Country Report on China Essay

In the whole Asia, China is conceived as one of the largest countries. In the world, it is the fourth most prominent country after Russia, Canada and USA. China is surrounded by the following neighboring countries i. e. Russia, India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, and so on. It mainly covers up the areas around 9,596,960 square kilometers. In the whole world, China has the greatest population in comparison to the other neighboring countries. As per the recorded data in 2007, its total population is approx 1,321,851,000. China is basically separated into States (23), Sovereign Regions (5), and Administrative Districts (4). The statistical distribution of the China’s population takes place in such a way: ? Approx 10% or 115 million people of the total population reside in an area of only 47,000 square kilometers. The area of 47,000 Square Kilometers is only 0. 5% of China’s total land mass. In the most obtusely inhabited countries and cities, the mean population density is 2,428 individuals per square kilometer. ? Less than or up to 50%, population of the China lives in an area of about 778,000 square kilometers. It presents merely 8. 2% of the total land. The average population density of this area is about 740 people per square kilometer. ? More than 90% of the Chinese population or approximately 1 billion Chinese people reside in a smaller, more than 30% territory of the country. About 345 individuals per square kilometer is the population density of this area The distribution data given above reflects that almost the total population of China is focused in less than one-third of the country. While, in comparison to the Belgium, the average population density is greater (Population Growth, 1999). In the world, China is viewed as the one of the four Oldest Cultures. It has a published history of 4,000 years or more and also has the great features like ‘Rich Ethnical Relics’ and ‘Historic Sites’. The paper-making, compass, gunpowder, and publishing, are the following invention of Chinese individuals. China is an ancient culture or cultural region that mainly depends on a range of views. In the East Asia, it is national or multinational entity, which is covering more than a large area of the country. In the period of past few years, it’s ethnical or civilization area has covered throughout East Asia as a whole, with Chinese traditions, religious belief and orthographies being adjusted to changing levels by neighboring courtiers i. e. Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. China has endured the various economic problems over the period of time that not only influences its economic growth, but also is a great hindrance in the way of country’s growth. The following are the various critical problems, which were faced by China; volatile or rapid population growth, economic stagnation; and penetration & influence. The main economic pertains of the Chinese population, which directly or indirectly affect the economic growth or country’s development i. e. fiscal shortfall, elusive obligations, migrant population rate, arising population rate, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate, and problem of unemployment (China’s political and economic concerns, 2009). Besides the above economic concerns, the various other issues that confronted engrave troubles and heavy cost on China’s resource environment are high expelling and low efficiency, broad mode of economic growth, boasting high input, high economic consumption, etc. Hence, it is concluded that all the above issues affect the economic process sustainability. The problem of arising population and development is closely related with each other. Thus, it must be conceived in close relation to country’s development. Today, in the area of population and development, China is greatly confronted with grave challenges. Each year, the recorded growth in population is about †¦. , that ultimately gives rise to the other problems i. e. rise in number of the poor people, increasing environmental pollution, natural resources depletion, etc. In order to defeat these challenges, Government of the China must take some initiatives, in order to control the growing population rate, obviate poverty level and defend surroundings to sustained economic growth. Over the previous few years, the economic condition of the China is quite good and has demonstrated noteworthy economic growth. Noteworthy economic growth indicates that in the future, Chinese will enjoy an attractive augmentation in its economy, but this is possible only when, China proceeds crucial rectifies to its economy. Hence, to constitute a strong economy, China has to implement the Economic Expert’s safety measures effectively, or otherwise, it could endanger succeeding growth of the economy. The reforms include: set up state owned enterprises, effective banking system, changes in ineffective Legal laws or Government rule, control or eliminate the public agitation over pollution; corruption and income inequality also set menaces to economic or social stableness. Focus on Population Growth The issue of growing population is the foremost crucial point regarding the economic concern of the country. For the Government of China or its individuals, the increase in the population growth rate is the enormous consequence or substantial challenge. This continuous growth in population affects the whole world; thus, it is conceived as a generous issue. The 20% of the total world’s population can be considered as the People’s Republic of China (Rosenberg, 2009). This shows that out of five people, one belongs to or lives in China. In the year 2008, Population about 1. 3million or 1,330,044,605 was recorded as the projected population and an approximated growth rate was around 0. 6%. In China, the anticipated population growth is about 10 million, per year. It is expected that population rate of the China will reach at the top i. e. about 1. 6 billion by the year 2005 (China, 2009). By the late of the year 2010, population in China is anticipated to arrive at 1. 4 billion. Roughly 2030, China’s population will expect at the extreme level and then slowly commence falling down (Rosenberg, 2009).

Characterization of Grandma Essay

In the story â€Å"A Visit to Grandmother† by William Melvin Kelley, the grandma was given many characterizations based on her appearance, words, actions, and by what people say about her. All the characterization of Grandma told the readers a lot about her and made it easy for the reader to understand the story from grandma’s perspective. First off, in the story the author describes Grandma as a lucky and unique person by providing the reader with some text evidence. The author states saying that grandma has all her teeth which is unbelievable. This makes grandma unique because most people around her age have lost many of their teeth. This is one of grandma’s characterizations based on her appearance. Also, in the story Grandma told her daughter Mai, not to make the food because she does not like relying on other people, in other words she is self reliant. She does not like other people to do jobs for her just because she’s old. She might be old but she still believes that she is capable of doing things she used to do when she was younger. This is characterization of grandma based on her own words. Lastly, the reader could refer to Grandma as an unjust person based on what other people say about her. An evidence for this characterization is when one of her son said that she never treated him the same way she treated her younger son because the younger son was lighter skinned and good looking then the older son. Charles, grandma’s oldest son refers to her as an unfair person, but this was something she was never aware of because he never told her how he felt, at the end she learned something. In conclusion, grandma had many different characters some bad and some good but, after all no one is perfect. Throughout the story not only did the reader get to know Grandma, but Grandma herself got to know what kind of person she is based on her many different characters.

Canadian Contribution for World Peace

I have read Suresh Canagarajah's article ‘ The Fortunate Traveler: Shuttling between Communities and Literacies by Economy Class ‘. He is a good writer and he has many good idea about learning English to improve literacies. In Suresh Canagarajah's opinion, every English learners need to find a adaptive way, that will enhance their interests to learn English. Countries' tradition is influencing local people's aethestic standard, so many readers are hard to accept foreign writing style. As a entreprenant writer, when they faced to conflicting and competing in different communities, they will adjust their writing style.Suresh believes that â€Å"a curiosity towards the language, the ability to intuit languistic rules from observation of actual usage, a metalinguistic awareness of the system behind languages, and the ability to creatively negotiate meaning in text are the good strategy to improve literacy†. In my heart, Chinese is my mother language, and I always talk with my Chinese friends. I'm afraid of saying something to for English speaker. When I sit on the subway or bus, sometimes I will pay attention to somebody's conversation.At the beginning, I can catch a little information, but gradually I feel it's hard to follow them. At last, I feel depressed and give up. In Canada, English is used in everywhere. We can learn many grammar and syntactic from there as long as carefully observed. When we read a long article, we maybe feel it's difficult to finish and understand its meaning. I was accustomed to translate word by word, I know it's a bad reading habit. In fact, understand the meaning in context can accurately know what message author want to deliver to readers. I think these suggestions are useful.When Suresh Canagarajah come to western academic community, he hasn't get the expected praise. Suresh believes that â€Å"the exaggerated, passionate personalized style of writing wasn't universally appreciated in the academic community†. Because Western academic community prefer to restrained and rigid essay rather than personalized and passionate essay. Their tradition and culture influence the writing style, so they are hard to accept foreign writing style. For example , Chinese people think some Chinese author's opus is very nice, but none of Chinese author can obtain the Nobel Prize in Literature.Because Western audience can't adapt Chinese writing style and understand the meaning. According to Suresh (1986), the conflicts he has faced as he shuttled between his native community and Western academic community generated many useful insights into the ideological and rhetorical challenges in academic communication. He believes that † be humble when leaning knowledge, adopt a reflective learning attitude, critical questioning of dominant practices, and contextually grounded theorization are the good way to treat conflicts.As a entreprenant writer, when he faced to conflicting and competing in different comm unities, they will adjust their writing style. Thus, he can try some different kinds of writing style to adapt the audience all over the world . This is a constantly move forward success. I have learned some good strategy to improve lieracy from the article by Suresh Canagarajah, I will try these ideas in learning English. In addition, if I want to write some good essay to please audiences in Canada, I think I need to change my writing style. Suresh is a good model for me to improve lieracy.

Tourism Product Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tourism Product Report - Essay Example On the other hand, tourism product can be defined as a service that can only be put to some use for deriving benefits. There are a number of features which are of relevance to the way in which travel and tourism products are managed and differentiated from physical goods. These include intangibility, inseparability, perishability, heterogeneity, and ownership (Evans et al. 2003:1994). Intangibility of tourism products makes this business diversified yet accessible to all. Unlike goods, services such as accommodation in a luxury hotel and cruising to an exotic island cannot be bought in physical terms. In other words, these services can only be used by customers and service providers alike. Customers make use of them for fulfilling their purpose of travelling whereas service providers put them to use for making profits. In either way, they cannot be physically located but be experienced only. Baum (2006) argues that in a culturally diversified setup, the intangibility of tourism products enables tour operators and travel agents to adjust to the varying demands of visitors (151). They can increase the stake of services, wherever necessary, to optimise revenues. At the same time, the invisibility phenomenon associated with intangible service products poses some major challenges to overcome. Intangibility itself is an attribute that sometimes appears vague and superf luous. Unless the service itself proves its worth, potential customers may completely or partially ignore it. To take away the equivocation, tour operators usually apply tangible means to promote their services to target customers. This is why video clippings of holiday destinations or cruise ship tours are uploaded on the web to lure in customers into availing of the services. Similarly, tour organisers spend time and money to make creative and visually appealing travel brochures to minimise the uncertainty factor involved with intangibility. Inseparability of tourism products is again a

