The Biblical Worldview of the 21st Century Case Study

The Biblical Worldview of the 21st Century - Case Study Example The appellant was arguing that there simply was not enough evidence to conclude that this was the case and wanted to have the court dismiss the case because of this. The Biblical Worldview and the Case The primary biblical issue that must be addressed within this case is the issue of morals and responsibility. The appellant argued that even though the man may have been intoxicated as a direct result of the drinks that the bartender served, the law generally upholds the notion that they should not be held responsible for the actions of an intoxicated person. This stands somewhat in contrast to the Biblical worldview of justice and truth. In the video provided, the judges even questioned the lawyers about the bartender’s ethical responsibility to stop an intoxicated person from getting behind the wheel of a car or at least declining to serve the person any more alcoholic beverages. It appears that the law has made it so that bartenders and the bars such as O’Malleyâ€℠¢s Tavern are very rarely held responsible for any reprehensible actions that their patrons might commit while under the influence. This issue of basic ethics and morals that the Bible teaches would be most applicable in this particular case, therefore. Is this a good method for resolving disputes? Why or why not? The Biblical Worldview would indicate that solving a case in this manner is not preferable. According to the article entitled â€Å"Love, Law, Grace, Mercy, Justice, and Equity,† â€Å"the Biblical laws give God-determined sanctions which are levels of punishment that are proportional to the crime committed†(â€Å"The Biblical Worldview†). Additionally, this article states that â€Å"man is unable to keep God’s law and is condemned by it†¦ nevertheless(it is) to be implemented as fully and completely as possible by individuals, families, voluntary associations, the Church, and state government†(â€Å"The Biblical Worldview†). The logic within this statement concludes that the American legal system is already abiding by a Biblical worldview, albeit indirectly. If the Biblical worldview was utilized within the court, there could be a disconnect between the punishment and the crime. The Biblical viewpoint does carry a lot of morality within it, but there is also a lot of vengeance and wrath for wrongdoings within its theology, primarily within the Old Testament. If this worldview were applied in modern times, it is likely that the legal world would look a lot more like Islam’s Sharia Law where a person will have a hand cut off for stealing.  

Disney Pixar Essay Example for Free

Disney Pixar Essay The balance sheet is a snapshot of a company’s financial condition. It shows assets, liabilities, and stockholder’s equity. An asset is an item of economic value owned by an individual or corporation, especially that which could be converted to cash or liquidated. A liability is an obligation that legally binds an individual or company to settle a debt. When one is liable for a debt, they are responsible for paying the debt or settling a wrongful act they may have committed. Stockholder’s equity is a company’s common stock equity as it appears on a balance sheet, qual to total assets minus liabilities, preferred stock, and intangible assets such a good will. Disney had reported their fair values for cash equivalents and cash, receivables, accounts payable, contracts, derivates and investments that are available for sale. The Company estimates their total current cash and equivalents totaling an amount of 13. 7 billion for October 2, 1010 and 12. 6 billion for October 3, 2009. Disney is such a huge company and has array of assets and best known brands. From parks, property, leasehold, equipments, furniture, land, copyrights, FCC licenses, trademarks and other intangible assets. The Company’s total assets totaled up to 42. 2 billion for 2010 and 38. 1 billion for 2009. Disney has many big assets but their largest assets are their parks and resorts/ properties. Based on their 2 most recent annual reports, the Company reported their largest assets coming in at 16 billion for October 2, 2010 and 16 billion for October 3, 2010. Two of the largest liabilities that Pixar has forgone in the last two most recent reporting periods are the Steven Jobs with The Pixar Touch and the tax liability of backdated Pixar stocks. With the Pixar Touch liability Steven Jobs had put $50 million into the company. The book started losing money the first year putting a liability into the company. With the backdated Pixar stocks puts many jobs in the dark spot light. This puts Pixar having a total of $31,687,000 of all current liabilities at the end of their most recent annual report. Pixar revenue for the past three years has taken a leap of an average of 54. 4%. Annual sales for the 100 top finishers rose of an average of 30. 7% annually. This puts Pixar having profits jump up to 55. 9% a year. Pixar is the hottest movie maker on the years hot growth list. Walt Disney is a huge entity. The Walt Disney World Resort encompasses 30,500 acres, making it approximately the same size as San Francisco. Looking at Disney’s balance sheet their total assets at the end of its 2 most recent annual reporting periods (2010) was $69,206,000. The total amount of accounts payable at the end of its 2 most recent annual reporting periods was $6,109,000. Also, the company’s total current liabilities at the end of its 2 most recent annual reporting period were $11,000,000. An income statement reports the profitability of a company’s operations over a period of time (Weygandt, 2008). Net income is when a company’s revenues exceed their expenses, as opposed to net loss when a company’s expenses exceed their revenues, and will not include investment or dividend transactions. Disney has had the success in being able to report all net income on at least three of its last income statements. Disney’s net incomes for the last three annual reporting periods are as follows: †¢2008 – $4,427,000 †¢2009 – $3,307,000 †¢2010 – $3,963,000 As you can see, from 2008 to 2009 Disney’s net income decreased by $1,120,000. Most of this loss is due to the state of the current economy.

Essay on John Milton’s Paradise Lost and the War in Heaven

Paradise Lost and the War in Heaven  Ã‚  Ã‚      From the beginning of book 1 the war in heaven seems more than a simple, finished event. In reality, we have the authorized formal side presented: the war was ambitious, impious, proud, vain, and resulting in ruin. Satan’s first speech implies that there was another side-even after we have partly discounted the personal tones of the defeated leader who speaks of the good old lost cause, â€Å"hazard in the Glorious Enterprise.† That too is a formal side, presented by the losing actor in the drama. Then Satan goes on, to reveal, before he can pull himself together in defiance, something more:    Into what Pit thou seest From what highth fal’n, so much the stronger provd He with his thunder: and then who knew The force of these dire Arms? (I, 91, ff)    A little later the surprise has been bolstered with a kind of indignation:    But still his strength conceal’d Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall. (I, 641 f.)    We soon learn that we cannot get answers in hell, but we begin to see certain questions, and the possibility that their answers may appear when we see the actual dramatic presentation of the rebellion. For one thing, Satan’s â€Å"innumerable force† receives a definite tally later- it is only one third of the angels. And this fact will look different when we learn that God opposes the enemy force with an equal number only, and then puts a fixed limit on the individual strength of the contestants, and then sends only the Son against the rebels, and with His strength limited too. Satan puts so much concentration on having shaken the throne of god, against â€Å"His utmost power†-â€Å"Who from the terrour of this Arm so late/... ...s; and then the gigantic niceness of the detail that pictures the mountains, pulled up by the tops, coming bottom side up toward them. In between we are forced to look away, to separate ourselves from the action, and see it as a spectator, not as a participator. In the grand finale of physical ridicule the rebels are again left exposed to laughter by the interrupted point of view. Never do they appear so ridiculous, not even as a timorous flock, as when they are caught isolated between the before and the behind.    This is to be understood metaphorically, as the climax of their physical humiliation. It does not last, any more than their later mass metamorphosis into serpents, with which this is parallel. But it is a punishment, on the material level, for the material nature of their sin. If they regain their form in hell, that is because they regain free will.

