Natural monopoly Essay

I believe that times change and as they, change rules and regulations must adapt to the times. Therefore, the treatment of the different industries must represent the different industries as they grow. I do not think the Telephone and Broadcast should never have or ever be considered a â€Å"Natural Monopoly†. The concept of natural monopoly presents a challenging public policy dilemma. On the one hand, a natural monopoly implies that efficiency in production would be better served if a single firm supplies the entire market. On the other hand, in the absence of any competition the monopoly holder will be tempted to exploit his natural monopoly power in order to maximize its profits. A â€Å"natural monopoly† is defined in economics as an industry where the fixed cost of the capital goods is so high that it is not profitable for a second firm to enter and compete. There is a â€Å"natural† reason for this industry being a monopoly, namely that the economies of scale require one, rather than several, firms. Small-scale ownership would be less efficient. Natural monopolies are typically utilities such as water, electricity, and natural gas. It would be very costly to build a second set of water and sewerage pipes in a city. Water and gas delivery service has a high fixed cost and a low variable cost. Electricity is now being deregulated, so the generators of electric power can now compete. But the infrastructure, the wires that carry the electricity, usually remain a natural monopoly, and the various companies send their electricity through the same grid. Cable as a â€Å"Natural Monopoly† Nearly every community in the United States allows only a single cable company to operate within its borders. Since the Boulder decision [4] in which the U. S. Supreme Court held that municipalities might be subject to antitrust liability for anticompetitive acts, most cable franchises have been nominally nonexclusive but in fact do operate to preclude all competitors. The legal rationale for municipal regulation is that cable uses city-owned streets and rights-of-way; the economic rationale is the assumption that cable is a â€Å"natural monopoly. † The theory of natural monopoly holds that â€Å"because of structural conditions that exist in certain industries, competition between firms cannot endure; and whenever these conditions exist, it is inevitable that only one firm will survive. † Thus, regulation is necessary to dilute the ill-effects of the monopoly. [5] Those who assert that cable television is a natural monopoly focus on its economies of scale; that is, its large fixed costs whose duplication by multiple companies would be inefficient and wasteful. Thus, competitive entry into the market should be proscribed because it is bound to be destructive. The Competitive Reality 1. A skeptic hearing exhortations that cable television is a natural monopoly that should be locally regulated could have some questions at this point. First, if cable is a natural monopoly, why do we need to guarantee it with a franchise? Economists Bruce Owen and Peter Greenhalgh argue persuasively that given economies of scale, if a cable company â€Å"is responsive and efficient in its pricing and service quality then there will be little incentive for competitors to enter, and no need for an exclusionary franchise policy. â€Å"[9] Thus, if entry restrictions are necessary to arrest competition, the industry by definition is not a natural monopoly. 2. Second, if cable is a natural monopoly, is it necessarily a local monopoly? Some observers use the terms interchangeably, but there is no evidence that economic laws respect municipal boundaries. Given large fixed costs, does it make sense to award a local franchise to one company when another already has facilities in an adjacent community? Yet such â€Å"wasteful duplication,† as the natural monopoly proponents would call it, occurs frequently under the franchise system. Local franchises make no sense in a true natural monopoly setting. 3. These questions, however, go to the heart of natural monopoly theory itself, a doctrine that is under increasing attack. [10] In the face of crumbling conventional wisdom in this area, the burden should be on the natural monopoly proponents to demonstrate that competition is not possible, and further, that regulation is necessary. Such a demonstration will prove impossible in the cable context. Cable is both extremely competitive, facing both direct and indirect market challenges, and, in any event, is better left unregulated. For many decades, economic textbooks have held up the telecommunications industry as the ideal model of natural monopoly. A natural monopoly is said to exist when a single firm is able to control most, if not all, output and prices in a given market due to the enormous entry barriers and economies of scale associated with the industry. More specifically, a market is said to be naturally monopolistic when one firm can serve consumers at lower costs than two or more firms (Spulber 1995: 31). For example, telephone service traditionally has required laying an extensive cable network, constructing numerous calls switching stations, and creating a variety of support services, before service could actually be initiated. Obviously, with such high entry costs, new firms can find it difficult to gain a toehold in the industry. Those problems are compounded by the fact that once a single firm overcomes the initial costs, their average cost of doing business drops rapidly relative to newcomers. The telephone monopoly, however, has been anything but natural. Overlooked in the textbooks is the extent to which federal and state governmental actions throughout this century helped build the AT&T or â€Å"Bell system† monopoly. As Robert Crandall (1991: 41) noted, â€Å"Despite the popular belief that the telephone network is a natural monopoly, the AT&T monopoly survived until the 1980s not because of its naturalness but because of overt government policy. † I hope that the above facts help support my beliefs that these industries should not be considered Natural Monopolies. These companies just executed and had better site than other in the same industry had. Today ATT is just as strong as it ever was. References Benjamin, S. M. , Lichtman, D. G. , Shelanski, H. , & Weiser , P. (2006). FOUNDATIONS. In Telecommunications Law and Policy . (2nd ed. ). (pp. 437 – 469). Durham, NC : Carolina Academic Press. Foldvary, F. E. (1999). Natural Monopolies . The Progress Report. Retrieved January 9, 2012, from http://www. progress. org/fold74. htm Thierer , A. D. (1994). UNNATURAL MONOPOLY: CRITICAL MOMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BELL SYSTEM MONOPOLY . 14(2).

Lady in a Machine Shop: Margaret E. Knight

Margaret E. Knight was born in York, Maine in1838. Margaret was very interested in tools and machinery even as a young child. Woman in that period were not considered to be mechanically inclined or to be interested in machinery.   Children especially were not thought to be creative enough to invent things. Margaret, however, began inventing things at a young age and had her first success very early in life. She witnessed a horrible accident at the cotton mill where she and her brothers worked. Many people had tried over the years to make the looms safer for the workers but no one had come up with an idea that worked. Margaret spend hours and hours creating a safer design for the loom piece in question and at the tender age of 12 she had her first working invention. The covered shuttle she invented is still in use on cotton looms today. In 1868, Margaret moved to Massachusetts and began working at the Columbia Paper Bag Company. Paper bags at that time were envelope shaped and held closed by having twine or string wrapped around them. Square bottom bags were rarely used because they had to be made by hand and were very expensive. Margaret decided that there was definitely room for improvement and set about trying to create a machine that would cut, fold and paste square bottoms bags by itself. This would make the bags much less expensive to produce and do the work of many people with only one machine. She worked days at the Columbia Paper Bag Company and while she worked, she studied the machines that were in existence there already. At night, she took her ideas home and spent hours building and rebuilding models of a machine she thought would create a better paper bag machine. It took a very long time and a massive amount of work to get what she wanted from the  machine. She tested and adjusted and changed things in the plan until it was just what she wanted. Once the design of the machine was perfect, she hired some one to make the actual machine for her. The models had not been very sturdy and she wanted one made of iron that would hold up to a full days work. While Margaret was doing all this, a man named Charles Annan stole her idea and had a patent put on it under his own name. Margaret had put too much work into this machine and was not going to sit by and let someone else take the credit for it. She took Charles Annan to court over stealing her idea and her patent. Charles Annan was confident that he could win by convincing the judge that no woman understood machinery and would never be able to design and build a machine complex enough to make square bottom paper bags. Charles Annan underestimated Margaret Knight and it cost him the court battle. Margaret brought in all her drawings, plans and models of the machine. She explained how it worked and why it would improve the method currently used. Her knowledge and documentation proved to the judge that she was the rightful owner of the design and the machine. Margaret got her patent for the paper bag in 1870. She co-founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870 as well and put her invention to work. She is known as the Queen of Paper Bags and her invention is used to this day, along with the design she created for the square bottom paper bag. References: Tag Brill, M. (2001) Margaret Knight Girl Inventor Mill brook

Response Essay: Issues Related to Soft Drinks Essay

This essay is a response to â€Å"Negative health effects of soft drink consumption confirmed in study† written by Jacqueline Weaver (March, 2007). The essay was published to http://www. yale. edu/opa/arc-ybc/v35. n21/story12. html. The main idea of the essay is about issues relating to soft drink consumption. The purpose of the author was to inform readers how soft drinks can affect health and also information regarding false researches and data involving soft drinks. Many people don’t think that soft drinks are that harmful to their body but according to non-funded research soft drinks can be very damaging to human health. As the essay has stated that soft drink consumption has rapidly increased in the United States many people have tried to decrease its distribution, however, there are still many people who protests against this idea (Waever, 2007). In my opinion, I think one of the reasons why people don’t take the risk seriously because of how it looks. Soft drinks don’t seem as life threatening to most people as a big piece of chocolate cake. Advertising is also another factor, most soft drinks advertisement are very friendly and soft drinks company also try to come up with new products to make soft drinks seem healthier. Another reason why people are not worried of health risks related to soft drinks is because of the researches funded by the food industry. â€Å"It is alarming that industry-funded studies so consistently favor industry and that these reports muddy what are otherwise clear waters,† says Kelly D. Brownell. In my opinion I think it is wrong for someone to go though all that trouble of false advertising just because they want to sell a health harming product. Many studies found that soft drinks are related to great caloric intake but most people still choose to consume them because some of them choose to lower their calories in other types of food instead (Waever, 2007). However, food with higher calories might be less harmful than most soft drinks. In my own knowledge I have learnt that soft drinks can cause obesity and can lead to heart problems, diabetes and other serious illness. I completely agree with the author because I personally do not drink soft drinks and not because of just its health risks but because I have no appeal to its taste. Many help problems are caused by soft drinks and unhealthy food, however, there are also many ways to decrease the risks. One of the prevention is stated in the essay, which is to eliminate or decrease the distribution of soft drinks at schools (Waever, 2007). I personally think that this is a great idea because most people who consume soft drinks in their adult life are brought up with it. Consequently consuming soft drinks regularly becomes a habit. As I have stated in my essay earlier that I do not consume soft drink and I think that the reason for that is because when I was growing up my parents have never stocked soft drinks in the fridge therefore I would always drink juice and healthier drinks. As a result I have no appeal to soft drinks at all. There are also many other ways to prevent health issues relating to soft drinks but the most important and the easiest way relies on soft drink consumers. This is because all the researches and proves in the world is not going to change the way one think only the consumer can change their own mind. In conclusion, as the author has informed us that there are great health risks revolving soft drinks along with many conspiracy in health researches (Waever, 2007). Therefore, it is our job to look after our self. People have to be more careful about their food intake and eating habits. The government also needs to help promote healthy eating and lower prices of healthy food and maybe increase the price of unhealthy food. After the help of many hands I’m sure that health problems caused by food will rapidly lessen.