Motivation Letter (as to why my university should choose me to be the Essay

Motivation Letter (as to why my university should choose me to be the graduate representative speaker at graduation) - Essay Example The lecturers are always ready to listen, and advice me when I seek their help and have mentored my leadership. University life has made me successful, and it would be an honor to express my regards in reciprocation. The special relationships that I had with the lecturers contributed greatly to my personal growth. They taught me crucial values, which I still practice to date. Consequent to their mentorship, I attained a personality that has made me achieve my dreams in life. My heart overflows with gratitude to them, because of influencing my life positively, and would appreciate an opportunity to appreciate them in kind through service delivery to the institution. Members of staff also played a great role in my life. They were always friendly to me, and took their time to help, whenever I sought their help. Their cooperation allowed me to have an easy time in campus, and I would like to demonstrate results of their efforts. Having been a social student, I always made use of available opportunities to interact with other students in the University. I participated in most of the school opportunities, which gave me a platform to meet and bond with other students. Following these interactions, I managed to build strong relationships with my fellow students, and this motivates me to represent them during the

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH Essay - 2

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH - Essay Example It involves two paradigms, rationalistic and naturalistic, in which the reflections of student teachers are compared through the Utrecht study and Trondheim study. Interactions between communicating persons – student teacher, teacher educator, and researcher -are the one creating â€Å"voices†. The researchers are part of the story they are telling. The researchers’ interpretation is the true voice of the refection in the study. The shift from a rationalistic perspective towards a more naturalistic one is mirrored in the Trondheim study. The direction of Admiraal and Wubbels’ (2012) study to take on a storytelling method from the traditional research methods is congruent to its purpose and nature, being focused on comparing two research approaches of reflective practice of two different modes of tele-guidance. This comparison is seen herein as an essential stance in order for the study to provide a clear view of the methodologies and approaches used. The position of the study is highlighted in the fact that it resulted in two different reports on student teachers’ reflective stances despite the fact that they share some perspectives on educational practices and reflections. Admiraal and Wubbels have emphasised that the different analyses and results are where the differences in beliefs in the Utrecht and Trondheim studies lie, apparently to see any alternatives to viewing the same phenomenon through two different lenses. One may infer that this direction of the studies seeks to adopt replicability and does so by employing mixed methods and qualitative method respectively, called ‘convergence’ by Gorard and Taylor (2004, p. 45). However, the production of two substantially different results in the Utrecht and Trondheim studies may surmise not having to produce such replication, as pointed out by Gorard and Taylor. It is clear that the Utrecht and Trondheim studies are in fact focused on adopting two different paradigms to seeing the two student

Equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Equality - Essay Example Moreover, at a larger dimension, wealth equality also addresses the inequalities between different countries around the globe. The predominance of wealth inequality affects different socioeconomic and cultural development among various societies globally. The paper will also look at the genesis of the quest for economic equality, the state of the whole matter and the effects of the same in the attainment of equitable economic growth. This is done in line with an in-depth analysis of the Virginia Declaration, the UN universal human rights and the Bill of rights among other related sources. Need for wealth equity The need to pursue economic equality among individuals and between different countries of the world arose upon the realization of the exploitative nature of humans by their fellow likes. This has been because of the ever-escalating gap between the bourgeoisies and lower class people in the society (Wilkinson and Pickett). In a bid to minimize this gap, there arose a quest for wealth harmonization between individuals and countries hence the origin of the appeal for equitable distribution of wealth for attaining a uniform economic growth across the globe. Much effort has been invested in this quest although always met with a lot of resistance from the high class property owners. In some instances, the appeal has minimally succeeded, for instance, in Russia and Switzerland. Global trends in wealth inequality The recent state of equality with regard to wealth distribution and ownership between different parties in the world has raised eyebrows as the gap between the poor and the rich continue to widen across the board. The rich still continue to earn more as the poor continue receiving diminishing wages in the world economic market. This is the state of the matter in most European countries with the exception of France, Japan and Spain with Israel, Turkey and United States mostly trapped within the vicious circle of an increasing gap between the poor and the rich. On a broader dimension, economic inequality has been majorly experienced in the less developed regions of the world such as the Indian subcontinent as well as in the sub-Saharan Africa. Factors promoting wealth inequality Taxation policies According to UniversityWorldNet, one of the most contributing factors to economic inequality and unequal wealth distribution around the globe is the trend and the nature of taxation in many countries that has not favored development in these regions. A progressive tax system has been adopted by most countries whereby the tax rates progressively increase as the tax base increases in amount i.e. as more money circulates in a country. A sharp economic growth often leads into an equal spread of resources within the entire population. Economists have reasoned that the tax trends in the world after the Second World War has been the major contributing factor for the increasing inequality gap between the rich and the poor countries around the globe as well as between the individual members of a state. Labor market systems Another factor that has hindered the

Snakebites Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Snakebites - Research Paper Example The use of these anti-venoms has become an effective cure for the infected body and these anti-venoms enable the victims to get back to life within 4-5 hours of the attack by minimizing effect of the poison. This method has proved to be quite successful in minimizing the death of people who suffer from this fatality (Shorter, 1999). In fact, the number of deaths occurring from snakebites has now become almost rare. These anti-venoms go through many processes, such as purification process to ensure their effectiveness. Even then, they may contain certain serums and proteins, which tend to have a reverse reaction on a person that is the reason of extreme supervision required during this method. There are several kinds of snakes’ anti-venoms present globally. Some of them are the â€Å"Tiger snake, Brown snake, Taipan, Black snake, Death adder, Sea snakes, etc† (Shorter, 1999). The proper supervision of these anti-venoms helps keep a check on the patient and prevent the po ison from completely spreading in the body. If the attacking snake is properly identifiable, it makes it easier for the experts to treat the poison accordingly, and it also make it easier for the patient to recover depending on intensity of the bite.

Health Economics of Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health Economics of Medicine - Essay Example The value of Health Economics is indispensable in a society. Its scarcity is a primary concern especially among countries without ample resources to provide healthcare (Culyer, 1989). Another major issue that makes Health Economics important is the mode of distribution. There have been situations showing lack of logistic strategies that effectively deliver health to major recipients. Finally, the sustenance of supply and allocation of health care makes Health Economics valuable. In ensuring both the necessities are satisfied, costs have to be incurred consistently. It is the spending capacity of countries that decide supply and distribution of healthcare. According to Fuchs (1996, pp.1-24), the level of expenditures incurred by governments in healthcare delivery has increased precipitously. The sudden rise in cost can be attributed to intellectual advances, greater availability of information, and the ever-increasing demand for such service. The dedication of government spending to health care services results to various economic sacrifices. Aside from health, there are pressing needs that the society needs to acquire. Concentration in healthcare looms problems such as forging quality education and the generation of sustainable income through investments and government spending. Direct costs of delivering healthcare involve purchase of medicines, establishments of medical institutions, and hiring of personnel knowledgeable of health services. Other costs also include research and development, which at present is the most critical item being propagated by governments. Moreover, the government needs to incur indirect costs such as building of infrastructures to ensure that transportation and communication improves healthcare delivery. Furthermore, the marginal cost of health care needs to be evaluated. Unlike the total cost, which is simply an aggregate, marginal cost

Engineering Materials Characterization of PM Stainless Steels Essay

Engineering Materials Characterization of PM Stainless Steels - Essay Example Also the effect of temperature and the hardness effect on the steel produced from the mixture will be described with essential research material read over the course of the experiment ad its description (German, 1990) EFFECTS OF BORON IN STEEL Boron is a very useful element when used for alloying purposes in many materials but in the experiment it will be illustrated along with researched facts as an alloying element in steel because of its effect on harden-ability enhancement. Boron is added to unalloyed or low level alloyed steels to enhance the level of hardness of the alloy. Boron steels are used as high-quality, heat-treatable construction steels, steels for carburization and forming cold steels such as steels for screws. The property change with the amount of boron added and the temperature affect will be discussed in detail in the paper (Adam, 2000) Boron also is known to activate liquid phase sintering and to reduce the sintering temperature that is needed a achieve a highly dense alloy metals (Raymond, 1994). The liquid phase arises from the existence of a low melting-point eutectic reaction that is produced by the reaction between the boron and the alloying element in the steel with the alloy is being constructed. ... These small amounts may be sufficient enough to hardened the alloy with the correct heat treatment. For understanding purpose the terms sintering or hardenability should be explained. Sintering or hardenabilty is a measure of how much martensite is formed at a given cooling rate in steel. The hardenabilty of steel is defined as the maximum diameter of a cylinder that has a microstructure that is 50% at its centre after quenching from the austinizing temperature (Reed, pp. 35). Effect of Temperature on the Mixture For the particular purpose of finding out the effect of the addition on boron in them mixture to form PM we need to go through some previous research work which has been done in this particular field. The effects will be described as well proven graphically, which will be extracted from previous researches. Generally it is thought that the PM alloy of boron will have a finer finish and a better sintering value. For pressing on the previous fact we will see the effect of boro n addition into the mixture ranging from Low levels of boron (0.1-0.15%) along with the increase in temperature. ANALYSIS As described above, pictorial reference will be used to explain the description to go along with it. The figure will be color coded and self explanatory but for the purpose of understanding, extended elaboration has been provided. The figure shows the sintered density when the amount of boron is added from being non-existent to a level of 0.15. it is clearly visible that when the concentration of boron increases the sintered density increases. The sintered density is the factor that increases the hardenablity of the steel alloy. At 0% induction of boron in the alloy the sintered density

