The Reasons Why Some People Stay in Abusive Relationships despite the Research Paper

The Reasons Why Some People Stay in Abusive Relationships despite the Risks - Research Paper Example It is estimated that approximately 1.5 million women in the US encounter violence from their male partners annualy. However, statistics also indicate that men are also victims of domestic violence, with 2010 reports showing that approximately 40% of domestic violence cases involved men. In addition, it has been observed that 85% of violent women are more likely to use deadly weapons such as knives, hot water, blunt objects among others on their victims as opposed to the 15% of men (Vernick 15-23). Majority of victims in violent relationships opt to divorce their partners, but there are those who opt to remain in such relationships despite the hardships. A person who has never experienced such violence may wonder why a person in his or her right mind may wish to stay in such a relationship; however, there are reasons as to why this happens. This paper is a critical evaluation of why people stay in abusive relationships. Discussion Penia notes that â€Å"In an abusive relationship, ab usive language, violence, threats, sexual coercion and unfulfilled duties and promises are common† (20). ... The deprivation of basic needs is also a common means of achieving the same ends. As a result, the victim gradually wears out physically and emotionally. With time, the victim loses body strength, fails to attentively concentrate on his or her work, suffers bouts of depression and trauma, health problems arise due to poor appetite and constant worry, and the victim loses morale. As the victim weakens, the perpetrator’s control increases and acts of aggression increase in intensity and severity. Acts of aggression are focused on the victim or the designated prey of the attack, but in other instances they may be directed towards a close relative. In both cases, domination over the victim is the key objective of the perpetrator. One such example of indirect domestic abuse is verbal insults and dehumanizing treatment directed towards the victim’s close relative. Abusive relationships do not discriminate. This is to mean that they don’t have demographic boundaries or preferences. Volpe indicates that â€Å"For one, gay individuals are at the same risk of aggressive relationships and abuse as are heterosexual couples† (8). Therefore, abusive relationships have the same prevalence of occurrence within different races, economic standing, societal status, degree of literacy, and so forth. Women are considered as the weaker sex and hence are more susceptible to victimization than men. However, cases of male victims are also common, especially in verbal and emotional abuse. Psychologists indicate that the emotional abuse that results from abusive relationships is as damaging and detrimental to the victim as the physical abuse. Effects of the emotional abuse have

Participatory Research Design Essay Example for Free

Participatory Research Design Essay The changing nature of the global business culture has necessitated various aspects of organizational behavior. This is the spirit of the overwhelming variables that define how employees interact and integrate with the corporate processes with the basic goal of meeting the corporate objectives and missions. Understanding the requirements of the organizational behavior is an important aspect which helps to align its procedures and processes in line with the behavioral conception within the corporation (Dan, 1998) The research team  The parameters that provide the best knowledge would involve carrying out a research study across various organizations aimed at learning the statutory components of the concepts of organizational behavior. This would involve a controlled dissemination of research team across the sample of selected corporations. The layout of the research process would involve the evaluation of the aspects that articulate within the fundamental concept of organizational behavior as an important factor in the success of the corporation. Investigating the issue and its assumptions. The concept of organizational behavior is chiefly incorporated at a diverse autonomy within different cases of organizations. This research study will therefore aim at studying the scope of influence of organizational behavior to the functionality of different organizations that differs in terms of capacity, functions, and managerial processes. The underlying assumptions will also be developed in terms of the result provision of the research process about what impacts are endowed by the concept of organization behavior (Dan, 1998) Developing an action pal and data collection strategies In order to collect the most reliable data, the researcher would pursue various methods of data collection strategies and methods that would help to yield the most reliable research results and outcomes. This would include the use of methods such as observation, questionnaire and survey. A stream of related data responses shall be collected through these methods which would then be used in arriving at rational conclusions and recommendations about the impact of organizational behavior to the contemporary functionality of the organization (Dan, 1998) Data analysis The research process would not be fully met until the collected data in passed through various methods of data analysis that would help to yield the most reliable results and findings. This could be through methods such as correlation, T-test, F-test, barographs, pie-charts and other significant methods of data analysis.

relationships in Ordinary People :: essays research papers

Beth and Calvin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The relationship between the husband and wife seems initially to be perfect. They both show each other expressions of love. There is understanding, harmony, financial security, and good communication between them. The couple spends a lot of time together, discussing future plans, and talking about the good moments they had in the past. However, behind all of this positive interaction between the two of them is something they are both not able to face. The tragic loss of their son, Buck has caused a great amount of pain and anger they are not expressing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The wife lived in denial, trying to live the life of a perfect person unaffected by what had happened to her son Buck. A certain image had to be upheld and everything else was secondary. Even the love for her husband was not as perfect as it was shown..She tries to keep these feelings and memories of her lost son buried deep inside her. She finds it very difficult to show any emotion concerning the fact that one of her sons is never coming back. She tried to portray an image of things being just perfect. Her portrayal includes not wanting to discuss anything that may upset her, she is always walking away from the conversation. It seems as though she does it in every scene. The scene that caught my attention the most was at the end, when she walked away from Calvin after he said he wasn’t sure if he still loved her. That is a pretty powerful statement, and you would think she would want to know why. I’m sure she did, she just didn’t know how to discuss it. So par for the course, she walked away, with something else she will have to tuck away for the rest of her life. Conrad and Calvin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conrad and his father, Calvin, had a very good and strong trusting relationship. Although Conrad was stubborn and didn't want to speak of his troubles, Calvin would keep trying and didn't give up. Calvin really cared for Conrad and wanted him to share his feelings and emotions. For example, there was a scene when Calvin would walk into Conrad's room just to make sure he was doing fine. Calvin not only showed his affections nonverbally, he showed them verbally also. He wanted to see his son back to life, back to who he was.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 5

