Faith, Reason, and Imaginationi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Faith, Reason, and Imaginationi - Essay Example Religious faith can be defined as an assent because of the authority of a revealing God. This definition turns faith into an intellectual act and it places the emphasis, at least implicitly, on what is believed, though, again implicitly, what is believed is considered to be not evident or immediately present-that is, to be beyond reasonable evidence. Hence the introduction of a motive for believing, God's authority, who would not deceive us in presenting something for our belief which was not true. Obviously, God's authority is preferred to reason's because we are dealing with religious faith, not scientific belief. Faith, thus, is faith hi God and in whatever God says must be believed. The ultimate reason for believing religiously is not evidence, but God. Proponents of this view of faith acknowledge that this assent of faith takes place in a certain penumbra because the content is not sufficiently supported by reason or other evidence worthy of trust. By the second definition, what is believed is beyond reason; hence the need to introduce the authority of God as the motive for belief; that is, as the only force capable of bending the will to believe. At all events, if things are evident, it is not faith. It is also argued that the assent of faith is given with certainty, not as opinion, but with the surety of true knowledge; and this even though rationally the evidence may not be there (the New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 556). Another definition of faith is "a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 556). There is need, therefore, of a specific act of the will to command the assent, since it is not necessitated by the reasonableness of the evidence. Still, as should be apparent, this understanding of faith emphasizes "belief that" over "belief in", and it is here, for instance, faith is somebody indicates the expectancy of a journey without definite end or destination; and it points to the human condition as one of travel. Faith can be defined as care about what really matters to us. If we are serious about what ultimately concerns us, doubt can never be excluded altogether, but must be faced with courage. That to which faith is an openness is never given wholly to the believer because it is infinite (in time or in essence), absolute, and therefore cannot be grasped by a subject who is finite in every way. This lack of fit between finite and infi nite is also the reason why doubt or unfaith is always a danger. Imagination Imagination is defined as "mental representation; a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 779). The imagination has always formed part of the subject-matter of aesthetics, but its recent revival can be traced to recent advances in philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. The second definition states that imagination is 'ability to form images" (The New Oxford American Dictionary 2001, p. 779). It is natural to define imagination as that attitude taking fictional propositions as its contents (where a fictional proposition is one that is not true). For instance, the contents of imaginings are fictional propositions in the trivial sense that they are to be imagined, not in the ordinary sense that they are a species of falsehood. Since we cannot characterize the attitude of imagination nontrivially by its contents,

Assignment 15(675) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 15(675) - Case Study Example For ensuring objectivity, I would insist on having a researcher on behalf of the school as a checker for all scripts prepared. Nothing must be aired before the researcher confirms for all facts/artifice found in the ‘news’. The false statements must be edited out and the draft be sent to a senior authority in the school faculty. After their approval, a final check must be made by an independent authority so as to eliminate any bias that may be running within the school through the private corporation. i. Since charter schools are formed by teachers, parents and/or community members, it should be ensured that student performance results are free from bias. Such schools are free from most state laws and regulations apart from a certain performance criteria that is to be met. [2] iii. Since these schools have minimal rules and state authority scrutiny attached, the education level provided may lose worth. An independent, unbiased party must revise the curriculum and methods used in the school on a yearly basis to make certain that quality education is being provided to students. [1] 2. What advantages might charter schools bring for students in your attendance area? Using the secondary school as a model, try to envision positive changes that might occur as the charter school movement

Macbeths diary Essay Example for Free

Macbeths diary Essay I am fighting for my king, Duncan, against the enemies Sweno the king of Norway, Macdthwald lord of the western isles of Scotland and the thane of Cawdor who all are traitors. The battles were very bloody there were lots of dead people most very young soldiers. I have not seen so much blood scenic I became a general in Duncans army. The best thing was that we were victorious and Banquo and I are going home to celebrate our victory. On our way home across the heath the weather was awful there was strange thunder and lightning, Banquo and I meet 3 weird women who said that I am the thane of Glamass, going to be the thane of Cordor and future king to be. They also told Banquo that he will be lesser than me and greater, not so happy yet much happier and he shall father kings but he will not be king. Then they disappeared it was vary extraordinary. Than Ross and Angus arrived and told me that I am now the thane of Cordor. I dont believe it how did they know perhaps king would come true. I must tell my wife about these weird women and what they have told me. I could not believe the welcome I got at the palace at fours from king Duncan, when he made Malcolm the prince of Cumberland and heir to the throne I was vary surprised, because I wanted to be king now it would be more difficult Duncan said that he will be coming to my castle, so set off. My wife was very anxious to tell me her plan for killing Duncan. I did not think I could do it, she was very determined that I should. Duncan had arrived I let my wife greet him because I very upset about killing Duncan. At the state dinner I had to leave I did not think that I could do it. My wife came and found me and I told her I could not do it she then convened me I should and told me how to kill him and she even told me how we should react when we hear the bad news about Duncans death. I was very nerves about killing Duncan because I was committing treason and a sin, on the way to Duncans chamber I saw Banquo and Flenance going to bed as I crossed the tort yard. Banquo gave me some gifts from Duncan for my wife and me, then Banquo about a dream he had about the weird women and some of predictions came true so I told him I not think about the weird women said. After they left I had worst hallucination that I saw a dagger with blood and I tort that I was going mad because it looked so real but I could not hold it. I heard the bell and went to Duncans camber, thing I remember is being back in my room covered with blood and holding a daggers, I know that I had killed Duncan in his sleep I cant come to terms with what I have done my wife tried to calmed me down because I couldnt go and put the daggers back so she had to, we heard banging so my wife took me to change my clothes and helped me wash the blood off me. Some how I had remember how to act when I heard the news of Duncans death that Macduff told me about. So I immediacy went to see what had happened and pretending to be angry I killed the guards so they could not be questioned about the murder. Lady Macbeth fainted saved me from being questioned further about the killing the guars.

