In the Lake of the Woods

In the novel In the Lake of the Woods, O’Brien channels between his life in the present at the lake with his wife, and his life in the past, recalling memories from the war in Vietnam. The novel begins with a preview into the love life and marriage of John and Kathy Wade. While the novel progresses, their relationship begins to deteriorate and as the narrator jumps from his past to his present, the impact of his time in Vietnam becomes more apparent as a primary factor in the failure of their marriage. Throughout the book there are sections of hypotheses and evidence that observe a mixture of fiction and non fiction documents. Some are simply historical facts about the condition of soldiers after Vietnam, particularly the My Lai massacre, while others are fabricated interviews and statements from the characters in the story examining the strange behavior of John Wade himself. The way the chapters are arranged in a scattered format attest to how the jaded past of John Wade sporadically emerged into his life with his wife, the election, and his sanity. Like many stories, the novel is not presented in chronological order. Even as the narrator jumps from past to present to evidence to hypotheses, the sections are not always continuous individually. O’Brien utilizes this method because the story was not written to develop the life of John Wade, but rather to examine it as it relates to the past that he tried to conceal from the election and his wife. Each piece of evidence serves to further expand the elements that tainted John Wade and provide possibilities to the case of his missing wife. The hypotheses are an explanation of the story that also maintains the mystery in the novel because they never provide a concise ending. In the beginning, these chapters are confusing, but they help the reader see the main plot in greater depth. The significance of the events is more indicative than the order of the events. John Wade’s involvement in Vietnam is most associated with the My Lai massacre, an event where numerous American soldiers violently slaughtered innocent men, women, and children at a small village called Pinkville. It is a tragedy that has forever shamed America and especially the soldiers that contributed to the horrific event. John Wade is not introduced as a collaborator in the My Lai massacre until the middle of the novel. Although this is a crucial part of the story, if John Wade had been broadcasted as a participating factor in the massacre, the point of the novel would be lost. The reader would continue to hold a bias towards John Wade and therefore disregard any sort of empathy for his difficult situations. Since, however, the reader finds out he did contribute to the My Lai massacre later in the novel, an opinion and understanding of John Wade is already present, which helps provide some justification and sympathy for the narrator. O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran himself, employed this deferment of information to the reader because many see the My Lai massacre as a black and white atrocity, without ever considering the feelings and frustrations of the American soldiers themselves in fighting an â€Å"invisible enemy†. The structure of the novel is not only used to gradually inform the reader of the damaged mind of John Wade, but also to emphasize the difficulty of dealing with his experiences. As the narrator begins to distrust his own senses and memories, the reader knows less of what is fact and what is speculation. The evidence provides a look into the lives of people that dealt with John Wade and people or events that relate to his condition, including post traumatic stress excerpts and political figures’ approach to loss. The narrator combines his memories with these relatable findings that results in a union of fallacy and actuality as John Wade slowly slips into insanity. The issues that John Wade and his loved ones endure dealing with incorporating a guilt ridden event with his near perfect present life represents the hardship many Vietnam soldiers, including O’Brien, had to face when trying to live their lives normally again. The novel is a testament to the trifles of Vietnam veterans, not only during the war, but after; O’Brien writes about the character’s fragmented mind and life as it relates to every damaged soldier. The structure of the novel lends itself to comprehension and the revelation of John Wade. The rather intermittent sequence of events helps the reader increasingly comprehend the nature of dismantled soldiers and how the attempt to erase John Wade’s past ended in the destruction of his future. It also symbolizes the disorderly fashion that John Wade’s past interrupts his present life. The structure is perfectly suited to the subject matter.

Character is destiny Essay

â€Å"Character is destiny† is a dominant theme that often appears in Shakespearean tragedy. In the play, King Lear this concept is portrayed through the characters of King Lear, Gloucester, and Edmund. The characteristics and the roles that each of the characters have within the society of the play determine the treatment that they receive from other characters as well as their destiny. In the play, Lear demonstrates various characteristics that can be classified as his tragic flaws. In the opening scene, Lear’s irrational basis for distributing the kingdom between his daughters reveals that he is accustomed to hypocrisy, that he is quick tempered, that he is impatient, and that he is unaware of human limitation. By asking his daughters to publicly display their love towards him, he reveals that he is accustomed to flattery. This also demonstrates that he is proud of his ability to exercise his will quickly and effectively. A.C Bradely comments on this tragic flaw by stating that â€Å"A long life of absolute power, in which he as been flattered to the top of his bent, has produced in him that blindness to human limitation and that presumptuous self will† . In the opening act, King Lear also demonstrates his quick tempered nature through the disowning of Cordelia and the banishment of Kent. When Lear does not hear what he expected from Cordelia, he disowns her as his daughter without any rational thoughts. This demonstrates that he is accustomed to exercising his will. It also demonstrates that he believes that through his position as a monarch, he can even command human emotions such as love. In addition, when Lear hears what he expects from Goneril and Regan, he rewards them with a large portion of his kingdom. This reveals his gullible, generous, and unsuspicious nature. Overall, Lear’s characteristics are revealed in the first Act of the play. He is accustomed to exercising his will freely, he is gullible, unsuspicious, and is blind of human limitations. These characteristics are his tragic flaws that later lead to his destiny. Lear’s destiny at the end of the play is predetermined because of his tragic flaws. He disowned Cordelia because he believed that his position as a monarch enables him to dictate love. By disowning Cordelia, he loses his protection against the evil deeds of Goneril and Regan. In addition, Lear’s gullible, generous, and unsuspicious nature towards Goneril and Regan lead to the division of his kingdom between the two ungrateful sisters. Because of Lear’s characteristics, he is unable to see in advance the possible outcomes of his actions. His gullible and unsuspicious nature does not permit him to see beyond the misleading surface of Goneril and Regan’s proclamations. As the play progresses, Goneril and Regan are able to use Lear’s characteristics against him to adva nce their own powers and to

The Address by Marga Minco

Analysis of a Key Passage The Address by Marga Minco In The Address by Marga Minco, the author suggests that people do not realize what they take for granted until they do not have them anymore. In the excerpt, the narrator is in a house with all her possessions, and the daughter of the woman who took all these possessions has no idea what is going on. Long ago, the narrator’s mother had given all her worldly possessions to a strange lady, who always took everything away with a look of greed.The narrator has come to the house with all the possessions, and it suddenly hits her that all her memories are just through the doorway. When she enters, she sees all of her possessions, â€Å"in a room which I both knew and didn’t know†. This one simple line describes how she feels, how though all her memories are in the room, they are not place in the right spot, as if the chronological placement was off, and all her memories are mixed up. I found myself among things I had wanted to see again but which oppressed me in the strange surroundings† describes her confusion, because though everything looked normal, (similar to the way she acts as if nothing is happening) it’s the inside story of every object that is scaring her; how it has her memories imprinted in it, and yet, they are not there anymore, because this is not her house, and she does not own any of this anymore.I scarcely dared to look around me anymore† symbolizes her fright of looking at everything she had and lost, and now they do not belong to her, though she has a slight longing for them in order to have a sense of normality. â€Å"Somewhere on the edge there should be a burn hole in which had never been repaired† this line, when read closely, depicts the hole as a sort of ledge, where her mind is clinging onto, so she may find some familiar feeling in all this strangeness. It also depicts a large bottomless pit, where she wants to throw all the bad feelings and memories away, throw them deep into this hole.The daughter does not notice anything wrong, because she is like a newborn baby: she does not know where any of this comes from, but she does not question it, because she has been raised with these objects. But she is also the opposite of her mother; while her mother stole all the possessions without a worry or a care, she is sweeter, gentler. The daughter is innocent and unknowing of what happened, while the mother is guilty and knows exactly why the narrator is here. When prompted, she (the daughter) talks of how everything in the room is nothing important, how they are all antiques and nothing special.But the narrator then offers a retort of passion and sadness â€Å"you get used to all these beautiful things at home, you hardly look at them anymore. You only nothice when something is not there, because it has to be repaired, or for example, because you’ve lent it to someone†. This small speech shows how she never thoug ht of these possessions and memories as important, but now that they are not with her anymore, now that she knows she cannot take them all back, she feels they describe her life. But it is too late.Near the end of the excerpt, the narrator mentions how, when she was younger, she thought her cutlery was made from silver, but never really thought of it. The daughter laughs, but when she goes to check her own cutlery, the narrator rushes out, to â€Å"forget the address† and everything she ever remembered. This is because she wants to leave every memory she had behind, to start anew. It is her sudden realization that she does not possess these memories anymore that causes her to change and force herself to forget everything from the past.

