The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essay Example

The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) Essay Name: David Wang Student No: 0919112022 Class : B Date : Oct 28th,2011 Submitted to: Miss Li Lin The relationship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday The relationship between Robinson Crusoe and Friday has been examined eagerly yet diversely by a number of critics, especially in recent times. Some say their relationship certainly seems to be like brothers, who go through thick and thin together; Some other comment that Crusoe and Friday have a similar relationship to that of a father and son. Despite of all that’s been mentioned above, I have been given, as many others have been given, the impression that Crusoe is the Master and that Friday is merely the servant who is to serve his Master for as long as he lives. This mater-servant perspective of relationship is stated over and over in the novel, for example, I [Crusoe] made him know his Name should be Friday †¦ I likewise taught him to say Master, and then let him know, that was to be my Name Friday, who is merely a servant, is never told about Crusoe’s real name, which manifests a certain hierarchy system, i. e. Crusoe is the master and relatively he is â€Å"higher† than Friday, who willingly serves Crusoe. During that era, slaves were named by their colonial masters and this picture is painted out well in the novel when Crusoe names Friday â€Å"Friday†, without considering what his actual name might be. We will write a custom essay sample on The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Relationship Between Robinson Crusoe and Friday (Review) specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Friday, regardless to this, takes this relationship well, though it’s just, ironically, a master-servant one and he actually welcomes and embraces it in a heavenly thankful manner and displays this affection to the relationship so well that Crusoe takes it as a submission to servitude as it is narrated â€Å" he knelt down again, kissed the Ground, and laid his Head upon the Ground, and taking me by the Foot, set my Foot upon his Head; this it seems was in token of swearing to be my Slave forever; this half of the sentence brings forth a strong manifestation of Friday yielding to â€Å"eternal slavery†, but the â€Å"external loyalty† to Friday himself and Crusoe, for the sake of being rescued by his forever master, Crusoe. When Friday’s evident submission is displayed, the first few thoughts that come to Crusoe’s mind, as Crusoe’s first reaction, were not negative: I took him up, and made much of him, and encouragd him all I could †¦ h e spoke some Words to me, and though I could not understand them, yet I thought they were pleasant to hear However, how Crusoe reacted may be due to his merely wanting to have another human companion with him and to relieve him of the many years in solitude: for they were the first sound of a Mans Voice, that I had heard, my own excepted, for above Twenty Five Years. After Crusoe makes sure that all the other savages are dead, takes Friday under his wing: I carried him not to my Castle, but quite away to my Cave, on the farther Part of the Island He feared drastically of being attacked during the night he was sleeping quarters away from Friday: I made a little Tent for him in the vacant Place between my two Fortifications †¦ I barred it up in the Night, taking in my Ladders too, so that Friday could no way come at me in the inside of my innermost Wall, without making so much Noise in getting over, that it must needs waken me It is extremely easily noticeable that Crusoe does no t fully trust Friday, having a similarity to the situation with the applying of a gun. At first, Cursoe prevail on Friday to believe that the gun is â€Å"some wonderful Fund of Death and Destruction†; this brings Friday acting very cautiously around the gun: As for the Gun itself, he would not so much as touch it for several Days after; but would speak to it, and talk to it, †¦ which, as I afterwards learnt of him, was to desire it not to kill him. This shows how â€Å"fully† (slightly) the master trusts his loyal servant, which often results in any master-servant relationship. But, still, there is a difference in this relationship where Cruse often gives positive comments about Friday while the reverse is everywhere: a comely handsome Fellow, perfectly well made; with straight strong Limbs †¦ tall and well-shaped †¦ He had a very good Countenance, not a fierce and surly Aspect; but seemed to have something very manly in his Face. To its readers’ surprise, Crusoe keeps on talking about Friday, but in a way that attempts to convince the reader that Friday is not what he is thought of, not a typical black person at the time. A majority of the black population is owned permanently and treated adversely by their European masters. South African then were regarded as if they were dirt or a species lower than animals. Cursoe tries to bring people to believe that Friday is not from that black population and is therefore trying to give a lift to Friday’s level in the hierarchy of people. he had all the Sweetness and Softness of an European à ¢â‚¬ ¦ His Hair was long and black, not curld like Wool †¦ The Colour of his Skin was not quite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow nauseous tawny, as the Brazilians, and Virginians, and other Natives of America are; but of a bright kind of a dun olive Colour †¦ his Nose small, not flat like the Negroes †¦ Teeth well set, and white as Ivory. All the evidences that have been gone through above are what I have picked from pages 203 to 213; through all these pages, Crusoe and Friday build their relationship with each other, supporting my view that Crusoe and Friday have a relationship where the master concerns about the only servant he has while slightly dominating the servant at the same time.

Cross Cultural Studies Essays - Cultural Geography, Free Essays

Cross Cultural Studies Essays - Cultural Geography, Free Essays Cross Cultural Studies Question: What is the value of making cross-cultural comparisons? (Miller, Pg#11: 1999) Cultural anthropology encompasses all aspects of human beliefs, behaviors and ideas. What would the world be like without any knowledge of other cultures? Anthropologists study different cultures to be more understanding and accepting, more appreciative and to enrich our own culture. What is the real problem with the Ku Klux Klan? Perhaps, if they took the time to understand the African-American and Jewish cultures, for example, they would be more accepting of the diversity. Hundreds of years of cultural imperialism has evolved into a legion of hate. Emic studies put the researcher in the middle of the culture, free to interact and discover a new life style. After a few months or even a year in a different culture, one has a better understanding of the lifestyle, and understanding leads to acceptance. Once people, especially powerful political leaders, learn cultural relativism war will be a practice of the past and only discussed in history classes. Another reason for cross-cultural comparison is to make us more appreciative of our own culture and environment. For example, members of the Peace Corp volunteer months to years of their lives to live and help in third world countries. They may not be there with the purpose of studying culture, however, living among the people and having to adapt to their way of life gives them a first-hand experience of a third world life. Seeing the way life is without any luxuries make us realize how convenient our lives are. Plentiful amounts of food, clean water, stable shelter and adequate clothing are just a few of the many luxuries that our culture sees as essentials. Many volunteers return from the Peace Corp and adopt a new way of life; much less extravagant than the one they led before. Finally, we study other cultures to enrich our own. Where would Canadian culture be without the influence of the French, Italian, Chinese, and all the other cultures that form the cultural mosaic that defines Canada? Without the mixture of cultures in our country, we would still be eating meat and potatoes for every meal. The cultural blend that has come together to make up Canada, but yet retain their own individualities, work together to make a hybrid culture created from the best of all that are combined. In conclusion, we see that without cross-cultural comparisons life would be boring and monotonous. Learning about other cultures makes us more understanding, accepting, and appreciative of the diversity. No more war, no more racism and no more ethnic cleansing once ethnocentrism and cultural imperialism are abolished. Cultural diversity is the spice of life.

