Wacc for Fedex Corp.

Preface First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Thuy for her enthusiastic guidance and response all of questions to help me complete this exercise easily. Simultaneously, thanks to her professional lectures on class which also build me with deep understanding of how to access and deal with problems in financial management so that I can complete this report. All of the data is collected through 2 website: http://finance. yahoo. com/ and http://www. finra. org/ I. ABOUT FEDEX CORPORATION: FedEx Corporation is a holding company.The Company provides a portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services under the FedEx brand, originally known as  FDX Corporation, is an American global  courier  delivery services company headquartered in  Memphis, Tennessee. FedEx Corporation is a Delaware corporation, incorporated October 2, 1997. FDX Corporation was founded in January 1998 with the acquisition of Caliber System Inc. by Federal Express,  the world's  largest airlineà ‚  in terms of freight tons flown and the world's fourth largest in terms of fleet size, delivering packages and freight to more than 375 destinations in nearly every country each day.With the purchase of Caliber, FedEx started offering other services besides express shipping. The  Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC)  is a unique code used to identify transportation companies. It is typically two to four alphabetic letters long. It was developed by the  National Motor Freight Traffic Association  in the 1960s to help the transportation industry for computerizing data and records. FedEx's codes include: * FDE – FedEx Express * FDEG – FedEx Ground * FXFE – FedEx Freight * FDCC – FedEx Custom Critical II. STATISTICS AND CALCULATION: 1. Summary  statistics:Accroding to the collected data: There is one non- callable bond issues of FedEx Corporation (FDX) in the ten-year maturity which is FDX. GD, use its yield of maturity as the pre-tax cost of debt. * Market value of equity: 34. 3 billions in USD * Value cash: 34. 02 billions in USD * The beta is 1. 32 and risk-free rate is 2% * A market risk premium of 5% and tax rate of 35% 2. Estimated equation a. The market value of debt: Using the collected data in the appendix 3, the market value of debt can be easily calculated: The market value of FDX’s debt = $250,000,000*105. 08%+$750,000,000*130. 704%+$239,000,000*131%=$1,557,390,000 * Total value of the firm = Total of market value of debt and equity =$34,300,000,000+$1,557,390,000=$35,857,390,000 b. The weights for FedEx’s equity and debt: Weight for equity =34,300,000,00035,857,390,000=95. 6567% Weight for debt=1,557,390,00035,857,390,000=4. 3433% 3. Apply the CAPM to Calculate GM’s WACC Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate + Equity Beta * Market Risk Premium =2%+1. 32*5%= 0. 086 Effective Cost of debt = Rd1-Tc=5. 89%1-0. 35=0. 0376 WACC is the average of the costs of these sources of financing, each of which is we ighted by its respective use in the given situation. By taking a weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances. A firm's WACC is the overall required return on the firm as a whole and, as such, it is often used internally by company directors to determine the economic feasibility of expansionary opportunities and mergers.It is the appropriate discount rate to use for cash flows with risk that is similar to that of the overall firm. The WACC equation is the cost of each capital component multiplied by its proportional weight and then summing:   WACC= EV. Re+DV. Rd(1-Tc) We can easily calculate: WACC of FedEx Corporation is approximately 8. 3898%. III. APPENDIX: Appendix 1: Market value of equity| Enterprise value cash| Beta| $34. 3| $34. 02| 1. 32| *dollar amount in billions| Appendix 2: Risk free rate| Pre-tax cost of debt (Rd)| %| 5. 789| Appendix 3: Bond Symbol| Issuer Name| Coupon| Maturity| Callable| Price| Yield| Amount out standing| | | | | | | | | FDX. GX| FEDERAL EXPRESS CORP PASS THRU TR| -| -| No| 121. 375| 4. 153| -| FDX. HR| FEDERAL EXPRESS CORP| -| -| No| -| -| -| FDX. HO| FEDEX CORP| 7. 38| 01/15/2014| Yes| 105. 608| 0. 507| $250,000| FDX. HP| FEDEX CORP| 8| 01/15/2019| Yes| 130. 704| 2. 327| $750,000| FDX. GD| FEDERAL EXPRESS CORP| 7. 6| 07/01/2097| No| 131| 5. 789| $239,000| *dollar amount in thousands|

Kochansak and Aksan

IntroductionCompliance is a word described as the willingness of a person to follow an instruction from another person at a given time. It is a major concern of children’s parents and teachers because compliance will help a child follow simple orders at home by his or her parents and follow rules and regulations in the school.BodyThere are two kinds of compliance according to the book of Kochanska and Aksan, the â€Å"situational compliance† and the â€Å"committed or receptive compliance†; however these kinds of compliance have various distinctions. Situational compliance is based on an expectation of reward and punishment that is why a child obeys the parent even without the sincere commitment and obligation because the child is either afraid of the punishment for not obeying or the child is eager of the reward for obeying. On the other hand committed or receptive compliance is based on the child’s willingness to cooperate; it is of his or her freewill t o do what is asked for him or her to do. Furthermore, the committed or receptive compliance is the more advanced form of compliance and it is associated with the child’s internalization.In the compliance study of Kochanska and Aksan they found out that children found it easier to comply with â€Å"don’t touch† instructions that â€Å"clean up† instructions. The development of compliance is of important value because of its role in the internalization of a child’s moral value, self-control, autonomy and socialization. The second and the third year of a persons life is important for developing these skills, the child’s ability to develop self-regulation starts at this age.This skill of a child comes along with the cognitive capability to understand commands made by their parents and the ability to carry the commands. And there is such a time that when a child becomes more able to comply he or she would be less willing to comply, a function of the child’s increasing autonomy. As the child grows older, he or she becomes more cooperative but with an increasing skill in the use of negotiation strategies, this is to get what he or she wants (Kochanska 1995).In another study it shows that fathers are more direct in their request for compliance; let’s say for example a father will say â€Å"pick up your toys† directly to the child, in this way the children are likely to oblige because of the authority over them. On the other hand mothers are more indirect and more affectionate with regards to their requests for compliance, and they make use of bargain system to make the child obey to what they are requesting; for example mothers would say â€Å"please go to bed now†, â€Å"if you clean your room I will buy the toy that you want†, these are some of the requests mothers make. In this manner the children will likely to comply with their mothers request because of the reward waiting for them or th e affection that they felt (1995).Proposed explanationThere are various thoughts that I want to propose in the findings of Kochanska and Aksan; why the children find it easier to comply with the â€Å"don’t touch† instructions than â€Å"cleaning up† instructions. The reasons I think are as follows.A. it is easier to command a child not to touch things rather than cleaning things up because children do not want to be manipulated and given instructions as of to fix things or to clean things up.B. another aspect is because children thinks it is better not to touch things rather than to bother fixing them and putting them in place after because it is a lot of work to do. Children are of course some kind of lazy and they think that these little tasks are big deal and that they cannot do it.C. Third aspect of this is that children make use of the bargain system to get what they want; for example they would only clean things up if they are given a reward for the task they did. This is situational compliance, in which the child is expecting for something in return for the price of complying.Test DesignWith regards to the proposed explanations above, a test is to be designed to be able to test if the proposed explanations are true or not and if the explanations are accurate or not.In this test we are going to need 20 children of the same age, children who are in the pre-school because children of this stage are more able to comply but less willing to comply. The children would be asked to do 2 things also, either to â€Å"fix their toys and get a reward† or just simply â€Å"sit down and play†. In this way we would be able to know if the children wanted to comply with things because they are going to get something out of it, more likely a situation compliance or if children just simply comply with things because it is what they wanted to do or what we call committed compliance. We ought to ask the 20 children individually which of th e choices they want to oblige.This study aims to know if children of this stage are more of a situation compliance or committed compliance, and this also aims to measure the willingness of the children to comply with little tasks.In the end of the study we would be able to know if the proposed explanations are true if more children fixed their toys for the reward they are going to get.Reference:1. Kochanska, G., Aksan, N.,   (1995). Mother–child mutually positiveaffect, the quality of child compliance to requests andprohibitions, and maternal control as correlates of early internalization.2. Kochanska, G., Aksan, N., & Koenig, A. L. ( 1995). A longitudinalstudy of the roots of preschoolers’ conscience: Committed complianceand emerging internalization. Child Development, 66,1752–1769.

