Deer at Providence Essay Example for Free

Deer at Providence Essay Annie Dillard is a renowned essayist; having won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize of 1975 and written a number of books such as Teaching a Stone to Talk (1982), An American Childhood (1987), The Writing Life (1989) among others. In this article, The Deer of Providence, she comes out as a great writer and a lover of nature, who seeks the mysteries and excitement that come upon interaction with new natural environments (Dillard, ). We can be able to gather the main purpose of Annie’s as being the fact that suffering is a natural phenomenon hence people shouldn’t wonder why it has happened but should cope and move on; because its nature. According to the article, Annie is the youngest of four travellers from North America and the only woman in the group. They camp at a small village called Providence in the Amazon jungle and witness a shocking occurrence involving a deer which had been captured by the village dogs. The deer had developed injuries on its thin neck as it struggles to free itself from the rope now tying three of its hooves. They later had a sumptuous meal of well-prepared fish and a previously caught deer with rice and some bananas as well. As they headed to their tents for a goodnight sleep, it becomes apparent that the men had been astonished by Annie’s ability to look at the struggling deer at Providence without the feeling of remorse. Annie remembers her bathroom picture, at home, of a man who had burnt his face off for the second time in his life. This is where Annie’s main theme is revealed; Pain and suffering has got little or nothing to do with an individual, human or just a deer; it’s simply nature (Dillard, 1945). To support her thesis of pain and suffering being part of nature, Annie Dillard uses the illustration of the Deer of providence’s struggle and the burnt man in a newspaper article; a Mr. McDonald. I think the two examples are good enough to bring out the fact that nature doesn’t discriminate; whether human or not, we are prone to pain and suffering. The two scenarios perfectly illustrate the writer’s opinion and though they might seem to have different settings and occurrences, they correspond to the purpose. However, some differences arise from the wo examples given by Dillard. First is the cause of suffering in the two scenarios where we are able to observe that in the case of the deer of providence, it was another creature, the dogs and humans, who caused the deer to endure the pain and suffering. In Mr. , McDonald’s case, nobody was to blame for the pain and suffering he endured; it was a pure accident. The Second difference that comes out is the end r esult after the suffering where in the case of the deer it’s obvious that death will be the final result while in Mr. McDonalds case, there’s a chance of survival as witnessed in his earlier burning experience (Dillard, 1945). The similarities can also be derived such as the issue of both occurrences causing pain and suffering to those involved. Whether the pain endured is as a result of another creatures actions or not; whether the victims survived the ordeal or not (Mr. McDonald may have also died) equal pain and suffering was endured which, as Dillard the writer insists, is the main purpose of the illustrations. Annie Dillard manages to bring out her thesis and effectively supports it with examples which vehemently appeal to me as the reader. The way she argues out her opinion is quite persuasive and the fact that she uses her own experiences, both in the jungle and in the comfort of her home, shows the belief she has of suffering and pain in the world.

A divided America on the topic of abortion Essay Example for Free

A divided America on the topic of abortion Essay Abortion In modern history, there have been few subjects of political and social interest as divisive as that of abortion. Ideologically, many traditional religions such as Christianity have stipulated that abortion itself is an unethical practice and one that is morally wrong. Many Christians assert that there is some divinely unethical nature of the mishandling of the fetus itself. Most arguments of this kind essentially pertain to the status of the fetus as a person, one that has the right to the same advantages and privileges as its human mother. As such, abortion has come to dominate many discussions and people have found platforms to argue for or against the acceptance of abortion as a norm in our society. Much of the opposition surrounding the ethics of abortion pertains to religious belief, and many ascribe to the notion that abortion contradicts divine command theory. As such, there are many factors to consider in interpreting abortion from a theological standpoint, as well as in addressing the positives and negatives associated with the act itself. When the United States first began establishing itself as its own country, many of the states simply transferred English laws to their own and used these as a sort of template for how to conduct their own affairs. Abortion was handled much the same in this way, and the structure for how many states began to approach abortion came from how they chose to handle it within this framework. Many states essentially stated that it was not allowed or permitted after around the 15-20 week period immediately following conception. Anti-abortion laws and statutes officially began to