Insight on Macro Economics

Question 1: financial globalization Over the years since World War 2 we have seen economists battle on the idea for and against of financial globalization. The topic had been there during previous years but not much attention was paid into it, it only attracted attention after the effects of World War 2 let to social unification. This is idea suggests that all the countries of the world should unite economically by setting up a global financial institution to standardize al the economic activities of the world. The pros and cones have laid out with case studies on regional bodies and domestic financial institutions being cited to back up various claims that take different stands on the issue.Both Mishkin and Rogoff acknowledged that if the world would be a better place if it had a global financial institution. Even with this in mind, they never failed to say that the idea is a pipe dream as there are many economic, social and political variables round it. Unifying all the three factors would be daunting even from the onset and it would be a miracle if the unification worked. They stated that even if all odds were beaten and the institution was formed; developing countries would end up losing market and money as the developed countries would exploit them. The two agreed that if formed, the international institution would be more successful as it will have many investors from developing countries and be disbursing high return interest loans to developed countries for them to invest in developing countries. Professor Kling agrees with the two economists up to the point that formation of a global financial institution is an imaginary (Lawrence-2001) object but takes a turn on the point that the institution would be more successful. Kling argues that economic problems domestic institutions face are the exact one the global institution will face but a larger and much devastating state.If a crisis arises, the international institution would cut the money it loans and raise the interests on the money. This would not be harsh stance as just like any business, the institution would want to grow its profit base and reduce risks. Developing countries that would by then be so dependant to the institution will be affected terribly as the probability of their economies collapsing would be so high. Mishkin, Rogoff and Kling all agree with this theory and each of them made reference to the behavior of the international monetary fund when an economic crisis arises. Benefits that the international institution will pass to the global community fixed. It would quickly restore liquidity if asked to because it would have a perpetual stability and flow of cash. Making available long term loans will be an easy task for the institution (chui-2002). Opening markets will be among the merits of an international as all countries will be operating under the same economic laws. Diversifying the market base will be another benefit as there will be numerous markets for different goods. Note; the previous statement will work if the global community allows production specialization policy to work. All these benefits have been agreed to by Mishkin and Rogof but Kling refutes the point that loans will be available to all countries. He says that is an impractical suggestion. There are elaborate disadvantages of the international institution if it is formed. Huge disparities in economic growth would be inevitable. We would see developing countries grow in economy as the developing counties would be seeing a drop in their GDP. The institution will cause an increase of taxes globally incase an economic bomb explodes and its liquidity goes down. The institution will kill productivity of small countries if it does not make policies that facilitate the smooth transfer of technology from developed to developing countries. Most of the skilled and unskilled labor force in developed countries will be left jobless as their companies will prefer manufacturing products in less developed countries that have low wage payouts.Question B1: contrast on transmission mechanismsTaylor and Lucas are profound economists that have made phenomenal economic revelations and added spice to works of Meynerd Keynes. Their insight on transmission mechanism is what staged their professionalism and expertise in the field of economics. They have divergent and convergent views relating to the topic; let us analyze them. The similarity they hold is that they both support the use of short term interest rates and investment on short term high return bonds and securities to propel economic growth, better known as financial market price review (taylor-1995). They say this is the only way the American banks maintain their liquidity. They also agree that how money is transferred between accounts and the number of times it circulates should be increased so as to maximize its efficiency; this is known as limited participation (tobin-1969). Credit view is one of the clashing points between the two professionals; Taylor fully supports the policy but Lucas admonishes it. Taylor advocates for unison change in lending rate policies among banks as Lucas stands for free financial flowing activities. Question B2: not what they had in mindKlings books explains a chronological order of events that led to the 2007/2008 financial crises that left many big companies bankrupt and with large debts, this is the year in united states history that stock prices shot and the exchange market remained shocked. He states that it is also a year to be remembered as there was widespread public outcry because people were being kicked out of their mortgages (kling-2009). It depicts how the bad economic policies made by previous governments led to the catastrophic time. He compares the laws of the times from 1930 to 1970 then 2001 when the policies were changed but that that could not save or salvage the 2008 disruption from taking place. The title highlights that the thoughts that were behind the previous policy makers did not come to be as they made poor economic judgments. The general idea is that the policies be changed and that companies customize the laws according to their own needs to avoid a scenario similar to the 2007/2008 one. The book gives insights and acts as a wake up to the policy makers, the banking and insurance companies and the general public; main consumers.Mr Kling urged the public to come up with innovations that would help cruise through bad economic times like the one in 2007/2008. He also urges the government to thoroughly scrutinize bills before passing them into laws as they would turn to be harmful in future times. He made the previous as a sig to acknowledge that economic forces are not static and they require revision from time to time. Here he lay an example that innovation would help reduce future effects as they did by helping quash the Glass-Stealgall act of 1933 (krugman-2002). The act prohibited interstate banking and also outlawed the merging of investment and commercial banks. Many economists including Kling said that the policy makers of that time passed the act as they thought that if banks were allowed to operate nationally they would be more powerful than other federal agencies. They also thought that merging of banks would create a monopoly and catalyze an economic breakdown.By equity finance; financial institutions would be reducing the economic burden by sharing risks. Kling sees this method work more efficiently if financial institutions merge. He also adds the money to be placed in the investment should be given I bits. This will allow the institution to study the market as the venture grows, in case they notice a downward or predict a loss the company can always pull out of the deal safely. This method has fewer sets of threats to loss than giving out all the cash for investment in one bit. Equity he says will prevent a coming from running out of liquidity. If the investment return is high, an institution can always remain in service even if it is funding different projects from different parties. In his introduction Mr Kling named bad bets and excessive leverage to be among the four practices financial institutions engaged in that led to the crisis. Prior to 2008 many lenders would typically really on institution credit scores before giving out loans; if they noticed that the borrower had good scores they would not hesitate giving him the loan in one sum. They did this even before assessing investment they were funding. The financial institutions would later come back to collect the money or claim the property, this is what led to the collapse of minor banks in the US. In his analysis if the matter he states that equity finance can help counter this effect as institutions that use it will save money and reduce the risk of becoming bankrupt by 40%. It is the excessive bets placed on none return investments that lead to excessive leverage. He structures the equity funding policy as a way of keeping the financial institutions in check with their investments. The actions that I would propose to the state is; creation of a federal body that will be mandated to assess the market viability of projects and investment opportunities. This body should then approve and certify that the project is truly worth the money requested in the quotation. I also recommend that banks be more open with their liquidity information and hand it over to the body that certifies projects. After certification the body will now recommend the project owner to an institution with that kind of money. This action will save many banks from collapse as many of them succumb to greed; bad bets.ReferencesBook written by Michael Chui in 2002Sovereignty liquidity crisis; analysis and complications for public policyBook written by A Lawrence in 2001International financial crisis; causes prevention and curesOnline Article from the new York times newspaperhttps;//www.nytimes/2002/08/02/opinion/duby-s-double-dip.htmlBook written by professor Kling'Not what they thought'Book written by Tobin in 1968 and published in 1969Theory of investmentBook written by Ando in 1958 and published in 1963'The life cycle theory of consumption'

