Goals of Dr. Victor Frankenstein Essay

The soul and life of man is a precious thing, something not to be trifled with or experimented on without thinking of the potential ramifications of doing so. Doctor Victor Frankenstein did not put much thought into the consequences of advancing the natural sciences while playing God with mortals. Victor Frankenstein grew, morally, through the course of the book, Frankenstein. Initially, Victor set out to further advance natural science as well as cheat death. As the tale progressed, however, he began to regret his course of action almost immediately after his monster awoke. Doctor Victor Frankenstein was young and naà ¯ve; he planned to discover the undiscovered. In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder (Frankenstein 35-6). Victor believed he could perform an act of God without consequence. He committed vile offenses against the natural laws of humanity by taking pieces of the recently deceased and compiling them into one, presumably soulless, being. He failed to see the true meaning of death, to realize passing away is just a natural part of life and nothing can truly stop this ordinary occurrence. In the words of Derek Dawidson, Death is about moving onto another existence and life is trying to figure out your lifes rebirth or beginning of a life. You are to follow your path whether it is full of conquest or self destruction (Dawidson). Victor slowly began to realize his actions were immoral and crimes against humanity itself. He only realized the extensiveness of his atrocities when his monster was given the gift of life. Throughout the tale of Victor Frankenstein he slowly begins to question his actions, before finally regretting them and attempting to make amends. When he meets Robert Walton his regret is evident as is his attempt to safeguard any future mayhem from being committed. You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes many not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. I do not know that the relation of my disasters will be useful to you; yet, when I reflect that you are pursuing the same course, exposing yourself to the same dangers which have rendered me what I am, I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale (Frankenstein 15). Victor warns Robert to be wary of his actions and to take heed of his thirst to make new discoveries. His message to Robert is simple, insanity and obsession on a single goal only leads a man down the path of self-destruction. Victor has grown to know when to stop an obsession, however unable to do so for his own. A man playing God with his fellow mortals only leads one down the path of true self-destruction. Doctor Victor Frankenstein began as a guiltless man, aiming to further increase his knowledge and love of the natural sciences. His decisions led to the creation of a creature, which had no equal, no mate, nothing to share its woes with. Victor discovered how wrong he was, too late to make amends for his crimes. He may have made a living thing with science, but he did not think of the ramifications his actions would have upon this poor creature. Works Cited Dawidson, Derek. Online Interview. 16 Mar. 2009. Pagano, Zachary. Online Interview. 16 Mar. 2009. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein Bantam Books. New York, New York: Broadway, 1991. 15-36

Sex deformities at birth or at any other time

Sometimes, a boy may be born with small pennies (micropenis) or they may have the penis missing at all. My people have continuously referred to the sex organ to determine the sex of the child and therefore boy without penies may mistakably be taken as a girl. However, research has proved that there are may other factors that should be considered in determining the sex of a child.A boy may be born with micropennis or without a penies due to a number of defects including cloacal exstrophy which affects the bladder.   It may also b due to an accident at birth like a mishandled circumcision, which is normally referred to as ablation penis. The issue of concern around such cases is whether these children should be taken as a boy or a girl.The theory underlying ablation penies is that when a boy is born without a penies or loses penis as a result of circumcision, the child can be brought up as a girl and by the time they reach puberty, oestrogen can be introduced in her body to induce de velopment of female characteristics.   In this paper we are going to review one of study on ablation penis which was research by John Money in 1975.John/Joan caseThe 1975 study has been considered as a study of opportunity since the set involve twin brothers with one brother acting as control for the study.   The study was about John who penis had been distorted in a botched circumcision and was later reassigned as a female while his brother acted as the control for the study.In his work Money had encountered the two twins who had been born in 1960s. When they reached the age of 7months, the boys were recommended to undergo circumcision since they were developing phimosis, a condition which leads to narrowing of the opening of the foreskin. While undergoing circumcision, one of the boys, John was severely burned by an electrocautery knife in his pennies which was completely destroyed. (Money, 1975)This incident would affect the life of the boy in severe way. One of the psychiatr ist postulated that the boy would no be able to consummate marriage since he would be incapacitated to have a heterosexual relationship. This would severely affect his relationship with other people especially the fellow boys and therefore he will be forced to live apart from others. Something had to be done to change his course of life.When Money learned about the plight of the boy, he suggested to the parents that the boy to be reassigned as a grail. Money recommended that the boy should undergo a surgical process to create a female genitalia organ by removing the male penis and should be raise as a girl.   When the boy reached 17 months, surgeons removed his testes reshaping the scrotum like a vulva. Henceforth, John became Joan and was raised like a girl by his parents. John/Joan did not experience any trauma or suspicion. (Money, 1975)John Money, who had done extensive research on the hermaphroditic children, based his argument on that at birth infants are sexually neutral an d malleable for a window period which last from birth to about 18-24 months. It is during the window period that sexual identity is formed and fixed.   According to Money social imprinting and learning are the most important factors that affect psychosexual development. This assertion was inconsistent with many researches that had been done on acquisition of language.Therefore in this case John/Joan was the subject of study while his brother was the control. The twins were evaluated on regular bases at Hopkins. At puberty, Money reevaluated their psychosexual development and confirmed in his 1975 publication that John/Joan behavior confirmed her as a girls and no one would conjecture that Joan had been born as boy.   Joan behaviors were like that of a little girl and were remarkably different from that of her/his brother. (Money, 1975)Money publication was important in the field as is confirmed that plasticity could be used in gender as well.   This confirmed that an infant wh o had been born as an unambiguous male could be successfully reassigned as a female and henceforth grows as a normal girl. Money’s publication formed the basic practice for pediatricians taking care of infants with ambiguous genitalia. The study showed that genetic make and prenatal endocrinology does not have an effect in assignment of sex.However, a follow up of the study revealed that Joan had exhibited male behaviors contrary to Money’s publication. For example it was revealed that Joan stood up when urinating and she was rejecting by her girlfriends. She was alienated by other girls.Later exploration of the case or what had happened to Joan/John revealed the failure of the process. His twin brother revealed that John had never shown any feminine characteristics.When Joan reached fourteen years, psychiatrist advised his father to reveal the childhood ordeal when John told his mother that he would kill himself if he was taken to Hopkins to be administered with hormo nes. John request for mastectomy which was performed and he became a male again.   He has since then lived as a husband, father and a breadwinner for the family.ConclusionThe case of John/Joan reveals important factor that should be considered when refashioning infants with ambiguous genitalia.   Although this case had shown initial success, the later results which contradict the earlier findings assert that there must be a thorough assessment of sex reassignment before considering their success.These results show that contrary to what has been assumed, children usually observe the pattern of their sexes. Though Joan was supposed to live as a girl, her behaviors never changed and she exhibited male behaviors.ReferencesMoney, J. (1975): Ablatio penis: Normal male infant sex-reassignment as a girl. Archives of Sexual Behaviors, vol. 4: 65-71