manifest themselves in the United States around the 1820s, and these laws expanded upon previous laws to help supplant the notion that abortion was unethical. In the year 1821, one of the first prominent anti-abortion laws came forth from Connecticut, which outlawed medicines that were given to women to help further abortions. In 1829, New York made abortions that Despite the advances that were occurring in medical science and the developments in these fields, many people in the United States still considered it an unethical dilemma to condone the acts that were associated with abortion, or to facilitate them. As medical sciences grew in support of the belief that fetuses didnt exhibit the same traits or characteristics as fully-born children, many theological centers and individuals began imposing their own opinions of the matter, to stand in stark contradiction to these claims. Scientists in this era concluded that conception was merely an inauguration point for the development of a fetus and that it was a continuous process of development until the child fully possessed all of its human-like traits and characteristics. Criminalization of abortion became a huge trend in the late 1860s, as various doctors and legislators began doubling down on the act and making it illegal. By the year 1900, abortion had become a felony in essentially every s tate in the country. Yet, some states had included clauses or provisions which were meant to ensure that abortions could be conducted in a limited nature, when issues such as the health of the mother became a factor, or if the pregnancy was the direct result of incest or rape. In 1973, the Supreme Court was a group the case of Roe v. Wade, one that would transform the history of abortions in the country and provide a catalyst for a more in-depth examination of the ethical nature of abortions themselves. In this particular case, the Supreme Court came to rule that a statute in Texas which forbade abortion, except when it was necessary to ensure the safety of the mother, was unconstitutional. This decision sparked a tremendous amount of backlash and controversy and has provided a plethora of individuals and groups with a reason to once again oppose the act. Many of these groups and entities have debated on the ethical nature of abortion, and have used the divine command theory to support their claims. The divine command theory is a theological approach to understanding and interpreting the grounds of morality, as well as establishing what is moral and what is not. Unlike the ethics of natural law, the divine command theory is used to establish a clear and present moral direction, and to help supplant a sense of duty and ethical foundation. The theory is developed on the notion that God is the creator of the world, and that the laws which govern morality and ethics are extensions of the commands that God asserts. Furthermore, the argument among many theological representatives is that God would be against the nature of abortion, as it stands contrary to the Commandments that God gave humans. A direct and implicit interpretation of the morality of abortion may be surmised from the scripture in Exodus 21:22-24, in which the scripture itself discusses a woman who has a miscarriage as a result of two men who are fighting in the passage. (The Bible, Exodus 21:22-24) The scripture does n ot directly state that she had an abortion at that moment, but it does provide an inference into the miscarriage and states that it was immoral due to the fact a life was lost in this time. As such, it has become a principle Christian belief that a life of a fetus is equivalent to that of an adult human, in terms of the value that God places upon it. In the passage 44:2, it is stated that â€Å"thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you. Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.† (The Bible, Isaiah 44:2) In this bit of scripture, God consults with Jacob and tells him that he should not have any fear because God provided him with life directly from the womb of his mother, which would imply that God has established some level of plan or purpose for Jacob even when he was a fetus. It is this basis that many have used to establish their interpretation of divine command theory. This notion supports the centralized argument that it is humanitys responsibility to provide the most maximum safety for that of all human life, which these theorists argue starts in the womb and immediately after conception. The moral ramifications of abortion, as this theory postulates, is that God will not condone actions which facilitate the likelihood of abortion or the helping of abor tion in any way. While it can be said that the religious groups believe that the life of a fetus is sacred, many people outside of these mentalities believe that there is an inherent right in the mother to control what she does with her own body, and how she goes about doing it. Many of these individuals argue that their belief systems do not correlate directly with this mentality and that it is unethical in itself to subject a woman to the harsh realities of being a mother if it was never her intention to become a mother in the first place. As such, it is worth understanding abortion itself and what it can entail, to better interpret the ethical nature of the act and which side presents a more sound argument. Abortion can be a tremendously devastating act, psychologically. A