Brave New Brain

AP PsychologyName Chp 2: Neuroscience Questions for Brave New Brain, Chapter 4 by Nancy C. Andreasen Read this packet carefully & completely. The reading is very long, complex & detailed. Consider it a primer reading to help you study the brain. As you read feel free to highlight or underline the actual text as needed. These study questions are to help you key in on what is important. Be sure to answer each question fully and completely. I expect you to TYPE the answers. You may find it easier to save a copy from my webpage and fill in the questions as you go instead of retyping the questions.Due to the length of this assignment it will count as a test grade. (HINT: Questions go in order) 1. What are the three (3) types of brain tissue? ~Gray matter, white matter, and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 2. List the two (2) neurodegenerative disorders that destroy cell bodies. ~Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 3. What does the cell body do for the neuron? ~Performs basic command functi ons 4. Why does â€Å"cerebral cortex† mean â€Å"bark of the brain†? ~The nerve cell bodies are highly concentrated on the surface of the brain, causing it to look like tree bark 5.What does â€Å"subcortical† literally mean? ~Below the cortex 6. Name the two (2) demyelinating diseases listed in the text. What do these types of diseases do? ~Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) both harm the white matter of the brain and cut the ties that allow the neurons to communicate with one another 7. What are ventricles? ~Parts inside the brain that carry CSF 8. Name two of the three important functions that CSF carries out. ~Contain nutrients and byproducts of brain activity to help the brain ~Replace issing brain tissue 9. What are gyri and sulci? Why do we have them? Draw a diagram to explain. ~Ridges and dips that cover the surface of the human brain in order for the brain to have enough neurons and stay at a healthy size, because the brain has to do adjusting and when it does, it creates the gyri and sulci 10. How does the brain grow? List and explain in detail each of the seven (7) steps in Table 4-1 on page 45: neuron formation, neuron migration, proliferation of dendrites and spines, synaptogenesis, myelination, pruning, and apoptosis.You may have to read into the text to explain in detail. ~Neuron formation happens a few months after fetus conception, and when DNA begins to send instructions to cells telling them to differentiate into nerve cells and some to change into liver or heart cells. After a sufficient number of nerve cells accumulate, the neurons then embark on a journey known as neuron migration. Pathfinder cells called glia guide the neurons to a new territory where they will create the cerebral cortex and the various subcortical gray matter parts of the brain.After the brain divides into two sides and the cells organize themselves according to the role that they will play in the activities of the brai n, dendrites and spines are formed (when each neuron sprouts dendrites that extend themselves by sprouting spines). Synapses are communication points that allow many cells to communicate with each other at the same time and mature and change in a process called synaptogenesis. Myelination occurs when axons are covered and insulated by fat layers, which increase the information speed between neurons.Lastly, pruning and apoptosis must occur to create a balance of connections within the brain because of the excess number of unnecessary cells and connections in the brain. Pruning trims the back overgrowth of dendrites and spines, and apoptosis removes the excess in a process known as programmed cell death. 11. What role does DNA play in neural development? ~It provides basic instructions in neural development with a concept called â€Å"brain plasticity† 12. Explain the following in your own words: â€Å"neurons that wire together, fire together. ~Nerve cells that are built toge ther and are stimulated at the same time will produce the same reaction 13. What is LTP or long term potentiation? What major neurotransmitter facilitates LTP? ~LTP is when the size of a neural response increases after stimulation, and is facilitated by Glutamate 14. What does the hippocampus do? ~One of the major memory regions of the brain and stores memories; is the home for much LTP activity with Glutamate 15. What did Hubel & Wiesel win the Nobel Prize for? Specifically explain their experiment on vision & critical periods. Their discoveries about the brain by conducting an experiment involving covering the eye of a very young animal and observing cell alignment and how it impacted the function of the good eye and bad eye. Later, they uncovered the bad eye and determined that it was too late for it to develop like the good eye. 16. What is a critical period (relate this term to more than vision)? ~When an area of the brain (vision, touch, or speaking) develop fully. For some pa rts, timing is crucial and proper development will be lost if stimulation doesn’t occur at the correct time. 17.In your own words explain the following quote on page 49: â€Å"Sometimes single powerful experiences affect our brains for life. † ~It doesn’t take something crazy to alter the brain. If the experience is strong, a sole experience can produce a lasting impact. 18. In your own words explain the following quote on page 50: There is â€Å"†¦ a false polarity between physical and psychological†¦ † ~People think that treatments for depression or anxiety require physical biological treatment, but sometimes non-biological methods can produce the same or stronger results. 19. What is agenesis?How is it caused? Explain fully!!! ~An abnormality of the fetal brain caused by alcohol exposure; nerve cells in the two hemispheres fail to send axons between each other and communicate. 20. What are some social consequences of LTP and human experience mentioned on page 51. ~Over exposure to TV or violence when young can cause children to develop a passive learning style or become insensitive to violence and/or pain. 21. Write down the Latin or Greek meaning and the function for the following: cerebellum, thalamus, hippocampus, subcortical, amygdala, neocortex, hypothalamus & corpus callosum. Cerebellum: â€Å"little brain†; coordinates movement, thinking, and emotion ~Thalamus: â€Å"marriage bed†; filter or central switchboard of the brain ~Hippocampus: â€Å"seahorse†; memory ~Subcortical: â€Å"below the bark†; any gray matter region that lies below the cortex of the brain ~Amygdala: â€Å"almond†; emotional memory ~Neocortex: â€Å"new bark†; more highly evolved cortical area ~Hypothalamus: â€Å"under the bed†; modulation of appetites and drives ~Corpus Callosum: â€Å"firm body†; axon tracks connecting two hemispheres of the brain 22. What is the motor strip in charge of? Where is it located?What is the motor homunculus? Who found it? ~In charge of movement throughout the body; located in frontal lobe. Motor Humunculus is a pattern that connects sense of touch to movement in our bodies and it was mapped out by Wilder Penfield. 23. List and explain what each of the four (4) lobes of the cerebral cortex do. ~Frontal Lobes: planning, deciding, remembering, and making moral judgements ~Temporal Lobes: language and some parts of memory ~Parietal Lobes: sensory and visuospatial associations ~Occipital Lobes: contain regions used for visual perception 24.What do they mean by the â€Å"mind† on page 56? ~Mental activities such as remembering and communicating (rather than the scientific aspects of the brain) 25. Compare and contrast the two (2) general methods of brain research on page 57. ~Lesion method: Provides information about the brain by showing what the brain was no longer able to do after having a particular section taken away ~Functional Imaging Techniques: permit scientists to directly visualize which parts of the healthy brain are used to perform specific functions ~Contrast: Lesion method exploited accidents and strange natural occurrences 26.Define aphasia and then explain the two (2) different types. What happens if your angular gyrus is damaged? ~Aphasia is called the â€Å"loss of language† (failure to associate meaning to sound waves). Types: Wernicke’s (individual loses ability to speak coherently because the ability to comprehend the language is lost) and Broca’s (individual knows what’s being said but can’t express himself). If the angular gyrus is damaged the ability to read and write will be diminished, but the ability to understand won’t be. 27.Explain what Karl Lashley was looking for. What happened to H. M. as a result of his surgery? What do the amygdala and hippocampus do? ~He was looking for proof that no specific lesion could produce deficits in memory; H. M was completely voided of the ability to remember any new information. The amygdala and hippocampus mediate some learning/memory and work together to send and store memories. 28. What brain structure acts as an attention filter? ~The Thalamus 29. What does the prefrontal system (cortex) do?What is a prefrontal syndrome? Historical cases? ~It mediates executive functions (abstract thought, creative problem solving, and behavior). A prefrontal syndrome is a lesion in the orbital region of the prefrontal cortex. A historical case is when Phineas Gage got an iron bar through his left frontal lobe and exhibited drastic personality and developmental differences/changes. 30. What does the cerebellum do? ~Coordinates movement, thinking, and emotion 31. What is the limbic system in charge of?What four (4) major parts make up this system? ~Feeling and monitoring emotions with basic survival drives; cingulate gyrus, hippocampus and amygdala, mammillary bodies and anterior thalamus 32. Brie fly explain how a neurotransmitter works (not action potential). Draw me a sketch. ~Small molecule or chemical that transmits nerve signals from one neuron to another 33. The last parts are wordy. List and summarize all of the functions of the following chemicals: dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine, GABA, and glutamate. Dopamine: first product synthesized from the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase; close chemical relationship with norepinephrine and epinephrine; key neurotransmitter in the brain and plays role in Parkinson’s and schizophrenia ~Norepinephrine: sends projections throughout the whole brain; affects almost every region in the brain, and plays a large part in mood disorders ~Serotonin: near midbrain, similar to norepinephrine and plays important roles in antidepressant medications ~Acetylcholine: in the nucleus basalis of Meyner and protects the hippocampus and cingulate gyrus; memory encoder ~GABA: amino acid neurotransmitter; inhibitory role in th e brain; relatively long tract; characterizes Huntington’s disease ~Glutamate: amino acid neurotransmitter; excitatory role; can be harmful if presented in large amounts (produce excessive neuronal excitation); produce signs of psychosis 34. Finally, in your own words tell me why â€Å"the whole [brain] is greater than the sum of its parts†? ~In order for the brain to function, all parts must work together, which means that no part can be completely dysfunctional (although brain plasticity can to some degree balance and make up for the disfunction).

Elie Wiesel’s “Night”- Journal Entry Essay

Luck is on Wiesel’s Side†I am too old, my son,† he answered. â€Å"Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (9)This scene where Elie’s father rejects his son’s request to liquidate everything and flee from the place where the extermination of Jews may occur, reminds me of a vivid conversation I once engaged in, with my two former North Korean grandparents. The Korean War (1950-53) and the Holocaust (1938-45) are in most aspects different, however, there is a heartbreaking similarity existing between the two incidents. That is, the pain of the victims gained from the separation of the family. While reading this novel Night, for several times we questioned the reason why the Jews , despite hearing the Nazi plans of annihilating the entire population dispersed throughout nations, didn’t take chance to flee from the town. As we discussed in class, primarily, the Jews were skeptical that such inhumane incident would take place in the world, until they underwent the incredible agonies both physically and mentally. Secondly, the Jews simply were unable to find some place to leave for. Sure enough, they were unwilling to become homeless even under adverse conditions of life under the hands of the SS officers. (which they didn’t expect to be the holocaust)The first reason pointed above also applies to the families during the Korean War. Subsequent to the outbreak of war, young, strong men were forced to join the army in North Korea. This meant to my North Korean grandfather in his 30s, fighting against the South Koreans was a patriotic obligation. However, he refused to fight, or support the government, and along the group of crowd he realized that the only way of escaping from the ordeal was to abandon his home and flee to the South. Of course, he strongly urged his parents to come along with him. Nevertheless, they responded him by emphasizing him of their old age and their strong will to ensure the safety of the house until the war ends. In spite of my grandfather’s further persuasion, they remained stubborn, and he could do nothing but to leave his parents behind and depart to a distant land. In the novel, I was indeed glad when the Wiesel family encounters their  former maid Maria in Uncle Mendel’s house, Elie refuses her offer of safe shelter in her village. Sure enough, if Elie and his brother went off with her, they might have avoided the terrifying labor camps where their livelihoods were jeopardized. However, I feel that wouldn’t be worse than the guilt of deserting one’s own blood and flesh. Although we must take in consideration of Wiesel witnessing his father’s death, he is aware that keeping silence is the optimal choice that wouldn’t exacerbate the situation, whereas my grandparents made the decision by themselves, to abandon their parents and friends with their own two feet. (though they weren’t aware that North and South would be completely divided)My grandparents have always regretted the decision they’ve made. They felt deep remorse in leaving their parents for their own good. My grandfather, for years, too k alcohol as a catharsis to his mental pains, and my grandmother would frequently break into tears by the tragic separation and the gnawing guilt at her premature decision. For the several decades of their life, they have been hoping to see their loved ones again through the many channels of communication including telephone, letters, the media or family visits that existed in the recent years. Unfortunately, they never reached in contact with them. Bearing in mind the threatens of the authority of its propaganda, the government in Pyongyang is preventing personal exchanges as much as it can, for they are unwilling to permit individuals from the estranged parts of the country to meet in person. For fifty years, they lived a life without hearing from their parents and relatives. My grandfather unfortunately passed away two years ago due to cancer, and his cemetery is located in the closest area to the border between North and South Korea. Luck is on Wiesel’s side for he can stay with his father in the labor camps, which definitely gives him a meaning to his life and thus he gains the hope, support and the reason to survive. If I were put in his shoes at the start of the novel, and had to make a choice between labor camps and abandoning parents, I would have chosen the former categorically.

