Political Science – The Cold War

The Cold War was a period of entrenched, ideological opposition, between the East Bloc-?the Soviet Union ND its allies-?and the West Bloc-?the united States and its allies-?in which both sides did everything to undermine one another, short of outright military conflict. As the age of empire came to its precipice in 1945 CE, the Cold War ensued and lasted for decades, to about 1989 CE.The Second World War heralded a new international system that was not based on empire; it was based on the diametrically opposed binaries of the East Bloc and West Bloc, which defined the international system for decades thenceforth. The stakes On 08 August 1 945, the United States released atomic bombs in Hiroshima ND Nagasaki, Japan. For those individuals that grew up during the Cold War, the threat of nuclear war was constant. Cold war chronology: the dates Yalta conference: 04-?11 February, 1 945 Decided on the post-war division of Europe; the Cold War was not meant to occur.The great powers agreed o n the unconditional surrender of Germany; the division of Germany into four zones of occupation; free and fair elections in Poland, the Baltic states, and eastern Europe; the war criminals would be punished; and Europe would be divided into two spheres of influence thence. Potsdam conference: 17 July-?02 august 1945 Participants were the Soviet union, the united States, and the United Kingdom and they agreed to work together. Germany would be demutualization, democratic, demoralized, decentralized, and identified. Agreement on persecution Of the war criminals.Germany's eastern border would be shifted west from the Odder-Noise Line, reducing its size by about 25 percent compared to its 1 937 territory. â€Å"Orderly and humane† transfer of Germans from eastern Europe and Poland; Germans would be expelled from this area. Winston Churchill iron curtain speech: march 1946 The phrase â€Å"iron curtain† was coined by Churchill to describe the division of astern Europe from the west imposed by the Soviet Union. The key message was that an â€Å"iron curtain† descended upon Europe, and that the great cities of Berlin, Budapest, and Prague, among others, were within the Soviet Union sphere of influence.A spirit of collaboration and cooperation quickly dissolved between the Yalta and Potsdam conferences and Churchill speech. From here, the situation declined. German currency reform: 20 June 1948 Introduced the German Deutsche Mark in the Western occupation zones. The currency reform was the acceptance that there would not be one German economic zone governed by four powers; East and West Germany would have their Own currencies and the continent would be divided into two economic blocs. The German economy, suffering from a depression, was transformed.HOW did we get from 1945 to 1948 CE? Orthodox interpretation Revisionist interpretation George Seaman's thesis. Soviet Union has ingrained tendency for expansion and had to be checked; this tendency was rooted in the Soviet Union's history. Soviet Union had to treat outer world as hostile, as that hostility was key to its existence. Cold War resulted from American reaction to Soviet expansion. The fault of the Soviet Union. William Appleton Williams' thesis. The idea was to invert politics and economics.American policy was driven by a constant need for markets, explaining the constant expansion across the west in the United States, policy in Latin America, and hostility to the Soviet Union. An economic need determined American economic policy. The fault of the Americans. Political history of the cold war Stalin and Churchill: October 1944 Stalin and Churchill meet without Roosevelt and devise a â€Å"percentages agreement. † Europe would be divided into spheres of influence. Each power loud be given a certain percentage Of power over a jurisdiction.America protested against this plan. Stalin violated promises made to Churchill on the percentages. When Stalin went to the Yal ta Conference, he had already violated the percentages agreement. Stalin agreed to democratic elections without any intention of adhering to his pledge. Stalin asserted that the Soviet Union would determine policy in any area in which the Red Army occupied. Iran and turkey After the Second World War, the Soviet Union made moves on Iran and Turkey, giving the Soviet Union sovereignty and monopoly over Turkish traits.The Soviet Union demanded territory from Turkey and pushed troops into northern Iran, and only relinquished its control when the United States took the issue to the United Nations Security Council. Under diplomatic pressure, the Soviet union withdrew from these regions. It was in this politics that George Keenan wrote his â€Å"X† article. Eastern Europe: 1945-1948 CE The Soviet Union went on to install regimes through eastern Europe, including Poland, where a communist government was imposed by force; the Baltic states; Hungary; and in Czechoslovakia, there was br iefly a enigmatically elected government, which was overturned by the Soviet Union.In this politics, Germany became a line in the sand. German women were sexually assaulted across the Soviet occupied zone. The East German regime lost legitimacy; in response, the Western Allies created West Germany-?the front line of the Cold War. Western policy toward Germany was highlighted by denationalization and decentralization. In its most extreme, the plan was to restore Germany to agricultural lands-?making the Germans affluent but powerless. Germany reintegrated into the western canon as an ally. 06 September 1 946: secretary of state James f. Erne Noted in speech that the Americans wanted to assist the Germans work their way out of hardships, to rejoin the international community. A year later, the British pulled out of Greece, and the United States stepped in. â€Å"Stalin has broken every one of the promises he made at Yalta. † -Franklin Roosevelt â€Å"All of Germany must be our s; that is, Soviet communist. † -Joseph Stalin The Marshall plan: 1947 CE Massive destruction, starvation, and poverty across Europe necessitated an economic recovery plan. Currencies across Europe were severely devalued and raising credit was difficult. The Marshall Plan was announced by GeorgeMarshall in 1947 CE to kick-start the European economy. The economic recovery program provided credits to Europeans to purchase and import North American commodities. This was fundamental to reinvigorating the European economy. The Ignited States gave 13 billion dollars in rehabilitation aid. The plan was offered to the Soviet Union, but it was rejected; thus, all countries allied with the Soviet Union were forced to reject the plan as well. Stalin's reaction to the Marshall plan First and foremost, Stalin rejected the Marshall Plan and prohibited all Soviet allies from participating.In September 1 947, Stalin announced the formation f the Conform, to coordinate actions be;en communist parties under Soviet direction. Orders would be dictated from Moscow to the capitals in Soviet juju restrictions. â€Å"Don't start throwing your weight around. In Moscow, we know better how to apply Marxism-Leninism. † -Andrei Cadenza, spokesperson within the Conform In February 1948, Stalin approves a plan for a communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. Truman doctrine: 1947 CE The Truman Doctrine was a United States policy to halt the expansion of the Soviet Join during the Cold War.The policy sought to contain communism in Europe and elsewhere. Truman implored that the United States must support free peoples. The policy also provided military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey as the British pulled out. Berlin: city of binaries Berlin was deep within the Soviet bloc. Initially, in Berlin, there was some effort to collaborate between East and West Berlin. This began to break down as democratically elected officials in the Berlin Parliament were being harassed by communists. Berlin blockade: 24 June 1948 The Soviet Union decided to draw the entirety of Berlin into the Soviet zone.All land access points to West Berlin were cut off; travel was restricted and thing could be delivered. The Soviets offered to drop the blockade if the Western Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutsche from West Berlin. Hunger was a strategic political tool. In response to this, the Western Allies arranged an airlift to carry supplies and necessities to the people Of West Berlin. The Western Allies managed to feed Berlin to get them through the winter. In early 1949, the blockade was lifted; effectively, it was a failure for Stalin and a propaganda disaster.For the Germans, the Americans became saviors and liberators; this cemented the German-American relationship. Battle lines set for the cold war On 01 October 1949, the Communist Party of China declared victory in the Chinese Civil War, and proclaimed the people's Republic of China. Williams' thesis was that America was ideologically hostile to China; however, there was brief hope that China would be communist but independent, allied to either side-?the Soviets and Americans. Moscow sought to bring China under its control.Mao-?the Chinese Communist party leader-?allied himself with Stalin and embraced a destructive and unbending version of Marxism-Leninism, which resulted in the obscene starvation of at least 30 million people between 1959 ND 1 961 when Mayo's theories of agriculture were lacking-?the Great Chinese Famine. During the Korean War, Mao-?aligned with the Soviet union and North Korea-?pitted 300,000 Chinese troops against South Korea, which was defended by the United States and the United Nations. The atomic age: the sass This period exemplifies the evolution of Cold War strategy.It was believed during the sass and sass that war could limited and conducted with nuclear weaponry. Policy was based on two ideas: cities would not be bombed, and Europe would be defended through a second Norm andy. Everything would be pulled off the continent, and nuclear bombs would be dropped along the coast. Cuban missile crisis: 1962 The idea of going to war ended with the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a basic illustration of international relations: behavior which is used as defensive by one faction is viewed as offensive by the other.As defense, the Ignited States installed missiles in Turkey; when Khrushchev, the Soviet Union's leader, got word of this, he installed missiles in Cuba. The Americans took images of the missiles in Cuba, and threatened the Soviet union that if the missiles were not withdrawn, war would ensue. In the early sass, the world edged closer to nuclear war than it had to that point. The Soviet Union backed down at the last moment, and the Americans began to draw conclusions from this: no one wants a nuclear war. Paradoxically, the idea of a limited nuclear war was abandoned as an idea; rather, mutual assured destruction would occur.Thus, any one nuclear assault would result in one response: a massive counterattack, resulting in a total war. The strategy to preserve peace, therefore, would be the constant threat Of the alternative: the risk of total war. This doctrine existed from the early sass o the mid-sass, and emerged again in the 1 9805. The central point was parity: peace can only be achieved in a nuclear world when both sides have an equal number of nuclear arms. The sass and sass: dtent, parity, and eventual dissolution The nuclear bombs race was characterized by the constant need for parity, and not madness on both sides like some peace writers suggest.Richard Nixon, the united States President, and Henry Singer, the United States Secretary of State, believed in the use of â€Å"carrots and sticks† to achieve dtent-?the loosening of tensions -with the Soviet Union. To achieve parity and end the ongoing nuclear race, both factions were to negotiate a reduction in nuclear arms-?they could step back tog ether. The idea behind this was classic realism: states with contrasting interests can only achieve cooperation through international institutions, rather than recognizing inherent state interests.There was a series of arms reductions in the 1 9705, which dissolved later in the decade, prompted by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the election of Ronald Reagan in the United States, who was ideologically hostile to the Soviet Union. Reagan believed that dtent had failed and revealed American weakness, potentially exposing America to strike by the Soviet Union. Thus, Reagan ramped up the rhetoric, called the Soviet Union an â€Å"evil empire,† and launched a massive American military expansion to increase defense. Soviet plans in 1979 CE The Soviet Union's plan was predicated on the assumption of a NATO attack.The plan was defensive, and in the event of an American attack, the Soviet union planned to sacrifice Poland; launch nuclear strikes on Vienna, Verona, Munich, Stutt gart, and Numerous; launch conventional attacks on Britain and France; assume Budapest destruction; and send Soviet troops to the Rhine. The intention was that the United States would negotiate and the Soviet Union would wage a nuclear war if the United States responded with a nuclear strike. On the brink of nuclear war: 1983 CE On 26 September 1 983, the threat of a total nuclear war was imminent.Ronald Reagan increased defense spending, which prompted the Yuri Android, the General Secretary of the Communist party in Soviet Union, to believe that the Americans were contemplating a preventative strike against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union set-up new technology-?radar technology-?to detect attacks. In 1981 and 1 983, NATO launched a series of exercises. The most aggressive form was sending bombers near Soviet Union air space, and then having them keel Off. There were naval exercises near Turkey. These exercises were predominately to conduct psychological warfare and to collect i ntelligence data.In February 1 983, Soviet Union intelligence went into overdrive, convinced that the Americans were prepared to launch an attack. NATO began launching another series of exercises in the summer and autumn of 1983. On 01 September 1983, a Korean Airlines aircraft was shot down by the Soviet Union. Ronald Reagan launched Missile Shield System to intercept potential missiles. This convinced the Soviet Union that the United States had hostile intent. Senior members of the United States defense team participated in a mock nuclear war, further convincing the Soviet Union that the United States intended to strike.Blips equals missiles equals bomb equals war: the closest point of total nuclear war In the midst of all this, on 26 September 1 983, Satanists Petrol was monitoring the security screen for the Soviet Union. He observed five blips, representing incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. He was to press a button which would trigger Soviet Missiles to be fired. Ho wever, he contemplated why there would only be five missiles-?if NATO were to strike, they would send more than five missiles. He paused, and the blips disappeared.This was the closest point We came to nuclear War. Two years later, Mikhail Geographer became the General Secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union. He launches perestroika economically and reformed communist in order to save it; a result of this reform was a series of arms reductions strategies. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 , effectively ending the Cold War. The end of the cold war: different interpretations The end of the Cold War revealed the inherent weakness of the Soviet union-?the united States did not need to do anything.The Soviet union was a flawed economic model and did not produce any growth. Some argue that it was Geographer, paradoxically, while he wanted to save the Soviet Union, that led to its collapse by initiating reform, allowing dissent, and announcing the Sinatra Doctrine, allowing e ast European sovereignty over their affairs. A fading economy and political upheaval lead to the end of the Soviet Union. The great hero was Ronald Reagan, because he spurred the Soviet Union into ear bankruptcy by causing the Soviet Union's defense spending to surge to unsustainable levels.Cold war: varying theses as to its cause To the revisionist thesis, America was hostile to the type of government that the Soviet Union imposed on Eastern Europe. The hostility was about politics, not markets. The fundamental failure of W. Williams' argument was that 70-80 percent of America's market was based on domestic consumption; until the sass, the American economy produced a surplus. Therefore, the United States was fundamentally and Ideologically opposed to Soviet Union communism. Nevertheless, the United States baited, bluffed, and outnumbered the Soviet union.However, this does not mean that the Cold War was the American's fault. The Cold War could not be avoided. The revisionist, anti- American thesis is supported by their actions in Latin America, Vietnam, the Middle East. The orthodox, pro-Soviet union thesis denied the terror and believed the Soviet Union was a workers paradise. Despite the depression and absence of democracy, the Soviet Union received massive intellectual support. Imagine, if you will, someone who read only the Reader's Digest between 950 and 1970, and someone in the same period who read only The Nation or the New Statesman.Which reader would have been better informed about the realities of Communism? The answer, I think, should give us pause. Can it be that our enemies were right? -?Susan Sonata Key terms War is an organized and often prolonged conflict that is carried out by state and non-state actors. Limited war is a conflict in which the belligerents participating in war do not expend all of each of the participants' available resources at their disposal. Total war is a war in which a belligerent mobiles its population for war reduction. The word total refers to the extent of manipulation, not the extent of destruction.

