To Comprehend The Unfaltering Love Of Victor Frankl, We Must Essays

To comprehend the unfaltering love of Victor Frankl, we must understand his circumstances. There is no way we can step into his shoes to experience his tragedies, but his vivid descriptions help us vicariously relive his tribulation. He opens a window into his world, and we can actually see the scenes he paints for us. ?The accompanying guards kept shouting at us and driving us with the butts of their rifles,? he says (348). It is difficult to put ourselves in his position of despair. Being forced to do things, in abominable conditions, against our will when our lives depend on it is not something we, as modern Americans, know much about. It may be more difficult to understand how he keeps his hope alive. Frankl clings to the one thing even the Nazis could not take away from him. The love for his wife was a bond even death could not erase. ?There was no need for me to know; nothing could touch the strength of my love, my thoughts, and the image of my beloved,? Frankl writes (349). I think it is wonderful how he can recall his wife's face amidst the chaos around him. He exhibits great discipline in a place of desolation. He has an optimistic approach to the hardships of the day. When the others are moping about, he still thinks about her. In addition, his thoughts take him away from any physical pain he may be experiencing. Even though he is lovelorn, he has the ability to drift to another world though his love (349). What words can describe a love like Frankl's? John Alan Lee writes a typology on different kinds of love. Looking at a few types, we can see qualities that characterize Frankl's love. A touch of eros is apparent, because Frankl can remember what his wife looks like. He describes her smile and look. ?Her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise? (Frankl 348). Maybe when they first saw each other, there was a physical attraction. It was probably not an infatuation with looks, because he imagines a conversation with her. They had a very strong relationship, so it is dissimilar to eros in that respect. Furthermore, it would definitely not have ludic qualities that are more fleeting (Lee 302-303). Storge love would most likely be the closet type to their love. Lee describes falling into storgic love, ?with the passage of time and the enjoyment of shared activities? (305). He also mentions how some people based their love on friendship and companionship. I believe this is the love Frankl and his wife felt when they were together. ?A man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved? (Frankl 348-349). Even when they were separated from each other, it was a sweet love that Frankl had to get him through that incorrigible time. Also characterized by storgic love, is the incredible strength of the bond. Even when the lovers are apart from each other, it does not stress the relationship as much as other types. Lee gives us the example of Ulysses and Penelope (305). Even though Ulysses had not seen his wife in ten years and had been told she was dead, he still used all his strength to get back home. I am of the opinion that Frankl's love for his wife was this strong. It did not matter whether his wife was dead or not. ?Had I known then that my wife was dead, I think that I would still have given myself, undisturbed by that knowledge, to the contemplation of her image...? (Frankl 349). The love was truly admirable that they had for each other. At the same time, I do not think their love was a mania. He did not experience despair from her absence; instead, it gave him hope. However, if we throw in a bit of agape love, I think this well describes different aspects of Frankl's great love for his wife. Lee defines agape as, ?a generous, unselfish, giving of oneself? (309). The affection Frankl and his wife had for each other was probably like this. I can imagine him doing little things around the house for her that showed how much he cared. It was certainly a love they shared equally. Finally, it would seem to me Frankl's noble love was scarce. Working in the cold ditches everyday must have psychologically then physically killed many men. Those who