Of Mice and Men Essay

The book Of Mice and Men focuses on the friendship of two migrant workers in California at a time when most of the work was done by people and not by machines. George was a small man who acted worldly and wise. Lennie was a huge man that had the mind of a child. Together George and Lennie would bounce from job to job with no money in their pockets and only the dream of someday owning a place of their own to keep them going. The two men were not able to stay in one place too long because Lennie would get into trouble and George would have to get the two of them out of the bad situation and find a new place to work until the next bad thing would happen. Why would George continue to complicate his life by dragging Lennie around? Why wouldn’t George just set off on his own and make his life a whole lot easier? It was obvious when I read through the book that Lennie could not have survived in the world without somebody like George watching out for him. As the story unfolded I had to ask myself, â€Å"Did George need Lennie as much as Lennie needed George? † Two men traveling together the way George and Lennie did was not very common during this time. Slim said to George on page 39, â€Å"Hardly none of the guys ever travel together. I hardly never seen two guys travel together. You know how hands are, they just come in and get their bunk and work a month, and then they quit and go out alone. Never seem to give a damn about nobody. † Why did George and Lennie travel together then? It is easy to answer that question when looking at it from Lennies point of view. Lennie needed somebody to protect him. Lennie had the mind of a small child and would not have been able to find work, feed himself or stay out of trouble if not for somebody like George. The reason why George traveled with Lennie on the other hand is a little bit more complicated. One reason may have been George made a promise to the person who took care of Lennie before George that he would. Does this mean that George is such a stand up person that he would not go back on his word? Maybe but I don’t think it is the main reason he put up with Lennie and all the trouble that came with him. Another reason George may have kept Lennie around was that Lennie was such a great worker that it made George’s life much easier always working alongside of him. A third reason why George may have continued to travel with Lennie was that George liked the fact that he was in charge of Lennie, similar to how a father was in charge of what his son does. George had so little in his life that maybe having Lennie around to tell what to do all the time made him feel needed or important. Jus’ tell Lennie what to do an’ he’ll do it if it don’t take no figuring. He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders† George tells Slim on page 39. A fourth reason George kept Lennie around is maybe Lennie made George feel smart. George seemed like the kind of person that liked to feel he was smart. The last reason I can think of and probably the biggest reason was that George needed the company. I don’t think that George could even imagine living how he lived and not having anybody to share anything with, including his ideas and his dreams. Ultimately, I think all of these reasons played some role in why George kept Lenny around but fear of being alone was probably the biggest reason. Something good is gained by both parties in every successful relationship and the relationship that George and Lenny have was no exception. Lenny of course received protection and a person to take care of him. Those are two things he could not have survived without. I think what George gained most from the relationship was becoming a better person. On page 41, George says to Slim, â€Å"I ain’t got no people. I seen guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They get wantin’ to fight all the time. † George meant he didn’t have any family at all. George was afraid if he lost Lennie, he would never have somebody close to him again, he would be all alone and turn mean. That is what George got most out of the relationship, the friendship he believed made him a better person. I think George proved just how much he cared about Lennie at the end of the story when he shot Lennie in the back of the head by the creek. George made the ultimate sacrifice in killing Lennie and putting himself in the position that he feared the most which is being along. George knew if anybody else found Lennie, especially Curley, they would have made Lennie suffer to pay for killing Curley’s wife. It was interesting what happened earlier with Old Candy and his dog being put to sleep. Old Candy seemed just as upset about not shooting the dog himself as losing the dog. â€Å"I should have done it myself†, Old Candy said near the end of the book. Maybe George learned from that. George believed the right thing was for somebody who cared about Lennie to end his life no matter how much it hurt. Of Mice and Men is a book about relationships with the relationship between two very different people, George and Lennie, at the forefront. Early on it seemed very obvious that Lennie got the most benefit from their friendship. As the story unfolds, it’s not so obvious. In the end, I believe that George benefitted as much or even more than Lennie from their strange friendship. George believed that Lennie made him a better person.

Persuasive Essay on Astrology

The study of astrology may seem like a world full of mysticism and uncertainty. It is natural to question how someone’s personality traits can be determined by planetary alignments; after all it does seem far-fetched. Astrology and the zodiac are a lot more complex than the average person realizes. Until you take the time to fully research and understand astrology, it’s impossible to get the most accurate zodiac profile.In ancient times, astrology was closely linked to fields such as astronomy, philosophy and medicine. Astrology is a broad topic with deep roots in history that must be broken down in order to fully understand it. The average person is only aware of their sun sign; this is only the beginning of one’s zodiac profile. Each planet in our solar system is representative of a certain aspect of life. In order to get the most precise reading of your zodiac, you have to know which sign was affecting each planet on the date and time you were born. This can b ecome as specific as to what degree the planet is influenced by its respective sign. If you weren’t aware of how in depth a study astrology is, I encourage you to find out.Daily and even monthly horoscopes simply aren’t specific enough. No two people’s zodiac profile is the same (unless you were born on the same day, time and at the same place), so in essence no two people’s horoscope can be the same. Magazines and websites grouping whole zodiac signs into one small group and giving a general horoscope is why there is a drastic decrease in accuracy. You can’t blame people for becoming skeptics because the horoscopes they have been exposed to aren’t the product of â€Å"real† astrology.There are a number of different ways to discover your â€Å"true† zodiac, the easiest of these being through the internet. By simply typing in â€Å"zodiac calculator†, numerous websites will pop up. You want to choose one that requires you r date, time and place of birth. The results you get should be overwhelming, after all there’s a lot that goes into your zodiac. Most websites provide you with a diagram that shows the symbols for each planet and sign as well as how they correspond with each other. You may find you have a lot of the same signs in different planets, a variety of signs in the same planets or a mixture of both.Different websites offer different  explanations. Some are very detailed and not only explain what your sign and planet combination means but also, the â€Å"house† the combination is in. For a beginner who doesn’t know what all that means, I suggest just sticking to the basics, the sign, planet and degree. I can almost guarantee you this will be an enlightening experience. You’ll read something and think to yourself â€Å"oh my god, that’s me!† You may even feel like you’re privacy is being invaded and you’ll question how your zodiac can know so much about you, sometimes more than you know about yourself.I can’t explain how or why the zodiac is valid, but I encourage you to at least give astrology a chance. It will take less than five minutes to enter your information into a website and read the information it gives you. Whether you are a total skeptic of astrology or read horoscopes every now and then out of curiosity you should take the time to learn a little bit more about yourself through astrology.

Individual Project 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Project 4 - Research Paper Example In one particular case, a military service captain exploited his authority and position as a reservist to secure government contracts for some private sector companies, which he was affiliated to. Additionally, the captain – working as a government official – accepted kickbacks from one of the companies, as compensation for helping it to secure government work contract. Following the discovery of his ethical failure, the officer was required to retire, while still at the grade of a commander, despite the fact he had already been endorsed for promotion to the rank of an admiral. Apart from the withdrawal of the promotion, the officer was debarred for a period of one year. On the other hand, two of the companies that he had facilitated the reception of government contracts signed 3-year administrative agreements with the military services. The misconduct surrounding the unethical incidence evidenced through the case was that of abusing office and accepting bribes (Gray, Hellman & Ryterman, 2002). Thee misconducts are evidenced by the facts that the officer used his office as a reservist to solicit the contractual work assigned to the companies he was affiliated to. The behavior of acting on behalf of the companies – in a case where he should have been impartial and transparent – showed misconduct on his part. The second misconduct is evidenced by the act of receiving a bribe from one of the companies, as compensation for the role of facilitating the reception of the government contract awarded (Gray, Hellman & Ryterman, 2002). The standard policies and the code of ethics related to government contracting is adequate, and is sufficient for the management of the different areas covered by government contracting, including that the ethics philosophy is built around trustworthiness and honestly, which are mediated through successful personal and professional relationships. Further, the areas

One word description speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

One word description speech - Essay Example Well, this is not competition but rather trying to determine where I need to improve on. It is worth noting that my confidence and enthusiasm also complements my greatest trait. I socialize a lot because I believe in the power of being together and sharing. In fact, I believe that my social nature helps me deals with anxiety, depression and anger. I have human nature and believe that honesty is one of the avenues of success. Just not to keep you waiting for long, I was trying to justify my major trait; which is ambitious. That is the kind of a person I am. Just to add on top, being an ambitious person has enabled me to be very organized, academically prepared and successful in various situations. As they say, each and every human has the weakness and the strength side of him/herself. My weakness is that I sometimes solve my problems in a simple way; that sometimes do not give me the ultimate solutions to the problem I am faced. To summarize it all, my ambition is my strength and I believe it is my driver to

Parenting and Student Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Parenting and Student Success - Essay Example Paul begins her analysis of Chua’s book and the furor that accompanied it by citing several excerpts from the book that she reckons may have ignited the controversy. This way, she perfectly places her piece in the correct context by identifying with the wild emotions provoked by Chua’s book. This helps her later to critique the audience on the issue of parenting. It also helps her to provide a background to Chua’s book and the specific reasons behind its controversy as well as sales. Paul establishes that the public’s outrage towards Chua is due to a section in the book where the â€Å"self-described "tiger mother,"† reigned in on Lulu, her daughter, to practice for long continuous hours â€Å"... with no breaks for water or even the bathroom.† Paul is also of the opinion that the public’s outrage towards Chua may also be due to her reference to Sophia, her other daughter as garbage when she was deemed to be disrespectful, or even her vilifying and rejection of the birthday card that Lulu made for her. These citations help Paul to set the correct tone with which to address quite a fundamental question in the American society; parenting (University of Richmond 2003). ... own for being light-hearted here appears quite disturbed with Chua, barely containing her contempt while reading viewer comments such as "She's a monster" and "The way she raised her kids is outrageous". Others have even questioned Chua’s love for the children. Paul asserts that Chua â€Å"gave as good as she got,† further airing her views that Western parents are weak. This ultimately leads their children to ruin by giving them too much free time and â€Å"how poorly they prepare them for the future," especially when â€Å"It's a tough world out there.† However, Paul argues that the intense contempt and reaction to Chua’s stance and self-declared superiority masks certain underlying concerns amongst Americans, â€Å"her invocation of what she describes as traditional "Chinese parenting" has hit hard at a national sore spot†. This is the fear that Americans seem to have about Chinese domination of global affairs. Essentially, Paul employs the confl ict â€Å"Tiger Moms† and Western parenting to discuss America’s place in the global outlook especially with the recent advances being made by the Chinese. Paul then adopts an anecdotal tone in detailing the economic plight of America, and their comparison to the rest of the world in terms of education. She indicates that the American economy is not performing as traditionally would be expected to grow at â€Å"an anemic 2.6% and many economists say unemployment will continue to hover above 9%† and further expounds that â€Å"Part of the reason? Jobs outsourced to emerging economies such as Brazil, India and China.† She contrasts the economic plight of America to that of China observing that â€Å"Meanwhile, in China, the economy is steaming along at more than 10% annual growth† and is at the moment at a surplus running into