George Westinghouse’s Biography

Most people know the name Westinghouse as the name of an appliance, but where did the name come from? Many people may not know that George Westinghouse was not only an inventor, but a visionary. George Westinghouse's many inventions fed the Industrial Revolution that swept through America in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to the United States. Even though America was progressing, many ill effects were brought on by this expansion. Westinghouse was one of the Industrialist that actually cared about the many problems he saw in urban America. Westinghouse, at the age of forty-two, could no longer ignore â€Å"the evils of social upheaval created by too rapid industrial development†(Levine, 2). George Westinghouse wanted something done, but it looked as if he was the only one that would do it. George Westinghouse had influenced many areas of his era and ours. His many inventions, his good-willed policy toward his work! ers and his business practices have affected all of us; but nothing will compare to the influences that he left on our country's upper-class – the concept that they had a responsibility toward the society that had made them who they were. George Westinghouse was born eight of ten children into a middle class family on October 6, 1846. Westinghouse's father ran a small machine shop in Schendectady, NY, that manufactured mostly farm implements; as a result, Westinghouse was introduced to the world of machines at a very early age. Due to curiosities he found during the Civil War, in which he served in both the Northern Army and the Navy, Westinghouse invented a rotary steam engine. At age nineteen, this was his first patented invention; however, the design proved to be impractical. Despite his troubles, Westinghouse went on to invent a device for placing derailed railroad cars back on their tracks. The next year, Westinghouse was riding on a train that was suddenly brought to a stop to avoid a wrecked train on the tracks ahead. The brakes that were in use on trains around the world at this time were operated manually. Westinghouse knew that there must be a safer and quicker way to stop a train. After observing rock drills, that used compressed air to drill tunnels through mountains, Westinghouse wondered if the use of compressed air could be applied to brakes. This led to one of Westinghouse's most famous and most influential inventions ever. Westinghouse did not know it, but he was on his way to changing the course of the nation. However, at age twenty two, his new air brake and he got little attention. â€Å"If I understand you, young man, you propose to stop a railroad train with wind. I have no time to listen to such nonsense,† said Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the most powerful railroad owners of the time (Compton's,4). Finally, on a small railroad outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Westinghouse was able to try out his new air brake. On the trial run, the train came to a crossing where a farmer's wagon had broken down. Upon seeing this, the locomotive's engineer applied the new braking system. Too everyone's surprise, the train was jolted to a halt; furthermore, the train was stopped yards in front of the farmer's wagon. Even though almost everyone did fall out of their seat, this was the beginning of Westinghouse's influence on the world. Eventually, the Railroad Safety Act of 1893 would â€Å"make air brakes compulsory on all U. S. trains†(Britannica, 6). At this point, Westinghouse established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company. By 1869, already, Westinghouse's success was almost guaranteed. George Westinghouse's next frontier was railroad signaling. With the ever increasing use and expansion of railroads, signaling became a major problem. He created a signaling system using compressed air and electricity; thus, the Union Switch and Signal Company was founded in 1882. Indeed, Westinghouse helped the railroads greatly. With his railroad inventions, railroads became safer; accordingly, leading to the instillation of railroad passengers with confidence. He also created a more profitable operation for the railroads. The bigger profits that were made by the railroad barons, the more they invested and the faster the Industrial Revolution took place. In this fast growing economy, Westinghouse, who was now financially stable, started to tinker with electricity and natural gas. With a well drilled in his yard, Westinghouse developed and marketed a system for the control and distribution of natural gas in Pittsburgh. Today's natural gas industry â€Å"owes its existence to Mr. Westinghouse†(Shumaker, 4). Using the knowledge gained from his work in natural gas, Westinghouse developed a theory for the distribution of electricity. He imported both a motor and its inventor, Nikola Tesla, from Europe. With the help of Tesla and three American engineers, Westinghouse developed a new electrical transformer that allowed electricity to be carried over long distances; however, Westinghouse's design used alternating current, while such people as Thomas Edison used and were promoting direct current electricity. This started the â€Å"Battle of the Currents†, as it was called (Corporate, 1). The advocates and financiers, led by Edison, of the DC system immediately tried to discredit Westinghouse's use of the AC system as soon as his Alternating Current components were made available on the market. These people charged that AC power was a menace to society. As if they did not do enough already to deface Westinghouse, they successfully had the state of New York install a Westinghouse AC generator as the official means of executing death sentences. These charges were untrue; therefore, they were insufficient in the suppressment of the use of AC power. AC power was given credibility when Westinghouse won the contract to light the Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. It was said to be a â€Å"dazzling spectacle of a quarter of a million lights that stole the show†. Reflecting the â€Å"Battle of the currents†, Nikola Tesla later wrote, â€Å"George Westinghouse was, in my opinion, the only man on this globe who could take my alternating-current system under the circum! stances then existing and win the battle against prejudice and money power. He was one of the world's true noblemen, of whom America may well be proud and to whom humanity owes an immense debt of gratitude† (Corporate, 1) . On January 8, 1886, with a stroke of the Governor of Pennsylvania's pen, the Westinghouse Electric Company was granted a charter. This company, which would turn out to be the most important of George Westinghouse's many companies, had two-hundred employees and was located in a rented building in Pittsburgh's Garrison Alley Section. By this point in his life, Westinghouse had founded a few other companies. His air brake company had been expanded to France, England and Germany. This idea of a company going world-wide was relatively new. This led a surge of American companies to expand beyond the United States; American influence was being spread around the world. Westinghouse had also founded a machine shop in Pittsburgh in 1881. Westinghouse was very different from most of the other American Industrialist. From the start, Westinghouse was not motivated by money or power. He was motivated by knowing that his inventions and other work would be used to help mankind. Within two years after the Westinghouse Electric Company was founded, the company had grown from the original two-hundred employees to more than three thousand employees by 1888. By 1890, the Westinghouse Electric Company sales totaled four million dollars; Westinghouse had also installed more than three-hundred electrical generators including Niagara Falls, by this time. Westinghouse's business practices were very different than the business practices of they day. Westinghouse clearly was not a businessman, yet because of his dreams, he successfully ran his businesses in a way that baffled many businessmen. From the start, Westinghouse was concerned with the welfare of his employees. His employees were his prime consideration in any business decision. Westinghouse's workers had a six day, fifty-five hour work week. This work week included five ten hour days, Monday through Friday, and a five hour day on Saturday. It seemed strange to other employers of the time to give employees a half-day on Saturday, but this was part of Westinghouse's philosophy. Another benefit of working for Westinghouse was the pension plan. One of the earliest known, Westinghouse provided a pension for each of his workers. The employees of Westinghouse's businesses also received medical coverage. If an employee fell sick or was injured, he and his family would receive money from the compensation fund to live, and the finest medical services available would be given to the worker. A Veteran Employees Association was formed. Any employee with twenty years or more of service could join. This evolv! ed into the formation of a Grievance Committee made up of three shop men and three management personnel. The Grievance Committee would form to resolve such issues as the following: working conditions, working methods, and limits of the workers. Westinghouse's Grievance Committee set the path for labor reform in America. Westinghouse revolutionized the way the American employee worked; hence, Westinghouse was received as the best boss in Pittsburgh. Consequently, he won the resentment of the other employers in Pittsburgh and eventually the country. Westinghouse became famous to every citizen by a means different than his inventions. Westinghouse actually created his own town. Westinghouse became perplexed with the problems that he saw in Pittsburgh; The town had grew from a small city to a booming industrial mecca-center filled with smoky factories and pollution filled avenues. He watched the people work long hours, many were immigrants and others were Native Americans in search of a decent living; furthermore, they came home at night to horrible run down homes where sickly children played in piles of rubbish and rarely attended school. Crime, disease and