Competitive Sports Beneficial Essay

Is putting a child into a competitive sport beneficial for them? Some people believe competitive sports to have a negative impact on children. It’s hard on their bodies, they tend to put sports before education, and it puts a great deal of pressure on the child to win and if not it can lower the child’s self-esteem. Yes, like everything in life, it has its negatives, but its positives outweigh its negatives by a numerous amount. Competitive sports help children not only physically but mentally and emotionally. Sports can have a great impact on a child’s life and can help them grow not only as an athlete, but as a person. Growing up playing sports you meet many new and different people, which helps you learn how to adapt and get to know new people more quickly. Playing competitive sports, you meet people with the same interests and you can develop long lasting friendships. Children learn to participate as a team not just as an individual; this will be needed throughout someone’s life through jobs, relationships, and much more. Character and integrity are associated with competitive sports. These two characteristics are not built through competitive sports, but are revealed in a competition. The hope is that you learn to do the right thing and make the right choices, which is character and integrity at its finest. â€Å"Competitive athletes are consistently involved in situations where they are challenged. This not only occurs on the competitive field of play but in the practice gym as well. When this happens, their level of perseverance and determination will be tested. The hope is that they become stronger within over time† (Mango). They also learn discipline, how to set goals and how to achieve those goals. â€Å"Kids involved in sports are less likes to take drugs or smoke because they realize the impacts that these destructive activities can have upon their performance. Girls who play sports are also less likely to become pregnant† (McEntire). Some parents believe it is too much too soon, and that there is a misplaced emphasis on the â€Å"wrong† things such as winning at all costs. Children mature at different ages and may or may not be ready to play in a healthy competition. Competitive sports typically require strategic planning and other more complex cognitive abilities however, they don’t perform as well under the pressures of competition until they are closer to twelve† (Ray). The child has to learn how to lose gracefully and often the costs of the lesson outweighs the types of lessons learned, especially when children are placed under too much stress to win. In addition, children may not be physically ready for the demands of training and hard play. Repetitive motion injuries, muscle injuries and accidents can be detrimental to children’s developing bodies. According to Linda Ray’s article, â€Å"Should Children Play Competitive Sports† the key to successful competitive play for children depends on a healthy balance of parental involvement, social and team pressure, physical conditioning and time. With these combinations and good coaches it is extremely beneficial for children to play competitive sports.

Redevelopment of Salford Quays

In the 19th century the city of Manchester was at the heart of the industrial revolution; it was a thriving port and the centre of Lancashire's textile industry. Yet, by 1950 business had declined to an all-time low. The canal journey had become too slow and therefore uneconomical for factories and companies. The port could no longer respond to the pressures placed on it by the changes in technology. The docks lay neglected and derelict. Vandalism and crime rates were high, as was unemployment (the city had depended on the docks for jobs). However, with the help of government funding, grants and publicity the city began to address its social, economic and physical problems resulting from past industrial decline. In 1985 Salford began its huge re-development scheme, construction continued up until 1993 and now is a perfect example of successful inner-city redevelopment. All the decisions that were made were complex and had to consider what land uses were to be located where and how much land to devote to each competing demand or problem. The construction work alone provided around four hundred jobs, and the area now provides employment for over 6,000 people, leading to the fastest drop in unemployment ever within the Greater Manchester area. Community Schemes have been aimed at improving the quality of schools has kept the youth unemployment rates low. The new Heritage Centre also provides an educational service to schools, colleges and the public. Primary school pupils through to university students use Salford Quays for learning purposes. Salford Quays has addressed other problems too such as vandalism, crime rates, poverty and the lack of investment and funding in Greater Manchester. Organizations such as the New Deal for Communities programme and other funding (over i100 million in lottery funding has been invested) based in Salford Quays have worked at putting money back into the Greater Manchester community. The Salford Partnership also launched a community plan; all of which demonstrates a commitment to working to achieve change. Plans such as these have improved living conditions and lead to a drop in poverty rates. To keep investment into the area high, over 300,000 feet of office space was built attracting companies into the area. Well known companies such as Kellogg's, Rank Hovis, Ford Trucks and Konica all have offices in Salford Quays. Facilities at such buildings as the MGM Cannon cinema and Copthorne Hotel, because of their location, car parking and accessibility attract people from the local area as well as other parts of Greater Manchester. In addition, a high of local pride has been generated that, together with higher income (due to greater employment) and places to go, has lead to a reduction in vandalism and crime. Easy access to Salford Quays via a Metro link, as well as entrances to the region's motorways, railways and the city centre of Manchester has resulted in a rise of tourism. Places such as the Lowry Museum, the Imperial War Museum North, as well as the overall design of the area attract large numbers of visitors every year. This has increased the amount of money that has been invested into the area. The redevelopment has made Salford Quays an attractive place to visit, work and live; it has also been a model for other cities to follow. The social and economic benefits have been felt throughout Greater Manchester and the North West.

Measuring Crime Essay

There are two different instruments used in reporting crime. There are also major crimes reporting program used in the United States. These major crime reporting programs do have a purpose and does give statistical information on crime in the United States. There are a difference between crime rates, arrest rates, clearance rates, and recidivism rates. The information reported about crime rates can be misleading and give inaccurate information about the crime rate in the United States. Crime and recidivism statistics can both give some important about crime in the United States. Instruments used to measure crime There are different ways that crime is reported in the United States. The media reports crime and influence society perception of crime (Schmalleger, 2011). This sometimes causes public opinion on crime unrealistic (Schmalleger, 2011). Statistic data provides a better view on the amount of crime occurring than what is reported by the news media. The statistic reports are not as accurate as society would want, but it still gives a better understanding of the amount of crimes, types of crimes and also the frequency of those crimes than the news media. People who are the victims of a crime are the ones who report the crime and allow the crimes to be placed in a crime database (Schmalleger, 2011). Major crime reporting programs The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) and the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) are the two major reporting of crime programs used in reporting crime in the United States (Schmalleger, 2011). Crime is computed by adding the major crimes reported to the police. The police report these crimes to the F.B.I who publishes the findings in the UCR. The UCR provides an annual report of incidents and rate of the reported crime that occurs throughout the United States (Schmalleger, 2011). The UCR program created a crime index to create a comparison over time. The index contains seven major offenses. These offenses are robbery, murder, forcible rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft gives the result of crime based on the population (Schmalleger, 2011). The UCR also reports victimless crimes to the F.B.I. The NCVS is designed to report an estimate occurrence of all crimes in the United States (Schmalleger, 2011). The NCVS shows the amount of different victimized crimes not reported to the law enforcement. NCVS provides information about crimes collected from individuals and households, who have suffered from crimes whether the crimes have been reported or not to authorities (Schmalleger, 2011). Both UCR and NCVS serve the same purpose. This purpose is to report and keep track of the crime reported in the United States each year to law enforcement agencies (Schmalleger, 2011). It is a way of keeping crime statistics so law enforcement agencies can develop ways to manage crime in different areas. These reports also provide the areas where crime rates are higher than other and what type of crimes are high in a certain area. Crime rates, arrest rates, clearance rates, and recidivism rates Crime rates and arrest rates are difficult for a law enforcement agency to produce to the high volume of calls received. Some examples of calls that do not require an arrest include lost pets, individuals needing medical assistance, and noise complaints. Each agency must make an organized effort to make contact with the individuals making the calls with high and low priority due to the unseen or unreported information at the caller’s location. The law enforcement community has also created an organization devoted to crime reports known as the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) data is based on law enforcement agencies (Schmalleger, F. 2011, p. 3). Clearance rates are defined as cases that have been solved. Many times if an arrest was made then the case has been cleared. Some case are never cleared one example, if an offender commits a murder and he or she is found dead or flees the country before an arrest is made the data does not go into the cleared category. Recidivism rates are directly related to the quality of life after an offender is released from prison. Many offenders repeat crime related offenses due to the addiction of drugs. At times serious pathological offenders create a threat to the community therefore recidivism rates are often used in determining the punishment required for the offender. Myth v. Reality Crime rates can be deceiving according to information form (Criminal Justice Video, 2013). Crime rates are based on different factors including the type of crime, the type of offender, also the place a crime is committed. In late 1990’s property crimes had decreased, today property crimes are suspected to rise due to a slow economy. Another factor leading to the deception of crime rates is based on the type of offender; including the increase of juvenile crime. Also affecting the crime rate according to Criminal Justice Video, (2013) are change in policies and mandatory laws that take effect. Crime rates relate to arrest rates in the fact that both are based on the unit of the population; per 100,000 of the population, Schmalleger, F. (2011). The crime index is a tool used to determine the amount of crime in an area; the index is effective however, it does not provide accurate numbers of crime committed. Updated Uniform Crime Reporting, (UCR) programs can help support the number of crimes committed also helps determine the types of crime. One solution for correlation between crime rates, arrest rates, and clearance rates can be to keep data updated. Updated data is the reporting of all arrests, and criminal behaviors also dropped charges. If data is continually up dated a system can be used to compare information on specific crimes helping to determine different aspects of crimes and arrests. Crime and recidivism statistics Crime rates did increased since the early 1970’s in many major states as the baby boomers became young adults. Most crime are being committed by today’s young males because of the higher population, the best way to eliminate crime is the eliminate poverty, because poverty breeds crime. Crime is very high in African –Americans due to they are unemployed or being a single parent and doing what he/she has to do to survive or provide for their families. The crimes that are committed by the young adults may have been seen as a child while they were growing up or maybe that is what they were taught to do. It is estimated that sociopaths who are prone to commit crimes, because they are incapable of feeling remorse or empathize with other’s pain, comprise about 3-4% of the male population, and between 33% and 80% of chronic criminals offenders. Some females may shoplift to support their drug habit, and this means that everyone is a victim especially their family members. Conclusion Although there may be changes of crime statistics but not changes in the crime rate, crime can be measured in numerous ways because of all of the numerous ways crime can be measured. The National Crime Victimization Survey and Uniform Crime Reports are both reliable systems but still leave the â€Å"dark figure of crime† because of the crimes that go unreported. Reference Criminal Justice Video, (2013). Myth v. Reality. Pearson Custom Publishing Retrieved from: http://media.pearsoncmg.com/pcp/pcp_94869_mutchnick_cj_uop/chapter1/ch1_mvr/index.html Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the 21st century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Controlling Nestle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Controlling Nestle - Essay Example Most of the attention is paid to the raw material prices easing in order to ensure that the major product categories will meet the financial targets this year. CEO Mr. Brabeck has noted that Nestle has a plan on how to deal with the higher input costs and this plan is working better than some other big food companies have. CEO predicted the increase of costs associated with the raw materials and had started raising the prices earlier and advanced the price increase in the beginning of the year. Such move has made it possible for Nestle to meet the financial targets. The increased prices have never been assumed as a competitive advantages, however, when the raw materials costs increase is predictable and inevitable, then the timely reaction can help to avoid the loss of customers and assure the sales level. Nestle did not only predict the potential cost increase, but has also timely reacted and gained the desired sales volume. One of the concerns CEO focused on was high division of financial operations - every country had its own financial system with managers making decision with freedom and choice of the most appropriate methods. Brabeck has centralized the financial activities and the whole structure became more controllable. The special attention is currently being paid to the creation of additional value for nutrition and wellness products. CEO has a clear vision of what products are desired by customers. The issue of extra weight is no longer the American problem and many people in Europe are struggling to become healthier and lose the weight. For this reason the wellness products are getting more and more popular. Nestle has managed to save enormous amount of money through acquisitions of the well-known brands. In addition, less money is invested into research and development of new products because the company has bought not only the brand name but the all operations with all specialists working for that particular acquired company. As it will be discussed further, acquisitions are the best cost saving investment opportunity that helps to control the spending and reduce the costs on research. What are some of the operating standards the CEO is implementing at Nestle Why are these standards effective or why not One of the key challenges of Nestle was to gain control over the decentralized structure - the country managers has freedom in everything starting with the purchasing and up to capital investments. From one side, it was very helpful from the marketing standpoint because local managers were more knowledgeable about the customer's preferences. From the other side, such system was highly inefficient - headquarters could not track the costs. First of all, the five global centers were established to control coffee and cocoa purchasing (Matlack 56). The information technology system was introduced to give managers data about the performance of other units. These standards are more effective because can be easier controlled and tracked. Matlack (56) provides the number Nestle recipe for Richer Margins: Streamlining operations (intensive costs savings through improvements in info tech and centralizing of activities), Strengthening key

