Political Science Take Home Exam - 2149 Words

Antonio Chavez June 23, 2015 Political Science Take Home Exam The U.S. Government has had a lot of conflictions after the Revolutionary War settling into a stable state. Today the U.S. Government is certainly not flawless, but America’s Democracy has certainly evolved to reach rights of most people in this land. My goal is to dig into the reasons why colonist revolted against the British Parliament. After the colonist gained independence, the framers formed a constitution that still persists today. I will talk about the intents behind the framers as they ratified the Bill of Rights, and also how these Bill of Rights correlate, and how they don’t correlate to the reasoning behind the Revolutionary War. Democracy prevails in the U.S. Government, but I will talk about other forms of government that can resemble a democracy. I will incorporate all these different topics into Robert Reich’s perspective of America’s Industry, and to the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. United Statesâ€⠄¢ Democracy has had a lot of ups and downs, but continues to progress with time. It is no doubt that America’s roots stem from the thirteen colonies, which were under the rule of the English Parliament. It is also a fact that the colonists revolted against the British after a series of conflictions. For years the British was occupied fighting the French which left the colonies on their own for a period of time. Over this time period, the colonists enjoyed a lot of power over the colonies, andShow MoreRelatedThe Life Of Stephen Hawking Essay722 Words   |  3 Pagesin political activism. They passed their enthusiasm and passion for these things onto their children.Witherbee, Amy. Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking (Great Neck Publishing) (2006): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.) Hawking began his studies in the spring of 1958, at a private school near his home. As the years passe , Stephen excelled in all areas of his studies, especially math and science. As he was nearing the end of his early education, the time was approaching for him to take hisRead MoreCollege Planning For Home Schoolers Essay1000 Words   |  4 Pages College planning for home-schoolers Homeschooling is a concept of doing schooling at home. In this kind of study a child from a family receives his academic education from somebody within the house. There are range of legal definitions of homeschooling that may be different for the different countries and regions. Child can have so many benefits from home schooling. For many families and children’s home schooling could be very beneficial, often the schools might not be providing that kind of educationRead MoreHuman Rights and International Cooperation Development1507 Words   |  7 Pageswhich is still to be determined- and certain assignments will require understanding the Spanish written language. If you have difficulties use dictionaries, ask your classmates or ask me. Method of Evaluation Theoretical: 50% * Final Exam: 25% * Midterm exam: 10% * Quizzes: 15 % Not every quiz will be previously announced as they are considered a â€Å"predictable† part of the course, since they will be frequently administered (the number is freely determined by the professor). Quizzes willRead MoreHuman Rights and International Cooperation Development1520 Words   |  7 Pageswhich is still to be determined- and certain assignments will require understanding the Spanish written language. If you have difficulties use dictionaries, ask your classmates or ask me. Method of Evaluation Theoretical: 50% * Final Exam: 25% * Midterm exam: 10% * Quizzes: 15 % Not every quiz will be previously announced as they are considered a â€Å"predictable† part of the course, since they will be frequently administered (the number is freely determined by the professor). Quizzes willRead MoreEssay about Walla Walla University and Oregon Institute University927 Words   |  4 Pagesat Walla Walla University are the same no matter if you are on campus, off campus, or living at home. Rooms and board will obviously vary because of your location, but books and supplies, are the same and living expenses vary, yet again from location. The tuition for in-state and out-of-state students is the same, you know which is nice if you are wishing to come from Oregon. On Campus Off Campus At Home Out-Of-State Tuition/Fees $25,377 $25,377 $25,377 $25,377 Room/Board $5,970 $6,420 $1,587 $5,970Read MoreIntro to Sociology1167 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Intro to Sociology – 1/28 Book: Sidewalk by Dunier Available in NYU Bookstore March 13 – Midterm Exam 30% of Grade May 15 – Final Exam (8 in the Morning) Courses are central to the idea of concept ideas. Readings and course as whole might test hypothesis like pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall (No M/C, small essays). What is a Social Science? Empirical, Systematic, Conceptual. There are other realms that people think like how people believe what a society is; iRead MoreBe Careful Of Taking Online Course1143 Words   |  5 Pagesmaterials hinders learning potential for students,† claims that web-based learning cannot be a substitute for on-campus classes because e-learning decreases students’ learning pressure and motivation. On the other hand, Rachel Farhi, a senior political science and English literature double major, in her â€Å"Online education innovators should be wary,† states that e-learning gives students from disadvantaged areas opportunities to learn knowledge through reducing the cost and time of commuting. AlthoughRead MoreEthnic Discrimination : The Chicano Population1515 Words   |  7 Pages1988 tells a true story of Garfield High School in East Los Angeles about a South American teacher, Mr. Escalante, who strives to make a difference in the lives of a group of young Chicanos. The students faced many struggles such as discrimination, home struggles, poverty, and gang violence. The teacher decided that he wasn’t going to let these kids get left behind in school just because of their ethnicity. He took on a group of students that the rest of the population had given up on and made a differenceRead MoreThe English Language : The Importance Of Learning English1039 Words   |  5 Pagesare there exceptions to the first amendment? There are two requirements for becoming a naturalized citizen; you must pass the civics test and pass an English language proficiency test. Not only do immigrants, who leave their friends, families, and homes behind for a better life, have to learn information that many natural born citizens do not know, but they also have to learn English-- America’s â€Å"unofficial† language. Learning English is not an effortless task for some individuals. Many argue thatRead MoreEssay The Importance of Education526 Words   |  3 PagesEducation is important in any society. Parents, teachers and even political leaders encourage education in our society. Many people do not understand why there is so much emphasis placed upon obtaining a good education. This is why some people do not put in as much effort as they should. It is important that everyone understand the many benefits of education aside from getting a job and earning a salary. This knowledge will help you to develop an attitude that is conducive to learning. You will enjoy

Saint Augustine of Hippo Free Essays

Biography: Aurelius Augustinus (referred to as â€Å"St. Augustine of Hippo) was born in Tagaste (now Souk- Ahras), North Africa on November 13, 354. His family was not rich growing up but Augustine still received a Christian education. We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Augustine of Hippo or any similar topic only for you Order Now Wild as a child he had a long-term relationship with a freedwoman who bore him a son. When he was 19 he was introduced to philosophy at Carthage where he became a brilliant student who mastered Latin and knew Greek. He worked as a professor at Carthage for a while but sometimes the students didn’t pay the professors after attending all the classes, so he got annoyed and traveled to Rome to seek a fortune. When he was in his thirties he converted to Christianity and entered a monastery. He spent the rest of his life working on his philosophical writings. In 395 he was ordained Bishop of Hippo. He died of a fever on August 28, 430 during the third month of the siege of Hippo by the barbarians. Philosophy on Law: St. Augustine believed and wrote extensively about natural law. He defines natural law as â€Å"an instilled law written on the human heart or conscience†. Augustine believed natural law was one of the ways God governs humans. His notions of natural law lead him to a discussion about just and unjust laws. He believed just laws were derived from natural law. Additionally he believed, those laws not following natural law, were unjust and â€Å"is no law at all† Strengths and Weaknesses: There are a few weaknesses when it comes to Augustine’s belief on natural law. Natural law is grounded in religion and in todays world people want a different legal system between the church and state. This makes them tend to avoid the reference to â€Å"natural law†. Another weakness is Augustine’s believed that some laws were written on peoples hearts. This leads to the question, why is there bad people? Not to say all of natural law is a weakness because it does have some strengths. One strength, to natural law is despite all the different religions and geography’s most societies have a common set of principals that lands credibility to the theory of natural law. Another strength is the argument of natural law allows for separation between church and state in laws of punishments. St. Augustine would definitely support civil disobedience. He believed if a law was unjust than it was no law at all. He thought that there were laws written on your heart and if a law wasn’t written on your heart than it was an unjust law. Therefore he didn’t consider it a law. Below is a short video of Martin Luther King saying his famous speech â€Å"Letter from a Birmingham jail†. St. Augustine is known for his creation of natural law. Augustine discovered that God creates at least some moral aspects. St. Augustine, along with St. Paul, and St. Thomas Aquinas founded the notion of an instilled law written on the human heart or conscience. It was created through the synthesis of notions such as natural justice and the biblical belief in a greater being and lawgiver that we think of as being natural law. Augustine’s most famous quote is also has the greatest impact on natural law. His quote was â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all†. He means that justice is the sole purpose of law and if the law isn’t fair, than it is not serving justice. Augustine on Free Choice of the Will: â€Å"Now every punishment is a punishment for sin, if it is just, and is called a penalty; but if the punishment is unjust, since none doubts it is a punishment, it is imposed on man by an unjust ruler. This piece of writing by Augustine talks about just and unjust laws and the reason for punishments. It reinforces his position that an unjust law is no law at all. The Problem of Free Choice: Book One. Will not any intelligent man regard that law as unchangeable and eternal, which is termed the law of reason? We must always obey it; it is the law through which wicked men deserve an unhappy, and good men a happy life, and through which the law we have said should be called temporal is rightly decreed and rightly changed. Can it even be unjust that the wicked should be unhappy and the good happy, or that a well-disciplined people should be self-governing, while an ill-disciplined people should be deprived of this privilege. I see that this law is eternal and unchangeable. I think you also see that men derive all that is just and lawful in temporal law from eternal law. For if a nation is justly not self-governing at one time, and justify not self-governing at another time, the justice of this temporal change is derived from that eternal principle by which it is always right for a disciplined people to be self-governing, but not a people that is undisciplined. This part of Augustine’s writing backs up his theory of natural law. He is attempting to reconcile the relationship between natural law and mans free will. He believes that natural law is a part of every human being and freewill is the ability of man to choose between what is the right thing and what is wrong. All of Augustine’s writing and books were originally written in Latin and have been translated into several different languages over the years. Most of his writing was religious in nature and his views on laws were derived from his desire to understand god’s relationship with society. Two Questions: 1) How is the concept of natural law relevant in today’s society and courts? ) What do you think some of the natural laws are? Examples of natural law: human rights, etc. Natural law is the theory or belief that certain rights exist independently of any government’s granting of those rights. Generally, whenever a group rebels against their government and asserts rights that the government hasn’t granted them, they are making a claim of natural law. Many children, for example, appeal to a sense of fair ness in disputes, and most people around the world agree that murder is a severe  infraction  of natural law. For example, the declaration of independence was an assertion of natural law – the right to be free, the right not to be taxed without representation, etc. , if you believe you are entitled to these rights just by virtue of the fact that you are alive/human, you believe in natural law. It can also work the other way; certain actions are criminal just by virtue of the acts themselves, such as murder (malum per se). Positive law, on the other hand, is the theory or belief that all law comes from the government/lawmakers (Malum prohibitum). Basically, you have no rights that are not granted to you from the government, and no action is inherently right or wrong under the law unless there is legislature or court-created law that says so. Basically, murder isn’t illegal because it’s â€Å"evil† or bad, it’s illegal because there’s a written law in the books that says so. Natural law and natural rights follow from the nature of man and the world. We have the right to defend ourselves and our property, because of the kind of animals that we are. True law derives from this right, not from the arbitrary power of the omnipotent state. Natural law has objective, external existence. It follows from the ESS (evolutionary stable strategy) for the use of force that is natural for humans and similar animals. The ability to make moral judgments, the capacity to know good and evil, has immediate evolutionary benefits: just as the capacity to perceive three dimensionally tells me when I am standing on the edge of a cliff, so the capacity to know good and evil tells me if my companions are liable to cut my throat. It evolved in the same way, for the same straightforward and uncomplicated reasons, as our ability to throw rocks accurately. Read more:  http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_examples_of_a_natural_law#ixzz27LOHpIBl http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/augustine/ http://americanenglishdoctor. com/wordpress/literacy/basic-literacy/general-knowledge-2/basic-literature/letter-from-birmingham-jail/1758 How to cite Saint Augustine of Hippo, Essay examples

