Marketing and New Communications Technologies

CHAPTER 1 1)Briefly compare and contrast the concepts of needs, wants, and demands, giving an example of each. Discuss how these concepts relate to marketing practices. Needs are states of deprivation. For examples, physical needs for food, clothing, warmth, and safety; social needs for belonging and affection; and individual needs for knowledge and self-expression. Wants are the form that needs take as they are shaped by cultural and individual personality. For example, an American needs food but wants a Big Mac, french fries, and a soft drink.Demands is wants backed by buying power. For example, given their wants anfd resources, people demand products with benefits that add up to the most value and satisfaction. Outstanding marketing companies go to great lengths to learn about and understand their customers’ needs, wants, and demands. They conduct consumer research and analyze mountains of customer data. 2)In a short essay, discuss the challenges and advantages that new com munications technologies have created for marketers.The new communications technologies has provided marketers with exciting new ways to learn about and track customers and create products and services tailored to individual customer needs. It’s helping marketers communicate with customers in large group or one-to-one. Marketers also can create their own detailed customer databases and use them to target individual customers with offers designed to meet their specific needs. For example, by using the Internet, a direct marketer can tap into online data service to learn anything from what car you drive to what you read to what flavor of ice cream you prefer.

Homework Essay

Chapter 18 p534 1.What is the key assumption of the basic Keynesian model? Explain why this assumption is needed if one is to accept the view that aggregate spending is a driving force behind short-term economic fluctuations. The Keynesian model shows how fluctuations in planned aggregate expenditure can cause actual output to differ from potential output. This method is necessary because if it were not used companies would have to change prices every time there was a possible change in demand or quantity shift in inventory. With this method short term economic flux can happen when the a company does shift their price to meet demand. 3. Define planned aggregate expenditure and list its components. Why does planned spending change when output changes relatively infrequently. What accounts for the difference? This is a total planned spending on goods and services including; consumption, investment, government purchases and net ports. If spending change happens infrequently then added goods go into inventory causing company to spend capital on invested inventory. Consumption function accounts for the difference between changes in expenditure. Chapter 19 1. Why does the real interest rate affect planned aggregate expenditure? Give examples. Because the raising or lowering affects the cost of borrowing, which affects consumption and planned investment (which all is a part of aggregate expenditure). If the Fed raises rates the housing market will slow down buying. If the Fed lowers rates more people are likely to buy homes and refinance. 2. The Fed faces a recessionary gap. How would you expect it to respond? Explain step by step how its policy change is likely to affect the economy. The Fed’s position is to eliminate output gaps and maintain low inflation. To eliminate a recessionary output gap, the Fed will raise the real interest rate.

Food Security

Kirsten Highsmith February 1,2013 Eng & Humanities 2-1 Etymology Imperialism 1. (Noun): A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force; (Noun) The system, policies, or practices of such a government; (noun) an instance or policy of aggressive behaviour by one state against another 2. Imperialism originated in 1826 in a Napoleonic context, â€Å"advocacy of empire,†also of Rome and of British foreign policy, from imperial and -ism. At times in British usage with a neutral or positive sense relating to national interests or the spread of the benefits of Western civilization. . Imperialism is still in use. 4. Although Imperialism originated in 1826 it was first recorded 1878. It was picked up in Communist jargon by 1918. The term Imperialism applied to Western political and economic dominance in the 19th and 20th centuries. (etymonline. com) 5. A modern, interesting use of the word is that â€Å"Imperialism† is the name of a turn- based Strategy video game. Matrix 1. (Noun): An environment or material in which something develops; (Noun): A mass of fine-grained rock in which gems, crystals, or fossils are embedded; (Archaic)The womb; Archaic)The formative cells or tissue of a fingernail, toenail, or tooth; (Noun) A rectangular array of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations 2. Matrix originates from the Latin, female animal used for breeding, parent plant, from matr-, mater. Its first known use is 1555. Its also from the Old French word matrice. 3. Matrix is still in use, except for the third definition listed above. 4. â€Å"Matrix† is the Latin word for womb, and it retains that sense in English. It can also mean more generally any place in which something is formed or produced. The term â€Å"matrix† for an rray of numeric or algebraic quantities subject to mathematical operations was introduced in 1850 by James Joseph Sylvester. (ualr. edu) 5. A modern or interesti ng use of the term â€Å"Matrix† is that â€Å"Matrix† is the name of the brand new 2012 Toyota sports Car Sugar 1. (noun): A sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants; (noun):Used as a term of endearment or an affectionate form of address; (noun): A psychoactive drug in the form of white powder 2. Sugar first originated in the late 13 century, â€Å"sugre†, from Old French. Its Medieval Latin word was succarum, and its Arabic word being sukkar 3. Sugar is still in use. . Sugars Old World home was India and it remained exotic in Europe until the Arabs began to cultivate it in Sicily and Spain; not until after the Crusades did it begin to rival honey as the West's sweetener. 5. A modern or interesting use of the term sugar is that it is the name of a American alternative rock band which was first formed in 1992. Necromancer 1. (noun): A person who practices necromancy; a wizard or magician 2. Necromancer originated in c. 1300, from the Old French w ord nigromansere, 3. Necromancer is still in use. 4. The word necromancer is adapted from the word necromancy meaning a form of magic nvolving communication with the deceased. The word â€Å"necromancy† is adapted from Late Latin necromantia. Early necromancy volved from shamanism, which calls upon spirits such as the ghosts of ancestors. 5. A modern or interesting fact about the word necromancer is that in the popular video game Guild Wars a necromancer is a playable character who can call on the spirits of the dead, and even death itself, to overpower enemies and assist allies. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Dictionary. com. † Thesaurus. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 2. â€Å"Etymology. † Behind the Name:. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 3.EtymologyAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc. )Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 4. â€Å"Online Etymology Dictionary. † Online Etymology Dictionary. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 5. Dictionary. com. Dictionary. com, n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. Kirsten Highsmith February 1, 2013 Humanities II 2-1 Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa Food Security can be translated into many different definitions. Webster’s definition of it is, â€Å"Food security refers to the availability of food in sufficient quantity in a safe and nutritious form and one's access to it for a healthy and active life. This definition for food security clearly sets out the different sections involved when discussing food security, globally. These sections include many different aspects of food security. For example: the physical availability of food, and economic access to food, and the sustainability of these aspects to deliver adequate levels of food security. â€Å"In Sub-Saharan Africa today, almost 33 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa lack sufficient food security†( â€Å"Achieving Food Security in Africa: Challenges and Issues†1). The region of Africa as a whole remains constant to frequent food crises and famines hich are triggered by droughts, floods, and economic downturns. Food Security in sub-Saharan African households has been lowered because of the countries inability to produce the right resources to import food. Sub-Saharan Africa is dependent on agriculture which is most vulnerable to climate change making many methods of development futile but few methods supply satisfactory results. The use of agriculture can improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa by changing to different farming techniques such as using mulching, composting and crop rotation. Mulching in Africa can help improve food security in a multitude of ways. Mulches are materials placed over the soil surface to maintain moisture†(treesaregood). By using mulching plants and vegetables are able to contain moisture even under extreme weather conditions. This is beneficial to Sub-Saharan Africa because of the many droughts they get, it is har der for plants and vegetables to grow and soon end up dying. By maintaining water plants are able to grow healthier and stronger. Water conservation is not the only thing mulching can help with. â€Å"Coupled with conserving moisture mulching prevents the compression and crusting of the soil aused by watering, and rain†( Russell). Because of the unpredictable rain in the Sub-Saharan, the soil is compressed and losses water which leads to the drying out and crusting of plants. By using mulching it helps stops moisture from traveling up through the soil, and leaving behind the dissolved minerals as a crust which would have blocked the plants from growing to the surface. Mulches also provide food for earth worms. â€Å"Earthworms are a valuable resource in the garden, Earthworms tunnel deep into the soil allowing air and water to easily reach plant roots†( mulchingaround).By mulch attracting earthworms plants are able to obtain water and oxygen easier which allows the soi l to become richer and grow faster, which is exactly what the soil in the Sub-Saharan needs. Mulching helps improve food security by allowing plants and vegetables in the Sub-Saharan to grow at a faster rate which can be harvested and available more to different parts of the region. Tons of waste is generated through Africa and usually ends up in wastelands or turned into open dumps. Composting is an easy way of getting rid of waste in the Sub-Saharan and at the same time helping the environment. Composting is to fertilize with a mixture of decaying organic matter. †(Dictionary). Compost decomposes all the organic material and creates soil. By creating soil, it allows for a lot more room to plant and grown food making it widely available and easy to access. . â€Å"Small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire African continent can improve yields by up to 100% through combining fertilizer micro dosing and manures application†( New Farming Techniques Help Impr ove Food Security). By adding different types of compost together farmers in the Sub-Saharan can help improve soil and plant growth by 00%, this percentage can drastically help improve food security all over the African region by using organic materials to help create compost. By using compost, Africa’s plant growth can improve by enriching the soil that it gets its nutrients from. â€Å"Compost also has the benefit of adding organic matter to the soil†( The New Vision for Agriculture: Transforming agriculture through collaboration). By adding organic material to soil it gives it the nutrients it needs to grow faster and helps contain water. There have also been new methods of composting called a â€Å"Compost toilet†. Composting toilets are toilet systems which treat human waste by composting and dehydration to produce a useable end-product that is a valuable soil additive†( What is a Composting Toilet? ). Compost toilets allow waste entering the toilet t o be evaporated into the atmosphere through the vent leaving amount of soil to be used as a natural fertilizer. As helpful as compost toilets are they are quite expensive which makes it harder for Sub-Saharan to use and can slowly but surely improve the food security issue. Crop rotation in sub-Saharan Africa isn’t anything new and has been allowing a more diverse roup of foods to grow which expands the choice of food. â€Å"A crop rotation is a series of different crops planted in the same field following a defined seasonal order† (merriam-webster). There is a wide diversity of cropping systems in sub-Saharan Africa. â€Å"A three years' trial was held in a farmers' field in Ghana to study the effect of sole crops â€Å"crops that are grown alone† compared to conventional crop rotation†( Magdoff). The studies showed that crop rotation allowed a faster growing and more diverse choice of food by using crop rotation. Through rotations, labor is educed and b etter distributed throughout the year allowing for a more organized labor structure. â€Å"Crop rotation can also balance the production of residues by alternating crops that produce few and or short-lived residues†(Toensmeier). This allows a lesser amount residues left over and allows them to be removed. With more residue removed it easier to grow more plants as well. â€Å"Many crops may have positive effects on succeeding crops in the rotation, leading to greater production overall†(Kroeck). Because of the positives effects of crop rotation sub-Saharan Africa has made it one of its number one food security support methods.By allowing greater production crop rotation allows for better access to food and availability which increase the amount of food security in the Sub-Saharan and other counties. There are many different reasons why Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from low food security one of them being the effect of greenhouse gases on the environment. â€Å"Greenhouse gas emissions per person from urban waste management activities are greater in sub-Saharan African countries than in other developing countries, and are increasing as the population becomes more urbanized†( waste management through composting in Africa). As Africa becomes more rbanized the waste becomes greater and harder to contain. The waste from greenhouse gasses effects the agriculture making it hard to grow food, which lowers its food security even more. Climate change also plays a huge role in agriculture. â€Å"African countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their dependence on rain fed agriculture, high levels of poverty†(Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture). Because of the ever changing climate and the dependence on rain, it makes agriculture hard to become fully sufficient, if the crops aren’t getting enough rain and minerals needed.Manpowered labor is a necessity in increasing food security through agriculture. â€Å"It is to be expected that the HIV/AIDS epidemic will cause serious damage to the agriculture sector in those countries, especially in countries that rely heavily on manpower for production. †( V. IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE). Because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic many farmers and workers have become ill and unable to produce crops which leads to declining yields and agriculture production. The reduction of production because of HIV/AIDS in Africa has led to food insecurity. After researching the food security situation in sub-Saharan Africa and food security in ther countries the research shows that they cannot improve if more attention and support is not given to agriculture development. By using crop rotation, mulching and composting, farmers can cultivate their farms and use the same plots in repeatedly. Crop rotation allows for a more diverse choice of food and greater production overall. Mulching conserves moisture and improves the fertility and health of the soil. Composting is used as a soil conditioner and natural fertilizer. One major benefit of these farming methods is that it allows people to stop using slash and burn cultivation.Agriculture can be the basis for solid and diversified economic growth. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Agriculture and Food Security | World Economic Forum – Agriculture and Food Security. † Agriculture and Food Security. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 2. â€Å"Compost. † Organics South Africa. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 3. â€Å"CSIRO. † Facing Africa's Food Security Challenges. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 4. Devereux, Stephen, and Simon Maxwell. Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa. London: ITDG, 2001. Print. 5. â€Å"Economist Intelligence Unit. † Global Food Security Index. N. p. , n. d.Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 6. â€Å"New Farming Techniques Help Improve Food Security. † New Farming Techniques Help Improve Food Security. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 7. â€Å"New Farming Techniques He lp Improve Food Security. † Solomon Times Online RSS. N. p. , n. d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013. 8. â€Å"SECTION I: SOIL COMPACTION-CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES. † Soil Compaction: Causes, Effects, and Control. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013. 9. â€Å"Reusing Organic Solid Waste in Urban Farming in African Cities: A Challengefor Urban Planners. † Urban Agriculture in West Africa. N. p. , n. d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013.

