Faith Community Nursing Spiritual and Health Assessment related to Research Paper

Faith Community Nursing Spiritual and Health Assessment related to Cancer within the Hispanic Faith Community - Research Paper Example faith healing infringe upon early cancer screening, prevention, and / or treatment, as well as how in presence of treatment, individuals still retain their belief in faith healing. The target community was an online community. The target community were 35 – 65 years old Spanish speaking Christian Hispanics. There were 4, 373 members of the blog: 2,500 females and 1,875 males (Graph 2). However, out of them, only 90 females (54% respondents) and 77 males (46% respondents) responded to the survey (Graphs 1 & 2). Respondents came from nineteen different countries: the U.S., Mexico, and several Central and South American countries (Appendix B). Moreover, 25 females and 33 males came from rural areas, and 65 females and 44 males came from urban areas. The survey was distributed on Facebook, where it was posted in a blog, and personal e-mails were sent as well. The survey was distributed under complete confidentiality and anonymity. The target group was highly religious – with a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. All respondents (90 females and 77 males) prayed on a daily basis, read the Bible each week and believed it to be the guide on how to behave, turned to Jesus Christ for everything they did, had a personal relationship to Jesus Christ and believed Jesus Christ would help them with all their problems (see Appendix C). Their sense of community is strong as they all stated they love praying in groups, and go to underprivileged and disrespected communities to preach the Gospel (see Appendix C). However, their health habits are at times inadequate. Participants were split into those with cancer and without. First the latter group will be discussed. Both genders were optimistic that Jesus would save them from cancer: 39 females and 29 males believed so (see Graph 6). As a result, 41 females and 31 males believed they cannot get cancer, and 58 females and 41 males had never been screened for cancer prior to this survey (see Graphs 5 & 4), out of 90

Information and Communications Technology Essay Example for Free

Information and Communications Technology Essay Executive Summary In the advance world of Information and Communications Technology, a lot of Information Systems has been developed to alleviate manual processes. These Information Systems comes in different projects. A good project depends on so many varying factors. The most important factor is having a very good Project Manager who is tasked to meet his members in order to plan the steps to be done in software development. He should be able to establish an open communication to his members so that ideas are free-flowing. The Project Manager is responsible for dividing the team, each with different task to do – that is to follow the systematic way in software project development- Project Life Cycle. Following the Project Life Cycle is another factor that can affect project success. If a member in a team does not possess a good working relationship and can hardly work in a group, chances are – the project is a total chaos. The members of the development team should share their knowledge and expertise in order to accomplish the best possible output and to deliver the project on the estimated data. A project also needs the attention of the owner. If the top management does not give 100% support to the project development team or does not support the computerization of many business processes, the company will not be able to accomplish its objectives. However, problems in software development can hardly be avoided. Problems occur anytime within the development of the project. The Project Manager as well as the members should anticipate problems and should be able to provide quick solutions so that the delivery of the project cannot be delayed. Project Development Introduction When a lot of work has been assigned, it is very tempting to stay late to get everything done before the next day. But according to a research, this is not a good practice because workers who have this kind of attitude are 61% more likely to suffer work-related injuries. (Reader’s Digest March 1996, 132) The above-mentioned attitude of an employee is of great help to the company because it just shows that they are dedicated to their job. In this way, projects assigned to these employees can easily be complied and can be submitted even before the deadline. Large companies should have these types of employees in order to deliver projects on time most especially in the field of Information Technology where all transactions happen in just a click. Because of the fast-paced advancement in the field of Information and Communications Technology, most; if not all; organizations nowadays want an Information System that can help them in their day-to-day business operations. This Information System is built to alleviate the burden that manual procedures bring. This also makes the organization be abreast with the latest technology and not be left behind by their competitors. In selecting a company that can answer the needs of big organization in terms of developing good software, the company needs to look for developmental organizations which can deliver projects on time and be able to complete the requirements being specified. Software Life Cycle Activities In order for companies to deliver projects on time, the software development group has to follow the Software Life Cycle. A project intended for large organizations should be broken down into smaller chunks to give enough attention to each of the smaller modules. In this way, the members of the group can focus on each phase and deal with problems, which arise while the realizing of each phase takes place, more systematically. The Software Life Cycle divides a large-scope project into the following six phases: Analysis and specification of the task (Savitch 1993, 115) Design of the software (Savitch 1993, 115) Implementation (coding) (Savitch 1993, 115) Testing (Savitch 1993, 115) Maintenance and evolution of the system (Savitch 1993, 115) Obsolescence (Savitch 1993, 115) The CHAOS study divided the project into three (3) types: Project Success – the project is completed successfully incorporating all the specified features, Project Challenged – the project is completed but with less features and delivered late and Project Impaired- the project is cancelled during the development cycle. The group conducted a survey and they found out that there are factors affecting each of the three types of project. Taking into consideration the Project Success category, it was found out that User Involvement has the highest percentage in terms of accomplishing the project.   User involvement got 15.9% among all other factors. While the factor that really deterred a project success is Hardworking Staff. (Standish,1995) Based on the facts presented, one of the major factors why an organization/project succeeds is due to hardworking staffs. If only a certain company hires employees who can work under pressure and requires less supervision, surely the management can deliver to its customers the desired project even before the deadline. Project Challenged Factors are Lack of User Input (12.8%), Incomplete Requirements Specifications (12.3%), Changing Requirements Specifications (11.8%), Lack of Executive Support  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (7.5%), Technology Incompetence (7.0%), Lack of Resources (6.4%), Unrealistic Expectations (5.9%), Unclear Objectives (5.3%), Unrealistic Time Frames (4.3%), New Technology (3.7%)   and Other factors (23.0%). (Standish,1995) The data above shows that the major factor that contests a project is lack of user input. User involvement greatly helps a project’s success since users are the direct beneficiaries of the project. They can also contribute to the features that will be incorporated into the system. Developing a user-friendly application may be one criteria of a project success. A user-friendly application is needed so that the company need not conduct a month or two training just to teach the users on how to navigate through the system. A project can be anything an organization wants to accomplish to deliver to its customers. It should have definite goals and objectives. A good Project Management involves a proper organization, management, planning, supervising and controlling to bring out a successful project. One major challenges of a good project management is the accomplishment of its goals and objectives while adhering to the project’s scope, time and budget. Objectives of the project must be specific, measurable, realistic, and relevant to the environment and is time bounded. (Free Management Library, 1997-2008) The figure shows the procedures to be best followed by the management in developing a successful project. Figure 1.0: Project Life Cycle (Foote Crum, 2000) In addition, the following are the key aspects of a Project Life Cycle: Setting goals and estimating costs (Foote Crum, 2000) Before starting any project, a clear specification of the goals and objectives should be set so that the management has a clear guide as where the project is going. Costs should also be estimated for the management to prepare enough funds in the development of the project. The functional requirements study (Foote Crum, 2000) Functional requirements should be clearly specified so that the management can focus on these requirements and can research ways and means on how to meet these. But before finalizing the requirements of the project, the management has to conduct a feasibility on what are to be included and what are not and on what are best needed by the their clients. The creation of a prototype (Foote Crum, 2000) A prototype or an archetype should be first developed to see if the project is feasible or not. Prototypes serve as a sample output when the system will be completed. Presenting this one will give the management an idea of how the system will work and what benefits can it give to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order for an organization to accomplish and deliver projects on time, they have to have a good set of workers who are willing to be trained to further enhance learning. Moreover, the following are the steps to a successful project: Scope out a detailed plan (Alexandrou, 2006) Watch out for bad RFPs bid (Alexandrou, 2006) Plan ahead (Alexandrou, 2006) Find the bottleneck (Alexandrou, 2006) Do not cut corners on testing (Alexandrou, 2006) Develop a backup system (Alexandrou, 2006) Prepare other contingency plans (Alexandrou, 2006) Train, train, train and train some more (Alexandrou, 2006) Be honest (Alexandrou, 2006) Triage fixes (Alexandrou, 2006) Additionally, other suggested steps that a company may carry to deliver good IT projects to its clients are listed below: Discover (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Dreams (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Desire (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Decision (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Destination (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Direction (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Daily action (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Discipline (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Determination (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Delight (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008) Destiny (JamesDeanWaryk, 1999-2008)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The above-mentioned steps can best be applied to an organization which has a good project manager that possesses the needed knowledge to perform all tasks and responsibilities assigned to him. A good leadership skill is also needed to inspire and garner respect from its team members and also from the top management. An outstanding project manager always conveys ideas in an articulate manner that resounds with the targeted audience and therefore should have a good communication skill. (Wu, 2005) On the other hand, there are also factors that greatly affects why a project fails. These IT projects fail because when the management does not able to deliver the project on time, it is over budget and the system does not work as required. The following are the reasons why an IT Project fails: (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) Lack of user involvement (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) A very important factor since the Information System is mainly built for users/customers. So, this Information System should be able to satisfy what users want and need. Long or unrealistic time scales (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) If the group assigned to develop the Information System specifies unrealistic deadlines surely the system is a failure. Before setting deadlines, the group must consider the features incorporated in the system. Poor or no requirements (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) Specifying the system’s requirements is an important aspect in project development but if the management fails to do so, the project is of no good. Scope creep (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) The scope and limitation of the project should be clearly defined. No change control system (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) There should be proper control over the system. Poor testing (Coley Consulting, 2001-2007) This happens when testing measures are not clearly established.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, projects fail due to stakeholder conflicts. Stakeholder conflicts can take part in many different roles in project failure. Frequently, stakeholders have personal reasons/conflicts for not being able to work as a team.   Ã‚  (Rosenfield, No year)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, the following are various reasons why projects are not delivered on the schedule specified: Lack of senior management commitment (Wilson, 1998) When the top management does not give its 100% support to the project being developed, the project will not meet the deadline and eventually fails. Lack of user involvement (Wilson, 1998) As mentioned above, users should be involved in the development of the project because they should be the ones whom the management asked for the specifications the project should have. Lack of user requirements specifications (Wilson, 1998) User requirements specifications should be done during the planning stage to carefully analyze the features that are to be included in the system. Poor project planning (Wilson, 1998) Planning is the most critical step in software project development life cycle. The success of the project depends on the effort, skill and care applied in the planning stage. (Blair, No year) Project team problems (Wilson, 1998) Problems among members of the development team greatly affect their performance. This can lead to not being able to meet the requirements of the project, thus, not beating the deadline. To avoid these, the team leader must be able to control and supervise his members so that conflicts will not be experienced among themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In today’s modern world, to deliver projects on time and making it sure that these projects meet the customers’ requirements and features, the management must hire workers who are good team players. A person who cannot work in a team will not be able accomplish any tasks given as a group. Good camaraderie should be as well fostered among team members so that a healthy environment is established and everybody can work freely. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Any organization, may it big or small, always aim for success in their field. With the aid of the current trends in Information Technology, so many applications can now be applied. One of these is the utilization of an Information System. The development of an Information System should follow the systematic way so that a very good outcome results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project Life Cycle has indeed plays a very important role in the development of an Information System. The different steps in the cycle, if being carried out properly, results to a project delivered even before the delivery date schedule. The success of any project also lies in the knowledge and expertise of the team leader in the software development team. The team leader, having possessed all the expertise in the field of software development and very good managerial skills, can really motivate his members to work hard for the success of the project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The project delivered by the software development team is the Information System being utilized by large-scale organizations. This Information System has helped all transactions in various aspects of the organization in so many different ways. Information System, if being delivered on time, brings a lot of positive results to the management side. This can boost up the company’s morale, thus, making the company more competitive in the world market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project Management is a very crucial task of a manager. Thus, having been equipped with the knowledge and expertise, the company can gain competitive advantage in the business field. Bibliography No Author. Reader’s Digest March 1996. Toil Smarter, Not Longer: 132. Savitch, Walter J. 1993. Turbo Pascal. Redwood City, CA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc. The Standish Group. 1995. The Standish Group Report: CHAOS. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:ueLBNWtVA7MJ:www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NCP08083B.pdf+chaos+standish+group+1995hl=tlct=clnkcd=2gl=ph (Accessed 23March2008). Free Management Library. 1997-2008. http://www.managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Foote, Kenneth E., Crum, Shannon L. 2000. Project Planning and Life Cycle. http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/lifecycle/lifecycl_f.html (Accessed 24March2008) Alexandrou, Marios. 2006. Information Technology Blog: 10 Steps to a Successful Project. http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/blog/?p=162 (Accessed 24March2008) JamesDeanWaryk. 1999-2008. How to 12 Steps to a Successful Project, Company or Life. http://www.ehow.com/how_2062188_steps-successful-project-company-life.html (Accessed 24March2008) Wu, Jonathan. 2005. Characteristics of an Outstanding Business Intelligence Project Manager. http://www.dmreview.com/issues/20050501/1026063-1.html (Accessed 24March2008) Coley Consulting. 2001-2007. Project Failure-The six key reasons why projects fail. http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/failure.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Rosenfield, Eric. No year. Why do projects fail? http://www.adaptivepartners.com/projfailb.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Wilson, Sheila. 1998. Failed IT Projects. http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~meinkej/inss690/wilson.htm (Accessed 24March2008) Blair, Gerard M. No year. Project Planning. http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html?http://oldeee.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/Management/art8.html (Accessed 24March2008)