Parents Keep Gender Secret free essay sample

Would keeping your child’s gender secret be a good thing or a bad thing? In this article, Parents keep child’s gender secret by Jayme Poisson, I am going to share with you my thoughts and concerns as well as the truth in this article that I have read. I have mixed feelings about this article and throughout my article I will tell you why. Keeping gender of your child secret can be dangerous to the child’s social life. This article begins with an example of how people always asking them to revel the baby’s sex. The neighbors ask them each week what Storms gender is. They start to criticize them about how they are raising their other two children, which are boys. They let the boy’s dress how they want with long hair, pink dresses, and they ride pink bikes. Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, the parents of Storm believe what they are doing is normal. We will write a custom essay sample on Parents Keep Gender Secret or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They say â€Å"we have decided not to share Storm’s sex for now – a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm’s lifetime(a more progressive place? ). The grandparent’s outlook on it is they are supportive, but they will not explain the way Storm’s parents choose to raise the baby genderless to their co-workers or to their friends. They have many concerns about the children being ridiculed and being bullied when they get older. Others can be very cruel to outsiders like the children are becoming. Diane Ehrensaft , a California-based psychologist, an author of â€Å"Gender born, Gender made†, a guide for parents of nonconforming kids, says parents should be supportive of children who are gender creative. On the other hand she worries by not divulging Storms sex; the parents are denying the baby a way to find him or herself in a world where you are either male, female, or in between. My response to this article would have to me that I believe that the parents did this because they thought that it was going to help Storm. I do not agree nor do I disagree that is was good. What I do believe is that it can hurt the kids severely not only in society but also in a mental way. I believe that the children would have chosen the way they wanted to act male, female, or in between. In conclusion my beliefs are that raising a child genderless can have good and bad outcomes. Whether it be the child finds itself on their own or the child gets lost and cannot function in every day social norms. I myself would not have raised my child genderless because I feel it is not a good thing to do to a child by confusing them. So in this conclusion I disagree with the way they parent their children.

What Is The Federal Governments Single Greatest Responsibility Essays

What is the federal government's single greatest responsibility to the public? In my opinion the federal government has many responsibilities to the public, but most importantly is its pledge of protection to the public. When I say protection, I mean not only from military attacks from other countries, but by supplying funds for all the needs of the citizens. As the population in the U.S. increases and federal funds decrease, the government tends to forget all of the little people who elected the politicians into office. The people to whom I am referring are the farmers and small business owners, who rely on the government's support to protect their investments. As shipping and international money-exchange has become easier and faster, the ability for small business owners or farmers to sell their goods have conversely become harder. I believe that it is the gocernment's responsibility to ensure that these people do not struggle to earn a living. Bills such as trade restrictions, etc are created so these people can earn a living. Another type of protection that the government must provide abundantly is aid to the smaller governments, such as state or city offices. I feel that this is most important in crime-ridden, overpopulated cities, such as New York or Los Angeles. These are the great tourist attractions in America, but they don't receive the recognition that they deserve from the government. Without government funds, these cities don't have enough money for upkeeping and allow their images to become tarnished. This will cause a domino effect because less tourists will want to visit America. Less tourism means that these cities have less revenues and less importance to the government. Less importance means that they will receive even less aid. Such an effect will ruin any bright spots which still are in the U.S. The public created the U.S. government to ensure that there will always be a wise and fair leader for America. This gave us the ability to put someone into office, who fits the needs of the country, at present time. This person undertakes the sole responsibility to ensure the welfare of all "his" people. The government's responsibilities are great, but with a little control and careful planning, all can be accomplished.

Chatelperronian Transition to Upper Paleolithic

Chatelperronian Transition to Upper Paleolithic The Chà ¢telperronian period refers to one of five stone tool industries identified within the Upper Paleolithic period of Europe (ca 45,000-20,000 years ago). Once thought the earliest of the five industries, the Chà ¢telperronian is today recognized as roughly coeval with or perhaps somewhat later than the Aurignacian period: both are associated with the Middle Paleolithic to Upper Paleolithic transition, ca. 45,000-33,000 years ago. During that transition, the last Neanderthals in Europe died out, the result of a not-necessarily-peaceful cultural transition of European ownership from the long-established Neanderthal residents to the new influx of early modern humans from Africa. When first described and defined in the early twentieth century, the Chà ¢telperronian was believed to be the work of early modern humans (then called Cro Magnon), who, it was thought had descended directly from Neanderthals. The split between Middle and Upper Paleolithic is a distinct one, with great advances in the range of stone tool types and also with raw materialsthe Upper Paleolithic period has tools and objects made of bone, teeth, ivory and antler, none of which was seen in the Middle Paleolithic. The change is technology is today associated with the entrance of early modern humans from Africa into Europe. The discovery of Neanderthals at Saint Cesaire (aka La Roche a Pierrot) and Grotte du Renne (aka Arcy-sur-Cure) in direct association with Chà ¢telperronian artifacts, led to the original debates: who made the Chà ¢telperronian tools? Chà ¢telperronian Toolkit Chà ¢telperronian stone industries are a blend of earlier tool types from the Middle Paleolithic Mousterian and Upper Paleolithic Aurignacian style tool types. These include denticulates, distinctive side scrapers (called racloir chà ¢telperronien) and endscrapers. One characteristic stone tool found on Chà ¢telperronian sites are backed blades, tools made on flint chips which have been shaped with abrupt retouch. Chà ¢telperronian blades were made from a large, thick flake or block that were prepared in advance, in distinct comparison to later Aurignacian stone tool kits which were based on more extensively worked prismatic cores. Although the lithic materials at Chà ¢telperronian sites often include stone tools similar to the earlier Mousterian occupations, in some sites, an extensive collection of tools were produced on ivory, shell, and bone: these types of tools are not found in Mousterian sites at all. Important bone collections have been found at three sites in France: Grotte du Renne at Arcy sur-Cure, Saint Cesaire and Quinà §ay. At Grotte du Renne, the bone tools included awls, bi-conical points, tubes made of bird bones and pendants, and sawed ungulate antlers and picks. Some personal ornaments have been found at these sites, some of which are stained with red ochre: all of these are evidence of what archaeologists call modern human behaviors or behavioral complexity.​ The stone tools led to the assumption of cultural continuity, with some scholars well into the 1990s arguing that humans in Europe had evolved from Neanderthals. Subsequent archaeological and DNA research has overwhelmingly indicated that early modern humans in fact evolved in Africa, and then migrated into Europe and mixed with the Neanderthal natives. The parallel discoveries of bone tools and other behavioral modernity at Chatelperronian and Aurignacian sites, not to mention radiocarbon dating evidence has led to a realignment of the early Upper Paleolithic sequence. How They Learned That The major mystery of the Chà ¢telperronianassuming that it does indeed represent Neanderthals, and there certainly seems to be ample proof of thatis how did they acquire new technologies just at the point when the new African immigrants arrived in Europe? When and how that happenedwhen the African emigrants turned up in Europe and when and how the Europeans learned to make bone tools and backed scrapersis a matter for some debate. Did the Neanderthals imitate or learn from or borrow from the Africans when they began using sophisticated stone and bone tools; or were they innovators, who happened to learn the technique about the same time? Archaeological evidence at sites such as Kostenki in Russia and Grotta del Cavallo in Italy has pushed back the arrival of early modern humans to about 45,000 years ago. They used a sophisticated tool kit, complete with bone and antler tools and personal decorative objects, called collectively Aurignacian. Evidence is also strong that Neanderthals first appeared in Europe about 800,000 years ago, and they relied on primarily stone tools; but about 40,000 years ago, they may have adopted or invented bone and antler tools and personal decorative items. Whether that was separate invention or borrowing remains to be determined. Sources Bar-Yosef O, and Bordes J-G. 2010. Who were the makers of the Chà ¢telperronian culture? Journal of Human Evolution 59(5):586-593.Coolidge FL, and Wynn T. 2004. A cognitive and neurophysical perspective on the Chatelperronian. Journal of Archaeological Research 60(4):55-73.Discamps E, Jaubert J, and Bachellerie F. 2011. Human choices and environmental constraints: deciphering the variability of large game procurement from Mousterian to Aurignacian times (MIS 5-3) in southwestern France. Quaternary Science Reviews 30(19-20):2755-2775.

