Destin Brass Products Co. Essay

The estimated costs calculated using the activity-based costing method is very different from the existing standard unit costs and the revised unit costs. Exhibit 3 uses the traditional cost allocation system, which allocates all costs based on measures of volume. In the standard unit costs, Destin Brass uses direct labor as the only cost driver, which rarely meets the cause-effect standard wanted in cost allocation. Exhibit 4 is similar to exhibit 3, but instead, 4 uses materials and machine hours as the cost driver instead of just direct labor. The new costs are calculated by using the ABC system, which allocates costs that are caused by non-volume-based cost drivers. After recognizing the overhead activities, costs of overhead resources used for the activities are allocated to the activities using cost drivers. Then pooled costs of each activity are allocated to products, using the cost drivers. It takes one large overhead cost pool and breaks it down into several pools, which for this company are: receiving and materials handling, machine usage and maintenance, packing and shipping, and engineering. These have a cause-effect relationship with activities and resources that are used. So unlike exhibit 3 and 4, the new system breaks down the overhead costs a lot more. The new estimated costs are more accurate because the amount allocated to each of the overhead activities for each product is more detailed. It shows the percentage of how much each activity is performed on each product. All 3 products’ unit costs in the new system are different from exhibit 3 and 4. Unit price for valves has a slight change compare to the standard unit price, but for pumps and flow controllers, there is a dramatic change. Destin Brass are well under their 35% gross margin goal for pumps, and wondering how other companies can sell their pumps for such a low price. They thought the unit costs for pumps is $63.12, when in fact, the more accurate system shows that it’s only $48.81, $14.31 less than the standard unit cost. This inaccuracy is the reason why Destin Brass is having trouble staying competitive with their price on pumps while other companies are able to sell it for a lower price. The flow controllers have never been a problem for Destin Brass. It seemed to them that they had no competition in that market. Even after raising the prices by 12.5%, demand did not decrease. This is because the more accurate unit cost for flow controllers is actually $100.48, and not $56.50, $43.98 more than what they thought. They have been selling their flow controller at $97.07 each, which is below the unit cost, and that is why no other companies are able to compete in that market. I think Destin Brass should definitely adjust their selling price for all 3 products. For valves, $58.16 should be their new target-selling price if they want to keep the 35% GM goal, but I think they should make the actual selling price to be a little lower than that. That way they can stay/be more competitive in the valves market while having a GM% that is slightly lower, but still close to the goal. Selling price for pumps will have to be lowered for them to become competitive in the pumps market, unlike before. $75.09 would be the price they want to sell it at if they want the 35% GM, but the selling could still be slightly lower then that, allowing them to be competitive while still very close to their goal. Flow controller prices will have to be higher if they want to make a profit from this product. Right now they are making a loss of 4% for each flow controller they sell. If they want to reach the 35% GM mark, they will have to up their cost from $97.07 to $154.58. Just like pumps and valves, price could be a little lower than that, and of course for the same reasons. Yes, this means they will go from having no competition to many competitions in the flow controller market now, but at least they won’t be making a loss every time they sell a flow controller. In the following month, assuming quantities produced and sold, activities, and costs were all at standard, the profit reported under the new system would be $540,260.00, and under the present system would be $539,180.00. There is only a difference of $1,080. Destin Brass will not see any major difference in profit in the short run; in this case it’s over a period of one month. But in the long run, they will definitely see major changes in their profits.

Toyota Etios Consumers behavior

More for less positioning strategy has been used. Toyota is offering more benefits at a less price. It is the most trustworthy brand name. The very limited numbers in which it will be sold, which means that if a person have one of these then he/she will be only one of 900 people In a country of over a billion to own It. B) Is the new product evolved because of changing consumer behavior? Toyota has been known forIts commitment towards the changing customer requirements so the new Egos Exclusive has been introduced to bring in freshness and exclusivity to the existing product. Toyota has also launched its car in both petrol and diesel. Consumers who are looking for aspects such as reliability and fuel efficiency are now also giving great preference to technology when buying and driving an automobile so Toyota has designed this car keeping In mind the preference of the buyers. Previous Otiose faced lots of criticism for Its unlearning design and below par quality of the Interiors butOt iose Exclusive have all the essential elements that were previously missing and it is now more impressive to look at and provide a great driving experience. C) Resulted modification in the consumer behavior. Otiose with its latest model and new alluring features is getting great attention from the customers. The exclusive limited offer of providing only 900 cars In a country of population over a billion Is also helping Toyota In gaining customers Interest. Tells headlamp and ROVE. The Otiose Exclusive also has a new Bluetooth Audio system and s based on the G grade of the current lineup.Otiose Exclusive being launched in both petrol and diesel is also attracting people interested in either of two. Toyota has also kept in mind the preference of the customers for fuel efficient car and has accordingly designed the product, thus making it a fuel efficient car. This along with various features of Otiose Exclusive has managed to attract lots of customers and has resulted in booking of ca rs in advance. D) Customization of marketing mix Elements of marketing mix PRICE List Price: RSI. Sacs to 7. 1 lacksCredit Terms- Toyota Financial Services is offering Otiose Exclusive customers an exclusive opportunity to avail a 100% on road funding for seven years on a zero down payment scheme. Discount- Otiose Exclusive owners will also be offered a free Smile Service Package which will get them a 50% discount on service related to value added services. PRODUCT- Otiose exclusive new front full-chrome grille, new chrome garnish on the titillate, headlamp and ROVE. The Otiose Exclusive also has a new Bluetooth Audio system and is based on the G grade of the current lineup.Toyota is offering this car n two existing colors – Classic Grey and Symphony Silver. Service- Toyota Financial Services is offering Otiose Exclusive customers an exclusive opportunity to avail a 100% on road funding for seven years on a zero down payment scheme. Toyota has also worked on reducing the time taken to service a vehicle through Toyota Express Maintenance Service which has brought down the servicing time to Just 60 minutes. Quality- Toyota Otiose Exclusive is offering superior ride and handling quality.

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Case Study Essay

Andrew Barker, a brand manager for Snapple beverages at the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., must assess whether or not a profitable market opportunity exists for a new energy beverage brand to be produced, marketed, and distributed by the company in 2008. He has about 3 months to determine the market opportunity. SWOT. Strengths| Weaknesses| * Strong portfolio of leading consumer-preferred brands * Integrated business model * Strong customer relationships * Attractive positioning within a large, growing, and profitable market * Broad geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage * Strong operating margins and significant, stable cash flows * Experienced executive management team| * Currently the only major domestic nonalcoholic beverage company in the US without a significant branded energy drink of its own * Company bottlers and distributors do not serve all areas of the US (by early 2008, 80% of the US market) * Market is already established| Opportunities| Threats|. * Integrated business model provides opportunities for net sales and profit growth through the alignment of the economic interests of its brand ownership and its bottling and distribution businesses * Carbonated beverages were the 4th largest nonalcoholic beverage category in the US in 2006 and the fasted growing beverage category * Average US per capita consumption of energy beverage drinkers increased by 14% since 2004| . * Industry analysts project an average annual growth rate of 10.5% from 2007 to 2011 (down 32% from 2001-2006) which is attributed to market maturity, increased price and packaging competition, and the entrance of hybrid energy beverages, such as energy water, energy fruit drinks, ready-to-drink energy teas, and energy colas * Energy beverage consumers limit their choice to only 1.4 different brands, which suggests brand loyalty in this market. * 5 Major brands (Red Bull, Hansen, Pepsi-Cola, Rockstar and Coca-Cola) dominate the US energy beverage market, accounting for 94% of dollar sales and unit volume. * The energy beverage market has experience product proliferation and price erosion in recent years * Energy beverage prices declined 30% from 2001-2006| Critical Issues * Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. is the only major domestic nonalcoholic beverage company in the US without a significant branded energy drink of its own. * 5 Major brands (Red Bull, Hansen, Pepsi-Cola, Rockstar and Coca-Cola) dominate the US energy beverage market, accounting for 94% of dollar sales and unit volume. Alternatives. * Do Nothing * The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. bottling and distribution system should introduce an energy beverage, marketed towards adults, ages 34-54. The Energy beverage should include two flavors, with a regular and sugar free version of each, all available in a standard 16 ounce size, as this segment accounts for the most growth opportunity (150%). Advertising and expenditures for the new energy drink brand need to avenues through social media, TV, print, event, etc., as the market is very competitive and consumers are extremely brand loyal. Advertising should include free handouts of the beverage, or ‘trials’, to generate buzz and get consumers to try the product. The new product should be able to stand out when next to other energy drinks, maybe package it in a unique bottle, such as glass. They should supply all off-premise retailers, focusing on the convenience stores first, as they account for the most retail dollar sales, and then moving into the supermarkets and mass merchandisers. The new beverage should be priced a little higher than average, at $2.50 per single-serve package.

