Response 5 Article on india Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response 5 on india - Article Example On the other hand, the United States maintains she is innocent, but release after India began showing mistreatment to the workers at the United States Embassy. Basically, the article focuses on the manner through, which diplomatic relationship can be jeopardized by incidences of crime among the concerned stakeholders. In the article, an Indian Diplomat has committed an offense and is subject to arrest according to the Laws of the United States. However, in Indian, the matter is taken less serious and the Government believes that their citizen is innocent. This leads to a jeopardized relationship between the US and India as indicated by India taking awkward means to solve the challenges facing it i.e. through subjecting the workers at the US Embassy to Acts of Mistreatment. Barry, Ellen, and Benjamin Weiser. "As Indian Diplomat Exits After Arrest, a Culture Clash Lingers." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.

Zimbabwes present economy Essay Example for Free

Zimbabwes present economy Essay Introduction: Zimbabwe is facing a huge economic crisis that is worsening living standards by the day and a decline in industrial growth. Unemployment is now one of the highest in the world, running at 50% against an annual population growth of 3%, mainly because of inadequate sustainable job creation activities in the market. The rampant unemployment has given rise to the worsening abject poverty, rising crime levels, falling quality of life and standards of living, as well as general delinquency. Close to 65% of the population is considered poor according to the latest poverty assessment. The country is facing near bankruptcy. The problem is Governments huge borrowings where much of the money is used for recurrent expenditures to meet the day to day running of Ministries. Very little is for capital investments. Since the attainment of independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has produced a number of Annual Budgets that were supposedly implemented together with the national economic plans such as the following: Zimbabwe Conference on Reconstruction and Development (ZIMCORD), On the Road to Socialism, Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) that came in volumes I and II; Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) 1991-1995, Zimbabwe Programme on Economic and Social Transformation (ZIMPREST) 1998-2000, Millennium Economic Recovery Programme (MERP) 2000-2002, Ten Point Plan and more recently the National Economic Revival Programme (NERP) February 2003. The focus of all these policies was to bring about economic development and improved quality of life for Zimbabweans. Regrettably, none of these economic policy documents together with the accompanying annual budgets have succeeded in producing real positive tangible results especially in the area of poverty reduction. A number of factors accoun t for this hence the rampant poverty that has rocked the country today. An analysis of the various economic recovery and reform programmes is done summarily done below with more emphasis and time given to the most recent one NERP. Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) In October 1990, the Zimbabwe government succumbed to Western donor pressure and grudgingly agreed to implement the five-year Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) as a response to the economic crisis which had been afflicting the country since the 1980s. The measures introduced were: Removal of price controls; Removal of wage controls; Reduction of government expenditure; A 40 per cent devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar; Removal of subsidies on basic consumer goods; Liberalising the foreign currency allocation system; Removal of protection of non-productive import substituting industries and increased profit remittance abroad; and A radical restructuring of the various parastatals and other public enterprises. ESAPs prime mandate was to shift the style of economic management from a setup where state intervention was perverse towards a framework where market forces had more influence. Economic liberalization was expected to accommodate major fiscal reforms, aimed at trimming the budget deficit from 10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 5%, increasing national output by 5% over the reform period, as well as reduction of inflation from over 17% to 10% by 1995. The major achievement made by ESAP was domestic deregulation, trade liberalization, foreign currency liberalization, and foreign direct investment liberalization (among other areas of deregulation). The major  challenge during the period was the issue of huge fiscal deficits that averaged 10 percent of GDP. Though inflation was an issue, it was still within manageable levels. Zimbabwe Program for Social and Economic Transformation (ZIMPREST) Beyond ESAPs phase, the Program for Social and Economic Transformation was implemented from 1998 to 2000, with focus on consolidating the gains of economic liberalization. ZIMPREST still pressed forward with economic stabilization, aiming to reduce the budget deficit from 10% of GDP to 5% and inflation to single digit levels. The major constraint ZIMPREST encountered was the fact that donors did not provide any funding, nor did budgetary provisions take note of its funding. The economy as a result subdued, and savings and investments tumbled from 18% of GDP in 1996 to 9% and 13% respectively in 1999. Millennium Economic Recovery Program (MERP) In the year 2000, the Millennium Economic Recovery Program (MERP) was launched, with a thrust towards restoring macro economic stability and therefore restore a vibrant economic growth and ridding the economy of inflation. Fiscal reforms and monetary policy measures would foster to restore price stability, while the domestic debt portfolio was to be massively restructured and industry sector revived. The program never took off due to lack of coherence on whether the economy should continue on liberalism or perhaps pursue a compromise, which places less emphasis on markets. At most MERP was marked with major policy reversals with initial and subsequent commitments to adjust the exchange rate for example remaining on ice, and the local unit maintaining a peg of Z$55 to the US$, despite widening inflation differentials with trading partner counties. It is also the time when the government reversed market economics, culminating in the institution of price controls in the third quarter of 2001. The failure to implement MERP marked the turning point on steeper falls in business confidence in Zimbabwes economic history, with business failure  rising significantly. The economy took a steeper downward trajectory in the period. Since then economic events have not helped either to build or sustain business confidence. The performance of most sectors was largely influenced by the aforementioned economic terrain; where neither ESAP nor ZIMPREST have been able to tame macro economic instability and MERP went on to accommodate it. All productive sectors have maintained a negative growth trend since the year 2000, save for estate, finance and insurance. The performance of these sectors hence mirror the persistent decline in national output. Since there is a strong correlation between agriculture and manufacturing, the ESAP era had a strong growth for all sectors, yet the ZIMPREST and MERP depict basically an erratic and downward trend. National Economic Revival Programme (NERP This is the most recent of the economic reforms and was launched in February of 2003. This was a brainchild of consultations with social partners namely Government, Business and Labour under the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF). NERP was formulated with the principal objectives of: Increasing the output across the productive sectors as a way of reducing shortages and curbing the black market; Increasing employment generation through sector specific measures and Improving exporter viability and the supply of foreign currency through an Export Support Scheme. Under NERP, sector specific measures were formulated which are: agriculture, manufacturing, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mining, tourism and services sectors. Under agriculture, the following measures are being implemented:- Offering viable producer prices timeously Entering into contract farming to ensure adequate supply of strategic crops for exports, local consumption and seeds; Putting in place a Dairy Development Facility; Providing adequate resources to enable the productive use of the land, since the latter is a basic economic resource which must be exploited efficiently and effectively and Introducing duty free exemptions on imported agricultural equipment not locally available, amongst others. Under manufacturing, the policy thrust will be to reverse de-industrialisation and increase capacity utilisation in the manufacturing sector through:- Reviewing the countrys Industrial Development Strategy; Resuscitating the business linkages programme; Introducing technology linkages programmes between manufacturing industries and institutions of higher learning and research and Availing financial support to distressed companies Under Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the Government acknowledges that an integrated policy and strategy for the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is critical for generating employment, stimulating growth and contributing to foreign exchange generation and has thus instituted the following :- Developing the enabling and regulatory environment; Investment promotion in SMEs; Improving access to markets and finance; Providing technology and infrastructure support and Undertaking entrepreneurship, management and skills development programmes In the mining sector, the measures include:- Allowing the small scale mining sector to benefit from the productive and export sector facilities where they access at 15 and 5 percent respectively; Putting in place incentives for projects that encourage value addition of exported minerals and metals in order to increase foreign currency generation and employment opportunities and Implementing a revised and consolidated fiscal regime for the sector. Under Tourism, in order for Zimbabwe to regain its reputation as a leading tourist destination, the following will be done:- Launching a public relations campaign; Intensifying marketing activities and broadening tourist source markets to realise diversification; Encouraging investment in tourism infrastructure (such as shopping malls, agro and eco-tourism development zones) and Promoting the cultural industry to realise its income potential through cultural tourism. Under the services sector, the following will be implemented amongst others:- Enhancing marketing of agricultural commodities by establishing an Agricultural Marketing Authority; and Recapitalisation of key public transport enterprises in order to improve urban transport. In addition, the Government through the Tripartite Negotiating Forum signed a Prices and Incomes Stabilisation Protocol on 30 January 2003 whose fundamental objectives are to:- Enhance viability of companies as well as sustain production; Guarantee the availability of products on the market at affordable prices; and Deal effectively with problems arising from the regime of price controls. Further, Government instituted the following measures to ensure that savers and borrowers mutually benefit from the following interest rate policy:- Narrow the current high spreads between deposits and lending rates in line with international best practices; Reviewing upwards deposit interest rates on consumption