Calculating Reading Level With the Flesch-Kincaid Scale

Are you writing at an appropriate grade level? There are several scales and calculations used to determine the readability or grade level of a piece of writing. One of the most common scales is the Flesch-Kincaid scale. You can determine the Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level of a paper you’ve written easily in Microsoft Word. There is a tool for this that you access from your menu bar. You can either calculate an entire paper, or you can highlight a section and then calculate it. Steps Go to TOOLS and select OPTIONS and SPELLING GRAMMARSelect the box CHECK GRAMMAR WITH SPELLINGSelect the box SHOW READABILITY STATISTICS and select OKAYTo generate the readability statistic now, select SPELLING AND GRAMMAR from the toolbar at the top of the page. The tool will go through its recommended changes and provide readability statistics at the end You can use a formula to calculate the Flesch-Kincaid reading level on your own. This is a good tool to determine whether a book is going to challenge you Calculating Readability of Your Writing Select a few paragraphs to use as your baseCalculate the average number of words per sentence. Multiply the result by 0.39Calculate the average number of syllables in words (count and divide) Multiply the result by 11.8Add the two results togetherSubtract 15.59 The result will be a number that equates to a grade level. For example, a 6.5 is a sixth-grade reading level result.

William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1595 Words

During the mid 20th century behavioral research was a newly developed field, psychologists were intent on proving their study to the scientific community and in their ambition often disregarded or suppressed things that they could not calculate or quantify. Psychology came to view things like familial love as harmful and, as a result, 1950’s parenting guides, mother’s associations and medical experts rang with warnings against showing affection toward children, they stated that doing so spread disease and caused mental health issues. Government-issued brochures advised mothers and fathers to â€Å"never kiss a baby† and to not â€Å"rock or play with children†. The director of the American Psychological Association warned â€Å"when you are tempted to pet your child, remember that mother love is a dangerous instrument†. Until later experiments in psychology were able to demonstrate the importance of parental love, the beliefs held by the majority di rectly clashed with the unconditional affection parents hold for their children. In the renowned play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the contrasting desires of society, and of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two young lovers from feuding households in Italy, lead the couple to fall in love, marry and ultimately commit dual suicide. During Romeo and Juliet’s short but emotionally charged romance, the couple’s infatuation for each other is constantly put at odds with social norms and regulations. Characters, including Juliet Capulet,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1287 Words   |  6 PagesLizzy Baginski English Composition 2 Mr. Spera March 10, 2015 Romeo and Juliet Research Paper The movie Romeo and Juliet is a modern classic film that took place in 1996. Overall this is a timeless story that everyone should go and watch. This movie has an intriguing plot line that tells the story of two feuding families, The Montagues and The Capulets, and how the children of these two different families fall in love. The two children overcome various obstacles such as hiding their chemistry fromRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet 966 Words   |  4 Pages Beauty Over Gold â€Å"Beauty provoketh thieves sooner than gold.--William Shakespeare, 1623. In his book As You Like It, William Shakespeare pointed out the supremacy of love rather than the want of gold and wealth. Truly, beauty is more important to thieves than wealth. Many of the thieves in this world would rather have an elegant woman than to obtain precious rubies. After all, what good is a prosperous man if he doesn’t have a charming woman? Two famous men grab my attention who didn’t fear forRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet Essay1024 Words   |  5 PagesRomeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. The plot is based on an ItalianRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1124 Words   |  5 PagesThe play Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare s most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based onRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet861 Words   |  4 Pagesgreatly shown in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was love at first sight with Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. Meeting at a party and falling in love to get married without even spending quality time with each other. Romeo and Juliet couldn t tell there parents because the Capulets and Montagues are long term rivals. Both Romeo and Juliet had to find different ways and excuses to make this marriage work. A big problem was developed. Romeo kills Juliet s cousin and is banishedRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1770 Words   |  8 Pagesof Romeo and Juliet. The story of two destined lovers who were killed by their own doing. But what if they weren t two destined lovers who got unlucky, but doomed partners that were never going to have a good-life to begin with.William Sha kespeare gives us a view of early signs of gang conflict in the early age of Verona, Italy. He gives us a perspective of the norms and customs of Italy during the Setting of William Shakespeare s most famous story. Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, givesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1616 Words   |  7 Pageslove can also cause some of life s most controversial battles. These battles could stem from lack of patience, disagreement of moral values, and in some cases, an absence of attraction overall. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the issues that drive Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet s to each of their dreadful misfortunes are inevitable. When it comes to many of Shakespeare s plays, Aristotle s theory is used to describe them as tragedies. Romeo and Juliet is known by many as a tragedyRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1264 Words   |  6 Pagestheater-going public the most important dramatist in English literature, Shakespeare oc cupies a well-known position in the world of talented authors. His canon contains thirty-seven plays, written in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Additionally, throughout the years, they continue to sustain critical attention, with the majority of his works circling tragedies, one being Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet speaks to the timeless appeal of star-crossed lovers. Their loveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet924 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that follows the so-called love of two teenagers. The two fall in love at a masked ball and have a secret marriage. Throughout the play, their actions show how ridiculous love is, and how it is a danger to anyone who become twisted in its choking grasp. However, in the death of the youth and survival of the elders, an alternative explanation for the tragic events may be found. Although Shakespeare seems to be mocking love throughout the play, itRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1279 Words   |  6 Pagesour lives. The great, classic writers teach timeless, valuable life skills. Shakespeare was the greatest writer of all time. His writings mainly consisted of dramas and sonnets. Romeo and Juliet, as well as, A MIdsummer Night’s Dream were written about the same time period. He was able to inter relate everything that wrote. For example, the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe could possibly be an advertisement for Romeo and Juliet. The basic structure of the two dramas is the same; two forbidden lovers meet

Global Financial System for Critical Audit Matter -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theGlobal Financial System for Critical Audit Matter. Answer: Introduction This assignment is about the recently changed audit models of the U.S public accounting oversight board. The changed model now requires the auditors to present the high risk area of business in the audit report itself. An auditor is a person, who inspects the accounts of the company or an organization and detects if there is any wrong entry of financial or non financial transactions has been done or skipped purposely to bring the actual true financial condition or financial report of the company to the interested peoples(Glenda Marty, 2010). An audit is done by a certified accountant or an auditor, in this assignment we are going to discuss in detail the need of auditing and the auditing models changed in the PCAOB. Key Changes to Audit Report with Focus on Similarities As Well As Any Differences The international auditing and assurance standards board (IAASB) is an international auditing standard body that is working internationally. This body of international auditing standards was set in 1978 march, and it is working on stabilizing the global financial system, enhancing the role, relevance and quality of assurance and implementation of auditing standards(Philips, 2014). The public company accounting board is similar to that of IAASB; however it is a private sector and a nonprofit corporation that works in keeping an eye on the work of the public companies to protect the interest of the investors(Mehta, 2013). Recently the PCAOB has made some changes into the auditing report models, these changes suggested that the auditors have to disclose the areas of high audit risk to in the audit report. The recent changes of the PCAOB now require the auditors report to be more specific and more relevant and to provide more additional information about the audit to the client. The newl y developed standard now requires the auditor to communicate the critical audit matters (CAM) for audits that are conducted under the standards of PCAOB. Critical audit matter (CAM) are the matters that comes out while conducting an audit and these matters are now according to the new changes are required to be communicated to the client. An auditor for determining the critical audit matters will require working upon the audit risk assessment, unusual significant transactions etc. if in case there are no critical audit matters the auditor will prepare a disclosure stating that no critical audit matter occurred while conducting the audit(Sherlotte, 2015). Another change that has been made by the public company accounting oversight board is that, the auditor now will have to state that when and in which year the audit began and when it ending it comes under the tenure. Third major change made in by PCAOB is the independence of the auditor; this change means that the audit report will include a statement stating that the auditor must be independent. Another major change is the address; the auditors report will be addressed to the companys share holders and to the board of directors(Katz, 2017). Now if we talk about the similarities or the differences between the standards of the international auditing assurance standard board and the public company accounting oversight board then these are as follow: We will first talk about the similarities between the IAASB and the PCAOB(Hesabras, 2017): KAM/CAM is those matters that arise when the audit is conducted by a certified auditor and these matters are of much importance for the company that the auditor wants to put before everything. Now there is a similarity between this standard of IAASB PCAOB as both states that KAM/CAM requires to put forward matters of more importance in the auditing report and there is also a similarity of preparing the pattern of the KAM/CAM in the IAASB and PCAOB. Documentation of important or critical matters is required under IAASB and PCAOB, whether or not the matter is considered to be a KAM/CAM. Similarity here is that both the auditing standard bodies requires to document matters that are of significant nature. The ordering of basis for opinion and opinion section in IAASB is done by presenting opinion section first following to it the basis for opinion section, in PCAOB the ordering is of basis of opinion and opinion section is as same as international auditing and assurance standard board. Now we will talk about the differences between the IAASB PCAOB standards: The tenure of the auditors is not being disclosed in the IAASB, whereas the date of starting the tenure of the auditor needs to be disclosed in the report in public company accounting oversight board. In IAASB the responsibilities of the auditor are expanded, these responsibilities needs to be prepared in a separate section of auditors report. While if we talk about Public company accounting oversight board, the responsibilities of the auditors needs to be mentioned not in a separate section but in a the basis of opinion section. Reasons/Motivation for the Changes The changes made in the auditing models of PCAOB are made for the first time in the 70 years since its establishment. This is the first and the most important motivation or the reason behind the changes made to the audit report by the PCAOB. The investors of the firm seek for more and more information from the company about its profits or loss and about other things as well. The members of PCAOB said in a statement that the main purpose of changing the audit report was to prepare informative, accurate and independent audit reports. Impact of the changes in Audit Reporting The changes made in public company accounting oversight board will pump life into the audit reports made by the auditors and the investors will get all the information they have been asking from the auditors from a long time(R.Doty, 2017). The changes are likely to protect the interest of the investors by providing them an accurate and an appropriate report about the financial condition of the firm. These changes made in the PCAOB models for auditing will not only protect the interest of the investors but it is going to increase the working responsibilities of the investors and more transparency will come into the process of auditing. Bibliography Glenda Marty. (2010). The Work responsibilities of an Auditor (Vol. 1). Bath: London Works and Press. Hesabras. (2017, July 1). Retrieved July 1, 2017, from Hesabras: https://www.hesabras.com/Content/media/filepool3/2017/8/569.pdf Katz, D. M. (2017, June 1). CFO. Retrieved 2014 5, 2015, from An Agryle Company : https://ww2.cfo.com/auditing/2017/06/pcaob-auditors-report/ lotey, i. (2010). skill in businesses. In g. garg, business skills (pp. 145-166). Garg Publishers. Mehta, H. (2013). Changes Made in the Auditing Structure of the PCAOB. In J. Harish, The Standards of PCAOB (pp. 119-130). Amsterdam: Geo Publishers. Philips, J. M. (2014). The Standards of IAASB. In D. o. board, Australian Auditing (13th ed., pp. 85-112). sydney: Wolter Kluver. R.Doty, J. (2017, June 1). PCAOB. Retrieved 2017 2017, from Public Company Accounting Oversight Board: https://pcaobus.org/News/Releases/Pages/auditors-report-standard-adoption-6-1-17.aspx Reserve Bank of Australia. (2017). Retrieved September 2017, from https://www.rba.gov.au/monetary-policy/about.html Sherlotte, D. (2015). New Auditing Standards. New York Business world , 5 (115), 10.

