Zeus and Poseidon

Zeus and Poseidon In Greek mythology, there are many gods. All the gods rule a certain thing. One of the main gods are Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. These gods are very alike and yet very different. When comparing and contrasting Zeus and Poseidon based on powers, place of rule, and marriages, it is clear that Zeus is the better choice. While both gods are very strong, Zeus is superior in power. Zeus is the god of the gods and thunder. Poseidon is the god of the sea and earthquakes.This makes both gods very powerful, Earthquakes make plenty of damage but thunder is much more destructive. Thunder can commence a fire that lasts for days. An earthquake lasts for a while. Zeus is clearly superior power wise. Comparing and contrasting place of rule Zeus also triumphs over Poseidon. Poseidon’s place of rule is the sea; Zeus’s place of rule is the heavens. The heavens and the sea are both beautiful places. Poseidon has his beautiful creatures underwater. But Zeus lives on Mount O lympus which is gods’ most wonderful place.Zeus feasts on ambrosia and nectar everyday. While comparing and contrasting Zeus and Poseidon’s marriage, Poseidon is the clear winner. Zeus is married to Hera and Poseidon is married to Amphitrite. Zeus was married six times, and he had numerous affairs with goddesses and mortal women. Poseidon, much like Zeus, also had many affairs but unlike Hera, Amphitrite was not jealous. In fact, the myths don't indicate that Amphitrite took much notice of her husband's love affairs.Poseidon triumphs over Zeus in marriage because Poseidon seemed to be more loyal to his wife. These two very powerful gods have numerous similarities and differences. Yet one is triumphant over the other in two of three categories. Zeus is triumphant in power and place of rule. Poseidon is superior when it comes to marriages. This shows that when comparing and contrasting Zeus and Poseidon derived from power, place of rule, and marriages Zeus is the finest god.

Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the Kurdish Issue

Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the Kurdish Issue The Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline links the Caspian sea to the Eastern Mediterranean, it runs 1, 768 km long and is the second longest oil pipeline in the former Soviet Union, extending through the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey. At its capacity it can pump up to 1 million barrels (160,00 m3) of oil per day. The construction of the pipeline was a massive undertaking costing upwards of US$3. 9 billion.This considered the pipeline was funded 70% by third parties (dominated by British Petroleum). Even well before it’s completion the BTC pipeline has had a remarkable effect on the world’s oil politics; some critics have gone as far to argue that it has directly affected the geopolitics of the Palestinian conflict. One can clearly see the important monetary reasons to this pipeline, however what will be dealt with more in this essay will be it’s contributions to world polit ics and the controversies that surround it.The BTC pipeline is nothing short of an engineering feat, extending almost exactly 1, 768 km across extremely difficult terrain and diverse climatic and geological zones; techniques and chemical coatings which may have worked perfect for one region had to be changed for others. What sets the BTC pipeline apart though is how this ambitious undertaking affects the myriad communities and millions of citizens, making the pipeline not only an economic undertaking but also a socio-political issue.The South Caucasus, formerly an underappreciated region of Russia, is now of extreme strategic significance; the US along with many other Western powers have vested interests in the affairs of these three nations through which the pipeline runs. The BTC pipeline bypasses the territory of the Russian Federation. It transits through the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia, both of which have become US â€Å"protectorates†, firmly integ rated into a military alliance with the US and NATO. It goes without saying that the pipeline is all about the oil, but it is equally about the social and civic development of the participating countries.In order to properly discuss the social and environmental issues of the BTC project, one must first have an adequate frame of reference from which the project can be judged. There are many principles which one can use including those outlined by the World Bank. However for the purposes of this paper, the Equator Principles will be used. The EPs are a set of principles – outlined by Citigroup, ABN AMRO, Barclays and WestLB – are a voluntary set of principles for determining social and environmental risk in project financing.The Principles, adopted by seventeen leading private banks, specify that said Banks would only provide loans to projects, which meet a number of conditions. These conditions include that projects comply with the International Finance Corporation (IFC ) policies, that they follow the host country laws, among other specific requirements. A review in 2003 examined the BTC pipeline; this paper will examine the Turkish section of this review (while many of the same systemic failures were found just as well in Azerbaijan and Georgia).Based on a rigorous study of the BTC project documents, and also on two international FACT finding Missions to the pipeline route, this review found that BTC project is in breach of five EP-referenced IFC standards on 127 accounts. These sections include: 53 counts in Environmental Assessment; 7 counts in Natural Habitats; 30 counts in Indigenous Peoples; 28 counts in Involuntary Resettlement; 9 counts in Cultural Property The study also found that the project was in breach of international standards such as World Bank standards, European Union Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment, European Bank of Reconstruction & Development.This would be a massive undertaking to properly examine all of the claims made against the BTC project, so focus will instead be put in three areas: Natural Habitats, Indigenous Peoples, and Involuntary resettlement. In doing so this paper will examine the example given by the Kurdish community of Turkey. The Kurds are an example of a nation without a state; they are an ethno-linguistic group without any central state. They comprise 18% of the Turkish population (an estimated 14 million).When establishing the pipeline, Turkey strategically rerouted the pipeline away from the heavily Kurdish areas and the South-East; that being said much of the pipeline still runs through areas that require heavily armed guarding. When looking at the EP section Impacts and indigenous peoples and communities (chapter 8), the project scored a non-compliance stating that â€Å"the impacts on indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities not considered at all (notably the Kurds)†. The Kurds, an ethnic minority of the region, can apply for OD 4. 0 (Indigenous Peoples r ights, section 8. 3), however when BTC co. overlooked this to speed the construction process along they broke not only the Equator principles but also the World Bank principles. Specifically the BTC project has failed to ensure that the Kurds benefited from this project, and failed to ensure that the Kurds were adequately informed about the project prior to it’s completion. Also the project did not even attempt to draw up an ethnic minorities’ development plan (which would include schooling funding among other social programs).Operational Directive 4. 30, Involuntary Resettlement, sets out the requirements for resettlement and adequate compensation for land acquisition. Fact-finding missions outlined in the EP document emergency powers had been used to override OD 4. 30. In many cases displacement occurred before compensation was complete, and when compensation was given the rates were too low. None of the communities were informed of their rights in regards to the lan d expropriation. Much of the criticism coming from the consultation process of the BTC co. s interesting however, because the project did put in place comprehensive public consultation and disclosure processes commencing in mid-2001 with a process of stakeholder identification and preliminary consultation during project scoping; information briefs and consultations with local authorities and local NGOs followed very shortly after this. On the IFC website, the claim is made that they were informed that the members of the Kurdish communities all were fluent in Turkish. As a result of this mistreatment of the Kurdish communities, which the pipeline passes through, many Kurdish militant groups have taken to sabotaging the pipeline.The Kurdish workers party (PKK) has publicly taken credit for much of this sabotage. However there was no mention of whether they adequately explain (in Turkish of Kurdish) their rights with regards to land expropriation. As a result one can see that BTC is ma king the bare minimum of effort required to the Kurdish communities; they claim that they are meeting with the members of the community and yet there still seems to be opposition with pipeline sabotage. Some have argued that this is just an attempt to discredit the Turkish state and bring attention to their nationalist causes in regards to Kurdistan. Regardless of hich, the BTC project has not adequately equipped these communities with the means to consult with these large firms. Much of the political tension arising from the pipeline is a direct result of the lack of environmental accountability. At 1 million barrels a day, the amount of CO2 produced in a year is equal to an entire power industry in the UK. The region of Turkey that the pipeline runs through historically is prone to major earthquakes, and there has not been adequate preparation for this. The BTC project is suffering these problems because of a complete disregard to these standards, but rather seemingly because of a rushed approach.Couple the Kurdish issue with the evident disregard for any form of environmental accountability along with many other problems found in the two ex-soviet countries not mentioned in this paper and the project is simply not sustainable. If adequate structures are not put in place to allow for public dissent, the BTC is doomed to continually suffer sabotage to their pipelines. This is perhaps not such a problem from the perspective of BP, who clearly can afford this expense; it is however an embarrassing light to be shone on Turkey. If for no other reason, Turkey should be pressing for changes in the BTC structure.

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

Question - Essay Example In this regard, both the components played a significant role in the provision of computers that are responsible for carrying a number of tasks every day. In order to compare the two components and identify one important out of them is a difficult or maybe an impracticable task, as both are interdependent on each other, and absence of a single component results in the insignificance of the other. In other words, hardware represents physical aspect, whereas, software symbolizes cognitive processes of the computer. In other instance, hardware is the delivery system or delivery carrier, such as monitor, keyboard, mouse, CPU, etc, and on the other hand, software is the framework that facilitates such carrier (Bianco, 2005). Thus, it would be appropriate to say that importance lies in the collaboration, integration, and combination of the two components, rather than in either of them. In personal opinion, hardware came first, which then required software for its application, and software provided a platform to the hardware for its utilization. A major example of software is system software, such as Windows XP, Linux, etc that support specific hardware, and similarly, manufacturers build hardware that specifically support particular system software (Bianco, 2005). In this way, both are interdependent and productive after their combination, and their importance lies in amalgamation. Conclusively, the paper has discussed some of the significant aspects of hardware and software, and attempted to recognize their importance. It is an expectation that the paper will be beneficial for students, teachers, and professionals in better understanding of the

Youth Empowerment and Volunteerism in Hong Kong and How It Impacts the Dissertation