The Difference Between Vice and Vise

The Difference Between Vice and Vise American English makes a distinction between vice (moral depravity) and vise (a tool). However, that distinction is not made in British English, where vice is used for both senses. Definitions The noun vice means an immoral or undesirable practice. In titles (such as vice president), vice means one who acts in the place of another. The expression vice versa means conversely or the other way around. In American English, the noun vise refers to a gripping or clamping tool. As a verb, vise means to force, hold, or squeeze as if with a vise. In both cases the British spelling is vice. Examples In those days the worst vice in England was pride, I guess- the worst vice of all because folks thought it was a virtue.(Carol Ryrie Brink, Caddie Woodlawn, 1936)The vice president acted as an intermediary to resolve disputes involving two or more agencies.Animals breathe in what animals breathe out, and vice versa.(Kurt Vonnegut, Cats Cradle, 1963)American usageHe went to the end of the tool bench and cranked open the vise, then slipped a small piece of sheet metal in and clamped the vise tight.(Trent Reedy, Stealing Air, 2012)American usageSometimes Rupert defined things in a new way- love grips you like a vise, then caresses you like a silk scarf, then bangs you on the head like an anvil.(Sabina Murray, A Carnivores Inquiry, 2004)British usageAfter softening a horn by boiling it in water, he flattens it in a vice before taking his razor-sharp penknife to carve a pheasant, fox, leaping salmon, or ram’s head as decoration.(Tony Greenbank, Master of the Crookmaker’s Cra ft. The Guardian [UK].,  May 4, 2015) British usageI had caught her in my arms, and the sting and torment of my remorse had closed them around her like a vice.(Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White, 1859) Usage Notes In American English, a vice is an immoral habit or practice, and a vise is a tool with closable jaws for clamping things. But in British English, the tool is spelled like the sin: vice.(Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern English Usage, 4th  ed. Oxford University Press, 2016)Warren County deputies were called to investigate a shooting in Lake Luzerne, New York, on the evening of May 12, 2007. When they arrived, they found the victim, Damion Mosher, had sustained a wound in his abdomen from a 22-caliber bullet. Even though the deputies werent from the vice squad, they quickly discovered that the perpetrator was . . . a vise. Mosher had been discharging the bullets by clamping them in a steel vise, putting a screwdriver on the primer, and striking the screwdriver with a hammer so he could sell the brass shell casings for scrap (which goes for $1.70 a pound). Mosher was on his nearly hundredth bullet when he lost the final round.(Leland Gregory, Cruel and Unusual Idiots: Chronicles of Mea nness and Stupidity. Andrews McMeel, 2008) Practice (a) The problem with a lot of people is that what they think is a virtue is actually a _____ in disguise.(Kevin Dutton, The Wisdom of Psychopaths, 2012)(b) Migraines, the bane of my life, surged up; my head felt as if it were clamped in a powerful _____.(Maud Fontenoy, Challenging the Pacific: The First Woman to Row the Kon-Tiki Route, 2005)(c) What used to happen in fashion was that the pendulum would swing: if thered been short hair for a while, then it would go long, and _____  versa.(Sam McKnight, Kate Moss Hair Stylist: British People Wear Their Hair as a Tribal Badge. The Guardian [UK],  September 15, 2016) Answers (a) The problem with a lot of people is that what they think is a virtue is actually a vice in disguise.(Kevin Dutton, The Wisdom of Psychopaths, 2012)(b) Migraines, the bane of my life, surged up; my head felt as if it were clamped in a powerful (vise [US] or vice [UK]).(Maud Fontenoy, Challenging the Pacific: The First Woman to Row the Kon-Tiki Route, 2005)(c) What used to happen in fashion was that the pendulum would swing: if thered been short hair for a while, then it would go long,  and vice versa.(Sam McKnight, Kate Moss Hair Stylist: British People Wear Their Hair as a Tribal Badge.  The Guardian  [UK],  September 15, 2016)

Free Essays on Persian Gulf War

There are three basic causes to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. First, Iraq had long considered Kuwait to be a part of Iraq. This claim led to several confrontations over the years (see below), and continued hostility. Also, it can be argued that with Saddam Hussein's attempted invasion of Iran defeated, he sought easier conquests against his weak southern neighbors. Second, rich deposits of oil straddled the ill-defined border and Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields. Middle Eastern deserts make border delineation difficult and this has caused many conflicts in the region. Finally, the fallout from the First Persian Gulf War between Iraq and Iran strained relations between Baghdad and Kuwait. This war began with an Iraqi invasion of Iran and degenerated into a bloody form of trench warfare as the Iranians slowly drove Saddam Hussein's armies back into Iraq. Kuwait and many other Arab nations supported Iraq against the Islamic Revolutionary government of Iran, fearful that Saddam's defeat could herald a wave of Iranian-inspired revolution throughout the Arab world. Following the end of the war, relations between Iraq and Kuwait deteriorated; with a lack of gratitude from the Baghdad government for help in the war and the reawakening of old issues regarding the border and Kuwaiti sovereignty. Iraq-Kuwait Relations Prior to the 1990 Invasion. 1961- Iraq (President Qasim) threatens Kuwait, invoking old Ottoman claims. Britain supports Kuwait and Iraq backs down. 1973, March- Iraq occupies as-Samitah, a border post on Kuwait-Iraq border. Dispute began when Iraq demanded the right to occupy the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League convinced Iraq to withdraw. 1980-1988- Kuwait supports Iraq in the First Persian Gulf War with Iran. On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The order was gi... Free Essays on Persian Gulf War Free Essays on Persian Gulf War There are three basic causes to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. First, Iraq had long considered Kuwait to be a part of Iraq. This claim led to several confrontations over the years (see below), and continued hostility. Also, it can be argued that with Saddam Hussein's attempted invasion of Iran defeated, he sought easier conquests against his weak southern neighbors. Second, rich deposits of oil straddled the ill-defined border and Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields. Middle Eastern deserts make border delineation difficult and this has caused many conflicts in the region. Finally, the fallout from the First Persian Gulf War between Iraq and Iran strained relations between Baghdad and Kuwait. This war began with an Iraqi invasion of Iran and degenerated into a bloody form of trench warfare as the Iranians slowly drove Saddam Hussein's armies back into Iraq. Kuwait and many other Arab nations supported Iraq against the Islamic Revolutionary government of Iran, fearful that Saddam's defeat could herald a wave of Iranian-inspired revolution throughout the Arab world. Following the end of the war, relations between Iraq and Kuwait deteriorated; with a lack of gratitude from the Baghdad government for help in the war and the reawakening of old issues regarding the border and Kuwaiti sovereignty. Iraq-Kuwait Relations Prior to the 1990 Invasion. 1961- Iraq (President Qasim) threatens Kuwait, invoking old Ottoman claims. Britain supports Kuwait and Iraq backs down. 1973, March- Iraq occupies as-Samitah, a border post on Kuwait-Iraq border. Dispute began when Iraq demanded the right to occupy the Kuwaiti islands of Bubiyan and Warbah. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League convinced Iraq to withdraw. 1980-1988- Kuwait supports Iraq in the First Persian Gulf War with Iran. On August 2nd, 1990 Iraqi military forces invaded and occupied the small Arab state of Kuwait. The order was gi... Free Essays on Persian Gulf War CASE STUDY THE PERSIAN GULF WAR AND UN INVOLVEMENT The jubilation caused by the drawing down of the Cold War was dramatically overshadowed when Iraq invaded the nation of Kuwait on August 2nd 1990. Iraqi control of Kuwait and the danger it posed to Saudi Arabia and the smaller Gulf states threatened a vital American interest, because the United States and the West in general, remained dependent on this region for much of its oil supplies. President Bush strongly condemned the Iraqi action and called for Iraq's immediate and unconditional withdrawal. An emergency session of the UN Security Council voted unanimously to condemn Iraq, urge a cease-fire and demand the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. When Iraq did not comply with the resolution the Council reiterated the inherent right of self-defence and called for economic sanctions to be applied to Iraq (resolution 661, 6 Aug 1990). In response to this, Iraq announced the occupation of Kuwait and ordered the closing of all embassies in the country, and began taking US and British citizens in Kuwait hostage. Following the steps articulated in the UN charter the Security Council authorised naval ships in the Persian Gulf to use, 'such measures...as may be necessary under the authority of the security Council'# to enforce the sanctions. On August 8, President Bush went on national television to announce the deployment of US troops to the Middle East. The president then worked to assemble one of the most extraordinary military and political coalitions of modern times, with military forces from Asia, Europe and Africa, as well as the Middle East. Bush knew that he must get as many allied countries on his side if he had any chance of winning this battle. However, Bush had to act in an extremely diplomatic way since the future of world oil supply hung greatly in the balance of his actions. In the days and weeks following the invasion, the UN Security Council...

