Ubiquitous Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ubiquitous Computing - Essay Example Ubiquitous computing is mostly mobile or even fixed to the environment and networked with a structure of ubiquitous network. The subject of ubiquitous computing is interesting going by the way technological advancements are revolutionizing life, making it simpler and yet making people get vulnerable to virtual attacks. Visions of ubiquitous computing Ubiquitous computing is associated with a number of visions. One of the visions is providing effective use of smart spaces. By fixing computing devices in buildings a smart space connects two worlds that were initially separate. This connection enables controlling and sensing of a world by another. This smartness is also applied to individual objects even if they are not in a smart space. Secondly, there is the aspect of invisibility. The main idea here is to completely eliminate the technology of ubiquitous computing from individual’s consciousness. This implies ensuring reduced user distraction according to Yang (2004). This mea ns that ubiquitous computing environment will always meet the expectations of the user subconsciously. Another vision is uneven conditioning masking. The rate at which ubiquitous computing is incorporated to infrastructures will differ. The difference will be in terms of non-technical factors. For instance, it can be business models, organizational structure and economics. Uniform penetration however will not be easily achieved. Challenges of ubiquitous computing Ubiquitous computing has several challenges. One of the challenges is user intent. For ubiquitous computing to be effective it is important that the system be able to track the user intent. Otherwise it will not be possible to know which actions of the system help or hinder the user. However the current systems are weak at capturing and using user intent. Secondly, there is the challenge of cyber foraging. The urge to reduce the size of mobile phone devices, make them lighter and provide longer lasting battery life means co mpromising computing capabilities. However meeting the expectations of the user may need more advanced data manipulation and computing activities. According to Yang (2004), the challenge is connecting the two contradicting requirements. Adaptation strategy is yet another challenge related to ubiquitous computing. Adaptation is important incase of a variation between resource supply and demand. It is achieved through three alternatives. First is that the client can use some applications in altering their actions so as to use little of the scarce resource. The challenge is that the change normally decreases the perceived quality of the user. Second is that the client request the environment to offer a given level of a resource. Third is that a client may propose a corrective action to the user. The challenge is that if the user reacts on the proposal, it is not certain that there will be adequate supply of the demands. Privacy in ubiquitous computing Privacy is highly complicated by u biquitous computing. However it is a real problem in mobile computing and distributed systems. There are mechanisms which continuously monitor user behavior. These include smart spaces, location tracking and surrogate use. The more the user becomes dependent on the ubiquitous computing system, the more the system monitors his/her movements. It also becomes aware of the user’s mannerisms and behavior patterns. Using this information is important for successful functioning of the

Evaluating Truth and Validity Exercise Essay Example for Free

Evaluating Truth and Validity Exercise Essay All religious authorities are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. All politicians are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war. Therefore, all politicians are religious authorities. This argument is invalid because of two reasons. First it is an overgeneralization. How can someone actually say that all religious authorities are concerned about the dangers of nuclear war or all politicians are concerned about nuclear war? Has anyone polled all religious authorities or politicians? There can be a very few religious authorities that might think it will never happen, so there is no reason to be concerned about it, or there could also possibly be a small religious faction that believes that nuclear war will get rid of all the evil in the world and is Gods way of cleansing the world. The same can be said for politicians. Maybe there are a few that would want to start a war because of their selfish motives. One can argue that there are politicians in Syria and Iran that would love to bomb the U.S and Israel. Nothing was said about the politician having to be from this country. The second reason is that it is an illogical conclusion. One can not say that just because politicians and religious authorities share the same concerns that they will become one in the same. They just share one interest. It takes more than caring about nuclear war to become a religious authority. Religious authorities must go through a process that usually takes years of religious education, and practice. There are certain instances, of course, where some politicians are religious authorities also; however that is not predicated on the fact that they share the same view on one certain issue. â€Å"If the Social Security system is further weakened, the elderly will have to fear poverty. Therefore, if the Social Security system is not further weakened, the elderly will not have to fear poverty. This is an  overgeneralization and an illogical conclusion. It is true that if the Social Security system is further weakened, the some of the elderly will have to fear poverty, but not all of the elderly. Some elderly people are very wealthy. Other elderly people have family members who have made arrangements to take care of them and their financial needs. Of course, there will be a lot of elderly that will fear poverty without the social security checks they would be receiving once a month. Because of these reasons the argument is an overgeneralization. The argument is also an illogical conclusion because some people regardless of their social security will still be in poverty. Some people do not have a significant work history to receive a lot of money from the social security department. According to the social security department website, the average check for a retired worker is $1,294 a month. (Office, 2014) According to the United States Government the poverty level for a family of one is $980.83. (Federal Register, 2015) What must be taken into consideration is that some recipients will be well below the average social security check, and some will be well above. Those that are well below the average will be in poverty if that is all they are receiving. This argument does not account for the elderly that will not even receive a social security. They will have to fear poverty regardless of how weak or strong the social security is. â€Å"The anti-abortionists say that the fetus is human, but they have not proved it. Therefore, they have no reasonable basis for opposing abortion. This argument is invalid because of at least two reasons. The first reason it is not a valid argument is because it has been proven that the fetus is human after eight months. How could it not be human if it comes from two persons who have intercourse and conceive a fetus? This is the definition of a fetus according to Merriam-Webster an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind; specifically: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth. In this argument, there is no mention as to how soon after conception the fetus becomes a human. Could the argument still be valid if it were eight months after conception? Another reason this is an illegitimate argument is that the argument wants a person to think that the  only reason antiabortionist oppose abortions is because the fetus is human. There are antiabortionists who have many reasons why they feel abortion is wrong. Some of the most popular reasons why some people oppose abortion are because of morality. They believe that the fetus is a human the minute it is conceived. Some people believe it to be divine intervention from God and humans do not have the right to go against Gods desires and plan. Many of these people are very religious in faith and to them it does not matter when doctors say the baby goes from being an egg to a human fetus. Another reason people oppose abortions is because of the safety of the person having the abortion. Some people feel it is an unnecessary risk to a womans health. Many women have died from complications directly resulting from abortions. Internal hemorrhaging is not very uncommon. Some women have indirect complications such as depression and anxiety. Some women have even committed suicide because of their mental health issues after having an abortion. For these several reasons, this argument is illegitimate. References Federal Register (2015) (Accessed: 21 April 2015). fetus | a human being or animal in the later stages of development before it is born (no date). (Accessed: 21 April 2015). Office, P. (2014) Social Security Administration: Social Security Basic Facts. (Accessed: 21 April 2015). Ruggiero, V. R. (2012) The Art of Thinking, a guide to critical and creative thought (10th ed.). New York, NY; Pearson

Case Brief: McCulloch v. Maryland :: essays research papers

McCulloch v Maryland 4 Wheat. (17 U.S.) 316 (1819) Issue   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  May Congress charter a bank even though it is not an expressly granted power? Holding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yes, Congress may charter a bank as an implied power under the â€Å"necessary and proper† clause. Rationale   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Constitution was created to correct the weaknesses of the Articles. The word â€Å"expressly† particularly caused major problems and therefore was omitted from the Constitution, because if everything in the Constitution had to be expressly stated it would weaken the power of the Federal government. The 10th Amendment specifically does not have the word â€Å"expressly† in it and it states that â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States†¦ nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states respectively or to the people. In 1791 the bank was approved and then it collapsed. It was then reestablished in 1813 and was very successful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Article I section 8 among the enumerated powers of Congress there is no mention of the word â€Å"bank† or â€Å"corporation.† The Constitution, however, does not specifically prohibit Congress from establishing a bank. The Marshall court found that the creation of a national bank would affect the welfare of the nation; therefor, the Constitutionality of creating the bank was legitimate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The power comes from the â€Å"necessary and proper† clause, which is listed under the powers of Congress not its limits in Article I section 9. Justice Marshall shows how the word â€Å"necessary† may have different meanings depending on the context of the sentence and by the intention of the person using the word. In Article I section 10 the phrase â€Å"absolutely necessary† is applied with stronger meaning regarding imposts on imports or exports, and is different than the word â€Å"necessary† used alone in this case which was intended to mean indispensable by the framers of the Constitution. The bank is helpful to several delegated powers like commerce and military and also other necessary tools such as the ability to collect taxes and barrow money, so therefore the incorporation of a bank is inherently constitutional.

Nebuchadnezzar and the Creation of Dissedence :: Essays Papers

Nebuchadnezzar and the Creation of Dissedence The artist of the piece to be examined, "Nebuchadnezzar", painted in 1795, is the Romantic poet, author, artist and theorist William Blake. I viewed the piece on Monday 27 September 1999 at the Tate Gallery in Westminster. The piece is a colour print finished in ink pen and watercolour on paper. (See Figure 1) The subject of the piece is King Nebauchadnezzar, ruler of the Babylonian empire from 605 to 562 B.C. The narrative behind the image is that of partly historical and partly mythological backround. The king is a factual person, but the image which Blake depicts is from a story of Nebauchadnezzar's dream and the allegorical interpretations of historical events in the Old Testament's Book of Daniel to illustrate the power of God. The story of King Nebauchadnezzar which the print depicts is that of one of the King's dreams. The powerful Machiavellian king dreamed one night of a great tree growing from the earth. The tree produced abundant amounts of fruit and it grew until its top reached heaven. A celestial being appeared in the King's dream and ordered him to cut the tree down, leaving only its roots bound in iron and bronze in the grass. The same being then decreed that the King's mind be changed from a man's to a beast's. Because the King did not understand his dream, he called on the prophet Daniel to explain it. Daniel told him that Nebuchadnezzar was the strong tree in his dream. He interpreted the dream as being a decree from God that the mighty King who ruled without care for anyone but himself would be condemened to dwell with the beasts so that he would recognize God's superior power.

