What Makes a Serial Killer Do What They Do - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 753 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Serial Killer Essay Did you like this example? What pushes a serial killer to do what they do? In order to answer this question, I looked at two sources. The first article I looked into was written by scholar, Dr. J.S. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "What Makes a Serial Killer Do What They Do?" essay for you Create order Dalal, Professor and Head, Department of Forensic Medicine Toxicology, Government Medical College Patiala, et al. The second source I found was written by Nicola Malizia, University of Enna, Enna, Italy. The first source is telling the reader about the different types of serial killers, and the second source is going to help the reader get into the mind of the criminal to help us figure out what goes on in a serial killers mind to make them want to take ones life. The first source, written by Dr. J.S. Dalal, et al., explains the different types of serial killers that are out there and what makes them want to take the lives of others. The four basic types of serial killers is, visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic, and control-oriented. A visionary serial killer sees visions in their minds or voices in their heads telling them to kill. Mission-oriented is where the killer sees it to be their mission to get rid of all the sinners or people with wrong morals to make the world a better place to live in. A hedonistic killer find pleasure in torturing and killing their victims, and lastly a control-oriented serial killer is one who likes to have power over the victim and enjoys that theyre the one in control. Several methods that determine whether one is a serial killer or not. One being a lie detector and this measures changes to ones answers when being interrogated due to sympathy. Another way to tell a serial killer is the narco test which is where the one being interrogated is given thiopental sodium, and theyre quizzed with the dose in them. The final method used is brain mapping where they scan the brain. So, what exactly makes a serial killer just that? As Dalal, et al. explains, they all have goals to achieve in this heinous act. They could have a goal to rid this world of sinners. A goal to do what the voices in their heads are telling them to do. Maybe a goal to see multiple people suffer. Or possibly a goal to even have total control over their victim. By informing me of the four types of serial killers I was able to answer the research question of What makes them do what they do?, because it told me of their motives behind the killing and what theyre trying to accomplish. Overall, what I have learned from this source is that not everybody is in it for the same reasons. My second source was one written by Nicola Malizia and it explains the serial killers fantasy and what they want to see when theyre in the process of killing. Malizia stated The more time spent fantasizing, the faster he will become dependent on the fantasies that feed the sense of self. Malizia also talked a bit about the killers thought patterns and what was going through their brain to think what they were doing was okay. So when you ask, What makes a serial killer do what they do?, you have to remind yourself of the fantasy that they have and the thought patterns and actions. As Malizia states, The serial killers imagination plays a major role as he begins to fantasize about acts to be performed in order to express dominance over another human being. In conclusion, Fantasy plays an important role in a serial killers actions because, it puts them into an imaginary world. One that theyre more attracted to than in the real world. This source was able to help me answer my question of why do they do what they do?, by telling me about the many fantasies that they may desire to see carried out, which then makes them kill. Both sources help me greatly to answer the one question I have which is why? Why do serial killers do what they do? Why do they do it to innocent people, and why do they think theyll get away with it? Most are full of pride and dont think they will be caught. Some confess because theyre proud of what they did. Regardless, I want to find out whether its the nature of a serial killer or the nurture. Whether they have something actually mentally wrong, or if they were just raised in a bad living situation.

Can Donald Trump Really President - 1280 Words

Can Donald Trump Actually Become President? By Lauren Johnson A question that seems to keep showing up these days is â€Å"can Donald Trump actually become president?† Most people seem to be finding the presidential race this year really interesting and Trump is a candidate who is doing much better than most people thought possible. I really wonder if there’s a chance this guy could win. After researching the topic I’ve concluded that yes, Donald Trump can become president of the United States. This can happen if the other contenders in his party don’t come together to support one candidate and if the Democrats don’t run someone with mainstream appeal. The first thing we have to consider with Trump is who does he appeal to? Not Latinos, that†¦show more content†¦NAFTA was signed by president Clinton so many of these votes might not think too highly of Hillary Clinton. These are the people Trump is attracting in huge rallies all over the United States. A group of Trump supporters that aren’t usually part of the election equation are the disenfranchised voters, people eligible to vote that don’t because they don’t see a point in the whole thing. According to Felix Salmon in his article in Fusion, these voters are going to be a force behind Trump this time. Salmon describes it this way: â€Å"Going into a general election against Clinton, then, Trump is going to have all of his Republican supporters, plus a large chunk of Sanders supporters, plus an even larger chunk of otherwise apolitical Americans who have finally found a politician they can admire: the guy who fired people on TV. The turnout in 2016 will be a record high, and a lot of the new voters won’t be young: They will be people who just didn’t care about politics at all before Trump came along.† There’s also an enthusiasm for Trump among Republicans that others don’t seem to understand. According to the Associated Press article the majority of Republicans think Trump can win and plan on voting for him. The article mentions that: â€Å"Far more

My Grandma’s House Free Essays

When I was younger, I lived in my Grandmother’s house in a small village. The house is over 130 years old now and is still standing although my Grandmother doesn’t live there anymore. As I drive by I’m reminded of all the memories in that house. We will write a custom essay sample on My Grandma’s House or any similar topic only for you Order Now The house is white with a tan coloured trim and 2 stories high with a wrap-around, screened in porch. The parking is at the right side of the house and you walk around to the front, on a walkway that is lined with pretty yellow flowers. Entering the house through a light wooden door with a large window, you will first see the porch, with a fainting couch to the left of the door and a coat rack to the right. There is an aluminum screen door and a French door that you have to go through to get to the main living area, which is the dining room. It has a nice large wooden table and matching chairs that one of my uncle’s made in the centre of the room and a wood stove to the left, which is used as a second source of heat during the winter. The dining room has a living room off to the right with well-worn, but comfortable furniture in it and a television unit with a small TV, there is a large piano to the right of the door which no one learned to play and many plants placed around the room. Going back out into the dining room right next to the living room is a narrow hallway leading to a bathroom. Next to the bathroom is the stairs leading to the second floor where the 3 bedrooms are located. When you walk into the dining room, you can also keep walking straight into a large open kitchen, which was also used to place another table end to end with the wooden one, for when we had company. There was a pantry to the right and another door to lead out to the back of the house and the basement. Then moving to the left, there was the refrigerator, a large counter with a huge sink, more counters and cupboards going around to the far wall, and finally the stove. Moving to the door to go outside you will see a huge back yard with a shed in the back for storage of a lawnmower and summertime furniture. The yard has a fence at the back leading down to a creek, which I used to climb over and catch frogs, crayfish and salamanders with my friends. How to cite My Grandma’s House, Papers

Financial Analysis of Singapore Telecommunications Limited

Question: Discuss about the Financial Analysis of Singapore Telecommunications Limited. Answer: Introduction The investors require information that helps them take investment decisions (Tracy, 2012). The information needs of the investors could be met out by analyzing the financial statements of the company. In order to gain insight into the financial performance and position of the telecommunication sector in Singapore, two big giants of the sector namely Singapore Telecommunication Limited and Starhub have been chosen for analysis. Singapore Telecommunication Limited The company provides integrated infocomms technology solutions primarily in the countries such as Singapore, Australia, the United State, and the Europe (Singtel, 2016). It is one of the biggest companies on the Stock Exchange of Singapore thus; it would provide a glimpse of entire industry in terms of financial performance. StarHub Ltd This company was founded in the year 1998 and since it has grown significantly. The company provides communication and entertainment services in Singapore and it is one of the biggest revivals of Singapore Telecommunication Limited (StarHub, 2016). This company has been chosen to compare the financial performance of Singapore Telecommunication Ltd. It has been observed from the chart shown above that the profitability of Singapore Telecommunication Limited is showing upward in the financial year 2015. On the other hand, the profitability of its competitor namely Starhub is going downward. The net margin of Singapore Telecommunication Limited has gone up from 19.29% in the year 2013 to 21.96% in the year 2015 (Appendix). Further, the operating profit margin and return on equity are also showing slight improvements in the current financial year (Tracy, 2012). Further, analysis reveals that the company has higher net margin (21.96%) than its competitor (15.22%), but the position in regard to return on equity is different. The competitor has very high return on equity (198.93%), which appears to be due to low equity maintained by it (Appendix). Starhub has very low equity, which is depicted from high debt equity ratio of 9 times. Liquidity Analysis The current ratio of Singapore Telecommunication Limited has been found to be 0.83, 0.86, and 0.83 times for the financial years 2013, 2014, and 2015 respectively (Appendix). Further, in respect of its competitor it has been observed to be 0.71, 0.56, 0.59 times for financial years 2013, 2014, and 2015 respectively. Thus, it can be observed that the company has been able to maintain the current ratio at same level, but the competitors liquidity position is going downward. Further, comparing the liquidity position of the company with its competitor, it could be observed that company is in better position. Efficiency Analysis Singapore Telecommunication Limited provides 82 days credit period, while, it competitor is extending only 47 days credit to the customers. Further, the asset turnover ratio of the company is also lower than that of its competitor. This indicates that the management of the company has not been able to deploy its assets efficiently. Further, the trend in the recent years depicts that the accounts receivable days are increasing and the asset turnover ratio is decreasing continuously, which is indicative of deterioration in the efficiency of the operations (Tracy, 2012). Solvency Analysis The debt equity ratio of the company is 0.70 times while that of its competitor is 9.21 times, which indicates that the solvency position of the company is far better. Further, the company also maintains sufficient operating profits to pay off the debt obligations on time, which is depicted in the Interest Times ratio of 9.60 times. Conclusion From the ratio analysis conducted in this report, it could be articulated that the profitability, liquidity, and solvency of Singapore Telecommunication Limited is better than Starhub Limited. However, the managements efficiency as regard deployment of the assets of the company has been found to be lower than its competitor. Overall, Singapore Telecommunication Limited is in better position than Starhub Limited. Reference Singtel. 2016. Company profile. [Online]. Available at: https://www.singtel.com/about-Us/company-profile.html [Accessed on: 13 November 2016]. Starhub. 2016. Company profile. [Online]. Available at: https://www.starhub.com/about-us/company-information/profile.html [Accessed on: 13 November 2016]. Tracy, A. 2012.Ratio Analysis Fundamentals: How 17 Financial Ratios Can Allow You to Analyse Any Business on the Planet. RatioAnalysis.net.