Custody Synapsis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Custody Synapsis - Research Paper Example The case will be evaluated based upon the information presented. Jane and John had been married for several years and were divorced due to incompatibility one year ago. Jane and John share one child, Anna, who is three years old. Currently John is the custodial and residential parent of three year old Anna, having been awarded custody in the divorce proceeding by the previous judge. Jane was granted regular, unsupervised visitation with Anna. John is now asking the court to grant permanent supervised visitation for the mother Jane due to strange behavior he indicates Anna is exhibiting. In response to John’s request, Jane is asking the court for a change of custody making him the custodial and residential parent. John, the Plaintiff is asking the court to grant permanent supervised visitation for Jane due to sexual abuse allegations. The sexual abuse allegations came from an incident that happened two months ago. Anna was playing at his mother’s home when she suddenly bent over, dropped her underwear and continued to put her fingers up to her private parts saying â€Å"my mommy hurt my butt and body daddy.† Concerned, John calls children services and reports the daughter’s behavior. Children’s services workers come to his home and John tells them about the incident, while Anna is playing quietly in her room. John is not only concerned about the incident but also some of Anna’s behaviors that have been disturbing him for some time, Anna has, on three different occasions, been observed trying to insert foreign objects in to her private areas, has been dropping her underwear and saying â€Å"look at my butt†, and has taken the water hose and pushed it u p against her genital area. These behaviors took place in various settings with and without John present. These are some of the witnesses to these behaviors Anna’s Aunt, Anna’s paternal grandmother and grandfather, John’s girlfriend, and in front of John’s good friend. John has responded

Sam 445 assign 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sam 445 assign 4 - Assignment Example Since a minor league baseball team does not incur in revenues from advertising or ticket sales like a Major League Baseball team does, its survival is financially dependent on community and business donations, team fundraisers, and sales from the food concession stand in order to cover all the budgeted expenses for the year. The sales of the food concession stand also help supplement and maintain a general expense fund to cover travel expenses and any unexpected team or organizational financial contingencies and expenses. As the concessions manager it is his responsibility to maintain detailed financial receipts and organizational records in order to be able to calculate overall fixed costs and unit costs. Additionally in order for management to estimate the yearly total expenses the concessions manager provides the team general manager with estimated yearly concession food stand budgets and food costs budget in order to complete the yearly team budget. For this year the minor baseball league schedule calls for a 70 game season, plus training and team practice sessions. Cost-Volume Profit (CVP) analysis is one of the most powerful tools available to managers of all organizations big or small. The CVP process helps managers and internal stakeholders to understand how overall volume, costs and profits are all interrelated and analyzes the behavior of the following five elements (Garrison & Noreen, 2003): There are certain steps the concessions manager together with other managing team members must perform in order to utilize CVP effectively and be able to estimate total revenues and total surplus profits. The first step is to estimate the average number of individuals that will attend the team regular season games, practice sessions as well as estimating how attendance will increase if the team qualifies for the playoffs. The second step is to estimate based on

Computer Forensics in Biology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Computer Forensics in Biology - Research Paper Example Application A structured investigation is carried out to sort out what exactly happened to the computer, when it happened, how it happened, and who did it. This is exactly like solving a murder case and performing postmortem. The operator does not know that the evident information is transparently being created and stored by the computer’s operating system, which can only be extracted through computer forensics software tools and techniques. The crimes include misuse of computer systems, attack on computer systems, using a computer system to work against another system, failure of a computer system, and the like. Though, internet identity theft has made people uncertain about shopping and selling online, checking their bank statements online, visiting auction websites, or entering into business contracts or transactions; however, computer forensics has played its part in helping law enforcement agencies in gathering digital evidence and identifying stolen identities as well as the criminals involved. Computer forensics security solutions focus not only on recovery but also on prevention of security threats in order to provide security solutions that are quicker and cheaper than the conventional techniques. These solutions include intrusion detection system (IDS), internet security system, biometric security system, net privacy system, firewall set-ups, network disaster security system, identity theft prevention system, identity management security system, and so on (Vacca 146). Basic Scientific Principles Involved It is important for computer forensic investigators to follow a structured approach to solving computer and internet-based identity theft cases. Computer crime involving ID theft can be grouped as physical security breaches, personnel security breaches, communications and data security breaches, and operations security breaches. A detailed investigation of the case requires that every security breach is analyzed independently to get a more syst ematic approach towards case solving. The digital examination of ID theft cases requires great expertise at the investigator’s end. The evidence or data that is collected is the valuable asset and has to be dealt with sensitivity, as it will help in deciding the specifications of the crime. Digital data is so delicate that it can be altered with one mistaken tap on the keyboard or one inadvertent press of a key. The forensic investigator will have to use some offline techniques in addition to online techniques. Although offline techniques are not the responsibility of a forensic investigator, but of course, he can use them to help himself toward finding the evidential data. He will have to look for any counterfeit documents, fake checks and bogus bank statements in black and white, in addition to looking for digital evidence residing inside the fraudster’s computer system.  

Analyzing stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyzing stories - Essay Example Another reason was it was important for young Tengo to know the kind of work he did. Tengo often wondered why his father amongst all people treated him with so much cruelty and if he had the power, he could change a lot of things his life, starting with his father’s cruelty. However, this was only a wish. The story is symbolic to a town of cats, which is a strange place that everyone including Tengo wanders into and is unable to escape. Tengo would have wished to grow up like a normal child, having to help his father only a little and using the rest of his time playing with other children. However, he found himself in a world where despite being a child, he had to work and most of the time, could only watch other children play as he worked. Murakami points out that for Tengo, â€Å"Sunday was like a misshapen moon that showed only its dark side† (newyorker.com). While other children had stories to give on Mondays regarding how they spent their weekends, Tengo used to have none. Just like the town of cats, this kind of life was very hard to escape. He once tried to change the situation, a moment that he remembers after reading the story about the town of cats, but he only succeeded in getting free time on Sundays. The other aspects in his life, such as having to experience a lot of cruelty from a man he knew as his father did not change. Another instance where Tengo seems to wish things were different is when he wished his father could be different. He grew up an unhappy boy and often wondered why he was so different from his father. He did not resemble him in any way and had a high intellectual ability compared to him. While Tengo was a very curious boy, â€Å"his father showed no sign at all of what might be called intellectual curiosity† (Murakami, newyorker.com). The reason behind this was the lack of a biological tie between the two, and if things had been different, there would be a biological tie that would bring in

