EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNET ADVERTISING Essay

Web advertising first appeared in 1994. Eleven years later, in 2005, U.S. companies spent $12.5 billion advertising online. No longer is that the irrational money of venture-backed start-ups with dubious business models; according to Nielsen/NetRatings, 25% of all display ads in 2005 promoted Fortune 500 companies. Advertisers already spent double the amount online that they spent in 2005 on billboards and other outdoor advertising and roughly half of what they spent respectively on magazine and radio advertising. And after brief market contraction in 2001 and 2002, the online ad industry has been growing 30+% from then. Yet, despite this rapid mainstream of online advertising, many advertisers still are not observing a range of established tactics and strategies understood to substantially improve the effectiveness of online ad campaigns. In some cases, this is because advertisers are new enough to the internet to remain behind on the learning curve. In other cases, many advertisers have viewed the Internet as a source of â€Å"cheap† advertising and therefore do not invest sufficiently in experimentation and research to identify for themselves the tactics that work best.†Sometimes advertisers are pennywise and pound the foolish in not running brand effectiveness studies and using the click-through rate to measure the success of a brand campaign,† said Yaakov Kimelfeld, director of business intelligence and Beyond Interactive. Brian Eakin, Associate Media Director at Freestyle Interactive, concurs: â€Å"While many clients will say that there is value in learning, the clients most in need of actionable research and most connected to a cost-per-sale measure of success, and many of them simply would not allocate the investment that does not mean immediately contribute to product sales. The challenge of planners is to extract the strategic insight from active campaigns without forcing their clients to choose betw een sales and learnings.† Online advertising remains new and fast evolving. But after a decade, it has  been around long enough for several best practices to emerge. It is actually a major trend in recent years is a shift towards generating incremental page impressions. The result is online ad prices are going up, and it may no longer be as a â€Å"cheap† advertising medium. It remains, however, and effective one. As such, it is more important than ever for advertisers to master the tactics that produce the best results for their campaigns.   Here are some practices that can optimize the web designing effectiveness. 1. Adopt a Disciplined Framework for Managing Campaigns The most successful online advertisers adhere to a disciplined process. They set clear campaign objectives. They build measurement, targeting and optimization into the campaign process. And they carefully assess the final results to identify what practices could improve the advertiser’s next campaign. â€Å"If you ask any publisher, they’ll tell you that the spread between response rates to ads can range from 0.02% to 2%,† said Ted Ryan, vice president of sales at NationalGeographic.com. â€Å"That’s a hundredfold difference. That’s what the opportunity is online. Getting best practices right from online ad campaigns isn’t about a 10% improvement in results. It’s about a tenfold or a hundred fold improvement. You can’t afford not to be online. For all that money advertisers invested on TV on brand campaigns, they can get knocked out of water in five minutes on internet by a competitor who does it that much better than they do.† 2. Manage Reach and Frequency Very little will have as dramatic an effect on the success of advertiser campaigns as managing â€Å"reach and frequency.† Whether a campaign’s objectives are more geared towards brand development or direct response, in almost all cases it is in the advertiser’s best interest to maximize the number of people who see the campaign (â€Å"reach†) at an optimal number of exposures to the ad per person (â€Å"frequency†). All too often, however, when advertisers do  not manage their online campaigns closely for this, the result is that a relatively small number of people will see the ads at a tremendously high frequency, wasting many impressions of the campaign. Reach and frequency have a proportional relationship. Each ad impression in campaign is shown either to someone who has not yet seen the campaign, thereby expanding its reach, or to someone who has, increasing the campaign’s average frequency. The â€Å"optimal frequency† – the ideal number of times consumers should be exposed to the campaign’s online ads – is ambiguous. Little research exists on the subject, and results will vary according to the product, campaign objectives and other factors. That said, conventional wisdom is that the optimal frequency for most campaigns is around 4-7 ad exposures, and much beyond that, results hit a point of diminishing returns for both brand and direct response objectives. The challenge for marketers, therefore, is to reach effectively that third of the audience generating only 6% of all pages, while avoiding having heavy users to consume ad impressions at disproportionately high frequencies. The Figure above illustrates the challenge. It graphs a campaign where 37% of the audience sees only one exposure of the ad, 17% sees it twice, 10% sees it thrice, and the distribution gradually diminishes so that only 1% sees the ad 10 times. But then something remarkable happens: 13% of the exposed audience sees the ad 11 times or more. By the time someone has seen an online ad 11 times, the odds that further exposure will improve the person’s opinion of the brand, or likelihood to click on the ad, are low. In other words, 40% of the impressions in this campaign represent money largely wasted. 3. Manage Reach and Frequency through Strategic Media Placement The critical question then is, â€Å"How does one control frequency to maximize reach?† One way is to set a â€Å"frequency cap† with the publisher’s or advertiser’s ad server, using cookies to prevent readers from seeing an ad more than a designated number of times. For a variety of reasons, however,  capping frequency via ad servers can be more difficult in practice than in theory. A more efficient way to control frequency can be through strategic media buying tactics. Back in 2002, the research firm then known as Jupiter Media Metrix demonstrated that an ad campaign of four million impressions could reach an audience at least a third larger when spread evenly over three large sites as opposed to concentrating the same-sized buy on a single site. The key implication was that a broader media buy across several sites was a more efficient way to optimize reach, and moderate frequency, than by concentrating the same number of impressions in fewer sites. The Figure above shown is known as a â€Å"build chart†, showing the varying rates at which audiences accumulate to their monthly total on different types websites. The comScore data show that the audiences for website services and portals scale very quickly: roughly 80% of the monthly accumulated audience to those sites had already visited by the seventh day of the month. At real estate sites, meanwhile, only 35% of the monthly audience had visited within the same one-week period. Sites whose audiences build quickly are likely to attract visitors who come back often, meaning advertisers risk burning through a lot of ad impressions at high frequency levels if their ad buys are too concentrated on these types of sites. Sites that are not as â€Å"sticky†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with flatter build curves – may have altogether smaller audiences, but campaigns directed towards them will naturally be distributed more evenly across all visitors. The best strategy, therefore, is not to avoid any type of site, but to spread campaigns over multiple sites in order to most efficiently distribute campaign reach at a lower average frequency. 4. Use Rich Media and Video Ad Formats Rich media ads are significantly more effective at engaging users than are standard GIF or JPG image ad formats. These rich media ads are typically formatted in Flash or enhanced-Flash (i.e., specialty rich media ad platforms like DART Motif), with features such as the ability to expand outside of standard ad dimensions, to float across the top of web pages, or to play video clips. Analysis of DART ad-serving logs show that more interactive and prominent rich media units have far higher click rates than standard image ads. The above showing Figure indicates that ads formatted as expandable or in-page units using DART Motif’s rich media platform had more than double the click-rate of image ads, while interstitials (ads, typically large in size, that appears on pages in between two content pages during a user’s surfing session) had more than 10-times the click rate. Motif floating and pop-up ads had close to 50-times the click rates of image ads. To persuade consumer’s positively towards brand attributes, rich media and formats (particularly video) are considerably more effective than the image ad formats. Campaigns served in the platforms of speciality rich media ad providers at least 50% more effective at improving purchase intent than were GIF/JPG image ads(relative to control groups who saw public service announcements), according again to data drawn from Dynamic Logic’s Market Norms, a pool of hundreds of brand research studies. 5. Target Audiences With Appropriate Creative Treatments Another challenge for online ad campaigns is that many agencies have one team, or even one subsidiary company, doing the creative design of ads, and another buying placements on media properties. There may be advantages to this kind of division of labour, including concentrating fields of expertise and cost efficiencies. But the trade-off is that the creative is not always ideally suited for the audiences that see it and the environment where they see it. Closing that gap and better aligning creative executions to the right audiences and environments can have a dramatic impact on campaign effectiveness. â€Å"As you would think, the clients who come on our site and talk about exotic travel, outdoors and environmental issues, and have the creative to go with that, their results can go through the roof,† said Mr. Ryan of NationalGeographic.com. â€Å"Dolby Laboratories, working with the agency Freestyle Interactive, ran a rich media campaign with us,† Mr. Ryan continued. â€Å"I looked at the insertion order and said, ‘Dolby? Okay great, let’s get the business,’ but I wasn’t sure what they wanted with National Geographic’s audience. Then I saw the creative, two interactive ads, one with an electrical storm, and another morphed from the jungle scene to an ocean with the slider bar that changed the sound. The response rates were huge because the ad’s theme was highly relevant to our audience. The campaign metrics, shared by Dolby and Freestyle Interactive, shown by Mr. Ryan was talking about, as seen in the Figure below. RESEARCH DESIGN Research Design The objective of the study is to understand the Effectiveness of Internet Advertising. Research Design Case based research design Data Collection Method Secondary Data Sources of Data Collection There are two sources on which data can be collected via primary source and secondary. The data which are prepared from the main purpose and researcher or owner it is called primary source and the collected from this source is called primary data. The data which is collected from the persons, private bodies, private research agencies etc are called secondary source and the  data collected is from both primary and secondary type. The following are the data from which have been collected from both the sources. Secondary Data is collected through internet, magazines, newspaper and published sources at the various companies. SAMPLING Sampling Sampling is a most important part of the data collection. It is a tool that tries to matches the data according to the criteria. The sampling methods is used specially in the context of data segregation researcher in the field of market research scientific investigation and other fields study where it requires a deep ground selection investigation and other fields study where it requires a deep ground selection of variables. So, sampling is a relevant answer to the accurate and most appropriate selection. JUDGEMENT SAMPLING The judgment sampling is a kind of non-probability sampling where the researchers select the samples from according to its judgment. The criteria have been fixed previously before taking into consideration of the samples. The judgment sampling is one of the most important parts carrying out in any project work. SAMPLING METHOD In this project study, the method adopted for the sampling purpose is the judgment sampling method. SAMPLING SIZE If the sample is too small, it can’t represent the population and outcome will be far more reality. Large samples provide good result, but if sample is too large, it become difficult to handle and also expensive, but in this project samples are taken those involve in web advertising sector. DATA ANALYSIS We identify processes that underlie curiosity resolution and study its impact on consumer motivation and learning. The dataset from our simulated Internet experiment includes process tracking variables (i.e., click stream data from ad-embedded links), traditional attitude and behavioural intention measures, and open-ended protocols. We find that an advertising strategy increases interest and learning relative to a strategy that provides detailed product information. Furthermore, it seems to improve the quality of search substantially (i.e., time spent and attention devoted to specific information), resulting in better and more focused memory and comprehension of new product information. To enhance the effectiveness of Internet advertising of new products, we recommend a curiosity advertising strategy based on four elements: (1) Curiosity generation by highlighting a gap in extant knowledge, (2) The presence of a hint to guide elaboration for curiosity resolution, (3) Sufficient time to try and resolve curiosity as well as the assurance of curiosity- resolving information, (4) The use of measures of consumer elaboration and learning to gauge advertising effectiveness.