King Lear Essays (575 words) - King Lear, British Films,

King Lear King Lear In the play King Lear written by William Shakespeare a collection of images are used to express different points Shakespeare is trying to relay to his audience. One reoccurring image that kept popping up was animal images. Shakespeare displays these animal images when King Lear and many of the other characters in the play talk about Goneril and Regan. The animals that Lear and the other characters compare the two sisters to are not very pretty. They are compared to the likes of tigers, serpents, and even monsters. These reoccurring images have an important idea behind them that Shakespeare hopes to communicate his readers. Shakespeare waste no time in comparing Goneril and Regan to animals. When Lear parts from Goneril at the end of Act I, after she has sneered at him and diminished the number of his retainers, he calls her a ?Detested kite? (I. iv. 269.). He also compares her to ?the sea-monster? (I. iv. 268.), by which he possibly means a mythological monster that would betray its own father. King Lear also comments on his daughters ingratitude using animal imagery when he said,? How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child? (I. iv. 295-296.). Lear comments once more on his daughter's ?monster ingratitude? (I. v. 40.). Lear is showing how he feels about how his daughters are treating him by comparing them to unpleasant animals. Lear in scene IV has a quarrel with his other daughter, Regan, where again he uses animal images to show how his daughters are sinking below manhood to animals. Lear seeks out his daughter, Regan, at Gloucester's castle, and finds out that her husband has put his faithful friend Kent in the stocks and that both husband and wife have retired to bed and do not wish to see him. When Regan finally comes down, she tells him ?You should be ruled, and led by some discretion that discerns your state better than yourself? (II. iv. 147-149). Lear responds by saying ?struck me with her tongue, most serpentlike, upon the very heart. (II. iv. 159-160). Lear here again is describing Regan to a serpent, which is a large poisonous snake. Both daughters seem to him now like unusually cruel animals. They show this when they shut him out into the stormy night. In the storm scene, Lear's hurt from his daughters affect his attitude to the mad Tom of Bedlam (Edgar). He thinks, on the analogy of his own suffering, that his daughters must have abused Poor Tom. Nothing else could have brought him to such a pathetic state. This reminds Lear of his own ?pelican daughters? (III. iv. 75). This is an allusion to the medieval belief that pelican young fed on the blood of the parent bird. This analogy compares to how Lear's daughters are feeding on him giving them the control of the kingdom. Shakespeare uses these animal images throughout his play to describe Goneril and Regan. It will be noticed that most of the animals used in these comparisons are unpleasant (kite, serpent, tigers, pelicans, foxes, and even monsters). Shakespeare is showing that the sisters are sinking from the level of man, who stood between the angels and the animals, to the level of the animals. They have become like some of the most unpleasant birds and animals of prey. In their cruelty and unnaturalness they are less than human. Shakespeare Essays

Biography John F. Kennedy essays

Biography John F. Kennedy essays May, 29, 1917, in the wooden three-story house in Brookline, Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the second child in the Kennedy family. Joe Jr. is his two-year older brother. In all, Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy would have nine children, four boys and five girls. Before long, family and friends called the blue-eyed baby, Jack. When Jack was three, the family moved to a twelve-room house just outside of Boston. Joseph Kennedy was running his own stock trading business and was working hard to ensure his family a wealthy life. The Kennedys had everything they needed and more; Jack could enjoy a very comfortable life. He was sent to Choate, boarding school in Connecticut, where he was very popular and had many friends. He played tennis basketball, football and golf. Jack graduated from Choate, and in 1936 he started his first year at Harvard, where Joe was already a student. In 1937, Mr. Kennedy was appointed U.S. Ambassador to England. The family, with exception Joe and Jack, who were still in Harvard, moved to England. Jack became even more interested in politics, world affairs and also visited Europe a couple times. World War 2 began and John Kennedy wrote a thesis why England was not ready for the war against Germany, which was so good that it was later published as a book. After graduating Joe and Jack joined the Navy. Jack became the Lieutenant of a torpedo boat in the South Pacific. On a dark night in 1943 the boat collided with a Japanese destroyer and sank. In the cold water Lt. Kennedy managed to gather his men around a piece of boat. At sunrise he led them toward a small island several miles away. He was awarded with the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his leadership and courage. His brother though, was not that lucky; he died a year later when his plane blew up on a mission in Europe. After the war Jack was uncertain what kind of work he wanted to do. He had considered becoming a teacher...

EXPERT PRACTICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EXPERT PRACTICE - Essay Example An example of this role is facilitation in ethical decision making and dilemma resolution. This role is indirect because that is not was taught to them but they acquire the knowledge, experience and responsibility in their line of work and their position and hence are chosen to take the moral action. Most of the ethical issues and cases they deal with are related to patient-caregiver and since their work involves interacting with the two, they take up the role and help resolve it (Fulton, Lyon and Goudreau, 2010). Specialization into one of these broad areas of contemporary roles is the best way to ensure that clinical skills and knowledge are retained. Specialization ensures that you develop and acquire exemplary knowledge and skills in that clinical nursing area and hence can be able to continue providing the nursing care needed to the patients. Lack of specialization will lead to a CNS becoming â€Å"a jack of all trades but a master of none† and hence cannot effectively care for any particular groups of patients. Specialization into an area like research where there is Evidence-Based Practice will ensure that you are on the forefront of researches aimed at improving patient care and even relationship between the patient and the caregiver. This article is based on the direct roles of CNS at the University Hospital Insel in Bern, Switzerland. There are four examples of the direct roles the CNS perform to the patients in that hospital. The first of the roles is bedside teaching where the CNS provides care to the patients who are in bed by doing a review of their cases in order to find out more about their conditions and even ways to help them improve. The second of the direct roles is wound care. In this role, the CNS provide extra care for the patients with wounds by concentrating on the cleaning, dressing and redressing of the wounds to ensure they are infection-free and are healing accordingly. They are able to perform this role due to their knowledge,

Managerial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example The company also was awarded with wine award and a gold medal in the wine competition at Sydney in 2011and with medal of gold at an Award function in New Zealand in 2010. With respect to 2010 the EBITDA of the company grew from $29.6 million to $57.1 million in 2011. This resulted in their earnings per share of the company rising from 0.20 cents to 32.6 cents. The rise in the net assets of the company by 10% over the year is a commendable achievement for the company under the ever changing market conditions. Planning Control and Decision making process Management accounting is related to the system of accounting information used by the managers within an organisation. The management accounting provides the managers with the basis of information essential in the decision making of the company so that the resources of the company can be better utilised and functions are in control. At present management accounting has a dual reporting relation in the corporation. The management account ants are the strategic partner responsible in providing decision related to the operational and financial information. Thus it is the responsibility of the managerial accountants in managing the business team along with submission of report in relation to the corporation’s finance. The management accountant portrays planning and forecasting, monitoring and reviewing cost inherent to the business and performance variance analysis of the company. However the three main areas of a management accountant that helps in the planning and decision making of managers are strategic management, performance management and risk management (Bamber, Braun & Harrison, 2009, pp.4-7). Delegat’s Group has adopted the strategy of identifying the â€Å"value growth markets† and â€Å"growth markets† which has proved to be a success in the favour of the company. The strategy thus adopted by the company has resulted in delivering improvement in the profitability of the company. The performance management of the company can well be depicted from the financial performance of the company. A stable growth rate of 10% of operating net profit after tax has been observed from 2007 to 2011 except in 2008 which are due to the global economic downturn. The major improvement in the performance of the company was due to biological assets contribution, net harvest provision and the derivative instruments of the company implemented to hedge the company’s interest rates and foreign currency exposures. Lastly the risk performance of the company is diverted by the use of the options and forward currency contracts. This helps in the economic hedging of the risks associated with the interest rate swaps and foreign currency fluctuations. Thus the management accounting helps in the detection of the variances of the company through which the managers of the company can plan out the strategies of the company; based on which further decisions are taken. Skills of a Managem ent Accountant Skills that are required for a management accountant to efficiently carry out the process of accounting are to have a sound knowledge of both managerial as well as the financial accounting. The management account should have an analytical skill along with the knowledge of how the business of the company is functioning. Good oral and written communication skill is a must for the

Professional Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Professional Portfolio - Essay Example Likewise, I have designed assessment and evaluation tools such as questionnaires, interview, and survey. Aside from actual Nurse Educator experience, I also have a wide range of clinical nursing experiences, which have provided me with more depth and insights regarding my experience of Nursing as a profession, as an art, and as a science. I am currently working on my MS in Nursing Education at the ------University. I have earned my BS Nursing at ----University. I have also gained Post Graduate Certification for Public Health. In addition, I have attended various seminar-workshops to hone my nursing skills and knowledge. I have attached a copy of my CV, which shows my work experiences, educational background, and relevant personal information. I look forward to hearing from you. Respectfully yours, Curriculum Vitae Name: Address: Telephone #: Email address: Education 20—to Present Master OF Science in Nursing Education ---------- University Units Earned : ( No of Units ) School Yr B.S. Nursing -------- University School Yr Certificate of Post Graduate Training in Public Health ------- University Certifications Basic Cardiac Life Support Certification Advance Cardiac Life Support Certification IV Certification Work Experiences Year Public Health Nursing Supervisor --------Health Department Conducts researches and studies regarding health issues of the Community Coordinates with the other government agencies regarding the health issues of the community Spearheads awareness campaigns Heads the Committee involved in dissemination of information, education, and training of nurses Led fund raising activities Year Senior Psychiatric Nurse Psychiatric Hospital Middle East Conducts training seminars for the Staff Plots the schedule of the Staff nurses Coordinates with the management regarding activities and concerns relevant to the Ward Monitors and provides primary care for various psychiatric cases like schizophrenia, depression, manic-depressive psychosis, ETOH withdrawal, and other similar cases Assists in procedures such as EEG, electroconvulsive therapy and other similar therapies Participates in occupational theraphy Year Associate Professor II Institute of Health and Sciences -------- University Has Taught the following Courses:------- Serves as Thesis Adviser Member of the Committee handling the evaluation of the students Year Assistant Head Nurse University Hospital and Medical Center New York City Coordinates with Sectors of the Hospital regarding the flow of patients, the number of available beds, the need for CNAs and other similar concerns Year Nursing Supervisor Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center Plans the activities of the patients Conducts training of nurses Involves in the selection of hiring process of nursing staff Conducts seminars, training, and informal learning activities for the nurses Membership New York State Nurses Association Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Recognition Model Nurse of th e Year Seminar- Workshops Attended Performance Appraisal System Better Teaching Through Effective Speech Communication Empowering Preceptorship Reproductive Health Care Urban Primary Health Care Health Care Delivery System in the Urban Setting Researches 1.Beliefs and Practices on Hypertension of Selected Residents of------- 2. The