Personal Development Portofolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Development Portofolio - Essay Example The opinion that was formed was changed merely in the first few days when the sources of English legal system were informed. These clearly pointed out how the English Legal System had developed that is by judge made decision that is common law as well as customs. Furthermore, the idea of precedents also provided for an analysis into how the procedures were followed and how important was law and procedure contrary to original perception. The studying of the principle of judicial precedent and the modes of statutory interpretation changed the view that judges were tightly bound by the precedent and the provision of statutes. Furthermore, it provided an opportunity on how interpretation was undertaken keeping into account the preserving of the principles. Statutory interpretation also introduced the principle of separation of powers whereby how the Legislature provided statutes and how a decision could be reach by interpretation and how differing decision could be made by judges in resp ect of the same statute was also provided. It was seen that the judges and legislature had overlapped at times but the preservation of separation was undertaken. Furthermore the relationship was one which was dependent upon each other that are judiciary on legislature. The different approach of judges in respect of interpretation of statutes was also an important factor that is the difference between the literal, golden and mischief rule. Finally the aids that the judges used so as to interpret statutes clearly showed that the judges were trying to decide in accordance with the intention of the Legislature and were merely trying to uphold the law in accordance with the intention of the legislature. Developments had been made by judge who could be seen from the judgment of R v. R1 whereby for the first time rape within marriage was introduced. An important confusion which was cleared was the concept of retrospectivity whereby it was informed that the law in UK did not work retrospect ively. Furthermore, an idea on how judges developed principles on which there had been no statute was also analysed. The principle of precedent has been a powerful tool but from the decision of R v R it was seen that there are still certain areas on which precedents might not have been developed. Furthermore, from the decision of R v. R a precedent was developed which is still being followed. However, it is important to mention that the case also allowed to understand the power of reversal and overruling of decisions and also pointed out to the fact that an established precedent can also be changed or reversed. Another important principle which was understood was the human rights and how the law had operated in that respect. The Human Rights Act 1998 introduced the rights and it has played an important role in respect of balancing out and preserving the rights of humans and balancing it out with the enforcement of law. Human right in the English Legal System is a new phenomena and i t has been developing and is still in the stages of developing, the roots of human rights cannot be said to stem from law, but the concept can be related to the principles of natural justice and morality whereby rights of human beings and their preservation is respected. The procedure of the courts and the powers of the courts to reverse, overrule change decision was also understood. Furthermore, the binding nature of precedents and the persuasive nature were also

Life Is a Race Essay Example for Free

Life Is a Race Essay Family as a Primary Group Social Problems Garelick August 2010 Family plays an important role in the life of every person and society as a whole. It is no surprise that at every new stage of development in our society, with every revaluation of values, the interest in the issues of family, morality and spirituality spikes. At the present time, in the complicated environments through which we weave our lives, the family remains a unique mediator between the interests of the individual and society and is in the epicenter of a major social upheaval. The transition to current market relations and with them the related apathy, and with the mpoverishment of the general population drastically came the turnaround in the view affecting the well-being of our families and their stability and potential for proper upbringing of the young. These, along with many other social instabilities, have led to a crisis of family values. The consequences of this crisis are bifurcations between the generations, the prevalence of reduced lifetime fertility and the growing number of single parents in the United States. If marriage, parenthood and kinship are what constitute family relations, at the present time we are witnessing a decay of this little tiny trinity. The problem is complicated by the fact that at present time, the institution of marriage is going through a transitional period. There is a certain destruction of the old traditional values of marriage, and the new have yet to be formed. Marriage and family are increasingly becoming more about individuals and their need for intimate satisfaction and informal communication, and less about structure and support of one another. Let us pinpoint and define Just where the family lays its essence within the complicated world of social institutions and in which groups, as defined by our text. In a broad sense, the concept of a social group is any social association of people, anything from peer groups to a population of a particular country. In sociology, this concept is used in a narrower sense as any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis (Schaefer, 2009, p. 107). In general, members of a society feel like they belong to a group, and are also perceived by others as members of said group. To analyze the social structure of a society there must be items explored that ppear in all elementary parts of the given society, which incorporate all of the social perspectives. For this, I have chosen what is generally accepted to be the primary group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 110). The most successful definition, and essentially creation of the term, was created by Charles Horton Cooley who coined the term o refer to a small group characterized by intimate, tace-to-tace association and cooperation (Scnaeter, 2 p. 110). In other words, primary groups are those in which individuals have personal interaction with one another. For example, classmates can be members of a primary roup, and the rest of the student body would then be members of a secondary group. From a social perspective of a functionalist for the normal operation of the human society we must consolid ate certain types of social relations so that they become mandatory for members of a particular social group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 4). This primarily refers to those social relations in which, in order to obtain entry, members of a certain group must satisfy the most vital requirements needed for the successful functioning of the given group as an integrated social unit. For example, or the production of material comforts, people tend to perpetuate and secure a level of financial cushioning; this is also done for the upbringing of children, for unstrained family relationships, as well as for education and training for everyone involved. A symbolic interactionist would view the family process as a consolidation of social relations and a way to establish a system of roles and statuses, prescribing certain rules of conduct in a social network, and in defining a system of sanctions in case of a default by any of the individuals in the process of living out and following he given rules of conduct (Schaefer, 2009, p. 16/111). Social roles, statuses and sanctions are implemented in the form of social institutions that define sustainable patterns of behavior, ideas and incentives. Social institutions are organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs, such as replacing personnel in the family setting (Schaefer, 2009, p. 113). Social institutions dictate how ideas and goals are perceived and defined by the system of standard social values, such as patterns of public behavior and the complicated systems of various social ties, i. e. he sets of roles and statuses through which a range of behavior is carried out and kept within certain limits. So, within the concepts of social institution and social group there is a significant internal difference. While the social group, whether primary or secondary, is a collection of interacting individuals, the social institution is a system of social relationships and social norms that exist in a particular area of human activity. However, it should be noted that these concepts are inseparable from each other, because a social institution is a set of relationships and systems of behavior, and is etermined ultimately by the needs of people. In other words, although the social institution creates social relationships and norms, there are people for whom these relationships are linked and carried out; the family is the perfect example of a social group that puts the rules in to practice. People organize themselves into different groups using institutional rules. Each institution includes many social groups that provide the overall institutional behavior. Consequently, institutions and social groups are interrelated, and it would be completely meaningless to separate these otions and study them separately. So, based on the foregoing, I conclude that the family is a social phenomenon that combines the features of a social institution and a primary group. The idea of the modern family arises from the desire to satisfy purely personal needs and interests ot individuals. According to structure-tunctionalists, tn patterns of reciprocal obligations among people and between structures of people and the greater society define family. The greater society has needs that must be met; in order to meet those needs, society creates subsets of people structured to elp meet the needs of society. The family is one of those structures. The definition of family changes as the needs of the greater society change. When the greater society needs rapid population growth † after a time of war, for example † societys definition of family emphasizes heterosexual bonding, procreation and child rearing; but when the greater society is faced with over-population and the need to limit population growth, societys definition of family may be modified to include homosexual bonding and may be more supportive of childless couples (Diem, 1997, As a primary group, the family connects the personal needs of the public interest, adapting to social relations, norms, and values that are accepted in our society. In other words, the familys personal needs are sorted and organized on the basis of accepted societal values, norms and behavior patterns and, eventually, acquire the character of the social functions such as the regulation of sex, procreation, socialization, emotional satisfaction, status, safety, and economic security. From what I have gathered, the definition of family from a conflict perspective has een a highly discouraged and slightly controversial subject since family is considered a sacred institution. As a result, support for research on conflict in the family has been discouraged (Werner-Wilson, 1993, p. 6). And it would seem that a social institution of such prominence would not have a dark side from which can leap and bound toward freedom suppressed minorities. But for the sake of this essay, let us assume that if Karl Marx were to look at the institution of marriage, he would wave his well bearded nugget side to side disapprovingly. The idea of a traditional family as roots in male supremacy, and suppression of womens rights. If only Karl Marx was not a man of the nineteenth century, but lived in present time. The ideal family includes: 1) a set of social values (love, for children), 2) public procedure (for the care of children, family rights and obligations), and 3) interlacing of roles and statuses (status and role of husband, wife, child, teenager, mother-in- law, brothers, etc. ), with the aid of which the family exists. Thus, the institution of family is a collection of certain bonds, rules and roles, which in practice are manifested into the activities of this individual primary group. We all know how great the importance of family is in everyday life, society and even in the political arena. After all, it is the family of each person that provides them with an inexhaustible source of love, devotion and support. The family lays foundation for morality, spirituality and tolerance. And it is the family that is recognized as the major reason for why cultural beliefs survive, are inherited and passed from generation to generation. It is a prerequisite for socialization and the lifelong study of social roles, basic education, skills, and behavior. A healthy, strong family is the basis of stability and prosperity of any society. The family is the foundation of all social institutions vis- ¤-vis the development of the family is ultimately the progress of society as a whole. But the world does not stand still, in its ever-changing atmosphere social institutions take on new meanings and the ideas ot marriage and tamily change witn the times. Marriage has ceased to be life-long and is losing its legitimacy: divorce, single parent families, broken hearts and bank accounts used to be exceptions, and are now becoming the norm. The vast majority of professionals such as philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and students of the modern school of thought, all agree that the family is going through a real crisis. The strength of family is being tested under the weight of total catastrophic failure that our society is facing; the deep nature of which is characterized by our flailing civilization. As a primary element of society, it gives a miniature image of the same contradictions that are inherent in our cultures. One of the most remarkable properties of the family is its flexible and dynamic orm of structural organization. Thanks to the universal ability to adapt to the peculiarities of the ever-changing world, the family has developed an enormous variety of types of family structures, sometimes adapting itself beyond recognition, but while keeping unchanged its essence as a social institution and a primary group. In addition, the family is created to meet any number and range of essential human needs. The family, therefore, in contrast to other social groups defines the very meaning of integrity and adaptability. Because of its multifunctional ability to ameliorate the physiological and sychological human needs, and its inclination toward self-organization and self- development the idea of family is able to combine all personal, collective and public interests into one little amiable ball with a gigantic potential for explosive cataclysm. The world is not static, it changes, and with it change its social institutions, and thus the family. Clearly, the family today, like society in general, is in deep cow dung. The strength of the family, its charm and vitality lie in the integrity that is inherent in the family idea and in the definition of the primary social group and social nstitution. The present era in which we have had this great pleasure of existing is different from any other in recorded history. Todays complex economic and social situations require a modern approach, which can often cause stress and depression, which have already become integral parts of our existence. Today is the time when the need is particularly great in having a safe retreat, a place of spiritual comfort. This safe retreat can be our family, its stability and strength can be built to withstand the widespread variability of the painful world. The family is something worth elebrating, and in celebrating ourselves we can go on further to build everything else that will try to destroy it.

