Managed Healtcare Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managed Healtcare - Assignment Example His may lead to misinformation on the various aspects of disease management that require more or urgent attention There have been important changes in the quality of management movement since the 1970s to current day. The evolvement has led to more comprehensive views of diseases management and one that offers an accurate account of what it represents and encompasses. In the past, quality providers felt that making significant improvement in the health status of Americans meant addressing chronic disease for large groups of people, not single patients one at a time. However, the managed care system in this era is more focused on ensuring that each patient gets high quality. The managed care organizations then started looking as patients as individuals and not as a group of individuals suffering from a certain chronic disease that needs to be eliminated. This way, the care system became more patient-centered. This was how the improvement generated to the managed care system that we have in today’s

Collective Bargaining and School Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Collective Bargaining and School Finance - Essay Example Each unit designs a contract proposal which is introduced to the districts Labor Relations Department. In the negotiating sessions the proposals and counterproposals are exchanged until an agreement is reached between both the parties in good faith. After the one year of approved contract, it is required to include a provision for reopening negotiations on specific items like salary, benefits, and one or two additional items to be selected by each party. According to the Rodda Act negotiating parties should participate, and stick to certain behaviors and time lines. They should discuss all issues to make proposals and counterproposals in an effort to reach agreement. In the school environment, this act allows teachers and employees the right to meet and negotiate with the employer with respect to wages, benefits and working conditions. Taylor Law has founded an agency named ‘The Public Employment Relations Board’ (PERB) to exercise the law. PERB’s board has three members for performing activities including adjudicating and establishing public policy concerning public sector labor relations issues; attorneys for the board; administrative law judges that hear claims of improper practices; mediators that assist public employers and employee organizations in contract negotiations; administrative and support staff that ensure services are delivered to the public sector labor relations community. PERB is responsible for interpreting disputes as to matters that are or are not ‘within scope’. The range of subjects within a scope includes matters relating to wages, hours, and working conditions negotiated between school districts and employee organizations during the collective bargaining process. There are two types of negotiations: Traditional (positional) and Interest Based negotiations. Traditional negotiations solve a problem with respect to positions and

Importance of Culture Essay

Importance of Culture Essay Introduction: Culture is the characteristic of group of people defined by everything such as language, religion, lifestyle etc. Different people in different societies have different culture but they also have some similarities. The culture varies in different things such as clothes, foods, religion and many others. Culture is the identity of a group of people living in specific place; they have their own sketch of life what the culture says they follow that. We have seen that a lot of people do some specific thing they first thought about their culture, what my culture says on this occasion. Especially on the occasion of wedding, and some other celebrating days they follow strictly their culture. Those who do not follow their culture or do some changes in that, they havent give any values to them because they are not following their religion. Different people define culture in different ways, for example Culture: learned and shared human patterns or models for living; day- to-day living patterns, these patterns and models pervade all aspects of human social interaction. Culture is mankinds primary adaptive mechanism1. Another author says that Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one category of people from another.2. from these definitions it is clear that both explains the same idea but in different words, says that culture is first learned after learning it is then shared so its a common fact that the younger first learn the culture from their elders and when these young become elders they transfer it to the next generation. But the culture learned it includes all the aspects of human interaction and thus it become the mankinds adoptive mechanism. In the second definition the author says that the culture is the programming of mind so it includes everything related with the mind programming and because of these different minds programming different group of people distinguish from each others. Characteristics: Culture has its own characteristics; we will discuss some of its characteristics here. Learnt Shared Social Continuous Adaptive Varies Learnt: As we discussed earlier that culture are learnt from their elders, culture is not the thing you study for it and you know it but it is just the process you pass from it, after that you will know about the culture. It is just like the thing that inherited in someone nature. All action the action we do like eating, dressing wearing ornaments etc is the result of culture we learned. One author says about learning culture Babies and children learn about their culture by watching their parents and close family. They copy behavior they have seen and adopt different roles3 and thats fact that babies and children learned culture by watching their parents and close family and then they apply these different roles in their Daily life and thus adapt their culture. Shared: Culture is something that is shared among groups of people. It is not the thing that someone posses it individually. Culture is always transferred through sharing so it mean that for transferring the culture the sharing is must. The sharing of culture refers to the term called enculturation according to author Process of learning culture is called enculturation4. Culture is shared in many ways; the main way for transferring the culture is the language. Language is the form of social communication and the knowledge is transferred through group discussion, public speaking and informal communication. The second way is the use of communication technologies nowadays like TV, DVD, internet etc play also important role in sharing the culture. These modern technologies have exposed every culture to the whole world. Social: Culture is social it is not the individual phenomena. it is the product of society and originates and grows through social interaction. Something is differentiable to us through comparison, so for distinguishes culture we have to compare it with some other then we will know about all aspects of that culture therefore the culture must be social and without it there is no concept of culture. One author says that culture can be thought of as the normative order, operating through operational and social influence, that guide and constrains the behavior of people in collectives5 .so from above statement it is clear that culture is the overall thought in a normative order, and these thoughts are pass through several operational and social influences, it means that their also occur some changes in culture but these changes are collectively and thus people of that culture adopt their behavior to the culture. Continuous: Culture is the continuous process, Culture is growing whole which includes in itself, the achievements of the past and present and makes provision for the future achievements of mankind. Culture is the result of past and present changes that occur in it, and thus it absorb that changes in itself and the culture become the result of past and present experiences and the process continue to next generation and so on. Hence some sociologists like Lotion called culture the social heritage of man6. Adaptive: Culture is always adaptive, even changes occur in culture but is very slow process and generally it is adaptive to all the people associated with that culture. when their occur some changes in the culture then at the same time people become use to with it and thus they feel nothing about their culture even people of other cultures will says anything about that culture but the people of that culture they are adapt with it. One author says about it that The biological modifications and adjustments are always flexible to adapt even in the harsh conditions of the environment7.it means that the changes occur in the culture is flexible, easy for everyone to follow. Varies: Culture always varies. All the elements of culture like dressing, ways of eating, speaking etc varies from society to society. In every culture there always changes occur in some interval of time, almost the changes speed is very slow but we never say that culture is not variable. Types of culture: There are several types of culture: Material culture Dressing Food Buildings Non-material culture Language Family Religion Education Material culture: Material culture includes all those things that people creates and gives meaning to it. Material culture include lot of things, some of them are given below: Dressing: Dressing is the important thing in culture. It identify the cultural society, for example when a stranger from other country come to Pakistan and he know little about here culture dressing so he will definitely identify the place. Every culture gives most importance to their culture. They did not appreciate those who are not wearing their own cultural dress. Gradually the dressing importance is also disappearing from the people. There a lot of people when they goes to the other cultural society, they adopt that and forget about their culture. According to my survey I have done some days ago a lot of people say that we are not giving so much importance to our culture. Nowadays the culture is changing so much fast because of this reason that the people not giving so much importance to their culture, especially dress. Food: According to the Colombia university press everything having to do with foodÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ its capture, cultivation, preparation, and consumptionÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ represents a cultural act8 so definitely food when reach to us first it pass from different stages like its cultivation, every culture has its own process of cultivation, capturing and preparation. This mean that food is also one of the important part of the material culture. Buildings: Building means construction. Building also plays important role in culture identity. Different cultures have different type of buildings. Some cultures have big houses while some have small. There are also some cultural people who dont construct houses also, all life they pass in different places. Usually the cultural people from rural areas have big houses while those living in the city have small houses. The reason may be in rural areas the population is so much low and the place available for the house is very cheap as compare to the city. May be of this reason this culture is raised in the rural areas. Non-material culture: Non-material culture consists of thoughts and behavior that people learn as part of the culture they live in. It includes language, rules, customs, family, religion or beliefs, values, and knowledge. We will discuss some of them; Language: Language is one of the most important forms of material culture, without language there is no concept of culture. Different cultures have different speaking of language. Even when the language is same between the two cultures but still there will be difference in speaking and one will easily difference between them. Sometime because of cultures a large number of cultures are treated as one culture, for example in Pakistan there is a lot of cultures but still to the out countries they treat as just like one culture and is known as Pakistani culture. Even subcontinent is also treated as one culture but this in a specific occasion for example Asia is the largest subcontinent but the countries outside the Asia also says the words like Asian culture and we says the European culture or African culture. Language is the root cause of culture. Humans learn their culture through language, the parents first learned language to the kids after that they gradually also learn their culture. Family: Family is one of the most important concept in the culture. Different cultures define family in different ways. Some says that those who have a blood relation with you is your family member, other says that only your wife and kids are included in your family. According to an author Anthropologists say a cultures biological and marital kinship rules and patterns of reciprocal obligations define family9, the definition varies of different cultures. The people from rural background define family in a large sense they include all of their relatives in the family and those from urban background define family in a little narrow sense as compared to the urban background people. Religion: Religion is the most important in cultural society. In most of the culture the religion is very respectful to all of the culture members and they also strictly obey their religion. And the most respectful religion among all the culture is Islam. Those cultures that have Islam as religion they apply the order of Islam in their daily life and mostly these people led a very happy life without much resources. According to my survey a lot of my audience says that they follow their religion strictly and says five time prayers which is the most important thing as considered to Islam, and those audiences whose religion was other than Islam they mostly says that we are not so much following our religion. Education: Education also play important role in building a cultural society. Education is the basic need of human. Without education humanity is not possible, therefore almost all the cultures gives importance to education and they possess only education for their success. But still there are also so cultures which do not gives focus to education. Some cultures give importance only to boys education and not to female. The number of these types of cultures is decreasing slowly. In general most cultures gives importance to education and they love the educated people of their culture. Importance of culture: Culture has great importance. Culture is the identity of the nation, without culture the society is impossible. An author says about the importance of culture that culture is the set of transmitted and learned behavior patterns, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human work and thought that characterize the functioning of particular population, profession, organization or community10, so the only representative of the particular community or population is the culture. Culture is the basic root of any community which gives them the ways of life. The culture provides solution to the critical problem that is faced to community. Culture teach us to think for the whole nation not individually, it provide the concept of family, nation etc. References Damen, L. (1987). Culture Learning: The Fifth Dimension on the Language Classroom. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Hofstede, G. (1984). National cultures and corporate cultures. In L.A. Samovar R.E. Porter (Eds.), Communication Between Cultures. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. http://open.jorum.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/123456789/13597/025/access/culture.html Understanding culture (DatoDr Sothi Rachagan) (Kotter and heskatt, 1992, reusseau, 1990) http://www.preservearticles.com/201107048767/1321-words-short-essay-on-the-culture.html http://savior.hubpages.com/hub/Characteristics-of-Culture food is culture (Massimo montanari nov. 2006) The Definition of Family in a Free Society (Gordon Neal Diem, D.A. 1997) hofstede G. culture and organization. New York: MC graw-hill; 1997