Vampire Academy Chapter 16

SIXTEEN THE NEXT DAY, IT FULLY hit me how much things had changed since the Jesse-and-Ralf rumors first started. For some people, I remained a nonstop source of whispers and laughter. From Lissa's converts, I received friendliness and occasional defense. Overall, I realized, our classmates actually gave me very little of their attention anymore. This became especially true when something new distracted everyone. Lissa and Aaron. Apparently, Mia had found about the party and had blown up when she learned that Aaron had been there without her. She'd bitched at him and told him that if he wanted to be with her, he couldn't run around and hang out with Lissa. So Aaron had decided he didn't want to be with her. He'd broken up with her that morning†¦and moved on. Now he and Lissa were all over each other. They stood around in the hall and at lunch, arms wrapped around one another, laughing and talking. Lissa's bond feelings showed only mild interest, despite her gazing at him as though he was the most fascinating thing on the planet. Most of this was for show, unbeknownst to him. He looked as though he could have built a shrine at her feet at any moment. And me? I felt ill. My feelings were nothing, however, compared to Mia's. At lunch, she sat on the far side of the room from us, eyes fixed pointedly ahead, ignoring the consolations of the friends near her. She had blotchy pink patches on her pale, round cheeks, and her eyes were red-rimmed. She said nothing mean when I walked past. No smug jokes. No mocking glares. Lissa had destroyed her, just as Mia had vowed to do us. The only person more miserable than Mia was Christian. Unlike her, he had no qualms about studying the happy couple while wearing an open look of hatred on his face. As usual, no one except me even noticed. After watching Lissa and Aaron make out for the tenth time, I left lunch early and went to see Ms. Carmack, the teacher who taught elemental basics. I'd been wanting to ask her something for a while. â€Å"Rose, right?† She seemed surprised to see me but not angry or annoyed like half the other teachers did lately. â€Å"Yeah. I have a question about, um, magic.† She raised an eyebrow. Novices didn't take magic classes. â€Å"Sure. What do you want to know?† â€Å"I was listening to the priest talk about St. Vladimir the other day†¦Do you know what element he specialized in? Vladimir, I mean. Not the priest.† She frowned. â€Å"Odd. As famous as he is around here, I'm surprised it never comes up. I'm no expert, but in all the stories I've heard, he never did anything that I'd say connects to any one of the elements. Either that or no one ever recorded it.† â€Å"What about his healings?† I pushed further. â€Å"Is there an element that lets you perform those?† â€Å"No, not that I know of.† Her lips quirked into a small smile. â€Å"People of faith would say he healed through the power of God, not any sort of elemental magic. After all, one thing the stories are certain about is that he was ? ®full of spirit.' â€Å" â€Å"Is it possible he didn't specialize?† Her smile faded. â€Å"Rose, is this really about St. Vladimir? Or is it about Lissa?† â€Å"Not exactly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stammered. â€Å"I know it's hard on her – especially in front of all her classmates – but she has to be patient,† she explained gently. â€Å"It will happen. It always happens.† â€Å"But sometimes it doesn't.† â€Å"Rarely. But I don't think she'll be one of those. She's got a higher-than-average aptitude in all four, even if she hasn't hit specialized levels. One of them will shoot up any day now.† That gave me an idea. â€Å"Is it possible to specialize in more than one element?† She laughed and shook her head. â€Å"No. Too much power. No one could handle all that magic, not without losing her mind.† Oh. Great. â€Å"Okay. Thanks.† I started to leave, then thought of something else. â€Å"Hey, do you remember Ms. Karp? What did she specialize in?† Ms. Carmack got that uncomfortable look other teachers did whenever anyone mentioned Ms. Karp. â€Å"Actually – â€Å" â€Å"What?† â€Å"I almost forgot. I think she really was one of the rare ones who never specialized. She just always kept a very low control over all four.† I spent the rest of my afternoon classes thinking about Ms. Carmack's words, trying to work them into my unified Lissa-Karp-Vladimir theory. I also watched Lissa. So many people wanted to talk to her now that she barely noticed my silence. Every so often, though, I'd see her glance at me and smile, a tired look in her eyes. Laughing and gossiping all day with people she only sort of liked was taking its toll on her. â€Å"The mission's accomplished,† I told her after school. â€Å"We can stop Project Brainwash.† We sat on benches in the courtyard, and she swung her legs back and forth. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"You've done it. You stopped people from making my life horrible. You destroyed Mia. You stole Aaron. Play with him for another couple weeks, then drop him and the other royals. You'll be happier.† â€Å"You don't think I'm happy now?† â€Å"I know you aren't. Some of the parties are fun, but you hate pretending to be friends with people you don't like – and you don't like most of them. I know how much Xander pissed you off the other night.† â€Å"He's a jerk, but I can deal with that. If I stop hanging out with them, everything'll go back to the way it was. Mia will just start up again. This way, she can't bother us.† â€Å"It's not worth it if everything else is bothering you.† â€Å"Nothing's bothering me.† She sounded a little defensive. â€Å"Yeah?† I asked meanly. â€Å"Because you're so in love with Aaron? Because you can't wait to have sex with him again?† She glared at me. â€Å"Have I mentioned you can be a huge bitch sometimes?† I ignored that. â€Å"I'm just saying you've got enough shit to worry about without all this. You're burning yourself out with all the compulsion you're using.† â€Å"Rose!† She glanced anxiously around. â€Å"Be quiet!† â€Å"But it's true. Using it all the time is going to screw with your head. For real.† â€Å"Don't you think you're getting carried away?† â€Å"What about Ms. Karp?† Lissa's expression went very still. â€Å"What about her?† â€Å"You. You're just like her.† â€Å"No, I'm not!† Outrage flashed in those green eyes. â€Å"She healed too.† Hearing me talk about this shocked her. This topic had weighed us down for so long, but we'd almost never spoken about it. â€Å"That doesn't mean anything.† â€Å"You don't think it does? Do you know anyone else who can do that? Or can use compulsion on dhampirs and Moroi?† â€Å"She never used compulsion like that,† she argued. â€Å"She did. She tried to use it on me the night she left. It started to work, but then they took her away before she finished.† Or had they? After all, it was only a month later that Lissa and I had run away from the Academy. I'd always thought that was my own idea, but maybe Ms. Karp's suggestion had been the true force behind it. Lissa crossed her arms. Her face looked defiant, but her emotions felt uneasy. â€Å"Fine. So what? So she's a freak like me. That doesn't mean anything. She went crazy because†¦well, that was just the way she was. That's got nothing to do with anything else.† â€Å"But it's not just her,† I said slowly. â€Å"There's someone else like you guys, too. Someone I found.† I hesitated. â€Å"You know St. Vladimir†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And that's when I finally let it all out. I told her everything. I told her about how she, Ms. Karp, and St. Vladimir could all heal and use super-compulsion. Although it made her squirm, I told her how they too grew easily upset and had tried to hurt themselves. â€Å"He tried to kill himself,† I said, not meeting her eyes. â€Å"And I used to notice marks on Ms. Karp's skin – like she'd claw at her own face. She tried to hide it with her hair, but I could see the old scratches and tell when she made new ones.† â€Å"It doesn't mean anything,† insisted Lissa. â€Å"It – it's all a coincidence.† She sounded like she wanted to believe that, and inside, some part of her really did. But there was another part of her, a desperate part of her that had wanted for so long to know that she wasn't a freak, that she wasn't alone. Even if the news was bad, at least now she knew there were others like her. â€Å"Is it a coincidence that neither of them seems to have specialized?† I recounted my conversation with Ms. Carmack and explained my theory about specializing in all four elements. I also repeated Ms. Carmack's comment about how that would burn someone out. Lissa rubbed her eyes when I finished, smudging a little of her makeup. She gave me a weak smile. â€Å"I don't know what's crazier: what you're actually telling me or the fact that you actually read something to find all this out.† I grinned, relieved that she'd actually mustered a joke. â€Å"Hey, I know how to read too.† â€Å"I know you do. I also know it took you a year to read The Da Vinci Code.† She laughed. â€Å"That wasn't my fault! And don't try to change the subject.† â€Å"I'm not.† She smiled, then sighed. â€Å"I just don't know what to think about all this.† â€Å"There's nothing to think about. Just don't do stuff that'll upset you. Remember coasting through the middle? Go back to that. It's a lot easier on you.† She shook her head. â€Å"I can't do that. Not yet.† â€Å"Why not? I already told you – † I stopped, wondering why I hadn't caught on before. â€Å"It's not just Mia. You're doing all this because you feel like you're supposed to. You're still trying to be Andre.† â€Å"My parents would have wanted me to – â€Å" â€Å"Your parents would have wanted you to be happy.† â€Å"It's not that easy, Rose. I can't ignore these people forever. I'm royal too.† â€Å"Most of them suck.† â€Å"And a lot of them are going to help rule the Moroi. Andre knew that. He wasn't like the others, but he did what he had to do because he knew how important they were.† I leaned back against the bench. â€Å"Well, maybe that's the problem. We're deciding who's ? ®important' based on family alone, so we end up with these screwed-up people making decisions. That's why Moroi numbers are dropping and bitches like Tatiana are queen. Maybe there needs to be a new royal system.† â€Å"Come on, Rose. This is the way it is; that's the way it's been for centuries. We have to live with that.† I glared. â€Å"Okay, how about this?† she continued. â€Å"You're worried about me becoming like them – like Ms. Karp and St. Vladimir – right? Well, she said I shouldn't use the powers, that it would make things get worse if I did. What if I just stop? Compulsion, healing, everything.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You could do that?† The convenient compulsion aside, that was what I'd wanted her to do the whole time. Her depression had started at the same time the powers emerged, just after the accident. I had to believe they were connected, particularly in light of the evidence and Ms. Karp's warnings. â€Å"Yes.† Her face was perfectly composed, her expression serious and steady. With her pale hair woven into a neat French braid and a suede blazer over her dress, she looked like she could have taken her family's place on the council right now. â€Å"You'd have to give up everything,† I warned. â€Å"No healing, no matter how cute and cuddly the animal. And no more compulsion to dazzle the royals.† She nodded seriously. â€Å"I can do it. Will that make you feel better?† â€Å"Yeah, but I'd feel even better if you stopped magic and went back to hanging out with Natalie.† â€Å"I know, I know. But I can't stop, not now at least.† I couldn't get her to budge on that – yet – but knowing that she would avoid using her powers relieved me. â€Å"All right,† I said, picking up my backpack. I was late for practice. Again. â€Å"You can keep playing with the brat pack, so long as you keep the ? ®other stuff' in check.† I hesitated. â€Å"And you know, you really have made your point with Aaron and Mia. You don't have to keep him around to keep hanging out with the royals.† â€Å"Why do I keep getting the feeling you don't like him anymore?† â€Å"I like him okay – which is about as much as you like him. And I don't think you should get hot and sweaty with people you only like ? ®okay' â€Å" Lissa widened her eyes in pretend astonishment. â€Å"Is this Rose Hathaway talking? Have you reformed? Or do you have someone you like ? ®more than okay'?† â€Å"Hey,† I said uncomfortably, â€Å"I'm just looking out for you. That, and I never noticed how boring Aaron is before.† She scoffed. â€Å"You think everyone's boring.† â€Å"Christian isn't.† It slipped out before I could stop it. She quit smiling. â€Å"He's a jerk. He just stopped talking to me for no reason one day.† She crossed her arms. â€Å"And don't you hate him anyway?† â€Å"I can still hate him and think he's interesting.† But I was also starting to think that I might have made a big mistake about Christian. He was creepy and dark and liked to set people on fire, true. On the other hand, he was smart and funny – in a twisted way – and somehow had a calming effect on Lissa. But I'd messed it all up. I'd let my anger and jealousy get the best of me and ended up separating them. If I'd let him go to her in the garden that night, maybe she wouldn't have gotten upset and cut herself. Maybe they'd be together now, away from all the school politics. Fate must have been thinking the same thing, because five minutes after I left Lissa, I passed Christian walking across the quad. Our eyes locked for a moment before we passed each other. I nearly kept walking. Nearly. Taking a deep breath, I came to a stop. â€Å"Wait†¦Christian.† I called out to him. Damn, I was so late for training. Dimitri was going to kill me. Christian spun around to face me, hands stuffed in the pockets of his long black coat, his posture slumped and uncaring. â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Thanks for the books.† He didn't say anything. â€Å"The ones you gave to Mason.† â€Å"Oh, I thought you meant the other books.† Smartass. â€Å"Aren't you going to ask what they were for?† â€Å"Your business. Just figured you were bored being suspended.† â€Å"I'd have to be pretty bored for that.† He didn't laugh at my joke. â€Å"What do you want, Rose? I've got places to be.† I knew he was lying, but my sarcasm no longer seemed as funny as usual. â€Å"I want you to, uh, hang out with Lissa again.† â€Å"Are you serious?† He studied me closely, suspicion all over him. â€Å"After what you said to me?† â€Å"Yeah, well†¦Didn't Mason tell you?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Christian's lips turned up into a sneer. â€Å"He told me something.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And I don't want to hear it from Mason.† His sneer cranked up when I glared. â€Å"You sent him to apologize for you. Step up and do it yourself.† â€Å"You're a jerk,† I informed him. â€Å"Yeah. And you're a liar. I want to see you eat your pride.† â€Å"I've been eating my pride for two weeks,† I growled. Shrugging, he turned around and started to walk away. â€Å"Wait!† I called, putting my hand on his shoulder. He stopped and looked back at me. â€Å"All right, all right. I lied about how she felt. She never said any of that stuff about you, okay? She likes you. I made it up because I don't like you.† â€Å"And yet you want me to talk to her.† When the next words left my lips, I could barely believe it. â€Å"I think†¦you might be†¦good for her.† We stared at each other for several heavy moments. His smirk dried up a little. Not much surprised him. This did. â€Å"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that?† he finally asked. I almost punched him in the face. â€Å"Will you stop it already? I want you to hang out with her again.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Look, I told you, I lied – â€Å" â€Å"It's not that. It's her. You think I can talk to her now? She's Princess Lissa again.† Venom dripped off his words. â€Å"I can't go near her, not when she's surrounded by all those royals.† â€Å"You're royal too,† I said, more to myself than him. I kept forgetting the Ozeras were one of the twelve families. â€Å"Doesn't mean much in a family full of Strigoi, huh?† â€Å"But you're not – wait. That's why she connects to you,† I realized with a start. â€Å"Because I'm going to become a Strigoi?† he asked snidely. â€Å"No†¦because you lost your parents too. Both of you saw them die.† â€Å"She saw hers die. I saw mine murdered.† I flinched. â€Å"I know. I'm sorry, it must have been†¦well, I don't have any idea what it was like.† Those crystal-blue eyes went unfocused. â€Å"It was like seeing an army of Death invade my house.† â€Å"You mean†¦your parents?† He shook his head. â€Å"The guardians who came to kill them. I mean, my parents were scary, yeah, but they still looked like my parents – a little paler, I guess. Some red in their eyes. But they walked and talked the same way. I didn't know anything was wrong with them, but my aunt did. She was watching me when they came for me.† â€Å"Were they going to convert you?† I'd forgotten my original mission here, too caught up in the story. â€Å"You were really little.† â€Å"I think they were going to keep me until I was older, then turn me. Aunt Tasha wouldn't let them take me. They tried to reason with her, convert her too, but when she wouldn't listen, they tried to take her by force. She fought them – got really messed up – and then the guardians showed up.† His eyes drifted back to me. He smiled, but there was no happiness in it. â€Å"Like I said, an army of Death. I think you're crazy, Rose, but if you turn out like the rest of them, you're going to be able to do some serious damage one day. Even I won't mess with you.† I felt horrible. He'd had a miserable life, and I'd taken away one of the few good things in it. â€Å"Christian, I'm sorry for screwing things up between you and Lissa. It was stupid. She wanted to be with you. I think she still does now. If you could just – â€Å" â€Å"I told you, I can't.† â€Å"I'm worried about her. She's into all this royal stuff because she thinks it's going to get back at Mia – she's doing it for me.† â€Å"And you aren't grateful?† The sarcasm returned. â€Å"I'm worried. She can't handle playing all these catty political games. It isn't good for her, but she won't listen to me. I could†¦I could use help.† â€Å"She could use help. Hey, don't look so surprised – I know there's something funny going on with her. And I'm not even talking about the wrist thing.† I jumped. â€Å"Did she tell you?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why not? She'd told him everything else. â€Å"She didn't need to,† he said. â€Å"I've got eyes.† I must have looked pathetic, because he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. â€Å"Look, if I catch Lissa alone†¦I'll try to talk to her. But honestly†¦if you really want to help her†¦well, I know I'm supposed to be all anti-establishment, but you might get the best help talking to somebody else. Kirova. Your guardian guy. I don't know. Someone who knows something. Someone you trust.† â€Å"Lissa wouldn't like that.† I considered. â€Å"Neither would I.† â€Å"Yeah, well, we all have to do things we don't like. That's life.† My snarky switch flipped on. â€Å"What are you, an after-school special?† A ghostly smile flickered across his face. â€Å"If you weren't so psychotic, you'd be fun to hang around.† â€Å"Funny, I feel that way about you too.† He didn't say anything else, but the smile grew, and he walked away.