CRIME MAPPING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

CRIME MAPPING - Assignment Example This paper makes out the most logical step in crime mapping based on the prior introduction of 3D computer aided crime mapping that enables individuals to scrutinize a crime or felony in all dimensions. Factors such as the benefits and liabilities associated with crime mapping, ways in which 3D technology is used to deal with social problems of crime, as well as the privacy issues and constitutional rights issues of crime mapping will also be investigated. Introduction According to Wrobleski & Hess (2005), crime mapping is a process that allows law enforcers to create in your mind or envision the distribution of delinquency within a particular region. Mapping makes available a lifelike and detailed illustration or demonstration of transgressions as well as other linked factors. Law makers can either create straightforward or complex illustrations. It is important to posit that straightforward illustrations aid the police in identifying areas that need intensified patrols. Complicated illustrations aid strategy creators and detectives to monitor movements hence making it easier to react or take action when a crime is taking place. Boba (2005), on the other hand, asserts that law enforcers can incorporate the use of scientific or computer aided illustrations to comprehend the attacking modes of murderers or assassins, identify the residences or dwelling places for criminals, and also make out subsequent areas for attacks. In the modern world, law enforcers in many countries have adopted the use of mapping technology to establish the position of a caller hence making it possible for officers reacting on the call have first hand proof. This is important as it ensures the security and wellbeing of law enforcers is upheld when reacting to urgent situations. Practical and procedural severity in the avoidance and control of transgressions has been witnessed to advance and progress over the recent past. This has been as a result of a joint venture among scientific inves tigators and other concerned parties (Boba, 2005). This has been coupled with the introduction of accessible and easy to use Geographic Information Systems which has been endorsed to present and offer important methodical and investigative devices or instruments for the detection and investigation of issues of delinquency and also growth and expansion of delinquency deterrence strategies. The most significant future prospect of crime mapping is the fact that it has the capability of discovering and classifying early indications of a crime through a point in time. Another assurance of crime mapping is the capability to enlighten a practical advancement towards crisis resolution and deterrence of transgression within the law enforcement component of the criminal justice system (Chamard, 2006). There have been efforts in the recent past to design novel designs of mapping software though most of these are in their infant phases of development. 1. Logical step to take with introduction o f 3D crime mapping technology Since there has been the introduction of a 3D computer generated mapping technology, the next reasonable step would be to foretell future crimes. This is because the capacity to forecast the position or locality of potential felonies that might happen provides an important and helpful foundation of information that can be beneficial in combating future crime. Chamard (2006) argues that forecasting the happening of future felonies in form of prophetic analysis may update and enlighten the law enforcers on where to position and set up security operations. This can also assist in identifying areas that require frequent patrols by law enforcers. Putting up cameras in every corner of streets in major towns and neighborhoods enables inspection of regions

Minister who must respond to queries from the opposition during Essay

Minister who must respond to queries from the opposition during question period in the House - Essay Example On Thursday last week, some members of the opposition pointed out the sudden increase in the operating cost of some airplane. They also cited the case of a large number of people who have lost their job due to increased operating cost in the airline industry (Hsu, 2011). There was a proposal by some members for the carbon tax to be abolished in order to prevent loss of jobs and increase cost of living. The carbon tax faces some challenges in its current form and therefore requires your intervention. A number of environmental experts are of the opinion that the carbon tax should not be abolished; instead, it should be revised and a section of the contentious clauses such as cost be repealed (Gandhi et al., 2007). A report from the environmental shield agency has cited increased awareness and conformation to the carbon tax and advised against its abolition. A detailed, comprehensive and insightful statement is expected from you by 25th March, 2014 in order to convince the house members on the relevance of the carbon tax. Further, evaluate the contentious clauses and look for a solution from environmental experts. Gandhi, V. P., Cuervo, J., Gandhi, V. P., & International Monetary Fund. (2007). Carbon Taxes: Their Macroeconomic Effects and Prospects for Global Adoption A Survey of the Literature. Washington, D.C: International Monetary Fund Hassett, K. A., Mathur, A., Metcalf, G. E., & National Bureau of Economic Research. (2007). The incidence of a U.S. carbon tax: A lifetime and regional analysis. Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic

Sustainable Development in Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sustainable Development in Iran - Essay Example Renewable energy (RE) and related technologies are popularly viewed as solutions to the growing issues of pollution, global warming and climate change. The development of new technologies in this domain is thus viewed across the world as a way to diversify the range of energy sources available and secure the growing needs in the coming decades. RE is also a key driver for sustainable development and to reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels (Magoha, 2009). Despite the importance of developing RE technologies and encouraging their use through sustainable strategies, various technological and economic constraints have impeded its development in the Islamic republic of Iran. Given that the country is home to over a tenth of the world’s crude oil reserves and a fifth of the global natural gas reserves, the Iranian government has been quite negligent towards promoting alternate sources of energy (Kelly, 2009). Apart from government assistance in RE, the nation has been affected by decades of international economic sanctions, which has restricted access to some of the most efficient technologies in the RE domain. Thus, the technological infrastructure used for exploiting the fossil fuels within the nation remains inefficient and there is a need to devise ways to address these issues through favorable energy policies, technological research and efficient management. Other issues such as stagnation of social development and poverty are also preventing the government from giving any long-term thought to RE (Kelly, 2009). Iran is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide which has nearly doubled since 1990 to over 400 MMT in 2009. Kelly (2009) identifies numerous factors including low efficiency and utilization rates of energy among various industrial sectors, rising wealth and an increase in the consumption of fossil fuels as primary contributors to this alarming trend, which is also aided by the relatively cheap energy prices. Magoba (2009) further adds to these concerns by stating that the major polluters in this context are the country’s biggest cities. Migration of the rural population to bigger cities in search of employment and livelihood has led to rapid urbanization resulting in a surge in the number of vehicles, consumption of fuels, inefficient public transportation networks and the use of old vehicles that are incapable of burning the fuel efficiently. Studies by Chaturvedi (2008) have established that Iran is currently underdeveloped in harnessing energy from wind turbines. In fact, the country has a huge potential of up to 15000 Megawatts of electricity generation by tapping vast amounts of energy from wind. Given the fact large parts of Iran are categorized as windy regions, harnessing energy from this medium is not only an elaborate possibility, but can also prove financially profitable in the long run. The region also enjoys a long period of sunshine on an annual basis. The average annual exposure to sunshine in Iran has been estimated at about 3000 hours per year (Chaturvedi, 2008). However, most solar energy projects are currently in a research phase and are yet to be commercialized. Thus, there is a need for the government to hasten the process of development and research in these areas. Iran primarily lacks any sound policy frameworks that can aid in the sustainable development of renewable energy technologies. Policies are required not just to support any research initiatives in this area, but are also necessary to facilitate a successful and wid espread adoption of RE sources across the country. Any few directives that have been framed in this context have not been helpful in guiding stakeholders towards implementing RE in specific areas. Thus, Iran currently lacks a consistent approach in implementing any longstanding RE framework. Currently, a mere 9% of Iran’s energy needs are met by RE sources primarily due to lack of policies and supporting infrastructure (Magoha, 2009). Companies that operate in the RE sector in Iran are facing

Sex education should be allowed in schools in cameroon Research Paper

Sex education should be allowed in schools in cameroon - Research Paper Example To give perspective of this difference, 67 percent of all HIV is in Africa as compared to the rest of the world (National Academy of Sciences, 2010). In Africa, Cameroon can be taken as a glaring example, where lack of sex education has caused an alarming increase in teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, infections and HIV. Rural areas, in particular are most affected, where sex education is not provided to children. Parents, however, are not confident of it as this education may increase curiosity in children to experiment sex at a very young age. There is a glaring link between knowledge and an informed decision. Knowledge is the prerequisite to an informed stance. Education is the primary source to induce this knowledge and sex education in Cameroon must be allowed to control the situation at hand. The paper will look in detail the factors supporting inclusion of sex education in schools and incorporate opposing point of views. Cameroon is one of the worst hit countries even in Africa to suffer from the lack of sexual awareness. Almost 5.8 percent of its population suffers from HIV, which is the highest in the West African bloc (World Health Organization, 2006, p. 22). Over time the adult HIV prevalence rates have gone up from 0.6 percent in 1990 to 5.1 percent as per statistics of 2010 (National AIDS Control Committee, 2010, p. 9). The adult rate indicates that the factors contributing to the problem must be outside the birth cycle since babies born of HIV are not included in this figure. These numbers solely represent the factors responsible for this increase over the years. Some of these factors include; multiple sexual partners, low condom use and transmission through unprotected sex. All of these factors have a fairly simple solution, that is, sex education to discourage unprotected sex and the awareness to use protection in order to avoid transmission of HIV. These measures are implemented around the globe and it is this education that keeps