alcoholism were becoming the image of the industrial world. Westinghouse knew that it could be better than this. He knew that all this progress was not for the working class to become illiterate, diseased and delinquent and for the rich to become isolated and forgetful of what they see. George Westinghouse wondered why nobody did anything about it. Politicians ! would not address it, the upper class would not mention it, and the workers were too busy in their rat race to care. Westinghouse decided he must take action. Westinghouse began reading up on the problem. He read of experiments in Denmark and Sweden where model communities where being made by business and government officials. Westinghouse knew what he would have to do, but it was a very risky move; nevertheless, George had learned not to be frightened off by bold ideas. George Westinghouse contacted a leading architectural firm and told them â€Å"I want you to design a factory and surround it with a town,†(Levine, 2). He visioned a town of state-of-the-art factories, a research laboratory, good schools, community centers, a hospital and inexpensive houses for the employees. Running water and electricity would be standard. In 1890, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company was completely moved to the new site, called Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. The workshops had the â€Å"most modern lighting, heating, ventilation and safety facilities,†(Levine, 2). Each house in the town had a complete indoor bathroom, electric lighting, and natural gas out! lets for cooking and heating. The houses had a lawn with grass, shrubbery, and trees. The houses were rented to the workers with an option to buy. For the children, there were the following: schools that were brightly decorated to attract them to stay, a community center with gymnasiums, a library and meeting rooms. Westinghouse had really out done himself this time thought the whole country; nevertheless, George Westinghouse felt that he had accomplished his greatest achievement, and indeed he had. Westinghouse's model community sent a silent shock-wave to the upper class society of America. Westinghouse was telling these people that they had a responsibility to society. The age of a two class society was over. The American worker now had rights and had power. It took a decade or two, but Westinghouse's vision of America as an Industrial power eventually took shape with the help of the labor movement. Unfortunately, Westinghouse lost control of most of his companies in the financial panic of 1907; this was mostly due to the negative attitude toward him by other employers, his financial backers and his stockholders. Westinghouse died on March 12, 1914; it was a sad day at the Westinghouse companies. A man who cared, a man who listened, a great man was gone forever. George Westinghouse and his wife Marguerite, to whom he credits his success, are buried in Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D. C. Overall, millions, if not billions of people have benefi! ted from his companies, inventions, and his visions. Would you have safe, odorless, and efficient lights in your house; would you see an illuminated advertisement on the highway; or would you have a paid vacation if it was not for George Westinghouse? He invented all those things. How about your pension? The hundred largest pensions in the U. S. â€Å"have assets exceeding two trillion dollars,†(Muhlenkamp, 3). That is something George Westinghouse would have enjoyed to see.

Americas Post-Civil War Growing Pains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Americas Post-Civil War Growing Pains - Essay Example Lincoln plans were supported by most republicans in the congress since they were seen to be an attempt of putting an end to the civil war (Wiegand, 2009). This period saw the construction of roads and railway lines aimed at linking various parts of the United States. The road and rail networks would enhance industrialization and free movement of goods and services that would result in faster economic growth. This period also witnessed the construction of factories, mines and mills around the United States. In addition cities and towns crew around the factories which brought about the growth of urban population from 5 million to 45 million (Guameri, 1991). Industrialization enabled workers to have better and safer working conditions. Employers had to look into the demand of workers in terms of good pay, health and safety measures as well compensation. In addition, industrialization also enabled the United States to produce several goods at lower prices. Since most factories were located in the cities, there was rural urban migration because of the presence of jobs. This further led to the increasing population in the cities across United States (Guameri, 1991). The assassination of President Lincoln changed all the plans that had been put in place for the readmission of the southern states into the union and in the reconstruction process. The reconstruction process would have been faster and easier if President Lincoln had not been assassinated. The assassination of the president was a big blow to the reconstruction process that would see the readmission of the southern states (Wiegand, 2009). Further, the death of the president brought hatred between southern and northern states. The society had vengeful attitudes towards each other. In order to bring harmony into the society, radical republicans decided to implement bills that

The Presence of Clocks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Presence of Clocks - Essay Example Understanding the importance of the actual meaning before making any sort of judgment tends to be imperative when dissecting an observation. It makes it easier by thinking about the meaning because human brain automatically attempts to understand the meaning when the sentence is processed, much like a scrolling marquee. For instance, from reading the statement about the absence of clocks, it comes off as an observation, but after further investigation, it is clear that owners of malls and grocery stores understand that customers often lose track of time when they are distracted. It is proven that casinos strategically do not place clocks because the casinos â€Å"aren’t about to assist people in keeping them punctual† (Kjsem), and without the concern of time, people lose their sense of responsibility and continue with their current activity. Even dealers in the casino are advised not to wear a watch, so asking for the time is irrelevant for customers. This is also relev ant for any retail sale location. From the owner's point of view, this is a business strategy; however, the customers will dislike the strategy if they realize the actual meaning of their intentions of having no clocks.

The Policy Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

The Policy Process - Essay Example (Sidlow et al. 2010, pp. 345) With these variables in mind, the policy process is easily understood to present a multidimensional challenge involving numerous realities. As a result, policymakers become prone to errors because of these variables are misrepresented and, hence, misunderstood. The Policymaking Process Even when confined to public policymaking, the issue of policy is still too general. That is why this paper will further contract the topic into specific policy areas: those that are currently prioritized in the United Kingdom. Identifying these policy areas are important because they are fundamental in citing the relevant policy process to be investigated and further clarifying the discussion into context. Foreign policy, economic policy, EU policy and security policy are all formulated in Britain through several institutions within the Westminster System. In addition, they include not just the polity but also the citizens, the media, among other players. To demonstrate t his, the case of foreign policy process will be cited. There are four stages in the foreign policy making in the UK. The first is the so-called articulation or initiation stage wherein stakeholders like concerned citizens and individuals successfully bring an issue into the attention of the policymakers. For example, there is the case of the 1,500 or so motorcyclists who effectively grabbed the attention of the media with regards to a proposed European Union laws on bikers. (BBC 2011) This demonstrated how individuals or groups such non governmental organizations could demand and initiate a foreign policy agenda. This was what happened in the past when several national interest groups in Britain joined with others from several European countries in their â€Å"big-bang strategy† that eventually helped facilitate the EU enlargement. Interest groups from nine European countries participated in this strategy and that hey came to be called as the Vilnius group or the â€Å"big b ang group† who vigorously campaigned for a broad multistate accession. (Assenova 2003, pp. 16) The second stage involved the actual policy formulation, which would already involve the governmental policy process as bureaucratic agencies begin crafting and passing the policy. Countries like the UK and the US have given their respective executive departments the power to formulate foreign policy. This is also true in the case of economic and security issues. The implementation of the policy is considered as the third stage in the process. According to Smith and Dunne (2008, pp. 383), this is the most understated but important area since it â€Å"describes the agencies and individuals charged with carrying out the policy† and that â€Å"often, the final outcome is very different from the intent of the legislation.† Finally, the last stage of the foreign policymaking process is called the evaluation stage. This is the time when â€Å"parliamentary committees, specia l commissions, government ombudsmen, or watchdog groups review the policy process and policy outcomes and makes recommendations to stay the course or change.† (Smith and Dunne, pp. 383) The above policy process is roughly the same across all policy areas, although they involved some changes in the governmental agencies involved. Explaining this process becomes