War Violence free essay sample

The word war defines a state of armed conflicts between nations or groups. It’s the activity of fighting. War is a vicious circle. A war never is big when it starts. In reality, it will grow by time. A small problem may cause a war, which is full of horror. It can be a quarrel, grudge, misunderstanding, murder, illegal act or a mistake which may start a problem. It will grow big gradually and eventually, it would bring up a war and make separation between nations or groups. Perhaps, there’s possibility for it to be between communities or among them. The same activities caused war even in the early ancient times. Maybe, the wars during then weren’t for a long period of time. Even though, it was total violence. It’s very clear that this dangerous act had its proceedings since then. In fact, warfare developed in technology, step by step from every age. We will write a custom essay sample on War Violence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Unlike from those days, in these few centuries, war and acts of violence didn’t or do not take place in reserved areas for battling. During the World Wars, almost the whole world had to be cautious about its happenings. All days and nights, war victims, the people who weren’t involved in war had to be attentive about the attacks to protect themselves. They had their fearful thoughts at the top. Overall, ordinary people are affected mostly. Meanwhile, war doesn’t stand as there procedure to find a solution for their problems. Also they do not desire it. The poor ones are happened to die for no reason but war. When we talk about war regarding the people, it’s an act full of violence, tremendous destruction, no mercy, never leave a sign of relief, injustice, hard even to wonder about finding peace. A war in its best would result a big destruction. Even a victory would bring gladness in the least for that particular team, group or community etc. as they miss so many things; lose the lives of their companions, miss the families, losing property and other lacking for a better future. In fact, the whole country has to experience the pathetic situations. But, after all, when the war has come to an end, in the sides of the groups involved in war, there’s no use for them to regret about all the damages caused by the war. Specially, by the people who were reasons for a war. Anyway, war can be stopped by living with the tastes of different lives. We can stop entanglement by war and violence and bring up a united world. Be free from brutality by seeking peace.

The Culture of Being a Police Officer †Criminal Justice Essay

The Culture of Being a Police Officer – Criminal Justice Essay Free Online Research Papers The Culture of Being a Police Officer Criminal Justice Essay Our text explains that the police culture is often described as isolationist, elitist and authoritarians. â€Å"According to the conventional wisdom, the police culture consists of a set of values, attitudes and norms that are widely shared among officers, who find in the culture a way to cope with the strains of their working environment† (263). Growing up in a military family, the feeling is much the same. I feel as if we have a community of our own. To me the job of a soldier is of honor and strength, a job that speaks pride. Police culture is sustained through the way new members are selected, trained, and accepted into the police ranks. By being put through a rigorous selection process, an individual is subjecting themselves to a group or organization in which is the beginning of the police cultural assimilation. A considerable amount of police research over the past thirty years has chronicled the tendency for police to become isolated. Isolated from previous friends, isolated from the community, isolated from the legal system, and even isolated from their spouses and families (Drummond, 1976 and Skolnick, 1966). Police impose social isolation upon themselves as a means of protection against real and perceived dangers, loss of personal and professional autonomy, and social rejection (Skolnick, 1966). Skolnick found. The element of danger is generally credited with causing officers to be suspicious. In an attempt to be attentive to any possible violence the officer becomes generally suspicious of everyone. Likewise, many officers begin to distance themselves from previous friends as they do not seem to understand and appreciate the rigors of being a cop. Administrative factors such as shift work, days off during the week, and court time tend to isolate the officer from persons other than other police. Police also become isolated due to their authority. One impact is the potential that isolation provides for officers to engage in deviant behavior. An area that has been the subject of concern by the courts, legislatures, and citizens is that of the amount of discretion that police officers have in administering the laws. The reason for concern has been that bias on the part of individual officers can result in a wide variance as to how laws are administered. Leadership can begin to change the culture of isolation on the individual level by breaking down the culture of isolation on the organizational level. Police isolation tends to build an arrogant attitude towards dealing with criticisms and complaints (pamij.com/harrison.html). Cultural characteristics are the man-made aspects of social organization, as distinct from structural institutions, but both structure and culture influence personality and behavior. As the Anthropological Concepts of Academic Studies of Police Culture, Worldview is a mentality or cognitive orientation involving how people see themselves and see others. This is when Officer’s begin to segregate themselves from the public. They are no longer able to identify with the civilian style of life. The Officer’s begin to cling to and depend on each other for support and a style of living. The Ethos is the idea of a spirit or force in the organization that reflects an unwritten value system. This is that spirit that comes with the Officer in uniform. There is a code that can not be broken it is as if they exist within themselves. Almost as if they are their own gang and they come with many strengths and courageous acts. The Theme is the idea of a belief system that regulates or guides the kinds of relationships or social interactions that people have inside and outside of their culture. An Officer continues to live the cop life inside the uniform and outside the uniform. He always remains looking over his soldier, as if he is among enemies. The Postulates are beliefs that integrate the people in the culture (http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/205/205lect02.htm). In conclusion, there are a range of negative and positive beliefs that go with the police community and culture. A lot of those negatives have a lot to do with police segregating themselves from the rest of the world. They make themselves seem untouchable. Of course, it has to be this way being that they do fall under an elite group of people with extreme circumstances to the work they perform. Because of this untouchable appearance, it is understandable to assume that police officers must stick together and rely on one another, for they are only understood by each other. The text speaks of the fact that conflict can occur between officers who see themselves as crime fighters and those who prefer the social-service role, despite this conflict they still remain a force to be reckoned with and they will remain together. Harrison, Stephen J. Police Organizational Culture: Using Ingrained Values To Build Positive Organizational Improvement pamij.com/harrison.html Police Culture and Behavior http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/205/205lect02.htm Research Papers on The Culture of Being a Police Officer - Criminal Justice EssayUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Fifth Horseman19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenQuebec and CanadaCapital PunishmentInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito

Toltec Empire - Semi-Mythical Legend of the Aztecs

Toltec Empire - Semi-Mythical Legend of the Aztecs The Toltecs and the Toltec Empire is a semi-mythical legend reported by the Aztecs that appears to have had some reality in prehispanic Mesoamerica. But the evidence for its existence as a cultural entity is conflicting and contradictory. The empire, if thats what it was (and it probably was not), has been at the heart of a longstanding debate in archaeology: where is the ancient city of Tollan, a city described by the Aztecs in oral and pictorial histories as the center of all art and wisdom? And who were the Toltecs, the legendary rulers of this glorious city? The Aztec Myth Aztec oral histories and their surviving codexes describe the Toltecs as wise, civilized, wealthy urban people  who lived in Tollan, a city filled with buildings made of jade and gold. The Toltecs, said the historians, invented all the arts and sciences of Mesoamerica, including the Mesoamerican calendar; they were led by their wise king Quetzalcoatl. For the Aztecs, the Toltec leader was the ideal ruler, a noble warrior who was learned in the history and priestly duties of Tollan, and had the qualities of military and commercial leadership. The Toltec rulers led a warrior society that included a storm god (Aztec  Tlaloc or Maya  Chaac), with Quetzalcoatl at the heart of the origin myth. The Aztec leaders claimed they were descendants of the Toltec leaders, establishing a semi-divine right to rule. The Myth of Quetzalcoatl The Aztec accounts of the Toltec myth say that Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl [reported by the Aztecs in the 15th century to have been born in the year 1 Reed, 843 AD and died 52 years later in the year 1 Reed, 895], was a wise, old humble king who taught his people to write and measure time, to work gold, jade and feathers, to grow cotton, dye it and weave it into fabulous mantles, and to raise maize and cacao. He built four houses for fasting and prayer and a temple with beautiful columns carved with serpent reliefs. But his piety excited anger among the sorcerers of Tollan, who were intent on destroying his people. The sorcerers tricked Quetzalcoatl into drunken behavior that shamed him so he fled east, reaching the edge of the sea. There, dressed in divine feathers and a turquoise mask, he burned himself up and rose into the sky, becoming the morning star. Aztec accounts dont all agree: at least one says that Quetzalcoatl destroyed Tollan as he left, burying all the marvelous things and burning everything else. He changed the cacao trees to mesquite and sent the birds to Anahuac, another legendary land at the edge of the water. The story as recounted by Bernardino Sahagunwho certainly had his own agendasays that Quetzalcoatl fashioned a raft of serpents and sailed across the sea. Sahagun was a Spanish Franciscan friar, and he and other chroniclers are today believed to have created the myth associating Quetzalcoatl with the conquistador  Cortesbut thats another story. Toltecs and Desirà ©e Charnay The site of Tula in Hidalgo state was first equated with Tollan in the archaeological sense in the late 19th centurythe Aztecs were ambivalent about which set of ruins was Tollan, although Tula was certainly one. French expeditionary photographer Desirà ©e Charnay raised money to follow the legendary journey of Quetzalcoatl from Tula eastward to the Yucatan peninsula. When he arrived at the Maya capital of Chichà ©n Itz, he noticed serpent columns and a ball court ring that reminded him of those he had seen at Tula, 1300 kilometers (800 miles) northwest of Chichen. Charnay had read the 16th century Aztec accounts and noted that the Toltec were thought by the Aztecs to have created civilization, and he interpreted the architectural and stylistic similarities to mean that the capital city of the Toltecs  was Tula, with Chichen Itza its remote and conquered colony; and by the 1940s, a majority of archaeologists did too. But since that time, archaeological and historical evidence has shown that to be problematic. Problems, and a Trait List There are lots of problems trying to associate Tula or any other specific set of ruins as Tollan. Tula was fairly large but it didnt have much control over its close neighbors, let alone long distances. Teotihuacan, which definitely was large enough to be reckoned an empire, was long gone by the 9th century. There are lots of places throughout Mesoamerica with linguistic references to Tula or Tollan or Tullin or Tulan: Tollan Chollolan is the full name for Cholula, for example, which has some Toltec aspects. The word seems to mean something like place of reeds. And even though the characteristic traits identified as Toltec appear at many sites along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere, there isnt much evidence for military conquest; the adoption of Toltec traits appears to have been selective, rather than imposed. Traits identified as Toltec include temples with colonnaded galleries; tablud-tablero architecture; chacmools and ball courts; relief sculptures with various versions of the mythical Quetzalcoatl jaguar-serpent-bird icon; and relief images of predatory animals and raptorial birds holding human hearts. There are also atlantean pillars with images of men in the Toltec military outfit (also seen in chacmools): wearing pillbox helmets and butterfly-shaped pectorals and carrying atlatls. There is also a form of government that is part of the Toltec package, a council-based government rather than a centralized kingship, but where that arose is anybodys guess. Some of the Toltec traits can be traced to the Early Classic period, of 4th century AD or even earlier. Current Thinking It seems clear that although there is no real consensus among the archaeological community about the existence of a single Tollan or a specific Toltec Empire that can be identified, there was some sort of inter-regional flow of ideas throughout Mesoamerica that archaeologists have named Toltec. Its possible, perhaps likely, that much of that flow of ideas came about as a byproduct of the establishment of inter-regional trade networks, trade networks including such materials as obsidian and salt which were established by the 4th century AD (and probably much earlier) but really kicked into gear after the fall of Teotihuacan in 750 AD. So, the word Toltec should be removed from the word empire, certainly: and perhaps the best way to look at the concept is as a Toltec ideal, an art style, philosophy and form of government that acted as the exemplary center of all that was perfect and longed for by the Aztecs, an ideal echoed at other sites and cultures throughout Mesoamerica. Sources This article is part of the About.com guide to Aztecs, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. The collected articles in Kowaleski and Kristan-Graham (2011), based on a Dumbarton Oaks symposium, are highly recommended for getting a grasp on the Toltecs. Berdan FF. 2014. Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory. New York: Cambridge University Press. Coggins C. 2002. Toltec. RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics 42(Autumn, 2002):34-85. Gillespie S. 2011. Toltics, Tula, and Chichà ©n Itz: The Development of an Archaeological Myth. In: Kowalski JK, and Kristan-Graham C, editors. Twin Tollans: Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and the Epiclassic to Early Postclassic Mesoamerican World. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks. p 85-127. Kepecs SM. 2011. Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and the Epiclassic/Early Postclassic Mesoamerican World System. In: Kowalski JK, and Kristan-Graham C, editors. Twin Tollans: Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and the Epiclassic to Early Postclassic Mesoamerican World. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks. p 130-151. Kowalski JK, and Kristan-Graham C. 2007. Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and Tollan: Chaning Perspectives on a Recurring Problem in Mesoamerican Archaeology and Art History. In: Kowalski JK, and Kristan-Graham C, editors. Twin Tollans: Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and the Epiclassic to Early Postclassic Mesoamerican World. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks. p 13-83. Kowalski JK, and Kristan-Graham C, editors. 2011. Twin Tollans: Chichà ©n Itz, Tula and the Epiclassic to Early Postclassic Mesoamerican World. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks. Ringle WM, Gallareta Negron T, and Bey GJ. 1998. The return of Quetzalcoatl: Evidence for the spread of a world religion during the Epiclassic period. Ancient Mesoamerica 9:183-232. Smith ME. 2016. Toltec Empire. In: MacKenzie JM, editor. The Encyclopedia of Empire. London: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Smith ME. 2011. The Aztecs, 3rd edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Smith ME. 2003. Comments on the historicity of Topoilzin Quetzalcoatl, Tollan, and the Toltecs. Nahua Newsletter.

The Moment of Truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Moment of Truth - Essay Example and extending the service life of the long-term assets of the infrastructure, which are essential in maintaining quality of life in a society, as well as mainstreaming the economy. There are various studies that have indicated that the implementation of the Municipal Infrastructure Asset management System in the UAE faces a myriad of challenges. However, these studies did not seek to provide a backup for this connotation. Perhaps, their failure to do this might be attributed to the fact that the complexity and magnitude of challenges that face the financial and physical aspects of the civil infrastructure systems, which have been supporting the traditional lifestyles of communities in the world is quite complex and significant. Considering the fact that the historical management practices have failed to support the expected levels of infrastructural services on sustainable basis, there is need to consider improving approaches for managing the infrastructure perhaps through implementi ng systems such as the Municipal Infrastructure Asset Management. However, the biggest challenge as far as the UAE is concerned has not been on the employability of this systems and whether or not the system can work. The challenge has been identifying all the possible changes but rather the inherent factors that come into play making the implementation process to be somewhat challenging. After many years of capital investment in the infrastructure in Europe, as well as in the United States, the need to make sure such infrastructure are sustained has not worked following the many mounting challenges attributed to it. Among the current duress include political pressures to have the public spending reduced, tight local and state budget, and the deferral of the required maintenance funding. It has been noted that progressive aging capital, the parochial statuses, as well as the interest groups have become a major hindrance to flexible procurement strategies. Moreover, the rise of the

The brand strategies which Toyota May Adopt to improve tarnished brand Essay - 2

The brand strategies which Toyota May Adopt to improve tarnished brand image - Essay Example The domestic markets have turned into global markets that heightened competition rivalry among existing domestic and new multinational enterprises. Since last two decades, the society has been experiencing a rapid technological improvement. The technological advancements have led to change the structure of entire trade and business. The management tasks and operational process are now backed with technology like e-commerce and e-business. A better grip of technological advancement helps a business organisation to gain an upper hand position. Finally, enhancing economic condition of consumers and increasing their disposable income have strengthened their purchasing power. This has also changed their consumer buying behaviours and they have developed their specific brand preferences (Vashisht, 2005, p.68). In the modern and competitive business world, business organisations always try to position itself in market for avoiding unnecessary competitions. In this process they aim to achiev e strong competitive advantages and core competencies that enable them to gain upper hand position in the market. ... her explains that the objective of branding is not just to protect yourself as being better than your competitors, but branding seeks to position your brand so uniquely in the minds of your consumers so that they perceive your product as the only possible solution to your problem or need (Morita, 2010). The objectives of good branding are as follows: Deliver message clearly Confirm credibility Connect target prospects emotionally Motivates buyers Concretes User Loyalty The increasing demands of brand development is due to two primary factors i.e. urge for acquiring higher market share and increasing concern towards consumer value (Verma, 2009). The modern management style and thought process of decision makers have transformed. The modern management concept focuses more on long term benefits by creating a sustainable businesses environment where stakeholders’ wealth and value creation is the first priority. When a company is able to meet these responsibilities towards stakehol ders, society, community and environment, it is able to create a high brand image in the market. Managements in modern organisation culture follow management theories and models which are very effective in achieving common organisational goal. In this respect, they concentrate on two-way communicational system within cross-functional teams and with their consumers. For example, the existing management system deliberately tries to implement integrated marketing communication that focuses on better marketing strategy for enhancing consumer values. These efforts made by the modern managements are very helpful in brand development and hence, they try to draft specific plans for branding strategies (Hitt et al 2009). Recently in 2010, Toyota faced a great deal of tarnishing of its brand image because