My First Childrens Book †A Reedsy Success Story

My First Childrens Book – A Reedsy Success Story My first children's book – A Reedsy Success Story Today, we're hosting a great story by Praveen Krishnan, a debut author who just published his first children's book  to teach kids about science. Here's what motivated him to start writing it, and how he went about the publishing process.Barely a month or two after my first son was born, as any dutiful parent, I was immersed in the world of children’s books. Every day I was reading books out loud to a curious, sometimes annoyed 8-week old. Most people who encounter children’s books for the first time as an adult come away thinking how easy it must be to write a children’s book. After all, most books have 10 pages, with a 5-word sentence in each page and some goofy graphics. I was in that â€Å"how hard can this be† camp.As my son grew into a toddler and preschooler, his books got more ‘sophisticated’. He also started getting humor and absorbing body language from characters in books. The ‘Elephant and Piggie’ books by Mo Willems were huge hits. My son was constantly peppering us with questions, how does this  work, why does that  do this  and so on. I found it fun and interesting to be able to explain real-world concepts and scientific ideas to him. Sometimes I’d be stumped. How do I explain how the internet works to a 3-year old using only terms he understands?I decided that I should try to write a book for preschoolers - one that teaches Science. So, drawing inspiration from a number of popular children’s books, I put together a simple storyline. It would be a story of two friends, one curious and one brainy, learning about atoms and molecules. A friend of mine happened to be a good cartoonist and offered to do the artwork. Story in hand, art talent lined up, I was ready to go.I came across Reedsy on a tech blog and decided to give it a shot. While I was making this book for fun, I wanted to find professionals to guide me through the process. I found a copy editor, Amy Betz, who quick ly reviewed the script and artwork, and provided several helpful suggestions. For example, we didn’t notice that the pictures on each page did not have much variety. She suggested that the characters move around a lot from page to page. Kids love movement!The next part was the hardest - getting everything into a design and layout that would be acceptable for printing on demand. My illustrator and I have no experience with books so we found the learning curve for getting the design laid out to be very time consuming and frustrating. The online resources and tutorials are not very helpful to us. We turned to Reedsy again and found, Annie Beth Ericsson. She was fantastic. She worked closely with us and created a layout in days. She advised on the book sizes, artwork style, font and pretty much everything technical except the story and characters.The book is finally done and live on Amazon  and we are happy with the result. Best of all, the book critics (my kids and their frien ds at preschool) had mostly positive reviews!You can purchase Bobo Sees Atoms on Amazon here.  And follow Reedsy on Twitter for more success stories here.Have you ever thought of writing a children's book? Don't hesitate to ask us (or Praveen) any questions in the comments below!

Critique of an article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique of an article - Essay Example The article covers various aspects of astrocyte functioning in association with experimental basis on hippocampus cultures, cell cultures and imaging techniques. Interesting observations have been elaborated with regard to the calcium waves phenomenon and consequences of release of glutamate. Back in 1894, Rudolf Virchow referred to astrocytes as "glia", meaning "glue", as they were believed to be holding the neuronal elements together. Astrocytes: neuron ratio is approximately 10:1 and despite the larger number of astrocytes, it was neurons that were considered to perform the primary function of the nervous system. The increase in intracellular Ca[2+] level led to release of glutamate which in turn helped in modulating synapses to allow the conduction of the nerve impulse. The article, which spans over 14 pages, indeed provides a thorough, detailed insight in the working of astrocytes. It commences with a short description of the previously built information regarding astrocytes, and gradually gravitates towards the new findings regarding the functioning of astrocytes ... rding the functioning of astrocytes due to elevated intracellular calcium level as a result of various neurotransmitters like GABA, ATP, and glutamate. It has been brought forward that a calcium elevation in astrocytes is both necessary and sufficient to modulate synaptic transmission and to activate ionotropic glutamate receptors on hippocampal neurons. It is also supplemented by pictures, which are extremely useful for the comprehension of this thesis. The authors have no doubt done a good job in writing up this article. Not only has the information been provided with a systematic and methodical approach, it has been made sure that each conclusion that has been concurred has a factual experimental basis, which is mandatory and extremely impressive, especially as figurative data has been imparted. Though the material has been extrapolated and unnecessarily lengthened a few times due to repetition of certain clauses that could have been avoided, overall it provides all the essential information that a student would require. What has been most intriguing is the function of astrocytes as vasomodulators, ie, as intermediary regulators of blood flow and experimental basis showing that application of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, acetylecholine can mobilize astrocytic calcium, suggesting extrinsic axon pathways can also act on astrocytes to regulate the calcium. The basis for bi-directional glutamate-mediated signalling between astrocytes and neurons is unclear and the concept of neuroligands is enlightening. The various experiments employed to support the notion that glutamate is the neurotransmitter mediating astrocyte-neuron signaling are satisfactory, however the fact that the researchers have gone one step further to explore the action of other

Feminism shown throughout the book called Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Essay

Feminism shown throughout the book called Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Essay Example Some have considered it quite ironic for a person like Mary Shelley to write a novel in which all female characters have marginal representation compared to the male characters. Shelley was born to a very notable Victorian feminist named Mary Wollstonecraft. Yet, she has portrayed women as creatures of little wisdom or independence in her most distinguished novel. For example, when the text says that â€Å"He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who committed herself to his care;† (Shelley 26), it is suggested by Viktor that Caroline, his mother, had no capacity to look after herself and looked up to his father to be taken care of. She clearly has no means to support herself financially and so, marries Viktor’s father for survival. This possessibility of women, depicted in the novel, could be due to the fact that Shelley wrote in a time when women were expected to abide by some rules which were set for them by the conservative society in which they lived. Her novel does not speak of women with spirited enthusiasm, rather they are described in a very ordinary way which makes the readers perceive them as ordinary and powerless. For example, at one point, Viktor speaking of his mother says that in his childhood, â€Å"she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift† (Shelley 30). Here, it is clear how powerless women then were because Elizabeth, while being unaware herself, is promised by another woman to his child. Elizabeth has no say in this important matter of her life, rather she is treated like an object and handed over to a child. There is a huge gender gap which is clearly noticeable in Frankenstein. This is even considered a sexist book by many critics. Negative portrayal of women in the novel is traced back by some to the time in which Shelley lived when women were brought up in a such a way that they could not think of

Freedom of the Seas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Freedom of the Seas - Essay Example Historically, it has been one of the chief means by which the United States has influenced international affairs; the vigorous assertion of the principle of freedom of the seas has been a major cause of four armed conflicts: the Quasi-War with France in 1798, the Barbary Wars, the War of 1812, and World War I. First established by the Romans, it was challenged in the sixteenth century to secure trade and by a Papal Bull that sought to divide the oceans between Portugal and Spain. During the eighteenth century, the principle again became widely accepted when the definition of territorial waters was extended to include a three-mile zone. While the United States strongly took the position that neutral ships should be allowed to carry goods for belligerents in times of war, other nations enforced rules of contraband (mostly defined as military stores) and blockade. This became an important issue during the wars after the French Revolution when Great Britain and France imposed maritime blockades. To force these nations to change their policies (and also to end British impressment on American ships), the United States passed the Embargo Act (1807) and the Nonintercourse Act (1809). After France declared it would lift its blockade, and when Great Britain did not follow suit within a three-month period as demanded by President James Madison, the United States declared war on Great Britain in June 1812. The United States accepted the concepts of contraband and blockade as legitimate during the Civil War but shied away from capturing Confederate diplomats off of neutral vessels during the Trent Affair. As long as the United States was a neutral during World War I and World War II, it protested the extensive blockades against Germany and very liberal British definitions of contraband. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, nonetheless, established "maritime control areas" at the beginning of World War II that extended into the high seas. In both wars, activities of German U-boats against neutrals provoked sharp American protest: by President Woodrow Wilson after the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, and by Roosevelt in September 1941 after the torpedoing of American ships. The first major challenge to the freedom of the seas principle after World War II was President Harry S. Truman's 1945 announcement extending U.S. jurisdiction to natural resources on the continental shelf. Other nations followed by extending their territorial waters, some of them as far as 200 nautical miles. A 300-mile maritime defense zone around the American continents, established by the Rio Pact of 1947, was cited by the John F. Kennedy administration to legitimize the "naval quarantine" during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea agreed upon a 12-mile territorial limit and a 200-mile exclusive economic zone in December 1982. In 1982 a comprehensive United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty agreement was reached that established the twelve-mile limit for territorial waters and the two-hundred-mile "exclusive economic zone" that the United States had pushed for. The historic pact deemed the world's oceans the "common heritage of mankind" and

Information on databases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information on databases - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that databases are found anywhere structured data needs to be stored and referenced for future use. This includes places like schools, hospitals, businesses, libraries, banks and even at the home. Tables are the basic entities that store structured data in the form of rows and columns. Forms are designed to make the entry of data into tables easier. Queries are used to make searches on tables based on specific criteria and the output can be given in the form of a report that clearly shows the results of the query. The researcher states that he uses a timetable to store data about my classroom activities and he uses a paper based table to store records of things he needs to do during the week. This includes such items as shopping for groceries, studying and places to visit. It has two columns of time and activity and several rows. Paper and database forms differ in the following ways. Database forms are electronic and thus can handle more da ta than paper can by several orders of magnitude. Paper forms are limited in their functionality, unlike database forms which allow functionality search as carrying out quick searches, sorting, delete and undelete and etc. Database forms can allow an audit trail to indicate who accessed what and when. Paper forms cannot allow this to happen. Database forms are more persistent and more difficult to destroy, unlike paper forms because of easing of copying and storage.

