Protective Factors for Adolescents from Dysfunctional Family Dynamics Essay

The family is the major social unit for emotional development in adolescents. The family is an integral social system, held together by strong bonds of affection and caring; at the same time, family members exercise control, approval, and dissent for each other’s actions (Husain & Catwell 1992). As part of this interaction, every family has a structure, whether dysfunctional or functional, chaotic or rigid. This family organization helps it to achieve goals within a developmental time frame and to survive as a unit. Of all the changes in family life during the 20th century, perhaps the most dramatic and the most far-reaching in its implications-was the increase in the rate of divorce. The increase in marital dissolution has had major implications for the settings in which children are nurtured and socialized. The definition of dysfunctional family, however, differs widely among the studies, comprising more general definitions of negative rearing practices and altered family dynamics and specific and narrow criteria of family transition, socio-economic status and unhappy marriage. II. There are children growing up in situations where the interactions between family members are far from healthy. The dynamics of a dysfunctional family can range from the very bizarre to the sublimely subtle. Children who are developing both physically and psychologically are misfits. The sad part of this syndrome is that the children have very little say as to what goes into the formation of their own personalities. They have to play with the hand that is dealt. Too often society waits `until children have many years of physical or psychological abuse before trying to intervene. Once these children begin to manifest their dysfunctional behaviors, it is often too late or extremely difficult to turn them around. The key players in a dysfunctional family are, of course, the parents or parent. Dysfunctional parents come in all sizes and shapes, with the most obvious being the alcoholic, the abuser, and the mentally disturbed. There is, however, a more subtle level of dysfunction in families (Husain & Catwell 1992). Overprotective parents not only stifle the decision-making process with this kind of behavior, they are constantly making their children feel less than whole. Parents who always make decisions for their children-from deciding when they get up in the morning or when it is time for the bath-are creating individuals who rely on other to make their decisions-creating followers instead of leaders. In families where dysfunctional rules are rigidly adhered to, individual development and expression is discouraged. Children in these families may reach young adulthood less prepared to function in intimate relationships such as close friendships, dating and marriage. The quality of these premarital relationships contributes to one’s decision to marry, and strongly predict marital satisfaction (Amato & Sobolewski 2001). In families where highly dysfunctional rules have promoted unhealthy family process, future relationships may be negatively influenced. A considerable amount of money is being spent on the drug problem, but most of the money is going into law enforcement, incarceration, and rehabilitation programs. These are important areas that need funding; however, there seems to be little emphasis on prevention. If we could raise a generation of children who were psychologically healthy, who respected themselves, and had high self-esteem, they would have no desire to engage in self-destructive behavior. It is simple economics-supply and demand-if we do not demand or desire drugs and alcohol, then the profit motive erodes and suppliers will disappear. Even if we took drugs and alcohol off the streets, we would still have that segment of our population that is dysfunctional. These children are simply the products of their environment. If we are to change the way they view themselves and life, we must provide them with a healthy environment in which to grow and learn. Its’ time parents and guardians are held accountable for the behaviors of children (Amato 2000). Parents, who do not show a reasonable amount of love, respect, and discipline toward their children should be identified and be made to assume some of the consequences of their children’s behaviors. III. It is estimated that over seven million American adolescents-one in four-are extremely vulnerable to multiple high-risk behaviors and school failure while another seven million are at moderate risk (Amato 2000). In today’s society, adolescents are apt to become involved with damaging behaviors, particularly those associated with alcohol, drugs, sexual activity, sexually transmitted disease, and pregnancy. An authoritarian power structure is one in which parents impose their values upon their adolescent children. These children see the adults in the family as demanding and restrictive. Adolescents frequently have no alternative but to break the rules. Even as the adolescent grows older, authoritarian parents have difficulty renegotiating outdated rules. Individuals with divorced parents are at increase risk of experiencing psychological problems in adulthood. Although good reasons exit for assuming that the quality of parent-child ties mediates some of the long-term negative effects of parental divorce (Jekielek 1998). Unfortunately, along with these pressures, many young people lack guidance and support. The path to adulthood has been described as one of isolation. During adolescence, exploratory behavior patterns emerge. Many of these behaviors carry high risks and have resulted in an unprecedented number of alcohol-related accidents and school dropouts. The need to develop self-esteem and inquiring minds among our youth has never been more necessary. It is our belief that every youth in our nation, poor or rich, advantaged or disadvantaged, should have the opportunity to achieve success, not just minimum competence. This is the challenge to our society as a whole-our educational, community and social-support systems. However, it also is direct challenges to individuals to keep families maximize their potential. Unfortunately, many families are unable to cope with the problems faced by adolescents. Many adolescents are growing into adulthood alienated from others, and with low expectations of themselves. There is greater likelihood that they will become unhealthy, addicted, violent, and chronically poor (Amato & Sobolewski 2001). Equally disturbing is that adolescents from the more affluent communities are displaying similar problems. On the other hand, less advantaged families, in struggling to make a living, do not have the time to build family relationships. In a time of great change, many parents are confused about their roles and relationships and are less aware of the new temptations faced by their adolescents (Jekielek 1998). IV. Marital dissolution is a process that begins before physical separation and continues after the marriage is legally ended. These stressful circumstances are likely to impact negatively on children’s psychological adjustment. Consequently, the relatively high level of psychological distress among adult children who grew up in divorced families may represent a simple continuation of emotional problems that began in childhood. Parental divorce negatively affects the quality and stability of children’s intimate relationships in adulthood. The risk of marital disruption is higher for those who experienced parental divorce as children. Our culture presently provides largely negative role models for the divorcing family. Language for divorced families lacks the capacity to derail a present relational system except in terms of a past relationship. The dramatic role transactions and systematic reorganization necessitated by divorce puts stress on the whole family. This can bring on critical family dysfunction in all the major transitions. A dysfunctional family is defined as one in which the emotional needs of its members are not meet (Husain & Catwell 1992). It is assumed that this emotional abandonment has a deleterious effect on a child’s development. The explication of the various losses experienced by children from these families is common. These losses include, but are not limited to, the loss of one’s childhood, the loss of a relationship with oneself, the loss of security, and the loss of freedom. The loss of one’s childhood, however, is simply indicative of a second and more significant loss, that of a nurturant parental figure (Amato 2000). Rather than missing something they didn’t have, this loss is a longing for; and missing, an idealized and fantasy parent. Although parents in dysfunctional homes are physically present, they are emotionally absent, and therefore they are unavailable to function as nurturant parents. Unlike a child who experiences the actual death of a parent, who eventually finds a substitute parental figure, a child in dysfunctional home has no such substitutes. To compensate for this parentless home, children in dysfunctional homes may adaptively develop a fantasy parent, a good and nurturant parent, much like the invisible fantasy companion that so many young children create and enjoy. This fantasy parent is perhaps based on television characters or on characteristics of the parents of their peers. V. During the children’s adolescence, parent’s decision-making becomes even more difficult due to the complexity of such issues as discipline, schooling, and intimacy. The adolescents are constantly very vesting changes in the rules and in the process parents may disagree with each other. Adolescents are adept at recognizing this ambivalence and may play one parent against the other. Most of the problems seen in dysfunctional families with adolescents also occur in normal families; however the rate of dysfunction is much higher in families that have maladaptive methods of solving problems. In fact, in many dysfunctional families adolescence related issues are a continuation of prior parental difficulties. However, an implicit goal for every family, even a very unhealthy one, is the growth and preservation of its members. The family’s parameters undergo continuous evaluation as the adolescent goes through a period of change-physiological, cognitive, emotional or behavioral. This period of change necessitates a series of psychosocial adjustments within the family, the major one focusing on the adolescent’s primary developmental task of becoming independent from parents. References: Amato, P. (2000). Consequences of divorce for adults and children. Journal of Marriage and the Family. Vol. 62 No. 4 Nov. 2000 pp. 1269-1287. Amato, P. & Sobolewski, J. (2001). The effects of divorce and marital discord on adult children’s psychological well-being. American Sociological Review. Vol. 66 No. 6 Dec 2001, pp. 900-921. Husain, S. & Catwell, D. (1992). Fundamentals of child and adolescent psychopathology. Washignton, DC: American Psychiatric Press. Jekielek, S. (1998). Parental conflict, marital disruption and children’s emotional well-being. Social Forces. Vol. 76 No. 3 Marc

