Political parties and Voting Behavior Essay

Thesis: What are the predominant political factors that affect the voting behavior of a population ? Hypothesis : Pluralism, ideology, religion and social factors are the predominant political factors that affect the voting behavior of the population. Introduction : Pluralism in voting population is a natural phenomena in European and American cosmopolitan societies . Elsewhere, in Asia and far- East ethnic diversity too exists. A consequence of this pluralism is multi-party political system .Interests of different segregated sections of society based on issues, ethnicity, public policy, loyalties etc. are represented by different political parties. This should ideally and practically lead to a multi-party system . This system is obviously more democratic. The voters choice is increased . The political parties thus become more competitive against each other. This makes the political parties more accountable to the people in order to win their ‘trust and confidence’. This pluralism affects voting behavior and has serious impacts on national politics. Voters choices are often prejudiced and biased. This is quite reasonable as we are living in an imperfect society. The American Elections : Voting behavior in Democrat and Republican elections ‘A loss of American voter’s faith in Democracy.’ The American voters today don’t identify themselves with either Democrats or Republicans according to many surveys and statistical studies. The Presidential elections have seen a decline in the participation of eligible voters , as observed since the 1950s and 1960s. The eligible voting population has increased in America but the number of registered voters is decreasing. Dissatisfied by the Democrats and Republicans not bringing effective reforms the voters have lost interest in politics as a consequence of politicians. â€Å"Does this phenomena indicate the American citizens disillusionment with a predominantly much polarized American two-party democracy?† According to political scientists the political non-participation of Americans is a matter of concern for the health of American political system. The Americans are now cynical and distrustful of politics, politicians and the Government. Experts believe such a trend could lead to the breakdown of American political system. Contrary to the belief of these experts many Democrat and Republican partisan parties claim they have the ability to draw supporters for their parties. They argue that the American’s have thus not lost faith in Democracy. Viewpoints. Voting Behavior. Introduction. ‘The ‘God-gap’ difference between the Republicans and the democrats’ The Republicans are known for their conservative ideology and policies whereas the democrats are known for their liberal ones. It is a well established public opinion that the more religiously an American is inclined the more likely he is to vote for the Republicans and the other way round for the Democrats. Karlyn Bowman a public relations expert raised a question in this context at a conference for media men. This ‘God-gap’ had overshadowed many other issues and changed the voting patterns in the November, 2006 Presidential elections. Thus the ‘God-gap’ has begun to play an important role in the American public life. Since 1992, this gap , between the frequent and the not so frequent worshipers, regardless of their religious background has become prominent. Conservative leaders were the first to guess this voter behavior and to capitalize on it. The talk became all the more popular with the Pundits, intellectuals, liberal strategists and academics – the chattering class ! They added fuel to the fire.9/11 and it’s aftermath established the God- gap as a decisive public opinion maker. Thus, the public power of religion got firmly established in the American society. In the elections to come neither the Conservatives nor the Democrats can afford to underplay it. The November 2006 Presidential elections shall be followed with contests between the Republicans and Democrats to woo a sizeable vote-bank ; the one created by the ‘God-gap’. In Politics, the ‘God-gap’ Overshadows Other Differences New York Times. By Peter Steinfels. Published December 9, 2006. ‘The Religious vote base’ The Republicans have often used their religion conservative base to win votes. Consequently Mr. George Bush won his second term in the office. This has concerned the democrats and they have lately been working on the religious vote. White evangelical and the born-again Christians again voted for the Republican candidate in the last two elections. Nationwide exit polls show that nothing has changed in favor of the Democrats. Around 70-72 percent of the evangelical and the born again Christians voted for the Republican Presidential candidate in the last two elections. Deliberate call for a religious vote by some Democratic senate candidates did win them a significant proportion of Roman Catholics and white mainline Protestants votes in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. However trends are changing, say, in many states like Colorado. Most American’s Bobby Clark, Deputy Director of a liberal group in Colorado says,† Most Americans are now a pretty moderate people.† The Rev. Troy Newman called the election day ‘a bloody Tuesday’. His anti-abortion Operation Rescue lost favor with American’s in South Dakota and California. The Democratic parties liberal anti-abortion policies were endorsed by the people. Religious Voting Data Show Some Shift, Observers Say. New York Times. By Laurie Goodstein. Published November 9, 2006. ‘Cashing on the African-American vote-bank’ African-American’s constitute nearly half the votes in South Carolina. A remarkable portion ! This phenomena of the African-American vote-bank is now well recognized both by the Republicans and the Democrats. The racial divide still exists and is well exploited. The candidates have no compunctions visiting black churches accepting their endorsements before the elections. They even don’t hesitate in identifying with king Martin Luther! Empirical data suggests that the African –American vote has been with the Democrats who have more actively fought for their cause. The Conservatives are taking no chances now . The situation in South Carolina mirrors the entire America. The African-American voters can no longer be taken for granted. They are now armed with education and leaders. They have made significant contributions to all spheres of American life- Arts, science, literature, Sports etc. In a nut-shell they are now enlightened about their rights and privileges. Black and Bruised. The New York Times, Monday, December, 24, 2007.by Joann Wypijewski. Published February 1, 2004. ‘The Feminist ideology ’ John Kerry actively involved himself in a campaign – the Women vote bank. He was establishing his credentials presiding over women audiences. His enthusiastic drive to win over the much contested vote-bank – Women. This bastion, the Democrats claimed rightly belonged to them Mr. Bush in his campaign had projected himself as the best candidate to protect the Americans against the terrorists. The 9/11 scare was worst to affect the women. Mr. Bush’s campaign as the best candidate to protect the American’s against the terrorists caught favor with women. According to New York Times/ CBS Polls Democrats polled less, loosing ground with Democratic parties most secure women-votes. Their has been a remarkable change in the trend. To quote statistics in 2000, 54 percent of women voted for Al Gore while only 43 percent voted for Mr. George Bush, the republican candidate. The news of the 9/11 terrorist attack and the unacceptable terrorist attack against children in Russia, used provocatively by the Republicans created a considerable challenge for Mr. John Kerry and the Democrats. Mr. Bush gave a fight to the Democrats on their own strong hold-the women-vote. Mr. Bush used his success in toppling the Afghan’s in yet another novel way. He projected the new found freedom of the Afghan women to woo feminist sentiments. Statistics show that the voter turnout of women has increased over the last Presidential elections. The two parties are working on the idea to polarize the feminist activism in their favor. On the other front they are drawing more and more women to the ballot box. More and more women candidates are being fielded in elections for public offices. Hillary Rodham Clinton , the wife of former President Mr. Bill Clinton is contesting in the next Presidential elections. She is being viewed as a strong contender for the position. This scenario echoes the general mood of the American people. Thus the feminist ideology holds ground affecting elections and political parties. The New York Times, Kerry in a Struggle for a Democratic Base: Women, by Katherine Q.Seelye. Published September 2, 2004. Conclusion : We can thus conclude that Pluralism, ideology, Religion and social factors are the predominant factors affecting voter behavior. Pluralism exists across European and American politics and even in Asia and the far- East. The concept of pluralism elucidates that a multi-party system has both positive and negative impacts on voters behavior. The voter has the right to choose the party he trusts. Although he might be biased and prejudiced in his attitudes. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are now able to associate themselves with the common American. The decline in participation of eligible voters population in America since the 1950s and 960s suggest that the American voter has lost faith in the political system- politics, politicians and the Government. Since 1992, the ‘God-gap’ factor has begun to play an important role in American elections. Both the Democrats and Republicans are creating and fuelling this gap to cash on votes. The Democrats and Republicans are playing their Religious cards. The electorate is swinging between the Democrats and Republicans. The last two Presidential elections saw 70-72 percent Christian hardliners voting for the conservative Republicans. The situation is changing in favor of the Democrats with the American people becoming more moderate in their values. The African-American voter is now valued due to his predominance in states like South Carolina. The women voters actively participated in the last few Presidential elections according to statistics. 9/11 and it’s aftermath left a deeper influence on women voters.

