A Timeline of the History of Alcohol

The history of alcohol and humans is at least 30,000 and arguably 100,000 years long. Alcohol, a flammable liquid produced by the natural fermentation of sugars, is currently the most widely used human psychoactive agent around the world today, ahead of nicotine, caffeine, and betel nut. It was made and consumed by prehistoric societies in six of the seven continents (not Antarctica), in a variety of forms based on a variety of natural sugars found in grains and fruits.   Alcohol Timeline: Consumption The earliest possible moment that humans consumed alcohol is conjecture. The creation of alcohol is a natural process, and scholars have noted that primates, insects, and birds partake in (accidentally) fermented berries and fruit. While there is no direct evidence that our ancient ancestors also drank fermented liquids, it is a possibility we should consider. 100,000 years ago (theoretically): At some point, Paleolithic humans or their ancestors recognized that leaving fruit in the bottom of a container for an extended period of time leads naturally to alcohol-infused juices. 30,000 BCE: Some scholars interpret the abstract parts of Upper Paleolithic cave art as the work of shamans, religious specialists who were attempting to connect with natural forces and supernatural beings. Shamans work under altered states of consciousness (ASC), which can be created by chanting or fasting or aided by pyschotropic drugs, like alcohol. Some of the earliest cave paintings suggest activities of shamans; some scholars have suggested they reached ASC using alcohol. Laussel Venus, Upper Paleolithic Bas-Relief, Aquitaine Museum, Bordeaux, France. Apic / Hulton Archive / Getty Images 25,000 BCE: The Venus of Laussel, found in a French Upper Paleolithic cave, is a carved representation of a woman holding what looks like a cornucopia or a bison horn core. Some scholars have interpreted it as a drinking horn. 13,000 BCE: To intentionally make fermented beverages, one needs a container where they may be stored during the process, and the first pottery was invented in China at least 15,000 years ago. 10,000 BCE: Grape pips attest to possible wine consumption at Franchthi Cave in Greece. 9th millennium BCE: The earliest domesticated fruit was the fig tree, 8th millennium BCE: The domestication of rice and barley, crops used for the production of fermented alcohol, occurred about 10,000 years ago. Production Alcoholic substances have intoxicating, mind-altering properties that might have been restricted to elites and religious specialists, but they were also used in the maintenance of social cohesion in the context of feasting available to everyone in a community.  Some herb-based beverages may have been used for medicinal purposes as well. 7000 BCE: The earliest evidence of wine production comes from jars at the Neolithic site of Jiahu in China, where residue analysis has identified a fermented concoction of rice, honey and fruit. 5400–5000 BCE: Based on the recovery of tartaric acid in ceramic vessels, people produced resinated wine, such as that on a fairly large scale at Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran. 4400–4000 BCE: Grape pips, empty grape skins, and two-handled cups at the Greek site of Dikili Tash are the earliest evidence for wine production in the Aegean Sea region. 4000 BCE: A platform for crushing grapes and a process to move crushed grapes to storage jars are evidence of wine production at the Armenian site of Areni-1. Ubaid Pottery from Susa, Iran, 4th millennium BCE, Musà ©e National de Cà ©ramique, Sà ªvres, France. Siren-Com 4th millennium BCE: By the beginning of the 4th millennium BCE, wine and beer were produced in many locations in Mesopotamia, Assyria and Anatolia (such as the Ubaid site of Tepe Gawra) and treated as a trade and elite luxury good. At the same time, Predynastic Egyptian tomb paintings and wine jars are evidence of the local production of herb-based beers. 3400–2500  BCE: The predynastic community of Hierankopolis in Egypt had a large number of barley- and wheat-based brewery installations. Alcohol as a Trade Good It is difficult to draw the line globally for the production of wine and beer explicitly for trade. It seems clear that alcohol was both an elite substance and one with ritual significance, and the liquids as well as the technology of making them was shared and traded across cultures fairly early on. 3150 BCE: One of the rooms of the tomb of Scorpion I, the earliest of the dynastic kings of Egypt, was stuffed with 700 jars believed to have been made and filled with wine in the Levant and shipped to the king for his consumption. 3300–1200 BCE: Wine consumption is in evidence, used in ritual and elite contexts in Early Bronze Age sites in Greece, including both Minoan and ​Mycenaean cultures. Fu Yi Gong wine vessel from the Late Shang Dynasty (13th–11th century BCE) at the Shanghai Museum, China. Tim Graham / Getty Images 1600–722 BCE: Cereal based alcohol are stored in sealed bronze vessels of Shang (ca. 1600-1046 BCE), and Western Zhou (ca. 1046-722 BCE) dynasties in China. 2000–1400 BCE: Textual evidence demonstrates that barley and rice beers, and others made from a variety of grasses, fruits and other substances, were produced in the Indian subcontinent at least as long ago as the Vedic period. 1700–1550 BC: Beer based on the locally domesticated sorghum grain is manufactured and becomes ritually important in the Kerma dynasty of the Kushite kingdom of present-day Sudan. 9th century BCE: Chicha beer, made from a combination of maize and fruit, is a significant part of feasting and status differentiation throughout South America.   8th century BCE: In his classic tales The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer prominently mentions the wine of Pramnos. When [Circe] had got [the Argonauts] into her house, she set them upon benches and seats and mixed them a mess with cheese, honey, meal, and Pramnian wine, but she drugged it with wicked poisons to make them forget their homes, and when they had drunk she turned them into pigs by a stroke of her wand and shut them up in her pig-sties. Homer, The Odyssey, Book X 8th–5th centuries BCE: The Etruscans produce the first wines in Italy; according to Pliny the Elder, they practice wine blending and create a muscatel type beverage. 600 BCE: Marseilles is founded by the Greeks who brought wines and vines to the great port city in France.   Iron and Gold Drinking Horn of the Celtic Chieftain at Hochdorf, on display at Kunst der Kelten, Historisches Museum Bern. Rosemania 530–400 BCE: Grain beers and mead produced in central Europe, such as barley beer at Iron Age Hochdorf in what is today Germany. 500–400 BCE: Some scholars, such as F.R. Alchin, believe that the first distillation of alcohol might have occurred as early as this period in India and Pakistan. 425–400 BCE: Wine production at the Mediterranean port of Lattara in southern France marks the beginning of the wine industry in France. 4th century BCE: The Roman colony and competitor of Carthage in North Africa has an extensive trade network of wine (and other goods) all over the Mediterranean region, including a sweet wine made from sun-dried grapes.   4th century BCE: According to Plato, strict laws in Carthage forbid the drinking of wine for magistrates, jury members, councilors, soldiers, and ships pilots while on duty, and for slaves at any time.   Widespread Commercial Production The empires of Greece and Rome are largely responsible for the international commercialization of the trade in many different goods, and specifically in the production of alcoholic beverages. 1st–2nd centuries BCE: The Mediterranean wine trade explodes, bolstered by the Roman empire. 150 BCE–350 CE: Distillation of alcohol is a common practice in in northwest Pakistan.   92 CE: Domitian forbids the planting of new vineyards in the provinces because the competition is killing the Italian market. Roman pavement mosaic depicting the god Bacchus at the Genazzano Villa in Rome, Antonine dynasty, 138–193 CE.   Werner Forman / Archive/Heritage Images / Getty Images 2nd century CE: Romans begin cultivating grapes and producing wine in Mosel valley of Germany and France becomes a major wine-producing region. 4th century CE: The process of distillation is (possibly re-)developed in Egypt and Arabia. 150 BCE–650 CE: Pulque, made from fermented agave, is used as a dietary supplement at the Mexican capital city of Teotihuacan. 300–800 CE: At Classic period Maya feasts, participants consume balche (made from honey and bark) and chicha (maize-based beer).   500–1000 CE: Chicha beer becomes a significant element of feasting for the Tiwanaku in South America, evidenced in part by the classic kero form of flared drinking goblet.   13th century CE: Pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from fermented agave, is part of the Aztec state in Mexico. 16th century CE: Production of wine in Europe moves from monasteries to merchants. Selected Sources Anderson, Peter. Global Use of Alcohol, Drugs . Drug 25.6 (2006): 489–502. Print.and andTobacco Alcohol ReviewDietler, Michael. Alcohol: Anthropological/Archaeological Perspectives. Annual Review of Anthropology 35.1 (2006): 229–49. Print.McGovern, Patrick E. Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Beer, Wine and Other Alcoholic Beverages. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Print.McGovern, Patrick E., Stuart J. Fleming, and Solomon H. Katz, eds. The Origins and Ancient History of Wine. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2005. Print.McGovern, Patrick E., et al. Fermented Beverages of Pre- and Proto-Historic China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101.51 (2004): 17593–98. Print.Meussdoerffer, Franz G. A Comprehensive History of Beer Brewing. Handbook of Brewing. Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, 2009. 1–42. Print.Stika, Hans-Peter. Beer in Prehistoric Europe. Liquid Bread: Beer and Brewi ng in Cross-Cultural Perspective. Eds. Schiefenhovel, Wulf and Helen Macbeth. Vol. 7. The Anthropology of Food and Nutrition. New York: Berghahn Books, 2011. 55–62. Print.Surico, Giuseppe. The Grapevine and Wine Production through the Ages. Phytopathologia Mediterranea 39.1 (2000): 3–10. Print.