Serial Killer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Serial Killer - Research Paper Example There are many researches done on the psychology of serial killers by various researchers all over the world. It is amazing to note that causes of serial killing come forward more often in western societies as compared to eastern societies. There are two main ways to investigate about the psychology and thinking of serial killers. One is to study solved cases by police and experiences of investigating officers. Information provided on the basis of evidence and proper investigation gives a good way to do research on the topic of serial killers or serial killing. If opportunity is available one should try to meet/interview a serial killer. Thoughts of serial killers regarding sex, objectification and mutilation are important psychiatric points that can be analyzed during interview and whole research (TRUTV; Vaknin). Most of the serial killers think that to kill and to be got killed is one of the basic instincts that a human has. Early found skull of humans had traces of being attacked by some weapon. According to them, if chance available every person would kill someone. Serial killers are often regarded as people who believe that killing is a part of ritual and considered as objectifiers. Objectifiers are the people who treat other people as their subjects, most of the rulers, leaders political or military are often regarded as people that have fallen in the category of objectifiers (Vaknin). Difference between simple murders and serial killers can be explained by a known fact. A simple murderer kills due to some needs like sex, property, conflict that exists between him/her and other people. On the other hand the people called as serial killers are driven by continuous urge that is present in them from birth. Eric Hicky concluded in his research that about forty eight percent of the serial killers available to him as subjects were refused by their parents as children. Most of the serial killers live in their own world of fantasy

Information on databases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information on databases - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that databases are found anywhere structured data needs to be stored and referenced for future use. This includes places like schools, hospitals, businesses, libraries, banks and even at the home. Tables are the basic entities that store structured data in the form of rows and columns. Forms are designed to make the entry of data into tables easier. Queries are used to make searches on tables based on specific criteria and the output can be given in the form of a report that clearly shows the results of the query. The researcher states that he uses a timetable to store data about my classroom activities and he uses a paper based table to store records of things he needs to do during the week. This includes such items as shopping for groceries, studying and places to visit. It has two columns of time and activity and several rows. Paper and database forms differ in the following ways. Database forms are electronic and thus can handle more da ta than paper can by several orders of magnitude. Paper forms are limited in their functionality, unlike database forms which allow functionality search as carrying out quick searches, sorting, delete and undelete and etc. Database forms can allow an audit trail to indicate who accessed what and when. Paper forms cannot allow this to happen. Database forms are more persistent and more difficult to destroy, unlike paper forms because of easing of copying and storage.

The use of emulsifiers in the food industry Essay

The use of emulsifiers in the food industry - Essay Example In this paper, the need, use and importance of emulsifiers in food industry will be clearly depicted. The importance of emulsifiers in different food preparations will also be explained by examples. 2.0 Emulsifiers Emulsifiers are the chain of molecules which possess one water-loving i.e. hydrophilic nature on one end of the chain and oil-loving, i.e. hydrophobic nature at the other end. For example, when oil and water are added together, it does not mix and the oil floats in the water surface. This mixture can only be possible when emulsifier is added in them. After mixture of emulsifier, oil and water get lightly dispersed with each other forming stable, homogenous smooth mixture (Food Info, 2009). Emulsifier is generally a product which facilitates two substances to mix up homogeneously which ordinarily may not be possible to mix well. For example, mayonnaise is an ‘emulsified food product’. To enhance the taste and texture of this food product, emulsifier is added wi th other ingredients. In food products, the emulsified mixture are the combination of at least two components or â€Å"phases† which in general do not mix well all together. Oil and water are the two phases in mayonnaise (Bernstein, n.d.). 3.0 Importance The food industry uses various types of emulsifiers while producing variety of food products. The simplest type of emulsifier used in food industry is a natural emulsifier which is derived from a source of vegetable referred to as ‘lecithin’. This natural emulsifier has been derived from soybeans though other types of emulsifiers are derived from various other sources. For the production of lecithin, the soy oil is expressed from the soil beans, which is ultimately treated with steam. This emulsifier is commonly used in chocolate bars and chocolate candy. The presence of lecithin with other various ingredients in chocolate facilitates to uphold stability and avert separation and spoilage. In the food industry, em ulsifiers are a foremost ingredient group that are used in products. The primary importance of emulsifiers is to increase the improvement of food palatability. The food products which make use of fats or fatty ingredients need the presence of emulsifier in order to maintain their reliability and quality. Several products of chocolate coatings and icings require this as they make fatty things. The disadvantage of the existence of these fats is primarily â€Å"mouthfeel†, which they convey to the final product. The addition of emulsifiers makes the finished product more delicious since it reduces the slippery content from the product after tasting of the fat component. Consequently, texture and stability does not negotiate taste and consumer acceptability (Bernstein, n.d.). 4.0 Applications of Emulsifiers Emulsifier is used in variety of food productions in the food industry. Several examples can highlight the importance of use of emulsifier: It is used in making bread because without the use of emulsifier it becomes dry, low in volume and get decayed easily. Two types of emulsifiers are used in bread, which are dough strengtheners and dough softeners. In dough strengtheners, diacetyl tartaric acid esters and sodium or calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate are included which help to make the dough stronger; and dough softener includes mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids,

