What do empirical tests of the Capitsl Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) tell Essay

What do empirical tests of the Capitsl Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) tell us about the validity of this model - Essay Example e no taxes or transaction costs; 2) all investors share the same market opportunities; and 3) all investors have the same information on expected returns, volatilities, and correlations of securities available. It was found that under these assumptions Tobin’s (1958) super efficient portfolio (it consists of the risk-free asset added to Markowitz’s portfolio on the efficient frontier) must also be market portfolio. Further on, Sharpe (1964) divided portfolio risk into systematic and specific. While systematic risk affects every asset of a portfolio (as the market moves, each individual asset is more or less affected), specific risks are unique to individual assets (it represents the component of an assets return which is uncorrelated with general market moves) and thus can be diversified in the context of a whole portfolio. In other words, the expected rate of return of a portfolio depends not on specific risks of assets, but on the systematic risk of a portfolio. where ERi is the expected rate of return on asset i, Rf is a risk-free rate, ERm is the expected rate of return of the market portfolio, and ÃŽ ² is systematic risk. As can be seen from the SML equation, excess return depends on beta alone and not on systematic risk plus specific risk. Moreover, the connection between rate of return and beta is linear for portfolios. Obviously, CAPM was designed as a way to determine prices of assets in market portfolios. Indeed, given a systematic risk value and asset’s expected rate of return investor can adjust the price of an asset using the SML formula. However, because of its ‘ideal’ nature CAPM is often seen only as a theoretical tool. In practice its main assumptions are not true, and all investors have different information on risk-return characteristics of assets. Since CAPM introduction to nowadays SML equation became a topic of wide academic discussion. Studies performed to assess the validity of CAPM can be divided into three general groups:

How to create a completely peaceful world Essay Example for Free

How to create a completely peaceful world Essay To create a fully peaceful world, both Federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary. Federalism and non-violent resistance can cooperate well to completely eliminate war in the world. In this essay, I am arguing that neither federalism nor non-violent resistance can achieve a peaceful world independently. War comes from conflicts between communities or nations. We can find the roots of conflicts from human nature. I believe that the human nature is a complex combination including both Hobbes human nature theory and Hegels master and slave theory. By looking at human nature, we can see that federalism, which aims to establish a powerful global government, and non-violent resistance, which includes demonstrations, obstruction, refusal to cooperate, boycotts, strikes, civil disobedience and so on, can deal with the conflicts and achieve peace (Awad 158). In the real world, however, there are some challenges to set up a powerful global federal government and perform the non-violent resistance policy. The challenges are unsolved in this essay. Firstly, a single world government with its own dominant army is one of the necessary prerequisite for a peaceful world. The reason comes from Hobbes human nature theory. Hobbes believes that human nature is the drive for gain, safety and reputation (Hobbes 30). The drive cause conflicts between human beings. Moreover, for as to the strength of body, the weakest has the strength to kill the strongest, either by secret machination, or by confederacy with others, that are in the same danger with himself (Hobbes 29). Thus, without a powerful government, the human society will inevitably be in war, and such a war, as is of every man against every man. (Hobbes 30). And consequently, the life of man will be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. (Hobbes 31). At present, the international society is very compatible with Hobbes theory. With nuclear Chen 2 weapons, the weakest nation has the potential ability to destroy the strongest nation. Each nation has the nature drive for economic gain, safety and glory. Conflicts between nations are inevitable because of the natural drive. Therefore, war becomes inevitable. Furthermore, the fast growing globalization has changed the world to be a small village. Before the industrial revolution, people needed months or years to travel cross the continents or oceans. Geographic barriers greatly reduce the incentive of waging war to a faraway nation. The conflicts of gain, safety and reputation were greatly weakened by geographic distance. For example, no nation wanted to wage war from North America to the Middle East thousands of years ago. In fact, lots of nations were sort of isolated from the other nations. Thus, in the ancient time, there had no war of every nation against every nation. However, nowadays technology has made the geographic barrier almost be vanished. Information transfers within the world in a few seconds. People can travel to anywhere in a couple of days. The world becomes a small village. In this small village, every nation is competing with others for gain, safety, and reputations. With the natural conflicts between nations and the deadly power of nuclear weapons, sooner or later, the world will be inevitably in a war of every nation against every nation, and in such a war, the life will be solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Only a world government with dominant military power can prevent such horrible condition. The world government can use its great coercive power to maintenance the peace between nations. If there is a war between nations or a civil war inside a nation, the world government can step in by its powerful army to stop the war. In terms of Hobbes first natural law, man is to seek peace, and follow it (Hobbes 33). Here, nations also apply to the first natural law, which is that all nations seek peace, so they follow the global government. Chen 3 However, it should be noted that peace can not be fully achieved by the coercive global government. The global government uses its coercive military power to stop war, but it cannot fully prevent war. For example, when two nations have conflicts, and fight in a war, the world government can only send its powerful army to stop the war after the war has begun. On the other hand, the world government may have to use war to stop the war. For example, if one nation invades another nation, the world government may have to attack the invader to force it to retreat from the victim country. So the war still exists. Under this condition, non-violent resistance is the only way to prevent the war. Non-violent resistance is associated with Hegels view of human nature. Hegel believes that human nature is the drive of gaining recognitions from others. To gain recognition, individual must struggle to have superior power than others. Therefore, individual can have freedom as a master to force others to be slaves. The slaves have to work for the masters, and be surviving by the exchange of acknowledging the masters identity (Hegel 36). According to Hegels theory of human nature, the conflicts between human beings are not necessary to lead to war or violence. In other words, war is not inevitable. Since the human nature is to seek for recognition from others, if other individuals are killed by war or violence, the recognition by the other individual can not exist. So, human beings do not naturally have incentive to use violence or war to solve conflicts. Human beings, however, must want to only threaten others with death for recognition. The threat will never be credible, because the death of the slavers will make the master be meaningless. A master can not be a master if there are no slavers at all. Therefore, non-violent resistance makes sense in dealing with conflicts in the world. For example, suppose there is a very small community with only two men inside. In terms of Hegels Chen 4 human nature theory, both of the two men will struggle for recognition of being the master. The natural drive will cause conflicts between the two men. To solve the conflict, the stronger man will make a death threat to the weaker man. However, the stronger man actually will never kill the weaker man if the weaker man does not use violence against the stronger man, because the stronger man desires the recognition from the weaker man. So the weaker man does not need to fear the death threat. At the same time, the weaker man can not use violence to fight with the stronger man, because the weaker man will definitely be killed during the violent fight. Therefore, the weaker man can deal with the conflicts by non-violent resistance. Firstly, he knows that a violent fight will certainly cause his death. Secondly, he knows that non-violent resistance will never cause his death. By non-violent resistance, the weaker man does not obey the stronger mans order and he does not cooperate with the stronger man. Eventually, the stronger man cannot be a true master, and the weaker man will not be a true slave. Non-violent resistance can be used between communities and nations as well. In the global community, nations have natural desire to be acknowledged to be the dominant nation. For example, during the cold war era, both the Soviet Union and the United States wanted to dominate the world. With much greater military power, the two superpowers have invaded some weaker countries. If all the weaker countries have used non-violent resistance strategy, the war could be prevented. Meanwhile, since the weaker countries do not cooperate with the invader, the weaker countries would never be truly occupied. I am arguing that non-violent resistance can prevent war or violence, but I do not mean that non-violent resistance can always prevent war or violence. The assumption of using the non-violent resistance strategy is that the two individuals or nations in conflicts have very distinct Chen 5 power difference. If the two nations have similar power, nobody can know which nation is undoubtedly more powerful. Thus, while having conflicts, the two similar powerful nations have to fight each other to find out who is really more powerful. As a result, there will have a war before the non-violent resistance to prevent wars. Thus, both federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary to achieve a completely peaceful world. The global government must have superior military power to deal with conflicts between nations. Inside individual nations, the national government must have dominant military power to deal with conflicts between different communities of the nation. While facing conflicts, all the weaker sides, for example, a community which has conflicts with the national government, or a nation which has conflicts with the global government, must deal with the conflicts by either negotiation or non-violent resistance instead of war or violence. Finally, the completely peaceful world will be achieved. Both Federalism and non-violent resistance are necessary because I believe that human nature is a complex combination of both Hobbes and Hegels theory. Human beings have the first natural desire for safety. The second natural desires are gain, glory and recognition. Without life, all the gain, glory and recognition are meaningless. So safety must be the first natural desire. When security is guaranteed, human beings will turn to pursue gain, glory and recognition. In theory, I argue that Federalism and non-violent resistance can completely eliminate war. In the real world, however, there are some challenges to realize Federalism and non-violent resistance. For instance, many people have Hobbesian syndrome. They buy into Hobbes human nature theory, but they do not agree with Hegels theory. Thus, they believe that war is inevitable without a powerful global government. However, there is no powerful global government now, so Chen 6 the people who have Hobbesian syndrome always suggest investing heavily on military resources to prepare for the future inevitable war. If a superpower holds this view, it is very difficult to establish a global government with dominant military power. For example, today the only superpower, the United States, has nearly half of the whole world military spending annually. If the United States does not disarm, it is very difficult to set up a global government which has greater military power than the United States. It is a circle, without a powerful global government, the United States believes that it must engage great military resources. When the superpower United States engage great military resources, it is very difficult to set up a global government with a more powerful military. Another challenge comes from the non-violent strategy. When facing conflicts, sometimes it is ambiguous to know whether the conflicts come from the desire for safety, gain, glory or recognition. If the conflicts come from recognition, the non-violent resistance strategy will be very effective to prevent war or violence. However, if the conflicts come from safety, gain and glory, using non-violent resistance might just simply like suicide. In history, there were lots of evidences of genocide incidents. For example, in the World War II, Nazi tried to kill all the Jews. So it is difficult to persuade everybody to always behave non-violent resistance while having conflicts with much more powerful competitors. In sum, human nature is the natural desires of safety, gain, glory and recognition. To fulfill the natural desires, conflicts between individuals or nations will emerge. The conflicts are the very root of wars. A powerful world government and universally accepted non-violent resistance strategy can terminate wars in the world. However, there are some unsolved challenges of establishing a powerful world government and accepting non-violent resistance universally. Awad, Mubarak E., Nonviolent Resistance: A Strategy for the Occupied Territories from Non-violence in theory and Practice, Robert L Holmes. Ed. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1990. Hegel, G.W.F, Independence and Dependence of Self-Consciousness: Relations of Master and Servant from Phenomonology of Spirit, 2nd ed. Forrest E.Baird and Walter Kaufmann, eds, Prentice-Hall, 2000. Hobbes, Thomas, excerpt from Leviathan, Public Domain, 1651.