Honor Thy Children Essay

Overall the book Honor Thy Children by Molly Fumia was great. There were points in this book that just tugged at my heart. For example when the Nakatani’s found out that their middle son Greg was shot and killed. There were also points in this book that I felt if I had been in their position, I would be in a great deal of pain and misery and would not know how to work through all that had happened. I thought that Al and Jane were brave parents to endure the deaths of their three sons. This book by far was the most interesting non-fiction book I have read. This book would move the heart of any person that read it. The best thing about this book by far is how the parents have persevered throughout all these events that has happened to their family. From the running away of Glen, the murder of their son Greg, the finding out that their sons Glen and Guy were gay and their contraction of HIV, and also the death of them. They had to have heavy hearts after all of this happened, and yet they still go through all the HIV campaigning to show us how dangerous this disease is. A thing I did not like about this book is that there were very little happy things that happened to this family. I also thought that it was hard to keep track of the Nakatani’s children because all of their names were so similar. If I were to grade this book, I would give it an A++ because this is a very good book and shows that humans have the will to push through any obstacle. Even though they have gone through all of that God did not give them a break and show them mercy. Despite their hard troubles, they pushed through all the sadness and despair and turned it around to help other people not make the same mistakes as them. This would definitely be a book I would recommend to people because there are very good life lessons in it. For instance, there is a limit to strict parenting, choosing your words correctly (Greg), and when faced with the worst of situations there is always something you can do about it. It also demonstrates that when a child is is pain and dying, parents always want to try and help to do what’s best for them, even at the expense of their own self. I think this book would be for ages 15 and up because there are things that would be hard to understand for someone of a young age. Also I feel that the person reading it should have some respect for gays, lesbians, etc. otherwise reading this book would be pointless. The book and movie were great to say the least. It taught me to accept who you are and that death is not the end. Memories can carry on and teach others how to deal with the loss of your loved ones. This book allowed me to take a glimpse into the Nakatani’s life and how they dealt with the loss and the grief that followed. Honor Thy Children taught me that no matter what life throws at you there are always ways to overcome these challenges. The thing I thought was most interesting was Guy will to go out to speak even while confined to a wheelchair. He had the courage to go out in the state he was in and speak. The person I identify most with in this story would be Greg. I identify with Greg the most because he was the middle son, a macho, speak his mind kind of person. The person I would identify least with would be Guy. I identify least with him because if I had gotten HIV and knew I was dying I would probably hate the world and seclude myself and not really try to do anything. This book did not really impact my life because even though it was a great book, it did not really apply that much to my life. I think that, because I have not had something similar happen to me, I have no gay or lesbian friends and I also do not know anyone with a serious disease. I think that the only things that would apply to me would be the Asian/Hawaiian culture, the dealing with the death of a loved one, and parenting. Their culture is exactly like mine because I am Japanese and I was born and raised in Hawaii. In our culture we are taught to respect your elders and listen to them. I also felt that the Nakatani’s dealt with the death of their sons better than I would have. When my brother and grandparents died I had a hard time and at some points I went through a period of depression that lasted a month in which I did not attend. It made me feel that I should have been a better grandchild and brother because I caused them a lot of trouble. The parenting part got to me because I was lucky that my parents, who were somewhat strict, were not as strict as the Nakatani’s. This helped me learn to appreciate my parents more.

Animal Farm’s Utopian Society Essay

Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel detailing a farm’s revolution as the animals fight to take back what is theirs and keep it for themselves rather than supply a farmer and his needs. The animals succeed in recapturing their farm, and one of the first things they do is set up a list of seven commandments to provide structure to their utopian society. By the end of the book, one realizes that the utopian society the animals set up was riddled with holes, and this leads one to wonder if a utopian is ever really achievable. The purpose of this essay is to discuss Animal Farm’s flaws in its utopian society and the idea of the utopian society as a whole. To begin, one of the main flaws of the animals’ society is the fact that they wanted to be completely self-sufficient without any help from the outside world. A farm cannot sustain on its own: tools break, you can run low on fuel, and things need to be modernized. Orwell wrote the first commandment as â€Å"Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. † (24). With this as its first and primary thought, the pigs ultimately set their society up for failure. One crucial example of this failure is when the animals tried to construct a windmill to provide electricity for the farm. The animals couldn’t break up the stone to build the windmill, because as Orwell put it, â€Å"There seemed no way of doing this except with picks and crowbars, which no animal could use, because no animal could stand on his hind legs. † (60) The animals were not men and were foolish to think that they could achieve everything just as easily as man could. The windmill took several years to finish, and in the end wasn’t used to provide electricity to the farm, but to grind corn. The belief that all humans are the enemy and should be avoided was one of the nails in the coffin of Animal Farm’s utopian society, because they eventually did have to interact with the humans and trade with them. As well as the first commandment, the fact that the animals had two leaders led to the society’s destruction. The pigs Snowball and Napoleon were of completely different minds and had completely ideals. They argued over everything and eventually plotted against each other. Having two different leaders with different ideas and different styles of governing and taking care of Animal Farm was a mistake because it would be much more difficult to reach an agreement or do anything that would greatly improve life on the farm. There is also the fact that one of them would eventually take over completely, which did happen. Napoleon chased Snowball off the premises and slowly but surely convinced the animals that Snowball was the worst of them all. Napoleon even got to the point where if anything bad happened, the animals would blame Snowball for it. To be successful, the leaders of a society must want to cooperate and to work for the good of the people they are leading. Napoleon did not want to work with Snowball in the slightest, and this led to the totalitarianism state that Animal Farm became under Napoleon’s leadership and guidance. Considering these flaws in utopian societies, one is led to wonder if a utopian society is really attainable. To be a utopian society, all people must be equal and have equal worth. This in itself is impossible. A society must have at least one leader to guide it and lead the people, but there are no leaders in equality. There has to be different social classes or else all there is going to be is a great deal of working in the lowest of low jobs in factories or farms. There is also no absolute way to please everyone, which is another characteristic of a utopian society. If one thing happens that will make one person happy, there is a great chance it will make someone else angry. Utopian societies are unreachable and unattainable, and will surely turn into dystopian societies, just like Animal Farm. In brief, the society created in Animal Farm was condemned from the first commandment and the first appointment of its leaders. Trying to live life on a farm without the aid or contact with humans was illogical in itself. As previously stated, a farm cannot sustain on its own. The animals were foolish to think it could. The leading of Snowball and Napoleon also led to the destruction of the farm’s utopian society. They couldn’t possibly do any good for the farm because they were too busy arguing at the Sunday debates. All in all, a utopian society is not achievable, at least not in the near future. Equality cannot possibly be reached because a society needs a leader, which is against the idea of equality. Everyone also cannot be pleased at the same time because it is against human nature. Animal Farm never could have been a true utopian society; it was doomed before it had even begun.

Bureaucracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bureaucracy - Essay Example These concepts include, hierarchy, jurisdictional competency, command and control, technical expertise, and system of rules, and written documentation. An organizational hierarchy is the â€Å"arrangement of the organization by level of authority† in reference to the ranks above and below it (Grimsley 2014, para. 6). This therefore implies that in bureaucracy, there is existence of certain levels of authority ranging from the top level management to the normal employees. For instance, in a company a sales marketing director is below the overall chief executive officer (C.E.O), at the same level with the advertising marketing director and above the secretary. Therefore, this system dictates that each level should answer to the rank above it with the ultimate leader of the company at the very top of the hierarchy. Jurisdictional competency is another key concept of bureaucracy. Fundamentally, huge roles are broken down into smaller and simpler tasks which are then assigned to employees throughout the organization. This division of labor across the organization enables employees to master the skills and details of repetitive duties thereby increasing efficiency. However, though the division of labor could be highly proficient, â€Å"it can lead to a number of harmful organizational pathologies† (Rockman 2013, para. 5). This implies that division of labor could at times turn out to be ineffective due to a number of reasons. For instance, employees can be unable to adequately respond to problems outside their areas of jurisdiction, and may approach them from their own perspective. This could lead to an overall destruction of the organization’s performance. Command and control is another key feature of bureaucracy that weber discussed. Due to the fact that a bureaucratic authority is organized hierarchically, â€Å"responsibility is taken at the top and delegated with decreasing discretion at the lower levels of the organization† (Rockman 2013, para.

Crime Prevention - Video and Data Surveillance Essay

Crime Prevention - Video and Data Surveillance - Essay Example We live in a modern society filled with all sorts of crime, from muggings in darkened allies to cyber-crimes in the faceless forum of the internet. The world today can be a dangerous place. The implementation of Crime Prevention approaches have been, and continue to be, a large part of the solution to these problems. Crime Prevention is defined as the attempts made to deter crime, lower victimization, significantly enhance the gathering of data on criminal acts, and provide potential prevention response and preparedness (Rosenbaum, Lurigio & Davis, 1998). Video surveillance, or CCTV, has become a favored choice in the goal of preventing criminal activity in both businesses and private properties, and now by government and law enforcement to monitor potential criminal activities of the day to day populace. There are many people who are eager for that level of â€Å"persistent â€Å"security,† while others believe it is a blatant betrayal of individual privacy and civil rights. However, after reviewing the studies attempted, public response, and potential negative side effects, it becomes amply obvious that the video surveillance approach is misleading and not particularly effective in actually preventing crimes. Issues The Studies It can be difficult to study comparable efficiencies of video surveillance because of all the differing factors involved, the size of cities, population, and number of cameras is only a small part. The studies performed in the U.S. and Britain came to the same conclusion concerning video surveillance. Britain has embraced the video surveillance age and has for quite some time. There are approximately 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain; it is possible for one person to appear on a hundred different cameras in any given day. The U.S. by comparison has far less cameras (Landler, 2007). The U.S. studies were performed in California: the first by UC Berkeley in San Francisco and the second - by USC in Los Angeles. Regardless of the number of cameras, whether in the U.S. or Britain, there were no significant changes identified in crime rates over all. The Cost Despite the questionable success ratio, multiple other U.S. cities are encouraging the implementation video surveillance systems; Chicago and New York are just two. This is a very serious concern. Millions of taxpayer dollars are currently being invested in video surveillance, but entirely neglecting to look seriously at the efficiency, practicality, logistics, and cost effectiveness of the endeavors (Biale, n. d.). Combining the cost of the technology, the related equipment, the law enforcement cooperation necessary, and the staff needed to monitor and maintain the equipment, it becomes very obvious that video surveillance may be a complete waste of money, particularly, in these bleak economic times that the U.S. is still suffering. Even more so, after the ACLU, American Civil Liberties Union, published the results of studies showing that when a person stares at multiple monitors, after 20 minutes their attention span dramatically reduces, well below the acceptable levels ("What's wrong with," 2002). So the people who are supposed to be watching for â€Å"crimes† are compromised and not particularly efficient. Public Opinions Citizens of the U.S. seem care less about the ability of video surveillance to deter crime and more about whether it is a genuine invasion of individual privacy. The idea does bring up questions concerning if it is â€Å"just† for American citizens to be watched all of the time? Also, if people know they are being watched, will they behave differently? For many people it could create anxiety, paranoia, and forced unnatural behaviors to avoid â€Å"looking suspicious,† even when they are doing nothing illegal or inappropriate. It could also alter people’s daily routines, where they go and how often. The ACLU also warns that potential dangers of regular video surveillance

