Death Penalty Essays (459 words) - Capital Punishment, Penology

Death Penalty Chad Heldt Sociology Period 1 4/28/98 The Death Penalty Should It Be Allowed Or Not? In my paper I plan to give my opinion and my position on the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should be for hardened criminals like the Charlie Mansons of the world and people like that. I believe that our judicial system right now is clogged with to many cases pending the death penalty in America. These people should not be allowed such luxuries in prison such as TV, good food, and the ability to get out on parole and the chance for we, the public, to see him/her kill or do it again. It is just not right to the judicial system and us, we pay the taxes so they can appeal and live the good life and that is not how it should be. I believe strongly that inmates should have to suffer just as their victims did when their life was cut short. I think that they should be publicly humiliated before they are put to there demise. The prisoners should not be put on trial six times for the same crime if they are found guilty the first time. This puts a strain on our economy when we have to try the same case more than once. We end up spending in the end around 3.2 million dollars on one execution and why? Because our society is to involved in making a good image for it self so it forgets about what the right thing to do is. We just go on and on with the trials and the appeals and never really get anywhere. The inmates are allowed to appeal so many times that they will die by the time they are finally sentenced to death so what's the point of spending all that money we might as well let them go free. I wish society could be the same as it was about 150 years ago when you were punished right away for what you did there was no mercy. The people had one chance to say what they wanted and most of the time it had no effect on the trial or sometime they had no chance to speak there mind they were just sentenced to death. People take our society for granted and we should not allow ourselves to believe those foul criminals and to feel sorry for them either. Overall, I am strongly for the death penalty and I hope that they can bring it to Minnesota some day. It would untie our court system and it would make a safer society for our children and there children. We also would save money not for the government and ourselves but for our children and there children. Sociology

Top 10 Advanced French Mistakes

Top 10 Advanced French Mistakes If you speak French at an advanced level, congratulations! You may not be fluent yet, but youre definitely on your way. Nonetheless, there are probably a few concepts you can use a bit of help with. Oftentimes these are small details that dont affect your listeners comprehension, but mistakes are mistakes and if you want to be fluent you need to avoid them. Here are the ten most common French mistakes and difficulties for advanced speakers, with links to lessons. Rhythm Pronunciation-wise, one of the last things most French students master is the rhythm of French. In many languages, words and sentences have stressed syllables, but French does not. It can be very difficult to get the hang of giving each syllable the same stress when ones own language is so different, especially when trying to stress the importance of a particular word. Understanding French rhythm is the first step to being able to mimic it. vs. De The prepositions and de cause endless problems for French students because they are used in similar constructions to mean different things. De, du, de la, or des? Another pitfall for advanced French speakers has to do with the preposition de and the indefinite and partitive articles. French teachers commonly receive questions about whether a given phrase should be followed by de or by du, de la, or des. Verbs with Prepositions In English, many verbs require a certain preposition in order for the meaning of the verb to be complete, such as to look at and to listen to. The same is true in French, but the prepositions  required for French verbs are often not the same as the ones required by their English counterparts. In addition, some verbs that require a preposition in English dont take one in French, and vice versa. It all boils down to memorizing verbs with their prepositions. Cest vs. Il est The expressions cest and il est are often confused. Like and de, above, cest and il est have strict rules on usage- they may mean something similar, but their usage is quite distinct. Le  facultatif As an advanced French speaker, you should be very familiar with  le  as  a  definite article  and  direct object pronoun. What you may not know is that there are two optional uses of  le. The  neuter object pronoun  le  is  an optional, formal construction found most commonly in written French, and  l  is sometimes used in front of  on  to increase euphony in French. Indefinite French I find that one of the hardest things to translate into another language is indefiniteness, such as anyone, something, everywhere, all the time. This index includes links to lessons on every kind of indefiniteness, from  indefinite adjectives  to the  indefinite subject pronoun  on.​ Impersonal French Grammatically speaking,  impersonal  refers to words or structures which are invariable; that is, they do not specify a grammatical person. This is, like indefiniteness, a fairly difficult concept for many students of French. Reflexive vs.  Object Pronouns Reflexive pronouns  are used with  pronominal verbs, while object pronouns are used with  transitive verbs, and they have very different purposes. Yet they cause problems for many students due to the issue of  agreement  with pronouns that precede a compound verb. Before you worry about  agreement, though, you need to be sure you understand the difference between reflexive and direct object pronouns- how to use them, separately and together. Agreement I can almost guarantee that you have trouble with some aspect of  agreement,  because even native speakers have trouble with it sometimes! There are numerous types of agreement, but the most difficult tend to be agreement with direct objects that precede compound verbs and with pronominal verbs.