Youth Empowerment and Volunteerism in Hong Kong and How It Impacts the Society - Dissertation Example Volunteerism is the main or prominent tool for youth empowerment in the society. Volunteerism and youth empowerment are interrelated parts. In this paper, we will discuss Youth Empowerment and Volunteerism in Hong Kong and How It Impacts the Society. Volunteerism is the activity that is done for the purpose of good deeds, to fulfill the human rights and for removing the tears of effected ones for examples voluntarily activities help or support in the time of earthquakes, accidents and air crashes etc. In return, of volunteer activity, one cannot get the money but he or she gets the respect in others as well as his own eyes. Volunteer activities consist of capabilities and expertise that a person has. The purpose of this study is to encourage the volunteerism as the part of the youth empowerment that would positively impact the economy and community and would enhance the abilities and skills in the youth of Hong Kong. As the communities and regions of the world developed, peoples have developed different ideas about the world or community they want to be in. Different ideas and different strategies were made to develop a perfect society. Youth are the major pillar of any society and thus, should have to work for the community or communal organization. Societies and communities have realized the role of youth in the development of the community. Youth have the potential to work more than adults and thus it is important to realize the importance of the youth development. The development of the youth also includes the youth empowerment, which is associated with the encouragement of the skills in the youth. Different authors have different opinions about the youth empowerment. Volunteerism is the key to secure the valuable resources of the community and thus its practice should be increased to increase the pace of the community development. The Hypothesis of the research is to discuss â€Å"The Youth empowerment and volunteerism in Hong Kong and how it impacts the society† and do â€Å"youth empowerment and volunteerism impacts positively the society of Hong Kong and do volunteerism and youth empowerment have positive economic impacts and positive societal impacts†. Literature Review Youth are the main and powerful elements of society. Youth are the cream of society through which society runs in a proper way. It is obligatory for any society to utilize all required resources for flourish and progress of youth. In Hong Kong, specific books have been written regarding the correlation between volunteerism and youth empowerment. The author in his book, â€Å"Youth Empowerment and Volunteerism: Principles, Policies and Practices† focuses that volunteerism is the key element, which helps the youth in their mental, and social growth. Volunteerism is the keystone for the youth empowerment. In the book, variety of hypothesis, models, patterns and perceptions related to youth empowerment and volunteerism are expressed in detail (Hol osko, 2008). Many authors discussed the dissimilar cultures add their cultural background, values, traditions, ways of life, social and political structure to assist the empowerment of youth and volunteerism. As this is, written earlier youth is the main element of society so as the empowering youth means the youth that have lot of courage to run the society in a successful manner. The youth that have courage to give their services, voluntarily is the empowered youth because by giving services without any expectation of money or any other advantage can make the any person responsible and that is the biggest achievement for any society. Empowerment in youth empowerment enhances by adopting some basic

Welfare state Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Welfare state - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that If evidence shows that high numbers of individuals leave the welfare system within a period of fewer than 6 months, it would greatly validate my claim that individuals do not feed on the welfare system and resist coming off of it.   In addition, it would be important to find qualitative information from welfare recipients that explain the reasoning for them entering into receiving welfare as well as their reason for coming off of it.   One struggle with this qualitative examination is the emotional struggles endured that cause member of society to enter into welfare or to remove them from receiving welfare benefits.   Such emotional struggles can be attributed to psychosocial, environmental and familial shame as previously mentioned.    It is my wish to find evidence that will support or refute my original claim that welfare programs, specifically those of food stamps and unemployment benefits, are beneficial for society as a whole and help individua ls re-enter society’s workforce while coping with unfortunate circumstances.   Likewise, I seek to find information to support to refute my claim that individuals do not wish to stay on welfare benefits and will work hard to come off of them because of psychosocial, environmental and familial shame that is associated with being on welfare.   Historical evidence will be drawn to help understand the origination of the welfare system and previous empirical data will help to analyze the trends associated with individuals that have received welfare benefits.   Ã‚  

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections Research Paper

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections - Research Paper Example Alongside its benefits are its shortcomings. It is widely believed that the internet has alienated people from their surroundings. It has led many people to stay home and chat with their friends online rather than going out with them in person. Other than that the internet has been exploited by the sex industry. Free pornographic images are put up online which corrupt people’s mind and children often become the main target of such an action. On an overall basis, the internet has given us a lot to gain from it and social networking without any doubt has bridged distances between people and brought them together. There aren’t many people who wouldn’t know about Facebook. It has been the most famous social networking site of all time as it allows almost 600 million people across the globe to be socially connected to each other. Famous social networking forums on the internet do not only allow people to talk to each other, rather it enables them to share a lot of vit al and important information. The creation of organization wide pages on Facebook allows workers to socially reach with each other – something that they don’t really get much time for while they’re at work. Facebook has gained so much popularity that many people think that Facebook is like a new worldwide telephone network; only difference being it carries personal connections and profiles instead of voice (Feenberg, pp. 222-240). Another famous social connection tool is Skype. This software allows its user to make free Skype to Skype audio as well as video calls. Internet technology has no doubt reached great extremes as soft wares like Skype allow two people from across the globe to be socially connected to each other by making calls without even paying a single penny. This software has also enabled businessmen to schedule important business meetings online and thereby save on important time and costs. With technologies like Skype, parents worry less before se nding their kids to study abroad knowing they can see them and talk to them whenever they want (Stadler, pp. 29-42). Social connectivity has without doubt reached great extremes with the advent of internet related software. There aren’t many people who say they know they know all about social networking and don’t know about MSN Messenger. Not only does this software provide a common platform to chat with relatives and mates throughout the world, but it also comes with a lot of other exciting options for entertainment. It allows its users to play games with each other, do voice and video chat and set common backgrounds. In this fast paced world, the internet has done a lot to keep people close to each other and software like MSN, Facebook and Skype have defined what we call the twenty first century social connectivity. Had it not been for the internet, it would take the current world company CEO and presidents ages till they get to meet their family, given the fact that they’re always engrosses with tons and tons of workload. The critics of internet as a means of social networking come up with many arguments. One study available regarding the negative effects of internet on teenagers states, (Web) â€Å"The proliferation of pornographic materials is undeniably one of the alarming things that has brought about by the Internet. It does not only corrupt the minds of the young people that are exposed to them but also it paves the way for the degradation of human dignity. It also strains the moral make up of society. The Internet

EDU 508 Family Chapter Presentations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

EDU 508 Family Chapter Presentations - Assignment Example The transition helps the child when leaving secondary school life and prepares him for adult life. One of the greatest challenges is faced in the transition period. During this period, parents and facilitators must engage in substantive dialogue about the child. In most cases, families from diverse backgrounds get upset or confused. The issue behind this setback is culture. I would employ an intercultural communication approach so that the parents who play key role in development of IEP appreciate their culture rather than feel upset or confused. The assessment done on the students revealed that the student is disabled and must be accommodated in the learning atmosphere. The criterion used by the team is satisfactory to help the needy child. It has identified some ways to accommodate the students with disability in a future classroom and as shown in the film and the lessons learnt from the

Gender Roles In Old Testament Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Roles In Old Testament - Research Paper Example Men and women both are considered saints when they die according to the Testament; there are different aspects of being a saint such as being a martyr, a military leader or a monarch etc. which symbolized the different roles that were played by them in their life as Christians. Jesus is believed to have told his followers in the Testament that God is like their Father and should be addressed so. Catholics and Orthodox Christians also believe that there is a special place for Mary, who was the Mother of Jesus and this shows that they give virtue to the maternal value in Christianity. Protestants, however, don’t believe in the devotion towards Mary, called Marian devotion. (Pierce, Groothuis, & Fee, 2004) The Old Testament describes the journey of Christianity and its beliefs. Christianity came from patriarchal societies which place men in a higher position of command in a marriage bond, in society, government and many other aspects. Christ was inclusive of women, however, apostles were the only male. Marian devotion rose in the Middle Ages and so did chivalry. Women became part of church life later by developing the concept of a convent where women played a role by being religious nuns and sisters. (Barton, 2007) Gender roles have also been debated over the years among people of different beliefs and their different theories, however, there are some views that are widely accepted in our culture and in our practical lives as well. The way of life is shown in the Old Testament; it is a revelation with roles defined for men and women that people often confuse for their own purposes today. It covers what their roles have been since they were created. And it further helps us to overcome barriers, races, cultures etc. and to understand the broader sentiment of the subject.  

The Effects of the Dream Act on the Family Essay

The Effects of the Dream Act on the Family - Essay Example Many hardcore immigration advocates would simply argue to deport them all back to whatever country they originated from. However, that logic brought about a very important question that requires addressing; What about the children who were brought here as infants or children completely without intention and have never lived outside the United States; do you deport them with their families or separate the families? Can we as a country in good conscious send children to foreign countries they may know little about and possibly not even speak the language, equally could we send parents away and leave children to hear without them? The current presidential administration agreed that this was not something that America should do, so without the much immediate support and no authorization of the rest of the government, Barack Obama, passed the Act using his executive powers as President in 2012. There are a number of different arguments that many Americans support and oppose the implementation of the DREAM Act. Some are economical and others political, others still are racial; however, the most relevant arguments really are the ethical ones. The living breathing, thinking, feeling people that are truly most directly impacted by such an Act need to be considered. The DREAM Act would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to no longer have to fear possible deportation if their illegal status is known. In order to qualify the individual must be have been brought to the United States as minors and be between the ages of 15 and 30 and have maintained continuous residency in The United States for at least 5 years. Those who have been involved in serious crimes would be automatically ineligible (Mahatmya & Gring-Pemble 1-18). The benefits under the DREAM Act would change the lives of many young undocumented immigrants. For many years these children of immigrants could attend public schools but could not ever gain a legal drivers license, attend college, or receive any kind of educational financial aid.