Business Report - Country Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Report - Country Analysis - Essay Example However, the oversaturation in the market provides some obstacles and the option of joint venture and partnership appears to be the most profitable in expansion in the wine industry. France has been a major power in the European Union. Over the last 500 years, the country has flourished in various sectors like economy and culture. The political influence of the country also has been significant in the European Union. France has been one of the most developed countries and it is the world fifth largest economy as measured under the GDP and the ninth largest in terms of the purchasing power parity of the country. People in France enjoy high standard of living with good level of education throughout the country. The country has also a strong democratic foundation and the government is unitary semi presidential. In terms of economy France is the member of G8 group of nations. France is the origin country of the 39 biggest organizations in the world. The country has a mixed economy with a major number of the private enterprises and also a considerable number of state and government organizations. The government of the country has considerable influence over the key s egments of the economy which includes the infrastructure sector, agricultural sector and all the sectors operating in the country. According to the figures of World Trade Organization, in 2009 France became the world’s sixth largest exporter and the fourth largest importer of the manufacturing goods. The overall economic strength of the country can also be accounted from the fact that in 2008 France emerged out to become the largest receiver of foreign direct investment among the various OECD countries. French organizations also invested significantly towards the economy which further empowered the overall economic condition of the country. In matters of economy, the financial service, banks and the insurance sectors are an important

Introduction to criminal justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to criminal justice - Assignment Example The extrajudicial measures stipulated by the Act have significantly decreased incidents through which the offending youth are charged. The measures, which include police cautions, referrals, crown cautions, taking no further action by the police and extrajudicial sanctions, are presumed to be sufficient to hold nonviolent and first-time offenders accountable for their actions. However, the presumption was ill-adviced, as shown by the lack of effectiveness on most of the first time offenders as well as the youth who participated in serious crimes. For example, a 2013 poll has shown that among the youth who committed violent crimes in 2011 and were given lenient judgments through extrajudicial means, 60 percent have already re-offended, which is only within a period of two years. For such serious youth crimes, prison sentences have declined by 25 percent within the same two year period. Before enacting the YCJA in 2003, the rate of youth incarceration in Canada was among the highest in the Western countries. It was characteristic of youth sentences not being proportionate to the degree of seriousness of the committed crime. Custody was a common sentence even in cases not considered to be serious, and the youth courts handed very invasive sentences for minor crimes in a bid to address social and psychological needs. However, the YCJA reserves custody sentences for violent and repeat offenders as well as those who did not comply with optional sentences. This has given plenty of room for the increase of first-time offenders who often go free. Question Two As a crime prevention initiative, sentencing aims to contribute towards maintaining a safe, peaceful and just society as well as respecting the law. With an emphasis on the future conduct, rehabilitative sentencing principles are oriented towards curing offending persons of the causes that led them to crime. On the other hand, retributive principles have their focus on the past conduct of the offending persons, mak ing them pay for their crimes. Unlike rehabilitative measures which promote responsibility among offenders and an acknowledgment of the damage done, retributive principles also place a lot of emphasis on expressing the disproval of the society regarding crime. In the past two decades, sentencing in Canada has shifted from rehabilitative to retributive principles because of the emphasis of the criminal justice system’s emphasis on crime prevention. In 1997, the criminal justice system, as well as people who participated in a poll, supported alternative sentencing, community service and rehabilitation services rather than prison and heavy fines. However, after the turn of the millennium and in keeping with the provisions of section 718(b) of deterring offenders and potential offenders from participating in crime, there was a shift. The retributive principles were believed to send messages of severe punishment for crime. For example, the sentence for using a firearm while commit ting a crime increased from 10 years in 1999 to 25 years in 2001. In the same period, a life sentence for a violent offence was handed at the second conviction, down from the third one. That was a time when the criminal code had 29 offences that triggered the mandatory minimum sentence, whereas six years earlier there were only 19. With the increasing popularity of the mandatory minimum sentence among politicians, many private bills have been enacted with the belief that harsh penalties are effective

Effects of Economic Recession on American Jobs Research Paper

Effects of Economic Recession on American Jobs - Research Paper Example This was the most severe form of economic recession that US had experienced in decades. A vast majority of industries in US were affected by this economic recession. US could not find any way to escape the economic recession when the whole world had actually completely soaked in it. The circumstances took a fortunate turn in the last three months of 2009, and the economy began to grow and become strong, though the graph soon took a downward turn specifically in the later half of 2010 when the growth of GDP in US fell to 2 per cent. â€Å"The federal stimulus money that has added at least 1% but likely 2% or more to the GDP growth will be winding down and that could put at least as much of a drag on the economy as the boost it gave† (Hall). When the recession was at its apogee, the years were full of pain for a lot of Americans because they had lost jobs. According to an estimate, as many as three quarters of a million jobs were being lost on a monthly basis in US in the years of recession (Bureau of Labor Statistics†). The rate of unemployment in US reached 10.2 per cent by October, 2009. Since then, it has shown a slight decline and has reached 10 per cent. Before stabilizing, the unemployment rate in US is expected to go up till the end of 2011. A loop of negative feedback was introduced by the economic recession which is expected to keep dragging the US economy for a while in the near future despite the fact that the economic recession has largely declined. Some of the components of this loop are high rate of unemployment, inability of the unemployed to pay their mortgages and bills, and weakened wealth from loss of equity. People in US are suffering from lack of income. Their lowered financial status is causing them to save more and spend less. Owing to the tightness of the credit, people in US are finding it hard to purchase homes or establish new businesses. As a result of the declined consumer spending, businesses have lowered their producti on in an attempt to improve their efficiency. A lot of companies in US have downsized in the past two to three years and the rate of recruitment has declined accordingly. US government has shown a similar trend. The value of property has steadily gone down along with the property tax revenues. Accordingly, the sales have been lowered together with the sales tax revenues. Owing to the lowered incomes, and a lot of losses, income taxes have been lowered. On the other hand, US government is spending much more than ever before in order to cater for the needs of the unemployed. This has caused the US government to increase the payable fees as well as cut back services. As a result of this, governmental contracts and government employees have reduced in number. The Federal governments have plunged into the scenario in a very aggressive manner with a view to distorting the loop of negative feedback. The Federal governments aimed at minimizing the downfall of the global economy so that the loop of negative feedback would be reversed. However, as a consequence of the massive spending and increased involvement in economy, the US government now feels the need to retract itself so that the debt that has thus been incurred could be paid back. This can be easily achieved by if the US economy continues to grow like it did grow by 5 to 8 per cent after the end of economic recession. However, it is important to realize that the recovery of economy is not occurring in a

Gender and Flag Question Essay Example for Free

Gender and Flag Question Essay Feminists argue that gender matters because _____. Select one: a. it helps us bring some order to a chaotic world b. it structures social relations between people c. it emphasizes natural differences that exist between men and women d. there are roles for which men are each better suited and other roles for which women are better suited Question 2 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text Your introductory sociology professor believes that gender roles serve a purpose in society to fulfill certain functions. What type of theoretical background is your professor espousing? Select one: a. conflict b. postmodern c. structuration d. structural functionalism Question 3 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text Which of the following theories is associated with the idea that gender is a process—a product of our everyday social interactions? Select one: a. psychoanalytic theory b. conflict theory c. microinteractionist theory d. postmodern theory Question 4 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text How might a sociologist describe the difference between homosexuality and homosexual behavior? Select one: a. Homosexuality is a fixed social identity that is determined at birth, and homosexual behavior is the outward manifestation of that identity. b. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, whereas homosexual behavior is a choice about how to act in a particular moment and context. c. Homosexuality implies having a certain social identity, whereas homosexual behavior is a choice about a particular activity at a particular time. d. Homosexuality implies obtaining a social identity through repeated homosexual behavior Question 5 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text While policies that overtly discriminate against women have mostly been driven from the workplace, there still exist covert barriers that are often referred to as _____. Select one: a. the mommy track b. the glass ceiling c. hegemonic masculinity d. the glass escalator Question 6 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text _____ is a nearly universal system involving the subordination of femininity to masculinity. Select one: a. Patriarchy b. Sexism c. Matriarchy d. Hegemonic masculinity Question 7 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text Gender studies can be said to focus on the relationship between _____. Select one: a. nature and nurture b. sex and sexuality c. men and women d. sexual preference and social environment Question 8 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text Which of the following statements offers an essentialist explanation for gender differences? Select one: a. Women find themselves in lower paying jobs with fewer opportunities for advancement because such jobs make it easier for them to balance work and family. b. Women take on more responsibility for domestic tasks because men still think of such things as women’s work. c. There are far fewer women professors in the hard sciences because women are tracked toward the humanities and social sciences. d. Women are overrepresented in professions such as nursing, teaching, and social work because they are inherently more nurturing and caring than men. Question 9 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text Women working in male-dominated professions often find that there are _____ opportunities for advancement, and men working in female-dominated professions often advance _____ their female colleagues. Select one: a. limited; more slowly than b. limited; as quickly as c. ample; as quickly as . limited; more quickly than Question 10 Not yet answered Marked out of 3. 00 Flag question Question text The interview with Paula England highlights the changing gender dynamics of relationships for college students. In what way have the female college students that Dr. England describes lost a level of equality with male college students? Select one : a. Women have more limited choices in dating partners. b. Women encounter a lack of reciprocal sexual pleasure. c. Women encounter reduced communication about relationships from men. d. Women are burdened with a larger share of the â€Å"emotional work† required to keep a relationship function.

