A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Essay

A popular theme in literature concerns the concept of ‘growing up’, a painful process by which a character achieves maturity, self-knowledge and confidence. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, the character of Owen Meany achieves this painful process. Owen Meany is introduced in the novel as a remarkable individual and throughout it can be observed how the brilliant child evolves into the memorable individual that he turns into. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, Owen Meany matures, gains self-knowledge and confidence to become the miracle that his character was. Owen Meany was obviously a brilliant child, but was still able to improve on his excellent character as he was growing. This can be seen through Owen’s maturity level. He was always remarkable advanced and mature for his age, but as he became older, he understood even more than before. His best friend was Johnny Wheelwright. In their friendship, Owen looked after Johnny. He gave him advice and even helped him out academically. When Johnny was bitter about his mother not revealing to him who his father was before she died, Owen came up with a mature response, â€Å"Of course, as Owen pointed out to me, I was only eleven when she died, and my mother was only thirty; she probably thought she had a lot of time left to tell me the story. She didn’t know she was going to die, as Owen Meany put it.† (Irving 10) In the face of irrationality, Owen found it easy to point out the logic. The easy way he comes up with intelligent responses to difficult questions are proof of this child’s brilliance. Later on his life, the reader sees that Owen has matured in regards to his perspective on Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had been somewhat of a hero in Owen’s mind and he had felt betrayed by him. He is able to later recover from this viewpoint and analyze the situation differently. She’s just like our whole country – not quite young anymore. But not old either; a little breathless, very beautiful, maybe a little stupid, maybe a lot more smarter than she seemed. And she was looking for something – I think she wanted to be good. Look at the men in her life – Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, maybe the Kennedys. Look at how good they seem! Look at how desirable she was! †¦ She was never quite happy †¦ She was just like our whole country †¦ Those famous powerful men – did they really love her? Did they take care of her? If she was ever with the Kennedys, they couldn’t have loved her – they were just using her †¦. People will do and say anything just to get the power; then they’ll use the power just to get a thrill †¦. The country is a sucker for powerful men who look good, we think they’re moralists and then they just use us. That’s what’s going to happen to you and me †¦ we’re going to be used.† (Irving 431) Owen Meany is very good at analysis, and he uses these talents to make conclusions on many things. It is an excellent example of his maturity. When Owen first discovered that JFK might be having an affair with Marilyn Monroe, he was shocked. Now, he is able to rationalize it and see JFK in a different light. He is able to come up with educated ideas concerning JFK and Marilyn Monroe. His metaphor of Marilyn Monroe and the United States is an excellent one. Both Marilyn Monroe and America have a great deal in common because of their mutual exploitation by the rich and powerful. Owen Meany learns a great deal about himself through the course of his life. He is convinced that there are reasons for all things. One of his strongest conviction stems from what his parents told him about him being born in the same way as Jesus. Due to this, Owen feels very convinced and assured of himself. He is a highly intelligent child: I know three things. I know that my voice doesn’t change, and I know when I’m going to die. I wish I knew why my voice never changes, I wish I knew how I was going to die; But God has allowed me to know more than most people know – so I’m not complaining. The third thing I know is that I am God’s instrument; I have faith that God will let me know what I’m supposed to do, and when I’m supposed to do it.† (Irving 366) Owen has complete faith that there are reasons for his being the way he is. This is an example of Owen’s self-knowledge. He knew these things with a complete certainty and accepted them. Few people will have blind faith in something. Owen had questions, but he still put his faith in God, bowing to his superiority. He knows who he is. He understands his purpose. He is told by many that he is crazy and insane for thinking that there is a plan for why he has the voice he has. He is also told that he should run far away from what he thinks his destiny is, but Owen is not most people. He knows what his destiny is and runs towards it. Owen’s self-awareness and knowledge is what allows him to feel that he is headed towards the right path. In the end, Owen was right. He is able to save the Vietnamese children, â€Å"It was not only because he spoke their language; it was his voice that compelled the children to listen to him – it was a voice like their voices. That was why they trusted him, why they listened. ‘DOONG SA,’ he said, and they stopped crying.† (Irving 612) In the end, Owen is to be admired for his self-knowledge. Johnny would now be wrong in thinking Owen to be strange for thinking that his odd voice had a purpose. It did have a purpose. Owen’s voice helped him save the Vietnamese children. Owen Meany has a great deal of confidence in himself. If he sets his mind to do something, he can do anything. Owen Meany desperately wanted to join the army and be able to fight so that he could fulfill his purpose that he discovered in his dream. â€Å"If there’s a war and I’m in the army, I want to be in the war †¦ I don’t want to spend the war at a desk. Look at it this way: we agree that Harry Hoyt is an idiot. Who’s going to keep the Harry Hoyts from getting their heads blown off?† (Irving 462) The way that Owen ended the statement, almost makes him sound cocky. In a way, he is, but another term to describe it would be that Owen is confident. He places total trust in God that what will happen will happen. He is confident that he is going to die, fulfill his purpose in life and be a hero. It is uncanny how unshakable Owen’s faith is. Most people are unable to practice what they preach, and Owen does what he thinks is right. He does live by his rules. It is unbelievable that he is willing to throw away his life because of his faith in God. He does not even have any proof of assurance that God does exist, but in his mind he does not need any. When Owen would be practicing his basketball shot with Johnny and it would get dark, he would ask Johnny if he could still see a statue of Mary Magdalene after it became completely dark. He would ask Johnny how he could be certain that she was still there, if he could not see her, â€Å"You absolutely know she isn’t there – even though you can’t see her?’ †¦ Well, now you know how I feel about God †¦ I can’t see Him – but I absolutely know he is there!† (Irving 451) Owen explains to Johnny that he just knows in his gut and instinctively that God exists. In the same way that people can understand and accept that other things exist without physical proof, Owen is convinced of the existence of God. His confidence is daunting. It is unusual for a person to be so rationally convinced about theology and at the same time be willing to go to extremes in the name of God. When he was getting closer to the day of his death, he had doubts, â€Å"I don’t know why he’s here – I just know he has to be here! But I don’t even ‘know’ that – not anymore. It doesn’t make sense! Where is Vietnam – in all of this? Where are those poor children? Was it all just a terrible dream? Am I simply crazy? Is tomorrow just another day?† (Irving 604) Owen is growing up. He is scared and confused. He doesn’t know why Johnny has to be there for his dream to come true. He doesn’t know if anything is going to happen. His doubts are the most important step to his growing up. In the end, he was right all along. The character, Owen Meany, was a miraculous one, due to his maturity, self-knowledge and confidence, in the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Owen was always mature for his age, but he was able to improve on it and make better judgements. He understood that although Kennedy was someone who had been a hero to him, that things are not always as you want them to be. He was able to open his mind to this, and eventually accept the possibility that Kennedy might have behaved inappropriately. Owen had an extreme amount of assurance in himself. He just knew some things and did not feel the need to question them too much. He knew that there was a reason for his voice and although, he wanted to know why, he did not feel daunted by this. He had faith in his ability to do things, even some that he did not manage to do, such as, going to war. Owen’s confidence is the last important point in his path to ‘growing up’. He had doubts and fear, but in the end his confidence in God and himself won out. Owen finally grew up, when he did what he was meant to do by God.

Charlie Fish

The wife did nothing. I would say that he is the protagonist in the story, because he is doing nothing wrong, the only thing he does is to think evil thoughts. The protagonist is usually the â€Å"good† guy in the story and the main character. I wouldn't say he is good, because he have intentions to kill his wife, but in the end it ‘s her who is the antagonist and let him die. D: Typical for the crime genre is that there often is a crime or someone who breaks the law.For example the woman in the story is breaking the law by not helping her husband, and as it says on the last line â€Å"l fall to the floor. My wife Just sits there, watching. † The main character is often a police officer(the good guy) or a criminal(the bad gay), in our story you could say the main character is both. He's a bad guy inside, but â€Å"behave† on the outside. The tension also plays a major role and there is also often plot twist in the crime genre.In the story we as readers had an idea that he non will kill his wife, but in the end it is her who kills him, it's called a plot twist and the tension is built up. I think It's a good story, because the excitement Is built up and It does not end as expected. The author manages to build something up, although the story Is so short. Charlie Fish By Cannonaded â€Å"Death by Scrabble† by Charlie Fish is a story a husband and his wife. It's the hottest angry at his wife, so angry that he would beat his wife to death.He is Just waiting for he right time. The words they put down on the board, begins to happen in reality. When he puts the word â€Å"QUAKE† down, and she thereafter put â€Å"DEATH†, it all starts to shake and the man gets a piece stuck in his throat, which he had hidden in his intentions to kill his wife, but in the end it's her who is the antagonist and let him I think it's a good story, because the excitement is built up and it does not end as expected. The author manages to build something up, although the story is so short.