Biology in Daphnia

Biology in Daphnia Essay Teachers Guide. qxd 25/1/08 8:00 Page 1 Teacher/Lecturer A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? Purpose †¢ †¢ To investigate the effect of caffeine on the heart rate of Daphnia (water fleas). To highlight experimental and investigative assessment objectives. Safety Any student known to suffer from photosensitive epilepsy should be warned before a stroboscopic light is used. Flickering lights in the range 5–30 Hz are thought to trigger seizures in sensitive individuals. Notes on the procedure The student sheet that accompanies this activity guides students through planning and writing up this investigation. After students plan the investigation their plans can then be discussed with the group. To support less able students, or to help with the organisation of practical work for a large group, students could be given the practical procedure at the end of these notes (see page 3). It provides a basic outline and will need to be read by students before starting the practical with decisions and modifications made as appropriate. The procedure is for a simple experiment; more able students could complete a more complex experiment using serial dilutions, with several Daphnia used at each concentration. Note that high concentrations of caffeine can be fatal for Daphnia. The Daphnia hearts are fairly easily seen but counting the number of beats can be difficult. Counting is easier if each heartbeat is recorded by tapping a pencil on a piece of paper and counting up the pencil marks after the specified time. In addition, cooling the Daphnia before the experiment may help slow their heart rate. An ICam above the eye-piece of the microscope to project an image of the slide onto a large screen may also help with counting. Foster, in the Journal of Biological Education (1997) 31, pp. 53–255, provides a method using a stroboscope to freeze the motion. Use of the stroboscope may overcome the problems of counting faster heart rates. However, we would not recommend this method. Positioning the light sources and strobe is tricky. It is very difficult to freeze the motion and viewing with a strobe light can cause eye strain and dizziness. A simpler approach is to count the rate at which the legs beat. This rate is proportional to the rate at which the heart beats. A dissecting microscope with a light source under the stage works well for this experiment. To prevent the Daphnia from overheating while on the microscope turn off the microscope light between observations and use a heat sink – a cavity tile filled with iced water placed on the microscope under the slide. Using pond water/Daphnia culture solution is recommended for both the control group and to dissolve the caffeine as this may give more valid results and be less stressful to the Daphnia. In distilled water the heart rate may rise due to lack of oxygen. Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. 1 Teachers Guide. qxd 5/1/08 8:00 Page 2 Teacher/Lecturer A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? In the trial of the experiment caffeine was used at 0. 1% and 0. 5% w/v with no ill effect. At 1% the Daphnia stopped swimming after 5 minutes. It is suggested that a ‘blind’ study is done. This means that the person counting the heart rate is unaware as to whether th e Daphnia is in water with or without caffeine. It has been shown that observer expectations influence the result. It is difficult to get clear-cut results from this experiment and significant differences between treatments may not be found. The sets of results below indicate the sorts of results that can be expected. It should be impressed upon students that it does not matter if they do not get differences between treatments. Indeed, the experiment provides plenty of opportunity to evaluate critically the technique used and really focus attention on the experimental skills aspect of this activity. Experiment 1 Daphnia were cooled on ice before the experiment. Beakers containing Daphnia in pond water were put on ice for about half an hour. This had the effect of slowing the heart rate and thus facilitating counting. The temperature of the pond water in which the Daphnia were swimming fell to about 5 oC. A single Daphnia was placed in a beaker containing test solution for 5 minutes: either pond water or pond water + 0. 5% caffeine. After the 5 minutes, the Daphnia (in a few drops of test solution) was transferred to the slide for measurement of heart rate. Each individual was counted for 4 _ 30 seconds. A blind counting method was used. Overall means: Caffeine – 173 beats per minute Control – 172 beats per minute There were no immediately observable ill effects of caffeine at this concentration (0. 5% w/v). Experiment 2 READ: Translation lost from the Novel to the Movies EssayThe experiment was conducted at room temperature. A single Daphnia was transferred to the slide. A paper towel was used to remove the pond water from the slide. A few drops of test solution – either pond water or pond water + 0. 5% caffeine – were dripped onto the Daphnia. The clock was started immediately and the heart rate recorded for 15 seconds at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 minutes. An ICam was used to facilitate counting. The results from the two experiments do not show that caffeine increases heart rate in Daphnia. Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. Teachers Guide. qxd 25/1/08 8:00 Page 3 Teacher/Lecturer A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? Table 1 Results for Experiment 1 Treatment Heart rate/beats 30 s-1 Trial 1 Trial 2 85 84 86 91 87 70 101 75 98 91 Trial 3 81 78 86 93 90 73 74 98 85 Trial 4 88 82 84 99 90 74 85 100 94 Mean 85 82 85 93 88 70 91 81 97 90 Mean for individual Beats min-1 Caffeine Caffeine Caffeine Caffeine Caffeine Control Control Control Control Control 87 83 84 89 86 62 81 88 93 89 170 164 170 186 176 140 182 162 194 180 Table 1 Results for Experiment 1 Source: Hardie and Tranter (1983) Biology Practicals: Teacher’s Guide Number of heartbeats in 15 seconds Length of time in solution/minutes Treatment Caffeine Caffeine Caffeine Caffeine Mean Control Control 2 49 54 54 59 54 57 58 4 53 54 59 65 58 55 60 6 49 57 55 64 56 59 54 8 44 51 61 68 56 50 58 10 48 55 64 62 57 58 60 3 Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. Teachers Guide. qxd 25/1/08 8:00 Page 4 Technician A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? Purpose To investigate the effect of caffeine on the heart rate of Daphnia (water fleas). This is an activity that students may plan themselves. There is also a support sheet giving a suggested method. The list below gives the apparatus and approximate quantities needed for the suggested method. However, students may ask for things outside of this list. Requirements per student or group of students Culture of Daphnia Notes †¢ Daphnia may be killed by chlorine in tap water. Any tap water used should be left to stand for 24 hours first to let the chlorine dissipate. †¢ Allow at least nine Daphnia per student or pair. They should be unharmed by the activity, but may need too long to recover after the caffeine to use the same one for different concentrations in the same practical. They can be bought from an aquarist or Blades Biological Supplies. †¢ To catch them use a plastic pipette with the tip cut off to make it wider. Goldfish enjoy disposing of Daphnia. †¢ This will stop them getting mixed up with the ‘fresh’ ones. †¢ Students can wash and reuse the slides if needed. Container for ‘used’ Daphnia 6 cavity slides Approximately 5 (0. 5%) cm3 caffeine solution †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Dissolve 0. 5 g caffeine in 100 cm3 water. Instant coffee can be used. Make up the solution with culture water or distilled water. Students will need to dilute this to make weaker solutions. If time is limited it may be easier to provide made-up solutions of 0. 25%. (Consult with the teacher/lecturer – they may prefer to use more concentrations, e. g. 0. 1%, 0. 2%, 0. 3%, 0. 4% if time permits. ) Cotton wool †¢ Students will only need a small amount – about as much as is in a single cotton wool ball will supply the whole class. They put a few strands on the slide to stop the Daphnia moving. 3 dropping pipettes 5–10 cm3 distilled water or water from the Daphnia culture Test tubes/small beakers Small measuring cylinder or 5 cm3 syringe Approximately 100 pond water cm3 distilled or †¢ For adding to the Daphnia during the experiment. For students to collect or mix their caffeine solutions in. They will need more if they are doing more concentrations. †¢ For making dilutions of caffeine solution. †¢ For making dilutions of caffeine solution. Amount required will depend on the dilutions made Stopclock Paper towels or filter paper Micros cope Stroboscope †¢ For use at low power. Some centres find that it is useful, if available, to use a microscope-mounted video camera to show students the heart. †¢ If this is available, it can be used to get a more accurate measure of how fast the heart is beating, but is not recommended. Safety Important! Stroboscopes can trigger epileptic fits in some people. Anyone known to be susceptible should be warned. Background lighting should be retained and exposure times minimised. Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. 4 Teachers Guide. qxd 25/1/08 8:00 Page 5 Student A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? Purpose To investigate the effect of caffeine on the heart rate of Daphnia (water fleas). Safety READ: Virgil's Aeneid EssayIf a stroboscope is used to show the Daphnia’s heart rate and you know you suffer from photosensitive epilepsy tell your teacher and take appropriate precautions. Caffeine Plants produce caffeine as an insecticide. Cocoa in South America, coffee in Africa and tea in Asia have all been used for hundreds of years to produce ‘pick me up’ drinks containing caffeine. These days, caffeine is also used as a flavour enhancer in a wide range of cola and other soft drinks. In addition, it has medicinal uses in aspirin preparations, and is found in weight-loss drugs and as a stimulant in students’ exam-time favourites like Pro-plus and Red Bull. At high levels of consumption caffeine has been linked to restlessness, insomnia and anxiety, causing raised stress and blood pressure. This can lead to heart and circulation problems. Procedure Making a hypothesis What do you think will be the effect of caffeine on the heart rate of water fleas? Write down your ideas and support your prediction by presenting biological knowledge which supports the idea. You now have an idea (hypothesis) to test. Planning The beating heart of a water flea can be seen through its translucent body, by placing the flea in a few drops of water in a cavity slide. A cover slip helps stop the water evaporating. The following equipment will be available: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Culture of Daphnia (water fleas) Cavity slides Dropping pipettes Distilled water Caffeine tablets †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Cotton wool Standard glassware (beakers, measuring cylinders, etc. ) Stopclock Paper towels or filter paper Microscope Produce a detailed plan for an experiment that allows you to test your hypothesis about the effect of caffeine on the heart rate of water fleas. Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. 5 Teachers Guide. qxd 25/1/08 8:00 Page 6 Student A1. 21L CORE Activity 1. 21 Does caffeine affect heart rate? In your plan, make sure you include the following: †¢ Select suitable apparatus that will give you measurements which will validly test your hypothesis. Explain why the apparatus is suitable and how the results will let you test the hypothesis. Include a risk assessment, identifying any risks and explaining any safety precautions that need to be taken so as to reduce those risks. Comment on the ethical issues that arise from using living organisms in the experiment and explain how these will be taken into account in the practical method used. Identify the dependent and independent variables, and indicate how relevant variables will be controlled. Show how you will ensure that reliable and valid results are produced, and describe what you will do to ensure that measurements are precise, accurate and repeatable. Identify any potential errors in readings that can be systematic (values differing from the true value by the same amount) or random (values equally likely to lie above or below the true value). †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Edexcel practical materials created by Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology,  ©University of York Science Education Group. 6