Personal Reflections Essay

The concept of self in the social world has been the subject of psychology studies for decades. Self-concept is defined as â€Å"a person’s answers to the question, â€Å"Who am I?† (Myers, 2010). Several factors, both internal and external, create each individual’s sense of self. Self-concept, self-esteem, self-knowledge, and social self all help create the sense of self. Self-schemas are an important component of one’s self-concept. A schema is simply defined as â€Å"mental templates by which we organize our worlds† (Myers, 2010). Self-schemas are the beliefs one holds, which define who we are. Self-concept The development of our self-concept has numerous influences, which include roles played, social identities formed, comparisons made, personal success and failure, judgments, and cultural surroundings (Myers, 2010). Roleplaying can include what we are in our professional life, as children in school, and into adulthood. The roles we assume may not feel like second-nature in the beginning, however, as we evolve within our roles, we become a more self-confident role player. Social comparison shapes an individual’s self-concept through academics, finances, and looks. The impact the comparison has is dependent who we are comparing ourselves to. Personal success and failure occur on a daily basis at work, school, and home. Judgments made by our peers strongly influence our own perception of self. Positive feedback will result in a positive view of one’s self, as a negative feedback will result in a negative self-concept. Our cultural surroundings impact our self-concept also. Westernized cultures tend to be more self-absorbed than an Eastern culture. â€Å"In many Western cultures, there is a faith in the inherent separateness of distinct persons† (O’Malley, 2002). Individualism and collectivism are two concepts describing how  individuals view their importance within their culture. Individualism is mainly seen in a Western culture, where an individual places personal goals and gains over a group’s goals and gains. Collectivism considers a group’s goal as a priority over an individual’s goal. â€Å"Most cultures native to Asia, Africa, and Central and South America place greater value on collectivism† (Myers, 2010). The interdependent self is defined as the â€Å"view of the self and the relationship between the self and others† (O’Malley, 2002) within a group. Self-esteem Self-esteem is â€Å"a person’s overall self-evaluation or sense of self-worth† (Myers, 2010). People have both low self-esteem and high self-esteem, depending on the variance of difficulties in their life. Poverty, drugs, and abuse can all be considered a factor in a person’s low self-esteem. High self-esteem can also be portrayed a negative trait, especially when the individual is viewed as narcissistic. Narcissism is defined as â€Å"having an inflated sense of self† (Myers, 2010). Self-efficacy Self-efficacy is defined as â€Å"the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations† (Cherry, What is Self-Efficacy?, 2014). Self-efficacy is not the same as self-esteem, which is how valuable an individual perceives themselves to be. An individual’s self-efficacy is the belief they are capable of accomplishing a task, even when the task is challenging. Studies of the Self Various studies of the self in psychology have offered an insight into what is believed to be the center of self-concept. Carl Rogers believed self-image, self-esteem, and ideal self are the three components of self-concept. Self-image is â€Å"how you see yourself† (Cherry, What is Self-concept?, 2014). A person’s self-image can include positive and negative aspects, which may or may not be realistically true. Self-esteem is the how valuable a person believes they are. Comparison between a person’s own successes and another’s can impact their self-esteem in a negative or positive manner. Ideal self is how a person would like to see their self. Ideal self is not necessarily how an individual actually perceives their  self, rather the idealistic version that person dreams of being. Who I am Amanda’s Self-concept By asking myself â€Å"who am I†, I am able to define my self-concept. I am a mother and I love my children. I am a full-time employee at ESCO Corporation. I am a college student at the University of Phoenix, studying Environmental Science. I am not an easy person to get along with, and I tend to take criticism personally. Amanda’s Self-esteem I have low self-esteem. My low self-esteem has been an ongoing issue from childhood. I struggle with my weight, which was not a real issue until I was out of high school. I thought I was overweight as a teen, when in reality I was at a healthy weight. After I had my first daughter at the age of 18, depression slowly took over my carefree and happy personality. I began to eat more in an attempt to feel better about myself. I remember one incident as a Senior which really made an impact on my self-esteem. While changing classes, I waited at my locker for a classroom to finish letting students out. One of the disabled girls from that classroom kept looking at my mid-section. She finally asked me â€Å"are you pregnant or something†. I was not pregnant anymore, and had given birth two months before. Hearing another person say I looked like I was pregnant still brought my feeling of self-worth to the lowest point at that time. Amanda’s Self-efficacy My self-efficacy can be compared to a roller coaster. I do challenge myself to excel at work and school. I believe I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. Over the past decade, I have improved my self-efficacy, with a tremendous improvement over the last five years. The individuals I have chosen to surround myself with, as opposed to in the past, have helped me accomplish my dreams. My fiancà © encouraged me to stand up for myself, especially with my parents. My parents had been involved in raising my children to the point I was not able to make a decision without calling for their opinion first. The feeling of dread would overcome me due to the fact I knew my parents would not approve of my decisions if I did not talk to them first. I finally realized I was holding myself back, and I could make important family decisions without their approval. I signed up for the  University of Phoenix for the reasons I believed were important. I did tell my parents I was going back to school after I had signed up, and I saw the disappointment they felt over not being able to control me with the decision. My fiancà © has been encouraging throughout my studies, and continues to give me the push I need to finish my last five classes. References Cherry, K. (2014). What is Self-concept? Retrieved January 20, 2014, from About Psychology: http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/f/self-concept.htm Cherry, K. (2014). What is Self-Efficacy? Retrieved January 21, 2014, from About Psychology: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/self_efficacy.htm Myers, D. G. (2010). Social Psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. O’Malley, M. (2002). Hazel Rose Marcus and Shinobu Kitayama, Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Retrieved January 21, 2014, from Honors 130: Conceptions of the Self: http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/honors130/culture.html

Leadership vs. Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership vs. Management - Essay Example That is because of the existing gray area in the definition of the two. However, Warren Bennis who penned the book â€Å"On Becoming a Leader† (1989) has tried to differentiate leadership and management by explaining that; In essence, leadership sets the tone that the group is to follow while management controls and directs the workers towards achieving the goals based on established values and principles (â€Å"Definition of Leadership and Management†). Based upon the aforementioned differences of a leadership and management, we can now create a more solid perception of what the good characteristics of a leader should be. According to Tanya Prive (2012), there are 10 qualities that depict the best characteristics of a leader. These characteristics include; While there is a very long list of characteristics that is expected of a leader, there are only 5 very important qualities that a manager must have according to Jacob Morgan (2013). These qualities include; Experts such as Erika Andersen (2012) believe that it is possible for a single person to be a good leader and manager since the two are complementary and related. The characteristics of a good leader and manager actually overlap in 4 areas according to Andersen (2012). These include â€Å"listen well, are curious, manager their self - talk, and hold themselves accountable for moving their business forward.† Leadership qualities therefore, can be acquired, developed, and taught to others. That is because business managers learn to observe their leaders in order to properly manage their business. The leaders train the managers to become their clones on the floor and therefore allow these managers to develop their leadership abilities, which are taught to them and which they pass onto their subordinates. In conclusion, I would advise that those interested in management and leadership read more articles pertaining to the method by which these two highly

The Definition of an Operating Segment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Definition of an Operating Segment - Essay Example Corporations that sell at the retail level, but who also have an online operation have multiple operating segments. The e-commerce operation would be considered an operating segment. Let’s take the Jiffy Lube business as an example. The money generated by the oil change operation would be considered an operating segment. The car wash operation of the business is another operating segment. Any food items sold inside the store in the waiting area would be a third operating segment of the company. 2. I agree with your definition of an operating segment. It is imperative for the CEO or COO of a company to evaluate the performance of each operating segment on a recurrent basis. Whenever an operating segment starts to under perform that segment could become unprofitable. A strategy that can be used by management to eliminate operating segments that are not generating profits is divesture. Divesture can be defined as the partial or full disposal of an investment or asset through sale, exchange, closure or bankruptcy (Investopedia, 2011). Investopedia.com (2011). Divesture. Retrieved September 7, 2011 from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/divestiture.asp#axzz1XEq4B6YF Effective and successful managers are able to generate profits from all the operating segments of a company. On many instances companies achieve expansion by adding operating segments to their operations. ... Two powerful stock exchanges are the NYSE and the LSE. The Securities and Exchange Act of 1933 requires companies to register with the SEC prior to going public. The Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 discusses the matter of being public. Once a company is public the SEC oversees its activities. The Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 regulates broker dealers and stock exchanges. 6. GAAP guidelines are used in the preparation of financial statement disclosures. Financial statement disclosures are comments or explanations listed in a company’s financial statements. Three types of items that are covered by disclosures and whose inclusion is mandatory based on GAAP rules are changes or errors, asset retirement and insurance contract modification. There are also voluntary disclosures included in the business reports of companies. Some voluntary disclosures include forward looking statements and management analysis. 5. The threshold to for an operating segment to be reportable is listed below: Reported revenue is at least 10 percent of combined revenue Reported profit (loss) is at least 10 percent of combined profit (loss) Assets are 10 percent or more of combined assets (Schroeder & Clark & Cathey, 2011). Schroeder, R.G., Clark, M.W., Cathey, J.M. (2011). Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis (10th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. 7. Weekly Summary Week 5 was very challenging, but I learned a lot about accounting during the week. The individual paper discussed pension funds. I learned that the use of pension funds became used a lot in corporate America after World War II. The accounting profession and the government have ensured that corporations respect the rights of retirees by properly funding pension funds. In

Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple Personal Statement

Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple - Personal Statement Example The fourth element is the channel, which is the mechanism that transmits the message. The fifth element is the feedback, which is the return message from the receiver to the sender. Another important element in the communication process is what communication specialists call noises, which tend to disrupt the communication. There are two main noises: mechanical noise and semantic noise. Mechanical noise has to do with such things as static on the radio, lines of type missing from a newspaper, or coughing during a lecture. Semantic noise is the degree of potential misunderstanding between sender and receiver. There are a number of barriers that tend to frustrate, impede, or even halt communication. These barriers may be personal, monological, ideological, or socio-cultural. Personal Barriers can be traced when the sender or receiver or both have negative feelings towards the other. Another example is the physical personal barriers, such as when one of the communicants has a headache or is sleepy. As for the monological barrier, it is when the communicator loses touch with the receivers because he or she is so self-occupied, and is blind to the nature and needs of the audience. On the other hand, many communication problems stem from the fact that communicants have different basic ideologies or political orientations. In addition, communicants will always have trouble communicating if they are not using the same language. Lastly, it is hard to communicate well with someone who has a different culture or belong to a different society. This is due to the differences in values, traditions, background, religion, economic status, etc. Strategies for Managing Interpersonal Conflicts: Dealing with... The management of our own non-verbal communication is extremely important. As nonverbal communication is capable of changing the spoken words in many ways, it is important to realize that we can safeguard our own communication against misinterpretation, if our nonverbal supports our verbal message. In other words, unless we manage the nonverbal attributes of our message so that they are compatible with our words, our total message is open to misinterpretation and may be screwed up. To put it clearly, if the receiver lacks awareness of the significance of the factors influencing the nonverbal communication, then he is likely to remain confused. It can be said that a large portion of a message comes not from the words spoken, but from nonverbal attributes that can be transmitted and received consciously or unconsciously. Such nonverbal communication usually serves a variety of functions in relation to verbal communication. Examples of these functions include repeating, complementing, c ontradicting, substituting, and regulating. Thus, the person who is not only aware of the nonverbal message and the factors influencing it, but also who manages his own nonverbal communication, is less likely to be confused or confusing. Finally, it can be concluded that most researchers agree on the importance and significance of nonverbal attributes in interpersonal communication. This belief is the motive behind the quotation: "What are words when the body can bend, cry, shout, and jump! There's language in one's eyes' and cheeks, lips and hips."

MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 4 Case Assignment Essay

MGT506 - Strategic Leadership, Mod 4 Case Assignment - Essay Example Negative and positive reinforcement both are administered by type X managers and those with a transactional leadership style. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, is an extended form of the traditional transactional leadership approach. Transformational leadership is not only based on the conformity of the followers and/or subordinates but it also looks forward to shift the beliefs, the values and the needs of the followers. The attempt of transformational leaders is to become successful in raising colleagues, followers, subordinates and clients towards a much greater awareness of the consequences of the issues. This spreading of awareness requires a leader who is equipped with a vision, internal locus of control, confidence and the courage to put forward what he sees is right (Kuhnert and Lewis, 1987). TRANSACTIONAL LEADER – CHARLES DE GAULLE The main essence of transactional leadership dates back to the World War 1, where leaders gained relative importance and lea d the forces of war. French army in the event of the First World War and was amongst the few army generals who led successful armored counter attacks during the battle of France in 1940. What makes Charles De Gaulle a transactional leader? The famous French statesman Charles de Gaulle was a prominent example of the transactional leadership style. ... He also motivated his subordinates through keeping forward the rewards and punishment process. He was an Army man and so laid out a clear requirement plan in front of his subordinates and the corresponding rewards and it was very evident that in the event of a failure to satisfy those requirements, they will be eligible to receive the corresponding punishment. Was his leadership style appropriate? All these traits qualify Charles De Gaulle as a transactional leader. The approach he had was very suitable for the environment of that era. Politically as well, he had the right vision for that time. He has been very famous for his work in History and many politicians and leaders of today admire him (Qazi, 2010). TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER – MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a Baptist minister’s family in 1929, Atlanta, Georgia. He was himself a Baptist minister and was awarded with national prominence as the leader of Civil rights movement in Unite d States and through the Southern Christian leadership conference. He was also one of the bearers of Nobel Prize for peace award in 19 64, his efforts and leadership abilities were the keys to success for his movement which was the ending of the legal segregation of the African Americans in the southern states of the United States. He was never in favor of violence and always wanted to bring about a social change in the status quo of people (McGuire & Hutchings, 2007). What makes Martin Luther King Jr. a transformational leader? He was a visionary. He had a broader vision to bring about a change and had the skills to convert the abstract ideas into an understandable objective and goal making it easier for his followers to understand. He was an

Case For or Against the War on Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case For or Against the War on Drugs - Essay Example This article will assess the gains and losses that this war has made with an aim of determining the relevance of this war. Case for the War on Drugs Despite many apparent setbacks, the war on drugs has made tremendous gains in its efforts geared towards making the world a safer place. There have been concerted efforts aimed at ending the rampant trade in drugs. These efforts have been made by all stake holders in the United States over the past 40 years since then serving President Richard Nixon launched the U.S Government’s war on drugs.1 Several progressive steps have been made targeted at countering the flourishing use and sale of drugs in the U.S. One such stride has been the advocacy for a paradigm shift in the war against drugs. As was expressed by President Obama in a digital town hall meeting, in 2011, there is a need to move from the old approach of the war on drugs to a new one. One way of accomplishing this has been looking at possible ways of shrinking the demand f or drugs among the users.2 This represents a shift from looking at this war as a primarily, criminal justice problem3. When looking at the war on drugs as a criminal justice problem, the emphasis of tackling it involves arrest, incarceration and interdiction4. While this has had good results, it has had the unfortunate disadvantage of unintentionally giving some of the offenders an opportunity to slip through the cracks. Currently there is a move towards looking at the war on drugs as a public health problem.5 This means that the government has acted as a guardian of the public’s interests6. This thus means that the government has managed to win the hearts of the people who advocate for social justice in the country. Another gain in the war on drugs was the Reagan’s administration’s efforts to take away the drugs from the consumers through efforts made to cut down the crop abroad. This effort can be seen in countries like Bolivia. In this country, the efforts to reduce the drug production saw the seizure of twenty seven tones of cocaine in 1986. This was an improvement from just one tone netted in 1981.7 On the whole, the war on drugs has gained a number of notable wins over the trade and production of drugs. There has been a decline in the production, trafficking, distribution and consumption of drugs all over the world. This has been driven largely by an increasingly tight global prohibition on drugs. This is a sign that nations have seen the need to unite together in order to fight this menace.8 There are other gains in the pursuit of the war on drugs. One of these gains has been among the youth. Institution of education and awareness campaigns has been initiated for the benefit of these youth. These awareness campaigns are meant to ensure that the youth are well aware of the risks of drugs, as well as driving them towards alternative methods of recreation thus keeping them out of harm’s way.9 At learning institutions and even in society, the youth are kept away from drugs through the imposition of very stiff penalties if found to be in possession of drugs. This is aimed at ensuring that the youth keep away from drugs. Any involvement on their pair, in the using of even the smallest quantities of drugs, can easily push them into the use of drugs. In the prisons, there are treatment centres for the prisoners who are recovering from both drug use and abuse10. As seen above, there have been efforts to deal with the drug trade’

Character Analysis of A Mid Summer Nights Dream Term Paper

Character Analysis of A Mid Summer Nights Dream - Term Paper Example A Round character is defined as three dimensional, complex and life like. The round character grows as the story progresses. The main character in the play is called a round character as it shows a degree of character development. In terms of this definition Puck can be called round as he is the creator of major actions in the play. Though he does not show development in his qualities as the play progresses but brings twists and turns in the life of other characters. He is not the main character or the protagonist yet his character makes the entire play lively and sets the characters in action. Puck is an Individualized character in the sense that he embodies and exhibits the traits of a particular class or group of people. They are also called Type characters and are very unpredictable in their actions and are representative of their class and group to which they belong. Puck is a fairy and is called Robin Good fellow. He is portrayed a bit bizarre, by the master crafts man Shakespe are where as the other fairies are ethereal and beautiful. As the other fairy describes him, â€Å"I mistake your shape and making quite, Or else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite Called Robin Good fellow. Are not you he that frights the maidens of the villager, Skim milk, and sometimes labour in the quern And bootless make the breathless housewife churn†. ... The character of Puck in the play is Symbolic in nature .As all the plays of Shakespeare confirms the presence of a world outside this world, the beings of that world control the destinies of the poor mortals. They love to play prank on the human beings and laugh at their distress and predicaments. Whether it is fate or destiny in some plays or it could be witches as in Macbeth or Puck, a hobgoblin in Mid Summer Night’s Dream. He is Oberon’s jester and introduce himself as, â€Å"I am that merry wanderer of the night. I jest to Oberon and make him smile...† and delights playing pranks on the mortals. He is swift and willing to please his master, Oberon. When Oberon tells him to bring the potion from the flowers ,he says, â€Å" I’ll put a girdle round the Earth in forty minutes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ His willingness to serve Oberon and please him always, appear in this expression, â€Å"fear not, my lord ,your servant shall do†. In Mid Summer’s Night Dream, Puck’s capricious nature and fun loving humor, evocative language permeates the entire play. By means of his deliberate pranks, this mysterious spirit enjoys his superiority over the humans who are puppets in his hands. He is capricious and fun loving, full of humor and life. These airy creatures are not diminutive human beings with supernatural powers, as quoted in Shakespeare's Fairies: the Triumph of Dramatic Art; they are like young human children and are able to differentiate between right and wrong. They love and quarrel like kids and use tricksters like Puck to avenge themselves. The tricks these Ariel creatures play on the human lovers are like those that children play on one another, without any thought of the suffering they may cause the

