Women’s Self Esteem: NOT Because of the Media

The subject of media’s impact on women has been a big issue for several years now.   However, how does self esteem or one’s concept of oneself really develop?   Does the media really have any influence on this?   No, the media does not influence women’s development of self image.   Women’s self-images come from a number of internal sources, including their natural role as nurturers, how their needs are met, and other personal things. First of all, a person develops as a part of a family.   A little girl will learn, based on her family’s actions, to either trust or mistrust peoples’ intentions, as per Erik Erikson’s series of crises.   This will tell her, in time, whether she is worthy of positive attention or not.   If she is worthy of positive attention, then she will begin to develop good self esteem and a positive self image.   If, however, her family is cold or neglectful towards her, she will develop a negative self image and poor self esteem. As the girl grows into a teenager, these early experiences will prove far more important than any outside sources.   A teen who was raised in a loving household will be far more likely to have a positive self image than one who was not.   This has nothing to do with the media, only with personal influences.   As the teen grows into a woman, she will come to see her role in life based on these experiences.   If her experiences were positive, she will see herself in a positive light, and will probably want to give to others.   If her experiences were negative, she may be selfish and will see herself in a negative light. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs will affect a woman’s self esteem, too.   A woman who cannot even get her basic needs met, or who hasn’t had them met since childhood (food, water, shelter) will develop a negative self concept, because she may believe she was not worthy of anything.   She will also be far more concerned about getting these needs met than anything else, which doesn’t allow for higher needs.   If a woman’s need for love and belongingness aren’t met (through friends, family, lovers, etc.), she may also have a lower self-esteem. A woman who has many friends and loved ones, who is well liked, will have a higher self esteem.   A woman who is having all of her needs met and who is striving towards self-actualization should have very high self esteem, because she feels fulfilled in all areas of her life, and is able to strive towards betterment all the time.   This also allows for a solid self concept. Women who have met challenges in their lives and won will tend to have higher self esteem than those who have not been challenged or who have lost.   A woman who has always had good friends, who has always had her needs met, and who has always excelled in some area will have a much better self concept than one who has had few friends, has sometimes not had her needs met, and has infrequently, if ever excelled at anything.   These individual influences determine much more about a person’s self esteem than does anything as elusive as the media. Women traditionally have a role as nurturers.   Even if an individual woman does not necessarily feel like a nurturer, this will still have to play into her identity as a woman.   A woman who accepts her role as a nurturer and a caregiver will likely be less conflicted, and more likely to have high self esteem.   A woman who is a nurturer is meeting her role in society and in life, and therefore would feel more fulfilled.   A woman who is not a nurturer may feel guilty, and may have lower self esteem.   Some women who are not nurturing are able to get beyond their feelings of guilt and be happy and have high self esteem anyway, but it is a conflict that almost all women must face in their lives. Outside sources are not nearly as important to women as their own internal conflicts and their personal lives.   A woman who is secure in her family and friends, and in her own power (as an individual with intelligence and talent) is less likely to care what the media or any ‘unknown’ source says.   The media may portray women any way they wish, but women who have a solid personal life are not going to be swayed by it.   Women who, on the other hand, do not have a strong self concept, are probably also not swayed by the media.   They already feel like they are bad, stupid, ugly, etc., and what the media portrays is not going to change that, either.   Outside sources are not big influences. With all of the internal sources, it is clear that the development of self esteem is a lifelong process, one that starts in very young children and continues into adulthood.   People who have their needs consistently met and who face challenges and win them will develop healthy self esteem.   Those who do not have their needs met or who lose challenges will not develop healthy self esteem.   This happens regardless of anything that goes on in the media.   In general, people vastly overestimate the importance of the media in the development of self esteem.   It is assumed that the media can actually change anything in a girl’s life, when in reality, her own life experiences are what guides her in developing her self esteem and self concept.

Essay on Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People

England has always been a strong point of Christianity, as such, the difficult times that came from the conquest of the territory by the Romans up to the moment when finally Henry VIII decides to separate from the Vatican and â€Å"their deceptions†; making of England one of the most important places where Christian history has been made.During such times of change, despite the different forces that shaped and misshaped the path of faith and religion in England, some conducts remained unchanged such as the belief that a person should focus only in what was adequate according to the standards that the Vatican had stated that were adequate.The first four chapters of Bede’s book only refer to England in the way it was formed, the benefits and paradisiacal surroundings that both England and its surrounding neighbours had to offer in terms of water, soil, vegetation and even animals. In the first book, Bede makes a strong point of reference in the martyrdom that British Chri stians suffered at the hands of the Roman conquistador empire. It is interesting the difference between other martyr books and references to the ones that Bede states in the book. Jack 2Here, therefore, the head of most courageous martyr was struck off, and here he received the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. But he who gave the wicked stroke, was not permitted to rejoice over the deceased; for his eyes dropped upon the ground together with the blessed martyr's head. (Bede, Book 1:VII, 51-52) Other accounts only make strong points of the punishment that God allegedly gives those who inflict the martyrdom in cases against the female virtue and those where the executor is a member of their own family.Though it is not evidently put, the writing of Bede actually infers that God will claim vengeance to anyone that dares raise an arm against His Flock. In the second book, Bede leaves behind the martyrdom that suffered the Brits at the hands of the Romans and d eepens into the creation of the modern day Britannica form of beliefs. It seems that as a result of the preceding changes and strength that the martyrs of days before provided the Christian belief in England gave the Church sufficient hold to unite then flourishing Kingdom by respecting religious festivities such as Easter time.It should be noted that by the time that Bede is making reference to evidently St. Agustin (or Agustine to some authors) makes no reference to an Irish saint: Saint Patrick that had sufficient leverage among the clergy of the time. Almost 300 years have passed between the death of Albas martyr and the next evident miracle in Bede’s book, the time when Bishop Mellitus by simple prayers suffocates a fire. Jack 3And thus the man of God, whose mind was inflamed with the fire of Divine charity, and who was wont to drive away the powers of the air by his frequent prayers, from doing harm to himself, or his people, was deservedly allowed to prevail over the w orldly winds and flames, and to obtain that they should not injure him or his. (Bede, Book 2:VII, 114-115) According to Bede it is only through the power of prayer and a meditative life, succumbed to the will, power and guidance of God (through the church) that any person can command any forces of nature and prevent damage, injury or even death.So far Bede has been able to demonstrate the power and benefits of being a truthful Christian to those readers without dabbling into politics. However, by book three, Bede can make a strong statement of this since Chapter I, when he states that a Christian king (Oswald) can restitute the faith of the people in the nation and in his own kingship. One of the most important things to remember when reading this book is that monarchies were believed to be granted by God Himself, thus it was a â€Å"divine right†.Most of Book three is devoted to two main characters: King Oswald who vaguely resembles king Arthur in the importance that he rece ives from this historian as a God following king who, happened to be so saint that even after being slaughtered in battle performed miracles. The other person of importance is Bishop Aidan who was a strong supporter of King Oswald’s piety actions, much like the wizard Merlin in King Arthur’s descriptions; this was a particularly important character in the development of the king’s ruling.Jack 4 However, it seems that when the kingdom lacked of religious stability, the worst circumstances were present: In the above ¬mentioned year of the aforesaid eclipse, which was presently followed by the pestilence, in which also Bishop Colman, being overcome by the unanimous consent of the Catholics, returned home, Deusdedit, the sixth bishop of the church of Canterbury, died on the I4th of July.Erconbert, also, king of Kent, departed this life the same month and day; leaving his kingdom to his son Egbert, (Bede, Book 4:I, 204) It seems interesting that a terrible disease such as pestilence (or plague) might have been deemed common enough not to deserve any of the religious teachings that the book of Bede is full of. There are no prayers that will stop or detain the disease in its tracks, but more over, it refers to mundane affairs such as the setting the affairs in order of a specific archbishop.Despite this, most of the book is full of miracles that happened during the pestilence, people who in their dying beds saw the Glory of Heaven or deaths that were simply â€Å"heavenly† with no pain or misery. Naturally, as the book progresses in dates, other important events happen; such as the assassination of royal heirs, though not in the way that Shakespearian artists would do, but simply stating that anyone who knows the basis of Christianity will deem his or her Jack 5life in little value because the promise of everlasting life would conquer their hearts in a moment. Finally, book five speaks of basically the same things than the other four boo ks, nonetheless, chapter XII has a significant detail: Having stood there a long time in much dread, not knowing what to do, which way to turn, or what end I might expect, on a sudden I heard behind me the noise of a most hideous and wretched lamentation, and at the same time a loud laughing, as of a rude multitude insulting captured enemies.When that noise, growing plainer, came up to me, I observed a gang of evil spirits dragging the howling and lamenting souls of men into the midst of the darkness, whilst they themselves laughed and rejoiced. Among those men, as I could discern, there was one shorn like a clergyman, a layman, and a woman. (Bede, Book 5:XII, 286) The importance of this description is the imagery that it gives, since this description until our days souls in purgatory damnation have been depicted in the same way and even using the same three human elements: The clergyman, the layman and the woman.Nonetheless, the entire chapter portrays a vision quite similar to the one that Dante provides almost 600 years later: An afterlife divided into sections that are populated by those who are â€Å"less than perfect†, â€Å"barely repented† and â€Å"outwardly evil†. Just like Jack 6 Dante, the visionary in Bede’s book five chapter twelve has a guidance that explains things to him so that he might return to life and tell everyone. What is the truth? Well, it is difficult to state it.According to the Bible, Jesus came to earth to create a final covenant, one of the eternal love and forgiveness; nevertheless, the Church had gone out of their way to create an environment of fear and uncertainty. During the time of Bede, it is evident that Church in England used hell and purgatory as means of control and coercion both in social and political atmospheres. Undoubtedly, the use of these â€Å"boogie men† for the society in early Christianity and the first years of medieval era was beneficial providing church and rulers with s ufficient authority to handle and create empires.Would it work nowadays? Yes it will as it has begun to work with the new age belief; the uncertainty of what lies beyond the natural death is something that will present a problem in the human mind; as a result, whatever we can find that will soothe us will become a leverage for those who provide it to us. Jack 7 Works Cited Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Penguin Classics, revised edition, May 1991. Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1969 Internet medieval source book November 30th,2008

Should People Seeking Government Assistance?