Outline and discuss the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as means of Essay - 3

Outline and discuss the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) as means of valuing securities and their risk. What are the drawbacks - Essay Example Some other financial experts like Lintner and Mossini also explained and purified CAPM and its interpretation in later years (Gassen, and Sellhorn, 2006). Capital Asset Pricing Model Being a quantitative tool for computing the yield of a security, CAPM is used for pricing the financial asset through mathematical calculations (Fields and Vincent, 2001). There are three main components of CAPM model which are stated as follows: Rf = Risk-free rate Beta = Risk of individual security with respect to market Rm – Rf = Market Risk Premium Risk-free Rate Risk free rate is considered as the rate at which the investor does not face any risk yet he obtains a specified return. This risk-free return can be obtained by investing in government securities which are considered are risk free. However, the term risk-free is referred to only the risk related to default risk. Since governments are considered as the ones which are not supposed to face default risk, therefore, their securities are c onsidered as risk-free securities (Babu, 2012). Beta Beta is the factor which indicates the risk of a particular security associated with the overall market risk (Vishwanath, 2007). ... This is the risk which is beyond the control of an investor as well as the corporations whose securities are being traded in the capital market. This risk is called as the overall market risk such that the whole market is exposed to that risk and bears its consequences (Berk and DeMarzo, 2010). On the contrary, unsystematic risk is the risk related to a specific security such as downfall in the earnings, or slow growth, heavy fine etc. This is the risk which does not affect the market and can be eliminated through diversification by adding more securities in the portfolio. Market does not reward unsystematic risk of a particular because this risk can be eliminated through diversification. But it does reward the systematic risk as this risk is faced by every security simultaneously in the whole market (Watson and Head, 2009). In a more concise manner, beta is the measure of systematic risk of the individual security with respect to market risk. In other words, it tells how much volati le an individual security is with the market volatility. Beta of the overall market is 1. So if the beta of the individual security exceeds 1, it means that the security is having more risk as compared to market risk. On the contrary, if the beta is less than 1, it means that the security is having less volatility as compared to market risk. A risk taker invests in those securities which have a beta of greater than 1 whereas a risk averse investor tends to remain at a safe side and invest in those securities which have a beta lower than 1. Market Risk Premium Market risk premium is actually the difference between the overall market return and the risk free return (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2010). In other words, it is actually the excess return that market provides above the