M3C Identification of managerial, financial, legal and ethical Essay

M3C Identification of managerial, financial, legal and ethical implications - Essay Example Health insurance has its challenges in the world today and many organizations in the world today face many problems due to the insurance policy. Problems are sometimes evident when the employees of various companies or organizations are taxed much more because of the high living standards today. Problems that are financially related to the health insurance scheme, the ethical and legal implications faced by the people using the health insurance scheme. Problems basically come into an organization when employers do not involve their employees of the increase in the cost of the scheme. It could be effective if the employers are told what would happen prior to the imposture of the tax. Pilzer (2005) also goes ahead to say that in 2006 instead of an employer sponsored group plan, some employers are offering defined contribution health benefit plans whereby the employer simply reimburses the employee; tax free, for the cost of their individual and family policy. This effectively lowers the cost of individual or family policy up to fifty percent since an employer receives tax deduction and the employee is not taxed on the reimbursed amount. Most people today with individual and family policies are paying their premiums themselves without an employer which costs them twice as much on the after tax basis. These majorly affect the employees of an organization financially. In some countries today the taxation is mostly imposed on any employee working with the government sector or a private sector. The policy is usually discussed by the ministry of health and becomes effective on the date passed by the relevant parties. Here, they are taxed on a monthly basis and this could be a disadvantage and a disadvantage to some. The insurance fund benefits the whole family and helps in paying hospital bills for someone who is sick. The major problem crops up in an organization when the premiums are increased after

The Effect of FDI on Employment and Economic Growth in China Dissertation

The Effect of FDI on Employment and Economic Growth in China - Dissertation Example The paper relating to the above clause tends to infer whether the large volumes of foreign trade gained by the country making it second to United States suits well for the country in terms of contributing to the rise of economic growth or through enhancement in the employment level. Mainly secondary research in the form of books and journals are reviewed in the process of gaining effective inferences to the research questions. ... Objectives The first objective of the report is to evaluate the impacts of Foreign Direct Investment on the Employment scenario and patterns in the Chinese region whether contributing to social development or leading to social deprivation of the common masses. Secondly the report endeavours to understand the potential impacts of Foreign Direct Investment on enhancing or disturbing the economic potential and growth tendency of the Chinese region. Statistical reflections made from a number of government and other authentic sources would help in gaining an effective understanding. In whole the paper through the use of secondary resources in the form of books, journals and other authentic newspaper articles would endeavour to reflect on both the positive and negative impacts of the entry of Foreign Direct Investment on the Republic of China. Approach The Project would be approached through the gaining of secondary data from a large number of authentic sources pertaining to books, journal s and other articles gained from online newspapers. Use of authentic data sources available on the internet contributes on the gaining of relevant information in an authentic and faster fashion. Further the use of secondary research methods also helps the researcher in saving considerable amount of research cost, time and energy that had been largely expended in cases of primary research where survey is required through the incorporation of a third party agency. The survey to be conducted through the designing of questionnaire to be used for conducting an interview on the sample population would require the use of larger time, cost and energy for the researcher than in the case of

Teams at Kluster Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teams at Kluster - Case Study Example Individual team members must develop long-term working relationships with other individuals within the group and form solid operational procedures in order to perform their tasks efficiently. Additionally, the company will provide all material external support in order for the team to accomplish their short and long term objectives effectively. In the case of Klusters â€Å"Illuminator Team† its basic format is of a team that runs things. It is also a type of virtual team since the many team members are all from different geographical locations and often meet using web based groupware instead of face to face. There are advantages and disadvantages to a team based work environment. Some advantages of a team based approach to problem solving is that unlike traditionally structured organizations all team members participate in the decision making process instead of top management making all the decisions. As a direct result all employees are empowered to participate creating a work environment that is more efficient and effective at dealing with complex organizational problems while giving a competitive edge over the competition. Some disadvantages of a team based approach is that in many teams individual achievement is not as easily determined as in a traditional hierarchical organization which is a factor in determining compensation. Team based companys tend to focus on team achievements rather than individual performance. The lack of centralized decision making of a team based organization can lead to some disorganization and as well as control and coordination issues for management (Sch ermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn). The Illuminator team has addressed some of these challenges by placing team member reward mechanisms in order to recognize top performing individuals and their contribution to the team effort. Their system is designed to provide them with financial as well as member

Project Law and Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Law and Evidence - Essay Example Goodwin was tried and found guilty of both offences on 31 May 2006. Whilst the defense case is that Goodwin may have been guilty of burglary, the prosecutions case was that Goodwin also shot victim, in an execution style, and then stole from him.Much of the case against Goodwin relied upon scientific evidence. This consisted of three main items found at the scene of the crime. Firstly the prosecution produced evidence of a cigar stub; found a few feet from the basement window, within which the victim was discovered. Secondly, the police had discovered the defendants palm print on the inside of a window through which the intruder entered the property. Both of these items of evidence were connected directly to Kevin Godwin through the scientific method of DNA testing. As he had a previous conviction, a DNA sample from the defendant, they were able to directly link the DNA to Goodwin. The third item of evidence from the crime scene was a boot print, which the prosecution claimed matched a pair that Goodwin owned and was wearing on the day of the murder, however they could not confirm the exact size, only that the design was consistent with Godwin’s boots. At the defendant’s home the police found a gun and a humidifier that belonged to the victim. They also found other physical evidence of stolen property at a later date, being two other guns from the victim’s collection. Thus we find there are two types of evidence submitted in this case, scientific, being the DNA and physical.

A college education is worth the time and money Essay

A college education is worth the time and money - Essay Example Today’s workplace environment is a highly challenging one and that calls for a vast proficiency in specific industrial fields; employers are looking to recruit highly qualified employees with the relevant skills and knowledge, and this can only be acquired through college education. Through college education, one is able to improve their personal and interpersonal knowledge through interaction with people from diversified cultures. Socialization is a fundamental aspect of human interactions, and this skill is highly advanced in individuals who have been fortunate to go through college education. Being able to create personal and professional networks is the benefit of college education that results from increased human contact (McGuire). Apart from that, college education enables one to achieve prestige and self-actualization; it is highly gratifying for one to have college education, especially in changing attitudes towards education in the modern world. Possession of college education epitomizes civilization and enlightenment as opposed to lack of it, which indicates illiteracy and backwardness. Ultimately, college education is the key to career development, socialization and self-actualization. Therefore, given that college education is very important in today’s world, it is true to say that it is worth all the time and money. McGuire, Jeff. â€Å"Importance of College Education: Why it is important to go to college†. Collegereview.com. (n.d). Web. 22nd Feb 2013.

Cycladic Art of Ancient Greece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cycladic Art of Ancient Greece - Essay Example The visitors viewing the Cycladic art of archaic Greece are amazed by the simplicity of the images and abstraction features that motivate the art industry in the 20th century. The museum receives various kinds of people visiting the place to see the sculptures that inspire the modern art by their structures (Miller et al, 128). Both the young and the old persons from different continents have visited the museum in search of the Cycladic Art. Some of the personalities that established the museum; hence, making its constructions possible are Nicholas and Dolly in 1960s. The two individuals used to collect Cycladic figurines for a long time until they had a large collection. The collections were then distributed to different museums across the world. This factor caused the town to come up with a museum to keep Cycladic figurines safely and preserve them to prevent their extinctions (Miller et al, 128). It is estimated that 3000 artifacts of Cycladic have been discovered and are preserve d in the museum for display. The Greek name for Cyclades is Kyklades referring to a circle that is formed by innumerable islands that are approximated to be 200, and located around the significant Island known as Delos. The area consisting of the small Cycladic islands in the Aegean became a place in which culture was exceptionally esteemed and practiced by the residents living in the area along time ago (Gardner & Fred, 68). The island had innumerable mining grounds that consisted of white marble, which encouraged and led the residents to practice modeling sculptures. Consequently, the core culture practiced in the area was the culture of stone-cutting. The most inimitable creation of the... The Cycladic arts of ancient Greece assist in understanding the historical and civilizing ways of life of a person. They are exceptionally popular across the world resulting to the construction of a museum in Athens, Greece that protects and preserves the artifacts. Cycladic art of ancient Greece is traced from 3300 to 2000 BCE and refers to the visual arts that existed in Cycladic civilization. Aegean Art comprises of 3 core branches, one of the branches being Cycladic art. The name ‘Cycladic art’ is derived from the Cyclades islands in which innumerable figures were found during the expeditions of the archeologists. The image of the figures amazed certain artists such as Picasso who was amazed on the classical and maturity of Greeks inhabitants’ art had at the time. Their stubby shapes make them appear tiny images, and perceived as clay-sculpted. The art is related to Minoans and Mycenaean, the 2 groups comprising the Aegean culture. Art is a significant aspect that explains mysteries and civilizations of man throughout the early days, since it depicts the state of things in the earlier society. In this unit, significance and general information on Cycladic art of ancient Greece is discussed aptly. The core facts learnt about the artifacts is that they were treasured and exceptionally esteemed by the inhabitants living at the period. Consequently, the researcher recommends and advises the Greek government to protect the artifacts since they play a prominent role in describing the cultural activities of the people.

Paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Paper - Case Study Example It goes without saying that enough clinical trials are needed to ascertain its proper use for a variety of tumors at different parts of body. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that though said device is functioning properly, it has not been thoroughly tested on its application. It will not be ethical to use the device without proper clinical trials as improper use of the machine could damage healthy cells and create side effects such as difficulty swallowing, soreness or redness in the mouth, nausea, dry mouth, loss of taste, earaches, especially when the treatment is focused at head and neck. That is also true when the machine is used for treatment of tumors at other body parts such as breast, lymph nodes or other localized solid tumors. Human life is precious and cannot be put at risk while attempting to cure cancers from the device. It would be highly unethical to use this device for radiation treatment of cancer patients because it has not been thoroughly tested for its use and application so that no harm is done to the patients. Ethical practices need to be followed in all business dealings; accordingly, it is entirely unethical and improper to sell any accounting software without its appropriate testing. In fact, such action will tantamount to deceiving gullible

Philippine National Bank (PNB) Essay Example for Free

Philippine National Bank (PNB) Essay Facts: The petitioners, Spouses Esmeraldo and Elizabeth Suico, obtained a loan from the Philippine National Bank (PNB) secured by a real estate mortgage on real properties in the name of the former. The petitioners were unable to pay their obligation prompting the PNB to extrajudicially foreclose the mortgage over the subject properties. Subsequently, the petitioners file a Complaint against the PNB before the RTC for Declaration of Nullity of Extrajudicial Foreclosure of Mortgage. The Complaint alleged that PNB filed a petition with the Office of Manadaue City Sheriff for extrajudicial foreclosure on the petitioner’s properties for an outstanding loan obligation amounting to P 1,991,770. 38. During the foreclosure sale, the petitioners claimed that PNB, as the lone bidder offered a bid amounting to P8, 511,000.00. By the virtue of the said bid, a Certificate of Sale of the subject properties was issued. PNB did not pay to the Sheriff who conducted the auction sale the amount of its bid which was P 8,511,000.00 or give an accounting of how said amount was applied against petitioners’ outstanding loan amounted only to P 1,991,770.38. Since the amount grossly exceeded the amount of the petitioners’ obligation, it is the legal duty of the winning bidder, PNB to deliver to the Sheriff the bid price or what was left thereof after deducting the amount of petitioners’ obligation. PNB failed to deliver the amount of their bid to the Sheriff or the amount of such bid excess. After a year, the issuance of the Certificate of Sale, PNB secured a Certificate of Final Sale and as a result, PNB transferred registration of all the subject properties to its name. Due to the failure of PNB to deliver to the petitioners the amount of its bid or even just the amount in excess of petitioners’ obligation, the latter averred that the extrajudicial foreclosure of the said properties and the Certificate of Sale and the Certificate of Finality of Sale, issued by the Sheriff, in favor of PNB, were null and void. PNB disputed petitioners’ factual narration and asserted that petitioners had other loans, which had likewise become due. The outstanding balance of P 1,991,770.38 was exclusive of attorney’s fees and other related obligations. PNB maintained that the petitioners’ outstanding obligation was already beyond the bid price of P8, 511,00.00. The RTC rendered its decision in favor of the petitioners. It reasoned that given that petitioners had other loan obligations which had not yet matured but became due by the date of the auction sale, does not justify the shortcut taken by PNB and will not excuse it from paying to the Sheriff the excess bid in the foreclosure sale. To allow PNB to do so would constitute fraud, for not only is the filing fee in the said foreclosure inadequate but, worse, constitutes a misrepresentation regarding the amount of the indebtedness to be paid in the foreclosure sale posted and published in the notice of sale. The CA reversed and set aside the decision of RTC. It held that even assuming that indeed there was a surplus and the [PNB] is retaining more than the proceeds of the sale than it is entitled, this fact alone will not affect the validity of the sale but simply gives the petitioners a cause of action to recover such surplus. Failure to remit the surplus is not tantamount to a non-compliance of statutory requisites that could constitute a jurisdictional defect invalidating the sale. Issue: Whether or not the extrajudicial foreclosure of the mortgage constituted on the subject properties is null and void. Whether or not should PNB deliver the excess bid in the foreclosure sale. Held: The petitioners argue that since the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale stated that their obligation was only P1, 991,770.38 and PNB bided P8, 551,000.00, the said Notice as well as the consequent sale of the subject properties were null and void. The Court held that the statutory provisions governing publication of notice of mortgage foreclosure sales must be strictly complied with, and that even slight deviations therefrom will invalidate the notice and render the sale at least voidable. Nonetheless, we must not also lose sight of the fact that the purpose of the publication of the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale is to inform all interested parties of the date, time and place of the foreclosure sale of the real property subject thereof. Logically, this not only requires that the correct date, time and place of the foreclosure sale appear in the notice, but also that any and all interested parties be able to determine that what is about to be sold at the foreclosure sale is the real pr operty in which they have an interest. The Court disagree with the finding of RTC behind the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale that the discrepancy between the amount of petitioners’ obligation as reflected in the Notice of Sale and the amount actually due and collected from the petitioners at the time of the auction sale constitute fraud which renders the extrajudicial foreclosure sale null and void. Notices are given for the purpose of securing bidders and to prevent a sacrifice of the property. If these objects are attained, immaterial errors and mistakes will not affect the sufficiency of the notice; but if mistakes or omissions occur in the notices of sale, which are calculated to deter or mislead bidders, to depreciate the value of the property, or to prevent it from bringing a fair price, such mistakes or omissions will be fatal to the validity of the notice, and also to the sale made pursuant thereto. Thus, we are of the view that the Notice of Sale in this case is valid. With regards to the delivery of the excess bid in the foreclosure sale, the Court said that under Rule 68, Sec. 4 of the Rules of Court, the disposition of the proceeds of the sale in the foreclosure shall be as follows: (a) first, pay the costs, (b) secondly, pay off the mortgage debt, (c) thirdly, pay the junior encumbrancers, if any in the order of priority, (d) fourthly, give the balance to the mortgagor, his agent or the person entitled to it. The application of the proceeds from the sale of the mortgaged property to the mortgagor’s obligation is an act of payment, not payment by dacion; hence, it is the mortgagee’s duty to return any surplus in the selling price to the mortgagor. Perforce, a mortgagee who exercises the power of sale contained in a mortgage is considered a custodian of the fund and, being bound to apply it properly, is liable to the persons entitled thereto if he fails to do so. Thus, the fact that the mortgagee is retaining more of the proceeds than he is entitled into does not affect the validity of the sale but simply give the mortgagor a cause of action to recover the surplus. In this case, given that the Statement of Account from PNB, being the only existing documentary evidence to support its claim, shows that petitioners’ loan obligations to amounted to P6, 409,814.92, and considering that the amount of PNB’s bid is P8, 511,000.00, there is clearly an excess in the bid price which PNB must return, together with the interest computed in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the court.

Disclosure of material facts by proposer of insurance Essay Example for Free

Disclosure of material facts by proposer of insurance Essay A fact is considered to be material as per the provisions of Section 18(2) of the Marine Insurance Act 1906 if it would influence the judgment of a prudent insurer in fixing the premium, or determining whether he will take the risk. This rule applies is also applicable to non-marine insurance and despite the proposals of the Law Commission not being addressed to marine insurance, undoubtedly the decisions of the courts on disclosure of hull risks will have repercussions for householders. The degrees of influence are given below. The three degrees of influence. (A) Information type A is so material that the insurer, if he had known about it would have refused to enter the contract or in the alternative the insurer would have made further investigations resulting in refusal to do so. (B) Information type B consists of facts, which if the insurer had been aware of, would have resulted in the insurer’s making the contract of insurance but on quite different terms especially in respect of premium or conduction of a further investigations leading to insurance on a different set of terms altogether. The proposer has to reveal the material facts known to him whilst proposing insurance. However, in Berger Ltd. v. Pollock , non-disclosure of certain information, was held to be immaterial because the judge was far from satisfied that, if the undisclosed matters had been fully reported and explained to these underwriters, they would in fact have declined to accept this declaration under open cover or have sought to vary its terms or to require an increased rate of premium. (C) Information type C is that information, whose knowledge would have made the insurer consider it relevant but would not have resulted in the insurer’s refusal of the contract or insistence on different terms. It is information, which though affecting his judgment would have, in conjunction with other facts, had they been present, would have resulted in a different contract, but, which of its own accord, would not have affected the particular contract or its terms. This is the present position in England and is the consequence of the judgments of the Court of Appeal in CTI v. Oceanus . It has been suggested that this case propels English law in the direction suggested by the Law Commission. However, the Court of Appeal’s objective was to respect the Courts view of precedent. The reality is that the Court has succeeded in distancing the law from precedent, principle and the interests of the assured. This decision has met with almost universal concern and disappointment. CTI v. Oceanus CTI entered into an insurance contract successively with A, B and Oceanus. A and B being dissatisfied with the claims experience wanted a change in the terms of cover which were not acceptable to CTI . Hence, CTI insured with Oceanus on the basis of an account of their past claims record which, was not complete or entirely fair and accordingly Oceanus endeavoured to avoid the policy for misrepresentation and non-disclosure. Lloyd J. held that, even in the event of disclosure of all the relevant information the insurer would have made this contract on the same terms and that such information, which could be classified as belonging to type C, not being material, the contract could not be avoided. On appeal the Court held that the undisclosed information was to be classified as type B and not type C and therefore the decision at first instance had to be reversed resulting in the avoidance of the insurance. Nevertheless, the Court also stated obiter but after hearing argument, that there is no requirement that the particular insurer should have been induced to take the risk or charge a lower premium than he would otherwise have done as a result of the non-disclosure. The consequence of all this is that information of type C in English law is material and its concealment enables the insurer to avoid the contract of insurance, without any reservations in respect of commercial insurance and most likely in other lines too. It was hinted by Kerr L. J. that this rule might differ in respect of consumer insurance but the Law Commission has refused to countenance a special rule for consumers. Practicality. First, despite the absence of an absolute standard, the test of materiality is that of the prudent insurer, which is an objective test controlled and applied by the court on the basis of expert evidence. This is similar to that of a reasonable man in tort. In the parlance of insurance practice this test of a prudent insurer is no more a genuine inquiry into a particular person’s mind than it is in relation to the other reasonable or prudent persons who populate the rules of law to legitimise the dominant role of the judge. Secondly, despite the objective nature of the materiality test, it is not understandable as to why it is easier and therefore more pragmatic and definite to state that a fact has some influence or is of the type C, rather than to state that it has a decisive influence or that it can be classified as type A or type B. Thirdly, if the proposer has to perforce disclose information of the type C, then there is the further objection that probable assureds will be better off by exercising caution and not taking any risks by indulging in a total disclosure. The decision in CTI v. Oceanus does not take into cognizance the basic nature of misrepresentation and non-disclosure as connoting something that vitiates consent, in this case the consent of the insurer. It becomes to accept that the consent of the insurer was vitiated and that consequently the contract should be avoided, if the insurer would have made the same contract on the same terms, despite the lack of misrepresentation or disclosure.

