Health Care Innovation

Health Care Innovation Your name HCA/210 June 10, 2012 Theresa Brock Health Care Innovation We live in a world where everything is changing and improving rapidly. Health care is one thing that has changed for the better. New improvements to health care are being made every day among technology, medicine, and even health insurance. The average life expectancy has increased significantly over the last 100 years. One hundred years ago the overall average life expectancy in the United States was approximately 50 years old (Wikipedia, n. . ). Now, the overall average life expectancy is approximately 78 years old. One of the biggest reasons for this is health care innovation. Not only has the progress of technology and medicine raised this number, but insurance has a lot to do with this also. With the many different types of insurances that are offered today, people can get the care that they need. Years ago there was no health insurance. People would visit a doctor and pay just a couple o f dollars, or pay with food.Many people would not even go see a doctor simply because they could not afford to pay. Now, healthcare is one of our biggest debates. Essentially there are two types of healthcare insurance, Fee-for-Service and Managed Care. Both cover medical, surgical, and hospital expenses. Most cover prescription drugs and some offer dental coverage. With today's economy, many American's depend on Medicaid or Medicare for their healthcare needs (Progress in Insurance, n. d. ). The Obama Administration has set up healthcare exchanges under a new 2010 law.State-run exchanges will be launched in 2014, which opens a marketplace for private insurers to compete to offer health plans to the uninsured and to small businesses. If a state has not established a framework for the exchanges by 2013, the federal government will step in and run it (The Wall Street Journal, 11-29-11). This has become one of the biggest debates, other than the unemployment rate, during this election year with the presidential campaigns. Medicine has grown tremendously.In the old days, people would always receive an antibiotic shot with the same needle. People used home remedies such as: turpentine and sugar (now it is said that turpentine will kill you), sweet oil in ears for infection, milk weed for warts, lye soap for lice, and for a fever you were rubbed down in rubbing alcohol. There were no tetanus shots. Most people just soaked an infected area in epsom salt. Now, doctors usually only give antibiotics when absolutely necessary, there is laser treatment for warts, lice shampoo, and we now have tetanus shots.The medical device industry has brought us tremendous advances to the practice of medicine in recent decades, ranging from CT and Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI) machines, to laboratory diagnostic instruments and pacemakers. Much of our modern medicine relies on 3D imaging, which is fairly new (Progress in Medicine Staff, 6-6-12). Many years ago, ultrasounds, CT scan s, and radioactive/nuclear medicine for PET scans did not exist. They did have X-rays, but very poor images. Now, there are CT scans, PET scans, MRI machines, and X-rays are much more enhanced and show radiologists a great deal of information.Technology in health care has come a very long way, and continues to excel. The only negative impact that health care innovation can have on patients is costs. This could include doctor’s fees for treatment, or even copays and medicine. With the new technology, this makes health care spending go up. Therefore, this makes the costs of care that patient’s need go up. There are still people who cannot get insurance for different reasons. Some people may make just a little too much money to receive an insurance offered by the government, and others may just simply not be offered insurance by their employer.Overall, health care innovation has had a positive impact on patients. It is a natural part of life to grow. Things are always goi ng to get bigger and better, they always have. There will always be a new, better way to do things. Insurance, technology, and medicine will continue to grow, and the improvements will benefit the patients. References www. wikipedia. com. www. yahoo/progressinmedicinestaff. com. The Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2012. www. yahoo/progressininsuranse. com.

Business Ethics Code of Conduct

Any inappropriate behavior or violation of an organizations code of conduct is a serious allegation to bring against either the company or an individual inside the organization. In the case of this occurring, a reporting structure is essential in dealing with both the situation itself and the employees who are responsible for the issues happening.A mandatory reporting structure is required for many aspects of business, from employee grievances to performance and salary related activities, such as commission or bonus payments for outstanding work. Ethical and moral issues also need to be covered by some kind of reporting scheme.In this case, if a collegial and supportive atmosphere exists in the workplace then an ethical code of conduct is required in order to maintain, and not upset this working environment. A code of conduct is a general statement of intent by an organization to promote ethical and morally sound behavior amongst staff, and usually states the required actions of staf f members in case of any ethical issue, or at least gives staff members a way of reporting any issues of a morally unsound nature or ethically dubious actions taken by staff, or in some cases customers.Designing a system of reporting that does not damage the collegial and supportive structure is a very difficult one, as it needs to be sufficiently secure so that complainants are not singled out for abuse, and also that those being reported on are able to defend their actions without any prejudice. The reporting structure would need to be created in a similar way to the operational structure of reporting, through middle management up to the higher board level, where major issues are resolved.However it is also possible to employ a code of conduct in order to achieve similar aims as a reporting structure. Setting out a standard that everyone has to adhere to, or face the consequences is one way of making this reporting structure work, as middle management become responsible for employ ee actions, as well as their ethical and moral obligations to the company and to the stakeholders. If this code is broken, then the employee would be subject to a similar disciplinary procedure as if they had committed a criminal act, or an act of sexual harassment.Then the supportive structure is not damaged, and the incentive in on the employees to perform ethically and morally. 2. Corporations have a social responsibility to the various groups associated with them. These groups, called stakeholders represent many groups of people, or organizations who deal with the company in every way, such as the shareholders of the business who have invested money in it as well as the local community in which the business operates. These groups should affect the way the organization operates and behaves, hopefully in a responsible way.Organizations cannot have responsibility, as only people can have responsibility, and this leads to a conflict in the discussion of this subject. The context is that each company has responsibilities to each employee of that company, as well as the shareholders who have a monetary investment in the company. Therefore the organization has to be held responsible to these groups, so should by default be responsible for every other group that has some stake in the operation.Some, including Milton Friedman, believe that a corporations’ responsibility lie purely with its shareholders, and that to have social responsibility jeopardizes potential profits and is therefore a bad business decision meaning a business cannot potentially damage itself by having a conscience. All organizations do have a social responsibility to all groups that they interact with because they are offering a product or service that has to be sustainable and yet profitable as well as being conducted ethically.The major responsibilities of an organization lie with protecting the investment of the shareholders and with its employees and the local community. As well as t his, making ethical business decisions with the best interests of the shareholders and the employees is critical in how the business operates. Therefore board consideration is needed to ensure that decisions are made with the best interests of all groups of stakeholders at heart.

Evidence review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evidence review - Essay Example The underlying causes of bowel dysfunction maybe primarily associated with the bowel inflammatory conditions or it may result from other secondary factors which include injuries to the spinal cord, as a result of the side effects of certain medications or due to certain endocrine disorders as well as improper diets and infectious agents. Proper diagnosis and management of bowel dysfunction is essential for the health of the patient. The treatment is related to the type and the extent of the disease (Friedman 1994,Top of Form Stein 2003). This paper will encompass the pathologies which are associated with bowel dysfunction and serve to explain their underlying reasons along with their diagnostic criteria and the most appropriate treatment according to the condition of the patient. According to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, â€Å"Bowel dysfunction refers to problems with the frequency, consistency and/or ability to control your bowel movements.† (2007) This serves to explain the meaning that alterations in the motility of the small intestine and the normal bowel function can result in conditions which are referred to as bowel dysfunction. Constipation, diarrhoea and faecal incontinence are examples of bowel dysfunction. Constipation is a condition which may result due to a reduction in the bowel motility, hard faecal matter which cannot be expelled or if the amount of faecal matter is less than the amount which can be defecated. The defining factor of constipation can vary from one person to another as the bowel habits between different patients are variable. This is because a bowel frequency ranging from one per day to three per week is considered to be normal. If this frequency is reduced to less than one time in a period of three days, it can be referred to as constipation. If constipation exists for a long time, a more severe condition which is known as impaction may result. In this state the faecal matter is

Germany Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Germany Project - Essay Example Stories like Binjamin Wilkomirski's Fragments are accepted with no proof. In fact, to question a survivor story is to risk the case of being called anti-Semitic. Finkelstein has pointed out that today's society wants to be victims. Whether a Jew, African American, Native American, homosexual, woman, or other minority groups, people want to belong to a victim group. While Finkelstein did intensive research, his use of imagery and outlandish words make this story a little less credible. If he would have stuck to just the facts, Finkelstein might have gotten his point across better. Finkelstein points out that real history is being ignored in favor of an exaggerated glorified account that exploits the true Jewish suffering in the 'Nazi holocaust'. When first approaching this book, many readers might think Finkelstein is being anti-Semitic. However Finkelstein raises some good points. His main point is the Nazi holocaust happened. It is a historical event. The Nazis committed crimes agai nst humanity. Finkelstein acknowledges that the Nazi holocaust was wrong, but he wants the world to sympathize will all suffers not just the Jews of the Nazi holocaust. His point is war and atrocities have happened since the beginning of man and still occur. All of these atrocities are horrible; the Nazi holocaust is not any less horrible, but not more horrible than any other atrocity. By using the Holocaust as beacon to rally people to the Jewish cause dishonors the victims and survivors. He explains: The claims of Holocaust uniqueness are intellectually barren and morally discreditable, yet they persist. The question is, Why? In the first place, unique suffering confers unique entitlement. The unique evil of the Holocaust, according to Jacob Neusner, not only sets Jews apart from others, but also gives Jews a "claim upon those others." (Finkelstein 25) All human suffering should be sympathized with, not just the suffering during the Nazi holocaust. This is not to lessen or dismiss the Nazi holocaust, only to put it in proper perspective. Finkelstein suggests after World War II no one in America, or around the world cared about the Nazi holocaust. Some historians theorize that Jews did not want to talk or share about their horrible experience. Finkelstein dismisses this theory. He believes that no one wanted to know or think about it, especially in America. Finkelstein explains: The standard explanation is that Jews were traumatized by the Nazi holocaust and therefore repressed the memory of it. In fact, there is no evidence to support this conclusion. No doubt some survivors did not then or, for that matter, in later years want to speak about what had happened. Many others, however, very much wanted to speak and, once the occasion availed itself, wouldn't stop speaking. The problem was that Americans didn't want to listen. (Finkelstein 9) Even American Jews did not want to listen. After the war everyone wanted to forget about the atrocities of World War II. The Allies had won. It was a time for victory, not time to remember how many Jews had died. The Holocaust Industry began after the United States started backing Israel as part of US Foreign Policy. When Israel fought the War of Independence America cautiously backed the Arabs due to the oil in the region. It did not look like Israel would survive. However after Israel not only won, but doubled their land size, the US started

Business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business plan - Assignment Example Fresh fruit segment is a rapidly growing segment with better future prospects and is segment to venture now. Though many people are venturing into the segment, those who are going to survive rivalry onslaught and tighter regulations must produce high quality products; follow industry regulation to the latter; innovate saleable sales ideas; and develop appropriate ways of communicating products to the customers. The fresh fruit juice segment is on the growth rate and promises higher returns to investors. The fresh juice market is large. Most people are embracing consumption of fresh fruits due to health concerns. Fresh fruit juice appeals most to people who are above thirty years (53% of Halifax population). Such population is health conscious and has the money to buy the fresh fruit juice. Therefore, their buying behaviour is reliable and predictable. The company is strategically placed in a high traffic area. In addition, it is able to innovate better juice mixes in future to keep i ts customer base and attract new customers. BestJuice Limited uses the cut out middleman model. This model eliminates middlemen in its distribution chain. Therefore, the Company shall produce and sell the products at its premises. This will lower the price of fresh fruit juices by about 30%. The management team is made of Assem (CEO) and Susan (Director Operations). Both members are entrepreneurial and dedicated to continuous improvement of the company and aspire for excellent performance. The business is a limited private company owned by seven shareholders (Assem, Susan, Charles, Robert, Angela, Hannington and Adan). The managing board is made up of executive and non-executive board members. Assem and Susan are the executive directors while Charles, Robert, Angela, Hannington and Adan are non-executive members. The company is at formative stage and does not have the money to employ all kind of professionals in the business. Therefore, it shall form strategic

Abraham Lincoln's Dred Scott Decision & Peoria Speech Essay

Abraham Lincoln's Dred Scott Decision & Peoria Speech - Essay Example In addition, no blacks qualified to seize any position in any office through the introduction of the Illinois law. In a dialogue that Lincoln delivered in Peoria, he stated that if by chance, he had the power; his first inclination would be to free all slaves and dispatch them all to their native land. According to Abraham Lincoln, the position of superior and inferior in the American states meant to reduce the number of blacks entering the country. However, he later discovered that his plans were impossible since the whites needed blacks for labour. The main questions that run over his mind were whether the blacks might be both politically and socially equal to whites. Lincoln rejected this major aspect. He did not believe the black to be his equals, he never at any chance, favour the blacks. However, besides his hatred towards the blacks he tried stopping the slavery trade (Basler 121). Lincoln always denied the blacks the right to vote, he was never ready to bring on political and social equality between the black and the white. The main reason as to why he wanted to be away from the black is his hatred towards the black race. Lincoln believed there was a substantial diversity between the black and the white, which in his judgment he always prevented blacks and whites living together on the basing of ideal equality. Lincoln was always in favour of the white race, which he belonged.

Culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Culture - Assignment Example Consequently, we shall be required to hire a language and cultural interpreter for dealing with Chinese in addition to engaging in selective hiring of expats based on their past international experience particularly with the Chinese. Furthermore, ethical aspects of the Chinese culture may be weak leaving scope for bribery and gift-giving at various levels of business operations. Additionally, team work may be difficult to achieve with the Chinese who do not possess any concept of teams in their culture. However, binding based on understanding of the Chinese language could prove to be a successful strategy in developing strong cross-cultural teams involving Chinese. Finally, the company may have o consider the conflict of home country versus subsidiary strategy based on different cultures prevailing in the two countries. It is recommended that Primark engages in cross-cultural training and engages in selective hiring on expats so that the need for repatriation is minimized. 1. Introdu ction National culture is stated as having a profound effect on the strategy adopted by organizations. Furthermore, the formulation of strategy for our subsidiary in China at our headquarters in U.K could entail the risk of having one national culture dominate over the other when it comes to strategy formulation. A stark difference between the national culture of China and U.K based on Hofstede’s dimensions is also apparent. 2. Chinese culture and HR Policy The Chinese culture is marked by hierarchical ties based on status, paternalistic leadership and emphasis on trust building amongst relationships (Guanxi) which is contrary to the Western notion of formal planning, more objective business dealings and a participative style of management. It is important to understand the key dimensions of masculinity, power distance beliefs, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation laid down by Hofstede identifies that highlight the differences between the Eastern(including Chinese) and Western (including U.K) national culture(Hofstede, n.d.). The Chinese societies possess high power distance beliefs, collectivism, long term orientation and conformity. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the Chinese to derive satisfaction from collective gains rather than personal achievements. Furthermore, the Chinese people tend to avoid conflict in an attempt to â€Å"save face† and appreciate harmony and cohesion. On the other hand, Western societies such as U.K tend to be more work-centric and highly individualistic with low power-distance beliefs(Edfelt, 2010). Clearly, we run the risk of engaging in what is known as an ethnocentric approach. Sending expatriates from the parent country (in this case, U.K) to assume top managerial positions in the foreign country (China) would be part of our HR policy. However, it is necessary that there is sufficient coordination between these expatriate bosses and the local intermediate managers in China. Research also suggests tha t prior international experience provides valuable work-related and non-work related information for cross-cultural interaction, particularly if that experience has been with a culture similar to the current one(Selmer, 2001). 3. Socialization and business dealings At this stage, hiring of expatriate managers based on their past experience of dealing in cross-national assignments/projects (particularly projects with China) would be necessary as

AN310 Cultural Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

AN310 Cultural Anthropology - Essay Example f English-Luek, and something more of a forward looking paper on what will eventually happen with technology, rather than a reflective look on how it has and currently is affecting lives. Perhaps, as a result of this, his view seems highly optimistic: he presents many upsides to technology for the family, and a very few downsides. He rightly assumes that technology will continue to get cheaper and more accessible, and thus be more widely used as time goes on (Molitor 2003). Furthermore, he recognized that mobile technology would be of growing importance, and argues that this presents many opportunities for families to stay in closer contact with each other and so forth, noting that mobile acumen is now being developed in children â€Å"from birth† and that staying in contact â€Å"on the fly† will lead to greater integration among members of the family (Molitor 2003, p 9). English-Lueck’s analysis is based on observations of the way technology has affected the family, rather than how it could. It is a bit more double sided. Like Molitor, English Lueck noted that families felt that technology allowed them to stay in contact in ways that would not otherwise be possible – and thus gain more independence (English-Lueck 1998, p 5). However, technology also has a high degree of downsides. The largest is the intervention of work into family time – almost everyone in English-Lucke’s work complained of having work at home or sometimes even having a great deal of work at home without noticing it (English-Lueck 1998). Finally, English-Lueck noted that, while technology altered family life, it also conformed to expectations that had been built over generations before the technology existed, such as gender roles. Men would be expected to be better experts on technology than women, and more interested in â€Å"discussing it† (Enli gsh-Lueck 1998, p. 8), whereas women wanted to use it. One common thread that I found between the two readings and my own life is lack of

Anne Sexton Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anne Sexton - Research Paper Example The person responsible for Sexton picking up the pen is her psychiatrist Dr. Martin Orne. It was May 29, 1957 and at her second attempt at taking her own life when Dr. Orne came up to her and told her she has something to live for. Her poetry is something that people just like her may find emphatic. She was then 28 years old with two daughters when she was admitted to Glenside Hospital after another breakdown. It was barely a year since their doctor-patient relationship that lasted for a decade. Previously, Dr. Martha Brunner-Orne, Dr. Martin Orne’s mother was treating her. It was only because Orne left Boston for Philadelphia that their medical relationship stopped. Later, when Sexton died, her revered therapist even went so far as to condemn her two succeeding therapists. One was alleged to have had an unethical affair with Sexton while treating her while the second who forbade her to see Orne abruptly stopped treating her (Hughes, par.11-14). Her mental illness is so entwined with her poetry that despite reproach, Orne allowed biographer Diane Wood Middlebrook to listen to confidential tapes in Sexton’s psychotherapy sessions in 1991 (Hughes, par.6-10). Her personal demons are such an integral part of her writing that it cannot be dismissed as a focal point for a number of her works. â€Å"I checked out for the last time, on the first of May; graduate of the mental cases, with my analyst’s okay, my complete book of rhymes, my typewriter and my suitcases† (Sexton, â€Å"Double Image†). From one of her earlier works, â€Å"Double Image† carries a lot of ground and is forthright in her struggles with mental illness. It was also an account on how she got started with writing. Written as an open letter to her daughter, Joyce, Sexton winds back and forth between her childhood to her adult life to her motherhood. It was an account of the way she got started into poetry, determined to put

Mesolithic Religions Essay Example for Free

Mesolithic Religions Essay Prior to this time in human existence people did not practice an organized form of religion. Everything was considered sacred and and there were no gods being worshiped. All this began to change in the Mesolithic time period. A shift in culture is evidenced by the building of the Stone Temple at Urfa. Up until this point in time, humans lived a mostly hunter gather lifestyle. People would have followed the herds of animals and lived off the land as they came to it, moving on once the resources were all used up. With the advent of the Stone Temple signaled a new way of life. With people needing to eat while the temple was being built and later when they came to worship, humans began practicing farming, herding, and hunting. With these new roles humans had a shift in thought from just passing through living on the land to masters of the land with the ability to own it and change it as needed. This new thought led to a shift in religious practices. Mesolithic people now began to see the world from the perspective that mankind had control over prosperity through religious practices. Herders could sacrifice some of the herd to a god to ensure the herd continued to grow. A farmer needing to have a good crop would have sacrificed people, fasted, or engaged in ritualistic sex. Much of this is evidenced by the artifacts that have been uncovered and the stories that have survived from the Mesolithic time. At the site of Urfa wild forms of the first domesticated plants and animals have been found. Inside the ruins animal bones were uncovered suggesting animal sacrifice may have taken place in there. The giant stone pillars have carvings in them one being a woman in a sexual pose that may suggest a room for ritualistic sex. The story of the first family illustrates some of the mentality of the time period. In the story two of the sons, representing farming and herding, gather to sacrifice. The herder sacrifices an animal while the farmer sacrifices some plants. The plants are rejected. Leaving the farmer to find another way to sacrifice which in the story is illustrated by him killing his brother. The third type of person, the hunter, is absent during all this suggesting the hunter still clung to the old ways and may have disapproved of the new religious thought. The hunter may have been the one telling the story, which is why the story has a negative tone.

