Psychological Assessment Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychological Assessment Model - Essay Example Moreover, if skilled clinicians could each independently assess several of the same clients, they should arrive at differential assessment conclusions appropriate to each client. In any case, clinicians should make accurate, comprehensive assessment decisions regardless of (a) their cultural backgrounds, (b) the clients cultural background, and (c) the complexity and nature of the presenting problem(s).† One social and psychological variable, among many others that must be taken into consideration, is culture. Unfortunately, this variable is usually mishandled or overlooked in the process. According to Ridley, Li, and Hill (1998, p. 1), â€Å"Culture is one such variable that permeates human experience. It affects the way people label illness, identify symptoms, seek help, decide whether someone is normal or abnormal, set expectations for therapists and clients, give themselves personal meaning, and understand morality and altered states of consciousness. Sometimes clinicians give culture too much credence in assessment, resulting in their overlooking or underdiagnosing of psychopathology, or they may not give culture due consideration, resulting in their overdiagnosing of psychopathology.† One of the most challenging aspects of dealing with culture when it comes to mental health professionals is deciding whether a person of a particular culture is abnormal in general or if they are considered abnormal within their culture. As a result, culture must be incorporate into psychological assessment. Most clinicians are not properly trained to assess multicultural clients in the current situation at mental health facilities. This is particularly a problem because accurate assessment is crucial in helping an individual in need. Mainstream assessment methods have even been found to be dangerous to multicultural individuals and groups (Spengler,

Bachelor of Arts Community development Essay Example for Free

Bachelor of Arts Community development Essay The unit explores the power of ideas to change the world and ourselves, focusing on their birth, transmission, evolution, and personal and global impact. Through the study of selected themes, students are introduced to the knowledge and approaches central to the arts, social sciences and humanities, and are invited to reflect on competing moral and social arguments. The development of writing and critical thinking skills are a core focus of the unit. The unit is arranged around four different topics, each of which is allocated five or six lectures and three tutorials. Each topic consists of an organising theme which is used to focus a set of contrasting disciplinary perspectives from within the arts, social sciences and humanities. For 2014, the four organising themes are: ââ€" ¦The individual and the community. ââ€" ¦Violence ââ€" ¦Truth and representation ââ€" ¦The good life The key aims of this unit are as follows: ââ€" ¦To introduce students to a range of methodological, conceptual and theoretical appraoches to the main discipline areas covered in the Bachelor of Arts degree. ââ€" ¦To show how social and moral issues may be examined from diverse perspectives, so as to result in differing evaluations, each offering potentially valuable illuminations. ââ€" ¦To provide students with the conceptual tools to become more articulate and reflective in their examination of social and moral issues. The majors which comprise the Bachelor of Arts in 2014 are: ââ€" ¦Asian Studies ââ€" ¦Australian Indigenous Studies ââ€" ¦Communication and Media Studies ââ€" ¦Community Development ââ€" ¦Criminology ââ€" ¦Education Studies ââ€" ¦English and Creative Writing ââ€" ¦Games Art and Design ââ€" ¦History ââ€" ¦Indonesian ââ€" ¦Interactive Digital Design ââ€" ¦International Aid and Development ââ€" ¦Japanese ââ€" ¦Journalism ââ€" ¦Legal Studies ââ€" ¦Philosophy ââ€" ¦Photography ââ€" ¦Public Relations ââ€" ¦Politics and International Studies ââ€" ¦Radio ââ€" ¦Religion ââ€" ¦Security, Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies ââ€" ¦Social and Developmental Psychology ââ€" ¦Sociology ââ€" ¦Sound ââ€" ¦Sustainable Development ââ€" ¦Theatre and Drama ââ€" ¦Tourism and Events ââ€" ¦Web Communication

Chicano Studies: Ignacio M. Garcia and Guadalupe San Miguel :: essays research papers

The first article I have chosen is, â€Å"Juncture in the road: Chicano Studies Since: â€Å"El plan de Santa Barbara† by Ignacio M. Garcia. I have chosen this particular article for various reasons. One is because reading the first few paragraphs of the article stirred up many emotions within me. I found myself growing angry and once, again, repulsed by the United States discrimination system. The more knowledge I obtain on the United States, on its past and how it develops today, I can finally say that I resent everything it stands for and embarrassed being part of it. I would rather say that I am a country of one†¦myself. The second reason for choosing this article, was because it was an easy read for me as well as the topic being discussed was intriguing. The first paragraph gives the readers and idea of the growing interest on Chicano Studies. It’s has developed over the course of twenty-six years and obtaining more non-chicano intellectuals that have absolutely no connection thus having no clue if studying the history of Chicanos. Part of the reason for everyone’s sudden interest in Chicano Studies is to integrate it into a larger ethnic study programs. The downfall of integrating the studies is that it places limitations on other courses that intervene with the major academic departments. The new development of Chicano Studies is really an excuse to teach genuine studies and to allow teachers to implement connected programs to receive a permanent status within their careers. Another part of keeping Chicano Studies in succession is to deliberately undermine its true meaning as well as keep it understaffed and under financed. This situation diminishes the programs ability to do community service for further future devel opments. This is critical for the readers to know the show the bias, injustice, and premeditated ignorance of the United States educational system. It also demonstrates that Chicano Studies is not important regardless of the Hispanic population in this supposed â€Å"free† country. It seems as if the Chicano Studies was made only to fail by keeping it under funded and understaffed. By doing so, it has an affect on keeping away good scholars to maintain the historical development of Hispanics in the United States as well as its own history. When the Chicano programs do get a minimal break such as receiving enough funding, gain departmental status, and have courses be part of the general education requirements, there would some body in the shadows sneering at the progress.

Writing Paragraphs

Should boys and girls be in separate classes? 2. Should the government place a tax on Junk food and fatty foods? 3. Should students' textbooks be replaced by notebook computers? 4. Pretend you woke up one day and there were no rules. People could suddenly do whatever they wanted! Would this be a positive or negative outcome? Answers (jot notes): 1. No because†¦ A. When they're out of college, and they have a job, it's not going to be separated by gender.They need to learn how to communicate with the opposite gender. B. It will Increase more Judgment between genders. . For Example when you were a child you thought the opposite gender has some type of diseases except you will think that through most of your school years and this may cause a lot of misunderstanding between men and women. C. I believe If a child has been going to school with the opposite gender this child will grow up not know how to respond when they do come into contact with the opposite gender. . The opposite gen ders might start to think that they are better or smarter than the other gender which could cause conflicts between each other In the future. 2. No because†¦ A. People would still buy, I. Example Even though government has raised prices on tobacco and cigarettes people are still buying them b. Government shouldn't tell people what to eat. Let the people do what they want. C. Everyone shouldn't have to suffer due to some people being overweight. 3. No because†¦ A.If all the student's assignments, and textbooks, and other data is on the computer and the computer is lost, stolen, or all of its data somehow gets erased then the student's marks will suffer drastically. B. People may use computers inappropriately, and since the devices are very distracting students may not listen to the teacher. . A lot of people get headaches when stare at a computer screen for a long time and using computers the whole day is a long time. D. This could lead to a generation of people who rely on computers, and they may not be able to function without computers. . Negative because†¦ A. People will no longer be able to differentiate between bad and good b. People may decide to start doing bad things. 1 OFF to the teachers, they probably wouldn't finish their work and that may cause them to suffer in the future. C. Crime rates may also possibly increase as people would know hat if they were to do something bad there would be no punishment as there are no rules. Answers (paragraph form): 1. I don't think that boys and girls should be placed in separate classes. This may cause increased Judgment about the other gender.For example when you were a child you thought the opposite gender has some type of diseases except you will think that through most of your school years and this may cause a lot of misunderstanding between men and women. I believe if a child has been going to school with the opposite gender this child will grow up not know how to respond hen they do come into contact with the opposite gender. The opposite genders might start to think that they are better or smarter than the other gender which could cause conflicts between each other in the future.Also, when they are out of college, and they have a Job, it's not going to be separated by gender. They need to learn how to communicate with the opposite gender. These are the reasons why I think that boys and girls shouldn't be separated into different classes. 2. The government should not place a tax on Junk food and fatty foods. First of all, the government should not be telling people what to eat. Just let the people eat and do what they desire. I think that people would still buy the Junk and fatty food if their price was increased.For example when the prices of tobacco and cigarettes are raised, people don't stop smoking, they still continue to smoke and the same thing would probably happen with Junk food. And last of all, why should everyone be punished and have to pay more even if they are not overweight or obese. For example if you were innocent, but you the police thought you were the person who committed the crime and they punished you, would that be fair? No that wouldn't be, o are being punished for something you didn't do.It's the same thing with Junk food, why would the people who are not obese and overweight have to pay more for junk and fatty foods. This is why I believe the government should not place a tax on junk food and fatty foods. 3. I believe that student textbooks should not be replaced by note book computers. First of all, students may use these devices inappropriately during school time, and since the devices are distracting they may not pay attention to the teacher. For example many students who claim to be using their phones, or ablest for an assignment are actually playing games or testing, not doing the work they are given.Also, these devices aren't very trustworthy, and they could easily malfunction or be stolen, and it would cost a lot f or them to be replaced. For example if all of a student's work was on the computer, and the computer broke, got stolen, or malfunctioned then the student's marks may decrease drastically, and it wouldn't even be there fault. They would be getting punished for something that was not in their control. A lot of people tend to get headaches when staring at computer screens ND of the day, and this would be shown in their academic progress.This could also produce a generation of drone-like people who would not be able to function without computers, and people will no longer know how to do anything manually, like writing a sentence on a piece of paper with a pen. I think textbooks should not be replaced with notebook computers. 4. I think having no rules would have a negative outcome. First of all, people would not be able to differentiate between bad and good. These could lead to conflicts in the future. People may start to do bad things.For example if dents came to school one day and the y had no rules, like listening to the teachers, they probably wouldn't finish their work and that may cause them to suffer in the future. Crime rates may also possibly increase as people would know that if they were to do something bad there would be no punishment as there are no rules. For example if you were really greedy, and you wanted to be rich, then you would probably rob a bank, if there were no rules, because you would know there would be no punishment or consequences. This is why having no rules would have a negative outcome.