The different ways in which good is used in meta-ethics Essay Example for Free

The different ways in which good is used in meta-ethics Essay Examine the different ways in which good is used in meta-ethics Anything people approve of must be good Discuss. Meta-ethics is the part of ethics which investigates the true nature of ethical statements and its other properties. It questions what it is to be morally right or wrong. Meta-ethics goes into two categories; these being cognitivism and non-cognitivism. Cognitivists or Natrualists say that moral statements describe the world. If I were to say that murder is wrong, then the cognitivist would say that I have recognised an asset of wrongness to the act of murder. Whether or not murder has an asset of wrongness is objective, therefore this statement is either objectively true or false. However Ethical Naturalism states that good can be defined, therefore an action is able to be found good or bad by studying the empirical evidence and weighing up all the facts, hence moral statements can be verified and falsified. They also base their views on that on that good is found in fulfilling the purpose of the object, this is based on the Aristotelian views. So if we were to analyse euthanasia to see whether it is good we would have to gather the evidence and weigh out the good points and the bad points, and how it relates to everybody involved happiness. This is much like the hedonic calculus in utilitarianism where everybody is considered in the decision making process. The word good is used by Ethical Natrualists to describe a certain act that has been proven by the empirical evidence to give the highest amount of happiness and is found to have no or a minor bad effect. Intuitionists or non-naturalists believe that you cannot analyse good as a property, so therefore cannot believe in anything that people recognise as good. They also believe that if it is contradicted a duty you ought to know, as in the Prima Facie Duty. Intuitionists approve of actions as they believe it is your intuition that is telling you to make a decision, in a sense you know always what to do in moral or ethical dilemmas, we have a priori sense of moral truths. R Therefore if your moral intuition is telling them what there doing, or about to do is good then Intuitionists would approve of this act. However one could then argue that then if your moral intuition is telling you that it is good to murder then in a sense they may have to approve of this action if it is a priori knowledge that this is what they think is good. This is a main criticism of Intuitionism as everyones intuition varies subjectively according to every individual. Peoples views vary, for example some by claim that they instinctively know that that taking drugs is wrong, but others may disagree. This seems to show intuition comes from social conditioning and how one is raised, rather than having a priori knowledge of good and bad. Thus, meaning that ethical and moral intuition varies between different cultures and backgrounds. On the other hand, some other ethical theories suggest that we dont gain or have this moral intuition we learn how to deal with moral dilemmas intellectual, moral and cardinal virtues in Virtue Ethics; or in Kantian Ethics we act throughout a sense of duty and reason. Cognitivists believe that good is what we can prove to be a result of empirical evidence, so when we bring all the facts together the end result shows that it is good. Emotivism is a branch of Cognitivism which was brought about by A.J Ayer, in Emotivism he suggested that by making a moral statement one is expressing the personal feelings and within them are trying to persuade others to do as they are with that moral statement; he believed that analytical and synthetic statements are the only significant statements. Therefore Ayer thought by using the word good we are subjectively showing what we feel to be good consequently making the word meaningless and not objective. Ayer followed on his work from philosophers such as G.E Moore, David Hume and Ludwig Wittgenstein whom was part of the Vienna Circle who invented Logical Positivism which is the theory that any true claim has to be proven by sense experience therefore concluding that ethical statements cannot me true claims as they cannot be verified through sense experiences. This agrees with Ayers claim that ethical statements are a product of feelings. Non-cogntivists however make a clear difference between facts and values believing that no ethical statement can be proved right or wrong, or similarly good or bad e.g. abortion is wrong. Within Non-cogntivism lies Prescriptivism. It tells us what ought to be done and that these statements are moral because they are universal. Hare believes ethical statements to be universal because when you say, you ought to do this it relates to everyone in that or similar situation, as he considered ethical statements to be imperatives. He also saw the difference between the two types of the usage of the word good, it can be used as an adjective e.g. It is a good chair, and in the prescriptive sense; in telling others what is correct and right. Perscriptivists believe if we state something to be good that we are approving of something and therefore are saying others should approve of it too. Hare would then say that if people are approving of this action then the action is good. Overall, contained within Non-cognitivism; Emotivists and Perscriptivists both believe that the word good is subjective and is way for us to prescribe or persuade our opinions onto others, therefore giving the word no objective moral truth. The statement Anything people approve of must be good can be discussed by Cognitivists; they would look at whether or not people would approve of action as empirical evidence. They would not agree with this statement due to the fact may be seen to others as wrong, or may cause some sort of pain, and may stop the fulfilment of a purpose. G.E Moore states that by proving ethical statements commits the naturalistic fallacy, which is that the word good cannot be defined by using natural facts. This idea by Moore is based on work by David Hume who said an is cannot result from an ought, in conclusion Moore and Hume would disagree with the above statement; as we cannot define the word good. Moore believed that good is an unanalysable property in which we use to describe what we know from our moral intuition (Intuitionism).

A Contemporary Artist Essay Example for Free

A Contemporary Artist Essay Laurie Anderson was born in Chicago in 1947. She is a conglomerate of talents music, writing, fiction, philosophy, sculpture and film in one human form. The Bernard College in New York and the Columbia University share the fame of being Laurie Anderson’s alma mater. Her piece of work has an artistic flavour and wins applaud for its central quality of mystery, melodrama and humor with contemporary theme. Laurie Anderson’s Theme Andersons goal was ‘dissolving barriers between people. ’ In one of her interview (2007) she said that all her work involves some kind of escapism, ‘imagining a body to be somewhere else. Music reminds you about your body, but it also takes you out of it. All art is a form of escape, but music is in particular. ’ Some of her renowned performances are United States (I-IV), Speed of the Darkness, Moby Dick: Songs and Poems, etc. Homeland – a Master Piece One of Laurie Anderson’s masterpieces ‘Homeland’ in the year 2007 held sway over her audience for its contemporary theme. It is a scintillating 100-minute performance in which she sings, speaks, plays violin and keyboard. Theme of Homeland The theme of Homeland ponders over the modern America, its withered freedom, its war on Iraq, and the issue of global warming. Laurie Anderson’s wit is revealed when she asks, â€Å"Was the constitution written in invisible ink? † Homeland portrays children being treated as crusaders of war – a clear message that their future is at stake. She touches on the country’s mislead path, bad rulers, and the civilians with troubled state of mind. Her song expresses that no real personal relationships are maintained. The consumer culture on the high is understood through her reference to underwear gods. Homeland is a magnificent song with the combination of sweet choruses, soft violin cello duets, and the maestro Peter Scherer’s keyboards. Homeland is gloomy but it has wit in it. It is an expression of fear and disappointment but is full of heart and soul. Homeland is a true reflection of our troubled times. References L. Anderson, personal communication, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2009 from http://www. pbs. org/art21/artists/index. html Retrieved February 7, 2009 from http://www. musicianguide. com/biographies/1608002294/Laurie-Anderson. html