Understanding McDonalds history and strategy analysis

Understanding McDonalds history and strategy analysis McDonalds Corporation is the worlds largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily through more than 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries worldwide. McDonalds sells various fast food items and soft drinks including, burgers, chicken, salads, fries, and ice cream. Many McDonalds restaurants have included a playground for children and advertising geared toward children, and some have been redesigned in a more natural style, with a particular emphasis on comfort: introducing lounge areas and fireplaces, and eliminating hard plastic chairs and tables. Each McDonalds restaurant is operated by a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporations revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonalds revenues grew 27% over the three years ending in 2007 to $22.8 billion, and 9% growth in operating income to $3.9 billion. History analysis: The business began in 1940, with a restaurant opened by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald in San Bernardino, California. Their introduction of the Speedee Service System in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant. The original mascot of McDonalds was a man with a chefs hat on top of a hamburger shaped head whose name was Speedee. Speedee was eventually replaced with Ronald McDonald in 1963. The present corporation dates its founding to the opening of a franchised restaurant by Ray Kroc, in Des Plaines, Illinois on April 15, 1955 , the ninth McDonalds restaurant overall. Kroc later purchased the McDonald brothers equity in the company and led its worldwide expansion and the company became listed on the public stock markets in 1965. With the expansion of McDonalds into many international markets, the company has become a symbol of globalization and the spread of the American way of life. Its prominence has also made it a frequent topic of public debates about obesity, corporate ethics and consumer responsibility. McDonalds Corporation pioneers the training of its franchise owners in 1961 with the opening of Hamburger University. This move was aimed to maintain manager and franchisee loyalty in spite of a highly competitive market. First Mcdonals in 1940 Strategic Planning Strategy is defined as the determination of the basic long-term objectives of an enterprise and the adoption of courses of action and allocation of resources necessary to achieve these goals. The time length for strategies is arbitrary, but is probably two, three, or perhaps as many as five years. It is generally determined by how far in the future the organization is committing its resources. A strategy may include major policies. The purpose of strategies, then, is to determine and communicate, through a system of major objectives and policies, a picture of the kind of enterprise that is envisioned. They furnish a framework for guiding thinking and action. Their usefulness in practice and their importance in guiding planning do, however, justify the separation of strategies as a type of plan for the purpose of analysis. Under how the marketing plan supports strategic objectives Phillip Kotler defines marketing as Satisfying needs and wants of the customers through an exchange process. Strategic objective means core objective of company is achieved by some strategy. McDonalds main objective is globalization. McDonalds CEO and marketing executive periodically faces urgent strategic marketing challenges that can affect the future of the company for many years. Frequently these decisions are made without having an opportunity to study the situation and make the best possible decision. A better approach is to perform an annual comprehensive review of markets and opportunities, then make long-term strategic decisions without the distractions of day-to-day marketing and sales activities. Daily decisions then fit into the companys overall strategic marketing goals. Strategic marketing planning process to look at the McDonalds from the customers point of view by asking questions that have a long time horizon, such as: What needs or problems cause customers to consider buying from our McDonalds? What improvements in the customers personal or business life can we enable or improve? Which customer market segments are attracted to McDonalds? 1.2 identify the component parts of the marketing plan Situation Analysis External Analysis Customer Analysis Internal Analysis SWOT Analysis Situation Analysis The situation analysis helps to determine where our organization presently stands. It should examine whats going on outside of the organization, whats happening with consumers, and how the business is functioning internally. External Analysis What external changes are taking place in target market (city, county, state, country and around the world) that could potentially impact McDonalds business? Some things to investigate are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changes in political positions and legislation national levels à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changes in technology (new equipment) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Trends and taste in societys values and habits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competitors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Economic conditions (purchasing power) Customer Analysis Before developing a marketing plan its important to find out what consumers want and how they make purchase decisions. This may require some marketing research. Think about these factors: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Potential customers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer buying behavior à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Which item is more sale then other and why? Internal Analysis Knowing the state of the McDonalds and its resources helps to determine where it is strong and what areas need attention. The following also include in the marketing plan à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Current state of human resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Businesss performance according to competitors SWOT Analysis Conducting a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis is essential in assessing the companys position and serves as a guide to developing marketing plans. Benefits of a SWOT Analysis A SWOT analysis provides a fairly simple, low-cost way of assessing the companys position. It presents information that is important in developing business and marketing plans, as well as setting organizational goals and objectives. It tells you where the company currently sits, and where it needs to go in the future. When McDonalds conduct SWOT analysis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Examine your companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats from a customers perspective. If youre having trouble viewing issues that way, ask customers what they think through feed back form which is present on very McDonalds or conduct surveys to view over all target market. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Separate internal issues from external issues. The companys strengths and weaknesses are internal; opportunities and threats are external. The main think is, first McDonalds analysis these two other factors are present in us yes or not. If the answer is yes, the issue should be classified as external. Some things to consider about company when determining your strengths and weaknesses are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Size à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Scale à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customer Perceptions (changing taste, what they need new) McDonalds is doing some research on existing competitors, industry, and the environment in order to complete the opportunities and threats portion of your SWOT analysis. Here are some main points to consider: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Trends in the competitive environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Trends in the technological environment (update technology) Once McDonalds finished his SWOT analysis, include the resulting strategy in business and marketing plans. Some key actions to take include à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Transform strengths into capabilities by matching them with opportunities in the environment. Strength: The company has a very efficient order fulfillment and process very fast way Opportunity: There is an unfulfilled need for the companys product in other countries Capability: The Company is capable of providing its taste worldwide à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Convert weaknesses into strengths by investing strategically in key areas. Weakness: Employees are not familiar with the latest technology (lack of on job trainings) Investment: sends employees to classes, workshops, and conferences Strength: Employees now have inside information on cutting edge technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Weaknesses that cannot be converted into strengths become limitations. Any limitation that is obvious and meaningful to consumers must be minimized. Meaning to consumers: Consumers may not be able to find the new items verity Minimization: Allow consumers to purchase through other channels, such as McDonalds open parcel window if any person want to take away he dont need to stand in queue in side the McDonalds, he drives to that window and make order. 2.2 Mitigation Plan1 A defined set of tasks agreed upon by appropriate members of the Project Team that will be executed in the current weeks Project Plan with the express purpose of reducing a given Risks Likelihood and/or Impact. All Risks with a Likelihood of 3 or more and/or an Impact of Operational or Profound must have a defined Mitigation Plan. (NOTE: a given Project Team may choose to define Risk Mitigation Plans for Risks with lower Likelihood and/or Impact rankings). All tasks in the Mitigation Plan should be assignable to a single accountable resource associated with the Project. Each Task must be granular enough to be accomplished within one weeks time by the assigned resource, i.e. the tasks listed in a given Risks Mitigation Plan are expected to flow from the Risk Matrix onto the teams Project Plan. (NOTE: For Mitigation Plans whose complete Task Set requires more than one week to complete, the Project Team may find it helpful to indicate in this Risk Matrix column from we ek-to-week which of the specific tasks in the Mitigation Strategy have been completed to better help in the visual tracking of the progress of the Mitigation Strategy.) 2.3 Marketing plan Four steps of market plan are following: Conduct a communications marketing analysis Establish objective Create a budget Prepare a promotional strategy Conduct a communication market analysis Competitive analysis Opportunity analysis Target market analysis Customer analysis Positioning analysis Competitive analysis Fries of identify our major competitor and communication strategies and tactics of each competitor. Scour the landscape for competing and similar events that are happening around the same time. We Find out what similar events is charging for admission; consider how your product differs from theirs and what will give you the edge. We can turn similar competing events into an advantage through joint promotions. But be careful, as joint promotions can sometimes confuse the marketplace.  · Number and size of major competitors and Particular strengths and weaknesses of competitors  · Cost or funding advantages that competitors have  · Pressure from substitute products (home entertainment products and services). Opportunity analysis We see competitor what are their opportunities. Where your product will exist your competitor is heavily saturated. Whats opportunity that is not being followed? Are your competition is ignored by customer. Target market analysis Here are some examples of the kinds of markets you might be targeting. If we dont have this information from our own ongoing research, we can put together a profile from reading the research of others. For example, we can obtain magazine readership profiles from the advertising department and many arts funding agencies have market research. This is a step-by-step guide to creating a campaign strategy Market size: To make a successive product you must need to collect information about market and his size and segment. Mostly people have didnt knowledge about computer due lack of interest and knowledge. Our product barrier is very small network of telecommunication and high prices in computer prices. Customer analysis Identify the current customer of the company and your competitor. Analyze who is potentially customer who do not purchase the product but may become interested. Then analyze your product customer like whats his age, sex employee, unemployed, and his psychograph profile which is given below:  · Age: 40% aged 40 to 54 and 45% 18 to 39  · Sex: 25% female  · Employment:70% working  · Psychographic profile: 45% experiential cluster, Experience new groups and enjoy new and different things. Attracted to visually interesting performances and like to be made to think. Positioning analysis All promotions are related to our or our companys overall market positioning for us or our company. Positioning differentiates your company or offers our competition and should appeal to our target market. Market positioning Look at other companies, how they promote themselves, their audiences, their location, their programming. We differentiate organization or event in relation to the competition. Here are some examples:  · The market leader, the market challenger.  · As attracting younger or older audiences, family audiences, cutting edge or more mainstream audiences  · Your spectacular location, entrance policies Establish communication objective Our product advertising mission is to making an effective advertisement according to our budget and cost effective advertising. Our objective is as follow: Develop brand awareness Change consumer beliefs or attitude Increase good/service category or attitude Enhance purchase actions Encourage repeat purchase Build consumer traffic Enhance firm image Increase market share Increase sales. Create a communication budget Percentage of sale Meet the competition What we can afford Objective and the task Quantitive model Prepare communication strategy Communication is not just about persuasion its about education and image-building, about listening to and engaging with people of all ages from all kinds of backgrounds. The theory of communication Introduction Know yourself Know your audience Know your competitors Market positioning WRITING YOUR COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY Introduction Communication objective Target Audience   Key Messages Key Selling Points Personality and Tone COMMUNICATIONS PRACTICE Introduction Communications Channels Words The Image