Meaning of Life Essay Example for Free

Meaning of Life Essay Heres what a recent survey found: †¢ 25% of people say it is to seek truth and create meaning for yourself †¢ 22% think the meaning of life is to lovingly help others and make the world better †¢ 18% say there is no meaning †¢ 8% think it is to reproduce and continue your genes and the human race †¢ 8% say it is to find happiness †¢ 6% believe it is to learn how to serve and worship God, while †¢ 8% don’t know While it seems there are several purposes to life, science is beginning to reveal there is one fundamental purpose to all life. Every moment of your existence your body works to keep energy flowing. Every second you breathe air, you add food and water to replace the energy you use. Everything you sense or do is connected to the flow of energy in one form or another. You are so used to this energy flow that you hardly notice it. It is the ultimate process of your life. If your energy stops flowing you die: flowing energy differentiates living creatures from dead ones. While the purpose of all life might be to help energy flow, the same laws of energy indicate that a meaning of your own life is to find how your energy flows best. Is this science echoing those scriptures that suggest you have your own unique ‘gift’ that you should use? What does your energy enable you to do best? This can be as simple as determining what you are truly passionate about or what you do better than anyone else. Unfortunately, many of us are not aware of what this is. As such, the individual meaning of your life is for you to discover what makes your energy flow best and then how to do that. How you use energy best varies for everyone therefore, everyone has a slightly different meaning to someone else. Ignoring this means your energy will be all mixed up and your life will be chaotic. This is what most scriptures and spiritual writings are trying to tell us, but just didnt understand energy well enough. If you look at ancient scriptures and spiritual writings in terms of energy you start to realise that they, and modern science, are all saying something similar. In short, while the purpose of all life is about helping energy flow, spread and balance, your individual meaning is about determining how you do this best, what you do that helps your energies flow best.