Impact of International Regimes on Nature of States

Impact of International Regimes on Nature of States To what extent can international regimes change the nature of states’ interactions and provide a solution to intra-state wars? Abstract In this essay, I am arguing that the international regimes can cause a limited change to the nature of the states because of the state sovereignty and legitimacy. However, it is hard to distinguish the limit of the change of the traditional state by the influence of the international regimes. For example if a country wants to become a member of European Union or Schengen agreement has to meets the requirements of the organization. Usually if the country is not meeting the requirement, the organization is giving a deadline to the country to do some reforms and developments in the governance. The limit of the organization is that the state can decide to not follow their rules and simply to not become a member. According to Krasner’s definition, â€Å"regime is more than set of rules presupposed a high level of institutionalization† (Saideman, S. and Zahar, Marie-Joelle, (2008) Intra-state Conflict, Governments and Security; Routledge). International regimes are globalized and interconnected. The international organizations are challenging the state sovereignty and have an impact on it in realms as security, economy, environment and culture. International organizations can be a solution for intra-state wars. Other solutions can be self-help, democratization, guarantor, the use of military forces to decrease the violence, elites, reducing all types of inequality etc. Introduction Globalization as a feature of international regimes is challenging the traditional governance and it is weakening it process. Countries are depending on each other and every little change in a particular country may lead to a worldwide transformation because of increasing globalization and high interconnectedness. The International regimes have effect on the policy decision-making and are monitoring the policy implementation. Each political theory has a different view about the effect of the international regimes. The Civil society concept and the international organizations such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profitable organizations (NPOs) are advocating human rights, explaining to people why voting is important and giving them more clear vision of the world. The international regimes regulate the world beyond state borders. The regimes can change the state sovereignty through international organization‘s rules; can have influence to the state by civil socie ty, NGOs, pressure groups etc. but cannot take decisions instead of the state governance or to run the policy-making process. If a state is a member of a certain organization (UN, NATO, EU etc.) the state has to face the participation requirements and to follow the rules of the organization. Each member has the same rights; equality in voting, rights to speak up, benefits etc. there is no separatism between the states (small, big, poor, rich countries). The state sovereignty cannot be changed, because there is no one that can take decisions but the governance. No one can forcibly make the government to reform the policy or do any other reformation (political, social, economy, environmental etc.). If the state disagrees to follow the rules of the organization it cannot become its member, but it’s a state decision to become or not a member of a certain organization. The role of United Nations Founded after the World War à Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬  , The United Nations purpose is to prevent wars and to create a safe environment for the people. The main UN aims are world peace, minimizing poverty, human rights, freedom and solving environmental issues. Shortly, the UN has an impact on political, economic and environmental realms. Members of the UN have a sovereign equality and the right to vote whether is rich, poor, small or big country. All members must support, help the UN and follow the rules. One of the rules is to avoid using force, to keep a peaceful environment and to solve the differences through dialogs or other peaceful methods. The role of one of the principles organs the UN Security Council is to keep the world peace and to solve international security issues. The Security Council has 15 members, 5 permanent and 10 other countries changing every two years. The five permanent countries, the Great Powers (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) have veto power, whi ch means, the decision can be taken if and only if all of the members agree; if even one of the five countries disagrees the decision is going to be blocked. The Great Powers decisions can change each member sovereignty trough changing the organization constitution or reforming the rules. The UN is constructed by sovereign states, so for example actions about fund agreement depend on the UN members, so they are controlling the agenda entirely. The Global Civil Society and NGOs The Global Civil society is a norm of the good, protection and a voice for the voiceless. The main contexts are personal autonomy, self-organization, globalization and global interconnectedness thus global civil society is more transnational rather than domestic. The Civil society is proclaiming human rights, moral, human’s development etc. They are supporting those which rights and voice are limited or do not have at all, because freedom is one of the main features of the society concept. The Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the non-profitable organizations (NPOs) are usually linked up with volunteering and charity. They are independent from the government and they rely on their own funds. The NGOs can work in every level–regional, national or international. Usually, the NGOs are private and that means they are always working for profit (opposite: governmental – working for the society good) but all these NGOs, NPOs, Civil society are Private but non pr ofitable, so all of them are working for improving humans life, proclaiming human rights, moral valuables, integration, environmental and cultural issues. The Intra –state wars solution Before finding the right solutions of the intra-state wars, we have to be clear about the concept and how the intra-state war occurs. At first, we have to know the difference between the intra-state war and the inter-state war. The intra-state war is between citizens of one country, they can be different ethnic groups, to have dissimilar views about a certain issue etc. Usually, the conflict leads to violence between the state army and the non-state group or groups (terrorist organizations or rebels). The conflict is affecting only the country but it is possible to have international effect. Interstate war is a conflict between two or more states, which are using their national military forces against each other in an aggressive and violent way. The intra-state wars occur in a particular state between their citizens. There are several reasons why intra-state wars occur. A reason can be different points of view about elections or how the state has to be run by the government. The reason can be related to occupying a part of the state by a particular group or trying to make a certain area independent. Also, it can be about political or governance reformation. It is possible intra-state war to occur between ethic and religion groups based on cultural, religion and economic differences. The Civil wars are long lasting and usually end up with a lot of deaths and used resources which is a benefit for the country producing weapons. In 19th and 20th century, the intra-state wars have been decreased because of the centralized governments. The Great Powers (UK, Habsburg Austria, Prussia, France, and Russia) have been involved in the conflicts by supporting the running government with the purpose to prevent violence escalation and to stop the war. Every case of war has different actors, concepts, issues and respectively different. The common thing is that each government has to think about the security of the state citizens. That is important because that would prevent mass murders and radical violence between the groups which are involved in. One of the main government obligation is to provide a â€Å"safe and secure environment† (Saideman, S. and Zahar, Marie-Joelle; (2008) Intra-state Conflict, Governments and Security; Routledge), to protect each group in the state and to decrease the violence to a minimum. According to (Saideman, S. and Zahar, Marie-Joelle; (2008) Intra-state Conflict, Governments and Security; Routledge) the civil war can be resolved by the nationalist elites. The Elites can withdraw the mass attention to a less significant issue for the purpose of governmental faults or â€Å"issues that politicians want to avoid†. Also, the elites can try to divide each group based on nationalism, religion, race etc. so their support would be limited and the government would have more power to control the citizens and their actions. Other solutions can be trying to reduce the inequality or to improve the global norms about the violence usage between humans. The violence must be minimized that would make negotiations easier. Other option is a third side – a state guarantor, which is not directly linked with the war to use force to convince both sides to agreement. Democratization is a solution, as well, because it is impossible a war to occur between two or more democra tic states, thus it is impossible in one democratic state to occur a civil war. Conclusion International regimes can change the nature of states through international organization rules but limited because of the state sovereignty. International regimes can have impact on political, social, environmental, economy, cultural, technological realms. Each international organization has different level of influence to the state, different set of rules and requirements for participation. Thus when a country is joining an organization usually is doing reformations according to the particular organization set of rules and laws. They can have influence to the wars and to resolve the problem with them. In a civil war they can play the role of the third side (guarantor) and to use force to make agreement between the arguing sides. Democratization is other way to prevent wars because the democratic concept rejects the war as a method to resolve problems. Both democratic and liberal views collaborate by the idea of achieving agreement between belligerents by negotiations. Although the v ariety of wars solution wars still occurs, that means one thing – no solution is 100% effective, each case of war needs a careful consideration and precise actions. Bibliography: Anheier, H., Glasius M., and Kaldor, M.; Introducing Global Civil Society. [Online]. Available at: http://www.lse.ac.uk/internationalDevelopment/research/CSHS/civilSociety/yearBook/chapterPdfs/2001/chapter01.pdf Anheier, Helmut K., 1954- (2001). Global civil society [yearbook]. Oxford: Oxford University Press ; Chapter: 2004/5: Global Civil Society: A Sceptical View [Online]. Available at: https://vle.york.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/institution/Electronic%20Texts/Politics/Introduction%20to%20International%20Politics%20%5BYxxxx-002303%5D/92842%20%20Global%20Civil%20Society%20A%20Sceptical%20View.pdf Baylis, (2005). The Globalization of World Politics. Third edition. New York: Oxford University Press Gemmill, Barbara and Bamidele-Izu, Abimbola ; The Role of NGOs and Civil Society in Global Environmental Governance. [Online]. Available at:  http://www.env-net.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/gemmill.pdf Hasenclever, A., Mayer P. and Rittberger, V. Theories of international regimes Andreas. Cambridge University Press [Online]. Available at: http://graduateinstitute.ch/files/live/sites/iheid/files/sites/political_science/users/elena.gadjanova/public/Theories%20of%20international%20regimes0001.pdf Heywood, Andrew (2011). Global politics. Palgrave Macmillan; Chapter: 3 Theories of Global Politics [Online]. Available at: Kaldor, Mary (2003). Global civil society. Polity Press; Chapter: Chapter 1 [Online]. Available at: https://vle.york.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/institution/Electronic%20Texts/Politics/Introduction%20to%20International%20Politics%20%5BYxxxx-002303%5D/92807%20Global%20civil%20society%20pp.1-14.pdf https://vle.york.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/institution/Electronic%20Texts/Politics/Introduction%20to%20International%20Politics%20%5BYxxxx-002303%5D/85351%20Global%20politics%20pp.53-82.pdf Rotberg, 2002, Failed States in a World of Terror, Foreign Affairs, vol. 81, issue 4, pp. 127-140 [Online]. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.york.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=5b5633bb-65ff-4bc0-9268-41e527b8212d%40sessionmgr4002vid=2hid=4101 Saideman, S. M. and Zahar, Marie-Joelle. (2008) Intra-state Conflict, Governments and Security. Routledge

Virtual Against the Real :: Movies Technology Essays

Virtual Against the Real Two men stand on the rooftop. One man, dressed in a black suit and black tie, shoots a penetrating look at the other through his dark sunglasses. With a quick flick of his wrists, the man in the suit fires a handful of lethal bullets. Time slows down as the projectiles float towards their victim. The camera angle changes as the man acrobatically bends back to dodge the rippling bullets. Whoosh! The bullets fly by in normal speed as the man quickly gets back up. Neo, the man who almost tasted lead, straightens himself out before continuing to battle the agents of the virtual world. I sat back comfortably on my couch watching The Matrix (1999), thinking of the virtual versus the real. All the movies I saw recently, all the advertisements that covered the media, and almost anywhere I went, I noticed the use of computer graphics. Even the movie I was watching, The Matrix, was enhanced and completed with the aid of computerized special effects. In order to make a blockbuster hit, it seems as if computer graphics are essential. However, with computers readily available at their fingertips, a portion of the producers, artists, designers are beginning to use computer graphics not so much to enhance as to replace the real. Whenever computer technology is used to replace what is real, I fear there is a danger of losing aspects of a vital humanity. Nowadays, any top science fiction or action/adventure movie uses at least some bit of computerized special effects. I still remember being amazed at how real the tyrannosaurus rex looked in the blockbuster hit, Jurassic Park. I was amazed at the power and realism of the virtual dinosaur. Computer graphics, in some respect, are a necessity in today’s films. For example, in Tom Hank’s Cast Away (2000), all the island scenes were filmed on a mud-pile overlooking a parking lot. Michael A Hiltzik in â€Å"Digital Cinema Take 2† describes how almost all the shots with a sky or ocean were done with special effects. There are numerous examples where computer graphics enhanced the film, including the creation of fantasy worlds in Lord of the Rings (2001). What made these computer-enhanced movies so effective was that they relied almost entirely on live human actors. They had the beautifully depicted scenery, from the snowy mountains to the cozy village of the Hobbits, t hat were all generated by computer, but there is nothing better to portray human stories, stories that we can imagine ourselves in, than live actors.

