Corporal Images

First and foremost, it is of dire importance to draw a distinction between appearing to be ethical and actually using ethical considerations. There has been an attempt by several corporations to appear to be ethical. In these instances there has only been an effort to reach an immediate goal of prosperity. Of course this will work in the short run but in a sophisticated society â€Å"fake† will not survive. With the advances in technology and the increase of information, we as a community are becoming better informed. It is only a matter of searching and gathering the facts to make the decisive decision of proceeding with a certain company. In current times the line dividing truly ethical considerations and appearing to be ethical are becoming much easier to distinguish but in several cases are still unclear. In practice ethical considerations lead to a decrease in friction within the public domain. In other words, less conflict will arise between private individuals and corporations when ethical behavior is being be experienced. For corporations, social conflict takes place when behavior is seen as wrongful or unethical but in actuality is perfectly legal. Many times this leads to calls for boycotts from churches or other organizations. Whether the public demonstrates in front of the gates, charitable organizations set up wailing walls, or the media uses pressure through critical reporting, this will mean a definite loss in social recognition of the company in question. Kathy Lee Gifford fell victim to the media a couple years ago when her clothing company was caught abusing child labor laws in factories abroad. Whether this leads to a fall in the share price or there is a measurable loss in sales are of secondary importance. Criticism â€Å"from the outside† generally means that the management role is taken up with defensive activity and therefore not free for the shaping of the future. In the Kathy Lee Gifford case and as in many other cases, the issue faded and disappeared with time. Many economist have said that the most intelligent corporations forbid dealings that could provoke negative social reactions. On the other hand , there is steady increase in evidence that shows a corporation's â€Å"image† can become a competitive advantage when used as a tool of propaganda. This method of approach can in some circumstances be used to gain market advantages as it did for a local fast food chain in California. Jack in the Box was convicted of not entirely cooking their hamburgers which in turn was infecting children with salmonella poisoning. Due to the conviction and the attention from the media, the fast food restaurant was put under strict regulation. In other words, the new enforcement of regulation was a safeguard against the consumption of salmonella. Many individuals saw this as a benefit and as a result wanted to eat at Jack in the Box. This can be a positive market advantage where a corporation gains the attention from negative issue but can in the long run gain a larger market. Another example practiced in the Unites States, is where a number of companies that are not only environmentally exemplary but go beyond the minimum legal requirements. Other costs can arise through conflict with one's employees. The fact that a company is the focus of public criticism can have disastrous results for morale and job satisfaction within a corporation. In the long-term, this can lead to valuable employees looking for other work and leaving the corporation. This can be a detriment when a business is trying to establish itself as reliable As employees are a corporation's most valuable â€Å"capital†, this alone is reason enough why unethical conduct cannot lie in a corporation's interests. Various studies have shown a positive correlation between ethical conduct in a corporation and job satisfaction. Where top management is seen as giving strong support for ethical consideration, job satisfaction increase together with the degree of employee identification with the corporation. Everything points to the conclusion that a positive reciprocal relationship exists between â€Å"job satisfaction† and â€Å"ethical conduct†. The ethical considerations of a corporations play a role in the entirety of value systems, thought and decision patterns, methods of behavior, and structures within a corporation that often emanates a feeling of togetherness and thus boosts motivation to work. The role of the corporation within the community can also reinforce an employees behavior. A business that has been plagued with a negative reputation or considered to be â€Å"unethical† within the neighborhood could lower the morale of its employees. On the other hand, behavior that prompts customers to buy and motivates investors to purchase shares is looked upon with pleasure and pride can also reinforce employees' positive identification. A great example of this can be recognized in San Diego, California. Qualcomm in recent years has become one of the most prominent and successful companies among customers and its community. Not only does this corporation hold a large majority of San Diego employment but it also holds the name of the stadium. Its reputation within the city has given the employees a sense of pride for whom they are working. What Jakob Burckhardt formulated for individuals can also be applied to corporations: they are not just what they are, but also what hey have set themselves as ideals. Even if they do not emulate these to their capacity, a part of their being is marked by the mere fact of wanting to. There are a number of indications that show corporations whose practice ethical conduct are considered as more attractive employers than those which have been publicly criticized due to failure to recognize their responsibilities to the welfare of the community and the environment. A poll taken from Business Week revealed that 88% regard â€Å"work satisfaction†, 67% a â€Å"good working atmosphere†, and 66% a â€Å"job that makes sense† as important criterion in choosing an employer. These are all factors which can hardly be true of companies where Green peace demonstrates in front of the factory gates or churches call for a boycott. Corporations are now no longer measured on what hey produce, but on what they present. The strength of many trends can instantly change at the blink of an eye, especially when the labor market spreads hopelessness for those seeking a career. But an increasing number of individuals, whether as employees or consumers, are taking ethical viewpoints more seriously that 10 or 20 years ago. The next question we should ask ourselves is, why has this happened. Why are we as a society increasing our ethical considerations with corporations? One answer that was stated before is with the increase of information, we as a society are becoming more knowledgeable of our decisions. We are enabling ourselves to make more â€Å"ethical† decisions based on the whims of a corporation. Many of those with responsibility in corporations are complaining about an increase in an already too thick jungle of laws, stipulations, and directives. Commercial freedom, the complaint goes on, can no longer exist within the ever narrower thread of state regulations – too many rules endanger the economic success. There is a great deal of evidence that such complaints have set forth the idea that â€Å"less state† can have an enlivening effect on corporate commitment. Freedom is, however, always an ethical duty and may thus be demanded on only as a correlate of responsibility. Anyone who wishes to help avoid further criticism and correct inappropriate behavior must offer legitimate proof of ethically responsible conduct. Back to the example of fast-food restaurant, Jack in the Box, in order to continue serving the public they were required to prove they cooking their meats to full capacity. They had to provide evidence of corrected demeanor as well as compensation. Ethically responsible corporate dealings mean dealings beyond the status quo, active shaping, and forward-looking ethical balance. Minimal will not do in a society whose wants and needs are infinite. A corporation must not only meet but exceed regulations. Whoever maintains a running battle on current law to defend positions that might have been based on a regulations many years ago but which are now regarded as â€Å"wrongful† and will be even more so in the future, is not being business like but negligent. Such companies that support those social forces will demand tighter controls and more state intervention. Innovation, efficiency, effectiveness, the ability to utilize market potential optimally, recognize the signs of the times, and the art of saving costs and expense in the right place at the right time will continue to be of great importance alongside all the other corporate virtues. However, an additional element will gain in significance: business ethics. It will become more and more a new, solid basis for competitive ability, breaching the limits of classical markets. The more wealthy a society is, the more significant non-material values become. Corporations that act in a visibly ethical way will be preferred by informed consumers more and more. This will become a problem for those corporations that ignore moral aspects, and for other it will be an opportunity to get to the very top.

If I Met Three Famous People Essay

If I met three famous people who I like, I would be one of most happiest people in the world. I don’t know what I would do, but I would be very happy. I will tell you about three famous people who I would like to meet. At first I would like to meet my favourite boy-band Backstreet Boys. It’s the best boy-band in pop music history. They are five guys from the USA, and they became very famous after their album †Millennium† release in 1999. I’m their very big fan since 2007. And if I met them I would be very happy. I would like to meet all of them, because I couldn’t choose one of them. Their music is so great, it helps me and all their other fans. I’m waiting for their new album release . If I meet them, I would ask them how they felt when became famous. Also I would ask them what meaning has the God in their life, because they are religious people. Of course I have more questions to them, also I would tell them about my feelings and emotions. I would tell them that their music has a very special meaning in my life. I think they are the best boy-band in the world and the best singers. After that I would like to meet Katy Perry. She is a young singer and just a nice young lady. I heard about her a half a year ago and I think she is a great singer with big future. I think she is a great singer with beautiful voice and she is also very beautiful. I like the way she sings. If I met her I would be shocked and amazed. I would ask her why her songs have such unusual names. Also I would ask her what she thinks about other singers and specialy about Backstreet Boys. I would tell her how I like her and how I love her songs, songs that make my life happier. Also who I would like to meet is the hockey player Mikelis Redlihs. Of course I don’t know him but I think he is a very nice guy with a good sence of humour. I think that he is a good hockey player and he has the future in sports. Even if he doesn’t play in NHL, he will show himself in his team . He is very fast on the ice and he can hold a puck. If I met him I would ask him how he feels playing hockey, about his life and of course about his team. I want to say all about these people who I like, they made my life better. I will never stop loving and I will respect these people for what they are and what they do. They will always be in my life and in my heart.

Wayexplain How the Relationship Between an Organisation’s Structure and Culture Can Impact on the Performance of the Business

Character Analysis As we all known that the characters leading peoples’ behaviors and thought. In terms of characters influenced by environment and nurture, on the one hand, people do not believe that characters will affect when their make decision, one the other hand, characters will also determine peoples’ job position or the levels of life in the future. Now, let us talk about why characters are important in our life. Regardless of you believe that or not, characters are your label and when you fall in trouble or something happened that characters will make you predict your act.Even you are meeting new people, through the details when you are taking about that will help you making the levels about the person quickly. In fact, all of the details are reflect of peoples’ characters so that we are making character analysis everyday. In this essay I would like talk about my own characters and analysis it. Initially, I will talk about my own positive characters. By the way, my name is Mouzhi-young and my name was given to me by my grandfather. He want to me become an intelligence and ambition person. Of course, young is my family name.I am an easy-going man and I pleasure help others. When my friends get in trouble I always the first man is selected to. On the other hand I think my good quality consist by will power. The thing that I am decided I never give up. That means I will try my best to do. Sometimes my friends think I am a paranoia. Contrary, I also have some negative characters. Partly because of my name, my parents want to me become a useful and successful man so that they have too much wish for me. When I was a child, they ask for me attend a lot of course in the free time.I do don’t know why am I have to spend so much time to study. Then, I guess I hate study and I absolutely acknowledge that the real things are do what you want to do. So I guess I am an idealist. The reason is I do don’t care about others mind and I just care about myself. I won’t put myself in trouble. I think it is not selfish and it is the prefect way to protect myself. Similarly, I pleasure help my friends and I always do that. It is sometimes I just don’t know how to deal with the relationship with other people so that I make the opposite way to do that is try to diminish communication with others.There is important example about myself that I don’t feel like make other people clearly know about me. By my side, I afraid that other known about me too much on account of I am not good at explain and I also hate explain. I never ever try to know about others secrets, so I am wish other people would give me a free. After that, I guess I am too emotional and sensitive. I will profile every thing in my life. It is means I crazy about figure everything it out. g

Persuasive Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Persuasive Speech - Essay Example Even though you may already know a great deal about your topic, read recent articles in order to find the most current data and/or talk to local experts in order to discover local information. You must cite at least 3 sources during your speech. There must be variety in your sources and in the types of supporting materials you use. You must use reliable sources. The collegiate world of sports is a dynamic realm that continues to perplex and fascinate fans all around the world. The world of college is filled with suspense, drama and â€Å"Cinderella-type† stories in which the underdogs prevail while the dominant teams continue to falter. In essence, athletes in college are motivated to excel because of pride and culture. According to the Gallup poll, 85% of college football fans support modifying the bowl game system into a playoff system. Therefore, it is logical that the NCAA should implement a playoff system in the collegiate level because it would resemble the NFL, implement a fair system of picking a winner, and finally would bring millions of revenue that would satisfy colleges. The primary reason why college basketball should implement a playoff system method is because of the fact that both NFL and the NBA have playoffs. In essence, playoffs truly change the storyline of the traditional rankings. Many teams tend to outperform their rivals because of the extra motivation that they achieve by making the playoffs. This example can be brilliantly depicted as the Green Bay Packers won the wild card in the NFC North. After inching to get into the playoffs, the Packers with their 10-6 record prevailed against the Bears and went on to win the Super Bowl. It is evident that the Packers would have never achieved this nominal feat without entering the playoff system that is embedded in the playoffs. Moreover, the playoffs challenge athletes to persevere in times of adversities. The talented individuals that are played in