Business, society and government Essay

Business, society and government are placed in different situations depending on what the conflict may be. According to the case â€Å"Dickinson’s needle sticks†, all three different sectors were placed in a different position where society was seen to have no voice or empowerment. The society in this case were the nurses, patients and any health care workers using Dickinson’s needles. These sectors solved their conflicts through interacting with each other and finalise a resolution through many negative and positive outcomes which could be ethical and unethical. But then again, each sector strive for the position of power. The major issue in the case â€Å"Becton Dickinson and needle sticks’ is the brand of syringes hospitals are using. These syringes had caused large amounts of patients, nurses and civilians infected with traumatic diseases such as Hepatitis B, C and HIV aids. Hospitals during the year 1990 was highlighted as one of the highest percentage of people be infected with diseases from syringes. In this case, Dickinson’s needle sticks were the reason to this health crisis. Dickinson’s needle sticks where known to be the top selling needle sticks in the market aiming at a reasonable price where hospitals were not reluctant to purchase. Through this major issue from the safety of Dickinson’s needle sticks had arise this issue through the relationship between business, society and government. Each sector has its own purpose, interests, values and ideologies within this case. From the society’s point of view, it could be seen that their minor role and power within the needle stick case dims the empowerment to execute the uses of Dickinson’s needles. Each sector stated and contributed their opinions to this conflicting interest where each sector fight for power through ethical and unethical ways to solve this problem. The notion of ideologies and policies come from the perspectives of business, society and government. The relationship between these sectors affect each other in ways to ‘impose power over each other’, where each position introduce the concept of ethical dilemmas when a conflict arises. In this case, according to the case â€Å"Becton Dickinson and needle sticks† shows the  perspective of society where the relationship with business and government underlies the position society has in this case. Although society is seen to be the minority, but the domination of certain ideologies in society promotes the acceptance of beliefs that benefit those in power (University of Western Sydney 2014, p.4) These societies were known to be the secondary stakeholders which include social activist groups and business social groups. The secondary stakeholders interact with businesses in relation to their interests and concerns. Within the case study, â€Å"Dickinson’s nee dle sticks† agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) trained and guided nurses through the step and process of using the Dickinson syringes. The society has decided to take part and help avoid increasing the number of accidental infection through the process of using syringes. Therefore having nurses being under pressure within the health department, could cause stress in association with the functionality of the Dickinson’s needle process. The ethical issues and the aftermath of the needle sticks will then be associated with the government. With these diseases, people, patients and health care workers could possibly suffer harshly and lead to possible death; this is known to be an ethical dilemma. Families whom by stand loved ones with diseases, could also suffer through grief. The society would question and reflect how this situation could have been avoided. For the government to take some responsibility and the Dickinson’s business admit to their ‘unsafe’ syringes causing diseases would be morally and ethically right. The moral imagination of these family members would solve a part of their mourning and put aside to the conflicting issue. In relation to ideology theories, classical liberalism would suit society in the case ‘Dickinson’s needle sticks’. According to Adam Smith, classical liberalism emphasised the value given to individual freedom and promoted individual initiative and self-interest, providing the greatest utility to society (University of Western Sydney 2014, p.11). Linking to the case with the classical liberalism theory, in 1992, a nurse, Maryann Rockwood was infected with AIDS due to the process of drawing blood using Dickinson’s needle. Maryann Rockwood had then sued Becton Dickinson for the ignorance of  providing and manufacturing the safety syringe in different sizes, which had contributed to her injury. Therefore with the classical liberalism ideology, this had allow individuals to have a voice in issues that are connected to business and government. By having Maryann Rockwood propose to this conflict, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had required hospitals and clinics free hepatitis B vaccines and provide safety needle disposal boxes, protective clothing, gloves and mask. The government had intervened and ethically solve this on behalf of the society. Therefore based on a societies point of view, their sociological imagination in relation to spreading preventable diseases allows the society to consider the complication is at ease and is avoided. Businesses volunteer and associate themselves with charity and fundraising; this is known to be an ethical responsibility. Government is suppose to protect the society in which health would be classified as the top priority. In the case â€Å"Dickinson’s needle sticks† contradict the action of the government not demanding hospitals and health workers to use the most safest syringe in the market where it would prevent any diseases. Inclusive to the business, Dickinson attempted to market a ‘safer’ syringe, but unfortunately this did not meet the government and society’s expectation. Dickinson had released a newly engineered syringe where there was only one size, which was the 3-cc. Hospitals and health workers use more than one size of syringe, in this case the most used syringe was the 5-cc and 10-cc model. Having Dickinson’s business venture this, it could again lead to another uprising conflict. The sociological imagination of society would continue to uphold petitions in erasing risk that would affect health. In this way, parts of the three sectors have compromised a slight resolution referring back to the case study, â€Å"Dickinson’s needle sticks†. From a business’ perspective, manufacturing a new and safer model of syringes to decrease the amount of conflict from the society and government. Changing and manufacturing a new and innovative product could cost the business a large sum of expenses. It can be said that business attempted to solve an issue yet it has not fully satisfied society in this matter. Government contributed through agencies such as the Health and Human Services, the Food  and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI). It can be evident that government endeavoured to adapt to the Dickinson’s needle sticks to prevent such diseases by providing proper guidelines. Through the actions of the business and government sector, it can be said that it was an ethical act to adapt to any current problems. The concept of capitalism refers to the importance in considering the rise of social struggles between those who can find work, who find work as long as their labour can increase capital and the owners of the means of production (University of Western Sydney 2014, p.5). On the contrary, having an increasing number of people infected with diseases, a high demand for employment within the health sector is needed. With the introduction of capitalism, this allowed individuals a chance of employment and benefits government to assist those in needing medical help. Colonialism has influenced the governments role in the case â€Å"Dickinson’s needle sticks†, where providing free vaccines and giving health care workers protection clothing will benefit the society in the long run where the risk of getting infected with a disease is minimal chance. Considering the diversity of global business situations, the interaction between business, society and government become more available in solving a conflicting issue of interest. With the freedom of voice, due to the introduction of capitalism from colonialism, society is allowed some sort of power when it comes to delivering satisfaction and benefits such as social welfare system. Therefore, the interrelationship between these sectors allow the conflict of interest to be resolved through continuous petitions, debates and many law cases. Based on societies perspective relating to the issue raised throughout the case, â€Å"Dickinson’s needle sticks†, it can be said that society was seen to be the minority against business and government. It could be seen that society was the underdog against business and government, but society was the main lead in this clashing case.The society in this case, were the nurses, patients and health care workers where they were affected most through this conflicting issue. It could be said that government had the most power by avoiding the increasing percentage of people being affected with inimical diseases. In association to this, business did have an unethical perspective based from the society, where they could have quickly avoid and adapt to the issues being afflicted upon society. Hence, it would have been a social responsible act if the government immediately extracted this type of syringe and replace a safer needle stick. __________________________________________________________________________ REFERENCES Crossman, A 1991, The Sociological Imagination, Introduction to Sociology, viewed 20 April 2014, . Fan, Q 2014, The Role of the State: Ideologies & Policies, lectures note distributed in Business, Society and Policy 200158 at the University of Western Sydney, Parramatta on 21 April 2014. Fan, Q 2014, B-S-G Context: Development of Capitalism from Colonialism to Global Capitalism, lecture note distributed in Business, Society and Policy 200158 at University of Western Sydney, Parramatta on 20 April 2014. Fan, Q 2014, Sociological Imagination & Ethical Reasoning, lecture not distributed in Business, Society and Policy 200158 at University of Western Sydney, Parramatta on 25 April 2014. Lau, S A 2014, Moral Imagination, College of Engineering, viewed 23 April 2014, . University of Western Sydney. 2009, Business, society and policy 200158, 2nd edn, Pearson Custom Publishing and the University of Western Sydney, French Forest, NSW.

Construction Safety Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 13

Construction Safety - Assignment Example Common training programs for workers are essential for them to read safety regulations from the same script. This facilitates commonality in performing safety techniques. The other is clear separation of duties or even space among the different contractors. This will ensure that workers of one company specialize in what they are doing without undue influence from others. There is need to have common points of reporting emergencies so as to promote orderly rescue or corrective measures. This goes a long way in minimizing casualties or fatalities. Contractors need to come up with collective minimum safety requirements at the site for there to be uniform standards. This goes helps in promoting high safety standards and monitoring. There should be a plan to minimize material and equipment congestion. According to Rojas (2009), contractors should bring only materials that are necessary while equipments can be shared under clear agreements to avoid congestion that increases chances of

From Schumpeter to Open Innovation Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

From Schumpeter to Open Innovation - Thesis Example To some people who have not grasped the true import of design in innovation, design is still descriptive of the superficial polish of neater appliances and cleaner graphics. This, however, is far from the truth (Sandberg, 2011). Today’s business trends are dictated by customers. It is an established fact that today’s buyers are not interested in procuring products but will spend money to purchase ‘meanings’. There are different ways in which people use the things they buy; most of these are due to socio-cultural, psychological, or utilitarian reasons. Innovation, in today’s business scene, is inextricably connected with design. The whole subject of design has grown to be a significant benefit for numerous industries. It also functions as an important tool in warding off commoditization. Business analysts have discovered in past researches that all manufactured goods and services being traded in industrial markets have an inherent meaning (Verganti, 2009). Companies, therefore, ought to focus on more than just functions, features, and the performance of manufactured products and seek to comprehend the true meanings given to products and services by consumers. Such meanings cannot be innovated but have to be recognized by manufacturers. User-centered viewpoints have brought about powerful methods for appreciating how consumers give meaning to the products that they purchase. There are companies that have used design to revolutionalize their entire way of doing business while also accruing massive profits. Corporations such as ‘Google’ and ‘Apple’ are now way ahead of their business rivals as a result of their efforts in placing design at the forefront of their corporate objectives of innovation (Lockwood, 2009). The researchers that make products for these firms actually seem to be able to read the minds of their consumers even before the consumers themselves are aware of what they will

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Essay

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - Essay Example Numerous famous artists performed at Llangollen which included Red Army Ensemble, Luciano Pavarotti, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Julian Lloyd Webber. The Sunday Evening Gala concert, which is the final event, features performers like Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins, Kiri Te Kanawa, Montserrat Caballe and James Galway. In the year 2009, performances by Sir Willard White, Barbara Dickson, Natasha Marsh and Blake were given. In addition to this, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera performed the spectacular James Bond 007.Public relation is very important for any business or event. Without spreading the word and creating goodwill, the business or event would be lost in this globally competitive world. It is a process through which maximum communication can be managed and maintained by the public and the organization. Public relations are required to build the rapport with customers, employees, the general public, voters, and investors. Public relation includes corporate communication, media relations, analyst relations, internal communication, investor relations and labor relations. A balance and agreement in all these dimensions will make the business and event a success (Gregory, 2004).Earlier, due to the absence of internet, the PR campaign used to be limited and a hard thing to do. The word of mouth and few posters were used to spread the word. In the modern technological revolution with the Internet, PR building has become easier, fast and very lucrative.... The Sunday Evening Gala concert, which is the final event, features performers like Bryn Terfel, Katherine Jenkins, Kiri Te Kanawa, Montserrat Caballe and James Galway. In year 2009, performances by Sir Willard White, Barbara Dickson, Natasha Marsh and Blake were given. In addition to this, Orchestra of Welsh National Opera performed the spectacular James Bond 007 (Pruett and McGuirk, 2004). PR Campaign and Llangollen International Musical Festival Eisteddfod Public relation is very important for any business or event. Without spreading the word and creating goodwill, the business or event would be lost in this globally competitive world. It is a process through which maximum communication can be managed and maintained with the public and the organization. Public relations are required to build the rapport with customers, employees, general public, voters and investors. Public relation includes corporate communication, media relations, analyst relations, internal communication, inves tor relations and labor relations. A balance and agreement in all these dimensions will make the business and event a success (Gregory, 2004). Earlier, due to absence of internet, the PR campaign used to be limited and a hard thing to do. The word of mouth and few posters were used to spread the word. In the modern technological revolution with the Internet, PR building has become easier, fast and very lucrative. Llangollen Eisteddfod is an international platform that welcomes performers from all around the world. It would not only require the local public relations campaign but global representation and connection to increase the number of participants and audiences. Eisteddfod music and dance festivals has

