When Should Transgender Identification Begin - Youth or...

Research on Transgender Identification in Youth or Adulthood The question at hand is whether or not it is more beneficial for a person with gender dysphoria to be able to express the gender for which they identify with at a young age, or later, in adulthood. In regards to sociology, symbolic interactionism is ideal for examining the way in which sociological theory relates to transgender issues. This is because symbolic interactionism is the study of how people relate to one another and their environment, but specifically how the relations between each other have an effect on their environment. Blumer’s conceptualization of symbolic interactionism, known as the situational approach is the one most often used in sex research (Longmore,†¦show more content†¦Hopefully, by gaining insight into these interactions, it will help inform whether or not it is beneficial for a child to be able to express their gender identity at a young age or whether it is more beneficial for them to wait until adulthood. A theory that would give insight into the research question in relation to psychology would be identity theory. Stryker and Burke (2006) have the most relevant ideas on identity theory that would inform the research question. In identity theory, it is used to show how people identify with being a particular type of person; how they take on social roles and belong to social groups (Burke, 2006). Stryker claimed that the greater number of people one is committed to being a certain type of person around the more they identify with being that type of person (Burke, 2006). This poses interesting insight into the research question of whether or not it is beneficial for a child to express their gender identity at a young age and be â€Å"out† with everyone they know, or for an adult to have to slowly bring their identity into existence among people individually and how this may have an effect on the person. Stryker alsoShow MoreRelated Gender Stereotyping Of Children Essay2820 Wo rds   |  12 Pagespopular than ever. â€Å"Is this for a boy or girl?† was added to the list of questions you were asked when ordering. This was one of the beginnings of a new form of marketing that specifically gendered toys and stereotyped interests for each gender (Faust N. Pag.). Advertisements and marketing are not the only influences in perpetuating gender stereotypes. There are numerous influences on the youth of America that aid in the stereotyping of personalities and interests for boys and girls. TodayRead MoreMental Health For Children And Adolescents2684 Words   |  11 Pagesthrough adulthood. According to WHO (2015), the adolescence period will begin after childhood and right before adulthood. This phase is a critical transition in the growth span along with infancy. In this process a child is developing rapidly from a child to adolescence with the onset of puberty (WHO, 2015). Depending on the period this biological determinant are universal although it often determined by the cultures and socioeconomic situation the child is in would determine the point to when an adolescenceRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesappropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieva l system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material

Is Routine Circumcision of Infants Ethical Free Essays

History of Circumcision: Reviewing the history of circumcision and the many misguided reasons for its practice will help form an understanding of the multifaceted issues concerning routine infant circumcision. Some of the earliest evidence of male circumcision comes from Egypt around the year 3000 BC. However, researchers studying this practice do not understand or agree on its purpose. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Routine Circumcision of Infants Ethical? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Some researches believe that circumcision was a form of branding for slaves while others thought it to be from the priestly class as a form of religious ritual. But when is more pertinent to this argument is that the early Greeks and Romans outlawed male circumcision believing it to be a barbaric form of mutilation of male genitalia. The first documented purpose for circumcision is in the Old Testament Scriptures (Gen 17:10) concerning the covenant between Abraham and God, representative of the relationship between Israel and Yahweh. According to the governing doctrinal resource for Catholics worldwide, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the explanation for Old Testament circumcision is in section 1150. 1150 – †¦Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. The Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant. † The circumcision of Jesus in the New Testament explains that when Jesus came, as the fulfillment of prophecy that the new covenant manifested through th e innocent blood of Jesus replaces once and for all the old covenant through Father Abraham. There is no longer a need for animal sacrifices and the early Christian community determined that baptism was to be the new sign of the covenant. â€Å"527- Jesus’ circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth, is the sign of his incorporation into Abraham’s descendants, into the people of the covenant. It is the sign of his submission to the Law and his deputation to Israel’s worship, in which he will participate throughout his life. This sign prefigures that â€Å"circumcision of Christ† which is Baptism. Routine infant circumcision in the United States became prevalent in the Victorian age (1840) and reached its height during the Cold War (1940) when technology, hospitals, and modern medicine sought to institutionalize the birthing process. Including more than 90% of boys, infant circumcisions became so routine that doctors performed the procedure without actually receiving consent from the parents. Parents not desiring the process for their sons wer e considered negligent. Given the history and the misguided reasons for practicing routine circumcision, â€Å"Why would a parent authorize, a doctor perform, or an insurance company pay for, the routine circumcision of infants? † A. Health Reasons- certainly it would be ethical to surgically remove the penis foreskin of a male infant if in some way it presented a health risk; there is no real argument here. B. Tradition-for generations, infants have undergone various procedures under the reasoning of â€Å"tradition. From binding feet in Japan (which has been banned) to piercing ears, and stretching necks, tradition plays a large part in the decision for circumcision. Many men, who like their own fathers were circumcised as infants, think that their child in turn might as well be circumcised too. However, is there any real thinking going on here at all? I argue that just because everyone else jumps off a bridge, is that any reason for you to jump off as well. Religious Beliefs- I would have to say yes, it is ethical to have a child circumcised if you are following a true religious belief. The parent who has legal authority over their child may choose (and in fact is morally obligated to choose) to do what they believe is in the best interest of the child. Therefore, for the Jews who believe that the outward sign of circumcision establishes their child in a covenantal relationship with God; they are well within their ethical right and responsibility to have their sons circumcised. Freedom of religion is one of the building blocks of our free nation. Circumcision mentality: Today thanks in part to our mass media; modern society is ruled by prevailing mentalities. These pervasive mindsets allure us to what appears to be the benefits of circumcision, while completely obscuring any possible negative ramifications. The mentality is permeated into societal norms, which are almost impossible to resist, and are most difficult to correct. An accepted societal mentality is further driven by force of habit. Among other things, we live in a society that assumes that a male infant in the United States is routinely circumcised. Seldom are discussions of the pros and cons of the procedure brought to the attention of the parent, unless the parent specifically requests it. Even then, the doctor may say, â€Å"It is not medically necessary but if the boys father has been circumcised, then you should probably have your son circumcised as well†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦or â€Å"you wouldn’t want him to look different than his friends when he becomes a high school student in the locker room. † Medical Ethics: When looking into medical ethics, the Oath of Hippocrates standard for medical professionals since 400 BCE shed some additional light onto the situation. From the Oath: â€Å"I do solemnly swear by whatever I hold most sacred, that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine†¦that I will exercise my art, solely for the cure of my patients and the prevention of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, considering the Hippocrates oath, a routine circumcision of an infant male does not fall into the category of â€Å"†¦curing a patient, and the preventing of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why then would doctors perform such an unnecessary procedure Catholic Theological Ethics: As a student of Theology, from a Roman Catholic perspective I have yet to hear a discussion concerning the morality of circumcision. However after researching the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) under the subtitle â€Å"Mutilation of body parts† section 2297 reads, â€Å"Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law. † VI. Personal Ethics: Each parent possesses the God given right to make certain decisions on behalf of their young children who cannot make these decisions themselves. A good example is immunizations; no infant has the capability to make this decision, so the parent, in the child’s best interest makes the decision to have the child immunized. I am a mother of four sons, born in the years 1983, 1985, 1991 and 1992. Although the father of the boys was circumcised however, none of our boys is circumcised. To this day, none of them has ever had trouble of any kind, nor has it been an issue in the locker room. The decision to leave the boys as they were born, uncircumcised, was based on the fact that it was not a medical necessity, that anesthetic was not used (they had just been traumatized in birth), and that there was a possibility of complications from the procedure. Parents need to take a more proactive stance in researching the pros and cons of the procedure, and should spend at least as much time and energy on this decision as they do in picking out a new car! VII. Objective – If the objective of the National Organization of Circumcision of Infants Resource Center is to reduce the number of routine circumcisions performed, I believe that to pursue this objective through legal channels alone would be fruitless. Big government has more than enough authority in dictating to families what they can and cannot do for their children. Your best bet would be to lobby the insurance companies. Perhaps you could demand coverage for an elective surgical procedure such as having your breasts enlarged and when they tell you no that it is just a cosmetic or optional procedure, sue them for discriminatory practices. The last thing an insurance company wants is a class action lawsuit. It would be simple for them to simply take routine infant circumcisions off their list of covered procedures. In addition, a non-covered expense for an unnecessary procedure may prompt parents to give this issue closer consideration. D. Moral Law: Next, one must consider which law is the governing authority in your life. The Moral Law operates under a set of religious beliefs. Found within the moral law are the Jewish Law, and the Christian Law (for the sake of brevity we will not mention other religious groups here). The Jewish Law of Circumcision establishes a covenant between God and Abraham (Gen 17:10), representative of Yahweh and Israel. The Christian Law comes into effect with the birth of Jesus. Jesus becomes the new sign of the covenant, with the Baptism of infants as the effective cause. Concerning Civil Law under which all persons are bound; it has little criteria for establishing ethical arguments. One may ask questions of the law: if allowing an un-anaesthetized circumcision is lawful, and what recourse would a child have if the procedure causes permanent damage to the male organ but these are considered civil, not ethical. Additionally, why would an insurance company pay for such an unnecessary procedure (when so many don’t pay for many true necessities)? Perhaps it should be regarded as â€Å"elective surgery† and therefore it would be a charge paid for entirely by the parent requesting the procedure, not as an â€Å"ordinary and customary† procedure paid for by the insurance companies. However, the Hebrew people alone practiced the circumcision of infants on the 8th day after birth. The child’s father, using a flint knife, preformed circumcision How to cite Is Routine Circumcision of Infants Ethical?, Papers