The Business of Sport and Entertainment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Business of Sport and Entertainment - Essay Example (Fullen, pg 287, 2006) The PESTEL analysis for this theatre is one of an important task, which should be done in an orderly manner in order to generate better outcomes. (Grant, pg 551, 2002) All the external factors should be properly measured and all the areas should be covered in order to know all the external factors, which can harm this theatre, and those factors, which can be the positive as well as useful for this theatre. All the factors should be considered well before the working of any project, in order to overcome any upcoming problem. (Babette, pg 228, 2008) The political element directly refers to political stability in any nation or country and also explains the political support for any business, direct or indirect. Main issues concerned with Rose Theatre are funds related, the theatre management has asked Kingston Council for around  £600,000 a year of council taxpayers’ and there are political pressures against proposal also (Surrey Comet, 11th November 2008). On the other hand, an economic element refers to the degree of market stability as well as freedom. There are other factors also to understand like how much the business is costing and how much it can generate to keep competitive. In the case of Rose Theatre the Kingston Borough Council has been supportive and has provided funds worth  £5m and also supported in other ways, now is the turn for the theatre to generate audience and money to keep running (Billington, 6 December, 2004). The social element refers to the demographic factor of any country or nation. Rose Theatre has one feature which is uncommon, it accommodates people at low prices to take front space and settle on cushions to watch plays. It attracts a large audience because of its status as one of the best theatres in town and has had many big names step onto its stage for productions (Britton & Worthington, p.181, 2009). The

Evaluations Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluations Review - Essay Example The description from the admission process to the academic routine is well defined in 3rd paragraph. The information is helpful for the reader, but the tone of the evaluation is personal. In the 4th paragraph salary benefits are appealing and motivating, but again personal view has been represented by stating the word â€Å"weak minded† and hence, demoralizing the readers or potential candidates for nursing. The evaluation is informative, yet it could be made better by none judgemental tone, with more references which would make the information authentic. More over different college criteria could be discussed to make it more beneficial (Larsen). Jospeh Freese evaluation of impression of US Air forces on general public and potential candidates; lacks a suitable title. Although the idea has a definite tone, but it lacked appropriate language and makes the reader a little confused. The Air force logo has been referred to as an advertisement. Throughout the evaluation; impression of logo has been discussed for the sake of impression. Nonetheless, the description of its texture, language and attributes is engaging. Personal experience of interest development gives evaluation a narrative touch. Absence of any reference makes the authenticity of work a little erratic. 4th paragraph describes well what the features of the picture on air force’s slogan depict. In the 5th paragraph discussion of slogan is interesting and captivates reader till the end. Although, conclusion describes the decision of joining air force is mainly based on impression made by logo, which is imaginative and debatable. Over all, a good effort on evaluation of how logo represent organization’s aim and objectives, but confusing sentence structure makes it challenging for the reader to read it in flow

Anti-Terrorism bill 2000. A necessary evil Dissertation

Anti-Terrorism bill 2000. A necessary evil - Dissertation Example rights activists who claim that the implementation of terror laws have failed to prevent extremism, instead have led to the establishment of theoretical and political movements, that claim these terror laws unfairly target the Islamic community. 1 There are also claims that the legislations have isolated the UK Islamic community from the general civic community, giving rise to an atmosphere of ager, mistrust, and hatred. The British coalition government has recently underlined the failure of ‘multiculturalism’ and brought forth the necessities of creating an ‘active muscular liberalism’ which would identify the root causes of extremist ideologies.2 (PM’s speech at Munich Security Conference, 2011). Furthermore, in the 2010 review of terror related legislations and strategies, UK government proposed exploration of wider strategies for countering terrorism acts, known as CONTEST. The main idea underlining CONTEST is to alleviate the contingencies that m ay arise within UK from terrorism at a global level. This strategy is based on four main ideas, which are Prevention of terror acts; Pursue, that aims at blocking all kinds of terrorist attacks; Protection, to fortify the existing counter-terrorism systems against future terrorist attacks; and Preparation for terrorist attacks by assuaging its effect on the people (HM Government, Prevent Strategy, 2011). The critics feel that the various counter-terrorism strategies and policies implemented in UK, has created a lack of trust between the Muslims, and the UK law enforcement agencies. 1.1 Background history The history of terror and counter-terrorism strategies to repress the terror acts were started as early as 1790s, when the French revolution and the associated acts of violence and radicalism created a panic in... The paper tells that the history of terror and counter-terrorism strategies to repress the terror acts were started as early as 1790s, when the French revolution and the associated acts of violence and radicalism created a panic in UK that such acts of ‘subversion’ would take place in Britain, against the ruler classes. This prompted the adoption of various stringent measures by British Parliament and executive, against ‘sedition’, and a large number of the sanctioned civil liberties, won over through many years of strong activism, were removed due to pressure from various arenas. Thus, it was the first instance in UK where were many of the sanctioned civil liberties were cut short to abort acts of terror. However, UK used its special powers related to emergencies, primarily in the various colonial (occupied) territories, where during revolts against imposed British rule by the native residents, the ruling UK authorities often suspended all common legislativ e provisions and the rule of emergency declared. Such emergencies would include detention in prisons without any trial, suspension of habeas corpus, and formation of military tribunals, and the regulating standards of the British common law were sidestepped during these times. Emergency powers were also widely in vogue during the two Great Wars, where the executive of the erstwhile UK government were given widespread powers to detain people involved or even suspected of being involved in activities related to helping the enemy, and various measures were taken to protect national security.

Section 121 gain and losses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Section 121 gain and losses - Research Paper Example The headquarters of the agency is in Washington DC. It is the role of the agency to ensure that it administers the laws related to revenue and asses and collect taxes. The agency has different sections guiding its operations. This paper in particular will explore at section 121. In its discussion, the paper will include the rules and exceptions which are involved in this paper. It will dig further to the presentation of real world examples of the section. (Yancey 2004) Section 121 offers the provision to every taxpayer filling the existing federal tax returns an entire exclusion on any kind of capital gains tax involved in selling their primary residence. The agency on an bi-annual basis provides $250,000 for persons filling single returns and also $500,000 for those married couples filing joint returns is given when the property in question represents their principal residence and when the taxpayer has been living in the home for a duration of at least two or five years. Capital Gai ns Tax The capital gain tax is imposed when one sells the primary residence at a price higher than the original purchase price. Section 121 excludes waives and eliminates the tax when the actual gain is not more than $250,000 and $500,000 for married couples and exclusion upon realization that the property has been used by the taxpayer as his/her principle residence for a duration of two or more years. This kind of exclusion is often available after every two years. EXCEPTIONS Gross income included shall exclude gains from the exchange of property or from sales if during a period of five years ending on the date of exchange or sale, and then such kind of a property has been used by the taxpayer and owned as his principal evidence for duration of 2 or more years. (Yancey 2004) Limitations 1. In General In general terms, the amount of the gains which is excluded from the gross income under section (a) subject to any sale or exchange of any kind of property in any sale shall not be mor e than $250,000. 2. Special Rules for Joint Ventures In the scenario when the couples making the joint return for the given taxable year of a sale or an exchange then- (A) $500,000 Limitations for certain Joint Returns. The first paragraph shall be adopted though the substitution of $500,000 for $250,000 if- i. Either one of the spouses satisfies the authorities requirements as adopted in subsections a with respect to that particular property. ii. When both the spouses satisfies the use requirements of the subsection (a) in conjunction to that property iii. When none of the spouses satisfies the requirements as lay in subsection (a) with respect to that particular property by a particular reason of the third paragraph. B. Other Joint Ventures. If the requirements of sub section A is not met by the spouses, then the limitations that exist in the first paragraph shall be the summation of the entire limitations under the first paragraph where each and every spouses shall be entitled of the spouses had in the pat been married. Therefore every spouse shall be regarded as owning the property during that time when either of the spouses owns the property. (Boortz & Linder 2005) 3. Application to Only a single Sale or an Exchange after every 2 years. A. General If there was no exchange sale by the taxpayer to whom subsection (a) applies during the two year period which ends on the day of the sale or exchange then the subsection shall not apply to any