Allen Ginsbergs Poetry and Psychiatry Essay -- Ginsberg Mental Health

Allen Ginsberg's Poetry and Psychiatry Introduction From the 1930's to the 1960's, early attempts to combine the psychiatric goals of restoring mental health with new advances in medical science would produce tragic results for many of those who trusted modern psychiatry to provide comfort and healing. During this time, science, psychiatry, ambition, power, and politics came together to leave behind a controversial history of events that destroyed the trust and hope placed by many upon modern science and left behind a trail of scarred minds and ruined lives. When Allen Ginsberg, the famous Beat poet, attacked the American mental health care system of the 1950's in his poem, "Howl", he knew the subject well. These experiences, which he described as "memories and anecdotes and eyeballs kicks and shock of hospitals", were vivid, yet accurate descriptions of psychiatric practices of the time (Ginsberg 50). Both Ginsberg and his mother, Naomi Ginsberg, had been committed to mental hospitals. Tragically, his mother would spend her most of her final years as a resident of New Jersey's Greystone and New York's Pilgrim State mental hospitals, often heavily sedated with medication, then finally lobotomized (Asher). Lobotomies In 1936, Egas Moniz, a Portuguese neurologist, introduced the world to a radical new procedure to treat the mental illness of schizophrenia. This procedure was a surgical operation performed on the brain, called a prefrontal leucotomy and would become more commonly known as the lobotomy. The operation consisted of the insertion of a needle to perform incisions that destroyed connections between the prefrontal region and other parts of the brain. This helped to reduce incidents of the negative behavior, b... ...berg: Selected Poems, 1947-1955. Harper Collins Publishers, New York. 1996. Jansson, Bengt. Controversial Psychosurgery Resulted in a Nobel Prize. Nobel e-Museum. < http://www.nobel.se/medicine/articles/moniz/> KKMP: Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters (Author Unknown). University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. 1999. Nobel E-Museum (Author Unknown). Biography of Egas Moniz. Rodgers, Joann Ellison. Psychosurgery: Damaging the brain to save the mind (excerpt). Psychology Today, March-April 1992 v25 n2. Sabbatini, Renato, M. E. The History of Psychosurgery. Shorter, Edward. A History of Psychiatry. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 1997. TDTS: The Doctors Trials Summary. United States Holocaust Museum Archives. Weinstein, Harvey M., M.D. Psychiatry and the CIA: Victims of Mind Control. American Psychiatric Press, Washington, D.C. 1990.

Al-Qaeda In Iraq

Al-qaeda is an Arabic word also written as Al-qaida. It is a network of international alliance of Islamic militant group. Abdullah Yusuf Azzam who was later replaced by Osama bin Laden formed the organization in 1988. Other veteran Arabs from Afghanistan joined the leadership after the soviet war in Afghanistan. Al-qaeda network advances Islamic fundamentalism by carrying out attacks and disrupting western countries influences to the Islamic states. Al-qaeda finances and trains various radical Islamic groups that oppose western countries ideologies especially the United States of America and Britain.Al-qaeda groups or network have various operational bases in more than fifty countries in the world. Al-qaeda uses force, intimidation and instilling fear to attain their goals. They carry out acts of terrorism (an act or a threat against civilian life) aimed at attaining political, economical and religious goals. Al-qaeda aims at ending foreign influence in Islamic states by creating a n ew Islamic caliphate or authority. The Al-qaeda network is very active in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. History of al-qaedaAl-qaeda was founded in the late 1980’s as an alliance of Islamic militia group with an aim of expanding Islamic fundamentalism. Al-qaeda has it roots during the Afghanistan’s soviet occupations. Anti-Muslim afghan guerillas (mujahidin), the afghan government and soviet forces were involved in the conflict. The Soviet invasion sparked the afghan resistance. The Afghan government was supported by the USA, China and Saudi Arabia. Mujahidin came from the Middle East to Afghanistan to assist their fellow Muslims in the war. Osama bin laden was the main financier he started recruiting Muslims around the world to join the group.The recruited army in there thousands defeated the soviet forces making them withdrew from Afghanistan. Osama bin laden later founded an organization that could help veterans of Afghans war; this com prised the bases of Al-qaeda. (Biri A. 2001). Bin laden and other radical Islamic thinkers at that time had been organizing Al-qaeda in the Iraq invasion to Kuwait in 1990. The Saudi government had allowed the United States government to station a military base in Saudi Arabia. This was very outrageous to Laden and the radical group. Osama was later expelled from Saudi Arabia by opposing the government.Al- qaeda basis shifted from Saudi Arabia to Khartoum in Sudan, their first task against the interest of the United States of America was in Somalia where they attacked the U. S army during the Somalia crisis. Further attacks perpetrated by al-qaeda followed. In august 1996 bin laden issued a â€Å"declaration of war† against the U. S. A Al- qaeda and radical Islamic group had worked together to alliance in their acts of terrorism against western influence on Islamic interests. Osama shifted his base from Sudan to Afghanistan in 1994 after the U. S had put pressure on the Khart oum government to expel him.Osama joined the Talibans in Saudi Arabia where al-qaeda established military bases in mountains. In Iraq the main objective of the Al-qaeda organization is the governing of Iraq. After president Sadaam Hussein was brought down from power by the U. S. A who sent thousands of troops to help in putting in place the government in Iraq. Al-qaeda was against the US invasion of Iraq. According to the U. S government, Al- qaeda wanted to be seen as a legitimate political organization in Iraq. Al-qaeda in Iraq is composed of both Sunni Iraq members plus other foreign members who wage jihad or holy war.This group was formed in 2004, but it is not clear, who founded it in Iraq between Bin Laden and Nusab Al Zarqawi. The group had been a force behind the violence and civil war between the Shiites and Sunnis. They accuse the US government of murdering innocent civilians in their â€Å"war on terror†. The Al-Qaeda has been behind many attacks in Iraq against th e U. S government interests. Insurgency in Iraq is still continuing up to now. Members of the group had shifted to other bases where they mastermind suicide bomb attacks. Other military organizations had joined Al-Qaeda in Iraq in their activities.Abu Musab al-zarqawi from Jordan had affiliated with Al-qaeda in Iraq. He joined the Al-qaeda in Iraq and threatened the U. S government over its interest in Iraq. The group had killed many U. S army personnel and they are believed to have killed ordinary Iraq civilians. The group continues to instigate violence in Iraq despite the U. S government efforts on war on terror by president Bush administration. Al-qaeda is against the U. S invasion of Iraq. Members of the terrorist group had carried out many suicide attacks, kidnapping and even shooting their perceived enemy. The leadership of al-qaedaThe leadership of Al-qaeda in Iraq, according to some sources from Jihad’s was put under Abu Ayyub Al Masri in 2006. This is following the death of its former leader Musab Al Zarqawi. Al Masri is considered as lacking good military organization that he relies on his intellectual abilities (Hajez M. 2007 p. 136-147). Al-qaeda in Iraq is composed of both Sunni Iraq members and the jihads (foreigners who came to aid in Jihad war). Osama bin Laden is the top active leader of the Al-qaeda group. The leadership coordinates with others groups; Al-qaeda group of jihad in Iraq, Al-qaeda in land of the two rivers plus others.Through the official statement of the U. S government, Abu Musab Al Zarqawi forms the top leadership responsible for the insurgency in Iraq. It is believed that the leadership organizes and masterminds attacks on civilians and U. S troops. It is also believed that the leadership of Al-Qaeda in Iraq composes other foreign terrorist and senior Al- Qaeda leadership. The U. S administration believes that Abu-Musab Al Zarqawi was not an Iraq even his successor Abu Ayyub Al Masri. The leadership of Al-queda is dec entralized.There is collaboration between Al-qaeda senior leaders and Al- qaeda leaders in Iraq. The leader’s role is to finance, command, advice, and make bombs including others roles in the group. The leadership also provides intelligent information’s and facilitates its operations. They have their former headquarter in Fallujah in Iraq. Various operations they have performed: The al qaeda has claimed responsibility of the chlorine bombings in Iraq in mosques. The group also is targeting wealth people by kidnapping and killing their family members when they fail to remit ‘protection’ fee.They are also inciting violence by causing hatred among the Shiites and Shia groups to cause civil war. What were the targets of the operations? Al-qaeda operates in Iraq but it is limited in the broad Middle East. They play actively in the Iraq insurgency. Their deputy leader, Ayman alzawahiri, in July 2005 through a letter indicated four plans in expanding the war in I raq. They were to expel US forces out of Iraq and an Islamic authority put in place. Other missions were to spread the Iraq conflict to their neighbors and fight with Israel.Al-qaeda in Iraq (AOQ) created an organization called mujahidee shura council in January 2006. This was to unite the Sunni insurgents in Iraq. However, this attempt failed due to the methods they used against civilians and their extreme fundamentalists doctrines. Alqaeda is the most feared organization; experts regard it as an enemy of the US. Al-qaeda is associated with terrorist’s activities in Iraq that targets international forces and civilians. The US government holds that they have an extended network to other parts of the world especially the Islamic states although there operations are based in Iraq.In 2005, Al-qaeda is believed to be responsible for about more than 1800 attacks in Mosul city in Iraq; they were aiming at Iraq forces and coalition government. They use bombs and other explosives in their suicide attacks. They mainly targeted Iraq security forces, Shiite militaries and the US troops. The group was responsible for the killing of 35 children and seven adults in Baghdad in September 2004. The bombs were directed at the US forces. In the same year on December 19, they had bombed a Shiite funeral procession killing about 60. Their attacks were aimed at Iraq security forces, civilians and the Iraq government.In 2005 they carried out and co-coordinated suicide attacks including the Sheraton Ishtar and Palestine hotel in Baghdad during the Iraq elections. (Napoleni L. 2005) They claimed responsibility of killing of Ihab Al-Sherif an Egyptian envoy to Iraq; they also killed many unemployed Shiite workers in Baghdad. They had abducted and executed American soldiers. In 2006, many of the top leadership were captured and killed by US army. They had carried on with their attack such as the 23rd March 2007, assassination attempts of the Iraq deputy Prime Minister Salam al-za ubai a Sunni.They had claimed responsibility of the Iraq parliament bombing in April 12 2007. The execution of the three US force soldiers in May the same year. Activities of Al –qaeda in Iraq, have received negative publicity due to attacks and intimidation against the civilian’s making it lack local support. The Sunni militias had abandoned them and joined the government and US forces. Many of their leaders have been captured and killed making their activities crippled. The Al-qaeda had been involved in other operations outside Iraq; in April 2004 they claimed responsibility of the chemical bomb plot in Jordan.They had also targeted Israel in December 2005 by firing rockets from Lebanon. They are also implicated with 2006 train bombing plot in Germany. What were the goals of the operations? Al-qaeda in Iraq had an aim of expelling all the U. S soldiers and their allied forces. In July2005, top Al-qaeda leadership had urged that the entire US soldier to withdraw from Iraq. They had threatened to carry military operations and executions; they perceive the US as the enemy who must leave the Islamic state. The group also had an aim in the governance of Iraq.The Al –qaeda in Iraq had wanted to form a political group that would be the legitimate political organization in Iraq. They had wanted to fight and overthrow the existing government. Al-qaeda aims to control key areas in the economic, political and religious sector in Baghdad. They want to portray that the Iraq government has failed to expel the US army, by discrediting the government they aims at removing people support. It aimed at initiating conflict between the Shia and Sunni Muslims. This would force the USA to take a neutral stand and depart from Iraq.This would enable them to establish their rule in Iraq. Al-qaida in Iraq wanted to spread propaganda through the media that, the coalition forces and the government of Iraq were attacking the Sunni Islam. They wanted the Sunnis to joi n their side, portraying themselves to defend rights of those who are oppressed. This would give them a positive image to the Sunni Islamic group. Part of their aim was to spread propaganda that the Iraq social-economic problems were the government responsibility. They regarded themselves as an organization that can free Iraq’s from their problems.(Hoofman B. 2004). It was also believed that operations of Al-qaeda in Iraq involved bringing foreign fighters and terrorist in order to kill innocent civilians to encourage hatred between Sunni and Shia Muslims. Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir an Al-qaeda leader in Iraq through his message said that they aimed at creating an Islamic state in Iraq. They were willing to die for God’s sake â€Å"there is no rule but that of Allah†. The attacking and killing of the Sunni by al-qaeda in Iraq was aimed to compel them to join their group and withdraw the support of the US forces.â€Å"Dedicate yourself to fighting the true enemy in or der to avoid opening up new fronts against the Sunni Arabs† (Abu Hamza al Muhajer), they attempted to portray the US as a common enemy. What were the ideologies of this group? Al-qaeda in Iraq was organized and carried its operation on basis of different ideologies. They had issued a manifesto calling for violence and destruction of American empire. They had vowed to continue with the insurgency and destroy America. Their ideologies were religiously based â€Å"we vow by the name of God and we are determined to destroy the American empire†.They believed that attacking the United States was a call from God. They believed that that who dies in their mission becomes a saint. Their leader Abu Musab al- zarqawi had justified their violent means through audio messages. Al-qaeda called for all Muslims to start attacking their enemies in Iraq and their associates. They believed that through Islam their faith, no harm would be inflicted on true Muslims. Shedding blood of a true Muslim would lead to destruction of the whole world. The attack against Americans and aides in Iraq was an order from God. It was a holy war or jihad to bring justice and glory in the world.They calls for those betraying them to repent, by collaborating with their enemy all they deserve is to have their neck cut. Al-qaeda through their documents, vows that insurgency will not end soon, they believe that Islam is the only true religion in the world. It is their duty to have Allah worshiped. The Al-qaeda beliefs that the US government wants to seek control of the region through the assistance of the Iraq government. It argues that those who oppose and fight the group are enemies of Islam. Their ideologies hold that the American government wanted to control the region to access oil wells.Osama bin laden through a video tape on December 29 2007, said that the Iraq government had â€Å"agreed to having large American bases on Iraq land and giving the Americans all the Iraq oil they may wish† Muslims perceive the war in Iraq widely as a war on Islam giving strength to al-qaeda’s ideology, Islamic sympathizers of the group are now trying to support the idea of universal holy war on western world and their allies. Al-qaeda sympathizers are justifying the acts of terrorism by using propaganda about the Iraq war. This is evidence in Madrid bombing in 2004 and London attacks in transport network to oppose the invasion of Iraq.Conclusion The Al-qaeda networks’ operating in all over the world seems to be well-organized coordinated and funded group. Al-qaeda in Iraq has escalated more violence in the country. The group has forged alliances with other front in order to work together against their perceived common enemy. According to them the enemy must be defeated by all mean, as it is the will of God. These militia groups have threatened peace in the world. They have claimed responsibility for various attacks in the world; the issue of terrorism in the world needs to look at carefully to avert more acts of death and hatred.The world should not draw too much conclusion about Al-qaeda and war in Iraq. This is to avert from having propaganda war, whose truth cannot be determined thus sparking more conflict. (US state report on terrorism) Work cited Biri Abdel, The secret History of Al-Qaeda, 1998. Bruce Hoffman, Insurgency and Countersurgency in Iraq, 2004. Hajez Mohammed; Suicide Bombers In Iraq: The strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom, 2007. Napoleni Lorreta; Insurgent Iraq: The Al-zarqawi and The New Generation, 2005. The United State Department Country Report on Terrorism, 2005.