Batman The Great American Superhero Essay Example For Students

Batman The Great American Superhero Essay The concept of superhero has permeated American culture for more than a century. Graphic novels depicting heroes like Superman, Green Lantern, and The Flash grab the imagination, tapping into both the reader’s deep seated longing for the ideal and his fantasies of titanic power. The exception to the god-in-tights trope that otherwise defines the genre is The Batman. Unlike his iconic foil, Superman, Batman fights to the best of his ability without powers. Ironically, it’s this that makes him more powerful as a character. Readers of Batman comics, consciously or not, put themselves in the shoes of Batman. If Batman can do all this, the reader thinks, maybe I can conquer my problems too. Batman has become a potent pop-culture icon of self-actualization and ambition in the face of adversity, and the stories depicting him are a direct parable for the conflict against one’s own inner darkness. Batman’s saga begins with a smoking gun and a promise. Up until that fateful night, he was merely the young son of a wealthy family in the crime-ridden Gotham City. He was on his way home from a night at the cinema when mugger violently killed his parents. Young Bruce Wayne, orphan, channeled all the pain and hate he felt on that night into a promise to himself that was as simple as it was naive: to end crime in Gotham. As he sat alone in the rainy alleyway by the corpses of his parents and listened to wail of GCPD police sirens, he took the first steps of his journey of self-actualization that would last him his entire life. And so he grew into something greater. The story of his growth is rare within the superhero genre. Superman was born with extraordinary abilities, and the Green Lantern was given a magic alien ring. The Martian Manhunter is, well, a martian. Batman, on the other hand, studied and trained and traveled the world for his abilities. He learned from the masters of the martial arts, criminology, and detective work. For twelve years he paid sweat and blood for every inch of progress he made towards optimizing his being. The fact that Batman worked so hard to become himself is rare in the genre, and is a breath of fresh air from the zero-to-heroes one reads about in other superhero graphic novels. Frank Miller told the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman in â€Å"Batman: Year One. He had just returned home to Wayne Manor and didn’t yet know where to begin in the undertaking of his epic quest. â€Å"I’m not ready I have the means, the skill but not the method,† he mused. â€Å" No. That’s not true. I have hundreds of methods. But something’s missing. Something isn’t right. I have to wait. † Unfortunately, he was unwilling to restrain himself from carrying out what he promised he’d do more than a decade ago for long, and within a week Bruce Wayne, disguised by a fake scar on his face, walks out into the shady streets of Gotham for the first time as a vigilante. In the East End of town, Bruce is propositioned by a prostitute of no more than thirteen years. When he refuses, her hulking, angry pimp provokes him into a fight. Though Bruce would have won handily one-on-one, the fight is prolonged when a band of prostitutes complicate things. The police arrive, handcuff Bruce, and detain him in their squad car. Unwilling to let his one man crusade end before it begins, a lightheaded and bleeding Bruce Wayne breaks the handcuffs and causes the police car to swerve into a nearby building. He drags the police officers to a safe distance before he flees to Wayne Manor. The trope of the Hero’s unfamiliarity with a new situation is common, even ubiquitous, within works of fiction. In Campbell’s Monomyth model of story structure, this phase is called the Belly of the Whale. This is the twilight stage between the protagonist’s decision to undertake his quest and his inevitable emergence as a newer, stronger character. Bruce Wayne’s emergence occurred as he sat alone in Wayne Manor looking out into the night. The previous night’s incident had illuminated the quality that he knew was missing: intimidation. When he fights criminals as a man, he does so on their level. They have nothing to fear from another human. No, he knew that they needed a symbol, a legend that would strike terror into the hearts of those who would hurt the innocent. In order to fight something as pervasive as crime, he would need to do it in a way that transcends humanity. Suddenly, a bat crashes through his window, and he remembers an incident from before his parents’ death. He had been chasing a rabbit through the estate as a young boy when he tripped and fell into the subterranean depths beneath his house that would later become the batcave. Bats scurry away from the mysterious interloper of their domain. All that remains within the cave is Bruce and a solitary bat, who flies to attack the intruder: â€Å"Then something shuffles out of sight something sucks the stale air and hisses. Gliding with ancient grace. Eyes gleaming untouched by love or joy or sorrow. Breath hot with the taste of fallen foes, the stench of dead things, damned things. The Canterbury Tales: A View Of The Medieval Christian Church EssayFurthermore, the Batman would only â€Å"turn off the light† halfway, because the Joker refused to believe that the world had a place for him. The Batman and The Joker were simply two men linked by identities molded from loss and suffering. Batman’s belief that order and justice can be brought to the world grounded him and kept him sane. The Joker, without any such ideals, turned to violence and madness. The Joker represents what Batman could become if he lost hope for tomorrow, and their conflict is not only the struggle between two men linked by tragedy, but an unending battle between hope and despair. Even more prevalent than the theme of internal self-actualization is the theme of humanity transcending itself to do the impossible. The cast of fantastical characters with extravagant super powers in the DC Comics universe banded together to form the Justice League of America in 1960. The team sported one Jacob amongst the throng of Goliaths: The Batman. Not only was he the only member of the JLA without any powers, he’s one of the two iconic leaders of the group. In the biblical book of Genesis, Isaac bears two sons, Esau and Jacob. Like Superman, the elder brother Esau was brave and strong, a fierce hunter, the classic alpha-male; like Batman, the younger brother Jacob was weak and soft-spoken by comparison, but very quick-witted. God prophesied that each son would represent a nation, one more powerful than the other. Isaac’s blessing originally belonged to Esau. However, Jacob’s intelligent forethought and planning secures the blessing from his elder brother’s fingertips, despite Esau’s apparent might and superiority. The contrast between Batman and Superman is clear and obvious. The Esau to Batman’s Jacob, Superman also exists to be a symbol: A symbol of safety and protection. Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! It’s a bird, it’s a plane! No, it’s Superman! The citizens of the utopian Metropolis have nothing to fear from crime, because they lie safely under Superman’s jurisdiction. It’s not unreasonable to compare the semi-omnipotent and omnipresent Superman to a god. The concept of Batman vs. Superman has existed since their characters first interacted within the JLA. In Frank Miller’s magnum opus, The Dark Knight Returns, an elderly Batman defeats Superman through careful foreplanning. It just so happens that a movie inspired by The Dark Knight Returns is slated to premiere in the summer of 2015. The fact that such an idea is even explored illustrates just how much Batman is respected as an icon of the human spirit, and triumph over immense obstacles. With enough planning and thought, Batman can stand up to, and even defeat, the god in blue. Coincidentally, Jacob later goes on to be given the name Israel, or â€Å"He who struggles with God. † Bibliography: 1. Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2002. Print. 1. Cates, Isaac. On The Literary Use Of Superheroes; Or, Batman And Superman Fistfight In Heaven. American Literature 83.4 (2011): 831-857. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. 2. Guerro, Tony. Off My Mind: Are Batmans Villains Reflections of his Personality?. Comic Vine. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.   3. .Heroes of History. ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.. 4. Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York, NY: DC Comics, 2002. Print. 2. Miller, Frank; Mazzucchelli, David. Batman: Year One. 1986-87. New York: DC Comics, 2005. 3. Moore, Alan, Brian Bolland, and Richard Starkings. Batman: The Killing Joke. New York: DC Comics, 2008. Print. 4. The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985.

River Pollution in Kerala Essay Example

River Pollution in Kerala Paper All 44 rivers in Kraal are highly polluted due to inflow of untreated domestic, industrial wastes and agriculture runoff. Most of the industries are near the thickly populated riversides, often near cities and towns. There is no efficient water treatment system in industries and city municipalities. Pollution level in some of the sites is far above permissible limits. Close proximity of increasing numbers of leach pit latrines under varying soil conditions, late rite (midland) and sandy soils (coastal area); Non point resources of pollution in the catchments area including possible agricultural and surface run off, especially during the rainy season; Washing, bathing and other domestic activities around the open dug well sources, especially among the low income communities; Inadequate and irregular disinfection of drinking water supplies, including chlorination under AKA schemes; Inadequate testing and irregular monitoring of drinking water quality. Nobody seems to know, that only 15 Km away from Cochin, the Queen of the Arabian Sea , there is Lore Island, home to Kraals largest industrial cluster. Lore, an island of 1 1. 21 sq/km, on the Peppier River is home to more than 247 chemical industries, including the only EDT-producing facility in India. Most of these units have been here for the last fifty years and use extremely obsolete and polluting technologies. We will write a custom essay sample on River Pollution in Kerala specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on River Pollution in Kerala specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on River Pollution in Kerala specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Toxic pollution from heavy metals to chemicals and radioactivity is found in air, soil and in the Peppier River, which spreads he contamination to the Bemoaned Lake, Cochin and to the Arabian Sea. This leads to a large-scale devastation of aquatic life in the backwaters, the agricultural land and it is also affecting the health of the population in the area. The soil, water bodies and the wetlands in and around Lore have been contaminated with heavy metals like zinc, lead, cadmium, chromium and persistent organic pollutants like EDT. Gas emissions let into the air include acid mists, ammonia and chlorine. The Panama ram, a tributary of the Cabana River and the Mahayanist River were found to be the most polluted rivers in the State with the presence of chemical and biological pollutants. Refuse from slaughterhouses and hospitals were also reaching into Panama ram. Insecticides, chemical fertilizers and other pollutants were also finding their way into the rivers. Fish death and fall in the fish population were also reported from here, the study said.

Getting Rid of Aids essays

Getting Rid of Aids essays We all know what Lepercy is from the bible, but do you know why it isnt as big as it used to be? The answer to this question is because all these people were put into strict living quarters by themselves. The only people that lived within miles of them were people with Lepercy. My bill states that we should take all HIV positive people and simply either ship them to a remote and deserted area or give them the opportunity to fight for their country in the army or navy. The government will simply provide blood tests to all American citizens. You will be given a short amount of time to make your decision to either stay and fight for your country or be immediately shipped to the Sahara Desert where you will die eventually. After the government gets a majority or if not all the HIV positive people out of the United States or have them fighting in a different country the Aids rate will rapidly fall. The Aids virus is only spread through blood, sex, etc. so if these people are not hav ing sex the virus will simply end after a few years, because I know you and I would both not like to have this deadly virus therefore we would stop it just like they stopped Lepercy. They have the choice of joining the army where they will be fed and have shelter and etc. and they will be helping the U.S. win wars and other problems with neighboring countries. If I was one of these people this is the route I would take. All immigrants that would like to come to the U.S. are more then welcome but will be met at the border by border patrol to inflict a blood test. If they are clean they are more then welcome if they are infected they will be given the choices or be turned away. Scientists have been searching for a cure for AIDS for years, we can simply end all this hard work after we get rid of the problem. I will provide you with an analogy: Lets say you come home one night after a birthday party and you have a piece of pizza which symbol...