The Role of Context in Biblical Hermeneutics Essay

The Role of Context in Biblical Hermeneutics - Essay Example Context plays a central role in the act of biblical interpretation. This paper is an attempt to demonstrate how this is so, and why this is so. It begins with a brief examination of the role of context in communication in general, which will then be applied to the activity of textual interpretation using the concept of the hermeneutic circle as developed by Frederich Schliermacher and Hans Georg Gadamer. Consider the following statement: â€Å"The Monkees are the greatest band ever.† On the face of it, the meaning seems obvious. It is a statement of the relative worth of The Monkees by comparison to all other musical acts throughout history. It implies that when compared with, say, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Metropolitan Opera Company, and all of the Homeric bards, that the Monkees come out on top. However, this is not necessarily the meaning the statement is intended to convey. If it is said in a grave voice, it may mean just this. If it is said in an excited voice while at a concert, we may take it as earnest hyperbole. However, if it is said in a hipster infested coffeehouse, we may take it to mean precisely the opposite. The meaning of any statement is subject to the same sort of factors. Their sense cannot be determined by the examination of the mere words used, rather they must be understood with reference to the total situation in which they are spoken. As this is with spoken communication, so it is with written texts. To return this to Biblical matters, we may examine the following Biblical quotation: â€Å"He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.†1 If this statement is truly taken without context, it makes a most surprising assertion. Namely, that God is a rock. Further, we find, with some surprise, that God, unlike other, more common examples of rocks, is the sort of rock that judges, and is just. One might wonder how to distinguish between ju st and unjust rocks, and indeed whether God is igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary. However, when this passages is juxtaposed with other descriptions of God found throughout the Bible, what is at first nonsensical transparently reveals itself to be metaphor. Of course, the above example is not entirely serious. No one has ever thought to read this passage as literally suggesting that God is a rock. However, this alone reveals something. Namely that everyone, instinctively, takes into account the surrounding passages, and the whole of their knowledge of the Bible when interpreting single verses. Further it sharply shows the dangers of taking biblical quotations out of context. One may ask how this works, and just how much of a role that context plays in this process. One approach would be to argue that context completely determines the meaning of individual statements, however, this seems as absurd as maintaining that context plays no role at all. It must be the case that context and statement both bear some weight in understanding a text. The German biblical and classical scholar Frederich Schliermacher proposed an interesting way to understand this relationship.2 When interpreting any text, he maintained, the part is always understood through the whole. Conversely, the whole is always understood by means of the individual parts. The relation is reciprocal. This reciprocal relation is usually referred to as â€Å"the hermeneutic circle.† An example may help to make clear how this works. One may find oneself reading through a political blog post and find oneself agreeing with it. Two-thirds of the way through, the author makes a blatantly bigoted statement. This, should, of course, give the reader pause, and the work of

The Impact of PPACA on Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

The Impact of PPACA on Nursing - Essay Example It clearly indicates that through the provision of money the nurse-managed clinics will be supported therefore increasing the number of physicians. The access to money will help them provide real care, and their results will be clearly seen. Provision of education and funding program will also help cab the problem physician shortages, therefore, the delivery of quality healthcare. Nurses who have advanced education have a greater benefit since the law contains considerable language about the expansion of primary care services, and many people will be insured. It, therefore, allows for different approaches to how nurses deliver primary care, by whom and where (United States, 2012). Fewer physicians will be going into primary care and, therefore, an excellent opportunity for the nurses. It also means that nurses will be employed, and there will be no congestion since those who have specialized in geriatrics will be allowed to practice elsewhere and create opportunities. The above will impact on the nursing job positively since the availability of funding will help boost our clinics. It will also help provide quality care since individuals will have undergone thorough training. However due to job availability many people will run for the nursing course creating a jump in the sector United States. (2012). The true cost of PPACA: Effects on the budget and jobs : hearing before the Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress.

English paper . Williams in the american grain Essay

English paper . Williams in the american grain - Essay Example The American dominance over the world, prevalent still, can be traced backed to this psyche of these heroes. But De Soto also had the added advantage of being very tactical. He was able to convince the native tribes that he was of divine origin and thus posed before them as a formidable god. When we study the period of De Soto, thus the power of negotiation can be seen slowly gaining ground at par with the power of weapons and riches. Survivalism was the ideology that unknowingly led all the conquistadors win their battles without bothering about hurting others. This kind of survivalism still runs deep in the blood of Americans. As described in the introduction to the book by Horace Grigory (p.17 of Introduction, Williams) the American tradition is characterized by the â€Å"impulse to make all things new, to build new cities†¦ to abandon projects with the scaffolding in the air,†¦(and)†¦to move onward to another El Dorado.† De Soto’s adventures also fit into this profile. The ability to endure and then rise from one’s own ashes like a phoenix are also some other attributes of these earlier Americans and the modern ones. Thus the collective American personality was built through the lives of these heroes and villains of history and has its roots in the mental fabric of these early founders and explorers. One criticism that arises in one’s mind after reading of â€Å"In the American Grain† is that whatever the author makes out as the â€Å"American grain†, can also be equally and logically attributed to the whole of humanity. The instinct to find new worlds, to create new things and the ‘El Dorado’ mindset are convincingly universal rather than American. William has contented that â€Å"there is a source in AMERICA for everything we think or do; that morals affect the food and food the bone, and that, in fine we have no conception at all of what is meant by moral, since

Topics Discussed in Class - My Participation in Class Assignment

Topics Discussed in Class - My Participation in Class - Assignment Example The lessons included identifying the dimensions of culture from the presenters’ and students’ national origin and to determine the validity of sharing or manifesting the dimensions noted, according to Hofstede’s framework. Presentation of topic (3): Convergence and Divergence in Consumer Behavior. The presenters included concepts that expounded on convergence and divergence through provision of specific consumer purchasing behavior; where apparently the behavior could be evaluated and reviewed on a macro perspective. Likewise, the concept was further explained with the assistance of delving in describing homogeneous and heterogeneous economies or that which measures a country’s level of wealth. Presentation of topic (4): Domestic Consumer Predispositions: Ethnocentrisms and Disidentification. The presenters used the theoretical concepts of ethnocentrism and concepts of consumer disidentification to make students aware of how these concerns impact global ma rketing. How One Contributed A relevant topic (1) that was presented focused on Paradoxes in Global Marketing. ... Value paradoxes are part of people’s systems; they reflect the desirable versus the desired in life† (De Mooij, 2005, p. 2). The reading therefore presented relevant concepts pertaining to paradoxes in global marketing especially in the following topics: the global-local paradox, technology paradox, media paradox, and explicitly explained paradoxes in marketing theory. Therefore, one’s contribution in this module would be in terms of relaying one of the global paradoxes learned from De Mooij which could include paradoxes in consumer trends or the global advertising paradox (De Mooij, 2005). On the topic (2) of Dimensions of Culture, one contributed through likewise determining the dimensions from one’s cultural orientation. As verified and supported from the information using online link, for instance for Saudi Arabia as the country of origin, one found information that supports one’s cultural practices and norms (Anon., n.d.). Thus, to make the disc ussion more interesting, the same online link provides options to compare the cultural dimensions in one’s country of origin to that of another. For instance, the dimensions of culture in Saudi Arabia’s country could be compared with the dimensions of culture in the United States. The results revealed that these countries manifested significant disparities in the dimension of individualism and power distance; while both countries seem to be on equal footing in the dimension of masculinity (Anon., n.d.). One’s contribution for topic (3), Convergence and Divergence in Consumer Behavior stems from the reading of (De Mooij, 2003). From the article, it was learned that â€Å"effectiveness in marketing means adapting to cultural values†¦ Countries can now be compared by means of

Week 9 discussion paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 9 discussion paper - Essay Example Loyal work force had also become increasingly costly throughout the years due to two recent developments. Labor turnover have became increasingly costly to employers due to the increased competition for employee talent and the increase of employee development. Also, the growing transition from the hierarchal organization of work to an empowerment model had become a recent trend in order for the business to successfully compete in many business environments (Roehling, et al, 2001). As the work force loyalty increases importance in a business, there has been a decrease in traditional approaches that would foster loyalty among employees. The traditional long term job security, rapid advancement, and regular increase in compensation are no longer that efficient in promoting loyalty. Thus, employers are continuously in search of better alternatives to these traditional approaches. One of the proposed concepts is the incorporation of Work/Life Policies and Practice that would more likely produce loyal and committed workforce (Armstrong, 2006). This policies and practices include flexible working schedule, child care assistance, family-leave policies, and other policies that can help employees to manage the increasing demand of work and family obligations (Roehling et al, 2001). The social exchange theory can provide the relationship between employee behavior and the work/life policies and practices that the employer provides. It is typical for employees to seek balance in the exchange relationship that they provide for their employers. As employers act in a manner that is beneficial to the employees to a point that these actions encompasses the demands of their social role, the employees would tend to value the norm of reciprocity that creates the feeling of obligation and in turn makes them more committed with their employer (Roehling et al, 2001). In addition, theories of social justice and role quality both result to an

