Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Native American, West African, European societies Essay

Native American, West African, European societies - Essay Example At the same time, they were charged with the responsibility of protecting the family from external aggression. Further, it is noted that major decision makings in the family among the European societies were vested upon men. In fact, men played a major role in solving any disputes arising in the family. Likewise, men in West African society were also charged with the responsibility of fending for the family as they engaged in different economic activities such as hunting, and fishing. Just as with the European societies, men of West African society were perceived as family heads and provided protection from enemies, participated in decision makings, as well as ensuring that there is discipline in the family (Brown 27). On a similar note, the Native men also shared certain roles with their European and West African men. This was due to the fact that they also participated in fending food for the family through hunting, and in most cases worked outside their homes (Calloway 16). Simila rly, they acted as family heads in which they were charged with the responsibilities of making crucial decisions in the family, as well as playing defensive roles against their adversaries. Despite there being a number of similarities, the three societies also differed in terms of gender roles in that, in the European, and West African societies, men were considered very important and dominated their women as preserve of the society’s social order. In this regard, men in these two societies wielded power almost equal to that of a monarch. For instance, the ownership of land in European societies was left at the hands of men, while women only did so when their husbands are not around. This was not so among the Native Americans were women were given rights almost equal to those of their male counterparts (Richter 65). Women in the three societies also shared certain roles. For instance, in European societies, women were charged with the responsibility of gathering of greens, be rries and firewood. They also participated in planting, weeding and harvesting of food from the fields (Albers and Medicine 65). They also participated in the processing of beans and corn. In addition, women in European societies acted as caregivers, did the work of cooking for the family, slaughtering animals. Likewise, the West African women also were also charged with the responsibility of gathering food and firewood for the family. In this regard, they moved widely across the field gathering food for the family. Like European women, they also acted as caregivers in the family, cooked food. Research has also shown that Native women also did a lot of gathering food and firewood, the same way women of West Africa did. In addition, they were responsible for taking care of children and cooking for the family according to VanSledright (22). Nevertheless, the differences in the roles of women among the three societies emanates from the fact that women of Native America had more equal r ights as those of men, which is not the case among the European and West African societies. For instance, unlike in European and West African societies where women acted as caregivers, the Native women acted as givers of life while their husband were took care of the life. In addition, women also took part in major decision makings among the Native

Monday, October 28, 2019

Financial management Essay Example for Free

Financial management Essay Q1. What are the goals of financial management? Ans. Financial management means maximization of economic welfare of its shareholders. Maximization of economic welfare means maximization of wealth of its shareholders. Shareholder’s wealth maximization is reflected in the market value of the firm’s shares. Experts believe that, the goal of financial management is attained when it maximizes the market value of shares. There are two versions of the goals of financial management of the firm- Profit Maximization and Wealth Maximization. Profit maximization Profit maximization is based on the cardinal rule of efficiency. Its goal is to maximize the returns with the best output and price levels. A firm’s performance is evaluated in terms of profitability. Profit maximization is the traditional and narrow approach, which aims at maximizing the profit of the concern. Allocation of resources and investor’s perception of the company’s performance can be traced to the goal of profit maximization. Wealth maximization The term wealth means shareholder’s wealth or the wealth of the persons those who are involved in the business concern. Wealth maximization is those who are involved in the business concern. Wealth maximization is also known as value maximization or net present worth maximization. This objective is an universally accepted concept in the field of business. Wealth maximization is possible only when the company pursues policies that would increase the market value of shares of the company. It has been accepted by the finance managers as it overcomes the limitations of profit maximization. The following arguments are in support of the superiority of wealth maximization over profit maximization: * Wealth maximization is based on the concept of cash flows. Cash flows are a reality and not based on any subjective interpretation. On the other hand, profit maximization is based on any subjective interpretation. On the other hand, profit maximization is based on accounting profit and it also contains many subjective elements. * Wealth maximization considers time value of money. Time value of money translates cash flow occurring at different periods into a comparable value at zero period. In this process, the quality of cash flow is considered critical in all decisions as it incorporates the risk associated with the cash flow stream. It finally crystallizes into the rate of return that will motivate investors to part with their hard earned savings. Maximizing the wealth of the shareholders means net present value of the decisions implemented. Q2. Explain the factors affecting Financial Plan. Ans. To help your organization succeed, you should develop a plan that needs to be followed. This applies to starting the company, developing new product, creating a new department or any undertaking that affects the company’s future. There are several factors that affect planning in an organization. To create an efficient plan, you need to understand the factors involved in the planning process. Organizational planning is affected by many factors: Priorities In most companies, the priority is generating revenue, and this priority can sometimes interfere with the planning process of any project. When you start the planning process for any project, you need to assign each of the issues facing the company a priority rating. That priority rating will determine what issues will sidetrack you from the planning of your project, and which issues can wait until the process is complete. Company Resources Having an idea and developing a plan for your company can help your company to grow and succeed, but if the company does not have the resources to make the plan come together, it can stall progress. One of the first steps to any planning process should be an evaluation of the resources necessary to complete the project, compared to the resources the company has available. Some of the resources to consider are finances, personnel, space requirements, access to materials and vendor relationships. Forecasting A company constantly should be forecasting to help prepare for changes in the marketplace. Forecasting sales revenues, materials costs, personnel costs and overhead costs can help a company plan for upcoming projects. Without accurate forecasting, it can be difficult to tell if the plan has any chance of success, if the company has the capabilities to pull off the plan and if the plan will help to strengthen the company’s standing within the industry. For example, if your forecasting for the cost of goods has changed due to a sudden increase in material costs, then that can affect elements of your product roll-out plan, including projected profit and the long-term commitment you might need to make to a supplier to try to get the lowest price possible. Contingency Planning To successfully plan, an organization needs to have a contingency plan in place. If the company has decided to pursue a new product line, there needs to be a part of the plan that addresses the possibility that the product line will fail. Q3. Explain the time value of money. Ans. Money has time value. A rupee today is more valuable than a year hence. It is on this concept â€Å"the time value of money† is based. The recognition of the time value of money and risk is extremely vital in financial decision making. Most financial decisions such as the purchase of assets or procurement of funds, affect the firm’s cash flows in different time periods. For example, if a fixed asset is purchased, it will require an immediate cash outlay and will generate cash flows during many future periods. Similarly if the firm borrows funds from a bank or from any other source, it receives cash and commits an obligation to pay interest and repay principal in future periods. The firm may also raise funds by issuing equity shares. The firm’s cash balance will increase at the time shares are issued, but as the firm pays dividends in future, the outflow of cash will occur. Sound decision-making requires that the cash flows which a firm is expected to give up over period should be logically comparable. In fact, the absolute cash flows which differ in timing and risk are not directly comparable. Cash flows become logically comparable when they are appropriately adjusted for their differences in timing and risk. The recognition of the time value of money and risk is extremely vital in financial decision-making. If the timing and risk of cash flows is not considered, the firm may make decisions which may allow it to miss its objective of maximizing the owner’s welfare. The welfare of owners would be maximized when Net Present Value is created from making a financial decision. It is thus, time value concept which is important for financial decisions. Thus, we conclude that time value of money is central to the concept of finance. It recognizes that the value of money is different at different points a of time. Since money can be put to productive use, its value is different depending upon when it is received or paid. In simpler terms, the value of a certain amount of money today is more valuable than its value tomorrow. It is not because of the uncertainty involved with time but purely on account of timing. The difference in the value of money today and tomorrow is referred as time value of money. Q6. What are the assumptions of MM approach? Ans. Modigliani Millar approach, popularly known as the MM approach is similar to the Net operating income approach. The MM approach favors the Net operating income approach and agrees with the fact that the cost of capital is independent of the degree of leverage and at any mix of debt-equity proportions. The significance of this MM approach is that it provides operational or behavioral justification for constant cost of capital at any degree of leverage. Whereas, the net operating income approach does not provide operational justification for independence of the companys cost of capital. Basic Propositions of MM approach: 1. At any degree of leverage, the companys overall cost of capital (ko) and the Value of the firm (V) remains constant. This means that it is independent of the capital structure. The total value can be obtained by capitalizing the operating earnings stream that is expected in future, discounted at an appropriate discount rate suitable for the risk undertaken. 2. The cost of capital (ke) equals the capitalization rate of a pure equity stream and a premium for financial risk. This is equal to the difference between the pure equity capitalization rate and ki times the debt-equity ratio. 3. The minimum cut-off rate for the purpose of capital investments is fully independent of the way in which a project is financed. Assumptions of MM approach: 1. Capital markets are perfect. 2. All investors have the same expectation of the companys net operating income for the purpose of evaluating the value of the firm. 3. Within similar operating environments, the business risk is equal among all firms. 4. 100% dividend payout ratio. 5. An assumption of no taxes was there earlier, which has been removed. Limitations of MM hypothesis: 1. Investors would find the personal leverage inconvenient. 2. The risk perception of corporate and personal leverage may be different. 3. Arbitrage process cannot be smooth due the institutional restrictions. 4. Arbitrage process would also be affected by the transaction costs. 5. The corporate leverage and personal leverage are not perfect substitutes. 6. Corporate taxes do exist. However, the assumption of no taxes has been removed later.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Jay Gatsby’s character encompasses a lot of characteristics at once :: English Literature:

Jay Gatsby’s character encompasses a lot of characteristics at once Great Gatsby -ambitious? Jay Gatsby’s character encompasses a lot of characteristics at once, making him one of the most diverse characters in the book. As we move deeper and deeper into the novel, we discover that we can narrow down Gatsby’s characteristics down to a few adjectives. One of the main adjectives that can be written onto Jay Gatsby is ambitious. We can say to a very large extent that Gatsby’s character is very ambitious. There are several different occasions that can support things argument. For instance, why does Gatsby throw all his lavish parties? He throws them in order to seduce and get Daisy’s attention. This is directly related to his ambition for getting Daisy, since he never gives up his naà ¯ve view on his love for Daisy. He has thrown so many parties that it is now a custom for everyone to book â€Å"Gatsby’s mansion† on their Saturday’s in their calendars. He never surrenders and feels hopeless over Daisy, yet instead he strives harder and harder as the days go by to seduce her. This is a solid proof of his ambition for love. He has such a strong willed heart that he will never let go of it until the day he dies; which is what happens. In addition he never realized that maybe he can’t ever have Daisy, but of course his ambition has worked too hard to give up when he’s tried for so long. Another great example of his ambition is his business and his striving to become a permanent member of the upper-class. For years he has tried to do great business with Wolfshiem, to get into the right deals, in order to enhance his wealth and set up his position in West Egg. He isn’t a part of the established wealth however through buying his way into everything, especially the social life and Daisy’s heart; he thinks he can be a part of the East Egg lifestyle.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Helicopter

hHelicopter Definition: A helicopter (or chopper, helo or whirlybird) is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft would usually not be able to take off or land.The capability to hover efficiently for extended periods of time allows a helicopter to accomplish tasks that fixed-wing aircraft and other forms of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft cannot perform. The word helicopter is adapted from the French helicoptere, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix/helik- ( ) = â€Å"twisted, curved† and pteron ( ) = â€Å"wing†. Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936.Some heli copters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built. Though most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration. Tandem rotor helicopters are also in widespread use, due to their better payload capacity. Quad rotor helicopters and other types of multicomputer have been developed for specialized applications. UsesDue to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as the aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has been chosen to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation of people and ca rgo, military uses, construction, firefighting, search and rescue, tourism, medical transport, and aerial observation, among others.Sikorsky S-64 Sky crane lifting a prefab house Sikorsky S-76C+ air ambulance Bell 205 dropping water on fire HH-65 Dolphin demonstrating hoist rescue capability AgustaWestland Apache attack helicopter A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings is called an aerial crane. Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain.Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit the building of roads. These operations are referred to as logline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load. The most grand-sca le single non-combat helicopter operation in history was the disaster management operation following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Hundreds of pilots were involved in airdrop and observation missions, making dozens of sorties a day for several months.Helitack is the use of helicopters to combat wild land fires. The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (or water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets. Helibuckets, such as the Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source.Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of the Bell 205 and the Erickson S-6 4 Aircrane helitanker. Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene, or cannot transport the patient to a medical facility in time. Helicopters are also used when a patient needs to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method for the safety of the patient.Air ambulance helicopters are equipped to provide medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as air ambulances is often referred to as MEDEVAC and patients are referred to as being â€Å"airlifted†, or â€Å"medevaced†. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night purs uits.Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns. Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where the lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as Air Assault. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are being developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties.Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for anti-submarine warfare, since they can operate from small ships. Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located out to sea or in remote locations. The speed over boats makes the high operating cost of helicopters cost effective to ensure that oil platforms continue to flow. Various companies specialize in this type of operation. Other uses of helicopters include, but are not limited to: * Aerial photography * Motion picture photography Electronic news gathering * Reflection seismology * Search and Rescue * Tourism or recreation * Transport Design features Parts and functions The simple rotor of a Robinson R22 Robinson R44 rotor head The simple rotor of a  Robinson R22  showing (from the top): * The following are driven by the link rods from the rotating part of the  swash plate. * Pitch hinges, allowing the blades to twist about the axis extending from blade root to blade tip. * Teeter hinge, allowing one blade to rise vertically while the other falls vertically.This motion occurs whenever translational relative wind is present, or in response to a cyclic control input. * Scissor link and counterweight, carries the main shaft rotation down to the upper swash plate * Rubber covers protect moving and stationary shafts * Swash plates, transmitting cyclic and collective pitch to th e blades (the top one rotates) * Three non-rotating control rods transmit pitch information to the lower swash plate * Main mast leading down to main  gearbox Safety Limitations HAL Dhruv  performing aerobatics during the  Royal International Air Tattoo  in 2008.Royal Australian Navy  Squirrelhelicopters during a display at the 2008 Melbourne Grand Prix The main limitation of the helicopter is its low speed. There are several reasons a helicopter cannot fly as fast as a fixed-wing aircraft. When the helicopter is hovering, the outer tips of the rotor travel at a speed determined by the length of the blade and the RPM. In a moving helicopter, however, the speed of the blades relative to the air depends on the speed of the helicopter as well as on their rotational velocity. The airspeed of the advancing rotor blade is much higher than that of the helicopter itself.It is possible for this blade to exceed the  speed of sound, and thus produce vastly increased drag and vibrat ion. Because the advancing blade has higher airspeed than the retreating blade and generates a  dissymmetry of lift, rotor blades are designed to â€Å"flap†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ lift and twist in such a way that the advancing blade flaps up and develops a smaller angle of attack. Conversely, the retreating blade flaps down, develops a higher angle of attack, and generates more lift. At high speeds, the force on the rotors is such that they â€Å"flap† excessively and the retreating blade can reach too high an angle and stall.For this reason, the maximum safe forward airspeed of a helicopter is given a design rating called  VNE,  Velocity, Never Exceed. In addition it is possible for the helicopter to fly at an airspeed where an excessive amount of the retreating blade stalls, which results in high vibration, pitch -up, and roll into the retreating blade. During the closing years of the 20th century designers began working on  helicopter noise reduction. Urban communiti es have often expressed great dislike of noisy aircraft, and police and passenger helicopters can be unpopular.The redesigns followed the closure of some city heliports and government action to constrain flight paths in  national parks  and other places of natural beauty. Helicopters also vibrate; an unadjusted helicopter can easily vibrate so much that it will shake itself apart. To reduce vibration, all helicopters have rotor adjustments for height and weight. Blade height is adjusted by changing the pitch of the blade. Weight is adjusted by adding or removing weights on the rotor head and/or at the blade end caps. Most also have vibration dampers for height and pitch. Some also use mechanical feedback systems to sense and counter vibration.Usually the feedback system uses a mass as a â€Å"stable reference† and a linkage from the mass operates a flap to adjust the rotor's  angle of attack  to counter the vibration. Adjustment is difficult in part because measuremen t of the vibration is hard, usually requiring sophisticated accelerometers mounted throughout the airframe and gearboxes. The most common blade vibration adjustment measurement system is to use a stroboscopic flash lamp, and observe painted markings or coloured reflectors on the underside of the rotor blades. The traditional low-tech system is to mount coloured chalk on the rotor tips, and see how they mark a linen sheet.Gearbox vibration most often requires a gearbox overhaul or replacement. Gearbox or drive train vibrations can be extremely harmful to a pilot. The most severe being pain, numbness, loss of tactile discrimination and dexterity. ————————————————- ————————————————- ——————————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- ———————————————— ————————————————- —————â €”——————————- ————————————————- Helicopter Types Legend for â€Å"Category of Engines†: P – Piston Engine T -Turbine Engine NOTE:  This Chart is provided as a guide only. Manufacturer| Type Designator| Model| Number of Engines| Minimum Crew Requirement| Aerospatiale-SNIAS Sud Aviation (See Eurocopter)| -| See Eurocopter| -| -| Agusta| A109| Agusta A109A, A109E, A109C, A109S| 2T| 1| | A119| Agusta A119, A119MKII| 1T| 1| | A139| Agusta AB139| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR|Bell Helicopters| BH04| Iroquois (all model 204; 205; and CH-118; H-1 Series) 212S Eagle Single| 1T| 1| | BH06| Jet Ranger (all model 206; CH-136; H-58 series; Kiowa)| 1T| 1| | BH06T| Model 206 Twin| 2T| 1| | BH12| Bell 212 series (all CH135; H-1N series)| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | BH214| Bell 214 series (all models except 214ST)| 1T| 1| | BH22| Bell 222; 222B; 222U| 2T| 1| | BH23| Textron (Model 230)| 2T| 1| | BH41| Bell 412| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | BH47| Bell 47 series (all model 47 series; H-13; Ranger)| 1R| 1| | BH47T| Turbine powered BH47| 1T| 1| | BH407| Bell B407| 1T| 1| | BH427| Bell B427| 2T| 1| | B429| Bell 429| 2T| 1| BH430| Bell B430| 2T| 1| | BHST| Bell 214ST| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| Boeing (Vertol) Company Ltd. (new company name: Columbia Helicopters Inc. )| HV07| Labrador (all model 107; H-46; Seaknight)| 2T| 2| | HV34| Chinook (all model 114; H-47 series)| 2T| 2| | BV44| All model 42/44 (H-21 series)| 1P| 1| Brantly Helicopter Corp. HB42| HB-42| All model| 1R| 1| | HB43| All model 305| 1P| 1| Bristol| BR71| Sycamore 171| 1P| 1| Canadian Home Rotors Inc. | BABY| Safari (Baby Belle)| 1P| 1| Cessna Aircraft Co. | C1C| Skyhook (all models)| 1P| 1| Doman Helicopters Inc. | DM52| All model D-10B| 1T| 1| Eagle R&D| HELCY| Helicycle| 1T| 1|Eurocopter (Includes Aerospatiale-SNIAS Sud Aviation and Messerschmidt)   | EC20 | EC 120B| 1T| 1| | EC25| EC225 Super Puma| 2T| 2| | EC30| EC 130 B4 Astar (all models SA350 Series)| IT| 1| | EC35| EC 35| 2T| 1| | EC45| EC 145 / Bolkow-Blohm 117| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | EC55| EC 155B| 2T| 1| | MBK7| Bolkow-Blohm 117, EC 145| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | MBH5| MBB 105 (Messerschmidt -Bolkow-Blohm)| 2T| 1 VFR| | S313| Alouette II (SE313/3130)| 1T| 1| | S315| Alouette III Model 315| 1T| 1| | S316| Alouette III Model 316/3160| 1T| 1| | S318| Alouette II Model SA318| 1T| 1| | S319| Alouette III Model 319| 1T| 1| | S330| Puma all model SA330)| 2T| 1VFR 2 IFR| | S332| Super Puma (all model SA332)| 2T| 2| | S342| Gazelle (all model SA341 and 342)| 1T| 1| | S350| Astar (all model SA350 series)| 1T| 1| | S355| Twin Star (all model SA355 series)| 2T| 1| | S360| Dauphin (all model SA360 series)| 1T| 1| | S365| Dauphin (all model SA365 series)| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| Enstrom| EH28| Model F-28| 1P| 1| | EH48| Model 480| 1T| 1| Hiller Aircraft Division| HL11| All model FH-1100 (OH5A series)| 1T| 1 | | HL12| All model UH-12 series (H-23 series)| 1P| 1| | HL2T| Turbine powered HH12| 1T| 1| | HL36| All model 360 series| 1P| 1| Kaman Aerospace Corp. HK12| K-1200| 1T| 1| Kamov| KA32| Kamov KA32| 2T| 1| Mcdonnell-Douglas Helicopters (formerly Hughes)| HU30| All model 269/300 series and Schweizer Model 300C| 1P| 1| | HU50| All model 369/500 series| 1T| 1| | HU52| Model 520N| 1T| 1| | HU60| Model 600N| 1T| 1| | EXPL| All models MD900| 2T| 1| Messerschmidt (See Eurocopter)| -| See Eurocopter| -| -| Mosquito  | MOZY| Mosquito XE| 1P| 1| Revolution Helicopter| M500| Revolution Mini 500| 1P| 1| Robinson Helicopter Co. | RH22| Robinson 22| 1P| 1| | RH44| Robinson Model R44| 1P| 1| RotorWay| ROTO| Executive, Scorpion| 1P| 1| | ROTOT| JetExec, Exec90 R162F| 1T| 1|Schweizer| HU33| Models 269D and 330SP| 1T| 1| Sikorsky Aircraft Division| SK51| All model S-51 series| 1P| 1| | SK55| All model S-55 series| 1P| 1| | SK55T| Turbine powered S55| 1T| 1| | SK58| All model S-58 series| 1P| 1| | SK5 8T| Turbine powered S58| 2T| 1| | SK61| All model S-61 series (HSS-2; CH-124; H-3; Sea King)| 2T| 2| | SK62| All model S-62 series| 1T| 1| | SK64| All model S-64 series| 2T| 2| | SK76| All model S-76 series| 2T| 1 VFR 2 IFR| | SK92| All model S-92 series| 2T| 2| Vertical Aviation Technologies| S52| VAT Hummingbird| 1P| 1| Example of helicopter design: Helicopter Technical Drawing