Drama Performed to Others :: Drama

Drama Performed to Others Our drama group was given the task of introducing a year nine class to the play 'Macbeth'. Apart from the obvious, there were five themes in the play that the group as a whole thought needed exploring: insanity; good versus bad; the supernatural; guilty conscience; and murder. We looked into each of these topics individually and decided on how we could include them in our final performance, in each lesson we learned more and more about both 'Macbeth' and the skills needed to teach a younger year group the basics of the play. We decided that the first thing that needed to be learned was the creation of atmosphere on stage. We did this by lowering the lights, putting just a candle in the centre of the room, and playing the sound effect of rain and howling gales. We each had to find one word that summed up the 'feeling' in the room. The key words that came up were remembered throughout our development of the piece of drama and we tried to capture these feelings on stage. Keeping in role and developing a convincing character was essential for the task and I learned this over the period of time building up to our final performance. We had decided to show five still-images to the year nines and, along with a narration, tell the story as an introduction. In groups we picked out the five points that seemed most significant: the meeting of the witches on the heath; the 'persuasion' scene (between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth); the banquet scene; the second witches scene (the premonitions); and the scene where Macduff finally kills Macbeth. In these groups we performed the still-images and showed what each character was thinking through thought-tracking, which added depth to the image. In pairs we performed our own versions of 'the persuasion scene', with one playing Macbeth and one playing Lady Macbeth. Through manipulation, Lady Macbeth always beats Macbeth one way or another, and we learned to create the right mood on stage, this improvisational work helped develop characterisation. After discussing the scene we were to study (the 'banquet scene' [Act Three, Scene Four]) and read through the original script, we began improvisation of a modern-day remake of the scene. Our class decided to work in just one group and we were sure we wanted to bring the scene to a modern-day setting so we could come up with our own interpretation. As a group we had to decide on who the Macbeth of the 21st century would be, and came up with plenty of suggestions. The one we finally decided on was a night-club owner, the night-club

High Altitude Living Low Altitude Training Essay

Altitude training describes training practice by athlete’s training in oxygen deprived conditions for several weeks to increase their performance endurance. Often, there are altitudes training camps strategically designed for this objective (Geiser, Vogt, Billeter, Zuleger, Belforti & Hoppeler, 2001). Altitude training further entails simulated or natural altitude conditions in the training course often as a precursor to a major competition event. The conditions are maintained while the training athlete is in the training process, during exercises and while at rest. Despite this, altitude training strategy exposes the athlete to hypoxia, low oxygen pressure, thereby resulting to hypoxemia, tissue oxygenation and lower blood. The history of living high altitude and training low altitude traces to 2400m altitude Mexico’s 1968 Olympic Games. During the event, enduring athletes such as in the 10,000 and 3,000 m marathons could not set new records and their performance declined whiles the sprinter athletes succeeded (Rusko, LeppÃÆ' ¤vuori, MÃÆ' ¤kelÃÆ' ¤, & LeppÃÆ' ¤luoto, 2010). Altitude hypoxia condition explained this. It was known to decimate human being’s aerobic performance. Consequently, coaches, athletes and sports consultants adopted altitude training camps to acclimatize competition. Implementing altitude training was observed also to †¦ altitudes. Experts argued that, in endurance performance, the volume of total red blood cells was paramount. This was confirmed by experimental tests involving manipulation of human blood (Stray-Gundersen, Chapman, & Levine, 2012). Therefore, the higher the volume of an athlete’s red blood cells, the faster the performance of an athlete probably is during the triathlon. However, it is commonly observed that altitude training has improved the performance and endurance of multiple athletes but still others do not. So, how comes altitude training does not induce the consistency in positive results? Scientific empirical evidences suggest astronomical variant individual adaptive responses to this training concept. In addition, altitude tolerance exposure determinants are also poorly understood (Tiollier, Schmitt, Burnat, Fouillot, Robach, Filaire, et al., 2005). Moreover, hypoxia condition training at a practical level as the training intensity management is a principal problem. Under such conditions, maximal exercise capacity of an athlete reduces drastically. High living and low training concept arose to improve on the defects of altitude training. It involves sleeping or living at high altitude thereby stimulating increase in volume of red blood cells while training at sea level to conserve an athlete’s training intensity. This helps to overcome multiple training related problems while posting consistent adaptations. Besides, living high and training low at low altitude triggered renal hormone erythropoietin (EPO) secretion (Wilber, 2013). In turn, the hormone stimulates the synthesis of red blood cells provided there is sufficient ‘altitude dose.’ Therefore, the high altitude living low altitude training rationale in sporting events was founded on a combination of altitude and rigorous practice to boost the volume of red blood cells. In so doing, there was a boost in an athlete’s endurance performance. Based on this finding, several hypoxic facilities across the worldwide have been established by various sports federations over the years. In addition, numerous amateur, elite and professional athletes across the world training in low altitudes prior to major events have been observed to set new fetes (Wilber, 2013). This confirms the high altitude living and low altitude training hypothesis. Despite this, numerous accurately controlled scientific researches do not exhibit systematic assertive results of the hypothesis on athlete’s endurance performance. Despite the anecdotes, altitude training results over the years produced majority positive performance results among athletes. Assertive endurance results by elite athletes who posted world-class records over the years present a strong case to adapt classical altitude training. References Geiser, J., Vogt, M., Billeter, R., Zuleger, C., Belforti, F., & Hoppeler, H. (2001). Training High – Living Low: Changes of Aerobic Performance and Muscle Structure with Training at Simulated Altitude. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 22(8), 579-585. Rusko, H. K., LeppÃÆ' ¤vuori, A., MÃÆ' ¤kelÃÆ' ¤, P., & LeppÃÆ' ¤luoto, J. (2010). Living High, Training Low; A New Approach To Altitude Training At Sea Level In Athletes. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 27(Supplement), S6. Stray-Gundersen, J., Chapman, R. F., & Levine, B. D. (2012). â€Å"Living High – Training Low† Altitude Training Improves Sea Level Performance In Male And Female Elite Runners. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, 12(1), 60-61. Tiollier, E., Schmitt, L., Burnat, P., Fouillot, J., Robach, P., Filaire, E., et al. (2005). Living highà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"training low altitude training: effects on mucosal immunity. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 94(3), 298-304. Wilber, R. L. (2013). Pro: Live High+Train Low Does Improve Sea Level Performance Beyond that Achieved with the Equivalent Living and Training at Sea Level. High Altitude Medicine & Biology, 14(4), 325-327. Source document

