Saturday, August 31, 2019

Comparison of Three European Sports Cars Essay

Background of the Study When people see these three luxury cars, they immediately think â€Å"wow† luxurious. more often than not, though, that’s usually followed by, â€Å"but would you choose it over any of the europeans and all over the world?† In all honestly, i’d thought about it a few times, and still wasn’t sold on this car. however, experiencing this three luxury cars can change ones mind, just like that. this massive car has presence and possesses without exuding arrogance. whether it’s standing still or on the road, it commands attention without asking for it. People often say that men experiencing midlife crisis buy luxury cars as attempt to hold on the last vestiges of youth and virility slipping from their hands, i believe the luxury cars fills that need nicely , it’s powerful and fast enough to get the hearth racing, the electronic nannies are smart enough to protect most drives from the consequence of stupid driving. This study attempt to compare the effectiveness of luxury cars to ordinary cars. and the characteristics of the cars to save our life. in fact, if this were a contest to turn heads. we might as well as well pack up now and call it a day, because the involuntary rubber necking that the causes it a public health hazard. According to TopGear Magazine (2011), Three supercars,1687 horses, 63.5 million big ones-and all of that extravagance in one place at the same instant. And according to ( Topgear ), Mr, Dinzo Tabamo (Mercedes Motors) The Mercedes’s AMG division makes some of the most powerful cars in the world, but the SLS (engine) is something new-the first Mercedes truly mix it up with blue blooded exotic machinery. According to (Topgear), Mr JV Colayco (Ferrari Motors Manager) The latest’ entry level’ Ferrari is also the most potent and well rounded car from Maranello ( Another type of Ferrari). It has achieved top honors in almost every compare around the globe. According to (Topgear), Mr, Dairy Darilag (Lamboghini Motors) A veteran of many battles, the Gallardo gets an exciting refresh in the LP570-4 (Lamborghini Engine). The LP570-4 means something about the Lamborghini. And the Superleggera means superlight but powerful. The Supperleggera is track oriented. Comparison Of Three European Sports Cars ; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Ferrari 458 ITALIA, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 SUPERLEGGERA Statement of the Problem This research aims to differentiate the luxury cars compare to ordinary cars AND what are the benefits you will gain to save and prolong our lives This research seeks to answers the following questions: 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying luxury cars? 2. In CASE of accidents what are the features than can save the lives of the drivers? 3. What are the differences of the three cars engines? Comparison Of Three European Sports Cars ; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Ferrari 458 ITALIA, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 SUPERLEGGERA Theoretical Framework Hypothesis There are many advantages of buying luxury cars and many features that can help to prevent accidents. Assumption Mercedes Benz SLS AMG – The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Feels Special And Bespoke, But Still Retains A Certain Benz-ness. Ferrari 458 ITALIA- No other flappy paddle systems today feels more alert than the on in the 458 italia. Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-40 SuperLeggera – The Gallardo Has a Heavier Feel than the 458, But It’s More Docile Than AMG. Comparison Of Three European Sports Cars; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Ferrari 458 ITALIA, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 SUPERLEGGERA Significance of the study The findings of the study will be beneficial of the following: Old people – the car is equipped with a very cool automated backup and parallel parking system feature called the advanced parking guidance system. It allows the car to steer into preselected parking spaces. Government – â€Å" those who have in life should have more in law† was the social-justice principle popularized by president ramon magsaysay in the 1950’s. Simply said. Those who can afford a luxury car must also afford to pay a corresponding luxury tax, the belied is conspicuous spending on luxury goods or services for the primary purpose of displaying income and wealth, or of attaining all maintaining social status, carries the responsibility to feed the lifeblood of the government by paying taxes.

Friday, August 30, 2019

With which client would I have the most difficulty working?

According to my beliefs the negative member is the most difficult to handle. According to Jacobs, Masson and Harvill the negative client is one who has a tendency to find problems with everything. A negative client is capable of transforming a group session into a gripe session. (Jacobs, Masson and Harvill, 2006) A negative client causes a negative influence on the group as a whole and is capable of instigating a feeling of discontent among other group members. Presence of one or more negative client in a group may lead to lowering of the groups morale.How would I handle a negative client in a group? My reactions against unreasonable demands of a negative client would probably be instinctive. I would resort to direct confrontation with the negative client, although this would not be the ideal course of action since Jacobs, Masson and Harvill have recommended that group leaders should refrain from direct confrontation because it only leads to time consuming arguments between the leade r and a negative client. How would Jacobs, Masson and Harvill have handled a negative client?Jacobs, Masson and Harvill suggest three alternative courses of action which will enable the leader to effectively handle a negative client. The first course of action is to talk to the negative client outside the group and try determining the reason for his unacceptable behavior. In most cases negative clients suffer from lack of attention and the problem can be solved if they are offered an important role. The second option as suggested by Jacobs, Masson and Harvill involves identifying the positive members of the group (ie those members who are contented with the group).By talking to the positive members in a group a leader can motivate those members who have been influenced by the negative client. The third option calls for de motivating and isolating a negative client. This goal can be achieved if the group leader avoids making an eye contact with the negative client while addressing th e group as a whole. Incase neither of the 3 courses of action are successful in improving the negative client, Jacobs, Masson and Harvill suggest that asking the negative client to leave is only option that the leader is left with. If there are any members in my group who have taken up the role of a negative client?What effect has it had on the group? I have encountered negative clients in my group; such group members cause a lot of problem. They create a wide spread feeling of discontent among the group which leads to fragmentation of the group. The group gets subdivided into two sections one of which harbors feeling of negativity and discontent and the other section comprises of positive members who are satisfied with the current state of affairs. Fragmentation of a group results in loss of productivity. Therefore it is important to prevent the group member from acquiring negative tendencies.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Equality of Condition Essay