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Impact of British Rule on India During 1857-1867

In Politics as in physical science, when one body impinges upon another the effect of the impact is determined not only by its force but also by its duration. The improbability becomes greater when we have regard to the highly developed and complex civilization with which the British came into contact. That civilization is an amalgam of two elements, one Hindu and one Muslim and at first sight the Islamic element might seem to offer the greater resistance to outside influence.The uncompromising character of Islam is obvious, and in consonance with it the Muslims in India for a considerable time resisted the impact of Western education, took but little to science or industry, and hardly allowed their beliefs or their way of life to be influenced by the newcomers. Hinduism, on the other hand, has protected itself throughout the centuries by its flexibility and its absorptive capacity. In the British period European thought has profoundly affected the Hindus, with their great sensitivit y to new ideas and spiritual influences.They have become steeped in the Western scientific spirit; they have so absorbed European political ideals as to forget their foreign origin; and they have allowed even their conception and understanding of their own history and philosophy to be transformed by Western learning. Nevertheless, modern India is essentially a Hindu country and during the latter half of the British period Hinduism itself, after centuries of stagnation, has experienced a mighty resurgence. Thus it is that independent India is today governed in the main, not by Westernized intellectuals, but by men who regard themselves first and foremost as Hindus.Both the main elements in Indian life and thought are in fact highly self-protective and it might therefore have been thought that the relatively brief impact of British rule would leave little permanent mark. Nevertheless, some of the evident effects of that rule have at least the appearance of permanence. In the first pla ce, a strong and ubiquitous Central Government, administering a uniform system of law with a high degree of efficiency, relentlessly imposed homogeneity unknown in Indian history.The Tamil, the Bengali, and the Gujarati for the first time obeyed the same law and observed the same forms in their dealings with authority; and in the process they were insensibly drawn closer together. Secondly, the introduction of English education brought the upper middle classes under the influence of Western thought at a time when nationalism was the most vital factor in the life of Europe, whilst at the same time the English language provided them with a common medium of communication.In the third place, the Press, which was called into being by British example and influence, furnished Indians with a means of voicing their political aspirations, and so developing a common consciousness and knowledge of their growing strength. In all these ways, British rule fostered the growth of national feeling an d built up a political unity not wholly dependent on the cohesive force provided by a strong foreign rule.The process was clearly not complete by 1947 or partition would not have been necessary and it is an interesting speculation as to whether, if the steps to self-government had been slower, a unitary government would have been possible. The process of unification has not been wholly advantageous, for the development of a strong Central Government has undermined those village institutions in which the political genius of India was most truly displayed.The villages of ancient and mediaeval India were to a great extent self-governing and the forms of democracy which operated in them were perhaps more vital than those which have been so laboriously imposed on India in modern times. The community settled its affairs by common consent and looked for no interference from outside as long as the revenue due to the ruler was paid. Civic consciousness was strong, and the way of life in rura l India was gracious.Despite the protests of the wisest administrators, the East India Company steadily destroyed the political importance of the villages, and few things in British rule are more pathetic than the attempts, during the last seventy years, to re-create village institutions. It is only necessary to study the working of a modern District or Union Board, for example in Bengal, to realize how much India has lost by the over-centralization of authority. This loss must in fairness be set against the gain, which has resulted from political unity.Although it is in the political sphere that the influence of British thought has been most spectacular, equally important has been the impact of Western science. India at an early stage made great contributions to scientific knowledge, but in the Middle Ages her intellectual life became stagnant and few signs of a true spirit of enquiry appeared. Nor did she experience anything even remotely comparable to that great revolution in ide as, which was brought about in Europe by such men as Galileo, Newton and Descartes. Except to a limited extent in the field of astronomy, scientific learning was rare and the scientific spirit non-existent.Thanks partly to Macaulay's own vehemence, English became the medium of instruction, and through that medium, by the end of the century, the scientific spirit had been rekindled. The change has not been wholly for the better, for it has given a materialistic twist to Indian thought and has introduced a worship of wealth, which was not present in the India of the Vedas or the Epics. On the other hand, intellectual India has received a new dynamic impulse and has become once again creative. For good or for ill, Western scientific thought has conditioned the Indian approach to all the problems of life, whether practical or speculative.The degree of conditioning, however, has not been uniform in all directions, and one of our most difficult problems is to determine how far Western inf luence has affected religious sentiment and philosophy. It may be said at once that Islam has been singularly unaffected and our question thus need only be considered in relation to Hinduism. British influence has reacted on Hinduism by leading a small but important section of highly educated Indians to abandon their traditional Hindu thought and feeling and to adopt a Western outlook on life and philosophy.A second effect of British influence was the growth of re-formed sects such as the Brahmo Samaj, which aimed at a synthesis of the best in Hinduism and Christianity. They were of considerable importance in the nineteenth century, but, like the thoroughgoing occidentalists, they faded into the background in the twentieth century. Thus, without in the least intending to do so, the British revivified Hinduism after its long period of stagnation and uncertainty. In the villages and smaller towns Hinduism remains strongly entrenched, but in the north of India there are, nevertheless, some signs of change.Here and there are groups of men who reject the old taboos on intercaste dining; while the respect paid to men of higher caste is not so profound or so universal as of old. Villagers no longer gather so frequently round the feet of the village pundits to hear the recitation of the great epics in which their traditions are enshrined. These signs must be neither exaggerated nor ignored. They do not indicate rapid or revolutionary change, but they do mean that life and thought in the villages is no longer static.Outside events and trends of thought press more closely upon the Indian villager today than ever before and they are unlikely to leave his beliefs and customs unchanged. Until the direction of the change becomes clear, no real assessment of British influence on Hinduism will be possible, but in the meantime it must be recognized that the intrusion of the outside world into the villages is the direct result of British rule. References Ainslie Thomas Embree , 1962. â€Å"Charles Grant and British Rule in India† George Allen & Unwin: London. Anindyo Roy, 2005. â€Å"Civility and Empire: Literature and Culture in British India, 1822-1922† Routledge.New York. Jeffrey M. Diamond, 2004. â€Å" Imperial Fault Lines: Christianity and Colonial Power in India, 1818-1940. † The Journal of the American Oriental Society. Volume: 124. Issue: 2. Page Number: 383+. Martin Deming Lewis (Ed. ), 1962. â€Å"British in India: Imperialism or Trusteeship? † D. C. Heath. : Boston. Reginald Coupland, 1945. â€Å": India: A Re-Statement† Oxford University Press: London; New York. Robert Carr, 2005. â€Å"Concession & Repression: British Rule in India 1857-1919 Robert Carr Assesses the Nature of British Rule in India during a Key, Transitional Phase. † History Review. Issue: 52. Page Number: 28+

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Womans Bible and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Genesis

The Woman's Bible and Elizabeth Cady Stanton on Genesis In 1895, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of other women published The Womans Bible. In 1888, the Church of England published its Revised Version of the Bible, the first major revision in English since the Authorized Version of 1611, better known as the King James Bible. Dissatisfied with the translation and with the failure of the committee to consult with or include Biblical scholar Julia Smith, the reviewing committee published their comments on the Bible. Their intent was to highlight the small part of the Bible that focused on women, as well as to correct Biblical interpretation which they believed was biased unfairly against women. The committee did not consist of trained Biblical scholars, but rather interested women who took both Biblical study and womens rights seriously. Their individual commentaries, usually a few paragraphs about a group of related verses, were published though they did not always agree with one another, nor did they write with the same level of scholarship or writing skill. The commentary is less valuable as strictly academic Biblical scholarship, but far more valuable as it reflected the thought of many women (and men) of the time towards religion and the Bible. It probably goes without saying that the book met with considerable criticism for its liberal view on the Bible. An Excerpt Heres one small excerpt from The Womans Bible. [from: The Womans Bible, 1895/1898, Chapter II: Comments on Genesis, pp. 20-21.] As the account of the creation in the first chapter is in harmony with science, common sense, and the experience of mankind in natural laws, the inquiry naturally arises, why should there be two contradictory accounts in the same book, of the same event? It is fair to infer that the second version, which is found in some form in the different religions of all nations, is a mere allegory, symbolizing some mysterious conception of a highly imaginative editor. The first account dignifies woman as an important factor in the creation, equal in power and glory with man. The second makes her a mere afterthought. The world in good running order without her. The only reason for her advent being the solitude of man. There is something sublime in bringing order out of chaos; light out of darkness; giving each planet its place in the solar system; oceans and lands their limits; wholly inconsistent with a petty surgical operation, to find material for the mother of the, race. It is on this allegory that all the enemies of women rest, their battering rams, to prove her. inferiority. Accepting the view that man was prior in the creation, some Scriptural writers say that as the woman was of the man, therefore, her position should be one of subjection. Grant it, then as the historical fact is reversed in our day, and the man is now of the woman, shall his place be one of subjection? The equal position declared in the first account must prove more satisfactory to both sexes; created alike in the image of God -The Heavenly Mother and Father. Thus, the Old Testament, in the beginning, proclaims the simultaneous creation of man and woman, the eternity and equality of sex; and the New Testament echoes back through the centuries the individual sovereignty of woman growing out of this natural fact. Paul, in speaking of equality as the very soul and essence of Christianity, said, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. With this recognition of the feminine element in the Godhead in the Old Testament, and this declaration of the equality of the sexes in the New, we may well wonder at the contemptible status woman occupies in the Christian Church of to-day. All the commentators and publicists writing on womans position, go through an immense amount of fine-spun metaphysical speculations, to prove her subordination in harmony with the Creators original design. It is evident that some wily writer, seeing the perfect equality of man and woman in the first chapter, felt it important for the dignity and dominion of man to effect womans subordination in some way. To do this a spirit of evil must be introduced, which at once proved itself stronger than the spirit of good, and mans supremacy was based on the downfall of all that had just been pronounced very good. This spirit of evil evidently existed before the supposed fall of man, hence woman was not the origin of sin as so often asserted. E. C. S.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Confidentiality within NHS psychological services