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Discussion - Assignment Example It is also worth mentioning that both the knife and electric water pump require to be operated manually and the operator has to do some ‘work’. Thus, in this case, the issue of laziness doesn’t arise at all. According to the BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co. conducted in the first quarter of 2012, the average American spends slightly over 5 hours a day watching television. While on the surface he figure looks staggering, it is important to note that the figure takes into account people beyond retirement age who while away entire days in care centres glued to the screen of television. The bulk of he productive population would typically watch television only when having dinner and during weekends. To them, this is more like a hobby than a lifestyle. As with regards to the use of technology and it making us more lazy,nothing can be farther from the truth. It is a matter of perception, which has evolved over time. Fifty years ago the word â€Å"hardworking† was directly proportional to the muscle one possessed and the amount of sweat shed and effort spent in the process. Today, one could achieve much more using by far less energy. A housewife could use tools like washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner and make her house sparkling clean within a short period of time. Without these, the same housewife would take a whole day performing the same tasks, and probably wouldn’t do it as well as he machines would. To sum it all up, I’d like to remind us that machines are tools meant to assist us in performing tasks and making our lives more comfortable. They are here not to replace us or do our jobs for us, but as tools at our disposal. Life would not be as comfortable or well-advanced were I not for machines. Let us embrace them and appreciate their usefulness in our daily

Substitution and Income Effects Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Substitution and Income Effects - Research Paper Example The objective of this paper is to analyze the fluctuations over the purchase behaviors of individuals with relation to the ‘income effect’ and the ‘substitute effect’ when the gasoline prices go high. Theoretical Perspective From a theoretical perspective, the substitute effect essentially refers to the effect over the purchase decisions which take place as a result of the changes in terms of price of the commodities. When the price of a particular commodity increases, the individuals tend to purchase the substitutes of that commodity which would cost them less than the earlier one. One of the major impacts is on the purchasing power of the individuals which seems to be lower when the price of the commodities rises. This can be regarded as a consequential effect to the fact that the fixed budget is less flexible than the prices changes of the commodities which, in turn, tend to determine the consumption capacity of that particular individual or household. In this context, though the budget of the consumer does not alter, the increase on the prices tends to present a circumstance as if the individual has lowered his/her budget with similar consequences to a decrease in the income of the individual. Therefore, the individual responds according to the fluctuation in the purchasing power which is termed as the income effect (Samuelson, 1980). This particular relationship between the budget, substitute and price changes can be apparently witnessed from the diagram represented below: Source: (Iowa State University, 2012) As can be witnessed from the above diagram, q1 and q2 represent the original product and the substitute products respectively. The graph represents that for purchasing 18 units of product q1 and q2, the individual has to spend 8 units and 4 units respectively increasing the probability to consume q2, provided all other factors such as quality are assured (Iowa State University, 2012). Discussion The discussion henceforth wil l address the critical situation over a year when the prices of gasoline have been assumed to increase by 100%. 1. You drove less and purchased less gasoline The reduction in the driving distance is expected to result in a lesser consumption of gasoline. Over a year, with the speedy hikes in the gasoline prices, i.e. by 100%, it becomes quite likely that a budget constraint shall be witnessed. Consequently, as substitute of gasoline, especially in the case of automobiles that are quite constricted, an apparent occurrence of income effect is bound to take place. It is in this context that by reducing the driving distances, the expenditure in terms of gasoline can also be reduced substantially mitigating the constraint of lowered budget due to rapid price increases. 2. You ate out less often In this situation, the consumer responds to the increase in gasoline prices by avoiding gasoline consumption needed to travel with the purpose of having food outside. In this context, the reaction of avoiding travel for outdoor fooding can be regarded as a result of income effect. It is in this context that by avoiding extra gasoline consumption for such luxurious or rather such recreational causes, savings can be augmented proportionately and, likewise, the budget flow can be made flexible by a certain extent. 3. You spent less to

Financial Information Retrieval and Analysis of Hewlett-Packard Essay

Financial Information Retrieval and Analysis of Hewlett-Packard - Essay Example The company also offers multi-vendor customer services such as applications and business domains, technology consulting, as well as outsourcing and support service across the infrastructure. The company additionally offers IT management software, information management solutions, risk management solutions, security intelligence, application testing and delivery software, big data analytics, and a broad range of investment solutions to its customers. One of Hewlett-Packard’s main competitors in the industry is Toshiba Corporation.   Return on equity (ROE) indicates the amount of profit generated from the shareholders’ investment in Hewlett-Packard (HP). The ROE for the company was18.30% while the average return on equity for the industry was 17.50%, and that of Toshiba Corporation was 5.26%, all for the preceding year. These figures indicate that Hewlett Packard is more profitable than the other companies within the same industry. The company may be generating more profits from the shareholders’ investments in the company as compared to other companies in the same industry. The net profit margin for Hewlett-Packard is 4.68% while the industry average is 4.20%, and for Toshiba, it is 0.92% only. The profit margin for HP indicates that the company is more efficient in converting sales into profits as compared to most companies in the industry. The company’s EPS (2.62) is greater than both for the industry (0.96) and Toshiba (1.76). The EPS for HP is an indication of more favorable return on in vestments for Hewlett-Packard. The price-earnings (P/E) ratio for the company is 14.82 compared to the industry ratio which is 16.0 and for Toshiba which is 39.53. The P/E for HP is lower, thus indicating lower growth in terms of future earnings.  

Chinese martial arts Essay Example for Free

Chinese martial arts Essay Shamis: Way to Shaolin is a traditional dance performed by the Kung Fu Monks of Shaolin. Dance exists in many forms and can fulfil different functions: ritual, social or artistic. This particular dance fits into the ritual and artistic function. When performed and practised, ritual dance serves a strong function in sustaining the life of people through the culture and its procedures. Artistic dance is performed to be looked at and to entertain onlookers. The work itself can also be a means of expressing ones thoughts and feelings (Snook. B, 2004, p47-49). This essay will prove that the ritual function is most predominant in Shamis: Way to Shaolin. The ancient collection of Chinese martial arts referred to as Shaolin Kung Fu was created by a Buddhist Monk called Bodhidharma or Tamo who attempted to teach the monks of Shaolin the discipline of Zen meditation. They were not physically capable for the rigorous regime so he then continued to create a series of exercises to build up their health and increase their stamina (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 2). The exercises were both physiological and physical; the â€Å"goal being to control the body through the power of the mind† (The History of the Shaolin Monastery, 2008, para 1). The martial arts were developed out of necessity as the monks had to defend the monastery from thieves who tried to rob them of their treasures (History of Shaolin Kung Fu, N/D, para 3). Today, Shaolin Kung Fu is still practised and used for self-defence, health, fitness, character development, spiritual cultivation and life enrichment (Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu, ND, para 3, 4 and 6). The ritual function is clearly the most predominant function in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin, because of the great history and meaning of Shaolin Kung Fu to the Buddhist monks and the way it is performed. The dance components in Shamis: Way to Shaolin clearly fulfil the ritual function of dance due to the culture and beliefs represented. The dancers are all male Chinese Buddhist monks and they are wearing traditional outfits. The orange robes are dated back centuries and were originally chosen because of the dye available at the time. They are meant to symbolize simplicity and detachment of materialism (Exotissimo, 2010, para 1). The dancers are respecting themselves and others as they all bow together at the beginning of the performance and stand in a meditation position on one leg before dancing. The thin, wooden poles used in the performance of Shamis: Way to Shaolin are martial art weapons used for defence. The monks are representing themselves as warriors protecting their beloved monastery which is part of their history. This is realised as the stage is representing the outside of their monastery with large doors opening outside to steps which lead downwards and have 2 Chinese statues guarding them. The movements of the Shaolin monks are also very sharp and aggressive. They shout HA! loudly together on particularly strong movements as a warning signal and to show it is their territory and monastery. This is a characteristic of ritual dance as the performance is portraying a function. The dancers engage themselves entirely on the performance using immense concentration and focus. Repetition, a characteristic of ritual dance, is used as the monks repeatedly twirl their poles and bang them on the ground. The ritual function is most predominant as the Buddhist monks are dancing for themselves for enlightenment as well as for their culture and beliefs. There are also dance components that fulfil the artistic function of dance within Shamis: Way to Shaolin. It is choreographed and performed onstage for an audience. The dance begins with a loud gong and then fast-paced, traditional music is played which is whistling and chiming. The music is played to assist the audience in understanding and enjoying the performance. The monks mostly all dance together in sync at the same time, the majority of the time in a 3 straight lined formation facing the audience. This is an artistic element because the dancers have practised their routine so that it would be appealing to watch. A smoke machine is used when the male dancers enter onto the stage and go down the steps which provide levels within the performance. Levels are again used during the dance because they are regularly leaping, crouching and jumping. At the end most of them go to either side and sit while watching 2 monks fight dance with poles in the middle. These components are all used for the benefit of the audience and the overall effectiveness of the dance. Therefore the dance is also clearly fulfilling the artistic function. The ritual and artistic functions are seamlessly combined in this dance. The artistic function includes music, formations, cannons and levels. The ritual function is more complex representing their culture and beliefs with the dancers being Buddhist monks, wearing traditional outfits, doing meditation and Martial Arts/Kung-Fu etc. Together the two functions create an unforgettable production with the ritual being the most predominant. Bibliography Exotissimo Blog (December 21, 2010) [online] Why do Buddhist monks wear orange robes and shave their heads? http://www. exotissimo. com/blog/buddhist-monk/ (13/03/2013) DVD Shamis: Way to Shaolin. 2001. (Live show video recording) South Australia, IMS Entertaining SA. Schaffhausen Book Snook. B, (2004) Dance Count Me In, McGraw Hill PTY LTD (p47-49) Shaolin Kung Fu History (date unknown) [online] ChinatownConnection. com http://www. chinatownconnection. com/shaolin-kung-fu-history. htm (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Aims and Objectives of Practising Kung Fu (date unknown) [online] General Kung Fu Aims http://www. shaolin. org/general/kungfu-aims. html (date accessed 2/03/2013) The Mystical power of Shaolin Kung Fu (2008) [online] The History of the Shaolin Monastery http://www. shaolinmonksinmalta. com/ (date accessed 2/03/2013).