A History Of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

A History Of Flexible Manufacturing Systems Now once you have a Flexible Manufacturing System in place, it cannot function in isolation. The department has to make its other processes and work conditions conducive enough to take full advantage of FMS. There are a lot of other design variables involved in the decision making process. It is very important for every manager in charge of FMS to address the question â€Å"What are the activities an FMS adopter has to carry out in order not only to implement an FMS but also to realize the requisite organizational conditions; and what are the possibilities for the adopter to organize this manufacturing innovation process effectively?† Stating a few examples of the extraneous factors: Maintenance Department Process planning, Production planning, and quality control processes The people carrying out these processes and production resources used to make these processes feasible The organizational arrangements used to divide and coordinate the processes Introduction A Flexible Ma nufacturing System (FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is a certain degree of flexibility that allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. According to Maleki   [ 1 ]   , flexibility is the speed at which a system can react to and accommodate change. To be considered flexible, the flexibility must exist during the entire life cycle of a product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. Flexible Manufacturing System is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts or products in any order, without the time-consuming task of changing machine setups. The flexibility being talked about is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain numerous subcategories   [ 2 ]   . The first category, Machine Flexibility, covers the system’s ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of operations executed on a part. The second category is called R outing Flexibility, which consists of the ability to use multiple machines to perform the same operation on a part, as well as the system’s ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability. The main advantage of an FMS is its high flexibility in managing manufacturing resources like time and effort in order to manufacture a new product. The best application of an FMS is found in the production of small sets of products like those from a mass production. FM systems are supposed to provide the manufacturer with efficient flexible machines that increase productivity and produce quality parts. However, FM systems are not the answer to all manufacturers’ problems. The level of flexibility is limited to the technological abilities of the FM systems. FM systems are being used all over the manufacturing world and though out industries. A basic knowledge of this kind of technology is very important because FM systems are involved in almost every thing that you come in contact with in today’s world. From the coffee maker to your remote control FM systems are used all over. History of Flexible Manufacturing Systems At the turn of the twentieth century, FMS did not exist. There was no pressing need for efficiency because the markets were national and there was no foreign competition. Manufacturers could tell the consumers what to buy. During that period, Henry Ford had been quoted as saying â€Å"People can order any colour of car as long as it is black.† All the power remained in the hands of the manufacturer and the consumers hardly had any choices.

Investment Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investment Strategy - Essay Example  ­For this formula, the n refers to the number of times per year that interest is compounded. This will be the formula that will be used in this case because the interest needs to be compounded monthly. The option that I would choose would entirely depend on how I planned to spend it. If I was looking only at the short term, then I would be better to go with the one-off payment of $100,000. However, if my goals were set towards the long term, then I would be far better off to go with the monthly payments of $750 per month. In the figures above, it can be seen that considerably more money is gained through the one-off payment after 10 years, but that the monthly payments accumulate much more at 20 and 30 years respectively. To find where the change occurs precisely, take a look at the following: The table above shows that while the $100,000 one-off payment is worth more than the $750 monthly payments after year 16, it only takes one more year, year 17, for the monthly payments of $750 to be worth more. The benefits to each option are obvious. If someone is after quick money and does not have any long-term plans for the future, then they should take the one-off payment of $100,000. However, if they want to make long-term plans that will hopefully benefit future generations, then the best option is to take the $750 monthly installments. The age that someone has a choice to make obviously would affect their decision. As I am a student, I would likely take the monthly payment option because I would benefit from it later on in life. However, someone that was close to old age would want to take the $100,000 one-off payment because they would likely not be around much longer. If they were to take the monthly payments and then suddenly pass away, they would not get much use out of the

Management portfolio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management portfolio - Research Paper Example Microsoft is a leader in their field, and the role of Sr. QBE Program Manager would provide me the opportunity to see the rewards of my hard work. A section of Microsoft’s value statement is: â€Å"We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.† (Values, 2010). This focus on constant improvement is one reason why I would enjoy the Program Manager role. Linkedin.com (2010) mentions that the individual in that role will drive continuous improvement through Microsoft processes worldwide (LinkedIn, 2010). In addition, the Program manager will use best practices techniques in leading and mentoring others on the team in their projects (LinkedIn, 2010). Being able to lead and teach others techniques that I mastered through time and effort would be a rewarding experience. The type of positive environment at Microsoft can be seen from their formal global diversity and inclusion strategy for the future (A Vision and Strategy for the Future, 2010). Three hubs of the strategy are: (1) representation; (2) inclusion; and (3) innovation. The part that I found in particular appealing was the inclusion strategy. In this, the company wants to engage their employees in meaningful careers and encourage employees to focus on social networking, cultural awareness, community service, heritage celebrations, and career development (A Vision and Strategy for the Future, 2010). The company appears to realize the importance of each of these items for employee development and wishes to assist the community and their employees. Cynthia Solomon was a previous Microsoft employee and mentioned that the Sr. Program Manager is responsible for project oversight from the start until it is implemented (Jimenez, 2002). In

The Role of Government in Policy Making Essay Example for Free

The Role of Government in Policy Making Essay In order for an agency or organization to function properly it must have policies and laws put in place. With out these policies the agency or organization would not be able to function at a proper level. Legislative tasks are one of the most important parts of making a policy. There are several different tasks involved. Task one: the group must provide a clear informative issue; they need to clearly describe the problem, and give the reasons why and what they need from legislation. This is a critical step because the general public and individual legislators need to know exactly what the interest group wants if they are to give legislative and public support. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task two: is to prepare the pros and cons and summarize what the problem is. This will help legislation understand the problem; what is causing it and what may help the situation. Task three: in the legislative process is to create solutions for the social problemof concern, that is, a public policy, program design, or provision (benefit) that will plausiblycorrect the problem. That is not a simple task to do well; actual legislative proposalsvary from excellent to simplistic and all the way to unbelievably simpleminded. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task four: is to organize public support for their issue. In order to motivatelegislators to identify themselves with an issue and recruit other legislators as well, large scalepublic support is essential. Everything else pales into insignificance without it. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task five: in the legislative process is to convince a legislator to sign on to the bill in the sense of turning the social problem analysis, prospective social program designfeatures, and position papers into a legislative proposal and officially introducing(sponsoring) it as a legislative bill. Although legislative staff personnel can be very helpfulin crafting the proposed bill, only a legislator can introduce a bill. After the bill is introduced,it will then be referred to a committee of the legislature for study andrecommendation. Committee assignment is critical. Supporters do well to have thosewith influence (usually other legislators) convince leadership making committee assignmentsto send it to  an appropriate committee for study and recommendation. If leadershipis not supportive of the bill, it likely will be assigned to a committee known to be agraveyard for bills. Part of the study for a bill moving successfully through this task areais a legislative hearing on the bill. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task six: in the legislative process is to organize appearances at the aforementioned committee hearings with regard to the bill. The purpose of the committee hearings is for committee members to ask questions, receive answers, and debate the merits of the bil l. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Seventh task: in the legislative process is to lobby legislators, other than the onewho introduced the bill, for their support when it is finally voted on by the whole (federal,state, or city) legislative body. Supporters need to turn out in strength. Lobbying ismost effective when it is coordinated, timed, and clear in what it wants legislators to votefor. Once again, the agenda is to show legislators why it is in their political interest to vote in a particular way on legislation. (Social Policy and Social Programs) If the bill is passed in to law there is one more task to perform last task: in the legislative process is lobbyingfor money (appropriations) to run the program that is contained in the legislation. (Social Policy and Social Programs)The judicial branch of government has the most important role in deciding what programs can be used to help serve clients. It can also stop programs at any given time. Family and Children Services of Niagara INC., is influenced by the people of the community who may need help in many ways. The court systems play a major role in this organization by recommendations by judges for people to seek counseling, parenting services, seek employment and many other various services that this organization provides. The courts may order a person to seek a certain service that is provided by Family and Children INC, the councilors of the organization will have to report to the courts of the persons progress, and weather or not the program is helping them. If the person does not follow the recommendations, that person can be required to serve jail time. References Family and Children Services of Niagara INC. http://niagarafamily.org/Social Policy and Social Programs (2005) A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst

Essay --

One could debate endlessly over the definition and what exactly Jihad is, I’m certain many have. The very basic definition of the word simply means â€Å"struggle,† not to gain money or power but merely to bring people to Islam. The common western idea - or misconception - is that Jihad is a holy war or justification for terrorism. Very rarely are there any two religious groups that will agree on the exact deeper meanings of Jihad. There are also some groups that may believe the same basic definition of Jihad, but interpret it or apply it drastically differently within their own religion. There are two better known or accepted definitions of which Muslims refer to as the â€Å"greater Jihad,† and the â€Å"lesser Jihad.† â€Å"Greater Jihad† is defined as the internal spiritual struggle of one’s self in submission to Allah, the struggle of moral reformation, and converting others to Islam; while the â€Å"lesser Jihad† is considered the external, physical endeavor of an Islamic obligation to take up arms against the nonbeliever infidels in defense of the faith against tyranny and persecution. In the Sunni’s historical belief of the â€Å"greater Jihad,† Mohammed is thought to have told his followers returning home from war that they had, â€Å"returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust,† per Menhab Khans’ article on Modern Gangha. This is believed to be the first time the â€Å"lesser jihad† and the "greater jihad" had been differentiated. According to John Heit, the â€Å"greater jihad† is also then further divided into three types of internal struggle: â€Å"One, Jihad of the Heart (the struggle for moral reformation and faith); two, Jihad of the Tongue (the struggle to proclaim God's word abroad; right ... ...hese young men found solace and inspiration in the works of the Iraqi Muslim Brother Muhammad Ahmad al-Rashid; who demonstrated a sensible mind toward political action, but also stated that jihad with the sword- the way of the true Muslim-was inevitable. Putting things into perspective, I imagined what it would be like if America was invaded by foreign forces, the government demolished, a new leadership established, and none of which agreed with my way of life. I would honestly be able to say that I would follow similar actions as the Sunni insurgents. I recently watched the modern cinematic remake â€Å"Red Dawn† where the (in the new version) North Koreans invade and effectively take over the United States, this assisted in my imagination. I would have taken up arms the same as the characters in the movie. My enemies would hear my hoarse battle cry, â€Å"WOLVERINES!†