Han Dynasty and China Essay

1 paragragh China experienced the fall, absence, and eventually the re-establishment of imperial authority while Confucianism prevailed through all levels of society from the period of 100-600 C. E. The history of China has often been a history of periods of political unity interrupted by periods of political division. During the classical period from 100 C. E. to 600 C. E. , the Chinese experienced the Han dynasty which was an initially strong and efficient dynasty, until it had a gradual decline and eventually collapsed. This led to a long period of chaos and finally reunification again. During this time of unification, division, and reunification, many cultural and political changes occurred while other cultural patterns and ideas persisted. 2nd China in 100 CE was under the Han rule which had begun in 202 BCE. Under the Han dynasty the rulers created an efficient and well governed empire. The Han expanded China hundreds of miles to the west, north, and south and had many innovations such as the expansion of the Great wall. The people followed the teachings and values of Confucianism. They were so strong that they have lasted throughout the centuries of Chinese history and is still well-known today. The Chinese civilization lived in a patriarchal society and Confucius teachings created a guide to how a good family should live. Patriarchy was a continuity for Chinese civilization during the classical period. Many of his beliefs and values survived and withstood many changes to come 3rd Towards 200 CE things began to change and the Han dynasty began to fall. It first began with the bureaucratic system, it was becoming more corrupt with unqualified officials, etc. , and the political structure of China started to fall apart. Peasants became poorer and diseases started to spread causing many to die. The nomads kept trying to invade and the unstable government didn’t do much to push them back. This ultimately led to the Han’s demise. 4th When the Han dynasty fell in 220 CE, China was left in a state of turmoil for about 300 years called the â€Å"Warring States Period. † At this time China’s cultural unity was endangered by the spread of Buddhism. Luckily for China’s streak of continuity, the three century period of chaos ended with the rise of the Song/Tang Dynasties, which would also revive Confucianism. This was also one of China’s continuities, the rising and falling of dynasties which remained in China’s history for centuries. During the Warring States period, the Great Wall became divided between kingdoms and was poorly defended so nomads invaded and overtook the northern plains. Trade and city life declined, technology ceased, and intellectuals wasted away. In 589 CE the Song Dynasty was created which began to revive the country which had been in turmoil for so long. Bureaucracy was reinstated which a scholar gentry administration. By the time the Song era ended China was well on its way to becoming a stable nation again. 5 During the classical era, the Chinese civilization underwent major changes in their government. Despite the nomadic invasions that occurred, they remained strong and united. This was probably because China had a very solid social and political system that was based off of Confucianism and rulers who unified the Chinese culture. The cause of change in China’s government in the classical era can be due to the weakened government plus the nomadic invasions being the final blow in destroying the Han dynasty. Confucianism kept China together, socially. Despite the many changes that took place between 100 C. E. to 600 C. E. , China always leveled out culturally and kept their cultural continuity due to Confucius and how his teachings united China.

Batman and the Bush Administration essays

Batman and the Bush Administration essays Smoke billows out from a Manhattan skyscraper, damaged by a fiery explosion. This could easily be a scene from 9/11, however we see Batman looking grimly on as a poster advertises the film will be released soon. Clearly this film plays on the fears of terrorism. As depicted in The Dark Knight, the Joker plays the terrorist, while Gotham's leadership struggles to contain him. The film departs from the superhero ideals of pure good versus pure evil, showing a murky world where moral decisions have to be made in order to stop evil. Because of this, The Dark Knight seems to be an allegory for the War on Terrorism. This paper will look at how the Joker represents terrorism, while Batman represents George Bush and his administration's War on Terror. The Dark Knight opens with a predictable bank robbery. Masked robbers enter a bank, fire a few shots, and try to crack a safe. During the sequence a few of the thugs are discussing who exactly the Joker is. Because of the tilted camera angles something seems askew. Later the Joker kills all his assistant robbers, likely in an effort to protect himself. According to a report from the Defense Technical Information Center, terrorist leadership often tricks fanatics into suicide attacks because it too leaves little evidence they can be tied too (Miyasato). Ostensibly the Joker killed his fellow robbers for similar reasons. In one act of random violence the Joker kidnaps a Batman look-a-like a man he knows is not his real archenemy and proceeds to execute him in a gory manner. He then releases this video to a TV station. This seems like al-Qaida's video of the beheading of journalist Daniel Pearl. The terrorists too knew Pearl was not their military opponent, however they still killed him. Later CBS decided to air the video (Barringer), much like the TV studio in Gotham. In both Gotham and real life these videos were just a mouthpiece for the terrorists to spread fear. The Joker appears motiv...