Confidentiality within NHS psychological services Free Online Research Papers It is an unfortunate occupational hazard that psychologists must face complex ethical dilemmas to which BPS and NHS guidance remains vague and/or fails to address (Barnett 2007). One area that remains particularly unclear is when, or even if, psychologists should breach confidentiality in the interest of the public good. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the moral uncertainty surrounding this domain, guidelines from regulatory bodies remain overly broad and delegate much of the decision making to the prerogative of the psychologist. With this in mind, these guidelines aim to assist NHS psychologists in making decisions regarding confidentiality by considering both NHS and BPS guidelines alongside current research and literature. Confidentiality is the ethical cornerstone of a psychologist’s duty, yet frequently it can also become an issue of uncertainty. This is reflected in the fact that amongst the complaints made to professional bodies each year, confidentiality breaches are by far the most commonly cited (Tribe Morissey 2005; Warburton 2005). Psychologists working in the NHS are currently accountable to both NHS and BPS ethical directives, which define confidentiality as â€Å"a duty of confidence arising when one person discloses information to another.† They advise that holding such information in confidence is both an ethical and legal obligation and that any breaches must be restricted to â€Å"professional purposes† (BPS 2009; Department of Health 2003). Confidentiality is an important ethical requirement for many reasons and is essential clinically because without it, psychologists struggle to build a trusting therapeutic relationship (Fulford 2001). Furthermore confidentiality is also a legal proviso; namely under the Data Protection Act (1998) and the Human Rights Act (1998). The NHS and the BPS do currently offer guidance on confidentiality and have procedures for sanctioning those contravening it. Within these guidelines both bodies acknowledge situations where it may be legally or ethically necessary to breach confidentiality, including when there is concern about the welfare/safety of a child and when there is an overriding public interest. Further, the BPS also advises that infractions of confidentiality may be necessary when clients themselves are at risk and both bodies advocate disclosure when court orders have been made (BPS 2009; Department of Health 2003). However, much of the literature reviewing these guidelines conce de that they are so broad that they leave too much to the prerogative of the psychologist and that from this ‘ethical dilemmas’ arise (Barnett 2007; Fisher 2008; Taylor Adelman 1998). The ethical dilemmas encountered by psychologists are broad; however one that is commonly cited is whether information should be disclosed in the face of significant public interest e.g. cases involving â€Å"murder, rape, treason, kidnapping or child abuse† (Department of Health 2003). However, due to the broad provisions within both BPS and NHS guidelines, deciding whether to breach confidentiality can be a difficult task. Often, professionals are concerned that they will either be sanctioned for disclosing information or face claims for negligence if they do not (Kaempf McSherry 2006). Therefore, these guidelines aim to advise psychologists in dealing with situations where public interest may outweigh the obligation to maintain confidentiality. Ethical guidelines for the disclosure of confidential information in the public interest: 1. Psychologists should be aware of the limitations to clients and their obligations to public interest. Psychologists should be prepared to do some â€Å"homework† on ethical guidelines, legal obligations and their own ethical position regarding confidentiality (Fisher 2008). The best solutions to a variety of foreseeable ethical dilemmas should also be considered in advance (Knapp et al. 2007). However, it is unrealistic to assume that all situations can be foreseen or prepared for and therefore psychologists should consider resources and peers they can consult with in case of a dilemma (Bennet et al. 1990). 2. Clients should be honestly and accurately informed of the limitations to confidentiality. It is ethical to inform patients of their right to confidentiality and it’s limitations before therapeutic engagement commences (Knapp VandeCreek 2001). However, this can potentially hinder the process of building trust and therefore it is advisable that psychologists develop a strategy to preserve the development of trust, standardise it and ask peers to review it (Taylor Adleman 1998). In situations where a client’s capacity is in question, psychologists should seek guidance before pursuing therapeutic engagement (Roberts 2002). 3. Psychologists should seek to obtain informed consent to disclose information in pre-agreed circumstances. Psychologists should also endeavour to obtain a client’s informed consent to disclose certain information in pre-agreed circumstances (Fisher 2008). These situations may include those that the psychologist has considered in their own preparations as well as any listed in NHS and BPS guidelines e.g. risk of harm to self or a third party. However such a process may hinder trust and therefore it may require careful discussion with some clients in order to reassure them (Taylor Adleman 1998). 4. Legal demands must be yielded to unless they can be legitimately contested. Pre-planning and self awareness may be extremely valuable in situations where psychologists are legally obliged to disclose confidential information (Fisher 2008). However, it is not possible to plan for every eventuality and in situations where the psychologist is ethically opposed to disclosure it is worth bearing in mind that court orders can be contested and there may be a case for â€Å"conscientious objection† (Knapp et al. 2007). Even so, if the final decision of the courts is that information must be disclosed; psychologists must do so as confidentiality is just one aspect of ethical practice and there is an ethical responsibility to protect public interest (Pope Vasquez 2007). 5. Psychologists should seek guidance from appropriate persons, regulatory bodies or organisations before making a disclosure. Whatever the conclusions reached in an ethical dilemma, it is imperative that psychologists consult with appropriate colleagues and/or take the issue to their manager/supervisor. When seeking guidance, psychologists should already have thought about their own position in the matter; the issues they would like to discuss and be prepared to document the consultation. Also, it is advisable to consider consulting with multiple individuals who will approach the dilemma from different perspectives (Corey et al 1998) and seek advice from a professional/colleague with experience in that particular area (Behnke 2007). To conclude, these guidelines set out to offer comprehensive, evidence-based guidance for psychologists facing ethical dilemmas in confidentiality – specifically whether to break confidentiality when there is an element of public interest. Five evidence based guidelines are proposed for such situations; however these guidelines cannot spell out the correct decision for every ethical dilemma and therefore clinical judgement remains an important aspect of ethical decision making. The impact of the limitations to confidentiality on the client-psychologist relationship has also been considered and it is concluded that despite the potential negative impact on trust, disclosure of information in some situations is necessary. However psychologists are advised to discuss the issue in an honest manner that helps to preserve the construction of trust between themselves and their client. It is also acknowledged that these guidelines are limited in that they cannot offer rigid, universal guidelines due to the area’s complexity; however, it would be unrealistic to expect any set of guidelines to be able to provide this. Therefore, these guidelines are successful in offering evidence-based guidance on ethical decision making in regards to confidentiality and pubic interest; however due to the complexity of the topic, they remain limited in certain respects. Research Papers on Confidentiality within NHS psychological servicesMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesOpen Architechture a white paperThree Concepts of PsychodynamicEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPETSTEL analysis of IndiaArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalThe Project Managment Office SystemInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Make Marbled and Scented Paper

How to Make Marbled and Scented Paper Its super-easy to make elegant marbled paper, which you can use for a variety of projects including gift wrap. What you may not know is you can scent your paper while you marble it. Paper Marbling Materials papershaving creamfood coloring or paintssilverwareshallow pan, large enough for your papersqueegee or paper towels You can use any paper for this project and will get slightly different effects depending on your selection. I used ordinary printer paper. You can use any shaving cream, too. I would probably aim for the least expensive brand you can find, but what I actually used was scented shaving gel. If you use peppermint-scented shaving cream then you can make paper that smells like candy canes. If you use floral scented shaving cream then your marbled paper will carry a subtle floral fragrance. The other material used in this project is pigment or ink. The blue/red/green box in the photo is wrapped with marbled paper colored using food coloring. The pink/orange/blue box is wrapped with marbled paper that was colored with tempera poster paints. You can use any pigment you like, so be creative! Make Marbled Paper Spread a thin layer of shaving cream in the bottom of the pan. I used a spoon, but you can use a knife or spatula or your fingers. All you need is a shallow coating.Dot the surface of the shaving cream with food coloring or paint or pigment or whatever colorant you are using.Use your imagination to pattern the colors. I simply ran the tines of a fork through the colors in a wavy fashion. Dont get too enthusiastic swirling your colors or else they will run together.Lay your paper on top of the colored layer in the pan. I smoothed the paper out over the shaving cream.Remove the paper and either squeegee off the shaving cream (wiping between passes) or wipe the shaving cream off with a dry paper towel. If you do this carefully, none of your colors will run or be distorted.Allow your paper to dry. If it curls, you can iron it flat using low heat. I didnt have any problem with printer paper distorting. The marbled paper will be smooth and slightly glossy. Neither the food colorings nor tempera paints transferred off of the paper once it was dry. Some people like to spray marbled paper with a fixative. I probably would not treat the paper if your goal is to make a scented and colored paper, since fixing the paper might mask the fragrance.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Preliminary Data Analysis and Reporting Plan-Qualitative Research Paper