study that was amassed from approximately 56,000 public records in California concluded that women who had abortions were 160 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital for psychiatric care, as opposed to women who had chosen to see the pregnancy through and deliver the child. (Barlett, 2004, 729) Furthermore, it was noted that the rates of treatment for psychiatric issues were higher by a large margin for upwards of four years, in women who had abortions. Further studies indicate that many women experience psychological issues as early as eight weeks after they have an abortion. These studies have found that approximately 44 percent of women have some level of nervous disorder and that 36 percent note that they have some level of disturbance in their sleep patterns and in their overall regular sleep cycles. (Barlett, 2004, 731) Over 30 percent of these women also note that they openly regret the decision that the y made, and approximately 11 percent of people are prescribed some type of medication to help them cope with the stresses associated with their decision. (Barlett, 2004, 731)   Women who have abortions are more prone to visit psychiatrists than those who have delivered children to full term. Researchers have concluded that there is only one real positive emotion that is correlated with abortions, being that of relief. Yet, this can quickly be supplanted by feelings of numbness or a sense of emotional paralysis. It is often the case that women who have abortions are left with a general inability to express their emotions after the procedure, correlating whatever feelings they have to just a general appreciation for having been able to survive the procedure, with little more being reported. This can lead to a more stable, concurrent level of negative reactions which can continue to manifest themselves throughout the next several months following an abortion-related procedure. Significant studies have concluded that approximately 50 percent of women question their decisions after the procedure, and over 55 percent express some sort of guilt within the 8 weeks that follow the abortion. (Barlett, 2004, 735) Furthermore, approximately forty percent of women who abort report to having sexual complications or dysfunctions, which can last for a short or long period of time in most cases. These can include increased pain or a loss of pleasure from the acts of sex and an aversion to the genitals of their partners, or to males in general. Psychological issues arent the only ones that can manifest themselves after an abortion. Approximately one hundred complications have been associated with the induction of abortion, and all of these have the capacity to affect the women undergoing these processes. Statistics on abortion state that 10 percent of women who are undergoing some type of abortion-related procedure have some type of immediate physical or mental issue that occurs during or after the process and 20 percent of these can be seen as major factors and health-related issues. (Barlett, 2004, 737) Among many of the complications that can physically happen are infections, fevers, abdominal pain, bleeding, vomiting and intestinal disturbances. The most commonly identified major issues that can happen are serious infections, embolism, convulsions, cervical injury, hemorrhaging, perforation of the uterus, bleeding, and shock during the process. A study which cataloged the effects of 1,180 abortions concluded that over 2 7 percent of the patients had some type of infection that lasted more than 3 days after the process. (Barlett, 2004, 741) While it can be said that many of these issues can be immediately treated, a large percentage of them can lead to long-term, more serious results and damages to the reproductive system and other attributes of the womans body and health. 3 to 5 percent of women who have aborted are accidentally left sterile as a result of the effects of the process, and this is even greater when venereal diseases are introduced into the equation. (Barlett, 2004, 740) Despite these factors, there are many potential ethical positives to abortions. Regardless of the health risks associated with abortion, it should ultimately be left to the woman to decide what she will do with her own body. Many experts argue that pregnancies should not be enforced upon the acts of sex. In 2008, a study concluded that 41 percent of all pregnancies that happened in the United States were not planned, or indirectly accidental in some way. (Finn, Moore, 2008, 112) When one considers the size of the population in the United States, there are over 85 million women who identify with this claim. The number of reasons that a woman should be able to cancel a pregnancy should not be so limited, and this affects a large percentage of the population in the United States. Delineating these decisions and the freedom for a woman to have her own say over her body does not pose a significant level of intrinsic value in the life of the woman. Furthermore, the issue becomes more complex when one looks at the availability of contraception. It is often the case that many women who have sex and their partners are not able to readily find contraception, nor do they have the means to ascertain it themselves. Since 1980, there has been a 61 percent decrease in the funds that are available through the Title X program, which helps to provide affordable services to people to