Biography of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria

Biography of Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand (December 18, 1863–June 28, 1914) was a member of the royal Habsburg dynasty, which ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After his father died in 1896, Ferdinand became next in line for the throne. His assassination in 1914 at the hands of a Bosnian revolutionary led to the outbreak of World War I. Fast Facts: Franz Ferdinand Known For: Ferdinand was the heir apparent to the Austro-Hungarian throne; his assassination led to the outbreak of World War I.Also Known As: Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph MariaBorn: December 18, 1863 in Graz, Austrian EmpireParents: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria and  Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two SiciliesDied: June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Austria-HungarySpouse: Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg (m. 1900–1914)Children: Princess Sophie of Hohenberg; Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg; Prince Ernst of Hohenberg Early Life Franz Ferdinand was born Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Joseph on December 18, 1863, in Graz, Austria. He was the eldest son of Archduke Carl Ludwig and the nephew of Emperor Franz Josef. He was educated by private tutors throughout his youth. Military Career Ferdinand was destined to join the Austro-Hungarian army and quickly rose through the ranks. He was promoted five times until he was made a major general in 1896. He had served in both Prague and Hungary. It was no surprise when later, as heir to the throne, he was appointed to be the inspector general of the Austro-Hungarian army. It was while serving in this capacity that he would eventually be assassinated. As a leader of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Ferdinand worked to preserve the power of the Habsburg dynasty. The empire was made up of multiple ethnic groups, and for some of them, Ferdinand supported greater freedom for self-determination. He argued for better treatment of Serbia in particular, fearing that suffering among the Slavs might lead to conflict in the region. At the same time, Ferdinand opposed outright nationalist movements that might threaten to undermine the empire. On political matters, it was reported that Ferdinand frequently disagreed with Emperor Franz Joseph; the two had bitter arguments when they discussed the future of the empire. Heir to the Throne In 1889, the son of Emperor Franz Josef, Crown Prince Rudolf, committed suicide. Franz Ferdinands father Karl Ludwig became next in line to the throne. Upon Karl Ludwigs death in 1896, Franz Ferdinand became the heir apparent to the throne. As a result, he took on new responsibilities and was trained to eventually become the emperor. Marriage and Family Ferdinand first met Countess Sophie Maria Josephine Albina Chotek von Chotkova und Wognin in 1894 and soon fell in love with her. However, she was not considered a suitable spouse since she was not a member of the House of Habsburg. It took a few years and the intervention of other heads of state before Emperor Franz Josef would agree to the marriage in 1899. Their marriage was only allowed on the condition that Sophie would agree to not allow any of her husbands titles, privileges, or inherited property to pass to either her or her children. This is known as a morganatic marriage. Together, the couple had three children: Princess Sophie of Hohenberg; Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg; and Prince Ernst of Hohenberg. In 1909, Sophie was given the title Duchess of Hohenberg, though her royal privileges were still limited. Trip to Sarajevo In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was invited to Sarajevo to inspect the troops by General Oskar Potiorek, the governor of Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the Austrian provinces. Part of the appeal of the trip was that his wife, Sophie, would be not only welcomed but also allowed to ride in the same car with him. This was otherwise not allowed due to the rules of their marriage. The couple arrived in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.​ Unbeknownst to Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, a Serbian revolutionary group called the Black Hand had planned to assassinate the archduke on his trip to Sarajevo. At 10:10 a.m. on June 28, 1914, on the way from the train station to City Hall, a grenade was launched at them by a member of the Black Hand. However, the driver saw something racing through the air and sped up, causing the grenade to hit the car behind them, seriously wounding two occupants. Assassination After meeting with Potiorek at City Hall, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie decided to visit those wounded from the grenade in the hospital. However, their driver made a wrong turn and drove right past a Black Hand conspirator named Gavrilo Princip. When the driver slowly backed up out of the street, Princip pulled a gun and fired several shots into the car, hitting Sophie in the stomach and Franz Ferdinand in the neck. They both died before they could be taken to the hospital. Ferdinand was buried alongside his wife in Artstetten Castle, a royal property in Austria. The car in which they were killed is on display at the Museum of Military History in Vienna, Austria, along with Ferdinands bloodied uniform. Legacy The Black Hand attacked Franz Ferdinand as a call for independence for Serbians who lived in Bosnia, part of former Yugoslavia. When Austro-Hungary retaliated against Serbia, Russia- which was then allied with Serbia- joined the war against Austria-Hungary. This started a series of conflicts that eventually led to World War I. Germany declared war on Russia, and France was then drawn in against Germany and Austro-Hungary. When Germany attacked France through Belgium, Britain was brought into the war as well. Japan entered the war on Germanys side. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies. Sources Brook-Shepherd, Gordon.  Archduke of Sarajevo: the Romance and Tragedy of Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Little, Brown, 1984.Clark, Christopher M.  The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914. Harper Perennial, 2014.King, Greg, and Sue Woolmans.  The Assassination of the Archduke: Sarajevo 1914 and the Romance That Changed the World. St. Martins Griffin, 2014.