7 Surprising Skills Needed to Be a Writer

7 Surprising Skills Needed to Be a Writer 7 Surprising Skills Needed to Be a Writer Writing, the simple demonstration of putting pen to paper, is challenging enough all alone. However, most writers have no issue investing in the creative effort. At the same time, the work that accompanies writing for a living might trap you in. Beyond creativity, here are 7 surprising skills needed to be a writer. Social Skills All writers are not introverted, but many absolutely are. It can be a tough obstacle to overcome. However, social skills are a necessity when you are attempting to convince others in your capacity to communicate with words. Do not be afraid to network, embrace the social media, and speak up. Dont be ashamed to ask for opportunities, either. You may be astonished at the power of social skills and earn considerably more. Time Management Skills As a writer, you need to figure out how to partition your time to cover every aspect of maintaining a writing business. You also need to resist giving in to the myriad of potential distractions around you, especially because you can’t exactly turn off Twitter and email if you use both for work. Resourcefulness Writing does not come with a standard blueprint. Few professional writers have a degree in writing, while some dont. There are numerous cases when writers are landed jobs because they have friends who are writers, others are hired because they launched a blog that got to become popular. The truth is, for everyone, the specifics are different. As a result of this, working with the opportunities, abilities, skills, and experiences that unique to your situation is imperative. In two words, be resourceful. Marketing Skills One great example of the power of resourcefulness is Author Ahyiana Angel who didnt have any professional experience in writing. But she did have marketing skills as a former publicist, and she optimized them, basically becoming her own publicist. This won her opportunities to become published by Simon and Schuster. A mastery of marketing is important to break into freelancing or earn some cash with your writing. Branding, search engine optimization (SEO), guest posting and pitching are a few marketing skills you should familiarize yourself with. Thick Skin and Fearlessness Get over wanting to be cool, creative, smart, important, wise, a huge success, a great writer, or any ego-dominated idea that is really just a tool for staying away from shame and humiliation.   Any writer will tell you â€Å"thick skin is an absolute necessity.† To get over any sensitivity, dont be afraid to be humiliated, terrible, be a beginner, share your work, be ready to embrace criticism, persistent, and to override and reset the primitive controls and autopilot for courage. Think and Feel Like Your Audience Be a psychologist, observer, and therapist, who can find out how and why people feel and think the way they do. Creating an original character implies that you need to take some necessary steps of coming up with his or her characteristic traits. You must get in their head and see why they do what they do. For becoming an incredible observer, you should be interested in human thinking patterns, and what is hindering people from being their best selves. See this as your job and obsession. Creativity in Making up Worlds that Don’t Exist You have seen Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, and Star Wars. Those are not only talents but practice. We can all pretend, but only if we can get away from that intelligent, logical and critical part of our brains that doesn’t want nonsense to thrive. But what is nonsense all about if not imagination. That is what makes it so wonderful. Practice seeing your writing on paper regularly to strengthen it, particularly if you are relishing your magical and illogical creative ability. These will help you launch a professional writer career when you have zero work experience, and make you standout.

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

Design - Research Paper Example My approach towards the research, the factors corresponding to the high turnover rate at Patriot University, in this case would be hard and real. I would bring into consideration the results obtained via various surveys and practical experiments and would try to challenge hypothesis and assumptions about my research. This approach towards data collection would primarily focus on measurement, and would concentrate on scrutinizing the numerical information and also applying the test on statistical basis. Determining the measuring instruments for the research is the second step for the research on the topic, the factors corresponding to the high turnover rate at Patriot University. One can use various different measuring instruments in the research paper. These are used by the researchers to help them and facilitate the assessment and the results obtained about different topics of research subjects. The measuring instruments are actually used to measure or acquire information and data on numerous variables from physical functioning to psychological as well as social adherence of a particular subject. The measurement instrument that I would be including in my research would be surveys and interviews as these instruments are helpful in gaining the information directly from the people and collecting the data after gathering their point of views about a certain subject of research. The important indicators of the quality of measuring instruments used in a research paper are the reliability and the validity of the obtained values and results. The reliability factor of the measuring instruments analyses the stability of the values, the consistency of the measuring instruments and the interpretation of the values. On the other hand, the validity factor for the measuring instruments is described as to the extent to which the understanding the results obtained are verified and confirmed. Moreover the responsiveness of the

Kung Fu Panda 31;13-34;50 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kung Fu Panda 31;13-34;50 - Essay Example The music directors have carefully incorporated music which very strongly conveys the emotions and feelings of the talking animals in the movie. It is worth noting here that it is otherwise difficult to convey this through dialogues and visuals. This essay examines the role of music and sound in a particular part of this movie. The part of the movie evaluated here is 31 minutes 13 seconds to 34 minutes 50 seconds. The selected section of the movie follows the philosophical encounter that Po, the protagonist of the story has with Master Shifu who is the trainer of Po. Master Shifu ridicules Po with regard to his poor body image and his easy going attitude. Panda is shocked to see the martial art skills of the other animals and realizes his incapability all the more. Po fails miserably in exhibiting his martial art skills and is was made fun of by other animals. The chosen part of the movie shows the intellectual confusion of the chosen hero who is unsure of living up to the expectations of the kingdom. The scene in the beginning shows Po sneaking into Jade Palace. The sound used in expressing the sneaky behavior of Po who is trying to get inside the palace has succeeded in expressing the insecurity that the panda has. The creaking sound of the wood on the floor increases all the more as Po tries to make no sound. Master Crane who is woken up by this sound comments that the Panda does not belong to that space and Po approves of it. The creaking sound in the background just before this dialogue very well supports the Panda’s insecurity and disengagement with that physical space. Silence is very well used in this scene to contribute to the depth of Panda’s feelings. The lighting integrates with this idea. The lighting, composition and the space gives the feeling of moonlight filtering in through the windows. The camera angle which follows the shadow of the Panda also supports the general theme of the scene. The Point of View shot takes the

Pavlovian Conditioning’s Cause and Effect Relationship With Overdose Essay Example for Free

Pavlovian Conditioning’s Cause and Effect Relationship With Overdose Essay Summary: Harm Reduction Journal Gerevich, Bacskai, Farkas, and Danics’ case report studied if Pavlovian conditioning can directly relate to death from overdose. The case followed a young that had been treated multiple times for an addiction to heroin. As a result for the multiple treatments studies have shown that drug overdose occurs most frequently when the patient accustomed to the drug gives up its use then after a while attempts to continue addictive behavior with the same dose before withdrawal. His daily dose had not differed even the fatal overdose, thus proving the conditioned tolerance failed to operate. This indicates that morphine concentrations measured in cases of drug related death do not differ substantially form those measured in cases where the outcome is not fatal. Conditioning can contribute to prevention of fatal cases however, also contribute to cases of tolerance becoming fatal. Summary: Pavlovian conditioning and Drug Overdose: When Tolerance Fails  Siegel’s performed a study of that which Pavlovian conditioning and drug overdose play an important and integral relationship with one another. Siegel researched and studied cases of overdose and examined rats injected with an opiate. He observed that Pavlovian conditioning contributes to tolerance when the user begins to make observations of the effects of the drug in the presence of cues that were previously paired with the drug. Two stimuli are present and one will presumably predict the other, this includes the drug. When the tolerance the chance for overdose increases as well. The unconditioned stimulus in Pavlov’s conditioning is the effect of the drug.  This conditioning makes relapsing common because of the craving for unconditioned stimulus. It is necessary to allow extinction the cues that are presented with the drug in order for recovery. Overdose doesn’t necessarily have to c ome from the conditioning process but many experiments verify a higher risk if conditions are present. In 1927 Ivan Pavlov studied a direct relationship between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus. As the result of as series of conditionings, Pavlov discovered that the conditioned stimulus is able to create the same response as the unconditioned stimulus over a period of time. The relationship of the two is evident and a major factor in fatal overdoses, whether in drug overdose or binge drinking. The correlation between classic conditioning and overdose can be observed where tolerance fails. If one were to treat an addiction, one must acknowledge the conditioning process and eliminate conditioned cues related with the drug (Bacskai, Danics, Farkas Gerevich, 2005). Cases where tolerance failed can be directly found in classical conditioning involved with drug or drinking paired cues and environmental cues as well as associated with the addiction, therefore the cue must be eliminated in order for proper recovery. Tolerance plays a crucial role in overdose as well as addiction. Overdose becomes fatal when tolerance does not occur. According to Siegel, â€Å"Evidence that drug tolerance depends not only upon experience with the drug but also experience with the drug-paired cues† (p. 505, 2001). Addicts suffer from overdose primarily because they do not show the level of tolerance that they expect in drug-experienced individuals (Siegel, 2001). Those suffering with addiction have become conditioned not only physically, but also emotionally in need of the high that is released with a substance. The addiction is the conditioned stimulus, which leaves room for the effects of the drug or drink to be the unconditioned stimulus. Siegel found that events that occur during the drug administration directly correspond to a Pavlovian conditioning trial (2001). Over time the effects become a conditioned response in which they will relate the experience of the high as a cue. Cues are dangerous when de aling with conditioning and treatment. Cues accompanying the drug effect function as CSs, and the direct drug effect constitutes the UCS. Prior to any learning, this UCS elicits responses- UCRs- that compensate for drug-induced disturbances. After some pairings of the pre-drugs CS and pharmacological UCS, the drug compensatory response are elicited by drug-paired stimuli as CRs (Siegel, 2001, p. 505). Thus, in approach to treatment prior to an overdose, the cues must be eliminated. In the study by Siegel, it is studied that drugs and alcohol in particular will have a greater impact if they are administered in the presence of unique cues rather than in the presence of predictable cues that it is associated with (2011). In Bacskai, Danics, Farkas and Gerevich study, they followed the life of an addict which overdosed and claimed that the user could not recover properly due to learned conditioning regarding his heroin addiction. In the autopsy report they were able to clarify that his over dosage was the exact same as his no rmal dosage of .05mg/L. â€Å"The fatal consequences of the heroin injection may have been caused by the failure in the action of conditioned tolerance† (Bacskai, Danics, Farkas Gerevich, 2005). Environmental cues are also factors of conditioning that are paired with cases of overdose. The term tolerance situational-specificity, according to Siegel, results because we prepare ourselves in advance for the psychological changes produced by the drug when we are provided with certain cues that a drug or drink can imminent (2011). An example can be taken from Shapiro and Nathan in1986 when they studied the relationship between environmental cues and substance ingested. They had two groups, one that drank at home and one that drank in the lab environment. After 10 days they reversed the environment for the remaining participants. Upon the discovery they realized that those who had consumed alcohol in the lab environment were less affected in their performance tasks than those who consumed alcohol in the home environment. This demonstrating that tolerance was situationally precise to the environment in which the alcohol was once consumed. Environmental cues can be anywhere from a p arty to a room in a house. They can also be an atmosphere or specific type of people. It is important to identify these cues apart from the actual addiction. Now that cues can be identified separate from the drug of drink, the conditioned  response must be eliminated in order to treat recovery. Pavlov discovered that in order to eliminate a behavior, it is necessary to remove or substitute the conditioned stimulus. In order to eliminate any such cue, one must identify the cues present. In severe cases one might create a lesion in the hippocampal area located in the brain but it is not completely necessary. The most likely case in elimination is when a conditioned response becomes extinct. In order for extinction to occur the conditioned stimulus must be presented without the unconditioned stimulus. An example of a drug or drinking paired cue could be a positive or negative factor, like vomiting or, a party like environment. The cue can be created with induced vomiting when the drug or alcohol is present. This creates a fear tactic, which becomes associated with the addiction and thus making one afraid of the substance. Environmental cues can be both simple and difficult to eliminate. One must be taken out of his or hers setting of addiction. This could mean a living room, bathroom, party scene, work scene, or anywhere that the drug or drinking is associated with. These environments can cause pr essure in the subconscious toward the substance. Remember the Shapiro and Nathan experiment in1986; environment does affect one’s attitude toward the addiction. In Siegel’s 2001 study he discovered that when heroin was injected in an unfamiliar place the user is not as dangerous or place to overdose. The dangers of not eliminating cues can allow tolerance to take its role until overdose occurs. â€Å"Users familiar with the concept of conditioned place preference could have greater chances of survival than those who are not aware of it† (Bacskai, Danics, Farkas Gerevich, 2005). Demonstrating that it is necessary for the cues to be eliminated to reduce the risk of overdose. Therefore, Pavlov’s conditioning has a direct and present relationship involved in overdose cases. Conditioning turns unconditioned stimulus into conditioned responses. The responses can act as cues, which can trigger the addiction. Cues can be both drug, or drinking paired and environmentally stimulated. Tolerance has been proven to fail in fatal cases of overdose due to classical conditioning. In order to recover properly these cues must be eliminated. Treatments can include anything from fear tactics, to removing  the entire substance. Severe cases of addiction, which relate to overdose can be treated with lesions in the brain. References Gerevich, J., Bacskai, E., Farkas, L., Danics, Z. (2005). A case report: Pavlovian conditioning as a risk factor of heroin â€Å"overdose† death. Harm Reduction Journal, 2. Siegel, S. (2011). The Four-Loko Effect. Perspective on Psychological Science, 6, 357-361. Siegel, S. (2001). Pavlovian conditioning and drug overdose: When tolerance fails. Addiction Research and Theory, 9, 503-513. Shapiro, A. P., Nathan, P. E. (1986). Human tolerance to alcohol† The role of Pavlovian conditioning processes. Psychopharmacology, 88, 90, 95.