Preliminary Data Analysis and Reporting Plan-Qualitative Method-submit a preliminary qualitative data analysis and repo - Research Paper Example Introduction According to agency theory, managers may have personal goals that compete with the goal of the institution or company they are running. Due to the imperfect labor and capital markets top managers seek to maximize their utility at the expense of the company. The need to expand rapidly and gain recognition among the top managers can lead to the manipulations (Bowie and Freeman, 1992) of accounts and give false reports to the boards of directors and the public. The managers also sometimes manipulate accounts for the sake of cushioning the company earnings. In order to hide corrupt deals in the company the managers are also engaged in the vice. In addition to the above, top managers are likely to manipulate the accounting to create false perceptions among the interested individuals and other firms in order to expand (Mohanram and Bartov, 2004). Research on earnings management estimate that 8-12% of companies with small pre-managed earnings decreases manipulate earnings to ac hieve earnings increases and 30-44 percent of companies with small pre-managed losses manage earnings to create positive perception (Barth and Taylor, 2010). Many managers have however engaged in financial reporting fraud instead of the legitimate earnings management (Beneish, 1999). Study design. ... In the institutional approach not all the managers are willing to give out the financial information of the company hence secondary information is necessary (Neuman, 2006). The advantages of this method of study are that it ensures specific information is obtained on the company the institution being studied. The approach also covers a given time in the lifespan of the selected institution hence it is easy to identify the manager in charge of the company or institution management at the time. In addition the approach permits in depth and detailed study of the selected category being studied (Patton, 2002). In this case I am going to analyze a case study of Tyco Company. Sampling technique The sampling method used in the research was the purposive sampling in which the institution being studied was singled out due to its past record and secondary information. To settle on the company earnings management various articles touching on the management of the company under the leadership of Dennis Kozlowski were reviewed. In addition to the articles, the information collected also contained the court proceedings and perceptions of various people including Kozlowski on the fraud he was charged with (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). Under the leadership of Dennis Kozlowski, who became CEO of Tyco in 1990, the company’s revenues expanded from $3.1 billion to almost $40 billion. Most of this growth was due to a series of acquisitions that took Tyco into a diverse range of unrelated businesses. Kozlowski was initially lauded in the business press as a great manager who bought undervalued assets and then enhanced their value by imposing tight financial controls at the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Programming the technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Programming the technology - Essay Example The availability of customers’ information at numerous sources initiated concerns about its privacy. Customers began to worry about the theft of their information and also about its usage for different purposes. There are many sources of data from where the security breach may initiate and privacy of the individual may be threatened. Kahn (2010) stated some of them, namely healthcare records, financial institutions, residence and postal records, business transactional data etc. The need of the hour is for the organizations to understand the meaning of privacy; it does not mean to stop the data collection process, rather it means to understand the boundaries and limitations by which the customer’s data should be used. Business organizations, health-care establishments, financial institutions need to ensure that the usage of the customers’ information complies with the terms that were communicated to the customer at the time of the data collection. Since otherwise, it is considered unethical and illegal (in some instances) to use the information for analytical purposes for the betterment of their business. There are an increasing number of instances of security breach around the world. Waters (2008) quoted a survey that constituted of 1000 companies; it was concluded that almost 90% of them allowed their employees to leave the office premises with confidential data on their USB devices. This is just one of the examples of how customer’s data is not protected in the hands of the organizations; another common happening in which the customer’s privacy is threatened is the theft of computers and laptops in which data is not encrypted. Few other techniques that go against the privacy rights of the customers are hacking, phishing, eavesdropping, intrusion etc. Waters (2008) also stated that security breaches cost UK billions of pounds every year. Some

The importance of family through crises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The importance of family through crises - Essay Example Her Graphic novel Persepolis brings out a clear picture of the revolutions that took place in Iran when she was young and how it had negative impact to the population. During the revolution the populations experienced inhuman treatment and torture from the shah regime. As a result, majority of the people lost their lives in their own mother land due to ruthless treatment and persecution that was the order of the day. The narrator of the novel is much interested in history of Iran and what might have led to the persistent wars and struggles. In this case she much concentrates on the revolutions and the main agents of the revolutions. At her tender age, she does not understand the reason why the Iranian women put on veil and the reason why her country does not permit the adoption of western cultures and ideas. This comes at a time whereby the government demands each and every female head should put on a veil as a sign of respect to the Islamic culture (Satrapi, 2007) The story depicts the character trait of people who surround her. For instance, her mother is portrayed as a good advocate for the rights of women and the guardian of the revolution. Through the crises she join strong forces to ban the forcefully imposition of women to put on veil. As an activist she clearly understands her rights and in this case she does not allow to be intimidated by the Islamic laws. Marjane father is portrayed as a caring father. He stands out as a strong contender of the freedom of individuals supporting his family all through. He respects the decisions made by her daughter and promotes her liberty. As the story continues we learn that even though Marjane father comes out to be liberal, she points out that he did not have much influence to her life. In this case she owns much to her uncle and her grandmother. Marjane grandmother is also a caring woman as depicted throughout in the novel. The novel depicts several crises that revolve around Iranian community. Throughout the cris es Marjane family is able to stand up and defend their rights. Her close relation with her parents created in her the ability to air out her voice in tough circumstances. Her ideas and concepts about religion are shaped up by her parents who even give her the freedom to freely participate in social activities with her friends. She attends a school where there is separation of sexes in the essence that girls and boys are not allowed to mingle freely as this is against the Islamic faith. Her parents turn out to be great supporters of liberty and education this is evidently seen when they send their daughter to go and study abroad even after she is expelled from her home school. They place much emphasizes on the importance of education throughout Marijane life, his further supports her idea of marriage even though he knew it was not going to work. In this case they give her liberty to make her own decision so as to learn from her own experience. The family in this concept comes out as a source of comfort and support throughout the life of the narrator. This support is very essential in the sense that it gives an individual the ability to know how to address and deal with conflict. The family has molded her in such a way that she can stand up and defend her rights. In the novel it is depicted that her values clash with the values of the society. For instance, she has a own rules, wears chains to school and even smoke all these are against Iranian religion and culture. Her

Thursday, October 17, 2019

History of Education events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Education events - Essay Example This had led to suggestions of gathering up all children and forcing them into schools. This history to a large extent influenced the American education system to grow to what it is today. Examining that history gives a glimpse of its achievements so far, and provides a view of the yet to be achieved goals. Among the aspects that influenced this growth include religion, technology, funding and technology, among others (Coulson, 1999). American education and religion Originally, education in America started as a religious affair in the early 1846. The Protestants began it with the sole purpose of teaching their followers on how to study God’s word. This was driven by the belief that every individual had a unique relationship with God. Hence, each person needed to interpret Gods word in their own way. To become closer to God, every individual had to be educated. This was seen in Massachusetts where compulsory schooling was put in place. Initially, Latin academies were put in pla ce later leading to grammar schools, then high schools. This eventually led to the existing system of elementary, middle and high schools. Religion can hence be argued to be the main origin of the American education system (Boers, 2007). Religion also influenced social empowerment and equality in the provision of education. This formed the basis of civil rights activism of the year 1964. It emphasized on the desegregation of schools and treating all men as equals. It also influenced efforts towards eradication of racism. This ensured education for all. American education and students with special needs (disabled and â€Å"gifted†) In the year 1975, education for all handicapped children act was passed into law. It required the provision of quality, fair and appropriate education to all students that were physically challenged. This was supported by the courts and eventually led to a large increase in special education classes. The role of the children with special needs in th e education system was hence appreciated. This is especially because many of these children are gifted in various fields and the education system would greatly help in tapping this resource. The challenge only remained in mainstreaming of children with special needs in schools (Shiber, 1999). American education and funding At around 1826, there was the ‘encouraging era’ whereby the government encouraged the establishment of school districts and went ahead to raise the tax revenues to support them. This trend entailed building government-run elementary schools in districts that agreed to own and operate those public schools. Those districts that did not agree to own such schools were allowed to use public funds to pay for the cost of students who came from the district but schooled in a private, parochial or religious school of their parents choice. This encouraged the development of early education as even those who lacked enough funds would benefit from such an arrange ment. Private investors in the education system would also be encouraged to put more investments in the provision of education The high school movement also had support at the grass root level of local cities and school systems. After the year 1916, the federal government involved itself in vocational education funding. Teacher training colleges were funded by states and religious bodies. These were often called the â€Å"normal schools†

Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work best for Bipolar I or Bipolar Research Proposal

Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work best for Bipolar I or Bipolar II Disorder - Research Proposal Example Other aspects that were found to be common among bipolar II patients include interpersonal conflicts, breakdown of families and instability in marriage (Marneros and Goodwin, 2005, p. 95). What a psychotherapist is supposed to realize is that, people who have a high risk of falling from grace are those with a bi-polar disorder. They are also most likely to get into problems because of failing to adhere to advice or due to the state of their moods. This may lead them into several behaviors that may be risky. It is however paramount for any given psychotherapist to realize that some patients may be required to fail for quite a while before learning from their mistakes and acquiring mastery. Therefore, important nuances for management are being able to leave the door open for the patient to come back at another stage or showing a certain level of leniency in the course of psychotherapy. This is suitable rather than doing away with psychotherapy to someone who seems not to be compliant ( Yatham, 2010, p. 350). Nonetheless, since a bipolar disorder may be progressive with the accumulation of episodes, and it may readily show response to interventions been done at a period early enough during the sickness, attempts to engage patients in treatment early enough are of paramount importance. Moreover, a set of problem strategies that are family based, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal have been detailed to apply to those who have the condition of bipolar II (Yatham, 2010, p. 350). Arguments have been put forth in support of the well being plans for patients with bipolar II disorder. The axiom ‘knowledge of power’ is the underlying one for the strategies. It is observed that the often-used strategies are ensuring enough sleep, being able to manage stress, being aware of early warning triggers and signs, taking suitable medication and seeking relevant professional support (Yatham, 2010, p. 350). It is therefore in the scope of this research to establish whether Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works well for Bipolar I or Bipolar II. Research Questions There are three research questions in this study: The first one is what is the comparison between bipolar I and bipolar II disorders; the second one is how does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy work for bipolar I and bipolar II; and lastly, between bipolar I and bipolar II disorder, which one appears to have Cognitive Behavioral Therapy working better for? Research Hypothesis The first hypothesis reveals that using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will lead to significant outcomes for the case of bipolar I than bipolar II. On the other hand, according to the null hypothesis, there will be no significant difference between the outcomes of using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in bipolar I and bipolar II. Basis and Purpose of the Research The basis of this research is to ensure that answers have been provided for the above hypotheses to the extent of the effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on bipolar I and bipolar II disorders. The research is particularly intended to find out whether Cognitive