Enthanasia Pro And Cons Essay Example for Free

Enthanasia Pro And Cons Essay As Victor Fung Keung pointed out in the Observer column (A person has the right to a dignified death, August 18), most people object to euthanasia without thinking about the subject in a rational way. They ignore the fact that someone who is terminally ill will not get better. And they are indifferent to the suffering and mental anguish that these patients endure. It is cowardly to ignore the excruciating pain they suffer before dying. People opposed to euthanasia banish thoughts of their loved ones ever facing such pain. There are those who attempt to take the moral high ground, saying a life should not be ended in this way under any circumstances. We have to face the issue of euthanasia. We must address it now, not just because of the pleas of the quadriplegic Choi Wan-fung (Quadriplegic thinks about how to kill himself every day, August 16), but also because it is simply inhumane to stand idly by while people die in extreme pain. The government and legislators should have the courage to reform the law on euthanasia. Ko King-tim, Kowloon Tong I do not agree with Victor Fung Keungs article (A person has the right to a dignified death, August 18). I think a person has the right to a dignified life and that there is no dignity in death. I disagree with the promoters of euthanasia, because people choose to die, not through free will, but under pressure, mostly from family members. You reported on the plight of quadriplegic Choi Wan-fung. If I was in a situation where I felt I had become a financial burden to my wife or my children, I would want to opt to die. That is why the present law exists, to protect me, not to encourage me to commit suicide. At the same time, a civil society should provide the means for someone in that state to be able to lead a dignified life. Mr Fung says that dying with dignity is humane but how does he know? As Hamlet says, that is the undiscovered country. A friend of mine died last year of cancer at 53. He was in great pain, but just a few days before dying, and in spite of suffering, lying in his garden he explained to me how overwhelmed he was by the beauty of flowers.

The Classification Of Outliers Psychology Essay

The Classification Of Outliers Psychology Essay The concern over the outliers is one of the challenge existed for at least several hundred years. Outliers are the observations those are apart from the bulk of data. Edgeworth (1887) wrote that discordant observations those appeared differently from other observations with which they are combined. Almost every data set has the outliers in different percentages. Grubbs (1969) said that an outlier is one that appears to deviate significantly from other values of data. Sometimes outliers may not be noticed but most of the times they can change the entire statistical data analysis. As Peter (1990) explored those observations which do not follow the pattern of the majority of the data are called outliers. At the earlier stage of the data analysis, summary statistics such as the sample mean and variance, outliers can cause totally different conclusion. For example a hypothesis may or may not be rejected due to outliers. In fitting regression line outliers can significantly change the slope. The detection of outliers before analyzing the data analysis is not done then it may lead to model misspecification, biased parameter estimation and incorrect results. It is therefore important to identify the outliers prior to proceed further for analysis and modeling. An observation (or subset of observations) that appears to be inconsistent with the rest of data set is called an outlier (Barnet1995). The exact definition of an outlier depends on the assumption regarding the data structure and the methods which are applied to detect the outliers. Outliers are observations that appear to be unusual with respect to the rest of the data. Classification of Outliers Outliers are classified into one of four classes. First, an outlier may arise from procedural error, such as a data entry error or a mistake in coding. These outliers should be identified in the data cleaning stage, but if overlooked, they should be eliminated or recorded as missing values. Second, an outlier is the observation that occurs as the result of an extraordinary event, which is an explanation for the uniqueness of the observation. In this case the researcher must decide whether the extraordinary event should be represented in the sample. If so, the outlier should be retained in the analysis; if not, it should be deleted. Third, outliers may represent extraordinary observations for which the researcher has no explanation. Although these are the outliers most likely to be omitted, they may be retained if the researcher feels they represent a valid segment of the population. Finally, outliers may be observations that fall within the ordinary range of values on each of the var iables but are unique in their combination of values across the variables. In these situations, the researcher should be very careful in analyzing why these observations are outliers. Only when specific evidence is available that discounts an outlier as a valid member of the population should it is deleted. Outliers may be real or ericaceous. Real outliers are observations whose actual values are very different from those observed for rest of the data and violate plausible relationships among variables. Erroneous outliers are observations those are distorted due to misreporting errors in the data-collection process. Data set either come from homogeneous groups or from heterogeneous groups, have different characteristics regarding a specific variable, outliers occurred by incorrect measurements including data entry errors or by coming from a different population than the rest of the data. If the measurements in correct, it represent a rare event. Outliers are often caused by human error, such as errors in data collection, recording, or entry. Data from an interview can be recorded incorrectly, upon data entry. Outliers may cause from intentional or motivated misreporting. Many times the outliers come when participants purposefully report incorrect data to experimenters or surveyors. A participant may make a conscious effort to sabotage the research or may be acting from other motives. Depending on the details of the research, one of two things can happen: inflation of all estimates, or production of outliers. If all subjects respond the same way, the distribution will shift upward, not generally causing outliers. However, if only a small sub sample of the group responds this way to the experimenter, or if multiple researchers conduct interviews, then outliers can be created. Another cause of outliers is sampling error. It is possible that a few members of a sample were inadvertently drawn from a different population than the rest of the sample. Outliers can be caused from standardization failure like the weak research methodology, unusual phenomena; faulty equipment is another common cause of outliers. By these causes data can be legitimately discarded if the researchers are not interested in studying the particular phenomenon in question. One type of data entry error is implausible or impossible values, for they make no sense when considering the expected range of the data. An out-of-range value is often easy to identify since it will most likely lie well outside the bulk of the data. Another common cause for the occurrence of outliers is the rare event. Extreme observations that for some correct reason are just fine, but do not fit within the typical range of other data values There are many possible sources of outliers. Firstly, purely deterministic reasons those include: reading or measurement error, recording error and execution error. Secondly, some reasons are pointed out by Beckman and cook (1983) they arrange the reasons of outliers into three broad categories. These are global model weaknesses, local model weaknesses and natural variability. When we replace the present model with a new are revised model for the entire sample. Measurement of response variables are in the wrong scale is called Global model weakness. Local model weaknesses are applied only on the outlying observations and not to the model as a whole. And Natural variability is the variation over the population rather than any weakness of the model. These reasons are uncontrollable and reflect the properties of distribution of a correct basic model describing the generation of the data. The outliers occurs due to entry error or a mistake in coding should be identified in the data cleaning stage, but if overlooked, they should be eliminated or recorded as missing values. 1.3 Problematic effects of outliers Outliers of either type may influence on the results of statistical analysis, so they should be identified by using some suitable and reliable detection methods prior to performing data analysis. When potential outlier(s) is encountered, the first suspicion may be that such observations resulted from a mistake or other extraneous effect, and should be discarded. However, if the outlier in real it may be contained some important information about the underlying population of real values. Non judicious removal of observation that appears to be outliers may results in underestimation of the uncertainty present in the data. In the presence of outliers, any statistical test based on sample means and variances can be distorted. There will be Bias or Distortion of estimates and it will give wrong results. The inflated sum of squares makes it unlikely and will partition sources of variation in the data into meaningful components. The decision point of a significance test, p-value, is also distorted. Statistical significance is changed due to presence of a few or even one unusual data value. The strong building of the statistical methods is based on weak legs of assumptions. Incorrect assumptions about the distribution of the data can also lead to the presence of suspected outliers. If the data may have a different structure than the researcher originally assumed, and long or short-term trends may affect the data in unanticipated ways. Depending upon the goal of the research, the extreme values may or may not represent an aspect of the inherent variability of the data. Outliers can represent a nuisance, error, or legitimate data. They can also be inspiration for inquiry. Before discarding outliers, researchers need to consider whether those data contain valuable information that may not necessarily relate to the intended study, but has importance in a more global sense. . The considerable effects of outliers are bias or distortion of Estimates, inflated sum of square and ended analysis of the entire data set at faulty conclusions. The key features of descriptive data analysis like the mean, variance and regression coefficient are highly affected by outliers. 1.4 Aspects of outlier There are two considerable aspects. The first aspect explains that, outliers have a negative effect on data analysis. Outliers generally cause to increase error variance and reduce the power of statistical tests. Outliers violate the assumption of normality. Outliers can seriously influence estimates. The second aspect of outliers in that they are correct, and they may be provides useful information about data set. It the outliers are most information points they should not be automatically discarded without justification. In this case the analyses perform the analysis both with and without these outliers, and examine their specific influence on the results. If this influence is minor, then it may not matter whether or not they are omitted. If their influence is substantial, then it is probably best to present the results of both analysis, and simply alert the researcher to the fact that these points may be questionable. The data set may contain outliers and influential observation. It is thus important for the data analyst to be able to identify such observation; if the data set contains a single outlier or influential observation then identification of such an observation in relatively simple. On the other hand, if the data set contain more than one outlier or influential observations the identification of such observation becomes more difficult. This is due to the marking and swamping effects. Masking occurs when an outlying subset goes undected because of the presence of adjacent subset of outliers. Swamping occurs when good observations are incorrectly identified as outliers because of the presence of other outliers. An outlier is the observation that occurs as the result of an extraordinary event. In this case the researcher must decide about that event. If it represents the sample then that outlier should be retained in the analysis. If that event should not represent the sample it should be deleted. Some time outliers may represent extraordinary observations but the researcher can not explain it. These types of the outlier may be omitted but sometime the may be retained if the researcher feels that they represent a valid segment of the population. Both the detection and the suitable treatment of outliers are therefore important. In the present scenario of modern sciences where the messy data sets are generated, potentially troublesome outlier detection method(s) should be researched and presented at one place The main feathers of such identify criteria is that imperative to correctly identify outliers amongst large masses of data, so that experts can be alerted to the possibility of trouble and investigate the matter in detail. Outliers can provide useful information about the process. An outlier can be created by a shift in the location (mean) or in the scale (variability) of the process. Though an observation in a particular sample might be a candidate as an outlier, the process might be shifted. Numbers of treatments are taken in order to deal with outlier(s) involved studies. Accommodation of outliers uses techniques to mitigate their harmful effects. One of its strength is that accommodation of outliers does not need to precede identification. These techniques can be used with prior information that outlier exist. One very effective way to work with data is to use nonparametric methods which are robust in the presence of outliers. Nonparametric statistical method fit into this type of analyses and should be more widely applied to continuous or interval data than their current use. Often the observed data set do not follow the any of the specified distribution then it is better to transform the data by applying appropriate transformation(s) so that data set could follow the specific distribution. Only as a last resort should outliers be deleted, and then only if they are found to be errors they can not be corrected or lie so far outside the range of the remainder of the data that they distort statistical inferences Our goal in this thesis is firstly to collect the outliers detection methods in univariate and bivariate/ multivariate studies followed the Gaussian and Non-Gaussian distributions and secondly to modify them accordingly. 1.5 Univariate Outliers In unvariate data sets, the study of outlier(s) is relatively simple but demands careful attention. Outliers are those values located distant from the bulk of the data and can often be revealed from simple plot of the data, such as scatter plot, stem-and-leaf plot, QQ-plot, etc. Sometimes univariate outliers are not easy to identify as would appear at first sight. Barnet and Lewis (1994) indicate that an outlying observation, or outlier, is one that appears differently and deviate markedly from other members of the sample, in which it occur. A common rule for outlier identification might be to calculate the sample mean and standard deviation, and classify all those points as outliers which are at 2 or 3 standard deviations away from the mean. It is an unfortunate reality that the presence of two or more outliers could leave some or most of the outliers invisible to this method. If there is one or more distant outlier and one or more not so distant outlier in the same direction, the more distant outlier(s) could significantly shift the mean in that direction, and also increase the standard deviation, to such an extent that the lesser outlier(s) falls less than 2 or 3 standard deviations from the sample mean, and goes undetected. This is called the masking eff ect, and results in this particular method and all related methods being unsuitable for use as outlier identification techniques. It is illustrated with an example, borrowed from Becker and Gather [1999]. Consider a data set of 20 observations taken from an N (0, 1) distribution: -2.21, -1.84, -0.95, -0.91, -0.36, -0.19, -0.11, -0.10, 0.18, 0.30, 0.31, 0.43, 0.51, 0.64, 0.67, 0.72, 1.22, 1.35, 8.1, 17.6, where the latter two observations were originally 0.81 and 1.76, but the decimal points were entered at the wrong place. It seems clear that these 2 observations should be labeled as outliers; let us apply the above method. The mean of this data set is 1.27 while the standard deviation is 4.35. Two standard deviations from the mean, towards the right, would be 9.97, while three standard deviations would be 14.32. Both criteria regard the point, 8.1, as expected with reasonable probability and do not consider it an outlier. Additionally, the three standard deviation boundary for detecting outliers seems rather extreme for an N (0, 1) dataset, surely a point would not have to be as large as 14.32 to be classified as an outlier. The masking effect occurs quite commonly in practice and we conclude that outlier methods based on classical statistics are unsuitable for general use, particularly in situations requiring non-visual techniques such as multivariate data. It is worth noting, however, that if instead of the sample mean and standard deviation, robust estimates of location and scale were used (such as the sample median, and median absolute deviation, MAD), both outliers would be detected without difficulty. 1.6 Multivariate Outliers Multivariate outliers are the challenges that do not occur with univariate data sets. For instance, visual methods simply do not work in case of multivariate case studies. Even plotting the data in bivariate form with a systematic rotation of coordinate pairs will not help. It is possible (and occurs frequently in practice) that points which are outliers in bivariate space, are not outliers in either of the two univariate subsets. Generalization to higher dimensions leads to the fact that a multivariate outlier does not have to be an outlier in any of its univariate or bivariate coordinates, at least not without some kind of transformation A successful method of identifying outliers in all multivariate situations would be ideal, but is unrealistic. By successful, we mean both highly sensitive, the ability to detect genuine outliers, and highly specific, the ability to not mistake regular points for outliers.