E-Culture: Ethical Issiues

Topic: E-Culture:Ethical Issiues Electronic technology is changing our life-style to a great extent. Advancement in the fields of information and communication technology (ICT) and electronics has resulted in the emergence e-commerce, e-business, e-banking, e-mails, e-organizations, e-governance, e-journals, e-books, e-medicine, internet, web-shopping, etc, which have set in a trend for e-culture. Electronic culture is enveloping the entire world, it is a global phenomenon.It is the ICT-availability and Internet access that provides opportunities for production of e-culture. e-Culutre: involves preserving and presenting cultural heritage in line with the challenges of the future; exhibiting valuable cultural assets clearly and informatively using state-of-the-art technology . However, the rapid development of ICT globally also has led to the growth of different ethical issues and made life enormously complex.These issues have virtually no boundaries and may affect any country across the globe. â€Å"Ethics are moral standards that help guide behaviour, actions, and choices. Ethics are grounded in the notion of responsibility (as free moral agents, individuals, organizations, and societies are responsible for the actions that they take) and accountability (individuals, organizations, and society should be held accountable to others for the consequences of their actions)†.ICT ethics are not exceptional from the above-mentioned view of ethics. According to some estimates, three quarter of the present generation of people in the countries saturated with computers will be spending 80 per cent of their free time in the cyberspace, therefore it is important to review the ethical issues because it threatens social environment of societies.Globalization and digital convergence in the emerging knowledge society has raised complex ethical issues in relation to the freedom of expression, access to information, right to privacy, intellectual and property rights. The concept is electronic commerce is the use of internet and the web to do businesses. ‘Commercial transactions involve the exchange of value across organizational or individual boundaries in return for products and services’.The internet and it use of e-com have raised several ethical issues about protection of customer and companies. One of the main issues for e-com is intellectual property which includes copyrights and software piracy. The explosion of interest in the internet, with growing numbers of people obtaining access to it has also increased the potential in ethical issue like breeching privacy and security. Purpose of this report is to address the several ethical issue faced by eCulture in terms of e-commerce and its impact on e-commerce .

Bigger, Better, Faster (, Foundations Of Paradise Essays

Bigger, Better, Faster (, Foundations Of Paradise Essays Bigger, Better, Faster (, Foundations Of Paradise By Arthur C. Clarke) Man has always longed to build things, and as time goes on, man feels the need to outdo all previous achievements. Arthur C. Clarke's novel, Foundations of Paradise is a good example of this human characteristic. Vannevar Morgan is an engineer living in the twenty second century, and is known by his peers to be one of the greatest engineers in the world. The creation that gave Morgan this title was the Gibraltar Bridge, connecting Europe to Africa. This bridge is situated five kilometers above the water of the Mediterranean Sea. Dr. Morgan has in his head yet another idea that will become his final and greatest mark on the world. A new substance has been developed through years of research. It is a microcrystaline fiber that is extraordinarily strong and ten times narrower than a human hair. Morgan's idea is to use this material to build an elevator to hoist things into orbit of the Earth. This way, no rockets will be needed to blast things into orbit. Much money will be saved, along with a dramatic decrease in pollution. Morgan knows many people who have faith in his plan, including the World Bank, although many doubt the feasibility of his ideas. I can relate to this because I tend to dream big also. Many of my ideas are very grandiose and many times, I have a hard time explaining them to other people. I have found though, like Vannevar Morgan, if I keep one of my ideas in my mind for long enough and think it out, it has a good chance of coming true. It seems like the number of difficulties encountered when an idea is put into place is directly relative to the outcome of the completed idea. A simple idea with little benefit will typically not encounter many problems in production. A grandiose idea with earth-shaking benefits, on the other hand, will have many obstacles to overcome before completion. This rule applies very heavily to the space elevator concept. It turns out that the place on which the elevator is to be built is occupied by xenophobic monks. After a few twists of fate that hardly be called luck, the monks leave their home and construction of the tower is started. The problems aren't over yet, though. The tower is built, but not without causalities, the last of which is Dr. Morgan himself. After the tower is completed, it becomes one of the most important structures on Earth. This is not unlike many construction ventures that have been completed in the past. The construction of the Hoover Dam had a human cost in the dozens of lives, and the average north-Atlantic fisherman works in the business for only four years before he is killed or forced to quit due to family or physical problems brought on by the work. Another part of the book that deals with human ingenuity takes place 2000 years before the main story, but in the same general locale. A king, so afraid of his own mortality, creates his own heaven on earth. Although the technology is not as advanced in this era, the garden paradise and the palace in the sky serve the same purpose as the space elevator. This shows that throughout history, man has endeavored to be master of all he surveys. Another example of man's need to outdo himself can be seen in sporting events. Every athlete longs to hold a world record, and many go to great troubles to do just that. Personally, I enjoy swimming. I am on the high school team and have went to the State level meet every year since I was a freshman. As a team, we shave our heads and legs in hopes to eliminate that extra one or two tenths of a second needed to place better. This is a good example of the great lengths that man will go to outdo himself. All in all, Foundations of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke has opened my eyes to the fact that Even as technology advances, the reason for it stays the same. I hope that I can live to dream big and leave my mark upon

The Horrors of War essays

The Horrors of War essays Millions dead, tens of millions injured, for what? For a petty argument between two countries. War is devastating to countries and most indefinitely individuals. Men can be left disturbed mentally, physically, and socially for the rest of their lives. Is this necessary? Well maybe you should decide after reading the next few paragraphs. You can decide if the war being fought is a war of dignity and glory as everyone would make it out to be or if it was a battle of death and gore. You maybe surprised Well it would be glorious to be wounded and or die for your country right? Well maybe if you were the one seeing everything from the outside looking in. If you were a soldier your outlook on war may be a little different. The physical ailments of the young men are terrible. Some even consider it lucky if you die. For example, Remarque made it very clear that he was aware of the pains men were forced to endure when he put Paul and Albert Kropp in the hospital. Paul was going on leave and asked Albert if there was anything that he could get for him and Kropp said, "A gun." Paul showed his disapproval of this idea and Albert said something to the degree of I would rather die then live without a leg. Another example was when Kat was wounded by the bomb that went off while he was delivering supplies to the men on the front. Kat could not even walk. Then while Paul was taking him back to the First Aid center the man said, "He's stone dead." Paul was so oblivious to what was going on that he simply replied, "No, he's just fainted." When he looked at his hand and found a bullet wound in the back of Kat's head he was so stunned that he could not even think or see straight. In the real world people would leave their homes cheerful young men and return tattered worn cripples. Men would return with missing appendages. Some would return without legs. Others would ...

Spatial Order in Composition

Spatial Order in Composition In composition, spatial order is a method of organization in which details are presented as they are (or were) located in space - such as, from left to right or from top to bottom. Also known as  order of place or space structure, spatial order describes things as they appear when observed - in  descriptions of places and objects, spatial order determines the perspective from which readers observe the details. David S. Hogsette points out in Writing That Makes Sense that technical writers may use spatial order  to explain how a mechanism works; architects use spatial order to describe a building design; [and]  food critics reviewing a new restaurant use spatial order to describe and evaluate the dining area. As opposed to chronological order  or other organizational methods for data, spatial order ignores time and focuses primarily on location, as seen in David Sedaris description of a Nudist Trailer Park or in this comparison essay by Sarah Vowell. Transitions for Spatial Order A spatial order comes with a set of transitive  words and phrases that help writers and speakers distinguish between parts of the spatial ordering of a paragraph or argument, of which include above, alongside, behind, beneath, beyond down, farther along, in back, in front, near or nearby, on top of, to the left or right of, under and up. Like the words first, next and finally function in a chronological organization, these spatial transitions help guide a reader spatially through a paragraph, especially those used for descriptions of scene and setting in prose and poetry.   For instance, one might start with describing a field as a whole but then focus in on individual details as they relate to one another in the setting. The well is next to the apple tree, which is behind the barn. Further down the field is a stream, beyond which lies another lush meadow with three cows grazing near a perimeter fence. Appropriate Use of Spatial Order The best place to use spatial organization is in descriptions of scene and setting, but it can also be utilized when giving instructions or directions. In any case, the logical progression of one thing as it relates to another in a scene or setting provides an advantage to using this type of organization when writing about a setting. However, this also provides the disadvantage of making all items described within a scene carry the same intrinsic weight to their importance. By using a spatial order to organize a description, it becomes hard for the writer to ascribe more importance to say the dilapidated  farmhouse in a full detailing of a farm scene. As a result, using spatial order to organize all descriptions is not advised. Sometimes it is important for the writer to only point out the most important details of a scene or setting, giving emphasis to things like the bullet hole in a glass window on the front of a house instead of describing every detail of the scene in order to convey the idea that the home is not in a safe neighborhood. Writers should, therefore, determine the intention of describing a scene or occurrence before deciding which organization method to use when presenting the piece. Although the use of spatial order is quite common with scene descriptions, sometimes chronological or even just stream-of-consciousness is a better method of organization to convey a certain point.