Analyzing Annual Reports of Two Canadian Banks to Determine Career and Essay

Analyzing Annual Reports of Two Canadian Banks to Determine Career and Investment Opportunities - Essay Example Basically, the companies are managed by directors on behalf of the shareholders and therefore have to be accountable to them. The annual report is a tool of communication by the directors and senior management to their shareholders explaining their business strategy of the previous year and explains their performance and also provides their vision for the company for the long term. It gives the shareholders the basis to critique and evaluate the effectiveness of their directors and also give input on what they expect from them. The annual report would also help to promote the agenda of the stakeholders internal, connected or external in a manner that would result in a win - win scenario. The two banks were selected randomly because they are among the largest financial institutions in Canada and have a long history of above average performance. They are therefore expected to have proper business models and offer an excellent career opportunity. Objectives In this analysis of the annual reports of TD and CIBC the writer is attempting to compare the two banks as investments and career opportunities. To begin with when an evaluation of the suitability of a bank as an investment opportunity there basic criteria include the profitability growth, level of liquidity and the capital structure of the company. The valuation of the company’s share and the performance in the stock market is also an indicator of the confidence the market has on the company. If a company has good profit history, a stable dividend growth policy and well managed working capital to ensure there are no liquidity problems would be the most attractive as an investment.

Managerial accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managerial accounting - Essay Example It  states  that, in measuring net income  for an  accounting period, the  costs  incurred in that  period  should be matched against the revenue generated in the same period† (Business Dictionary.com). Decision relevance on the other hand focuses on those cost and revenues aspects that the conventional accounting principle of matching may ignore. The main difference between the fundamental accounting principle and the decision relevance theory is that the former tends to focus on the amount actually paid for any expense incurred whilst ignoring any other incremental costs that may be incurred in the future if any company wishes to undertake any given project. Besides such issues, the conventional accounting principle also ignores the impact of opportunity costs. Decision relevance on the other hand tries to focus on all such costs which might be incurred due to the incidence of any given project. Opportunity costs are also given a high regard in decision releva nce and they are considered as an important aspect in any given decision. According to the conventional accounting principle, Option A seems to be more appropriate as it reduces the loss which is to be endured by the company. Under this principle, the company bears a loss of ?31.9 million (?31,966,666.66) and if the company follows Option B it faces a loss of around ?33.2 million (33,200,000). There is an evident saving of ?1.2 million (?1,233,334) if Option A is selected under the Conventional accounting principle. Option A leads the company to close all its operations and tend to receive the Revenue from the existing catapults produced. Under Option A the existing catapults produced by the company would generate ?15 million and the costs incurred in this regard would be approximately ?49.6 million (?49,666,666). On the other hand the revenue generated under Option B would be ?35 million (?35,000,000) which would be much higher than the revenue generated from Option A, this increas ed revenue would be generated because of the increased sales of the existing 500 units of catapults and the extra 500 units to be produced by the company. The costs to be endured under Option B are ?68.2 million (?68,200,000). The increased revenue generated by selling 1000 units at a higher rate are over shadowed by the increased costs tolerated by the company. Such increased costs have put up extra burden on the incremental revenue generated from Option B. As a result of these inflated costs, the loss generated through Option B would be References Business Dictionary.com, â€Å"

Creative workplace - Is the 'studio' still important in the world of Essay

Creative workplace - Is the 'studio' still important in the world of Design - Essay Example Then, along came the virtual revolution and now designers of all kinds, hobbyists and housewives, students and retirees, the wealthy and the poor can harness the tremendous resources of online studio space and creative software to accomplish what used to require a warehouse or loft flat hybrid. This paper will review relevant literature to explore the question of how important the studio is, given the availability of virtual resources; under what conditions the non-virtual studio is or is not required, how the present-day shift to online creative space will likely effect the industry, and more importantly for me, personally, whether I yearn for a future (real) studio of my own? The first point it seems wise to make, in this paper, is that not all design studios are or should be alike. Actually, Dorgan differentiates between â€Å"space† and â€Å"place†, saying that space is uninhabited, abstract and open to all potentiality, while place is negotiated within space, and is defined in a specific way by the communication and action meanings that take place (Dorgan 2). A design studio is the inhabitation and negotiation of space into place (3). A studio is social and densely interactive; political and functionally negotiating (4) and is activist, transforming circumstances with intention (5). The studio is where we begin to shape our imagination toward transformation (15). I see that each of these characteristics can happen both in physical space and in virtual space, suggesting that studio place can be successfully negotiated in either one. The collage below, Figure 1, shows a sampling of various design studios. The collage below that one, Figure 2, shows a sampling of graphic design studios. Even a casual glance immediately registers an impression that, while many design studios attend to material storage and the mood induced by artistic physical environments, graphic design studios rely primarily on computer

Factors Affecting Operations Management Today Essay

Factors Affecting Operations Management Today - Essay Example This brings to light the notion of discussing the structural basis of the organizations themselves. For starters, these organizations might not be that easy to understand at the very beginning. These can encompass a variety of different aspects, features and traditional mindsets which make up their structures. (Llewellyn, 2002) The topic for this paper is of understanding where the field of operations management stands today and how the same has evolved over a period of time within the domains of an organization. This paper will touch issues of significance, all of which come under the realms of the operations management study. Within operations management, an organization can either be formally aligned in its ways and means of doing things and different processes or the same might just be in a way informal in quite a few of its activities and tasks. The manner in which it runs across this paradigm is something that needs to be studied in depth before we reach further consensus on their purposes and the kind of achievements that they have had. The communication within an organization can flow in one of three ways or in all the three directions. This means that these three directions pave the way for the ease of communication and there are as such no barriers to arise from the whole equation. The first communication flow is from top to bottom, which means that the communication starts from the top management and goes down towards the middle and lower management. The second form could be the one that starts from the lower or middle management and goes up towards the top management. (Axley, 1996) The third co mmunication flow could be in the kind of peer to peer communication and interaction. This means that the employees and the workers at the same level communicate within their own capacities and as such there are no hindrances arising from the whole communication matrix. Apart from this, within an