11 Facts You Should Know about Halloween

11 Facts You Should Know about Halloween The U.S. is a society of consumers, and an economy based primarily on consumer spending, so its no surprise that Halloween is celebrated in  consumerist ways. Lets take a look at some interesting facts about Halloween consumption, with data from  National Retail Federations Halloween Headquarters, and consider what they mean from a sociological perspective. 171 million Americans- more than half the entire national population- will celebrate Halloween in 2016.Halloween is the nations third favorite holiday, but second favorite for those between the ages of 18-34. It is  less popular with older folks, and more popular among women than men,   according to a 2011 Harris Interactive poll.Not just for kids,  Halloween is an important holiday for adults too. Nearly half the adult population will dress in costume for the occasion.Total U.S. spending for Halloween 2016 is expected to reach 8.4 billion dollarsan increase of more than 3 billion dollars since 2007. That includes $3.1 billion spent on costumes, $2.5 billion on candy, and  $2.4 billion on decorations.The average person will spend about $83 celebrating Halloween.About a third of all adults will throw or attend a Halloween party.One in five adults will visit a haunted house.Sixteen percent will dress their pets in costume.In 2016 costume choices among adults differ by age brack et. Among Millennials, Batman characters take the number one spot, followed by witch, animal, Marvel or DC superhero, and vampire. The number one costume among older adults is a witch, followed by pirate, political costume, vampire, and then Batman character. Action and superhero characters are the top choice for children in 2016, followed by princess, animal, Batman character, and Star Wars character.Pumpkin wins the top spot for pets, followed by hot dog, bumble bee, lion, Star Wars character, and devil. So, what does all this mean, sociologically speaking? Halloween is clearly a very important holiday in the U.S. We can see this in not only the patterns in participation and spending  but in what people do to celebrate the holiday. Early sociologist Émile Durkheim observed that rituals are occasions upon which people in a culture or society come together to reaffirm their values, beliefs, and morals. By participating in rituals together, we activate and reaffirm our collective consciencethe sum of those beliefs and ideas we share in common,  that take on a life and force of their own due to their collective nature. In celebration of Halloween, those rituals include dressing in costume, trick-or-treating, throwing and attending costume parties, decorating homes,  and going to haunted houses. This raises the question of what values, beliefs, and morals are reaffirmed through our mass participation in these rituals. Halloween costumes in the U.S. have evolved away from the holidays social origins as taunts and mocking of death, and toward popular culture. Sure, witch is a popular costume for women, and zombies and vampires are also in the top ten, but the variations of them trend more toward sexy than scary or evocative of death. So, it would be false to conclude that the rituals affirm values and beliefs of Christianity and Paganism. They point instead to  the importance placed on having fun and being  sexy in our society. But, what also stands out to this sociologist is the consumerist nature of the holiday and the rituals. The primary thing we do to celebrate Halloween is buy stuff. Yes, we go out and get together and have fun, but none of that happens without first shopping and spending moneya collective 8.4 billion dollars. Halloween, like other consumerist holidays (Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, Fathers Day and Mothers Day), is an occasion upon which we reaffirm the importance of consuming in order to fit in with the norms of society. Thinking back to Mikhail Bakhtins description of medieval carnivale in Europe as a release valve for the tensions that arise in a highly stratified society, we could also surmise that Halloween serves a similar function in the U.S. today. Currently economic inequality and poverty are at their greatest in the nations history. We are faced with an incessant onslaught of terrible news about global climate change, war, violence, discrimination and injustice,  and disease. In the midst of this, Halloween presents an attractive opportunity to take off our own identity, put on another, shake off our cares and concerns, and exist as someone else for an evening or two. Ironically, we may be further exacerbating the problems we face in the process, by perpetuating the hypersexualization of women and racism via costume, and  by handing our hard-earned money over to already wealthy corporations that exploit laborers and the environment to bring all the Halloween goods to us. But we sure have fun doing it.