In his book â€Å"democracy in America†, Alexis de Tocqueville provides a thorough study of the equality of condition as a distinctive feature of the democratic America and discusses some of the consequences it might have. He begins his writing by introducing the reader that during his stay in America the equality of condition struck his attention the most. In America, the democracy has reached another level that has never been seen before or experienced in any of the European countries but that are slowly progressing towards it. This level of democracy has created a society in which all persons are legally understood to be socially and politically equal. Despite all the benefits that the equality of condition brings to the society, it also tends to isolate people from one another and cut them off from the social beliefs and values. When this form of isolation is transformed into an extreme form of individualism, it creates selfishness and egoism among people. When these people come together to form a majority which in a democratic society enjoys a great amount of power, it might cause the tyranny of majority – de Tocqueville’s main concern. The concept of equality of condition is more complex than it first seems and a society based on this fact poses a threat to freedom. De Tocqueville argues that â€Å"the influence of the equality of condition extends far beyond the political character and the laws of the country and it has no less empire over the civil society than over the government, it creates opinions, gives birth to new sentiments, founds novel customs and modifies whatever it does not produce† (â€Å"Democracy in America† Heffner ed., 26). It is important to depict from this quote that a society based on the equality of condition, above all, creates the common opinion. In an equal society, the fact that all the members are resembled enables them to trust and support the common judgment and opinion. Furthermore, de Tocqueville argues that all the inhabitants of the democratic society are individually equal and independent to each other but if one individual alone tends to contrast the â€Å"totality of his fellows†, he will find himself insignificant and weak. Therefore in a democratic society, the public has, as de Tocqueville calls, â€Å"a singular power† where it enforces certain opinions and infuses such opinions in the intellect of their mind. Considering that in a democratic society, it is the majority that takes decisions, the public opinion will then become the law creating political omnipotence. Therefore, de Tocqueville claims that in the US the majority comes up with opinions and the individuals although they develop their personal thoughts have to adopt those that the majority offers since they, alone, are unable to contrast them. This, in turn, discourages and in a way prohibits them from developing their own intellectual thoughts. Thus, the equality of condition that gives rise to the majority opinion poses a great threat to the individual freedom of thought. During his stay in America, de Tocqueville discovered that the American people appeal only to their own individual effort of its own understanding. He has found that in America the tie which unites generation is broken and that nobody traces or cares about the ideas of their forefathers. In a society where everybody is equal and classes tend to disappear, no man can have an intellectual influence in the mind of another man since nobody looks at his fellows as being superior. Therefore, de Tocqueville argues that in a society based on the equality of condition, not only the trust of one man on another is destroyed but also the intellectual authority on any man. In absence of such intellectual authority, people develop their own believes and judgments within themselves different from the rest of the society. In the absence of an intellectual trustworthy authority capable of imposing social beliefs and values, people are left to seek the truth alone and when they fail to do so or such truth is against their personal judgment, they simply ignore it. Thus, an equally conditioned society tends to isolate people from one another and cut them off from a common set of social beliefs and values. This isolation that results from the equality of condition has dangerous consequences if it reaches extreme levels which de Tocqueville calls individualism. As a result of the individualism, the selfishness and the egoism of people will be born. The egoism and selfishness cause people in this society to develop a love for material gratification a love for richness. They want to acquire everything for themselves even if it is done in the expense of other people. Furthermore, according to de Tocqueville, these individuals do not change their character as they unite with each other or grow in number. In fact, they tend to enforce those selfish opinions but on a greater scale. The majority they create will then act as one selfish individual and in a pure democratic society is given the power to make laws and take decisions on behalf of everybody. Therefore, such a majority consisting of egoist people who fulfill their needs and greed in the expense of the other people composing a minority creates the tyranny of majority. In a democratic society, the ultimate reason that the tyranny of majority occurs, is the individualism which separates people from each other and from the social values and beliefs and allows people to establish selfish opinions that hurt the other people. Therefore, de Tocqueville argues that the establishment of â€Å"family†, â€Å"religion† and â€Å"patriotism† are necessary protections against such tyranny because they bring people together and enforce on them social and moral values. Families bind people together and connect them with each other. Members of the family are taught to sacrifice some of their personal gratification for his ancestors and descendants. Therefore, the establishments of families attempt to fight the selfishness that individualism has created. The members of the family in their childhood are taught morals and social values. The elderly in the family can influence the young ones because they are perceived to have some intellectual authority. Therefore, the family brings people close to each other, where one member of the family cares about the others, and to the social values avoiding the isolation. Patriotism also fights the selfishness and brings people together. De Tocqueville sees patriotism as one citizen making a personal sacrifice for the greater welfare of the public. He also argues that in a patriotic society people do not fail to faithfully support each other. A patriotic person believes that it is his duty to make himself useful to other fellow citizens. Therefore, patriotism also creates a strong community where the members care about one another. It breaks the isolation and consequently the individualism that the equality of condition creates. Religion also brings people close to each other and to the social and moral values. De Tocqueville argues that every religion places the object of men’s desire above any treasurer in the earth. Every religion imposes duties on men towards his fellow citizens and draws him away from the contemplation of himself. Furthermore, the main concern of religion is to purify and restrict the excessive and exclusive taste for well being which men in the periods of equality wishes. Man cannot be cured by the love of the riches but they may be persuaded to enrich themselves by none but honest means (â€Å"Democracy in America† Heffner ed., 152). Thus, religion serves as a superior intellectual authority which brings people together to each other and also enforces on them moral values that people abide to. In essence it fights both the isolation and the selfishness of people. The â€Å"family†, â€Å"patriotism† and â€Å"religion† fulfill the absence of a superior intellectual authority, create a strong community and bring people close to the social and moral values which lack in an egalitarian society. De Tocqueville emphasizes the importance of associations in a democratic society. In his opinion an association consists of a group people united by a common interest and who agree to promote their ideas in a certain manner. Simply, associations guide a group of people with divergent minds towards achieving a specific end. In order for an association to exist it has to have the liberty to create an opinion and the freedom to meet which a democratic society grants to them. De Tocqueville distinguishes between two types of associations; the political association and the civic association. The political association besides having the two liberties mentioned above, they also have the liberty to unite into electoral bodies and chose their representatives. A political association acts as a government within a government where the delegates of the association represent the collective force of their party just like the delegates of the majority. The civic associations include a large number of organizations starting from building inns, churches, schools and hospitals. While the political associations have one major goal that they try to achieve by electing delegates; the civic associations are less formal, include a larger number and attempt to improve the social life in the society. Political associations are sometimes used to organize revolutions like those in Europe whereas the civic associations are voluntarily created and peaceful in their nature. The political associations are similar to the political parties today who elect their delegates and compete for offices. The civic associations are very similar to the interest groups where a group of people form an organization and express their point of view in certain issues and attempt to influence those who already occupy offices. The civic associations like the interest groups include a greater variety of interests. De Tocqueville goes further to argue that the political and civic associations are necessary to retain an active community life in a democratic society. De Tocqueville argues that in a democratic society all the citizens are independent and feeble and they, alone, cannot do anything and cannot oblige another person to assist them. They all become powerless if they do not learn to help each other voluntarily. If they do not form associations, which are simply artificial ways of binding people, they might preserve their wealth but their independence as well as their civilization will be in jeopardy. Furthermore, in a democratic society, as I have discussed earlier, people tend to get isolated from tone another. Therefore, since civic associations are very diverse, they are necessary to voluntarily bring people together and create ties among them. Thus, they are crucial to retain an active sense of community life. The political and civic associations are very important in a democratic society in the attempt to avoid the tyranny of the majority. The minorities can create political associations and elect their delegates in order to directly fight the oppressive laws created by the majority. The civic associations can also be used by minorities to create a larger group and then together voice their opinion. The associations are also used to bring people together and avoid the creation of individualism which is very likely in a society based on the equality of condition. Political and civic associations are, therefore, necessary schools for democracy because they teach us how to avoid the tyranny of majority in advanced democracies. De Tocqueville’s philosophy is still relevant for our own time. Nowadays, the political and civic associations play a very important role in creating communities. As countries become more democratic, the number of associations in those countries increases because people as individuals become powerless and they are unable to defend their beliefs on their own. Today, the political and civic associations are very common and much more active that they have ever been. The political and civic associations enable people to unite and become active members of the society. As people join different organizations, they agree to help and support other fellow citizens. People unite and form associations because they have strong feelings for a cause they fight although such a cause might not directly affect them. Therefore, political and civic associations tend to correct and remove selfishness from the people. The existence of a large number of associations is the reason why we have not exp erienced the tyranny of majority although a number of countries have reached advanced levels of democracy.

Strategic Business Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic Business Report - Essay Example The company over the initial years has relentlessly focused on obtaining scale of operations which it believes will be the foundation for its future profitable growth. It has been to such an extent that it has sacrificed profits for growth during initial phase and posted its first profit only in the year 2003, nearly after nine years of operations. The strategy followed is a customer focused approach which the company believes will help it attain the scale it needs for long term success. 1.2.1 Product: Amazon .com sells operates in North America as well as internationally through retail websites which include amazon.com, amazon.ca, amazon.de, amazon.fr, amazon.co.jp, amazon.co.uk, shopbop.com, endless.com, and the Joyo Amazon Web sites at joyo.cn and amazon.cn.. It sells its product in over 200 countries. The product range which its sources and sells are books; electronics and computers; toys, kids, and baby; sports and outdoors; movies, music, and games; home and garden; apparel, shoes, and jewelry; tools, auto, and industrial; digital downloads; grocery; and health. Amazon.com, Inc. operates retail Web sites, as well as provides programs that enable third parties to sell their products on its Web sites. It enables customers to use single click technology to complete purchase of all sellers and check out, making purchase easy and convenient. The company's Amazon Enterprise Solutions offer sellers e-commerce expertise, technology, and operational infrastructure to e nable e-commerce businesses operating under their own brand name and Web site address. It also offers Amazon Web Services, which provide access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable virtually various types of businesses. 1.2.2 Price: The unique offering of Amazon.com is its ability to offer products at a price lower than any other retailer, because of its unique model (no expensive retail space). 1.2.3 Promotion: MillionAmazon.com has steadily increased its spending on advertising and promotion and brand building. In 2005 it valued its goodwill as $159 million. Amazons unique brand image as a top web based retail company built right from day one, is what drives the company's growth. 1.2.4: Place/ Supply chain management: Strong delivery system is one of its strong points of Amazon.com. To manage logistics it believes in having strong analysis based systems. It uses mathematical modeling and algorithms extensively to forecast, match delivery centres,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

HR Management in the Small Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HR Management in the Small Business - Essay Example In both small and large businesses, the major functions of HR management are recruitment, selection, training, and compensation of employees (Longenecker et al., 2011). However, not all-small businesses are able to have a full functioning HR management system that can handle the above-mentioned activities in formal and efficient ways. As a result, small businesses are forced to choose to either run these activities informally or outsource them to another organization. The small businesses due to their size and level of income are in most cases not able to adapt new technologies that have been developing to improve efficiency in managing human resources. One of such technologies is the Human Resource Management System that can provide information necessary for effective decision-making (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). As a result, small business is forced to employ the outdated method of decision making which can be inefficient in our current era. Another reason that makes small business not to use such technologies is that they do not prioritize the management of human resources. Majorities of the small businesses are not able to maintain an HR department with fully qualified HR professionals necessary for effective and formal HR management. In such organizations, the owner of the business or a clerical employee who is employed to do so carries out the HR roles. Moreover, in case of new employees who are hired, the supervisors and managers do the recruiting, selecting and training (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). Due to the limitation in the HR knowledge of the people tasked with HR management mandate in small businesses, it is always found out that in most cases they fail to meet standards required. Some of these HR activities are time consuming and, thus, they largely reduce the time the people assigned to undertake them have to focus on their main role in the business. Most of these small businesses decide to outsource most of their HR activities to another organization. The outsourcing process means that a business contracts or hires another business or organization to undertake certain activities in the business on its behalf (Mathis & Jackson, 2011). The outsourced activities might be recruiting, selecting and training of employees as well as managing its HR records and employees compensations. In such a case, this helps the people involved in running the business to focus mainly on their area of specialization and, thus, makes them to be more efficient in their roles. Furthermore, it enables the business to acquire services of HR specialist in undertaking its HR activities that can result in more efficiency despite their size. The major reason why most of the small business chooses not to have an HR department to handle HR activities and issues is the relatively low interest in human resource management in their different stages of operation (Cornelius, 2001). In most cases, it is very difficult to convince a manager or owner about the fundament al contributions of an HR department in the success of their business. This makes them not to prioritize it and most of them only plan to introduce them when their businesses grow to become large corporate. However, these individuals should be convinced about the role that properly managed human resources can play in resolving their

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Response for Leon Bonstein Let Teen-agers try adulthood, Paul Raeburn Essay