â€Å"Shouldn’t you have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check since I have to pass one to earn it for you? † That’s the question many, hardworking Americans are asking themselves. In today’s America, government aid is highly depended on. The US government has spent $498 billion dollars this year on welfare alone. Mandatory drug testing for welfare applicants is becoming a popular idea across the U. S. Many states including Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Louisiana are considering adopting laws that would require states to drug test welfare applicants.In Florida, Republican Gov. Rick Scott passed a law that required welfare applicants to pay for and pass a drug test from July through October 2011. According to the National Conference for State Legislatures, Florida was one of three states in 2011 to put a drug testing for public assistance in the books; twenty eight states in 2012 proposed similar measures. The Department of Children and Families rep orted that 108 people tested positive for drugs, while 3,936 adults showed no sign of drugs in their system.Another 2,306 people opted not to take the drug test, though the survey did not ask why they were refusing to take the test, so there is no data to show whether those people objected to the policy or had obtained employment and therefore canceled their application. In September 2011, a University of Central Florida student, with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, sued the state over the new law mandating drug testing of all welfare applicants. A little more than a month after the suit was filed, a federal judge ordered a temporary stop to the drug testing.A bench trial is scheduled for March 2013 before U. S. District Judge Mary Scriven. Required drug tests for people seeking welfare benefits ended up costing taxpayers more than it saved. Of the 4,086 applicants who scheduled drug tests while the law was enforced, 108 people, or 2. 6 percent, failed, mo st often testing positive for marijuana. The numbers show that taxpayers spent $118,140 to reimburse people for drug test costs, at an average of $35 per screening. The state lost of Florida lost $45,780, and that’s not counting attorney and court fees and the thousands of hours of staff time it took to enforce this policy.Drug testing welfare applicants was considered unconstitutional by many citizens, they claimed it went against The Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment of the U. S. Constitution provides, â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Ultimately, these words strive to protect two fundamental liberty interests – the right to privacy and freedom from personal inv asions. The Supreme Court has ruled out a number of incidents as to what an â€Å"unreasonable† search looks like. So far, it doesn't look like a drug test to control how people on welfare spend their money. Supposedly, the mandatory drug tests are designed to reduce deficits, utilize tax-payer money more efficiently, and encourage â€Å"personal responsibility. The government now will have the power to kick people off welfare, or otherwise simply deny them welfare, should the person fail their mandated drug test. Aside from deterring these self-destructive behaviors, they believe they will also save millions of dollars because they suspect they will no longer have to subsidize the drug dependencies of a substantial amount of recipients. When Reagan became President in 1986, he began to push drug testing in the workplace, schools, and those applying for free benefits as part of the escalating war on drugs.Since then, drug testing has proliferated to the rest of society. For some businesses, it has become a major hiring tool, while for others it does not exist. For those that do use drug testing, it comes on many forms. Tests range from urine based to hair based to drug recognition experts; each test has its own strengths and weaknesses. The easiest and cheapest tests to perform are urine tests. The most basic and easiest to perform is called an EMIT test. EMIT stands for enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique and involves a urine sample from the subject.The test looks for certain enzymes that occur in the body when certain drugs are consumed. Unfortunately for employers, this test is one of the most undependable of the tests available. It can be easily beaten if the subject knows that they are being tested. Tests can be tampered with in many ways. Another urine test is the gas chromatography test. With this test the urine sample is separated into its component parts. The components are then carried by an inert gas into columns where the parts are sepa rated by their boiling temperature. Each specific compound will be identifiable from the est by its unique separation time. This test is far more reliable than an EMIT test, but there are still instances of errors when certain legal substances are present. A test that is more reliable and harder still to beat is the RIA test. RIA stands for radio immunoassay and it uses the same process as the EMIT test except this test uses radioactive iodine as the detection method rather than an enzyme. Drug metabolite levels are inversely proportional to the level of radioactive particles present. The RIA test is much more reliable and even harder to beat than the gas chromatography test.However, the U. S. Military is the only major employer using the RIA test. This is due to the fact that the RIA test creates radioactive waste as a result which is extremely difficult to handle and dispose of. The next step up from the RIA test is the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test. This test utilizes what the gas chromatography started, except that it takes the process further. After the urine has been separated into its basic components, the mass spectrometer analyzes the components and provides exact molecular identification for them.Since this test is the most expensive and the most accurate of the urine tests, businesses will usually only use this test to confirm a positive result on the EMIT test. The next cheapest test to perform is a saliva test. Saliva tests are becoming more common due to their relative unobtrusiveness and their ability to detect drug use in a more recent timeframe, usually within one week. The biggest problem with saliva tests is that there are no nationally accepted concentration cutoffs. Also, the saliva test is better at detecting methamphetamines and opiates but is much less capable of detecting THC and other cannabinoids.The last test on the list is the blood test. This test requires a sample of blood from the subject which is then sent to a lab for analysis. The cost of the blood test is quite high when compared to all the rest of the tests available. Businesses that are willing to pay for the blood test are getting the most accurate test that they can subject an employee or applicant to. The only problem with blood tests is that they can only detect substances that remain in the blood for a while. If a substance is easily flushed from the blood, it will not appear on a test if the subject has not used recently.Despite their reliability, blood tests are not used often. Most of the time, similar results can be obtained using a cheaper and less intrusive method of testing. Is this all fair? Many people argue it absolutely is. After all, welfare recipients receive millions of American dollars in aid every year. It would only be fair for them to be tested to ensure the assistance is dispersed of properly. Also, many places of employment practice random drug testing. If it happens in the workforce, why would it be unfair for we lfare recipients?There are many pros and cons of this issue. The biggest positive outcome of this program is that it would discourage recipients from purchasing and using illegal drugs. This might mean they don't even need the welfare in the first place. It could also keep children and society safer. It could help lower the demand for illegal drugs on the streets. It could possibly even save the system some money; as those who are on drugs would not receive welfare. It could even create new jobs for people to run the drug testing.However, there are many cons of mandatory drug testing for people on welfare as well. One of the biggest negatives is that it is costly. Illegal drug testing is not cheap. It could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if just one of every five recipients was tested. However, this may be rationalized by saying that the cost that drugs have on our society in general would be lowered. Another negative is that some people who are on prescription medicati on could show false positives, and be discriminated against, even with a doctor's involvement.

HRM STRATEGIES AND PRACTICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

HRM STRATEGIES AND PRACTICE - Essay Example It is necessary that the leader or the management should ensure that there is sufficient quantity of efficient employees for the efficient performance of the organization. By using various selection processes particularly through interview as well as assessment centres, employees with optimal skill and knowledge can be selected. Although, there are many selection processes or types, interview process is only prominently used throughout the world. However each of these selection processes have certain strengths as well as weaknesses, thus elevating one selection process above others in certain contexts. Certain contexts in the sense, although all these two selection processes of interview and assessment centres will fulfil the key purpose of selecting qualified and apt candidates, in certain situations and contexts, one selection process will fulfil the objective of getting correct employees even better. Also, in certain contexts, one selection process will not work as expected. This is from organization or management’s perspective, likewise each selection process will elicit different responses from the prospective employees or applicants as well. That is, each selection process will impact the employees differently, when they are exposed to it, thus eliciting different responses. So, this report firstly will discuss the selection method of interview, listing out its advantages and disadvantages. Then the paper will focus on another selection method of assessment centres, finally coming up with the recommendation about which selection method to adopt. Among the various selection processes, interview has been the commonly used selection process from very early times. The interview is an extremely common selection method and has a high predictive validity for job performance, indicating many factors particularly whether the prospective person is â€Å"organisation

Negotiations and strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Negotiations and strategy - Essay Example Due to this increase, News Corporation is currently liquid with an estimated cash flow of approximately $2.4 billion. Analysts believe that the cash flow of operations will increase to $3 billion within the next 2 years. This cash flow allows News Corporation to have greater flexibility to invest in capital-oriented projects as well as to prepare for the upcoming challenges it might face. On the downside, News Corporation has a large outstanding debt amounting to $11 billion. It is speculated that inflation of interest rates would increase its debt and cause a negative impact on its operating income. However, history tells us that the company was able to survive the largest bankruptcy restructuring in history when it suffered major setbacks in the 1990s. Not only did it survived the restructuring, it also bounced back to generate a 315% increase in its net profits in the mid-90s. 4. Under the license permit, the creative team of the Neighborhood obtains the total freedom of all necessary decisions included but not limited to the cast selection, crewmembers, cutting and editing. At this point in the negotiation, we would like to discuss further the creative issues involving the format of the show. We feel uncomfortable with Fox Entertainment’s proposal to change the format of the show to suit their Fox Sports Network programming. The fact that the is no clear showing that the focus on the lives of purely high school athletes in the inner city might prove to be quite limiting on our part. Furthermore, there are no current bases that will give us some ideas of whether or not such change would prove to be profitable. The current format of the neighborhood is analogues to the plot of Laguna Beach: The Real orange County, which is gathering huge following at the moment. To recall, Laguna Beach revolves around the lives of upper class