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Paraphrasing - Essay Example In our home for instance supervision of children even on simple matters as just browsing the internet is very normal. I therefore have grown up appreciating the important role of parental guidance in our lives. This has become so entrenched in me that seeing fellow youth just doing their own things and making decisions without parental involvement for me seemed strange at some point. I for instance find extremely threatening in terms development and growth for children are allowed a lot of freedom to access and experiment with technology on their own. However, with and as I continue to mingle with people from different cultures and parts of the world I realise that things are different. Children from other cultures are left to surf the internet on their own devoid of any form of parental guidance. Critically looking at the issue I begin to change my biases because I find these children are left to learn on their own and control their own at an early age hence their development could even be faster. Interaction with other cultures is therefore a very important factor behind changes in our biases. Age is also important as well as the level of exposure one has to the outside

Christmas present Essay Example for Free

Christmas present Essay This passage shows that everyone around the table knows the goose is cheap but is all-thankful of how it looks. This here shows that they really make the best of what they have. Many different ways Victorian reality was different including infant mortality which Dickens talks about through Bob Cratchit son Tiny Tim, whose the smallest of the house at sits on Bob Cratchit arm. Tiny Tim hasnt got much and is crippled but he is still a blessing to the Cratchit family. He is warm-hearted and has innocence. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see. Tiny Tim hear is thinking about others and not himself, this goes to show he hasnt got much, and is a cripple but is still in the Christmas season. Which shows that Tiny Tim is very selfless. Through all of this experience Scrooge is silent all the way through and this shows the reader that he is very ashamed. This is confirmed when the Ghost of Christmas present says the words that Scrooge had said. Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief. The reader starts to realise that Scrooge is changing and feeling sorry for what he had said, and wishes he could take it all back. Scrooge is starting to truly find out the nature of the Christmas season. But he still hasnt fully got it yet; he has still got more to come. On the journey to other places, which were celebrating Christmas, Dickens uses a number of long sentences to build up tension and to describe places. And now, without a word of warning from the ghost, they stood upon a beak and desert moor, where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about, as though it were the burial-place of giants; and water spread itself where over it listed or would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze, and coarse, rank grass. Dickens uses a sentence structure where there are many sub co ordinate clauses first in the sentence before the main clause. This is used to build up tension and describe places they are the ghost and Scrooge are going to visit. Dickens gets Scrooge to go to these places because Scrooge needs to change his selfish ways, and by showing him how poor and rich people celebrate their Christmas and they are both alike. The next and last place Scrooge goes to is his nephew. His nephew is sympathetic to him but the rest arent so easily quick to accept his new ways. I am sorry for him; I couldnt be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims! Himself, always. Here he takes into his head to dislike us, and he wont come and dine with us. Scrooges nephew feels sorry for him being so selfish and tries to justify his selfish ways to the rest of the family. I have no patience with him, observed scrooges niece. Scrooges nieces sisters, and all the other ladies, expressed the same opinion. Apart from Scrooges nephew they havent got time for Scrooge and his selfish ways. By watching his own family he realises and finds out what people think about him, the truth about his behaviour. Then he realises that other people are very important to him. Family is important! A Merry Christmas and a Happy Year New Year to the old man, whatever he is! Even though Scrooge is selfish and has a solid cold heart, his family still love him and still wish him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. To conclude, by Scrooge hearing this, going from door to door, following all the ghosts back through his life helps him to change his selfish ways and antics. Which helps to live and good and prosperous lifestyle, and start to find out what the Christmas season is all about.

economy of power :: essays research papers

15 The economy of power ‘I would like to suggest another way to go further towards a new economy of power relations, a way which is more empirical, more directly related to our present situation, and which implies more relations between theory and practice. Michel Foucault, 1982 Beyond the repressive hypothesis: Power as power/knowledge Foucault never attempts any (impossible) definition of power. At best, he gives a definition of power relations in an essay published in 1982: ‘The exercise of power is not simply a relationship between partners, individual or collective; it is a way in which certain actions modify others. Which is to say, of course, that something called Power, with or without a capital letter, which is assumed to exist universally in a concentrated or diffused form, does not exist.’ Therefore, Foucauldian definition of power is drawn in opposition with the  « repressive hypothesis  » (Foucault, 1971) which holds that there is a transcendental reason which can be exercised independently of any power relationship. Precisely because it is transcendental, reason is then universally compelling. It can limit the political power field and has therefore a role in opposing domination (ie when political power goes beyond its rights). Foucault draws the genealogy of this hypothesis advocating two reasons for its appearance in history(Dreyfus and Rabinow, 1982:130). On a first hand, because of what he calls the  « speaker’s benefit  », the mere fact that, by advocating such a hypothesis, the speaker places himself out of power and within truth. However, this is not the main argument of Foucault as he must recognise that, not as an archaeologist but as a genealogist, he is himself in a field of power relations. On a second hand, because: ‘modern power is tolerable on the condition that it masks itself–which it has done very effectively. If truth is outside of and opposed to power, then the speaker’s benefit is merely an incidental plus. But if truth and 16 power are not external to each other, as Foucault will obviously maintain, then the speaker’s benefit and associated ploys are among the essential ways in which power operates. It masks itself by producing a discourse, seemingly opposed to it but really part of a larger deployment of modern power.’ An additional, more technical, reason should be added, which is that talking about a transcendental reason means falling again in the contradictions of modernity (see part 1). Therefore, Foucault prefers considering rationality as  « a kind of rationality  » and study how several kinds of rationalities could emerge in history (see part 2). However, considering the emergence of a kind of rationality presupposes that the field of possible knowledge is tightly