Applied theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Applied theory - Essay Example Besides Beyonce and her husband Jay Z, the article talks about other popular bands such as U2 and its lead singer Bono and Coldplay, the major artists expected to perform at the summer music festival in Glastonbury (Topping, 2011: 15). From this article, the emergence of the popular culture in form of music can be evaluated by considering theories of industrialization and of cultural studies. Popular culture is a broad term that incorporates common aesthetic or life practices in qualitative and statistical dimensions (Arnold, 1964:31). However, modern day theorists regard popular culture as a common tradition that has arisen in the modern times and it differs from folk tradition because it is mass-produced and different from high life because it is consumed in mass (Arnold, 1964:32). From this article on Beyonce, it is apparent that popular culture has undergone a lot of transformation from the last century. The current popular culture is characterized by extensive use of the mass me dia to publicize the events and elaborate organization by the artist and event organizers. Gans (1974:61-62) defines popular culture as an epitome of the society, reflecting the transformations occurring in the society. According to Giddens (1979:29), European and American societies underwent profound transformation in the 18th and 19th centuries. These changes resulted to massive social reorganization especially in the western European spheres where many people moved to work in urban areas in the emerging industries. Transformation from the rural peasantry to mass production in industries not only influenced the economic aspect of the workers, but their culture took a different turn (Giddens, 1979:49). Arnold (1964:85) noted that industrialization also brought with it capitalism in addition to increased interactions and mixing of diverse cultures. A combination of these factors in addition to the strenuous activities in the industries resulted to creation of a homogeneous society, with shared experiences across the regions. In addition, the increasing social density in the community and division of labor due to capitalism accelerated creation of distinct social classes, especially at the middle class level. Archer (1995:116-125) argues that a combination of capitalism ideology and its austere administrative structure resulted to increasing literacy levels especially to the middle class creating a formidable social, economic and cultural hegemony that changed the popular culture immensely. In this regard, capitalism resulted to sudden change in power that eventually caused social differentiation in the society. Archer (1995: 19) argues that the raise of the popular culture does not only involve a large group of individuals, but people who have high level of organization pertaining to their tastes and preferences. This class plays a very critical role in the cultural industry that has developed to meet the artistic aspirations of the middle class. Another influ ential factor in the middle class towards the popular culture is the high literate levels. According to Archer (1995: 49), the increasing levels of literacy in the middle class resulted to more economic empowerment that lead to accelerated social differentiation that enabled the people to realize new possibilities and discover new and limitless dimensions of their lives for exploration. Therefore, the middle class did not wish to be just machines working in the emerging industries for survival, but as beings with another dimension for fun and recreation. The high culture was not initially intended for entertainment, but it provided the middle class with opportunities for expressing their frustrations, achievements, joys and aspirations in their working places. Burke, (1978 b: 113) noted that the emergence of the

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Case Study Example Reason being, it acquired land secretly through undetectable means (Daft & Marac, 2007). Furthermore, the citizens saw the possibility of the emergence of hotels and restaurants that were not proper for their country. Similarly, it was feared that the Disney’s America Park might have a negative impact to the environment. Thirdly, some citizens disliked the nature of secrecy of the company. Reason being, it did not consult them on what should the history of America be made of (Theme Park History: Disneys America and the Historian Dilema , 2013). The information about the closure of the project was conveyed through the external form of communication. The level of knowledge about Disney Park differed among citizens within the county. For instance, majority of those who opposed the project were individuals who were less informed about it. On the other hand, the leaders seemed knowledgeable about the project. At the end of the project, many politicians were disappointed. (The Third Battle of Bull Rumn the Disneys America Theme Park, 1994) In conclusion, the success of Disney’s America Park was unachievable because of its: possessive nature as seen in the naming, and secrecy, which saw the citizens being less informed about the progress of the

Presidential Campaign Policy Essay Example for Free

Presidential Campaign Policy Essay The 2008 presidential campaign will be remembered for the stark contrasts between the two candidates and their respective policies. Other than the obvious contrasts of race and age, John McCain and Barack Obama represent two very different philosophies of government. Two examples of this contrast are the domestic policy area of taxes and the foreign policy issue of the war on terror. John McCain, the Republican candidate, has proposed lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% (The McCain Economic Plan 6). This proposal reflects the traditional Republican philosophy which believes that lower tax rates for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and corporations will result in more jobs for working Americans, increased productivity, and, ultimately, in greater tax revenues. In addition to reducing taxes for corporations, McCain has also proposed reducing individual income taxes. Under the McCain plan, families with an annual family income of more than $2. 87 million would receive a 4. 4% decrease in taxes, or about $269,000 less in income taxes per year (Obama and McCain Tax Proposals). This income bracket represents the top 0. 1% of incomes in the United States. The average annual income in the United States is slightly less than $42,000 (World Bank, 12). Under the McCain Plan, an American with an average income would have his taxes reduced by 0. 7%, or $319 per year (Obama and McCain Tax Proposals). McCain has not always favored giving larger tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and less generous tax breaks to the middle class. In 2001, McCain was one of two Republican senators to vote against the Bush tax cuts (Weisman A01). At that time, McCain argued that the country could not afford to give such large tax cuts without corresponding reductions in spending. McCain also expressed concerns about the lopsided nature of the Bush tax cuts, which gave the greatest tax relief to the wealthiest taxpayers and offered little reductions in taxes to middle class or low-income wage earners. In 2002, McCain said that he would like to see much more of this tax cut shared by working Americans. . . . I think it still devotes too much of it to the wealthiest Americans (McCain, quoted by Weisman A01). McCain changed his position on taxing working Americans at some time before March of 2008, when he voted with other Senate Republicans to continue the Bush tax cuts. Barack Obamas tax plan increases the amount of income tax paid by the wealthiest Americans and reduces, if only slightly, the amount of income taxes that would be paid by middle class families. Under the Obama plan, Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s (Barack Obamas Comprehensive Tax Plan). Families earning more than $287 million, which received a tax reduction of 4. 4% under the McCain plan, would face a tax increase of 11. 5% or $701,885 a year under the Obama plan (Obama and McCain Tax Proposals). An individual with an income of $42,000 would have a tax reduction of 2. 4% or $1,042 per year under the Obama plan (Obama and McCain Tax Proposals). In the March 2008 vote, Senator Obama voted with other Democrats to reject the Bush tax cuts. McCain has argued that economic growth should come from the top down, while Obama has argued that economic stability comes from the bottom up. The recent collapse of Wall Street and the government bailout of several banks and investment firms reinforces Obamas argument and weakens McCains position. McCain and Obama also have different views about the war on terror. McCain contends that the United States was correct in its decision to pursue Al Qaeda into Iraq and that the United States military should stay in Iraq until the insurgency has been brought under control and the Iraqi government no longer needs the support of the United States military (Strategy for Victory in Iraq). Obama has argued that the war in Iraq is a dangerous distraction from the pursuit of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan (Obama calls Iraq war a dangerous distraction'). Obamas position on the war in Iraq is consistent with his initial criticism of the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2002. At one time, Obama argued that the United States should have a clear deadline for the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq. Since that time, Obama has somewhat modified his position. While he is still calling for a reduction in troops with a goal of an eventual withdrawal by the summer of 2010, he has also acknowledged the need for a residual force (to) remain in Iraq and in the region to conduct targeted counter-terrorism missions against al Qaeda in Iraq and to protect American diplomatic and civilian personnel (War in Iraq). Obama noted that we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in (War in Iraq). Obama has also tried to calm fears that he might be reluctant to use military force if necessary to defend the United States. Democrats have historically been viewed as being weak on national defense, which has traditionally been a strong issue for Republicans. While Obama has been critical of the war in Iraq, he has also argued strongly for increased troops in Afghanistan. Obama has also stated that, if necessary, he would pursue Al Qaeda into neighboring Pakistan, which is where he believes Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda members are hiding (War in Iraq). In these remarks, Obama has been more hawkish than McCain, who has warned against threatening Pakistan. John McCain has argued that the American strategy in Iraq is an important part of the overall war on terror. McCain has been consistent in his views of the war, even when his position was unpopular and could have potential cost him the nomination of his party (Page). McCains status as a former POW gives him a great deal of credibility in the area of military defense. McCain has argued against any type of scheduled withdrawal from Iraq, warning that any such timetable would provide an advantage to the insurgents in Iraq and to Al Qaeda forces. McCain has also acknowledged that American military forces may have to stay in Iraq for several years to ensure the stability of the region and to protect American interests. Although McCain has argued for the need for military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has also warned against making threats to Pakistan and other countries. Obamas argument about the war is weakened by his lack of experience and knowledge in foreign affairs, a fact that McCain likes to point out as often as possible. Obamas choice of Joe Biden as a running mate was no doubt intended, in part, to address these concerns about foreign affairs. His logic about who military forces should be used, however, is strong. It makes little sense to fight a war in Iraq when it is clear that the enemy is hiding in Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCains strength is in his knowledge of foreign affairs, firsthand knowledge and understanding of war, and in his commitment to protecting American lives and American interests. McCains position of experience, however, was weakened by his choice of an inexperienced running mate who has no knowledge of foreign affairs or national security.

Psychology and the Importance in Churches Essay Example for Free

Psychology and the Importance in Churches Essay I believe psychology is important in churches today because when I look at the attitude and conduct of church members, it exhibits the function of one’s mind, social behavior and development. Specifically when dealing with the mechanics of reception. Religions and churches face different possible reactions from its members or visitors which are directly correlated to the human behavior of the mind. It is easy to see how the Muslims by their social behavior are so fanatical and often times all-consuming in their faith. Muslims are more inclined to say that their religion is an important part of their daily lives. It is said that nine out of ten Muslims said their faith was more important in their lives, while the figure was 85% for Hindus and 66% for Christians. We see that there are various levels of reaction; other religions could fall into the category of having strong and mild attachment, proving that the human mind is a key ingredient into how people react and consume religion. This not only plays a role in people with religious beliefs, it’s also displayed in non-believers of faith such as agnostics and atheist. This is so because religion will not have an impact on some individuals; they will be indifferent, having no particular interest or sympathy. While others may be observant, willing to learn but some will still be unmoved to come to faith or beliefs. These are just a few arguments as to why I feel psychology plays a pertinent role, because people that help make up all religions will have different reactions from their minds, thus leading to various behaviors and level of belief. Along with actions and reaction, the mind will also contemplate upon past experiences, this enables one to either come to faith or not at all, based on what someone had said or done to them. This is known as locking or unlocking the mind. In conclusion, Behaviors and reactions are a state of one’s mind based upon life experiences. Psychology and the human mind play an intricate role in the growth or stunt of a Religion or a Church.