Private School Application Essay Tips

Private School Application Essay Tips Applying to private school means completing an application, a process with many components. There are short answer questions, forms to fill out, teacher recommendations to collect, standardized tests to take, interviews that need to be scheduled, and an application essay that needs to be written. The essay, for some applicants, can be one of the most stressful parts of the application process. These eight private school application essay tips just might help you produce the best essay youve ever written, which could increase your chances of getting accepted at your dream school.   1. Read the directions. This seems obvious, but hear me out. Reading the directions carefully can help ensure that you accomplish the task at hand. While most directions will be straightforward, you never know if the school is going to ask you to address specific questions on the given topic. Some schools also require that you write more than one essay, and if you just assume you get to pick from the three options when you were actually supposed to write three short essays, well  that is certainly a problem. Pay attention to word counts that might be given, too. 2. Be thoughtful in your writing sample. Leading off from that last sentence of bullet one, pay attention to the requested word count, you need to be thoughtful in how you approach the assignment. Word counts are there for a reason. One, to make sure that you give enough detail to actually say something meaningful. Dont cram in a bunch of unnecessary words just to make it longer.   Consider this essay prompt: Who is someone you admire and why?  If you simply say, I admire my mom because she is great, what does that tell your reader? Nothing useful! Sure, you answered the question, but what thought went into the response? A minimum word count is going to make you actually put some more effort into the details. Make sure that as you write to reach the word count that you arent just putting random words down that dont add to your essay. You need to actually put some effort into writing a good story - yes, youre telling a story in your essay. It should be interesting to read.   Also, remember that writing to a specific word count doesnt mean that you should just stop when you hit the required 250 words either. Few schools will penalize you for going over or under a word count slightly  but dont obliterate the word count. Schools provide these as guidelines to get you to put in some effort to your work, but also prevent you from going overboard. No admission officer wants to read your 30-page memoir as part of your application, no matter how interesting it may be; honestly, they dont have the time. But, they do want a brief story that helps them get to know you as an applicant.   3.   Write about something that matters to you. Most private schools give you an option of essay writing prompts. Dont choose the one that you think you should choose; instead, opt for the writing prompt that most interests you. If youre invested in the topic, passionate about it even, then that will show through in your writing sample. This is your chance to show who you are as a person, share a meaningful experience, memory, dream or hobby, which can set you apart from the other applicants, and thats important.   Admission committee members are going to read hundreds, if not thousands, of essays from prospective students. Put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to read the same type of essay over and over? Or would you hope to find an essay from a student thats a little different and tells a great story? The more interested you are in the topic, the more interesting your final product will be for the admission committee to read.    4. Write Well. This should be obvious, but it must be stated that this essay should be written well, using proper grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Know the difference between your and youre; its and its; and there, their, and theyre. Dont use slang, acronyms, or text-speak.   5. Write. Edit/Revise. Read it Out Loud. Repeat.   Dont settle on  the first words you put down on paper (or type on your screen). Read your admission essay carefully, review it, think about it.  Is it interesting? Does it flow well? Does it address the writing prompt and answer any questions that were asked? If you need to, make a checklist of things you need to accomplish with your essay and make sure when you review it that youre actually meeting each requirement. To ensure that your essay flows well, a great trick is to read it out loud, even to yourself. If you stumble while reading it out loud or struggle with what youre trying to get across, thats a sign that you need to revise. When you recite the essay, you should easily move from word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.   6. Get a Second Opinion. Ask a friend, parent or teacher to read your essay and give an opinion. Ask them if it reflects you as a person accurately and if you truly completed the requirements on your checklist. Did you address the writing prompt and answer any questions that were asked?   Also get a second opinion on the writing style and tone. Does it sound like you? The essay is your chance to showcase your own unique writing style, tone of voice, personality, and interests. If you write a stock essay that feels cookie cutter and overly formal in nature, the admission committee isnt going to get a clear idea of who you are as an applicant. Make sure the essay you write is genuine.   7. Make sure the work is truly yours.   Taking the lead from the last bullet, make sure your  essay is genuine. This is extremely important. Teachers, parents, admission consultants, secondary school counselors, and friends can all weigh in on it, but the writing needs to be 100% yours. Advice, editing, and proofreading are all fine, but if someone else is crafting your sentences and thoughts for you, youre misleading the admission committee. Believe it or not, if your application doesnt accurately reflect you as an individual, you can jeopardize your future at the school. If you apply using an essay you didnt write (and makes your writing skills look better than they actually are), the school will eventually find out. How? Because its school, and youre eventually going to have to write an essay for your classes. Your teachers will quickly assess your writing abilities and if they dont line up with what you presented in your application, there will be an issue. The private school youve been accepted to may even dismiss you as a student if youre deemed to be dishonest and not capable of managing the academic expectations.   Basically, applying under false pretenses and passing off someone elses work as yours is a major problem. Using someone elses writing  is not only  misleading but can also be considered plagiarism. Dont google sample admission essays  and copy what someone else has done. Schools take plagiarism seriously, and starting off your application like this  isnt going to help.   8. Proofread. Last but not least, proofread, proofread, proofread. Then have someone else proofread. The last thing you want to do is spend all this time and effort to create an awesome private school application essay and then discover that you misspelled a bunch of words or left out a word somewhere and ruin what could have been an awesome essay with some accidental mistakes. Dont just rely on spellcheck either. The computer recognizes both that and than as properly spelled words, but they certainly arent interchangeable.   Good luck!

International payments and settlements currency transactions Essay

International payments and settlements currency transactions - Essay Example Prestigious companies of the stature of Halliburton, Lucent Technologies and Monsanto face allegations of bribery to gain unnatural advantage in business and billions of dollars involved. A discussion on this issue including an assessment of the impact of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development Convention forms 'Section-2' of this paper. The objective of this section is to understand the law and to suggest a way forward for businesses and governments to control this menace. Utilitarian analysis of bribery serves no purpose at all since there is no ground for choosing an option that allows for bribery. International trade involves the exchange of goods and services ('goods') and international payments. There are several ways to make payment for goods received, each involving certain methods and procedures and the inherent advantages and disadvantages. The choice of mode of payment depends upon the contract negotiated between the exporter and the importer. Within this parameter, each partner to the agreement will tend to look for the most cost-effective and secure way of making the transaction. Open account trading is the simplest where the supplier makes an invoice and the buyer pays. Rarely followed in trade, only between the US, UK, and some European countries, and there is no further reference to this mode in this paper. Documentary Collection Exporters, to obtain payment from customers in another country, use the collection services provided by banks. The International Chamber of Commerce has established a set of, standard and internationally accepted, rules known as the 'Uniform Rules for Collection', (1995 Revision, ICC publication No. 522). The bank may be required to handle financial documents such as the bill of exchange or promissory note and other secondary documents like the Bill of Lading, Invoice, Certificates of Inspection and so on. When both types of documents are to be collected, it is called documentary collection. Clean collection is of only financial documents. The crucial financial document is the 'Bill of Exchange'. It is an agreement to pay a fixed sum by the buyer to the seller on a fixed date. It is an instrument made out in writing and signed by the maker (drawer, the importer) directing another person (drawee, usually a bank) to make payment to a third party (payee, the exporter). Called 'Bill of Exchange' in International law, it is called a 'Draft' in the Uniform Commercial Code. A bill of exchange differs from a promissory note, in that, it is a firm commitment to pay rather than a promise to pay and a third party - the drawee is involved. A bill of exchange may also be subject to meeting certain conditions by the payee. A draft has no value unless the Importer accepts it. However, the payment made immediately (Sight Draft, or Documents against Payment D/P) or at a mutually agreed future date, endorsed on the draft (Time Draft, or Documents against Acceptance D/A, or Usance). The advantages of this mode of payment are: It is relatively safe for exporter offering a measure of protection. The