What Affects Heat and the Movement of Heat

What Affects Heat and the Movement of Heat Umar Hill Imagine that you are in the kitchen and you are about to bake some cookies. You prepare your cookie dough, tray and oven. You put your tray filled with cookie dough in the oven and in no time the tray starts heating up. After a while, you wouldnt dare touch the tray with your bare hands. It would cause severe damage to your skin. The movement of energy allows the tray to gain energy in the form of heat. The energy that is being taken in by the cookie dough and the tray is all a part of the heat flow that is created when you put the tray into the oven. Heat flow is the thermal energy that is created from the oven going into the tray and exciting the particles that make up the tray. This movement of energy is affected by a few things; one of them is surface area. Surface area is involved in the movement of heat and it affects how fast the transfer is. Knowing how it affects the movement is important to understand ways that heat transfer can be changed and to predict which objects would gain or lose energy faster in a given situation. Before learning about what affects heat and the movement of heat, we should start with learning about what heat itself is. Heat can be described in multiple ways: the most recognizable is the state of being at a high temperature. In this case, however, heat would be described as external energy moving throughout particles and being transferred between them. Simply speaking, heat is the transferring of energy and all matter contains heat energy, (Ryan, 2009). This transfer of energy always goes from a higher temperature area to a lower temperature area. The more excited particles with more energy move the particles that are close by. They gain energy and the whole substance is heated. If the cookie tray that comes out of the oven is left on the counter for a long time, it will eventually cool down. The tray is losing its energy when it is left in the room temperature air. As the cookie tray is left on the counter, the air gains energy. The energy from the tray is moving from the tray into the air around it and therefore it makes the surrounding air warmer. You would notice this if you held your hand above the tray: the air will feel warm. The fact that heat moves from hot to cold makes perfect sense, because if you think about it; an object that is hotter than its surroundings would never become even hotter without doing anything to it. The same goes for an object that is colder than its surroundings. So as the energy travels from the tray to the air around it, the two substances eventually reach a point where they are both equal in temperature. This is called the thermal equilibrium. As long as two objects or substances are not equal in temperature, there will always be a flow of heat from the higher temperature to the lower temperature substance. This flow of heat will continue until the substances or objects are equal in temperature. Another example would be if you took the tray straight out of the oven and poured a bag of ice onto it. The tray would cool. Th e energy in the tray is lost and it is going right into the ice. While the tray cools, the ice heats up. Over time the two will be the same temperature and both objects would be in thermal equilibrium. Touching two solid materials together that are a different temperature is not the only way to transfer heat. This is only one of the three methods and it is called conduction. Conduction transfers the energy through direct contact of objects. Matter is made up of moving particles and the particles are in constant motion. Whether they are vibrating, translating, or rotating, they are always moving. These motions give the particles kinetic energy, (Henderson, 2011). When the two objects collide, they transfer that kinetic energy to the other object, but nothing between the two physical items are moving. The material is not flowing; just the energy. As two objects collide, the particles in the higher temperature item loses its kinetic energy and the lower temperature item gains kinetic energy. The collision and the transfer of the energy is what would be the conduction. Think about a basketball rolling in one direction. Now think about another basketball that is identical rolling twice as fast in the opposite direction toward the first. After they collide they would roll away from each other because of the hit. The first ball would roll away faster than the second ball now because the second ball had more energy than the first one prior to the collision. Just like with heat flow, the energy was transferred from high to low energy. The higher energy ball lost energy after the collision and the first ball gained energy. Another method of transferring energy is convection. Convection uses the flow of liquids and gasses to move the energy. The movements of the fluids carries the thermal energy along with it to transfer the heat to different regions. Heat expands fluids and makes it less dense. Being less dense then results in a motion between the heated less dense and the non-heated more dense fluids. This motion in fluids creates a circulation within the fluid and carries the energy throughout the entire substance. Think about a bowl containing 10 red balls and 10 bl ue balls. The red balls would be on the bottom and represent the heated substance and the blue balls would be at the top and represent the original substance. When you stir the balls in the bowl, they are mixed up and are random. The red balls are now relatively evenly mixed with the blue balls. The energy is carried out throughout the blue balls and the entire substance is now heated. This is also why we say that heat rises. The hot air will circulate to the top of a house and the lower floors of the building [are] cooler, (Jarvis, 2015). Radiation is the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves. Radiation is the heat that comes off of a source and spreads the energy to its surroundings. Everything radiates in the form of electromagnetic waves. The higher amount of thermal energy an object has, the more energy it radiates. When object radiates, it sends off waves that increase the energy of surrounding objects and thus increases their heat as well. There are factors that affect the rate at which heat is transferred. Temperature plays an important role in the rate of transfer. Specifically, the difference in temperature between two substances plays the role. Because heat will always try to move and transfer to form a thermal equilibrium, the rate at which energy is transferred will depend on the difference in the temperatures. The higher the difference, the higher the rate. A very hot substance will lose its energy to a very cold substance faster than a mildly warm substance will lose its energy to a cool substance. The rate at which the energy is transferred however, is always changing. If the difference in temperature is a factor of the rate, and as time goes on that difference becomes smaller, the rate will slow down overtime. If we use the ice on the hot tray example again, the ice would gain energy at a very fast rate because of the big difference in the temperature between the tray and the ice. Similarly, the tray would lo se energy at a fast rate. Overtime, the ice will melt and be much warmer, but not quite be the same temperature as the tray. The tray will cool down as well, but not quite be the same temperature as the ice. Because of the now smaller difference in temperature, it is known that the cool now-melted ice will gain energy at a slower rate and the warm tray will lose its energy at a slower rate. Another factor contributing to the heat transferring rate is the materials that the substances are made of. If hot water were placed in a coffee mug, it would take a little while to make the mug very hot; but take the same hot water into a plastic or Styrofoam cup instead, and the cup would feel hot in no time. This is because the material that the two cups are made of are different. The coffee mug makes the rate at which it gains energy slower than the plastic cup. Different materials gain and lose energy at different rates. This difference and the effect that a material has in the transfer rate of heat is called the thermal conductivity of the material; conductivity being the transferring of heat through direct contact of two objects. The higher the thermal conductivity is for an object, the higher the rate at which heat is transferred by it is. Scientists experiment with different materials to see which has a higher or lower thermal conductivity value. Low thermal conductivity val ues are referred to as thermal insulators, (Henderson, 2011). The distance that the heat must be conducted also plays a part in the rate of transfer. The thicker the wall of an object is, the slower the rate of transfer. Think about the walls of a cup. As the ceramic particles at the boundary between the [heat] and the mug warm up, they attain a kinetic energy that is much higher than their neighbors, (Henderson, 2011). This means that the particles heat up their neighbors while taking time and eventually the heat will transfer through an object. Taking a plastic cup and pouring hot water into it would make the cup heat up at a fast rate because of its material, but that rate can be slowed down if the thickness of the plastic cup is increased. Because the hot water has to travel a longer distance to lose its energy, the cup is heated at a slower rate. The distance between the two slows down the transfer rate. The farther the energy has to go, the slower the rate. People wear multiple layers of clothing and coats when going out into cold weather . This is because the radiation of heat coming off our bodies is transferred into the cold air slower because of the multiple layers. Thickness is a good way of insulating heat and keeping things warm. The heat coming off of our bodies is trapped under the coats and multiple layers and continues to keep our bodies warm since it is not lost to the coldness of the air around us. As we know, if we bring two objects that are initially at different temperatures into physical contact, they eventually achieve thermal equilibrium, (Hall, 2014). Thickness affects this movement because it takes longer to move further. Since thickness or distance affects the conductive heat transfer, it would only make sense that the area of the objects being transferred are involved as well. If a marble was placed over a small fire, and another marble twice the size was placed the same, the small marble would gain the thermal energy of the fire faster than the big marble. All chefs know that trying to cook two things that are different in size in the same oven for the same time will never work. The two foods would just never cook the same. One food would be cooked and the other raw, or one will be cooked and the other burnt. This is because of the area in the objects. A larger area will slow down the rate of transferring the heat. The wider a surface area an object has the slower th e rate of transfer. Why does this happen? It all has to do with what is actually involved in the transfer of thermal energy. The faster moving particles excite the nearby particles, (Ryan, 2009) and the energy is carried out through the whole object. Every particle of an objects surface is always involved in the transfer of thermal energy. Therefore, the more area an object has, the more particles are involved and the longer it will take to conduct the energy. The reason why heat flow exists is because there is a difference in temperature and the energy is being transferred to maintain an equality of energy. Unless the thermal equality is reached, there will be a heat flow between the substances. The movement of heat and the transferring of thermal energy is affected by (depending on which method) the material, the temperature difference, the distance, and the surface area of the two objects. The factors that cause these differences in rates are important to understand the behavior of thermal energy and how it works. The flow can be insulated with distance, material and area. The area affects the rate because every particle of the object is involved in the transferring of energy. The larger area an object has, the slower the rate of transfer. Citation Page Ryan, B. (2009, November). Heat energy. Retrieved January 15, 2017, from http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Fire/Science-Ideas-and-Concepts/Heat-energy Hall, N. (2014). Heat Transfer. Retrieved January 17, 2017, from https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/heat.html Henderson, T. (2011). Methods of Heat Transfer. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/thermalP/Lesson-1/Methods-of-Heat-Transfer Henderson, T. (2011). Rates of Heat Transfer. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/thermalP/Lesson-1/Rates-of-Heat-Transfer Jarvis, L., Simonson, D. (2015, October 5). Heat Transfer: Conduction, Convection, Radiation. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from https://www.wisc-online.com/learn/natural-science/earth-science/sce304/heat-transfer-conduction-convection-radiation Wisconsin Online | Heat Transfer. (2014). Retrieved January 16, 2017, from http://alaskapublic.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lsps07.sci.phys.energy.heattransfer/heat-transfer/

Essay --

Introduction There are two types of bacteria that cause Typhus, Rickettsia Typhi and Rickettsia Prowazekii. The form of Typhus depends on which type of bacteria has entered the body and caused the infection. Rickettsia Typhi causes Murine or Endemic Typhus. Endemic Typhus is unusual in the United States. When it is found, its usually seen in areas with poor hygiene and where the temperature is cold. Endemic typhus is sometimes called "jail fever." Murine Typhus typically occurs in the southeastern United States, often during the summer and fall. Risk factors for Murine Typhus include exposure to rat fleas or rat feces. Rickettsia Prowazekii causes both Epidemic Typhus and Brill-Zinsser disease. Brill-Zinsser disease is a far more mild form of Epidemic Typhus. It occurs when the disease re-activates in a person who was previously infected. It is more common in the elderly. Lice and fleas of flying squirrels spread the bacteria. There is no commercially available vaccine against either Endemic or E pidemic typhus. The name given the disease comes from the ancient Greek Typhus meaning smoky or hazy, denoting the condition of mind into which the victim soon lapses after developing his or her first symptoms. Symptoms of Murine or Endemic Typhus may include abdominal pain, backache, raging red rashes, an extremely high fever, hacking followed by a dry cough, headaches, nausea, vomiting and/or joint and muscle pain. Symptoms of Epidemic Typhus may include chills, confusion, Low blood pressure, stupor and/or sensitivity to light. Blood tests may show a low white blood cell count, anemia and low platelets. They may also show a high level of Typhus antibodies, low levels of albumin, low sodium levels and high liver enzymes. Typhus is often c... ...s of Typhus are limited, but the disease has the potential to re-emerge. For example, in Burundi, Africa refugee camps were afflicted in 1997-1998, when about half a million people received the illness. In China in 1999, more than five thousand six hundred people were afflicted following an earthquake. They were forced to live in poor, cold conditions making it the ideal place for a new breakout. In my opinion the United States should entirely rid itself of this disease, including all of the samples held in government labs to preserve as deadly war weapons. The government should also take necessary precaution all over the United States especially in shelters, habitually running tests and routinely ensuring the sanitization of shelters during a natural disaster. These preventive measures will almost guarantee the extermination of the disease in America all together.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Essay -- sex experience, prostitution

A Godless World With Orgies Think about a world where you first experience sex when you’re a little kid. A world where books and flowers might not be respected but you're conditioned to be happy. Conditioned to have sex with anyone you want, whenever you feel like it. It's true that you don't have to worry about violence and when you start feeling stressed, all you have to take is soma (a drug that creates pleasure and happiness.) then feel better. In the story, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, that’s how their world worked and I do not believe that our world will ever come to a point like it. I agree that there is a sufficient amount of people that want to be happy but I feel like somethings aren’t realistic in the book that’s going to happen in our future. Also, I believe that many people want to have world peace but that requires no violence and something that I wish would happen but can’t see happen. Everyone isn’t the same and we all want different things leading to violence because everyone has their own way to deal with rage or even boredom. In the new world, since there’s no live birth and everyone belongs to each other, there is no God. There is Ford which is God in a sense but they don’t know who He is. I don’t think that God will be forgotten in the future. The idea of having specific places for people to go to have orgies isn’t something that I see happening. Our world takes prostitution seriously let alone orgies. For example, the incident that happened in Kennebunk, Maine. A woman named Alexis Wright run a prostitution business. When she was ratted-out and investigated, more than 100 names were wrote down on the list. She was sent to jail although now is released. The same thing would've most likely happened... ...we aren’t all the same person and aren’t conditioned like the charaters are the book, violence can and does happen in our world. Whether we like it or not, everyone is different in our world meaning that eveyone has theyre own way with doing the things that they do. Our world is just most not to become like the one in this book. Works Cited "Woman Who Ran Kennebunk 'Zumba Brothel' Released from Prison." The Guardian. theguardian.com, 23 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. "Violence." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Pearson, Michael. "Random Killings Spark Laments, but Reality Shows Long Slide in Crime Rate." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Castillo, Mariano, Alina Machado, Randi Kaye, Hilary Whiteman, and Josh Levs. "Oklahoma Killing May Be Gang-related." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.