Emily Dickinson :: essays research papers

B) The riddle we can guess We speedily despise - Not anything is stale so long as yesterday’s surprise - How important is the idea of riddling in Emily Dickinson’s poetry? Cover a range of poems in your answer, and discuss at least four of them in close detail. During the late nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) featured as one of the few female poets in the largely male-dominated sphere of American literature. Although she authored 1800 poems, only seven were published during her lifetime - why? Emily Dickinson has always provoked debate; over her life, her motivations for the words she wrote and the interpretations of those words. It can be argued that Emily Dickinson herself, was as ambiguous, as misunderstood and as elusive as her poetry. As a outlet for relentless examination of every aspect of her mind and faith her poems are both expository and puzzling. Her conclusions are often cryptically implicit and largely dependant on the readers ability to put together the pieces - to see the connections and implications. Amy Lowell said "She was the mistress of suggestion....and to a lesser degree, irony" The ruses and riddles in her poems came from her; and as such she too was a riddle. The riddle was important to Emily Dickinson for several reasons. She wished to reason with her own feelings despite her contradictory beliefs - she wished to be one who "distils amazing sense / from ordinary meanings (#448)". For her, life, nature and faith were all riddles in themselves. None of these three come with all the answers, although clues are given - her poems both deal with and mirror this phenomenon. And through a riddle, at the last - sagacity must go - (#501) (In these lines Dickinson doubts the sense of religious claims about life, death and life after death). Her cryptic language thus became part of her search for truth and personal clarification. She couched her poetry in ambiguous, complex and multi-layered language - in this form it became both a defence, and a game. The riddles concealed her anarchy, her dissension and her audaciousness in questioning the status quo. She achieved her most audacious commentaries and attacks on American perceptions and values through riddle and ruse; by ellipsis, dodge, a vague daring, an evident superiority of language and idea, staying virtually unknown . The ambiguities in the riddles were her defence against authority, religious tyranny and "norm" thinking.

Importance of Writing

The Importance of Writing for Students Writing defines as a tool to represent writers' thoughts, feelings,and ideas into one component/purpose. As a tool, writing has a function to develop writers' thoughts to be more critical. Writing requires a practical adjustment, and a repetition in order to improve the skill. The practice is vary; however, the basic of practicality involves some sources as a media of learning. Writing prepares writers, especially students, to reach into a larger society in term of showing their ability in an indirect way of communication. Writing plays a very important role in the world of education.Writing builds a way to create students to be more creative. Creativity through writing has unlimited scopes. Scope of writing narrative implicates a wild imagination through certain complex ideas by locating the concept orderly and specifically. Scope of writing an academic progress, such as research paper, requires students to understand in applying a right gramma r, and structuring a paragraph. â€Å"Creative writing† leads students to do analyzation that trigger them in finding a new invention (Bekurs; Santoli). An analyzation demands students to elaborate and rearrange the words into one whole new perception.Analyzing in this writing process means â€Å"to learn how to evaluate† the argument, and â€Å"use that information-to find the meaning in the knowledge† (Bekurs; Santoli). According to Santoli and Bekurs, â€Å"the foundation of creative writing† must be based on students' â€Å"personal interest† (Bekurs; Santoli). Writing develops a social skill in students. A social skill needs a basic foundation of learning how to master a second way of communication, called writing. In particular, a social movement in internet, such as blogging, entangles young people to express theimselve as an individual through writing.This blogging activity is â€Å"the expressway to the soul†; moreover, writing refl ects the personality of the writers that allow them to interact with new people in the cyber world (McNulty). A social skill, in term of writing, generates an unlimited access in reaching many different societies. However, students have to master many different vocabularies related to the field. Writing helps some students in gaining friends. Some students have a difficulty in relating themselves to new people. In particular, the activity of exchanging journal in order to interact with their new friends is still ecessary, especially for those in a lower grade of education. Writing guides students in gaining â€Å"self-awareness†, â€Å"self-motivation†, and â€Å"believing in themselves† (Downing 1). In this case, writing a journal can be very helpful in raising students' motivation and introspection toward themselves. Writing a journal means writing out our wild opinions into a piece of paper; just like writing a diary. By writing journal, students can deliver their â€Å"hidden thoughts† through a â€Å"white and black† tool that makes everything â€Å"visible to the world† (McNulty). Writing trains students to become more independent and confident.According to Santoli and Bekurs, when students â€Å"become more comfortable putting their pens to paper† as writers, they have become independent decision makers of themselves (Bekurs; Santoli). Furthermore, students have to often practice the writing skill to gain a self-confidence. The more students practice their writing, the more they allow themselves to comprehend the usefulness of using grammar and applying them into paragraph. Writing determines the future career of students. The skill of writing describes the knowledgeable students as independent workers in the future.For instance, the ability of student in speaking a good speech generates a newly politician. The competence of student in writing a report rises a new born talented journalist. Moreover, the w riting skill of students specify their position as a worker; either lower or higher position. In term of writing, the importance of being able to â€Å"mean what you say and say what you mean† has crucial meaning in the career field (McNulty). In order to apply for a job, people have to submit a firm Curriculum Vitae letter that requires them to write a boldness approval of themselves.