Domestic violence in mature women in the United Kingdom A review of the literature

Abstract Domestic violence (DV) impacts considerably on the long-term health and emotional wellbeing of affected individuals. Although the literature offers some insight into the span and nature of domestic abuse amongst the mature population in the UK, at present there is little obtainable data concerning DV in mature women specifically. This gap in knowledge is increasingly being recognised as a major shortfall in knowledge and understanding in society, especially for those responsible for the support and care of victims. Although the research in this area is limited, the work already done to date suggests that matured women’s experiences of DV are markedly different from those experienced by younger people and that these differences have not been sufficiently acknowledged. For example, mature women have different barriers that stop them reporting abuse, such as physical limitations due to older age. As the ageing population in the UK increases, national policy initiatives have started to recognise DV as a national issue for mature women. It is essential that healthcare professionals are able to identify DV and understand the exact experiences and needs of mature women that are affected by DV in order to prevent future incidents and better empower women in violent relationships. The aim of this literature review therefore is threefold: (a) to present a complete review of the impact of DV on matured women mainly within the framework of health, (b) to explore particular barriers in recognizing and reporting DV and (c) to emphasize the gaps in our awareness and understanding from a policy and care provision viewpoint. A systematic approach to a review of the literature was used to identify key literature and available evidence relating to DV among mature women. Introduction The Department of Health (2000) has defined DV as â€Å"a continuum of behaviour ranging from verbal abuse, through coercion and bullying, controlling behaviour, physical and sexual attack, to rape and even killing.†DV can take many forms. The most common of these include physical, sexual, verbal and financial abuse (Women’s Aid, 2007). Physical abuse typically involves any kind of physical harm such as pushing, kicking or the use of a weapon against another individual. Sexual abuse includes using force or threats to pressure a partner into unwanted sexual acts, whilst verbal abuse includes more psychological elements such as persistently attacking a partner’s self esteem through name calling. Financial abuse usually involves withholding money from a partner or forcibly taking over a partner’s assets or financial accounts (Women’s Aid, 2007). In 2012, 1.2 million women suffered from DV (Home Office, 2013). However, fewer than 1 in 4 individuals who suffer from DV will report this (Home Office, 2013) and therefore the estimation of DV in the UK is likely to be grossly underestimated. Thirty-one percent of the funding to DV charities from local authorities was cut between 2010/11 to 2011/12, a reduction from ?7.8 million to ?5.4 million (data obtained using Freedom of Information Act requests by the False Economy project, and analysed by the research team). The National Violence against Women Survey (NVAWS) states that about 1.5 million women are raped or physically assaulted by an intimate partner yearly (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). The Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, which measured only physical assaults, concluded that â€Å"there were 691,710 nonfatal violent victimizations committed by current or former spouses, boyfriends, or girlfriends against victims during 2001(Rennison, and Planty, 2003). Of these c ases, 85% were against women (Rennison and Planty, 2003). The NVAWS also found that 22.1% of women surveyed, compared to 7.4 percent of men, and reported being physically assaulted by a current or former partner in their lifetime (Rennison and Planty, 2003). In the United Kingdom, national policy has started to identify DV as a concern for mature women. Subsequently, the Government has put policies in place so that healthcare and social professionals are able to identify cases of DV. For example, funding of nearly ?40 million has been allocated to specialist support services and help-lines until 2015 and the piloting of a domestic violence disclosure scheme that gives individuals the right to ask about any violent criminal offences carried out by a new partner (Home Office, 2013). An estimated 27,900 women have had to be turned away by the first refuge service that they approached in the last year because there was no space, according to new figures from Women’s Aid (2012). These figures demonstrate that services are under some strain to deal with the large amount of DV cases in the UK. Prolonged episodes of DV can result in the development of mental health problems such as depression, panic attacks and mental breakdown (Roberts et al., 1998; Astbury et al., 2000). . Women often find it difficult and challenging to communicate about the psychological abuse they suffer during DV and often prefer to suffer in silence than complain about it (Home Office, 2013). This may have resulted in creating a barrier to finding data on mature victims of domestic violence. Abused women are three and a half times more likely to be suicidal than non-abused women (Golding, 1999). Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO, 2005) indicates that domestic violence puts women at risk from a range of negative health outcomes such as physical injury, mental health problems, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, emotional distress, fatigue, sleeping and eating disorders and general fear. There are a wide range of social factors thought to contribute the high occurrence of DV against women in the UK. These factors include some religious and political practices that undermine women (Walker, 1999). Factors such as financial hardship. a lack of resources, educational shortcomings, extreme alcohol consumption, high levels of jealousy, belonging to a large family and substance abuse have also all been linked with the rising risk of domestic violence (Martin et al., 1999). Furthermore, in comparison to their younger female counterparts, mature women may have a limited understanding of the term abuse as a result of their older generation (Zink et al., 2003). For example, DV may have not been considered as a criminal offence when they were growing up and feminist movements were generally unheard of. Despite figures showing that DV against mature women is rising considerably the UK, the government is considering serious funding cuts for crime prevention programs as well as staff cutting plans including over 50, 000 job cuts in the ‘National Health Service’ (NHS) over the next 10 year period (Scripps, 2013). In light of these cuts, this research aims to study the relationship between DV and the prevention programs that have been designed to tackle this crime. In particular, a counsellors’ perspective will be adopted and the challenged that counsellors face in the light of budget constraints will also be explored. Using an extensive review of the literature, the following sections provide a brief overview of the various aspects pertaining to DV and its psychological influence. The review will conclude with a discussion of government interventions and policy recommendations. This review will evaluate and critique the available literature pertaining to DV including an assessment of the historical evolution of DV as a general concern for mature women, theoretical explanations of DV and consideration of the significance of gender. This underpinning process will be used as a basis for examining the impact of DV against mature women (39 years old and above). It will also look at the value and effectiveness of current resources, initiatives, and support networks used to tackle DV and assist victims. This review will illustrate that DV in mature women is a complex and multifaceted subject. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this review, the following terms shall be defined as follows: Domestic violence: The term domestic violence is defined as a physical type of abuse carried out by an individual directly towards their significant other previously or currently, through the use of violence. The intent of the abuse is to somewhat establish and maintain a sense of dominion and control over another person, and is depicted in a context of uneven authority or entitlement. This therefore increases the likelihood of inflicting harm to both the physical and emotional welfare of that individual. Well-being: According to Ryan and Deci (2001), the term ‘well-being’ refers to the full spectrum of people’s emotional experiences and to their quality of life. Mature women: Mature women would be defined as those persons aged 39 years and above. Health: This is a state of physical and mental well-being, and thus not necessarily means the absence of symptoms, illness and morbidity (WHO, 2004b). Quality of life: This is an ‘individuals’ understanding of his or her status in life, in relation to the culture and value system of society, viewed against their personal goals, standard, and expectations in life (The WHOQOL Group, 1995). Qualitative Study: Qualitative studies are exploratory and are particularly well suited to social research. Cresswell (1998) defines a qualitative study as â€Å"an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a complex, holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants conducted in a natural setting.† Typical data gathering tools employed in a qualitative research design include observation, interviews, video documentaries, and focus groups. Quantitative Study: Quantitative studies measure information in numbers using a set of pre-defined variables as the focus of the study. Using the definition given by Cresswell (1998), it â€Å"is an inquiry into a social or human problem, based on testing a theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and analyzed with statistical procedures, in order to determine whether the predictive generalizations of the theory holds true.† Data collection methods typically include questionnaires, standardized tests and codified forms. Scope and Objectives The main objective of this research was to increase awareness of DV against mature women and to improve the standard and efficacy of the care that is provided to the victims. The researcher’s experience in looking after this group of victims has been challenging and may have been much improved if their experiences and needs were better understood. This piece of research aimed to: Carry out a literature review of DV in mature women. Identify how the government and society in general support victims of domestic violence in recovery. Identify the counsellor’s role while caring for victims of DV. To provide an opportunity for mature women to speak of their experiences in order to highlight their experiences and to develop resources to support and inform mature women (Mears, 2002). To explore the prevalence of physical and verbal abuse among the study population (Mouton at el, 2004). This research will use a positivist approach, focusing on the dilemma a mature victim of DV often faces and the importance of the therapeutic relationship they hold with their counsellor. This approach focuses on gaining â€Å"positive† evidence from observable experience, rather than depending on intuition or assumptions on behalf of researchers. In particular, this approach believes that there are general patterns of cause-and-effect and that these can be used to predict natural phenomena such as DV. Research Methodology This dissertation will use review the literature and contain analysis of secondary data and the summarising of the literature’s findings on the topic of DV in mature women. Procedure This piece of research used a literature review to gather data on the topic of DV amongst mature women in the UK and beyond. The following key terms and words were used in various academic search engines including Web of Knowledge (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk/), Science Direct (www.sciencedirect.com) and PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed): Domestic violence AND mature women. Domestic abuse AND mature women. Domestic violence AND women. Due to a limit in the number of articles generated using these search terms, no exclusionary criteria were applied. Literature review This is a secondary review research project involving an extensive literature review on the topic of DV and its impact and effects on mature women. The material for this review was obtained from peer reviewed psychological and counselling journals, which were accessed through online journal databases such as PUBMED and CINAHL. Governmental reports such as those published by the Department of Health (2000), BACP (2000), World Health Organisation (WHO, 2004) and technical reports from scientific research groups and working papers from social welfare committees were also used within the research. This review adopted the â€Å"best evidence synthesis† method proposed by Franche et al. (2005). This method involves summarizing the literature and drawing up conclusions, based on the balance of evidence. Epidemiology and Economic Impact Domestic violence among mature women is a pressing national problem. As a recent report from the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2004) indicates, domestic violence against mature women has increased five-fold resulting in increased depression, physical ill health, psychological effects and other mental health disorders (Scripps, 2013). In addition to the huge impact DV has on women, there is also a large economic cost. The Centre for Mental Health (2010) has reported an annual loss to the tune of ?30.3 billion due to mental health problems suffered by abused women, with over two thirds of this amount accounting for lost productivity within the workplace. Mental ill health which may be the result of DV has been identified as the primary reason for ‘incapacity benefit payment’ and over 43% of the 2.6 million individuals presently on long-term ‘health-related benefits’ present with psychosocial behavioural disorder as their primary condition (Department of Work and Pensions, 2010). DV can also have a direct negative impact on witnesses. Hewitt (2002) claims that almost 90% of DV occurrences are witnessed either directly or indirectly by children. Furthermore, the British government have stated that women can be distressed by witnessing DV carried out against other women (Hewitt, 2002). The literature also reveals differences in the prevalence of DV between younger and older women. For example, mature women are two to three times more likely to report minor physical attacks such as been pushed grabbed roughly and shoving than men (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). It has also been found that women are 7 to 14 times more likely than men to report serious physical attacks of DV that include having been strangled, threatened with weapons or use of weapons (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). Barriers to Accessing Care The literature search highlighted a number of key differences between the experiences of younger and mature women when it comes to DV. For example, unlike younger women, older women may be even less aware of the services available to those experiencing DV. For example, Scott et al. (2004) reported that there is a widespread myth among service providers and women themselves that Women’s Aid and other DV services prioritise younger women and younger women with children. Friedman et al. (1992) have postulated that abused mature women volunteer to share their uncertainties and concern to their health practitioners the majority of the time. Those women that do not share their concerns may not do so because of pride or shame. The other reason that mature women do not disclose DV is a fear of being judged by society and this has been challenged during the research as well as shortage of theoretical clarity concerning this matter since the majority of affected women were embarrassed to put across what they are facing and this has made data collection challenging. Zink et al. (2003) investigated the reasons for staying in an abusive relationship in women aged over 55 years. It was found that reasons could be divided into three categories: cohort effects, which included reasons such as lacking education or job skills, period effects such as rejection from help services or difficulty accessing services, and aging effects, which related to the physical limitations that their age can cause. These results suggest that although mature women experience similar barriers to leaving abusive relationships such as a lack of faith in their ability to find employment and support themselves, there are also barriers unique to mature women such as worries regarding their physical strength. Therefore, health workers and counsellors must be privy to these differences in order to improve the level of care and support that mature victims of DV receive. Theoretical Concepts There are a number of different theories that make be used to explain how DV comes about and what motivates its perpetrators.. For example, the social exchange theory (Emerson, 1976) offers a foundation for law enforcement and the prosecution of offenders. Furthermore, this assists in helping to explain how children who observe abuse mostly grow up to be abusers themselves. In contrast, a feminist approach may provide support for interventions targeted at supporting perpetrators to improve their behaviour and helping to empower victims. However, looking at these theories they do not appear to provide an inclusive foundation and a comprehensive approach for dealing with the various underlying outcomes or scope of DV. The more integrated ecological framework theory (see for example, Heise, 1998) is the one that appears to provide the required basis for an inclusive approach. The ecological framework theory has been used to conceptualise DV as a multi-faceted and complex phenomenon tha t has its foundations in a multitude of different factors including those of a situational and socio-cultural foundation (Heise, 1998). Unlike other theories, this theory is not reductionist and acknowledges that DV can be the result of many different factors. Discussion This researcher sought to increase knowledge and understanding regarding DV against older women by allowing older women themselves to speak out about how they define domestic violence; their views about causes, reporting, interventions, and consequences for perpetrators; factors that deter or prevent help-seeking from the justice system and community agencies; and elements of outreach and intervention strategies they see as acceptable and/or desirable. Results and Conclusions: Two important constructs that emerged were Domestic Abuse (DA), which encompasses emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and Barriers to Help-Seeking (BHS), which appears to be closely related to the experience of victimization. In addition, eleven sub-concepts emerged from the data. Seven of these, Isolation, Jealousy, Intimidation, Protecting Family, Self-Blame, Powerlessness, and Spirituality, appeared to be related to both the experience of DA and BHS. An additional four factors defined as Secrecy, Hopeless ness, Concern for Abuser, and Justice were identified. This review has highlighted that violence amongst mature women has reached endemic proportions in most parts of the world. It also finds that no ethnic, racial, or socio-economic group is resistant from DV. Nonetheless, the review emphasized considerable heterogeneity in methodologies, sampling periods, sample sizes and the population studied. In some studies, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status were not reliably recorded, resulting in difficulties in comparisons and evaluations. However, it must be emphasised that the WHO multi-country study was a significant effort to amass globally similar statistics by the use of identical study approaches. There were a number of key methodological issues identified in the studies included in this literature review. A key weakness of surveys is that they may not measure the real figures of abused women, especially as some abused women will be unwilling to reveal and report DV against them. In view of problems associated with self-reports, it is likely that results are biased by both over-reporting and under-reporting (Koss, 1993). According to Krauss (2006) DV differs from nation to nation, and occasionally within the same culture. Therefore, there are cultural factors to take into account when comparing research. For example, in Asian cultures women are brought up with the belief that family needs are superior to individual members’ needs (Rydstrom, 2003). Though women from poor countries are possibly most pre-disposed to believe that men have a right to beat their wives, it has been found that women in developing and developed countries can also be inclined to beliefs which vindicate violence against them (Fagan and Browne 1994). Furthermore, there are cultural differences in the societal view of DV. For example, the review has shown that not every woman who suffers abuse identifies themselves as ‘battered’ women (Mahoney 1991). For example, Islamic nations do not view domestic violence a major issue, despite its increasing incidence and serious consequences. Extracts from religious tract s have been improperly used to validate violence against women, although abuse may also be the result because of culture as well as religion (Douki et al. 2003). Nonetheless, power issues and gender (Caetano et al. 2000), rather than race and ethnicity (Anderson 1997), are likely to be more significant in building and preserving male supremacy and the inequality of power between wives and husbands (Harris et al. 2005). Furthermore, various ethnic groupings are frequently distorted into one single class, for example Asians (Mobell et al. 1997). Due to this, statistics collected on violence amongst minority populations are regularly inadequate, thereby preventing meaningful generalizations. Waltermaurer (2005) argues that the choice of measuring and the practice used to establish the occurrence of domestic violence have important bearings on the occurrence rates being reported. The majority of television and film images, as well as the images in magazines, often display images of abused younger women who have children and this may give a false impression that domestic violence is not something that may occur later on in life. This literature review has found that in comparison to younger women, older women throughout their lives have been less aware of all services and treatments readily available for those going through DV. The previous Government legislated in the Crime and Security Act 2010 for the introduction of Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPN) and Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs). On the 30th of June 2012 the domestic violence protection notices and orders (DVPO) were introduced in West Mercia, Wiltshire and Greater Manchester through three p olice forces. The operations will continue for another year while the Home Office works hand in hand to assess the pilot and decide whether or not a permanent change in the law system is required.. The scheme gives victims who might or may have fled their homes the kind of support they may need. There was a gap in protection in DV before the scheme was founded in 2012. Previously, police were unable to charge perpetrators because of lack of evidence and also because the process of granting injunctions to the perpetrators took time. The (DVPO) scheme closes the gap between then and now and gives the police and the magistrate the power to protect a victim after the attack as soon as they possibly can and try to stop the perpetrator form getting in contact with the victim or returning home for up 28 days. Disclosure of being abused itself is insufficient to reduce the risk of adverse mental health outcomes for mature women who have been victims of DV unless the listener’s respon se to the disclosure was repeatedly supportive (Coker et al. 2002). Mature women report key characteristics of helpful encounters with health-care