Teen Suicides Essay

Every second of the day a person dies and every second of the day a child is born. But did you know that half of the deaths are from suicide. From that half of the suicidal deaths are from teen suicide. Did you know that suicide is the leading cause of death? Or that its one of the top 3 reasons why teenagers are found dead? Every year teens are killed because they suicide. Every day they give up on life and embrace death instead. Just learning this from the news I became interested. Suicide has always interested me because of what I heard and my own personal experience. So when I started to research about this topic I got so many results. Each topic brought up other many sub topics. Each subtopic was like reading an article from an encyclopedia. So after reading I thought of focusing my research on how many teens suicide, why they suicide, what are the signs of suicidal risk, and can you help someone if they are thinking of suicides. How many teenagers suicide every day? Every 40 seconds of everyday around the world a teenager kills themselves by suicide. â€Å"After a year has passed over 1 million teenagers have killed themselves by suicide.† (http://www.thementalhealthblog.com/2013/10/teenage-depression-and-suicide-statistics/) This is important because after a year has passed more than 1 million kids have killed themselves. This shows that for teenagers they rather welcome death than find a reason to live. For every teenager the ratio for boys to girls are different. â€Å"For every one girl that goes through the suicide there are 4 more boys that have already gone through. The ratio for every boy that attempts to suicide there three girls are also attempting suicide too.†(http://www.thementalhealthblog.com/2013/10/teenage-depression-and-suicide-statistics/) This is importantly significant because it shows that out of the million kids that suicides boys go through it more while the girls try  to attempt it more than the boys. â€Å"Every day there are at least 1 out of twelve teenagers that attempt suicide.† (http://www.thementalhealthblog.com/2013/10/teenage-depression-and-suicide-statistics/) This is significant because if every teenager around the world was to line up then every twelfth kid of the line would attempt a suicide. It shows that every one out of 12 kids is trying to end their life. I discovered that in an article, â€Å"Suicide is the third leading cause for deaths of teens.† (http://www.thementalhealthblog.com/2013/10/teenage-depression-and-suicide-statistics/) This is really significant because for teenagers, suicide is easier. It also shows that many teenagers die from aids, cancer and stroke. Another thing I discovered in an article was, â€Å"Nearly 60% of all suicide in the United States is committed with a gun.† (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html) This is important because for 60 percent of the suicide death in the United States of Ameri ca was from guns. This also shows how easy for teenagers to have access to firearm. With more people aware of how many teenagers are dying and the leading reason is cause of firearms we could stop all of it. The fact that every 40 seconds a teenager commits suicide was shocking because it shows me that the world is not a perfect place. For teenagers to give up their life for me is like someone beginning to smoke. In my mind they are both the same and they are all horrible for the people close to the person. It’s shocking to know that every year around the world more than a million people die. To find that most of the suicide is from male teenagers it was frightening. This shows that male teenagers are more aggressive than female. Since they are more aggressive they would find more ways to kill themselves. If all my friends were to suicide I would be sad because they would be part of the million of kids to give up. I found that one 1 of twelve teenagers attempt to suicide was more interesting than ever. This to me is interesting because I had personal experience in this because when I was little my sister tried to kill herself. Being little I thought she was messing around but when we got a little bit older she almost did it again  but I was able to persuade her to not. Since that girls are more likely attempt to suicide that made my sister part of the statistic. Another reason this is interesting because if kids suicide every 40 seconds it add ups. I think that this is sad because my friends could be thinking of suicide but I wouldn’t know. Like one of my teachers said everyone has two lives. I didn’t understand it but now I know. Everyone has their school life where they choose to be and then they have their life at home. So if my friends were thinking of wanting to die I wouldn’t know. Another reason this is interesting is because most suicide death is from firearms. To me for people to own firearms I think it is stupid. In my mind if a parent was to own a firearm they should lock it up. If they the weapon out anyone could just walk in and shoot themselves. I hope that teenagers could find a way to life and deaths would go down. What are some reasons teens commit suicide? Teenagers commit suicide everyday over simple reasons. For the teenagers them self those reasons are what drive them to act out their final moments. Teenagers â€Å"going through major life changes,† might be reason. (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html) If teens were in a middle of a divorce between their parents they try to escape. This is significant because if kids were going through major life changes they would feel so many emotions. When this happens the teenagers let their emotions rule. â€Å"For teenagers, sometimes their overwhelming hopelessness is enough to cause them to take their own lives.† (http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-suicide/why-teens-commit-suicide.html ) This is important because if teens fill hopeless then it easier for them to find ways to escape. They would escape with death because they are stuck in impossible situations for them to deal with. Teenagers also suicides because they try to, â€Å"escape from overwhelming fe eling like rejection, guilt, and sadness.†(http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-suicide/why-teens-commit-suicide.html ) This is important because some teenagers can’t deal with too much feeling. So they think that attempting suicide might be the only way for them to escape. I also discovered in an online article about what causes this  feelings. â€Å"Problems are very real to the teens that are facing them. Teenagers face the pressures of trying fit in socially, to perform academically, and to act responsibly (2).† (http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-suicide/why-teens-commit-suicide.html ) This is important because every teenager feels the pressure. When they face the responsibility alone they feel neglected and alone. If they keep feeling like this they think that suicide is their only way out of feeling the pressure. Depression is another leading cause for teen’s suicide. Just like I am, every day teens are found with signs of depression. Depression can sometimes lead to suicide. â€Å"Depression may lead teens to focus on their failures and disappointments.† (http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-suicide/why-teens-commit-suicide.html ) This is important because it’s a known fact that depression is the leading factor or reason why kids kill them self. If people have depression they feel the worthless so they kill themselves to end the sadness. The reason for many teenagers to end their life because of depression or hopelessness is interesting. It’s interesting because it not just depression that takes over the teenage mind but the feeling of hopelessness. I’m shocked because every teenager has been given for a lot of responsibility.  If kids were to deal with this alone it would make them scared. Once they would feel scared then the other feeling would come and over whelm the teenager. I had been overwhelmed by the responsibility and it wasn’t fun. I understood the pain and unworthiness but my parents helped me out. I couldn’t bare the fact if my parents weren’t there to help me. Another thing I that I was shocked was the research I found about the question. The number one factor for teens to suicide was depression. In my mind I can understand, why. Since I have depression it’s sometime hard to feel happy. For me it’s like having a heavy weight on your shoulder. Another reason this is interesting is because of feeling. When I read that some teenagers kill themselves because they think it’s an escape. If I let my feelings run my actions I would be destroyed because I would be miserable. I can’t imagine someone anyone living like that. If anyone close to me said that they wanted to escape I talk to them. Another reason this is interesting is because major life changes affect decisions of the child. I remember when I was seven I moved to a new house. I was so sad because I was leaving my friends and teachers that I like. When  I got in our new house I didn’t like it. I hated everyone and was very stubborn. Then I gave everyo ne a chance and took over my life. I had to learn the hard way about letting my emotions rule my life but I promised not to go back to that place. In my mind I think everyone has a mind to run their life. But for instance some people can’t handle that pressure. I hope that if people can find their will to live they won’t overdose on drugs or killing themselves. I just hope teenagers can find a way to life. What are the signs of teens about to attempt suicide? One teenager every 40 seconds shows signs of them about to either follow through or attempt to suicide. Even though the signs might not be big they are big to the teenager. For some teenagers it is a cry for help. Some teenagers â€Å"have dramatic personality changes† (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55145) It might not be a lot but if a teenager was happy one day and then for the rest of the week that teenager is sad, depressed or angry. This is significant because even though the teenager might go through weird changes it’s their way of saying â€Å"help me or please notice me.† Another thing I discovered was teenager about to attempt suicide â€Å"have and obsession with death, poems, essays and drawings that refer to death itself. (http://www.familyfirstaid.org/suicide.html) This is significant because let’s say your teenager never talks about death. If they had suicidal thoughts then they would be fascinated by death becaus e in their mind death is their escape. If teenagers with suicidal thoughts let their emotions rule their decisions so they’re not thinking rational, â€Å"depression with irrational bizarre behavior.† (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html) This is significant because when teens have overwhelming feeling it run the part of mind that thinks logical. So in the way they lose that logical sense and in a way lose themselves. Teenagers also say things to see if their parents are listening. â€Å"I’m thinking of committing suicide or I wish I could just die.† (http://www.teensuicide.us/articles2.html) Sometimes they whisper it or say I just kidding. But in the end it’s never a joke. It’s important  because if a parent doesn’t respond the way a teenager expects them to respond then they feel hopeless. I did some research on my own and saw that teenagers drop hints. They would usually say â€Å"I won’t trouble you anymore.† (http://www.teensuici de.us/articles2.html) This is important because these are calls for help and in their way these signs are a way to let their feelings out. This question made me very interested because all of the signs are a call for help. In my mind it’s like when a smoker drops hints about what he has does but they are very vague. They are both similar and both a call for help. I’m interested because I know people that are interested in death but they don’t resemble me as someone that is suicidal. This question makes me interested because it is the basic reason why teenagers need our help. If I was in a position where I was need of help and I was scared then I would have drop simple hints. To the people I given the hints to it wouldn’t make sense. It would seem to them that I have gone crazy but it’s my way of saying to them that I need help. If I didn’t get the reaction that I wanted it would make me feel more hopeless and alone. Many teens around the world face this problem, the problem of feeling hopeless and alone. In a way the teenager’s signs can be saved if anyone could notice and listen. I think it is intriguing for parents that don’t listen to their children. Around the world there are 20 kids who are dropping signs about that they are going to kill themselves. One- third of those kids are noticed but the rest the unlucky ones fill as if they are alone and in the end slowly give up. I couldn’t believe the fact that there are teens who feel alone. In my mind I feel as if people don’t care about their children it’s just like murder straight up murder. I hope that people could just open up their mind and see that suicide is very important. Can someone help a teenager that has suicide thoughts? Yes, if parents open their eyes to the signs that their kids are showing to them then they can save the teenager. Articles and doctor say that you should â€Å"get help immediately. This is significant because if yo can have the kid talk to someone about their problems then its suppose to help them. The teenager would understand that they are not alone or neglected.  Refer to a psychologist  (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html).  Another thing the article stated, â€Å"Understanding depression in teens is very important since it can look different.† (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html) This is important because there are at least 4 known types of depression. Even though each one is similar they have certain symptoms that distinguish each other from each one. For teen depression they are different because unlike the other depression teens from some people. Once you understand signs then you could help the teenager.  "Watch, listen and ask questions.† (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html) This is significant because if someone was to watch and listen to their child then they would see that their teenager needs help. Teenagers also want support from their parents. If parents were to, â€Å"keep the lines of communication open and express concern, support,† then they would understand their child (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/suicide.html). This is significant because if the teenage confides with the parent then they would feel happy. For them the teenage would feel that the parent is actually taking their concerns very seriously. Suicide is a hard thing for teens to deal with. In the end they don’t know what to do but find their own escape. Reading the article I was astonished by all the things a parent can do but never actually does. I think that these ways of helping a teenager is interesting because it shows some ways of helping suicidal teenager. I wish that everyone could have caring parents. When I was down my dark path and near depression they were there. They helped me by listening to my problems and help me problem solve. I think it’s interesting bec ause around the world there are a lot of teenager that need help. Not all of them get the help they seek so they end their life. For me it’s sad that there is so many kids dying. I just hope one day we can know the signs and make this world a better place. Conclusion I am very interested in the understanding everything there is about suicide. I’m intrigued by the fact that over 1 million kids have died because of  simple reason that could have been fixed. In my mind all these facts were really interesting specially knowing that there are 5 types of depression. As a result of this research I know how to deal with this situation. I would know to how to help people that are going through this. I would know the signs of what a suicidal teenage is showing. I would also be able to spread it to others. Every day a teenager is faced with a choice. They can either live the life they were given or give up and embrace death. Everyday some teenager you know could be in trouble. Would you help or you let that kid become part of the one million kids that die that year. This current event is about how Israel might take humanity back to the dark ages. The dark ages occurred right after the collapse of the Roman Empire. The Israeli army bulldozed recently entered a village next a town called Aqraba. They did this so they can demolish a home that had belonged to a Palestinian family. They did this other numerous times. Their hallucinations over false evidence is making us go back to another dark ages. Since they are curtailing the rights of the Bedouins then they want a war. A war that is devastating with Iran and Islam. For Israel to be peace they would make the Middle East a nuclear peace zone. Maybe the U.s would do the same. This is important because the dark ages were chaotic. The world if ever went back to the world go crazy. Another reason this is important because with the Israel wanting to defend itself it would do it without it missiles. Also if the east was to have no nuclear then it might be a time of peace. It would be a small step but the step would create a big history for the world. The world wouldn’t have to worry about nuclear weapons if we got rid of it. We also might be able to stop terrorist. In a way if we can go back to a peaceful time then it would be great for everyone. In way I would be good for us. Then we could create a better world. A world where it will be safe everyone.