Airline Consumer Engagement Marketing Essay

Airline Consumer Engagement Marketing Essay Abstract This paper discusses how airline companies engage with their consumers. It discusses the modes of consumer engagement and the process of engagement. Most companies use integrated marketing approach to engage consumers because of the diversity of needs in the market. It also outlines the various theories of decision-making as applied in the airline industry. The aim is to establish how different consumers make their decisions about services and products in the market. Cognitive dissonance theory, maximization utility, the reasoned action and the theory of certainty provide realistic concepts for predicting the behavior of consumers. Companies are more likely to use them in designing and implementing consumer engagement strategies. Introduction Customer engagement marketing refers to all the strategies that a company or business use to establish a relationship between the consumers and the operations of the company. Effective consumer engagement strategies are important because they influence consumers towards developing values in relation to companies. Consumers who value the services or products of a particular company tend to be loyal customers (Bowden 2009). Consumer engagement can also be perceived as a marketing strategy that aims at creating and maintaining loyal customer base in the market (Bowden 2009). This paper seeks to discuss how companies in the airline sector engage with consumers of their services in the market. It also seeks to discuss how consumers make decisions using relevant theories. The Reasons for Consumer Engagement Processes Understanding why companies need to engage with consumers in the market is useful in determining how they conduct the process of engagement. Consumer engagement is a crucial aspect of brand management. Brand management is one of the marketing strategies that companies use to establish brand loyalty. It aims at increasing the positive perception of a particular product or services (Ashworth & Kavaratzis 2010). For instance, companies in the airways sector engage in awareness campaigns to inform the public of their services and routes of destination. The awareness campaign is one of the aspects of brand management strategy. Consumer engagement strategies may provide platforms for receiving feedbacks regarding the services that companies offer in the airline sector. The companies can use the feedbacks to improve the nature of their services (Ashworth & Kavaratzis 2010). For instance, an airline company may learn that their flight attendants take relatively longer time to serve customers compared to other companies. The airline company may use the information to serve as a basis of investigation and improvement of all services. Customer engagement strategies also provide information that a company can use to understand the composition of the market. The information regarding the composition of the market is useful in determining why certain age groups do not use the available services. It also makes the company understand how to change and improve their services to accommodate the interests of other people who do not use the services (Bowden 2009). Companies may also understand their competitions using the feedback they receive from consumers. Consumer Engagement Strategies Modes of Engagement Companies use various modes to engage consumers. The suitability of the modes depends on the objective of engagement. For instance, a company that seeks to get feedback on their new product will use Facebook because it provides options for receiving comments. The strength of the methods of engagement lies in the ability of consumers to provide feedback regarding the operations of companies in the airline sector. The market composition for airline services has become complicated. It consists of different groups of people who have varying needs. Each group of consumers requires a different advertisement method. The methods of advertisement include the traditional modes such as televisions, radios and printed articles. Most recently information technology has become the predominant mode of engagement. Information technology supports various social platforms such as Facebook and twitter. Information technology also involves advertisement through mobile phone applications. Most airline co mpanies use an integrated marketing strategy to respond to the challenge of diversity in the market. Integrated marketing strategy involves using various advertisement methods together. The scheme offers a comprehensive approach for engaging consumers of airline services in the operations of the company (Shakeel-Ul-Rehman & Ibrahim 2011). Media planners in such companies acknowledge the diversity in the market in relation to the interests of people. For instance, the traditional advertisement methods may be helpful in reaching people who might find the use of technology a daunting task (Shakeel-Ul-Rehman & Ibrahim 2011, p. 188). It can be argued tha tthe use of information technology offers more appeal to the younger generation and business people who value time. Consumer engagement through social media works on principles that are different from the traditional methods. It offers a platform for receiving feedbacks regarding the operations of the company. The Process of Engagement Bijmolt et al. (2010) maintains that the process of consumer engagement begins from acquisition of the same. The process of acquisition involves selecting prospective customers on the basis of their potential responsiveness and their ability to purchase the services. This aspect is important to airline companies in African countries because of the high rate of charges they impose for the services. Only people with adequate financial resources can afford the charges. The selection criteria might help companies to conserve their resources by focusing on customers who fit the qualification criteria. The selection process helps the airline companies to establish their focus in the market. The companies use the Recently, Frequently and Monetary model to select prospectus customers (Bijmolt et al. 2010). RFM is a strategy that companies use to determine the value of customers. The assumption of the valuation model is that a future customer has the same characteristics as the customer of th e past. The second step in the process involves the management of the acquired customers (Bijmolt et al. 2010). This step also involves a sub-process of allocating resources in relation to the establishment of effective marketing approaches. Media planners select suitable advertisement modes based on the analysis of the characteristics of the prospective customers. Airline companies might, therefore, use an integrated marketing approach to counter the challenge of diversity in the market. A higher proportion of people aged above 65 years and above find technology intimidating and involving. Majority of people aged below 45 years find technology appealing to their interests (Shakeel-Ul-Rehman & Ibrahim 2011). Business people and executives of various corporations prefer direct inquiry because other processes consumes a lot of time. Correspondingly, the consumer management process follows a successful analysis of the characteristics of prospects consumers (Posavac 2012). Other steps i nvolve customer development and retention (Bijmolt et al. 2010). The processes aim at attracting loyalty to the services of airline companies by engaging in vigorous campaigns of the same. In general, airline companies engage consumers through a process that begins from a careful selection of the same and ends at retention. They also engage consumers through carefully planned advertisement techniques (Bijmolt et al. 2010). Consumer Decision-Making Process Making a decision involves engaging in a process that would help decide the right course of action in a situation with more than one alternative. Young (2010) people develop risk-benefit frameworks in most situations to analyze the options that are present. An individual would want to make decisions that impact positively on his or her life. The outcomes of situations depend on the nature of decisions that individuals make. Decision-making processes also apply in situations where consumers need to choose between products and services. The airline industry has several companies that offer same or similar services. The theories that explain decision-making processes include cognitive dissonance, consistency theory, commitment, certainty effect, choice-supportive bias, confirmation bias, the scarcity principle, and reasoned action theory (Young 2010). Cognitive dissonance theory maintains that individuals always seek to minimize the extent of discomfort in contradicting situations (Youn g 2010). According to the theory, individuals experience discomfort due to the conflicting ideas in their minds (Cooper 2007). It explains that an individual in such a situation is likely to take the easy option of eliminating the source of discomfort (Young 2010). Cognitive dissonance affects how consumers process information in relation to various products and services. Individuals will always have ideas that conflict with their pre-conceived perceptions about certain companies. The diversity in ideas results from the emerging trends, the shifting needs and social circles (Young 2010). In social circles, everyone tends to defend what they believe to avoid the uncomfortable situations. For instance, an individual may experience cognitive dissonance when he receives a message that contradicts the value that he attaches to an airline company (Cooper 2007). A friend may try to convince him that there is another company that offers better services than the company he has been using. Ma rketers may use the concepts of this theory to present consistent information when engaging consumers. Consistency theory asserts that lack of constancy in the relationship between beliefs and actions evoke uncomfortable feelings in individuals (Little-John & Foss 2008). It affirms that people wish to engage in acts that are consistent with their belief and cultural system. The discordance in the relationship between the belief system and actions evoke uncomfortable feelings. An individual in such a circumstance is likely to change the belief and value system to accommodate the emerging trends. Human beings have predetermined belief and value systems that they use to evaluate decisions before making them. In other words, the choice that people make should always be consistent with what they perceive as right or wrong (Little-John & Foss 2008). Any slight variation between the belief system and the course of action evokes the feelings of discomfort in individuals. The consistency the ory explains why some people are particular about the flight attendants who serve them in an airplane. The theory may not find much application in customer engagement compared to cognitive dissonance theory. Most processes engaged in the provision of airline services do not contradict the belief systems of individuals. The theory of certainty result discusses how probabilities of outcomes influence the behavior of individuals (Secchi 2011). The theory maintains that people tend to develop less interest in situations which present low probability outcome of the desired results (Loughran et al. 2012). Similarly, an individual will develop more interest in a situation if the probability of achieving the desired results is high (Secchi 2011). Individuals make choices on the basis of the probability of the outcome of the situation. They perceive outcomes based on their past experiences or the experiences of other people. For instance, engaging consumers through social media provides a pl atform that consumers may use to present their feedbacks. Some of the feedbacks can be critical of a company’s operations. If so many people acknowledge the efficiency in operation of an airline company, then people are more to likely seek the same services. In other words, people want to get a hint of what would happen if they were to make a particular decision. The behaviour pattern is driven by the need to eliminate the negative feelings that come from disappointments. People have various expectations regarding how they want the outcomes of various situations to become (Loughran et al. 2012). Most airline companies use influential personalities in advertisements to create an impression of better past experiences. The personalities convince potential consumers that the services of the company were better. The aim of the advertisements is to influence consumers to develop positive opinions regarding the services of the company. Maximization utility theory predicts that human beings behave as if they were economists and were business-minded. It asserts that an individual is likely to make a choice of a product that offers the greatest value for the least amount of money possible (Kahneman & Thaler 2006). In extreme circumstances, the costs of products and services are more likely to influence the purchasing behaviour of individuals even if the quality is compromised. Inadequate resources influence this type of a decision-making process (Kahneman & Thaler 2006). In normal circumstances, people will want high-quality result for fewer inputs. It explains why people like to bargain when purchasing products and services. In the airline industry, people tend to go for companies that offer quality services at affordable rates. It can be argued that the understanding of this theory also affects the pricing strategies of various airline companies (Kahneman & Thaler 2006). For instance, most airline companies have different classes of passengers; first class, sec ond class and third class. The first-class passengers can afford high charges for the highest quality of service. The low-class passengers are the people who wish to use airline services, but are discouraged by the high charges. Choice-supportive bias theory explains that most people twist their memories to convince the present result that the decisions they made were the best (Ross 2009). The theory asserts that most people manipulate their memories to prevent the feelings of disappointment that the result presents. The case happens in situations where an individual has to take an early stand in the matter that involves multiple options. Individuals will always want to remember less negative things about situations that happened (Ross, 2009). In a business environment, the choice –supportive bias theory occurs for consumers who have used a particular product or service for a long time. Such consumers will always talk negatively about other products or services. It is an adva nced level of brand loyalty that results from effective consumer engagement strategies. Various companies understand that subjecting prospective customers through effective and consistent consumer engagement sessions influences the way they perceive the services. Consumers would continue to stick even if their services were relatively poor compared other companies (Ross, 2009). The principle of scarcity affirms that individuals are more likely to go for services and products that are scarce in the market, especially if the demand is high. Individuals tend to associate scarcity of products and services with quality. The notion is that the services or products could be scarce because several people went for them (Siebert 2008). If many people went for them then, they must have been impressive. The abundant supply of a particular service or product may create the impression that it is less desired by people (Siebert 2008). Most people analyze situations to ascertain the behaviours of o thers towards various products or services (Siebert 2008). The aim is to avoid first-hand experience of disappointing results. Airline companies understand this principle and use it to increase the consumption of their services. They create a demand crisis then offer limited opportunities for utilization of their services. The strategy encourages people to book flights in advance to avoid a last minute rush. The reasoned action theory explains that individuals engage in certain actions because they planned to do so (Tanachart & Islam 2010). It also explains that the intention originates from his or her attitude towards that behavior (Tanachart & Islam 2010). In this context, the intention serves as the basis for prediction of a behavior pattern. Beliefs and values influence the formation of attitudes regarding certain patterns of behavior (Smith & Biddle 2008). Understanding people’s beliefs system is important in understanding their attitudes. Understanding attitudes helps i n predicting what an individual plans to do in a circumstance. An individual is more likely to engage in a particular action if he or she believes that it is the right thing to do in the circumstance. What other people think of the choice plays a central role in influencing the actions of the individual. The theory recognizes that there are factors that limit the influence of people’s intentions towards engaging in a particular behavior (Smith & Biddle 2008). For instance, the airline companies are aware that many people wish to use their services but are incapacitated by the lack of financial resources. The understanding has compelled the airline companies to develop different classes of service; high class, middle class and the low class. Cognitive dissonance theory, maximization utility, the reasoned action and the theory of certainty provide realistic concepts for predicting the behavior of consumers. Companies are more likely to use them in designing and implementing con sumer engagement strategies. Conclusion Companies in the airline industry engage consumers through an integrated marketing approach. The approach is influenced by the diversified nature of the market. The engagement process begins from the selection stage and ends at retention of customers. There are various theories that explain how consumers make decisions regarding products or services. Such theories include cognitive dissonance, consistency theory, commitment, certainty effect, choice-supportive bias, confirmation bias, the scarcity principle, and reasoned action theory. References Ashworth, G. J., & Kavaratzis, M., (2010). Towards effective place brand management: branding European cities and regions. Internet Resource. Bijmolt, T., Leeflang, P., Block, F and Eisenbesiss M., (2010). Analytics for Customer Engagement, Journal of Service Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 341-356. Bowden, J., (2009). ‘Customer Engagement: A Framework for Assessing Customer-Brand Relationships: The Case of the Restaurant Industry’, Journal Of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 574-596, COOPER, J., (2007). Cognitive dissonance fifty years of a classic theory. Los Angeles, SAGE. Kahneman, D. & Thaler, R.H., (2006). â€Å"Anomalies: Utility Maximization and Experienced Utility†, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 221-234. Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2008). Theories of human communication. Australia, Thomson Wadsworth. Loughran, T. A., Pogarsky, G., Piquero, A. R., & Paternoster, R., (2012). Re-Examining the Functional Form of the Certainty Effect in Deterrence Theory. JQ: Justice Quarterly, Vol. 29, No.5, pp. 712-741. Posavac, S. S., (2012). Cracking the code: leveraging consumer psychology to drive profitability. Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe. ROSS, B. H., (2009). Advances in research and theory. Amsterdam, Elsevier. Secchi, D. (2011). Extendable rationality understanding decision making in organizations. New York, Springer. Shakeel-Ul-Rehman & Ibrahim, M.S.. (2011). â€Å"Integrated Marketing Communication and Promotion†, Researchers World, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 187-191. Siebert, H., (2008). Economics of the environment: theory and policy. London, Springer. Smith, A. L., & Biddle, S., (2008). Youth physical activity and sedentary behavior: challenges and solutions. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics. Tanachart R., & Islam, S.N., (2010). Designing an Efficient Management System: Modelling of Convergence Factors Exemplified by the Case of Japanese Businesses in Thailand. Heidelberg, Physica. Young â⠂¬Å"Sally†, K 2011, ‘Application of the Cognitive Dissonance Theory to the Service Industry’, Services Marketing Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 96-112.