The sociology of deviance

The sociology of deviance How important and relevant are Mertons Strain theory and Beckers labelling theory in our understanding of deviance? In this essay I will analyse the importance and relevance of a structional functionalist view of deviance seen through the lens of strain theory and a symbolic interactionalist perspective through the use of labelling theory. Strain Theory attempts to explain why crime is resolute amongst the lower classes who are subjected to the least opportunities for economic achievement (O Connor 2007). It focuses on the positions that individuals occupy in a social system, not on the characteristics of the individual. Labeling theory explains why sustained delinquent behaviour stems from destructive social interactions and encounters (Siegel Welsh 2008). These theories work in harmony as the former theory explains why deviance begins and the latter gives an explanation as to why deviance continues through the lifespan. I will be describing and evaluating these theories to further answer the question of: just how important are these two theories for the understanding deviance? The sociology of deviance is the systematic study of social norm violation that is subject to social sanction according to (Henry 2009 p.1). Deviant behaviour is behaviour that does not follow common perceptions, when people are deviant they do not conform to expectations. It is difficult to give an exact definition of deviance as many major theorists have cast a vast variety of perspectives on what it really is. Some sociologists believe that deviance is the violation of any social rule, whereas other sociologists argue that deviance does not have to be a real behaviour for it to be labelled deviant (Thio, Calhoun Conyers 2008). Downes Rock (2003) state that deviance is everywhere and not only that but it leaves traces everywhere. Theories of deviance are rarely catapulted into political settings to be accepted or rejected in their entirety; rather they trickle in from many sources. The influence of ideas is always changing due to the instability of political circumstances (Downs Rock 2003). The increase in deviance may be due to the fact that people are confused about the correct values and morals to hold. As a result of this ever evolving world there are new variations of deviant behaviour occurring on a daily basis, ranging from minor violations of the law such as not paying a television licence to major deviance like abuse scandals in regard to the Catholic Church. These acts are considered to be deviant as they are acts which the rest of society deems as unacceptable (Tierney 2006). Traditional values such as religious views have been shattered to pieces because of ongoing scandals in the Catholic Church. Individual pursuits drive people; religion has no impact on the expected standards of people in todays materialist driven society, which in turn leads to an increase in deviant behaviours. The Functionalist perspective stems from the work of Durkheim who believed that peoples social roles or functions hold society together (Flynn 2009). In contrast to this is the Symbolic interaction approach where the emphasis is on the way people construct the meaning of others acts (Becker McCall 1990). Durkheim believed that crime is not only functional but it is necessary, it only become dysfunctional if the rates are either too high or too low (Covington 1999). The functionalist analysis of deviance begins with society as a whole; it looks for the source of deviance in the nature of society rather than in the psychological nature of the individual. Durkheim believes society is held together by shared values, and if these values are not constantly reaffirmed through the generations it may signify the collapse of society. One may put forward the argument that shared values are not a fundamental part of society today. It proves difficult to reaffirm values through generations when the family when parents are working long hours. Parental influence over children has declined; due to this children seek values from available sources such as the television or internet, resulting in the promotion of materialistic values which are in turn the norms today. If the community collapsed, and the collective conscience failed the result was a state of anomie (Covington 1999). In essence anomie represents the problems in society caused by social deregulation. Merton developed an anomie theory based on Durkheims earlier work which referred to a deinstitutionalization of norms that happens when there is a disjunction between the importance of cultural goals and institutional means (Featherstone Deflem 2003). Mertons strain theory argues that structures in society may encourage deviance and crime, it is a structural functionalist explanation. Functionalist theories offers the basis for policies that are wide-ranging in their scope (Downes Rock 2003), however Gouldner (1970) believes that Functionalism thinks of systems as mutually interacting variables rather than in terms of cause and effect, thus one may infer that it is impossible to implement policy to stop a particular effect if the cause is not highlighted. Theories of deviance are extremely important as Downes Rock (2003) believe that all theories of deviance have implications for policy making. That said however the ease of implementation of polices may prove difficult. For example doing something about anomie would be far more difficult than tackling vandalism by technical means (Downes Rock p. 317 2003) However, Mertons anomie theory is of great relevance to the realm of policy as it infers a definite cause and effect statement relating to the disjunction between goals and means (Downes Rock 2003). The main principle of Social Strain Theory is that some social structures exert a definite pressure upon certain persons in society to engage in non-conforming rather than conforming conduct (Thio, Calhoun Conyers 2008 p.33). This is not to say that certain social structures leave the individual with no other choice but to turn to crime, rather inadequate regulation leaves the individual with a different perspective on means to financial gain. I agree that this system is a great source of inequality and subsequent deviance in our society today that the less powerful groups are labelled so negatively and punished severely. Every crime should be treated in the same manner, regardless of whether they are from an underprivileged area or a high flying business person. An impact of cycle of deficient regulation may also be seen in Beckers Labelling theory. This theory was greatly influenced by the symbolic interaction approach as it is people who determine and give meaning to labels. The justice system operates on behalf of powerful groups in society; hence one has to ask the question what behaviours are criminal? The two strands of this theory are a concern to address how a particular behaviour comes to be labelled as deviant and secondly what is the impact of this label. (Becker p.9 1963) states that The deviant is one whom that label has been successfully applied: deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label. In relation to deviance Labelling theory places the importance on the reaction to behaviour not the behaviour itself (Macionis Plummer 2007). It was this belief that leads Becker to place labels on types of behaviour, but who are the people labelled as deviant in society. To put it simply, labelling theory is concerned with what happens to criminals after they have been labelled, also suggesting that actual crime rates may be heightened by criminal sanctions. Unlike the Functionalist perspective, Symbolic Interaction is concerned with the process that underline social life and consequently the mechanisms by which meanings are given to those processes. It centres on the creativity capacity of humans and their ability to share interactions with others (Walklate 2007). In relation to deviance it is concerned with how certain behaviours come to be understood as deviant. Becker argued that behaviours of less powerful groups for example the poor, or disadvantaged are more likely to be criminalized than those who are privileged such as the white and wealthy. This happens because there is an assumption that crime is a social label along with the creation of law which are made by people in positions of power and enforced on people without power (Hopkins Burke 2002). The judicial system criminalizes less dominant and less powerful member of society, thus Becker argues that some rules may be cynically designed to keep the less powerful in their place (Hopkins Burke p.137 2002). Becker (1963) disagreed with the notion that those who break the law will be labelled as a criminal. He brought our attention to the fact that in many cases the innocent are accused, along with this only some of those who break the law are punished and brought through the system (Hopkins Burke 2002). Becker used a concept developed by Merton called the self fulfilling prophecy which is what labelling theory is most widely known for. When a situation is given a false definition it evokes a new behaviour in the person which as a result makes the false assumption comes through (Hopkins Burke p.142 2002). Becker felt that most criminals were in the first place falsely defined as a criminal, not only are their actions defined by society as deviant, the label is then extended to them as a person (Hopkins Burke 2002). Mertons concept of strain refers to pressure the lower economic classes feel when they try to achieve societys goals of monetary success (Flynn 2009). Merton felt that in society, people were focused on achieving high financial success which although exceptionally productive on one hand, on the other was a direct source of stress and strain for the individual (Cohen 1966). In effect there is a distortion between culturally induced aspirations for economic success and structurally distributed possibilities of achievement. This is in accordance with labeling theory view where the people who commit deviant acts are probably under strain from society to achieve monetary success. An example of this would be in relation to higher education, people without the means or cultural knowledge to aspire to respected professions are more likely to engage in deviant behaviour than those with access to achieving their goals (Flynn 2009). Within labelling theory there are two important concepts, those of primary deviance and secondary deviance. Merton thinks that the sense of strain that men feel is an accumulation of frustration, despair and injustice (Cohen 1966). Structural and Individual strain are the two main types of strain in society that promote deviance and crime. The former refers to the cycle of deficient regulation in society that has a negative impact on how an individual evaluates their needs, means and opportunities (Flynn 2009). The latter concept is defined by OConnor (2007) as frictions and pains experienced by the individual as they look for ways to meet their needs. Primary deviance in labeling theory involves acts committed by someone without a criminal identity such as an underage drinker. This act provokes little reaction from others around us, therefore it does not have any impact on the persons self concept (Macionis Plummer 2007). Secondary deviance develops through peoples actions towards the person committing the deviant act they may be pushed away and stigmatized making the crime worse, it is caused by the criminal label (Hopkins Burke 2002). It evolves from primary deviance being labelled, which is more likely to happen if you are from a less powerful group (Macionis Plummer 2007), thus mirrors Mertons argument about distortion between economic success and possibility of achievement (Flynn 2009). Merton noted that there were five possible responses or adaptations to strain that happen when people are not in a position to legally attain internalised social goals (Hopkins Burke p.107 2002). This is a perfect example of how labels are the cause of further deviant behaviour. Durkheim and Merton are one in believing that strain results in deviant behaviour, however Durkheim felt the main causes of strain were changes in society. Adapting through conformity is a self explanatory explanation whereby people both the cultural gaols of society and the means of achieving them (Burke 2002), this ensures the continuality and stability of society (Thio, Calhoun Conyers 2008), people do not break laws when achieving their means. Retreatism is considered the most uncommon adaptation by Merton, they reject social goals and the means to attain them (Hopkins Burke 2002), their behaviour is not normal and are considered true aliens (Thio, Calhoun Conyers p.37 2008). Ritualism is similar to conforming behaviour; they adhere to rules for their own sake with an emphasis on means of achievement rather than outcome goals (Hopkins Burke 2002). Innovation is a response to the pressure placed on the individual for success. The innovator embarks on novel routes to achieve success due to barriers for them to achieve success by socially approved means. They have the potential to be seen as deviant (Hopkins Burke 2002), as they engage in illegal means to achieve success. The final response is rebellion, whereby people not only reject but also want to change the existing social system and its goals (Hopkins Burke 2002). The very word rebellion connotes negative meaning thus showing the existence of labeling and stigma as used by Merton. People are stereotyped as being incapable of following normal behaviour and the general population treats them differently, resulting in discrimination in employment, and in many other areas of social life The internalization of labels by offenders may very well produce a career in criminality because of the negative reactions they receive (Hopkins Burke 2002). However, in contrast as Merton argued Cohen agreed that the root cause of the original emergence of delinquent behaviour was the economic pursuit of money success (Downes Rock 2003). A lot of labels come about through the stigmatization of a particular behaviour. Stigma is powerful negative label that has the potential to radically change a persons self concept (Macionis Plummer 2007), thus it is an influential force in the field of labelling. Slattery (2003) notes that a stigma can either be ascribed or achieved, you can be born with one or earn one. Similar to this is strain theories focus on negative relations between people, focusing on how the individual is not treated as they would like to be treated (Agnew 2002). Labelling theory has several limitations; firstly because labelling is very relative it does not take into account some behaviour like murder which is condemned virtually everywhere. Consequently it is most useful to apply to less serious behaviours like youth vandalism. Secondly, labelling may be seen in two ways- it could encourage more criminal behaviour of it could curb it because of people do not like to have a stigma attached to them. (Macionis Plummer 2007). Finally another limitation of labelling theory is that it does not tell us what are the root causes of primary deviance so how do these people become deviant in the first place? They cannot be labelled deviant if they have not engaged in that type of behaviour. Both labeling and strain theory emphasize the role society has to play in crime. Deviance is shaped in its transactions with events and people around it. Labelling theorists in particular have occupied themselves with the workings of the social reaction to deviance (Downes Rock 2003). Dissimilar to this is Durkheims perspective of deviance as performing functions that are essential to society through, encouraging social change, promoting social unity by responding to deviance, clarifying moral boundaries and affirming cultural norms and values (Macionis Plummer 2007). Sumner (1994) argued that deviance is not applicable to sociology today. He believes that the sociology of deviance died in 1975. Similarly Miller, Wright and Dannels (2001) claim to find empirical support for it and signify the death of deviance in respect to the world today. However, on the other hand Goode (2002) claims that at a certain stage in its history, the sociology of deviance developed a large number of ideas, concepts, and theories that influenced related fields. These ideas included: stigma which influenced disability and transgender studies, anomie in social theory, labelling in ethnic studies and the sociology of the underdog in queer theory. Regardless of the fact that sociology of deviance did not create these concepts, the field did help project them onto the intellectual map. Goode concludes that The social construction of deviance is once again controversial, relevant, central to our lives, and fundamental to our understanding of todays world (Goode 2002). I must agree with this statement as not a day goes by without some type of crime or deviant behaviour brought to our attention. Cohen (1966) believes that rules in everyday life provide a blueprint for every human gesture; consequently every rule then creates potentiality for deviance. However, as mentioned previously- are we really all aware of societal norms and values? I believe that society today has failed to provide a blueprint or clear rules for people to live by, hence leading to the unprecedented rates of crime and social deviance. Strain theory and labelling theory do not pay much attention to psychological factors involved in deviant behaviour, this is a limitation to both I feel. I would question the generalizability of strain theory as it emphasises the focus of materialism for society today. However, much crime is committed by people who simply want to get by in life, to survive. They feel they have no other option but to commit crime to put food on the table. Crime may not necessarily be about reaching the top in society, it may just be about getting by. Labeling theory is a lot more individual in its focus; it is more concerned with peoples reactions when placed in a designated role by society. References Miller, J, M., Wright, A., Dannels, D. (2001) Is Deviance Dead? The Decline of a Sociological Research Specialization. The American Sociologist, Volume 32: 43-59. Sumner, C. (1994). The Sociology of Deviance: An Obituary. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. Downes, D. Rock, P. (4th Ed.) (2003). Understanding Deviance. New York: Oxford University Press. Henry, S. (2009). Short Introductions: Social Deviance. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Goode, E (2002). Does the death of the sociology of deviance claim make sense? The American Sociologist. Volume 33: 107-118. Thio, A., Calhoun, T., C., Conyers, A. (5th Ed.) (2008) Readings in Deviant Behaviour. United States of America: Pearson International, Inc. Cohen, A., K. (1966). Deviance and Control. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc. OConnor, T. (2007). Strain theories of crime. Megalinks in Criminal Justice. Retrieved March 19, 2010. Available at: http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/crim/crimtheory11.htm Gouldner, A. (1970) The Coming Crisis in Western Sociology. New York: London. Covington, P. (1999) Deviance: Functionalist explanations. The Functionalist Explanation of Crime. Retrieved 22nd March, 2010. Available at: http://www.sociology.org.uk/pcfcri95.pdf. Hopkins Burke, R (2002) An Introduction to Criminological Theory. Canada: Willan Publishing. Tierney, J. (2nd Ed) (2002). Criminology: Theory and context. England: Pearson Education Limited. Macionis J, J. Plummer, K. (4th Ed) (2007) Sociology: Global Introduction. England: Pearson Education limited Walklate, S. (4th Ed) (2007). Understanding Criminology. England: Open University Press. Becker, H. (1963). The Outsiders. New York: Free Press. Slattery, M (2003). Key Ideas in Sociology .United Kingdom: Nelson Thornes Limited Agnew, R (1992). Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology. Volume 30, Issue 1, p.47-87 Siegel, L, J., Welsh B., C. (2008) (10th Ed. Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Ode to a Grecian Urn Essay -- John Keats Poems Poetry Vases Essays