Strategic Planning for Digital Marketing CommunicationsSummative Essay - 1

Strategic Planning for Digital Marketing CommunicationsSummative Assessment - Essay Example Moreover, the UK economy has also witnessed the presence of too many small, medium, and large food and drinks setups in last few years. This is mainly because of the fact that an average UK resident spends 11.3% of his income on food and drinks. There is no doubt that hotels and restaurants have been benefitted by the tourists and locals making way for the success but this has also resulted in the severe competition. Moreover, with 40% of the service tax on the total amount charged by the restaurants and hotels; there is a bit of burden on them in order to be competitive along with being ahead in the value creation process to strengthen the economy (Pesto, 2013). Business Challenges- Customer’s Point of View In last two years, an average UK customer has been spending more than 12% of his income on foods and drinks showing the interest level. However, with unemployment at an alarming high and reduction in the disposable income of people mainly because of the economic and busine ss situations; the overall spending of customers might plummet and thus causing concern for the restaurants and hotel (Pesto, 2013). Furthermore, hotels and restaurants have to pay service tax that is 40% of the total amount charged and in order pay service tax along with being profitable, it become important to concentrate on economies of scale. From customers’ point of view, it can be assumed that there are moderate concerns that may not affect the overall spending on food and drinks for a long period of time. Industry Challenges- Market Competition The hotel and restaurant industry has been affected by the rising inflation, low disposable income of consumers, and service tax structure. Moreover, there are a number of restaurants and hotels offering similar food items. Rollers Cafe is not the only cafe offering delicious Swiss rolls with an in-house open kitchen sharing the recipe with consumers. The chocolate cafe and Hames chocolate cafe are also offering different variet ies of chocolates to consumers. Thus, it can he assumed that the competition is quite high as consumers like to eat things that are different in taste and presentation. In order to attract customers, it is important to offer food items at an affordable and attractive price and in the case of Rollers, prices of food items start from ?2 and can be considered as quite impressive. The competition in the food industry can be mitigated by offering quality products and in the case of Rollers, it can be said that with utmost transparency and customer oriented approach; it has been successful to create a place for chocolate lovers. However, it may face challenges in coming years if lacking differentiation strategies (Kotler and Philip, 2012). Industry Challenges- Customer Perception There is no doubt that chocolates are loved by many and customers tend to buy chocolates for no reasons. At the same time, customers buy chocolates for gifting and other purposes (Adcock, et al, 2001). The percep tion of customers regarding chocolates is very hard to analyse and assess considering the fact that different customers have different preferences. Chocolates are considered as a source of delight and customers do not compromise with the quality. However, when chocolates are presented in a different manner and forms; they are preferred and liked by many (Lotz, 2007). Thus, it becomes important to switch to a product differentiation s

Medieval Islamic Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Medieval Islamic Philosophy - Essay Example that had been transmitted from Greece into these countries. In, 323-43 BC Greek classical philosophies experienced a drastic change. From being a fundamentally Greek product, it developed into an international and eclectic cultural movement in which Greek, Egyptian, Phoenician and other Near Eastern religious and ethical elements came together. This change is best represented by the role Alexandria played as the centre of varied streams of notions making up the new philosophy. At the same time as the Abbasid Caliphate was set up in Baghdad in 750 AD, the centre of learning progressively moved to the Abbasid capital, which became later the heir of Athens and Alexandria as the new cultural city of the medieval world. Nearly two centuries later Cordoba, capital of Muslim Spain, began to contend with Baghdad as the centre of 'ancient learning'. From Cordoba, Greek-Arabic philosophy and science were spread across the Pyrenees to Paris, Bologna and Oxford in the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries. During the time of the Abbasi'd Khalifah (Caliph) Mamun-al-Rashid who had established a Bait-el-Hikmah (House of Wisdom) in Baghdad, the influence of the foreign thought seeped into Islamic culture. Works of Greek philosophy and natural sciences were available in Alexandria, Egypt, and some other Syrian cities. Mamun-al-Rashid employed scholars of all religions, Jewish, Christianity, Islam, etc. for the purpose of translating these works into Arabic. Regardless of the strong hold of Islamic theological doctrine on the minds of the Arabs, skepticism and rational thinking increasingly developed and flourished under the encouragement and protection provided by the Khalifah. The first reception of Greek-Hellenistic philosophy in the Islamic world was mixed. It was rejected in the beginning as being distrustfully foreign or pagan, and was thus scorned by conservative theologians, legal scholars and grammarians as harmful or unessential. By the middle of the eighth century AD the image had changed to some extent, with the appearance of the rationalist theologians of Islam known as the Mu'tazilites, who were utterly inclined by the methods of discussion or dialectic supported by the Muslim philosophers. Of those philosophers, the two exceptional persons of the ninth and tenth centuries were al-Kindi and al-Razi, who welcomed Greek philosophy as a form of freedom from the fetters of doctrine or blind imitation (taqlid). For al-Kindi, the objectives of philosophy are rightly well matched with those of religion, and, for al-Razi, philosophy was the highest expression of man's intellectual goals and the noblest achievement of that noble people, who were incompa rable in their quest for wisdom (hikma). Later scholars used this device with mixed results. For instance, Ibn Rushd stated (11), "Since the religion (Islam) is true and summons to the study which leads to knowledge of the Truth, we the Muslims know definitely that demonstrative study does not lead to (conclusions) conflicting with what Scripture has given us; for truth does not oppose truth but accords with it and bears witness to it." Thus it was a given that the Scripture was perfect and true, every

Psychology - leadership question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology - leadership question - Assignment Example Leaders like Todd McFarlane see challenges as opportunities and work hard to convert those opportunities into successful ventures for them. This is one of the main personality traits that distinguish successful leaders from other individuals. Moreover, visionary outlook, creativity, entrepreneurial approach, and willingness to take risks to control destiny also distinguish leaders from other individuals. Global competition and technology advances have changed business conditions and leadership challenges in many ways. Today, almost every entrepreneur wants to expand his/her business to other markets to increase productivity and revenues, as well as to gain competitive advantage. Hiring a workforce that is able to understand different cultural, social, and business environments has become one of the main challenges for business entrepreneurs in today’s competitive global environment. â€Å"Attracting and retaining talent in todays very competitive world is something that a human capital practitioner cannot easily dismiss† (Mwaka). Therefore, business leaders not only focus on expanding their businesses but also on hiring a competitive and multicultural workforce. Moreover, leaders also need to make business owners and managers aware of incorporating the use of new technologies to improve the performance of their businesses, as well as to increase productivity both of wh ich are essential for success in today’s competitive environment. Mwaka, Clayton. Common Challenges in Human Resource Management. Ezinearticles.com, 10 Aug. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.

English Essay Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

English Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - Essay Example After having left his job he wrote this book and is nowadays ahead of the movement that proclaims the increase of social, economic and ecological responsibility of businesses. After leaving his job as an economic hit man, Perkins founded the Independent Powers System, Inc. in1980 – a company in a very risky sphere – and later became the defender of the aboriginal rights in Amazonia, published several books on social responsibility, founded several non-profit organisations, among which is a famous Dream Change Coalition that, on the one hand, inspires people to achieve their goals, and on the other – invites them to be extremely careful about how their lives influence the rest of the society and our planet in the whole. All these facts make it obvious that Perkins is sincere in his book, and that it is not a purely PR campaign designed to turn attention to himself but truly precious confessions that make people aware of the crimes performed against the global community by certain structures and separate people. After all, it was not before the September 11, 2001 attacks that John Perkins decided to write about his activity as an econom ic hit man, disregarding all the threats that he had to face. Perkins was firm in his decision to share his knowledge about the contribution of the USA government and multiple global corporations into making these tragic events possible. According to John Perkins, the â€Å"help† that the corporations and other organisations promised to the third-world countries, eventually turned out to be a disaster for people in these countries. Being an economic hit man, John Perkins travelled all over the world and took part in dramatic events of the modern history, including the money washing in Saudi Arabia, the defeat of the Iran Sheikh, the death of Panama President Omar Torrijos, and many others. In his

Ethical Decision-making project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical Decision-making project - Essay Example Furthermore, as already reported in other studies, some people usually become violent upon intoxicating their minds. The supervisor cannot take the worker’s ability to become violent for granted because the employee has even refused to take a test sanctioned by the institutions policy (Towsley-Cook & Young, 2007, p. 49). Persistence by the supervisor that the worker should take the tests may present more problems. The conduct of the worker amounts to insubordination because of appearing in the workplace in a condition of intoxication and further refusing to take the necessary tests as required by the institution’s substance abuse policy (Towsley-Cook & Young, 2007). It is noteworthy that forcefully testing the worker will amount to a violation of the independence and privacy rights, which may attract legal proceedings. The ethical problem occurring in the case is associated with a locus of authority issue. This is because the supervisor upon being informed that the worker behaved in a drunken manner decided to identify with him the signs he also outwardly observed (Towsley-Cook & Young, 2007, p. 51). The supervisor reminded the worker that according the substance abuse policy, his conduct is a ground for drug testing. The supervisor acting within authority requests that the employee undergo a blood test, which he refuses. The supervisor then remains with the dilemma whether to force the worker to take the test or to send him away from duty, or whether to allow him to continue working. This is a critical case of a locus of authority issue (Towsley-Cook & Young, 2007). However, the supervisor can still manage to handle the situation by barring the worker from attending to patients. This conduct also amounts to the ethical dilemma for the supervisor. This is because while ordering the employee to take the test, the supervisor is already aware that the worker might be having health