Explain the Role of Computer Systems in Different Environments

Explain the Role of Computer Systems in Different Environments In todays era, computer has become one of the basic needs for human beings. Computer which we used like every day was invented for solely one purpose i.e. for calculating numerical problems and mathematical calculations. The term computer is derived from Latin world called computare which means to calculate. With the advancement of technologies, computer has become one of the powerful machines ever created. There are different environments or surroundings where computers are used. For example, people can communicate from one place to another place or from one country to another. Similarly, people can withdraw their money from the bank even living in another country. Some of the areas or surroundings in which computers are used are as follows: Science and technologies: Computer has become one of major role in the in the science and technological area. Scientists can perform haphazard experiments like nuclear testing, radioactive experiments, space programmes etc. Similarly, they can keep their records of their experiments, journals etc that can be retrieve whenever they wanted. Also they can get information on various subjects like weather forecasting, earthquake, volcanic eruption etc. Medicine : A computer system has played a major role in field of medicine. Now doctors can perform critical operations like heart surgery and others due to advancement of medical instruments. Similarly, in pharmaceuticals, people working in these areas can keep the records in computer like manufacture date, date of supplies, and expiry date of medicines. Government: Offices Banks Home Task 2: explain the, hardware, software and peripheral components of a computer system. As stated earlier, a computer is an electronic device. That means a computer consists of a wires, components that helps to run a computer. Basically, there are two parts or components that help to run a computer. They are: Hardware. Software. Parts of computer Hardware Hardware Software Hardware: A physical component that helps to run a computer is called hardware. Simply saying, any parts of a computer which we can see, feel and touch is called hardware. The examples of hardware are as follows: Keyboard: It is also one of the input devices. It is used for entering textual data that consist of alphabets, numbers, special characters etc. The following are the different types of keyboard: 105 keys: desktop keyboard 85 keys: laptop keyboard Virtual keyboard Wi-Fi keyboard Mouse: It is a pointing device used to position cursor on screen. It has 3 buttons. They are: Left button Right button Scroll button There are mainly two types of mouse. They are as follows: Scroll mouse: It has ball at its base that is use to roll over mouse pad. Optical mouse: It has LED base which emits light. This light is used to position cursor deflection. It does not require mouse pad. Motherboard: It is the main component of CPU cabinet that houses the entire electronic component inside a computer. hard disc: A hard disc is a physical component that is used for storing data. A hard drive can store millions of data permanently i.e. the data will be stored even if the power is off. RAM : RAM is known as Random Access Memory. It is also called volatile memory because it saves the data temporarily when the computer is on. When the computer is turned off, all the data that is stored or saved by RAM will be deleted. Software: Software is a set of instructions that helps to run the computer. Or a set of programs used as info systems is called software. Basically there are two types of computer. They are: System software: System software deals with the internal functions of a computer. It loads when a computer starts and is used for interaction with the hardware. Example: operating system, device drivers etc. Operating system: Operating system consists of programs that manage all operations of computer. The main tasks performed by operating systems are as follows: Booting: Booting is the process of starting the computer and loading operating system with system files. The system files are follows: Command. Com Config.sys Autoexec.bat After checking the configurations of the systems and found ok operating system loads/ prepares desktop/laptop for user. Security: A computer requires security data stored in inside it. To provide assets to appropriate user authentication process (username, password) is followed. If incorrect password is found, user is denied assets. Files are protected by taking password for each file. Networking: The computer files, programs, I/O devices etc. Can be shared by networking. Networking allows two or more than two computers to be connected to each other. Networking also allows sharing of interest connection for browsing web-pages. Task: Operating system executes different tasks. Each task means process. So, multiple processes are executed and each process request resources. Application software: The software used for fulfilling the requirement of the user is called application software. It is used by computer user after computer finishes starting (booting). Example: MS-Office, tally, games etc. Application software are created to fulfil the requirement of a computer user needs. Peripheral components: The parts of the computer that helps in running a computer is called peripheral component. These types of component generally found inside or outside of casing cabinet of a computer. We can also say that the components or devices that provide input to the computer or receive output are called peripheral components. Some of the examples are as follows: Printer Mouse Touch screen Microphone Video camera Task 3: compare different types of computer systems. Consider the todays mini world uses different types of computer for different purposes, your first task is to identify and list different types of computer system based on working principles, size and brand. Then explain their available features, application areas and finally suggest which types of computer system would be suitable for above environments. As stated earlier, a computer is a powerful machine ever created by humans. A computer can complete its task within fraction of seconds. The higher the power, the time taken is less. A computer is generally divided into four types on its basis: On the basis of operations or work. On the basis of size. On the basis brand. On the basis of function. On the basis of operations or work: On the basis on performing an operation or doing a work, computer has been categorised into three types. They are as follows: Analog computers: These types of computers works in continuing ranges of values. The results given by these computers are approximate since they work continously in their related fields. It generally deals with the physical quantities like speed, pressure etc. The examples of analog computer are speedometer, sthethescope,barometer etc. Digital computers: These type computers are usec in binary digits i.e. 0 and 1. It is genrally used as on and off operators. The results given by the digital computers are correct and are more reliable than analog computers. They are used in performing complex mathematical probles and engineering. Hybrid computers: Hybrid computers are combined form of both analog and digital computers, hybrid computers

Shakespeare :: essays research papers fc

William Shakespeare was born in the year of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. His exact birth date is unknown but it is traditionally celebrated on April 23. In England this day is known as the feast of St. George. He was the third of eight children born to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare. John Shakespeare was a tanner, and a glove maker. He served a term as the mayor of Stratford, a town council man, a justice of peace, and an ale-taster. Unfortunately John could not write. John Shakespeare died in 1601. Since William was his eldest son he received what little land his father owned. Little is known about his mother's life. It is known that she came from a wealthy family. Her family also paid her husband a handsome dowry. William Shakespeare went to a very good grammar school in Stratford-upon- Avon. Two of his instructors were Oxford graduates, Simon Hunt and Thomas Jenkins. William's studies were in Greek and Latin. He developed the ability of keen observation of both nature and mankind. It is said that his education ended here. On November 27, 1582, when William was 18 years old, he married Anne Hathaway. She was ten years older than him. Their first daughter, named Susanna, was born the next year on May 26, 1583. The couple also had twins, Hamnet and Judith, in 1585. Hamnet died at the age of eleven, but it is unknown how. Between the years of 1585 and 1592 no evidence of what happened in Shakespeare's life is known. These years are called "The Hidden Years". It is said that during this stretch of time, he ran away from the law or was the apprentice of a butcher, although a man named John Aubry was told by Christopher Beston that Shakespeare was a school teacher up until 1592 somewhere in London. Beginning in 1592, in London, he became known as an established playwright. In 1593 he found a patron, Henry Wriothsley, to sponsor him. William Shakespeare was also an actor, writer, director, and stockholder in "The King's Men" company. He acted for a company called "The King's Men". This company became the largest and most famous acting company simply because William was performing and working for them. Shakespeare wrote two long poems. His first, "Venus and Adonius", was written in the year 1593. Then a year later he wrote, "Rape of Lucrece".

Impact of Technology on Warfare :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Impact of Technology on Warfare Technology changes every day, sometimes the events in our life shape what new technology we use. You would have to be living in a hole not know that we are in conflict with Iraq, and this event has changed digital warfare. The U.S. army has come up with a digital warfare system called Army Battle Command System. This system can scan digital street maps, monitor enemy positions, zoom in on individual buildings through satellite imagery and download instructions from commanders. The Army Battle Command System has been but in to a hand full of Humvees in Iraq. This technology was originally designed for battlefield combat which was tanks and helicopters, but now they have found that it is much more useful for hunting rebel leaders and trailing street fighters. This new technology helps the commanding officers know what is going on by that they can be back at there command base and watch raids unfold on large screens and watch real time footage. This allows them to know what exactly what is taking place. The technology has allowed commanders to plan complicated raids and organize battle gear and hundreds of soldiers within two hours. At that speed , they say, it played an important part in capturing Saddam Hussein and other fugitives. One important element to the system is that each military vehicle is tracked by satellite and it appears as a moving blue icon on a computer screen inside these Humvees that have been equipped with the Army Battle Command System, this is important to the Humvee driver because now he is able to know where all tanks and other army vehicles are located and this is said to have helped reduce the amount of friendly fire incidents. Back before they had this technology the drivers would have to radio back to the command base and inform them on there location, â€Å"No longer do you have guys on a map putting little stickers where things are at, now it is digitally done. It allows commanders to move more rapidly, more decisively, more violently.† [1] A helpful feature that the Army Battle Command System has is a touch screen monitor which allows the officer to place icons on the map and have it appear on screens throughout the system which makes them able to show enemy position, possible ambush locations, fugitive hide outs and locations of newly found roadside bombs.