An Expert On The Diy Loan Modification Process - 1578 Words

You need to learn a few basic steps and important steps before you start preparing for your do it yourself loan modification to achieve success. To be an expert on the DIY Loan modification process you must learn and study the process well enough so that you can get your loan modified with a new and revised monthly payment. Most homeowners feel it is very difficult to get a loan modified help from the bank but all they have to do is study the lenders guidelines and prepare the application with all the information accurately and completely. In this way your application can be approved by the lender. You can be the one of the homeowners you can very proudly say that you have modified your loan and saved your home by your hard work and effort and be an example to other homeowners who thinks it is an impossible task You should have complete knowledge with which department you are seeing help. Many a time borrowers get afraid to seek help from the bank after getting phone calls from the collections department to pay off your loan. They are not concerned with your problem or why you are unable to pay your monthly installment. They get paid according to the collections made by them. So it is necessary to speak to the right department i.e. the loss mitigation department or home retention department who will understand your problem and guide you the right direction. Every bank has a division that deals with financially depressed borrowers to explain you the process for loanShow MoreRelatedSainsburys Management Information System5377 Words   |  22 Pagesthey are testing 12 staffed in-store sales units, which are receiving very positive feedback. They are continuing to install more Sainsburys Bank cash machines, and believe firmly in not charging for withdrawals. 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My Favourite Day of the Week free essay sample

The Fruit I Like Best Fruits are good for health. They come from flowering plants. There are many kinds of fruits of which the Orange is my favourite fruit. An orange is a type of citrus fruit which people often eat. They are a very good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. Oranges are round orange-coloured fruit that grow on a tree which can reach 10 metres high. Orange trees have dark green shiny leaves and small white flowers with five petals. The flowers smell very sweet which attracts many bees. The sweet orange, which is the kind that is most often eaten today, grew first in Asia but now grows in many parts of the world. In our country, orange is grown in Chin and Shan States. An orange has a tough shiny orange skin. The colour orange takes its name from the fruit. Inside, the fruit is divided into segments, which have thin tough skins that hold together many little sections with juice inside. We will write a custom essay sample on My Favourite Day of the Week or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are usually ten segments in an orange, but sometimes there are more. Inside each segment of most types of orange there are seeds called pips. Orange trees can be grown from pips, but some types of orange trees can only be grown from cuttings (a piece cut off a tree and made to grow roots). The segments and the skin are separated by white stringy stuff called pith. In most types of oranges, the skin can be peeled off the pith, and the segments can be pulled apart with the fingers to be eaten. Orange skin is often called orange peel. Nowadays, many people of the world eat an orange or drink orange juice every day; because oranges are one of the best and cheapest sources of Vitamin C. Human bodies, unlike many other animals, do not manufacture Vitamin C, so a human needs vitamin C in their diet regularly. (Vitamin C helps the body to grow, to heal wounds and fight infection. ) Oranges are also a very good source of dietary fibre. Moreover, the taste and the smell of an orange refresh everyone. So, among many kinds of fruits, I like the orange best.

Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Essay Example

Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours Paper Richardson 1 Cody Richardson Mr. Payne Music Lit Troubadours The birth of troubadours resided in the rich culture of early 12th century France. They are considered by some to be the frontrunners of secular music. Many were persecuted and killed for their music by the Catholic Church. Troubadours carried the main theme of love in all of their songs. Songs consisting of many different kinds of love were played in courts and sometimes at public meetings. These songs always had to be appropriate for the courts that they were played. Troubadour music in some courts may have even been considered to be racy in current times. The songs helped to show the growing equalities amongst the classes. All troubadours had to show a massive understanding of the intricacies and interworking of the female mind in order to stay on the line of perversion, without crossing it. Most troubadours came from rich courtly families, who were well educated in Catholic schools. The troubadours were groundbreaking individuals who had to persevere through persecution of religious groups, class, and finding a place in their time (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). A troubadour was not merely a musician who played other musicians music. They were well versed in the music advances of their time. Troubadours were able to write their own music and compose their own songs. The most highly noted troubadours would only Richardson 2 play for small groups of people, usually in courts. Many of these well-established troubadours would never play for public events. Instead they would allow other musicians to play their music in their place. Not all troubadours were in the same class of wealth. We will write a custom essay sample on Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Roman Catholic Church and Troubadours specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The type of payment received was decided by the amount of money a certain troubadour already possessed. Some independently wealthy troubadours only wanted fame and women as their rewards for singing in the courts. Others helped to spread the fame of a wealthier troubadour by traveling to other courts and playing their music for them. In return the poorer troubadours would receive funds, that one-day might allow them to climb the latter of success. There were also those troubadours who just wanted to play to gain love of a woman. To help them in their endeavors, many troubadours hired assistants called jongleurs (Jinright 1). Jongleurs helped troubadours perform their music. Having many different skills in all areas of performing allowed them to fill in wherever they were needed. Jongleurs had skills outside of just playing music and singing. Most jongleurs were well versed in skills such as juggling or dancing. Jongleurs created the raw materials for the troubadours to sculpt and use to create their songs. They were used to make up all the missing pieces that a show needed. Jongleurs were known to travel across countries from France to England for the opportunity to play a part in a troubadour’s performance. These traveling performers were the less educated, mainly lower class musicians, trying to make a living. Although some jongleurs possessed a considerable amount skill, they were never compared to the skills of the troubadour in charge of the show. Many times the skills of Richardson 3 jongleurs were overlooked or credited to the troubadour they were working under (Cheyette 78-86). Many troubadours came about due to the direct education of the Catholic Church. Catholic schools helped to teach and sculpt rich courtly children into having the power to create secular music. As troubadours began to flourish, Catholic churches began to feel attacked by their music. Many Catholic schools started screening their applicants to try and reduce the amount of troubadours that would be educated through catholic schools. Around 1209, after failed attempts by many Catholic institutions were made to convert nobility and their troubadours, a war began. The Catholic Church believed that secular music about love was a great sin that needed to be dealt with. After Simon of Montfort crushed the first poorly organized resistance of nobles, many troubadours fled and some decided to stay and fight as part of the Occitanian resistance. In 1216 the resistance defeated Simon and sent him home. Over one hundred years later the Pope decided to send inquisitors in to France, as a response to Simon of Montfort’s loss. This second effort was successful in ending the resistance. Many troubadours were burned alive and others were imprisoned (Jinright 1). Even after the major rise and fall of the troubadours, their ideas lived on through their music. They were the revolutionary thinkers of their time. Troubadours brought new ideas to the way of thinking in many different areas of life. Troubadours were able to express their views on both love and war. They were not afraid to express even the most erotic details of love or talk of epic battles, full of knightly honor. The lords and ladies of Richardson 4 medieval noble houses got bored with listening to work created in monasteries. The people of the time became more interested in music that told stories. Songs were created by the finest troubadours try and let citizens know about the crusades. Almost all songs talked of the victories won by fellow citizens who had ventured off to join the crusades. Their stories became similar to movies of our day about love and war. The songs gave young men and women ideal examples of how to treat each other. Knights heard these songs sung and tried to model their lives after the heroes from the stories. Some believe troubadours created the act of chivalry with their music. Chivalry is one of the only legacies still living left by the troubadours (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). Chivalry is one thing the troubadours gave to society that can never be taken away by time. The Catholic Church had a big role in killing many other parts of the troubadour’s legacy almost completely. Much of the songs created in medieval times were lost do to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The church taught that only religious songs could be written down and saved. Troubadours had to memorize all of their songs they created in order to have anything to play. Making it more difficult for any artist to prosper, who was trying to create secular music. This made for the creation of much easier songs that could be remembered with just listening. The songs were very simple and usually sung with a single melodic line. The troubadours composed their music by joining a single note of music with a single syllable of text. Sometimes they would add in many notes bring sung to a single syllable of text.. Troubadour’s songs form was often very free flowing. Some songs could be strophic in form as well. The church also taught that God did not want composers Richardson 5 to take credit for their songs. No single troubadour could own his or her own songs because they did not have the ability to write them down. If a troubadour heard another artist’s song, they must simply be able to remember it and then go sing it. The rules of the Catholic Church made it impossible for most of the troubadour’s songs to be saved. Most of the footprints left by the troubadours can be seen through the careful study of how their music affected the society of their time (Stevens, Butterfield, Karp 798-790). The change from a Catholic Church dominated society to a free thinking more secular society was brought on strongly by the troubadours. They created revolutionary thoughts that spread against the Catholic way of thinking, every time they performed. They changed music forever in ways that were felt much later down the road. Chivalry is seen and practiced in every country around the world. Troubadour’s songs of love and war have been translated into movies. Movies about true love and about treating women a certain way, are produced every year. Action movies are produced showing courage and giving examples of great heroes. They all serve the same purpose as the songs did for the people of the medieval era. It allows people to imagine themselves as characters in the story and strive to be more like them one day. Most of today’s society probably does not know how its entertainment originated. It came from the revolutionary thinkers of the medieval times. They defied the church and created their own way of life. Many troubadours paid for these songs of revolution with their lives. Although there music is lost, their contributions to society will never be forgotten (Jinright 1).