Provide topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Provide topic - Essay Example Obviously, they had no idea, but I think my father knew it. He never said a word and told my mother to let men handle men business. At the time, I was confused and angry with myself, but it soon dawned on me that things, from that time would change. The fishing trip was a jarring moment in my life, but as Elizabeth Bishop claims, â€Å"Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed home and thought of here? Where should we be today?† (Bishop 6). While I wished at the time that I had never taken this trip, I now realize that it was essential to my growing up. Setting and Profile of Self The fishing trip was on a hot humid Saturday morning. My father and brothers had done this numerous times before and were ready with their fishing rods. As the youngest in the family, eleven at the time to be exact, I had only done this thrice with my father. Normally, when I accompanied my brothers, they only let me unhook the fish and pack them. My mother was not very hot on me joining my father and brothers on this trip, though. You see my father was a hard man, a serious man who did not take particularly well to my spending hours around my mother. The fishing trip was his idea, and he gave me no chance to say no, despite having planned for a toad trapping expedition with my friends. In my family, everyone, except my mother was expected to be a man since I had no sister. My mother was the only feminine soul I intimately knew. Being different to my raucous brothers and aloof father, I preferred her company. The trip changed my worldview from that point. The Event Smearing the sun block my mother had lovingly packed besides my snack box, I mentally prepared for what lay ahead. Fishing had never been my forte, and I had always looked admiringly at my brothers as they brought in fish with my mother’s congratulations ringing in my ears. Now, here I stood, ready to clear the hurdle I felt stood between manhood and me. Even at eleven, I felt that my strapping, ragge d body was ready for any obstacle that the vast body of water threw my way. I felt apologetic for the fish that had to bear the demonstration of manhood that I was just about to put up. So absorbed in this initiation was I that the journey to my father’s favorite fishing spot was but a fleeting moment. The sudden splutter of the fishing boat’s engine as my eldest brother brought it to a stop brought me back to reality. I fumbled along the floor of the boat for my fishing rod, mistakenly picking my father’s rod. â€Å"Son that is for the big fish† he laughed as my brothers joined. I would show them what I was now. As I let out my line into the water and sat back waiting for the unfortunate fish that would define my manhood to attack the bait, I said a Hail Mary, borrowing from my favorite movie, the Godfather. As if she had heard me, then it struck, and I lurched to my feet. Adrenalin flooded my veins as the strength I had believed in so much began to drai n against the vicious thrashing of the fish. At the time, I was beginning to contemplate surrender and my claims to manhood; the fish did me a great favor. It leapt from the surface of the water, magnificently gleaming in the sun surrounded by breathtaking surf spray. In this moment, I saw the fish transformed from an unlucky victim of my manhood aspirations to a brilliant life specimen, and I longed to possess it. Maybe it was the boy in me, but the man had

Best Practices in Corrections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Best Practices in Corrections - Research Paper Example Correctional substance abuse treatment Correctional substance abuse treatment aims at rehabilitating criminal of substance abuse. There are varieties of programs that aid substance abuse treatment. Federal bureau of prisons is the most effective of the substance abuse programs. This is because of the available facilities in the prison systems, the authority of the officers over the inmates and the long duration of time that the inmates spend within the facilities. One of the features of the bureau of prisons program is its long time existence from which quality ideas have been added to the program. The program has particularly undergone many changes based on legislative measures such as â€Å"Anti Drug abuse act, and violent crime control and law enforcement act† among others (Fagan and Ax, 2003, p. 79). These laws have continually benefited the correctional program that is also being checked by the judicial institution through implementation of law. Similarly, the program ado pts ‘evidence-based’ practice as an approach to ensuring quality services to the inmates. This induces a great advantage with respect to effectiveness of the applied services. With decisions based on experiments, evidence based practice ensures that diagnosis and treatment for every inmate is accurate. The program is therefore characterized by a high level of efficiency for faster recovery of the subjects. Further, the Bureau of prisons is designed to extend their correctional services to the society upon the release of an inmate. This ensures completion of the designed goals of the program for comprehensive rehabilitation. Some of the specific services offered under the Bureau of Prisons includes â€Å"residential drug abuse treatment, non residential drug abuse treatment, drug abuse education, transitional services† among others (Fagan and Ax, 2003, p. 80, 81). The programs are professionally designed to facilitate treatment of the inmates by ensuring a favorab le environment. Residential drug abuse program is for example scheduled to run for about nine months with fixed number of session hours. The long period therefore offers sufficient opportunity for the inmates to respond to the treatments. Another feature of the program that makes it effective is the isolation of the inmates from other prisoners. Once an inmate has submitted to the treatment, he or she is taken to a facility that only hosts participants in the treatment. This plays an important role in protecting the participants from lapsing back during the treatment process. Isolation of the participating inmates is essential in protecting them from negative influence of other inmates who have not regarded the program. If the two groups were allowed to interact, especially at the beginning of the treatment process then participants would be easily influenced from completing their sessions. The residential program also has a laid down procedure for recruitment and treatment that ens ures that the deserving and committed individuals are offered the opportunity. The process that begins from a person’s conviction is followed by evaluation for the necessity of the program before an individual is allowed to subscribe into the program. The voluntary aspect of the program also motivates participation. Inmates would develop a contrary opinion if the program were compulsory because it would be associated with punishment as opposed to treatment. Similarly, the reward upon

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance Essay

Financial Markets And Corporate Governance - Essay Example The business managers of Enron would definitely have put in to practice of whatever they have been taught or trained in their schools of Law, business, management and accounting, to protect the shareholders’ interests of the corporation. However the pertinent question is what went wrong and where? Considering the various maneuverings that happened in Enron in the guise of protecting the shareholders interest, it may also be said that the same managers would have acted more aggressively in enhancing the shareholders wealth, had Enron been a successful business venture. â€Å"The catastrophe caused by the failure of Enron could not compare with the damage this company would have caused if it had succeeded. The relentless emphasis on the importance of shareholder value in recent times has created the conditions for the disconnection of corporations such as Enron form their essential moral underpinnings, encouraging them to concentrate exclusively on financial performance, and to neglect not just the wider stakeholder interests of customers and employees, but the essential interests of the economies and communities in which they operate. The problem with established corporate governance is that they misconceive the irreducible core of corporate governance, at the same time as underestimating the complexity of the phenomenon.† This paper attempts to make a presentation on the style and working of the two models of business ventures one working in the direction of protecting exclusively the shareholders interests and the other which works to protect the stakeholders’ interest and the relative conflicts and issues that may emanate in pursuing both the interests, in the light of the With a proper understanding and adherence to all of the above parameters, a team of management can take the corporate they are governing to greater heights for sure. Even though all of these aspects stand equally important, respecting