Writing and Free

Writing and Free Sample Essay Positive impression developed by teachers is a long term benefit for you and you can secure yourself by providing your own writings or submitting quality custom written papers. Sample papers provided on the writing websites are for your review only. It is mostly likely that they have already been used and submitted by other students. Therefore, any possible use of such sample papers can lead to dire consequences in your academic studies. People are quite confused about the reality and impact of using sample papers. There is a number of myths that have developed with time that force students to use free sample papers instead of placing order for custom written papers. Student sample papers can be of different types and students can use sample papers in almost all academic disciplines. There are several types of sample papers: sample essays, sample term papers, sample research papers as well as sample thesis papers, sample dissertations, sample speeches, sample book reports and sample book reviews. If you look for sample papers online, you will probably find a great number of APA sample papers, MLA sample papers, and MBA sample papers in particular. Nowadays, Internet is overloaded with various offers for free samples downloads. Nevertheless, usage of such free of charge sample papers can put your academic career at risk. ree sample papers can never inspire students to work harder, but custom written papers give students ideas and they can attempt to write the paper with little effort. Only specially written papers and not academic paper samples can give you guidance on how to write your own papers. There is an obvious substantiation for the fact that when students go through the sample papers, they lose their touch in cultivating new ideas. New thoughts arise not because of sample papers, we must remember. Free sample term papers, sample research papers or sample essay papers motivate students to use them and to be caught at plagiarising as a result. Custom written papers, on the contrary, encourage students to work on their own and give an example of how a well-written and properly structured assignment should really look like. If you look for APA sample papers, MLA sample papers or MBA sample papers, you can locate thousands on websites; but if you need to have a quality paper, you need to get it customized for your original needs. Even the best sample papers cannot replace a custom written research paper. It is a great risk to submit a free sample paper to your teacher, as you might get accused of plagiarism. So any of the pre-written sample term papers, sample research papers and sample dissertations/theses are not worth giving a try. ree sample papers can never inspire students to work harder, but custom written papers give students ideas and they can attempt to write the paper with little effort. Only specially written papers and not academic paper samples can give you guidance on how to write your own papers. There is an obvious substantiation for the fact that when students go through the sample papers, they lose their touch in cultivating new ideas. New thoughts arise not because of sample papers, we must remember. Free sample term papers, sample research papers or sample essay papers motivate students to use them and to be caught at plagiarising as a result. Custom written papers, on the contrary, encourage students to work on their own and give an example of how a well-written and properly structured assignment should really look like. If you look for APA sample papers, MLA sample papers or MBA sample papers, you can locate thousands on websites; but if you need to have a quality paper, you need to get it c ustomized for your original needs. Even the best sample papers cannot replace a custom written research paper. It is a great risk to submit a free sample paper to your teacher, as you might get accused of plagiarism. So any of the pre-written sample term papers, sample research papers and sample dissertations/theses are not worth giving a try.†¨If you need to have a good paper custom written for you, contact a good writing company for this purpose. CustomWritings.com is the company that offers you the best customized solution against all types of sample papers including, sample dissertation, sample thesis paper, sample essay paper and free sample papers. Looking for a good sample paper may be rather difficult. There is no guarantee that you will find the needed type sample papers or a well-written sample paper on required topic. ree sample papers can never inspire students to work harder, but custom written papers give students ideas and they can attempt to write the paper with little effort. Only specially written papers and not academic paper samples can give you guidance on how to wri te your own papers. There is an obvious substantiation for the fact that when students go through the sample papers, they lose their touch in cultivating new ideas. New thoughts arise not because of sample papers, we must remember. Free sample term papers, sample research papers or sample essay papers motivate students to use them and to be caught at plagiarising as a result. Custom written papers, on the contrary, encourage students to work on their own and give an example of how a well-written and properly structured assignment should really look like. If you look for APA sample papers, MLA sample papers or MBA sample papers, you can locate thousands on websites; but if you need to have a quality paper, you need to get it customized for your original needs. Even the best sample papers cannot replace a custom written research paper. It is a great risk to submit a free sample paper to your teacher, as you might get accused of plagiarism. So any of the pre-written sample term papers, sample research papers and sample dissertations/theses are not worth giving a try.†¨If you need to have a good paper custom written for you, contact a good writing company for this purpose. CustomWritings.com is the company that offers you the best customized solution against all types of sample papers including, sample dissertation, sample thesis paper, sample essay paper and free sample papers. Looking for a good sample paper may be rather difficult. There is no guarantee that you will find the needed type sample papers or a well-written sample paper on required topic.†¨If you need to have a good paper custom written for you, contact a good writing company for this purpose. CustomWritings.com is the company that offers you the best customized solution against all types of sample papers including, sample dissertation, sample thesis paper, sample essay paper and free sample papers. Looking for a good sample paper may be rather difficult. There is no guarantee that you will find the needed type sample papers or a well-written sample paper on required topic.