Annotated bibliography on leadership and gender Essay

Annotated bibliography on leadership and gender - Essay Example Beginning with the assumption that high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a quality found in most effective leaders, the researchers attempt to analyse data taken from participant responses to the QueenDom's Emotional Intelligence They then analyse whether there is a difference between the levels of EQ found in women as opposed to that found in men. Their finding confirmed that principals that scored a higher emotional Intelligence were perceived to be more effective leaders. Their findings also showed that women overall had higher Emotional Intelligence scores than men. Analysis and Evaluation As previously stated the researchers begin with the premise that higher level of Emotional Intelligence equates with better leadership skills. They first cite Sosik and Megerian (1999) as to the reason for this, which is that leaders with higher EQ’s pay more attention to their interpersonal skills and relationships. This brings a closer connection between leadership and staff. EQ leader p ay less attention to the technical aspects and more to the human aspect of the business. This study uses a random sample of 32 participants (teachers), equally weighted male and female, to answer questions regarding the effectiveness of their leaders, in this case the principals of their schools. They believe that the best way to judge leadership effectiveness is by the ratings of those they lead, citing A Technical Report Issued by the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations produced by Cherniss and Goleman ... ocial and emotional competence.† (Cherniss & Goleman,1998) These tools are the QueenDom's Emotional Intelligence (EIQ) and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) which this study employed. The researches were seeking to find answers to three specific queries, 1) Is there a correlation between EQ and specific areas of leadership such as challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modelling the way, and encouraging the heart?; 2) Is there a connection between EQ and leadership effectives?; and 3) Does gender play a role in this relationship? Their findings indicate that EQ is regarded as an important component of leadership effectives as evaluated by those they interact with. They also found that women are usually viewed as having somewhat higher EQ’s than their male counterparts. These two results prompt them to make the statement that further efforts must be made to promote the training and encouragement of higher levels of EQ in leaders . Furthermore they state that seeing that there is a difference in gender regarding EQ, future training should take that into account. While their research is quite interesting they fall a bit short on exactly what they mean by the difference between men and women and the training of EQ. Certainly EQ is playing a larger role in this area, but they should have explained the gender difference a little more for study to have an impact. Reference #2 Okhakhume, A. S. (2008). Attitudes of Subordinates toward Women in Leadership Position. Gender & Behaviour, 6(2), 1785-1799. Summary This study takes place in Nigeria and concentrates on the bias of gender in that society, specifically in the area of employment and leadership as it regards women. The author states that in Nigeria the workplace has

Aristotle, Mill, Kant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aristotle, Mill, Kant - Essay Example morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness (Sharman, 2005)." Ideally, Mill’s concept of morality ultimately associates virtue with happiness. He believes that we first learn virtuous actions by linking them to pleasurable things. Mill’s supremacy of morality was founded on the basis of advocating for fairness in the legislation of Britain. Kant’s supreme moral principle states: "Act only on a maxim that you can will to be a universal law (Kant, 1964)." To put it simply, Kant believes that each one should act as if his actions are ultimately contributing to the universal law. He therefore approaches morality from the common sense approach. He believes that a god will is ultimately good. Kant (1964) believes that morality is the process of doing what the society generally permits as acceptable. Morality involves making rationalizations in order to end up with a decision on what is the right thing to do when in a dilemma situation. However, the rationalization must always be consistent with the moral law and in addition to that; it must also be done only for a moral

Korean Baptist Church Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Korean Baptist Church - Term Paper Example The church believes that there’s only one God reveals himself in three personas as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Its platform is the Holy Scripture which is the foundation and the basis of all the doctrines the church stands. The official website of the southern Baptist convention (sbc.net) states: It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. As the church committed to relational, positive evangelism, the outreach is centered on reaching the â€Å"unchurched† one. It takes seriously in developing, educating and empowering the called for service. It is dedicated to serve people as they’re active in many charitable projects. It’s been giving home for the homeless, feeding the hungry and serves as a refuge for many who were devastated by calamities. It’s also supporting missionaries to spread the real teaching of Christ. Furthermore, it is a home for what they called â€Å"true† Christians. Denton Korean Baptist Church located at 2810 N Locust St. Denton Texas is one of the active Korean Baptist Church today. Just like any other Korean Baptist church, Denton Korean Baptist Church is just a traditional one headed by Pastor Hyoung Min Kim. The altar is decorated in a simple fashion which hastens the tranquility of the place. It is a perfect place to discern. A place where God speaks and people listen. Indeed, it refreshes one soul. Yet, the peacefulness outside is still superseded by the warmth of the people. The burning