Syncretizing Views in Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Syncretizing Views in Religion - Essay Example Thus, according to the Chinese community, syncretism is a mixture of more than one religion. There are several definitions that have been brought out in relation to syncretism to fit the Chinese religious community. According to Judith Berling, syncretism is the affirmation, borrowing and integrating the various concepts, practices, and symbols in one religion to another through reconciliation and selection. To incorporate the Chinese religion and syncretism, the natural dissonance that exist in religious ideas and gestures may disappear. In the article, syncretism is not meant to permit the monopoly of mixing of religious ideologies in a multi –religious community. Furthermore, to fully understand syncretism, one has to consider three aspects in religious interaction. These are what are not applicable. For instance, one has to understand that syncretism does not apply with ecumenicism. According to the article, ecumenicism applies in understanding the universal truth. This as pect asserts that different religious views are sustained separately by tradition in the external elements and not truth perceptions. This may include modes of discourse and other ritual practices. Therefore, there is one truth which is common in this kind of truth. Secondly, syncretism is not considered inclusivism.... Therefore, this is a perfect syncretic combination among dominant religions. Furthermore, compartmentalism is not an aspect of syncretism. This is because it recognizes that various teachings deal with varied of reality and are concerned with different truth aspects. Thus, each religious tradition functionally is specialized in one way or the other and can easily complement the other without reducing the other. Furthermore, each addresses several issues without overlapping one another. More so, each religion has a specific realm of thoughts. This concept accepts the issues in Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism as practiced in China. For one to really analyze a text as syncretic, he or she has to understand that syncretism is not related to eclectism. This is the ability of one religion to adopt the other despite the differing religious doctrines. In this article the concept of three teachings is basically a concept of syncretism. In the three teachings, there is one origin and similar teachings. As depicted in the article, Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are not an innovation by Yuan. The Tang dynasty is the core unifier of the three concepts. Thus, the efforts to keep the three distinct and not unified were achieved as they developed organizations, ritual practices and intellectual thoughts. The three are believed to have had a common set of teachings. Despite the different philosophical teachings among the three concepts, there were efforts to merge the three into one religious doctrine. They thus devised a poem which illustrated the emperor as a syncretic. Furthermore, the development of the song in the dynasty to develop the neo-colonialism ushered a relationship in the three teachings to merge as one phase. What is believed to have

Apostolic Christianity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Apostolic Christianity - Research Paper Example As well as being a powerfully important time with respect to the early growth of the Christian faith, this time period is also responsible for providing all of the works of the New Testament. As such, this period is of significant importance both historically and doctrinally as the foundations of Christianity were defined and the early church formed and differentiated itself in many profound ways. However, beyond a merely historical or theological approach, the study of early apostolic Christianity has taken on a greater relevance of late due to the fact that many scholars are arguing for Christianity to return to a more apostolic model such that the very fundamentals of the Christian faith would be preserved in a real and recognizable way.One of the most important aspects of defining and understanding the historical nature in which the early church operated is attempting to understand the way that its structure worked. This is of special consideration for Biblical scholars and theol ogians who seek to rectify the views of how the individual apostles saw different topics and how they worked to rectify these view within the structure of the early church. In a phrase, the study of this juxtaposition can be called a form of conflict resolution. As certain figures in the early church, notably Peter, were quick to speak and slow to listen, understanding the way in which such figures sought the church’s advice and guidance in seeking to resolve a given issue is of extreme importance (Engelke 2009). This fact is especially important to those that wish to draw a level of inference to the current time, as well as the current individual, with respect to how issues are brought in line with the church by way of the scriptures. As such, understanding the actions, decisions, theology, and conflicts/resolutions that occurred in the early church is a fundamental way in which individuals and theologians can work to understand parallels in the way in which current church doctrines coalesce with those that were implemented and practiced by the early church. Several distinct schools of thought exist with relation to this. As described by Alistair McGrath in his book Single Source Tradition, these methods of interpretation include: single-source tradition, dual source tradition, and a total rejection of tradition (McGrath 1999). As the title of the book implies, McGrath focuses on the single-source tradition as a means of explicating and understanding the way in which the early church operated. Such single-source tradition relies on an understanding of the apostolic Christianity and the traditions that the apostles practiced as a way to contextualize and understand certain precepts and meanings from a theological point of view. Such a historically relevant theological approach demands that the user understand key concepts, beliefs and historical factors as a means of implementing these to better the Christian experience currently. As such, one of the most interesting components of such a means of analysis is not the fact that it places theological research within the context of history but it necessarily requires the current church and individual to reacquaint himself/herself with the fundamental

Information and Network Centric Operations Essay

Information and Network Centric Operations - Essay Example Operations of this sort do have advantages that more traditional approaches lack. For example, properly executed distributed networked operations are less dependent on the survival of individual units and thus should be harder for an adversary to disrupt. To reach its full potential, Network Centric Warfare must be deeply rooted in operational art. The key is how the activities of geographically dispersed and functionally diverse units are orchestrated, or controlled. This is obviously a complex matter that requires a thorough understanding of the concepts upon which distributed networked operations are based. This book aims at the Network Centric Warfare concept; to explain how it embodies the characteristics of the Information Age; to identify the challenges in transforming this concept into a real operational capability; and to suggest a prudent approach to meeting these challenges. David S. Alberts, John J. Garstka, Frederick P. Stein are top thought-leaders in Information Age innovation and published pioneering work in the application of New Science techniques to military problems and lectures internationally on the future of military forces. This book is the product of an ongoing effort to understand and articulate the power of information superiority in warfare from a Joint perspective. Information Information & Network Centric Operations Information has long been an integral component of warfare. Requirement of dominance over an adversary necessitates knowing his center of gravity, influencing his perception and safeguarding organization's sensitive information. History is replete with examples of how information superiority has influenced political and military struggles, from the earliest battles of recorded history to current military operations. 1. What is Information Information is defined as ' Data collected from the environment and processed into a usable form.' Information begins as derived data from observable fats or events. Interpreting data leads to the development of the information. The ultimate interpreter is the person receiving the data. At times, though, an observed event is too complex for the human mind to dissect. Machines are used to reduce data into a manageable and comprehensible set. They are the information systems and come in both hardware and software terms. A given piece of data, largely meaningless by itself gains meaning in a situational context, when it is processed. This processed data than by definition becomes information. Knowledge is derived from information. 2. Information Operations (IO) Activities PROTECTION VALIDATION EXPLOITATION IO ACQUISATION DENIAL MANAGEMNET Information operation synthesizes all aspects of information, to support combat power, with the aim of dominating battle space at right time, right place and with the right resources. Complete knowledge of location, combat effectiveness, current activity of own forces and an adversary's location, disposition, combat efficiency, preparedness, determination to fight etc. are essential inputs for conceiving, planning and executing naval operations. These inputs

3.Define foreign direct investment (FDI). Discuss and evaluate five Essay

3.Define foreign direct investment (FDI). Discuss and evaluate five different effects (positive and negative) that FDI can have on host country economies - Essay Example This assignment will cover the definition and effects of foreign direct investment on the host country’s economy. Foreign direct investment refers to a form of investment, where a company from one country decides to make a physical investment in another country by putting up an industrial unit in another country. The direct investment in machinery, buildings and equipment contrasts a portfolio investment that is considered as making an indirect investment (Gregory 1997, p. 33). Currently, with the rapid growth and transformations in global investment patterns, the definition has widened to include the acquirement of a lasting management interest in an entity outside the investing company’s home country. Going by this definition, therefore, Foreign Direct Investment may take various forms such as; direct acquisition of a foreign entity, building of a facility, or investing in a joint venture with a local firm. One of the principal effects of the foreign direct investment is diffusion of technology. A foreign direct investment encourages the entity seeking investment in the foreign country to use different technologies in the production process (Razin 2008, p. 64). The firm uses its own technology in buildings and the way of doing business. In so doing, people in the host country acquire new technologies and skills from the foreign entity, which they apply in the production process. Use of the acquired skills and technology in the production process assist the host country increase its productivity. Through the increment in production, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the host country is increased considerably, which promotes economic growth (Moran 2005, p. 64). FDI provides the host country with increased physical stock. The increase in the physical stock increases the productivity rate of the host country. This adds up to the country’s income. In addition, the FDI provides the host country with finances for investment, which adds up to

What are the Impediments to Restoring Peace in Post-Saddam Iraq Term Paper

What are the Impediments to Restoring Peace in Post-Saddam Iraq - Term Paper Example In and after several stages over the next 12 years or so, Iraq attained its independence in the year 1932. Iraq was proclaimed as a republic in the year 1958, but in actual a series of military strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last one known of them was Saddam Hussain. Iraq also had territorial disputes with Iran that led to an inconclusive and costly war for almost an entire decade from the year 1980 to 1988). In the year August 1990, Iraq captured Kuwait with the sole reason of capturing the major chunk of oil trade in the Middle East but was later on expelled by the US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War that happened during January-February 1991. It followed in the liberation of Kuwait, the UN Security Council (UNSC) put stringent conditions on Iraq to scrap all its weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles. (Tripp) The UNSC also pressurized Iraq to allow UN verification inspectors to inspect it's suspected nuclear facilities and centers for making of weapons of mass-destruction like biological weapons. Iraq didn't cede to and complied with the UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years that in turn led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in the year March 2003 and the permanent ouster of the Saddam Hussain regime from Iraq. Under a UNSC mandate, the coalition forces are keeping a vigil in Iraq trying to keep the democracy alive and helping to provide security to the common people and to support the freely elected democratic government. (Frontline) Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Although looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined economy-rebuilding efforts, economic activity is beginning to pick up in areas recently secured by the US military surge. Oil exports are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom, and total government revenues have benefited from high oil prices. (CIA The World Fact Book, Iraq)It is true that there has been a lot of rebuilding effort in Iraq with the intervention and aid of quite a few International Institutions and Countries and Iraq has made some progress to rebuild the institutions that it needs to implement and reap the rewards of the new economic policy. In this direction, Iraq has also negotiated an agreement for the reduction of debt with the Paris Club and also a new Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF. Iraq has also received pledges for $13.5 billion in foreign aid for the period span ning 2004-07 from outside of the US, and also more than $33 billion in total pledges from all the aid givers. An understanding was reached with the current regime in Iraq in May 2007 to integrate Iraq into the regional and global economy without any apparent prejudices.