Video Game Causes Behavioral Problems Psychology Essay

Video Game Causes Behavioral Problems Psychology Essay Firstly, one of the major concerns of video games is that they increase the nature of violence among the youth. The Harvard medical school or the Journal of adolescent health, as well as the British medical journal have concluded that there is a huge link between video game and violence. Researchers have found out that there is a certain pattern between video game and the behavioral problems associated with the video games, and Television shows. Scholars and researchers have said over and over again that Video games make kids more violent each time they play the game. A research was done which was brain scanning of children who played violent games like Call of duty the study showed that the answer was yes. Video games do make kids more violent. Researchers at the University of Indiana said that brain scans of kids who played a violent video game in comparison to kids who played no games showed a negative increase in the emotion of those children who played the game. According to aut hor Vince Mathews, parents should look more closely at the types of games their children are playing. He said I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent video-game playing and brain function. Video games cause addiction which leads to children spending considerable time playing games resulting in neglect of more important activities. Perhaps excess of anything is bad and video games are no exception. In his article Video Games Addiction, Media literacy specialist, Dr. Charles Ungerleider states that if a youngster becomes addicted to video games it can be a problem. He explains that wanting to improve their gaming skills is not a problem in itself, but it becomes a problem if video games are taking a youngster away too much from other activities. Then the parent has to intervene and limit the amount of time the youngster spends with the video game. According to Mary Schlimme in a 2002 article titled: Do We Need a Video Gamers Anonymous? Video game addicts are often described by clinicians in the field as displaying many symptoms characteristic of other addictions. According to her article, Addiction includes such behavior as failure to stop playing games, difficulties in work or school, telling lies to loved ones, decreased attention to personal hygiene, decreased attention to family and friends, and disturbances in the sleep cycle. Schlimme quotes Dr Orzack that many game addicts have struggled with finding their place in society and as a result play video games in order to become part of a crowd. This in turn influences the game players to show off their achievements in front of their associate group. Excessive video game playing may not only cause behavioral and social changes in a person, but it may also result in neurological changes. Fourth paragraph third argument Even if video games and videos do not directly create killers and murderers out of the young people they may tend to contribute towards insensitivity and indifference towards violence. This is worrying because it may change the profile of the society in the longer run. In an article published in the Time Magazine on 10th May 1999 author and editors Joshua Quittner, Maryanne Buechner and Jay Ehrlich say The question isnt whether games make children kill, because it isnt that simple. The concerns are subtler yet no less worrisome. Do graphically violent games desensitize children to violence? Do such games teach kids to take pleasure in the suffering and death of others? Nicholas Carnagey, an Iowa State psychology instructor and research assistant, and ISU Distinguished Professor of Psychology Craig Anderson and Brad Bushman wrote published an article The Effects of Video Game Violence on Physiological Desensitization to Real-Life Violence in the Journal of Experimental Social Psycholo gy. In this paper, the authors define desensitization to violence as a reduction in emotion-related physiological reactivity to real violence. Their latest study tested 257 college students (124 men and 133 women) individually. The results demonstrate that playing violent video games, even for just 20 minutes, can cause people to become less physiologically aroused by real violence. According to the article It appears that individuals who play violent video games habituate or get used to all the violence and eventually become physiologically numb to it. Fifth paragraph Transition Paragraph Supporter of the video games do not seem to take the issues seriously. Despite this overwhelming evidence that video game causes violence and behavior problems in many developing children and in adolescents there are supportes who believe that there are advantages to video games in todays society. Key finding states in a research titled Internet Fantasy Violence: A Test of Aggression in an Online Games carried out in 2005 by Williams, D. Skoric, M states there was no effect on levels of aggressiveness or in belief and behaviors of the gamers who were engaged in a violent massive multiplayer online role-playing game. Cheryl K. Olson, professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical Schools Center for Mental Health and Media, in her 2004 article in the journal Academic Psychiatry Media Violence Research and Youth Violence Data: Why Do TheyConflict? examines statements about the relation between violent video games and real-life violence. First, Dr. Olson notes that there is no evidence that targeted violence has increased in Americas schools. While such attacks have occurred in the past, they were and are extremely rare events. She goes on to write that, Theres no indication that violence rose in lockstep with the spread of violent games. In a 2002 presentation that updated their earlier comprehensive review of the literature on games and violence, Dr. Van Eeenwyk from the Washington State Department of Health presented information indicating that after controlling for psychosocial factors, association between aggression and playing video games was not statistically significant. This review was based on available objective research and was conducted by the State of Washington at the request of the state legislature. MIT professor Hennery Jenkins points out, 90 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls play video games. The overwhelming majority of kids who play do NOT commit antisocial acts. And, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the strongest risk factor for school shootings centere d on mental stability and quality of home life, not media exposure. Supporters of video games say that Professor Jenkins is trying to say is its not the video games that cause the violence, its completely different factors. Critics claim that video games are addictive has also been refuted by some supporters of the video games. In a response to a proposal in 2007 to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder akin to alcoholism, doctors and supporters of video games opposed the proposal. There is nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesnt get to have the word addiction attached to it, said Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The supporters of video games rgue that video game, computer and television provide education to children, that it provides help with their studies as well as educational institutio ns are using video games as one of the material for teaching. According to child experts and psychologists Video games give the childrens brain a real workout.   In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking.   These skills are not even taught at school.   Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: Following instructions  and Hand-eye coordination Research also suggests that people can learn i visual attention skills from video games.   There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Some supporters of video games say that video games teach children to plan and build their strategic thinking. children learn while playing video games. Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How Todays Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter, calls this telescoping. Gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goal s on their horizon. Sixth paragraph Refutation of opponents counter- argument While there are researchers and supporters who claim that the video games do not have an effect on the increase in aggression and violence in the behavior of the gamers, yet those researches and studies are not based on modern scientific lines. Those studies are not as comprehensive and as scientific as those carried out by Craig Anderson, David Grossman or others. The supporters studies are generalized and are based more on hypothetical basis rather than actual scientific methodology. As proved by the various researches quoted above, their findings are flawed. Seventh paragraph Refutation of opponents counter- argument Supporters of the video games say that video games are healthy and educational. They claim Video games give the childrens brain a real workout.   In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. However, the fact is that addiction to video games causes not only health and other problems, including social ones, but also results in poor school results and grades, lack of concentration to academics and class activities. The critics have always disputed this claim about video games contributing to health and education. Dr. Louis Kraus of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a psychiatrist at Rush University Medical Center, has stated The more time kids spend on video games, the less time they will have socializing, the less time they will have with their families, the less time they will have exercising. They can make up academic deficits, but they cant make up the social ones, he said. Researcher Douglas Gentile, from Iow a State University, found that 8.5 percent of 1,178 youths studied are addicted to video games, using the same standards for addiction used for pathological gamblers. As a result of this, one in ten youths, may be suffering from family, social, school or psychological damage. In the case of video game addiction, the youth studied were found to have attention deficits in school, resulting in lower grades and even health problems. Video game addiction may be a sign of an underlying problem, such as depression. says Doug Gentiles report. Final paragraph Conclusion. Based on the above research it is clearly evident that violent video games contribute to the aggressive and violent behavior and addiction to video games. However, considering some of the advantages of the video games, their use must not be prohibited. Parents and guardians should do the following to reduce the effect of violence. Monitor video game play the same way one needs to monitor television and other media. Parents are responsible to be kind, loving but at the same time attentive and firm to properly discipline their wards. An aggressive child is more a product of dysfunctional parenting than anything else, including violent games and TV.   To avoid possibilities of addiction, parents should attempt to provide a variety of entertainment to their children. It would be a good idea to make sure that children read quality books, involve themselves in sports and interact with other children and their friends.

Imagine you have been asked to direct J.B. Priestley’s “An Inspector :: Drama

Imagine you have been asked to direct J.B. Priestley’s â€Å"An Inspector Calls† what Instructions would you give to the actor playing the part of Mr Arthur Birling At the opening of the play, Priestley presents a typical Edwardian middle class business family. The arrogance and pomposity of the Birlings is clear immediately as Priestley remarks, â€Å"they are all feeling rather pleased with themselves.† As the audience are introduced to the play the Birlings are celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling and Gerald Croft. Mr Birling is a successful businessman who has been active in local politics and has had the honour of being Lord Mayor. He is a magistrate and has hopes of being given a knighthood which will make him socially closer to Sir George and Lady Croft, the parents of his future son in law, Gerald Croft. Mr Birling is self confident, but his more humble upbringing makes him â€Å"social outcast† and he enters the group of â€Å"noveau riche† the new rich. The way he speaks shows him up; he is not a highly intellectual man of upper-class grace, but a man who still speaks with limited interests and narrow-minded views. Mr Birling is the man of the house, and in the setting of the play, 1912, it was a patriarchal society, where men had more power and were considered more important than women, as even Mrs Birling accepts, â€Å"when your married you’ll realise that men with important work to do sometimes have to spend nearly all their time and energy on their business.† Mr Birling is a bully, he rules by intimidation and self importance. Mr Birling will be dressed appropriately for his daughter’s engagement, wearing an expensive tailor-made suit with tie, or a dinner jacket with bow tie. Mr Birling represents the older generation, where he cannot accept responsibility for mistakes he has done. It is a huge failing in him, and ends up in attempting to cover himself up. His weakness makes him appear desperate and foolish, and gives the Inspector the advantage of having Mr Birling cornered, â€Å"Look Inspector-I’d give thousands-yes, thousands-.â€Å" The Inspector has broken him, he has the call of the questions. The opening of the curtains starts with ironically with Mr Birling speaking in his very loud abrasive manor, â€Å"Giving us the port, Edna? That’s right. You ought to like this port, Gerald. As a matter of fact, Finchley told me it’s exactly the same port your father gets from him.† The atmosphere on stage at this point in the play, is very cheerful and light spirited, they are all celebrating the engagement of Gerald and Sheila, a very serene and joyous occasion.

Environmental Apocalypse :: Environment Consumerism Population Essays

Environmental Apocalypse The environment is in a terrible condition and although an environmental apocalypse is not imminent we are definitely headed down that road. Some of the reasons for our Earth’s trouble are overpopulation, consumerism, and overconsumption. The earth’s population is ever increasing; it is only a matter of time before there are not enough resources to support life on the planet and the population begins to die off due to lack of food, water, and other resources. With our current population increase rates the population will double within the next century. â€Å"Indeed, the world population did double in thirty-seven years from 1950 to 1987.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem with overpopulation is that even if we all reduce our impact on the environment, when the population doubles, so will the total impact on the earth will be doubled. Consumerism is another thing that is threatening our planet. Everyone who wants to be anyone â€Å"must have'; whatever is cool at the time. This usually means the biggest, meanest, least efficient car or the fanciest toys, generally leading to wasteful packaging and harmful chemicals or other bad stuff. â€Å"In short, Impact = Population * Affluence * Technology.'; (Ehrlich, 1990) The problem is that everyone cares too much about societies image of them that they don’t think about the results of their actions. We also have a problem with the consumption of our resources. Many of the resources that we rely like fossil fuels, forests, and water are non-renewable. We are rapidly depleting these and have nothing to use when they are gone. Our society will have a lot of trouble turning around their habits until we are desperately low on them and it will be too late. It will be difficult to develop alternative technologies because of a lack of government funding, and the people who have the money (oil companies) do not want their income taken away by a different resource.

Worst Sinner in the Scarlet Letter

People are not always what they seem to be. Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter shows that everyone sins but some people’s sins are worse than others. The Scarlet Letter shows Chillingworth’s sins throughout the book. One of Hawthorne’s intentions was having Chillingworth as the worst sinner, because he used his herbs to keep Dimmesdale alive-he prolonged Dimmesdale’s torture, he used â€Å"black medicine†, and when Dimmesdale stopped taking the herbs, he passed away. Roger Chillingworth came to town with the Indians, and Hawthorne described them as outcasts and dwellers of the forest.Roger had learned all his tricks and medicines from the Indians and therefore was able to prolong Dimmesdale’s torture through using herbs. Chillingworth says, â€Å"Don’t think that I will lay a finger on him and interfere with Heaven’s work of punishment†¦ let him live. † Chillingworth never physically laid a hand on Dimmesdale, but he kept him healthy using the herbs to make sure that Dimmesdale would endure the torture of his affair, mentally and physically. Chillingworth knew exactly what he was doing to Dimmesdale.He said it would have been better had he died right away than endure seven years of vengeance. Here Roger is admitting that he has spent the last seven years using his herbs to keep Dimmesdale alive because death would be too easy. Roger Chillingworth was described as giving â€Å"black medicine† to Dimmesdale. Him using this was a way to punish Dimmesdale for wronging him. The term â€Å"black medicine† is in correlation with the devil, as if Chillingworth is acting as Satan to get back at Dimmesdale.While talking with Dimmesdale he says, â€Å"Wherefore not; since all the powers of nature call so earnestly for the confession of sin, that these black weeds have sprung up out of a buried heart, to make manifest an unspoken crime? † Here, Chillingworth is expressing his us e of the â€Å"black medicine†. What he is using are weeds he found at the cemetery, and he is explaining them as nature's punishment for people who have committed hidden crimes. Chillingworth is hinting that the medicine he is giving Dimmesdale is nature’s way of making sure Dimmesdale is getting the punishment he deserves.Roger’s sin here is that he is one with the devil and carrying out actions only the devil would use through the â€Å"black medicine†. Once he stopped partaking the herbs given by Chillingworth, unfortunately, Dimmesdale died. This is proof Chillingworth used the herbs to stall Dimmesdale’s untimely death. At their home, Chillingworth offered Dimmesdale medicine. â€Å"But methinks, dear Sir, you look pale; as if the travel through the wilderness had been too sore for you. Will not my aid be requisite to put you in heart and strength to preach your Election Sermon? Dimmesdale passed on the medicine, knowing Chillingworthâ€℠¢s intentions. Chillingworth was described as being a â€Å"leech† and feed off of Dimmesdale’s pain, but when he collapsed and died on the scaffold the next day, he had nothing left to live for and died soon after. It is not a coincidence that Dimmesdale died so soon after being clean of herbs. Death was not a part of Chillingworth’s plan, and Dimmesdale was able to escape Chillingworth’s torture by stopping his medications and dying. Roger Chillingworth is the worst sinner in The Scarlet Letter.He prolonged Dimmesdale’s torture through herbs and was one with the devil. Roger Chillingworth never laid a hand on Dimmesdale throughout the book but he mentally got to him over the seven years. The herbs kept Dimmesdale alive just so Roger could get his revenge through the torture. When Dimmesdale passed away after stopping the herbs Roger Chillingworth had nothing left to live for, and died shortly after, because as the â€Å"leech†, he no longe r had anything to feed off of. Roger Chillingworth was not always the man that he seemed, he had something deeper in him and was the worst sinner.