Fraud: Ultro and Enormo

The implication of this illegal act committed by Ultras management is committing fraud, so they are ultimately responsible for what happened. They sold automobiles that were fully depreciated on Ultras books to employees to generate an additional $50,000 in foreign currency which is illegal all with in itself.They also knew the Caribbean country in which they were operating out of has strict laws governing the ranchers of funds to other countries, but an employee still went out of his/her way to smuggle $50,000 of foreign currency out of the Caribbean country so it could be deposited in one of Enormous bank accounts. Management did nothing to stop this employee from smuggling the money out of the country and most likely sanction the action. Enormous and Ultras management does not seem to care about these illegal actions and does not want to take any measures to resolve these Issues In the future, even though they are fully responsible.B. ) If the CPA firm suspects that Enormous manag ement is Involved In noncompliance (which they are), they should communicate the matter to the next level of authority in the organization. If Enormous next level authority is not cooperating, the firm should obtain their own legal advice from outside of Enormous legal team. Since they have already committed fraud once with this illegal action, the CPA firm should take a deeper look Into Enormous financial records to see If these types of Illegal transactions eave happened In years past.C. ) I personally would report the Illegal act because It would be unethical not to even though It Is a small amount of money. Not only Is my reputation at stake, but so Is the reputation of my entire CPA firm. If I were to Ill about one companies financial records, I would be Jeopardizing any future business with other clients If I were to get caught. It Is always better to report everything you find In an audit so nothing comes back to negatively Impact you and your firm.

5 Ways to Fix the Comma Splice

5 Ways to Fix the Comma Splice 5 Ways to Fix the Comma Splice 5 Ways to Fix the Comma Splice By Mark Nichol A comma splice is simply a sentence in which a comma is called on to do more than is appropriate for the workaday but weak punctuation mark. When a sentence contains two independent clauses each of which could essentially stand on its own separated by a comma (or by nothing at all, in which case it’s called a fused sentence), employ one of these five strategies to fix the splice and create a correct connection: 1. â€Å"Of course not all companies will survive, it is our goal to give the investing public accurate information on all companies profiled.† Divide the sentence into two (and set â€Å"Of course† off with a comma as well): â€Å"Of course, not all companies will survive. It is our goal to give the investing public accurate information on all companies profiled.† 2. â€Å"Some buildings hearken back to Main Street, USA, others offer strip-mall modernism.† Insert a subordinating conjunction to convert either clause into a subordinate clause (one that depends on the other to be the main clause): â€Å"Some buildings hearken back to Main Street, USA, while others offer strip mall modernism.† (While could, alternatively, begin the sentence.) 3. â€Å"Several people have told me they want to buy a house before they are laid off, otherwise they won’t be able to get a loan.† Replace the comma with a semicolon (and, in this case, set otherwise off from the rest of the second clause: â€Å"Several people have told me they want to buy a house before they are laid off; otherwise, they won’t be able to get a loan.† 4. â€Å"At times, it resembled the pitch of a whirring blender, at other moments, an angelic choir.† Separate the clauses with a coordinating conjunction: â€Å"At times, it resembled the pitch of a whirring blender, and at other moments, an angelic choir.† (The final comma and the elided phrase â€Å"an angelic choir† are correct; repetition of â€Å"it resembled† is implied.) 5. â€Å"Other cops have an alternative solution, they simply arrive on the scene long after the criminals have fled in order to avoid any confrontation.† Employ a colon in place of the comma when what follows is a definition or explanation stemming from the first clause: â€Å"Other cops have an alternative solution: They simply arrive on the scene long after the criminals have fled in order to avoid any confrontation.† Better yet, to create a stronger impact with the sentence, move the final modifying phrase forward as a parenthetical: â€Å"Other cops have an alternative solution: In order to avoid any confrontation, they simply arrive on the scene long after the criminals have fled.† More than one of these strategies is usually an option; each of the sentences above can be repaired with at least two of the methods described. Often, however, depending on the sentence content and structure, one solution will stand out as the best. (An em dash can also be used to set one independent clause off from the other.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†Flier vs. FlyerPreposition Mistakes #3: Two Idioms

Free Essays on Career Paper

I wish to become a counseling psychologist in the future. I have done some research on what psychologists do and I think I would like to become one. I would like to get my master’s degree so I could work under the supervision of a psychologist and may also be able to go into counseling. I don’t know where or which college I’ll enroll in to study. According to the Occupational Outlook Hand Book, 1. â€Å"Psychologists study the behavior of individuals and groups to understand and explain their actions.† They also gather information from interviews and tests, by studying people and their history and by conducting controlled experiments. There are different types of psychologists; experimental, developmental, personality, social, environmental, and physiological. They also specialize in their field further. They can chose between these specialized fields of study; clinical, counseling, educational, industrial and organizational, engineering, and consumer. Psychologists can pretty much work the hours they desire. A counseling psychologist usually works in the evening to accommodate work and school schedules of their patients. Most psychologists work in colleges and in universities as teachers or counselors. The rest of the psychologists work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and other health clinics, although, some psychologists work for government agencies, correctional institutes, research firms or they have their private practice. A psychologist can work in communities of all different sizes. Most of them work in large areas that have colleges and universities. In order to be a psychologist one must remain emotionally stable. One also needs to have sensitivity to others and an interest their problems. One also needs to have patience, tact, and strong communication skills. During high school its good to take classes that emphasize science and social science skills. A PhD is the minimum requirement for empl... Free Essays on Career Paper Free Essays on Career Paper I wish to become a counseling psychologist in the future. I have done some research on what psychologists do and I think I would like to become one. I would like to get my master’s degree so I could work under the supervision of a psychologist and may also be able to go into counseling. I don’t know where or which college I’ll enroll in to study. According to the Occupational Outlook Hand Book, 1. â€Å"Psychologists study the behavior of individuals and groups to understand and explain their actions.† They also gather information from interviews and tests, by studying people and their history and by conducting controlled experiments. There are different types of psychologists; experimental, developmental, personality, social, environmental, and physiological. They also specialize in their field further. They can chose between these specialized fields of study; clinical, counseling, educational, industrial and organizational, engineering, and consumer. Psychologists can pretty much work the hours they desire. A counseling psychologist usually works in the evening to accommodate work and school schedules of their patients. Most psychologists work in colleges and in universities as teachers or counselors. The rest of the psychologists work in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and other health clinics, although, some psychologists work for government agencies, correctional institutes, research firms or they have their private practice. A psychologist can work in communities of all different sizes. Most of them work in large areas that have colleges and universities. In order to be a psychologist one must remain emotionally stable. One also needs to have sensitivity to others and an interest their problems. One also needs to have patience, tact, and strong communication skills. During high school its good to take classes that emphasize science and social science skills. A PhD is the minimum requirement for empl...