Hobbes` Rwandan Leviathan Essay Example for Free

Hobbes` Rwandan Leviathan Essay In 1994 the world publicity was shaken by the events in Rwanda, which later were written down in the history books as ‘Rwanda crisis’. According to the local sources, however, this tragedy had been rooted long before the indicated year, particularly it is reported to start in 1990. 1990 is marked by Uganda forces having invaded Rwanda. In addition, this was aggravated by the fact that two presidents of Burundi were assassinated. In order to get the more complete outlook on the situation before the crisis one should be aware that in 1994 (before the black day of the President of Rwanda, Habyarimana, killing) there were one million of displaced people in Rwanda constantly fleeing from the north of the country to the capital Kigali (1, 2006). Hence, to accommodate for all this vast mass a very huge refugee camp had been organized. After their President was killed these people rushed to the city to grab everything they could. As a result there were more than 300 000 deaths between 1990 and 1994, which prevents us from limiting the crisis to the year of 1994 only (1, 2006). But this was only a preface. In brief, the Rwanda crisis can be described as follows: â€Å"The lives of nearly a million people had been taken within 100 days in 1994, as extremist members of the Hutu majority turned on the Tutsi minority and moderate Hutus, vowing to exterminate the Tutsi and their influence on Rwandan society† (2, 1994:4). This massacre was stopped only when the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) threw down the acting genocidal government. Yet, that developed into another blood bath with over two million of Hutu refugees heading for Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire (current the Democratic Republic of Congo), etc. Just five days from July 14 to 18, 1994 about 850,000 people crossed the border to Goma in eastern Zaire (2, 1994:5). Even today these to the great extent, innocent Hutus are deprived of basic human rights and numerous cases are known when their human rights have been abused by the RPF (that is now at the helm) and they were returned by force to their Motherland where they do not have any rights at all. The major part of the refugees fled out because of fear convinced (owning to Hutu Power propaganda) that the Tutsi were a â€Å"subhuman† race willing to enslave and extirpate the Hutu people. However, their genocidaires quickly took over the refugee camps. Instead of safety refugees found intimidation, starvation, tortures and death. International humanitarian organizations were powerless and forced to provide aid through the genocidaires or just leave hundreds of thousands of refugees in trouble and distress. The Rwanda crisis proved how unprepared was the international community to dealing with refugee crises that involved threats to peace and security in the world. What is more, the novel Rwandan government together with their allies from Zaire attacked and wiped the refugee camps off the face of the earth claiming that ‘the camps posed incredible and intolerable threat to Rwandan security’ (3, 2006). Thousands and thousands of refugees were killed. Thousands more fell victims to cholera that set in along with other contagious diseases (such as dysentery, malaria, etc. ) as a consequence of people’s exhaustion, lack of food and drinking water. One may suppose that the described above conflict and crises that follows may definitely be a vivid example of Hobbes’ ‘rational’ theory according to which every man lives in fear, as well as the father of rational philosophy did himself. Hobbes once mentioned: Fear and I were born twins together (4, 1996; I: 11). In his main theoretical work and his masterpiece, the Leviathan, Hobbes suggested that there are two methods of state formation: commonwealth by institution commonwealth by acquisition (4, 1996; XIX: 147). With regard to the former, Hobbes supposed that at the uprise of civilization, individuals existed in such state of nature, when life was a perpetual conflict in which men were one another’s enemies. Furthermore, different individuals had relatively equal power, thus being unable to guarantee actual personal security for themselves. As a result, due to such hostile environment, the individual, suffers continued fear, and the danger of violent death and a way of life that is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short (4, 1996, I: 12). Even more, â€Å"nature hath made men so equal in faculties of body and mind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that no â€Å"man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit to which another may not pretend as well as he† (4, 1996, XVII: 118). In general, this may be regarded as a society without acting laws and authorities with â€Å"all man have a right to everything†, and situation when â€Å"no action can be unjust† (4, 1996, XVII: 118). Moreover, the described state of nature leads, according to Hobbes, to the condition of war war of all against all, in which human constantly seeks to destroy each other in an incessant pursuit for power (4, 1996, XVII: 118). However, this is not the war we are used to denote with this word. It is rather a condition of awareness about enemies than the act of violence itself. Instead of promoting war, Hobbes emphasizes that war cannot bring any benefits or provide any additional security. His purpose is to convince the readers that ruling power would save people from those unnecessary perils caused by the state of nature. Hence, such unfavorable state of nature, as Hobbes puts it, should and will prompt individuals to organize a ‘civil state’ with a monopolistic sovereign on the head by means of force and coercion. Such monopoly with absolute power will be able to ensure to the individuals safety from other members of their society, as well as protect from external intrusion. Therefore, from the recognition of the necessity for social order and peace people consent to obey to the sovereign. (4, 1996; XVIII: 127). Therefore, it would be more accurate to consider Hobbes’s ‘war’ to be a kind of competition or contest not the real military operations involving victims and bloodshed. It can be compared even to the emulation between two men who want to attract some woman they both like. Moreover, the author of Leviathan himself drives us to this conclusion by the following words: â€Å"So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory† (4, 1996; XVII: 119). He explains this again by the human nature, namely its faults: all men are by nature provided of notable magnifying glasses (that is their Passions and Self-love,) through which, every little payment appeareth a great grievance; but are destitute of those perspective glasses, (namely Moral and Civil Science,) to see a farre off the miseries that hang over them, and cannot without such payments be avoided. From this point of view, it seems, to my mind, obvious, that Rwanda civil war is not the case of Hobbes’ ‘state of war’. For Hobbes seizure of power meant improvement of the living conditions of people, even more it was the only way of providing them. The best society organization, from his standpoint, was the commonwealth in the meaning â€Å"a multitude of people who together consent to a sovereign authority, established by contract to have absolute power over them all, for the purpose of providing peace and common defense† (4, 1996; XVII:124). As it has been mentioned, â€Å"the purpose of establishing a commonwealth is to escape the state of nature and to provide peace and the common defense of the people; the sovereign is responsible for ensuring this defense† (4, 1996; XVII: 124). Remarkably, that the so-called ‘sovereign’ should not necessarily be a single person – it (or ‘he’ as Hobbes uses denotes it) may be comprised of a group of people who purpose at a common aim. Moreover, the sovereigns task is not limited to promoting safety of the people but according to Hobbes, it covers also promotion of economic well-being of the community, sufficient nutrition, etc. By the latter Hobbes implies distribution of materials conducing to life : in concoction, or preparation, and (when concocted) in the conveyance of it, by convenient conduits, to the public use. (4, 1996; XVII: 126). Furthermore, ruling from the fact that there is no such state that can fully supply itself with all necessary resources, as there is no territory under the dominion of one commonwealth, (except it be of very vast extent,) produceth all the things needful for the maintenance of the whole body, Hobbes supposes that the state will import goods or resources from other states through normal trade (4, 1996; XVIII: 137). Hence, as we can see the situation with Rwanda coup detat and Hobbes’ process ad goal of taking power are worlds apart. The same refers to the consequences. Whereas the latter should theoretically results in prosperity of the citizens, the former lead, in fact, to the numerous casualties, famine, etc. Furthermore, in Rwanda there was no realization of ‘rational choices’, rather it was the outburst of ethnic hostility than an effort to capture power in order to improve the welfare of the people. In addition, though Hobbes’ tenet primarily touches upon sovereignty established on the basis of agreement, the scientist maintains that sovereignty reached through acquisition i. e. force entails the same rights and obligations covered by the contract (also called ‘covenant’ or ‘social contract’, which is â€Å"the act of giving up certain natural rights and transferring them to someone else, on the condition that everyone else involved in making the contract also simultaneously gives up their rights. People agreeing to the contract retain only those rights over others that they are content for everyone else to retain over them†) (4, 1996; XVIII: 139). The only difference is the way in which the sovereign comes to power. If a sovereign comes to rule by institution he is supported because people fear each other. And, in contrast, if he comes to rule by acquisition he is supported because people are afraid of him himself, which does not goes apart with the theory of state of nature. Hence, in both cases, the people literally enjoy the same rights, whereas in Rwanda they were completely deprived of any rights. Nevertheless, for Hobbes the second method can be compared with slave-master relationships (without a slave having right to rebel), in Hobbess own words: â€Å"The master of the servant, is master also of all he hath; and may exact the use thereof; that is to say, of his goods, of his labour, of his servant, and of his children, as often as he shall think fit. For he holdeth his life of his master, by the covenant of obedience; that is, of owning, and authorizing whatsoever the master shall do. And in case the master, if he refuse, kill him, or cast him into bonds, or otherwise punish him for his disobedience, he is himself the author of the same, and cannot accuse him of injury† (4, 1996; XVIII: 141). David Gauthier also argues that â€Å"a servant is hardly involved in the decision making calculus of the master; instead the servant exists to carry out the formers dictates† (5, 2000:114). Yet, on the Rwanda’s example, the people defended and rebelled against their genocidaires, thus, they refused to perform the role of servants presupposed by Hobbes. To sum up, the Rwanda crisis has nothing in common with possible transfer to Hobbes’ model of state organization. It was founded on the ethnic hostilities that caused in the long run change of ruling power. Moreover, the purpose of the new government, in my opinion, was not the welfare of the people and the country but mere revenge for years of oppression. What is more, the people, though proving to some extent their natural (in accordance with Hobbes) inclination to being enemies to each other, did not resign themselves to the fact that they should be obedient and humble servants but rebelled instead and fought until the last breath. Nevertheless, even if the conflict is motivated by not the ethnic animosity but the rational choice, I will not recommend Hobbes’ reform of the society organization. At first glance, the objective and functions of his Commonwealth seem to be very promising, for example, preserving the society, establishing an internal order or peace, defending that peace against external violence, etc so that after all individuals can live peaceably (4, 1996; XVIII:145). However, I do not believe in such Utopia as for me it is evident that Hobbes’ state has all features of what is considered or ca turn in future into the totalitarian state (recall those master-slave relationships, overall power of the sovereign, etc. ). Our history has already proven that this form of governing is not applicable and is out-of-date with regard to our world and our life. Whatever the conflicts are, and no matter what leaders come to the rule they should bear in mind that our future is democratic one and there is no place on the earth to dictators and totalitarianism. Bibliography 1. Rwanda the Great Genocide Debate. Retrieved from University of Dayton Library on February 14, 2006: http://www. udayton. edu/~rwanda/articles/genocide/noendinsight.html 2. Rwandan apocalypse by Chris McGreal in Goma, Ian Katz from Guardian, Saturday July 23, 1994, p. 4-6. 3. The Rwanda Crisis: History of a Genocide 1959-1994, published by Hurst and Company Ltd, 1995. Retrieved on February 14, 2006 from: http://www. humanrightsfirst. org 4. Hobbes, Thomas (ed. ) Tuck, Richard â€Å"Leviathan†. Cambridge University Press, 1996 5. Gauthier, D. P. (2000). The Logic of the Leviathan: The Moral and Political Theory of Thomas Hobbes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 114-116.