Single Unemployed Mothers (Demographic Paper) Essay Example for Free

Single Unemployed Mothers (Demographic Paper) Essay A mother is a tough job at hand, but thinks for a second about a mother who is unemployed as well as a mother with an absent parent; the issue is many within one. The state of Michigan is experiencing an all-time high increase of unemployed people, suffering in poverty. The question at hand is how the demographic issue is affecting the society, relatively the health care market. Identify target population The demographics of the topic; single unemployed mothers within our nation as of 2008 were 84. 5 million and 9.9million were single moms with no help from the absent parent, according to the 2008 Census Bureau. However a single unemployed mother in Michigan has been, and is currently a huge growing issue. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the highest unemployed mothers are the minority, African Americans women, and Hispanic women. The report stated which single unemployed African American mothers increase within June till July from 11.8 percent to 12.9 percent; whereas the statistics for single unemployed Hispanics were 11 percent to 12.1 percent. The following statistics is based within the demographic population of the state of Michigan. However when you break the statistics down to a city, the numbers seems closer to reality. In saying you’re able to comprehend the issue at hand a bit more Maternal and Infant Well-Being Michigan. (2011, July 8). Gathered Information about the Population Statistics on single unemployed mothers within in the city of Grand Rapids Michigan reports, from the Institute for Research on Poverty states that the increase of poverty is rising extremely high in Grand Rapids. The League of Human Services states that 40% of births in Grand Rapids are to unwed mothers researched in 2010. However the percentage has increased from 2010 to 2012 by 20 percent. This goes into explaining the demographics further, in which reports out of every 3 births, 2 of which are to an unwed moms aging in her early 20’s Mothers by the Numbers. (2012, September 17). Demographics effects the HealthCare market According to the Kids Count of Michigan, unmarried woman are more likely to give birth into poverty, born in poverty may lead to health problems as well as educational problems. Living within poverty affects the person enduring the process as well as others. Being poor and less unfortunate affects the healthcare economy, by increasing the dollar amount for healthcare coverage. Not only does it increase the dollar amount for covering services/ treatments for those that are not able to afford, but it also puts a demand on the services, the physicians, and providers. The increase of Medicaid is looking as if we may enter a debt that no one is ready for. The demand for healthcare is vital, the government is doing the best to their ability, and however it is making younger people with a job work harder. As a result of them working harder, the taxes they pay into is going to those that are less fortunate. In my opinion to this topic, I’m fearful that the government is paying close a ttention to our debt and healthcare needs, and am totally excluding the attention our education needs. Overall the general effect of single unemployed mothers have on the healthcare market is that, because of the current demographics of the population the healthcare market has to work harder to stay out of debt. Changes in the population may help the healthcare market In 2009 Obama stated that he wanted to set up a plan to target the Department of Education to increase the financial aid packages for unemployed people so that they can get ahead, while still unemployed. The plan was to increase the pell-grant, so that the people that qualify can have extra funds to care for other things such as medical and housing expenses. The pell-grant was to increase from $500 to $5,350 as of May 2009. It three years later and Obama kept his word, however it has not drastically made a difference in Michigan. Michigan has made changes far as programs reaching out to help single unemployed mothers, such as Michigan Works/educational programs, food assistance programs, housing assistance, and also funding to cover child care expenses. Michigan Works is an education program that provides educational job trainings, skill building, it is an overall resource center. The food assistant program provided by the Human Services grant, is a program in which provides an additional funds to those that qualify for more food funding for their child within the school year, as well as the summer. Housing assistant is a program that provides housing expense vouchers, to cover the funding of rent to those that qualify. However this particular program is tedious, the waiting list to receive such a voucher is extremely high, the wait on some list are years behind. So in saying the changes that have been made are not helping the healthcare market by much. Identify HealthCare Related Changes Some changes that have been identified within Grand Rapids due to the issue of single unemployed mothers are longer lines in the emergency rooms, the increase amount of citizens on Medicaid, the increase amount of discrimination from providers because of Medicaid, and lastly the cost of them both. The increase of emergency room visits is due to the fact that so many people lack healthcare coverage, in a result of the E.R visit is due to having no family physician. The second healthcare related change that has been identified is, the increasing amount of citizens applying for Medicaid. The demand of Medicaid is so high, that the government is screening everyone to figure out who needs the assistant the most. Can you imagine someone getting declined for coverage, due to the fact that the government may assume that he or she can afford to pay other healthcare insurance rather than governmental assistance? What if this person is overlooked and their assistance went to an illegal immigrant, but in actuality they really needed the help, but were overlooked! Providers are now discriminating against those that have Medicaid. Providers are screening the intake of those that have governmental funding due to the fact that the expenses the government is willing to pay, is far from the rate they charge. So in saying when they accept a patient who has Medicaid they are losing money Michigan State Medical Society Legislative Meeting (2013, February 13). A Chronic Disease Wellness Program Conducting a chronic disease wellness program may affect the demographic cost, in a positive way. Most wellness programs are free of charge, so it would not hurt for a single unemployed mom to attend a program of such. The program of educating mothers of such a thing may bring the healthcare cost down. Practicing good eating and exercising habits may bring the emergency visits down, in which will bring the demand of services down. Not only is this programming an incentive for the economy, but it is also a networking incentive for employment. When people gather together you may not know who is among you that can help the next person. Marketing Needs Dealing with such a demographic as this, marketing to this type of population tells us that it would have to be creative. Marketing by telephone or the internet may be tricking, due to the fact that the population is a single unemployed parent. Having a telephone and or the internet is not at the top of the priority list, so in saying many may not posse these things. So advertising and marketing should be by mail, on the news, and visual billboards. Addressing Challenges to the population The society could continue to express the issues about single unemployed mothers. Not only to continue to get the word out about the struggle their enduring but stressing the fact that employment is needed in this area of Grand Rapids Michigan. In conclusion, it is noble to help those in need. Being a mother is a tough job at hand, but think for a second about a mother that is unemployed as well as a mother with an absent parent; the issue is many within one. The state of Michigan is experiencing an all-time high increase of unemployed people, suffering in poverty. The question at hand is how the demographic issue is affecting the society, relatively the healthcare market. The moral of the reading is how can you play a part or how can u be a servant of God and help those who are less fortunate than you? Reference Page Unemployment hits single mothers, minority women hardest. (2010, August 24). Retrieved from MLIVE Grand Rapids Press website: http://www.mlive.com/news/grandrapids/index.ssf/2010/08/unemployment_hits_single_mothe.html Michigan State Medical Society Legislative Meeting. (2013, February 13). Retrieved from Kent County Medical Society Allience website: http://www.kcmsalliance.org/legislative.html Mothers by the Numbers. (2012, September 17). Retrieved from Info Please website: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/momcensus1.html Maternal and Infant Well-Being Michigan. (2011, July 8). Retrieved from Institute of Research Poverty website: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/dispatch/2011/07/08/maternal-and-infant-well-being-michigan

The Holocaust :: Holocaust Essays, The Nazis

When I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I was sickened to learn of horrifying Nazi activities intended to improve the Aryan race and to learn about the human body.ï ¿ ½ While many people are aware that the Nazis had these goals, most are uninformed of the means used to reach them.ï ¿ ½ I was also ignorant of the extent of their attempts to establish themselves as ideal specimens of the human race.ï ¿ ½ They used many unforgivable methods to accomplish these aims, some of which were revealed to me during my visit to the museum. The Nazis attempted to create a master race through both vicious and less cruel means.ï ¿ ½ Before my visit to the museum, I was unaware that the Nazis had a program for forced sterilization for those who had genetic disorders or any traits that were undesirable to be passed down hereditarily (Holocaust Museum).ï ¿ ½ These included the mentally ill, the blind, the deaf, those with severe physical abnormalities, serious alcoholics, and Germans that were half-African (Holocaust Museum).ï ¿ ½ The sterilization of these people was legalized by the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring, which took effect in 1933 (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ Cases were heard by courts, but the vast majority of cases ended in the order to sterilize (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ It is estimated that 300,000 Germans were forcibly sterilized by Nazi demand (Holocaust Museum).ï ¿ ½ Similar programs were in effect elsewhere in the world, including the United States (ï ¿ ½De adly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ A law was implemented in Virginia allowing forced sterilization of ï ¿ ½feeblemindedï ¿ ½ people, and it was judged legal by the Supreme Court (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ Euthanasia was also used by the Nazis to eliminate these people, even children (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ Parents of the euthanized children were told that they had died from other causes, even though the children were murdered in hospitals (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ Less severe methods of creating a perfect race included the Nuremberg Laws, which outlawed marriages between Jews and Germans, and the encouragement of large Aryan families with the ï ¿ ½Honor Cross of German Motherhood,ï ¿ ½ where mothers of four or more were given medals (ï ¿ ½Deadly Medicineï ¿ ½).ï ¿ ½ I was stunned to learn the extent of the Nazisï ¿ ½ actions that were intended to create a perfect race, and I was sickened to think that the Nazis might have committed further crimes s uch as these that are still unknown to the public. The Nazis also performed cruel medical experiments on Jewish prisoners, both living and dead.