Exclusionary Rule Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Exclusionary Rule Evaluation - Essay Example The Exclusionary rule is applied where a connection between illegal act by police or law enforcement authorities and the obtained evidence is proven. It is also applied when there is an indirect connection between the evidence and an illegal search. If evidence is collected in good faith, considering that the obtained search warrant is legally correct although it is not. Evidence is retained if the police officer is unaware of mistakes in the issued search warrant. There should be no legally significant mistake. However, technical mistakes can save evidence from being destroyed due to an incomplete warrant (Shestokas, 2008). The Exclusionary rule is widely criticized because in some way, it harms criminal trial proceedings. Due to the application of the Exclusionary rule, important evidence can be missed out due to lack of a search warrant or proper knowledge of police officers and the culprit might be unchained due to lack of legal evidence. Exclusionary rule diverts the attention of the court of law from the original case to details of legal and illegal evidence. Police officers have to work for more and more evidence so that if some of them will be considered illegal, others can work. This clearly depicts wastage of precious time. Cost of evidence collection is also a major issue. Although Exclusionary rule has brought more professionalism to the evidence search department of police and law enforcement agencies of society, it has done a lot to save the constitutional privacy of citizens of the state against professional misconduct of police officers, as it was observed in the past, in order to obtain evidence. Due to observance of the Exclusionary rule in criminal trials, society has to bear the greatest cost of this rule in terms of criminals that go unpunished because of excluded evidence (Lungren, 1996). Once freed from court of justice, culprit’s moral increases and this may consequently result in

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Coca-Cola Company vs. PepsiCo, Inc - Essay Example The two companies have set some pension plans that have had many effects on the companies’ level of investment and risk while also, it affects their levels of sale and production of products. These plans are aimed at benefiting their retired employees while each company uses a quite different approach from the other. The two companies have developed strong public relations across many nations that assist them in linking customers to their company. The International Financial Report Standard (IFRS) has been a significant unit within the management of funds on the pension plan. It helps the companies realize whether the scheme of pension plan brings a loss or a profit for the company. The companies can therefore classify the pension plans as either assets or liabilities according to the IFRS report. It also enables the companies determine whether they have overfunded or underfunded the pension plan. In 2009, the coca-cola company held a third position among the companies that ha ve adopted a cash balance report meant to cater for the pension plan schemes (Diebold, 2010).   The coca-cola executive managers rejected the use of a constitutional approach in funding pension plans. As a result, there were minimized risks to the coca-cola company. Additionally, the company secured more benefits to the employees in comparison to year 2008. Following this actions, the company reported $31.9 billion in revenue operation, which was a higher value compared to $28.9 billion in the preceding year. On the other hand, because of the plan, mobility of the workforce went up while the career benefits accumulated from the plan increased compared to the preceding approach that dealt with pension plan. During the same year, 2009, Pepsi Co Company, through the assistance of the International Financial Report Standard (IFRS), developed a method of offering a final salary pension to the new employees. These were meant to benefit its workers and their family members upon their ret irement. This plan included medical fees among other benefits for the retired employee and is differently calculated. This method required a high quality pension scheme capable of securing the retirement of both the present and the newly employed workers. Up to date, the method is still applied in the company (Warfield et al. 2012). However, the method posed a higher risk to the Pepsi Company and brought in a decline of the total sales of Pepsi as compared to the year 2008. At Pepsi Company, Pension plans cover full time employees while their benefits are determined on the bases of either years of service for the worker, or a combination of service or the years of service. Retirees are eligible for life and medical insurance benefits upon meeting a specific age and service requirements. Their share of the pension costs is capped at certain dollar amounts on bases of years of service. The expected return on the pension plan assets is based on the company’s investment strategy on the pension plan as well as on their expectations for their long-term rates of return. In calculating their funding levels and capital gains in the pension plans, a market-related valuation method that realizes investment loses or gains for the securities included in their equity allocations. With complete reliance to the Financial Report Standard (IFRS), the company ensures that the amount of funds allocated for the pension plan does not exceed the expected gains. This is

Audience Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Audience Analysis - Essay Example If a neighbor has the gun, then his or her neighbors will also clamor to have guns; in effect, resulting in an arms race. Because of the recent random mass shootings in which innocent people got killed, citizens now question the wisdom of having the Second Amendment, and the urgent need for gun controls. People who oppose guns come from a wide variety of sectors. The demographic factors are a mixture of concerned parents, peace advocates, worried citizens, and many other groups. In particular, the factors are by gender, age, race, educational attainment, income level, the martial status, party affiliation, religious preference, and the region or geography (Pew Research Center, 2011, para. 4). The politics of gun control and gun rights is complicated; public opinion on this matter has shifted markedly over the years. The audience profile should be analyzed so a speech can be suited to that particular demographic factor; for example, an audience composed mainly of well-educated people will most likely respond to logos, which is an appeal based on logic or reason while an audience composed of females may respond to pathos, an appeal to emotions. It is the duty of a speaker to research his audience in advance, so the speech can be a success. Pew Research Center (2011, January 13). Views of gun control – A detailed demographic breakdown. Pew Research Organization. Retrieved May 24, 2013, from

Management Final Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Final Project - Essay Example The project showed the new shopping cart concepts that embedded the issues including shopping behavior, maneuverability, cost maintenance, and child safety. These concepts aimed at improving the management skills where both the business and the customers were the centers of interest (Kelly, 1999). As the business was reducing the loss of its fixed assets (the cart trolleys), the customer values and interest were also considered whereby despite the crewed developing in the shaping both the cost and customer safety were never compromised. Moreover, the show concentrated on the design process of the IDEO that reflected multidisciplinary team brainstormed, prototyped, and research the gathered the feedback from those who used the design. These applications deployed by the design indicated that good managerial skills that included teamwork as well as the incorporating the end users in the development and improvement of services and products (Kelly, 1999). Teamwork allows acquiring extensi ve knowledge and skills in design products and services that will meet the end users’ desire. Moreover, teamwork allows extensive innovation thereby increasing the production and sale of the intended service or product in the market line. Seeking for the views of customers within the intended product and service line is also an effective business management skill since it allows the business to design products and services that will meet the needs and wants of customers (Kelly, 1999). Notably, meeting the needs of customers within every product and service line often improves sales and profitability in the same sense (Kelly, 1999). Moreover, seeking and using feedback from the targeted customers is essential in that it is a means of improvement of services and products especially in areas that customers feel unsatisfied. It should be noted that the current business management skills are customer centered; the production of goods and services are to meet the needs of the custo mer. In this sense, the application of this design in businesses will improve businesses applying the same since they will be having an extended and elaborate market (Kelly, 1999). Additionally, every proper business management skill usually values the safety of its customer in line with production and service delivery and the IDEO’s design have ensured that child safety is a factor in their production and service delivery in the cart shopping. Another essential management skill demonstrated in case video clip, the continual improvement. Every business must give room for product and or service improvement. In the case of IDEO’s shopping cart design, the continual improvement is demonstrated where it is vivid that the design lacks some steel frame bottom and side to detect theft. However, it substituted plastic baskets thereby increasing shoppers’ flexibility and helped in protecting goods as well as providing a means of promoting the brand awareness (Kelly, 1999 ). The design also incorporated the auxiliary services that usually aim at maintaining customers to the services and products offered or acting as a means of customer attracting other customers to such news services and products. The dual child seat with a swing up tray provides a play surface and a secure spot for placing a bunch of carnations or cup of coffee. Additionally, seeking for the addition information through secondary research enable the IDEO shopping cart des

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies Essay

Introduction to Woman's and gender studies - Essay Example Though it expounds broadly on the contributions of women towards the awarding of the right to vote to women, the documentary â€Å"One Woman, One Vote† does not expound on how men assisted women in juggling their right to vote demand. However, the narrative â€Å"the women’s suffrage movement† in Angela Davis’ book, â€Å"Women, Race and Class† provides detailed information on the contribution of men towards the success of women groups (Davis, 2011). Unity was one of the fundamental elements that lacked in the suffrage movement. Throughout the movement ensured that different groups of suffragettes worked against each other. For instance, one group of women fought for federal amendment whereas another one thought of working state by state. The variation in workability was as a result of the existence of variation in the group members. For instance, some groups consisted mainly of middle and upper class women whereas others constituted of only working class women. Unfortunately, this segregation in groupings only benefited the whites who did not want the black men to be liberated from slavery. According to the majority of the women, white women were supposed to vote because of their race. However, the formed groups also advantaged those who were not only educated, but also with monetary funds. Fortunately, all groups worked towards attaining the same goal; ensuring the movement succeeded despite their differences. The different demands of the women contributed significantly towards the success of the movement. For example the desire of the black women to get rid of the oppression they were going through made them participate effectively in their group towards ensuring that they had a chance of participating in voting. Additionally, black women wanted to take part in the voting exercise so that they can protect their bodies as well as lives from the

What is america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

What is america - Essay Example Sitting Bull, a leader of the Lakota Sioux says: "The life my people want is a life of freedom" (Foner 1999, p. 49). Ideas of freedom and liberty define America and its style of life influenced by historical events and struggle for independence. For a long time, freedom was at length granted the slaves, not as a measure of social justice, but as an act of war. Emancipation came as a more or less accidental by-product of a titanic conflict between two powerful classes, each seeking in its own self-interest to dominate the Federal government, and neither concerned with the moral aspects of slavery (Bigsby, 2006). Studies of ethnicity in the United States have tended to emphasize the significance of large-scale social, economic, and political processes to account for the demise or endurance of hyphenated-Americans. It has been shown that, after arriving as immigrants, such groups search out economic opportunities and employ ties of common origin to create or occupy economic niches. "The idea of wage slavery served to deconstruct, as it were, the sharp contrast between slavery and freedom, to expose the forms of coercion and hidden inequalities inherent in ostensibly free economic institutions" (Foner 1999, p. 58) Long struggle against oppression has created some stereotypic impressions of American as liberals and fighters. The stereotype of the American is used in a variety of ways in reference to a number of social traditions and values. It embodies all aspects of human activities reflecting historical and social development of the nation. Americans develop the specific system of standards or rules a person attributes to the membership of the group as a result of her experience. A person's cultural preferences may contain several cultures which he/she attributes to different sets of other persons. Again, "The long contest over slavery gave new meaning to personal liberty, political community, and the rights attached to American citizenship" (Foner 1999, p. 83). America means the land of immigrants who come to America looking for better life and unique destiny. The Old World background made in new social surroundings created the role of environmental factors, and finally, the relation between institutional forms (social classes and authorities) and cultural values. The settlers created new social order in order to meet specific local conditions. The new comers were involved in public policy and social life, religious and political affairs. Probably, since that time, the national idea of the land and equality has been central in American culture. The new comers brought to America a common set of values affected church, state, and social order. It was amazing how much they changed in the American land bringing new religious traditions and values. The land symbolized unity of the nation and its traditions, resistance to foreign influences and interactions (Bigsby, 2006). There is no question that this common set of ideas and beliefs, assumption s and customs shaped the character of the new World that the immigrants founded. The most part the colonists' notions about economics, politics, and society were indistinguishable from those of their countrymen who never contemplated moving to the New World. Catholicism and Protestantism influenced morality and goodness, human values and attitude towards the world (Foner, 1999). Church