Portrayal of Gays in the Media :: Media portrayal of LGBT

The media has had a significant shift from the past in their portrayal of gay people including in gay marriage and gay rights. In the 1980’s and 90’s the subject was much more taboo and the idea of gay marriage was popularly opposed. However today, the majority of Americans support legalizing gay marriage. What could be the reason for such a change? Could it be the media portrayal? Beginning in 1975, the first gay couple was shown on television. After that a variety of other programs included the ideas of homosexuality until 1991 when the first kiss between a same-sex couple was shown. This was on L.A Law and advertisers threatened to pull their ads after the scene. In the late 90s with the popularity of shows like Will and Grace and Queer as Folk. Today television shows are widely praised for their portrayal of different characters sexuality. On Modern Family a same-sex couple’s life is shown through their relations with their family and raising a child. There’s also shows aimed at young adults that are receiving attention for their depiction of gay or lesbian characters such as Glee and Pretty Little Liars. Even the Disney Channel has shown a same-sex couple on the show Good Luck Charlie (with some backlash claiming that since Disney is intended for children that they should seek merely to entertain and not to push an agenda). On the contrary to this argument is the idea, that same-sex couples are becoming more and more normal thus they should make it recognizable to children. This addition of multiple different depictions of same-sex couples and gay and lesbian people by television is being widely praised by the LBGT community. It makes the idea of homosexuality more common and representative of the actual community. However there have been a variety of critiques regarding the media’s portrayal of same-sex couples and gay marriage. People who go solely off the media’s depiction of gay and lesbians could have a skewed view of what they are actually like. This could be detrimental for youth who are developing their ideas of what homosexuals are actually like and this is their only source of information on it. This leads to stereotyping different types of gay people. Also for young people, the media depiction of gay people has led to the idea that this is â€Å"cool† and treat their homosexual friends differently.

History of Electrocardiography Machine Essay

History of electrocardiography prevails over two centuries as an intellectual exercise as the process of inventing an electrocardiogram started with the Galvani’s idea of animal electricity. In 1842 this idea was further reinforced by Italian physicist Carlo Matteucci who illustrated by his experiments that electric current could be quantified from inactive heart muscle. German physiologist Emil Dubois-Reymond further explored this phenomenon and confirmed Carlo Matteucci’s conclusion and labeled this changing current in the resting muscle as â€Å"action potential†. He further developed a device that could deliver stimulation pulses to the muscles and was capable of computing discharge current of muscles at short intervals. In 1856 Rudolph von Koelliker and Heinrich Muller recorded an â€Å"action potentialâ€Å"on the spotaneous beating heart. But the major development came in 1872 when French physicist Gabriel Lippmann introduced a capillary electrometer. This capillary electrometer was based on the principle of â€Å"polarization† and â€Å"surface tension†. Structurally it was a slender glass tube with mercury-sulphuric acid base. The mercury meniscus stirred with the influx of electrical potential and was observable by a microscope. In 1893, Willem Einthoven who is considered as the inventor of modern electric cardiogram and its various principles used the term ‘electrocardiogram’ at a conference of the Dutch Medical Association. But major development occurred during the three years staring from 1901 when Einthoven dissatisfied with capillary electrometer and it slow response, designed a string galvanometer. This galvanometer contained a string eletromagnet to produce a magnetic flux, two piece poles, a quartz string between the two piece poles, peepholes in the two piece poles to observe the position of string. It further contained a lamp and timing systen to examine the shadow of string at different time intervals. The weight of this whole apparatus was about 600 pounds. He further modified the string galvanometer to invent a more effective electrocardiograms. However in 1902, Einthoven brought out the first electrocardiogram that was recorded on his string galvanometer. This was a giant’s leap in the history of bio-medical. In order to produce string galvanometer on commercial level, Einthoven discussed the possibilities with Horace Darwin of Cambridge Scientific Instruments Company of London. So this event made the electrocardiogram to come out of experimentation and to be used in medical profession. Einthoven, in 1906, circulated the first presentation electrocardiograms recorded with a string galvanometer. These electrocardiograms included the specimen of left and right ventricular and atrial, atrial flutter, ventricular premature beats etc. In 1910, Horatio Williams who was professor at Cornell University Medical College, New York issued electrocardiograms of patient that manifest atrial and ventricular ectopics, ventricular hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation that were recorded in hospital using a complex system of cables. This was first large-scale use of electrocardiograms in the hospitals. With the advent and introduction of vacuum tubes, the electric galvanometer was further modified and improved. In 1926, Ernestine and Levine used these vacuum tubes to produce enlarged images. Cathode rays tube further helped to produce portable electrocardiograms. Today electrocardiograms works on the same principles that were devised Einthoven in the first decade of 20th century. References Burchell HB. A centennial note on Waller and the first human electrocardiogram. Am J Cardiol 1987; 59:979-983 Burch, G.E. A History of Electrocardiography. Chicago. Year Book Medical. 1964. Burnett J. The origins of the electrocardiograph as a clinical instrument. Medical History Supplement 5: 1985, 53-76. Published as a monograph. The emergence of modern cardiology. Bynum WF, Lawrence C, Nutton V, eds. Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine:1985. Fye WB. A history of the origin, evolution, and impact of electrocardiography. Am J Cardiol 1994;73:937-949 Plonsey, R. Bioelectric Phenomenon. New York. McGraw-Hill. 1972.