Public policy analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public policy analysis - Essay Example These factors can be natural, social or financial determinants. Public policy analysis is a process of policy making that begins with the identification of a problem in the public domain. This is followed by formulation of policy options to address the problem through political establishments. A plan is then developed for the implementation of the policy, and an evaluation is done through various government appointed institutions. This paper examines the stages of policy development model by showing how other factors detract from achieving the optimal policy alternatives. The goal of a public policy analysis is to provide policy makers with viable and informed policy options. It also presents credible expectations of the expected outcomes of the proposed policy options. Formulation of policies by governments is a complicated affair because of the socioeconomic and political influences involved in such matters. This makes the task of predicting the outcome and effectiveness of a polic y complex relative to the intended goals. The dynamism brought about by these factors makes the task of identifying unintended consequences a difficult undertaking. Once a problem in the public sector has been identified, there exists various ways of searching for a viable solution. Under the rational comprehensive model of decision-making, all possible approaches to solving the problem are identified. The costs and benefits of each choice of course of action are assessed and compared with each other, and the option that promises to bear the greatest amount of benefits is selected. The rational comprehensive model assumes total rational decision making when thinking of what policies to enact. Goals are identified and categorized, in accordance to order of priority depending on the socioeconomic and political situation at that time. Alternatives to these goals are also identified, and the projected consequence of each policy option is analyzed (Thissen & Walker, 2013). This model rec ommends the choice of options that maximize utility. This is because, in an ideal world, this would be the best model to help the society. This model of decision-making is best suited for policy formulation that omits political influence. Rational comprehensive approaches are costly in terms of resources that are devoted to gathering the relevant information and time. The costs of undertaking rational comprehensive decision-making, sometimes exceed the benefits of improved decision making. The nature of the procedures involved in this model requires a lot of time, which acts as a limiting factor to its potential capacity. This model has a few inadequacies like its focus on a few policy options, relies on trial and error and is prone to respond to political inputs. Another approach that can be taken when analyzing public policy is the problem-oriented model that focuses on values and influences. It entails identification and analysis of a problem in order to develop an effective resp onse that is strategically related to the ongoing events. It focuses on applying a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive public policy formulation. The problem-oriented model uses empirical data to project outcomes and the effectiveness of policies. Conclusions drawn from the use of this model rely on data collected over time and factoring in the prevailing influences of the time. When a list of choices is made, a projection of each of their goals is made and

There are a number of factors which are responsible for this disaster Essay Example for Free

There are a number of factors which are responsible for this disaster Essay 1. Documents which were obtained in the course of a law suit against Union Carbide for environmental contamination before a New York Federal District Court have revealed that the Carbide that had been exported to the Indian plant was untested unproven technology. 2. The Indian subsidiary plant unlike the Union Carbide plants in the U. S. A. were not equipped to handle or cope with problems of this magnitude nor were the local authorities informed about the dangers of the chemicals that were being manufactured in Bhopal. 3. The scientist’s reports which talked and warned about such a possibility as the accident which occurred were ignored outright and the senior staff never got to view them. 4. The sales were dipping and the staff was reduced due to which the safety checks were less frequent. 5. Slip-band plates which had to be installed in order to prevent the water from the pipes entering the tanks were not installed. 6. The MIC tank refrigeration coolant was being used elsewhere, but if a button was pressed in the control room it would have activated it to use the remaining coolant. This was overlooked by the staff. 7. The gas scrubber was kept on standby, so it could not be used to clean the escaping gases with sodium hydroxide which could bring the concentration down to a safe level. 8. The water curtain also was set to ~ 13m and it did not reach the gas, it was perhaps not designed to contain a leakage of such magnitude.. 9. The audible external alarm had been activated to warn the residents of Bhopal, but this was quickly switched off in order not to cause panic among the residents. So, many kept sleeping little realizing what was happening and those who woke up thought the problem was resolved. 10. The flare towers which were used to burn off gases before escaping into the air were under repairs. 11. Doctors were not updated about the proper treatment methods for MIC gas inhalation. When they inquired they were told to give the patients cough medicines and eye drops. Union Carbide denies all this. Their theory is that one of the employees introduced water into the tank by removing a meter, â€Å" a disgruntled plant employee, apparently bent on spoiling a batch of methyl isocyanate, added water to a storage tank†(Browning). Their argument is that so much water could not have entered the tank by accident. They further accuse that the plant staff falsified the numerous records to distance themselves of the disaster and that the Government of India did not prosecute the employee as it would weaken the allegations against the Union Carbide, but the Union Carbide themselves have not named or identified the employee. Still others, like the many experts in industrial safety, believe that the tragedy was preventable, arguing that it was the due to â€Å". the negligence on the part of the Union Carbide Corporation and its corporate subsidiary Union Carbide of India Ltd. (UCIL), which had the responsibility for taking care of the day-to-day operations of the facility†(Bogard 4). Moreover, the Indian Madhya Pradesh State Government had also not done anything for the safety standards and the Union Carbide also failed to implement its safety rules. This plant had experienced six accidents between 1981 and 1984, three of them involving MIC or phosgene, but since they were small scale ones, only one worker died in 1981, the official inquiries were shelved. Probably the neglect of not getting trained workers at the plant and the laxity in the upkeep of the equipments was responsible for the leakage. Union Carbide agreed to pay US$470 million in an out of court agreement for the damages caused in the tragedy, but little of the money went to the survivors, and the people of Bhopal felt betrayed by both the Union Carbide and their own politicians. Thus on the anniversary of the tragedy they burnt the effigy of Warren Anderson who was the chairman of the Union Carbide at that time as well as the effigies of their own politicians. In July 2004, The Supreme Court of India ordered the government to pay the victims and their families the remaining $330 compensation fund. Union Carbide sold its Indian subsidiary which ran the Bhopal plant to the Eveready Battery manufacturers in 1994. The Union Carbide was purchased by the Dow Chemical Company in 2001 for $10. 3 billion. Dow Chemicals have refused to clean up the toxic waste even as activists have demanded it and are pressurizing the Government of India to demand more money from Dow. According to environmentalists the contamination may lead to slow poisoning and diseases of the liver, kidney and the nervous system. Studies have also thrown light on the fact that cancer and other illness are on the rise in this region after the tragedy. BBC Radio5 reported on 14th November 2004 that the site is still contaminated with thousands of metric tones of toxic chemicals which are held in open containers or loose on the ground. Rainfall causes run off thus polluting local wells and boreholes. Some of the areas are so polluted that anyone entering the area for more than ten minutes are likely to loose consciousness.