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet

A SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of EasyJet 1. Introduction and History A successful example of a European no frills airline is easyJet. Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Greek) founded the company in 1995. It is based on the low-cost, no-frills model of the US carrier Southwest. The concept of easyJet is based on the belief that demands for short-haul air transport is price elastic. That means, if prices for flights are being reduced, more people will fly. Traditionally airline concepts are based on the assumption that airline traffic grows in line with the economy and that cutting prices will only lead to a decrease in revenues. With the introduction of the no-nonsense concept to the European market, after its deregulation in 1992, easyJet has proven this theory wrong and goes from strength to strength by actually increasing the size of the market and more recently by taking away passengers from the majors (see www.easyjet.com for passenger figures, financial data and employee statistics). Today, it offers 125 routes from 39 European Airports (see www.easyjet.com for route launch dates), with Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, Amsterdam as base airports  [1]  and is operating 72 aircrafts (November 2003). November 1995: easyJet starts flights from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh with to leased Boeing 737-300 with a capacity of 148 seats at a price of  £29 one way. Seats are being sold over telephone reservation system only. In 1996 easyJet takes delivery of its first wholly owned aircraft and goes international with first services to Amsterdam from Luton. One year later easyJet launches its website, easyjet.com which will from 1998 onwards form an integral part of the business concept (and which provides for some 90% of the bookings today  [2]  ). In August 2002 easyJet expands its fleet and routes by acquiring British Airways low-cost subsidiary Go. In October 2002 the airline signs a deal to purchase 120 Airbus, which will facilitate the airlines ongoing growth strategy. Up until now, one of the cornerstones of the easyJets low-cost model has been to operate a single aircraft type fleet which so far has been the Boeing 737 series because uniformity means efficiencies in train ing, maintenance and operating costs. However, easyJets new deal with Airbus is being viewed by the company as stunning as the additional costs, which incur through the new type of aircraft are far outweighed by the financial benefits of this deal. easyJet argues that both Boeing and Airbus aircraft have broadly similar characteristics but that a wider aisle on A319 will make it quicker to embark and disembark, that it has an extra seat on board (150 vs. 149) and that overall the A319 will lower costs by about  10% compared to the current mix of aircraft, which will contribute to lower ticket fares. (See appendix 1 for Stelios Haji-Iannous other easyGroup enterprises). 2. The Mission Statement of easyJet To provide our customers with safe, good value, point-to-point air services. To effect and to offer a consistent and reliable product and fares appealing to leisure and business markets on a range of European routes. To achieve this will develop our people and establish lasting relationship (see www.easyjet.com) The basis of an organisations mission statement should answer the question What business is the company in? easyJet is doing this by stating that it provides point-to-point air services to its customers. That clearly underlines that easyJet is not in the people or food business, neither in the service business as such, but in the mass-transportation business, and as such its model is based on cost efficiency of the mass-transportation business. Moreover, it reflects several decisions about what kind of air service easyJet wants to provide. Evidently, its focus is on European routes, targeting business and leisure travellers alike. Furthermore, it aims to offer safe, good value transportation. easyJets mission statement also gives information on the How to get there? by putting emphasis on its people and suppliers. What is missing from the statement is the importance of the customers point of view, which could be expressed by saying, for instance, we want to be recognised asà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Also, as the mission statement is the bedrock for the marketing plan it should be more quantifiable, as to how much market share easyJet aims to gain in the future, for example. 3. Competitive Analysis In order to analyse the airline industry in detail, it is useful to apply Porters five competitive forces. The threat of substitutes Minimal threat from other modes of transport like train and car on domestic routes. Usually the time and cost advantage of the low-cost carriers far outweigh the increased comfort and flexibility of trains or cars (e.g. on the route Luton/London to Glasgow a train takes around 6 hours and costs around  £80 while a easyJet plane takes just one hour and costs around  £29). On international routes distances are usually too great for car or train to be an alternative to air travel, expect maybe from London to Paris, which can be reached by Euro Star. The threat of new entrants High capital requirements negate threat to some extent. easyJet was started with a loan of  £5 million, with 2 leased aircraft, but required a  £50million investment raised by debt and equity in year two to speed expansion and buy 4 new planes. The UK low-cost market is quite mature in comparison to the rest of Europe and easyJet, as the biggest operator has quite a comfortable position. However, expansion into new European markets might prove more difficult as established; cash strong holiday firms like TUI are setting up their own low-cost operations (see information about Hapag Lloyd Express, www.hlx.com) Lack of take-off and landing slots makes it difficult for new carriers to find suitable airports. Loss leader is required in order to join the low cost market. The power of suppliers The price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil, as an individual company easyJet does not have the power to alter this. Airplane manufacturers are concentrated in the industry, with Boeing and Airbus providing the majority of commercial planes and with easyJet operating one type of aircraft until recently. easyJets deal with airbus however shows that favourable agreements can still be reached. The dependence on spare parts from one manufacturer could pose a risk. The more easyJet expands the more power it will posses over its suppliers The power of buyers Buyer power within the airline industry and especially the low-cost market is relatively strong, as customers will often shop around for the better price, particularly with the dependence that the low cost airline has on Internet sales. Price discrepancies can be easily found and exploited by the consumer, meaning that the operator must keep a regular check on prices. Need for customer loyalty because of low switching costs Customers have the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on their side which provides: 1. protection against the consequence of travel organiser failure for people who buy package holidays, charter flights and discounted scheduled air tickets; and 2. licenses airlines and ensures compliance with requirements of European and UK legislation relating to financial resources, liability and insurance of airlines.  [3]   Rivalry among existing firms Ryan air, BMIbaby, MyTravelLite and Buzz are major competitors of easyJet in the UK. Virgin Express, Hapag Lloyd Express, Germanwings and Air Berlin already are or might become competitors in the light of future expansion plans. Ryanair is the only one of these so far to have succeeded and shown a continuous yearly profit (see appendix 2 for financial data). A growing number of tour operators (like Thomas Cook and TUI) are selling air only scheduled seats to reduced prices  [4]  . British Airways and other traditional carriers out of the UK are competitors as well but on a lower scale as they target different market segments (see appendix 3 for more detail). 4. Marketing Mix Price Low price is a key element of the brand. Uses differential pricing; off-peak travelling and booking in advance makes a ticket less expensive. Discounts for tickets booked online. Product no-frills, point-to-point air services also car hire on its website (use of the Internet for bundling products) and links to other easyGroup websites (see appendix 1 for other easyGroup enterprises). Place/distribution Internet booking system (over 90% of bookings). Telephone reservation system. Promotion Highlights its number one position among Europes low-cost airlines (advertising strap line: Size matters!, slogan: the webs favourite airline) Advocates internal marketing, creative work done in-house. No Bullshit approach (Stelios), humorous, attention-catching campaigns (e.g. the giving away of free tickets on Gos inaugural flight and Stelios protesting in a orange boiler suit against an increase of airport fees at Luton in a branch of Barclays bank which owns the airport). 5. SWOT Analysis 5.1. Internal Analysis Strengths Image, differentiation on price and brand. Is financially successful. Is being seen as an innovative and flexible organisation. Has a strong e-business. Is part of the consortium that has been awarded to run UKs air traffic control system (NATS). Weaknesses Has no customer retention policy Has little or no scope outside of Europe. Lack of service, flexibility and business focus (such as frequent flyer programmes e.g.) make the low-cost model unappealing for most business travellers. The two drivers of growth, the focus on price and the focus on convenience (frequent flights, few connections, more nearby airports e.g.) are reaching their natural limits. Differentiation from there remains to be difficult. easyJets own success makes it difficult to recruit and train staff quickly enough. 5.2 External Analysis Opportunities Experts predict great potential for future growth in the next years (see appendix 4). The current recession is favourable as people and businesses are more cost-conscious. More full-service airlines may withdraw from the regional market to focus on more profitable long-haul routes leaving the market to the low-cost operators. The short-breaks market, an important market for easyJet grows more rapidly than the UK travel market as a whole  [5]  . Reduced aircraft prices Threats Difficulties to expand as viable new routes from London are scarce. Competition is likely to intensify, given the saturated market and the shortage of other options  [6]  . Increased competition is likely to lead to greater difficulties in demanding incentives from communities, like the very low fees easyJet received at Luton  [7]  . Companies cut on business travel in times of economic downturn and because of new time-consuming security measures travel substitutes like videoconferencing are introduced  [8]  . 6. Situational Analysis easyJet seems to be positioned very well with experts predicting excellent growth opportunities for the low cost-sector. Given the saturated market and the shortage of other options in the UK, competition is likely to intensify inevitably followed by consolidation, an early sign of which is easyJets purchase of GO. The UK market offers little growth opportunity, therefore concentration will be on the continental market, a step forward in this direction is setting up a major new base at Berlin, with flights from 11 European cities  [9]  , and possibly as well on Eastern Europe. Focus remains on pricing Strategy and expansion of its route network. Promotion needs to persuade people that it is safe to fly and establish easyJet as Europes largest low-cost carrier (as easyJet is already doing in its advertisement: Size matters!) 7. PEST Analysis Marketing Plan PEST analysis for easyJet for the next 5 years The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet. Politico-legal factors Threat of war in the Middle East The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may change to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. Economic factors Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. Socio-cultural factors To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet  [10]  . The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights. However they may feel begrudged where they see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for  £10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. Technological factors A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. 8. Conclusion 8.1 Strategic issues facing the airline industry The face of aviation is gradually evolving. The long-standing problems of the industry in the form of large numbers of network carriers and substantial over-capacity in many markets were exacerbated by the events of September 11th (see appendix 5 for a post-Sept. 11th overview). This is likely to pave the way for some acceleration in the process of airline restructuring and consolidation. Experts believe that there is not room for the current multitude of carriers in Europe, and that these will eventually be whittled down to three or four major airlines, with the others absorbed or restructured to focus more on regional traffic. This also represents an opportunity for no-frills carriers to increase their market share. Along with this, some restructuring of the industrys complex and outdated regulatory system will be required. In the longer term, trend growth may itself slow gradually as the big air travel markets mature. In addition, falling yields, which have boosted air travel growth in the past, cannot be relied upon to persist, at least at the rate they have for the past decade or so. If cost trends are less favourable for example because of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risks of terrorism the scope for lower yields would be less, and this might reduce future growth trends. A key issue will be the extent to which favourable cost trends such as the impact of the Internet on distribution costs and cost synergies from industry consolidation can offset these upward pressures on prices and costs. The full-service airlines, saddled with big networks and strongly unionised workforces, cannot easily embrace the management strategies of the no-frills airlines. Moreover, their scope for de fensive mergers is limited by competition policy. The ability of international airlines to expand is limited by ownership restrictions (In the US foreigners cannot own more than 25% of a national airline, in the EU the restriction is 49%  [11]  ). The no-frills market within Europe is immature relative to that of the US. The sector accounts for only around 5% of all intra European capacity, though the share is much higher in the UK domestic market and on services between the UK and Europe, closer to 20%. Further strong growth is expected over the next 2-3 years as new operations start up, and new destinations are added to the existing carriers networks. However as the UK market becomes saturated, these carriers are likely to focus their development at continental European hubs. The experience of the US market suggests that deregulation will be followed by industry consolidation. So far there has been limited progress in this direction but many are viewing the current crisis as the catalyst necessary to completely restructure the European airline industry . In the US the industry has consolidated into seven major carriers, which carry over 80% of passenger traffic of US airlines. Europe is far more fragmented with the equivalent figure for the seven European majors at only 47%  [12]  . 8.2 easyJets Future easyJet has to consider whether it should respond to new entrants by ceding niche-segments or by competing aggressively on price, routes and service in an attempt to drive the entrant out of the market. To make the strategic decision market research on the size of different combinations of pricing and service is needed. easyJet also needs to know how much it costs the competitor to serve, and how much capacity the competitor has for, every route in question. Finally, the new entrants competitive objectives are of relevance to anticipate how it would respond to any strategic moves easyJet might make. By obtaining these information residual uncertainty would be limited, and the incumbent airline would be able to build a confident business case around its strategy  [13]  . It is advisable that easyJet targets mainly leisure travellers as business often demand frequent flights to a wide range of destinations, seek quality service and frequent flyer programmes, and are willing to pay a premium for these benefits. Also, trying to appeal to widely different customer needs runs counter to the overall trend in service industries, in which distinctive approaches, tailored to different customers, have generally come to dominate  [14]  . No real opportunity offers the long-haul business as it is very different, both technically and in customer needs, to short-haul travel. easyJet should continue to focus on price and attempt to connect the dots in its network, which cost less than opening new cities. Thereby, it needs to make sure that a growth in its network and fleet does not lead to higher operating costs. It should also consider putting more emphasis on direct marketing by e.g. introducing a customer retention scheme. To differentiate its brand further on promotional lines, easyJet could introduce a CRM (cause related marketing) scheme, developing a reputation for being a caring airline, e.g. by selling shares in forest help programmes over its website, collect ing foreign currency on flights for charity etc., thereby giving its passengers a sense of psychological comfort and well-being  [15]  when they choose to fly with easyJet. Overall, easyJet has to develop a realistic and accurate assessment of the market-niche to be served. A relentless commitment to quality service and cost control is as important as the discipline to establish a growth plan (see www.easyJet.com for easyJet product life cycle and marketing strategy). (Word count 3,144) Appendices Appendix 1 Under the easy brand Stelios Haji-Iannou has furthermore established and Internet car rental service (easyRentacar), a chain of Internet cafes (easyEverything), a financial services site (easyMoney), a portal site for bargains on the net (easyValue) and a free e-mail service (easy.com). In all his ventures he is using yield management to extract the ideal margin from each customer  [16]  and keep costs down. Furthermore, yield management can help to better use price in the marketing mix to best reach the most customers  [17]  . However, there are no cross-shareholdings between easyJet and these other easyGroup companies. easyJey operates independently from the other companies although some cross-marketing agreements do exist. Also, results of the non-airline businesses have been mixed as they have lost  £75m in three years  [18]  . Appendix 2 Profit for Ryanair April September 2002 Year-on-year increase 151m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ ( £96m) 71% Source: Tran, M. (2002)  [19]   See http://www.ryanair.com/download/morganjune.pdf for actual data. Appendix 3 Compare Airline Traffic Data (Europe) Air Transport World http://www.atwonline.com/Pdf/worldairlinereport_2002.pdf Appendix 4 The airline market is currently being re-shaped by the expansion of existing low-cost airlines. It has been estimated that they will expand their European market share from 5% to 25% by 2010, establishing themselves on a long-term basis. (Source: International Travel News (2003), available on http://www.internettravelnews.com/article/20223 Friday, 28th November 2003) Low-cost airlines are gearing up to take large chunks out of their rivals. In a decade, low-cost airlines may be the dominant form of air travel in Europe. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. In Europe, no-frills travel accounts for only 5% of European air travel, but it is likely to grow to claim a 12-15% share in the next decade. (Source: BBC News (2002), available on http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2038192.stm; Friday, 28th November 2003)