English Essay Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

English Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - Essay Example After having left his job he wrote this book and is nowadays ahead of the movement that proclaims the increase of social, economic and ecological responsibility of businesses. After leaving his job as an economic hit man, Perkins founded the Independent Powers System, Inc. in1980 – a company in a very risky sphere – and later became the defender of the aboriginal rights in Amazonia, published several books on social responsibility, founded several non-profit organisations, among which is a famous Dream Change Coalition that, on the one hand, inspires people to achieve their goals, and on the other – invites them to be extremely careful about how their lives influence the rest of the society and our planet in the whole. All these facts make it obvious that Perkins is sincere in his book, and that it is not a purely PR campaign designed to turn attention to himself but truly precious confessions that make people aware of the crimes performed against the global community by certain structures and separate people. After all, it was not before the September 11, 2001 attacks that John Perkins decided to write about his activity as an econom ic hit man, disregarding all the threats that he had to face. Perkins was firm in his decision to share his knowledge about the contribution of the USA government and multiple global corporations into making these tragic events possible. According to John Perkins, the â€Å"help† that the corporations and other organisations promised to the third-world countries, eventually turned out to be a disaster for people in these countries. Being an economic hit man, John Perkins travelled all over the world and took part in dramatic events of the modern history, including the money washing in Saudi Arabia, the defeat of the Iran Sheikh, the death of Panama President Omar Torrijos, and many others. In his

Ronald Ernest Paul Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ronald Ernest Paul - Essay Example He was criticizing the same Congress in which he was part of it. Many critics observed that the critics from Paul were meant for individual benefits especially as campaign tools. He was quoted in his speech saying, â€Å"I think Congress is about 20 years behind† (Ron Paul’s Speech). In his speech ,he dwelt on the on the need to critically articulate the issues related to foreign and domestic strategy issues, which he said they negatively impacted on the economy and he said the country was headed to a worst economy crisis. It is ironical that Ron Paul’s criticism was on the same congress, which he is part of. He is one of the unsuccessful members of the congress, yet he appears the top critic. Ronald Ernest â€Å"Ron† Paul is one of the renowned United States Congressman and emerged to be repeat presidential candidature, having contented for the presidency in 1988, 2008, and 2012. In the year 1988, he was presidential candidate for Libertarian Party in the 12 years break in the years when he was Republican Congressman. In 2008, Ronald Ernest was presidential nominee for Republican Party. He believes on the supremacy of the Constitution and he never proposes a bill to be approved in the Congress, unless it is provided in the constitution. He is presently contesting for presidency under the nomination for Republican Party in the United States (Schoen & Rasmussen 102). ... 8 contestation for presidency under Republican Party, he has been the chief architect behind advocacy movement Campaign for Liberty and his ideas has been evidence in his speeches, journals, and books. He has become a leading critic in the aspect of civil liberties, gay marriage, taxation policies, foreign policies, health care, entitlements, and abortion. Paul has the believe and understanding that liberties in the market , reducing business regulations and lowering taxes will boost the market strategies ,as well as promoting favorable business environment . According to him, these aspects will have positive impacts on the economy of the United States and also increase employment opportunities within the market environment. He is the chief critic on Federal Reserve, arguing that this will present serious implications on the economy of the country. He said in his speech while in Michigan University addressing students that this will lead to the aspect of bust and boom leading to fina ncial crisis both in the United States and in the global platform. The boom and bust within the economy will promote unethical business practices (Schoen & Rasmussen 89). In his speech he said that, â€Å"The federal government does a lousy job providing the atmosphere necessary to be competitive and be able to compete around the world because they overtax and they over regulateâ€Å". In his entire speech in Michigan, he put more emphasizes on the element of abolishing the Federal Reserve ,an economic entity that he argued that is guilty of collapsing the U.S dollar value and obstructing ,not assisting ,the U.S economy. He said in his speech that the labor policies should be revisited by the Congress where he advocated for a countrywide Right to work policy (Schoen & Rasmussen 123). . He said

Patriotism Essay Example for Free

Patriotism Essay Bader main thesis is that patriotism is neither good nor evil, depending on how its ‘name’ is called upon. Bader asserts that patriotism has numerous forms, and yet the author expresses that all these forms share common psychological underpinnings – that of meeting the needs of safety and connectedness. The author begins by saying that he metaphors of patriotism have been likened to family, that accords individuals with security and attachment. He further expounds on the idea of patriotism is a psychological means to address connectedness and safety needs. On one end, patriotism provides protection and strength which are virtues associated with paternity; on the other, patriotism is also symbolic of caring which are traits linked with motherhood. A second idea would be acknowledging that while patriotism is influenced by a host of factors apart from the unconscious, its potency stems from its being psychological – embedded in the recesses of our unconscious. In this sense, it is a way of addressing the psychological needs of attachment and recognition, and the failure to sufficiently meet such needs lead to psychosis or mental dysfunction. In discussing these psychological needs, he has used the example of an infant who has virtually full dependence on its caregivers – the latter being the embodiment of power and authority. The manner of protection received by children determines their sense of insecurity and developing trust in others. The quest for security is also constant, even as we feel a perennial lack of safety and protection. In his third idea, he says that given these metaphors of family, it is now easier to comprehend the psychological dynamics behind patriotism. One’s affiliation with the United States brings a strong sense of safety and connectedness to its citizens. It is also able to â€Å"bind† and bring together people who share the same sense of safety and connectedness because of a common affiliation of citizenship. A fourth point is that the manner in which patriotism satisfies these psychological needs take on more potency since these are very difficult to find in our daily social lives. Society is depicted as highly individualistic. This social experience further reinforce the insecurity and lack of safety that parents have developed in people as children. These pent up thoughts and feelings are then stored in the unconscious as frustrations. A fifth point of the author is that patriotism seems to address these unconscious frustrations in being an ideal representation of national pride, historical purpose, and collectivism – which are all constructs related to safety and connectedness. Political parties leverage on these frustrations, trying their best to project the image of protector in appealing to people. They take advantage of the ‘parent’ paradigm, presenting themselves as caring, nurturing, and protective. This exploitation of psychic needs are used to advocate both liberal and conservative ends. In his sixth point, he proposes that the Left seem to be more effective at furthering its agenda. A perfect example would be the way in which police and surveillance powers were justified in the name of protecting the nation. Moreover, the author expresses tht conservatives have been more skilled at using prejudice and the concept of an ‘enemy’ in furthering its ends. Educational institutions’ influence may exert impact in addressing these psychological needs, teaching empathy, recognition, and other values that may intend to gratify these needs. Finally, he says that the psychological dynamics that underlie patriotism are global in nature, driven by the needs of safety and connectedness. These needs may be addressed in both healthy and unhealthy means and may be done so towards immoral ends. In itself, it is neither good nor evil, and these value judgments are made depending on the use or purpose for which the name of patriotism is used. Bader’s main strength in this article is the fact that he gave the much needed logic and connection to the ideas he presented – man’s needs, the collective feeling of people, and the rationale behind the use of patriotism as a tool for political motivation. He has also found basis for the conclusion that patriotism is neither good or bad. This moral judgment on the goodness or evilness of patriotism lies in the purpose for which it is used; for example, political parties use them to take control of people’s political choice. However, a weakness that can be seen is that the author also stressed to many points against conservatives. He may be pointing out his opinions but have put the conservatives into a bad light. In trying to be more objective in his assessment of the issue, he may have looked into the liberal side as well, presenting cases similar to what he did for conservatives. This way, he will not be perceived as biased. Another weakness that may be seen is that the resolution just took on a very short note. It just went on a short notice that it hardly qualified as a resolution. Although the author has a point on the matter, he failed to expound on it and define the steps to be taken, why they should be taken and to whom should the action be devoted to. There was also very little pragmatic value based from the recommendations of the author. The only direct action step he has proposed is for schools to leverage on their influence the satisfaction of these psychological needs. The article is very detailed that it is hard at first not to agree with the writer. I agreed with the point that man indeed has the necessity of wanting to feel secured and safe at all times, even wanting to find their necessities amidst the insecurities that they have experienced. I also do agree that the value of patriotism is used in politically motivated ways to achieve the means needed by the parties to gain trust among the people and be recognized as a truth bearing entity. I also agree that although patriotism should be upheld during the times of the 9/11 and the Hurricane Katrina, it should not be a venue for people moving with political agendas and using the â€Å"sacred† value as a means of it. And lastly, I do believe that the educational institutions should have a hand in directing the people, especially the youth towards the ways of non-discriminating, unbiased people. They should also teach people about how they would filter information being fed to them on the grounds of racism, bias and discrimination. The educational system is one of the institutions that a person attends to. It is hard to imagine that one would try to go to school and learn, only to come out and be tainted and blinded by other people’s political agendas – when in fact, they should be helping us in the assimilation stage of our studies, not changing what we learned to what political people would want us to think. That would be driving us away from what patriotism is really about. The kind of patriotism that each citizen has practiced and witnessed during in times of grief and misery, like the times of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Patriotism, at its very core, is about satisfying the psychological needs of people. It becomes a very strong and influential factor specially since its roots are deeply embedded in our psyche – our collective psyche at that. However, care must be taken about how the concept may be taken advantaged of by those who have personal agendas – such as politicians – for meeting their own selfish ends. This prudence and tact may be influenced strongly by schools. They can concretely draft activities that are meant to develop a strong sense of safety and connectedness. In sufficiently addressing these psychological needs, the probability of being exploited – through an appeal to emotion and psyche – is effectively reduced. People can be more critical and discriminating about what to believe. They then do not fall victim into these opportunistic ways of evoking patriotism’s name.