Character biography Tom: the glass menagerie

Tom can be described as a tortured soul, living with his mother and bachelors sister in a cramped apartment in SST Louis. From a young age, Tom is forced into the role of being the man of the house as his father abandons the family. One can say that this is the cause of Tom's deep resentment towards his life. He has to work long hours in a warehouse to pay the bills and take care of his nagging mother and sister.Tom's true dreams are to become a writer and he writes poetry in his spare time, this is what eventually gets him fired from his Job. Tom has complex relationships with both his family members. Although he always fights with his mother, we see that he does love her. Maybe so much that he can't stand her. Tom is softer towards his sister Laura, whom although is older, does not act like it. Tom finds himself trapped in an apartment and in a life he does not want.He finds an escape by going to the movies in which he lives vicariously through. In the movies he finds the adventure , thrill and excitement that his own life Is lacking In. We see Tom's selfishness when he doesn't pay for the electricity bill but instead uses the money for his own escape. Tom is torn between his loyalty to himself, his life, hopes and dreams; and his loyalty to his family, his own flesh and blood. In the end he Is loyal to himself, Just like his father.Tom almost uses the abandonment of his father as an excuse to do the same as if it is a genetic thing. Tom Is a complex and 3-delusional character In that he Isn't wholly good or wholly bad either, like all human beings. He truly does care for his family and especially his sister as he feels guilt and remorse for leaving her. But he also realizes that he will never truly experience life If he stays and neither will they. Therefore though his departure maybe he does not only set himself free, but his family as well.

Teachers Responsibility Should Be Replaced by Robots

TEACHERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES SHOULD BE REPLACED BY ROBOTS For ages, human beings learn from teachers over the world to live their life. They learn how to read, to count and even to speak. However, certain parties have recently proposed that the teachers responsibilities should be replaced by robots; the fully programmed machines. People with sound mind and wise thinking would strongly believe that the proposal is ridiculous. They are totally opposed this issue in terms of reducing the quality of human touch, increasing number of unemployment and wasting money.Naturally, robots cannot replace human beings as teachers because they do not have what human have; feeling, passion, love and determination. So, let us turn back to the purpose of school in the first place. It is not only about passing the examination or obtaining good grades, but it is about becoming a good Samaritan as whole. If we pull out the presence of teachers in class, the spiritual and emotional quotient of the st udents would be disturbed by this action. It is a big waste to produce human capital without human value that can distinguish them from the machines.Equally important, increasing number of the unemployment will also take place. In the country itself, we are facing with the situation where a lot of people are unemployed. By replacing the teachers with robots, it will exacerbate the condition. The principle of utilitarianism should be applied as to reduce the problem of unemployment. Presently, if the government were to purchase the robots, and to replace the teachers, the compensation money that should be paid to the teachers is too costly for the government.Even after purchasing all the robots, the government will still need to pay for the monthly maintenance of those robots. Isn’t that consumed more money? Many would say that by having robots as teachers in school, the education system would be standardized. No more good and bad teachers. However, this misconception should b e tied off quickly. The system that is programmed to the robots, is not sufficient to cater all types of student as in reality we have excellent, average and weak students in our schools.This is a very serious issue that will need an extra attention from the government before accepting the proposal. All in all, it is strongly believed that teachers responsibility should not be replaced by the robots because they are lack of human touch, exacerbate the matter of unemployment plus it will be a waste of money. Thus, in order to have a better education system, we should have a good quality teacher that owns the x-factor to teach the students to become a perfect human beings as whole.

Short & Long Term Career Goals

Education has always been an important aspect of my life. Although there have been trials and tribulations I have surmounted them. My story is not one of a privileged life not wanting or wishing for anything. Instead it is a dream, a dream to be able to fulfill what is my destiny. On December 14, 2005 I will have my associate's degree; it has been a long time coming, and it is finally here. I have managed to maintain full time work to support myself and my family while attending to school to accomplish one of my life long dreams. By attending Drexel this would not only afford me the opportunity to continue my dream of furthering my education but it will also allow me to advance in my industry. My short term career goals include furthering my education in business administration; Drexel will allow me to do that. Long term Drexel will give the tools, confidence, and background necessary to advance even further in my career goals. Business has been my passion for a number of years, Drexel will allow me to have more of a hand on approach, and it will allow me to be even more of a key player in the business industry. Over time my goals continue to grow and advance, Drexel will allow me to make my current goals a reality and work toward my future goals and the ones that I will create in the future. The main way that Drexel would help me with my current and future goals is through affording me a great education, with a wonder staff and plentiful resources as my disposal. These tools are priceless, and impossible to truly measure. All I can say is that it is my beliefs that Drexel is the best place for me to continue my education. Through researching the school and the programs that are offered through Drexel, I believe that the business program best suits my life style. The program allows flexibility which is extremely important in my life. My short term career goals include: advancing my knowledge base in the field of business administration, balancing work and family, becoming more confident in my abilities as a degreed professional, learn how to deal more efficiently in my professional life and personal life. Drexel can help me reach these goals by, affording me the opportunity to have a flexible school schedule, by teaching me the necessary tools to needed to become more confident in my personal and professional abilities, giving me a platform to increase my skills in business as well as interpersonal skills necessary to survive in the business world. Long term goals include, advancing into a higher position with my current employer, or possibly starting my own business, becoming a motivator and teacher to others through my knowledge and experience. Drexel can aid me in reaching these long term goals in the same ways that Drexel can help me reach the short term career goals. One is through allowing a platform to gain further education in the field of business. By advancing my knowledge in the field of business, I hope to be able to be an inspiration to others, as well as have the tools necessary to be effective in my endeavors as well as help others obtain their lifelong goals. Drexel University is the perfect fit for me. I know that if I am allowed to become a part of the student body all of my dreams will become realities. There is no where to go but up with a Drexel education. If given the opportunity you will not be disappointed. I give every endeavor 100%! Education is necessary in continuing my goals. My Bachelors is just the beginning, just a single step leading up the stairway of my lifelong dreams. Thank you in advance for considering me for your Bachelors program.

Does Tv Have Negative Effect On Society

TV corrupts our children. Jerome Singer once said, â€Å"If you came and saw a strange man teaching your kids to punch each other, or trying to sell them all kind of products, you’d kick him right out of the house, but here you are; you come in and the TV is on, and you don’t think twice about it. † He is correct; entertainment television is an especially bad influence on children for many reasons, including not enough control on violence.These things are quite literally ruining America by corrupting our next generation’s leaders, our children. This year, more American children will die from a fired gun than from children who will die of asthma, pneumonia, influenza, cancer, and AIDS combined. What does this have to do with TV? Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that youth who are avid TV watchers become aggressive adults.A study from the University of Michigan showed that children who watched violent TV were more inclined to show violent tendenc ies as adults. According to that study, â€Å"†¦men who were high TV-violence viewers as children were significantly more likely to have pushed, grabbed or shoved their spouses, to have responded to an insult by shoving a person, to have been convicted of a crime and to have committed a moving traffic violation. Such men, for example, had been convicted of crimes at over three times the rate of other men.†It also stated that, â€Å"Women who were high TV-violence viewers as children were more likely to have thrown something at their spouses, to have responded to someone who made them mad by shoving, punching, beating or choking the person, to have committed some type of criminal act, and to have committed a moving traffic violation. Such women, for example, reported having punched, beaten or choked another adult at over four times the rate of other women. † The study also reported that the said violence was glorified by being black and white.The â€Å"good guysâ €  were okay to shoot the â€Å"bad guys,† resulting in a happy ending. This leads to children trying to be the good guys, by resulting in violence instead of working or talking the problem out. Another problem is that the â€Å"bad guys† have little to no back-story, with usually nothing more than a nickname to identify them with. Most of these problems base off the fact that children under 8 cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.Which covers another topic not censored enough. In conclusion, television is a sinister vehicle for bad habits of all sorts. How can you prevent this from happening to you and your families? The answer is simple: limit TV time to two hours a day. One might be reluctant to do so, but look what the old telly can and will do to America. As Nicholas Johnson said, â€Å"All television is educational television. The question is: what is it teaching? † .

News paper report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

News paper report - Essay Example It is imperative that however many the articles or authors are trying to find the extent to which the damage has been by global warming; they are not giving out the immediate solution on the same. Global warming, is s form of climate change, causes the rise of water in the sea level. This is a dangerous process since it puts historical sites and the coastal lines in danger, since they are vulnerable to erosion. The nice historic sites of this country are in danger, address the Monday 17, March 2014 newspaper. They are worried that those beautiful sites that were built on coastlines are now in danger (Sawer 2014). This has been caused by global warming, were the sea tides and water level are ever increasing. Worried that these sites are under threat, the main message passed here is that, a way should be established to control the everyday worsening situation. Listing several sites that are under threat, the paper reveals the sites that immediate action should be taken by the government, so that they should be saved from the danger they are facing. The Monday 17, March 2014 is another paper that reveals how global warming has proved a threat to the Greenland. The paper demonstrates the ice sheet that has been resisting global warming is now loose (AFP 2014). This is an issue of concern as the paper demonstrates that the unstable ice now adds billions of tones of melt irrigate to the sea, hence making it rise. The water level is increasing due to the surge in temperature. According to the paper, Greenland is one of those countries that have contributed largely on the rise of the sea level. This is another issue of concerned, caused by global warming, and so the need to live with it should be embraced, since it is a natural phenomenon that nobody can totally control. It forced the energy secretary on the platform of liberal democrat Mr. Ed Davey to attack the climate skeptics on the issue of global warming. In the issue published on March 17, 2014, he

MRKT discussion questions week04 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MRKT discussion questions week04 - Research Paper Example In low involvement product, differences in segmentation were not that evident and often ignored. The reason I can surmise why segmentation is more evident in high involvement product than low involvement product was that high involvement product takes so much resources and time from the consumer that segmentation becomes significant. For example, in the respondents whom I asked for their considerations before buying the car, the interviewees really made a careful thought before buying the car. Considerations like fuel consumption, maintenance, up front cost, performance, comparison with other cars, etc. were considered before buying the car if indeed it was a real value for their money. Here, cars that were positioned in the lower to middle segment in the market caught their attention. High end cars with exorbitant price tags were automatically struck off from their list. Therefore, the segmentation of the market in terms of price worked for my respondents even if they belong to uppe r middle class income bracket who could afford more expensive cars. To validate my initial assumption about segmentation, I asked a respondent why he is zeroing in on value cars and not the flashy cars which men typically like. He replied that he used to like but learned how to be frugal after the financial crisis because, as he said, â€Å"you never know, you might lose your job tomorrow.† He said that he has to be practical these days especially in high ticket items that will be purchased because of the uncertainty of the economy. Moreover, the money he saved from buying to value cars instead of the more expensive ones will go to his savings as a â€Å"buffer† during uncertainties. Comparing the car purchase with low involvement product, most of the respondents did not give much thought about the purchase and just put the product in their grocery baskets everytime they shop (the item I asked for low involvment product was shampoo). I asked them why and they replied t hat they are used to their brands already and they will only consider other brands if it is not available. I asked if price or other factors influence their buying behavior and they responded that only if it is very significant. But if it just within the price range of a regular shampoo, they do not mind slight difference. Perhaps this is more applicable to the segmentation of gender because the female respondents (two of them) were emphatic in having their particular brands due to reason that it â€Å"suits them† while the men were not that conscious about their shampoo and just pick up the same brand of shampoo out of familiarity but would not mind using another brand. 2. How would the marketing differ for the different segments you identify? High involvement products are high stake purchase for the consumers and they really take the time before making the purchase. As such, high involvement products are very conscious to position themselves according to the considerations of their target market. For example, in the car industry manufacturers that target the low to middle market astutely emphasize values in their products such as fuel efficiency, mileage, reliability and price. The reason for this positioning is that their market is price sensitive and they have to communicate and package themselves as the best value for their money. In the high end cars, they observably emphasize style, comfort and image to appeal to their market

HCM337-0704B-01 Current Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues in H - Essay - 4