Essay --

The 1960s was one of the most eventful and perhaps the most troublesome decade in India’s post-Independence era. This decade saw major events like the two wars – one each with China and Pakistan, the annexation of Goa, the deaths of Nehru and Shastri, the Bihar famine,the abolition of privy purses etc. Near the end of the decade, the then prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, took another major policy decision -- the bank nationalisation. In 1969 the Government of India decided to nationalise 14 major private commercial banks. Bank nationalisation was not a new concept for India as in 1955 the Imperial Bank of India was nationalised and renamed as State bank of India (SBI). In 1959 seven subsidiaries of SBI were formed by nationalising seven state banks. But it was the 1969 nationalisation that caused maximum impact on political and economic spectrum so much so that even Jayaprakash Narayan called this step as ‘a masterstroke in political sagacity’. Decision to nationalise the banks, which has both political and economic undertones, has to be analysed by considering the then prevailing conditions. After centuries of foreign rule and economic exploitation, the independant India had just started its march towards socio-economic development with a dream of creating equitable society by alleviating the widespread poverty. India had adopted the path of planned economic development which envisaged social i.e. governmental control over the means of production. First two plans laid stress on creating heavy industries which would serve as base of economic development. From third plan major emphasis was given on agricultural development with the aim of achiving self-sufficiency in food production and thus tackle the grave issue of ... ... like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa etc. After nationalisation the professional management made way for public maganemet which caused lower efficiency. As social welfare took precedance over profits many banks started suffering heavy losses. The political interference in daily administration of banks increased which led to rampant corruption. Although the banking habits in rural areas improved significantly menace of illigal moneylenders could not be curbed in large parts of India. In conclusion, it has be accepted that despite all the demerits the nationalisation of banks was a major step in towards the creation of equitable society. Public sector banks later went on to become catalyst in success of green revolution. In an agrarian economy, bringing banking system under public control was a major shot in the arm for the socialist government of Indira Gandhi.

How Technology Has Affected the Capabilities

IntroductionRecognizing the identity of a person is a major problem encountered by most of the justice and security systems, especially when an individual provides false information. Until recently, the methods of providing the true identity of criminals have been few and prone to errors (Davis, Weiss, 2009). With the implementation of modern computerized technologies, communication capabilities of specialized databases (such as the fingerprint identifiers) have been made effective and accurate. In this paper, the effect of technology on the communication capabilities of specialized databases in criminal justice will be analyzed, by comparing the facial recognition and iris scan techniques of identification and discussing the overall positive and negative effects of these technologies on criminal justice system.How technology has affected the capabilities of specialized databases in the criminal justice systemIn trying to make their work easier and more effective, the justice and sec urity personnel have always looked into the advancing technological methods to enhance communication capabilities within the justice system. The introduction of two-way radio and increased use of automobile have helped in improving the effectiveness of communication databases and responding to criminal incidents (Seaskate Inc. 1998). Modern technology has introduced many methods of specialized databases which have become exceedingly useful in crime investigation and response to incidences.The specialized databases utilize computerized techniques to identify criminals or suspects as well as to facilitate communication between the police, the general public and amongst other security personnel. The most used specialized databases by the security and justice system to provide identification of individuals include the Mobile Data Terminals, Live Scans, Iris Scans, Facial Recognition and the AFIS (Scherpenzeel, 2008). These technologies make individual identification easier, more accurat e and more effective in terms of time and cost. Both police officers and prosecutors have in many occasions applied them in identifying, judging, imprisoning or even in releasing criminals (Reichert, 2001)Comparison between Facial Recognition and Iris ScanIris scan refers to a technique of biometric identification using high tech recognition patterns which utilize images of a person’s iris. Iris cameras are used to perform detections of an individual’s identity using mathematical analysis of random patterns visible in the iris. The technique uses a combination of pattern recognition, computer vision, optics and statistical inferences (Find Biometrics, n. d).Facial recognition technique on the other hand is a computerized application which identifies an individual from a video outline or digital image. It is used in criminal justice systems to identify people by comparing the selected facial appearance from a specified facial database. This technique uses unalterable ph ysical facial structures (say the space between centers of an individual’s pupils of the eye or the diameter of a persons eye balls) and through algorithm, finite computerized set of steps are used to solve the problem, by translating the image into numerical values (Davis, Weiss, 2009).Iris scan is an internal detection method while the facial recognition is an external detection technique. Unlike the iris scan which uses an internal organ of the body, the facial recognition technique is done using certain parts of an individual face such jaws, cheekbones, nose or the eyes: these features are applied in searching for images matching with them. Facial recognition has been criticized because it uses external parts of the body which are likely to change over time through long exposure to manual work, use of facial cosmetics or plastic surgery (Titanium, 2010).These changes can completely transform and individual’s physical appearance, thus making it hard to be identified from a crowd. However, the method has one merit the iris scan and other biometric methods lack; it doesn’t call for any help from the individual being tested—if the system is properly designed and effectively installed in places such as multiplexes and airports, it can easily pick out the required subject from a crowd.For other biometric techniques such as the iris scan, speech recognition and fingerprints, the subject must be involved in the detection process and mass identification cannot apply (Titanium, 2010). Nonetheless, Iris scan is more reliable since it is not dependent on light or sight, but depends on the pattern of the iris. The facial recognition technique can fail due to poor lighting, long hair, use of sunglasses and other small resolution images and objects that relatively cover the face (Titanium, 2010).The overall positive and negative effects of the new techniques on the criminal justice systemBasically, the new technologies in the criminal justice and communication have greatly improved the way in which criminal identification and tracing is conducted by the justice and security systems. To begin with, specialized databases are used either complimentary or alternatively to ensure that accurate results are made. This implies that in one instance, both the facial recognition and fingerprints can be applied for the same specimen or subject when there are doubts or ambiguity regarding identity.This ensures that minimal errors occur, thus reducing the chances of wrong identification (Scherpenzeel, 2008). Furthermore, the new technologies have reduced the costs that used to be incurred in tracking down criminals. Such costs included travel costs, paying witnesses, interviewing individuals, costs of detaining many suspects before identifying the guilty criminal. More so, problems that used to be encountered due to physical transformation of an individual as a result of surgeries, injuries and use of cosmetics have now been overcome through the use of specialized databases like the speech recognition and iris scan biometrics (Scherpenzeel, 2008)..However, the new technologies have had a number of negative effects on the criminal justice system. The most common negative effect is the fact that this new technologies require a lot of professionalism and skill, not only in criminology, but also in statistics, mathematics and computer technology. However, many people do not possess this combined qualifications and this leads to shortage of personnel in the criminal investigation department.As such, the process of identification becomes slower since it is entrusted with few specialists who are cannot be able to handle all the cases presented to them. In some other cases, semi-skilled people have been entrusted the work, resulting to wrong identification or non identification (Reichert 2001). Other problems usually result from system breakdowns or corruption of system files which affect the validity of the results. Co rruption of operating systems is mostly done by people within the criminal justice system who wish to obstruct certain criminal identification processes for personal reasons (Scherpenzeel, 2008).Since some of this technologies are still relatively new (such as the iris scan and live scan), Â  most of the criminal justice systems find it too expensive to adopt them due to the high initial installation costs and therefore, they are rarely used. Other specialized databases like the facial scanner pose problems in places of installation such as railways and airports due to security factors. This has made it difficult for the justice system to continually use this technique in identifying wanted individuals (Reichert 2001).Preferred specialized databasesAmong all the types of specialized databases and biometric scanners and devices used for detection of identification today, the iris scanner has proved to be most effective and accurate. This is because, an individual’s iris canno t be impeded by contact lenses and glasses; it can be accurately scanned from ten centimeters to several meters away. In addition the iris remains constant for a long time unless injuries occur—one enrolment scan lasts for a lifetime. Although certain surgical and medical operations may affect the color and shape of the iris, its fine texture maintains stability for decades. Furthermore, it can still be used on blind people because the technology is not dependent on sight but on pattern. (Find Biometrics, n. d).ConclusionThe use of specialized databases in criminal justice system is a great move towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal identification. It is important that these databases be implemented across the globe for detecting and tracking down criminals, since the negative effects of these technologies are so meager, and easily solvable as compared to the overall positive impact.ReferencesFind Biometrics (n. d). Iris scanners and recognition. Retr ieved fromhttp://www.findbiometrics.com/iris-recognition/Davis, M., & Weiss, J (2009). Facial recognition technology in law enforcement. Retrieved fromhttp://www.hendonpub.com/resources/articlearchive/details.aspx?ID=31Seaskate Inc. (1998). The evolution and development of police technology. Retrieved fromhttp://www.police-technology.net/id59.htmlTitanium (2010). Comparing face recognition against other types of biometric authenticationmethods. Retrieved fromhttp://www.titanium-tech.com/download/CompareBio.pdfReichert, K. (2001). Promising approaches to addressing crime: use of information technologyin law enforcement. University of south Wales, Australia.Scherpenzeel, R. (2008). Key issues in introducing information technology in criminal justice.retieved from http://www.uncjin.org/other/korebo/chapter3.pdf