Setting up a business - new business case study questions Essay Example for Free

Setting up a business new business case study questions Essay AO1: Knowledge AO2: Application and analysis: developing your explanation and using examples relevant to Josefs business. Explain two ways in which a bank can help a new business such as Josefs (4 marks) The first way in which a bank can help Josef is by giving him a loan of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000 to help him to set up his business, there are many start up costs ie: equipment and computers that he will need to cover and it is important that he has enough money. Another way they can help is by offering advice; the bank can appoint a small business advisor as Josef is a young, inexperienced small business owner, they can help him with financial issues, keeping records and taxes. Would completing a business plan make sure that Josefs business was successful? Give reason for your answer. (9 marks) AO1: Kn. 1 mark AO2: App 2 marks (explain and developing your point, with examples relevant to Josefs business AO3 / AO4: Evaluation: Justify (give reasons) your ideas. Drawing up a business plan would certainly help Josefs business but it does not guarantee its success. It is important for Josef to put together a plan as it helps him realise everything that needs to be done, for example, all the different market research and promotions. He will also put together forecasts for cash flow and budgets and this will help him foresee any problems so therefore he can organise an overdraft for that time. The business plan will certainly help him obtain a loan which will allow him to invest the money into developing his service and keeping ahead of the competition this will help him be successful. On the other hand the business plan may not be accurate and could lead to bad decision making. The banks may not have faith in his business idea and may not lend him money, therefore not having cash in his business to cover all his start up costs. More importantly he may not run the business very well and this will lead to many problems further down the line. I think a business plan is very important to guide an entrepreneur but it must also be flexible and reviewed over time. Explain two reasons why someone might choose to buy a franchise from The Greenhouse (5 marks) AO1: Kn: state reasons AO2: Ap An give the benefits and provide a detailed explanation using examples from the case study As stated in the case study the Greenhouse restaurants are known for their quality food and quality service, the business is already a success and an entrepreneur maybe interested because they know the business will do well because of its excellent reputation, it is seen as less of a risk. Another benefit of owning the Greenhouse franchise is that an entrepreneur will receive training from the franchiser, much of the hard work is done in terms of marketing and design of the restaurants and menus etc this will save an entrepreneur a lot of cost and therefore allowing them to enjoy higher profit margins. Phil and Sandra are thinking of offering higher wages than those paid in other restaurants. Do you think that this is the best way to motivate staff? Give reasons for your answer. (9 marks) AO1: Kn. 1 mark AO2: App 2 marks (explain and developing your point, with examples relevant to the business) AO3 / AO4: Evaluation: 6 marks Justify (give reasons) your ideas. There are many ways in which Phil and Sandra can try to motivate their workforce to work harder. Offering higher wages is just one way and in many cases can be appropriate. Money is the main motivate for many people, especially those employed in the low wage catering industry and if wages increase your workers are less likely to leave and more likely to feel happier in the work place and work more productively. Some people view wages as an indication of their worth however many other people and theorists believe that other things are just as important, such as free health insurance, being recognised for hard work through rewards such as employee of the month and also given trust and extra responsibility. All of these are important in building confidence of your workforce and therefore an effective workforce. Although money is a motivator for some it could increase the costs of Phils and Sandras business and they maybe better off choosing other non-monetary methods to ensure they make as much profit as they can. Explain why batch production might be a better way for Connie to make cakes (5 marks) AO1: Kn: state reasons AO2: Ap An give the benefits and provide a detailed explanation using examples from the case study Connie makes different types of cakes, birthday, weddings and other occasions, if she bakes them in batches than it will be more efficient as it can save on costs ie: cooking fuel. It will also save a lot of time as baking one individual cake at a time would take much longer than if they were baked in batches. Being more efficient will save money and help connie make more profit.

A Reflection of Faith Essay Example for Free

A Reflection of Faith Essay A Reflection of Faith As I reflect upon my faith journey, I realize that like so many other â€Å"cradle Catholics,† I had become complacent. I was raised in a predominantly Catholic nation, by an Anglican mother and Catholic father. After being dutifully baptized into the church, I was set upon my path as any ‘good Catholic† should. Even though I attended Catholic girls’ school, my early days of catechesis consisted of Mass and Sunday school more as a ritual than an integral part of living my faith. I performed the rites of First Holy Communion and confession with no real understanding of my commitment and responsibilities. Confirmation was a spiritual fiasco, from which I almost did not recover. My parents did their best to provide a religious foundation for my siblings and me. In retrospect, they were probably ill-equipped to do so. My higher education and pursuit of my vocation have sometimes made it difficult for me to accept and conform to some simple dogmas of the church. I hold many strong personal views on many issues and have had considerable challenges applying the dogma to my personal life. I have always believed that God has a purpose for us all; my purpose was rather hazy until about seven or eight years ago. The illness and death of my mother at age 56, was a tremendous catalyst in my faith journey. I realized that in my vocational quest, I was not following Christ’s plan, moreover, I was trying to fit Christ into my plans. Consequently, my fervent observation of the Holy Days, abstinence form meat of Fridays in the early days, and unending serviced to my parish in the form of Eucharistic minister, Sacristan, and Catechist, were spiritually void. Once I truly succumbed to Christ and sought His path, my commitment to discipleship was fortified. When God provided me the privilege to serve at St. John, He facilitated a means for me to further enhance my own faith, and to impact that of students on a daily basis. This quote from 1 Timothy 4:12 â€Å"Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe;† allowed me to embrace my vocation and truly see its gifts. I am called to live out my vocation in the classroom and positively communicate the doctrines of our faith. This, as well as additional Catechesis has taken my understanding of the â€Å"universal† church to new levels. I love each and every one of my students for his or her uniqueness and ability to motivate me to be the best example of Christ that I am able. I no longer focus on my personal flaws or on the â€Å"flaws† I once perceived in the dogma; but on each minor success I gain in the Christian values of my students. Now that my role in Catholic education has come full circle, I feel very blessed to be part of such a rich tradition of faith and discipleship. I passionately believe in my purpose as a Catechist and I know that God will continue to strengthen me as I continue to walk His path.

Comparison of China and Russias Economic Systems

Comparison of China and Russias Economic Systems Introduction In today’s political and economic world, many governments have been in a state of paradox about the allocation of scare resources (Riley, 2012). In fact in economics the main issue every economist addresses is what resources should be provided, who to provide it for and how should it be provided (N/A, 2012). Every economy has a different economic system in which they decide on how these questions should be addressed. In economics there are three main economic systems; free market, planned economy and mixed economy. Over the years many economies have transformed from being a command economy to free or mixed economies such as China and Russia (Kotz, 2005). Some economists have questioned these transformations as to whether it has been beneficial for the concerned governments. In this essay I will examine this statement by comparing the two respective economies with the help of reliable and valid research and reaching a rational conclusion. My hypothesis, which is based on my gen eral knowledge about the political and economic situations of Russia and China, is that adopting a mixed economic system has helped both economies respectively in terms of international trade and a more efficient and competitive domestic market. Economic Theory A planned economy is an economy where economic decisions are centrally planned by the government (N/A, 2014). Essentially the central state or government plans the allocation of between the current consumption of the whole economy and the required investment for the long run. (Sloman Garratt, 2010). Centralized governments increase the economic growth rate by sacrificing some of the present consumption and diverting useful resources into investment (Cukierman.A, Hercowitz.Z, Liederman.L, 1992). The amount of its scare resources would depend on the government’s macroeconomic strategy. Secondly at a microeconomic level, the authorities plan the output of each of its industry, the factors of production of its businesses and the techniques that will be used (Sloman Garratt, 2010). Finally in a planned economy, the officials also plan the distribution of output between consumers. It distributes goods and services according to people’s needs and wants and normally they dist ribute the goods and services directly (system of rationing). From this we can contend that the most common market structure in this type of economy is monopoly (Appendix 1 Figure 1). This indicates that there is only one operating firm in the industry which decides all the allocation of resources due to lack of competition and complete power. On the other hand free market economies are economies based on the interaction of supply and demand with little or no government control (N/A, N/D). A mix of these two distinctive economies, which includes a mixture of capitalism and socialism, is known as a mixed economy (N/A, N/D). Both types of economic systems encourage that individuals are free to make their own economic choices; workers can choose on how much to work, consumers can buy freely with their incomes and most importantly businesses are free to choose what to sell and how to produce (reference). It can be argued that in these types of economies, there are many industries that experience perfect competition (Appendix 1 Figure 2 and 3). This signifies that there are â€Å"many market structures where there are many firms due to freedom of entry which produce identical products and services; where all firms are price takers (Sloman Garratt, 2010). This is because the governments encourage business competition by giving freedom to the private sector thus there are many start-ups. However the main question is that which economic system is the most effective and efficient? In the next part I will look at the advantages of disadvantages of both types of economies by using two dominant economies; China and Russia. China and Russia; two previous communist states Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao were the first people to introduce China to communism in June 1921 while Russia was introduced to communism in 1917 by their leader Lenin (Simkin, n.d.). The benefits of being a planned economy such as China and Russian in the early 1900s are numerous. Firstly, planned economies â€Å"are great at allocating scarce economic resources quickly, efficiently and on a large scale† due decisions being centralized by the government. This helps the economy avoid inefficiencies such as illegal practices as there are no ‘middle men’. Secondly, governments can carry out big projects, create industrial power and attain important goals for society as their main motive is to meet society’s needs (Amadeo, 2013 n.p.). In addition due to the government distributing goods and services directly the society would benefit from merit and public goods such as good public healthcare, improved public transport and excellent public education. As a result thi s would help improve the standard of living of people of Russia and China in the early 1900s. Though mixed economy has advantages one should also consider the drawbacks of the previous communist China and Russia. Firstly, the main disadvantage is that there is less competition in the economy of Russia and China due to all decisions being taken by the government hence there is lack of innovation and efficiency. Secondly, in a planned economy, there is a lot of money and resources wasted in the communication between the government and the firms, which again makes the economy ineffective and inefficient (DineshBakshi.com,2012). Finally resource allocation being centralized means that there is no individual liberty. Consumers have less choice from goods and services because everything is made and decided by the government and workers cannot work according to their choice, which refers to that they cannot work for longer hours. (Sloman Garratt, 2010). China and Russia; transition from communism to mixed economy China transformed itself from communism to mixed economy in late 1970’s whereas; Russia transformed its economy from communism to mixed economy in early 1990’s. Post the fall of communism in both economies, China and Russia have benefited in several ways by being a mixed economy. Firstly in a mixed economy, governments encourage competition and give freedom to the private sector on what to produce and for whom to produce. This helps the economy operate and use resources more efficiently as private businesses are concerned with maximizing profits thus they would operate as efficient as possible (Amadeo, 2011). In the long run both economies will experience economic growth (Appendix 1 Figure 4). Secondly with some government intervention in the market, monopolies will not be able to form in markets thus reducing the risk of market failure (Dineshbakshi.com, 2012). Finally with firms operating freely and efficiently, China and Russia’s export will increase, as local businesses are able to compete on an international scale (Amadeo, 2011). Being a mixed economy such as China and Russia also consists of disadvantages, which can affect the economic growth and stability of both economies. Though giving freedom to businesses might lead to economic growth in the short run, there might be inflation in the economy, which can lead to higher prices of inputs such as raw materials and labor wages (Pettinger. T, N/D. hence businesses will start to experience a rise in their costs, which can lead to them being less profitable as result negatively affecting the economy. Another key disadvantage of mixed economy is that there might be external costs to society by the increase in competition in the private sector. This is known as a negative externality of production, which is a type of market failure (Appendix 1 Figure 5) Conclusion In conclusion after carrying out explicit and detailed research on the economies of China and Russia and analyzing the two economic systems, it is fair and reliable to say that being a mixed economy is more beneficial than operating as a planned economy. In fact in today’s world China is considered as the second largest economy in the world due to its high economic growth and stability. Similarly Russia has also thrived on exports of oil and gas by becoming a mixed economy due to trading with the world. If we consider today’s current communist states such as North Korea, one can argue that these economies have been on the downfall due to inefficiency in the local market and the international market. Personally I believe that in economies a balance is necessary for any economy to thrive in thus in a mixed economy there is balance between freedom to the private sector and government intervention.