Ap Economics

Component #1: Terms scarcity-The basic condolence problem that arises because people have unlimited wants but resources are limited. Americans In recent years had to cut back on lavish goods because of the scarcity of money. Economics- The science that deals with the production, dilutions, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind. Economics involves many issues in the economy of the country and world, from politics to money. Efficiency-A broad term that implies an economic state in which every resource is optimally allocated to serve each person in the best way while minimizing waste and Inefficiency.Economic efficiency can be used In microeconomics when discussing p rod Lice Equity- The property tot distributing economic prosperity fairly among the members of society. If the rich contribute more In taxes, there would be a bigger distribution of equity. Opportunity Cost- The money or other benefits lost when pursuing a particular course tot action I nstead tot a mutually-exclusive alternative. Our companies 3rd quarter opportunity costs were extensive and will take awhile to recover Incentive-A cost or benefit that motivates a decision or action by consumers, businesses, or other participants In the economy.The Incentive for a new CEO turned UT to be quite beneficial. Productivity-A measure relating a quantity or quality tot output to the inputs required to produce It. If productivity continues to fall, our profits will soon follow. Inflation-The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, subsequently, purchasing power Is falling. The current low Interest rates for bank loans risks Inflation of the dollar. Business Cycle- A cycle or series tot cycles tot economic expansion and contraction.The current business cycle Is bad, leading the CEO to make a few cutbacks Microeconomics-The part of economics about single factors and the effects of individual decisions. Microeconomics can be applied in budgets, businesses, politics, and finances to determine trends of Individual consumers. Macroeconomics-The part of economics concerned with large-scale or general economic factors, such as Interest rates and national productivity. When seen on a macroeconomic point tot view, nigh productivity can boost, rather than reduce, economic growth.Demand-An economic principle that describes a consumer's desire and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service. As Apple moves forward in revolutionize electronics, the demand for their products rises. Supply-A fundamental economic concept that describes the total amount of a specific DOD or service that is available to consumers. The high supply of oil was beneficial to the economy due to the sudden decrease of foreign oil imports. Component #2: Problems 1) Describe some trade-offs faced by each of the following: a) A family deciding whether to buy a new car.A family that is deciding to buy a car might have to face, depending on t he expense of the car and financial status of the family, major cut backs on money to afford it. These cutbacks might affect unnecessary things like: dining out, doing expensive activities, vacations, etc. This all deals with scarcity; the family wants a new car, but might not have the financial meaner to do so. B) A member of Congress deciding how much to spend on national parks. A member of congress deciding how much to spend on national parks has plenty of trade offs.The funding of the park is determined by many things including incentives, demand, and opportunity cost. If congress were to fund national parks more they may have to cut funding to other causes, but if they cut funding to the parks, then the money gained could go into a better cause. C) A company president deciding whether to open a new factory. If a company president were to pen a new factory, the demand for that companies product would have to be high. However, for the president to open up a different facility, he may have to make cut backs on employees in the current facility for budget purposes.If the president decides not to open a new factory, this might lead to low efficiency and slow down the expansion of productivity. D)A teacher deciding how much to prepare for class. If a teacher were to prepare minimally for class, he/she may run into a very busy schedule somewhere down the road. However, if the teacher were to plan accordingly and periodically, he/she would be able to be properly prepared for the lass. If this were to happen, the teacher would have less pressure for assignments. This all has to deal with efficiency, productivity, and incentive.The teachers incentive is to not be deleted with class preparations, so he/she would nave to work efficiently to reach the optimum productivity. 2) Discuss each of the following statements from the standpoints of equity and efficiency. A) â€Å"Everyone in society should be guaranteed the best healthcare possible. † If everyone were t o be guaranteed the best healthcare possible, efficiency would have to be very high to have the capability to divide healthcare among the population. Right now it would be hard to do because we don't have high economic prosperity to spread.This could very well never happen because equity and efficiency clash when it comes to government policies. The reason they clash is because when the government tries to spread wealth evenly, efficiency shrinks. B) â€Å"When workers are laid off, they should be able to collect unemployment benefits until they find a new Job. † When workers receive unemployment, they are getting a cut of the economic pie which is equity. During these times when unemployment is high, the size of the economic pie, efficiency, is small because the overspent is distributing a large amount money to the unemployed.If the government were to issue unemployment until they find a Job it would cause an economic down fall. People are sitting around getting paid, why wo uld they go out and get a Job, it is something else that people will Just take advantage of, like welfare. So, in essence, it would end up hurting the government more than it would help. 3) In what ways is your standard of living different from that of your parent's or grandparent's when they were you age? Why have these changes occurred? There has been a big change in the standard of living even from my parent's time to owe let alone when my grandparent's were my age.We are now living in a technological age where everything is documented, sent, communicated, and even surveyed on electronics. People in the ass's (when my parent's were my age) were lucky to have their own television let alone a cell phone or car. Nowadays, teens have cars, TV's laptops, smoothness, etc. At their fingertips to use at their command. Back then not very many people had the resources or meaner to obtain electronic devices. Many of the things we have now, my grandparent's didn't. My grandmother didn't even have an electric oven, she had a coal one to cook on.When my grandfather came here off of the boat, he got a Job paying 23 cents an hour. So, its not only material things that have changed in the standard of living, but wages too. People are paid so much more now than in the ass's, but with the raise of wages, brought along inflation. These changes have occurred because of the changes in education and regulations. People now more than ever are going to college to get a degree in whatever it is they want to pursue. With knowledge comes better products that are more efficient and easier to use.With the change in regulations came changes in minimum wage, laws, and codes that have to be kept up with. Component Applications (See next full page for article) This article posted by The New York Times states that although unemployment is lowering, it is doing it in a rather slow and steady pace. Stocks prices have risen and are staying high along with mortgage loans and many others. Since t he Job market is growing at a slow rate, banks are now going to start raising interest and lengthening loan terms.As anticipated, the economy is expanding in the right ways. If as many lobs are created in July and August as they were in June, then the economy is on the dad to recovery. The Principal of Economics in which this would apply most to would be number 10 (Society Faces a Short-run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment. The reason that this article applies specifically to this principle is because in the article it is explained that unemployment is lowering and because of that, interest rates are rising.This explains the short-run trade-offs. Also, since unemployment is lowering, inflation will occur because they will now have the money to buy goods and services. Nntp:/ . Anytime. Com/201 06/business/economy-adds-1 Jobs-as- unemployment-rate-remains-at-7-6. HTML? Ref=desperate;_r=O Steady Growth AS U. S. Games 195,000 New Jobs data on Friday offered hope for this elu sive middle ground in the economy, as the Federal Reserve wrestles with when to ease its stimulus efforts without endangering the recovery and the markets.The pace of Job creation in June was sufficient to please investors and keep the central bank on course to slowly begin pulling back on its major bond-buying program this fall. But the Job gains were muted enough to calm worries of an abrupt exit by the Fed, a fear that has weighed on the markets lately. The employment report, which showed the economy added 195,000 Jobs, was the first since the Fed chairman, Ben S. Brenan, said in June that policy makers were ready to begin tapering the stimulus later this year if the labor market continued to improve.The Jobless rate was unchanged, at 7. 6 percent. The timing of the Fed action is critical. The central banks program of buying $85 billion a month in Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds has not only kept long- term interest rates low for borrowers, including big companies a s well as individual home buyers, it has also helped prop up Wall Street. The possibility that the Fed sight move more quickly than expected to dial back the program has prompted investors to sell both stocks and bonds in the last six weeks and has raised rates on mortgages and other loans.Buoyed by the promise of moderate economic growth and a slow but steady tapering on the part of the Fed, traders pushed the stock market higher on Friday, with major indexes gaining about 1 percent. The 195,000 lobs added in June was significantly above the 165,000 monthly pace analysts had been expecting. And the government sharply revised upward figures for Job gains in April and May, increasing the average monthly gain in the first half of 2013 to 202,000 bobs. But the picture painted by the data hardly reflected a booming economy.The unemployment rate, which is based on a different survey from the one that tracks Job creation, remained stuck at 7. 6 percent, far higher than the historical patt ern for this stage of a recovery. Other measures of Joblessness actually rose, with the broadest one that includes workers forced to accept part-time positions Jumping to 14. 3 percent, from 13. 8 percent. â€Å"Beyond the headline numbers for Job growth, it gets a little more mixed,† said Jan Hiatus, chief economist at Goldman Cash. â€Å"There is still a lot of slack in the labor market.Although the economy has held up better than some analysts expected in the face of tax increases and automatic cuts in federal spending this year, overall growth in economic output NAS also been tepid economy grew at an annual rate of 1. 8 percent in the first quarter, short of what's needed to quickly lower the unemployment rate. Still, the Job figures for June were enough to prompt Mr.. Hiatus and other leading economists on Wall Street to predict that the Fed could announce a shift in policy in September, rather than waiting until December. This was a solid report and it will be seen by the Fed as fully consistent tit tapering in September,† said Dean Make, chief United States economist at Barclay. In addition, Mr.. Make noted, average hourly earnings rose 2. 2 percent year- over-year, a pace that is near a high for this recovery. Before setting a firm date, Fed policy makers will be closely watching to see if the Job market maintains momentum through July and August. â€Å"It's not a done deal in September, Just more likely,† Mr.. Hiatus said. That was benign enough for traders on Friday. The Standard ; Poor's stock index rose 16. 8, or 1. 02 percent, to 1,631. 89, while the DOD Jones industrial average Jumped 147. 9, or 0. 98 percent, to 15,135. 84, and the Nasdaq gained 35. 71, or 1. 04 percent, to finish the day at 3,479. 38. In the bond market, interest rates moved higher, as investors dumped debt on anticipation of faster growth and quicker Fed action. The 10-year Treasury note fell 1 30/32, to 91 17/32, while its yield Jumped to 2. 74 percent, f rom 2. 50 percent late Wednesday. The Feeds stance has bolstered long- term rates, but the central bank is expected to keep short-term rates low at least until 2015.Component #4: Journal Entry 1: Uh-oh: Americans favor cash over stocks for long-term investments http:// none. CNN. Com/2013/07/29/investing/cash-investments/index. HTML? Did=HP_LEN http:// MN. Wanders. Com/ (definitions) Even Though we are on a slow track to an economic recovery, people still have a mind-set that the economy is in recession. So, instead of people investing in long term investments, gold, stocks, real estate, etc. They are keeping it away in savings with very low interest rates. In a 2013 Banknote survey, over 26% of Americans prefer cash for long term investments.Getting cash for long term investments might not be such a good idea seeing as how you might come up short in the long run when it moms to education, children, and even retirement. Interest rate is a widely used term but many might not know the true definition of the word. The percentage of a sum of money charged for its use is the definition of interest rate. An investment is something you put time or money into to hopefully get something out of it in the future. This article is pretty much all about investments.Entry 2 The Senate on Wednesday approved a bipartisan deal that ensures lower interest rates on loans for students heading to college this fall. Http://money. CNN. Com/ 2013/07/24/news/economy/senate-student-loans/index. HTML http:// On July 24th the senate decided that bringing down interest rates on student loans was something they needed to do. On July 1st of this year, a new interest rate was set a 6. 8%, but was cut in half now at 3. 86%. This 3. 86% interest is not going to hold over the years anticipating the growth of the economy. Students are to expect a 1% interest increase every year reaching 7% in the year of 2017.Although, there are requirements and provisions to applying for these low interest rates many people qualify for them. The students loan can not be a private loan but instead a Stafford In these improving economic times many things are changing, for example interest rates for students. After reading this article I gained the knowledge of knowing that the senate passed on lowering the rates to 3. 86. I am attending college the following year after I graduate and it is important that I know these things so I can plan accordingly. There were some words that I didn't know and one of them was provisions.A provision is an arrangement or preparation beforehand. Another word I was unsure of was subsidize, meaning pay part of the cost of producing (something) to reduce prices for the buyer. Another term I was unsure was a Stafford Loan; this is a student loan offered to eligible students enrolled in accredited American institutions of higher education. Entry 3: http://money. CNN. Com/2013/07/1 5/investing/stocks-markets/index. HTML www. Answers. Com (definitions) Stocks gain as earnings come into focus For this week in the economy world the DOD and NASDAQ closed at record highs in over a decade. Both stocks bumped up about 0. %, Just enough to set a new record. However, the companies in S;P 500 are expected to have a lower than ever growth. Coming in at less than 0. 1% for the quarter. Although companies under S;P 500 are optimistic to beat the low expectations to come. Along with the growth in the DOD and NASDAQ comes the New York Federal Reserve which rose 1. 8% in the region of manufacturing. Some stocks are projected to better in the coming quarters of the year; but some others, not so much. Since economics is mostly about stocks, government, and economy, I decided to pick this article to get a better idea on all of those perspectives.I learned particularly from this article that stocks for this quarter in the year are better than expected, but others are projected to have little growth. I also learned some new vocabulary words. Federal Reserve is a w ord that was not so much new to me, but not fully understood. The Federal Reserve is the banking authority in the US that implements functions of the central banking system. The next next term I learned isn't so much a word, but a department. The Census Bureau, something that gives demographic information to the people of the United States.There weren't many new words or phrases learned trot this pa Entry 4: reticular article, rather intimation on the current stock situations. Http://management. Fortune. CNN. Com/2013/07/0314-reasons-to-stay- in-your-current- bob-for-now/ wry. Answers. Com/ 4 reasons to stay in your current Job (for now) For those who are looking to quit their Job and find a new one, hang in there a little longer. In this article, it is stated that although the economy is growing, stock are rising, and interest rates are higher, you should stay in your current Job for now.The article is backed up with reliable statistics that shows unemployment dropping (at a slow r ate). A survey says that about 64% of Americans have gotten a Job offer from a different company in the last year. The quitting rate for Jobs in April was 39% when he unemployment was a little higher than usual. The first of the four reasons to keep the current Job you are in is â€Å"It is still a buyers market and competition is fierce. † The next reasoning is â€Å"New hires are under pressure. † The third reason, a rather good one, â€Å"Last hired, first fired. And lastly, â€Å"Different isn't always better. † This article was a rather large one, packed with good information on the condition of the economy and projections on the economy. I learned that the unemployed are more optimistic than they were two years ago when applying for a Job. I also learned why people should wait to switch Jobs until the economy is growing at a faster rate. The word â€Å"feeler† was new to me, meaning a proposal intended to ascertain an attitude or opinion. Another t erm that I wasn't familiar with was compensation package.This is the combination of salary and benefits that a company is will to offer to applicants and employees. Entry 5: http://money. CNN. Com/2013/06/18/if/healthcare-costs/index. HTML . Answers. Com/ Health care costs to slow in 2014 Many people in the US are going on without healthcare. This is a serious risk financially and physically to themselves and their family. Although, health care wont save everyone from the rise in doctor visits, drugs, and surgeries. When the AC (Affordable Care Act) fully kicks in during the year of 2014, insurance rates for health care providers will raise 6. %. This spike in the rate is typically used by insurers to set premiums. Treatments for MS and cancer are expected to Jump the most at 22% in 2014. This news is making consumers change their behavior. Many people have switched to less-expensive health care services such as walk in clinics and urgent care units. I gained awareness in this artic le that the cost for insurance will rise along with he cost of the actual drugs and services. There were no new terms that were learned, it was mostly things happening in the health care system that are changing.I learned also that many people have switched from hospitals to clinics because of the cost. Along with that, people are limiting doctor visits and delaying procedures. Many people are outraged at the spike in rates, and aren't sure its a good plan. Entry 6 http://money. CNN. Com/2013/07/16/news/economy/ICP-inflation/index. .Answers. Com Prices climb in June, but annual inflation still tame In the month of June inflation rose 0. 5%, this has been the biggest rise in inflation nice Feb.. Of this year. Economists took this as a surprise seeing as how they predicted a somewhat lower rise at 0. %. Economists say that other indicators show that inflation remains docile of the long run. Prices of goods and services are up only 1. 8% since last year, that increase is considered con sistent for a slow economic growth. The core inflation for food and gas was up only 1. 6%, the smallest it has been since June 2011. In this article I learned that in the month of June, inflation was at a low rate, but higher than expected. I also learned that the inflation rate right now is ere good because that meaner the country is on track to a slow economic recovery.Some words that I didn't know or was not too sure of were : Federal Reserve, Hyperinflation, and manifest. The Federal Reserve is a word that I know of, but the true definition is a System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D. C. And twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. Hyperinflation is Just what it sounds like, inflation at a rather fast paced rate. And lastly the work manifest, this word meaner clearly or known. Component #6: Paper