The Early History of Golf in the U.S. Essay -- Golf Sports Athletics E

The game of golf is one of the oldest of today’s modern sports. Its exact beginnings are not known; however, some historians trace golf back to the Stone Age while others claim it originated from the â€Å"idle antics of shepherd boys knocking small stones into holes in the ground with a crook while their flocks grazed nearby† (Peper 1). Researched back to the time of the Roman Empire, it is also believed the sports-oriented Romans played a forerunner of the game of golf called paganica. This sport involved the use of a bent stick and a ball stuffed with wool played in the open countryside. Golf comes to the United Sates The legendary beginnings of golf in the United States can be traced back to the mid-1600s. One of the first published references to golf in America was in 1659 referring to the ban on golf in the streets of Albany, New York. The next substantial reference to the game comes from Charleston, North Carolina in 1786. At that time, a local Charleston newspaper ran a story about the formation of the Harleston Green Golf Club. The Harleston Green remained in operation for approximately twenty-five years, closing about the time of the War of 1812. Around the same time period, approximately1795, another golf club opened in Savannah, Georgia. References to this golf club continued until 1811 again apparently closing just before the beginning of the war. The War of 1812 served to destroy the desire to play golf. It wasn’t until the late 1870s, well after the Civil War ended, that there was a resurgence of golf in the United States. Golf fever springs up throughout the United States Charles Macdonald was an early founder of American golf. He recalled playing golf in the Chicago area as early as 1875. Another promoter of golf, a young man named Andrew Bell from Burlington, Iowa, was initially exposed to golf when he went to Scotland to attend the University of Edinburgh. Upon his return to the United States in 1883, he laid out four informal golf holes on the family farm and played a few rounds with his friends. In 1884 Colonel Hamilton Gillispie, a former Scotsman who went into the lumber business in Florida, was known to hit golf balls in a field that is now the main street of Sarasota (History of Golf 7). Also in 1884, the Oakhurst Golf Club was formed in North Carolina now famous for it’s first hole from the Club’s Homestead course, celebrated to... ...ip. Today, the USGA membership exceeds 5,500 clubs throughout the United States. Golf, being one of the oldest of today’s modern sports, thrives in popularity continuing to entice young and old, male and female, rich and poor players. Works Cited Simpson, W.G. â€Å"The Origin of Golf.† A Tribute to Golf. Ed. Thomas Stewart. Harbor Springs, Michigan: Stewart, Hunter, and Associates. 1990. 78. Golf Magazine’s Encyclopedia of Golf. The Editors of Golf Magazine. New York, NY: Harper-Collins 1993. Doyle, Kathleen. â€Å"In John Reid’s Cow Pasture.† Sports in America. Sept. 1988: 34-38. Peper, George. â€Å"The Father of American Golf.† Golf Magazine. Dec. 1995. 118. Peper, George. â€Å"Birth of the USGA.† Golf Magazine. Dec. 1994. 124. Hannigan, Frank. â€Å"The History of the game of Golf.† Golf Digest Magazine. Jan. 2000. 171. Fields, Bill. â€Å"Changing the course of history.† Golf Digest Magazine. Sept. 1999. 17. McCord, Robert, R. Golf: an album of its history. Short Hills, NJ: Burford Books. 1998. Anderson, David. The story of golf. New York: W. Morrow. 1998. Menzies, Gordon. World of golf. New York: Bantam. 1982.