Free Essay - Good Vs. Evil in The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Free Essay - Good Vs. Evil in The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On important theme within The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn is the struggle between good and evil as experienced when Huck's personal sense of truth and justice come in conflict with the values of society around him.   These occurrences happen often within the novel, and usually Huck chooses the truly moral deed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One such instance occurs when Huckleberry realizes that he is helping a runaway slave.   His moral dilemma is such that he is uncertain whether he should or should not turn this slave, named Jim, over to the authorities.   Society tells him that he is aided a criminal, and that is against the law.   However, he has grown quite attached to Jim, and is beginning to realize that Jim is a really good person.   He would also never hurt him.   This illustrates the concept and symbolism of Jim's freedom and societies influence on Huck.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At one point, Huck convinces himself that the nest opportunity he receives, he will turn Jim in, and clear his conscience.   The opportunity became available when slave hunters meet them on the river.   Huck had an absolutely perfect chance to turn him over.   However, he made up a story that his father was sick and needed help and asked the slave hunters for help.   They immediately assumed that his father had smallpox, and he wanted nothing to do with Huck or his father.   Thus, he had saved Jim, and actually felt good about it.   Further along in the book, Jim becomes a slave again.   Huckleberry, with the aid of Tom Sawyer, free's Jim.   Once again, Jim's escape and freedom are more important to Huck than societies viewpoint.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The river is also important.   The river is symbolic of freedom.   It is also symbolic of good.   When Jim and Huck are rafting down the river, they are free of society.   They have no laws.   This is not to say that they are lawless, however, the laws they obey are there own.   This is in direct contrast to being on land, where society reigns supreme.   Land is evil.   This contrast also seems

Music and Media Can Be Detrimental to Children :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Music and Media Can Be Detrimental to Children Parents will argue that other people are the reason their children are violent and usually take absolutely none of the blame, when in reality they should be taking a lot of the blame for violence among children. I believe media as a whole, including television, radio, movies, video games, news, etc, can be very detrimental to society and leads to a lot of this violence among children with which we are dealing. I was always taught what goes in your head has to eventually come out, so shouldn't you put in only good stuff? "Critics claim that music negatively affects teenagers by repeatedly exposing them to themes such as Satanism, substance abuse, murder, suicide, and sexual violence, which may be heavily reinforced and normalized by the frequency of their portrayal" ("Youth and Violent Music"). I think there are too many television shows that run between the hours of three and five in the afternoon, which is when most children watch television, that make violence their main theme. Also during those hours, there are music video countdowns playing on just about every channel to which you flip. The only things kids learn when they watch these videos is how to abuse their wives, how to shoot a gun at someone, how to violently deal with a bully at school, how to dress so sexy that all the boys will like them, etc. Kids idolize anyone on television, especially if they're a popular songwriter or singer. Most parents know that children imitate whatever they see and hear, so wouldn't you think if parents let them watch these over-sexy and violent videos that their children are going to want to look and act just like what they're watching on television? "Several major rap artists have been charged with violent crimes in real life, and many worry that their actions seeming ly condone the violent messages in their music. Their celebrity status also serves to glamorize their violent behavior" ("Youth and Violent Music"). There are many cases dealing with the death of one or more children due to them "trying-out" a move they watched on television that "look real cool". Even if there was only one case, that would be one too many for me not to think we had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology Essay

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. From concrete interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behavior, sociologists study everything from specific events (the microlevel of analysis of small social patterns) to the â€Å"big picture† (the macro level of analysis of large social patterns). The pioneering European sociologists, however, also offered a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of society and its workings. Their views form the basis for today’s theoretical perspectives, or paradigms, which provide sociologists with an orienting framework—a philosophical position—for asking certain kinds of questions about society and its people. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior (see Table 1). Read more: Functionalist Conflict and Interactionist Perspectives The symbolic interactionist perspective The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber’s assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead (1863–1931) introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s. According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the â€Å"sender,† and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the â€Å"receiver.† In other terms, words are not static â€Å"things†; they require intention and interpretation. Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Written music serves as an example. The black dots and lines become more than mere marks on the page; they refer to notes organized in such a way as to make musical sense. Thus, symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols, as well as to those of others. Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life†long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing â€Å"never ending love,† while the other may see them as a mere financial expense. Much faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols. Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation—the â€Å"big picture.† In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the â€Å"trees† (for example, the size of the diamond in the wedding ring) rather than the â€Å"forest† (for example, the quality of the marriage). The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions. The functionalist perspective According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law†abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order, stability, and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut. Schools offer fewer programs. Families tighten their budgets. And a new social order, stability, and productivity occur. Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that social consensus takes one of two forms: Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical solidarity. In contrast, organic solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, complex societies such those in large American cities like New York in the 2000s. The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists is Robert Merton (b. 1910), who divides human functions into two types: manifest functions are intentional and obvious, while latent functions are unintentional and not obvious. The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community, but its latent function may be to help members learn to discern personal from institutional values. With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. Yet this is not necessarily the case for latent functions, which often demand a sociological approach to be revealed. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society’s members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. The conflict perspective The conflict perspective, which originated primarily out of Karl Marx’s writings on class struggles, presents society in a different light than do the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspectivefocuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever†changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, may interpret an â€Å"elite† board of regents raising tuition to pay for esoteric new programs that raise the prestige of a local college as self†serving rather than as beneficial for students. Whereas American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist, the tumultuous 1960s saw American sociologists gain considerable interest in conflict theory. They also expanded Marx’s idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists: racial, gender, religious, political, economic, and so on. Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for the ever†changing nature of society. Critics of the conflict perspective point to its overly negative view of society. The theory ultimately attributes humanitarian efforts, altruism, democracy, civil rights, and other positive aspects of society to capitalistic designs to control the masses, not to inherent interests in preserving society and social order. Feminist theory is one of the major contemporary sociological theories, which analyzes the status of women and men in society with the purpose of using that knowledge to better women’s lives. Feminist theorists have also started to question the differences between women, including how race, class, ethnicity, and age intersect with gender. Feminist theory is most concerned with giving a voice to women and highlighting the various ways women have contributed to society. There are four main types of feminist theory that attempt to explain the societal differences between men and women: Gender Differences: The gender difference perspective examines how women’s location in, and experience of, social situations differ from men’s. For example, cultural feminists look to the different values associated with womanhood and femininity as a reason why men and women experience the social world differently. Other feminist theorists believe that the different roles assigned to women and men within institutions better explain gender difference, including the sexual division of labor in the household. Existential and phenomenological feminists focus on how women have been marginalized and defined as the â€Å"other† in patriarchal societies. Women are thus seen as objects and are denied the opportunity for self-realization. Gender Inequality: Gender-inequality theories recognize that women’s location in, and experience of, social situations are not only different but also unequal to men’s. Liberal feminists argue that women have the same capacity as men for moral reasoning and agency, but that patriarchy, particularly the sexist patterning of the division of labor, has historically denied women the opportunity to express and practice this reasoning. Women have been isolated to the private sphere of the household and, thus, left without a voice in the public sphere. Even after women enter the public sphere, they are still expected to manage the private sphere and take care of household duties and child rearing. Liberal feminists point out that marriage is a site of gender inequality and that women do not benefit from being married as men do. Indeed, married women have higher levels of stress than unmarried women and married men. According to liberal feminists, the sexual division of labor in both the public and private spheres needs to be altered in order for women to achieve equality. Gender Oppression: Theories of gender oppression go further than theories of gender difference and gender inequality by arguing that not only are women different from or unequal to men, but that they are actively oppressed, subordinated, and even abused by men. Power is the key variable in the two main theories of gender oppression: psychoanalytic feminism and radical feminism. Psychoanalytic feminists attempt to explain power relations between men and women by reformulating Freud’s theories of the subconscious and unconscious, human emotions, and childhood development. They feel that conscious calculation cannot fully explain the production and reproduction of patriarchy. Radical feminists argue that being a woman is a positive thing in and of itself, but that this is not acknowledged in patriarchal societies where women are oppressed. They identify physical violence as being at the base of patriarchy, but they think that patriarchy can be defeated if women recognize their own value and strength, establish a sisterhood of trust with other women, confront oppression critically, and form female separatist networks in the private and public spheres. Structural Oppression: Structural oppression theories posit that women’s oppression and inequality are a result of capitalism, patriarchy, and racism. Socialist feminists agree with Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels that the working class is exploited as a consequence of the capitalist mode of production, but they seek to extend this exploitation not just to class but also to gender. Intersectionality theorists seek to explain oppression and inequality across a variety of variables, including class, gender, race, ethnicity, and age. They make the important insight that not all women experience oppression in the same way. White women and black women, for example, face different forms of discrimination in the workplace. Thus, different groups of women come to view the world through a shared standpoint of â€Å"heterogeneous commonality.† Comparing the Four Sociological Theories Introduction to Sociology: 4 Basic Theories Conflict Functionalism Symbolic Interactionism Social Exchange Macro Macro Micro Micro -Inequality lies at the core of society which leads to conflict -Resources are limited -Power is not evenly distributed -Competition is inevitable (winners & losers) -Negotiations based on influence, threats, promises, and consensus -Threats and coercion -Any resource can be used as tool of power or exploitation -War is natural -Haves and have nots -Privileges are protected by haves -Order is challenged by have nots -Examples of: Gender & Feminist -Uses biological model (society is like a living organism) -Society has interrelated parts -What are functions or dysfunctions of parts -Society finds balance and is stable -Equilibrium -Society adjusts to maintain balance -How are parts integrated -Manifest functions -Latent functions and dysfunctions -Example of: Systems Theory -Society is an ongoing process of many social interactions -Interactions based on symbolic context in which they occur -Subjective perceptions are critical to how symbols are interpreted -Communications -Meanings -Significant others -Roles -Relative deprivation -Self -Reality shaping in self and with others -Key Ideas: Social construction of reality Thomas Theorem Definition of situation -Example of: theories of self -Society is an ongoing series of exchanges which occur during interactions -Interactions based on formula: (Rewards- Costs)=Outcomes Rewards -Costs -Profit/Loss -Comparisons -Limited resources -Power -Legitimacy -Equity -Negotiations -Tradeoffs -Example of: Levinger=s model on divorce: (Attractions +/- Barriers)=/-(Alternative Attractions)