Danielle Steel Book List

Danielle Steel Book List Danielle Steel is one of the most popular romance writers in the world, and also one of the most prolific, having published more than 140 novels since her career began in the early 1970s. Today, the bestselling author works on multiple books at the same time to meet her demanding publishing schedule. Her complete bibliography includes novels, works of nonfiction, and childrens books. 1970s   Amazon The first decade of Steels career was a tumultuous one for her personal life. After her first novel Going Home was published in 1973, she divorced her first husband and married Danny Zugelder, who was imprisoned in California. Her relationship with the inmate inspired her breakthrough books Passions Promise and Now and Forever. Going Home (1973)Passions Promise (1977): Steels first big hit, this novel tells the story of a wealthy socialite who falls in love with an ex-con while moonlighting as a journalist.Now and Forever (1978)The Promise (1978): This book was the first of Steels romance novels to be adapted for the big screen.Season of Passion (1979)Summers End (1979) 1980s Amazon By the early 1980s, Steel was regularly appearing on The New York Times bestseller list. In 1981, she married her fourth husband, winemaker John Traina, with whom she had five children. The Ring (1980)Palomino (1981)To Love Again (1981)Remembrance (1981)Loving (1981)Once in a Lifetime (1982)Crossings (1982): Set during the outbreak of World War II, this novel was made into a miniseries in 1986.A Perfect Stranger (1983)Thurston House (1983): This novel tells the story of a wealthy businessman who builds a mansion in San Francisco. For many years, Steel herself lived in a historic mansion in San Francisco.Changes (1983)Full Circle (1984)Family Album (1985): A story of female empowerment, Family Album follows the career of Faye Price, a Hollywood actress who becomes one of the industrys first female directors. The book was made into a TV miniseries in 1994.Secrets (1985)Wanderlust (1986)Fine Things (1987)Kaleidoscope (1987)Zoya (1988): This historical romance tells the story of a Russian countess who falls in love with an American soldier in Paris. The novel later explores the history of the Great Depression and World War II.Star (1989) Daddy (1989) 1990s Amazon The 1990s was Steels most productive decade yet. To maintain her grueling schedule, Steel slept very little, often working on her books late at night after her children had gone to bed. Message from Nam (1990): Described by Publishers Weekly as an unusual departure from Steels previous work, Message from Nam follows a journalist covering the war in Vietnam. He finds unexpected romance in Saigon.Heartbeat (1991)No Greater Love (1991)Jewels (1992)Mixed Blessings (1992)Vanished (1993)Accident (1994)The Gift (1994): This novel, which spent 12 weeks on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, is one of Steels biggest hits. It tells the story of a high school girl who is sent away after she becomes pregnant on prom night.Wings (1994)Lightning (1995)Five Days in Paris (1995)Malice (1996)Silent Honor (1996): Another historical work, Silent Honor tells the story of a young Japanese woman living in California in the early 1940s. She faces prejudice from her neighbors after Pearl Harbor is bombed.The Ranch (1997)Special Delivery (1997)The Ghost (1997)The Long Road Home (1998)The Klone and I (1998): Inspired by an inside joke with her future husband, The Klone and I wades into sc ience fiction territory. The book is a tale of mistaken identity involving a human clone. His Bright Light (1998): One of Steels few works of nonfiction, His Bright Light is the story of her son Nick Traina and his struggles with manic depression. The illness led to the boys death at the age of 19.Mirror Image (1998)Bittersweet (1999)Irresistible Forces (1999) 2000s Amazon In 2002, Steel divorced her fifth husband, Silicon Valley businessman Thomas James Perkins. While continuing to produce several novels a year, she opened an art gallery in San Francisco and contributed to efforts to improve mental health among adolescents. The Wedding (2000): The Wedding is a story of love among the glitz and glamor of the Los Angeles elite.The House on Hope Street (2000)Journey (2000)Lone Eagle (2001)Leap of Faith (2001)The Kiss (2001)The Cottage (2002)Sunset in St. Tropez (2002)Answered Prayers (2002)Dating Game (2003)Johnny Angel (2003)Safe Harbour (2003)Ransom (2004): Unlike most of Steels previous books, Ransom is not a romance. The book is a white-knuckle thriller involving a kidnapped child.Second Chance (2004)Echoes (2004)Impossible (2005)Miracle (2005)Toxic Bachelors (2005): Told from the point of view of three different men, Toxic Bachelors is a story of wealth and privilege. Over the course of the novel, unexpected events transform their love lives forever.The House (2006)Coming Out (2006)H.R.H. (2006)Sisters (2007): This novel focuses on four highly successful career women who must return home to care for their father after their mother is killed in a car crash. Bungalow 2 (2007)Amazing Grace (2007): Set in San Francisco, Amazing Grace tells the story of four strangers brought together by a natural disaster. Along the way, they learn important lessons about love and family.Honor Thyself (2008)Rogue (2008)A Good Woman (2008)One Day at a Time (2009)Matters of the Heart (2009)Southern Lights (2009) 2010s   Amazon Now in her fifth decade of publishing, Steel has become even more prolific, producing as many as seven books a year. Her novels continue to be bestsellers, and they have been translated into more than 40 languages. Big Girl (2010)Family Ties (2010)Legacy (2010)44 Charles Street (2011)Happy Birthday (2011)Hotel Vendome (2011)Betrayal (2012)Friends Forever (2012)The Sins of the Mother (2012)A Gift of Hope (2012)Until the End of Time (2013)First Sight (2013)Winners (2013)Pure Joy: The Dogs We Love (2013)Power Play (2014)A Perfect Life (2014)Pegasus (2014)Prodigal Son (2015)Country (2015)Undercover (2015): A tale of romance and espionage, Undercover was partially inspired by the Patty Hearst kidnapping.​Precious Gifts (2015)Blue (2016)Property of a Noblewoman (2016)The Apartment (2016)Magic (2016)Rushing Waters (2016)The Award (2016)The Mistress (2017)Dangerous Games (2017): A political thriller and romance, this book follows a reporter investigating the U.S. vice president. The book reached No. 2 on The New York Times bestseller list.Against All Odds (2017)The Duchess (2017)The Right Time (2017)Past Perfect (2017)Fairytale (2017)In His Fathers Footsteps (2018) Fall from Grace (2018): A New York Times bestseller, Fall from Grace is the story of a privileged woman who loses everything after the sudden death of her wealthy husband. The book shows the challenges she faces as she rebuilds her life.The Cast (2018)The Good Fight (2018)Accidental Heroes (2018): A bestselling thriller, Accidental Heroes begins with the appearance of a strange postcard on a cross-country flight to San Francisco. An off-duty pilot and a flight attendant work together to solve the mystery.Beauchamp Hall (2018)Turning Point (2019)Silent Night (2019)Blessing in Disguise (2019)Lost and Found (2019)The Dark Side (2019)Childs Play (2019)Spy (2019) Childrens Books Amazon Steel first began publishing childrens books in the 1980s with her Max and Martha series. Since then, she has written the Freddie series and a collection of picture books. 1989: Marthas New Daddy1989: Max and the Babysitter1989: Marthas Best Friend1989: Maxs Daddy Goes to the Hospital1989: Maxs New Baby1989: Marthas New School1990: Max Runs Away1990: Marthas New Puppy1991: Max and Grandma and Grampa Winky1991: Martha and Hilary and the Stranger1992: Freddies Trip1992: Freddies First Night Away1992: Freddie and the Doctor2009: The Happiest Hippo in the World (picture book)2014:  Pretty Minnie in Paris (picture book)2016: Pretty Minnie in Hollywood  (picture book)

Systems of Association Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Systems of Association - Assignment Example The company’s failure is believed to have been caused by the continued reliance on glory achieved during its years of success and the way in which the company responded to the new competition (Sull 352). Sull argues that failure to respond effectively to the new technology and competition caused the company’s failure. Firestone began experiencing rivalry in the mid 1960s, whereby its competitors had an ambition to restructure the tire market industry. They joined the market by introducing radial tires and achieved positive response. Statistics show that one million units were sold each year for almost five years (Olson and Levi 391). Their accomplishment is attributed to their mode of advertising whereby they ensured the right information reached their target markets. Their marketing policy involved promotions and presenting that the innovated tires had a longer life, improved safety and were considerably cheap. On the other hand, Firestone decided to restructure their tires into radial ones (Sull 360). Their decision was based on that complete transfer to the new technology would result to enormous investment. This decision resulted to accelerating activities in their past success. According to Professor Sull, the history of success acquired in the late 1960s turned out to be its greatest enemy, hence, its downfall. The article â€Å"Battles in the Seattle† aimed at clarifying the important nature of political expression that creates success in trans-nationalization of social movements. It also verified that protests do not always bring forth the expected results. In fact, strikes can provoke contradicting measures. According to the article, workers in Seattle have demonstrated thrice striking in 1919, 1934, and 1999. In 1919, a strike in the Seattle city caused a five-day shutdown of the city (Olson and Levi 389). In 1934, a group of protesters caused the closure of several cities among them Seattle and Tacoma (Olson and Levi 392). These battles had similar objectives, which revolved around better conditions for workers in the Seattle region. It is essential to note that the workers involved in the 1999 strike meant for a peaceful demonstration. However, intervention from an unknown group of people caused the government to turn the Seattle streets into police war grounds. The police demanded peace by using teargas, rubber bullets, pepper sprays and other items like grenades (Olson and Levi 399). In all the battles, a group of people demonstrated against the World Trade Organizations. Nevertheless, the strike was considered a failure and a waste of time since the workers did not achieve their goals. The strike ended without recognition of their demands that included bargains for salaries, improved work conditions, and benefits. According to a number of critics, the strike planners and leaders lacked an objective and an identifiable program for the five-day strikes. The leaders in all the strikes embarked on using sim ilar ways as used in the previous ones. Just like the failure experienced by the Firestone Company, the workers strike failed. Their failure can be attributed to the dependence of already used strategies. Firestone had experienced continued success with their methods of marketing and were not willing to adapt new ones. In my opinion, remaining with the already successful

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Volkswagen Research Paper

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Volkswagen - Research Paper Example The Volkswagen Group is one of the largest car manufacturing companies in the world. With its latest launch â€Å"Polo†, Volkswagen has come out with an innovative ad to attract large number of consumers. The IMC tools used by Volkswagen in the case of Polo have been advertising through both print and electronic media, internet marketing, online banners, direct marketing, etc. Volkswagen’s prime IMC strategies related to the Polo car can be discussed as follows:Advertising is the form of communication which s non-personal and provides information about the services, products and the organization. Volkswagen’s television commercial of the Polo car was to make a new beginning in the small car segment. The company through the ad campaign has tried to differentiate itself from other car makers as its television was made to attract young males while other small car makers are largely targeting females. The advertisement has been used extensively by Volkswagen to creat e awareness about the new Polo car and its unique features which makes it a choice for young males rather than showing females taking their cars for shopping. The ad campaign for the Polo car was on the line of â€Å"Dedicated Followers of No One†. The ad campaign has been used by Volkswagen to target people especially males who like to have their own style rather than keep changing with the trends. Interactive marketing or internet marketing as become the most sought after advertising prospect for the companies. With more and more people using internet the companies are getting more inclined towards internet marketing through which they can target a healthy number of people. Volkswagen has used this medium to extend its reach globally in context to the Polo car. The company has very well used internet marketing by putting ads through online banners on popular social networking sites and other websites. Further a special micro site was created to attract the target market esp ecially the young males. The page of the website was designed as a driving game to give the people excitement of driving a Polo car. Celebrity interviews were also posted on the micro site as a tactic to attract consumers. The interactive marketing was used to further create eagerness amongst the young car lovers. Social Media Volkswagen also used social media strategy in the form of a game based on Marco/Polo. The company promoted the Polo car on a popular social ne