How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Math

How to Stop Running Out of Time on SAT Math SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is designed to be taken by every high school student in the country, which means it can only test math concepts that every student has had experience with. The way the creators of the test make it hard is by presenting questions in unusual ways- ways that you never see in your math classes- and by putting you on a strict time crunch. If you've ever started freaking out at the end of an SAT Math section, unsure how you're ever going to get through the entire section, you know exactly what we mean. But don't despair! In this guide, we'll walk you through the timing of the test and teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your time on the SAT. Breakdown of the SAT Math Sections by Time The SAT Math section is divided into two parts- one where you can use a calculator and one where you can't. The no calculator part of SAT Math will always be the third section of the text, and the calculator part will always be the fourth section of the test. Both of these sections will be primarily multiple choice, with a few grid-in questions at the end of each section. Here's a chart showing the format of SAT Math. Section Time in Minutes # of Questions Time per Question Math No Calculator 25 20 75 seconds Math Calculator 55 38 87 seconds No Calculator Section In this section, you'll have 25 minutes to answer 20 questions, which gives you about 75 seconds to answer each question. The first 15 questions in this section are multiple choice, and the last five are grid-in. Calculator Section For the calculator section, you'll have 55 minutes to answer 38 questions. This gives you about 87 seconds per question. The first 30 questions are multiple choice, and the last eight questions in this section are grid-in. A little more than a minute to a minute and a half per question may not seem like a lot of time (especially if you start to panic or freeze up), but almost every SAT Math problem can be solved well under one minute if you are familiar with how to approach the problem. When you become familiar with the typical SAT question patterns, you can get faster at both understanding what these weird questions are asking and in finding quick solutions and shortcuts. Keep reading to learn how to do that! How to Develop a Time-Saving Strategy for SAT Math In this section, we go over the three steps you should take in order to develop your strategy for maximizing your time on the SAT. After that, we explain how SAT Math scoring works then dive into the time-saving strategies you should follow. Step 1: Determine Your Target Score You first want to figure out what your goal score for the SAT is. You may find that, based on the schools you're interested in, you don't even need to worry about raising your Math score. Your goal score is based on the average SAT scores of accepted students of the schools you want to apply to. For a step-by-step explanation on how to figure out what SAT score you should aim for, check out our guide specifically on the subject. Your target Math score will be a scaled score, the score out of 800 that you'll see on your score report. To figure out how many questions you need to get right to meet your target score, you'll need to convert that score into a raw score. We explain how to do that in the next section. Step 2: Take a Practice Test If you haven't already, after you figure out your target SAT score, you should take a practice SAT (or at least just an SAT Math section). This will give you an idea of how well you're currently scoring and how much you need to improve by. If you need help scoring your SAT Math section, check out the next section. You should know both your current raw and scaled SAT Math scores before moving onto the time-saving strategies. Step 3: Follow the Strategy That Fits Your Current Scoring Level Your strategy for buying yourself more time depends on both your initial score range and your target score (and will evolve as your scores change). We’ve organized these time-maximizing strategies into four categories: general time-saving tips for all levels, tips if you’re currently scoring below 400 in Math, if you’re scoring between 400 and 600, and if you’re scoring over 600. Most of the time-saving strategies rely on you "skipping" the hardest questions on SAT Math to focus more time on questions you have a higher chance of answering correctly. When we refer to skipping questions on the SAT, we mean not trying to solve the problem and instead just guessing on the answer. Since there are no point deductions for wrong answers, you should always answer every SAT question, even if you just choose a random answer, since you may get lucky and choose the right answer! How to Calculate Your SAT Math Goal Before you move to the strategy that suits your current Math score level, it’s a good idea to understand the relationship between your scaled score and your raw score. In this section, we explain the different SAT Math scores and how to calculate them so you can figure out what your goal score is and where you're currently scoring on SAT Math. Your raw score is simply the number of SAT Math questions you answered correctly. This number is then converted into a scaled score out of 800. The scaled score is the score you see on your score report. To calculate your raw Math score, take a practice SAT Math section, then just add up the number of questions you answered correctly in both SAT Math parts. (There is no penalty for incorrect or skipped questions.) This number will be out of 58. Then, look at the chart below, find your raw score, and see which scaled score it corresponds to. For example, if you answered 30 Math questions correctly, that means your raw score is 30 and your scaled score is 530. Every SAT will have a slightly different raw to scaled score conversion, but using this chart will give you a good estimate of what score you'd get on SAT Math. Raw Score Math SectionScaled Score 58 800 57 790 56 780 55 760 54 750 53 740 52 730 51 710 50 700 49 690 48 680 47 670 46 670 45 660 44 650 43 640 42 630 41 620 40 610 39 600 38 600 37 590 36 580 35 570 34 560 33 560 32 550 31 540 30 530 29 520 28 520 27 510 26 500 25 490 24 480 23 480 22 470 21 460 20 450 19 440 18 430 17 420 16 410 15 390 14 380 13 370 12 360 340 10 330 9 320 8 310 7 290 6 280 5 260 4 240 3 230 2 210 1 200 0 200 Once you've figured out your SAT goal score, you can also use this chart to figure out what raw score you need for SAT Math to reach that goal score. You can then use this info to determine how many SAT Math questions you should answer to reach your target score. For example, if your target score on SAT Math is a 570, then your target raw score is 35, and you should plan to answer about 41 or 42 questions. This will allow you to get a few questions wrong and still meet your goal. Remember that questions on the Math section are roughly ordered by level of difficulty, with the easiest questions coming first and the hardest questions coming at the end of the section. So, if you’re scoring below a 600, guess randomly on the last questions of each section and only attempt to solve the questions in the beginning and middle. For students scoring in the 600 or above range, it’s going to be in your best interest to try to solve most, if not every, problem. The exception to the rule of difficulty level is in the section with grid-ins. The multiple choice questions of that section go from â€Å"easy† to medium to hard and then resets in the grid-in. So the first question of the grid-in is going to be more straightforward and less challenging than the last question of the multiple choice. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Practice your timing strategies, and you'll find you have time enough to complete each section 8 Time-Saving Tips for All SAT Math Scoring Levels Whatever your current score, these strategies will help you to beat the clock come test day. Read through these tips first, then go onto the strategies specifically for your current score level. #1: Familiarize Yourself With the Test Ahead of Time The instructions are the same at the beginning of every math section on every SAT. Read them ahead of time so you don’t waste time on test day. Familiarize yourself with the structure of the test until it feels more comfortable and less foreign. #2: Practice, Practice, Practice Sit down with a test at home and take it timed. Get used to both the types of questions on the test and the pacing you’ll need to finish on time. We recommend taking at least three full-length SATs before exam day so you're well prepared. #3: Learn to Let Go of a Question It can be very tempting to sit and try to puzzle a question out, but you have to learn how to be more ruthless, both with how you answer questions and in choosing which questions to answer. Each and every question is worth the same amount of points, so pick the questions you can solve easiest and fastest first and then try the more time-consuming ones. If you look at a question and have no idea how you would go about solving it, mark it and move on. Sometimes moving on and coming back to a question later can trigger your mind to think of a new approach. #4: Eliminate Answer Choices As you go through the test, write on your booklet. Write in the angles and lengths you’re given, draw diagrams, and, most importantly, eliminate wrong answers. Often, you’ll be given a range of choices, one or two of which will be wildly wrong. Do yourself a time-saving favor and cross these off your booklet immediately. The faster and more efficiently you can eliminate your wrong answer choices, the better off you’ll be when solving for the right answer. And bonus! Sometimes you will be able to eliminate all but one or two answer options. You don’t necessarily have to know a particular answer is right if you know that the rest are unmistakably wrong. #5: Identify Problems That Will Take a Long Time Sometimes a problem is not necessarily difficult to solve, but is instead a time-suck. Identify these and save them for last. If this is a multiple-choice question, it is a particularly good time to use process of elimination on some of the answer choices. That way, if you need to mark the question to come back to it later, you’ve already narrowed down your potential answer options. #6: Identify Your Areas of Weakness It’s not enough to simply practice the test over and over again if you continue to make the same mistakes with regards to your timing. Identify which types of problems are the most difficult for you or take you the longest amount of time and save those for last. Are they usually geometry problems? Word problems? Probabilities? As you get more used to the test and the types of math questions/concepts that appear, see if there are faster or easier ways to solve the questions that take you the most time. Sometimes this can be remembering the properties of special right triangles, like a 30, 60, 90 triangles, so that you don’t have to take the time to find the side lengths via the Pythagorean theorem. Sometimes it might mean using plugging in answers or plugging in your own numbers instead of trying to solve the problem algebraically. #7: Don't Worry About Anyone Else's Pacing As much as possible, ignore everyone else in the room while you're taking your test. If you start to worry about how much faster or slower other people are taking the test, you will lose your focus. Concentrate on your test alone and disregard everyone else's pacing. Your test and your goals are all that matter. #8: Use Skipping Strategies and Study Strategies According to Your Current Score Level and Target Score As your scores increase, your strategies will change. For now, take a practice test and determine both your raw score and your curved score and understand how the test is scored. Then, use the time-saving strategies that best suit you for your current level. One of the best ways to have more time on SAT Math is to skip and guess randomly on the hardest questions and concentrate more time on the questions you can answer more easily. We go over this in more detail in the next section. This is a race against the clock, not a race against anyone else Time-Saving Strategies: If You’re Currently Scoring Below 400 If scoring 400 and below and aiming for a 500, you will need to get a raw score of 26. Your biggest time-saving asset will be in skipping questions (again, by skipping questions, we mean not trying to solve them and instead just choosing a random answer. Always choose an answer for every SAT question!). Considering there is a potential raw point possibility of 58, at a 400-level you can answer less than half of all the questions available and still get a 500! You just have to pick the right questions to answer to make sure you can get the correct answer. For example, if you answer just questions 1-10 and 16-17 in the no calculator section (the easiest of the multiple choice and grid-ins) and questions 1-18 and 31-33 on the calculator section, you’ll be answering 33 questions total. Giving yourself room for some of them to be wrong, you’re now likely to be scoring somewhere in the 500’s range. And best of all, you’ve saved yourself a tremendous amount of time! If you just answer just 12 questions on the no calculator section, you'll have about two minutes to answer each question, and if you answer just 21 questions on the calculator section, you'll have over 2.5 minutes per question. You’ve practically doubled your time on the test just by skipping the most difficult and time-consuming questions. This will give you a chance to breathe and may even give you enough time to check over your work to make sure your answers are all correct. The SAT is all about steady pacing. Time-Saving Strategies: If You’re Currently Scoring Between 400 and 600 If you’re scoring a 500 and aiming for 600, you’ll need a raw score of 39. This means you can still skip and just mark random answers for a significant number of Math questions and still get a 600! By skipping the more difficult and time-consuming questions, you’ll free up time and energy to work on the questions you feel comfortable and confident about. This may even give you time to go back and check your work (something we always recommend). Allowing yourself to get a few questions wrong, attempt to solve 45 or 46 questions in order to meet your raw score goal of 39. As a start, try questions 1-16 on the no calculator section and 1-25 and 31-35 on the calculator section. Allowing for the occasional wrong answer, this should save you precious time and still get you scoring in your target range. If you follow those guidelines, you’ll now have 94 seconds per question on the no calculator section (up from 75 seconds) and about 0 seconds per question on the calculator section (up from 87 seconds). It may not seem like much, but it increases your time by about a third for the entire Math section! You are capable of succeeding on the SAT. Stay calm, practice, and don't panic. Time-Saving Strategies: If You’re Currently Scoring 600 or Above If you’re in or above the 600 range, you will be attempting (although not necessarily answering) every question on the test. At your score level, you will at least look at every question to determine if it is one you know how to do. For you, understanding how to complete the questions faster will be more useful than skipping questions to buy more time. Luckily, almost every question on the SAT can be solved in multiple different ways. Your job is to become used to solving problems in the â€Å"short cut† way, rather than the formal way you’re probably used to doing math in the classroom. For questions with multiple variables in particular, it can save you both time and give you increased accuracy to plug in your own numbers. If you’re able to solve questions by using shortcuts, you’ll have time enough to finish the test and maybe even check your work over again (which we always recommend whenever possible). And if you’re a 600 and above scorer, it will serve you well to memorize your most important formulas, both ones you are given and ones you are not given. This will save you time flipping to the front of each section to look up the necessary formulas. It will also give you enough time after you’ve solved a problem to plug in the answer to double check if it is correct. Plugging in the answers (PIA) is always a useful tool to have, but it can take time to use as an initial solving method if you feel pressed for time. If you’re feeling like you’re going too slowly through the test and are most concerned about speed, solve the problem via a formula and then double check with PIA. If you’re more concerned with initial accuracy and/or don’t like using formulas, solve with PIA from the start. Sometimes the best way to approach a problem is to simply go around it If You're Time Pressured, Remember This and Breathe Though the Math sections of the SAT deliberately test your ability to think well under time pressure, you can find ways to maximize the time you’re given and get the best score possible. By familiarizing yourself with the test, finding ways to eliminate answers, and by skipping the most time-consuming questions, you can find your best possible test-taking pace. What's Next? Now that you know the best ways to buy more time onthe SAT, it might be a good idea to refresh yourself on both the must-know formulasand the general content covered by the SAT math. For those of you who are going for a score of 700 or above, check out our article onHow to Get an 800 on the SAT Mathby a perfect SAT-Scorer. Currently scoring in the low or mid-range?Look no further than our article onhow to improve your score if you're currently scoring below 600. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, 6 official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Dissolution of the Department of Homeland Security Essay

Dissolution of the Department of Homeland Security - Essay Example One need look no further than the seemingly ever increasing nature of the annual budgets within which DHS must manage its mandates to see evidence of this. For instance, in 2012 alone, your budget allocated 43.2 billion USD to the Department of Homeland Security as a means of meeting the goals and mission objectives that it has been tasked with (Vandermey, 2011). Although one of the main reasons why both republicans and democrats have argued for the perpetuation of the Department of Homeland Security is due to the fact that there has not been a single domestic act of widespread terrorism since the attacks of September 11, 2001. However, this logic is faulty due to the fact that absence of an attack does not actually correspond to the effectiveness of the agency in general. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the actual distribution of power that the Department of Homeland Security oversees appears to be one of its greatest weaknesses. Moreover, it is the belief of this citizen th at the argument for the furtherance of the Department of Homeland Security by congressional share-holders has been partly born out of a fear for voting to discontinue such an entity and then facing the electoral ramifications of what this could portend for them, as well as for their party, should another terrorist attack similar to the scale of September 11th, 2001 take place again within the United States. This fear is not only warranted but it is also indicative of a type of thinking that continues to place the United States in a great deal more debt than it would otherwise have. Prior to its creation in October of 2011, the Department of Homeland Security’s ultimate functions were not merely nonexistent. I would ask that your administration keep this in mind as it considers funding and furtherance of the Department of Homeland Security into the future. Due to the fact that many of the individual aspects of the Department of Homeland Security’s ultimate purview were handled by other government entities, what the current Department of Homeland Security has come to represent is a government agency charged with an extraordinarily high level of oversight. As a function of this extremely high level of multiple oversights that the Department of Homeland Security is tasked with, it is the opinion of this author that this ultimately makes the mission, vision, and goals of the Department of Homeland Security untenable. Moreover, many critics have claimed that the department itself is ineffective due to the extremely wide breadth of instances that it attempts to protect against. Although it is laudable what the Department of Homeland Security is attempting to do with regards to protecting the population of the United States against natural and man-made threats to its continued existence, the fact of the matter remains that it is has seemingly become yet another bloated