Path of Accounting

The career field I chose is finance. In a career of finance there are a number of different tasks I would potentially have to do. Accountants and other jobs in the field of finance have to keep track of money and records of companies. In finance you mainly provide financial services to businesses. It may require one to give advice to executives of businesses on better ways to operate their business. To have a Career in finance it is a must to be good at math and great at dealing with/analyzing numbers and data. If you are not good at math or with numbers then being is good in this career will be nearly impossible because you won’t be able to analyze the data you are presented with, which will probably make everything seem foreign because you lack understanding.Most importantly, a career in finance requires honesty. Having access to other people’s and other businesses’ money is a serious task to be placed with. That responsibility is not one to be lightly or one t hat allows the chance for mistakes. My career goal is to be a financial accountant. I have wanted to be an accountant as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to be an accountant because I am good at math. To be an accountant my career field would have to be finance and I could choose business and management, but I would definitely have to do finance. Finance and accounting is offered at every university, so I wouldn’t really have finding a school. The job requirement of an accountant is all dealing with finance.As an accountant, it is your job to provide financial information to the management you work for. To do this, an accountant researches and analyzes data and has to prepare reports for the company. Keeping track of the financial records on the company is also a part of being an accountant. Another point of emphasize is the importance of interning at a bank or business to gain experience in the field of accounting.I would most likely be an accountant in the states of New York, Ohio, or Wisconsin. I would like to work not too close to Chicago, but not too far away either. According to US News.com the monthly salaries in the states of Wisconsin and Ohio are $4, 052 and $3,812 respectively. In New York the monthly salary is $7,476. The highest salary  for an accountant is in New York at $89,720 followed by New Jersey and San Francisco at $87,120 and $86,230 respectively.Other forms of accountants I am interested in is being a forensic accountant and management accountant. As a forensics accountant it is ones job to analyze and access data to help solve crimes. It also requires you to detect any signs or forms of fraud that could lead to anything. Watching show many crime shows have shed lights on forensic accounting for me, which is why I have become so interested in it. Being a management accountant is much like a financial accountant. I would just work with the managers of businesses or corporations more often and provide them with in formation to help them make the right decision to benefit their company.I would just come up with all the strategies to help improve the company than work with the manager to get the right decision made, so my work space would be different. Instead of being at a desk on a computer I would have to make representation of data in charts on boards, computer, poster, and etc. This would also result in me spending time in the meeting rooms with executives and managers than other accountants would. The semester credits I am requires to earn depends on what the college itself requires, although most colleges will require me to have 150 semester credits from a university according to Accounting Coach â€Å"CPA requirements†.After I gain enough credit myself and anyone else striving to become an accountant is required to take the CPA exam and cannot begin working as an accountant until they pass it. The CPA exam is followed by an Ethic Exam and they both really test on if one’s readiness for a career in accounting. After passing these two test which are both advised to take as soon as one can while all the info is still fresh, you can start your career in accounting. An accountant usually work twelve hour shifts in their place of business at an computer analyzing data, consulting with managers, or studying data that is given to them, which can be boring if you don’t enjoy math.One of the colleges I am interested in attending to become an accountant is The Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio. According to Forbes Top Collges.com the GPA requirement for is a 3.6 and the ACT requirement is about a 26 with that being the average. Another of their requirements is for incoming students have to at least have taken two years of a foreign language class, preferably the same language, so that they be fluent in one language instead of mediocre in many.The cost of tuition and  fees at The Ohio State University is $26,726 and when you include books, room and things it all adds up to $44,215. Being such a big school Ohio State accepts 64% of its applicants and 93% of freshman return for their second year. The four year graduation rate is 51% and the six year graduation rate is 80%. Graduation rate for African American students is 73%. My second school is Stanford University which is located in Stanford, California.In Stanford University pamphlet the average GPA and ACT scores for people accepted into Stanford is a 3.6 and a 31. Tuition is $43,245 and student population is large at 17, 833 with 52% being males and 10% being African Americans. The big fact is Stanford on accepts about 8% of its applicants and of those they accept 98% return after their first year. The four year graduation rate is 80% and the six year graduation rate is 93% which I didn’t know was higher than Ohio State’s because of how tough a school it is. The graduation rate for males is 94% and 92% for African Americans.The last school I selected is the University of Wisconsin-Madison which is located, exactly where the name of the school says, Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin and Ohio State is like I said about the job, I would like to attend school not too far from Chicago, but not too close either. Forbes Top Schools.com shows that the total population is 41,946 with 46% of that being males and 3% being African Americans. The cost for tuition is $40,012. The average GPA is a 3.4 and for my desired major it is 3.5 while the average ACT is a 26. 94 of its students come back for their second year, while the transfer rate is 12%. The four year graduation rate is 52% and the six year graduation rate is 80%. The graduation rate for males at the University of Wisconsin is 82% and the graduation rate for African American students is 78%.My end goal is to become a financial accountant after college. I know attending The Ohio State University will definitely help me achieve this goal because they have one of the bet ter accounting programs in the country. I’ve gotten to visit the school and sit in on an accounting class, so I have first-hand experience of what it’s like. Out of the information and things I learned about all three schools I picked, The Ohio State University is the most appealing to me. Having over 90% graduation rates for males and African Americans is the numbers that really jump out at me, but that doesn’t mean if I go to The Ohio State University that the journey will be easy.It may  be the best fit or my top choice, but there are still obstacles like the size of Ohio State. A school with over 55,000 students will be a big adjustments from anywhere, but I have just have to keep looking ahead to my end goal. The next step I need to take in order to reach my goal is continue to develop my skills not only in math, but also work to improve my ACT score so I can get what I need to be accepted into Ohio State. I already have a lot of skills that I need to pur suit my career like being superb in math, great at analyzing data, and dealing with charts and graphs.I feel I have great self-discipline which I believe everyone must have before they even think of going to college, but I still need to greatly improve in lots of things. I must continue to work on my social skills because being at college with thousands of college can be even more difficult than it already will and I will work to be better at not procrastinating because at times I may wait for the last moment to do things because it seems easy or I get too confident with my ability to do work quick, so I put it off until the last minute. I need to continue to stay focused and take advantage of the many opportunities  I have presented to me. This includes ACT prep, college visits, extra-curricular activities, and any other program offered to me.Though, my most important thing to do to help me achieve my goal right now it to just simply focus on what I need to do right now in high s chool because that is what’s most important right now. I can face my care path and continue to work closer to my end goal when I get to that point, but I still have to get to that step and I must finish high school to do it. While researching for this project I realized all the information I’ve had to research is nothing, but beneficial to me and achieving my goals. I’ve learned things about these colleges I didn’t know and learned of what is required of me to get accepted into the colleges of my choosing and what is required of me to strive in the career of my choosing.The process of doing this paper has helped me to learn of all the things I still need to work on and what I still need to achieve. Before this paper I thought I knew everything of what was required to be an accountant an attend the colleges of my choice, but doing this project has shed light on things I didn’t know and informed me that there are still things I still need to learn mo re about and continue to work on because I’m not where I need to be yet. There are many obstacles in place that I still  must face and overcome before I can reach my end goal of becoming a financial accountant, but doing this project has made the long journey to achieving my goal that I have ahead a lot easier than it would’ve been.