Gender Socialization and Consumer Culture

An article â€Å"A ‘Real Man's Ring': Gender and the Invention Tradition† by Vicki Howard (2003) published in the Journal of Social History defined the role of gender stereotypes, their development and changes in forming consumer culture through describing the invention and adoption of double ring ceremony in twentieth century America.Howard tells the history of grooms’ wedding bands and double ring ceremony, explaining the bonds between economical, cultural and social aspects of the first sixty years of the twentieth century.The author explained that the double ring ceremony emerged because of the cultural tendency in family life Howard called â€Å"masculine domesticity†, when, in the middle of twentieth century, spending time with wife and kids, performing household chores became â€Å"synonymous with prosperity, capitalism, and national stability†. In fiftieth the new type of family became widespread,   a so called â€Å"companionate marriageà ¢â‚¬ , where both spouses shared responsibility for psychological and emotional well-being of their family, and a double ring ceremony reflected these new type of relationship.Howard adds that World War Two made double rings wedding custom even more popular, as than it had to do with â€Å"wartime sentiments†. Wedding ring symbolized ties a soldier had with his wife, with his family and kids; it was a sign for him that someone was waiting for him at home, a symbol of everything he defended.   And, according to Howard’s writing, while in 1940 two rings wedding hadn’t been a custom,   in yet in late fortieth-early fiftieth it appeared in the wedding ceremonies held by Catholic, Unitarian, Baptist, and Methodist churches, the most influential ones.Getting man used to the thought that grooms wedding ring was a good idea took lots of time and efforts from the sellers. Howard described some of the techniques that were used by U.S jewelry stores, like establishing a separate â€Å"groom room† for men not to feel embarrassed when shopping for wedding rings; the other idea was to hide grooms rings in slide drawers beneath the feminine rings, and showing them only after bride’s rings had been already purchased. Meantime, years passed, and social apprehension of man wedding rings changed due to numerous advertising campaigns, Hollywood productions, marriages of public persons etc.Of course there were other factors that played their role in popularization of double ring ceremony. One of the crucial ones was the â€Å"teenage marriage boom†, which began in fortieth, when the average age of marrying has lowered dramatically.Howard supposed that having a double ring ceremony was important for young couples to differentiate them from their parents. Wearing a ring helped young girl to feel herself protected, not being afraid to become an old maid, while for man wedding ring was the proof of maturity, masculinity, ability to suppor t his wife, and, what was also important, heterosexuality.Howard noted that one more factor to conduce the popularity of double ring ceremony was emergence of middle class in the U.S. People moved to suburbs, where they could allow purchasing a house. As economy grew more, more people earned enough money to provide their families with all the middle-class attributes.This period was characterized by â€Å"physical and psychological separation of public and private†, of work and family, and double ring ceremony became a symbol of the new family, built in that environment. The situation was different for working class. Men often were dissatisfied with the idea to wear a ring, as it symbolized the obligations they took, while for women grooms ring was a sign of claim bride has for her husband.

the Crucible Compare and Contrast Essays

Scarlet Letter/the Crucible Compare and Contrast Essays Scarlet Letter/the Crucible Compare and Contrast Paper Scarlet Letter/the Crucible Compare and Contrast Paper Essay Topic: The Crucible The Scarlet Letter Compare and Contrast: The Scarlet Letter The Crucible The two main characters; Hester Prynne and Abigail Williams of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, respectively, are very similar in the ways they both commit sin in their societies. However, there are differences between the two. Both women committed the sin of adultery but that was Hester’s single sin, Abigail had sin of lust, envy, wrath, and greed none of which are comparable to Hester’s. Hester protected the man she loved and took her blame to make sure his name in the town did not go rotten, while Abigail dragged her own friends into the web of lies she created and but not only her own name under the name of witchcraft but also the ones she loved and loved her. Hester was repentant of her sin by wearing her scarlet letter but Abigail went to no end to attempt to clear her name of the unwholesome crime she had carried out. Abigail’s reluctance to admit to what she did made it all the harder for the people of her town to find forgiveness in her. Guilt, it consumes both souls of Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor from The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, respectively. It weighs them down and keeps dragging them into the darkness of their own mind until they have nothing left. Dimmesdale and Proctor were both sufferers of their sin of adultery; Dimmesdale’s internal suffering however was unlike Proctor’s vengeance. Abigail used witchcraft to make rid of Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, Abigail being Proctor’s â€Å"secret lover† she was envious of his wife. After the guilt of committing such a sin and the will to be faithful to his wife, the guilt started to weigh Proctor down just as it had to Dimmesdale. Both the guilt of Dimmesdale and Proctor was symbolic; this was the price they had to pay for their sin. They had to be beaten down by their own guild internally to see the realization of what they have done. Dimmesdale always loved Hester and he would have ran away with her if it wasn’t for his unhopeful outlook on his life. The fate of Dimmesdale and Proctor differed in the ways of what they wanted to do with their life after the women so desperately wanted to hide away. Proctor denied Abigail from the start, telling her that he only wanted to continue his life farming with his wife. Both Dimmesdale and Proctor dealt with guild as their punishment but their differences on what they wanted for themselves showed who was strong and who was weak.