Defining manufacturing sequence of a tool steel Literature review

Defining manufacturing sequence of a tool steel - Literature review Example Accordingly, the tool steel and die steel has different classification, referring to the metallurgical composition and heat treatment measures used in making these products. For example, cold work and hot work category of steel have remarkably different carbon, chromium, magnesium, cobalt, and nickel and tungsten percentage representation. While tool steels are fundamentally medium or high carbon steels, they have varied amounts of specific elements that shape them into specialized application tools, with significant characteristics. Carbon in the tool steel helps it to gain greater hardness required to do the cutting and have wear-resistant properties. The other elements provide greater strength and toughness to the tool steel. The addition of such elements helps in retaining the size and shape of the tool, while ensuring that the specific tool maintains its strength and hardness during the heat-treatment process. As composition of tool steel varies according to the specific tool application, the aim of his paper is to discuss different types of steel alloys that can be used for manufacture of specific tools. Accordingly, the related changes in the microstructure of tool steel, as it undergoes various manufacturing and heat treatment processes are detailed in the following pages. Addition of Chromium enables the tool steel to gain properties of greater hardness, toughness and wears resistance. Cobalt addition results in increased red hardness, which makes tools applicable for use at higher temperature during operation. Manganese helps the tool steel in quick hardening, while going through heat treatment process. Larger addition of this element, between 1.2 to 1.6 percentages enables the steel to quench in oil instead of water, while lowering the quenching temperature, meant for hardening the tool steel. Molybdenum also helps

Religious Freedom, Secular Forum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religious Freedom, Secular Forum - Essay Example For others, it demonstrated how the UK universities were willing to appease Islamists extremists so as not to offend the minority groups. The issue of gender segregation being the latest in a series of clashes has led to other questions including blasphemy, same sex marriages and other demands of a secular society. It also raises a question on what is really meant by religious freedom and the extent of tolerance that could be allowed in religion (Malik, 2014). In the modern secular society, religion no longer plays a part in political and intellectual disputes. Religious freedom today could therefore be defined as expressing freedoms and beliefs in a much broader way rather than a special kind of liberty (Malik, 2014). This is so long as one’s religious freedom does not cause harm to another individual. This indicates that there is a limit that cannot be crossed in the name of religious beliefs. In my point of view, the Muslim and other minority groups in the society should be allowed to carry on with their religious practices freely and without having to interfere with the rights of other religions. On the subject of gender isolation in public meetings, it should be allowed since it does not interfere with the other groups in the university. Furthermore, it does not interfere with the policies and practices of the university. Limits should however be defined to ensure order and consistency in the

4Firm Concentration Ratio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

4Firm Concentration Ratio - Essay Example The reason is that the demand curve is higher than the average total cost curve. However, in the long run following this change in the demand, many firms will be attracted to the industry to capture the economic profit since there is free entry and exit and this causes the economic profit to disappear. The adjust process implies that the industry will continue to maintain the 30% CR because those who look for the economic profit have gone. Monopolistic competition operates only at a normal profit in the long run; therefore the industry will maintain monopolistic competition. Suppose the industry has 20 firms but the CR for the industry is 80% instead of 30%, this means that the largest four firms are controlling 80% of the total market sales. This type of industry is called oligopoly. In oligopoly, each of the oligopolies faces a downward sloping demand curve, decisions of one firm influence the decision of another and as such they watch each other keenly. Oligopolies do not change prices occasioned by minor adjustments in prices of raw materials, they only change when there are major changes in the general cost of production. In the long run prices do change. c) Products: products play important role in determining CR of an industry.

SPIRITUAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SPIRITUAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT - Essay Example In the future, I would focus more on spirituality to make my approach universal rather than being specific because not all people welcome religion. The tool however helped for the interviewee to open up that sometimes he has a need for someone bigger than him when he feels lonely. The tool is non-judgmental and compassionate in approach and this helped me get through the defenses of the interviewee. The spiritual experience I had with my interviewee was fulfilling. At first he was resistant and does not want to admit that he too, just like all of us, needs some divine guidance. Eventually however, he softened and he in fact calls out for God during his moments of despair. The non-judgmental approach of the tool help him opened up which he used to find very difficult for fear of reprisal. On my end, the tool helped me connect and get through the seemingly tough exterior of the interviewee. It also helped me understand that the stress and negative experiences that the interviewee undergone made him hard and defensive. For example, when I asked about his down moments, the interviewee initially played tough that he can handle anything. The tool help me get through him and address his spiritual need. The experience affirmed by belief that all of us need â€Å"Somebody† bigger than us especially during our tough times. As the saying goes, â€Å"there is no atheist in a foxhole† because human strength will always fail us. We could appear tough just like my friend but it is really just a defense mechanism to make him look strong with his peers. Deep inside however, he also have spiritual needs which when explored, is actually bigger than most of us because it has long been repressed due to his negative experiences and fear that society may judge him as weak. When I made him open up, it was like a floodgate of pent up emotions and suppressed pains that has long been buried beneath him. I promised that whatever he tells

Describe a model project to upgrade security at YOUR facility (or a Research Paper

Describe a model project to upgrade security at YOUR facility (or a fictional facility) using the process identified in the three part Security Architecture and Engineering series - Research Paper Example Security is based on three aspects that are enacting preventive obstructions purposed at deterring potential invaders, using surveillance measures to notify intrusions and methods to be used in apprehending the intruders. Upgrading of a security mechanism is essential in the sense that it averts the possibility of the incident of the risk protected against by creating the security measures stern thus reducing the incidence of the danger. This is a gauge that follows a comprehensive study of the safety system to make sure whether the system requires upgrading or substitution depending on the susceptibility of the system to be undermined (Atlas, 2005). This is aimed at protecting the asset from theft or any other risk that the owner of the asset needs security against .This is a research paper that involves a description of model project to upgrade security at a facility. The reader would be able to understand the importance of security upgrade after going through this paper (Fennelly, 2013). A successful security concept for safeguarding facilities nowadays emphasizes a growing alertness of technological advancements and emphasizes the incorporation of architectural perspectives, security systems and manpower and procedures so that they can be more efficient. Crimes comprising terrorist activities are the artifact of intentions other than means. Technology assists facilities detect the means interlopers use but not their objectives. The human part of the security force must establish the purposes and take actions to counteract them. The key expression describing risk control in todays world is incorporation (Atlas, 2005). Facilities require security upgrade to ensure the dynamic threat types are put at bay at all time and systems upgraded to counterbalance security measures. Computer security ideas and systems are measures employed in countering security threats within a facility. Concepts and

Eco architecture and culture Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8250 words

Eco architecture and culture - Dissertation Example 11 3.5 What was the cultural effect on those communities that chose not to live above ground? 12 3.6 Why are some cultures still driven to living underground? 13 3.7 What are the main types of underground homes? 13 3.8 Why are underground homes still popular in certain countries and civilisations? 15 3.9 What is the modern day attraction to creating underground homes in the developed world? 17 3.10 How has modern technology influenced our perception of underground homes? 18 3.11 How has modern day thinking influenced our perception of underground homes? 19 3.12 How do modern day underground homes compare with the original? 20 3.13 How do modern day underground homes influence modern day cultural development? 20 3.14 The cultural effect of global warming 21 3.15 Underground homes and eco architecture. Differences and similarities 21 3.16 What is the way forward? 22 3.17 How today cultural development influences living underground? 22 4. Discussion on literature 23 5. Conclusion 23 6. Recommendations 24 Bibliography 25 Critical Bibliography 26 Abstract The return of living underground, as a social phenomenon, can be characterized rather as expected. The continuous increase of population in cities would have normally such outcome, either in the short or the long term. At the same time, the limitation of energy sources worldwide has promoted another trend: the alignment of architecture with the rules of sustainability. Indeed, the last decade, eco – architecture, as this trend is known, has rapidly expanded worldwide strongly affecting the social, economic and cultural framework of each country. The effects of eco-architecture on culture are discussed in this study. Emphasis is given on a particular aspect of eco-architecture: underground living. This is because underground homes have become popular, offering an effective alternative for those who are interested in promoting sustainability. It is proved that eco-architecture can interact with culture but und er certain terms. Moreover, the relationship between eco-architecture and culture is not standardized; it can be strong or weak, depending on the level at which eco-architects are free to promote architectural projects which can highly affect the cultural characteristics of a particular region. 1. Overview 1.1 Research Objectives The objectives of this study could be described as follows: a) to identify the key characteristics of eco-architecture, b) to check whether eco-architecture is able to interact with culture and at which level; C) to identify the reasons for which people had initially chosen to live underground but also the reasons for which they decided to move to buildings above the ground; d) to compare the quality of underground homes, as compared to conventional homes; e) to check whether modern thinking can affect the views of people in regard to eco-architecture and living underground and f) to estimate, as possible, the expansion of underground homes, as a trend, in the future. 1.2 Value of the topic Living underground has been a common practice in the early years of human history. Still, the rapid development of technology and the changes in the structure and the principles of societies have led to the need for different forms of living. Moving above ground has been a critical point for the history of humans. It seems that the above transition has been highly promoted by culture. For similar reasons, a different trend has recently appeared: living undergroun

Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Astronomy - Essay Example And the solar system was created through a gaseous cloud. According to the book of (Ramsey, 1983) â€Å"The nebular hypothesis explains that the nebula slowly rotates, it gradually condensing and flattening due to gravity and eventually form the stars and planets.† It assumes that at one time the sun was a large mass of gas extending out beyond the farthest limits of what is now the entire solar system. The mass of hot gases was rotating slowly, and as the gases cooled and contracted, the mass began to rotate faster and faster until a ring separated from the main part. Its rotation eventually turned this region into a disk. Matter continued to fall toward the center of the solar nebula, making the central parts hotter. The sun was beginning to grow at the center of the disk. Are planets orbiting stars other than the Sun. Astronomers study of possible life in the universe, because life is more likely to develop on planets than in the extremes of stars and empty space. According to (Ramsey,1983) Astronomers have found that most young stars are surrounded by disks composed of dust and gas. Some of these disks show evidence of comet-like objects. For instance, â€Å"The disk around the star Fomalhaut, show an empty area around the star, or a stripe of empty space in the disk. Astronomers believe that dust in this area could be in the process of condensing into a planet.† The theory states that a disk of dust and gas collects around a star as the star forms. Bits of dust in the disk collide and stick together, forming larger and larger chunks of rock and ice. Farther out from the star (where the temperature is cooler), the gases in the disk freeze, adding to the mass available to form these chunks. The pieces of rock continue to collide, forming large objects called protoplanets. Four protoplanets grew close to the central sun. These were inner planets or (terrestrial) planets: Mercury, Venue, Earth and Mars. Four other

To buy or not to buy...that is the Question Essay

To buy or not to buy...that is the Question - Essay Example According to market analysts, forces of abundance refer to a customer’s financial ability to purchase a particular product instead of another or not to purchase at all. Money is the most common determinant of consumer’s decision with regard to buying products (44). Additionally, the issue of taste receives a huge degree of consideration when consumers are purchasing certain products. In this spectrum, it is worthwhile noting that some consumers prefer certain products instead of others and this influences their choice of buying such products even if their prices are too high or the distance involved in acquiring them is long. Furthermore, consumers’ choice of buying products is influential due to lifestyles (58). Some consumers’ styles and standards of living determine the type of products and services to buy. With that respect, some consumers whose living standards are high go for high-class products whose prices are always expensive and consider particular brands of products as important compared to others. In summary, there are many factors ranging from minute to huge factors that influence consumers’ choice of buying certain products and services (71). However, as highlighted in this paper, the most common ones include needs, lifestyles, and financial ability of a

Financial Polynominal Essay Example for Free

Financial Polynominal Essay For this assignment the following in instructions are to complete and review the example of how complete the mat required for the assignment. To solve the problem 90 on page 304 of Elementary and Intermediate Algebra and to be sure that all steps of the squaring of the binominal and multiplication along with any simplification that might be used. Evaluate the polynomial resulting from step 1 using: P= $200 and R=10%, and Also with P=5670 and R= 3.5% Complete problem 70 on 311 page on Elementary and Intermediate Algebra show all steps of the division then incorporate words like foil, like terms, descending order, dividend, and divisor. Problem #1 P (1+r/2)2 P [(1+r/2)*(1+ r/2)] P [1 + r/2 +r/2 + r2 /4] P (1+ r + r2/4) Let P + $200 and R = 10% Convert 10% to a decimal which is 10/100 = .1 200* (1 + .1 + .12 /4) 200 + (200* .1) + (200 * .01/4) = 200+ 20+ .5 = 220.5 So you would make 20.5 dollars in the first year and the second year your total account balance would be $ 243.10 Problem #2 Let P = 5670 and r = 3.5 % Convert 3.5 % to a decimal 35/1000 = .035 P (1 + r +r2 /4) 5670* (1 + .035 + .03/4 52) 5670 + (5670 * .035) + (5670 * .00123/4) = 5670 + 198.45+1.74 = 5870.19 Problem #3 In this problem we follow the rules of normal division and exponents division Since the exponent in the divisor -3 xs is positive we will subtract on x from x 3 and that will become x2. So, now that we have 32 the process is the same with the entire exponent in the equation. (-933 +32- 15) / (-3x) (-93/-3x) + (3x/-3x) – (15x/-3x) 32 –x +5 This equation cannot be Foil, because it is a quadratic equation.

Data flow diagram

Data flow diagram Data Flow Diagram DFD is a system modeling tool, the most popular and important representations in data flow modeling. DFD allows us to picture a system as a network of functional processes, connected to one another by pipelines and holding tanks of data. It is a structured, diagrammatic technique representing external entities, logical storage, data sinks and data flows in the system. You can also call DFD as: bubble chart, bubble diagram, process model, and work flow diagram. Data Flow Diagram Types Physical Data Flow Diagram: Physical data flow diagrams are implementation-dependent and show the actual devices, department, people, etc., involved in the current system. Logical or Conceptual Data Flow Diagram: Logical data flow diagram represents business functions or processes. It describes the system independently of how it is actually implemented, and focuses rather on how an activity is accomplished. The components of the data flow diagram (DFD) Processes: The basic processing items of a data flow diagram. They are used to transform incoming data flows into outgoing data flows. Processes that are not further decomposed have to be described by means of a textual specification. This text defines how the input data of the process are transformed into output data. Terminators: Data producers (data sources) or data consumers (data sinks) outside of the system Data flows: Logical channels (pipelines) in which data are transported; they are represented by arrows connecting the processes; Data store: Storage space from which data can be read with a time delay after writing them; without processing component. Data flow diagrams are useful if: you have lots of calculations to carry out You are familiar with data flow techniques in a method you have used repeatedly before. The approach to data flow diagramming should be as follows: create a data flow diagram for each of the major outputs of the system work back from the outputs to the inputs to construct the diagram add new objects where necessary to the object model as you discover the need for them in the data flow modeling add new operations and attributes to the object model as you discover the need for them in the data flow modelling Data Flow Description The data flow symbol is a line with an arrow showing the direction of flow. It should be named using words that are understood within the department or organization describing the data. The data that leaves one process is exactly that which arrives at the next process. An arrow usually at the end of the flow line indicates direction of flow. External Entity Definition The external entity is a source or recipient of data that is outside the boundary of investigation. The fundamental purpose of this symbol is to indicate that whatever happens at the end of the data flow, Entity Relationship Diagram A logical data model is documented as an entity relationship model supported by the data items for each entity (conventionally in the form of a Third Normal Form relation).Though the relationship among data store is not emphasized in data flow diagram, it is well reflected in ERD. ERD is one of the most useful model forming tools to organize this discussion. ERD is network model that describes stored data of a system at a high level of abstraction. For system analyst, ERD has a major benefit: it highlights the relationship between data stores on DFD which would otherwise only be seen in the specification process. The main components of an ERD include: Entity- a subject, a duty, or an event that has a significant meaning to the future system Attribute the characteristics of the entity displayed by fields or columns of a table. Relationship- There is 3 major types of relationship used in ERDs: One one relationship One many relationship Many many relationship Entity- is any type of object that we wish to store data about. Which entity types you decide to include on your diagram depends on your application. In an accounting application for a business you would store data about customers, suppliers, products, invoices and payments and if the business manufactured the products, you would need to store data about materials and production steps. Each of these would be classified as an entity type because you would want to store data about each one. In an entity-relationship diagram an entity type is shown as a box. There may be many entity types in an entity-relationship diagram. The name of an entity type is singular since it represents a type. Attributes-The data that we want to keep about each entity within an entity type is contained in attributes. An attribute is some quality about the entities that we are interested in and want to hold on the database. In fact we store the value of the attributes on the database. Each entity within the entity type will have the same set of attributes, but in general different attribute values. For example the value of the attribute ADDRESS for a customer J. Smith in a CUSTOMER entity type might be 10 Downing St., London whereas the value of the attribute address for another customer J. Major might be 22 Railway Cuttings, Cheam. Cardinality and Optionality The maximum degree is called cardinality and the minimum degree is called Optionality. In another context the terms degree and cardinality have different meanings. In [Date 4th ed. p240] degree is the term used to denote the number of attributes in a relation while `cardinality is the number of tipples in a relation. Here, we are not talking about relations (database tables) but relationship types, the associations between database tables and the real world entity types they model. Entity Descriptions CustomerInfo This entity is to store the personal Name, Address etc in to check in the Hostel. Stock This entity is to store the detail of stock items in order to check new item. Check In This entity is to store the Customer information that was get to the Room. Booking This entity is to store the Room that have been booking according to customers order. Room This entity is to store the Room information of the Hostel status. Sale Service This entity is to store the sale record of each customer and the item. Entity Life History The ELH technique is based on concepts developed by Michael Jackson for structured program design. The essential idea is that all data processing can be described in terms of sequence (order), selection (choice) and iteration (repetition) of processing components, which are derived from the data structures. In an ELH these ideas are used by analogy to model sequences, selections and iterations of events affecting an entity. In between the birth and death events there may be a number of life events. Jackson rules are observed in that the diagram shows that it is possible for there to be no changes between creation and end of life for a particular instance, as an iteration may occur zero, one or many times. Parallel lives are used when there are two (or more) independent sets of events that can affect an entity. As events from the two sets are not dependent on each other, but only on events from their own set, they cannot be ordered together in a predictable way. Quits and resumes are a means of jumping from one part of the diagram to another in order to cope with exceptional or unusual events. If used indiscriminately they can undermine the apparent structure of the diagram and make it more difficult to understand. Analysts should therefore use a quit and resume only when they are sure that there is no sensible way in which they can use normal Jackson structures to show what they want. Normalisation Any collection of attributes can be said to be either unnormalised or in a particular normal form depending on its compliance with the rules given below. Many normal forms have been defined. Codd originally defined first, second and third normal forms. There are some cases, particularly where keys are complex and contain many attributes, where further normalization may be required. For such cases, Boyce- Codd normal form, fourth normal form and fifth normal form also exist. In this book, normalization will only be covered up to the third normal form, since this is sufficient for most practical purposes. For further information about the other normal forms the reader is referred to Data (2000). Report for National Hostelling Association There are a lot of advantages when compared to the manual system and computer based system. Although our system is still window based.We will be able to room service, Ecommerce application in the future. We have made the information giving in our system easily understandable for new uses of the system. The display area of the store is not very large. It will only display a small section of the Room Other Sale Item that the Check in the Hostel room. My system will allow customers to choice rooms . This will allow customers to request room and service that are not on display. The customer can search the room by keyword or by category such as room,Booking No, CheckIn/Out etc or by charges. The charges will take the discount value for each invoice ie, the For manager, he will help with this activities during busy periods and will be responsible for the general management duties such as accounting, correspondence, staffing etc. The manager will also Booking and necessary from a number of customers and he will also decide which of the services will be discount prices to the customer. In order to do this, he will need the information from the system. The system also produce the monthly report in order to estimate the rooms status and the customer like and dislike of the services ie the c ustomer trend according to the season. These above information are explained about the functions of the National Hostelling Association. To have a successful system design for the National Hostelling Association, I have to study the manual system first. Then I draw the context diagram. The context diagram shows the entire system as a single process surrounded by the external entities. The National Hostelling Association, Context diagram represents data input and output flows. This make to concentrate or focus on the boundary to be investigated. This can give great help in discussing with the user on the scope of the system. Aims and objectives are given to the system so the system user cannot depart from the system needs. As the context diagram is drawn, the level 1 DFD are also easily drawn to make the system easy to look and to be understandable. This can enhance the clarity of the system to the user. Then I create a data model to support the system information. It points the ways how the data items are grouped together into entities and identifies the relationships between the entities. To get the attributes for the entities, I studied the manual records and the receipts of the National Hostelling Association. Additional characteristics such as the optionality and degrees of relationship are needed to identify for the entities. Then I studied how the entities change with time.ELH is described to know the creation of an entity occurrences, record the sequence of changes in the system during its life time and how it ends in the system. Then I do the normalization which provides the sound foundation for physical design which can be implemented as the database design. For database design, all entities are included in the data dictionary which is the sources of information of the system. Then, I create the prototype by using Visual Studio 2005. It includes searching for an item of National Hostelling Association. I also take the screenshots of the prototype and identify where the system needs the validation rule. All the tasks shown above demonstrate an understanding of the modeling and installation of the data driven system. They demonstrate the analysis and design of a system including the prototype use interface, training plans for the users. Preparation for the installation of the system In order to install the system, we first need to install the hardware first. Then we need to do the data entry for the items. We also need to install the software required to run the system. The requirements are as follows: Hardware Requirements Pentium IV or above Processors is C.P.U. 1.8 GHz or above. Memory (RAM) is 512MB or above. Hard Disk space is 1GB for my system and 10 GB for Operation System. Software Requirements Window XP Visual Studio 2005 Microsoft Office Word 2003 for reading Manual Guide

