Third Gender

In society, the biological difference between men and women is used as a justification for aligning them with different social roles which restrict and mold their attitudes and behavior. Merriam-Webster defines gender as the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex. Narrow minded society of today is not satisfied with the natural difference of sex, but each insist on adding a cultural difference of gender to it. The unsophisticated, ideal physical facts always become associated with the complex psychological qualities (Holter).It is not enough for a male to be a man; he must also be masculine. A woman, in addition to being a female, must be feminine (Magner). In a more evolved and accepting society, men and women will not be judged based on physical attributes and passing judgement on those whose beliefs and physical and mental make up do not agree with that of their own. This new age society will redefine gender thus creating three genders, fem ale, male, and androgynous. As previously stated, gender is defined as the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex (Volume Information).Gender has a major impact on how our identity is developed through many interactions such as with parents, media, and peers. How people are raised in society reflects how they act and mature. Our society changes our attitudes and views on life more than our biological make-up. By establishing a new society, one where people are more accepting, will create peace amongst the sexes. Gender is a combination of what is seen, as well as how people think, feel, act and react to various situations.This blend of biological, psychological, and sociological features is developed based on how an individual is raised and influenced by the society in which they live and are apart of (Holter). Gender has a major impact on every aspect of a person's life. It has a strong impact on the way people set goals, how they feel about themselves, and making work related decisions. It also has major impact on they way people dress, religion, relationships, and how they express feelings and emotions. Gender roles determine and directly affect how an individual thinks, speaks, and interacts within society (Guastello, 665).Gender schemas are deeply embedded cognitive frameworks regarding what define masculine and feminine (Guastello, 665). Social agents such as parents, teachers, peers, television, music, and books, demonstrate and reinforce gender roles throughout the lifespan of a person (Woodhill, 17). By developing a new society, the distorted definition of manhood and womanhood will be changed and seen in a more philosophical way. What is the role of the â€Å"female† in society? From decade to decade raising children and doing all the household chores belong to the female domain.Currently women are perceived as more communal (selfless and concerned with others) than men (Magner). These beliefs were hypo thesized to stem from perceivers' observations of women and men in differing social roles: (a) Women are more likely than men to hold positions of lower status and authority, and (b) women are more likely than men to be homemakers and are less likely to be employed in the paid work force. This newly developed definition of gender will re-construct the image of the ideal woman. Women will be liberated and will have the ability to do multiple tasks without judgement by men being passed upon them.The newly liberated woman will have a positive impact on society by showing that gender does not determine success. Women will be accepted and will defeat inequality. The male and androgynous perception of women will not create a sense of oppression by means of exploitation. It is also imperative to ask what is the role of the male in society? Society uses masculinity to define a man. In â€Å"Society and Sex Roles† by Ernestine Friedl, Friedl supports the the idea that suggests that â €  although the degree of masculine authority may very from one group to the next, males always have more power† (261).The traditional roles of a man was established to ensure the power of the head of household. From a historical stand point, it was always assumed that the head of the household was always the male. Today's society have groomed people to believe and expect a man to be brave, industrious and domineering, whereas a woman is suppose to be submissive and nurturing (263). Men have also been raised to believe that their feelings and emotions are suppose to be hidden from others and should be dealt with internally.With creating this society, men will be able to express themselves without ridicule. Men will be able to continue to provide for their families, as well as maintaining a clean image without being labeled as â€Å"queer. † Men will have an overall promising and positive impact on society by creating a community where children will have positive male figure in their lives. This new type of man, one who is sensitive, caring and not afraid to vent his feelings will still be able to carry the burden of taking care of the household and the children in the event there is absence of the mother.The female and androgynous perception of a man will eliminate the dominance of a male's ego. Androgyny is a word made up of two Greek roots. â€Å"Andro† which means males; whereas, â€Å"gyn† means female (Woodhill, 18). Androgyny is the state or condition of having a high degree of both feminine and masculine traits (18). Under these circumstances, human beings have loosely defined impulses and are free to express nontraditional values. Androgyny is not synonymous with any biological distinctions. According to D. D Guastello, sexual behavior or preference has nothing to do with gender identity (663).Androgyny, viewed as a balance between positive feminine and positive masculine traits, it blends the virtues of the male and femal e. There are two definitions for androgyny: physical (intersexual) – born with both male and female genitals; and psychological – combining both masculinity and femininity as traits of a unified gender that defies social roles and psychological attributes(664). The common usage of the term androgyny in society refers to the latter description (665). As to the sexual orientation, an androgynous person can be heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual.Androgynous individuals tend to behave in ways that counteract conventional gender stereotyping. With the constant change of American culture, the resiliency of androgynous individuals helps society deal with societal pressures. Individuals do not adhere to the same standards that gender-typed individuals do. As a result, they exude higher levels of self-esteem and psychological well-being (665). With creating this third gender, androgynous individuals will be able to live a life without ridicule from men and women who are differ ent from them.Androgynous individuals have dealt with bullying, scolding, and ridicule and are not accepted because of what has been taught through one's life. This new society will encourage androgynous individuals to feel more comfortable and live a healthy and satisfying life without being categorized as different. Today's society does not embrace the idea of androgyny. These individuals will be the quintessential form of existence. They are an all encompassing gender which will make these individuals the ideal mate. These individuals will be able to contribute to the successes of the work place as well as domestically.An androgynous person will also be given the opportunity to hold political positions and well as lead congregations in worship services. The appeal of accepting the idea of adding androgynous gender to society will transcend and eliminate judgement based on physical attributes. It has been proven that gender roles in society have changed over the past decade and wi ll continue to change as the next approaches (holter). Although these roles are ever changing, there are still entirely too many stereotypes and boundaries placed on each gender which cause a rift in relationships.These boundaries keep males and females from exploring their full capacity, completely accepting the idea of androgyny, and evolving into a society of equals across the board. This goes to show that people are easily manipulated through various sources into commonality. Society does not embrace individuality or differences, however; constantly being defined by sex, color, and race through gender prevents unity amongst the masses. Those stereotypical groups are also assigned attitudes, intelligence as well as work ethics.Currently, should people run across someone who doesn't conform to their beliefs and ideas, the likelihood of them being congenial is substantially reduced. Furthermore, men and women have the same emotions but their gender behaviors are conditioned by soci al norms varying from culture to culture. By discarding the imposed restrictions and inhibitions, one would discover the natural androgynous self and learn to accept individuals for who and what they aspire to be. Citation: Citation: please fix the citations i did them off the top of my head don't have ]many internet resources APPLE blocks a lot of stuff. eel free to add what needs to be added more of your opinion that will support your stand on this issue. also cite the article u gave me that you found as well Holter, H. (1970), Sex Roles and Social Structure (Oslo: Universitet for Laget). Magner, Lois N. â€Å"Nineteenth-Century Views of the Female Body and Their Impact on Women in Society. † 2005. Web. â€Å"Volume Information. † Journal of Marriage and Family 47. 4 (1985): 1082-100. Print. Guastello, D. D. & Guastello, S. J. (2003). Androgyny, gender role behavior, and emotional intelligence among college students and their parents. Sex Roles, 49(11), 663-673.

Intel Corporation Essay

Intel Corporation Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore Founded Intel in 1968. The two scientists had a vision for semiconductor memory products. In the year of 1971, the first microprocessor was shown to the world. Today Intel continues to grow not only in computer technology, but in the scientific areas of chemistry. Intel has reached out and opened doors to the world offering education, inspiration, communication and careers. The article I read is one that reads how Intel is making a better future and touches the lives of many; including a Colorado girl who received $100,000 Intel first prize; Sara Volz is a high school senior who has cultivated populations of algae in hopes to create a more feasible bio-fuel for the future. (Hauser, 2013) I find this article intriguing in a couple ways, first the brilliant minds at work in science and technology, and that Intel is helping and inspiring these brilliant minds to grow build their company in an un-self-serving way. Intel is a Corporation, which is defined as a legal structure that enables individuals to contribute and pool resources, capital, and labor in order to generate a profit. They are created by state law in the stated in which they are incorporated. Intel Corporation makes strenuous efforts to interact with their stakeholders, providing information profiles, biographies and documents on their website. Intel is the world’s largest semiconductor chip maker; the products they manufacture are computing and communication components like motherboards and wireless products. Intel strives to make the best product offering, service at your finger tips, extended service warranty, technical support, and Intel server parts on shop Intel. (Intel, 2013) Intel’s offers this globally to the B2B market and the consumer market. Intel Corporation holds about 80% of the market for microprocessors that go into the computers components most use today. Being number one Intel has competition in the computing and technology world, for example; International Business Machines, AKA (IBM). IBM the top providers of computer products and services the company focuses on service business and is one of the biggest providers of semiconductors. IBM also serves customers globally across most industries. (CNN money, 2012) Another competitor is  Advanced Micro Devices inc. (AMD). AMD is ranked number two in PC and server microprocessors, although Intel takes the world of processor market AMD gets most its sales internationally, china accounting for over half making it one of Intel’s biggest competitors. Intel’s motivates their employees by offering, Flexible Work Options; this gives employees flexibility in their schedules with telecommuting, part time, and job share opportunities to fit the needs in their pers onal lives. Family Focus offer childcare, and eldercare. Personal and professional development, Intel wants its employees to grow and helps with offering seminars tuition reimbursement, clubs, and career training courses. Last but not least their excellent coverage and preventive care, Health and Wellness Program to be proactive. The benefits and motivational factors may be one of the reasons Intel’s turnover rate is low. Intel saw 3% or less of their employees leave voluntarily during a 12-month period when surveyed. (CNN money, 2012) Intel corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) last price today is 23.96 on May 02, 2013. The highest was May 02, 2012 at a price of 29.18 and its lowest was November 20, 2012 at stock price of 19.36 (CNN money, 2012). Stock price has fluctuated at Intel over the past year but today is on its way back up. When buying shares of stock a decision is based on how well corporation and their profits are doing. In 2012, economic conditions were low, the increase in the job market means an increase in housing, and buying when people are buying like they are today in 2013 one is more likely to take a risk in corporate profits buying in stock (LIM, 2012) Ten years from now Intel will still be going strong. According to Gordon E Moore, Intel’s Co-founder a visionary wrote a paper in 1965 the paper notes in observation that the number of components in integrated circuits had doubled every year over and would continue. (AKA, Moore’s Law). According to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors the trend is expected to continue with a bit of slowing at the end of 2013. Intel is a large corporation that is growing every day, creating employee partnership, giving not only to the community, but to communities around the world, and making a huge difference. Intel Values their employees, the quality of the products they develop, and their customers. Works Cited CNN money. (2012). Retrieved may May 03 2013, 2013, from CNN money top companies: http://money.cnn.com/ Hauser, E. (2013, march 12). New York Times. Retrieved May 03, 2013, from Science, Colorado Student Receives $100,000 Intel First Prize: http://www.nytimes.com/ Intel. (2013, May 2). Intel Corporation. Retrieved 2013 LIM, P. J. (2012, 12 16). The New York Times. Retrieved May May 02, 2013, 2013, from Your money: http://www.nytimes.com/

