Analysis and Interpretation of the Theme - The Bagman's Father Essay

Analysis and Interpretation of the Theme - The Bagman's Father - Essay Example The play has been set at a local restaurant which has several components; the first is a cluttered and cheap restaurant where all sort of people have access to food and drinks. The second is a fine dining restaurant where only high officials and elite's approach for their recreation and finally there is a sitting room where limited people sit spend their time. This story unfolds in such a manner that it highlights the negatives that prevail in the society and the underworld where life is pretty cheap and stakes are quite high. This story is something pretty unusual but depicts the reality of the darker side of life which most of us are not aware of. The life where death is common and one is taught to "Die happy" as it is part of their fate. This play is a very good example of a suspense thriller where on each step a mystery is awaiting our protagonist that is the Bagman. Devotion and dedication to a cause can be observed as he despite all the hurdles and obstacles that come his way h e still manages to maintain the dignity of his work. He is well aware of the fact that this profession can eventually take his life but despite the fact he continues his effort irrespective of what may come his way. He knows that if he meets Avila Schond on his way to the siting room where he is going in search of Ramachadran then things will not be in his favor so taking such a bold step portrays his courage and devotion. Another thing that is very intriguing is how smart he acts throughout the play and never takes a step backs despite all the hardships that came his way. He is determined to convey the message to Mr. Ramachadran through any means even at the cost of his life. When his instincts tell him that the message might contain something that can cause his death as his teacher whom he was really attached to was killed in the same manner, he still keeps his morale high and does not give up on hope at any cost and confronts to his duty. Throughout the course of the play the wri ter has incorporated violence, fraud, deceit and the ills that prevail in such a society. But despite that the writer did not fail to incorporate emotions in the play. Although the Bagman had been a bastard and was disowned by his own father, after ages when they met even then he had a soft corner for him and despite all the grudges he has for him he still cannot hide his feelings for his father and therefore he manages to express them at some point or the other. By the end of the play the father even manages to express the love he had for his mother, â€Å"I loved your mother,† he said. â€Å"I did, Son." Another point which shows that although being raised in an environment where cheating and fraud persist the bagman still finds someone like his teacher who is his only inspiration and although he is not with him anymore he adores him and seeks his teachings and has respect for him proving to be loyal to his master. "You know them, you know their business, you know the rela tionships, but when you carry their money, you don’t know what it’s for. And when you deliver these messages, you don’t know what they say.† This explains his job and how risky things were for him and irrespective of that he had to work for them knowing that his life is at stake over there. This story has a massive portion which deals with massacre and bloodshed with the use of deadly weapons and various other ways. The end of the play leaves the protagonist injured and when he is revived and the other characters

Rizal in Macao Essay Example for Free

Rizal in Macao Essay Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was forced to leave his country for a second time in February 1888. He was then a full- grown man of 27 years of age, a practicing physician, and a recognized man-of-letters. The first time he went aboard in June 1882, he was a mere lad of 21, a youthful student in search of wisdom in the Old World, a romantic idealist with beautiful dreams of emancipating his people from bondage by the magic power of his pen. Times had changed. Rizal at 27 was an embittered victim of human iniquities, a disillusioned dreamer, a flustrated reformer. The Trip to Hong Kong. On February 3, 1888, after a short stay of six months in his beloved Calamba, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong on board the Zafiro. He was sick and sad during the crossing of the choppy China Sea. He did not get off his ship when it made brief stopover at Amoy on February 7. for three reasons: (1) he was not feeling well, (2) it was raining hard, and (3) he heard that the city was dirty. He arrived in Hong Kong on February 8. During his stay in Hong Kong, a British colony, Rizal wrote a letter to Blumentritt, dated February 16, 1888, expressing his bitterness. In Hong Kong, Rizal stayed at Victoria Hotel. He was welcomed by the Filipino residents, including Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte, (son of Francisco Yriarte, alcalde mayor of Laguna). A Spaniard, Jose Sainz de Varanda, who was a former secretary of Governor General Terrero, shadowed Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong. It is believed that he was commissioned by the Spanish authorities to spy on Rizal. Hong Kong, wrote Rizal to Blumentritt on February 16, 1888, is a small, but very clean city. Many Portuguese, Hindus, English, Chinese, and Jews live in it. There are some Filipinos, the majority of whom being those who had been exiled to the Marianas Islands in 1872. They are poor, gentle, and timid. Formerly they were rich mechanics, industrialists, and financiers. Visit to Macao. On Feb 18, Rizal, accompanied by Basa, boarded the ferry steamer. Kiu-kiang for Macao. Macao is a Portuguese colony near Hong Kong. â€Å"the city of Macao,† wrote Rizal, in his diary, â€Å"is small, low, and gloomy. There are many junks, sampans, but few steamers. It looks sad and is almost dead. † In Macao, Rizal and Basa stayed at the home of Don Juan. Francisco Lecaros, a Filipino gentleman married to a Portuguese lady. He was rich and spent his days cultivating plants and flowers, many of which came from Philippines. During his two-day sojourn in Macao, Rizal visited the theatre, casino, cathedral and churches, pagodas, botanical garden, and bazaars. He also saw the famous Grotto of Camoens, Portugal’s national poet. In the evening of February 19, he witnessed a Catholic, in which the devotees were dressed in blue and purple dresses and were carrying unlighted candles.