Claudius Speech †Hamlet Essay

Claudius, the former ruler, husband of his sister and brother of the recently perished king gives a speech at the beginning of Act I. II of Hamlet. Shakespeare’s use of literary devices allows the reader to comprehend the intentions behind Claudius’s figurative language within his coronation speech. The opening scene in Hamlet portrays Denmark to currently be critically unstable and with militaristic chaos; however, in Claudius’s speech he disposes that idea and conveys confidence in the stability of the nation. This chronological set up introduces the theme of appearance vs.  reality as Claudius efforts to manipulate the kingdom into trusting that he has everything under control is carried mischievously yet successfully throughout his speech. Aware of the presence of the rightful king, young Hamlet, Claudius commences his speech with an ambiguous line that strikes the attention of Hamlet. Once he is aware of young Hamlet’s attention, he continues to approach the courthouse. He seemingly shows a state of grief as he acknowledges his dead brother. â€Å" My dear brother’s death† the use of alliteration makes us aware that Claudius has used that line several times before in order to show a sign of loss. He wants to appear that has suffered too from this death, he mentions that â€Å" the memory be green† this metaphor is placed to represent the idea that the memory is fresh and it has not been long since he perished, while also leaving a gruesome image of the old kings decomposing body. His first use of anti-thesis is then exposed in line 6, when he mentions â€Å" the wisest sorrows† in that line he is understanding those in grief but reminding them to think of themselves and the future of Denmark instead. After respectfully mentioning the death of Hamlet, and expressing his condolence to the kingdom he deceitfully moves on to the second important announcement: his wedding. Uneasy, Claudius is trying to go about his speech like a metaphorical obstacle course hoping there is no interference or opposition, while still being able to appear as confident. Efficaciously, he presents his marriage â€Å" Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state. † Using the state of war as his alaby to the marriage of his brother’s wife he is able to convince the courthouse that it is for the greater good and that his actions are a form of self-sacrifice for the nation. Continuing to justify his marriage as a cause and affect matrimony instead of acts of incest he mentions the â€Å" mirth in funeral † and â€Å"dirge in marriage†. This literary device is important within his speech because it is his second antithesis, and a paradoxical clause. In this he is suggesting that he brought happiness to this sad event for the benefit of his people. â€Å"In equal scale, weighing delight and dole† Claudius is trying to banish the aura of unsteadiness and declares balance. He makes up for the sorrow of his dead brother, by marrying his sister. Even though it is an obvious unusual event, Claudius reflects enough confidence as king and successfully manages avoid any opposition. A good strategy used was his the frequent use of â€Å" we†. This indicated that the king was not only speaking for himself, but he was speaking for everyone like a good statesman would. In reality however, he was doing so to make everyone aware that it was of â€Å" better wisdoms† to agree with him, and that those with worst wisdoms would not face good consequences. Claudius gently expresses his supreme control over Denmark and threatens anyone who dares oppose him in a non-aggressive way. He later finalizes the topic of marriage by dismissing the awkward topic of the table like a typical political â€Å" For all, our thanks† As king, Claudius then addresses the issues with Norway. Assertively, he informs the kingdom of his plan of action. He repeats the line â€Å" dear brother’s death† giving it little sentimental value. He then quickly states that Norway believes that Denmark is â€Å" disjoint and out of frame. † He assures the courthouse that the case is not so, and that they will successfully deal with Fortibras. The irony behind that is that Denmark is weak, regardless of what Claudius wants his people to believe. In order to seem like a man of action Claudius puts his future plan forward â€Å" Thus much the business is we have here writ to Norway, uncle of young Fortibras. † By doing that he convinces many that he is a potent king. Writing to Norway makes him seem like he is aware of what he is doing and that the nation does not need to worry. To complement his assurance he appoints two messengers to deliver a letter, this is significantly important because his objective is to prove to the court that he trusts his officials, ironically thought, he is purposely sending two people incase of a betrayal. Claudius’s speech had a successful outcome. He was able to gently hide his inner insecurities and expose himself as a good statesman and valiant leader. His word usage was essential to the deliverance of his speech as it allowed him to get his awkward points across like unusual marriage to his sister. His use of antithesis did make the reader question the sincerity of his grief, but it did not seem to affect the opinion of the courthouse. He showed clear superiority over everyone within the courthouse, especially Hamlet, while making himself clear that he would not tolerate any disagreement of his coronation. Most importantly, he put an action plan forward and proved himself as king.

Manufacture and Marketing of a New Computer Essay

Manufacture and Marketing of a New Computer - Essay Example The time period for each activity is estimated based on available data. A network model is established to show the relationship among the activities which will be used in computing for the critical path. The critical path is computed by means of the Critical Path Method (CPM). CPM is important because it determines the critical and noncritical activities which will be helpful in project planning and management (Hillier 417). As shown in Diagram 1, product benchmarking comes first because, in order to come up with a good design, the company should first analyze the attributes of the existing computer products in the market. From the data that will be gathered, software and hardware design should be done next. The detailed drawing should be done after all the designs are made in order to set the appropriate dimensions and features of the computer that will be manufactured. Preparation of the prototype and marketing plan can be done at the same time because they deal with different aspects of the product and may not affect the performance of each other for the entire project duration. Lastly, technical manuals should only be done after testing the product to ensure that the manual will be correct and will be based on the product’s true function and attributes. The duration of the critical path determines the total duration of the entire project. Based on Table 1, the project will be completed in 270 working days. Therefore in order to complete the project on January 19, 2009, the project should be started on December 26, 2007. Working days exclude weekends and legal federal holidays. All the critical activities are shaded in Table 1. This means that these activities are the most important tasks in the project and therefore must be done on schedule. Noncritical activities are designing software, developing a marketing plan, training of sales representatives and advertising.  

The Buddhist religion.Planetary chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Buddhist religion.Planetary chain - Essay Example The Buddhist religion, which is perhaps the most widespread and influential in the Oriental world, began in India and spread from there into most of the other countries of East. According to the Esoteric doctrine that was taught to the pupils who are spiritual heirs of the planetary spirit, the personalities are akin to that of beads being strung on the unique personality or true eternal self, which passes through all the incarnation unchanged. In the case of the extinction of a personality, the bead is broken off the individuality and destroyed. An â€Å"Individual† is merely a name for a number of interconnected things, which are bound together. It is continually changing its form, but still there is an apparent identity in this changing aggregate. In the planetary chain, there are seven members. Man, who have achieved seventh state proceed to Nirvana, which is a magnificent condition of â€Å"conscious rest in omniscience†, man becomes spirits of the planet, the angels and guardians of the subsequently terrestrial period. A manifestation of earthly spirits occurs at the start of every race, when the broad ideas of right and wrong are impressed on the earliest members of that race, and the germ of the Esoteric wisdom is instilled into a few chosen souls, who become its custodians and transmitters to future races. This is the mystery of the Divine Incarnation

Torts Week 5 Ind Work Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Torts Week 5 Ind Work - Research Paper Example In addition to this, during the court session evidence provided does not show any signs of damage. The driver of the truck bore witness that spare tire has been wrapped around by the chains to stop even tighter to the cradle. Yes, now plaintiff can get help by using the common law. This law is particularly developed as a separate doctrine in order to assist the plaintiffs to verify their cases for any particular conditions. The strict liability doctrine apportions the presupposition of obligation certainly for different types of incidents to the suspect rather than of the plaintiff (Anonymous, n.d.). This law relieves the duty of proving a disputed charge that generally builds upon the plaintiff when hearing a case. The courts considered blasting and keeping wild animals, for instance, as an unsafe activity in an inherent manner. There developed a presupposition that if an accident due to blasting occurs or a wild animal ran away than whosoever created the explosion or the possessor of the animal was automatically legally responsible for any harm that could normally be associated to these cases. Therefore this law increased the social cost to individuals that are engaged in unsafe activities (Anonymous,

Aids in New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aids in New York City - Essay Example According to the paper, New York City make is among the largest cities in the United States with representation of different kinds of people. The population of New York City is made up of people who differ in different ways in terms of their race, sexual orientation, level of education and age. According to Reilly et al., people in their diversity are affected differently with this epidemic in New York City. The different effect the diseases have on different races is attributed to the different behavioral practices of these people. Since the disease was diagnosed, in New York City alone, over one hundred thousand people have died from the disease since the year 1981. As of February 2014, there were 110,736 new Yorkers who had been diagnosed with aids and presumed to be living with this infection. In the year 2013 3481, new diagnoses of these diseases were made of these: 76.6 percent of the people were men with 23.4 percent being women. 48.3 percent is made up of men who have sex w ith men, while the heterosexuals were made up of 21.4 percent. Hispanic and blacks made the larger population of people affected with aids with a percentage of 78.6 percent. Lastly, 35.1 percent of the new infections were comprised of people who are under the age of 29. 1.4 percent of new Yorkers live with aids, with the Spanish and black Americans being the most affect since they represent about 78 percent of this population. Young people rate of infection follows closely at 35.1 percent. This percentage is quite high now that these young people are more active and likely to spread the disease more than when it affected older people. Aids is a thorn that has to be dealt with accordingly in order to mitigate its effects on the disease burden and various sectors of the New York City. Its effects are far felt in all areas that work towards maintaining the great economy of the city.  

International Arbitration in International Investments A study of the Essay

International Arbitration in International Investments A study of the effectiveness of The International Investments Arbitratio - Essay Example The aim of this dissertation is to study the current arbitration laws in the Kingdom and examine the extent of the effectiveness of investment arbitration. The new 2012 arbitration laws can be said to be a welcome change in the arbitration scenario in Saudi Arabia, as it tries to rectify the drawbacks of the old law. The new law traces many of its provisions to the model law, and therefore has concepts that have an international outlook. One major change in the new law is where the role of the court has been changed from a supervisory body to that of an advisory body. This marked change means that the arbitral bodies have extra powers in the enforcement of arbitral awards. The new 2012 law therefore has provisions that can calm the fears of foreign investors and bring about the effectiveness of arbitral awards in Saudi Arabia. Abstract Since the ARAMCO case, doubts have arisen about the effectiveness of international investment arbitration in Saudi Arabia. This dissertation will stud y and analyse the extent of the effectiveness of investment arbitration in the Kingdom. In the first chapter, the nature and scope of international investment arbitration will be discussed. ... The study of this approach includes analysing the ARAMCO case and the impact it has had. Also, the chapter discusses the basic principles of arbitration included in the SAL and the extent of its contribution to the effectiveness of arbitration. Chapter Four includes an analysis of the role of Saudi courts in the effectiveness of investment arbitration at the start of the arbitration process until arbitration award is rendered. The final chapter focuses on the obstacles of the recognition and enforcement of the arbitration award and analyses the defences, whether formal or substantive, that may lead to the nullity of the arbitral award according to the SAL. The last part of the chapter addresses the analysis of the conditions required for implementation of the arbitration award. Introductionntroduction Arbitration can be termed as â€Å"a private method of dispute resolution chosen by the parties themselves as an effective way of putting an end to disputes between them, without recou rse to the court of law†.1 For international investments, investors consider international arbitration to be the only vital mechanism to resolve disputes arising within the limits of the host state.2 It is an attempt to achieve some kind of balance between two parties whose legal statuses differ by one party being of Private International Law and the other of Public International Law. 3 Furthermore, it is also a way to not apply the authority of regulations and the local judiciary4, which increases in particular cases where these regulations are either unclear or investors are unaware of them. This happens to be true in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)5, where Islamic Shari’a (Shari’a)6 law dominates and controls the