Doctors Who Practice Euthanasia Should be Executed :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Doctors the Practice Euthanasia Should be Executed An eighty-seven year old grandmother on a respirator, a newborn child with AIDS, a teacher past her prime, and a father in a coma; all put to death by respectable doctors with the O.K. of their families. But is it really a ggod thing? Euthanasia, or doctor-assisted suicide, has become as common as jumping off of a fifteen story building or taking a gun to one1s own head. Certainly society frowns upon suicide, but yet putting an old lady or a man in a coma to death is being accepted every day. Society knows that suicide is bad, but euthanasia is even worse. The guilt and blame of a lost life is falling on the hands of doctor1s that we are supposed to trust, and even worse, the family members themselves. A doctor is to be known as a healer, not an agent of death. A family is supposed to love and support, not kill and inherit. Every person makes the light of the world brighter. The world needs everyone1s power and contribution. It1s the power and energy of the elderly, and the strength and will of the ill, that give the world life. The light has become very dim with the crime and corruption in today1s world, we can1t afford to throw lives away because some think they1re meaningless. If we continue to accept the merciless killings and suicides of the helpless but powerful, the light will soon burn out. There will be no energy in the world. Euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide should not be accepted or allowed by the government and people of the United States. Statistics show that seventy-three percent of the U.S. population approved of some form of euthanasia. This is used constantly in debates to pass laws for making euthanasia legal. But the people are deceived by this number. When the poll was taken, the people were asked if they approved of "some form" of euthanasia. There are two forms of euthanasia, active and passive. It is the passive euthanasia that many people are accepting, the less harsh of the two. That's why people generally say they approve of it. If a separate question was asked or the people were informed of the

Locke on Language Essay

John Locke (1632-1704) is a great influential British philosopher, reputed by many as the first of the great English empiricists. He offered a comprehensive philosophy of language as well, which was the first of its kind in modern philosophy. In line with Descartes, he pushed reason to the forefront as a tool of philosophical enquiry and opposed authoritarianism and blind acceptance of dictates of religion or superstitions. Locke’s masterpiece, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, concerns itself with determining the limits of human understanding and the legitimacy of knowledge claims. Specifically, Book III of the work investigates into language and its importance in the process of knowledge and epistemological enquiries. Let me brief the main aspects of his approach to language and the context from which it evolves out. Body of the Essay (Lockean Enquiry into Language) In the four Books of the Essay, Locke considers the sources and nature of human knowledge and as a part of it he takes up a study of language. (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Locke, 1. 1. 7. , p. 47). Against Descartes, he claimed, that mind has no innate ideas (primary notions or inborn ideas). Human mind is a tabula rasa (clear slate) and experiences write on it. In holding this view he subscribes to the axiom of empiricism that ‘there is nothing in the intellect that was not previously in the senses’. Ideas are but materials, out of which, knowledge is constructed. Neither speculative or innate moral principles, nor ideas, such as God, identity, etc. , are there in the mind of the new-born. ‘Children and the idiots prove it’, Locke says. His theory of substratum and substance, and the distinction he makes between primary and secondary qualities are all someway connected to his theory of language. The distinction between real essences and nominal essences, which he makes, stems from his theories of substance and qualities. It seems Locke holds some version of the representational theory of perception, though some scholars dispute it. Locke is not at all skeptic about substances as did Hume. Since Berkeley, Locke’s theory of the substratum or substance has been attacked as incoherent. Since we have no such experience of such an entity there is no way to derive such an idea from experience, his critics argue. (cf. I. IV. 18. p 95) The real essence of a material thing is its atomic constitution. The atomic constitution is the causal basis of all the observable properties of the thing. If the real essences were known all the observable properties could be deduced from it. These real essences are quite unknown to us according to Locke. Ayer interprets: ‘substance in general’ means whatever it is that supports qualities, while the real essence means ‘the particular atomic constitution lying behind observable qualities. Ayer treats the unknown substratum as the same as real essence. This interpretation eliminates the need to explain particulars without properties. But it is to be accepted that such reductionism lacks textual support from Locke and it conflicts some of Locke’s own positions according to some critics. A theory of meaning (semantic theory) is central to any philosophical account of language Locke also develops one when he claims that our words (general terms) refer to our (abstract) ideas. Abstract ideas and classification are of central importance to Locke’s discussion of language. Words that stand for ideas can be distinguished as ideas of substances, simple modes, mixed modes, relations etc. Not all words are ideas, for example, particles that relate. In his analysis of language, Locke gives more attention to nouns than to verbs (II. 7. 1. p 471). Though Locke’s main semantic theory claimed that â€Å"Words in their primary or immediate signification signify nothing but the ideas in the mind of him that uses them†, it was vehemently criticized as a classic blunder in semantic theory. For J. S. Mill, Locke seems not distinguishing the meaning of the word from its reference. But as Norman Kretzmann rightly points out Locke distinguishes between meaning and reference (Tipton, 1977, pp. 123-140). In Locke’s discussion on substances, he says, physical substances are atoms and things made up of atoms. But we have no experience of the atomic structure of horses and tables. Horses and tables are known through secondary qualities such as color, taste, smell etc and primary qualities such as shape and extension. Hence he held that real essence cannot give meaning of names. Ordinary people are the chief makers of language, he believed. Conclusion Locke brought in a tradition in language theory that influenced James Campbell and I. A. Richards, rhetoricians like Edward P. J. Corbett, Condillac, Saussure and structuralists like Claude Levi-Strauss. Linguistic philosophy (logical positivism, logical atomism and so on) in 20th century had something to respond to Locke if not to receive from him. However, I wouldn’t reckon Locke as a linguist than an empiricist. References Locke, John (1995) An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Aemherst, New York: Prometheus Books. Kretzmann, Norman (1977) â€Å"The Main Thesis of Locke’s Semantic Theory†. in Locke on Human Understanding,(ed) I. C. Tipton. pp. 123-140.