Community News Article: Promoting Health Drinks and Lifestyle Essay

Resumen: This article discusses how in the Appalachian areas of the United States children as young as 6 month are given this high-sugar, highly caffeinated cheap soda to drink called Mountain Dew. This may be because Mountain Dew is cheaper than milk. Parents are allowing far too much caffeine in their systems which cause potential bone damages and mailing causing teeth to rot in the toddlers as young as age two. Lemon and Lime drinks are very damaging to the teeth and Mountain Dew has both. Citric acid is in a lot of lemon or lime- flavored beverages and all carbonated beverages have phosphoric acid that which erode the teeth. Many dentist have tried to educate families and have offered free services to help but these programs can’t work if parents refuse to carry good dental hygiene. The Organization of Public Health Law Research says that West Virginia is so bad that legal action may be necessary, such as implementation of an excise tax on soda, limiting purchases of the drinks with food stamps, educating young mothers and making dental care part of the well-baby visit, especially since many don’t visit dentist until they are 5 years old. Reversing this problem is what health providers are trying to do especially since in West Virginia tooth decay and rotten teeth is normal. Opinion After reading this article, I was very shocked that mothers are given toddlers soda to drink, especially because they find soda cheaper than milk. Parents need to think about their children’s health and their future. I use to love drinking Mountain Dew and I am so glad I don’t drink it anymore. Promoting health drinks and lifestyle is very important to do especially in this century where parents have no time to feed or give children a healthy meal and just solve the solution with fast food or soda. As nurses this is something we must always try to educate families about. If we don’t teach children how to take good care of themselves who will?

Antifeminism in Medieval Literature Essay

Literature throughout the middle ages was often extremely antifeminist, in large part due to the patriarchal nature of society and the lack of female writers. Women were portrayed as vile temptresses, whose very existence revolved around causing man misery. This style of writing is strongly evidenced in The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where Geoffrey Chaucer and the Pearl Poet create characters to strongly reinforce the sentiment. These writers used historical and mythological examples, as well as The Lord’s Lady, and Alyson, the Wife of Bath, to portray women’s’ loathsome nature. In The Wife of Bath, the fifth husband of Alyson owns a book filled with examples of women of poor character. Unlike Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, they come from all of history, including Socrates, Sampson, and Hercules along with many others, and how their wives and lovers betrayed them. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the examples of incorrigible women are solely biblical. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain first mentions Eve, the original sinner, who, after being tricked by the serpent, went on to poison Adam’s mind also. She caused man to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, for women to suffer in childbirth, and for man to have to work the ground to produce food (NKJV, Gen. 3). Solomon is next mentioned, the man whom God gifted with riches and great wisdom. Indeed, Solomon did say â€Å"I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets (NKJV, Ecc. 7. 26),† but he also praises the good wife, telling man to live â€Å"joyfully with the wife whom you love (NKJV, Ecc. 9. 9)†. One of the wisest man Who does not know the tale of Sampson and Delilah? Only the betrayal of Judas is better known. Delilah caused Sampson to be imprisoned, and his eyes to be poked out after he foolishly trusted her (NKJV, Judges 16). Lastly, there is Bathsheba, who made a man â€Å"after God’s own heart† to sin. This last example is extremely questionable, as Bathsheba’s minor sin of being indecently exposed cannot be blamed for the terrible actions David committed (NKJV, 2nd Sam. 11). Certainly there are many examples of morally upright women throughout history and in the Bible, but Chaucer and the Pearl Poet do not seek these out, instead choosing to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular at the time. Two of the three women mentioned in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight attempt to corrupt the noble Gawain. Morgan Le Fey, after hearing of his renown, sends the Green Knight to attempt to put a blemish on Gawain’s stalwart reputation. Despite being sent with such evil intentions, the Green Knight makes it clear he wished only to test Gawain’s morals, rather than having any malicious intent. The Pearl Poet seems to go out of his way to exonerate the Green Knight, while making Morgan Le Fey and The Lord’s Lady out to be extremely ignoble individuals. The Lords Lady entered Gawain’s chambers every morning, essentially holding him hostage, as it would have been unseemly to be seen undressed in front of a lady. She then began to use his honor and courteousness against him. Honor dictated for a knight to do almost anything a lady asked, and the Lord’s Lady used this fact at every opportunity. She showered Gawain with compliments, fawned over his achievements, and asked him to teach her of love. When he still ever so courteously put off her advances, she scolded him for being cold and stern. She insisted he kiss her, first upon leaving, then upon seeing her, always working to get closer to him. Her persistence after Gawain had made it clear multiple times that he would not be tempted, reveals a severe lack of a conscious. It is not unnatural to be tempted, and many will even act upon a temptation, but the Lords Lady made a great effort to commit adultery. She has no qualms over the sinful nature of her actions, as morning after morning she doggedly pursued Gawain. Women were represented as temptresses, who will only cause men to sin and lower themselves. The Lord’s Lady from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an example used to reinforce the antifeminist sentiment popular during the time. Alyson, the Wife of Bath, makes the actions of the Lord’s Lady seem trivial. She proves herself to be extremely temperamental, manipulating, backwards, selfish, lewd, and all around amoral. Alyson began in the prologue of her tale by quoting examples from the Old Testament of men who had multiple wives as her defense for having had five. She states that God made no mention of the number of husbands a woman should have, so why should men make anything of it? However, later in the text, when others quote scripture, she â€Å"gives not a gnat. † Alyson was willing to use whatever she could to justify her argument, and dismiss the same source when it didn’t suit her. She worked tirelessly to manipulate her husbands for whatever she wanted. She gained all of her three old husbands’ riches, and laughed at how pitifully they struggled to please her. For as she said, â€Å"I have the power during all my life over his own body, and not he†. Her fifth husband was â€Å"a scoundrel† and the only one who was indifferent to her. He stood a chance against her, but only for so long. Eventually she gained dominion over him as well, after her stubbornness outlasted his and he gave her leave to do as she pleased. Indeed, as she states in her tale, a woman’s greatest desire is dominion over her husband. While she desired her husband’s money and power, she desired sex even more. She makes it clear that she will work at her husband and â€Å"not desist† until he is both â€Å"her debtor and her slave†. She will use her â€Å"blessed instrument† to give it to her husband both morning and night, â€Å"as freely as my maker it sent. She made her three old husbands work hard to fulfill â€Å"their debt,† and all her fifth husband had to do was lie with her for her to forget of all the wrong he had done. Her obsession with the act of sex is nothing less than repugnant. As one might expect, she also condones adultery, prostitution, and even sex before marriage. She even goes as far as to compare a woman to a household item, to be tried out. When her husband committed adultery against her, she made â€Å"him fry in his own grease for anger, and for pure jealousy,† however she did the same with the clerk in a field. Once again Alyson reveals inconsistencies in what she believes is right for her and what is right for others. In the story she tells, a young man who rapes a woman is essentially rewarded for the crime, further reinforcing her skewed sense of right and wrong. She clearly believes she is above them, and that the consequences for her own actions should not apply. She proves to be extremely selfish, not bothering to please her husbands after getting their land and their money. Further, she does not even mourn for her fourth husband, because she has already found someone to fuel her desires. All in all Alyson, the Wife of Bath, fulfills the role of the vile temptress to perfection. Chaucer created a character malignant and nearly evil in nature, which should strike fear into any man who might ever want to marry. With the creation of such incorrigible female characters with such noble male counterparts, there can leave little doubt about the stance of Chaucer and The Pearl Poet on antifeminism. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale, as well as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight provide ample amounts of support to the antifeminist stereotype in medieval times.