Praising Children

Praising Children Yaren D Obando Introduction to Psychology I Praising Children The field of behaviorism has always lacked agreement and will always be a debatable subject. Nonetheless, we find ourselves in the middle of one. Whether is bad or not to praise, or frequently use positive reinforcement in our children, and its consequences of doing so or not doing so is the issue at stake here. Both perspectives, both positions, and both sides have been well represented by the authors of each article.The fact that positive reinforcement indeed strengthens all behaviors wanted will never be proved wrong, but what I intent to do in this integrative analysis is to prove the fact that praising children, and the misuse of positive reinforcement could bring negative outcomes in them. I will do so starting with a detailed summary of each one of these articles that are being looked at, followed by a complete analysis of the evidence found in each of these arguments. Lastly a complex conclusion t hat will recap the main points argued in this paper, as well as how they tie in and support the final argument.Stop Saying â€Å"Good Job! † In this article, the author Kohn mainly emphasizes the importance of supporting and encouraging children and he shows us ways to do it without praising them or without using positive reinforcement. He goes on to explain with evidence, direct quote, or even with personal experiences why praising children is bad, and gives us five main reasons to support his argument. Kohn explains that we as adults that praising is a way of doing something to children to get them to comply with our wishes, and that we exploit children’s dependence for our own convenience.The author gives us the alternative to have a conversation with children that we have done or failed to do instead of praising, making children become more thoughtful people. Kohn also suggests that praise may increase kids’ dependence on us, and that the more we praise them the more they rely in our evaluations, our decisions about what’s good or bad, rather than using their own judgment which can affect their life as they grow older. He also argues that by praising kids e are indirectly telling them how to feel. Instead of letting them take delight in their own accomplishments, to feel pride in what they have learned how to do. Kohn compares the praising to a goody, and explain that children behave well just because they are trying to get the goody, and not for the fact that and acting might be good in itself alone. Praising increases pressure in children, to keep up the good work that has gotten them the goody so far. All of this gets in the way the actual kids perform.Finally, Kohn ends his arguments with some advice, and a solid conclusion stating the fact that encouraging our children is great, we just have to watch the way or the motives for which we do it, and that maybe positive reinforcement isn’t so positive after all. A Bad Jo b with â€Å"Good Job† (A Response to Kohn) In this second article the authors, write a clearly response that disagrees with Kohns’ argument and point out all of its weaknesses. They go on to refute in the same format every single idea that Kohn presents within his articles.Rather than purposely manipulating children for adults’ convenience, praise does nothing more than encourage social graces, fine motor skills or valuable skills chosen by them in their own children. The authors go on to argue that such alternative of having a conversation with children could serve to reinforce the behavior, cause misunderstanding in the effects of certain behaviors, and also to independently generate alternative behaviors. In short, making this offered intervention alternative of minimal applicability.The authors try to refuse by mentioning the massive evidence and research done to prove that Kohns’ idea of that the more we praise, the more the kids seem to need it, so we do it more is wrong. They go on to explain that too little positive reinforcement is the reason why we have poor self-esteem and poor adult outcomes, and not the fact that we frequently praise kids as Kohn suggested. On this idea, they don’t argue that children should take pleasure in their accomplishments, but the fact of how they should take pride in those.In fact, is positive reinforcement the primary key in which children learn to take pride in them, and how positive reinforcement it is promoting the importance of children engaging in self-evaluation. For the authors in this article the â€Å"goody† is positive child outcomes, and positive reinforcement has effectively met theses ends. Also that this reinforcement increases behaviors, not decrease as Kohn suggested. They rebute the idea that good job functions decreases the behaviors that are intended to increase, since positive reinforcement only strengthens behaviors wanted.Strain and Joseph conclude their re sponse by summarizing all of Kohns’ ideas, right away refuting all of their most important contrary ideas, and giving us food for thought. A Double Take Without a doubt, it had been more than clear that positive reinforcement will always increase a favorable behavior or outcome to be repeated in the future, this is to be true whether the reason, motive or case in which is used is right or wrong.Praise in this issue could be easily being compared to the food pellet used in The Skinner Box; subjects will always strive for the reward, no matter what’s at stake. Now let us not get distracted and really focused on the important issue, how does praise (positive reinforcement) affect children? Well, let’s look at the evidence provided. Kohn, gave us five main reasons why praising affects our kids in a negative way, on the other hand Strain and Joseph not just refuted this five reasons, but explained how it affects kids in a positive way. 1.Manipulating Children: Kohn t o prove his point within the first claim he makes, he quotes a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, which called this approach â€Å"sugar-coated control†, that get children to comply with adults’ wishes. Strain and Joseph, on the other hand use common reasoning to refute Kohns’ point, stating that of course it is wrong for adults to make children engage in: â€Å"developmentally inappropriate and nonfunctional behaviors†, but of course if used the right way it could encourage the repetition of positive behavior that in the long run will benefit kids.Also, Kohn mentions that it could maybe having a conversation with kids instead of praising could actually make them understand the point of doing an act. The opposition quickly replies by stating that such conversation could even cause confusion in children of young ages. 2. Creating Praise Junkies: It is not hard to understand the clear point Kohn makes in his second claim, by praising kids we make them dependent of us, and our own judgment. But he goes to extend and brings the words of a researcher at the University of Florida to support his claim.He suggested that students that are praised lavishly when answering a question right, were more tentative with their responses, or scared that they could be wrong and the teacher would disagree with them making them feel insecure. The weak rebuttal to this claim make by the opposing authors tries to incorporate nameless evidence and decades of research that prove Kohns’ point to be wrong, but do not go on to named them or explain them. They tried to argue the fact that indeed is the lack of praising that causes poor self-esteem and poor adult outcomes. . Stealing a Childs’ Pleasure: Kohn to prove his third point he incorporates a personal experience of his daughter which clearly is guided to the audience. He explained how she wants her daughter to instead of looking up to him for a verdict on an act to share her accom plished pleasure with him. Strain and Joseph, argue back again with nameless evidence the fact that positive reinforcement is the key in which kids learn to take pride in their own actions.Even with the lack of evidence from their part, we cannot ignore that kids will always need guidance at first which makes this is a very strong point. 4. Losing Interest: oh this claim both authors of both article have a very different idea on what the own claim presents; none of them bring outside sources our measurable evidence for us to take account. 5. Reducing Achievement: Praising does indeed create pressure; it’s like an image that one has to keep up with. Kohn and researchers as we mentions have found that praising creates pressure, and pressure gets in the way of getting things done.Strain and Joseph end this debate by stating once again that positive reinforcement only strengthens behaviors wanted. To conclude, as we can see both sides introduce great arguments to their part. And in fact, positive reinforcement increases a desirable behavior as Strain and Joseph have been arguing. But also in fact it could also have negative outcomes not just for children, but for any subject. The most important thing we get from this is the fact for which we use positive reinforcement, our motives and how we apply it in life, and specially our kids. Positive PraisingIn conclusion, after reviewing both arguments we can clearly state the fact that positive reinforcement truly encourages a desirable behavior. We can also clearly state the fact that practicing positive reinforcement (praising) in children, could be a good or a bad, on the same account it could bring positive outcomes or negative outcomes. Children are learning sponges, and as long as guide our kids appropriately there should be no worries. As long as we understand the reason we use praising, our motives, and how we use it in our children but for their own benefit, we all will live in a better world. .