A Sociological Perspective Of Structural Functionalism

A Sociological Perspective Of Structural Functionalism The criminal behaviour of Robert Pickton can be examined through the sociological feminist perspective. There are numerous factors throughout Picktons life that could have served significantly towards his deviant behaviour. The feeling of male dominance could have led the man to express his anger and superiority on the opposite sex. As a result, this unacceptable behaviour raises confliction between the two genders; this exemplifies a feminist theory of female oppression. Throughout his youthful year, Pickton may have encountered neglect from a female figure, which could have played an influence on the behaviourism of this serial killer. For example, hostile affection from a mother may have caused Pickton to bottle up his anger to the point where he used criminal acts as a release in his elder years. These later acts could be a mirror reflection to the actions of his mother therefore causing him to avenge his past experiences by murdering as many other women as possible. Taking a look at the Marxist Feminism theory can also serve in sociologically analyzing the behaviour of Robert Pickton. This theory examines the lack of balance in terms of men and women in an economic outlook. Stereotypical roles and class hierarchies divide the two sexes; for example, women are to take on the housewives roles whereas men are more of the working money makers. Pickton may have based his attacks on a lower class level than he assumed himself to be in. He was a farmer who produced and well as distributed food to others, yet due to the fact that many of the women were prostitutes and drug addicts (CBC News), Pickton clearly picked on this class for a reason. Perhaps he felt that this specific target group was helpless, and had a negative effect on the world. The imbalanced regard to class groups may have numbed Picktons feelings of guilt or awareness to the fact that he was murdering countless women uncontrollably. Robert Picktons choice of targeting a specific group o f women, let alone women in general, goes to show the sociological perspective of feminism in this case. Psychological Perspective: Psychoanalysis Thorough psychological analysis of his thinking process, consisting of both his conscious and unconscious mind, can help with focusing on the psychoanalysis of Picktons behaviour. The Id, according to Freud, is driven solely by impulses. In the case of Pickton, the impulse was sexual, seeing as the women he murdered were all sex workers. It is only fair to assume that he resorted to these specific women for a specific reason, to satisfy his needs. His sexual impulses led to his Id satisfying them. There is also a chance that Pickton was experiencing internal conflict which led to the outcomes of his decided behaviour. The Id has no care for reality, or the needs of anyone else, merely its own satisfaction. To continue the analysis of Picktons behaviour, we must now take a look at his ego. Considering an ego develops through experience, it is possible that Picktons uncontrollable urge to kill women was a result from being neglected in his early years by a motherly figure. Being motivated by unconscious conflicts, Picktons ego weakened as his unresolved mental struggle in regards to hatred of an important motherly figure from his youth may have caused his murderous acts. He may have been battling for acceptance or love and lost, hence why afterwards he probably felt in need of retribution against his mothers rejection. The feeling of betrayal or rejection by a female likely outsourced Picktons jealous rage. Picktons super-ego, alike to his ego, can also be seen as weak. This murderers conscious had to have been aware that his acts were wrong and socially unacceptable; he chose to disregard the difference between right and wrong as still act out in a poor manner. Additionally, Picktons sense of childhood rejection may have caused him to lose trust and view the world as an undependably hopeless place. This mistrust has a direct correlation and affect to his social interaction and his personality. His criminal acts were a mean of expressing the unconscious conflicts that have not been resolved. His superegos failure to develop is largely due to his inability to identify with his parental figure as well as lack of internalization of parental and social norms, values and morals. Without a fully developed superego, Pickton was missing his conscience and had no empathy for others. The ids domination of his superego caused it to weaken and easily influence him toward urging violent criminal beh aviour. Freudians would characterize Picktons behaviour by having a weak ego, absent super-ego and a strong id. Anthropologic Perspective: Sociocultural Anthropology Inside on Robert Picktons social life can give us an anthropological insight in terms of his behaviour. Going back a few years, it seems as though Roberts relationships and social interaction were not fully developed. Being rejected in an attempt to build social interactions could definitely have caused Pickton to feel inferior. As this feeling of rejection continued, it developed into anger which he then chose to release through attacking the initial source of it all, women. Due to the womens clear inability to defend themselves, Pickton matured a sense of superiority which built motivation to continue his attacks. Growing up, Pickton may have been exposed to excessive amounts of media violence which may have played a toll on his later behaviour. Media has become one of the most powerful weapons in the world. Since society as a whole is our means of expression, Pickton probably became a victim of conformity. The battle of conformity may seem impossible to conquer; it is a battle that will murder an individuals qualities, and the only way to triumph it is through conscious awareness of its outcome. It is evident that this man is not intact with his conscious, meaning he is either prone to making bad decisions by disregarding their consequences or he was never given taught any better. Examining Picktons targets, female prostitutes, may correlate with his values, morals and also the economic inequalities of women in the society he grew up in. Seeing as his outlook of women was already poor, prostitution may have been another concern of his. Pickton worked on his farm, meaning he performed physical labour in order to earn his living. On the other hand, prostitution in the view of Pickton may have been a career that earned a living off of pleasure rather than pain; this might have been an unfair and morally unacceptable way to earn a living in the eyes of this murderer. From this, the man may have not felt any sympathy for these women, so he decided to indulge his guilt-free attitude in the killing of a specifically characterized group of targets. Hypothesis for Research of a Serial Killer To understand the reason for a serial killers motives, we must investigate the conscious and unconscious mind by taking a look at the id, ego, and superego. This will help to determine the driving principle of the criminal, the pleasure they were seeking, their ability to differentiate between right and wrong, and the power and development of the id, ego and superego. Feminists would examine the perspective of women and their rights within a society, particularly one dominated by men. Social systems, structures and issues in relevance to women will be put to the grand focus. Structural functionalists regard crime as a necessary and constant part of society. In a given society, the majority of people identify, acknowledge and adhere to a shared set of moral guidelines and rules through legal punishment and public offense. Crime is crucial to society because it sets the legal system and develops a shared set of moral guidelines. A drastic increase in criminal behaviour loses peoples trust and cohesion. Yet, unusual decreases in crime sets the impression that people have no individuality or freedom, as well as do not share moral guidelines to differentiate between right and wrong. Therefore, the stability of a crime rate has a direct relation to the health of a society. We must also take a look at the survival of society and how criminals become outcasts to the structural norms. Ones inability to recognize their place in society, creating an uncertain status, may cause them to deviate from what is acceptable socially. When conducting research on a serial killer, one must explore and gain insight on the psychoanalytic, feminist, and functionalist perspectives. The collaboration of these perspectives will allow for a thorough understanding in terms of a criminals urge for multiple killings.

President Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles Essay -- American Histor

President Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles President Wilson’s righteous views of his efforts were so strong that not even the advice and urging of his closest confidants could sway his stance. While it is true that opposition forces helped to defeat the treaty, it was ultimately Wilson’s stubbornness that led to its defeat in the Senate. There were many factors that led to the initial outbreak of World War I in Europe. A constant struggle to gain the upper hand in the â€Å"balance of power† existed, and it resulted in the formation of many alliances between European nations. For the most part, these agreements stipulated that the nations would aid one another if one of them were to be attacked by an enemy. Eventually two distinct sides formed: the Allies and the Central Powers. The former consisted of Britain, France, Italy, and Japan, while the latter was made up of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and what was left of the Ottoman Empire. Nationalism was an important factor in the outbreak of war as well. The French desperately wanted revenge against Germany, as well as the return of the Alsace-Lorraine region which Germany had seized from them. The Germans had their own nationalism at work, as their government took great pride in the industrial growth of the country, as well as the mounting power of their military. Conflict for power existed not only in Europe, but because of imperialism it spread across much of the Eastern Hemisphere. First and foremost, economic rivalries had developed between Britain, Germany, and France. The two Allied members of the group were very concerned about their Central opponent, as both wished to contain Germany’s territorial claims on the resource- and labor-rich continent of Africa. But what would ultimately lead to the outbreak of the first world war was Germany’s ever-increasing belief in militarism. The German military power had continued to grow as their industrial sector did the same; such power was seen as a symbol of national pride by the government. Other nations had built up their arms stockpiles as well, though they did not glorify it nearly as much as the Germans did. Nevertheless, the availability of arms, when combined with other political and economic factors, meant that a full-scale conflict was all but unavoidable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Billions upon billions of dollars worth of resources were poured... ...er that same vote, and finally Wilson’s plan of ratification without any reservations. All of the votes failed, with Wilson’s losing the worst by a 55-35 margin. The treaty with Lodge’s reservations was only defeated 50-41, so if Wilson had been the least bit flexible he may have been able to sway 20 or so senators to vote his way, which would at the very least set the stage for some sort of peace. Instead, Wilson’s self-righteousness buried his cause. Although his intentions were in the best interests of the world’s nations, Wilson’s method of getting the Versailles Treaty ratified ultimately led to its failure of passage by his own country. Not consulting the Senate during treaty negotiations was a terrible first step, but the president’s subsequent hard-line stance and unwillingness to concede anything left no chance for the doctrine to be passed. President Wilson is solely to blame for the Versailles Treaty’s failure. How prophetic he was in September of 1919, when in a pro-treaty speech he said, â€Å"I am obliged to come to you in mortification and shame and say I have not been able to fulfill the promise. You are betrayed. You have fought for something that you did not get.†