Strategies to Test for Rheumatic Heart Disease

Strategies to Test for Rheumatic Heart Disease Rheumatic heart disease remains a major public health problem in many parts of the world. While the incidence and prevalence of ARF and RHD have been decreasing in developed countries since the early twentieth century, they continue to be major causes of morbidity and mortality among young people in developing nations. It is estimated that there are more than 15 million cases of RHD worldwide, with 282,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths annually[1]. Globally, India contributes nearly 25%-50% of newly diagnosed cases, deaths, hospitalizations and burden of RHD.The earliest reporting of RHD was done in 1910. Even during the 1980s, hospital admission data suggested that RF and RHD accounted for nearly one-half to one-third of the total cardiac admissions at various teaching hospitals all over India. A more recent survey across various tertiary care hospitals found that hospital admission rates of RHD had declined (5%-26% of cardiac admissions). Population-based epidemiological data to ascertain the prevalence of RHD and their impact on community in India are lacking. A properly planned population study in 1993 reported a prevalence of 0.09% for RHD. Most of the epidemiological studies are school-based surveys. The reported prevalence of RHD varied from 1.8 to 11/ 1000 schoolchildren (average 6/1000) during the 1970s and 1980s, and 1-3.9/1000 during the 1990s.Studies using echocardiographic validation of clinical diagnoses show a much lower prevalence of RHD. The surveys conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also indicate a decline in the prevalence of RHD over decades. The epidemiology of rheumatic heart disease in India is of special interest as it may help to understand the effects of economic transition on this particular enigmatic disease. Critical appraisal of the published literature suggests the possibility of a real decline in the occurrence of the disease in some parts of the country, but a continuing onslaught in several other regions. The rate of decline seems to correlate more with improved public health facilities than with economic growth alone. However, the cumulative burden of the disease remains high, and sustained efforts for the prevention of rheumatic heart disease needs special attention [2]. Rheumatic fever is the most common cause of mitral stenosis. Other less common etiologies of obstruction to left atrial outflow include congenital mitral valve stenosis, , mitral annular calcification with extension onto the leaflets, cor triatriatum, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, left atrial myxoma, and infective endocarditis with large vegetations. Pure or predominant MS occurs in approximately 40% of all patients with rheumatic heart disease and a past history of rheumatic fever. In other patients with rheumatic heart disease, lesser degrees of MS may accompany mitral regurgitation (MR) and aortic valve disease. In temperate climates and developed countries, the incidence of MS has declined considerably over the past few decades due to reductions in the incidence of acute rheumatic fever. However, it remains a major problem in developing nations, especially in tropical and semitropical climates[3]. In normal cardiac physiology, the mitral valve opens during left ventricular diastole, to allow blood to flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle. This flow direction will be maintained as long as the pressure in the left ventricle is lower than the pressure in the left atrium and the blood flows down the pressure gradient. Mitral stenosis (MS) is a mechanical obstruction during blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle. Obstruction happens due to thickening and immobility of the leaflets, thickening and fusion of the chorda tendinae or mitral annular and commissural calcification[4]. In rheumatic MS, the valve leaflets are diffusely thickened by fibrous tissue and/or calcific deposits. The mitral commissures fuse, the chordae tendineae fuse and shorten, the valvular cusps become rigid, and these changes, in turn, lead to narrowing at the apex of the funnel-shaped (fish-mouth) valve. Although the initial insult to the mitral valve is rheumatic, the later changes may be a nonspecific process resulting from trauma to the valve caused by altered flow patterns due to the initial deformity. Calcification of the stenotic mitral valve immobilizes the leaflets and narrows the orifice further. Thrombus formation and arterial embolization may arise from the calcific valve itself, but in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), thrombi arise more frequently from the dilated left atrium (LA), particularly from within the left atrial appendage. In normal adults, the area of the mitral valve orifice is 4-6 cm2. In the presence of significant obstruction, i.e., when the orifice area is reduced to To asscess the severity of obstruction hemodynamically, both the transvalvular pressure gradient and the flow rate must be measured. The latter depends not only on the CO but also on the heart rate. Increase in heart rate causes shortening of diastole proportionately more than systole and diminishes the time available for flow across the mitral valve. Therefore, at any given level of CO, tachycardia, including that associated with rapid AF, augments the transvalvular pressure gradient and elevates further the LA pressure. The LV diastolic pressure and ejection fraction (EF) are normal in isolated MS. In MS and sinus rhythm, the elevated LA and PA wedge pressures exhibit a prominent atrial contraction pattern (a wave) and a gradual pressure decline after the v wave and mitral valve opening (y descent). In severe MS and whenever pulmonary vascular resistance is significantly increased, the pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) is elevated at rest and rises further during exercise, often causing secondary elevations of right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic pressure and volume. In temperate climates, the latent period between the initial attack of rheumatic carditis and the development of symptoms due to MS is generally about two decades; most patients begin to experience disability in the fourth decade of life. Studies carried out before the development of mitral valvotomy revealed that once a patient with MS became seriously symptomatic, the disease progressed continuously to death within 2-5 years. In patients whose mitral orifices are large enough to accommodate a normal blood flow with only mild elevations of LA pressure, marked elevations of this pressure leading to dyspnea and cough may be precipitated by sudden changes in the heart rate, volume status, or CO, as, for example, with excitement, severe exertion, fever, severe anemia, paroxysmal AF and other tachycardias, sexual intercourse, pregnancy, and thyrotoxicosis. As MS progresses, lesser degrees of stress precipitate dyspnea, the patient becomes limited in daily activities, and orthopnea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea develop. The development of permanent AF often marks a turning point in the patients course and is generally associated with acceleration of the rate at which symptoms progress. Hemoptysis results from rupture of pulmonary-bronchial venous connections secondary to pulmonary venous hypertension. It occurs most frequently in patients who have elevated LA pressures without markedly elevated pulmonary vascular resistances and is rarely fatal. Recurrent pulmonary emboli, sometimes with infarction, are an important cause of morbidity and mortality rates late in the course of MS. Pulmonary infections, i.e., bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, and lobar pneumonia, commonly complicate untreated MS, especially during the winter months[3]. Mitral valve assessment with echocardiography should include the pattern of valve involvement and calcification, severity of stenosis, associated mitral regurgitation and other co-existent valve lesions and atrial chamber dilatation and function. Mitral stenosis can be assessed in parasternal, apical or subcostal views. As with any stenotic valve the main diagnostic feature in the parasternal long axis view. As in rheumatic MS, the anterior mitral leaflet (AMVL) shows diastolic doming or hockey-stick shape and the posterior mitral leaflet (PMVL) has restricted motion or is totally immobile. This doming is due to the reduced mobility of the valve tips compared to the base of the leaflets. Echocardiography can also adequately assess the Subvalvular apparatus changes such as thickening, shortening, fusion of chordal calcification. Color Doppler in this view with diastolic turbulence across the mitral valve confirms the diagnosis. On the other hand, Parasternal short axis view of the mit ral valve is used for assessing the leaflets thickening, fusion and calcification of commissures. The parasternal short axis view is also used to assess the mitral valve orifice area by planimetry of the mitral leaflets at the level of tips. The Following are different means of measurements by echocardiography to ascess the severity of MS. Planimetry of mitral valve at the level of the leaflets tips is done in parasternal short axis view. This method is a very familiar technique by 2D echocardiography but the same method can also be used in 3D echocardiography en-face view of mitral valve. However, newly developed QLAB software in 3D echo is now available for calculation of mitral valve orifice area which requires further validation. Calculation of mitral valve area (MVA) by pressure half-time (P1/2t) should be done in an apical four chamber view using continuous wave. Doppler Pressure half-time method is not valid immediately after percutaneous balloon mitral the Doppler curve. The gradient can be measured by tracing the dense outline of mitral diastolic inflow and the mean pressure gradient is automatically calculated. The severity can be assessed as mild (10) [4]. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of valvular heart disease can be improved by 3D echocardiography. Anyplane and paraplane analysis of a stenotic valve allows an accurate planimetry of the smallest orifice area. Zamorano et al demonstrated that 3DTTE is a feasible, accurate and highly reproducible technique for assessing the mitral valve area in patients with rheumatic MV stenosis. In a consecutive series of 80 patients, MV area was assessed by conventional echo Doppler methods and by 3DTTE, and results were compared with those obtained invasively.Compared with all other echo-Doppler methods, 3DTTE had the best agreement with the invasively determined MV area, and intra- and inter-observer variability of the method was very good. Zamorano et al also studied 29 patients undergoing percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty. 3DTTE had the best agreement with the invasively determined MV area, particularly in the immediate post procedural period; therefore, the method could be proposed as an ideal one throughout this procedure and could make invasive evaluation unnecessary in this setting. As part of these very important quantitative data, 3DTTE can be integrated with 2D evaluation in the qualitative morphology assessment of the MV. Commissures, leaflets, annulus calcifications and subvalvular structures can be visualized from different and unique planes facilitating the understanding of this complex apparatus. Vegetations, commissural diseases, subvalvular pathologies (tip of the leaflets/chordae/papillary muscles), clefts can be accurately diagnosed. So assessment of the severity of mitral valve stenosis requires accurate measurements of the Mitral valve orifice area (MVA). Direct measurement of the MVA can be performed by planimetry using two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo). Mitral valve area determined by planimetry reflects the anatomic orifice area and is largely independent of hemodynamic variables, left ventricular compliance and concomitant valvular disease. However, planimetry by 2-D echo requires significant experience and operator skill to define the correct image plane that displays the true mitral valve orifice. In addition, planimetry requires a parasternal short axis view of the mitral valve and is therefore limited to patients with favorable image quality from a parasternal window. To bypass the difficulty of a parasternal short axis view, Doppler traces of the diastolic transmitral flow is obtained from a four-chamber apical view and the mitral valve area is estimated using the pressure half-time (PHT). Ho wever PHT is influenced by hemodynamic variables, left ventricular compliance and concomitant valvular disease. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (3-D echo) is a novel imaging technique that is expected to enhance the ability to perform planimetry of the mitral valve. 3D echo utilizes a matrix array echo probe to scan a pyramidal volume in real time. A precise cross-section of mitral valve orifice at the tips of the leaflets with correct plane orientation may provide more accurate assessment of MS severity than two-dimensional echocardiography. Thus it can eliminate one of the principle limitations of 2DE in determining MVA by planimetry. There is less inter- and intra-observer variation also during MVA calculation. Therefore, real-time 3D echo can be used as a practical and accurate method for planimetry of mitral valve areas. This study will be performed to evaluate the feasibility, reproducibility and accuracy of 3-D echo for the assessment of MVA over conventional 2D planimetry Doppler PHT methods.

How Guns Work :: essays research papers

How Guns Work A gun is a weapon that uses the force of an explosive propellant to project a missile. Guns or firearms are classified by the diameter of the barrel opening. This is known as the calibre of the gun. Anything with a calibre up to and including . 60 calibre(0.6 inches) is known as a firearm. The precise origin of the gun is unknown, although they were in use by the early 14th century and were common place in Europe by mid-century. These early guns were nothing more than large calibre cylinders of wrought iron or cast bronze, closed at one end and loaded by placing gunpowder and projectile in the muzzle, or open end. Nowadays firearms are a little more sophisticated. However, the physics behind all guns remain the same. Weapons such as cannons, shotguns and rifles, work on the basic idea of conservation of momentum and the change in energy from potential to kinetic. When the trigger is pulled the hammer hits the firing pin. The firing pin then hits the primer which causes the powder to burn hence producing lots of gases. This causes the volume behind the bullet to fill with extremely high pressure gas. The gas pushes on every surface it encounters, including the bullet in front of it and the base of the gun barrel behind it. The increase in pressure caused by the gases causes the bullet to be forced into the barrel hence causing the bullet to come out the muzzle at very high speeds. Once the bullet is fired, it remains in motion from its momentum. The momentum will carry the bullet until it strikes an object or gravity pulls the bullet towards the earth. Firearms change potential chemical energy into kinetic energy in the actual firing of the gun. Many people do not realise that the force imparted by accelerating the bullet is not the only force acting on the gun, or the shooter. Grains of burned gun powder are sent out the muzzle at high velocity. When the trigger is pulled, the hammer strikes a small charge at the end of the shell, the ammunition. This charge ignites black gun powder packed behind the lead ball bearings. When the black gun powder burns, it produces gas that rapidly expands with the burning of more black gun powder. High pressure gases exert forces on the back of the bullet and on the gun. The only way for the gas to escape is to push the bullet out of its way through the end of the barrel. This is how a bullet is fired from a gun.