Touching The Void Argumentative essay

Yates made a wild decision to climb Saul Grandee a mountain in Peru. Simon and Joe were determined to be the first team ever to successfully climb the west face of Saul Grandee. When successfully reaching the peak of the mountain, they climbed down via the north ridge, and that's when trouble took take its place. Joe slipped and broke his leg, leaving Simon with no choice but to slowly reel Joe down the snowy mountain, worse came to worse and Joe was hanging over a cliff with only a rope holding him and Simon together.Simon had to make a rosaceous decision, cut the rope and save himself, or stay tied toes and both of them be pulled to their deaths. Some say Simon made the wrong decision by cutting the rope, but when In a life or death situation, makes cutting the rope the only option. Cutting the rope Is a huge rule In the climbing community and Simon was given a lot of grief when returning from Mount Usual Grandee for cutting the rope. Simon was In a life or death situation, and tho ught that on the end of that rope was a dead, lifeless body: he seriously believed that Joe was dead.Making that traumatic session to cut the rope, Simon was through a lot of emotions and was well aware of the consequences. He could either have them both fall to their death or have one get out alive. Simony's decision was the right one to make, not only because they both got out alive but because it was valid, he believed Joe was dead. One is better than none! When in a life or death situation, first instincts is the way to go. Simon expressed in the Touching the Void documentary that he believed Joe was dead and if he were to cut the rope there was still a chance of him surviving.Cutting the rope was clearly he best decision to make because if Simon didn't cut the rope he would have fallen to his death and there was no chance of Simon or Joe to survive. Simon believed that if he were to cut the rope he could climb back down the mountain and get help to possibly save Joe. This meant there was still a chance of them both surviving. Adrenaline is trustworthy, as well as life or death situation instincts, Simon had faith in his decisions and so should everyone else.Simon believed that Joe was dead, even if he weren't Simon knew that Joe had a broken leg, and if he left more time to let him limb up the rope, he would have had to help him down the mountain anyway. Selfish, yes, but there is no such thing as selfishness when you're in a life or death situation. Simon cutting the rope conquered his uncertainty of Joe being alive or not. Lucky for them both they both survived this traumatic disaster, which again expresses cutting the rope was the right choice to settle with.Cutting the rope was the right decision to make and I fully support Simony's courageous decision as though I were In the situation myself I'd have followed the same decisions, because your own fife Is the most beautiful thing you could ever have and If you had any chance of living another day of It , you most certainly would, wouldn't you? Touching The Void Argumentative essay By reanalyzes courageous decision, cut the rope and save himself, or stay tied to Joe and both of them be pulled to their deaths. Some say Simon made the wrong decision by cutting the rope, but when in a life or death situation, makes cutting the rope the only option.Cutting the rope is a huge rule in the climbing community and Simon was even a lot of grief when returning from Mount Saul Grandee for cutting the rope. Simon was in a life or death situation, and thought that on the end of that rope was a dead, lifeless body; he seriously believed that Joe was dead. Making that traumatic if he weren't Simon knew that Joe had a broken leg, and if he left more time to let him I were in the situation myself I'd have followed the same decisions, because your own life is the most beautiful thing you could ever have and if you had any chance of living another day of it, you most certainly would, wouldn't you?

Review for Crawfords ROMAN RE essays

Review for Crawford's ROMAN RE essays The author Michael Crawford wrote the book The Roman Republic to offer an interpretation about the Roman Empire. This was done to educate the reader about how Rome gained its greatness and became the military and cultural center of the world at that time. He wanted to inform the readers about how the Roman Empire grew from one city tribe, to dominate the Italian peninsula, and finally to conquer the Mediterranean coast. This conquest led to what was then the great Greek and Egyptian Empires. He also suggests the want and desire of the Roman people to acquire education, artifacts, and philosophy from the Greek cities. Furthermore, how the Roman people took this culture and molded it to make their own style and customs. Michael Crawford also documents the Roman Empires political structures. He writes how it went through the transition from a monarchy, early in the empires existence, to a Republic where the people had more say over the countries actions. He discusses the political scheme of Rome and how ''Senators'' were chosen and served the empire. Crawford states how the governing class of Rome seemed to question and change its idea of what the government should be on a regular basis. ''The prevailing ideology of the Roman governing class was one which facilitated change, including in the end, the abolition of the Roman government itself''(Crawford 1). This quotation suggests to the reader the ever-changing ideas of the Roman people and how they viewed their governing body. Michael Crawford states that the Roman society gave rewards for military victory. The people were often rewarded when an army experienced victory in a battle. ''The loyalty of the Roman population to its leaders was assured by a share in the rewards of victory''(Crawford 1). The people had a share of goods, moneys, lands, and slaves when a territory would be conquered. This did have a negative effect though. ''As the empire expanded it became ha...