A metaphor is a literary Essay Example for Free

A metaphor is a literary Essay A metaphor is a literary device that is used by writers as a descriptive alternative to the use of adjectives, similes or other methods to describe the nature of the object described. Metaphors describe an item as if it were another item, drawing parallels between the subject of the description and the object actually being described. (Sucham, 7) In writing about organizations, there is a standard set of metaphors typically engaged. As organizations are typically complex systems, the use of metaphor to describe their design and process is a common tool for elucidation of the subject. (Sucham, 8) Commonly, the metaphor applied to organizations is that of the living organism. (Sucham, 8) It is possible to draw parallels between many of the elements of a living being and those of an organization, such as a large business. (Sucham, 9) The central component of any complex organism is the brain. (Levine, 244) The brain is responsible for receiving the environmental and internal input from the organism and its surroundings, formulating functional explanations for the phenomena, plotting a course of action, and conveying the instructions to the other parts of the organism to execute. (Levine, 245) In a large organization, the brain is represented by the company’s president and/or board of directors. (Levine, 245) Like the brain of the organism, this element of the organization receives and interprets information, formulates plans, and issues directives throughout the organization. (Levine, 246) As in an organism, any damage or defect in the brain will severely damage the functionality of the organization. (Levine, 246) As blood is the essential element of the circulatory system, so is money essential to the organization. (Blunck, 422) Like blood, money must flow into and out of the various parts of the organization in order to ensure their health. (Blunck, 423) An interruption of blood flow can compromise organs in an organism; an interruption of capital can do the same for an organization. (Blunck, 423) As is the case with the organization, in most organisms, a disproportionate amount of blood is required to maintain the brain. (Blunck, 424) A marketing division of a company acts as the sensory input mechanism for an organization. (Blunck, 426) Like the eyes and other senses, market research gives the executive â€Å"brain† important information about its environment. (Blunck, 426) The marketing department can produce information about what elements in the organizational environment are, or could potentially cause harm to the organization. (Blunck, 427) Similarly, the senses offer the brain information about environmental threats or opportunities for advantage or growth. (Blunck, 427) Like the senses, the marketing department of an organization can be a key element in targeting important priorities for the organization. (Blunck, 427) In communicating these observations and findings to the brain/executive, marketing can give useful information as to the course of action most beneficial for the organization or company. (Blunck, 428) Human resources and training departments can serve an organization in a manner similar to how the digestive system serves an organism. (Blunck, 429) Like the digestive system, HR takes material from outside the organization and brings it to the inside of the organization. The department is vital in ensuring that those items taken into the organization will help build it to be strong and healthy. (Blunck, 430) The HR system also expels waste and armful elements from the organizational body by terminating the employment of unusable or toxic personnel. (Blunck, 430) Training is another component of the HR digestive track. Training takes the raw components taken in by HR and shapes them into products that can be of immediate and direct use to the organizational organisms. In organizations, as in organisms, a great deal of conversion is necessary to turn the â€Å"food† of the organism into the nutritional components that contribute to the growth and health of the organization. (Blunck, 430) The Information Technology department of any organization acts as the central nervous system. A complicated and often delicate structure, IT is vital in the area of communication within the organization. (Blunck, 431) As in an organism, IT or nerve failure can result in negative consequences that can be as trivial as minor discomfort in a small area, or as massive as corporate paralysis. The decision-makers in an organization rely upon the information conducted to it by the IT nervous system, and are unlikely to act in the absence of information. (Blunck, 431) If they choose to do so, the results are often catastrophic. A breakdown of the nervous system can similarly cause the components of an organism to behave in a destructive or non-productive manner. (Blunck, 431) Nerve damage can result not only in paralysis, but also in flailing, intermittent shutdowns, and other destructive activities to the organism. As a metaphor for a large organization, the living organism is useful and apt. Certainly, as with any literary device, it is possible to abuse the metaphor to the extent that it no longer applies, but in the case of the organization, the interaction of the components and parts is sufficiently complex to be described as an organism. (Sucham, 12) Successful organizations, like healthy organisms, rely upon a delicate balance and good performance of several elements, each of these vital to the â€Å"health† of the overall construct. Work Cited Blunck, P. (1994) â€Å"From a Rational Structure to a Socio-Technical System: A Whole-Mind Metaphor for Organizational Change†. A Review of General Semantics, Vol. 51, No. 4. Pg. 422-431. 1994 Levine, D. (1995) â€Å"The Organism Metaphor in Sociology† Social Research, Vol. 62, No. 2. pg. 244-271. 1995. Suchan, J. (1995) â€Å"The Influence of Organizational Metaphors on Writers Communication Roles and Stylistic Choices† The Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 32, No. 1. pg. 7- 13. 1995

The History Place Adolf Eichmann | Summary

The History Place Adolf Eichmann | Summary Adolf Eichmann In the following paper, the thesis on â€Å"The History Place Adolf Eichmann† is â€Å"Eichmann, the man who changed his mind in the treatment of Jews.† It examines the different stages of his participation in the holocaust. Adolf Eichmann was influential in the development of social, political, and economic history during Hitlers rule. The paper will end with a conclusion and some personal observations. Eichmann started out in the bottom-most ranks of the Nazi party as a clerk for the section assigned to investigate prominent Jews. His interest in Jewish culture escalated as he began to study their language, and attend Jewish sections of towns. He became known as the â€Å"Jewish specialist,† (p.2) which gave him the ability to rise in the ranks of the Nazi party. Eichmann, in the beginning, had no intentions to commit genocide of the Jews. Instead, he initially attempted to relocate the Jewish population. Upon being assigned to explore potential â€Å"solutions to the Jewish question,† in 1937, he visited Palestine. His goal was to convince the Arab leaders to allow him an exodus of Jews to the Middle East. However, he was unsuccessful and sent out of the country (p.2). Although it would be horrible to relocate a certain ethnic group, it exemplifies that he did not yet intend for murder to occur. In 1938, during the Nazi occupation of Austria, upon realizing financial gain was possible, he created a â€Å"Central Office for Jewish Emigration,† in Vienna (p.2). This had the purpose of extorting the Jewish peoples wealth for a safe way out of the country. The concept was very successful as tremendous wealth was gained and he established similar offices in Prague and Berlin. He had not yet considered murdering the Jewish people. Instead, he offered a secure way to save their lives in return for their wealth. Eichmann, despite stealing money from Jews, had no obvious intentions of committing genocide. In another attempt to relocate the Jews, in July 1940 Eichmann suggested the â€Å"Madagascar Plan,† (p.2) which involved deporting the Jewish population to Madagascar. However, it was never carried out. The Madagascar plan was his last attempt at Jewish relocation before resorting to the â€Å"Final Solution.† Eichmann did not want to treat Jews in harmful ways. In a way, he was trying protecting them from the Nazi regime. He still thought they had a right to live. However, Eichmann soon began his ascension into murdering the Jews.   In Poland, Eichmann forced the Jews into labor camps where thousands of Jews were kept in very small areas; such as the Warsaw ghetto in Poland. This resulted in overpopulation and ensuing deaths through disease and starvation (p.2). At this point Eichmanns mindset had changed as he no longer cared about relocating the Jews, instead fixated on liquidating them. More atrocities to the Jews were committed in the Soviet Union. Daily records were taken to see how many Jews had been slaughtered. Eventually, competitions arose to find out which of the four groups Eichmann controlled had the highest death rates (p.2). Eichmann became more ruthless, making genocide into a contest. He was unremorseful for his actions, turning it into a game. As the killings proceeded, he began finding more structured and advanced methods for carrying out the executions. This consisted of using mobile gas-vans (p.3). The process in which they killed had become industrialized, like a factory. Eichmann no longer thought that any Jew should belong to the world. He no longer killed them individually, rather in groups for efficiency. In January 1942, his goal had become final. At the Wannasee Conference, Eichmann, along with 15 Nazi bureaucrats, they arranged the elimination of the 11 million Jews living in Europe and the Soviet Union3 (p.3). Following the Wannasee Conference, Eichmann became the supreme authority in managing the gathering of Jews into labor camps and newly constructed gas chambers. With great enthusiasm and fanatical efficiency, Eichmann coordinated the genocide of millions of Jews (p.2-4). Eichmann considered it a project to kill millions of Jews, and was excited about it. Eichmann killed for his own amusement, thinking about how he can do it faster, and improve his killing methods. In March, 1944, Eichmann set his eye on Hungary, which, with 725,000, contained the sole remaining big population of Jews. The deportations of Jews began from Hungary to Auschwitz, a labor camp, approximately two months later. Nearly 400,000 Hungarian Jews had been killed by the end of June. Eichmann continued to expand the areas in which he killed as he became more and more determined to exterminate the Jewish populace. Not a single trace of mind in Eichmann thought about saving the Jews in any way. However, by the end of 1944, Eichmann was ordered to terminate the deportations seeing as Germanys empire was now surrounded and almost sure to be defeated. Eichmann paid no attention to the commands as he was determined to extinguish all Jews. Instead, he ordered 50,000 Hungarian Jews to begin an eight day death march to Austria. Eichmanns personal goal in life to was kill Jews. No command or person could stop his unwavering will to kill all Jews. He could not fathom the concept of saving any Jewish lives. I will now discuss Adolf Eichmanns influence in the development of social, political, and economic history during Hitlers rule. Due to Eichmanns looks and dark complexion, his schoolmates teased him by nicknaming him â€Å"the little Jew,† (p.1). He was therefore associated with Jews from an early age. This may have sparked his interest in the Jewish culture and caused him to sympathize with them which is why he, at first, was uninterested in killing them. Hitler ordered the â€Å"physical extermination of the Jews.† Eichmann rose in the ranks to be in charge of this order because he had qualifications such as his knowledge on Jews. During his trial, he insisted he was merely â€Å"following orders,† saying that he was transmitting information from his superiors. He was basically obeying the law by following orders; and in case he didnt, he would be shot (p.4). When Eichmann realized the potential fortune he could extort from the Jews by giving them a safe way out of their country, he established offices of that purpose in Vienna, Prague, and Berlin. In July, 1941, Heydrich, a close partner of Eichmanns, was told to organize â€Å"a general plan of the administrative and ‘financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired Final Solution of the Jewish question,† (p.3). Throughout their mass murdering they would have to think about ‘financial measures. Therefore, at the death camps, all possessions were taken from the Jews and channeled into secret Reichsbank accounts. Eichmann had massive financial gains from his actions, and his greed may have been the cause for his determination to continue. To conclude, Eichmann essentially was â€Å"the man who changed his mind in the treatment of Jews.† At first, his final intentions to commit genocide on the Jews seemed impossible as he aimed to relocate the Jews. However, before long he had changed his mind and began his plans to eliminate the Jewish population. He disregarded his sense of morality more and more as he built up his power and, even when told to cease the massacre, he continued. Socially, Eichmann was teased, being nicknamed â€Å"the little Jew.† Politically, he followed orders and rose in the ranks of the Nazi party. Economically, a tremendous amount of money was gained. I would be lying if I said the biography didnt interest me. The paper gave a good insight into the life of Adolf Eichmann and how the Jews were treated during World War Two. Being Jewish myself, I had never realized how big an impact Eichmann had on the holocaust until I read the paper. I was horrified by the amount of control one person could have on an entire ethnic group. It can definitely be recommended as it clearly shows a persons transition from being normal to one of the person responsible for the murder of six million Jews. However, the biography contains little detail, being only three pages long; and it does not describe his psychological change sufficiently. However, it provides a good introduction to Eichmanns life. From the paper, I learned how Eichmanns mindset changed over time. He went from trying to relocate the Jews; to killing individual Jews; to trapping and killing a section of Jews; to mass-murder of the European Jewish population. In the end, he became addicted to murdering Jews, and could not be stopped. In addition, I learned how ruthlessly the Jews were treated during World War II. By Eichmann, they became viewed as insignificant â€Å"toys,† for his enjoyment. The methods of killing them were brutal. It was like a factory process, with gas chambers killing thousands at a time. Many Jews would die of starvation or disease in concentration camps. In Russia, all Jews from a selected village would assemble; where after they would be shot kneeling, subsequent to giving up their clothes and valuables.