English class system Essay Example for Free

English class system Essay The rigidity of the English class system is the root of tragedy in both novels. Discuss how far and in what ways do you agree or disagree with this? In both novels the rigidity of the social class system is the main cause of the tragedy although there are other aspects in each novel that add to the tragedy such as forbidden love, childhood innocence and jealousy. All these factors lead to Robbie Turner being falsely accused and later imprisoned for the rape of Lola due to Briony’s jealousy of the love that Robbie has for her sister Cecilia, in ‘Atonement’. They also contribute to Ted Burgess suicide as a result of his shame due to his social class and also Leo’s jealousy and childhood innocence, all this played a role in Marian Trimingham and Ted Burgess being caught and the subsequent tragedy that occurred such as Leo Colston’s physiological trauma in ‘The go between’. The social divide in ‘Atonement’ was very obvious; Robbie was accepted into the Tallis family but was never equal to them. Cecilia almost feared the relationship she had with Robbie because of his class and the repercussions it could have for her and her family within the upper class sociality â€Å"Why dont you talk to Robbie anymore?† â€Å"I do. We just move in different circles, thats all.† The social divide is also obvious after Lola’s rape in the way that it is only the men of a lower class that are questioned throwing aside the reputations that Robbie Turner and Danny Hardman had with the family and honest, hardworking men. The final thing that shows the class divide is when Cecilia finally confesses her love for Robbie her family disown her and she is force to live a lower class life because the Tallis family are scared of how their reputation would be affected if they gave their blessing for their daughter to marry not only a lower class but one that had been convicted of rape The social divide in ‘The go between’ is clear because of the fact that Ted comes from a much lower class than Marian meaning there can be no possible future for the relationship because of the social taboos involved â€Å"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.† Another way in which social divide is evident in this novel is when Leo decides that he is not comfortable to continue being the go between Marian and Ted but Marian pressures him into doing it with the help the power that comes with her higher class. Although social class in the root of all the tragedy’s that happen in the novel there are sub tragedies such as jealousy, childhood naivety and forbidden love. Jealousy is the second biggest factor that adds to the tragedy in ‘Atonement’ because if Briorny had not been jalousie of the clear affection Robbie had for Cecilia she would not have opened the letter thus she would not have been so bias when she saw Lola was being raped. Although it also seems that Briony may have been trying to seek revenge on Robbie as age was hurt by the fact he loved Cecilia more than her and this came to a head when Briony walked in on Robbie and Cecilia in the library. This factor of jealousy also links in closely with childhood innoce nce as later on in the novel Briony realises her naivety as a child How guilt refined the methods of self-torture, threading the beads of detail into an eternal loop, a rosary to be fingered for a lifetime. The fact she did not truly understand what was going on and what the consequences of her actions would lead to and the dire consequences it would hold for everyone involved. Childhood innocence is the second biggest contributor to the tragedy in the novel ‘The go between’ as when Leo begins to read the letters he is taking between Marian and ted he becomes uncomfortable with the contents of them due to his childhood innocence and nativity towards life. Also when he tries to stop being the go between for Maria and Ted he is put under psychological pressure and is forced to continue â€Å"Grown-ups didnt seem to realize that for me, as for most other schoolboys, it was easier to keep silent than to speak. I was a natural oyster.† . Ultimately, Leo’s involvement as messenger between the lovers has disastrous consequences. The trauma which results when Maria’s family discover what are going on leads directly to Ted’s suicide. The third most important factor that influenced the tragedy in the novel ‘Atonement’ would be childhood innocence this affects how the novel ends up greatly as it is clear that Briony is in love with Robbie and from the way she talks of him you can see even though she feels as if she has matured she is still very childish in her ways The very complexity of her feelings confirmed Briony in her view that she was entering an arena of adult emotion and if she cannot have him then nobody can. Although she may have not intended for the events to become tragic as they did. â€Å"Yes. I saw him. I saw him with my own eyes.† It was clear that it was not just Robbie but Cecilia that she was punishing as well for the fact she has stolen Robbie from her in her eyes â€Å"I wouldnt necessarily believe everything Briony tells you. Shes rather fanciful†. Another thing is that if Briony had not been a child at the time she would have taken a much different perspective on the many events that led her to thinking that Robbie was a â€Å"sex maniac† The third most important factor that contributed to the tragedy in ‘The go between’ was the forbidden love between Marian and Ted because if it had not been for the love that they had for each other Leo would not have become the go between and later on being forced to carry on and t would also not have led to Ted’s tragic suicide. There was also the forbidden love between Leo held for Marian that eventually led to Leo being put under immense psychological pressure â€Å"Not Adam and Eve, after eating the apple, could have been more upset than I was.† The Feminist view on the use of it in ‘Atonement’ would be, Feminism adds greatly to the tragedy caused by the social class because women in the novel are portrayed as weak and fluttery in the way that they cannot stick to one thing and follow their hearts over their head â€Å"What do you say, Cecilia? Does the hot weather make you behave badly? Good heavens, youre blushing.† wseaA good example of this is when Cecilia is adamant of Robbie’s innocence but nobody listens to her as they all think she is just a silly woman that has fallen in love with a man below her class Ill wait for you was elemental. It was the reason he had survived. It was the ordinary way of saying she would refuse all other men. Only you. Come back†. The fact that only men are conscripted into the army and women where simply not allowed to join splints Robbie and Cecilia up again and exacerbates the clear line between peoples thoughts on women at that time. The other instance that feminism affects this novel is when Lola is raped in the way that Paul Marshall believes women as objects and that they are only there to satisfy men. This gives a clear view of how women where objectified in this time A Feminist view of the use of it in ‘The go between’ would be, the reason that the love between Marian and Ted is forbidden because Marian is the higher class person in the relationship at the time, whereas if the man had been the upper class he probably would have been commended for having a mistress â€Å"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.†. This is because at that time women were thought to be led by their hearts rather than their heads which in most circumst ances lead to dire consequences and are patronised by men when they make a mistake â€Å"Its better to write about things you feel than about things you know about.† . The other instance of Feminism in this novel is A Marxist opinion on the use of it in the novel ‘Atonement’ is that, Marxism and the class system are closely related in the way that there is a huge amount of social inequalities in the novel that led to Robbie’s imprisonment. This is shown when the police only question Robbie Turner and Danny Hardman about the rape of Lola and even though the family have known Robbie the whole of his life once he is accused of the rape they quickly turn on him and do not for a second believe him when he pleads his innocence â€Å"what is the point now they just want the hideous thing to be forgotten† as they believe that nobody from the upper class could ever commit such a heinous crime. This enhances the idea that reader has of the adults and even though they are supposed to be mature and have a more even outlook on life they are still very childish on their outlook on the class system and the way that it affects a person. They also believe that it is only people of a lower class that would ever commit a crime. Marxism applied to another factor that caused the tragedy could be when the Talli’s family take Robbie in out of pity because he is from not only a lower class but from a broken family as well. They then pay for his education which puts emphasises on the distance between the classes. A Marxist opinion on the use of it in ‘The go between’ is that, Marxism and the class system are closely related in the novel in the way that there is a huge amount of social inequalities in the novel that led to not only Ted’s suicide, but the physiological damage that is done to Leo in the process â€Å"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.† Marxism applied to another factor that causes tragedy could be when the Maudsley family take Leo in out of pity, showing the clear division of classes at that time and even though they treat his well he is always clearly an outsider. A good example of this is when Marian pressures him into carry on delivering messages between Ted and her even though it is clearly making him feel uncomfortable. In conclusion of both ‘The go between’ and ‘Atonement’ the key causes of the main tragedy is the social divide between the classes and that the upper class are all too happy to use the lower class for their benefit and then disown them as soon as they become a hassle. The 2 novels also share the sub causes to the main tragedy’s which are forbidden love, childhood innocence and jealousy. Although in each of the novels the sub causes did affect the main tragedy in different amounts.