Digestion and Important Functions

Anatomy &  Physiology Digestion is the process by which food is broken down into smaller pieces so that the  body can use them to build and  nourish cells and to provide energy. Digestion involves the mixing of food, its movement through the  digestive tract (also known as the alimentary canal), and  the chemical breakdown of larger molecules into  smaller molecules. Every  piece of food we eat has to  be broken down into smaller nutrients that the body can absorb, which is why it takes hours to fully digest food. The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract.This consists of a long  tube of  organs that runs from the mouth to the anus and includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, together with the liver  , gall  bladder  , and  pancreas, which  produce important secretions for digestion that drain into the small intestine. The digestive tract in an adult is about 30  feet long. Mouth and Salivary Glands Digestion – begins in  the mouth, where chemical and mechanical digestion occurs. Saliva or spit, produced  by the salivary glands (located under  the tongue and near the lower  Ã‚  jaw), is released into the mouth.Saliva begins to break down the food, moistening it and making it easier to  swallow. A digestive enzyme(called amylase) in the saliva begins to break  down the carbohydrates(starches and sugars). One of the most important functions of the mouth is  chewing. Chewing allows food to be mashed into a soft mass that is easier to swallow and digest later. Esophagus – Once food is swallowed, it enters the esophagus, a muscular tube that is about10 inches long. The esophagus is located between the throat and the stomach. Muscular  wavelike contractions known as peristalsis push the food down through  the esophagus to the stomach.A muscular ring (called the cardiac sphincter) at the end of the esophagus allows food to enter the stomach, and, then, it  sque ezes shut to prevent food and fluid from going back up the esophagus. Stomach – a J-shaped organt hat lies between the esophagus and the small intestine in the upper  abdomen. The stomach has 3 main functions: to  store the swallowed food and liquid; to mix up the food,  liquid, and digestive juices produced by the stomach; and to slowly empty its contents into the  small intestine. Small Intestine – Most digestion and absorption of food occurs in the small intestine.The small intestine is a narrow,  twisting tube that occupies most of  the lower abdomen between the stomach and the beginning of the large  intestine. It extends about 20 feet in length. The small intestine consists of 3 parts: the duodenum (the C-shaped part), the  jejunum  (the coiled midsection), and the ileum(the last section). The small  intestine has 2 important functions. First, the digestive process is completed here  by enzymes and other substances made by intestinal cells, the pancreas, and  the liver. Glands in the  intestine walls secrete enzymes that breakdown starches and sugars.The pancreas secretes enzymes into the  small intestine that help  breakdown carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The liver produces  bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps to make fat molecules (which otherwise arenot soluble in water) soluble, so they can be absorbed by  the body. Second, the small intestine absorbs the nutrients from the digestive process. The inner wall of the small lintestine is covered by millions of  tiny fingerlike projections called villi. The villi are covered with even tinier projections called microvilli.The  combination of villi and microvilli increase the surface area of  the small intestine greatly, allowing absorption of  nutrients to occur. Undigested material travels next  to the large intestine. Large intestine – forms an upside down U over  the coiled small intestine. It begins at the lower rig ht-hand side of the body and ends  on the lower left-hand side. The large intestine is about 5-6 feet long. It  has 3 parts: the cecum, the colon, and the rectum. The cecum is a  pouch at the beginning of the  large intestine. This area allows food to pass from the small intestine to the large intestine.The colon is where fluids and salts are absorbed and extends from the cecum to the rectum. The  last part of the large intestine is the rectum, which is where feces(waste material) is stored before leaving the body through the anus. The main  job of the large intestine is to  remove water and salts (electrolytes) from the undigested material and to form solid waste that can be excreted. Bacteria in the large intestine help to  break down the  undigested materials. The remaining contents of the  large intestine are moved toward the rectum, where feces are stored until they leave the body through the anus as a  bowel movement.