Essay on Political Drama in Henry IV and Henry V -- Henry IV Henry V E

Political Drama in Henry IV and Henry V  Ã‚        Ã‚   The contention that Shakespeare’s histories are in fact political drama appears to fall uneasily on the ears of modern readers.   One reason for this could be the fact that we, as a society, have blurred the connotation of politics to the vaguest of notions – narrow at times, yet far too inclusive.   A young reader is likely to view politics as election and debate, a sort of ongoing candidacy.   Indeed, this may be a valid modern definition, if somewhat limited.   For our purposes, however, this definition is not sufficient to establish a starting point from which to examine Shakespeare’s presentation of political drama. If we define politics as the acquisition and exercise of the power of the state, we can see that each play in the Great Tetralogy is inherently political.   In terms of plot, the action of each play revolves around the concept of succession, the passing of political power from one king to the next.   Henry IV wrests the crown from Richard II, then is forced to defend it against enemies who would in turn take it from him.   Prince Hal inherits the throne from his father, becoming Henry V, then goes on to seize the throne of France for himself.   At the end of Henry V, we are told that yet another Henry will be â€Å"in infant bands crowned King† (epilogue 9). But while the histories’ plots are largely concerned with the acquisition of political power, their themes can be said to focus more on the exercise of such power.   At its heart, the Great Tetralogy is a discourse on the qualities of the ideal ruler.   A comparison of Richard II and Henry V, and the way each wields political power, will serve to illuminate this point.   Ultimately, Henry V is an effective king bec... ...ion, elaborate speeches with minimal stage direction.   One acts; the other is only an actor. Works Cited Bevington, David, ed.   The Complete Works of Shakespeare.   4th ed.   New York: Longman-Addison Wesley Longman, 1997. Hollister, C. Warren.   The Making of England.   7th ed.   A History of England.   Ed. Lacey Baldwin Smith.   Vol. 1.   Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1996. McDonald, Russ.   The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare.   Boston: Bedford-St. Martin’s, 1999. Rosenblum, Joseph.   A Reader’s Guide to Shakespeare.   New York: Salem Press-Barnes & Noble, 1999. Shakespeare, William.   The First Part of King Henry the Fourth.   Bevington 763-803. ---.   The Life of King Henry the Fifth.   Bevington 849-92. ---.   The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth.   Bevington 804-48. ---.   The Tragedy of King Richard the Second.   Bevington 721-62.      

Jacques-Louis David :: essays research papers fc

Caricature Paper Jacques-Louis David: Gouvernement Anglois (The English Government) Introduction:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As one can expect from the very nature of political and social revolutions, there were some very unhappy people during the French revolution. The question here is why the French citizens of this time so upset were and was their discontent so great that a revolution could be justified? Furthermore, who and what will be the ultimate vehicle to bring the necessary political, social and economic dreams to realization?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The French Revolution in began in 1789 and ended in 1799, this was a time in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to make drastic changes (Doyle, 1999). The French Revolution ended an archaic social and political system established in France characterised by a feudal system under the control of a powerful absolute monarchy and the unquestioned power of the Catholic Church (Slevin, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those unhappy citizens who overthrew the absolute monarchy and the church belonged to a group known the bourgeoisie. This group was defined under the â€Å"Popular Movement† was constituted by angry peasants and wage-earners that had come under the influence of the rational ideas of the Enlightenment (Slevin, 2003). The bourgeoisie of this time was justifiably angered by many societal afflictions such as: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unequal taxation between classes (some in the form of labor, known at that time as seigneurial taxes) (Doyle, 1999). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Famine †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The irrational concepts of absolutism and powers of the church as a result of Enlightenment thought †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The power of a privileged clergy and nobility   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you can see there were many reasons for the discontent of the French bourgeois at this time, not only were they unfairly taxed, but they had very little voice in the government that was allowing many of its citizens to starve to death; something had to be done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Birth of a Revolution:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of the French Revolution was Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and came as a result of Enlightenment rationale. The bourgeoisie of the time believed in the freedom of the individual and wanted to see the actualization of real democracy and laissez-faire economy in France (Slevin, 2003). One man, by the name of Jacques-Louis David was a strong believer in these liberal and humanistic values. David was a not only an artist, but a social reform visionary with the courage to stand up for what he believed in and the ability to bring about a change for all of those suffering under the iniquities of the pre-Revolutionary French Government.

Iraq War :: essays research papers

Friday-January 16, 2004- 4:00p.m: I was watching 'Oprah' and a particular story struck me. It was about these young brides in India who were being burned alive by their husbands because they have become a burden. Before these women are married off, their husbands receive dowries from the bride's family, when the family can no longer meet up with his demands-he sets his wife on fire, in hopes of her dying, and he will eventually marry another bride and obtain more dowry. These women are shun from society and are nothing but worthless beings-they become silent voiceless shadows. This happens to thousands of women everyday. It is the power behind such stories that makes me ponder and become more aware about this world. Similarly the literature of Vietnam has been an eye opener and a gravedigger, opening up my eyes to what happened in Nam and exposing the bones left behind in the stories. It has given me another view of the Iraq War. Human nature can be hard to alter; whether it's a sol dier from Vietnam or a soldier involved in Iraq they share a similar state of mind. In The Things They Carried Tim O' Brien describes the 'Night Life' of the soldiers. In particular there is a story about the gradual mental break down of Rat Kiley. "He couldn't sleep during the hot day light hours; he couldn't cope with the nights." (p.222) As time progressed the war was definitely getting to him: "the days aren't so bad, but at night the pictures get to be a bitch. I start seeing my own body. Chunks of myself†¦I can see the goddamn bugs chewing tunnels through me†¦it's too much. I can't keep seeing myself dead."(p.223) In the end the only way for Kiley to escape was to shoot himself in the leg and get picked up by the choppers. The effect of war is no different on the mentality of a soldier serving in Iraq. The war slowly consumes the mind, body, and most deadly the soul. Once it starts to eat away it leaves a permanent scar. When the war starts to eat away the soul, many times soldiers resort to committing suicide. According to a New York Times article published on January 15, 2004 --'U.S. Soldiers' Suicide Rate Is Up in Iraq.' "U.S. soldiers in Iraq are killing themselves at a high rate despite the work of special teams sent to help troops deal with combat stress, the Pentagon's top doctor said Wednesday.

Functionalist theory of crime and deviance Essay

Many people over the years have tried to explain why there is crime in our society. Functionalists focus on the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than biological and psychological explanations. Every functionalist agrees that social control mechanisms e. g. the police are necessary to keep deviance in check and therefore protecting social order. A main contributor to the functionalist theory of crime is Durkheim. He believed that society is based on a value consensus and that all members of society share a common culture that is a set of shared values, norms, beliefs and goals. Durkheim suggested that by society sharing the same culture created social solidarity, thereby binding individuals together and telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves. According to Durkheim crime has 4 functions in society, the first being that crime and deviance is â€Å"inevitable and normal†. He suggested that crime is inevitable, normal and necessary for life. He said crime is inevitable because not everyone in society is going to be equally committed to the shared values and morals as we are all exposed to different influences. Durkheim gave the example of â€Å"even in a ‘society of saints’ with no crime at all, such high standards of behaviour would make even the smallest deviant act e. g. burping stand out†, this backs up his suggestion of deviance is inevitable and it will always be present in society. The second function that Durkheim outlined is that crime helps society to evolve. He said â€Å"yesterday’s deviance must become today’s normality†, Durkheim believed the crime helps society to review the way it does things so we can learn from the deviance and mistakes. Thirdly Durkheim outlined that crime is functional. He proposed that crime could be functional and only becomes dysfunctional when its level is unusually high or low. He said very low rates lead to stagnation, while high rates lead to social disorganisation and chaos. Durkheim believed that change was healthy and in order for society to change yesterday’s deviance must become today’s norm. Durkheim also stated that shared values and morals must be in moderate for their influence not to be strong on the population or deviance would occur as people would object. We can see this with the actions of Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King who have all objected to the shared values and morals that have been too strong. The last function Durkheim believed crime gave to society is â€Å"crime can be positive†. He came up with two features, â€Å"boundary maintenance† and â€Å"adaptation and change†. Durkheim said crime produces a reaction for society, uniting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoers and reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms and values. This is Durkheim’s way of describing punishment, which for him is to reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity. Durkheim said this could be done though the courtroom which dramatises wrongdoing and publicly stigmatises the offender which reaffirms the values of the law-abiding majority and discourages others from rule breaking. The second feature is influenced by Durkheim’s belief that all change starts with an act of deviance. Durkheim believed there much be some wiggle room for individuals with new ideas, values and ways of living as way to challenge and change existing norms and values.