Third World Debt: Causes and Solutions

Third World Debt: Causes and Solutions Brief: 191234 Title: Third World Debt: Africa A detailed analysis of the third world debt problem in Africa, focusing on the problems, causes, and possible solutions to alleviating third world debt in Africa. INTRODUCTION Developing economies in Africa are facing a tough time. They are obliged to make principal repayments and interest on the external loans accumulated over the decades when they should have been spending their meagre resources on investing in health and education of their citizens, and development of infrastructure to fuel growth. In 2000, Africas external debt totalled US$ 334.3 bn, equivalent to 58% of its GDP (Siddiqi, 2001). With debt and interest payments occupying a high per cent of GDP, it results in lower spending on development. The severity of debt problem can be judged by the fact that Sub-Saharan Africa receives US$ 10 bn in aid but has to make annual loan repayments of US$ 14 bn, resulting in net outflow of foreign currency before loans and investments[1]. In 2005, Nigeria paid US$ 12 bn to the Paris Club of creditors for partial debt cancellation[2]. Millions of Africans live on less than US$ 1 per day; US$ 12 bn would have gone a long way in improving their life style and developing the infrastructure required for future growth. The severity of debt problem in Africa is so much that the All-Africa Conference of Churches has called this debt a new form of slavery, as vicious as the slave trade[3]. Rich countries and world financial institutions, mainly World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), have started debt relief initiatives in the last decade. The High Indebted Poor Countries and Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative are steps in the right direction. These initiatives have resulted in debt reduction in many African countries and allowed their governments to spend more on social welfare. But still more is needed both in terms of relief under above initiatives and also through other initiatives like reducing trade barriers for poor countries. This document studies the reasons behind third world debt in Africa and subsequent growth of it. It then looks at some of the prominent effects on the citizens of the affected economies. It also suggests some of the solutions that can be employed in reducing the external debt of the third world countries in Africa. Successful handling of debt will lead to better lives for millions in Africa. THE REASONS BEHIND THE THIRD WORLD DEBT Debt transfer from colonizing states. The initial debt of third world countries arose from the unjust transfer of the debts of their colonizing countries. This was imposed on them when they acceded to international sovereignty. External debt of the newly independent countries amounted to US$ 59 billion in 1960[4]. Not only the amount was high for economies just starting on development but the interest rate was set at 14 per cent. Such a high interest rate made it more difficult for governments of poor countries to make capital repayments. Odious debt. World financial institutions are to be blamed for lending money to countries with dictators and undemocratic governments, knowingly well enough that most of such lending will not be used for benefits of public. Joseph Stiglitz says that when the IMF and World Bank lent money to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s ruler Mobutu, they should have known that most of the money would be used for personal enrichment of Mobutu (Stiglitz, 2002). Many times the reasons behind such lending are geopolitical to ensure alignment of the third world countries with the developed countries. Now citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo are repaying loans that were never used for their benefit. Unregulated lending. During the high oil prices of 1970s, Arab nations deposited their excess cash with Western banks. Western banks then lent it to the third world countries without doing proper due diligence on the use of funds or the capability of the third world countries to repay in future. Mismanagement of projects. Projects, executed with foreign loans, were not managed properly resulting either in incomplete projects or projects with high over runs and time delays. Creditors didn’t do a responsible job in monitoring of the projects. INCREASE IN THIRD WORLD DEBT Over decades, external debt of the third world countries has increased because of the following reasons: High interest rate. Not only the principal loan amount was high for economies just starting on development but the interest rate was set at 14 per cent. This rate of interest is high and makes it even harder for developing countries to make loan repayments and simultaneously spend on development. Devaluation of third world currencies. External loans are to be repaid in the hard currencies of the developed countries. Over time, the currencies of third world countries have devalued significantly compared to currencies of developed countries due to high inflation and high deficits in poor countries. The decline in local currencies means that the third world countries have to work harder to repay external loans. SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL IMPACTS HIV/AIDS. Africa is suffering heavily from AIDS and is home to two-thirds of those living with the disease worldwide[5]. Only a few in Africa have access to the treatment and rest suffer in agony due to their governments’ inability to make healthcare payments. This is because a significant part of their national income is spent on debt repayment. The rapid increase in AIDS will have a prolonged social and economic impact on the continent. As a result of governments’ inability to stop spread of AIDS and proper treatment, future governments’ will have to pay a much higher price for treatment. Also poor health will result in lower economic growth. Insufficient money for development. Given the priority of debt repayment over development projects, the governments of the third world countries are not left with enough resources to spend on much needed infrastructure development. These countries are very low on social development and need financial assistance to implement welfare plans. Reduction in debt will free money that can be used for better health and education facilities. Some of the benefits achieved in recent past because of reduction in debt are as follows: Reduction in debt has allowed Ugandan government to offer better educational facilities and it has more than doubled school enrolment in Uganda. Vaccinated half a million children against killer diseases in Mozambique Provided extra resources for treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in different countries in Africa[6]. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS More aid to the third world countries. The amount of development assistance to the third world countries has been falling not only in terms of real amounts adjust for inflation but also in terms of percentage of developed countries income (Stiglitz, 2002). If rich countries are keen on helping poor African countries achieve better living standards then they should increase the amount of aid. Aid as grant rather than as loan. In a G8 meeting in Genoa, President Bush proposed that up to 50% of aid to developing countries should be given as direct grant rather than as loans (Veseley, 2001). Grants would help the third world countries spend more on health and education without the burden of future loan repayments. Veseley suggested that the issue of giving grants is subject to local politics at the developed countries. During recessions and higher unemployment, the governments of the developed countries would be reluctant to offer grants. Debt forgiveness. After decades of paying a high percentage of their GDP and exports to meet external loan repayments and yet no where near to either finishing off those loans or bringing them to such low levels where most of the GDP is used for development, the third world countries need debt forgiveness otherwise they simply cannot grow. In some