Criminal Behavior: the Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing

Running head: SOCIAL CONTROL, STRAIN, SOCIAL LEARNING, AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Criminal Behavior: The Negative Attribution of Societal Nurturing Imagine someone telling you that â€Å"you are the product of your environment†, what does that mean? Imagine a girl who has decided to pursue a career as a stripper. All of her friends are strippers and the new people she meets are those she has met while stripping. Would it be easy for her to quit that job?What would happen if she moved away and was surrounded by well-educated individuals? – Individuals who gave her strong social support and a good positive influence. What about the youth living in a deprived neighborhood, surrounded by small hopes and dreams for the future and low supervision? Is it possible that they become just like everyone else in their community? Let us compare an individual who lives in a disorganized community with an individual in a more organized and structured community, which one is more likely to develop criminal and delinquent behaviors?The purpose of this study is to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on three theories: social control theory, social learning theory, and strain theory. The idea in which the environment is the context within which all social relations occur has been brought to our attention by Lewin (1943) and can be used to make concept of a major factor in developing criminal and delinquent behaviors.Lewin proposed that the fundamental principle of social psychology research is that human behavior is a function of not only the person, but of the environment as well (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011). A large body of research has been done regarding the human behavior as a function of their â€Å"life space† and the person’s environment, such as neighborhoods, schools, work, and their friendships. Lewin states that pa rticular places can serve as â€Å"contact zones† (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011) and support certain kinds of interaction.These â€Å"contact zones† are formed between people and the physical characteristics of the built and natural world they live in (Opotow & Gieseking, 2011). Social control theory, strain theory, and social learning theory were all proposed by a variety of researchers strongly supporting the link between environment and the development of criminal minds. The theories supported are thought of as individual-level processes (Hoffman, 2003).The social control theory, for example, is the thought that community disorganization lessens bonding mechanisms by making parental supervision and interpersonal attachments more vague (Hoffman, 2003; Elliot et al. , 1997; Shaw & McKay, 1931). With community disorganization comes little to no control. The community is usually distinguished by residential instability and a high ratio of broken families as well as single p arents; reducing the likelihood of efficient socialization and supervision of the youth.A research study was conducted by Baskin & Sommers (2011) to determine whether placement instability played a role in developing delinquent/criminal behavior; results indicated that the children with more instability were more likely to be arrested and have a criminal record. Community disorganization reduces social support structure and weakens an important source of conformed bonding and success in socialization: effective parenting.Empirical research has sustained the idea that the influence of social bonds differs in each type of community and disorganized communities have a negative effect on the competence of social bonds to greatly reduce delinquent behavior. A lot of this is seen in our own communities and the communities surrounding us. It is all about where the person lives, where he goes to school, and whom he chooses to hang out with.The initial development of the strain theory was de veloped by Merton (1968) where he proposed that opportunity structures greatly affect the ability to grasp common cultural goals, such as the pursuit for monetary gain (Hoffman, 2003). The individual-level component of the strain theory is basically the strain of striving to reach goals within various forms of opportunity structures that could lead to adjustments such as deviant behaviors, delinquency, and even crime.With the assumption that opportunity structures differ in each community, it is safe to say that the effects of strains caused by the disunity between goals and means on deviant behavior will differ in every community (Hoffman, 2003). In other words, the strained youth in disorganized communities have a more realistic picture of their situation, so criminal adaption’s become more likely. Agnew (1992) elaborated this theory to form a concept by broadening the notion of strain with adding a variety of sources, such as families, schools, and cognitive skills (Hoffma n, 2003).Agnew assumes that the deprived communities are more likely to have strained youths and that these communities will suffer from more blocked or â€Å"strained† opportunity structures (Hoffman, 2003; Agnew, 1999). What is meant by Agnew’s new definition of this strain theory is that these communities develop an atmosphere that is based on anger and frustration; this could mean a greater chance of â€Å"going with the flow† to maybe prove themselves as â€Å"tough guys† to other communities.The social learning theory or differential association proposes that criminal associations and favoring conflict differ within each community type; it is this differentiation that explains the distribution of crime rates (Hoffman, 2003; Cressey, 1960; Reinarman & Fagan, 1988). Individuals embedded within certain communities are either exposed to or opposed to criminal behavior. Akers (1998) sees the sources in these differences: â€Å"The less solidarity, cohes ion, or integration there is within a group†¦ the higher will be the rate of crime and deviance† (Hoffman, 2003).In other words, social structural influences on criminal behaviors are fully reconciled by social learning processes. Many researchers stress that the DSM-IV diagnosis applied to criminals completely misses the mark and the idea of their environment is not enough (Stuart, 2004). Some researchers believe that sociological and environmental theories do not include the important concept of individual choice: â€Å"Crime resides within the person, not the environment† (Stuart, 2004). Other research, however, supports the importance of living in a good environment to prevent the development of a criminal mind.Although some researchers may suggest the treatment should be to focus on changing the patterns of thinking of criminals and to hold them accountable for every violation of moral thoughts, other researchers now believe that these efforts are slightly mis directed (Hoffman, 2003; Stuart, 2004, Baskin & Sommers, 2011). Other research suggests that even with punishment one can only discourage the criminal act to a greater or lesser degree, restrain the secret manifestation of a criminal urge, but the punishment ill not reconstruct the criminal mind, or avert its development in the individual (The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1928). The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology (1928) proposes that the criminal mind is not different from that of the sane mind. Of course, many individuals do deviate themselves from the strain of their environment and negative influences simply because of their own personal values and the will to want to better themselves and their way of living. The proposed study will examine the moderating effects of the environment on developing criminal behaviors based on where the individuals grew up/came from.The study is based on the social control, strain, and social learning theories. There have be en very few studies that examine the impact of these theories and their consequences on the general individual-level processes that affect the person’s adaption’s to an environment exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors. Furthermore, by investigating these theories, this study might be able to determine which variables, if not all, indicate the development of criminal minds and delinquent behaviors.It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Some participants will be from a more deprived area of town; they are considered to be part of a disorganized as well as strained community. Others will be from an average to more up scaled living environment; they are part of a more organized community who are influenced by everyone around them to want to have a better living. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their †Å"way of living†.However, in general, participants in a more disorganized and strained community will suffer from more blocked opportunity structures, poor supervision, negative bonding mechanisms, and poor residential stability because despite having personal choices, an individual is always a product of his environment. Method Participants There will be approximately 850 participants in the proposed study that will serve as a representative sample of ninth grade students from U. S. high schools. Participants will be selected from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES).In exchange for their participation, participants will be given a raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Design The proposed study will be using the longitudinal method. The independent variables will be the type of community the participants live in (organized/disorganized), their friendships, monetary strain, blocked opportunity structures, and parental supervision. The depen dent variable will be their acquired behaviors, which will be examined (according to the variation of delinquency theories), by the data drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS).The NELS is â€Å"a longitudinal study designed to explore the impact of families and schools on a variety of educational, vocational, and behavioral outcomes† (Howard, 2003). The friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory, the stress for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures will be used to examine the strain theory, and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Procedure The representative sample for this study will be drawn by NELS.This sample will then be interviewed. At the beginning of the interview, the parents of the participants as well as the participants themselves will be specifically informed that all private information will be strictly confidential and will be used for research purposes only. The parents will then be given an informed consent to read through. As the participants from the subsample come in for the interview, they will be asked a variety of questions regarding delinquent behavior. All of this data will then be entered in NCES.The NELS data will then be used to examine the community characteristics that condition the impact of pertinent variables on deviant behaviors in the modern lives of these adolescents. Data from NCES will match their residential addresses to census identifiers. Census tracts are used to examine the impact of neighborhoods on various outcomes. The participants will then be interviewed during their senior year in high school. Again, asking them a large sum of questions regarding deviant behaviors. The same data will then be entered in NCES and NELS to retouch the previous information.The issue being utilized in this study is the individual’s environment on his behavior based on a long period of time. The questions asked by examiners will per tain to their relationship with their parents, their thoughts on fighting and violence, cultural goals for monetary gain, and so on. Measures As mentioned before, the friendship variable will be used to examine the learning theory; the stress for monetary gain will examine the strain theory; and parental supervision will be used to examine the social control theory. Conventional definition (Howard, 2003).A conventional definition will be constructed from a set of ten questions that will ask participants whether it is acceptable to engage in deviant behaviors such as having a gun, being affiliated with a gang, fighting, vandalism, selling drugs, using drugs, and stealing. A sample question includes: â€Å"Do you believe it is acceptable to join a gang? †. Response set ranges from one (often acceptable) to four (never acceptable). The Strain Theory. Questions that examine the strain theory will be based on cultural goals for monetary gain and blocked opportunity structures: â⠂¬Å"How important is money to you? ; â€Å"Do you have a high or low chance of graduating from high school? †; â€Å"What are the chances of you joining a gang if you knew you would get lots of money? †. The responses will be based on coding: 1 if money is very important, 0 not being important; 1 if high chance of graduating, 0 if low, and so on. The Learning Theory. The learning theory will be assessed by asking four questions about their friendships. Sample questions include â€Å"Do you feel pressured to be involved in everything your friends are in? † and â€Å"Have you ver been influenced by a friend to engage in deviant behaviors? †. Response set ranges from one (always) to four (never). The Social Control Theory. This theory will be examined by parental supervision. The respondent’s parents will be asked a total of ten questions, with answer choices ranging from one (disagree completely) to four (agree completely). Sample questions include à ¢â‚¬Å"Do you believe it is important to know your child’s friends? † and â€Å"Do you believe it is important to know how your child spends his money? †.Upon completion of each interview the respondents’ will be debriefed and given their raffle ticket for a chance to win a variety of small prizes. Discussion It is expected that participants will display more criminal and delinquent behaviors in the more strained and disorganized communities. Each group of participants is expected to react to the way of their environment; to adapt to their â€Å"way of living†. If the hypothesis is supported, then each group of participants would adapt to their way of living as a reaction to their environment.Significant findings resulting from the proposed study can be used in better understanding the role of the environment on the development of human behavior. If social control theory, learning theory, and strain theory are found to magnify the chance of developin g criminal and deviant behaviors, this understanding could be applied to many different research studies and therapeutic training. Some research has already demonstrated that identifying an individual’s environmental background is quite important in understanding his criminal acts.In the psychological domain, recognizing the existing influences of each theory might be helpful in raising parental awareness of the importance of bonding mechanisms (supervision and interpersonal attachment) as well as children’s awareness of handling certain opportunity structures (cultural goals) and teaching the importance of maintaining strong values, raising society’s awareness of the importance of community organization, and implementing counseling programs.If people are made aware of the negative as well as positive effects of their environment on the development of their behavior, they might be more persuaded to maintain or develop strong values, develop cultural goals, and h ave a more positive realistic picture of their future, especially if they are living in a strained community. If the hypothesis is not supported, then there will be no difference between the influence of strained/disorganized communities and organized communities on the development of criminal and delinquent behaviors.Matching the social control, learning, and strain theories to each group of participants’ environment would have no effect in determining the possible implicit development of criminal behaviors. In this case, the type of environment (organized or disorganized community) would not justify the consequences on the general individual-level processes that affects the person’s adaption’s to the community exposed or opposed to possible criminal behaviors.Therefore, there would be no reason to raise the awareness of parents, children, and society of the importance of strong values and cultural goals when it comes to preventing the negative influences of th e community on behavior. Whether or not the message raises awareness, people would just continue â€Å"going with the flow†. Unexpected factors that can occur during this longitudinal research study, which may skew the outcome, may include the unexpected death of several participants (i. . illness, accident, gang violence), or if a participant moves to a different country. A potential limitation of this study is that it does not involve clinical assessments, which can include family history and background to determine the presence of abnormal disorders (mood disorders, personality disorders). Being aware of the presence of abnormal disorders is an important factor in determining the prevalence and etiology of criminal behavior.As a result, assessing the environment would not be sufficient to determine the risk of becoming a criminal. Also, longitudinal studies of a large sample of the population require a large number of researchers and access to certain legal databases (depe nding on the study), which takes time and a considerable amount of money. Future research could investigate other factors that might have an influence on the development of criminal behavior (i. e. race, gender, psychological and biological vulnerabilities, and individual choices).It is possible that sufficient justification to support the influences of these theories (control, learning, and strain) could also be accompanied by or perceived as different depending on these factors, such that psychological vulnerabilities (cognitive development), which can be caused by abuse, in any type of environment could influence the development of such behaviors as well. Some researchers believe that crime does not reside in the environment and others say that the idea of their environment alone is not enough.Future research should be done to investigate the measurable affirmation of criminal behavior contributing to a selective demographic based on psychological, biological, and sociological vu lnerabilities. Further investigation of the underlying causes of the development of criminal behavior is important not only to raise awareness, but to benefit our justice system as well as to contribute to the developing realm of research in psychology and criminology. References Hoffmann, John P. (2003). A contextual analysis of differential association, social control, and train theories of delinquency. Social Forces, 81, 753-785. Baskin, Deborah R. ; Sommers, Ira (2011). Child maltreatment, placement strategies, and delinquency. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 106-119. Opotow, Susan; Gieseking, Jen (2011). Foreground and background: Environment as site and social issue. Journal of Social Issues, 67, 179-196. Stuart, Bryan (2004). Inside the criminal mind. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 32, 547-549. No authorship indicated (1928). The problem of the mind. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 23, 1-3.