Kant, irrationalism and religion Essay

Abstract Kant is a philosopher, which dealt with human recognition. He has been considered as an irrationalist. Many philosophers think that he used the irrationalism to justify the trust in religion and to protect the religion from the science. In this paper I shall take a view to the philosophy of Kant on recongition and to the question if Kant is an irrationalist or not. Did he use the irrationalism to protect the religion from science? This paper shall show that Kant wasn’t an irrationalist, but he simply tried to determine the limitations of the recognition and to distinguish between what we recongize and what we simply believe. His philosophy of recognition didn’t aim at protecting the religion from the science. He tells us in some pasages of the book â€Å"The critique of pure reason† that when his theory would be accepted, the men wouldn’t concluded of what they couldn’t know really, and maybe the religion would have some benefits from it. But I think that he meant the trials to prove either the existence of God or the non-existence of God. Kanti, Irrationalism and Religion Kant was firstly influenced in his philosophy by Leibnitz and later by British empiricism. By Locke and Hume he came to the conclusion that recognition stems from the senses and he also received from Leibniz’s belief that although the mind does not have any idea born, she has the innate abilities that give shape to the experience brought to it by the senses. Fundamental problem that Kant raised was on how to reconcile the absolute security that gives us mathematics and physics with the fact that our knowledge comes from the senses? Kant’s goal was to build the foundations of a new rationality that would be incontestable. In efforts to achieve security he assumed that the mind has three skills: 1. Reflection 2. Will 3. Feelings and he devoted a critique to each of them. Kant’s critique created for both rationalists and empiricists a method of transcendent or critical method, by which he meant a study of its reason, an â€Å"investigation of pure reason† to see if its judgments have universality beyond human experience and again, are necessary and related to the human experience. The logic involved in these trials may be absolutely safe and can also be applied to the world of things. Kant believed that the thought, feeling and the will are forms of reason and he decided the transcendental principles of the reason in the realm of thought, the transcendental moral principles to the will and the transcendental principles of beauty in the realm of feeling. In this paper we will try to treat if Kant is an irrational that used irrationalism to justify the religion. To clarify this we must first demonstrate his theory of knowledge and whether Kant was indeed irrational and then if he used this irrationalism to make room for faith in religion. Kant says that his goal of writing the â€Å"Critique of Pure Reason† was to put Metaphysics on the basis of sound and to transform it into a science. In the first entry of â€Å"Critique of Pure Reason† he writes: Our age is the age of criticism, to which everything must be subjected. The sacredness of religion, and the authority of legislation, are by many regarded as grounds of exemption from the examination of this tribunal. But, if they on they are exempted, they become the subjects of just suspicion, and cannot lay claim to sincere respect, which reason accords only to that which has stood the test of a free and public examination. † (Kant,2002 pg. 7,) Kant sought for the metaphysics to achieve the security of mathematics and logic. He was not a skeptic who saw the world as mere sensory appearance, but quite the contrary he was prompted to write this book as a response to the skepticism of David Hume. Kant aims to determine whether it can reach a metaphysical knowledge, and if so whether it can be arranged in a science and what its limits are. The main aim of th Pure Critique is to demonstrate how the answers to these questions can be achieved, provided that the subject is reviewed under a new angle. Kant’s own words regarding this are: â€Å"â€Å"This attempt to alter the procedure which has hitherto prevailed in metaphysics by completely revolutionizing it . . . forms indeed the main purpose of this critique. . . . It marks out the whole plan of the science, both as regards its limits and as regards its entire internal structure† (Kant,2002). â€Å"The critique of pure reason . . . will decide as to the possibility or impossibility of metaphysics in general, and determine its sources, its extent, and its limits—all in accordance with principles. . . . I venture to assert that there is not a single metaphysical problem which has not been solved, or for the solution of which the key at least has not been supplied† (Kant, 1998). Kant divided metaphysics into two parts: the first part deals with problems that are knowable by experience such as causality, while the second part deals with the whole in general and as such we do not refer to an object that we are able to perceive, because we cannot perceive the universe as a single thing. According to Kant we can have confidence only in the first part of metaphysics (general metaphysics) and it may have scientific certainty because its facilities are given in experience and is subject to verification. On contrary, the metaphysics of the second part (special metaphysics), which is so abstract that it overcomes any kind, cannot achieve scientific safety because its concepts are ‘blank’. In the first part, metaphysics deals with everything within the universe and that it is accessible to the senses, while the metaphysics in the second half deals with the universe as a whole and undetected by the senses. Of the first questions can get a correct answer while the latter not, even though these questions is well to be made. Kant was primarily interested in clarifying whether metaphysics is possible as a science or not. He was convinced that mathematics and natural sciences were true science. But is metaphysics a science? What Kant must do to achieve a scientific metaphysics was to identify the criteria for a science and then to produce metaphysical conclusions that met these criteria. Kant believed that the first criteria of a true science were that its conclusions were both necessary and universal, as much as judgments in mathematics, and geometry are. To have such universal judgments, it’s necessary to find out how they are produced, and to do this we need to see how mathematicians and scientists achieve this. When Kant asks how metaphysics is possible, he is asking how a science of everything that exists can reach the safety of pure mathematics and natural sciences. To understand this we must understand what the concept of science is and what its elements to Kant are. We must understand the use of this concept as the standard for determining whether metaphysics in both its parts is a real science. Kant conceives the science as a system of real judgments in a specific field of research. All judgments Kant divides into two types, empirical and a priori. An empirical judgment is the judgment coming from experience and can be verified by the observation itself. Kant calls all not empirical judgments as a priori. Example of an a priori judgment is: ‘All triangles have three angles â€Å". We verify this by observing not all triangles, but by analyzing what the subject to the judgment ‘triangle’ means. We find that the real concept of the ‘triangle’ is already incorporated to the concept of triangle, which is predication of our judgment. It would be contradictory to deny that the triangle has three angles. A trial verified in this way is called by Kant analytical; predicate simply explains the concept of the subject without adding anything new to him. All analytic judgments are a priori known without recourse to any particular type of experience. If all a priori judgments are analytic is another matter entirely. On the other hand we get judgment â€Å"the apple is red†. Analysis of the concept ‘apple’ is not leading us to the concept ‘red†. We need to see the apple to understand the subject. This is an empirical judgment and all empirical judgments Kant called synthetic, because they connect the subject with the predicate of the ways that are not analytical, the predicate adds a new recognition of the concept of the subject. All empirical judgments are synthetic; the survey supports the connection between subject and predicate. If all synthetic judgments are empirical-in other words if the observation is always the one that provides the link for the synthesis- is from Kant’s view of a very different matter. If metaphysics is a science consisting of judgments, these judgments are empirical or a priori? First they need to contain any existence as such, so they must be universal and necessary. For example, let’s look at a judgment of metaphysics in the first part: â€Å"everything has a cause†. We cannot allow any exception to this judgment. The opposite of it would be contradictory. Let’s see a judgment that belongs to the metaphysics of the second part: â€Å"the universe is eternal†. Even this judgment does not allow exceptions. This means that any empirical judgment is not metaphysical. They are a priori, but are they analytical? Let’s see once more the judgment â€Å"every event has a cause. † Predicate here is not included in the concept of the subject. Let’s see another judgment: ‘the universe is eternal. ‘ Even here the predicate is not included in the subject. So the typical judgments of metaphysics are synthetic and a priori. Even though they are necessary and universal, their predicates are not related to the subjects either by empirical observation or by logical connections. What makes them universal and necessary? What relationship may exist between subjects and predicate that comes neither from the experience nor is conceptual? How are synthetic judgments possible a priori? To explain the a priori synthetic judgments Kant introduces the notion of pure intuition and differentiates it from the thought. He declares that there are two basic skills of human consciousness, intuition, which is directly aware of a specific individual unit, and the thought which is indirectly aware of things through their abstract types. Each of these skills is to recognize conditions that are a priori limitations on what you can know and what cannot know from their use. A priori conditions of intuition are time and space. A priori conditions of thought are, first, a priori conditions of valid conclusions, and secondly, the conditions a priori to think about objects, forms of judgment and categories. Kant claimed that he had managed to put metaphysics of the first part in the way of science. As for Kant metaphysics is the study of everything in general, it is the study of everything that can be recognized. In this way, its findings will be a priori synthetic judgments applicable to anything that can be recognized. Kant called these researches for these a priori synthetic judgments â€Å"transcendental investigation ‘, while he is in search of conditions for recognition of all. To discover these terms means to discover to what extent is metaphysics possible as science. In the first part of metaphysics we seek transcendental conditions, universal and necessary knowledge of all things, and we are committed to stay within the limits of possible experience. The knowledge in this area consists of a final judgment S is P. We are dealing with things or objects and therefore judgments cannot be simply concepts and hence must be synthetic, adding to our knowledge. Our goal in the first part of metaphysics is to bring these items under the categories. But the categories are in themselves as empty files. They can be filled only if we look them by experience. How can one give to an abstract concept an experiencing filling? It is easy to illustrate with a first empirical content. Kant states: â€Å"The possibility of experience is . . . what gives objective reality to all our a priori cognitions. Experience, however, rests on the synthetic unity of appearances, that is, on a synthesis according to concepts of an object of appearances in general. Apart from such synthesis it would not be knowledge, but a rhapsody of perceptions which would not fit into context according to rules of a completely interconnected possible consciousness. . . . Experience, therefore, depends upon a priori principles of its form, that is, upon universal rules of unity in the synthesis of appearances. (Kant 1998). Have we arrived at the essence of metaphysics of the first part? Since the categories are a priori concepts that apply to each item, the corresponding rules for their application should be a priori rules with sensory content, unlike empirical content, a rule whose application is a retrospective sensory content. Kant is fulfilling his promise by providing us metaphysical principles which are synthetic a priori. Since all our perceptions are temporarily connected to each other, rules of application of the categories will be expressed in terms of different temporary connections that we know are a priori possible. Each of these predications, Kant calls the schema. The Schema of the category of reality is ‘being in a specified time. ‘ The Schema of substance category is ‘consistency of real in time. ‘ The result is vindication of metaphysics in its first part and the production of current metaphysical conclusions in this discipline. Kant believed that he had found the conditions that make possible empirical knowledge of things in general, and furthermore to show that metaphysics is possible as a science in the first part. But, what about the constituency for metaphysics in the second- in other words the study of all things considered collectively? This includes rational cosmology, the study of the universe as a whole, rational psychology, the study of the soul as something which refers to any possible knowledge, and rational theology study of the Creator and manager of everything. Kant argues that the attempt to demonstrate each of these issues is pointless. The major difficulty is that we cannot have an intuition of the universe as a whole, of the soul or God as a whole. Consequently, there is no possibility to connect the subject with the predicate in a synthetic judgment about these things, no way to verify or refute them. His conclusion is that although we may have certain knowledge in the first part of metaphysics we are excluded from the recognition in the second part of it. He reached this conclusion from a general argument, but he gives particular argument against the possibility of recognition in the second part of metaphysics. All of the alleged evidence for or against the thesis of the so-called science lead to logical absurdities. The whole universe, God, soul, his own free will and immortality can be thought of, but cannot be recognized, and the same can be said about things in themselves. All these things are noumena or simply understandable. Kant made the distinction between phenomenal and the noumenal reality. There is a difference between things we perceive and those that really do exist. The things we perceive he calls a phenomenon, while those that actually exist he calls noumena. Not only a phenomenon can be addressed to two different noumena (when two different things look the same) but also two different phenomena can be addressed to a single phenomenon (when the same thing looks different in different perspectives). Noumenon is a physical object and the phenomenon is how it looks. We cannot have any idea, what noumena are. We cannot know what is behind appearance, behind the information we receive from our senses. We cannot talk about what exists, if we don’t refer to phenomenal reality. We cannot know neither where nor noumena are, if they exist. We do not know for sure, if there is any different reality outside the reality we perceive. We cannot ever have real knowledge about noumenon in Kant’s opinion. Kant uses the word â€Å"knowledge† to refer more to what we know about the phenomenon than what we know about noumenon. This may seem like a contradiction: should not recognition be for real things, rather than simply for their appearance? But, the recognition for real things is impossible according to Kant, because we have no transcendental insight. We can think about real things, we can form beliefs about it, but we cannot have any knowledge about it because our knowledge of the world has only one source: the sensory data. (There are also other types of recognition but they do not apply to the world but only on the concepts and abstractions as mathematics. ). Since all our knowledge about the world is created by the sensory information and the sensory data are all phenomenal, then all our knowledge about the world is knowledge about the phenomena and not about noumena. I think Kant meant that although the phenomenon may be reason to talk about how something really is, only phenomena are not sufficient to show that something exists because the existence is the only feature noumena. To tell the truth one cannot have certain knowledge to show that something exists, we can only have faith that it exists. This means rocks and trees, as well as means God and the soul, but the difference is that for the trees and rocks it is not important if noumena actually exist. Even if a stone is nothing but a phenomenon, it kills again if someone hits with it, so I have to bow to avoid. Ultimately even my own head is also a phenomenon. No matter what is beyond what we know, because everything we have in the physical world are only phenomena, and this is what really counts. What can we know about things in themselves and other noumena as: God and soul? It is possible to know something about things in them, that they may not be space-time or be recognized by the application over to the categories. But this does not tell us how they are. Kant thought that we have a secure knowledge of things in themselves, that they exist, that they affect the way they affect the senses and contribute (help) content as opposed to the empirical form of recognition. We know that they exist by the fact that it would be absurd to talk about appearance if would not be out of something. We don’t know anything else about noumena. We do not know whether God exists or if everything is fixed or if we have free will, etc.. This does not mean that these concepts do not have a function. The concept of the universe as a whole, the concept of a legislator to the concept of rule and power over the universe, even though unverifiable, can serve as ideas of reasoning – as Kant calls them, that are regulatory to unify all knowledge into a system. Let us assume that we cannot know anything about noumena: is there any justification for believing that they exist or have this or that feature? By doing this question Kant did the distinction between belief and verification of a justification to accept it. The verification provides a full justification for accepting a belief and a refutation provides a justification to reject it. As long as we can prove or retort, the theoretical knowledge prevails and we are justified in accepting its results. But Kant thought he had shown that there are some things that cannot ever be prove or rejected. Then a question is arisen: is there any justification for believing than knowing? Kant said that once to the theoretical reason is given to what is up, the priority of practice asserts its interests. Where theoretical reason is concerned with what is, practical reason is concerned about what should be. The theoretical reason could not give us knowledge about subjects that go beyond the experience, therefore we should deny all its claims in this area and give these practical reason issues to the people. Kant says, â€Å"I must, therefore, abolish knowledge, to make room for belief† (Kant, 1998). Deny the knowledge and no reason, for practical reason is part of the reason, and because it limits the confidence in the minimum of required arguments, in Kant’s view, it is done to protect the morale -existence of God, freedom and immortality. Kant condemns the faith based on religious feelings. If we understand Kant upon his words, it will be said that he was defending the Enlightenment, the reason and the warning of disaster to come, if these will be abandoned in the name of â€Å"feeling†. Kant doesn’t deny the recognition, it is not a irrationalist. Kant raises a theory of knowledge, which wants to create a scientific metaphysic, rather than makes room to believe in God (religion); he tells us what we can know and what is beyond the scope of human knowledge. Kant had understood that his method would help religion. He writes that once one accept his theory, people will not disclose to unjustified conclusions on things that they cannot recognize and that religion would benefit from this, but I think he meant this as attempts to validate the idea that God exists or to prove that God does not exist. What Kant tells us is: we cannot ever know for sure that God and soul exist because we cannot have accurate knowledge of the noumenal existence. This is not an expression of irrationality, but quite the contrary, is an attempt to use rational thinking in order to distinguish it from what we know and what we simply believe. References Kant, I. (2002). Kritika e mendjes se kulluar. ( Ekrem Murtezai, Trans. ) Prishtine. (Original work published 1787) Kant, I. (1998). Critique of pure reason. (J. M. D Meiklejohn, Trans). Electronic texts collection. (Original work published 1787) Kant, I. (2002). Kritika e gjykimit. ( Dritan Thomollari, trans. ). Plejad. Bonardel, F. (2007). L’irrazionale. (Lucias della Pieta, Trans. ) Mimesis edizioni. Sgarbi, M. (2010). La logica dell’irrazionale. Studio sul significato e sui problemi della Kritik der Urteilskraft. Mimesis Edizioni(Milano-Udine)