Response for Leon Bonstein Let Teen-agers try adulthood, Paul Raeburn Too immature for thye deatyh penalty - Essay Example Botstein argues that the social structure in high school is a hierarchical structure that is characterized by age, athletic prowess and attractiveness. The social structure in high school is different from any other community that students come across once they finish high school. The American high school education system is also regarded as obsolete. Botstein stipulates that when high school education system was being designed, students did not mature at the pace that they do today. Students used to mature at a slow pace. For example, Botstein stipulates that the age of menstruation has gone down approximately two years since the 21st century began. In this perspective, Botstein says that children should be allowed to begin school at an early age. The recommended age to begin elementary school today is 4 or 5 years. Botstein also stipulates that the junior high school stage or middle school should be scrapped off. This would allow a student to graduate from high school at age 16 and not 18 years. At this age, most students can be able handle real life situations without encountering significant difficulties. They are also adequately prepared to head off to college. Moreover, the article entitled â€Å"Too Young for Death Penalty† by Paul Raeburn describes a situation whereby Christopher Simons, 17 and Charles Benjamin, 15 led to the death of Ann Crook, 46, when they tied her with a tape and pushed her into a river. The two young adolescents confessed to committing the murder which earned them $6. Benjamin was sentenced to life imprisonment while Simmons was given a death penalty. The death penalty in this case attracted the attention of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other health groups. They argued that juveniles should not be executed since their brains are still in development. This means that juveniles should not be held entirely responsible for activities that they engage in (Raeburn). This is because the activities that adolescents

Monday, August 26, 2019

T-Test and Chi-Test Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

T-Test and Chi-Test - Assignment Example It is scientifically proven by Ridley (1999) the fact that men and women are different from each other. And they also differ in their motivational styles. Still, employment agencies will have to disregard the gender when it comes to a job working, so the aim of the employers are to motivate them using different tools that are available for them to use their abilities. The research that was carried out by Wiedner (1998) regarding personality type, etc. presented as determinants of job satisfaction has scrutinized the other factors such as age, educational level, sex, and the part-time and full-time status of the worker. And the one-way analysis of variance has been computed to determine if there are significant differences among the pay satisfaction levels. As the null hypothesis believed that there is no significant difference among the three shift categories. While on the other hand, the alternative hypothesis states that there is significance that exists on at least one of pair. Th is is just the same with the study in Unit 1, but the variance indicates that there is an insignificant difference that the level of education did not have the critical impact on their perception of equity on their perception of equity on pay. Here our finding is that there is a significant relationship in the differences between men and women regarding job satisfaction. As we observe from the first regression. And on the table we made, we have come up with a perfect correlation indicating that we have a positive result. There came the difference between the two regressions. When x and y switch, the result was changed. As the formula was: y = bx+a/y to get they we cross multiply the equation this way y = bx + a.   1 Y Their both sums came to become different and they both contrasts with each other since their composition was changed. They now represent another equation. The conclusion somewhat came to be undecided since it's different to explain both regressions with different dat a in it.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

America history since 1865 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America history since 1865 - Essay Example After the Civil Rights Movement, all practices that discriminated the negro that include laws, norms (giving up a seat to a white), segregation was ended and paved the way for policies that elevated the Negro to have more place in American society such as the Affirmative Action Policy. Today, United States has now an Afro American President to the person of President Obama which would not have been possible without the Civil Rights Movement. II. Growth of government and state power   The New Deal was a government program of action by President Roosevelt to address the Great Depression when he assumed office as a President of the United States on March 4, 1933 I believe is the most important aspect of government’s growth and state power. The New Deal lifted the United States economy from the shambles of the Great Depression to become an economic superpower after the Second World War. President Roosevelt’s New Deal involved a series of economic programs focused on Relie f, Recovery and Reform of the economy not only to address the Great Depression but also to avoid the repetition of the same. Among the programs of his new deal was the obtained permission to reopen most banks and provided grants to citizens. He instituted government initiated work programs to generate employment through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs. President Roosevelt also pump primed the economy with the widespread public spending on infrastructure by constructing roads, buildings, dams and similar projects through his Public Works Administration (PWA) which provided not only jobs but income in the system. He also enlisted young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to work on conservation projects. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was to elevate both income and prices which dropped during the depression. When Second World War came in 1941, President Roosevelt shifted his attention to foreign policy to address the war. The war proved to be good for the US economy because the massive spending to build war machines double the country’s Gross National Product or GNP and reduced unemployment rate from 14% to less than 2%. III. United States Foreign Affairs   I would like to discuss the immigrants in the Chesapeake and New England as America’s early experience in Foreign Affairs because these migrations in 16th and 17th century helped shape the kind of country that she is today. In between 16th and 17th century, immigrants from England settled into the eastern coast of the colonized New World which was then known as America. These groups settled into two regions which were the Chesapeake and New England areas. Chesapeake included Virginia, Maryland, New Jerseys (East and West), Pennsylvania and Jamestown while New England composed of included Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Haven. While these immigrants came from the same country and spoke the same tongue, they proved to become different kind of people when they settled into these regions of America. Settlers in Chesapeake came into America mainly for economic reason while immigrants in the New England settled in America to escape the religious persecution back in England. Those who went to Chesapeake were into finding riches while those who settled in New England hoped to have religious freedom which they did not have back in England. Having different reason and motivation

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Looking back over this quarter, what have you learned about one Essay

Looking back over this quarter, what have you learned about one particular adventist belief that is new to you, or is a significant addition to what you have thought previously - Essay Example Because of that, this class has certainly made me think about things in different ways, even if it did not really make me believe the same things that the Seventh Day Adventists do. One of the biggest and most obvious differences is the fact that those in the Adventist religion believe in the idea that Jesus Christ is the savior of humanity. Obviously, this is not a belief in Islam. Much like other Christian denominations, the Seventh Day Adventists believe that if you accept Christ as your savior, then you will be free from sin and able to go into heaven. By contrast, Islamic people believe that only Allah can free you from sin, and that you must genuinely repent and atone for your sins first. That means that in Islam each person is in charge of clearing himself from sin, and that it cannot be done by simply accepting a particular prophet as your I think there are some interesting things to say about both the Islamic and the Seventh Day Adventist beliefs about sin. For one thing, as a Muslim I am not sure that it is a very good idea to tell every single human being that they can be cleaned of sin simply by believing that the son of God has been punished for the sins that you commit. I think that it is much more helpful to society and to the world if, instead, every individual person has to properly and fully repent for the sins that they have committed before Allah (or God). That way, each person really thinks about what they have done thats wrong, and will truly feel sorry about it, so they are less likely to sin again. In Seventh Day Adventism, I would worry that people might not really repent from the sins they have committed, and this might mean that they would do the same thing again. On the other hand, the Seventh Day Adventist belief in Christ is like that of other Christian churches. They believe that while he is the son of God, he is also God himself. In this case, then, there is not much difference in having Christ

Friday, August 23, 2019

Calcium within the Human Body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Calcium within the Human Body - Essay Example A fascinating interplay of pathways and signals are involved in calcium regulation. As research and new technologies evolve, new aspects are elucidated in these complex mechanisms. Various animal models have been used in order to understand the cellular responses and the hormonal regulation (Eckermann 2008). Moe (2008) states "normal homeostatic regulation maintains serum levels, intracellular levels, and optimal mineral content in bone", summarizing the intricacy of structures and organs that contribute to "normal" levels. The major organs involved in the regulation of its metabolism are the parathyroid glands, the kidneys, the skeleton, and the gut (Wysolmerski & Insogna 2007). Our body obtains the necessary amount of calcium from two major sources: diet (through intestinal absorption) and bones (through calcium mobilization). Foods that include a high amount of calcium are diary milk, cheese yogurt, and green vegetables. The amount of calcium people need varies: young people need a high intake, so that growth and development are assured. Older women need calcium supplementation in order to prevent osteoporosis. Calcium is absorbed in the very beginning of the small bowel: duodenum and the first portion of the jejunum. The intestinal absorption is regulated by Vitamin D, and its mobil ization is tightly regulated by various hormones and signaling mechanisms, with a continuous remodeling of calcium storage. For example, if calcium is not adequately obtained from diet, a series of hormonal mechanisms are set off in order to get the necessary amount from bones; if this process is sustained for a long period of time, bones weaken. The kidneys are also important organs which regulate calcium metabolism and keep its blood levels (Choudhury & Levy 2007). In the different portions of the kidney, calcium is reabsorbed, so that equilibrium is achieved in the blood. Additionally, in both the proximal and distal nephrons, filtrated calcium is passively or actively absorbed into the bloodstream obtaining adequate levels in the urine. Those mechanisms can be modified with different drugs, which are used in certain conditions such as renal calculi. To review the impact of kidney disease in calcium metabolism, Hamdy (2007) has published an article where he explains the role of chronic kidney disease and the major disturbances seen in bone and mineral metabolism. A review of calcium metabolism would not be complete without addressing bone processes. Bone undergoes remodeling in all life stages, but certainly this process is faster in younger individuals, and more significant in trabecular bone than cortical bone. Normal bones are formed by different substances. Most of the body's calcium is stored in the bones, along with phosphorus and, mostly, as calcium phosphate salts. The great majority (almost 99%) of the calcium is found in the skeleton and approximately 1% moves freely from and into the bones (Matos 2008). Two principal cells regulate bone formation and destruction: osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts resorb bone and are formed by numerous monocytes that fuse and take shape of a multinucleated cell. On the other hand, osteoblasts deposit new bone and arise from mesenchymal cells. The remainder component of bone