Elements of Plot Essay Example

Elements of Plot Essay Example Elements of Plot Essay Elements of Plot Essay Elements of Plot Setting- The setting was in San Francisco somewhere around 1997. This is modern day life with normal laws and rules. Conflict- The conflict in the short story is man vs. man. Paw-Paw had a conflict with the main character due the grandmother bias to Ian and how the grandmother took everything from her. Plot- 1 Her Paw-Paw coming home and walking really slow. 2 Her Paw-Paw ignored her and was bias to her brother Ian. 3 The girl wanted her Paw-Paw to fix her bow and freaked out because the bow was used on her feet in China. 4 The girl walked in the bathroom on her Paw-Paw and her bare feet which made Paw-Paw insecure. 5 During a bedtime story for Ian the truth came out about Paw-Paw because of a book. Character- the Protagonist was the daughter and the antagonist was the Grandmother. The mother basically did anything her mom told her because of what her mom did for her in the past. The father just tried to make the Paw-Paw do little work and feel comfortable. Ian got everything from his grandmother because in China, men are seen as better than women. Theme â€Å" The theme of this short story was how different people see things differently because of their past. The daughter saw the ribbons as fun and festive because she uses them for dance class. But Paw-Paw saw the ribbons as sinful and full of pain because of what her parents did to her in China. Point Of View- The point of view was 1st person. The girl talked about how she saw the way the grandma was acting and what she was missing because of Paw-Paws visit.

American university Essays

American university Essays American university Essay American university Essay My wish is to take a PhD post in an American university. This is because learning in America is enjoyable and also they offer quality education which you can not find many other places of the world. Learning in America is also important since there are varieties of different people from different parts of the world who have come to learn in America and furthermore the natives of America are also of different races so I will enjoy socializing with people of different races. Learning in America will also be pleasing to me since America has a good learning environment and also the country is democratic, and even there is peace unlike other countries which have continuous acts of terrorDoing my post of PhD in America will enable me to be competent since they have very learned and skilled professors in their universities especially lecturers of my architectural field. They also do have the necessary resources that can enable me to do my project well so as toad up my knowledge about archit ecture thus increasing my competence which will enable me to get a good job or make me be promoted in my present job level. Learning in America will be good for me since I want to achieve my career aspirations of being able to work globally at a very senior job level.I wish to do my PhD post in America because I like travelling and sharing ideas with people from many places and thus learning in America will enable me to share ideas with other scholars from other countries and this can enable me to gain new ideas and skill since the technology is dynamic and use them later in my work.

How to Turn Lead Into Gold

How to Turn Lead Into Gold Before chemistry was a science, there was alchemy. One of the supreme quests of alchemy was to transmute  (transform) lead into gold. Lead (atomic number 82) and gold (atomic number 79) are defined as elements by the number of protons they possess. Changing the element requires changing the atomic (proton) number. The number of protons cannot be altered by any chemical means. However, physics may be used to add or remove protons and thereby change one element into another. Because lead is stable, forcing it to release three protons requires a vast input of energy, such that the cost of transmuting it greatly surpasses the value of the resulting gold. History Transmutation of lead into gold isnt just theoretically possible; it has been achieved! There are reports that Glenn Seaborg, 1951 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, succeeded in transmuting a minute quantity of lead (possibly en route from bismuth, in 1980) into gold. There is an earlier report (1972) in which Soviet physicists at a nuclear research facility near Lake Baikal in Siberia accidentally discovered a reaction for turning lead into gold when they found the lead shielding of an experimental reactor had changed to gold. Transmutation Today Today particle accelerators routinely transmute elements. A charged particle is accelerated using electrical and magnetic fields. In a linear accelerator, the charged particles drift through a series of charged tubes separated by gaps. Every time the particle emerges between gaps, it is accelerated by the potential difference between adjacent segments. In a circular accelerator, magnetic fields accelerate particles moving in circular paths. In either case, the accelerated particle impacts a target material, potentially knocking free protons or neutrons and making a new element or isotope. Nuclear reactors also may be used for creating elements, although the conditions are less controlled. In nature, new elements are created by adding protons and neutrons to hydrogen atoms within the nucleus of a star, producing increasingly heavier elements, up to iron (atomic number 26). This process is called nucleosynthesis. Elements heavier than iron are formed in the stellar explosion of a supernova. In a supernova gold may be transformed into lead, but not the other way around. While it may never be commonplace to transmute lead into gold, it is practical to obtain gold from lead ores. The minerals galena (lead sulfide, PbS), cerussite (lead carbonate, PbCO3), and anglesite (lead sulfate, PbSO4) often contain zinc, gold, silver, and other metals. Once the ore has been pulverized, chemical techniques are sufficient to separate the gold from the lead. The result is almost alchemy.

Bedford Wedding Planners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Bedford Wedding Planners - Essay Example In the paper, the detailed operations plan has been made to promote the carefully designed value proposition through an elaborate marketing strategy. To shed light on the financial perspective, expense forecast, sales forecast and profit forecast for BWP have been prepared. Bedford Wedding Planners (BWP) is a service company, which provides end-to-end consulting services for weddings and holy unions. BWP planners are experienced and hard-working professionals with profound knowledge and event planning experience. BWP is different in a way that it provides customers with extremely focused attention. BWP understands requirements of clients and works along with them to organize the wedding of their dreams. The customers’ aspirations become BWP`s tasks to be completed. So, whether the customer wishes a Western, Chinese, Indian or Las Vegas-style wedding, BWP provides the best. The value proposition of BWP includes weddings, receptions, holy unions, budgeting and managing every asp ect of a wedding so as to make it memorable for individuals involved. Irrespective of the wishes of customers and type of event, BWP desires to fulfill the dreams of clients pertaining to every detail of the event planning, such that it is both pleasurable and memorable experience. Thus, BWP offers a plethora of packages, carefully tailored for catering to requirements and preferences of each couple. BWP is absolutely confident that this venture will be a great success and also forecasts net income to increase  consistently over next few years.