Ode to a Grecian Urn In the early 19th century it was not unusual to make a work of art, painting or sculpture a subject of a poem. Taken literally, the poem 'Ode to a Grecian Urn' is a poem about a vase, but Keats has inverted the traditional understanding of physical, tangible objects and transformed them into metaphors for abstract concepts, such as truth and time. An urn is primarily used to preserve the ashes of the dead. The theme of the Ode, accordingly, has to do with the relationship between imagination and actuality, and the supremacy and immortality of a work of art if compared to our ordinary life. With the masterful use of the device of figurative language, Keats has created a melodic, beautifully flowing poem which well serves the purpose he gives it. Keats himself can be assumed to be the speaker, the overall setting is unknown. The tone of the poem reflects the fact that Keats seems truly awed and astonished by the urn he considers. The poem is written in ten-line iambic pentameter throughout, which creates a flowing rhythmic effect. The rhyme scheme is unusual, but Keats breaks the form with this five-part poem. The rhyme pattern is A - B - A - B - C - D - E - D - C - E. There is apattern of interwoven paradoxes which persist throughout the Ode, contributing to its unity of thought and the development of its main theme (that the Urn has managed to achieve immortality). The first stanza sets the pattern of paradoxes that runs throughout the poem. Firstly in its structure, it is split into two sections - the first four lines are a series of apostrophes, personifying the urn, and addressing it in its special association to silence and time, and the last six are a series of questions. .. ...self from the urn to consider its overall significance in relation to human life and passion. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty" sums up the relationships described throughout the poem. In the poem "Ode On a Grecian Urn", the poet John Keats uses language and the object of his poem to link abstract actions and concepts to physical, real, concrete things, in many different ways. Using iambic pentameter, and a unique rhyme scheme, Keats' sets up a harmonious, delightfully fluid poem which well serves the purpose he gives it. The "Ode on a Grecian Urn" squarely confronts the truth that art is not "natural," like leaves on a tree, but artificial. Bibliography Romantic Writings: An Anthology (1998) Oxford University Press Abrahams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms (1998) Thomas Learning Stephen Bygrave (ed.), Romantic Writings (1996) Open University