Light Touch Regulation and the Global Financial Crisis

Light Touch Regulation and the Global Financial Crisis Carla Vecchio Contents (Jump to) 1.0 Light Touch Regulation and the Global Financial Crisis 2.0 Stress Scenarios and Credit Modelling 1.0 Light Touch Regulation and the Global Financial Crisis In October 2008, almost three years after stepping down as Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, Alan Greenspan, also known as the Maestro, admitted in a Congressional hearing that he had been â€Å"partially† wrong in assuming that lending institutions would act in the best interest of their shareholders (Greenspan 2009), thus deflecting blame for the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) that led to the collapse of dozens of major financial institutions and millions of mortgage defaults, costing the global community trillions of dollars in savings and millions of jobs. Yet it was he, an ex-director of JP Morgan, first appointed by Ronald Reagan, who was instrumental in creating the conditions that made it possible. Greenspan approved bank consolidation, pushed financial deregulation, advocated a reduction in bank capital reserves and blocked efforts to stop abusive subprime lending (Pearlstein 2013). Finally, when presented with warning signs of an impending disaster by fellow Federal Reserve Board members just before the GFC, he dismissed them and instead drew conclusions best described by Lord Adair Turner’s words (2010) â€Å"Panglossian, that is blindly or naively optimistic†. Greenspan did however concede during his congressional grilling that there should have been greater regulatory oversight of financial institutions, and it is now universally accepted that this â€Å"light touch regulation† leading up to the GFC materially contributed to the crisis. For people like Lord Adair, who now have the benefit of hindsight, the â€Å"major cause of the crisis† was the fact that â€Å"over several decades prior to 2008, private credit grew faster than GDP in most adv anced economies† and with it, leverage (The Institute for New Economic Thinking 2014). He agrees that the regulators failed, and proposes a new set of policies to â€Å"constrain the growth of private credit† and more importantly to â€Å"influence the type of credit extended† (INET 2014). The generally accepted ultimate causes of the GFC are deregulation of the financial markets; financial innovations; executive compensation; low interest rates; sub-prime loans; and speculation (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 141).Whilst the changes to the financial sector were driven by ideology, the motivating force behind them was for the most part greed. Neoliberal theories â€Å"advocated policies that aided the accumulation† of wealth in fewer hands arguing that it would create jobs causing wealth to eventually trickle down to all (Beder 2009, 3). They also maintained that â€Å"government intervention in the management of the economy is unnecessary† because the market is self-correcting, an idea attractive to government because it absolved it of responsibility (Beder 2009, 3). The rapid growth of international trade in the 1980’s facilitated global financial liberalisation which made it easier for American banks to argue for deregulation to make them more competitive against foreign banks (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 141). They found an ally in President Ronald Reagan who had been elected on a platform of limiting the role of government, and they embarked on an unprecedented and expensive lobbying campaign to convince other politicians of the benefits of financial deregulation (Johnson 2012). The first burst of deregulatory bravado came in 1982 with the ushering in of the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act. Key provisions of the Act like raising the â€Å"allowable ceiling on direct investments by savings institutions in non-residential assets from 20% to 40%† set the scene for the savings and loan crisis of the 1980’s and would later be blamed for thousands of bank failures (Gilani 2009). The ultimate price however, was the undoing of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, also known as the Banking Act of 1933. Among other things, the Act governed banks’ domestic operations; separated commercial and investment banks; and established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), thus ensuring bank deposits and giving the Federal Reserve greater control (The Chronology of Bank Deregulation n.d.). In 1987, Alan Greenspan took over the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve Board, and his free-market philosophies would champion the deregulatory movement (Gilani 2009). A year later, in 1988, the â€Å"Basel Accord established international risk-based capital requirements for deposit taking banks† that would require lenders to set aside reserves (Gilani 2009). Conversely, marketable securities would only require minimal reserves, which allowed unscrupulous banks to free up reserves by shifting from â€Å"originating and holding mortgages to packaging them and holding the mortgage assets in a now-securitized form†, thus severing the link between asset quality considerations and asset liquidity considerations (Gilani 2009). Greenspan asserted that bank deregulation was necessary for banks to become global financial powers, and by using his own powers, Greenspan set out to dismantle the Glass-Steagall Act firstly by allowing banks to deal in debt and equity securities, and finally by allowing banks to own securities firms (The Chronology of Bank Deregulation n.d.). The final demise of the Glass-Steagall Act came when Citibank was bought by Travelers, a deal which under the Act was illegal. It was then made legal when the Gramm-Leach-Billey Financial Services Modernisation Act, bulldosed through by Senator Gramm, was signed into law by Bill Clinton and at once doing away with the Glass-Steagall Act (Gilani 2009). Senator Gramm who was an economist and free market ideologist, further used his position of power to espouse the virtues of subprime lending by famously declaring â€Å"I look at subprime lending and I see the American Dream in action† (Gilani 2009). Subprime lending or lending to people who would ordinarily have little hope of obtaining a loan, thus came to be looked upon favourably by politicians as it allowed record numbers of consumers to purchase a home (The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession n.d., 337). A direct outgrowth of easy lending, its roots can be traced to the Technology Bubble of the late 1990’s which had been encouraged by the loose money policies of the Federal Reserve under Alan Greenspan (Bello 2008).When the bubble burst and sent the U.S. into recession, Greenspan tried to counter it by lowering the prime interest rate to a historical low of 1% (The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession n.d., 338). This in turn encouraged another bubble: the real estate bubble (Bello 2008). â€Å"Driving the demand for subprime loans was the development of a culture of entitlement† and the U.S. government’s push of home ownership as an inalienable right (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 145). Th is combination of low interest rates and high levels of liquidity facilitated higher risk taking and speculation. Caution was often equated to lack of optimism so even the most cautious were driven by herd mentality into the market, even in the face of continuously rising house prices (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 146). Financial wizards were in the meantime designing ever more complex financial products. Initially meant to â€Å"manage risk and make capital less expensive and more available†, they ironically ultimately led to the GFC (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 142). Loans were bundled in a process called securitization, and sold globally to others who had no direct interest in the customers’ ability to repay the loans. In the process, vast amounts of money were made available to borrowers leading to more loans and further driving house prices up. Credit Derivatives, essentially bets on the credit worthiness of a particular company were used to transfer risk away from the banks leading to even more risk taking on the part of the banks (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 143). Huge executive salaries and compensation packages played a major role in the creation of the GFC. Tied to short-term performance, they further encouraged risk taking, relaxing of lending criteria (The Finan cial Crisis and the Great Recession n.d.,340) and even accounting fraud as in the case of Enron, Global Crossing and WorldCom (The Global Financial Crisis 2012, 144). The proliferation of subprime lending was responsible for doubling the mortgage borrowing in the U.S. from an annual average of $500 billion in 1998 to over $1 trillion in the 2003-6 period (The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession n.d., 341). When mortgage repayments became more difficult in 2006, a wave of subprime foreclosures ensued creating a glut in the market and dramatic drop in house prices (The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession n.d., 341). The rest is history. Banks deemed â€Å"too big to fail† failed, and trillions of dollars were lost. In the U.S. alone, 3 million homes were foreclosed and 9 million people lost their jobs. In his congressional testimony, Alan Greenspan basically testified that he thought he could trust bankers and credit rating agencies to do the right thing by their shareholders and price risks accordingly, but with such huge profits to be made, it appears that greed triumphed. Considerable evidence has in fact mounted since the GFC to show that his vision of the markets and organisations â€Å"is not only oversimplified, but utopic† (Turner 2010). Critics and many economists now blame Greenspan for the crisis. Indeed, it is clear that notwithstanding his faith in others, it was incumbent upon him as the steward of the world’s largest economy to be vigilant. â€Å"You had the authority to prevent irresponsible lending practices that led to the subprime mortgage crisis. You were advised to do so by many others,† said Representative Henry A. Waxman of California, chairman of the committee (Andrews 2008). â€Å"Do you feel your ideology pushed you to make decisions that you wish you had not made?