brain structure differences essays

brain structure differences essays Maggie Tulliver: Divided Needs Represented in Diverse Relations It is said that George Eliots style of writing deals with much realism. Eliot, herself meant by a realist to be an artist who values the truth of observation above the imaginative fancies of writers of romance or fashionable melodramatic fiction. (Ashton 19) This technique is artfully utilized in her writings in a way which human character and relationships are dissected and analyzed. In the novel The Mill on the Floss, Eliot uses the relationships of the protagonist of the story, Miss Maggie Tulliver, as a medium in which to convey various aspects of human social associations. It seems that as a result of Maggies nature and of circumstances presented around her, that she is never able to have a connection with one person that satisfies her multifaceted needs and desires. Maggie is able, to some extent, to explore the various and occasionally conflicting aspects of her person with her relationships between other characters presented in the novel. From an early age, Maggie need s approval from men...Maggie is not shown in any deep relationship with a female friend. (Ashton 83) A reader can explore into Maggie Tullivers person and her short development as a woman in four primary male associations: her father-Mr. Tulliver, her brother-Tom Tulliver, her friend and mentor-Philip Wakem and her dangerous passion with Steven Guest. Maggie unconditionally loves her father although he has been the unconscious root of many of her misfortunes. Toms and Maggies young lives are blighted by the gloom, poverty, disgrace and death of their father...Maggie is obliged by her fathers failure to leave school...It is the misfortune of a clever girl denied any activity other than domestic. (Ashton 50) In the time period of the setting of the novel, women were regarded as male property, to...

Lester Thurow lecture essays

Lester Thurow lecture essays The Economic Game of Our Era: U.S. Dominance Approaching to the 21st century, world economy becomes more and more global. In todays life, several parts of an item can be made in different countries and unified to produce an output. Realize a laptop whose processor is made in U.S, by Intel, whose screen is coming from Japan, Toshiba, and whose other various parts are coming either from Taiwan or from Korea. Lester C. Thurow, a professor of economics and management at the M.I.T, and the writer of the book Building Wealth, considers this era as being the third industrial revolution. He claims that this one differs from the former two industrial revolutions, in a way that the first two revolutions were based on the capital and land. However, the third revolution is based on the technological improvements such as computers, robots etc., and knowledge. In the second revolution that created national economy, the main idea was the German Systematic Industrial Research, research of land and capital. On the other hand, electricity that was invented during this era, created the modern life. The third one has created global economy. In each industrial revolution there had been a dominant country that leaded to the world economy. In the first revolution, the British leaded to that era. In the second one, the dominant country had been Germany above the British. And finally, in the late 20th century, U.S. emerged as a world power in the last industrial revolution. The questions to be asked are: How did U.S become the best in the industrial world and what are the evidences of this strong dominance? . The success of U.S. in the industrial world originates from countrys generic structure and ability to balance control and chaos side. To begin with, America is making the entrepreneurial jobs very well and this aspect allows U.S to play the game of shutting-down and ...

PALMER Surname Meaning and Family History

PALMER Surname Meaning and Family History From the Middle English and Old French palmer or paumer, taken from palme meaning palm tree. Palmer or Parmer was often a nickname for someone who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and brought back a palm branch as proof that they had actually made the journey. Palmer can also be a geographical German surname for someone living among the pussy willows or palms, from the Middle High German palme, balme, meaning pussy willow or palm tree. Surname Origin:  English, German, Dutch Alternate Surname Spellings:  PALMORE, PARMER, PALMOUR, PALMOORE, PARMOORE, PARRAMORE, PALLMER   Famous People with the PALMER Surname A. Mitchell Palmer -  U.S. attorney general under Woodrow Wilson responsible for launching  the Palmer RaidsArnold Palmer - American champion golferRobert Palmer - British singer songwriterKeke Palmer - American actress and singerAustin Norman Palmer -  Author of the Palmer Method of penmanshipEdward Palmer - British botanistHenry Spencer Palmer - British Army military engineer and surveyor Where is the PALMER Last Name Most Common? Palmer, according to surname data from Forebears, is most common in the United States where it ranks as the 155th most common surname in the country. It is very common in England, where it ranks 80th, as well as New Zealand (114th) and  Australia (125th). The surname is fairly evenly distributed around England, but ranks highest in Norfolk (15th), Somerset (15th), Cambridgeshire (19th) and Leicestershire (22nd). WorldNames PublicProfiler has the Palmer surname as most commonly found in the United Kingdom, with the greatest numbers clustered in Norfolk County and around the city of Birmingham.   Genealogy Resources for the Surname PALMER 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Palmer Surname DNA ProjectA central site for all Palmer descendants who want to participate in Family Tree DNA testing to learn about their Palmer ancestors and where and who they came from. Palmer  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Palmer  family crest or coat of arms for the Palmer surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. PALMER Family Genealogy ForumFree message board is focused on descendants of Palmer ancestors around the world. FamilySearch - PALMER  GenealogyExplore over 4.5  million  historical records which mention individuals with the Palmer surname, as well as online Palmer family trees on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. PALMER Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Palmer surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - PALMER Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Palmer. GeneaNet - Palmer  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Palmer  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Palmer  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Palmer  from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Partnering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Partnering - Essay Example Another example is provided by Kalundborg Symbiosis of Denmark, which is a public-private alliance that transforms waste materials generated by its member firms to the materials of raw production suitable for use by other companies. Over the time, Kalundborg Symbiosis has developed partnerships with nine companies some of which include Inbicon, Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Gyproc, DONG Engergy, and RGS 90 (Turiera and Cros, 2013, p. 9). One way in which this partnership yields beneficial outcomes is Gyproc’s use of gypsum waste produced by Kalundborg Symbiosis during flue gas’s desulfuration to manufacture gypsum board to be used in the construction industry. Each of these partnerships has paved way for the development of pioneering services and products and have generated examples of some of the most successful businesses in the modern times. Developing successful business partnerships demands dedication, commitment, and patience on the part of all parties involved.  "Even when two people are a perfect fit, there are going to be times when someone needs to speak up, and say something difficult (in this case, "I dont want to share an office with you")† (Eisner,