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

History of Education events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Education events - Essay Example This had led to suggestions of gathering up all children and forcing them into schools. This history to a large extent influenced the American education system to grow to what it is today. Examining that history gives a glimpse of its achievements so far, and provides a view of the yet to be achieved goals. Among the aspects that influenced this growth include religion, technology, funding and technology, among others (Coulson, 1999). American education and religion Originally, education in America started as a religious affair in the early 1846. The Protestants began it with the sole purpose of teaching their followers on how to study God’s word. This was driven by the belief that every individual had a unique relationship with God. Hence, each person needed to interpret Gods word in their own way. To become closer to God, every individual had to be educated. This was seen in Massachusetts where compulsory schooling was put in place. Initially, Latin academies were put in pla ce later leading to grammar schools, then high schools. This eventually led to the existing system of elementary, middle and high schools. Religion can hence be argued to be the main origin of the American education system (Boers, 2007). Religion also influenced social empowerment and equality in the provision of education. This formed the basis of civil rights activism of the year 1964. It emphasized on the desegregation of schools and treating all men as equals. It also influenced efforts towards eradication of racism. This ensured education for all. American education and students with special needs (disabled and â€Å"gifted†) In the year 1975, education for all handicapped children act was passed into law. It required the provision of quality, fair and appropriate education to all students that were physically challenged. This was supported by the courts and eventually led to a large increase in special education classes. The role of the children with special needs in th e education system was hence appreciated. This is especially because many of these children are gifted in various fields and the education system would greatly help in tapping this resource. The challenge only remained in mainstreaming of children with special needs in schools (Shiber, 1999). American education and funding At around 1826, there was the ‘encouraging era’ whereby the government encouraged the establishment of school districts and went ahead to raise the tax revenues to support them. This trend entailed building government-run elementary schools in districts that agreed to own and operate those public schools. Those districts that did not agree to own such schools were allowed to use public funds to pay for the cost of students who came from the district but schooled in a private, parochial or religious school of their parents choice. This encouraged the development of early education as even those who lacked enough funds would benefit from such an arrange ment. Private investors in the education system would also be encouraged to put more investments in the provision of education The high school movement also had support at the grass root level of local cities and school systems. After the year 1916, the federal government involved itself in vocational education funding. Teacher training colleges were funded by states and religious bodies. These were often called the â€Å"normal schools†

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Legacy of Pierre Trudeau on National Unity Essay

The Legacy of Pierre Trudeau on National Unity - Essay Example Trudeau, who was appointed as the prime minister of Canada in 1968, was asked to resolve the above problem. The abilities of Trudeau as a prime minister have been strongly doubted; for certain people, Trudeau has been a unique leader establishing the national unity of Canada. For others, Trudeau had a key role in the elimination of the rights of Francophone communities to keep and promote their culture. The involvement of Trudeau in the promotion of national unity in Canada is explored in this paper. Reference is also made to the level at which the political choices of Trudeau were aligned or not with the rules of Canada’s constitution, a fact that is used in order to evaluate the success of Trudeau in promoting national unity in Canada. 2. Trudeau and National Unity The views of Trudeau in regard to national unity have been strongly affected by the social and political beliefs of his era. However, these beliefs are not necessarily identical, meaning that they can set differen t priorities in regard to the policies introduced in a particular country. In other words, political decisions can be often opposed to local social frameworks and concepts, such as ethnicity. The specific issue, which is highlighted in the study of Di Sciullo (2011) helps to understand the political choices of Trudeau, especially at the point that these choices affected Canada’s national unity. Trudeau used his position, as Canada’s prime minister in order to promote national unity. However, communities did not welcome his views due to the fact that they were opposed to local culture, as differentiated in English-speaking and French – speaking regions. The critical point where the conflict between Trudeau and the communities made clear was the following: in 1969, after a relevant initiative of Trudeau, Canada established the Official Languages Act 1969 (Di Sciullo 2011, p.30). In the context of the above Act equal rights were given to Francophones and Anglophone s in Canada. Still, the position of people belonging to these communities was not similar. English had a series of privileges, mostly because of their financial potentials, as for example: they could easier enter ‘high-paid managerial positions’ (Di Sciullo 2011, p.30) compared to Francophones. Trudeau believed that by promoting the 1969 Act he could enhance unity in Canada but his initiative had opposite results. Francophones, especially those living in the area of Quebec considered this Act as an effort of the government to secure the rights of English across Canada (Di Sciullo 2011, p.30). It should be noted that the reaction of Francophones to the 1969 varied according to the following term: the unilingual population of Quebec was quite opposing towards the new law (Di Sciullo 2011, p.30) but the minorities groups within the Francophone communities welcomed the law. Indeed, the 1969 Act offered to people across Canada the potential to access easier public services ( Di Sciullo 2011, p.30). In other words, the efforts of Trudeau to promote unity through initiating the establishment of the 1969 Act rather did not resulted to the expected outcome. Instead of promoting unity this Act increased conflicts between Francophone and Anglophone communities. Emphasis should be also given to the following fact: the 1969 Act was not aligned with the Constitution of Canada (Di Sciullo 2011). Many of this Act’

Illegal Immigration Speech Essay Example for Free

Illegal Immigration Speech Essay Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These words are engraved on the Statue of Liberty that was assembled in 1886. The statue was meant to be a beacon of hope for all immigrants that enter the U.S. Do we still agree with what those words say? I’m not against all of the immigrants who want to start a better life here by becoming legal citizens. I’m against the millions of illegal immigrants that come to the U. S. and cause trouble and make things harder for the legal immigrants that are already here. Illegal immigrants have long been a problem in the United States, and there have always been so many controversies about illegal immigration Today, I would like to inform you about the serious problems illegal immigration could cause. First, by giving you all the facts, and by explaining how illegal immigration, if continued, will affect our lives. Transition: I’ll start by telling you about some illegal immigration facts and its history. Body 1 Americans have always been realistic about illegal immigration, but if it continues at the rate it is, we will be in trouble. a The biggest issue is the fact that the U.S. is in the middle of another great wave of illegal immigration. b In 2000, the US Census Bureau puts the estimate of illegal immigrants at 8.7million. Since then, United States immigration officials have said the number has grown by as much as 500,000 a year. c If immigration continues at current levels, the nations population will increase from 301 million today to 468 million in 2060 a 167 million, or 56% increase. 2 Did you know that the country is spending massive amount of money on illegal immigrants each year? a According to illegalimmigrationstatistics.org Illegal immigrants costs the U.S. $130 billion each year b And each year we’re paying $1117 each year to support the illegal immigrants. 3 Illegal immigrants are a great danger to America. According to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, more than 50% of illegal immigrants that come to America break laws, steal, rape, murder, form and join gangs, sell drugs and engage in the trade of illegal weapons. a Statistics show that illegal immigrants cost the federal prison and court system over 1 billion dollars each year. b 95% of outstanding warrants for homicide in Los Angeles are for illegal immigrants Transition : Transition: If proper steps are taken to reduce illegal immigration, we will see a great  improvement in our society. 4 Most Americans know our basic laws regarding illegal immigration. It is illegal to enter the United States without permission. The first time an illegal immigrant is caught in the US it is a misdemeanor civil offense. This is because we want to be able to quickly return illegal aliens back to where they come from, when they are caught at the border without the rigors of a jury trial. a After the first offense, being caught a second time is a felony! b It is also against the law to overstay a visa issued by the US Government and illegal for an employer to knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Transition. With the government working together to reduce illegal immigration, we are bound to see improvement in our county. Conclusion If illegal immigration can be stopped, many people all over the country will receive benefits. a The U.S. will save money if we don’t have to spend it on care for illegal immigrants, and then the U.S can use that money for better causes, like more money for education. b The U.S. will become a safer place for us to live in, without the increased crime rates illegal immigrants caused. Transition: Now that you have a better understanding of the harms that illegal immigration causes, here are a few things you can do. 1. Read the paper and watch the news. New developments are occurring everyday in our society; know what is going on in the world around you. 2. Spread it out, talk to people about this, have discussions with them. 3. Register to vote. What’s the first thing you do when you turn 16? You go out and get your driver’s license. When you turn 18, make registering to vote your first priority. 4. I’ve explained to you the facts of immigration and how, if continued, will affect your life as an individual. So now that you are informed. Have a say in your future and stand up for what you believe in. It all has to do with how you want to live your life.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Harry Potter: Impact of the Books, Themes and Controversies