and speculative activities; and Reviewing the proliferation of service charges levied on depositors by banks. The link to the 2003 National Budget hinges upon: Development of a Macroeconomic Consistency Framework which ensures consistency between policy implementation and performance of the four sectors of the economy; A supplementary budget to accommodate additional expenditures occasioned by  the financial implications of NERP; and Development of a Medium Term Expenditure Framework to ensure the improvement of the macroeconomic environment, for the period 2003 to 2005. Assessment of the National Economic Revival Program: The best tool to asses NERP is the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats model which is outlined below: NERP Strengths: Some of the strength of NERP are as follows: It is about immediate measures to revive the economy, which gives it some urgency and focus; It draws heavily from deliberations of the TNF and was in fact sanctioned by it. This implies a high level of consensus on the policy measures contained therein; It specifically derogates responsibility to specific bodies or parties. It is therefore easy to check who has to what by looking at the implementation matrix. It is part of a comprehensive set of protocols focussing on specific areas; and It had a clear time frame. NERP Weaknesses NERP suffers from the following weaknesses: Its implementation is based on the TNF principles of trust and goodwill. Without these, it founders; Slippages in one area affect the rest; Lack of harmony and consistency of government policy creates unwarranted policy conflicts that undermine its implementation; Deteriorating political conditions and in particular increased polarisation of the Zimbabwean society undermine its implementation and therefore success; it comes after the budget: in the context of already inadequate resources, it falls on its face. It contains high expansionary measures (for instance on land), which are inflationary (yet in its own analysis it decried the fact that money supply growth reached 150% by December 2002); It lacks measures to deal with hyperinflation. No sterilisation measures are included; It is about everything, and yet it is a short term programme; there is no prioritisation of issues; It is based on representative democracy; constituencies may not be aware of what they have been bound to or may not be able to implement their obligations; It is impeded by a general lack of political will; and It has no time horizon. NERP Opportunities The opportunities to it include: What needs to be done is collectively determined and known; Given the right environment, the stakeholders are committed to implementing it; Flexible framework of the TNF based on the win-win principle; and It allows for self and collective responsibility and evaluation. NERP Threats The key threats to NERP include: Policy conflicts (stabilisation versus expansion); lack of adequate implementation capacity; Overcrowded agenda and lack of prioritisation; Unrealistic expectations; sometimes seen as a quick-fix magic; Lack of resources and continued resort to domestic borrowing; Slippages in implementation; the programme is already behind schedule; In formalisation of the economy; Political expediency may result in policy inconsistencies; Continued political polarisation; Stakeholder mistrust and misunderstanding; and Lack of political will. Conclusion: However, a combination of near-total disregard by government for all those components of the programme which were at variance with intensive state control of all major facets of the economy, or which were in conflict with failed ideologies, and two years of severe drought, saw the first three years of ESAP as an economic non-event. By 1993 government had little alternative but to implement much of that which it had up until then disregarded, although it did so reluctantly and half-heartedly. Nevertheless, belatedly ESAP began to yield positive results and therefore it was used as the basis for the next programme, intended to be implemented from 1996 the Zimbabwe Programme of Economic and Social Transformation (ZIMPREST). But governments lack of enthusiasm was such that although the programme was to be embarked upon in 1996, it was only released to the population in general and to investors, financiers, commerce and industry in particular in 1998 and never meaningfully introduced. So in 2000 government announced its Millennium Economic Recovery Programme (MERP). As with ZIMPREST, that programme proved to be only plentiful words and glossy papers but devoid of any substantive implementation and it was soon cast away into oblivion. In its stead, government announced a new programme the National Economic Recovery Programme (NERP) in February. However, with virtually the only exception being an exchange rate adjustment or export support exchange rate (both being euphemisms for devaluation), NERP was as shallow in its application as had been ESAP, ZIMPREST and MERP. The economy has continued to decline to an ever greater extent, with many believing, erroneously, that it is now beyond redemption. Not only has government shown remarkably consistency in its failure to implement any of its formal economic development or recovery programmes other than with the greatest of superficiality, but it has shown equally great consistency in devising and implementing actions diametrically opposite to those envisaged by the various programmes and plans that it had so proudly placed before Zimbabweans. In so doing, it has brought the  economy to its knees. Inflation has reached an astronomic level of more than 364,5% for the year to June with that months inflation at 21,1%, an all-time record. Never has there been such a high proportion of the population without employment. Never has there been so many suffering and facing malnutrition, if not severe starvation, at incomes far below the poverty datum line, as is now the case. Never has Zimbabwe been as short of foreign exchange, with consequential devastating shortages of fuel, energy, basic foodstuffs, industrial raw materials, agricultural and mining imports, medications, and much else. Agriculture has been virtually destroyed, the mining industrys operations heavily reduced, tourism emaciated, and the manufacturing and distributive sectors battling to survive. And never has government incurred deficits of the scale that are now the order of the day. So great are those deficits that government must now present a supplementary budget to parliament as the national budget tabled in November 2002 and the fiscal out-turn to date have no commonality. As has become a regularity, the spending of almost all ministries is way in excess of the votes approved by parliament. Compounding the problems created by governments profligacy has been the differential in governmental revenues received as against those envisaged in the national budget. With a withering economy, it is inevitable that taxation receipts must fall and with limited foreign exchange the extent of imports diminishes with a corresponding reduction in inflows of Customs duties and import taxes. But another significant non-receipt is that in contrast to expectations in the 2001, 2002, and 2003 national budgets, government has had very little by way of proceeds from the intended privatisation of state enterprises. The intention to divest itself of all but the most critically strategic businesses owned by government has been one of the major elements of ESAP,  ZIMPREST, MERP and NERP. While government repeatedly failed to pursue many of the elements of those programmes, nevertheless it did effect some privatisations between 1998 and 2002, and with some considerable success. Effectively and successfully, the Jewel Bank, Dairiboard, Rainbow Tourism Group, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, and Zimbabwe Reinsurance Corporation were privatised. Not only did government realise significant amounts from the sale of its investments but the privatised enterprises rapidly demonstrated substantial growth and enhanced efficiency of operations. The privatisation programme has clearly ground to an ignominious halt and contrary to detaching itself from commercial and other economic production enterprise; government is increasing its involvement through some of its parastatals. Enterprises such as the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, National Railways of Zimbabwe, Cold Storage Company, Air Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, the GMB, and many others have become an ever-heavy millstone around the neck of the fiscus. Evidently, therefore, the inclusion of privatisation in NERP is yet another hollow economic plan of government one devoid of substance. Pity, therefore, the poor officials in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development required to formulate the supplementary budget. They have to find ways of exacting the funds needed by government but have great difficulty in finding any way of doing so within a derelict economy without further catastrophically afflicting that economy and without extorting yet more from a desperately impoverished population. Under the current programme (NERP), the government was supposed to have explored models of land tenure systems vis a vis property rights by March 2003. It was supposed to have reviewed maximum A2 farm sizes and rationalised and consolidated land allocation in line with an audit by the Land Task force the same month. Instead, it threw away the report without disclosing its findings to the public and setup another audit team which is still working on its audit. The government is supposed to have reviewed and topped up input schemes, finance and extension services and facilitated the setting up of commodity associations by the same month. It should have introduced a Dairy Development Programme to revive dairy farms by March 2003 and transformed Agribank into a Land Bank as well as the disbanded Agricultural Marketing Authority. Other tasks that should have been carried out by March included the review of the Industrial Review Strategy to address de-industrialisation, low capacity utilisation, increased exports and empowerment and, a review of the gold support scheme. International public relations companies should have been hired to counter negative publicity. Several measures to boost foreign currency should have been implemented in February 2003. These included an export support scheme, a review of the 50:50 export proceeds surrender every quarter, the introduction of an export revolving fund and incentives to attract remittances from non-resident Zimbabweans. A credible external payments arrears repayment programme should also have been put in place in February. The government should have put in place trigger mechanisms to adjust the prices of fuel, and tariffs for coal and electricity by February. It should also have concluded and signed the Kadoma Declaration (this focuses on addressing the mismatch between policy design and implementation) by February. As things stand, it is still groping in the dark, calling on the nation to remain steadfast Rambai makashinga Economic policy reform in Zimbabwe has not resulted in improved socio-economic welfare for the populace. Consequently, economic decline has resulted in widespread political discontent and disaffection with the present regime. As political tensions have reached a political impasse, there are concerns that Zimbabwes economy is on the brink of total collapse. As the Kadoma Declaration observes, without the assistance of  development partners, it is difficult to revive the economy. While the rest of the world may not need Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe certainly needs the rest of the world.