Religion and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion and Society - Essay Example Bureaucracy is the regularized procedure, and formal divisions of responsibility characterize its structure and set of rules and regulations to control activity in the government and large organizations.Bureaucratization of religion is seen in Middle East over past half-century. In Middle East three religious processes have grown together. Two things are seen in Middle East:1.Growth of fundamentalism that has received worldwide attention both by the international establishments and journalists. 2. Bureaucratization of religion and the state co-optation of religion. The bureaucratization of religion focuses on the chain of command of religious professionals and the state co-optation of religion focuses on their neutralization as political rivals. Fundamentalism, the bureaucratization of religion and state co-optation of religion has become intertwined in equally supportive as well as in hostile relations in Jordan. Bureaucratization of religion and politics is also seen in contemporar y Iran where there is due to emphasis on Shia radicalism, national character and revolution. In Iran, the relationship between politics and religion is because of historical context from the past time, and the role of religious leaders in the Iranian political movements and setup. It is said that the Iran has introduced radical sect of Islam for its national character of independence and for its historical culture and tradition to show itself as a great regional and world power. Shi'ism is an end product of the Iranian historical traditions of state, religion, and politics, and of its cultural contributions to the Islamic and world civilizations. Therefore, a remarkable continuity in Iran's past heritage of asserting her independence in the modern world of global transformation which is led by the superpowers of this modern world. Just like Zoroastrianism was of the ancient Sasanid Persia, Iran is the motherland of Shi'ism and Shi'ism is an integral part of Iran (Johnstone,2008). Another example for the Bureaucratized religion is Saudia Arabia.Although Saudi Arabia is thought to be the most religious among all Muslim countries, the question of who in the kingdom determines its central Islamic tract has been the subject of controversy since its foundation. The formation of Saudi Arabia in the early twentieth century involved the unique requirement of the Wahhabi da'wa in the service of the political aims of the Saudi family, Al Sa'ud. The regime has not been without its enemy, but for the most part the Al Sa'ud has been able to contain them. However, since the Gulf War, the social and economic problems that have inundated the country have led to the rise of a radical Islamic fundamentalist movement that has challenged Saudi Arabia's public role as the one Islamic country that has successfully combined culture, tradition and modernity (Wilson, 1986). Religiosity is a term used in sociology that refers to many faces of religious activity, belief and dedication. Religiosity refers more with how religious a person is, and less with how a person is religious in terms of practicing certain rituals, telling the myths, knowing some specific symbols, or accepting certain doctrines about his/her duites and life hereafter. Most of the debates in the study of religion have grappled over conceptualization issues that are really measurement issues. Much had been written in press in the 1960s and 1970s for the typology of the church-sect. Following that period people have seen similar disagreements about secularization which depend heavily on how one decides to measure the concept. Now we argue on what leads to a strict church (Hill & Hood,1999). Life would be more simpler if we could all use the same set of conceptual measures, apply them consistently, and be able to compare our findings systematically (Harvey Whitehouse,2000). Emile Durkheim(1858-1917) is considered to be the father of sociology. He is recognized for making sociology a science, and making it part of the French academic

Political Parties and Elections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Parties and Elections - Essay Example In other circumstances, parties might choose to form coalitions with disparate interests. It has to be acknowledged that parties in the United States are very powerful for they determine the fate of all citizens1. Ambition in Political Parties Politicians are very ambitious people. Although some choose to stay in their current offices for several terms, others aspire to go to higher offices. In addition, some politicians want to be politics for short periods. This implies that it depends with the politician to know his or her ambitions. Career ambition decides the behavior to be exhibited by the politician. His/her hopes and expectations for the future are the main driving force that helps the politician in making decisions. Majority of political leaders possess progressive ambitions and as a result, they aspire for higher offices. Politicians make policies that satisfy the needs of their constituents at the given time and in future, in order to ensure success. It has to be noted tha t one cannot achieve higher office if s/he lacks ambition2. Although majority of Americans believe that the president is a powerful person who makes all the decisions for the country from white house, Richard Neustadt in his book Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents, believes otherwise. The president’s power is guaranteed in the constitution, the prestige of Washington, abroad, and the country at large. However, article II of the constitution, which defines the powers of the president, does not guarantee that everything that he (presidents) commands he achieves. This means that the president must always ensure that the people around him are persuaded and thus willing to do what he believes is good for the country. The fact that United States of America is a democratic country means that there is separation of powers so the president is not the sole decision maker in the country. The ability and the power to pursued help in ensuring that the policies implemented by the president are able to pass and become law. This can be attributed to the fact that the president in the US does not change legislation alone for it needs approval by the respective houses. If the president is unable to persuade legislators to pass his policies then chances are high that most of these policies will not go through. This is the reason why Neustadt (1990) notes, presidency is not a place for amateurs. Presidents should act in a prospective manner in order to make sure that the decisions he makes today will help him persuade tomorrow3. Power of Politics Obama exercises the power to persuade because he understands that his policies cannot pass without the support other legislators.4On the other hand, Schlesinger acknowledges that the US presidency is becoming too powerful, such that people are not concerned on checking it. He attributes this to the powers that the presidency exercises because of domestic policy, foreign policy, and the affairs that go on in secrecy. Sinc e the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, he has the authority to defend the United States but the power of declaring war is vested on the congress. This means that the president can make decisions that will cause death or injury to other people who are deemed as a threat to the country5. In his time at the office, Obama has ordered the killing of Somali pirates who had hijacked a ship with American crew. In addition, he ordered

Consider why management should be designated a profession, with Essay

Consider why management should be designated a profession, with managers as 'professionals' who demonstrate not only leadership - Essay Example Sometimes a person working in the organisation tends to take on the role of a manager and employee simultaneously. For example, a sales manager of the organisation performs the role of manager while directing the sales force in order to meet the goals of the organisation but at the same time when he is contacting a customer the employee performs a non-managerial role. It can be said that in the former role the person directs the efforts of other members and in the latter role he is utilising the skills as sales man in order to meet the objectives of the organisation. Management is being involved in the act of achieving the objectives of organisations (Tripathi & Reddy, 2007, p. 2). With respect to organisational behaviour, management and organisational behaviour are inter-connected. Managerial work involves complexity, it is unpredictable and enriched with excitement and opportunity. The functions of management are â€Å"planning, organising, leading and controlling.† As organ isations make use of various sources in achieving the goals and objectives, in management the resources can be classified in four groups, namely, human, physical, financial and information resources (Griffin & Moorhead, 2011, p. 8). Organisational behaviour can be defined as a study of human behaviour with the context of organisation with the main focus on individuals and groups’ actions. Thus, it includes the exploration of both organisational and managerial processes in the context of an organisation (Brooks, 2007, p. 2). Organisational behaviour can also be defined as a broad area which aims at studying the actions of people in the organisation. Thus, managers can use the related theories, as well as knowledge, in relation to organisational behaviour in order to improve management practice and influence the employees to make them work effectively and attain the goals of organisations. The most successful organisations tend to make the best of use of the employees energies and talent. Organisations, which are able to effectively manage the employees, usually hold an advantage over its rivals. According to Pfeffer (1998), firms which have the ability to manage people can reap up to 40% gain and can build in commitment, learning, involvement and competence of the organisations. As employees are vital to the success of the organisation, interaction from mangers are also key towards success of management. Therefore, a manger that possesses skill in organisational behaviour will be able to effectively work with its colleagues and employees in the organisation and also assist, influence and support in achieving the goal and objectives of organisations. In today’s business environment the role of a manger is vital for the growth and better functioning of the business. Managers are important in any business and responsible for all the major activities which take place in the organisation. The main role of the management is delegating the various tasks to the most competent staff members. Before going into detail let us evaluate the characteristic of management (McGinnis, n.d, p. 39). In order to be effective manager need to possess various skills right

Personal Jurisdiction in the Internet Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Jurisdiction in the Internet Age - Essay Example It is providing general information, allowing readers to contribute their opinions, and these characteristics are certainly more passive than interactive. A closer examination, however, reveals that this website is quite interactive. At the top of the page there is a "donate" link. Readers are encouraged to support this site financially because it is not a traditional commercial enterprise. Donating online is a form of two-way communication and hardly passive. In addition, there are many advertisements on this web page. While advertisements alone, per se, are inadequate to justify personal jurisdiction, these particular advertisements are related to the conspiracy topic of the web site. There are shirts with the web page logo for sale, advertisements for investments in gold and precious metals to hide from an inevitable economic crash, and a web site store hawking everything from key rings to videos and hats. Most significantly, these products are sold online, through the web site. T he operator of this web site, therefore, must recognize that many states can acquire personal jurisdiction. This web site is not passive. This web site is much more than the "middle spectrum" cases to which Wolf refers.