Tertullian’s the Prescription Against Heretics

The early Church was birthed through perseverance against intense persecution: (i) physical persecution by the governments of the time which lauded the oppression, imprisonment, torture and death of Christians for their new religious doctrines; and (ii) intellectual persecution by opposing religious sects who sort to denounce the doctrines of Christianity. The Prescription Against Heretics was written in response to the latter – to defend the tenets of Christianity against the false teachings of heretics and religious-based philosophers.Heretics promoted controversial views which were in opposition to those offered by Christian doctrine, with the intention of creating followers of their beliefs. Religio-philosophers were quasi-Christians who promoted the use of intellect and logic to understand Christianity and in doing so, never becoming Christians. Tertullian saw the end of philosophy as heresy and categorizes both as the same. Tertullian defends Christianity by describing h eresies as powerless, fallible and only expressive of a lack of faith; he therefore provides a rule of faith as a measure and the authority for Christianity.Tertullian was born in the city of Carthage, North Africa, around 160 C. E. He was raised as a pagan, was able to read and write in Greek and Latin and received an excellent education in grammar, literature, philosophy, law and rhetoric. He became a Stoic but later converted to Christianity at the age of forty years. Within medieval Christian history, Tertullian is classified as an Apologist – a theologian who, during the era of violent persecution of Christians, used writings to defend Christianity against its challengers.His apologetic writing, The Prescription Against Heretics, reads as a legal defense argument against philosophers and influential heretics such as Marcion, Plato, Valentinus, Zeno and the Stoics. Many of these were using logic to question Christianity and created doubt in some of the believers, which at tracted Christians away from the Faith. In chapter fourteen of The Prescription, Tertullian stated that he felt morally obligated to counteract the teachings of heretics.This was perhaps because he had firsthand experience with the flaws of religio-philosophical reasoning and now, through his conversion, experiencing the personal joys of faith in Christianity. Tertullian’s first line of defense against heresies was to show that they are indeed powerless and inconsequential to the strength of Christianity. In doing so, he is able to circumvent the trepidation that the early Christians may have had regarding heretical influences. Any advance of a heretical teaching against the Church would be only temporary and unsuccessful; much like a short-lived, passing illness.According to Tertullian, heresies are only powerful in appearance because of the few individuals who were already weak in their faith and allowed themselves to be ensnarled in the whims of false teachings. For these individuals to be drawn away has no effect on the veracity of Christianity. Airing confidence in his argument, Tertullian says, â€Å"Heresies derive such strength as they have from the infirmities of individuals – having no strength whenever they encounter a really powerful faith†, his new found faith, Christianity.As a shepherd expects and accepts that wolves will after his flock and in fact capture a few, in like manner Tertullian parallels the existence of heresies in Christendom. He uses this allegory to encourage the second century Christians with the view that not only did the Lord forewarned the Church that heresies will arise and believers some will indeed be loss but also that they should celebrate their proven faithful to God by not allowing themselves to be trapped by the heretics.Continuing to promote the authority of Christianity, Tertullian asserts that heresies only exist because God is using them to train and strengthen the faith of the believers. Othe r than that, they are simply â€Å"foolishness†. Tertullian clears the slate of all the popular supposed intellectuals by revealing their fallibility – no matter how well-intended, all of their teachings amount to the same questions repeated in different ways by different the men, but producing the same answer – that is, there will never be an answer until you accept the overarching authority of the Scripture of God.Tertullian asked the question, â€Å"What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? †, to point out that philosophical methods of inquiry have nothing to do with teaching by the authority of scripture and the church alone has the authority to declare what is and what is not orthodox Christianity. Perhaps Tertullian had discovered this reality in his personal search for truth based upon intellectualism and saw that he had to relinquish his intellect to the ultimate authority of God and in doing so he found fulfillment.Tertullian is covering every argume nt that a heretic may use to justify himself, especially in their passion for attempting to juxtapose philosophy with Christianity, and using scripture to support their continual questions. He is using his legal background and training in rhetoric to give support to the Church. In The Prescription, Tertullian directly identifies the â€Å"seek, and ye shall find† scripture (Matthew 7:7) as a prominent passage misunderstood and misused by heretics to justify their continual questioning of the Word of God.He argues that heretics take this scripture out of context and interpret what was meant literally for the Jewish community of Jesus’ time as the same for the heretics of his day. Tertullian supports this argument from the position that, like him, the heretics are Gentiles and in the time of Jesus, Gentiles did not have access to salvation. Therefore, they had no knowledge of what to seek, where to knock or who to ask. This access only came through the instruction of the apostles by virtue of the Holy Ghost.His conclusion was that this Scripture was only to be used as a figurative example for the heretics and therefore they should cease to question divine scripture. This misinterpretation only adds to the unreliability and the inadequacy of the human intellect of heretics as sources of truth compared to the church which has access to Divine Truth. According to Tertullian’s argument, because heretics continue to seek it means that they have found what they were looking for, if they have not found, they cannot believe and if they do not believe, they are not Christians.And if they are not Christians then they have no right to quote or discuss the Bible – inside or outside the Church. To separate his intellect from those of the heretics and to show himself to as a true Christian with divine permission to use the Bible, Tertullian draws many of his examples directly from the Scriptures. Tertullian argued that Christians and heretics use t he Bible for different reasons. Christians use it to access truth in God and to increase their faith while oppositely, it was the use of philosophy which drove heretics to continual curious inquires of the Scripture.But, in reality these inquires amounted to a lack of faith by the philosophers. His position was that once an individual had sought and found truth in the teachings of Christ, that person need not seek anything further and should fully believe in that which he had found. To keep seeking meant that the individual had not believed or had faith in what they had found in Christ. This would be core measure between a Christianity and heresy. A Christian seeks the word of God, finds it and believes – this is faith and this is therefore a Christian.For a heretic, he goes into the scripture without knowing what he is looking for and questioning everything he finds in the scripture – this is a lack of faith and this is not a Christian. For Tertullian, the solution wa s a complete expulsion of philosophers because they will never know for what they are seeking, where they are knocking or to whom they are asking, and to have them around would only give possibilities for them to destroy the Church. He urges Christians to not get involved in discussions with philosophers and heretics and to only discuss matters related to Christ with other Christians, without weakening the rule of faith.He offers a summary of the Christian creed, the rule of faith, as the basis for inquiry and once an individual had found truth in the rule regarding the role of God, The Son and the Holy Spirit, there should be no further searching. In his writing, Tertullian uses Luke 18:42 to assert that it is the faith of individuals that would save them and not their ability to debate Scripture. The truth of their belief lies in the rule of faith and to go outside of the rule would be to enter into heresy; which inevitably will lead to destruction.In this period of questioning an d persecutions, Tertullian felt that all Christians must know what they have obtained through God and through the scripture. With this faith, they will not be shaken by threats of violence from the government and the threats of corruption by the heretics. Tertullian’s position in the separation of Christianity from philosophy and heresies is that the latter two have no connection with the former. Philosophy is not based upon faith but rather distracts away from it and induces heresies.In turn, heresies induce further heresies and it is the intention of these heretics to seduce Christians away from their original doctrinal beliefs. He illustrates this by purporting that intellect cannot understand the spiritual and the people who believe in intellect cannot be considered a part of the church. To unite the two polarities, Christianity and philosophy, would be to create a polluted doctrine. Christians must not allow themselves to be swayed by the religio-philosophical practice o f using scripture.He also offers that there is nothing more enjoyable that Christianity and because of the pleasures from Christ’s teachings there was no need to search for anything further. Whether in sympathy or in condemnation, Tertullian attempts to use his Prescription Against Heretics as an uncontestable argument in defense of his Christianity against the vices of heretics and religio-philosophers. According to Tertullian, everything that an individual needs can be found in the rule of faith – the most enjoyable belief, which he has discovered and now vigorously defend.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a type of a mental disease characterized by prolonged personality function failure, variability and disturbance of moods. Ultimately, it leads one to unstable and chaotic interpersonal relationships, behavior, identity, and self image. The proceeding results are periods of dissociation and isolation. When one is disturbed this way, he or she may develop pervasive negativity within the facets of life psychologically. Difficult in developing and maintaining work, social settings and home relationships are experienced.When the victims are not given the effective therapy and proper care, complete or attempted suicides are possible outcomes (Kantor, 1993, pp. 135). Current research on this disorder has revealed the specific symptoms that can help one establish early signs of the disease. The first recognitive experience of this disease is a turmoil relationship that takes a hate-love track as time goes by. After perceived slight misunderstandings, victims of this disorder furiously and immediately drop their friends.The victims have a general difficult in agreeing on gray areas with the other people they interact with (Lachkar, 2004, pp. 23). Current research from Britain encyclopedia has come up with a wide range of the factors that may lead to this disorder. The causes are said to be complex and diverse. They include child sexual abuse or childhood trauma, brain abnormalities, environmental factors, neurobiological factors and genetic predisposition. The disease itself is mental but the repercussions mostly rest and affect social behavior of the concerned.The affected spends most of the time mentally alternating between extremes of devaluation and idealization. The perceived identity disturbance is generated because of the psychological unrest in evaluating ones sense of self and self image. In the process of finding a solution to these encounters, impulsive thought that are far much self damaging come in mind. They may inc lude reckless driving, substance abuse, binge eating, eating disorders, promiscuous and unprotected sex (Lubbe, 2000, pp. 450). At individual level, suicidal threats, gestures and behavior are experienced.This may also be coupled with behaviors that are self mutilating including excoriation or interfering with body scars that may be healing, cutting or picking at oneself. Due to affective instability, moods can be marked by high reactivity such as irritability, dysphoria, and intense episodic or sometimes high anxiety. Chronic feelings such as worthlessness and emptiness, frequent displays of recurrent physical fights, constant anger and temper, dissociate symptoms, delusions, paranoid ideation and transient stress are symptoms that indicate prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder (Lachkar, 2004, pp.24). The Chinese society of psychiatry has carried out an extensive study on the diagnostic paths in handling this mental illness. The diagnosisitnvolves the so called mood swings. Mood swings describes reactivity of mood and marked liability which can be defined as emotional dysregulation. It is a reaction of the victim to external intrapsychic and psychosocial stressors which is believed to subside or arise with time. The above medical research body has come up with several areas of concentration in the attempts to curb the prevalence of the disease globally (Muller, 1994, pp. 87).The approach in treating the disorder has ranged from socialization programs to medication programs. The medical section has given a prior attention to hospitalization, medications and psychotherapy interventions. After carrying out the research, the core treatment of the disorder is psychotherapy. The two mainly used and effective disorders are Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). It is an approach that applies high skills in teaching the regulation techniques of ones relationships, emotions and tolerating distress. It can be a face to face or phone counseling which can be done at individual level or through a group consultation.The second type of psychotherapy is the Transference Focused Psychotherapy (TFP). This kind of approach concentrates on the relationship between the victim of emotions and the therapist. It helps in understanding the challenges that may come along with social interactions and how to deal with the difficulties. These researchers have identified that medications can not adequately cure this disorder. They can only treat the problems that are associated with the disorder. It can approach and counter situations like anxiety, impulsitivity and depression.These medications include anti anxiety medications, antipsychotic and antidepressant. The hospitalization program is usually designed to keep the victim safe from self injury. Consultation of mental health providers gives the directions and precautions to undertake in containing the disease (Muller, 1994. pp. 87). The world health organization has also involved itself in the search for co ntingency measures in handling of the above disorder. It has proposed and enhanced group based psychological services. These programs motivate people to engage, participate and encourage group and solitary activities.It has thus developed therapeutic communities in Europe, that have led the campaigns towards treatment or lowering of the severity associated with this personality disorder. These communities focus on future prevention of the disease, handle the current victims and extend their material assistance to these individuals. The mission of these research organizations is to provide improved psychiatric rehabilitation services. The rehabilitation is achieved through encouraging engagement in meaningful activities and avoiding of social exclusion and stigmatic endeavors.The world organization also provides mutual support and promotes co-counseling groups all over the world to prevent unexpected and harmful spread of the disorder. The victim can get involved in alternative medic inal techniques. Doing exercises and ensuring physical fitness can be improved by including team sports and occupational therapy techniques. Engaging in a sort of employment encourages the spirit of self efficacy, competence and having a social role and obligation to perform in the society. This in turn promotes self esteem (McCallum, 2001, pp.234). This body has also provided antidepressants called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor that has been presented in randomized and controlled trials around the world. It has been reported to improve attendant symptoms related to depression, anxiety, hostility and anger. A higher dose of the above depressant is required in the treatment of mood disorders in comparison with depression. The benefits of this depressant are realized within a period of three months in treating mood disorders and a period of six weeks if it is made to treat depression.Mentalization based treatments assumes that victims of this disorder experience attachment di sturbance because of parent child relations in the early childhood stages. Lack of enough early child attunement and mirroring by parents can result to the child’s mentalization deficiency. This lowers the capacity of such child to attach some kind of correlation between the mental state and the potential causing action. Under normal conditions, there must exist some kind of relatedness between the driving force towards an action and the state of the mind.Studies have attached the perceived mental failure in this disorder to problematic impulse control and instability in moods (Acocella, 1999, pp. 108). Mentalization oriented treatments highly and frequently employ psycho dynamically informed multimodal treatment criterion in the process of ensuring a sustained capacity of self regulation of the patient. This criterion goes ahead to incorporate both individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy in an outpatient context, partial hospitalization or therapeutic community.Comb ination of these medical and non medical elements helps to reduce the emotional states which are closely associated with Borderline Personality Disorder. The categories of the disorders include feelings of victimization, feeling of lack of identity or fragmentation, feeling of self destructiveness and extreme need for isolation. When these people are completely attacked by the disorder they become hyper alert to signals of rejection, less or no valuation, insecurity, ambivalence, avoidance and demonstration of fearful preoccupation in relationship patterns.All these issues are encountered in the process of novelty seeking or intimacy seeking of the patients (Livesley, 2003, pp. 90). Cultural, age and gender considerations of the disorder Several studies upon the relatedness of this disorder to gender aspects or differences have been done. It is an area that has raised a lot of controversies and critics in the attempt of justifying the perspective that this disorder dominates in fema le gender as compared to the males.It has thus received a very high feministic criticism. A group of scholars believe that patients of this disorder have a history of abuse in lines to do with sex during their early childhood. This ideology argues that girls are more exposed to the danger of sexual abuse compared to boys, definitely and inevitably justifying that the disease is common among ladies. On the other hand, women who have survived childhood sexual abuse perceive traumatization when interacting with abusive mental health services.This happens because of the fact that Borderline Personality Disorder is a diagnosis full of traumatization and thus it evokes negative or abusive responses and answers from mental health providers. To acknowledge the abuse of sex inflicted on these women, several feminist thinkers have suggested that it is better to use diagnosis of post traumatic disorder for this class of women. This medication is however made to medicalize the disorder but it d oes not handle the root cause of the problem within the society (Acocella, 1999, pp.180). Clinical officers respond differently to similar complains or symptoms, depending on whether it originates from a woman or a man. For example if both sexes report cases of angriness and other promiscuous behaviors a man is likely to be diagnosed by use of Antisocial Personality Disorder whereas a woman will be diagnosed with Borderline Personal Disorder. If a woman portrays manhood characteristics such as hostility, success or sexual activity, she is entitled to a diagnosis of personality disorder.If on the other hand the woman shows psychiatric symptoms that conform not to the sick role considered traditionally passive, she is likely to be labeled and considered as a difficult patient. This situation leads to the patient receiving the stigmatizing diagnosis of the borderline personality disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder seemingly is associated with urban settings and low economic and s ocial status. Diagnosis of this disease may at times be applied to the wrong group of persons or individuals.In some areas engagement in some behaviors is perceived as a protective approach or a presumed survival strategy. In making diagnosis analysis, it is of great importance for the clinician involved to consider the economic and social context in which the perceived emotional difficult occurred. Diagnosis of this disorder should not be performed before the age of eighteen years. This is because some observations made at early ages are associated with childhood. After this age, any symptoms can be diagnosed because every sense of maturity s assumed upon an individual (McCallum, 2001, pp. 234).Many sample based studies in the world have shown that the prevalence of this disorder in males is 1% and 3% in females. The origin of the individuals used in the sample has also contributed to variations in the study’s results, depending on the surrounding social and economic scenari os. Urban settings have indicated a percentage of 30% prevalence compared to 3% found in rural areas. This state has prevailed in many nations because urban settings are subjected to many social evils and crimes that highly contribute to emotional reactions. Substance abuses are believed to be highest in towns and cities.This disorder does not have a well defined course in ones life. It is however believed through experimentations and research activities that it disappears as one gets older and older. It has been observed to disappear in the fourth decade of life cycle. The remission of this disorder is not however automatic but depends on the frequency of engaging in criminal activities or activities that can interfere negatively with ones psychological and emotional state. There is a natural impact that forces one to reduce the spectrum of behaviors such as substance abuse (McCallum, 2001, pp.234). Future considerations of the disorder The future diagnosis of this disorder require s an improvement and a further consideration of emotional difficulties to avoid misconceptions. This is because many reports have been produced where this disorder is persistently misdiagnosed. If this problem is not properly handled, it may lead to marked distress. This also promotes impairment in occupational, role functional and social obligations of the patients. When diagnostic results are released, the patient simply believes in the results without any doubt.Any diagnosis whether true or not is very much impactive on the emotional state of the patient. The patient will therefore adapt the living styles of fellow partners who are suffering from the disorder. Any further research on this work should be in position to offer updated synthesis which concretely incorporates rational clinical attention and current scientific knowledge. It should comprehensively reconstruct the minds of patients for it to serve as a vital caveat utilizing the treatment recommendations with appreciatio ns and not view them as limiting to their ambitions in life.The nature of supportive advance should determine the treatment recommendations. These recommendations should be keyed with respect to confidence level provided by coded evidence (Acocella, 1999, pp. 108). In the future, researchers should not only concentrate on the medication issues but also pay attention to the socialization programs that can be adopted to prevent and at the same time help to cure who are suffering from the disorder. Emotional complications can not occur when the social atmosphere is not disturbed.Borderline disorder is sensitive to the environmental state. It is just a psychological response or reaction towards an emotional embarrassment from a certain source. If sexual abuse among children at early childhood is minimized or stopped, the rate at which the disorder is spreading can be cut down to lower ends. Therefore, programs should be launched to encourage the public through sensitization programs to take a personal initiative, aimed at a collective goal, a counter reaction towards Borderline Personality Disorder (Livesley, 2003, pp. 90). Reference: Acocella Joan, 1999. Creating Hysteria: Women and Multiple Personality Disorder. London, Jossey-Bass publishers, pp. 108. Kantor Martin, 1993. A Guide to Avoidance and Avoidant Personality Disorder. Mahwah, NJ, Praeger publishers, pp. 135. Lachkar Joan, 2004. The Narcissistic/ Borderline Couple: New Approaches to Marital Therapy. London, Brunner-Routledge, pp. 23, 25. Livesley John, 2003. Practical Management of Personality Disorder. London, Guilford Press, pp. 90. Lubbe Trevor, 2000. The Borderline Psychotic Child: A Selective Integration. London, Routledge, pp. 450. McCallum David, 2001. Personality and Dangerousness: Genealogies of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Cambridge University Press, pp. 234. Muller Ryse, 1994. Anatomy of a Splitting Borderline: Description and Analysis of a case History, Mahwah, NJ, pp. 87.