Harry Potter: Impact of the Books, Themes and Controversies Chapter II The Harry Potter Phenomenon 2.1 How did it start? The Harry Potter phenomenon started slowly, as we have seen Rowling had a lot of trouble trying to publish the book and 12 publishing houses turned her down but she had perseverance and she really believed in the books, in the story and kept on trying. The content of the books was so unique, so fantastic from anything else that it triggered a mass phenomenon. We can ask our selves: what becomes a phenomenon? First of all we need to understand the term ‘cultural phenomenon or ‘media phenomenon. A phenomenon is not an invention of the present, of the times we live in, but it has existed ever since a human collective conscience has existed. Someone found something useful and it was so good and necessary that everybody started using it. For example the invention of the telephone, or the computer, we may not think it this way but the invention of those things brought with them a whole phenomenon. I mean even if Alexander Graham Bell wouldnt have invented the telephone it would still be invented by someone else as it is a very useful and revolutionary device. People need this device and have needed it ever since the beginning of the world. The invention of TV or photo camera are things that the humans needed ever since they know it but couldnt materialized their desire. People would paint in caves things they liked, things they did, things they believed in, they had this desire to capture their everyday life and immortalize it somehow. As time passed people got more and more skilled in the art of painting and could reproduce the reality better and better; technology advanced as well and continued to pursue this ancient desire and now thank God we really managed to invent a device that can capture the reality exactly as it is. The camera is something so useful and needed by the humans that almost every human being posses at least one camera. Phones are equipped with cameras, with voice recording features, with internet etc. Why is that? Because we want to immortalize our experiences, we want to record special events and ordinary as well, we want to take pictures with the people that we love so we can keep them with us forever, we especially like to look back at our past and by having photos taken in the past we can really transport ourselves better. By taking pictures we can leave behind to our descendants proo f of our existence, of how we were, how we looked, what we liked etc. This was only one example of how a phenomenon takes place, how it starts. A phenomenon exists only when it is recognized by the masses. If only a few people, or some groups adhere to it then it is not really a phenomenon. A phenomenon is something that it is so useful, necessary and was needed by the humans for a long time but couldnt really achieve it and then when somebody finally gets to invent/create it, it is rapidly assimilated by everyone. What Graham Bell did was only to continue the collective dream of being able to speak with another person even when that person is not near. The ones that invented the camera followed on a collective, pre-historical dream that of reproducing the reality, the ones that invented the TV and the computer same thing. Now what J.K. Rowling did was to exploit our ancient desires to handle magic, to possess magic, to use magic, among many other features in her books but the magic is the one that triggered the phenomenon. When we look at the influences that her books have we find texts such as: British Folklore and mythology, The Bible, The Iliad, Mac Beth, Emma, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Sword in The Stone, A tale of two cities, etc. many of which have to deal with magic. Magic has always been present in the human consciousness, in the human imagination, what Rowling did is just to exploit these mythologies, these dreams, these manifestations of our imagination. What makes them still so captivating is that we cannot know for sure, even with all technology and knowledge of the physical world, that they dont exist. Magic will disappear from our minds only when we will possess the ultimate knowledge of this world, of how it works, of how it came to existence until then our minds will always fancy a round these aspects of an ‘alternate reality. The ‘alternate reality is the second main reason why The Harry Potter Phenomenon exists. The world that Rowling has created is so vast, so deep, so intense that it can be called an ‘alternate reality. Im not saying that one should really believe that magic exists and take a broom and jump of the roof with it hoping it will start flying, this is not what I mean when I say ‘alternate reality, it is an ‘alternate reality that is to be found when plunging into that world by reading. It is so vast and it has everything in it that you can easily forget about this world and be captivated by that world. Now why do we need to forget about this world and plunge into another, imaginary one? The answer is simple: this world is too ugly and boring, at least the society we live in. We are forced to go to school against our will, we are forced to obey orders by our parents, by our teachers, by the society. We are obliged to work if we want to survive, we have to make a lot o f concessions and all our dreams and ambitions are restrained by other people who laugh at as, by parents, by teachers and all these things really make us sick, we need to escape, we need to getaway from everything in order to not fall into a deep depression. What is the best and safest way to do so? It is to read a book. But not all the books have this feature or capability to help you do so, not all the books depict such wonderful things in such a wonderful way as to make you plunge into them. And here comes the true merit of J.K. Rowling because she really managed to do this. And it is not me that is saying it, actually I dont even have to say it Im not J.K. Rowlings lawyer; but the fact that her books have become a global phenomenon says it all. A phenomenon is something that comes at the right time and it is something that the humans always needed. From here comes the conclusion that we really need magic in our lives, that this society in which we live in is not so perfect and that we need to get away from it at least in our minds. Children come home from school completely exhausted from the many classes they had boring long classes, they come home also with a lot of homework to do as if the hours spent in school were not enough and what is there to do, to really get away from it all? To read a book, a good book, another world to escape to. The same thing with adults: they have lived all their lives constrained and restrained by the society now they continue to work for the society, each with his job and sometime it is just too much there must be something to help them get away from it all. Harry Potter is a Phenomenon because it has the power to fulfill this more or less conscious desire in our minds that of escape. Music has the same power, the same feature and maybe the same purpose. People normally sing about love, about what they dont have and wish to have, about other places etc. When we listen to a song we get transported to the world the singer is singing about or we resonate by having the same feelings, sufferings etc. That is what makes up a phenomenon the mass resonation of something that has always intrigued, haunted and followed us but we didnt know or have the power to express it. In J.K. Rowlings case, however, the success was not so instant and we could not talk about a phenomenon before the year 2000 when the forth book was released. She had local success with the release of the first book and second but the breakthrough did not come until U.S. discovered the books; then it started to become a cultural phenomenon. I said not before year 2000 and by that I mean that with the release of the forth book Harry Potter became a global phenomenon, the premieres of it were really huge all around the world and had widespread media coverage. I think one thing that helped a lot the Harry Potter books to become a phenomenon was the internet. The internet pages that were created by fans had tremendous effect in spreading the publicity. Of course the first and main way of publicity was word-of-mouth, literally people would talk to one another and recommend this fantastic book but the phenomenon wouldnt have started so fast if it wasnt for the internet. Televisions can broadcast some events regarding the books, or radio stations talking about them but what is more truthful than real reviews made by fans who have read the books and were so stunned by them that they felt the need to make websites dedicated to them? If the televisions and radio stations were just doing their jobs these people were doing it because they loved the books. So the ones that have the main credit for triggering the phenomenon are not by any means the media or paid publicity. Thats what a true phenomenon is, it doesnt need too much publicity, everything happens spontaneous and it will automatically have the support of everyone that came in contact with it. 2.2 The impact on the society The impact on society is huge and in almost every field: music, movies, entertainment park, clothing etc. therefore in this subchapter I will describe every aspect in which Harry Potter has left its traces in society. The Fan Sites: The oldest Harry Potter fan sites date around 1997-98. The sites are so sincere and clean that even J.K. Rowling admire them and occasionally awards the ones that are the best. The first site awarded by J.K. Rowling was ‘Immeritus a website devoted especially to Sirius Black. Then Rowling awarded ‘Godrics Hollow then ‘Mugglenet a very good fan site containing: news, pictures, interviews, excerpts from books, quotations, has a very good design and contains all in all everything you need to know about Harry Potter. Another fan site awarded by Rowling is ‘hp-lexicon.org an useful site containing facts about each one of the books, it contains answered questions about various things regarding the HP world and as the name says it, it is like a lexicon with a lot of useful information. ‘The Leaky Cauldron the website awarded by Rowling in 2005 has a very good design, works very well and is mainly focused on the HP news Rowling likes it very m uch and says it is her favorite. Rowling tries each year to award a site that does a good job in promoting and giving useful information about Harry Potter. At one time Warner Bros., the company that holds the rights of the Harry Potter trademark, tried to shut down all fan sites. This attempt was unsuccessful and the company later agreed that it is important that these websites continue to exist in order to keep the fans interested. Probably the company was feeling threatened by the popularity of those sites and wanted to have instead full popularity with their own dedicated site. Of course its all about money, they wanted to have all the revenues they could from every aspect involving HP and could not bear that others were making profit over their brand. The fan sites have indeed ads on their sites from which they get revenue but the money made is probably just enough to cover the expenses of maintaining the site online and its not about making a living out of it. Fan Fiction: refers to works made by fans involving characters, places, story of the original work. These fan works are normally not accepted by the authors and they are tolerated only as long as they are not published because that would be totally illegal as it would mean plagiarism. The Harry Potter books have a whole world of fan fiction works from the most innocent ones to real grotesque ones. There is a huge number of fan fiction works on the net more than a half a million and J.K. Rowling is not against these works but supports them. As we know Rowling is a huge supporter of imagination and believes it to be very important for mental health. There are many sites dedicated especially to HP fan fiction where users can read these works or upload their own creations. There is a fan fiction work called ‘The Shoebox Project to which many fans write and contribute to. It has over 20 ‘chapters and continues or tells ‘untold stories of the HP world. The fan fiction has also a more negative aspect which J.K. Rowling does not agree with. There are a lot of stories of the ‘slash fiction genre which are depicting sexual relationships between characters, relations that normally do not appear in the books and are not even suggested. Nobody can stop others from writing and uploading such stories and therefore there are a lot of websites dedicated to this ‘bad fiction. Role Playing: is a main component in any fan community and it couldnt be absent here. There is real life live action role play and internet based playing. Fans have come up with a so called ‘muggle quidditch which is similar to the quidditch game in the books but of course it is on the ground. The fans hold tournaments and give away prizes to the winners. There are also card games, puzzles and games of that kind invented for the fans. There is a vast internet based role playing community which puts up games related to the books, to Hogwarts, to the characters etc. Wizard rock: is a specific genre of music which emerged in 2000 with the music band ‘Harry and the Potters and has since gained a widespread interest so much that today there are over 700 bands belonging to this genre. The listeners are mostly HP fans and the lyrics are mostly based on the books. Harry Potter theme park: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the name of the HP theme park that had its opening 18 June 2010 in Orlando, Florida. It is a park having real life proportions where people can go and have fun eating the ‘Hogwarts specialties, visiting Diagon Alley, visiting Hogwarts, the different shops etc. It has roller coasters, tours in the castle and visitors encounter the ‘whomping willow, dementors, and witness a quidditch match. The investement costed 200 million dollars and the park was built on a huge space. The park has received very good reviews both from the fans and nonfans and good reviews from newspapers and specialized reviewers. They reviewed it as a unique experience which is very close to the experience of the books and the films. 