The Islam-Judaism Clash of Civilizations Essay -- Palestinians Israeli

On the streets of Jerusalem, in the rubble of Ramallah, in synagogues, in mosques, in the hearts and minds of millions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the remainder of Israel, Israelis and Palestinians are locked in a clash of civilizations. In his masterful work, The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel L. Huntington outlines a theory which approaches international politics on the scale of civilizations. However, he circumvents discussion about Israel. Huntington cautiously describes Israel as a â€Å"non-Western† (Huntington 90) country, but identifies the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as one along a fault line between civilizations (267). Though he chooses to avoid the issue, Huntington’s theory provides a groundwork for analyzing the conflict in Israel in terms of a clash of civilizations between Judaism and Islam. This is a dangerous and provocative idea. But if we dare examine its implications and explore its insights, we risk a more complete understanding of the c onflict which has plagued relations between Palestinians and Israelis in particular, Muslim countries and Israel in general, for over fifty years. Let us begin with a discussion about Judaism’s status as a civilization. This is a highly contentious claim which Huntington himself questions: With the creation of Israel, Jews have all the objective accoutrements of a civilization: religion, language, customs, literature, institutions, and a territorial and political home. But what about subjective identification? Jews living in other cultures have distributed themselves along a continuum stretching from total identification with Judaism and Israel to nominal Judaism and full identification with the civilization within which they reside, the latter, however, occurr... ...ited States. Yet the rational actor model fails. Islam transcends strategic, economic, and political rationalism. So the next time you catch yourself saying that the barbarity, longevity and popularity of the conflict against Israel defies reason, hold your tongue. Islam has traditionally kept its distance from Enlightenment ideas. Works Cited Cleveland, William L. A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2000. Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York: Simon & Shuster Inc., 1997. Kaplan, Mordecai M. Judaism as a Civilization. New York: Schocken Books, 1934. Stoessinger, John George. Why Nations Go to War, 8th Edition. San Diego, CA: Thomson Wadsworth 2001. The Avalon Project: Hamas Covenant 1988. Yale. Web. 19 Mar. 2015 .

Essay on Jocasta in Oedipus the King -- Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The Role of Jocasta in Oedipus the King "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." (James 1:12) Such is the proclamation in the Holy Bible, and so was the proclamation in ancient Greece. Since the founding of religion, the gods have sought to test those with power. Jocasta was sent by Apollo to do just that: to test Oedipus' - the king of Thebes - faith and conviction. Throughout the play, Jocasta tested the beliefs of those around her by feigning disbelief in the gods herself. Though she put up this false front, she did keep her faith. At the beginning of the scene wherein a messenger relayed word of Polybus' death and Oedipus' ascension to the throne of Corinth, we see Jocasta praying - not the act of a disbeliever at all! Again, in the same Episode, Jocasta carries garlands and incense to the altar and tries to appeal to Apollo to purify the city of Thebes. While her faith remains strong, her task from the gods is to test the faiths of...

Pestel Analysis of Burger King Essay

Environmental factors may contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity, especially in black and low-income populations. In this paper, the geographic distribution of fast food restaurants is examined relative to neighborhood sociodemographics. Methods Using geographic information system software, all fast-food restaurants within the city limits of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2001 were mapped. Buffers around census tracts were generated to simulate 1-mile and 0.5-mile â€Å"shopping areas† around and including each tract, and fast food restaurant density (number of restaurants per square mile) was calculated for each area. Using multiple regression, the geographic association between fast food restaurant density and black and low-income neighborhoods was assessed, while controlling for environmental confounders that might also influence the placement of restaurants (commercial activity, presence of major highways, and median home values). Results In 156 census tracts, a total of 155 fast food restaurants were identified. In the regression analysis that included the environmental confounders, fast-food restaurant density in shopping areas with 1-mile buffers was independently correlated with median household income and percent of black residents in the census tract. Similar results were found for shopping areas with 0.5-mile buffers. Predominantly black neighborhoods have 2.4 fast-food restaurants per square mile compared to 1.5 restaurants in predominantly white neighborhoods. Conclusions The link between fast food restaurants and black and low-income neighborhoods may contribute to the understanding of environmental causes of the obesity epidemic in these populations.

Language and Imagery in Wuthering Heights Essay

In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses Language and imagery to create a very stark contrast between Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton. This contrast is not only illustrated in how these characters act, but also in their appearance, usual setting and the language that is used to describe them. Emily Bronte first uses the raw basics of the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton to right away let us know that these characters are polar opposites. She does this with the imagery of both characters. In chapter 7, Heathcliff describes Edgar as having light skin and fair hair, whereas in the same chapter it is mentioned that Heathcliff has dark hair and dark skin. This use of binary opposites suggests to the reader already, that Heathcliff and Edgar are complete opposites, right down to their core. This use of Binary opposites and imagery is also applied to where Heathcliff and Edgar live, Edgar living in Thrushcross Grange, the light, large house, and Heathcliff living in the dark, gloomy and sinister house of Wuthering Heights. This imagery of the two houses reflects the characters of the two men. Language is also used effectively and in abundance by Bronte to illustrate the two characters differences. Bronte uses contrasting Lexical fields pertaining to heaven and hell to not only show the contrast in character between Heathcliff and Edgar, but to suggest that one is good and one is evil. For instance Heathcliff is constantly being described as or being referred to with the use of words which relate to hell. His eyes are described as ‘devils spies’ and ‘ dark fiends’ by Nelly, and coupled with his appearance of being dark skinned and haired, he is closely associated with the devil, who represents evil. Edgar on the other hand, is described with a lexical field of a more heavenly nature. His eyes are referred to as being little Angels and his features are continuously called angelic and soft, which suggests he is similar to an angel, which is of course good. By using contrasting lexical fields for each character, Bronte uses selective language to suggest that these two are not only opposites, but they are Good and Evil. Heathcliff is, when being talked of, surrounded by sinister sounding words which aren’t necessarily talking about his character explicitly, but they help to create a dark and sinister atmosphere around his character. An example of this is in chapter seven where Nelly is talking about Heathcliff she uses words such as ‘lurk’ and ‘vicious’ and this is what creates this dark atmosphere. Bronte does the same with Edgar, as when he is talking or being talked about, words such as ‘gently’ and ‘beautiful’ are used and this helps to project a calm and soft atmosphere around Edgar, which is completely different to the atmosphere Heathcliff carries with him, and thus increases the contrast that the reader sees between Heathcliff and Edgar. Catherine brings our attention to the contrast between the two in chapter 9 where she says ‘(Heathcliff’s soul) and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire’ This use of binary opposites again suggests with the use of the words fire and lightning that Heathcliff is violent and harmful and burns, which again associates him with hell, and the use of Frost and moonbeam to describe Edgars soul to suggest he is soft, light, cool and calm reinforces the already stark contrast between the two and again suggests them not only to be different, but to be complete opposites. The fact that to most readers it would be obvious as to which out of either Heathcliff and Edgar is the fire and lightning shows how Bronte has been slotting words into the text as well as the individual characters, to make the reader associate Heathcliff with hell, and Edgar with Heaven. In conclusion, Bronte uses particular lexical fields which are binary opposites to each other and applies them to Heathcliff and Linton to exacerbate the contrast seen between the two. Bronte also uses imagery of their physical appearance and living place, paired with continuous subtle language choices to make the reader associate Heathcliff with Hell, and Edgar with Heaven, and this makes us not only see the two as contrasting characters, but bad and good, and at the completely different ends of the spectrum.