Neurotransmitters and Memory

Those with Parkinson disease suffer from a deterioration of neurons ethylated the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is vital for normal movement. This often leaves patients with severe mobility problems. Typical treatment embraces the drug I-dope, which substitutes dopamine in the brain but can cause side effects, and over long term use becomes ineffective. As is the case with all neurological diseases, the tissue that is destroyed cannot be regenerated. The cellular treatments purpose to interchange the missing neurons with dopamine-producing cells from fetal brains or with those harvested from human stem cells.The studies suggest that fetal brain tissue transplanted into the brains of those suffering from neurological conditions can actually grow new viable neurons whose transmitters produce and release dopamine into the brain. There is still the need for continued research as much of the results have shown little improvement in symptoms. Here in lies the controversy of such continu ed research. Moral, ethical and legal concerns are being raised in light of request and grants for said research. Many are arguing over what a fetus really represents.Whether it is a person or merely a developing System of ells. At present fetal tissue IS harvested from spontaneous abortions and still births with permission of the mother, much like that of donating your body to science. The use of elected aborted fetus has yet to be authorized. There comes into question the motives of the use of elected aborted fetus. If there will be a monetary kick ARGUING THE USE OF FETAL TISSUE 3 back to aborting mothers, or if a fetus will be conceived for the use of a family member with a disease like Parkinson.At present it takes the sum of six fetus to supply the needed tissue transplantation into a Parkinson sapient. It is reported that 90-95 percent of the neurons transplanted die before they can attach and began to grow new tissue. Major concerns in regards to acquiring ample fetal donati ons is in round table discussions and has been tied up in debate for years. I myself have not been faced with a friend or family member stricken by a disease like Parkinson. Working in the medical field for the past 17 years I have dealt with patients with the diagnosis.Watching how they struggle and the frustration they face on a daily basis has to be exhausting for them. I feel hat we are in great need of further research for many medical ailments and diseases. Questioning the use of fetal tissue definitely strikes a nerve for many. And it is such a sensitive subject which has a power house of backing much like that of the Catholic Church whose view is that a life begins at conception. Where others say it's not a life before the third trimester. I myself do not condone the use of farming fetal tissue. Onto see why we cannon have access to the fetal tissue which has been aborted. Why not use that tissue and gain from it all that we can. How much is it costing to dispose of such tis sue? Can see where it can easily be regulated by the government and possibly save tax payer dollars in disposal fees. These are fetus that are electively aborted. The number of elective abortions in this nation in 201 1 was 1. 06 million. How many experimental transplants could have taken place using this viable tissue? I am also very interested in research on growing cells in the lab environment.

In the era after the Cold War, liberalism has replaced realism as the dominant explanation for the international system” Do you agree with this assertion?

Introduction This essay examines the proposition that, in the era after the Cold War, liberalism has replaced realism as the dominant explanation for the international system, arguing that such is not the case; that realism continues to be relevant and, indeed, perhaps offers better explanations for current global politics that liberalism. In particular, this essay focuses on the Waltzian notion of global anarchy and asymmetrical global power distributions as being primary driving agencies in international affairs. Hence this essay espouses the precepts of neorealism, emphasising the importance of power, dominance, and interest as underlying political behaviour. While this essay acknowledges the ideological primacy of liberalism, and the likelihood that this will increase, it draws a distinction between avowed intellectual affinities and observable political realities. That is, the central idealism of the liberal ethos is dissected and found to be unsatisfactory in accounting the for post-Cold Wa r global order. While the importance of liberalism is not refuted, the current study sees its ascendency as resulting more from a lack of viable alternatives than its fundamental superiority as a political system or as a set of ideas. Realism, Liberalism, and the Centrality of Power and Interest in International Relations In the wake of the Cold War, certain critical voices within the field of International Relations assert the demise of realism as the dominant explanation for the international system. Certainly, scholars suggest that liberalism is â€Å"main alternative to realism in the public discourse, as it has been for two centuries, albeit challenged by socialism for a time† (Richardson, 2001: 71). This supposition is founded on the belief that the primary tenets of realism – like global anarchy, the centrality of the state, and corollary importance of power and self-interest – while previously useful in explaining global politics, have been superseded by alternate theories. Hence scholars hold that â€Å"although realism’s concepts of anarchy, self-help, and power balancing may have been appropriate to a bygone era, they have been displaced by changed conditions and eclipsed by better ideas† (Little & Smith, 2006: 90). The realist paradigm as formulated by Ma chiavelli and codified by Hobbes, it could be argued, was grounded in paranoiac conceptualisations of the human condition; it reflected an â€Å"anti-teleological principle†, where the Aristotelian idea of ultimate â€Å"good† as humanity’s guiding light is rejected in favour of a motive formed in the philosophical negative (Strauss, 1988: 52): where humans ultimately acted to avoid certain ends rather than precipitate them. For Hobbes, one of the intellectual fathers of the modern nation state, man’s endeavour was consequently geared, in sum, against what he called the â€Å"summum malum†, that is, death (Sreedhar, 2010: 33). Modern political science tends to ascribe somewhat less pessimistic intentions and driving agencies to international relations. While this has somewhat to do with the inevitable critical realignment that obtained as a result of global political rearrangement after the fall of the Soviet bloc, the irrelevance of realism is by no means a given. As the neorealist Kenneth Waltz avers: â€Å"Changes in the structure of the system are distinct from changes at the unit level† (2000: 5). After all, it would entail a radical change in world politics to negate entirely a prevalent mode of critical analysis; for realism all of a sudden to become irrelevant. This would, it seems clear, be to say that the events of the past were so vastly different in character from those of the present as to bear negligible if any consequence for (or insights on) events of the future. But what manner of change in the international system could utterly alter the critical apparatuses by which s uch systems are scrutinisedWhat we are concerned with in this instance, after all, is a wholly new type of system; in effect, a new type of politics: wherein the posited spread of liberalism, increasing globalisation, interdependence, the rise of democracy and the consolidation of diplomatic relations is such as to redefine the very nature of state-to-state interaction – a very dramatic alteration indeed. In sum, is the new face of global order really reflective of an equally new modus operandi at work beneathIs liberalism the new residing paradigm? Since the end of the Cold War, scholars have proposed that a â€Å"new world† is upon us, one which requires new approaches to political analysis. As a consequence, the field of political studies has witnessed a wealth of competing so-called â€Å"new world† theories: Francis Fukuyama’s proposed End of History and Samuel P. Huntington’s Clash of Civilisations theory being foremost among them. A common thread in said theories relates to the potent ideological significance of communism being abjured by a huge portion of the globe and the consequent spread of liberal democracy and its bedfellow capitalism. In either instance, the charge of Western triumphalism could be brought to bear and, indeed, raises some pertinent questions: is it that Western liberalism is a superior system or is it that Eastern style communism was integrally flawedSome scholars certainly contend the latter: communist political systems â€Å"collapsed in Central and Eastern Europe at t he end of the 1980s primarily because of long-standing internal weaknesses that denied them the popular legitimacy needed for long term survival† (Goldman, 1997: 3). From a liberal perspective, this can be understood as reflective of the supposed fundamental human desire for freedom: a desire which proponents are keen to imply that liberalism provides. That is, there is for some liberal critics a belief that â€Å"the desire for liberal democracy† is â€Å"universal† because it denotes the innate human desire for freedom (Hughes, 2012: 109). However, the categorical and reductive overtones of such thinking are perhaps too flattering to the Occidental political position (from which liberal critics tend to hail). At any rate, it is clear that liberal politics have become increasingly preponderate in the wake of the Cold War. Whether this is down to the universality of liberal principles is highly debatable. More convincing are arguments that stress the lack of viable alternatives to communism since the fall of the Soviet bloc. Hence one critic observes that following the Cold War, liberal democracy found itself â€Å"without enemies or viable alternatives† (Haynes et al., 2013: 36). Concurrently, the United States (certainly the most prevalent liberal polity on the world stage), increasingly pursued policies that were indicative of â€Å"ideological universalism in values and practices† (MacGinty & Richmond, 2013: 22). Such universalism works somewhat to blur the lines between liberal principles and US principles: simply put, the one comes metonymically to do duty for the other. As a result, scholars posit that â€Å"American power has become the executor of the liberal idea an d, invisibly, the liberal ideal has