Genocide and Sexual Violence Essay

The Bosnia, Rwanda, and Nazi Germany Experience Genocide is defined in international law as acts which have the intention of destroying â€Å"in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group . . . † (Genocide Watch, n. d. ). Mass killings have been one of the most controversial events in the world. This incident even plays a more important part in the historical experience of those countries which undergone it. When the idea of genocide is being discussed it is always associated with different forms of violence. One of its most prevalent forms is sexual violence against women. Sexual violence is the most common act by which women are degraded and violated. Referring to sexual violence does not only connote the idea of rape. Rape being the process of forced penetration of the penis or any foreign object inside the anus or the vagina, or placing the penis inside the mouth. Sexual violence also includes other related sexual crimes like prostitution, sexual slavery, forced impregnation, mutilations, and other similar practices (West, 2005). Employing sexual violence especially rape, aids conflicting parties to achieved their desired outcomes or objectives. Its negative social effects help in accomplishing the primary goal behind the idea of violence. The main reason why violence exists is to make sure that coexistence would not continue and rape is considered to be a more powerful instrument than murder that could obtained this end (West, 2005). Being the case, sexual violence is utilized as a tool of genocide because of the social disgrace that it brings. This holds true in countries that gives importance to the idea of virginity and chastity because these symbolizes honor not only for the women but also for her family. Sexual violence humiliates both the women and also the men because if such act took place it gives the idea that men are not strong enough to defend their women (Chenoy, 1997). In connection to that, the process of ethnic cleansing would become easier because these abused women would be forced to leave their home and flee to other areas. Such acts of violence are done to induced hatred coming from the members of the targeted group towards their enemies so that they would no longer come back (West, 2005). However, there are instances that opportunistic sexual violence takes place. This kind of sexual crime is done based simply on the individual desire of the abuser. During times of conflict, violent acts escalate because there are no foreseen penalties or consequences in doing such. But this is not always the case especially in a more organized government or regime. In a more centrally organized and powerful state this kinds of crime are not seen as an instrument to inflict terror and humiliation towards the enemy but simply an individual taking advantage of the situation in order to fulfill ones’ aggressive sexual wants (West, 2005). The Bosnian Experience The end of the Soviet Union has brought significant changes in the structure and alignment of the region. The declaration of independence of states coming from the Eastern bloc started their animosity against each other. Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in July 1991 that brought war between Croatia and Yugoslav state as well as slight conflict between Yugoslavia and Slovenia. During the early parts of 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina achieved independence, this event culminated in a civil war against the Serbs, Croats, and the Muslims in Bosnia. The war lasted for several years, which is characterized by various forms of atrocities (Weitsman, 2006). One of the most disturbing forms of atrocities in the former Yugoslavia was the sexual violence inflicted upon Bosnian Muslim women by the Serb militias. Rape camps were created wherein women are segregated and raped everyday for months. Rape is not only the form of sexual violence that these women have to endure but also forced impregnation and maternity. Based on the Final report of the United Nations Commission of Experts established pursuant to security council resolution 789 (1992), the former Yugoslavia has 162 detention sites wherein people were sexually abused. Bosnian Muslim women were repeatedly raped by various men and then they murdered them or detained them to become sexual slaves. Some women were even raped by 40 men in one night while other were gang raped. Mass rape and forced impregnation is utilized as a strategy in the policy of Serb authorities. Serbs denies such kind of allegations but the identical ways by which the rape camps were established as well as the pattern of sexual abuse tend to proved otherwise. The mass sexual abuses of women as well as men have the primary goal of shaming, degrading, torturing, and violating their victims. Forced impregnation of women was also done with the intent that the offspring will live because the Serbs considered such as their primary goal. This is further proven by the accounts of women who experienced being held in rape camps. They narrated that they were impregnated and detained until such a time where abortion is no longer possible (Weitsman, 2006). Scholars and experts of international politics analyzed that sexual violence such as mass rape, forced impregnation, and forced maternity were strategies employed by the Serbs in order to accomplish their objective of ethnic cleansing and even genocide. Forcing women to bear children connotes the idea they want the offspring to acquire the identity of the rapists being paternally derived and thus, disconnect whatever attachment it might have from the mother. In doing so, the Serbs deem that they succeeded in their idea of ethnic cleansing because they are putting a stop to the propagation of the culture and genes of the Bosnians. The identities of the father are commonly unknown because of cases wherein a woman impregnated has been raped by many men. In such cases, the identity of these children as â€Å"genocidal babies† or little â€Å"chetniks† still continues because it is reinforced by the media and their community. The identity of the babies is already constructed in such a way that they would forever be linked to their Serbian fathers (Weitsman, 2006). The Rwandan Genocide The genocide that happened in Rwanda is a product of ethnic hatreds and rivalries that is rooted in the early parts of this country’s history. The animosity among the two ethnic groups in the country, namely the Hutus and Tutsis goes a long way. During the pre-colonial era these two ethnic groups realized the distinctiveness that they have from each other in terms of economic status, occupation as well as slight variations in their physical appearance. Despite such differences no conflicts were observable in these groups. However, the European colonizers emphasized the distinctness of these ethnic groups based on biological superiority. Europeans allocated more power, authority, and privileges over to the Tutsis due to their tall built and angular faces, which is said to make them superior in the racial hierarchy (West, 2005). The Belgians established a democratic institution in the country that attributed more power to the persistent Hutus. This event started the tension between these two groups that resulted for the Tutsis to flee towards neighboring countries. Animosity between the groups escalated as Hutu extremists continue to perceive the other ethnic group as a â€Å"Tutsi Threat†. The situation is further worsen by the violent acts of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Hutu extremists were greatly concerned with the threat posed by the Tutsis that they decided to create a policy of genocidal mass killing. They deem that the complete annihilation of the Tutsis is the only way possible to solved this insecurity that they felt because other means are ineffective like the deportation of Tutsis to other countries, which they believe would only allow the continuation of the problem (West, 2005). The government was responsible to most of the violent attacks that happened, which intensified the feeling of terror among civilians. It is also because of fear that the civilians learned to act violently in order to defend themselves (West, 2005). Furthermore, Hutu extremists also used propaganda through the media in order to instil the hatred that the Hutu civilians must feel against the Tutsis. They also make sure that they degrade the Tutsi women by describing them as object of sexual desire (Weitsman, 2006). The participation of the civilians is needed in order for the complete annihilation of the Tutsis to be possible. During the mass killings, many women were kidnapped by their perpetrators and were raped, shamed, and left to die of depression; they did such because it contributes in the humiliation of the Tutsi culture. Sexual violence in this case is a means to deconstruct the Tutsi group of their spirit, willingness to move on and their very idea of life. Violent attacks were experienced by men and women of all ages but the women were greatly susceptible to it because of their gender and ethnicity (West, 2005). Basically, there are two purposes why sexual violence is employed. First, it is utilized in order to destroy the Tutsi race. The women symbolize their ethnicity and by raping, shaming, and lowering their morale they also destroys their ethnic group. Effects of sexual violence also humiliate their families and community. Using sexual violence invoked feelings of fear and humiliation that the Hutus believe would helped in the annihilation of the Tutsis. Second, it makes ethnic power inversion possible. Inflicting harm invokes hatred and a sense of revenge among the Tutsis. This feeling of vengeance only adds to their idea of the â€Å"Tutsi Threat† (West, 2005). The Nazi Germany The genocide that happened in the history of Germany is grounded in the idea that Germans or the Aryan race are the most racially pure and sophisticated people making them superior as compared to other races. Adolf Hitler made sure that the superiority of their race continues by first, eliminating the physically unfit members of the Aryan race like the handicapped and the mentally ill. Afterwards, he proceeded in annihilating the Jewish population, which he perceived as the greatest threat to their race. He disseminates the idea that the Jews are dirty and they are trying to infiltrate and destroy their superiority. Furthermore, he also accused that the Jews have connection in the Bolshevism of Russia and Stalin’s Communism. He succeeded in spreading the feeling of hatred among the Aryan race towards the Jews through propaganda in posters, newspapers, and radio reports. Basically, the perception that Jews are inferior and their connection to Bolshevism led to the conclusion that the only way to save the Aryan race as well as the entire Europe is through the elimination of the Jewish race (West, 2005). Unlike the case of Bosnia and Rwanda, there was very minimal practiced of sexual violence before and during the Holocaust in Germany. It is interesting to note that despite the long periods of incarceration that Jewish women spent in the concentration camps, they were not sexually abuse. Some reports of sexual crimes were more individualistic in nature as compared with the Rwandan and Bosnian experienced of mass raped. Sexual violence was only limited among Germans that hold high position in authority who are often left in charge making it opportunistic in nature. However, there are also instances that women are humiliated inside concentration camps. This is when they are forced to stand naked, be shaven, searched and experienced invasive medical tests. They also undergone psychological fear as soldiers would threaten them of sexual violence. But this merely becomes psychological means to infused terror because there are rarely cases of rape inside the concentration camps (West, 2005). Sexual violence was not employed during the genocide in Germany because of several factors. First, the strong and radical belief of the Nazis about their race. Their belief in the preservation of the purity of their race entails with it policies that prohibits them in engaging in sexual practices with inferior races as it is seen as dirty and they condemned the reproduction of Jewish people. This is proven by incidents wherein pregnant Jewish women are immediately killed. Second, Nazis have a very disciplined military that strictly obeyed the rules of their superiors as well as the ideology of their race. Being the case, they would not subject themselves in acts of sexual violence as this is prohibited in their laws and beliefs. Lastly, their strong hierarchical state which assures that the codes of conduct and laws are followed by the military as well as the civilian members of their population (West, 2005). This served as the strong foundation that holds the people belonging in the Aryan race to act accordingly with regards to their beliefs and objectives. Similarities and Differences The ethnic cleansing and genocide that happened in these three countries have its similarities and differences in terms of how the conflict escalated the usage of sexual violence, as well as their reasons in employing or not employing these violent acts. Bosnia, Rwanda, and Germany’s genocide are similar in the fact that it involves the leadership of political elites who devised ways in order to heighten the feeling of animosity among conflicting parties. In the case of Bosnia, the Serbs made a policy that created numerous rape camps that will aid in the rape and impregnation of women. Rwanda also employed a similar strategy by including the citizens to further aggravate the conflict that is taking place. They propagate the idea of â€Å"Tutsi threat† so that Hutu civilians would participate in the annihilation of the Tutsis. The strong political leadership of the Nazis also reinforced the superiority of the Aryan race and they created the idea of the Jews being a threat to their superiority in order to justify their actions of mass killings. Moreover, all of them used propaganda by means of the media to influence the mind of their fellow citizens and eventually aid them in their desired objectives. This is exactly what happened in Rwanda when they announced the â€Å"Tutsi threat† together with their perception of Tutsi women as sexual objects in their radio stations and newspapers. Similarly, the media also aided in propagating the idea that the offspring’s of the impregnated Bosnian Muslim women are â€Å"little chetniks† which heightened the stigma that these children’s identities would be forever linked to their fathers who are responsible for such violent act. Nazi Germany is also no different as they strengthened the idea of the Aryan race’s superiority and the threat the Jewish imposed upon this dominion through the same method as the two aforementioned incidents. The differences they have are focused on their idea of what sexual violence is and what are its effects to the ends that they are fighting for. In the genocide that happened in Rwanda they employed sexual violence as a means to humiliate and violate not only the women that they raped and their families but also their communities as well. The reason for such course of action is the high regards given to the honor of women because she symbolizes the very ethnicity of her race. Destroying her morale is also synonymous to the destruction of the race she symbolizes. In contrast, even though Bosnia practiced the same mass rape as Rwanda their perception towards it is different. Rwanda used sexual violence as a means to destroy the ethnic race by humiliation unlike in Bosnia wherein sexual violence is considered more as an after effect of their actions of ethnic cleansing. Their forced impregnation of women in their process of genocide was utilized in order to create â€Å"little chetniks† or offspring that would increase the Serbian race. The most unlikely among these three cases of genocide is the Nazi Germany experience. Sexual violence is not utilized by the Nazis to propagate mass destruction of the Jewish race. There are only minimal incidents of rape during those times and it was caused by opportunistic reasons rather than a method of ethnic cleansing. The rationale behind such incident is the fact that Nazis have a more disciplined military and strong hierarchal structure. In an organized government like the Nazi regime violent acts such as sexual abuse is not as rampant as compared to Bosnia and Rwanda because perpetrators are sure to face the consequences and penalties of their actions. Furthermore, a disciplined military would not adhere to sexual misconduct because of the fear of being punish by their superiors as well as their high regards to their beliefs. Sexual violence is indeed commonly used in most cases of genocide. Contrary to this usual practice there have also been instances wherein mass killings took placed but there are very minimal reports of sexual violence. In such cases, sexual violence was not perceived as an instrument in order to accomplish the goals of the perpetrators. This kind of observable discrepancy among the employment of sexual violence could be attributed to the idea that this concept is still very subjective. Its meaning, practice, and usage tend to vary from one person to another and in this case from one race from the other. References Chenoy, A. (1997). Demystifying Terrorism: a War Against Terror & The Terror Of War, US Hegemony & Militarism. ARENA. Genocide Watch. (n. d. ). What is Genocide? Retrieved 22 May 2008, from http://www. genocidewatch. org/aboutgenocide/whatisit. html.