countries the debt service is more than a quarter of exports and in some countries it is as high as half of exports (Stiglitz, 2002). The rich countries, under the ownership of World Bank and International Monetary Fund, launched Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief initiative in 1996 with the aim of ensuring that no poor country faces a debt burden it cannot manage. The rich countries will cancel the debt of poor countries who meet stringent economic conditions set out by the creditors and monitored by World Bank and IMF. In the 2005 G8 summit, rich countries agreed to cancel the debt of 14 African nations. Zambia is one of the countries to be short listed for debt cancellation. In 2003, Zambia spent twice as much on loan repayments as on healthcare. In January 2006, Zambia’s debt was reduced from US$ 7.1 bn to US$ 500 million[7]. The partial debt cancellation under HIPC has allowed the government to offer free healthcare to its citizens. The Jubilee movement in 1990s played a major role in focusing attention on debt relief. It put international pressure on IMF and rich nations and as a result, by the end of 2000, 24 countries passed the IMF threshold requirements for debt cancellations (Stiglitz, 2002). In 2005, the world financial bodies also launched the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) which allows for full relief on debts by the IMF, the International Development Association of the World Bank, and the African Development Fund[8]. Though MDRI offers 100 per cent debt relief it does not offer any parallel debt relief by governments or multilateral institutions beyond the above three. IMF announced in December 2005 that it will grant 100 percent debt relief to 19 countries, most of them from Africa, under the MDRI amounting to about US$3.3billion[9]. This was matched by World Bank in July 2006. Though HIPC and MDRI initiatives are light at the end of tunnel and raise hopes of debt cancellation, yet they are far from the full action required to take care of debt problem. The poor countries are required to meet stringent economic conditions before they can be offered partial debt cancellation. Not all of the developing countries in Africa are in a state to meet tough fiscal conditions because of poor state of their economies. Putting more fiscal measures in place would deprive their citizens of even bare minimum standards. As of result of tough conditions, only about a quarter of African nations have qualified for HIPC and MDRI. Even after debt cancellation for 14 countries, African countries still owe over US$ 200 bn to rich countries and they would still have to pay US$ 14 bn every year in debt repayments to rich countries[10]. The deal would result in annual saving of about US$ 1 bn, which is not enough considering that US$ 14 bn is still payable every year. Also the deal proposed under HIPC doesn’t cancel 100% of debts of any country. The debt cancellation will be 79% for Uganda and 48% for Mozambique[11]. Partial debt cancellation is better than nothing but the governments would still have to make debt repayments when they could have used the money for development. Rich countries to open trade to poor countries. Agriculture is the most important occupation in the third world countries and it is the biggest employer in Africa (Veseley, 2001). Most of the developed countries give subsidies to their farmers. These subsidies result in not only lower agricultural exports to the developed countries but also to other countries. The poorest countries account for less than 1% of the world’s food exports (Veseley, 2001). Doha round of trade talks is focused on removing the agricultural subsidies in US and Europe. The World Bank estimates that if subsidies and trade issues are resolved in the Doha round, then it would generate extra gains in real income of about US$ 20 bn by 2015 to developing countries (Siddiqi, 2006). Mr James Wolfensohn, ex-President of World Bank said that the most important step for development of poor countries is for rich countries to open their markets fully to exports from the developing countries (Veseley, 2001). Stiglitz notes that so unfair has the trade agenda been that Sub-Saharan African countries were actually made worse off as a result of the last round of trade negotiations (Stiglitz, 2002). A reduction in agricultural subsidies would increase exports from African countries and allow them better chances of not only GDP growth but also in meeting IMF criteria for HIPC and MDRI debt relief. CONCLUSION The third world countries in Africa are heavily burdened with debt and significant part of their foreign exchange earnings and new loans are used for repayment of principal and interest on previous loans. The third world countries are paying for legacy issues and are not left with money for the development work on health, education and generation of employment that is needed urgently. The government of developing and crippled economies in Africa are spending their hard earned money on meeting debt repayments when ideally they should have been spent on provision of health issues like HIV/AIDS, education and generating employment opportunities. Rich countries and world financial bodies have taken initiatives under HIPC and MDRI schemes to reduce the debt burden of the third world countries. In 2005, 14 African nations were short listed for debt cancellation. 19 countries qualified for debt cancellation under the MDRI scheme. Countries are already seeing benefits of lower debt repayments in terms of better health and education facilities. But still a lot more needs to be done. HIPC offers only partial relief. Also some of the economic conditions imposed under HIPC will make it difficult for the African governments’ to offer free services to their citizens. The rich countries should offer more aid as grant rather than as loan. Also they need to reduce subsidies and open up their economies to poor countries. This would not only help reduce the debt of the third world countries but also increase their GDPs. BIBLIOGRPAHY Siddiqi, M (2001) . â€Å"Africa hanging in there†, African Business, London, Sep 2001, Iss. 268, Pg. 16 Siddiqi, M (2006). â€Å"Crunch time for world trade deal†, African Business, London, Oct 2006, Iss. 324, Pg. 32 Stiglitz, J.E. â€Å"Globalization and its discontents†, Penguin Books, 2002. Veseley, M. â€Å"Will Bush back words with deeds†, African Business, London, Sep 2001, Iss. 268, Pg. 20 [1] â€Å"Campaign to cancel Africa’s debt†, http://www.africaaction.org/campaign_new/debt_more.php, 2 Dec 2006 [2] â€Å"Campaign to cancel Africa’s debt†, http://www.africaaction.org/campaign_new/debt_more.php, 2 Dec 2006 [3] â€Å"Campaign to cancel Africa’s debt†, http://www.africaaction.org/campaign_new/debt_more.php, 2 Dec 2006 [4] â€Å"Third World Debt A Continuing Legacy of Colonialism†, http://www.southcentre.org/info/southbulletin/bulletin85/bulletin85.htm, 2 Dec 2006 [5] â€Å"The G8 and Africa: Reality Check†, http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=readdocumentid=1985type=15issues=1027, 2nd Dec 2006 [6] â€Å"The debt crisis and the jubilee campaign†, http://www.jubileeusa.org/edpacket/intro.pdf, 2nd Dec 2006 [7] â€Å"Africa out of the Limelight: The Debt Crisis One Year After The Gleneagles G8†, http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=readdocumentid=1954type=15issues=2, 2nd Dec 2006 [8] â€Å"Debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative†, http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/hipc.htm, 2nd Dec 2006 [9] â€Å"IMF to extend 100 Percent Debt Relief for 19 Countries Under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative†, http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2005/pr05286.htm, 2nd Dec 2006 [10] â€Å"Africa out of the Limelight: The Debt Crisis One Year After The Gleneagles G8†, http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=readdocumentid=1954type=15issues=2, 2nd Dec 2006 [11] â€Å"Africa out of the Limelight: The Debt Crisis One Year After The Gleneagles G8†, http://www.africaaction.org/newsroom/index.php?op=readdocumentid=1954type=15issues=2, 2nd Dec 2006