The New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The New Deal - Essay Example The governments before Roosevelt believed that the people should stick with and support the state through tough and bad times. In that context Franklin D Roosevelt set a new precedent by holding that it is the state that should come to the rescue of the masses in times marred by economic downturn and the subsequent issues and difficulties, supported by his â€Å"conception of government power as a force to be utilized aggressively.†1 It goes without saying that Franklin D Roosevelt was not alone in determining the broader framework of the New Deal, but rather he was advised and supported by an array of academic scholars and liberal experts, who were referred to as the ‘brain trust’. The purpose of coming out with the New Deal was to chart out the best course of action for the nation struggling with widespread economic downturn. Hence, the first hundred days of Franklin D Roosevelt’s ascendency saw the initiation of an array of bills aimed at resuscitating t he economy by reducing poverty, curtailing the rate of unemployment and to assure a speedy recovery of the economy that was down and sick. In that context it is totally true to claim that the New Deal did a lot in putting the American economy back on the track by correcting the systemic problems marring the economy and by curing the attendant flaws and anomalies. Before delving on the beneficial impacts of the New Deal on the American economy, it is utterly relevant to consider the ailments that were imminent on the American economy before the New Deal came into existence. Before the New Deal was initiated, people all across America were under the sway of a depression ridden economy and were facing a range of issues and problems. By 1929, the American economy was suffering from a state of Depression that was marked by a dearth of money in the economy and a very high rate of unemployment. The fall of the stock markets helped this state of economic downturn graduate to what is popular ly known as the Great Depression. The citizens who had invested in the stock markets not only lost their investments, but also ended up being in a state of dearth and unemployment. With the loss of their investments, people found it totally impossible to pay their personal bills and bank loans. Moreover, the Great Depression also badly influenced the nation’s banks and financial institutions. With the banks closing their doors, people lost most of their savings. With the inability of the masses to invest in the economy and not being in a position to purchase goods and services, the businesses also got sick and consequently many businesses had to shut down owing to a dearth of revenue and capital. Thereby, President Franklin D Roosevelt was quiet aware of the fact that he was being elected in an economic scenario that was bleak and depressing and that the people expected him to come out with measures that could resuscitate the economy and bring the things back on the track. He nce, the New Deal contrived by the Roosevelt government was a direct response to the expectations and aspirations of the masses and it did a lot to rescue the depression ridden national economy because, â€Å"during the campaign he had preached that the Federal government would have to assume an unprecedented role in delivering relief to the destitute and stern discipline to the business community†¦. â€Å" 2 It is a fact that during the Great Depression, the citizens had not only lost the

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 8

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example These are the challenges that the organisation face when they do not plan their change program (Flamholtz, and Randle, 2008). Generally it has been noticed that the flawed decisions of the management are responsible for creation of such barriers. However, in case of this study, the change process would be viewed from the perspective of 5D AI method. The AI method comprises of 5D, namely, 1) Define, 2) Discover, 3) Dream, 4) Design, and 5) Deliver. However, before discussing the case study of D2, the basis of AI model has to be understood, so that the readers can understand how this model would be useful in meeting the objectives of the study. The model of AI is based on the hypothesis that the question that is generally asked by someone, focus towards a particular direction (Armenakis, and Harris, 2009). Other methods evaluate and assess the situation and propose solutions on the basis of the deficiency model. Generally it has been noticed that changes and other prerequisites related to changes are seen as a challenge in the deficiency model, while AI model consider it as a deficiency and it takes an alternative approach (Bauer, 2011; Barry, 1997). Through this process change becomes easy and all the members in the organisation gets motivated and also understand the importance of change and value that it might add. Appreciative Inquiry AI approach in change management is different from simple problem solving method. Problem solving begins with the identification of the problem, while this model begins with appreciation, and identifying the best things in the system. Problem solving analysis the cause of the problem, which AI envisions what should have been the cases, which reveals a positive attitude again.... This essay stresses that challenges are faced during unplanned as well as planned change. It is a wrong notion that leaders do not face challenge if they go for plan change in their organisation. Firstly, resistance from employees even before the change process is implemented is a major challenge in both cases. Even in D2 the leaders will face the resistance when they will disclose their decisions to the employees. The leaders in the organisation have a critical role to play in this situation, as they need to prepare the people of D2 UK plant for the change. In case of unplanned change, the leaders do not have a step wise strategy to deliver the change process. To some extent the change decisions of D2 is an example of an unplanned change. This paper makes a conclusion that during the change process leaders will faces complex situations, where they might face hindrance. For example the employees at France or Spain might resist accepting employees from UK plant, and work with them. If the company plans to relocate the employees then they need to be provided the due facilities to those human resource too, which the company should consider in to their relocation cost. Teams in UK plant of D2 can take up responsibility to identify solution for different issues. Employees in the plant can even come up with excellent ideas to revive the plant at UK, rather than relocating, without increasing the cost further. This might drive the management to change their decision of closing the UK plant.

Healthcare Insight Repositioning Research Paper

Healthcare Insight Repositioning - Research Paper Example Human beings often get sick and when they do so, they need medical attention. Landmark Health is a non-profit making organization that looks towards offering their patients suitable services that will leave them satisfied, and ensure that their outpatients have words full of praise for their services rather than criticizing them (Nanus & Dobbs, 1999). Landmark Healthcare Organization extends its medical services from Virginia all the way to Georgia. The mission of the organization is to improve the health of communities, with services to each and every person in the community. The major purpose of this study is to identify the major successes and pitfalls faced by the organization as a result of its changing environment in terms of site, management and patient outcome and suggesting solutions and suitable recommendations to the problems that the organization faces. The essence of a local health center is to provide suitable medical care to its adjacent community and extend its services further to other communities in the region. Landmark Healthcare provides value to the community by embodying the belief that they have practiced at the various sites in the country. According to their senior leader, they strive to provide same medical facilities all over their thirteen locations so as to satisfy patients from both areas who visit their institution. In addition, their market leader pointed out that they offer value by providing exceptional medical facilities, enhancing appropriate physician practices and being devoted to the outreach of the community and other communal services (Nanus & Dobbs, 1999). These values, when provided adequately and sufficiently to the community, come with benefits, and as he continued to say, it has had some enormous contributions to the success of the  organization, including the organizations registering a massive benefit of $ 567 million in the year 2011. The benefits recorded were not only because of the large numbers of in-patients that they record, but it was accrued to the community services that they offer to the people.

Cosmological Argument. The forms of cosmological arguments Essay

Cosmological Argument. The forms of cosmological arguments - Essay Example Cosmological arguments usually strive to explain the existence of God in many forms. Many philosophers in the past, from Aristotle and Kalam to Aquinas, tried to argue the existence of God in different ways (Taliaferro 21). The several forms of cosmological arguments usually explain the existence of God in the following ways: that there is the existence of things, that it is possible for the same things not to exist and that those that are non-existing, yet they exist, must have been caused to exist. On this note, it is an illogical fact that things cannot bring themselves into existence since they must exist to bring themselves into existence. The argument shows that an infinite number of causes that can bring something into existence cannot exist. This is because there is no initial cause of an infinite regression of causes, meaning that the cause of existence is not there. Cosmological arguments try to prove that the universe has a cause since it exists. This shows that all things have an uncaused cause, and the uncaused cause must be God (Craig and Moreland 52). The most successful cosmological argument is Thomas Aquinas’ argument of contingence. Aquinas (1225–1274) was a theologian born in Medieval Europe. ... One has to use all the five arguments since all of them form the basis of his argument (Craig and Moreland 56). The Argument from Motion Using the works of Aristotle, Aquinas through observation, concluded that any moving object is able to move because another supreme object or supreme force makes it move. He observed that there must have been a mover that was making the objects move. This mover must have been unmoved and it must have been God. Aquinas believed that of all the things that were moving, none could move itself. This means that nothing can move itself. He also noted that in order that all objects to be in motion, the first object to be in motion needed a mover. He also said that the mover was unmoved and was God and that movement cannot last forever. Aquinas believed that all things must be at rest and motion is unnatural. According to him, motion is any change that occurs, for example, growth, rotation, etc. He concluded that a supernatural power must have put the state of motion (Craig and Moreland 61). The Argument of Causation of Existence In the argument of causation of existence, Aquinas said that it was logical that nothing can create itself. There must have been a previous object, which created it. This first object must have been uncaused cause and it must have been God. He concluded that causation of all things that exist, are other things and that nothing can be the cause of itself. The things that cause other things to exist cannot be an endless string of objects; therefore, the first uncaused cause is God (Craig and Moreland 63). The Argument of Contingence The argument of contingence is the modal argument. Aquinas argued that an uncaused