Strippers and Stripping :: Free Essays Online

An Examination of the Literature on Strippers and Stripping For centuries, psychologists, sociologists, academics, historians, and filmmakers have devoted themselves to the exploration and dissection of sex and power. All dancers talk about their work as being something they enjoy. The financial independence gives them control over their lives and their ability to transfix a room full of men with a simple glance, further confirms their desirability. But how far will it stretch before they fall victims to their own universe? (DC One, 37). This sweeping remark on the life and times of female strippers was extracted from a popular Washington, D.C. magazine called DC One, which focuses on the dining, entertainment, and nightlife featured in D.C. This particular issue was dubbed "The Men's Issue," and contained an exposà © on stripping in "gentlemen's clubs." The quotation above demonstrates the tension that exists in the world of stripping, both within the private world of the strippers themselves, as well as in the public perception of this occupation. Is stripping empowering for women? Or, is it purely objectifying, and does it serve only the interests of the men who are the viewers and the consumers? The comment above would suggest that the money and accolades that these women receive creates a mutually exploitative situation; one that is beneficial for both parties involved, albeit in a different manner. But then the writer second-guesses herself, forging ahead to say: "But how far will it stretch before they fall v ictims to their own universe?" (DC One, 37). What is this "universe" and is it ultimately as damaging as the author might imagine? Although the article does little to respond to this issue, many decades of researchers have attempted to look at this and other questions surrounding the occupation of stripping. The results of the studies have been varied and suggest that there is no one way to view either the strippers themselves or the clients who access this service. In this paper, I will attempt to do an overview of the studies that have been conducted on strippers and stripping as an occupation. I will utilize studies and articles that focus primarily on women as strippers to consider specifically the questions addressed in the opening paragraph. Are women empowered in any way by this occupation? Or, as some feminist theorists have suggested , is it purely objectification, with no positive benefits to the women involved? This paper will evaluate the existing studies and literature in an attempt to locate moments of empowerment, a sense of agency, and, to borrow Carol Rambo Ronai's term, "resistance strategies " present in the daily lives and experiences of strippers.

Eating Disorders Essay -- essays research papers

Eating Disorders An eating disorder is a way of using food to work out emotional problems. These illnesses develop because of emotional and/or psychological problems. Eating disorders are the way some people deal with stress. In today’s society, teenagers are pressured into thinking that bring thin is the same thing as being happy. Chemical balances in the brain that may also result in depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, and bi-polar disorders may also cause some eating disorders. Other causes may be emotional events, illnesses, marital or family problems, manic depression, or ending a relationship. Over eight million Americans suffer from eating disorders. Over 80% of girls under age thirteen admit to dieting, one of the main factors linked to eating disorders. Although eating disorders are mainly found in middle- to upper class, highly educated, Caucasian, female adolescents, no culture or age group is immune to them (EDA HP, n.p.). The three major eating disorders are anorexia nervo sa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive over-eating or binge-eating. The most dangerous eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. â€Å"Anorexia nervosa translates to â€Å"nervous loss of hunger†. It is a mental illness involving the irrational fear of gaining weight. Usually, the victim is a perfectionist, although he or she may suffer from a low self-esteem. In general, a member of the opposite sex triggers anorexia. The first disease resembling present-day anorexia is one called â€Å"Anorexia Mirabilis,† or â€Å"Miraculous lack of appetite.† It is described as McCurry 2 a disease of insanity, possibly like cancer, tuberculosis, or diabetes. It was believed to arise from a diseased mental state. Sir William Gull, a physician to England’s royal family, said that these anorexics were suffering from â€Å"a perversion of the will† (Silverson). In 1888, a French psychiatrist, Charles Lasegue viewed anorexia from a social standpoint. He believed it was a way of rebelling. The Children of this time were expected to and forced to clean their plates. They were also accustomed to well-regulated meal times. Another cause of the disease in the Victorian era may have been women’s expectations, such as to remain home after childhood. Their only job was to get married and enhance the family’s social status. No emotional outbursts, such as temper tantrums were permitted. The family life was suffocating, but a y... ...t, as the disorder is often a result in lacking in coping skills. Symptoms of binge eating include: eating more rapidly than usual, eating until uncomfortably full, eating large amounts when not physically hungry, eating alone because of embarrassment of the quantities of food consumed, and not being able to purge after consuming large quantities of food (Dobie 1). Because it is not always recognized as an eating disorder, compulsive over-eating may have the most adverse effects on health. McCurry 6 Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and compulsive over-eating are extremely serious illnesses that must be recognized before they can be treated. The media is blamed for so many distorted images of the body. People are beginning to refuse the idea, however, that thinner is better. Body shapes are known to go in and out of style. In the 1800s, plumpness was a sign of wealth and class. Thinness became a sign of beauty in the 1970s with the British super-model Twiggy. There are many treatments for eating disorders today. One of the hopes of many psychologists is that humans will begin to feel happy about the way they are, even if it is a little bigger than the media portrays as ideal.

Leadership Case Study of Ernest Shackleton Essay examples -- The Leade

The topic of this leadership case study is Ernest Shackleton. This paper will identify the development of Shackleton's leadership skills, provide examples and reflections of his abilities, and relate how he played an essential role in one of history's greatest survival stories. This study of Shackleton's leadership is set loosely within the framework of the five practices of exemplary leadership set forth in The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, and will focus on the benefits produced by his management of team morale and unity (13). Kouzes and Posner remark that leadership experiences are ?voyages of discovery and adventures of a lifetime?[and] they are challenging explorations under rigorous conditions? (174). While this may be true, it is often in an extreme crisis situation that leadership is ultimately tested. This is the circumstance that Shackleton faced with his crew of twenty-seven, while stranded in the ice floes off the Antarctic Continent. Credit is due to the leadership of Ernest Shackleton; every member aboard the Endurance survived, and was finally rescued after six hundred and thirty-four days. Shackleton said of leadership, ?If you?re a leader, a fellow that other fellows look to, you?ve got to keep going? (qtd. in Morrell and Capparell 215). Synopsis of the Endurance Expedition?See Appendix (Pages 19-21) The Endurance, the vessel carrying the men and the title of the expedition, was named by Shackleton after his family motto?Fortitudine Vincimus (By endurance we conquer) (Perkins 41). To relate the significant factors of Shackleton?s leadership during the Endurance expedition, it is necessary to summarize the timeline of the events. A chronological timeline of the expedition is included at the end of this paper. The saga of the Endurance has relevant lessons for today?s leaders concerning the vital nature of team unity and interdependence, risk taking, optimism, and selfless leadership. Shackleton, known as ?The Boss? to his men, was at all times responsible for fostering and developing these dynamics, and thus provides an example of the remarkable achievements that are possible in even the direst of situations. The expedition failed in its attempt to be the first to transverse the Antarctic, yet the ultimate success is judged by the safe return of all the crewmembers. The events of the Endurance expedition wer... ... all his leadership strategies for the purpose of getting every man home alive. The loyalty and trust that Shackleton inspired in his men is undeniable. In 1921, five years after the rescue, Shackleton set out again on his last expedition aboard the Quest. Remarkably, his eighteen-member crew was comprised of eight Endurance colleagues, including Wild and Worsley (Morrell and Capparell 208). Following Shackleton?s death, Wild summed up the feelings he had for his leader: I have served with Scott, Shackleton, and Mawson, and have met Nansen, Amundsen, Peary, Cook, and other explorers, and in my considered opinion, for all the best points of leadership, coolness in the face of danger, resource under difficulties, quickness in decisions, never-failing optimism, and the faculty of instilling the same into others, remarkable genius for organization, consideration for those under him, and obliteration of self, the palm must be given to Shackleton, a hero and a gentleman in very truth. --Frank Wild, crew member, Nimrod; second in command, Endurance and Quest. (qtd. in Morrell and Capparell 205)

Cleanliness: Recycling and Comprehensive National High

CLEANLINESS By: Edgardo Eleccion ( GCCNHS) The often quoted saying is â€Å"Cleanliness is next to Godliness†. People are so busy thinking what possible solution to make in order to maintain cleanliness for a worldwide issue. The air, water and soil are not polluted. This is the very issue of cleanliness that need an immediate action, a problem to be addressed. Gingoog City Comprehensive National High School ( GCCNHS) community has campaigned on zero waste management program on waste segregation by bio and non-biodegradable scheme. Stakeholders either direct and indirect have been oriented on this scheme on waste segregation. However, students either young or old still can’t follow simple instructions. A kind of system within a person to discipline him to do what is good in saving the environment and saving the generation ahead. United Nations and some of the environmental friendly establishments and organizations have join forces to launch a program for a greener world. The join effort is now part of their mission in their business and organization. However, if one is not performing its task to save this planet, then who else would clean up our mess? We should not wait for others to do the task, today is the right time. Sometimes our mind set reflects our own actions. Do we mind the earth we are living now? Are we ready to pass this world to the next generation after us? What else should we do to give this legacy a worthwhile for them? Symposium, memorandum, policies, bills, laws and rules have been done even in school and communities. Reduction, reforestation, redirection, recycle and reuse policies have been adopted. Still we continue making dirt to this paradise God given gift to us. This world is the package of our existence. This is not ours. We just borrow this. We live this for free, is it not proper to clean the earth we lend form the Maker? Edgardo Eleccion is a secondary teacher of Gingoog City Comprehensive National High School ( GCCNHS) Gingoog City, Philippines. He is a Values Education Teacher.