The UK Economy and International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 12

The UK Economy and International Trade - Essay Example This essay declares that monopolistic competition is clearly seen in industries such as banking, electronics, fashion and garments, food manufacturing, fast food retail, and almost all personal and professional service industries like hair styling and grooming. For these industries, there are many suppliers whose products are easily substituted for each other; and although differentiation is created in the mind of the buyer, the difference is not so insurmountable that another brand more conveniently accessible could not substitute for the other, first choice. In contrast, an oligopoly exists where only few competitors operate. Unlike in monopolistic competition, wherein the actions of competitors do not influence the others, in oligopoly, output decisions of individual firms have a decisive influence on the course of action the other firms decide to take. In an oligopoly, the following elements are present: A good example of an oligopoly is the market for diamonds, which is dominate d by De Beers, which corners 60% of the market, and other, relatively recently established, diamond firms in Canada, Russia and Australia. De Beers had once monopolized the diamond trade by buying out all its competitors and controlling the price. As more diamond deposits were discovered, De Beers was compelled to try a new tact, veering away from the diamond cartel, and instead embarking on brand strategy. Other oligopolies exist in the industries that produce automobile, cigarettes, cruise ships, and aluminum.  

Compare and contrast the nursing theorist models of Parse and Watson Essay

Compare and contrast the nursing theorist models of Parse and Watson - Essay Example Patients now want to be consulted first, they have more access to various medical information, and want to be respected, recognized, and referred to when it pertains to their well-being. All new developments have also made nursing a highly-specialized profession, and nurses must continually update their knowledge they gained in the academe and from work experiences with continuing education. A few examples of nursing specializations are in pediatrics, geriatrics, acute care, natal care, cardiology, surgery, palliative care, toxicology, and mass casualties, to name just a few. In this regard, the nursing profession must not lose sight of its primary or core mission, despite the modernity in health care delivery. Its main aim is to render human care in whatever setting, be it in administrative, clinical, institutional, assisted-living facilities, senior retirement homes, or in a medical research facility. It is quite easy to get lost in all the complexity and forget human values necess ary in a patient-nurse relationship. In an attempt to preserve the noble heritage of nursing, several prominent nurses and educators have developed their own theories with regards to nurses' responsibilities despite all the heavy workload, from a shortage of nurses to increased number of patients nowadays. This paper examines the theories of Jean Watson and Rosemarie Parse. Discussion Although there are many nursing theories propounded by eminent practitioners, there are a few of these theories which had gained widespread acceptance and greater credibility due to their salient points when it comes to giving patient care. Over the years, nursing schools and hospital administrators have promoted these viable nursing theories as models for the nursing profession intended to be followed and applied in all health care settings. The idea is that nursing has core values which are applicable anywhere, and these must be applied consistently so that a patient recovers faster, while the nurse retains his or her humanity as an archetypal ideal nurse. Jean Watson – she developed her own theory of nursing based from her extensive work experiences in both academic and clinical settings. She has an undergraduate degree in nursing, a master's degree in psychiatric (mental health) nursing, and also a doctorate degree in educational psychology, together with three other honorary doctorate degrees granted by three countries, of Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. A basic principle of her nursing theory is the return to the basics, in effect, what Florence Nightingale of England had tried to achieve when she first founded today's modern nursing practice during wartime conditions to care for the wounded. The key elements of Watson's theory are composed of three paradigms in nursing care, which are the carative (from the Greek word of care) factors composed of ten basic elements, the trans-personal relationship, and the caring moment. All the three paradigms are intended to make a nurse aware that a patient is a person with feelings and emotions which can adversely affect his health if not handled properly. Moreover, a nurse must give due care to a fellow human being in a holistic approach, as contrasted to the medicines used to cure a patient (Watson, 2008). Rosemarie Parse –

Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt Essay Example for Free

Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt Essay Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a socio-religious practice that is very prevalent in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It entails the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for cultural or any other non-therapeutic purpose. As of 1999, at least 130 million girls and women were believed to have undergone FGM. In the same year, it was estimated that about 2 million girls are at risk of being subjected to some form of the procedure every year (WHO 3). FGM is criticized mainly for its detrimental effects on a woman’s physical and psychological health. Girls and women who had been subjected to FGM may die of hemorrhage, shock, urinary tract infections or tetanus (WHO 21). They may likewise experience psychological disorders such as severe depression, anxiety and psychosomatic illnesses (Markle, Fisher and Smego 79). Advocates of FGM, however, claim that Islam requires the practice in order to preserve a woman’s chastity (WHO 6). The actual origins of FGM are very obscure – ethnologists and historians have come up with different theories regarding the existence of the practice. While FGM is commonly associated with Islam, historical evidence shows that the former has predated the latter by at least 1,200 years. The procedure was believed to have been first discussed by the Greek historian Herodotus (484 – 425 BC) (Bullough and Bullough 205). According to his writings, the Ethiopians, the Hittites and the Phoenicians during the 5th century BC were already practicing FGM (UNFPA n. pag. ). The early Romans, the Egyptians and the Arabs likewise performed FGM – there are historical accounts of Egyptian mummies exhibited signs of having undergone the procedure (UNFPA n. pag. ). For the ancient Egyptians, FGM was regarded as a sign of distinction among the aristocracy (Momoh 5). In Western Europe and the United States, FGM was known as clitoridectomy. Until the 1950s, doctors in these regions used clitoridectomy to treat â€Å"ailments† in women such as hysteria, mental disorders, nymphomania, masturbation and lesbianism (UNFPA n. pag. ). FGM is usually done on girls between 8 to 10 years old. Reproductive health experts, however, point out that the procedure is already being carried out on younger girls – there have been cases wherein infant girls were subjected to FGM just a few days after their birth (WHO 147). FGM is classified into four general types: a. Type I – Excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or the entire clitoris. b. Type II – Excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora. c. Type III – Excision of part or the entire external genitalia and the stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation) (Momoh 6). d. Type IV – Pricking, piercing or incising of the clitoris and or the labia; scraping of tissue surrounding the vaginal orifice; cutting of the vagina and or the introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina to induce bleeding or to tighten the opening (UNFPA n. pag. ). FGM is usually performed by traditional midwifes or village barbers. They use unsterilized instruments such as razor blades, knives, broken glass, scissors or sharpened stones. Furthermore, they conduct procedures without anesthetic in unhygienic settings (WHO, 148). A new phenomenon, however, has emerged in the recent years – the â€Å"medicalization† of FGM. Despite laws banning the practice of FGM, hospitals in Egypt, Kenya and Sudan now clandestinely perform the procedure. Under the pretext of an illness, female teenagers in these countries are circumcised in the hospital either early in the morning or late at night. The procedure is done during these hours in order to evade detection and arrest. The punishment for performing FGM is relatively stiff – a $625 fine or incarceration for up to a year. But doctors willingly look the other way for the money – medical practitioners in Kenya, for instance, are paid between $37 and $125 for every procedure they perform. Traditional practitioners, in sharp contrast, could charge only as much as $25 (Nzwili n. pag. ). Egypt’s current problem with FGM can be traced back to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994. The ICPD was held in Cairo – supposedly a turning point in the understanding of health, development and women’s rights in the Islamic world. Critics, however, pointed out that the Cairo Program of Action merely â€Å"forwarded a holistic vision of the connections between sexual ad reproductive health and women’s economic autonomy, social and political equality, access to education and freedom from violence† (Chavkin and Chesler 35). The issues regarding the right of women to control their sexuality and the relevance of this right to achieving health and social justice were inadequately discussed (Chavkin and Chesler 35). Despite this shortcoming, the ICPD managed to transform the issue of FGM from a relatively low-profile subject into matter of national debate. Conservative religious leaders who participated in the conference and their allies in the Egyptian press expressed their approval of FGM by claiming that it is an important part of national and religious identity. Progressive women’s groups, on the other hand, argued that the practice perpetuated the inferior status of women in Egyptian society. In the process, this dispute on FGM showed that the topic of women’s rights is simply a means for Egyptian politicians to attain popularity among the electorate (Chavkin and Chesler 35). Eager to make a good impression on all the foreign delegates of the ICPD, particularly on those from the West, the Egyptian minister of health stated that FGM was already a dying practice in Egypt. But on the very next day, CNN reported about the circumcision of a young girl that took place somewhere in Cairo (Chavkin and Chesler 35). The minister, in an act of political face-saving, declared that the Egyptian government was determined to confront and put an end to the practice. In order to appease Egypt’s conservative sector, meanwhile, he signed an ambivalent decree which allowed only public medical facilities to perform FGM. The law even included provisions which set standard fees and special days when families could book appointments (Chavkin and Chesler 36). The aforementioned aftermath of the ICPD showed the greatest obstacle towards fully implementing anti-FGM policies and programs not just in Egypt but in all other countries that practice FGM – the reconciliation of universal imperatives of human rights with the values of local cultures. The same dilemma also hounded other FGM-related fatalities, particularly the death of four-year-old Egyptian girl Amira Hassan. She died in 1996 due to anesthesia-related complications while undergoing FGM. Instead of pressing charges against the doctor, Ezzat Shehat, Hassan’s parents simply dismissed her demise as â€Å"a will of God† (HURINet n. pag. ). They believed that subjecting their daughter to FGM was their duty as good Muslims (HURINet n. pag. ). Most Egyptians continue to believe in the said relationship between FGM and Islam. A 2005 UNICEF report on the practice revealed that about 97% of women between 15 and 49 years old were subjected to circumcision (Reuters-AlertNet n. pag. ). Despite a 2008 law which renders FGM punishable by three months to two years in prison and a fine of LE 1,000 to LE 5,000, the practice continues to be secretly carried out in Egypt. According to the country’s conservative and religious groups, FGM is necessary to maintain a woman’s chastity (Samaan n. pag. ). Indeed, cultural and religious beliefs are also major factors behind the issue of FGM in Egypt. The practice has already existed long before the advent of Islam. And for a good reason – patriarchy was already in existence even before the emergence of religion. For a patriarchal society to survive, female sexuality must be limited and controlled (Turshen 146). FGM is regarded as one of the most effective means of controlling a woman’s sexuality. The clitoris, the labia minora and the labia majora – the organs removed in FGM – enable a woman to enjoy sexual intercourse. In a patriarchal society, women are not supposed to experience the pleasures of sex. They are supposed to be sexless beings, faithfully serving their respective families and engaging in sex only for the purpose of procreation. Women who do otherwise are considered promiscuous (Turshen 146). It is therefore believed that circumcised women are less likely to be unchaste and commit adultery. In addition, FGM is viewed as a means of emphasizing femininity. When a woman is circumcised, the parts of her body that are metaphorically seen as male, such as the pubic hair and the clitoris, are removed. During ancient times, it was believed that the clitoris â€Å"would grow and protrude like the (penis)† (Turshen 150). Men, on the other hand, undergo circumcision in order to enhance their sexuality. Male circumcision entails the cutting of the foreskin of the penis. A circumcised penis is believed to be more responsive to sexual arousal than an uncircumcised one; thus the ancient belief that circumcision is necessary for virility. Furthermore, a circumcised penis is easier to keep clean. Circumcision eliminates the formation of smegma, a combination of oil, moisture and dead skin cells which serves as a lubricant during sexual intercourse (Turshen 146). Islam does not directly state that all Muslims must be circumcised regardless of gender. However, much of the existing Islamic literature today emphasizes a special link between Islam and FGM (Turshen 151). The most well-known hadith (oral traditions that record the Prophet Muhammad’s speech and actions) about FGM tells of a debate between Muhammad and Um Atiyyah, a woman who used to circumcise female slaves. Muhammad was said to have asked Um Atiyyah if she continued to practice her profession (Denniston, Hodges and Milos 148). She said she did, adding that she would not stop doing so â€Å"unless it is forbidden and you order me to stop doing it† (Denniston, Hodges and Milos 148). He then replied, â€Å"Yes, it is allowed. Come closer so I can teach you: if you cut, do not overdo it (la tanhiki), because it brings more radiance to the face (ashraq) and it is more pleasant (ahza) for the husband† (Denniston, Hodges and Milos 148). Since the first centuries of Islam, however, Muslim scholars have been scrutinizing the authenticity of the hadiths. They believe that majority of the hadiths were â€Å"contradictory and (contained) affirmations that gave a bad impression of the Islamic religion† (Denniston, Hodges and Milos 148). In lieu of the hadiths, Muslim scholars came up with their own explanations behind the association of FGM with Islam. The first theory was that FGM was a means of saving women from the degradation that they experienced in the pre-Islamic era. For the Muslims, the pre-Islamic era was the â€Å"Age of Ignorance† – a period of corruption, bloodshed, moral turpitude and social chaos (Akhtar 23). Women in the pre-Islamic era had few rights. The practice of burying infant females in the sand was very rampant. Those who managed to live to adulthood, meanwhile, had no other means of survival except through prostitution (Akhtar 23). It has been mentioned earlier that the organs removed in FGM – the clitoris, the labia minora and the labia majora – enable a woman to enjoy sexual intercourse. By removing these organs, therefore, it was expected that women would no longer take pleasure in sexual intercourse and abandon prostitution in the process. The second theory is that some Islamic societies might have acquired the practice of FGM from other cultures or religions. During Muhammad’s time, the Jews were considered as the elite of Arab society. Consequently, it became inevitable that Islam was influenced by Jewish doctrines and practices such as circumcision (Denniston, Hodges and Milos 148). But this begs the question of how come even Muslim females are circumcised – the Jews circumcise only males. The answer is that Islam might have tailored certain Jewish doctrines and practices to suit its own objectives. One of the objectives of Islam was to uplift the status of women (Akhtar 23). In order to achieve this goal, Islam put its own flavor to the Jewish practice of circumcision. As a result, even Muslim women were required to undergo circumcision. Despite varying explanations regarding the origins and purposes of FGM, one thing is certain – it is not without detrimental physical and psychological effects. The most immediate negative effects of FGM are severe pain and hemorrhage, which, in turn, can result in hypovolaemic shock and death. Other direct effects include abscesses, wound contamination and local infections – obvious results of performing the procedure in unhygienic surroundings using unsterilized tools (WHO 149). FGM also has substantial long-term risks. The practice usually obstructs the drainage of urine, vaginal secretions and menstrual blood. This occurrence, in turn, results in chronic pelvic infections, menstrual dysfunction and menstrual pain. Urinary retention, meanwhile, leads to chronic urinary tract infection and renal damage. When menstrual blood is unable to flow out of the body, abdominal pain and swelling ensue (WHO 149). The abdominal distention that circumcised women experience due to the lack of menstrual flow has been misinterpreted as a pregnancy. As a result, some circumcised but unmarried women have been subjected to honor killings – killed by their male relatives in order to preserve the honor of their clan. FGM also exposes a woman to the risk of contracting HIV. Unsterilized instruments may transmit HIV-infected blood into an HIV-negative patient (WHO 149). Women who underwent FGM may also experience difficulties in sexual intercourse after the procedure. Penetration may either be painful or impossible due to a narrow introitus. Prolonged postcoital bleeding and anorgasmia may likewise take place. In some cases, surgery was necessary to open up the vagina for penetration (WHO 150). FGM may render a woman infertile. Chronic pelvic infections often lead to the obstruction of the fallopian tubes. The latter is one of the most common causes of ectopic pregnancy, which can lead to the death of both the mother and the baby. Narrowing of the introitus, meanwhile, may force a couple to use the anus or the urethra for sexual intercourse. Fluctuating hormones during pregnancy put circumcised women at more risk for genital and urinary tract infections than their uncircumcised counterparts (WHO 150). The most common psychological disorders among circumcised women are depression and anxiety – they have to conform to parental and societal expectations while dealing with pain, complicated recovery and other long-term health effects. Painful sexual intercourse may result in them having immensely traumatic memories of their wedding night. Circumcised women also have to live each day in fear – they constantly view each cyst that grows in them as a possible symptom of cancer or other serious ailment (WHO 152). When the physical pain becomes too much for them to endure, they might resort to suicide. Female genital mutilation is one of the worst forms of violence that can be inflicted on a woman. In an effort to tie her to the home, she is horribly mutilated and made to live in constant pain for the rest of her life. A circumcised woman is also made to live in fear. She is constantly warned by society that to avoid circumcision is to face ostracism and even condemnation. Much still has to be done before FGM will finally be abolished. But the first step remains to be education. Societies must be made aware of the importance of educating girls. Numerous studies have already proven that girls who have attained basic education are healthier and are less likely to die in childbirth than those who did not. When the members of a particular society – both male and female – are healthy, this society becomes productive. Works Cited Akhtar, Shabbir. The Quran and the Secular Mind: A Philosophy of Islam. New York: Routledge, 2007. Bullough, Vern L. , and Bonnie Bullough. Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia. New York: Taylor and Francis, 1994. Chavkin, Wendy, and Ellen Chesler. Where Human Rights Begin: Health, Sexuality and Women in the New Millennium. Chapel Hill: Rutgers University Press, 2005. Denniston, George C. , Frederick Mansfield Hodges and Marilyn Fayre Milos. Male and Female Circumcision: Medical, Legal and Ethical Considerations in Pediatric Practice. New York: Springer, 1999. â€Å"Egyptians Stand by Female Circumcision. † 10 December 1996. The Human Rights Information Network (HURINet). 27 February 2009 http://www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/32/018. html. â€Å"Egypt Mufti Says Female Circumcision Forbidden. † 24 June 2007. Reuters-AlertNet. 27 February 2009 http://www. alertnet. org/thenews/newsdesk/L24694871. htm. Markle, William H. , Melanie A. Fisher and Raymond A. Smego. Understanding Global Health. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2007. Momoh, Comfort. Female Genital Mutilation. Abingdon: Radcliffe Publishing, 2005. Nzwili, Fredrick. â€Å"In Africa, FGM Checks into Hospitals. † 5 December 2004. Women’s ENews. 27 February 2009 http://www. womensenews. org/article. cfm/dyn/aid/2097/. â€Å"Promoting Gender Equality: Frequently Asked Questions on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. † n. d. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 27 February 2009 http://www. unfpa. org/gender/practices2. htm. Samaan, Magdy. â€Å"Shoura Council Passes Child Law, Criminalizes FGM. † 12 May 2008. Daily News Egypt. 27 February 2009 http://www. dailystaregypt. com/article. aspx? ArticleID=13659. Turshen, Meredeth. African Women’s Health. Trenton: Africa Word Press, 2000. World Health Organization (WHO). 1999. Female Genital Mutilation Programmes to Date: What Works and What Doesn’t. Geneva, Switzerland: Department of Women’s Health – Health Systems and Community Health. World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Health Aspects of Womens Reproductive Health: A Global Review of the Literature. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2008.