Federal Budget for 2001

This country has been dealing with a budget deficit for many years now. In an attempt to change this, on June 29, Congress voted in favor of HConRes67 that called for a 7-year plan to balance the Federal Budget by the year 2001. This would be done by incorporating $894 billion in spending cuts by 2002, with a projected 7-year tax cut of $245 billion. If this plan were implemented, in the year 2002, the U. S. Government would have the first balanced budget since 1969. Current budget plans are dependent on somewhat unrealistic predictions of avoiding such catastrophes as recession, national disasters, etc. and include minor loopholes. History has shown that every budget agreement that has failed was too loose. One might remember the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings bill that attempted to balance the budget, but left too many exemptions, and was finally abandoned in 1990. So after a pain-staking trial for GOP Republicans to create, promote, and pass their budget, as promised on campaign trail 94, Clinton rejected the very bill he demanded. This essentially brought the federal budget back to square one. Clinton thought such a demand on Republicans to produce a budget would produce inner-party quarrels and cause the GOP to implode. Instead, they produced a fiscal budget that passed both houses of Congress, only to be deadlocked by a stubborn Democratic President Clinton. Meanwhile, Clinton bounced back with a CBO scored plan with lighter, less risky cuts to politically sensitive areas like entitlements. Clinton†s plan also saved dollars for education and did not include a tax increase, but most cuts would not take effect until he is out of office, in the year 2001. Although Clinton is sometimes criticized for producing a stalemate in budget talks, the White House points out that the debt has gone down since Clinton took office, with unemployment also falling. Republicans are quick to state that Clinton originally increased taxes in 1993 and cut defense programs, but his overall plan was for an increasing budget without deficit reduction. As of 1996, the national debt was at an all time high of $5 trillion dollars, with interest running at a whopping $250 billion per year. This equals out to an individual responsibility of more than $50,000 per taxpayer. Nearly 90% of that debt has accumulated since 1970, and between 1980 and 1995, the debt grew by 500%. Currently, the debt grows by more than $10,000 per second, and at current rates, our government is about to reach its breaking point. If that†s not enough to scare a taxpayer, by 2002, 60% of government spending will be for entitlements, and by 2012, these programs are projected to take up all government revenue. Not only economic development, but also family income is hurt by debt. With the cost of living going up, it becomes harder to find a job. According to the Concord Coalition, real wages peaked in 1973 and have gone down ever since. If the economy grew as fast as it did in 1950, without a debt, the median family income would be $50,000, compared to the present median of $35,000. As of current fiscal year†s budget, the United States government spends $1. 64 trillion yearly, $500 billion of that, or 1/3 of the total, is for discretionary spending. This discretionary spending is the target for most cuts, and seems to be the easiest to make cuts in. Overall, the difference between the two parties' budget plans is only $400 billion. This could easily be trimmed by eliminating tax cut and adjusting the consumer price index to reality. Democrats say the GOP plan is too lopsided, and Republicans criticize the Democrat plan for being unrealistic. A study by the Urban Institute shows GOP cuts will be felt mainly by the bottom 1/5 of U. S. population. This should be more equally spread out across income brackets. By fulfilling campaign promises made by freshman Republican Congressmen to cut government spending, the GOP managed to pass a $1. 6 trillion budget resolution by a party-line vote, in both houses of Congress. This budget called for major cuts in education, environmental programs, discretionary spending, and the largest of all: entitlements. 70% of the money to balance the budget under the GOP plan would have come from entitlements. This is because entitlement programs currently take up $301 billion a year. Such cuts had already been partially implemented with the GOP cutting overall spending by 9. 1% in 1996 alone. First, in an attempt to stop the projected bankruptcy of Medicare in 2002, Republicans cut $270 billion overall from the program, with hospital reimbursement cuts being the deepest. Although stabilizing the fund is only expected to cost $130-$150 billion over 7 years, the GOP budget would reform the program to run better, and cheaper, by allowing it to grow at 6% yearly, instead of the current 10%. While both parties agree on premium hikes for beneficiaries, this is a touchy subject for the 38. 1 million elderly voters on Medicare. Medicaid, another volatile program, would be cut $182 billion under the GOP proposal. This would entail placing a cap on the program†s spending, and passing control of it to the individual state governments. For an estimated 39 million low-income people on Medicaid in 1996, the GOP plan cuts the program far more than Clinton†s proposed $98 billion cut. Social Security is another program being cut. The government has already reduced the outlay for seniors 70 and younger who are on the program, but Republicans want more by increasing the eligibility for Social Security from 62 to 65 for early retirement, and 65 to 70 for standard retirement. Smaller cuts included $11 billion in student loan reductions, $9. 3 billion in labor cuts, $10 billion eliminated from public housing programs, and several other numerous disaster relief programs cut. The GOP also wants to eliminate programs initiated by Clinton like the National Service initiative, summer jobs, Goals 2000, and Americorps. Along with terminating unnecessary farm programs, and cutting others by $12. 3 billion. Republicans hope to cut the yearly $6 billion that the Federal Government spends on direct subsidies to farmers. Agricultural policies were also reformed and embedded into budget-reconciliation bills. Clinton†s budget only surfaced after he vetoed the budget passed by Congress, and included shallower cuts, with little or no reform to entitlements. This plan was supported by most Democrats and was used as an alternate to a gutsy GOP budget. Clinton repeatedly trashed the Republican†s efforts to make cuts on programs he feels important like student loans, agricultural programs, and entitlements. He accused Republicans of wanting to kill some all together. He has also threatened to veto a Republican plan to reform Medicare called Medical Savings Accounts, unless his programs are left intact. Under Federal law, the President is required to submit budget requests in 2 forms: Budget Authority, the amount of new federal commitments for each fiscal year, and outlays, the amount actually spent in the fiscal year. The plan that Clinton has presented is not only a budget resolution in the form of a campaign document, but also proof of how far the Republicans have moved him to compromise since the they took control of Congress. Most important, it does not readily translate into regular accounting principles used for government programming. This year†s White House budget was a 2,196 page document that the GOP struck down immediately for not cutting taxes enough and neglecting to downsize the government. Among largest cuts within Clinton†s plan was the downsizing of 1/5 to 1/3 of all programs that he felt were not a priority to present day government. In addition, he wanted to close loopholes presented to corporate taxation, that would save an estimated $28 billion. He vowed to keep programs like education, crime prevention, and research or environmental grants. Attention was also placed on discretionary spending, with Clinton cutting a smaller $297 billion compared to GOP†s $394 billion cut. According to the Office of Management and Budget, the President†s plan cuts middle-income taxes by $107. 5 billion in 7 years, small business by $7 billion, and cuts $3. 4 billion from distressed urban and rural area relief. This was to be paid for by a $54. billion hike in corporate and wealthy-income taxes, and also in $2. 3 billion of tighter EITC (Earned Income Tax credit) adjustments. Although Clinton†s plan was expected to cut a whopping $593 billion in 7 years to furthermore produce an $8 billion surplus in 2002, most cuts are long term without a clear goal. Republicans sometimes criticize Clinton for unwillingness to compromise. He has used vetoes and stubborn negotiations to protect personal priorities like education, job training, and environmental programs, but Republicans have also tried using domination to force him to comply. One must remember that President Clinton does have somewhat of an overwhelming power in this debate that Republicans can do nothing about. He is the single person that can veto laws sent to him, and also has the power to call Congress back into session if he is unhappy with the current situation. This was President Truman†s â€Å"ace in the hole† back in 1948. One of the ways we are currently reducing the deficit includes the introduction of â€Å"means testing. † This means that people would get entitlements based on need. The government already has reduced Social Security for modest income seniors' age 70 and younger, but budget cutters want to broaden that idea. There are 2 major problems with means testing. First, it is considered inherently unfair. Some might argue that a person might blow all of their income before the entitlement reductions come into place. Second, it might reduce the incentive to work and encourage people to hide their income. For instance, beneficiaries of Social Security, ages 62-64, lose $1. 00 yearly in benefits for every $2. 00 they earn in income or wages above $8,160 per year. Some say increasing eligibility requirements would solve some problems, and propose raising the age of early retirement from 62 to 65, and standard retirement from 65 to 70. Another touchy subject in budget reduction is the argument that the poor are being left out of savings. According to the Clinton Administration, the GOP budget would cause a family with income of $13,325 per year to lose 11% of their income. United States Treasury Department studies say the bottom 1/5 income families would have net tax increase of an average $12 to $26 under the GOP plan. The top 1/5 income families would receive more than 60% of the tax relief. A HHS analysis states that the GOP plan would also boost child poverty rates from 14. 5% to 16. 1%, and poor families with children would loose 6% of their income. In the end, budget reduction is no easy task. The center of attention for debate on budget cutting is politics, and whoever takes responsibility for reform gets left wide open to criticism. Although Congress and Clinton have spent the past year on debating the budget and the size of the Federal Government, most plans fall back on gimmicks, loopholes, and long-term plans. Even Democrats now agree to downsize the government, but the two parties disagree on how and where. As we trust our elected officials to make decisions in Washington on our behalf, we must show interest and aptitude on the end results. Countries like Sweden and Canada have successfully reformed fiscal policies. Sweden†s government elected to abandon welfare, pensions, health insurance, unemployment programs, family assistance, and child allowances. Their deficit soon fell by 3. 5% of GDP in one year alone. Sweden†s plan was three times as intense as Congress† current plan, while cutting spending in half the time. As for cuts, everyone must suffer. Older Americans have good reason to protect programs that they have paid into for years, but those programs spend an overall per capita amount of 11 times as much on elderly than that spent on children altogether. The youth are the future of America, and we should protect them too. Currently, poverty in US is 3 times as likely to affect the very young than the very old. By balancing the budget, â€Å"interest rates come down, the economy picks up – we will rebound,† says Representative James Greenwood, and everyone should be happy with that.

Elizabeth Fry

Elizabeth Fry Known for:Â  prison reform, reform of mental asylums, reform of convict ships to Australia Dates: May 21, 1780 - October 12, 1845Occupation: reformerAlso Known as: Elizabeth Gurney Fry About Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry was born in Norwich, England, into a well-off Quaker (Society of Friends) family. Her mother died when Elizabeth was young. The family practiced relaxed Quaker customs, but Elizabeth Fry began to practice a stricter Quakerism. At 17, inspired by the Quaker William Saveny, she put her religious faith into action by teaching poor children and visiting the sick among poor families. She practiced more plain dress, pain speech, and plain living. Marriage In 1800, Elizabeth Gurney married Joseph Fry, who was also a Quaker and, like her father, a banker and merchant. They had eight children between 1801 and 1812. In 1809, Elizabeth Fry began to speak at Quaker meeting and became a Quaker minister. Visit to Newgate In 1813 came a key event in Elizabeth Frys life: she was talked into visiting the womens prison in London, Newgate, where she observed women and their children in horrible conditions. She didnt return to Newgate until 1816, having two more children int aht time, but she began working for reforms, including those that became themes for her: segregation of the sexes, female matrons for female prisoners, education, employment (often kitting and sewing), and religious instruction. Organizing for Reform In 1817, Elizabeth Fry began the Association for the Improvement of Female Prisoners, a group of twelve women who worked for these reforms. She lobbied authorities including Members of Parliament a brother-in-law was elected to Parliament in 1818 and became a supporter of her reforms. As a result, in 1818, she was called to testify before a Royal Commission, the first woman to so testify. Widening Circles of Reform Activism In 1819, with her brother Joseph Gurney, Elizabeth Fry wrote a report on prison reform. In the 1820s, she inspected prison conditions, advocated reforms and established more reform groups, including many with women members. By 1821, a number of womens reform groups came together as the British Ladies Society for Promoting the Reformation of Female Prisoners. In 1822, Elizabeth Fry gave birth to her eleventh child. In 1823, prison reform legislation was finally introduced in Parliament. Elizabeth Fry in the 1830s Elizabeth Fry traveled extensively in western European countries in the 1830s advocating her preferred prison reform measures. By 1827, her influence had diminished. In 1835, Parliament enacted laws creating harsher prison policies instead, including hard labor and solitary confinement. Her last trip was to France in 1843. Elizabeth Fry died in 1845. More Reforms While Elizabeth Fry is known more for her prison reform activities, she was also active in investigating and proposing reforms for mental asylums. For more than 25 years, she visited every convict ship leaving for Australia, and promoted reform of the convict ship system. She worked for nursing standards and established a nursing school which influenced her distant relative, Florence Nightingale. She worked for the education of working women, for better housing for the poor including hostels for the homeless, and she founded soup kitchens. In 1845, after Elizabeth Fry died, two of her daughters published a two-volume memoir of their mother, with selections from her journals (44 handwritten volumes originally) and letters. It was more hagiography than biography. In 1918, Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards, daughter of Julia Ward Howe, published Elizabeth Fry, the Angel of the Prisons. In 2003, Elizabeth Frys image was selected to appear on the English ​five-pound note.