Choose a narrow topic of Public Relations within marketing Assignment

Choose a narrow topic of Public Relations within marketing communication, then write a critical review of theory relating to tha - Assignment Example According to various observations from different scholars, it has been identified that PR is regarded as one of the major, effective as well as versatile tools of marketing communication that enables to enhance as well as to develop the efficiency of each marketing activity. It can be executed by taking into concern both internal as well as external business environment of a specific organisation (Zerfass & Duhring, 2012; Xifra & Huertas, 2008). Based on the various literatures concerning determining the role and the significance of PR in the arena of marketing communication, the paper intends to critically analyse the contribution of public relation to the efficiency of marketing communication. The discussion of this report will mainly focus on critically reviewing different literatures concerning the role and the influences of PR in the field of marketing communication process. Moreover, different theories or models concerning the function of PR in marketing communication will also be critically reviewed throughout this discussion. With this concern, the description in this report will further focus on identifying the importance and oversights of conducting PR practices in the segment of marketing communication, especially concerning the events industry. Critical Review of the Literatures The emergence of modern trends that are followed by the global organisations has been found to be highly focused on enhancing the capability of the marketing communication through involving an effective PR process. With regard to the notion of marketing communication efficiency, Stroh (2007) revealed that PR is one of the major and widely used approaches for the modern organisations. According to the observation of the study made by Zerfass and Duhring (2012), it has been viewed that both marketing communication and PR simultaneously have been passing through a dramatic and evolutionary growth during the past few decades. Both these aspects have been noted to experience amaz ing developments in the global business world. PR can be recognised as one of the major independent functions of the modern business organisations. The concept of PR, being an element of marketing communication, insists the global organisations should practice different strategies to effectively develop the significant concern of PR in the marketing process (Cochrane & Hazou, 2012). Moreover, Arnoldi (2012), Prindle (2011), and Grunig and Grunig (1998) stated that PR is recognised to be one of the major contributory factors for an organisation to efficiently perform its broad assortment of marketing activities. According to Grunig and Grunig (1998), it has been apparently observed that PR offers two major benefits to different organisations that include increasing sales and raising business reputation that in turn could lead the organisations towards accomplishing their predetermined business targets to a greater extent. Watson (2011) and Grunig and Grunig (1998) noted that PR canno t be considered as a sales tool; rather, it can be viewed as an extensively effective approach that enables an organisation to

Comparative Federalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative Federalism - Essay Example The distribution of power among the central and the states is derived from the written constitution. Both forms of the government rule directly over the people. It is also sometimes seen as a compromise between the extreme concentration of power and loose confederation of independent states for governing a variety of people living in a large territory. Similarities and Dissimilarities with India and USA’s Federal Form of Government USA being the largest democratic countries in the world became the Federal republic state in the year 1789 by promulgating its constitution and India on the other hand in the year 1950 by launching its constitution. Smaller states by forming a union got affiliated with the strong central government that came to be called as Federal government in USA and central government in India. Both the countries have a written form of constitution. Secondly, USA has got its bill of rights to protect the fundamental rights of the people and India has guaranteed the fundamental rights in the articles 14 to 34 in part iii. Thirdly both the countries have Federal forms of government at the centre. The law enacted by the centre is much more superior to the law passed by the state. Both the countries have three basic divisions of labor and power in the Federal system of government; they are known as executive, legislature and judiciary. The executive governs the country, legislature enacts law, and the judiciary administers justice. Both the countries have bicameral form of legislature. In USA president is the chief executive head whereas in India prime minister is the head. USA has got the House of Senate and the House of Representatives as the upper and lower house of legislature while India has Rajya sabha and Loksabha as the upper and lower houses. A well organized judiciary is present in both the countries as apex and Supreme Court. Lastly, both the countries have a threat to democracies so the divisions of power are somehow or the other c hecked by the other houses of power. Firstly, USA’s constitution is very rigid and has undergone amendment only 27 times but the Indian constitution on the other hand is very voluminous and flexible has been amended 94 times. In USA all the states have their own constitution while in India all the states follow the Indian constitution. Secondly, USA has the presidential form of government but India has the parliamentary form of government. USA follows the bi-party system whereas India has got multi party system. President of USA can hold his office for only two terms whereas in India nothing as such rule is there. In India, Loksabha or the lower house is much more powerful while in USA the upper house i.e., house of senate is more powerful. A senate member is directly elected whereas in India, Rajyasabha members are indirectly elected. Last but not the least, USA has got the advanced judicial system while India is rapidly developing in its judicial system (Lingam) Possible Re forms for the US Government Adopting from India: India has always followed and encouraged in peace keeping operations but on the other hand USA has tried to maintain peace with the help of machinery and men. India has shown real patience to its rival countries by providing timely help to those in need. It had also undergone friendship agreement with its enemy countries like China & Pakistan, timely help to Bangladesh when Pakistan tried to overtook it. These are the policies which the US government may adopt from India (Schaffer, 73; Kesselman, Krieger and Joseph, 286) Possible Reforms for the Indian Government Adopting from the US Technology transfer is what India can learn from US Federal government. It is quite evident from the history

Is employment the solution to end child poverty Essay

Is employment the solution to end child poverty - Essay Example In essence, poverty is judged in relation with society. This means that even though someone is earning enough money to provide for his basic needs, he would still be poor, if his income falls short of what the society around him is earning. (Galbraith, 1998) The instruments to judge poverty are as widely differing as the debate on the definition of poverty itself. Where some people measure poverty according to the household income, others measure poverty by understanding the concept of depravity and the basic needs lacking in any person’s life. In Britain since the year 1999, the government has been measuring poverty using a criterion of sixty per cent of the existing average income level adjusted according to the size of the household. Studies about poverty suggest that the population demographic is hit by poverty across different age-groups, ethnicities and nationalities. Where some individuals feel that poverty is experienced by those who are involved in double-crossing either the state or the society, other believe that the concept of a ‘welfare-state’ is what breeds poverty among masses. Such critics are of the view that the idea of welfare-state itself is responsible for higher rates of poverty; when individuals are aware that they will be able to obtain a decent amount of the basic necessities that they require, even if they do not work, such individuals might be tempted to stop working and rely on the state instead. â€Å"The persistence of child poverty in rich countries undermines both equality of opportunity and commonality of values. It therefore confronts the industrialized world with a test both of its ideals and of its capacity to resolve many of its most intractable social problems.† (Centre, 2000) The key findings of the Innocenti Report Card show how child poverty is still very much a relevant issue in the developed world, whereby