Policing Policies Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Policing Policies - Research Paper Example One of the more popular areas where policies have been implemented has been in the issue of policing and the creation of rules that govern law and order (Ratcliffe, 2008). This sector can be said to be one of the most significant areas in which policies have been utilized, and they are the reason behind the ability of law enforcement to maintain order within a society as well as determine the appropriate methods through which those that breach the laws that have been set out should be treated (Stone, 2008). The perspective used to create these policies will determine the methods in which the community will deal with the rules and regulations and those who break them (Peterson, 2005). There are two major policy perspectives that can be studying when broaching this subject; they include problem oriented policing and zero-tolerance policing. Problem Oriented Policing This policy perspective refers to a strategy that focuses on the problem that is being faced in a bid to come up with eff ective ways with which to deal with that specific problem (Taylor, 2007). The strategy involves the analysis of the various crimes that rock the society and then focus on developing solutions that will adequately solve the problem and is based upon ongoing studies to evaluate the progress made, and if the original solution needs to be modified or changed in any manner in order to make sure that the policies developed are successful in their endeavor (Stone, 2008). This strategy believes that by closely studying the problem, one is able to come up with more effective answers and solutions as they are given the chance to gauge not only the problem itself, but its underlying cause as well (Ratcliffe, 2008). By doing this, one is not only able to deal with the problem once it occurs, but determine ways in which the source can be dealt with in a way that will stop the problem from popping up in the first place(Peterson, 2005). The policy can be said to focus more on the effort of crime p revention rather than dealing with the crime itself and aims at working together with the community in a bid to decrease the level of crime rates in the society (Althaus, Bridgman & Davis, 2007). This perspective focuses on research and analysis and strives to prove that the best way of dealing with a problem is determining its cause so as to strike at it from its foundation (Fischer, Miller & Sidney, 2006). Problem oriented policing can be said to function on the basis of â€Å"prevention is better than cure† motto. There are various steps that can be taken when approaching the making of policies from this particular perspective (Ratcliffe, 2008). The process can be presented in over teen steps but can be summarized in just three steps that are taken by those who take part in this particular policy perspective. They include: Identification and Analysis of the Problem The initial step is analysis of the problem before any steps could be taken. The particular problem will need to be closely scrutinized in a bid to sufficiently understand the problem so as to determine the best way to solve it. This can be acheived by going through the various police records as well as interviewing members of the

Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Essay People being indiscriminate based on partial and inexact information by sources as television, cartoons or even comic books This is a description that seems to go against many public standards. The above words are the exact description of stereotypes. Stereotypes as implicit from the description, goes mostly hand in hand with media only not the standard meaning of the blameless media we know. Media propaganda is the other form of media that is somewhat described as media treatment. In this paper, the subsequent will be discussed: first, how stereotypes of ethnic groups operate in propaganda, why does it function so satisfactorily, and finally, the consequences of these stereotypes on the life of Egyptians in particular in society. A fair inspection will be conducted on this example of stereotypes through clarification examples and research consequences from researches conducted from reliable sources. The real association between Egyptians’ stereotypes and propaganda discussed in this paper shall magnify the suggestion of stereotypes and propaganda in common. It seems essential for this paper to start with some clarification of the circumstances related with propaganda. Propaganda can be thought of as a foster parent for stereotypes. Propaganda is recognized to be the planned manipulation of public opinion through concealed messages in advertisements and other media functions. Thus, propaganda uses numerous techniques to be able to consign theses hidden messages to the public and influence their view. Fear, brainwashing, name calling, glittering generality, misinformation and much more are some of the ways that propaganda uses to persuade and manipulate the opinions of the masses. Propaganda finds the usefulness of stereotypes in the fact that it’s easy, quick and direct to the public. In the case of stereotypes about ethnic groups, Egyptians in this case are being portrayed as uneducated, unethical, ignorant, desert animal raisers, terrorists and uncultured ethnic group. These name calling and misinformation techniques are what propagandists use to contrive the society to portray Egyptians as humans of the underworld and Egypt as a deserted country that hunger and ill health are its residents. The preceding are all stereotypes that are propagandas of the media to convince such generality into truth and facts. Racial stereotypes particularly function usually through propaganda of the media, due to the improbability of every man travelling to every country, with the technique of ‘misinformation’ through movies, shows, and news reports. Egyptians have been stereotyped as desert residents for many years regardless of the reality and actual state of Egypt as a country. For instance, the stereotypes pointing that Egyptians are mostly uneducated due to their ignorance of the importance of education is proven false by studies of trustworthy sources. Among those studies, the one conducted by the American university in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Ahram weekly, a credible newspaper known all across the Arab world, has posted in its October issue of 1998 the following: â€Å"According to Sahar El-Tawila, the essential researcher on the team, interviews conducted with girls and boys nationwide demonstrate convincingly that work and marriage were rarely stated by boys and girls respectively as reasons for departing school†¦ These may be options for those who have already left school, but they are not the impetus behind their decision to leave† (Al-Ahram 1998). Therefore, according to an American research, Egyptians are not uneducated conceited nation. After all, there is at least an American University known worldwide built in Cairo where many Egyptians have gotten their Bachelors, Masters and PhD’s from. Still, the media has successfully manipulated the public opinion to reason Egyptians as desert wonderers. Now that the first concern, of how such Egyptian-bashing stereotypes work in propaganda, has been discussed, an interesting question then must be asked: how did it come about so successfully for the public of North America to view Egyptians in such state of mind? Media being a powerful information source to the majority of North Americans, and sometimes the only source of information about specific ethnic groups, has the ability to convince the public viewpoints and opinions. Of course with stereotypes powered by propaganda in movies is very thriving in view of that American films are the most favored and appreciated media function. Openly, in one of the movie reviews now on a review website about the movie â€Å"The Mummy† which takes place in Egypt from start to end, the subsequent sentence was stated: â€Å"The Mummy is a lot of fun. So the story is unsophisticated and the characters are all stereotypes (particularly the Egyptians, who are either noble desert warriors or smelly illiterate pig-things). Who cares? The special effects are truly spectacular. † (Jennifer Mellerick, 1999). Easily, stereotypes are even expected by who understands them and the media propaganda generates more and more. To attest that such depiction is a stereotype and not fact, the website ‘Egypt WWW Index’ has a list of all universities in Egypt (an estimated thirty educational institutions in total), many links to political and governmental committees and services, business, commercial, and entertainment facilities, as well as links to political women figures in the Egyptian society. More than the average North American could even imagine of Egypt , and it is all owed to the media propaganda that produced this image of Egyptians. People being indiscriminate based on partial and inexact information by sources as television, cartoons or even comic books This is a description that seems to go against many public standards. The above words are the exact description of stereotypes. Stereotypes as implicit from the description, goes mostly hand in hand with media only not the standard meaning of the blameless media we know. Media propaganda is the other form of media that is somewhat described as media treatment. In this paper, the subsequent will be discussed: first, how stereotypes of ethnic groups operate in propaganda, why does it function so satisfactorily, and finally, the consequences of these stereotypes on the life of Egyptians in particular in society. A fair inspection will be conducted on this example of stereotypes through clarification examples and research consequences from researches conducted from reliable sources. The real association between Egyptians’ stereotypes and propaganda discussed in this paper shall magnify the suggestion of stereotypes and propaganda in common. It seems essential for this paper to start with some clarification of the circumstances related with propaganda. Propaganda can be thought of as a foster parent for stereotypes. Propaganda is recognized to be the planned manipulation of public opinion through concealed messages in advertisements and other media functions. Thus, propaganda uses numerous techniques to be able to consign theses hidden messages to the public and influence their view. Fear, brainwashing, name calling, glittering generality, misinformation and much more are some of the ways that propaganda uses to persuade and manipulate the opinions of the masses. Propaganda finds the usefulness of stereotypes in the fact that it’s easy, quick and direct to the public. In the case of stereotypes about ethnic groups, Egyptians in this case are being portrayed as uneducated, unethical, ignorant, desert animal raisers, terrorists and uncultured ethnic group. These name calling and misinformation techniques are what propagandists use to contrive the society to portray Egyptians as humans of the underworld and Egypt as a deserted country that hunger and ill health are its residents. The preceding are all stereotypes that are propagandas of the media to convince such generality into truth and facts. Racial stereotypes particularly function usually through propaganda of the media, due to the improbability of every man travelling to every country, with the technique of ‘misinformation’ through movies, shows, and news reports. Egyptians have been stereotyped as desert residents for many years regardless of the reality and actual state of Egypt as a country. For instance, the stereotypes pointing that Egyptians are mostly uneducated due to their ignorance of the importance of education is proven false by studies of trustworthy sources. Among those studies, the one conducted by the American university in Cairo, Egypt. Al-Ahram weekly, a credible newspaper known all across the Arab world, has posted in its October issue of 1998 the following: â€Å"According to Sahar El-Tawila, the essential researcher on the team, interviews conducted with girls and boys nationwide demonstrate convincingly that work and marriage were rarely stated by boys and girls respectively as reasons for departing school†¦ These may be options for those who have already left school, but they are not the impetus behind their decision to leave† (Al-Ahram 1998). Therefore, according to an American research, Egyptians are not uneducated conceited nation. After all, there is at least an American University known worldwide built in Cairo where many Egyptians have gotten their Bachelors, Masters and PhD’s from. Still, the media has successfully manipulated the public opinion to reason Egyptians as desert wonderers. Now that the first concern, of how such Egyptian-bashing stereotypes work in propaganda, has been discussed, an interesting question then must be asked: how did it come about so successfully for the public of North America to view Egyptians in such state of mind? Media being a powerful information source to the majority of North Americans, and sometimes the only source of information about specific ethnic groups, has the ability to convince the public viewpoints and opinions. Of course with stereotypes powered by propaganda in movies is very thriving in view of that American films are the most favored and appreciated media function. Openly, in one of the movie reviews now on a review website about the movie â€Å"The Mummy† which takes place in Egypt from start to end, the subsequent sentence was stated: â€Å"The Mummy is a lot of fun. So the story is unsophisticated and the characters are all stereotypes (particularly the Egyptians, who are either noble desert warriors or smelly illiterate pig-things). Who cares? The special effects are truly spectacular. † (Jennifer Mellerick, 1999). Easily, stereotypes are even expected by who understands them and the media propaganda generates more and more. To attest that such depiction is a stereotype and not fact, the website ‘Egypt WWW Index’ has a list of all universities in Egypt (an estimated thirty educational institutions in total), many links to political and governmental committees and services, business, commercial, and entertainment facilities, as well as links to political women figures in the Egyptian society. More than the average North American could even imagine of Egypt , and it is all owed to the media propaganda that produced this image of Egyptians. Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Furthermore, Egyptians are stereotyped to be uninformed owing to the reality that they are thought of as technology uneducated. In a website found throughout the study on this topic, a person of an Indian ethnicity by the given name of Shani Rifati has set up a website, which he calls â€Å"Please Call Me Rom†. To right the depiction of his race to North Americans, Shani said: â€Å"I am not a Gypsy. The term Gypsy comes from peoples ignorance, when we were wrong for Egyptians† (Rifati). Remarkable huh! Here is an example of a person that is defending his own nationality from stereotypes, yet uses stereotypes. What is even more interesting than that is the reality that the Egyptian history has been known to be the supreme civilization of all times, yet such culture is simply bashed by supercilious that all Egyptians are just ignorant Gypsies. â€Å" African American and Latino children who are aware of broadly held stereotypes about academic aptitude perform more disappointingly on a cognitive task when that task is described as a measure of capability than when the same task is described as a problem-solving duty. † (Carol Hyman 2003). Therefore racial or ethnic stereotypes that work in media propaganda or rather called media manipulation, has not only had influences on adults, but also is passed over with the youth of tomorrow. It is easy to give out information with no truthful back up, but the public inclination is what can moreover stop media propaganda from disturbing the public opinion or simply energize such unsafe aspect of the media, stereotypes. Furthermore, Egyptians are stereotyped to be uninformed owing to the reality that they are thought of as technology uneducated. In a website found throughout the study on this topic, a person of an Indian ethnicity by the given name of Shani Rifati has set up a website, which he calls â€Å"Please Call Me Rom†. To right the depiction of his race to North Americans, Shani said: â€Å"I am not a Gypsy. The term Gypsy comes from peoples ignorance, when we were wrong for Egyptians† (Rifati). Remarkable huh! Here is an example of a person that is defending his own nationality from stereotypes, yet uses stereotypes. What is even more interesting than that is the reality that the Egyptian history has been known to be the supreme civilization of all times, yet such culture is simply bashed by supercilious that all Egyptians are just ignorant Gypsies. â€Å" African American and Latino children who are aware of broadly held stereotypes about academic aptitude perform more disappointingly on a cognitive task when that task is described as a measure of capability than when the same task is described as a problem-solving duty. † (Carol Hyman 2003). Therefore racial or ethnic stereotypes that work in media propaganda or rather called media manipulation, has not only had influences on adults, but also is passed over with the youth of tomorrow. It is easy to give out information with no truthful back up, but the public inclination is what can moreover stop media propaganda from disturbing the public opinion or simply energize such unsafe aspect of the media, stereotypes.