Maya Angelou, Writer and Civil Rights Activist

Maya Angelou, Writer and Civil Rights Activist Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928–May 28, 2014) was a celebrated poet, memoirist, singer, dancer, actor, and civil rights activist. Her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a bestseller published in 1969 and nominated for the National Book Award, revealed her experiences growing up as an African-American during the Jim Crow Era. The book was one of the first written by an African-American woman to appeal to a mainstream readership. Fast Facts: Maya Angelou Known For: Poet, memoirist, singer, dancer, actor, and civil rights activistAlso Known As: Marguerite Annie JohnsonBorn: April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, MissouriParents: Bailey Johnson, Vivian Baxter JohnsonDied: May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaPublished Works: ï » ¿I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in My Name, The Heart of a Womanï » ¿Awards and Honors: National Medal of Arts,  Presidential Medal of FreedomSpouse(s): Tosh Angelos, Paul du FeuChild: Guy JohnsonNotable Quote: My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Early Life Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father Bailey Johnson was a doorman and navy dietitian. Her mother Vivian Baxter Johnson was a nurse. Angelou received her nickname from her older brother Bailey Jr., who couldnt pronounce her name so he called her Maya, which he derived from my sister. Angelous parents divorced when she was 3. She and her brother were sent to live with their paternal grandmother Anne Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas. Within four years, Angelou and her brother were taken to live with their mother in St. Louis. While living there, Angelou was raped before she turned 8 years old by her mother’s boyfriend. After she told her brother, the man was arrested and, upon his release, was killed, probably by Angelous uncles. His murder and the trauma surrounding it caused Angelou to be almost completely mute for five years. When Angelou was 14, she moved with her mother to San Francisco, California. She took lessons in dance and drama on a scholarship to the California Labor School and  graduated from George Washington High School. That same year, at the age of 17, she gave birth to her son Guy. She worked to support herself and her child as a cocktail waitress, cook, and dancer. Arts Career Begins In 1951, Angelou moved to New York City with her son and her husband Tosh Angelos so that she could study African dance with Pearl Primus. She also took modern dance classes. She returned to California and teamed with dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey to perform at African-American fraternal organizations as â€Å"Al and Rita† throughout San Francisco. In 1954, Angelou’s marriage ended but she continued dancing. While performing at San Franciscos Purple Onion, Angelou decided to use the name Maya Angelou because it was distinctive. She combined the nickname her brother had given her with a new last name she derived from her former husbands surname. In 1959, Angelou became acquainted with novelist James O. Killens, who encouraged her to hone her skills as a writer. Moving back to New York City, Angelou joined the Harlem Writer’s Guild and began to publish her work. About the same time, Angelou landed a role in a State Department-sponsored production of George Gershwin’s folk opera  Porgy and Bess and toured 22 countries in Europe and Africa. She also studied dance with  Martha Graham.  Ã‚   Civil Rights The following year, Angelou met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she and Killens organized the Cabaret for Freedom benefit to raise money for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Angelou was appointed the SCLC’s northern coordinator.  Continuing her performance career, in 1961 she appeared in  Jean Genet’s play  The Blacks. Angelou became romantically involved with South African activist Vusumzi Make and moved to Cairo, where she worked as an associate editor for the Arab Observer. In 1962, Angelou moved to Accra, Ghana, where she worked at the University of Ghana and continued to hone her craft as a writer, working as a feature editor for The African Review, a freelancer for the Ghanaian Times, and a radio personality for Radio Ghana. While living in Ghana, Angelou became an active member of the African-American expatriate community, meeting and becoming a close friend of Malcolm X. When she returned to the United States in 1965, Angelou helped Malcolm X develop the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Before the organization could really begin working, however, he was assassinated. In 1968, while she was helping King organize a march, he, too, was assassinated. The death of these leaders inspired Angelou to write, produce, and narrate a 10-part documentary titled â€Å"Blacks, Blues, Black!† The following year, her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published by Random House to international acclaim. Four years later, Angelou published Gather Together in My Name, which told about her life as a single mother and budding performer. In 1976, Singin and Swingin and Gettin Merry Like Christmas was published. The Heart of a Woman followed in 1981. Sequels All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002), and Mom Me Mom (2013) came later. Other Highlights   In addition to publishing her autobiographical series, Angelou produced the film Georgia, Georgia in 1972.  The following year she  was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Look Away. In 1977, Angelou played a supporting role in the Golden Globes-winning TV mini-series Roots. In 1981, Angelou was appointed the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Then, in 1993, Angelou was chosen to recite her poem â€Å"On the Pulse of Morning† at President Bill Clintons inauguration. In 2010, Angelou donated her personal papers and other items from her career to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The following year, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Death Maya Angelou had been having health issues for many years and was suffering from heart problems when she died on May 28, 2014. She was found by her caretaker at her home in Winston-Salem, where she had taught for a number of years at Wake Forest University. She was 86. Legacy Maya Angelou was a trailblazer in achieving success in so many fields as an African-American woman. Immediate respondents to her passing indicated the breadth of her influence. They included singer  Mary J. Blige, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, and President  Barack Obama. In addition to the National Medal of Arts presented by President Clinton and the  Presidential Medal of Freedom presented by President Obama, she was given the Literarian Award, an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the literary community. Before her death, Angelou had been awarded more than 50 honorary degrees. Sources Maya Angelou Biography. Biography.com.Maya Angelou: American Poet, Memorist, and Actress. Encyclopedia Britannica.Poet Maya Angelou. Poets.org.Maya Angelou. Poetryfoundation.org.

Assignment 1 Week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment 1 Week 5 - Essay Example help entrepreneurs learn what trends a certain country has been following or what are the driving factors for people. Google Analytics gives details of traffic, sources of traffic, new visitors, average number of pages visited, the search engine driving most traffic and even the key words driving traffic. There are some sites that even provide information regarding how trends in countries have changed. Such data can be used by entrepreneurs when entering new markets and when venturing into new business arenas. This whole data eventually leads to the fact that entrepreneurs need to keep bringing innovation, because at the end of the day it is the entrepreneur’s Unique Selling Proposition that makes him the winner. IT is not only used for competitive analysis, but is also used by different professionals in order to look for information regarding their field. For instance, IBM has designed an innovation called Care360 which helps the doctors to learn about the effects of a certain medicine on a specific patient. This has helped the doctors and the patients by giving them satisfaction and a sense of safety and

Budget cuts on education in california Research Paper

Budget cuts on education in california - Research Paper Example Now one might ask why this would be caused. Budgets cuts are affecting students the most. They are paying for less and because of the cuts campuses are stretching their resources. As the state continues to reduce funding levels, the system will most likely continue to raise fees for the operational costs of the schools. (Newell) The combination of rising unemployment, declining consumer spending, declining asset values, and foreclosures has led to declining state revenues. And the number of people in poverty is growing, adding costs to state budgets for programs such as Medicaid and social services. Education is by far the largest component of state budgets. Some 46 percent of all state general fund expenditures is devoted to elementary, secondary, and higher education.(Johnson) According to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, California is reducing funds towards K-12 education as well as reducing the length of the school year. Doing this is thought to lower the misfortunes of the recession, as well as giving us a kick start in improving our debt. Now this is an argument for why cutting school will be beneficial to the state of California. Unfortunately, what also goes along cutting education is the money given to students who are unable to fully pay tuition. Therefore, the state of California has also decided to cut grants which in turn will lower the chances of many intelligent individuals who suffer from poverty to enroll in a well known University. Both of Californias public college systems raised their fees recently. California State University trustees approved a 5 percent increase for next semester, and University of California regents passed an 8 percent increase for fall 2011.Those hikes are on top of repeated increases over the past few years (Guerra). With all these cuts and rising tuition this will cause a major downfall in the uprising of many intelligent individuals. California will fall back on education and this will

Marketing- Analyzing Buying Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing- Analyzing Buying Behavior - Essay Example â€Å"eco-friendly† product can be created through informative advertising by telling consumers the hazards of using the product that are not made for the wellbeing of the environment. Another danger in the proposal is the pricing of the new product which will be charged 150% more than the current price. However, if the consumer perceives that the product is not doing a better job than their conventional products, then once again our marketing proposal could lose out. Hence, careful pricing needs to be done to see if it is consistent with the benefits that it promises to render. The increase in the availability of the product in various retail outlets will be very beneficial for the business and this could increase our sales and profits and we can try to increase retailing outlets for even our conventional products. Commercial products are often sold to different organizations once a problem is recognized by these institutions. As far as the anti-bacterial is concerned we should go with the plan. The reason behind this is that currently there is no competitor in the market and we can afford to charge high prices without losing any customers. We can therefore squeeze the maximum revenue from the market until new competition arises in the market of anti-bacterial cleaners. The consumers in this market have no opportunity for supplier search and we can squeeze the total market sales from our production. Neither will they need any proposal solicitation nor will they be reviewing our performance as there be no benchmark in the market. Thus we can go in the market to meet our objectives. Similarly, we can also repackage the wax product due its distinct features in the market and command high prices. This again will be a success due to lack of any similar product in the market. Therefore, we can trust Rena and immediately implement the plans as proposed by her to meet our marketing objectives. This exercise provided us with knowledge that businesses can produce a