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Gangs Essay Example for Free

Gangs Essay The past decade has shown alarming trends in the composition and activities of youth gangs all around the country. Gangs are supposed to be present in every major school district in the United States. A street gang appeares as an organized association of individuals who express their identification through private language, symbolic behavior, and the wearing of colors. The gang is generally, though not always, ethnically homogeneous. The thing that the street gang problem has turned out to be a real headache to the police goes without saying. And since the problem always implies some ways of its solving something has already been found. Gang Resistance is Paramount (GRIP) and Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) could be quite suitable examples of school-based gang prevention programs. Yet, armed children continue to appear at the schoolhouse door. Should the police treat youth gangs as those composed of adults? Is it the very time for the legislation to be changed? The fact is that if the attitude is different the arrangements of prevention also appear to be contrary different. Then, if the gang is known to be ethnically homogeneous the fact is possible to be taken into account. Prohibitions and limitations concerned with race are sure to be introduced. One way for preventing the growth of youth gang presence in the neighbourhood is the establishment of the curfew for certain nationalities. Or this could be thorough documents inspection, or putting a ban on studying in some schools for Mexicans, for instance. Still, isn’t all this bringing us back to well-known days of race discrimination? Aren’t we creating the background to more serious problems while solving the current ones? School proggrams have already started. Maybe they simply need a chance? Remember children we’re dealing with are still children even with guns in their hands.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Qualitative research Essay Example for Free

Qualitative research Essay PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate May 2006 P AT H F I N D E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L T O O L S E R I E S Monitoring and Evaluation – 1 PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate. May 2006 Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following Pathfinder employees and partners for their technical inputs into this document: Emmanuel Boadi (Pathfinder/Ghana), Anne Palmer (Futures Group International), Ugo Daniels (African Youth Alliance (AYA)), Veronique Dupont (Pathfinder/Extending Service Delivery (ESD)), Cathy Solter, Lauren Dunnington, and Shannon Pryor (Pathfinder headquarters). Jenny Wilder and Mary Burket are also thanked for their inputs and assistance in editing and producing this document. 2 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is a Case Study? A case study is a story about something unique, special, or interesting—stories can be about individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighborhoods, institutions, and even events. 1 The case study gives the story behind the result by capturing what happened to bring it about, and can be a good opportunity to highlight a project’s success, or to bring attention to a particular challenge or difficulty in a project. Cases2 might be selected because they are highly effective, not effective, representative, typical, or of special interest. A few examples of case study topics are provided below—the case studies would describe what happened when, to whom, and with what consequences in each case. Case Study Examples Shifting Attitudes of Youth-Serving Service Providers Uniqueness/Point of Interest Your program was able to change service providers’ attitudes towards dealing with Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) needs in an environment where provider’s attitudes have been a barrier to young people accessing SRH services. Your program was effective in introducing YFS to the MOH and in institutionalizing an YFS curriculum in a setting where the MOH did not provide YFS. Your program was able to integrate HIV prevention in several FBO service delivery points in an environment that normally does not include or welcome HIV prevention activities. Your program built the leadership capacity of youth to advocate, promote, and participate in decision making around ASRH. This transpired in a setting that did not include ASRH on the agenda nor encourage youth participation in general or in decision making in particular. Integrating Youth-Friendly Services (YFS) in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Integrating HIV Prevention in Faith-Based Organization (FBO) Health Services Delivery. Developing Youth Leadership in Tanzania 1 2 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oakds: Sage Publications. Case refers to the unit of analysis or topic chosen for study (i. e. , the individual, organization, or program). PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3 When is a Case Study Appropriate? Case studies are appropriate when there is a unique or interesting story to be told. Case studies are often used to provide context to other data (such as outcome data), offering a more complete picture of what happened in the program and why. What are the Advantages and Limitations of a Case Study? The primary advantage of a case study is that it provides much more detailed information than what is available through other methods, such as surveys. Case studies also allow one to present data collected from multiple methods (i. e. , surveys, interviews, document review, and observation) to provide the complete story. There are a few limitations and pitfalls however, each of which is described below. Can be lengthy: Because they provide detailed information about the case in narrative form, it may be difficult to hold a reader’s interest if too lengthy. In writing the case study, care should be taken to provide the rich information in a digestible manner. Concern that case studies lack rigor: Case studies have been viewed in the evaluation and research fields as less rigorous than surveys or other methods. Reasons for this include the fact that qualitative research in general is still considered unscientific by some and in many cases, case study researchers have not been systematic in their data collection or have allowed bias in their findings. In conducting and writing case studies, all involved should use care in being systematic in their data collection and take steps to ensure validity3 and reliability4 in the study. Not generalizable: A common complaint about case studies is that it is difficult to generalize from one case to another. But case studies have also been prone to overgeneralization, which comes from selecting a few examples and assuming without evidence that they are typical or representative of the population. Yin, a prominent researcher, advises case study analysts to generalize findings to theories, as a scientist generalizes from experimental results to theories. 5 3 4 Validity refers to the degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure. Reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test, or any measuring procedure yields the same result on repeated trials. 5 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 4 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is the Process for Conducting a Case Study? The process for conducting case study research follows the same general process as is followed for other research: plan, collect data, analyze data, and disseminate findings. More detailed steps are given below. 1. Plan †¢ Identify stakeholders who will be involved. †¢ Brainstorm a case study topic, considering types of cases and why they are unique or of interest. †¢ Identify what information is needed and from whom (see â€Å"What are Potential Sources of Information? † and â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Identify any documents needed for review. †¢ List stakeholders to be interviewed or surveyed (national, facility, and beneficiary levels) and determine sample if necessary. †¢ Ensure research will follow international and national ethical research standards, including review by ethical research committees. For more information, please see the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, available at http://www. cioms. ch/frame_guidelines_nov_2002. htm. 2. Develop Instruments †¢ Develop interview/survey protocols—the rules that guide the administration and implementation of the interview/survey. Put simply, these are the instructions that are followed to ensure consistency across interviews/surveys, and thus increase the reliability of the findings. The following instructions for the should be included in the protocol: †¢ What to say to interviewees when setting up the interview/survey; †¢ What to say to interviewees when beginning the interview/survey, including ensuring informed consent of the respondent (see Appendix 1 for an example); †¢ What to say to respondent in concluding the interview; †¢ What to do during the interview (Example: Take notes? Audiotape? Both?); and †¢ What to do following the interview (Example: Fill in notes? Check audiotape for clarity? Summarize key information for each? Submit written findings? ). †¢ Develop an interview guide/survey that lists the questions or issues to be explored and includes an informed consent form. Please note that you will likely need interview guides/surveys for each group of stakeholders, as questions may differ. †¢ Where necessary, translate guides into local languages and test translation. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 5 3. Train Data Collectors †¢ Identify and train data collectors (if necessary). (See â€Å"Training Tips for Data Collectors†6. ) Where necessary, use interviewers that speak the local language. Training Tips for Data Collectors Staff, youth program participants, or professional interviewers may be involved in data collection. Regardless of what experience data collectors have, training should include: †¢ An introduction to the evaluation objectives, †¢ A review of data collection techniques, †¢ A thorough review of the data collection items and instruments, †¢ Practice in the use of the instruments, †¢ Skill-building exercises on interviewing and interpersonal communication, and †¢ Discussion of ethical issues. 4. Collect Data †¢ Gather all relevant documents. †¢ Set up interviews/surveys with stakeholders (be sure to explain the purpose, why the stakeholder has been chosen, and the expected duration). †¢ Seek informed consent of each respondent (written or documented oral). Re-explain purpose of interview, why the stakeholder has been chosen, expected duration of, whether and how the information will be kept confidential, and the use of a note taker/tape recorder. †¢ If the respondent has consented, conduct the interview/survey. 5. Analyze Data †¢ Review all relevant documents. †¢ Review all interview/survey data. 6. Disseminate Findings †¢ Write report (see â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Solicit feedback. †¢ Revise †¢ Disseminate 6 Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/site/PageServer? pagename=Publications_FOCUS_Guides_and_Tools. 