become the occasion for asserting American might† (MacDonald, 2014: 161). In other words, the diminishment in viable alternatives to communism, in addition to the rise of US proclamations in the service of liberalism, both amount to a powerful catalyst for political liberalism overall. What is clear, then, is that there has been a substantial paradigm shift in the global order; and, indeed, the proclamations of a supposed new word do seem justified, at least in terms of the overt ideological dynamic at play in international relations. What liberal scholars trumpet as the ascendency of liberalism must be understood as an ideological victory before anything else. Deeper rooted structural and socio-cultural influences may yet obtain. As a result, while classical realism may be unsuited to account for the ideological makeup of contemporary politics, neorealism and structural realism can perhaps offer an adapted understanding of fundamental driving agencies behind ideological ambitions. Such critical perspectives relate to the underlying mechanics of global politics. Kenneth Waltz for instance maintains the validity of realism inasmuch as it serves to explain states of relative peace and conflict as being the result of asymmetrical power distribution among states and th e prevalence of global anarchy. For Waltz, this mode of anarchy is connected with permissiveness: where the lack of any top-down international ruling body or sovereign effectively removes deterring agencies (for states to wage war). Hence Waltz identifies what he calls â€Å"permissive† causes of conflict: that allow wars to occur â€Å"because there is nothing to prevent them† (1959: 232). Of course, there has been a significant decline in interstate war since the fall of communism, but this does not mean that global anarchy in no longer relevant. Rather, the realist paradigm may still be said to hold true: the only difference is the vastly changed power structures at work. The world order is, for the present, unipolar, with the United States representing the global hegemon. During the Cold War, international relations were bipolar, because the Soviet bloc represented a significant balance to the capitalist West. This led to a situation where, although individual factions often sought â€Å"to dominate, superiority [was] almost impossible to achieve† because states countered â€Å"each other’s attempts to dominate† (D’Anieri, 2011: 69). In lieu of this bipolar balance, no single state commands the resources or capability to challenge the US, thus what is known as hegemonic stability obtains. While this hegemonic stability maintains a peacefu l status quo under the banner of liberal democracy, there are nonetheless indications that other factors are at work beneath the overt appearance. Indeed, the unipolar world has allowed for a degree of unilateralism that seems distinctly at odds with the dictates of freedom and equality so associated with the liberal ideal. One commentator notes, for example, that â€Å"the excessive unilateralist behaviour of the Bush administration† in addition to the frequent â€Å"disregard for international law† which â€Å"previous administrations had helped to create† ended up being â€Å"corrosive† on the credibility of Washington (Heinbecker, 2011: 171). The point is that the US is simultaneously putting itself forward as the vocal exemplar of liberalism yet repeatedly acting in its own self-interest and flexing its muscle in order to do so. Thus while on the one hand the US explicitly champions liberal ideology, its political behaviour is more readily explicable with reference to realist ideas. There is an evident paradox at work here, and it is evocative of Mark twain’s famed aphorism: â€Å"If you have a reputation as an early riser, you can sleep ‘til noon† (Rumsey, 2012: 137). Hence we come to a crucial distinction in the current debate. Liberalism is at base an idealistic mould for political action, thus difficult to achieve. Realism, contrarily, assumes a degree of pragmatism, partiality, and, indeed, disparity in political action that is far more readily obtained. This central paradox echoes one of the primary problems with the liberal ethos as a practicable set of ideas: it tends not to work very well. He nce scholars like Michael Howard go so far as to equate liberalism with the â€Å"story of the efforts of good men to abolish war but only succeeding thereby in making it more terrible† (Howard, 1978: 130). Taking this point of view, it becomes less convincing that liberalism has rendered realism obsolete. Indeed, the actions of the US after the Cold War have, it can be argued, been highly self-interested. Moreover, after the tragedy of September 11th, Washington’s neoconservative quest to spread democracy was anything but peaceful. In either instance, self-preservation and national interest seem more reasonable explanations for Washington’s actions than any supposed idealistic liberalising agenda (except where such an agenda consolidated US power). Thus we can once more defer to realist thinking. In this respect scholars point to â€Å"the central role† of â€Å"power† in â€Å"politics and the dominance of the nation-state in the contemporary international system† – a realist conception if ever there was one (Keohane, 1984: 9). Even though the power divisions that prevailed during the Cold War are now gone, this does not mean the fundamental concepts of power and dominance no longer play an important role. Here we come to a very important poi nt: the ideas of realism relate to fundamental driving agencies, which effectively transcend the cosmetic prescriptions of particular ideological systems. This is why, critics argue, realism offers a good explanation for political activity: because it tries to locate root causes. This latter point is realism’s overriding strength. Because realism is concerned with human nature and fundamental agency, it potentially represents a more universal system of thought than does liberalism. For this reason, realism cannot be said to have been rendered obsolete by the rise of liberalism; this is because, in a certain sense, the realist view is ahistorical and thus cannot be made obsolete. Realism after all is focused on the â€Å"constraints on politics imposed by human nature† (Donnelly, 2000: 9). Human nature has no time limit. Accordingly this is to suppose that power, dominance and self-interest are integral elements of the human condition; that political events thus reflect human nature writ large. While it may be upheld that the human condition is not as bleak as Hobbes contended – â€Å"solitary, poor, brutish, nasty and short† – it can certainly be argued humanity continuously acts in selfish and illiberal ways (cited in Graham, 2002: 9). Furthermore, it seems idealism in the extreme to propose that humanity is remotely close to a state in which the pejorative dimensions of human nature will be extinguished. Rather, it is far more plausible that human nature will perpetually pose restraints on political ideals. Liberalism as an idealistic perspective therefore remains subject to the restrictions posited by realism. Further, this does not look set to end any time soon. Conclusion While it is clear that a new world has emerged from the ideological rubble of the Cold War, a world defined by the liberal ideal, it is certainly not proven that realism has no more use to political science. On the contrary, realism is a pervasive system for explaining international relations: prior to and succeeding the end of the Cold War. Realism may relate to some very old political ideas; but this does not mean such ideas are ipso facto out of date. Fundamental elements of human nature, on the contrary, must be understood as timeless. In consequence, we may posit that the basic motivations that dictate human political activity today are of a similar nature to those during the Cold War or even those which obtained in centuries prior. That is to say, assuming the truth of the basic tents of realism about human nature, such insights must be taken to be as valid today as they were in the past. Following this logic, realist ideas will likely persist in relevance through the years to come. The conflict-based character of international relations will therefore continue to be a pressing concern for political science, even if liberalism continues its likely trend of preponderance. But this must be understood as an ideological manifestation, a cosmetic facet of political ideals; and such ideals are wont to change dramatically over time. Even a cursory review of the previous century demonstrates dramatic changes in political ideas. The overall political sensibility of contemporary polities is starkly different from that which obtained at the dawn of the twentieth century. Based on this observation, it seems reasonable to suppose a similar level of difference between now and one hundred years hence; yet, even so, the underlying characteristics of human nature will be continuous. For this reason, realism remains and will continue to be relevant. References D’Anieri, P., 2005. International Politics: Power and Purpose in Global Affairs. Boston, MA: Wadsworth. Donnelly, J., 2000. Realism and International Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goldman, M. F. (1997) Revolution and Change in Eastern Europe. New York: M. E. Sharpe. Graham, G., 2002. The Case Against the Democratic State: An Essay in Cultural Criticism. Thorverton: Imprint Academic. Haynes, J., Hough, P., Malik, S., & Pettiford, L., 2013. World Politics: International Relations and Globalisation in the 21st Century. Oxon: Routledge. Howard, M., 1978. War and the Liberal Conscience 2nd ed. London: Hurst. Hughes, C., 2012. Liberal Democracy as the End of History: Fukuyama and Postmodern Challenges. Oxon: Routledge. Keohane, R. O., 1989. After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press Little, R. & Smith, M., 2006. Perspectives on World Politics. London: Routledge. MacDonald, M., 2014. Overreach: Delusions of Regime Change in Iraq. Harvard: Harvard University Press. MacGinty, R. & Richmond, O., 2013. The Liberal Peace and Post-War Reco: Myth or RealityOxon: Routledge. Richardson, J. L., 2001. Contending Liberalisms in World Politics: Ideology and Power. Boulder: Rienner Publishers. Rumsey, M. G., 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Leadership. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sreedhar, S., 2010. Hobbes on Resistance: Defying the Leviathan. New York: Cambridge University Press. Waltz, K., 2000. â€Å"Structural Realism after the Cold War†. International Security, 25.1, pp. 5-41. Waltz, K., 1959. Man, the State, and War. New York: Columbia University Press.