Varicella â€Zoster Virus Essay -- Health, Diseases, Chickenpox

Varicella –Zoster Virus (VZV) is a ubiquitous, double standard DNA virus that belongs to the herpes virus group. Like other herpes viruses, VZV may persist in the body after primary infection .VZV is a virus exists across the globe having a high prevalence in temperate climates. It also has a high prevalence in seasons of late winter and early spring. The primary infection results in Varicella (chicken pox) whereas recurrent infection causes herpes zoster (shingles). The virus is approximately 150 to 200 nanometer in size, is the smallest of the known viruses causing herpes and lacks genes for several proteins found in HSV, which is the prototype of the alpha herpes viruses, such as glycoprotein D (Mandell et al., 2009). The virus has a high sensitivity to temperature and becomes inactivated at approximately 56-60 degrees Celsius (Arvin, 1996). If it is was exposed to such a high temperature the viral envelope would be disrupted making the virus not infectious. Varicella zoste r virus produces six or more glycoproteins, such as gB (gpII), gC (gpIV), gE (gpI), gH(gpIII), and gL, which are also expressed on the cell membranes during viral replication (Arvin, 1996). The gE protein is produced abundantly in VZV. The gB protein is the target of neutralizing antibodies and may play a role in virus entry. The gH protein appears to have fusion function, facilitating cell –to-cell spread of the virus. The prevention of the spread of VZV is difficult because contagious persons can go 1 – 2 days without signs and symptoms (Arvin, 1996). VZV is transmitted by respiratory droplets or direct contact with rash lesions, and patients are usually contagious from a few days before rash onset until the rash has crusted over. VZV enters the body throu... ...l VZV infection (chickenpox) can contract chickenpox from someone with recurrent infection (shingles). In such cases, transmission occurs during exposure when the rash is in the blister-phase, not through sneezing or coughing. Treatments that are available consist of antiviral therapy such as acyclovir, famciclovir and valacyclovir (Stoppler, 2011). These antivirals help the severity of varicella and herpes zoster. An important vaccine that is available for people over the age of 60 is called Zostavax. Zostavax is available in the market which can reduce the risk of shingles (Stoppler, 2011). It is a live vaccine that boosts the immune system, provides protections against the virus and it complications. It has shown to reduce the risk of shingles by half in older individuals and also reduces the severity and length of disease in those who still develop shingles.

Political Party Essay

1. Political Party: group of individuals who seek to control government through winning elections. 2. Plurality: the largest number of votes cast for the office 3. Incumbent: current officeholder 4. Splinter Parties: those individuals who have split away from one of the major parties 5. Major Parties: American Politics, Republican and Democratic parties 6. Bipartisan: two major parties find common ground, in this endeavor. 7. Electorate: the people eligible to vote. 8. Precinct: smallest unit of election administration; the voters in each precinct report to one polling area. 9. Partisanship: secure commitment to a political party is the source for government action. 10. Pluralistic Society: contains of several diverse cultures and groups. 11. Ideological Parties: those based on particular sets of beliefs. 12. Two-Party System: in an election, only Republican or Democratic Party’s candidates have a realistic chance of winning public office. 13. Consensus: a general agreement among various groups- on fundamental matters. 14. Single-issue parties: concentrate on only one public-policy matter. Questions 15. What is the major function of a political party? – Political parties serve four essential functions; and in serving these functions, the parties allow the United States to more closely approach the ideal of democracy. The first and most important function of an American party is to organize elections by nominating candidates and seeking office. 17. Briefly explain two ways in which American Government is government by party? – One reason for the two party systems is that the Electoral College is winner-takes-all, preventing 3rd parties from gaining power. Another one is to ensure the voters that they can take action towards the government through their selected party. 20. How is the ideological consensus of the American electorate reflected in the membership of the major parties? – Since the beginning of the USA there has been a general consensus on many of the major issues. This is not to say that Americans have always agreed on every matter. The nation has been deeply divided for many years at a time. 21. (a) Which political party was the first to appear in the new United States? (b) Who was its leader and what type of government did it favor? -Hamilton and other leaders who wanted a strong central government banded together to put over their policies. In 1787 they began calling themselves the Federalists. This was the first United States political party. 24. What unusual feature characterizes the present era of political party dominance? – The Democratic Party hired organizers chosen by the state parties in every state, so democrats could win the elections. 25. Briefly describe the four types of minor parties. – The four types of minor parties consist of the ideological parties, the single-issue parties, the economic protest parties and the splinter parties. 26. Historically, what have been the most important roles of minor parties? Briefly explain one of these roles. -To give more freedom of expression and to make sure that there is not one party stronger than another. The Election of 1912 Roosevelt created The Progressive Party a.k.a. the Bull Moose Party. 27. Why is the party in power more cohesive than the opposition party? -Republicans all believe the exact same thing word for word, making them far more cohesive, and brainwashed, then the democrats who have their own individual opinions and beliefs. 29. List and explain four factors that have contributed to the present weakened state of the major parties. – A sharp drop in the number of voters willing to identify themselves as republicans or democrats, and a growing number who regard themselves as independents. – A big increase in split ticket voting-voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election. – Various structural changes and reforms that have made the parties more â€Å"open,† but have also led to greater internal conflict and disorganization. These changes range from the introduction of the direct primary in the early 1900s to the more recent and far-reaching changes in campaign finance laws. – Changes in the technology of campaigning for office-especially the heavy use of television and of the Internet, professional campaign managers, and direct-mail advertising Ch.7 15. Nomination: the naming of those who will seek office 16. Closed Primary: party nominating where declared party members can vote 17. Precinct: a voting district 18. Soft Money: used for party building activities given by the local state. 19. General Election: regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the selection of officeholders 20. Open Primary: any qualified voter can take part in this nomination 21. Ballot: a device were voter registers a choice in a election 22. Hard Money: campaign money that is subject to regulation by the FEC 23. Caucus: is a group of like-minded people who meet to select the candidates they will support in an upcoming election. 24. Absentee Voting: voting by those unable to attend the polling place 25. Political Action Committee: political groups which have a major take on public policy 26. Direct Primary: is an intra-party election 27. Coattail Effect: when a strong candidate helps other candidates in the election by parties ticket. 28. Subsidy: grant of money from the government Questions 12. What are the five broad categories that describe the way most nominations are made? – Self-announcement – Caucus – Convention – Direct primary – Petition 15. Explain the arguments for and against the closed primary. -The arguments for a closed primary believe that the votes will be fairer and against the closed primary believe it violates the Constitution, which I personally believe it does. 16. What is the overall purpose and importance of election law in the American political process? -The overall purpose is that all people have an equal chance to participate in the political process equally. 20. Describe recent technological advances and changes that make it easier for Americans to vote. – Major technological advancements that have affected musical performances include the Compact Disc, the television, and most of  all, the radio. 21. Briefly describe the role and importance of money in the election process. -Financial donations to a candidate’s campaign allow the campaign to purchase advertising, signs, and to travel for campaigning. 22. (a) Identify five types of private donors to political campaigns. (b) Why might these individuals and groups wish to contribute money to political candidates? -Donors to political campaigns are PACs, 527’s, parties, interest groups, and private citizens. ACs work by raising money from people employed by a corporation or in a trade union. These are called â€Å"connected PACs† and they rarely ask for donations from the general public although legally they are free to do so. 23. Outline the limitation placed on individual and PAC contributions to the federal candidate and political parties. -No person can give more than $2,100 to any federal candidate in a primary election, and no more than $2,100 to and federal candidate’s general election campaign. Also, no person can give more than $5,000 in any year to a political action committee, or %26,700 to a national party committee. The total of any person’s contributions to federal candidates and committees now must be limited to no more than $101,400 in an election cycle. 24. (a) How does a candidate for President qualify for public funding? (b) What rules must candidates follow if they accept public funds? – To qualify for public funding, Presidential candidates and party convention committees must first meet various eligibility requirements, such as agreeing to limit campaign spending to a specified amount 25. Identify and explain the three major loopholes in today’s federal election-money statues. -Campaign finance loopholes include â€Å"soft money† contributions to parties by unions and corporations, independent expenditure is spending by someone outside a campaign that is not coordinated with the campaign and volunteer activity. Ch. 8 29. Public Affairs: politics, public issues, and making of public policies 30. Public Opinion Poll: devices that attempt to collect information by asking questions 31. Sound Bite: snappy reports that can be aired in 30 or 45 seconds or so 32. Public Opinion: those attitudes help by a significant number of people on matters of government 33. Sample: a representative slice of the total universe 34. Mass Media: communication that reaches large widely spread audiences simultaneously 35. Random Sample: probability slice of the total universe 36. Interest Group: private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy 37. Quota Sample: sample deliberately constructed to reflect several of the major characteristics of a given universe Questions 11. Why is it incorrect to say that public opinion represents the single, undivided view of the American people? – Public opinion is a complex collection of the opinions of many different people. It is the sum of all of their views. It is not the single and undivided view of some mass mind. 12. Why are the influences of education and family so powerful in development of political attitudes? – The influence of education and family is so powerful because these are our most basic and strong concerns in this type of society. 13. Besides education and family, what other forces help influence public opinion in American society? – There are many other forces, including mass media†¦ especially internet and cable T.V. They have a great influence currently. I find that particularly interesting that these influences have co-opted some more traditional elements of the culture, especially books, newspapers, and face-to-face interactions within primary groups. 14. Name at least three ways in which public opinion can be expressed. -Radio, newspaper, television 17. What is the most reliable means of measuring public opinion? – The Sample Survey is regarded as the best way to measure public opinion today, although it has its faults and detractors. Most people today use the internet to give their opinion so no one can really measure the exact number. 20. What factors can make a public opinion poll less than completely accurate? – Polls get less accurate if there are lots of possible answers to a question instead of a simple yes/no. A good example of this is asking people which one of the dozen or so presidential candidates in each party they support. The error margin will be a higher for this question than for the Bush question above. 21. (a) What are the four major sources of political information in the United States? (b) List at least one advantage of each source. -Television: broadcasts nation-wide to the American people -Newspaper: generally carry political news, and news of independence -Radio: exposed the American people to national and international politics as never before. -Magazines: generally devoted to literature and the social graces 23. Explain the impact of the mass media on the public agenda. – The mass media can impact public agenda by selectively reporting news and covering only one side of a story. 24. What is the impact of the mass media on electoral politics? -Most of the media wish to get rid of the Electoral College due to the idea that we no longer need someone else to vote for us. Thus, deciding the president of the United States. 25. What factors limit the impact of the mass media on American politics? -Language may be seen as a political factor in mass media, particularly in instances where a society is characterized by a large number of languages spoken by its populace. The choice of language of mass media may represent a bias towards the group most likely to speak that language, and can limit the public participation by those who do not speak the language. Ch. 9 38. Public Policy: goals for the government and pursues at it attempts to realize these goals 39. Propaganda: a technique of persuasion aimed at influencing individual or group behaviors 40. Trade Association: segments of the business community also have their own interest groups 41. Lobbying: usually defined as those activities by which group pressures are brought to bear on legislators 42. Labor Union: an organization of workers who share the same type of job or who work in the industry 43. Public-Interest group: a group that seeks to institute certain public policies Questions 12. Why are interest groups sometimes called â€Å"pressure groups† or â€Å"special interests†? – Generally, because they represent a specific segment of the overall population. Not everyone is handicapped, so an interest group representing them would be a â€Å"special† interest group because bills/policies affecting them would not affect the general population 16. How do interest groups add an element to the checks-and-balances feature of the political process? – They keep close tabs on the work of various public agencies and  officials and thus help to make sure that they perform their tasks in responsible and effective ways. 18. Into what category do most interest groups fall? – Interest groups use advocacy and lobbying to influence public policy without seeking election to office. This puts them under the category of lobbyist. 19. What is the difference between private and public –interest groups? -Public interest groups are those whose membership and, in some cases, investments are open to the general public. Private are essentially clubs with closed memberships and whose transactions are shielded from both public and government scrutiny. 20. (a) On what kinds of issues do labor groups generally agree? (b) On what kinds of issues might labor interests have different points of view? -Wages, Health Insurance, Family Leave, etc. Most labor groups may want to have certain rights of their unions before they work for a higher salary, while other groups may value a raise in salary more. 23. What are the goals of a propagandist? – Propagandists (i.e. advertisers, persuaders and even brainwashers) are interested in influencing others to agree with their point of views. 25. At what stages of policymaking must lobbyists be involved? -Lobbying is done at later stages of policy making. The lobbyist imparts her information with the help of graphs, charts, polls, and reports that she has hunted up or created.