6 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY What are Potential Sources of Information? Case studies typically rely on multiple sources of information and methods to provide as complete a picture as possible. Information sources could include: †¢ Project documents (including meeting minutes) †¢ Project reports, including quarterly reports, midterm reviews †¢ Monitoring visits †¢ Mystery client reports †¢ Facility assessment reports †¢ Interviews †¢ Questionnaire/survey results †¢ Evaluation reports †¢ Observation †¢ Other What are the Elements of a Case Study? Case studies do not have set elements that need to be included; the elements of each will vary depending on the case or story chosen, the data collected, and the purpose (for example, to illustrate a best case versus a typical case). However, case studies typically describe a program or intervention put in place to address a particular problem. Therefore, we provide the following elements and example on which you might draw: 1. The Problem i. Identify the problem ii. Explain why the problem is important iii. How was the problem identified? iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? 2. Steps taken to address the problem 3. Results 4. Challenges and how they were met 5. Beyond Results 6. Lessons Learned. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 7 1. The Problem: It is essential to identify what the problem was. Specifically: i. Identify the problem. For example, certain FBO leadership was opposed to including HIV prevention activities within their programming. Specifically, they felt that prevention activities would promote sex among youth and thereby increase the incidence of HIV. In addition, the FBO felt that the promotion of condoms as a form of prevention was morally wrong. ii. Explain why the problem is important. Following the same example, to provide a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS, prevention activities are an important part of HIV programming, in addition to care and support. Addressing moral and religious concerns and objections of FBO leaders in order to incorporate this component greatly expands the prevention effort and offers a greater breadth and depth in HIV programming. iii. How was the problem identified? It is likely that program staff will have an idea of what general problems exist. For example, YFS is not integrated in the MOH, FBOs do not include prevention activities, youth involvement does not occur, etc. What was likely missing and required exploration were the details around this general problem. In the case of working with FBOs, an initial project planning meeting was held to discuss the specifics behind the problem. It was revealed during this process that certain FBOs who conducted care and support activities did not offer prevention activities, specifically condom promotion. The primary reason given was religious objections; another reason identified but not explicitly stated was stigma. iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? After additional one-on-one discussions with FBO leaders, it was determined that the leaders had concerns based on moral and religious grounds regarding prevention efforts, particularly promoting condoms. Furthermore, discussions revealed that a number of leaders had limited and/or erroneous information regarding transmission and prevention options. 8 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 2. Steps Undertaken to Address the Problem: What was done (activities/ interventions/ inputs), where, by whom, for whom? In the case of integrating prevention in FBOs, an illustrative outline of steps undertaken to address the problem is given below: What was done? Phase 1: Sensitization Sensitization of leadership: activities included reviewing FBO policies and bylaws by program staff in order to demonstrate to leadership that there were no constitutional objections to prevention activities. Project staff engaged liberal FBO leaders to supply quotes from the Bible to build their evidence-based argument to convince other leaders that there was in fact no biblical basis for the preclusion of prevention activities. Sensitization of facility managers: meet with managers to discuss leadership approval and present evidence-based arguments on why integration activities can be included. Sensitization of community: work with groups to explain that these activities have been approved by the FBO leadership and where they can go to receive services. Phase 2: Integration Facility assessments Selected facilities Project Staff, FBO representatives Local Implementing Partners (IPs) Project Staff, Facility Managers Contractor FBOs, Project Staff Facility Staff District/ National Project Staff FBO leaders Where? By Whom? For Whom? Facilities Project Staff Facility Managers Community catchment areas Project Staff Community members Training of service providers Selected facilities Conduct staff orientations Facilities Facility Staff Physical infrastructure improved Phase 3: Outreach Identify peers that you want to work with Training Provide Tools Supervision Phase 4: ME Reassessments Facilities Facility Selected facilities Facilities Facility Staff IPs Project Peer supervisors Beneficiaries Peers Peers Peers Sample of selected facilities Project Staff, Facility Management, Youth Trained mystery clients Project Staff, Peer Supervisors. Facility, Project Staff Mystery client interviews Monitoring visits Facilities Facilities, Peers Facility staff, Project Staff PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 9 3. Results: What were the results of your intervention, particularly the significant or unique results? For example: your activities resulted in the FBO including HIV prevention activities in their programming, which contributed to an increase in condom distribution. Or, your activities resulted in youth-serving service providers adopting a youth-friendly attitude which contributed to improved services and an increase in youth visits. Church leadership may have made a commitment and modified policies to include ASRH activities, leadership talking about the issues publicly. Facility managers may make financial commitments to refurbishments, training, etc. 4. Challenges and how they were met: This focuses on what challenges or difficulties you encountered and what you did to overcome them. One of the challenges in working with FBOs may have been dealing with Catholic FBOs and your response could have been to negotiate with them to include certain prevention activities like abstinence, and/or providing a referral point to youth who may want to get information about condoms. Another possible challenge is that not all FBOs who you had hoped to work with were willing to come on board and this required additional attention. 5. Beyond Results: Are the results mentioned above sustainable? Why or why not? For example, an integrated approach to programming (which included a strong policy and advocacy component) created an enabling policy environment with strong stakeholder support that can be nurtured and leveraged beyond the project duration. 6. Lessons Learned: What lessons were learned: programmatic, technical, financial, process, etc.? For example, the experience showed that it was imperative for project staff to have a very solid understanding of government policies to speak to these issues with key stakeholders. In addition, it was important to have a good understanding of the various religious beliefs in addition to their respective policies and by-laws for developing and delivering advocacy arguments. How are Case Studies Presented? Case studies are flexible in that they can be presented in a number of ways—there is no specific format to follow. However, like all evaluation results, justification and methodology of the study should be provided, as well as any supporting information (i. e. , copies of instruments and guides used in the study). Case studies may stand alone or be included in a larger evaluation report. If presented as a stand-alone report, the following report outline is suggested: 1. Introduction and Justification 2. Methodology a. How was the process carried out? (Describe the process of selecting the case and data collection sources, as well as how data was collected. ) b. What assumptions are there (if any)? 10 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. c. Are there any limitations with this method? d. What instruments were used to collect data? (You may want to include some or all in the appendix. ) e. What sample(s) is/are being used? f. Over which period of time was this data collected? The Problem The Steps Taken to Address the Problem The Results The Challenges and How They were Met Beyond Results Lessons Learned Conclusion Appendices Where Can More Information on Case Studies be Found? Information on Case Study Research Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/pf/pubs/focus/guidesandtools/PDF/Part%20II. pdf. Patton, Michael Q. (2002). Qualitative Research Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Stake, Robert E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. United States General Accounting Office, Program Evaluation and Methodology Division. (1987). Case Study Evaluations. Available at http://161. 203. 16. 4/t2pbat22/132683. pdf. Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. London: Sage Publications. Examples of Case Studies Cornwall, A. and Welbourn, A. (2002). Realizing Rights: Transforming Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Well-Being. London: Zed Books. Population Council. Quality/Calidad/Qualite series. Available at http://www. popcouncil. org/publications/qcq/default. htm. SRI International. (2001). The Organization of Learning in Community Technology Centers: Learning with Technology in Six Communities. Available at http://www. americaconnects. net/research/SRI_case_study_report. pdf. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 11 Appendix 1: Sample Informed Consent Form Key Components: †¢ Thank you †¢ Your name †¢ Purpose †¢ Confidentiality †¢ Duration †¢ How interview will be conducted †¢ Opportunity for questions †¢ Signature of consent I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is ________________________ and I would like to talk to you about your experiences participating in the African Youth Alliance (AYA) project. Specifically, as one of the components of our overall program evaluation we are assessing program effectiveness in order to capture lessons that can be used in future interventions. The interview should take less than an hour. I will be taping the session because I don’t want to miss any of your comments. Although I will be taking some notes during the session, I can’t possibly write fast enough to get it all down. Because we’re on tape, please be sure to speak up so that we don’t miss your comments. All responses will be kept confidential. This means that your interview responses will only be shared with research team members and we will ensure that any information we include in our report does not identify you as the respondent. Remember, you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to and you may end the interview at any time. Are there any questions about what I have just explained? Are you willing to participate in this interview? __________________ Interviewee __________________ Witness __________ Date ______________________________________ Legal guardian (if interviewee is under 18) 12 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: SAMPLE INFORMED CONSENT FORM Pathfinder International 9 Galen Street, Suite 217 Watertown, MA 02472 USA Tel: 617-924-7200 Email: [emailprotected] org 05/06/500.