A Muslim Experience Of Going To Church

A Muslim Experience Of Going To Church This week I visited the St. Bernard church located on 143rd and Parker Rd in Homer Glen, IL. My friend came with me, she is also Muslim. We actually visited it twice. The first time it was like 6 pm, and it was dark out. We thought it would be open because our mosque is always open. So we went and as we were pulling up, we got scared. It was dark, and all I saw was crosses, and when I was getting ready to open the door to see if anyone was there, I just freaked out and left. I dont know why, but it looked to us as if it was closed. I really thought there would be someone sitting there or something. But then my friend and I went the next day in the morning. As we arrived at the church the next morning we saw a lot of families, and people getting together. They all seemed so happy. At first I was all excited with my pen and notebook, then I was kind of shy and scared to walk in, I really dont know why. Everyone was really nice, so we walked in. The first person that came up to me was a girl that my friend knew from high school she was really surprised to see us there, so she stuck with us and made it less awkward for us. She said Sabreen the first thing you need to know is Catholic means universal that should be a great way to start your essay. I liked that, I never knew that. It was pretty loud in there. Everyone was talking and laughing. I was very surprised to see how loud it is; because I always thought that a place of worship would be quiet. In my place of worship, the mosque, it is really quiet and everyone whispers. We consider it to be very inappropriate to be loud, unless everyone is ready to go home. But I noticed when the prie st started talking everyone became quiet; similar to the mosque when the Sheikh gives a lesson/lecture everyone becomes quiet. The gathering was motivating. The melody was a bit loud and from time to time it completed me to feel awkward again I mean it was one atmosphere I have by no means existed in. At Mosques, there truly are not any melodic gadgets and as I mentioned it is a lot calmer. Anyway as I walked in I had to say the WOW. There was stained glass everywhere. I mean everywhere. It was so beautiful. And there were people around the holy water they started dipping their hands in there. It was so cool. Ive heard about holy water before. We Muslims also have Holy water our Holy water is ZamZam. It is only located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. But there are bottles of ZamZam now where we can buy at some Islamic stores. We consider it to be so pure. And everyone that goes to do pilgrimage goes by the holy water and starts drinking and also dipping their hands in it. There were many sc ulptures of diverse volumes and forms. In Islam, There are no sculptures because it is an offense. It is also an offense to have any images in spite of of what they describe in a Mosque, where the church was fully enclosed in pictures. The pictures were so beautiful; I cannot even describe them they were just outstanding how they were made. I have learned a whole lot from this experience. I talked to many people; many of them were very nice, and willing to share with me about the Catholic Religion. I learned that Catholics consider with the intention of Christ is the messiah of the aged proofs called Messianic prophecies. In an occasion recognized since the personification, the Church educates people on that, throughout the control of the sacred strength, the lord developed into joint by means of soul natural world as soon as Christ was considered in sacred Virgin Mary. Christ is understood, so, to be in cooperation entirely delightful and completely being. People follow Christs teachings and his wisdom. Similarly to Muslims we follow Prophet Mohammads teachings and wisdoms. It is so interesting how hopes and dedications for Virgin Mary are a division of Catholic faithfulness but are different from the devotion to God. The Church embraces Mary, as an everlasting virgin and as a mother of God. So what I understood was that Virgin Mary was so important to them it was more of respect then worship towards her their beliefs consist of her clean and tidy formation with no blemish of a sin and physical supposition into paradise at the finish of her existence. Catholics believe Christ rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, they believe in the rebirth the spirit of Jesus was joined up to His corpse by His individual heavenly authority. Muslims believe that When Jesus was on the cross, he never died, and that Alllah (God) took him up to heaven and put a person that looks like him instead. We believe that Jesus is up in heaven with Allah right now, Also that when Jesus comes down one day, that will be on the Day of Judgment. Some people thought I was thinking of converting, this religion is really interesting but I dont think I will convert. I mean I grew up knowing all about Islam, and in this class I have learned about many other religions. But I am sticking to Islam, because I feel like it is the right religion for me, more like I know it is the right religion for me. After I went home many of my friends and family thought I was going to get into an argument with someone about being wrong or something. I tend to be a very defensive person. But I really wanted to understand the different religions out there. I really want to go to a Jewish synagogue one day and see what the Jews believe; I mean you dont believe it till you see it right? I read all these essays, and the books, and researched about many religions, but I really want to start experiencing them. This experience was beyond awesome. Sabreen

the fall of rome :: essays research papers

The Fall of Rome   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Did the Roman Empire deserve to Fall? No, The achievements of the Roman Empire were unmatched at its time. Many things it accomplished are ideas and ways of life that did not become widespread until after its fall. The Roman Empire would have made the advancement of people in Europe much faster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roman Empire was the most modern ancient empire. It made many advancements in the arts and sciences. It had many great poets, philosophers, artists, and engineers. The Romans encouraged learning and supported any who endeavored to make discoveries or technological improvement. If the Roman Empire had not fallen, the world, from a scientific stand point would be very different today. The Roman Empire would have made discoveries and scientific advancements before the Dark Ages. During the Dark Ages no scientific studies or appreciation of the arts took place. For almost an entire millennium humans made no advancements. The barbarians, who destroyed Rome, destroyed it to take its wealth not its knowledge. The knowledge that was lost was not resurrected until the Renaissance. Technological improvement was at a standstill. If the Roman empire had lasted, Europe would not have fallen into that dark period. Rome would have kept modernizing. Today, we could be at a te chnological level we may not reach for many years. The Romans made advancements in the field of medicine. Today we could have had cures for many diseases had the empire not fallen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Roman empire was a democracy. It was one of the first of its kind. It could have stood as a model for all the kingdoms and monarchies across the world. Human rights were existent at Rome hundreds of years before any other place around the world. The Roman people were represented in their government and had power. Many people around the world who were persecuted under dictators and monarchies could have looked at Rome as an example of what a better form of government is. It took the rest of the world more than another millennia to form another democracy. The Roman Government had three parts. These three parts used a system of checks and balances just as a modern democracy does today. The first government to adopt this system since Rome was England, when it adopted its two houses of parliament. After the fall of Rome, anarchy took place in the parts of Europe that it occupied.