Review on Currency Number Recognition

Reappraisal on Currency Number Recognition Abstraction Over the past old ages, a great technological progresss in colour printing, duplicating and scanning, forging jobs arrived. In the yesteryear, merely the printing house has the ability to do imitative paper currency, but today merely by utilizing a computing machine and optical maser pressman at house, it is possible to publish imitative bank notes. Therefore the issue of expeditiously separating forgery bills from echt via automatic machines has become more of import. Counterfeit notes are job of every state. Thus such a system is required, which is helpful in confirmation and acknowledgment of paper currency notes with fast velocity and less clip demand. These currencies will be verified by utilizing image processing techniques. This consists of image processing with feature extraction of paper currency. Image processing includes the nature of an image to better its ocular information for human reading. The consequence will be whether currency is echt or forgery. General FootingsImage Processing:Digital image processing has become of import in many Fieldss of research, industrial and military applications. The processing on planar informations, or images, utilizing a digital computing machine or other digital hardware.Feature Extraction:Feature extraction method is for bettering velocity and truth between two factors. Most normally used characteristic extraction method is image processing. It effects on design and public presentation of the system intensively. Keywords MATLAB Image Processing Toolbox, GUI ( Graphical User Interface )1. IntroductionFeature extraction of images is the disputing work in digital image processing. The feature extraction of Indian currency notes involves the extraction of characteristics like consecutive Numberss, watermarking of currency. Feature extraction is that of pull outing the natural information from the given information. Probabilities of paper currencies with assorted states are likely rises progressively. This is a challenge for conventional paper currency acknowledgment systems. The acknowledgment of the consecutive Numberss of the Indian paper currency such as 100, 500 or 1000 can be detected utilizing assorted methods. The consecutive Numberss are used as identifiers that average IDs of bills.2. CURRENCY RECOGNITION METHODS2.1 A Reliable Method for Paper Currency RecognitionBy Junfang Guo, Yanyun Zhao, Anni Cai, IEEE Transactions, Proceedings of IC-NIDC2010,978-1-4244-6853-9/10. A Reliable Method for Paper Currency Recognition is based on LBP that means traditional local double star form ( LBP ) method, an improved LBP algorithm, besides called block-LBP algorithm, which is used for characteristic extraction. LBP tool is used for texture description. Advantages of this method have simpleness and high velocity. 2.2 Feature Extraction for Paper Currency RecognitionH. Hassanpour, A. Yaseri, G. Ardeshiri aˆâ€ ¢Feature Extraction for Paper Currency Recognition, IEEE Transactions, 1-4244-0779-6/07,2007. In the techniques for paper currency acknowledgment, three features of paper currencies include size ; colour and texture are used in the acknowledgment. By utilizing image histogram, with the mention paper currency plenty of different colourss in a paper currency is computed and compared. 2.3 Feature Extraction for Bank Note Classification Using Wavelet Transform Euisun Choi, Jongseok Lee and Joonhyun Yoon presented this paper in March, 2006 at IEEE International conference.In this paper probe to have extraction for bank note categorization by working the ripple transform. In the proposed method, high frequence coefficients taken from the ripple sphere and are examined to pull out characteristics. We foremost perform border sensing on measure images to ease the ripple characteristic extraction. The characteristic vectors is so conducted by thresholding and numeration of ripple coefficients. The proposed characteristic extraction method can be used to sorting any sort of bank note. However, in this paper scrutiny of Korean won measures of 1000, 5000 and 10000 won types. The textured parts of different measure images can be easy described by break uping the texture into several frequence sub-bands. In the proposed method, high frequence bomber sets are explored to pull out characteristics from transformed images. 2.4 Texture Based Recognition Techniques Texture is a most utile characteristic for Currency acknowledgment. Textural characteristics related to human ocular perceptive are really utile for characteristic choice and texture analyser design. There are some set of texture characteristics that have been used often for image retrieval. Tamura characteristics ( saltiness, directivity, contrast ) , Tamura saltiness is defined as the norm of coarseness steps at each and every pel location inside a texture part. These characteristics can calculate straight from the full image without any similarity. In general the public presentations of this characteristic are non satisfactory. The saltiness information utilizing a histogram should be considered. The Gabor characteristic usage filters to pull out texture information at multiple graduated tables and orientations. As for texture characteristics, there is a comparing of the public presentation of Tamura characteristics, border histogram, MRSAR, Gabor texture characteristic, and pyram id-structured and tree-structured ripple transform characteristics. Harmonizing to author the experimental consequences indicated that MRSAR and Gabor characteristics perform other texture characteristics. However, to accomplish such good public presentation from MRSAR, the Mahalanobis distance based on an image-dependent Covariance matrix has to be used and it increases the size of characteristic and hunt complexness. The extraction of Gabor characteristic is much slower than other texture characteristics, which makes its usage in big databases. Generally Tamura characteristics are non every bit good as MRSAR, Gabor, TWT and PWT characteristics. 2.5 Placement Rule In the yesteryear, there were some troubles in texture analysis due to miss of equal tools to qualify different graduated tables of texture efficaciously. There are some texture based techniques. The work done in this country was carried out by Tamura. Harmonizing to him, for ocular texture is hard. Its construction is attributed to the insistent forms in which elements are arranged harmonizing to a arrangement regulation. Hence it can be written as f= R ( vitamin E ) , Where R is denoting a arrangement regulation ( or relation ) and e is denoting an component. There is a set of characteristics utilizing this all input forms are measured and gives good distributed consequences. So it is required to hold both extremes defines for each characteristic. e.g. , harsh versus mulct for saltiness. Coarseness is a extremely of import factor in texture. In order to better the other characteristics, its consequences should be utilized. 2.6 Pattern Based Recognition Techniques The Pattern acknowledgment is based on anterior cognition as a characteristic. This is the categorization of objects based on a set of images. These techniques are focused on Vector quantisation based histogram mold. Vector quantisation ( VQ ) is a method of trying a d-dimensional infinite where each point,tenJ, in a set of informations is replaced by one of the L paradigm points. The paradigm points are selected such that the amount of the distances ( deformation ) from each information point,tenJ, to its nearest paradigm point is minimized. The work in this country was completed out by Seth McNeillIn et Al. Author gives the method for acknowledgment of coins by pattern acknowledgment. This differentiates between the bald bird of Jove on the one-fourth, the torch of autonomy on the dime, Thomas Jefferson ‘s house on the Ni, and the Lincoln Memorial on the penny. First collects the information, during the informations aggregation phase assorted background colourss, including bl ack, white, ruddy, and blue, were tested for segmentability. Adobe Photoshop was used to find the RGB values of the coin and its background. Then Segmentation was applied to these images. After the informations aggregation next is Coin Segmentation and Cropping. In this measure coins were segmented from their backgrounds by utilizing some alteration of Nechyba’s codification. Croping plan was implemented to turn up the borders of coin. After this Features were extracted from the coins by texture templets with each image, with border sensing templets. and The consequence of this method is 94 % accurate. 2.7 Color Based Recognition Technique The Wei-Ying Maetal. in describes Color histogram ( CH ) method for an image. It is created by numbering the figure of pels of each colour. Histogram describes the colour distribution in an image. It is easy to calculate and is insensitive to little alterations in sing place ( VP ) . The calculation of colour histogram involves numbering the figure of pels of specified colour. Therefore in an image with declaration m*n, the clip complexness of calculating colour histogram is O ( manganese ) . It overcomes some of the jobs with colour histogram techniques such as high-dimensional characteristic vectors, spacial localisation, and indexing and distance calculation.3. SYSTEM OVERVIEW3.1 Flow of Image Processing Fig 1. Flow of System This system is designed by using image Processing tool chest and other related Matlab tool chest. The system is divided into some subdivision to back up the hereafter acknowledgment procedure.4. RecognitionsA thesis work of such a great significance is non possible without the aid of several people, straight or indirectly. First and foremost I have huge felicity in showing my sincere thanks to my usher, Prof. Vishal Bhope for his valuable suggestions, co-operation and uninterrupted counsel. I am really much thankful to all my module members.5. Reference[ 1 ] Hanish Aggarwal and Padam Kumar, â€Å"Localization of Indian Currency Note in Color Images† , ICCCNT 2012. ( Unpublished ) . [ 2 ] Wei-Ying Ma and HongJiang Zhang, â€Å"Benchmarking of Image Features for Content-based Retrieval† Hewlett- Packard Laboratories, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1126. [ 4 ] Hideyuki Tamura, Shunji Mori, and Takashi, â€Å"Textural Features Matching to Visual Perception† , Member IEEE. [ 5 ] Seth McNeill, Joel Schipper, Taja Sellers, Michael C. Nechybaâ€Å"Coin Recognition utilizing Vector Quantization and Histogram Modelling† Machine Intelligence Laboratory University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611. [ 6 ] Michael C. Nechyba, â€Å"Vector Quantization a confining Case of EM† , EEL6825: Pattern Recognition Class Material, Fall 2002. [ 7 ] Jing Huang, S Ravi Kumar, Mandar Mitra, Wei-Jing Zhu, Ramin Zabi, â€Å"Image Indexing Using Color Correlograms† , Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853. [ 8 ] John R. Smith and Shih-Fu Chang, â€Å"Tools and Techniques for Color Image Retrieval† , Columbia University Department of Electrical Engineering and Centre for Telecommunications Research New York, N.Y. 10027.

No topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

No topic - Assignment Example The overwhelming mortgages did not directly impact the Federal Reserve but through independent investment companies, which really demonstrates how the American economy is almost entirely feeding from the financial industry. I think there is more of a fiscal policy involvement in this case: the Federal Government had the intentions to bail out the projected failing companies such as the Bear Stearns. For instance, the former Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, devised a merger between the Bear Stearns and the JP Morgan, which would allow the Federal Government to shell out $30 billion in order to cover up the dubious assets associated with toxic mortgages. This implies for a relative more expansionary policy strategy by the government. I think one of the most important lessons that I learned from watching the video is how the finance industry has dominantly gained control over our government. Aside from the hints that the economic crash was â€Å"contrived†, the video reveals some of the most undesirable realities of the United States: the country’s goals toward recovery will fall short except if we get rid of the financial oligarchy that is hindering the fundamental

The role of the practice mentor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

The role of the practice mentor - Essay Example A mentor is the one who bears the responsibility for their training and development. So, there is no need to further describe how efficient and knowledgeable the mentor should be. For understanding the function of a mentor, one should understand that who is a mentor and what is its actual role in development of efficient nurses and midwives. A mentor plays an important role is everyone’s life. An individual gets the chance to explore the world around through the eyes of its mentor. Thus mentor can be defined as â€Å"An experienced and trusted advisor. An experienced person in an organisation or institution who trains and counsels new employees or students† (The Sloan Work and Family Research Network. 2009). Mentoring and teaching differs from each other in some respects. Basically mentoring is the process, through which less experienced professionals get a chance to share experience of someone who has gather good knowledge in the same field. So through the process of mentoring the individual gets more benefited because the knowledge which one received is focused toward his or her own working field and provides clear cut guidelines through impaling them in the working one can easily move toward higher ladders in their career path. Mentoring is equally beneficial for both mentor and mentee as they both come to know each other and can explore each others’ positive and negative points. Thus motoring creates a professional as well as emotional bonding between both of them. The mentee can easily develop knowledge, skill, experience and compatibility required for carrying out job responsibility. The mentor helps the mentee to build his career path and attain heights. Many a time mentor provides contacts to mentee for creating networking and provides guidance that how one can develop good networking skills (The Sloan Work And Family Research Network. 2009). A mentor’s role is highly

A timeline of the September 11 attacks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A timeline of the September 11 attacks - Essay Example This essay provides a short information about the catastrophe and further events till September 30. Three hijacked planes hit the World Trade Centre in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC. A fourth plane crashes into a field in Pennsylvania.The FAA stops all flight operations in the capital and around the nation for the very first time in the history of America (House of Commons Librarary, 2001, pp 1-72) The president: George Bush addresses the nation and vows to find the people responsible for the attack in order for justice to be served. Trading at the world trade centre is stopped as the police are sent to conduct rescue services in the areas affected the attacks. International leaders shoe their outrage over the attacks as they move in swiftly to help in the rescue operations (Watchtel, 2009, pp 1-48). September 12, 2001: the New York mayor at the moment Giuliani notifies that the death toll at the world trade centre will be in thousands (Anderson, 2003, pp 1-30). The fire fighters from various departments and the military continue combating the fire in the two cities of New York and Washington. The president terms the attacks as acts of war and requests the congress to help rebuild America by devoting $20 billion (House of Commons Librarary, 2001, pp 1-72). September 13, 2001: president bush vows to lead the world to victory over terrorism terming the attacks as the first war of the 21st century (Englar, 2007, pp 1-25). The then secretary of state Colin Powel after consultations with the department of defence identifies Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect with the then deputy Defence secretary saying that the US will respond with a sustained military campaign. The FAA allows the airports to begin operations but under tight surveillance (Langley, 2006, pp 3-50). September 14, 2001: President Bush declares a national emergency and instructs the military to call fifty thousand soldiers to active duty (House of Commons Librarary, 2001, 1-72). The department of defence releases a list of the nineteen suspected hijackers. At the same time Afghanistan’s Taliban militia group warn America of revenging if the US attacked it for hosting the Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (Watchtel, 2009, pp 1-48). September 15, 2001: the president declares waging an unrelenting war to hunt down terrorist and the state department cautions that any government that supports terrorism will be isolated (House of Commons Librarary, 2001, pp 1-72). Pakistan on the other hand agrees to help Americans to attack the neighbouring Afghanistan. September 16, 2001: Osama bin Laden denies involvement in the attack as President Bush pledges to rid the world all evil doers brushing off Osama’s claims (House of Commons Librarary, 2001, pp 1-72). The vice president Dick Cheney warns anyone who harbours terrorists will be dealt with mercilessly by the US. United States send a delegation to Afghanistan to release Osama or risk massive attacks (Schier, 2 008, pp 6-100). September 17, 2001: Taliban leaders say that a grand council of Muslim clerics will decide on whether to hand in Osama or not. The Federal Reserve of America cuts its key interests in a bid to keep the economy from plunging into a recession. The FBI releases a list of names that they want detained both in the US and abroad. Trading begins at the New York stock exchange. September 18, 2001: the Taliban Muslim leaders call on all Muslims to wage a Holy war in the event that America attacks them. The defence secretary says the administration is preparing attacks on terrorists and those countries that support terrorist activities (Heider, 2008, pp 1-41). President Bush leads the US people in a moment of silent to remember the people who perished in the attacks (Langley, 2006, pp 3-50). September 19, 2001: the Pentagon gives an order that combat aircrafts should base in the Persian Gulf. President Bush continues with his push to get world leaders to support him in the fig ht against terrorism and meets with different

Language Policy or Practice in Education of Everyday Life Essay

Language Policy or Practice in Education of Everyday Life - Essay Example This paper approves hardly anyone disputes that sign language is a useful skill but the arguments laid out above prove that it must become more than just a skill. It needs to become a part of one’s way of living. Learning the sign language widens children’s social circle. They are given the ability to communicate even with those that are deaf and hard of hearing. This means can have more friends, learn from more people, and stimulate the exchange of knowledge more. It is also when the development of an intimate level of familiarity that the true empathy towards the deaf come. The deaf and the mute have been looked at as an inferior member of the community for so long simply because not all their senses are working. It is time for people to realize that just because they don’t have all the senses doesn’t mean they are less capable. However, that realization will only come if they are able to communicate with them directly. This paper makes a conclusion It is also interesting to know that learning sign language can make students smarter because the language stimulates alternative learning styles. Reports about learning new skills and improved academic performance prove that sign language is a legitimate teaching or learning tool. The government and schools will, of course, incur expenses as it revises the curriculum and hire teachers that can teach sing language among young students. However, the benefits mentioned above make it a worthwhile effort. More importantly, integrating the sign language in the primary level could well be the most significant move that the government will make in its effort to stop the discrimination against disabled people, specifically the deaf and mute... Learning another language will include an opportunity to learn about the culture of the community where the language originated from. The understanding of culture will allow the students to look beyond the perceived handicap in this case. Given that most of their values are formed during their primary years, children will learn the value of looking every human being and not be subjected to the same prejudice that majority of the adult population holds. This will automatically come with the benefit is allowing the children the capacity to communicate with greater number of people that will also widen their opportunity to learn from more people and exchange knowledge and experiences. There are a lot of achievers in the field of science and technology and arts that are deaf and mute (Karchmer & Mitchell 2003). Learning their language will give young students an opportunity to learn from these people. It is also proven that learning sign language stimulates three extra areas of learning, visual, spatial, and tactile. Psychological, Sociological and even Physiological studies have attested to the value of learning how to read body language and learn communication beyond the verbal way. It increases the child’s intellectual quotient and emotional quotient (Armstrong, 1994). According to their study, there are areas of learning that are often overlooked. This generally wastes a lot of potentials. Tapping these areas of learning will allow students to tap into other areas if they are unable to understand a lesson with one. They will also be able to use one area to support another or increase their understanding of a concept because they are able to understand lessons from different perspectives. Opening more areas of learning will allow

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations Essay

Separation of Retail and Investment Banking Operations - Essay Example The need to separate the two operations is the central focus of this paper, presenting arguments for and against the move in detail. Arguments in support of separation of retail and investment banking operations Financial crisis is not a new phenomenon for the banking sector in U.K and beyond. From time to time, economic hardships that have resulted in financial crisis have been observed around the world. Year 2008 global financial crisis adversely affected financial systems in various economies. This necessitated the need to manage risks in the financial sector, which is primarily dominated by banks. Following this and other affecting factors, regulation, control and reforming the banking sector is essential. Separation of retail and investment banking operations is a positive move to take in the context of the above pursuit. That is, regulation, control and reforming financial services providers. Separating retail and investment banks would mean that the each of the two becomes a s tandalone legal entity. It is important to note that retail banks handle short term and long term payments, accept deposits and offer credit services by lending funds (De Jonghe, 2010, p. 387). On the other hand, investment banks primarily deal with financial instruments. In this regard, they are also referred to as casino banks. With the separation, it would mean that adverse effects experienced by either of the banks would hardly affect the other. That is to say that if the investment banking operations experience huge losses, the resultant negative effects would hardly affect retail banking operations especially deposits. Splitting the retail and investment banking operations is an activity that would bring forth intensive regulatory frameworks in a bid to achieve the desired outcome. The regulatory frame work adopted would be one that addresses each of the two banks as a unit independent of the other. In the situation of financial hardships, the retail banking sector would recei ve the attention of both the government and the taxpayers. The investment banking sector on the other hand would be accounted for by shareholders and investors in the same context. As a result, the adverse effects of financial crisis can neither be transferred to the retail bankers nor the government when the investment banking sector is affected. Investment banks engage in highly risky financial instruments (Upper, 2007, p.64). Tax revenues are normally used to back banking operations with or without operational risks. However, separating retail and investment banking operations would ensure that the taxpayers’ money only backs retail banking operations. The involvement of investment banks in risky financial instruments and related activities would therefore not constitute any financial burden to the taxpayers. Over and above the alleviation of financial burdens to taxpayers in times of financial crisis, individual customers to both retail and investment banks would be at an advantage. In absence of the separation, deposits in retail banks are highly influenced by investment activities. This is more so if different parts of the same bank handles both retail and investment banking operations. With the separation, the opposite of this scenario is true. However, lending risks are inevitable, but they are relatively easy to address (Modigliani and Miller, 1958, p.261–

Kwanzaa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kwanzaa - Essay Example Umoja means unity (Ramirez, 2012). It mandates that every person that traces their descent from Africa must institute and maintain unity among themselves and a goodwill spirit as well. According to Ramirez (2012), it implies instituting family unity, unity across races in which each individual belongs, unity among the African American community and unity with Africa as a motherland. The purpose of this principle is to create a strong bond among the various entities, personalities and characters that share a common ancestral lineage. This is the second principle. It is a Swahili word, which translated means self-determination (Ramirez, 2012). Self-determination depicts the motivation in an individual to support intrinsic or natural tendencies that concerns with effective behavior and healthy mannerism. In this context, Kujichagulia principle indicates the importance of maintaining ones original identity as well as defining oneself and creating a special identity that relates to ones origin (Ramirez, 2012). It demands that the African Americans be proud of themselves and their origin, which ultimately enables them to communicate with sincere joy and pride. It also enables them institute effective interpersonal connection with other ethnicities, races and cultures. Ujima means collective duty and responsibilities (Ramirez, 2012). It directs the African community in working together to produce results that promote the greater welfare of the community. According to Ramirez (2012), it requires the African society to support one another in needy circumstances and in resolving social problems, that one or a few individual cannot address effectively. Ujamaa means cooperative economics (Ramirez, 2012). According to Ramirez (2012), this principle encourages African Americans to support local businesses in their respective communities and to accord preferences for local suppliers and