Introduction to psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introduction to psychology - Essay Example Families, friends and inner attitude of a person to learning are important. In such a way, people will feel more confident in their learning success and self-performance if their inner attitude to learning and surrounding atmosphere and people is favorable for them. On the example of involvement of external and internal rewards, social approval of surrounding people will be discussed further on. Such issues as family understanding, teachers’ and employers’ attentive and careful attitude etc. belong to external rewards, while such issues as motivational strategies, self-esteem development belong to internal rewards In order to create appropriate atmosphere for students, it is necessary to decrease a negative attitude of young people to learning, i.e. to involve external and internal rewards. The role of external rewards can’t be underestimated, because with regard to learning many people feel emotional oppression and social disapproval very often. Having overcome a psychological barrier (internal rewards’ involvement), having reached a strong desire to learning, students are able to concentrate, put them together and learn efficiently. Generally, motivational difficulties prevent students from the learning process. Teachers and psychologists have to put all their efforts in order to fulfill motivational gap, i.e. involve external rewards. It is possible to reach this goal in the following way: to work out interesting materials for learning process; to involve personal charisma of a teacher; to use examples from real life (Peer, 1998). In such a way, students will feel more confident in their learning success and feel a thirst for knowledge. The abovementioned strategy involved in the learning process is an example of external rewards used for students. For example, a practical decision on external rewards’ involvement can be the following: the teachers have to offer such kind of tasks, which may seem to be very easy. Nevertheless, it is a necessary

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks ( summary of part 2 of the book) Essay

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks ( summary of part 2 of the book) - Essay Example Due to the fact that at its peak around 20,000 test tubes a week were being produced at Tuskeegee, it was at this juncture that the idea of personhood began to be diminished within the eyes of the researchers. HeLa became less and less of a person and more of a resource and a medical material rather than evidence of an original human being that gave rise to such cells. As with previous chapters within the book, the author runs between analyzing the medical research that is being carried out on the â€Å"still living† cells of Henrietta while contrasting this with the life that her children and family she left behind experienced. Although the medical experimentation was continuing and advancing, Henrietta’s family was experiencing trauma as a direct result of the lack of a mother. The children bounced from one location to the next, at one location the 2 year old girl was sexually abused, until they finally were reunited with Bobette and moved in with her. The author juxt aposes this personal story with the fact that HeLa was beginning to experience a great deal of discussion in the media of that time as news articles began to be published. Due to the fact that doctor-patient confidentiality was becoming an issue at the time, the patient was merely referred to in the news stories as Helen L. The author further uses this personal commentary to discuss the grave site of Henrietta. She juxtaposes the fact that the tomb itself is unmarked with the fact that the only remainder of Henrietta still in this world is her children and the cells which have continued to be kept, monitored, and multiplied. Chapters 18 and 19 tell the dual stories of trouble that the scientists faced with contaminated cell lines and the personal problems that Henrietta’s children were experiencing; no doubt as a function of her early passing (Skloot 129). Firstly, the medical experiments revealed that at some point, some of the cells in question had been contaminated with ot her lines; this meant that the rigor of the research was called into question and the researchers must go back and trace the mutations as a function of this contamination. Furthermore, the author juxtaposes these research issues with the fact that Henrietta’s children began to experience major issues of their own. The book proceeds to tell the story of the way in which HeLa’s cells have been found in 18 cell lines that have been used for cancer research. This revelation is juxtaposed with the personal story of Rebecca’s meeting with the Lacks family in early 2000. As she discusses the result of the experiments and the way in which HeLa’s cells have been used, the Lacks family is angry. First they are angry at the fact that Henrietta’s cells have been taken according to them â€Å"without her consent† and second they are angry due to the fact that they believe a great deal of money has been made on the sale of her cells. As such, the family d emands a share of that money. The darker side of humanity is herein presented as the medical advancement that has been made possible through the use of Henrietta’s cells is broken down as a function of its money making potential to the surviving family members. The analysis continues to depict a family that is not only interested in the overall privacy of their family but also worried by the fact that they

White Noise (by Don DeLillo) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

White Noise (by Don DeLillo) - Essay Example I can remember the traffic, Babette humming, the never-ending sounds from the supermarket and TV fragments and commercials, which interfere constantly with the storyline. Jack and his wife ponder that may be death is nothing more than just a continuous stream of white noise. These noises are the very ingredient of life, which fills our mundane existence. One of the themes the novel gravitates around is the existential question - â€Å"who will die first?† Jack and Babette debate this with zest. They depict their endless fear of death, compare their eventual grief, and how each of them would prefer to die first, because they would not bear live without the other. The theme of death sheds lights into Jack and Babettes relationship. Both of them are actually terrified of death to such a degree that they can hardly lead any kind of life, right here, right now. The novel is abundant in various symbols - such as objects, figures, or colour. All these I noticed are used in order to convey or strengthen certain concept or idea. One of the symbols is Hitler - a figure of imminent terror and hatred. The other overwhelming symbol is the sunsets. They dominate the landscape of the novel, as a sublime

Encouraging Employee Buy-in Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Encouraging Employee Buy-in - Essay Example Encouraging Employee Buy-in The company has more than twelve hundred employees. It is possible for line managers and the supervisors of the company to encourage employees’ engagement in an organization through positive campaign on the ban. The first important step towards encouraging employee buy-in is to critically run an evaluation of the parts of the system that impact on employee buy-in (Armstrong, 2008). Keeping employees engaged in the project to encourage smoking ban is a key element of encouraging staff buy-in. The objective of every employer is to employ staffs that are going to be a resource rather than a challenge (Armstrong, 2008). Is such an instance, the two directors should involve the employees in the company’s project from the initial stages of the system. Make familiarize the system in use to all the employees (Brief, 2008). Line managers have an easy job of setting the team together and defining the team’s direction. The challenge comes in getting the team to buy into the concept of working together for common objectives of supporting the ban (Boxall & Purcell, 2011). Emphasizing the positive benefits of working as a team to support each other is a way that may create employee buy-in to the project. The line manager should explain to employees the specific reason they have chosen to contribution to the job (Boxall & Purcell, 2011). In a way, the employee will feel proud to be associated in the business if the managers offer unbiased reasons for implementing the ban. Line managers and the supervisors should talk to employees about how to prioritize the team’s work within their regular duties.

Cecilia Penifader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cecilia Penifader - Essay Example Instead, Cecilias life shows that women had agency, and that the peasant class—those who work—actually were not completely powerless and in thrall to the other two estates. Traditional medieval wisdom held that there were three different estates, or social classes of people. These were those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. These three parts of society were all needed to keep the whole thing running smoothly. In this model, those who prayed and those who fought were the social classes which had all the power. Those who fought were the ones who kept everybody safe from invaders, and those who prayed kept people spiritually safe and away from Hell, which was a big concern in the medieval period. Because of this, both of these important estates were the ones which took all the money and power for themselves. The third estate was those who worked, which consisted of peasants and farmers and other people who did not pray or fight. This estate was traditionally understood to not have any power at all, and be completely at the mercy of the praying and fighting estates. They usually were the ones who held up the whole society, though, because without their work the richer estate classes could not survive. An example of this is the Manorial system, which was â€Å"devised as a profit-making mechanism for its owners,† the noble or royal people (Bennett 30). In this system, the manor owners would earn the money that the workers created through harvesting and processing the grains. The other way in which medieval societies separated people into different types was through gender. It was â€Å"a world that clearly and firmly distinguished between female and male† (Bennett 115). Women and men both had distinct roles that they were supposed to carry out, without any overlap. In this model women were meant to deal with