Just Desserts Theory and the Death Penalty

Just Desserts Theory and the Death Penalty Is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment without just cause, or is it just desserts? According to the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution: nor cruel or unusual punishment inflicted. (U.S. Constitution, 1791). It states that no one will be sentenced to a punishment greater than the crime, with a just system in place to ensure other constitutional rights are not infringed upon. I believe capital punishment is justified under the right circumstances. Some may say the capital punishment is cruel, for the reason you are extinguishing a bright, human life. However, is that life so bright if it smothered and snuffed out others? Before exploring the modern day implications of capital punishment, one must understand that the death penalty is as old as law itself. According to the website procon.org, the Code of Hammurabi contained the first known death penalty laws (History of the Death Penalty), and that was 1700s B.C. Throughout history, capital punishment has been applied to the most serious crimes according to a civilizations values at the time. Whether its helping slaves escape in the 18th century B.C., or murder in the 21st A.D., humanity has punished criminals with the death penalty for heinous crimes for thousands of years. For Americans, the death penalty is an incredibly controversial issue relating to every citizens constitutional rights. Regardless of which side of the issue you agree with, it is important to recognize the death penalty is only applicable to criminal cases of aggravated murder, treason, kidnapping, and rape, as well as a few other various crimes that vary from state to state (Death Penalty Information Center). One may only be sentenced to death if they have been convicted by a jury of their peers and if they have committed one of the aforementioned crimes. Therefore, their constitutional right to a fair trial, as granted by the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, is never violated (U.S. Constitution, 1791). As well, the death penalty affects the common good of society as a whole. Capital punishment keeps the truly dangerous criminals off the streets and out of the prison system. Those that choose to rape and murder could never hope to ever contribute positively to society, so, why should they live in prison and sponge off of state and federal government funds. In short, capital punishment keeps the general public safe from those that would seek to cause harm and grief. Furthermore, the interaction between these two features of American life is subject to fierce debate. I believe that the common good must come before individual rights, or the needs and safety of the public come before the rights of the individual. Now, this may seem like an alienation of ones rights, but the public is a conglomerate of people with their own rights, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as outlined by the Declaration of Independence (Declaration of Independence, 1776). So, the question posed is how can a person utilize and live these rights when there are murderers, rapists, and bombers that seek to undermine the safety of the American public. The answer is to apply the death penalty to the most gruesome of crimes and to remove these individuals from the world once and for all, to ensure that no one may ever again fall victim to a heinous or violent crime. Additionally, let us not forget that each of these criminals is entitled due process of law and a fair trial. The scales are tipped in favor of the public as far as rights are concerned. Moreover, I intend to advocate my position by providing dangerous criminals on death row that are the underbelly of society. As well, I will explore the morality and implementation of capital punishment. There is a constitutional principle behind the 8th Amendment: that no on shall receive a punishment greater than the crime committed. This is an apt policy, demonstrating the foresight of our founding fathers. It ensures capital punishment is not doled out for minor crimes such as petty theft or vandalism. Rather, it is reserved for only the most gruesome of crimes. One such gruesome crime was the 2005 murders of Brenda Groene, her boyfriend and son, as well as the kidnapping of Brendas two youngest Shasta and Dylan in Coeur d Alene, Idaho (Joseph Duncan, Spokesman.com). The perpetrator, convicted felon Joseph Edward Duncan, then proceeded to murder Dylan in the Montana wilderness. As well, after his apprehension by the authorities he was tied to several other murders, one in California and two in Washington. Duncan was given due process of law, and was sentenced to ten consecutive life sentences and the death penalty for seven murders across four states in a ten year time span. The constitutional principle of just punishment was upheld, an eye for an eye. Justice was served in this instance, for if one murders seven others in cold blood, how can they themselves be worthy of life? Inversely, opponents to capital punishment unanimously believe that the punishment is racially biased. They believe this because the majority of prisoners on death row are in fact minorities. However, an independent study conducted by the R.A.N.D. Corporation (Research and Development), in which several separate teams were tasked with determining whether or not race factors into capital punishment (Muhlhausen, The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives). They concluded, independently with no inter-team contact, that incases resulting in the death penalty, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that decisions to seek the death penalty are driven by characteristics of crimes rather than by race. Furthermore, Prof. Richard Berk of the University of California concluded that cases with a black defendant and white victim or other racial combination are less likely to have a death sentence. (Muhlhausen). In continuation, another primary argument against capital punishment is it costs state and federal governments a great deal to carry out the sentences. They believe this because of constant appeals to convictions and demanded re-trials due to new evidence that cost the courts time and money over the course of decades per inmate. However, in a letter to the editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Assemblyman Curt Hagman of the California State Assembly observes the people against the death penalty are the ones that are creating the deficits with those very same appeals. (Hagman, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin). In this way, I believe the opposition to capital punishment, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is poisoning the public and courts against justice for grisly crimes. The solution to this problem is to take all the time needed the first time around, as well as to gather all possible evidence and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt guilt or innocence, as wel l as limiting appeals to one per inmate. In summary, the death penalty must be applied strictly, quickly, and fairly. By implementing the death penalty, justice can be served for capital crimes such as murder, and the public will be safe from humanitys worst. Also, if we as a nation dispose of all the red tape in the judicial system, the cost for euthanizing inmates will be reduced drastically. The time to act is now. Hundreds of prisoners have sat on death row for 30 years or more, with countless victims and families never seeing justice served. Help set everyones minds at ease and encourage the death penalty. Bibliographies The Declaration of Independence. The Heritage Foundation. 2008. Print Hagman, Curt. Dont End Death Penalty, Streamline It. InlandValley Daily Bulletin. 5 May 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Muhlhausen, David B. The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives. Heritage.org. 28 Aug 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. Crime Punishable by Death. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. Bjs.ojb.usdoj.gov. 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. History of the Death Penalty. Procon.org. 8 May 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. Joseph Duncan. Spokesman.com. 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. U.S. Constitution. Art./Amend. XI, Sec. 3 U.S. Constitution. Art./Amend. XIII, Sec. 3

vacume cleaner :: essays research papers fc

The Vacuum Cleaner: A History That Sucks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ehren Gerhard Mrs. Anderson English IV March 28th, 2004  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our past, we have always demonstrated an insatiable quest for cleanliness. For example, as early as 2300 BC twig brooms were being used to tidy up peoples cave dwellings. (Inventors) In the early 20th century, the United States was enveloped with the rise of the industrial revolution. Surprisingly, one close to home detail was yet to be improved: home sanitation. Later, a revolutionary idea to suck in dirt and dust was considered by British inventor, Hubert Cecile Booth. (Dream) This idea was the start of a cleaning revolution that influenced cleaning practices, controlled disease, and begun a sales industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the persistent affliction of household disease due to sanitation, a more effective cleaning solution was in order. Current cleaning devises were limited to nothing more than a mop and a carpet sweeper. The inventor of the carpet sweeper, Melville Bissell, Originally developed it to preserve his health by sweeping away the dust in his crockery shop. The inventor soon recognized the sweeper’s market potential. They secured tufts of hog bristles with string, dipped the tufts into hot pitch, inserted the tufts into brush rollers, and trimmed them with scissors. (Dream) In another case, American James Spangler suffered from asthma and hypothesized that airborne dust from his carpet sweeper was the aggravate. He invented the electric vacuum cleaner principle that is commonly used in households today. (Dream)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another prevalent dilemma of the time was the maintenance of large structures. At the time, there were many airborne diseases and illnesses that necessitated proper sanitation and disposal. During World War 1, Hubert Booth received an urgent request to vacuum clean the Crystal Palace where the 1st World Expo was held. This was because soldiers in the Crystal Palace kept dieing from an infectious disease that contaminated it. Booth's vacuum cleaning pump sucked in a tremendous amount of dust from the Crystal Palace. It was plagued with germs and thus he subdued the disease. Leaders of Germany, Russia, and France, who attended the Royal Coronation of Edward the Seventh, were all anxious to buy Booth's vacuum cleaning pump. (Inventors)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The response to these modern marveled cleaning machines was obviously enormous. And so became the patent field and sales market. Door to door cleaning became prevalent with such inventors as Hubert Booth and John Thurman. In St. Louis, John Thurman started a horse drawn door-to-door vacuum service similar to Booth's. vacume cleaner :: essays research papers fc The Vacuum Cleaner: A History That Sucks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ehren Gerhard Mrs. Anderson English IV March 28th, 2004  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In our past, we have always demonstrated an insatiable quest for cleanliness. For example, as early as 2300 BC twig brooms were being used to tidy up peoples cave dwellings. (Inventors) In the early 20th century, the United States was enveloped with the rise of the industrial revolution. Surprisingly, one close to home detail was yet to be improved: home sanitation. Later, a revolutionary idea to suck in dirt and dust was considered by British inventor, Hubert Cecile Booth. (Dream) This idea was the start of a cleaning revolution that influenced cleaning practices, controlled disease, and begun a sales industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the persistent affliction of household disease due to sanitation, a more effective cleaning solution was in order. Current cleaning devises were limited to nothing more than a mop and a carpet sweeper. The inventor of the carpet sweeper, Melville Bissell, Originally developed it to preserve his health by sweeping away the dust in his crockery shop. The inventor soon recognized the sweeper’s market potential. They secured tufts of hog bristles with string, dipped the tufts into hot pitch, inserted the tufts into brush rollers, and trimmed them with scissors. (Dream) In another case, American James Spangler suffered from asthma and hypothesized that airborne dust from his carpet sweeper was the aggravate. He invented the electric vacuum cleaner principle that is commonly used in households today. (Dream)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another prevalent dilemma of the time was the maintenance of large structures. At the time, there were many airborne diseases and illnesses that necessitated proper sanitation and disposal. During World War 1, Hubert Booth received an urgent request to vacuum clean the Crystal Palace where the 1st World Expo was held. This was because soldiers in the Crystal Palace kept dieing from an infectious disease that contaminated it. Booth's vacuum cleaning pump sucked in a tremendous amount of dust from the Crystal Palace. It was plagued with germs and thus he subdued the disease. Leaders of Germany, Russia, and France, who attended the Royal Coronation of Edward the Seventh, were all anxious to buy Booth's vacuum cleaning pump. (Inventors)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The response to these modern marveled cleaning machines was obviously enormous. And so became the patent field and sales market. Door to door cleaning became prevalent with such inventors as Hubert Booth and John Thurman. In St. Louis, John Thurman started a horse drawn door-to-door vacuum service similar to Booth's.