providers as non-judgemental, sympathetic and caring response (Gerbert et al. 1999). Public and private organizations have kept on enhancing their contributions in fighting DV. In the United Kingdom, The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) furnishes superior power to police and the courts in dealing with cases of DV and in providing security to victims. Furthermore the British government has recently issued a national domestic violence action plan which sets fourth ambitious goals: – Reduction in the occurrence of domestic violence – Increase in the rate that domestic violence is reported – increase the rate of domestic violence offences that are brought to justice – Ensure victims of domestic violence are satisfactorily protected and supported nationwide – Reduce the number of domestic violence related homicides. The review has shown that despite all Government initiatives towards domestic violence, healthcare agencies are still under-represented (Hague et al., 1996). It was not until the year 2000 that the Department of Health (DoH) started to take steps to implement front-line interventions from health professionals by publishing two documents known as ‘Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals’ and ‘Principles of Conduct for Health Professionals’ (Department of Health, 2000a, 2000b). The aim of these documents was to integrate best practices recommended by the various governing bodies of differing health professionals. This documentation aims to provide guidance for healthcare professionals in their practice and daily interactions with women experiencing DV. After the publication of these documents, DV was seen for the first time as a health care issue as opposed to a mainly social care problem. The police and the criminal justice system cannot address the issue of domestic violence alone. The cost of protection for those women who experience domestic violence is of such a scale that it should be considered a major public health issue (Department of Health, 2000a: 2). Validity and Reliability As most of the literature referred to in this research was phenomenological, there are some key methodological limitations. For example, phenenological research is often open to interpretation. In particular, the same words may have different meanings for different people (Beck, 1994). This may be of particular importance for the topic of DV as some women who are included as participants may report that they are abused but may not attach the same negative connotations that the researchers do. The most reliable estimates of the extent of domestic violence in England and Wales come from the Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW; formerly known as the British Crime Survey). The CSEW asks people about their experience as victims. Being a household survey, it picks up more crime than the official police figures, as not all crimes are reported to the police, let alone recorded by them. Two sets of figures are available from the CSEW: the first, collected from the survey’s inceptio n in 1981, come from the results of face-to-face interviews; the second, available from 2004/05, come from confidential self-completion modules, which respondents complete in private by responding to questions on a computer. The unwillingness of respondents to reveal experience of domestic violence to an interviewer means that the first measure significantly underestimates the extent of domestic violence. Conclusion The high occurrence ofDV experienced by mature women suggests that doctors and other healthcare professionals working in all areas of medicine must identify and explore the potential significance of DV when considering reasons why mature women present with ill health. The issue of DV against mature women should be integrated into medical training, therapist training and also into governmental policy. Heterogeneity within the methodology of the different studies discussed in this review has highlighted the significance of developing stronger definitions to improve coherence across findings during a literature search. Future research work must try to recognize cultural differences when working with families and women of ethnic minorities. Contrary to previous assumptions that mature women may consider DV as acceptable, results of a study found that mature women were able to identify abuse and actions seen as abusive, which demonstrates suggesting that care workers may be misinterpreting victims’ feelings. The study also demonstrates how the attitude of mature women has been altered over time, from something acceptable to something that must be dealt with. Society must stop viewing domestic violence against mature women as a problem which only affects women, as the issue is overall a public health issue. All forms of violence against mature women are abhorrent and support for those who have been abused in any form should be readily available. We need a clear and decisive answer for calls for help from the health sector, in collaboration with women’s organizations and other related public powers. As observed by Hamberger et al. (1992), future research is essential in order to help determine the reason behind some re-occurring factors that are prevalent in contributing toward cases of DV against mature women. A collective societal intervention is necessary to address the social determinants of DV. Counsellors, as frontline care providers, have an essential role to play in controlling the negative impacts of DV amongst mature women. Counsellors can be proactive in their approach and target vulnerable individuals and groups based on initial assessment or treatment programs. Counsellors and healthcare providers should effectively liaise with various governmental and non governmental agencies that participate in delivering individual treatment plans for mature victims of DV.By improving the coordination between these participating agencies and the women that need intervention, healthcare providers can promote greater access to and utilization of these services. Future Work The researcher discovered that there is not much data available on the topic of DV in mature women from previous researchers. In future the researcher will conduct research herself when qualified enough to conduct research using questionnaires and interviews to collect qualitative data. REFERENCES Anderson, K. L. (1997). Gender, status, and domestic violence: an integration of feminist and family violence approaches. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(3), 655–669. Astbury, J., Atkinson, J., Duke, J.E., Easteal, P.L., Kurrle, S.E., Tait, P.R. and Turner, J. (2000) The impact of domestic violence on individuals. The Medical Journal of Australia, 173(8), pp. 427-431. Beck, C.T. (1994) Reliability and validity issues in phenomenological research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 16(3), pp. 254-267. Centre for Mental Health (2010) Annual Review. Centre for Mental Health: London. Caetano, R., Cunradi, C., Clark, C.,& Schafer, J. (2000). Intimate partner violence and drinking patterns among white, black, and Hispanic couples in the U.S. Journal of Substance Abuse, 11(2), 123–138. Coker, A. L., Smith, P. H., Thompson, M. P., McKeown, R. E., Bethea, L.. and Davis, K. E. (2002) Social sup-port protects against the negative effects of partner violence on mental health. Journal of Women’s Health and Gender Based Medicine, 11(5), pp. 465-476. Department of Health (2000) Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Health Care Professionals. Department of Health: London. Department of Health (2002). Women’s Mental Health: Into the Mainstream. [Online] Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Closedconsultations/DH_4075478 [Accessed 19 August 2013]. Douki, S., Nacef, F., Belhadje, A., Bouasker, A., & Ghachem, R. (2003). Violence against women in Arab and Islamic countries. Archives of Women Mental Health, 6, 165–171. Diaz-Olavarrieta, C., Paz, F., De la Cadena, C. G., & Campbell, J. (2001). Prevalence of intimate partner abuse among nurses and nurses’ aides in Mexico. Archives of Medical Research, 32, 79_87. Emerson, R.M. (1976) Social exchange theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 2, pp. 335-362. Fagan, J. and Browne, A. (1994). Violence between spouses and intimates: Physical aggression between men and women in intimate relationships. In A. Reiss & J. Roth (Eds.), Understanding and preventing violence: Social influences, Vol. 3 (pp. 115–292). Washington, DC: National Academy. Friedman, L.S., Samet, J.H., Roberts, M.S., Hudlin, M. and Hans, P. (1992) Inquiry about victimisation experiences: a survey of patient preferenccecs and physician practices. Archives of Internal Medicine, 152(6), pp. 1186. Gerbert, B., Abercrombie, P., Caspers, N., Love, C. and Bronstone, A. (1999) How Health Care Providers Help Battered Women: The Survivors’ Perspective. Women and Health, 29, 115-135. Golding, J. M. (1999) Intimate Partner Violence as a Risk Factor for Mental Disorders: A Meta Analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 14, 99-132. Heise, L.L. (1998) Violence against women: An integrated, ecological framework. Violence Against Women, 4, pp. 262-290. Hewitt, Kim (2002), Silent victims of violence in home. The News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland), September 14, 2002 Home Office (2013) Ending violence against women and girls in the UK. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-the-uk [Accessed 19 August 2013]. Harris, R. J., Firestone, J. M., & Vega, W. A. (2005). The interaction of country of origin, acculturation, and gender role ideology on wife abuse. Social Science Quarterly, 86(2), 463–483. Koss, M. P. (1993). Detecting the scope of rape: a review of prevalence research methods. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(2), pp. 198-222. Krauss, H. (2006). Perspectives on violence. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 108, 4–21. Mahoney, M. (1991). Legal images of battered women: redefining the issues of separation. Michigan Law Review, 90, 165–194. Martin, S.L., Tsui, A.O., Maitra, K. and Marinshaw, R. (1999) Domestic violence in northern India. American Journal of Epidemiology, 150(4), pp. 417-426. Rennison, C. and Planty, M. (2003) Non-lethal intimate partner violence: Examining race, gender, and income patterns. Violence and Victims, 18(4), pp. 433-443. Roberts, G.L., Lawrence, J.M., Williams, G.M. and Raphael, B. (1998) The impact of domestic violence on women’s mental health. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 22(7), pp. 796-801. Rydstrom, H. (2003). Encounting â€Å"hot† anger: domestic violence in contemporary Vietnam. Violence Against Women, 9, 676–697. Tjaden, P. and Thoennes, N. (2000) Prevalence and consequences of male-to-female and female-to-male intimate partner violence as measured by the National Violence Against Women Survey. Violence Against Women, 6, pp. 142-161. Walker, L.E. (1999) Psychology and domestic violence around the world. American Psychologist, 54(1), pp. 21. Waltermaurer, E. (2005). Measuring intimate partner violence (IPV); you may only get what you ask for. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(4), 501–506. World Health Organisation (2005) WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women. [Online] Available at: http://www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study/en/ [Accessed 19 August 2013]. Women’s Aid (2007) What is domestic violence[Online] Available at: http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-articles.asp?section=00010001002200410001&itemid=1272 [Accessed 23 August 2013]. Women’s Aid Press Release (2012) Cuts in refuge services putting vulnerable women and children at risk.[Online] Available at: http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-press-information.asp?itemid=2944&itemTitle=Cuts+in+refuge+services+putting+vulnerable+women+and+children+at+risk§ion=0001000100150001§ionTitle=Press+releases [Accessed 19 August 2013]. Zink, T., Regan, S., Jacobson, C.J. and Pabst, S. (2003) Cohort, period and aging effects – a qualitative study of older women’s reasons for remaining in abusive relationships. Violence Against Women, 9(12), pp. 1429-1441.