Importance of Confidentiality and Ethics in Healthcare

Importance of Confidentiality and Ethics in Healthcare Sara Lan Case Three Confidentiality protection is an essential component of a patient-physician relationship. Only in a setting of trust can patients feel comfortable sharing personal feelings and sensitive information regarding their health with their health care providers. Having access to confidential health services is especially important when the patients are adolescents. This is particularly because the medical care needs of adolescents can often conflict with the opinions and values of their family members. Therefore, adolescents are less likely to seek medical treatment if they fear that the information they share with their medical care providers might be disclosed to their families. On the other hand, this fear may also cause adolescents to withhold certain information from medical professionals which can create problems in providing accurate diagnoses. Thus, medical care providers should do everything they can to respect adolescent patients’ confidentiality unless the patients are at significant risk of harming themselves or others. Confidentiality is linked in to several bioethical principles, including the principle of respect for patient autonomy, the principle of beneficence, and the principle of nonmaleficence. Within bioethics, the principle of respect for patient autonomy is usually associated with allowing informed and competent patients to make their own choices regarding their medical treatments (15). Meanwhile, confidentiality is respecting a patient’s right to control the information relating to his or her own health. While these concepts generally refer to adult patients, adolescents of Bill’s age are presumed competent to make medical choices for themselves. Unless the law requires otherwise, a competent minor can consent to medical care without involving the patient’s parents. In this particular case, Bill has good reasons for his reluctance to disclose the information that he has shared with the medical team to his parents. Bill mentions that his parents have explicitly expressed their views against same sex marriages and negative opinions about gays and lesbians. Therefore, in respecting Bill’s confidentiality and keeping information about Billâ€℠¢s sexual orientation a secret, the medical team is acting beneficently. At the same time, disclosing the information to Bill’s parents presents the potential for harm. For instance, Bill may face rejection from his parents as a result and this may cause his depression to worsen. Thus, maintaining confidentiality can also be seen as acting in the principle of nonmaleficence. Concerns with regards to Bill’s competency may arise due to his past suicide attempt. In cases involving minors who do not have the capacity to make their own health care decisions, parents are generally the default surrogate-decision makers (94). Consequently, some people may argue that Bill’s medical decisions should be determined by his parents. Furthermore, by invoking the best interest standard, they might add that knowing all relevant information is necessary in determining what treatments are most beneficial for Bill. This can be justified if Bill is deemed incapable of making his own medical decisions then his parents may need to know about the causes of his depression in order to decide what specific types of medical treatments he needs. However, based on the sliding scale model of competency, I argue that Bill does in fact have the competency required to make his own health care choices. According to the sliding scale of competency, medical treatments that are highly beneficial with relatively small risks require a low level of competency to provide informed consent (90). Bill’s treatment plan fits into this category quite well. Furthermore, due to the highly therapeutic nature of these types of treatments, a presumption of competency holds when a patient agrees to treatment because the patient is making a rational choice (90). Although Bill’s competence may be questioned again when medical treatments involving higher risks are involved, he is still capable of making his own decisions about the treatment plan that is offered to him at the moment. While it is important to respect a patient’s autonomy and confidentiality, the medical team should still encourage conversation between adolescents and their parents. When an illness strikes a member in the family, it not only affects the patient, but also the patient’s family as a whole. For that reason, in â€Å"Bioethics for Clinicians: Involving Children in Medical Decisions†, the writers proposed a family-centred approach which takes into consideration the burdens and the benefits for all family members, as well as their responsibilities toward each other (93). Since family members can provide much-needed support during the patient’s illness, medical care providers should always encourage communication between a minor and his or her parents. If Bill agrees to it, the medical team can speak to his parents about his treatment plan in more general terms. For instance, adolescence can generally be a difficult time for many people. Being the transition sta ge between childhood and adulthood, there are unique challenges and struggles that exist in this stage of life such as developing a personal identity. Therefore, it is not uncommon for adolescents to seek therapy and counselling for one reason or another. For the same reasons, schools also have counsellors to guide and help adolescents deal with these issues in life. By framing Bill’s treatment plan in this way, the medical team is able to provide a way for Bill to communicate and obtain support from his parents while he undergoes treatments without disclosing Bill’s secret. It may be objected that withholding information from Bill’s parents is the same as lying. This objection is understandable since certain information does in fact have to be withheld when discussing Bill’s treatment plan with his parents as a means to protect Bill’s confidentiality. Nevertheless, the motivations behind lying and moral acts of withholding information are fundamentally different. For this reason, I argue that lying and moral acts of omission should not be viewed as equal. In â€Å"When Self-Determination Runs Amok†, author Daniel Callahan also speaks of the moral differences associated with â€Å"stopping life-sustaining treatments† with informed consent and â€Å"active forms of killing, such as a lethal injection† (345). Clearly, lying and active forms of killing are motivated by maleficence. Other the other hand, stopping life-sustaining treatments with informed consent and moral acts of withholding information are based on m edical professional duties. Ultimately, should the medical team lie to protect Bill’s confidentiality? The answer is no. Under no circumstances should the medical care providers lie. After all, no one would be willing place their health and well-being in the hands of medical professionals who are capable of dishonesty. Meanwhile, moral acts of omission are justifiable when disclosing full informationwill very likely cause predictable harm. Generally, people find the latter to be acceptable. If Bill’s depression does not improve with treatment and he is at significant risk of harming himself again, confidentiality may be justifiably breached. The medical should convey their intention to breach confidentiality to Bill before notifying his parents of his risk of harm to himself. However, it should be noted that it is not appropriate for the medical team to disclose information about Bill’s orientation if he does not wish for that information to be disclosed. It may take years before Bill feels comfortable sharing this information with his parents. Ultimately it is up to Bill to decide when he is ready. For the time being, the medical team’s role is to encourage a healthy support network between Bill and his family as well as to ensure that Bill has a confidential environment for his health care needs. Works Cited Gedge, Elisabeth (Boetzkes), and Wilfrid J. Waluchow. Eds. Readings in Health Care Ethics. 2nd ed. Peterborough: Broadview, 2012. Print.

Sociology :: Sociology Essays

Intro to Sociology When asked about transsexuals, Mildred Brown, author of True Selves quoted that it is a â€Å"dilemma of feeling trapped in the wrong physical gender.† Transsexuality is a phenomenon, which really has not been scientifically examined. Through talk shows such as Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones or the Maury Show, society tends to see a one-sided view on this matter. While watching the Maury Show, â€Å"Man or Woman†, the audience’s reaction to the transsexuals on stage were not of disgust but more of awe. They were in awe that a man could look so much like a woman and how some women showed very masculine features. The guests on this show were inevitably labeled as "freaks" regardless of whether it was verbally spoken or not. The talk show was a brief one. Maury Povich, the host, introduced 12 beautiful women onto the stage. There were two black women, five Hispanic women, and five white women on stage. They all flaunted their flawless bodies. Some were voluptuous; others were more on the thinner side, yet none of them seemed to be any â€Å"different† than any other model/porn star. All the guests on this show were in their mid twenties to their mid thirties. The theme of this show was for the audience to see if they could tell the difference between a man and a woman. Watching the faces in the audience, I noted that each and every one of them were judging all the guests. were 100% men, and some were 100% women. They all stood in a line and for each one, the cross-dressing guests would either prove the audience wrong or right in their judgments. On more than half of the guests, the audience was proven wrong. It was incredible to see some of these guests strut their bodies as the opposite gender. Some of the men looked so much like women that the audience was in complete shock when they revealed their true gender. Now came the interrogation. I call this an interrogation because all these guests are individually put on under the spotlight. Maury Povich digs under their skin to try to expose how â€Å"freakish† they really are. The audience is silent and their faces are wrinkled in confusion to try to understand why the guests are the way they are and who or what made them become like this. The guests sit on their chairs with their head held up high, legs crossed, gloating under all the attention they are receiving.