help them dictate their family planning. (Finn, Moore, 2008, 110)   Many socially-charged issues and the dissemination of anti-abortion materials have catalyzed a scenario in which women do not have the proper access to the resources that they often need to ensure that they do not get pregnant. When this is considered, enforcing abortions does not have much of an ethical foundation in itself, supplanting the notion that womens bodies and their decisions are not valid or hold the same level of importance as the livelihood of fetuses. Abortion is a tremendously important social issue, and one that has manifested itself in many different ways throughout the course of modern American history. Many opponents of abortion believe that the act is against Gods will, and that God has ordained the value of a fetus existence as comparable to the lives of humans. This coincides with the principles of divine command theory according to many of these individuals, and their belief system is built around the notion that abortion is a fundamentally unethical issue to God. Many ideologies have used this as a principle justification for their unwillingness to understand or accept abortion, which has led to a significant level of controversy in the United States between the groups of people who oppose it and those who support it. As a result, the United States has had a turbulent history with the subject of abortion, which has led to much debate in terms of a womans right to her own livelihood and body. While it can be said that abo rtion can be a potentially harmful action in terms of the effects it can have psychologically and physically, a woman should still be given the freedom to choose how she goes about her own body, and what she chooses to do with it. Socially, it is the responsibility of a nation such as the United States to provide the most adequate resources that it can to help facilitate these processes and the decisions that women make. References Bartlett, LA. Risk factors for legal induced abortion-related mortality in the United   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   States.Obstet Gynecol.Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 729-745. Finer, Lawrence B.;   Moore, Ann M.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Qualitative Perspectives Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2008. pp..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   110–128. The Bible: Contemporary English Version, 2000. London: Harper Collins. Weingarten, Karen. Abortion in the American Imagination: Before Life and Choice, 1880-1940,   Ã‚  Ã‚   2000.New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. p. 176.

Aberdeen Tartan Day This repo

Aberdeen Tartan Day This repo Aberdeen Tartan Day    This report examines the data from a Market Research Questionnaire presented to visitors of Aberdeen. Awareness of past events is reviewed and, preferences for future events are examined, with various alternatives being explored. On August 5, 2005 Aberdeen City Council held its second Tartan Day. In an effort to expand this newfound tradition Council wishes to explore levels of interest in different types of potential activities. In the past such activities as the Country Fair, walking tours, a family day at the Union Terrace and special Jacobite displays at Provost Skene’s House were included in the programme. The data, provided by the client, consisted of 30 respondents to the questionnaire. Although this number is small it is sufficient to extract some general information for Aberdeen City Council to make decisions regarding future events. The raw data were assumed to be correct as well as the methods for collecting the data deemed appropriate. The raw data were copied to a minitab file (available upon request) and various graphs and statistical tests performed. Means and medians were compared and, in some cases, correlation coefficients were calculated to identify relationships between areas. Demographically the respondents were evenly split by gender and equally distributed in the three age ranges 15-19, 20-24 and 25-29. Twenty-eight live in Aberdeen City, 23 are college students, one secondary student and six employed full time. All six of the respondents employed had salaries below  £1500 per month. There was huge variance in the level of awareness respondents had in the events held in Aberdeen last year. Of the 30 people surveyed almost all were aware of the â€Å"Free at the Dee† event but less than 25% were aware of ‘Tartan Day’. Event Number Aware Number Attended Aberdeen Jazz Festival 6 2 Aberdeen International Football Festival 14 1 Aberdeen International Youth Festival 13 1 Free at the Dee 28 14 Tartan Day 7 1 International Traders Fair 4 0 10k Fun Run 8 2 Highland Games 15 3 Apart from the traders fair, the football and youth festivals, the Tartan Day attracted the fewest percent of the people aware of its existence. Free at the Dee seems to have generated the keenest attraction. How respondents find out about events connected with their hobbies and interests is shown below: Communication mode Percent who used this TV 50% Press 22% Posters 18% Text Message 20% Internet 60% e-mail 30% Word of Mouth 93% Leaflets 13% Clearly word of mouth and the internet seem to be the most effective communication modes with traditional print modes (leaflets, posters, press) among the least. A review of the cost effectiveness of e-mail and the internet