Free Essays on Examination of Sexuality

Alfred C. Kinsey argued in 1948, â€Å"It would encourage clearer thinking on these matters [of labeling homosexuals] if persons were not characterized as heterosexual or homosexual, but as individuals who have had certain amounts of heterosexual experience and homosexual experience. Instead of using these terms as substantives (real and apparent entities) which stand for persons, †¦they may be better used to describe the nature of overt sexual relations, or of the stimuli to which an individual erotically responds.† Here I shall look at this statement regarding sexuality and gender from a sociological perspective on deviance. In this discussion, I will address the following questions: What role does sexuality (and gender) play in society? How are these categories constructed? How are they maintained? What do these categories reveal about important configurations of power in American society? The â€Å"social construction† of the category of gender has had its roots firmly planted since biblical times: from the creation of the female, Eve for man (so Adam would not be lonely) to the 1800s when women were not allowed (by men) the right to vote. It has been prevalent in marriage ceremonies as brides promised to â€Å"honor and obey† their husbands (although the â€Å"obey† part seems to be absent recently). The role of the male being dominant or superior to the female is one that insists on transcending time despite modern day efforts for gender equality in society. We (society) constructed this category based on a patriarchal system that places the primacy of masculinity above all else. Gender ensures a distinction between male and female, affirming male dominance over the weaker female. Moreover, the dichotomy of the patriarchy over all else that threaten it must be maintained through continual reaffirmation and reinforcement. The reinforcement of gender roles and boundaries through societal constructs is shown in Woodhouse’... Free Essays on Examination of Sexuality Free Essays on Examination of Sexuality Alfred C. Kinsey argued in 1948, â€Å"It would encourage clearer thinking on these matters [of labeling homosexuals] if persons were not characterized as heterosexual or homosexual, but as individuals who have had certain amounts of heterosexual experience and homosexual experience. Instead of using these terms as substantives (real and apparent entities) which stand for persons, †¦they may be better used to describe the nature of overt sexual relations, or of the stimuli to which an individual erotically responds.† Here I shall look at this statement regarding sexuality and gender from a sociological perspective on deviance. In this discussion, I will address the following questions: What role does sexuality (and gender) play in society? How are these categories constructed? How are they maintained? What do these categories reveal about important configurations of power in American society? The â€Å"social construction† of the category of gender has had its roots firmly planted since biblical times: from the creation of the female, Eve for man (so Adam would not be lonely) to the 1800s when women were not allowed (by men) the right to vote. It has been prevalent in marriage ceremonies as brides promised to â€Å"honor and obey† their husbands (although the â€Å"obey† part seems to be absent recently). The role of the male being dominant or superior to the female is one that insists on transcending time despite modern day efforts for gender equality in society. We (society) constructed this category based on a patriarchal system that places the primacy of masculinity above all else. Gender ensures a distinction between male and female, affirming male dominance over the weaker female. Moreover, the dichotomy of the patriarchy over all else that threaten it must be maintained through continual reaffirmation and reinforcement. The reinforcement of gender roles and boundaries through societal constructs is shown in Woodhouse’...

An essay commenting on the musical Bouncers by John Gober. Comments on the drama, effects and touching comedy.

An essay commenting on the musical Bouncers by John Gober. Comments on the drama, effects and touching comedy. JOHN GODBER'S "BOUNCERS" - SCRIPTED ASSESMENTBouncers - an ensemble by John Godber portrays lager-swilling lads, lipsticked, lacquered girls, all gyrating to the pulse of the dance floor; whilst out in the freezing cold skulk the ever watchful, ever ready, ever observant yet brutish bouncers - Lucky Eric, Jud, Les and Ralph. And so begins the journey into the secrets of a Friday night.John Godber along with "Bouncers" also wrote the acclaimed play "teechers". Two plays which require the actors to perform a variety of age, sex and stances; exploring the stage space with minimal props. Bouncers, set within the 1980s, explore themes such as stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Godber undermines this seriousness with comments such as "Lucky Eddie's first speech" or a chorus of "social comment". Beneath the comedy however, lies some very serious "social comment", not so much the voiced comment but the impression of the desperately empty lives of all the characters, male and female, bouncers and clubbers.English: Ralph Roister Doister, main character of ...Both plays are similar to each other, not just in staging but also in textual context.A favourable character throughout "Bouncers" was the character Les, also know as Kev and Cheryl. Kev I would describe as a stereotypical lad, not that bright with a fondness for lager. Les, a man of very little words and as for Cheryl, a clich ©d ditzy northern lass with a good heart.Each character was interesting in their own rightThe whole cast came across as very enthusiastic and portrayed a variety of ideas.The opening "Bouncers" introduced the lads and the girls, which smoothly ran into the opening scene at the hairdressers.With each character I saw a certain item that the audience could associate with. For example as Cheryl her top would be tied up, however as a bouncer...

Wormholes and Space Travel

Wormholes and Space Travel Space travel through wormholes sounds like quite an interesting idea. Who wouldnt like to have the technology to hop in a ship, find the nearest wormhole and travel to distant places in a short time? It would make space travel so easy!   Of course, the idea pops up in science-fiction movies and books all the time. These tunnels in space-time supposedly allow characters to move through space and time in a heartbeat, and the characters dont have to worry about physics. Are wormholes real?   Or are they only literary devices to keep science-fiction plots moving along. If they do exist, whats the scientific explanation behind them? The answer could be a little of each. However, they are a direct consequence of general relativity, the theory first developed by Albert Einstein early in the 20th century. However, that doesnt necessarily mean that they exist or that people can travel through them in spaceships. To understand why theyre even an idea for space travel, its important to know a little about the science that might explain them. What are Wormholes? A wormhole is supposed to be a way to transit through space-time that connects two distant points in space. Some examples from popular fiction and movies include the movie Interstellar, where the characters used wormholes as portals to distant parts of the galaxy. However, there is no observational evidence that they exist and theres no empirical proof that they arent out there somewhere.   The trick is to find them and then figure out how they work.   One way for a stable wormhole to exist is for it to be created and supported by some kind of exotic material. Easily said, but whats exotic material? What special property does it need to have to make wormholes? Theoretically speaking, such wormhole stuff   has to have negative mass. Thats just what it sounds like: matter that has a negative value, rather than regular matter, which has a positive value. Its also something scientists have never seen. Now, it is possible for wormholes to spontaneously pop into existence using this exotic matter. But, theres another problem. There would be nothing to support them, so they would instantaneously collapse back in on themselves. Not so great for any ship that happens to be passing through at the time.   Black Holes and Wormholes So, if spontaneous wormholes arent workable, is there another way to create them? Theoretically yes, and we have black holes to thank for that. They are involved in a phenomenon known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge. Its essentially a wormhole created due to the immense warping of space-time by the effects of a black hole. Specifically, it has to be a Schwarzschild black hole, one that has a static (unchanging) amount of mass, doesnt rotate, and has no electrical charge. So, how would that work? Essentially as light falls into the black hole, it would pass through a wormhole and escape out the other side, through an object known as a white hole. A white hole is similar to a black hole but instead of sucking material in, it repels material away. Light would be accelerated away from a white holes   exit portal at, well, the  speed of light, making it a bright object, hence the term white hole.   Of course, reality bites here: it would be impractical to even attempt to pass through the wormhole to begin with. Thats because the passage would require falling into a black hole, which is a remarkably lethal experience. Anything passing the event horizon would be stretched and crushed, which includes living beings. To put it simply, there is no way to survive such a trip. The Kerr Singularity and Traversable Wormholes There is yet another situation in which a wormhole might arise, from something called a Kerr black hole. It would look quite different than a normal point singularity that is what astronomers think make up black holes. A Kerr black hole would orient itself in a ring formation, effectively balancing the immense gravitational force with the rotational inertia of the singularity. Since the black hole is empty in the middle it could be possible to pass through that point. The warping of space-time in the middle of the ring could act as a wormhole, allowing travelers to pass through to another point in space. Perhaps on the far side of the universe, or in a different universe all together. Kerr singularities have a distinct advantage over other proposed wormholes as they dont require the existence and use of exotic negative mass in order to keep them stable. However, they havent yet been observed, only theorized.   Could We Someday Use Wormholes? Putting aside the technical aspects of wormhole mechanics, there are also some hard physical truths about these objects. Even if they do exist, it is difficult to say if people could ever learn to manipulate them. Plus, humanity really doesnt even have starships yet, so figuring out ways to use wormholes to travel is really putting the cart before the horse.   There is also the obvious question of safety. At this point,  no one knows exactly what to expect inside a wormhole. Nor do we know exactly WHERE a wormhole could send a ship. It could be in our own galaxy, or perhaps somewhere else in the very distant universe. Also, heres something to chew on.   If a wormhole took a ship from our galaxy to another one billions of light-years away, theres a whole question of time to consider. Does the wormhole transport instantaneously? If so, WHEN do we arrive in the distant shore? Does the trip ignore the expansion of space-time?   So while it may certainly be possible for wormholes to exist and function as portals across the universe, it is considerably less likely that people will ever be able to find a way to use them. The physics just dont work out. Yet.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Chinese Brushwork in Calligraphy and Painting Essay