There Are Four Main Sources Of Irish Law

There Are Four Main Sources Of Irish Law There are four main sources of Irish Law. Pick one of these sources and examine it in detail as it affects the Early Childhood Care and Education area. Law does not come from one source and can change with time. Previously Brehan Law was Irelands native law, up until it was replaced by Common Law when Ireland was taken over by Great Britain. Now post British rule Irish law is taken from The Irish Constitution, 1937, Legislation passed by our government (primary and secondary), Case law and European Union law, these are the main sources but some other sources are Public International law, Cannon law, custom, media and Scholarly writing. In order to examine Case Law in Ireland it is important first to explore the definitions of law, it s place in Irish society. It is necessary to be aware of the process of law making in Ireland, who it affects and how it is practiced and it is enforced. The name given to the science of law is Jurisprudence. The laws of nature have always existed but Legal laws are put there by humans. Moral and ethics can drive humans to regulate behaviour, e.g. to use manners and to wait in turn, to respect each others land and not to steal. Rules of moral value are sometimes governed by the good conscience and fear of other peoples opinions, in Irish societal history this is evident in the times of Roman Catholic influence and is greatly linked to religious beliefs, but most moral laws are also tied in and related with legal rules especially if they are seen to cause a harm to society. E.g. murder, rape, pollution. The collection of people forming the Irish society has a set of rules in which they must abide by. Laws are set for the common good of the society and by the society to ensure that a certain standard of behaviour is maintained by that society. Legal law in Ireland does not just cover harm to the society; it also regulates private human acts such as suicide, abortion and animal cruelty. These legal rules are enforced on society through the court system. If there were to be no law system in Ireland it would be faced with anarchy. Law can be defined as The written and unwritten body of rules, derived from custom, formal enactment or judicial decision, which are recognised as binding on persons who constitute a community or state, so that they will be imposed upon and enforced among those persons by appropriate sanctions. (Cited by Murdoch.) H, 1998) The Irish Constitution, 1937 as the main source of law in Ireland is a written document containing the rules that are applied to the state. It contains the fundamental rights of the Irish people and also the regulations for its Government, the regulations for administration of justice. It also holds regulations on the division between the judicial branches of the state and the executive legislative branches of the state. The constitution has enumerated rights to equality, to personal liberty, to life of the unborn and equally to the mother, to freedom of speech, freedom to associate, freedom of assembly, family rights and protection, Inviolability of the dwelling, the right to education(with parental primacy, freedom to private property, to religious freedom and to directive principles through social policy. Some rights that are also implied by the Constitution are the rights of the child, the right to know the identity of ones birth mother, the right to earn a living, the right to strike, the right to dissociate, the right to travel, the right to protect ones health, the right to bodily integrity, the right to marry and form a family, the right to communicate, the right to silence, the right to privacy, the right to life of the individual, the right to legal representation, the rights to fair procedures in decision making, the right to access to legal advice and the rights to fair procedure in decision making. The Constitution lays out all the important rights that the society needs in order to live positively and in harmony and it is up to the state to protect the rights of society by enacting legislation. Any legislation that does not protect the rights according to the constitution is not legally binding. Outside of European Law, the Oireactas is the name of the only place in Ireland that can make laws for the state. It consists of the President and Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann (the two houses of Oireactas.) A new law starts as a bill which is a proposition for a new legislation which is usually initiated by the government who will have already consulted it with other bodies that it may affect. In some cases the government will set up a green paper containing its ideas and ask for views and feedback on those ideas from individuals and groups of people. This bill must pass through both the houses of Oireactas though it usually starts off in the Dail Eireann. The Dail will then examine and debate its contents and suggest changes or additions to the bill. The members will then vote on whether to pass the bill or not to pass it. The bill will then be travelled to the Seanad Eireann and they will go through the same process again. They can then decide to pass the bill without any changes needed, the can decide not to pass it at all or they may decide to send it back to the Dail Eireann with more changes to be discussed. If the Seanad dont agree with the bill or asks for the Dail to make more changes it will lapse 180 days later, but the Dail can still pass the bill within the deadline once it has passed through the both houses the Seanad only has the power of suggestion and of slowing the process down. The Taoiseach then passes the bill to the President of Ireland to be signed. The President has the ultimate power then to pass the bill, if the president thinks that the bill may be unconstitutional he/she is entitled to further consultation with the council of state. It is sent to the Supreme Court to be discussed further. If the president does sign the bill it becomes an Act which means it is a Legal/statute law. This law must stay consistent to the constitution or else it is not valid. Legislation can also be delegated to and implemented through use of statutory instruments; this is known as secondary legislation or subordinate legislation. This means some power is passed down to an executive authority to administer and implement the requirements that are needed to fulfil a primary legislation given by the legislature. The Childcare Act that was passed in 1991 is an example of a Primary Legislation. Examples of secondary legislation can be seen within The Childcare Act. In one part The 1991 Childcare Act stated that; The Health Service Executive has a duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. (Cited in Citizens Advice, 2008) This lead to The Childcare (Placement of Children in Foster Care) Regulations, 1995. The Childcare (Placement of Children in Residential Care) regulations, 1995, and The Childcare (Placement of Children with Relatives) regulations, 1995. Also under The Childcare Act; the HSE is given the responsibility of ensuring the health, safety and welfare of children attending pre-schools (Cited in Citizens Advice, 2010) from this the Pre-school Service Regulations 2006 and Garda clearance for employees in childcare were created. When a law is seen to be broken or infringed in Ireland it must be taken to court. The courts will look at the behaviour in question and the definition of the law in question and see if the facts add up to an offence. There are two different classifications of law in Irish society. They can be described as Private Law / Public Law or Civil/Criminal Law. Private law deals with the relationships of individual people within Ireland, whereas Public Law deals with the relationships between Ireland as a state and the individual. The purpose of private law/ or civil law is to protect the interests of the individual persons in Ireland and give them rights to defend their interests with. If an individual person is rightfully wronged by another they can defend their interests civilly and orderly, and resolve the dispute in court. Some examples of private law cases are ones that deal with Landlord and tenant issues, Custody issues, personal injury and breach of contract issues. In usual circumstances there is a money pay out, compensation or an injunction Public Law/ or criminal law is concerned with the relationships of the individual and Ireland as a state and is of collective interest to the Irish society. It deals with actions by a person that are forbidden by the Irish as a state and these actions are punishable through imprisonment, community service or fines. Acts such as murder, sale of drugs and sexual assaults are dealt with before the public courts. This is done in a public court scene in most cases as it is a crime against the public, whereas it may endanger or distress the victim exceptions are made and their identities are kept hidden. Procedural/or substantive law is the set of legal rules that are exercised by the court. This outlines the procedure by which the law is to be enforced through the courts and the rules of evidence and forms the courts structure. Some examples of the substantial law used in a civil court would be Property law, Contract law or Tort law. Constitutional law, Administrative law, criminal Law and Public International Law are seen in Public law cases. In interpreting the legislations in the court, the court must be certain of the intentions of the legislature at the time that it was passed. The court has three rules to put into place if they are unsure of the legislation, if it is unclear to them or if it is appearing to show more than one meaning. The literal rule which means that the judge keeps to the ordinary meanings of the words according to the legislation, The golden rule which means that if by following the literal rule this leads to an absurd result then the literal rule must be changed and finally the mischief rule which means that the judge may investigate as to why the legislation was proposed to be certain of what particular mischief it was set up to fix or prevent or what or who it was meant to protect. In the unlikely case the Dail reports may be necessary to interpret the unclear legislation. Ireland like, England, America, Australia and New Zealand is part of a common law jurisdiction. This means in common with the other countries the Irish state uses previous court decisions to help them to make decisions in other cases. The previous cases are kept within law reports. Law that is more so shaped from judicial decision and precedents rather than statute is known as Case law and they govern the impact that court decisions will have on future cases. It comes more from jurisprudence than it is does legislation, though it serves to determine the legality of existing laws and can check or put more of a balance to the law that is put in place by the legislators. Case law is the overall decisions that are reported by courts which are known as the courts of first impression. They make new interpretations of the law. They can be then be cited as precedents. The process in action is known as stare decisis. New Interpretations are then distinguished from statutory law. When the Irish Parliament passes a legislation, although a great deal of research goes into the anticipation of how well it will work, nobody knows if it works until it is tested in court. When it is applied or interpreted in a particular way, especially when a new direction or diffentiation appears, the case will often be reported so that other courts will follow this new interpretation in the interests of keeping consistency. The higher the court, the more significant this will be. If a case is appealed and reaches the High Court or the Supreme Court, then the lower courts will have to apply the law in the same way as in that upper court unless the case before them has some significant difference. That is why case law is important. It acts as a guide for judges, magistrates and lawyers. One simple example of case law in action might be when actors in the television series Law and Order cite court decisions to the prosecutor to convince her that they have a case against a certain person. Something like States vs. Jackson supports the idea that the defendant was guilty of felony murder. Case Law is an area which was previously contained within the confines of ones own country has assumed international proportions and that therefore one is not concerned simply with domestic case law. References;