Athena in the Odyssey vs. Virgil in the Inferno Essay

Two of the greatest works ever written, The Odyssey by Homer and The Inferno by Dante, are detailed, multi-sectioned poems about the journey’s of two men. In each story, the main character is given some sort of guidance by another character in order to aid them in their travels. In The Odyssey, Athena is portrayed as the protector to Odysseus on his journey back home from the Trojan War to his family in Ithaca. In The Inferno, Virgil is requested to lead Dante through the depths of Hell in order to save his soul. Many similarities can be seen between the two characters as they both served as advice givers, protectors, and guides for the main character. While the two guides seem very alike in the way’s they help, it turns out that many differences can be observed between their ways. Athena and Virgil can both be perceived as escorts in the main characters’ journey, but they both are leading their pupils towards different endings and these endings can be representa tive of a much larger purpose that describes the two authors’ views on life at the time each poem was written. In Greek mythology, Athena is regarded as the goddess of Wisdom. She uses her wisdom to aid Odysseus on his journey back home to his family, through various trials and tribulations. Athena’s guidance can be seen when Odysseus is finally being allowed to leave Calypso’s island, which outraged Poseidon. Poseidon sends a great wave to wreck Odysseus’s ship and possibly drown him in the vast ocean but instead Athena helps him survive. â€Å"But Zeus’s daughter Athena countered him at once./ The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks,/commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep./ All but the boisterous North-she whipped him up/ and the goddess beat the breakers flat before Odysseus,/ dear to Zeus, so he could reach the Phaeacians,/ mingle with men who love their long oars/ and escape his death at last.† (Ody. 5. 421-427). Another example of Athena protecting Odysseus is during the great battle in the hall when Odysseus finally confronts his wife’s suitors. Athena appears to Odysseus in the form of Mentor and tries to motivate Odysseus to kill all the suitors off with threats and accusations. She even commands the suitors to through their spears at Odysseus all at once. â€Å"At his command,/ concentrating their shots, all six hurled as one/ but Athena sent to whole salvo wide of the mark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ody. 22. 267-269). Odysseus sees that all of his men are untouched by the suitor’s spears, and this action propels him to take charge and lead an attack on the suitors. Each time Athena guides or protects Odysseus, it’s in order to save his life. She desperately wants Odysseus to get home because Odysseus is a war hero and a King, very much deserving of a safe return home. Athena thinks very highly of Odysseus because he is such a great warrior and she feels he exemplifies the virtue of excellence. It’s easy to see how the ideals of society on life and death in Homer’s 7th Century BC times are portrayed through Athena’s help. The people of this time were most concerned on how you lived your life during the time you had. For them there was no glorious afterlife, so there was no need to try and save your soul to reap the prize of a great time after death. Homer uses Athena as Odysseus’s guide to get back home and live out the rest of his life the way he pleases. He’s spent his time as a warrior and won his most important battles before the beginning of the poem, so now he deserves to live out the rest of his l ife in peace with those he loves the most. Once he arrives home and fights off his wife’s suitors (with the help of Athena of course) he will finally be free in a sense to enjoy his life. In Dante’s The Inferno, Virgil serves as a guide for Dante through the depths of Hell. Virgil is widely considered an allegory for human reason. Reason is needed in a Christian worldview in order to control emotion and desire from taking control allowing for acts of sin. Reason is God’s gift to mankind, a way of staying on the right path and avoiding the dark side of life, if it is used properly. Virgil was requested to help a lost Dante save his soul by Dante’s departed love, Beatrice, who represents God’s grace. Virgil leads Dante through Hell in order for him to learn the descriptions of sins and their consequences. Virgil is with Dante through out his entire journey, unlike Athena who only appears to Odysseus in The Odyssey every once in a while. One example of how Virgil is always there to lead Dante is when Dante faints before entering the First Circle of Hell. Dante faints at the shine of a bright light and awakens already in the next circle. â€Å"With rested eyes, I stood/ and looked about me, then fixed my gaze/ to make out where I was./ I found myself upon the brink/ of an abyss of suffering/ filled with the roar of endless woe.† (Inf. 4. 4-9). This type of situation occurs many times throughout the poem, as Dante proves many times too weak to carry on, and Virgil takes care of him, protects him, and moves them along on their journey. Another situation is when Dante and Virgil arrive at the center of Circle 9 of Hell. They come to the great body of Lucifer, and Virgil throws Dante on his back to continue their upward climb out of Hell. â€Å"At his request I clasped him round the neck./ When the wings had opened wide enough/ he chose the proper time and place/ and took a handhold on those hairy flanks./ Then from hank to hank he clambered down between the thick pelt and the crusted ice.† (Inf. 34. 70-75). While Virgil leads Dante physically in many ways, he also serves as a voice of reason and leads through his words. An example of this is back as they are entering the First Circle. Dante says, â€Å"My master (Virgil) began: ‘You do not ask about/ the souls you see? I want you to know,/ before you venture farther,/ ‘they did not sin. Though they have merit,/ that is not enough, for they were unbaptized,/ denied the gateway to the faith that you profess./ ‘And if they lived before the Christians lived,/ they did not worship God aright./ And among these I am one.† (Inf. 4. 31-39). In this situation, Virgil not only instructs Dante on what he needs to do, but also reveals a little more information about himself as well. Although Virgil seems to guide Dante in almost the exact same way Athena guides Odysseus, Virgil is working towards an all-together different purpose. In Dante’s 14th century AD Christian society, it was imperative to ensure that you lived a good life on earth and repented for all your sins so that you would be in God’s presence in the after-life. Dante uses Virgil as a way for his audience to see that the most important thing is to save one’s soul, even if a little guidance is required to do so. Dante needed to travel through the depths of Hell to be able to wake up and realize how reason should control emotions and desires so that life can be lived in God’s name allowing for a magnificent afterlife. By showing Dante the different circles of Hell, Dante learns the nature of sin and it’s consequences. Virgil teaches Dante a most important lesson; when reason is not in control, it is more likely to commit harsh sins, sins worthy of an afterlife in Hell and not in God’s good grace. Virgil steers Dante toward the light of God once again, saving him from his impending doom, had he not been able to save his wandering soul. Athena and Virgil are considered to be a form of guidance to their poem’s main characters. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Athena helps to ensure Odysseus’s safe return home, but also allows him to live out the rest of his wonderful life on earth by saving him from various dangers including Poseidon and his wife’s suitors. In Dante’s The Inferno, Virgil serves as Dante’s escort through the circles of Hell, but also pilots Dante back into God’s grace by saving his soul. Each can be seen as not only a physical chaperon but also a spiritual one that illustrates society’s point of view on life or afterlife at the time each poem was written. Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. Trans. Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander. New York: Anchor, 2002. Print. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print.