Lovecraft's argument or postion to Paradox of Horror Essay

Lovecraft's argument or postion to Paradox of Horror - Essay Example And this is the point where I will start my argument. Someone can and many people go around looking for scary things not because they are forced but because they find excitement in the horror part of art. Many people get scared but still continue to love the art of horror and the scary nature of the horror art. Someone can seek for a scary thing or disgusting thing for entertainment. Since the times of the Romans, scary acts have been used for entertainment. This can be seen from the way that criminals were killed. Some of the criminals were set out and a lion left to eat them as a large crowd watched and celebrated. This shows that there is a sense of excitement in humans when they get scared over something. Most of the people who seek horror in art mainly do so because of its entertainment nature. Therefore I can say that the above saying that no one can seek out for a scary or disgusting thing is wrong. People can seek out scary things and movies because of their entertainment nat ure. Someone can also seek horror and scary art scenes so as to remove stress. Stress has been known to disturb man since creation. Many people forget about their stress when they see something that is scary. This is because when they see the disgusting part of the art, they forget about their problems and start to feel for the situation that is making them scared. At this point their stress goes away and they become relieved for some time. Therefore someone can use horror to remove stress that they have. This clearly disapproves Lovecraft’s idea that no one can seek for any disgusting or scary thing. Many people look for scary things to remove stress and this is a better argument to prove that Lovecraft statement is wrong. People also seek scary art so as to take a lesson from the art. When people see how someone suffers, they get the lesson not to what the victim did to undergo such suffering. Some people just love learning lessons about something and so when they get to se e how someone has suffered, they get thee reason of his/her suffering and take it as a lesson so that next time they don’t do the same mistakes as the ones done by the person who suffers in the horror act. Apart from the educative nature of horror acting, there are people who love horror simply because of its scary nature. When they experience the scary part of the horror, they get some excitement that makes them feel better. Horror is like part of their life so when arguing this, these people should not be left out of the debate. This group of people help to prove that there are people out there who go for horror acting because they want to and not because they are forced. If we say that people don’t look for scary acts because they like it then it means that everyone who participate in the production and anyone who enjoys horror movies or act do so because they are under some obligation or that they do that because of circumstances that they can’t avoid and if given a chance they can do the acting or watching of the horror movies. This is an invalid argument since almost everyone who watches horror movies do so because they love it and not because someone has told them to watch it. Many people would argue that maybe their love for horror movies come due to the influence of the people around them and the environmental

Mark McMinn, the author of the book Psychology Essay Example for Free

Mark McMinn, the author of the book Psychology Essay Theology and Spirituality, did an excellent job discussing the aspects of psychology, theology and spirituality, and how they can be integrated by a Counselor. Each chapter opened with a real life example of what it would be like to not properly integrate psychology, theology and spirituality. Christian counselors are charged to incorporate spirituality in their personal lives and properly display these same practices with their clients. Christian counselors are individuals who seek and successfully become trained in counseling theories and techniques as well as theology practices such as using prayer and scripture. â€Å"This type of training can rarely be accomplished in the classroom. But it calls us to lives of spiritual discipline and a personal love for scripture† (McMinn, 2011, p. 139). According to McMinn, the goals of Christian counseling are multi-faceted (McMinn, 2011). Most counseling maps are focused on mental health. McMinn (2011) presented a healing map. This map displayed the link between self-sufficiency, brokenness and the healing relationship and how they relate to the core foundations; prayer, scripture, sin, confessions, forgiveness and redemption. Effective counselors are passionate and irrepressible in the walk with God. McMinn also cautions counselors on the limitations and challenges they will face in counseling. Each section discussed one core foundation. McMinn not only discussed these topics in depth, he also related them to the healing map by answering these three questions; Will this help establish a healthy sense of self? Will this help establish a healthy sense of need? And will this help establish a healing relationship? (McMinn, 2011). McMinn discussed the true purpose that self-sufficiency served and pointed out that this purpose was greatly corrupted, leading to the brokenness that requires a healing relationship. Self-sufficiency is our freedom to love and be kind. When we take this freedom too far, we end up having to face consequences that can have lasting effects, with the absence of a healing relationship. Brokenness not only causes us to seek counseling, but it draws us nearer to God and this in turn allows a true healing relationship to begin (McMinn, 2011). The foundations that McMinn discussed; prayer, scripture, confession of sin, forgiveness and redemptions, are all needed to properly devise therapy that will have actual results. When a counselor uses prayer in their session, it  enhances the client’s spiritual growth which also strengthens their faith (McMinn, 2011). â€Å"When we pray we humble ourselves and ask to become a partner in knowing and doing God’s will† (McMinn, 2011, p.85). When scripture is applied in counseling, it not only teaches the client how to understand it, but how to incorporate it in their lives, further strengthening their relationshi p with God. Scripture also helps the client recognize and understand sin. The realization of sin, helps the client understand why they are suffering and that there is real hope to overcome the suffering when they overcome sin. After acknowledging their sin, the client can now accept forgiveness and mercy. When the client is competent in acknowledging their sin and accepting mercy, they are not capable of establishing a sense of self (McMinn, 2011). The best part of the process is redemption. Redemption allows the counselor to honestly look at each core foundation with the client. Redemption provides that mirror of change and the growth to overcome obstacles in the future. Concrete Response Reference McMinn, M. R. (2011). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling (Rev. ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House

Comparison Of Persistence Framework Computer Science Essay

Comparison Of Persistence Framework Computer Science Essay Compare and contrast the following persistence frameworks: Java Persistence API (JPA), Hibernate and Java Database Connectivity. What improvements were made in EJB3.1 and JPA2? Include topics of scalability, security, connection pools, connection factories, entity management, transactional context, query languages, ORM, JCA, JNDI, the DAO-VO design pattern and specifically persistence layer(s) on a distributed n-tier enterprise platform in your discussion. Java Persistence API (JPA) JPA is an abstraction above JDBC that makes it possible to be independent of SQL. The main components of JPA are: ORM: Object relational mapping is a means to map objects to data stored in relational database [1]. JPA uses annotations and/or XML descriptor files to map POJO based java objects to relational database tables. CRUD: An entity manager manages lifecycle of JPA entities. It performs database related operations like create, retrieve, update and delete. JPQL: Java persistence query language allows writing CRUD queries using an object oriented query language. JTA: Java Transaction API provides transactions and locking mechanisms while accessing data concurrently. Callbacks and listeners: They hook business logic into the life cycle of a persistent object. Hibernate Hibernate is an Object relationship mapping framework. Hibernate helps in mapping POJO Java classes to SQL database tables. It has the power of significantly reducing development time. Hibernate uses annotations and/or XML (mapping) descriptor files to map the POJO Java objects in the application domain to relational database tables. Hibernate implements polymorphism and inheritance. Hibernate generated SQL maintains the portability of the application to all SQL databases. This HQL (SQL) allows create, retrieve, update and delete operations on POJO. This framework allows development of persistent Java classes which includes object oriented features like encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and collections frameworks. Hibernate Query Language (HQL): This is an extremely powerful query language similar to SQL. HQL is an object oriented SQL. Like SQL using tables and columns, HQL uses classes and properties. This means HQL uses object models for relational operations. Hence, it is less verbose as compared to SQL. JDBC JDBC is a standard java API for accessing relational database used for persisting state. It connects to database executes SQL statements and gets result. JDBC can also be used in a distributed environment. JDBC makes connection with an underlying data source using Connection Interface. It uses following mechanisms for connections: DriverManager This class is the management layer of JDBC. DriverManager loads any JDBC 4.0 drivers when an application makes connection to a data source as a part of its initialization. Other JDBC drivers must be explicitly loaded. DataSource DataSource can be a legacy database, file system or some other source of data. It is preferred over DriveManager as it allows the underlying data source to be apparent to the application. The two important extensions of the DataSource interface are as follows: ConnectionPoolDataSource The connection pool names are configured in JNDI. They support caching and reusing of physical connections in a way improving application performance and scalability. XADataSource XAdataSource uses XAConnection objects internally. It establishes physical connection with the database using the given user name and password. The connection thus obtained can be used in distributed transaction. Session bean and JDBC: Java architecture implementing session beans along with JDBC, any persistence request is delegated to the JDBC tier by the session bean. Upon request, the session bean calls JDBC layer to obtain a reference to object of type javax.sql.DataSource  interface. The DataSource type object serves acts as a resource manager factory for  java.sql.Connection  objects (as outlined by JDBC specification) that implement connections to a database. Once a  Connection  object is retrieved, the following business logic and persistence code (reads, updates, looping resultset, transaction commit/rollback etc.) are JDBC code. JDBC drawbacks Java applications initially used the JDBC API to create/read/update/delete/ data into relational databases. The JDBC API makes direct use of SQL statements to perform data persistence activities (create, read, update, and delete). When JDBC code is implemented in Java classes, the business logic gets tightly coupled to the Java class. The JDBC embeddable java code relies on SQL, which is not uniform across databases. Thus the code is tightly coupled to one type of database and hence difficult to migrate. Transactional Support: By default, JDBC drivers work in auto-commit mode, where each database SQL (read, update) is an atomic transaction. It is very easy to disable auto-commit, execute SQL in batch mode (multiple queries/updates) and then commit or rollback the transaction. DAO-VO A typical DAO (Data Access object) provides an interface that describes its contract with external interfaces. This outlines a series of methods for data persistence (CRUD operations). Generally a DAO is defined with a base interface and its methods are implemented by entity classes. A VO (Value object) is a simple POJO to transfer the data across various tiers of Java architecture. JDO For every method Persistence Manager is obtained, a transaction is fetched, and operations are executed. By availing attach/detach and fetch-groups, persisted objects are made available outside the DAO layer in a seamless way. Hibernate and JPA JPA acts as an adapter over Hibernate. JPA provides the entire API to interact with Hibernate. In a way JPA acts as an abstraction between the java code and Hibernate. In such a architecture it is easy to replace Hibernate if need be. JCA Java EE Connector Architecture (JCA) is a Java-based technology solution for connecting application servers and enterprise information systems (EIS) as part of enterprise application integration (EAI) solutions. While JDBC is specifically used to connect Java EE applications to databases, JCA is a more generic architecture for connection to legacy systems. What improvements were made in EJB3.1 and JPA2 Improvements in EJB 3.1 With EJB 3.1, there is no need to define home/local interfaces. Now EJB can be defined simple with an annotation. Singleton beans were introduced with EJB 3.1. Singleton beans can be used for shared data at application level. Asynchronous EJB calls are now supported with @Asynchronous method-level annotation. Packaging and deployment can be directly done in a war file. Session beans with a local view can be accessed without a separate local business interface. EJB Timer Service enhancements are also included to support scheduling jobs; Stateful Session Bean timed objects and deployment-time timer creation. Embedded container: A new embeddable API is available for executing EJB components within a Java SE environment (for unit testing, batch processing, etc.). EJB Lite: This definition of a lightweight subset of functionalities can be provided within Java EE Profiles (such as the Java EE Web Profile). Portable JNDI name: The syntax for looking up EJB components is now specified. Example: A Stateless EJB @Stateless public class CustomerEJB { @PersistenceContext(unitName = customerPU) private EntityManager em; public Customer findCustById(Long id) { return em.find(Customer.class, id); } public Customer createCust( Customer cust) { em.persist(cust); return cust; } } Improvements in JPA 2.0 Collections of basic types. Collections of embeddable. A persistent ordering is now maintained using the @OrderColumn annotation. Orphan removal that allows removal of child object when parent object is removed. Pessimistic locking has also been introduced along with optimistic locking. Foreign key mapping were introduced with JPA 2.0 for unidirectional one-to-many relationships. Improved support for maps (java HashMaps). Criteria query API which allows queries to be constructed in an object-oriented manner. Improvements in JPQL syntax. JPA 2.0 allows nesting of embeddable objects into other embeddable objects and has entity relationships. JPA 2.0 Example: @Entity @NamedQuery(name = findAllCust, query= select c from Customer c) public class Customer implements Serializable { @Id @GeneratedValue private Long id; @Column(name = cust_name) private String custName; public Customer() { } //à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Get and set methods @Override public String toString(){ StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(100); sb.append(id : );sb.append(id);sb.append( ; ); sb.append(custName : );sb.append(custName);sb.append( ; ); return sb.toString(); }