Abraham Lincoln The Man That Changed America History Essay

Abraham Lincoln The Man That Changed America History Essay This one man was able to fight for, work for, and love his country so much that he single-handedly brought about changes that had previously only been dreamt of. This astonishing individual accomplished more in 30 years than most men do in their entire lifetime. Perhaps one of the most remarkable men in the history of the United States, Abraham Lincoln changed the course of our history forever. On February 12, 1809, Nancy Lincoln gave birth to a son, whom she named Abraham. This child, named after his grandfather, was born in Hardin County, Kentucky. Abraham had two siblings, Sarah, who was two years older, and Thomas, who was three years younger. However, Thomas, Abrahams only brother, unexpectedly died shortly after birth. The Lincolns were not a significantly wealthy family; they lived in a log cabin, and Thomas Lincoln worked very hard for every cent he earned. In fact, Thomas had to take on two jobs, farming and carpentry, in order to support his family. Partly on the account of slavery, but chiefly on the account of the difficulty of land titles in Kentucky, Thomas Lincoln moved his family to Pigeon Creek, Indiana. (Lincoln Bicentennial). In 1716, after buying property, Abraham helped his father with much of the work involved in settling into this 160-acre piece of land. Just two years after the move, in 1818, the Lincoln family suffered yet another tragedy when Abrahams mother died from contaminated milk. Just a year after Nancys death, Abrahams father remarried a widow, with three children of her own, by the name of Sarah Bush Johnston. Abraham and his stepmother grew very close, and she treated him as if he were her own child. She encouraged him to grow in his knowledge and understanding of things, and was said to have started his childhood education. (Burns). Although Abraham had previously gone to school for a couple of months, he never had any inspiration to learn until he received this encouragement from his stepmother. If one put all of Abrahams schooling together, one would find that he received less than one year of actual school in his entire life. This means that Abraham Lincoln had so little education, that he could be considered a completely self educated man. He showed a special interest in books and reading and knew his Bible very well even though he never attended church. At the age of 19, Abraham Lincoln had grown into a man of 64 and was stronger than anyone in town, leading to his first job offer. The offer came from a man by the name of James Gentry, and it was to bring a shipload of cargo to New Orleans. After delivering the cargo, with James Gentrys son, on a boat Abraham had built by hand, James was amazed by Abrahams incredible skill and reliability. He asked Abraham to work in his local store, and Abraham jumped at the opportunity to make some more money. While working there, he would often hear men speak of politics; this sparked an interest, which slowly grew to a flame, in young Abraham. During this time, however, Abrahams sister, Sarah, died giving birth to a child, causing much grief in his life. Soon after her death, Abrahams relatives wrote his father, saying how greatly efficient and productive the soil in Illinois was. This inspired Thomas Lincoln to once again move his family to a different part of the country. (Lincoln Bicentennial ). This time however, Abraham did not stay with his family for very long. Instead, he went up to New Salem, Illinois, and life on his own had finally begun. Between 1831 and 1832, Abraham tried various occupations, and learned very much, including the basics of mathematics. However, when the Black Hawk War began, Lincoln was one of the first to enlist in the American militia. Abraham never saw any action personally, but he was still elected captain of his company. He served his men as best as he possibly could until the war ended, just a couple months later. Once safely back in New Salem, Abraham took on the job of postmaster, and was placed in charge of the local post office. As word of this honest, hardworking, and diligent man spread throughout Salem and the surrounding towns, Abraham acquired the nickname Honest Abe. During this time, Abraham learned more grammar and began to develop a formal and proper way of speaking. He decided to run for state legislature, ultimately beginning his political career, but lost to one of his rivals. This defeat did discourage Abraham Lincoln, but rather, drove him to persevere, strive for excellence, and be the best he could be. In 1834, Abraham made a second attempt at politics, and once again ran for state legislature, only this time, he won. He was representative of the state of Illinois and gained the approval and trust of many of his fellow countrymen. After he won the election, he took up the study of law. With his love of debating, storytelling, and reading, he found his calling in law and politics. (National Museum of American History). While he was a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln grounded his principles and opinions, especially those on slavery, making this an extremely pivotal point in his life. Lincolns years as a lawyer influenced his character, and that character eventually influenced our nation. (Kalantari). His ability to ease the witnesses, as well as the entire atmosphere of the courtroom, made him a great lawyer. For the next 25 years, Abraham served as a lawyer aside from his political career. The men and women of Illinois held such affection for Abraham Lincoln that they re-elected him three times over the next six years. In 1840, just after his third re-election, Abraham proposed to a woman by the name of Mary Ann Todd, whom he had met the year before. After breaking up and getting back together, they finally got married in November of 1842. Less than a year after their marriage, Abraham and Mary welcomed their first baby boy into the world, and named him Robert Todd Lincoln. For the next two years, Abraham not only continued to serve as state representative, but he also showed devotion to his family, proving himself to be a great father. In 1846, Abraham and Mary conceived yet another child who they named Edward Baker Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln enjoyed his time as the representative of Illinois, but it was not long before he realized that he was capable of much more. Impelled by this realization, Abraham ran for U.S. representative in 1847, at the age of 38. He won the election, but served in this position for only one term. Once this term ended, Abraham fell back on his career as a lawyer, and continued to study law books. For the next five years, Lincoln devoted much of his time to studying the issue of slavery as well. (Lincoln Bicentennial). During this time, however, Abrahams son, Edward, died at the young age of four. The Lincoln family took his death very hard and later learned it had most likely been due to a bad case of tuberculosis. In that same year, Mary gave birth to a third son, named William Wallace Lincoln. His birth guided the family through the struggle, and helped them to move on. Just three years later, in 1853, the Lincolns had yet another son, who they named Thomas Tad Lincoln. Their sons brought Abraham and Mary great joy, and Abraham was said to be a very loyal and committed father. In 1854, Abraham was again elected as state representative; however, he resigned in order to run for the U.S. senate. During his campaign, he gave a speech declaring the United States would either become all free or all slave because a house divided against itself cannot stand. It was after this debate that Lincoln received his first considerable national fame. (Abe Lincoln). Despite his national fame, Abraham lost this election. Undeterred, he made yet another attempt at the U.S. senate, in 1858, however, he was once again out-voted. Two short years later, Abraham Lincoln took the biggest step of his political career. That year, 1860, Abraham jumped at the opportunity to run for president of the United States. Not sure if he would make it or not, Abraham was campaigning against some of the top competitors in the country. After a long, hard, and stressful run, Abraham was finally elected the sixteenth president of the United States of America. Almost immediately after his election, southern states began to drop out of the union, angered by the new anti-slavery president. Eleven states ended up dropping out, and their anger eventually turned to violence in 1861, marking the beginning of the Civil War. The North fought for the abolition of slavery, and the South fought for keeping slavery. As the war raged on, Abraham Lincoln continued to fight for the right of all men as equals. Not only was Abraham fighting to free the slaves, but he was also fighting to reunite the North and the South. He believed that in order to stand, the United States had to join together as one country, instead of being a split nation. As the war neared it ´s third year, Abraham Lincoln issued one of the most important documents in history: the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation declared that  ´all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforth shall be free ´ (National Archives and Records Administration). This document aided the northern states in the war by: allowing blacks to fight for the union army, redefining the civil war as a war of freedom, and strengthening the union soldiers mentally. The Emancipation Proclamation is quite possibly the greatest document of human freedom. (National Archives and Records Administration). As the war continued to be fought, Abraham ´s fourth year as president came near, and the time for elections came around. In 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president of the United States. He continued doing his presidential duties just as well, if not better than before. A year after his re-election, Abraham and his wife went to see a show in Ford ´s Theatre, Washington, D.C. Around 10:00 p.m., an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential booth, and shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head with a pistol. Abraham survived through the night, but died around 7:30 the next morning. Booth, motivated to kill President Lincoln due to disagreements on slavery, escaped, but was found and shot a few weeks later. Abraham ´s death only motivated more people to fight for the freedom and equality of all men and women alike. The very same year he died, the Civil War came to an end with the South surrendering. Due to Abraham Lincoln ´s perseverance and willpower, slavery was abolished, and America was made a free country. America ´s future had been set on a new path. The old life was thrown away, and a new chapter had begun for all Americans, black and white. Abraham accomplished more in his last few years than one could even dream to accomplish in an entire lifetime. Abraham Lincoln, one of the most extraordinary men to ever live, changed the future, lives, and hearts of Americans forever.