10 Fascinating Praying Mantis Facts

10 Fascinating Praying Mantis Facts The word mantis comes from the Greek mantikos, for soothsayer or prophet. Indeed, these insects do seem spiritual, especially when their forelegs are clasped together as if theyre in prayer. Learn more about these mysterious insects with these 10 fascinating facts about praying mantids. 1. Most Praying Mantids Live in the Tropics Of approximately 2,000 species of mantids described to date, almost all are tropical creatures. Just 18 native species are known from the entire North American continent. About 80% of all members of the order Mantodea belong to a single family, the Mantidae. 2. The Mantids We See Most Often in the U.S. Are Exotic Species Youre more likely to find an introduced mantid species than you are to find a native praying mantis. The Chinese mantis (Tenodera aridifolia) was introduced near Philadelphia, PA about 80 years ago. This large mantid can measure up to 100 mm in length.  The European mantid, Mantis religiosa, is pale green and about half the size of the Chinese mantid. European mantids were introduced near Rochester, NY nearly a century ago. Both the Chinese and European mantids are common in the northeastern U.S. today. 3. Mantids Can Turn Their Heads a Full 180 Degrees Try to sneak up on a praying mantis, and you may be startled when it looks over its shoulder at you. No other insect can do so. Praying mantids have a flexible joint between the head and prothorax that enables them to swivel their heads. This ability, along with their rather humanoid faces and long, grasping forelegs, endears them to even the most entomophobic people among us. 4. Mantids Are Closely Related to Cockroaches and Termites These three seemingly different insects – mantids, termites, and cockroaches – are believed to descend from a common ancestor. In fact, some entomologists group these insects in a superorder (Dictyoptera), due to their close evolutionary relationships. 5. Praying Mantids Overwinter as Eggs in Temperate Regions The female praying mantis deposits her eggs on a twig or stem in the fall ​and then protects them with a Styrofoam-like substance she secretes from her body. This forms a protective egg case, or ootheca, in which her offspring will develop over the winter. Mantid egg cases are easy to spot in the winter when leaves have fallen from shrubs and trees. But be forewarned! If you bring an overwintering ootheca into your warm home, you may find your house teeming with tiny mantids. 6. Female Mantids Sometimes Eat Their Mates Yes, its true, female praying mantids do cannibalize their sex partners. In some instances, shell even behead the poor chap before theyve consummated their relationship. As it turns out, a male mantid is an even better lover when his brain, which controls inhibition, is detached from his abdominal ganglion, which controls the actual act of copulation. But most instances of sexual suicide in mantids occur in the confines of a laboratory setting. In the wild, scientists believe the male partner gets munched on less than 30% of the time. 7. Mantids Use Specialized Front Legs to Capture Prey The praying mantis is so named because when waiting for prey, it holds its front legs in an upright position as if they are folded in prayer. Dont be fooled by its angelic pose, however, because the mantid is a deadly predator. If a bee or fly happens to land within its reach, the praying mantis will extend its arms with lightning quick speed, and grab the hapless insect. Sharp spines line the mantids raptorial forelegs, enabling it to grasp the prey tightly as it eats. Some larger mantids catch and eat lizards, frogs, and even birds. Who says bugs are at the bottom of the food chain?! The praying mantis would better be called the preying mantis. 8. Mantids Are Relatively Young Compared to Other Ancient Insects The earliest fossil mantids date from the Cretaceous Period and are between 146-66 million years old. These primitive mantid specimens lack certain traits found in the mantids that live today. They dont have the elongate pronotum, or extended neck, of modern-day mantids and they lack spines on their forelegs. 9. Praying Mantids Are Not Necessarily Beneficial Insects Praying mantids can and will consume lots of other invertebrates in your garden, so theyre often considered beneficial predators. Its important to note, however, that mantids dont discriminate between good bugs and bad bugs when looking for meals. A praying mantis is just as likely to eat a native bee thats pollinating your plants as it is to eat a caterpillar pest. Garden supply companies often sell the egg cases of Chinese mantids, touting them as a biological control for your garden, but these predators may do as much harm as good in the end. 10. Mantids Have Two Eyes, but Only One Ear A praying mantis has two large, compound eyes that work together to help it decipher visual cues. But strangely, the praying mantis has just a single ear, located on the underside of its belly, just forward of its hind legs. This means the mantid cannot discriminate the direction of a sound, nor its frequency. What it can do is detect ultrasound, or sound produced by echolocating bats. Studies have shown that praying mantids are quite good at evading bats. A mantis in flight will essentially stop, drop, and roll in midair, dive bombing away from the hungry predator. Not all mantids have an ear, and those that dont are typically flightless, so they dont have to flee flying predators like bats.

Index to French Grammar and Pronunciation Glossary

Index to French Grammar and Pronunciation Glossary This index to the glossary of French grammar and pronunciation terms treated in our lessons provides definitions and links to further information about each of the French verb tenses, pronouns, and other grammatical structures weve discussed. It also includes information about various pronunciation issues. You can search for definitions by topic or by using the full alphabetical list in either  English  or  French; all definitions are in English. Or you can get just the highlights:  top grammar terms. English Index Aactive voiceadjectiveadverbadverbial pronounadverb of frequencyadverb of manneradverb of placeadverb of quantityadverb of timeagentagreementantecedentarticleauxiliary verbCclausecomparative adverbcognatecompound pastcompound tenseconditionalconditional perfectconditionalsconditional sentenceconjunctionconjugateconjugationcoordinating conjunctioncopular verbDdefinite articledemonstrative adjectivedemonstrative pronoundependent clausedescriptive adjectivedirect objectdirect object complementdirect object pronoundisjunctive pronoundummy subjectEeuphonyFfalse cognatefamiliarfeminineformalfuturefuture anteriorfuture perfectfuture subjunctiveGgenderHhelping verbhiatushistoric pasthistorical tenseIif-then clauseimperativeimperfectimperfect subjunctiveimpersonal pronounimpersonal verbindefinite articleindefinite adjectiveindefinite pronounindefinite relative pronounindependent clauseindicativeindirect objectindirect object complementindirect object pronouninfinitiveinflectioninformalinterro gative adjectiveinterrogative adverbinterrogative pronounintransitive verbinversionLliaisonlinkinglinking verbliterary registerliterary tenseMmain clausemasculinemoodNnarrative tensenear futurenegative adjectivenegative adverbnegative pronounnormal registernounnumberOobjectPparticiplepartitive articlepassive voicepast anteriorpast conditionalpast infinitivepast participlepast perfectpast perfect subjunctivepast subjunctiveperfect participlepersonpersonal pronounpersonal verbpluperfectpluperfect subjunctivepluralpossessive adjectivepossessive pronounprepositionpresentpresent participlepresent perfectpreteritepronominal verbpronominal voicepronounproper nounRreal subjectrecent pastregisterreflexive pronounreflexive verbrelative clauserelative pronounSsimple pastsimple tensesingularstate-of-being verbstressed pronounsubjectsubject pronounsubjunctivesubordinate clausesubordinating conjunctionsuperlative adverbTtensetransitive verbtrue cognateVverbverb conjugationvoicevulgar (register) French Index Aaccordadjectifadjectif dà ©monstratifadjectif descriptifadjectif indà ©finiadjectif interrogatifadjectif nà ©gatifadjectif possessifadverbeadverbe comparatifadverbe de frà ©quenceadverbe de lieuadverbe de manià ¨readverbe de quantità ©adverbe de tempsadverbe interrogatifadverbe nà ©gatifadverbe superlatifagentantà ©cà ©dentapparentà ©argotiquearticlearticle dà ©finiarticle indà ©finiarticle partitifauxiliaireCCODCOIcomplà ©ment dobjet directcomplà ©ment dobjet indirectconditionnelconditionnel passà ©conjonctionconjonction de coordinationconjonction de subordinationconjugaisonconjuguercopuleDdà ©sinenceEenchaà ®nementeuphonieFfamilierfaux amifà ©mininformelfuturfutur antà ©rieurfutur passà ©futur procheGgenreHhiatusIimparfaitimparfait du subjonctifimpà ©ratifindicatifinfinitifinfinitif passà ©inversionLliaisonlittà ©raireMmasculinmodemot apparentà ©Nnomnom proprenombrenormalOobjetobjet directobjet indirectPparticipeparticipe passà ©participe prà ©sentpassà © antà ©rieurpassà © composà ©passà © composà © du participe prà ©sentpassà © rà ©centpassà © simplepersonnephrase de conditionplurielplus-que-parfaitplus-que-parfait du subjonctifpopulaireprà ©positionprà ©sentprà ©tà ©ritpronompronom adverbialpronom dà ©monstratifpronom disjointpronom impersonnelpronom indà ©finipronom indà ©fini relatifpronom interrogatifpronom nà ©gatifpronom objet directpronom objet indirectpronom personnelpronom possessifpronom rà ©flà ©chipronom relatifpronom sujetpropositionproposition conditionnelleproposition dà ©pendanteproposition indà ©pendanteproposition principaleproposition relativeproposition subordonnà ©eproposition subordonnà ©e relativeRregistreSsi clausesinguliersubjonctifsubjonctif futursubjonctif passà ©sujetsujet apparentsujet rà ©elTtempstemps composà ©temps de la narrationtemps historiquetemps littà ©rairetemps simpleVverbeverbe auxiliaireverbe copulatifverbe impersonnelverbe intransitifverbe pronominalverbe rà © flà ©chiverbe transitifvoixvrai amivulgaire Topic Index Adjectives  Ã‚  Ã‚  demonstrative adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  descriptive adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  indefinite adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  interrogative adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  negative adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  possessive adjectiveAdverbs  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverbial pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb of frequency  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb of manner  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb of place  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb of quantity  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb of time  Ã‚  Ã‚  comparative adverb  Ã‚  Ã‚  interrogative adverb  Ã‚  Ã‚  negative adverb  Ã‚  Ã‚  superlative adverbAgreement  Ã‚  Ã‚  gender  Ã‚  Ã‚  number  Ã‚  Ã‚  adjectives  Ã‚  Ã‚  articles  Ã‚  Ã‚  pronounsClauses  Ã‚  Ã‚  dependent clause  Ã‚  Ã‚  if-then clause  Ã‚  Ã‚  independent clause  Ã‚  Ã‚  main clause  Ã‚  Ã‚  relative clause  Ã‚  Ã‚  subordinate clauseConjunctions  Ã‚  Ã‚  coordinating conjunction  Ã‚  Ã‚  subordinating conjunctionObjects  Ã‚  Ã‚  object  Ã‚  Ã‚  direct object  Ã‚  Ã‚  direct object complement/pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  indirect object  Ã‚  Ã‚  indirect object complement/pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  intransitive verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  transitive verbParts of speech  Ã‚  Ã‚  adjective  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverb  Ã‚  Ã‚  article  Ã‚  Ã‚  conjunction  Ã‚  Ã‚  noun  Ã‚  Ã‚  preposition  Ã‚  Ã‚  pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  verbPronouns  Ã‚  Ã‚  adverbial pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  demonstrative pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  direct object pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  disjunctive pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  impersonal pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  indefinite pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  indefinite relative pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  interrogative pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  negative pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  personal pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  possessive pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  pronominal verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  reflexive pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  relative pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  stressed pronoun  Ã‚  Ã‚  subject pronounPronunciation  Ã‚  Ã‚  cognate  Ã‚  Ã‚  euphony  Ã‚  Ã‚  hiatus  Ã‚  Ã‚  liaison  Ã‚  Ã‚  linkingVerbs* conjugate/conjugation  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  inflection  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  mood  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  number  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  person  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  tense  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  voice* compound tense  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  auxiliary/helping verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  compound past  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  conditional perfect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  future anterior/perfect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past conditional  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past perfect subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past anterior  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past infinitive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past perfect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pluperfect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pluperfect subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  present perfect* historical/literary/narrative tense  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  historic past  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past anterior  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  imperfect subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pluperfect subjunctive* inversion* mood  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  conditional  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   imperative  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  indicative  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  infinitive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  participle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  subjunctive* participle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  past participle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  perfect participle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  present participle* simple tense  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  conditional  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  future  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  future subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  historic past  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  imperative  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  imperfect  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  imperfect subjunctive  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  present  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  preterite  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  simple past  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  subjunctive* types of verbs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  copular verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  impersonal verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  intransitive verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pronominal/reflexive verb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  transitive ver bMiscellaneous  Ã‚  Ã‚  agent  Ã‚  Ã‚  antecedent  Ã‚  Ã‚  conditional  / conditional sentence  Ã‚  Ã‚  proper noun  Ã‚  Ã‚  register  Ã‚  Ã‚  subject  Ã‚  Ã‚   - dummy subject  Ã‚  Ã‚   - real subject