The beginning of English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The beginning of English - Essay Example umber of branches including the Germanic branch lived somewhere between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea six thousand years ago (McCrum, Cran and MacNeil 1). This population then expanded and migrated eastward, westward and northward and inhabited most of Europe. A casual comparison between Indo-European and English reveals similarities among them (Hogg 67). By studying cognates, words of common origin in different languages, linguistics were able to make qualified guesses about what words may have looked like in a proto-language. Cognates also reveals systematic sound changes that have occurred as new languages have emerged. English has an alphabetic writing system based on the Roman alphabet that was brought to Anglo-Saxon England by Christian missionaries and church officials in the 600s AD (Hogg 55). An earlier Germanic writing system called runes, also alphabetic and originating eventually from the same source as the Roman alphabet, was used for incantations, curses, and a few poems, when the tribes were still on the continent and also after their migration to Britain, up until Christianization (Hogg 87). Crucial elements of the sound stream of a message are thus captured by a linear sequence of marks that can be sounded out to recapture the message by means of its sounds. The entire sound stream is not captured, but enough of it is to provide a prompt for lexical recognition. Other kinds of writing systems are based on written representation of other linguistic units such as syllables, words, or some mix of these (Hogg 98). The Standardization of English is divided into periods. The first is the Primitive Old English Period between 450AD and 700AD. In 500 BC, Britain was invaded by Celtic tribes, who ruled the Island (Hogg et al.). In 43 A.D., however, the islands were invaded by Emperor Claudius and Britain became part of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire collapsed and the Roman legionaries went home, they left a power vacuum in Britain. The Scots

Stagnant Sales Growth Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Stagnant Sales Growth - Research Proposal Example Particularly affected is the retail trade industry which comprises a large segment of consumer sales. This study will provide an insight and over view to answer the question, â€Å"How has the retail industry performed over 2008?† It will particularly address employment issues and factors that affect the retail industry There are a big number of consumers in US, a representative number of labor forces in the retail trade industry, and billions of dollar investments in retail industry that has been in one way or another adversely affected by the economic crisis. Archival information will be gathered from existing journals, web reports and information and cross referenced for validity. The number of literatures to be reviewed will depend on the availability of references and practical use to study. Research instruments to be used are data collection and gathering thru published literatures. Published data will come from reliable information providers and knowledgeable organization that can support information. Studies on previous sales growth of the retail industry will be reviewed and compared with the present situation. News, reports and other allied information about employment and sales in the industry will be shown. Similar situations in other countries will also be presented to show that this is a real situation. The review of literature supports the hypotheses statement, â€Å"Are sales and employment growth affected by the economic crisis.† The global economic crisis is an overused clichà ©, but it has made an impact on the retail trade industry. First, the growth of the retail industry felt the slump during the 2008 onwards, and it is forecast to move on till 2010. Second, employment was badly hurt by recession that cut offs are unavoidable in many retail institutions in the United States. These undue activities have affected the performance of the retail industry not only in

Employee Turnover Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employee Turnover - Research Paper Example Normally, the major reasons for a job change have to do with better benefits or satisfaction. The employees have a tendency to move towards an industry with better motivation in terms of benefits as well as satisfaction. They also assume a lifetime perspective as they make choices about job change. Employees therefore make such choices to change their jobs while considering the future changes in job satisfaction and enrichment as well as maximized benefits. Luxury hotels are among the categories of hotels in the hospitality industry. These kind of hotels are specifically built in strategic areas where there is targeted market of high class people in the society as well as foreign and domestic tourists. They are normally positioned in the big cities of a country where the GDP of that country is high and center for the business district where politicians, renowned businessmen, diplomats and other dignitaries can access them. They are also situated at tourist attraction centers where th e tourists can get access to them whenever they visit the centers. These hotels are normally very expensive to board considering the kind of architecture they employ as well as the high standard of service that they offer. According to their positions or where they are situated, some of these hotels operate only on a seasonal basis. This is so because tourism makes the largest of their clients and when the tourists are not around, the hotels remain closed for a better part of their operation yearly. There are different categories of employees that do exist in the luxury hotels and these are together with; management as well as non-management. Management employees consist of those employees involved in the major decision making about the hotels which forms the basis for running the hotels. These might be together with the Chief Executive officer, Managing Director, Chief of Staff as well as Departmental Heads. They are involved in the major decision making about the hotel. The other category of employees is the non-management employees. This category consists of workers of lower rank like the casual laborers as well as the departmental employees apart from their heads that fall in the management category. Reasons for High Turnover in Luxury Hotels There are various reasons why employee turnover rate is very high in the luxury hotels. Some of these reasons are together with the seasonality of the hotel customers, low compensation level as well as low job satisfaction and enrichment that reduces the employees’ self esteem due to low employee motivation. (a) Seasonality of the Industry The major clients of the luxury hotels are the tourists apart from those built in the city centers which do not necessarily have to depend on tourists. Tourism as well known is a seasonal industry where the tourists may come to a country to visit different sites just during a particular season after which they go back to their country and attend to their other duties for the rest of their time until the season returns.

Active Duty Military Pregnant Mother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Active Duty Military Pregnant Mother - Essay Example In a normal pregnancy changes taking place in the woman’s body may include simple ramping of the uterus, nausea, vomiting, bowel habit changes, abdominal girth increase, growing urination frequency, higher heartbeat rates, ankle swellings and palpitations among other simple but inconvenient changes. Fatigue is normal thing early in the pregnancy. Given that the pregnancy is developing and many changes taking place, many women experience increased fatigue and the need to sleep increase. Many factors including hormonal changes, changes in metabolism, low blood sugar levels, physiological anaemia and low blood pressure among others contribute to fatigue throughout the pregnancy. Caregivers in prenatal clinics can help women to determine the appropriate workout programmes, vitamins and mineral supplements that can help keep fatigue away. From a health viewpoint, there are serious challenges that come with pregnancy, which can make it hard for expectant women to be actively involve d in normal work activities. Diabetes in pregnancy, otherwise referred to as gestation pregnancy is a common occurrence that requires specialized advice. Having guided training exercises is one of the ways through which pregnant mothers can maintain a blood sugar insulin balance. This is a great challenge for a military woman taking up night shifts since it requires regular and close monitoring. .

PHYSICS (SOLUTIONS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PHYSICS (SOLUTIONS) - Essay Example 100Pa). Here, it is essential that the pressure decreases exponentially, i.e. without local minimums and maximums (with the exception of atmospheric fluctuations); so, our criterion mb is valid. Roughly, from the graph attached we can localize km, say, km. e) Let us analyze the pressure curve . It is necessary to note that values of altitude are in log-scale. Nevertheless, even in linear scale dependence is non linear; see ('Atmospheric pressure' 2008) and (Ahren 2000). This can be explained by 'exponential atmosphere' model. This is very rough model for a column of gas extending to a great height; see details in (Feynman et al 1964). Such gas column is supposed to be at thermal equilibrium without any disturbances, so in the model. Model gives an obvious relationship where is the mass of the gas molecule (supposed to be constant in the model), is the acceleration due to gravity, and is the total number of the gas molecules in the unit section of a gas column. Solution of this relationship is ; here . So, the pressure exponentially decreases with increasing of altitude. Such decreasing depends upon the mass of gas molecule: the pressure of lightweight gases (e.g. hydrogen) decreases more slowly with altitude then the pressure of heavy -weight gases (e.g. oxygen). Here, and are weights of a ball... oxygen). Task 2 This task can be solved using Archimedes' principle. Let us make schematic illustration for a helium balloon and all the forces applied to it: Here, and are weights of a balloon and helium inside it, is the net force of buoyancy (for both balloon and helium inside). In accordance with Archimedes' principle, or the law of upthrust, a balloon is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the displaced air. A balloon is in state of rest when resulting force equals to zero, i.e. when . a) A balloon is assumed to be a sphere with a diameter of 20cm, so m. Hence, its volume is , or m3, or roughly litres (because 1 litre equals to m3). b) Let us estimate the mass of helium in the balloon. Let us suppose that helium is an ideal gas at and atmosphere. The ideal gas law gives volume occupied by a mole of an ideal gas: litres; here is universal gas constant (Feynman et al 1964). Therefore, the balloon contains moles of helium. The relative atomic mass of helium is 4, so a mole of helium weights 4 grams. Hence, helium in the balloon weights approx. grams. c) Using the graph attached for the task 1, namely dependence , let us define where km. Roughly, mb, say, mb or atmosphere. Let us estimate density of the air at the altitude km. For exponential model of atmosphere we have ; see (Feynman et al 1964). The ideal gas law or allows us to make estimations in terms of air density ; here grams per mole is the mean molar mass of air. For isothermal atmosphere () , so . Then, , so . Let us compute , the density of air at sea level: grams per litre. Let us estimate , the density of the air at the altitude km: or grams per litre. d) It is necessary to note that almost all numeric

How Society Is Affected by Gov Policies Essay Example for Free

How Society Is Affected by Gov Policies Essay How society is affected by goverment policies, civil disobedience, This is the deliberate and planned breach of policy or law by an individual or group of people. It is usually done peacefully to highlight how inappropriate a law is and promote the need for a change in the law. Civil disobedience was a common tool in the black civil rights movement in the USA in the 1960s. Black people would deliberately break the racial segregation laws to show how deeply unfair they were and how much the law needed to change. A good example of this is the case of Rosa Parks, who in December 1955 refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man when asked to do so. She was arrested and her arrest sparked a chain of events which led to the US Supreme Court decision in 1956 that racial segregation on transportation was illegal. Demonstration and meetings, Meetings to discuss problems with government policy are very common. They are a way for like-minded individuals to air their concerns. Meeting can be held outside and include a march or demonstration to show the government or local authority the depth of public feeling against decision. A good example of this would be the rallies and protests organised by the Countryside Alliance since the UK government placed a ban on foxhunting. Terrorism, Terrorism is an extreme response to public policy. It involves an individual or group using violence or the threat of violence against civilian and military targets in order to force the government to change its policy.