Exploration of the Economics of Poverty

Exploration of the Economics of Poverty 3.1. Introduction A significant body of the literature has been dedicated to examining wide spreading of poverty  and its gradual explosion issues together with pioneering steps in research and practice towards poverty  eradication have created an unprecedented outburst of studies about business literature for poverty  eradication. The following section is a review of literature about how multinationals attend low-income markets where poverty  occurs on a large scale. The review is carried out with a concern about poverty alleviation and some implications and appropriate frameworks for MNCs executives to help to alleviate poverty while selling to the poor. From this viewpoint, the literature review is divided into three main sections: BOP inititiative, buyer behavior and marketing strategies. It examines some key elements of the BOP initiative companies motivation; the BOP business model; the role of micro finance. With a number of successful stories acknowledged in the literature, the sectio n also reviews how to adopt MNCs marketing mix to attend the BOP profitably. 3.2. Part 1: Poverty in Business Perspectives Billions of people living in the extreme poverty, who are in many cases denied access to proper services, energy, water, health, and above all the opportunities to improve their economic and social outlook, is a significant societal problem. Even though the high economic growth of large-population countries, such as China and India, has brought about many job opportunities and brought down the overall poverty  level, it is still not sufficient to reach other targets in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (World Bank, 2004). Along with the increasing concern of NGOs and other non profit organization towards poverty alleviation, business perspectives have been gradually positioned as a useful tool in contributing to poverty reduction. Such interest has appeared to become much more worldwide through being catalyzed by pioneer approaches, both in practice and theory, which have awakened business attention to the problem of poverty. Indeed, there is an abundance of academic literature on the. It appear to have been dissected from all imaginable angles Poverty in business perspectives has a diverse appearance, such as the vast majority of 4 billion people living on less than $1 or $2 a day (Prahalad and Hammond, 2002), poor producers (Karnani, 2007), gender (Thierry, 2007), self-employed poor people, micro entrepreneurs, micro franchisees (Gibson, 2007), employees, business owners, etc. Within these much attention is lately placed not on poverty as a whole but on its attributed and its causes. 3.2.1. Companies Motivation to Attend Low-Income Markets Much of the debate about poverty alleviation has been provoked by suggestions that multinational corporations (MNC) with extensive financial resources are in the best position to lead the process of selling to the poor. The construction of a new image of poverty in business perspectives, for example, is much contributed by the pioneering idea of Prahalad and Hammond (2002) who focus on the large buying power of 4 billion people earning less than $ 2000 each per year at the lowest tier of the economic pyramid â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Bottom of the pyramid. Prahalad and Hammond (2002) advise private companies to view poverty as a potential of serving an unexploited, multitrillion-dollar market and alleviating the level of global poverty while still earning a profit. By infusing the profit motive into value creation, the hope is that private companies will take the leading role in serving the BOP and, thus, the purpose of alleviating poverty will more likely succeed. From this follows/Keeping thi s in mind, the main two motivations for profit seeking companies to attend this market is: The opportunity to covert BOP segments purchasing power into profits; and The ability to bring prosperity to the poor, and thus alleviate poverty. This was supported by 3.2.1.1. Purchasing Power and Profitability A key component surrounding literature is that even poor people could be profitable customers. a) Creating New Business Opportunities Such strong view rests on the idea that the potential growth for many multinational (MNC) and medium sized companies does not rest on the low-income market in the developing countries. Instead, its source is the immense size of potential market of $13 trillion at purchasing power parity (PPP) that the two-thirds of the world population with unmet needs are supposed to represent. Projections and demographic trends also indicate that by 2050, more than 85% of the worlds population will fall within this category. This portends an abysmal decline in effective demand. By empowering the poor, businesses naturally create new business opportunities by raising effective demand and consumption levels. b) Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) since it will help to reduce poverty and more importanlty for the company, it will be crucial to their long-term competitiveness and success. One of the most interesting implications of BOP is the radical impact it can have on a companys core business model. .. for instance, claims that organizations which set out to empower poor communities by providing basic education and skills acquisition, improving local human capital, protecting the environment, and developing the culture of accountability and transparency, are practicing some components of CSR which is essential for the long-term sustainability of any company. Indeed, many large corporations have announced CSR benefits that impacts on their profitability and claim it to be a key element of development. Besides, adds that a comprehensive set of CSR policies, practices and programmes incorporated in companys business strategy can increase productivity, contribute to competitiveness, improve staff recruitment and retention rates and create a more positive corporate image. All in all, concludes that d) Government support Political Capital It is obvious that businesses that empower the poor strike a compelling partnership with the government. Most of the time, politicians take undeserved credit for attracting such private investments etc. 3.2.1.2. Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity to the Poor a) Job Creation Businesses whose products and services address basic and common needs can enter the bottom of the pyramid market segments more effectively, and with a deeper social impact through partnerships with highly innovative community groups. They can scale their impact significantly by leveraging their expertise and experience in developing skills and engaging such community groups actively in delivering their products and services. This way, communities are better served, if an increasing number of people engaged in the business are people from their immediate neighborhoods, giving it a local flavor and a compelling sense of stake in the business. adds that expansion by multinationals into emerging markets creates new jobsproduct-distribution networks and shops, for exampleand income earned from those jobs ripples through local economies, creating more new jobs, a phenomenon that economists call the multiplier effect. b) Training, Education and Skills enhancement â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Profit-seeking companies can also play an important role in educating BOP consumers. Banerjee and Duflo (2007) point out, that BOP consumers can be entrepreneurial and do several different types of jobs. However, due to their lack the skills they can not get higher paying jobs. The provision of funding and training is a way multinationals can support the poor. Education is also necessary not just for getting a job, but to make more informed decisions in other areas, e.g. health education can improve food choices. Besides, education and information can also help BOP negotiate better rates and recognizing counterfeit goods. c) Community Development: Through basic empowerment in terms of education and job creation, the community systematically grows out of the crutches of poverty. Beyond the occasional CSR embarked upon by businesses, empowered indigenes gradually but steadily develop their communities by training other relatives of theirs and embarking on micro projects that eventually add up to improving the lot of their communities. Not only, the company makes more profit, and the peoples lifestyle changes. The poor also benefit because they have access to services such as banking and insurance that once were denied them, he says. 3.2.2. Challenges of Attending Low-income Markets Nevertheless, there is a great branch of the literature about the nature, scope, and value of serving low-income segments (Karnani, 2007a; Martinez and Carbonell, 2007; Aiyar, 2006; Jaswal, 2007) that questions the ease with wich multinationals may enter the BOP and whether profits exist there at all. They argue that it is very unlikely that companies will be able to attend the BOP market profitably. Landrum (2007) points out that the costs of serving this segment can be very high. BOP customers are usually much dispersed geographically; they are very heterogeneous, which reduces the opportunities for obtaining significant economies of scale; and their individual transactions usually represent a low amount of money. In addition, consumers at the BOP are very price sensitive, which, again, makes profitability a difficult goal to achieve. For example, Karnani (2007a) posits that the poor may want the same products as the rich do but by virtue of being poor, they cannot afford them. The differences between business realities and development imperatives are not easy to reconcile, states () Some recent case studies also suggests that unlimited business opportunities and poverty eradication through profits may set unrealistic expectations for business executives (McFalls,2007). Second, the traditional timelines for achieving social goods versus profits differ (Harjula, 2005). Businesses may use a five-year horizon as their benchmark for returns. In contrast, social goals like reducing smoking and other unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may take generations. Thus, rather than viewing the poor primarily as consumers, this group suggest a focus on this segment as producers, i.e.potential entrepreneurs that can improve their economic situation by increasing their income level. Karnani suggests that raising income will alleviate their poverty, provide cost effective products to other consumers, and allow the formerly poor to consume more. Raising their incomes may require that they become producers with stable jobs and wages. Focusing on poor people as self-employed poor people, micro entrepreneurs, Gibson (2007) also suggested that constructing and running micro franchising models that pair franchisors (MNCs or non-governmental organizations), micro franchisors (independent business people) with other poor people to expand the business and get other poor people involved in a self-employment venture can help empower poor people to raise their standard of living and gain a greater degree of financial stability. CONCLUSION It postulates that if companies take the correct steps and devote sufficient resources to satisfying the needs of the BOP, they can overcome barriers to consumption. However, companies must be willing to invest time, resources and training to insure that the producers create products with some barriers to entry and are asonable level of productivity. BOP projects must be integrated into key areas in operations where decisions on new products and markets are made and executed. For most companies, BOP therefore requires comprehensive organizational change and heavy involvement of key business areas responsible for new market creation- something that far exceeds what is required to implement most other sustainability activities. Therefore, while there are potentially compelling reasons for widening the definition of market opportunities beyond consumer goods for low-income segments, the following part of literature review focuses on the BOP concept in its original form, i.e., as a business strategy aimed at selling profit-seeking products to low-income segments while simultaneously contributing to the resolution of significant societal problems in these regions.