Satanism :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   SATANISM When people think of Satanism or anything to do with that subject, they think of evil. People who sacrifice animals, do all sorts of drugs, murderers etc. But Satanism is completely different from what people may perceive it as. Satanism is actually a religion based on finding yourself and following a moral code other than the one society has made. Satanism goes back to ancient times before the birth of Jesus Christ any of the Gods that people worship today. The religion is spreading and is gaining popularity, not just as devil worshippers, but also as a religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Satanism is derived from the ancient Egyptian God Set, who is the Prince of Darkness. This God goes back before any of the dynasties were brought. There has been pictures that have dated back to 3200B.C. And inscriptions that date back to 5000B.C. Set is not like the image of Satan, but more of a figure of richness, subtlety and complexity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first cult began at the eastern Nile Delta and quickly spread to the borders of Egypt and Libya. Set can also be found in the Great Pyramid of Giza. It has a connection with the Setian afterlife and the solar life. Later, in the fourth dynasty Setian worship died down because of the start of solar worship. Setians’ started up again around 2000 to 1500B.C. The leader of Egypt Hyksos identified himself with Set.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Pharaohs of Egypt declared Set as being mighty. Set represents the individual who through his own hard work, magical skill, and the use of the resistance of the world becomes divine (www.xeper.org). Set was almost destroyed when Christianity took over and identified Set as the modern Satan. And then bloomed during Greek time and spread as far as Great Britain. Then in 1975 the Temple of Set was founded.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Temple of Set the only followers are philosophers and magicians. The people with the most power in the temple are called the power of nine which include the High Priest of Set and the Executive Director. Priest/ Priestess, Adept, Magister/ Magistra, Magus/ Maga, and Ipsissimus/ Ipsissima. Adept means that a person has mastered the art of black magic. Priests are the ones who keep the integrity of the temple. They can recognize a person for his excellence or they can expel someone for not maintaining Setian morals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setians’ must be with the temple for a year before they can receive higher positions, most of them just stay as priests, but a few number make it to High Priests.

Managing Oneself

Managing Oneself By: Peter Drucker Tami Cusick Loma Linda University EMMC 453 The article â€Å"Managing Oneself† is mainly about that in order to be successful you have to know and understand yourself. I agreed with Drucker that if you have ambition and smarts and work your way up in your profession that it doesn’t matter where you started. There are many upper level managers that started as a field employee within AMR. It is clear that they were ambitious and chose to continue on in this profession and just look at where it has taken them.Some important themes are mentioned in this article. First is knowing your strengths. With this it is important to know that we have choices and knowing our strengths will help us know where we belong. I especially enjoyed the portion where the author talks about doing a feedback analysis. I would have never thought that this simple process may explain a number of things about myself that I would never have expected before. Then ther e is the concentration on the strengths that is really important.You need to focus on your strengths which can then produce results. Something else key is use your manners. Simple please’s and thank you’s can go a long way. Even when your day is crappy and you are mad at the world, your manners may save you from an unpleasant conversation from your boss because you were rude or inappropriate with a co-worker. Another thing to remember is that in order to perform you have to know how you learn. Learning styles are an important factor in the learning process.Understanding your learning style can make a enormous difference in the knowledge that you gain in the simplest tasks. Most importantly, as the author points out, is don’t change yourself, work hard at improving yourself and try not to work on things you cannot perform at your best. In order to be effective within an organization, you must be compatible with the values of the business. For example, at AMR our mission is patient focused, care giver inspired and customer centered.This is certainly true for me. I am always focused on the patients and there needs at the time of our encounter. I like to inspire other care givers and our patients are our customers. If you focus on your patient then you are actively being customer centered. Something else to remember is that understanding the strengths of the people you work with will ultimately help you become more effective. When co-workers know and use each other’s strengths to work together and develop a better outcome.

An Investigation Into Smes Survival and the Discrimination Between Fgsmes and All Other Smes