ACT Hand Scoring Should You Order It

ACT Hand Scoring Should You Order It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Did your ACT scores seem way out of whack? Enough that you think there was an error in the scoring process? It’s possible to get your test rescored manually for a fee. Read on to find out why you might decide to use ACT Score Verification (also known as ACT Hand Scoring) and how you can order it. What Is Hand Scoring? The multiple choice sections on the ACT are scored with scantron machines, which is why there's so much emphasis on filling in the answer sheet accurately with dark marks.Machines may interpret a stray mark as an answer or penalize you because you accidentally skipped a question and bubbled in a string of answers in the wrong spots.If you order score verification, your test will be reviewed again by a human being to see if there was a problem in the original scoring process or if you made an obvious bubbling error that would be apparent to a human grader but not a scantron. ACT score verification is available for both the multiple choice and essay sections of the test (if you did ACT Writing).It’s a $50 fee for the multiple-choice section, $40 for the essay section, or $90 for both.If you're at all familiar withSAT Hand Score Verificationor have ordered it before, you should know thatACT Score Verification differs in one important way.For SAT Hand Scoring, there's the risk tha t your score will go down if mistakes in scoring are found that aren’t in your favor.For the ACT, your score will either stay the same or go up- ordering hand scoring can’t hurt your score, it can only hurt your wallet.If the ACT does find a scoring mistake that works in your favor, your scores will be changed and the fee will be refunded. Special note: In past years, ordering ACT essay score verification meant that your essay was reread and rescored (if your score was higher; otherwise, your score stayed the same). Now, however, getting score verification for your ACT essay only gets you confirmation your essay was scored by two independent graders (or by a third grader if the two scores differed by more than a point in any domain) and that your essay was scanned correctly. When Should You Use Score Verification? Here are a couple of scenarios where you might consider Hand Scoring as a score verification method: Scenario 1: Your Overall Score Was Very Different from What You Expected How different is â€Å"very different†?If you get a score on one or more of your ACT sections that is five or more points lower than the score you consistently earned in practice sessions, you might consider hand scoring. With this much of a discrepancy, it’s likely that something weird happened in the scoring process or you did something on the answer sheet that caused your answers to be read inaccurately. Scenario 2: You Missed Many â€Å"Easy† Questions That You Would Normally Get Right If you look at your score report and notice that you got a bunch of questions wrong in subjects that you usually ace, you might start to question your scores.However, you should consider ordering the Test Information Release, described in my next point, to verify the difficulty level of the questions you missed before jumping to any conclusions. Scenario 3: You’ve Investigated Other Score Verification Options The ACT Test Information Releaseprovides a more comprehensive view of the test. It includes all the questions, a list of your answers, the answer key, scoring instructions, and the writing prompt and scoring rubric along with your scores (if you took the ACT with Writing).You can order the Test Information Release for $20 (per test date). This will either clear up confusion about your scores or verify that something went wrong and you need to order ACT Score Verification (hand scoring). When Should You NOT Use Hand Scoring? You shouldn't jump right to hand scoring if your score is only a little lower than you expected it to be. Say you get your scores back and you did about four points worse than you expected on one or more sections. Do you order hand scoring?I would say that’s the tipping point. A discrepancy between expectations and reality of four points or less is probably not significant enough to indicate an error in scoring. If you're still concerned, you should go ahead and order the Test Information Release so you can understand your scores better.Try not to jump right to blaming the test if you score a couple points lower than you expected- it’s not going to help you learn from your mistakes! The best place to learn is on top of a pile of past mistakes. How to Request Hand Scoring To have your test hand scored, just fill out this form and mail it to the ACT within 12 months of your test date.Include your name (the original one that you wrote on the test), address, and date of birth along withthe ACT ID, testing location, and test date from your original score report. You should also include a check made out to ACT Student Services with the applicable fees for whichever part of the test you want hand scored.Remember, multiple choice is $50, essay is $40, and it’s $90 for both. Mail everything to this address: ACT Student ServicesP.O. Box 414Iowa City, IA 52243-0414 You can also request to be in the room for the hand scoring process for your multiple choice questions (but without access to the test questions) at a location designated by the ACT. If you would like to do this you should mail this request in writing along with everything else, although I would say that unless you are super paranoid about them messing up the scoring again you probably don’t want to bother with it. The ACT says that additional fees apply, but the information they give about it is very vague- you may want to call them to find out more details before you decide to put in a request. The number for ACT Customer Service is 319-337-1270. After you mail your score verification request, you should get a letter back from the ACT in three to five weeks. It will tell you whether your original scores were confirmed or changed due to an error in the original scoring process. If they were changed, you and all your designated colleges will get new score reports free of charge. What's Next? Are you wondering whether you should take the ACT again? Learn how many times you can take the ACT and how to decide whether you should retake it. Are you just unsure of when you should take the ACT? Use this guide to the best test dates to make an informed decision. If you need to go over your mistakes on your last ACT to prepare for the next test date, check out this article for advice on the best way to review. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Free Essays on Time For Nation-building

Our nation is at a critical point in the â€Å"War with Iraq,† which I personally believe directly relates to the â€Å"War on Terror† we are waging against al Qaeda. Many people around the world think that war is not the answer, and that we need to give the U.N. inspections more time. Mona Charen, a syndicated columnist, provides that â€Å"more than a decade of resolutions, reproaches and failed diplomacy have demonstrated, there is no way short of war to remove Saddam or coax him into civilized behavior.† Time is not the answer. If anything it is hurting our cause. Charen points out that we now think those who argued for â€Å"peace† with Hitler are fools – rightly so. Not many would argue against that statement this day in age. She quoted Churchill as saying, â€Å"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." The time to act is now, not once the bombs are in place. Saddam Hussein is well on his way to having weapons of mass destruction, and is desperately trying to cover his tracks. If the average war protester would realize that the U.S. intelligence agencies have more information than can be divulged to other countries, much less the media, and just trust that our president has all the facts and is doing the right thing, then maybe this war could have already been over and our troops well on their way back home. Granted, some will be left in place to handle the rebuilding process of Iraq, but as Charen comments, â€Å"we have an opening to affect the course of history for the entire Middle East the region that is the incubator for America's most dangerous enemies.† The transformation will not be an easy one, but the Arabs deserve to know democracy and human rights. â€Å"Of course war is risky, but avoiding war is sometimes even riskier,† charges Caren.... Free Essays on Time For Nation-building Free Essays on Time For Nation-building Our nation is at a critical point in the â€Å"War with Iraq,† which I personally believe directly relates to the â€Å"War on Terror† we are waging against al Qaeda. Many people around the world think that war is not the answer, and that we need to give the U.N. inspections more time. Mona Charen, a syndicated columnist, provides that â€Å"more than a decade of resolutions, reproaches and failed diplomacy have demonstrated, there is no way short of war to remove Saddam or coax him into civilized behavior.† Time is not the answer. If anything it is hurting our cause. Charen points out that we now think those who argued for â€Å"peace† with Hitler are fools – rightly so. Not many would argue against that statement this day in age. She quoted Churchill as saying, â€Å"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half." The time to act is now, not once the bombs are in place. Saddam Hussein is well on his way to having weapons of mass destruction, and is desperately trying to cover his tracks. If the average war protester would realize that the U.S. intelligence agencies have more information than can be divulged to other countries, much less the media, and just trust that our president has all the facts and is doing the right thing, then maybe this war could have already been over and our troops well on their way back home. Granted, some will be left in place to handle the rebuilding process of Iraq, but as Charen comments, â€Å"we have an opening to affect the course of history for the entire Middle East the region that is the incubator for America's most dangerous enemies.† The transformation will not be an easy one, but the Arabs deserve to know democracy and human rights. â€Å"Of course war is risky, but avoiding war is sometimes even riskier,† charges Caren....

David cole interviews dr franciszek piper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

David cole interviews dr franciszek piper - Essay Example During the interview with the tour guide, Alisha, it was clear that some amount of deception was being practiced on the part of the tour guides on all the tours. It turns out they were trained and instructed to educate tourists in a manipulative manner with the use of inaccurate information. It was further observed that the buildings at the museum such as the so called ‘homicidal’ gas chambers have been reconstructed and yet are being passed off as originals by officials. During the interview with a rather reluctant Dr. Piper, the same questions were directed to him as the tour guide and the information he presented was totally different and rather convincing. However, he too provided some information surrounded with some amount of ambiguity. One of the main contributors of the holocaust theory was the gas chambers, which was said to homicidally end the lives of many, except its victims were clothes and mattresses to combat the lice infestation. (They don’t tell tourists this on the tour) David Cole’s analysis proved that the evidence to support the holocaust theory is extremely limited. Reason for this is the piles of shoes and clothes put on as exhibits passed off as properties of the victims of the holocaust have a perfectly logical explanation. The closest they have for evidence for this theory are eye witnesses and post war confessions. The video further denotes that holocaust experts have claimed that the amount of people said to have perished at Auschwitz Prison was over 4 million, a number which was refuted during the interview with Piper. Piper then concluded that the number was in fact closer to 1.1