Love. Ralston Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love. Ralston - Case Study Example cause the case highlights that people in general do not know about the organization and often learn about the work which volunteers do through word of mouth. In such a scenario, when people are not even aware that they are required for work how can they be expected to apply for it. In order to create awareness regarding the issue, it is but essential that Rick includes in his marketing objectives the task of providing ample information to the customers that imparts to them enough information to make them want to apply whether it is for giving back to the community or the adventure appeal. It would also be a good idea for Rick to include in his promotion objectives to attract as much young talent as possible for the simple reason that the youth might just be in better physical shape to cope with the rigorous demands of fire fighting and thus be better able to adjust its time schedule to attend the monthly drills and in general give in more time to the volunteer work as compared to a c orporate employee who might otherwise be tied up in his job. In order to go about achieving his objective Rick can start by targeting high school students and conduct a campus drive if permitted by the budget. The plan should be to visit campuses with current volunteers who could interact with the students and tell them how rewarding the work is and how content one feels after doing something without it being backed by any monetary compensation. One important reason why high school students might also be interested in becoming a part of RVVFD is that those students who are interested in pursuing higher education would know that extra credit is given for doing voluntary work. Consequently, if students might not be thrilled by the idea of giving back to the society they would still take it as an opportunity to glorify their resumes with. In order to create brand awareness getting posters and standees made would be a cheap alternative to going for an all out mass marketing campaign on

Gambino Crime Family Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Gambino Crime Family - Research Paper Example Understanding the way in which corrupt organizations are formed, romanticized and sometimes revered allows for a continued understanding of the culture and heritage of an aspect of the United States. The Mafioso presence in the United States most likely began during the 19th century when an influx of Italian immigrants can be measured through records from Ellis Island. Giuseppe Morello is most likely the first ‘boss of bosses’ in New York, having arrived there in 1867 when he was running from charges in Italy that he had been part of cattle rustling and had committed murder. He held this title until 1910. In the year 1900, he there are records of charges that include counterfeiting, murder, and the suspected kidnapping and disappearance of a teenage girl. There are extensive records of similar charges, including suspicion of his involvement in over 60 murders that follow until 1910 when he was imprisoned for ten years. Upon his release he was supposedly given a death sentence by the Mafia, but this was overturned and he acted as an advisor until 1930 when he was finally murdered by rival Mafioso gang members (Dash xvii) Morello was called â€Å"the Clutch† because his right arm had a deformity from birth. The arm was shortened and had only the little finger, missing the thumb and other three digits. The most infamous murder of the time was called the Barrel Murder. This murder was the landmark occasion that brought the Mafioso to the direct attention of the authorities. A man named Madonio was a rival of Morello. It is unknown his direct crime that landed him in such great peril, but while at an eating establishment, Morello had his men grab him, take him to a sink, then cut his throat so that the head was almost severed. The body was then stuffed into a three foot high barrel and left as a warning to anyone else who would dare to cross Morello (Dash 7-9). Thus began the conflict

How a peace inititative started from private american university can Case Study

How a peace inititative started from private american university can save nigeria - Case Study Example Students are advised to spend sometime away from normal class hours, to research on the impact of terror on the society and the prospects for peace. This case-study requires students to come up with peace strategies. These strategies should reflect a growth-based university that serves the needs of the society. The university’s president is charged with the responsibility of developing a plan of five years that will see the university attain its target. The faculty will cooperate with the students to contribute to the growth of the university into what its founder desired it to be. The results of this case study will have an impact on northern Nigeria, whole of Nigeria and Africa at large. The university has developed a strategic plan to run for five years, beginning in 2011 with the approval of the board. The main goal of the university is to become an institution that promotes development in Nigeria and Africa at large. In this way, the faculty and students are motivated to work towards attaining this goal. In particular, students are encouraged to take up leadership courses that can prepare them to lead the community and the country in future. By taking up these classes, students will use the knowledge acquired to transform the society and bring about peaceful co-existence. The university has come up with a peace initiative, the first of its kind in Nigeria, to bring about peace and harmony in northern Nigeria. This peace initiative was occasioned by the rise in terrorism and violence among communities living in this region. Nigeria is situated in Africa to the west and is one of the largest countries in that region. Today, Nigeria is reported to be the most highly inhabited country in Africa. Nigeria has had its fair share of challenges since independence. Governance and the fight against poverty have proved to be an

Nuclear proliferation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nuclear proliferation - Essay Example Since campaigning for office, Barack Obama has frequently mentioned that, â€Å"in an ideal world, there would be no nuclear weapons†. The main goal of this essay is to evaluate this and explain why I agree or disagree with it.What I will argue is that the possession of nuclear weapons has in fact deterred and stopped a nuclear war. In fact, nuclear proliferation does not increase the risk of war, it prevents it. Based on what I will argue there is, even more, chance of a major war between states if there are no nuclear weapons.In the first section of this essay, I will analyze the theories that relate to this argument of further spread of nuclear weapons. To do that I will look into Kenneth Waltz’s theory of neo-realism and his thought on nuclear proliferation. I will also look into the theories like security dilemma, Mutual assured destruction and nuclear deterrence. In the second section I will analyse these theories in relation to the theoretical background. After t hat I will give my concluding remarks. The reference in this essay are in a Chicago style, both in the bibliography and footnotes.Neo-realism or structural realism is a theory which places emphasis on that ideology that the international system is anarchic. What is meant by this is that there is no higher government or an international police. The result of this is that states constantly try to increase their security and that is done with more power. The theory assumes that statesmen think and act in terms of self-interest defined as power.

The role language plays in teaching and learning

The role language plays in teaching and learning The role that language plays in the teaching and learning of mathematics is one of some of the important debates in the current literature in mathematics education. In this chapter, I review literatures related to this study, giving particular attention to the manner in which teachers engage students in the exploration of mathematical concepts and procedures, in order to explore different and existing kinds of patterns of interaction observed in multilingual mathematics classroom in South Africa. Aspects reviewed include the following sub-headings: Linguistic situation in South Africa; Teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms in South Africa; Does language impact teaching and learning of mathematics? And the role of the teacher and Learner participation in classroom discourse. LITERATURE REVIEW Linguistic situation in South Africa Post-apartheid South Africas new constitution of 1993/1996 embraced language as a human right and multilingualism as a national resource, raising major African languages to national official status alongside, English and Afrikaans (Hornberger Vaish, 2009). This has led to multicultural student populations in classrooms, schools and universities nationwide. The Language in education policy that was adopted in 1997 recognises all eleven official languages. According to this policy, learners have the right to study in any of the official languages of their choice (Department of Education, 1997). According to Hornberger Vaish (2009), South African scholars have documented ideologies favouring English in Black African communities of South Africa. She further claims that Zulu, Xhosa or other Black parental demands for English-medium instruction for their children are fuelled by the perception and reality of English as language of power; parents are simultaneously drawn to English by it h egemonic status and away from mother tongue education by a deep suspicion born of apartheid. I have seen in my experience as a learner and a teacher, parents taking away their kids from townships schools to former Model C schools where English is the most dominant language. The study done by Setati (2008), revealed that learners and teachers preferred English as the language of learning and teaching (LolT) and that learners and teachers choice of language was informed by the fact that English provides access to social goods such as higher education, employment, etc. Teaching and learning mathematics in multilingual classrooms in South Africa Previous and current studies on teaching and leaning in multilingual classrooms have indicated that teaching and learning in multilingual classroom is very complex. Barwell (2009) describes multilingual classrooms by saying these classrooms are considered to be multilingual if two of more languages are used overtly in the conduct of classroom business. And mathematics classrooms are also considered to be multilingual if students use two or more languages to do mathematics. There is a continuing debate regarding which language should be used for teaching mathematics in multilingual classrooms in which neither the teachers nor the learners main language is English which is the LoLT in their schools (Setati, Molefe Langa, 2008). This is typical situation in South African classrooms; teachers and learners come to classrooms with different levels of proficiency in two or more languages other than English and yet are not proficient in English. The research done by Setati, Chitera Essien (2009) shows that teachers in these classrooms face a major task of having to teach mathematics and English at the same time, while learners have to cope with learning mathematics, as a discipline of knowledge and also as a way of communicating, in English, a language that they are still learning. This research also claims that this places additional demands on mathematics teachers in multilingual classrooms and their learners who learn mathematics in a language that is not their home language. Does language impact teaching and learning of mathematics? The importance and the impact of language in learning and teaching of mathematics has long been acknowledged by the research literature (Howie 2002, 2003, 2004; Boulet 2007; Essien 2010; Barwell 2009; Setati 2008). Based on her analyses of the poor performance of South African learners in the mathematics component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Howie (2002, 2003, 2004) suggested that the key factor responsible for the poor performance by South African learners was due to the low proficiency in English language and she suggested a solution to this could only be to develop the learners English language proficiency. Furthermore she argues that pupils who speak the language that is used in assessments more frequently, are likely to attain higher scores on mathematics. And if their language proficiency is higher, the learners are likely also to attain higher scores in Mathematics. Say more The role of the teacher and Learner participation in classroom discourse Current curriculum initiatives in mathematics call for the development of classroom communities that take communication about mathematics as a central focus. In these proposals, mathematical discourse involving explanation, argumentation, and defence of mathematical ideas becomes a defining feature of quality classroom experience (Anthony Walshaw, 2008). According to Boulet (2007) researchers in mathematics education agree and encourage teachers to involve learners in mathematical discussions, as communication is essential to the learning of mathematics. Specifically from the perspective of mathematics learning, by articulating the principles, concepts and rationale behind the steps of a particular problem solution, students have the opportunity to reinforce and deepen their understanding of higher-level knowledge structures in mathematical content. Furthermore, Moschokvich (1999) maintains that the important functions of productive classroom are uncovering the mathematical content in student contribution and bringing different ways of talking and point of views into contact. She further explains that in many mathematics classrooms, students are no longer primarily grappling with acquiring technical vocabulary, developing comprehension skills to read and understand mathematics textbooks or solving standard word problems. But students are now expected to participate in both verbal and written practice such as explaining solution process, describing conjectures, proving conclusions and presenting arguments. However, there are difficulties or drawbacks that can make it difficult for communication to run smoothly in classrooms. This can definitely prevent learners from accessing important aspects and concepts of mathematics or voicing their ideas. Most of our learners are not speaking English as their first language, whereas English is used as a medium of instruction in our schools, therefore a focus on correction of vocabulary or grammatical errors in what students say and the variety of ways that students who are learning English do can become problematic in learners mathematics acquisition. Now, the question is what do teachers do or can do in situations like this, to ensure and encourage learner participation in classroom? New curricula demands a lot from teachers. Worldwide, policy makers are placing increasing demands on schools and their teachers to use effective research-informed practices. The study done by Essien (2010) reveals that, in any classroom, the teacher plays a key role in the management of the communication in the classroom. He further argues that well-structured questions (unlike procedural questions requiring procedural answers) can provoke extended dialogue in the classroom, thereby creating opportunity for meaningful participation by learners. Furthermore, the study shows that the teachers ability to draw on learners linguistic resource: one of which is structuring questions to allow learners to sufficiently express their thinking, is therefore important in creating a classroom environment where learners are effectively participating in the creation of and fostering of their own knowledge. Walshaw Anthony (2009) maintain this by arguing that effective teachers facilitate classroom dialogue that is focused towards mathematical argumentation. They elaborate more on this by saying that students need to be taught how to articulate sound mathematical explanations and how to justify their solutions. Furthermore, encouraging the use of oral, written and concrete representation, effective teachers model the process of explaining and justifying, guiding students into mathematical conventions. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK In this study, I use the work of Jina and Bridie (2008) as a theoretical framework to take the work on patterns of interaction observed in South African classrooms further by explaining learner participation and teacher-learner interaction in classroom discourse. The motive behind the choice of this theoretical framework is that this study was done in South African schools on the topic: Teacher questions and patterns of interactions in the new and old curriculum. The study reveals that two patterns of interaction emerged, namely, funnelling and leading through a method. This study also expanded more on teacher questioning and how teacher questions can support learners thinking. Chin (2006) supports this argument by saying that questioning is a prominent feature of classroom talk. Teacher questioning should be in such a way that elicit what learners think, to encourage them to elaborate on their previous answers and ideas, to help learners construct conceptual knowledge. Thus, questioning is used to diagnose and extend learners ideas and to scaffold learners thinking. Campbell Erdogan (2008) claim that teacher questions can disrupt the flow of what is going on in the learners mind, so that the learners attention can be focused on instructional objectives. However, they claim that if used appropriately, teachers questions can engage learners in the vicinity of instructional objectives, help move instructional objects to the forefront of students attention, and promote learner translation and processing of instructional objectives. However, the deficiency of this study is that it does not take the forms of listening the teacher uses during classroom discourse. As I have discussed in chapter 1 of this study that, Davies (1997) outlines three forms of listening, and further argues that listening is a very powerful tool and should be used to foster teaching and learning of mathematics. Listening to others explanations gives learners opportunities to develop their own understandings. By listening to others, learners can become aware of alternative perspectives and strategies. Concluding remarks In this study I have discussed the difficulties of learning and teaching mathematics in multilingual classrooms. As Setati and Adler (2001) claim: There are numerous, distinct mathematical discourses that require navigation at the same time. Moving between language and discourses in moments of practice is significant challenge for mathematics education research and practice. These arise out of the South African context and have specific relevance in the current educational debates in South Africa. Multilingual mathematics classrooms are, however, an increasing urban phenomenon in many other counries. (p.244) Little is known about how educators experience and implement a new curriculum and instruction in contrast to what they used to know and apply. It remains uncertain what kinds of teacher knowledge are necessary to support and facilitate learning mathematics in a setting where main language of the teacher and pupils differs and where the language of instruction and teaching methods makes it difficult for mathematical discourses that promote conceptual understanding.