Scandinavian History And Society Politics Essay

Scandinavian History And Society Politics Essay Scandinavian countries have enjoyed an international reputation for combining generous welfare state entitlements with rapid economic growth, low unemployment and very high levels of labour force participation, particularly among women.  [1]  The Path for the emergence of Scandinavian countries to becoming a welfare state was not easy and it is different from each other country Scandinavian countries. Throughout the twentieth century, the scope of social planning in Scandinavia continuously ex-panded, with the aim of achieving balanced economic and social development-that is to say, economic growth as well as social justice. Thus, fighting poverty went hand in hand with state institution building for social and economic growth as well as political democracy, and was pioneered by broad-based popular social movements  [2]  . Sweden: Sweden has become known as the prototype for the Social Democratic welfare state. Since around 1960, the modern Swedish social security system was built on a combination of universalism, i.e. that social rights encompassed all inhabitants and income security, guaranteeing the standard of living for those who for some reason could not continue to work  [3]  . The late 19th century for Sweden brought lots of interior problem which were connected with the social issues such as poverty, emigration, economic and social lack of assurance, industrialization, urbanization and capitalistic system for wage labour. As other Nordic countries Sweden was also dominated by the big proportion of rural population more than 50 % who were the tax payer and had a key role in the political system mostly live in the country side had farms and basically dependent upon agricultural, fishery and forestry with some insurances but the question raised for the urban working class who were the sufferi ng one. This struggle was strictly genderized. Social welfare and more economic efficiency were the main motto during 1946-1950 with a proper public pension and general health insurance with compulsory schooling for the children. 1950-60 were the part of economic crises in Swedish history. 1960-70 child care, old age people health care was specially focused by the government and also blocket in 1968 with a 4 week vacation and expansion secondary school and universities. 1970-80 oil crises which expanded the problems in Sweden. 1980s- 2000 where the era of economic development or we can say more focused on economic development. Changing the society, medical development and neo-liberal Ideas of Carl Bildt has supported the emergence of Swedish welfare state. Norway: The emergence and the development of a welfare state in Norway as associated with the labour party government after the Second World War. The Norwegian welfare state is a product of the policy of the Norwegian Social Democratic Party. Such an assertion has certain relevance, but it must be considered in the light of the time-span within which one places the establishment and moulding of the welfare state  [4]  . Period from 1935-1978 were considered as the golden age of Norway and the 1880-1935 were the foundation of welfare state in Norway. The local councils play an integral part in Norwegian welfare system because local autonomy was very much appreciated and democratized of politics taken at early stage. At early stage farmer were the dominating political factor support the local autonomy and establish the laws how the community is going to develop. A concept was developed in farmers and general public to helping people to help themselves which drive individual to work by own pay their debt by own self and be self-reliant. The social care act bill (1845-1964) self help and self reliance was the core of the bill which was for the mutual support and responsibility among the families. The Norwegian welfare model is type of comprehensive because it is based on universal principle it is benefiting each and every strata of the Norwegian society. Another important feature of the Norwegian welfare state is that cash support from the National security system (folktrygden) is based on ones income, that is, in relation to ones salary in the labour market. Furthermore, the public sector is responsible for the social welfare goods or services. These services are being delivered by the communes and state or private organisations that receive public aids under strict public control. There is always a political struggle to stop the development in the commercialisation of these public goods that the public delivers.  [5]   Sweden and Norway had two motives first to create a contemporary identity which are echoed from the past and the rationalist instrumental to bound the democratic movement and namely given in shape of training of mature human being to increase the participation in the countrys public affair. In both the countries during the time of introduction of welfare state term the rural farmer were the dominating factor and tax payers. With a view to the ill-defined conditions with the party co-operation with the farmers and in light of the fact it was through the support of the farmers parties that the social democratic party in both Sweden and Norway  [6]  social democratic parties on the region were Sweden was considered as the exception were as Norway was very much close to the development in Europe even though most of the democrats on the region stayed outside. It was somehow hard to explain the Norwegian radicalism. Conversely it is possible to view the situation in Sweden as opposite of bulls perception namely that the working class was more oriented or action oriented in Sweden then in Norway  [7]  . Sweden and Norway turned themselves from a small, revolutionary, class struggle parties to the big, national, unifying parties and worked for modernization program in their respective countries. The social democrats in Sweden and Norway turned to reformism and won the strong positions. In 1919 Norden organization in which Norway, Denmark and Sweden work together for the mutual enlightenment and cultural co-operation among Scandinavian countries. They both share the Scandinavian identity and they have an extensive network of labor movement and academic world there is a strong inclination to copy each other. Old age care and public pensions, which tend to benefit females more than males since the longevity for females is significantly longer than for males  [8]  . 1914 Sweden introduced public pension scheme. The pension include old age pension and disabilility pension which were compulsory the pension were given after the age of 67 or earlier if person is unable to do work. The Norwegian public pension is formed on the same theme as the Swedish insurance scheme. The reform in Norway is inspired by the Swedish pension reform, in part by changing over to a lifetime-based pension earning and by introducing a flexible pension which is neutral in design.  [9]  The reform look identical at a first glance but from closer context the difference shows. Norwegian pension system is traditional social insurance while Swedish traditional one pay as you system in which financial risk are transferred from state to individual. difference in outcome of the two countries reform processes is proba bly best explained by different perceptions on future crisis in the old age pension system, and of course, the different national economic position of the two countries. By transforming the petrol fortune into a pension fund, Norway has secured a financial buffer for future pension payments that is already six times as high per capita than the Swedish financial buffer.  [10]   Conclusion: Specific historical social and economic structural configurations in Scandinavia may have been conducive to the development of a participatory political culture, consensus building (compare with the political compromises of the 1930s), a strong role of local and central government, and the overall support for the principle of universalism (education, health and social security). But the uniqueness of the Scandinavian historical experience does not rule out an assessment of the implications of developing governmental capacity and institutions for promoting welfare, and for the possible positive implications of the principle of universal policies for the general level of welfare.  [11]  Trust is a fundamental prerequisite for the welfare state. If we didnt trust one another, the whole model that the Scandinavian societies are built around would collapse even before it was implemented.  [12]  

The Formation of Personality through Socialization Essay -- Social Psy

The Formation of Personality through Socialization The process by which personality is formed as the result of social influences is called socialization. Early research methods employed case studies of individuals and of individual societies (e.g., primitive tribes). Later research has made statistical comparisons of numbers of persons or of different societies; differences in child-rearing methods from one society to another, for example, have been shown to be related to the subsequent behaviour of the infants when they become adults. Such statistical approaches are limited, since they fail to discern whether both the personality of the child and the child-rearing methods used by the parents are the result of inherited factors or whether the parents are affected by the behaviour of their children. Problems in the process of socialization that have been studied by experimental methods include the analysis of mother-child interaction in infancy; the effects of parental patterns of behaviour on the development of intelligence, moral behaviour, mental health, delinquency, self-image, and other aspects of the personality of the child; the effects of birth order (e.g., being the first-born or second-born child) on the individual; and changes of personality during adolescence. Investigators have also studied the origins and functioning of achievement motivation and other social drives (e.g., as measured with personality tests). Several theories have stimulated research into socialization; Freudian theory led to some of the earliest studies on such activities as oral and anal behaviour (e.g., the effect of the toilet training of children on obsessional and other "anal" behaviour). Learning theory led to the study of the effects of rewards and punishments on simple social behaviour and was extended to more complex processes such as imitation and morality (e.g., the analysis of conscience). The self Such concepts as self-esteem, self-image, and ego-involvement have been regarded by some social psychologists as useful, while others have regarded them as superfluous. There is a considerable amount of research on such topics as embarrassment and behaviour in front of audiences, in which self-image and self-esteem have been assessed by various self-rating methods. The origin of awareness of self has ... ...problems involved. Similarly, the causes of delinquency and crime have been extensively studied, but it is not feasible to manipulate the factors influencing crime, such as genetic factors, methods of upbringing, and inequalities of opportunity. Social psychology has made some contribution to education; sociometry is quite widely practiced as a means of grouping children, and evidence is growing about the optimum styles of teacher behaviour. (M.Ar.) (Ed.) << Previous | Next >> Contents of this article: Introduction Research methods Social perception Interaction processes Small social groups Social organizations 20th-century approaches Personality Socialization The self Attitudes and beliefs Various specialties in social psychology Bibliography Information about this topic in other articles: social psychology assessment of attitudes attitude from attitude contribution by Lewin Lewin, Kurt from Lewin, Kurt Mead Mead, George Herbert from Mead, George Herbert development as social science Social psychology from social science use in definition of prayer Origin and development from prayer

Free College Essays - The Results of Sin in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter -  Ã‚  Inevitable Results of Sin There are many ways to interpret literature.   Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered a very influential writer of the American Transcendentalist era; his writing deals a lot with the Puritan times, including his famous novel, The Scarlet Letter.   The Scarlet Letter deals with the adulterous sin of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the vengeance of Roger Chillingsworth, and the townspeople's attitude towards Hester and her daughter Pearl.   Sin can be categorized many ways, but most importantly, one should remember that bad things always develop from sin.   The fact that Hester and the minister sinned led to the townspeople looking down on Hester and Pearl, while Reverend Dimmesdale concealed his crime of passion making Hester's scarlet letter 'A' the central symbol of the novel. As the people of Boston scrutinized Hester and Pearl, their devotion to the Lord's word soon turned to hatred.   "At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne's forehead," were the thrashful words of an autumnal matron in a throng of people.   Under the appellation of Roger Chillingsworth, Hester's former husband constantly battered her.   These actions filled him full of vengeance soon making him into a fiend.   From the people treating Hester bad, and the unruly acts of Roger Chillingsworth, it is clearly shown that one sin can lead to many others. Another example of sin erupting into more evils is Reverend Dimmesdale's camouflage act with his duality in the adulterous parody.   Chillingsworth treated the minister even more uncivilized than he treated Hester; this earned him the title of the leech.   As a physician, he was well respected, but his fiendish acts of hatred towards the minister turned him into a black devil.   Seven years after Hester served her persecution on the scaffold with young Pearl, Reverend Dimmesdale served his punishment.   Not only did the sin of Reverend Dimmesdale make him lose all consciousness, when he confessed his crime, he lost his life to the cause.   Through trying to avoid his sin, the reverend made