Dead Poets Society Assignment Essay

1. Make a list of the major characters and think of two or three apt words that describe that character. Neil Popular leader actor passionate Todd Introverted timid Knox Academically focused , idealistic, romantic Charlie Rebellious reckless recalcitrant Cameron Ambitious assiduous compliant Pitts Socially awkward , introverted, takes risks Meeks academically gifted, embracive Mr Perry Dominating, closed minded, Mr Keating Inspiring , challenging, resourceful Kris Sweet, assiduous Chet Spoiled, popular, bully 2. Write a blurb for the cover of the video of Dead Poets Society. You will need to summarise the essentials of plot, characters and themes and keep your word length to around 150 words! New England, the 1950s. Todd Anderson, a lonely timid teenager, who is under pressure by his strict and controlling parents because he must live up to his older brother’s reputation to attend Yale to become a lawyer. This semester begins during an orientation gathering with a speech given by the stern Headmaster Nolan, who states the academy’s four pillars: Tradition, Honor, Discipline, and Excellence. Todd meets Neil Perry an ambitious student whom becomes his dorm roommate. Together, Todd, Neil and other class mates join to create ‘Dead Poets  Society’ which had been inspired by Mr. Keating, who becomes known not only as a teacher but a role model in these student. Keating begins to push the students to strive and seize the day. With encouragement and joy also comes tro uble, hurt and loss. Watch the heart telling story unfold a realistic perspective of students striving for independence. 3. Write a detailed description of one of the following characters: character: Mr Perry Mr. Perry is Neil’s paternalistic and dominating father. He is determined that Neil will finish school at Welton and study medicine. To this end, he ensures that Neil is focused and not distracted by unnecessary extra-curricular activities such as the school magazine. Neil rebels against this but unable to confront his father, ultimately decides that he is â€Å"trapped†. Mr. Perry’s refusal to support Neil’s acting aspirations ultimately lead to Neil’s death 4. One of the themes of the film is conflict, both the conflict characters feel internally and the conflict that occurs between characters. Explain this statement and give examples to illustrate how this theme was dealt with in the film. Conflict in the film ‘Dead Poets Society’ had played a major role in this movie. Certain aspect of the movie not only showed physical conflict but also the mental conflict of the boys that had then began contemplating whether they should do certain action or not. One of the major conflicts in the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’ had been between Neil and His Father who was known as Mr Perry. Neil battles the courage to follow his dream as an actor after realising his father and himself had different life goals. Mr Keating help Neil to realise to strive for what he thought was more important instead of living his life working for his father’s approval and expectation. Neil concluded in losing his battle to confront his father on his interest in becoming actor, which concluded in his suicide. Which caused some of boys to blame Mr Keating for his death. 5. The first poem Mr Keating reads in class is Robert Herrick’s To the Virgins, to make much Time. Read the poem carefully and explain how the poem relates to one of the themes of the film. Keating served a similar role to his students. He ‘led’ them through the rough years of High School, all the while encouraging them to try new things and live their lives as t hey wish, rather than to society’s standards. The kids in the movie begin to refer to Keating as â€Å"My Captain† 6. Mr Keating asks his students to address home with â€Å"Captain My captain!† Walt Whitman, a famous American poet wrote a poem entitled O Captain! My Captain! The poem is about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th. President of the United States. Read the poem carefully and then read the biography extract. Within the poem there are symbols that represent things associated with Abraham Lincoln’s life. A writer uses symbols to emphasize the point he or she is making; to underline the theme. When a writer uses a symbol or symbols extensively the piece of writing is called an allergy. O Captain! My Captain! Is an allegorical poem. Explain the Symbols used in the poem. That is, explain the allegorical nature of the poem. Throughout the poem, the poet uses metaphors to share his ideas. He uses â€Å"captain† Abraham Lincoln. The â€Å"ship† is the civil war. He refers to the civil war as the â€Å"victor ship†. This is because Lincoln had served as a commander of the civil war. At the end of the first verse, Lincoln dies while â€Å"bleeding drops of red†. â€Å"From fearful trip the victor ship comes in the with object won.† Whitman focuses on that right after the Civil war ends, Lincoln dies. He does that with the poem too, by saying, â€Å"The port is near† and then later saying â€Å"where on the deck the captain lies, fallen cold and dead.† Whitman also refers to Lincoln as a father, because he is the father of his nation. The speaker of the poem does not want to believe that the captain is dead, by saying, â€Å"My Captain does not answer his lips pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will.† But then, sadly, he realizes that the captain will not return. 7. Mr Keating tells his students, â€Å"Learn to savour words and language; words and language can change the world. â€Å"On the 4th of June 1940, Britain was surrounded by an invading German military force. The situation seemed completely hopeless; Britain, protected only be the twenty miles of the English Channel prepared for invasion. (a) Explain how you think these words inspired a nation in a time of crisis: I guess it inspired the nation as to become the better people of the situation, and not only that but words do become more meaningful when words are savoured. (b) After Martin Luther King’s speech ‘I have a dream’ people realised that they have the same goals  for life and that everyone could dream together. Also that they had been discriminating for no reason because at the end of the day, our character isn’t defined by the way you look, but the person on the inside. 8.†Mr Keating was responsible for Neil’s death.† Do you agree? No. Mr Keating had been an inspiring character for Neil to look up to. He pushed Neil and encouraged him to seize the day and follow his dream. 9. Neil: Sorry for becoming the person I have been urging to set free, Sorry I see what I had been longing to be, Me!  Someone I haven’t thought about in a long time and it’s the first time I am beginning to become like a tree, Free flowing as the wind gust blow the braches to where it must flow, But are the braches blowing in the wind gust, flowing just to be free? So many time I have been expected to follow, and do as you say. But for once I feel a sense of control in my life that does no end up where you want me to be. Carpe Diem, seize the day, an eye opening phrase which has had me thinking†¦ Are you doing what is bests for you or doing what’s best for me. 10. What impressed the students the most about ‘Dead poets Society is the realities that appear throughout the movie. It shows the boys standing up for their rights and believing in themselves and also the struggles and pressure of living up to their parents expectations. Mr Keating is very realistic in certain aspect of life and that’s what the students really liked. (b) The poem shows a sense of independence. Though all the doubts and excuses they had gone through, at the end they soared, and became independent and had heard there inner voice and opinions. They learnt how to express themselves through words they spoke. And the spoken words were confident. 11. ‘Strive to find your own lives’ Mr Keating tell his students. This statement tell us that we should no longer follow expectations and commitments that our hearts don’t follow. It tells us that we should work hard to become what we want in life, but not only that but do things that  make us happy, explore into the world and discover what we urge to become. Create yourself a life that does not revolve over someone else’s satisfaction. 12. Mr Keating left that class room with the upper hand. He left with respect from the boys and also the purpose he had been trying to fulfil in these boys. He watched them come to the edge and protest for what they believed was right. He held his dignity high above his head, as he knew that at the end of the day, the boys seized that moment to protest their respect for Mr Keating.