What role do historic sites play in a country ( Any country - general Essay

What role do historic sites play in a country ( Any country - general ) - Essay Example Some of the roles these buildings play in the UK include; In Britain, historic buildings catalyze structural economic development, create jobs for the residents and attract a higher value investment in the region (The House of Commons, 2004). Furthermore, these buildings offer high-quality design in a new development. The good urban design and historic environment are the main elements in the process of achieving urban Renaissance (Corbishley, 2014). Evidence in the UK (The House of Commons, 2004), shows that commercial schemes that use historic buildings achieve a higher value than those that use new buildings. This forms the basis for regenerating and developing a local economy (The House of Commons, 2004). These buildings and heritage define the identity of towns and cities in the UK. Research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors done by Dr. Rob Pickard shows that offices situated in historic building tend to be charged higher rents. Members of the public use public places and historic buildings as rallying points. Most of the people in the UK spend most of their free time in these historic buildings, with some holding their social meetings at these sites (Bandarin, 2012). Some of the renovated historic buildings like the St John’s Hoxton, a 19th century church building have been utilized as a children’s nursery and a gym for the disabled people (European Union Agency For Fundamental Rights, 2009) and others converted into theatres that serve as educational and leisure centers for residents (The House of Commons, 2004). Theatres are vital places of assembly and a focus of the local pride. They provide fond memories for all sectors of the community where they are situated (Dedek, 2014). Reusing historic buildings is more sustainable in terms of utilization of natural resources. Therefore, it is better to recycle old historic buildings than destroying them to construct new ones. As per the

My narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My narrative - Essay Example It is crucially important for educators to encourage inclusive education, in which the classroom is converted into such a learning environment where students with special needs are encouraged to learn and develop self-confidence, without having to face ridicule. For example, autism, dyslexia, hearing and visual impairments, and ADHD are such disorders that involve specially designed teaching strategies. For me, it will be important to understand the problems of such children in my classroom, in order to plan my lessons accordingly. Children with special needs require special support with their learning styles (James, 2008, p.54). A multisensory approach is the best which supports the child in all the three ways: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. ICT offers many solutions for children with disabilities (McKeon, 2000). Teachers must understand that children with special needs need extra time and effort in understanding the lesson, and hence they should be treated quite differently in l esson, but not in a way that makes them stand out. Hence, teachers must implement such learning strategies that help dyslexic children retain information in their memory for longer time, while helping them maintain their self-esteem at the same

Ned Kelly and Nations Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ned Kelly and Nations Culture - Essay Example His main distinction seems to have been the trouble the police experienced in capturing him. A question that comes to mind, however, is whether the Ned Kelly syndrome of contempt for legality and the law is still a force in modern bourgeois Australia. There is rationale to believe that the Australia which created the Ned Kelly myth might not now be so compassionate to it. Not only does Australia have around twice the average personal throwaway income than the Britain which sent out the convicts now has, but Australians now distinguish themselves as overwhelmingly middle class. Martin elaborates facts to demonstrate that while only one-third of the British see themselves as middle class (or better), roughly two-thirds of Australians fall into the same category. Times have changed. In spite of this, though, Laurie reports findings that imply that the Ned Kelly morality may be very much alive and kicking-- at least among our young people. In his work he found that 99% had at some time stolen and that 75% said they would give up again in at least one of a set of imaginary temptation scenarios. One of the set of scenarios was that of shoplifting. Ned Kelly would certainly feel at home today given these results. (Laurie, 67) Nevertheless, children have not learnt the restraints and more "responsible" attitudes that are expected of adults so the problem of attitude to crime among the population in general remains an open one. It is the objective of this paper to supply data which might help expound the question either way. Understandably, sympathy for Ned Kelly in contemporary Australia would be much less than it once was. A certain respect for the criminal is no longer characteristically Australian. Australians have become entirely bourgeois in their attitudes to crime as in their attitudes to other things. Sympathy for small crime such as shoplifting is now as indicative of estrangement from Australian society as it would be in other countries. As observed by Laurie, the existing culture has also been valuable for the number of commonsense hypotheses about inter-group differences that they prove to be sham. (Laurie, 110) Particularly they are at some discrepancy with the results reported by Martin (Martin, 91). This difference could barely be accounted for by age as the two samples would seem to have been very similar in this respect. It is more possibly to be accounted for by the diverse type of questions asked on the two occasions. The existing sample revealed that schoolboys disapproved of shoplifting. Martin showed that on some occasions they might engage in small crime and deceit. That attitudes and behavior may be at dissent is well-known -- the well-known "Do as I say, not as I do" syndrome. In such situations the incongruity between the present results and the Martin results is only evident. What has been revealed is that there is very little social support for shoplifting in modern-day Australia. Mythical thinking, Laurie tells us, is a rational form of bricolage (Laurie, 89) the bricoleur is a man who makes as well as he can what is required from what he finds to hand. He casts about,

Liujiaxia Hydro Power Plant Disturbs Kanbula National Forest Term Paper - 1

Liujiaxia Hydro Power Plant Disturbs Kanbula National Forest - Term Paper Example The development of the town has caused intrusion by humans into the habitat of wildlife which has further damaged the natural life of the forest. Kanbula Forest is located in Northwest of Jianca County of Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous States in Qinghai Province. It has a total area of 15054.4 hectares and altitudes of 2100 to 4000 meters above sea level. Because of its location at high altitude, Kanbula Forest falls in the category of subalpine forest. The forest is also located in the transition zone from Loess Plateau to Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Thus, it is the warmest region in Qinghai Province. It borders on the Yellow River in the North and shares a boundary with the famous Liajiaxia Hydroelectric Power Station. Huge mountains extend from the forest with trees covered resembling a sea of forest. There are deflated hills around the Kanbula Forest that are formed due to erosion from wind and sand. These hills are known as red cloud landforms. Situated in the middle of the mountains, the weather of the forest changes frequently. Instead of experiencing all four seasons, the forest only goes through hot and cold seasons in a year. In the warmer weather, warm and humid air blows, whereas the colder season experiences a cold and windy weather. The forest’s tough topographical features form a role of microclimate. According to meteorological data records, the average temperature of the forest is 1 to 2.9 Â °C with the warmest weather experienced in the month of July.

Porter's generic strategies Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Porter's generic strategies - Case Study Example The cost leadership strategy has enabled the U.S airways to increase profits by reducing costs that are incurred by the airline, and also enable them to increase the market share by putting cheaper prices while still making a favorable profit on each sale they make (Kossowski, 2007). The U.S airways has made this strategy highly efficient since they have; access to the capital needed to spend in technology that bring costs down, efficient logistics and low cost requirements on labor, materials and facilities. The U.S airways has also applied the differentiation strategy, which involves making their products and services unique and more presentable than those of their competitors, hence making them more efficient in the airline market (InfoRefuge, 2012). Focus strategy used by the U.S airways entails concentrating on a market and providing it with low costs or well-specified products, which eventually builds a strong brand loyalty amongst their customers making it more attractive comp ared to their competitors. Airline competitors have been outdone successfully by the U.S airways because of the airlines use of the Porters generic strategies, which ascertain that they are more competitive and get a greater share of the