IQ And Environment :: essays research papers

IQ and environment It is obvious that a person’s intelligence stems from a variety of traits. The task of trying to quantify a person’s intelligence has been a goal of psychologists since before the beginning of this century. One of the important questions that always comes up regarding these tools is what are the tests really measuring? Are they measuring a person’s intelligence? Their ability to perform well on standardized tests? Or just some arbitrary quantity of the person’s IQ? When examining the situations around which these tests are given and the content of the tests themselves, it becomes apparent that however useful the tests may be for standardizing a group’s intellectual ability, they are not a good indicator of intelligence. A person’s environment has a great impact on cognitive abilities. We all perceive situations differently, which is not the only factor to take in to consideration, but it is a very important one. Is the light flickering? Is the paint on the walls an unsettling shade? Is the temperature too hot or too cold? Is the chair uncomfortable? Or in the worst case, do they have an illness that day? To test a person’s mind, it is necessary to utilize their body in the process. If everyone’s body is placed in different conditions during the testing, how is it expected to get standardized results across all the subjects? Everyone has good days and bad days. It is highly unlikely that everyone will be equally prepared for the exam as well as adjusted to the new testing environment. Because of this assumption that everyone will perform equally independent of their environment, intelligence test scores are skewed and cannot be viewed as standardized, and definitely not as an example of a person’s intelligence. Although intelligence tests are the same for everyone who takes it, the information that one is being tested on is relative to the environment in which they were raised. To really gauge a person’s intelligence, it would be necessary to put them through a rigorous set of real-life trials and document their performance. Physical intelligence, conversational intelligence, social intelligence, survival intelligence, and the slew of others are apart of our everyday lives.

Making a Hero

A hero and heroic journeys are the most important elements of Ancient mythology, and the Odyssey by Homer as an example of such epics. Joseph Campbell identifies three main stages of the hero’s journey found in monomyths: Separation, Initiation and Return. In the Odyssey, the main hero goes through these stages in order to prove and test his courage and heroism. Thesis Through physical journeys and trials, his personality changes for the better: while ‘initiation’ tests his psychical and psychological strength, separation and return reflect his personal qualities and new values. In contrast to traditional model proposed by Joseph Campbell, the Odyssey follows a parallel construction: readers know about his return and separation simultaneously. The first stage, separation, begins twenty years prior to the events depicted in the Odyssey. Readers know about Odyssey’s departure and causes of this separation through memories of Odyssey and other characters. The main difference is that Homer tells about separation through memories and isolated stories. Only in Book XVI, Homer describes the separation: â€Å"it is such a long time ago that I / can hardly say. Twenty years are come and gone since he left my / home, and went elsewhither† (Homer, Book XVI). This quote is very important because it tells readers about the past and helps Penelope to recollect events. Penelope is sure that Ulysses is â€Å"laid before her† (Homer). The most important is that the story about separation coincides with ‘return’ of the hero and his moral development. The rest of the story (the return) describes his new qualities and values developed during initiation from the psychological point of view. The second stage, initiation, consists of several trials and battles which show courage and enormous physical strength of Odyssey. The main trials include: the encounter with the Cicones, several years spent in Calypso’s cave; the battle with the Cyclops and the encounter with the Sirens show that only. The first encounters show his physical strength while the second ones test his psychological qualities. â€Å"Odysseus then you are, o great contender, of whom the glittering god with the golden wand / spoke to me ever, and foretold /the black swift ship would carry you from Troy† (Homer, Book X). This remark tells readers that his journey is not over and he needs great courage and bravery to overcome all difficult situations and eternal evil. It is possible to make certain distinctions between two stages of personal development (separation and return): for instance, fresh strong feeling in Odyssey hero is a different thing from the mass strong feeling in the people; or that some types and manifestations of feeling are gross self-indulgence and are not at all the thing they appear to be; or that an appearance of strong feeling may be only a mask hiding some weakness or other. Physical sufferings and trials have changed his personality and world views. At the stage of return, Homer does not tell about low morals of Odyssey and his habits, but describes him as a real hero who returns home. He inherits his honesty. In his love for women he shows that he has none of snobbery. At the end, the main hero is depicted as a keeper of law and traditions of the society. Also, Homer shows that it is dangerous thing to forget about human dignity and human code of ethics. â€Å"'The royal pair mingled in love again and afterward lay revelling in stories. / †¦ Odysseus told of what hard blows he had dealt to others and of what blows he had taken-all that story† (Homer, Book XXIII). This remark shows that after Initiation, Odyssey is a loving husband and father, fair ruler and son. At this stage, Odyssey combines the moral and social qualities of an ideal hero. In sum, the remarkable feature of the Odyssey is a cyclical structure of the Hero’s journey based on physical and psychological development of the main character.   Using a cyclical structure, Homer compares and contrasts the qualities of two different characters: Odyssey before and after the initiation stage. The inferences in the paper are important because they help to identify and analyze the main elements of the text, and then synthesize and summarize the main findings of the analysis. Works Cited Page Homer. The Odyssey. N.d. http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext99/dyssy10.txt