Identity the ftre written Essay

Introduction Identity Theft is considered to be major problem which has affected thousands, more than 9 million victims of credit identity theft were reported in 2003, it was estimated that the victims were deprived of more than 52 billion dollars through identity theft; the victims included established businesses and individuals. It has been learnt that ‘sophisticated organized criminals’ (Richard, 2003) were involved in identity theft. Identity theft is considered as an intimate abuse that is mainly responsible for the financial losses of the grieved victims. Identity Theft is ‘appropriation of another’s personal information’ (Whilk, 2003), the purpose of the exercise is to practice fraud, and the victim is impersonated by the culprits in this practice. Identity theft is mainly linked with the leakage of confidential information that is later misused by the culprits to achieve benefit. It has been observed through past cases of Identity theft that most of the culprits have enjoyed access to the victim directly, or the information related to the victim through different dealings. The nature of the dealing is not particular, in some of the cases associates and acquaintances have been involved have been found guilty of Identity Theft. According to studies, Identity theft involves three parties that include the victim, the perpetrator and the creditor. Victim is the person who fells prey of the criminal activities without any knowledge of it; the perpetrator is the individual who impersonates the victim, and executes identity theft, the perpetrator in many of the cases have the access to the information of the victim. The creditor is the personal who is familiar to both the perpetrator and the victim, the creditor support and develop the perpetrator plan. In some of the cases the fourth party is ‘the source of the personal information that is being abused’ (Whilk, 2003). Types of identity theft Pretexting Pretexting is considered to be one of the forms of Identity Theft; in this exercise one culprit impersonates the victim, ‘such that one calls under the pretext being that person’ (Richard, 2003). The exercise is normally performed to secure personal information that includes telephone records, and details of bank accounts. According to studies it has been observed that in many of the cases the4 victims are unable to detect their identity theft through pretexting. Credit Card fraud The evolution of internet has made it easier for the interested customers to avail deals through internet. Credit card facilities launched by several banks have tried to facilitate the customers, and have provided them with an easy opportunity to avail deals through electronic transaction via credit card. Unfortunately the sharing of information has often been leaked, and many of the cases of identity theft have been reported. According to study, ‘running up charges on another’s credit card, or passing checks of another, is a form of identity theft’. Identity theft is this case is practiced through appropriation of ‘the signature, account number, and other aspects of another’s identity’, the purpose of the entire exercise is to secure financial benefits on other expenses through unethical and illegal practice. New account fraud Identity theft has been reported through malpractices related to the opening of new accounts. In such case, the criminal uses the identity of the victim, and then after fulfilling the formalities of credit card companies borrow the money. Criminal identity theft In some of the cases it has been reported that criminals impersonate innocent people after their arrest, and have managed to escape successfully. In such cases, the innocent individual then has criminal record, and in some of the cases arrest warrants have also been issued. It has been researched that it is easier for the criminal to link their personality with the victim, and later manage to escape, however in the police records many such individuals are blacklisted who have reported their ignorance about the incident, and have proved their presence in foreign country at the time of criminal activity. Identity Theft as Abuse In the survey which was conducted in 2004, it was observed that domestic abuse has direct relationship with Identity Theft; it was observed that more than 15 percent reported that ‘they were also victims of domestic harassment and abuse from the perpetrator’. Identity theft is also conducted by the strangers, and in some of the cases organized criminal networks are involved in such practices. The identity theft is solely conducted to achieve economic gains through false identity, there it is expected that an authority with financial stability is likely to be the victim, ‘domestic violence is sometimes accompanied by economic abuse, such as controlling access to wealth or destruction of property’ (John, 2002). Much because it is difficult to trace the culprit involve in the identity theft, the practice is considered to be extremely lucrative for the abuser, where as the malpractice has ‘long lasting and debilitating’ (Robert, 2003) impact on the status, repute and character of the victim. The survey revealed that, ‘identity theft victims spend a median of one hundred hours rectifying the damage, and lose thousands of dollars in lost wages and other expenses’ (John, 2002), more than 50 percent of the victim have complained that they are subjected to repeated interrogations and false implications by the law agencies even after 2 years after the revelation of their identity theft, whereas as some reported that they are subjected to false implications for more than decade. According to the Stalking Resource Center at the National Center for the Victims of Crime, explained that ‘stalking as a course of conduct directed at a specific person when one knows or should know that the course of conduct would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of a third person; or suffer other emotional distress’ (Kristin, 2004), therefore stalking can be considered as a derivative of the stalking. The discussed surveillance, pretexting, and credit identity theft are directly related to stalking. Pretexting is not considered as an offence of extreme tribulation for the victim, the pretexter can only secure the right to access the accounts, and telephone record. Therefore the expected threats and damages through pretexter include the cancellation of the victim’s account, electric, gas and credit car accounts. However the cases of identity theft related to credit cards have subjected the victim under serious consequences. The survey report found that, ‘distress caused by credit identity theft is real, the victims report rage and anger; personal financial fears; fears for family financial safety; a sense of powerlessness and of feeling defiled’ (Kristin, 2004). Preventive Measures The measures to be necessarily adopted by the public to avoid any incident of victimization through identity theft include issuance of the credit report periodically. The public should also ensure that their credit limit is not too high, so that even in case of any manipulation the financial loss can be adjusted. The public should avail the scheme for the monitoring of their credit, through which unexpected financial dealings can be tracked. It has been learnt that Fair Credit Reporting Act has provided the public with an opportunity to place a fraud alert on their credit report, through such scheme the creditors have the right to access to verify their credit. References 1. Kristin Loberg. Identity Theft: How to Protect Your Name, Your Credit and Your Vital Information. Silver Lake Publishing. 2004. 2. Robert J. Hammond, Robert J. Hammond, Jr. Identity Theft: How to Protect Your Most Valuable Asset. Career Press. 2003. 3. John R. Vacca. Identity Theft. Career Press. 2002. 4. Whilk, Nathanael. Identity Theft: Preventing Consumer Terrorism: An Attitudinal Approach. Silver Lake Publishing 2003. 5. Richard M. Stana. Identity Theft: Prevalence & Cost Appear to Be Growing. Prentice Hall. 2003.