Child Soldiers Essay

From the first day, something about these innocent eyes filled with hatred inspired me to write. These eyes are those of a child soldier. Before starting this project, I did not think much of children fighting in wars, but as the research got deeper and my understanding of their situation more thorough, this project became much more than a simple task I had to accomplish. I felt close to these people as they are usually around my age, and some are even younger than me. I am aware of these precious years that make up our childhood and our teenage years. It is during this time in our lives where we discover whom we truly are and what we wish to do with our lives. Being deprived of these crucial years makes it almost impossible for one to grow and start one’s life. These children began their trip into hell when they were abducted by the militia or in some cases even the army. They are then forced to commit horrendous acts in order to harden them and to gain the militia’s trust. Many are forced to slaughter their parents so that even if they want to escape from the militia, they are too ashamed to return home. The militia hurts these child soldiers to the deepest of their beings, and hurts them physically as well. In Sierra Leone, it was reported that limbs were cut off and order to inflict pain on the child and to scare away any NGO’S or the government. This idea of a child holding a gun taller than himself is what inspired me to write my genres. The genres I chose for this particular topic helped me widen my ideas on child soldiers. My persuasive essay went against what I believed as I was trying to prove why child soldiers were a positive thing and how the children themselves wanted to fight for their country. This is an aspect we should never forget when researching about something, the other side of the story. This was done to understand fully the topic from every perspective possible. Another genre that changed my view on child soldier was the epistolary, which is a series of letters recounting a story. This epistolary focused on the life of child soldiers once they became adults. It showed me two different aspects, how one can go on with his life as a soldier and become immune to the evil around, and how one can decide to cut short this brutality and start anew. Two Voices, Two Worlds Apart I am an American boy. In the morning, my mom’s gentle kisses awake me. I’m wearing my new shirt with the red polka dots on it. I pick up my bag and get ready for yet another day of school. I have a hard time at school understanding the math. My days are long and full of work and sports. Around 5 p.m., I go home and treat myself to a nice snack and start my chores. Once I am done, I complain about the homework and wonder when I am ever going to use this. I just had a fight with my mother for breaking a vase, and I am considering running away from her to live with my father. I wish I were as far away from her as possible. I wish I had more freedom to do what I want. To sleep late at night and eat a few sweets. To not go to school. But I cannot do all of this because, I am a child. I am an American boy. In the morning, my mom’s gentle kisses awake me. I’m wearing my new shirt with the red polka dots on it. I pick up my bag and get ready for yet another day of school. I have a hard time at school understanding the math. My days are long and full of work and sports. Around 5 p.m., I go home and treat myself to a nice snack and start my chores. Once I am done, I complain about the homework and wonder when I am ever going to use this. I just had a fight with my mother for breaking a vase, and I am considering running away from her to live with my father. I wish I were as far away from her as possible. I wish I had more freedom to do what I want. To sleep late at night and eat a few sweets. To not go to school. But I cannot do all of this because, I am a child. I am a Limba boy. In the morning, bullets abruptly wake me up. I’m wearing my shirt stained with the stains of my brother’s blood. I pick up my gun and get ready for yet another day of war. I have a hard time understanding the reason for all this evil in war. My days are long and full of hatred and suffering. Around 7 p.m., I go to the camp to wash everyone’s dishes from the lunch that I didn’t have. Once I am done with my chores I lie down on the straw bed and think about everything I could have learned if I had stayed in school. The head officer just whipped me for spilling water; the only thing keeping me from running away is my poor mother who needs my help. I wish I were as close to her as possible. I wish I had more freedom to do what I want. To sleep at night and eat dinner. To go to school. But I cannot do all of this because, I am a child soldier. I am a Limba boy. In the morning, bullets abruptly wake me up. I’m wearing my shirt stained with the stains of my brother’s blood. I pick up my gun and get ready for yet another day of war. I have a hard time understanding the reason for all this evil in war. My days are long and full of hatred and suffering. Around 7 p.m., I go to the camp to wash everyone’s dishes from the lunch that I didn’t have. Once I am done with my chores I lie down on the straw bed and think about everything I could have learned if I had stayed in school. The head officer just whipped me for spilling water; the only thing keeping me from running away is my poor mother who needs my help. I wish I were as close to her as possible. I wish I had more freedom to do what I want. To sleep at night and eat dinner. To go to school. But I cannot do all of this because, I am a child soldier. The Other Side of the Story It is commonly accepted that a child is meant to be provided with whatever comfort for his or her thriving. A child is meant to be cared for, educated and nourished until his adulthood. This is why it is easy to understand how shocking, revolting and inhumane it may seem that a child carries a gun and goes to war. However, in many parts of the world, this perception becomes completely irrelevant. When daily life offers nothing but fear, insecurity and fighting for survival, where widows are more prevailing than capable men protecting their countries from invasion and humiliation, child soldiers become the sole alternative to the tremendously hard and severe reality. Even in the mind of the child, it becomes an absolute necessity. The child moves through a forced maturity regarding the priority to fight for the survival of his family and the freedom of his country. Under such circumstances one shouldn’t forget that going to school becomes an unrealistic dream, and that money often comes to lack in families. The child soldier also puts into account this reality and fights to cover the expenses of his family who are often desperate for money. The country also sends children to war for economical reasons, as it doesn’t have enough money to recruit only adult soldiers. Child soldiers are cheaper than adults and therefore, the government can increase the size of its army. Those child soldiers believe with all their heart and soul that their cause is beyond their life. These children sense a feeling of accomplishment and pride in fighting for their countries. Western ideas of what should or should not be acceptable do not have their place in the sad reality of the life of millions of people in slums in Asia and Africa. These children voluntarily sign up in the army, as they are proud to serve their country. They are devoted to their nation and are ready to pay for the freedom that it deserves with their own life. Their life revolves around this country that has watched them grow and they feel the need to fight for it. â€Å"As long as there is fighting, I am ready to fight,† added Abdul Rahim, a child soldier. â€Å"If peace comes, I’ll go to school.† (Reliefweb) These children are not always forced by adults to fight in wars. The only thing that forces them is their love for their country and the obligations they feel they have for their beloved nation. As they fight, the killing brings them a sense of pride as they have liberated their country from a threat. â€Å"I am proud because I killed an enemy for my country,† said Hayatullah, 16, another child soldier. â€Å"The Taliban wanted to move us from our homes and they destroyed our schools.† (Reliefweb) Not only does it bring them pride to have liberated their country of a threat, but they also feel the need to avenge what has been done to them. Having pride in liberating one’s country does not apply to children only. Nathan Hale, who was a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, once said, â€Å"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.† (Wikipedia-Nathan Hale) These children do want to go to school, but they cannot because of school closures during wartime. Even if the schools were open, it would be dangerous to spend time there, as they are a target during war. Furthermore, how could these children concentrate on their work and learn new things at school while they are under a perpetual threat of death, and that bombs are being dropped around them? They cannot sit down while the rest of their family is dying in war, fighting for their country. These children have been raised with the thought that they have to fight for it under any circumstance. Age will not be the sole reason that will stop them. Another major reason as to why these children want to fight for their country is because they are aware that this country will one day be theirs. This is their future that they are allowing to be destroyed. An officer, Zapp Brannigan, said â€Å"we fight this battle not for ourselves, but for our children, and our children’s children, which is why I’m forming a children’s brigade† (Tv Tropes). This may be an adult point of view, but it is the way a child thinks when he is fighting. The adults are not the country’ s future, but the children are. What is also extremely unfair is that it is acceptable for European countries to have soldiers, but when it involves African or Asian countries, it becomes a problem. During World War II, thousands of 15-year-old British boys signed up on their own will into the army. No one stopped them even though they knew that they were too young. The few that were stopped signed up again and changed their age to be accepted into the army. Furthermore, many countries nowadays in Europe still recruit young boys in their army. â€Å"In the UK, in 2001, there were 6,000 soldiers under the age of eighteen serving in the armed forces. In March 2002, under pressure from the European Union, the government stated that these soldiers would no longer be sent into combat positions. However, Article 38 of the UNCRC states that fifteen is the minimum age for recruitment and there is no law, which forbids children under eighteen to fight† (The Open University). During World War II, Hitler would enlist boys as young as 10 years old in his Hitler Youth programs and put them in the war. All armies in the Great War used child soldiers. In the beginning of the war the enthusiasm to join the battle was so great that young boys as well as girls could hardly be stopped to enlist. (Children of the Great War) This gesture alone should be able to prove that children can enlist and fight in wars. Not letting them fight for what they believe would be wrong. Child soldiers have always been around, and have existed in almost every country, but today, the views about children as soldiers has radically changed. It is not considered acceptable to make children fight in wars any longer, because they are too young, have not had the chance at an education, or are just not prepared to see such atrocities. However, this does not apply to every child out there, as many are much more mature than others. The U.S State Department’s most recent annual human rights report states that, â€Å"an estimated quarter of a million children, even as young as age 6, have been conscripted to serve as soldiers in dozens of armed conflicts around the world, some with armed insurgencies, such as the Khmer Rouge, the Shining Path of Peru, and Palestinian groups in Lebanon, and some in regular armies, such as those of Cambodia, Uganda, Angola, and Sudan.† (Third World Traveler). The Human Rights Watch also estimates that around 200,000 to 300,000 children are serving as soldiers all around the globe. (Statistics on Child Soldiers) Currently in Somalia, child soldiers are being recruited by the U.S Army to fight against terrorism. Awil Salah Osman continuously prowls the streets of this devastated country with his fully loaded Kalashnikov. The difference between him and the other soldiers in Somalia is that he is a child financed by the United States. The United States economically supports these child soldiers and equips them heavily. Furthermore, several American officers repeatedly said that they were concerned about the use of child soldiers in Somalia, and that they were pushing Somali officials to be more careful about these young soldiers. However, when asked if they financed any of them, an American official responded by saying, â€Å"I have no good answer for that†. (The New York Times) The United States cannot justify for its acts, and it expects to for other countries to change their policies. Money is not always ready during these times of unease in a country, and for this reason, many parents are forced to send their children off to war in order to pay for expenses. The children go to war to be able to financially support their family in any ways they can (Third World Traveler). Jean Paul, a child soldier said, â€Å"I joined the army to get food for my mother, my brothers and sisters† (CyberSchoolBus). Children cost money to their parents, as they have to pay for the expenses in any way they can in such times of distress. These child soldiers often join the militia or the army to be able to get money and pay for their families. On average, these child soldiers will get up to $50 a month, for every month they fight (BBC News). In many cases, if the child is fighting for the militia, the militia sends a wage directly to the family (Third World Traveler). In other cases, the child directly goes to the militia to fight as they know that by doing this they will be off ered regular meals, clothing, or medical attention (Third World Traveler). Children in war, is an extremely delicate subject as most people are against it. Not many debates are held on this topic, as people are almost unanimous on the idea of whether or not children should fight in wars. However, these people only focus on the negative aspects of the war’s influence on children. These points are undeniable, but they are often exaggerated or based on certain cases, not on every case. These children could go to school, and have an education, but these schools are often closed due to the war, and few are the teachers that would still dare go to work during times like these. Furthermore, these children do love their country and many are aware of the dangers that are involved when fighting in war. Nevertheless, their desire to fight and free their country is overwhelming. This desire to fight for one’s country and to fight for what you believe has always existed. Children have always fought in wars and often even lied about their age to be able to fight. Children should be allowed to fight in wars. One Family, Two Fates I was walking back to the camp when a fellow officer stopped me and told me there was mail for me. I was not used to receiving only letters. Who could possibly be sending me letters when I had no one left who cared for me? My parents had long been dead and my only sibling had escaped to the United States to further his learning. We lived in two different worlds, and this fact made the letter even more intriguing. It was from my brother, the same one who had left his country during a time of war for selfish reasons. This is what it said: Dear Banura, Brother, it has been a long time since we last talked and I was starting to wonder about you and your safety there in this country ravaged by war. How are things going back there? Have you won any major battles lately, and most importantly how are you doing? As for me, I am doing great. My job is steady, and though the years pass I continue to be amazed by this city of wonders. The lights of the buildings resemble stars in the night sky. Every child goes to school and has an education. They all live in huge buildings with many other families. What is surprising is that these families are not related but they work things out. Children live with their parents in homes with running water and electricity everywhere. Yesterday when I was walking down the street, I saw two brothers running side by side and it made me think you and I. I miss you deeply and I spend a lot of time thinking about you. Yet, the only images I can imagine of you is when you are holding a gun. As an adult or as a child, it is the only way I can picture you. This is more the reason to let everything go and come to New York with me. I still wish for you to come and join me in this city of wonder, but I know that my hopes are a whim. You have your duties to accomplish back in Sierra Leone and I respect that. I wish you the best, brother. Best regards, Ishmael Beah I sat there under my tent reading these words over and over again. Was all of this true? Could these wonders even exist? I had no way of knowing. My life was resumed to one word, war. I had been kidnapped as a child along with my brother when we were young. We had spent our childhood fighting the war in Sierra Leone. I don’t even know if I can call it a childhood, as we were forced to grow up extremely fast. We had to leave our fantasies behind and learn how to fight like men. During our teen years we had been released for a few years and were sent to a school that was built to rehabilitate child soldiers. I did not take it seriously, as I did not see it taking me anywhere. My brother, on the other hand, had studied hard and said that one day he would go abroad and further his studies. I used to laugh at him and return to playing tag with my friends out in the field. I regret these days. My life could have been different if I had worked. A bullet was shot in the distance and I was brought back to my reality. This was my reality, the camp and the war. During dinner the next day, I decided to write back to Ishmael. After all, he was my brother and the only family I had left. I hastily took out a pen and a piece of paper and jotted down a few words. The few things I had learned during with UNICEF were finally coming in handy. Ishmael, I received your letter and I am glad you still think about me and worry about me. As you can see, I am still alive and I am doing fine. This country may be at war, but that doesn’t mean everyone gets killed. You, of all people, should know better. You lived it. The war is going on steadily and I don’t see any signs of it stopping any time soon. We won a small battle yesterday in the bush as we killed 15 of their soldiers. Only one of our kids died. It is okay he was just 8, he won’t be very missed. I am happy to know that you are doing fine in this city of lights you described. It seems nice, but you are right, I will not join you there. I have work to do here, and a country to serve. Thank you, Officer Banura I sent the letter without any second thoughts. This is how it was done anyways. Nothing could have second thoughts. If we started doubting our first instincts, we would always be wrong, or in the worst case, killed. I went back to my dinner and ate. The bell rang in the distance, and I turned all emotions off. I picked up the gun that was lying by me and ran to the bush. Shock took me over as I reread these lines. â€Å"Only one of our kids died. It is okay he was just 8, he won’t be very missed.