What?† Thea said. This was something she could speak out about. â€Å"Blaise, are you out of your mind?† â€Å"I hope you're not saying you don't want to do spells,† Blaise said dangerously. â€Å"That's part of it, you know.† â€Å"I'm saying there's no way we can get enough blood to fill this without them noticing. What are we going to tell them? ‘I just want a little to remember you by?'† â€Å"Use your ingenuity,† Vivienne said musically, twining a red-gold strand of hair around her fingers. â€Å"In a pinch we could always use the Cup of Lethe,† Blaise added calmly. â€Å"Then no matter what we do, they won't remember.† Thea nearly fell over. What Blaise was suggesting was like using a nuclear bomb to swat a fly. â€Å"You are crazy,† she said quietly. â€Å"You know that maidens aren't allowed to use that kind of spell, and we probably won't even be able to use it when we're mothers, and probably not even when we're crones. That's stuff for the elders.† She stared at Blaise until the gray eyes dropped. â€Å"I don't believe in classifying some spells as forbidden,† Blaise said loftily, but she didn't look back at Thea and she didn't pursue the subject. As she and Dani left the patio, Thea noticed that Dani had taken one of the small vials. â€Å"Are you going to the dance?† â€Å"I guess so.† Dani shrugged lithe shoulders. â€Å"John Finkelstein from our world lit class asked me a couple weeks ago. I've never been to one of their dances before-but maybe this is the time to start.† Now what did that mean? Thea felt uneasy. â€Å"And you're planning to put a spell on him?† â€Å"You mean this?† She twisted the vial in her fingers. â€Å"I don't know. I figured I'd take it just in case†¦.† She looked up at Thea defensively. â€Å"You took one for Eric.† Thea hesitated. She hadn't talked to Dani about Eric yet. Part of her wanted to and part of her was scared. What did Dani really think of Outsiders, anyway? â€Å"After all,† Dani said, her sweet face tranquil, â€Å"they're only humans.† Saturday night Thea took a dress out of the closet. It was pale green-so pale that it almost looked white-and designed along Grecian lines. Witch clothes had to feel good as well as look good, and this dress was soft and lightweight, swirling beautifully when she turned. Blaise wasn't wearing a dress. She was wearing a tuxedo. It had a red silk bow tie and cummerbund and it looked fantastic on her. This is probably going to be the only dance in history where the most popular girl has on cufflinks, Thea thought. Eric arrived right on time. He knocked at the front door of the shop, the door that only Outsiders used. Night People came around back, to a door that was unmarked except for what looked like a bit of graffiti-a spray-painted black dahlia. Okay, Thea thought. She took a deep breath before she unlocked the door and let him in. This is business, business, business†¦. But the first moment wasn't as awkward as she'd feared. He smiled and held out a corsage of white orchids. She smiled and took it. Then she said, â€Å"You look nice.† His suit was pale fatigue brown, loose and comfortable looking. â€Å"Me? You look nice. I mean-you look wonderful. That color makes your hair look just like gold.† Then he glanced down at himself apologetically. â€Å"I don't go to many dances, I'm afraid.† â€Å"Don't you?† She'd heard girls talking about him at school. It seemed as if everyone liked him, wanted to get close to him. â€Å"No, I'm usually pretty busy. You know, working, playing sports.† He added more softly, â€Å"And I have a hard time thinking of things to say around girls.† Funny, you never seem to have a problem around me, Thea thought. She saw him looking the shop over. â€Å"It's my grandmother's store. She sells all kinds of things here, from all around the world.† She watched him closely. This was an important test. If he-a human-believed in this stuff, he was either a New Age geek or dangerously close to the truth. â€Å"It's cool,† he said, and she was happy to see that he was lying. â€Å"I mean,† he said, obviously struggling to find a polite way to praise the voodoo dolls and wand crystals, â€Å"I think people can really affect their bodies by changing their state of mind.† You don't know how right you are, Thea thought. There was a clack of high heels on wood, and Blaise came down the stairs. Her shoes appeared first, then her fitted trouser legs, then all the curves, emphasized here and there with brilliant red silk. Finally came her shoulders and head, her midnight hair half up and half down, framing her face in stormy dark curls. Thea glanced sideways at Eric. He was smiling at Blaise, but not in the goofy, dying-sheep way other guys smiled. His was just a genuine grin. â€Å"Hi, Blaise,† he said. â€Å"Going to the dance? We can take you if you need a lift.† Blaise stopped dead. Then she gave him a blistering glare. â€Å"Thank you, I have my own date. I'm just going to pick him up now.† On the way to the door, she looked hard at Thea. â€Å"You do have everything you need for tonight- don't you?† The vial was in Thea's pale green clutch purse. Thea still didn't know how she could possibly get it filled, but she nodded tightly. â€Å"Good.† Blaise swept out and got into a silver-gray Porsche that was parked at the curb. Kevin's car. But, as Thea knew, she wasn't going to pick up Kevin. â€Å"I think I made her mad,† Eric said. â€Å"Don't worry. Blaise likes being mad. Should we go now?† Business, business, business, Thea chanted to herself as they walked into the school cafeteria. It had been completely transformed from its daytime identity. The lights and music were oddly thrilling and the whirl of color out on the dance floor was strangely inviting. I'm not here to have fun, Thea told herself again. But her blood seemed to be sparkling. She saw Eric glance at her conspiratorially and she could almost feel what he was feeling-as if they were two kids standing hand in hand at the edge of some incredible carnival. â€Å"Uh, I should tell you,† Eric said. â€Å"I can't really dance-except for slow ones.† Oh, great. But of course this was what she was here to do. To put on a show of romancing Eric for Blaise. A slow song was starting that minute. Thea shut her eyes briefly and resigned herself to fate-which didn't seem all that awful as she and Eric stepped out onto the floor. Terpsichore, Muse of the Dance, help me not make a fool of myself. She'd never been so close to a human boy, and she'd never tried to dance to human music. But Eric didn't seem to notice her lack of experience. â€Å"You know, I can't believe this,† he said. His arms were around her lightly, almost reverently. As if he were afraid she'd break if he held her too hard. â€Å"What can't you believe?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He shook his head. â€Å"Everything, I guess. That I'm here with you. And that it all feels so easy. And that you always smell so good.† Thea laughed in spite of herself. â€Å"I didn't use any yemonja this time-† she began, and then she almost bit her tongue. Adrenaline washed over her in a wave of painful tingles. Was she crazy? She was blurting out spell ingredients, for Earth's sake. He was too easy to talk to, that was the problem. Every so often she'd forget he wasn't a witch. â€Å"You okay?† he said as her silence stretched on. His voice was concerned. No, I am not okay. I've got Blaise on one side and the laws of the Night World on the other, and they're both out to get me. And I don't even know if you're worth it†¦. â€Å"Can I ask you something?† she said abruptly. â€Å"Why did you knock me out of the way of that snake?† â€Å"Huh? It was in a striking coil. You could have got bit.† â€Å"But so could you.† So did you. He frowned as if stricken by one of those unsolvable mysteries of life. â€Å"Yeah†¦ but that didn't seem so bad somehow. I suppose that sounds stupid.† Thea didn't know how to answer. And she was suddenly in terrible conflict about what to do. Her body seemed to want her to lean her head against Eric's shoulder, but her mind was yelling in alarm at the very thought. At that moment she heard loud voices at the edge of the dance floor. â€Å"Get out of the way,† a guy in a blue jacket was saying. â€Å"She smiled at me, and I'm going over there.† â€Å"It was me she was smiling at, you jerk,† a guy in a gray jacket snapped back. â€Å"So just back off and let me go.† Expletives. â€Å"It was me, and you'd better get out of the way.† More expletives. â€Å"It was me, and you'd better let go.† A fistfight started. Chaperones came running. Guess who's here? Thea asked herself. She had no trouble at all locating Blaise. The red-trimmed tuxedo was surrounded by a ring of guys, which was surrounded by a ring of abandoned and angry girls. â€Å"Maybe we should go over and say hi,† Thea said. She wanted to warn Blaise about starting a riot. â€Å"Okay. She sure is popular, isn't she?† They managed to worm their way through the encircling crowd. Blaise was in her element, glorying in the adulation and confusion. â€Å"I waited for an hour and a half, but you never showed up,† a very pale Kevin was saying to her. He was wearing an immaculate white silk shirt and exquisitely tailored black pants. His eyes were hollow. â€Å"Maybe you gave me the wrong address,† Blaise said thoughtfully. â€Å"I couldn't find your house.† She had her hand tucked into the arm of a very tall guy with shoulder-length blond hair, who looked as if he worked out four or five hours a day. â€Å"Anyway, you want to dance?† Kevin looked at the blond guy, who looked back impassively, his cleft chin rock hard. â€Å"Don't mind Sergio,† Blaise said. â€Å"He was just keeping me company. Do you not want to dance?† Kevin's eyes fell. â€Å"Well, yeah, of course I want to†¦.† As Blaise detached herself from Sergio, Thea leaned forward. â€Å"You'd better not do anything too public,† she hissed in her cousin's ear. â€Å"There's already been one fight.† Blaise just gave her an amused glance and took Kevin's arm. Most of the boys followed her, and with the crowd gone, Thea saw Dani at a small table. She was wearing a sparkling gold dress and she was alone. â€Å"Let's go sit,† Eric said, before Thea could even get a word out. She threw him a grateful look. â€Å"Where's John?† Thea asked as they pulled chairs to the table. Dani nodded toward the pack following Blaise. â€Å"I don't mind, though,† she said, sipping a cup of punch philosophically. â€Å"He was kind of boring. I don't know about all this dance stuff.† Thea knew she meant it was different from Circle dances, where everyone was in harmony and there was no pairing off. You danced with the elements and with everybody else, all one big interconnected whole. Eric volunteered to get more punch. â€Å"How's it going with him?† Dani asked in a low voice when he was gone. Her velvety dark eyes searched Thea's curiously. â€Å"Everything's okay so far,† Thea said evasively. Then she looked out toward the dance floor. â€Å"I see Viv and Selene are here.† â€Å"Yeah. I think Vivienne already got her blood. She stabbed Tyrone with her corsage pin.† â€Å"How clever,† Thea said. Vivienne was wearing a black dress that made her hair look like flame, and Selene was in deep violet that showed off her blondness. They both seemed to be having a wonderful time. Dani yawned. â€Å"I think I'll probably go home early-† she began, and then she broke off. Some kind of a disturbance had begun on the other side of the room, in front of the main entrance. People were scuffling. At first, Thea thought it was just another minor fracas over Blaise-but then a figure came staggering out under the lights of the dance floor. â€Å"I want to know,† the voice said in dissonant tones that rose over the music. â€Å"I want to knoooow.† The band stopped. People turned. Something about the voice made them do that. It was so obviously abnormal, the cadence wrong even for somebody who was drunk. This was someone who was disturbed. Thea stood up. â€Å"I want to knoooow,† the figure said again, sounding lost and petulant. Then it turned and Thea felt ice down her spine. The person was wearing a Halloween mask. A kid's plastic mask of a football player, the kind held on with an elastic string. Perfectly appropriate for a Halloween dance. But at Homecoming, it was grotesque. Oh, Eileithyia, Thea thought. â€Å"Can you tell me?† the figure asked a short girl in black ruffles. She backed away, reaching for her dance partner. Mr. Adkins, Thea's physics teacher, came jogging up, his tie fluttering. None of the other chaperones seemed to be around-probably because they were out somewhere trying to control fights over Blaise, Thea thought. â€Å"Okay, let's settle; settle,† Mr. Adkins said, making motions as if the figure were an unruly class. â€Å"Let's just take it easy†¦.† The guy in the Halloween mask pulled something out of his jacket. It glinted like a rainbow under the colored dance floor lights, reflective as a mirror. â€Å"A straight razor,† Dani said in a hushed voice. â€Å"Queen Ms, where'd he get that?† Something about the weapon-maybe the fact that it was so weird, so old-fashioned-made it scarier than a knife. Thea pictured the way even a safety razor could slice flesh. Mr. Adkins was backing away, arms held out as if to protect the students behind him. His eyes were frightened. I have to stop this, Thea thought. The problem was that she had no idea how. If it had been an animal, she could have stepped out and tried mind control. But she couldn't control a person. She started walking anyway, slowly, so as not to attract attention. She skirted the edge of the crowd around the dance floor until she drew parallel with the masked guy. Who by now had switched to a new question. â€Å"Have you seen her?† he said. He kept asking it as he walked, and people kept backing away. Vivienne and Selene drew to either side with their dates. The razor glittered. Thea looked toward the opposite end of the dance floor, where Blaise was standing with Kevin Imamura. With no Buck, no Duane to protect her. But Blaise didn't look frightened. That was one thing about Blaise-she had magnificent physical courage. She was standing with one hand on her hip and Thea could tell that she knew exactly who was coming her way. In between moving couples, Thea glimpsed something else. Eric was on the other side of the dance floor, holding two cups of punch in one hand and one in the other. He was keeping pace with the masked guy, just as she was. She tried to catch his eye, but the crowd was too thick. â€Å"Have you seen her?† the masked guy asked a couple right in front of Blaise. â€Å"I want to knoooow†¦.† The couple split like bowling pins. Blaise stood exposed, tall and elegant in her black suit, lights shimmering off her midnight hair. â€Å"Here I am, Randy,† she said. â€Å"What is it you want to know?† Randy Marik stopped, panting. His breath made a muffled noise against the plastic. The rest of the huge room was eerily silent. Thea moved closer, walking silently. Eric was pulling in from the other side, and he saw her for the first time. He shook his head at her and mouthed, â€Å"Stay away.† Yeah. And you're going to tackle him armed with three party cups of punch. She gave him a look and mouthed, â€Å"You stay away.† Randy's hand was trembling, making the razor flash. His chest was heaving. â€Å"What is it, Randy?† Blaise said. The toe of one high heeled shoe tapped the floor impatiently. â€Å"I feel bad,† Randy said. It was almost a moan. Suddenly his head didn't seem well connected to his neck. â€Å"I miss you.† His voice made Thea's flesh creep. He sounded like a person with the body of an eighteen-year-old and the mind of a four-year-old. â€Å"I cry all the time,† he said. With his left hand, he pulled off the Halloween mask. Kevin recoiled. Thea herself felt a wave of horror. He was crying blood. Bloody streams ran down from each of his eyes, mingling with regular tears. A spell? Thea wondered. Then she thought, no; he's cut himself. That was it. He'd made two crescent-shaped incisions under his eyes and the blood was coming from them. The rest of his face was ghastly, too. He was white as a corpse and there was fuzzy stubble on his chin. His eyes stared wildly. And his hair, which had always been strawberry blond and silky, stood up all over his head like bleached hay. â€Å"You came all the way from New Hampshire to tell me that?† Blaise said. She rolled her eyes. Randy let out a sobbing breath. This seemed to make Kevin braver. â€Å"Look, man, I don't know who you are-but you'd better keep away from her,† he said. â€Å"Why don't you go home and sober up?† It was a mistake. The wild eyes above the bloodstained cheeks focused on him. â€Å"Who are you?† Randy said thickly, advancing a step. â€Å"Who†¦ are†¦ you?† â€Å"Kevin, move!† Thea said urgently. It was too late. The hand with the razor flashed out, lightning quick. Blood spurted from Kevin's face.