Greek Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Greek Art - Essay Example It also absorbed ideas from Italian and European arts during the Romantic period. These ideas invigorated the Greek revolution which is, arguably, still taking place today. Greek art is made up of five forms which include: pottery, painting, architecture, jewelry making and sculpture (Maphosa 4). Modern Greek art is as a result of gradual development of the ancient which started during the Romantic period. Many of its elements were absorbed from other European arts and consequently culminated in a unique Greek Romantic art style (Smith and Plantzos 633). This was inspired by the country’s history and geography as well as revolutionary ideals. After the end of the Ottoman rule, education opportunities in arts were limited in independent Greece and, therefore, many Greece artists studied abroad. Majority of the Greece artists of the 19th century studied at Munich International Center for arts (Smith and Plantzos 698). After graduation, they returned to Greece and shared their knowledge with the Greek community. This led to the development of personal and academic bonds between Munich artistry and early Greek painters which in turn gave birth to the Greek Munich School of painting. Nikolaos Gysis was one of the great figures in the 19th century Greek art because he acted as both an artist and a teacher at the Munich academy (Smith and Plantzos 700). The Greek art was characterized by realism, academism, landscape painting, still life, genre painting, portraiture of the upper middle class, and impressionists’ features. Later these features were replaced by symbolism and art Nouveau. In the 20th century, Greek art was represented by many artists who were more interested in living conditions, local customs, and everyday Greek life (Norris 174). Many gifted painters emerged such as Theodoros Vryzakis, Nikiphoros Lytras, Georgios Jakobides, and Georgios Roilos among others. Theodoros

Short Easay 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Easay 3 - Essay Example HITDA – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area is a criminal justice organization which works because of regular inputs from local, state and federal agencies. For a smooth functioning of HITDA it is very necessary that these different agencies cooperate with each other and that there is no conflict. The seeds of latent conflict are removed by formulation of a clear operational strategy by an executive board where each government agency has an equal representation. This reduces the instances of conflict as the director of HITDA focus on conflict management and resolution. Despite massive efforts in the field of conflict management, experts believe that conflict in criminal justice organization is a normal process and eliminating it is both unrealistic and counterproductive to the long term health of the organization. This is because a conflict can be a healing process where many issues are raised and solved where as in a no conflict scenario there can be a blind surrender to rules which can harm the human side of the organization. Most of the organizations want conformity over a long-tem period for this purpose they use different kinds of power. But none of these methods is the best when dealing with organizations. The appropriateness of the type of power depends upon the situation. For example, employing coercive method compliance among rank-and-file officers usually through strict rules and regulations is not satisfactory because the officers are averse to such strategies. Similarly legitimate, expert and charismatic power can lead to a situation of greater employee acceptance. While, coercive and reward base may lead to a dysfunctional effect. Hence, there is no one particular type of power that is

Terms and Definitions Worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terms and Definitions Worksheet - Essay Example It believes that diversity is important for nature and the environment to survive. The branch of philosophy that speaks of mans excessive importance to material wealth. In this belief, all other ethics and behavior take a low priority and man and the society is interested only money and wealth and other things that money can buy. This is the branch of philosophy that deals with items out of the reach of the five physical senses. It would attempt to explain the nature of forces that cannot be seen or felt and that are outside the natural world. The concept of philosophy that believes in extending a moral standing to all living things including plants and animals. While the traditional concept is that murder of human beings is wrong, in this branch, even killing of cats, dogs and other living things is considered as immoral. The practice of philosophy in which there is respect for diversity of religion, race, ethnicity, social and culture background. In this type, people from different races or religions and languages are encouraged to participate. In this philosophy, all phenomena and occurrence are explained as due to natural laws and causes. It is assumed that everything operates in the universe as per the laws defined by nature, there is nothing such as miracles, and all occurrences can be examined with scientific studies. The belief that everything such as truth is not absolute but changes with time and per perceptions of different people. All beliefs, morals and behavior from history need to be judged as per the social standards of those times. The belief that an action is valued only by understanding how useful it is. It refers to more the practical use of ideas, objects and inventions rather than a theosophical expectation of what a thing would

Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stress - Essay Example Researchers Takeuchi, Williams and Adair investigate â€Å"Economic Stress in the Family and Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems† (1991) to determine whether children’s behavior is adversely affected by the economic stress levels of the household and whether this effect is increased with persistent as opposed to one-time dependence on social services. Dual-income households have their own set of stressors to face, however, which are explored in Windle and Dumenci’s â€Å"Parental and Occupational Stress as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms among Dual-Income Couples† (1997). â€Å"Race Differences in Depressive Symptoms† (2003) discusses how the differences between stress-induced depression in older blacks and whites in Northern Carolina differed very little, with differences being contained primarily in the larger degree of variance and greater linear growth evident in black individuals. Earlier studies had already indicated no corre lation between mental health and availability of support systems in helping these older adults deal with stresses caused by life events, but indicated a consistent steady rate of recovery for these individuals in studies such as â€Å"Transitory Impact of Life-Event Stress on Psychological Symptoms in Older Adults† (Norris & Murrell, 1987). Karen Rudolph and Constance Hammen (1999) concluded in their study on how experience and consequences of life stress varied depending upon age and gender differences that there are significant differences between the types of stress experienced between pre-adolescent and adolescent boys and girls. Of the 88 children who participated in their study, it was determined that while adolescent girls experienced the highest levels of interpersonal stress, adolescent boys experienced the highest levels of non-interpersonal stress. Preadolescent girls experienced the highest levels of independent stress and conflict in the family unit. In addition, it was determined

Terms and Definitions Worksheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terms and Definitions Worksheet - Essay Example It believes that diversity is important for nature and the environment to survive. The branch of philosophy that speaks of mans excessive importance to material wealth. In this belief, all other ethics and behavior take a low priority and man and the society is interested only money and wealth and other things that money can buy. This is the branch of philosophy that deals with items out of the reach of the five physical senses. It would attempt to explain the nature of forces that cannot be seen or felt and that are outside the natural world. The concept of philosophy that believes in extending a moral standing to all living things including plants and animals. While the traditional concept is that murder of human beings is wrong, in this branch, even killing of cats, dogs and other living things is considered as immoral. The practice of philosophy in which there is respect for diversity of religion, race, ethnicity, social and culture background. In this type, people from different races or religions and languages are encouraged to participate. In this philosophy, all phenomena and occurrence are explained as due to natural laws and causes. It is assumed that everything operates in the universe as per the laws defined by nature, there is nothing such as miracles, and all occurrences can be examined with scientific studies. The belief that everything such as truth is not absolute but changes with time and per perceptions of different people. All beliefs, morals and behavior from history need to be judged as per the social standards of those times. The belief that an action is valued only by understanding how useful it is. It refers to more the practical use of ideas, objects and inventions rather than a theosophical expectation of what a thing would

Stock Valuation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Stock Valuation - Essay Example ter every three months and good dividend paying stocks increase their payout every year unlike those who own funds who most of the time are not sure about what the dividends will be and instead have a default option to buy more shares. It is also easier to understand market volatility since the investor knows the company well, and this helps an investor to make a decision whether to buy, sell or hold their position. Individual stocks also have lower costs than funds help one to diversify their holdings (Hayek, 2013). I would not be okay with the political risks that are prevalent in the increase among the BRISC countries since these countries include the emerging markets that need ample political stability to grow and mature. The political risk brings a lot of volatility in the stock market, as well as discourages foreign and domestic investment as investors prefer more stable markets that are easily predictable in order not to take so much risk. Through negative correlation, the idea of hedging and diversification are elaborated. Since negative correlation tends to make two investments move in opposite directions, an investor is therefore advised to invest in both the investments in order to spread risks. It makes sense that, when an investor invests in those two investments, one investment loses value, the other one will gain value hence the investor must not lose everything at any particular point, but at least gain on some (Eric,