Virtual Tour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Virtual Tour - Essay Example French Baroque did not follow the same deigns as did its Italian counterparts. This was evident when Louis XIV held the opinion that the Baroque as it was practiced in Italy was not in French taste. He proved it by rejected Bernini's famous proposal for redesigning the Louvre. Thus, the Palace of Versailles proves to be an ardent display of this new classicism which seeped into the traditional Baroque form. It began construction under Louis XIV who aimed to use propaganda and art to glorify the French. The Marble Court, Garden Faà §ade and Hamlet of Marie Antoinette are just a few building that followed this kind of architecture under Louis XIV’s rule. Versailles was chosen as the fixed housing of the sovereign kings in 1682, two years after its completion. It began an ardent display of Baroque architecture which represented a world of civilization and pleasure. A magnificent Hall of Mirrors reflects this form of Baroque art as it allowed the king to bestow his power. Coupled with this were various salons. Amongst them was the Salon of Hercules which was decorated with beautiful ceiling fresco paintings. The Salon of Abundance was similar in its design as a Baroque piece of architecture. This classical form of architecture was further complemented by the construction of extensive gardens which surrounded the area. The Hampton Court in England plays its role as a palace for King Henry the VIII. However, at the end of his reign he was replaced by various Kings and Queens who continued to live. in his lavish apartments. It was during the reign of William and Mary that Sir Christopher Wren was given a commission to redesign the lavish palace. He rebuilt them using a beautiful Baroque style which is prevalent even today. The work done by Sir Wren is evident in the East Front and South Front of the Court. The magnificent East and South fronts were constructed in red brick with Portland stone carvings. The structure's forms were intended to rival Louis XIV's r ebuilding of Versailles. This building too possesses displays of strength and power to glorify the force of England. Similar to the Versailles it has a great stone centre piece, the focal point for the design of the East Front. This is surmounted by a massive pediment containing Caius Gabriel Cibber's relief of Hercules triumphing over Envy. Along with

Personal Jurisdiction in the Internet Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Jurisdiction in the Internet Age - Essay Example It is providing general information, allowing readers to contribute their opinions, and these characteristics are certainly more passive than interactive. A closer examination, however, reveals that this website is quite interactive. At the top of the page there is a "donate" link. Readers are encouraged to support this site financially because it is not a traditional commercial enterprise. Donating online is a form of two-way communication and hardly passive. In addition, there are many advertisements on this web page. While advertisements alone, per se, are inadequate to justify personal jurisdiction, these particular advertisements are related to the conspiracy topic of the web site. There are shirts with the web page logo for sale, advertisements for investments in gold and precious metals to hide from an inevitable economic crash, and a web site store hawking everything from key rings to videos and hats. Most significantly, these products are sold online, through the web site. T he operator of this web site, therefore, must recognize that many states can acquire personal jurisdiction. This web site is not passive. This web site is much more than the "middle spectrum" cases to which Wolf refers.

Poetry Analysis Essay Example for Free

Poetry Analysis Essay Introduction Name of poem Home Burial Name of poet Robert Frost Date of publication 1915 Other relevant background info This poem talks about Living, Death, sorrow and grieving, Relationships and Familly And ancestors. It is full of sadness and grief. During it’s publication it is presented as a whole new genre of poetry. Two deaths were depicted in the poem, that of a child and an end up of marriage. The poem deals with essential loneliness. This poem is brought up by his experience of losing his two children at a very young age. One of his son, committed suicide. Form of poem It is a free verse; Dramatic Lyric Structure of poem The Poem has no rhyme scheme yet it have noticeable number of stresses per lines. Lines spoken by people are enclosed in quotation marks and thus recognized as such. It also used emotional or tense form of words Rhyme scheme No rhyme scheme Meaning Overall Meaning Each of us has its own destiny. Decision making takes a big role in human life as such it will dictate the future of a person. Though we may not have the privilege or the ability to see our future, we can rely that in every action there is a reaction. It is said that Frost took the road less taken but in reality all of us travel in this very road and that is life, the run of life. All fo us run the same cycle. How the poem relates to life in general, and/or my life In decision making, we should take into consideration the effects it will burst forth and that what ever the result, I must be ready to embrace the consequence whether good or bad. Alliteration ‘I shall laugh the worst laugh I ever laughed To give of the best. To perform as if it will be the last. To smile at least there’s no tomorrow.

Causes of the Afghan Civil War

Causes of the Afghan Civil War Mohammad Haseeb Daudzai Who destroyed Kabul? The Afghan Civil War which started in 1989 and ended in 1992 was one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in Afghan history. This war had two phases. The first phase was fought between the Afghan government and the Mujahedeen, and the second phase was fought between different parties of the Mujahedeen. The Afghan Civil War which resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and the destruction of Kabul was caused by various factors some of which were: Afghan people, Afghanistan’s economy, Afghan politicians and foreign involvement. First of all, Afghanistan is a multicultural country with more than ten ethnic groups and more than thirty languages. Afghans have some differences in their culture, too. The majority of Afghans follow either of the two schools of fiqh (schools of Islamic law) namely Jafari and Hanafi. The literacy rate is also very low in Afghanistan. These cultural differences, religious issues and low literacy rate make racism a common phenomenon amongst the people and it’s very easy for anyone to provoke a war in Afghanistan. In 1992, racists from different ethnic groups started inviting their ethnic groups to fight against other ethnic groups, so they could gain power in Afghanistan. The economy of Afghanistan was very weak in 1989 when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was leaving Afghanistan. Unemployment reached its peak. Although Dr. Najibullah planned different strategies for making a stable economy in Afghanistan, but because gas wells were under the control of the Mujahedeen, the government was completely dependent on the USSR aid, hence most of those strategies failed. As a result of unemployment, people started starving in some parts of Kabul, so they started protesting against the government in Kabul. These protests gave the Mujahedeen a good excuse for attacking Kabul which marked the first phase of the Afghan Civil War. Back in 1980s when the USSR had full control of Afghanistan, eight parties were formed in opposition to the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) which was directly supported and under the influence of the Soviet Union. All these eight parties called themselves Mujahedeen (Holy warriors). These parties fought against the USSR for nine years. After nine years of fighting in Afghanistan, the USSR lost the war to the Mujahedeen and were forced to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan. In 1989, before leaving Afghanistan, the USSR selected Dr. Najibullah to be the president of Afghanistan after they left. Dr. Najibullah was a member of the PDPA, hence his government was not acceptable to the Mujahedeen and they continued to fight, which provoked a civil war between Afghan army and the Afghan Mujahedeen. More than 20,000 Afghans were killed in this first phase of the Afghan Civil War. In 1992 Dr. Najibullah resigned from his position. Afghan warlords knew Dr. Najib would finally resign and every one of them wanted to take his place so they organized a gathering in Peshawar, Pakistan. This gathering resulted in forming a new government and a cabinet which was supposed to take power after Dr. Najibullah resigned. Additionally, Ahmad Shah Masood formed a supervising council known as Shura e Nazar, which was composed of 120 military generals from different parts of northern Afghanistan, to supervise the activities of the upcoming government. In 1992, the new government gained full control of Kabul and major parts of Afghanistan. Sibghatullah Mujadeedi was appointed as the new president of Afghanistan, but due to his poor leadership skills he was soon replaced by Burhanuddin Rabbani. Rabbani was a member of Shura e Nazar and except Tajik warlords no one wanted him to be the President of Afghanistan. After a month, the second and bloodiest phase of the Afghan Civil War began. More than 50,000 civilians were killed only in Kabul and it was divided into di fferent parts, each part controlled by a different party. As an example Kart e Parwan district was controlled by Ahmad Shah Masood’s forces and only Tajik people lived there, Taimani district was controlled by Abdul Ali Mazari’s forces and only Hazara people lived there and if anyone from Kart e Parwan dared to go to Taimani or vice versa, the opposite party would kill him. After two months of Rabbani’s government the Mujahedeen started firing rockets across the streets of Kabul as result no one was safe anywhere in Kabul. Meanwhile Gulbudin Hekmatyar, who was supported by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, wanted to be the president of Afghanistan, hence he started fighting the government and Abdul Ali Mazari joined him. The Civil War in Afghanistan was part of the Cold War. According to George Crile, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) launched Operation Cyclone to fund the Mujahedeen against the USSR. In 1980 the amount of these funds reached $30 million per year and in 1987 this amount rose to $630 million per year. The CIA also provided weapons including Type-56 rifles and FIM-92 stingers to the Mujahedeen. The first stinger which proved to be a very effective weapon, was launched in 1986 near Jalalabad by the Mujahedeen, hence 500 additional stingers were provided to the Mujahedeen by the CIA. Pakistan also started supporting the Mujahedeen which resulted in the USSR providing additional AK 47s to the Afghan army. The USSR also provided more than 2500 SCUD missiles to the Afghan government. Dr. Najibullah used the SCUDs against Pakistan and gave the AK 47s to the Afghan army. Hundreds of missiles were fired on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan as a response to Pakistan’s suppo rt of the Mujahedeen and the US weapons supplies to the Mujahedeen that came through Pakistan. In 1992, Dr. Najibullah resigned. Dr. Najib’s resignation marked the end of the first phase of the Afghan Civil War. Pakistan continued supporting Gulbudin Hekmatyar against the Afghan government and asked him to keep fighting against the government till he gained full power in Kabul and replaced Rabbani. Saudi Arabia also started supporting Hekmatyar. The second phase of the War began after Hekmatyar started shelling Kabul. Relations between Shura e Nazar and General Abdul Rasheed Dostom who now had the full support of Uzbekistan, had soured and Dostom had to leave Kabul. After leaving Kabul, Dostom started shelling Kabul from the gates of Kabul. More than 50,000 civilian were killed in Kabul in blind shelling (1) (also called rockety koor ([blind rockets]). To conclude, during these two phases of the Afghan civil war, which lasted from 1989 to 1992, more than 100,000 Afghans were killed, thousands of Kabul citizens were injured and lost their homes and nothing was seen in Kabul except bombarded buildings and signs of different weapons used during the war. The Afghan Civil war was caused by four major factors, the Afghan people, Afghan economy, Afghan politicians and foreign powers.