Distracted by Today’s Technology Essay Example for Free

Distracted by Today’s Technology Essay We are part of a country that is focused on making life easier and faster. Technology is something that is constantly on the rise, we are always looking for that new gadget better than the last that is meant to facilitate the everyday life. As a result, many people are starting to lose the ability to show emotions or even carry on a face-to-face conversation, therefore making it difficult for those individuals to develop appropriate social skills. Unfortunately, we fail to see the damage that is being caused by the amount of time being spent on texting, playing with video games, or spending countless hours on social networks as an alternative to making new acquaintances or spending quality time with their loved ones. Let’s start with text messages, known as one of the most popular method of communication these days. It is an unavoidable fact that the text message has become a necessary part of our lives. Like with new couples, who are unable to attain an appropriate sense of what their new partner is actually like. These couples often prefer the convenience of texting as a way of getting to know each other, as opposed to talking on the phone or going on dates. What they fail to realize is that, by trying to maintain a relationship mostly through texting and with barely any physical interaction they are truly inhibiting their ability to assess reactions, expressions or feelings shown by the other person. Sadly, these couples usually choose to end their relationship before knowing if it truly had a chance to flourish into a something meaningful. Although talking on a cellular phone while behind the wheel of a car has been proven to be dangerous, it has now taken a back seat to those drivers who surf the internet and text while on the road. According to a study done by The American Automobile Association, forty-six percent of teens who were interviewed admitted to being distracted behind the wheel because of texting. Many parents will instruct their children not to text while behind the wheel, when in all reality they are not following what they preach by continuing to put us all at risk. Overall, it is a real source of concern that these individuals are consciously adding to the increasing number of accidents on our roads today. Then we have video games, which have been around for decades. In recent years, the popularity of video games has sky rocketed amongst our youth. Our children are learning how to hijack a car from a pregnant mother with her two kids, shoot a gangster with an automatic weapon, and even drag race down the streets of a quiet neighborhood, all from the comfort of their couch. The days of going outside to play with friends and bike riding have been replaced by sitting in front of a television set and playing with your Nintendo, Xbox, or PlayStation, just to name a few. Homework and chores are often overlooked, but worse are the many parents that are using these gaming devices as babysitters as an alternative to spending quality time with their kids. Many parents remain satisfied by simply knowing that their children are safely in the house, dismissing the possibility their children are becoming couch potatoes with no social skills. Sadly, many of these children are not receiving any other exercise than what is given during their P.E. class in school. These are the children that will likely end up as obese, anti-social members of our society. Lastly, we are now surrounded by social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter that are dedicated to connecting friends and family that live all around the world with the intentions of increasing communication between them. Friends can post pictures, write about what they are doing at the moment, and surf other friends profiles. While we cannot deny the benefits that these sites may provide, we should also not fail to realize the many dangers that can be linked to these social networks. Computer viruses are one of the most common disadvantages seen with social networks, one wrong click and you could send all you personal information to some crook across the country. But more damaging are the ill effects that our children are likely to encounter. Cyber bullying is much more intense and malicious than what some of us may have experienced in our high school hallways. Teasing, harassing, and name calling are now posted on the internet for everyone to see. In 2006, a teenage girl committed suicide for the constant bullying she received from her classmates and even one of their parents, her mother never suspected any of it. More importantly, many children and teenagers are now sharing too much information with strangers that they meet online, believing they are someone of their same age and with their same interests. Unknowingly, they are making themselves easy targets for predators of all kinds. This could possibly be avoided if parents were to limit the time spent online and diligently monitor their internet usage. I understand that some people may disagree with my views on the damaging effects that could be associated with allowing too much technology into all aspects of our lives. At the end of the day, what are the benefits we are receiving from allowing technology to play such a large role in our lives? Are we coming together at the end of the day? The days of â€Å"family dinner time† are slowly becoming memories of the past. Fewer are the families that sit around a table to share a meal, socialize, and relate stories about their day. We are missing out on opportunities to bond with our children and watch them grow. As well as new couples that would benefit from more phone conversations and dates, perhaps giving themselves a better chance at a more meaningful and stable relationship, possibly reducing the current divorce rates. It is a fact that we live in a world that technology has become a must in our lives. We are now dependent on cellular phones, and computers, while our children are consumed by their games. I also agree that all of the advancements made by technology are simply indented to somehow improve the way we function on a daily basis. But there should be a limit to how much technology we allow in our lives. Maybe we should make an effort to dedicate time to our families by turning off the cellular phone and put aside the computer a few nights a week. The benefits we will receive for maintaining a loving and nurturing relationship with our loved ones will continue to be evident for years to come.

Use Of Torture As A Counter Terrorism Tool Criminology Essay

Use Of Torture As A Counter Terrorism Tool Criminology Essay Torture refers to subjecting intense pain and suffering to a person leading to mental and physical pain so as to obtain certain information that the person is concealing. Therefore, Levinson (p.32) concurs with most scholars that torture is the intentional infliction of pain and suffering to persons usually for a certain purpose. Torture is mainly used as a tool by the United States and other countries to cause a breakdown in the personality of suspects so that they are subdued to give certain information. The most common methods employed during torture include, severe beating, sexual assault, suffocation and electric shock among other methods. Krauthammer in his article states that it was the Bush administration that led to the birth of torture in the United States landscape. According to Krauthammer, no one, not even the executive s allowed to use torture as a tool to obtain information. He further insinuates that the information is nor normally worth the torture. Security agencies should go back to the drawing board and adapt to forensic science techniques. There is need for the police and other security agencies to be empowered through training them on how to obtain information. The UN Convention and Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibit torture (Kinsley, p.1). There have been questions as to whether torture should be banned as a means of compelling persons to give certain information. Torture has had severe consequences that are far reaching from the pain that the victims feel. While we accept that terrorism is a major headache worldwide, it is imperative to consider that nobody is guilty until proven innocent. Moreover, the Human Rights law is strongly against torture as a tool used to coerce suspects to volunteer certain information. Human Rights watchdogs are always against any pain and suffering inflicted intentionally. The United States has always found itself on the receiving end with such draconian laws that have put its image on the spot light. Many people who hear about the torture stories of the survivors or victims often hold a grudge against the government. This is due to the intentional pain and suffering that the suspect is made to undergo. There is an assumption that torture save millions of lives. The major question that makes torture to be at stake is the 50-50 chance. Normally, those who torture suspects assume that they have vital information. What if they do not? The suspects would have already suffered innocently. Krauthammer has put forth certain rules that need to be followed by the United States government. Proponents of torture fear that if the United State government follows these rules to the letter, then it might find itself not torturing anybody at all. We should acknowledge the fact that we are already living with the terrorism problem and are doing nothing on a personal level to reduce terrorism. Do we need the tool of torture to reduce terrorism? The answer here is a loud, NO. Indeed, we do not need any form of torture to reduce terrorism. We can be community police who will be watching our environment on a daily basis to avert terrorism. However, torture should be used as a counter-terrorism tool whenever there is inside information leaked from terror cells regarding an impending terror attack. In this case, torture would enable the suspects who have been nabbed to volunteer certain vital information that may save more lives. In this case, torture is positive as it leads to saving more lives. Therefore, in this case, torture is warranted as a tool to ensure that information is given out by the suspects. Such classified information is usually timely to enable the security agencies to act fast towards averting potential terrorist attacks. The problem comes in when the person being tortured is an innocent person. Most of the times the security forces that inflict torture usually have a fifty-fifty chance that the person being tortured is the actual suspect. In my opinion, torture should not be used as a counter-terrorism tool since it does not acts for the best interest of the general public that live under the constant mercy of terrorists. However, I strongly suggest that the use of torture should be regulated by the international laws. The regulation of torture is key towards ensuring that as much as it is used as a tool, it remains under control so that the suspects are not killed as a result of the infliction of pain and intense suffering. It should be further noted that during the torture process, vital information is normally obtained that is core to fighting terrorism, though with a 50-50 chance of obtaining such information (Kinsley, p.33). Therefore, torture aids in obtaining such information. Critics insinuate that torture has been successfully used as a counter-terrorism tool since it has enabled the police and security agencies to make the suspects to give very important information. As such, torture is worth the task of obtaining such vital information. In addition, the United Nations Convention against Torture prohibits the use of torture as a tool in the fight against terrorism. Torture has been condemned in many states due to the adverse effects that it usually has on its victims. The United States does not support torture at least in theory. There have been various reports and even documentary pointing to the Guantanamo bay prison where it is alleged that prisoners are tortured and even killed. The latest reports indicate that terrorism suspects are usually kept in this prison facility where they are tortured to the end. Research indicates that the information obtained during the process of torture is normally worth the entire process. Most of this information is used by the law enforcement agencies as well as security agencies to form solid evidence and develop on a case. It may also be useful in averting further deaths and property damage in case of a planned or botched terrorism attack. Andrew Sullivan is a strong advocate against torture and describes torture as the exact opposite of freedom. He further states that it is the denial of freedom from humanity and the taking away of selfhood. Andrew Sullivan is therefore against the use of torture as a counter-terrorism tool. Torture has indeed been the tool that most of the security investigation teams use on victims despite the negative image that the punishment comes with. Torture creates a negative picture or image of the police and investigating teams. Hence, this raises the question as to whether the information is worth obtaining in the manner that it is obtained via the use of torture. At times, torture is subjected to the wrong victims or suspects. It is for this reason that I advocate for the government to regulate the use of torture. In my ardent opinion, torture should only be used after investigations are complete and that they point towards a particular person. Otherwise, it would be unfair to subject an innocent person to torture when in fact they know nothing about terrorism. Investigating teams have to be succinct in their work to avoid the occurrence of this kind of errors; otherwise, it would amount to massive infringement of human rights. On the other hand, Krauthammer supports torture as a tool that assists the investigating teams to obtain useful information that indeed help them to unravel certain cases of terrorism. It is obvious that terrorism is not morally right. However, where saving many lives is concerned, torture would indeed be the ultimate solution. Terrorism has been a global problem and continues to be a problem in the wake of several terrorist cells. Recommendations The government should consider using other forms of punishments or methods that would coerce suspects to give certain useful information. However, this again poses a problem as to whether the terrorist suspects will volunteer information. Most of the terrorists usually take an oath that can only be broken through the use of torture. Personality breakdown has been proven to work just right for them. According to Krauthammer (p.2), the United Nations Convention should consider monitoring the submission and administration of torture as a tool that is effective for obtaining information from terrorist suspects. This should be carried out according to the laid out plans. Conclusion The pain and suffering caused by torture are often extreme and traumatizing. In fact, there is possibility that the suspect being tortured does not have the vital information required to fight terrorism and save millions of lives. Torture obviously goes against human rights and infringes on individual rights. It has often been suggested that the torture victims usually have rights just like the other people. Human Rights Watch has been stern in discouraging this form of punishment. I therefore do not support torture.