HCM337-0704B-01 Current Legal, Ethical, and Regulatory Issues in H - Phase 2 Individual Project - Essay Example Lewitt Shawn, who is being treated for Arthritis for the past five months. The complaints were against both medical aide and the nurse taking care of Mr. Shawn. Since we take patient complaints very seriously, the administration department has decided to issue a detailed supervision plan for both so that no such complaints can arise in the future. The plan given below [1] takes effect from the first day of January 2008. The medical aide’s supervision plan and the nurse’s supervision plan will be subject to appraisal at the end of every month starting from the last day of January, 2008. The aides will be required to strictly abide by the ethical codes and company guidelines. In ambiguous situations, the aides are advised to take decisions based on their good judgment or in other cases ask the administration department for

International Justice & Rehabilitation in Post-War Sierra Leone Thesis

International Justice & Rehabilitation in Post-War Sierra Leone - Thesis Example Sierra Leone is a small republic founded in 1842 on the West Coast of Africa (Grover, 2009 p1). It is bordered to the north and east by Guinea, to the South by Liberia and to the South-West by the Atlantic Ocean. The country plunged into the civil war which lasted throughout most of the 1990s. In the heat of the Sierra Leonean War in 1997, AFROL News announced that about 5,400 children were involved in the war and this was in sync with the UN's official figures. After the war, it was reported that Sierra Leone's conflict involved about 6,914 child soldiers (Facts of Sierra Leone, 2011). These children were recruited to take part in the Sierra Leonean Civil War that lasted between 1991 and 2001 (Sillinger, 2003: p3). The root of the Sierra Leonean Civil War and the recruitment of child soldiers has a strong and deep root in international relations. The connection between the Sierra Leonean Wars and international relations has a strong connection with the diamond deposits of the countr y. Diamonds are found in approximately a third of Sierra Leone's territory (Levy, 2003 p2) Up until the late 1980s, Sierra Leone produced about $90m worth of diamonds each year (LeVert, 2007 p81). This figure represents the official value of diamonds that was exported through the legally accepted route of the Government Diamond Office and this could be just a fraction of the actual figure (Forde, 2011 p21). Primarily, British and South African companies have been at the forefront of the exploration of the country's diamonds and other minerals (Hirsch, 2007 p18). Multinationals from these countries were granted legitimate rights to mine and export the country's diamonds for several years after the country gained independence from Britain in 1960. 1.3 Sierra Leone's Conflict & Child Soldiers The country's first government led by Sir Milton Margai handed over power peacefully to Siaka Stevens who also handed over power to Major General Joseph Momoh in 1985.

Research Technique Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Technique Study - Essay Example This research options must be clarified in the early stage of the research planning. In this period of globalization, innovations has introduced the Internet that have generated new methods in conducting surveys, these surveys are done through electronic mail or e-mail and the World Wide Web. In e-mail surveys, the content of the survey is in the original message of the e-mail, in this case the respondents can complete the survey just by answering the original e-mail (Bradley, 1999). While Web surveys, are powered by host websites, in this case the respondents can just click on the website then complete the survey. Internet surveys are presently in trend mainly because of four accepted statements about how they pile up against more-conventional survey methods (Coomber, 1997): (1) the responses are quick; (2) they are equally even better than conventional surveys (3) they are much economical to perform; and (4) they are easier to implement. On the other hand, these statement may be true or not, depending on the individual conditions of the survey. In the most common sense, conducting market survey research using the Internet engages performance one or more events and examining the outcomes. Researchers perform testing for a broad range of basis, series from pre-testing a research design to challenging to process a measuring instrument. A widespread application engages examining fundamental hypotheses. Once suitable, a prescribed testing gives the most reliable proof of causation possible (Deacon ET. Al.:1999). To perform one, researchers must employ two things. First, researchers must influence at least one independent variable. One does not just watch and calculate an independent variable as it obviously takes place. As an alternative, it is restricted and diverse as part of the design of the study. Second, opportunity practices must decide whether or to what extent a person investigational contributor is depicted to the independent variable. This is also

Technology in criminal justice mangement Research Paper

Technology in criminal justice mangement - Research Paper Example DNA profiles are founded on non – coding DNA and do not disclose the details related to an individual’s physical appearance. This has been one of the major factors that have made such evidence acceptable (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). DNA profiling has achieved phenomenal success in criminal investigation. Moreover, this feature, in association with the major breakthroughs in the field of genetics has greatly enhanced the value of evidence based on DNA profiling. The present day DNA evidence is not restricted to identification, wherein trace evidence is compared with a suspect’s sample (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). As such, DNA profiling is much more and it has the capacity to generate information about the potential offender. One such development is the inference of visible traits, which is founded on racial classifications (MCharek, 2008, p. 519). By employing more sensitive methods that are based upon the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in conjunction with multiplex marker kits, it has become possible to analyze minute and degenerated biological trace evidence. Furthermore, the volume of DNA profiles produced has increased drastically, due to the introduction of capillary DNA sequencing machines (MCharek, 2008, p. 520). These devices make it possible to achieve a much higher rate of processing samples. This increase has also been attributed to the compilation of DNA databanks, and the additional standardization of working procedures. However, these developments have created several new political and ethical problems (MCharek, 2008, p. 520). In addition, these issues can be classified as difficulties emerging from the use of DNA profiling as a tool for investigation. In the initial stages of the use of this new technology, DNA evidence had functioned as a technology enabling identification. The issue at that time was to determine whether a correlation could be established

The use of covert human information sources within an investigation Essay

The use of covert human information sources within an investigation - Essay Example CHISs use different methods of surveillance to obtain intelligence or information from the targets such as interception of their communication, communications data, or â€Å"directed and intrusive surveillance† (Freedom from Suspicion: Surveillance Reform for a Digital Age, 2011, p.18). While directed surveillance does not involve any intrusion on one’s private property, the latter involves the same and security forces may use methods such as tapping of telephone, or fitting of electronic devices etc for surveillance of the premises. Law enforcement agencies also use technology for collecting intelligence from their sources or targets. However, when a suspect is not actually involved in any complicity, the security forces come under criticism for violation of privacy. Human beings must have the right to privacy and it is in the â€Å"collective interest† of all citizens to maintain a â€Å"society in which personal privacy is protected† (p.20). Therefore, the governments of nations have a responsibility to ensure that only in cases where the national security has a chance of being breached, they should endorse the use of CHIS. In the modern world, criminal activities, especially terrorism, have risen to such a high magnitude that countries are forced to implement stringent preventive policies for maintaining law and order. Under the scenario, the deployment of CHIS to obtain relevant intelligence has assumed considerable priority. This is especially relevant in the case of countries like the US, UK, India etc, which are prime targets for terrorist groups as can be evidenced from the WTC, London Bombings and Mumbai terror strikes.... In the modern world, criminal activities, especially terrorism, have risen to such a high magnitude that countries are forced to implement stringent preventive policies for maintaining law and order. Under the scenario, the deployment of CHIS to obtain relevant intelligence has assumed considerable priority. This is especially relevant in the case of countries like the US, UK, India etc, which are prime targets for terrorist groups as can be evidenced from the WTC, London Bombings, and Mumbai terror strikes. On the other hand, as stated earlier, countries also have a responsibility to ensure that the right to privacy of their citizens remains protected and no unwarranted intrusions occur on their private property or persons. Therefore, national governments in these countries need to exercise utmost discretion while deploying CHIS for obtaining intelligence. On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates, a country in the Middle East, constitutionally protects prohibits any â€Å"arbitr ary interference with privacy, family, home or correspondence† of their citizens.