Health Campaign Paper Essay Example for Free

Health Campaign Paper Essay The concept of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health was developed in 1732 when the Philadelphia Almshouse began to provide free hospital care to the poor. According to the City of Philadelphia (2010), the Department of Public Health protects health and promotes healthy lifestyles for all Philadelphians. The Department of Public Health â€Å"provides services, set policies, and enforce laws that support the dignity of every man, woman, and child in Philadelphia† (City of Philadelphia, 2010). There are thirteen divisions of the department that are responsible for providing patient services related to those divisions. Each of the division has a primary focus to use to remain on task to achieve the goals of the division. Core Functions According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011), there are three core functions relating to public health. The three core functions are assessment, policy development, and assurance. Each core function has related essential services that are necessary for each function to be completed. One of the divisions of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is Disease Control. There are seven services of Disease Control which include acute communicable disease control, bioterrorism and public health preparedness, epidemiology, immunization, sexually transmitted disease control, tuberculosis control, and data and reports. Each of these services work together to assess the spread of disease (including the amount and types of diseases spread), researches ways to control disease processes, develops and implements public health plans to control the spread of disease, and provides information based on the recorded observations to both the health care and public populat ions. Reassurance is provided to the population by relaying information via media, health bulletin, and public service announcements regarding disease processes, control, and prevention. There are eight health centers operated by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health that provide care to neighborhood patient populations. These centers accept insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patient population. Basic outpatient and acute care services, medical management, checkups, women’s health, counseling, lab work, and social work support are all provided by the centers. This additional care allows the burden of care to be shared in the community and not just at the local hospital. When patients register for appointments they have the option to see the same physicians to provide continuity of care for each visit. There are also many federally funded clinics in operation according to the City of Philadelphia (2010). The clinics also work with the local health centers and hospital to provide care to the area residents. Influencing Hospital Setting Public health has directly affected the many things in the hospital setting since its development. The control of infectious diseases is a direct response to the development of public health initiatives. According to the Association of Schools of Public Health (2012), education for both health care workers and general population to increase sanitation has significantly increased reduction of the spread of infectious diseases. Today assessing and monitoring hand washing technique is frequently done hospital wide to prevent spread of infection. Education is provided continually for patients and health care providers as well as reporting of hand washing monitoring statistics related to facility hand washing reports. Continual reassurances of the benefits of hand washing are shared in staff meetings, facility conferences, and performance reviews by administration and management. Risk factor modification for blood pressure control has proven beneficial in decreasing coronary artery disease and stroke mortality rates reports the Association of Schools of Public Health (2012). Public awareness of genetic factors has been promoted via public service announcements, blood pressure/diabetes screenings, and hospital awareness newsletters. Hospitals have incorporated coronary artery disease and stroke awareness into programs to reduce stroke and myocardial infarction mortality rates. Many facilities have added to the awareness by adding public health fairs to promote risk factor awareness, disease prevention, and health promotion. Role of Public Health Workers â€Å"Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or re-occurring through implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, regulating health systems and some health professions, and conducting research, in contrast to clinical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured† (Association of Schools of Public Health ,2012). Public health workers can be anyone from a physician to the sanitation worker. Public health workers are responsible for the duties they were trained for professionally as well as collecting data, discovering resources, provides, emotional support, plans for preparedness for disasters, provides education, and provides organization to work toward positive outcomes using the information gathered and plans developed. Researchers, for example, gather the information and collect surveys to assess the public’s health care needs. The information is used to determine the changes that need to be made as well as the public education that has to be provided. Social needs are also addressed by social workers and counselors to provide support and reassurance. Providig reassurance allows many to feel that their questions and concerns will be addressed. Follow up surveys may also be used to assess the education process and obtain long term feedback from the population addressed. Conclusion Public health is a demanding but fulfilling job for many individuals who work together for the good of society. Continually assessing the needs of the communities allows disease processes to be defined and investigated appropriately to gauge its danger to the surrounding population. Researching and developing plans for controlling the disease process allows educational pieces to be developed to relay to the population to provide reassurance of a possible solution or changes that must be made to avoid the disease process all together. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has a large population to provide services to. The Divisions assist by breaking down services into manageable parts to be assessed and developed individually. Working together with local hospitals and clinics provides continuity of care between services while receiving education to better the city for future residents. References Association of Schools of Public Health. (2012). The 20th century’s ten great public health achievements in the United States. Retrieved from http://www.whatispublichealth.org/impact/achievements.html Centers for Disease control and Prevention. (2011, May 25). Core functions of public health and how they relate to the ten essential services. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ephli/core_ess.htm City of Philadelphia. (2010). Public health city of Philadelphia life liberty and you. Retrieved from http://www.phila.gov/health/AboutDPH.html

Principles of Infection Prevention and Control Essay Example for Free

Principles of Infection Prevention and Control Essay Employees rights and responsibilities in the relation to the prevention and control of infection are to follow company’s policies and procedures, keep themselves safe and others, report any hazards which could lead to infection, attend relevant courses, use the PPE provided, keeping the work environment clean and tidy and to maintain good personal hygiene 1. 2: Employers responsibilities in the relation to the prevention and control of infection are to keep everybody safe and to provide a safe work place, they do this by following current legislation. This is why it is extremely important to wear the correct PPE and use the correct hand washing procedure and use the correct cleaning products. 4. 3: To carry out a risk assessment first of all you need to identify the hazards, then decide who might be harmed and how. Then evaluate the risks and decide on precaution and then record your findings and implement on them. After this is done review your assessment and update if necessary. 4. 4: It is important to carry out risk assessments to raise awareness of potential risks and to try and eliminate or reduce them and to ensure enough precautions have been taken to prevent injury. Outcome 5 PPE must be used in the correct way in order for it to be effective in the prevention of infection control. Some different types of PPE and there uses are explained below: †¢Disposable gloves- Wearing disposable gloves will offer a protective barrier against infection when worn when dealing with body products, e. g. blood, urine, mucus, vomit etc, changing soiled bed linen, clearing up spillages and dressing wounds. When wearing gloves they should be put on last after all other PPE is on and should fit the hands comfortably and not rip or tear easily. Hands should be cleaned thoroughly before wearing gloves to prevent germs spreading. While wearing gloves they should be change if they become heavily soiled or ripped and after each resident. Gloves should be carefully removed before any other PPE is removed and disposed of in the correct way in line with company’s procedures and hands should be cleaned again. †¢Aprons- these are used to provide a barrier which enables clothing to stay clean from bodily fluids, spillages etc. Aprons should be put on first before any other PPE. To put an apron on, one should be taken from the roll and opened out, after the head has gone through the hole the two ties should be tied together around your back. To dispose of carefully tare the ties and roll or fold into a bundle and dispose of correctly. †¢Masks- These are worn to stop airborne infections being inhaled. To put a mask on place over nose, mouth and chin and fit flexible nose piece over bridge of nose. A mask should be removed after all other PPE has been removed and disposed of correctly. Employers must provide appropriate PPE free of charge and ensure it is disposed of correctly. Employees must use this correctly and follow the training and instructions given. The regulations and legislation relating to PPE that we must follow are: †¢The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 †¢The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 Outcome 6 The key principles of good personal hygiene are vital in controlling the spread of infection. The most important action that will reduce the development of infection is regular hand washing. By using a good hand washing technique this will ensure bacteria and viruses have as little chance to spread as possible. You should always wash your hands: †¢Before starting and when finishing work †¢Before and after eating After using the toilet