compared to TV may be worth undertaking. Note that since many respondents make use of more than one media the above percents add to more than 100%. The pie chart below shows the relative popularity of the five proposed themes for future Tartan Day events. These are based on the number of respondents who chose each activity as either their first or second choice. The boxplot below poignantly illustrates how the respondents voted. The shaded area shows how the middle half voted with the line in the box showing the median. The broad box for sports indicates the wide range of opinions related to the desirability of sports as a theme but whereas the small shaded area for music indicates a strong consensus (the median is actually 1). The star at 4 for music is a lone dissenter called an outlier. Clearly neither theatre, art nor highland games are very attractive as themes to the respondents. No one ranked theatre or art as number one and a singular champion of highland games voted it a first choice. Both sport and music seem to be popular. Twenty ranked music as number one and 8 ranked it as number 2 where sport received nine votes in each category. A closer inspection of the data revealed that those that placed music high as an activity tended to place sports low. A similar relationship held between highland games and theatre. This information could be valuable should the committee decide to hold two events concurrently. Most people who expressed a preference voted for the event to be held at the beginning of July either at the beach or Duthie Park. Month Count Time Count Place Count June 11 Beginning of month 13 Beach 11 July 16 End of month 1 Duthie Park 14 August 2 No preference 16 Union Terrace 3 September 1 Castle Gate 1 Exhibition Centre 1 Seventy percent of the respondents would like to see a Scottish theme (Haggis, Angus Beef burgers, Whisky and tartan) at the festival. Almost a quarter had no preference. Two-thirds of the respondents claimed to be willing to pay for this event and, of those, an overwhelming 80% peg  £1 to  £5 as reasonable with the rest willing to pay between  £6 and  £10. Since a full two thirds of the respondents selected music as the theme they would prefer for future events a review of their preferences might reveal some additional information. The music lovers showed the same generally low level of awareness and participation at the various events held in Aberdeen last year as the complete sample of thirty respondents. The first surprise is the mode of communication for the people who selected music. Communication mode Music People Percent who used this Full Sample Percent who used this TV 50% 50% Press 75% 22% Posters 65% 18% Text Message 20% 20% Internet 60% 60% e-mail 30% 30% Word of Mouth 90% 93% Leaflets 20% 13% The group that choose music made use of most media the same as the full cohort with the notable exceptions that the music group made much more use of the printed media: press, posters and leaflets. The planning committee may wish to take this into account when designing their advertising. Advertising in the printed media could place more emphasis on the music aspect and other forms of media target a more general audience. The music group favoured the beginning of July as did the whole group with an even greater percentage favouring Duthie Park. They also would like to see a Scottish theme added to the festival although whether this is confined to food, drink and dress or includes the music was not indicated. Last years brochure heralded ten out of its sixteen venues as ‘admission free.’ Two-thirds of the respondents expressed a willingness to pay for the event they chose as a potential theme for Tartan Day (ie. they expressed a willingness to pay for a music event). The committee will need to consider the question of fee from a philosophical view as well as a pragmatic one. Generally the profile of the group willing to pay aligns closely to the whole group of respondents with a few notable exceptions. The potential payers showed greater attendance at both the 10K fun run and the highland games. They relied less on internet for communication and slightly more on e-mail. They showed a significantly greater reliance on TV for communication. None of the potential payers wished to see Tartan Day in August and they favoured Duthie Park very strongly. The data were reviewed by parsing other subgroups with no startling results. The age groupings and the groupings according to employment status showed no difference from the group as a whole. There were slight gender differences in the choice of media. Females tended to favour the press and posters. A number of questions emerge naturally from the above results. If music is to be a theme what kind of music would be best received? Could there be two themes like music and sport? The survey did not indicate family status. If Tartan Day is to be a family event this group could be targeted in any follow-up surveys. The general level of awareness as indicated by the participants of the survey of Tartan Day in the past has been low and the attendance even lower. Based on the survey results the committee should consider changing the date of Tartan Day to early in July. The majority favour a music theme with the venue at Duthie Park and they are willing to pay a small entrance fee (below  £5). Depending on the target group a variety of media should be used to communicate the events of the day.