Blue Gold Essay

The short documentary, Blue Gold, presented an issue of our planet’s water supply. Our planet is made out of about 70% of water. However, less than 1% of that water is actually drinkable. The issue is that water is becoming scares and due to lack of rain, the precious water begins to dry out. As the water source rapidly declines, the corporations saw that as a chance to make profit. Therefore, we are forced to buy overpriced water. Summary: Blue Gold did a great job representing the issue and how it affects not only third world countries but first world countries as well. Not only does the documentary talk about the water scarcity problem but they also talk about how the big corporations decided to take control of the situation by owning water and selling it. As the documentary stated, â€Å"water is now a valuable asset†. I am very glad that I got the opportunity to watch this film. Blue Gold opened my eyes to a problem that has been in front of my face the entire time. Shocking information that caught my attention while watching the film is the fact that in Mexico, a plastic bottle of water is more expensive than a glass bottle of Coke-Cola! The idea that Coke-Cola, owner of Nestle, basically took over Mexico and their water supply yet citizens of Mexico are extremely deprived of water is disgusting. Big corporations that are sharks like Coke-Cola are the reason why water is scares. These corporations are they taking over and â€Å"owning† water by literally trapping water in large dams! By doing this, water is not getting is full nutrients because water is suppose to go through the cycle of natural water flow through rivers, lakes, oceans, etc. Not only are these corporations taking over water, they are the ones who are also polluting the water. These corporations dump their wastes into a nearby body of water. Like I stated previously, water needs to flow through a water cycle. As the water is partaking its natural cycle, it is carrying the waste created from the corporations and spreading it through out the world. After watching this movie, it is not even shocking that only less than 1% of the world’s 70% of water is drinkable. Water is no longer available for everyone. It is only available for those who are rich enough to afford it. How sad is that? Children in Mexico drink polluted water from rivers because they are not part of the higher social class that can afford a bottle of clean drinking water. These higher classes are taking over the water source and controlling who gets clean water and who doesn’t. Now that I have watched Blue Gold, I can see how water supply is deprecating. As I drive around, I can see swamps dried out from the lack of rain. We must act now to save this planet’s water because the longer we wait, the more polluted water gets which makes more of Earth’s water unusable. We must spread awareness as well as get some ground rules or laws to prevent these big industries from taking over water as well as dumping whatever they desire. Conclusion: Today, I bought myself a Ethos water bottle from Starbucks and it was sold at a whooping price of almost $3! That is more than a dollar more than a cup of coffee! Watching this movie definitely changed my perspective of water and I am more aware of the situation. I would recommend others to watch this short documentary because the more people aware of the situation, the more people that are willing to prevent and fix this situation.

Deforestation Satire Essay

So, what am I going to talk about? Well, how about I make this easy for you and just spit it out? -pause- *sigh* Well fine then, it you want a proper introduction, then here it is: Have you ever decided to just go for a nice walk outside to get some exercise and enjoy the sun? (well if not, let’s pretend that you have for the purpose of this essay). And then, out of nowhere, you realize that something is missing. That THING, is actually something really quite important. In fact, your life depends on it.Well that THING, ladies and gentlemen, is the forest, and the birds and the bees and the flowers and the, well: trees! OK, I know that this probably hasn't really happened to you, (the whole, â€Å"OMG, the forest disappeared! † thing), but I assure you that it has occurred in Australia and South America, where rain forests are burnt and cut down every year. So there you have it: deforestation. Yes, that's right, I have finally gotten to the topic, and in case you couldn' t tell by now, I am very much against this current issue in our world.Let me explain to you, as best as I can, what the world would be like without trees, and why we need them. All righty then, to start, I want you to close your eyes (please don't actually do this until you have read the following) and try to imagine a world without trees or plants of any kind and there you are – oh wait, I just remembered. You wouldn't be there, because, well, plants and trees are one of our major sources of oxygen, therefore, without them, we would all be DEAD. Unless you want to consider that everyone should wear an air bubble around their heads.That might work, plus the amount of germs would go down. Though you'd probably suffocate from breathing the same carbon-intoxicated air over and over and over again. Of course, you might say, what about a bio dome? Well that option is out of the question, because it would be way too claustrophobic with all those people trapped in one place. Plus, t he smell would be absolutely unbearable. Yuck! To explain further, trees and forests have an essential role in our lives. That role is simply to breathe in and out.And no, I don't mean like us humans, who inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Instead, trees and plants do the opposite: they inhale carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, a cycle that allows plants to create their own food by using energy from the sun’s rays (if only we could do that, then we could cut down all of the forests in the world! ) then, during what is called respiration, plants exhale clean oxygen into the atmosphere just for us! I mean, some people say we can’t live without love, but I think oxygen is more important!Can you imagine couples trying to hug and kiss, meanwhile, they are choking or turning blue in the face? Impossible. Another major consequence of deforestation is the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of species losing their homes. Without their habitations, wild animals such as wolves, foxes and possums will be forced to find a new home. But since there are no forests, they will end up in your garden, or on the side of the road. I highly doubt that you’ll want to wipe bloody guts off of your windshields every morning on your way to work.This is very sad and also inhuman. In what world do we kill hundreds of species just so that we can write on paper and do our homework? I mean, of course I know that teaching and learning are essential parts of our lives, but with today’s growing technology, we should certainly be able to come up with a new way to eliminate the use of paper (and hopefully homework too). On a more personal approach, deforestation also means that the scenery will change. Many people probably don't care about this, but I certainly do.As I’m sure all of the artists, gardeners, photographers, directors, landscapers, hunters, campers and tree-huggers do too. Never mind, that actually does seem like a lot of people, so maybe all hope is not yet lost. Plus, we can’t forget the young members of our future generation who have gotten â€Å"naturalist† on their annoying multiple intelligence quizzes at school. Alright, I realize I have gone off topic, so back to scenery. As I have already mentioned, cutting and burning down forests will leave empty fields where there had once been beautiful, magical woods where fairytales could come to life!Therefore, there will be no shade to hide from the sun, and the earth will quickly become dry and hard. Hence, farmers won’t even be able to use the extra space for agriculture. What is more, large masses of trees also provide extra protection from strong wind and heavy storms. Thus, without them, you will need to watch out when you use your umbrella, or else you just might fly away like Mary Poppins! Hey, that kinda sounds like fun. Though, on a more serious note, the strong winds and changes in temperature can be very harmful to other plants, animals and humans.So watch out, or else nature might just blow you away! To conclude, I will give you a very simple solution to avoid all of the previous statements from happening. All you have to do is never cut down a tree in your life. Not even a single branch! Okay, I realize this isn’t really realistic since everyone â€Å"needs† wood and paper, but the least you could do is plant a tree for everyone you destroy. You could also buy your own piece of land, grow a forest (granted, this may well take your whole life), and watch as animals and other living organisms start to bring it to life.Furthermore, you could have your very own fairytale within its depths, all the while breathing healthy, oxygen-filled air! Well, maybe not completely healthy, but don’t get me started on pollution. Other than that, you will have a happy ending with your prince charming (or princess)! Then, I give you permission to say â€Å"I told you so† about love being more impo rtant that oxygen, though I’m not all that convinced. I’d like to see you write an essay trying to convince me of that!

Environmental Racism and Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Racism and Justice - Research Paper Example During the 19th century, the pollution of the Matanza-Riachuelo began, but unfortunately the matter has become extremely critical, and even dangerous. A catastrophe that will affect people’s health is bound to occur and this is according to the General of the Nation Auditor. Also, the matter cannot be governed, as there are no policies of a public nature, which exist. Three jurisdictions have the mandate of taking care of this matter, thus the reasons why complications have arisen. The population is at risk of suffering greatly, due to the consequences of the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (Hoshaw, 2008). The environment has not been spared either, as it is degrading fast and its improvement is being hampered. Society will benefit if the river basin is well taken care of. The judges of this court issue, further want to make sure that a healthy environment exists. The government has the responsibility of ensuring that a constitutional mandate exists concerning this matter. All t he companies, which have been implicated in this matter, must provide information concerning the contents in the river and what they have dumped. They should make available their insurance, as well as the treatment used to treat the pollution in accordance to the country’s law on the environment. In environmental racism, often decision making opportunities are not offered to communities who are affected by pollution (Hoshaw, 2008). In the case of pollution of the river basin at Matanza-Riachuelo, environmental racism occurred.