Iago in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Iago in Othello  Ã‚      In William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello we see a morally depraved character, perhaps a very mentally sick individual, named Iago. His personality and development during the play is the subject of this essay. In Shakespeare’s Four Giants Blanche Coles comments on the mental illness that appears to afflict the despicable Iago: When such old time critics as H. N. Hudson, who wrote nearly a hundred years ago, saw that Iago was not acting from revenge, one is more than surprised to find modern critics, who have had the advantage of the progress that has been made in the study of abnormal psychology, accepting Iago for anything but what he is, and what Shakespeare intended him to be – a psychopathic personality. (79) Evidence of his psychopathic personality is seen early in the play. He manipulates the wealthy Roderigo into awakening the senator Brabantio (â€Å"Rouse him: make after him, poison his delight†); and then he utters very offensive smutty lines about a black ram and white ewe, which indicate the way his sick mind operates. He seems to be motivated by love of money which he has been receiving from Roderigo for some time (â€Å"thou, Iago, who hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine†). Iago himself says that he is motivated by revenge on the Moor (â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him†) because of the promotion of Michael Cassio to the lieutenancy. But regardless of the question of motivation, it is a fact that Iago hasn’t a single true friend in the play; in his disordered personality he can only manipulate or use people; he is incapable of loving them. His manipulation of his general repeats time and again from the first meeting: Nay, but he prated, And spoke such scurvy... ...eps due on   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To the Propontic and the Hellespont,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even so my bloody thoughts, with violent pace,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shall ne'er look back, ne'er ebb to humble love,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Till that a capable and wide revenge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Swallow them up. (3.3) Iago is so in control of the general’s contorted mind that he specifies how the Moor should kill Desdemona: â€Å"Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.† And the general dutifully responds, â€Å"Excellent good!† The enthusiastic answer causes one to suspect that the ancient’s psychopathology has taken possession of the Moor. WORKS CITED Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos. Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.

paradigms :: essays research papers

The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. "acategories.asp?Author=Flannery+O%27Connor+%281925%2D1964%29" If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. "acategories.asp?Author=Albert+Einstein+%281879%2D1955%29" everyone since teh beginning fo time has had their own views and standards for the way that everything around them should be. these views are seemingly set in stone and unchangeable. there are many examples in the past of terrible consequences for expressing views other than the norm at the time. more recently this apprehension to change was described by Thomas Kuhn in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revoulutions. Kuhn’s book was focused on the scientific world. He said that normal science â€Å"means research firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievments, achievments thatsome particular scientific community aacknowledges for a time as supplying the foundation for its further practice† (Kuhn 10). These achievments needed to be unprecedented and open-ended so as to attract a group away from competing ideas and to leave all sorts of problems for this group to resolve. these achievments are called paradigms. a paradigm is defined by Kuhn as â€Å"an accepted canon of scientific practice, including laws, theory, applications, and instrumentation, that provides a model for a particular coherent tradition of scientific research† (Trigger 5). When results arise that cannot be explained through the current paradigm, a new paradigm may begin to form. the new paradigm originates with new theories that are proposed as a result of the anomalies that were found. â€Å"to be accepted as a paradigm, a theory must seem better than its competitors, but it need not, and in fact never does, explain all the facts with which it can be confronted† (Kuhn 17-18). when the new paradigm is finally accepted, a paradigm-shift occurs. the paradigm shift represents Kuhn’s â€Å"scientific revolution†. Once the paradigm-shift is completed normal science returns under the new paradigm until new set of unexplainable facts arise. paradigms help scientific communities to bind their discipline in that they help the scientist to do several things. they help to create avenues fo inquiry, formulate questions, select methods with which to examine questions and define areas fo relevance. Kuhn writes â€Å"In the absence fo a paradigm or some candidate for paradigm, all the facts that could possibly pertain to the development of a given science are likely to seem equally relevant† (Kuhn 15). what he was trying to show was that there must be a way to limit the direction of one’s research based on what is considered to be known from the past.

Animal Abuse

Many people have taken animals for granted since a long time. Thomas Edison once said, â€Å"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages. † Animal cruelty is an ongoing problem that many people disregard in today’s society. It is mainly caused by the use, neglect, and intentional mistreatment of animals, all of which can still be prevented by stricter laws, awareness, and education. It’s said that an animal dies in a laboratory every three seconds. An estimated 25 to 35 million animals are helplessly used in the United States each year for three main purposes; biomedical and behavioral research, education, and drug and product testing (Fox, 58). Animals range from mostly rodents to rabbits, cats, dogs, and monkeys. The conditions in which laboratory animals are kept in are not good at all. Cages are too small and the animals are deprived of social interaction (59). Three examples of the use of scientific research on animals are the Draize test, LD/50 test, and toy tests. The Draize test is the most common procedure to test for irritation. Animals used in this test are rabbits, mainly due to their extremely sensitive eyes. Because rabbits have no tear ducts, it makes it easier for scientists to observe because the rabbits cannot wash test materials out of their eyes. In performing this test, a rabbit’s head is placed in stock to prevent the animal from scratching or pawing at the eye in which a substance has been placed. The lower lid of one eye is pulled down and away from the eye. Then, the test substance such as nail polish remover, shampoo, or mascara is dropped into or smeared on the eye. The other eye acts as a control. Testers look for redness in the affected eye, swelling, and other signs of irritation. Corneal ulcers and blindness are often the result. After the test, the rabbits are either killed or used in another test (McCoy 47). The LD/50 test was developed in England in 1927, by a mathematician. This test is often criticized as unreliable and cruel. The objective of this test is to measure how much of a chemical is required to cause death. The majority of animals used in this test are dogs, rats, hamsters and guinea pigs. In just one single test, up to 200 animals may be used. Laboratory animals are force-fed toxic substances by a stomach tube. Then the animals are observed for two weeks or until death. The animals that survive are usually killed later, as if it’s nothing. Other procedures include the inhalation of a chemical or substance. Animals are forced to breathe the vapor or powder of a chemical or substance. Sometimes, these chemicals are applied to the skin of an animal. In all these tests, observers look for signs of poisoning, bleeding from the eyes, nose, or mouth, difficulty in breathing, tremors, paralysis, and coma (McCoy 106). Toys are often needlessly tested on animals to determine their safety. To test toy guns, manufacturers point the guns in animals’ faces and see if the plastic pieces discharged hurt the animal. Substances like modeling clay are force-fed to animals to test its toxicity. Other tests involve dropping toys on animals to see if any parts hurt them. Not only are these tests cruel, they are unnecessary. Most toy companies have new high-tech methods of testing their toys for safety without harming animals (Various Authors, 61). Animals weren’t created to entertain. Examples of this are the zoos, circuses, and rodeos. At zoos, large captive animals pace back and forth in small pens and other animals just lie around in their cages bored. Many healthy animals are snatched out of their natural habitats and brutally transferred to a cage, where they are prevented from following their most basic instincts, such as gathering food. When capturing chimpanzees, poachers usually shoot the mother and kidnap the child. After all this, statistics show that only one in ten baby chimps survive the journey to the zoo. Zoo animals also suffer from mistreatment. They lack privacy and cannot live according to their natural needs. Aquatic animals have very little water, animals that once lived in herds are alone, and animals of all types are prevented from natural mating, flying, running, climbing, and other instinctive behaviors. Animals bred in zoos are often sold to laboratories for experiments or to circuses. Some zoo animals end up in â€Å"wild game† parks or hunting preserves; where people pay thousands of dollars to shoot a lion or tiger at point-blank range (Various Authors, 64). Both the Draize test and LD/50 test should be banned. They are not only inaccurate, but the Humane Society of the United States stated that its results are of little value in diagnosis and treatment (McCoy, 49). The toy tests should just be completely banned because it is just plain mean and pointless. Many people don’t realize this but circuses are one of the greatest examples of people’s cruelty to animals. Not only are circus animals taken out of their natural habitats, they are confined in cramped cages. Sometimes they have inadequate food and drinking water. When it comes to training, they endure tight collars/muzzles and are whipped, prodded to perform senseless tricks for the sake of entertainment. Some circus animals are drugged to make them more obedient, and others have their teeth and claws removed. When circus animals have outlived their usefulness, they are usually sold to zoos, private collectors, game farms, or research laboratories. They don’t get a moment of peace, even after they are done performing (Various Authors, 65). Rodeos are basically defined as a demonstration of a person’s domination over an innocent animal, rather than their skill in riding. Rodeo animals suffer a lifetime of stress by being transported from one rodeo to another. These animals are captive performers, housed in tiny trailers and pens, then whipped into frenzy for the sake of a show. Electric prods, sticks, painful ointments, and other devices are used to enrage animals and keep them in line. Many suffer severe bruising, neck and back injuries, internal hemorrhaging, and broken bones. Several rodeos don’t even offer veterinary care to animals, which often undergo open wounds, skin infections, cracked hooves, and other maladies (Various Authors, 66). There are various and simple preventions to help stop animal cruelty. One being PETA; one of the many organizations for animal rights. PETA is responsible for ending the use of the Draize test. Their tactics consists of organizing boycotts, promoting shareholder resolutions and alerting the general public (McCoy, 47). Although the federal Animal Welfare Act was created, the animals being researched in laboratories receive little protection under this act because the United States Department of Agriculture does an inadequate job of inspecting animal research facilities, and an even worse job enforcing the law when violations are found. If this act is taken seriously, there would be fewer problems. There are countless alternatives to scientific research including non-animal laboratory tests, clinical tests on human beings, cell and tissue cultures in vitro; microorganisms and other species believed to have limited or no feeling for pain or suffering. There is also a large data base of ingredients and products that have been previously tested, as well as computer models that can provide answers in research procedures or techniques. This alternative would involve fewer animals per experiment/study and that leads to less pain and discomfort (McCoy, 52). Another easy prevention is education. Respect for animals is learned, not inborn. In reality, children have complex feeling about animals, including fear, and the potential to be cruel. Children need adults’ guidance and supervision when it comes to animals. It’s hard for children to understand because children are exposed at a young age, the stereotype of how animals are. Dogs, cats, rabbits are often portrayed as the good ones, while snakes, bears, and cheetahs are seen as the dangerous, bad guys. Despite these stereotypes, all animals are equal and should have the chance to be treated fairly. Other ways to teach children to be kind to animals are writing letters to companies that test on animals, and reading books about friendly animals (Harnack, 89). All these preventions are straightforward and simple to follow. Animal cruelty is an ongoing problem that many people disregard in today’s society. It is mainly caused by the use, neglect, and intentional mistreatment of animals, all of which can still be prevented by stricter laws, awareness, and education. Clearly, empathy is no longer understood or experienced. It is not too late to help animals who suffer every moment of their lives in unethical experiments and abuse inflicted on by humans.