2.3 The controversies Legal disputes: -The first problems J.K. Rowling had surrounding and involving her books is copyright infringement accusations. The American author Nancy Kathleen Stouffer had written two books in 1984 which (at least the title) resemble to some realities in the Harry Potter books: â€Å"The legend of Rah and the muggles† and â€Å"Larry Potter and his best friend Lily†. The word muggle is a word often used in the HP books and the names Potter(â€Å"and his best friend Lily†) and Lily have also a sounding importance in the books, Potter being Harrys last name and Lily the name of his mother. The resemblances go much further than being just some similarities between names as the word Muggle was used by N.K. Stouffer to refer to a humanoid species and Larry Potter is a dark haired boy wearing glasses very similar to Harry Potter. Other similarity found in N.K. Stouffers book is a castle by a lake resembling Rowlings Hogwarts. The interesting fact is that Stouffer never got to re ally publish the books, only parts of â€Å"The legend of Rah† in a booklet to a company which soon went bankruptcy preventing her to get her books published in or outside U.S. Rowling first went to U.S. in 1998, 1 year after her book was already published and 8 years after she got the inspiration to write these books. -A trial was started during which it was proven that Stouffer had manipulated her original work inserting the word muggle and other changes in her manuscript as to resemble the Harry Potter books. She was also found with false and untruthful testimony and was fined $50.000. She later tried to recourse but was refused by the court. -Other problems surrounding these books rose when Warner Bros. demanded all the fan sites to be closed because their respective owners (which were children, teenagers) had no right to use the trademark. Somehow this thing was settled after some scandals in the media and Warner Bros. started to make a difference between a commercial use of their trademark and the non-commercial use as it is in the case of the fan sites. -Unauthorized and fake copies of the books have been circulating in China. Apparently where it is success everyone tries to steal a little and be ‘part of the success. â€Å"Harry Potter and Bao Zoulong† is the name of a Chinese fake sequel of Harry Potter which came out in 2002 and was published and sold publicly. This book had in fact no connection with the HP books it was a translation of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien but with all the characters names changed to the ones from HP. The fake was rapidly denounced and Warner Bros. sued that publishing company which was fined to the extremely small sum of $3.400. -In India also one author tried to publish a book called: Harry Potter in Calcutta where Harry gets to meet various figures from the Indian culture. Warner Bros. reaction was prompt and made the author stop publishing the novel. -The attempt to stop copyright infringement was not so successful in the case of the Russian writer Dmitri Yemets who published a book called â€Å"Tanya Trotter and the Magical Double Bass† which intentionally resembles Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Warner Bros. tried to get the book out of publishing and succeeded in not having it published in English but the book was still sold in Netherlands, Belgium and Russia. This ‘copy of Harry Potter has sold over 3 million copies and has a relative success in Russia where the writer has written 12 more sequels. -A successful fan site which began its activity as a lexicon for the Harry Potter world wanted to get all the facts there published in book form which would therefore be illegal so Warner Bros. again had to defend the copyright infringement of their trademark. The case was much debated and judged and in the end it got a semi-positive result: they can publish the guide but under a name which suggests its nature: â€Å"The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials†. This was possible as the Court and law cannot restrict others to write about others works and that this should not represent in anyway a copyright infringement. -Another case which could have turned out bad for Warner Bros. was when the estate of Adrian Jacobs sued Bloomsbury for  £500 million stating that Rowling has plagiarized a scene from †The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: Livid Land NO 1† and used it in Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire. However in 6th January 2011 the lawsuit was dismissed because there were simply not enough resemblances between the two books. In fact Rowling hasnt even heard about that book and that author until 2004 when the charges were made (4 years after her book was published). This was in a way similar to Stouffers case where she accused Rowling for plagiarism. What happens in fact, in my opinion, is that it is impossible to write something completely ‘from another planet as to not resemble in anyway other works or to retell some ideas, you do that unconsciously and when you write 4000 pages of fiction it is impossible for many ideas there not to resemble others but that doesnt mean it i s a ‘direct plagiarism it is not even an indirect one it is purely a coincidence because the world cannot be so infinite so that everyone can invent something that has never been said. -Black mailing attempt which ended after a gun had been fired (yes were still talking about Harry Potter) is another issue in this world of copyright infringement business. A guard from a book distribution centre managed to steal a number of pages from the 5th book 6 weeks before its release and tried to sell them to a journalist from The Sun and/or try to black mail Bloomsbury. The appointment got serious when the guard fired his gun, luckily the journalist was not wounded but the guard got arrested. -Other accusations came from Asda a UK supermarket chain complaining that the books are too expensive and that they cost at least half more than what usually a bestseller for children would cost. I mean how stupid can such an affirmation be? First of all J.K. Rowling is not writing for children, she never intended to write for children if the books came out that way thats a different thing. How can you compare other childrens bestseller books to Harry Potter when each of the Harry Potter books broke all the records in matter of selling number, selling speed and stayed in newspapers bestselling lists for years? And another thing, how many pages does an HP book have and how many does a usual childrens book have? What sort of material and format has been used for the HP books and what material for other usual books? So, in my opinion, Bloomsbury did a right thing to cancel all the orders made by Asda (about 500.000 books) if they started to quarrel about the price ($30/book). Religious debates: Probably the main accusations brought to J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter books are from religious groups; many different religious groups have something to say against the HP books: Evangelicalism : The Evangelical Christian groups are targeting their accusations mainly at the themes of witchcraft and magic that the books are full of or exclusively about. They recognize the moral features of the books, the valuable lessons about courage, love etc. but they dont like the world in which all these take place. They say that pagan rituals and witchcraft are clearly denounced by the Bible. They say that the Potter books open a doorway that will put untold millions of kids into hell or are comparing the Harry Potter books to rat poison mixed with orange soda. Other Evangelical Christian newspapers portrayed Rowling as a Satanist and her story inspired by Satan, that she has sold her soul to the devil and received much wealth. They made a picture of 3 children sitting in a circle with a Satanist symbol in front of them and with Harry Potter books near them; they made it circulate among Christians as a â€Å"proof† on their views. Suggesting that reading Harry Potter makes you a Satanist: â€Å"Mrs. J. K. Satan-said that as she sat in a coffee shop one grey day, wondering what to do with her empty, aimless life, it hit her: Ill give myself, body and soul, to the Dark Master. And in return, he will give me absurd wealth and power over the weak and pitiful of the world. And he did!† Catholicism: Catholic leaders had no official position on Harry Potter in the beginning later however bad reviews started coming: It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly; Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil; â€Å"The books make a false distinction between black and white magic, while, in reality, the distinction does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil; Despite several positive values that can be found in the story, at the foundations of this tale is the proposal that of witchcraft as positive, the violent manipulation of things and people thanks to the knowledge of the occult, an advantage of a select few: the ends justify the means because the knowledgeable, the chosen ones, the intellectuals know how to control the dark powers and turn them into good This is a grave and deep lie, because it is the old Gnostic temptation of confusing salvation and truth with a secret knowledge. Orthodox: the Greek Orthodox Church denounced the books as Satanic: these books acquaint people with evil, wizardry, the occult and demonology; It is beyond doubt that Harry was made to resemble a young savior. Upon his birth people try to kill him, he is forever subjected to injustice but always supernaturally manages to prevail and save others. Let us reflect, who else is held to be the unjustly treated God?; Official liturgies were held to pray in order to heal the young minds from the attraction towards these books which dealt with ‘real magic and reading or reciting the spells found in the books was like praying to the devil and that the poor, innocent minds got possessed. A Russian orthodox writer defended the books saying that they contain moral, Christian values and that the books do not encourage to any pagan practices. This position was held by other orthodox priests as well. Anglicanism: Representatives of Anglicanism had mixed reactions, from forbidding the churches to be filmed as to not have any connection to Hogwarts and Harry Potter to praising the books and seeing the clear difference between imagination and reality: These sessions draw parallels between events in the world of Harry and his friends, and the world in which we are seeking to proclaim the gospel to young people [] To say, as some have, that these books draw younger readers towards the occult seems to me both to malign J. K. Rowling and to vastly underestimate the ability of children and young people to separate the real from the imaginary Islam: in 2002 the books were banned in schools in United Arab Emirates being labeled as un-Islamic, containing elements of fantasy and magic which are against Islamic values. In 2007, hours before the release of the final HP book the police force found and defused a bomb located near a shopping centre in Pakistan. However the police dont know for sure if the target was indeed the HP premiere or not. 6 days after this event a newspaper in Iran criticized the Iranian minister of culture for accepting the HP books in their country claiming that the publisher of HP is of Zionist origin. The newspaper further described the books as a Zionist project on which was spent billions of dollars. In 2009 a documentary on Iranian television about Harry Potter said: The creation of new stories, based on mythical themes of witchcraft and devil worship, has always been a tool used by contemporary Zionists, and it is once again used in recent years, now more visibly than ever, targeting innocent chil dren and youth. Judaism: in the Judaic community Harry Potter has received mainly favorable reviews: in a society in which adolescents are precociously adult, and adults are permanently adolescent, Harry Potter has reclaimed the kingdom of childhood, proving that you dont have to betray to enchant; the HP books are â€Å"a force for good†; etc. The only thing that angered the community was the setting of the premiere of the last book on a Sabbath day. Rowlings response to all these accusations: â€Å"I absolutely did not start writing these books to encourage any child into witchcraft. Im laughing slightly because to me, the idea is absurd. I have met thousands of children and not even one time has a child come up to me and said, Ms Rowling, Im so glad Ive read these books because now I want to be a witch.; People underestimate children so hugely, they know its fiction. When people are arguing from that kind of standpoint, I dont think reason works tremendously well. But I would be surprised if some of them had read the books at all. In U.S. many schools banned the reading or possessing of Harry Potter books because of the fear of the occultism the books may contain. The HP books are, according to American Library Association, the most challenged books of the 21th century. A solution for the banning problem which has been adopted is to let the parents of each child choose what books their children can read from the school libraries. However parents and paranoid people were still against the books: Its against my daughters constitution, its evil, its witchcraft Im not paying taxes to teach my child witchcraft. It is interesting how people can react like that when there is something which apparently touches their religious beliefs but when it is something like teaching 7 graders about sex there is nothing wrong about that or when their children stay all day in front of the computer or go out and never tell with whom they hang out. It is far more dangerous to stay inside and read a fantasy book than to do all those things right? Politics in Harry Potter: Education versus indoctrination Some say that after the 9/11 Rowlings books have abounded of ideas regarding freedom of speech, the dangers of dictatorship, about heroism and sacrifice. One odd thing indeed for me too is that after the books were released Rowling said in an interview, when asked, that Dumbledore was in fact gay and that she always saw him that way. The audience applauded and cheered but many scholars had a different reaction and probably many fans too were hurt by this disclosure. There was no sign in any book that Dumbledore was gay and now suddenly she ‘reveals his sexual orientation, she says: â€Å"I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. Dumbledore fell in love with Gellert Grindelwald, and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was falling in love can blind us to an extent he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him.†; It is what it is. He is my character and as my character, I have the right to know what I k now about him and say what I say about him. An American pro-activist organization, among others, said that Rowling is trying to indoctrinate young people to tolerate gays. Racism, ethnic cleansing and Nazism The books contain indeed these themes just look at the first one: Racism, is present from the first book when Harry finds out about the ‘muggle bloods and ‘pure bloods, the fight at Hogwarts between the two and the overall coverage of these aspects till the end of the series. Draco Malfoy especially is a promoter of the ‘pure blood and he doesnt lose a chance to remind the ‘muggles of their ‘filthy origins. Voldermort does only recruit pure bloods and wants to kill all muggle bloods, the founder of Slytherin wanted to cleanse the school of muggles and placed a huge snake in the basement used for killing muggles (in the second book). On the other hand the muggles, as if Rowling tries to defend them, are normally more skillful in magic than the pure blood wizards, they have a good sense of what is right and what is wrong, they are intelligent and moral. Has Rowling made all this on purpose, does it have any reference to the actual racism in the world? This is what she said in an interview: I do not think I am pessimistic but I think I am realistic about how much you can change deeply entrenched prejudice, so my feeling would be that if someone were a committed racist, possibly Harry Potter is not going to have an effect. And criticizing racism she said: People like to think themselves superior and that if they can pride themselves in nothing else they can pride themselves on perceived purity. Regarding Nazism she compared Voldermort to Adolf Hitler and said: Well, it is a political metaphor. But I didnt sit down and think, I want to recreate Nazi Germany, in the-in the wizarding world. Because-although there are-quite consciously overtones of Nazi Germany, there are also associations with other political situations. So I cant really single one out. Evils of war About this Rowling said: I very consciously wanted to show what is one of the great evils of war, which is that totally innocent people are slaughtered Another great evil of war is that children lose their families. Social activism Rowling has worked at the non-governmental organization Amnesty International which is fighting against the abuses on the human rights and this is somehow portrayed in the HP books through Hermione who tries to defend the rights of the abused house-elves and protect the magical creatures. Hermione is starting