Latin Music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Latin Music - Assignment Example He founded the country’s first permanent orchestra the Orquesta Sinfà ³nica de Mexico (1928) and the National Symphonic Orchestra (1947) (Parker 115). As the director of Mexicos National Conservatory of Music, Carlos headed projects for assembling aboriginal folk music. He wrote a book about electronic music â€Å"Toward a New Music,† (1937) and conducted a series of concerts with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1939 (Parker 9). He composed six symphonies out of which symphony no. 2 Sinfonà ­a India (1939) is amongst his best and most frequently performed works. Hearing the symphony is an exotic experience. It turns out that Carlos was an expert of blending folk with contemporary because this symphony offers a variety of flavors. Usually symphonies involve pauses or breaks because these are layered according to the composition of instruments but Sinfonia India is different. Upon hearing this symphony it becomes obvious that there are no breaks despite that it is a three movement composition. This informs about Carlos’s intention of breaking the norms and moving beyond the conventional style of composing and conducting for forming his own trademark style. This symphony has a Mexican feel probably due to the very empowering use of conventional Mexican instruments like drums and strings. A striking feature of Sinfonia India is the clarity of sounds and rhythmic attribute but the most enjoyable aspect is the folk element because it gives the symphony a nationalist aura for which Carlos is noted for. The symphony’s mood is pleasant and uplifting. It begins vibrantly but the meters change rapidly encouraging a soft and soothing somewhat melancholic melody by the middle and again mood becomes cheerful when the entire piece from the opening gets repeated. Last part is quite accelerated one and this is the most exciting part because a variety of instruments are introduced. Repetition turns out to be a much

Sherif 1954 Essay Example for Free

Sherif 1954 Essay Aim: To study the origin of prejudice arising from the formation of social groups Sherif carried out research into groups, leadership and the effect groups had on attitudes and behaviour. The Robbers Cave Study built upon his previous work. He thought that social behaviour could not be studied properly by looking at individuals in isolation. He recognised how social organisation differs between cultures and affects group practices, so he claimed that groups have to be understood as part of a social structure. The Robbers Cave Study used two groups of young boys to find: how the groups developed; if and how conflict between the groups arose; and how to reduce any such friction. Three terms defined according to Sherif are: small group individuals share a common goal that fosters interaction; individuals are affected differently by being in a group; an in-group develops with its own hierarchy and a set of norms is standardised norm a product of group interaction that regulates member behaviour in terms of expected or ideal behaviour group a social unit with a number of individuals who are interdependent and have a set of norms and values for self regulation; individuals have roles within the unit Procedure 22 young boys, aged 11, who did not know each other prior to the study. All from Protestant Oklahoma families to eliminate family problems and match the kids as much as possible. They were also matched based on a rating, including their IQ, from their teachers and were finally reassessed and matched , including issues such as sporting ability, before the experiment began. A nominal fee was charged for the children to attend the camp and they were not informed that they were being used for a piece of research in order to obtain â€Å"true† results The Camp The experiment is called the Robbers Cave Study because it took place in a camp at Robbers Cave State Park, Oklahoma. The location was a 200-acre Boy Scouts of America camp completely surrounded by the State Park. The site was isolated and keeping the two groups apart (at first) was easy because of the layout of the site, as shown in the diagram Data Collection There was a wide range of data collection methods: observer – participant observer allocated to each group for 12 hours a day sociometric analysis – issues such as friendship patterns were noted and studied experiment – boys had to collect beans and estimate how many each boy had collected tape recordings – words and phrases used to describe their own group were studied The observers were trained not to influence the boys’ decisions but to help them once a decision was reached Three Stage Experiment The two groups were formed and set up norms and hierarchies (to see how they became in-groups) The two groups were introduced and competition was set up, as a tournament (to test for friction, name-calling and hostility to the out-group) The two groups were set goals that they needed each other to achieve Stage 1: in-group formation The two groups were kept apart for one week to help the formation of group norms and relations. They had to work as a group to achieve common goals that required cooperation. Data was gathered by observation, including rating of emerging relationships, sociometric measures and experimental judgements. Status positions and roles in the groups were studied. There is much detail about how hierarchies within each group developed. The measurements were thought to be both valid and reliable because different data collection methods produced similar results. For example, in the bean-collecting task, the boys tended to overestimate the number of beans their own group members had collected and underestimate the number collected by the other group (the number of beans was actually the same). Stage 2: inter-group relations, the friction phase After the first week, the two groups were told about one another and a tournament was set up with competitive activities. Points could be earned for the group and there were rewards. As soon as they heard about each other, the two groups became hostile. They wanted to play each other at baseball, so they effectively set up their own tournament, which was what the researchers wanted. The aim of the experiment was to make one group frustrated because of the other group, to see if negative attitudes developed. Adjectives and phrases were recorded to see if they were derogatory and behaviour was observed as previously. The researchers introduced the collecting the beans experiment: the boys had to collect beans and then judge how many each boy had collected. This was to see if the boys overestimated the abilities of the in-group members and minimised the abilities of the out-group members. As was mentioned before, this was the case. Stage 3: inter-group relations, the integration The researchers wanted to achieve harmony between the two groups, which they did by introducing superordinate goals. This meant that the groups would have to work together to achieve the goals. At first, they introduced tasks that simply brought the two groups together so that they could communicate. They then introduced the superordinate goals, which included: fixing the water tank and pump when the water supply was threatened a truck that would not start, so they had to pull together to try and start it pooling resources so that they could afford a film that they all wanted to watch The researchers measured the use of derogatory terms and used observation and rating of stereotyping. Results Stage 1: in-group formation By the end of the first Stage, the boys had given themselves names: the Rattlers and the Eagles. The groups developed similarly, but this was expected due to how carefully they had been matched. Any differences present were most likely due to the different decisions they had to make based on their cabins being located in different areas. For both groups, status positions were settled over days five and six of the first week, and a clear group leader was in place. The Rattlers often discussed the situation of the Eagles, saying things such as â€Å"They had better not be swimming in our swimming hole†. Although the Eagles did not refer to the Rattlers so often, they wanted to play a competition game with them. It seems that even only knowing another group existed was enough reason for hostility to develop, even though neither group had been introduced yet. Stage 2: inter-group relations, the friction phase As soon as the groups found out about each other, they wanted to play baseball in a group competition: and so both groups had naturally moved onto Stage 2. The Rattlers were excited, and discussed such issues such as protecting their flag. The Eagles weren’t as excited, but made such comments as â€Å"we will beat them†. The Eagle selected as baseball captain for the baseball competition became the group leader of the Eagles for all of Stage 2, even though he was not the group leader at the end of Stage 1. When the two groups first met, there was a lot of name calling. There is evidence collected, including what the boys said, who they were friends with and practical issues (such as the burning of a flag). It was found that there were clearly negative attitudes towards the out-group members. Stage 3: inter-group relations, the integration During the initial contacts of this Stage, the hostility remained. There were comments such as â€Å"ladies first† and when they watched a group movie together, they sat separated in their individual groups. After seven contact activities, there were superordinate goals set up: 1 The staff turned off the valve to the water pump and placed two large boulders over it. The children were informed that vandals had damaged it in the past. They worked together to fix the damage and rejoiced in common when they were successful 2 The second goal was to watch a movie together, but both groups had to chip in to pay for it. They eventually agreed to go halves even though one group had fewer members than the others. However, this agreement showed that the two groups cooperated to arrive at one final decision which they both were happy with 3 The boys all went on an organised trip to Cedar Lake, where the truck suddenly ‘developed’ a problem meaning the boys had to use the tug-of-war rope to try and pull it out and get it started It was noticeable how friendships differed between Stage 2 and 3. More out-group members were chosen as friends by the end of Stage 3, which is evidence that friction was reduced by the superordinate goals outlined. Conclusions Most of the hypotheses put forward by the researchers at the beginning of the study were confirmed. Some of the conclusions drawn from the experiment include: The groups developed social hierarchies and group norms, even though they were not stable throughout the study Each group had a clear leadership structure by the end of the first week When the two groups meet for competition, in-group solidarity and cooperation increases and inter-group hostility is strong People tend to overestimate the abilities of their own group members and to minimise the abilities of out-group members Contact between two groups is not enough to reduce hostility When groups needed to work together, exchanged tools, shared responsibilities and agreed how to solve problems, friction was reduced – working towards a superordinate goal once was not sufficient, there needed to be numerous cooperation tasks to achieve this Evaluation Strengths: There were controls, such as the careful sampling and the briefing observers so they all followed the same procedures, this meant that cause-and-effect conclusions could be drawn more justifiably than when observing naturally-occurring groups There were several data collection methods and the findings agreed, so validity was claimed – for example, derogatory behaviour and recordings found derogatory remarks against the out-group The group conflict could be seen as prejudice; reduction of friction would be reducing the prejudice, therefore the study has a practical application Weaknesses: It was unethical in the sense that there was no informed consent obtained, there was no right to withdraw for the participants (also, the boys’ parents were not allowed to visit – to prevent them feeling homesick – but this meant they could not check on their children’s welfare) It was hard to generalise to other situations because the sample was restricted to boys with a specific background