Hume and his contemporaries Essay Example for Free

Hume and his contemporaries Essay Live art performances, marked by an overture of spirituality, consciousness, physical introductions to pain, drawn further on to include specific rituals, symbolisms, varied states of emotions brought by self-inflicted hurt and eventually, culminating in a wild display of frenzy and shocking images, are less likely to please the uninitiated audience than it will provoke a sense of awe and wonderment among performance art critics. In a similar situation, Marina Abramovic’s attempts to upend the static discourses of physicality, mental states of mind and art that pervade current Western hegemony, understandably, can only be regarded in the extremes by people steeped firmly into formal traditions. Either her method of performance will elevate its spectators to a heightened degree of appreciation, therefore merit a thunderous welcome to a novel brand, sui generis, of art of our time at the end of each scene; or her gruesome didactics on the body’s threshold for pain, simply fails to pass muster. Her performance practice, a risk more than anything else, certainly inspire debates on whether or not to set moral, perhaps even social limits to art in order to determine, in precise and concrete terms, at which point creativity and imaginative art themes and performances become either delightful to the senses or noxious to the sensitivities of the general public. The idea of drawing the line along and between different shades of extremes, although already evinced clearly in the works of Marina Abramovic, seems to fit the consensus on the idea of censuring the bold and burlesque, stripping it off its material enunciation and expression to mitigate the horror and revulsion inherent in the exposition, or in the worst case, totally ignore it until the novel yet misunderstood facade fades from inattention. However, thanks mainly to Marina Abramovic’s unwavering desire to reach her audience, despite the sometimes hostile reception during her performances itself, in ways that continually push the envelope of spectator tolerance, did she carry her work from the esoteric art circles to mainstream. To wit, in one of her collaborative performances with Ulay, entitled Incision (1978), while purposively eliciting reaction, probably direct participation, from their audience, one of the spectators primed the climactic resonance of the work by jumping into the stage to kick Marina Abramovic as she was lying prostate right in the middle of the act. In her biographical work, she writes that although she expected the attack to happen any moment during the performance, she did not realize the immediacy and steeled resolution of that man who assailed her (Abramovic, 1998). Photographs of the show caught the man with a leg lifted, jumping into the air. â€Å"The next photograph shows Abramovic lying on the floor, and the man seems to be landing from a kicking action [†¦] the audiences interrogation manifested in a spontaneous physical attack (Tang, 2005). Ethical and moral questions, as well as aesthetic controversies have been discussed quite animatedly as early as the 18th century. Philosophers, like David Hume, have started to addressed the tough issues about morality, art and taste—the chief concerns that pervaded his era. Cynthia Freeland, introducing the notions of Taste and Beauty, in a book about defining the slippery strands of art, writes that Hume and his contemporaries â€Å"would not have approved of blasphemy, immorality, sex, or the use of body fluids as appropriate in art† (Freeland 2001). As a caveat to this general statement, it must be understood that even though 18th century consciousness all the way up to the present have not been too open in giving cognizance to art that smack of Marina Abramovic’s own brand of carnal art expressions, there are already extant cultural and social systems which places importance into shamanistic and ritualistic gestures. Among art critics and historians, some pursue a theory of art as ritual: â€Å"ordinary objects or acts acquire symbolic significance through incorporation into a shared belief system† (Freeland, 2001). In the same vein, Freeland further digs deep in history to provide evidence in varied cultural rituals that depict blood and physical pain. She avers that â€Å"when a Mayan king shed blood before the multitude in Palenque by piercing his own penis and drawing a thin reed through it three times, he exhibited his shamanistic ability to contact the land of the undead† (2001). Other modern artists try to recreate a similar sense of art as ritual, just as much as Marina Abramovic has had for the last three decades. Diamanda Galas, for instance, â€Å"fuses operatic wizardry, light shows and glistening blood in her Plague Mass† (2001), supposedly to exorcise pain in the era of Aids. Herman Nitsch, Viennese founder of the Orgies Mystery Theater, promises â€Å"catharsis through a combination of music, painting, wine-pressing, and ceremonial pouring of animal blood and entrails† (Nitsch, n. d. in Freeland, 2001). As it turns out, these very rituals are ingrained in Western traditions. Illuminating examples of which are the amount of blood depicted in European’s, and verily much of the cultures in the modern world today, two main belief discourses: that of the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman. By taking a cursory review of religious and classical texts of Western traditions, we are able to immediately uncover a plenitude of blood representations and ritualistic sacrifices. In the Old Testament, Yahweh is seen to require â€Å"sacrifices as parts of His covenant with the Hebrews† (Freeland, 2001). Similarly, Agamemnon â€Å"faced a divine command to slit the throat of his own child [†¦] the blood of Jesus is so sacred that it is symbolically drunk to this day by believing Christians as promising redemption and eternal life† (2001). Such myths and religious stories are rather germane to Western art. We read of Homeric heroes wining the favors of their gods and goddesses by sacrificing animals. Likewise, the tragedies of Lucan and Seneca â€Å"piled up more body parts than Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Sreet† (2001). Not surprisingly, likewise, Renaissance paintings are never without a hint of blood draped at the canvassed in hard red-acrylic paint whilst Shakespeare’s tragedies typically concluded with swordplay and stabbings. The preceding examples of ritualistic performances which involves blood and sacrifices, death and disease, murder and trials, are very instructive with regards to our penchant for the macabre and the dreadful. It is in these premises that Marina Abramovic draws much of her inspiration to create an art, pro forma, that bespeak of our capacity to endure scenes of gore and violence—if only on a less exacerbated state. Her performance, for the most part, certainly places importance on the symbolic values of ceremonies, gestures and artifacts. Albeit appearing random and spontaneous, her methods establish a logical connection between her consciousness while performing and her body’s means of coping with the strength of self-infliction. In the nascent days of her art, she has performed controversial after controversial explorations into the limitations of the mind and the body. Rhythm 10, in 1973, was the first in a series of abject surrender to the inevitability of suffering. Alone in the stage, she prepared a set of knives to be used as piercing objects in a risky game of Russian hand roulette. Without signs of hesitation, she proceeded to stab the spaces between her fingers in a rough yet determined fashion. Each time she made the mistake of cutting her flesh; she dropped the knife and took out another one to repeat the process all over again until she made use of all ten knives (Abramovic, 1998). The following year, in the performance entitled Rhythm 5, she sought to re-evoke the energy of extreme body pain by constructing a huge star soused with combustible petroleum liquid. At the onset, the structure as lit to flames, and while she was standing right outside the contraption, she religiously clipped her fingernails, cut her hair and them inside the burning star. The denouement of the program was when she danced around and then flew across the flames into the center of the burning star. Serious and life-threatening complications ensued when the smoke that engulfed her from inside asphyxiated her to the point that she no longer had control of her actions. The medical team and the audience, who were all there to watch, started to suspect that something was terribly amiss. Fortunately, the quick responses from the stand-by technicians saved her from an untimely death caused by severe smoke inhalation (Abramovic, 1998). In the same year and the years that followed, Marina Abramovic designed similar art experiments that were meant to test the limits of herself and her body, and later the audience and their tolerance for vicarious agony through her body. Rhythm 2 and Rhythm 0, were performed with the hopes of proving that the consciousness can go beyond the rubric of psychological triggers in mind. The sole aim of both was to uproot the inherited tendencies of the mind to reel from stark images and provocative gestures. She sought to cultivate in the audience a sense of indifference in order that one may reach a virtual catharsis what with all the sharp and strong representations between the body and suffering. For artists like Marina Abramovic, it is clear to them that what they are performing, and while in the act of performing, there is a higher purpose that they wish to achieve regardless of the methods by which these are made possible. They have a firm understanding and appreciation for every act and gesture that they make. None of such are done without rhyme and reason. For artists like Marina Abramovic, everything that happens during any performance, in spite of the harsh opinions of critic that meet them right afterwards, makes a lot of sense. However, audiences who see and react to these artists do not enter, much less share the beliefs and values, or with prior knowledge of what will transpire, with that of the artist. When asked about the origins of her creativity and ideas for her art performance, Marina Abramovic happily recalls her childhood memories with her parents. As if to show indeed that her style was a result of previous life experiences that may be susceptible to a psychoanalytical reading, she narrates: â€Å"A long time ago I made a piece called Art Must Be Beautiful, Artist Must Be Beautiful. At that time, I thought that art should be disturbing rather than beautiful. [†¦]My life is full of such contradictions. [†¦] My father and mother are divorced. As an adult, I recently wanted to go back to help them because of the war. With the embargo, there is nothing in the stores. [†¦] I called my father to ask him what he needs, and he dictates a long list antibiotics, bandages, penicillin, toilet paper, coffee, sugar, powdered milk, all these basic things for survival. Then I call my mother and ask what she needs. She says, I need Chanel lipstick, Absolute Red, Number 345, and hair spray. I am between these two. † (Abramovic, 2005) Most modern art, in this case, within the context of theatre, videos and live performances, fail to provide ample background reinforcement against the dominant traditions and systems of belief. What invariably happens is that the audiences will remain ignorant to, consequently, unappreciative of the complexities and undertones of the supposedly artful, meaningful and profound gestures. The audience, instead of sharing that same degree of catharsis, sacrifice and initiation, will shy away. They themselves are alienated from the performance so much that they are brought far afield the community, forcing them to abandon the art because of pure shock and horror, largely as a result of their ineligibility to feel as the artists do (Freeland, 2001). Damien Hirst, the ‘Britpack’ artist who sparked controversy in the 1990s with his motley display of macabre high-tech exhibits of â€Å"dead sharks, sliced cows, or lambs in glasses of formaldehyde, [†¦] has parlayed his notoriety into success with his popular Pharmacy restaurant in London† (Freeland, 2001). By no means, therefore, are the works that revolve around symbolisms, spirituality, humanity and fatalism seldom reflects the nature of most of our ritualistic traditions. Symbols of pain and suffering that are central to many religions, cultural systems, political and social units, may come off to the lay person as undesirable and may even cause the same panic as had the man in Marina Abramovic’s performance. Art performance that utilizes imageries that hint at violence, torture and distress, when it is performed in the public who has no inkling of its context, meaning and history are in danger of misconstruing art for capricious display of filth and tripe. As with all in theatre, the performer must work against mutual projection between audience and performer, the identification in which [we] believe so readily in the other as the keeper of our treasure and our disease (Tang, 2004). Valie Export, a similarly omnipresent and provocative figure in the world of art performance, shares the same problems of audience interaction, although not as much as Marina Abramovic. Beside art performance, her repertoire includes film, text, painting and photography to name a few. These avenues of artistic expression gravitate towards her criticisms for feminism and gender. A staunch activist and a progressive performer, she has oftentimes been called a woman living an anachronistic life. This is due to her revolutionary ways to present her ideas that even her colleagues, who without proper notice of her intentions to perform, usually end up dismissing her as too fanciful and idealistic. Her works on ‘Asemie or the Inability of Expressing Oneself Through Facial Expressions’ (1973) and ‘Touch Cinema’ (1968) garnered both fame and distress. Chief of the reasons that contributed to an admixture of reception from the critics and audience is the fact that her ideas do not create strong meaningful associations that the people can readily identify with. Humor and parody may be part and parcel of her work as a performer, but these effects are not what she contemplated to be so. Indeed, while she wanted to catch the attention of her spectators, her ultimate goal is to instruct them of the subtle messages regarding feminism, modernism and ritual art. Export, along with the controversial artists at the turn of the 21st century, became (in-)famous in the recent decades because of her startling presentations of objects and her body (Mueller, 2004). Of her earlier works, ‘Aktionshose: Genitalpanik’ or ‘Action Pants: Genitals in Panic’ (1968), Export engaged the audience, piquing their imagination and belief, with a series of photographs, simultaneously permitting them to engage her as the tangible representations of the images presented in the collage. In an art theater in Munich, dressed to the nines, with the crotch cut out of her pants, Valie Export threaded each row person-to-person, showed her outfit thereby giving the film-viewing public with a palpably visual representation with a real female body. In doing so Export tackled the pornographic reduction of women in static representations just when ideas of feminism and gender were starting to develop during that time. Her message is commensurate to a direct, unapologetic, political affront to the abstract objectification of the female body as a fetish. She moved an aesthetic gesture beyond the representational context of the safe boundaries of art into an actual encounter with a public. Export effectively brought to the fore the various dimension of simple, albeit arresting, bodily gestures â€Å"both to produce and to represent action [. . . ] by stressing the moment and the process of its own production† (Stiles, n. d. ). Export repudiated the representational static sign and discharged an interventionist act by revealing her yonic-self to the public vis-a-vis the photos on the display. Art performance, in the recent decades since its entrance in the mainstream, has, and is continuing to encompass a wide field of human proclivities which spans across a whole, comprehensive range of emotions, symbols and design. Although traditional views on aesthetics and taste still influence much of the productions in the art, more and more innovative, socially-informed, stunningly beautiful works of art performance are being (re-)invented and (re-)discovered every time. It doesn’t matter whether these newly created art forms subscribe to tradition or to the taste of the general public. What matters most is the never-ending quest to plumb the full extent of our humanity as individuals and as a community. Art performance is yet to supplant, at least equal the popularity of video-films, cinema, photography and painting in terms of the instances that these are demanded by the public. But with the works of Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Damien Hirst, Valie Export et al and their boundless passion to break the mold and stun the public to enlightenment, art performance can be considered as a significant cornucopia of art studies and of artistic expression. A number of critics do give favorable comments to Marina Abramovic’s performances and ingenuity, Valie Export’s live photography sessions, Hirst’s â€Å"gleaming vitrines with suspended animals inside† (Freeland, 2001). However, it must be noted that even if the critics find them beautiful and artful still its startling content warrants full attention; nothing short of shallow and pedantic in all respects of praise and criticism. Freeland writes, perhaps disinterestedness has some small and specific role in approaching difficult art by enabling us to try harder to look at and understand something that seems very repugnant to the senses (2001). The work’s content and the artist performing are just as crucial as the theories that surround art performance. It is not so much as merely an arbitrary act done through the caprice of a strange art performer. It is instead, a manifestation of our natural tendencies, our history, our sense of taste and what is beautiful, our entire spirituality and lastly, our consciousness set against the body as a tool to perceive reality. Art performance as practiced by these artists is a celebration of the body and of our community. An excellent performance and performer do more than take the audience to elevated heights, but also give them a sense of being truly and undeniably alive. And such, makes all the difference. References Abramovic, M. (2005). Marina Abramovic: the biography of biographies. New York London: Charta Publishers. Abramovic, M. (1998). Artist body: performances 1969-1998. New York London: Charta Publishers. Freeland, C. (2001). But is it art? : blood and beauty. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Mueller, R. (1994). Valie Export: fragments of imagination. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. Stiles, C. (n. d. ). Aktionshose: genitalpanik (action pants: genital in panic). Retrieved January 15 2008, The Galleries at Moore database. Tang, A. (2005). Gazing at horror: body performance in the wake of mass social trauma. (Masters of Arts program, Rhodes University 2005). .