Response Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Response Memo - Case Study Example However, the governors are full time employed in the Corporate secretary. The C.E.O is the senior most corporative Officer in the organization. Generally, he is in charge of managing organizational activities. In this organization, the C.E.O reports directly to the board of Governors (p.33). Additionally, he is charged with the responsibility of maximizing the entity value. He is also the director and the lead decision maker in the organization. On the other hand, he is represents the organization in the outside world. The Chief Finance Officer also a corporate officer directly reports under the C.E.O. His main responsibility in the organization is managing the organization’s financial risks. Additionally, he is responsible for record-keeping and financial planning. Alternatively, he deals with financial reporting especially to higher management. As a chief Operating Officer, I have different responsibilities for my organization and I ensure that I carry out these tasks to the maximum ability so that to have quality output and consequently increase the profit margin for the organization. ID Security develops software used by different organizations and I always make sure that the people operating subordinate to me understand the importance of carrying out their responsibilities effectively to the pleasure of our clients. The advance system that the organization with ensures that the clients not only receive the various biometric systems that we manufacture, but also ensure that we carry out follow up procedures and installations to ensure the effective working of these systems. It is critical to go through the responsibilities of my subordinates for it allows for the understanding of their operations, review their character and abilities and also advise on the best manners through which they can improve in their roles. Salary and the compensation package is however much lower as compared to the C.E.O and the C.O.O. Averagely, a yearly salary stands at

Stop-and-Search Rights Unveiled Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stop-and-Search Rights Unveiled - Essay Example Merseyside Police Authority says the decrease compared to the previous year is reflective of the fact that stop and search powers are used more selectively and consistently in line with force policy. The arrest rate rose from 10.9% to 14.6%. Publication Information: Article Title: Stop-and-Search Rights Unveiled; Officers Can Be Asked for Written Record. Newspaper Title: Daily Post. Publication Date: March 22, 2005. Page Number: 2. COPYRIGHT 2005 MGN Ltd.; COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group He also aims to increase the current 33 policemen and women from ethnic minorities in a force of 2,973 officers, at the same time as working with multicultural communities of Cardiff and Swansea to the valleys of south Wales. Here he tells the Welsh Mirror of the challenges facing him in his new job.I'm very excited. It's something new for myself and also for the force. I've enjoyed working with the police when I was director of the rural race equality project in the south-west of England. They will have needs which are unique to those living in rural communities. The approach in the country will have to be different because the issues in rural areas will be different to the ones in Cardiff and Swansea. Publication Information: Article Title: My Fight to Bring Equality and Race Harmony to ... There were a total of 47,106 stop and searches on Merseyside between April 2002 and March 2003. Stops started being recorded in Sefton under the new guidelines, known as Recommendation 61, on April 1, 2003. There were 19,601 stop and searches recorded between April 2003 and March 2004. Merseyside Police Authority says the decrease compared to the previous year is reflective of the fact that stop and search powers are used more selectively and consistently in line with force policy. The arrest rate rose from 10.9% to 14.6%. The new system will mean some extra costs, as yet undisclosed for Merseyside Police -1- Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com Publication Information: Article Title: Stop-and-Search Rights Unveiled; Officers Can Be Asked for Written Record. Newspaper Title: Daily Post. Publication Date: March 22, 2005. Page Number: 2. COPYRIGHT 2005 MGN Ltd.; COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group My Fight to Bring Equality and Race Harmony to Wales; UNIQUE ROLE FOR NEW MAN. by Nick Servini WALES'S biggest police force has named Mohammed Dhalech as its new race advisor - the only one outside London's Metropolitan Police. South Wales Police is the first force to take the lead set by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report. Mohammed will deal with ethnic minorities - as well as help stamp out race within the force. His role is to give expert advice to Chief Constable Tony Burden and senior officers when they deal with race-related crimes. He also aims to increase the current 33 policemen and women from ethnic minorities in a force of 2,973 officers, at the same time as working with multicultural communities of Cardiff and Swansea to the valleys

Deregulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deregulation - Essay Example aeronautics board (CAB) regulated all airline services for flights without the states (but not within) controlling the fares, travel times and even routes. They attempted to control prices by lowering the short distance travels and raising those of a long distance. They were also obligated to ensure that the airlines got fairly good returns. The period of 40 years within which air transport was regulated saw a steady growth in the industry, in terms of people travelling, employees and even returns. However, the rigidity of the system was opposed by the consumers who were exploited as well as some airlines. The major reasons for deregulation were to offer room for competition and to increase the desirability of the system. After much deliberation and slowly, the deregulation campaign won by slowly and gradually stripping CAB of its powers until it was later dissolved. The whole campaign relied on competition to equalize prices, ensure effectiveness and offer efficiency. After some period of time, it was argued that the deregulation act was unconstitutional. The U.S court appealed that the employee rights were severed by the act and in a bid to ensure that there were no job losses due to deregulation, the employee protection program was instituted. It later was involved in making of guidelines to ensure that the same did not take

Political science as the discipline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political science as the discipline - Essay Example The present research has identified that in the inaugural term, the structure of governance in the United States is examined by exploring the Constitution and the fundamental idea of the separation of powers. Once this foundation is laid, students learn about the importance of elections particularly focusing on the Congressional elections, Presidential elections, the role of the Electoral College and the gerrymandering of Congressional districts. The class undertakes to provide an in-depth exploration of the interactions between Congress and the President specifically on issues around gridlock, public opinion, and the media. This essay discusses that having examined how laws are made in the first semester; the second semester begins by exploring how laws are carried out by the bureaucracy as well as how such laws may bring the federal government into conflict with state governments. The researcher states that attention is switched to the role of the judiciary, where the students exam ine the influence of the Supreme Court on the American political process with special attention devoted to issues surrounding civil liberties and civil rights. This paper illustrates that during this duration, the student’s time is mostly devoted to investigating foreign policy in the context of the current challenges confronting the United States, as well as long-term debates surrounding exceptionalism and declinism.

Traditions of Islam Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Traditions of Islam Faith - Essay Example In this way, a wider perspective can be achieved on what makes Islam a successful religion globally. Islam possesses a rich historical background. With this, one article presented various views on the origins of Islam: â€Å"secular perspective, according to Muslim community itself, and based from previous scripts† (â€Å"Origin of Islam - Quranic,† n.d.). In accordance with secular history, it disclosed that Islam started along the 7th century. It was created in Saudi Arabia by Muhammad in 610 A.D.--when he supposedly experienced a heavenly vision. On the other hand, the Muslims’ version asserts that Islam already existed prior to Muhammad’s angelic visitation and that even though this particular â€Å"prophet† dictates the Quran (their version of Holy Scripture); the said book was created first. Based on the scriptures, â€Å"Quran was given by God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad.† Hence, the prophet more or less served as an instrument in the realization of Islam as a holy faith. On scriptural perspectives, several quot es from the Bible confirmed Islam’s origins. On the Catholic’s Holy Bible, it stated that God promised Sarah a child, but because of the delay, Sarah offered Hagar (servant) the chance to lay with her husband—an act in hope of the servant conceiving. Ishmael was later born. In later part of the story, Sarah gave birth to the â€Å"promise child†--Isaac. Isaac was the ascendant of Jesus Christ while Ishmael was Muhammad’s forefathers† (â€Å"Origin of Islam - Quranic,† n.d.). In this sense, there is a valid affirmation of the religion as based on man’s written scripts. Part of Islam’s creation, then, is attributed to Muhammad. He â€Å"lived from 570 to 632 CE† (Robinson, 2007). Islam was first established in Mecca, while Muhammad was â€Å"meditating alone inside a cave in the hills above Mecca† (â€Å"Origin of Islam,† n.d.). After that incident, it was set

Deregulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deregulation - Essay Example aeronautics board (CAB) regulated all airline services for flights without the states (but not within) controlling the fares, travel times and even routes. They attempted to control prices by lowering the short distance travels and raising those of a long distance. They were also obligated to ensure that the airlines got fairly good returns. The period of 40 years within which air transport was regulated saw a steady growth in the industry, in terms of people travelling, employees and even returns. However, the rigidity of the system was opposed by the consumers who were exploited as well as some airlines. The major reasons for deregulation were to offer room for competition and to increase the desirability of the system. After much deliberation and slowly, the deregulation campaign won by slowly and gradually stripping CAB of its powers until it was later dissolved. The whole campaign relied on competition to equalize prices, ensure effectiveness and offer efficiency. After some period of time, it was argued that the deregulation act was unconstitutional. The U.S court appealed that the employee rights were severed by the act and in a bid to ensure that there were no job losses due to deregulation, the employee protection program was instituted. It later was involved in making of guidelines to ensure that the same did not take

