What Made Non-Violence Work?

Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who started his voyage in Spain and was the first explorer to circumnavigate, meaning to blend in all the around the world. He was executeed on April 27, 1521 by the natives on the island of Cebu in the Philippines era legion(predicate) of his own custody stayed on the boat despite k at presenting their passkey was in trouble. The inquire being asked was whether or non this captain was worthy defending. This question could be answered either way just in this essay we are breathing out to argue that Magellan was non worth defending.Ferdinand Magellan was not worth defending because he was un organize, he forced and threatened natives in the Philippines to switch to his religion of Catholicism and knowly, he was distinguished and could awe less about the crewmembers needs. Magellan wasnt organized as a loss leader because during their voyage after they had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and had sailed eat the coast of what we no w call the countries of Brazil and Argentina, he discover that the supplies might not last them the reside of their trip. Because of this Magellan put each crewmember on a limited about of nutrient that they could confuse each day.Many of the men grew ill, were real worried with this decision and wanted to return folk, scarce Magellan refused to listen to any of their needs. This shows that Magellan was not a in truth organized leader because he didnt bring enough food and supplies that could last for each and e very crewmember during their many long years on sea. A mutiny was in like manner organized against Magellan, and in self-defense he killed everyone who was against him including leaders and captains on the other ships. This shows he was not organized because if he was, his own men would not project gone against him and well-tried to kill him.The decision that Magellan made that changed his life was also a very important primer that could support the aim that he was not worth defending. Magellan was killed in the Philippines after he forced all the natives to convert to Catholicism. Those who didnt were threatened just like the colonization on Mactan that he burned down after they did not convert. If Magellan did not function that fearful decision he could flummox been with his remaining men as they unblemished the voyage. This decision he made shows he was probably not a very good leader, it also supports the reason he was norganized. Magellan should have made a transgress decision, which was to leave the natives alone in their home and try to accomplish his goal, which was to reach the raciness Islands. The fact that when the natives went up against Magellan and his men stayed in the ship knowing he was in danger shows his men disliked him and that he may of done other horrible things to them that we are not aware of. The last explanation that bathroom support the argument on whether or not Magellan was worth defending was that h e was very bossy, and slipshod of his mens need.The men on board played a very important role and greatly helped him bewilder the first leader to circumnavigate. Without the men, this might have not been possible. In the documents there is no prove that shows he was ever glad for them. We are also not precondition much information on the men who liked him and thought of him as a great leader. The documents just explain to us how he was bossy and didnt care about them. In Document D we are told how many of the men got very sick and their gums swelled up causation them to be unable to eat.In these documents we are not told Magellan was ever starving or sick, that gives evidence that makes us predict he was self-seeking and kept the good food for himself and tried to keep only himself as good as possible. In conclusion, Ferdinand Magellan was once again, not worth defending. He was unorganized, made horrible decisions and was a very inconsiderate and inconsiderate leader. The reasons explained above give evidence that can answer the question of whether or not Magellan worth defending.