The foreign exchange market Essay Example for Free

The foreign exchange market Essay The analysis of this paper highlights the importance on the factors that determines the foreign exchange rates at which one country purchases the one unit of the another country’s currency. The foreign exchange market provides a link between the countries through which all countries are working under the umbrella of global trade which works more efficiently than barter. The foreign exchange market provides a hub under which one country exchanges the other country’s currency because every nation uses its own monetary unit. In this particular case, the firm is willing to make a business deal with the Japanese supplier. In order to accomplish the business deal the management of the Blades Inc has two choices one is to purchase two call options contracts and the second is to purchase one futures contract. The tendency of futures price on yen has historically tilted towards discount with respect to the existing spot rate and the firm is willing to use currency options in order to hedge payables in Japanese yen. They prefer currency option because of the uncomfortable leaving the position and also the historical volatility in the yen. But the CFO prefers the options offer over forward contracts or futures contracts due to its flexibility and wants to use the exercise price of 5 percent above the existing spot rate. In general, options on Yen required a premium of 1. 5 percent of the total transaction amount that would be paid if the option is exercised. Moreover, if the firm uses the future yen spot rate, then the decision is purely based on a cost. The optimal hedging strategy is not the lowest-cost alternative because the firm is the in the position of assessing the risk. The firm is working upon hedging because of prevailing unsure market condition. So the perfect hedge reduces the risk associated with the currency. B Answers of the Questions 1. The table shows the option choices for Blades Inc. If they are not willing to pay more than 5% (above spot rate) then the exercise price of $0. 00756 should be considered while on the respective side the premium on that particular option is 2% (more expensive) of exercise price. The option premium is higher is that respective which the firm normally willing to pay. The firm also pays a lower premium by purchasing and considering another option whose exercise price of $0. 00792 but that exercise price is 10% higher than the spot rate. This particular alternative is not feasible for the company because the firm is not willing to pay moire than 5% on the prevailing spot rate. So if the firm wants continue to use option the management of the company either prefers a higher premium than it would prefer, or a higher exercise price that limits the effectiveness of the hedge. If the firm is willing to use an option then the tradeoff is paying a premium of $1,417. 50 to limit the payables amount to $99,000 or paying a premium of $1,890 to limit the payables amount to $94,500. The preference of the option is based upon the assessment of the analyst regarding the Yen (Gerald I. White, Ashwinpaul C Sondhi, and Dov Fried ,2001). 2. Blades Inc also remains unhedged but its preference is towards hedge because of the volatile and fickle movements happen before the events. They are more desirable towards hedge because of the disruption and uncertainty associated with the yen’s future value. Since future prices are not influenced with the doubtful and uncertain events. The management of the company should prefer the futures contracts as an alternative to options. Thus, the firm is willing to purchase future contracts which enable the management to lock its future payments with any undue disruption (Steinherr, 1998). 3. In the market speculators who want to capitalize their expectation and anticipation towards the yen’s future movement, then the anticipation towards future spot rate would be equal to the futures rate. For example, if the speculator wants that Yen should appreciate they should eyeing to buy the Yen. If the Yen appreciates, the speculator buys the Yen’s future rate in two months and sells them at the prevailing sport rate at that particular time. Thus, if the market expectation and sentiments are high towards Yen then the Yen will appreciate and the all the speculators will engage in the similar action. This action enforces towards upward pressure on the future rates and downwards pressure on the expected future spot rate. This ongoing process continues until the future rate is equal to the expected future spot rate. Therefore, the expected spot rate at the point of delivery is equal to the future rate, $0. 006912 (Tsetsekos Varangis, 1997, and, van der Bijl, 1996). 4. The best possible choice at the given future spot rate is described in the question 3 but the decision is solely made on the basis of cost because acquisition of one future contract makes an impact on the actual cost of $86,400 on the delivery date. The actual cost on the delivery dates in the form of purchase of Yen my deviate from this value. It is depending upon moment of Yen between the order and delivery date. Therefore, the firm probably prefers to use future contract over the remaining unhedged time. 5. No as disclose in the case the Yen is very volatile so due to that fact the actual costs might be tilting towards lower side either the firm uses an option to hedge the yen payable or remained unhedged. By applying a future contract to hedge it also locks the price of the firm which they are willing to buy Yen at the given time frame. Moreover, firm forgoes the cost advantage that effects the depreciation of Yen at the given point of time. In that particular scenario, the firm is flexible enough to buy yen at the spot rate but this flexibility is not available with the future contracts (Hunt, Philip and Kennedy, Joanne, 2004).