† Mr. Greenspan conceded: â€Å"Yes I’ve found a flaw† (Andrews 2008). 2.0 Stress Scenarios and Credit Modelling When credit is extended by a lender to a borrower, there is a certain risk that the borrower may default on its payment, thus causing a loss to the lender. If the losses are large enough, the lender may be forced to default on its own obligations to others, as seen during the most recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC) which saw a number of large banks file for bankruptcy. To minimise the probability of the borrower defaulting, banks adopt lending practices and ratios, and conduct a review of the borrower’s ability to repay the loan. Competitive pressure from other banks to make credit more affordable means that banks have to try as best they can, to estimate the probability of defaults and the size and nature of possible losses, and make provision for them. The banks’ credit is mathematically modelled, which is then used to estimate the likely outcomes produced by different hypothetical but realistic and potential scenarios. Credit models can be divided into two groups: credit risk models and credit growth models. A credit risk model is used to predict the main credit risk parameters, particularly the probability of default. Conversely, a credit growth model is used to estimate the growth in bank portfolios and to estimate the growth of the bank’s risk-weighted assets, that is, the bank’s off-balance-sheet exposures weighted according to risk and hence the capital requirement as explained in the Basel Accord. A bank’s ability to withstand the most adverse conditions is tested by carrying out a so called â€Å"stress test†, whereby extreme values for certain variables are used in the bank’s credit model to predict the outcome. Most commonly, the stress test is applied to credit risk as this carries the most important and most serious consequences for a bank. The Banking Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) (2009, p.1) states that stress testing is a vital risk management tool employed by many banks â€Å"as part of their internal risk management and, through the Basel II capital adequacy framework, is promoted by supervisors†. The rigorous stress testing program requires management to adopt a forward thinking mentality and create â€Å"what if† scenarios that are extreme, but plausible. Thus the purpose of such an exercise is to assess a bank’s resilience to potential adverse shocks in the financial economic environment that may have a catastrophic effect on the institution or financial system as a whole. For example, a modeller may measure the effect rising interest rates has on home loan defaults. A mathematical formula can then be derived to link the two factors. As well as being a supplementary tool for other risk management approaches, stress testing provides management with an indication of the â€Å"approp riate level of capital necessary to endure deteriorating economic conditions† (BCBS 2009, p. 1). Since the GFC, stress testing of banking systems has been used more extensively and in a broader variety of contexts. The internal risk management exercises within the Basel II capital adequacy framework has led many financial institutions and supervisors to focus attention on stress tests in relation to credit risk as an additional way to test the reliability of the internal models they adopt (Schechtman and Gaglianone 2011). The increasing need for financial stability within today’s economic environment, and its role as a policy goal of central banks, has also promoted interest in macroeconomic stress testing and the link it has to credit risk (Schechtman and Gaglianone 2011). There are two broad types of stress scenarios: The reduced-form stress scenario and the sharply contrasting structural stress scenario. According to Roger Stein from Moody’s Research Labs (2011), these terms have been adopted from the credit modelling literature, and are the two main approaches used to model credit risk. A structural scenario possesses a â€Å"causal, economically intuitive relationship† (Stein 2011) between a firm’s asset and the probability of it defaulting, that is, it has a clear and logical economic rationale for the effect of a particular factor on a portfolio. It is focused on the state of the economy, as described by the macroeconomic factors involved and requires a definite link between asset behaviour and the stress factor. Because different asset classes within the portfolio are dependent on the same common factors, there is also a very high coherence or consistency of results between them. Unlike other models, the structural model can explain why a company or a bank, for example, is likely to default. Although intuitive, structural stress scenarios make high demands on the testers because not only do changes in the economic factors have to be consistent throughout the different asset classes, but the resultant asset behaviour must also be fully described by the mathematical function linking the assets to the economic factors. Because of this, few structural models for stress testing have been developed so far. One such model is at the core of the Bank of England’s stress testing agenda. Generally, structural models are useful from a central bank’s perspective as they assume a linear relationship between macroeconomic factors and credit risk, hence providing a way of estimating financial stability risks. In contrast, a reduced-form scenario focuses on the state of the assets and treats default events as â€Å"surprises†. It does not provide an economic cause for the resulting state of the assets, thus only requiring the stress tester to define the asset behaviours themselves (Stein 2011). Modelling credit risk under this approach requires no assumptions to be made concerning why defaults occur. Instead, the dynamics of default are directly linked to the default rate. Default in the feduced form stress model is an unforeseeable event which will always have a positive default probability. A relationship between assets is not required in the reduced form, nor is a logical reason given for a certain observed effect. Because of their less rigorous demand, reduced form stress models are used predominantly in the financial industry. For example, the stress testing approach used even by the Bank of France is based on a reduced form of the credit risk model wherein a borrower’s ability to repay his loan is found as the difference between the value of the assets and that of his loan, and default occurs when the value of the debt exceeds the value of the loan. Credit risk is one of the most important areas for stress testing since it ultimately affects a bank’s profits and even its solvency. When used in conjunction with credit models, both the structural and reduced-form stress scenario approaches assist management in providing a means of mitigating â€Å"risk by enabling intuitive interpretations of states of the world that may cause a portfolio or organisation to experience high losses† (Stein 2011). Stein (2011) states that it is indeed this â€Å"intuitiveness that makes stress testing useful in evaluating a credit model’s behaviour in general, and the appropriateness of a model’s linking functions in particular†. Both the Structural and the Reduced-form Stress Test models have found an important and useful role in the financial industry. Modellers will use either one depending on what is being tested and what is known or can be quantified. As it is, even though the credit models used by their very nature do not perfectly represent the real world, the stress tests applied to them, â€Å"still provide a measure of intuition that is generally otherwise not feasible† (Stein 2011). This is because both structural and reduced-form stress scenarios induce a connection to both the credit models and the risks in the portfolio which provides management with insights into both the model’s behaviour and also the drivers of the portfolio’s credit risk (Stein 2011). (http://www.cnb.cz/en/financial_stability/stress_testing/stress_testing_methodology.html). Referenced: Ricardo Schechtman and Wagner Piazza Gaglianone 2011 – Macro Stress Testing of Credit Risk Focused on the Tails http://www.bcb.gov.br/pec/wps/ingl/wps241.pdf STEIN 2011 – The Role of Stress Testing in Credit Risk Management BCBS 2009 – Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Breuer, Jandacka, Rheinberger Summer 2009 – How to find plausible, severe and useful stress scenarios

Graduation Speech: Be Proud of Your Accomplishments :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

So many of us have come to ZAHS as a last resort, not fitting in at other schools or we were feeling that regular school wasn't working for us. We have found MAHS is somewhere we wished we had found in the first place. It is a place where you do fit in because people who originally didn't have anything in common share this one place. It is our home away from home. It brings all of us together with all of our diversities to be welcomed and accepted. Our love and belief in our school continues to show time after time whether it is a fund raiser, our test scores, or even when students return who once gave up on finishing school. When I first came to MAHS I was pretty nervous and overwhelmed with my life. I was a new mother at a new school around new people with so many new responsibilities. At that time I didn't realize how overwhelmed I was until I burst into tears on my first day. From that day on I found great friends and teachers who have loved me and supported me every day. This school has made me realize my potential in life. Graduating for me is a great but unsure feeling; but I know everyone here has a great future ahead of them. If we lose our way, we'll just come back - TEACHERS, COUNT ON IT. I have some mainly good memories of our school. Like, I will always remember all of our daycare madness, all of Larry's announcements that never seemed to come out quite right. All of Mr. Lewis' large-group math trivia assignments that I could never quite figure out. I can't imagine why NOT. I'll remember all of the guys who, no matter what time of the day, always found time to be outside playing basketball. I will remember our FCCLA trip to Wenatchee where we stayed in an under-construction hotel with a dirt swimming pool! It was alternative, but so were we. We learned to be proud of our uniqueness and our achievements.