Economic development Essay

Today, education is the most important tool for the development of society. There is a direct correlation between education and development of society. The countries that realize this fact, giving the required importance for their education system, have become highly developed. Education should be promoted since it is the most important factor for the development of a country. The promotion of the education is depended on the factors like literacy rate in a country, schooling rate in the primary, secondary and higher education, proliferation of training technologies, and the quality of the education. This promotion process should be considered as a necessary condition for economic, technological and social development for a nation. In other words, the process of a successful development depends on the fact of gibing the society a conscious of change which is highly connected to education. Fist of all, education enlightens people. The educated person is the person who improves oneself. A person increases her/his level of knowledge through education, so he/she has a better understanding and analyzing of daily matters and an agenda. That person can make logical deductions based on the knowledge he gains and refuses the traditional corrupted understanding. Individual’s ability of the interpretation of knowledge through one’s intelligence and skills is supported by education; accordingly, increasing the creativity and intellectual thinking. An individual can learn about different cultures, lifestyles and history from past to present; hence education provides universal perspective to an individual. The most important differential of uneducated person is having a narrow point of view. A person should be educated in order to learn taking objective decisions and being liberated from the social pressure. Besides, educated people respect the rights of others and they have a fair understanding of the concept of equality, right to life, and right to property. The reason why developed countries show highly respect to the individual rights is that the education level of the country is being fairly high. On the other hand, the reason why there are deep inequalities between women and men or rich and poor in under-developed countries is that the education level in there is being fairly low. Besides, there is also a lack of respect to the human rights in these under-developed countries due to low education level. Secondly, education affects the development of science and technology of a country. Technological developments increase by knowledge and research which is provided by education. It is the advancement and proliferation of technology that makes countries developing by the production of knowledge, schooling of creative minds leads countries develop economically, technologically and politically. Education, advancement of technology and development are in a circle movement which produces itself. Cakmak also says that as a result of the creation of science and technology, mobility of scientific knowledge, and nurturing of individuals with creative minds, countries have experienced important economic and political changes which lead to infinitive competition among them in the fields of education, development and innovation (Cakmak O. 2008). In addition, developed countries use technology as a part of their education system. Thus, every student can follow technology and learn about the newest advancements which lead them learn better and improve their intelligence. Finally, education leads knowledge turn into money that improves the economy of a country. Educated people knowing to learn how to invest, produce, expand the business adjusts and improves the economy causing the increase of gross domestic product per capita. Education also gives more job opportunities to people in the business sector. According to OECD, the effect of education to the economic development is proved in the researches of economic growth in 1960s. The researches show that contribution of education to the economic growths is really important and this percentage differs as %7 in England, %15 in USA, %14 in Belgium, %16 in Argentina, and %25 in Canada (OECD, 2005). Some may argue that education does not affect the economic development of a country. There are lots of uneducated but successful business men. People can learn how to run a business without an education. To illustrate, â€Å"Sak? p Sabanc? , who is the founder and chairman of the Sabanc? Holding due to the reason suffering from pneumonia three successive years, had to leave the high school and start to work in BOSSA Flour Factory in 1950 with a wage of 50 TL† (NTV Haber). Considering his life, it is obvious that one can learn how to run a business without education. Hence, it is not only education but also experience that makes one successful in business. All in all, economic, social and technologic development of a country is highly related to the education level of that country. Without education, a country can not develop. The only way of individual’s enlighten and learning to use knowledge, and increase of technology is education. Thus, education should be promoted since it is the most important factor for the development of a country.

Issues faced by womans

The whole situation in todays women orld leads to some basic questions. Do women feel insecure, unhappy and dissatisfied more than their predecessors? Why are they confused about women's role and position in modern society? Is employment making women economically strong. but socially and emotionally broken? what can be done to empower women? Is there any mld-way, which could make women secure, aware, confident and happy without disturbing the familial peace and social harmony? 1 . Why women are relegated to secondary position? Women comprise of 50% of the world population.It is an anomaly that though they possess diverse capabilities and are of valuable service in various nation-building activities, they had been relegated to secondary posltlon till very recent past by the modern society. why? Is It because they belong to weaker sex? or they are Incapable or Incompetent? Nay, It Is not so. 2. It is apolnt to ponder why modern women Is still Insecure and unhappy, despite attaining so much success in almost every sphere of modern world. Women have played multiple roles in life and in each role their performance is par excellence. StillWomen-folk have to suffer innuendo physical and emotional problems despite of all the changes and developments happened In the modern women's world, The position of women In real life Is sull far from satisfactory. There Is still a deep entrenched discrimination against them almost in every walk of life. It crosses all the borders, age of region, caste, class or community. 3. Why is she confused about what her role should be in real-life? 4. women In Eastern world 5. The eastern world, especially nations in Asla are still struggling to give to Its women their rightful place.Problems of high female mortality rate, sexual arassment, deaths during childbirths still exist there. There are millions of women who have go through sexual harassment, domestic violence, discrimination, abuse or are denied ot pleasures ot lite because ot their gender. Their problems are deeply Ingrained In the history, laws and cultures of complex and sophisticated Aslan societies. Why Indian women feel insecure In general? Generally women suffer deprivation, discrimination, humiliation and denial of basic human rights in varying degrees at some point or the other.Discrimination against them is at every stage ot lite and every where. It may be a girl child, a married woman, a single woman, a working woman, refugees or women belonging to lower, middle or upper strata of society. In India, women In general form one of the most vulnerable sections of Indian Society. Women are at disadvantage due to: Class oppression due to poverty, Economic dependence on male counterpart, Caste oppression due to inter caste clashes social taboos and Gender oppression Increasing number of crimes.Reasons for sufferings/insecurity of women-folk are many like – Indifferent attitude – The male-dominated society and callous government usually turns a blind eye to the ender issues. Mr. P. A. Sebastian, Secretary of the Committee for People's Democratic Rights, says, â€Å"Women have to face an uphill task for taking women's issues as, firstly most people are indifferent to atrocities that do not affect them, it is only a microscopic minority, which reacts. Secondly, the administration and Judiciary are very slow in reaching and taking any kind of measure and sometimes even stall the proceedings. Strains on modern families – A modern woman, when in need, does not find enough support systems to fall back on, which usually her own family used to provide earlier. Due to fast-pace of modern life, busy life-style, lack of time and other constraints on modern families, it has become almost impossible to get earlier kind of emotional or physical support. Many surveys show that a significant number of women leave workforce when they start a family. Maternity is usually seen as a disruption in career.There is a dramatic decline in the share of women as they move up the hierarchy. Growing intolerance amongst youths – The tolerance level of people is continuously decreasing. Aspirations and ambitions have increased beyond limits. Everybody wishes to touch the sky with least effort and with no loss of time. Failure in achieving one's targets due to one reason or the other, make a person intolerant and angry. Liberal ‘divorce' laws – In metros and modern families, marriages are no more considered to be a lifelong commitment.Intolerance amongst youth is increasing. A woman can not be sure due to lack of mutual understanding, how long her marriage will last. It does not take much time or effort for both the couple to walk out. A little bit of intolerance or misunderstanding puts her married status in danger and compels her to cope up with all kinds of problems and difficult situations single- handedly. Adversities of life arising out of economic, social, psychological and environmental situatio ns hit women's world worst.During times of war, struggle, unstable economy, natural calamities and infghting amongst various sections of society or inter-group or intra-group clashes, women along-with children are the primary victims and are worst hit. At times in an attempt to safeguard/uphold their independence/authority within the family or at working place, some women become insensitive, narrow minded and sometimes ruthless. Too much of assertion of their independence or authority create complications in their own life and in others' lives s well, which ultimately develop insecurity in women' s minds.Government of India has made some draconion laws in favour of women with an intention to protect them from violence and discrimination. Instead of gaining the sympathy of society or the opposite sex, they have earned the wrath/ire of menfolk and the society. Such laws are being misused by some shrewd women to teach men/society a lesson. Male members or his relatives can not even rai se their voice against the misuse of such legislations. Government's inefficiency/failure to implement honestly and sincerely the laws passed to protect the interests of women.

Arithmetic progression Essay

1. What is the sum of the geometric sequence 8, –16, 32 †¦ if there are 15 terms? (1 point) = 8 [(-2)^15 -1] / [(-2)-1] = 87384 2. What is the sum of the geometric sequence 4, 12, 36 †¦ if there are 9 terms? (1 point) = 4(3^9 – 1)/(3 – 1) = 39364 3. What is the sum of a 6-term geometric sequence if the first term is 11, the last term is –11,264 and the common ratio is –4? (1 point) = -11 (1-(-4^n))/(1-(-4)) = 11(1-(-11264/11))/(1-(-4)) = 2255 4. What is the sum of an 8-term geometric sequence if the first term is 10 and the last term is 781,250? (1 point) =8 (1-390625)/(1-5) =781,248 For problems 5 8, determine whether the problem should be solved using the formula for an arithmetic sequence, arithmetic series, geometric sequence, or geometric series. Explain your answer in complete sentences. You do not need to solve. 5. Jackie deposited $5 into a checking account in February. For each month following, the deposit amount was doubled. How much money was deposited in the checking account in the month of August? (1 point) To solve this, a geometric sequence is used because the terms share a constant ratio as 2. 6. A local grocery store stacks the soup cans in such a way that each row has 2 fewer cans than the row below it. If there are 32 cans on the bottom row, how many total cans are on the bottom 14 rows? (1 point) To solve you use a formula for an arithmetic series because for every row, the number of cans keep decreasing. 7. A major US city reports a 12% increase in decoration sales during the yearly holiday season. If decoration sales were 8 million in 1998, how much did the city report in total decoration sales by the end of 2004?(1 point) You would use a geometric series formula because the increase will be different each year because the percentage increase affects the outcome of the next years by a common ratio. 8. A fireplace contains 46 bricks along its bottom row. If each row above decreases by 4 bricks, how many bricks are on the 12th row? (1 point) To solve you have to use the formula for an arithmetic sequence because the amount of decrease remains the same and the ratio between the set of numbers stays the same. 9. Using complete sentences, explain the difference between an exponential function and a geometric series.(2 points) An exponential function is continuous. A geometric series is discrete.