Sigmund Freuds Theories On Psychoanalysis In Cinema Essay

Sigmund Freuds Theories On Psychoanalysis In Cinema - Essay Example The conflict is that the film portrays these Freudian theories, but many of these theories have since been rebuked. The film becomes a satire by showing Freud's teachings, but subtly disputing and showing their errors. With Freud's belief that one's actions are mostly motivated by sexual urges and that these urges are based on the development of psychosexual stages, he limits an institution's ability to correctly diagnose and cure a mental patient. So in the film, although the patients represent various stages of Freud's theory, e.g., anal (Nurse Ratchet), oral (McMurphy), and so on, their treatment is limited by these basic categorizations. If the doctors and Nurse Ratchet did more than treat their basic symptoms they could have focused on true healing and tried to get to the root of the problem. Instead, patients were controlled through medication and lobotomies. Freud's Oedipus complex theory, that every man is in love with his mother and hates his father is illustrated in the film. The female in control of the hospital, Nurse Ratched, represents the mother figure. She controls the blood of patients. Based on Freud's theory, each of the men would love her, as the mother figure. ...The conflict occurs because of Nurse Ratched's abuse of such power. This causes confusion and a love/hate relationship with the men. They feel the urgings to love her as a mother, but are confused by her rejection and abuse.In this example, it would appear to be a reverse Oedipus complex in that the relationship goes the extreme opposite with the patients hating her. Still, the need to please exhibited by some of the patients still exhibits an Oedipus complex. The female figure or mother image is represented in a negative light throughout the film. Vera Harding, Candy, Nurse Ratchet all exert and abuse the power they have over men. Each of the men reacts in his own way: McMurphy resents her power; Chief shuts down emotionally; Billy Bibbitt craves the love his mother withholds.

Parkinsons disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parkinsons disease - Essay Example Its prevalence in developed countries is just about 0.3%. (Breteler, 532) the percentage exceeds to one percent in individuals above sixty years that increases to three percent for individuals that are older than eighty years. (Huse, 1450) Within the USA, Parkinson’s disease affects nearly hundred to one hundred eighty individuals out of every 100,000 individuals and shows a yearly occurrence of four to twenty out of every 100,000 individuals. The prevalence of the disease increases with the rise in the aging of population. It has been estimated that there will be a rise in the occurrence of the disease in upcoming years; however its medical intrusions will participate to a great extent in combating with the extensive range of unmet requirements connected with the disorder. Statistics show a market of $5.9bn in the worldwide retailing of Parkinsons disease restorative therapeutics that is far more than the last year’s values which used to be $4.6bn. Incomes gained from the authorized Parkinsons disease remedies all over the world (in major countries like America, England and France) found out to be more than $2.2 billion in 2006. A rise of revenues that is equivalent to approximately $6.4bn is anticipated by the end of 2015. (Metz, 251) Due to advancement in the therapies a reduction in the number of deaths due to Parkinsons disease is expected in next five to ten years. The increase in the revenues is mainly due to the latest developments in drugs therapy that brings a reduction in the load of polypharmacy in individuals that are currently on the pharmacotherapy of the disease. A dynamic change in the market of Parkinson’s disease is expected mainly due to the leading therapeutics owned by the names like, GlaxoSmithKlines (GSKs), UCB-Schwarzs Neupro, Lundbeck’s Azilect and Teva etc. (Chrischilles, 410) This has also been observed that a huge portfolio

French writing Essay Example for Free

French writing Essay Aujourdhui je vais parler de Chris Dean qui est un basketteur ami ricain qui est ni le dix-huit juin 1981 dans lOhio. Di s son plus jeune i ge, il a montri son talent pour le basket-ball et na pas arri ti de sameliorer afin quil devienne le meilleur. Chris a assisti Schol haute St Mary i Akron, oi en tant que freshman premii re anni e, il becams un starter pour leur i quipe premii re, il affiche en moyenne vingt-et-un points par match et a meni une victoire record. Dean a conduit ila St Mary vicroties consi cutives et a   surnommi Mr Basketball et becams le premier joueur de St Marie i i tre si lectionni pour jouer pour les Etats-Unis i quipe premii re. Doyens stats contunued pour ami liorer jusqui ce quil soit attribui gatorate nationales joueur de lanni e et quil i tait i ce moment son nouveau surnom King Dean est devenu un aliment de base des mi nages dans lOhio. Dean a continui ami liorer sa troisii me saison il affiche en moyenne 39 points par match et asurnommi Monsieur basket pour une troisii me anni e consi cutive et a i ti si lectionni pour li quipe ami ricaine dabord un temps de unpresidented tiers. Dean a aussi joui au football ami ricain, tout au St Mary et a i ti li cole receveur i claireurs beaucoup ont dit quil aurait pu jouer la NFL sil avait continui. Dean a fait ses di buts dabord dans 2003 quand il a i? si lectionni par le Caveliers Cleavland dans le projet de joueur. Plus tard dans la saison, Dean mener la caveliers i une victoire de point de 41 et becams le plus jeune joueur i marquer quarante points dans un match. Il a i ti nommi recrue MBA de lanni e en vue de ce fait. Dean a continui i jouer pour la Caveliers pour sept saisons jusqui ce quil soit transfi ri i la chaleur de Miami en 2010 pour un record de 19. 000. 000 dollars, ce qui est la plus grosse somme jamais consacri i un joueur. Plus tard cette anni e, il a i ti surnommi joueur le plus utile MBA. Plus tard dans la saison, Dean a accompli sa plus grande riussite et a termini premier dans la ligue de MBA pour la premii re fois, en moyenne 33 points par match, i galant Michael Jordens enregistrer et i venir en avance sur le li gendaire Wade Dwayne qui a termini deuxii me avec 29 points par match. Dean est actuellement incontesti dans le haut de la table MBA ligue avec une i tonnante des points par match et 39 personnes encore lappeler roi doyen En 2011 Dean est marii? Sophie Millard et ils ont eu deux enfants. Je pense que dans la saison ivenir Dean tentera dami liorer ses statistiques encore plus et peut-i tre une moyenne de quarante points par match, battant le record de Michael Jordan du 39. Jai i crit au sujet de Chris Dean parce quil a i ti mon basketteur pri fi ri depuis quil a commenci sa carrii re et il ma inspiri pour prendre le jeu, et, ce faisant, jai accompli de nombreuses ri alisations de la mienne, par exemple jouer pour Kent club de basket, je lespi re de continuer i soutenir le doyen jusqui sa retraite du basket-ball.

Online Patient Appointment Reservation System

Online Patient Appointment Reservation System Online Patient Appointment Reservation System Literature Review Definitions Health informatics or medical informatics is the intersection of information science, computer science, and health care. It deals with the resources, devices, and methods required for optimizing the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of information in health and biomedicine. Health informatics tools include not only computers but also clinical guidelines, formal medical terminologies, and information and communication systems [1]. Subdomains of (bio) medical or health care informatics include: clinical informatics, nursing informatics, imaging informatics, consumer health informatics, public health informatics, dental informatics, clinical research informatics, bioinformatics, veterinary informatics, pharmacy informatics and healthcare management informatics. Health Information System The earliest use of computation for medicine was for dental projects in the 1950s at the United States National Bureau of Standards by Robert Ledley. The next step in the mid 1950s were the development of expert systems such as MYCIN and INTERNIST-I. In 1961, a major career change occurred when Morris F. Collen, abruptly went from medical practice into medical computing. The primary goal was to develop a comprehensive health care information system to provide an integrated, continuing patient medical record [2]; Dr. Sidney Garfield decided In 1965, the National Library of Medicine started to use MEDLINE and MEDLARS. At this time, Neil Pappalardo, Curtis Marble, and Robert Greenes developed MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System) in Octo Barnetts Laboratory of Computer Science at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In the 1970s and 1980s it was the most commonly used programming language for clinical applications. The MUMPS operating system was used to support MUMPS language specifications. As of 2004, a descendent of this system is being used in the United States Veterans Affairs hospital sys tem. The VA has the largest enterprise-wide health information system that includes an electronic medical record, known as the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture or VistA. A graphical user interface known as the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) allows health care providers to review and update a patients electronic medical record at any of the VAs over 1,000 health care facilities. In the 1970s a growing number of commercial vendors began to market practice management and electronic medical records systems. Although many products exist only a small number of health practitioners use fully featured electronic health care records systems. Homer R. Warner, one of the Fathers of Medical Informatics, founded the Department of Medical Informatics at the University of Utah in 1968, and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) has an award named after him on application of informatics to medicine [3]. The US HIPAA of 1996, regulating privacy and medical record transmission, created the impetus for large numbers of physicians to move towards using (Electronic Medical Record) EMR software, primarily for the purpose of secure medical billing. The US is making progress towards a standardized health information infrastructure. In 2004 the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) formed the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) [4], headed by David J. Brailer, M.D., Ph.D. The mission of this office is widespread adoption of interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) in the US within 10 years. See quality improvement organizations for more information on federal initiatives in this area. Brailer resigned from the post in April, 2006 [5]. The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), a private nonprofit group, was funded in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a set of standards for electronic health records (EHR) and supporting networks, and certify vendors who meet them. In July, 2006 CCHIT released its first list of 22 certified ambulatory EHR products, in two different announcements. [6] [7]. In Hong Kong a computerized patient record system called the Clinical Management System (CMS) has been developed by the Hospital Authority since 1994. This system has been deployed at all the sites of the Authority (40 hospitals and 120 clinics), and is used by all 30,000 clinical staff on a daily basis, with a daily transaction of up to 2 millions. The comprehensive records of 7 million patients are available on-line in the Electronic Patient Record (ePR), with data integrated from all sites. Since 2004 radiology image viewing has been added to the ePR, with radio graphy images from any HA site being available as part of the ePR. Pekka Loula and Jaakkola Hannu discussed the concept of virtual hospital and telemedicine as a part of daily hospital operations [8]. The concept of the virtual hospital is analyzed by using business, application and technology point of views. In 2005, Byeong-il Lee, Jeong Min Ham, Ki soo Park, Su-Ho Ok, Jong Min Kim and Heoug Kook Choi, [9] Proposed a system for patient scheduling in a department of nuclear medicine. Regarding Ambulatory Care, N.H. Lovell, K. Balakrishnamoorthy, D. Le and J. Paleologos from Australia developed a user friendly, database-driven system accessible via internet, which replaced the current paper-based system [10]. Some Japanese researchers: Kabushiki Kaish, Kosaku Hideki, Kurihara Tsuyoshi and Suzuye Takehiko [11] developed an integrated system containing medical information providing system, hospital reception method, medical information database and patient terminal for reception of ho spital. Vipool K. Goradia, M.D. found that the documentation affects patient care, physician efficiency, and ultimately affects the accuracy of coding [12]. Bibliography [1] http://en.wikipedia.org [2] Collen MF, HEALTH CARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS A Personal Historical Review, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program Oakland, California, ACM 1987. [3] Hall of Fame of Utah Technology Council, retrieved March 17, 2008 [4] US Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) [5] http://www.linuxmednews.org Linux Medical News [6] Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (July 18, 2006): CCHIT Announces First Certified Electronic Health Record Products Retrieved July 26, 2006. [7] Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (July 31, 2006):CCHIT Announces Additional Certified Electronic Health Record Products Retrieved July 31, 2006 [8] Loula Pekka, Jaakkola Hannu, Managing a Virtual Hospital, IEMC 96, IEEE 1996. [9] Byeong-il Lee, Jeong Min Ham, Ki SOO Park, Su-Ho Ok, Jong Min Kim, Heoug Kook Choi, Development of the Investigation Scheduling System Using Mobile Phone Utilization of the Department of Nuclear Medicine 2005, IEEE. [10] N.H. Lovell, K. Balakrishnamoorthy, D. Le, J. Paleologos ,Design of an internet-enabled hospital in the home information system for Ambulatory Care, Proceeding of the 23rd Annual EMBS International Conference 2001. [11] Kabushiki Kaish, Kosaku Hideki, Kurihara Tsuyoshi and Suzuye Takehiko, Medical information providing system, medical information providing method, hospital reception method, medical information database, and patient terminal for reception of hospital. [12] Vipool K. Goradia, M.D., Electronic Medical Records for the Arthroscopic Surgeon, Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 22, No 2 (February), 2006: pp 219-224.