Bcg Matrix’s Problems and Its Reconstruction

Exploring the Role of Management Accounting Systems in Strategic Sensemaking We are gonging to critically evaluate an article on the Exploring the Role of Management Accounting Systems in Strategic Sensemaking by authors Marcus Heidmann, Utz Schaffer and Susanne Strahringer. Title, Abstract and Introduction We think that the abstract provides sufficient information, identifies main issues in the article and explain the purpose of writing this article, and echo each other at the title. The introduction is very informative.It illustrated two main problems (interpretation and logistical problem), which related to understanding the role of MAS in strategic sensemaking. The interpretation perspective defined strategic sensemaking as a learning process, and interactive use of MAS have positive influences. However, interactive perspective neglects the relationship between MAS use and MAS dimension. The logistical perspective just said MAS dimensions is important in this information processi ng, but not explain how MAS dimensions contribute to strategic sensemaking.Both information processing did not deal with these problems. Theoretical framework In the literature view authors defined strategic sensemaking as the individual process of observing, interpreting, and communicating strategic issues. Through these three successive processes to understand how managers use the management accounting system and how MAS dimensions contribute to this use. Management accounting system in the observation phase, there are two characteristic modes of observation – scanning and focused search.Scanning behaviour can provide managers with different perspectives on strategic issues and it is more likely to accommodate new information. However, managers are more likely to use MAS for focused search, which can faster identificated the problems in areas covered by the system. It is required by executives because the limited attention capacity to achieve targets. We must concerned that the statistical analysis and data mining technique can reveal the weak value information from the various kinds of data which people usually cannot find out directly.High level of formalization as the character of MAS that focus attention on selected areas, whereas potential loss at other important areas and cause constrain the information. Authors said consistent data will reduce scanning behaviour and may decrease the possibility that strategic issues are identified. We thought these situations will occur, but managers use the MAS for focused search is inevitable. How to use their MAS for scanning and focused search together and have the greatest efficiency is worth considering. In the interpretation phase, authors thought manager’s awareness is a key factor to interpret strategic issues accurately.Reliable information related to controliability perceptions and external information can reduce bias, errors and potential to increase confidence in judgement by consistent info rmation. Therefore, MAS also can increase awareness during issue interpretation. Manager’s awareness and more extra information were useful, but managers use MAS determine strategic issues is important as well. Another point about MAS in form of short-termism have side-effects and harmful to the interpretation of strategic can balance the effect of short-term performance.Correct form and flexible MAS information style are other factors effect strategic issues. However, we felt that this point may not key point in this phase. Authors stated find more extra information with a great degree of manager’s awareness to interpretation strategic issues. In the final phase – communication phase, authors introduce a new definition about media richness, which separated by three levels. High media richness of MAS should have a positive effect on sensemaking, but did not have enough evidence to prove there have positive influences.On the other hand, managers use interactive M AS has positive impact on communication which reduced equivocality of strategic issues. The interactive use of MAS contributes to strategic sensemaking by providing directions and facilitating interactive that help to resolve equivocality of strategic issues is the biggest positive effect in communication phase. Authors further described the quality dimension of MAS, and proposed that when evaluating the MAS’s effectiveness, not only the information characteristics, but the system quality dimensions (integration, flexibility, accessibility, formalisation and media richness) should be considerate.Of course, the integration analysis of information quality dimensions and system quality dimensions will give the comprehensive assessment of MAS’s role in stagey sensemaking. Authors have given the overall research framework. Information and system quality dimensions, both impact the three phases, which in turn impacts the effectiveness of MAS for strategic sensemanking. Howev er, in our view, the research framework is too coarse. Is there interaction between the information quality and system quality? If exist, how is its impact on the MAS effectiveness, Are there any counteraction from MAS use to information quality and system quality?All these question are not involved. Impact of MAS on Processes in Strategic Sensemaking Authors of the article use some statistics to explain how MAS influence processes in strategic sensemaking. We think they have interpreted what MAS can bring to companies. On observation, from doing some research and statistics analyzing, they get a high association between interactive use and focused search supports the notion that managers use MAS to look for specific information that is useful to discuss strategic issues. It is useful for us to understand the influence of MAS.On interpretation, they say some people suggest that the processes to prepare MAS information can also increase awareness. It is a positive impact. They also d oubt whether a high level of MAS formalization negatively impacts in strategic sensemaking. But they do not say how to solve this problem. If a high level of MAS formalization has been used in companies, how to avoid changes and risks? On communication, they analyze particularly what positive impact MAS can bring in strategic sensemaking, such as on communication. In strategic sensemaking it is important that information concerning strategic issues is communicated to managers who have complementary information or are able to take action. † We all agree this point of view. Authors also tell us that there are two kinds of interaction when asked about the role of MAS information. It can help us understand what MAS information can help to companies. However, it does not say how the system can function effectively between managers and staff. For example, how to forecast negative problems occur in the future?How to make this system flexibility in order to be suitable for more and mo re companies? We think there are still more important views do not be mentioned in this article. Although they use some cases to show some positive impact, it does not mean that systems are perfect. And the article does not tell us how to avoid any other questions such as how to avoid some risks when MAS be used. We agree that there must have some unstable elementary. We find another article talks about the effectiveness of management accounting systems. It also does not mention how managers can use it effectively.Because there may have some negatively impacts if every manager use a high level of MAS formalization. From these two articles we can find that it is essential to solve this problem. We think there must have some risks if the level of management accounting system becomes too high. Although it has many positive impacts, it still cannot forecast risks in the future. Many managers try to deal with this problem through tools, but this is not sustainable. A good management acco unting system should be a long-term management system not just a high level system.It should consider risks and changes for companies in the future. We suggest that do more research for this system. Asking more managers for this system is essential, in order to find some negative impacts and solve them. Research Methodology Authors focus on measurement instruments of observation communication, and effectiveness of management accounting system in strategic sensemaking to make this research. Because the limited empirical evidence, complex and broad phenomenon, the most of relationships suggested are only tentative.Therefore, the authors of the article state that: we chose an exploratory multiple-case design with 30 top and middle managers of 7 large companies in Germany. In the aspect of select sample, the authors introduce too detailed of the sample, and the range of the sample just limited in the companies of Germany. No explanation for the professional term such as replication logi c. The highlight of this article is that authors collect data through semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. The diversified methods of data collection can obtain different result to be analyzed.Although the author has taken some steps to reduce hindsight bias and allow the identification of unconscious effects of MAS in strategic sensemaking, the authors do not explain why the data have to be avoiding these situations and how these data affect the result in the part of semi-structured interviews. In the aspect of questionnaire, the authors quote a large number of words to introduce and explain which methods and aspects they used for data collection and analyze of the questionnaire. However, authors do not explain the absent questionnaire whether it is influence the survey or not.Furthermore, the incomplete questionnaire might affect the accuracy of the result possibly. For analysis result, authors should explain more particularly and do not just use two number of percentage s to illustrate. This paper needs some specific data to support the summary in the research. We suggest that authors can add more explanations for the professional term and reduce some unnecessary introduction such as for sample or give more detailed data in the appendix. Comparison to another article We compared this article with another similar one.The title of the comparison article is â€Å"The effectiveness of management accounting systems† by Teerooven Soobaroyen and Bhagtaraj Poorundersing. In Teerooven’s paper, Regarding that there is little consideration of other more mainstream contextual factors such as uncertainty and decentralization(DEC) applied on research of the effectiveness of MAS, in addition to the information quality dimensions, in assessment of effectiveness of MAS, they focused on the effect of two contextual variables, namely task uncertainty (TU) and DEC.They thought the absence of evidence on its actual timeliness, aggregation and integration may limit the benefits of knowing how far broad scope information has had am impact in the first place. Moreover, traditional methods usually are carried under some hypothetical conditions which often opposed to actual conditions, and this could undermine the practicality or validity of the results. Considering the impact of situational variables on the state of available MAS will be more near the practical situation.That the evidence on the influence of contingent variables in the relationship between MAS and managerial performance remains incomplete and of limited usefulness also make it reasonable. However, unlike Teerooven’s paper, the author of this paper take consideration of system quality dimensions in addition to information quality dimensions, they recognised that not only the information quality itself but also the system performance on processing information can have impact on the analysis of MAS’s role.In these two articles, both of them have their own emp hasis, however, if combing their thoughts, more comprehensive, more extract evaluation of MAS would be acquired. The same aspects in select sample, there are more researchers and set out the requirements of sample selection in the comparison article. The author comments that â€Å"in this respect, the following lists and databases were used to triangulate and identify a reasonably full and reliable list of manufacturing companies†¦.. † In the aspect of research method, the choose of this article are compared as deeper discussion of this research.Teerooven comment that: MAS play a significant intervening role between task uncertainty (TU) and decentralization (DEC)†. We feel that it is relevant to make valid comparison. The author chose to conduct their research using a questionnaire survey. Although we believe that the interview of semi-structured and questionnaire are superior to just sending out questionnaires, the comparison article may produce more accurate res ult due to using a large amount of research objects and screening by Teerooven and Bhagtaraj.For the aspect of design questionnaire, the highlight of the comparison article is that there are total 41 questions which are divided into five parts about MAS. According to the different management structure of the companies, the authors of the comparison article design two different questionnaires which are â€Å"Sale/marketing manager† and â€Å"Production/operations manager† and give full of time to respond within three weeks. The design of questionnaire has played an important role for the research result.In the aspect of research result, authors also have clearly classified above all aspect. There are not present in the article and we feel that this is a major weakness of the article by Marcus, Utz and Susanne. On the other hand, the comparison article have put into data result and the questionnaire template in the appendix. We feel that authors can expand the range of s ample selection or add another research method to analyze. ConclusionAccording to the knowledge what we learn and some relevant knowledge what we not familiar with, we are not sure that we propose some questions and doubt is reasonable. But we feel that the article have some questions like that the research framework is unsophisticated, there is not correlative between information quality and system quality and the problem is when the company has use the high level MAS formalized, which methods are used to improve and reduce the risk.For details of the problems, the author can deal with a more particularly and improve some shortcomings, to make the article more fluently, such as no explanation for the professional term. Bibliography Poorundersing. B and Soobaroyen,T (2008) The effectiveness of management accounting systems, published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Available at: http://www. emeraldinsight. com. libaccess. hud. ac. uk/journals. htm? issn=0268-6902&volume=23&issu e=2&articleid=1641976&show=pdf&PHPSESSID=lcnec7hn2ja606agg4g49si4u5 [accessed at 20 March 2012 ]