Video Games and Violence Essay Example for Free

Video Games and Violence Essay Video Games and violence a topic that has caused many a spirited debate both in the classroom, and amongst parents and children. There are plenty of arguments both for, and against the issue. However, there is research out there that shows that large amounts of time spent playing violent video games can contribute to aggressive behaviors, poor academic performance, and desensitization to violence in adolescents. The debates all begin withviolent video games contributing to aggressive behavior both in and out of the classroom. Reports show clear evidence that exposure to violent video games increases aggression in terms of behavior, cognition, and effect, including serious real world aggression, and violence. (Kutner, Baer, Beres, Warner, Nicholi II, 2009). Things such as trait anger increase the odds. Violent game play was linked to high aggression in people that had high anger traits, as well as to a lesser extent to those with moderate and low anger traits. (Kutner, Baer, Beres, Warner, Nicholi II, 2009). Studies showexposure to M rated games is a strong and significant predictor for adolescents engaging in aggressive behaviors like bullying, and fighting. Results also showthat the results are dose related, meaning the more time the child spends playing the game the higher the odds. The numbers go up as much as 45%. M rated game play was an even stronger predictor for this behavior appearing in adolescent girls. (Kutner, Baer, Beres, Warner, Nicholi II, 2009). The classroom is also where the effects of violent video games can be seen. Concerns are rising among parents, educators and health care professionals that there is a dark side to 1 excessive game play. Studies show that parts of the brain that trigger feelings of addiction are activated during game play. Sign of video game addiction include lying about time spent playing, plummeting grades, loss of key relationships, scholarships, and isolation. Children begin to choose the game over participating in school activities, social activities, chores, and homework. For example a ninth grader plays a game with members of the group from around the globe, his parents tell him it’s time to get homework and chores done. The child sends an email to the group saying he is dropping off line. This causes chaos, he gets responses like† are you nuts! We are in the middle of a mission. † The group dynamic takes priority over everything else. An anonymous mother and physician tells of howher son went from a thriving student to user. His grades plummeted, he failed all his classes, lost his scholarship, and is now trying to rebuild his life. Membership becomes so important it becomes hard for the child to separate the fantasy from reality. The more they play the more they begin to identify with the character, and members of the group. Once this happens some type of intervention is usually needed. (Wagner, J. (2008). Professionals feel that violent video games can also contribute to desensitizing adolescents to every day violence, and human suffering. What are seen as horrific, and violent events are just an everydayoccurrence. Most people would never expose their children to violent, or mature content depicting killing law enforcement, and civilians. However, one of the most top cited, and played games among adolescents is Grand Theft Auto, which includes all of the above, and more . (Kutner, Baer, Beres, Warner, Nicholi II, 2009). Professionals feel games like this have an even greater effect on adolescents than slash, and gore movies. Studies show that games like Quake IIeffect how a child sees things after gameplay. If they were angry going into the game, it affected their outlook after gameplay. 2 The debates will continue on video games and violence. Will there be problems with every child? No, of course not. However, evidence is out there to support the fact that video games and violence cancontribute to aggressive behaviors, poor academic performance, and desensitization to violence in adolescents. Parents, educators and Medical professionals can work together to lessen the odds. However, monitoring, boundaries, and playing an active role in the child’s activities are still the best defense. 3. References Kutner, L. A. , Baer , L. , Beres Olson, C. K. ,in, E. V. , Warner, D. E. , Nicholi II, A. M. (2009). M-Rated Video Games and Aggressive or Problem Behavior Among Young Adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 13(4), 188-198. doi:10. 1080/10888690903288748 Green, J. , Dunn, E. C. , Johnson, R. M. , Molnar,B. E. (2011). AMultilevel Investigation of the Association Between School Context and Adolescent Nonphysical Bullying. Journal Of School Violence, 10(2), 133-149. doi:10. 1080/15388220. 2010. 539165 Report, Wagner, J. (2008). When Play Turns to Trouble. U. S. News World 144(14), 51-53.