Myth and the Modern World Essay -- Heros Journey, Hospitality

Since the beginning of time, people have been searching the universe looking for answers to the burning questions about what â€Å"it† all means. By looking to the past, we find parallels that help put our own modern lives into perspective. We mortals have an insatiable quest for knowledge about everything under the sun. Who are we? Where did we come from? Why are we here? What happens next? By analyzing the meaning of ancient Mythology and applying the lessons learned through the hero’s quests, we gain insight and perspective about our own place in the modern world we live in today. By visualizing and internalizing the lessons learned through the mythological hero’s journeys, we find relevance in the symbolism and metaphors that mirror our own struggles and inspire us to find the courage and determination to overcome them. I am not a deeply religious person but I do believe in â€Å"something†. What that something is, I am not entirely sure. However, like the characters in the myths we have read about this semester, I know that I am also on a journey that hopefully one day will reveal the answers to the questions I’ve been looking for along with the ones I haven’t even thought of yet. Life is a quest that begins at birth and continues until the day we die. Our quests resemble the hero’s journeys because in attempting to achieve our goals; we stumble, fall, get a little help if we’re lucky, then get up and try again. Sometimes I pray for supernatural help as I struggle to overcome obstacles along the way, but so far no gods or goddesses have materialized to help me out in my times of need. I guess that’s why we have family - those people in our lives we sometimes can’t live with but could never live without. They are the ones... ... process. Like the mythological characters we’ve been introduced to this semester, we travel through life and face obstacles that either make us stronger or shatter us into a million pieces. It’s up to us to choose how we put those pieces back together. Works Cited "Jason and the Golden Fleece." Ancient Greece Mythology. Copyright  © 2003-2012 University Press Inc. . Web. 11 Oct 2013. . Raffel, Burton . Beowulf. New York, NY: Signet Classic, 1963. print. Gardner, John. Grendel. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1971. Print. Fagles, Robert. The Odyssey. Deluxe. New York, NY: Penguin Classics, 1996. Print. Encyclopedia Mythica. MCMXCV - MMXII Encyclopedia Mythica.. Web. 11 Oct 2013. . The Epic of Gilgamesh. Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, Web. .

Big City Dangers :: Environmental Pollution Essays

Big City Dangers Since the industrial revolution the world has witnessed the rapid expansion of its metropolises. For years humans have been flocking to these urban centers in search of jobs, commodities, entertainment and other phenomena that can commonly be found in cities. With this grand, not so new invention which most of us exploit, one must wonder what negative effects city living might have on our health. When populations of animals are clustered together certain dangers arise that threaten the well being of each organism. Notably in China, Japan, India and the United States which contain extensive cities humans battle the health risks that come along them. One such well-known city in the USA which has documented and studied the biological threats to its inhabitants is New York City. A press release from the Department of Health is not necessary to let New Yorkers know that their home is hazardous to their health. Walking along any street in Manhattan the average observer can smell car fumes in the air, see the filth in the gutters and occasionally witness a purse-snatching. The potential for catching communicable diseases or being injured in some way is severely heightened in concentrated populations like New York. Some of the alleged pollution problems are water contamination, excessive noise and the presence of smog. Several diseases have spread throughout the city in recent years including the flu, West Nile Virus and meningitis. Another biological contaminant that has been found in NYC recently is Anthrax. This substance being sent through the postal system and other crimes endanger the well being of the citizens of this famous city. Anything from a car accident to an intentional murder or shooting can cause an unnatural death. Additionally, freak occur rences like terrorist attacks can kill or infect populations of people like those in New York City. These factors increase the likelihood that residents of a city will contract a particular disease, suffer from an environmentally caused illness, die in an accident or be the victim of a violent crime. Dangers associated with cities threaten the most basic biological feature that urban, suburban and country humans possess, life. Air pollution is one of the most noticeable and common complaints of people in an urban setting. On a hot day one can see the contaminated cloud-like structures hanging over a bustling metropolis.

Research Proposal Childhood Obesity Essay

The topic of this research proposal is addressing childhood obesity in the United States. This epidemic has been going on for many years now and has become an issue most recently being addressed by the United States government through their task force, which hopes to end this problem. By reviewing the many factors involved which include economic boundaries for the children’s families, early education in nutrition, and progress made in battling this epidemic thus far, we will be able to determine when it is the best time to introduce good nutritional knowledge and application, as well as physical activity, for children in the United States in hopes of ending this problem overall. In order to determine this answer, the researcher will need to research the changes that have taken place thus far by reviewing articles that show what certain states have been actively promoting healthy eating and physical activity, like in Portland ME who has educational programs for residents. This program also allows for scholarships for these programs for families who cannot afford the classes. The researcher will also have to review articles in the ProQuest database that show what has been studied so far regarding nutrition for young children as well as other sources like the White House website articles related to the task force being led by First Lady Michelle Obama. The researcher will also need to show an overview of the current problem at hand with one in three children in the country qualifying as obese. The researcher will review some of the problems that may be contributing factors like target marketing to children by fast food establishments and limited physical activity by children today, By reviewing all of this information, the researcher should be able to show progress made toward ending this problem and answer when good nutrition and physical activity should be introduced in a child’s life.