A Beautiful Gril essays

A Beautiful Gril essays We are living in a society where everything is being criticizes starting from where people live to how they look physically. In the United States there has been about one hundred thousand girls diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and six thousand girls have died from it within a year. In Marge Piercys Barbie Doll, she gives the public of how offensive it can be to a girl when someone criticizes a certain part of her body. Some girls may take meaningless comment said to them in a bad way. May be it could have been a good criticism, but teenage girls are very sensitive at this age. Although the protagonist attempts to confront the external forces (man vs. man and man vs. society), she succeeds to a certain extent but fails to resolve with the internal force of man vs. himself. First conflict the author present in the poem is man vs. man. Many girls going through puberty can take a few months to get the idea that they are growing to become women. Going through it, but do not pay attention, their body changes are noticed until it is recognized by someone else other than friends or family. In the poem, the girl is faced with a comment made by one of her classmate that she had a big nose and fat legs. Even though she had a normal childhood, playing with dolls, role-playing like a mother, and miniature GE stoves. She did not worry about what was going around her. Children can make up their own world where they do not worry about physical changes. In the second stanza, she does not only deals with man vs. man, but also with man vs. society. Some do not realize they can be cruel to others by the way they see a person or even talking to a person. The protagonist has to go fro and apologizing to the people she knows for her good qualities, because she was not accepted. Even though she has these qualities, people do not see her for who she is. They just see the fat nose and thick legs. As actre ...