The Social Effects of Digital Technology :: Technology

Introduction: Digital technology was introduced thanks to numerous technological improvements, which have developed and changed society. As expected Postman (1992), â€Å"a new technology does not add or subtract something. It changes everything.† Digital technology is basically any software using or based on the binary code, a coding system using the binary digits 0 and 1 to represent a letter, digit, or character in a computer or any other electronic device. Both households and businesses use this technology for various purposes, such as entertainment, productivity, communication, etc. To define the actual benefits and negative impacts of digital technology, it first needs to be understood that this technology is mostly a platform, on which have grown numerous innovations. Digital technology is most known for providing society with personal computers and the Worldwide Web. President Clinton, in 1996 during his announcement of the initiative to take Internet to the Next Generation humorous ly said, â€Å"When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web†¦ Now, even my cat has its own page.† On the other hand, what was, until recent days, less advertised were the negative effects that digital technology has had on society and mankind since it’s massive implementation. What is induced by this technology, and most importantly, what are the real benefits and effects of digital technology? Negative Effect: A- A study done at the university of Maryland reports the addictive potential of new digitalized technologies (Ipods, cellphones, laptops). College students who gave up all form of technology for 24 hours reported feelings of â€Å"withdrawal and anxiety†, according to an editorial in the Seattle Times. Sociability issues as well as a tendency towards isolation were observed in the tested group. In addition, what is considered even more preoccupying is the â€Å"potential effect so much technology might have on how children develop† (Seattle Times). A study done by Commonsense Media, found that â€Å"52 percent of children ages 5 to 8 years old have had access to a mobile device, while 39 percent of 2 to 4-year-olds and 10 percent of zero to 1-year-olds have had access.† Another research, done by The Kaiser Family Foundation, reports that â€Å"children aged 8 to 18 spend in average 7 hours and 38 minutes using media devices†. An excessive use of modern digital medias is claimed to lead to a sedentary mode of life, less time for social interactions, and more and more within children, obesity.

Collin Powell Essay -- essays research papers

Secretary of State Colin Luther Powell served as national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan, and under President George Bush became the first African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993). In 2001 the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the Secretary of State. Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem, New York City on April 5, 1937, the son of a shipping clerk and a seamstress, both of whom were immigrants from Jamaica. Powell spent most of his childhood in the South Bronx, then regarded as a step up from Harlem. Despite the urgings of his parents that he should "strive for a good education" in order to "make something" of his life, Powell remained an ordinary student throughout high school. At City College of New York, Powell discovered himself; his retentive mind and leadership abilities made him a conspicuous success in the Army's Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). He graduated from the program in 1958 with the rank of cadet colonel, the highest awarded, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He was then assigned to duty in West Germany. In 1962, while stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, Powell met and married Alma Vivian Johnson. The couple had three children. Powell's next overseas assignment was in South Vietnam, where he was wounded in action. He then studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, finishing second in a class of more than twelve hundred officers. During a second tour in Vietnam he received the Soldier's Medal for pulling several men from a burning helicopter. The army then provided Powell the time to study for a Master's degree in business administration at George Washington University. He received the degree in 1971, after which he worked as an analyst at the Pentagon before securing what he called a "dream job": an appointment as a prestigious White House fellow in the Office of Management and Budget under the director, Caspar Weinberger, and his deputy, Frank Carlucci, two men of rising influence in Washington who perceived Powell's uncommon abilities and who would help shape his career. A man of commanding presence at six feet one inch and 200 pounds, Powell was assigned to South Korea in 1973 to command a battalion troubled by racial animosities. "I threw the bums out of the army and put the drug u... ...gure in government. During the 1996 presidential race, it was announced that Powell would run. He declined, citing various reasons. The withdrawal was disappointing to many Americans. In April 1997 Powell chaired a Volunteer Summit in Philadelphia. Powell, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, former presidents, and other big names, including Oprah Winfrey, proposed the advent of a new volunteerism that would include people from all walks of life, place, and age. Powell's next step was to chair America's Promise, the Alliance for Youth. This organization is "dedicated to mobilizing individuals, groups and organizations from every part of American life, to build and strengthen the character and competence of our youth." Although the organization experienced some difficulties initially, Powell's commitment did not waver. Evaluations conducted in the spring of 1999 indicate that the organization has touched the lives of over 10 million children since its inceptio n. On December 16, 2000, President-elect George W. Bush nominated Powell to become the 65th Secretary of State. Following a unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, he was sworn in on January 20, 2001.