A Comparison of the Weavers of Peace in Beowulf and Grendel :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Weavers of Peace in Beowulf and Grendel Queen Wealhtheow and Queen Hygd served as excellent role models for the courts in which they served. They exemplified the mannerisms and etiquette of the noble people. Queen Wealhtheow showed excellent poise from the very beginning of both texts. She was admirable as she passed the mead bowl around Heorot. The offering of the bowl was symbolic, being that the bowl was first given to Hrothgar and then passed to Beowulf, as if she presented him with her trust. Beowulf gave Wealhtheow his guarantee that he would be successful or die in battle. After she presented Hrothgar and Beowulf with the mead bowl she served the Scyldings, and did so as if they were her own people. She was not a Scylding, nor did she desire to be one, but she never made her unhappiness known, as described in Grendel. There is not great detail on Queen Hygd in Grendel, but from what the reader can gather from Beowulf, she is as much of a female role model as Queen Wealhtheow. She was young but very intelligent. In f act King Hygelac felt intimidated by Hygd’s intelligence. In both texts, Beowulf and Grendel, the main purpose of the Queens are to serve the courts as "weavers of peace.† In Grendel, however, Queen Wealththeow is described in much greater detail and serves a further purpose. The reader gains insight to a part Grendel that is not present in Beowulf, his desire for a human. For even though in Beowulf and Grendel, the main purpose of the queens is to serve the courts as â€Å"weavers of peace,† the queens also serve other purposes as role models, preservers of their kingdoms, emotional beings, mother figures and objects of beauty and lust. It was not unusual for women to be offered as tokens of peace within the noble courts. In the novel Grendel, Wealhtheow's brother, King of the Helmings, bestowed her to King Hrothgar to promote peace amongst the Helmings and Scyldings. "She had given, her life for those she loved. So would any simpering, eyelash batting female in her court, given the proper setup, the minimal conditions"(Grendel 102). It is ironic how she promoted peace from her arrival because she was an essential part in keeping peace, as the "weaver of peace" in both texts. Queen Wealhtheow however is not the only woman in the texts that was forsaken to encourage appeasement among feuding courts.

A Comparison of Thomas Grays Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country Churc

A Comparison of Thomas Gray's Elegy (Eulogy) Written in a Country Churchyard and Bryant's Thanatopsis  Ã‚     Ã‚   Thomas Gray and William Cullen Bryant both chose to write about nature and death being intertwined. Since Thomas Gray lived in a time of social injustice, he chose to use death to illustrate the problems inherent in a socially stratified society. William Cullen Bryant, on the other hand, lived in a rapidly expanding young nation that cherished the vast amounts of untouched nature and he used death to illustrate how man fits into the universal truth of the earth. However, both men believed that death rendered all men equal in that all went to their final resting place in Mother Nature's bosom. While Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" comes across as a social commentary on the English peasants and Bryant's "Thanatopsis" serves as a catalog of American Romantic beliefs, both believe that one must listen to nature, that death makes all men equal, and that man returns to nature after death. To compare how the poems minor themes are similar, one must first understand their major themes' differences. "Elegy" differs so greatly from "Thanatopsis" because they came from vastly different times and countries. Gray wrote "Elegy" in eighteenth century England after the death of one of his friends. Influenced by the English Romantics like Gray, Bryant, who spent much of his time out in the wild, wrote "Thanatopsis" in praise of nature's splendor. "Elegy" appears at first to be solely about death but emerges as a social commentary on the plight of the poor. Gray first explains how the commoners delight in the simple life of working in the fields and enjoying their families while "Chill Penury" held them back from gr... ...    Brady, Frank. "Structure and Meaning in Gray's Elegy" Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 7-17.    Carper, Thomas. "Gray's Personal Elegy" Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 39-50.    Lonsdale, Roger. "Poetry of Thomas Gray: Versions of the Self" Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 19-38.    McLean, Albert. William Cullen Bryant. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1964. 65-81.    Smith, Eric. "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 51-67.    Peckham, Harry Houston. Gotham Yankee. New York: Russell and Russell, 1971. 31-35.   

Alfieri Tells the Audience ‘Justice Is Very Important Here’. How Does Arthur Miller Show the Importance of Justice in the Play? Essay

After Eddie hits Rodolfo the audience gets the feeling that he feels this is justice for Rodolfo leading Catherine away from the life Eddie wanted her to have. This is emphasised by Eddie’s use of the word ‘Danish’ to describe Rodolfo. By using this as a nickname Miller is trying to access the point that Eddie is trying to isolate Rodolfo from the Italian community and also their family. The true sense of justice in this scene however, comes from Marco who ‘raises the chair over his head’. This is a clear sense of warning implied by Marco, which is clearly registered by Eddie, ‘Eddies grin vanished. ’ This, to Marco, is a feeling of justice coming to Eddie for trying to make either him of his brother feel like they don’t belong. While also foreshadowing what will happen at the end of Act 2. Miller highlights justice as one of the most important things in Eddie’s life. However, he leads the audience to enquire whether Eddie’s desires are truly ‘just’. What Eddie wants is his honour and his name but also Catherine. ‘Marcos got my name. He also wants his respect back from Marco, which he has completely lost by the actions his inappropriate feelings for Catherine have caused him to take. In the structure of a Greek tragedy that Miller is trying to create Eddie plays the protagonist. It is his conflict between his good quality’s and the gradually rise of his bad ones that force the drama forwards with both Eddie an d Marcos need for justice. The importance of justice shown in the play comes to a drama filled end with Marco finally getting the justice he believes he deserves. The end of this play was foreshadowed when Marco stated, ‘all the law is not in a book. ’ By saying this Miller has implied to the audience that Marco believes it is his duty to bring Eddie’s life to an end, ‘in my country he would be dead by now. ’ He also brings in the claim felt by Marco of natural justice and how by disregarding the respect Marco feels for Rodolfo, ‘my brother, my blood,’ Eddie has lead himself in to the situation where he is nothing more than an ‘animal’ who deserves to die. In conclusion, throughout the play Miller implies the theme of justice as the most prominent and important theme of the play. It is one of the only things Marco and Eddie have in common, in the way that they both search for it and in the end it finished with Eddie dead and Marco being sent back to Italy. In the final scene Miller shows the audience that though you may gain the justice you sought out for like Marco, ‘Eddie falls to his knees before Marco,’ it may be the thing that leads to a characters downfall, in which it did with both Eddie and Marco at the end of this play.