Analysis of Current Event at Telstra Essay

Management issue is a common phenomenon that an organization attempting to maximize profits must grapple with. Telecommunication as it is the case with Telstra Corporation Limited has been distinguished by highly competitive market. On the same breath, actors and competitors on the market have been seen struggling with the increasing cost of operation, production, development and mature market. In light of this, the Company faces management issue when it comes to decision making, integrating new models and working within the realm of theoretical frameworks. ResearchMoz (2013) notes that in an industry where competition is rife, analysis of a company’s management issues and current events encompass the recognition of different strategies that enable it maintain competitive position. Despite these positions, it has to be recognized that analysis of management issues of Telstra Corporation Limited must first recognize the position of the Company with regard to managing risks as p ostulated by the Company’s Chief Risk Office (Schermerhorn et al., 2014). Ideally, Telstra Corporation Limited has Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to undertake and as one of its management issue or strategy. Consequently, such must be conceptualised through its laid platform, structure, financial reports and annual reports. Similarly, evidence based researches have shown that the first step in understanding management of a company is to integrate its undertaking when it comes to CSR and how sustainable the Company intends to operate with regard to the environment, competitors and specific objectives (Millmore, 2007; Hubbard, 2008; Bardoel, 2012). Based on the Company’s Corporate Social Report 2014, its CSR is embedded on four critical issues; internal environment, external environment, customers and sustainability (Corporate Social Responsibility Report, 2014). That is, the commitment of the Company towards corporate responsibility starts with simple but straight forward commitments that cover its areas of operations and targeted objectives. F rom its principled perspective, the primary corporate responsibility can be summarised as follows: Provision of the country a foundation that ensures economic growth, sustainability prosperity, productivity improvement and global competitive Contributing towards resources; increasing technology, product services and people in employment to support the communities in which the Company operates and the specific needs of community at large Give a leading stewardship of environment by first and importantly, conservation, efficiency in the usage of resources, reducing and maintaining environmental footprint and reduction of operation costs (e.g. it took part in the Mobile Phone Recycling Program that was co-ordinated by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Associations (AMTA) (Daley et al. 2014) Based on the Company’s corporate social responsibility as one of the management issues and as reported in the article, there is an integration of new management approach and that is the fact that risk management approach has been tailored to facilitate maximization of profits. Conversely, it can be established, based on its business principles and risk management approaches that the CSR has succeeded in the reduction of any adverse effects on and injury to the environment. Such is also embedded on the desire to preserve the beneficial qualities of the environment, while ensuring quality products and services in Australia (Baigh, 2014). In addition, to the above principles, analysis of the company’s management of this particular issue has also considered profits to the Company thus concluding that Telstra is revamping on this particular management strategy which is succeeding in line with its short and long term goals. To conceptualise this argument, scholars such as Hooper and Potter (2006) have drawn a thin line between CSR as a management issue and as a marketing issue. To ascertain that the CSR approach as contextualized is a management issue but financial or marketing issue, in most cases, companies always engage in pricing strategies which also depend on value pricing coupled with strategic markdowns. In such cases, this makes sales of their products to go down since it cannot compete effectively with other products. Additionally, products face what Hamlin (2012) terms as ‘a society of shifting priorities’ (p.281). Therefore there is pressure to keep up with the emerging social needs by style modification. It is for this reason that any decision to modify must be embedded on the premise to meet the needs of the targeted consumers. While the explanation above provides for what would constitute a marketing issue, what Telstra engages in is management issue. According to Johnson et al. (2011), CSR is not only management issue but a current one the sense that it deals with financial performance, top management, chief executive and shareholders. Herewith, the management issue within the context of Telstra is the responsiveness that should be taken because in a competitive environment where there are other operator s such as Huawei and Vodacom, managers are supposed to intervene in accordance with their position and power, especially where management can fail to respond to economic challenges and changes. Also related to CSR as a marketing issue is ethical decision making approaches. According to the article, the process of identification of managing risks through ethical decision making is an integral part of the Company’s governance framework and management issue which help in the realization of the success of the strategy as well as financial prospects for future operations. Telstra business ethics entails standards and principles that guide managers, individuals and work group behaviour in line with telecommunication and terms of service in Australia. Additionally, it is important to note that stakeholders of the Company make these conventions (principles) and such have been codified as regulations and laws. Contextualising this definition within the frameworks business management issue; ethical decision making help Telstra family design strategies that eliminate misconduct. According to Peng (2014) there are three significant components that sum up its ethical decision making as critical management issue; ethical decision making being individual factors, ethical decision making being Company’s relationship with others and ethical decision making being opportunities available for the Company. Basically, while this issue might to be seen as revamp on a current management strategy, it has been applied successfully since the Company bases the three components on behaviourist theory where what matters is what individuals in the Company can do rather than specific quality or attribute. That is, different patterns of individual b ehaviours are linked to ethical decisions that are made by the Company and such are geared towards the realisation of the goals and objectives that have been set by the Company. To contextualise the success of the Company with its approach of ethical decision making as one the management issue, Perren and Burgoyne (2010) report that Telstra has been engaging with Communication Workers Union with a view to offering better terms of service and transparency in supply management. For instance, in 2013, the Company engaged Low-Income Measures Assessment Committee (LIMAC) (this is an example of Communication Workers Union which is viewed as independent and transparent) which made changes to the package the Company was initially giving to its workers and suppliers. In connection to this, the Company, this particular issue has successful been engaged in what Katzenbach and Smith (2005) term as ‘vertical management’ (p. 37). Vertical management within the context of ethical decision making is a case where a Company liaises with regulatory organization so as to have a common agenda and conform to the requirements of the industry. Conceptualist theorists a nd ethical formalism argue that ethical decision making process in management encompass evaluations of fairness product stewardships but with respect to firm’s overall culture. In summary, with ethical decision making process as one of the management issue, Telstra has a well-defined management and leadership structure which is focused on the achievement of defined objectives including ‘green’ managements. Lastly, this issue departs from being finance or marketing issue on the ground that the approach lacks market orientation is a model that concretizes the strategy of finance and marketing. Senge et al. (2007) define this theory (market orientation) as a strategy that ensures all products and services as undertaken by Companies are oriented towards specific demands of clients and customers. Still on ethical decision making as one of the Company’s management issue or approach, Telstra’s planning, leading, organising, controlling and functioning is based on choices made on guidelines laid. According to article, one of the important issues to not is that the Company’s risk management frameworks are aligned with ISO 31000 Risk Management (Baigh, 2014). While this is an indicator of a management strategy or practice that has succeeded, underpinnings of theories of issue management are significant to the Company additionally; technical and commercial objectives remain axis for the Company. The success in management of this issue is conceptualised with regard to audience or customer satisfaction. This is to mean that in as much as its ethical decision making remains a priority as a management issue, targeted markets shapes such priorities—an aspect Aras and Crowther (2009) terms as ‘ascertaining the success of management strategies and policie s in downstream and upstream relationships’ (p. 213). From Michael Patterson (Telstra’s General Manager for Tasmania) statement on the legal battle the Company had with Optus, it can be realized that the Company’s planning, leading, organising, controlling and functioning are in line with the tenet of management of telephony inputs and components that are required in the market. This is an indication that there is long term transparency and conformity to good practices. Assessing Corporate Social Report 2013 vis-Ã  -vis opening of the China’s SouFun Sensis, there is evidence that efforts are diverted to supply chain relationships with third party suppliers as well as other competitors. It is important to note that Telstra is overemphasizing on CSR strategies; an aspect that may affects its ethical decision making. If this stretches beyond what the Company can handle, strategic alignment with other sectors may be affected. Basically, this is where this strategy differs from the aspect of marketing in the sense that according to the theory of signaling, the best way to market a product is to engage a brand or product in competitive signal that are intended to pass information to potential consumers with an aim of making such consumers believe that competing products are substandard (Cole, 2012). This is exactly how Cadbury for instance has succeeded in capturing the attention of their targeted market every time they engage in marketing. Telstra, through this does management and not marketing as they do not engage in competitive signaling. As a management approach, Telstra looks at ethical decision making differently. That is as a management issue, ethical decision making is seen in terms of transparency when it comes to critical corporate accounting and statements. One of the critical goals of the Company is to attain what it terms as ‘front-line management’ (Baigh, 2014 p.26). The benefits of the people within and around have been necessitated through avoidance of misleading information. The continuum of growth in economy resonates around a transparent business operation—which is also a recipe of what this assessment considers to be a successful management approach. Synopsis on the Management Issue From the perspective of undertakings in the Company, the aspect is a management issue in the sense that it analyses the environment issues in lieu of external factors that impact business activities. On the other hand, the purpose of the management issues as analysed is to evaluate and determinate competitive advantages as well as threats a Company has with regard to its operations. These analyses recognise stiff competitions, threats and opportunities faced by companies such as Optus, Vodafone and 3 Mobile. In as much, this analysis considers Telstra due to its cutting edge when it comes to services such as broadband, hosting, directory and pay TV which are not as extensive in other companies. Since the management issue has been a success, revamping of a current policy is twofold; first, there is need to strategize the management issue identified to an extent that the company benefits from the economies of scales and the strong relationships with suppliers, which will place it in a strong bargaining position with its upstream partners and allows leveraging the costs. Strategizing the management issue to attain this goal means that a focus on customer-relationship and loyalty creation, as well as investment in research and technical development (R&D) to reduce the costs of services so as to compete with niche operators. Secondly, revamping on the current management issue must assess the possibility of working alongside its downstream partners to deliver triple-play solutions in voice, data and video services, expansion of data download quotas and continuous innovation in fixed line services, as opposed to mobile services, to offer incentives to its clients. Similarly on the question of whether Telstra is handling the identified management issue appropriately is manifold but the assessment will review two issues that offer succinct answers to the question. First, proper management of a company circles around how best a company maximizes a profit and expands networks (ResearchMoz, 2013). Through the management issue, Telstra has leveraged the risks of economic downturns by diversifying its income channels. The growing domestic market and the boost in 4G technologies enable further market penetration and help to reduce the pressure of external factors. Secondly, the Company through the management issue has pursued an investment heavy strategy to grow its existing network. However, financial indicators, outline a challenging internal environment in terms of liquidity and internal funding options. References Aras, G. & Crowther, D (2009). Global Perspective on Corporate Governance and CSR. Farnham: Gower Pub. Baigh, H. (2014). Seven Strategies for Simplifying Your Organization. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/05/seven-strategies-for-simplifyi/ Bardoel, A. (2012).Tool or Time Thief? Technology and the Work-Life Balance. Retrieved Cole, K. (2012). Management: Theory and practice. Australia: Pearson. Corporate Social Responsibility Report (2014): Understanding the Definition of Corporate SocialResponsibility: http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/download/document/csr.pdf Daley, J., McGannon, C., & Ginnivan, L. (2012). Game-changers: Economic reform priorities for Australia. Melbourne: Grattan Institute from The Conversation, Future of Work: https://theconversation.edu.au/tool-or-time-thief-technology-and-the-work-life-balance-8165 Hamlin. R. (2012) Towards a Universalistic Model of Leadership: a comparative study of Britishand American empirically derived criteria of managerial and leadership effectiveness. Working paper WP005/02, University of Wolverhampton. Hooper, A. and Potter, J. (2006) The Business of Leadership. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Company. Hubbard, G. (2008). Strategic management: Thinking, analysis, action. Australia: Pearson. James, K. and Burgoyne, J. (2001) Leadership Development: Best practice guide for organisations. London: Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership. Johnson, G., Scholes, K., & Wittington, R. (2011). Exploring Strategy: Text & Cases. (9th ed). London: Prentice Hall. Katzenbach, J. and Smith, D. (2005) The Wisdom of Teams. New York: Harperbusiness. Millmore, M. (2007). Strategic Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues. Harlow: Financial Times, Prentice Hall. Peng, M. (2014). Global Strategy (3rd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Publishing. Perren, L. and Burgoyne, J. (2010) Management and Leadership Abilities: An analysis of texts, testimony and practice. London: Council for Excellence in Management and Leadership. ResearchMoz. (2013). Australia – Telco company profiles – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Retrieved from http://www.researchmoz.us/australia-telco-company-profiles-telstra-optus-and-vodafone-report.html Schermerhorn, J.R., Davidson, P., Poole, D., Woods, P., Simon, A., & McBarron, E., (2014). Management (5th ed.). Australia: Pearson Senge, P., et al. (2007). The dance of change: The challenges of sustaining momentum in learning organizations. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Source document