Aspect of acting

Aspect of acting The Technical Aspect of Acting Acting was developed in ancient Greek Theatre. The Greeks were the ones who introduced theatre and bought out an individuals talent known as acting. However in those days the technology had not advanced and there werent any films, the only source of entertainment the people had was through theatre. Theatre acting and acting in films differ vastly from each other. According to actress Kim Stanley â€Å" No matter what you do in film, it is, after all, bits and pieces for the director, and thats marvelous for the director but it doesnt allow the actor to learn to mold a part. In films, its the director who is the artist. An actor has much more chance to create on stage.† (Giannetti, 2008) Film acting is a basic tool of the director to make his film successful. Indeed it requires talent and learning for the individual in the field of acting. He needs to understand the role and connect himself emotionally to the character and then enact it for the audience in a way that it may see m real. A film actor gets several chances for displaying the emotions in front of the camera and a director may take several takes till the time the right emotions are bought out to his satisfaction. Unfortunately this is not the case for stage actors; they do not get several chances to bring out the reality in their acting, they only go on stage once and thats it, it is then in their hands to grab the audiences attention and do their best. Film has different categories of actors; extras, nonprofessional performers, trained professionals and the stars. Extras are the actors who are merely used to fill the camera frame, they are the unnecessary people needed to surround the main actors or just to be a part of the set. For instance if a film shows a market scene; to make it real the director puts in several people in the frame just to show the crowd in a market place. Nonprofessional actors are those that are not really good in acting; they dont master the art but; their physical appearance and presence on screen suits the characters personality on the basis of outlook. Trained professionals is that particular category in which majority of the actors are. They are those actors who have the ability to fit into any character and play any role according to the directors will. The last kind of an actor is the star. The stars are the actors who are successful in the film industry and their talent is admired and appreciated by the audience and the critiques. They often grab the audiences attention through their acting as well as their physical appearance. In the history of cinema the first kind of motion pictures that came out were silent films that did not have many dialogues. In those times acting was much more challenging then it is today. The emotional display of character was done through the facial expressions and the movement of the actor. The actor had to work hard to make the audience cry or laugh merely through his actions and expressions. Slowly and gradually as the technology advanced, there was advancement in cinema as well. There was more dialogue added to the film and now it was a challenge to the actor to develop a style of acting which would help him convey his message through dialogue delivery alongside, with the expressions and body language. Now the actor did not only have to make sure that his facial expressions were good but; he had â€Å"to know what words to stress and how to stress them, how to phrase properly for different types of lines, when to pause and for how long, and how quickly or slowly a line or sp eech ought to be delivered.† (Giannetti, 2008) The talent bought out in an actor is basically the art every director has. The actor works the way his director wants him to. If the director is successful in explaining what he wants and the way he wants it, and the actor is a master in his profession, the film ends up being a hit. The director also brings out the acting in a scene through the kinds of camera shots he takes. If he wants his audience to closely relate to the actor he would take a medium or a close up shot of the actor. The audience feels the intensity in the emotion the actor displays. For instance if the director is capturing an emotional scene and wants his audience to feel the sorrow the character is going through, he would want to take a close up shot; where he might zoom in from a medium shot moving his camera towards the actors eyes and showing the drop of tear that falls from his eye. The way the camera zooms towards the actor that is the time when the dire ctor grabs the audiences attention and they feel the intensity of emotion that the director is trying to bring out and many a times the actor is so good and the directors shot is so perfect that the whole scene seems real and makes the audience cry as well. There are several different techniques that make a film successful and all of them are very closely related to each other. Acting is closely related to the technique of mise en sense and editing. Mise en scene is everything shown within the screen frame; such as, the entire background, the set, the objects and the actors in a particular scene. It is the technique where the director places everything in the screen frame of his shot. Mise en sense would be incomplete without acting and acting would be incomplete without the technique of mise en sense. The technique of acting can be brought out with a perfect frame the director would set up. If the frame is empty or in other words there isnt any frame then the actor alone would not be able to do well on his own. Acting and editing are also very closely connected. A director takes several shots of an actor and then in the end its the editing that puts it altogether. The connection of shots appropriately is all in the hands of the editor. If edited correctly the acting seems perfect, an editor may edit a single shot in several different ways and chooses one p articular shot that brings out the best acting that the actor has shown. Director Akira Kurosawas Rashomon was one of the foreign films which proved brilliance in the acting technique. The first impression that the viewer forms in this film is confusion because there are different stories going on at the same time or rather one story with the same characters being told by different people with different angles. The major star cast of the film includes; Toshiro Mifune (the bandit), Masayuki Mori (the husband) and Machiko Kyo (the wife).C:UsersAfifaDesktopR1.bmp The film revolves around a crime committed by Mifune; he raped the wife and murdered the husband. The main plot of the film is how this story is interpreted and told to the jury from different point of views and how each character gives a different outlook to the entire situation. The actors have done quite an amazing job with their acting, according to a review â€Å"Direction is excellent. Shot completely outdoors, the camerawork is flawless. Toshiro Mifune gives a sterling performance as the ver min-ridden bandit. Machiko Kyo supplies a role of dramatic intensity as the wife. Masayuki Mori lends an impassive, glowering presence to the part of the husband.† (Rashomon Review) The actors of the film are certainly talented actors. As said earlier that the film has one basic story which is told from different point of views through different characters. Whenever a character tells the story, it includes the main actors of the film; the bandit, the husband and the wife. However the role each one plays in the different stories told by the witnesses and the victims changes the personality of the character completely. Each individual tells a story in the way he or she wishes. We see the story through the way the director wants us to. It certainly is a very challenging task to bring out the actors talent, where the character changes time and again. There is one story in the film where the director wants his audience to feel sympathetic towards the wife. Kurosawa very smartly has been successful in changing the audience view. There is a scene in one of the stories where the wife is being attacked by the bandit and she denies to him and tries to save her life. In that scene we see Machiko Kyo extremely hurt and asking for help and pleads the bandit to release her husband and let go off them. In that scene the director successfully portrays that the wife is weak and in pain and makes the audience feel very sympathetic towards her. The same story when told by another eye witness proves the wife to be very smart and cunning. In that scene the wife is flirting around with the bandit and asking him to mar ry her and kill her husband. In that scene the viewers dont really like the wifes character and get a bad impression about her character. She proves to be a woman who is selfish; doesnt care whether her husband lives or dies as long as she survives and is in safe hands. C:UsersAfifaDesktopR2.bmp Two different stories being told in the same film by two different people but the story has the same characters with different characteristics. Each time the story has been told the characteristics of the actor changes, in one scene he is shown weak and in the other scene very sharp and cunning. Kurosawa has been successful in bringing out the acting skills of his actors in this film, in the scenes where he wants us to feel sympathetic, he has taken long shots, in which we see the wife being mistreated by the bandit and the husband tied up in the other corner. The frame covers all three characters in the story. However in places where he portrays the wife to be very cunning, he takes medium to medium close up shots and captures the sharpness in the facial expressions of the wife, and shows her flirting with the bandit and motivating him to kill her husband. In that scene the focus is on the bandit and the wife and lesser on the husband. Its the camera shots that the director takes an d the way he shoots the scene which brings out the acting skills of the actors in a perfect manner. There are several scenes in the film that are magnificent in their structure and in the setting as well, which as a result brings out the simplest scene acted in the most simplest manner to look extraordinary. The director wants the bandit to look as wild as possible, even when he is seducing the wife is one of the scenes and expressing his liking for her, there is a constant vicious look on his face. He is perfect in presenting the role of a wild bandit roaming around in the woods; just the sight of the bandit would scare its viewersC:UsersAfifaDesktopR3.bmp. Mifunes performance as the bandit was greatly admired by the film critiques; he was successful in bringing out the intense vulgarity in his acting that ideally represented evil. Mifunes acting style has been applauded by critiques from Japan itself and even the American Cinema (Smith). The American critiques drew a conclusion that his acting was so wild and closely related to an animal from the wild. Kurosawa was looking for the animal in that character and he even told Mifune to connect himself to the lion and show the ferociousness of a lion. No doubts the actor was a perfect choice and representation of the bandit. For the acting to have a stronger impact on the audience and make them feel the character the director takes his medium close ups quite often so that the anger and frustration is bought out through the actors eyes and facial expression. Kurosawas Rashomon is a foreign film liked by many critiques all over the world; for its acting techniques and camera techniques were over powering. Many reviews and critique state that the film was one of its kind and the actors had done a marvelous job since it was very challenging to show different characteristics at one time in the same film. References: Giannetti, L. (2008). Understanding Movies. New Jersey : Pearson Prentice Hall. Japanese Film Greats . (n.d.). Retrieved decemebr 11, 2009, from http://asian-films.suite101.com/article.cfm/japanese_film_greats_akira_kurosawas_rashomon kleph.com Rashomon . (n.d.). Retrieved december 11, 2009, from http://www.kleph.com/blog.php?b=1e=1175pg=Rashomon Rashomon Review. (n.d.). Retrieved december 11, 2009, from http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794327.html?categoryid=31cs=1 Smith, G. M. (n.d.). Greg Smith, Greg M Smith: Critical Reception of Rashomon in the West. Retrieved decemeber 11, 2009, from http://www2.gsu.edu/~jougms/Rashomon.htm#Schemata

Character Analysis Of Anse Bun Essay -- essays research papers

Character Analysis of Anse Bundren Anse Bundren is an ugly old man. He is probably in his fifties or sixties. He is very ugly. He has terrible posture and a hump in his back. He looks like he never shaves in a scraggly way and his face is very wrinkled. It isn’t tan because he never spends much time in the hot sun. He has no teeth which is probably his most distinguishing characteristic. He used to be a tall man but even when he was young, he was beginning to show the signs of a hump. Addie comments on this in her chapter. She asked him if he had any womenfolks to make him stand up straight. There is not much background about Anse’s childhood or what it was like for him growing up but one can assume that his father and he share some similar traits. By the time he asked Addie to marry him, he was living on his own small farm alone. Anse has a shy side to him. He drove past Addie’s school teaching job several times before he got up the courage to talk to her. Apparently he went all out once he did get the courage and asked her to marry him the first time they ever spoke. He shied around this and did it subtly. When Addie asks him if he has any womenfolks, he says “That’s what I came to see you about.'; When Anse was twenty three he got sick and passed out while sweating. Since then he has come to believe that if he ever sweats again he will die. So therefore, he gets by without doing any hard work. He NEVER sweats because th...

Brave New World Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine living in a world where everyone is exactly the same, where there are no families, and a personal identity is regarded as a global threat. This is the futuristic society portrayed in Aldous Huxly's Brave New World. To garuntee complete happiness to its denizens, the government raises myriads of people in a single test tube, and then conditions them to conform to their assigned caste, (such as Alpha, Beta, etc.), and to behave in a "safe" manner. This method of upbringing creates a society full of clones completely lacking any personality, conditioned to love only three things: Henry Ford, their idol; soma, a wonder drug: and physical pleasure. Huxly tells the story through the eyes of several characters, but mainly through those of a deformed Alpha, Bernard Marx, and a young "savage" named John. The story's conflict begins when Bernard Marx becomes romantically involved with Lenina Crowne, and they travel together to a Savage Reservation. While at the reservation, which is one of the few remaining places in the world where people live with out modern conveniences such as soma, birth control, or helicopters, Lenina and Bernard meet a young boy, John, and his mother Linda. Linda, who was originally from the civilized world, had become pregnant several years before and had been lost on a trip she had made to the reservation. Because it was so shameful that she was pregnant, she was forced to stay. Both savages are brought to the new world, and John becomes a celebrity. At this point in the novel, Huxly uses Bernard as a paradigm to show how fickle a person can be, and how the need for acceptance can override a persons morals. Bernard, who had always been outcast, seizes the chance to take responsibility for John, therefore also becoming popular. All of Bernard's criticism of his society quickly vanished when he gained the respect he had dreamed of his entire life. He became to good for his old friends, and believed he was invincible. But, just like Caesar who thought he was "as constant as the northern Star", Bernard's overconfidence led to his downfall. On the other hand, John, who was excited about the brave new world he had entered, becomes disillusioned, and becomes torn when his values and morals clash with those of the new society. Finally, after a mad rampage, he isolates himself in ... ...se, making a society where people have no attachments to anything or anyone, and everything is replaceable. Huxly provide a strong warning against the misuse of science. Through factories that mass produce children, drugs that take the place of true passion, and conditioning that takes the place of family, technology becomes a dehumanizing force. When Huxly first wrote his novel, he projected that a society similar to the one he had described could come about in about six hundred years. Later in his life, he stated that he had overestimated, and that the horrors of Brave New World could come about in the next century. His drastically changed outlook is not so hard to believe when one looks at our modern society. For example, marriage has changed from a life long commitment, to a relationship that in about fifty percent of couples only lasts for a couple of years. Cloning, although not yet in humans, and far from being perfected, is no longer only in science fiction novels, but in our daily lives. There are many other similarities between our society and that of Brave New World, making it all the easier to accept Huxly's outlook on society's future.