Orgnazational citizenship behavior( carrefour china) Essay

Orgnazational citizenship behavior( carrefour china) - Essay Example Although the Carrefour Foundation did succeed in taking humanitarian initiatives, yet it lacked involvement of the company’s own employees in its efforts. Therefore, the Board of Directors took measures to increase employees’ participation. Food program, professional integration and solidarity were the three core areas at which the Carrefour Foundation specifically focused. Carrefour primarily sells food and grocery products. The Carrefour Foundation has developed links between people and farmers for provision of healthy food. The employees of Carrefour established an organic pepper industry in Shuiruo and Saba and taught the farmers ways to implant certified organic Sichuan peppers. The employees also delivered lectures on personal hygiene to improve health and safety condition in the very villages. In 4 years, Carrefour has contributed up to â‚ ¬90,000 for the program. Fair trade is encouraged by purchasing significant portion of the total crops every year above ma rket value. Carrefour buys the products from farmers and then sells them over in 22 different countries. The foundation has also opened a school for the community and has improved the infrastructure. The program has helped raise the income of farmers, improved their living conditions in general, and has promoted social solidarity (carrefour.com).

Ronald Dworkin's views Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ronald Dworkin's views - Personal Statement Example 4) Mill Stuart's ideas on freedom of ideas may be better choice. Though it doesn't completely agrees with it, it does agree with the idea of allowing the free flow of ideas so for complete human development as one doesn't know what will turn out to be beneficial for human beings in future. Thus human beings, their society and their civilization to complete flourish, free flow of all kinds of ideas should be allowed 5) If we give value to free expression, then any law prohibiting free expression or dictating to people to live their lives in certain manners should be prohibited/banned. However, it can argued that certain free expression may lead to social destruction, and thus the law continues to be implemented. But then, we don't know, as Mill's said, what sort of ideas will be beneficial for human beings and what shouldn't be. And thus for complete development, all ideas must be allowed to be circulated. 6) But in order to ban pornography one needs to being in evidence showing the harm caused by increase of pornography. However, the committee has been unable to bring in any such evidence. Restriction is not much of problem as it doesn't seriously curtail the ideas that pornography might contribute to society 7) This report is goal based. It seeks not a definite goal but a goal where most people have what they want. It doesn't consider pornography outright wrong, crude and disgusting but doesn't admit that it is a less desirable contributor to intellectual development. It assumes that society, with allowance of free flow, will make intelligent ideas of what is good for them and live accordingly. But it admit that not all ideas are conducive to human development or will produce the best society some time in future, thus some curtailment and restriction of pornography must be practiced. 8) Why should live sex be prohibited' Is complete ban of live sex, supported by the report' If yes, why' What the report says bring forth the idea that it is because "others" (those not involved, neither audience or performers) suffer from mental distress knowing that other people are involved in it. But the report had, initially rejected all harms of mental nature. And if people should stop doing what they want to do, only because others don't like it, it means that they don't have complete liberty to live their lives as they wish. --- This cannot be true or supported by the report that " others" find it degrading. It is supports its ban because it is indeed degrading. That means it can lead to cultural pollution. However, the report does admit that it takes place so rarely that its effect would be minimum. Thirdly, in its case, slippery slop argument will be too strong. However, writer finds no strong argument to ban it. It believes that's the live sex is intolerable even in restri cted form, should be banned even wen the committee have no strong argument against it. 9) Why prohibit some material and restrict another' In case of restriction of open advertising, it offers 3 arguments in its favor. 1) More harm in public display than personal consumption 2) cultural pollution is greater 3) the slippery slope is less of a danger because material of any value is still be exchanged, though privately. 10) Considering argument number 1) by limiting the pornographic material to those who want it, does not defeat the purpose of its publication that is valuable exchange of ideas still takes place, except lesser income for its author.

Employee relations and engagement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

Employee relations and engagement - Coursework Example Some firms have even structured their systems to allow the employees co-own the companies they work for and participate in their day-to-day management activities This has proved to be a plus in the attempts to improve employees’ performance. This report analyses the situation of Waitrose; a branch of the John Lewis Partnership. This study found out that Waitrose is a company that is dear to Employment Engagement (EE) and Employee Relations (ER). It was found out that Waitrose uses three basic practices to meet this demand: employee-partner system, creating low-level employee involvement and enabled communication systems. It is recommended that the company replaces its data survey system, select, hire and train managers who are passionate about employee engagement. Lastly, it was suggested that the company should develop assessment and evaluation frameworks for monitoring employee engagement. The human resource is among the key stakeholders that companies are keen on enhancing their welfare so they may perform highly towards the growth of the company. With increased research and studies, businesses are now enlightened on the importance of promoting and maintaining healthy and positive employees’ relations and engagement. Systems have been aligned to ensure that each and every employee within the organisation can efficiently interact, communicate and coordinate with others. The overall culture has also been modified to synchronise with the management’s pursuit to promote effective engagement and relations amongst workers. According to Bakker and Leiter (2010: 101), organisations are more likely to succeed and prosper if the coordination and engagement amongst their workers are enhanced. Working in an enabling environment motivates employees to deliver their best performance for the prosperity of the company. However, to promote these relations and engagement s amongst employees, various frameworks and procedures must be put in place to guide

Save the planet by cutting down on meat That's just a load of bull Essay

Save the planet by cutting down on meat That's just a load of bull - Essay Example In contrast, transport makes up just 13% of the world’s greenhouse gas footprint. Moreover, cows turn out methane gas is 23 times as damaging as CO2. Furthermore, livestock rearing takes up 30% of the earth’s surface. In light of this, Johnson suggests that Dr.Pachauri was perhaps right for being anxious about emissions of methane gas from livestock. Johnson affirms that although Dr.Pachauri’s scrutiny was spot on; his proposition to cut down on meat was ridiculous. Additionally, Johnson (2008) argues that while shunning meat consumption by humans would notably result in decreased methane output; Dr. Pachauri’s recommendation is mistaken as it ignores the pertinent issues at the heart of every environmental problem that presently afflicts the world. Some of these issues include: deforestation, destruction of species, the 1.3 billion people whose livelihoods are reliant on agriculture as well as the persistent human population boom. Currently, the world’s population is about 6.72 billion and anticipated to rise to 9 billion by 2050. Cows are not the problem; people eating the cows are the problem. Additionally, Johnson also reminds the UN of its historic role which entails: campaigning against global overpopulation, family planning championing for female emancipation, and all the real solutions to world’s intolerable and excessive population boom. In support of Dr. Pachauri’s proposition that meat production puts more GHG’s than the earth’s entire transport network, Smith et al. (2007, p.501) suggests that agriculture discharges considerable amounts of GHG’s (such as methane-CH4, nitrous oxide-N2O and carbondioxide-CO2) into the atmosphere. CH4 is generated when organic matter putrefies in anaerobic circumstances, especially from fermentative digestion by ruminant farm animals, from stockpiled droppings. This confirms that Dr.Pachauri is perhaps right for being anxious about methane gas emissions from livestock. On the

Dangers of Web 2.0 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dangers of Web 2.0 - Essay Example They may not explore a site that they do not agree with; very easily they can do another search and find what they are looking for. People tend to go to sites that have similar views or opinions as themselves.   By gaining information from traditional media sources they are exposed to many â€Å"different political and socioeconomic and cultural identities†.  Ã‚   Lanier also agrees with Keen that as Web 2.0 has progressed people have lost their individuality and joined more collective or community web sites Lanier does not like that â€Å"People tend to loose themselves in group think†. On this issue Keen and Lanier have similar thoughts on problems with Web 2.0.   It is important for people to listen and hear multiple sides of an issue.   A person should explore other theories or thoughts.   Many times they find similarities or they may even agree with the other side’s arguments if they listen to their thoughts behind their ideas.   An example of th is is a political campaign.   Many people in our society are Republican or Democrats because that is what their family’s political affiliation has been.   They have not taken the time to listen to the other political party’s thoughts on the issues and where they stand.   Many times when someone from the other party is giving a speech, they won’t listen to them.   More than likely a republican is not going to go to a democrat’s website to educate themselves on their side of the issue.