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Effectiveness

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Effectiveness Introduction The following discussion will critically evaluate the research evidence which is available regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It will particularly focus upon its application to the treatment of Schizophrenia Initially, a brief explanation of what is meant by CBT will be given along with an outline of the model which underpins it. A consideration of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia will then be made. A series of 25 studies which have been conducted to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia have been critically analysed. The results of this analysis will be presented with reference to the following key factors: the determinant and measurement of quality of life, social functioning and occupational status, hospital readmission/relapse, compliance with pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, dropping out and compliance to CBT, general impression of clinical/ professionals and others, unexpected and unwanted effects, economic outcomes and the management of change. 2.0 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) It has been said that the thoughts people have of a situation, and the way IN WHICH they interpret and understand it, are largely influenced by their beliefs about themselves and the world (Nelson 1997). Such a view is congruent with the underlying principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The 1980s saw pioneering work being conducted by Aaron Beck using Cognitive Therapy (Beck Rector 2000). This was later merged with the principles of Behavioural Therapy to produce what was entitled CBT. The Cognitive-Behavioural approach is fundamentally based on the three factors: Cognition, Behaviour and Emotion which are displayed in Figure 1 overleaf: In other words, this concept suggests that the way in which an individual thinks about and interprets a situation will directly influence their behaviour within the situation. This in turn will impact upon how they feel after performing the behaviour (Kinderman Cooke 2000) Thus on a very basic level, a person’s views regarding smoking will influence whether or not they are a smoker and how they feel about it. These principles provide the foundation upon which the rationale for treating an individual is built. If one wishes to change the way in which an individual is feeling, one must address the associated behaviours and underlying thoughts. CBT could therefore be used to help a person to stop smoking. An attempt would be made to change the way in which the person thought about smoking which would then, in theory, influence their behaviour in terms of whether or not they smoked and how they felt as a consequence. The same principles and procedure could be used to treat other addictions and phobias whilst also being applicable to depression and anxiety related problems. In order for this process to be most effective, CBT relies heavily on a trusting and collaborative relationship being formed between the therapist and the patient. An alliance is formed through which positive changes can be facilitated. The Therapist and the patient work together in order that any problems are identified and that an appropriate treatment programme is worked out (Beck 1995). It is important therefore that the patient is committed and willing to take part in the treatment so that the probability that the treatment is effective can be maximised. 2.1 The development of CBT CBT was originally developed and applied to the treatment of neurosis (Haddock et al 1998). It was mainly used for the treatment of people suffering from depression and anxiety. More recently, CBT has started to be applied to a wide range of other problems such as phobias and addictions. The success of such applications has led its supporters to advocate the use of CBT to the treatment of psychosis (Thornicroft Susser 2001). This incorporates illnesses such as Paranoid Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Morrison (2002) provides a wide variety of case studies in which CBT was used as a treatment method. 3.0 Research Evidence Any decision regarding the use of a given treatment must be based upon the scientific documentation which has assessed the treatment’s effectiveness and efficacy (Carpenter 2001). Thus one needs to consider the empirical research which has assessed the psychological management of psychotic symptoms. This research will now be discussed with reference to acute psychotic symptoms, long term psychotic symptoms and research which has been conducted in a clinical setting. The research which has been conducted to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia will now be critically analysed with reference to the nine different evaluation areas. 3.1 Determinant and Measurement of Quality of Life The first key issue in the debate surrounding the use of CBT in the treatment of Schizophrenia concerns how a person’s quality of life is determined and how it can best be measured. Clearly one of the central aims of medicine in general, and in mental health care in particular, is to improve the quality of life of the patient. A number of studies have attempted to investigate the quality of life of Schizophrenic patients after undergoing CBT. One of the larger studies was conducted by Lewis et al (2002) and involved a sample of 315 Schizophrenic patients being given CBT along side routine care and supportive counselling. It was reported that a significantly faster clinical improvement was made by those within the CBT condition relative to a control group. Lewis et al (2002) concluded that CBT enabled Schizophrenic patients to reach remission more quickly and that this was associated with an increase in their quality of life. This approach suggests that quality of life, therefo re, is determined by a removal of the symptoms associated with the illness. However, the conclusions made by the research have been questioned as significant improvements were made by the CBT group only in terms of a reduction in auditory hallucinations and not in terms of delusions, positive symptoms and the total Symptom Scores. Other relevant research was conducted by Jenner et al (1998) regarding the measurement of quality of life. CBT and coping skills training was given to 40 patients experiencing therapy-refractory auditory hallucinations. Significant improvements were found regarding overall symptomotology and in daily quality of life. This improvement in quality of life was said to be determined by improvements in daily functioning and social interactions. Auditory hallucinations were found to be eradicated for 20% of patients. Therefore, research in this field has suggested that CBT can improve the quality of life of Schizophrenic patients. This is determined by factors such as remission from symptoms and improvements in both daily functioning and social interactions. However, the measurement of ‘quality of life’ is a difficult concept as it is difficult to obtain relevant objective data. One must rely more on the subjective ratings of the patients, their family and the clinician involve d. Such measures need to be standardised such that the determinants and measurement of quality of life can be assessed and made based on sound empirical research evidence. 3.2 Social Functioning and Occupational Status An improvement in a patient’s quality of life is inevitably going to be linked with their social functioning and their ability to find employment. A study which focused on social functioning was conducted by Wiersma et al (2001). A sample of 40 patients received CBT and coping skills training over a period of 4 years. The therapy focussed upon addressing auditory hallucinations and on improving social functioning. The results found that there was a significant reduction in the frequency of hallucinations and their burden on the patient. It was also reported that 18% of the patients experienced a complete disappearance of their auditory hallucinations. Sixty per cent showed significant improvements in terms of anxiety, loss of control and disturbance of thought. Finally, 67% of those involved with the study showed significant improvements regarding social functioning. Having said this, there are a number of important limitations within the methodology used within this study whi ch ensure that it is difficult to confidently accept any findings. No control condition was evident, the assessors were not independent and the baseline measures used were made retrospectively. Furthermore, it was also reported that booster sessions were required to strengthened the skills and to enhance them in specific social situations. These limitations ensure that one needs to consider other research in this area in order to accurately assess the efficacy and effectiveness of using CBT for the treatment of psychosis. Barrowclough et al (2001) conducted a study which involved integrating the use of routine care with motivational interviewing, CBT and Family Therapy. Subsequent analysis revealed that this approach had facilitated significant improvements in the patients’ general functioning and abstinence from alcohol and/or substance abuse. Barrowclough et al (2001) suggest that the co-morbidity of symptoms alongside those involved with Schizophrenia can ensure that the patient finds it very difficult to find appropriate work. Thus this integrated treatment approach has been shown to increase social functioning and this could be theorised to then improve the patients’ chances of enhancing their occupational status. Such an assertion requires further empirical investigations such that the strength of this association can be determined. 3.3 Hospital Readmission and Relapse Research has been conducted which has assessed the effectiveness of using CBT for treating people who had been experiencing persistent psychotic symptoms for at least six months (Tarrier et al 1998). Participants either received CBT or supportive counselling for 20 hours over a 10 week period. The supportive counselling focussed on unconditional positive regard and developing rapport. One benefit of this research was that the assessors were both blind and independent. Those within the CBT group were found to be more likely to experience a 50% reduction in symptomotology and to spend fewer days in hospital. This study was subsequently criticised as significant differences were not found between the outcomes of those within the CBT and supportive counselling groups. However, it does provide some evidence that CBT can reduce the number of days that a Schizophrenic patient spends in hospital. This finding was supported by the results of the Bechdolf et al (2001) study which compared the benefits of CBT and Psycho-Education in the treatment of Schizophrenia. The results from the 88 participants found that those within the CBT group were significantly less likely to be re-hospitalised. In terms of relapse rates, an important study was reported by Gumley (2003). A group was identified as being at high risk from relapse. They were targeted such that their fear of relapse could be reduced, their management of the risk of relapse could be educated regarding the key warning signs and provided with booster sessions to further help prevent relapse. The targeting took place at the initial stage of the recovery process. At the 12 month follow up period, 15.3% of those within the experimental group were found to have relapsed compared to 26.4% of those who were ‘treated as usual’ Thus it was possible to significantly reduce the relapse rates of the Schizophrenic patients. Again this result was supported by the Bechdolf et al () study which reported lower relapse rates for patients given CBT relative to those who were treated as usual. In contrast, Tarrier et al (2004) found that there were no significant benefits in terms of relapse rates when CBT was given to p eople after their first psychotic episode compared to those being treated as usual. Therefore CBT does appear to help to reduce the relapse rates of those suffering with Schizophrenia but such benefits may not be significant for all forms of the illness. 3.4 Compliance With Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Treatments A key element of most medical treatments is that the patient is compliant where necessary. Clearly if they are not compliant then this has the potential to reduce the effects of the treatment. The problem of non-compliance in the treatment of psychotic symptoms has been identified within previous research. For example, Perkins and Repper (1999) suggested that non-compliance is an issue with approximately 43% of admissions to psychiatric units. One study which has investigated Schizophrenic patients and their compliance with CBT was reported by Bechdolf et al (). They compared CBT with the use of Psycho-education and found that the compliance levels were significantly higher for the CBT group. This is an encouraging finding in the light of the importance which can be placed on the patient’s compliance with treatment in terms of its effect on the overall success of CBT as a treatment option. 3.5 Dropping Out and Compliance to CBT The issue of compliance and the possibility of patients dropping out of treatment is a significant one. This is particularly the case with CBT is it relies upon a trusting relationship being formed between the therapist and the patient (Beck 1995). If the patient is not willing to be part of such a relationship then this will likely result in CBT being a less effective option than it otherwise could be. The study conducted by Jenner et al (1998) investigated this and found that 9% of their participants dropped out of the treatment programme. Although this is a relatively small number, it still represents a significant issue and one which merits consideration by both researchers and mental health professionals. 