Women as Societies Change Agents During the 1950s Polio Epidemic Essa

The 1950's represented the cold war era, symbolized by the red scar, anti-communism, potential nuclear war, and McCarthyism. Patriotic loyalty was stressed, any citizen who spoke out against the US government policies was labeled a communist and was often black listed and put under surveillance. The sensationalized conviction and execution of the Rosenberg's for spying, jeopardized our countries' national security and reinforced anti-communism propaganda. Moreover, students practiced emergency ducking under their desk drills to prepare for a nuclear fallout and families purchased bomb shelter for protection. The hyper-vigilance, fear, paranoia, and post traumatic stress that permeated our country's landscape of being under siege, intensified with the polio epidemic. Verbally expressing the word â€Å"POLIO† brings forth anxiety, trepidation, and thoughts of mortality, crippled bodies, and iron lungs. Once the initial shock wears off that you-- in fact, have the disease than the fight for your life begins. This highly contagious illness was passed by close contact and through fecal matter, despite improved sanitation practices. Unfortunately, many poor and middle class families' contracted this viral disease, which rapidly destroyed motor-neurons to arms, legs, and diaphragm muscles. Ironically,improved sanitation practices were blamed for this delayed childhood disease. Younger breastfeeding children received maternal antibodies whereas older children did not have this similar immune advantage. Sadly, children under fifteen years old, experienced the highest rates of contracting this malady. Adults also experienced severe poliomyelitis complications rendering them total care or requiring the iron lung to perform their br... ...ine, restricting community activities, discouraging mingling among all socioeconomic classes at the pools, theaters, and camps, good hygiene, sanitation practices and effective handwashing techniques. Works Cited BIBLOGRAPHY 1. Naomi Rogers, Dirt and Disease: Polio before FDR (New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1992). 2. Wilson, D.J. A Crippling Fear: Experiencing Polio in the Era of FDR Bulletin of the History of Medicine 72.3 (1998) 464-495. 3. Oshinsky, D. M. Polio: An American Story oxford university press (2005) 350 4. Foertsch, J. Bracing accounts, the literature and culture of polio in postwar america. Associated university press (2008) 223. 5. Bocker, A. and Brandt, V. Living in fear:northeast wisconsin's polio epidemics. Voyager Winter/Spring (2007) 10-25.

Child developmental summary

There are five sub categories when looking at a child's development and although all of these are age guided, not all children reach the same area at the same time, neither do they systematically achieve each stage by a certain age, although they are achieved in order, they are there for guidance purposes only. The five Identified areas that a child develops are physical, Intellectual, social, emotional and language The first stage which has been termed by cognitive psychologist Jean Planet as the Seniority stage covers the age range from birth to 2 years of age.This Is the age range when the most dramatic and primary changes happen, with the baby transitioning from being totally dependent upon a career for all sources of their welfare and development, to exercising a very limited way of communicating to others their wants as they develop into becoming a fairly able bodied toddler who can more often than to exercise their autonomy through vocal and physical displays of preference.Dur ing the seniority stage a child learns about the world around them through the 5 senses, touch, taste, sight, sound and smell. It is through the use of these senses that the baby begins to interact with their environment, initially it is smell and sound which Is used to Identify their primary care giver normally this recognition Is In the form of bodily smells and voice.Their sight Is the next sense, developing from a black and white Image with color slowly Integrated, It Is through this process here they begin to socially develop relationships by recognition of people within their environment, especially with a great response towards the human face , this is then built upon by the fine tuning of voluntary and reciprocal expressions of both facial expressions and noises, that eventually turn smiles or cries into fully formed words, making social exchanges a two way social interaction where by autonomy is expressed.Through the use of taste and touch babies assist their exploration of their environment through the use of their mouths and tongue, this is soon over mom and exploration is then mostly practiced via the touch alone, so they grow the next area to develop Is to define their fine motor skills, beginning with holding a finger of a care giver, to a rattle, to aim for grabbing distant objects, using the pincher grip when learning to self feed, to finally having the ability to grasp objects and use them with Intentional purpose, like bang a drum or push a toy car along.These fine motor skills are not just confined to upper limb movement but also the ability to aided/ unaided to crawling to walking to running to Jumping and even attempting to inferno stairs. But social interactions within their environments are Just as important to a child's development at this very early stage as they are even later on, due to them battling internal conflicts and their abilities to grasp concepts from the world around them, therefore positive reinforcement and interactions are necessary to encourage social development.Overall by the end of the seniority stage children have developed from being totally dependent to being more environmentally and socially aware of their surroundings. The next developmental tag of a child can be classed as pre- school or as Erik Erickson termed it, the play age, with the age band of 3-5 years. Neurological connections continue to be produced at a high volume due to the need for the increase in cognitive abilities.Through this stage children become more self aware of themselves along with that of others developing a sense of individuality within their environments and are able to control and express their emotions at a more direct level whilst also being able to express empathy towards others. Their physical capabilities are becoming finer need with the ability of being able to catch a ball, move to rhythm, and hold a pencil and balance. Intellectually they are becoming more inquisitive therefore are able enquire and to a bsorb information rapidly allowing them relay it at most times a comprehensible level.Their play also begins to incorporate details of everyday life and aspects of role play begin to show. Level Weights deems this stage of proximal development important to not only the child but also the people/ peers within the child's environment as they are there as guide to help steer and influence the child's hinging acting as a ‘scaffolding in development' through encouragement of exploration. The next developmental milestone stage in child development that follows on from the ‘play age' is the age range of 5-8 years.During this stage of the child's development their development becomes more sophisticated by putting into practice all they have learnt since birth by fine tuning their speech and every movement, along with their intellectual awareness being much greater with them becoming more inquisitive about the world, their environment, who they are as a person and here they fit i nto this world due to becoming more aware of differences in all aspects of their lives.They are also at a stage where they begin to feel the need to ‘belong and fit in' with a greater personal emphasis being placed upon relationships. They are also more aware of others feelings towards themselves, making this a very vulnerable stage with personal perceptions and peer group opinions being a very important factor in this stage of development proving complimentary of Level Hoosegows theory that this stage is reliant upon the ‘scaffolding of peer relationships'.

Precision Worldwide, Inc Havard Case Study

SUBJECT: Precision Worldwide, Inc. RECOMMENDATION: My recommendation for Precision Worldwide, Inc. (PWI) is to immediately stop the production of steel rings. PWI then needs to sell the remaining steel rings to at least recoup some of their initial investment. In the meantime they should start producing, selling, and distributing plastic rings to their entire market of customers while attracting new customers who may prefer this new option. CONCLUSION: By changing their production offering to the plastic rings, PWI will create more profit which in turn will keep them ahead of competitors in the industry. The remaining 15,100 steel rings will have to be calculated as a sunk cost. With this new product offering, PWI will be able to acquire new clientele across the globe and still be able to maintain the loyalty of their existing patrons. RESULTS: When PWI sells 100 plastic rings, they are expected to make $838. 25 more in profit than the sale of 100 steel rings. It costs $1107. 90 to produce one hundred steel rings. When that is compared to creating a hundred plastic rings, which only costs $279. 65, it becomes more evident why PWI should switch their product line. Plastic rings are also more durable than their steel counterparts and ultimately a better product overall. APPENDIX: The choice that Precision Worldwide, Inc. must make can essentially â€Å"make or break† them. Hans Thorborg, the General Manager, faces a predicament with how to deal with their existing and the in process inventory. He also has to come to a decision regarding the materials that have been obtained for inventory but PWI did not have the chance to actually process them before the change was made. Before Thorborg can make a decision, there are three main factors that need to be taken into consideration: the opportunity costs, the product substitution, and sunken costs. I would recommend that Precision Worldwide, Inc. immediately start producing the plastic rings that were created by Bodo Eisenbach and halt the production of the steel rings. The sale and distribution of the plastic rings should begin immediately after to all of their branches so that way PWI can start earning profits as quickly as possible. PWI currently has a specialized inventory because the steel rings that they produced were made from a unique type of steel. There would be sunk costs that would ultimately come from the failure of PWI to sell back the specialized steel because of the same features that make the steel unique would in the end be the reason that they are difficult to resell. There is over $390,000 in estimated costs of the specialized unprocessed steel and the already completed rings, as well as steel rings that were a work in process. By immediately stopping production of the steel rings PWI will lose quite a bit of money, but in the long run they will be able to bring in a larger profit and more clientele with the production of the plastic rings. To minimize the amount of that Precision Worldwide, Inc. stands to lose (close to $400,000); they can raise its opportunity cost by bringing to an end the work in process of the specialized steel rings. During the production phase of the new plastic rings, PWI can try to sell all of the remaining steel rings that they have in stock. By doing so, they will be able to decrease the amount of money that they stand to lose when switching product lines. The new profit margin is $828. 25 per hundred rings (Cost of the steel rings $1,107. 90 minus cost of the plastic rings $279. 65). PWI has the potential to earn $1070. 35 per one hundred plastic rings because they are going to be sold at the same price as the steel rings $1350. By completing a product substitution, PWI will help reduce the debt and hopefully increase the amount of sales by generating new customers and maintaining the trust and loyalty of their current clientele. Due to the profit margin being over $1000/100 rings sold, PWI will be able to completely wipe out their debt in a matter of a few months. Although there will be competitors selling other plastic rings, they will be few and far between. PWI will be one of the first companies to sell it therefore obtaining more of the market share and becoming a leader in this field. The fact that PWI is worldwide will prove to be an advantage in generating new clientele in new areas by being the first to have the merchandise in their regions. By creating new clientele, PWI will produce larger profits and hopefully due to the quality of their product offerings, trust and loyalty in the new clientele. Company shareholders will also have more trust in PWI for making a wise decision and eventually increasing the value of their shares. Fortunately for PWI that the profit margin is high enough to offset the quantities of plastic rings that are sold. Since they are stronger and more durable than the steel rings, less plastic rings will be purchased. One of the reasons that Precision Worldwide, Inc. eeds to take the risk in producing the plastic rings is because they can afford to halt production of the steel rings. After taking into consideration their opportunity costs it would be the wisest decision for GM Thorborg to proceed with the production of plastic rings and immediately halt the production of the steel ones. PWI not only stands to bring in larger profits in the long term, they will also open the eyes of consumers who w ill soon become their clientele due to a better product offering APPENDIX: Fixed Overhead: Item Plastic Rings Steel Rings Material$17. 65$321. 90 Direct labor$65. 50$196. 50 Direct o/h $52. 40$157. 20 Total$135. 55$675. 60 Item Plastic RingsSteel Rings Profit Made (per 100 sold) $1,070. 35$232. 10 Life of Ring 8 Months 2 Months Steel profit x4 (plastic lifespan) $928. 40 Profit Difference $141. 95($141. 95) Total Revenue: Item Plastic Rings:Steel Rings: Profit per 100$1,350. 00 $1,350. 00 Cost per 100 $279. 65 $1,107. 90 Total $1070. 35$232. 10