Save the planet by cutting down on meat That's just a load of bull Essay

Save the planet by cutting down on meat That's just a load of bull - Essay Example In contrast, transport makes up just 13% of the world’s greenhouse gas footprint. Moreover, cows turn out methane gas is 23 times as damaging as CO2. Furthermore, livestock rearing takes up 30% of the earth’s surface. In light of this, Johnson suggests that Dr.Pachauri was perhaps right for being anxious about emissions of methane gas from livestock. Johnson affirms that although Dr.Pachauri’s scrutiny was spot on; his proposition to cut down on meat was ridiculous. Additionally, Johnson (2008) argues that while shunning meat consumption by humans would notably result in decreased methane output; Dr. Pachauri’s recommendation is mistaken as it ignores the pertinent issues at the heart of every environmental problem that presently afflicts the world. Some of these issues include: deforestation, destruction of species, the 1.3 billion people whose livelihoods are reliant on agriculture as well as the persistent human population boom. Currently, the world’s population is about 6.72 billion and anticipated to rise to 9 billion by 2050. Cows are not the problem; people eating the cows are the problem. Additionally, Johnson also reminds the UN of its historic role which entails: campaigning against global overpopulation, family planning championing for female emancipation, and all the real solutions to world’s intolerable and excessive population boom. In support of Dr. Pachauri’s proposition that meat production puts more GHG’s than the earth’s entire transport network, Smith et al. (2007, p.501) suggests that agriculture discharges considerable amounts of GHG’s (such as methane-CH4, nitrous oxide-N2O and carbondioxide-CO2) into the atmosphere. CH4 is generated when organic matter putrefies in anaerobic circumstances, especially from fermentative digestion by ruminant farm animals, from stockpiled droppings. This confirms that Dr.Pachauri is perhaps right for being anxious about methane gas emissions from livestock. On the

Premature birth & the sociological effects Research Paper

Premature birth & the sociological effects - Research Paper Example Dr. Mathew Allin, the research leader, has linked these symptoms to different possibilities such as remaining in the incubator makes bonding of the child and the parents difficult; genes could also be a reason of this personality disorder (BBC News). A premature baby faces continuous exposure to stress from invasive procedures, pain, sleep disturbances, and changes in less severe problems such as temperature, noise, and hunger. Even after being delivered to parents from the ICU care, a child experiences stress from regular fever, growth delays, and feeding problems. The life-risky problems challenge the under-developed coping mechanism of the child, as a child can undergo on an average 60 painful invasive procedures after admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In a study by Brandt et al, it was found that about 50% of all premature babies have learning disabilities in comparison to 9% of their peers. The IQ score of low-birth-weight premature babies is low in comparison to normally delivered babies (Maroney 679-83). There is a correlation between post -traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) in the parent of a premature baby and its resultant effect on the baby. The level of PTSD shown by the parent of the premature child is not definite but studies have shown that mothers of such babies show more PSTD symptoms in comparison to mothers of normally delivered healthy babies. Babies of such mothers are more prone to happenings of PSTD. Effects of such stress remain for long term in the lives of PSTD children. As the main care provider to the infant is the mother, studies have shown that due to the close relationship between the mother and the child, the mother can help the child in controlling the stress and providing a feeling of security. Parents of such children should provide Kangaroo Care with suitable Infant Massage to the child to reduce the stress level of the premature baby (Maroney 679-83). A child views the surroundings and

Ethical Issues in Management Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues in Management Essay Every so often we hear the phrase â€Å"Business is business and a cup of tea is a cup of tea†. The contemporary business managers think quite on the contrary. Morals and ethics are the new paradigm and have taken the driving seat in the day to day working of the Management. Ethics contains code of conduct for a person to blend with others keeping in view the righteousness and goodness of the trade; whereas, morals are not primarily written but acted upon by most of society with rectitude. The modern manager faces several issues on the moral and ethical front as more teamwork is required to accomplish collective goals. Fraud, discrimination, nepotism, false marketing in advertorial manner is the name of the game for unethical pseudo professionals and to cope with them always remain a challenge for the socially and ethically responsible manager. The moral values of a professional lie deep within, starting with the core communications between his superiors, peers and subordinates. The levelheaded working style of a manager speaks volume of not only his good ethical behavior but also keen sense of judgment and ability to lead his subordinates in a fair and square manner. An ethically responsible manager not only tells people what to do but shows them how to do it. A Manager must be the role model to other employees of the company; therefore, he is accountable for the training and guidance of his coworkers and associates. The management must device an ethical education management and assessment of behavioral integrity of the employees to extract more productivity (Wankel, 2011). It is rightly said that â€Å"Charity begins at home†, the same is applied to morals of the management. Ethically responsible management practices enforced by a company ensure that the company declines any shady business practices and eventually fraudulent functioning of the employees. The old business model has drastically changed over the years as accountability and transparency have become norms of progressive business (Carroll, 2012). In this context, the burden on the shoulders of whistles blowers have increased radically. They should be encouraged to report organizational misconduct in any form or manifestation. It is the responsibility of the management to encourage its employees to report any fraud or delinquency. Fortification of the whistle blower from coworkers is the responsibility of the company also which in return shall endorse the trust of the employees on the management. There are many example of ethical dilemma which arises due to the fact that the people in power not realize the repercussion of their decisions. Although society gives so much for the business to prosper, mostly none is returned to the society. A classical example would be the industrial waste coming out of a process industry which gravely affects the flora and fauna of the milieu. The decision of the management to spill industrial drainage without treatment is a solemn ethical breach. The environmental agencies have formalized various codes and standards like OSHAS which should have been followed prior to any drainage of detrimental waste water. Ethically responsible management practices and social issues bear close rapport. Hence the management must always have an insight to resolve these issues as they are always involved in dealing with the community directly or indirectly related to the business. The managers may have to take stern decisions to alleviate unethical demeanor yet it is bound to return back in folds.

Latino Dual Identity Essay -- Hispanic Culture, Identity Essays

Latinos who were raised in the United States of America have a dual identity. They were influenced by both their parents' ancestry and culture in addition to the American culture in which they live. Growing up in between two very different cultures creates a great problem, because they cannot identify completely with either culture and are also caught between the Spanish and English languages. Further more they struggle to connect with their roots. The duality in Latino identity and their search for their own personal identity is strongly represented in their writing. The following is a quote that expresses this idea in the words of Lucha Corpi, a Latina writer: "We Chicanos are like the abandoned children of divorced cultures. We are forever longing to be loved by an absent neglectful parent - Mexico - and also to be truly accepted by the other parent - the United States. We want bicultural harmony. We need it to survive. We struggle to achieve it. That struggle keeps us alive" ( Gr iwold ). Latinos often use Christian and religious imagery in their writing. The strongly religious memories and values instilled upon during their upbringing are often also used to represent innocence and/or their childhood ( Najarro ). Most Latinos who were raised in the United States had parents who ardently clung to the strict religious beliefs carried with them from their mother country. Therefore as Latinos struggle to connect themselves with their culture they find the Catholic faith strongly rooted in their past. Another struggle for identity with Latinos is their struggle with the Spanish and English languages. While some Latinos may speak Spanish in their homes, the language may not be conversationally used in their schools. Some Lat... ...r own personal identity and how others view them. They are caught between to very different cultures and consequently often don't know how to find a way to balance the two. As Latino-Americans move farther away from their roots and struggle to find some common ground between the two cultures the polar duality in their identity will continue to be an extremely common theme in Latino writing. Works Cited Griswold,Lisa. Voices from the Gap. 2002. 16 Sept. 2003 . Najarro.Adela. "Angles in the Kitchen:Latino Poets and the Search for Identity." Adela Najarro's Website. 24 Oct. 2002. 16. Sept. 2003 Rysavy, Tracy. "Secrets of a Poet Spy." Yes. A Journal of Positive Futures. Oct. 1999. 16. Sept. 2003.

8th Fire: Indigenous in the City Analysis: One Step Forward, One Step B

8th Fire: Indigenous in the City, is part of a documentary series that describes the challenges that aboriginal people face when moving to the large cities from reservations. The documentary begins by describing the stereotypes that English Canadians as well as other visible minority groups perceive aboriginal people to be. They show how damaging the stereotypes are to the First Nations, especially in the area of education. The documentary concludes by offering a few some solutions of how to change and improve the relationship between the aboriginal community and the rest of Canada. The two main aspects of the film that I will focus my analysis on is the education system from past to present and the negative impacts it has had on the First Nation’s people as well as aboriginal stereotyping. These two themes were the most prominent topics brought up throughout the film, and while one topic was well argued and framed, the other I will argue was more damaging than educationa l. I should mention that due to my ethnicity being of aboriginal decent, Mà ©tis in particular, I was extremely critical of the film because though these issues need to be addressed publicly, if they are presented in the wrong light, it can cause more negative implications than positives. Though the film mentioned the impact that residential schools had and still has on the aboriginal people, I felt that this issue needed to be stressed further because the legacy of the schools is still extremely prominent in aboriginal communities today. The film refers to the fact that residential schools harmed the aboriginal people because they were not able to learn their culture, which has resulted in the formation of internalized oppression within in the group. â€Å"The... ...t Kids Docs Radio TV. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. . Fleras, Augie. â€Å"Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.† Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print. King, Thomas. â€Å"Let Me Entertain You. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005. 61-89. Print. Ruth, Seà ¡n. â€Å"Theories of Internalized Oppression.† Leadership and Liberation: A Psychological Approach. London: Routledge, 2006. 155-173. Print. Schissel, Bernard, and Terry Wotherspoon. â€Å"The Legacy of Residential Schools.† Inequality in Canada: A Reader on the Intersections of Gender, Race, and Class. 2nd ed. Ed. Valerie Zawilski. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2010. 102-121. Print.