Chinese Brushwork in Calligraphy and Painting - Essay Example The essay "Chinese Brushwork in Calligraphy and Painting" explores the history and development of Chinese Brushwork in Calligraphy and Painting. The term calligraphy, in an approving way, illustrates the Chinese use of line of painting. Brushwork can be described as an indispensable characteristic of Chinese painting. Brushwork and ink provide the basis for Chinese pictures even with employment of color. Chinese art Cognoscenti recognize the character of a line the moment they cite a painting. Chinese writing and painting developed simultaneously sharing the same techniques and tools. Some types of brushes able to create rhythmically diminishing and swelling lines developed between 4500 and 2000 BC embellished linear patterns on pottery jars. Block-like symbols characterize Chinese writing. These bock-like symbols stand for ideas. These symbols are referred to as the characters which evolved from pictograms. The ancient painters and calligraphers regularized the symbols where they de signed each one the symbols to conform to an imaginary square, whether composed of one or 64 strokes. The ancient Chinese calligraphers and painters drew the strokes in regard to a character in a certain order. Calligraphy developed swiftly yielding numerous classes of script. Regular and clerical scripts consist of short, detached strokes easily written with a brush. As the delight of writing took charge, calligraphers devised more techniques, as well as the cursive and running scripts where the calligraphers joined. character’s lines and dots they wrote independently in formal styles (Fazzioli, 1986, p. 35). The earliest form of Chinese writings was the oracle bones referred to as chia-ku-we. These writings were mainly used for sacred functions e.g. connecting with the gods. Chia-ku-we was an oracle-bone with inscriptions on tortoise shells and animal bones (Kwo, 1990, p. 61-63). Chuan-shu, a seal script, characterized the Second evolution of Chinese calligraphy. This form of writing emanated from oracle-bone script. The script was compatible other plans that calligraphers used previously (Kwo, 1990, p. 60). Another change was made to design an aspect that came up with clerical script, known as li shu. Calligraphers and painters wrote the design on silk and paper (Fazzioli, 1986, p. 67). This allowed additional fluid strokes. This is unlike previous cast of iron. The breakthrough of coming up with clerical script, which used brushes and ink marked the starting of calligraphy as a mode of expressing through art. The discovery of clerical script did not mark the end of calligraphy development, but it opened up chances for more improvements. Some of the later designed that improved the calligraphy writings include cursive script, standard script, and running a script (Kwo, 1990, p. 66). Cursive script started as a shorthand technique used in writing personal letters and notes inclusive of the writer and close friends. Invention of this script took place in the early second century B.C.E. Since cursive script allowed for more personalization, it became a channel for â€Å"individual expression that sometimes transcended the contents of the texts†. Creation of Kai-shu happened in efforts to improve the clerical script. It started from the Han Dynasty. Calligraphy gurus of Tang reign altered the previous script from the six reigns and created a â€Å"bold yet elegant standard-type script† (Nakata, 1982, p. 25) that balanced composition of character with brush movement. A simplified version and a freehand method of standard script were referred to as the running script

Mormon Church of the Latter Day Saints Research Paper

Mormon Church of the Latter Day Saints - Research Paper Example The wise, prudent and intellectual individuals, by dint of their spiritual thoughtfulness and strong religious belief, rose to the occasion to warn and forbid the people from making alterations in the real teachings of the founders of the religion, so that the true spirit of faith could be rejuvenated out of the misconceptions and amendments inaccurately taken place with the passage of time; the Latter Day Saints Movement was also launched with the same motifs and objectives in view. Launched by Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844) out of some powerful, unabated and unremitting spiritual inspirations, the movement was determined to give up and eradicate every unnecessary addition from the religious norms and beliefs, which had no roots in the faith introduced by Jesus Christ and the saints belonging to the earliest Christian centuries. It is, therefore, the movement is frequently argued to be the fundamentalist movement of restoration for the real teachings of Christ, and its spiritual leade rs are called the latter day saints in order to distinguish them from the early era saints of Christianity. Smith Jr. â€Å"was restoring the only true church which had been lost for centuries due to the corruptions into which all supposedly Christian groups, whether Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox, had fallen.† (Moorhead & Heuser, 1985:1) Hence, like Martin Luther’s reform movement, Mormonism was also interested to mitigate the corruption and exploitation of church being conducted at the hands of religious dogmatism. Mormonism refused to accept the false notion that the historical events, described in the Bible, were just parables; on the contrary, the church strongly believed that all the Biblical stories are based upon the real events occurred from God either as reward on the pious humans for performing excellent deeds, or the punishments for making mischief and going astray from the right path of glory and virtue. Consequently, Noah’s survival in the grea t flood was the sign of the Lord’s blessings upon Noah, his family, and true followers, while the same was the token of His wrath on the disobedient and transgressors. Similarly, Abraham’s seed was bestowed upon with mercies and bounties in the form of spiritual and worldly leadership, while the later generations had to lead the life of slavery because of the malpractices the children of Israel had started committing. For instance, Judah’s scheme of throwing Joseph into the well, and people’s worshipping the golden calf in the absence of Moses invited the wrath of God on transgressors. All these incidents had occurred in reality, so declaring them as the parables and folklores really meant disclaiming the powers of the Lord and His universal system of justice and fair play. Mormon Church also disregards any claim regarding the evolution process and declares Darwin’s evolution theory as baseless and imaginary one in nature and scope.

The process of flagging Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The process of flagging - Term Paper Example Flagging is a provision that is essentially allowed at the request of the student; as such the student must request for such a provision in writing to the examinations body . This request often has the reason for which they are requesting special consideration with the nature of special consideration that they are requesting from the examining body. This request must be accompanied by a physical disability evaluation report that is completed and duly signed by a qualified evaluator . It is common that special consideration be provided for those with various disabilities and the nature of consideration often includes extra time for the completion of their examination. The Law School Admissions Council will then notify the expected recipients of the student's scores of the nature of special consideration that the student has requested for and whether it has been granted or not. However, test scores of undergraduate prospective students are no longer flagged for the SAT and Advanced pla cement programs among others .This information is often sent as a confidential report to the test score recipient meant to ensure privacy. The information in such reports not only details that extra time was provided for the student to complete the test but also includes warnings that the results obtained by the student should be treated with great sensitivity and flexibility . These reports also go further to disclose the nature of disability of the student thus providing confidential information about the student.... Such special considerations are presented in light of extra time that is provided to these students with disabilities that allow them to finish the test exam. The process of allocating a student extra time is often not considered a standardized testing condition necessitating the need for test administrators to inform the test recipients of the testing conditions. This is because scores that are obtained as a result of non-standardized testing conditions cannot be compared to the scores that are obtained by other students under standardized testing conditions4. It has been the subject of extensive research methodologies that have revealed that results obtained on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) from nonstandard testing conditions cannot be compared to those obtained from standardized testing conditions. The extra testing time has been realized to provide scores that tend to over-predict how the examined students will perform in their first year of law school5. They obtain resul ts that are too high for the examined course when they are likely to achieve dismal performance in their first year of law school because they may be unable or unwilling to use such non standardized testing conditions6. This is especially the case of students with cognitive disabilities who out of fear of stigmatization by fellow mates will opt not to request for accommodation7. But students with physical disability will have no option but to request accommodation as is the case with amputees who may require assistance with filling out their answers. This concept has often been the center of research that has sought to establish why students do not perform as well when they enter their first year of law school. It is because of such reasons that the Law School Admissions Council

International information an E business strategies Assignment

International information an E business strategies - Assignment Example Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. Client. Comprises the physical devices such as computers, mobile devices and notebooks that are linked to the wireless network area. Satellite. A satellite is used in the catching and distribution of signals over the network. Network adapters. These are used to set up or configure the internet technology in the operating system. Examples of network adapters for accessing the internet are LAN cards and modems. Routers. Transmit data from one place to the other in the form of data packets. Access points. Transmit data between wired and wireless technology. . Bridges. Used to establish connections between wired networks such as Ethernet and wireless networks such as LAN. Act as points of control in the network architecture. The use of electronic communications changes market trends. Businesses will rush to adapt to emerging trends of marketing. Social networks such as Facebook and YouTube are preferred over search engines due to the interactive nature with the clients. Environmental scanning has a role in shaping the current business strategies (Kalakota & Robinson, 2010). It gives an overview to the organization on the current technological innovations, impact the information will have on the society, cultural and economic factors of a country as well as international contributions. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different... E- Business is a concept that describes the arrangement organizations redesign to incorporate internet services in their business structures, processes and services. It entails the use of electronic devices in the processing and sharing of data to ease interactions with systems and services.Entrepreneurs are faced with decision making challenges resulting from increased globalization, rapid technological challenges and competition. As a result, new knowledge creates a competitive advantage.Entrepreneurs gather information from the external environment and interpret it through organizational learning to improve problem solving. The external environment ranges from the task environment (competition, customers, and suppliers) to the general environment. To realize the full benefits of the internet, organizations need to reinvent their business processes to incorporate the rapidly changing technology. The assembly of computer hardware in computer networking is called computer architectur e. Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different demographies.