Philosophy Jokes to Understand the Self and Cognition

Philosophy Jokes to Understand the Self and Cognition Philosophy of mind is a rich field for jokes since quite a lot of humor is about the strangeness of being human and the difference between knowing something from the outside and knowing it from the inside (i.e. from a subjective perspective). Here are a few choice items. The Silent Parrot A man sees a parrot in a pet shop and asks how much it costs. â€Å"Well, he’s a good talker, says the owner, â€Å"so I can’t let him go for less than $100.†            Ã‚   â€Å"Hmm,† says the man, â€Å"that ‘s a bit steep. How about that miniature turkey over there? â€Å"Oh, I’m afraid he’d stretch your budget even more†, answers the owner. â€Å"That turkey sells for $500.† â€Å"What!† exclaims the customer. â€Å"How come the turkey’s five times the price of the parrot when the parrot can talk and the turkey can’t? â€Å"Ah, well, â€Å"says the store owner. â€Å"It’s true the parrot can talk and the turkey can’t. But that turkey is a remarkable phenomenon. He’s a philosopher.   He may not talk, but he thinks! The joke here, of course, is that the claim about the turkey’s ability to think is unverifiable since it doesn’t manifest itself in any way that is publicly observable. Empiricism in all its forms tends to be skeptical of any such claims. In the philosophy of mind, one robust form of empiricism is behaviorism. Behaviorists hold that all talk of â€Å"private†, â€Å"inner† mental events, should be translatable into statements about observable behavior (which includes linguistic behavior). If this can’t be done, then the claims about inner mental states are unverifiable and hence meaningless, or at least unscientific. Behaviourism Q: How does a behaviorist greet another behaviorist? A: Youre feeling fine. How am I? The point here is that behaviorists reduce all mental concepts to descriptions of how people behave. They do this because of behavior, unlike a person’s inner thought and feelings, is publicly observable. Part of the motivation for doing this is to make psychology more scientific–or at least more the â€Å"hard† sciences such as physics and chemistry which consist entirely of descriptions of objective phenomena. The problem, though, at least as far as the critics of behaviorism are concerned, is that we all know perfectly well that we aren’t just a lump of nature exhibiting patterns of behavior. We have consciousness, subjectivity, what has been called an â€Å"inscape.† To deny this, or to deny that our private access to it can be a source of knowledge (e.g. about how we are feeling) is absurd. And it leads to the sort of absurdity captured in the above exchange. Knowledge of Other Minds A four-year-old girl comes running to her father bawling loudly and holding her head. â€Å"What’s wrong, honey?† asks the concerned parent. Between sobs, the girl explains that she’d been playing with her nine-month-old baby brother when the baby had suddenly grabbed her hair and pulled hard. â€Å"Oh well†, says her father, these things are bound to happen sometimes. You see, the baby doesn’t know that when he pulls your hair he’s hurting you. Comforted, the girl goes back to the nursery. But a minute later there’s another outburst of sobbing and screaming. The father goes to see what the problem is now and finds that this time it’s the baby who’s in tears. â€Å"What’s the matter with him?† he asks his daughter. â€Å"Oh, nothing much, she says. â€Å"Only now he knows.† A classic problem of modern philosophy is whether I can justify my belief that other people have subjective experiences similar to mine. The joke illustrates the significant fact that this is a belief we acquire very early in life. The girl has no doubt that the baby feels pain similar to her own. It may also tell us something about how we arrive at this belief. Interestingly, what the girl says at the end is quite possibly false. The baby may only know that his sister did something to his head which hurt. That might be enough to stop him pulling her hair in future. But it won’t be too long before he goes beyond mere pragmatic avoidance of hair pulling and accepts the standard explanation of why he should he eschew it. The Unconscious A hunter is stalking through the forest when he is suddenly charged by a bear. HE shoots but misses.   In seconds, the bear is upon him. It grabs his gun and breaks it in two. It then proceeds to sodomize the hunter. The hunter is, of course, furious. Two days later he returns to the forest with a brand new high-powered rifle. All day he hunts for the bear, and towards dusk comes across it. As he aims the bear charges.   Again the shot goes wide. Again the bear grabs the gun, smashes it to bits and then sodomizes the hunter. Beside himself with rage, the hunter returns the next day with an AK 47. After another long search he finds the bear, but this time the carriage jams as he tries to shoot the charging animal. Once again the bear breaks apart the weapon and throws it away. But this time, instead of taking the usual liberties, he puts his paws on the man’s shoulders and says, gently: â€Å"Let’s be honest with each other. This isn’t really about hunting, is it?† This is a pretty funny joke. One thing interesting about it, though, is that it relies on the listener understanding that the bear’s words refer to unconscious motivations and desires. Since Freud, the existence of these is widely accepted. But at the time of Descartes, the notion that you could have thoughts, beliefs, wishes, and motives that you were not aware of would have been considered absurd by many people. The mind was thought to be transparent; anything â€Å"in† it could be readily identified and examined through introspection. So back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this joke would probably have fallen flat. Descartess Death The great French philosopher Rene Descartes is most famous for his statement, â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† He made this certainty the starting point of his entire philosophy. What is less known is that he died in rather unusual circumstances. He was sitting in a cafà © one day when a waiter approached him, coffee pot in hand. â€Å"Would you like more coffee, monsieur?† asked the waiter. â€Å"I think not,† Descartes replied-and poof! . . . he disappeared.

Critical Essay On The Book The Crusades through Arab Eyes

Critical On The Book The Crusades through Arab Eyes - Essay Example The book stands out among other books written on this subject, for it differs from other books in its focus. Majority of books have depicted the Crusades from the Western perspective. This book focuses on the Arab forces and their thoughts. The author begins the book by describing the fear that Franj troops created in the minds of Arab leaders. King Kilij Arslan was the first Arab King who was informed about the approach of Franj troops. â€Å"The King Kilij Arslan whom Ibn al-Qalanisi mentions here was not yet seventeen when their invader arrived. The first Muslim leader to be informed of their approach, but also the first to be routed by the formidable knights.  The news of the invasion was received with fear, as Arslan was aware that the Franj troops brought ruin and destruction. The attitude of Arab world towards Franj troops is depicted in the thoughts of Arslan. Although they were ignorant of their aims, they were sure that Franj troops were coming to harm them. Arslan repre sented the outlook of the Arab world towards Franj troops. â€Å"He immediately feared the worst. Naturally, he had no idea as to the real aims of these people, but in his view, nothing good could come of their arrival in the Orient.†. The Arab world viewed the Franj troops with distrust and fear.  The book also sheds light on the conduct of Arabs and Franj troops during the Crusades. The Franj troops claimed that they followed the teachings of Christian but their behaviour defied their claim.  Ã‚  

Designing a Twin tip kiteboard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Designing a Twin tip kiteboard - Research Paper Example th determines the surface area the kite is edging water against and how much power a kiteboard can generates, thus a centimetre of width is more significant than a centimetre of length. Narrow tip and centre boards with longer lengths are easier from edge to edge, though not quick to plane, unlike shorter and wider boards (Boyce, 2004). Generally, Twin tip kiteboard with dimensions: 145cm length, 41cm width are for bigger riders. Top sheet: Is made from PBT which is a thin piece of plastic with two specific functions. The first function is to provide a place to print or graphics and the second function is to provide a protective layer for the laminates. Laminates: The inner laminates are a combination of fibre glass and carbon, though there are other kinds of laminations that are used. Fibre glass is measured in both in the direction of the weave and in the weight of the fabric. The most common weaves are triaxial glass, biaxial glass and unidirectional glass. Triaxial glass provides a stiffer flex, biaxial glass is more flexible while the unidirectional glass is used in combination with either triaxial glass or biaxial glass to get specific flat panels. Carbon provides stiffness and is of light weight with more reflex properties than fibre glass. Cores: Are usually made of wood and some are made of dense closed cell foam. The most common type of wood used are Paulownia, Birch, Poplar due to their longetivity, weight, price and their speed of regeneration (Boyce, 2004). The rails: They are typically acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene (ABS) or urethane which are used for their good flexibility, shaping and strength characteristics. ABS not only offers a great surface for ageing, but also a protective layer for the kiteboard. The sides are planed to remove the rough marks made by the saw. The planks are then clamped and glued for about 24 hours for them to fit into each other. The type of glue used is marine grade glue or a plumbers glue. This is also used in

MRES7013 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

MRES7013 - Essay Example Thus, it is oxygenated in lungs, and de-oxygenated once it passes through tissues (Guyton and Hall, 2006 p. 78). Because of its liquid nature, it is able to seep through spaces once a vascular injury occurs. We usually see it as bruising of the skin, when trauma causes breakage in the thin-walled capillaries in the dermis. The bruising then recedes with time, and the skin goes back to its previous appearance as if nothing happened. The same may not be applicable to other organs, more notably the brain. Although there is no obvious bruising similar to that seen on the skin, brain hemorrhages present with more serious signs of paralysis or changes in the sensorium, as caused by the ischemia and neuronal death of the area in the brain that should have been perfused by the injured vessel. Soon, ischemia of some brain tissue results to irreversible neurologic dysfunction. Prompt management is thus needed before neurologic defects become permanent (Kumar et al., 2010, p. 41). The age of hemorrhage is important because it determines the management of intracranial hemorrhage, as will be discussed later. The stages of hematoma are based on the form of hemoglobin in RBCs. Initially, during the hyper-acute phase or hours after the development of the lesion, hematoma is made up ofa liquid suspension of intact RBCs containing oxy- or deoxy-hemoglobin. If the blood came from an arterial source, which is the case in most non-traumatic etiologies such as aneurysm, approximately 95% of hemoglobin molecules are oxygenated.Later, water is resorbed by the brain tissue, resulting to a solidified aggregation of RBCs. As the blood ages further, the hemoglobin denatures from oxy- ordeoxy- to met-hemoglobin. This transformation is dependent on the oxidation of ferrous (Fe+2) heme iron contained by oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin to ferric (Fe+3) state, turning the