Sex Education in American Schools Essay example -- America Public Scho

Every year in America, one million teen girls become pregnant and at least three million teens become infected with an STD (Donovan, 1). Though these numbers slightly fluctuate, problems facing American adolescents today, like HIV/AIDS, other STD’s, and teen pregnancy. This means that some needs to change. These problems will decline when sex education is revamped everywhere in America, by making the curriculum completely comprehensive in addressing problems facing adolescents today such as teen pregnancy, STD’s, rape, pressures and emotions dealing with sex, and give teens good communication skills. Right now teachers approach these subjects on their tip toes, dance around the issue, and not fully give out all the information. Meditation. To find out what needs to be change we should look at what is being taught. In Levine’s book, Harmful to Minors, she discusses the curriculums being taught in public schools today, by breaking them down into two categories. Abstinence-only and abstinence-based. Both of these programs do teach about health, physical education, home economics, and biology, but both can really differ when dealing with the different â€Å"sensitive† issues. Abstinence-only education, promotes postponing sex, but when it comes to issues like contraception, it is taught how affective it is, but not where to get it. Abstinence-only curriculum promotes more education through the family, instead of through school. Some abstinence-only curriculums do deal with comprehensive issues, but mainly try to avoid the subject. Some teachers even make up lies to try and scare kids away from sex. Abstinence-based is more comprehensive. The curriculum does promote that abstinence is the only 100% full proof method, but ... ...’s. Numerous sexual partners later, she found out she had Chlamydia. These are great examples when comprehensive sex education is needed. Kids will be kids, and kids have sex. Educating the youth will only have them making wiser decisions and protect themselves. There is no doubt that change is needed. Comprehensive sex education is the answer. Informing the youth will have positive repercussions for not only the youth, but for society in general. Evidence does not lie. Abstinence-only education does not work, and there is no evidence that supports it. Comprehensive sex education does not give adolescents the wrong ides. They already have the wrong idea, but still America doesn’t get it. Educating is the only way we have a fighting chance. When the youth has all the information and resources available, they will make informed responsible decisions.

Uploadng Your Brain Essay -- essays research papers

UPLOADING YOUR BRAIN†¦ "I'm sorry, Jim, but I just don't think it's right for a man's atoms to be scattered all over creation and then brought back together again. It's just not right." (Character, Dr. Leonard McCoy, original Star Trek series) I wonder what Bones would have to say about swallowing, or being injected with billions of microscopic robots, or nanobots, to enter into a three dimensional cyberspace - a virtual reality environment or to enable him to live forever? In an article that could be taken from a Star Trek: Voyager script, I think Dr. Kurzweil is proposing the coming of the perpetual human as a result of nanobot technology. I guess it's not that strange a conception for science and sci-fi to be bedfellows. It's actually quite exciting to see some of the fantastic ideas once seen only in the entertainment media come to fruition. I just wish they'd work on the teleporting theory so that commuting would become a thing of the past. It would sure help the ozone layer. In due time, I suppose, but I don't know if I'm ready for an energizer bunny type of human being. Neural implants are now being used to counteract tremors from Parkinson's disease as well as multiple sclerosis. Cochlear implants are helping the deaf to hear and a retinal implant is now underway in the hopes that the blind may one day see again, or for the first time. Along those lines, Dr. Kurzweil, believes that nanobot based implants will enhance the human brain and in effect I believe, create a race of super intelligent humans. At present, the nanobots cannot be made small enough. But he states that in 30 years we will be able to miniaturize (shades the movies Fantastic Voyage and Inner Space) them and send billions of the blood cell sized scanning machines through every capillary of the brain to create a complete noninvasive scan of our every neural feature. Perhaps noninvasive on a physical level, but what about our emotional and spiritual levels? Right now we find our rights being stepped on more and more as the federal government takes control of areas in which we should be governing ourselves. When governments, extremist groups and terrorists get hold of this of kind of technology the results will be devastating. Mind boggling, if you will. Instead of bugging your phone or house you could be slipped a "nanobot mickey" and the "spy nanobots"... ...l your thoughts and actions. Talk about the ultimate violation. They could be put in the food or water supply of an entire population. Forget cryogenics or cloning. If you combine cybernetic and nanobot technologies you could upload your knowledge and experiences into a computer and then be put into a cybernetic body (the Bionic Man/Woman meet Bicentennial Man) you could, quite conceivably, live forever. But, would you want to? I might if I could outrun a car and eat all the cheeseburgers and chocolate cake I wanted without gaining an ounce! Seriously, though, I doubt that I would. I personally do not feel comfortable with the human race having access to this kind of knowledge. We're not exactly the most stable of species. I want to live my 'natural' life in my biological body as I was meant to. Not some man made super body. Dr. Kurzweil regards the freeing of the human mind from its severe physical limitations as a necessary next step in evolution. He sees it as moving us inexorably closer to becoming like God. Maybe God had a very good reason for our physical limitations. No, I'd rather take the natural, age-old approach to God myself - dying as we were meant to do.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Genius or Not Essay