A Analytical Review Of The Battle Of Hastings History Essay

A Analytical Review Of The Battle Of Hastings History Essay In October 14, 1066, the tragic Battle of Hastings took place. It was fought between the Norman Army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army of King Harold II. The battle took place at Senlac Hill, about 6 miles northwest of Hastings. Harold II was killed during the battle; historians predict or believe that he was shot through the eye by the barraging arrows fired from the Norman armies. The battle was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. Although there was further English resistance after the Norman victory, the battle is seen as the point at which William gained control of England, becoming Englands first Norman ruler as King William I. The famous Bayeux Tapestry shows the events of the battle. Many battles later on were built on the site of the conflict, such as Battle Abbey in East Sussex. Belonging to the most authoritative family in England, Harold Godwisnon claimed the throne soon after Edward the Confessor died in January 1066. Some historians say that Edward had verbally promised the throne to his cousin William the Duke of Normandy, but decided just before his death to give it to Harold. While Edward the Confessor had a great English nephew who might have qualified as his heir, he was considered to be too young. William had been instituting policy in England for over 15 years, and by taking Harolds crowning, he declared the start of a great battle. He planned to invade England and take over the throne. However, at that time, the Norman army was not strong enough, so nobles as far as Southern Italy were called to gather at Caen in Normandy. In order to convince them to aid him, he promised lands and titles to his followers and supporters and claimed that the voyage was secured by the Pope. William assembled an enormous fleet of about seven hundred ships, over twenty thousand men. This force waited at the port through summer, probably because of unfavorable weather conditions and more likely from fear of a clash at sea with the large English fleet. The Norman ships finally sailed for England after the exhaustion of supplies forced Harold to dismiss his fleet and army, to add to that, many English ships were destroyed by a storm. On the day of September 28, 1066, William landed unobstructed at Pevensey. Harold, who had been waiting for Normans to start their invasion, rushed his armed forces to the north to attack an invading Norwegian Viking army led by King Harald Hardrada and Tostig Godwinson, Harolds brother. He completely shattered the invaders at the battle of Stamford Bridge, near York. Upon hearing that the Dukes forces had landed, Harold hurried southward to meet the invaders. Harolds brother, Earl Gyrth, recommended a delay in the attack, but Harold was determined to show his people that he could defend his kingdom against anyone who tries to invade it, hence demonstrating his power. He headed toward London on the morning of 12 October, gathering all the forces he could on his way. He arrived at Senlac Hill on the night of 13 October. Harold organized his forces across the road from Hastings to London, on Senlac Hill. Behind him was the great forest of Anderida, also known as the Weald, and in front of him was a long glacis slope which rose to the opposing slope of Telham Hill. The English Army Three weeks before the Battle of Hastings, the English army has fought to major battles, Gate Fulford and Stamford Bridge. The Battle of Stamford was victorious for the English forces that crushed Harald Hardradas Viking army, but also weakened the English armys battle-worthiness at Hastings. The English army mainly consisted of infantry. The heart of the army consisted of Housecarls, which are full-time professional soldiers who had a long standing dedication to the King. Their armor consisted of a conical helmet, a chain mail hauberk, and a kite-shaped shield. Their primary weapon was the two-handed Danish battleaxe as well as a standard sword. The mass of the English army, called the fyrd, was composed of part-time English soldiers brought from the landowning minor nobility. These soldiers were required to serve with their own armor and weapons for a specified period of time. The English had a terrifying defense line which is the shield wall in which all of the men at the front ranks packed in their shields together; it was an invincible defense strategy. In the beginning of the battle, the shield was very effective at defending the English forces from the Norman attacks. The whole army was lined up at the front line; as the English soldiers at the front went down, forces from the back would come up front and fill the gaps of the wounded soldiers. This strategy very much aided the English forces for a while until the Norman armies found a way to breach it. The Norman Army William, Duke of  Normandy, was a skilled and experienced military leader. His troops, with both  infantry  and  cavalry, were feared and respected. He had fought and defeated the king of France in 1054 and 1057. William did not believe in being merciful to those who fought against him. The Norman army consisted mainly of nobles, mercenaries, and troops from Normandy, Flanders, Brittany and France, with some soldiers that came from as far as southern Italy. The Norman armys power was basically derived from its cavalry which was considered among the best in Europe. The Norman army was heavily armored with an alance and a sword. The Norman infantry were protected by ring mail and armed with spears, swords and shields almost like the English forces. The large number of missile troops reflected the drift in European armies for combing different types of forces on the battlefield. One of the weapons used by the Normans, the bow, was a relatively short weapon with a short draw, but despite of the fact that it was short, it was very effective on the battlefield. Hastings marks the first known use of the crossbow in the battle in English history. The Battle William relied on basic tactics with  archers  in the front rank weakening the enemy with arrows, followed by infantry which would engage in close combat, ending in a cavalry charge that would break through the English forces. However, his tactics did not work as well as planned. Williams army attacked the English as soon as they were ready and formed up. Norman archers shot several volleys but many of the arrows hit the shield wall and had very little effect. Believing the English to have been softened up, William ordered his infantry to attack. As the Normans charged up the hill, the English threw down whatever they could find: stones,  javelins, and  maces. The barrage inflicted heavy casualties among the Norman ranks, causing the lines to break up. The infantry charge reached the English lines, where violent hand-to-hand fighting took place. William had expected the English to weaken, but the arrow barrage had little effect and nearly all the English troops still stood, their shield wall undamaged. As a result William ordered his cavalry to charge far sooner than planned. Faced with a wall of axes, spears and swords, many of the horses shied away despite their careful breeding and training. After an hour of fighting, the  Breton  division on Williams left faltered and broke completely, fleeing down the hill. Suffering heavy casualties and realizing they would be quickly outflanked; the Norman and Flemish divisions retreated. Unable to resist the temptation, many of the English broke ranks, including hundreds of fyrdmen and Harolds brothers, Leofwyne and Gyrthe. In the following confused fighting, Williams horse was killed from underneath him, and he toppled to the ground. Initially, many of Williams soldiers thought that he had been killed, and an even greater rout ensued. It was only after he stood up and threw off his helmet that William was able to rally his fleeing troops. William and a group of his knights successfully counter-attacked the pursuing English, who were no longer protected by the shield wall, and cut down large numbers of fyrdmen. Many did not recognize the Norman counter-attack until it was too late, but some managed to scramble back up the hill to the safety of the  housecarls. Harolds brothers were not so fortunate; their deaths deprived the English of an alternative leader after the death of Harold. The two armies formed up, and a temporary pause fell over the battle. The battle had turned to Williams advantage, since the English had lost much of the protection provided by the shield wall. Without the cohesion of a disciplined, strong formation, the individual English were easy targets. William launched his army at the strong English position again and many of the English housecarls  were killed. With such a large number of English fyrdmen now holding the front rank, the disciplined shield wall that the housecarls had maintained began to weaken, presenting an opportunity to William. At the start of the battle the hail of arrows fired at the English by Williams  bowmen  was ineffective because of the English shields. Though many on the front ranks still had shields, William ordered his archers to fire over the shield wall so that the arrows landed in the clustered rear ranks of the English army. The archers did this with great success. Legend states that it was at this point that Harold was hit in the eye by an arrow. Many of the English were now weary. Williams army attacked again, and managed to make small chinks in the shield wall. They were able to take advantage of these gaps, and the English army began to fragment. William and a handful of knights broke through the wall, and struck down the English king. Without their leader and with many nobles dead, hundreds of fyr dmen fled the field. The housecarls kept their oath of loyalty to the king, and fought bravely until they were all killed. Following the Battle Very few defenders fled and escaped to the forest. The Norman forces pursued many of the fleeing English soldiers but they were ambushed and killed when they were walked over a steep ground, called the Malfosse or bad ditch. William and his forces rested for two weeks near Hastings, waiting for the English lords to come and submit to him. After a while, he realized that his hopes of submissions were in vain, so William began to move towards London. The Norman army met many hardships and a large number of Williams army were reduced in November by dysentery, along with that, William himself was fatally ill. However, the Norman army was reinforced by fresh troops coming from the English Channel. While William was advancing towards London, the remains of the English government had gathered together and chosen the young and inexperienced Edgar the Atheling as king. According to many historians, they have chosen this king because they said that a weak king is better than no king at all and in the absence of the Godwinson family, he was the only available candidate at that time. Not long after the election of Edgar, many people fled for their safety. Members of the English establishment such as Edgars sisters Margaret and Cristina hastily escaped with their followers to Chester for protection. Meanwhile, William advanced through Kent devastating Romney and receiving the submission of Dover and its important castle. At Dover he paused for a week receiving the submission of Canterbury  on October 29.  He sent messengers to  Winchester  who received the submission of that city from the widowed Queen  Eadgyth. From Canterbury William advanced to Southwark. After failing in attempt to cross London Bridge, William destroyed the entire town. He now tried to use an alternative route to the city by an indirect path crossing the Thames at Wallingford ravaging the land as he passes. The Norman forces finally proceeded on London from the north-west eventually reaching Berkhampstead in late November 1066. Arguments went on between Williams forces and the stressed authorities in London. They finally came to an agreement that stated that the city would be spared from further killing if Edgar resigned and William was recognized as king. This agreement seems to have been imposed on the young Edgar. In early December, Ansgar the  Sheriff  of  Middlesex, the archbishops of York and Canterbury and the deposed  Edgar the Atheling  came out and submitted to the Norman duke. William received them graciously and accepted their submission. William was crowned king on  Christmas Day, 1066 at  Westminster Abbey. Conclusion The Battle of Hastings marks a very important point in history, in which it demonstrates Williams strong devotion to take the thrown. Many battles following the Battle of Hastings were built on the site such as Battle Abbey. Till now, there is a plaque that marks the place at which Harold was killed and has fallen and the location where the high altar of the church once stood. The battle had a remarkable influence on the English language. The Normans main language was French, as a result of the rule, many new French words used by the nobles later was adopted by the English language and became part of the English language itself. As Paul K. Davis writes, Williams victory placed a foreign ruler on the throne of England, introducing European rather than Scandinavian society onto the isolated island in the last successful invasion of England.