William Goldman :: essays papers

William Goldman Time comes and goes. We see it as it is and as it has been. To the eyes of William Goldman, time is the spirit and soul. His literature has been all time suspense. I had the privilege of becoming one of his followers in literature. The Marathon Man and Brothers, are two of his best works. At the end of this literature exploration I learned a little more about life. The Marathon Man had a strong meaning; suspense, drama, and action were three of the elements that made this book a best seller. Not falling far behind another of his works, â€Å"Brothers†, is an inspirational story that will break your heart. It’s an interesting page-turner that will teach you a little about life. I will also disclose some of the literary form of each of the books. Brothers, and Marathon Man, each consisted mostly of irony and unexpected situations. Suspense was the key on every page. Something different was always happening; knowing what was going to come next was unexpected. When reading you would anticipate what was going to happen but would find htat the opposite was the outcome. The author, William Goldman, had a way of (something) your brain and convincing you that on the next page you would read what you thought had been foreshadowed.. To your surprise another problem would occur. The next page wasn’t the solution but part of it. The meaning of his books was more than a simple one, it was a small part of William Goldman’s life. Goldman’s life was very interesting. He was 29 when his first son died at the age of three. Goldman was not a man of power and he never held a place in high society. His father was the owner of a small farm in a small town in Ohio. He was a farmer boy without any education when he started to read his first book, A Small World. There is not much information about William Goldman, but the little information there is, is very specific. Goldman’s son, James Goldman, wrote a little about his father and his life in the book, A Small Memorial. Other novels by William Goldman are, The Temple of Gold, Your Turn to Curtsy, My Turn to Bow, Soldier in the Rain, Boys and Girls Together, No Way to Treat a Lady, The Thing of it is†¦, Father’s Day, and The Princess Bride.

Michelangelo Essay -- essays research papers

Michelangelo Buonarroti is arguably one of the most inspired creators in the history of art and the most potent force in the Italian High Renaissance. As a sculptor, architect, painter, and poet, he exerted a tremendous influence on his contemporaries and on subsequent Western art in general. Michelangelo was born March 6, 1475, in the small village of Caprese near Arezzo. He lived during the Italian High Renaissance. Although he was born in Caprese, he lived in Florentine. There he created some of the most spectacular works of art ever. One in particular was the statue David. Michelangelo had a serious reason for creating this statue. He made this statue to show the people who David, the Old Testament hero who defeated Goliath, actually was. David is shown by Michelangelo as a lithe nude youth, muscular and alert, looking off into the distance as if sizing up the enemy Goliath. The fiery intensity of David’s facial expression is termed terribilità  , a feature characteristic of many of Michelangelo’s figures and of his own personality. David, Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture, became the symbol of Florence and originally was place in the Piazza della Signoria in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall. With this statue, Michelangelo proved to his contemporaries that he not only surpassed all modern artists, but also the Greeks and Romans, by infusing formal beauty with powerful expressiveness and meaning. Michelangelo’s David does not make me feel a...

Free Will in John Miltons Samson Agonistes Essay -- Samson Agonistes

Free Will in John Milton's Samson Agonistes John Milton’s Samson Agonistes is based on the story of Samson, an Israelite hero in the Old Testament who falls from grace. In this work Milton shapes his version around the issue of accountability, whether Samson or God is responsible for his actions. Milton displays Samson’s accountability by contrasting his God-given strength with his self-effected weakness. When Samson was born, God gave him extraordinary physical strength. The very fact that God puts prohibitions on Samson implies that there is an element of free choice. His parents told him that in order to preserve his strength he should not cut his long Nazirite hair or drink alcohol. Therefore Samson has control over his strength and can be held accountable for his deeds. Initially, Samson did not appreciate the gift given to him. Before losing the privilege of his power he was unaware of its significance. He says that God put the strength in his hair in order to show him how minor the gift is. "Proudly secure,† (55) he worried about things that now "least afflict [him].† He regarded his strength as a matter of course because he had never experienced weakness and did not recognize that he was â€Å"liable to fall.† The first time he assumes responsibility for a major decision is when he chooses his wife. He is free to choose the wife he pleases. Nevertheless, he is unaware of the responsibility with which he is confronted. He does not take into account the fatal consequences that could result from his decision. His marriage to Dalila, a Philistine woman, harms not only himself but also the other Israelites. Samson’s decision leads him to blindness and captivity and his people to suffer under the rule of the Philisti... ...nistes†. When this work was published in 1671, the author did not regard himself as a Calvinist, as he had during most of his life. Instead, he held an Arminian belief, which criticized the Calvinistic view of predestination; Arminianism allowed human decision a role in achieving personal salvation. The belief in predestination makes life seem hopeless for every effort would be in vain. Moreover, predestination could serve as an excuse for immoral behavior because we could refuse to bear responsibility for our shortcomings. It is a valuable gift that we are all capable of taking responsibility for ourselves and for the people close to us. We can only hope that everyone will be brave enough to make good use of this gift. Works Cited Milton, John. Samson Agonistes. In John Milton: Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. New York: Macmillan, 1957.

Australian Literature Essay

Good morning writers, students, and guests, welcome to the Youth Forum. Today I will be discussing the Australian identity in contemporary literature. The main question being asked today is â€Å"Does contemporary literature encourage young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes?.† I will be discussing my point of view, which will be backed up with reasons based on evidence I have found in four different Australian contemporary literature texts. We’re in the 21st century, and right now there is such a huge variety of contemporary literature that encourages young adults to look beyond Australian stereotypes. In this speech I will discuss why I agree with contemporary literature encouraging young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes. The reason I have chosen to agree with the statement is because of the proof of evidence I have found in the following texts: Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden, Looking for Alibandi by Melina Marchetta, The Drover’s Wife by Henry Lawson, and An Australian Short Story by Ryan O’Neill. Body The classic Australian stereotype is very narrow; a particular slang, wears cowboy hats, lives on big farms in the outback, etc. After reviewing the screenplay to looking for Alibandi, it shows a great example of the mixed cultures Australia has, and how we can adapt other cultures into our own traditions. It shows this by the Italian background in Josie’s family. The setting also brings in the city, and landmarks, backing up the claim that the whole of Australia is not an outback. The way she dresses isn’t in boots and cowboy hats but in a multi-cultural way that shows the generation she lives in, and represents her background. Tomorrow when the war began shows the underlay of the Australian stereotype. On the outside it has the average stereotype, but the personalities and emotions the characters bring, proves how much it goes beyond. The personality of an â€Å"average Australian† towards other countries is very â€Å"country aussie† but it’s more than that. The characters in this book show integrity, determination, and wellbeing. The book describes these main three characteristics, as well as many others, which gives readers the chance to understand a more realistic interpretation. Tomorrow when the war began also describes the political view of war and represents the power of a non-democratic country. Henry Lawson’s The Drovers Wife purposely took the ordinary Australians as the subject theme. He used a bush setting, and had a more realistic Australian style. But it isn’t the story itself that is indulging; the melodramatic dialogue that pushes past the Australian stereotype. It’s not the story its self, it’s the hidden meaning in the text. The Drover’s Wife both challenges and reinforces the Australian stereotype. This short story is simple. There isn’t any grand scenes or intense rhetorical indifferences. The message that this story brings is the endless bravery, hardships and perseverance that these women have. This story brings a whole new vision of Australian woman, going beyond the Australian stereotype, and brings a whole new meaning to elegance and courage. An Australian Short Story, written by Ryan O’Neill, is such an in-depth piece of literature. The story’s artistic format brings a new meaning to Australian literature, and the typical stereotype. Ryan O’Neill took a chance on this story, because he isn’t an Australian. But after living in Australia for many years, he took the time to really notice things. And with that, he chose to write what he saw and felt. And that was beyond the Australian stereotype. He chose to write in a way they almost spoke out; that everyone is human, and no matter where we come from, the details we see up close, bring a whole new perspective then the ones we see far away. Conclusion I would like to end as I begun, with the statement that Australian contemporary literature does encourage young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes. I’ve proven this by the evidence I have found in four different texts. I think there is great promise in Australian literature because it’s always evolving, new generations of writers, with new idea that will continue to shape and change the perspective of Australians. Australian literature is written artistically, not commercially and uses inescapable words and languages to embrace the implausible delight. This is provided by virtually all literature is given a boarder understanding of people so it automatically is giving the chance for readers to look beyond stereotypes. Every character in stories are individuals, and its only the author who choses weather or not they are going to push the boundaries of the average stereotype. The only way for them not to go beyond is weather they are making a statement about the stereotype or just in face that they are poor authors.  So read up, and fill your minds with inexplicable wonder of Australian minds, and learn to understand the meaning of the way they live and the passions they desire.