Amber Frey, Ex-Mistress of Murderer Scott Peterson

Amber Frey, Ex-Mistress of Murderer Scott Peterson Amber Dawn Frey was the mistress of convicted murderer Scott Peterson. Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife, Laci, and his unborn child in 2002. Freys six-week affair with Peterson was in the spotlight during the 2004 criminal trial. She was a key witness in his prosecution. Peterson is currently sentenced to death by lethal injection residing  on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison. The following accounts of Freys short-term relationship with Peterson come directly from Frey as she recounts the brief courtship and events leading up to Laci Petersons disappearance on the  Oprah Winfrey Show. Other details of Freys life have been disclosed mostly by family, friends, and opportunists.   Early Life of Frey Frey was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 1975, to Ron and Brenda Frey, who divorced when she was five years old.  She graduated from Clovis High School in 1993 and attended Fresno City College where she achieved an associates degree in child development. She pursued additional training in massage therapy from Golden State College in Fresno, California. Frey and Peterson Get Connected Peterson and Frey were connected through Freys best friend, Shawn Sibley. Sibley had met Peterson at a business conference in Anaheim, California, in October 2002. Sibley says that Peterson told her he was single and wanted to meet an intelligent woman to have a long-term relationship with. Sibley told Frey about Peterson. Frey agreed to get connected over the phone. Peterson contacted Frey in early November and they made a date  to meet later in the month. The First Date On November 20, 2002, Frey met Peterson at a bar. There they shared champagne and strawberries then left to have dinner in a private room at a Japanese restaurant. Their conversation flowed easily and Amber felt Scott was easy to be around. After dinner, they went to a karaoke bar, sang, and slow-danced until the bar closed. They returned to Scott Petersons hotel room where they became intimate and ended up spending the night together. Relationship Sparks Amber described Peterson as being very romantic and solicitous towards her and her 20-month-old daughter, Ayianna, by including her child on some of their outings together. With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, Peterson explained to Amber that he would be on a fishing trip in Alaska. Up to this point, Peterson had not mentioned to Amber that he was married and that his wife was 7-months pregnant. Feelings Deepen The relationship continued to grow between Frey and Peterson. Peterson  made home-cooked meals for Frey and Ayianna. He took Ayianna Christmas tree shopping. The couple shared deep conversations about their lives and feelings.  Peterson bought presents for Frey that demonstrated his sensitivity toward thoughts she had shared with him. Frey recalled one such conversation that was centered on the importance of trust in relationships. During that conversation, Peterson told Frey that he had never been married. Marriage Exposed On December  6, 2002, Freys best friend, Sibley, discovered that Peterson was married and she threatened to expose him to Frey. Peterson explained to Shawn that he had lost his wife and although it was difficult for him to talk about, he would tell Frey. On December 9, he told Frey that he had been married and lost his wife but found it hard to talk about. Frey asked him if he was ready for a relationship with her, and Peterson enthusiastically stated that he was. Relationship Gets More Serious Frey and Peterson attended a formal Christmas party on December 14. Frey introduced Peterson to her friends as her boyfriend. Later that evening they had sex without using birth control. Peterson commented that he didnt want children and regretted not taking precautions. He told Frey that he would willingly raise her daughter as his own, but to prevent the possibility of Frey becoming pregnant, he was considering a vasectomy. Frey found his revelation disturbing since she wanted more of a family someday. Frey Learns of Petersons Deception Peterson told Frey he would be in Paris for New Years. He called her often during his travels. On December 29, Richard Byrd, a friend of Freys and also a Fresno homicide detective, informed Frey that Peterson was married and his pregnant wife was missing. Once informed of Petersons deception, Frey contacted the police and agreed to assist with the investigation by taping future phone conversations from Peterson. Petersons calls to Frey were sporadic over the holiday. One notable conversation occurred on December  31, when Peterson told Frey that he was in Paris at a bar with friends and described the awesome firework display at the  Eiffel Tower. Frey Maintains Contact With Peterson Meanwhile, Scott had reported  Laci missing at 6 p.m. on December  24, 2002, after he returned home from a fishing trip at the Berkeley Marina. On January 6, Peterson admitted to Frey about his marriage and his wifes disappearance. He talked about the investigation and his innocence in murdering his wife. The following month, on February 19, Frey told Peterson they should stop talking until things were resolved with the murder of his wife. Peterson agreed. On April 18, 2003, Peterson was arrested and  charged with two  felony  counts of murder with premeditation and special circumstances: the  first-degree murder  of Laci, and the  second-degree murder  of his unborn child. He pled not guilty. Media Catches on to Frey-Peterson Affair In May 2003, Frey hired celebrity lawyer, Gloria Allred, to help with the hounding news media. Rumors and speculations about Frey were running wild even though she was tight-lipped and in seclusion. David Hans Schmidt, a promoter, surfaced with a paid-subscription website of nude pictures of Frey taken at the Clovis modeling agency in 1999. Frey filed suit against him, stating that she never signed an agreement to give up her rights to the photographs. Eventually, Schmidt was barred from commercially exploiting photos of Frey. In August 2004, Frey testified at Petersons  trial. The intimate details of their six-week relationship were revealed by her and the contents of the taped conversations were made public. Frey Post-Script After her relationship with Peterson, Frey began dating long-time friend Dr. David Markovich in early 2003, a Fresno chiropractor, with whom she had a child, Justin Dean.   In 2006, Frey married Robert Hernandez, a member of law enforcement, in Fresno, California. The couple divorced in 2008. She works as a massage therapist and is a writer known for  Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution  published in 2005,  The Murder of Laci Peterson  in 2017. Source:Crier, Catherine.  A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation. ReganBooks, 2005. â€Å"Amber Frey Speaks.†Ã‚  Scott Petersons Mistress: Amber Frey Reveals Her Story To Oprah  , 5 Jan. 2005, www.oprah.com/relationships/amber-frey-speaks_1/all.

Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun

â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† In â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun,† Lorraine Hansberry shows that having dreams is essential to the lives of the characters in the play. In particular, the main character Walter Younger has idealistic dreams of better lives for himself and his family. When Walter is introduced in the play, it appears that he is frustrated with his current position in life. His frustrations stem from his inability to provide for his family and his lack of control in making his dreams of a better life become a reality. Throughout the play Walter struggles with these dreams and exhibits greed and foolishness. The consequences of his actions force him to grow up and become the man that his family needs him to be. Walter realizes the selfish nature of his dreams and learns that he must put the dreams of his family as a whole before his own. In Act I, Scene 1, Walter speaks of his dreams and appears to have the best intentions for his family. He believes that an investment in the liquor store business with his friends is the ideal way to lift them out of poverty. The desperation with which he talks about these dreams even causes his wife Ruth to have a slight change of heart about them. The urgency in his voice shows his serious need for change and prompts her to bring the subject up to Mama. â€Å"Walter Lee say colored people ain’t never going to start getting ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things in the world – investments and things.† (p. 1815) In 1959, the time period of the play, most black men in America faced struggles and a lack of opportunity in trying to become providers for their families. Without his dreams and the resources to achieve them, Walter feels that his existence in the world is insignificant. However, Walter’s complete determination to have the means to invest in the liquor store begins to overshadow the good intentions of his plans. He wants to use the insurance ... Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun Pride in â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† In the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, by Lorraine Hansberry, pride is one of the major themes. Several of the characters display their own particular kind of pride. Walter Lee shows a type of pride that could be called â€Å"manly† pride. Beneatha is constantly displaying her â€Å"intellectual† pride. Mama has a deep-rooted â€Å"old-fashioned† pride. Collectively, all of their prides come together to form a sense of â€Å"cultural and ethnic† pride. Walter Lee’s â€Å"manly† pride shows itself as he always insists on being accepted and respected as the head of the Younger household. He expects the rest of the family to listen to him and follow his guidance. When is â€Å"manliness† is questioned, he becomes very angry. Walter Lee wants to invest the ten thousand dollars of insurance money that his mother has inherited from his father’s death in a liquor store. When his wife, Ruth, ignores his idea he becomes angry because he wants to be respected at the man of the house. He tries to make his mother understand his point of view. He thinks that money is the only way that a man can be successful. Beneatha’s name is well suited to her since she seems to feel that everyone is â€Å"beneath† her. She feels that school and learning about her African heritage is the most important thing in her life. Her need to be intellectually superior causes her to often disrespect her mother. She shows this when she sounds out Asagai’s name unnecessarily slowly to her mother, as if her mother was not capable of understanding otherwise (Hansberry 1401). She also insults her mother when she asks her mother not to â€Å"ask any ignorant questions about Africa †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hansberry 1401). Most of Mama’s pride has been inherited from her late husband, Big Walter. She believes strongly that everyone in put family first, respect their mother and father, and respect the Lord. She often spoke with prid... Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun A Raisin in the Sun Title - A Raisin in the Sun Author – Lorraine Hansberry Genre – Drama Copyright Date – 1958, 1986 by Robert Nemiroff, as an unpublished work 1959, 1966, 1987, 1988 by Robert Nemiroff Setting – The setting was after WWII and the present (1958), in the south side of Chicago. Effect of Setting on Characters and Plot – The Younger family is a low class African-American family, who plans to move into an all Caucasian neighborhood. In this time period, an African-American can hardly have any rights because of discrimination and prejudice. The family faces some decisions that change their lives and make conflicts between family members. Main Characters – The mother, Lena Younger, works as a maid for a Caucasian family. She is expecting to receive a $10,000 check from life insurance because of her husband’s death, Walter Lee. With the money that she receives, she hopes to retire. Lena’s son, Walter Lee Younger, also known as Junior, is a dreamer. He wants to open a liquor store, which was his father’s dream. He hopes to use the check that the family receives to open his own business. But, when he pursues this, his plan falls apart, and makes conflicts between his family members. Walter Lee’s wife, Ruth Younger, has some problems with her husband, and wants to make peace with him. She wants the family to learn about their history, and she strongly believes that learning about their past could help the family make a decision about the money. She wants to move into a bigger apartment, because of the amount of people in the house, especially when she finds out she is pregnant. Beneatha Younger, Lena’s daughter, plans to make something of herself and go to medical school. She is a perfectionist and takes pride in being a South African. She has morals and views, and some in which came from college, causes disagreements with her mother’s orthodox beliefs. Travis Younger, the son... Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun I believe that Lorraine Hansberry is trying say that the African American Women’s experience has been tough. Many women living in the United Stated during segregation, mainly African-American had hard times supporting their families. Also I think she is trying to say that they had many unpleasant experiences, but they also had some nice experiences too. Another thing I believe she is trying to say is they are determined. There are three main African-American women in the book who all struggle in different ways to help their family. All three have similar problems and a difficult path to walk. One woman is Lena Younger or Mama. Mama has a very difficult path to walk in the play; one of those hardships on the path is living in a crowded apartment with her children, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Mama and Ruth, one of the other African-American women, were friends from the beginning of the play. Both women lived with Walter Lee Younger, a drunkard, dreamer, and often a very picky, unpleasant man to be with. Beneatha, Mama’s daughter, wants to be a doctor and does not agree with Mama on many things, such as God. In conclusion, Mama wants to have a house and please her family, though all Ruth wants is for Travis to be happy, and Beneatha wants to marry Asagai and become a doctor. That leads us into our next paragraph about how they cope with their problems. All three women have bumpy paths and problems to cope with. Mama has the insurance money and what to do with it is fought over by her family. Finally Mama decides to put a down payment on a two-story house with a garden, because she has always wanted a garden. Even though Mama bought a nice house, the white neighborhood that it was in was not very friendly. A representative from Clybourne Park (the neighborhood in which the house is) came to the apartment telling the Youngers that the neighborhood does not want them to move in. This upsets the whole family. Thou... Free Essays on A Raisin In The Sun â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† In â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun,† Lorraine Hansberry shows that having dreams is essential to the lives of the characters in the play. In particular, the main character Walter Younger has idealistic dreams of better lives for himself and his family. When Walter is introduced in the play, it appears that he is frustrated with his current position in life. His frustrations stem from his inability to provide for his family and his lack of control in making his dreams of a better life become a reality. Throughout the play Walter struggles with these dreams and exhibits greed and foolishness. The consequences of his actions force him to grow up and become the man that his family needs him to be. Walter realizes the selfish nature of his dreams and learns that he must put the dreams of his family as a whole before his own. In Act I, Scene 1, Walter speaks of his dreams and appears to have the best intentions for his family. He believes that an investment in the liquor store business with his friends is the ideal way to lift them out of poverty. The desperation with which he talks about these dreams even causes his wife Ruth to have a slight change of heart about them. The urgency in his voice shows his serious need for change and prompts her to bring the subject up to Mama. â€Å"Walter Lee say colored people ain’t never going to start getting ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things in the world – investments and things.† (p. 1815) In 1959, the time period of the play, most black men in America faced struggles and a lack of opportunity in trying to become providers for their families. Without his dreams and the resources to achieve them, Walter feels that his existence in the world is insignificant. However, Walter’s complete determination to have the means to invest in the liquor store begins to overshadow the good intentions of his plans. He wants to use the insurance ...