Media Influence Essay

The Mass Media is a unique feature of modern society; its development has accompanied an increase in the magnitude and complexity of societal actions and engagements, rapid social change, technological innovation, rising personal income and standard of life and the decline of some traditional forms of control and authority. There is an association between the development of mass media and social change, although the degree and direction of this association is still debated upon even after years of study into media influence. Many of the consequences, either detrimental or beneficial, which have been attributed to the mass media, are almost undoubtedly due to other tendencies within society. Few sociologists would refute the importance of the mass media, and mass communications as a whole, as being a major factor in the construction and circulation of social understanding and social imagery in modern societies. Therefore it is argued that the mass media is used as â€Å"an instrument†, both more powerful and more flexible than anything in previous existence, for influencing people into certain modes of belief and understanding within society. The question of medias influence on society and its cultural framework has often been debated upon from leading theorists to anyone with any form of media connections, but to contemplate that a character in Coronation Street or Eastenders can have an influence on an audience members attitude, beliefs or interpretations of society is a very simplistic and debatable version of the truth. The media does influence, but using more diverse and subtle roles of impact. Some theorists suggest that it is even a case of society influencing the media and not the more widespread and presumed version. History In the early 1930’s, the Payne Studies study took place into the effects and influences of the mass media on the society as a whole using, at times, theories or beliefs that dated back to the late nineteenth century. This is regarded as one of the first in the area of or notion that the mass media has an affect on the societal attitudes and beliefs of that time. This was soon follow around about a decade later in 1941 by Katz, Berelson, and Lazarsfeld who also decided to research into the topic of media effects, a research which produced the now commonly known ‘Minimum Effects Model’. The main aspect of this research being to investigate any possible link or factor that may influence voting behaviour. As has been described in numerous literature it’s ‘discovery’ was that the mass media played little or no part in the process of the formation of any political opinion, attitude or preference. They came to the conclusion that the biggest factor influencing people was not the media, but other people. By the 1960’s, there was a revival of Marxist attitudes, and so the work of Katz, Lazarsfeld, and Berelson was largely dismissed in favour of re-examining the model of research into media effects, due to the modifications the mass media had undergone in the post 1941 period, to consider another way in which to investigate the influence and the effects of the media. Influence, society and individuals As Jane Root wrote in the book â€Å"Open The Box†, which delves into the possibilities of media influence, â€Å"It has a role in defining what we think of as a natural†¦it helps to map out who we think we are†. To look at the medias effect and influence, there is an underlying need to define influence as we understand it in relation to society and it’s overall effect. Media is a major piece within society that is often linked to the notion of social influence. Society understands the notion or concept of being influenced as an â€Å"external force† (the media) linking itself or connecting with a personal action or viewpoint of the recipient. (John Corner: 2000: 378) The forces of influence that have been described as a major power in media effects are those that are circumstantial and directed, those which can be placed within a framework or model, for example â€Å"uses and gratifications†,  those of a generic function but ultimately those which state perspectives, interpretations, and measurements which can lead to evidence and proof. Uses & Gratifications Model A systematic and widely used model in social sciences study of media influence over the effects on an audience concerning behaviour, attitudes and beliefs, is the theory of uses and gratifications. This theory can be linked to the notion of social belonging and how an audience can be deceived into believing that this concept can be achieved. The tenet underlying this approach to studying audiences was that individuals actively consume and use the media in order to meet certain needs. In reality, with the power belonging in the focus of the media, it can be defined as a tool of subliminal persuasion. (O’Sullivan, Dutton, Raymer: 1998) Blumler and Katz (1974) concluded that audience’s fulfilment of needs came within the broad generalisation of four desires: * Diversion – a form of escape or emotional release from  everyday pressures. * Personal Relationships – companionships via television personalities and  characters and sociability through discussion about television with other people. * Personal Identity – the ability to compare one’s life with characters and  situations within programmes, and hence explore personal problems and perspectives. * Surveillance – a supply of information about what is going on in the  world. It is believed that this need to gratify its audience with the pursuit of an idealistic social fulfilment provides the media the opportunity to convey subliminal messages that may influence our opinions, interpretations and understanding of societal factors. The thought that the media is an overwhelming force that influences their audiences through the means of appealing to their desires and needs, must be examined in contrast with the notion that â€Å"every one is free†. Meaning that the mass media’s audience can resist being controlled, simply through choice. An individual always has the option of simply not watching that programme or not reading that particular newspaper. An individual makes the choice, and the selection that is made will merely underpin the views and inclinations that they already have. Television Violence It is believed that the most prominent sign of the mass medias influence is the link to violent programmes and violence within society. Some, technological determinists extend to the belief that the television has altered the world, and it is an â€Å"evil thing that rots the minds of youth†. Television characters are repeatedly recognized as heroes, due to the gaining of respect and numerous other rewards through their actions, they are especially likely to be imitated. For instance at the height of it’s British dominance of children’s television, The Power Rangers were the cause of a large number of accidents, injuries and quarrels that its young audience endured due to the imitation of the characters movements and actions. It may also act as a cue to aggressive behaviour, through desensitisation, uninhibitedness and stimulation. Scenes of violence in a horror film allegedly influenced the two accused ten year olds involved in the infamous James Bulger murder, in which a young boy was abducted and killed. It is  said that they undertook the resulting actions after becoming intrigued and excited by the violent scenes within the horror movie Childs Play. At the accused’ trial the defence made an attempt to present an argument that their actions could be explained through their fascination to television and films which distorted their understandings of society, reality and moral values. Also, it has been noted that naturally aggressive people may simply choose and prefer to watch more violent programmes than of any other nature. Friedrich and Stein found that aggressive-prone children are likely to become even more aggressive after watching violent television. A report made by the United States Surgeon General concluded that television violence is influential, as many as 25% of child viewers may be affected. But what it doesn’t take into account is that other research undertaken had shown, that from over 300 studies using numerous amounts of children, there was no direct effect of the violence portrayed through the mass media on the youth of contemporary society, though there is considerable disagreement between different studies. For instance it could be concluded that violence can never be considered the sole cause of delinquent behaviour, it may possibly just act to reinforce or affect those that are already prone to such tendencies. These examples have been noted as possible indications of the effects of the mass media through the means of expression of television violence, but the media is accused of also acting in more subliminal ways when looked at through the vehicle of the print based and television news. News The mass media present a stereotyped picture of life, which can often lead to undesirable prejudices within not just national, but international, society. The mass media and in particular the television and print based news are often accused as being a significant source, in wide ranging and varied ways, of enhancing common stereotypes. It is argued now that in the case of women, ethnic groups, the disabled, certain professions, the old, the  physically unattractive and even nationalities are all presented according to accepted stereotypes. As â€Å"the war on terrorism† in Afghanistan rages on the news that has come from that region has had exactly the same type of subliminal messaging that was continually occurring in the Gulf War press. The aim of that journalism was to distinguish the language concerning both sides that were at war. During the Gulf War the descriptions given to the opposite sides were of a distinct nature as to enhance the British reputation and to condemn the Saddam regime. British troops â€Å"took out†, â€Å"suppressed† and â€Å"eliminated† their opposition because of an â€Å"old fashioned sense of duty† because they are â€Å"professionals†, â€Å"brave† and â€Å"lion-hearted†, whereas Saddam’s army simply â€Å"killed† and â€Å"destroyed† because they â€Å"feared Saddam† and were â€Å"cowardly† and â€Å"Bastards of Baghdad† (O’Sullivan, Dutton, Rayner: 1998:80). These binary oppositions are used as a form of media propaganda, the conscious manipulation of information in order to gain political advantage. By using the media as a tool of manipulation the Conservative government of the Gulf War era and the Labour government of the present day have effectively stereotyped the opposition in order to provide national unity and enhance their own political agendas. Studies have also been carried out to study the effects of television on political behaviour, with Blumler (1970) as just one, concluding that television had little or no discernible influence over the viewer. Construction of the news is another way in which the mass media can have an influence over the masses. Through the placement of certain aspects of, for example, a news feature or the selective process made by editors it preserves the notion of media influence continually. Television and print based news, due primarily to their fixation with crime and violence arguably has a pessimistic impact upon our societal behaviour. The news can be described as being an oxymoron; giving us the skin of the truth stuffed with a lie. I personally do not concur with this as I consider that generally news does not lie, except it does not inform the audience of the entire truth by omitting the less interesting and dramatic parts. A news program is  primarily focused on the facts, but for the purposes of television and the print based media they tend to emphasise on the dramatic, generally violent stories and images to capture and sustain its audience, under the facade of keeping it informed. The med ias influence through the news is that it affects the public both consciously and subconsciously, and in some cases sends us about our lives unnecessarily fearing the remote dangers that we see excessively portrayed in the news. Stereotyping Children’s programmes especially have a tendency to amplify stereotypes, presenting â€Å"goodies† and â€Å"baddies† within episodes. The confirmation of their stereotypes may makes children feel more comfortable with themselves if they can place someone within a group. Also some children often only have their contact with some minority groups through the television. Greenfield (1984) found that Sesame Street’s use of ethnic and disabled minorities has had positive affects on children, particularly those from the minority groups who feel greater cultural pride and self-confidence. Certain events are over-reported, such as violent or sex crimes, and this acts to alter public opinion. Cohen (1965) suggests that the media creates moral panics by widely reporting an initially minor event, which leads to further comprehensive reports, detection of causes or troublemakers. Radio Cantril (1940) is often referred back upon as a classic example of how the mass media can influence through the gaining of trust. It refers to an incident in the late thirties that caused a widespread public panic in America after a radio station broadcast of H.G.Wells’ fictional narrative War of the Worlds. The production involved a series of news bulletins in which the reporter gave a â€Å"live† account of a Martian invasion. A lot of listeners had tuned in a few moments after the show had begun and so, apparently unaware that the program was of a fictitious nature, believed what they were hearing was the truth and so began becoming hysterical, with some taking to the streets and others even packing up their belongings as  quickly as they could and driving off in order to avoid the attacks. Cantril’s study was the documentation of media-social relations at the time and so the â€Å"invasion† pointed towards the influence that the radio had over the masses, as they truly believed the broadcast. The primary factor in the â€Å"invasion† was the trust that the public had in radio journalism being unwittingly extended to a practical simulation. What was evident from this episode was the steady, gradual and routine influence that the mass media as a whole had exerted, led to the radio broadcasts listeners faith that they were being attacked (Corner: 2000: 385). This case has been cited as being an excellent example of the â€Å"Hypodermic Needle Model†, a hypothesis which asserts that the media are dominant agents of influence, capable of â€Å"injecting† ideas and behaviours directly into fairly inert audiences of isolated individuals. It could also be marked down as not only showing the behavioural changes that can arise from a single piece of media output but also the underlying example of media influence that experts have looked for through experiments or fieldwork. Conclusion In closing, there are perceived to be constantly changing views on the influence that is exerted by the mass media. At first there was the attitude that the media was forcing itself upon us in such a way as to exert its influence and shape our beliefs, actions and values. Now though as time has moved on, theorists are thinking about this area of research in other ways and through diverse approaches. There was a shift in the perspective of researchers within audience reception in the seventies and is evident none more so than in the statement made by James Halloran (1970): â€Å"We must get away from the habit of thinking in terms of what the media do to people and substitute for it the idea of what people do with the media.† The technological determinist view, which states an overemphasis on the part of the mass media as the major, if not solitary cause of societal and  cultural changes, which have effected actions and beliefs, is not the view that I personally would concur with. In my opinion the mass media is an incredible tool of persuasion and could influence somebody undoubtedly. Mass media audiences are arguably on the whole not passive, and so the amount of influence that is exerted upon the recipient depends entirely on the individual. As most pieces of media output are â€Å"polysemic† in nature, meaning that it is capable of having different meanings and readings from person to person (O’Sullivan, Dutton, Rayner: 1998:327), the way in which, or by how much, an individual is influenced is entirely through choice. Bibliography * O’Sullivan, Dutton, Rayner: (1998): Arnold Publishers â€Å"Studying The Media: Second Edition† The following authors were cited from â€Å"Studying The Media: Second Edition† James Halloran (1970) Blumler and Katz (1974) James Curran & Michael Gurevitch: (2000): Arnold Publishers â€Å"Mass Media And Society: Third Edition† Chapter 19: John Corner: (2000) Within Chapter 19, written by John Corner the following authors were cited: Cantril (1940) Blumler (1970) * John Eldridge, Jenny Kitzninger, Kevin Williams: (1997): Oxford Uni. Press Inc â€Å"The Mass Media & Power In Modern Britain† The following authors were cited from â€Å"The Mass Media & Power In Modern Britain†: Greenfield (1984) Friedrich and Stein United States Surgeon General Report Cohen (1965) * Jane Root: (Unknown): (Unknown) â€Å"Open The Box†