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay -- Epic Gilgamesh

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Abstract: The most interesting stories invariably are about love and death. These two themes underlie the Epic of Gilgamesh, a mythic tale of the quest for immortality. Gilgamesh, profoundly affected by the death of his friend Enkidu at the hands of the gods, questions the injustice of life. Finding no answer, he of course tries to change—indeed, eliminate—the question by seeking immortality. The following essay examines Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship, and the effect of Enkidu’s death on Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s failure in the end attests the intertwining of love and death in a relationship. Woody Allen once stated, â€Å"It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.† Even the most stout-hearted soul would admit the truth of that statement. Death—like life—is a mystery. It is also a test. Acting as an immutable deadline, death forces us to confront its inevitable reality. But not everyone deals with it in the same way. Those who lack the strength to cope are consigned to a life of unconquerable fear and insecurity and are the stuff of tragedy. Others, however, do succeed in attaining a measure of immortality, though the journey is long and difficult. These are the culture-makers of society: its painters, composers, and poets. Their common link is the warrior spirit, the part of them that struggles, succeeds...and struggles some more. The Epic of Gilgamesh reflects this spirit of the warrior. Although Enkidu’s death indicates that mortals seemingly are at the mercy of the gods and death is inevitable, Gilgamesh nonetheless embarks on a quest for godhood: Enkidu has to die so Gilgamesh can live. Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship prefigures G... ...venture onto the stone walls of Uruk. The irony is that the story is about his failure rather than success. His quest started when he realized â€Å"[he had] not established [his] name stamped on bricks as...destiny decreed† (70). He presumably thought his story would be one success after another, victories of strength and fury. How ironic that his tale is of the failure to find immortality, a quest prompted by Enkidu’s death. But as irony takes another twist, his failure is also a success. Gilgamesh learns, one presumes, that although death inevitably comes, one must attempt to foil its icy grasp. That is why Enkidu must die for Gilgamesh to live: his death launches Gilgamesh toward a hopeless task, one that results in a valuable lesson set in stone for all to see. And the stone still stands. Reference The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin Books, 1972.

What is an Hypothesis?

I believe my hypothesis needs to be strengthened to be better than its rivals. When utilizing the chart on page 64 of our text I do find several areas for improvement. After going through the checklist I believe that a better hypothesis would be made after an Minimal analysis of the percentage of late payments and the minimum credit scores. A hypothesis could then be created that is more specific and testable as well as analyzed against other statistics such as the percentage of late payments for a higher, specified credit score.If research shows 70% of customers that have late payments have a credit score below 600 a stronger hypothesis would state: If the local car dealership that offers In house flagging requires a credit score higher than 600 for approved financing the percentage of late payments they receive will be less than 70%. Adequacy for its purpose I *Does the hypothesis reveal the original problem condition? I Yes, the problem is a large amount of accounts that are past due. I *Does the hypothesis clearly Identify facts that are relevant I It clearly states facts grading financing approval but does not I and those that are not?I Include any other facts. Relevant or not. I I *Does the hypothesis clearly state the condition, size, or I It only states that lenient profiles are used, this should be I distribution of some variable in terms of values meaningful I made stronger by listing a specific minimum credit score I to the research problem? I required. I *Does the hypothesis explain facts that gave rise to the need I Yes, late accounts require explanation and analysis to I for explanation? I continue to operate the equines at a profitable level.I I *Does the hypothesis suggest which form of research I Yes, a causal-predictive study would be appropriate. I design is likely to be most appropriate? I Raising the minimum credit requirement to determine if late I I payments decrease would be appropriate. I *Does the hypothesis provide a framework for org anizing I Yes, the hypothesis indicates that statistics should be I the conclusions that result? I analyzed and shown by credit scores and late payments. I Testable I *Does the hypothesis use acceptable techniques? I Yes, the hypothesis Is late payments.I *Does the hypothesis require an explanation that is plausible I Yes, a plausible explanation would utilize financial applications. I given known physical or psychological laws? I I *Does the hypothesis reveal consequences or derivatives that I The consequence is stated and does not need to be deduced. I can be deduced for testing purposes? I I *Is the hypothesis simple, requiring few conditions or I Yes, no assumptions are required. I assumptions? Better than its rivals *Does the hypothesis explain more facts than its rivals?

Dracula and Victorian Culture

In Dracula by Bram Stoker, the author explores Eastern European’s religion and culture in a number of ways, as well as traditional English notions of cultural superiority. It is important to note that the text primarily explores religion through antithesis. Stoker begins with the idea that Dracula and his ilk are damned creatures as far from God as possible, and piles upon them the sins that religion, presumably, is never guilty of: vampires are sexualized, decadent, and violent.Worst of all to the religious readers is the fact that vampires pervert Christian notions of the resurrection of Jesus by portraying creatures who return from the grave not to provide guidance, but to prey on all of humanity. English superiority is asserted by the ending of the text, in which the English forces rout Dracula away from his pool of victims and ultimately destroy him. This represents the cycle of supernatural perversion being broken, allowing for the â€Å"normal† Christian lives to go on, free of evil’s taint.Stoker’s tale became famous for its unique take on the vampire myth. As opposed to being a horrific monster wandering the wilds, Dracula is a cultured count who is able to blend into high society (before, of course, feasting on it). By making an agent of evil unrecognizable as such, Stoker portrayed the 19th-century fear of The Other in a religious context. Readers are encouraged to hold fast to Christian beliefs, as that might be all that saves them from insidious infiltrators such as the Count.Fittingly enough, Dracula is not content with the power that he already has in the world, nor with his supernatural abilities: he wishes he could be in the world more, and affect the outcome of major events. This helps serve the didactic nature of the text. Even as Dracula is ostensibly a creature of unfathomable evil, he is portrayed as a collection of human faults, such as the lust for power. In that sense, he is a manifestation of collective sin, offering punishment for the decadent world. The world, in turn, has to settle for being saved by the English.Symbolically, Mina is the redemptive force for the sins of man in the text. She ostensibly represents the hetero-normative view which is necessary to be an exemplar of a Victorian Christian story, yet even after her marriage, she never seems sexualized by Stoker. Instead, she represents duty and obedience to her husband, as well as the more abstract qualities, such as intellect and more character. Her union with her husband is an obvious counterpoint to Dracula’s relationship with the three sisters: even in â€Å"proper† marriage, she is portrayed as chaste, bordering on sexless†¦the Victorian ideal.Regarding Dracula and his relationship to his three â€Å"sisters,† the reader is free to speculate on its true nature. At best, it seems to be a parody of matrimony, with the women representing a kind of harem (hence, the representations in pop culture of the three sisters as â€Å"the brides of Dracula). With Stoker taking special care to note two of the women resembling Dracula himself, there is even the possibility of incest added to the already-disturbing nature of erotic violence permeating the text.Erotic violence symbolically provides the ironic climax for Dracula himself. For all of the strange instruments that are wielded to ward off and harm vampires throughout the text, it is ultimately knives that are used to dispose of the Count. In this sense, English cultural superiority is asserted over its evil Other by appropriate the violence of the other: just as Dracula corrupts good people by piercing them, the countryside can only be cleansed (as in, returned to its Judeo-Christian, hetero-normative and ultraconservative state) by piercing Dracula himself.The violated become the violators, and the Other is driven from the countryside, once and for all. The purity of the countryside is even evoked by Dracula’s special ized dirt, a not-so-subtle representation of another land corrupting good Christian citizens before it is properly sterilized. There are hints of symbolic Eugenics embedded here: sterilizing a corrupting outsider’s land before driving him out so he can no longer convert others to his cause, leaving good Christians (such as Mina) to continue the proper race of the English (even though she remains so seemingly chaste).Ultimately, the reason for the enduring popularity of Stoker’s text is the surprisingly sympathetic nature of Count Dracula himself. He is at once a creature of two worlds: a horrible monster who literally preys on humanity, and a cultured old man who represents knowledge of the world. He is a bloodthirsty abomination who, nevertheless, seeks out companionship. He is an unknowable monster from the depths of hell, yet the shades that comprise him are made up of all-too-familiar human sins.Stoker doubtlessly wrote the book to reassert the cultural values of t he time: his creature of the night, with human follies, is driven out and killed. Yet the text endures because, as times become less overtly Christian and much less conservative, individuals sympathize with the persecuted monster more than they do the gallant Christian forces. And long after Victorian England slips further into the footnotes of history, the vampire myth will continue attracting souls who perceive themselves as outcasts from the sterilizing forces of society.