The Kite Runner And Atonement Analysis English Literature Essay

The Kite Runner And Atonement Analysis English Literature Essay In this semester we read many interesting books, and I chose two books to compare and to discus about them. These books are The Kite Runner and Atonement. These books have many similar themes, like discrimination, differences between social classes, guilt-innocence, sacrifice, cowardice, family broken and deceit, but the principal and the reason why I chose these books, is because both stories talk about forgiveness and redemption and how the principal characters try to repair the bad actions that they did in the past. In this essay I would compare both stories, and all the things that caused that Amir (The Kite Runner) and Briony (Atonement) committed injustices with other characters. And after a certain time they could repair their errors that they did in the past, to be in peace with their selves. First I have to give the definitions for forgiveness and redemption. Forgiveness is the action that someone does to forgive someone or something, also to give the pardon to someone. Redemption is the act of redeeming something that was done in the past. The principal characters in these novels are Amir and Briony. Amir grew up as the only son of a rich widower. During his childhood he sees his father with respect and admiration. He also tries to obtain his father admiration and love. In some way he made differences (social differences) with his best friend Hassan, by referring him as his servant and also betray him. In other way Hassan always helped Amir, and considered him as his best friend. At the beginning of the novel Briony is a young rich girl. She likes to write stories. In her childhood she made differences with the people of lower position. She ´s a little mean girl, and with the time she become an adult girl who mature and think over her bad actions that she did when she was a child. Although that Amir and Briony had a different personality, they born in a high position. And I think that because of this difference they had to act as the rich people and not get involve with their servants. That ´s why I think that both stories have a part of discrimination, because the characters or the events that happened in these novel where referred to the differences of the social class. Also I think that it causes that both grew up with the idea that they couldn ´t get involved with their servants, or consider them as friends. Two examples of this actions could be when Assef told Amir and Hassan that they couldn ´t be friends, because Hassan was just Amir ´s servant (The Kite Runner). In Atonement, when Cecile did not defend Robbie, when he was captured by the police man. She did not confess the true about what happened between them. Other theme that these novels have in common is guilt versus innocence. In The Kite Runner, Amir blames Hassan, when Amir accused Hassan of stole Amir ´s father watch and Hassan falsely confessed. Amir did this because he observes that his father have affect for Hassan, and if he knew that Hassan acted in a brave way by confronting Assef, Baba ´s love to Hassan will increase. So, Hassan did not have other option and he left Baba ´s house, even though that he was innocent. In the Atonement, Briony accused Robbie of rape his sister, Cecile. She was a little and confused girl, because she did not notice that between Cecile and Robbie existed more than a sexual attraction. Also the events that happened before and after Robbie and Cecile having sex, made that Robbie were find guilty of Lolas rape. Also Cecile did have the courage to defend her love for Robbie, even though that she can prove Robbies innocence or Lola knew the true and she did not say anything, because she knew the person who rape her (Paul Marshall). These novels have also examples of sacrifices. The principal characters have to give up to something important. In The Kite Runner, Baba and Amir had to leave their hometown for the invasion of the Russians. Also Hassan made many sacrifices, like when he was rape by Assef just to defend Amir ´s kite. Other sacrifice that Hassan did was when he died by defending Baba ´s house. In the novel Atonement, I think that Robbie did the sacrifice of not defending himself by not saying the true. I think that he did that to protect Cecile ´s reputation. Also I think that in some way Briony made a sacrifice by consoling the French guy, who was dying. I think that the biggest sacrifice in this novel was the one that Cecile and Robbie did, by been separate. Another theme that these novels have in common is deceit. Many of the characters of these stories live in a deceit, in a certain time they confront it, because the past can ´t be forgotten. In The Kite Runner has an example of deceit. It is that Amir during his childhood he live in a deceit, because he did not know that Hassan was his half brother. Baba knew the true, but he did not say anything. In the novel Atonement, the biggest deceit could be when Lola lied about who was her rape. She was forced to confess that someone raped her. Briony though that this person was Robbie, so Lola said that Robbie was this person. Cecile did not believe in what she said, but the rest of the family did, so Robbie was sent to jail. Another theme that these novels share is Cowardice. Both novels have examples of this theme. For example in The Kite Runner, cowardice is presented when Hassan was raped by Assef. Amir was watching this action but he did not do anything to help Hassan, even though that Hassan acted in a brave way to defend Amir ´s kite. Also I think that Baba was coward by not saying the true about Hassan, he did not have the courage to say that Hassan was also his son and give him a better life. In the Atonement novel, cowardice is presented when Lola did not say the true about who was the guy who rapes her. That was an act of cowardice, and even though Lola got married with the person who really raped her. Also I think that Cecile was coward by not explaining Briony what was happening between her and Robbie and even more when Robbie was send to jail. I also found that in both stories exists a broke family. I mean that after a certain point or for some reason the relationship between the family members is broken. It happens in The Kite Runner, when Amir knew the true about his half brother, Hassan. For this action Amir felt betray by his father. And the admiration and the respect that he felt for his father become resentment. In the Atonement novel, Cecile was the person who decided to cut with her family. After that Robbie was send to jail, she was disappointed and angry. She left her house and never come back. Ceciles family will not be united anymore. These novels also talk about forgiveness. In atonement, Briony wants to fix the injustice that she committed when she was a child by writing a novel about a love story with a happy ending. At her short age she was confused about the events that she saw. She was too young to understand what happened between Cecile and Robbie, when they were having sex at the library, Briony though that it was an aggression to her sister. So, she told the police what she saw. Briony contributed to send Robbie to jail. Also I think that for the events that Briony saw like when Cecile and Robbie where at the fountain and the letter that Robbie wrote to Cecile, made that Briony had a bad impression about Robbie. These actions made that Briony started to feel hate and fear for Robbie. The time pass and she grew up and mature, these things made that she reconsider her actions against Robbie. Also she remembered that Paul Marshall was the person who raped Lola. So, Briony wanted to amend the damage that her lie caused to Cecile and Robbie, she wrote a novel about Cecile and Robbie with a happy ending. Also she wrote something that she couldn ´t done, it was that she apologized with Cecile and Robbie; it was like a wish, because she didnt do that. These actions should be considered as redemption. In the Kite Runner, forgiveness is presented when Rahim called Amir and told him all the things that happened to Hassan and his family. He gave an advice to Amir, and it was that he could amend all the damage that he caused to Hassan by rescue Sohrab, Hassan ´s son. Rahim also told Amir that by doing this could be the only way to be good again. He considered what Rahim told him, so he decided to go back to his hometown and rescue Sohrab. I consider this action as an opportunity that the life offers to Amir to be good again, and in some way to thank and reward Hassan for all the help, the support, and friendship that Hassan gave to Amir. Also I think that rescued Sonhrab, was Amir ´s obligation, because Hassan died by defending Baba ´s house. It was a debt that Amir needed to pay. I think that both characters received a punishment in a certain time of their lives that made them to pay for their bad actions. For example when Briony was working as nurse, she lived something that made her to reconsider about what she did and what she should do to be in peace with herself. This happened when she was with the French guy, who was dying. She felt alone and without love, she felt like if she were in the same place of the soldier. In The Kite Runner, Amir also received a punishment for a certain time. It was that he couldn ´t have family. I think that for Amir to have his own family was important. Because he expressed his wish to have children. I consider this as a punishment to Amir, because he was a selfish person with Hassan, because he did not want to share his father love. And I think that the destiny charged this action to Amir by not having his own family. At the end of the novels forgiveness is reached by Briony and Amir. They have to do something to obtain the pardon of the people that they hurt, to find a way to be good again, to be in the right way, to feel what the people that they hurt suffered and be in peace with the others. They have to do a little sacrifice to reach the redemption of their selves. Briony and Amir wanted to amend what they have done in the past. Both did what they tough that was correct to reach the forgiveness of the people that they hurt. Amir and Briony were looking for an interior peace that they needed. They need to be free of sins to have a better life, to clear their conscience. They needed to amend their errors, to apologize with the people that they hurt. At the end of the novels both characters, Amir and Briony could be in peace with their selves. They did what they thought that was right to amend their mistakes and injustices. In The Kite Runner, Amir could rescue Sonhrab. Amir gave Sonhrab the right to have a united family, to have a mother and a father again. And Amir let himself to have a complete family, to have a son. To protect and defend Sonhrab as he couldn ´t do with Hassan, when he was rape by Assef. Also to not commit the same mistakes that her father, Baba, did with Hassan. In Atonement, Briony related the love story about Cecile and Robbie. She gave her sister the best end to her love story. The end of Cecile and Robbie ´s love story deserved. Even though that in reality it was impossible, because Briony never confront Cecile and Robbie by telling them the true, and also she never apologize herself for what she did. Briony did what she thought that Cecile and Robbie will tell her to amend the consequences that her lie did to Cecile and Robbie ´s lives. She thought that the readers would like to read a happy ending in her novel. Also she demonstrated that as writers we have the power to change the things and do them in the right way. Both novels show us, the readers, that saying lies bring us bad consequences. Lies could ruin the life of other people; lies could hurt people, could hamper the happiness of a person and also could change your life. These novels teach us that saying lies are not good to the person who is saying them neither for the people who we are telling the lies. The themes that I mentioned like, discrimination, differences between social classes, deceit, sacrifice, guilt, innocence and cowardice are related to forgiveness and redemption in these novels. These themes were involved in the routine lives of Amir and Briony. In some way these themes are involved to the bad actions that Amir and Briony did against other characters. Because Briony and Amir had a better style of life, they had everything, and they grew up with the same ideas that their social class have about their servants. As humans we always judge poor people and we have a bad image of them. We always commit injustices toward the poor people, we discriminate them by thinking that we are better than them, and we also thought that they are weak people, who would never understand us. The people with a high position think that they can blame the poor people, and we end up that they are the bravest people and that we are the cowards. So to amend our errors we have to look for their forgiveness, to be free of any fault. In my personal opinion I consider these novels a lesson of life. The principal characters committed injustices and acted in a mean way with people who did not deserve to be excluded. At the end both characters, Briony and Amir, reconsider what they had done and were looking for forgiveness. That ´s something that humans do, we always commit injustices with the people that give us love and understanding. Some of us do it lately, but I think that never is too late to mend our errors. I also think that to obtain the pardon of someone we have to do something notorious, which can prove that we really wanted to be forgiven. In my personal opinion, I think that the character that success is Amir. Amir did a big effort to be forgiven; he also could amend his errors by rescue Sonhrab. Amir also will learn the role of be a father. I don ´t like the Briony obtain the forgiveness by the right way, because she should have the courage to look for her sister and confront Lola to made her to say the true. These novels made think that the past is always behind you and that some day it can reach you. We have to always amend our injustices, we have to repair our mistakes, and we have to do some sacrifice to be forgiven. Also I learn that the mistakes that you committed in the past, the future will charge you them in an expensive way. We have to try to be good with the people that are around us, to not commit injustices, to always mend our errors and to look for forgiveness. urse_banner Teacher: CJ. Macho Student: Guadalupe Aquino B. Title: Similar themes and focused in Forgiveness in the novels The Kite Runner and Atonement Date: December 14, 2009.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Custom Essays: Hamlet’s Ghost -- GCSE English Literature Coursework

Hamlet’s Ghost      Ã‚  Ã‚   The plot development of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, revolves about the initial apparition of the Ghost and his revelations to the hero of the play. Gunnar Boklund’s   â€Å"Judgment in Hamlet† introduces the Ghost in terms of the dilemma of the protagonist:      It is a commonplace to refer to Hamlet’s â€Å"dilemma† and a critical problem to explain in what this dilemma consists. A natural way to come to terms with the problem is obviously through the character that forces the dilemma upon Hamlet, that is to say, the Ghost. This is a particularly attractive approach, since it promises to bring the findings of modern research into Elizabethan demonology to bear directly upon the question of the nature of the Ghost and its message. It was apparently generally believed, among Catholics and Protestants alike, that a ghost could be dispatched into this world by either God or the devil, and consequently it became the duty of the receiver of its command to test it conscientiously before acting upon it. This is what we see Hamlet do when, in spite of his immediate conviction that it is an honest ghost he has seen, he arranges a trial of its veracity in the form of the play within the play. (117)    Thus is explained the rationale of the â€Å"play within a play† which is seen as necessary for the climax of the drama. To begin consideration of the Ghost, let it be said that the Ghost makes his appearance even before the play has opened. Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes the ghost’s activity prior to the opening scene of Shakespeare’s tragedy:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle o... ...: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware Press, 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.   