3.6 General Impression of Clinical/Professionals and Others It is important that a 360 degree perspective of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia is gained so that a comprehensive picture of how its use is perceived can be obtained. This approach will need to take account of the views of the mental health professionals involved, the family of the patient and the patient themselves. With regards to the clinicians, the significant research findings have led many to advocate the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia (Thornicroft and Susser 2001). Therefore it would appear that it is an approach which is supported by the clinicians and professionals involved. Other quantitative research conducted by Jenner et al (1998) has found that 78% of the family of patients and the patients themselves were satisfied with their experience of CBT for treating Schizophrenia. Further research has focused on the patient in particular. For example, Messari and Hallam (2003) conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with four in-patients and o ne out-patient, all of which were suffering with Schizophrenia. The patients reported that they were in favour of the educational aspect of the CBT approach. They also noted that although the therapist was trying to change their beliefs, this was because the beliefs were false and not because it was a form of coercion One participant was against the use of CBT treatment. They indicated that it was unhelpful and that they were merely passively complying to the treatment as part of the powerful medical profession. Therefore, CBT appears to be a popular treatment for Schizophrenia amongst clinicians/professionals, the families of patients and the patients themselves. However, question marks do remain over patient opinions as not all of those involved in the Messari and Hallam research reported positive opinions. Further investigations of patient views need to be conducted with larger samples in order that a more confident conclusion can be drawn regarding patient views of the use of CB T for Schizophrenia. 3.7 Unexpected or Unwanted Effects As within the evaluation of any treatment programme, one must consider the negative as well as the positive aspects and effects. Some studies within this field have demonstrated that there is no significant benefit of using CBT compared to when the patients are treated as usual. This was the case with the research reported by Haddock et al (1999). Although this was a project which used a relatively small sample, it does indicate that CBT may not be appropriate in all circumstances in the treatment of Schizophrenia. Further investigations are required in order that the most appropriate application of CBT in this field can be determined. Rather than showing negative effects, other research has served to demonstrate that CBT did not have the positive effects which were expected. For example, Lewis et al (2002) found that CBT did not lead to the expected improvement in delusions, positive symptoms or Total Symptom Scores. Such drawbacks are highlighted by Turkington and McKenna (2003) wh o argue that inappropriate conclusions have been drawn based on the research evidence in this field. The results of some of the more prominent studies in this research field are summarised in Table 1 overleaf. Table 1 Effect sizes for improvement with cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) in studies using blind evaluation and a control intervention Turkington and McKenna (2004) suggest that if a drug had been tested and found to have the results displayed in Table 1 then it would have been consigned to history. As the clear benefits of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenic patients are not yet fully understood, unexpected research findings will continue to be reported. Thus, research in this field has not always revealed the findings which were anticipated by the researchers. 3.8 Economic Outcome When one is evaluating any treatment, the economics of its application must be taken into consideration. Even if a treatment is shown to be very effective, its use may not prove to be economically viable. With health care units working within strict budgets, any proposed treatments need to fit within the economic constraints which are placed upon those selecting the treatments to be used. CBT can be a costly approach. Within the Drury et al (2000) study patients were given eight sessions of CBT a week over a six month period. Although this was possible within the experimental setting, the extent to which such an intense treatment programme would be economically viable within clinical environments would be questionable. However, Bechdolf et al () does argue that the use of CBT can lead to cost savings through a reduction in the number of hospital days which are required and the probability that a patient will experience a relapse. It is unclear whether or not such cost savings exceed those involved in the cost of implementing CBT as a treatment option. 3.9 Management of Change A significant amount of research has been conducted regarding the management of the change of Schizophrenic symptoms via the use of CBT. A number of benefits have been highlighted by this research (Turkington and Kingdon 2000, Rector et al 2003). Recent research has indicated that different forms of CBT can be effective such as individual and group CBT (Warman 2005) and Functional CBT (Cater 2005). These benefits have been demonstrated with regards to acute, chronic and more specific psychotic symptoms. The management of each of these three areas will now be briefly considered. The management of acute psychotic symptoms has been achieved with CBT within research. Tarrier et al (2004) found that CBT speeded up the recovery of those who had experienced their first psychotic episode. Furthermore, Startup et al (2004) found that CBT could be used to manage Acute Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder. The management of these acute and initial psychotic episodes has been highlighted as very important in determining the long term course of the patient’s recovery (Birchwood and Tarrier 1992). CBT has also been used in the management of more persistent psychotic symptoms (Temple and Ho 2005). Kuipers et al (1998) found that CBT could be used to significantly reduced the frequency of more persistent symptoms and delusional distress. These benefits were still found to be significant at the nine month follow-up stage. A major study in this area was conducted by Sensky et al (2000) involving participants in the post-acute stage of psychosis. Improvements were found in both negative and positive symptoms and these improvements remained at the 18 month follow-up period. This study used a relatively robust methodology which overcame many of the limitations associated with previous research. The use of blind assessors and a low intensity of treatments means that the data is more likely to be reliable and that it is likely that the findings would generalise to a clinical setting. Some research has been conducted to assess the use of CBT in the management of psychotic symptoms within a clinical setting. The Tayside-Fife clinical trial found that CBT was related to significantly more clinical improvement relative to participants who had been given supportive counselling or who had been treated as usual. Furthermore, patients given CBT were found to be more satisfied with their treatment compared to those in the other groups. Morrison (2002) also provided evidence to suggest that the benefits of CBT can be translated to a community setting. This effect was found to still be significant at a 12 month follow-up. Finally, research has also shown that CBT can be used to target specific symptoms which are associated with Schizophrenia. For example, Trower et al (2004) found that CBT can help manage ‘commanding’ hallucinations in which the patient is being instructed to perform certain behaviours by voices in their head. Halperin et al (2000) also provided evidence which suggested that CBT can be used to treat the social anxiety which can be associated with Schizophrenia. 4.0 CONCLUSIONS Throughout history a wide range of different approaches have been taken to the treatment of Schizophrenia. Medication, Electro-Convulsive Therapy and Family-Focused Therapy have all been applied to the treatment of Schizophrenia. In more recent times, researchers and therapists have been seen to advocate the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a feasible and effective treatment method. This discussion has considered the CBT approach and the theoretical model which underpins it. The development of CBT has been addressed and the research evidence which has been provided to evaluate the use of CBT in the treatment of Schizophrenia has been critically analysed. This analysis particularly focused on a set of 25 research studies and was conducted with reference to the following nine key areas: Determinants and measurement of quality of life, social functioning and occupational status, hospitalisation and relapse, compliance with pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, drop out and compliance with CBT, general impressions of CBT, unexpected and unwanted effects, the economic outcomes of CBT and its use in the management of change. Discussions within each of these areas has demonstrated that CBT appears to have the potential to be an effective and feasible approach for the treatment of Schizophrenia. However, further research is required to help clarify the benefits of CBT and to identify the circumstances in which it is most effective and the factors which have a significant impact on this effectiveness. CBT could be used throughout the treatment programme from those who are at high risk of experiencing psychotic episodes (Morrison et al 2004) through to the treatment of Schizophrenia patients and then to help minimise the probability that they will relapse and require further time in hospital. The research evidence suggests that CBT can be effective for acute and chronic psychotic symptoms. There is also some research evidence that these benefits can be successfully transferred to clinical and community settings. CBT certainly has a role to play within the multi-disciplinary approach which is now taken to the treatment of mental illness. As part of this comprehensive treatment package the potential benefits of CBT can be realised and steps can be taken to help prevent any possible drawbacks. This will help to ensure that a Schizophrenic patient will receive a feasible, comprehensive and effective treatment package which will effectively address all of their psychotic symptoms and ultimately facilitate an improvement in their mental health. REFERENCES Barrowclough,, C., Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Lewis, S. W., Moring, J., Schofield, N. and McGoven, J. (2001). Randomized Control Trial of Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Family Intervention for Patients with Co morbid Schizophrenia and substance Use disorders. American Journal Psychiatry. 158, 1706-1713. Bechdolf, A., Knost, B., Kuntermann, C., Schiller, S., Klosterkotter, J.(, Hambrecht, M. and Pukrop, R. 2004). A randomised comparison of group cognitive-behavioural therapy and group psycho education in patients with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatric Scand. 110, 21-28. Beck, J. S. (1995) Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond. Guildford: New York University Press Beck, A.T., Rector, N.A. (2000) Cognitive therapy of schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 54(3): 291-300. Birchwood, M Tarrier, N (1992) Innovations in the Psychological Management of Schizophrenia, John Wiley Sons Ltd, UK Carpenter, W.T. (2001). Evidence based treatments for first-episode schizophrenia? American Journal of Psychiatry 158(11): 1771-1773. Cater, D. (2005). A pilot study of functional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (fCBT) for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 74, 201-209. Drury, V., Birchwood, M. and Cochrane, R. (2000). Cognitive therapy and recovery from acute psychosis: a controlled trial. 3. Five-year follow-up. British journal of psychiatry. 177, 8-14. Gumley, M. (2003). Early intervention for relapse in schizophrenia: results of a12-month randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy. Psychological Medicine. 33, 419-431. Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Spaulding, W., Yusupoff, L., Kinney, C. McCarthy, E. (1998) Individual cognitive-behaviour therapy in the treatment of hallucinations and delusions: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 18(7): 821-838. Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Morrison, A.P., Hopkins, R., Drake,R. Lewis, S. (1999). A pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of individual inpatient cognitive-behavioural therapy in early psychosis. Society for Psychiatric Epidemiology. 34, 254-258. Halperin, S., Nathan, P., Drummond, P. Castle, D. (2000). A cognitive –behavioural, group-based intervention for social anxiety in schizophrenia. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 34, 809-813. Jenner, G., Willige, Van de. Wiersma, D. (1998). Effectiveness of cognitive therapy with coping training for persistent auditory hallucinations: a retrospective study of attenders of a psychiatric out-patient department. Acta Psychiatry Scand 98, 384-389. Kinderman, P Cooke, A (2000) Understanding Mental illness, Recent advances in understanding mental illness and psychotic experiences, The British Psychological Society, UK Kuipers, E. (1998). London-East Anglia randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behaviour therapy for psychosis. II: Follow-up and economic evaluation at 18 months. British journal of psychiatry. 173,61-68 Lewis, S., Tarrier, N. and Haddock, G. (2002). Randomised controlled trial cognitive-behavioural therapy in early schizophrenia: acute-phase outcomes. British Journal of Psychiatry. 181 (suppl,43), s91-s97. Messari, S Hallam, R. (2003). CBT for psychosis: A qualitative analysis of clients’ experiences. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 42, 171-188. Morrison, A. P., Renton, J. C., Williams, S., Dunn, H., Knight, A., Krentz, M., Nothard, S., Patel, D. and Dunn, G. (2004). Delivering cognitive therapy to people with psychosis in a community mental health setting: an effectiveness study. Acta Psychiatric Scand. 110, 36-44. Morrison, A. P., Bentall, R. P., French, P. and Lewis, S. W. (2002). Randomised control trial of early detection and cognitive therapy for preventing transition to psychosis in high-risk individuals. British journal of psychiatry. 181, s78-s84. Morrison, A. P. (2002) A Casebook of Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis. Hove: Brunner Routledge Nelson H (1997) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Schizophrenia, Stanely Thornes, UK Perkins, R.E. Repper, J.M. (1999) Compliance or informed choice. Journal of Mental Health, 8(2): 117-129. Rector, N. A., Seeman, M. V. Segal Z. V. (2003). Cognitive therapy for schizophrenia: a preliminary randomised controlled trial. Schizophrenia Research. 63,1-11. Robert, R., Durham, R. C., Guthrie, M., Morton, V., Reid, D. A. and Treliving, L. R. (2002). Tayside-Fife clinical trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for medication-resistant psychotic symptoms. British journal of psychiatry. 182, 303-311. Sensky, T., Turkington, D., Kingdon, D., Scott, J. L., Scott, J., Siddle, R., OCarroll, M. Barnes, T. (2000) A randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for persistent symptoms in schizophrenia resistant to medication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57: 165-172. Startup M., Jackson M. C. Bendix S. (2004). North Wales randomised controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy for acute schizophrenia spectrum disorders: outcome at 6 and 12 months. Psychological Medicine. 34, 413-422. Tarrier, N. Bentall, R., Drake, R. Kindermann,