Religious Identity In Different Cultures Sociology Essay

Religious Identity In Different Cultures Sociology Essay We argue that it is possible to empirically test some of the postulates of the classical distinction between an intrinsic and an extrinsic religious orientation: we investigated how people perceive the difference between an individual and a social religious identity, between a central versus a peripheral religiosity, and which are the different motives effectively underlying these different forms of religious identity. Using an ecological measure based on four types of participants self-categorization, results from a longitudinal study across six countries provided a new framework for interpreting religious identity. In particular, religious identity was mainly categorized at a social level by European respondents, whereas nonwestern respondents mostly rated it at an individual level; religious identity was perceived as equally central at the individual and social levels of categorization. Last, we compared the strength of different identity motives underlying these different forms o f religious identity. In the conclusions, we discuss the importance of investigating the different ways of being religious, and how they differ according to the specific experience of religiosity in a particular national context. Keywords: religious identity; identity motives; religious orientation; cross-cultural. The Categorization of Religious Identity in Different Cultures Is there a single form of the religious sentiment? This question was the first interrogation of Allports seminal book The individual and his Religion (1950, p.3): it is clear even in everyday life experience that individuals differ radically from one another in their ways of being religious and that each person endorses the religious identity with a different accent. Some years later, Allport and Ross (1967) developed the well-known distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations. In this framework, the intrinsic orientation is typical of an individual who lives religiosity as something personal, mainly consisting of private expression, central in life and satisfying the individual need for meaning; on the other hand, the extrinsic oriented individual mainly lives the social aspect of religiosity, considering religion as something peripheral in his/her existence and that responds to social needs, such as the need for belonging or for high social status. Even if it has been widely used, many scholars pointed out the weakness if this definition and the debate on how to define religious identity is still open. Here, we focus on two parts, which we investigated in a cross-cultural study of late adolescents. The first aspect concerns the level of categorization of religious identity: in the intrinsic orientation, religiosity is personal and endorsed at an individual level, whereas the extrinsic type is mainly associated with a social level and thus with group belonging. Does this distinction correspond to real life experience of religious identity? Is it possible to distinguish between an individual (or personal) versus a social (group belonging) religious identity? The second aspect deals with the structure of identity: for an intrinsic orientated individual, religious identity is central and of primary importance, while it is peripheral and superficially endorsed in the extrinsic one. Does the distinction between individual and social religious identity entail a difference between a central versus a peripheral religious identity? In sum, this empirical study investigated in an ecologic framework if some people perceive their own religious identity as an individual characteristic, whereas others as a group belonging, and the implications of this difference for the understanding of religious identity. The Level of Categorization of Religious Identity: Individual and Social Religious Self According to the delineation of the religious orientations provided by Allport and Ross (1967), some people live religiosity as something personally chosen and individually endorsed, whereas other people live religiosity mainly as a belonging to a social group. In the literature, research into religiosity sometimes consider the individual aspect of religion, for example solitary personal prayer (e.g. Fincham, Lambert, Beach, 2010), while at other times consider the social side of religiosity, for example the feeling of belonging to a group and the commitment toward this group (e.g. Vekuyten Yildiz, 2010). Cohen, Hall, Koenig, and Meador (2005) argued that the importance of social aspects in religion can be viewed as a cultural characterization of certain religious denominations (see also Cohen, Siegel, Rozin, 2003; Hall, Meador, Koenig, 2008); for example, the emphasis on communitarian aspects (praying together, feeling a sense of belonging) is stronger in certain denominations, whereas in other denominations the emphasis is more on individual religiosity (e.g. beliefs, conversion, personal prayer). Another possible explanation for the different emphasis put on the individual versus social side of religiosity can be found in general culture: the differences between individualistic and collectivistic cultures might also affect differences in religious identity (Triandis, 1995). The six countries included in the present study all have a Christian historical background (paired with Islam in Lebanon), but they differ in levels of individualism and collectivism (Triandis, 1995). Thus, we explored the question about the individual or social characterization of religious identity in a large sample of different cultures, allowing to compare between individualistic and collectivistic countries. To our knowledge, no study to date has investigated with an ecologic approach what people actually feel about their religious identity. A first purpose in the present study is to look at what people say when they think about their religious identity. In particular, we proposed to look at four possible levels of categorization, drawing on self- categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, Wetherell, 1987): an individual level, a relational level, a small group level and a large group level. We expected that some people perceive their own religious identity mainly as a personal characteristic, whereas others perceive it as a group belonging, etc. Therefore, we examined which level of categorization people associate their religious identity with if directly asked, without any sort of priming (e.g. without influence by instructions or by item formulation). The Structure of Identity: Central and Peripheral Religious Self The question about the centrality of religiosity in the individual self is assuming growing importance in the literature. In fact, it is argued that the individual differences in centrality of the religious self may also result in different degrees of integration of religion in life, and thus to different outcomes (Pargament, 2002). According to Allport and Ross (1967) theorization, intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity imply a different degree of centrality of religion in the individuals life: the intrinsic orientation entails centrality in life, i.e. subjective importance of religion, and it is seen as a more mature form of religiosity, whereas in the extrinsic form religiosity is a more peripheral part of life. Given that the authors consider intrinsic form of religiosity mainly as individual religiosity, they also assume that the individual religious self is more central than the social (extrinsic) religious self, which is seen as more peripheral. Nevertheless, this clear-cut opposition is questioned from many parts (e.g. Pargament, 1992; Burris, 1994). Flere and Lavric (2007) argued that intrinsic religious orientation is a culturally specific American Protestant concept and concluded that it is time for scholars to approach the question of the authenticity [italics added] of non-intrinsic religious orientation, including social extrinsic orientation not just as sociability, but as a legitimate path for achieving grace and salvation (p. 529). Therefore, we argue that research into the perceived centrality of different types of religious selves would gain clarity by being investigated cross-culturally, comparing across cultures the perceived importance of religiosity in the individual, relational or social self. In the present study, we investigated the centrality measured as perceived subjective importance of religious self in identity in a cross-cultural sample from six nations, including both western and nonwestern countries. We examined if people who define their religious identity more in terms of individual versus relational versus social self also show different degrees of centrality of that religious identity. According to the evidence provided by Cohen and colleagues (2005), and Flere and Lavric (2007), the social aspects of religiosity can be perceived equally important as the individual aspects by the person herself; thus, we expected to observe equivalent degrees of centrality at all levels of categorization. The Present Study This study is based on secondary analysis of a data set of a broader longitudinal study into culture and identity (Becker, Vignoles, Owe, Brown, Smith, Easterbrook, et al., 2012). For the purpose of the present research, we examined six different cultural contexts: three European countries from different parts of Europe (UK, Belgium, Italy) and three non European countries, specifically a Middle East country (Lebanon), one in East Asia (Philippines) and one in sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia). These countries represent six very different cultural contexts in which religious identity can develop, with varying levels of individualism and collectivism (Triandis, 1995): the UK, Italy and Belgium have similar high rates for individualism, while Lebanon, Philippines and Ethiopia are all collectivistic countries (Hofstede, 2001). We hypothesized that in all these contexts people can perceive their religious identity at different levels of categorization, with implications for the centrality of religious identity and for the motives underlying each type of religious self. In the previous sections of this paper, we accounted for the distinction between individual and social religious self; then we exposed the centrality or non centrality of religious identity and the multiplicity of motives that can be at the basis of religious identity. The study reflects this pattern and provides answers to three research questions: (1) Are there individuals who categorize their religious identity as individual and others who categorize their identity as relational or social? Our hypothesis, following Cohen at al. (2005), was that participants define their religious identity both as individual and as social. (2) Is the individual religious self the most central religious identity? Our hypothesis, consistent with Cohen et al. (2005) and Flere and Lavric (2007) findings that both individual and social motives can have the same importance in religious identity, was that, irrespective of culture, the perceived centrality of religious identity is equivalent at the individ ual, relational and group level of identity. Method Participants. Participants were a subsample of the broader research project, constituted by secondary school students in the UK, Belgium, Italy, Lebanon, Philippines, and Ethiopia. A total of 1,793 participants took part in the study. The mean age was 17.5 (SD 1.1); 257 were residents in the UK, 194 in Belgium, 187 in Italy, 300 in Lebanon, 250 in Ethiopia, and 300 in the Philippines. Demographic information regarding age, gender, general religiosity (mean rates for How important is religion to you?, from 1 not at all to 5 extremely) and religious belonging in each national sample are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Participants Characteristics and Religious Belonging by Sample. Sample Belgium Ethiopia Italy Lebanon Philippines UK Mean Age (sd) 17.7(1.1) 18.1(1.0) 18.1(0.8) 17.3(0.5) 17.9(1.3) 17.1(0.8) % Female 57 45 61 46 66 75 Religiosity (1-5) 2.14 4.77 2.69 3.73 4.03 1.92 % Christian 45.4 97.1 77.8 34 89.3 34.1 % Muslim 6.0 1.2 1.6 61.3 0.7 0.8 % Other 1.2 3.8 2.0 8.7 2.4 % no relig. belonging 46.6 1.6 16.8 2.7 1.3 61 Procedure. The research was introduced as a study about opinions, thoughts and feelings; participants were recruited through schools and were not compensated in any way. As the present study is based on secondary analysis, the research team members who supervised the completion of the questionnaire were unaware of the researchs aim, so participants were not influenced about religion/religiosity. A questionnaire was filled out at the beginning of the school year (time 1) and, after a period of approximately six months, another questionnaire was completed (time 2). In nations where this was an ethical requirement, parental consent was obtained in advance. Measures. Measures were included within a larger questionnaire concerning identity construction and cultural orientation (see Becker et al, 2012; Owe et. al, 2012). The questionnaires were administered in English in UK and Philippines, and they were translated from English into French (Belgium), Italian (Italy), Arabic (Lebanon) and Amharic (Ethiopia) in each country. Independent back-translations were made by bilinguals who were not familiar with the research topic and hypotheses. Ambiguities and inconsistencies were identified and resolved by discussion, adjusting the translations. Only the measures relevant to this article are described here. Generation of identity aspects. First, participants were asked to generate freely ten answers to the question Who are you? (hereafter, these answers will be referred to as identity aspects), using an adapted version of the Twenty Statements Test (TST, Kuhn McPartland, 1954, see Becker et al., 2012). This part of the questionnaire was located at the very beginning of the questionnaire, so that responses would be constrained as little as possible by theoretical expectations or demand characteristics. The ten aspects generated by respondents at time 1 were