Ethic and critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethic and critical thinking - Essay Example The movie unconditionally showed that the financial crisis experienced globally was certainly caused by ethical practices that were perpetuated by financial services industry. The film further indicated that the immoral practices in the financial service industry were contributed by the general public, entrepreneurs, and government officials. This means that these groups participated in perpetuating these unprofessional activities in the face of economic meltdown in the world (Fergusson 46). From the film, it is also clear that the financial crisis experienced in the world was caused by the unethical practices in the business environment. The film was understandably irritating because financial institutions concentrated more on undertaking dubious business practices that had serious implications on the economy of the nation. The financial institutions at this time abandoned their responsibility of ensuring that the stakeholders were not exploited by greedy individuals and organizations. These greedy individuals and companies were guided by their individuals’ interests and greed that made them turn into unprofessional practices (Greenspan 98). The financial service industry was no longer interested in promoting strategies that would boost the standard of the economy via increasing the capital for other companies within and outside the industry. The increase in the market capital lowered the unemployment rate and consequently, boosted the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The industry had in the recent reduced capital for some of the firms, thus impacting negatively on the economy of the country. The government, through financial institutions gave capital to few selected companies thus favoring some companies. This created unequal financial implications to these companies. These companies, who were allocated capital, benefited few individuals thus compromising

Writing Express Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing Express Reflection - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that the subject involved the role that chief nursing officer plays in relation to the staff nurses, which was made easier through the internet searches. Sometime ago, the reporter would have had to scan a book or article to get this information and see whether the information was related to the subject. In addition, taking the writing express course has helped me appreciate that he prefers a visual style of learning, rather than an auditory one. For instance, the author learnt more about the subject by reading related material and viewing graphics and charts. Since the writing express class was mainly visual as an online course, he was happy that this was his preferred learning style.This essay declares that  the writing express course has also helped him to understand and appreciate himself better, while it has also given him skills and abilities that the reporter can use in his future courses. For instance, his is better equipped to collect resea rch and identify related resources; while he will also be able to order articles and books online.  While using my research skills in finding articles related to CNOs and their roles around the staff nurses, the author also found very helpful tutorials and he now knows that the internet has numerous resources that he can use in his future courses if any questions arise.  The writing express course also aided me in identifying and achieving work-related goals.

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Human resource management - Essay Example The principles and concepts that underlie behavior are basic. Diverse studies of human behavior in work organizations identify the crucial role of managing human resources to assist in the improvement of productivity and performance, in marketing the products and services, and in designing strategies for recruiting, screening, hiring, evaluation, development and the promotion of workers. Human resources management is defined as the art and science of acquiring, motivating, and developing people in their jobs in the light of their personal, professional, and technical knowledge, skills, abilities, needs and values, and in conjunction with the accomplishment of individual, organizational and societal goals (Martires, 2004, p. 6). In this regard, the objective of this essay is to proffer relevant concepts and issues that pervade human resource management in organizations. Specifically, the following questions would be addressed: (1) what is the role of the HR function within a Company? (2) Which are the main responsibilities? (3) How do you think the HR Area gives a positive contribution to Management in order to achieve organizational goals? (4) How do you think this contribution can be measured? And, (5) what are the 3 most important HR best practices that should be developed and included in the HR strategic plan? Role of HR Functions In an organization, the human resources department (HRD) performs five functions for other departments – job organization and information, acquisition, maintenance, development of personnel, and research on human resources. Its role is advisory utilizing the personnel policies of the organization, the data it accumulates and the studies it makes of its workers. An effective human resources management (HRM) is integral to the functioning of the organization and must therefore be the concern of management. By and large, these functions assume two very important elements in an organization which are jobs and people. Jobs are to be determined and established first after the organization philosophy is conceived. People are brought in to man the jobs in order for the organization to move. Jobs and people interact with each other. Gordon (2000) describes the real role of HR as magnetic management that â€Å"can be the power that pulls disparate departments into a single productive unit† (p. 500). The HR manager should know and understand how an organization, particularly businesses, works specifically on the profit-and-loss aspect. The HR manager can be of great assistance in staffing the organization with the most qualified and productive people including executives who can contribute to profit or good delivery of services. Main Responsibilities The specific and technical duties of the HRD are complex and multifarious and are categorized according to its five functions – job organization and information, acquisition, maintenance, development and research on human resources. The HRD performs gen eral management functions in relation to top management and to the HRD staff. Before hiring workers, available jobs have to be classified and corresponding job information described mainly in terms of duties and responsibilities. Qualifications of those who are to perform these jobs should be delineated in job specifications. The function of acquisition or procurement of HR includes five aspects: human resources planning, recruitment, screening,