Research and Technology for Learning and Memory

Research and Technology for Learning and Memory Stacey Obispo Enhanced Learning Technological advances in bioelectronics and applied neural control technologies have enabled scientist to create machine assisted minds (McGee Maguire, 2007). The technological advances have been sought to improve the quality of people’s mental capacities by enhancing one’s ability to learn just like pharmaceutical enhancements have done in the past (McGee Maguire, 2007). However, when enhancing ones’ mental abilities as both technological and pharmaceutical advances have done, many ethical questions arise. This paper will address the available and future plans for learning enhancements and ethical implications for learning enhancements such as; pharmaceutical enhancements that are acceptable and controversial, uses of brain/ computer interfaces, equal availability of brain enhancements to all diverse groups, who controls how brains are enhanced, and who receives enhancement. These topics will be further explored by this author’s ethical viewpoint. When one talks of brain enhancement certain images from futuristic movies displaying cyborgs may come to mind. However brain enhancements specifically for learning are nothing new. Doctors for many years have been prescribing pharmaceuticals to enhance one’s ability to teach (McGee Maguire, 2007). These drugs promise to improve general psychological and cognitive functioning by enhancing ones’ mood, memory, attention, alertness and other cognitive capacities (Fuchs, 2006). Increasing one’s ability for attention and alertness has been accomplished over the last two decades through psychostimulants such as methylphenidate and dextromphetamine (Fuchs, 2006). The legal drugs have been used to treat (ADHD) and enhance attention and other functions in healthy people (Fuchs, 2006). Another drug that has been reportedly used on mood and personality in healthy people is the use of selective serotonin inhibitors (SSRIs) (Fuchs, 2006). Healthy individuals who take (SSRIs) in absence of mental illness have frequently reported that negative feelings such as anxiety, sadness, disappointment, guilt or shame are weakened and self-esteem and confidence rise(Fuchs, 2006). In addition (SSRIs) may be attributed towards giving individuals a sense of well-being and offer positive influence on the quality of individual’s social interactions (Fuchs, 2006). Pharmaceutical development in increasing ones’ ability to recover memories and block memories is currently in the works for future development (Fuchs, 2006). The pharmaceutical uses for recovering memories will be specifically targeted towards those who are cognitively impaired by the aging process and for those who develop dementia (Fuchs, 2006). The pharmaceutical development in blocking memories will be developed specifically towards blocking painful memories in those who suffer from PTSD (Fuchs, 2006). Ethical considerations in dealing with the use of pharmaceutical enhanced cognitive abilities stem from improper diagnosis and misuse. The implications for methylphenidate and dextromphetamine drug misuses come from improper diagnosis. For instance, how can one surmise that a problem with a child’s academic performance is due to the child’s inability to pay attention or be alert when in fact the problem may be with the child’s environment? Furthermore excessive use of methylphenidate in school boys has raised concerns in the United States (Fuchs, 2006). Misuse of methylphenidate and dextromphetamine has accounted for 16 percent of college students using the drugs as study aids (Fuchs, 2006). As a result the use of these drugs has been very controversial. Ethical concerns in brain enhancement through pharmaceuticals include safety (Fuchs, 2006). For example, methylphenidate can increase the short term capacity of one’s working memory at the expense of information adequately harnessed in meaningful, higher order knowledge (Fuchs, 2006). Furthermore unanticipated consequences and side effects from this drug are long term (Fuchs, 2006). What happens is that memory enhancement may impair memory retrieval in some individuals because the natural balance between remembering and forgetting could be interrupted by an overload of memories in the brain (Fuchs, 2006). Competition between individuals is another ethical concern for pharmaceutical brain enhancement. For instance once pharmaceuticals are more widely spread then individuals may try using this method for a competitive edge towards better grades at school or for keeping a job (Fuchs, 2006). In addition those who may be of lower socioeconomic levels may not be able to afford the â€Å"competitive edge† and are placed at an even greater disadvantage (Fuchs, 2006). Another ethical consideration for pharmaceutical brain enhancement is that it changes the human condition by manipulating our subjective experiences, cognitive abilities, and personality traits (Fuchs, 2006). Mind enhancement according Fuchs (2006) threatens to devalue human life and its imperfections, it fosters an illusion that one must be constantly happily and it villainies natural forgetfulness and negative moods. The use of pharmaceuticals for brain enhancement interferes with one’s own personal development and one’s ability to cope with their fears, failures and seatbacks. Perhaps prescribing brain enhancing drugs just place the responsibility of solving ones problem on a drug rather than finding a sense of responsibility to oneself to come up with solutions to ones’ life problems. Brain/Computer interfaces (BCI’s) have multiple uses. Pacemaker like brain implants help individuals with Parkinson’s disease and those with tremors (McGee Maguire, 2007). Treating depression has been shown effective in clinical trials with Vagus nerve stimulators constructed by Cyberonics (McGee Maguire, 2007). Experimentally in cases of spinal cord severage, systems for functional neuromuscular stimulation are being used (McGee Maguire, 2007). Patients with â€Å"locked in† syndrome have received brain to computer interfaces enabling one to communicate via computer by thinking about moving the cursor (McGee Maguire, 2007). Artificial vision systems enables the blind, using a cortical implant to navigate independently, to read letters, and through electronic interface it allows one to watch television, access a computer, and use the internet (McGee Maguire, 2007). The device Braingate has been used on a severely paralyzed patients, through a brain chip, to enable individuals to access e-mail, play computer games, control a television, and turn lights on and off by thought alone(McGee Maguire, 2007). Researchers have been able to restore hearing in deaf patients by inserting a penetrating device inside the brain stem (McGee Maguire, 2007). A clinical trial towards restoring speech is being used to restore speech from an implantable BCI (Alpert, 2008). The future of BCI’s crosses from assisting the physically ill and handicapped to assisting government in their Department of Defense strategies. Neural prostheses will be used in future developments to enable users to move mechanical devices with thoughts and monitor not only the patients goals of what they want to reach for but also their motivation and mood(McGee Maguire,2007)( Alpert, 2008). The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has allotted $24 million to support research into the proposals for brain machine systems in six different laboratories (McGee Maguire, 2007). These projects have the objective to control robots and airplanes through thought alone (McGee Maguire, 2007). British Telecom’s Artificial Life Team is working creating a chip called Soul Catcher 2025 (presumably ready, 2025) which goes behind the eye and records the individuals thoughts, sensations, and experiences throughout their life (McGee Maguire, 2007). In order to record al l experiences multiple chips would need to be used (McGee Maguire, 2007). The technology would allow users to transfer or transplant memories and experiences from one user to the next (McGee Maguire, 2007). Currently not all BCI’s are available to all groups of people. Brain interfaces such as the Braingate costs 50,000 for the procedure and equipment used and follow up costs vary (Brown University, 2005).In the future, after FDA approval, and commercial marketing it is possible that private insurance and Medicaid may pay for BCI’s like the Braingate (Brown University, 2005). Individuals who want the Braingate procedure pay out of pocket (Brown University, 2005). Not being able to offer enhanced learning procedures such as BCI’s to all individuals’ raises the issue of fairness. Is it fair to only help the have’s and not the have not’s when both can benefit from a brain computer interface procedure due to their disease or handicap? If brain interfaces are not made available to individuals who meet the requirements for its uses (physical impairment, disease, etc.) then it could mean a loss of quality of life in individuals who come from low socio economic levels. BCI’s should be regulated for its potential uses for enhancement purposes in â€Å"healthy† individuals. BCI’s used for the purpose of intelligence enhancing for people who have no disability, or BCI’s used for controlling weapons or heavy machinery such as automobiles and airplanes like DARPA has proposed should be regulated. Perhaps international laws could be made to regulate the uses of BCI’s so that this technology enhances only those who have a disability or disease and not individuals who just want to be enhanced for a job, acquiring a job, or performing better at school. When enhancements are made because a person thinks they need it rather than truly needing because of disease, illness, or physical impairment then inequality between those who have and have not will get larger. Regulating who can control BCI’s is an important consideration. Currently in the United States before a medical device can be marketed it must meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (McGee Maguire, 2007). Although these devices are regulated to some degree the question as to whether the investigation of the FDA is adequate (McGee Maguire, 2007). For instance , required post market safety reviews on devices are rarely done and the focuses of FDA review is establishing the indications for use, methods of safe placement ,individual risks, to surgery and anesthesia, and compilation of adverse events related to device removals ( McGee Maguire,2007). Clinical trials are then implemented to assess the efficacy of the device and its safety (McGee Maguire, 2007). Regulations for BCI operators should also be mandated. For instance the capabilities of BCI’s in the future could mean that individual’s will not have control over their actions and that an operator can control the individual (McGee Maguire, 2007). Individual’s that control the operation of BCI’s installed in patients have an enormous power in their hands. BCI’s installed into patients could make these individual vulnerable to a doctor or governments control (McGee Maguire, 2007). For this reason BCI’s should be regulated internationally. Learning enhancements through BCI’s are quickly developing. BCI’s can enhance the learning processes and experience of individuals who are disabled and increase their quality of life. Conversely this same technology can be used to enhance healthy people and give one a competitive advantage. Enhancing healthy people can lead to making them robot like, or allow one to control robots, weapons, and heavy machinery through thought alone (McGee Maguire, 2007). Perhaps one of the most important concerns of using BCI’S in healthy people is what will happen to humanity and the human condition? What will happen to ones concept of self? Would individuals with BCI’s be responsible for their actions or empathetic towards others? Offering BCI’s to enhance healthy people seems to be a very slippery slope and should be avoided. Technologies such as BCI’s should be embraced to help individual with disabilities and illnesses have a better quality of life. How ever this technology should not be allowed to enhance healthy people. Consequences to the human condition could be affected negatively as well as society and environment. Proposing international regulation of such devices seems to be appropriate form of action to prevent such detriments in the future. References Alpert, S. (2008). Brain-Computer interface devices: Risks and Canadian regulations. Accountability in Research, 15, 86. Fuchs, T. (2006). Ethical issues in neuroscience (McGee Maguire, 2007, p. 291) (McGee Maguire, p. 291) . Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 19, 607. McGee, E. M., Maguire, G. Q. (2007). Becoming borg to become immortal: Regulating brain implant technologies. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 16, 302. Brown University, (2005). Brain-chip interfaces. biomed.brown.edu/Courses/BI108/BI108_2005_Groups/03/impact.htm#demo