re-presented at time 2 and participants re-evaluated them after the time lag. Self-categorization of identity aspects. (Vignoles et al., 2006). Participants were asked to indicate for each identity aspect the category that best fitted their identity aspect, by circling a letter (possible choices: I, for individual characteristic, R, for relationship with someone, SM, for belonging to a small group, LG, for belonging to a large group). We adopted four categories in order to maximize the ecological approach and let respondents choose between more than a dichotomous alternative. Identity centrality. (Vignoles et al. 2006). A question measured the perceived centrality of each identity aspect within participants subjective identity structures (How important is each of these things in defining who you are?; scale anchors were 0 = not at all important, 10 = extremely important). The same item was answered both at time 1 and at time 2. Identity motives. (Vignoles et al., 2006). Participants were asked to rate each of their identity aspects on the six identity motives. The questions measured the association of each identity aspect with feelings of self-esteem (How much does each of these things make you see yourself positively?), distinctiveness (How much do you feel that each of these things distinguishes you-in any sense-from other people?), belonging (How much does each of these things make you feel you belong-that you are include among or accepted by people who matter for you?), efficacy (How much does each of these things make you feel competent and capable?), continuity (How much does each of these things give you a sense of continuity-between past, present and future-in your life?), meaning (How much does each of these things give you the sense that your life is meaningful?). Scale anchors were 0 = not at all, 10 = extremely. Results After collecting data, we read all the identity aspects and selected the identity aspects referring to religion, coding them as 1 and all other aspects as 0. All the aspects that mentioned God, Religion, belonging to religious organizations, etc. were coded as religious identity aspects. Examples are: Christian, Religious, God fearing, Member of the Church, etc. The percentage of people who mentioned at least one religious identity aspect in each country were: Ethiopia 47%, Philippines 33%, Italy 13%, Belgium 9%, Lebanon 7%, UK 6%. Most of the following analyses, except where indicated, were conducted selecting only participants religious identity aspects. Self-categorization of religious identity aspects. The questionnaire item, as described before, allowed to choose between individual characteristic, relationship with someone, belonging to a small group and belonging to a large group. The percentages of selected categories differed in each country sample. As we can see in Figure 1, European participants mainly categorized their religious identity aspects as group belonging, while non-European participants labeled their religious identity aspects as individual characteristic in the majority of cases; relationship with someone and small group were chosen by a minority of respondents. A Chi-square test indicated significant differences between countries, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 (15, 232) = 47.981, p We then checked if the differences in categorization were connected to general culture. We tested if it was a general tendency of western respondents to define all their identity aspects as group belongings, but we found that this categorization is specific to religious identity aspects: a Chi-square test conducted on all identity aspects of the European samples indicated a significant difference of categorization between religious and non religious identity aspects, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 (3, 1) = 33.645, p Figure1. Figure 1. Percentages of self-categorization of religious identity aspects in each sample. Centrality of religious identity in the different levels of categorization. We tested the hypothesis that religious identity aspects would be perceived as more central (i.e. rated as more important) in an individual religious self (aspects labeled as individual characteristic) than in a relational (aspects labeled as relation with someone) or social religious self (aspects labeled as small group belonging or large group belonging). However, the ANOVA comparing the means of the four groups revealed no significant differences in the centrality of the religious identity aspects (F (3,202) = 1.61, p = .189). Mean centrality for each level of categorization is reported in Figure 2. Thus, all levels of categorization of religious identity are associated to the same degree of importance for the person who endorses one of them. Figure 2. Mean identity centrality of the religious self by level of categorization. Numbers in parentheses report standard deviations. Centrality was significantly different between countries (F (5,202) = 6.40, p Discussion Our aim was to explore different forms of religious identity in different countries. The study measured the occurrence of religious identity with an ecological procedure, where participants freely generated aspects of their identities. In countries with a higher mean religiosity, a higher number of participants listed a religious identity aspect in their identity. We first investigated the level of self-categorization (Turner et al., 1987) that participants choose for the religious aspects of their identity. Interesting between-country differences were observed: most Western participants rated their religious identity as group belonging, whereas nonwestern participants rated it as individual characteristic. This pattern does not match the traditional individualist-collectivist distinction (Triandis, 1995), and it cannot be explained by general culture (as tested by the comparison with other, non-religious, identity aspects of the same participants), but probably reflects something mo re specifically connected with religious traditions and habits. These results are in line with Cohen et al. (2005) and add to the existing theory the specification that the importance of social versus individual aspects of religious identity varies not only by religious denomination but also by the specific experience of religiosity in a specific national context. It could be, for example, that in Western countries, where religion is not so widespread, people who experience religiosity necessarily have this experience by means of affiliation with a particular group. On the contrary, in countries in which religion is more widespread, individuals can live a religious experience individually and without entering a specific group. The second aim of our study was to compare religious identity centrality at different levels of categorization: literature about intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation suggests that a more personal level of categorization would coincide with a more central (i.e. perceived as important) religious identity (Allport Ross, 1967). However, we predicted, following Cohen et al. (2005) and Flere and Lavric (2007) that the perceived importance of religious identity should be the same for individual, relational, and social religious identity. In support of this hypothesis, there were no significant differences in the mean rates of identity centrality at the four levels of self-categorization. Thus, this disconfirms the distinction between an extrinsic religiosity that is peripheral and based on group belonging, and an intrinsic religiosity that is central and pertains to an individual level. In fact, both individual level and group level religious identity have the characteristic of ce ntrality that was a prerogative of the sole intrinsic orientation. Conclusions and Implications A first implication of these findings is the irrelevance of a distinction between a first class (real, authentic, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) and a second class (peripheral, instrumental,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) religious identity reflecting the personal-social distinction. In fact, even if it is possible to differentiate between different levels of religious identity and to distinguish between a more personal religious identity associated with sense of meaning and a more social religious identity associated with need for belonging (as can be predicted by the traditional intrinsic-extrinsic distinction), each type of religious identity is central for the individual who lives it. Thus, we agree with Flere and Lavric (2007) that the authentic religious expression cannot be confined into the intrinsic-individual orientation but should also include the importance, for the individual, of social and relational aspects of religious identity. A limitation of this study lays in the theoretical opposition between individual and social self: even if it was a necessary option for a first disentanglement of the different ways of being religious, we think that the two selves are not alternative and that an individual could have both a salient individual religious self and a salient social religious self. Indeed, some recent studies combining the two levels measuring at the same time the individual and social side of religious identity show promising findings (see for example, Brambilla, Manzi, Regalia, 2011; Verkuyten Yildiz, 2010). What should also be further explored, is the impact of the minority or majority status of religious groups in a given country on the individual perception of religious identity. In fact, the unexpected observation, in our sample, of the prevalence of self-categorization of religious identity as a group level identity among the western participants, elicits new questions. The impact of different denominations has already been investigated (e.g. Toosi, Ambady, 2010), but less is known about the influence of religious history of each country: it could be the case that in more secularized countries the religious identity is connected to belonging to a specific group, whereas in more religious nations individuals can practice their religion as something ordinary, pertaining to the majority of people (see also Gebauer et al, 2012; Sedikides Gebauer, 2010). Another aspect of possible influence is the interconnection between peoples religious identity and the way in which they enter in con tact with a religious tradition, for example their religious group/community and its specific practices (attendance of services, solitary prayer, volunteering for an association, etc.) and, before, the transmission of faith within family (see for example Assor, Cohen-Malayev, Kaplan, Friedman, 2005).

Capital Punishment Essay -- Research Death Penalty Essays

Capital Punishment Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides of the spectrum begin to wildly express their opinions. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man. One says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. However, all arguments aside, the best way and the only way to truly make a rational decision about capital punishment is to examine the purpose of our criminal justice system. Once the purpose of the criminal justice system is established, one must find out the purpose of capital punishment. This paper will show that the purpose of capital punishment is consistent with and embodies the purpose of the criminal justice system. Then, this paper will determine whether or not the present form of the death penalty is fulfilling its purpose, and what could be changed to make the death penalty more efficient and effective. The first question that must be faced is, "What is the purpose of the criminal justice system and does the death penalty help to fulfill that purpose?" In The Law, Frederic Bastiat says that humans have inalienable rights that existed outside of and before government. These rights are life, liberty, and property. He contends that the only legitimate purpose of government is to protect these rights. When one person inflicts on another's rights or takes advantage of another person, he is plundering. Bastiat asks, "When, then, does plunder stop? It stops when it becomes more painful and more dangerous than labor. It is evident, then that the proper purpose of law is to use the power of its collective force to stop this fatal tendency to plunder instead of work. All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder," (Bastiat 24-26). People will plunder, take advantage of others, and commit crimes as long as it is in their best interest to do so. The purpose our entire criminal justice system is to protect the rights of life, liberty, and property for all its citizens. To do this, the criminal justice system needs to make "plunder more painful and more dangerous than labor." In other words, the punishment for crime must be harsh enough to deter potential criminals. Under this mindset, the death penalty makes perfect sense. Here is a punishment that truly makes the criminal pay for his crime, stops t... ... General's Office. 1997. 2. 32. 0 The Attorney General's Office did say that the appeals process would be faster once the results of new laws passed on the federal and state level begin to take effect. However, he said that he didn't expect the length of time to get any shorter than 5 years. 33. 0 Malice- Malice is that condition of mind which prompts a person to take the life of another intentionally without just cause, excuse, or justification. Express malice- In criminal law, the intent to kill or seriously injure arising from a deliberate rational mind. Implied malice- Malice inferred from a person's conduct. (Definitions come from Black's Law Dictionary: New Pocket Edition.) 34. 0 In all capital cases, there are two initial trials. The first trial decides whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. The second trial decides whether to give the defendant a punishment of death or life imprisonment. Having 9 of 12 jurors concur on the punishment obviously refers to the second trial, not the first. The procedure for the first trial will be unchanged by this bill. 35. 0 Duff, Charles. A Handbook on Hanging. Boston: Hale, Cushman, and Flint. 1929. 54.