Traditions of Islam Faith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Traditions of Islam Faith - Essay Example In this way, a wider perspective can be achieved on what makes Islam a successful religion globally. Islam possesses a rich historical background. With this, one article presented various views on the origins of Islam: â€Å"secular perspective, according to Muslim community itself, and based from previous scripts† (â€Å"Origin of Islam - Quranic,† n.d.). In accordance with secular history, it disclosed that Islam started along the 7th century. It was created in Saudi Arabia by Muhammad in 610 A.D.--when he supposedly experienced a heavenly vision. On the other hand, the Muslims’ version asserts that Islam already existed prior to Muhammad’s angelic visitation and that even though this particular â€Å"prophet† dictates the Quran (their version of Holy Scripture); the said book was created first. Based on the scriptures, â€Å"Quran was given by God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muhammad.† Hence, the prophet more or less served as an instrument in the realization of Islam as a holy faith. On scriptural perspectives, several quot es from the Bible confirmed Islam’s origins. On the Catholic’s Holy Bible, it stated that God promised Sarah a child, but because of the delay, Sarah offered Hagar (servant) the chance to lay with her husband—an act in hope of the servant conceiving. Ishmael was later born. In later part of the story, Sarah gave birth to the â€Å"promise child†--Isaac. Isaac was the ascendant of Jesus Christ while Ishmael was Muhammad’s forefathers† (â€Å"Origin of Islam - Quranic,† n.d.). In this sense, there is a valid affirmation of the religion as based on man’s written scripts. Part of Islam’s creation, then, is attributed to Muhammad. He â€Å"lived from 570 to 632 CE† (Robinson, 2007). Islam was first established in Mecca, while Muhammad was â€Å"meditating alone inside a cave in the hills above Mecca† (â€Å"Origin of Islam,† n.d.). After that incident, it was set

Capstone Project Essay Example for Free

Capstone Project Essay There is no more need to fight crowds, find a parking spot, and deal with traffic. The high street and mail order systems still have a place in the mix of purchase routes; however it is no longer the only method of making purchases. The Internet revolution has seen a massive increase in the long distance purchases made by consumers, as geographical barriers are no longer as important as they were. The lack of geographical importance has influenced the strategy of Internet companies. One of the first companies that took advantage of this was the online bookshop Amazon. om. Amazon. com is an organization that offers a broad range of services to consumers and is considered an online leader of pure-plays pure online merchants. Amazon. com was founded in July of 1995 with a mission to fully utilize the Internet to make book buying fast, easy, and all in all, a very enjoyable experience. They currently have 29 million customers in 160 different countries, making Amazon. com one of the leading online merchants. It is rated third in business-to-consumer online revenue as of June 20, 2000. Amazon. com represents the ideal e-Commerce company. It was one of the first to demonstrate the potential for virtual upstarts and turned the market on end even leading the bricks and mortar companies. Analyze the company’s mission and vision statements against the performance of the organization. Then, evaluate how well the company lives out its mission and vision statement. Provide support from the organization’s performance in your evaluation. Amazon’s company mission and vision statement is to continue to offer quality products and services using the best technology available and at a reasonable price. This results in highly loyal customers, while maintaining shareholders interest and company profits in mind. We also want to expand geographically, increasing the number of customers and to keep improving our main competitive advantage infrastructure. By working hard and having fun we seek to offer the best working environment to our employees, promoting career opportunities, and to increase our responsibility towards environment and the society. (www. amazon. com). In basing that off of the performance of the company it can be concluded that they are living out their mission statement. As more retail categories get added, the opportunity will only expand Assess how the organization’s strategic goals link to the company’s mission and vision. The strategic goals of Amazon. com are very simple they work off of six basic principles which are the freely proffers products and services, the use a customer friendly interface, the company scales easily from small to large, they exploit its affiliate’s products and resources, the use existing communication systems, and finally Amazon utilizes universal behaviors and mentalities (www. arketingplan. com). Most of the marketing the Amazon does is indirect marketing where you probably will not see allot of ads for the company on billboards or during the commercial breaks of televisions shows, the company uses allot of online ploys and has very good relations with other partners they use these strengths to market themselves to a great amount of people. This goes hand in hand with their mission statement and vision which is increasing the number of customers and to keep improving our main competitive advantage, since the majority of society uses the internet for all of the business needs, this will work to the advantage of Amazon as they can link up with several of their business partners and even provide links on those pages that will take a potential customer directly to the website. Amazon rarely uses the offline marketing process; they use the motto â€Å"Since most people shop online that is where they will be†. (www. arketingplan. com). Also Amazon has a convenient way for customers to make their purchase more effectively and efficiently which is part of the marketing strategy of them focusing on being customer friendly. Amazon uses a streamlined ordering process that applies the most advanced technology to allow the customers to better navigate and explore online. Amazon uses a one click option once you have everything that you need, you place them in your basket and you pay for everything all at once without having to do multiple orders which make it convenient for the customers. Analyze the company’s financial performance to determine the link between the company’s strategic goals, strategy, and its financial performance. Detail your findings. One of the main strategic goals that Amazon has set with the company is offer quality products that bring in profits that sentiment is identified in the mission and vision statement and over time this company has been able to maximize their profits and minimize their expenses through the North American market as well as the international market as well. The earnings statement shows that Amazon has found a way to have increased sales performance through both of their selling markets. The North America segment consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through North America-focused websites such as www. amazon. com and www. amazon. ca and include amounts earned from AWS. This segment includes export sales from www. amazon. com and www. amazon. ca. The International segment consists of amounts earned from retail sales of consumer products (including from sellers) and subscriptions through internationally focused locations.

Love Madness Phaedrus

Love Madness Phaedrus Love is Madness When analyzing the passage 244B of the Phaedrus, one can begin to see how love is madness but madness is not inherently evil because it can bring about good things. What is love exactly? What exactly is madness? How do we define them? Why do we call a person mad? These are questions to which answers can be sought through desperate search of Phaedrus. The Phaedrus is a historical dialogue between the two characters, Socrates and Phaedrus, about love. In this dialogue three distinctive speeches were given. The first speech was a speech presented by Phaedrus; the original speaker was a man named Lysias. He claimed that a man in love suffers from a kind of madness and you should not give yourself to one who is in love. The second and third speeches were spoken by Socrates as a sort of challenge given by Phaedrus. Phaedrus believed that Lysias speech was the best hed ever heard and that no man could recite a better argument. Socrates took the challenge and spoke the truth about love from his own perspective. The state of love is defined differently by different people and is often defined by platitudes. Love is a feeling of closeness to some people to others its a feeling of being there for a lover. For some, true love is where you would be willing to put your life on the line for another. Lets say that your true love falls off a bridge and he or she cant swim. Would you think twice about jumping in? Now lets suppose that you cant swim either the moment of choice between life and death would you still jump off that bridge? Would you risk your own life for your true love? Love has different connotations for other people you can only define what you think love is because the form of love is not clear for our understanding. Love is a desire for the beautiful things in life. There is no reason to love it is a madness you are responsible for who you fall in love with. Love is nurtured it doesnt exist at first sight it is grown from friendship. You can only prevent falling in love if you perceive the signs and avoid the love before it develops. Socrates describes love as an irrational desire that over comes the tendency toward right (238 B). Love usually just hits you and there is no one reason as to why you love that person its that persons smell , behavior, actions, the way they think, its a lot of things put together that cause a chemical reaction called love. Love doesnt exist without all the little day to day stuff. You cant expect something like it to appear over night either. Love doesnt exist until you forget who you are and concentrate on who you love. Love is not reasonable or logical. Not having a reason makes love a madness because as madness is lack of reason. It is a rash thoughtless beha vior. Socrates takes off from Lysias argument and says: It is not true this story that urges the beloved to accept the non-lover when he might have the lover, on the grounds that the former is sane, and the latter mad. It might be so if madness were straightforwardly an evil; but in fact the greatest of goods come to us through madness that is given though divine dispensation. For prophesy is a madness, and the prophetess at Delphi and the priestesses at Dodona when out of their senses have conferred great benefits on Greece (Phaedrus, 244 b) Madness is not just a state of mind or a psychiatric disorder; madness is lack of reason or a loss of control. Socrates distinguishes a few kinds of madness in the world, the divine and the common kinds. The divine kind of madness takes the reason away from the man and puts it in the hands of the gods. This Socrates says is one of the greatest benefits because it is mans inspiration. Art is one of the greatest examples of divine madness, another is prophesy. The best works of art were often created by pushing though madness and creating something out of chaos. Madness is not something you can help, its not about whether youre good or evil, and its what actions you take and your ability to make rational decisions. It varies from person to person. Mad people are not limited by anything because they do not have to follow the same rules; others expect them to be different. If all madness was evil then nothing would be new because it takes someone to think out of the box to create something original. Origin is the foundation of all things. Origin is only created by something that has existed before it so it makes sense that creation would be a naturally divine. People throughout history have been given this divine madness and out of it they have created wonderful things. One day someone might come up with the cure for cancer out of a short period of madness. All humans have some insanity inside us its just the matter of degrees. Lysias does not note the degrees of insanity instead he sums all insanity as evil. The human condition tends to lean toward what feels right and thus it takes no thought to the feelings of someone who is irrational. In the movie a beautiful mind, the character Nash made an important discovery that love can triumph over insanity (2001). What truly is logic? Who decides reason? My quest has taken me to the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional, and back. I have made the most important discovery of my career the most important discovery of my life. It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reason can be found. A Beautiful Mind takes the worlds perspective of madness and turns it upside down. John Forbes Nash was a mathematician who suffered from schizophrenia even through his madness his logical mind still worked. Sometimes because of his madness rather than in spite of it he developed solutions to common everyday problems. Nash is the kind of person who might find the cure for cancer even through the madness he was still able to give insight into things that a person without his mental illness would never be able to even understand much less solve. His madness did not mean that the logic was incorrect it just gave him edge that general public wouldnt have been able to figure out the general public had no trigger. In 1995 John Forbes Nash rationally conquered his schizophrenia but in doing so he faced a great price. The conquering of this illness caused him to lose part of his logical ability. In his autobiography, Nash said: So at the present time I seem to be thinking rationally again in the style that is characteristic of scientists. However this is not entirely a matter of joy as if someone returned from physical disability to good physical health. One aspect of this is that rationality of thought imposes a limit on a persons concept of his relation to the cosmos. This clearly shows that he believed in the new limitation. His reasoning and his wisdom were taken away when he was given a worldly sense and judgment. The ancient inventers of names did not consider madness (mania) a disgrace or reproach; otherwise they would not have woven into the noblest of arts, that which by which the future is foretold (Phaedrus, 244C). This analysis is important to the overall theme of the Phaedrus because it distinguishes both the aspects of love. Lysias may have had a good point but he only understood half of the true aspects of love and madness. He believed that one should do their best to steer clear of passion because passion leads to regret and the neglecting of personal lives. A friend would be the safer choice of the two because a friend does not fall into madness. He never withholds anything of his friend and doesnt fear telling him the truth to the face. Socrates believed that there was more to love then just madness and the negative aspects of love. Madness and love are still very confusing topics today especially with the recent war. The condition of being in love takes you out of your own reasoning and concentrates only on what the other is thinking and feeling. Love isnt something that is only between two people. Love is a madness of the heartand it takes no sides. True madness is found in all other types of love: it is in the love of money, for instance. It is also in the love of war as we see throughout history; human kind has always been at war. From ancient time to the wars of today, man has fought wars to prove his love, but his lack of reason causes him to kill the other man. It is this extreme love that causes Lysias to dismiss love as he does. All in all, madness, while perceived to be a bad thing in general, is not always necessarily so. Without madness, there could be no inspiration, no art, no beauty, love or humanity. Madness is love and love only comes out of madness. Works Cited Page John Nash (1995) Autobiography From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1994, Editor Tore Frà ¤ngsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1995 madness. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008.Merriam-Webster Online. 8 October 2008http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madness Much Madness Is Divinest Sense: Wisdom in Memoirs of Soul-Suffering. By: McEntyre, Marilyn Chandler, Christian Century, 00095281, 9/23/2008, Vol. 125, Issue 19