Introduction In a competitive global market, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an increasingly important role in a nation’s economy. Today they make a substantial contribution to job creation, innovation, as well as entrepreneurial skills. A report conducted by European Commision(2005) stated that in the enlarged European Union of 25 countries, 23 million SMEs provide about 75 million jobs and account for 99% of all enterprise. SMEs are also the vital attributes for lifting the productivity of economy. This is primarily because SMEs are been considered as having a key role to play in providing new products. Take UK for example, SMEs have become more and more dynamic. SMEs have enjoyed higher productivity growth than large firms since 1998, and the proportion of SME employers reporting that they have undertaken either product or service innovation in the past 12 months has increased from 32% in 2005 to 48% in 2006(BERR,2002). An important aspect of SMEs, especially for the young SMEs, is their survival rate, according to Haugh and McKee(2000), survival means continue to exist in the future. Although we have seen a large increase in new company formations and higher levels of their survival rates than the past, we cannot neglect the fact that the rate of failure of these SMEs is also very high. Some of the firms fail in their infancy stage and some fail within several years after start-up. Some statistics suggest that the failure rate of SMEs in their first five years is more than 50% (Reiss, 2006). There are many reasons that contribute to SMEs’ failure: insufficient capital, poor management skills, poor human resources, lack of innovations and so on. Factors that contribute to small business survival and non-survival In order to prosper, all SMEs need to ensure that they are alert both to opportunities for achieving success and threats to their survival. Only when the company are aware of and deal with these factors correctly, they can survive, grow and succeed. 1. Financial circumstances 1. 1 Access to Finance Obtaining the right finance is a pivotal factor to a new firm’s survival and high growth. For SMEs, there are various types of finance available, including bank loans, borrowing from family and friends, obtaining equity investment from business angels, venture capitals and so on. Obviously, different options have different profits and constraints. The advantage of loan finance is that it will not dilute ownership structure of the firm. However, excessive reliance on loan finance could be a financial threat to their firm’s solvency. Astebro and Bernhardt (2003) stated that there was a significant negative correlation between having a bank loan and the survival of the business. Since loan means a continuing obligations for the firm to repay the principal debt and associated interest on a predetermined timetable. This kind of loan covenants can place strain on a firm’s cash flow position, if a firm’s capital contains a high proportion of debt, then the firm has to generate more cash to cover the repayment obligations, however it may have greater threat to default due to a sudden interruption in income. 1. 2 Financial Health A critical reason for SMEs’ failure is that they cannot identify and react to threats to their financial healthy. For example, the substantial increases in overheads could be a threat to financial healthy since it is a signal of weak cost management. Significantly increasing overheads will reduce the available cash flows and profits, eventually reduce the probability of survival. According to Schaefer (2006), over-expansion is a leading cause of business failure. This often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A large amount of bankruptcy is due to rapidly expanding firms. Birley and Niktari (1995) found that, in the opinion of many accountants and bank managers, 70% of SMEs failures were caused by a very large extent to being under-capitalized, to short-term liquidity problems or insufficient working capital. So in order to survive, firms have to look out for financial threats to the firms’ solvency and maintain effective management control over their finances. 2. Human capital In most SMEs, power is centralized in the hands of the owner-managers and the owner-managers always play multiple roles in a company, including general manager, sales manager, production manager, financial manager and so on, so that characteristics of the owner-managers, such as education background, family business background, personal goals, previous work experience, strategic awareness have a significantly impact on firm’s activities and performance. Several studies indicate that in SMEs, the personality of the owner-managers is a critical determinant of corporate structure and strategy(Miller and Droge 1986; Miller and Toulouse 1986). Owner-managers who are inability to motivate staff, rarely listen to others’ advices, have little knowledge of marketing strategy, finance, and personnel management may act as a significant constraint to SMEs’ survival. On the other hand, owner-managers are not experts at everything, many owner-managers in small firms are lack of the leadership and management skills which are necessary for the firms’ survival and growth. Deakins and Freel (1998) found that one of the critical factors in the success of a SME was the ability to build an ‘entrepreneurial team’. The presence of a diversified management team may imply a greater variety of complementary skills: marketing skills, business skills, as well as technological skills, this is also crucial for SMEs in relation to the long term success of the firm. So building a entrepreneurial team will definitely increase SMEs’ viability. 3. Over-dependent Some firms do not have the appropriate strategy and become excessive reliance on a single customer or a small client base. The more a firm relies on a particular client, the more possibly it is damaged by factors out of its control than if it has a wide client base. Natwest (1997) stated that an important reason for SMEs failure is over-reliance on one or two customers and lack of sales. Failures often occur due to firms’ sole customer withdrawing its orders or going bankrupt. The same principles also apply to a firm’s supplier base. If there is a breakdown in the commercial relationship between the firm and its single supplier, the prodution of the firm will be damaged. As a result, if a young firm wants to survive, it should seek to cultivate a wide client (supplier) base instead of depending on a small number of regular clients (suppliers). However diversification strategy can realize this. Diversification across production and services can satisfy different types of customers and reduce the probability of over-dependent. 4. Training One of the factors that contribute to SMEs failure is low level of management performance and inefficient operation, which is a result of lack of training. It is generally acknowledged that the majority of the small-firm owners run their business just based on their own experience and common sense, without getting professional or other formal qualifications. Stanworth and Gray (1992) pointed out that minority of small-firm owners who participate in management training tend to have better educational qualifications, and their businesses have better survival and growth rates than other small firms. Also, Kitson and Wilkinson (1998) found a positive link between training and innovation and growth, as training was provided by 60% of innovating firms but only 41% of non-innovators, and 72% and 68% of medium and fast-growing firms, respectively, compared with 46% of stagnant and declining firms. Training could cover a wide range of areas including accessing to and managing finance, cost management, personnel management, marketing strategy, information use and retrieval, operation management and so on, which equip small-firm owners and employees with the skills necessary to survival and the further growth. So training is also an important factor that contributes to small firms’ survival which can be easily ignored. 5. Innovation In this era of knowledge economy, innovation become inextricably linked with a firm’s survival, successful entrepreneurship always relies heavily on innovation. It is extremely important for new small firms who still enter industries where economics of scale plays a critical role, by innovation small firms could compete on the basis of added value, therefore enhancing the likelihood of survival. On the other hand, innovation intrinsically linked with a company’s diversification strategy, through innovative activity, firms have the chance to produce new products and services so that they can attract more customers and increase their market share. Also, cost reduction can be achieved by innovation in operation processes, marketing and organizational forms. For example, in order to expand, some firms may choose a strategy called e-marketing to reduce cost, they may create a impressive and special site to grab people’s attention, on the website, a convenient online selling system is provided. Also, the firm may send their new products and services details to their target customers and potential customers, sometimes combining with even fun facts. So business innovation is especially important not only for large companies but also SMEs’ survival, lack of innovation could be a barrier to a small firm’s growth. Discrimination between fast growth firms and all other SMEs Different SME tends to have different growth rate, some of them grow rapidly and are recognized as FGSMEs(fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises). According to Caroline and Kosmas, FGSMEs are firms that achieve at least 20% annual compound sales growth over a 5-year period. Birch (1995) found that FGSMEs make up 3% of all small firms. Based on former research, there are many firm-based characteristics, which are concentrated on both customers and organizations aspects, such as satisfaction of customers, financial perspectives, staff retention, number and quality of successful innovations and so on, to discriminate between FGSMEs and all other SMEs. 1. Customer Focus FGSMEs are customer centric, regularly receiving feedback from clients and taking their requests and complaints seriously into consideration (Tan, 2007). They always try to retain clients through improving the quality of products and services or developing new products. According to the BSC, customer perspectives focus on traditional marketing issues such as market share, customer satisfaction and service quality ratings, customer loyalty, and customer perceived value (Kaplan & Norton, 2000). 2. Financial Perspectives FGSMEs tend to spend a lot of time and effort in analyzing the financial health of their firms. On the contrary, other SMEs always analyze cash flows on a regular basis, relying on occasional ‘back of the envelope’ calculations. Financial summaries provided by accountants are used for mandatory reporting purposes instead of financial management (Barnes et al. , 1998). 3. Internal Business Perspective Internal business performance indicators contains traditional operational terms such as tender success rate, data rejection percentages, time per customer (Kaplan & Norton, 2000), on-time delivery, the number of new products launched and product defects (Zaman, 2003). FGSMEs tend to manage and examine their business processes. For example, Liaise marketing (a supermarket broker) CEO, Tony Merlino stated that their firm measures manufacturer sales, market share and store visits to make sure that their sales team operates properly and efficiently. 4. Employee Focus Kaplan and Norton (2000) pointed that innovation, learning, and growth perspectives are closely linked to improve employee job satisfaction and commitment, and develop employees’ technical ability and innovation skills. According to the previous literature, FGSMEs seem to pay a lot of attention on employees. Nicholls-Nixon, 2005; Tan, 2007). So we can see that these fast-growth firms all have a strong emphasis on making their employees as part of the performance measurement system. Staff’s ideas and feelings are very important and cannot be ignored easily. Conclusion This study aims at identifying the factors that contribute to SMEs’ survival. Finding on the study sug gests that effective financial management, outstanding leadership and training play a critical role in SMEs’ survival, while excessive depend on one or two customers(suppliers) will be dangerous and may lead to a death. On the other hand, the study makes a distinction between FGSMEs and other SMEs based on four perspectives, finally draw the conclusion that FGSMEs tend to pay more attention on customers, financial management, internal business operation and employees. REFERENCE Astebro, T. and Bernhardt, I. 2009. â€Å"Dissecting Behaviours Associated with Business Failure: A Qualitative Study of SME Owners in Malaysia and Australia†. Journal of Asian social science 5 (9): 98–104. Barnes, L. , Coulton. T. Dickinson. S. Dransfield, J. Field, N. Fisher, et al. 1998. A New Approach to Performance Measurement for Small and Medium Enterprises†. Performance measurement – theory and practice, 1, 86-92. BERR. 2002. ENTERPRISE: UNLOCKING THE UK’S TALENT. [online]. [Accessed 9th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www. berr. gov. uk/files/file44992. pdf> Berry,M. 1998. â€Å"Strategic Planning in Small High Tech Companies†. Long Range Planning 31(3) : 455-466 Birch, D. 1995. Who's Creating Jobs? Cambridge: Cognetics, Inc. Birley, S. and Niktari, N. 1995. The Failure of Owner-Managed Businesses: The Diagnosis of Accountants and Bankers. London: Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Caroline, S. T. and Kosmas, X. S. 2005. Firm performance measurement in fast growth small-to-medium enterprises [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: European Commision. 2005. The new SME definition User guide and model declaration [online]. [Accessed 10th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Enterprise Britain: Growth, Innovation and Public Policy in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Sector. 1994–1997. Cambridge: ESRC Centre for Business Research, pp. 16–27. Haugh. M and McKee. L. 2000. Survival, independence, control: uncovering the shared values in the SME. [online]. [Accessed 12th February 2010]. Available from World Wide Web: Kaplan, R. S. , and D. P. Norton. 2000. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kitson, M. and Wilkinson, F. 1998. â€Å"Employment structure, recruitment, labour turnover, training and labour force flexibility† in Cosh, A. and Hughes, A. (eds), Natwest. 1997. Natwest Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain. Small Business Research Trust Nicholls-Nixon, C. L. (2005). Rapid Growth and High Performance: The Entrepreneur's ‘Impossible Dream'? Academy of management executive, 19(1), 77-89. Noor, H. A. 2003. † Start-up financing, owner characteristics, and survival†. Journal of Economics and Business 55 (2003): 303–319. Stanworth, J. and Gray, C. 1992. â€Å"Entrepreneurship and education: action-based research and training policy implications in Britain†. International Small Business Journal 10(2), 11–23. Schaefer, P. 2006. The seven pitfalls of business failures and how to avoid them. Accessed 9th February 2010 Available from World Wide Web: www. usinessknowhow. com/startup/business-failure. html Tan, C. S. L. 2007. Sources of Competitive Advantage for Emerging Fast Growth Small-to-Medium Enterprises: The Role of Business Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, Customer Value and Firm Performance. RMIT University, Melbourne. Zaman, M. 2003. Balanced Score card Implementation in Australian Companies – an Exploratory Study of Current Corporate Practice and Strategic Intent. Paper presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Business.