The Life Of Warren Buffett History Essay

The Life Of Warren Buffett History Essay INTRODUCTION Warren Edward Buffett (born August 30, 1930) is a U.S. investor, and philanthropist. He is one of the most eminent investors in chronicle, the basic shareholder and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway and in 2008 was ordered by Forbes as the 2nd most robust person in the world on an approximated net worth of around $62 billion. Buffett is often called the Oracle of Omaha or the Sage of Omaha and is noted for his adhesiveness to the value investing philosophy and for his own frugalness in spite of his huge riches. Buffett is also a famed altruist, having engaged to impart 85 percentage of his fate to the Gates cornerstone. He as well assists as a appendage of the board of trustees at Grinnell College. In 1999, Buffett personified described as the greatest money manager of the twentieth century in a surveil by the Carson Group, leading Peter Lynch and John Templeton. In 2007, he was enrolled amongst Times 100 virtually influencial people on the Earth. BUFFETTS HISTORY Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father name is Howard Buffett and having 2 siblings. He worked at his grandpas grocery store. In 1943, Buffett registered his 1st income tax return, deducing his pedal and watch as an exercise disbursement for $35 for his employment as paper deliveryman. Later on his father was elected to United States Congress, Buffett was schooled at Woodrow Wilson High School , Washington. In 1945, in his fledgeling year of high school, Buffett and a acquaintance expended $25 to buy a secondhand pinball game machine, which they placed in a barber workshop. Within weeks, they possessed 3 game machines in different emplacements. Buffett first entered at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, (1947-49) where he united the Alpha Sigma Phi brotherhood. His father and uncles were Alpha Sigma Phi brothers from the chapter in Nebraska. In 1951, he changed to the University of Nebraska where he underwent a B.S. in Economics. Buffett then enrolled at Columbia Business School subsequently memorising that Benjamin Graham, (the generator of The Intelligent Investor), and David Dodd, 2 long-familiar financial analyst*, tutored there. In 1951, he then underwent a M.S. in Economics from Columbia University. In Buffetts personal articulates: Im 15 percent Fisher and 85 percent Benjamin Graham. The primary theme of investing is to consider stocks as business, utilise the markets variations to your welfare, and look for a safety margin. That is what Benjamin Graham educated us. A century from today theyll even be the fundaments of investing. BENJAMIN GRAHAM BUFFETTS MENTOR During the period of 1920s, Ben Graham had become renowned. He looked for for stocks that comprised so low-priced they were almost entirely pregnant of risk, at a time when the rest of the world was approaching the investment field as a tremendous game of roulette. The Northern Pipe Line, an oil transportation company carried off by the Rockefellers was among his best known calls. The value investors tried to convince management to trade the portfolio, but they denied because Graham accomplished that the company had bond holdings worth $95 per share which was traded at $65 per share. Shortly thereafter, he engaged a adoptive warfare and procured a spot on the Board of Directors (BOD). The company gave a dividend in the amount of $70 per share and sold-out its bonds. At the age of 40, Security Analysis, among the greatest works ever composed on the stock market was pubished by Ben Graham. At that time, it was dangerous; endowing in equities had become a prank (The Dow Jones had struck from 381.17 to 41.22 over the course of three to four short years following the crash of 1929). It was about this time that Graham arrived up with the rule of intrinsic business value a touchstone of a businesss genuine worth that was wholly and entirely independent of the stock price. Utilising intrinsic value, investors could be in the position to determine what a company was worth and could be capable to take investment decisions consequently. His succeeding book, The Intelligent Investor, which Warren observes as the greatest book on investing ever written, enclosed the world to Mr. Market the best investment doctrine of analogy in history. Through his simple yet profound investment principles, Ben Graham turned an idyllic anatomy to the 21 year old, Warren Bu ffett. CAREER CHRONICLE From 1951-54, Buffett was hired at Buffett-Falk Co., Omaha as an Investiture Salesman. From 1954-1956, he was hired at Graham-Newman Corp., New York as a financial analyst. From 1956-1969, he worked with Buffett Partnership, Ltd., Omaha as a superior general Partner and from 1970 onwards till Present at Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Omaha as its Chairman, Chief Executive Officer. In 1951, Buffett Warren observed his mentor was the Chairman of a small, nameless insurance company named GEICO insurance. Taking a power train to Washington. on a Saturday, he tapped on the door of GEICOs central office until a janitor permitted him in. At that place, he encountered Lorimer Davidson, Geicos Vice President, and the both talked about the insurance business concern for hours. Davidson would eventually become Buffetts womb-to-tomb friend and an everlasting charm and later on recollect that he discovered Buffett to be a Prodigious man after only fifteen minutes. Buffett calibrated from Columbia and desired to work at Wall Street, however both, his father and Ben Graham pressed him not to. He volunteered to work out for Graham free of charge, but Graham declined. Buffett turned back to Omaha and worked as a stockbroker while acquiring a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. Utilising what he acquired, he sensed surefooted adequate to teach an Investment Principles Rules night class at the University of Nebraska. The moderate age of his pupils was more than twice his personal. During this time he purchased a Sinclair Texaco gas station too as a side investment. Nevertheless, this didnt boot out to be an eminent business jeopardize. In 1952, Buffett wedded Susan Thompson and the following year they gave birth their 1st baby, Susan Alice Buffett. In 1954, Buffett received a job at Benjamin Grahams partnership, which he always dreamed. His initiating remuneration was $12,000 a year (more or less $97,000 conformed to 2008 dollars). There he worked intimately with Walter Schloss. Graham was a bully man to work for. He was inexorable that stocks allow a ample safety margin after weighting the trade-off between their monetary value and their intrinsic value. The debate added up to Buffett simply he queried whether the standards were too demanding and induced the company to drop down on big successes that had more qualitative values. That same year the Buffetts birthed their 2nd baby, Howard Graham Buffett. In 1956, Benjamin Graham adjourned and shut down his partnership. At this time Buffetts own savings comprised over $174,000 and he commenced Buffett Partnership Ltd., an investment partnership in Omaha. In 1957, Buffett had three partnerships manoeuvering the whole year. He bought a five-bedroom stucco mansion in Omaha, where he even dwells, for $31,500. In 1958, the Buffetts 3rd baby, Peter Andrew Buffett , was born. Buffett controlled five partnerships the whole year. In 1959, the company raised to six partnerships running the full year and Buffett was acquainted to Charlie Munger. By 1960, Buffett had seven partnerships manoeuvering: Buffett Associates, Buffett Fund, Dacee, Emdee, Glenoff, Mo-Buff and Underwood. He asked one of his partners, a physician, to ascertain ten other physicians willing and able to invest $10,000 each in his partnership. Eventually eleven agreed. In 1961, Buffett unconcealed that Sanborn Map Company reported for 35% of the partnerships pluses. He explicated that in 1958 Sanborn stock traded at only $45 per share when the value of the Sanborn investment portfolio was $65 per share. This implied that vendees valued Sanborn stock at minus $20 per share and were involuntary to bear more than 70 cents on the dollar for an investment portfolio with a map business injected for nothing. This gained him a spot on the board of Sanborn. WAY TO RICHES In 1962, Buffett turned a millionaire, because of his partnerships, which in January 1962 had a surplus of $7,178,500, of which over $1,025,000 belonged to Buffett. Buffett integrated all partnerships into one partnership. Buffett divulged a textile fabricating business firm named Berkshire Hathaway. Buffetts partnerships started buying shares at $7.60 per share. In 1965, when Buffetts partnerships aggressively started buying Berkshire, they paid $14.86 per share while the company had working capital of $19 per share. This didnt include the evaluation of fixed assets (factory, machinery and equipment etc.). Buffett took charge of Berkshire Hathaway at the board meeting and appointed a new president, Ken Chace, to feed the company. In 1966, Buffett closed the partnership to fresh income. Buffett published in his letter: unless it seems that conditions have changed (under some considerations added capital would better final result) or unless new partners can contribute some asset to th e partnership other than simply working capital, I think not to admit more additional partners to BPL. In his second letter, Buffett declared his foremost investment in a private business concern Hochschild, Kohn and Co, a privately owned Baltimore emporium. In 1967, Berkshire disbursed its initiatory and exclusive dividend of 10 cents. In 1969, observing his most eminent year, Buffett neutralised the partnership and shifted their assets to his partners. Among the assets, disbursed were shares of Berkshire Hathaway. In 1970, as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett commenced publishing his now-famous yearly letters to stockholders. However, he survived solely on his salary of $50,000 per year, and his external investment revenue. In 1979, Berkshire commenced the year dealing at $775 per share, and finished at $1,310. Buffetts income reached $620 million, ranking him on the Forbes 400 for the first time. In 2006, Buffett declared in June that he step by step would impart 85% of his Berkshire retentions to five foundations in annual gifts of stock, starting in July 2006. The largest share would go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2007, in a letter to shareholders, Buffett declared that he was seeking a younger successor, or possibly successors, to execute his investment business. Buffett had antecedently picked out Lou Simpson, who runs investments at Geico, to meet that role. However, Simpson is only six years younger than Buffett. In 2008, Buffett became the wealthiest man in the world dethroning Bill Gates, worth $62 billion reported by Forbes, and $58 billion reported by Yahoo. Bill Gates had been first on the Forbes list for 13 successive years. On March 11 2009, Bill Gates regained number one of the list according to Forbes magazine, with Buffett second. Their values have dropped to $40 billion and $37 billion respectively, which is probably an outcome of the 2008/2009 economical downswing. BUSINESS ACQUISITION In 1973, Berkshire commenced to gain stock in the Washington Post Company. Buffett became close acquaintances with Katharine Graham, who disciplined the company and its flagship newsprint, and became a member of its directorate. In 1974, the SEC opened up a schematic investigation into Warren Buffett and Berkshires attainment of WESCO, referable possible engagement of interest. No accusations were brought. In 1977, Berkshire indirectly bought the Buffalo Evening News for $32.5 million. Fair charges began, inspired by its competitor, the Buffalo Courier-Express. Both compositions lost income, till the Courier-Express folded in 1982. In 1979, Berkshire started to acquire stock in ABC. On March 18, Capital Cities declared $3.5 billion. Leverage of ABC stormed the media industry, as ABC was approximately four times larger than Capital Cities was at that time. Warren Buffett, Chairman Berkshire Hathaway, served finance the deal in return for a 25 percent stake in the merged company. The newly merged company, titled Capital Cities/ABC (or CapCities/ABC), was pressured to trade away a few stations due to FCC ownership conventions. Also, the two companies possessed several radio stations in the equivalent markets. In 1987, Berkshire Hathaway bought 12% stake in Salomon Inc., making it the greatest shareholder and Buffett the director. In 1990, a outrage involving John Gutfreund (former CEO of Salomon Brothers) rose up. A knave trader, Paul Mozer, was passing on bids in excess of what was permitted by the Treasury rules. When this was ascertained and brought to the aid of Gutfreund, he didnt immediately debar the knave trader. In August 1991, Gutfreund leftover the company. Buffett turned CEO of Salomon until the crisis surpassed. On September 4 1991, he evidenced before Congress. In 1988, Buffett commenced purchasing stock in Coca-Cola Company, finally buying up to 7 percent of the company for $1.02 billion. It would come out to be one of Berkshires most profitable investments, and one which it still controls. In 2002, Buffett entered in $11 billion worth of forward contracts to deliver U.S. dollars against other currencies. By April 2006, his overall gain on these contracts was over $2 billion. In 1998, he took on General Re, (in an infrequent move, for stock). In 2002, Buffett got interested with Maurice R. Greenberg at AIG, with General Re providing reinsurance. On March 15, 2005, AIGs board forced Greenberg to leave office from his post as Chairman and CEO under the shadow of unfavorable judgment from Eliot Spitzer, attorney general of the state of New York. On February 9, 2006, AIG and the New York State Attorney Generals office agreed to a settlement in which AIG would pay a fine of $1.6 billion. In 2009, Warren Buffett endowed $2.6 billion as a part of Swiss Res raising equity capital. Berkshire Hathaway already possesses a 3% stake, with rights to possess more than 20%. LATE 2000S RECESSION Buffett encounter criticism during the -subprime crisis of 2007-2008, component of the late 2000s recession, that he had apportioned capital too early leading in suboptimal deals. Buy American. I am. To quote Warren Buffetts popular opinion piece published in the New York Times. Buffett has called the 2007s downswing in the financial sector poetic justice. Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway met a 77% drop in earnings during Q3 2008 and many of his new deals look to be running into heavy mark-to-market losses. Berkshire Hathaway gained 10% perpetual preference shares of Goldman Sachs .Some of Buffetts exponent puts that he wrote (sold) are presently running around $6.73 billion mark-to-market losses. The scale of the expected loss inspired the SEC to demand that Berkshire produce, a more robust revealing of components accustomed assess the contracts. Buffett also helped Dow Chemical pay for its $18.8 billion takeover of Rohm Haas. He, thus, turned the only largest shareholder in the enlarged group with his Berkshire Hathaway, which offered $3 billion, emphasising his helpful role during the prevailing crisis in debt and equity markets. In October 2008, the media rumoured that Warren Buffett had harmonised to buy General Electric(GE) preferred stock. The process admitted extraordinary incentives: he accepted an option to buy 3 billion General Electric at $22.25 in the incoming five years, and also accepted a 10% dividend (due within three years). In February 2009, Warren Buffett sold piece of Procter Gamble Co, and Johnson Johnson shares from his portfolio. In addition to traces of anachronism, queries have been elevated as to the wisdom in keeping some of Berkshires major retentions, including The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) which peaked at $86 in 1998. Buffett talked over the troubles of acknowledging when to sell in the companys 2004 annual report: That may appear comfortable to do when one looks through an always-clean, rear-view mirror. Unluckily, however, its the windscreen through which investors must peer, and that glass is invariably fogged.. In March 2009, Buffett expressed in a cable television interview that the economy had fallen off a cliff Not only has the economy slowed down a lot, but people have really changed their habits like I havent seen. Additionally, Buffett awes we may revisit a 1970s level of ostentation, which led to a painful stagflation that lasted many years. PERSONAL LIFE Buffett married Susan Thompson in 1952. They had 3 kids, Susie, Howard, and Peter. In 1977, the couple started inhabiting separately, though they stayed married until her death in July 2004. Their daughter Susie lives in Omaha and does philanthropic work through the Susan A Buffett Foundation and is a national board member of Girls, Inc. In 2006, on his seventy-sixth birthday, he wedded his never-married longtime-companion, Astrid Menks, who was then sixty years old. From 1977, since his wifes departure, She had lived with him to San Francisco. It was Susan Buffett who set for the two to meet before she left Omaha to engage her singing career. All three were close and vacation cards to friends were signed Warren, Susie and Astrid. Susan Buffett briefly talked over this relationship in an interview on the Charlie Rose Show shortly earlier her death, in a rare glimpse into Buffetts personal life. In 2006, His annual earnings was about $100,000, which is little as compared to senior exe cutive remuneration in comparable companions.In 2007, and 2008, he earned a total compensation of $175,000, which enclosed a basic wage of just $100,000. He dwells in the same house in the central Dundee vicinity of Omaha that he purchased in 1958 for $31,500, today assessed at around $700,000 (though he too does have a $4 million home in Laguna Beach, California). In 1989, after having spent almost 10 million dollars of Berkshires funds on a private jet, Buffett sheepishly named it The Indefensible. This act constituted a break from his past conviction of wasteful purchases by early CEOs and his account of practising more public conveyance. He stays a desirous player of the card game bridge, which he acquired from Sharon Osberg, and plays with her and Bill Gates. He passes twelve hours a week playing the game. In 2006, he sponsored a bridge match for the Buffett Cup. Shapely on the Ryder Cup in golf, declared straightaway ahead it, and in the same city, a squad of 12 bridge players from the United States took on 12 Europeans in the event. Warren Buffett acted with Christopher Webber on an animated series with head Andy Heyward, of DiC Entertainment,and then A Squared Entertainment. The series characteristics Buffett and Munger, and instructs children healthy financial habits for life. Buffett was elevated Presbyterian but has since represented himself as agnostic as it strikes religious beliefs. In December 2006, it was accounted that Buffett doesnt carry a cellphone, does not have a computer at his desk, and driveways his personal automobile, a Cadillac DTS. Mr Warren Buffet wears off tailor-made suits from the Chinese label Trands, before he used to wear Ermenegildo Zegna. LINEAGE Buffetts DNA report disclosed that his paternal roots hail from northern Scandinavia, while his maternal roots most likely have roots in Iberia or Estonia. Despite general propositions to the contrary, and the casual friendly relationship which has formed between their families, Warren Buffett has no clear reference to the well-known vocalist Jimmy Buffett. POLITICS In addition to, other political contributions across the years, Buffett has officially certified and made campaign contributions to Barack Obamas presidential campaign. On July 2, 2008, Buffett attended a $28,500 per plate fundraiser for Obamas campaign in Chicago hosted by Obamas National Finance Chair, Penny Pritzker and her husband, as well as Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. Buffett supported Obama for president, and suggested that John McCains aspects on social justice comprised so far from his own that McCain would need a lobotomy for Buffett to alter his indorsement.During the second 2008 U.S. presidential debate, nominees John McCain and Barack Obama, later on being asked first by presidential debate intermediator Tom Brokaw, both referred Buffett as a potential future Secretary of the Treasury. Later, in the third and concluding presidential debate, Obama mentioned Buffett as a potential economic consultant. Buffett was also finance consultant to California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on his 2003 election crusade. COMPOSITIONS Warren Buffetts compositions include his annual reports and various articles. He admonished about the harmful effects of inflation: The arithmetic makes it plain that pomposity is a far more annihilating tax than anything that has been acted out by our general assembly. The inflation tax has a tremendous ability to merely wipe out capital. It creates no divergence to a widow with her savings in a 5 percent passbook account whether she pays 100 percent income tax on her interest money during a period of zero inflation, or pays no income taxes during years of 5 percent inflation. In his article The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville, Buffett controverted the scholarly Efficient-market hypothesis, that baffling the SP 500 was pure chance, by spotlighting a number of pupils of the Graham and Dodd value adorning school of thought. In addition to himself, Buffett named Walter J. Schloss, Tom Knapp, Ed Anderson (Tweedy, Brown Inc.), Bill Ruane (Sequoia Fund, Inc.), Charles Munger (Buffetts own business partner at Berkshire), Rick Guerin (Pacific Partners, Ltd.), and Stan Perlmeter (Perlmeter Investments). In his November, 1999 Fortune article, he admonished of investors delusive anticipations: Let me summarise what Ive been saying about the stock market: I think its very hard to come up with a compelling case that equities will over the next 17 years perform anything likeanything liketheyve performed in the past 17. If I had to pick the likeliest return, from appreciation and dividends combined, that investors in aggregaterepeat, aggregatewould earn in a world of constant interest rates, 2% inflation, and those ever injurious frictional costs, it would be 6%. PHILANTHROPY The following quotation from 1988, respectively, highlights Warren Buffetts thoughts on his wealth and why he long planned to reapportion it: I dont have a trouble with guiltiness about money. The way I see it is that my money represents an tremendous number of claim checks on society. Its like I have these little pieces of paper that I can turn into consumption. If I desired to, I could hire 10,000 people to do nothing but paint my impression everyday for the rest of my lifespan. And the GNP would go up. But the utility of the product would be zero, and I would be keeping those 10,000 people from doing AIDS research, or teaching, or nursing. I dont do that though. I dont use very many of those claim checks. Theres nothing material I want very much. And Im going to give literally all of those lay claim checks to brotherly love when my wife and I die. From a NY Times article: I dont believe in dynastic wealthiness, Warren Buffett said, calling those who raise up in affluent circumstances members of the lucky sperm club. Buffett has written numerous times of his opinion that, in a free enterprise, the plentiful gain oversized advantages for their talents: A market economy creates some lopsided yields to participants. The right talent of vocal chords, anatomical structure, physical strength, or mental powers can produce tremendous piles of claim checks on upcoming national output. Right choice of roots likewise can outcome in lifetime issues of such tickets upon birth. If zero actual investment returns disported a little greater part of the national output from specified stockholders to equally desirable and diligent citizens missing jackpot-producing talents, it would appear improbable to baffle such an abuse to an equitable world as to risk Divine intercession. His children wont come into an important proportion of his wealth. These activities are uniform with affirmations he has made in the past suggesting his opposition to the transfer of outstanding fortunes from one genesis to the next. Buffett once remarked, I would like to give my kids just sufficient so that theyd experience that they could do anything, but not such that theyd experience like doing nothing. In 2006, he auctioned his 2001 Lincoln Town Caron eBay to hike money for Girls, Inc. In 2007, he auctioned off a luncheon with himself that brought up a final bid of $650,100 for a charity. In 2006, he declared a program to bring out his luck to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation. In June 2006, Buffett devoted approximately 10 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares to the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, valuable approximately US$30.7 billion as of 23 June 2006, building it the greatest charitable contribution in history and Buffett among the leaders in the philanthrocapitalism revolution. The foundation will have 5% of the total contribution on an annualised basis each July, commencing in 2006. Buffett also joined the directorate of the Gates Foundation, although he doesnt program to be actively engaged in the foundations investment. This is a substantial shift from previous affirmations Buffett has made, having expressed that most of his fortune would surpass to his Buffett Foundation. In 2004, the majority of the estate of his wife, prized at $2.6 billion, went to that foundation when she died. He also committed $50-million to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, in Washington, where he has assisted as an consultant since 2002. On 27 June 2008, Zhao Danyang, a general manager at Pure Heart China Growth Investment Fund, succeeded the 2008 5-day online Power Lunch with Warren Buffett charity auction with a bid of $2,110,100. Auction continues benefit the San Francisco Glide Foundation. PUBLIC POSITIONINGS Buffetts deliveries are recognised for merging business discussions humorously. Every year, Buffett presides over Berkshire Hathaways yearly stockholder assembling in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska, an issue eviscerating over 20,000 visitors from both United States and abroad, giving it the nickname Woodstock of Capitalism. Berkshires yearly articles and letters to stockholders, prepared by Buffett, frequently experience coverage by the financial media. Buffetts compositions are recognised for carrying well-written quotations laying out from the Bible to Mae West. as well as Midwestern advice, and several jokes. Various websites proclaim Buffetts merits while others objurgate Buffetts business models or dismiss his investment advice and decisions. WARREN BUFFETT AS A LEADER What he does understand is business. At 5 Years old, he started earning income. At only 6 years old, Buffett bought 6-packs of Coke from his grandpas grocery store for 25 cents and resold all of the bottles for a nickel, pocketing a 5 cent income. While other children of his age were enjoying hopscotch and jacks, Warren was earning income. Five years later, Buffett underwent his step into the world of high finance. At 11 years old, he bought 3 shares of Cities Service Preferred at $38 per share for both himself and his older sister, Doris. Just after his buying of the stock, it fell down to just over $27 per share. A scared but spirited Warren held his shares until they rebounded to $40. He quickly sold them an error he would shortly come to regret. Cities Service stroke up to $200. The experience taught him one of the basic lessons of investing: Patience is a Virtue. As he commenced on his investment career, he had invested among others in businesses in textiles and newspapers. He knew the newspaper business from experience: he was a paper boy as a adolescent. When he was investing in these businesses, the related industries were in great downslope or integration. The textile business is an industry unexhausted from the industrial revolution. As fabricating moved to inexpensive labor countries, American textile manufacturers contracted. In the 19 th century, Newspapers growth industry, competing with television and radio for news were consolidating from a rivalrous market of numerous newspapers to one major monopoly newspaper in major towns. Wall Street wasnt fascinated in putting in these business concerns, so these were value bargains that pulled in Buffet. By investing in these businesses, Buffet got discounted assets and cash flows which he could utilise to invest in other businesses. One biased and negative perspective of Buffet would be as a scavenger of American business: acquiring fat on the misfortunes of asset rich, but impassive, turning down, and tedious businesses. However, in realism, he stands by businesses in which he invests, he makes sure that the business is a benevolent business. He normally buys businesses and seldom deals them. For instance, GEICO Insurance is among his core properties, he has controlled GEICO most of his investment vocation. When he brought in Berkshire Hathaway, it was a textile business, asset rich and with a stabilise cash flow. But Wall Street considered the textile industry as a worsening business. Berkshire did finally get out of the business of textiles, but it owned among the last textile manufactory in America. If one purchased a share of Berkshire Hathaway just about the time Buffet did, approximately $8, and held it to today, its worth is about ten thousand times its value in 1965, over $80,000. Buffet was progressive in the domain of efficaciously utilising capital. Before the crowd, Buffet realised the businesses of insurance and reinsurance as having great value of cash flow. Berkshires golden business is reinsurance. Reinsurance is the wholesale end of the insurance business, involving large sources of comparatively quick assets. Buffet knew what to do with that cash pool and how to invest it. In the early 1980s the insurance companies cut costs on premiums to keep market share. They wanted to reveal constant increase for the market idols. On the other hand, Buffet realised that writing policies for any kind of chance wasnt judicious. He just wrote policies that added up to him. He acknowledged that finally, losses would force underwriters to recede and premiums would hike. in 1985, When the insurance market reversed, the industry was having terrible losses and several companies bring down the reporting they proposed. The insurance companies created a miserly market with their hesitation to issue policies, partly because their reserves were at an wane. Buffet came forward to the plate, boot with cash, he was set to publish big policies, at his own terms and conditions, offcourse. Investments in securities are probably to interest this type, especially investments in blue chips securities. ISTJs [Inspector Guardians] are not probably to take chances either with their personal or others money. Efficient and effective use of capital have been Buffets countersigns all his life. We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful. is his policy.