History of Tet Offensive

History of Tet Offensive Jordan Dingle The Tet offensive was an operation that took place in 1968 from January 30th to mid-August and was the largest military campaign of the Vietnam war. It involved nearly 80,000 North Vietnamese attacking more than 100 towns and cities in South Vietnam simultaneously. The offensive was a complete surprise to the South Vietnamese and the Americans, as it was thought to be impossible for the NVA to carry out an operation this large and no fighting was expected to happen because of the Tet holiday (Willbanks, 2007). This operation became a turning point for the American-Vietnam war as the offensive caused the U.S. to lose control of some cities temporarily and it showed the American public that the U.S. was not winning the war as the government had previously claimed. Prior to the Tet offensive, the U.S. faced declining support from the public in its foreign policy methods in Vietnam. U.S. citizens faced rising taxes and increasing U.S. casualty numbers in Vietnam. Many people were starting to feel that it was a mistake to send soldiers to Vietnam and that it was a hopeless cause. Public opinion polls at the time showed that the percentage of Americans who believed that the U.S. had made a mistake by sending troops to Vietnam had risen from roughly 25 percent in 1965 to about 45 percent by December 1967 (Willbanks, 2007). The U.S. military and President Lyndon B. Johnsons administration attempted to alter the publics viewpoint on the war by feeding the media optimistic information about the war. On the North Vietnamese side, there were concerns about the direction of the war and the affect it was having the capability of North Vietnam being able to sustain itself as country. Constant U.S. aerial bombings had decimated North Vietnams economic capability and the government realized that at the current rate, North Vietnam would lack the ability to affect the war in South Vietnam. The operation went into its planning stages in the early months of 1967 and was decided to take place on the Tet holiday to surprise unsuspecting American and South Vietnamese forces.   The North Vietnamese believed that the widespread offensive would cause the people of South Vietnam to revolt against the South Vietnamese government. While the offensive did cause the tide of the war to change, it did not cause mass uprisings (Bradley, 2009). The first phase of the Tet offensive began in the early hours of January 30th when the NVA and Viet Cong initiated attacks on all major cities in central Vietnam including Nha Trang, Hoi An, Pleiku, and Da Nang. On January 31st, another major attack was initiated in various major cities and bases in Southern Vietnam. Much of the forces in the operation were focused on South Vietnams capital, Saigon. North Vietnamese forces, while not able to take control of the city, managed to attack critical strategic points around the city. At the same time, the north Vietnamese forces and Viet Cong successfully attacked and captured the city of Hue in central Vietnam. It took the U.S. 25 days to fight back the North Vietnamese and retake the city (Willbanks, 2007). The North Vietnamese initiated a second phase to the offensive on May 4th and attacked various targets across South Vietnam again. But this time the Americans and South Vietnamese were prepared and the offensive was considerably less successful. The 2nd phase ended in late May. The third and final phase of the Tet offensive began on August 17th and was easily repelled by the South Vietnamese and Americans. This last attack was considered a dismal failure as it had little effect on any South Vietnamese or American positions (Willbanks, 2007). Although the Tet offensive did not achieve its goal of initiating uprisings throughout South Vietnam, it did inflict heavy damage on American and South Vietnamese forces. It allowed the Viet Cong to take control of the rural areas of Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta. The offensive put South Vietnam into turmoil as it was the first time that the war had reached any urban areas in South Vietnam. It reduced confidence in the government in their ability to protect its citizens from the Viet Cong. The battles that took place destroyed thousands of homes, displaced, injured and killed thousands of people. The human and material cost to South Vietnam was staggering. The number of civilian casualties was estimated by the government to be over 14,000 with at least 20,000 wounded.The North Vietnamese had suffered incredible amounts of casualties. Some estimates place the number of casualties to be over 180,000 dead during 1968.The offensive was the largest number of casualties that the North Vietnamese had faced in the war. The situation was so dire, that many Viet Cong cadres had to be replaced partially by North Vietnamese Army regulars. Although the North Vietnamese lost many soldiers in the South, they acknowledged the benefits of the Tet offensive. General Tran Do, one of the commanders in the battle of Hue, stated In all honesty, we didnt achieve our main objective, which was to spur uprisings throughout the South. Still, we inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans and their puppets, and this was a big gain for us. As for making an impact in the United States, it had not been our intention-but it turned out to be a fortunate result (Karnow, 1988). The aftermath of the Tet offensive also brought about more international influence into the Vietnam conflict. The Paris peace talks, which took place in May of 1968 initiated negotiations between the U.S. and North Vietnam while allowing third-party influence into the politics of the region. In short, the Tet offensive changed both the DRV and the U.S.s goals of military and political victory against each other to negotiations and de-escalation (Bradley 2009). The results of the Tet offensive also spread the conflict into the border regions of Cambodia and Laos. Before and during the Tet offensive, the North Vietnamese used the Ho Chi Minh trail, which lead through southern Laos and Eastern Cambodia, to send supplies and reinforcements to Viet Cong cadres in South Vietnam. This supply route, was the main resource in preparing the Viet Cong for the Tet offensive After the offensive failed, the U.S. began bombing campaigns in Laos and Cambodia along the Ho Chi Minh trail. These bombings eliminated Laos and Cambodias neutrality and dragged them into conflict within their own borders (Kranow, 1988). In the U.S., the aftermath of the offensive created a crisis for the Johnson administration. Public opinion was now overwhelmingly against the war. The U.S. had suffered much casualties with over 16,000 soldiers killed by the end of 1968. A new draft was also called in 1968 calling for 48,000 men to be enlisted. These factors brewed heavy discontentment with the U.S. government and the Johnson administration. The Tet offensive certainly made an impact on the 1968 presidential election and Lyndon B. Johnsons decision to not run for re-election. The new administration of Richard Nixon oversaw the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, allowing the North Vietnamese to capture Saigon and reunify Vietnam. Works Cited Bradley, Mark. Vietnam at War. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Web. Bradley, Mark, and Marilyn Blatt. Young. Making Sense of the Vietnam Wars: Local, National, and Transnational Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Web. Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam, a History. Norwalk, CT: Easton, 1988. Web. Willbanks, James H. The Tet Offensive: A Concise History. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. Web.

Statement of Cash Flows Essay -- essays research papers

Statement of Cash Flows Paper   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Statement of Cash flows is a very useful financial statement that can benefit investors, managers and even auditors. The statement of cash flows has not been around as long as the other financial statements such as the balance sheet or income statement. It basically â€Å"illustrates the way accounting evolves to meet the requirements of users of financial statements.† (Marshall, 2003) The statement of cash flows is designed to provide important information about the cash that a company has received or has paid out during a certain time period. It provides a reason for the changes of cash received and paid by a company by taking into account all financing, investing and operating activi...