Girl Child Education Essay

Girl Guides are organised into units/troops averaging 20-30 girls under guidance of a team of leaders. Units subdivide into patrols of about six Guides and engage in outdoor and special interest activities. Units may affiliate with national and international organisations. Some units, especially in Europe, have been co-educational since the 1970s, allowing boys and girls to work together as Scouts. There are other programme sections for older and younger girls. Contents 1 Naming 2 Key points 3 Unit affiliation 4 Uniforms 5 Lones 6 See also 7 References Naming Robert Baden-Powell was a famous soldier who fought in the Boer War in South Africa at the beginning of the 20th century. During the Siege of Mafeking, when the town and British soldiers were besieged by Boer soldiers, B-P noticed how the young boys made themselves useful by carrying messages for the soldiers. When he came home, he decided to put some of his Scouting ideas into practice to see if they would be any good for young boys and took 21 boys camping on Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset. The camp was a success, and B-P wrote his book Scouting for Boys, covering tracking, signaling, cooking etc. Soon boys began to organize themselves into Patrols and Troops and called themselves â€Å"Boy Scouts†. Girls bought the book as well and formed themselves into Patrols of Girl Scouts. In 1909 there was a Boy Scout Rally at Crystal Palace in London. Among all the thousands of Boy Scouts there was also a group of girls from Pinkneys Green, in Berkshire, who spoke to B-P and asked him to let girls be Scouts. B-P decided to take action. Eerste Nederlandsche Meisjes Gezellen Vereeniging (First Dutch Girls Companions Society), 1911, first Dutch Girl Guides In those days, for girls to camp and hike was not common, as this extract from the Scout newspaper shows: â€Å"If a girl is not allowed to run, or even hurry, to swim, ride a bike, or raise her arms above her head, how can she become a Scout?†[1] B-P’s career had been in the British Army. There was an Indian regiment called the Khyber Guides who served on the north-west frontier of India. B-P persuaded the girl â€Å"Scouts† that Guides was a very special name of which they could be proud. So, in 1910 the first Girl Guides began. Since 1910 Guides have spread and there are now millions of Guides worldwide. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) was formed to link together Guides. In some countries the girls preferred to call themselves ‘Girl Scouts’. (Reference: ‘The Guide Handbook’, London: The Guide Association, 1996) The first Guide Company was 1st Pinkneys Green Guides (Miss Baden Powell’s Own), who still exist in Pinkneys Green, Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.[2] Polish Girl Guides by the monument to Small Partisan in Warsaw Key points Things that are shared amongst all Guide Units are:[3] The Guide Promise – Girls become Guides by making their Promise. Each country has its own Promise but all have the same 3 parts: duty to God or to your religion; duty to your country; keeping the Guide Law. The Good Turn – each Guide tries to do a kind thing for someone else, without payment and without being asked, every day. The World Badge – this can be worn on uniform or ordinary clothes. The three leaves of the trefoil stand for the threefold Promise. The vein in the centre is a compass needle, pointing the way and the two stars stand for the Promise and the Law. The colours stand for the golden sun shining over all the children of the world, from a blue sky. This badge is a guiding symbol that can be recognized all over the world. The World Flag – this is in the same colours as the World Badge and can be carried or flown by any member of the movement. It is often used as the Unit Flag. The three yellow blocks represent the threefold Promise and the white corner represents the commitment to peace of all WAGGGs’ members. The Guide Sign – the three fingers stand for the three parts of the Promise. The Guide sign is used when making or renewing the Promise and can be used when meeting other Guides. It may also be used when receiving a badge or at the end of meetings. The Motto – Be Prepared – This means that Guides are ready to cope with anything that might come their way.

Senior Paper Essays - Emerging Technologies, Free Essays

Senior Paper Essays - Emerging Technologies, Free Essays Moises Olivas Mrs.Baltajian Senior English 1 9 March 2016 Senior Paper In todays society the misuse of technology is very important. It changes the way people live and how some people view the world today. Brave New World is a novel based on the misuse of technology, in the novel they made humans in a lab and thats how the world worked. Aldous Huxley the author of the novel wrote this book in 1931. Huxley wrote this book to show the change in society and show the manipulation that was going on during that time period. This issue personally is huge mainly because it affects peoples lives every day. With technology growing more and more each day of course it is going to be hard to try keeping an eye on all of todays new technology but this problem could be solved by testing the new products to make sure they are safe. Aldous Huxleys message in Brave New World is that the misuse of technology is wrong and that it was still misused during his time period. During this time they tried to use reproductive technology, sleep learning, and psychological manipulation. Huxley was correct to believe the misuse of technology, which was a significant issue during the 1930s and today, and can be solved by limiting the technology that can be used. In the novel Brave New World one of the main issues that is addressed is the misuse of technology. For example Reducing the number of revolutions per minute Mr. Foster explained. The surrogate goes slower; therefore passes through the lung at a lower intervals which gives the embryo less oxygen. Nothing like oxygen shortage for keeping an embryo below par (Mr. Foster 1.14). This shows that Mr. Foster gives the embryo less oxygen to make them not be able to breathe as much as the others which will harm the embryos and make them not as smart as the others. Furthermore, another line explains we also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as alphas or epsilons as future sewage workers or future directors of hatcheries (The Director 1.13). They trick them into thinking that they have a choice with what they want to do with their lives. When really they dont and their life is already planned out for them and the Director just uses them. The director programs the embryos to where they like certain things by the time they are born. For instance in this quote we condition the masses to hate the country Concluded the Director. But simultaneously we condition them to love all country sports. At the same time, we see to it that all country sports shall entail the use of elaborate apparatus. So that they consume manufactured articles as well as transport. Hence those electric shocks (The Director 2.23). They torture the people by making them like outside sports but not liking the country and they practically control them that way. Also, one excerpt asserts observe said the Director triumphantly, observe books and loud noises, flowers and electric shocks. Already in the infant mind these couples were compromisingly linked; and after two hundred repetitions of the same or a similar lesson would be weeded indissolubly. What man has joined, nature is powerless to put asunder (The Director 2.21). The Director in this quote shows his use of technology by them inserting things into the minds of babies when they are born, this is how he shows his power. In addition, one excerpt declares one egg, one embryo, one adult normality. But boanovskified egg will bud, will proliferate, and will divide. From eighty to ninety six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full sized adult. Making ninety six human beings grow where only one grew before. Process (The Director 1.6). With this process instead of one baby being born from a fertilized egg ninety six will be born. Which would speed of the process of creating Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons for The Director. Above all, in this last quote they show how they misuse technology and how they only use it for their good. The lower the caste, said Mr. Foster, the shorter the oxygen. The

Article VIII What does it really mean essays

Article VIII What does it really mean essays Article VIII: What Does It Really Mean? required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment Excessive bail was borrowed with a few slight changes from the English Bill of Rights Act. The concept of bail in both England and in the United States was never thought as right to bail in all cases, but to provide that bail would not be excessive in cases where it is considered legitimate to set bail. The definition of Bail, as according to the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, property given as surety that a person released from custody will return custody will return at an appointed time. The concept of bail was first created by the Statute of Westminster the First of 1275 A.D., which created a detailed list of certain offenses that were bailable and those that were not. Because judges were permitted to imprison people with or without bail, the Petition of Right was enacted in 1628 A.D. Due to various frauds of petitions for habeas corpus which could not be presented the English Parliament enacted the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 A.D., which established procedures for the release of prisoners from prison and created penalties for judges who did not comply with the Act. As a result of this, the judges then set bail so high, that it could not be met. With this Parliament responded by including in the Bill of Rights of 1689 A.D. a provision that excessive bail shoul d not be required. In America excessive fines were given meaning during the early part of the twentieth century. In an early case, the Supreme Court held that it had no authority to revise the sentence of an inferior court, despite the fact that the excessiveness of the fines were quite apparent on the face of the records. With the inability to pay, the poor were then sentenced to jail and thus giving meaning to the term ''excessive fines'' as it applied to the person sentenced. During the time the Eighth Amendment was adopt...