Communication Style Case Study

Aggressive/ Passive AggressiveIn scenario number one two styles of communication was used. The RN at the psychiatric care group home was very aggressive when she told the aide that his role is to just do what he is told to do and not to think. She used a firm raised voice probably making the aide feel unimportant. Her aggressiveness made him believe that only the RN role is important not his. While this was a team meeting, his part of the team was minimal. He responded to her aggressiveness by being passive by sitting quietly and not responding. He needs his job so he does not want to cause any trouble at work. His position at work was just as important as hers but he kept quiet.He plotted to get revenge which now made his communication style change to passive aggressive, but the idea of not doing anything without being told is not a positive outcome to this situation. There maybe an emergency where a patient might fall or become aggressive with staff and help is needed and if there is no one around to tell him what to do he might not help out. Gabbey (2013), â€Å"Aggressive behavior is intentional, meaning it’s done on purpose, violates social norms, and causes a breakdown in a relationship† (What is Aggressive Behavior?).Passive/ NonassertiveAccording to â€Å"The College of New Jersey Anti-Violence Initiatives â€Å"(n.d.), â€Å"people often chose nonassertive behavior to avoid unpleasant situations, tension, conflict, and confrontation† (Assertive, Nonassertive, and Aggressive Behaviors). Pamela the school nurses acted passive/nonassertive when she decided to do the work herself instead of confronting the volunteer. She could have saved time and money by placing her trust in the volunteers work and the accuracy of it. With this type of communication more problems arise. Her concerns and actions not only inconvenienced the students, it showed the volunteer that she did not trust her work.It  caused the school nurse to do more work which caused the school to spend more money. Speaking to the volunteer could have help avoid the discomfort of this situation. To see if the results the volunteer got were accurate she could have set in on one of the test. If the volunteer performed the job inaccurately, then she should have re-tested the students. If the volunteer’s performance of the test were accurate, the results could have been used faster and the students who needed glasses or hearing aids could have received them quicker. Her choice may have seemed right at the time she made the decision, but the outcome of it made her decision wrong.Assertive/ AggressiveIn this scenario both assertive and aggressive communication was used. Working in an ambulatory care surgical unit can be a controlled environment and at times an extremely busy one. Team work is essential to good patient outcome. Since Mabel was the granddaughter of the chairman of the board she felt entitled to do what she wanted to do. She used her aggressive behavior to boss her boss around. She felt that she could pick and choose the cases she scrubbed in on and she wasn’t going to work on the cases that required extra work.Her boss Rosa used her assertive behavior to explain that everybody worked as a team in the unit and everyone would use their strengths to make the work environment enjoyable and bring the best outcome for the patient. Being assertive is the best communication there is. You can effectively get your point across without hurting anyone’s feelings. â€Å"Because this style of communication addresses the problem in the situation, real problems get solved and stay solved.†(Hansten & Jackson, 2009, p. 282). Rosa’s assertiveness was a good way to let Mabel know that she was not intimated by her or her threats of serving her head on a platter.Aggressive/ AssertiveWorking in a busy Trauma/Surgical ICU emergencies happen frequently. Patients are very sick and with the emergency room real ly busy a lot of patients come to the ICU for resuscitation. I was receiving one of those patients and the emergency room nurse called to give report. In the report she said that the patient was receiving a blood transfusion and had two more units that needed to be given. I asked where the units of blood were, and she said she would bring them with the patient. I then informed her per policy the blood can come with the patient as long as they have been primed and are hanging. She said they didn’t have time for that because the doctor really wanted to bring the patient now.She told the resident who got on the phone and told me that he was bringing the patient now and that I would have to hang the blood when the patient arrived. I told him about the policy and he said he didn’t care. The patient arrived with the two units of blood lying on the bed. The attending arrived with the patient and told me to hang the blood. I then informed him about the policy and since I wasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t the nurse to verify the blood I could not hang it. He screamed at me that I had to hang it or go get my change nurse. One of my co-workers went to get my charge nurse who he then told that I refused to hang the blood. I told her that we had just had our yearly clinical competencies and that per policy the blood should have been hung before the patient was transferred.I was not refusing but I was protecting my license. The resident was capable of hanging the blood himself. She then hung the blood for the patient. After the patient was stabilized, my charge nurse went to retrieve the policy. After reading the policy she shared the information with the attending and she apologized to me for the miscommunication. Monegain (2010), â€Å"An estimated 80 percent of serious medical errors involve miscommunication between caregivers when responsibility for patients is transferred or handed-off, according to the Joint Commission’.If the doctors would not have been so aggressi ve and communicated better the situation could have been avoided. We could have worked together to hang the blood. I could have shown them how to prime the line or the emergency room nurse could have accompanied the patient to the unit to hang the blood. The patient outcome was good and he eventually was discharged from the hospital.

Philosophy Matrix Essay

|Principal Issues | |Field |Definition | |Schools Of Thought |Key Contributors | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Metaphysics |The study of being: The nature |Plato developed the theory of |Monism |Pythagoras |Metaphysics: Questions about the | | |of being and what |forms and introduced skepticism |Materialism |Parmenides |nature of reality | | |characteristics make up being |about reality. Aristotle coined |Idealism |Heraclitus |Nature of ultimate reality | | | |the word metaphysics. Augustine |Dualism |Zeno |Permanence and Change | | | |reconciled Platonism with | |Empedocles |Appearance and reality | | | |Christianity. Aquinas reconciled| |Anaxagoras |Nature of human reality | | | |Aristotle with Christianity. The| |Plato |Mind-body problems | | | |Scientific Revolution | |Aristotle |Freedom and determinism | | | |Intelligent design versus | |Plotinus | | | | |evolution | |Augustine | | | | | | |Hypatia | | | | | | |Aquinas | | | |. | | |Anselm | | | | | | |Descartes | | | | | | |Hobbes | | | | | | |Hume | | | | | | |Kant | | | | | | |Kierkegaard | | | | | | |Conway | | | | | | |Spinoza | | | | | | |Leibniz | | | | | | |James | | |Moral |The study of ethics: The |Aristotle develops a system of |Ethical skepticism Descriptive |Plato, |What is a moral judgment? | | |nature, criteria, sources, |ethics. Roman influence: |Relativism Egoism Hedonism |Aristotle |What is morally right or wrong? | | |logic, and validity of moral |Epicureanism and stoicism ethics|Epicureanism Stoicism |Epictetus, | | | |value |become Christianized The Age of ||Augustine | | | | |Reason. | |Hildegard, | | | | | | |Hobbes | | | | | | |Hume, | | | | | | |Kant, | | | | | | |Bentham, | | | | | | |Mill | | |Social |The study of society and its |Greek democracy Natural law |Natural Law Contractarian theory|Augustine |How should | | |institutions, including what |becomes Christianized and is |Environmental philosophy |Aquinas |goods be distributed in a | | |would make up an ideal society. |seen as the moral law of God. | |Hobbes |society? | | | |Environmental concerns Social | |Rousseau |Do people have natural rights? | | | |justice | |Smith | | | | | | |Taylor | | | | | | |Mill | | | | | | |Moore | | | | | | |Rawls | | | | | | |Nussbaum | | |Political |The study of the state, its |Greek democracy Plato’s Republic|Democracy Constitutional Theory |Plato |What form of political state is | | |justification, and how to |Social contract Separation of |Classic Liberalism Marxism |Aristotle |best? | | |organize it ethically |power |Anarchism Libertarianism |Machiavelli |Can a government restrict the | | | | |Objectivism |Locke |liberty of its citizens? | | | | | |Hegel | | | | | | |Marx | | | | | | |Nozick | | | | | | |Rand | | |Structuralism |The study of the rules and |Saussure applied |Semiotics |Saussure Levi-Strauss |Study of the deep structure of | | |conventions of the language and|linguistics to epistemology. | | |language | | | |Levi-Strauss applied Saussure’s | | | | | |cultural mythology that govern |methods to cultural | | | | | |large social systems. |mythology. | | | | |Deconstruction |The study of the assumptions |Derrida argued against |Free play of signifiers |Derrida |Seeks to expose assumptions about| | |about language, including the |structuralism. | | |language and multiple meanings | | |certainty, identity, and truth | | | |Literary criticism. | | |of text. | | | | | |Eastern |The study of the philosophical |Vedic culture Travels of |Hinduism: Vedas, Upanishads |Siddhartha Gautama Buddha |Self-realization, Unity of mind | | |traditions of Hinduism, |Confucius and Lao Tzu Spread |Buddhism: Four Noble Truths, | |and | | |Buddhism, |of Buddhism from India to China |Eightfold | |Body, Harmony of man and | | |Confucianism, and Taoism. |& Japan Spread of Islam |Path Taoism Confucianism Islamic| |environment | | | |transcendentalists embrace |philosophy | | | | | |Eastern thought Parliament of | | | | | | |World Religions begins spread of| | | | | | |Eastern thought in | | | | | | |America | | | | |Postcolonial |The synthesis of the |Colonization during the 18th and|Pan-African philosophy |Senghor |Social justice Preservation of | | |disciplines of philosophy with |19th centuries. As countries |African-American thought Latin |Hountondji |oral history and tradition | | |the |gained freedom, their thinkers |American thought |Tutu |Liberation of all peoples. | | |indigenous cultures of Africa, |sought social | |King | | | |the Americas, and Asia. |justice and recognition. | |Hooks | | |Feminism |The study of the philosophical |First wave: Pioneers of feminism|Liberal Feminism Radical |Wollstonecraft |Equal rights | | |canon as reconstructed and | |Feminism Lesbian Feminism |Taylor |Moral theory and | | |revised to be inclusive of |Second wave: Activists from |Socialist Feminism Black |De Beauvoir |gender development issues Sexism | | |women and women’s issues. |1960’s to 1980’s |Feminism Post-feminism |Gilligan |and language. Revisiting other | | | |Third wave: 1990s to present, | |Chodorow |schools of | | | |including younger women for whom| |Irigaray |philosophy from a feminist | | | |feminism is an established | |Kristeva |perspective. | | | |Heritage. | |Cixous | | Directions: Complete the entire matrix and then write a 350- to 500-word response for each of the following questions: †¢ What is one example of how the global integration of cultures has affected contemporary philosophical thinking? A manner of analyzing globalization in historical standpoint has to do with the economic and social account of global affairs, and especially with the history of past stages of speedy boost in global trade, investment, communication, and authority. There have been more than a few such instances over the past centuries that come to mind. Among is the export and investment explosions of the 1860s and the earlier part of the twentieth century are merely a couple of the more remarkable instances. (2000) The history of these early periods, and of the institutions with which they were connected, is of substantial contemporary attention. Nonetheless, international history has to be far more than the history of the affairs involving states in the context of their international relations, or their conflicts, or their invasions and domains. It is in excess of the history of exports and imports among countries. (2002) It is over a comparative history. It have to be a history of affairs involving persons and customs, as well as people who belong to quite a lot of diverse cultures all together or who shift among diverse identities, modes of speech, home nations, and even nationalities. Characteristics of Globalization Globalization, has acquired considerable emotive force. Globalization has its own meaning from different individuals. For some, globalization is a process that is beneficial, i. e. a key to the future world economic development and also inevitable and irreversible. Others regard it with hospitality even fear, believing that it increases inequality within and between nations or organizations, threatens employment and living standards and thwarts social progress. Globalization (or globalisation) in its literal sense is a social change, an increase in connections among societies and their elements due to, among others, the explosive evolution of transport and communication technologies. The term is applied to many social, cultural, commercial and economic activities.