Free Mending Wall Essays: The Two Walls :: Mending Wall Essays

The Two Walls in Mending Wall   Ã‚   It is arguable that the self-righteous speaker of "Mending Wall" is himself obsessively committed to wall building, far more intractably and instinctively committed than his clichà ©-bound neighbor. While the speaker of "Mending Wall" justifiably castigates his unthinking neighbor and is himself far more aware of the powers of language for good and for ill, he is nonetheless caught up, ironically perhaps, in the same actual task, wall building, which will have the same results and look no different from his neighbor's contribution despite the narrative he brings to it. There are several possibilities for irony here, depending on the level of Frost's self-awareness. Wall imagery pervades his poetry, as a conscious poetic image and as a psychosexual marker of control and limitation. That the speaker is the one who calls the neighbor to mend the wall is vitally important, then, but it is not clear that Frost meant for the speaker to be ironically perceived as a hypocrite. The simple explanation, that the speaker acts out of a sense of inevitability, knowing his neighbor's habits, seems hardly enough given the contextual symbolism of the wall in Frost's poetry; the psychological explanation attendant upon this version might suggest that Frost's conscious intent was subverted by his own unconscious need for walls. So while Frost might not mean the speaker to be self-parodic, the reader might judge that there is an ironic discrepancy between what is said and what is meant, both by the speaker and by the poet. On a deeper level even than this is the possibility that Frost was aware of, had taken account of and justified, his own need for barriers. One does, after all, need something against which to push. In this case, the poem might be completely unironic, for while both men are engaged in the same task, each brings a different narrative to it, the one limited to a thoughtless clichJ , the other enriched philosophically.

Divorce Essay -- essays research papers

Divorce among Americans is rampant. Anymore, divorces are as common as marriages themselves. Couples marry and then something goes wrong in their relationship, so they divorce. Although a divorce may be hard on the adults involved, what about the children? What happens to the kids of these broken marriages? Some parents who are going through a divorce wonder what the effects of their divorce will be on their children. They worry that the divorce will cause their children emotional problems that will affect them for the rest of their lives. These worries are not unreasonable. Depending on the age of the child, the effects of divorce can vary. Small children do not understand what is happening at all. They can’t comprehend why Mommy and Daddy do not live together anymore. Sometimes small children are afraid that if Daddy doesn’t live with them anymore, then Mommy might leave too. Some small children may revert to less mature behavior. A child may start to use a pacifier again, or a child that has been potty trained may begin to have multiple "accidents." Children who are a little older and in the beginning years of school (6 to 8 years old} usually respond to their parents divorce with grief. They tend to cry a lot. These children, no matter what their previous relationship with the absent parent was, feel a great sense of loss for this parent. The absent parent, though not always, is usually the father. These young children usually begin to idolize ...

Distribution decisions Essay

The tutorial about distribution decisions deals mainly with establishing an effective and efficient system that will make the products accessible to the market. It teaches the different channels of distribution including the process of ordering, handling and shipping, storage, display, promotion, selling, and information feedback. The channels include resellers, specialty service firms who are important although a little costly. There are two kinds of channel arrangements: independent (no binding relationship), and dependent (has binding relationship). Also, there are three kinds of distribution systems: direct distribution systems, indirect distribution systems, and multi-channel hybrid systems. The tutorial also warns of the issues in establishing channel relationships such as delivery, profit margins, other incentives, packaging, training, and promotional help. The tutorial on retailing examines retailers as a type of resellers of a product to consumers who only want to buy in small quantities. Their main concerns are customer satisfaction, ability to acquire the right products, product presentations, traffic building, layout, location, and keeping pace with technology. Retailers are categorized in many ways; included in the tutorial are: target markets served (mass, specialty, exclusive market), product offerings (general, multiple lines specialty, single line specialty merchandiser), pricing strategy (discount, competitive, full price pricing), promotional focus (advertising, direct mail, personal selling), distribution method (store-based which can be stand-alone, strip-shopping center, shopping area, and regional shopping mall; and non-store sellers which can be online sellers, direct marketers, and vending), service level (self, assorted, full service), and ownership structures (individually owned, corporate chain, corporate structure, contractually licensed). There are also a variety of retail formats which are mom-and pop, mass discounters, warehouse stores, category killers, department stores, boutique, catalog retailers, e-tailers, franchise, convenience store, and vending. In wholesaling, the sellers sell in bulk to their consumers. Their main concern involves disinter-mediation, facility location, transportation costs, adapting to new technologies, and offering non-product assistance. They are categorized according to products carried (general and specialty merchandise), promotional activities (extensive and limited promotion), distribution (stationary location with customer and not customer accessible; and non-stationary location with mobile and no facilities), service level (full, limited, and no service), and product ownership (do take and do not take title). Wholesale formats consist of general and specialty merchandise, contractual, industrial distributors, cash-and-carry, truck, rack jobber, drop shipper, broker, and agent. In managing product movement, three tasks are important which have a cost-service tradeoff: ordering and inventory management, product storage, and transportation. Ordering and inventory have to be managed by considering order entry and processing, demand forecasting, customer knowledge, channel relationship, physical product handling, storage and transportation. The tutorial is effective in a sense that it takes the learner through a step by step process in understanding the definitions of terms, what the different topics are about, and gives the learner an idea on how to apply the process in real marketing situations. The tutorial is also effective because it is simple and easy to understand. It also breaks down complicated topics and lays them out in an easy-to-understand manner. The only problem with the tutorial is that it lacked examples of real life situations to which the approaches were used, especially since examples often makes everything clearer and makes the whole presentation have more real life applications and not just theoretical things that can be skipped In the issues in information and IS, information exchange and communication is very valuable between the company and their distributors. Any decision by marketing should be communicated internally in production. The IT manager is to integrate the communication among production, marketing and distributors to streamline everything. A sophisticated tracking of orders and products is also necessary among them.

Introduction to Criminal Justice Essay

This definition of a crime comes from (Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary) and reads; â€Å"Crime: an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law; especially: a gross violation of the law†. There are several definitions of crime, but there all consistent for the most part. People who commit crimes are held to answer for the crimes they are accused of. For this, we must have a judicial system in place that is fair and balanced. Although the person accused of committing the crime is sometimes judged before he’s even gone to court, he must be allowed certain rights and due process. Those rights must not be violated prior to a trial. It’s this system that makes American what we are. Sometimes there are cases that make us feel that the person being tried should just be executed or sent to jail, because the media has basically tried and convicted the person prior to trial. This was evident in the â€Å"Casey Anthony† murder trial. Most Americans and the media had convicted her prior to trial. She was found not guilty earlier today by twelve jurors. Is the system fair? Who knows, but this is the reason, lots of people believe there should be professional jurors for high profile cases like this. On the other hand our judicial system has been around for a long time and delivers in most cases a fair system of government that protects the innocent, the victims and the accused. Of course all parties involved don’t feel this way based on where you’re at during the judicial process, but it’s a system that’s fair to all parties. The system is overseen by federal systems that try to keep order and balance throughout the country. Without any of this we would be a country with no law and order. Vigilantes’ would run the streets creating their own laws and chaos would prevail. The three components of the criminal justice system are The Police, The Criminal Courts and The Correctional Institutions. Each one of these components has a very specific function and go hand in hand with one another. For example; if a person is arrested by a police officer for a residential burglary, there is a series of events that happen on the law enforcement side, before the suspect goes to court and before he becomes a part of the correctional institutions. .Once an officer confirms a crime has been committed, he must place the person under arrest and show there was probable cause to arrest the person. This information goes into a â€Å"Probable Cause statement that’s submitted during the booking process. If the suspect is questioned he must be advised of his Miranda rights by the law enforcement officer. Evidence must be collected to prove the crime was committed and the person being charged committed the crime. The suspect is then transported to the county jail for booking. The officer must then document the incident in a police report and be able to articulate the elements of the crime have been fulfilled. The evidence must be booked and the police report must then be submitted to the District Attorney’s office within a 48 hour time frame before the suspect is arraigned in court. If any of this fails’ to happen the courts could release the suspect under Penal Code 825. The case can still be submitted to the District Attorney’s office, but it will be filled out of custody. If this process has been completed correctly the criminal courts takes over their function. Once the suspect goes to court for his first appearance he is advised of his charges and the probable cause is confirmed by the courts. During this phase the report and evidence collected are examined by the defense counsel to see if the suspect has a chance of winning the case. If the defense attorney feels that his client may lose the case based off of the evidence presented he may be allowed to plea bargain in which the suspect could plead to a lesser crime or admit guilt to the crime he is accused of. There are several things that determine if this allowed to happen, to include the suspects past criminal history and the seriousness of the crime. If the courts feel there is enough probable cause and the suspect’s rights have not been violated, the suspect will be held to answer to the charges brought against him. Otherwise the suspect could be let free based on the lack of probable cause, lack of physical evidence or the suspect’s rights being violated during the arrest or questioning process. If the suspect is held to answer he will then go to an arraignment. Once there he will plead either not guilty, guilty, or no contest. If a person pleads â€Å"not guilty† he is set for pre-trial at which time his case is handled by the person’s lawyer. If need be the case goes to trial where he is judged by twelve of his peers or the person pleads to a lesser charge and the case is closed prior to the trial. If a trial takes place and the person is found guilty he will be sentenced by the judge based on the crimes committed. This can be immediately or shortly after the trial. If the suspect is sentenced to prison he then becomes a part of the correctional institution. After sentencing he is usually turned over immediately to the custody of the sheriff’s department while awaiting transportation to prison.