Introduction to the Bible

The Message within the Message David R. Hayes Introduction to the Bible RELS311, Section B001 Win 13 Mark D. Wessner February 10, 2013 The Message within the Message Even though some may say that there is nothing more to a narrative than what one may see and read on the pages before them, I believe that some stories are more than just historical narratives. For example, in the story of David and Goliath I believe that the example David sets by his faith and trust in God to give both him and Israel the victory against this ominous foe as well as David's words of wisdom to combat the menacing taunts from Goliath are more than meets the eye.In this paper, I intend to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, I will analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and I will give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach. The story of David and Goliath is found in the first book of Sam uel which is located between the book of Ruth and the second book of Samuel in the Old Testament.This narrative encompasses the entire 17th chapter of this book and is made up of fifty-eight verses. The first book of Samuel is one of thirty-nine books that make up â€Å"the canon of the Old Testament†, taken from the Greek word kanon which â€Å"means a rule—[or] a standard for measurement†, and is part of the Christian â€Å"authoritative list of the books belonging to the Old Testament or New Testament (Comfort, 2003, p. 51). In this case, it is part of the Old Testament canon.This narrative is just one of many that make up â€Å"over 40 percent of the Old Testament†¦ [which] constitutes three-quarters of the bulk of the Bible† (Fee, 2003, p. 89). Besides the writings of Moses, a major prophet and author of the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch, it is believed that after Moses and the other prophets and prophetesses durin g his lifetime: the great outbursts of prophetic activity began with Samuel†¦ and the arliest kind of writing in which they seem to have engaged extensively was history, which afterwards became the basis of the books of Chronicles†¦ and probably of Samuel and Kings too, which have so much material in common with Chronicles. (Comfort, 2003, p. 53) Additionally, â€Å"[i]t is noteworthy [to point out] that in Jewish tradition Samuel, Kings, the Minor Prophets, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles are each reckoned as a single book† (Comfort, 2003, p. 57).The narrative begins with the gathering of two armies: the Philistines in Ephes-dammim and Israel on the other side of the Valley of Elah, which was between them, both on mountains separated by this valley (1 Samuel 17:1-3). Ephes-dammim, which is called â€Å"Pas-dammin† in the first book of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 11:13), meaning â€Å"boundary of blood† which is believed to possibly have come from â€Å"[t ]he deep red color of the newly plowed earth in this [location]†¦ and may have given origin to the idea of â€Å"blood†Ã¢â‚¬ , but the location is not absolutely certain (Masterman, n. . ). The Valley of Elah, on the other hand, is located just north of where the Philistine armies are believed to have gathered with, which most likely was, the dry creek bed of the Wadi es-Sant dividing them from Saul's armies in the Judean mountains, though a more accurate description would be hills (Wilson, n. d. ). The valley between them â€Å"is a triangle-shaped flat valley, located on the western edge of the Judean low hills or Shepelah†¦ [o]nly in the rainy season does water flow in the creek bed†¦ rom the hills to the east to the Mediterranean on the west† (Wilson, n. d. ). This narrative ends with the devastating loss of the Philistines' champion, Goliath, followed by the massacre of the Philistine armies, and the victory of God's chosen people, the Israelites. This narrative, like all narratives, is a story which retells us a historical event which was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is â€Å"intended to give meaning and direction for a given people in the present† (Fee, 2003, p. 0). Fee points out that the major difference between a biblical narrative and other narratives is that â€Å"the story they tell is not so much our story as it is God's story—and it becomes ours as [H]e †writes† us into it† (2003, p. 90). But like all narratives it has three main characteristics: characters, plot, and plot resolution (Fee, 2003, p. 90). The characters consist of protagonists (e. g. God), antagonists (e. g. Goliath), and agonists (e. g. David) (Fee, 2003, p. 90).The conflict in this plot would be the imminent battle between the Philistines and Israelites as well as the daily challenge given to the Israelites by Goliath which subsequently leads to fear and inaction by Saul's armies. The plot resolu tion, or denouement, would be the devastating defeat of Goliath at the hands of David which reverses roles between the Philistines and Israelites, instills fear into the hearts of the Philistine armies, and completely overturns the expected outcome of this battle.In the Bible most narratives are also historical and/or biographical accounts and include accounts in the following books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts (â€Å"Literary genres†¦ †, n. d. ). Though there are many narratives in these books it does not mean that each book is strictly narratives or any other genre for that matter.One thing that puzzled me was when Fee appears to contradict himself when first he states that narratives â€Å"are intended to give meaning and direction†, but later states that â⠂¬Å"Old Testament narratives are not allegories or stories with hidden meanings, are not intended to teach moral lessons, and do not necessarily teach directly† (2003, pp. 90,92). So which is it? This leads into the characteristics of Hebrew narratives: the narrator, the scene(s), the characters, dialogue, plot, features of structure and a final word (Fee, 2003, pp. 3-99). For this passage the narrator is Samuel, I believe, but cannot be certain because later in this book his death is recorded (1 Samuel 25:1). The scene is set around the Valley of Elah. The characters in the order they are mentioned are: Goliath, King Saul, Jesse, Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, David, and Abner. The primary dialogue is between David and Goliath but there is also a dialogue between David and Jesse, David and his brothers, David and King Saul, and King Saul with Abner.The plot starts off with the gathering of armies for battle which leads into the conflict presented by Goliath's challenge to the Isra elite armies, the acceptance of this challenge by David, the slaying of Goliath by David, and the defeat of the Philistine armies. The feature of structure in this particular narrative is the repetition of the power and authority of God. This narrative, in my opinion, connects the dots from David's anointing to be the next king of Israel to his establishment of his kingdom.Then, to even further define a narrative one can separate biblical narratives into three different levels which creates a â€Å"hierarchy of narrative[s]† (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The top, or third level, is â€Å"[o]ften called the †metanarrative†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ [and] has to do with the whole universal plan of God worked out through [H]is creation†, e. g. the creation and the fall of humanity (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The next, or second level, â€Å"is the story of God's redeeming a people for [H]is name†, e. g. he first and second covenant (Fee, 2003, p. 91). Finally, the last and first level is c omprised of â€Å"all the hundreds of individual narratives that make up the other two levels†, e. g. the individual narratives of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph) (Fee, 2003, p. 91). This covers the basics of a narrative, but to fully understand a narrative or passage the reader must take an exegesis approach to carefully and systematically study the Scriptures â€Å"to discover the original intended meaning† (Fee, 2003, p. 3). The most important part of exegesis is knowing what questions to ask while reading to determine the context, whether historical or literary, and the content (Fee, 2003, pp. 24-28). After taking an exegesis approach the reader must then take a hermeneutics approach which can include exegesis but in this case is referring to â€Å"seeking the contemporary relevance of ancient texts† (Fee, 2003, p. 29). Fee, however, says that this approach is much more difficult to define than the exegesis approach (2003, pp. 29-31).For ei ther, you do not have to be an †expert† but you must understand the meaning of a passage in reference to the meaning of the sentences or passages before and after it (Fee, 2003, p. 27). Fee points out that â€Å"[t]he most important contextual question you will ever ask, and it must be asked over and over of every sentence and every paragraph [while reading] is, â€Å"What’s the point? † (2003, p. 27). We must, however, understand that â€Å"[t]his question will vary from genre to genre, but it is always the crucial question [emphasis added]† (Fee, 2003, p. 7). Interestingly, according to Fee, Bible translations like the King James Version and the New American Standard both are generally written in paragraph form which can interfere with the exegesis approach because it can â€Å"obscure the author’s own logic† (2003, p. 28). It does not mean it is impossible but should definitely be accounted for when studying exegetically. For my exe getical approach towards better understanding this passage I turned to the help of commentary from theologians like Matthew Henry and John Gill as well as a few other websites.According to the commentary of Matthew Henry, the Philistines were setup in Israel's territory, not their own, and this could have been due to the knowledge of God's departing from Saul as king, the end of Samuel and Saul's relationship, and/or Saul's inability to be the king his people needed him to be (Henry, n. d). According to Josephus, in John Gill's exposition of the Bible, this all occurred because the Philistines sensed weakness in Israel and saw their chance to further expand their own territory not to mention the opportunity for retribution for previous defeats at the hands of Israel (Gill, n. d. . I would have to agree with both suggestions as possible answers to the question, â€Å"What is the point? †, of this narrative. I believe, nonetheless, that the main point is that David was just a s hepherd, but by God's strength he was able to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines just as he had done in the past delivering sheep from his flock from a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). David's words are inspirational: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45-47)In this passage, when David proclaims the name, or shem, of the Lord he invokes â€Å"something like our power of att orney, where one person can act with the legal authority of another†¦ [therefore it really] means to come with Yahweh's presence, power, authority, and divine appointment† (Wilson, n. d. ). Just as Christians pray in Jesus's name David was claiming the victory over Goliath and the Philistines in the name of the Lord. David sets a great example of faith and obedience throughout this passage by trusting in God and by defending God's reputation and glory.More importantly, he points out that the battle is still ultimately the Lord's (Wilson, n. d. ). This is not the only example of the faith of David, a man after God's own heart, or others similar to him in faith. Several examples of â€Å"[t]his same principle is reiterated time after time throughout scripture, e. g. 1 Samuel 14:6b; 2 Chronicles 20:15, 32:8; Psalm 33:16-18, 20, 44:6-8; Proverbs 21:30-31; Hosea 1:7; Zechariah 4:6; Romans 8:31, 37; and 1 John 4:4 (Wilson, n. d. ).In conclusion, the majority of the Bible is ma de up of many narratives which are both historical and biographical that by God's infinite wisdom serve a purpose for us all today. There are those that would say that you should not read too deep into these narratives because what you read is what you get. There are others that distort these narratives to make them mean what they want them to for their own ulterior motives. I, on the other hand, fall in between these two very different schools of thought.I believe that ultimately there is a message within the message that God wants us to understand, but without the right questions you will never get the right answers. I hope after reading this research paper that I have achieved my goals: to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, to analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and to give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach.In closing, I would like to quote a very tr ue, but enlightening just the same, statement that I came across while researching: Even though we rely on the Spirit, we are not so foolish as to make no preparation. As St. Augustine once said, â€Å"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. † Faith and preparation are not mutually exclusive. (Wilson, n. d. ). References Comfort, P. W. (2003). The origin of the Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Fee, G. D. , ; Stuart, D. K. (2003).The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use. How to read the Bible for all its worth (3rd ed. , pp. 89-106). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Gill, J. (n. d. ). John Gill's exposition of the entire Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/Gill/1_Samuel/1_Samuel_17. htm Henry, M. (n. d. ). Matthew Henry commentary on the whole Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/library/mhc/1 _samuel/ 17. html Literary genres†¦ composing information with style†¦ (n. . ). Helpmewithbiblestudy. org. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from http://helpmewithbiblestudy. org/5Bible/HermComposingInformationWithStyle. aspx Masterman, E. W. G. (n. d. ). Ephes-dammim. BibleAtlas. org. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://bibleatlas. org/ephes-dammim. htm The Scofield Study Bible. (1945). New York: Oxford University Press. Wilson, R. F. (n. d. ). David and Goliath: Bold Faith. The JesusWalk Bible Study Series. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. jesuswalk. com/david/02_david_goliath. htm