“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller Essay Death of a Salesman â€Å"Death of a Salesman† by Arthur Miller is a narration about American society, its expectations and attitudes that shape people’s lives. It is told through the lives of a salesman Willy, his family and several other people who, in some way, have an impact on them. Willy, who falls into his imaginary word of the past frequently during the day, is regretful for some of his actions in the past that ‘prevented’ him of becoming rich. Now, he wants his sons to succeed who are in their 30s and are of different characters. Although the genre of the play is realism, the author uses attributes of surrealism that help in developing the story. The protagonist of the play has an imaginary word that reminds him of his past; thus helping the audience to see the motives of his or his family’s current actions. The play starts when Willy has already gotten into a trouble because of dreaming while driving which suggests that the play is not about an ordinary person. For the reader, the shift from reality to dreams of Willy is sometimes warned by the long speech of his or by the reaction of the people around him. As for the audience, there are visual effects that the author recommends for the play in order to illustrate his story clearly. â€Å"†¦ in the scenes of the past these boundaries are broken, and the characters enter or leave a room stepping â€Å"through† a wall onto the forestage†. Moreover, the play is full of symbols and diverse characters. The ‘new† critic would notice the significance of the names. Some of the names of the characters reflect to their personalities; such as the name of the younger son of Willy whose name is Happy and he is careless and self-assured. Biff (which also means a hit, a clout), is the elder son who has a troubled relationship with his father. He goes against his father’s wish of getting a prestigious job in New York since he finds himself unfit for it. In contrary to his father, he finds his strength and self-esteem in the end of the play. However, the marxist critic would notice the positions and actions of the rich and poor. Uncle Ben who visits Willy’s imaginary world time to time is the brother of his. He became rich after he went to Alaska, and this continues to disturb Willy throughout the play and has a huge impact on his behavior because he had overlooked the chance. Also, Willy faced the bitter truth when he got fired from his job. Although, he had worked f or the company for thirty-four years, he received no sympathy when he asked to stay and work in the town he lived in and be paid a small amount of salary. Consequently, he was worried that his sons won’t think of him good and nobody will remember him. â€Å"†¦Because he thinks I am nothing, see, and so he spites me. But the funeral, Ben, that funeral will be massive! They’ll come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont†¦ -I am known, Ben, and he’ll see it with his eyes once and for all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The feminist critic would observe the behavior and the status of Linda who is the wife of Willy and how she was portrayed. She is caring and patient with Willy. All through the play, she takes the side of her husband and encourages him. She is also presented as humble and tolerable towards their financial and social status. The only thing she dreams of is paying off the house mortgage and the bills so they can enjoy a free life. Despite these ‘perfectâ₠¬â„¢ traits, Linda is passive in her actions and lacks of understanding some situations and her husband’s behavior. After the suicide of Willy, she says, â€Å"Why did you do it? I search and search †¦I can’t understand it. I made the last payment on the house today†¦We are free and clear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Possibly, Willy’s suicide is part of the consequence of her character. In this play, Arthur Miller introduces a society by developing a story about a salesman and involving several other people. Ironically, those people have some impact on Willy’s fate and his family. Biff loses his self-confidence and drive when he discovers his father with ‘the woman’. He fails math class which becomes the foundation of his future failures and career choices. There is also Willy’s neighbor and his son Bernard who is a friend to Biff and a foil to Willy. However, nothing is told about Bernard’s life until Willy loses his job and meets Bernard on his way to borrow some money from his father. The author lines the scenes and the actions in a way that support in showing the psychological and emotional effects on Willy and Biff. Willy wonders how Bernard became successful, but his son is still struggling and they were childhood friends. Here Bernard ‘reminds’ him of the math class which Biff failed and refused to continue after discovering his father with another woman. Although Uncle Ben is Willy’s brother who shows up in his imagination and gets into a conversation with him, his replies to Willy are more likely Willy’s own answers and opinions about himself. The fact that he could not become more than a traveling salesman and be known and respected is haunting Willy throughout his life. The author tries to show that Willy’s desires and attitude towards life had an effect on those around him and the other way around; the people around him had an impact on his actions and fate. Consequently, this is how a society behaves.