Image Deblurring with Sparse Representation

Image Deblurring with Sparse Representation AN APPROACH FOR IMAGE DEBLURRING: BASED ON SPARSE REPRESENTATION AND REGULARIZED FILTER AbstractDeblurring of the image is most the fundamental problem in image restoration. The existing methods utilize prior statistics learned from a set of additional images for deblurring. To overcome this issue, an approach for deblurring of an image based on the sparse representation and regularized filter has been proposed. The input image is split into image patches and processed one by one. For each image patch, the sparse coefficient has been estimated and the dictionaries were learned. The estimation and learning were repeated for all patches and finally merge the patches. The merged patches are subtracted from blurred input image the deblur kernel to be obtained. The deblur kernel then applied to regularized filter algorithm the original image to be recovered without blurring. The proposed deblur algorithm has been simulated using MATLAB R2013a (8.1.0.604). The metrics and visual analysis shows that the proposed approach gives better performance compared to existing methods. Keywords-Image deblurring, Dictionary learning based image sparse representation, Regularized filter. I. INTRODUCTION Deblurring is one of the problems in image restoration. The image deblurring due to camera shake. The image blur can be modelled by a latent image convolving with a kernel K. B = K à ¢Ã…  -I + n, (1) where B, I and n represent the input blurred image, latent image and noise respectively. The à ¢Ã…  - denotes convolution operator and the deblurring problem in image is thus posed as deconvolution problem [13]. The process of removing blurring artifacts from images caused by motion blur is called deblurring. The blur is typically modeled as the convolution of a point spread function with a latent input image, where both the latent input image and the point spread function are unknown. Image deblurring has received a lot of attention in computer vision community. Deblurring is the combination of two sub-problems: Point spread function (PSF) estimation and non-blind image deconvolution. These problems are both independently in computer graphics, computer vision, and image processing [13]. Finding a sparse representation of input data in the form of a linear combination of basic elements. It is called sparse dictionary learning and this is learning method. These elements are compose a dictionary. Atoms in the dictionary are not required to be orthogonal [10]. One of the key principles of dictionary learning is that the dictionary has to be inferred from the input data. The sparse dictionary learning method has been stimulated by the signal processing to represent the input data using as few possible components. To unblurred an image the non-blind deconvolution blur Point Spread Function (PSF) has been used [14]. The previous works to restore an image based on Richardson-Lucy (RL) or Weiner à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ltering have more noise sensitivity [15 16]. Total Variation regularizer heavy-tailed normal image priors and Hyper-Laplacian priors were also widely studied [17]. Blind deconvolution can be performing iteratively, whereby each iteration improves the estimation of the PSF [8]. In [3] found that a new iterative optimization to solve the kernel estimation of images. To deblur images with very large blur kernels is very difficult. to reduce this difficulty using the iterative methods to deblur the image. From [1] found that to solve the kernel estimation and large scale optimization is used unnatural l0 sparse representation [1]. The properties for latent text image and the difficulty of applying the properties to text image de-blurring is discussed in [2]. Two motion blurred images with different blur directions and its restoration quality is superior than when using only a single image [5]. A deblurring methods can be modelled as the observed blurry image as the convolution of a latent image with a blur kernel [6]. The camera moves primarily forward or backward caused by a special type of motion blur it is very difficult to handle. To solve this type of blur is distinctive practical importance. A solution to solve using depth variation [8]. The feature-sign search for solving the l1-least squares problem to learn coefficients of problem optimization [9][10] and a Lagrange dual method for the l2-constrained least squares problem to learn the bases for any sparsity penalty function. II. IMAGE DEBLURRING WITH DICTIONARY LEARNING To estimate the deblur kernel, an iterative method to alternately estimate the unknown variables, one at a time, which divides the optimization problem into several simple ones in each iteration. Were performed more importantly, the dictionary D is learned from the input image during this optimization process. The algorithm iteratively optimizes one of K, D, ÃŽÂ ± by à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ xing the other two, and à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nally obtains the deblurring kernel. With the estimated kernel, any standard deconvolution algorithm to recover the latent image can be applied. The initial dictionary and the initial kernel value is convoluted and this result will be called as dictionary and this dictionary is subtracted by blur image. Fig.1 block diagaram for deblurring algorithm is shown in below A. Estimate Sparse Coefficient To follow the below algorithm to estimating the sparse coefficients of the given input blurred image. ALGORITHM I Step 1: Get the blurred input image B Step 2: Spilt the B into four patches as p1,p2,p3,p4. Step 3: Consider first image patch p1 and find the sparse coefficient to fix K using Gaussian kernel and D as identity matrix. ÃŽÂ ±(n+1) = argmin||ÃŽÂ ±||1 (2) s.t. b =(K(n) à ¢Ã…  -D(n))ÃŽÂ ± (3) Step 4: For each iteration the ÃŽÂ ± value should be updated into D Step 5: Take N iterations to estimating the ÃŽÂ ±(n+1). Step 6: Repeat the above 5 steps to all image patches and estimate the ÃŽÂ ±(n+1). B. Updating Dictonary In the knowledge of previous algorithm using the sprase coefficient to updating the dictionary of the image. ALGORITHM II Step 1: To update the dictionary, deconvolve blurred image with kernel up to Last iteration using any deconvolution algorithm and get Ip. Step 2: Ip image is split into four patches. Step 3: Update the dictionary using ÃŽÂ ±(n+1) and D. D(n+1) = min||Ip à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D(n)ÃŽÂ ±(n+1)||22.(4) Step 4: Repeat the steps 1 to 3 to all image patches and estimating the D(n+1). C.Recovering Deblur Image Consider previous algorithm to estimate the deblur kernel of the image and finally to recovered the deblur image. ALGORITHM III Step 1: Find the latent image patch using Ip(n+1) = D(n+1)ÃŽÂ ±(n+1)(5) Step 2: Merge the all image patches of Ip. Step 3: The reconstructed image is subtracted from the blurred input image to obtain the deblur kernel. Step 4: Perform the deconvolution with the input blurred image and Deblur kernel using wiener deconvolution method. Step 5: Apply the regularization filter to the wiener deconvolution image to recover the original image. After that the RMSE, PSNR, SSIM and visual perception were analyzed for various images. III. SIMULATION RESULTS To implement the deblur algorithm is simulated using MATLAB R2013a (8.1.0.604). The root mean square error, power to signal noise ratio, structural similarity index metric and visual perception were analyzed for various images. From the analysis, it is observed that the deblurring were efficiently performed. Also carry out experiments with images blurred by randomly generated kernel. The existing deblurring algorithms are usually developed to deal with motion blur problems in which the kernels are oriented and simple. However, the camera shakes are complex and cannot be modeled well with simple blur kernels. This algorithm is able to recover the latent image with more details and better contrast. The initial kernel K0 is set to be theGaussian kernel with à Ã†â€™ =1, and ÃŽâ€Å" is set as 1 and identity matrix I. The colour images are used for experiments and crop a small portion ( e.g. 512ÃÆ'-512 pixels) of the tested image to estimate kernel using the algorithm as given in Chapter 2.The regularized filter algorithm has been used to reconstruct image I. The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nal deblurred image can be recovered once the deblur kernel is estimated. (a) (b) (c) Fig.2. Experimentel results of deblurring algorithm. (a) blurred image (original size is 256 ÃÆ'- 256);(b) deblurred image 1;(c)final deblurred image; A. Performance Measurement The root mean square error(RMSE), power to signal noise ratio(PSNR), structural similarity index metric(SSIM) and visual perception were analyzed for various images. From the analysis, it is observed that the deblurring were efficiently performed for the use sparse representation of the image. If the accuracy of the estimated kernel is improved at each iteration, the proposed algorithm will à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nd a reasonably good solution. Further reducing the RMSE comparable to other methods. TABLE I:RMSE VALUES UNDER DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS Image Fergus [11] Shan [12] Zhe Hu [13] Deblur Image(1) Deblur Image(2) Barbara 5.53 7.02 4.61 3.51 1.27 Koala 5.41 6.57 5.10 3.21 1.06 Castle 1 7.87 7.46 6.73 3.12 1.05 TABLE 2:PSNR VALUES UNDER DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS Image Fergus [11] Shan [12] Zhe Hu [13] Deblur Image(1) Deblur Image(2) Barbara 33.27 31.20 34.85 37.21 46.03 Koala 33.46 31.77 33.97 37.87 47.54 Castle 1 30.21 30.67 31.57 38.23 47.57 RMSE and PSNR comparison for different deblurring methods shown in the table. The experiments are conducted using four test images, namely Barbara, koala, castle1. TABLE 3:SSIM VALUES FOR OUR ALGORITHMS Image Deblur Image(1) Deblur Image(2) Barbara 0.7354 0.5427 Koala 0.7592 0.5486 Castle 1 0.8124 0.6495 From the analysis, it is observed that the deblurring were efficiently performed. Because of the ssim value should be less than 1. IV. CONCULSION AND FUTURE WORK In this paper, we propose an effective deblurring algorithm with dictionary learning using one single image were simulated. By decomposing the blind deconvolution problem into three portions deblurring and learning sparse dictionary from the image, our method is able to estimate blur kernels and thereby deblurred images. Experimental results show that this algorithm achieves favourable performance. In future the deblurring algorithm is to be implement on FPGA with suitable architectures. V. REFERENCES [1] L. Xu, S. Zheng, and J. Jia, Unnatural 0 sparse representation for natural image deblurring, in Proc. IEEE Conf. Comput. Vis. Pattern Recognit. (CVPR), Jun. 2013, pp. 1107-1114. [2] H. Cho, J. Wang, and S. Lee, Text image deblurring using text specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c properties, in Proc. Eur. Conf. Comput. Vis. (ECCV), Oct. 2012, pp. 524-537. [3] L. Xu and J. Jia, Two-phase kernel estimation for robust motion deblurring, in Proc. Eur. Conf. Comput. Vis. (ECCV), Sep. 2010, pp. 157-170. [4] J. P. Oliveira, M. A. T. Figueiredo, and J. M. Bioucas-Dias, Parametric blur estimation for blind restoration of natural images: Linear motion and out-of-focus, IEEE Trans. Image Process., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 466-477, Jan. 2014. [5] H. Zhang, D. Wipf, and Y. Zhang, Multi-observation blind deconvolution with an adaptive sparse prior, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell., vol. 36, no. 8, pp. 1628-1643, Aug. 2014. [6] O. Whyte, J. Sivic, A. Zisserman, and J. Ponce, Non-uniform deblurring for shaken images, Int. J. Comput. Vis., vol. 98, no. 2, pp. 168-186, 2012. [7] A. Gupta, N. Joshi, C. L. Zitnick, M. Cohen, and B. Curless, Single image deblurring using motion density functions, in Proc. 11th Eur. Conf. Comput. Vis.(ECCV), Sep. 2010, pp. 171-184. [8] S. Zheng, L. Xu, and J. Jia, Forward motion deblurring, in Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Comput. Vis. (ICCV), Dec. 2013, pp. 1465-1472. [9] T. Goldstein and S. Osher, The split Bregman method for L1-regularized problems, SIAM J. Imag. Sci., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 323-343, 2009. [10] H. Lee, A. Battle, R. Raina, and A. Y. Ng, Efà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cient sparse coding algorithms, in Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 19. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2007, pp. 801-808. [11] R. Fergus, B. Singh, A. Hertzmann, S. T. Rowels, and W. T. Freeman. Removing camera shake from a single photograph. In SIGGRAPH, 2006. [12] Q. Shan, J. Jia, and A. Agarwala. High-quality motion deblurring from a single image. In SIGGRAPH, 2008. [13] Z. Hu, J.-B. Huang, and M.-H. Yang, Single image deblurring with adaptive dictionary learning, in Proc. 17th IEEE Int. Conf. Image Process. (ICIP), Sep. 2010, pp. 1169-1172. [14] L.Lucy.An iterative technique for the rectià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation of observed distributions. Astronomical Journal, 79(6):745-754, 1974. [15] W. Richardson. Bayesian-based iterative method of image restoration. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 62(1):55-59, 1972. [16] N.Wiener, Extrapolation, Interpolation and Smoothing of Stationary Time Series. MIT Press, 1964. [17] A. Levin, Y. Weiss, F. Durand, and W. T. Freeman, Understanding blind deconvolution algorithms, IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell., vol. 33, no. 12, pp. 2354-2367, Dec. 2011.

The Death Penalty is Wrong Essay -- essays research papers fc

The death penalty is absolutely outrageous. There is no real reason that the government should feel that it has the right to execute people. Capital punishment is murder just as much as the people being executed murdered. The is no need for the death penalty and it needs to be abolished. It goes against the Constitution which states that there will be no cruel and unusual punishment. There is nothing crueler than killing a person. A perfect example of the death penalty going awry is the state of Illinois. Former governor George Ryan has put a stay on all executions. This came as a result of finding thirteen death row inmates not guilty of their convicted crimes. Also, by staying executions, Illinois is not spending the three hundred million dollars to almost three hundred men and women to death row in the past twenty two years (Ryan 14). That is a ridiculous amount of money to send only three hundred to death row, making it approximately one million dollars a person. Those people make up only two percent of all convicted murders in Illinois (Ryan 14). This leaves ninety eight percent of killers in jail. Why are only three hundred people acceptable to kill when the other ninety eight percent are not? In New York as well, prosecutors have only sought capital punishment in twelve out of one hundred ninety eight possible cases. They have found that the penalty of life without the chance of parole works well, and have come to prefer it (Shipp). Without the philosophy of life without parole, inmates who are tried for the death penalty are tried unfairly. In the year 2000 in Illinois, eight out of ten inmates sentenced to capital punishment were minorities (Mendieta). â€Å"Minority inmates constitute 83% of those who have thus far been shown to be wrongfully convicted.† One study has shown that people who murdered white people were found more likely to be sentenced to death than people who have murdered African Americans (The Death Penalty is Wrong. Dead Wrong). â€Å"Between 1930 and 1990, 4,016 persons were executed in the United States. Of these, 2,129(or 53 percent) were black† (Bedau). But race is still not the only discrimination. â€Å"During the 1980s and aerially 1990s, only about 1 percent of all those on death row were women, even though women commit about 15 percent of all cri... ...s even more wrong to kill those people instead of forcing them to live day after day in a tiny cell to think about, and hopefully, feel remorseful about killing. Ending the lives of these criminals is letting them have the easy way out, which is certainly not what they deserve at all. The government needs to imprison these criminals because there is always a possibility that the person convicted is not guilty and if they were killed the government could do nothing at all to console those poor families of the wrong victim. Works Cited Bedau, Hugo Adam. â€Å"The Case Against the Death Penalty.† July 1992. ACLU Free Reading Room. 14 May 2003. . Mandieta, Ana. â€Å"Death Penalty Still Unfair, Report Says.† Chicago Tribune. 31 Jan 2001. Ryan, Bill. "Abolish the Death Penalty." Chicago Tribune. 05 Jan 2001: 14. "Second Judge Rules Against Death Penalty." Christian Century. 09 Oct 2002: 15. Shipp, E.R. "Justice's Doubts Bolster Case Against Death Penalty." Daily News. 10 July 2001. Willing, Richard. "Fight Against Death Penalty Gains Ground." USA Today. 11 Feb 2002: 3a. The Death Penalty is Wrong. Dead Wrong. 01 Aug 1999. 14 May 2003 .