The Role of External Auditor in Corporate Governance

The Role of External Auditor in Corporate Governance External Auditors check companys accounts and report to the company based on the accounts. Basically, the concern is how external auditors conduct these duties effectively. Legislations, such as The Companies Act 1965, have made great efforts to ensure external auditors conduct their duties and obligations effectively. The Code of Corporate Governance in 2001 and the amendment in 2007 have further enhanced the effectiveness of audit in the interests of stockholders and shareholders. In light of the recent scandals involving external auditors in the world, there is a growing concern for corporate governance globally as there is increased reliance by the stockholders and shareholders on external auditors. This study examines the role of external auditors in the corporate governance framework. The study then reviews the financial scandals involving auditors occurred in the world and investigate the role of external auditor in the collapse of the companies. Introduction Corporate governance is a central and dynamic aspect of business. It is very important for corporate success and social welfare. In the wake of Enron, HIH Insurance and other similar cases, countries around the world have reacted quickly by pre-examining similar events domestically. As a speedy response to these corporate failures, the USA issued the Sarbanes-Oxly Act in July 2002, and in UK, the Higgs Report and the Smith Report were published in January 2003 (Solomon, 2007). Nowadays corporate governance is a globally debated topic with many characteristics (Nobel, 1998). However, the concern is whether auditors play an important role in the framework of corporate governance. Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the relationship among various participants in determining the direction and performance of corporations. The main participants are the shareholders, the management and the board of directors. Corporate governance is the process whereby directors of a company are monitored and controlled. There are two areas considered to be fundamental to corporate governance, one is supervision and monitoring of management performance and the other is ensuring accountability of management to shareholders and other stakeholders (Marianne, 2009). Till now, probably the two most important basic elements of good corporate governance have been full disclosure and the presence of independent directors and auditors, who each has their own ways to confirm that the data provided by the corporation are true and fairly stated. The contents of full disclosure are listed out in regulatory demands and professional pronouncements, and companies are expected to fully comply. The independence of the outside director and external auditor means the directors and auditors will have to distance themselves considerably to assure shareholders that they have conducted their tasks (Bavly, 2004). Role of External Auditors in Corporate Governance External auditors play a key role in the corporate governance framework. They conduct one of the most important corporate governance checks that help to monitor managements activities. The audit of financial statement makes disclosures more reliable, thus increasing confidence in the companys transparency. The role of external auditors is to make sure that Board of Directors and the management are acting responsibly towards the shareholders investment interests. By keeping objectivity, the external auditors can add value to shareholders by ensuring that the companys internal controls are strong and effective. And by working with the audit committee and liaising with internal auditors, external auditors can help to facilitate a more effective oversight of the financial reporting process by the Board of Directors (Hassan, 2004). However, the audit expectations gap needs to be acknowledged, as the audit function can only do so much on the fraud. The external auditor can not be expected to find every fraud and error during an audit. In accordance with the Cadbury Report, it is important to know that the external auditors role is not to prepare the financial statements, nor to provide assurance that the data in the financial statements are correct, nor to guarantee that the company will continue as a going concern, but the external auditors have to state in the annual report that the financial statements show a true and fair view. The Cadbury Report highlighted that there was no doubt on whether there should be an audit but rather how the audit could be ensured to conduct effectively and objectively by the external auditors (Solomon, 2007). Auditor Independence External auditors are expected to be independent of the company and report on the company objectively. Actually, auditors can only play their role effectively if they are independent (Peel ODonnell, 1995). They have to conduct their tasks in the most independent and reliable manner to provide investing public with the level of assurance to make their decisions based on the financial statements. According to the Cadbury Report, auditor independence could be affected due to the close relationship between auditors and company managers and due to the auditors intention to develop a constructive relationship with their clients. There are a number of threats to auditor independence, one of which is to provide non-audit services since non-audit services are lucrative. Auditors can obtain the contracts for non-audit services only if they maintain a good relationship with the management. The Cadbury Report stressed that a balance is needed to be achieved in such way that external auditors will work with, not against, company management, but in doing so they need to serve shareholders. This is a difficult path. The easiest way to ensure this balance being attained is suggested to establish audit committees and develop effective accounting standards. The Cadbury Report recommended all companies to establish audit committees. Audit committees serve as representative of shareholder interests. They are not only responsible for monitoring financial reporting process to support good corporate governance, they are also considered to be able to ensure an appropriate relationship exists between the external auditor and the management whose financial statements are being audited (Hassan, 2004). The Smith Report issued in 2003 highlighted that the audit committee needs to be proactive and raise the concern with directors rather than brush them under the carpet. The Report also stressed that all members of audit committee should be independent non-executive directors. Companys annual reports should disclose detailed information on the role and responsibilities of their audit committee. Lessons from Financial Scandals 4.1 Collapse of Enron Enron, the energy trading company based on Texas is the first scandal shaking up the auditing profession. It has led to a crisis to the confidence on auditors and the reliability of financial reporting (Holm Laursen, 2007). The audit quality and the independence of external auditors were questioned. In this case, Enrons audit and accounting function were fraudulent. Arthur Andersen, the auditor of Enron, has been involved in Enrons fraudulent accounting and auditing. Failure of the audit function is one of the key factors contributing to the companys collapse. Enron created The Raptors, four special purpose entities (SPEs). SPEs are established in order that a company can form a joint venture with other interested parties to conduct a specific transaction. This transaction will not subject the other parties to the risks more generally associated with the companys operations. U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAPP) allows companies to record the gains and losses of SPEs without reporting their assets and liabilities in certain instances. In this way, Enron avoided adding more than $1 billion debt to its balance sheet without consolidating certain SPEs (Jenkins, 2003). But the problems are, when the losses of these entities quickly rose into billions of dollars, these entities were brought into the core financial statements. It then became clear that Enron itself had great losses. The corporations stock price dropped sharply, and the company went into bankruptcy in December 2001 (Brown, 2005). Examples of Enrons devious accounting exist widely in the corporation. The company recorded profits, for example, from a joint venture with Blockbuster Video that was never materialized (The Economist, 7 February 2002). In 2002, Enron restated its accounts, which is actually a process that reduced reported profits by $600 million (The Economist, 6 December 2001). In fact, the process resulted in a cumulative profit decrease of $591 million and a rise in debt of $628 million for the financial statements from 1997 to 2000. The difference between the profit figures was mainly attributed to the earlier omission of three off-balance sheet entities. Such profit inflation enabled the company to raise its earnings per share (EPS). The company not only manipulated the accounting figures to inflate the earnings, but it also was found to remove substantial amounts of debt from its accounts by setting up a number of off-balance sheet entities. Such special purpose entities can be used to hide a companys liabilities from the balance sheet, in order to make the financial statements look much better than they really are (The Economist, 2 May 2002). It means substantial number of liabilities did not have to be disclosed on Enrons financial statements, because they were mainly attributed to another legal entity. All these issues raise the question, why did Enrons auditor allow this type of activity? This is because the conflicts of interest exist between the external auditor and the management. Conflicts of Interest Conflicts of interest are a frequent problem in the audit profession. Although independent appointment of external auditors by companys shareholders is regularly replaced by subjective appointment by the company management, the auditor is all too often appreciated to the companys senior management. Further, conflicts of interest arise from interactive functions of audit and consultancy. Arthur Andersen has been blamed to apply loose standards in their audits because of conflict of interest over the subatantial consulting fees collected from Enron. In 2000, Andersen collected $25 million for auditing Enrons books in addition to $27 million for consulting services. In 2001, Arthur Anderson earned US$55 million for provision of non-audit services (Brown, 2005). Although Arthur Andersen reported on the companys accounts, they did not report fraud to the shareholders. This is because the fraud was committed by the management. Kenneth Lay, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from Feb 1986 until Feb 2001, took home US$ 152 million although the company was facing a loss. If Andersen were to report, they probably will not be appointed in the following years or be engaged in non-audit services (Krishnan, L, 2009). Especially, close relationships are established over time between companies and their external auditors. It can again affect independent judgment and impact on the auditing function. In this case, there are regular exchanges of employees within Enron from Arthur Anderson. Such conflicts of interest affect the corporate governance function. Serious conflicts of interest have also arisen among members of Enrons internal audit committee, which causes the internal audit committee did not perform its functions of internal control and of checking the external auditing function. For example, Lord Wakeham, a member of the audit committee, was at the same time having a consulting contract with Enron (The Economist, 7February2002). This shows that people in responsible positions should have detected fraudulent activities if they were independent. Enrons board of directors was composed of a number of members who have been shown to be willing to conduct fraudulent activity. It is also because the non-executive directors were compromised by conflicts of interest. 4.2 Collapse of HIH Insurance In Australia, the collapse of HIH Insurance Ltd was observed as the beginning of the reflection into external auditors role. HIH is one of Australias biggest insurers, comprising several separate government-licensed insurance companies, including HIH Casualty General Insurance Ltd, FAI General Insurance Ltd, CIC Insurance Ltd and World Marine General Insurances Ltd. On 15 March 2001, HIH went into provisional liquidation with losses of A$ 800 million (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). HIH is one of the largest corporate collapses in Australian history. Similar issues arise as in the Enron case. HIH is claimed to mislead investors by providing incorrect financial reports to the market and HIHs auditor, Arthur Andersen, may have played a part in its collapse. Andersen conducted the external audits for HIH from 1971 until its collapse in 2001. Their contribution to the failure of HIH is considered in the following sections: Audit Practices As part of audit process, auditors will conduct a risk assessment to determine the structure and plan of the audit. Andersen assessed the risk of HIH and deemed it a maximum risk client, however, the engagement team of Andersen had not prepared the risk management plan and therefore the senior management team at Anderson did not review and approve the plan (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). At the end, the auditor simply drew the wrong conclusions. Andersen signed off HIHs annual report for the 30th June 2000 and stated that it was a going concern with net assets of $939 million. Nine months later, HIH collapsed with debts of $5.3 billion (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). Andersen used HIH management reports and forecasts and did not obtain sufficient evidence to get the conclusions they did. The liquidator could not find the documentation on the reasons for considering HIH as a going concern. This implies that Anderson failed to produce sufficient working papers to prove that the audit actually is conducted. Auditor Independence Andersen had a close relationship with HIH. By the time of liquidation, three former Anderson partners who had conducted HIH financial audit work held positions on the HIH board of directors. This obvious lack of independence between the board of directors and the auditors indicated that the best interests of HIH may have not always be a priority. Andersons failure in producing adequate working papers or in obtaining adequate evidence to support their findings have serious concerns on the quality of the audit they did. A significant independence issue is also reflected in the form of Andersons payment to HIH Chairman, Geoffrey Cohen for consultancy fees. These fees totaled $190,887 in nine years and included the use of Andersons office and secretary. These fees were not disclosed to the remaining board members in the annual general meetings (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). The close and complicated financial relationship between the auditors and HIH chairman raise further questions in this case. Finally, the threat to auditor independence is that Andersen provided both audit and non-audit services to HIH. It raises a question on how can an auditor provide an independent opinion on the financial statements when he may play a role in guiding the preparation of the statements? The Royal Commission in Australia, which investigates the collapse of HIH, has found that the largest corporate collapse in Australia was not due to fraud but the result of attempting to cover the cracks on the overpriced acquisition. Andersons role in it appeared to be substantial. Modern Approach to External Auditors Role in Corporate Governance External auditors now have to take a much stricter approach to their clients (Bourne, 1995). There is an increasing view to support that external auditors should take on a more proactive role (Baxt, 1970). The Companies Act has set the stipulation on appointment, eligibility, qualification, disqualification and removal of external auditors (Davies Prentice, 2003). The intention is to ensure that auditors are able to carry out audit in an impersonal, objective and professional way. It is also to ensure that auditors are independent of the company. The reason for such emphasis is to ensure the external auditors are not in a position of conflict of interests. When there is conflict of interest, disclosure must be made to shareholders and stakeholders. Alternatively, there should be prohibition to the provision of non-audit services to the company where they act as auditors. To ensure auditors are truly independent and not in a conflict of interest, auditors should be rotated every year. Thereafter there should be a gap of five years before the same auditors are appointed by the company. Conclusion External auditors have an essential role in corporate governance through their involvement and their examination of financial statements. The external auditors role in corporate governance is a fundamental complement to achieve the desired objective of corporate governance. Therefore, the duties and obligations of external auditors must be expanded for the rights and interests of shareholders and stakeholders. There must be a modern approach to the auditors role in the corporate governance framework.