The Lost Honor Killing For False Honor Criminology Essay

The Lost Honor Killing For False Honor Criminology Essay An honor killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community. Honor killings are directed mostly against women and girls, but have been extended to men. Qays bin Asim, ancient leader of Banu Tamim is credited by some historians as the first to kill children on the basis of honor. It is recorded that he murdered all of his daughters to prevent them from ever causing him any kind of dishonor. The perceived dishonor is normally the result of one of the following behaviors, or the suspicion of such behaviors: dressing in a manner unacceptable to the family or community, wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage or desiring to marry by own choice, especially if to a member of a social group deemed inappropriate, engaging in heterosexual acts outside marriage and engaging in homosexual acts. Human Rights Watch defines honor killings as follows: Honor killings are acts of vengeance, usually death, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce-even from an abusive husband-or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that dishonors her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life. Men can also be the victims of honor killings by members of the family of a woman with whom they are perceived to have an inappropriate relationship. The loose term honor killing applies to killing of both males and females in cultures that practice it. Some women who bridge social divides, publicly engage other communities, or adopt some of the customs or the religion of an outside group may be attacked. In countries that receive immigration, some otherwise low-status immigrant men and boys have asserted their dominant patriarchal status by inflicting honor killings on women family members who have participated in public life, for example in feminist and integration politics. Honor killing in India Terming love marriage as honor killing for families is a primitive thought. Even we talk about culture and tradition, then also just pick up the epic and you find that then also alliances happened only as love marriages. People here are just running after fake and rotten concepts, which actually have no meaning and gravity. Recently, there has been a spate of honor killings in the country and this has led the government to decide what laws should be put in place to stop this heinous crime. More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to Honor Killings linked to forced marriages and the country needs to introduce stringent legislation to deal firmly with these heinous crimes. Supreme Court has said the government must explain what it is doing to prevent honor killings. Taking note of the rise in honor crimes, the Supreme Court demanded responses from the federal government and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Honor killing is the murder of any family member or social group member by other people due to the belief of perpetrators who feel that the murdered persons actions have brought dishonor upon the family or group. The loose term honor killing applies to killing of both males and fem ales in cultures that practice it. The most watched scenes of honor killing in our country are reflecting that this is a death that is awarded to a man or woman of the family for marrying against the parents wishes, having extramarital and premarital relationships, marrying within the same gotra (Brahmins use gotra for deciding marriages) or outside ones caste or marrying a cousin from a different caste. In fact we have had a tradition of honor killing. This tradition was first viewed in its most horrible form during the Partition of the country in between the years 1947 and 1950 when many women were forcefully killed so that family honor could be preserved. During the Partition, there were a lot of forced marriages which were causing women from India to marry men from Pakistan and vice-versa. And then there was a search to hunt down these women who were forced to marry a person from another country and another religion and when they returned home they were killed so that the family honor could be preserved and they w ere not declared social outcastes from their region. At that time, the influence of religion and social control was much greater and hence there were at least a couple of honor killings a day, if not more. The partition years can be seen to be the beginning of the tradition of honor killing on a large scale. The misconception about honor killing is that this is a practice that is limited to the rural areas. The truth is that it is spread over such a large geographical area that we cannot isolate honor killings to rural areas only, though one has to admit that majority of the killings take place in the rural areas. But it has also been seen recently that even the metropolitan cities like Delhi and Tamil Nadu are not safe from this crime because 5 honor killings were reported from Delhi and in Tamil Nadu; a daughter and son in law were killed due to marriage into the same gotra. The second misconception regarding honor killing is that it has religious roots. Even if a woman commits adultery, there have to be four male witnesses with good behavior and reputation to validate the charge. Furthermore only the State can carry out judicial punishments, but never an individual vigilante. So, we can clearly see that there is no religious backing or religious roots for this heinous crime. Reasons of honor killing Sociologists believe that the reason why honor killings continue to take place is because of the continued rigidity of the caste system. The fear of losing their caste status through which they gain many benefits makes them commit this heinous crime. The other reason why honor killings are taking place is because the mentality of people has not changed and they just cannot accept that marriages can take place in the same gotra or outside ones caste. The root of the cause for the increase in the number of honor killings is because the formal governance has not been able to reach the rural areas and as a result. Thus, this practice continues though it should have been removed by now. Honor killing in different states of India and communities Honor killings have been reported in northern regions of India, mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, as a result of people marrying without their familys acceptance, and sometimes for marrying outside their caste or religion. In contrast, honor killings are rare to non-existent in South India and the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. In some other parts of India, notably West Bengal, honor killings ceased about a century ago, largely due to the activism and influence of reformists such as Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Vidyasagar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Among Rajputs, marriages with members of other castes can provoke the killing of the married couple and immediate family members. This form of honor killing is attributed to Rajput culture and traditional views on the perceived purity of a lineage. The Indian state of Punjab has a large number of honor killings. According to data compiled by the Punjab Police, 34 honor killings were reported in the state between 2008 and 2010: 10 in 2008, 20 in 2009, and four in 2010. Haryana and Uttarakhand are also notorious for incidents of honor killing, mainly in the upper caste of society, among rajputs and jaats. Bhagalpur in the eastern Indian state of Bihar has also been notorious for honor killings. Recent cases include a 16-year-old girl, Imrana, from Bhojpur who was set on fire inside her house in a case of what the police called moral vigilantism. The victim had screamed for help for about 20 minutes before neighbours arrived, only to find her smouldering body. She was admitted to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries. In May 2008, Jayvirsingh Bhadodiya shot his daughter Vandana Bhadodiya and struck her on the head with an axe. In June 2010 some incidents were reported even from Delhi. In a landmark judgment in March 2010, Karnal district court ordered the execution of five perpetrators of an honor killing in Kaithal, and imprisoning for life the khap (local caste-based council) chief who ordered the killings of Manoj Banwala (23) and Babli (19), a man and woman of the same clan who eloped and married in June 2007. Despite having been given police protection on court orders, they were kidnapped; their mutilated bodies were found a week later in an irrigation canal. Fight against honor crimes: A tale of five girls Mukesh Malik 28 Mukesh became eyesore of her family members when in 2006 she told about her wish for inter-caste marriage.I was jailed in my own house for three months, she said.According to Mukesh, her parents did not like her idea for an inter-caste marriage. Then, they started looking a boy of their choice for me but I preferred to leave the village, she added. A degree holder in mass communication, Mukesh joined a vernacular for her livelihood. Though, after some time she left the job and started working for a woman organization, AIDWA. On March 29, 2011, she finally married a journalist, who is not from her catse. Seema 25 Seemas brother Manoj alongwith his wife Babli were killed for marrying in the same gotra. A constable in Haryana police, Seema alongwith her mother is fighting for justice in the courts against the killers. They are pitted against khap panchayats across the region and the political establishment. She is living under police protection. Monika, 20 Monika, a graduation student of a Sonipat college, was reportedly married to Gaurav Saini of Delhi in 2009. In the documentary, Gaurav tells about Monicas struggle to lead an independent life and the subsequent problems their marriage faced since they belonged to different castes. Anjali Chahal, 24 Anjali sees education as a way to break out of the arranged marriage and domestic life her family wants for her. Her M.Phil thesis, on honour crimes, is her answer to the voice of tradition. Despite the proliferating educational standards and economic prosperity, the society and I say the civil society including the niche, where I come from, justify the killings in the name of so-called honor. My hunch is to unravel the underlying reasons and desires of the aggressiveness of this particular community in Haryana. Geetika, 20 Geetika, a student of Delhi University, directs a street play on honour crimes. She approaches the play keeping in mind her own need to question the belief systems she was heir to. Legal Terming the practice of khap panchayats of handing down punishment to couples who go for sagotra or inter-caste marriage as flagrant violation of the law, the Law Commission came up with a draft legislation which seeks to make such acts a non-bailable offence. The Home Ministry had made proposal to amend Sec 300 of the IPC to define honour killing as separate crime. Out of 28 states, 18 have responded with Haryana opposing any such move and states like UP, Delhi and Rajasthan supporting the idea. On 5  August 2010, in a Parliament session, Chidambaram proposed a bill that included public stripping of women and externment of young couples from villages and any act which is humiliating will be punished with severity' There is also a proposal to amend the Evidence Act, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Special Marriage Act to check the menace of honour killing through a draft bill The Indian Penal Code and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2010, government sources told PTI. The law commission of India has said there is no need to alter the definition of murder under Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to deal with honour killings. The commission is prima facie of the view that there is no need for introducing a provision in Section 300 IPC in order to bring the so-called honour killings within the ambit of this provision, the panel said in a consultation paper. The motive behind killing a person does not furnish real justification to introduce a separate provision in Section 300. Probably, the addition of such a clause may create confusion and interpretational difficulties, The panel was particularly concerned in view of the reported proposal to shift the onus of proof in such cases from the prosecution to the defence i.e. the accused. This means the accused would be deemed guilty until he is able to prove his innocence during trial. The panel, however, agreed that there was a need to deal with the problem. In what could preempt such offences, the panel suggested that unlawful assembly of people for taking action in case of marriages against the mandate of the society should be made an offence punishable under law. In June 2010, scrutinizing the increasing number of honor killings, the Supreme Court of India issued notices to the Central Government and six states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to take preventive measures against honor killings. Alarmed by the rise of honor killings, the Government planned to bring a bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament July 2010 to provide for deterrent punishment for honor killings International aspect of honor killing Its worth mentioning here that Honor Killing is not specifically related to India only. This is a practice that continues to be prevailing in North and South America, Africa, Turkey and many other countries. But the thing that has to be kept in mind is that the number of incidents relating to this crime is very low and there is a very strict punishment for committing this crime in other countries. Many womens groups in the Middle East and Southwest Asia suspect that more than 20,000 women are killed each year. Changing cultural and economic status of women has also been used to explain the occurrences of honor killings. Women in largely patriarchal cultures who have gained economic independence from their families go against their male-dominated culture. Some researchers argue that the shift towards greater responsibility for women and less for their fathers may cause their male family members to act in oppressive and sometimes violent manners in order to regain authority. This change of culture can also be seen to have an effect in Western cultures such as Britain where honor killings often arise from women seeking greater independence and adopting seemingly Western values. For women who trace their ancestry back to the Middle East or South Asia, wearing clothes that are considered Western, having a boyfriend, or refusing to accept an arranged marriage are all offenses that can and have led to an honor killing. Countries where the law is interpreted to allow men to kill female relatives in a premeditated effort as well as for crimes of passions, in flagrante delicto in the act of committing adultery, include: Haiti: Article 269 of the penal code states in the case of adultery as provided for in Article 284, the murder by a husband of his wife and/or her partner, immediately upon discovering them in flagrante delicto in the conjugal abode, is to be pardoned. Jordan: Part of article 340 of the Penal Code states that he who discovers his wife or one of his female relatives committing adultery and kills, wounds, or injures one of them, is exempted from any penalty. This has twice been put forward for cancellation by the government, but was retained by the Lower House of the Parliament, in 2003: a year in which at least seven honor killings took place. Article 98 of the Penal Code is often cited alongside Article 340 in cases of honor killings. Article 98 stipulates that a reduced sentence is applied to a person who kills another person in a fit of fury'. Countries that allow men to kill female relatives in flagrante delicto (but without premeditation) include: Syria: In 2009, Article 548 of the Syrian Law code was amended. Beforehand, the article waived any punishment for males who committed murder on a female family member for inappropriate sex acts. Article 548 states that He who catches his wife or one of his ascendants, descendants or sister committing adultery (flagrante delicto) or illegitimate sexual acts with another and he killed or injured one or both of them benefits from a reduced penalty, that should not be less than 2 years in prison in case of a killing. Article 192 states that a judge may opt for reduced punishments (such as short-term imprisonment) if the killing was done with an honorable intent. In addition to this, Article 242 says that a judge may reduce a sentence for murders that were done in rage and caused by an illegal act committed by the victim. Countries that allow husbands to kill only their wives in flagrante delicto (based upon the Napoleonic code) include: Morocco: Revisions to Moroccos criminal code in 2003 helped improve womens legal status by eliminating unequal sentencing in adultery cases. Article 418 of the penal code granted extenuating circumstances to a husband who kills, injures, or beats his wife and/or her partner, when catching them in flagrante delicto while committing adultery. While this article has not been repealed, the penalty for committing this crime is at least now the same for both genders. In two Latin American countries, similar laws were struck down over the past two decades: according to human rights lawyer Julie Mertus in Brazil, until 1991 wife killings were considered to be non-criminal honor killings; in just one year, nearly eight hundred husbands killed their wives. Similarly, in Colombia, until 1980, a husband legally could kill his wife for committing adultery. Countries where honor killing is not legal but is known to occur include: Italy: Article 133 and 62 of the Italian Penal Code offer the possibility of reduced sentencing and punishment for crimes that occur within the offenders cultural norms. In the case of honor killings and other honor related crimes, these articles could possibly allow for honor killing offenders to justify the murder with claims that the killing was done because of cultural traditions. Italian Parliament member, Souad Sbai, suggested in 2010 that Italy amend these articles so that honor killings do not have extra protection under Italian law. Turkey: In Turkey, persons found guilty of this crime are sentenced to life in prison. There are well documented cases, where Turkish courts have sentenced whole families to life imprisonment for an honor killing. The most recent was on January 13, 2009, where a Turkish Court sentenced five members of the same Kurdish family to life imprisonment for the honor killing of Naile Erdas, 16, who got pregnant as a result of rape. Pakistan: Honor killings are known as karo kari. The practice is supposed to be prosecuted under ordinary killing, but in practice police and prosecutors often ignore it. Often a man must simply claim the killing was for his honor and he will go free. Nilofar Bakhtiar, advisor to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, stated that in 2003, as many as 1,261 women were killed in honor killings. The Hudood Ordinances of Pakistan, enacted in 1979 by then ruler General Zia-ul-Haq, created laws that realigned Pakistani rule with Islamic law. The law had the effect of reducing the legal protections for women, especially regarding sex outside of the marriage. Women who made accusations of rape, after this law, were required to provide four male witnesses. If unable to do this, the alleged rape could not be prosecuted in the courts. Because the woman had admitted to sex outside of marriage, however, she could be punished for having sex outside of the marriage, a punishment that ranged from stoning to pu blic lashing. This law made it that much more risky for women to come forward with accusations of rape. In 2006, the Womens Protection Bill amended these Hudood Ordinances by removing four male witnesses as a requirement for rape allegations. On December 8, 2004, under international and domestic pressure, Pakistan enacted a law that made honor killings punishable by a prison term of seven years, or by the death penalty in the most extreme cases. Womens rights organizations were, however, wary of this law as it stops short of outlawing the practice of allowing killers to buy their freedom by paying compensation to the victims relatives. Womens rights groups claimed that in most cases it is the victims immediate relatives who are the killers, so inherently the new law is just whitewash. It did not alter the provisions whereby the accused could negotiate pardon with the victims family under the Islamic provisions. In March 2005 the Pakistani parliament rejected a bill which sought to s trengthen the law against the practice of honor killing. However, the bill was brought up again, and in November 2006, it passed. It is doubtful whether or not the law would actually help women. Egypt: A number of studies on honor crimes by The Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, includes one which reports on Egypts legal system, noting a gender bias in favor of men in general, and notably article 17 of the Penal Code: judicial discretion to allow reduced punishment in certain circumstance, often used in honor killings case. Conclusion What can we do to prevent such a thing from happening? Firstly, the mentality of the people has to change. And when we say that the mentality has to change, we mean to say that parents should accept their childrens wishes regarding marriage as it is they who have to lead a life with their life partners and if they are not satisfied with their life partner then they will lead a horrible married life which might even end in suicide. Parents might be right sometimes but killing own children in the name of honor doesnt leads to honor instead give birth to another crime. I would like to quote an example that if one cow is black in color, the other is brown, this one is white, another is black and whiteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦yet the milk from all of them is white in color. All are different paths to one destination. We live in a Universe and not Multi-verse. The man god created was not supposed to be divided and the discrimination in any form is the lowest understanding of life. Secondly, we need to have stricter laws to tackle these kinds of killings as this is a crime which cannot be pardoned because Humans do not have the right to write down death sentences of innocent fellow humans. Its alarming time and the need is toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Stir our soul, arouse our mind, the truth is awakening. Is there any justification? Does our Hindu Religion support such brutal acts? Well, who cares for the Dharma! Honor killing is related more too social clout and less to the religion. What is the Indian government doing then? It is yet to get acquainted with the changing reality! Even if it becomes, nothing is going to happen. The government structure remains vulnerable to the whims of power and muscles. Whats the solution then? Honor killing is going to be in full swing. At last I would like to pray, Into that HEAVEN OF FREEDOM, my FATHER, let my country awakeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦

Personal Narrative - One of My Most Coveted Achievements :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

One of My Most Coveted Achievements    Dr. Ross’ Comments: This essay is a very good example of a personal experience shared by the writer. She clearly describes an important episode in her life and vividly reveals a part of her true â€Å"self† to her audience.    What began in my life as yet another effort in weight loss became one of my most coveted achievements. After the birth of our third child, and too many pounds that were not disappearing, we purchased a small above ground pool. While the kids splashed, I began my aquatic exercise program. Within a short time, I yearned to swim laps in a larger pool, and soon we were swimming at Southeastern Louisiana University’s near Olympic size facility. Setting my sights on becoming a long distance swimmer, I had indeed begun to lose weight as my fitness improved. I discovered a real satisfaction from swimming. As I learned to improve my stroke and lung capacity, I savored the quiet world that I was immersed in during my workouts. It became my special time to allow my thoughts to glide as effortlessly as my body did while my distance increased to an uninterrupted mile. I truly loved the permanent smell of chlorine on my skin. I was a swimmer. The coach of the adult swim team invited me to join, and I was delighted to be considered an athlete of any kind. Morning workouts with the team were now interspersed with my evenings at the pool with my children, as I prepared to enter the world of competition. Shortly before one meet, our coach had recruited several twenty year old, physically fit men to join our team. Having now competed a few times, I was no longer a novice, but still not a veteran. I fully expected this to be like most of my team practices, faster than the slowest, but not able to keep up with the more skillful swimmers. The pool was unusually empty for the day before a competition as some chose that time to rest and restore in order to be in peak condition for the event. I only recall the coach, these new swimmers and myself in the water. As the coach called out the directions for each lap, his voice bounced off the walls that shimmered with the under water lights that seemed to move as the water ripples above.

Marriage and New Brand-name Establishments

– What a surprise to see you here. How many ages, since we’ve last seen, what’s new? – Oh, a lot of things. We’ve moved to another city, it’s much more comfortable to live in a city, not in countryside. It’s faster to get to the job, there are much more amusements and children are enraptured with their new school! – As for me, I don’t agree with you that live in the city is much easier, it’s healthier to live in the countryside, and, besides, what happened to you? I remember, that you had told, that you’ll never move to another place. We were all delighted about our city after graduation.By the way it has changed much. – You see, life moves fast, so I try to be in the swim. Now I think it’s time to move in the cities, it’s much more interesting there, much more employment prospects. And how are you? – I have left in our town after graduation. My life has changed a lot. We were gra duated as lawyers, but then I realized that law is not something for me, so I became a designer. – Oh, dear, what you are talking about? Are there any other women who would graduate from university of law and become a designer? Oh, well, you’ve always amazed me with your decisions.So, I see you’ve got married as well. – Yes, do you remember Harry? Our group mate? He is my husband. – Oh, what a surprise, my congratulations! Is he is still working as a legal assistant? – No, he is a court-appointed attorney. He used to work hard, finally he got this high position, I’m so proud of him. – You seem to have a very happy family life. I have never thought that you would become such a nice and adorable wife, you used to tell, that you’re going to take up the world as the best lawyer the earth ever seen and now you tell me, that you’re married and proud of your husband making your career. I do, I used to work as attorney as well, but I have left the job, because it’s very difficult for me to combine job and family. Now I am making some money on the side being a designer for one of those new brand-name establishments in our town. For me it’s very important to be a good wife, and, by the way, we’re waiting a baby. – Are you serious? Such a great piece of news! My congratulations. And as for me, I’ve got divorced. My husband didn’t like that I’m working so much, it was the time, when I was coming up to the world, I didn’t like the idea to risk with my career for living with him, so it was the end. But I know that you have a wonderful daughter, how old is she? – She is nine. We’ve got divorced after her birth. It was a good experience for me. I will not marry anyone, who’s going to teach me how to live. – You sound very independent. Are you really happy being single, I mean are you really sure of that kind, that happiness is when you’re making up your career and there’s no man in your life, who would take care of you? – Oh no, I just don’t want to live with somebody, who thinks, that my opinion is not that important as his.As for family, I hope to meet somebody, a true love, you see, and I feel, that this moment is quite near. – You’re right, and I’m sure, you’ll meet it very soon. Do you remember Patrick? – Oh yes, that boy from our group, that I used to like so much. – He was quite interested, when he heard that you’re coming to our city and he wants to see you. What do you think about going to an alumni reunion this evening? – I’d love to! I’ll be there. – Ok, see ya there, I’ll wait you in the hall at 6 pm – Ok)

Classroom Assessment Essay

Introduction Assessment is the process of obtaining information about a student academic status in school. According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), assessment is a continueous process, and an integral part of the classroom instruction process. â€Å"It helps in determining learning readiness, in monitoring and improving learning, and in grading or clarifying students achievement † (p. V). The purpose of assessment is to obtain information about a student academic status in order to make decisions on how to help students, teachers and school improve. Proper interpretation of the assessment result is key component in deciding the implication for both the student and teacher. Interpretation of the results For the purpose of this assignment, the assessment results are based on a formative reading assessment used to measure the extent to which students have mastered a specific learning outcome for vocabulary unit in a hypothetical remedial reading class of struggling readers. According to Gronlund & Waugh (2009), formative assessment is used to monitor student progress during instruction and is designed to measure mastery of the learning outcomes of a limited segment of instruction. The test is a criterion- referenced because Assessment Development and Use According to Gronlund and Waugh (2009), careful consideration must be given in planning and preparing the assessment. Specific questions concerning the goals of the curriculum, instructional objectives, learning outcomes, and procedures for the assessment were major focus in developing the assessment (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The institution provided guidelines of what the students should know and able to do. As a result, reviewing the specific instructional objective outcomes and constructing relevant test items were keys in developing the assessment. In constructing each test item, addition, focus was given to the selection type and matching items to specific learning outcomes. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å" Use the item type that provide the most direct measures of student performance specified by the intended learning outcome† (p. 76) Assessment Interpretation and Grading Gronlund and Waugh (2009), described two types of assessment interpretations. Norm-referenced interpretation compares an individual performance with others. Criterion- referenced interpretation compares the individual with himself and tells what and how each individual performs without comparison to others (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). The assessment is criterion-referenced, and is one of many assessments throughout the course. The result from the assessment will be used to indicate the extent of which each student master the specific knowledge and skill taught in the unit. Grades assigned to the students work will represent the extent to which the instructional objectives have been achieved (Gronlund and Waugh, 2009). Students will be assigned a letter grade (A, B, C, or D) according to their performance on the assessment. Gronlund and Waugh (2009) stated, â€Å"letter grades are typically assigned by comparing a student’s performance to a prespecified standard of performance† (p. 192). The results will not be used to compare student performance against others, but will aid in planning instruction for future lessons. I chose criterion-referenced assessment as a means of helping students achieve mastery of the instruction, and improve learning by determining what they know and what they don’t know. Grading Rubric References Angelo, T. A. , & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: a handbook for college teachers (2nd ed. ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Gronlund, N. E. , & Waugh, C. K. (2009). Assessment of student achievement (9th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

A play that demonstrates the emptiness of the American dream ‘Death of a Salesman’ Essay