Parental Control

Parenting during childhood is about nurturing and taking care of the child’s simple needs. The parent is the one in complete control, when the child becomes an adolescent; they need a feeling of their own independence. The goal is for the adolescent to gradually be treated as an adult individual with an equal balance of power between parent and child(). When a child becomes an adolescent their needs grow to fit their new maturity and environment. They have social developed, in which their psychological needs come into play, competence, relatedness, and autonomy (Kakihara & Tilton-Weaver, 2009). To grow these needs, parent control has to be open and supportive of the adolescent. The authoritarian parent demands for perfection and is unresponsive to the child’s needs. The child may feel neglected and distant from their parent. They may also feel overly pressured to meet the high standards set by the authoritarian parent. Permissive parents are the opposite, as in they have very low standards for achievement and have no rules for order. The parent acts in a laissez-faire manor, in which they allow the child to do as they please, without any discipline or praise for their actions. Typically, children raised by permissive parents fail to mature into adolescence and tend to lack respect for the rules of society (Fite, Stoppelbein, & Greening, 2009). Ultimately, passive parents become more liberal parents resulting from the continual defiance and rebellion that their adolescent children express towards their parenting efforts (Keijsers, Frijins, Branje, & Meeus, 2009). The goal is to be a combination of authoritarian and permissive, which is referred to as an authoritative parent. The authoritative parent is highly supportive, and takes time to explain to the child why they may have been punished for their actions (Fite, Stoppelbein & Greening, 2009). In addition to the authoritarian, authoritative and permissive styles of parenting, each parent also has a particular style of parental control. The two main styles of parental control are behavioral and psychological. The authoritarian parent favors controlling the adolescents’ behavior by setting limits, enforcing rules, in an overbearing way. The other type of control, psychological, is the parent using feelings and emotions to control them without the adolescent realizing. (Keijers, Frijns, Branje, Meeus, 2009). In an act to prevent adolescents from delinquency and following the â€Å"wrong crowd† parents try to seek information from the child without making them feel belittled. For delinquency to be prevented, parent involvement must be present, as well as the adolescent’s willingness to listen. When parents fail to react as a supportive parent, they run the risk of their child reacting in a reckless and careless manor. In a study done by Keijsers, Frijins, Branje, and Meeus (2009), noted that adolescent delinquent activities were stronger in families with high levels of parental support. A significant part of raising an adolescent is trusting the child to confide in them (2009). The way parents track their child at the age of adolescents depends a great deal on the amount of information in which the child discloses. The adolescent has greater control of what they are willing to admit, and the relevancy of it. Parents are often unaware of their child’s social life and after school activities. The less the child is willing to share the more the parent may be forced to believe they’ve been engaging in delinquent activities. In the case that this is true, perhaps the child is fearful of disclosing disappointing information. Peer influence plays a major role in the adolescent’s development. Much of their time is spent with friends during this time of development. Whether or not the parent takes part in controlling who they associate with and what they do depends on the supervision*. The relationships adolescents create are the people they will spend a majority of their time with. These are the friends that will they’ll want to impress, feel accepted by, and eventually become their most influential source of approval (Trucco, Colder, & Wieczorek, 2011). Children linked to a misbehaving group that have trouble following authority are more likely to be the child of a laissez-faire parent. The laissez-faire parent gives their child no means of rules or discipline, so when the child is put in a school like environment they’ll have no respect for the rules or consequences (Trucco, Colder, & Wieczorek, 2011). However, parents who don’t approve of their child’s relationships should first get to know their friends before making judgments. Adolescents hold their friendships very highly, a parent forbidding the child to see their friend may result in backlash of problem behaviors (Kakihara & Tilton-Weaver, 2009). Withhold info References

Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example

Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Essay Example Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Paper Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Paper Compare and contrast the ways in which Ken Kesey and Chuck Palahniuk explore the consequences of the use and abuse of power ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘Fight Club’.  The use of power for good and the abuse of power, as well as their consequences, are elements that are explored in both ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ by Ken Kesey and ‘Fight Club’ by Chuck Palahniuk. ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Cuckoo’s Nest)’ contains characters such as R. P. McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, and ‘Fight Club’ contains the Narrator and Tyler Durden, all of whom may both use and abuse power. Both Ken Kesey and Chuck Palahniuk had rebellious streaks at some point in their life, and the fact that characters in their novels that have power and are shown to abuse it would suggest that they have a negative outlook on power, possibly believing it is a source of corruption. For example, Kesey formed the Merry Pranksters in 1964, a group that rebelled against those with power, such as the law enforcement, by taking large amounts of LSD and fleeing to Mexico. The novels therefore feature characters who have access to power and experience the consequences in similar and contrasting ways, which I will explore in further detail. : Firstly, characters in both novels use power to liberate others and give them their power back. McMurphy in ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ influences the other patients on the ward through his laughter: â€Å"it’s free and loud and†¦ it’s lapping against the walls all over the ward.†[1] McMurphy laughs when he first enters the ward, and the power of his laughter is emphasised because of the way Kesey describes it as â€Å"lapping†, suggesting it fills the ward and envelops everyone. His laugh and rebellious nature eventually help to give the other patients the power of laughter back, who are at first too afraid to laugh because of Nurse Ratched and her power. One of the ultimate consequences of McMurphy and his power of laughter is to inspire the Chief to escape even after his death. This lasting effect on others is shown similarly in ‘Fight Club’. Tyler Durden at first gives men their power and masculinity back by creating ‘Fight Club’, as a man is described as a â€Å"loaf of white bread† but â€Å"six months later, and he looks carved out of wood. This guy trusts himself to handle anything†[2], using power similarly to McMurphy for the good of others to give men their confidence back, lost in the modern society due possibly to being raised by women and lacking father figures, ideas that Durden mentions later in the novel. The writer Bret Easton Ellis believes that ‘Fight Club’ â€Å"rages against the hypocrisy of a society that continually promises us the impossible: fame, beauty, wealth†[3], shown through how Durden rebels against the constricts of society and tries to free men through the creation of ‘Fight Club’. However, ‘Fight Club’ later escalates into Project Mayhem, which was based on the rebellious Cacophony Society Chuck Palahniuk became a part of in his adulthood in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s, who committed acts such as a public Christmas party involving pranks and drunkenness. Tyler is shown to then abuse his power as he treats the men as ‘space monkeys’, suggesting they are disposable and are used as a part of a goal to then be left to die. The men are required to have a uniform of â€Å"Two black shirts. Two black pair of trousers†[4], which suggests that the men are no longer being freed by Durden, but controlled and a part of Durden’s master plan that only he knows about. Similarly to the Chief escaping in ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’, even after Tyler Durden’s death, the way he uses his power has a lasting influence on the men who tell the Narrator at the end they â€Å"look forward to getting you back†[5], showing how they are waiting for Durden’s personality to come back to lead them, and that even though he is gone they still believe in his cause. Both McMurphy and Tyler Durden therefore use their powers to try to liberate others and create a lasting effect on them as a consequence, even after they are gone, suggesting Kesey and Palahniuk believe that power can have a great, lasting effect on others. Through the abuse of power, the emasculation of men and threat of castration is created in both ‘Fight Club’ and ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’. Tyler Durden’s ‘Fight Club’ is created to try to return men’s masculinity, which links with the time the novel was written in the 1990’s. At the time, ultimate fighting clubs had been thriving in various American cities, introduced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993, and were an influence on Palahniuk’s writing. Because of the decline of interest in professional boxing due to the corruption within it in the 90’s, American audiences wanted a new form of entertainment. The Narrator and Durden grew up without a father figure in their lives, and Durden describes the men in society as being a â€Å"generation of men raised by women†[6], and thus tries to restore their masculinity. This could also link to Chuck Palahniuk’s past, as his parents separated and divorced when he was fourteen, leaving him and his siblings to spend their childhood on their maternal grandparent’s cattle ranch. However, Durden hypocritically uses his power to introduce a threat of castration to any men who are a threat to closing any ‘Fight Club’s down, highlighting a theme of emasculation in contrast to Durden’s attempts at restoring masculinity. An instance of this is when Durden abuses his power to gather space monkeys and threaten to castrate the police commissioner until he calls off his investigation, and later also tells the space monkeys to threaten to castrate the Narrator. Durden also threatens to then send the commissioner’s testicles to newspapers, by saying that â€Å"If even one Fight Club has to close, we’ll send his nuts east and west. One goes to the New York Times and one goes to the Los Angeles Times†[7], which cr eates a similarity between it and ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ through the use of the same rhyme, but whereas in ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ it is used to represent McMurphy’s rebellion, here it is used as a representation of castration. Similarly, Nurse Ratched creates a threat of castration through the abuse of power in ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ and emasculates the male patients by hiding her feminine nature as a way of controlling them as a part of the Combine. The Combine is a greater organisation that wishes to have power over society, the mental institute being one of the places under its control, and the way McMurphy rebels against it could link to Kesey’s outlook of power being a bad and corrupting presence, as Kesey himself was involved with the Beat movement in the 1950s, which rebelled against repression on society. A theme of castration is created when a patient named Rawler commits suicide by castrating himself, and the Chief remarks that â€Å"all the guy had to do was wait†[8], suggesting that he felt as though the castration was inevitable anyway and would have been done by Ratched if not himself, similar to the way Durden uses the threat of castration to control men. Critic Catherine Cooper commented on this also: â€Å"The men are all dehumanised and even emasculated, a fact which is emphasised by the first of three suicides in the novel, Old Rawler’s death by castration.†[9] I agree with her thoughts, and although Rawler’s suicide could be considered a consequence of Ratched’s abuse of power to emasculate the men, the suicides of Cheswick and Billy could be considered partly as a consequence of McMurphy’s use of power to disrupt the ward, which I will explore later in the essay. Also, similar to how Durden comments on the men being a generation of men raised by women, the male patients in ‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ have often been involved in relationships with overpowering women, for example in the Chief’s case he was raised by his powerful mother who made his father â€Å"too little to fight anymore and he gave up†[10], having an effect on the Chief and his father’s masculinity. Though Tyler Durden begins as a man who restores masculinity to men, he becomes one who also abuses power to create emasculation, similar to Nurse Ratched who abuses her power to emasculate her ward of male patients, both characters using it as a form of control, reflecting Kesey and Palahniuk’s possible views on how power can easily corrupt.