Love and Hate in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Free Romeo and Juliet Essays

'Romeo and Juliet' is a play written by William Shakespeare. A prologue is included at the start of the play, which portrays the tragedy between 'star-cross'd lovers'. Elizabethans believed that their fate is in the stars and the prologue increases the anticipation as it shows the way they are destined. Shakespeare has also included devices to dramatise the themes of love and hate throughout the play. In Elizabethan times the audience were involved in the ongoing play. Shakespeare involves the audience in scenes such as the ballroom scene (Act 1, Scene 5.) In Act 1, Scene 5 Romeo enters an enemy?s ball where he and Juliet fall in love for the first time, which angers Tybalt. At the end of Act 1, Scene 4 the mood is foreboding as Romeo believes that things could go wrong at the ball which he was to intrude on. He shows his fear by saying: ?I fear to early, for my mind misgive some consequences yet hanging in the stars? Romeo shows his fear by saying ?fear too early?. This suggests that he believes something there was something not right which made him highly anxious. There is a use of dramatic irony as the audience already know that there was to be problems because of the prologue, which makes keeps the interest from the audience. Elizabethans believed that their fate and destiny is written in the stars. The phrase ?hanging in the stars? which Romeo commented to himself, implies his destiny is in the stars, and it also suggests that because it is in the stars then the Elizabethan audience know definitely that here are going to be ?consequences?. In the beginning of Act, Scene 5 the mood changes from worrying to joyful, as the guests begin to enter the ball which is held by Capulet who is welcoming them. The mood is uplifting because the party is ready to start. The joyful mood is shown when Capulet says: ?Welcome, Gentlemen! Ladies that have toes Unplagu?d with corns will walk a bout with you.? The mood has changed quite drastically from the end of Act 1, Scene 4 to Act 1, Scene 5. This is show by when Capulet is welcoming people to the ball, ?Welcome, Gentlemen!? His excitement showed through the exclamation mark, which suggests that Capulet is full of energy which would lift the spirits of anyone who was to enter. The quotation creates the image of people bustling in, smiling and ready for the party.

A Reaction Paper on ASEAN Integration Essay

The video entitled ASEAN Integration- Philippines had summed up the information regarding ASEAN Integration (AI), most importantly, the advantages as well as the challenges that may fail Philippines from benefiting to it. Consequently, the integration will create a massive change for ASEAN and its member states. When this will be officially established by this year 2015, all ASEAN member states will just seem to be provinces of ASEAN. The integration will somewhat be the same with the EU, the European Union, although there are significant differences as well. With the integration, the migration, the labor market, trading, implementation of policies, and the financial markets of each member will greatly be affected. And the effects of the integration are aimed toward the economic and political development of ASEAN as a whole and within each member state. However, with the current status of the Philippines, do we think that by becoming more internationally-oriented this will make or pu sh the country to improve? When you talk of internationalization, you are really talking about policies and programs that governments and higher institutions adopt to respond to globalization. So you are internationalizing, not just because there is integration in the region, but because the world is a global village now, that one cannot isolate itself from what is happening with the rest of the world. Internationalization does not mean that you will adapt your programs only to the international manpower needs. You have to develop your pool of human resources to support both what is needed domestically, and also what is needed internationally. The demands continue to increase all over the world. Unfortunately, the resources that are available for a country is either slack or sometimes weak, and this is why Philippines is being questioned of its competitiveness. It has a lot of catching up to do in improving its competitiveness and in making the country an attractive trade and investment destination. It has to work first on addressing governance issues that hinder the country to take advantage of opportunities from regional integration. The major factors that may prevent the country  from maximizing its gains from globalization can be traced to policy shortcomings. A committed leadership that has the political will to pursue genuine reforms would be critical. Indeed, I understand why some are reluctant to bestow trust to the AI. It’s easier to go about your regular ways just repeating what you do. And any disruption or change, especially competition, threatens a lot of people, and worries a lot of people. The AI which promotes cooperation is at the same time a competition. You have emerging economies of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam who are agricultural and Philippines is also agricultural. Each member will have to compete for economic development, it will be like survival of the fittest. By integration, you are going to sacrifice national interest, you are going to sacrifice the interest of the Filipino people, you become globally integrated to the disadvantage of the country.

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West was born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synth-pop, and classical music. [2] West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008, and his fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010. His five albums, all of which have gone platinum, have received numerous awards, including a cumulative twelve Grammys,[3][4][5] and critical acclaim. All have been very commercially successful, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy becoming his fourth consecutive #1 album in the U. S. upon release. [7] West also runs his own record label GOOD Music, home to artists such as John Legend, Common and Kid Cudi. [8] West's mascot and trademark is â€Å"Dropout Bear,† a teddy bear which has appeared on the covers of three of his five albums as well as various single covers and music videos. [9] About. com ranked Kanye West #8 on their â€Å"Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers† list. [10] On May 16, 2008, Kanye West was crowned by MTV as the year's #1 â€Å"Hottest MC in the Game. [11] On 17 December 2010, Kanye West was voted as the MTV Man of the Year by MTV. [12] Kanye West's first career productions came on Chicago rapper Grav's 1996 debut album Down to Earth. West produced eight tracks on the album. While the album did not attract much attention and would be the only album released by Grav, West would soon be producing for higher profile artists. In 1998-1999 he produced for well known artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Foxy Brown, Goodie Mob, and the group Harlem World. West got his big break in the year 2000 however when he began to produce for artists on Roc-a-Fella Records. He produced the well received Jay-Z song â€Å"This Can't Be Life† off of the album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West would later state that to create the beat for â€Å"This Can't Be Life† he sped up the drum beat from Dr. Dre's song â€Å"Xxplosive†. [19] After producing for Jay-Z earlier, West’s sound was featured heavily on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint, released on September 11, 2001. [20] His work was featured on the lead single â€Å"Izzo (H. O. V. A. ),† â€Å"Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)† and a diss track against Nas and Mobb Deep named â€Å"Takeover†; West has worked with Mobb Deep and Nas since the track's release. After meeting great commercial success and critical acclaim for his productions on The Blueprint, West became a sought after producer in the hip-hop industry, even before he became known as a rapper and solo artist. In the years 2002-2003 he would produce for artists such as Nas, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, T. I. , Ludacris, DMX, and Monica. He also continued producing for Roc-a-Fella Records artists and contribued four tracks to Jay-Z's follow up album to The Blueprint, The Blueprint? : The Gift & the Curse. After great successes as a producer, West now looked to pursue a career as a rapper and solo artist, but struggled to find a way to get a record deal. Chris Anokute, then A&R at Def Jam, said that when West regularly dropped by the office to pick up his producer checks he would play demos of solo material to Anokute in his cubicle and bemoan the fact that no one was taking him seriously as a rapper. [21] Jay-Z admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that he saw him as a producer first and foremost. Multiple record companies felt he was not as marketable as rappers who portray the â€Å"street image† prominent in hip hop culture. [19] Beginning his career as a rapper, Kanye West rapped a verse on Jay-Z's The Blueprint? : The Gift & the Curse, an album he produced for, from the same label he was signed to as a rapper. At the start of his career, Kanye West's production style often used pitched-up vocal samples, usually from soul songs, with his own drums and instruments. [20] His first major release featuring his trademark vocal sampling style was â€Å"This Can't Be Life†, a track from Jay-Z’s The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. West said he sped up the drum beat of Dr. Dre's â€Å"Xxplosive† to use as a replacement for his drums on â€Å"This Can't Be Life†. [19] West has said that Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA influenced him in his style,[16][88] and has said on numerous occasions that Wu-Tang rappers Ghostface Killah and Ol' Dirty Bastard were some of his all-time favorites, â€Å"Wu-Tang? Me and my friends talk about this all the time†¦ We think Wu-Tang had one of the biggest impacts as far as a movement. From slang to style of dress, skits, the samples. Similar to the [production] style I use, RZA has been doing hat. â€Å"[89] RZA himself has spoken quite positively of the comparisons, stating in an interview for Rolling Stone, â€Å"All good. I got super respect for Kanye. He came up to me about a year or two ago. He gave me mad praising and blessings†¦ For people to say Wu-Tang inspire Kanye, Kanye is one of the biggest artists in the world. That goes back to what we say: ‘Wu-Tang is forever. ‘ Kanye is going to inspire people to be like him. â€Å"[90] After hearing his work on The Blueprint, RZA claimed that a torch-passing had occurred between him and West, saying, â€Å"The shoes gotta be filled. If you ain't gonna do it, somebody else is gonna do it. That's how I feel about rap today. â€Å"[90] West accompanied by an eleven-piece chamber orchestra While his use of sampling has lessened over time, West's production continues to feature distinctive and intricate string arrangements. This characteristic arose from him listening to the English trip hop group Portishead, whose 1998 live album Roseland NYC Live, with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra inspired him to incorporate string sections into his hip hop production. Though he was unable to afford live instruments beyond violin riffs provided by Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari around the time of his debut album, its subsequent commercial success allowed him to hire his very own eleven-piece string orchestra. For a time, West stood as the sole current pop star to tour with a string section. [2] West has stated on several occasions that outside of work, he favors listening to rock music over hip-hop. He cites Franz Ferdinand, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The Killers as some of his favorite musical groups. Additionally, on Graduation, West drew inspiration from arena rock bands such as U2, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin for melody and chord progression. [91] Both a fan and supporter of indie culture, West uses his official website to promote obscure indie rock bands, posting up music videos and mp3s on a daily basis. [92] This musical affinity is mutual, as West has collaborated with indie artists such as Santigold, Peter Bjorn and John and Lykke Li while his songs have gone on to be covered countless times by myriad rock bands.