Explain how Shakespeare conveys different emotions and moods in Romeo and Juliet Essays

Explain how Shakespeare conveys different emotions and moods in Romeo and Juliet Essays Explain how Shakespeare conveys different emotions and moods in Romeo and Juliet Paper Explain how Shakespeare conveys different emotions and moods in Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1595 and takes place in the Italian city of Verona and surrounding areas. The story centers on the tragic love story of Romeo (A Montague) and Juliet (A Capulet). They fall for each other but their love must be secret as their families share a bitter hatred of each other. The play shows the star crossd lovers effort to get away from each of their families and the problems that arise in their plan. Romeo and Juliet is an age old play but is still very well known in todays society because of its long lasting universal themes love and hate, war and peace, arranged marriage and so on.In this essay I will try to and hopefully succeed in answering the above question as well as possible, using the knowledge that I know of and quotes from the play.Just before Act 1 scene 5, Romeo is infatuated by Rosaline and is distressed because he loves her but she does not love him. Out of her favor where I am in love. Romeo is annoyed by Rosaline and later on he shows that his unfortunate relationship with her has made time go very slowly. This is a complete contrast to Juliet, who when Romeo is with her, time seems to fly.Later on, Benvolio and Mercutio tell Romeo that he should come to Capulets party,Citing that he would find another girl and forget all about Rosaline. I fear too early, for my mind misgives..Some consequence, hanging in the starsRomeo conveys his idea about that there might be a problem, going to the ball. He says that there might be a problem and it will be bad. His friends do not car about what he has said and take him to the party, showing that he has no power over what his friends do, telling us he is not very forceful.While at the party, Tybalt sees and recognizes Romeo and is furious until Capulet confronts him and tells him off.He shall be endured.. Am I the master here, or you? You will make a mutiny amongst my guests!This demonstrates Capulet anger with Tybalt apparent freedom ness to do what he wants. He shouts at him, telling him off, telling him that he is the master and Tybalt will do as Capulet wants. Word such as Mutiny are linked to military actions and shows that Capulet is very much in control and very strict. This shows that Capulet is strong and forceful.Tybalt is taken aback and shows his intense hatred with comments like:It fits when such a villain is a guest, Il not endure him!This suggests that Tybalt intensely hates Montagues and wishes nothing more than for them to die. Other comment use strong language and shows that Tybalt is loose cannon; also showing is passion for his hatred.On the other hand, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and is taken aback by how beautiful she is:Did my heart love till now? For I never saw true beauty till this night.This shows that Romeo sees Juliet as the most beautiful thing Romeo has ever seen, and he has probably forgotten all about Rosaline, who he appeared to have such a huge infatuation with at the beginning of the play. Romeo says this quote at the point of his monologue when he is watching Juliet dance. Words such as true beauty show Romeos passion. They talk and kiss, falling for each other.At the end of the party the mood changes totally. Romeo finds out that Juliet is a Capulet and is distressed:Is she a Capulet? O dear account,My life is my foes debtThis language shows that Romeo is disappointed and annoyed. My life is my foes debt implies that his life is in ruins as his love is his enemy. Juliet shares the same emotions when Nurse tells her that Romeo is a Montague.My only love sprung from my only hate..That I must have loathed an enemy.Juliets comment there shows there shows that Juliet is disappointed as well, with her only love coming from her intense enemy. It seems quite ironic that is that this happens and gives the story a unique twist, giving the story more life. Words such as loathed show Juliets disappointed as loathed is a strong word in my view.Aft er Capulets party in act 1 scene 5, Romeo shares the famous balcony scene with Juliet. They exchange vows of love and agree to marry in secret. The following day, with the help of Friar Lawrence and Nurse, Romeo and Juliet marry. On Romeos way back, he encounters Mercutio and Tybalt fighting because Tybalt was angry with Romeos presence at the party. Tybalt kills Mercutio, causing Romeo to become very mad and slay Tybalt. Prince hears of this and vows that when he finds Romeo he will banish him to Mantua. Romeo spends one last night with Juliet and in the morning he sets forth, out of Verona forever. That same morning, Capulet tries to help Juliets apparent misery about Tybalts death (when really it was about Romeo) by agreeing to give Paris Juliets hand in marriage. Juliet is distraught and disagrees, causing Capulet to threaten to disown her. That day, Juliet seeks Friar Lawrence who gives her a potion to let her into a deathly sleep for 24 hours. She will wake up in the crypt, aw aiting Romeo (who will be alerted by letters) to take her away. This is where we come into more detail.At night, Juliet is being attended to by the Nurse and her mother. She wishes for them to leave her alone and uses orisons (prayers) as an excuse.I pray thee leave me.. For I am in needof many orisonsThis comment shows desperate times call for desperate shows, as Juliet uses such holy acts to be left alone. It also shows that Juliet may be a sinner, as Lady Capulet had no queries about her prayers, she might pray a lot- a lot of sins. Most probable answer would be Lady Capulet thinking it was Tybalt who she was crying about. When Juliet is alone, she begins to think that the mixture will not work and she is afraid.What if this mixture does not work at all? Shall I be marriedthen tomorrow morning?This, as I have already said, shows Juliets fear of it not working. It shows very strongly that Juliet is extremely afraid of getting married to Paris. This shows commitment to Romeo. Juli et then begins to doubt the friar and his involvement with the whole marriage and the supposed sleeping potion.What if it be poison which the Friar subtly administered toHave me deadThis again conveys fear. Juliet is quite right to think this, if anyone found out about the marriage and who married them, it would be Friar who would be in trouble. He would need to clean up his tracks if he were to remain safe and no one would know. Many different angles are being rushed around in Juliets mind. Juliet then begins to think about when she inside the crypt. What if she wakes up and Romeo is not there?How if, when I am laid in the tomb, I wakeBefore Romeo comes. And I am there strangldJuliet has many fears; most of all is dying and marriage to Paris. This again shows Juliets fear, as with the other four quotes in this paragraph. Words such as strangld show that she is afraid of suffocation. In other comments about the crypt, Juliet fears the bodies in the tomb may come alive and attack her . She fears most of all, Tybalts body.She eventually drinks the potion out of love for her Romeo.Romeo, Romeo heres the drink I drink to theeThis again shows Juliets love and commitment for Romeo. She will risk anything for love, much of the same as Romeo would do if he were in the same position. It shows that they are truly in love and were meant to be.

If PR professionals do their jobs well, they will serve the interests Essay

If PR professionals do their jobs well, they will serve the interests of the people who have paid them. There is a direct confl - Essay Example To aid in coming up with a clear comprehension of the communicative function of the two, a significant number of study theories and concepts have been produced by different research workers. Although the research works have not been fully able to address the subject, they have provided a wide basis as regards theoretical and conceptual notions on the subject. Thus, the most significant quest here is on the idea of the complex and conflicting communicative function of a journalist and public relations professional as regards their day-to-day interaction with their targeted user groups (Bivins 2009, p.103). Since the two professionals are closely related and have great complexity in terms of what exactly differentiates them, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of their respective fields of work. Journalism entails the process of collecting, jotting, editing of news from the public and related areas all around a specified geographic terrain. These news articles are then pre sented in newspapers, radio stations, magazines and television for broadcasting to other members of a whole nation, globally or depending on the defined geographic area to be covered. That is, a journalist’s daily operations involve interaction with the public in gathering and presentation of information. On the other hand, a public health professional’s communicative function is almost the Ð µsame as that of a journalist (Narasimha, 2010, p. 230). Public health professionals involve themselves in putting into practice the act of performing and maintaining a strong (healthy) relationship between the organizations they work for and the members of public and respective stakeholders. That is, their communicative function essentially revolves around a close interaction and sharing of information with the public (Narasimha, 2010, p. 20). The idea in public relations is for an organization to gain exposure to their targeted audience. In the process of gaining exposure, topi cs based on public interest are usually put into practice and items are brought forward with no interest for direct payment. The most significant aim for public relation professionals is to persuade the public, business partners, investors and other stakeholders to keep into practice or mind a specific viewpoint as regards products, leadership and its political aspirations (Bivins 2009, p. 102) It is thus clear that public relation professionals and journalists almost have the same communicative functionality which possesses a conflicting bird’s eye view of the subject. A number of research theories, organization case studies and concepts have addressed this subject. The aim of all these is to clarify or make it clear what each profession puts into close consideration on the notion of communication and interaction with the public (Van Ruler & Vercic 2004). Public relation profession and journalism engross a key set of concepts, readings and theories that make it easy for a pr ofessional, individual or an organization to build reputation among public members and respective stakeholders. Usually businesses or organizations have to be adept in practicing public relations and to put off the idea of considering public relation as only a means of reacting to a scandal (Watson & Noble 2007). As mentioned earlier, journalism puts into close consideration several practices that are closely related or almost the same as public relations. In this