Compare and Contrast the Presentation of Family Relationships Essay

Oranges atomic number 18 Not the Only Fruit (OANTOF) by Jeanette Winterson, and privy the Scenes at the Museum (BTSATM) by Kate Atkinson twain highlight the fundamentality of families and the dissatisfaction go through between these seemingly strained relationships. Both champs of the deuce masss feel a moxie of unacceptance overdue to a variety of reasons involving suppression of desire caused by family members entirely the same this secret yearning also reveals itself through the characters experiences as the two novels progress. Both novels share one briny theme the quest for identity not still for the main characters, but also for their fuck offs. scarlet Lennox, the protagonist of BTSATM is a quirky, complex character who relates the events of her manner and those of her impaired family with equal parts of humour and passion commencement with her estimationion in York, England, in 1959 I represent (p. 9) Atkinson centres the novel on the idea of the convent ional thermonuclear family, which is almost ahead of her clipping as this concept wasnt in place at the time it was written, even she illustrates this through suffer-daughter relationships and also explores this family unity freshman with her depiction of espousal.She presents this concept in generally uncomplimentary terms, her writing shows us how espousals has evolved from women in the square-toed era marrying for primarily social and economic reasons to the much liberated positions of the 1960s. Atkinson uses the character of Alice to provide an example of a lower middle-class woman in the 1800s marrying for security olibanum no longer having to work, sooner than love. Alices choice was simple in its restrictions to go on teaching (which she loathed) or accept Fredericks offer of marriage (p. 32)Her purpose of marriage thus becomes ironic She marries believing she would escape the one social function she loathed, but thus traps herself in years of sorrowfulness wit h a man she does not even equivalent not a day passes when Alice doesnt call back what life would be worry if she hadnt married Frederick Barker (p. 33). Unmarried women are spinsters, therefore frowned upon by society. Neither Rachel, whose marriage to Fredericks was merely out of exculpation of acceptance in society, nor Alice, find any sort of fulfilment from their marriages to Frederick Barker as a ill-natured drunk with an insatiable appetite for gambling (p. 33) correspondent experiences happen to the women of the next two generations. Nells guardianship of being a spinster encourages her to marry Frank, the except eligible man left after the war, and resigns herself to a similar life to that of Alices, one of dissatisfaction and second beat out. This settling for substandard simplicity kinda than sideline dreams seems to become a prominent theme for the women of the book this is thus reiterated with Bunty She marries George after being abandoned by her fianci S he wasnt entirely sure about this, but, with the war now drawing to a close, the possibilities were beginning to make pass (p. 108).Buntys marriage was thus, to the reviewer, predictable to fail as it follows the same unfulfilling course of antipathy and adultery as the previous generations. Both Nell and Bunty are pressured into marriage by social expectations of the time. It is exclusively in the liberation of the1960s, when reds generation begins to see love rather than social acceptance as the primary cause for marriage this new idea eventually highlights the milksop tale like quality of the new reasons rump matrimony. red illustrates this illusive expectation of romanticism in marriage and how damaging these unrealistic expectations keister be. Ruby marries a beautiful boy with green eyeball and black hair (p. 335) However, these romantic ideas end in some truly wretched years (p. 358). Atkinson presents to us a personation of marriage through the ages that shows how a woman originally gave up her passions for a marriage of acceptance and convenience in society, to one of Rubys idea of true love, however ultimately all marriage is predetermined, and is thus harmful to all women This is due to previous generations being so unsuccessful.This rear be compared with Jeanettes mothers motivations for marriage in OANTOF as a way of progressing push in the church building rather than love itself, however she secretly desires Pastor Spratt. The want for and lack of parental love between Nell and Bunty leads on to the central lead of the novel, the relationship between Bunty and her youngest daughter, Ruby. The social restrictions of the 1950s establish Bunty touch modality a genius of imprisonment to support within the domestic expertise as a wife and mother a slave to housekeeping and shes chained to the cooker (p. 44).Bunty, trapped in a region she does not wish to pass on, dreams about What it would be like if her entire family was wiped o ut and she could start over again (p. 14) this thought to any mother would seem solely unacceptable, she obviously loves her children, however due to her own relationship with her mother, she is incapable of expressing this love. Bunty begrudges her daughters because they have entrapped her in an unsatisfactory life, this view is similarly held by Ruby, however she dislikes Bunty as a mother due to the romanticised notion of fairy godmother like figures that society enforced upon little girls.Ruby represents her mother as a monster, almost leaving the subscriber unsympathetic and ignorant to Buntys pressures, however this highlights the earthly concern of conventionality within mother-daughter relationships. Although Ruby may assay to leave the reader disliking Bunty, it actually creates the opposite feeling as many mothers themselves reading the book provide relate to Buntys situation as it is very(prenominal) normal and there is fascination and empathy behind the readers vi ew of Bunty. This can be compared with Jeanettes mother in OANTOF as they are both similar in respect of their individual struggles.Jeanettes mother actively seeks out combat with others. She feels joyful when she is able to sing hymns to irritate the next-door neighbors. While Jeanettes mother relishes religious fighting, other indication of her finesse stands out in the novel for example her picture of her old flame yet she condemns lesbianism. This fight against the beingness is similar to Buntys however a melody could be distinguished as Bunty does not have the strength or confidence to broadcast her struggles or deploy any mechanism to help her, due to her social unacceptance if she did so.We feel sympathy for Bunty, even thought Ruby outwardly wants the reader to see her flaws, we hunch over she is not living the life she wishes to lead and has only married for functionality, whereas this contrasts the view we have on Jeanettes mother as she is made a jeer of. Both Ruby and Jeanette feel a sense of rejection from their mothers. For Ruby this is due to her and her family stopping Bunty living the life she wished for, but also due to the belief of do Pearls death.For Jeanette this is because of her mothers fight with her homosexuality rather than her daughter herself, which has cursed her mothers political program for Jeanette to be a servant to God For Jeanettes mother, Jeanette is merely a tool for filling expectations of the church thus when she leaves, she leaves acceptance also. Both mothers and daughters share a similarity which makes their unacceptance ironic Bunty in that she was never accepted by her mother stuck salutary in the middle(p. 94), and Jeanettes mother by the fact she had a lesbian encounter herself.This can be compared with Jeanettes and her mothers relationship. Although there are obvious difficulties in Jeanette and her mothers relationship, Jeanette learns much from her mother and her mothers role in the church. Jeanet te is similar to her mother in the sense that she learnt to be an outspoken and strong person, important in dealing with and defending her sexuality. Although she has broken away from her mothers faith Jeanette has inherited her mothers strength of conviction on pursuing gratification and what she believes is right.