Macro and Micro Environment Essays

Macro and Micro Environment Essays Macro and Micro Environment Paper Macro and Micro Environment Paper Let us take a roughly look at the macro environment just to get the rough idea on the different between macro environment and micro environment. Macro environmental factors generally affect all firms by shaping opportunity and risk in the business-environment. Advancements in research and innovation, changes in political stability or cultural framework are macro factors often influencing long-term strategic management, or even the objectives of a firm. As for the example, Intel with its microchip has shaped management strategy of firms within several industries. Most strategic management modals incorporate an environmental analysis, which scans the existing macro influences and potential opportunities. A situation analysis evaluates environmental influences in relation to internal factors, to establish an individual firms limitations and competitiveness. Micro environment is less universal to some extent which the micro environment refers to factors affecting firms in a specific sector or industry. The Porters Five Forces modal is an industrial analysis used by firms to understand the micro environment. This strengthens management strategy against changes in micro factors, which can reverberate across the entire industry. There are plenty of micro environmental factors that might affect in todays business activities. It is an each made up of a self contained micromanagement that happened to stand alone but it interacts with the others in order to make the activities mingling with each other in the micro environment of the business. As for the example, the company itself, the employees, suppliers or even the parts providers which is the suppliers might be the three factors which have a direct effect on the business. The competitors and the customers are happened to be the internal environmental factors that keep business doors open for making money or maximize its profits which will have an impact that is not as direct but just as great because of its impact. Company All of the departments within an organization have the potential to positively or negatively impact and give influence on the outcome of the organization about the customer satisfaction. As a result, a marketing department have to work closely with the finance, purchasing, research and development and manufacturing departments together with among the others in order to identify the ways that each department can contribute to the provision of excellent customer value which will lead to greater customer satisfaction. Employees The employees apply an influence on the small businesss quality, operations and profitability through their daily activities. Most of the major quality and production models which including the Lean, Six Sigma and total quality management(TTS) have the framework to encourage the employee leadership over an ordinary management. An example of employee commitment and obligation is the self-directed employee task group. These groups will encourage their group members to learn more and perform to a higher standard and to participate in the mutinous improvement process. The members of these groups can be motivated and inspired by the external forces such as company incentive programs or internal forces such as the pride and satisfaction in work had done well. Supplier The companys suppliers are the entity that will provide the products or services which the company needs order to add value to the compass own products or services. Those parts or services must be delivered on time and must meet the companys specifications in order to ensure the level of quality. Fifties requirements are not been met, it is either the production of he company will fall off or the final output of the companys product will face the quality suffers. In some extreme cases, such as Toasts recall of cars which is built from 2009 to 2011 for a faulty accelerator. In this situation, the suppliers can cause Toyota the problems with the public perception of Toasts products or services. In that occasion, the rigorous Toyota Production System which is the Toasts version Of Henry Fords TTS program has been called into question and holds the responsibilities because Toyota had relied on a single supplier for accelerators which is used in its vehicles. Competitors The competitors will directly and indirectly affect the businesss profits by trying to take the business away from the company and it is just as the same where we try to take away their business. The competitors are a stimulus to a company and it is just the same as you the company to them. The competitors will affect the company s activities which will affect its profits, but if the company having to provide the better products for a lower cost and most probably faster than the companys competition, the company can easily compete with the competitors in ways they may not be able to match. Therein lays an advantage the company whereby it can be driven to provide a product that delivers more added values for the customers than the competitor. Publics (Customer) Publics or customer are groups that might have a significant impact on the marketing activities which is formulated to contribute to the customers satisfaction with a product and an organization. For example, a satisfied customer is a public that can contribute to a marketing program through the positive word of mouth. Consumer will advocates and represents as the watchdog groups are the examples of publics that may encumbered marketing activities through the active word of mouth which will directly give a negative impact towards an organization. About the company of PROTON In this particular discussion, we will look upon the company PROTON which is a national car provider company in Malaysia. PROTON full name is PERUSAL AUTOMOBILE NATIONAL BERTHA or PROTON was incorporated on 7th May 1 983 to manufacture, assemble and sell motor vehicles and related products including the accessories, spare parts and other components. PROTON had produced the Malaysias first car which is known as the Proton SAGA which was commercially launched on 9th of July 1985 by Malaysian Fourth Prime Minister which was Tuna Dry. Mathis Mohammad who conceived the idea of a Malaysian car. PROTON was publicly listed on the Koala Lump Stock Exchange (KEELS) in the year of 1992. During that period of time, its shareholders include Khans National Bertha, Petroleum National Bertha, Mediumistic Corporation, Mediumistic Motors Corporation, Employee Provident Fund Board and other local and foreign investors. Tuna Dry. Mathis had gained all the shareholders trust in order for them to invest in PROTON and at the same time will save PROTON from being a majority owned by the foreign investors. At the year of 2008, PROTON had put their focus more in the core areas of product, quality, cost efficiency and distribution network and it has been a focal point for PROTON to improve and revolutionize its brand name towards the local and global perceptions. PROTON aims is to have a strong product portfolio. The aims had been executed by PROTON in introducing the right car, for the right market, at the right price and at the right time. This was reflected in the organizations newly introduced PROTON Exert, PROTON Persona and PROTON Saga Models with the latest engine powered by the ewe Camphor FAIN engine. PROTON has also continued to update, make continuous improvement and refresh its existing product lines to entice and attract customers. There are plenty type of PROTONs car model. The PROTONs model products include the PROTON was, PROTON Austria, PROTON straight, PROTON war, PROTON Swear, PROTON Arena, PROTON Persona V, PROTON Jaguar, PROTON Persona and PROTON Exert. The ranges of engine capacity provided in PROTONs products are 1. 3, 1. 5, 1. 6, 1. 8 and 2. 0 litter engines will satisfy and fulfill a wide range of customers both locally and abroad. PROTON cars are also known internationally as very competitive and innovative automobiles. PROTON now is being exported to other 50 countries like Lignite Kingdom and other continental European markets. By this means, PROTON is realizing its goal of being an internationally successful Malaysian automobile manufacturer. Refer to the history, the first PROTON car was exported to foreign company in 1986. The number has increased steadily every now and then, and in the year of 1 998, Malaysia had exported a total of 1 8,422 units to countries and areas, including Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brunet Tarantulas, Chile, Cyprus, Egypt, Fiji, Germany, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Sir Lankan, Taiwan Province of China, Turkey, united Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. The models which had being exported during that period of time including Wire which is Sedan and Aerobic, Austria and Putter. The company PROTON In order to know better about the company in this micro environmental factor, we have to have the knowledge about the company itself. As for the company PROTON, PROTONs strength is lies in its competitively priced reduce. Its widespread nationwide distribution network helps the industry to move forward towards the advancement with the support from Malaysian government itself. The company also has the good the corporate governance practice and highly regarded by many of the Malaysian out of patriotism they feel for this country as PROTON is the national car maker and provider. Unfortunately, the apparent due to short history in car making definitely could not be an excuse for PROTON to come out with low quality products. This could cost for PROTON a very high as over the period of time which it eight jeopardize the PROTONs reputation. Poor product performance and functionality is something crucial for PROTON that cannot be allowed to happen and the quality of product produced always needs to be monitored and assured to the customers. Other than that, the operational cost and other expenses is always to be a challenging indicator to any industry and for the case of PROTON, it is more susceptible to increase the raw material cost such as the steel particularly. The demand for cars in any segment is always there for PROTON except for more trying times like during the economic crisis. There are always plenty of opportunities for PROTON to be a global player in the global market. Nobody ever say that cars should only be manufactured by a developed and contain a powerful technologies like Japan, Germany and other western countries even though these countries have the reputation of making good cars long time ago before PROTON existed in the market and it has bring Malaysia into the picture. Collaborations within big industry players could enable PROTON to do many things by revolutionize its products for improvement. Through research and development department, many more innovative products loud be invented and this could ensure that PROTON to be as a brand name to remain in the industry. The Employees of PROTON PROTONs Managing Director, Seed Zinnia Abiding, was once quoted saying that 60 percent of the defects made in PROTON cars were due to poor quality components from vendors, but he also admitted that the rest of the blame has a clear-cut on the firms workforce. Since then, the management of PROTON had urged the employees to focus on quality control which is very critical and a crucial factor to put PROTON to profitability and overseas exports. This is because the consumers always wanted the quality cars and hey have put extra efforts to wait for PROTON to improve its quality and the also have the high expectations on PROTON. According to Seed Zinnia Abiding again, he quoted that, Today, we want to focus on rebuilding the company. The focus is putting PROTON on a better footing, to improve quality, product and profit. We need to be prepared to compete globally. Therefore, in order to retain a competitive edge in term of skills-set and technical know-how in this industry, PROTON needs to ensure that their human capital and the workforce is to be continuously developed with the right training and tools. Consistent and relevant training is very crucial for the human capital of PROTON in order to ensure that their employees have the knowledge and tools to help drive PROTON forward and it will bring up the quality of the employees as well. The suppliers of PROTON As we all know, PROTON have to be careful in opening tenders for those suppliers in order to fulfill its requirement on the product specifications and all sort of things that could urge PROTON to produce the quality cars. If the management is serious in bringing the PROTON back to a profitable entity and building up its reputation to gain the heart of its customer, they should UN it like a proper corporation and not as a charity organization which means the incompetent of vendors and the vendors which were being overlooked, contributing hiccup and downturn of the PROTONs sales performances. This might affect the reputation of PROTON which they do not adhere to the standard of PROTONs requirement of specification s must be removed and replaced with the other suppliers or vendors. This is because the vendors will play as a big player for PROTON to improve its quality of product which could bring up its reputation to the public. In another word, if PROTON is trying to talk and campaigning about the zero- effect, then the zero tolerance towards the vendors who cannot deliver must come into the picture as a complimentary to the campaign or otherwise the entire exercise of campaign is going to be a pointless effort and public fund will continue to be wasted just by a simple lousy mismanagement on revaluing the vendors. PROTONs zero-defect campaign is aimed at removing a reputation for poor quality which has left it struggling to compete against foreign competitors. The Competitors of PROTON One of the threats is of course from the rivals twitchiest is the competitors in the local automotive industry. Perusal Tomtit Asked (Persona) which is the Malaysian second national car maker and provider had been set up after PROTON started to challenge PROTONs in the local market share In Malaysia. Persona actually did better in recent years and outperformed PROTON with their most well selling car model so far which is the Movie and they grab for more than 30% of overall market share. Above is the example photo of the PERSONA Movie which had been the most selling car in recent years and it had dominated the market in a quite high number of percentage. PARODIED keep on producing and improving its Movie del because they can easily tap the market as it is a hot item in the market.