20 Tips for Success in School

20 Tips for Success in School Your high school years should be filled with great experiences. Increasingly, students are finding that high school is also a time of stress and anxiety. It seems that students are feeling more pressure than ever before when it comes to performing well. There are some things you can do to make sure the high school experience is enjoyable and successful. Embrace a Healthy Life Balance Dont stress about your grades so much that you forget to have fun. This is supposed to be an exciting time in your life. On the other hand, dont let too much fun get in the way of your study time. Establish a healthy balance and dont let yourself go overboard either way. Understand What Time Management Really Means Sometimes, students assume theres some magical trick or shortcut to time management. Time management means being aware and taking action. Be aware of the things that waste time and reduce them. You dont have to stop them, just reduce them. Take action to replace time wasters with active and responsible study habits. Eliminate Those Time Wasters Find Tools that Work for You There are many time management tools and tactics, but youll find that you are more likely to stick with a few. Different people find different methods that work for them. Use a big wall calendar, use color-coded supplies, use a planner, or find your own methods of managing your time. Choose Extracurricular Activities Wisely You may feel pressured to select several extracurricular activities that might look good on a college application. This can cause you to overextend yourself and get swamped in commitments that you dont enjoy. Instead, select clubs and activities that match your passions and your personality. Appreciate the Importance of Sleep We all joke around a lot about the poor sleep habits of teens. But the reality is that you have to find a way to get enough sleep. Lack of sleep leads to poor concentration, and poor concentration leads to bad grades. Youre the one who pays the price if you dont sleep enough. Force yourself to turn off the gadgets and go to bed early enough to get a good nights sleep. Do Things for Yourself Are you the child of a helicopter parent? If so, your parent is not doing you any favors by saving you from failures. Parents who monitor every bit of a childs life, from waking them in the morning, to monitoring homework and test days, to hiring professionals to help with college preparations; those parents are setting students up for failure in college. Learn to do things for yourself and ask your parents to give you space to succeed or fail on your own. Communicate with Your Teachers You dont have to be best friends with your teacher, but you should ask questions, accept feedback, and give feedback when your teacher asks for it. Teachers appreciate it when they see that students try. Practice Active Study Methods Studies show that you learn more when you study the same material two or three ways with a time delay between study methods. Rewrite your notes, test yourself and your friends, write practice essay answers: be creative and be active when you study! Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Do Assignments There are so many reasons you should get an early start on assignments. Too many things can go wrong if you procrastinate. You could come down with a bad cold on the night before your due date, you can find that youre missing some needed research or suppliesthere are dozens of possibilities. Use Smart Test Prep Studies show that the best way to prepare for a test is to create and use practice tests. For best results, use a study group to create test questions and practice quizzing each other. Eat Well to Feel Better Nutrition makes a world of difference when it comes to brain function. If you feel groggy, tired, or sleepy because of they way you eat, your ability to retain and recall information will be impaired. Improve Reading Habits In order to remember what you read, you will need to practice active reading techniques. Stop every few pages to attempt to summarize what youve read. Mark and research any words that you cant define. Read all critical texts at least twice. Reward Yourself Be sure to find ways to reward yourself for every good result. Make time to watch a marathon of your favorite shows on the weekends, or take time to have fun with friends and let off a little steam. Make Smart College Planning Choices The goal of most high school students is to gain acceptance into a college of choice. One common mistake is to follow the pack and select colleges for the wrong reasons. Big football colleges and Ivy League schools might be great choices for you, but then again, you might be better off at a small private college or a middle-sized state college. Think about how the college you pursue really matches your personality and your goals. Write Down Your Goals Theres no magical power to writing down your goals, except that it helps you identify and prioritize the things you want to accomplish. Turn your ambitions from vague thoughts to specific goals by making a list. Dont Let Friends Bring You Down Are your friends seeking the same goals as you? Are you picking up any bad habits from your friends? You dont have to change your friends because of your ambitions, but you should be aware of the influences that might affect you. Be sure to make choices based on your own ambitions and goals. Dont make choices just to make your friends happy. Choose Your Challenges Wisely You may be tempted to take honors classes or AP courses because theyll make you look good. Be aware that taking too many challenging courses can backfire. Determine your strengths and be selective about them. Excelling in a few challenging courses is much better than performing poorly in several. Take Advantage of Tutoring If you have the opportunity to receive free help, be sure to take advantage. The extra time you take to review lessons, solve problems, and talk over the information from class lectures, will pay off in your report cards. Learn to Accept Criticism It can be disheartening to find lots of red teachers marks and comments on a paper you spent hours crafting. Take the time to read the comments carefully and consider what the teacher has to say. Its sometimes painful to read about your weaknesses and mistakes, but this is the only way to really avoid repeating the same mistakes over and over. Also notice any patterns when it comes to grammar mistakes or wrong word choices.

PARAPHRASE chapter 14 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PARAPHRASE chapter 14 - Essay Example As a result, these technological changes influence the phasing out of some highly regarded popular models. Conversely, global beverages manufacturers such as Coke and Pepsi operate in an industry that is not influenced by technological changes to necessitate the need for a formula change. For this reason, the two continually divest while the recurrent expenditure for the auto manufacturers continually rises to ensure production. Brand equity has been crucial to Pepsi and Coke since consumers valued the brands and identify with them consequently purchasing products from the two firms continually. For this reason, the two companies have created unique brands unlike companies such as Detroit. Indeed, what the two companies rely on is the brand equity since consumer studies indicate that Coke and RC have no different taste. Conversely, creating brand equity has evaded Ford and GM for long. Furthermore, the choice of selecting a particular brand of beverage arises from personal considerations that make consumers stick to the particular brand. On the other hand, facts related to features and prices of a model guide consumers to choose the brand of choice. Factors such as imitations and employee turnover, affect General Motors and Ford’s sustainability since they are a threat to the firms’ advantages in technology and economies of scale. In this case, the copyrights held by the firms at times expire while other firms imitate them and come up with similar products. On the other hand, the formula used to manufacture products by Coke and Pepsi is unique and thus inimitable. To end with, automobile manufacturers have an unlimited access to a wide market enabled by the internet and the option to engage in dealership with other countries for their products. On the other hand, beverage manufacturers and producers of perishable goods entering the market face a challenge to identify shelf

Gender Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Analysis - Research Paper Example Dee has a strained relationship with her mother as well which is the opposite of how Maggie is with her mother. Family differences cause strained relationships as well as increase the differences among the family members. In almost every family, there are those family members who are much more intelligent than the others. They therefore outshine them when it comes to education as well as among other different fields that demand intelligence. These differences in the intellectual ability of the family members leads them hiding their needs and wants in order to avoid being outsmarted by the bright one of being considered stupid in as far as innovation is concerned (Strain 186). In this family, Dee is the bright one intellectually in the family. She is brighter than her sister Maggie whose brain seems to function slightly slower than normal making her slow. He mother cannot be said to also be the brightest pea in the pod making Dee feel quite exceptional in the family. This may also be the reason for her to leave home and be as far away from them as possible. She vowed never to bring her friends in their home as it was not according to the standards of her company. Dee’s talk was also that of an intelligent person the only problem was that she used it to force decisions to her mother and sister leading her to be considered much more elegant and sophisticated. Physical differences are also a reason for families to have strained relationships with each other. The most beautiful of them all shows off her beauty in different ways. One of the ways is through the kind of clothes she wears. This makes the rest of the family members feel inferior while the culprit does not notice it and walks around all superior. At times, they are aware of their superiority in looks and make a point of making everyone else do as they wish simply because they are more beautiful and have great