† How could he ever say something like this? He once was this child that fought in the bush like a man, giving everything he had. He knew the fear that was triggered from shooting a man. He also knew of the adrenaline rush of seeing that man drop dead on the floor knowing that later on in the camp he would be proclaimed and thanked. My brother had forgotten about these evils and regarded them as normal. This could not be happening. I could not let him forget the little innocent boy that once was my brother. I decided to write another letter to remind him of who he truly was. Dear Banura, Your words comforted me as I now know you are alive. However, they also hurt me so much. To know you have lost your humanity makes me wish that you died out there in the battle. How could you have forgotten what it was like to be a child soldier yourself? A few years back you were not so different from this little boy that died for his country. I, on the other hand, remember it all too clearly. You may only remember the drugs and the good times we had after using them, but I remember the whole story. I had just turned 13 and you were merely 7 years old when the Revolutionary United Front attacked our village. This was back in 1993. The war had started in 1991. We spent three years fighting against the government in Freetown. You remember those days, don’t you brother? The fighting, the killing, the bloodshed, the useless bloodshed. You probably forgot about the atrocities that happened during those years. You were so young, so innocent, and you were given drugs, constantly. You accepted them instantly as you thought they were treats. I do not blame you, I myself did not know any better. I accepted them as well. There is no need to rummage on the bitter past, but I would still wish to remind you of the day in 1996 when UNICEF delivered us from our perpetual sufferings. They helped us flee from Freetown and they gave us an education. It was basic but it still helped me take my mind off of the atrocities I had seen. I worked hard and had even started to learn how to read and write. You on the other hand, showed no effort. It seemed as if you were content with your old life, and that you even wished you could go back to it. I knew all hope for you was lost when you came to my bunk one night and told me â€Å"the neck of this one is in perfect position for cutting with a machete†. You were talking about the boy you had been playing marbles with you a few hours earlier. After a few months in the UNICEF camp, they helped some of us flee from Freetown. I went with them but you decided to stay behind. You said you preferred dying than abandoning your country in a time of need. I often wish you had come with me, but I will never regret this day. It opened up so many more possibilities than the war ever had. I was sent off to New York where I stayed with my foster mother, Laura Simms. Once I was there, I was signed up in the United Nations International School. I later enrolled in Oberlin College where I graduated with a degree in Political science. Right now, I write and tour the United States to explain the atrocities of being a child soldier, while you continue fighting a deadly war that kill thousands of children every year. Unfortunately, I believe all hope is lost for you, brother. I wish for you to regain your senses and your humanity. May God help you, Ishmael Beah The letter was sealed and I sent it off. It was not a careless act, as I rummaged over it for a few hours. If this could not knock some sense into his careless head, nothing will. I though back on my brother’s words, how could one lose all love and pity? I only wished for one thing. For Banura to see that there was a way to get out of all of these atrocities. The escape was simple. He could come to New York, and work alongside with me. All possibility of this may have been lost, but one can still dream after all. The letters were still coming in, and I did not know why. What could Ishmael want to do with me? He knew I was alive and well, so why would he want to keep talking to me? We were so different, what could we talk about? Then I read the letter. The words stung me like wasps. The sorrow in them cut me like blades. He was right. I had told him that he should have known what fighting was like because he had been a soldier, but I had forgotten what being a child soldier was like. Again he was right, the drugs had made that time of my life just seem like a shape in the haze. I hadn’t even realized I was crying until a tear fell on the letter. To add to my pain, I remembered telling another child to dump that little boy’s body into the hole at the other end of the camp. No tears had been shed for him back then, but this was being fixed. I dried my wet face with my sleeve and went back to my tent. I could not cry in public, but I could not hold back the tears, either. I wept for all the men I had killed and all the children I had deprived of a childhood and a life. As if by instinct, I took out my brother’s first letter from under my pillow and reread it. The answer seemed to stand out from the little piece of paper, â€Å"come and join me in this city of wonder†. With eyes half closed I started packing my bags. I wrote down my wish to join my brother as a letter and sent it off. Ishmael, You have been right all along. I have lost myself during all of this fighting and killing. Please accept my apology and open your home to me. Let me join you and start a new life. Your brother, Banura I waited for the reply for endless days. Finally one day the letter came and a few words were written on it. Banura, Join me now. I have arranged your departure with the United Nations. Go to the Lungi International Airport any day in the next six months and take this plane ticket with you. Ishmael My contract with the army was coming to an end. This piece of paper that had sealed me in this world of violence did not mean anything to me but bitter memories of a childhood and a life wasted. Three months after my brother’s last letter, I left this world of turmoil behind me forever. This was back in 2001, one year before the civil war in Sierra Leone ended. I now live with Ishmael, my brother, and we tour around the world explaining what a child soldier does. I help explaining to people the vicious cycle of war and how one is bound to return to being a soldier, as we are not taught anything else. Child soldiers often lack skills to do anything else but fight. This was the case for me, but thanks to my brother, today I live a different life in this city of wonder. Descent Into Hell 1st entry: It was a day like every other in Sierra Leone, where I live with my older brother and my mother. Nothing seemed to be different as everyone was tending to his or her chores. I was feeding the chicken and gathering the eggs for our supper tonight. One egg each. It was more than enough in these times of turmoil and desperation. In the distance I heard a deafening shout. It was my mother. At first, taken by panic, I stood amongst the poultry, paralyzed. I heard gunshots and that was it. I found myself running through this so familiar path to see, standing in front of my door, three buff soldiers holding a gun. I remember that sight, I always will. The object, a gun, used to be so foreign to me. I now am accustomed to the touch of it, as well as the sensation of having it placed in my bare hands. The soldiers were asking my mother where my father was. Little did they know he was deceased for a few years now. They then asked her if she had any sons and where they were. From behind her, my 17-year-old brother appeared. They asked him aggressively if he was ready to join the militia and to fight for his country. He replied that he wasn’t and that he had to remain with my mother to help her. He was shot dead. A bullet, in the head. Not any remorse from the other soldiers. A cry escaped from my mouth. The eyes from one of the soldiers found me. It was the end. â€Å"YOU!† he shouted. I advanced timidly towards him fearing for my life and for my mother’s. He repeated the same question he had asked my brother. What other choice did I have but to say yes and follow them? They allowed me to pack a pear of pants, a pair of shoes and I was gone. My life as I knew it was over. I was only 13. 2nd entry: We walked until dawn the next day through the bush. Everyone was tired but we continued walking. In the distance we could see a camp. It was relatively small. As we entered through the metal gate one thing hit me. It hit me hard. The putrefying smell of rotting flesh. Prisoners from a previous attack had been staked in the middle of the camp to scare away anyone who dared come in. They made me walk past them into a hut on the other side of the camp. There, they gave me a uniform and told me that I was part of the army. This was all too new for me. I did not know what to do or expect, so I simply obeyed and followed the rules. I would soon find out that this would become a habit. To follow the rules blindly. An officer was speaking and telling me about the food schedule. We must all wake up at 5 a.m. and eat in order to be prepared to fight for the rest of the day. We would return at the camp around 8 every night to eat and rest before the next day. For breakfast we were given one egg and a handful of rice. For our lunch we were given bean soup and for dinner we would be handed two pieces of meat and a bowl of rice. He also told me that we had to do a special ritual before starting the training. They said that if I followed the rules I would gain magical powers that would protect me from the bullets. He also informed me that if I did not follow his orders he would hunt the rest of my family down and kill them one by one. The order was plain enough. I had to follow the rules and I would be protected from the bullets. What I found bizarre is that no one asked for my name that day. Newcomers must have been common here. A soldier came up to the officer and started talking to him. I was to follow this soldier to be trained. The officer shouted after us, â€Å"Take care of Pisco, he looks like a sturdy one†. I asked the soldier why the officer had called me Pisco, and he replied in the most natural tone ever, â€Å"It is your new name†. Abu Bakar Bangura, the young and innocent boy living in the village with his mother and brother was dead. Pisco, the sturdy child soldier had taken his place. 3rd entry: During my four months of training, we had to run in the morning and we studied about small arms at night. During the day, we would plough and harvest the fields and we practiced parade drills. To plough the fields, we had to pull a tractor with a rope so that the officers would not have to waste their money on fuel. The training was hard and I had no idea how to hold a gun, shoot and aim. The first couple times I even injured myself and almost shot a man in his leg from not aiming properly. Two other boys were in training with me. Nisu and Shole. They were twins and were taken away from their father a week ago. They were already better than I was but had trouble aiming. Nisu kept missing the aim and a soldier got tired of him and beat him. The beatings were severe and the pains caused from them were horrendous. I know that from experience. The fear of getting beaten everyday was always present, so I tried my best. I could not fail. Nisu and Shole were not as good as me. They were beaten every day and the beatings made it even harder for them to hold the gun in their hands. One day, Nisu was hit in the head with a rock, and fell dead. His brother could not endure the pain of being alone. He starved himself to death, and when the beatings came again, he died. They were thrown by a soldier into the latrines and left there. I still think of them today. That night, the soldiers beat me too. I was beaten unconscious and had to be sent to the hospital. They put an ice pack on my head and waited until I woke up. No tests were done to see if I had a concussion. When I returned to the camp, they beat me again. I nearly died that night. To this day, I still do not know why they beat me. I cried that night, but not only because of the pain of losing Nisu and Shole, nor from the pain my head was inflicting upon me, I cried because even though my training was not over, I had to start killing the enemy. Tomorrow I had to go into the bush for the first time and fight for my life. I knew that this would be the hardest day of my life and that it would be crucial for the rest of my stay here. 4th entry: Before I was sent out to the bush, an officer pulled me over and told me to follow him. Once again I did as I was told. I walked to the end of the camp, next to the latrines. On the ground, attached by ropes, was a boy. The same one who slept in the bunk over mine. He had just turned 10. He was used in the camp to wash the dishes and do the laundry in the river. They gave me my gun and ordered me to shoot him. I asked why. They told me that if I did not shoot him, they wouldn’t be able to trust me. I still did not understand why I had to shoot this young boy but the soldier’s next words convinced me. â€Å"If you do not shoot him, we will give him the gun and he will have to shoot you†. The boy got on his knees and started crying. He asked to be freed and to go back to his mother. The officer slapped him and ordered me to shoot. I shot. This was the first person I ever killed. He certainly wasn’t the last. I still have dreams about the boy of the village that I killed. The dreams keep me awake at night, crying my eyes out. The sobbing face keeps repeating that I killed him for no reason. I regret this act. I killed an innocent boy simply to prove I was trustworthy of killing even more men and women. After that shot was sent, I fell to my knees sobbing. A soldier grabbed me from my hair and threw me on the floor. He told me he would give me a potion that will make me invincible. He gave me a damp cloth and pressed it against my mouth and my nose. I started to feel a bit dizzy yet I was hyperactive. The soldier had drugged me and made me high so that I would be fearless and better in the bush. Nothing felt better than this feeling. The gun felt light in my hands, and the damp bush was almost invisible to me. I felt free and good. This day flew by for me. When I got home that night, my eyes were red and itching and I felt slightly dizzy. The drug was slowly dissipating and the hunger took over. During dinner, we were given two pieces of meat with a little rice. While I was eating my bowl of rice, an excruciating pain was felt in my leg. I had not noticed that a bullet had grazed my thigh and left a deep gash that was bleeding. I was taken to the infirmary and my thigh was bandaged. It did not help with the pain but at least I would not have to sleep on it with all the dirt. Wounds were deadly here as the risk of infection was high and the medicine was scarce. 5th entry: The drugs were the only things that made me want to go back into the bush. This was the only thing I was certain about in this world full of uncertainties. The soldiers would give us cocaine or marijuana. They would often mix cocaine with gunpowder and they would call it brown brown. We would then follow our officers into the bush and they would utter a few words and let us go. â€Å"This is the enemy† and they would give us a direction. No questions were asked. If we asked any questions, we would have a clear answer. Death. Our own team would shoot us. That day I killed my first man on the battlefield. I had climbed at the top of a tree and hid in the dense foliage. There I lay, not moving for what seemed like hours. The humidity and the high temperatures made the thirst unbearable. A man from the opposing army was walking nearby shooting at one of the soldiers in camp with me. From under the foliage I shot. The bullet hit the soldier in the back and he fell on his knees. Blood was gushing from the wound. The soldier’s life I had just saved came up to the dead body and turned him over. He drew a machete from his belt and cut the head off. The soldier dragged the head from the hair and brought it back to camp that night. It was put in the fire. The same fire the food was cooked on. That night, I fell asleep without even taking my dinner. I was alone in the hut enjoying the stillness of the night when an officer burst into the room. He asked, â€Å"Who is here?!† to which I replied by saying Pisco. His face lit up when he heard my name and he started unbuttoning his shirt. He was approaching me and saying things like: do not be scared Pisco, it won’t hurt very much. On a less gentle tone, he told me that if I ever told anyone about anything that will happen tonight, he would execute me and accuse me of treason against my team during the battle. He said he was in charge here and anything he accused me of, would be taken as true. The officer sat next to me and told me to get closer to him. Once again, I obeyed. The officer gagged me and tied me with a rope to the metal bars of the bed. I was laying on my stomach with my face crushed against the hard mattress. Without being able to move, I could feel the officer removing my pants. Once the officer had pleasured himself using my body, he left. He let me behind, mind and body shattered. I wish to never recall that night. This is the last time I will ever write about it. 6th entry: How could I live knowing that this would become a routine? Killing people. I had always thought that no man should have any sort power over another man’s life. Who did we think we were to end someone’s life? Yet, here I was, killing people. I could not live with this in my heart anymore. I had to tell someone, but whom did I have left except for my mother? Even though I wished I could talk to her, I had no way of doing so. I asked some of the older soldiers how they communicated with their family and they told me they would send letters with other soldiers when they went on raids for new recruits in villages. That night, I sat down and wrote my sorrows and my pains to my mother. I told her I would be fine, and that she should not worry about me. I tried reassuring her; by telling her I would come back to her. Then the thought hit me. What if I never returned home? I wasn’t as scared of dying as I was of staying here forever and having to live like this. I did not know how long I was going to stay here. I had to escape. My plan was set in my mind. If I was hurt enough, I would be sent to the nearby hospital and my wounds be tended for. Once I was in shape again, I would run away and join my mother at her village. The only thing that prevented me from doing so was the fear. The fear of being caught and being tortured as a punishment. I was aware of what happened to those that tried escaping. These men are raped, beat to death, buried alive and shot in front of their families. If they are not killed right away they are tortured, forced to reenter the army or arrested and imprisoned. 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