Women in Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Women in Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example It is because of these reasons that the women may not be successful entrepreneurs because of their overall tendency to be risk averse. What is also significant to note that the increasing numbers of women are also becoming part of the overall entrepreneurship phenomenon? The era beginning after 1990s witnessed a growth in the number of women entrepreneurs and the overall change in their roles and leadership capabilities. What is also important to note that the increasing number of women entrepreneurs is radically changing the way the world economy tend to work. Most of the women entrepreneurs tend to focus on the development of businesses which create employment and given rise to the unique business models wherein the focus is on the development of businesses which can be run like a family. These differences between the styles of running the businesses therefore generally lead to the question of whether women are worse or better off than the men in running the micro and smaller busin esses. This paper will therefore attempt to discuss and explore the question of whether the women are worse managers of micro and smaller businesses with special references to UK data for last 10 years. It is argued that the data regarding the participation of women in the micro and small businesses2 is limited however, increasing number of evidence suggest that the number of women in smaller businesses is particularly increasing in US. It is also argued that the overall success and failure of women.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

English - Essay Example The conditions that shaped the plays of Sophocles shall also be looked into. These shall enable an exploration of the main concern of this paper, which is to examine the role of the agency of the tragic protagonists of these plays, Othello and Oedipus, in their own downfall. This shall include a reference to the ideas of free will and predetermination, a debate that had great political, intellectual and religious value during the Renaissance. How this contrasts with the pre-Christian world of Sophocles shall be looked into and these issues shall be incorporated into the main thesis of the paper. The paper shall thus, attempt a comparison of the two plays, Othello and Oedipus, by examining the social, cultural and political situations that shaped these plays. This paper shall thus, place both these plays in their contexts and try to analyze how the concept of tragedy as propounded by Aristotle undergoes a change in the intervening time-period. Othello and Oedipus: Agency and Fate Othe llo and Oedipus are two of the most famous characters in the history of tragedy. Timeless in their appeal, these two tragic heroes are as similar as they are different. In a sense, Othello represents the evolution of the tragic hero from a world-order that gave precedence to fate over the will of man, to one where he undergoes a fall as a result of his own actions. This signals a transition to a world-order where man is considered to be the supreme being, one where he is considered a being who is able to create his own destiny. Oedipus is considered to be the most perfect tragedy that has ever been written. In fact, it is by citing this play that Aristotle explains his theories regarding tragedy as a form of drama. Peripeteia, the tragic revelation that the tragic hero experiences at the climax of the play that sends him hurtling to his doom, is explained by Aristotle using examples from Oedipus, where he describes it as â€Å"a change from ignorance to knowledge, and thus to eithe r love or hate, in the personages marked for good or evil fortune† (Aristotle 30). Peripeteia for Oedipus is preceded by inaction, an inaction that stems from an inability to change his fate. This is evident from the predictions that the oracle makes. As Harold Bloom points out, it is significant that the oracle does not merely predict that Oedipus would commit some heinous crime but specifies every detail of it. Harold Bloom warns against readings that see Oedipus as a free man, since that entails a neglect of the oracle’s warnings, which form a very important part of the plot of the play (Bloom 141). The oracle stands for the religious forces that controlled, and were controlled by fate. For Aristotle, these forces represent the â€Å"good or evil fortune† that he talks about in The Poetics. Fate for Oedipus represents a course of action that he cannot avoid, as is seen from the events in the play, where significantly, none of his actions have as a direct conse quence the murder of his father, or incest. Oedipus's knowledge of the prophecy of the oracle too cannot mitigate the misery that fate holds in store for him. Ironically, it is the knowledge of the prophecy that leads Oedipus towards the land of his birth. Throughout the story of Oedipus, we see him being willed towards the ultimate outcome of the play without his knowledge of

A Study of Chromosome formation through observation of the cell cycle Research Paper

A Study of Chromosome formation through observation of the cell cycle (Abstract) - Research Paper Example We grew union roots to two centimeters, retrieved a 1cm sample, allowed them to steep in a fixative solution for 24 hours which keeps them in stasis, exposed them to hydochloric acid at sixty degrees Celsius, prepared the onion onto a slide, applied the reagent, sealed the slide and observed using an optical microscope. We did a similar process to a kanoi, in order to understand differences and similarities in chromosomal formation. Chromosomal bunching was observed, and it became difficult to distinguish between chromosomes. Most observations were of the interphase period. Chromosomes split, reproduced on DNA molecules during the S stage, became thicker and shorter and produced spindle fiber. Only a tiny minority of cells observed were in metaphase, moving to the equatorial plane; however, this tiny minority was more than expected, as metaphase is by far the most brief phase and it is likely in any given sample that no cells would be in metaphase at the time of the application of th e fixative. Anaphase and telophase samples were also observed. 7% more interphase cells were perceived than would be expected by random chance, well within standard error. P value was .734, larger than expected but still not sufficient to reject the null hypothesis.

Cultural Sensitivity Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Sensitivity Reflection - Essay Example A culturally competent teacher knows perfectly well how to relate the skill of cultural awareness with his/her work which includes dealings with the students, parents, staff, and community members almost on daily basis. Acting in a culturally competent manner becomes especially important in a classroom as that is the place where a teacher has to deal with the students in a very direct manner. â€Å"Culturally responsive teaching does not incorporate traditional educational practices with respect to students of color† (Gay, 2000). Parents often have a hard time adjusting to the reality of teaching their children in a culturally sensitive environment. This is why teachers should take care to acknowledge cultural sensitivity when dealing with the parents of their students and they can do so by effectively bridging the communication gap in order to win the trust of the parents. When dealing with parents, a teacher should help them understand how he/she intends to use cultural refe rents to groom the students academically, emotionally, and intellectually in a culturally sensitive environment. A teacher can also relate cultural competency with his/her work when dealing with students in a classroom by deeply acknowledging the cultural heritages of various ethnic groups and regarding them. He/she should also stimulate the entire class to respect each other’s cultural heritages. There also exists a difference in the extent to which each student adapts to the learning process which is why a culturally competent and sensitive teacher should employ a variety of instructional strategies addressing different learning styles. Cultural sensitivity should be practiced whether a teacher teaches a multilingual or a monolingual class (Stubbs, 2011). Moreover, cultural sensitivity requires a teacher to instill the same sense and skill into other staff members as the learning process can never be controlled by a single teacher alone. It is the job of

Planning for Success A Product Launch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Planning for Success A Product Launch - Essay Example It is necessary to strategies on how to monitor the progress of the product and ensure efficient allocation of products to the right market (Cavanagh 2012). Apple Inc. is undergoing increasing difficulty in managing time-to-market and to reduce the cost of introducing the new products. Apple Inc. Is a technology company, with frequent changes in the mode of doing business. This paper will focus on how launch effectively a new iPhone for the Apple Inc. The company will be launching a new product in the market. The product itself is the new iPhone which was introduced recently in the market. This report will include all the requirements, the planning process, implementation and the effective means of monitoring the implementation process (Comments on â€Å"A New Product Growth for Model Consumer Durables The Bass Model 2011). The iPhone that will be launched soon is expected to meet customers expectation since it contains all the features in it. The key features are that the iPhone itself is a mobile phone, contained software for playing music, mini personal organizer and it contained other software that can be used in various sectors. The main goals and objective for launching iPhone is to create awareness of the iPhone in the market. It is essential for the potential customers to know that the new iPhone has been released. The launch of this product will also assist in distributing the product in the market. Furthermore, the process will help to get feedback from the target segment for a pre-launch, win the customers interest so that they can place pre-orders and get the chance for product demonstrations. Besides, the company will be able to introduce iPhone in the new market. To be effective, it is essential to be objective and be specific when launching the iPhone. For instance, it is necessary to deliver the number of iPhones in the