Canadian & US Immigration and Discriminition Essay

Canadian & US Immigration and Discriminition - Essay Example Therefore, around the globe many people eyes on the developed countries as a staircase towards their dreams. They believe that being in a developed state will provide them with proper job opportunities and a reward that is equivalent to their efforts. This partly may be true, but the first step of immigration is a big hindrance and may itself be a discouraging factor. Developed countries like United States and Canada have their own policies of immigration. Some may be beneficial for the immigrants while some poses a challenge to their existence. These negative aspects of these two countries immigration policies can be attributed to the fact that most developed nations are not very receptive to immigrants. A lot of discrimination exists on the bases of original nationality of the immigrants and various other factors. The paper will highlight and compare the difference in these policies and how they might discriminate on various bases. History of immigration in Canada and America: Both Canada and America are major recipients of immigrants from all over the world. As the statistics show that both of them accepted over 12 million immigrants between the period of 1960 to 1980 (Borjas 1991). This was a result of various changes in the policies implemented by the governments in the early 1960s. Before this period both the countries had a policy to issue only very few visas based on the nationality of the applicant. For example in the United States national origin quota system influenced the immigration policy prior to 1965 amendments. There was a definitive discrimination as Asian were only allocated a very low percentages of the total available quota. Most of these accepted immigrants were from European countries, Germany and Russia. Now we know that the source of immigration is an important factor that can determine the skills of the workers. This is partially due to the fact that cultural and social aspects of any country mould an individual’s talent. A sing le cultural immigration, therefore, caused a decline in the diversities of skills present in both countries. After 1960 both United States and Canada started to accept immigrants from diverse nations. US evolved a policy that allocated visa permits to those immigrants with relational ties to the residents of US. Whereas Canada initiated issuing visas on the basis of applicants observable socioeconomic characteristics (Borjas 1991). So overall these transmutation in the policies of both countries attracted workers with diversity of technical skills that aid in the economic development of these countries. US and Canadian immigration policy 1960 to 1980: The amendments made in 1965 in United States immigration policies abolished the national origin quota system and introduced a more versatile approach in allocation of the visas to the immigrants. These amendments influenced immigration system for the next two decades. Total number of visa allocation was increased to 270,000 and no more than 20,000 can be issued to the origin of a specific country. This is was totally in contrast to the earlier policies where most percentage of the visas was allocated to only few specific countries. Moreover, about 80 percent of those total visas were given to those with close relational ties with the US resident. This in particular was an important amendment because it

International information an E business strategies Assignment

International information an E business strategies - Assignment Example Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. Client. Comprises the physical devices such as computers, mobile devices and notebooks that are linked to the wireless network area. Satellite. A satellite is used in the catching and distribution of signals over the network. Network adapters. These are used to set up or configure the internet technology in the operating system. Examples of network adapters for accessing the internet are LAN cards and modems. Routers. Transmit data from one place to the other in the form of data packets. Access points. Transmit data between wired and wireless technology. . Bridges. Used to establish connections between wired networks such as Ethernet and wireless networks such as LAN. Act as points of control in the network architecture. The use of electronic communications changes market trends. Businesses will rush to adapt to emerging trends of marketing. Social networks such as Facebook and YouTube are preferred over search engines due to the interactive nature with the clients. Environmental scanning has a role in shaping the current business strategies (Kalakota & Robinson, 2010). It gives an overview to the organization on the current technological innovations, impact the information will have on the society, cultural and economic factors of a country as well as international contributions. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different... E- Business is a concept that describes the arrangement organizations redesign to incorporate internet services in their business structures, processes and services. It entails the use of electronic devices in the processing and sharing of data to ease interactions with systems and services.Entrepreneurs are faced with decision making challenges resulting from increased globalization, rapid technological challenges and competition. As a result, new knowledge creates a competitive advantage.Entrepreneurs gather information from the external environment and interpret it through organizational learning to improve problem solving. The external environment ranges from the task environment (competition, customers, and suppliers) to the general environment. To realize the full benefits of the internet, organizations need to reinvent their business processes to incorporate the rapidly changing technology. The assembly of computer hardware in computer networking is called computer architectur e. Internet network architecture involves the use of architectural techniques in the field of internet networking technology. There are different components of the internet network architecture and technology. An online marketplace is segmented into various portions. The customer segment comprises existing and new customers, web-savvy and non web-savvy, specific needs customers, and those that are in different demographies.

Cargo Cult Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cargo Cult - Essay Example Even though cargo cults continue to be discovered, they ceased to exist as a phenomena â€Å"as soon as anthropologists figured out how to explain† it (Dalton 2000:345), however, they can be seen as a successful (in certain aspects) revitalization movement for the indigenous population, who often needed to vent out their frustration with the new way of life under the colonizers. Cargo cults, as the specific millenarian movements in the Melanesian region are called, were not studied very closely before the twentieth century; after F. E. Williams published The Vailala Madness and the Destruction of Native Ceremonies in the Gulf District in 1923, interest as well as publication on them have increased (Long 1974:403). Usually, a cargo cult is formed when some member of the tribe has a dream (a myth-dream) whereby the rest of the tribe is instructed to follow certain orders, which can include touching things or ritualistic destruction objects, or not going to their garden to work, or dance around open altars (Stephen 1997:1) or even baptism and insistence on giving up local culture in favor of the European (Long 1974:410); what is more, as Worsley notes, there is also the â€Å"cultivation of large gardens and the building of stores, sheds, jetties and landing-grounds for the reception of good which will never come† (Dalton 2000:358). According to the native rituals and social norms of the Melanesians, anyone who could give a lot of material gifts to others was automatically someone to be respected and looked up to. With the arrival of colonials, who brought with them many material products, the natives saw their material wealth and automatically assumed that the colonizers were respectable people. As, on the converse side, the person who could take gifts but could not give anything comparable in return was frowned upon according to the same norms, therefore, the Melanesian, based on their own cultural norms, lost respect in their own eyes. The product s that the colonials brought with them were things that the natives wanted, but which the natives, in their lack of exposure to technology, had no idea how to produce even though they had been seeing them delivered to piers and landing strips. Certain cargo cults were formed, whereby certain mythological stories were exchanged to make sense of just why nothing that arrived was for them but for the colonizers. As per this explanation, the ancestors of the natives were busy making things for their descendants, both within the volcanoes that the locals worshipped, and living amongst the lands of the colonizers, disguised as white men. These ancestors were sending all the cargo that they had accumulated and manufactured to the locals, however, the white colonizers, entrusted with the transport of the cargo, were robbing the natives by changing the labels of the cargo to steal it and claim it as their own (Long 1974: 409). It can be argued that the irrational rituals were created in a bi d to get the wealth of the colonials (Lindstorm 2000:296). Clearly, this shows a sense of resentment on the part of the natives who felt not only threatened by the colonization but also used and abused. As Burridge puts it, the natives have their own rituals and ways for proving â€Å"their integrity as men. But faced with a white man, the moment passes them by. They feel themselves children of sin†

I have a dream Essay Example for Free

I have a dream Essay I have a dream that one day we shall all live in a world without bullies. No one to intimidate us, no one to tell us what to do and how to do it, but to lead our own lives in confidence, and being able to walk strong-mindedly through streets at night without feeling scared or threatened by others. Every day, children are too frightened to go to school as they are being bullied. There are children coming home in tears as they are having such a bad time at school. And those are just the children who do speak out! Many children are too scared to even tell an adult that they are being bullied, as they fear that it will only get worse. Are you being bullied? Have you ever had someone hit you, or make you feel threatened? Even name-calling is a form of bulling. If you are being bullied and have not told anyone, then now is the time to do so. Do it now, before it could get any worse. Why should you put up with it? Dont let them get away with it. And never feel like it is your own fault. Or maybe you are a bully? Are you? Ask yourself, have you ever picked on anyone for no reason at all. Maybe because they arent wearing the latest designer gear, or that they look different, talk differently or simply dont even listen to the same music as you? When people hear the word bullying, they automatically think of big, rough looking kids holding smaller children up by the scruffs of their necks and taking their dinner money. But mental bullying is just the same, maybe worse even, than physical bullying. Even a dirty look at someone is a form of bullying. Whether its physical or mental bullying, they all affect the victim. Bullies dont realise just how much they can effect someones life. They dont know the after-effects they can leave on their victims. Even name calling leaves scars inside. Victims of bullying often turn to drugs, turn anorexic, bulimia, and sometimes bully others to get over their trauma. In some sad cases, children sometimes take their own life to end the bullying! But bullying doesnt just go on at school. Its happening to pedestrians on the street, adults at work, and to be honest really, anywhere that someone can be seen vulnerable to others. This morning I opened a newspaper, only to be confronted by headlines such as, Old Woman Mugged at Knife-point and Young girl stabbed for the sake of 20 pounds. It disgusts me to think that humans can act like this towards each other. But the thing that repulses me the most about such crimes is that it is so common. Killing someone for the sake of a few pounds? Or a mobile phone? Too many incidents like these are occurring more frequently over the years and it looks like things are going to carry on like this if people dont look out for others and try to help those who are being bullied. So until people start to look out for others in the world, start to care about how they act towards others, and to basically appreciate other human beings as they themselves would like to be treated, my dream, that one-day we shall all live in a world without bullies. No one to intimidate us, no one to tell us what to do and how to do it, but to lead our own lives in confidence, and being able to walk strong-mindedly through streets at night without feeling scared or threatened by others, will continue to be a dream.