Suicide terrorism

Suicide terrorism Suicide terrorists are said to be fanatics. Discuss this statement with regard to the analysis of suicide terrorism and Asymmetric warfare. This paper is a discussion on modern suicide terrorism, starting with a brief history of suicide terrorism, moving onto definitions, characteristics, theories and the asymmetries of suicide terrorism. Suicide terrorism can be dated back to ancient times; it is the evolution of the suicide bomber that brings the most notoriety. With many analysts such as (Gunaratna, 2000; Winkates, 2006), trace the evolution of modern suicide terrorism to Sri Lanka and Lebanon in the 1980s. Acts of suicide terrorism in the past have been relatively confined and their use limited to a small number of locations around the world. In the last decade there has been a significant expansion in the scope and frequency of suicide terrorist attacks. The number of terrorist attacks fell from 660 in 1988 to 250 in 1998; the number of suicide terrorist attacks was climbing rapidly (Clayton, 2003, p. 18). This increase in suicide attacks during the period 2000-2005 is 2.7 times greater in comparison to the period b eginning in the 1980s and lasting until 1999 (Pedahzur Perlinger, 2006, p. 1987). During the period 2000-2009 the scope of suicide terrorism expanded dramatically, with suicide terrorist attacks in Indonesia (Bali), Sri Lanka, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, England, Spain, Russia, Chechnya and Bangladesh. Although there have been suicide attacks within the west, it is the rapid increase of attacks within countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq that is the notable with a year on year increase. Saudi Arabia became so alarmed with the rise in suicide terrorism that in April of 2006 the Saudi government announced plans to build a multibillion-dollar electrified fence along its 560 mile border with Iraq (Dreazen Shiskin, 2006, p. A1). According to ISAF, in 2008 suicide bombings increased 26 percent from 2007(ISAF, 2009, toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan, January 2009). There has also been a noticeable change in the individuals who carry out suicide attacks, once seen as mainly carried out by you ng men for either Religious or political reasons and yet there has been an increase in the number of women and children now playing an increasing part in suicide missions . One of the latest attacks took place on the Moscow subway, killing 35 and wounding many more; both of these attack where carried out by female suicide bombers. Suicide terrorism can be seen as inexpensive, deadly, and especially effective in accomplishing terrorists goals (Hoffman, 2003, p. 1; Jalalzai, 2005, p.110) attacks have also become increasingly effective in terms of the destruction they cause and the number of people they kill, as the suicide terrorists adopt new innovations such as explosive vests (Gall, 2006, p. A15).There is an asymmetry within suicide terrorist attacks, western countries have a reliance upon smart weapons in the conflict against those seen as terrorists. These weapons can cause huge amounts of damage without the need to directly attack the enemy with ground troops, thus lessoning the casualties sustained during combat operations. The use of a suicide bomber in effect becomes the human equivalent to the smart bomb. The weapon is self directing to the target, it can make changes to the target location, timing and delivery method on an ad hoc bases making the suicide bomber the ultimate smart bomb (Hoffman 2003). The use the human body as a weapon is not a new phenomenon being well documented through the ages. Pape (2005, p.11) calls the Zealots and the Sicarii the worlds first suicide terrorists. The name sicarrii means dagger-men, who would infiltrate Roman-controlled cities and stab Jewish collaborators or Roman legionnaires with a sica, kidnap the staff of the Temple Guard for ransom, or poison their enemies (Bloom, 2005, p. 8). The Zealots and Sicarii used violence to encourage public uprising, including the Jewish War of AD 66. They would attack their victims in broad daylight and in highly public places with little apparent regard for their own safety or escape. Pape (2005) notes that many of these attacks must have been suicide missions, since the killers were often immediately captured and put to death typically tortured and then crucified or burned alive (p. 12). Assassins were an 11th 12th century Shia Muslim sect from the Nizari state, their name, the assassins comes from the Arabic word hashishiyyin. According to Pape (2005), the Assassins created an effective organization f or the planned, systematic, and long-term use of political murder that relied on suicide missions for success. Pape (2005) reports that between 1945 and 1980, suicide attacks temporarily disappeared from the world scene (p.13). Pape (2005) and others (Laqueur, 2003) note the occurrence of politically- and/or religiously driven hunger strikes and suicides (particularly self-immolations) during this period but Pape (2005) claims there is not a single recorded instance of a suicide terrorist killing others while killing himself (p. 13). Reuter (2004) disagrees, citing a pro-Palestinian Japanese Red Army-sponsored attack on Israels Ben Gurion International Airport on May 20, 1972. In what Reuter (2004) notes as the first suicide attacks in the Middle East, on this day three Japanese gunmen with machine guns killed twenty-four people at the airport. They made no effort to escape, and two were shot dead by the airport guard (Reuter, 2004, p. 136). Inspired by Irans use of human minesweepers against Iraq, Hizbollah, launched a series of attacks against Western and Israeli targets in Lebanon (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). Hizbollah suicide attackers killed 80 and wounded 142 in its April 1983 attack on the American Embassy in Beirut, killed 241 and wounded 81 in its October 1983 attack on the US Marine headquarters near Beirut and its attack against the French Multinational Force, killed 58 and wounded 15 (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). In November 1983, Hizbollah suicide terrorists killed 88 and wounded 69 in an attack on the Israeli Defence Force headquarters in Tyre and a month later killed four and wounded 15 in an attack on the American Embassy in Kuwait (Winkates, 2006, p. 92). Sprinzak (2000) notes that Hizbollah leaders were initially very uneasy about the decision to launch suicide attacks, under the reasoning that Islam does not approve of believers taking their own lives. Hezbollahs spectacular success at achieving its goals of ex pelling foreign forces from all of Lebanon inspired other organizations such as Hamas, Tamil Tigers and al-Qaeda to adopt the suicide terrorist method of attack (Pape, 2005, p. 14). The Tamil Tigers were founded in 1972 as a Marxist, ethnic Tamil, Hindu separatist group seeking independence from the Sinhalese Buddhist majority in Sri Lanka. Their Black Tiger division trained to launch suicide attacks against Sri Lankan political leaders, military targets and civilians (Pape, 2005; Winkates, 2006). Hafez (2006) observed that outside of the Middle East, the Tamil Tigers have led the pack in the number and sophistication of suicide missions. It is estimated that the organization completed some 250 successful suicide attacks between 1987 and 2006 (Hafez, 2006, p. 5). In the early 2000s, ethno nationalist and Islamist Chechens began launching suicide attacks against Russian targets (Hafez, 2006, p. 5). Al Qaeda began launching attacks against American and Saudi targets in the Middle East in the mid-1990s. Al Qaedas spectacular entry into the suicide terrorist hall of fame occurred on August 7, 1998 when suicide terrorists used two delivery trucks loaded with explosives to blow up within minutes of each other, the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing a total of 224 people and injuring more than 4,300 persons (Reuter, 2004, p. 142). A little more than two years later, in October of 2000, Al Qaeda suicide bombers detonated 225 kg of explosive charges alongside the American destroyer, the USS Cole on a refuelling stop in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 American sailors and injuring forty. A year later, Al Qaeda suicide terrorists launched their principal suicide operation and what is described as one of the big gest single suicide terrorist action to date, the 9/11 attacks in the United States, killing about 3,000 (Reuter, 2004, p. 144). This attack lead to explanations of suicide terrorism becoming defined as, first, that the suicide terrorist was irrational and/or mentally ill (Brym Araj, 2006; Pastor, 2004; Wintrobe, 2003).Secondly that the deprivation hypothesis this theory uses the explanation that that suicide terrorists were educationally, economically or otherwise deprived compared to their peers (Brym Araj, 2006; Krueger Maleckova, 2002 .In recent years the Bush Administration has advanced both of these theories in some of its anti-terrorist expression. President Bush repeatedly spoke out against the evil and irrational terrorists who commit these actions. The Bush Administration argued that poverty reduction programs in terrorism-prone regions will reduce the incidence of suicide terrorism (Pastor, 2004; Pape, 2005). Numerous studies have found little or no support for these t wo theories of suicide terrorism, recent studies have provided evidence which directly refutes these theories. Krueger Maleckovas, study in 2002, on the economics and education of suicide bombers directly refutes the deprivation hypothesis of suicide terrorism. Krueger Maleckova 2002 concluded that, the evidence that we have assembled and reviewed suggests that there is little direct connection between poverty, education, and participation in or support for terrorism. Indeed, the available evidence indicates that compared with the relevant population, participantswere at least as likely to come from economically advantaged families and to have a relatively high level of education as they were to come from impoverished families without educational opportunities (Krueger Maleckova 2002 p. 9). Numerous studies have established that overall, suicide terrorists do not suffer from personality disorders or mental illnesses which would explain their participation in suicide terrorism (Berko Erez, 2005). As Wintrobe 2003 argued, it is possible to explain suicide terrorist acts in rational choice terms, and that, while such acts are indeed extreme, they are merely an extreme example of a general class of behaviour in which all of us engage (Wintrobe 2003 p. 2). Explaining that, suicide terrorist is not necessarily irrational. A third theory of suicide terrorism focuses on the influence of culture, especially religious culture, on suicide terrorists (Brym Araj, 2006). These explanations have often been used to explain suicide terrorism among Shia Muslims, based on the tradition of the cult of sacrifice (Hafez, 2006; Bloom, 2005). Although this fails to explain the existence of suicide terrorism among cultures and religions with no established cult of sacrifice and it cannot suff iciently explain suicide terrorism among secular, nationalist groups (Pape, 2005; Hoffman, 2003). Furthermore, as Brym Araj 2006 point to, while such cultural resources likely increase the probability that some groups will engage in suicide attacks, one must be careful not to exaggerate their significance. One difficulty with the clash of civilizations argument is that public opinion polls show that Arabs in the Middle East hold strongly favourable attitudes toward American science and technology, freedom and democracy, education, movies and television, and largely favourable attitudes toward the American people. They hold strongly negative attitudes only toward American Middle East policy. This is less evident of a clash of civilizations than a deep political disagreement (Brym Araj 2006 p. 1973). A more recent theory of suicide terrorism has been offered by Robert Pape (2003, 2005). Based on his analysis of suicide terrorism from 1980 through 2004, Pape presented a three-part model describing the causal logic of suicide terrorism. Papes theory de-emphasizes the role of religion including Islamic fundamentalism and focuses on the role of terrorist organization strategy and secular nationalist objectives. Pape argues that suicide terrorism follows a strategic logic aimed at political coercion (Pape, 2005, p. 21). Pape argues that suicide terrorism is part of an organizations broader campaign to achieve political objectives, usually in response to a foreign occupation. Pape goes on to argue that suicide terrorism also follows a social logic since terrorist organizations often command broad social support within the national communities from which they recruit (Pape, 2005, p. 22). A number of analysts, including Bruce Hoffman (1998, 2003) have advanced explanations of suicide terrorism which propose rationale-choice models emphasizing the role of organizational factors that support Papes theory. Theorists have argued that Papes theory is overly simplistic (Atran, 2006; Bloom, 2005; Brym Araj, 2006). Brym Araj 2006 argues that strategic thinking is only one element that may combine with others in the creation of a suicide bomber (Brym Araj 2006 p. 1972). Atran has recently challenged Papes theory on a number of points, including Papes sampling methods which completely discount the explosion of suicide terrorism in Iraq (Pape 2005, p. 130). Atran calls into question Papes dismissal of the role of ideology and religious fundamentalism as well as his assessments of the effectiveness of suicide terrorism (Atran, 2006, p. 132). Other recently emerging theories of suicide terrorism include Pedahzur Perlingers 2006 social network perspective explaining suicide ter rorism in terms of social motivations and Blooms multi-factor model of suicide terrorism (2005). There is a development towards more complex models of suicide terrorism accounting for the role of individual, social, cultural, strategic, ideological, and organizational motivations and factors in suicide terrorism (Smith, 2004). Defining terrorism especially the suicide terrorism will never be an easy task, as Dershowitz (2002, p.4) observes, there is difficulty in a definition that everyone can agree upon is illustrated by the catchphrase, One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. Dershowitz (2002, pp. 4-5) breaks down most definitions of terrorism into three main elements: 1) the nature of the targeted victims; 2) the nature of those who commit the violence; and 3) the method by which the terrorist seeks to influence their audiences. Atran (2003, p.1535) observes that the concept of terror as systematic use of violence to attain political ends was first codified by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution. Robespierre saw terror as an emanation of virtue that delivered swift justice (Atran, 2003, p. 1535). Another major difficulty occurs in separating the concepts of terror and terrorism. Pape (2005, p. 9) explains that terrorism involves the use of violence by an organization other th an a national government to intimidate or frighten a target audience. Pape (2005, p. 9) explains further that most terrorist strikes or campaigns have two general purposes: to gain supporters and to coerce opponents. While Papes (2005) definition excludes the possibility of state-sponsored terrorism, numerous other definitions are wide enough to include terrorist acts conducted by or on behalf of a nation state as well as those conducted by private organizations or individuals (Dershowitz, 2005; Winkates, 2006). Winkates (2006,pp. 88-99) defines terrorism as the premeditated threat or use of violence against persons or property, designed to intimidate non combatant victims, the object of which is to change or to stabilize private or public policy. Definitions of suicide terrorism combine the concepts of terrorism and suicide. As with