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay - Term Paper Example Most of the time, this waste is hazardous and may cause detrimental effect to any living organisms, including human (Freedman, 3-9). One of the most common environmental toxicant includes the polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. PCBs are man-made organic chemicals belonging to a broad family of hydrocarbons. It was used in many industrial and commercial applications because of its good chemical properties like being non-flammable, high boiling point, chemical stability and good electrical insulating properties. These compounds are widely used for many applicants such as transportation and coolants. PCBs are also used as plasticizers in paints, plastics, and rubber products. It was first manufacture during 1929 but their use had been banned in 1979 upon determining its dangerous effects to both the environment and human health (Davis and Wade, 2-6). PCBs have a range of toxicity and vary in consistency from thin, light-colored liquids to yellow or black waxy solids. These toxic compound s are considered to be persistent organic pollutant for it do not degrade easily and may remain for a long time in the environment. PCBs can contaminate some parts of plants and food crops. PCBs may also be taken up into the bodies of small organisms in that lake including fishes. These toxic compounds may bioaccumulate in these food sources and ingestion may have many adverse health effects in human with symptoms such as skin condition or changes in the blood which may lead to liver damage. Some food which contains PCBs can cause poisoning to the consumers. Moreover, some studies report the health effect of PCBs in children of mothers who were exposed to PCBs (ATSDR, 285-290). Hence, it is important to detect this compound in the environment to prevent its hazardous effect. One of these methods of detection includes the use of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay or ELISA Analytical Technique Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a biochemical technique which allows rapid scree ning and quantification of an antigen in a sample. It is used mainly to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample. The ELISA has been used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and as detection or measuring tool of environmental toxicants. In ELISA, an antigen is affixed to a surface and a specific antibody is applied over the surface so that it can bind to the antigen. This antibody is linked to an enzyme, and in the final step a substance is added that the enzyme can convert to some detectable signal, which is most commonly a color change in a chemical substrate (Lequin, 2415-2416). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay or (ELISA) analysis biochemical technique is used to measurement of organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls in an environmental sample. Performing an ELISA includes at least one or more antibody with specificity for an antigen. The sample, which has unknown amount of antigen, is immobilized on a solid support either non-specifically or spec ifically. The immobilization process occurs in two ways. One process is by the adsorption to the surface wherein a sample containing an antigen is adsorbed into an inert surface, usually a 96-well polystyrene well. Another process involves capturing another antibody specific to the same antigen, as in a "sandwich" ELISA (Lequin, 2417). The detection antibody is added after the antigen is immobilized, forming a complex with the antibody. This is usually done by washing the surface with a solution of a non-specific protein to block proteins

Rio Carnival Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rio Carnival - Essay Example The social background to the Carnival is that it was once considered to be a riotous, disorganized and essentially anti-authoritarian expression by the people that the government was forced to accept because of its popularity but which it did not positively condone. The Rio Carnival found its roots in the 1830's when the city's rich imported the practice of holding balls and masquerade parties from Paris. Gradually, over the next century, the festival took on the shape that it now holds, acquiring elements derived from African and South American Indian cultures. It is this mixture of cultures into a remarkably diverse and yet recognizably unified "Rio Carnival" that is the prime social characteristic of the celebration. The Carnival is the reason that Rio de Janeiro is famous throughout the world. Indeed, it may be the only thing that most people know about the city. This influences both the social and economic identity of the city, for better or worse. Thus while the original idea came from France, the cordoes were introduced by the Portuguese in the late 1800s. The cordoes were groups of people who danced through the streets playing music and generally celebrating. They are known today as blocos, and consist of people who dress in theme costumes and celebrate Carnival in a specific way. Certain neighborhoods are associated with certain blocos. In a social aspect that stems from a number of different traditions, a "fat man" is elected to act out the role of the Rei Morno, or the "King of Carnival" (Cowley, 2002). In recent years, cultural changes within the world as a whole, and within the developed world in particular, have been reflected within the social makeup of the Rio Carnival. For example, many different travel companies advertise the "Gay Rio Carnival" in which "the beaches are loaded with eye candy as far as the eye can see . . . people joke that everyone seems a little gay during carnival" (zoom, 2007). Small gay festivals have become a part of Carnival, and may be regarded as part of a sub-culture of hedonism in which this city, known for its surprisingly permissive attitudes vis--vis social mores, becomes even more accepting during this celebration of freedom. There is a great mixture of factors going into the social impact of Carnival upon the city in particular, and the country in general. As Teissl puts it: Carnival is all the little festivals and parades in the streets and favelas, Rio de Janeiro's poor quarters. Carnival is also masked balls, elegant and often uninhibited - even debauched, where one sees fewer masks but plenty of skin, And Carnival is a time for competition in which countless participants pay thousands of dollars for luxurious and fantastic costumes. But Carnival is also a time of fraternization, tolerance, and genuine human friendship. (Teissl, 2000) So variety and indeed a degree of contradiction exists within Carnival. Thousands of dollars may be spent on a single costume for a rich masked ball while in some neighborhoods that still attempt to celebrate Carnival the average yearly wage may not reach that amount. This contrast can be seen in two main ways. One, more positive manner is to regard it as showing just how universal the feelings and atmosphere surrounding Carnival is. Thus, within this interpretation, "Carnival" is a transcendent social structure which

Case study in business at college level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case study in business at college level - Essay Example Penetration or predatory pricing is the opposite and means setting a low price in anticipation of future cost declines in order to grab a bigger share of a growing market (Bagozzi 54-55). Price skimming works for the products Gadgets2u.com sells (line 58). Predatory pricing works best once the level of sales starts to decline, with the effect of discouraging any potential competitors. 2.a) Gadgets2u.com's problem (lines 44-46) is not in the structure but in the lines of communication between project teams and staff (lines 39-43). This is common in fast-growing e-businesses and the solution is "not to automatically transform the flat structure into a formal hierarchy, but to make the hyperarchical system efficient by making it easier for project team leaders to communicate with each other, collect and evaluate the relevant information, and make decisions" (Amor 48). Gadgets2u.com's matrix structure is hyperarchical1 and characterized by flexibility, fast information flow, and quick decision-making. Improving communication efficiency will make the structure scalable or adaptable to growth. 2.b) Homeworking (or telecommuting) is done by five employees (line 138), but if their productivity is low and having them in the office will improve it, or if they have new assignments where their office presence is needed, then bringing them to the office is acceptable. Otherwise, this will backfire. The employee(s) may resign or be demotivated, leading to lower productivity and worse problems. Homeworking is a good way to keep and motivate good employees, especially creative types or those with health problems or multiple roles2 (family or community). Good employees are satisfied if they know they are more productive working from home and their contributions to the company's success are recognized. It is assumed that workers are given full management support and resources (communication lines, clear assignments, etc.). The appraisal system (line 137) will give Tom and the management more information on this matter (if homeworking is productive, motivating, or not). 3.a) Holding too much stock is a problem because stock costs money and space (which costs something and is therefore also money). Declining future sales may affect profits. Holding too little stock is also a problem because if the goods sell very well, the market will be frustrated with the company. Market satisfaction seems to be a problem lately (lines 119-120), although distribution is the main reason for that. 3.b) Just-in-time (JIT) stock control, currently under study by the management (lines 98-99) is one of the ultimate goals of any e-business (Amor 49). JIT is a system where inflow and outflow of stocks are balanced, or where the company has almost exactly the amount of goods that the market wants to buy (Germane 192). JIT requires near-perfect coordination between Gadgets2u.com and the suppliers, and demands accurate knowledge of market behavior which, because it is very dynamic, is difficult to predict. This ideal of

Rio Carnival Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rio Carnival - Essay Example The social background to the Carnival is that it was once considered to be a riotous, disorganized and essentially anti-authoritarian expression by the people that the government was forced to accept because of its popularity but which it did not positively condone. The Rio Carnival found its roots in the 1830's when the city's rich imported the practice of holding balls and masquerade parties from Paris. Gradually, over the next century, the festival took on the shape that it now holds, acquiring elements derived from African and South American Indian cultures. It is this mixture of cultures into a remarkably diverse and yet recognizably unified "Rio Carnival" that is the prime social characteristic of the celebration. The Carnival is the reason that Rio de Janeiro is famous throughout the world. Indeed, it may be the only thing that most people know about the city. This influences both the social and economic identity of the city, for better or worse. Thus while the original idea came from France, the cordoes were introduced by the Portuguese in the late 1800s. The cordoes were groups of people who danced through the streets playing music and generally celebrating. They are known today as blocos, and consist of people who dress in theme costumes and celebrate Carnival in a specific way. Certain neighborhoods are associated with certain blocos. In a social aspect that stems from a number of different traditions, a "fat man" is elected to act out the role of the Rei Morno, or the "King of Carnival" (Cowley, 2002). In recent years, cultural changes within the world as a whole, and within the developed world in particular, have been reflected within the social makeup of the Rio Carnival. For example, many different travel companies advertise the "Gay Rio Carnival" in which "the beaches are loaded with eye candy as far as the eye can see . . . people joke that everyone seems a little gay during carnival" (zoom, 2007). Small gay festivals have become a part of Carnival, and may be regarded as part of a sub-culture of hedonism in which this city, known for its surprisingly permissive attitudes vis--vis social mores, becomes even more accepting during this celebration of freedom. There is a great mixture of factors going into the social impact of Carnival upon the city in particular, and the country in general. As Teissl puts it: Carnival is all the little festivals and parades in the streets and favelas, Rio de Janeiro's poor quarters. Carnival is also masked balls, elegant and often uninhibited - even debauched, where one sees fewer masks but plenty of skin, And Carnival is a time for competition in which countless participants pay thousands of dollars for luxurious and fantastic costumes. But Carnival is also a time of fraternization, tolerance, and genuine human friendship. (Teissl, 2000) So variety and indeed a degree of contradiction exists within Carnival. Thousands of dollars may be spent on a single costume for a rich masked ball while in some neighborhoods that still attempt to celebrate Carnival the average yearly wage may not reach that amount. This contrast can be seen in two main ways. One, more positive manner is to regard it as showing just how universal the feelings and atmosphere surrounding Carnival is. Thus, within this interpretation, "Carnival" is a transcendent social structure which