Biological Psychology Applications

Biological Psychology Applications SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE AND THE COMPLEMENTING NATURE OF SOCIAL AND BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES Frankie S. Frazier Jr Part A What careers other than psychology, would benefit from a foundational knowledge of biological psychology? There are a variety of professions that would benefit from the foundational knowledge of biological psychology, particularly, the guidance counseling field. A guidance counselor is an individual whose job description is to assist in guiding children toward making successful choices. Guidance counselors provide the support that is needed to help children who may be experiencing an unstable and/or somewhat confusing time in their lives. Children are offered additional support that provides the child with the foundation to thrive, instead of becoming yet another statistic. When it comes to the biological aspect of this particular career path, behavior definitely plays an important role in determining a child’s actions, a child’s emotions, as well as the child’s ability to learn within a classroom setting. â€Å"Biological psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the relationships between behavior and the body, particularly the brain† (Garrett, 2015 , pg. 3). A Mental Health counselor would also benefit from the foundational knowledge of biological psychology. A mental health counselor that chooses to work within a school environment would be able to provide further assistance. He or she is a critical link between the school faculty and â€Å"the child†. He or she has the background through his or her education and interactions with other children to better aid staff who may be unfamiliar with this area of study, to better understand the principles of human development, psychology, and mental health and change theories. Mental health counselors are also skilled in the assessment of people and situations, diagnosing, and providing referrals for treatment of mental disorders. Mental health counselors are experienced with effectively working with children who need the extra support beyond the services that have previously been available to them. Children that are also at a disadvantage academically, due to behavioral reasons are in di re need of more extensive interventions and can benefit tremendously from the prior knowledge and experience of a competent Mental Health counselor. A student’s inability to make good, solid behavioral choices often interferes with his or her ability to stay within the classroom setting, often affecting his or her opportunity to benefit from crucial instructional time. Children who take medication, may also struggle with ADHD or a plethora of other diagnoses, need the extra support. This somewhat levels the playing field so to speak, and give students with special needs the same opportunity to become as successful as their peers. What are the practical applications of biological psychology? When it comes to the practical applications of biological psychology, biological psychology combines research from genetics and physiology in order to be able to understand human behavior. â€Å"When it comes to how individuals think such as making decisions and choices, there’s a compelling theory that is a â€Å"mind† behind it all†. (Garrett, 2015, pg. 3). Biological psychology has many practical applications in the understanding of how the human brain functions. Understand and explaining how the brain works can be very complex. The brain interacts with so many aspects of the body to include: movement, body sensation, an individual’s speech, hearing, vision, and language. The brain functions in such a diverse and complex manner, which explains why many individuals would consider the subject psychology to be a very broad and controversial area of study when it comes to the relationship between the brain and an individual’s behavior. How will you apply what you have learned in this course to your life? How will I apply what I have learned throughout this course in my life? I know I will personally benefit from the foundational knowledge of biological psychology because of my current profession, as well as my future career goals. I currently work within an elementary school setting with students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. North Charleston Elementary School is predominantly an African-American school, with only a small percentage of Caucasian students or students from other ethnic backgrounds. The school’s staff is well diversified, which in turn helps students who may come from other schools that aren’t as culturally diversified within the faculty population. I am now better able to relate to all students, regardless of race, gender, ethnic, or socioeconomic status compared to when I first started working as an educator. I am now confident in my ability and skills to not only relate, but differentiate between adversities that an individual student migh t be facing at home or within the classroom. Students often show a range of behaviors, both positive and negative, and tend to go through many phases, such as peer acceptance and peer-pressure. â€Å"Behavior results from the interaction of many wide spread areas of the brain† (Garrett, 2015, pg. 7). For the past seven years, I have spent my time as an educator working in a number of diverse elementary schools. Many of the schools were considered â€Å"high poverty† schools due to the number of students receiving primarily free or reduced lunch. I have had the opportunity to work with students, who despite living in high poverty areas, still came to school eager to learn and receive their education. Often times, their poverty stricken lifestyle was a motivating factor in encouraging them to get a quality education so that they could eventually break the cycle of poverty and strive to attain whatever goal they set. I have also had the opportunity to experience what it was like to work in more affluent areas of Charleston. There is a huge disparity between the two school environments. I believe that I have an advantage over individual coming from off the street without any experience. I believe that the experience that I have gained throughout these past years and all of the knowledge that I have acquired throughout this course will be advantageous to me in the near future. I am now able to better understand a child’s individual needs from a different perspective. When I first started working for the school system, one of the biggest issues that resonated with me was the lack of a support system in high poverty areas. The schools received less assistance and student interventions than the schools in the high income areas. I strongly believe that school’s physical location and/or culture dissimilarities should not dictate the amount of funds or resources available to a particular school is allocated. All schools should be equitable in financing and also, in meeting the needs of its student population and community. Every child deserves an equal opportunity to obtain a quality education. The current generation is our future and we need to become fully vested in it. If we invest our time, resources, and money into guiding our students now to eventually become our great leaders of the future. Studies have shown that we can choose to allocate our resources now to provide children with additional support and therapeutic interventions early on in their life that will lay the foundation for future success. Or, we have the option of ignoring our population of youth with the greatest needs to continue to be passed on from teacher to teacher or school to school, forcing us to have to invest more time and financial resources on remediation later on in their lives. The choice is ours! Success has always been my responsibility! As an educator, I will encourage, promote, support, and share in the ownership of a student’s success. Students should feel at ease when going to school, and never have to fear for their safety. Having the knowledge and skills needed to maintain order within a classroom are key factors when it comes to understanding the foundational knowledge of biological psychology. Insight into the foundational knowledge of biological psychology can contribute too many fields of study and career paths. Part B State the research problem The research problem expresses that approaches to human behavior cannot be fully explained by social or biological approach alone but as a multi-level integrative analysis. Researchers state, â€Å"Social and biological approaches to human behavior have contrasted as if the two maybe antagonistic or mutually exclusive† (Cacioppo Bernston, 1992, pg. 829). These contrasts have surfaced within the field of psychology. Tensions between biological and social approaches surface in behavioral neuroscience and social psychology. Human biology is rooted in concrete anatomy and genetics while the social science is completely opposite. Social approaches are based upon an abstract set of actions by different groups and societies and their influences. The research will be rooted and based on the differences in both approaches and how they can and do work together toward understanding human behavior. Provide an effective literature review of other studies done on the same research problem Science brief written by Kristen Jacobson, Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies summarizes that genetics and social environment are not only important to human development but can also play and integral role in the resilience to specific behavioral and psychological disorders. This study is comparable to the research problem because it complies with the idea that these approaches are not always mutually exclusive. The brief also supports the research hypothesis that the biological and social approaches must work as part of an integrated system of processes to better understand human development and behavior. (Kristen Jacobson, 2009) Discuss the importance or implications of this research problem The importance of the research problem is the understanding of human behavior. Understanding human behavior by using social or biological approaches may help to shed light on matters of violence, education, economics and environmental factors. Human behavior is said to occur from the interactions of many wide spread areas of the brain. Human behavior is susceptible and affected by contact and relationships with others. The human brain allows us to recognize faces but it is â€Å"language, the bedrock of complex social interactions†, that will nevertheless develop in all humans thusly affecting behavior. (Cacioppo Bernston, 1992, pg. 831) State the hypothesis The hypothesis for this article is that researchers want to determine whether or not â€Å"mechanisms underlying the mind and behavior are not fully explicable by a biological or a social approach alone but rather than a multilevel integrative analysis may be required† (Cacioppo Bernston, 1992, pg. 829). Researchers surmise that all human behavior at some level is biological. Others dispute that not only is human behavior biological but affected by social settings and environments. Research that has been gathered by both the psychological and biological fields have shown that human development and behavior is affected by both social and biological approaches. The study of animal behavior has also been utilized to further support this hypothesis. Discuss research method and rational for research method to be used in this study One research method that was used within this article was the experimental method. â€Å"An experiment is a study in which a researcher manipulates a condition which is expected to produce a change in the subjects’ behavior† (Garrett, 2015, pg. 97). Researchers found that animal studies provide the best experimental evidence for social influences on cardiovascular disease. Researchers used cynomolgus monkeys and found that in a series of studies, social disruptions promoted coronary atherogenesis. This implicates that the sympathetic nervous system is behaviorally induced. Discuss how the study would be designed to verify the hypothesis Design of the study would need to involve the consideration of social influences on biological processes, experiments with animal and/or human subjects to explain and quantify these findings. Utilizing various age, social and economic groups to differentiate the studies. Studies would be centralized around how extreme environmental factors play a role in human behavior and the biological effects. Describe how the validity of the research will be ensured Comparison and citation of similar studies done on the hypothesis may help to further validate the research. Expanding research groups from a localized setting to a global setting would help to ensure that the research is covering a broader audience. Research groups would contain not only age, economic and social variations but geographical influences as well. Results from this broader variation of test subjects would help to ensure that there is no bias in the research findings. Discuss the necessary criteria to ensure the study will be conducted safely and ethically I do not believe that any of these particular experiments were conducted in an ethical fashion. In my opinion, using animals, rodents etc. should never be considered an ethical approach to science. Animals have similar sensory receptors and while they may not be able to verbally report pain like humans, they most certainly â€Å"sense† or feel the pain. This can be observed in an animal’s response to pain. While an animal may not be able to convey in spoken words to a researcher that they are in physical or emotional pain, they can create audible sounds and display muscular reflexes that clearly confirm their discomfort. There was an experiment that was conducted using rodents such as rats or mice, in order to determine whether animals such as mice or monkeys had the same effect that humans may have when it comes to the social and biological approach. Although, I strongly disagree that the use of animals is safe or ethically safe, â€Å"research states that animals pro vide among the best experiment evidence for social influences on autonomic function and cardiovascular disease† (Cacioppo Bernston, 1992, pg. 829). Therefore, some of the implications and findings from research that requires the use of animals may potentially be somewhat accurate due to the in-depth studies that have already been conducted. Conclusion Biological and social approaches and how they work in conjunction to display their effects on human behavior have been the topic of discussion amongst researchers and psychologist. As there is a dispute between psychologist and biologist on which approach is most effective, both approaches have shown to be sufficient techniques in defining human behavior. Science studies research groups and experiments have been conducted to show these approaches are part of a multilevel system of analysis. Although both approaches have traditionally been viewed as opposing techniques, research studies have proven that there are complimentary. References Cacioppo, J. T., Bernston, G. G., (1992). Social psychological contributions to the decade of the brain: The doctrine of multilevel analysis. American Psychologist. 47, 819-1028. Garrett, B. (2015).Brain and behavior: An introduction to biological psychology(4th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Western Expansion Essay -- United States History Historical Essays