Adolphe Sax the Creator of the Saxaphone :: essays research papers

Adolphe Sax didn't know what kind of monster he created, but as history bluntly tells us, it wasn't any four-eyed, flying, purple people eater. Adolphe came upon a horn that would capture many imaginations, save a couple of military bands, define jazz, and win over lame highschool kids like Lily. This colorful history has more kinks in it than your standard garden hose, people have terrorized it, belittled it, outlawed it, and (last, but not least) demonized it. The saxophone, though one of the youngest players in the music world today, has more castatrophes and triumphs in it's history than the brass family rolled up together (and thrown at lame highschool kids like Brekke.) Why is this so? Where did it start? Marco? Polo? Well it started one fine day... Adolphe, the hero for the first part of the story, was born in Brussels on November 19, 1814. His father, Charles Sax, was Belgium's chief instrument maker and he was intent on passing the trade on to Adolphe. But, much like the history of the sax, Adolphe encountered many accidents to hinder these dreams. Adolphe wasn't a graceful boy and was prone to accidents like nearly drowning, falling down stairs, and the occasional fire in father's workshop. None the less by his teens he was showing exceptional skill at instrument making. In Belgium there was a convention every year, the Brussels Industrial Exposition. At fifteen Adolphe submitted a clarinet and two flutes of ivory (1830). Before he was twenty he had created a new fingering system on the soprano clarinet and redesigned the bass clarinet. Bass clarinets, beautiful and boisterous instruments, were once unreliable and unplayable instruments. Adolphe turned the monster into an elegant, regal low wind that (gasp) played in tune. But he was turned down from first place, not because of quality, but age. On the bias of age, judges roasted Adolphe, claiming he would not be appreciative of the honor at such a young age. Not appreciative of their conclusion, he turned to Paris. At twenty-eight (1842) he set off for Paris, then the instrument-making capital (still is), to set up shop. Filled with more ambitious ideas and brilliance than his father, he stomped into town and made as much noise settling in as possible. Now to really paint this picture you must have the scenario.