Free trade is beneficial and should be promoted Essay

Free trade is beneficial and should be promoted - Essay Example Like in capitalistic national economies, rules and regulation restrict operations in international businesses and this forms the basis of defining different types of international trade environments. Free trade is one of the types and defines an international trade in which no regulations exists. Buying and selling of commodities are only subject to laws of demand and supply and not domestic laws or international barriers. This is contrary to the current international trade environment in which laws restrict trade and treaties exist to facilitate trade with specific partners. This paper argues that free trade is a better option for the contemporary global economy. Diversified views exist against free trade. One of such arguments is the risk of structural unemployment that a domestic economy may experience when it opens up its borders to free trade. According to the perspective, free trade may make some industries more competitive than others may and therefore shifts investments and d emand for labor to the more competitive industries and ventures. The consequence is dissertation of some industries that may render experts in those industries jobless. Finding jobs with redundant skills, especially at old age may be a challenge and a threat to people’s welfare and economic growth. It is also argued that free trade exposes an economy to trends in other economies and to global economic trends. Inflation in one country may induce inflation in another country because traded goods from the affected country transfers the inflation effect into the recipient economy. Similarly, recession in one economy may reduce its potentials to import commodities and reduce demand for another country’s export. Cases of perishable commodities would result into economic loss in the exporting countries. Opponents of free trade also claim that the international market favors some economies than others. Countries that are more efficient are able to trade at competitive advantag es and this hinders development of emerging economies that lack such advantages. This basis limits benefits of free trade to developed countries that continues to expand their economies while economies of developing countries stagnate. Regulations are also necessary for environmental conservation and free trade is a threat to this because it eliminates or weakens environmental laws. Organizations that produce commodities in less regulated environments also have advantage over those that operate in strictly regulated environments and this may facilitate the urge to eliminate all environmental regulations. Doing so, based on the opponents’ perspectives, is a key to global environmental concerns such as the contemporary global warming. There are also circumstances in which natural justice requires regulations. Examples are in cases of economic downturns such as the recent global recession that called for regulations to prevent unemployment rates (Edge 1). Moral and rational anal ysis of the opposing arguments identifies weaknesses in their validity. Threats of structural unemployment are for example not real, because people can operate in different industries and organizations’ compositions identify diversity. Transition that focuses interest from one industry to another will therefore only shift employment in that direction. Limiting free trade in order to protect domestic industries and domestic economies is also not rational because such industries failed to thrive in previous restricted market environment and all economies suffered from previous recessions under regulated trade. A moral perspective, rather that rule based approach can also help in resolving issues such as environmental protection and protection of employments during economic crisis (Edge 1). A review of arguments for free