Plato Essays -- essays research papers

Socrates' ideal city is described through Plato in his work The Republic, some questions pondered through the text could be; How is this an "ideal" city formed, and is justice in the city relative to that of the human soul? I believe Socrates found the true meaning of justice in the larger atmosphere of the city and applied that concept to the human soul. Socrates describes his idea of an "ideal city" as one that has all the necessary parts to function and to show that justice is truly the harmony between the three stages of the city and soul in the human body. Plato introduces the idea of the happiness. Socrates says, "†¦in establishing our city, we aren’t aiming to make any one group outstanding happy but to make the whole city so, as far as possible " (Plato 420b). I agree that in order to examine one thing that is difficult to comprehend, it is wise to look on a larger scale. In this case, Socrates had to examine the difference of a whole city and other concepts of cities in order to determine justice in the world and inner soul. In order to develop the perfect city Socrates had to develop the other ideas that contribute to the "ideal city", the City of Need, and the City of Luxury in order to develop the Perfect City. I believe Socrates in-depth discovery process for the perfect city is a great philosophical look into the idea of justice. Socrates brought up a subject many men at that time would never have thought about and Plato believed that the idea of justice was worthy of writing a literary work to pass his philosophy on to future generations. Since the crucial elements of justice may be easier to observe on the larger scale like a city than on one individual. The focus for Socrates is a perfect city, because the city will represent human soul, Socrates says; "we'll go on to consider it in the individuals, considering the likeness of the bigger in the idea of the littler?"(Plato 369a). Plato's "ideal city" is really the search for the truth of justice, if Socrates were able to find the relationship between the soul and city in his "ideal city" then he would have the true meaning of justice. We saw from the reading how he came about braking down the city's parts and also that of the soul in order to see the reaction between three different regions which Plato and Socrates descri... ...It is fine if you are the upper class, but the guys at the bottom want to achieve success and rise to the top. That is a reason for the American Revolution and all other revolutions that have spurred from the lower class. No one wants to be content with being at the bottom; everyone wants to be at the top. Plato's ideal city would work if people were content with their god given positions. If there is harmony between the groups, then there is happiness, as we see in the soul and city throughout The Republic. However, in real life people find harmony with themselves when they achieve their goals and live a good life. I agree with that philosophy because I also want to achieve more and I am happy when I achieve my goals. No one is truly happy though because people will always want more. I agree that Plato's idea was great and a well-devised plan which provided the basis for many cities that have flourished in the past. However how could one totally agree with a proposal that is fro m so long ago, it is simply outdated in practice but not theory. We can still strive for inner harmony and harmony within a community and society but we must find that harmony through trials of our own.

Current Article: Deviance & Control

Current Article: Deviance & Control I chose an article from the Atlanta Metro Newspaper. The article I chose to write about had to do with Bishop Eddie Long and his ex-wife’s allegations of his beating her throughout their marriage. There is a lot going on in the news about Mr. Long and his allegations of sexual coercion with four young men. If this isn’t a form of deviance, than I don’t what is. I know deviance deals with crime that that break cultural norms and this subject breaks a lot of our cultural norms as Americans.You would think that a Bishop would not fit this topic at all, but it just goes to show that anyone is capable of committing a crime, even a Bishop. I feel that the author uses different sociological perspectives. This article isn’t necessarily trying to get the reader to believe that Mr. Long is guilty of these allegations; the author is simply stating that it is out of the norm to hear about a Bishop being accused of beating his wi fe and sexual coercion. With a fallacy, an argument of some sort should be brought up in the case. The fallacy of logic in this article is whether or not Mr.Long is guilty of the allegations brought by his wife of domestic violence during their marriage. This would actually be a deductive argument being that his wife is a witness and that the argument contains some form of evidence that could back this allegation up. Another fallacy brought up in this article is accusing Mr. Long of sexual coercion on four counts with four different victims. This fallacy would also be an example of a deductive argument because it involves victims who are actual witnesses to the crime. I actually would not have treated the subject any different.The author used great reasoning for her belief and opinion throughout the article which is how I would have handled the subject. Just because Mr. Long is a Bishop, does not mean that he should be treated any different in this situation. This is not the first c ase of a pastor or bishop being accused for such allegations. I know for me and my cultural, it is just shocking to see and African American Bishop of a Baptist church being accused for two different harsh allegations.Link: http://www. ajc. com/news/dekalb/bishop-eddie-long-ex-646136. html

Tobacco/Cotton Slavery FRQ

Compare and contrast the experience of slaves on tobacco plantations in the early seventeenth-century Chesapeake region with that of slaves on nineteenth-century cotton plantations in the Deep South. What forces transformed the institution of slavery the early seventeenth century to the nineteenth century? When approaching slavery from a historical standpoint, it is a tendency to generalize the experience of slaves. However, slavery differs per region and time period.The differing climates of the Chesapeake region and Deep South determined the crops that would be grown and consequently the severity of slave labor. Likewise, over time slavery evolved from a class based system (poor indentured servants working alongside blacks) to a racially based system, creating an identity within the slave community. However, not only the slave experience differed, the institution itself transformed.The transition from class-based slavery to racial slavery, accompanied by new technologies that made the industry more profitable, changed how the institution was run. Thus, despite a general continuity in the institution of slavery, such as it being agrarian-based and involving black subordinates, many forces changed the institution like the installment of slave codes in 1670s, making it a legal and racial practice, and the development of the cotton gin and other technological advances in the 1790s.Whilst seventeenth century slavery was characterized by smaller tobacco plantations, racially-mixed servitude, and somewhat less-demanding labor, nineteenth century slavery was characterized by large-scale cotton plantations, solely black slavery, harsh and dangerous working conditions, and syncretic slave societies within plantations. This essay will approach identifying factors of change through the general categories of beginning, middle, and end of American slavery. It will also directly compare and contrast the institutions of early Chesapeake and later Deep South slavery.Slavery i s not new and unique to United States history, and many factors caused it to change and evolve in America. The first major transformation took place in roughly the 1690s when slavery was defined legally and racially. Slavery began in the Chesapeake region as indentured servitude, granting migrants passage to the New World in exchange for a labor contract. The first Africans were brought to the Jamestown colony in 1619, joining the ranks of indentured servants and working side-by-side with whites. There was no legal definition of slavery at the time.Eventually, with significant free land to begin competitor farms, European indentured servants often finished or abandoned their indentured life to begin anew. This created an ever-growing void for labor, and presented a flaw with indentured-servitude— if they could start their own farm, what would keep them at another? This frightened the planters, who feared rebellion and faced a lack of labor. At the same time, Africans were ste adily being brought into America for servitude. In fact, by the mid-1680s black slaves outnumbered their European counterparts.Bacon’s Rebellion, 1676, was a rebellion staged by white descendants of or former indentured-servants living on the frontier against the government of Virginia over defending land from Indians. The result, however, was the end of indentured servitude. It presented too much of a risk— servitude would have to be continued in another way. This way was achieved when in 1682 Virginia issued a slave code that marked the first distinction that all peoples imported to the country of color were to be slaves. This was important because it introduced race into the realm of servitude.Now slavery was both legally enforced and racial. This was a significant force to the development of the black slavery and white supremacist culture we associate with American History today. Throughout the middle time period, racial slavery was concreted. In the eighteenth cen tury, it became evident that the fertile soil of the southern colonies would be instrumental to growing cash crops. Thus, the tobacco slavery practiced in the Chesapeake region boomed, increasing the demand for slaves. Tobacco was an appealing crop for planters, for it cost pennies to purchase and sold for much more.As a result, the slave trade expanded, and many companies sought to join the lucrative trade. This is shown by the Royal African Company losing its monopoly in 1698. By 1750, blacks comprised nearly half of the population in Virginia. To ensure the preservation of racial slavery, new slave codes deemed that the children of those enslaved would also be enslaved. Thus the concept of slavery for life was established. This furthered the claim of planters that the blacks they owned were in fact property or â€Å"chattels†, making the racial basis of slavery unquestionable.It is clear that America was no longer just a society with slaves— the institution of slave ry was integrated with race, the economy, politics, as well as everyday life. In addition to tobacco plantations, cotton slavery was also expanding in the Deep South. As the soil became exhausted from growing tobacco in the Chesapeake area, many slave-owners found it more profitable to sell their slaves to southern plantations. Thus, though slavery remained in the Chesapeake area, the growing cotton industry moved its epicenter to the Deep South. The major forces that caused this shift will be included in the paragraph about the end of slavery.The soil was beginning to become overused because of the intensity of tobacco growing in the Chesapeake, and many plantation owners decided to sell their slaves to Southern cotton plantation owners. In the nineteenth century, the institution of slavery peaked economically and politically. Cotton slavery was a lucrative industry. This was made possible by Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1793, and the British Industrial Revol ution. The British had an increased need for cotton for their growing textile industry. The cotton gin allowed slaves to more efficiently yield cotton.Thus, the supply-demand relationship gave rise to massive plantations, some owning hundreds of slaves. The fortunes in slavery were clear by the huge estates of planters and many acres of slave-tended fields. Although, the Atlantic Slave Trade was outlawed in 1808, the slave population in America was self-sustaining (it would eventually peak at about four million before the Civil War). In addition, illegal Atlantic slave trade continued as well as trading within the country (take for example the Second Middle Passage). Slavery, now legally restricted to southern states, was the core of the southern agrarian economy.Because it was so lucrative, planters took initiatives to ensure productivity from their slaves. Whipping was a common practice. Also, Fugitive Slave Laws gave planters the right to their slaves as property, even if they es caped to the free North. Slave codes were strict, and even an inappropriate greeting could guarantee a slave punishment. In response to rebellions like that of Denmark Vesey in 1822 or the Nat Turner Insurrection of 1831, paranoia was high. Planters used these laws to keep slaves in line, and preserve the institution of slavery.In conclusion, a clear progression is made from a legally undefined practice of servitude to a heavily legislated institution with severe punishments. Likewise, slavery developed from servitude of the lower class to racial enslavement. These developments would not be possible without the initial shift caused by Bacon’s Rebellion and the slave codes, to the eventual invention of the cotton gin that made slavery such a lucrative venture. As a direct result of the evolving institution of slavery, slaves had different experiences at different times and places in American history.To exemplify the effects of the forces that transformed slavery, it is importa nt to examine how they altered the experience of slaves over time. To begin we will shed light on the experience of a seventeenth century Chesapeake tobacco slave. This slave would have likely worked alongside white indentured servants, considering slavery was not yet racial. Since slaves were first brought to the Chesapeake in 1619, African servants of this time may not have known English. The nuclear family of slaves often stayed together at this time, and if not they usually remained within the same region.Although the climate of the Chesapeake area is hot in the summer, the conditions were not as bad as further south. The experience of seventeenth century slaves had many similarities and differences to that of their later, Deep South counterparts. By the nineteenth century, slavery was a booming industry, especially in the Deep South where the growing demand for cotton resulted in many plantations. Similarities to the experience of seventeenth century slaves were the consistent agrarian nature of slavery— it still involved significant manual labor.In addition, the slaves lived roughly the same way, with as much (or as little) food and sleep required to keep them productive. Although it was less apparent in the seventeenth century, the black race was always viewed as subordinate. The force that caused significant differences was the increased scale of nineteenth century slavery. It is truly the difference between a society with slaves and a slave society. The Deep South was dependent on the cotton industry. Slaves of the nineteenth century faced grueling conditions, as described in Frederick Douglass’s autobiography. It can be assumed the mortality rate was higher.The nuclear family of Deep South slaves was often broken apart. The marriage vow of slaves was â€Å"until death or distance do you part. † It was profitable to sell slaves down the river, and many slaves like Sojourner Truth watched all of their family sold away. Compared to the mixed ethnicities of slaves in the seventeenth century, by the nineteenth century American slaves formed an identity as a separate ethnic group. Most spoke English, and syncretic slave languages like Geechee and Gullah were formed. In addition, ‘spirituals’ (slave songs) helped the slaves survive harsh work.Deep South slaves also faced more punishment, to keep them mentally enslaved as well as physically. Overall, despite the same general structure, slavery in nineteenth century Deep South was much harsher than tobacco slavery in the Chesapeake. In addition, the resulting identities formed by slaves defined the culture and effected their lifestyles. In conclusion, many forces culminated to transform slavery from an economic to a social and racial institution. The resulting outcome was a huge and lucrative industry. This changed how slaves lived, transitioning from less-harsh work to grueling labor, as well as forming a cultural identity.