Monday, August 19, 2019

Analog Vs Digital Essay -- essays research papers

Digital PCS: The Future of Wireless Phone Service In the past few years the use of mobile phones has increased tremendously. At one time only available to the rich and elite business executives, the luxury of mobile phones can now be used by a wide group of people in different financial situations. Mobile phones are a necessary convenience. They provide instant communication access wherever mobile phone service is offered. There are two options for mobile phone service: analog, and digital PCS. Analog is the more expensive option and has long been the standard for mobile phone service. Digital PCS is the newest form of phone service. It works by converting human speech into software codes and converting them to audio signals before the codes reach the listener. Because it is software based it provides a perfect platform for a variety of advanced wireless features. Digital PCS is the future of mobile phone service and the soon to be de facto standard for wireless phone service.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People can choose digital PCS service for many reasons, though affordability might be the initial attraction. Because of competition by many companies price is always being driven down. Also, the many different customizable price plans offer an affordable package for any type of budget. Companies, which offer digital PCS service are always looking to lure new customers, and therefore are in constant review of their plans always trying to make sure they are treating their customers properly. This eventually leads to the best product for the customer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If there is any drawback to digital PCS it is that the service is still fairly new. Digital PCS systems need to be laid from the ground up. They are physically hard-wired from community to community. While designing a system like this takes much longer, the outcome is worth it. Hard-wired systems provide for a stronger signal, and better connection. Because the implementation of the system takes long, it is difficult to spread digital PCS service quickly. But the service is expanding rapidly and soon, it will cover most of the country. Another drawback is that people cannot use Digital PCS phones in the more common analog environments. Much of the country is already equipped with analog services so it is better to purchase a dual band Digital PCS service phone that has analog s... ...;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Digital phones are the future. They provide services that analog mobile phones could never provide. From an engineering standpoint alone, phones using digital PCS are more advanced and capable of amazing applications. But it is the convenience that digital PCS phones provide which make them a better option for people who are on the move. From a system level, they are designed from the ground up, providing the best connection and signal performance. Digital PCS is software based thus providing better applications such as caller ID, voice mail, enhanced battery management, paging, and encryption systems. They save time by providing on demand information including alerting the owner immediately when a voice mail is received, and when the battery of the phone will expire. They are affordable in cost because many companies are in competition to provide the best service. This provides the customer with ample choices to evaluate. Digital PCS phone service is reliable, robus t and affordable. It allows a person to be able to be reached at all times. It is the future and the soon to be standard for wireless communications. Digital PCS, the future of mobile phones is here.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Foreshadowing in Flannery O Connors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essays

Foreshadowing in Flannery O' Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor, a native of Georgia was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century. As a strict Catholic, O' Connor often displayed a sense of spiritual corruption within the characters in most of her stories. One of O' Connor's famous stories, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," reveals the image of spiritual deficiency inherent in the characters which foreshadowed a bloody end. The grandmother communicated the warning of the Misfit, but her activities itself were various signs of foreshadowing of the end approaching. The grandmother warned about the Misfit in the first paragraph of the story: "`Here this fellow calls himself the Misfit is loose from the federal pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people.'" This was the first sign of an obvious foreshadowing element at the start of the story which was ignored by everybody, even by the messenger herself. On the day of the trip to Florida, the grandmother was the first one to be in the car and also dressed very nicely with: `.....a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet.' People usually are found to be dressed in their best outfits and especially found carrying flowers at the time of their death. In reality, it would not be necessary to wear very decent clothing for the purpose of going on a long trip. Next, the place where the family was traveling through had elements which were predicting the doom foretold in the ... ...hing wrong, but still she had to suffer death just like Jesus did. His statement was a statement with a hidden sense of foreshadowing concerning the grandmother's murder. The grandmother begged the Misfit for mercy and told him, "`I'll give you all the money I've got!'" His reply was, "`There never was a body that give the undertaker a tip,'" which was his way of foreshadowing her near death. Thus, Flannery O'Connor used strong imagery to provide foreshadowing to her readers of the inevitable ending of her "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." She first gave her readers a taste of the ending by mentioning the behavior and activities of the characters and also by describing the place of the family's last place of visit on earth, which built her readers' curiosity. Her foreshadowing images are both strong and obscure so as not to spoil the surprising ending of the story.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