Mark Twain :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Samuel Clemens was born and grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. This was the home of his later characters Tom Sawer and Huck Finn. In these books he incorporated such features that really existed in Hannibal; features such as Holidays Hill, Bear Creek and Lover’s Leap. Clemens described the residents of Hannibal as happy and content with the lives they led in their small town.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his late teens, Clemens left Hannibal on a riverboat to become a printer in St. Louis. He moved up in the ranks of printing and moved to New York and eventually to Washington D.C. Clemens remembered how much fun he had had on the riverboat and how glorious it must have been to be a pilot. He soon decided to move to New Orleans to become a pilot. On the boat, he often heard things like ‘Mark the twain, two fathoms deep’. He liked how the words â€Å"Mark Twain† sounded and in one of his first books, ‘Life on the Mississippi’ about his four years piloting the Spread Eagle along the twisting river, he decided to use the name Mark Twain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark Twain stopped piloting the riverboat in 1861, at the start of the Civil War, to join the Union. He went to war for two weeks and left immediately after being involved in the shooting of a civilian. He said he knew retreating better than it’s inventor did.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He soon decided to travel 1,700 miles from the Missouri Territory , to the Nevada Territory. He passed through Overland City, Horseshoe City, and many large and small cities in between.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clemens commented that Salt Lake City was healthy. He said that the city had one doctor who was arrested once a week for lack of work. Virginia City was very lively from all of the gold and silver found near. He commented that the saloons, courts and prisons were busy and there was a whiskey mill every fifteen steps.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inspired by the vein of silver as wide as a New York City street under Virginia City, Twain decided to go prospecting. Many people went prospecting crazy but Twain thought it must have skipped over him. After not finding any silver, he wrote a book called Roughing It.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clemens soon went to San Francisco and took a job at the San Francisco Times. From them he got the title of â€Å"The Most Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope†.

The High School Gymnasium :: Observation Essays, Descriptive Essays

My alarm clock blares into my silent room. It’s time to spend the early hours of my Saturday morning at the same place I spent the late hours of my Friday night. Groggily I get dressed and leave without breakfast. When I arrive, it is dark, empty and cold. The lonely feeling replaces what was bright, full and warm just hours ago. This place is the gymnasium at my high school. For four years, I have exerted sweat, tears, and even blood in this place. On this stage, four years of my growing up and maturing were played out for anyone willing to pay two dollars. I have been everywhere in this gym, from standing high on the bleachers with a bird’s eye view, to lying on the ground debating whether to rise only to get knocked down again. Those who have left a part of themselves in this place can breathe deeply and inhale experiences. Experiences of glorious victories and experiences of embarrassing defeats; both experiences I have left in that gym. Friendships were made and lost on that court, and other ones strengthened when my friends from outside came with their support and encouragement. It is here I learned perseverance, hard work, determination and loyalty. It is not here that I found who I was, but more who I was not. It is here I had to not settle for mediocrity, but strive for excellence. When I think back to the long hours I spent in this gymnasium, the most prominent memory will be my final game there. It was a night of emotions. I was surrounded by encouraging teammates, supportive family and friends, and finally I received my reward for the energy I had spent there for four years: I made the game winning shot. While my name will soon be taken down from the wall, and another person will wear number thirty-three in that gym, I have left a piece of me there, which is the beauty of the place.

African American Essay

Write a 750- to 1,400-word paper in which you consider the following regarding the religious group and racial/ethnic group you selected: Religious group:Â  How does your selected religious group differ from other religious groups (such as in their beliefs, worship practices, or values)? What has been the experience of your selected religious group with others that do not share its beliefs or practices? In what ways has the religious group you selected contributed to American culture? Provide specific examples of prejudice or discrimination your selected religious group has experienced. What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination? Does what you’ve learned about this religious group help you understand it? In what ways? Racial/ethnic group: How does your selected racial/ethnic group differ from other racial/ethnic groups (such as differences in ancestry, language, or culture)? What has been your selected group’s experience with other groups? In what ways has the racial/ethnic group you selected contributed to American culture? Identify some specific examples of prejudice or discrimination that your selected group has experienced historically. What were the sources of this prejudice or discrimination? Does what you’ve learned about this racial/ethnic group help you understand it? How? Include the following as part of your conclusion: How are the prejudice and discrimination experienced by your selected religious group and racial/ethnic group similar? How are they different? Can you draw any conclusions about discrimination from this comparison? Provide citations for all the sources you use.