The Westward Expansion Introduction The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history, down to the end of the19th century and as the main factor in the shaping of American history. As Frederick Jackson Turner says, the greatest force or influence in shaping American democracy and society had been that there was so much free land in America and this profoundly affected American society. Motives After the revolution, the winning of independence opened up the Western country and was hence followed by a steady flow of settlers to the Mississippi valley. By 1840, 10 new western states had been added to the Federal union. The frontier line ran through Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas on the western side of the river. All parts of the valley except Wisconsin and Minnesota were well populated. Thus a whole new section had been colonized with lasting effects on the American institutions, ideals and ways of living. The far west was the land of high mountains, deserts, strange rock formations, br illiant colors and immense distance. Fur trade with Europe had now become a lucrative business and the fur traders became the pathfinders for the settlers. Migration was now possible by the discovery of paths over which ox-driven carts could be driven through seeking mountains and across the western desert. People wanted to move away from the overcrowded cities and this led to the migration into the uninhabited lands. Increased transportation like roads, railroads and canals and their construction created a demand for cheap labor making it easier for people to get jobs now, in contrast with the cities where there was unemployment. The pioneer movement for 70 years after the revolution roughly represented the form of 3 parallel streams, flowing westwards from New England, Virginia and South Carolina. The first pioneer groups tended to move directly westward. Thus the new Englanders migrated into western New York and along the shores of the great lakes, Virginians into Kentucky and th en into Missouri and the South Carolinians and Georgians into the gulf territories. Throughout the settlement of the Mississippi valley, most pioneers did not travel long distances and as a territory had been occupied, families would move into the adjacent one. There were boom periods of great activity, during which million acres of land were sold, alternated ... ...or wider opportunities. Even the safety valve theory has an element of truth when applied to ambitious young men of the professional class who had a better chance of making it big much quicker in the West than in the East. Without the open frontier, moreover, there would have been a much larger migration of young people from the farms to the cities; thus the frontier helped indirectly to check the exploitation of the working class by preventing it from expanding too rapidly. The Westward Expansion also weakened state and regional loyalties and promoted national unity due to its inherent mobility. Most westerners thought of themselves primarily as Americans, and wanted strong national government with broad powers for developing transportation and promoting the general welfare. The most significant feature of the Westward Expansion was that the pioneers took with them the essential institutions of their civilization. Thus we must look upon the Westward Expansion as one of the facto rs in the shaping of the American civilization but not the only one. AKSHARA PRADHAN Roll No. 385 Tute. Grp.- Tuesday, 1st Pd. Bibliography the history of the united states of america -H.B.Parkes

Exemplification Essay: Welfare, A Vicious Circle -- Expository Exempli

  Ã‚  Ã‚   It's Diana's turn at the tiny glass window. Her face burns red with shame as she is handed her monthly check. Two small children tug at her dress, their stomachs growling from a day without food. She looks down at her two children, her face filled with pain and guilt. What had happened to their happy life? With just the stroke of the pen across a divorce decree, Diana and her children were thrust into the humiliation of the welfare line. For two years now, Diana has tried to get back on her feet, but with only a high school diploma, she can't find a job to support her family. Getting a college degree is her only way out, but her check isn't enough to afford daycare, so she's stuck accepting welfare.    This is not an uncommon scenario. Most people on welfare are looking for a way to rejoin the American work force; yet, society's stereotype of a welfare recipient is consistently that of a lazy, immoral woman who continues to have children out of wedlock just to increase her welfare benefits. This image could not be further from the truth; most single mothers who turn to welfare do so for the purpose it was originally created for: to be a temporary safety net for those trying to get back on their feet after a job loss or tragedy. Though welfare is supposed to be a temporary source of help, once the woman begins to receive her benefits, she has actually trapped herself in a vicious cycle of poverty, and while the U.S. government takes credit for providing budget money to help thousands of people regain their positions in American society through welfare programs, it actually robs them of their dignity and self-determination. Not only that, but this system, ostensibly devis ed to uplift women and chil... ...rs in the system, there will never be any hope for those on welfare to get off. The welfare program has turned into a vicious circle that traps the recipient, namely single mothers, into a cycle of poverty. But before we can change anything politically or economically about the welfare system, we must first re-evaluate our beliefs and prejudices against those who did not ask to be put in this situation is the first place.    Works Cited Abramovitz, Mimi, and Frances Piven. "What's Wrong With Welfare Reform?" The New York Times 2 Sept. 2001: A23. Buchsbaum, Gerbert. "The Welfare Debate." Scholastic Update 11 Mar. 1999: 6-8. DeParle, Jason. "The Entitlement Trap." The New York Times 27 Jan. 1994: A12 Lavelle, Avis. "Welfare: Means to an End?" Essence Apr. 1998: 124 Peart, Karen. "Life On Welfare." Scholastic Update 11 Mar. 1994: 9-10.

Required classes for college students Essay -- essays research papers

"Open Your Eyes" Open your eyes, clean out your ears, sit down and listen, straighten your back, keep your head forward and be ready to have an open mind? Having an open mind is a good quality to have while experiencing different situations that you may encounter. People have many different opinions and ideas which they are expressing in today's society. College is another step along the journey of life that a select few will experience. College should be first priority on everybody's agenda in order to be successful in this struggling world. People need education outside of their own studies to broaden their horizons. People are sometimes stuck in their own "little world" and do not realize the important factors of life. Hopefully, college students will realize the importance of the classes which they are taking in college courses, and that the classes have meaning. Students may not understand the meaning of these required classes at the time which they are required, but someday t! hey may understand. College students may think basic required classes is just busy work, wasted time, and a waste of their money. There is another intention to why these classes are required. Imagine that you are the Vice President of a well known company while sitting there in a meeting with the President of the same company and all of your coworkers. Somebody says to you Mr. VP, what do you think about the Checks and Balances of our American Government? What is Mr. VP ...