Effects of John Brown’s Raid On Northern-southern Relations

John Brown’s raid of the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia involved only a few abolitionists, freed no slaves, and ended after only two short days. Brown’s initial idea was that after raiding the federal armory slaves would rise up and rebel against their owners, not only in the north but eventually in the south. This was a radical idea, and although his raid was primarily condemned in the north, Brown became a hero. Southerners became offended when in the years following Brown’s raid northerners felt compassion and even regarded him as a hero. The southerners however felt that he wanted to cause upheaval in the south. The issue however united the north for the cause of abolishing slavery. †Congress can contribute much to avert [southern withdrawal from the Union] by proposing†¦ an explanatory amendment of the Constitution on the subject of slavery†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Doc G) The Northern view of John Brown had changed drastically in the years leading up to the civil war. Initially John Brown was viewed as an irrational for his actions in Pottawatomie, Kansas. It was in Pottawatomie where Brown and a few colleagues took violent measures of vengeance against five pro-slavery southerners in Response to the Bleeding Kansas crisis. The northern view of Brown changed however after his 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The northern people did not immediately view him as a hero however. Many northerners viewed his raid as â€Å"utterly mistaken and, in its direct consequences, pernicious†. (Doc A) Southern people viewed Brown’s raid as a commotion and an appeal to rebellion. The previous Bleeding Kansas crisis also pushed the south more towards succession. It was by delegates chosen by the several states†¦ that the Constitution of the United States was framed in 1787 and submitted to the several states for ratification†¦ that of a compact between independent states. † (Doc H) President Lincoln responded â€Å"Having never been States, either in substance, or in name, outside of the Union, whence this magical omnipotence of ‘States Rights’, asserting a claim of power to lawfully destroy the Union itself? † (Doc I). Both of these statements were made in 1861, and clearly represent the division that sent our nation to war. While the years progressed the northern view of John Brown became increasingly more positive, people began to view Brown as a hero, as well as a martyr. Many believed while what he did was irrational and fanatical at the time, he paved the way for many northerners to become decided on the topic of abolition. John Brown’s raid ultimately made the Northern-southern relations even more strained, but caused the north to band together and fight against slavery and succession. In conclusion, the raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia pushed the North and the south farther apart, but was a small step to becoming the free country that America is today.

Feminism in Islamic countries

Argument Feminism in Islamic countries is probably among the sharpest issues nowadays, as the religious tradition to be broken is time-honored and legally enforced in the present day. Saba Mahmood, who originated from the state of this category, explores this situation from inside (Wadud, 2006) in her writings in general and her book â€Å"Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject† in particular.The paper is intended to study her argument in details and provide a critical response. The Saba Mahmood’s writing offers an interesting perspective on Islamic feminism – the so-called piety movement or Islamic revival. I would like to challenge this concept, as the term ‘feminism’ lies in a different dimension from the mosque movement. First of all, feminism refers to the movement, established by women and aimed at achieving equality in all spheres of social life: career, education, suffrage, marital life and so forth.This means, female s seek to raise their social status and gain the right to manifest their views and engage into different activities on the same basis as males do. Mahmood unfairly call the female participants of the Islamic revival â€Å"feminists†, as this movement was primarily initiated by Muslim males, who wished to reinforce their dominative position at the time of globalization and gradual egalitarization in terms of gender.In addition, Islam is a masculine religion that seeks to curb woman’s entitlement even in the most primitive daily routines (like walking alone around the city), i. e. it restricts her liberty – that’s why most feminists are known as secular. The Islamic revival is described in the following way: â€Å"Practically, this means instructing Muslims not only in the proper performance of religious duties and acts of worship but, more importantly, in how to organize their daily conduct in accord with principles of Islamic piety and virtuous behaviorà ¢â‚¬  (Mahmood, at press. princeton. edu, 2006, p. 5).These rules and daily activities must include one vital component: female’s obedience and observance of traditional androcenrtic principles, widely rejected by contemporary feminists, as such prescriptions are unlikely to result in the establishment of gender equality. As one can understand, the participants of the Islamic revival pursue to great extent converse goals, pointing to the increase of overall piety in Egyptian society. Due to this substantial divergence in opinions and attitudes it would be incorrect to characterize the women, who actively engage into the piety movement, as feminists, despite their active social position.On the other hand, I agree with the notion of women’s agency in Islamic countries, as numerous investigations have already proved that there are certain areas of life, which belong exceptionally to females: â€Å"Through a rich ethnography of women’s cultic practices, Boddy prop oses that in a society where the â€Å"official ideology† of Islam is dominated and controlled by men, the zar practice might be understood as a space of subordinate discourse† (Mahmood, at press.princeton. edu, 2006, p. 8). Mahmood therefore writes about the women’s secreted resistance to androcentrism, but the notion of feminism refers to broad manifestation of such opposition. Another questionable notion that relates to feminism is positive freedom: â€Å"Positive freedom is understood as the capacity to realize an autonomous will, one generally fashioned in accord with the dictates of universal reason.. † (Mahmood, at press. princeton. edu, 2006, p. 12).The scholar suggests that positive freedom is a domineering concept in feminism, as true liberty can be brought about only by the ability to understand and realize one’s own true will. On the other hand, this concept, in my, opinion, is valid only in European or Western-oriented countries, as Chr istianity as a religion and ideology supports such a deep and thorough search for one’s ‘self’ regardless of gender, i. e. Western religions are more egalitarian in this sense, comparing to Islam, which, in turn, assists only males in their self-discovery, whereas females are traditionally viewed as property in this doctrine.This means, Muslim females are not always able to realize their true will, as they have been brought up in the spirit of complete obedience and inequality since their early childhood. Due to the fact that feminism in Islamic countries is currently being at relatively lower stage of development, it would be more appropriate to apply the principle of negative freedom, or absence of restraints and numerous taboos in such countries, as the elimination of objective (social, political and cultural) bounds is the first step to cognitive liberation.Another important message conveyed by the scholar is following: â€Å"if the ability to effect change in the world and in oneself is historically and culturally specific [†¦], then the meaning and sense of agency cannot be fixed in advance, but must emerge through an analysis of the particular concepts that enable specific modes of being, responsibility and efficacy† (Mahmood, at press.princeton. edu, 2006, p. 15-16). This means, in order to initiate certain social change, it is particularly important to learn the cultural context within which the transformation will occur. In fact, cultural literacy and the ability to evaluate certain phenomena, which exist in certain culture from the position of this tradition, are important, as they allow preserving national identity.The only note to be done is that situational approach is relevant in any situation, so that sometimes it is necessary to perform radical intervention – for instance, if certain (hypothetical) nation suddenly introduces a violent practice (legalization of homicide or infanticide), it would be unwise to conduct a scrupulous analysis of the cultural context and the causes of such an inhumane innovation – on the contrary, more conscientious nations should interfere into the situation and resolve it in accordance with international legislation.Such cases of emergency should therefore be approached from more radical standpoint. Furthermore, Mahmood challenges the notion that the Islamic revival is a strategy, employer to resist the Westernization of the corresponding states: â€Å"While this interpretation is not entirely wrong and captures an important aspect of Islamist movements, it nonetheless reduces their complexity to the trope of resistance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mahmood, at press. princeton.edu, 2006, p. 15-16). The scholar does not adopt the term ‘resistance’ , but the issue she discusses in her book, females’ participation in the piety restoration, can be characterized as the opposition to classical European and American feminism that seeks to separate social life from religious rituals (Madud, 2006) and create new (and, more importantly, extensive) opportunities for women in terms of career development and university education.On the contrary, the Islamic movement is aimed at providing women with a ‘narrow’ chance to access mosque not merely as ‘parishioners’, but also as ‘preachers’. Nevertheless, the foundation of the piety restoration and the issues in Western feminism can be approached independently , as local events, reflecting the peculiarities of certain nation.The author suggests that the piety movement has certain political functions: â€Å"The political efficacy of this these movements is, I would suggest, a function of the work they perform in the ethical realm† (Mahmood, at press. princeton. edu, 2006, p. 37). In my opinion, Mahmood overstresses the importance of the mentioned movement in political discourse: although it operates in the sphere of ethics and to great exten t modifies the nation’s cognitive constructs and convictions, it is not directly involved into the current state of political affairs.Thus, the movement, being completely clerical, is not capable of intervening into the politics in the present day – and due to the fact that Islamic countries are now influenced by numerous powers and their development is therefore dynamic and unpredictable, it will be possible to assert the penetration of piety restoration into politics only after its members gain access to political power or achieve the introduction of ‘piety policy’ at governmental level – otherwise the efforts within the realm of ethics might appear in vain.The most doubtful argument of Mahmood’s writing is her confidence in the broad perspectives of the Islamic revival: due to the fact that women are nowadays entitled to serve in mosques (sacred places, or male domain) as ‘preachers’, they are likely to expand their political influence in the future. On the other hand, the nature of this revival points to the desirable abstention from politics, as the pure concept of female virtuousness to great extent excludes the woman’s participation in the affairs of the state.Clearly, the idea of neo-piety teaches females to behave in strict accordance with religious prescriptions and demonstrate modesty and humility, but these qualities are unlikely to enhance the person’s access to power. Historically, women were allowed to serve as priestesses in ancient, but this fact gave them no benefits except prestige – the situation seems to recur.To sum up, Saba Mahmood basically tries to link two incompatible issues – feminism and the piousness renewal, which, as I deem, operate in completely different dimensions. In addition, the scholar suggests that the penetration into the religious system is the primary prerequisite for women’s access to politics, yet it is still unclear in which wa y the movement will modify the existing ethical matrix so that it determines their ‘political weight’.Works cited Mahmood, S. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005. Available online at: http://press. princeton. edu/chapters/s7888. pdf, 2006 Wadud, A. â€Å"Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject (review)†. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 74 (3), September 2006: pp. 815-818