Vietnam War and the Media

Write an essay that offers a critical examination of the concept of the ‘guilty media’ thesis in respect of any war of your choice Natasa Perdiou The Vietnam War was the first war that allowed uncensored media coverage resulting in images and accounts of horrific events that served to shape public opinion of the war like nothing that had been seen before. This portrayal by the media led to a separation between the press and the U. S. government, as much of what was reported defied the intentions of government policy.The media has fell blame by many for the result of the war, as it is widely believed that the war could not have been won under the scrutiny that came from the American people as a result of the media coverage. From the beginning of the Vietnam War to the present, the media has been an immeasurable factor in the perception of the war as the stories, true or false, that were reported gave the American people a face to an ugly war. The question over how much, i f any, the media had affected the outcome of the war has been an unrelenting one and is likely to continue for a long time to come.But one fact that cannot be doubted is that the dreadfulness of war entered the living rooms of Americans for the first time during the Vietnam War. For nearly a decade the American public could watch villages being destroyed, Vietnamese children burning to death, and American body bags being sent home. Although early coverage mainly supported U. S involvement in the war, television news dramatically changed its frame of the war after the Tet Offensive. Images of the U. S led massacre at My Lai dominated the television, yet the daily atrocities committed by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong rarely made the evening news.Moreover, the anti-war movement at home gained increasing media attention while the U. S soldier was forgotten in Vietnam. There was a stable build up of US military support activity in Vietnam during the period 1954 to 1965, but the first c ombat troops did not emerge until March 1965. During this period, media attention in the war was slow in building up, the first resident TV correspondent, NBC’s Garrick Utley, only arriving in late 1964. The media did build up and as the war became progressively more aggressive, journalists were sent out in increasing numbers.It would be fair to say that reporting of Vietnam increased approximately in proportion to the military presence. Prior to the involvement of ground troops in Vietnam, media coverage was concentrated to the political dimension of the war of stabilizing a non-communist regime in South Vietnam. The media at this time was committed to reporting news that reflected the common anti-communist stance, which was so † powerful in the early 60's that as long as the Vietnam War remained small, the administration had little trouble with the press† (Hallin 28). [4]By 1965 media coverage of Vietnam increased as the U. S. was becoming more part of an aggres sive war. Reporting began to shift from the intention of eradication the world of communism to the frustration of the men in the field. After the heavy use of ground troops, a shift in coverage occurred that â€Å"put much of the attention on the military situation† of the war. (Wyatt 133). [9] An increasing number of reports began to emerge about a lack of incentive and motivation on the part of the South Vietnamese troops. This brought to question the whole role of American interference, as the U.S. was proposed to support the South Vietnamese in their effort against the North, not the other way around. 1965 did not only mark the increase of ground troops into Vietnam, it also brought the emergence of television into the realm of media coverage, while the government was trying to maintain the idea that that the U. S was making encouraging progress, that the Vietnam War was necessary and that victory was not inevitable. While a small percentage of coverage was dedicated to w arfare and death, what was seen was not forgotten by the American people.The famous General William Westmoreland states that â€Å"[the coverage was] almost exclusively violent, miserable or controversial; guns firing, men falling, helicopters crashing, buildings toppling, huts burning, refugees fleeing, women wailing. A shot of a single building in ruins could give the impression of an entire town destroyed. † [7] So, in spite of continuous reports of victory, the public had a hard time coming to grips with what they saw their troops involved in Vietnam. Such coverage, along with the vivid images that emerge on T. V. ed to a serious rise in anti-war protest that was merely strengthened by the events of 1968. The Tet Offensive of 1968 marked the greatest conflict in beliefs of the United Stated government and the media. In January, North Vietnamese troops attacked the North cities of South Vietnam and the U. S. embassy in Saigon. The media and the television, however, portray ed the attack as a brutal defeat for the U. S, totally altering the outcome of the war at the very moment when government officials were publicly stating that victory in Vietnam was â€Å"just around the corner† (Wyatt 167)[8].The media covered all the events that immediately followed the Tet Offensive and the American public began wondering whether this war could be won. Don Oberdorfer a Washington reporter said that â€Å"there’s no doubt Tet was one of the biggest events in contemporary American history, within two months the, American body politically turned around on the war. And they were significantly influenced by events they saw on television†. [2] The Tet offensive was not totally unpredicted by the US military.In reality, the final result was a success, in military terms, for the US as the Vietnamese did undergo serious casualties and were driven back. However, the America media were not expectant of the attack and assumed that the military did not ei ther. Seeing the US embassy being undertaken by the Vietnamese presented the event as a defeat, ‘television fell prey to its chronic lust for drama. ’[1] After the Tet offensive the media began to attack the American involvement in Vietnam.It became clear to the American public that there was no clear way to win the war. Also, in reaction to public mood the media started sending damaging reports from the frontlines; they suggested that American troops lacked the specific training for the terrain and the type of warfare they were subjected to. They also gave the idea to people that the new rebellious generation and the great pressures of the war meant that many soldiers were drug abusers and carrying out atrocities. The media concentrated on civilian casualties and incidents such as the one in My Lai,These images on people’s televisions, left people in outrage, many had lost faith in the war and saw no military plan capable of wining such a war. They were outraged by their country’s conduct in the war and were set into a moral panic, seeing brutal scenes of civilian casualties committed by their own troops. The war was now seen as a shameful one and the government was seen to be at fault, forcing many young men to their death or to commit the atrocities they saw on their TV screens.The former Vietnam correspondent Robert Elegant of the Los Angeles times said that â€Å"for the first time in modern history the outcome of a war is seemed destined to be determined not on the battlefield but on the printed page and, above all, on the television screen† [3] The reporting of the actual war was deteriorating, just at the moment when the American military advisers hoped to push for victory. The North Vietnamese causalities following the Tet offensive had left them vulnerable and it was expected that an immediate attack to cut the Ho Chi Minh trail would permit the US troops the chance for total success.The news, though, was almost tota lly concentrating on the rising anti-war division in the US and stories of low morale and indiscipline among the US troops. The media were responsible for the American withdrawal from Vietnam because of the poor quality of reporting which lacked in validity in its facts about events and incidents in the war. It seems with all these misreports or blatant lies, which was meant to purposely damage the image of the American fighting forces in Vietnam public opinion of the war was very low in America. However the question is to what extent, if any, did this coverage change the outcome of the war?It would be reasonable to suggest that the Tet offensive was the most significant incident in shaping the outcome of the war. The media certainly reported the assault in the most inaccurate way for the US army. Activist young journalists, who had not in the past witness any real fighting were all of a sudden bounded by fighting supposed that the North Vietnamese had won a great victory. The US go vernment and army were to a degree guilty since they were aware the assault was going to happen and did not inform the media for reasons of national security.There was a succeeding recovery by the Americans and the media did not report this. Moreover, fragile leadership, mainly from Lyndon Johnson, did not motivate confidence in the war effort. Evidence does also indicate that there was no absolute public support for the war, even earlier than the negative coverage by media began. The reasons for the war, to ceased the spreading of communism (the Domino Theory), were not clearly demonstrated and maintained. Some Americans began to realise that the Communist threat was used as a scapegoat to hide imperialistic intentions.After the media’s massive blunder of reporting the Tet offensive as a major psychological defeat, and not having the sophistication, integrity or courage to admit their error opposition to war rose sharply. These innumerable domestic divisions gave the chance to high ranking members of Johnson’s administration to begin expressing their disapproval of Johnson’s actions to the media. This put pressure on government into engaging in to a more defensive military strategy that may have altered the likelihood of victory for the US.President Johnson was under fire from anti-war ‘doves’ and submitted to both ceasing the bombing of North Vietnam and beginning the Paris Peace talks. As expected, he also announced his decision not to stand for re-election. To make things worse, the war cost two-thousand-million dollars every month. The price of many goods in the United States began to rise. The value of the dollar began to drop. The result was inflation. Then economic activity slowed, and the result was recession. Opposition to the war and to the Administration's war policies led to bigger and bigger anti-war demonstrations. Johnson’s successor, Richard Nixon, in an effort to gain the public support back announced a plan of ‘Vietnamization’ of the war. This involved swapping US troops with more South Vietnamese troops, trained and armed by the US, after the first US troop withdrawals from Vietnam started in June 1969. Unluckily for Nixon, this did not discourage the anti-war protest who demonstrated in record numbers (250,000) in Washington in November 1969. [10] Images in television in every living room in America were showing the true dreadfulness of war for the first time.Reports of military failure (especially Tet) and slaughter such as the My Lai event shaped an air of scepticism. The media at home were also reporting the rising number and intensity of anti-war protest, legitimising opposition to war. A thing television was guilty of was only placing emphasis on the US troops. The stories that made the news were always about US troops in combat, US troops doing civil action, sometimes US troops in trouble (desertion, drugs, fragging). The allies, whose losses (280,000 South Vietnamese dead) far exceeded those of American troops, were invisible to the American crews.This gave the American public the feeling that the war was being waged mostly by the Americans and it was probably this, more than the almost exclusively violent coverage which gave the public a sense of disillusionment and war weariness. Additionally, media coverage of the war in Vietnam shook the faith of citizens at home. The media was the catalyst, which promoted the rising American anti-war movement. They were to a great degree accountable for the American troops’ withdrawal from Vietnam because of its poor quality of reporting which lacked in accuracy about the facts and events of the war.It is obvious that this kind of misinformation seriously destroyed both the image and the morale of the American soldier in Vietnam. There’s no wonder public opinion of the war was very low in America. But the truth is that the media only sunk a slowly sinking politically based ship, as public opinion of the war was already falling. The public were already starting to see through the government’s political talk that they had no definite military plan for victory or a justifiable reason to fight against a nation of infantrymen.The American media just dramatised the events to entirely destroy the very political principles which started the war. The media caused such a moral alarm in America at the time, people lost trust in its own government. The media left t America in such a chaos that its own government had to surrender to public opinion. So to what extend are the media guilty for the loss of the war? The media played a key role in American withdrawal from Vietnam. It might as well be proper to suggest that with American support for the war, America forces effort into the war may have been better and the outcome of the war may have been different.Nevertheless, the chief reality is that the America forces in Vietnam had no apparent military strategy to be s uccessful in its political mean. So consequently the media can not be solely guilty for the American withdrawal. Yet, the question is, would have American forces been withdraw from Vietnam with no media negative reporting of the war? The answer is that we will never know for sure. But we can undoubtedly say that Americans’ support for the war would have mostly remained high all over the war, the pressure on the American troops and government wouldn’t have appeared.Without all of the these factors the American troops may have had the time to adjust to the style of warfare and topography and resolve the behavioural and discipline troubles they were facing which highly attracted the media attention. This could mean that America would have continued the war in Vietnam, which may, but not definitely would have created a different outcome. Despite this, you still can’t say that the media is totally responsible for the withdrawal of American fighting forces in Vietnam. It was the longest war in American history which resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths and an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths.The financial cost to the United States was just as deep. Even today, many Americans still ask whether the American effort in Vietnam was a sin, a blunder, a necessary war, or a noble cause, or an idealistic, if failed, effort to protect the South Vietnamese from totalitarian government. Nicholas Hopkinson’s statement is the one that probably best reflects the situation of the media in Vietnam: As public enthusiasm faded, reporting became more and more critical[†¦] but to single the media out as the decisive element in declining public opinion is incorrect.US opinion turned against the war because it was long unsuccessful, costly in terms of human life and expenditure. ’[6] Words: 2314 References Bibliography: 1. Braestrup, Peter. â€Å"The News Media and the War in Vietnam: Myths and Realities† 2. Don Oberdorfer, Tet! , S eptember 1, 1971 3. Elegant, Robert, ‘How to Lose a War', Encounter, 57, 2 (1981), 73 89 4. Hallin, Daniel C. , The Uncensored War: The Media and Vietnam. Los Angles: California University of California Press, 1986. 5. George Herring, America's Longest War: The United States in Vietnam, 1950-1975 (1986) . Nicholas Hopkinson, â€Å"War and the media’’ Wilton Paper 55 (London: HMSO, 1992): 6-7 7. Westmoreland, William C. A Soldier Reports (Garden City, N. Y. , Doubleday, 1976) 8. William M. Hammond, Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1962-1968 (1989) and Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1968-1973 (1996). 9. Wyatt, Clarence R. Paper Soldiers: The American Press and the Vietnam War. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Internet sources : 10. www. nytimes. com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1115. html