Entangled Pakistan and War on Terror Essay

At eight forty-six Flight eleven crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre (Board). Sixteen minutes later Flight number, one seventy-five, impacted the South Tower (Board, George Washington University). American Airlines Flight seventy-seven dropped on the Pentagon at nine thirty-seven (Board, George Washington University ). On eleventh September 2001 two thousand nine hundred and seventy seven people died (Glazier). It marked the worst terrorist attack in the American history. The United States economy froze while the world still stood in shock. In those dramatic moments on twelfth September 2001, President George W Bush addressed the nation and declared America’s War on Terrorism (US declares War on Terror). What followed was a global campaign by American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops against Taliban, who controlled Afghanistan and Al-Qaeda, the master mind behind the nine-elven plot. The military campaign was named â€Å"Operation Enduring Freedom†. The leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was the key target of the United States. When the Afghan government refused to hand over, USA decided to invade Afghanistan (Channel). On twenty-second September 2006, President Parvez Musharraf confided that United States threatened Pakistan. In an interview, Musharraf said â€Å"The intelligence director told me that Mr Armitage said, ‘Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age’,† (Beale). But before US could go on with its claims, Pakistan had accepted to cooperate and provide a channel into Afghanistan. However, ten years into the war Pakistanis have started to raise serious questions as to whether the war is Pakistan’s or not. In this regard President Musharraf is often blamed for dragging Pakistan into a war which was not Pakistan’s. The debate on this issue has been a controversial one. Opposition leader Imran Khan said â€Å"A friend should tell the other friend what is good for them. A military solution is a disaster for the U. S. , it’s a disaster for the people of Pakistan. † (Solomon). At many instances it has been suggested by opposition leaders that Pakistan should withdraw from the war. Although Pakistan has benefited by the uplift of sanctions imposed in 1998 and improved foreign relations through its critical role in the war, illustrated by Western assistance during natural disasters, the war on terror has been a disadvantageous feat in terms of receiving highly misallocated foreign aid, fighting terrorism which it structured in the first place, and healing a scarred reputation of being a pro-fundamentalist country. Moreover, Pakistan’s ill-equipped economy is not suited to sustain a pro-longed war, especially a one which has extended to its own territories. USAID (United States aid for International development) is the most commonly presented counter argument when Pakistan’s self-interest in the war is put forth. However, it is to be noted here that survival of Pakistan does not solely depend on USAID, let alone boost economy. Between 2002 and 2008 Pakistan received a total of twenty three and a half billion dollars in USAID (Ibrahim). This aid was intended to stabilize Pakistan and render its capability strong enough to counter terrorism. Although the amount â€Å"appears† large enough to change any country, it has largely been futile for Pakistan. If the real purpose of USAID was to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and USA and boost Pakistan’s economy, as it is mostly portrayed, then it should have been more wisely allocated. For instance, a mere ten percent is spent on development projects such as poverty, education and healthcare (Ibrahim). With such meager resources, these programs cannot be extensively carried out to achieve the desirable results. Meanwhile, a stunning seventy five percent of aid was allocated for military purposes (Ibrahim). These included purchasing of advanced weaponry and obtaining counter-terrorism training from the United States. Analytically, three-fourth of spending would do little to prop Pakistan whatsoever. It is astonishing that so much of the aid is being misused for purposes which would not serve Pakistan at best. To lay down the effects, the usefulness of the aid should be considered. A strong military would do little or perhaps negligibly small to make Pakistan a prosperous state. Assume, if three-fourth of aid was spent on development projects instead. In a decade, Pakistan would have been much better off than its current standing. The extremism and terrorism could be better countered by education and improved standard of living than by weapons. Looking from one perspective USAID is the price United States paid to purchase the loyalty of Pakistan. Nevertheless, America took back what it gave. An upsetting aspect about USAID is the phenomenon that it returns back to the donor country. In this regard Dr. Murtaza Haider, associate dean at Ryerson University, says â€Å"The nature of development aid business is such that large sums of donated money in fact return to the donor country in the form of contractual payments to consultants and manufacturers. I recall listening to the former World Bank president James Wolfensohn in 2004 at the 16th Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics in Washington DC where he offered his candid views about how development aid was misspent by donors. In 2003-04 development aid was estimated at $58 million of which $14 million were pocketed by the consultants alone. † (Haider) This fact emphasizes the uselessness of foreign aid to Pakistan. Already being spent so meagerly, a significant proportion of it returns back to USA, which is bound to have a little impact on the country’s wellbeing. So in fact America eventually takes back what it donated while Pakistan still owes favors to the US. The problem here is that the aid comes with a price. By accepting aid package from the United States, Pakistan has become a participant in the war on terror. In return, Pakistan must return favors to satisfy its allies. For instance take the controversial Kerry-Lugar bill of 2009. It promised Pakistan an aid package of one and a half billion dollars annually for five years. Despite the big digits the bill was a controversy. Instead of promoting good image of United States, it declined it further. The conditions applying to the aid package were unacceptable for many Pakistanis. Mustafa Qadir, a researcher for Amnesty International writes â€Å"Controversially, aid may be dependent on US access to Pakistani nationals associated with nuclear proliferation, such as Abdul Qadir Khan. Pakistan must also demonstrate that it is assisting the US in dismantling illicit nuclear supply networks. Pakistan must show a ‘sustained commitment to †¦ combating terrorist groups’ too. Specific reference is made to Pakistan ceasing to support militancy in Afghanistan and India. There is even a reference to the Afghan Taliban shura in Quetta and the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke† (Qadri). As it appears Pakistan’s sovereignty and integrity is often reduced by US actions. Despite being an ally on war on terror, USA has been suspicious of Pakistan’s nuclear program and objective of its leadership. Conditions accompanying USAID often give the United States the right to interfere in Pakistan’s internal affairs. These conditions have further extended to include military operations by American army in Pakistan’s territory. May it be a covert operation to kill Osama bin Laden or drone strikes, USA takes the liberty to trespass and eliminate multiple targets inside Pakistan. â€Å"The US has launched drone strikes in Pakistan over 330 times with up to 3,247 casualties – including up to 852 civilians† (Rogers). The drone attacks have been terrifically condemned by Pakistanis but despite that United States blatantly continues with its strategy. Though a justification for US drone strikes could have been sought if only suspected terrorists were killed but the collateral damage and deaths of non-combatants is simply disappointing. For Pakistan the most upsetting consequence of war on terror has been the terrorists themselves. For a thorough understanding of fundamental groups, history of their past relations with Pakistan needs to be seen. After Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, a power struggle ensued between different groups of Afghanis. The old Mujahideen army was left with no purpose. The Afghan war was over now. From 1994 a civil war initiated in Afghanistan and eventually the Taliban succeeded in establishing their rule in Afghanistan. Till 2001, the Afghan government remained neutral to Pakistan. This was because of the fact that before 9/11 attacks Pakistan supported the Taliban. Pakistan was involved in assisting terrorist groups, Taliban and Al-Qaeda, in the civil war to form a government in Afghanistan in 1990’s (History Channel). However, after 9/11 there came shift in Pakistan’s policy. Pakistan forged an alliance with the US to help channel the Nato and American troops into Afghanistan. The previously pro-Pakistani terrorist groups turned rogue. Pakistan was instructed by the US to eliminate Al-Qaeda elements and training camps across the border. This later translated into the Waziristan operation by the Pakistani forces in the North-Western territories of Pakistan. It was predictable that the old partners would initiate a terror reign across Pakistan. â€Å"The country’s annual death toll from terrorist attacks rose from 164 in 2003 to 3,318 in 2009, a level exceeding the number of Americans killed on September 11. Some 35,000 Pakistanis, including 3,500 members of security forces, have died in terror and counterterror violence. Millions more have been displaced by fighting. † (Hamid) The benefit of Pakistan seems little from the figures. The war initiated by the United States has cost Pakistan a lot both economically and socially. The extremist groups which had previously aligned themselves with Pakistan turned against it in their attempt to oppose USA. As per the Ministry of Finance â€Å"During the last 10 years the direct and indirect cost of war on terror incurred by Pakistan amounted to $ 67. 93 billion or Rs. 5037 billion. † (Ministry of Finance) This amount outweighs the economic assistance Pakistan has received during the past decade which roughly amounts to only one-third of it. Furthermore, the true impact of terrorism cannot be expressed in monetary terms. For instance, economists cannot place value on the loss of human life, loss of Pakistan’s image to the world etc. Another unanticipated consequence of the war on terror for Pakistan has been its credibility. During the war the western countries have expressed doubts about Pakistan’s loyalty. Pakistan has been accused of playing a â€Å"double-game†, whereby Pakistan pretends to assist United States but secretly support terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Taliban. Although no evidence exists regarding Pakistan’s double game but United States and NATO have frequently complained of Pakistan’s secret policy. For example death of Osama bin Laden placed a serious crisis over Pakistan. The international repute and credibility of Pakistan vanished into thin air. President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai hinted that Osama bin Laden had â€Å"hidden himself in the military bases of Abbottabad. † (Boone and Black) While John Brenan, the homeland security advisor to the White House said â€Å"People are raising a number of questions and understandably so†¦ I’m sure a number of people have questions about whether there was some kind of support provided by the Pakistani government. † (Office of the Press Secretary, White House) What both meant to say was that Pakistan was providing a sanctuary to the Al-Qaeda leader. Thus the event itself was a humiliation for the country. The time of 9/11 can only be commended upon since it coincided at a time when Pakistan desperately required foreign help to drag itself out from the economic turmoil it faced. It will be unfair to say that war on terror has been a complete disaster for Pakistan. Before September eleven attacks Pakistan was under intense pressure from the international community. In May 1998 after Pakistan’s first nuclear test, it came under economic sanctions from the world major power ¬s. Aid to Pakistan ceased and foreign trade was cut off. The US and other shareholder’s formed a coalition to stop International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding to Pakistan. The economy which was already running on debt from the IMF plummeted down even deeper. By November 1998 the foreign reserves of Pakistan fell to four hundred and fifty eight million dollars which is a considerably dangerous figure for any economy. Before the tests the Finance Ministry predicted the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to grow by six percent for 1998 to 1999 financial year. (Morrow and Carriere) However after the nuclear tests the Economist Intelligence Unit predicted that the Gross Domestic product (GDP) growth rate from 1998 to 1999 was one point six percent. (Morrow and Carriere) In short the Pakistani economy was certain to default. Apart from Chaghi nuclear test, Pakistan’s brief venture into the Kargil war and military coup by President Musharraf had left the country in diplomatic isolation. Pakistan was under an estimated foreign debt of forty billion dollars (Mahapatra). But the war on terror altered the whole scenario. Twelve days after the 9/11 attacks all sanctions were lifted by Preside George W Bush after Pakistan complied to ally with the United States. (BBC News) Pakistan was again recognized as an ally by the Western nations and the started pouring in. Thus the war on terror prevented an economic crisis which was bound to engulf Pakistan. War on terror was the stimulus for improving diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the European nations. Since Pakistan had been an important ally of US and NATO, relations turned good with the European community. Pakistan received aid and technical assistance from the Europe and America during the 2005 earthquake. Pakistan received an estimated total aid of six point seven billion dollars from the International community (Fox News). During the Flood of 2010, Pakistan received one and a half billion dollars in aid for relief efforts (Guardian). This filled the trust deficit that had existed between Pakistan and the West for so long a period. However, the credit again belongs to the so called war on terror which has had been the architect of good foreign relations for Pakistan. It is true that Pakistan’s participation in war on terror was a need at one time but adopting a permanent policy would not be a sane thought. Given its capability both economically and militarily it is not feasible for a developing country like Pakistan to afford a war which would last for a decade, especially when its opponent has mastered in guerilla warfare. War on terror is a bleeding wound that Pakistan needs to heal. It is evident that even after United States withdrawal the war may continue in the region. The dire outcome might be same as the consequences of Soviet Union’s Afghan war. A. Rauf Khan Khattak quotes J. Michael McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence who narrates remarks of a Pakistani general â€Å"In the long run Americans will not have the burden of staying in Afghanistan and when America pull out then India will reign. Therefore the Pakistanis will have to sustain contracts with the opposition to Afghan government meaning the Taliban, â€Å"So when America pulls out, it is a friendly government to Pakistan†. (Khattak 10) After US’s withdrawal Pakistan’s dilemma would be to contain the insurgency in its territories which will be an insurmountable task to cope with. â€Å"Seemingly† war on terror appears beneficial for Pakistan. In fact the case is otherwise. Inflow of huge cash into Pakistan’s will improve the country’s balance of payments and foreign currency reserves for a time-being but in the long run, Pakistan is at loss. The cost paid by Pakistan outweighs the benefits received by a large scale. The true loss can only be estimated. Economically war on terror has been no less than a disaster for Pakistan. Its usefulness lays only in the fact that Pakistan was temporarily stabilized by pro-Western policies, however, mid-war security conditions in the country and costs incurred are too diabolic to accept. The immediate solution would be that Pakistan withdraws from the war and make peace with its neighbor.