Appropriate Technology Essay

Emerging economies all across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East frequently look up to the developed ones in Europe and North America. This has less to do with cultural and social values and more to do with their relative level of prosperity. As Alex Steffen (2006, pp. 18-19) asserts, the kids of Cape Town and Novosibirsk don’t want to be Americans, rather they want to be who they are but with the benefits of technological modernity and development. Many pundits wrongly presume that improving less-developed communities requires implementation of a Rostovian model of development – linear evolution from certain economic states to more sophisticated ones –   but the problem is that they have limited success in nations where there are deficits in political will, infrastructure and in some cases, resources. As the Sustainable Times (2008) notes, many of these nations are â€Å"worse off than before they began to ‘develop’.† Village Earth’s (n.d.) Appopriate Technology Sourcebook opines that the result has been the ‘modernization of poverty’ in which farmland ownership has becoming increasingly consolidated, communities have become divided and individuals must operate on the fringe of economic activity to survive. As it stands, much the success of Rostovian models of modernization and development in European and Northern American nation-states have been born from exploitation and colonialism, if not entirely unsustainable. Nonetheless, the issue of development (or lack thereof) descends to levels deeper than just material prosperity, but matters of acquiring basic amenities such as clean water, decent shelter and a reliable food supply. With the aforementioned deficits in mind, it becomes necessary to find creative ways of fulfilling these needs rather than relying on the centralized forms of development which keep developed nations from sliding into a grim meathook future. This is where appropriate technology comes in, which is quite literally technology that is appropriate to the needs of a certain community, and suited to its uniquely salient attributes. Most commonly, this means addressing the deficits that exist because of a lack of capital-intensive development particular to modern urbanity. But a more critical understanding of appropriate technology is the recognition that technology does not follow a single path. Instead it is about realizing that the uniqueness of communities has a particular bearing on what kind of technological future is best suited to their needs. As the Village Earth notes: â€Å"It is a way of thinking about technological change; recognizing that [it] can evolve along different paths toward different ends. It also [recognizes that technology embodies] cultural biases and sometimes have political and distributional effects that go beyond a strictly economic evaluation.† (Village Earth, n.d.) Appropriate technology can be divided between hard technology and soft technology. The former refers to the application of engineering, machine science, physical structures and other forms of material technology devoted towards the realization of economic goals, whilst technologies dealing with the essence of human interactions, motivational psychology and social structures fall under the category of soft technology. (Albertson & Faulkner, 1986) Environmentalists, particularly those of the bright green camp which embrace technological solutions to the concerns of the planet, are known to endorse appropriate technology because they posses many features that are relevant to issues of sustainability such as low cost implementation, maximization of limited resources and to some extent, the development of   closed-loop systems which make such low-cost efficiency possible. For the most part, this involves employing creative solutions to common problems. Take for instance the problem of water supply in sub-Saharan Africa. For the vast majority of its people, acquiring water requires distant trips to water sources that are kilometers away. One solution to this is the Roundabout PlayPump, which utilizes the energy generated by children playing on an outdoor merry-go-round to pump underground water from depths of up to 40 meters into a 2,500 liter tank at the rate of 1,400 liters per hour. Over 500 of these pumps have been installed in South Africa, where clean water is scarce, and freeing children of the time they spend hauling water during after-school hours. (Danby, 2004) Another example of creative design is the Q-DRUM, which is essentially a wheel-shaped water container. It’s a simple approach – making a heavy barrel that bruises the neck and strains the spine into a rolling wheel – that makes you wonder why they didn’t think of it before. By running a rope through the wheel’s hole, the chore of water hauling becomes much less burdensome. (Project H Design, 2007) Surprisingly enough, low cost solutions are not limited to the simplest of needs. MIT-based inventor Amy Smith has developed many low cost solutions to problems in the developing Third World. One of her inventions is a method for producing charcoal, from agricultural waste such as sugar cane bagasse, for use as a cooking fuel. Previously, Haitians harvested trees for their cooking fuel and this innovation has been used to help address deforestation in Haiti, where thousands die annually from massive flooding. (Dean, 2004) Another invention of Smith’s is a phase-change incubator. She has also developed a phase-change incubator that relies on a highly portable fuel source – essentially a cheap chemical compound shaped into marble dimensions – to maintain a temperature of 37 °C for a period of 24 hours and obviating the need for an existing power grid, a concern all too common in the most lowly developed of communities. (Kennedy, 2003)

Music Triggers Sexua

Music triggers early sexual activity – study published: Sunday | March 2, 2008 Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Reporter Tony Matterhorn thrilling the crowd at Passa Passa on Spanish Town Road in February 2004. A study found that reggae music is one of the influencing factors of early sexual behaviour in teens. – File Teenagers are identifying music, mainly of the dancehall genre, as a trigger for early sexual intercourse, according to a scientific study conducted by public policy analyst and doctoral candidate, Tazhmoye Crawford, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, last year.The study, which centred on contraceptive use among adolescents, revealed that a number of children aged nine to 17, identified popular music as the main influence for experimenting with sex. Music was identified as the fifth leading reason for having intercourse, with 10 per cent of boys indicating that it was the main reason, compared to three per cent of girls. But, the study's findings is generating a mix of arguments among artistes as well as academics.Behavioural scientist and music educator, Dr Marilyn Anderson says despite the fact that the music is being laid out as part of the culture, there is no doubt that hard-core dancehall lyrics and content has an impact on the brain. â€Å"Some rhythms, timbres and amplitudes of the music can affect emotional behaviour in humans, particularly the young,† she says. Sexual activity on buses She surmises there is a direct correlation, for example, between the loud, hard-core music played on some public transportation and the proliferation of sexual display and activity on these same buses.Lecturer and author, Dr Donna Hope says while there are legitimate linkage between the two, the influence of the music is not great when compared to other influences like peer pressure and early exposure to pornography. â€Å"The role of the music is quite negligible,† she explains, â€Å"except that it takes so much from w hat is around us in the society then it would speak about these scenes in ways that would suggest – along with all the things that are happening on the ground – that, yes, a man should have sex because the heterosexual practice is very important in defining who is a man†.Her thoughts are shared by Dylan Pow, organiser of the famed ‘Passa Passa' street dance that takes place on the west Kingston end of Spanish Town Road. He argues that dancehall music is merely a speck in the array of sexual messages promoted by the mass media and is, therefore, no more influential than Hip Hop or Soca. Pow adds that sexuality is only one component of the music which reflects a wide cross-section of the inner-city experience. â€Å"Sometimes is a slack man on top [of the music charts]; sometime is a bad man on top; sometimes is a comedic artiste on top,† he says.He reasons that while events like his does not shun children, despite the graphic overture of sexuality, it does not influence them any more than other aspects of global popular culture. â€Å"The kids are not patrons, they are not buying liquor, they not doing anything and if you go to any open event in Jamaica for the most part, you going to find children who should be in their bed sleeping,† he adds. Big impact on teenagers Popular cultural artiste Tony Rebel is not buying the argument that dancehall merely mirrors the experiences of inner-city folk. He says it equally impacts on those receiving the message, especially teenagers.He says while it is not the only medium of exposure and influence, it plays an important part in early sexualisation. â€Å"The music is the one that is teaching a lot of the youths how to have sex, the name of certain types of sex acts, how to do it. It is all descriptive and even prescriptive,† he argues. He adds that the music has reduced sex to a casual activity and fails to promote and educate youngsters about protecting themselves from sexu ally transmitted diseases during intercourse. Rebel notes too that more males are impacted by the sexual messages coming out of the dancehall because it is delivered from a masculine perspective

Problem 1

20-1. The campus pizzeria sells a single pizza for $12. If you order a second pizza, however, the pizzeria charges a price of only $5 for the additional pizza. Explain how an understanding of marginal utility helps to explain the pizzeria’s pricing strategy. 20-1-A. The pricing method that the pizzeria is using shows they understand how marginal utility works, specifically diminishing marginal utility. After hitting the level of satisfaction from the first pizza, a second pizza will not be quite as rewarding. Getting an additional pizza at a price of only $5 dollars will entice a customer to purchase it because of the lower price.Because the significance of the second pizza is less than the first, a costumer would spend less on it. 20-2. As an individual consumes more units of an item, the person eventually experiences diminishing marginal utility. This means that to increase marginal utility, the person must consume less of an item. Explain the logic of this behavior using th e example in Problem 20-1. 20-2-A. As a consumer eats their first few slices of pizza, the level of satisfaction will eventually hit a maximum where they have thoroughly enjoyed it. After hitting the level of satisfaction, every piece of pizza after that will diminish the pleasure.Therefor, eating less pizza allows the consumer the greatest enjoyment because no pleasure is being added after eating to the point of satisfaction. 20-3. Where possible, complete the missing cells in the table. 20-3-A. 20-4. From the data in Problem 20-3, if the price of a cheeseburger is $2, the price of a bag of French fries is $1, and you have $6 to spend (and you spend all of it), what is the utility-maximizing combination of cheeseburgers and french fries? 20-4-A. The utility-maximizing combination is two cheeseburgers and two orders of french fries. 20-9.Consider the movements that take place from one point to the next (A to B to C and so on) along the total utility curve below as the individual suc cessively increases consumption by one more unit, and answer the questions that follow. a. Which one-unit increase in consumption from one point to the next along the total utility curve generates the highest marginal utility? From point A to point B there is a total utility increase of 5 units, meaning the marginal utility is 5 units as well. Therefor, point A to point B generates the highest marginal utility. b.Which one-unit increase in consumption from one point to the next along the total utility curve generates zero marginal utility? Point E to point F generates no marginal utility, meaning the marginal utility is zero. c. Which one-unit increase in consumption from one point to the next along the total utility curve generates negative marginal utility? Point F to point G decreases total utility from 11 to 10 units meaning marginal utility is negative. 20-10. Draw a marginal utility curve corresponding to the total utility curve depicted in Problem 20-9. 20-12.Refer to the fol lowing table for a different consumer, and assume that each week this consumer buys only hot dogs and tickets to baseball games. The price of a hot dog is $2, and the price of a baseball game is $60. If the consumer’s income is $128 per week, what quantity of each item will he purchase each week at a consumer optimum? 20-12-A. The consumer will purchase 2 baseball game tickets and 4 hot dogs each week at a consumer optimum. Equal marginal utilities per dollar occur at the consumption level of 2 baseball game tickets and 4 hot dogs, with the total income equaling $128. The marginal utility per dollar spent equals 5.