“The Scarlet Letter” Chapters 1-3 Review Essay

1. As the story opens a throng is gathered. Who are these people? Where and why are they gathered? Men with beards in sad-colored garments and crowned hats, there are also a few women. They are citizens and they are gathered outside, around the marketplace, to view Hester Prynne on a platform, with her scarlet letter. 2. The description in Chapter One of the people’s dress, the prison, and the surrounding vegetation serves to establish certain important impressions of Puritan society at the time of the story. What impressions of this society do you get from the opening chapter? It can be inferred that the timeline is in the seventeenth century due to the description of the area and the way it is referenced, such as the â€Å"market place.† I feel that the community is very strict Puritan. As it was mentioned in the Hawthorne biography lecture, his writing was influenced by a strict Puritan background. Puritans took sin very seriously, which included being very strict with punishments. In the first chapter, the details of Hester’s punishment are not in vivid detail; however, her sin is not just taken with a â€Å"grain of salt,† so to say, because she is put on display in front of the entire community. 3. The story itself begins with the punishment of Hester Prynne. a. What early hints do you get in Chapter Two about the nature of her crime? A group of women are discussing Hester at the market-place and the women agreed that the women who are mature and good church members should be allowed to deal with such â€Å"malefactresses as this Hester Prynne.† The women also refer to Hester as a â€Å"hussy.† It is also mentioned that Dimmesdale is upset about such a scandal. One woman suggests that Hester should be branded upon her forehead and another woman declares that Hester has â€Å"brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.† The women’s remarks suggest that â€Å"Mistress Prynne† has committed a woman’s crime, one that brings them all shame. So,  from the language of the group of women and the terms â€Å"mistress† and â€Å"scandal,† it can best be inferred that she committed a crime that looks bad amongst women and her being referred to as a mistress (one who partakes in sexual acts without relationship bounds) gives hints to her crime. b. What more definite information about her crime do you get in Chapter Three? While standing on the platform, Hester recognizes a man in the crowd who is accompanied by an Indian. This man inquires about her and why she is there. This is where we learn that she has committed adultery (the scarlet letter â€Å"A† is for adultery). 4. What two punishments have been assigned to Hester Prynne? One is that her sin ousts her from society. The other is that she must wear an â€Å"A,† the scarlet letter, especially for public humiliation, which marks that she committed adultery. 5. Standing on the scaffold, Hester envisions her earlier life. What facts do you learn about her previous life? What was her relationship with the man â€Å"well stricken in years†? We learn that she grew up in England, and her house, which was a decayed, poverty-stricken house of gray stone. Her mother had passed away and it was inferred that she also left her home to go to a city because she imagines a continental city with narrow streets, huge cathedrals; and ancient public buildings. While mentioning the city, the book also mentions the man â€Å"well stricken in his years.† It is said that she imagines a man whose years had worn on him, his right shoulder a bit deformed because the left shoulder is higher, the weary face and bleary eyes of a scholar who had read many books. In the third chapter, Hester sees a man in the crowd that matches the description of her imagination and he immediately catches her gaze. It is later revealed in the chapter that the man is her husband. 6. One man in the surrounding crowd is singled out. He is described as â€Å"clad in a strange disarray of civilized and savage costume.† a. What effect does his presence have on Hester?   Her intensive awareness of the public’s attention was relieved when she saw an Indian with a white man in the crowd. It is said that when Hester saw the man, she clutched her baby to her chest so hard that it cried; however, she did not even realize or hear her baby cry. She could not stop staring at him. b. What is the significance of his laying his finger on his lips when Hester fastens her eyes on him? He had noticed that she was watching him and she must’ve been confused by his presence. When he caught her gaze, he pressed his finger to his lips to signal to her to not say a word. c. What clues are there to his identity? When Hester was on the scaffold imagining her past, she imagined a man with deformed shoulders, his left shoulder higher than his right, she imagined a weary face and bleary ices with a penetrating power. The first clue is when Hester first sees the man and she notices his â€Å"intelligence† features, she also notices his shoulders and more into the details, it is revealed through the expressive descriptions of his eyes and his gaze that the man she sees in the crowd is the man she imagined. 7. While on the scaffold, Hester is subjected to a kind of interrogation. a. What important question related to her crime remains unanswered? Who the father of Hester’s baby is/who tempted Hester. b. What plea do the two ministers make in regard to this question? To reveal the man who is the baby’s father/tempted Hester into adultery. c. Who else besides the 2 clergymen questions her in this matter? It was Governor Bellingham. d. What is Hester’s response? That her child must seek a heavenly father, for her child will never have an earthly one. 8. Based on the reading you have done in these chapters, do you have a theory about the answer to the question which the ministers have put to Hester? If you do, explain what you have noticed in your reading that might support  your theory. During the questioning, Dimmesdale has a much stronger plea than Mr. Wilson, but prior to his questioning, he takes a moment to say a silent prayer, which Mr. Wilson did not, which gives a bit of a suspicion. Dimmesdale’s voice trembles and is quite broken when he speaks to Hester; he even mentions that even if the man who tempted her had to step down from his position of high power/authority, that it would be better than living a life of sin. When Mr. Wilson asked Hester to speak, her gaze never broke Dimmesdale, especially with she said that she would never tell. â€Å"She will not speak!,† murmured Dimmesdale, as he was leaning over the balcony with his hand over his heart as he had waited to see how Hester would respond. From Dimmesdale’s strong plea, his emotions and actions during the plea, and the way he reacts when Hester is asked to speak gives off hints that there may be a connection between Hester and Dimmesdale.

CBA Leads Bank Share Price Correction

The article is entitled â€Å"CBA leads bank share price correction† is analysed in this report. The article primarily discuss how share price has plunged deeper in the major banks into correction territory following a weak trading update arising from Commonwealth Bank disclosing increasing costs, narrowing margin of profit and escalating loan losses. It indicates that CBA has agonized its sharpest day-to-day share price plunged ever since global financial crisis. CBA’s shared price plummeted 5.9% to 82.98 dollars culminating to a further worsened investor sentiments. This followed a third-quarter unchanged profit report by CBA remain constant at $2.2 billon. This plunged has adversely affected CBA’s competitors including Westpac, NAB, and ANZ Banking Group. The article concludes that the next immediate teething problem for the sector is profit result for NAB merged with 3 big 4 trading ex-dividend over the following week. The accounting theory used in this analysis is Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)-semi strong form (SSF). EMH describes an investment theory that posits it is not possible to ‘beat the market† due to stock market efficiency that makes available share prices to incorporate as well as reflect every relevant information. Stock trade always at their fair value on stock exchanges which make it an impossibility for investors to buy undervalued stocks and sell stocks for exaggerated prices (Chi, Tripe & Young, 2014). Hence, it remains an impossibility to outperform the entire market via expert stock selection and market timing. The investor can solely likely to acquire higher returns through the purchase of riskier investments. SSF implies every public information is computed into current share price of stock implying neither fundamental nor technical examinations can be utilized to accomplish superior returns. Hence, solely information hidden from the public is suggested to benefit the investors looking to earn abnormal ROI as every other information remains accounted. There is a direct relationship between the share price plunge and the information availed to the public by the Commonwealth Bank (CB) which is what SSF posited above. The plunge in shares in leading banks plunged deeper into correction territory only following a weak trading update given by the CB. This indicates that the public had the information that costs were rising, profit margins were narrowing and the loans losses were rising. According to SSF, every information available to the public is accounted for in the stock prices and no amount of technical or fundamental analysis gives superior returns. This describes why the investors used CB’s update to punish the shares in CBA thereby plunging 5.9%. Indeed, CLSA Brian Johnson confirmed this hypothesis by stating that investors had already seized on the bad news of CBA relating to margins, bad loans and costs. Moreover, the David Ellis confirmed the SSF hypothesis by stating that the investors used the information thereby flocking to banks to exploit their huge dividends as bank shares were being sold off due to increasing yields hence ‘yield trade’. It is also believed that investors could be starting to question whether the fundamentals could justify the hideously expensive valuation, anchored on measures like price-to-earnings as well as price-to-book ratios. This means that the investors are aware of the SSF hypothesis that takes into calculation all public information into present stock share price and hence fundamental analysis cannot be applied to achieve gains by banks (Leuthold & Hartmann, 2013). Due to EMH, the investors behaved in the manner above because they believed that the market remains ubiquitous and, therefore, no quantity of analysis could assist them achieve alpha returns (Groenewold, 2012). Thus, because market is a reflection of its participants, the market is, therefore, all knowing, and becomes unbeatable. It knows the right value to assign to a given stock as stated by EMH. This explains the above plunges in bank share prices (Aitken, Almeida & McInish, 2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚   From the above information, it has been demonstrated that the share prices have extremely plunged due to the update by the Commonwealth Bank. This supports the EMH-semi strong form which posit that all publicly available information is accounted for and hence no degree of technical or fundamental analysis can help investors acquire alpha returns (Schenone, 2014). Aitken, M., Almeida, N., & McInish, T. H. (2013). Financial analysts and price discovery. Accounting & Finance, 48(1), 1-24. Chi, J., Tripe, D. W., & Young, M. R. (2014). Do exchange rates affect the stock performance of Australian Banks?. Available at SSRN 965599. Groenewold, N. (2012). Share market efficiency: tests using daily data for Australia and New Zealand. Applied Financial Economics, 7(6), 645-657. Leuthold, R. M., & Hartmann, P. A. (2013). A semi-strong form evaluation of the efficiency of the hog futures market. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 61(3), 482-489. Schenone, C. (2014). The effect of banking relationships on the firm's IPO underpricing. The Journal of Finance, 59(6), 2903-2958.

Critical Paper of Let's (Not) Get Physicals Essay

Critical Paper of Let's (Not) Get Physicals - Essay Example For example, she seems to shift blame for the situation to doctors and patients and leaves out key players such as the government and insurance companies. Rosenthal attempts to convince people on the need of not having physicals, especially when the checkups become recommended by doctors and then get approved by insurance companies. Rosenthal, at the beginning of her article, states that she completed medical training in late eighties. This may validate her ability to make distinguishing arguments for or against some medical checkup procedures. As such, she argues that various health tests are irrelevant and sometimes harmful to the patient. Her article reflects on tests that yield false positives on the first instance, therefore, facilitating the need for further tests. An example of convincingly harmful procedures includes X-rays which expose patients to radiation and over time can lead to health complications. Other medical tests such as blood screenings are intrusive and unnecess ary. For instance, the United States Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend antigen specific blood screening to identify prostate cancer. Nonetheless, close to 80% of urologists still think it is necessary. Rosenthal cites studies by the Canadian government task force in 1979 that provide evidence on the irrelevance of the standard head-to-toe annual physical. The results from these studies show that the tests a) do not yield efficient diagnosis or results and b) may expose patients to harmful, intrusive procedures. However, the author does not clearly articulate whose fault it is that the tests are not accurate. Furthermore, Rosenthal’s thesis mentions potential harm to the patient, but she seems to fail in outlining the clear dangers of engaging in medical checkups. In her article, Rosenthal speaks of how some procedures are pointless and need to be wiped out from the medical practice. In addition, she insists of some laboratory tests being useless as moreso end up giving false positives hence hindering diagnosis of the real diseases. Furthermore, she continues by mentioning the pointless nature of screening tests as some do not have any influence on the progression of a disease in illnesses that do not have effective treatment. She goes further to give an example of how CT scan can be harmful to a patient through the radiation that it emits, though medical personnel still use it. She emphasizes that there are quite a number of procedures and tests used in diagnosis and screening of certain diseases, but in real sense, also contribute in causing harm to that given patient. Moreover, Americans spend well over 300 billion dollars on unnecessary tests or treatment each year. Rosenthal also quotes Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who estimates that unneeded blood tests alone consume close to 325 million dollars a year. The excessive amounts of money spent on medical checkups reflect on the agenda of most doctors and hospitals. Rosenthal reports that doctors and hospitals prefer that patients spend more during medical visits because this is a sure way of making a profit. Another contributor to the inflating cost of healthcare is insurance. This article claims that medical insurance ends up paying large portions of bills for patients with coverage. This economic stimulus is dangerous