Essay on “Rape, Racism, and the Law” Essay

Jennifer Wriggins analyzes the significance how race, ethnicity, and class influence a woman’s vulnerability to rape, the meaning and impact of the rape, and the response of family, of community, and of social institutions. Her article, â€Å"Rape, Racism, and the Law,† specifically focuses on the history of rape in the United States between the rapes of White women by Black men. As a feminist, she specifically focuses on two very damaging consequences of this selective blindness: the denials that Black women are raped; and all women are subject to pervasive and harmful sexual coercion of all kinds. Thorough this powerful essay, she examine the legal system’s treatment of rape and how racism plays a major part in denying the rights of African Americans, as well as, deny the veracity of women’s sexual subordination by creating a social meaning of rape which implies that the only type of sexual abuse is â€Å"illegal rape† and the only form of illegal rape is Black offender/White victim. I was exasperated after reading this article. This article highly irritated and annoyed me because of the interconnectedness of rape and racism. As a woman, it is hard not to get heated about this particular subject. Presently, there are now many struggles against rape. And, in acknowledging the struggles against rape one must also acknowledge the difference among women and the different ways that groups other than women are disempowered. In one of the many examples in this essay, racism and justice collide when in 1859 the Mississippi Supreme court dismissed the indictment of a male slave for the rape of a female slave less than 10 years old. â€Å"This indictment cannot be sustained, either at common law or under our statutes. It charges no offense known to either system. Slavery was unknown to the common law†¦ and hence its provisions are inapplicable†¦ There is no act which embraces either the attempted or actual commission of a rape by a slave on a female slave†¦ Master and slaves cannot be governed by the same system or laws; so different are their position, right and duties.† This ruling is disheartening in a few ways: Black men are held to lesser standards of restraint with Black women that are white men with White women; second, white men are held to lesser standards of restraint with black women that are Black men with white women. However, neither white nor black men were expected to show sexual restraint with black women. This is truly upsetting,  to me, because no man no matter what color should have the right to exercise rape or sexual coercion of any kind with any woman of any color without her consent. This reading is important to social work practice because it reflects and expansive and integrated approach to understanding rape, racism, and the law. By exploring the interconnectedness of rape and racism, I learned to analyze the assumptions implanted in and surrounding rape, racism, and social institutions. Finally, it develops understanding of the narrow focus of the black offender and the white rape victim, and the denial of the rape of black women, which engages within the cultural assumption of American society that is important to understand in the field of social work. This reading also teaches up to be receptive social work professionals able to work respectfully and competently with diverse population groups, with at the same time to understand and develop a sensitivity and respect for human rights. Through this reading, it is easy to see how stereotypes of racial and ethnic differences can have impact on a person’s life in regards to consequences, rewards, and punishments. It has not fit in because examining substantive justice arguably requires that human rights to life, well-being, and the commodities essential to life and well-being, be given priority whenever a societal decision is made. Societal conditions and institutional arrangements should be recognized as grounds for justification because they may impose limits and constraints on the choices available to an individual that are as unavoidable and compelling as those imposed by chance or by another human being. It is a scary thought that your skin color or sex could work against you in the legal system, but it does happen. For this reason, it is easy to understand why many women are not reporting these incidents. Reference: â€Å"Rape, Racism, and the Law† by Jennifer Wriggins