Economic Theories essays

Economic Theories essays In attempts to control the economy, the Government has to rely on theories and beliefs about what they feel will have the best outcomes. This leads to the problem that there is no absolute proven way in which to guarantee a successful economy, and thus leaves open the debate about which policies would have the best effects. Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations favors a laissez-faire mentality from the government, while John Keynes, Keynesian theory, requires the government to play an active role in controlling the economy. Adam Smith once quoted, The uniform, constant and uninterrupted effort of every man to better his condition, the principle from which public and national, as well as private opulence is originally derived, is frequently powerful enough to maintain the natural progress of things toward improvement, in spite both of the extravagance of government, and of the greatest errors of administration. This is one of many instances in his book which reflects that human nature itself would propel an economy guided by each individuals Invisible hand. Smith noticed that when a business would become successful, others would notice and enter into the same field. As a direct result, growing consumer demand was satisfied while competition controlled rising prices. Adam Smith argued that an individual acting purely out of self interest would be a progressive force for the maximization of the total wealth of a nation. The role of the government should be permissive, creating a legal defensive setup sufficient to allow individual action. Interference with the free working of this natural order will reduce the growth of wealth and misdirect resources. Keynesian economics is based on a belief that the economy can possibly fall into a recession and not be able to pick itself up. Keynes felt that trends and fads could disrupt Smiths Invisible hand and lead it astr...

About the National Security Agency

About the National Security Agency The National Security Agency is a highly specialized and vital unit of the American intelligence community that works to create and break secret codes, a science known as cryptology. The National Security Agency, or NSA, reports to the U.S. Department of Defense. The work of the National Security Agency is done in secret and in the name of national security. The government did not even acknowledge the NSA existed for some time. The National Security Agencys nickname is No Such Agency. What the NSA Does The National Security Agency gathers intelligence by conducting surveillance on its adversaries through the collection of phone-call, email and Internet data. The intelligence agency has two primary missions: preventing foreign adversaries from stealing sensitive or classified national security information from the United States, and collecting, processing and disseminating information from foreign signals for counterintelligence purposes. History of the National Security Agency The National Security Agency was created on Nov. 4, 1952, by President Harry S. Truman. The intelligence agencys foundation has its genesis in the work U.S. forces conducted during World War II in breaking German and Japanese codes, which it describes as a crucial factor in the Allied success against German U-Boats in the North Atlantic and victory at the Battle of Midway in the Pacific. How the NSA is Difference From the FBI and CIA The Central Intelligence Agency deals mostly with gathering intelligence on Americas enemies and conducts covert operations overseas. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, on the other hand, operates within the U.S borders as a law-enforcement agency. The NSA is primarily a foreign intelligence agency, meaning that it is authorized to collect data to prevent threats from foreign countries. However, in 2013 it was revealed that the NSA and FBI had allegedly been collecting phone-call data from Verizon and other information from servers operated by none U.S. Internet companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, AOL, Skype, YouTube, and Apple. Leadership of the NSA The head of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service is appointed by the secretary of the Department of Defense and approved by the president. The NSA/CSS director must be a commissioned military officer who has earned at least three stars. The current director of the intelligence agency is U.S. Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander. The NSA and Civil Liberties The surveillance activities of the NSA and every other intelligence agency often raise questions about civil liberties, and whether Americans are being subjected to unconstitutional invasions of privacy. In a statement published on the NSAs website, agency deputy director John C. Inglis wrote: Im often asked the question, Whats more important – civil liberties or national security? Its a false question; its a false choice. At the end of the day, we must do both, and they are not irreconcilable. We have to find a way to ensure that we support the entirety of the Constitution – that was the intention of the framers of the Constitution, and thats what we do on a daily basis at the National Security Agency. Still, the NSA has publicly acknowledged that it has inadvertently collected communications from some Americans without a warrant in the name of national security. It has not said how often that happens, though. Who Oversees the NSA Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Government surveillance agencies are also subject to review by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which was created by Congress in 2004.

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Training for Health, Fitness and Sport - Essay Example Moreover, endogenous and exogenous fuels for energy production are considerably dissimilar. Aerobic exercise lasts for a relatively long period and involves the working of the heart and lungs. Dubbed as endurance exercises, it implies that it lasts for a long time. The type of race the cyclists specialize in is categorized as endurance and therefore aerobic. It would therefore, be important to consider the efficiency of their heart and lungs in taking the oxygen and conveying it to the muscles, that is, their aerobic fitness. The cyclists would derive energy from aerobic energy systems or metabolism. The aerobic system is quite slow in producing adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Energy requirements and intake of macronutrients varies across gender and sports. This paper is a report, which discusses factors that affect exercise performance based on empirical evidence. The paper will also discuss the nutritional requirements of five cyclists and the importance of macronutrients and micronu trients according to the specific demand of each track-cycling event. The relevance of participation and development in the success and performance will be discussed. Macro and micro nutrients functions and sources Macronutrients in foods provide a rich source of energy and they include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Sources of simple carbohydrates include fruits, dairy produce, confectionery, soft drinks, and cakes and biscuits. Sources of complex carbohydrates include rice, wheat, oats, corns, vegetables, and pulses. Wheat products such as bread, pastry, pasta, and biscuits provide rich sources of complex carbohydrates. Sources of proteins include eggs, poultry, dairy products, cereals, wheat, rice, oats, meat and fish. Sources of fat include dairy products, oils, cakes, confectionery, and meat. Micronutrients include vitamin and minerals. They do not provide energy although perform key functions. Foods rich in vitamin include vegetables, nuts, fish, seeds, bran, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Water is also required in addition to macronutrients and micronutrients. Endurance cyclists are involved in aerobic exercise, which entails use of oxygen. Oxygen tends to have adverse effects on the body including increasing chances of contracting certain cancers and heart diseases. Antioxidants tend to nullify such adverse effects on the body. The antioxidants such as Vitamin A, C, and E, and some minerals such as zinc and selenium are obtained from fruits and vegetables. Water is also important in diet (Donnelly 2008). Dunford and Doyle (2008) observed that dietary supplements that contain vitamins, amino acids, and minerals would have less significant impact on exercise performance. Ergogenic supplements having the necessary vitamins, proteins and minerals would therefore, be more appropriate. Importance of the nutrients to cyclists and their specific needs concerning physical demands of sport cycling Nutrition is an important extrinsic factor that influences physical training and recovery. Endurance cyclists train for endurance, power, and strength (Seebohar n.d). Donnelly (2008) observed that dietary proteins provide rich source of energy, which is necessary for preserving body’s basal metabolic processes. Proteins provide amino acids that are necessary for the production of broad range of proteins vital for the body functions. Petrie, Stover, & Horswill (2004) indicated that intense and constant exercise tends to increase daily protein demands for adult cyclists. Heavy training coupled

Genogram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Genogram - Essay Example I became overweight as a child and still as an adult. However, my weight never impaired my abilities to function as I have always had many friends. My aunts and uncles on my father’s side exhibit symptoms of poor diet and low activity. Perhaps learning this behavior was modeling others in my family. Yet I have always considered myself to be a happy individual. This pattern was not something I notice until I performed a geneogram. My sister and I both had our first child at a young age. I believe genetics placed an increase stress on both of our pregnancies. My mother, sister and I all carry the gene that is associated with the development of sickle cell. My mother currently suffers from this disease. Knowing that this disease is present in the primarily females in my family brought an increased stress on both mine and my sister’s pregnancies. My niece was later born suffering from sickle cell. My maternal grandparent’s first child died shortly after birth. However, the cause of death was never quite known in full. In further my stress levels were elevated during pregnancy as I had began my second year of college. During this time period I was told that my daughter suffered from Down syndrome. This was concluded through an ultrasound. Due to my religious background I decided that I would not participate in an amniocentesis test or terminate my pregnancy as this is what the doctor advised. A mira culous blessing occurred when I delivered my son via c-section to discover that he did not have down-syndrome, or any form of a disorder. Instead I had a healthy baby that was perhaps the greatest blessing in my life. Perhaps I am most thankful for the religious upbringing my family provided me. If it were not for these religious beliefs I may not have had the greatest blessing in my life, my son. Further examination of my geneogram demonstrates the strong genetic tendencies towards diabetes exhibited in my paternal genetic composition. The genetic tendencies