How Radio Waves Help Us Understand the Universe

How Radio Waves Help Us Understand the Universe Humans perceive the universe using visible light that we can see with our eyes. Yet, theres more to the cosmos than what we see using the visible light that streams from stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. These objects and events in the universe also give off other forms of radiation, including radio emissions. Those natural signals fill in an important part of the cosmic of how and why objects in the universe behave as they do. Tech Talk: Radio Waves in Astronomy Radio waves are electromagnetic waves (light), but we cant see them. They have wavelengths between 1 millimeter (one-thousandth of a meter) and 100 kilometers (one kilometer is equal to one thousand meters). In terms of frequency, this is equivalent to 300 Gigahertz (one Gigahertz is equal to one billion Hertz) and 3 kilohertz. A Hertz (abbreviated as Hz) is a commonly used unit of frequency measurement. One Hertz is equal to one cycle of frequency. So, a 1-Hz signal is one cycle per second. Most cosmic objects emit signals at hundreds to billions of cycles per second. People often confuse radio emissions with something that people can hear. Thats largely because we use radios for communication and entertainment. But, humans do not hear radio frequencies from cosmic objects. Our ears can sense frequencies from 20 Hz to 16,000 Hz (16 KHz). Most cosmic objects emit at Megahertz frequencies, which is much higher than the ear hears. This is why radio astronomy (along with x-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared) is often thought to reveal an invisible universe that we can neither see nor hear. Sources of Radio Waves in the Universe Radio waves usually are emitted by energetic objects and activities in the universe. The   Sun is the closest source of radio emissions beyond Earth. Jupiter also emits radio waves, as do events occurring at Saturn. One of the most powerful sources of radio emission outside of the solar system, and beyond the Milky Way  galaxy, comes from active galaxies (AGN). These dynamic objects are powered by supermassive black holes at their cores. Additionally, these black hole engines will create massive jets of material that glow brightly with radio emissions. These can often outshine the entire galaxy in radio frequencies. Pulsars, or rotating neutron stars, are also strong sources of radio waves. These strong, compact objects are created when massive stars die as  supernovae. Theyre  second only to black holes in terms of ultimate density. With powerful magnetic fields and fast rotation rates, these objects emit a broad spectrum of  radiation, and they are particularly bright in radio. Like supermassive black holes, powerful radio jets are created, emanating from the magnetic poles or the spinning neutron star. Many pulsars are referred to as radio pulsars because of their strong radio emission. In fact, data from the  Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope  showed evidence of a new breed of pulsars that appears strongest in gamma-rays instead of the more common radio. The process of their creation remains the same, but their emissions tell us more about the energy involved in each type of object.   Supernova remnants themselves can be particularly strong emitters of radio waves. The Crab Nebula is famous for its radio signals that alerted astronomer Jocelyn Bell to its existence.   Radio Astronomy Radio astronomy is the study of objects and processes in space that emit radio frequencies. Every source detected to date is a naturally occurring one. The emissions are picked up here on Earth by  radio telescopes. These are large instruments, as it is necessary for the detector area to be larger than the detectable wavelengths. Since radio waves can be larger than a meter (sometimes much larger), the scopes are typically in excess of several meters (sometimes 30 feet across or more). Some wavelengths can be as large as a mountain, and so astronomers have built extended arrays of radio telescopes.   The larger the collection area is, compared to the wave size, the better the angular resolution a radio telescope has. (Angular resolution is a measure of how close two small objects can be before they are indistinguishable.) Radio Interferometry Since radio waves can have very long wavelengths, standard radio telescopes need to be very large in order to obtain any sort of precision. But since building stadium size radio telescopes can be cost prohibitive (especially if you want them to have any steering capability at all), another technique is needed to achieve the desired results. Developed in the mid-1940s, radio interferometry aims to achieve the kind of angular resolution that would come from incredibly large dishes without the expense. Astronomers achieve this  by using multiple detectors in parallel with each other. Each one studies the same object at the same time as the others. Working together, these telescopes effectively act like one giant telescope the size of the whole group of detectors together. For example, the Very Large Baseline Array has detectors 8,000 miles apart. Ideally, an array of many radio telescopes at different separation distances would work together to optimize the effective size of the collection area as well improve the resolution of the instrument. With the creation of advanced communication and timing technologies, it has become possible to use telescopes that exist at great distances from each other (from various points around the globe and even in orbit around  the Earth). Known as Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), this technique significantly improves the capabilities of individual radio telescopes and allows researchers to probe some of the most dynamic objects in the  universe. Radios Relationship to Microwave Radiation The radio wave band also overlaps with the microwave band (1 millimeter to 1 meter). In fact, what is commonly called  radio astronomy, is really microwave astronomy, although some radio instruments do detect wavelengths much beyond 1 meter. This is a source of confusion as some publications will list the microwave band and radio bands separately, while others will simply use the term radio to include both the classical radio band and the microwave band. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Macro--economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macro--economic - Essay Example Conclusion VII. References. What is wrong with America’s labor market? I. Introduction This excerpt is from The Economist magazine. It considers the fall in the American economy with specific concern to the labor market. The Issue in concern discusses the reason behind the fall in labor market, whether the problem lies at the demand side or the supply side along with pros and cons for active job policy. Part (a) – Article Summary The article talks about persistent unemployment rate in America’s market. The models and theories used in this article are: 1. Different types of Unemployment 2. Economics factors of production 3. Economic Growth Model 4. Demand and Supply Theories 5. Keynes Theory of Income and Employment 6. Modern Macroeconomists view 7. Okun’s Law II. Why is the labor market weak? America has faced recession at June 2009 (NBER, 2009). After the recession in recovery USA has seen 2.8% annualized growth, this was of course real low therefore it c annot have assured a significant change in unemployment rate thereafter. This is slightly in accordance with the Okun’s Law, which says, â€Å"that for every 1% rise in the unemployment percentage there is approximate 2% fall in the potential Gross Domestic Product.† Though the exact accuracy of the law is yet under disputation, however it stills empirically recognizes the relationship between unemployment and country’s production. With only 2.8% real growth in the current recovery session, it is not at all surprising that job growth has been an issue. The resultant unemployment is due to cyclical variation therefore we could term it as cyclical unemployment - unemployment caused by business cycle recession. The current slight decrease in jobless rate of 0.1% is misleading; the growth rate could not be measure inconsiderate to other negative factors (the discouraged workers drop out). There are around 46% of jobless workers preferring to remain unemployed. This is because of the inability to find the works that satisfy their needs. The weakness in the production cycle has to be mostly blame but there are signs of an emerging disease in American called structural unemployment. Structural unemployment results from persistent mismatch between the features and skills of workers and the job demands or requirement. It last longer periods compared to the frictional unemployment, as worker would require time to learn new skills. The youth unemployment (frictional unemployment) is worse factor of the America’s weak labor market. America has a lesser fraction of prime age men in workplaces and in the labor force than any other in the G7 economy. Some 25% of men 25-54 years old with no college certifications, 35% of high school dropouts and approximately 70% of black high school dropouts are not working (Economist 2011 under Jobs for the future). In addition, this frictional unemployment arises from process of matching workers with job. Fricti onal unemployment might be good as the workers take time matching the job they are wishing to do. However, if the unemployment period is long then it is not beneficial for the economy, as short-term unemployment becomes long term. This is almost what is happening in