Dreaming of Home Essay -- Personal Narrative Descriptive Dreams Essays

Dreaming of Home Everyday, after waking up, I realized that I had been dreaming about home again. I lay staring at the ceiling for a moment or two. Then, dragging myself from the bed, I walked to the window and threw open the curtains. The wide open space of the New Mexico high desert stared back blankly at me. The cobalt blue skies, peach colored Sandia Mountains and endless waves of sagebrush and juniper stood in stark contrast to my dreamscape. For the past eight years, my first view of the day was this one. But today was different. Today, I was going home. I grew up in Dublin in the 1970s. To understand how that shaped the person I am today, you have to understand something about Ireland at that time. It has been said by someone a lot more insightful, and perhaps more cynical than me, that the 1960s didn't reach Ireland until about 1975. So I grew up in a time of great change, where the old social norms were being challenged and cast aside. Of course, in my growing years, I didn't always understand this. I viewed Dublin through the eyes of a child. I led a fairly sheltered existence, the eldest of seven children. My parents were country people and had moved here after the birth of my first sibling, Paul. My father worked in the construction industry and construction jobs were much more plentiful here than in the backwaters of Wicklow where he was born and bred. My mother was from the West, born in County Clare and was the daughter of a farm laborer. Her father, Patrick Murray, had moved where the work was too, and had ended up settling and eventually retiring in Wicklow. This was where my parents met and where I had come into being. Our days in Dublin were regularly punctuated by trips to the country to visit my gr... ... We were old friends and lovers, learning that what it was to know one another again and tentatively finding our way back into each others lives. I still love Dublin, but I realize now that I love it despite itself and not because of itself. I think, perhaps, that is how it's always been. And a strange thing happened. I awoke one morning to find myself back in my bedroom, back in New Mexico. My wife lay sleeping beside me, lost in her own dreams. The house was quiet. I walked once more to the window and opened those curtains. The room was immediately filled with warm, brilliant sunlight. The sky was that same fantastic shade of blue and the Sandia Mountains glistened as ever in the early morning light. I gazed out across the waves of sagebrush and juniper and realized I had not dreamed of home. Looking back to where my wife lay sleeping, I realized I was home.

Religious Language and Concepts in Romeo and Juliet

Religious Language and Concepts in Romeo and Juliet The epistle of Saint John unequivocally states, â€Å"Love comes from God† (1 John 4:7). This statement not only explains the source of love but it also provides a means to understand both love and God. If love is from God, then an understanding of love can be derived from knowing God. Thus, the converse, knowing love provides a level of knowledge concerning God, is true. In light of this conclusion, it only seems natural that the two should intersect when trying to describe one another. William Shakespeare employs Christian language and concepts in the play Romeo and Juliet to not only effectively conveys the gravity of love but also to provide metaphorical undertones to the play’s conclusion. It is apparent that Shakespeare intentionally used religious language and concepts in order to elicit the implications that are attached with the words. By glossing over these words as two-dimensional adjectives much of Shakespeare’s beauty and genius is lost and the intrinsic harmony connecting love and God is unknown to the reader. The play Romeo and Juliet is steeped in religious language and constructions. The possible examples are numerous and wide ranging, but some are used to convey love while others are used to drive the thematic plot. For organizational purposes, the usages of religious language that help convey the meaning of love will be addressed first followed by an explication of the thematic usages or religious language. An excellent example of how Shakespeare implements religious language and concepts in order to describe the transcendent emotion of Love is in Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting. While courting Juliet, Romeo says, â€Å"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand, To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. † (1:5:97-98) Prior to this statement Romeo had equated Juliet with a holy shrine and he then employs the religious concept of pilgrimage in the following lines. On a very surface level, this makes sense considering that a holy shrine is an end goal and pilgrims, like lips moving in for a kiss, travel to the end goal. However, it seems rather evident that Shakespeare meant much more than simply making a comparison for movement in this statement. The term pilgrim calls to mind the departure from a known place into an unknown, holy land for the sake of obtaining salvation. By using ‘pilgrim’ to describe the kiss shared between the two lovers implies that Romeo and Juliet are going to depart from their current love-starved world and move into a holy world of love. Another example of where Shakespeare implements religious language is when Romeo says, â€Å"I take thee at thy word: Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized; henceforth I never will be Romeo. (2:2:49-51) Again, as in the previous statement, Shakespeare implemented religious language in order to describe how love is a transcendent and unearthly entity. In the realm of Christianity, Baptism is the sacramental shedding of earthly imperfections and wedding of the soul to Heaven’s dominion. Romeo’s statement uses the word and concept of baptism to express that by being called Juliet’s lover, Romeo would shed his earthly self an d enter the world of love where his name would no longer matter. Both of these statements allow Shakespeare to describe the transcendence of love, and logically the only way to describe the transcendence of love is by implementing religious words and concepts that are themselves transcendent. It is rather evident why Shakespeare employed religious language instead of using secular or earthly language and concepts. As stated previously, both love and God are entities that find their origin outside of earthly confines. The fact that both love and God manifest themselves on earth creates a dilemma when one attempts to describe their essence. Trying to describe God or love with words that are limited to earth’s confines is similar to the proverbial square peg in a round hole. This is why it would not be conducive for Shakespeare to describe love with secular or earthly words. The inadequate secular language would lose much of love’s weight and Shakespeare’s genius would be repressed. Shakespeare’s usage of religious language not only allows for better description of love itself but Shakespeare also uses it as a vehicle for metaphor. The central message of Christianity is the redemptive sacrifice of the ‘unblemished lamb’, Jesus Christ, known as the Gospel. When Romeo kisses Juliet and says, â€Å"Thus from my lips, by yours, my sins are purged. † (1:5:109) The purging of sins inevitably draws up thoughts about the Gospel within the reader’s mind and although the metaphor is not brought to denouement within just this one line, the groundwork is set out. Later in the play, Juliet says in regards to performing her mock-death, â€Å"Things that, to hear them told, have made me tremble; And I will do it with out fear or doubt, To live an unstained wife to my sweet love. † (4:1:86-88) This line again is drenched in Gospel metaphor. The word ‘unstained’ is a queue for the reader that this line is not merely a secular, two-dimensional statement and with this in mind, Juliet seems to share much of Jesus Christ’s emotions in the biblical account of Him praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Both Jesus and Juliet are apprehensive of their looming deaths, both admit that they are afraid, and both choose to confront their fears with confidence. With both this line and the previously stated line it is relatively clear that Shakespeare created certain parallels between Juliet and Jesus Christ. These parallels come to an ultimate conclusion at the play’s conclusion. At the end of scene five, when both Romeo and Juliet are dead, it becomes evident that Shakespeare’s metaphor of Christ has come to conclusion. After both of the families realize that their respective children are dead they give up their long held resentment towards each other. This reconciliation seems to echo the reconciliation found after Jesus Christ’s death. Obviously, in no way is Juliet an airtight allegory for the Gospel. However, these statements and constructions are undeniable in their intentional resemblance to Christ and the Gospel story. Shakespeare manipulating his plot to facilitate the Gospel metaphor implies that he felt strongly about the need to use God to describe love. Jesus Christ came from heaven and through His death brought salvation for the sinful world. Juliet embodied love and through her death brought reconciliation to the town of Verona. Shakespeare, through his metaphors, is attempting to convey a very weighty assessment on love. The metaphor conveys that love is not of this world but instead from God and thus to know either God or love is to know something of both. It also suggests that love has a very real salvation within it, the ability to reconcile relationships and transcend earthly pettiness. It seems ironic that despite the fact that God created the world, worldly terms fall short of describing His essence. Likewise, it is equally ironic that love, an entity that seemingly controls the vast majority of all human interactions in one way or another, is not readily described by commonplace terms. Juxtaposing these two ironies makes it evident as to why William Shakespeare implemented religious terminology and metaphors in order to fully convey the essence of love. Romeo and Juliet were undoubtedly in love with each other and it is fitting that their holy love could not be constrained by either the unholy confines of Verona or of secular diction.

Under Armour Case Write Up

Problem Under Armour has become one of the most successful performance apparel brands in the United States. Despite its recent successes, Under Armour does have a few problems that could adversely affect its future sales. One general environment issue is how the current economic situation in the United States will affect Under Armour’s sales. As consumers change their buying habits it could hurt its sales severely. Two, Under Armour needs to consider how its lack of a diversified supply group impacts its bargaining power. Roughly 75 percent of its fabric is purchased from only six distributors.Three, the company should consider diversifying its product line beyond its current sports apparel majority. Under Armour doesn’t have as much brand recognition in spring/summer sports such as soccer and basketball. Lastly, Under Armour should be more aggressive in expanding to European and Asian markets. Currently, Under Armour heavily relies on U. S. market and there are tremend ous potential consumer power in Europe and Asia. General Environment Analysis There are a variety of different external factors that influence the amount of success Under Armour is able to achieve.One of the biggest factors negatively affecting the firm is within the economic sector. Consumers are spending less money in the retail market. This decrease in spending is causing a broader economic downturn. As a company who sells its products at premium prices, this downturn threatens to damage the company’s sales and decrease profits. There are also several different opportunities offered by the general environment. Under Armour products are useful to athletes. Regardless of the country in which a sport is played, high quality, breathable apparel and durable, innovative equipment are always useful.Because of the cultural transcendence of its products, Under Armour is pursuing international diversification. Their strategy is one of regionalization, allowing top managers within ea ch region to run almost like a subsidiary, reacting to local preferences and competitors. â€Å"Researchers have found that international diversification can lead to greater operational efficiency, which ultimately leads to higher financial performance. † The move toward a more global firm should help the firm to grow, increase profits, and improve brand recognition worldwide. Additional threats and opportunities facing Under Armour are exhibited in Appendix A.