Metamorphosis and the Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and Franz Kafka’s â€Å"Metamorphosis† contain many similarities. They both have the common theme of the deterioration of the main character’s life and mind, as well as the theme of the ostracism of outcasts in society. They also both deal with the main characters gaining a freedom through the demise of their previous lives. The woman in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is slowly deteriorating in mental state. When she first moves into the room in the old house, the wallpaper intrigues her. Its pattern entrances her and makes her wonder about its makeup. But slowly her obsession with the wallpaper grows, taking over all of her time. She starts to see the pattern moving, and imagines it to be a woman trapped behind the wallpaper. The total deterioration of her sanity is reached when she becomes the woman she imagined in the wallpaper and begins creeping around the room. Similar to the woman in Gilman’s story, Gregor, in â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† watches as his life slowly deteriorates. He woke up one morning to find himself to have taken the shape of a bug. But early on he tried to continue in his normal activities; he focused on how he was going to make it to the train station so he did not miss his train, and how his employer would be upset with his absence from work. Then he begins to realize that he is a bug, and he cannot live his life the same way he used to. His sister begins to take care of him, and he loses touch with everything human that he used to know. His mother and father take away all of his furniture and other possessions. Gregor’s family come to the agreement that the bug must be eliminated, it was not†¦

Conquest of Panay and Other Islands Essay

Legaspi’s Cebu settlement had three important problems. First, there was a shortage of food and what the natives were used to eat was different from Spanish food. Second, misfortune struck the settlement. On November 1, 1565, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the settlement. Some twenty Spanish houses and the hut where masses were celebrated were burned. Third, the Spaniards were displeased with Legaspi’s order that no Spaniard should take anything from the Filipinos without paying for it. This, together with the shortage of food, led to a conspiracy on November 27 under the leadership of Pablo Hernandez. The captain of the San Pablo revealed the plot to the master-of-camp, Mateo de Saez. The latter immediately warned Legaspi, who lost no time in arresting the conspirators. Hernandez was beheaded–those were times of harsh justice–but the rest of the conspirators were pardoned. And fourth, Legaspi was also faced with the hostility of the Portuguese who did not enjoy Legaspi’s settling in Cebu. They sent ships to Cebu to spy on Legaspi’s activities. In 1568, and again the following year, a Portuguese captain, Gonzalo de Pereira, blockaded Cebu in order to starve the Spaniards. With the aid of the Cebuanos, however, Legaspi withstood the blockade and succeeded in forcing Pereira to lift the blockade and leave the Philippines. In the midst of all these problems, the first reinforcements from Mexico arrived in Cebu on board the galleon San Geronimo on October 15, 1566. This made Legaspi happy, for it brought not only the news that Urdaneta had safely arrived in Mexico but much-needed soldiers from Mexico as well. Later two more galleons from Mexico arrived in Cebu on August 20, 1567, bringing additional reinforcements and supplies. They were commanded by two young grandsons of Legaspi’s–Felipe de Salcedo, 20 years old, and Juan de Salcedo, 18. With these reinforcements, Legaspi sent out various explorations to the neighboring islands for the purpose of securing more food and establishing friendly relations with the datus of the other islands. Later Legaspi received the information that food was abundant in one of the islands in the north. In 1569 he directed his men to sail to Panay. There, on the banks of the Panay River, Legaspi founded the second Spanish settlement in the Philippines. As in Cebu, he won the friendship of the Panay inhabitants by his policy of attraction. Many of these inhabitants were converted to Christianity by Augustinian missionaries. After that, Legaspi never encountered the problem of food shortage, for the natives brought the needed provisions to him. Legaspi was now ready to spread the rule of Spain to the other islands in the archipelago. With Cebu and Panay as bases, he ordered his men to explore the other Visayan islands. Captain Luis Enriquez de Guzman explored and conquered Masbate, Burias, and Ticao and claimed these for the Spanish crown. He got as far as the Bicol region, then known as Ibalon. In January 1570 Legaspi sent his warlike grandson, Juan de Salcedo, on an expedition farther to the north. With forty Spanish soldiers and some 500 Visayans, Salcedo landed at Ilin Island, just south of Mindoro, and took it for the king of Spain. From Ilin he sailed to another island, Lubang, northwest of Mindoro and close to the mouth of Manila Bay. There he met stiff resistance from Muslim defenders. Salcedo subdued them and finally captured Mamburao. This brought the Spaniards almost to the entrance of Manila Bay. Salcedo then returned to Panay to report to his grandfather what he had done.

Discussion Forum #5 envm 510 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Forum #5 envm 510 - Essay Example Screening is usually taken to be a special form of secondary prevention, which has the aim of detecting diseases or health complications in pre-symptomatic individuals in order to administer effective treatment of the realized diseases and health complication (Hackshaw 2012). At the same time, it can also be a form of primary prevention, here, it is administered with the objective of identifying risk factors or carrier status in individuals. Despite the perceived benefits of screening, many people still fail to take up the exercise for various reasons. This has led to the continued problem of screeningities among other health problems that would otherwise have been detected and prevented. One of the reasons why many people are still hesitant in taking screening relates to the fact that the effectiveness of screening largely relies on the principle of self-disclosure. In this understanding, even the use of quality and reliable instruments administered under optimal circumstances can only produce information to the degree that the individual involved gives honest information. In this case, people feel that going for medical screening is not sufficient in detecting any medical complications in the body so that effective treatment and intervention mechanisms can be administered. Secondly, denial is often assumed to be an important characteristic of substance use denial, in this case, it is hard for individuals and families to comprehend effectively and acknowledge that their patterns of substance abuse is an actual representation of substance abuse or addiction. At the same time, some people do not prefer the option of screening unless information got from the process is part of a continuum that is designed for identifying, assessing and treating certain diseases and medical complications. Public health officials have

Entertainment in Antarctica Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entertainment in Antarctica - Essay Example This detail ensures that scientists and workers actually look forward to their leisure time after completing a hard day’s work. The general public is not aware of what goes on day to day at the Antarctic and how important entertainment is to these workers state of mind. Since it is such a barren continent there is not much interest to know about life on Antarctica from the general public. Scientifically Antarctica is very popular. Entertainment on Antarctica and its importance to the workers is a very interesting and illuminating topic. Throughout my discussion I will discuss and breakdown the foundation for entertainment amongst the inhabitants in Antarctica. This will be divided into four section; basics of time, seasons and weather, scientific study and job performance, psychology of inhabitants and importance of entertainment, and the available activities. An individual living in Antarctica can describe the season as follows, cold and colder. Seasons do not progress like the rest of the world due to the extreme weather conditions. Winter runs from April to October and summer April to August (this is an overlapping time frame, you need to fix this, summer cannot be in the middle of winter!). Temperatures vary depending on wind chill factor. Summer temperatures ranges from 40 degrees below zero to 36 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Winter temperatures vary from 150 degrees below zero to 40 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit. Four months out of the year consist of 24 hours of darkness. Another four months have 24 hours of daylight and the remaining months have a mixture of day and night. (Antarctica Online, 2006). Antarctica has been occupied since 1951, housing scientists in various fields. They study the wonders and mysteries of the extreme climate (List a couple of the current research fields) (Antarctica Online, 2006). Besides scientist there are many other occupations needed to make the station function on a day to day basis. The life on the

Roe versus Vade Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Roe versus Vade Case Study - Essay Example Critics of the judgment have commonly made their arguments based on individual ethical beliefs which are immaterial when examining the language of the Constitution. The point of view that is opposed to the Roe decision can be promptly invalidated by the legal definition when evaluating the specific wordage contained within the Constitution in addition to understanding past precedent of constitutional decisions reached by the Supreme Court. However, there are legitimate questions regarding the Constitutional matters of the Roe decision that warrant answering. The word â€Å"abortion† is not contained within the Constitution but merely because the word itself is not present, the Constitution remains the source of legal precedence for this matter. The justices’ interpretation of the Constitution is the central focus of this subject. Since the Supreme Court is more conservative today in terms of general ideology than in 1973, many think that soon its interpretation of the i ssue will nearer resemble former Justice William Rehnquist’s dissenting opinion concerning Roe v. Wade. â€Å"The Court must be wrong to find any basis for this right in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. To reach its result, the Court necessarily has had to find within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment a right that was apparently completely unknown to the drafters of the Amendment† (Pavone 2005). Understanding that courts do undeniably have the power to intercede in decisions involving personal rights citing Constitutional precedence, could laws precluding abortions still be justified despite of what many consider an egregious encroachment on the civil rights of women? After all, constitutional rights are not absolute. Why shouldn’t the federal government be concerned with protecting the rights of persons yet to be born? The Fourteenth Amendment definitively answers this question. The Amendment begins by referring to â€Å"All persons born ... in the United States† (â€Å"Fourteenth Amendment†, 2011), signifying that the protections guaranteed by the Constitution refer to those persons who have already been ‘born.’ When many people criticize the Roe judgment, they base their opposition entirely on moral grounds but lawyers, scholars, and particularly judges who denounce the high court’s decision should do so based only on constitutional grounds. If they wish to voice their moral concerns they should draw a clear distinction between the legal and moral objections. The legal argument in opposition to the decision should address both the Fourteenth and the Ninth Amendment which states, â€Å"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people† (â€Å"Bill of Rights†, 2011). Persons opposing legalized abortions have stated that the ninth, and all other amendments, does not expressly refer to an abortion proced ure consequently the Constitution does not apply when attempting to establish the legitimacy of abortion rights. This point of view, however, very apparently contradicts the statement of the Ninth Amendment which undoubtedly promotes the recognition of abortion rights and all other personal rights in addition to what is specifically contained in the Constitutio