Importance of Accounting in the Hospitality Industry

Importance of Accounting in the Hospitality Industry Broadly speaking, the process of financial management takes place at two levels. At the individual level, financial management involves tailoring expenses according to the financial resources of an individual. Individuals with surplus cash or access to funding invest their money to make up for the impact of taxation and inflation. Else, they spend it on discretionary items. They need to be able to take the financial decisions that are intended to benefit them in the long run and help them achieve their financial goals. From an organizational point of view, the process of financial management is associated with financial planning and financial control. Financial planning seeks to quantify various financial resources available and plan the size and timing of expenditures. Financial control refers to monitoring cash flow. Inflow is the amount of money coming into a particular company, while outflow is a record of the expenditure being made by the company. Managing this movement of funds in relation to the budget is essential for a business. At the corporate level, the main aim of the process of managing finances is to achieve the various goals a company sets at a given point of time. Businesses also seek to generate substantial amounts of profits, following a particular set of financial processes. Financial managers aim to boost the levels of resources at their disposal. Besides, they control the functioning on money put in by external investors. Providing investors with sufficient amount of returns on their investments is one of the goals that every company tries to achieve. Efficient financial management ensures that this becomes possible. WHY IS ACCOUNTING IS IMPORTAN IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY? A proper accounting system is essential to any business whether big or small in order to manage its daily functions and keep the businesses running successfully. For any successful business, the main obligation is to maximize profits, minimize any loss and at the same time maintain its position as a responsible entity within the society Behind every successful business is a sound financial model. This simple theory holds true in any business, whether it is retail, manufacturing, or high tech. It most certainly is true in the hospitality business. By employing basic accounting principles, hotel owners and managers have the information they need to optimize performance in every operational area, from inventory and payroll to sales and marketing. They can reduce expenses, be prepared to accommodate guests during peak business times, and scale back operations during slow periods. Rather than relying on intuition and reacting to events, successful owners have the financial facts readily available to proactively make the right decisions at the right time.ÂÂ   A good financial system goes well beyond developing an annual budget. The financial system needs to provide the mechanism for managers to easily track performance against the budget, identify issues and rapidly make adjustments, and create and use reports that will give them accurate financial status at any point in time. Just as importantly, there must be managers in place who are trained and accountable for meeting financial objectives.ÂÂ   A good financial system goes well beyond developing an annual budget. The financial system needs to provide the mechanism for managers to easily track performance against the budget, identify issues and rapidly make adjustments, and create and use reports that will give them accurate financial status at any point in time. Just as importantly, there must be managers in place who are trained and accountable for meeting financial objectives.ÂÂ   DIFFERENCE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING WITH TH E FANANCIAL MANAGEMENT There are two broad types of accounting information: Financial Accounts: geared toward external users of accounting information and Management Accounts: aimed more at internal users of accounting information Although there is a difference in the type of: information presented in financial andmanagement accounts, the underlying objective is the same to satisfy the information needs of the user. Financial accounts describe the performance of a business over a specific period and the state of affairs at the end of that period.ÂÂ   The specific period is often referred to as the Trading Period and is usually one year long.ÂÂ   The period-end date as the Balance Sheet Date .Companies that are incorporated under the Companies Act 1989 are required by law to prepare and publish financial accounts.ÂÂ   The level of detail required in these accounts reflects the size of the business with smaller companies being required to prepare only brief accounts. The format of published financial accounts is determined by several different regulatory elements: Company Law, Accounting Standards and Stock Exchange. Financial accounts concentrate on the business as a whole rather than analysing the component parts of the business.ÂÂ   For example, sales are aggregated to provide a figure for total sales rather than publish a detailed analysis of sales by product, market etc. Most financial accounting information is of a monetary nature By definition, financial accounts present a historic perspective on the financial performance of the business Management accounts are used to help management record, plan and control the activities of a business and to assist in the decision-making process.ÂÂ   They can be prepared for any period (for example, many retailers prepare daily management information on sales, margins and stock levels). There is no legal requirement to prepare management accounts, although few (if any) well-run businesses can survive without them. There is no pre-determined format for management accounts.ÂÂ   They can be as detailed or brief as management wish. Management accounts can focus on specific areas of a business activities.ÂÂ   For example, they can provide insights into performance of: Products, Separate business locations (e.g. different hotels in chain) and Departments / divisions. Management accounts usually include a wide variety of non-financial information.ÂÂ   For example, management accounts often include analysis of: Employees (number, costs, productivity etc.), Sales volumes (units sold etc.) and Customer transactions (e.g. number of calls received into a call centre) Management accounts largely focus on analysing historical performance.ÂÂ   However, they also usually include some forward-looking elements e.g. a sales budget; cash-flow forecast

Internet Essay -- essays research papers

How to use Internet as a management resource? Introduction: Internet is a global network, connecting thousands of host servers worldwide. The United States Department of Defense established it in the beginning of the 1960 ¡Ã‚ ¯s. Today, there are now 10 to 20 million people using an Internet comprised of more than 30,000 networks spread out over 78 nations all over the world. Now the Internet has become a great electronic gateway that provides instant access to global news and information. The databases, documents, files, and programs that are  ¡Ã‚ °sitting ¡Ã‚ ± on Internet computers contain a tremendous amount of information. You can search for and find up-to-the-minute stock market activity, weather reports, music, recipe; you can make free long distance call; you can purchase goods; you can chat and see your friends. It seems you can do any thing you want. In order to cope with increasing competition, the managers have always effort to gain a competitive advantage throughout the implementation of Internet. So the fundamental purpose of our report is to outline the effective ways associated with the implementation of Internet that can help managers to improve their performance. Our report would like to discuss the effective ways for managers to use Internet in three aspects. The first is how managers can compete in the business world through searching and monitoring external information by using Internet. The second aspect is how managers can approach specific kno...

It is not possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world Essay

â€Å"It is not possible to be a disciple of Jesus in the modern world† I disagree with this statement, although I recognise that it is not always easy to be a disciple I believe it is possible for those who have faith. We are first called to discipleship at Baptism where the father of the child lights a candle from the Pascal candle as a sign of his responsibility to enable his son/daughter to grow in full faith. I believe that faith makes everything possible, if we have faith in God and his teaching we can achieve our hopes and dreams. If we have faith then living, as a true disciple is part of our way of life, we as Christians in today’s world should try to live our lives as Jesus lived his. Without faith what meaning would life itself have for us, what would be the use in perusing life if it had no meaning to us. If we believe then we can reach goals and discipleship can bring joy and purpose to our lives we can achieve goals and targets we set for ourselves. â€Å"Nothing is impossible to he who believes† Faith in God is not always easy to maintain; if we pick up a newspaper what headings do we usually see? Usually something related to drugs, alcohol, kidnapping, and murder. What example is this setting to children? While there parents are teaching them about how caring we should be, and how we should love our neighbour as ourselves, these children look at the newspapers or even the news and see people who have lost arms or legs as someone has shot them. What kind of example is this of loving your neighbour? What affect is this going to have on these children in the long term? They will grow up with the opinion that this is acceptable and everybody does it why should they be different to the rest? To be a true disciple we must have immense faith in God, if we have faith nothing is impossible. But there are many difficulties which disciples of Jesus have to face when trying to carry out the work of God, one of the most difficult to deal with is peer pressure. Many people, particularly the young people, feel unable to resist the pressures put upon them by their peers and therefore behave in a way which goes against the teaching of the gospel. There are many pressures maybe to smoke, drink, vandalise others property, tell lies, use foul language, and have a sexual relationship before marriage. If enough pressure is put on these people it is very difficult to say no! And therefore they are going against the teaching of Jesus not because they want to it is because they are not strong enough to resist temptation, and they are afraid others will treat them differently. Other pressures come from the media we usually get a picture from the media of very anti-Christian values and standards. Take magazines for example they tell stories of unmarried people having a sexual relationship or young people smoking and drinking, and this is all classed as â€Å"Normal† and acceptable in our world. They do not present the Christian way of life as being worthwhile and â€Å"Cool† or up to date. We also get a lot of anti-Christian standards from the television, films, and videos. These can have a very powerful influence on the lives of many people; most soap operas and films present a non-Christian way of life. How often do you see a Christian family in a soap opera, and if there is Christian families do you ever notice that they always seem to be laughed at by the rest of the families as they are seen to be out of date and definetly not trendy. Television I believe influences many people, who is going to get up early on a Sunday morning to watch the Christian services carried out in different chapels, while they could be watching Eastenders or a popular music show! There are many ways television influences us they give us pictures of what is normal in our society such as sex before marriage, abortions are acceptable, divorce is a fact of life, the only purpose in life is to search for pleasure, and violence is acceptable and part of everyday life. Media can make Christians feel confused and unsure of their own beliefs The way of life presented by the media is often made to seem more attractive, more enjoyable, easier, and more glamorous. However we as Christians should always remember that Jesus never promised that being a disciple would be easy, in fact we must deny ourselves take up our cross and follow him. We should make up our minds whether we want to be a disciple; many people are unable or incapable to make such decisions in life because of addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and solvent abuse. Becoming addicted to any of these can make people lose all sense of reality of right and wrong, of what being a Christian really means. If a person is not in total control of their life then being a Christian is almost an impossible task. The family is an extremely important unit and source of Christian discipleship in our society, it is within the family that children first learn about the love of God, right and wrong and acceptable and unacceptable modes of behaviour. Parents are the first teachers of their children and the church relies on these parents to pass on the faith to their children by what they say and through their actions. There are many broken families in today’s society and many children do not receive the Christian teaching and example, which they need, such as love and understanding and therefore grow up not using the example in their life. So to be a good disciple is extremely difficult but not impossible. In today’s world there are many distractions and other Gods, which can lure us away from love of the one true God. Things such as money, possessions, wealth, search for pleasure, and success, laziness, indifference, friends, and Greed. These things all tempt us in many different ways, it is as if they are trying to make us forget our first priority which is God. The easier route in life is often to give into these temptations, to become distracted by worldly and materialistic values and to become neglectful to our Christian duties. If we consider all the pressures people today face we see that it is not always an easy task to follow Jesus through thick and thin, but it is not an impossible one. When Jesus chose his first disciples he knew that it would not be easy for them, nor is it easy for us in the twentieth century. The world as we know it is becoming less and less accommodating to the Christian way of life and it is not going to get any easier, this is why we should never give up and our faith should see us through even the worse times in life. We should not become what society wants to become and is encouraging us to become we should not be lured away from God so we can fit in and act like people want us to. This is the challenge of Christian discipleship.