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Economic transactions have taken a toll of revolutions and evolutions from the most historic barter deals to currency minting to bank-to-bank transactions, and finally, electronic business. Undeniably, the phenomenal effect of information technology to the lives of common man has caught the complexities of all branches of science and economics in a single matrix. Similarly, it has extinguished spatial boundaries in the business arena. Upon the advent of the accessibility of the internet or the World Wide Web to the public in 2004, it has been deemed that e-commerce will shortly follow through. So thus soothsayers and journalists manifest into the world this forecast. Company websites and internet servers sprouted like wild mushrooms here and there, flooding the virtual world with what’s it’s’ people cannot usually find for themselves. A unique gadget which can be found nowhere at a shopping mall is now easy to find at Ebay or Amazon. om, or shopping for clothes can also be done via ordering online, and sending emails or conversing with another entity half an earth away through instant messengers now became a common activity to the technologically savvy. A worldwide acknowledgment of this phenomenon has now slowly shifted every human paradigm there is. This evolutionary way of business ‘anytime-anywhere scheme’ or transacting across the planet in only a matter of seconds has put leverage to the face of business vis-a-vis human technology. E-business or e-commerce, also known as EC, has now penetrated all elements of life, particularly the world of commerce and economics. Today, e-business is now the most preferred way of dealing with and between firms. In the fields of traveling, media, logistics, telecommunication, and manufacturing, as identified by Horsti, Tolonen and Brannback (2003) in their study of five electronic business models, it showed that operating a business backed by ecommerce and proper management of personnel skills and customer relationships is a critical success factor (CSF) and always has a direct correlation to business success. This gives light to the logic as to why bankers and corporations alike have resorted to sending orders and invoices via internet instead of sending messengers or bulky packages to each other and wait for days before the same arrives at each other’s doorstep. On an individual basis, transacting with another online instead of going to a bank and undergoing the tedious process of lining-up and filling out slips and various withdrawal or deposit forms has been the hip. Online credit card transactions has also been the trend nowadays especially to the technologically savvy. As Moslein (2001) would argue, the rise of ecommerce has extinguished traditional boundaries and spatial constraints of conducting business. So what really is it behind e-business and what makes everyone indubitably caught up with this intertwining net of transactions? In this paper, the aforementioned is put to a limelight along with a detailed analysis of the e-business phenomenon. A projection as to how e-business in America will perform in the short-run is also forecasted. Pros and cons of doing e-business as well as important dissections of it are also included herein. The first part of this paper shall serve as a guideline as to how discussion will flow and what models and methods were used in shedding light to the subject matter at hand. It also serves as briefer to the latter portions which delve deeper to the subject matter. The latter portions shall plainly consist of the author’s own views with regard to the topic, however, with sources to buttress proof of claims. The summary and conclusions are second to the last parts before providing a list of references used in this research. Statement of the Issues/Problems The dawning of the internet and the birth of ecommerce in which e-business arose forthwith has also given birth to online corporations and rebirth to traditional enterprises. However, the new age technology has also given birth to various risks and opportunities for misers to tamper with the gifts of technology to the disadvantage of those who are faithful in their dealings. In this regard, the primary thrust of this paper is to analyze the gradual paradigm shift of business in America to the modern e-business taking into consideration the management decisions of enterprises vis-a-vis the costs and risks in engaging into e-business. Further, this paper rests with the issue on how ecommerce evolved to what it is today. Given these matters, the ultimate question this paper aims to answer is: Why do businesses continue to prefer to do e-business despite online security threats and risks? Hypothesis E-business is a response of various industries to the market forces affecting it, and amidst costs and risks, the benefits of e-business to enterprises prove to shape corporate success, help industries maximize benefits and positively affect the entire business industry as a whole. Methodology This paper is a result of a collaboration, compilation, corroboration and interpretation from various sources of information gathered mostly through the internet. Various theories in economics and business management are also used to prove certain stands pertinent to the subject matter. The author has also included newspaper articles and opinions from renowned columnists all of which can also be accessed through the internet. The said sources were streamlined for this purpose of incorporating into this subject matter all indispensable elements of e-business. It is important to highlight that this paper is not to measure e-business per se because of the very volatility and fast speed of growth and advancement of the e-business itself. As stated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), measuring e-business and quantifying the elements of convenience and easy access to information is impossible given the current fast-changing nature of the market (OECD, 1998). Hence, this paper has enumerated the costs and benefits instead and weighed both in the light of the evolution of e-business to the stage. Degree of Reliance of Statistical Data/Literature Search The author has chosen only those sources which are strongly correlated and are very pertinent to e-business. For statistical data, there is an interim degree of reliance from high to medium degree, since statistics were conducted by professional research institutions and quoted from high grade literature. With regard to articles and sources, most of the studies consulted where products of doctorate and master’s degree holders who are expert in this field notwithstanding those who gave garnered distinctions (i. e. Nobel Prize, Pulitzer, etc. in the field of economics. Therefore, there is a high level of reliance on their studies. A Description of the Research Design This paper is purely research based and one which does not involve interpretation of raw statistical data. Due to the broad and constantly changing nature of e-business, a survey of the entire America is implausible. Thus, it is best to resort to data that have been gathered by reliable research institutions concentrating on the same subject matter. The literatures used herein are mostly second-hand ones and are retroactive in its nature such that theories used are identified as paradigms. Despite being cited and further cited in various citations, the theory is not eroded. Thus, citations of the same coming from other citations, or a chain of citations in one citation, are valid. It is also important to note that despite the varying nature of the sources used in this paper, the discussion shall not be deprived of important knowledge as regards the subject matter. Models Followed The paper follows three specific models in economics: the law on supply and demand, the model on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and the game theory. This is because these three easy-to-understand theories are also the primary considerations of CEOs in choosing management decisions and doing other management strategies. In accordance with the objectives of this paper, various researches shall also be inculcated herein to give various theories and conceptions an equal footing as regards the topic. As a clarification, there are no current researchers who have analyzed the nature of e-business extensively and collaboratively using the aforementioned theories. Therefore, literature reviews are primarily based on historical findings on the evolution of e-business, analyses of various researchers on the nature of economics vis-a-vis ecommerce and not on concurrent ecommerce theories. This is also because majority of ecommerce theories are offspring of the theories on economics. Moreover, ecommerce theories may be relevant to the subject matter but are not directly connected to the topic such that answers to the research questions as aforementioned were more founded by basic economic theories rather than the specialized ecommerce theories on web-hosting and online selling. An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America. (2017, Jan 27). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

A Pro Life Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Pro Life Philosophy Paper - Essay Example Yet, the strongest critics of abortion come from the community of Christianity. How do we reconcile that what is basically an atheist philosophy falls in line with traditional Christianity on being pro-life The reason lies in the misconception that religion has held over the centuries that it is the sole province of morality. However, where religion has surrendered the responsibility for morality to an ever-present God, Epicurian philosophy dictates that the responsibility lies within the self. The fault with abortion is not political, social, or religious. It is the internal anxiety we feel about the issue. This is critical. There is no one that is pro-abortion. They may agree that the right should exist, but they can not argue that the specific action is valid. Abortion causes pain and a life filled with the anxiety of having terminated what may have been a child. It is not God that will judge you for this, it will be your own self doubts. What was most important in Epicurus' philosophy of nature was the overall conviction that our life on this earth comes with no strings attached; that there is no Maker whose puppets we are; that there is no script for us to follow and be constrained by; that it is up to us to discover the real constraints which our own nature imposes on us. Blinded by this disassociation... It is because this is the life there is and this is the one that matters. "Not because God has decreed that such things are 'immoral', but because it is stupid to do anything that would cause you to worry about anything." (Inwood and Gerson). If we knew that our actions would never be revealed, we might do anything. We would have no worry about consequences and we could be as immoral as we chose. However, social norms dictate behaviors that people will find out, we will be uncovered, and we will be left standing naked against the wind of truth. If God does not exist and there is no future judgment, what purpose does a moral life have Konstan illustrates the philosophy when he says, "Where law obtains, Epicurus indicates, it is preferable not to commit crimes, even secret ones, since there will always be anxiety over the possibility of detection, and this will disrupt the tranquillity or ataraxy that is the chief basis of happiness in life". So how does this relate to abortion At the most basic level, abortion takes place at the very beginning of life and as such is central to our anxirty. Critics of the pro-life stance point to individual privacy and the right to remain independent. The capitalist viewpoint is expressed as,A fetus does not have a right to be in the womb of any woman, but is only in there by her permission. The woman may revoke this permission at any time. Rights are not permissions; permissions are not rights. The woman gives this permission, because it is her body -- and not the fetus's body, and certainly not the government's body ("Abortion is pro-life") Though this is an undeniable truth, the consequences will still haunt you. The anxiety that we seek to