Effects of Television on Children: A Chain Indicating Their Behavior Es

Kate Moody, author of Growing Up On Television: The TV Effect, explains that a nine-year-old’s effort to slip his teacher a box of poisoned chocolates, a seven-year-old’s use of ground glass in the family stew, a seventeen-year-old’s re-enactment of a televised rape and murder by bludgeoning the victim’s head and slashing her throat, and a fifteen-year-old’s real-life rerun of a rape with a broomstick televised in the movie Born Innocent are all examples of crimes copied from TV (86). Many children are introduced to the world of television before they enter school and grow up committing crimes because they were under the influence of television. In Mary L. Gavin’s article, â€Å"How TV Affects Your Child,† found on KidsHealth.org, which is the most visited website for information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years, Mary reported that two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch television an a verage of two hours a day, kids under the age of six watch an average of about two hours of television a day, and children between the ages of eight and eighteen years old spend nearly four hours a day in front of a television screen (Gavin). The article found on the Media Awareness Network website, â€Å"Television’s Impact on Kids,† reports that television is one of the most prevalent media influences in kids’ lives (Media Awareness Network). Lately, reality shows like Bad Girls’ Club and Jersey Shore are being aired because they are full of drama that catches the viewers’ attention. Children are more receptive of what they see on TV than adults are and are more likely to mimic those actions. The negative influence of television causes children to absorb and retaliate what they see on TV, which in part cause... ...use. And often, there's no discussion about the consequences of drinking alcohol, doing drugs, smoking cigarettes, and having premarital sex (Gavin). Children who view TV become involved in three processes: (1) they are exposed to new behaviors and characters, (2) they learn to do or acquire those behaviors, and (3) they eventually accept them as their own (Moody 86-87). Children are attracted to violence, and violence on TV is portrayed as tolerable. As a result, kids show aggressive behavior and learn to handle their problems with violence, which leads to an increase in crime. Also, children that watch shows that contain sexual content are more likely to become involved in sexual activities. Children assimilate everything they see on TV, and they assume behaviors like violence and sex are appropriate, which guides them to actually undertake in such activities.

Macroeconomic Issue Paper Essay

Financial crisis has changed our vision of the future. We are scared by the growing unemployment rates and are not confident whether tomorrow economy will bring any positive changes. Non-economists use unemployment rates to determine, how well international and the U. S. economy performs; in simple terms, the growing unemployment rates suggest that we are at the edge of the deepening economic recession. Many of us keep to a misleading opinion that the growing unemployment is the direct result of the current financial collapse. In its recent article, the Economist (2008) sheds the light onto the major unemployment controversies that also impact real GDP, consumption, and speed up the development of the credit crisis spiral. Macroeconomics of the growing unemployment in the U. S. The Economist (2008) provides the detailed review of statistics and economic implications of the growing unemployment in the U. S. â€Å"On Friday November 7th he [Barack Obama] got the news that unemployment had shot up to a 14-year high of 6. 5% in October and non-farm employment had plunged by 240,000 from September† (The Economist, 2008). The figures are threatening, but despite the persistent opinion that the current financial crisis is the direct cause of unemployment, the Economist (2008) suggests that â€Å"whereas it had been thought that the financial crisis pushed a teetering economy over the edge, it now looks like the crisis kicked an economy that was already down†. In other words, unemployment rates had been gradually rising even before the notorious bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. What makes current unemployment different from all previous crises is that those losing their jobs do not leave labor force as quickly as they used to; â€Å"that may be because losses on retirement savings and homes have deprived many of the option of sitting out of the workforce for a spell† (The Economist, 2008). In any case, the growing unemployment may threaten the stability of the U. S. economy in short- and long-run, and macroeconomic consequences of the growing employment instability may slow down the process of economic recovery in the United States. From the macroeconomic viewpoint, â€Å"a person who is able and willing to work yet is unable to find a paying job is considered unemployed. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed workers divided by the total civilian labor force, which includes both employed and unemployed and those with jobs (all those willing and able to work for pay) – (Layard, 2005). Although the majority of the U. S. population tends to evaluate the quality of national economic performance through the prism of the changing unemployment rates, these rates are notoriously difficult to measure. As a result, we frequently lack objective view of the way unemployment impacts our economic achievements. Unemployment tends to produce irreversible macroeconomic effects and requires that state authorities and financial institutions develop sound macroeconomic policies, to minimize and prevent the long-term consequences of the deepening economic recession. In general terms, poverty, crime, and healthcare issues are the three direct consequences of the growing unemployment. In terms of economics, unemployment severely impacts purchasing activity and leads to long-term real GDP decrease. Under the growing unemployment pressures, we are unlikely to use all available financial and non-financial resources to the fullest. â€Å"Much unemployment – called deficient-demand or cyclical unemployment – thus represents a profound form of inefficiency, sometimes called Keynesian inefficiency† (Layard, 2005). The results of profound statistical analysis imply that we have not yet hit the bottom of the economic crisis (The Economist, 2008); simultaneously, it is very probable that statistical figures are at least distorted and do not form an objective and realistic vision of what processes are currently taking place in the national economy. The problem is not in that the United States is going to become the largest international source of potential job-seekers. The problem is in that the United States cannot produce relevant and reliable statistical figures that would help address the growing unemployment rates before they hit the record. Macroeconomics lacks one single universal method for measuring unemployment rates. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts employment and unemployment on the basis of the weekly survey; â€Å"people are considered employed if they did any work at all for pay or profit during the survey week† (Layard, 2005). As a result, the BLS does not account full-time students and prisoners as employed. Furthermore, those who are jobless but are actively involved into job search are also considered as unemployed. Economic professionals seem to omit the whole population layer, including students, retired, and people with mental and physical disabilities – according to BLS these people are neither employed, nor unemployed. When we hear that unemployment rates have reached 6. 5%, what does that mean? Does that mean that 6. 5% of the American population is no longer willing to work? Does that mean that 6. 5% of population is actively looking for new jobs? Does that mean that 6. 5 percent of the U. S. population is likely to remain unemployed in the long-term period? Statistical research does not provide the answers to these questions. That is why it is very probable that the Economist (2008) operates unreliable measurements and risks distorting the real picture of the American labor market. Macroeconomics lacks agreement as for the causes and the consequences of unemployment. When the Economist (2008) implies that we are facing the challenges of cyclical unemployment, the real causes of unemployment may vary. According to Keynesian theory, â€Å"the main causes of unemployment result from insufficient effective demand for goods and economy† (Layard, 2005). Some economists are confident that the current economic crisis can hardly be the direct cause of the growing unemployment, and that structural unemployment does not threaten economic stability. From the viewpoint of classical macroeconomics, minimum wages and taxes may severely change the balance of forces in the U. S. labor markets. Regardless the exact cause of unemployment in the U. S. , non-economic population lacks relevant instruments that would help re-interpret statistics. We are used to the thought that statistical analysis is the source of reliable and unbiased information and that statistics may open the gateway to understanding the real causes and economic implications of the current financial difficulties; yet, the time has come when the methodology and analytical instruments behind statistics need to be reconsidered. I am confident that while statistical unemployment may cross all reasonable boundaries, the real picture of unemployment may be completely different. Certainly, thousands of people are being laid off and drown in the unemployment pool against their will, but the existing methods of economic and statistical analysis must also be refined; otherwise the coming years are unlikely to being economic relief to the American labor markets. Conclusion Statistical research suggests that the rates of unemployment in the U. S. have reached unbelievable 6. 5%. The Economist (2008) writes that the current financial crisis may not necessarily be the direct cause of the current unemployment shakes. Regardless the specific causes and consequences of unemployment in the U. S. , the national economy lacks relevant economic instruments that could be used to measure statistical variations in labor markets. Macroeconomic theorists lack unanimous agreement on the way unemployment should be defined and measured. The time has come when the major macroeconomic indicators and the means of measuring them should be refined. Non-economists are misled by inaccurate statistical data that causes panics in the labor markets. Unless we are able to evaluate the full labor market potential, and until we are confident that the results of the statistical analysis are at least close to reality, we will not be able to develop reasonable macroeconomic policies, and will fail to protect national economy from the deepening crisis. References Layard, R. (2005). Unemployment: macroeconomic performance and the labor market. Oxford University Press. The Economist. (2008). A painful job to do. November 7th. Retrieved November 18, 2008 from http://www. economist. com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory. cfm? subjectid=348876&story_id=12583077