Music of Schoenberg and Debussy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music of Schoenberg and Debussy - Research Paper Example The third period was marked by his invention of â€Å"twelve-tone† method of composition. It is often claimed that musical pieces of this composer reflect the characteristics of Brahms and Wagner. On the one hand, the directions of musical developments of these two opposing composers cannot be compared, but on the other hand, Schoenberg succeeded in uniting them into one perfect conglomerate. A selected piece of music composed by Schoenberg is Op. 08, where he accelerates and escapes from traditional Wagnerian tones. A principle of linear time is reflected in a direct motion in music. The principles of tonality were very important for the musical pieces of 20th century and compositions of Schoenberg follow those tendencies as well. Historical context of this composition plays a very important role for further discussion. This piece of music is thought to be finished in 1909 and he completed it in 2 weeks. That period was a crisis for the composer and these feelings and emotion s are evidently reflected in his music. The record Erwartung 6 lieder Op. 08 is believed to be a new stage for musical development of the composer, when he exceeded the limits of Romanticism and German culture (Evans, 2001). This piece of music is distinguished by depth of expression, easy comprehension and distinction, though it was often argued by critics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The name of its piece of music is Erwartung or Expectation. It is a story about a woman, who is waiting for her lover, but then finds his body dead. The beginning and the end of the composition are calm ones, but in the middle of this piece of music are essential ascents. Therefore, these characteristics can be considered as belonging to non-conventional music. The composer’s personality was unconventional at that time as well, because Hitler did not like him because of his Jewish nationality. His musical pieces were full of subjectivity and unconscious. The implementation of atonal dissonance did not reflect the main characteristics of Romanticism. It was beyond harmony and it was something new and unique (McKay, 1987). Schoenberg was looking for the ways of new developments and he wanted a new field for his self-expression. A language of dodecaphony was invented by this composer. This language of music can be described in the following way: sounds, like words can be either expressed or not. They can become cultural symbols for expressions and reflections of a given individuality of a composer. This is the specific context of dodecaphonic musical expression. Lauro Machado Coelho claimed that Schoenberg managed to open new ways for musical aesthetics’ reflection. The composer did not intend to position his music as a revolutionary one. Schoenberg made an emphasis on creativity and imagination, that is why during 19071908 he refused from the concept of tonality and rushed into expressionism. This piece of music, â€Å"Erwartung† is a bright exampl e of this tendency. Nevertheless, there is a huge psychological impact exerted on it, because it was written during a period, when Mathilde, a wife of Schoenberg, left him and had an affair with Richard Gerstl, who killed himself after Mathilde’