God’s Divine Justice in Dante’s ‘Inferno” Essay

â€Å"Midway through the journey of our life, I found/myself in a dark wood, for I had strayed/from the straight pathway to this tangled ground.† These famous lines from Dante’s Inferno signify the themes of religion and personal salvation in the poem. Often when one embarks on a journey of self-discovery, they travel to places which astound one by their strangeness. Expecting to see what is straightforward and acceptable, one is suddenly presented with exceptions. Just as such self-examiners might encounter their inner demons, so does Dante, both as a character and a writer, as he sets out to walk through his Inferno. The image of being lost in â€Å"dark woods† sets up a clear dichotomy between the supposed unenlightened ignorance that one endures due to a lack of faith in God and the clear radiance provided by God’s love. Dante uses contrasting symbols to indicate the character’s challenge. The â€Å"dark woods† embodies Dante’s fear, yet the â€Å"right road† symbolizes his confidence in God, ultimately revealing that Dante’s journey is to find the presence of God in a sinful world. However, the journey upon which Dante is embarking is not solely his, but rather that of every human being. Consistent with the views of his time, Dante believes that this journey is one that every individual must undertake, so as to understand their sins and find peace with God. This is an element with which modern readers can identify, as present society is conscious of an individual’s right to find peace within themselves and the universe. While there are many different religions and divine beings which are worshipped today, the medieval view of personal salvation and spiritual peace is still applicable to any of these variations. Dante’s journey throughout the Inferno also gives readers a glimpse into his own perception of what constitutes sin. It may be harder, however, for modern readers to agree with the punishment for certain sins, in light of liberal advances in society’s views and the constantly changing nature of moral and societal norms. The torments that sinners are subjected to in Dante’s Inferno may seem extreme to modern readers, however, throughout the poem it becomes clear that there is balance in God’s justice and each sinner suffers to a degree befitting the gravity of their sins. Dante’s journey to save his soul reveals a correspondence between a soul’s sin on Earth and the punishment received in Hell. A few examples are the Sullen, who choke on mud; the  Wrathful, who attack one another; and the Gluttonous, who are forced to eat excrement. This brings into light one of Dante’s main themes, the perfection of God’s justice, which is relevant throughout time. â€Å"THROUGH ME THE WAY TO SOULS IN ABOMINATION./JUSTICE MOVED MY GREAT MAKER IN MY DESIGN.† The inscription over the gates of Hell in Canto III explicitly states that God created Hell and its punishments through the motivation of justice. Hell exists to punish sin and the specific punishments awarded ar e suitable, as they testify to the divine perfection, which all sin violates. To modern readers, however, the torments that Dante and Virgil behold, on their journey through the circles of Hell, may seem harsh. For example, homosexuals must endure an eternity of walking on hot sand and those who charge interest on loans must sit beneath a rainy storm of fire. These, like many of the sins that Dante punishes in the Inferno, are socially acceptable and common in the present world. While many cultures do not accept homosexual relations, intolerance for this style of life has decreased dramatically in the past generation and by many, is no longer viewed as a sin against nature. Likewise, charging interest on loans is common in the commercialized business economies of the modern world. A modern reader would not deem the punishments received by these sinners as appropriate. However, it is important to realize that Dante is writing during a period of great religious influence and obedience to theological ideals. In addition, when the poem is viewed in its entirety, it becomes clear that the guiding principle behind these punishments is one of justice and balance. The poem progresses from minor sins to major ones, as the duo proceeds deeper into the fires of Hell and closer to Lucifer himself. While some readers may object to the placements of some sins, the damned souls that reside in the deepest part of Hell, the 9th Circle, are neither a medieval nor modern view, but in fact, timeless. Dante reserves the harshest punishments for those who have committed sins against those whom the sinner has special ties to, like family or friends. Despite the act, modern readers can agree that a traitor of this nature must be deservedly punished. Early on in Inferno, Dante presents tension between the objective impersonality of God’s justice and the human sympathy that the character of Dante feels for the souls that he sees around him. However, Dante is demonstrating that sinners receive punishment in divine proportion to their sin and to pity their suffering is  to demonstrate a lack of understanding. The reader must be wary of succumbing to the sympathy that Dante first shows towards some of the damned souls, as messengers from heaven show their lack of concern for the damned and eventually, Dante also becomes less inclined to pity the sinners, trusting the infinite wisdom of divine justice. It is assumed in Christian theology that God is divine and just and therefore, it is futile to question His judgments. Subsequently, it should be realized that Dante’s sympathy towards some of the characters in Hell is incorrect. Everything about God is just; it is only in the mortal world of sin and death that one finds injustice, which is the mark of Cain on humanity. Yet Dante’s treatment of some characters asks the reader to put aside their sins and admire their human traits. However, if the reader begins to feel sympathy for Francesca, it must be noted that she is a woman with the habit of blaming others for her own difficulties; Pier delle Vigne has totally abandoned his loyalty for God in favour of his powerful emperor; Ulysses is a character of great ego; and even Ugolino’s paternal feelings have a central concern for his own well-being. These characteristics may, however, elude the reader and thus, two figures from heaven descend into hell to remind Dante of his mission, indicating how the reader should perceive these sinners. Virgil tells Dante of Beatrice’s visit to Limbo, where she admits no compassion for the tribulations of the damned, she only wishes to return to Paradise as soon as possible. When an angel arrives to open the gates of Dis, which had been slammed in the face of Virgil, he makes it clear that he has no interest in the damned nor in Dante’s situation, he only wants to complete his task quickly and leave Hell. Despite these reminders, both the character of Dante and the reader fall victim to their human sympathy for many of the sinners in the earlier cantos. Throughout Canto III, Dante displays a great deal of sympathy for the souls he encounters; his depiction of Hell as a walled city conforms to medieval Catholic theology and exemplifies the religious awareness of the period. Upon passing through the gates of Hell, Dante hears innumerable cries of torment and suffering. Virgil explains that these cries emanate from the souls of those who lived their lives without making conscious moral choices  and thus, did not commit their lives to good or evil. Subsequently, the indifference of these souls have caused both Heaven and Hell to deny them entry. These souls now reside in the Ante-Inferno, within Hell yet not truly part of it, where they must chase constantly after a blank banner. The empty banner symbolizes their meaningless existence on earth. Flies and wasps continually bite them, and writhing worms consume the blood and tears that flow from them. The souls of the uncommitted are joined in this torment by the neutral angels — those who sided with neither God nor Satan in the war in Heaven. â€Å"That death had undone so many, I had not dreamed.† Like Dante, modern readers will also find it hard to accept the fate of these indecisive souls. It seems unfair that by not succumbing to either good or evil, they must still endure punishment in the afterlife. In this canto, Dante also describes Hell as being formed out of justice and also as a city: â€Å"THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE CITY OF DESOLATION.† Historically, large cities had begun to play an increasingly important role in the social and economic life of Europe during Dante’s time. Particularly in Italy, where city-states such as Dante’s native Florence had become important bases of social organization. Dante portrays Hell as a city in large part because, to a thinker in the early fourteenth century, any substantial human population would have suggested a city. In religious terms, there are only two great â€Å"cities†: Heaven or Hell. While Heaven is a city of God, Hell is a city of Man; as the damned souls have succumbed to temptation and sin, preoccupied only with self-preservation and gain. This may be a more medieval idea, as cities were viewed as a source of evil and were enjoying a relatively new period of prosperity. However, crime in modern times is more prevalent in cities and thus, more citizens prefer to live in the suburbs. Even the structure of Hell represents a city. The outer limits are like the countryside, containing the indecisive souls. As Dante and Virgil progress through the outer circles, which can be seen as the suburbs, they encounter lesser sins. However, as they continue further into the depths of Hell and towards the city’s heart, the sins increase in gravity. Dante’s opinion of the sinners also begins to progress and become less sympathetic at this point. In Cantos XII and XIII, Dante continues to exhibit sympathy for some sinners, however appears to be becoming more cynical as he encounters many damned souls from Florence; the punishments in these cantos also reflect a rationale for appropriate degrees of anguish. In these cantos, Dante encounters souls who were violent towards others and themselves. The first group must stand in a pool of boiling blood. Going along with the theme of appropriate punishment as part of God’s justice, each of these souls is subjected to a different level of agony. The souls who only killed one person stand only with their legs in the boiling blood. However, the souls of tyrants, like Alexander, have even their heads submerged. Why must these souls stand in boiling blood and not water? It is because it was blood which they lusted after during life, causing them to be violent. In this portion of his journey, Dante does not display sympathy for the torment of these souls. â€Å"O senseless rage and blind cupidity/that in the short life stimulate us so/and in eternal one drench us wretchedly.† As opposed to the earlier cantos, Dante recognizes that the greed and anger of these souls during life are responsible for their punishment in Hell. In the next canto, Dante encounters those souls who were violent towards themselves by committing suicide. Their fate in afterlife is to suffer as trees; having discarded their bodies while on earth, these souls have been rendered unable to assume human form for the rest of eternity. To some modern readers, the punishment of souls who commit suicide may seem unnecessary, as these people must have already endured great suffering during life to commit such a sin. The punishment of violence, however, seems appropriate. Towards the end of Canto XIII, Dante learns from one tree-soul that his home city, Florence, constantly succumbs to conflict due to its abandonment of Mars as it patron saint, in favour of John the Baptist. â€Å"†¦The city that chose the Baptist to replace/ its ancient patron, who for all time to come/will therefore use his art to afflict our race.† Mars was the god of war and thus, Florence is persistently filled with feuding factions. Dante, however, tends to blame the state of Florence’s politics on certain influential leaders of his time. In Canto XXVII, Dante shows his intolerance for the political corruption in Florence, along with a more cynical and modern view, believing that moral dilemmas should be addressed using logic and not by blindly following a  religious figure, as Pope Boniface VII led da Montefeltro to Hell. The political and spiritual leaders in Florence are subjected to harsh punishments and viewed with great contempt by the character of Dante, due to the personal history of the author. Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy, to a family of moderate wealth that had a history of involvement in the complex Florentine political scene. Dante’s personal life and subsequent writing of The Divine Comedy were greatly influenced by the politics of the late 13th Century. The struggle for power in Florence between the church and state for authority was a conflict that existed throughout Europe. In Florence, these two loyalties were represented by the Guelph party, which supported the papacy , and the Ghibelline party, which supported imperial power. The last truly powerful Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, died in 1250, and by Dante’s time, the Guelphs were in power in Florence. However, the party had divided into two factions: the Whites (Dante’s party), who supported the independence of Florence from strict papal control, and the Blacks, who were willing to work with the pope in order to restore their power. Under the direction of Pope Boniface VIII, the Blacks gained control of Florence in 1301 and Dante, as a visible and influential leader of the Whites, was exiled within a year. In Canto XXVII, Dante encounters the damned soul of Guido da Montefeltro, who had been a member of the Ghibelline party but had undergone a spiritual conversion and entered a Franciscan monastery. However, he was subsequently persuaded to re-enter politics on the opposite side by Pope Boniface VIII. Boniface eventually asked da Montefeltro’s advice on how to capture a Ghibelline fortress and promised him absolution in advance, d espite the accuracy of any advice. However, upon his death, da Montefeltro was pulled into Hell by a devil who exclaimed: â€Å"†¦Because of the fraudulent counsel he presented./I’ve been at his hair since the instant of the wrong,/for no one can be absolved who has not repented†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is impossible for a man to receive absolution before sinning, as absolution cannot precede repentance and repentance cannot precede the sin. At this point, Dante does not question the spiritual authority of the Christian Church. He does, however, show his contempt for Pope Boniface. Dante’s message from this encounter is that when Christians find themselves faced with moral dilemmas, they must use their reason rather than blindly follow the directions of a church  figure. Dante does not believe that the Church’s authority should overrule logic, especially given the Church’s frequent descents to corruption. This is an element of the Inferno which modern readers can greatly relate to. Presentl y, science and other logical studies dictate man’s knowledge of his world. It is also used more frequently in making decisions tha basic reliance on one’s religion, as was the case in medieval times. While the modern reader can relate to Dante’s insistence that logic dominate religion in certain matters, there are still many elements of Dante’s Hell which may trouble a modern audience. As aforementioned, many of the punishments may seem harsh and even unwarranted, given present social and moral norms. Another element of disagreement may be found with Dante’s depiction of Limbo. In Canto IV, Virgil and Dante descend into the First Circle of Hell, known as Limbo, which is inhabited by those souls who led virtuous lives but were not baptized or lived before the advent of Christianity. In a world where there are many different religions and belief systems that, for the most part, co-exist relatively harmoniously, the idea of punishing pagans seems unjust. If these souls were unaware of Christianity or chose not to follow this faith during life, then why should they be subjected to the same judgment as Christians? This is an example of the dominant Christian theme in the Inferno and one of the many reasons why modern readers may find it difficult to identify with Dante’s Hell. Consequently, the greatest challenge that Dante’s Inferno presents to modern readers is its lack of tolerance. This is due to the great influence that the Christian religion enjoyed during this period and the rigid outline of sins that existed in the Bible. The character of Dante is prepared to offer sympathy towards some souls, but is encouraged by heavenly messengers to show no compassion or tolerance for the sins of the damned. French philosopher, Voltaire, later would identify this flaw in the Christian faith: â€Å"Of all religions, Christianity is without a doubt the one that should inspire tolerance most, although, up to now, the Christians have been the most intolerant of all men.†

Forensic Science Mod 12 Review Essay

1. What is a comparison microscope? What are the advantages of this microscope? A comparison Microscope is 2 microscopes in one it allows you to view 2 slides at once. This is a huge advantage because it allows you to compare evidence with known sample. 2. What are the three substances that generally make up paint? Describe each part. The three substances that generally make up paint are Pigments, Binders and Solvent. Pigments are what produce a particular color of paint. Binders are what provide support for the paint and the solvent is what makes the paint into a liquid. 3. What are polymers? Polymers are substances that are made up of many atoms that form in repeating patterns. 4. What is a scanning electron microscope? What are its advantages? The scanning electron microscope is a microscope that works by shooting beams of electrons at the slide and recording the emissions of the electrons. One advantage is that it has much better magnification than other microscopes! 5. What is the PDQ? What is it used for? The PDQ also known as the Paint Data Quarry is a database that allows some forensic labs to compare automobile paint to narrow down the paint color to the make and model of a car. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What are some of the challenges for forensic scientists in dealing with fiber evidence? Some challenges for Forensic Scientists dealing with fibers are that they have to find these tiny pieces of evidence. 2. What does it mean if a paint sample â€Å"matches† a known sample from a vehicle? Does this indicate the same source? Why or why not? 3. Why are microscopes important to forensic scientists? Microscopes are important to forensic science because it allows us to compare and analyze evidence such as trace evidence. 4. What elements of paint can help forensic scientists compare samples to each other? Paint samples can be compared to each other by comparing the three core products the! Which are pigments which are added to make a certain color? Another is the  Binder which provides support to the paint and Solvents which are there to disperse these substances.