Action Taking during Military Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Action Taking during Military Operations - Essay Example Young bloods enrolling in any country’s defense services are put through extensive physical and psychological training to toughen them up, so that the security of the nation is in tough hands. The various defense institutes try vigorously to transform these men and women into robots, but although physically almost transformed, psychologically they still are superior to robots, because they think and differentiate. A very important decision to be taken during any combat operation, is to decide whether to open fire or not and when to open? Mostly people in the commanding positions encounter this question as an integral part of their job. Prior to giving orders of firing to control hostile situations the commander as a human being faces and answers some moral questions to himself. This is the time when he considers some issues like Moral reasoning, Proper leadership, Personal ethics, Constitutional ethics, Moral virtues, Utilitarianism, Justice. In this paper the basic discussion is about as how do these issues govern the decision taken and its consequences? The Beslan school hostage crisis (also referred to as the Beslan school siege or Beslan massacre) began when a group of Islamic terrorists demanding an end to the Second Chechen War took more than 1,100 schoolchildren and adults hostage on September 1, 2004, at School Number One (SNO) in the town of Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania, an autonomous republic in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation. On the third day of the standoff, a series of explosions shook the school, followed by a fire which engulfed the building and a chaotic gun battle between the hostage-takers and Russian security forces. Ultimately, at least 334 hostages were killed, including 186 children. Hundreds more were wounded or missing in what was called "the worst terrorist attack since September 11, (Wikipedia). The handling of the siege by Vladimir Putin's administration was criticized by a number of observers and grassroots organizations, Criticism, including by Beslan residents (the survivors and the r elatives of the victims), centered on the allegations that the storming of the school was ruthless, citing the confirmed use of heavy weapons, such as RPO flamethrowers and tank guns. Human Rights activists say that at least 80 percent of the hostages were killed by indiscriminate Russian fire. The military of any country often face such incidents of hostile situations. While facing such situations the first and foremost question that comes to ones mind is: when to fire and when to not. "It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners". Albert Camus. This was rightly said by a great man. As civilized human beings we always have a tendency of avoiding unnecessary firing and unwanted bloodshed, but circumstances always compel man to do what he loathes. As a person in the commanding post of the military or a force, his chief objective while controlling any hostile situation is to curb the hostility with minimum violence, bloodshed and loss of life and property. Even though a commanding officer desires to establish control over the situation by non-violence, the hostility displayed by the counterpart invites violence. Now the most important decision is entrusted in the hands of the man giving orders, the question to be decided on is: "if fire is to be opened, what should be the deciding and compelling need to do so", and there should be enough reasons to support the decision and its cause alike. When a commanding officer gives order to fire or use any arms and ammunition to subdue a hostile

How economics influence a country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How economics influence a country - Essay Example Germany has a charming and promising standard of living. Germany has the best living standard in Europe. Characterized by a responsive authority, joint public, private partnership and the best service based economy; Germanys living standards are nothing short of perfect. The infrastructure is at its peak with elaborate means of transport. Germany has the best health policy in Europe and the mortgage industry is at its peak. As a result, Germany, emerges as one of the most beautiful and habitable places in Europe. The glory and splendor of Germany, however, has a tainted future. The economy heavily depends on its vibrant industries. These industries need a high input of human labor (office 164). The shrinking and aging Germany population is not in a position to handle most expansion and growth. The industries result in labor importation a very expensive undertaking which slices away a large proportion of the profits earned. In return, the feasibility to undertake any commercial activity is dark due to the high cost of labor. In the next 50 years, Germanys population will shrink by 20%. In all aspects, even if the economic growth rate maintains at a relative 115, the country will eventually lose out on the cost of production. Currently, the per capita income of Germany stands at $388 per head. Germany has the highest per capital rating in Europe. Increase in the cost of production ultimately leads to costly goods and services and the per capital income fall sharply. Currently, Germany offers a good work climate for potential workers. The balls are changing fast for the country as the south East economies pick on the development trend. Posing Germany against Malaysia, it is w orth noting that Malaysia is the very reverse of Germany. The Malaysian population is exploding and so is its workforce. Currently, Malaysia per capita income stands at $9000 per head (East Asia