Love hula, love Hawaii Essay

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day That’s the island greeting that we send to you from the land where palm trees sway Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright The sun to shine by day and all the stars at night Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii’s way to say Merry Christmas to you [1] (Robert Alex Anderson) If ask people a question that which place has the most beautiful beach, sunshine and full of enthusiasm, I think most people will have the same answer, Hawaii. As we all know, Hawaii is the most famous holiday resort in the world, people who are from all over the world come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery, watch the hula dance and eat delicious food. However, people should also know the culture, which are the symbols of Hawaii, such as hula, chant and mele. If you’ve ever been to Hawaii or see some shows about it, you have undoubtedly enjoyed the exotic, hip-swaying dance called â€Å"hula.† Beautiful island women and men â€Å"act out† the music through dance steps to tell stories, particularly their graceful arm movements. Hula was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. When Captain Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1779, the Hawaiian people had been dancing hula for centuries. Hula was danced as part of a religious program in the old days. Then, when the missionaries arrived in the 1830’s, they convinced Queen Kaahumanu to prohibit hula because they thought hula was erotic. â€Å"It was described like this – â€Å"The natives would practice in the hot sun for days on end. Drums pounded, gourds rattled, singers chanted, and hundreds of dancers wearing garlands of green leaves and flowers and dog-tooth anklets moved endlessly to and fro in lines, their brown skin glistening with sweat, with no sign of boredom or tiredness,† (Daws, 1968)†[2] And hula was popular after King Kalakaua made it opened in the 1870’s. Today Hawaiian dance has an added political dimension in that knowledge and understanding of this cultural form are valued as an ingredient of ethnic identity (Adrienne Kaeppler 1993:234). â€Å"Dance as part of a political construction, can be an aural and visual statement of distinctiveness – and in some cases divisiveness –and need not be associated with cultural understanding. More ethnic Hawaiians are beginning to appreciate and champion the importance of their heritage. More and more Hawaiians – male and female – are studying hula in order to become part of the ethnic movement.†[3] As I know, native Hawaiians know the importance of hula and treat it as their pride. The government also pays attention on hula and advertises the culture of hula. Mele is perhaps the most important cultural symbol of the Hawaiians. â€Å"It is the way ancient Hawaiians prayed and passed on legends and lore, linking their prehistory with their present life.†[4] I still remember when I first heard the melody of Hawaii song; I can felt the enthusiasm of this island immediately. For example, â€Å"Mele Kalikimaka† is a Hawaiian themed Christmas song written in 1949 by Robert Alex Anderson, when I hear the lively music, I would be relaxed. â€Å"Everything because hula is the unique dance of the Hawaiian people. Everything because despite the homogenizing influence of hula competition, which has brought only a limited range of the vast hula repertoire to the public’s attention over the past thirty-five years, hula encompasses many different styles and types of dances. But it says nothing because hula simply cannot be reduced to Hawaiian folk dance. It carries forward the social and natural history, the religious beliefs, the philosophy, the literature, and the scientific knowledge of the Hawaiian people.† [5] I think hula carries a lot of things, such as the religious beliefs, the social and natural history of Hawaii, the literature and philosophy, and Hawaiians and hula are inextricably fused. In conclusion, hula is an indispensable part of Hawaii and also treated as an important culture of the world. For me, Hawaii is the place I will go someday, I am sure I will love Hawaii and it’s culture while enjoy the beautiful scenery and ebullient show. References: 1. The lyrics of â€Å"Mele Kalikimaka† by Robert Alex Anderson 2. A brief history of hula. Retrieved from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110077/hulahistory.htm 3. Torgersen, E. H. (June 2010). The social meanings of hula. University of Bergen. Retrieved from http://pacific.uib.no/people/Torgersen/The Social meanings of hula.pdf 4. Fellezs, K. (Spring 2007). Performing hawaiian. New York: Brooklyn College of the City University. Retrieved from http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/isam/NewsletS07/Fellezs.htm 5. Rowe, S. M. (2008). We dance for knowledge. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/drj/summary/v040/40.1.rowe.html

Communication Cost Essay

In some cases, the commercial cost of data transmission may be more important the time cost. Commercial organisations often prefer to transmit data over low capacity lines which they own as opposed to using public, high capacity lines that have usage charges. The routing algorithms do not have to use just one metric to determine the optimum route; rather it is possible to choose the optimum route based on multiple metrics. In order for the optimum path to be chosen by the routers between the data source and the data destination, the routers must communicate information about the relevant metrics with other routers. This nature of this communication process is also defined by the routing algorithm and the transmission time is linked to the time required for the routers to have the necessary information about the states of the surrounding routers. The time required for all the routers to agree on the state of the network, the network topology, is known as the convergence time and when all routers are aware of the network topology, the network is said to have converged. Some of the common routing algorithm types can indeed affect the convergence of the network. Some of the different algorithms characteristics that must be chosen when designing are static or dynamic routing, single path or multi-path routing and link state or distance vector routing. Static Routing. Static routing is done by use of a static list of attributes describing the network topology at the initiation of the network. This list, called a routing table, is used by the routers to decide the optimum routes for each type of data transmission and can only be changed manually. Therefore, if anything changes in the network, such as a cable breaking or a router crashing, the viability of the network is likely to be compromised. The advantage is that there is no communication required between routers, thus the network is always converged. Dynamic Routing. In contrast to static routing, dynamic routing continually updates the routing tables according to changes that might occur in the network topology. This type of real time information processing allows the network to adjust to variations in data traffic and component reliability, but does require communication between the routers and thus there is a convergence time cost associated with this solution. Single Path vs Multi-path Routing. Single path and muli-path routing are accurate descriptive terms regarding the use of either a single line to send multiple packets of data from a given source to a given destination as opposed to using multiple paths to send all the data packets from the source to the destination. Multiple path algorithms achieve a much higher transmission rate because of a more efficient utilization of available resources. Link State vs Dynamic Routing Protocols. Link-state algorithms are dynamic routing algorithms which require routers to send routing table information to all the routers in the network, but only that information which describes its own operational state. Distance-vector algorithms, however, require each router to send the whole of its router table, but only to the neighbouring routers. Because the link-state algorithms require small amounts of information to be sent to a large number of routers and the distance vector algorithm requires large amounts of information sent to a small number of routers, the link state algorithm will converge faster. However, link state algorithms require more system resources (CPU time and memory). There is a new type of algorithm developed by CISCO which is a hybrid of the link-state algorithm and the distance vector algorithm [8].. This proprietary algorithm converges faster than the typical distance-vector algorithm but provides more information to the routers than the typical link-state algorithm. This is because the routers are allowed to actively query one another to obtain the necessary information missing from the partial tables communicated by the link-state algorithms. At the same time, this hybrid algorithm avoids communication of any superfluous information exhibited in the router communications of the full tables associated with distance-vector algorithm. Switching. The distance vector, link state or hybrid algorithms all have the same purpose, to insure that all of the routers have an updated table that gives information on all the data transmission paths to a specific destination. Each of these protocols requires that when data is transmitted from a source to a destination, the routers have the ability to ‘switch’ the address on the data transmission. When a router receives a data packet from a source with the destination address, it examines the address of the destination. If the router has a path to that destination in the routing table, then the router determines the address of the next router the data packet will ‘hop’ to and changes the physical address of packet to that of the next hop, and then transmits the packet. This process of physical address change is called ‘switching’. It will be repeated at each hop until the packet reaches the final destination. Although the physical address for the forwarding transmission of the data packet changes as the packet moves across the Internet, the final destination address remains associated with the packet and is a constant. The internet is divided up into hierarchical groups that are useful in the description of the switching process. At the bottom of this hierarchy are network devices without the capability to switch and forward packets between sub-networks, where an AS is a sub-network. These network devices are called end systems (ESs), because if a packet is transmitted there, it cannot be forwarded and has come to the end. At the top of the hierarchy are the network devices that can switch physical addresses are called intermediate systems (ISs). An IS which can only forward packets within a sub-network are referred to as intra-domain ISs while those which communicate either within or between sub-networks are called intra-domain ISs.