Ethnocentric Approaches to HRM

Ethnocentric Approaches to HRM 1 Introduction Human resource management (HRM) refers to the activities an organization carries out to utilize its human resources effectively, including determining the firms human resource strategy, staffing, performance evaluation, management development, compensation, labor relations. The staffing activity is concerned with the selection of employees who have the suitable skills required to perform a particular job. To perform staffing function effectively, there are three main approaches within international business identified: the ethnocentric approach, the polycentric approach, the geocentric approach (Dowling PJ, Festing M and Engle AD, 2008). In the article, the ethnocentric approach will be comprehensively and deeply analyzed, and then the advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric approach will be figured out. Combined with analyzing the case of Hilton Group, we will see that the reason why the ethnocentric approach to HRM for multinational company (MNC) is out, that how an internatio nal human resource management (IHRM) effectively plays its part under the global context. 2 The ethnocentric approach to HRM for MNC is out. 2.1 General situation of Hilton International Group Whichever major city you find yourself in you may have a big shot to coming across a Hilton Hotel. Hilton International Group is a leading global hotel brand; the company operates 380 hotels all round the world and has subsidiaries located in 66 countries. Its 80,000 strong workforce looks after and serves an average of 8 million guests every year (Article, 2002; Annual Report, 2003). The quality of the Hilton brand is base on the customer service and its operational excellence is higher than in most industries. The same as all service businesses, the contribution of people is of central importance to Hiltons success. Hilton International is quite decentralized: splitting into countries, cities and individual hotels. This meant that hundreds of its managers have to be convinced about the initiative an exercise in which Skill-Soft plays a fundamental role to tackle different issues arisen from its 66 country subsidiaries. (Article, 2002) 2.2 Recruitment analysis of Hilton International Group The broad recruitment strategy determines the nature of the international manager development program and the type of IMD, suggested by Perlutter (1969) and later on by DAnnunzio-Green (1997). Besides the ethnocentric approach which tends to use expatriates in key positions abroad, there are other two different approaches available for managing and staffing companies subsidiaries, the polycentric approach and geocentric approach. The polycentric approach tends to use local nationals wherever possible and the polycentric approach tends to use a mixture of nationals, expatriates and third country nationals (Treven S., 2001; Datamonitor, 2004). For the ethnocentric approach, the cultural values and business practices of the home country put a predominant influence on the subsidiaries. The corporation headquarter determines all the standards of evaluation and controls the branchs management practice in the form of orders and commands (Miles, 1965; Malkani, 2004). For the polycentric appr oach, it is just direct opposite to the ethnocentric approach. The corporation headquarter allows its subsidiaries to develop locally but the corporation headquarter will supervise the local managers. However, this results in little communication between the corporation headquarter and its subsidiaries. For the geocentric approach, it combines the advantages of ethnocentric approach and polycentric approach. The selection of manager is based on competency rather than nationality and organizations try to combine the best from both the corporation headquarter and its subsidiaries. With regard to Hilton Hotel Group, it tries to integrate different parts of the group through the cooperation between headquarter and subsidiaries, and then implement combined standard of both universal side and local side for evaluation and management (Johnson, 2003). And at the same time, Hilton has attempted to recruit and develop a group of international managers from diverse countries for many years. These international managers constitute a mobile base for a variety of management facilities as the need arises. 2.3 The phenomenon Hilton Group unfolds and implies: the ethnocentric approach to HRM for MNC is out The recruitment approach of Hilton hotel indicates something that reveals the shortages of the other two approaches. As this article aims at the ethnocentric approach analysis, it can be concluded that the Hilton Group did not adopt the ethnocentric approach as the staffing strategy for some reason. Here what is needed to be explored is that what the reason is. Underling the phenomenon of Hilton Group not adopting the ethnocentric approach, there may exists some common truth shared the multi-national corporation, like Hilton Group. Is the ethnocentric approach out to human resource management for Multi-national Corporation? The answer to this question definitely is yes; the explanations and its analysis will be stated in the following paragraph. 3 Advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric approach to HRM 3.1 The ethnocentric approach To analyze the question and answer above, firstly let us see what does ethnocentric approach mean and why the people use it to human resource management. Ethnocentric approach means the home country practice prevails within the company (Albrecht MH (Ed), 2001); headquarters from the home country makes crucial decisions; employees from the home country hold important positions, and the subsidiaries follow the headquarter management practice. The companies that adopt ethnocentric approach hold three reasons: firstly the company believes that there is a lack of qualified individuals in the host country to fill senior management positions(Dickman M, Brewster C, Sparrow P, 2008); secondly, the firm regards an ethnocentric approach as the best way to maintain a unified corporation culture; thirdly, the company believes that the best way to create value by transferring core competencies to a foreign branch is to transfer home-country nationals who have sufficient knowledge and competency fo r the branch. However, recently the ethnocentric is on the wane in most international business, for two main reasons: leading to â€Å"cultural myopia† and limiting advancement opportunities for host country nationals. 3.2 Advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric approach As to the issue whether ethnocentric approach to HRM should be used in Multi-national Corporation, both the advantages and disadvantages of ethnocentric approach deserve to be analyzed and evaluated. The advantages of ethnocentric approach include: offers multi-national orientation opportunities to employees through the working experience at parent company; cultural similarity with parent company guarantees various transfer of business and management practices; permits tighter control and closer coordination of international subsidiaries for the headquarters (Grandrose CS, 1997); establish a big pool of international experienced executives for the parent country. The disadvantages of ethnocentric approach include: the subsidiaries may create problems of adaptability to the local environment and culture; the corporation may involve high transfer fee and salary costs; sending managers to subsidiaries may result in personal and family problems; it may be more possible to lead to high fa ilure rate; it may has disincentive effect on local-management morale and motivation; the subsidiaries may be subject to local government restrictions, and others. For Multinational Corporation, the ethnocentric approach shows a centralized authority management style. The local subsidiaries do not have so many decision-making rights compared with the geocentric approach subsidiaries. However, the business surroundings vary from one country to another. One management decision works out in a country but may not work out in another. Obviously this is unsolvable problem faced by the corporation headquarter that adopted ethnocentric approach to HRM. Surely there are other tough issues confronted with the MNC which adopts ethnocentric approach. But all the issues are arisen from the ethnocentric approach. Thus I think the disadvantages of the ethnocentric approach put a heavier negative role on the MNC management than the positive role put by the advantages of the ethnocentric approach. Combined with Hilton hotels operational environment differences, Hilton Group made a right decision of not adopting the ethnocentric approach. 3.3 Deeply analyzing the reason why the ethnocentric approach to HRM for MNC is out. Since it is a right decision for Hilton Group not to adopt the ethnocentric approach, then put it in another way, it is a wrong decision for Hilton Group to adopt the ethnocentric approach, at least at the time of present. Then it can be concluded that the ethnocentric approach to HRM for Hilton Group is out. However, can the conclusion be applied universally into other multi-national corporation like Hilton? If the answer is yes and the ethnocentric approach to HRM for Multinational Corporation is out, then what is the reason and how does it happen. The following is to deeply analyze the reason why the ethnocentric approach to HRM for MNC is out. On the related theme, if the foreign subsidiaries of MNC intend to succeed in a particular market, they must hire, train, and afford attractive career path to the local managers in the subsidiary country (Lucas R et al, 2006). Having those who know the language, the culture, and the business customs to operate the subsidiaries is quite crucial to reach the success of the subsidiaries. All these requirements above in this paragraph cannot be realized by the ethnocentric approach. For MNC, the ethnocentric approach denies advancement to the subsidiary country nationals, which probably breed resentment and diminish the corporation public image; the expatriate managers may become insular in their attitudes and prone to the cultural myopia, and the latter may lead to management overlooking niche market opportunities. The ethnocentric approach also frequently comes into conflict with host-country laws, norms and traditions (Schuler R. and Jackson S., 2003). It is clearly that the ethnocentric approach to management is not best suited to a global market place. And as more and more companies realize that the ethnocentric approach does not yield success, gradually this approach will be abandoned in favor of a more multinational approach. 4 The right way to perform IHRM and help MNC develop. 4.1 How IHRM works in a MNC Under the context of global economic integration, if the MNC wants to achieve success in the world market, it has to adopt a more multi-national competitive strategy for human resource management, rather than the ethnocentric approach. To explore deeper what constitute the success of a MNC for HRM, the characteristics of IHRM will be stated and analyzed here. Broadly defined, international human resource management (IHRM) means all the process of procuring, allocating, and effectively utilizing human resources within a multinational corporation. If the IHRM is a art of managing different people with various cultures, then the emphasis of IHRM should be focused on dealing with the changes among the differences from both the people and the culture (Warner M and Joynt P, 2002), and then to realize the goal of managing workforce efficiently and effectively across boundaries for the company, in other word, during the process of managing, people with different culture, ethnicity, values and ethos will be well coordinated and organized. Compared with the domestic traditional HRM, there are two somewhat conflicting strategic objectives that are needed to be achieved by international human resource managers (Sparrow P. et al, 2004). Firstly, the IHRM managers need to integrate the HR practices and policies across the subsidiaries in different coun tries so that the corporation objectives can be achieved. Secondly, the approach to IHRM must be flexible enough to allow for many differences in the type of HR policies and practices that are very effective in the different business and cultural environment. 4.2 The approach for IHRM working in a MNC: geocentric approach Based on the requirements of IHRM, according to the definition of the geocentric approach, and combined with the analysis of Hilton case, it can be seen that the geocentric approach is an effective approach to the international human resource management. The geocentric approach can not only help the corporation deal well with the local issues arisen in the subsidiaries, but also can demonstrate trust in local citizenry which is good for the public relations of a MNC and increase acceptance of the company by the local community. What is more, the geocentric approach can effectively represent local considerations and constraints in the decision-making process and maximize the number of decision options available in the local environment. 5 Conclusions IHRM focuses on the management of human resources on a global basis. For a multi-national corporation, how to effective manage various differences from the subsidiaries located in different countries is a crucial part to its IHRM. Then choosing the right approach influences the great implementation of the major international human resource management functions. Those companies that take the ethnocentric approach attempt to impose their home country methods on their subsidiaries. But it results in bad outcomes in the subsidiaries. Various issues arisen from the ethnocentric approach are confronted by the corporations that adopt ethnocentric approach. The multi-national corporations have to find another approach to effective carry out the global competitive strategy and deal with the local tough issues in subsidiaries. Hilton Group, though using large quantities of expatriates to manage its hotels, achieved a great success all round the world. It indicates that the ethnocentric approach to HRM for MNC is out. Then by analyzing the characteristics of multi-national corporations, the right approachgeocentric approachis proved to be able to tackle the issues arisen in subsidiaries. However, varied with the business surroundings changes and differences, the approach to IHRM implementation also needs to be adjusted. Maybe one day the geocentric approach is out to IHRM, a newer approach appears to help the MNC achieve success globally; after all, all the approaches aim to make the company win. References Albrecht MH (Ed) (2001), International HRM: managing diversity in the workplace, Oxford: Blackwell Article, 2002, A skillsoft case study: Hilton hotels, http://www.skillsoft.com/EMEA/documents/Hilton%20Case%20study.pdf Boselie P., Paauwe J., Richardson R., 2003, Human resource management, institutionalization and organizational performance: a comparison of hospitals, hotels and local government, International Journal of Human Resource Management; December, Vol. 14 Issue 8, pp.1407-1429; Datamonitor, 2004, Hilton Group plc: company profile, April, pp. 1-9; Dickman M, Brewster C, Sparrow P (2008) International Human Resource Management: A European Perspective, London: Routledge Dowling PJ, Festing M and Engle AD (2008), International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context, London: South Western Grandrose CS (1997), Cross-cultural Work Groups, London: Sage Johnson A., 2003, Making room for recognition and reward at Hilton, Strategic HR Review, Vol.2 Issue 3, March/April, pp.10-12; Lucas R et al (2006) Human Resource Management in an International Context, London:CIPD Miles R., 1965, Human relations or human resources?, Harvard Business Review, Vol.43 Issue 4, July/August, pp.147-189; Schuler R. and Jackson S. (2003) Managing Human Resources in Cross-Border Alliances London: Routledge Sparrow P. et al (2004) Globalizing Human Resource Management London: Routledge Warner M and Joynt P (2002) Managing Across Cultures. London: Thomson

Elevators to Space :: physics space elevator

The idea of an elevator into space is not a new one. First contemplated by a Russian scientist in 1895, it was not truly popularized until Arthur C. Clarke’s novel Fountains of Paradise in 1978. The idea is so simple, it seems absurd. A tether is extended from the surface of the earth, and using a combination of gravity and centrifugal force, is extended outwards. Vehicles can then scale this tether, removing the need for costly rockets. Arthur C. Clarke claims that the space elevator is an attainable goal, and we will have one â€Å"about 10 years after people stop laughing.† However, before it can be constructed, there are many engineering issues that need to be worked out. This page is not the end all, and contains no breakthroughs or answers. However, it does include some interesting information that may aid in answering questions about this subject: If you're going to build a 62,000 km rope, what would you use?. This application ends up being a gigantic tug of war. With gravity pulling down, and centrifugal force pulling up, the material has to be very strong just to hold its own weight, let alone the additional load of the elevator’s â€Å"car.† Until the early 1990’s, no such material was known. In 1991, carbon nanotubes were discovered. Although not currently a feasible option, current research in this topic may lead to breakthroughs very soon. How do you build a vehicle capable of climbing a tether into space, under its own power? This leads to another engineering feat for this project is a climber. It may seem like this is a simple extension of modern robotics, many of the caveats of this application require further research and experimentation. With any large structure, a major question on everyone's mind is "is it safe?" For something like a several thousand kilometer high freestanding elevator, there are two questions: "is it safe for the occupants/cargo?" and "is it safe for everyone/everything else?" The last question, and possibly the most important of all: "How much is this going to cost?" If its not economically feasible, all of the research in the world will not make it happen. No matter how you look at it, a project like this will be a very expensive endeavor. One of the biggest obstacles to building a space elevator has always been the choice of material for the tether. Until recently, there was no material known to man that could handle the stresses involved. With the discovery of carbon nanotubes, the strongest material known to man, a possible solution has been found.