London in “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” and “London” Essay

William Blake and William Wordsworth were both key figures of the Romantic era. Characterized by its emphasis on passion, emotion and creativity, the Romantic Movement occurred in Europe in the late eighteenth, and early nineteenth centuries. Blake’s â€Å"London†(1794) and Wordsworth’s â€Å"Composed upon Westminster Bridge†(1803) are good examples of poems from the Romantic era, as both poets share a sense of emotional involvement in their works. However, similarities between the two do not extend beyond their common theme: London. Blake’s dark and bitter portrayal of the city contrasts sharply with Wordsworth’s awe-struck account of a sunrise viewed from Westminster Bridge. Contrasts can be found in all aspects of the two poems, and both poets used a variety of techniques to effectively express their very different feelings about the sights and sounds of London. The tone in Blake’s London is one of bitterness and negativity, with him using such words as â€Å"weakness† and â€Å"woe†. The theme of the poem is a wide description of London, but also specifically focuses upon the people and how they live their lives. The human aspect of the poem is introduced early on with â€Å"in every face†. The poet has a very subtle approach at getting his message of corruption across to the reader, but the feeling that is received from the poem is one of a strong nature. London consists of four quatrains (four line alternately rhyming stanzas), with relatively short lines, emphasising the lack of embellishment and emotion in the poem. There is a rigid structure and rhyme scheme throughout the poem. The rhyme scheme is clear (ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH) and the rhyme itself is strong, rhyming such words as â€Å"curse† and â€Å"hearse† together, thus corresponding with Blake’s harsh views on London life. Blake uses iambic pentameter, except for the third quatrain, where dactylic pentameter is used instead. This gives the poem a strong and steady rhythm as it is read, which helps to emphasise the monotony and duty of the lives Blake describes. The language is relatively easy to understand, and is not archaic, for example â€Å"in every city of every man†. However, some language is used that is not in use in the present day e.g. â€Å"woe†, â€Å"blights† and â€Å"harlot†. The language is surprisingly accessible for a poem that was written over two hundred years ago. Many emotive words are used such as â€Å"cry†, â€Å"fear†, â€Å"blood† and â€Å"plagues†. Use of the word plague would have been particularly strong at the time of writing, as the poem was written only 150 years after the Great Plague itself. Blake uses lots of adjectives e.g. â€Å"youthful Harlot† and â€Å"hapless soldier†, giving a clear picture of what he thinks London is about. The imagery that is used is mainly human, â€Å"hapless soldier’s sigh† for example. When reading the poem, a clear picture is depicted of London without referring directly to London, but instead through the description of people and sounds. Lots of sound imagery is used: â€Å"I hear† is mentioned twice, the word â€Å"cry† is repeated three times and there is a â€Å"soldier’s sigh†. Also, by describing the human situation, Blake leads the reader to infer that London is not a very nice place, because, for example, there are â€Å"youthful harlots†, which demonstrate how innocent youth has been corrupted by the city. This is also evident when it says † every infant’s cry of fear†. The soldier’s sigh, which â€Å"runs on blood down palace walls† is Blake’s way of exposing the guilt and responsibility of the wealthy (palace), ruling classes. Repetition is used a lot: â€Å"every† is used five times, to emphasise the negative situation that Blake is alluding to is widespread and affects everyone. The use of the word â€Å"cry† three times to stress sadness and desperation of the situation. The repetition of lines five to seven ensures that the reader is aware of the seriousness of the situation Blake is describing. The punctuation in the poem is quite simple. Stanzas end with an end – stopped line. Full stops and commas are used widely, but no exclamation marks. Simplistic punctuation and lack of embellishment adds to the cold, realistic portrait of Blake’s London. An elision is an omission of letters to aid rhythm. Blake uses a lot of elisions: † I wander thro’ â€Å", † each chart’d street â€Å". This demonstrates the importance of rigid structure and rhythm to the sense of this poem. In Wordsworth’s Composed Upon Westminster Bridge the tone is positive and there is a sense of awe and respect for the city demonstrated by the use of such words as â€Å"majesty† and â€Å"splendour† in the poem. The general theme of the poem is again of London, but this time focussing on aestheticism, nature and architecture, which can be seen from the view from Westminster Bridge at dawn. Composed Upon Westminster Bridge is a sonnet. The rhyme scheme used is ABBA ABBA DEDEDE. The rhyme is generally clear and regular, although Wordsworth does use para-rhyme in lines two and three: â€Å"Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty† Although the rhyme scheme is regular, Composed Upon Westminster Bridge does not feature any apparent rhythm pattern, and the poem has an almost prose-like quality, which makes the reader think of the natural, flowing, harmonious images Wordsworth is describing. Wordsworth’s language is in places quite old fashioned: â€Å"This city now doth, like a garment ,wear The beauty of the morning† The language is also more elaborate than Blake’s, for example, Blake’s â€Å"Thames does flow†, whereas according to Wordsworth: â€Å"The river glideth at his own sweet will† Wordsworth’s language is also very emotive e.g. â€Å"majesty†, â€Å"splendour† and â€Å"mighty heart†, and he uses a lot of adjectives, e.g. â€Å"smokeless air†, â€Å"bright† and â€Å"glittering†. Wordsworth uses a lot of natural imagery in the poem e.g. â€Å"Earth has not a thing to show more fair†, â€Å"the beauty of the morning†, â€Å"the fields† and â€Å"the sky†. This helps to convey a sense of harmony between the urban and the natural. Further, through personification and pathetic fallacy, Wordsworth is able to give human characteristics to the city, adding to the sense that London is a living organism, a part of the natural environment. Personification is evident in lines four to five: â€Å"This city doth, like a garment, wear The beauty of the morning† In lines nine to ten: â€Å"Never did sun more beautifully steep in his first splendour† In line thirteen † the very houses seem asleep†. In the last line of the poem, Wordsworth speaks of the â€Å"mighty heart† of the city, which further adds to the sense that London is a living organism. Pathetic fallacy can be seen in line twelve, â€Å"The river glideth at his own sweet will†. Wordsworth uses a lot of enjambment: â€Å"Dull would he be of soul who could pass by A sight so touching in its majesty† This lends a smooth, flowing and gentle quality to the poem, and supports the emphasis placed upon nature in the poem. Similes are also used, e.g. the morning is described as being â€Å"like a garment†. In this way, Wordsworth is able to detract from the commonly held idea that London is grim and threatening, and instead promote the idea that the city is friendlier and more harmonised with nature. Wordsworth also uses contrasts to emphasise this harmony: â€Å"Ships, towers, domes , theatres, and temples lie Open unto the fields, and to the sky†. Use of punctuation in this poem is very interesting. Wordsworth only uses one full stop throughout, preferring instead semi-colons and commas, all of which help the poem to run smoothly. The poem also features three exclamation marks, which help to exaggerate the central idea. This effect is amplified by the inclusion of the expression â€Å"Dear God!†. All this helps Wordsworth to express how strongly he feels about London. The differences between these two poems are clear. For example, whereas Blake’s tone is dark and bitter, Wordsworth’s is awe-struck and celebratory. Differences also arise in terms of the theme or central idea of each poem. London deals with the human aspect of the city. It is set at night, and virtually ignores the environment of London. In this way, Blake is able to highlight the effect the city has on its people, and, by leaving the city itself undescribed, emphasises its position as a cold, uncaring place. In contrast, Wordsworth focuses entirely on the aesthetics of London at dawn, and the relationship between the urban environment and nature. By removing the human aspect of the city, Wordsworth can ignore the difficult lives of its people (as described by Blake) and concentrate solely on the physical and natural aspects instead (note the ‘smokeless air’). The two poems are also structured differently, and feature variations in terms of rhythm and rhyme. Composed Upon Westminster Bridge is a sonnet, with a generally clear rhyme scheme and no apparent rhythm pattern. By using a single stanza, and an almost prose-like style, Wordsworth is able to express a flowing, smooth quality, mirroring the free, unrestrained natural aspects he deals with in the poem. London, on the other hand, features four quatrains, and is rigidly structured in terms of rhythm and rhyme. This allows Blake to highlight the monotony of the lives he discusses in the poem, and reflects the sense of duty and lack of free will involved in the struggles faced by the city’s inhabitants (note the inclusion of a ‘soldier’, some one with no control over his own life). Blake’s language is generally simple and easily comprehensible. By avoiding the elaborate language preferred by Wordsworth, Blake emphasises the lack of hope or joy in his city. Wordsworth, in contrast, favours a very convoluted style of language, which adds to the celebratory mood of the poem. In both cases, the poets use language to effectively convey their opinions about London. Also, both poets use a lot of adjectives, which is characteristic of the involved, creative style of the Romantics. Imagery is central to both poems. However, Blake and Wordsworth use different methods to create a detailed picture of London for the reader. Wordsworth chooses to concentrate on natural, familiar images, and through the personification of these natural images, gives London a softer, less threatening identity. Blake chooses to paint a picture of London by describing the sounds which can be heard, and by giving details of the people that live there. Interestingly, Blake is able to give a very comprehensive image of London, without discussing the city directly. In this way, London is portrayed as nothing more then an influence on its people. Blake, unlike Wordsworth, does not see the city as an organism in its own right, and this is emphasised by his use of imagery. Finally, literary devices: both Blake and Wordsworth employ clever use of literary techniques to aid the expression of their feelings towards London. Wordsworth uses enjambment to give Composed Upon Westminster Bridge a flowing, natural feel, and punctuation is used to maximise the celebratory tone (i.e. only one full-stop, use of exclamation marks). Blake uses repetition to emphasise his idea of the monotonous hardship and misery of the people of London. His use of simple, unembellished punctuation helps to further convey this idea, by highlighting the rigidity and restriction which govern the lives of London’s inhabitants. Elisions are frequently employed to aid the rhythm, which demonstrates the importance of a rigid structure to the sense of London, in complete contrast with Composed Upon Westminster Bridge. Although London and Composed Upon Westminster Bridge both deal with the subject of London at a similar time in history, they share very little common ground beyond this. Blake’s grim, desperate city seems a million miles away from Wordsworth’s elaborate celebration of a city at dawn. Although both poets use similar techniques to express their very different feelings about the sights and sounds of London, these techniques, such as imagery and literary devices, give different effects in each poem, depending on how they have been used. These two poems may seem to be very similar, but Blake and Wordsworth have used lots of different methods to demonstrate beyond doubt their very different feelings about the sights and sounds of London.