Short paper on Mill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short paper on Mill - Essay Example Additionally, it is a consequentialist form that states that means get justified by the end. The view can be combined or contrasted with virtues, intentions and compliance with rules as significant to ethics (Rachels & Rachels (2012). The main philosophical position of Mill’s word is that the action’s merits depend on the reference of the consequence (Soifer, 2009). Thus, the theory requires people to have certain knowledge about the future. Hence, the theory can be interpreted as a moral reform manifesto that advocates for a better, enlightened ways of settling ethical issues. Additionally, the theory can act as an analytic doctrine that aims at making explicit the sound moral canons of thinking followed by a good moral reflection. Is it possible to identify the actions that may lead to a great amount of happiness to many people without referring to future knowledge? According to Mill, it is a fact that individuals who are equally capable and acquainted to appreciate and enjoy, give the expectation of happiness in their manner of existence. A few people would consent on changing into any of bad behaviors for the fullest pleasures allowance. Thus, no intelligent person may choose to be a fool in order to attain happiness. People with higher faculties tend to need more to be happy and are capable of having more suffering compared to inferior people (Rachels & Rachels (2012). Therefore, some actions can determine the amount of happiness without referring to the future knowledge as Mill suggests. Utilitarianism suggests that an event or act is right and good when it is beneficial to many people. Hence, a righteous act will fully maximize the greatest utility (Soifer, 2009). Therefore, the case of enslavement of a small group for the happiness of a larger group will be considered as moral. According to James Mill, the ruled, along with the rulers are the perfect example

Advanced pharmacology case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advanced pharmacology case study - Assignment Example It is recommended that a patient suffering from this kind of diseases should be disciplined as far as observing any medical dose or attention is concerned. Especially if a patient is suffering from diseases which take long to heal or sometimes do not heal at all like diabetes 2, the patient is supposed to observe the medical directions as prescribed by the doctor. Diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure diabetes 2 and ulcers should be keenly be attended with the right prescription from the doctor or medical expert. Patients should been keen to follow the medical instruction from the physician concerned and if in any case they doubt their reaction with medicine, then they should consult the physician concerned (Blobel, 2009). This paper is going to discus the background and history of hypertension, coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and paroxysmal a trial fibrillation patient who is suffering from all this diseases and tries seek a possible direction about how the medication should be followed by the people suffering from this kind of diseases. Atrial fibrillation is caused by rapid or irregular heartbeat and sometimes it can be paroxysmal or something which cannot end in nature thus permanent. It is usually caused by the failure of the heart tissues or nodes. The automatic heart nervous system dysfunction or sometimes it can be a combination of both. This condition involves chaotic movement of arterial impulses and thus loss of synchrony between the atria and verticals. This kind of irregular heart beat is usually caused by heart abnormality that causes the heart to fail from taking regular heart beats as it should be doing. The electrical impulses across the atria occur abnormally thus causing the failure. This kind of disease at some turn to be resistant an persist then go to a permanent

Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership Research Paper

Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership - Research Paper Example Leadership is the process of the influence a leader instils on others to achieve an objective and make an organization productive. Situation leadership theory is useful and relevant in developing an effective leadership culture. Fiedler contingency model, House and Mitchell’s Path-goal theory, and Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership are three situational leadership theories that are effective in management. In accordance to Fielder, situational leadership, especially in a high stress situation is largely mismatched by the leader’s inability to use his intellectual resources to solve the problem or ease the stress in organization. The use of intelligence as opposed to criticism or stress is vital in the organization (Fiedler, 1992). The focus on the effective tasks structuring and directing both the white collar and blue collar employees, enhancing relationships between leaders and subordinates in times of stress and finally the focus on the leader’s power, or the positive attributes of the leadership style to reduce stress in organizations undergoing difficult situations. In relation to the strengths of the model, it focuses on a single leadership style, which incorporates all leadership styles possible depending with the situation. The main emphasis is not on the alteration of the style of leadership, but rather the use of the key advantages of the leadership style a manager or leader is used to, in issuing direction and motivating the subordinates to achieve a set task or goal. The model also emphasizes that if a certain trait about the leadership style that suits the subordinates, will lead to self-motivation. As such, instead of concentrating on the stressfulness of the situation, using one’s strengths to increase their own strengths would marginally reduce the stressful nature of the situation. However, one of the key weaknesses of the model is that it lacks to acknowledge that some of the leaders have low

Is Socrates Form of the Good Correct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Socrates Form of the Good Correct - Essay Example One of these entities is goodness or good, which is considered to be one of the causes of many of the things that are experienced daily in the visible realm. Something is considered to have a certain level of goodness because it participates in the Form of Good. According to Plato, Forms are the only things that can be known about, that is, they are the only things that can be considered to be objects of knowledge (Welton 20). In other words the form of the good, according to Plato, is ultimately to be treated as the object of knowledge, even though it is not really knowledge itself. Socrates, through Plato, is convinced that just gains its usefulness through the Good. I believe that Socrates is right in philosophizing that from Good emanates everything else, including knowledge and justice. Form of the Good Plato does not specifically say what the form of good is, but he does say that the knowledge of the form of the good is the most important or the highest knowledge that philosoph er kings should aspire. He says â€Å"What gives truth to the things known and the power to know to the knower is the Form of the Good, and though it is the cause of knowledge and truth, it is also an object of knowledge† (Plato and Jowett 46). ... All the prisoners get to see are shadows which are visibly moving on the wall. These shadows are not of people, but of statues being moved from above them but the prisoners cannot see this. They think that the shadows they see moving on the walls in front of them are real people, they cannot conceive a better reality in their present state. Socrates likens these prisoners with people who live thinking that the reality is composed of the fantasies they hear about in stories (Welton 47). Once the prisoners are released it is then they realize that what they thought were real people were actually lifeless statues (Anna 85). However, they would still think that the statues are real, just like a person who is used to the sounds and sights of the world would think that there was nothing more real than their own experiences. If the prisoners wander out into the open world, they might at first be blinded by the sun’s light, but with time, they come to the realization that there are ot her things and objects in the world. They will then think that these objects are real, just like a person who finally gets the knowledge of the Forms that comprise everyday existence. In conclusion the prisoners will come to look at the sun and realize that it is the source of the light that is making it possible for them to see all the objects that they are seeing; it is the source of all life and all light. According to Socrates, the Form of the Good is therefore like the sun; it is the source of everything found in the intelligible world (91). Socrates asks his students and friends to visualize a line that is halved in two and four. According to Socrates, the upper part of the halved line

Impact of Language Rights (of minorities) in the Field of Education Essay

Impact of Language Rights (of minorities) in the Field of Education - Essay Example In the absence of any other language from the national language, the minorities will obviously face the problems in communicating with the people around them and each and every facet of their life would be badly affected (Thornberry, 1997, 307). The minority language rights not allow make communication easy for the minorities but the significant impacts of language rights of minorities could be traced in the field of education as well (Dunbar, 2001, p120). The essay aims to discuss the effects of language rights upon the education of the minorities and discusses the critical importance of have language rights of the minorities in the society. It has been unveiled from the review of the literature concerning the topic that the importance of granting language rights to the minorities has been realized in most of the countries of the world and this realization and provision of the rights have drawn significant and strong impacts upon the educational achievement levels of the people of t he minority groups. Language Rights of Minorities The countries with multi-ethnic and multicultural population are critically need to implement the laws safeguarding the rights of the minorities because the absence of these rights in such countries could led towards satisfaction among the masses they might led towards social instability. The issue of language rights of the minorities is often viewed in informal and non-state contexts but the issue has been given importance in most of the public institutions that are forced to serve a linguistically diverse citizenry. The language rights of the minorities determine what style, tone and practice of language would be adopted by the public institutions that they could fulfil the requirements of the minorities as well (Tomasevski, 1996, p117). The growing trend of multicultural awareness in the wake of globalization has compelled the countries to think weather or not they should adopt policy of institutional mono-language where only one language dominantly used in the country will be used for communicating with the masses. Many countries now prefer to adopt institutional multilingualism that could not only serve the people of their own country but the minority people could not be able to understand and speak their concerns in the public institutions and places (Baderin, 2005, p15). This is very important for the countries to facilitate the people of other languages and nationality they mostly live in their countries for business or any other work related purpose. In the absence of the language rights, the minority language speakers could never have morally serious complaint about the system of the country and they will not be able to adjust at such places because all of their activities and lifestyle could be badly affected in the absence of language rights (Thornberry, 1997, 307). The neglect of these rights could also lead towards inter communal tension and such society could also be marked with the violation of basic human rights like giving freedom of speech and communication to all of the people of the society (Dunbar, 2001, p120). The language rights for the dominant language speakers exist for centuries and they have been taken for granted because these rights are allotted to them without calling them language rights. Likewise, in many countries the minority language speakers also have certain rights that are legally formulized to determine the dimension of usability of their language

Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership Research Paper

Situational Leadership Theory and Organizational Leadership - Research Paper Example Leadership is the process of the influence a leader instils on others to achieve an objective and make an organization productive. Situation leadership theory is useful and relevant in developing an effective leadership culture. Fiedler contingency model, House and Mitchell’s Path-goal theory, and Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership are three situational leadership theories that are effective in management. In accordance to Fielder, situational leadership, especially in a high stress situation is largely mismatched by the leader’s inability to use his intellectual resources to solve the problem or ease the stress in organization. The use of intelligence as opposed to criticism or stress is vital in the organization (Fiedler, 1992). The focus on the effective tasks structuring and directing both the white collar and blue collar employees, enhancing relationships between leaders and subordinates in times of stress and finally the focus on the leader’s power, or the positive attributes of the leadership style to reduce stress in organizations undergoing difficult situations. In relation to the strengths of the model, it focuses on a single leadership style, which incorporates all leadership styles possible depending with the situation. The main emphasis is not on the alteration of the style of leadership, but rather the use of the key advantages of the leadership style a manager or leader is used to, in issuing direction and motivating the subordinates to achieve a set task or goal. The model also emphasizes that if a certain trait about the leadership style that suits the subordinates, will lead to self-motivation. As such, instead of concentrating on the stressfulness of the situation, using one’s strengths to increase their own strengths would marginally reduce the stressful nature of the situation. However, one of the key weaknesses of the model is that it lacks to acknowledge that some of the leaders have low