Savings and Loans Crisis Essay Example for Free

Savings and Loans Crisis Essay INTRODUCTION In the 1980’s, the savings and loan (SL) industry was in turmoil with the watershed event of this being the implementation of price fixing legislation in favour of home ownership in the 1930’s. Even though it was the basis of the crisis, the trigger lies in more fundamental concepts, including fiscal policy, mismanagement of assets and liabilities, pure imprudence by SL institutions, brokered deposits and the cyclicality of the regulation/deregulation process and this was fuelled by economic reactions such as inflation. It would be ‘unfair’ to attribute it to only one factor. Therefore, to properly investigate the crisis and with a view of having all round perspective of the crisis, this report will discuss this financial disaster’s main causes. The impact of the crisis was borne mostly by the SL industry, the savings and commercial banks in the US and more generally, the US economy. This report will further cover the corrective measures undertaken by regulators and the government with the aim of saving the SL sector as the number of institutions with worsening financial conditions steeply increased. The consequences of this crisis persisted until the early 1990’s and this long term effect is understood by analysing the regulations enacted in the aftermath of the crisis. The main turning point has been the enactment of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act in 1989. Finally, there are essential lessons to be learned from the SL crisis, not only for the SL institutions, but also the banking industry, regulators and the government. CAUSES In the 1930s the SL industry was a conservative residential mortgage sector surrounded by legislation put in place during that period to promote home ownership. At the same time it has its own regulator which is the federal savings and home loan banking loan, and its own insurance firm to insure deposits at SL institutions. However the regulatory and interest rate environment started to change dramatically as from the 1960s when congress applied the Regulation Q to the SL industry by putting a ceiling on the interest rate that SLs can pay to depositors. The purpose was to help thrift institutions to extend interest rate ceiling to them in order to reduce their cost of liabilities and protect them from deposit rate wars since there were inflationary pressures in the middle till late 1960s. Regulation Q was price fixing, and in trying to fix the prices, Regulation Q caused distortion where the costs outweigh any benefits it may have offered. Regulation Q created a cross subsidy, passed from saver to home buyer, that allowed SLs to hold down their interest costs and thereby continue to earn, for a few more years, an apparently adequate interest margin on the fixed-rate mortgages they had at that recent past years. The problem was that the SL industry was not competing effectively for funds with commercial banks and securities market leading to large things in the amount of money available for mortgage lending. The ceiling on interest rate that SL could offer to depositors as per the Regulation Q led dampening of competition for depositors funds between bank and SL. But as new money market funds began to compete fiercely during the 1970s for depositors’ money by offering interest rates set by the market, SLs suffered significantly withdrawal of deposits during periods of high interest rates. This caused outflows from financial institution into higher yielding investment such as capital market instrument, government securities and money market funds. This process is known as disintermediation. Disintermediation has several undesirable consequences. Most important, it both restricted the availability of credit to consumers and increased its cost, particularly for home mortgages, the same consequences affected small and medium sized businesses that did not have access to the commercial paper market. In additional, because normal cash outlays increased to meet deposit withdrawals while cash inflows decreased as new funds were diverted to alternative investments, disintermediation slowed the growth of financial institutions and caused them liquidity problems. To have the cash available to meet withdrawal demands, banks and thrifts were often forced either to borrow money at above-market interest rates or to sell assets, often at a loss from book value. At the same time, rise in oil prices in 1979 pushed inflation and headline interest rates up. Growing inflation in the 1970s received two huge boosts: the first comprised the late-1973 and 1979 oil shocks from OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). Soaring oil prices compelled most American businesses to raise their prices as well, with inflationary results. The second boost to inflation came in the form of food harvest failures around the world, which created soaring prices on the world food market. Again, U.S. companies that imported food responded with an inflationary rise in their prices. In order to combat the increase in inflation, there was a rise in interest rates to encourage people to save and spend less. The Federal Reserve opted for tightening monetary measures in reaction to inflationary concerns. As a result of the subsequent monetary tightening, interest rates rose abruptly and significantly. Interest rates soared from 9.06% in June 1979 to 15.2% in March 1980. Such drastic change in base rates caused the yield curve to become inverted. The spread between the 10 year Treasury bond and the 3-month T-Bill became negative as seen in the table below reaching 373 basis points in 1980. (http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/InvrtdYieldCurvesRsrchRprt.pdf) The graph below shows the variation of US Treasury three-month T-Bill. The large rise and the volatility of short term interest rates is evident from the graph. (http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/InvrtdYieldCurvesRsrchRprt.pdf) The following 10-year Treasury against the effective Federal Funds Rate spread also illustrates how the yield curve inverted during the SL crisis. (http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/InvrtdYieldCurvesRsrchRprt.pdf) With high volatility of interest rates during these periods, the SL industry failed to tackle the risk inherent in the funding of long term, fixed mortgages by means of short term deposits. In other words, there was a mismatch of asset/liability with a negative gap and rising short term interest rates. Aftermath In the1982’s, to attempt at resuscitating the SL industry, Congress tried to deal with the crisis by enacting the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act in 1980 and the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act in 1982, allowed lower capital requirements, which were based largely on book values rather than more market-value oriented techniques, grossly overstate the health of financial institutions. Regulators relaxed regulatory restrictions by decreasing the net worth requirement from 4% to 3% of total deposits, with additional flexibility of not complying with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The process of deregulation further included the extension for the period of amortisation of supervisory goodwill and the Bank Board removes the specific limitations for the SL shareholders, changing the minimum 400 shareholders restriction to only one, with no one shareholder or group holding more than 10% and 25% respectively and the acceptance of means of payment other than cash. In particular, rules on net worth changed so that thrifts could continue to operate even at historically low levels. Also, â€Å"supervisory goodwill† was used to balance out the books in terms of capital requirements and accounting numbers. This goodwill had no economic sense and simply helped to compensate any institutions, in a merger, when taking over economically impaired assets of insolvent institutions. All in all, the changes in accounting and capital treatment of supervisory goodwill enabled SL’s to post stronger accounting and capital numbers even though the underlying economic situation had deteriorated. There was a cancellation of the ceiling of the loan to value ratio as well. Forbearance or the decline in regulatory oversight was also a major factor of the debacle. Most importantly, savings and loan interest rate ceilings were removed. SL’s had a large proportion of variable rate liabilities (deposits) funding fixed-rate assets they held 84.5% of their assets as home mortgages. These institutions had a negative GAP as the amount of RSL was larger than that of RSA. GAP = RSA RSL Therefore, they were exposed to any rise in interest rates as the yield on the assets were fixed while the cost of liabilities increased. With the rapid increase in base rate in the 1980’s, FI’s cost of RSL rose faster than they could adjust their return on their assets. They had to maintain a high level of interest paid on deposit to avoid deposit withdrawal. The Net Interest Income – the difference between interest on assets and cost of liabilities decreased significantly. NII = Asset Return – Cost of Liabilities On average, the returns on home loans were 9% with an average deposit rate of 7% which implied a 2% net interest income. Given the tight regulations surrounding the SL’s, these institutions relied in the 2% net interest income as their main source of income. However, as the base rate rose dramatically, the NII dropped to negative figures, reaching -1.0% in 1981. Many institutions lost huge amounts of money. Savings and Loans specialised in originating and holding home mortgage loans that were relatively long term assets with fixed interest rates. However, these were funded by relatively short term deposits whose interest rates were variable. There was a maturity mismatch that was exposed to risk of interest rate rise. With the market value of the assets being more volatile because of its longer maturity, and as a consequence a longer duration, the rise in interest rate decreased the value of the mortgages to very low levels. The value of the liabilities decreased as well but to a smaller extent. Since net worth is the difference between market value of assets and market value of liabilities, this led to negative equity of financial institutions. Δ E = (DA DLg) x A x Δr/(1+r) Since DA DLg, with Δr 0, change in net worth value ΔE is negative. The leverage adjusted duration gap between the assets and liabilities was so large and with a large rise in interest rate, the equity value decreased to being negative. By the early 1980s, savings and loans throughout the country were insolvent by about $110 billion and the fund was reporting only $6 billion in reserves (Barth, 1991; Brumbaugh, 1988; Kane, 1989) The legislation also allowed savings and loans to begin to diversify into commercial real estate loans and other loans commercial banks could already make. Congress hoped that if SL’s invested in riskier, and thus, higher yielding assets, they would be able to offset the loss they previously made. The savings and loans were also allowed to originate adjustable-rate home loans. By 1983, most SLs were deemed economically profitable but 9% of the SL industry was insolvent. However, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) and the Bank Board, went ahead with their plan of regulating the industry by imposing a 7% net worth limit for new entrants in the thrift industry so as to promote safe risk management practices and investments. Although all these developments were intended to help savings and loans, they gave rise to a subsequent twist in the crisis. The new changes did indeed allow savings and loans to reduce their interest rate risks but the changes exposed savings and loans to new risks mainly credit risks. While defaults on the home mortgages were low, defaults and associated losses on other types of loans and investments are typically much higher. By combining interest rate risk with credit risk, spread over a wider geographical area, experienced institutions had greater opportunities to choose a prudent overall balance of risk and return. However, many savings and loans began making commercial real estate loans, activities in which they were relatively inexperienced. Since investing in real estate loans entailed unique risks and required specific skills, SL’s eventually made losses on the real estate loans. These credit quality problems are reflected in the net income of the industry plunging once again, but even more than in the early 1980s, when the yield curve inverted. The industry lost nearly $21 billion in 1987 and 1988, and almost another $8 billion in 1989. Many open but insolvent savings and loans had incentives to take excessive risks and â€Å"gambled for resurrection† because of the phenomenon of moral hazard. If ever something turned wrong, the federal deposit insurance fund would bear the losses; yet the owners would reap the rewards if everything went well. The legislation, however, did not change how premiums were set for federal deposit insurance, meaning that riskier institutions and prudent ones were charged the same premium. Actually, the level of insured deposits was raised from $40,000 to $100,000. The new, lower capital requirements and broader opportunities to lend and invest allowed some savings and loan to take larger risks. With federally insured deposits and the ability to attract more deposits by offering higher rates of interest, deeply troubled savings and loans always had ready access to additional funds. Deregulation encouraged increased risk-taking by SL’s. However, in the mid- to late 1980s, with considerable real estate loans and investments, regional recessions struck the USA, which reduced commercial real estate values. In particular, an unexpected plunge in the price of oil in 1986 contributed to recession. To make matters worse, the Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 that more than eliminated the tax benefits to commercial real estate ownership it had conveyed only a few years earlier. Commercial real estate values fell dramatically as a result. This severely affected the asset value of the SL’s. In 1987, the Bank Board emphasised the importance of capitalisation by imposing a supervisory approval for SLs which engage in investments that are above 2.5 the multiplier of their tangible capital base. The main turning point was the Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), restructuring the industry as a whole by setting up the Resolution Trust Corporation which in total resolved or liquidated 747 thrifts, with assets valued at $394 billion, jettisoning both the FHLBB and FSLIC and setting up a new regulatory institution Office of Thrift Supervision. The key to this act was that instead of trying to save the SLs which were barely solvent, it dissolved them and focused on the solvent ones to reform the industry. With the assistance of market fundamentals – favourable conditions of interest rates, the reinstatement of GAAP accounting and real estate market, the industry stabilised. LESSONS LEARNT The thrift crisis had a bailout plan of $153 billion, of which around 80% was financed by taxpayers. The number of institutions in the SL industry receded considerably until 1995 and before then, the ability of the regulators and the government to deal with the crisis was questioned many times. What followed was a series of court battles, corruption charges and major restructuring. Therefore, consequences were substantial enough for everyone to extract some observations and lessons. The starting point of it all was overregulation, which outlined the restrictions and conditions under which an SL would function. That included rigidity of the institutions to be flexible at a time economic conditions were changing and the financial sector was advancing. With fixed interest rates, it proved difficult for the SL to engage in competition as their means of investing was limited. One crucial point is that additional regulations do not necessarily mean fewer risks. SLs had to assume additional exposure to interest rate risk and alongside with banks, they were prevented from optimising their credit risk exposure. The government sometimes does not modify the regulations as fast as the structure of the industry is changing leading to new risks emerging and the cycle goes on. To keep up with advancement, the government has to put in place tighter risk management policies and controls. However, regulators and government should not direct the investment decisions of institutions. Rather, investments should be in line with market and economic forces. At a later stage, the industry was deregulated in order to remedy the situation. However, this translated into a decrease in market discipline as the SLs made high risk investments as they relied on the safety net of federal guarantee to cover any losses. Moral hazard, adverse selection and passive management were noted. Therefore, it exposes the disadvantage of FSLIC at that time which encouraged the SLs to take long-term and unreported risks. The deregulation, reducing the capital requirements, left the thrift industry more vulnerable to economic changes. From the failure of resuscitating the industry, it was deduced that forbearance treatment towards insolvent institutions might not always be the best option as it can lead to a freeze in lending and stifle the economy. One of the lessons from the thrift crisis which has been consistently taken into account over the years was the reliance on capital ratios. During the deregulation period of the crisis, there was no monitoring of the capital bases of the thrifts which ultimately lead to insolvency. From then on, institutions had to follow certain standard capital requirements put in place by regulators. However, this focus proved recently in the credit crunch to be detrimental, showing that banks favour trust and confidence. It is important to realise that capital ratios and other accounting ratios might not reveal the real economic strength of the institution. The crisis led to more disclosure and market value accounting. It has been understood that it would have been best to restrict involvement of public funds as a means of saving the industry. Using state or public funds to buy-out thrifts below value is not in accord with public welfare. A solution would have been to subdivide the thrifts into insured and uninsured ones with varying degrees of supervisory regulations concerning deposits and investments. One lesson learned was the emergence of an adjustable insurance premium rate which became a function of the institution’s regulatory rating, risk and capital levels. CONCLUSION For some years the final bill for the SL crisis remained uncertain. However, it is known now that, the thrift crisis cost an extraordinary$153 billion – one of the most expensive financial sector crises the world has seen. Of this, the US taxpayer paid out $124 billion while the thrift industry itself paid $29 million. The consequences of the SL crisis for the structure and regulation of the US financial industry were profound. The number of institutions in the SL industry fell by about half between 1986 and 1995, partly due to the closure of around 1,000 institutions by regulators, the most intense series of institution failures since the 1930s. The failures prompted an overhaul of the regulatory structure for US banking and thrifts, a shake-up in the system of deposit insurance and implied Government guarantees. Regulators shifted towards a policy of earlier intervention in failing institutions so that the principal costs are more likely to be borne by shareholders than other stakeholders. There was also a shift towards more risk-sensitive regulatory regimes, with respect to both net worth assessments and the payments to deposit insurance funds, while deposit insurance reform made it less likely that taxpayers would shoulder so great a burden in any future crisis. At a wider level, the SL crisis taught politicians, regulators and bankers how misleading rules-driven regulatory and accounting numbers can be in relation to risky bank activities. At different stages of the crisis, reporting of the financial condition of SLs was deliberately selected by interested parties to cover up the true economic extent of the unfolding disaster. It was a risk reporting failure on grand scale that greatly worsened the long term economic consequences fort the ultimate stakeholder: the US taxpayer. REFERENCES 1. Myth: Carter ruined the economy; Reagan saved it. http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-carterreagan.htm [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 2. The U.S. banking debacle of the 1980’s : A lesson in government mismanagement http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/the-us-banking-debacle-of-the-1980s-a-lesson-in-government-mismanagement/ [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 3. Inverted Yield Curve Research Report, Milken Institute http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/InvrtdYieldCurvesRsrchRprt.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010 4. The Cost of the Savings and Loans Crisis, FDIC Banking Review http://useconomy.about.com/library/s-and-l-crisis.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 5. The SL Crisis: A Chrono-Bibliography, FDIC http://www.fdic.gov/bank/historical/s%26l/index.html [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 6. The Savings and Loan Crisis http://wapedia.mobi/en/Savings_and_loan_crisis.html [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 7. US Savings and Loans Crisis, Sungard Bancware Erisk http://www.prmia.org/pdf/Case_Studies/US_SL.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 8. Savings and Loans Crisis, FDIC Report Vol. 1 http://www.fdic.gov/bank/historical/history/167_188.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 9. The Economic Effects of the Savings and Loans Crisis, Congressional Budget Office http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/100xx/doc10073/1992_01_theeconeffectsofthesavings.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010] 10. The Cost of Savings and Loans Crisis: Truth and Consequences, FDIC Banking Review http://fcx.fdic.gov/bank/analytical/banking/2000dec/brv13n2_2.pdf [Accessed 31 October 2010 to 18 November 2010]