Computers In Soceity Essays - Computer, Humancomputer Interaction

Computers In Soceity Essays - Computer, Humancomputer Interaction Computers In Soceity Dont know anything about computers? Dont think they are a big part of your life? Think again! Computers are wondrous machines that improve our lives in many areas like education, entertainment, and work.(Paragraph)The use of computers in and out of school has made improvements in the way we learn. For instance, the use of computers in the classroom has freed up some of my time so I can give more individualized instruction to the needy, says Instructor Mary S. Teachemall of a local neighborhood grade school is a definite improvement over not having computers as a way of learning. Also, college students having easy access to computers for various school related tasks like changing complete blocks of text on a term paper in a split second, using graphics to better express a particular point or idea, and being able to tap into the world wide web where vast amounts of information is at the fingertips of the user is a marked improvement from 10 years ago. Furthermore, the use of computers in the home has extended the hours we can learn at a higher level without the environmental pressures of school or work thereby improving the way we learn.(paragraph)Also, the use of computers has expanded our choices for entertainment. As an example, the all-American game of Monopoly can be played by a single person and a computer and the need for several people has been obsoleted is one way our choices for entertainment have been expanded. Another example of our expanding choices is that you can not only watch movies on DVD (Digital Video Disc) but re-edit them with your own sound tracks and special effects, listen to music on CD-roms, even manufacture your own cartoons or even your own movies all on a computer. Moreover, the ability of the computer to link a person with others from far away places where conversations without inferences are sparked and ideas are exchanged internationally is a popular selection for millions everyday as a choice for entertainment.(paragraph)I also t hink the working environment where computers are used is becoming more and more diverse. As an example, farmers have computers in their tractors hooked up to GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) systems that not only tell them where to spray their pesticides but are programmed to take care of the task for them as they drive along all because a digital image from a satellite some 23,000 miles away saw too many bugs in a certain part of one of his fields is very diverse. Another way diversity is becoming the norm is with the influx of wireless technology that has made it possible for mobile laptop computers to be linked up to a global network, not just for the mobile office, but for the person sitting on a beach on some south pacific island and still being able to attend a meeting in London England is diversity at the extreme.(paragraph)Computers are really fascinating and becoming more and more amazing everyday as they weave their way into our lives. Dont think you know anything about computers? You really do, without knowing it maybe you have been using them for a long time. Dont think they are a big part of your life? Without even realizing it computers have worked their way into just about every aspect of our everyday lives. From waking in the morning, to the food at the dinner table, to the movie afterwards, computers have influenced the way we live and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Pricing Decision Essay Essays

Pricing Decision Essay Essays Pricing Decision Essay Essay Pricing Decision Essay Essay Companies in their enterprise to win in the extremely competitory and dynamic market are now sing a clear focal point on their selling schemes. This is in order that they may stay relevant in the fast changing concern environment. market conditions and consumer penchants. It is of import that a company considers the effects of the alterations in the concern environment including monetary value fluctuations initiated by its rivals This is best done by first analysing the monetary values offered by the rivals visa vie the company’s cost construction and the competitor’s opportunities to alter in response to the company’s new monetary value offers ( Kotler 2003. p 66 ) . Pricing Strategies The company needs to calculate out the best scheme to implement in order to accomplish the optimal monetary values for its merchandises. To originate cost-cutting with a position to better on the profitableness of the company the company must hold an apprehension of the type of cost that it needs to pull off. This will be to a big extent influenced by its manner of direction. beginnings of professional advice. the broader vision of the company’s ends. communicating scheme. and company’s capitalisation in relation to debt-equity ratio and the cost of borrowing ( Sherman 2007. p 3-4 ) . The company besides needs to understand the several types of costs that it incurs. The assorted types of costs are research and development costs. the operating expenses and administrative costs. human capital costs including wellness attention costs. wages and employee benefits. substructure and system costs. advertisement and promotional costs. fixed and variable costs. and debt-servicing costs. The bottom line is to exhaustively analyze each of these cost classs and weigh their importance to the company’s concern operations. see more efficient available options. and the possible deductions of the cost decrease scheme ( Sherman 2007. p5 A ; 9 ) . A company such as Wal-Mart that has for old ages been in front of its rivals by offering the lowest monetary values for its goods. Wal-Mart is able to pull off favourable monetary value cuts by implementing monetary value cut schemes such as endeavouring to cut down its costs by prosecuting a revenue enhancement decrease scheme. This has been through its investings in Real Estate Investment Trusts ( REITs ) in order to work revenue enhancement loopholes and avoid some of the revenue enhancements levied in peculiar provinces ( Moore 2007. p. 2 ) . Having accomplished the above cost decrease scheme. the company may the come up with appropriate pricing for its merchandises. This is done by first understanding pricing methods. There are six pricing methods that would take to an informed determination in repairing monetary values. These are markup pricing method. the mark return pricing method. perceived value method of pricing. value based pricing. the going-rate method of pricing and the sealed-bid method of pricing ( Kotler 2003. P 66 ) . Deductions of Price Cuts and Conclusion The monetary value of the merchandise or service is a major factor that influences customer’s purchase determination is the selling mix. A combination of the cost decrease scheme and an appropriate pricing scheme is more likely to profit the company and enable it achieve a competitory advantage over its rivals. By following market antiphonal cost film editing schemes in the communicating industry. companies in bend helped make a better manner of life whereby clients are now able to pass on more frequently and at lower monetary values Salazar 2007. p. 1 ) . This translates to increased net incomes to the service suppliers as they are able to sell more units than earlier. Mentions Kotler. P. ( 2003 ) . Marketing Management. 11th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Moore. M. ( 2007 ) . Taxing Schemes: Always Cuting Monetary values. Wal-Mart Attempts to Rollback Taxes. Retrieved March 8. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //walmartwatch. com/img/blog/NIMSP_tax_strategies. pdf Salazar. L. C. Cost Cutting Strategies at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Retrieved March 8. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. lirneasia. net/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/2-lcs-shoestrings-sing-28feb07. pps Sherman. A. J. ( 2007 ) . Schemes for Cuting Costss and Improving Profitability. Retrieved March 8. 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. sbecouncil. org/uploads/PPT % 20Cost % 20Cutting % 20for % 20Growth % 20and % 20Profitability. ppt