Price Test Triggers Outrage on Internet :: Essays Papers

Price Test Triggers Outrage on Internet Will dynamic pricing become the next trend in e-commerce? Maybe, to unsuspecting consumers, it already is. The Internet provides consumers with many shopping advantages including the ease and availability of shopping from home, and the benefit of easily comparing merchandise and prices at various online retail locations. Dynamic pricing is a process where retailers (in this case, online) adjust their pricing according to information directly related to the purchasing consumer, or the conditions around them. An example of dynamic pricing in the physical world might be the local coffee shop charging more for hot coffee in the wintertime. This seems rather harmless, does it not? In e-commerce this kind of price fixing is worrisome because of the type of information a web site developer can retrieve from, or add to a visitor's computer using a variety of programming tools. There are few laws or regulations governing the use of the Internet, or protecting consumers' privacy. This c reates a wide open door for online marketing schemes that take advantage of, or deceive the consumer. David Sheffield, or the Washington Post, writes that Amazon.com, one of the leading online retailers, has been implementing a questionable pricing test. Using advanced technology, Amazon was able to place an electronic tag into the computer systems of all their web site visitors. When a consumer visited their web site, it would look for that tag on the visitors system to see if the visitor is a new or existing customer. By knowing this, the site would know what prices to display. Though one would think the repeat customer would benefit from this by getting price breaks, it was actually just the opposite. Amazon.com was charging higher prices for returning customers! Bill Curry, spokesman for Amazon.com, is quoted as saying the price test "was done to determine consumers' responses to different discount levels." However, in an email exchange with a DVDTalk member, an Amazon customer service representative stated "I would first like to send along my most sincere apology for any confusion or frustration caused by our dynamic price test". Whether it was dynamic pricing, or not, the deeper issue of consumers' online privacy still remains. Amazon.com was able to perform this "price test" because of a lack of laws regulating e-commerce, and consumer privacy. There are only a few laws now pertaining directly to Internet related issues, and most of these are state laws, not national. Price Test Triggers Outrage on Internet :: Essays Papers Price Test Triggers Outrage on Internet Will dynamic pricing become the next trend in e-commerce? Maybe, to unsuspecting consumers, it already is. The Internet provides consumers with many shopping advantages including the ease and availability of shopping from home, and the benefit of easily comparing merchandise and prices at various online retail locations. Dynamic pricing is a process where retailers (in this case, online) adjust their pricing according to information directly related to the purchasing consumer, or the conditions around them. An example of dynamic pricing in the physical world might be the local coffee shop charging more for hot coffee in the wintertime. This seems rather harmless, does it not? In e-commerce this kind of price fixing is worrisome because of the type of information a web site developer can retrieve from, or add to a visitor's computer using a variety of programming tools. There are few laws or regulations governing the use of the Internet, or protecting consumers' privacy. This c reates a wide open door for online marketing schemes that take advantage of, or deceive the consumer. David Sheffield, or the Washington Post, writes that Amazon.com, one of the leading online retailers, has been implementing a questionable pricing test. Using advanced technology, Amazon was able to place an electronic tag into the computer systems of all their web site visitors. When a consumer visited their web site, it would look for that tag on the visitors system to see if the visitor is a new or existing customer. By knowing this, the site would know what prices to display. Though one would think the repeat customer would benefit from this by getting price breaks, it was actually just the opposite. Amazon.com was charging higher prices for returning customers! Bill Curry, spokesman for Amazon.com, is quoted as saying the price test "was done to determine consumers' responses to different discount levels." However, in an email exchange with a DVDTalk member, an Amazon customer service representative stated "I would first like to send along my most sincere apology for any confusion or frustration caused by our dynamic price test". Whether it was dynamic pricing, or not, the deeper issue of consumers' online privacy still remains. Amazon.com was able to perform this "price test" because of a lack of laws regulating e-commerce, and consumer privacy. There are only a few laws now pertaining directly to Internet related issues, and most of these are state laws, not national.

American Economy in Today’s World Essay -- essays papers

American Economy in Today’s World It is often wondered how the superpowers achieved their position of dominance. According to time magazine, to be a superpower, a nation needs to have a strong economy, an overpowering military, immense international political power, and related to this, a strong national ideology. Three of the articles that impacted me the most were: As U.S. economy slows down, Profits Rise in Pressure on U.S. Owned Factories in Mexico Border Zone, and last but not least Poverty in American. There is no doubt that the American economy has change dramatically since the 1860’s. The article, â€Å"U.S. Economy slows down; Europe is on the Upswing,† shows that Europe will catch up to the United States in no time. According to The New York Times, the unemployment rate for European Union drop from ten percent to 8.7 percent in less than ten years; that is a growth of 2.3 percent. European markets have become more open and competitive and European companies have follow many Americans practices to help deliver better performance. European governments are lowering taxes, at least modestly. Wage increases have slowed to a edge and labor markets have become more flexible, as companies evade traditional job protection rules by hiring part-time and temporary workers. Christ Rendu, who analyzes European economy; disagrees with the study done by The New York Time. According to Dr. Rendu European economy will never surpass American economy. In any event, Eu...

Understand the Impact of Gender and Culture

An abstract is a brief, comprehensive summary of the contents of a paper (American Psychological Association, 2001) that runs a maximum of 120 words. It should contain a synopsis of the points in the paper, but also be readable and well organized. To use this page of the template, simply delete this paragraph and start typing. The formatting should stay the same. Negative Effects of Reality TVÂ  In today’s society many television Reality Shows have been geared for total entertainment purposes only, unlike many shows of the past that displayed family values, ethics and morals. For instance, Reality Shows are supposed to be based on real life situations and experiences. Reality Shows are built upon showing and exposing human emotions. In this aspect reality television has successfully portrayed an image that many viewers can now relate to. In reality the characters of reality television are somewhat like celebrities. There is no doubt, that reality television provides viewers with such entertainment that does not exemplify family values. In fact, reality television has influenced our society in different ways by showing loud and rambunctious behavior. These types of shows exhibit plenty of profanity, sexual content, violence and drugs. In today’s age, nearly every home has at least one television, it is easy imagine how the idea of what is real and what is fiction can become misinterpreted. The cultivation theory essentially holds that television viewing is a primary factor in cultivating a particular culture’s beliefs about the everyday world (Infante, Rancer, & Womack, 1997). George Gerbner knew that television was becoming an important part of the average citizen’s life and suspected that it was quickly replacing the importance institutions like family, school, and church in the enculturation process (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). In 1973 PBS released the first reality television show: an unintentionally breathtaking series called An American Family. The show promoted a family, the Louds, who volunteered to let PBS film their lives for seven months. During the time the show was aired the Louds, faced marital breakup of the parents, Bill and Pat and the confession of their son Lance’s sexuality. Many American viewers enjoyed viewing this reality show, in spite of the family falling apart. Reference http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/cultivation.htm