definitions of terrorism, the definitions of suicide terrorism found in the literature vary. Hafez notes, one problem in defining suicidal terrorism concerns the various possible perspectives on the act: how one describes acts of self-immolation committed in order to kill others is a task fraught with controversy. Those whose support these acts of violence prefer to call them martyrdom operations, and their perpetrators heroes and freedom fighters. Those who oppose them prefer to call them homicide bombers, suicide terrorists, or suicidal murderers (Hafez, 2006, p.4). Hafezs own definition of suicide terrorism relies on the more descriptive term of suicide bomber or human bomb which is defined as an individual who willingly uses his or her body to carry or deliver explosives or explosive materials to attack, kill or main others (Hafez, 2006,p. 4). Blooms definition of suicide terrorism is defined as a violent, politically motivated attack, carried out in a deliberate state of awareness by a person who blows himself or herself up together with a chosen target. The premeditated certain death of the perpetrator is the precondition for the success of the attack (2005, p. 76). In terms of the objectives of suicide terrorism, Bloom describes this as, although a suicide attack aims to physically destroy an initial target, its primary use is typically as a weapon of psychological warfare intended to affect a larger public audience. The primary target is not those actually killed or injured in the attack, but those made to witness itThrough indoctrination and training and under charismatic leaders, self contained suicide cells canalize disparate religious or political sentiments of individuals into an emotionally bonded group (Bloom, 2005, p. 77). Pedahzur states that suicide terrorism includes a diversity of violent actions perpetrated by people who are aware that the odds they will return alive are close to zero (2005, p. 8). Pape agrees in that , What distinguishes a suicide terrorist is that the attacker does not expect to survive the mission and often employees a method of attack such as a car bomb, suicide vest, or ramming an airplane into a building that requires his or her death in order to succeed. In essence, suicide terrorists kill others at the same time that they kill themselves (2005, p. 10). Pape further argues that a broad definition of suicide terrorism could include any operation that is designed in such a way that the terrorist does not expect to survive it, even if he or she is actually killed by police or other d efenders. Pape also argues that We might call such operations suicide missions instead of suicide attacks (2005, p. 10). Winkates argues that the best litmus test for definitive suicide terrorism is the intentional and successful sacrifice of a human life to achieve a terrorist objective (2006, p. 89). Hoffman (2003) argues that two key characteristics of suicide terrorism explain its growing popularity with terrorists groups around the world: suicide bombings are inexpensive and effective (p. 2). While coordinated multi-target attacks such as the 9-11 attacks and the London bombings may require extensive planning and considerable investment, even these types of suicide terrorist attacks are less expensive than many conventional terrorist attacks and definitely less expensive than funding an army. The majority of suicide attacks are carried out by individuals, minimizing the amount of investment and administrative overhead. The reliance on human bombs provides terrorists with the ultimate smart bomb (Hoffman, 2003, p. 2). Such smart bombs can be extremely efficient and effective. One of the characteristics of suicide terrorism is its effectiveness against the selected target. As of 2003, suicide terrorism accounted for just three percent of all worldwide terrorist acts, but for 50% of all terrorism-related deaths (Clayton, 2003, p. 18). This is another factor contributing to its effectiveness. The high-kill rate of suicide terrorism increases the amount of terror such attacks instigate in target populations. As Furedi 2007 notes, The threat represented by mass-casualty terrorism is not confined to its capacity for destruction. Public dread of this phenomenon is underpinned by the assumption that this is a treat that is unpredictable and random and its effect incalculable (Furedi, 2007, p .7) adding further to the overall result; suicide terrorism becomes effective in producing fear, justifying its deployment in conflict, by highlighting the unpredictable ability of the act, to produce more fear than the actual act. The act of suicide terrorism highlights an important asymmetry; terrorist need to be successful only once to kill Americans and demonstrate the inherent vulnerabilities they face, (US Congress, 2002). The asymmetry of suicide terrorism is not only the causation destruction, but to seize the attention of Governments and the population of the nation it targets, as Laqueur (1999) notes;Terrorism has been with us for centuries, and it has always attracted inordinate attention because of its dramatic character and its sudden, often wholly unexpected, occurrence. (Laqueur, 1999: p, 3) Asymmetric terrorism reaches out not merely through the use of physical violence but through the symbolic transgression of social morality and national security. Terrorism, as Townshend, (2000); Laqueur, (1999); Chomsky, (2001) have suggested, goes right to heart of what makes us safe; it forces us to pay attention to it whether we want to nor not. The proliferation of video taped messages from leaders of suspected terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda is a testament to the symbol over the actual act of physical violent; there is nothing violent in the images of Osama bin Laden addressing the world through the Aljazeera television networks but it has symbolic presence in a world that is dominated by media and communication technology, as Van der Veer and Munshi (2004) suggest, one of the major successes of modern terrorist organisations is their ability to use the resources of their enemies: the Internet, satellite television, mobile phones and the mass media. Even the condemnation of t errorists in the media, can aid the cause of terrorist organizations; by describing physical acts of violence through the duality of good and evil or right and wrong, the Western media merely serve to elevate and obfuscate the real nature of terrorism which, as research has shown[1], is far more fractured and complex. In this sense, much of the terrorist organizations aim, of seizing attention, is actually carried out by the opposing media; eager for a story and for a simple answer. Suicide terrorism has become a relatively successful military and political strategy; the 9/11 attackers commanded the attention of the world not only through their own efforts but through their targets media; the American television companies, the European press and the global media conglomerates all shared in the process of captivating the publics imagination that, as Towshend(2000) notes; dramatically amplifies the anxiety about security which is never far from the surface of society. (Townshend, 2000 : 8), the communication of the message and the success of this are inextricably linked to the terrorist organisation itself. A highly ordered group with distinct political aims is likely to be more successful in delivering its message than a disparate, non-focused organisation whose aim is to spread confusion and fear. Douglass McFerran(1997) details that many of the IRA campaigns of the 1970s and 80s had distinct short term as well as long term political aims, very often terrorist attacks on mainland Britain were specifically concerned with achieving a specific political target such as protesting over the widespread imprisonment of suspected terrorists or the treatment of those all ready in prison. As Townshend details this is not the case in every terrorist act; the PanAm flight 103 attacks for instance that saw a plane explode over town of Lockerbie in 1988 had no prior demands or message attached to them and very little admission of guilt after (Just, Kern and Norris, 2003: 285).The nature of the attack is likely to influence the success of the communication of demands; Dobkin (1992) details that in 1970 members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked three airliners in order to not only secure the attention of the worlds media in which they were successful, but to demand the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners in British military jails. Their demands were largely met and most of their hostages were released; however when compared to the contemporary Munich terrorist kidnapping where members of the Black September group killed eleven Israeli athletes in an attempt to secure the release of 236 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.Hoffma n (1998) details that the Munich kidnappings were not only failures in terms of communicating and achieving recognisable demands but also in media manipulation: The Palestinians had not only failed to obtain their principal, stated demand the release of terrorists imprisoned in Israel and West Germany but, to many observers, had hopelessly tarnished the morality of their cause in the eyes of the world. Indeed, international opinion was virtually unanimous in its condemnation of the terrorists operation. (Hoffman, 1998: p, 72). But, again, this can often have the opposite to the desired effect. Robert Singh (2003) suggests that the 9/11 attacks merely served to strengthen the socio-political position of the American people, the very group that came under attack; he also suggests that the security systems around the globe became more vigilant and aware of any gaps in their processes: Rather than initiating a transformation, 9/11 accelerated trends, policies and approaches that were well established. If the attacks most immediate political effects were certainly dramatic the Bush administrations approval ratings soared and public confidence in the federal government attained levels unseen since the early 1960s (Singh, 2003: p,52). Al-Qaeda, built upon this position when coalition forces invaded Iraq and later Afghanistan, the fear that is produced by asymmetric warfare attacks is sometimes seen as the main outcome, Somali rebels succeeded in influencing the American public, after pictures of dead American soldiers where broadcast on CNN, in the same way as the Madrid Suicide bombings had on the Spanish public, directly influencing government policy and leading to the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq, the American government forced by the public outcry pulled troops out of Somalia. With limited resources and limited damage to western societies al-Qaeda, has managed to change the very ideals for which it is said the war on terror is conducted. It has become a norm in Europe that after a terrorist attack, new security legislation and other measures are established to combat the threat of terrorism; however most of these policies seem to neglected the human rights of the citizens. These changes are highlight ed by Arce (et,al 2009) the traditional treatment of terrorism-as-asymmetric-conflict in terms of the relative resource disparity between terrorists and their ultimate targets, an additional asymmetry exists through the definition of success. For the target government, success is defined in terms of security against all possible attacks; whereas for terrorists one success is often enough to alter the political landscape, airways, etc. If one target is successfully attacked, then counter terror policy and the competency of the government itself can be subject to public scrutiny.(Arce, et,al, 2009). Thinking and organizing in a different manor than an opponent in order to amplify advantages and by doing so also exploit an opponents weakness. Changes to asymmetrical warfare have been greatly affected by the digital age, no matter the policy initiatives in trying to undermine the terrorists propaganda and promote its own; the forum of the internet allows suicide attacks to be displayed to a world audience. The filming of Martyr videos and attacks can serve both as a recruitment campaign reaching to all corners of the world and a forewarning to those who oppose terrorism. Understanding and defining suicide terrorism is open to debate; there have been a number of successes in terms of securing specific demands in the past not least of all the 1970 skyjacking operation by the PFLP. However, we have also seen how terrorism can be divisive, how it can engender the very opposite of what it sets out to do. As we saw with the London bombings, a post 9/11 society is one that treats the threat of terrorism as a consequence of modern city living. This is perhaps the one main reason why terrorism may become considered a strong military strategy: today the more terrorist activity there is, the more political value it has, yet the less it affects every day individual life. However, of course, terrorism is perhaps the only strategy that many disenfranchised groups have which may account for its constant presence on the global political stage. Ultimately, however, terrorism is a symbolic act, an act that depends upon fear for its meaning; as the public becomes more and more exposed to images and symbols of terror they also become more and more immune. As Baudrillard suggests (2003) the violence of the terrorist is likely to become merely just another image in the media and the terrorist themselves just another face on the television screen and it is this, ironically, that provides its greatest counter measure. In this essay the difficulty in defining, theorising and understanding has been discussed. The asymmetries involved within terrorism have also been discussed, showing that with the use of digital media and little resources the ability of the target to respond to attack within its own borders can become limited to the change of political policy, which in turn may undermine the authority of the government within its own borders. The September 11 attacks and during the post Cold war era, the world has seen no greater power than the United States. International Relations have seen the control and dominance of the United States over the worlds structure. However, after the Twin Tower attacks, the world started realizing the role of others inside the international arena, these others preferably labeled terrorists; questioned the validity of several theories that were formulated as soon as the end of the Cold War was announced, these theories were trying to predict the shape and attitude of the world as it entered a new era. It has always been known that every era in history adapts an indication that will mark it as distinctive, and therefore all of those theories were simple speculations on the nature of what could be such an indication. Theories valid, some predicted the rise of democracy and liberalism, others feared the return of barbarism and anarchy. Also, other theories predicted a clash that will divide the borders of the world according to culture, civilization, ethnicity, and most importantly religion. The world has dramatically changed with terrorism as the key player. It is also very clear that the asymmetries involved in terrorism are very powerful, as it was able to question the strength of the United States, and was able to reform the political policies of many world countries. Terrorism is the worlds most fearful enemy, an enemy that is powerful, aggressive, and most importantly ambiguous. There is no concession within society on terrorism, for many it is not a problem and life continues, for others it has change their view of world order and politics. BIBLIOGRAPHY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act (Section 1230, Public Law 110-181) http://www.defense.gov/pubs/OCTOBER_1230_FINAL.pdf Accessed 06/04/2010, Arce, Daniel G; Kovenock, Dan; Robertson,B, Suicide Terrorism and the Weakest Link, CESIFO WORKING PAPER NO. 2753,CATEGORY 2: PUBLIC CHOIC