Impact of Language Rights (of minorities) in the Field of Education Essay

Impact of Language Rights (of minorities) in the Field of Education - Essay Example In the absence of any other language from the national language, the minorities will obviously face the problems in communicating with the people around them and each and every facet of their life would be badly affected (Thornberry, 1997, 307). The minority language rights not allow make communication easy for the minorities but the significant impacts of language rights of minorities could be traced in the field of education as well (Dunbar, 2001, p120). The essay aims to discuss the effects of language rights upon the education of the minorities and discusses the critical importance of have language rights of the minorities in the society. It has been unveiled from the review of the literature concerning the topic that the importance of granting language rights to the minorities has been realized in most of the countries of the world and this realization and provision of the rights have drawn significant and strong impacts upon the educational achievement levels of the people of t he minority groups. Language Rights of Minorities The countries with multi-ethnic and multicultural population are critically need to implement the laws safeguarding the rights of the minorities because the absence of these rights in such countries could led towards satisfaction among the masses they might led towards social instability. The issue of language rights of the minorities is often viewed in informal and non-state contexts but the issue has been given importance in most of the public institutions that are forced to serve a linguistically diverse citizenry. The language rights of the minorities determine what style, tone and practice of language would be adopted by the public institutions that they could fulfil the requirements of the minorities as well (Tomasevski, 1996, p117). The growing trend of multicultural awareness in the wake of globalization has compelled the countries to think weather or not they should adopt policy of institutional mono-language where only one language dominantly used in the country will be used for communicating with the masses. Many countries now prefer to adopt institutional multilingualism that could not only serve the people of their own country but the minority people could not be able to understand and speak their concerns in the public institutions and places (Baderin, 2005, p15). This is very important for the countries to facilitate the people of other languages and nationality they mostly live in their countries for business or any other work related purpose. In the absence of the language rights, the minority language speakers could never have morally serious complaint about the system of the country and they will not be able to adjust at such places because all of their activities and lifestyle could be badly affected in the absence of language rights (Thornberry, 1997, 307). The neglect of these rights could also lead towards inter communal tension and such society could also be marked with the violation of basic human rights like giving freedom of speech and communication to all of the people of the society (Dunbar, 2001, p120). The language rights for the dominant language speakers exist for centuries and they have been taken for granted because these rights are allotted to them without calling them language rights. Likewise, in many countries the minority language speakers also have certain rights that are legally formulized to determine the dimension of usability of their language

The Greek mythology Essay Example for Free

The Greek mythology Essay The Greek mythology is one of the most exciting yet complicated subjects when studying literature. Not just because it’s a foreign subject but because the mythology itself, the stories about the Greek gods and the adventures of the mortals with superhuman strength, takes us out far and wide away from the four corners of the classroom. In Greek Mythology, there are two characters that would be the focus of this paper. This are Jason of Iolcus, of the Argonauts and Golden Fleece fame; and Paris of Troy, of the Trojan War and Helen of Troy fame. These two personalities will be introduced one after the other and their respective adventures will be narrated. Jason and Paris are one among many who were very controversial because of their decisions in life and their relationship with women. Henceforth, the topic of this paper is to point out the comparison between Paris and Jason, as well as their differences. In determining these things, we arrived with a question that in the course of this paper, we attempted to answer. [Given the circumstances of their existence, who was the better man?] The term better is subjective and would be matter of argument, but we have come up with a few criteria so as to have a basis for the final answer that would be summarized in the conclusion. The statement better man would be founded on this grounds: Valor, dignity, bravery, fighting skills, tasks performed (rate of success), relations with the gods, effect on history and mythology, relations with women (husband-like qualities), relations with offspring (Father-like attitude), relations with family member, relations with followers (leadership qualities), and the ability to survive. This paper will start off with the introduction of Greek mythology. Who are the gods and what their business are and what their powers are. Especially the god of gods Zeus, his brothers Poseidon and Hades, his wife Hera, his daughters Athena and Aphrodite and his son Apollo. Other minor gods who played a part on Jason and Paris’ lives such as Eris, Eros and Hermes would also be related. After which, Paris and Jason’s lives would be unraveled such as their birth and the oracle; their lives away from their supposed to be real lives; their adventures and their deaths. Through out this, an analysis of their judgment, personality and decision making based on the mentioned criteria would be applied. The Greek Mythology: Who are the gods? Greek mythology is one of the most widely read and most interesting subject in English literature. Its where most fascinating stories come from, from equally intriguing characters, akin to having an alternate universe where the gods were the movie stars and Olympus was Hollywood. The Olympian era starts off with Zeus overthrowing his father Cronus, who was the ruler of the elder gods known as the Titans. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and when Zeus won the battle, he exiled these Titans in a land called Tartarus in the underworld. Zeus then divided the Universe between himself and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus took the heavens on top of Mount Olympus where he lived with his wife and his sisters and children. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece located in the north of Greece. Zeus is the most powerful of all of the ancient gods; people loved and feared him at the same time. He embodies justice, morals and law. His weapon is a thunderbolt, and is also famous for his numerous infidelities to his wife Hera. Hera is also a sister of Zeus, and is worshipped as the goddess of marriage and birth. Hera is portrayed as a jealous wife always on the lookout for the various activities of Zeus and his numerous love affairs and his illegitimate children. Hera was always depicted as someone who would destroy with utmost and unreasonable fury the lives of Zeus’ lovers and their children. Zeus and Hera had three children, Hephaestus, the god of fire and volcano; Hebe, goddess of youth, and Ares, god of war. Hephaestus is said to be the ugliest of the gods and because of his physical appearance, it was said that Hera flung him from Mount Olympus to the ocean and in doing so broke his legs, that’s why Hephaestus is lame. He is the industrious forger who made all the weapons of the gods, he is also known as the patron of all craftsmen. Hephaestus married Aphrodite, who is also rumored as Zeus daughter with another minor goddess Dione. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, sex and beauty. Like Zeus, Aphrodite’s love affairs are also well-publicized. Aside from her husband Hephaestus, she had an affair with the most handsome mortal named Adonis, the Trojan Anchises, the half-god half-mortal Dionysus, the winged god Hermes and Ares the god of war and brother of Hephaestus. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, is also one of Zeus children from his many infidelities. However, Athena was born in a very unique way, of springing forth from Zeus forehead all grown up and fully armored, that’s why Zeus favored Athena a lot, even having the privilege of using Zeus’ thunderbolt weapon at times. Apollo and Artemis are the twin children of Zeus from a Titan goddess named Leto. Apollo is the god of music, healing, truth and prophecy. The oracle of Delphi is dedicated to him. He is also known as the Archer and the patron god of the Trojans. Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister is the goddess of chastity, virginity and hunting. She was the one who calmed the seas when the Greek King Agamemnon killed one of her sacred deer so that they could not launch their ships in the start of the Trojan War. In order to appease her, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to be one of the goddess’s priestess. Another deity is Hermes, another one of Zeus’ illegitimate children, who is also known as the messenger of the gods. He is always depicted having winged sandals, winged helmet and a magic wand. Businessmen and thieves worship him as their god. Second in power to Zeus is his brother Poseidon, god of the sea. He holds a weapon called trident, which he uses in to strike the ground, causing earthquakes when he is angry. He is known for his violent behavior, temperamental disposition and like Zeus, also fathered a lot of children. Now, Eris, the goddess of discord and strife is also said to be one of Zeus’ children and is the constant companion of Ares, the murdering yet coward god of war. It is Eris who threw the apple of discord with the inscription â€Å"To the Fairest† in the wedding of the mortal Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles), wherein three of the goddesses, namely Aphrodite, Athena and Hera laid claim to it. They called on to Zeus to award the apple to the fairest of them but since Hera is his wife and Athena and Aphrodite are his daughters, he called on to the mortal Paris to do the judging. Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite because of her bribe of giving him Helen, the most beautiful woman on earth. This event is called the Judgment of Paris, and the commencement of the ever famous Trojan War. Who is Paris? His Birth and the Oracle When Hecuba, Queen of Troy was pregnant with Paris, she dreamt that she had brought forth a firebrand that would be the source of destruction of Troy. Seers or prophets interpreted her dream that the child she is carrying, which was Paris, would destroy the city of Troy, therefore the child should be killed. Priam, the King of Troy and Hecabe were not able to slay baby Paris when he was born, so instead, Priam gave the baby to a servant named Agelaus with the instruction to expose him on Mount Ida, a mountainous area near Troy. However, after nine days when the servant came back to bury the supposedly dead child, he was surprised to find baby Paris still alive, because apparently, a bear had nursed him. Astonished with the baby’s fate, Agelaus took baby Paris to his home and raised him up as his own son; he gave him the name Paris. Paris grew up to be a strong and handsome young man. Alexander was fair, tall, and brave. His eyes were very beautiful, his hair soft and blond, his mouth charming, and his voice pleasant. He was swift, and eager to take command. (qtd. In Dares the Phrygian)