Virtue Ethics Essay Example for Free

Virtue Ethics Essay Virtue ethics is a moral philosophy that encompasses morality, defined by values which are identified and classified by a range of character traits. Aristotle is the founding father of most virtue ethics theories, while some versions have incorporated Plato, Kant and Hume their contributions to the theory of virtue ethics is less emphasized (Athanassouulis, 2006). Virtue theory is often thought of as a dynamic theory of how to conduct business activities (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 157). Virtues are acquired character traits that help people fit into society. Acquiring virtuous qualities is necessary to achieve success. According to Grenz Smith (2003): Virtue ethics is defined as an, inner disposition to perform morally right acts of a certain kind; the tendency to act rightly by habit in a particular manner; a character trait that is deemed morally praiseworthy. The virtues have also been understood to be those qualities of character that make a person morally successful. Ethicists in both the Greek and Christian moral traditions have sought to determine what traits are virtues. Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in virtues, especially with the renaissance in virtue ethics or the ethic of being (p. 125). Other definitions of virtue ethics have been described as positive traits which promote health, harmony, and balance (Engel, 2000). A virtue is an acquired quality of character that allows one to achieve personal happiness. Velasquez, Shanks, Andre and Meyer (1988) illustrated that a person that has developed the virtue of generosity is often referred to as a generous person because he or she tends to be generous in all circumstances (no page). Velasquez, Shanks, Andre, and Meyer’s interpretation of virtue ethics reinforces Aristotle’s earlier theory that once virtuosity is acquired it is maintained by repetition (1988, no page). People are by nature creatures of habit. Therefore, in order to become virtuous it is necessary to repeat virtuous acts so those acts become habits. The opposite of virtues are vices, which are negative traits that detract from health, harmony and balance. According to Engel (2000) a â€Å"vice is an unbalanced virtue which needs to be brought back to center† (no page). A vice can either be a lack of effort or an act of self indulgence. Vices are caused by impulses which are not regulated by virtues and many times the individual is unaware of their emotions (Engel, 2000, no page). Virtues and vices must work together and balance out. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extreme, a person who values the virtue of honesty and vows to always tell the truth no matter the circumstance or situation lacks harmony and balance. Honesty can be taken to an extreme 10 whereby one says everything from one’s mind without any consideration or using tact (Engel, 2000, no page). On the other hand one can be an extreme 1 where the individual does not ever tell the truth. It is important to understand that being an extreme 1 or 10 on any virtuous scale is not a good thing. Aristotle is the father of virtue ethics theories; he studied ethics in a broad sense. He defined virtues of character as dispositions to act in certain ways in response to similar situations (Engel, 2000, no page). Based on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, things of any variety have a characteristic function that they are properly used to perform (Kemerling, 1997). The good for human beings must involve the entire proper function of human life as a whole (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 B. C. ). Aristotle also gave consideration to the aspects of human nature involved in acting and accepting moral responsibility. Aristotle’s philosophy of virtue ethics emphasizes that acting virtuous is a habit not an act. â€Å"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit† (Landauer Rowlands, 2001). For example, individuals that consistently practice the virtue of being fair will continuously expound their knowledge of fairness in every aspect of life. Blackburn (2001) pointed out that Aristotle emphasized becoming virtuous requires education and practice (p. 113). Moral character must be taught and instilled gradually. Aristotle’s theory of virtue applies accordingly to today’s business activities by implying to be virtuous requires extreme repetition, dedication and understanding of morality. Morality is a major component of virtue ethics. Grenz Smith defined morality as, â€Å"Determining what is believed to be right and good, then living out those beliefs† (2003, p. 77). The word ethics has often been used as a synonym for morality (Frankena, 1980, p. 3). According to Frankena, conceptual thinking and analysis seek to clarify moral concepts like virtue to elucidate the logic of moral reasoning (1980, p.4). Morality has been referred to as an action guide or standard of conduct. What Makes Us Moral? Authored by Levy (2004) described â€Å"morality as a system of prescriptions that are held to be conditionally binding upon all rational agents† (p. 41). Most often morality is deemed as a type of character formation which determines how people should act and shape their lives (Frankena, 1980, p19). Essentially morality has been linked synonymously with moral judgment. Hollinger referred to moral judgment as a behavior in which people have a sense of oughtness and obligation (2002, p. 13). Moral judgment involves those decisions in particular situations where one choice may be better or worse than another. According to Cothran (2006), determining what is moral or immoral comes from either the understanding of new information or the application of information (p. 34). It is out of a sense of obligation, and knowing right from wrong that has caused people to debate the morality of an issue. Halberstam (1993) proposed that there are three basic confusions about moral judgment (p. 146). First, morality is not a matter of taste. Second, moral judgments are not social judgments. Lastly, being moral does not equate to acting legally. How people choose to deal with issues tells the world who they are. How do you make a moral decision? You can flip a coin. You can roll dice. Usually people go with their gut instincts. Moral reflection is essentially self actualization which compels people to analyze their decisions. Typically people debate about social issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and everyday personal concerns. These issues are moral judgments not a matter of taste or preference. Americans have enacted laws based on moral concerns not matters of taste. Moral issues are routinely taken to Congress in order to enact laws concerning American citizens. Halberstam (1993) stated, â€Å"If moral views were arbitrary inclinations, we wouldn’t bother trying to get others to see our way† (p. 147). Many people confuse moral judgments with social judgments. Halberstam (1993) researched Southeast Asians cuisine and found many Asians consider monkey brains to be a delicacy (p. 148). Asians frequently dine on monkey brains, which most Americans would find repulsive. However, consumption of monkey brains is no more a moral repulsion than consumption of fried chickens. The issue of whether or not to dine on monkey brains would usually be considered a social judgment not a moral judgment (Halberstam, 1993, p. 148). However, if a particular culture worshiped monkeys then the issue could be considered a moral judgment. Moral judgments, unlike matters of taste are supported by reason (Halberstam, 2003, p. 147). People are allowed to prefer a certain food over another, the same as they are allowed to prefer wearing clothes made by a particular designer over another. An example of moral judgment would be presented if a designer employed children in sweatshops to make his or her clothes. The buyer would then have the burden of deciding whether it is morally correct to continue to purchase the designer’s clothing. The buyer’s decision would be based on his or her moral beliefs. Moral beliefs are inner beliefs that ultimately guide outward actions. Morality isn’t a matter of personal taste or social standards. It really isn’t a matter of the law, either. Morality and the law are often connected. Fried (1978) pointed out in Right and Wrong, â€Å"Rights are to be used, and there are moral judgments to be made, judgments of the good and bad, better and worse, regarding the enjoyment of these rights† (p. 171). For example some comedians tell sexist and ethnic jokes. Legally the comedian has a right to free speech, however those jokes may be considered morally offensive. In most societies people want the law to reflect morality, but there is a fine line between the two. Lying is morally wrong, but unless you lie on a witness stand it’s not illegal (Halbestam, 2003, p. 151). Therefore most people haven chosen not to make being a liar an illegal act; only to question the morality and character of people that lie. Cohen (2002) stated, â€Å"Most of the world’s misery can be traced back to a lack of virtue† (p. 21). The main virtues that support business transactions are: integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and moral leadership (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 157). Lack of any of the previously mentioned virtues can severely hinder and harm a business. According to Lewis (1991) in A Question of Vales: Six Ways We Make The Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives, virtuosity has been closely linked to emotion, â€Å"Although we do not usually associate feeling with thinking or judging we actually judge through our emotions all the time† (p. 10). Being honest and truthful has been found to be the most emotionally challenged and judged virtue. Integrity incorporates a broad range of ethical characteristics. Plante (2004) defined integrity as â€Å"following high standards of honesty, justice, and fairness; having completeness or wholeness† (p. 40). You could say that to maintain integrity is to avoid situations that violate your sense of completeness or wholeness. Here’s an example to illustrate the principle of integrity. You are a lawyer with a firm and you are propositioned by a client to do legal work outside of the firm. You feel this opportunity may help you advance in your career. Also the likelihood of anyone finding out about this business transaction is unlikely. If you were a person of integrity what would you do? I you value the virtue of integrity you would likely decline the offer, due to your loyalty and commitment to the firm. Individuals that value integrity usually value honesty as well. On the other hand individuals that have not fully developed their sense of virtue emotionally agonize between being truthful and being dishonest. Grenz Smith (2003) defined honesty as â€Å"being devoted to the truth and truthfulness: (p. 53). As a virtue honesty gives rise both to pursing the truth and being truthful (Grenz Smith, 2003, p.54). Even in difficult situations a truly virtuous person will always be honest. Trust is a virtue defined as a â€Å"predisposition to place confidence in the behavior of others while taking the risk that the expected behavior will not be performed â€Å"(Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 158). Businesses that posse the virtue of trust eliminate the need for excessive monitoring and precise contracts and agreements (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 158). Businesses that have complete trust convey reliability and integrity to their consumers and counterparts. Fairness is a virtue that focuses on the disposition to deal equitably with the perceived injustices of others (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 158). According to Grenz Smith (2003) fairness is a principle of justice that asserts that all persons in a particular group ought contribute to and share in the benefits that accrue to the group in a manner that is equitable when measured according to an assumed or agreed standard. Fairness often relates to doing the right thing in any given situation. In sales and marketing environments associates often have collective team and individual objectives or sales goals to meet monthly. In order to make the sales objectives fair, upper management assess multiple components, such as the number of sales associates on a team and the amount of sales experience of each individual. It would be unfair for an associate with one month of experience to have the same goals as an associate with one year of service. It would also be unfair for a team of 6 members to have the same sales goals as a team with 10 members. The team would be at a disadvantage either by lack of experience or the number of sales agents. Moral leadership is a virtue that encompasses strength of character, peace of mind heart, and happiness in life. Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell (2008) have found â€Å"moral leadership to be a character trait of leaders who follow a consistent pattern of behavior based on virtues† (p. 158). A person that posses moral leadership will always rely on their virtues to guide them. Such an individual will remain consistent in the method in which they conduct business. Virtues are often called character traits. Character is defined as the various dimensions of personality either natural or acquired that distinguish one individual from another (Grenz Smith, 2003, p. 18). As an ethical term character refers to the traits of an individual that may be deemed morally blameworthy or praiseworthy. Character traits are usually used in a positive sense to refer to the possession of virtues. Individuals that posses character traits are considered to be as morally upright. Gier (2006) found virtue ethics to be internal and self regulating, thereby sustaining character traits as internal and self-regulating measures of standards (no page). It is important to understand that moral character develops over a period of time. People are born with all kinds of natural tendencies. Some of the tendencies will be positive such as kindness and some of the tendencies will be negative such as jealousy (Athanassoulis, 2006, no page). Natural tendencies can be encouraged and discouraged by leadership such as parent’s teachers and peers. Character development is shaped and molded through a long gradual process of moral education and habitation (Athanassoulis, 2006, no page). Moral education and development are a major part of virtue ethics. Cline suggested in Virtue Ethics: Morality and Character, that a person ask themselves four key questions: What sort of person do I want to be?; What virtues are characteristics of the person I want to be? ; What actions will cultivate the virtues I want to possess? : What actions will be characteristics of the sort of person I want to be? (n. d. , no page). Virtuous actions stem from some particular motivation, which implies correct moral decisions require correct moral motives. Greene (1994) pointed out Benjamin Franklin’s stance on the virtue of resolve in Ben’s Book of Virtues which stated, resolutions were meant to be kept and held sacred by resolving to do what you ought (p. 8). In other words, do without fail what you resolve to do (Greene, 1994, p. 8). Resolutions are usually inner promises people make to themselves to do or follow certain plans of action. Following through with resolutions builds trust and respect in the business world. Companies that fail to honor their resolutions become weak and undesirable to their colleagues and stakeholders. There can be a different set of virtues for almost every aspect of life, such as marriage, religion, and business. For example, with regards to marriage the virtues are trust, respect, love and fidelity. Many Christian’s hold their religious virtues as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and above all love (Col 3:12). Most businesses set of virtues are trust, self-control, empathy, fairness, truthfulness, learning, gratitude, civility, and moral leadership (Ferrell, Fraedrich Ferrell, 2008, p. 158). Virtue ethics is a moral philosophy that has been proven to focus on one’s internal disposition of values and beliefs. According to Aristotle, virtues are developed through moral education which instills positive character traits by repetitive practicing of virtuous habits. Virtuous people posses balance and harmony between their virtues and vices. In conclusion virtue ethics is a dynamic theory of how to conduct business activities and ultimately life activities. Reference List Aristotle. c. 350 B. C. (1985). Nicomachean Ethics. Trans by Terence Irwin. Indianapolis. IN: Hackett. Athanassoulis, Nafsika. (2006). Virtue ethics. In The Internet Encyclopedia ofPhilosophy online. Retrieved July 26, 2008 from http://www. utm. edu/research/iep/v/virtue. htm Blackburn, Simon. (2001). Being good: A short introduction to ethics. New York, NewYork: Oxford University Press Inc. Cline, Austin. (n. d. ). Virtue ethics: Morality and character. Retrieved June 30, 2008,from http://atheism. about. com/od/ethicalsystems/a/virtueethics. htm Cohen, Randy. (2002). The good the bad the difference: How to tell right fromwrongin everyday situations. New York, NY: Doubleday. Cothran, Helen. (Eds) (2006). Ethics: Opposing viewpoints. Farmington Hills, MI:Greenhaven Press. Engel, Dawn. (2000). Virtues and vices. Retrieved July 26, 2008 fromhttp://www. philosophypages. com/hy/2s. htm Frankena, William. (1980). Thinking about morality. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press. Ferrell, O. C. , Fraedrich, John, Ferrell, Linda. (2008). Individual factors: moralphilosophies and values. In, Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases(7th ed. ). (P. 156-158) Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Fried, Charles. (1978). Right and wrong. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Gier, Nicholas f. (2006). Virtue ethics and character consequentialism. Retrieved fromhttp://www. class. uidaho. edu/ngier/introVE. htm Greene, Karen. (Eds) (1994). Ben’s book of virtues: Ben Franklin’s simple weekly planfor success and happiness. New Hope, PA: New Hope Press. Grenz, Stanley J. Smith, Jay T. (2003). Pocket dictionary of ethics: Over 300 terms ideas clearly defined. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press. Halberstam, Joshua. (1993). Everyday ethics: Inspired solutions real -life dilemmas. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Hollinger, Dennis P. (2002) Choosing the good. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Kemerling, Garth. Aristotle: Ethics and the virtues. (1997). Retrieved July 28, 2008 from http://www. philosophypages. com/hy/2s. htm Landauer, Jeff Rowlands, Joseph. (2001). Virtue. Retrieved June 30, 2008 fromhttp://wwww. importanceofphilosophy. com/Ethics_Virtue.html Levy, Neil. (2004). What makes us moral? Crossing the boundaries of biology. Oxford,England: Oneworld Publications Lewis, Hunter. (1991). A question of values: Six ways we make the personal choicesthat shape our lives. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Plante, Thomas G. PH. D. , ABPP. (2004). Do the right thing: Living ethically in anunethical world. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications Inc. Velasquez, Manuel Andre, Claire Shanks, Thomas Meyer, Michael. (1988). Ethics and virtue. Retrieved fromhttp://www. scu. edu/ethics/practicing/decision/ethicsandvirtue. html.