Cultural Diplomacy: a Filipino Perspective Essay

I. WHAT IS CULTURAL DIPLOMACY? Considered as a relatively new term in international relations and among governments, a commonly cited definition of cultural diplomacy is that of Milton Cummings, an American Political Scientist which defines Cultural Diplomacy as â€Å"the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding† between or among nations (Kang, 2013) or simply put, it pertains to a cultural form of international communication between and/or among nations (Kieldanowicz). It was only during the past decade when governments started to and have increasingly paid attention to the practice of Cultural Diplomacy and have acknowledged the growing importance of cultural dimensions in analyzing the ever-increasing complexity of foreign affairs (Kang, 2013). Art and culture are two important aspects of cultural diplomacy, as these are the forefront of many countries’ promotional efforts. The showcasing of a country’s cultural heritage, as made possible by cultural diplomacy, provides a country with the opportunity of showing who they are and create a positive image which will help them achieve their political aims (Kieldanowicz). This belief was echoed by Philippine DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario was quoted saying â€Å"DFA recognizes the impact of culture in modern diplomacy and sees it as an effective tool in protecting our national interest, in advancing our advocacies and in achieving the development agenda of the country in the international arena. Cultural diplomacy is described as â€Å"†¦a course of actions, which are based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation or promote national interests; Cultural diplomacy can be practiced by either the public sector, private sector or civil society.† From this definition, we can gather that cultural diplomacy is similar to an agreement between two countries for the purpose of strengthening their relations through their cultures. II. PHILIPPINE ISSUES IN LINE WITH CULTURAL DIPLOMACY The first issue which the group considers significant in line with the establishment of cultural diplomacy is the young population’s patronization of Korean, Japanese and American pop culture. As previously mentioned, art and culture makes up our identity as Filipinos, however with the continuous and increasing â€Å"Japanesation, Koreanisation and Americanization† of our young generation, the young population is slowly losing its Filipino identity this then becomes a hindrance to the promotion of local Philippine culture, so the question is how could the Philippine local culture be promoted abroad if locally, there is difficulty in promoting, much less preserving it. III. PROJECTION OF ISSUES ON FOREIGN POLICY The ‘Japanesation’, ‘Koreanisation’ and ‘Westernization’ of the Filipino pop culture must be addressed by the Philippine government. We believe however, that action must first be taken in the local or domestic level and extend it later on to the international level by virtue of foreign policy. In line with this issue the government may sponsor students to study sociology with focus on Philippine culture, or establish art competitions such as song-writing and painting contests and the like. This will later on be reflected in the foreign policy by the establishment of government sponsorship of foreign students studying of Philippine culture and society. As we know, globalization is defined as â€Å"worldwide integration and development† and it has helped in improving the economy of different countries. Nowadays, there is a need for all the countries need to improve their exports to be able to make it in the international market. But despite that, globalization has also caused problems such as in cultural diplomacy, an example of this is the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. Even though the pay is nice in such an industry, there is an issue concerning cultural clashes. Since most of the BPOs came from the western side of the earth and then merely outsourced, there is a clash of what are the ways of living in one certain country and the ways of doing things when brought to the receiving country. There would be a lot of issues that would need to be addressed which causes in problems in cultural diplomacy. Let’s use the call center business as an example. Let’s us say that there is a new call center has been outsourced here in the Philippines. In the country where the call center originated they do no not celebrate Christmas or Lent but here in the Philippines we do celebrate these events. This is where the clash begins, because these are two different countries with two different cultures, it would be hard to make or form a cultural diplomacy. There is a need to have talks to address such issues and so that both parties can agree on decide on something to agree on to form a partnership through cultural diplomacy.

Research a Healthcare Facility along with a Information System (IS) Paper

A Healthcare Facility along with a Information System (IS) used at this facility - Research Paper Example In other words, the facility serves a population of close to 1.5 million per year. The number of licensed beds as of 2006 is 2,700: patient care as of 2006 was as follows; the annual inpatient admissions were 145,000, annual inpatient days were 733,000, annual outpatient visits was 1,050,000 and the annual home health visits was 233,000 (MedStar, 2007). Programs and services offered by MedStar Health include adult day services, after hours care, cancer services, cardiac services, clinical trials and research, diabetes and endocrinology, executive health services, home care, international services, MedStar Partners Business Diversity Program, MedStar pharmacy, MedStar sportshealth, mental health services, nursing home, orthopedics, outpatient services, RadAmerica – Radiation therapy, rehabilitation, retirement residence, and women’s services (MedStar Health, 2011). The users of health information in MedStar constitute physicians, ancillary staff, IT professions, and pharmacists. The health information revolves around these individuals. In order to meet the requirements of MedStar Health professionals and also reduce the resources and costs needed to run an international healthcare organization, the health facility adopted a hospital information system called Microsoft Amalga (also known as Azyxxi) (Microsoft Corporation, 2008). MedStar has a network of hospitals and other healthcare services; in order to have a glimpse of how users access health information, Washington Hospital Center will be used. MedStar Health is on the move of adopting Electronic Medical Records (EMR) or Electronic Health Records (EHR). Currently, Washington Hospital Center is using both paper records and electronic records. A big challenge to the implementation is the inability to share information with other electronic records systems (Washington

Ethics & Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethics & Criminal Justice - Essay Example Moreover, Schafer also contends that when confronted with an ethical predicament, most of us would try to involve balance in our decision making process which has either long term or short tem consequences. The author, furthermore, describes a 'fit' - a 'good fit' results to equilibrium while a 'bad fit' increases conflict. Thus, according to the author, leading an ethical life decreases our confrontation with ethical predicaments. As constraints in time limit clear thinking, individuals must make ethical choices giving sufficient considerations to the consequent 'dilemmas' which may arise from the previous choices we have made. For the author, ethical decisions 'consist of a series of choices', not a single decision, hence, as ethics cements and builds strength of personal character, it does not come free of pain (Schafer 2002). Similarly, defining ethical behavior does not come free of pain and constraints. Each of us has her own definition of ethics and morality molded mainly by our environment, our individual perception or our personal experiences and our cultures. Thus, the dilemma in ethics is also a dilemma in bestowing it 'justifiable' definitions. Our predecessors, as well as contemporary thinkers and philosophers from the age of antiquity, of various cultures and beliefs were not spared of this predicament. Consequently, one takes a subjective characterization of ethical standards based on our justice system, local regulations, religion, education, culture and our surroundings. What results is a more relative view of ethics versus the ideal ones proposed by Plato or Socrates or Heraclitus. The relative view versus the ideal and universal definition of ethics presents a dilemma since we do not know when to draw the line between realistic ethical applications from the ideal ethical propositions or wh en and how to apply both principles. Hence, I take the prevailing social and cultural view of what ethical behavior should be. Since society is a result of adaptation to the changes that occurred in our environment, and aims to provide protection of right and promotion of justice, social, legal and cultural standards - standards enshrined, for instance, in our Constitution, laws, social norms, acceptable behavior - of ethical principles, these standards should be the guiding principles of ethical behavior. However, the implications of these principles as defined by our system and aforementioned ethical bases are that, ethical standards and principles evolve over time. 'Evolve' for me, does not really mean 'improve' or 'progress' but rather 'change' for the purpose of adaptation or the preservation of life, liberty, respect for the rights of others and justice or fairness. These ideals, norms and even 'realities' of ethical standards are evident in almost every culture in every commu nity and units of society all across the globe. Thus, even though they are not perfect, ethical principles in my society are 'justifiable' definitions as, apparently, the same ideals exist in other societies, and therefore I take that what is right and 'just' in the society I live in, should be applied using the full force of the law, even if the application of such principles cause much grief. As aforementioned, such principles and ideals of ethics should evolve and

Is the management of culture an ethically acceptable use of power Essay

Is the management of culture an ethically acceptable use of power - Essay Example ly, exercising given powers in a way that recognizes important issues to deal with, establishes priority areas in addition to sorting out competing values while the third aspect calls for moral evaluation where analytical skills are used in evaluating available options. These are a few aspects to consider when making value judge on whether management of culture is an ethically acceptable use of power or not. Therefore, ethical behaviour from those in authority is an important component of organizational culture given the need to be fair and just when handling different groups that interact during the operation of organizational activities (Johnson 2011). Ethical discussions about management of culture should be based on the reasons and importance of having a strong organizational culture. Strong organizational culture is an essential component that creates the necessary environment for achievement of organizational objectives, motivation of employees to be more productive in addition to enhancing management’s decision making process. Consequently, the use of power by any official should be directed towards achieving these goals (O’Donnell and Boyle 2008). Managers should not use the need for an established culture to target those who are perceived to have contradicting views on how to run the organization. Ethical decision-making should ensure that all with divergent views are accommodated into the organization. Trevino and Brown (2004) note the importance of making moral judgement by focusing on what is right and not necessarily doing what is right when making decisions that affect the organization. The authors assert that principled individuals have a high disposition to stick to their moral judgments even under pressure where they are more likely to resist pressure to behave unethically. Resistance emerging from the individuals who oppose new measures aimed at transforming existing culture or changing it completely most often frustrates managers (Secord