Gun Control Essay

â€Å"Should Private Gun Ownership Be Banned?† Widespread gun ownership in a community could provide a general deterrent to criminal predation, lowering the risk to owners and non-owners alike. But widespread gun ownership could also lead to increased risks of various sorts, including the possibility that guns will be misused by the owners or transferred to dangerous people through theft or unregulated sale. Whether the social costs of gun ownership are positive or negative is arguably the most fundamental question for the regulation of firearms in the United States. Gun control laws and policy vary greatly around the world. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have very strict limits on gun possession while others, such as the United States, have relatively modest limits. In some countries, the topic remains a source of intense debate with proponents generally arguing the dangers of widespread gun ownership, and opponents generally arguing individual rights of self-protection as well as individual liberties in general. So me in the United States view gun ownership as a civil right (Snyder i-ii), where the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. One of the earliest U.S. gun-control legislation at the state level were the black codes (laws that replaced the pre Civil War era slave codes which, among other things, prohibited black ownership of firearms) in an attempt to prevent blacks’ having access to the full rights of citizens, including rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment (Halbrook 108). Laws of this type later used racially neutral language to survive legal challenge, but were expected to be enforced against blacks rather than whites. Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, where 20 young children were killed, Wayne LaPierre, vice-president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) proposed, at an NRA press conference, that the solution to such tragedies is to place armed officers in schools, saying: â€Å"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun† (Washington post). LaPierre blamed the media, politicians in favor of gun-free zones, U.S. mental health services, and violent movies and video games for the shooting. He introduced an NRA-backed proposal to put armed guards in all schools in the U.S., which he called the National Model School Shield Program. In January 2013, the Newtown school board voted unanimously to ask for police officer presence in all of its elementary schools. A 2004 review by the National Research Council concluded that, â€Å"higher rates of household firearms ownership are associated with higher rates of gun suicide, that illegal diversions from legitimate commerce are important sources of crime guns and guns used in suicide, that firearms are used defensively many times per day, and that some types of targeted police interventions may effectively lower gun crime and violence† (Welford). Another review conducted in 2011 by the Firearm Injury Center at Penn determined that, â€Å"the correlation be tween firearm availability and rates of homicide is consistent across high income industrialized nations: in general, where there are more firearms, there are higher rates of homicide overall†. A 2004 review of the literature conducted by researchers at the Harvard Injury Control Research Center similarly found that, â€Å"a broad array of evidence indicates that gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries† (Homicide – Firearms Research). Reviews by the HICRC also assessed variation in gun ownership and violence in the United States and found that the same pattern held: states with higher gun ownership had higher rates of homicide, both gun-related and overall. A review published in 2011 found that the health risks of a gun in the home are greater than the benefits, based on evidence that the presence of guns increases the risk of completed suicides and evidence that guns increase the intimidation and murder rate of women (Hemenway 502). The researchers found no credible evidence that guns in the home reduce the severity of injury in a break-in or confrontation or act as a deterrent of assault. A p revious study (2003) had similarly found that the presence of a gun in the home significantly increased the risk of suicide and adult homicide (Wiebe 12). A number of studies have examined the correlation between rates of gun ownership and gun-related, as well as overall, homicide and suicide rates internationally. Martin Killias, in a 1993 study covering 21 countries, found that there were significant  correlations between gun ownership and gun-related suicide and homicide rates. Gun control has a serious public health, political and economic concerns that need to be addressed respectively. HEALTH/SAFETY Every year, more than two thousand people die in the United States from gun-related injuries. The population groups most affected by these avoidable deaths are children and young adolescents. The misuse of firearms is a problem worldwide, of course. However, the incidence of firearm use does vary from country to country. According to the United Nations Report on Firearm Regulation, Crime Prevention, and Criminal Justice (1997), the United States has â€Å"weaker firearm regulations and higher numbers of deaths involving firearms than all other industrialized and even most developing nations.† The study also noted that the total firearm death rate in the United States in 1995 was 13.7 per 100,000 people, â€Å"three times the average rate among other responding countries and the third highest, after Brazil and Jamaica†. More than half the homes in the United States possess firearms, so it is hardly surprising that they rank among the â€Å"ten leading causes of death ac counting for more than 30,000 deaths annually† (Wintermute 3107). While most people have guns primarily for sporting activities, many owners also have them for personal protection and security purposes. The public health approach to violence prevention attempts not only to reduce the occurrence of violence, but also to limit the numbers of fatal and nonfatal injuries when such events occur. To prevent gun-related violence, indeed any type of violence, it is important to understand the dynamics of violence as well as the role of different kinds of weapons in both fatal and nonfatal injuries. Research from around the world indicates that socio-structural factor such as high unemployment rates, ethnic and religious hostilities, political instability, financial inequalities, lack of resources, and economic deprivation increase the likelihood of violence. When guns are readily available in such settings, or where legislation to curb their illegitimate use is lax or inappropriate, injuries are more likely to occur, intentional or otherwise. Individual factors can also precipitate violence, including the use of firearms. Substance and alcohol abuse, mental disorders, feelings of personal i nadequacy and social isolation, and an individual’s experience with violence in the home are  among some of the factors that have been associated with violence. The more guns there are in circulation, the greater the likelihood that they will be misused. Hence, from a public health perspective, it is important to devise strategies which aim to ensure that those in possession of arms use them for legitimate purposes and not for violent or criminal acts. There are a variety of ways of dealing with the problems caused by guns in society, and legislation is one of the methods most commonly used. Franklin Zimring has noted that laws that regulate gun use fall into three categories: those that limit the place and the manner of firearm use, those that keep guns out of the hands of high-risk users, and those that ban high risk firearms. Place and manner legislation sets out to do as it suggests, to limit certain uses of firearms in certain locations. Examples include banning the use of firearms in public places and prohibiting the carrying of a firearm (except for those carried by security personnel and police). This legislation is difficult to impl ement, however, without the active support of the police force, and that support requires additional funding to make sure that police monitor potentially violent events. Successful place and manner legislation has been implemented in the country of Columbia, where firearms are involved in 80 percent of homicides. Here, an innovative gun control intervention was implemented by the Program for Development, Security, and Peace (DESEPAZ), in collaboration with the Mayor of Cali, Colombia’s third largest city. A police-enforced ban was introduced in Cali that prohibited carrying firearms on weekends, public paydays, public holidays, and election days because â€Å"such periods were historically associated with higher rates of homicide† (Villaveces 1206). Media-led information campaigns informed the public of the new gun control measure. On the days when the ban was in operation, police set up strategically located checkpoints in areas of the city where criminal activities were commonplace, and they conducted random searches of individuals. â€Å"During the ban, police policy directed that if a legally acquired firearm was found on an individual, the weapon was to be temporarily taken from the individual and the individual fined. Individuals without proof of legally acquiring the firearm were to be arrested and the firearm permanently confiscated† (Villaveces1206). Denying high-risk users access to firearms is the second type of legislative tool to control gun misuse. In order for this approach to work, the law has to define clearly who falls into the category of â€Å"high-risk user.† The term is usually applied to convicted criminals, those deemed â€Å"mentally unfit,† and to drug addicts. It also applies to minors. Such legislation attempts to make it difficult for members of these groups to possess a firearm. Every year, in developed and developing countries across the globe, thousands of children and young adolescents die while playing with loaded guns. Additionally, studies have shown that adolescents are vulnerable in terms of firearm misuse and successful suicide attempts. In the United States between 1965 and 1985 â€Å"the rate of suicide involving firearms increased 36 percent, whereas the rate of suicide involving other methods remained constant. â€Å"Among adolescents and young adults, rates of suicide by firearms doubled during the same period† (Kellermann 467). Restricting minors the access to have weapons can help to reduce these events. Many states now attempt to prevent high-risk groups from obtaining firearms by identifying â€Å"ineligible† individuals before they can acquire a gun. Minors would obviously fall into this category. â€Å"The screening system included in U.S. legislation known as the Brady Bill which permits police to determine whether a pros pective gun purchaser has a criminal record. If the check turns up nothing the purchaser can obtain the gun† (Zimring 53). The third legislative strategy used to combat the misuse of firearms is to introduce legislation regulating the use of very dangerous weapons. Such â€Å"laws limit the supply of high risk weapons† and â€Å"can complement the strategy of decreasing high risk uses and users† (Zimring 53). Such supply reduction laws â€Å"strive to make the most dangerous guns so scarce that potential criminals cannot obtain them easily† (Zimring 52). They also set out rigid requirements that must be met to prove that possession of such a weapon is necessary. Sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, and certain military devices are the kinds of weapons covered by this type of legislation. Research into this area in the United States has shown that states in which such strict laws operate have lower levels of violent crime than states that do not. Another means of legislating for firearm misuse is to introduce stiff penalties for criminals caught using firearms. â€Å"More than half of t he states in the USA have passed such laws. This approach is popular with gun owners because the penalties concern only gun related crime and place no restrictions on firearm ownership† (Zimring 52). ECONOMICS After the school massacre in Newtown, everyone has been putting out proposals for how to reduce gun violence. President Obama created an inter-agency task force. The NRA asked for armed guards in every school and now economists are weighing in with their own, number-heavy approaches (Washington post). In the United States, there are an average of 32,300 deaths (the majority of which are suicide) and approximately 69,000 injuries annually most common in poor urban areas and frequently associated with gang violence, often involving male juveniles or young adult males, with an estimated annual cost of $100 billion(Bjerregaard and Alan 37). American society remains deeply divided over whether more restrictive gun control policies would save lives and prevent injuries. Scholars agree the rate of gun violence in the United States is higher than many developed OECD countries that practice strict gun control. The United States’ low life expectancy (relative to other wealthy countries) may be attributable to guns, with a reduction in average American lifespan of 104 days (Lemaire, 359). Disagreement exists among academics on the question of whether a causal relationship between gun availability and violence exists, and which, if any, gun controls would effectively lower gun related violence. Cook and Ludwig created a data set that used the number of suicides by firearm in a county as a proxy for gun ownership and checked it against a variety of existing survey data. They figured out the â€Å"social cost† of owning a gun. The two economists determined that a greater prevalence of guns in an area was associated with an increase in the murder rate, but not other types of violent crimes (guns, the authors argue, lead to â€Å"an intensification of criminal violence†). Why does this happen? One possibility: The two economists found evidence that if there are more legal guns in an area, it’s more likely that those guns will be transferred to â€Å"illegal† owners. When the two economists added up the costs of gun ownership, more injuries and m ore homicides and weighed them against various benefits, they concluded that the average household acquiring a gun imposed a net cost on the rest of society of somewhere between $100 to $1,800 per year (379-382). Now, normally when economists come across a product that has a negative externality like cigarettes or coal-fired plants, they recommend taxing or regulating it, so that the user of the product internalizes the costs that he or she is imposing on everyone else. In this case, an economist might suggest slapping a steeper tax on guns or bullets. Others  might object that this isn’t fair. There are responsible gun owners and irresponsible gun owners. Not everyone with a gun imposes the same costs on society. Why should the tax be uniform? And that brings us to John Wasik’s recent essay at Forbes. Instead of a tax on guns, he recommends that gun owners be required to purchase liability insurance (Washington post). Different gun owners would pay different rates, depending on the risks involved. Who pays the least for gun insurance would be least likely to commit a crime with it. Economist John Lott, in his book More Guns, Less Crime, provides data showing that laws allowing law-abiding citizens to carry a gun legally in public may cause reductions in crime because potential criminals do not know who may be carrying a firearm. The data for Lott’s analysis came from the FBI’s crime statistics for all 3,054 US counties (Lott 50). University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt argues in his paper, Under standing Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors that Explain the Decline and Six that Do Not, that available data indicate that neither stricter gun control laws nor more liberal concealed carry laws have had any significant effect on the decline in crime in the 1990s. A comprehensive review of published studies of gun control, released in November 2004 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was unable to determine any statistically significant effect resulting from such laws, although the authors suggest that further study may provide more conclusive information. Fully automatic firearms are legal in most states, but have requirements for registration and restriction under federal law. The National Firearms Act of 1934 required approval of the local police chief, federally registered fingerprints, federal background check and the payment of a $200 tax for initial registration and for each transfer. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibited imports of all nonsporting firearms and created several new categories of restricted firearms. A provision of the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 prohibited further registry of machine guns manufactured after it took effect. The result has been a massive rise in the price of machine-guns available for private ownership, as an increased demand chases the fixed, pre-1986 supply. For example, the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine-gun, which may be sold to law enforcement for about $1,000, costs a private citizen about $5,000 (Stewart). POLITICS Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, as well as distribution of firearms. Gun control laws and policy vary greatly around the world. Some countries, such as Australia, the United Kingdom or Germany, have very strict limits on gun possession while others, such as the United States, have relatively lenient limits. Most nations hold the power to protect them, others, and police their own territory as a fundamental power vested by sovereignty. However, this power can be lost under certain circumstances: some countries have been forced to disarm by other countries, upon losing a war, or by having arms embargos or sanctions placed on them. Likewise, nations that violate international arms control agreements, even if claiming to be acting within the scope of their national sovereignty, may find themselves with a range of penalties or sa nctions regarding firearms placed on them by other nations. National and regional police and security services enforce their own gun regulations. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) supports the United States’ International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) program â€Å"to aggressively enforce this mission and reduce the number of weapons that are illegally trafficked worldwide from the United States and used to commit acts of international terrorism, to subvert restrictions imposed by other nations on their residents, and to organized crime and narcotics-related activities. The issue of firearms has, at times, taken a high-profile position in United States culture and politics. Mass shootings (like the Columbine High School massacre, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and Virginia Tech massacre) have continually ignited political debates about gun control in the United States. According to a 2012 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 10% of Americans support banning all guns except for police and authorized personnel, 76% support gun ownership with some restrictions, and 10% support gun ownership with no restrictions. Michael Bouchard, Assistant Director/Field Operations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, estimates, there are 5,000 gun shows annually in the United States. In 1959, the Gallup poll showed that 59% of Americans supported banning handgun possession. In 2011, the Gallup poll showed that 26% supported banning handgun possession. In 1990, the Gallup poll showed that  78% of Americans supported stricter laws on gu n sales than existed at the time, 17% felt the laws were fine as they were, and 2% supported less strict laws. In 2011, the Gallup poll showed that 43% supported stricter laws on gun sales, 44% felt the laws were fine as they were, and 11% supported less strict laws. In 2001, the Gallup poll showed that 51% of Americans preferred that current gun laws be enforced more strictly. In 2011, it was 60% (Gallup politics). A 2009 CNN/ORC poll found 39% favored stricter gun laws, 15% favored less strict gun laws, and 46% preferred no change. CNN reported that the drop in support (since the 2001 Gallup poll) came from self-identified independents and Republicans, with support among Democrats remaining consistent. There is a sharp divide between gun-rights proponents and gun-control proponents. This leads to intense political debate over the effectiveness of firearm regulation. Democrats are more likely to support stricter gun control than are Republicans. In an online 2010 Harris Poll, of Democrats, 70% favored stricter gun control, 7% favored less strict gun control, and 14% preferred neither. Of Republicans, 22% favored stricter control, 42% favored less strict control, and 27% preferred neither (Krane 1-2). In the same 2011 Gallup poll, 55% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents had a gun in their household compared to 40% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Of Republicans an d Republican-leaners, 41% personally owned a gun. Of Democrats and Democratic-leaners, 28% personally owned a gun (Gallup politics). Incidents of gun violence and self-defense have routinely ignited bitter debate. 12,632 murders were committed using firearms and 613 persons were killed unintentionally in 2007 (CDC 89). Surveys have suggested that guns are used in crime deterrence or prevention around 2.5 million times a year in the United States (LaPierre 23). In 2004, the NAACP filed suit against 45 gun manufacturers for creating what it called a â€Å"public nuisance† through the â€Å"negligent marketing† of handguns, which included models commonly described as Saturday night specials. The suit alleged that handgun manufacturers and distributors were guilty of marketing guns in a way that encouraged violence in black and Hispanic neighborhoods. The NAACP lawsuit and several similar suits, some brought by municipalities seeking reimbursement for medical cost associated with  criminal shootings were dismissed in 2003. Gun-rights groups, most notably the National Rifle Association, portrayed it as â€Å"nuisance suits,† aimed at driving gun manufacturers (especially smaller firms) out of business through court costs alone, as damage awards were not expected. These suits prompted the passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) in October 2005. On January 22, 2013, Congressman Adam Schiff introduce d a bill in U.S. House of Representatives to counter the PLCAA, the The Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act. CONCLUSION Since the days of the pioneers, guns have been around as part of the tradition in countries such as the United States of America (USA), Switzerland and Canada. In recent years, issues concerning the ownership and possession of private guns have become a hotly debated topic in these societies because of the rapid growth of gun crimes. However, guns are still valuable for self-defence. Allowance of private gun ownership can decrease crime rates and a gun abolition policy will produce unwanted outcomes to society. One of the arguments against banning private gun ownership is that allowing private use of guns is effective for self-protection. If a person carries a weapon, it can be used as self-defence against criminals. It is believed that citizens who are unarmed have higher chances to be targeted and assaulted by criminals as most lawbreakers would want to reduce their risks when committing crimes. The supporters of total gun confiscation argue that police who are allowed to carry fir earms will be able to stop the crimes. Americans are finally beginning to have a serious discussion about guns. One argument we’re hearing is the central pillar of the case for private gun ownership: that we are all safer when more individuals have guns because armed citizens deter crime and can defend themselves and others against it when deterrence fails. Those who don’t have guns, it’s said, are free riders on those who do, as the criminally disposed are less likely to engage in crime the more likely it is that their victim will be armed. When most citizens are armed, as they were in the Wild West, crime doesn’t cease. The criminals get better. There’s some sense to this argument, for even criminals don’t like being shot. But the logic is faulty, and a close look at it leads to the conclusion that the United States should ban private gun  ownership entirely, or almost entirely. One would think that if widespread gun ownership had the robust deterrent effects that gun advocates claim it has, our country would be free of crime than other developed societies. But it’s not. When most citizens are armed, as they were in the Wild West, crime doesn’t cease. Instead, criminals work to be better armed, more efficient in their use of guns (â€Å"quicker on the draw†), and readier to use them. When this happens, those who get guns may be safer than they would be without them, but those without them become progressively more vulnerable. Gun advocates have a solution to this: the unarmed must arm themselves. But when more citizens get guns, further problems arise: people who would once have got in a fistfight instead shoot the person who provoked them; people are shot by mistake or by accident. And with guns so plentiful, any lunatic or criminally disposed person who has a sudden and perhaps only temporary urge to kill people can simply help himself to the contents of Mom’s gun cabinet. Perhaps most important, the more people there are who have guns, the less effective the police become. As more private individuals acquire guns, the power of the police declines and personal security becomes a matter of self-help. For the police to remain effective in a society in which most of those they must confront or arrest are armed, they must, like criminals, become better armed, more numerous, and readier to fire. But if they do that, guns won’t have produced a net reduction in the power of the government but will only have generated enormous private and public expenditures, leaving the balance of power between armed citizens and the state as it was before, the unarmed conspicuously worse off, and everyone poorer except the gun industry. The logic is as more private individuals acquire guns, the power of the police declines, personal security becomes more a matter of self-help, and the unarmed have an increasing incentive to get guns, until everyone is armed. The logic of private gun possession is thus similar to that of the nuclear arms race. When only one state gets nuclear weapons, it enhances its own security but reduces that of others, which have become more vulnerable. The other states the n have an incentive to get nuclear weapons to try to restore their security. As more states get them, the incentives for others increase. If eventually all get them, the potential for catastrophe whether through irrationality, misperception, or accident is great. Each state’s security is then much lower than it would  be if none had nuclear weapons. But, as with nuclear weapons, we would all be safer if no one had guns or, rather, no one other than trained and legally constrained police officers. Gun advocates sometimes argue that a prohibition would violate individuals’ rights of self-defense. Imposing a ban on guns, they argue, would be tantamount to taking a person’s gun from her just as someone is about to kill her. But this is a defective analogy. Although a prohibition would deprive people of one effective means of self-defense, it would also ensure that there would be far fewer occasions on which a gun would be necessary or even useful for self-defense. Guns are only one means of self-defense and self-defense is only one means of achieving security against attack. It is the right to security against attack that is fundamental. In other Western countries, per capita homicide rates, as well as rates of violent crime involving guns, are a fraction of what they are in the United States (New York Times). Gun advocates claim it has nothing to do with our permissive gun laws or our customs and practices involving guns. If they are right, should we conclude that Americans are simply inherently more violent, more disposed to mental derangement, and less moral than people in other Western countries? If you resist that conclusion, you have little choice but to accept that our easy access to all manner of firearms is a large part of the explanation of why we kill each at a much higher rate than our counterparts elsewhere. REFERENCES Mcmahan J. The Stone: Why Gun ‘Control’ Is Not Enough. The New York Times December 19, 2012, 1:03 pm. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/why-gun-control-is-not-enough/. 5th April 2013. Kellermann A. L., Rivara F. P., Somes G., Reay D. T. â€Å"Suicide in the Home in Relation to Gun Ownership.† New England Journal of Medicine 327.7 (1992): 467-72. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1308093. 10th April, 2013. Villaveces A., Cummings P., Espitia V. E., Koepsell T. 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