Border security issues (week 3) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Border security issues (week 3) - Essay Example Of course this shows that the Mexican public had little confidence with the police handling border security issues. In the midst of all these hardships, there is hope for radical transformation on the horizon, with the onset of a new government. Under the new leadership of the new President Enrique Peà ±a Nieto, perhaps there might be changes. During the Mexican Election campaigns Peà ±a Nieto ran for president on promises that he would end the drug wars and promote police reforms. Currently, it may be too early to determine whether the new administration is doing something to promote reforms in the Mexican police departments. This is because the Mexican public has lost faith in police the police in Mexico. It is no secret that the police force has committed so many atrocities and violated human rights. The expression that Rome was not created in one day plays a significant role in Mexico’s problems. For the new administration to change this trend there is more to do than just introducing police reforms. The operational policies and procedures in police departments need to change. The training and development of officers also needs to change into a system that encourages officers who are not corrupt (Adams, 2006). Increasing reward systems in the force may also aid in promoting the officers to deliver the right services. It will promote the general police force image from a brutal force to one that is professional and fair, thereby resulting to more respect from the Mexican

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Case Study - Essay Example In this session we would be reviewing the leadership skills displayed by Navy commander D. Michael Abrashoff, in order to define and learn different theories of leadership. This review would be well backed by the statement of impact of these theories on the work force relating them to the leadership model of Navy commander D. Michael Abrashoff who captioned the three hundred highly skilled sailors of USS Benfold. This case study was selected, as the leadership skills which are being reviewed would fit into the improvisation methodology of any management scenario. The trait theory suggests that there are some identifiable qualities or characteristics that should be possessed by the leaders and the degree of efficacy of a leader would be directly proportional to the extent of these qualities or characteristics held by them. Some of the qualities which fall under the trait theory are as following A leader should be able to understand the context and content of his designation and assigned responsibilities. The dynamics of internal and external environmental variables which would affect the activities of the enterprise should be grasped well by the leader. It also implies to the technical competence and sound general education of the leader. The leadership quality of intelligence was reflected a number of times in the leadership model set by D. Michael Abrashoff while captioning the three hundred highly skilled sailors of USS Benfold, the U.S. Navys warship. His technical competence was proved as he had an excellent service record, combat experience, and had held prestigious posts in Washington, DC. Moreover his technical expertise had provided Benfold the reputation of being the best ship in the Pacific fleet. He could analyze the smartness and talent of his crew within no time and he viewed the internal and external environmental variables through the eyes of the crew. It was his ability to grasp the work situation realities,

The Importance of Ethical Conduct and Professional Responsibility Essay

The Importance of Ethical Conduct and Professional Responsibility (criminal justice system) - Essay Example To understand the importance of ethical conduct and professional responsibility, the staff of the criminal justice system must first acquaint themselves with the relevant Codes of Ethics and Professional Responsibility. These codes are useful in enabling employees to aspire to the required level of ethical and professional conduct. Second, being ethically and professionally responsible helps criminal justice personnel to strive for excellence both at the personal and professional levels. To achieve high ethical and professional levels of performance, it is imperative that the criminal justice system’s personnel identify all the causes of professional and ethical misconducts, which are rather numerous considering the apparent diversity in the system’s clientele and tasks (Pollock, 2011). The main reason criminal justice personnel have lagged behind in achieving and maintaining high ethical and professional levels include failure to achieve high levels of competency through further education, work experience, and training. Since some employees do not seek continued education and training implies they are not abreast with the latest ethical and professional developments in the system. This lack of improved competency translates into reduced prompt, less efficient, unethical, and unprofessional performance by criminal justice personnel. Low levels of personal and professional integrity have also been cited as causes of professional and ethical misconducts in the criminal justice system (Pollock, 2011). ... criminal justice system’s personnel identify all the causes of professional and ethical misconducts, which are rather numerous considering the apparent diversity in the system’s clientele and tasks (Pollock, 2011). The main reason criminal justice personnel have lagged behind in achieving and maintaining high ethical and professional levels include failure to achieve high levels of competency through further education, work experience, and training. Since some employees do not seek continued education and training implies they are not abreast with the latest ethical and professional developments in the system. This lack of improved competency translates into reduced prompt, less efficient, unethical, and unprofessional performance by criminal justice personnel. Low levels of personal and professional integrity have also been cited as causes of professional and ethical misconducts in the criminal justice system (Pollock, 2011). What is more, failure to observe and mainta in the legality of professional competence and knowledge and ignorance of the available advice or assistance are the other common causes of professional and ethical misconduct in the criminal justice system. Similarly, some professionals’ personal life failures have impinged on their professional abilities and jeopardized their professionalism. The other causes of unprofessionalism, though to a slight extent, are poor communication, addiction to substance such as alcohol, failure to address client concerns, and excessive demands at work such as inappropriate work practices, poor mentoring and supervision (Pollock, 2011). Finally, personality conflicts and complacency towards professional standards have also had negative effects on professionalism since they escalate unethical behaviors. Addressing

Name Changes in the Book of Genesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Name Changes in the Book of Genesis - Essay Example Sarah was a half sister to Abraham, and the Bible describes her as beautiful (Genesis 12). For example, when Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt, the Egyptians saw her as beautiful, and they praised her beauty to the household of Pharaoh (Genesis 12:14). However, God was not happy with Pharaoh, and He did strike the household of Pharaoh with plagues (Genesis 12: 14-17). That is when Pharaoh discovered that Sarai was Abrahams wife, and he demanded that Abraham should leave Egypt immediately (Genesis 12: 18-20). Abraham died at the age of 175, and he was buried by Isaac and Ishmael, his sons. Jacob was a grandson of Abraham through Isaac. God also changed his name to Israel, meaning may God prevail (Genesis 32: 28-29). This paper analyzes how the changes in Abraham, Sarah and Jacob’s names shaped their characters. Abram to Abraham: In Genesis chapter 17 verses 4 to 6, God enters into a covenant with Abram. God made a promise to him, that he will become a father of many nations, and his name shall not be called Abram anymore, but Abraham. God also promised to make Abraham fruitful, and from him, Kings would descend. God’s conversation with Abraham began in Genesis Chapter 12 verses 2. In this verse, God promises Abram that he will make him into a great nation, and will bless him. He also promised to make his name great.The name Abram refers to the exalted one and this is a name that his father Terah gave it to him. However, this name was an embarrassment to Abraham, and this is because he was unable to get children. This is despite Abraham possessing great wealth (Shooter's Bible, 18). From the scriptures, we can denote that Abraham had other sons apart from Isaac and Ishmael. These children were born with him to his wife Keturah. Keturah gave Abraham six sons, and through these children, God was able to fulfill his prophecy of making Abraham a father to many nations. For example, Ishmael formed the generation of the Ishmaelite, while Isaac formed the ge neration of the Israelites. This is through his son Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. It is important to denote that the Abraham lived a blessed life, as a result of God’s blessings to his life. We find that Abraham, true to the words of God became a great man, and he had enormous wealth. Genesis chapter 17 verses 23 to 27 denote that Abraham had possessions, and this included male servants, born of his household, and those that he bought by his own money. This was a symbol of wealth, and it is because poor people cannot afford to have servants within their households. After a change to this name, we find that Abraham began to have angelic visitors. For instance, in Genesis chapter 18 verses 1 to 2, we find that Abraham was visited by three angelic visitors. Because of the stature of Abraham before Gods eyes, God revealed to him what He was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 16-19). This is because God had chosen Abraham to become a father to many nations, and on th is basis, he also allowed him to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18: 22-24).