“Progressive Proportional and Regressive Tax System”

Throughout history, every organized society had some form of government. In free societies, the goals of government have been to protect individual freedoms and to promote the well-being of society as a whole. To achieve those goals and meet the expanses all governments need some revenue, and that revenue is raised mostly through taxes. In USA, governments levy several different types of taxes on individuals and businesses. The Federal Government relies mainly on income taxes for its revenue. State governments depend on both income and sales taxes. Most county and city governments use property taxes to raise their revenue. Nearly all tax structures contain two basic parts: the tax base and the tax rate. The tax base is the amount to which the tax rate is applied to determine the tax due. The tax rate is basically a percentage rate applied to the tax base, and it can be progressive, regressive, or proportional. Progressive taxation refers to a tax that takes a larger percentage from the income of high-income people than it does from low-income people. And this is a basic principle underlying the income tax laws of the United States – people should be taxed according to their â€Å"ability to pay. For example, a person making $200,000 in a year might pay 30% of his income in taxes ($60,000), while someone with an income of $30,000 might pay only a 10% tax rate ($3,000 in taxes). Most income taxes in US are considered progressive. What can be disadvantage of progressive tax? Well, some individuals may think that progressive tax is discouraging the success. Why to work hard, and try to increase inc ome and wealth, when half of that will be â€Å"taken away† in taxes!? It is simply unfair! Because the taxes are then redistributed to poorer individuals through government aid programs, some see this as socialism. But despite opposition most economists believe that progressive taxes are the best form of taxation, because the lower class individuals, who are already socially and economically disadvantaged, are shielded from large tax burdens. A tax system may also be regressive or proportional. A proportional tax system, called sometimes flat tax, is one where the rate of tax is the same for all taxpayers, regardless of the level of their tax base. Example of proportional taxes may be state and local sales taxes, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, custom duties etc. Advantages of flat tax can be its simplicity and predictability. Opponents declare that proportional tax is in reality a regressive tax, as both the lowly – paid and highly – paid individuals consume products. No matter if they want to or not, they have to spend a certain amount on necessities like food, clothing, or pay property taxes, and flat tax takes up a higher percentage of an individual’s budget that has a low income, than it does for an individual with a higher income. A regressive tax system is one where a tax rate decreases with an increase in the income. The example of regressive tax is Social Security (FICA), because the maximum amount of wages subject to the Social Security tax for 2009 is $106,800. After an individual reaches $106,800, no more FICA tax is withheld. No matter what structure the tax system has – progressive, regressive or proportional, most people don’t enjoy paying at all. Unfortunately taxes are inevitable, and refusing to pay them does not make sense. Thanks to them we can drive on the paved streets, seek the justice in court system, send children to public schools and be able to wake up every morning feeling safe.

Creative Writing (Story beginnings) Essay

A golden haze encircled the angel’s head and its torso glowed dazzling white against the drab dreary wall behind. â€Å"What’s happe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she willed her mouth to finish the sentence but it wouldn’t obey so she gave up. She fought too against the uplifting force taking her away from the slightly damp pavement but as every ounce of resistance drained out of her limbs, she went limp and was completely at its mercy. The final thought that crossed her mind before it succumbed to the black cloud that eventually engulfed her was that she recognised this angel. * Elizabeth Anne Johnson – Lizzie to her friends – was a beautiful girl. With endless jet-black locks flowing down her back and striking features, she looked straight off a catwalk. Tonight she was wearing her favourite pale pink mini-dress with manicured nails and dainty heels to match; and with her perfect figure, she was more than able to carry it off. A combination of her stunning looks and the confidence she exuded made every head turn when she walked past – a fact of which she was well aware. Lizzie had spent all night in Brighton’s new trendiest nightspot â€Å"Heaven†. The place was heaving with bodies bouncing to the thundering beats pounding out of the state of the art stereo system. They were puppets dancing to the tune of the headphone-wearing master in the glass booth above. Fluffy white clouds were suspended from the ceiling, in keeping with the paradisiacal theme, and the strobe lighting completed the effect. The drinks were flowing and the atmosphere was electric – just how Lizzie liked it – and as she cast her chocolate-brown eyes around the dance floor a wave of euphoria swept over her. She felt as though she was perched on top of the world. Already tonight, she had received fifteen requests to buy her a drink – a record even by her standards – and had accepted only one. This was one more than usual though. She may have seemed like the happy-go-lucky type but appearances can be deceptive and she was quite the opposite. Lizzie, a seasoned partygoer, was extremely cautious, especially after the letters†¦ Nevertheless, against her better judgement, she was drawn in by the hypnotic charms of this blonde-haired stranger and felt powerless to resist. His eyes were bottomless pools of baby blue and he had a passive, peaceful presence – she trusted him immediately and completely. She began chatting to him and it suddenly dawned on her that she was telling her life story to a total stranger but she pushed the thought out of her mind just as quickly as it had surfaced. Besides with his crisp white shirt, soft voice and wide grin, he seemed harmless enough. Chapter One (2) The sun was playing hide and seek behind the rows of trees as Detective Flynn drove up to the Heaton mansion. He was filled with the giddy excitement of a man about to change his life. He knew how lucky he was to be here and that this case could potentially make or break his career. Flynn was extremely tall and so scrawny one feared he might blow over in a sudden gust of wind. Through the flaming red curtains flopping over his forehead, intense blue eyes peered out inquisitively. As the mansion came into view for the first time he was awestruck. Beyond the wrought iron gates, it stood large and handsome. It was a huge stone structure with countless windows glinting in the afternoon sun and set in acres of sprawling grounds, of which every inch was flawless. The only thing blemishing this perfect watercolour was the black and yellow police tape running the length of the building. The old rusty Ford Escort coughed and spluttered to a halt in the immaculate courtyard and with an almighty heave Flynn managed to force the door open. As he stepped out gravel crunched beneath his feet. He was dressed in a pair of old faded ‘Marks and Sparks’ jeans and looking around, was suddenly painfully aware of how old and faded they really were. He was also regretting the rest of his wardrobe choice. His slightly off-white shirt had a ‘straight out of the laundry basket’ look and his black leather loafers hadn’t seen a dab of polish since†¦well ever. Despite this, John Heaton greeted Flynn with a warm friendly handshake. The two had been at school together and even though their lives had taken extremely different paths, they had remained the best of friends. As he was being introduced to Heaton’s wife Claudia, the detective couldn’t help but notice how much his friend had changed. A nervous and slightly awkward teenager, John Heaton had become a confident self-assured 35 year-old. He now spoke with the eloquence and poise that only a multi-billionaire could. He was dripping with expensive designer labels – a far cry from the washed out tee shirts and baggy jeans of his adolescence. Money oozed out of his every pore. One thing, however, had definitely not changed. Observing the dreamy look that descended upon his face as he gazed at his wife, Flynn could tell his old chum was still a sucker for a pretty girl. And this was one pretty girl! 15 years his junior, actress Claudia Gilbert-Heaton was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Yet, as she tentatively extended her perfectly manicured hand to shake his, Detective Flynn took an instant disliking to her. Her broad smile was almost condescending and didn’t reach her eyes, which were icy and distant. â€Å"I’m so pleased to finally meet you,† she said, looking him up and down, staring pointedly at the ink stain on his shirt pocket. The disdainful look in her eyes betrayed her words and he could tell she was quite the opposite. The reason for this, he would soon discover†¦ Chapter One (3) It screamed at me. Its waving arms taunted me as they jerked up and down and the smiley face was more of a sneering face. At that moment all I wanted to do was shatter it into a thousand pieces but it was so far away and my legs were still sound asleep. I picked a rolled up sock up off the floor and with all the energy I could muster, sat up and launched it. It hit its intended destination with satisfying thud and mercifully, the screaming desisted. Putting the bright yellow, â€Å"Little Miss Sunshine† alarm clock so far out of reach had been a pre-emptive strike by mother against my Sunday morning lie-in. Ha, I thought, she’ll have to think of something better than that! I managed the beginnings of a triumphant grin before, exhausted from my exertions, I slumped onto the lumpy mattress and slid back into a peaceful slumber. Ten minutes later I heard the sprightly purposeful pounding that could only be her bounding up the stairs. She burst through the door, wearing her mechanical cheery smile. â€Å"Morning love, sleep well? Why aren’t you up yet, I heard the alarm go off ages ago?†Ã¢â‚¬  she asked, ruffling my unruly brown curls. She then marched over to the window, with unnatural liveliness considering the time and spread the curtains wide. â€Å"Oh Mum, it’s too bright,† I mumbled in complaint, raising an arm to shield my bleary eyes from the light. She ignored me. â€Å"I sometimes think you wouldn’t know an early morning if it came up and bit you on the behind. Now get up, I’m sure you’ve plenty of work to do today and we don’t want you falling behind now do we?† she chirped, practically, it seemed, in unison with the birds outside. â€Å"I need sleep,† I whined, yearning for some pity. It didn’t come. â€Å"You shouldn’t let sleep get in the way of things. Heaven knows I don’t; I can’t. What would happen if I did? Nothing would get done around here – that’s what!† she tutted and continued with renewed vigour, â€Å"Goodness, look at the state of this room! I’m sure you’ve forgotten what colour the carpet is! This is not a positive working environment. How on earth can you get anything done in here?† She asked and without pausing for an answer, delved into the abyss that was my bedroom floor. She began sorting tidying and organising like an unstoppable whirlwind of efficiency, her neat blonde bob bouncing up and down. I merely lounged on the bed and watched on in amazement. Within minutes she had transformed the cluttered chaotic mess into a tidy, orderly bedroom. When she finished, she stood up, brushed some imaginary specks of dirt from her skirt and staring at my sprawled out figure, flashed me the look. Oh no, I groaned inwardly. It was the I-am-so-disappointed-you-didn’t-turn-out-more-like-me look. This look was always followed by a stream of criticisms, of which most, to be fair, were usually quite accurate. I sighed and braced myself for the oncoming tirade. Literary Analysis of Story Beginning (1) When writing my own story opening, I tried to use techniques that would make the reader want to read on. For example, I described the main character’s appearance in detail so that the reader would be able to form a mental picture of her. Just from the first few paragraphs, the reader knows that she is â€Å"a beautiful girl† with â€Å"endless jet black locks† and â€Å"chocolate brown eyes†. The effect of this is to make the reader relate to her with empathy rather than objectivity because they feel they know her. I also tried to show her personality was sweet and kind. Her clothes and shoes are â€Å"powder-pink† and â€Å"dainty†. I also mentioned that she â€Å"seemed like the happy-go-lucky type†. I did this so the reader would like her and be affected by anything that may happen to her. I included her full name â€Å"Elizabeth Anne Johnson† so that the reader would feel like they were getting a complete picture of her. However, for the rest of the opening, I referred to her as Lizzie. This created a bond between the reader and the character because she is â€Å"Lizzie to her friends† so the reader feels like her friend. It is written in the 3rd person narrative so the reader can get a full overview of all the events in the story. The narrative structure deviates. This creates suspense, as there is no development of the action in the first paragraph in the rest of the opening. I purposely created a huge contrast between the eerie and spooky first paragraph and the rest of the opening, which seems like an ordinary night out, by using varying degrees of character and event description. In the first paragraph I did not use any description at all and just used non-specific terms like â€Å"she†. This was to create mystery and apprehension. In sharp contrast to this, I fully described character and events in the rest of the story. I began with telling the reader her full name so they felt they were being formally introduced. I then went on to describe her appearance, clothes what she is doing: â€Å"tonight she was wearing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"She had spent all night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because I did none of this in the first paragraph. I did however make some links. For example, in the first paragraph, the words â€Å"angel†, â€Å"uplifting† and â€Å"glowed† are used. In the rest of the opening, the words â€Å"Heaven†, â€Å"fluffy white clouds† and â€Å"euphoria† are used. This is to create a link between the two parts of the story and establish an ongoing theme of heaven and the supernatural. I also used a sense of vulnerability to link the two main characters. With the girl in the first paragraph it is obvious. I used carefully chosen vocabulary. â€Å"She willed her mouth†¦it wouldn’t obey† shows that she isn’t even in control of her own body. â€Å"She fought to against the uplifting force†¦was completely at its mercy†, â€Å"her mind†¦succumbed to the black cloud that eventually engulfed her†. Also the word succumbed is quite passive. However the vulnerability in Lizzie’s character is subtler. At the end, she is â€Å"drawn in† by the stranger and feels â€Å"powerless to resist†. This links Lizzie and the girl but also â€Å"the angel† and â€Å"the stranger† because they hold the power in the respective relationships. I think the links make the reader want to read on because it’s like giving them some pieces of a puzzle. They can see some of the picture so they read on so they can find the rest of it. To create further curiosity, the phrase â€Å"especially after the letters†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is not explained at any point in the opening, forcing the reader to form their own opinion. The fact that she was â€Å"extremely cautious especially after the letters† makes the letters seem sinister and let the reader know they were a cause for concern. I used ellipsis at the end so show it is an unfinished thought and an unanswered question. I carefully chose vocabulary to foreshadow dramatic events. For example, ‘on top of the world’ is a well-known phrase, which means in a position of great happiness or success. However I used the phrase â€Å"perched on top of the world† in my story opening. The word perched suggests instability and precariousness so implies that her happiness may be short lived. I also used the progression of time to create effect. The story begins with the girl trying to speak and then finally collapsing â€Å"†¦she willed her mouth to finish the sentence but it wouldn’t obey†¦succumbed to the black cloud that was threatening to engulf her† and then goes to a lively vibrant scene. I did this so the scene would seem like a flashback or a dream – as we know the main character is unconscious. The strobe lighting in the scene adds to the dream-like quality. I tried to create an image of the setting (the club) being beautiful and pure. I did this by calling it â€Å"heaven† and using description like â€Å"fluffy white clouds†. I then used words like â€Å"heaving with bodies† â€Å"thundering beats† and â€Å"pounding† when describing the people and what they are doing to create a contrast. I did this to imply that clubbing itself is innocent enough but the people make it dangerous. I used alliteration in several places for effect. â€Å"†¦drab dreary wall† emphasises how dull and grey the wall in contrast â€Å"dazzling white† of the angel, to to make it stand out more. In â€Å"bodies all bouncing to the thundering beat†, the ‘b’ sound is repeated to try and mirror the beat of the music. I used the phrases â€Å"bottomless pools of baby blue† and â€Å"passive, peaceful presence† because they are quite soft sounds and I wanted to make the stranger seem calm and therefore contrast with the setting, which is â€Å"electric†. I used a metaphor â€Å"They were puppets dancing to the tune of the headphone-wearing master in the glass booth above† because it emphasises the submissive nature of the clubbers and the idea of a person wielding power over someone else. The issue of power is explored in many different parts of the story. I also used repetition. The word seemed is used at the end the last paragraph. â€Å"She may have seemed like the happy-go-lucky type but appearances can be deceptive and she was quite the opposite† and â€Å"he seemed harmless enough†. This is to suggest that just because the stranger seems harmless he â€Å"may be quite the opposite† and to foreshadow him doing something harmful in the future. I put it in italics both times to add emphasis and draw the reader’s attention to it. In conclusion, I think the techniques I used were effective because there are unanswered questions right at the beginning, which are never answered and this appeals the curiosity of the reader, making them want to read on.