Three Worlds Of Welfare Capital Politics Essay

Three Worlds Of Welfare Capital Politics Essay The three worlds of welfare capitalism  written by Esping- Andersen in 1990 set the bar for welfare typologizing and has sparked a volatile and ongoing debate ever since. Most of the literature for those studying and analysing social policy is now based around mending or re forming the welfare capitalist in to something which acknowledges more factors which shape welfare provision and bring the original txt in to a modern or argument/ issue specific context. Issues such as gender, the role of the family and an expansion of the original categories of Welfare state have been the focus of much of Europes modern day social policy research and the defining factor in all of this research is that Esping-Andersen is almost always used as the starting point . This is the case despite the comment that typologizing is the lowest form of intellectual endeavour (Baldwin, 1996, p29). No matter how intellectually miniscule it may be reported to be the process of typologizing is an essential and b asic tool for carrying out and analysing strengths and weakness in welfare states and approaches to welfare and despite all the critiques and revisions it must be argued that if Andersens work is still being used as a basis of modern day research then it must have a fairly large amount of academic credibility left.   In the work of Esping-Andersen a typology was created by critically analysing 18 welfare states in relation to three main themes. These themes of: Decommodification; the extent to which welfare is reliant upon market forces, social stratification; the role of welfare states in maintaining society and equality within that society and the private-public mix which includes the role of the family and the voluntary sector, even though Andersen largely missed those out in his overall conclusions leading to significant criticisms being raised about his overall conclusions. How these states operate and how decomodified they are were the main criterion which lead to these welfare states being compartmentalised in to three welfare regime types; Liberal, Conservative and Social Democratic.(Esping-Andersen; 1990) Conservative welfare states are distinguished by their emphasis on the maintenance of status and the insurance based nature of welfare provision. Conservative welfare programmes, in which benefits are often earnings-related, are administered through the employer and what one puts in is what they get out. There is little or no redistribution of benefits or wealth within conservative welfare states. The role of the family is also emphasised and expected to some extent and a male breadwinner model is enshrined by the welfare system. France and Germany are strong examples of the Conservative model however according to Andersen so are the southern Mediterranean states which he analyzed. (Esping-Andersen; 1990) In Liberal countries, welfare is strictly controlled with entitlement criteria, and recipients are usually means-tested. Welfare is distributed on a sliding scale to those who need it most however Welfare provision is often very low meaning that often the effects of the welfare provided are negligible. The Social Democratic regime is the smallest of all 3 regimes. Welfare provision in social democratic countries is universal and relies on citizenship as its only real criteria for distribution. Social democratic countries try to promote full employment and the employed workforce is highly unionised. They also attempt to redistribute wealth throughout the population and there is much less of a stigma attached to this and much more of a willingness to contribute than in other welfare regimes. There are therefore a range of substantive critiques which can be used to critically assess the welfare capital and its modern day relevance; however an important starting point would be its relationship with gender. The gender-blind (Bambra, 2004, p201) concept of Decommodification and, the seeming unawareness of the role of women in the provision of welfare is startling. The welfare capital has been accused of being a; misleading comparison of aggregate welfare state expenditure (Bambra, 2004, p201). Not taking gender in to account has caused scholars and researchers to focus on this specific issue very acutely to point out how different the classifications of states could look with this factor included. This factor affects the Sothern European states to a disproportionate degree and many researchers and scholars have therefore pointed out how different the welfare categories would be if gender was accounted for. However there are more issues than simply gender issues which could l ead to the separation of the Sothern states from the conservative category and this must be addressed separately to which welfare states, and welfare state regimes, facilitate female autonomy and economic independence from the family. We must also asses the shift from the male worker model to the Adult worker model as well as the role of women in the home and look at how this has affected state policy and welfare provision. Many states now encourage women to enter the workplace and welfare is increasingly becoming about the individual rather than the family. This is certainly the case in some conservative countries but much less so in the southern welfare states of Europe. If Andersen had taken this factor in to account then once again we could likely have seen a very different set of results produced. The range of countries used to construct Esping-Andersens typology has met with criticism. Esping-Andersen only examined 18 OECD countries. This lead to countries such as Greece and Germany being grouped in the same category. Considering the economic differences and differences in terms of social structure this seems to be an unrealistic conclusion. It has therefore been suggested that given the unique characteristics of many of the southern European nations mainly; Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain there is sufficient scope to create a fourth southern European welfare category. In the Journal of European Social Policy Arts and Gelissen state it seems logical to see the South European countries as a separate cluster (ArtsGelissen,2002,p145) . Southern welfare states are viewed as being extreamly basic in their welfare provision with strong emphasis on the family and fragmented care. They do however seem to have significant expenditure in some areas and more underdeveloped and limited expenditure in others. Pensions tend to be generous in southern European welfare states and this may be a feature of reliance on the family and a strong ethic of family protection and reliance on elderly people to provide services such as child care which are not provided by the state. There are also strong criticisms of the liberal states and the huge differences in both expenditure between liberal countries in total and on specific areas. Liberal nations in Esping-Andersens research tend to be groped as English speaking nations however the English speaking nations listed have huge ideological differences and state approaches to welfare funding and entitlement. A number of policy areas within nations also contravene the natural policy stances which are set out in the social categories too. For example the Universal UK NHS is not something which one would expect to see in a liberal model and it is not consistent with the criteria for the liberal welfare category and yet such policy variations have to be put aside in favour of an overall picture. Andersens has also been heavily criticised for his use and analysis of data and how this data has been presented and how easily manipulated it can be. Attention has been placed particularly upon decommodification indexes and the use of means to produce the final categories.  This method has a noticeable impact on the classification of certain countries, eg. the UK which, if a different cut-off point was used, may not have fallen within the Liberal regime. This is highlighted in the work of Bambra where she; Highlights an overlooked error in Esping-Andersens original calculations that led to the incorrect positioning of three borderline countries (Japan, the UK and Ireland) and resulted in the empirically erroneous composition of the Three Worlds of Welfare (Bambra,2006). Bambra Uses different methods to show how current data and the original data used by Esping-Andersen can be changed to produce very different catogories of welfare to great effect and she highlights the glairing errors as well in Esping-Andersens original calculations. (Banbra,2006). Therefore in conclusion it is clear that Arts and Glitsen are almost certainly correct when they state that Real welfare states are hardly ever pure types and are usually hybrid cases (Arts and Glitsen, 2002). It is also however clear that there is a basic role for the three worlds of welfare capitalism and that as a piece of work Esping-Andersen set the groundwork for the next 20 years of research and study in to European welfare spending and the grouping of European welfare states. Typologizing although a very inexact science in most cases is never the less extremely useful and we should not take that fact for granted. Nor should we take for granted the significant research that Esping-Andersen has subsequently inspired and the significant impact that his work has had on thinking within social policy.

Death as a Theme Our Town :: essays papers

In the play Our Town, the people of Grover’s Corners mask their worries and thoughts about death in their quest for happiness. In the first act, a few deaths occur, and the attitude of the people towards these deaths is a negligent one of briefly acknowledging death and moving on. Also, the children in act two who are faced with adulthood are reluctant to accept the burden, through their hesitance to grow up and approach death. In the third act, when we finally get a clear picture of death, the reader sees that the people who are dead are regretful that their mundane lives were incomplete, not realizing the importance of life until they are dead. This method of living proves unfulfilling, as the dead arduously mourn their trivial lives yearning to have made a difference. The stage manager directs the flow of the play throughout, and his transient attitude towards death reflects Grover’s Corners overall outlook on a life that tries to mentally avoid death. This stance is established primarily by the stage manager in his first act narrative, which hastily describes the fatalities, masking their importance and reality. â€Å"Want to tell you something about that boy Joe Crowell there. Joe was awful bright – graduated from high school here, head of his class. So he got a scholarship to Massachusetts Tech. Graduated head of his class there, too. It was all wrote up in the Boston paper at the time. Goin’ to be a great engineer, Joe was. But the war broke out and he died in France.† This brief account demonstrates the importance placed on a man’s death. The people of Grover’s Corners live in a world where change is frowned upon; consequently, the means of dealing with such a great adjustment as death is to prevent themselves from thinking of it. In the stagnant society of Grover’s corners, death is the ultimate obstacle, and ignorance is the remedy. Another instance where the stage manager subtly demonstrates this practice of evading notions of death is his intervention in scenes that broach the topic. â€Å"Only it seems to me that once in your life before you die you ought to see a country where they don’t talk in English and don’t even want to.† The stage manager enters briskly from the right. He tips his hat to the ladies (P.

Distractions: Classroom and Facebook Essay

Electronics is one of the main and worst distractions. Cell phones, laptops, desktop, and various other electronics are some of just a few distractions that take place in the class room, But the biggest one I think is laptops. People use laptops in the classroom to take notes, plan there day, and to do work on, but after a while it can those same usefulness can become a distraction. A lot of professors and instructors have decided to ban laptops from the classroom because people tend to lose focus with laptops in front of them. They start to go off and do other things like on Facebook or YouTube. This can become a big problem because they not paying attention so they don’t know what’s going on with the lesson which can affect what students might need to do for homework or what they need to study for that big test coming up. They not only are a distraction to the person using it but also a distraction to people around them. The typing may become annoying to a neighbor who may need to focus. Some professors find them a really distracting the typing and students seem to find more interest in the computer then in the lesson. Along with Cell phones, Laptops are becoming banned from classrooms due to the distraction to the person that uses them, their peers, and their professor. Laptops are just one of many distractions in the classroom and is one of the worst and main distractions along with cell phones and various other electronics that cause distractions.