Kensey Long English 9A Critical Analysis Essay 01-11-16 (1) Essays

Kensey Long English 9A Critical Analysis Essay 01-11-16 (1) Essays Ken sey Long Ms. Goins English 9A 12 January 2016 "A Sounds of Thunder " Zaps " Nethergrave " "A Sound of Thunder" and " Nethergrave " are both short stories based on humans caught up in a world of advancing technology. Although "A Sound of Thunder" and " Nethergrave " are both works of science fiction wi th which adolescents can relate, "A Sound of Thunder" is a better example science fiction based on the author's successful use of setting and surroundings , choice of technology, and choice of theme. Bradbury is more effective in establishing a vivid setting for his reader than Skurzynski . Bradbury uses similes and metaphors to describe time travel, the jungle, and the prehistoric animals. Bradbury paints a clear picture of time travel for the reader when he writes that " The Machine howled. Time was a film run backwards. Suns fled and ten million moons fled after them" ( 290). Bradbury describes the jungle as " the jungle of sixty million, two thousand and fifty-five years before President Keith" and goes on to describe " the Path " in the jungle as "a metal path that struck off into green wilderness, over streaming swamp, among giant ferns and plants" ( 290). The detailed language of Bradbury is like a brush on a canvas when he notes the details of the Tyrannosaurus rex : It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker's claws close to its oily, reptilian chest. Each lower leg was a piston , a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior. (294). Skurzynski is not as successful as Bradbury in her depiction of the face of Nethermagus , the vortex, and Jeremy entering the virtual world. When Skurzynski portrays Nethermagus she write s: The black eyebrows angled upward, too symmetrical to be natural. Beneath the cheekbones, green-tinged shadows formed triangles with the apex at the bottom, just touching the corners of the too-red, too-smiling mouth. Black hair peaked in the center of the man's forehead, them swept back as sleekly as if it were molded plastic. (320). Skurzynski delivers to the reader a simple sketch writing that Jeremy watches as "a whirling vortex appeared, so three dimensional that he felt he could dive into it " (320). Jeremy ent ering the virtual world is a significant event; yet, Skurzynski 's depiction of his entrance is brief , as well : "flying through the whorls. They rotated around him; he was a weightless body caught in a fast-spinning, kaleidoscope tunnel " (320). Badbury engages the reader much more effectively with descriptions of the setting and surroundings than Skurzynski . The technology in "A Sound of Thunder" is more believable that the technology in " Nethergrave ". Bradbury's use of and manner of detailing the Time Machine allow s the reader to believe it could be possible. The reader can compare it t o stepping onto a train or bus since Bradbury uses phrases such as "the silver metal and roaring light" with a "padded seat" and states , "The Machine slowed; its scream fell to a murmur . The Machine stopped " (289-290). In contrast, the vision of as Jeremy, an adolescent young man, being "sucked inside" his " twenty-one inch monitor screen" seems far less plausible ( Skurzynski , 320). Bradbury , again, scores higher when it comes to using more believable technology. The theme in "A Sound of Thunder" is mor e applicable to the life of an adolescent than the theme of " Nethergrave " . Bradbury explores the theme that humans must be responsible in their use of technology, because the effects of technology can be far reaching into the future. Today, adolescent' s face challenges with the safe, responsible use of technology just as Eckels in "A Sound of Thunder". The ab ility to travel back in time is so inviting; yet, one small misstep by Eckels changes the world forever and ultimately take s his life. Here , Bradbury outline s

Essay on StressEssay Writing Service

Essay on StressEssay Writing Service Essay on Stress Essay on StressUnder stress, the body produces the hormone adrenaline, the main function of which is to force the body to survive. Stress is a normal part of human life and it is necessary in certain amounts. If our life did not have stressful elements of competition, risk, willingness to work as hard as we can, life would be much more boring. Sometimes stress acts as a motivation that is needed in order to feel the fullness of emotions, even if it is about survival. If the amount of these challenges and complex problems becomes very large, then the person loses the ability to cope with these tasks.Anxiety is a state of mind and body, associated with worries, tension and nervousness. Every person meets such moments in life when he is under stress or anxiety. In fact, the state of anxiety helps a person cope with external threats, forcing the brain to work intensively and giving the body a state of readiness for action. When anxiety and fears begin to suppress the person and influence his daily life, he may experience so-called anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, fear of losing a job, specific fears, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and general anxiety, usually begin to appear after the age of 15-20 years (Dunkley,  2013). Anxiety disorders are regarded as chronic diseases that can progress without treatment. Currently, there are effective methods for their treatment.Causes of stressThere are external and internal causes of stress.External causes of stress and anxiety are moving to a new location, change of job, death of a loved one, divorce, everyday troubles associated with money problems, fulfillment of obligations by a certain date, disputes, family relationships, not enough sleep or bad quality of sleep.Internal causes of stress and anxiety are life values and beliefs, fidelity to the promise, self-esteem (Procko Shaham, 2011).  Ã‚  Symptoms of stressSymptoms may gradually increase or appear sudd enly, within a few minutes. Panic attacks are usually short, occur in the form of emotional explosions, accompanied by a feeling of horror and reactions of the organism such as heart palpitations and sweating. Generalized anxiety disorder usually develops gradually and is usually not a direct consequence of a particular irrational fear (phobia). Two major signs of stress and anxiety are uncontrollable anxiety and worry. Symptoms also include muscle tension, fatigue, irritability, restlessness, insomnia or sleep disorders, difficulty in concentrating. Stress and anxiety can lead to panic attacks, which are characterized by pain or discomfort in the chest, heart palpitations, shortness, shallow breathing, feeling short of breath, choking, chills or sudden onset of fever, shivering, nausea, abdominal pain, numbness, or tingling in the extremities (Weston,  2013).Bodys response to stressHuman behavior in situations of stress differs from affective behavior. Under stress, a person can usually control his emotions, analyze the situation, and make appropriate decisions.There are various kinds of stress depending on the stress factor, including physiological and psychological. Psychological stress, in turn, can be divided into informational and emotional. Informational stress may develop when a person is unable to cope with the problem, has no time to make the right decision at the required rate with a high degree of responsibility, ie, when there is an information overload. Emotional stress arises in situations of danger, resentment, etc.  Hans Selye identified 3 stages in the development of stress:The first stage is alarm reaction phase of mobilization of organism defense, which improves stability with respect to a specific traumatic impact. Thus, there is a redistribution of body reserves: the main objective is due to secondary tasks.The second phase brings the stabilization of the parameters derived from the equilibrium in the first phase, which are fixed at a new level. External behavior does not differ from the norm, as if everything is getting better, but there is an internal overrun of adaptive reserves.If the stressful situation persists, there comes the third stage exhaustion, which can lead to a significant deterioration of state of health, various diseases and, in some cases, death (Fagundes   Kiecolt-Glaser 2013).If the stressful situation depends on us, we need to focus on how to change it. If the situation does not depend on us, it is necessary to accept and change our perception, our attitude to this situation.One of the most common causes of stress is the contradiction between reality and perceptions of man.Stress response is equally easy to be caused by real events, and ones that exist only in our imagination. In psychology, this is called the law of the emotional reality of the imagination. As estimated by psychologists, about 70% of our worries are caused by the events that do not exist in reality, but only in the im agination (#BB,  2013). Besides, not only negative but also positive life events can lead to the development of stress. When something changes dramatically for the better, the body also reacts to this with a stress.Stressful conditions significantly affect the activities of man. People with different features of the nervous system respond differently to the same psychological stress. Some people experience increased activity, mobilization, improving performance. This is a so-called stress of a lion. Danger makes a person act boldly and courageously. On the other hand, stress can cause a disruption of activity, sharp decline in its effectiveness, passivity and total inhibition (stress of a bunny) (Dow,  2014).Human behavior in a stressful situation depends on many factors, but primarily on the psychological stability that incorporates with the ability to quickly assess the situation, instantaneous orientation skills in unexpected circumstances, strong-willed discipline and determ ination, experience of behavior in similar situations.  Ã‚  Treatment of stressStress tends to accumulate. From physics we know that nothing in nature can disappear into nowhere, matter and energy just move or turn into other forms. The same rule is applied to the psychology. Experiences can not disappear, they are either expressed outside, for example in talking with other people, or accumulate.It is known that there is no better medicine than a good sleep. Therefore, it is worth considering how you sleep. Here are some guidelines that will help make your sleep better.Regular exercise help normal sleep. It is desirable to exercise outside for a couple of hours before bedtime.Before going to bed, you can take a warm bath and listen to relaxing music. If possible, combine taking a bath with listening to music. Try to do this every day.In order the sleep to be deeper and healthier, the body needs the hormone melatonin. Rice, wheat, barley, sunflower seeds, and dried apricots contain B vitamins, which increases the content of hormone melatonin in the body. Refined products are lack of these vitamins, so try to eat organic foods, preferably with a high carbohydrate content.Your bedroom should not be stuffy, noisy and light: none of these is conducive to restful sleep.Calm breathing helps to cope with stress. Inhale should be deep, through the nose. Exhale slowly and through the mouth.It is also important to eat right when you are stressed. The food should be light and well absorbed. Eat slowly, in small portions. Relax a bit after the meal.There are popular ways of dealing with stress. Chamomile is considered to be a good remedy. Its decoction helps to cope with headache, insomnia, has a calming effect. Herb oregano oil and clary sage also have effective relaxing properties. Melissa is a great remedy from overwork. It is used to relieve tension, anxiety, it can help even with strong stress. Teas of lemon balm are good for insomnia and depression.ConclusionStress is a feeling that one experiences when considers that he cannot effectively cope with the situation. It is worth remembering that under the stress usual emotions are replaced by anxiety, which causes a disturbance in the physiological and psychological terms. This concept was introduced by Hans Selye to denote non-specific response of the organism to adverse effects. His research showed that various factors fatigue, fear, hurt, cold, pain, humiliation in the body cause the same type of complex reaction regardless of what kind of stimulus acts on it at the moment. Moreover, these stimuli do not need to exist in reality. A man reacts not only to the actual danger, but also to the threat or reminder of it. For example, stress often occurs not only in situations of divorce of the spouses, but also in suspense of divide of the marital relationship. It is worth remembering that there are some rules to help combat stress. Firstly, try to avoid situations, which lead to the accumulation o f stress. Secondly, it should be remembered that stress is accumulated especially well when we fully focus on it. Third, we must remember that there are many ways to relieve stress, such as exercise, massage, sleep, singing, bath salt and relaxing oils, bath, aromatherapy, relaxing music and others. Essay on StressEssay Writing Service Essay on Stress Essay on StressStress in psychology means emotional or mental tension caused by the reaction to the circumstances. Most commonly, people perceive demanding situations and situations with personally important outcomes as stressful. Human organism responds to stress by increased alertness, increased blood pressure; when someone is in stress, the digestive systems also slows down, pulse increases and the functions of immune system are suppressed.There are different methods of coping with stress. An individual can decrease stress using self-efficacy and motivation techniques. For example, using positive self-talk and introducing positive self-thoughts helps to improve self-awareness and self-efficacy and reduces the vulnerability to stress. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce stress by increasing motivation.During the process of monitoring stress it was determined that the major stressors (in the personal case) relate to the studies and are associated with the results of studying and t heir influence on future career outcomes. In the majority of stressful situations, stress was caused by the expectation of failure or by the perception of the exam or paper as too difficult to manage.In the considered case, it would be possible to increase motivation by focusing on the positive outcomes of the exams and on the positive consequences of writing good papers. The tendency to focus on negative thoughts can be reduced by reinforcing positive self-image, for example, picturing the mental image of success during exams or in future career.Furthermore, motivation can be used to focus on goals instead of paying attention to stressors. In the considered case, stress can be reduced by following a detailed plan and focusing on implementing the next sections of the plan when negative thoughts about possible failure emerge.In the context of coping with stress, it is important to pay attention to increasing self-efficacy. In particular, own emotional reactions, moods and responses h ave a direct impact on self-efficacy and help to avoid stress. It is recommended to increase self-efficacy by witnessing other (similar) people cope with similar situations and reach notable results, by using positive responses of other people to strengthen self-belief and to recall the moments of success to use the power of mastery experience in difficult situations. The methods of enhancing motivation and self-efficacy help to reduce the impact of stress in everyday setting.