Mulai Periyar Dam

Mullaperiyar Dam or Mullai Periyar Damis a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Kerala state of India. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu stateSupreme court judgment came in February 27 2006, allowing tamilnadu to raise the level of the dam to 152 feet after strengthening it. Responding to it, Mullaperiyar dam was declared an ‘endangered' scheduled dam by the Kerala GovernmentMullai Periyar Damafter a few minor ea rthquakes in 1979 in regions surrounding the dam, security issues were raised over its security. Since then, both the Kerala and TN governments have been at loggerheads over the security issue. Later, experts from Indian Institute of Technology also examined the dam, and mentioned that the dam will not withstand an earthquake. What does the TN government have to say about it?The TN government refutes allegations that age has withered the dam. There are arguments that if the world's oldest Kallanai dam (built in the second century AD) in Srirangam in Tiruchirapali district is still functional and continues to irrigate about 4,000 sqkm, why can't the Mullaperiyar be as well. So, where do the two governments stand?The Kerala government's contention is that in case the dam breaks, the three dams downstream — Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kolamavu – will not be able to withhold the pressure, which will put the lives of 3.5 million people in the state. On the other hand, the TN gov ernment maintains that if the Mullaperiyar is demolished, it will create water scarcity in five districts  of the state, leading to a draught in the region.

Network Server Administration Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Network Server Administration - Research Paper Example For instance, vulnerability is reported that may impose risks, bugs and errors, incompatibility issues etc. moreover, a news report of a new threat targeting user information may become a great challenge for organizations to sustain their business and customers. However, these news reports may lead to programming flaws and bad quality that may result in massive business losses. For a core banking application, errors, bugs or inadequate security measures cannot be ignored, as a single vulnerability may lead to a major threat for business. For this reason, integrating security in product lifecycle is the most important factor. As mentioned earlier, security breaches are now making headlines, as dependency on applications, mobile applications and online applications has sky rocketed. Users are now making complex online transactions from their cell phones and websites resulting in a rise of application threats. Consequently, there is a requirement of addressing security issues in an appl ication to a relatively high degree. Moreover, many organizations purchase applications from the vendor that all imposes inherent risks that are not known by that time. A recommended solution for addressing application security must be conducted during the feasibility study. Integration of security controls followed with a secure application development approach will ensure quality and security of an application. Furthermore, deciding recommended security controls in a feasibility study will justify the cost of implementing and integrating them within the application. Traditionally, organizations are not addressing application security during the software development life cycle. They conduct security audits by auditors with specialized tools (Edwards, 2006) and with partial resources, at the end of a finished product making the security isolated. If any issue arises during the security audit in end stages of a software development lifecycle, it is more time consuming and expensive t o address. Moreover, security auditors have their own criterion that is their primary objective. For instance, analyzing all risks are addressed or not, level of compliance by classifying vulnerabilities and controls for mitigating threats. All these issues are addressed before an official release of an application. Similarly, the development team has to ensure timely and cost effective development of the software modules and to make their name in the market first (Dave, 2011). Likewise, the audit report with a list of security vulnerabilities is submitted to the application development team for making any suitable changes (Dave, 2011). However, the report does not include any method or a hint of where these vulnerabilities exist. Developers on the other hand, launch the product as per schedule and therefore, security issues were not addressed. However, the best solution of addressing application security is in the software development life cycle, so that developers can rectify and remediate any security vulnerabilities through this process, as afterwards there is no time and the product launches without addressing security vulnerabilities that may result in major threats to organizations afterwards. 2 Implementing a Secure Domain Environment 2.1 Active Directory Implementation Active directory is an essential component which provides efficient and effective network administration. The first step is to prepare a domain. Active directory functions on the domain. The domain name for abc will be

POL DB 5 All Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

POL DB 5 All - Assignment Example The government, therefore, has a duty to protect its citizens from such crimes. The issue of crime is a national pandemic and cannot be overlooked. Therefore, the government creates an agenda to discuss it and find lasting solutions. There is the agenda of homicide and cyber-crime. Both have been robbing the country of either prominent people or lots of money. The policy formulation will include hefty penalties for anyone charged with a cyber-crime or a homicide. Actually, for a homicide, individuals could also receive a death sentence. For a cyber-crime, the individual will be required to pay up every cent to the last coin. The police on patrol will also increase and surveillances will be put in areas strategic, so as to identify the people carrying out different types of crimes. The policy evaluation will eventually be done to see how the two active policies are. The "government will then evaluate the facts on the ground and try to seal the loopholes" (Ãâ€"berg, Lundin and Thelander, 114). Thus, the system becomes more efficient. There are several needs that arise, and that require to be brought to the attention of the policymakers for them to review and make decisions. Crime is one such issue. One of the typical examples of crime is larceny and any such theft like robbery with violence and burglary. From the offense perspective, Plott states that "a rise in the practice of theft in a particular state may raise the alarm for the government to act on it" (25). It therefore, becomes an agenda in their list. There are different ways that to table this in parliament. The government may decide to look at the causes of the rise in such theft cases. What age is mostly involved in these acts? Why? Is it that the employment rate is high? The government then decides to focus on the "whys" to find a lasting solution. They then brainstorm on the possible causes. They are then able to draft a plan from their finding. For example, the paper

Urbanization in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Urbanization in China - Essay Example Urbanization of the middle class has significant effects on the economic development of the country. China, for instance, is one of the most populous countries in the world with many people living in urban areas. Most of the people in those urban areas are the learned, trading in various businesses. Taking advantage of the country’s first growing economy and modernization, the country has recorded a significant growth. There is a tentative exchange of ideas, which is an essential tool for development. Nevertheless, China has made use of urbanization to achieve modernization. On the other hand, modernization helps in developing urban centers (Commission on Growth and Development, 2008). Since the rise of modernization since the industrial revolution, there has been a shift of people to urban areas to work in the industries and open up new businesses. However not all the people go, but only the learned, skilled and experienced. This is mainly the middle-class group, leaving behi nd the old, young and the disabled (Barton et al., 2013). Although the country gained from this drift, it has continuously faced many challenges. Irrespective of the challenges, urbanization has done better than harm. Increased number of people in the urban cities creates markets for readily available products and services. Essentially, middle-class people are the average people whose consumption levels are significantly higher than the aged and the young. These people are active members of the consuming classes, with sufficient income to purchase the basic needs and spare some for other luxuries. This implies that this increase in consumer classes drives a drastic growth in demand for several goods and services to meet their rising demands. To balance this demand, businesses have to sprout up to supply the required products and services to satisfy the customers.

Deism as a Worldview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Deism as a Worldview - Essay Example divine revelations and holy books of revealed religion. Essentially, through the use of Reason, a belief in God is determined by the observation of the order and complexity found in nature and our own personal experiences of nature. The nature of God has been a point of contention for Deism because it has been defined as a religion that acknowledges a specific nature of God but in actuality it does not and leaves it up to the individual Deist to determine what they believe that nature to be. Overall, Deism is not a hard concept to understand as Deists use Reason and rational thought to develop their view on God, morals and life. [3] History : Deistic thinking has existed since ancient times (e.g., in philosophers such as Heraclitus and most especially Plato, who envisaged God as the Demiurge or 'craftsman') and in many cultures. The word Deism is generally used to refer to the movement toward natural theology or freethinking that occurred in 17th-century Europe, and specifically in Britain. Natural theology is a facet of the revolution in world view that occurred in Europe in the 17th century.[4] The 17th century saw a remarkable advance in scientific knowledge: the scientific revolution. The work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo destroyed the old notion that the earth was the center of the universe and showed that the universe was incredibly larger than ever imagined. These discoveries posed a serious challenge to biblical authority and to the religious authorities, Galileo's condemnation for heresy being an especially visible example. In consequence, the Bible came to be seen as authoritative on matters of faith and morals but no longer authoritative (or meant... Deistic thinking has existed since ancient times and in many cultures. The word Deism is generally used to refer to the movement toward natural theology or freethinking that occurred in 17th-century Europe, and specifically in Britain. Natural theology is a facet of the revolution in a worldview that occurred in Europe in the 17th century. The 17th century saw a remarkable advance in scientific knowledge: the scientific revolution. The work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo destroyed the old notion that the earth was the center of the universe and showed that the universe was incredibly larger than ever imagined. These discoveries posed a serious challenge to biblical authority and to the religious authorities, Galileo's condemnation for heresy being an especially visible example. In consequence, the Bible came to be seen as authoritative on matters of faith and morals but no longer authoritative (or meant to be) on matters of science. Isaac Newton's discovery of universal gravitati on explained the behavior both of objects here on earth and of objects in the heavens. It promoted a worldview in which the natural universe is controlled by laws of nature. This, in turn, suggested a theology in which God created the universe, set it in motion controlled by natural law, and retired from the scene. The new awareness of the explanatory power of universal natural law also produced a growing skepticism about such religious staples as miracles (i.e., violations of natural law) and about books, such as the Bible, that reported them.