Free Movement of Goods Article 34 and 36 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Free Movement of Goods Article 34 and 36 - Essay Example The aspect of measures can also include the inaction of a State to stop private individuals’ acts, which prevent the free movement of goods (The College of Law 2012, p200). The ECJ described the expression of quantitative restriction as measures that amount to partial or total restraint of, based on the circumstances, exports, imports or goods in transit. There are two laws that apply in this category but in this case, the most applicable law is the outright ban enforced by a Member State (Spain) on imports from another Member State (The College of Law 2012, p201). Free Pork Ltd plans to begin selling its products in Spain have been hampered by the law that requires the sale of sausages produced from humanely reared pigs to be checked by Spanish Sausage Checkers (SSC). If the sausages are not checked by SSC, the law prohibits its sales in Spain. However, the process of verifying whether the sausages have those conditions is usually lengthy. Therefore, Free Pork can challenge t his Spanish law. There is also a law that requires the name of the company not to use words that imply health or fitness. Free Pork can also challenge this law because it restricts the importation of goods and can affect the brand image of the company. The SSC is a form of a licencing system, which according to the articles, subjects the import of merchandises to the condition of getting an import licence. Even in situations where the application for an import licence is regarded a mere formality; it is a Quantitative Restriction. This is because is simply a mechanism in which imports can be restricted. In practice, it is very rare for the Member States laws to result to quantitative restrictions. The ban on exports or imports between Member States is only found in unusual circumstances (The College of Law 2012, p201). Therefore, failure by Free Pork Ltd to meet the conditions set by the Spanish laws is an outright ban on exporting sausages to this Member State. As stated earlier, t he ban only happens in unusual circumstances, and thus, Free Pork can challenge the law because an unusual circumstance lacks, which prohibits it from exporting the goods to Spain. The directive was important in developing a brief wording of the Article 34 TFEU (Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) and it continues to offer guidance on the measures that can constitute a breach of Article 34 TFEU prohibitions. Article 2(1) of the directive describes a class of measures (for instance, national laws) that treat imported goods and domestic goods differently. They are commonly referred to as distinctly applicable measures. Article 3 of the directive describes a class of national laws that apply equally to imported and domestic products. These laws have a restrictive impact and they are commonly referred to as indistinctly applicable (The College of Law 2012, p202). Therefore, the directive classifies both indistinctly and distinctly applicable measures as measures that have a n impact equivalent to restrictions on imports. From the statement, it can be stated that a national law can become MEQR (Measures having Equivalent effect to a Quantitative Restriction) regardless of whether it â€Å"discriminates against imported products or appears to treat them in the same way as domestic products but is in

A paper for oceanography based off of the book called The Eskimo and Essay

A paper for oceanography based off of the book called The Eskimo and the Oil Man by Bob Reis - Essay Example The study of the oceans has enabled the understanding of the global climates and the trending climatic concerns such as the global warming and the possible impacts on the ecosystem dynamics and the life supporting atmospheric portion i.e. the biosphere at large. The atmosphere and the biosphere are interrelated through the natural processes of evaporation, precipitation and the natural heat exchange processes. At a general broad prospect, oceanography is divided into the following branches: 1. Biological oceanography This refers to the study of the ecology of the marine ecosystems with regards to their surrounding ocean environment. Marine biologists study the life in the oceans (marine ecology) and as well as the total organic production in the seas and oceans. The marine life consists of the floating or weakly swimming organisms known as planktons and rapidly swimming organisms referred to as nektons. Marine oceanographers map the floors of oceans, analyze the problems of the shore lines, and study the deposits and other sediments of the ocean floor and rock layers of the earth’s crust. Biological oceanography therefore looks into the influence of the ocean’s physical, chemical and the geological characteristics on the marine ecology or ecosystems. 2. Chemical oceanography (Marine Chemistry) This is the study of the Chemistry underlying the ocean environment and the processes of its interactions with the atmosphere. Chemical oceanography is looks into the chemistry of seawater, the major salts it contains, and other trace elements found in the oceans. 3. Marine Geology ( Geological oceanography) This refers to the study of the geology of the ocean floor with regards to the paleoceanography and the plate tectonics. 4. Physical Oceanography (Marine Physics) This is the study of the physical processes of the oceans such as the mixing, waves, tides, ocean currents, water transparency density and temperature; as well as under water acoustics and sound transmission. In his book, The Eskimo and the Oil Man: The Battle at the Top of the World for America’s Future, Bob Reiss is particularly concerned with the Oil exploration strategy by the Shell Company on the North Arctic coast of Alaska, focusing on the potential threats to the Ocean, impact on the marine ecosystems and the Americans living within the neighborhood. This intertwines all the mentioned branches of oceanography with views on the related impacts to the ocean and its environs. Reiss describes offshore oil exploration, which generally involves operations beyond three miles from the shoreline. This exploration has been especially facilitated by the continuous recession of ice at the coast of Alaska due to the changes in weather and climate patterns, a region that has been for many years covered by ice. Amongst other challenges of offshore exploration is the control of the dynamic changes in the temperatures and pressures when drilling across the rock formations in their strata deep beneath the ocean that may result in to dangerous oil-well blowouts that emit a buoyant plume of oil, produced water and natural gas. The ice recession at Arctic is a concern of the oceanography which tries to look into the prospective repercussions of offshore oil drilling activities on to the local and global climate. It also tries to explain the possible impacts on the surrounding environment as the ice continue to disappear. This phenomenon has been occasioned by global

Health education Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health education - Assignment Example The hair should be washed everyday using shampoo and rinsed well before it is dried. When bathing children, one should pay attention to all folds including the underarm, neck, ears and in between the feet. Clean clothes and shoes should be put on after taking a bath. Shoes should be polished; wiped or washed according to their make to improve their appearance and to make them last longer. Children should wear clean socks in closed shoes. This will absorb sweat and keep their feet dry and comfortable. They should brush their teeth before going to bed and after every meal to fight against tooth decay. They should learn how to brush their teeth by themselves, and it is better if they do it together with an adult. During the day, a child should fill his or her mouth with water and swish it to remove anything that is stuck in the teeth. Taking large quantities of sugary foodstuff should be avoided as it promotes tooth decay. Under clothes should be changed more often with clean, dry ones. They should well fitting and in good condition. This should be done because under clothes are worn directly next to the skin and they gather a lot of sweat and dead skin. Wearing clean under clothes prevents skin diseases such as itchy rashes and ringworms. The child also smells good and thus, he is confident to interact with adults and other children. Children should be encouraged to wash their hands with soap and clean water regularly. This should be done before and after handling or eating of food and after visiting the toilet. Children should be discouraged from inserting their hands in their mouths. |This is because, at playtime, they gather lots of dirt in their hands because of touching anything that interests them. Regular washing of hands reduces them from the risk of getting diseases like diarrhea, stomach upsets and typhoid. Both hand and toe nails should be trimmed as long nails collect lots of germs and bacteria during playtime. In

Old Testament Essay Example for Free

Old Testament Essay Found in the Old Testament of the Bible, Psalms have a certain mythic quality to them. Originally written as songs, Psalms are often used to present morality tales or to provide an acknowledgment of certain moral concepts. It is believed that Psalms were originally written by King David, although there is way to completely verify the actual authorship. Records indicate, however, that the Psalms are several thousands of years old. This brings forth the important question: how is it that Psalms remain relevant in today’s modern world? The answer is that the themes found in the Psalms are timeless because they are based on a â€Å"common sense† approach to moral living that does not fall out of style as the years pass. Specifically, the songs of the Psalms are designed to address God directly. However, this does not mean that those listening to or singing the Psalms are to ignore their content. Actually, it is the opposite that is true as Psalms are also designed for reflection. In other words, a sort of meditation is intended while singing or listening to songs. Again, while the Psalms are directed towards God, those involved in the worship are intended to realize a transformative experience. How is this achieved? There are a number of ways and in order to understand how it occurs one must look closely at certain passages within the Psalms. Consider Psalm 4. This Psalm speaks to God with the intention of asking God to be forgiving of glory that was not directed towards God. Additionally, the Psalm talks about God putting gladness in one’s heart with the end result being a spiritual re-awakening. Understanding and Analyzing the Psalms 2 Now, there are many potential interpretations to this Psalm. On the surface, it is clear that a warning about materialism is present. Forgiving one’s glory can refer to a person seeking penance for looking for the material things in life. When the person realizes that materialism is not what one should seek in life, the person immediately turns to God. As such, one can infer that this Psalm is a wake up call to those who assume they can find happiness through materialism. When they realize that true happiness comes from an embrace of the spiritual, they develop a complete reversal of their outlook on like. In a way, one could say this shares similarities to the concept of nirvana in Zen Buddhism. Once again, there is certain timelessness to the subtext found within this psalm. After all, materialism and all its troubles have been with us since the dawn of time. To free oneself of materialism is to be free of attachments which put the person in charge of his life as opposed to mitigating factors. As such, the timelessness of this Psalm is understandable. Psalm 17 is quite an interesting Psalm since it is a call for help. Specifically, this Psalm asks God’s help in providing protection from the wicked who may seek to oppress the singer as well as protecting the singer from the problematic wickedness that might exist within the person’s own heart. Ultimately, this Psalm reveals that it is not out of the ordinary for people to feel self-doubt and external pressures. That is, they may not always do the right thing and they may find themselves in danger of falling under the influence of those who may do them harm. God understands this and understands people may need help when dealing Understanding and Analyzing the Psalms 3 with difficult situations. Again, this is a timeless concept that has existed all throughout the ages. The third and last illustrative example from the Psalms is Psalm 23 which is possible the most famous Psalm of all. In this Psalm is the famous passage â€Å"though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. † Within this Psalm is the crux of the worship of God. That is, no matter how bad things may be, God will always be there for you. While his help may not always be overt or obvious, he will never abandon his children. Ultimately, this is a timeless message of positive beliefs that has allowed the Judeo-Christian religion to maintain followers for thousands of years. What these three Psalms display is the notion that sometimes the worshippers need to profess their beliefs out loud in the form of song as a means of absorbing what is taught. Yes, on the surface, the Psalms appear to speak to God directly but it is a common Judeo-Christian belief that God lives in all of us. As a result, it becomes important to verbally affirm one’s belief so in order to remember why people believe. Whether it is disavowing material gain, dealing with internal or external demons, or remembering that God never abandons us, the Psalms provide a clear message of hope that we sometimes forget. Therein is a very important component of the Psalms: the Psalms prevent us from forgetting the reason for the faith. Of course, the Psalms are open to wide interpretation. However, the timelessness of the Psalms is without question and their purpose for existence is clearly understood.