Sources of Alternative Energy essays

Sources of Alternative Energy essays Since the discovery of petroleum in the 1860s, fossil fuels have become the foremost source of power in the world. For over a century after their inception, their availability was very seldom called into question. The oil crisis of 1973, however, brought this issue to the forefront. With the widespread knowledge that the supply of oil and gas would eventually expire, the public eye has turned toward finding renewable sources of power. Moreover, fossil fuels are amazingly destructive to the environment. The burning of oil for power creates great amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes a great deal to the greenhouse effect. The Great London Fog of 1952, wherein over 12,000 people died of smog inhalation, was the result of coal-burning. Additionally, power plants and factories are known to dump their waste into lakes and streams, consequently fouling the water and killing whatever marine life may reside therein. Over the past few decades, three alternative energy sources (henceforth altsources) have become the most well known: solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. The main point of support is, of course, that there is an unlimited supply of sun, wind, and water; equally important is that they all produce minimal amounts of pollution. All three have attracted controversy as being unreliable, costly, and aesthetically unpleasant. Granted, though they have their faults, altsources are ultimately preferable to fossil fuels. The most popular altsource is solar power. As a matter of fact, solar power is the original energy source for all human activity [...] via growing plants. Solar energy's main human application throughout most of history has thus been in agriculture and forestry, via photosynthesis. (wikipedia.org, Renewable Energy). There are two types of solar energy: passive and active. Passive solar energy, which can be used without the use of mechanical systems has been used for centuries, mainly a...

Demonstrative speech Essays

Demonstrative speech Essays Demonstrative speech Paper Demonstrative speech Paper Attention grabber : *Good morning to our beloved English lecturer and my lovely classmates* (do my opening with sign languages without talking to create suspense). Guess by now all of you might already have a clue of what my topic is. Thats right , its sign language. Purpose : Today, I will be demonstrating how to do American sign language. Relation to audience : It is possible to have at least one deaf person In the school or maybe when were already working In the future. Therefore, learning sign language Is very helpful for us to communicate with them easily and have a closer bond compared to those who cant use sign language. Plus, learning sign language gives you edge in looking for jobs. Credential : My church has a pastor who loves teaching sign languages through songs, so ever since I was in elementary school, I have learned a few songs with sign languages. Lets start off with the word please. ) 2 Manners Signs Please Take your hand, have it flat on your chest and move it in a circle. Thank you Bring one hand up to your chin and bring it away. Like youre almost kissing someone goodbye. Your response would be You are welcome. The easiest one to do is to do the same sign as thank you. Excuse me Take one hand in a plate position, while the other hand with the all the fingers bent over and thumb tucked in. The hand with the fingers bent over touch the palm of the other hand and slide the hand through the fingers. You can do it two to three times. Sorry Make a fist, put it over your heart, make it go in circle Again, make sure your face matches. (Transition : Now that Eve shown you the basic languages, lets go through what you have learned today. CONCLUSION Review (Go through the basic conversations and manners sign with sign languages) Restate purpose The purpose of my demonstration is for all of you to learn how to use American sign language. You never know when you will come across someone who is suffering from hearing loss. You can use the sign languages that I taught anytime and anywhere because they are all the basic words and phrases in our daily life. Memorable ending As I end my speech, allow me to sing a song using sign language. (Twinkle twinkle little star). I hope you enjoyed my speech. Thank you. *sign language*

Books on French History

Books on French History This page indexes onsite bibliographic information about French history. General Histories The best one-volume books, plus a bonus for people wanting one book on recent events. A Concise History of France by Roger Price: Part of the Cambridge Concise Histories series, (and so linked to another book on this list), this text is a middle length run through of a fascinating but at times complicated history. The third edition has an extra chapter on very modern France.The Cambridge Illustrated History of France by Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie and Colin Jones: This is a great one-book summary of France’s history, with a broad range and plenty of visual stimuli.The History of Modern France: From The Revolution to the Present Day by Jonathan Fenby: French history in the post-Napoleonic era is no less interesting than the time before. It is good for the European Union and precursors as well as France. The Best Books Want to start reading about French history, but aren’t sure where to start? We’ve broken down the best books we’ve run on French history and divided them into three lists; we’ve also paid attention to covering as much ground as possible. Pre-Revolutionary France: Top 10France evolved around the turn of the first millennium, but this list goes back to the decline of the Romans to fill in all the eras. Wars against England, wars over religion, and the (possible) apogee of absolutism. The French Revolution: Top 10Probably the turning point around which modern European history revolved, The French Revolution began in 1789, changing both France, the continent and then the world. These ten books include one of my favorite ever history books. Post-Revolutionary France: Top 10French history didn’t end with the defeat of Napoleon, and there’s plenty to look for in the last two hundred years if you want fascinating events and interesting characters. Reviews and Summaries Check out this list of product summaries, that highlight the pros and cons of some stand-out books on French history. The list provides a brief review and lists supplementary detail; many entries also link to full reviews, including the below.​ Citizens by Simon SchamaThis book is a standout among all history books, not just those about French history. This history of the revolution from the early days to the start of the Directory is no less than fascinating but perhaps too baroque for the younger student.​The French Revolutionary Wars by Gregory Fremont-BarnesThe French Revolutionary Wars often get folded into the Napoleonic Wars, so this book that tackles them alone. is well-appreciated.The Oxford History of the French Revolution by William DoyleIf you want to know what happened in the French Revolution, and why, read this excellent work from Doyle. It’s been through several editions, and this is the best student textbook.