Interruptions and Delayed Explanations in Act III of The Crucible Essay

The Crucible Essay In act three opportunities constantly arise for the whole problem of the play to be cleared up satisfactorily, but these are always frustrated. Show how this act is one of interruptions and explanations which are tragically delayed. The crucible is a play written by Arthur miller and concerns the mass hysteria, which led to the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials in the U.S.A. At that time the people who lived in Salem believed in witches and the devil. They believed that the bible told them that witches should be hanged and they were required to live by strict puritan laws. The main characters of the play are Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John. John had an affair with their maid, Abigail, and it was her intention to destroy Elizabeth and marry John Proctor herself. After Elizabeth and other members of the community have been arrested on charges of witchcraft, the trial begins and there are many opportunities to show that the people arrested were innocent but the many interruptions make this impossible. At the start of act 1 Martha Corey is being questioned by judge Danforth and Hathorne to see if she had been involved in witchcraft. Her husband, Giles Corey interrupts to say that Putnam wants everyone’s land. â€Å"Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land.† Corey says that he has evidence to prove this. Then he is interrupted by Reverend Parris who undermines Corey’s evidence by saying he was a very argumentative person. Corey is interrupted again by Francis Nurse who says that the girls are all frauds â€Å"We have proof of it sir they are all deceiving you.† John Proctor arrives in the court with Mary Warren and the evidence as well but they are interrupted by Parris who tries to blacken Proctors name by say... ...s a whore and she has a motive to kill his wife. Proctor’s wife is called in and Proctor has already told the court that she never lies, could never lie. Elizabeth Proctor is asked about Proctors relationship with Abigail and she said he had done nothing wrong. To save her husband, because committing adultery is a hanging offence, she tells that lie and condemns him. Proctor asks Mary to continue with her evidence but she turns against him and accuses him of being in league with the devil, â€Å"you’re the Devil’s man she points at him she says she will not hang with him and tells the court that he told her, â€Å"I’ll murder you, if my wife hangs.† Proctor tells Danforth â€Å"you are pulling heaven down, and raising up a whore!† If any of the people had been allowed to give their evidence without interruptions, the outcome of the court case might have been different. Interruptions and Delayed Explanations in Act III of The Crucible Essay The Crucible Essay In act three opportunities constantly arise for the whole problem of the play to be cleared up satisfactorily, but these are always frustrated. Show how this act is one of interruptions and explanations which are tragically delayed. The crucible is a play written by Arthur miller and concerns the mass hysteria, which led to the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials in the U.S.A. At that time the people who lived in Salem believed in witches and the devil. They believed that the bible told them that witches should be hanged and they were required to live by strict puritan laws. The main characters of the play are Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John. John had an affair with their maid, Abigail, and it was her intention to destroy Elizabeth and marry John Proctor herself. After Elizabeth and other members of the community have been arrested on charges of witchcraft, the trial begins and there are many opportunities to show that the people arrested were innocent but the many interruptions make this impossible. At the start of act 1 Martha Corey is being questioned by judge Danforth and Hathorne to see if she had been involved in witchcraft. Her husband, Giles Corey interrupts to say that Putnam wants everyone’s land. â€Å"Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land.† Corey says that he has evidence to prove this. Then he is interrupted by Reverend Parris who undermines Corey’s evidence by saying he was a very argumentative person. Corey is interrupted again by Francis Nurse who says that the girls are all frauds â€Å"We have proof of it sir they are all deceiving you.† John Proctor arrives in the court with Mary Warren and the evidence as well but they are interrupted by Parris who tries to blacken Proctors name by say... ...s a whore and she has a motive to kill his wife. Proctor’s wife is called in and Proctor has already told the court that she never lies, could never lie. Elizabeth Proctor is asked about Proctors relationship with Abigail and she said he had done nothing wrong. To save her husband, because committing adultery is a hanging offence, she tells that lie and condemns him. Proctor asks Mary to continue with her evidence but she turns against him and accuses him of being in league with the devil, â€Å"you’re the Devil’s man she points at him she says she will not hang with him and tells the court that he told her, â€Å"I’ll murder you, if my wife hangs.† Proctor tells Danforth â€Å"you are pulling heaven down, and raising up a whore!† If any of the people had been allowed to give their evidence without interruptions, the outcome of the court case might have been different.

Justification of Hamlets Sanity in Shakespeares Hamlet Essays

Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" is about a complex protagonist, Hamlet, who faces adversity and is destined to murder the individual who killed his father. Hamlet is a character who although his actions and emotions may be one of an insane person, in the beginning of the book it is clear that Hamlet decides to fake madness in order for his plan to succeed in killing Claudius. Hamlet is sane because throughout the play he only acts crazy in front of certain people, to others he acts properly and displays proper prince like behavior who is able to cope with them without sounding crazy, and even after everything that has been going on in his life he is able to take revenge by killing his father's murderer. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet is sane but acts insane to fulfill his destiny of getting vengeance on his father's murderer. Hamlet throughout the play seems insane but in reality it is only an act to achieve his goal of killing his father's murderer. Hamlet chooses to go mad so he has an advantage over his opponent and since he is the Prince of Denmark certain behavior is unacceptable, so by faking madness he is able to get away with inappropriate sayings and actions. We can see this when he talks to Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia and his mother. When Hamlet talks to Horatio in the first act he says how he is going to "feign madness" and that: " There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy...How strange or odd some'er i bear myself (As i perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on) That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, With arms encumbered thus, or this headshake, Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase...let us go in toget... ...sane because he is fully aware of his surroundings and before acting he always rationalizes everything. He fakes madness so he can say and do things that a mad man would do, but internally he is aware of what he is doing and we know he is not insane but he acts crazy in front of certain people. His way of thinking is like a normal individual's, if an individual was crazy they would not be thinking everything through and if someone were crazy they would definitely not have the capabilities of outsmarting someone, like how Hamlet outsmarted Claudius. All these reasons and much more are why Hamlet is not insane, he is as sane of an individual as any other, but unlike others he had to go through a lot of emotional pain and a sense of abandonment to reach a successful point in his life. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. New York: Washington Square, 2004. Print.

Ethical Awareness Essay

Ethics could be defined as the moral philosophy, which tackles the concepts of right and wrong. In the field of philosophy, ethics is concerned in the defending and recommending of one’s behavior. Meanwhile, in the case of organizations, ethics enables an organization member to come up with sound and mature decisions. Ethical awareness, meanwhile, is a vital factor in the success and the relation of members within the organization—or the society as a whole. On the other hand, ethical awareness inventory refers â€Å"to a series of broad characterizations representing four prominent categories of ethical philosophy. † This practically helps in the analysis of an individual’s perspective on ethics, according to the answers given to the set of questions that need to be answered. The Combined Score would most likely reflect the individual’s perspective on ethics in general. The results that my test gained showed obligation is the greatest consideration I think of when talking about ethics. It mainly involves, perhaps, my preference of those individuals who value responsibilities with emphasis on taking actions based on ethical principles. In dealing with other people, for instance, Obligation is the main factor I look into for an action or individual to be considered ethical. It means that if a person duly respond to his/her duties and responsibilities which, of course, for the greatest good, it means being ethical for me. Meanwhile, the least consideration I have, based on the results in Equity. It means that I do not consider â€Å"equality† as synonymous to being ethical. Perhaps, it is because Equality is not just easy to achieve since â€Å"some are more equal than others†, as a popular author puts it. In a society where stratification is very much evident, equality can never be a main factor for me for an individual or action to be considered ethical. The results are mainly affected of the brand of education experience I had through the years. The utilization of alternative learning strategies for ethical awareness have helped me develop or think of plans that would incorporate ethics into other aspects of the organization. Emphasis could be given to â€Å"active-learning† approaches. The challenge in using â€Å"active-learning† for the facilitator is to cope with the susceptibility of each individual to ignore the importance of doing such. The active kind of learning is mainly comprised of five steps: †¢ Discovery of the predicament or problem within the organization; †¢ Identification of the possible tools and resources that would help in finding solutions for the problems; †¢ Examination or scrutiny of the alternative strategies that could be helpful in solving the problems; †¢ Implementation of the specific solution that was chosen; †¢ Reflection on the solution that was implemented, assessment of the consequences of the solution or the outcome. The issue on ethical awareness is usually taken for granted by some individual. In reality, ethical awareness is one of the greatest and most crucial factors that would determine the success or downfall of a society. Ethical awareness means fulfilling one’s duties and obligations in order to contribute to the general growth of the society Collective effort is much needed for the development of a society, and without ethical awareness inferred from the individual within, there could never be an assurance that a society would develop. Aside from the benefits of ethics awareness in the sum of the society, it would also benefit each individual as it would provide them maturity, self-disclosure, and self-realization, among others.