English Coursework †Othello Essay

How does Shakespeare conclude the dramatic performance of Othello in order to address the questions of blame and justice in the tragedy? Introduction Shakespeare’s play Othello, which was first performed in the early 17th century, depicts sexism, racism and status efficiently, as the play continues these forms of inequality change as a result of the chaos in ‘Order-Chaos-Order’; the structure which Shakespeare used in this play to convey the change that occurs between each order. The consequence of the chaos leads to the modification of the relative status of the characters and causes an effect upon the way blame and justice are applied to the individuals. One of the main characters of the play is Othello; his importance in the play is that he is a general of the powerful city Venice â€Å"The Duke does greet you, General†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I.2 page 59. The introduction of him puts an impact on his reputation because it begins with racist comments, told by three characters: Iago â€Å"his Moorship’s Ancient.† I.1 page 53, Brabantio â€Å"It is too true and evil†¦with the Moor† I.1 page 57 and Roderigo â€Å"†¦full fortune does the thick-lips owe† I.1 page 53. Though his reputation gets affected by these comments, his status shows him as a person worth respect. His true characteristics, that were described later on, interacted with his introduction â€Å"†¦my perfect soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I.2 page 65, another showed that he was a truthful and non-civilised character â€Å"Rude am I in my speech†¦blessed with the soft praise of peace† I.3 page 65, this goes against the elements that are needed for a person to be a general. Audience could understand that Othello is not really someone who can control, but someone who can be controlled because of these characteristics, which may lead to the tragedy. Iago does not have much of importance at the beginning because he is known to be the ensign of the army; despite this his role in the overall play makes him an important character. He was the only character who knew about everything that was going on amongst the other characters; this gave him the opportunity to control them. Also interpreted the appearance of the roman god Janus â€Å"By Janus, I think no† I.2 page 59, the key to begin the tragedy. His true identity is disguised therefore the trust of other characters are gained â€Å"†¦Honest Iago† II.3 page 99. Iago takes advantage of Othello’s true character and is able to control him by confusing him â€Å"What dost thou mean?† III.3 page 110, this influences the change in Othello’s character turning against the people he once loved and trusting Iago who does not deserve it. Desdemona does not generally have importance in the play but her appearance and characteristics relate to the tragedy and links with the actions and motives of Othello â€Å"I’ll not expostulate with her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  IV.1 page 139 and Iago â€Å"Now, I do love her too; not out of absolute lust†¦Ã¢â‚¬  II.1 page 87. Her status began with her father Brabantio, who was a rich representative in Venice. As black men were generally considered of a low status in the 17th century, racism was not thought to be a problem; if a woman was to marry a black man then it would lower her status. The same way when Desdemona married Othello she was no more under the shadow of her father she became low in status â€Å"†¦ here’s my husband†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I.3 page 69. The mention of this made Brabantio say a curse to Othello which does put an effect to lead towards tragedy â€Å"†¦She has deceived her father, and may thee†I.3 page 72. By Iago using his ability to control he diverts Othello’s thought about Desdemona, he does this by creating a false story about an affair between Cassio and her, this lead to Othello thinking about killing Desdemona â€Å"Get me some poison†¦Ã¢â‚¬  IV.1 page 139, Iago was able to convince him of killing her in a different way â€Å"†¦strangle her in her bed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  IV.1 page 139, this will affect Othello’s title and his personality. Iago was always against women, known to be a misogynist â€Å"It is a creature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  IV.1 page 135. While altering Othello’s thoughts he had made him think almost in the same way is well, this brings sexism in the play â€Å"She says enough; yet she’s a simple bawd†¦Ã¢â‚¬  IV.2 page 144 (all of Othello’s speech). The same as racism, sexism was not considered as a problem during the 17th century. Sexism is mentioned towards the end of Act IV, because it is the last step to begin the tragedy. Act V starts off with a small battle between Cassio, who was the lieutenant of Venice and Roderigo, who was not accepted as a lover by Desdemona. Roderigo had died after being betrayed by Iago ‘he stabs Roderigo’ V.1 page 160 and mentioned his true character in front of everyone else who was present â€Å"O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!† V.1 page 160, as Iago cunningly speeded up the scene the last words of Roderigo was left unnoticed â€Å"How silent is this town! Ho, murder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  V.1 page 160, the tragedy has just begun, if Iago was to be unmasked at this stage the play would end sooner than it should. To continue on for a while longer this action of Iago was established. Bianca was known to be a sexual partner of Cassio, sexism becomes worse at the end of Act V Scene 1; not only did Iago blame her for Cassio’s injuries â€Å"†¦the fruit of whoring†¦Ã¢â‚¬  V.1 page 163 but Emilia did is well â€Å"O, fie upon thee strumpet!† V.1 page 163. Othello turns back to his normal character during the beginning of scene 2, this is shown by his words making sense, also describing how his motive has changed, he will only kill her to purify her soul, â€Å"†¦Justice to break her sword†¦Ã¢â‚¬  V.2 page 164. By this, we know that Othello is not completely under the control of Iago, this decision was his own decision. Once the conversation between Desdemona and him occurs he shows signs of epilepsy â€Å"why gnaw you so your nether lip?† V.2 page 165. When he committed the crime he was not thinking straight, he killed her in a very non-masculine way ‘He smothers her’ V.2 page 168, not being able to see or touch her shows that he needed to do it rather than wanting to do it. Using this method does not tend to kill the victim but may make them unconscious, men tend to kill very violently and make sure that their victim is dead, Othello was not able to succeed in either way therefore he lost his masculinity â€Å"Nobody- I myself – farewell.† V.2 page 170 Desdemona killed herself. The tragedy has reached its centre; Iago is now brought to justice. The only character who was able to unmask Iago successfully was his own wife Emilia. She understood how her husband had lied about Cassio and Desdemona, which lead to her death. â€Å"You told a lie, an odious damnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d lie† V.2 page 172. Despite all effort on calming Emilia down, Iago failed and Othello realised who the real culprit was â€Å"Zounds, hold your peace† V.2 page 174. Iago’s identity is unravelled in front of everyone and he escapes with committing a surprise attack on his wife Emilia ‘Iago stabs Emilia from behind’ V.2 page 175, this describes him as an inhuman person who gives no mercy, whereas Othello let his wife say her last words before she died â€Å"†¦thou be’st a devil†¦I bleed, sir, but not killed† V.2 page 177. Now that Iago has finally been unmasked he was claimed that he would not mention why he did this to anyone, loosing hi s power of speech which he had, to control everyone â€Å"†¦I will never speak a word† V.2 page 178. Shakespeare’s last form of structure (order) had to happen. Othello’s job has been taken away â€Å"†¦Your power and command is taken off†¦Ã¢â‚¬  V.2 page 179, the last of what he had, it was taken away because of the murder which he had committed â€Å"†¦damned slave†¦Ã¢â‚¬  V.2 page 179. Before he dies he mentions what he wants people to think of him â€Å"one that loved too wisely†¦Indian threw a pearl away† V.2 page 179. Othello had lost his body because of Iago controlling it, his title which he just lost and his perfect soul because he just killed an innocent person whom he loved, making Othello into nothing therefore he deserved to die. Conclusion Three main characters were shown and how they were different compared to each other in the play. How the chaos can change their status was also mentioned. Racism, Sexism and Status have been mentioned to show how the story gradually leads to the tragedy. During the chaos the features of each character is affected, causing both Othello and Desdemona to lose their existence and Iago to lose his power of speech, leading him towards justice. Towards the end of the play Othello did not have the same high status as he had when he was at the beginning because he had lost everything he had; this means that he is the one who is to blame for the tragedy. â€Å"My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly† I.2 page 59. Lodovico is known to be the most important because he is the last character to speak towards the end of the play; he was the only character who was not affected by Iago at all.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Consequences of Syrian Conflict Essay

*Syria is now mired in an armed conflict between forces loyal to President Bashar al Asad and rebel fighters opposed to his rule. -Since major unrest began in March 2011, various reports suggest that between 22,000 and 25,000 Syrians have been killed. -U.S. officials and many analysts believe that President Bashar al Asad, his family members, and his other supporters will ultimately be forced from power, but few offer specific, credible timetables for a resolution to Syria’s ongoing crisis. -In the face of intense domestic and international pressure calling for political change and for an end to violence against civilians, the Asad government offered limited reforms while also meeting protests and armed attacks with overwhelming force. -Nonviolent protests continued, but their apparent futility created frustration and anger within the opposition ranks. -An increasing number of Syrian civilians have taken up arms in self-defense, although armed rebel attacks alienate some potential supporters. -The government accuses the opposition of carrying out bombings and assassinations targeting security infrastructure, security personnel, and civilians in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, and other areas. -Accounts of human rights abuses by both sides persist, with the majority attributed to security forces and military units. Backgrounds *Syrians have long struggled with many of the same challenges that have bred deep dissatisfaction in other Arab autocracies, including high unemployment, high inflation, limited upward mobility, rampant corruption, lack of political freedoms, and repressive security forces. -These factors have fueled opposition to Syria’s authoritarian government, which has been dominated by the Baath (Renaissance) Party since 1963, and the Al Asad family since 1970. -President Bashar al Asad’s father—Hafiz al Asad—ruled the country from 1970 until his death in 2000. *Since taking office in 2000, President Asad has offered and retracted the prospect of limited political reform, while aligning his government with Iran and non-state actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah in a complex rivalry with the United States and its Arab and non-Arab allies (including Israel). -Syria’s long-standing partnership with Russia has remained intact and is now the focus of intense diplomatic attention because Russia is one of the regime’s only remaining defenders. -As unrest emerged in other Arab countries in early 2011, Asad and many observers mistakenly believed that Syria’s pervasive police state and the population’s fear of sectarian violence would serve as a bulwark against the outbreak of turmoil. -Limited calls in February 2011 to organize reform protests failed, but the government’s torture of children involved in an isolated incident in the southern town of Dara’a in March provided a decisive spark for the emergence of demonstrations. -The use of force against demonstrators in Dara’a and later in other cities created a corresponding swell in public anger and public participation in protests. -The government organized large counterdemonstrations. -For much of 2011 and early 2012, a cycle of tension and violence intensified, as President Asad and his government paired limited reform gestures with the use of military force against protestors and armed opposition groups. -Violence was initially limited to certain locations but now has affected most major cities, including Damascus and Aleppo. -Members of different elites may seek compromise with the opposition, but there has been little public dissent from top regime figures. -Defections from the armed forces and from the political and business elites continue, and international sanctions and the disruptions of the conflict are creating hardship for ordinary Syrians. -As the conflict has dragged on, protestors and opposition fighters have defiantly resisted government crackdowns, in spite of the arrest of thousands of citizens and documented cases of torture and regime-instigated massacres. -The regime argues that opposition violence and abuses make a negotiated solution impossible, and President Asad refuses to leave power. -In an August 2012 report, the United Nations Human Rights Council commission of inquiry on Syria found: 2 reasonable grounds to believe that Government forces and the Shabbiha( is a term used in the context of the Syrian civil war to describe armed men in civilian clothing who assault protesters against the government of President Bashar Al-Assad.) had committed the crimes against humanity of murder and of torture, war crimes and gross violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including unlawful killing, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, sexual violence, indiscriminate attack, pillaging and destruction of property . -The commission found reasonable grounds to believe that war crimes, including murder, extrajudicial execution and torture, had been perpetrated by organized anti-Government armed groups. Consequences *Latest news from Syria shows that the West is not going to stop, continuing efforts to consolidate the â€Å"opposition† and give the military resistance more centralized character, with the division into districts and Action Front of the rebel army. *At the same time, the regular army of Syria increasingly showing signs of weakening. *Actually,the consequences of the fall of the Syrian regime are significantly differentiated for Russia, China and Iran but more vulnerable to such threats is the Islamic Republic, however a detailed consideration of these issues is beyond the scope of this article. -One can only assume that at the critical point, these countries are more prefer to engage in a post-conflict settlement of fragmented Syria, which will allow them to maintain a semblance of respect for their interests and lost regional role and influence, rather than spending more resources to preserve the regime. *Meanwhile, the consequences of military action in Syria, regardless of the outcome, can have an impact on the situation in Central Asia and in particular in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and then create the conditions for the tension in Xinjiang along the entire borders of these countries. *Now in Syria, according to public information, in addition to the Free Syrian Army and various local rebel groups there are several number of groups of jihadist orientation, fighting in the ranks of the representatives of the Arab countries, as well as immigrants from Europe and other regions of the world, representing essentially gang mercenaries, under the auspices of the West, Turkey and the Arab monarchies. -But, for the countries of Central Asia, as well as Russia and China, should be of particular concern the so-called group of â€Å"Dzhebat al Nusra† (Jabhat al-Nusra=(â€Å"The Support Front for the People of Syria†), is a militant group operating in Syria.) or â€Å"Al-Nusra front to protect the Levant.† *According to the latest information, in the ranks of this group, which is considered by many experts as branch of al-Qaeda, involved citizens of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia (natives of the North Caucasus), as well as citizens of the China (ethnic Uighurs). (Rim(8090))