Can Agros enter the chinese market -An investigation about chinese Essay

Can Agros enter the chinese market -An investigation about chinese consumers' attitudes towards the Argos business modle - Essay Example plishment can be attributed to the increase in the purchasing power of the Chinese people due to the corresponding increase in their disposable income. The research paper will attempt to investigate the attitude of the Chinese customers towards Argos business model. Argos, owned by Home Retail Group, is a major retailer group in UK offering consumer durable and fast moving consumer goods. It has a unique recognition in UK as a multi-channel retailer and serves its customers with 700 retail stores in UK and Ireland. 26% of its total retail sales come from online and home delivery services. It has developed a unique style whereby it receives orders online and through telephone and delivers them at the customers’ home. Around 18 million of UK households are using products under Argos’ catalogue (Argos, 2010). The research will aim to find out whether Argos business model is compatible in the Chinese retail industry. A research will be conducted for this purpose. A brief literature review will be discussed in the very beginning to analyse the present situation of the Chinese retail market. This will be followed by a comprehensive analysis of the objective and requirements of this research paper. The section allotted to research design will discuss on the research methodology and will select the most suited one. The collected data will then be analysed to generate the findings of this research. The concluding section will not only deal with the inferences arrived at but also the limitations that have restricted the findings. The literature review is a very important section as it helps to develop a theoretical framework for the research topic. This part also prepares the base of the research topic by identifying supporting studies related to Chinese retail market and consumer behaviour. Political and social development of China was accompanied with economic growth. It is primarily seen as the fruit of industrialization that reduced poverty and increased the

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN 2 - Coursework Example This 1819 financial fear was instigated by a non-operational Bank of the States, a severe reduction in the prices of cotton, the impoverishment of several factories because of the foreign rivalry, and the obligation by congress of payment of money circulation for purchases of land (Brinkley 99). Nationalism in America was a reflection of the Post-World War Two. Nationalism was mainly expressed through increased nationwide satisfaction, the importance on national subjects, growth in national power and opportunity of the national state, and an increased sense of identity in America. Nationalism was mainly contributed by increase in patriotism, increase in political affiliations, economic factors, and cultural factors (Wilentz 54). Wilentz stated that Jackson’s symbolism and policies contributed the two political systems in America (56). His symbolism has two major meanings, one, the two political systems and secondly the time of ethos. Jackson achieved his promise of increasing the inspiration of the community in the state without passionate disagreement over his approaches. His policies entailed stopping the national bank, expanding income, and eliminating Indians from the

Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Admission - Essay Example Furthermore, it will help me to serve my country and community with the utmost of commitment and thorough knowledge acquired through my education. Every person learns a second language. The practical aspects of this area of study have been clearly expressed in the book, Understanding Second Language Acquisition (Ortega, 2009). This book has proved to be of immense benefit for those who undertake research in teaching English as a second language. To my great fortune, I read this monumental work on the foundations of second language acquisition. This had a deep impact upon me and strengthened my resolve to work hard with focus towards the acquisition of a Doctorate in Teaching English as a Second Language. I have always been spellbound by original work in the area of linguistics and would be highly satisfied if I could take up research work. I have considerable experience in teaching English and this has always provided me with complete satisfaction. One of the highlights of this pleasurable activity has been the numerous occasions wherein I participated in lectures and had discussions with my peers and professors. Ortega’s scholarly work inspired me immensely and it is now my heartfelt desire to master this subject. Her knowledge and capacity to express complex and abstruse ideas in a lucid manner have inspired me tremendously. As such, I studied the theories of the major scholars in this area and realized that these studies had created a tremendous desire in me for conducting research in this area. Remaining a mere spectator and repeating the wise sayings of these outstanding thinkers failed to provide me with the feeling of undiluted bliss. Consequently, I came to the firm decision to undertake original research in this area. In the early years of my schooling, I fell deeply in love with the English language. Subsequently, in high school, I was extremely fortunate to

D. Question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D. Question - Assignment Example The first step in determining any disease or nutritional deficiencies is to perform a physical examination which encompasses an assessment of age, sex, as well as anthropometric data (the measuring of weight, height, body mass index, and waist or arm circumference). According to Fischer & Hamilton (2013), the two primary techniques for carrying out a physical exam include body inspection and palpation. In addition, these two techniques are subdivided within themselves (p. 2). Shiny hair reveals healthy and nourished body, while an unhealthy body will show vulnerability to damage of hair or stop growing altogether, for example dandruff, baldness, folliculitis, pemphigus foliaceus, hirsutism, and grey hair (UMMC, 2013). While healthy nails will be smooth and strong, have a little color and be transparent, whereas unhealthy nails will have psoriasis, beau’s lines, onycholysis, yellow nail syndrome, and trachyonychia. Examples of nutritional deficiency diseases include scurvy, pernicious anemia, intellectual disability, rickets, kwashiorkor, marasmus, vitamin k deficiency, tetany, keshan disease, growth retardation, beriberi, pellagra, goiter, biotin deficiency, ariboflavinosis, hypocobalaminemia, night blindness, and paraesthesia (Mulcahy, 2012). Poor hair condition and diseased nails are triggered by chemical and hormonal imbalances, because of aging, illness and nutritional deficiency (Academy Medical, 2011). Furthermore, nutrition deficiency is a significant cause, resulting to chemical and hormonal imbalances, as well as illness, and accounts for the majority of both hair disorders as well as nail disease. Usually where there are nutritional deficiencies, it is due to improper working digestive system, an unbalanced diet, inadequate nutritional supplements and metabolism or inflammation within the body area where energy is being redirected. As a result, other

Why the Diagnosogenic theory of stuttering onset has been dispelled by Essay

Why the Diagnosogenic theory of stuttering onset has been dispelled by recent literature - Essay Example Neurophysiology- Recent research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language in different areas of the brain than those who do not stutter. Family dynamics-High expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering. Technically known as dysphemia, it has sometimes been attributed to an underlying personality disorder. Brain scans of stutterers have found higher than normal activity in brain areas that coordinate conscious movement, suggesting that in people who stutter speech occurs less automatically than it does in most people. In 1939, a controversial study, on the possibility of "creating a stutterer", was conducted by University of Iowa speech pathologist, Wendell Johnson and his graduate student Mary Tudor. The study tried to create stutterers over the course of 4 months, using 22 unwitting orphans from the Soldiers and Sailors Orphan's Home in Davenport, Iowa. Ethically acceptable at the time, it was designed to induce stuttering in normally fluent children and to test out Johnson's "Diagnosogenic theory" a theory suggesting that negative reactions to normal speech disfluencies cause stuttering in children. The study divided the orphans into 3 groups. 6 normally fluent orphans would be given negative evaluations and criticisms regarding their speech, another group of 5 orphans who allegedly already stuttered would also receive that treatment, and the remaining 11 would be treated neutrally. The study concluded that the children given negative evaluative labeling went on to develop persistent, permanen t stutters. The study was influential at the time, with many speech pathologists and child-health and educational professionals accepting Johnson's theory. In 1988, Silverman first reported the results of this study in the Journal of Fluency Disorders and labeled it "The Monster Study". In June 2001, the San Jose Mercury News revealed this study to the public for the first time, leading to widespread controversy and debate about scientific ethics. Soon after, University of Illinois professors Nicoline Ambrose and Ehud Yairi wrote a paper discrediting the 1939 study, revealing flaws in data collection and method, as well as pointing out that none of the orphans actually did develop a permanent stutter. The relevance of the Ambrose-Yairi study 63 years later is that the authors conclude, in effect, that the 1939 thesis did not prove the theory with which it is credited. In other words, the researcher did not, and could not have, "caused stuttering" in the subjects. For this and many other reasons the authors also conclude that most all of the ethical criticisms of the study are misplaced and unjustified. While criticism of a developing child's speech can certainly make a present stutter worse, it does not create a stutter. The major findings, as have been reported over the last several years in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (JSLHR), question longstanding concepts about the onset and developmental trends of early childhood stuttering. Like most other speech disorders, stuttering onset was gradual and occurred under uneventful circumstances, that early symptoms included only easy repetition of syllables and words, and that parents helped create the problem by reacting negatively to normal disfluencies. Stuttering onset was sudden in at least one-third of the children, was severe in nature,

Should U.S. Military keep staying in South Korea Essay

Should U.S. Military keep staying in South Korea - Essay Example Contrary to the claims of the Bush Administration, they did not perceive of the U.S. military as a force of liberation and a symbol of freedom but as an aggressor who violated international laws through uninvited entry into a sovereign nation. While the Iraqi scenario is, arguably, typical of attitudes towards foreign military presence in a sovereign nation, the case of South Korea is somewhat different. South Korea is a sovereign nation whose sovereignty is not threatened by the U.S, military but ensured and protected through its continued presence. Despite the fact that some within South Korea are arguing in favour of the departure of the American military, the historical contribution of the U.S. military to South Korea and the role that it plays in the securitization of the nation support its continued presence. The majority of South Koreans, including President Roh and his government, are in favour of a U.S, military withdrawal from South Korea. The United States, according to Richard Halloran (2006), the military correspondent for the New York Times, is complying with the South Korean demand for withdrawal and has already begun phasing out its military forces in the country. The United States argues that its decision is based on a number of considerations. These include the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the resultant pressure they have placed on US military forces; the United States' belief that South Korea is finally in a position to assume responsibility for its own national defence; and South Korean public opinion (Halloran, 2006). Indeed, a recent public opinion poll has indicated that the majority of South Koreans are strongly in favour of U.S. military withdrawal and both the President and the government have repeatedly expressed the imperatives of U.S. military withdrawal from the country (Holloran, 2006). It is for these reasons that the United States has commenced military withdrawal from South Korea. A review of the historical contribution which the United States military has made to South Korea's stability, national security and evolution into a democratic nation supports arguments against withdrawal. The history of the US military presence in South Korea stretches back to 1945 when, at the conclusion of World War II, the American forces liberated the Korean Peninsula. As Yang, a Korean political scientist and author of North and South Korean Political Systems: A Comparative Analysis explains, prior to the American military liberation of Korea, the Peninsula had suffered 35 years of brutal Japanese military occupation. During those thirty-five years, the Japanese attempted to obliterate the Korean identity, exploited the nation and abused its population and, more importantly, completely undermined and annihilated the very notion of Korean sovereignty. While conceding to the fact that the United States hardly attempted to intervene in this situation prior to World War II, the fac t is that its eventual comprehension of the Japanese military threat motivated intervention in favour of the Korean Peninsula. Indeed, were it not for the United States' military, the Korean Peninsula is quite unlikely to have regained its sovereignty and independence as early as 1945 (Yang, 2004). In other words, US military intervention has played a profoundly constructive role in the country's history. Apart from its