Online Student Profile Management System

ONLINE STUDENT PROFILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM by GREESHMA MALGIREDDY B. Tech. , Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, 2007 A REPORT submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Computing and Information Sciences College of Engineering KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas. 2010. Approved by: Major Professor Dr. Daniel Andresen. AbstractAll the students who are enrolled in Computing and Information Sciences (CIS) major in Kansas State University are required to submit their Program of Study (POS) which they manually do by filling in all the necessary details and submit the form to the department. The main objective of this project is to develop an online submission of program of study. The online student profile management system is a web-based application that provides students of CIS major to submit their program of study in an easy and efficient manner.This application mainly allows the students to enter their personal info rmation (viz. , contact information, previous education) and to choose core as well as non-core courses of their choice. In addition the faculty of CIS department can also log on to the application and view the POS of the students by entering their wildcat ID. The primary focus is to get familiar with . NET framework and to code in C#. NET. This in turn uses MS SQL server 2005 as database for storing and retrieving of data. This project is implemented using C#.NET on Microsoft visual studio 2005. Table of contents List of Figures †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ v List of Tables †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ vi Acknowledgements †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. vii CHAPTER 1-†¦ [continues]

Describe the Initiatives Which Influence

E6- Describe the initiatives which influence the provision of challenging environments for children (5 marks) There are different types of international, national and local initiatives which influence the provision of challenging environments for children. An example of an initiative is the Forest Schools. ‘A Forest School is an innovative educational approach to outdoor play and learning’ http://www. forestschools. om/what-happens-at-a-forest-school/ Forest schools can influence the provision of a challenging environment, as the teachers can take the children in small groups every week to the local woods to have a better understanding of the outdoor environment and it’s linked to the curriculum. By doing this it enables children to be able to be in a safe environment when exploring and having adventures so they can see what things they can do when they go into the woods next time.It can also help children with problems such as language problems as this allows the m to speak about the experience they are having which can then be taken to the classroom and then it could be turned into a story to help the child. When going into the woods it helps to cater the behaviour for the problem children and it also teaches children when they can and can’t mess around.It also focuses on the fundamental aspect of the Forest School innovation educational approach. The Forest School provides ways for meeting learning objectives while developing practical life skills and encouraging child-initiated learning, which is observed and assessed. Lots of young children prefer to be outside than in the classroom environment because they can find it more exciting and they might pay more attention. Word Count- 240

Critically assess Catholic Church teaching on IVF with particular emphasis on third party involvement

Moral theology includes concerns of a particular or special nature as well as those of a general or fundamental nature. There is thus a two-fold division in moral theology – fundamental moral theology (which we have been doing up to now) and special moral theology. They are intricately related. Special moral theology deals with concrete moral issues that relate to sexuality, medical practice, business relations, social ethics. Fundamental moral theology shows the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ of special issues.Disagreement at the level of concrete issues often can be traced to different understandings of the foundational concerns of morality. One of the most high profile special issues at the present time is Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR). This lecture concerns what is perhaps the most well known technique in the treatment of infertility: In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). The First ‘Test-tube’ Baby On July 25, 1978, Louise Brown was born in Oldh am, England, using IVF. She was the first so-called ‘test-tube’ baby, the culmination of years of pioneering research by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards.IVF is a gruelling, though relatively straightforward process. The ovaries are chemically stimulated to produce multiple eggs since pregnancy rates increase with transfer of more than one embryo. The eggs are recovered by laparoscopy, then coincubated with sperm for around 12-18 hours to allow fertilisation to occur. After an additional 48-72 hours, the embryo (or pre-embryo) is transferred to the uterine cavity by a catheter. If successful, implantation will occur in 2-3 days.Success rate is 20-25 per cent – approaches that of the natural process†¦.. much more expensive of course! Standard IVF: This is the simple procedure – sperm and ovum come from husband and wife, and the pre-embryo is implanted in the uterus of the wife. Church Teaching: Congregation For The Doctrine Of The Faith: â€Å"Instr uction on Respect for Human Life in its Origins and on the Dignity of Procreation† (Donum Vitae). 1987. The CDF rejected ‘simple case’ artificial reproduction (AIH and IVF) with the gametes of husband and wife.The analysis that led the congregation to reject IVF is as follows: â€Å"The Church’s teaching on marriage and human procreation affirms the inseparable connection, willed by God and unable to be broken by man on his own initiative, between the two meanings of the conjugal act: the unitive meaning and the procreative†. The ‘unitive meaning’ refers to the union of two bodies in sexual intercourse; the ‘procreative meaning’ refers to the principle that all acts of sexual intercourse should be open to the possibility of procreation.Both the unitive and procreative meanings of the conjugal act are derived from the natural law. Just as contraception separates the unitive and procreative dimensions of sexual expression, so also, in an analogous way, do technological interventions such as in vitro fertilisation and artificial insemination by husband (AIH). Some moral theologians, notably Richard A. McCormick SJ, argue against the teaching of the CDF, basing their arguments on the reforms of Vatican II.The argument goes as follows: The centuries-old primacy given to procreation over other meanings of sexual expression was â€Å"publicly and definitively abandoned† by Vatican II. Another principal change is the criterion to be used in judging the rightfulness or wrongfulness of human conduct. The second Vatican Council shifted the criterion of moral judgement away from faculties and their purposes to a strong emphasis on the centrality of the person. It proposed as the criterion not â€Å"the intention of nature inscribed in the organs and their functions but the person integrally and adequately considered†.One must discover what is promotive or destructive of the person. The physical facul ties must not be considered in isolation from the person. McCormick argues that there is â€Å"an evolution of doctrine occurring with regard to the understanding of the unitive and procreative dimensions of sexuality.. †. Development of doctrine usually involves both continuity and change. The thread that yields both continuity and change is the notion of the inseparability of the unitive-procreative dimensions of sexuality.The continuity: the general validity of the insight. The change: a broadened understanding away from an act-analysis of this inseparability. Theologians argue that IVF is not a substitution for sexual intimacy, but a kind of prolongation of it, as well as a perfection of it in that it remedies infertility – it does not involve the total severance of the unitive and the procreative. The natural law principle can be upheld if the spheres of the unitive and the procreative are held together so that there is no procreation apart from marriage i. . , th ere is no procreation apart from the conjugal relationship as opposed to the conjugal act, and no full sexual intimacy apart from a context of responsibility for procreation. The inseparability principle is retained, but such inseparability is something to be realised in the relationship, and not the individual act. It must be stressed, however, that McCormick’s argument is not accepted by the magisterium of the Catholic Church:- cf. Vatican Council 2, Vol. 2, ed. by Austin Flannery (New York: Costello Publishing Company, 1982), p. 98, par. 3. Third party involvement: Third-party involvement in infertility treatment involves donor eggs, donor sperm, donor embryos, donor wombs.Pius XII in 1949 said â€Å"Artificial insemination in marriage with the use of an active element from a third person is †¦.. immoral and as such is to be rejected summarily. Only marriage partners have mutual rights over their bodies for the procreation of new life, and these rights are exclusive, nontransferable and inalienable†. Between the child and at least one rearing parent there is â€Å"no bond of rigin, no moral and juridical bond of procreation†. Karl Rahner agrees: argued that AID fundamentally separates the marital union from the procreation of a new person. Rahner also faults the anonymity of the donor, which represents a refusal of responsibility as father and an infringement of the rights of the child. Does 3rd party involvement (via gametic donation or surrogate gestation) infringe on conjugal exclusivity? Does having a jointly raised child justify such infringement? McCormick answers ‘Yes’ to the first question and ‘No’ to the second.The notion of conjugal exclusivity should include the genetic, gestational and rearing dimensions of parenthood. Separating these dimensions, except through rescue (as in adoption) contains a subtle diminishment of the human person. Where there is donor semen or eggs, there is a genetic asy mmetry in the relationship of husband and wife to the child, with possible damaging psychological effects. Third party involvement separates procreation from marriage in principle – decisively breaks the natural law unitive-procreative principle.The question of the freezing and destruction of embryos, the implanting of multiple embryos with the consequent high possibility of miscarriage and also the carrying out of ‘foetal reduction’. Genetic screening of embryos. The above are further important ethical issues that have arisen due to IVF. Resources: www. google. com Type in ‘Catholic Church teaching on IVF’, and ‘IVF’, etc. Catechism of the Catholic Church: pars. 2373-2379. The Catechism allows that homologous artificial insemination and fertilisation (standard IVF) are â€Å"less reprehensible† than those that involve third party donation of sperm, eggs or uterus.