Nutrition Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nutrition - Statistics Project Example Cycle 1 students indicated fruit juice as their favorite drink as compared to Cycle 2 students who indicated Fizzy drinks/Carbonated drinks with high sugar content as their favorite drink. More Cycle 1 students buy snacks/drinks from the cafeteria everyday as compared to Cycle 2 students. Over the last 30 years, the UAE has experienced rapid socio-cultural changes that have been brought about by the growing economy of the Arabian Gulf Region due to the discovery of oil (Bin Zaal, Musaiger and D’Souza 2009). UAE citizens have undergone significant lifestyle changes including a massive transition from deficiency diseases and under nutrition towards degenerative diseases that are associated with over-nutrition. There have been significant changes in food choices leading to a â€Å"nutritional transition† (Al-Haddad, Al-Nuaimi, Little and Thabit, 2000). According to the World Health Organization (2000), nutrition plays a crucial role in affecting the weight of a populace because the changes in economic and social environments have highly significant influences on calorific intake. Physical activity and recreational patterns of people in a given place also play a part in the influences that emanate from effects of nutritional intake. Improper nutrition often leads to a variety of health conditions such as obesity, nutrition deficiency diseases such as goiter, kwashiorkor among others. In the context of the UAE, nutritional challenges have heralded obesity which has resulted into several health concerns. Obesity is described as a medical condition in which body fat accumulates to the extent of causing risks to the health of the victim. It is measured as the Body Mass Index (BMI)- calculated by dividing the weight (Kg) of a person to the person’s square of height (M) (Seidell and Flegal, 1997). One is considered overweight when the BMI is between 25 and obese when the BMI is higher than 30 (Seidell and Flegal, 1997). Students in

Soil strengthening of age-old-designed railway tracks Research Paper

Soil strengthening of age-old-designed railway tracks - Research Paper Example Superstructure consists of rails, fastening, and sleepers, and sub-structure consists of ballast, sub-ballast, and sub-grade. This research assignment studies the functions of substructure in track operation. Railroad substructure receives dynamic load from train movement and behaves according to the principles and laws of soil mechanics. Soil performance under loading in soil mechanics is governed by two characteristics: strength and deformation (STRATIGRAPHICS n.d.). Strength refers to the shear strength properties, and deformation refers to settlement. The proper functioning of substructure is characterized by the bearing capacity which implies that shear stresses caused by the cyclic loading has to be lower than the soil’s undrained shear strength value, and at the same time settlement will not develop plastic behavior in the soil. After a number of years of operation, instability of both super and sub structures is caused by the shear failure and plastic settlement of sub -grade. There are many factors that may contribute to the loss of soil-strength. Among them, poor drainage, and trapped water in ballast pockets play significant roles. According to Harry Cedergreen, drainage represents a significant issue for railroad construction and maintenance; stability and low maintenance cost can only exist when adequate drainage is provided (Cedergren 1989, p. 364). Sub-grade failure in railroad jargon is called â€Å"soft track† (Australian Rail Track Corporation a 2001). Soft track includes ballast failure, top formation failure, shallow sub-grade failure, embankment failure, and landslide failure. Water is one of the several contributors that cause these failures. The scope of this assignment is to study methods... The response to the cyclic loading of rail track is an interaction of superstructure and substructure. Ballast, sub-ballast, and sub-grade relates to substructure. Decades of operation bring structural changes of substructures. The sub-grades of the old existing rail tracks require rehabilitation to satisfy proper functioning and meet current technical operational standards. The scope of this assignment is to find the rehabilitation approach for the existing tracks of Australia. The solution must account that improvement of substructure by dismantling the railways is not an option due to the transport collapse, which is accompanied by financial losses. Rehabilitation of the existing railway is not a sheer issue that relates to Australia only; it is also a significant issue for the European countries, Canada, and USA. CSX Rail Line in Milstead, Alabama, USA faced excessive ballast settlement and soil pumping problems due to the poor sub-grade conditions. Moreover, Tallapoosa River run s parallel to the rail line. The rehabilitation of the track included raising the track, undercutting and removing the existing ballast, and use of filter fabric over the exposed sub-ballast, which was followed by a layer of Geogrid