Anwar Sadat Essay

In your view, how have rhetorical techniques been used to reveal memorable ideas in the speeches set for study? Support your view with detailed reference to at least TWO of the speeches set for study. Great speeches combine rhetorical techniques and structuring to reveal and emphasise their key themes and memorable ideas. This is evident in Anwar Sadat’s â€Å"Statement to the Israeli Knesset all of which present ideas memorable in both their original contexts and to contemporary audiences.†, Paul Keating’s â€Å"Funeral Service of the Unknown Australian Soldier† and Sir William Deane’s â€Å"On the occasion of an ecumenical service for the victims of the canyoning tragedy†, One of Sadat’s most memorable themes is the value of â€Å"permanent peace based on justice†. Sadat employs a range of rhetorical devices such as emotive language, repetition, enumeration, imagery and juxtaposition to ensure his audience is convinced of the value of â€Å"permanent peace based on justice† and remembers the idea. Words such as â€Å"annihilate†, â€Å"bereavement† and â€Å"rejection† are used to force his audience to experience how it feels to live without â€Å"permanent peace based on justice†. The repetition of the phrase emphasizes that this idea is one of his key concepts, and also allows the phrase to be brought up again in the audiences mind allowing the concept to ‘sink in’. Sadat also uses accumulation, structuring his arguments as â€Å"the first fact†, â€Å"the fifth fact† etc, and later, when stating his conditions for peace he uses â€Å"first, second, third†. This technique allows his audience to better follow his train of thought and clearly understand how he has come to these conclusions and making his argument seem more logical and correct. Also, by stating his arguments as a â€Å"fact† he gives them more authority. Lastly, Sadat uses imagery to portray two possible futures. One is of â€Å"the ruins of what mankind has built and the remains of the victims of mankind†; the other is of â€Å"a smile on the face of every child born on our land†. By juxtaposing such extreme vision Sadat forces his audience to agree with his pint by appealing to a common goal of a better future. Sadat ensures his audience remembers the idea of â€Å"permanent peace based on justice† by employing a number of rhetorical devices to ensure they both understand and agree with the idea.

Classroom Observation Essay

I did my observation at Horace Mann Elementary school 3nd grade classroom. When I entered the classroom, I felt very welcomed, Mrs. burns had all the students welcome me. It was a very colorful classroom covered with the children’s art work. The children seemed to feel very comfortable around each other; they all appeared to be communicating well. The goals of the children in the class room are to actively participate and understand the information taught. As I observed part of her math class, they were learning money. She gave them a worksheet to work on after she taught the lesson. As they were completing the worksheet she walked around to answer any questions and to make sure they were on task. Ten minutes later, children need to take a break on the underground,so Mrs. burns asked them to keep quiet and stand a line leave the classroom,in order to let them keep quiet,she got a idea,she took a rose and give it to who are being quiet ,then she asked that person pass this rose to another person which u think being quite,but at this time I found an interesting thing. A girl ,she didn’t pass the rose to a quiet person,she just passed it to her best friend,at first I didn’t know it ,but then there are some students began to complain about that,so I know she didn’t do it as teacher said,actually it correspond this age’s behaver,they are care more about friendship , the children are starting to not be as bossy and domineering. They do not like critism, and wishes to please others. They are sensitive about others feelings. However, they may be critical of themselves and become more of a perfectionist. The children are more cautious and withdrawn during this age. I asked Mrs. burns how she went about communicating with her students families and she told me she uses phone calls, email, and parents will sometimes send a note if he/she has any concerns. She gave me advice to always call from work and to never call from home. She said last year she had a bad experience where she used her house phone to call a parent, and after that the parent was constantly calling her house. Her curriculum was based on the California Standards. She showed me form, which was made from the CA Standards it gives you a weekly plan, and different activities to do Monday-Friday. A few of the activities included target skills of the week, like phonics, comprehension skills, and comprehension strategies.

Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much Essay Example for Free

Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much Essay Christian (302) , Punishment (104) , Capital punishment (54) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints Man is a sacred and precious creature created by God.   When God has created the Universe, light, the birds, animals, the trees, water and the earth, he had given a lot of importance to man.   Evidence from the Bible suggests that God had left creating man as his final task, and after he had created man, God was so amazed, satisfied with himself and fulfilled with his own creation, that he decided to rest (on the Seventh day).   Through his creation of man, he had provided a reflection of himself ( The Old Testament: Genesis 1 ).   In deed God has given a lot of importance to man, and no one has the right to take away or destroy the life this very special and beautiful creation of God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Countries throughout the World are beginning to understand the importance of capital punishment and are slowly outlawing such laws.   However, certain developed countries such as the US are still encouraging Capital punishment.   The US had stopped capital punishment for some period of time (from 1972 to 1977).   However, the practice resumed again following Gregg V. Georgia case ( Horigan, 2004 ).   Most of the states in the US permit Capital punishment only in very specific instances.   However, the very existence of such an option in the judiciary system, does suggest the States Support to this inhuman act.   The rate of execution in the US has dropped since the 1930’s, but this has no fully ended. The largest number of executions is performed by the State of Texas, and the highest percentage of the population executed by the State is Virginia (Robinson, 2006).   The response of the US public to capital punishment is somewhat mixed.   However, the reaction of the Canadian people to capital punishment was also similar, but the Country has abolished capital punishment.   Depending on the seriousness of their crime, the crimes are imprisoned even for indefinite periods ( Robinson, 2006 ).   Canada has also shown that imposition of capital punishment does not necessarily result in a drop in the crime rates.   The Japanese on the other which permit capital punishment have a crime rate much below that of the US. Hence, it can be demonstrated that capital punishment may not play an important role in crime ( Robinson, 2006 ).   In the US, many people who have been executed by the law, were found not even to be given a proper lawyer during their trials. Several states in the US that have capital punishment in their legal systems seem to have a higher criminal rate than those which do not have capital punishment ( Robinson, 2006 ).   People may feel that by incorporating capital punishment in their legal systems, the State is cheapening the value of human life.   Hence, the crime rates in such states are on the rise.   Several other factors such as poor socio-economic status, low educational levels, poor living conditions, etc, may be related with an increase in the crime rates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Church has seriously opposed the use of capital punishment in case of serious crime.   Pope John Paul II has opposed the imposition of death penalty by the State ( Dulles, 2001 ).   Christians give a lot of importance to life and have opposed any action that could result in the ‘violation to the right to life’ such as murder, abortion, suicide, euthanasia, etc.   Christians usually feel that as God has controlled life, no one including the Governments and the Courts can take away a human life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Old Testament, death was specifically suggested to those who had sinned or committed offences (such as murder and adultery).   The Sacred Covenant during Noah had mentioned that anyone who offenders and disobeys God be stoned or hanged to death.   Several episodes in the Old Testament such as those of with Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ( Numbers 16 ), have given instances in which capital punishment was performed to penalize sinners.   People who helped to execute the will of God by ending the life of the offenders were considered as Agents of God.   Many Countries of the World still follow the Old Testament of capital punishment in penalizing serious crimes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, things have changed since the New Testament times.   Although Jesus Christ had not spoken much about the use of capital punishment by the state, indirect instances are present in the New Testament which may suggest that Jesus was against the practice of capital punishment.   One of these instances included the Stoning of a woman who had sinned.   Jesus did not allow his disciples to pronounce curses of destruction of death on people who did not have feelings of love towards others. In John 19:11 , Jesus told Pilate that he had the authority to sentence anybody who had sinned against God, and that Pilate had the right to fulfill God’s intentions.   In Matthew 26:52, Jesus told Peter to put back his sword when he was arrested.   Jesus even put back the soldier’s piece of ear, after Peter had cut it with his sword.   In Luke 23: 41 , Jesus tells the thief crucified on his side, that they were receiving punishment for the sins that they had committed on earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christianity believed in the concept of ‘love thy neighbor as thy self’, and Jesus in his preaching expressed that this feeling should be extended to every aspect of life.   We could potentially extent its application for use to prevent capital punishment.   In the New Testament after Christ, there may be several instances in which capital punishment was encouraged.   However, these instances may not directly support capital punishment.   In Acts 5: 1-11 , capital sentences were imposed because they disobeyed Simon Peter.   The Letter to the Hebrews also encouraged the Mosaic Laws on capital punishment. St. Paul told the Romans that death sentence was a mean of expressing God’s intentions against sinners.   However, there have also been instances in the New Testament in which the Church and Christians have opposed death sentence.   During the early Christianity period, the Church did not approve Christians to function as executioners of death sentences ( Dulles, 2001 ).   St. Augustine felt that the Fifth Commandant should be utilized even to prevent execution of death sentences and killing of criminals.   He wrote an entire book about Capital punishment named The City of God .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The idea of capital punishment changed a bit during the Middle Age.   Christianity had some influence on the people, and the Courts were told to impose capital punishment only for people who committed serious crime.   This was mainly as a self-defense mechanism to prevent the criminals from committing further crime and to ensure that the society was safe.   Some of the theologists felt that capital punishment was more of a hatred act against the criminal than one to enable him to reform in the future ( Dulles, 2001 ).   Even though the Church opposed death sentence, it constituted a body to pronounce and capital punishment. The Church even conferred the State the power to issue death sentences in the later part of the 16 th century.   It derived this power from the Commandant â€Å"thou shall not murder†, and it was performed in several instances.   Slowly the Church began to approve capital punishment only in the case the criminal committed a serious crime.   Slowly the attitude of the Church towards capital punishment began to change as they felt that life was a precious gift given by God and it was morally wrong to take one’s life for sins committed.   The Italian thinker Gino Concetti , wrote a Book L’Osservatore Romano in 1977, demonstrating the importance and sacredness of God-given life.   He said that humans could not destroy the life of another human, and even the criminals who had performed serious crimes should not be punished with death sentence.    He said that there should not be any circumstance in which capital punishment was justified as no person had the right to take the life of another and destroy one of God’s precious creations.   We should be able to respect the view that God is expressing himself in man.   This work had really changed the attitudes of Christians and the Church towards capital punishment. Many people felt that the Church itself did not respect or identify this view of life before.   There was a uproar against capital punishment in the 20 th century in Europe.   Several European countries who believed in Christianity began to incorporate the latest teachings and beliefs of the Church in their Legal systems.   The Governments began to underhand the importance of life ( Dulles, 2001 ). Since, the criminal is also a human being; he is a precious creation of God and has a reflection of God in himself.   His actions have an element of God expressed in it.   Hence, it would be morally wrong to even punish the most serious criminals with capital punishment.   In the Old Testament, the view that a criminal action should be punished with a similar action by the law-enforcement agency existed.   However, a person may be expressing the Will of God through his actions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Christianity has developed over a long period, and now it does not permit both, direct destruction (taking the life of a specific person) and indirect destruction (actions performed without the intention of killing another person).   In some instances, taking the life of another person by mistake may be pardoned by the Church.   The Church is also against any individuals taking the life of another on the advice of the State ( Pesenke, 1981 ). God does not allow one human to take the life of another because God is the creator of the human beings and can create or destroy a life.   Any person who takes the life of another with a mental intention is sinning against God.   A Human life is the most precious work of God, and destroying it would be against the Will of God.   No political or legal body in the World has the right to interfere with God’s creation.   It is not justified for any Court or King to take the life of any individual including a criminal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many countries feel that capital punishment should be permitted at least to end the life of criminals who committed serious crimes.   They may also be considering that it would be a cheaper option to end the life of such criminals than to punish them with life-imprisonment.   However, the legal and the political systems should not cheapen human life, and should consider them as important to God.   Having capital punishment options in the legal system is not going to reduce crimes.   It is essential that the Government provides a socio-economic environment that may permit development and reduce frustration of the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Jews believed firmly in capital punishment and permitted it following murders, adultery, worship of idols, war crimes, and kidnapping.   They feel that capital punishment would ensure that the society is safer from the actions of the criminals in the future.   They also feel that anybody who destroys God-given creations should be punished with death sentence.   A counsel usually issues death sentences in Jewish courts.   The court will examine the criminal during the trial and 2 neutral witnesses should provide evidence for the case.   As the process of issuing capital punishment under Jewish laws is very stringent, such sentences may usually occur less frequently. In several situations (such as wars, emergencies, dealing with non-Jewish criminals, etc), the stringent process is relaxed and death sentences are issued more easily.   In such situations Noah-Laws are usually applicable.   Usually just one neutral witness is required ( FAQ, 2006 ).   During the later part of the 20 th century, Jewish thinkers began to oppose the use of capital punishment by the legal system.   The ideas of Christian theologists are now being followed by the Jewish thinkers with regard to death sentence.   Only in extremely serious crimes are capital punishment allowed by Jewish courts ( FAQ, 2006 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Capital punishment is not only an ineffective way of dealing with crime (as it does not reduce the crime rate), but is also an immature way (as hatred and revenge are spread).   It also cheapens the importance of God-given life.   The Government should look at alternative to punish or reform the criminals. Dulles, A. C. (2001). â€Å"Catholicism & Capital Punishment.† First Things 112, 30-35. http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2175%20 FAQ (2006). Question 12.21: What is the Jewish position on Capital Punishment? Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from FAQ.org   Web site: Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance from Web site: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought/section-22.html Horigan, D. P. (1996). Buddhism & Capital Punishment . Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from The Engaged Zen Foundation from Web site: http://www.engaged-zen.org/articles/Damien_P_Horigan-Buddhism_Capital_Punishment.html Pesenke, H. C. (1981). Christian Ethics: Volume II – Special Moral Theology in the Light of Vatican II , Bangalore: TPI. Robinson, B. A. (2006). Facts about capital punishment: Part 1: data & trends . Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance from Web site: http://www.religioustolerance.org/execut3.htm The Bible Gateway (2007). Genesis 1 (New International Version). Retrieved on April 8, 2007, from The Bible Gateway from Web site: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+1 Capital punishment and why does the Church (Christianity) oppose it so much. (2017, Apr 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Gender sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gender sociology - Essay Example Majority of the researches that investigated the behavioral aspect of gender stereotypes had used extent of perceptual prejudice as an indicator of support for media censorship. Even though using the extent of perceptual prejudice as indicator of advocacy for media censorship has a number of empirical support, its fundamental theory appears doubtful since it falls short in distinguishing between those who view pornography to have great impact on themselves and on other people, and those who view pornography to have lesser impact on themselves and on other people (ibid). Feminist have even before been critical of liberalism. Even though the emphasis of such disapproval are diverse, ranging from allegations of male prejudice in the grounding framework of the person to perceptual blindness over the qualities of people’s lives, such as enslavement relations, in which issues of equality emerge, they share in the argument that open-minded political standards conceptually abandon issues of gender equality. Wide-ranging liberalism, nevertheless, discovered a number of feminist partners, who argue that liberal ideas of independence echo the heart of feminist values. A substantial deal of research has investigated the substance and influence of conventional types of pornography in the previous decades. Findings of researches conducted beforehand on pornography implies that pornographic materials portray women consistently as sexual objects or sexual products who take pleasure on suffering or disgrace (Dworkin, 1989). Women are also shown in circumstances that are shameful, corrupting, and unbecoming (Dobson, 1997). In a qualitative research, Jensen and Dines (1998, pp. 90-98) discovered the following aspects essential to the embodiment of sexuality in pornography: hierarchy or the imbalance in power was devastating, regularly situating women at the bottom of the hierarchy;

How do the views of Machiavelli, Hobbes and Grotius differ and what Essay

How do the views of Machiavelli, Hobbes and Grotius differ and what aspect of society influenced these theories - Essay Example To his mind the law was a necessary and rational perversion of nature, part of the civil contract that governed all societies - a compromise in order for men to live peacefully. Grotius, on the other hand, would not accept the separation of nature and the law - the true law arose out of human nature and, more pertinently to him, the nature of God. As such, the law is not merely a series of arbitrary rules with which those in a social group (say, the state) are forced to comply. It is a base for all interaction, including interaction between states. As such Grotius points to a law than can be transnational, one that binds all cultures and societies. Machiavelli portrayed a system of government that, unlike the systems of government that had been propounded before, was based entirely on pragmatic concerns. In his writings there is a large gap between the concept of things that are morally correct, and those things which are politic and advisable. As he says when regarding the way a leader chooses to rule his people, "it is a sound maxim that reprehensible actions may be justified by their effects" (Brown et al. 266). This, then, completely changes the landscape of how one is to understand the law, which before Machiavelli had been considered the inscription of rules barring those practices which are immoral or against the common good. In other words, people had seen the law as something which was used to protect society from those members of it who wished to harm the rest. The only way the law is a consideration in Machiavelli's philosophy is if the prince needs to pacify the populace and, by doing so, retain control of a kingdo m. The rule of law, then, is merely used by the leader as an appeasement to the collective might of the masses. However - Machiavelli is quite clear - the law can be suspended at any time the prince sees fit, and it should offer no protection from the violence he might wish to inflict - "It should be observed here that men should either be caressed or crushed" (Brown et al. 260). An example that Machiavelli uses is the annexation of Milan by Louis XII and its subsequent loss to Ludovico. When Louis had taken the principality, the people expected certain favours from him but, in actuality, he ruled as a tyrant. This made it nearly impossible for him to hold the Milan when a new attack came from without. "For when the people who had opened the gate to Louis found that they did not receive the benefits they expected, they could not endure the oppressive rule of the new master" (Brown et al. 258). Notice that Machiavelli does not treat the law (and other benefits, such as governmental structures, a wealthy privileged class, etc.) as a result of the organic growth of society. Rather, it is a tactical means of a prince retaining power. Machiavelli does not identify the rule of just law as a prerequisite of the state, quite the opposite, it is one weapon in the arsenal that a ruler might use in order to perpetuate his rule. As we will soon find, Hobbes sees the law as a treaty between a group of people - a little like a social contract - which grows of necessity when enough people congregate. For Machiavelli, however, the rule of law is applied from above, by the prince or emperor. The rule of law is intrinsic to the