â€Å"A play that demonstrates the emptiness of the American dream†. How far do you agree with this assessment of ‘Death of a Salesman’? It is evident from the first view of ‘death of a salesman’ that there are definite, negative realities in the American dream. From writing this play, Miller has strongly illustrated that the American dream produces an image that human worth and values can be measured in financial terms. During 1940’s America, capitalism and consumerism was at it’s strongest with the American dream acting as a predator to the unsuspicious, determined and success-hungry businessmen of America. Although some of these men prospered in creating a successful business and earned a lot of money, others failed and felt that their own small achievements were empty and insignificant. In the play, Willy (like other American salesmen) has focused his life and attention on achieving the American dream and being a successful role model to his sons. Willy, however, does not accomplish success and instead falls victim to capitalism. His main belief is that popularity leads to personal and business triumph, and materialistic items prove that he is well liked and loved by his friends and family. Even though Willy cannot afford expansive gifts, the American dream is based on materialising love and values and Willy does this when he buys Biff and Happy a punch bag branded with ‘Gene Tunney’s signature’. Although at first this gift seems appreciated, rather than flatter and excite, materialism and brand names haunted Willy with debt and insecurity, yet he felt obliged to provide for his sons and determined to succeed in the American dream. Willy is a failure and his suicide attempts displayed an unproductive, exhausted man. He feels that what he does attain are empty achievements and his bad points and reasons for failure were obvious; such as instilling false values into his sons. It can be interpreted that, because Willy was ineffective, when he did achieve something, it was insignificant and empty; although some critics may feel that his lack of success may mean he put more pride in his minor accomplishments such as DIY around the house. This is shown when Willy is trying to impress his neighbour Charley by saying ‘Did you see the ceiling I put in the living-room?’ Willy and Linda had only one payment left on their twenty five year mortgage before the house is their own, and Linda feels quite content and happy about this. But Willy is still unhappy, questioning the reason for owning the house in the first place: ‘What point?’. Owning the house is an empty accomplishment for Willy, even though it took so long to achieve. ‘Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody left to live in it’. this alone demonstrates the emptiness of consumerism and the American dream. It is also illustrated that the American dream is an empty achievement when, at the beginning of the play, Happy and Biff are discussing their employment and future. At this point, Happy indicates that his manager’s success is empty, with him building a house that ‘he can’t enjoy once it’s finished’. Happy states that he is generally achieving everything that he wanted, yet they are not important to him; they are empty accomplishments. He even questions the reason why he is working just as Willy questioned the point of the house, because all he is achieving from working is pointless and empty success. It could be argued that Miller is trying to pursue the idea that it is the process of success that is more important than success itself. This strongly questions American values, as many people follow the American dream which holds the belief that material items are more important and that they represent personal and business victory. However, Happy is successful personally to compensate for his empty achievements as a clerk. He seduces the fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e’s of his managers because he has an ‘over-developed sense of competition’ – Happy takes what he wants even though he apparently ‘hates himself for it’, indicating the use of the bad morals taught to the boys by Willy. This again could be construed as an purposeless success in the process of achieving the American dream. Another point of perspective is that the women, like materialistic items and commercialism, may produce status in the American social system, but they also produce stress and not necessarily happiness. Willy is in constant competition with his neighbour Charley, continuously aiming to be ‘bigger than Uncle Charley’ and promising his sons this success. This point suggests that materialism and the American dream are more important than general well-being and human worth, and some critics feel that through this neighbourly competition, Miller is questioning the values of America as a whole. Willy’s mind and psychology also breakdown because of his obsession with the American dream, and his dreams become illusions. Eventually, Willy is fighting with illusions and reality and believes all he is worth is his insurance money, stressing the idea that the American dream is empty and human values can be measured economically. The irony of Linda declaring ‘we’re free’ at the end of the play is both ironic and tragic as although she is now free of debt, the empty American dream the illuded both Willy and herself is still holding her and others ensnared. On the other hand, in contrast to Willy, Charley is successful and has a fulfilling career and achieved the American dream. Willy is very envious of Charley, so much so that his pride, jealousy and stubbornness prevents him from accepting a job off Charley, even when he is unemployed: ‘I just can’t work for you, Charley’. Similarly, Howard, although cruel to Willy and fires him, is very successful. He has a happy, idealistic family life. He is able to afford materialistic goods, can provide for his family, is not overridden by debt and is generally fulfilled by his success and the American dream. Howard is very proud and boastful to have achieved the American dream and this is shown when he boasts his tape recorder to Willy, who is obviously resentful. Howard’s other material possessions appear to be unimportant compared to the tape recorder and are no longer required, showing Howard to be a rather wasteful person. This again implies that, in difference to Willy, Howard is extremely successful and is relishing in consumerism, finding the American dream very rewarding. However, another point of view could be that Howard, like Willy, finds the American dream empty as he is not enjoying what he has achieved, and is just replacing everything with a more modern or expensive model. In dissimilarity to Willy, Charley is a genuine, kind and caring neighbour, and is not at all in competition with Willy. Therefore, Charley values human worth and this suggests that American values are not concentrated mainly on accomplishment. Charley has not let the American dream influence his ideas of human worth and values, and he does not think that human life can be measured financially. He actually seems genuinely worried at Willy’s hints towards suicide and says to him ‘nobody’s worth nothing’ dead’. Charley is realistic compared to Willy, who is idealistic and living in his own fantasy. Through his success, Charley sees Willy’s faults and reasons for his failure and tries to make Willy acknowledge this by constantly asking ‘Willy, when are you going to grow up?’. Charley recognises Willy’s fantasies are wrong and he tries to help him. This shows that the American dream has not diminished Charley’s character as it has Willy’s and Charley’s success mean she can help Willy financially. This can be interpreted as Charley using his satisfying achievements to help Willy. For Charley, his dream has become a reality not an illusion. Charley may have also become victim to capitalism but, in comparison to Willy, he is thriving off it whereas it is destroying Willy. He is content with his success and feels fulfilled by his achievements, suggesting that the play does not entirely demonstrate the emptiness of the American dream but the fulfilments also. Miller himself argues that the play is not entirely based on the faults of the American dream although it does question American values very powerfully. He strengthens his argument because, although Willy is defeated by the American dream, Charley is entirely successful without creating personal flaws from his dreams of success. Bernard, his son, is also a genuine (as well as successful) person; a complete difference from Willy’s sons. As a result, ‘Death of a salesman’ almost perfectly depicts aspects of the American dream today. Our twenty first century ideals, dreams and illusions echo, even more so perhaps, the prosperous America of fifty years ago. It can be related to by people of our culture today as well as those from the 1940’s, making the powerful reminders of the illusion focused on in ‘Death of a Salesman’ completely relevant to our world. It is from this that I have come to the conclusion that, although ‘Death of a Salesman’ subtly contains stories of success due to the American dream, this play is a textbook illustration of the emptiness of the American dream and consumerism; where failure and disappointment eats away at happiness and confidence, but success is, similarly, an empty accomplishment.

The Role of Environmental and Geographical Factors in the Conquest of Essay

The Role of Environmental and Geographical Factors in the Conquest of the Aztec Empire - Essay Example The Role of Environmental and Geographical Factors in the Conquest of the Aztec Empire Matthew Restall is a pioneering professor who has also discovered that history has been exaggerated in terms of how conquistadors actually captured the ancient settlement in Mexico.It becomes abundantly clear that the downfall of the Aztec empire was not merely an outcome of the conquistador’s attack, but the compounded effect of other elements such as germs and epidemics, geographical conditions such as drought, famines, modern weaponry and the deployment of steel on weapons and armor as well as the hatred people had against the ruler Montezuma. Many people believed that the victory of the conquistadors was because of their better evolution than the Aztec population. Evidence from historical accounts also tended to support this theory. The Mesoamerican people were considered to be barbarians and, while this might arise out of their rituals such as human sacrifices and cannibalism, such religious acts do not necessarily measure the enlightenment of a particular race. Jared Dia mond in â€Å"Guns, Germs, and Steel,† one of his most significant books, tried to set right such misconceptions regarding the fall of the great Aztec Empire. He professed that race and ethnicity do not determine one culture’s superiority over the other, and he used this theory to counter the general belief of how the conquistadors won. ... Diamond and Restall believe that the collapse of the Aztec Empire was a result of â€Å"Spanish germs, horses, literacy, political organization, and technology† (Diamond 28). The Aztec Empire was a flourishing civilization with its own food production methods, fertile lands, and was comprised of hard-working people including farmers. The population had evolved from hunter-gatherers and was now a full-fledged settlement backed with ample infrastructure. With the help of farming and cultivation the Aztecs were able to yield a lot of food surplus that could support non-farmers as well as women and children. Now food surplus meant more population and more population meant more risk of diseases and exposure to various types of disease causing germs. Furthermore, the population was also advanced in terms of domestication of various animals, which was again a primary source of spreading diseases. The natives spent much time with animals and further utilized animals to transport the f ood surpluses from one place to the other, which left more than sufficient chance for the germs to be transferred to humans as well as those food materials. However, throughout time, the indigenous people had developed some immunity against these germs. Despite such immunity, when the conquistadors arrived in Mesoamerica, they brought with them different germs that originated from foreign lands. These germs caused an incurable disease at the time, namely small-pox, to which the Aztecs had no resistance. Therefore, diseases caused through both indigenous germs as well as Eurasian germs resulted in the deaths of a lot of people, as there was significant contact among both exposed and unexposed individuals. Besides, this fact was evidenced by Diamond when he said that â€Å"99 percent of previously