China’s Economic Expansion: Implications for U.S. Trade and Hegemonic Stability

China’s Economic Expansion: Implications for U.S. Trade and Hegemonic Stability A Changing Global Landscape China is very rapidly approaching economic parity with the United States, which may lead to significant global shifts in power.   Hegemonic stability theory suggests that an international system is more likely to remain stable if a single player is a dominant world power, thus the global equilibrium tends toward a hegemonic state.[1]   The United States emerged as the global hegemon after World War II, specifically in terms of economic power, and has largely provided stability for the global economic system since that time.   While the U.S. has been able to maintain this position throughout most of the 20th Century, China is rapidly rising as an influential economic player and could potentially displace the United States as the global economic leader.   China’s ambitious economic expansion projects, including the New Silk Road initiative and Made in China 2025, have the potential to shift the nexus of economic power from the United States’ and the West toward a Europe-China-centric scenario.   Additionally, the rise of populist-nationalist political rhetoric within the United States could portend a policy shift toward economic protectionism, which would further accelerate the demise of the U.S. economic hegemon and the rise of China as its successor.   It would be in the best interest of the United States to engage with China in a cooperative and mutually beneficial way, perhaps even as a partner in China’s economic development initiatives, in order to preserve American economic prosperity. China’s Economy: An Historic Overview Insight into China’s modern strategy for economic expansion is only possible within the context of China’s past.   Throughout most of China’s history, the Chinese economy was barely able to meet the basic needs of the country’s huge population, including its basic nutritional needs.[2]   Drought, war and social unrest often led to periods of famine and mass starvation before 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party came to power.[3]   After this transition, food storage became centrally controlled by the government.   This method allowed the country to successfully avert famine, and food production grew rapidly after 1949.   This increase in productivity was largely matched by population growth until the one-child policy was instituted in the 1980’s, thus the increased production capacity was not able to outpace essential consumption needs, and very little surplus was produced.[4] The long-term goal of the Communist party was to transform China into a modern, industrialized nation with improved living standards and minimal economic disparity (i.e. a classless society), and to modernize military equipment.   The government leadership initially adopted the Soviet economic model, which focused on achieving a high rate of economic growth that emphasized industrial development at the expense of agricultural development.   Through this process, a solid foundation was created in iron and steel manufacturing, coal mining, cement making and other modern industrial technologies.   Although the government also endeavored to facilitate the mobilization of agricultural resources by encouraging farmers to organize into increasingly large and socialized collective units, the results were not as dramatic as the level of growth within the industrial sectors.[5] In response to the tepid growth in the agricultural sector, in 1957 the Chinese government largely shifted authority for economic decision making to the provincial, county, and local level.   During this time, the Chinese leadership abandoned the Soviet model and instead adopted an approach that relied on spontaneous efforts by the entire population to induce a â€Å"great leap† within all economic sectors at once, which helped to stimulate agricultural growth.   The initial problem with this approach was the lack of sufficient capital to invest in both industrial development and agriculture simultaneously.   To overcome this problem, the leadership attempted to create capital within the agricultural sector by building vast irrigation systems, employing huge teams of underemployed farmers.[6] Despite these advances, the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s under Mao Zedong severely stifled technological innovation within China.[7]   This was largely a political phenomenon, where the Communist Party attempted to consolidate power by expelling any hint of budding capitalist ideas, Chinese traditionalists, and intellectuals.   However, it had a pronounced effect on the growing Chinese economy.   Factory managers were largely replaced with Communist Party operatives who had very little knowledge of management or of the enterprise they were supposed to run.   Engineers, scientists, and other professional personnel were sent to the countryside as laborers, or were jailed as dissidents.   Additionally, the Cultural Revolution forced the closing of Universities, which severely hindered China’s ability to develop new technology.   This loss of key knowledge resulted in a 14% decline in industrial production by 1967.[8] In the late 1970’s, after the death of Mao, the Chinese government reaffirmed the modernization program espoused prior to the Cultural Revolution.[9]   The Chinese leaders determined that the centrally planned economy had failed to produce sufficient economic growth, and had caused China to fall behind the industrialized powers of the West and the newly industrialized Asian nations.   While the Communist leadership did not want to completely abandon the centrally planned economy idea, it strived to make it work better by increasing the role of market mechanisms and by reducing the level of centralized government control.   For industry, this included increased autonomy and the ability of managers to keep profits instead of remitting everything earned to the state.   While some key industries were still centrally controlled, individual enterprise was allowed (to an extent) as a means to incentivize economic growth and to reduce unemployment.[10] In recent history, China has been less of an innovator and more of an imitator of foreign technology and innovations.   China’s modern industrial development paradigm lags behind that of the developed world.   While the Chinese government has policy initiatives to encourage internal research and development and technology transfer from outside economies, shortcomings from the pre-reform, planned economy era have constrained China’s ability to efficiently innovate.   China’s Modern Innovation Strategy   In order for any economy to innovate and grow, individual firms must focus on a combination of internal research and development efforts and external technology acquisition.   In this context, the definition of â€Å"technology† is expanded from the vernacular to include processes and ideas that enhance a firm or organization’s ability to compete.[11]   Establishing a strategy that combines these efforts most efficiently is necessary to maximize overall economic development.[12]   In modern microeconomic theory, internal research and development and external technology acquisition are considered to be complimentary innovation strategies.   Economic activities are complimentary if the adoption of one does not preclude the other, and if the sum benefit of implementing both activities concurrently is greater than the benefit of implementing just one or the other.[13]   Assuming the complementarity of internal research and development and external technology a cquisition, authors Fu, Pietrobelli and Soete argue that the absorptive capacity of any small or medium firm within a developing economy is the limiting factor to successfully executing technology transfer.[14]   The authors define absorptive capacity as â€Å"a firm’s ability to recognize the value of new information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends.†[15] In another study, Authors Hou and Mohnen[16] tested the complementarity of internal research and development and external technology transfer in Chinese firms and found that the two technology acquisition strategies are indeed complimentary, but that external technology acquisition yielded higher returns than internal research and development for small and medium firms.   Additionally, the authors found that state-ownership of firms correlated with both product and process innovation, presumably because of increased access to financial and policy support from the central government.   This relationship would likely increase the absorptive capacity of the firm.   This suggests that small and medium firms with no government connection may be at a disadvantage due to a reduced absorptive capacity, and may be incentivized to work closely with the central Chinese government in order to acquire the necessary resources to compete within the Chinese and global marketplace.[17]   Thus , while China’s modern economic development strategy is ostensibly about supporting the expansion of small, private firms, state-connections are highly incentivized by the market. The New Silk Road China’s New Silk Road initiative is a logical extension of China’s economic expansion and modernization efforts.   This initiative is an allusion to its namesake trade network stretching from China to Central Asia and the Middle East, which was established over 2,000 years ago.[18]   In 2013, China proposed establishing a modern analog to the ancient Silk Road; however, instead of transporting silk and spices, this would build a network of railways, pipelines and utility grids to link China to the Middle East and Eastern Europe via Central Asia.[19]   Also known as the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR), this massive infrastructure project aims to create the world’s largest network for economic cooperation.   This development would make it much more efficient for China to trade with 65 countries, representing 60 percent of the global population.[20]   China markets the initiative as a net win for all parties involved, and host governments see the New S ilk Road as an opportunity for job creation, economic development, and participation in the global supply chain.[21]   The New Silk Road initiative would allow China to more efficiently project soft power within Asia, Africa and Europe, which could have significant trade and national security implications for the United States.   Chinese firms have increased their foreign investment within partner countries in order to pave the way for the New Silk Road.   According to the Economist, several economic research organizations predict that the total Chinese investment abroad could rise to $2 trillion USD by 2020.[22]   For comparison, this figure was less than $800 billion USD at the end of 2014.[23]   As stated previously, Chinese firms are strongly incentivized to maintain connections with Chinese state-owned entities (or to be state-owned entities themselves), thus it stands to reason that much of the value earned through this investment will directly benefit the Chinese government.   The Chinese regime’s entanglement within the region will likely introduce significant hurdles to U.S. activities, and may diminish U.S. influence in Central Asia, the Middle East, and possibly Europe.   It is worth noting that Beijing established $100 billion USD Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIID), a multinational funding body, to support New Silk Road investments. [24]   The AIID currently has 57 members, including Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Russia.[25]   Notably absent is the United States. Made in China 2025 Not only is China expanding its economic reach and soft power influence within Eurasia via the New Silk Road, but it is also working to shift its overall production upmarket from low level manufacturing to advanced technology development.[26]   Made in China 2025 is an effort to completely upgrade Chinese industry.   The Chinese government has outlined clear principles establishing the goals of the initiative, including a desire to comprehensively upgrade Chinese industry by making it more efficient so that it can participate in the highest-level global production chains.   It also strives to create more innovation-driven manufacturing that emphasizes quality over quantity, environmentally sustainable development, and human capital management.[27]   While these are worthy goals for any country, China’s upmarket shift from manufacturing large quantities of inexpensive, low-quality goods to high-tech, high-quality products could disrupt the global market for high-tech go ods because of China’s large production capacity.   In the same way that inexpensive Chinese manufacturing has shifted labor from the United States to China, an upmarket shift in China’s manufacturing may have the same effect on highly skilled workers within the United States. Implications for the United States In order to mitigate the global effects of China’s economic expansion that may be detrimental to the U.S. strategic position, it is imperative for the United States to engage with China in a cooperative and mutually beneficial way.   President Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of trade deals, and has been especially harsh on Beijing, effectively blaming low Chinese labor costs for the perceived lack of American jobs.[28]   According to the United States Trade Representative, two-way trade with China was $598 billion USD in 2015, thus making China the United States’ largest trading partner.[29]   If the anti-Chinese rhetoric manifests as higher tariffs on Chinese imports, China may focus its trade efforts away from the United States and toward its New Silk Road partners, thus significantly reducing U.S. international trade.[30] The impact of arresting trade with China on U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) is difficult to ascertain due to competing variables, but it is likely to have a net negative effect.   While tariffs would increase the net exports variable used in calculating GDP (the U.S. is a net importer from China), they may adversely affect other factors that contribute to GDP.   For example, Chinese goods are less expensive to produce than U.S. and most European goods.   Thus, if the United States diverts its import activities from China to Europe or increases domestic production, these goods will likely be more expensive than the Chinese alternatives, thus reducing overall domestic consumption within the United States.   This new equilibrium would also affect the supply of domestic goods as demand decreases, thus also reducing U.S. investment in domestic production (and a subsequent reduction in demand for labor).   Overall, this may lead to a net decrease in the U.S. GDP and a reduction in available jobs within the United States.   This American jobs loss would be exacerbated further as China shifts its manufacturing capabilities upmarket via the Made in China 2025 initiative, which may induce the offshoring highly skilled U.S. jobs in addition to skilled labor.   Not only would tariffs further incentivize China to focus its trade efforts on its New Silk Road partners, but they may evoke the second order effect of encouraging Europe to look to China for economic leadership.   This could occur if China responds to U.S. tariffs by accelerating its economic expansion into Eastern Europe.   This would likely reduce U.S. economic influence in Europe, and thus limit the U.S. ability to project soft power within the region.   This would further shift the hegemon toward China as the global economic leader.   In conclusion, Chinese economic expansion activities, including the New Silk Road Initiative and Made in China 2025, could lead to a global hegemonic shift.   This is especially true as China expands its influence toward Europe.   As the United States’ global influence wanes, Europe and U.S. allies within Central Asia may turn to China as the new hegemon – a new global economic leader.   Global power structures are dynamic, and it is unlikely that the future global power landscape will encompass a unipolar U.S. hegemon as it has in the past.   However, a multipolar hegemon including both the United States and China is surely possible.   It would benefit the United States to engage China in a cooperative and mutually beneficial way by preserving economically liberal trade arrangements.   Additionally, the U.S should strive to maintain its position as a major soft power player in Asia and Europe and work diligently to maintain its trade relationships withi n Europe and Central Asia, possibly through partnering with China on the New Silk Road.   This is of great strategic importance not only for the U.S. national security, but also for continued American economic prosperity. Bibliography Buck, John.   China’s Farm Economy. (University of Chicago Press, 1930). Carbaugh, Robert. Contemporary Economics: An Applications Approach. (Cengage Learning, 2006). Christensen, Clayton M.   The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change).   Harvard Business Review Press.   January 5, 2016. Cohen, Tyler.   â€Å"Seeing China Through its Economic History.† Bloomberg (July 25, 2016), Accessed 4 April 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-25/seeing-china-through-its-economic-history Cohen, Wesley M. and Levinthal, Daniel A., Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation, Administrative Science Quarterly 35, no 1 (1990):128-152. Elisseeff, Vadime.   The Silk Roads: Highways of Culture and Commerce.   Berghahn Books, 2000. Fu, Xiaolan, et al., â€Å"The Role of Foreign Technology and Indigenous Innovation in the Emerging Economies: Technological Change and Catching-up†, World Development 39, no 7 (July 2011): 1204-1212. Gramer, Robbie.   â€Å"All aboard China’s ‘New Silk Road’ Express.† Foreign Policy.   4 January 2017. Guluzian, Christine R. â€Å"Making Inroads: China’s New Silk Road Initiative.†Ã‚   Cato Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Winter 2017). Heilmann, Sebastian.   â€Å"China’s Technology Grab.† The International Economy.   Spring 2016. Hou, Jun and Mohnen, Pierre, â€Å"Complementarity between in-house R&D and technology purchasing: evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms†, United Nations University Working Paper, (August 2011). Jinchen, Tian. ‘One Belt and One Road’: Connecting China and the World. McKinsey&Company: Capital Projects and Infrastructure.   July 2016. â€Å"Made in China 2025.†Ã‚   Center for Strategic and International Studies.   Accessed 31 March 2017. http://www.csis.org/analysis/made-in-china-2025. Miller, Berkshire, J.   â€Å"Dissecting Trump’s Hardline Rhetoric on China.† China U.S. Focus.   Accessed 4 April 2017.   http://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/dissecting-trumps-hardline-rhetoric-on-china. Morrison, Wayne M.   â€Å"China’s Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges and Implications for the United States.† Congressional Research Service Report. (October 21, 2015). Oatley, Thomas.   International Political Economy, 5th Edition.   New York: Routledge, 2016. Office of the United States Trade Representative.   The People’s Republic of China.   Accessed 4 April 2017.   https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china. Slate, Robert. â€Å"Competing with Intelligence: New Directions in China’s Quest for Intangible Property and Implications for Homeland Security,† Homeland Security Affairs 5, no 1 (January 2009):1-27. â€Å"The New Silk Road.†Ã‚   The Economist Special Report. September 2015. Worde, Robert, et al., ed, China: A Country Study (Federal Research Division, U.S. Library of Congress, 1987). [1] Thomas Oatley.   International Political Economy, 5th Edition.   New York: Routledge, 2016. [2] John Buck.   China’s Farm Economy. (University of Chicago Press, 1930). [3] Robert Worde, et al., ed, China: A Country Study (Federal Research Division, U.S. Library of Congress, 1987), 207. [4] Ibid, 207. [5] Ibid, 215. [6] Ibid, 216. [7] Tyler Cohen.   â€Å"Seeing China Through its Economic History.† Bloomberg (July 25, 2016), Accessed 4 April 2017. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-25/seeing-china-through-its-economic-history [8] Ibid, 220. [9] Wayne M. Morrison.   â€Å"China’s Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges and Implications for the United States.† Congressional Research Service Report. (October 21, 2015). [10] Ibid, 223. [11] Clayton M. Christensen.   The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change).   Harvard Business Review Press.   January 5, 2016. [12] Jun Hou and Pierre Mohnen, â€Å"Complementarity between in-house R&D and technology purchasing: evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms†, United Nations University Working Paper, (August 2011): 1-23. [13] Robert Carbaugh. Contemporary Economics: An Applications Approach. (Cengage Learning, 2006), 35. [14] Xiaolan Fu, Carlo Pietrobelli, Luc Soete, â€Å"The Role of Foreign Technology and Indigenous Innovation in the Emerging Economies: Technological Change and Catching-up†, World Development 39, no 7 (July 2011): 1204-1212. [15] Wesley M. Cohen and Daniel A. Levinthal, Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation, Administrative Science Quarterly 35, no 1 (1990):128-152. [16] Hou and Mohnen. [17] Robert Slate, â€Å"Competing with Intelligence: New Directions in China’s Quest for Intangible Property and Implications for Homeland Security,† Homeland Security Affairs 5, no 1 (January 2009):1-27. [18] Vadime Elisseeff.   The Silk Roads: Highways of Culture and Commerce.   Berghahn Books, 2000. [19] Tian Jinchen, ‘One Belt and One Road’: Connecting China and the World. McKinsey&Company: Capital Projects and Infrastructure.   July 2016. [20] Robbie Gramer.   â€Å"All aboard China’s ‘New Silk Road’ Express.† Foreign Policy.   4 January 2017. [21] Christine R. Guluzian. â€Å"Making Inroads: China’s New Silk Road Initiative.†Ã‚   Cato Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Winter 2017). [22] â€Å"The New Silk Road.†Ã‚   The Economist Special Report. September 2015. [23] Ibid. [24] Guluzian, Cato Journal. [25] Ibid. [26] Sebastian Heilmann.   â€Å"China’s Technology Grab.† The International Economy.   Spring 2016. [27] â€Å"Made in China 2025.†Ã‚   Center for Strategic and International Studies.   Accessed 31 March 2017. http://www.csis.org/analysis/made-in-china-2025 [28] J. Berkshire Miller.   â€Å"Dissecting Trump’s Hardline Rhetoric on China.† China U.S. Focus.   Accessed 4 April 2017.   http://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/dissecting-trumps-hardline-rhetoric-on-china [29] Office of the United States Trade Representative.   The People’s Republic of China.   Accessed 4 April 2017.   https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/china-mongolia-taiwan/peoples-republic-china [30] Gramer, Foreign Policy.