Deviant Behavior and Social Control Essay

Durkheim said, â€Å"We must not say that an action shocks the common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience. † The strain theory by Robert K. Merton suggests that American are geared toward deviance because of a lack of legitimate options to attain the monetary goal that Americans emphasize (Tischler, p. 146). Travis Hirschi posed the control theory which focuses on the importance of the people around you to mold you into a regular lifestyle. He said that there are four main points to why someone will become deviant or not: attachment to others, commitment to conformity, involvement in conventional activities, belief in the moral validity of social rules. If someone displays these four points than they will probably be a functioning member of society. Sociologists suggest the techniques of neutralization, which are ways we will justify the deviant act to ourselves so that we are able to complete it. The five techniques are denial of responsibility, denying the injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the authorities, and appealing to higher principles of authorities. Lastly, there is the labeling theory which states that individuals will commit secondary deviant acts after the fact that they have already been deemed a deviant by society. A flaw in this theory is that it does not give reason for why the original deviant act was committed. Every theory previously posed does have legitimate facts behind why it could be the cause for deviant behavior, but no single one is completely correct. Although the mesomorphic body type may be deemed as a more aggressive person, this would not be the only reason why the person was deviant, so the biological theory cannot stand alone. The psychological theories have a lot of mental disease that makes them more prone to deviant activity, but it is also proven that these traits are overcome by a good social environment and in some cases the proper medication. Just like the psychological theories, the sociological theories are proven that the environment that one is raised or lives in is a highly important factor, but it is possible for someone in a good environment to be deviant and vice versa. 2. What types of crime exist in the Unite States? There are four main categories of crime in the United States and these crimes range from rape to robbery to embezzlement to public drunkenness. The first category of crime is violent crime which consists of acts such as murder and assault. These crimes usually come with the longest prison sentences, and the good news is that these types of crime have been on the decline over the past few years. Next we have property crime which consists of three quarters of the crime in the United States. Car theft and burglary are examples of property crimes. According to the FBI, a white-collar crime is â€Å"characterized by deceit, concealment, or a violation of trust. † Bernie Madoff, the Enron corporation, and ponzi schemes are what we consider to be white-collar crimes. Finally, we have what are called victimless crimes. These are crimes that break what is considered law, but have no direct victim. Prostitution, drug use, and DUI are all what can be considered victimless. They use the term â€Å"victimless† but the argument can be made that the victim is the person committing the crime because their actions usually harm themselves. 3. What parts of the court and prison system are effective, and what parts are ineffective? Only two out of the four major goals of prison are effective. The first of which is to separate criminals from society, is accomplished by the physical act of taking criminals off the street and putting them behind fences that are twenty feet high with barbed wire, towers with armed guards, and impenetrable buildings of brick and mortar. This is honestly the only thing that our courts succeed in doing, but when you separate them from society, you put them with fellow criminals who have new crimes to teach. The second goal that can be considered effective is that prison is a legitimate punishment for criminal behavior. For me, being in prison is a mental and physical hell because it causes you to be broken down while in a small cell with a bar door and no window and no means of escape. For others it may not be like this though, because as mentioned before in the theories of deviance, a criminal may have psychological problems where they are unable to conform and prison makes them conform so they begin to enjoy what they are unable to have on the outside. Also, most criminals peers are other criminals, so while incarcerated they do not feel completely separated from their usual world. The other two primary goals of the prison systems can be considered highly ineffective. Deterring criminal behavior is the third goal of prisons and as the statistics show, this is not commonly achieved. If prison were a good deterrent than we would not have the crime rate that we have today. If the reward of the crime is greater than what the punishment will be, a crime will be committed. The last goal of the prisons is to rehabilitate. The facts are concrete when showing that prison and the programs within have minimal success rates. My personal observations over the past two weeks concur with the facts. I would estimate that close to ninety percent of the inmates who are in here for drug and alcohol related offenses talk about getting high or drunk on the day they are released, and with fellow inmates. The inmates who are guilty of burglary or robbery and other related offenses admit that they don’t know any other way of life, and that they will continue their criminal ways when released. There will never be a perfect society in which there is no deviant behavior. There is, however, ways in which we can continue to develop a better understanding of what causes the deviant behavior and ways in which we can prevent it. The prison system is continually developing new trial programs to help addicts and alcoholics, along with incorporating programs for criminals to get started on a career path instead of a criminal path. I do not believe that these will ever be one definite answer to why one becomes deviant, but let’s hope that as future progresses the rate at which deviance occurs decreases.