Accounting - Tax Research Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting - Tax Research Case - Essay Example One of the longest continuing disagreements between the IRS and the taxpayers is the issue about capitalization of an expense incurred in a business. The most crucial queries in income tax law are with regard to an expenditure incurred in the course of a business. The question arises as to whether the expenditure so incurred can be subtracted at present to determine the payer’s tax liability, or should it be capitalized. Capitalization in several cases ensues in an asset which can be amortized or depreciated with the passage of time. But sometimes capitalization may be only an offset to a sale when the asset is sold of or even prevent any kind of subtraction at any time. Over the years, the practice in assortment gave rise to huge uncertainty and court case which has created an extensive body of perplexing and opposing right. Controversies of this kind arose after the decision rendered by the Supreme Court in INDOPCO, Inc. v. Commr, 503 U.S. 79 (1992) (Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw, 2003). In yet another case of Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. [71-1 ustc 9476], it was held simply that the formation of a separate and discrete asset may be an adequate condition for categorization as a capital expenditure. But this is not a prerequisite to such classification. Lincoln Savings also does not disallow dependence on future gain as substance of differentiating a regular business expense from that of a capital expenditure. Even though the existence of a subsidiary future advantage may not permit capitalization, a taxpayer’s recognition of profits in future is vital in deciding whether the proper tax treatment is instant deduction or capitalization (Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. 71-1 ustc 9476; Pp. 4-12). The court in the case of Commissioner v. Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. stated thus "the presence of an ensuing

Selective Incorporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selective Incorporation - Essay Example Selective incorporation has been applied in numerous instances to protect and uphold human rights especially in a criminal proceeding. This was done during the tenure of chief justice Earl Warren when the rights enjoyed by the criminal defendants were expanded. For example, in the case of Gideon v Wainwright, the defendant was accused of breaking into bay harbor pool hall and stealing cigarette change from the vending machines.Though Gideon requested a lawyer to be appointed by the states, the state of Florida declined, stating that this can only be done in capital offenses. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment allowed all defendants to access the services of an attorney. This right, as stated in the sixth amendment of the constitution was meant to protect the rights of the accused and ensure the provision of free trails. The Miranda v Arizona established the principle of equal access to legal representation during a trial and the determination was based on select ive incorporation. Failure to inform a suspect of his right during arrest constitutes legal subjugation of their legal rights as contained in the first 8 amendments and the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. The 5th amendment of the united states indicates that a suspect has a right to remain silent during arrest as any pronouncement made can be used against them in the determination of the case.The sixth amendment indicates that a legal counsel must represent suspects during the determination of their cases.

IS Strategic planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

IS Strategic planning - Essay Example Heads of department from both faculties would meet together on a regular basis. Communications and report structures would become more collaborative, involving joint reports on key strategic partnerships. The cost savings of a single faculty office would not be achieved, but estimates suggested that the joint working proposed would be less costly than Plan A. Students and staff would experience no disruption under the new arrangements, although again potential developments in terms of new courses and research were envisaged. One potential hurdle was the increased levels of bureaucracy. Staff already moaned about the amount of paperwork and there was a danger of increasing the number of committees under the joint arrangements. Re-engineering will involve integration of latest technological aspects such as cloud computing features and components to the system to ensure that all long term institution’s technological needs and IT requirements are met. The applications which are given priority include database, data warehousing components that will enable the company to meet the short term IT strategies. The hardware and other support software are also given priority. The testing should be carried in two stages. First every system unit is thoroughly tested. This is done by exposing the prototype system to the users. The errors that will be realized are fixed before system integration. Another test will be performed after the different sub systems are integrated. Training will be conducted in phases. All the employees in different business units should fully understand the system and how it works. The security issues should also be dealt with during the training. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats identified for the Midchester University were provides a wide environment and covers the elements such as support systems for information technology, academic programs and the IT

The management strategy of Blackberry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The management strategy of Blackberry - Essay Example Center of discussion in this paper is Blackberry as a major player in the smart phone and mobile email markets around the world. The brand was designed and developed by the Canadian firm Research in Motion (RIM) and has been operational in the smart phone markets since 1999. The typical Blackberry device is created to function as a personal digital assistant, portable media player, internet browser, gaming device and many other similar functions. The largest competitive advantage available to Blackberry devices in comparison to other smart phones is their ability to send and receive push email and instant messaging while preserving a lot of security through patented encryption methods. Typical Blackberry devices support many instant messaging features including the Blackberry Messenger. For the fiscal year 2011, Blackberry sales accounted for 3% of all mobile device sales around the world. This makes RIM the sixth most popular device manufacturer in the world, as 25% of all mobile de vices manufactured in the world are smart phones. The trademark Blackberry Internet Service is offered in 91 countries through some 500 mobile service operators who provide differing mobile technologies. An estimate from October 2011 places the number of global Blackberry subscribers at 70 million. The greatest market penetration of Blackberry smart phones is in the Caribbean and Latin America with market penetration levels of up to 45% in the region. ... s that Android has the largest market share at 13% followed by Blackberry at 10% with Apple lagging behind at 9% while Windows Phone stands at a measly 1% only. The British market is also seeing a general increase in smart phones in the overall mobile phone market. Within this scope of expansion, the share of RIM increased by 4% while Apple expanded by 2% to their overall market share. However, these increases pale in comparison to strides by Android that grew to twice its previous market size. The increase from Android’s end can largely be attributed to mid-range headsets manufactured by HTC and Samsung that are also supporting Windows small market share (Brill, 2012). Blackberry’s and its competition’s overall market share reveals a lot given that Blackberry stands at 22.3% of the smart phone market while Android stands at 45.2% with Apple lagging behind at 18.3%. When these figures are compared to the market growth rates reported previously, it becomes clear t hat Blackberry’s greatest competition stems from Android. In order to find a better marketing scheme it is necessary to study why Blackberry is losing to Android in certain areas and gaining in others. While Blackberry is losing fast to competition from Android around the world, but consumers in Spain and the United Kingdom are holding strong to Blackberry. The youth market is supportive of Blackberry because of the large volumes of text messages and instant messaging services used by them. The primary usages of young consumers are messaging services that are harder to use in conventional handsets when compared to smart phones such as Blackberry. One major advantage available to Blackberry when compared to Android is the trademark QWERTY physical keyboard that is standard to all Blackberry devices but

KIEU ESSAY-THEME 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KIEU -THEME 2 - Essay Example He contradicts his position of morality as at one point he is immoral and some other point he is moral. The character Thuc Ky Tam portrays the theme of immorality in ‘the tales of Kieu’. It is evident throughout the old story narrated in the poem. Thuc Ky Tam is at first introduced in the story to be the top manager of a brothel. As known to the public at large, brothels are place where immorality is practiced at its highest levels. For such a person to be in charge of a brothel, more at the time this poem was publicized, he had to be immoral. In spite of Thuc Ky Tam’s actions later in the story, he carries on the shameful deeds of individuals who maintained visiting the brothel. Thuc is one person who was well bred and educated and was supposed to defend women rather than indulging in immoral acts with them. This defilement act portrays the character of Thuc to be obviously immoral man. The family of Thuc can be described to be well bred and well to do as they ha d a trading shop. Thuc at his early ages was a man of passion as sings of Kieu’s beauty from the moment he saw her. He made it his initiative to persuade and make her fall in love with him for which he accomplished (Nguyen, pp.69). He first saw Kieu in the brothel at her place of work and where Thuc was a manager. They went on to see each other on many instances and their relationship looked to be more intimate than being casual. Visible closeness existed between the two that portrayed to true lovers. Thuc expressed his emotions to Kieu who answered back by professing her love to him. Nevertheless, Kieu’s current and past job was a stumbling block as she knew it could not be ignored. Thuc was a married man and this was a challenge to their relationship with Kieu as they could not get into a union of marriage. It also barred them from carrying out their relationship outside the brothel. Kiev talked about the wife of Thuc, "But if the lady lords over you, I shall be toss ed to her, your lioness" This did not shake Thuc as their situations that grew worse rather made them stronger in love. The character of Thuc makes a turn at this juncture when what he feels for Kieu makes him liberate move away form the brothel. Thuc does this by paying Dame Tu, madam at the brothel which showed that he held to his words by honoring his promise. Kiev and Thuc continued in their relationship as married partners with Thuc looking after his wife and life became enjoyable. This is contrary to one’s expectation of an affair between a man who was frequent in brothels and a prostitute. One’s expectation may be that the two would at one time renounce the life they live and turn into a new leaf. Nevertheless, their relationship looked so comfortable and normal that there could be an end. The character of Thuc transforms to man of good deeds and one may attempt to deliver him from his past sins of prostitution and frequenting brothels. His father who has been a way is responsible for stereotyping the play in this love story of Thuc and Kieu. He warns them that Thuc should take Kieu back to where she worked as a prostitute or judgment awaits them for making a mistake of living together while Thuc was still in another union. The two opted for the worse by waiting for the judgment as they continued to live together. What trouble his father was that Thuc had chosen a prostitute for a wife and this tarnished the family name. Thuc and Kieu face judgment and at the start, the case was against Kieu who had