What makes a person a genius? Is it thru the lessons that are taught by teachers or is it a natural phenomenon that we are born with? Some believe that Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a genius because of his epileptic medical condition. We will explore different opinions on the matter and debate if epilepsy could have contributed to his creative mind. Dostoyevsky was a Russian novelist who used his psychological interpretations to create dramatic and dark overtones to his stories. It is argued that the dramatic events in his life, which included his mock execution, imprisonment in a Siberian jail, and his epileptic seizures, put him in a state of mind that helped him to create his greatest characters. He began to have his epileptic episodes while in prison is Siberia. It has been argued that this experience contributed to his new way of thinking about his personal beliefs and how he viewed the world. Could the epileptic episodes have touched on part of the brain that he had never used before? Could it have produced new signals in the brain that created a deeper and more philosophical interpretation of the world he was in? People with epilepsy have an increased risk of poor self-esteem, depression, and suicide. It is not uncommon for people to develop emotional and behavioral problems related to this disease. In his era, epilepsy was not well known about and its characteristics. Many argued about what type of epilepsy that he had. His wife Anna witnessed some of these fits and wrote about it in her biographies. Dostoyevsky used his illness and suffering as a theme to his some of his stories. It influenced many aspects of his work and enabled him to understand and feel things in such depths which would not have been possible had he not suffered from the disease. Dostoyevsky had an intense connection into the human psyche. He was more than a writer. He was a psychologist and a philosopher. He did not have any interest in math, science or any type of engineering degree but he did enjoy architecture and drawing. Art was the main driving force that he tapped into. Could art be a foundation of someone being a genius? Two particular terms are relative to y analysis of Dostoyevsky; genius and epilepsy. What is the definition of genius? â€Å"Genius is a ‘natural talent’, a ‘natural endowment’, which cannot be learnt by anyone precisely because it ‘requires to be bestowed directly from the hand of nature upon each individual. † (Aiello 663) Two meanings of the term are as follows: â€Å"Extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity and/or a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority; specifically: a person with a very high IQ. † (Webster, Genius) What is the definition of Epilepsy? Epilepsy is a â€Å"neurological disorder caused by paroxysmal malfunction of neurons in the brain (seizures). It is characterized by strange movements or sensations in parts of the body, odd behaviors, emotional disturbances, and sometimes convulsions and momentary lapses of consciousness. Seizures may result from abnormal electrical activity in most or all of the brain (generalized), or they may originate in a specific brain area (partial). † (Webster, Epilepsy) Epileptic people have different parts of the brain that can be affected. There are three main types of seizures: petit mal, grand mal, and focal. Petit mal seizures are typically called an â€Å"absence seizure. † They usually are brief lasting around 15 seconds or less. Grand mal seizures usually involve the whole body. People with these types of seizures have vision, smell, taste, hallucinations, sensory changes and dizziness. Focal seizures are considered partial. They can be characterized as simple or complex. Simple ones do not affect awareness or one’s memory. Complex seizures affect awareness or memory. They can interfere with the events before, during or immediately after the seizure. They can also affect behavior. He had a rare form of temporal lobe epilepsy named â€Å"Ecstatic Epilepsy†. Seizures which occurred in the daytime were often preceded by an ecstatic aura, which has led neurologists to theorize that he had temporal lobe epilepsy with secondary grand mal epilepsy. In the four following novels, his characters had epilepsy: The Possessed, The Brothers Karamazov, Insulted and Injured and The Idiot. Sigmund Freud, who was a trained neurologist, described Dostoyevsky’s state as â€Å"an organic brain disease independent of the psychic constitution. † Is an epileptic brain wired differently? Did this attribute to Dostoyevsky’s dark world? Was this the source of his â€Å"genius? † â€Å"Dostoevskii was generally presented as a ‘genius’, whose talent, however, resided in something other than his artistic accomplishments. † (Aiello 660) His unusual type of thinking was attributed to his seizures. Aiello believed that his epilepsy was the main cause of his creative works and not a genuine stance of genius that he was born with. Dostoyevsky’s characters displayed atheist behaviors. The worlds of heaven and hell are all around him and he described seeing the universe imitate the unnatural forces of the universe. He shows how the devil can erase his identity from the human conciseness. â€Å"When translated into abstractions, Dostoevsky’s psychology is as unimpressive as his political theory. It is merely a derivative of theories propounded by German writers about the unconscious, the role of dreams, the ambivalence of human feelings. What makes it electric in the novels is his ability to dramatize it in scenes of sudden revelation; in characters who in today’s terminology would be called split personalities, in people twisted by isolation, lust, humiliation, and resentment. † (Dostoevsky 544) â€Å"Dostoevsky further held that the spiritual world of the modern individual, now deprived of the reference points of reason and torn by antipodal strivings, collides not only with the chaos of the social unit but also with the general natural order of the words, the ontological abysses. (Gurvich-Lishchiner 22) Could this phrase be an accurate measurement of how his mind works? The synapsis of his brain not colliding in perfect harmony, reflect them in different directions which create an alternate reality in which he thrives off of? According to Freud, â€Å"what is generally believed to be epilepsy in men of genius are always straight cases of hysteria. † The reality that he delved into, between God and Satan, exists in a lot of his work. â€Å"This brought the writer back to the globally creative task of confirming that God exists, even in a chaotic and wicked world. (Gurvich-Lishchiner 23). Satan is an abstract basically hiding in plain sight. His perception of how Satan works in the earthly realm seems to be twisted and unjust. According to Hooten, â€Å"Dostoevsky propose a dualistic rivalry between God and Satan, but they both acknowledge Satan as a reality manifested by human pride. † (Hooten 118) He creates these characterizations of the devil as a symbolic way in which he believes a human being thinks and feels. The darkness that empowers him is a fascination that we all explore in our own selves. We fight the good and the bad in our daily lives and with his personal experiences he does the same. â€Å"It is indubitable that Dostoevsky, like all figures in science and the arts, was engaged in a search for his faith, and that this process was the basis of his creative development as a philosopher and man of letters. † (Barsht 37). He uses metaphors of the devil to confirm that God really does exist in our chaotic world. He creates this metaphor by having the devil compel us in unthinkable ways and by not allowing us to see or identify the devil but allowing us to hear him and his suggestions. Science and religion are viewed in two entirely different ways thru Dostoevsky’s eyes. Science needs evidence to determine if something is true or not. Religion is having a greater sense of self and feeling in what you believe. The mind is a complex thing and we need to understand it better. When someone is born are they instantly a genius or does the brain develop over time and introduce things that help to establish the physical description of it when they become of age to identify it? Science demands that the personal life position of the individual be integrated into the known set of hypotheses concerning the structure of the world, which form a sort of dynamic paradigm (â€Å"scientific tradition†). † (Barsht 40) It is documented that he attended seances to investigate in the spiritual world and to see if it really does exist. â€Å"It seems that Dostoevsky went to the February seance in order to verify his conjectures through personal experience. † (V initsky 103). I believe this is what began his quest in determining how to fit the devil into his own world and how he could relate to the spiritual side. Dostoevsky believed if a devil doesn’t exist, that we then create him in our own image. He was a very spiritual person and it seems that when he used the Devil, he brought out the good and contrasted it with the bad in his writings. As stated earlier, Dostoevsky thinks that the devil can be created from man’s pride. Pride is a state of being that we all have dealt with and can relate to. Pride can create a downward spiral of someone’s character and produce tragic results. He created these types of works that entered into the human psyche and pulled out these characteristic traits. But can someone’s pride be altered? Did his health affect this part of his personality? So to help understand him better, we look at his epileptic nature and wonder if it affected his thinking or how he perceived things. The mind works in mysterious ways. It is documented that when a person has problems with the brain it could alter their state of mind in which they annot relate to people or things on a â€Å"normal† basis. We can define â€Å"normal† as someone viewing the world the same way that we do or who identifies with our own religion and doesn’t question it or its intentions. But when someone does seem abnormal we instantly criticize that person and wonder what that person is about. What pushes them into the things they do, see, or hear? All these questions are still being asked of Dostoevsky today. He is criticized for his works and sometimes has been labeled as a gothic writer and others have called him a true genius in which other famous writers are compared to him. Art differs from science in its mediated formation of a vision of the world not out of the sensually perceived material of immediately accessible reality, as in the natural sciences. † (Barsht 43) Instead of being seen as â€Å"abnormal† the term â€Å"art† comes into play. We use the term so loosely that we can make it fit into any category that we choose. So, if Dostoevsky had seizures could his art of writing be contributed to this part of his talent? If he didn’t experience seizures in his life, would he still possess the same thought provoking ideas and creations in his work? There is a great debate in whether Dostoevskii’s epilepsy was considered a form of mental illness in which he fostered his ideas from or was his genius a true part of his nature in which he used and pulled from and was the basis for his writing skills. â€Å"Science demands that the personal life position of the individual be integrated into the known set of hypotheses concerning the structure of the world, which form a sort of dynamic paradigm (â€Å"scientific tradition†). † (Barsht 40) Authors are debating and establishing guidelines when authenticating an author. This debate will go on when deciding the true meaning of genius.

Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Essay

Psychology can be described as examination of ideas, intuitive feeling, and the way someone thinks and uses his or her wits be it physical, mental, or cognitive. Abnormal psychology is ideas or conduct causing the individual troubles. The deficiency may be sadness, potential fight, or simply uncomfortableness in the individuals daily life. Mental disorders or mental disease are practices not in general associated with a person. A number of these disorders can harm others or the one who is battling with the disorder. There are a number of therapies for these disorders and are different in each case. A closer look and contrast of normal and abnormal psychology is need along with mental disturbance and mental disease from a psychology position polishing off by way of a look at different therapies useful for normal and abnormal psychology. Abnormal and Normal Psychology are likewise, also the two look into behaviors, and because of individuals different cultures and beliefs some behaviors are normal. Then again oftentimes they could be different for the behavior is not really typical or something out the ordinary. To know the difference between normal and abnormal psychology helps with acknowledging mental disturbance from a psychological perspective. To help illustrate our research on abnormal psychology, this section will compare and contrast normal and abnormal psychology. Normal psychology focuses on the different ways different people see life and want to live life, rather than relying on generalizations made about whole populations of people. See more:  Mark Twain’s Humorous Satire in Running for Governor Essay These generalizations can often do harm because without proper consideration they can often imply norm of behavior inimical to a person’s existence. A normal psychology in this way doesn’t imply a perfect individual existence, nor that there aren’t any pathologies. Abnormal-is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder. The field of abnormal psychology identifies multiple causes for different conditions, employing diverse theories from the general field of psychology and elsewhere, and much still hinges on what exactly is meant by â€Å"abnormal†. Mental disorders and mental illnesses This next section will examine mental disorders and mental illnesses from the perspective of psychology. Adjustment disorders of mental disorders is related to an identifiable source of stress that causes significant emotional and behavioral symptoms. Anxiety disorders are those that are characterized by excessive and abnormal fear, worry and anxiety. In one recent survey published in the Archives of General Psychology 1, it was estimated that as many as 18% of American adults suffer from at least one anxiety disorder. Cognitive disorders are psychological disorders that involve cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving and perception. Some anxiety disorders, mood disorders and psychotic disorders are classified as cognitive disorders. Alzheimer’s disease †¢Delirium †¢Dementia †¢Amnesia Therapies Psychotherapy is a general term that is used to describe the process of treating psychological disorders and mental distress. During this process, a trained psychotherapist helps the client tackle a specific or general problem such as a particular mental illness or a source of life stress. Depending on the approach used by the therapist, a wide range of techniques and strategies can be used. However, almost all types of psychotherapy involve developing a therapeutic relationship, communicating and creating a dialogue and working to overcome problematic thoughts or behaviors. †¢Psychoanalytic: An approach to therapy that involved delving into a patient thoughts and past experiences to seek out unconscious desires or fantasies. Cognitive-behavioral: A type of psychotherapy that involves cognitive and behavioral techniques to change negative thoughts and maladaptive behaviors. Humanistic: A form of therapy that focuses on helping people maximize their potential. Medical therapy for mental disturbance and sicknesses change between each philosophical system. The earlier style of psychotherapy were the psychodynamic therapies. Psychodynamic therapy tries to change personality practices through perceptiveness and the therapist-patient relationship (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Inside this subdivision of therapy dwell the proficiencies of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. These particular therapies ask the patient to lie on a sofa or sit opposite with a therapist and talk about what one thinks of, a technique known as free association. The two most adept humanistic therapies are Gestalt therapy and the client centered therapy. Gestalt therapy is somewhat like psychodynamic psychotherapy. The most commonly known technique of the therapy is the empty chair technique. Through this method the patient exercises emotional expression by visualizing that the individual him or her wants to converse with is in the chair. The second humanistic therapy is the client centered therapy. Through this technique the therapist exhibits an position of full credence for the patient by listening emphatically. Therapeutic change occurs as the patient hears his or her own thoughts or feelings reflected by the nonjudgmental listener. Conclusion There are a number of therapies for these disorders and are different in each case. Abnormal and Normal Psychology are likewise, also the two look into behaviors, and because of individuals different cultures and beliefs, some behaviors are normal. Lastly, normal and abnormal look into behavior, this behavior may be causing the individual troubles, confrontation, or simply uncomfortableness in daily life. Mental disorders including schizophrenia and Obsessive compulsive disorder can harm others or the individual battling with them. Mental illnesses comprise of perturbations of mentation, experience, and emotion cause operative disability making it very hard to nurture relationships, keep a job, and can lead to suicide. Treatment will change with regards to the form of disorder a individual has and the individuals commitment to look for assistance with a therapist. References Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2009). Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Nami ( National Alliance on Mental Illnesses, http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Mental_Illnesses/Depression/Mental_Illnesses_What_is_Depression.htm retrieved December 01, 2012. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mental-illness/ retrieved December 01, 2012. www.uidaho.edu/psych101/abnormal6.pdf. Retrieved December 02, 2012 Wood, S. E., & Wood, E. R. The World of Psychology. Boston, MA: A Pearson Education Company. Page 538 Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Essay Teresa Neal Abnormal Psychology and Therapy Paper In a world where nothing seems to be considered normal anymore, psychology tries to draw the line between what it is and what is not. The different schools of thought have their own perspective on the definition, origin, and treatment of abnormal behavior and this paper will cover a few, trying to make it possible to have a clear difference between normal and abnormal psychology. Normal and Abnormal Psychology Specifically defining behavior as normal or abnormal is a contentious issue in abnormal psychology. To try to distinguish between normal psychology and abnormal psychology, psychologists use three criteria; whatever is infrequent, maladaptive, and deviant from the cultural norm, falls under the category of abnormal behavior (Spoor, 1999). Mental health, also known as normal psychology, and mental illnesses and disorders, also known as abnormal psychology, have been defined in many ways, but should always be viewed in the context of ethnocultural factors and influence because what is considered normal in some environments may be considered abnormal in others. A person with a normal behavior and mental processes has the ability to adapt and cope with adversity, has a correct perception of reality, accepts self, avoids harm, and experiences continual psychological growth and development (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Abnormal psychology, on the other hand, is characterized by unusual patterns that some people might show in their behavior, thought process, and expression of emotion, patterns that are associated with distress or disability and can cause harm and an unreasonable response to a particular situation. Mental Disorders Daily functions such as the ability to think, read, remember, plan, and understand rely on an individuals cognitive skills (Medalia & Revheim, 2002). Cognitive disorders are disorders of thinking or memory that signify an evident change from the personal former level of functioning. In certain situations the exact origin of the disorder can be identified, other cases the cause is unclear. Even though these disorders are biologically founded, the environment and psychological factors play significant roles in shaping the effect and extent of disabling symptoms in addition to the personal capacity to deal with them. (Nevid, et a. 2008). The most common cognitive disorders are amnestic, delirium, and dementia disorders. Amnestic disorders are a cognitive impairment relating a failure to develop new memories and the failure to remember old memories. Delirium is a severe, and reversible state of mental disorder, which involves confusion, and the lack of ability to focus on information or the surrounding environment. Individuals that suffer from delirium may suffer frightening hallucinations, particularly visual hallucinations. The loss of memory and understanding usually associated with behavior and personality changes describes dementia disorders. Different forms of dementia exist, depending on the cause; therefore; some types of dementia may be reversed with treatment. For example; those cases that are caused by brain tumors. Dementia caused by the disease Alzheimer’s cannot be reversed (Nevid, et al. 2008). On a personal note; these patients are difficult, they have to watch be continually as they can do harm to themselves and others. Mental Illnesses Although diagnoses of ADHD are based on behavioral symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity, evidence suggests that children with ADHD also show important cognitive weaknesses in areas that are necessary to daily functioning at home work and school. Particularly research studies indicate that children with ADHD often have problems in; Executive functions (for example, planning a project, keeping attentive to a task, ignoring irrelevant information) Working memory (which is often considered an executive function) speed of information processing (children with ADHD process information more slowly than their peers) Many of these cognitive processes are often interrelated. For example problems in working memory can negatively affect other executive functions, or slow processing speed may lower an individual’s ability to recall and organize information. ttp://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/15499890 From the cognitive perspective, theorists suggest that a person diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorders suffer from impaired information-processing. The impairment is present in defined categories and boundaries that are maladaptive and result in an over-structuring of input but there is no evidence to show that this is the c ause, rather than a consequence of OCD symptoms. Another cognitive theory suggests that OCD â€Å"fear structures† are especially various and a large number of stimuli can become associated with threat or danger. Passive avoidance of such a large number of stimulus associations can be extremely difficult and compulsions become necessary for the individual to feel safe. Although cognitive theories do provide insight into the outward aspect of OCD, they fail to clearly define how and why OCD and this cognitive impairment can arise. Similarities between the Schools of Thought There are quite a few similarities between the different schools of thought in treating mental disorders. All but the Psychodynamic therapies are short term usually lasting a year or less and most all therapies have the client or patient facing the therapist and are conversational. All therapies also look to help the client or patient change behaviors or thought patterns that are causing problems of one kind or another. Cognitive-Behavioral therapies help patients with behavior and cognitive problems. The therapist helps the patient focus on the problematic behavior and helps him or her find ways in which to address these behaviors and learn skills to change them. These therapies use a variety of techniques to help patients with phobias, social skills, accomplishing goals, anxiety disorders, and the like. Psychodynamic therapies both examine the patient’s thought patterns to get to the bottom of the undesired behavior or emotional responses. Humanistic therapies including Gestalt and Client-Centered therapies focus on the patient’s feelings and to experience themselves as they really are. Family, Marital, and Group therapies use group communication either one- on-one or in a group to help with problematic relationships and behaviors. Self-help groups are another type of group therapy that aims to help people either cope with undesired behavior, loss of a loved one, addictions, and disease. [ (Kowalski, 2009) ]The common thread here with most therapies, the approach is a warm relationship with the therapist who shows empathy for the patient or client and giving him or her hope or efficacy in coping with their problem[ (Kowalski, 2009) ] Differences between the Schools of Thought While each school of thought has common factors in treatment methods, each school has developed different ways of addressing psychological problem. For instance, Psychodynamic therapies rely on two principles: the role of insight and the role of the therapist-patient relationship (Kowalski & Western, 2009). It is believed that in order for therapeutic change to occur, a person must understand his or her own psychological processes. When in therapy it is one on one; the patient is either face to face with the therapist or lying on a couch with the therapist sitting behind them. Psychodynamic therapy emphasizes the notion that the patients problems stemmed from childhood. These problems follow the child into adulthood causing a conflict within new relationships. This transfer of emotion from past experiences is called transference, one of the techniques psychotherapies rely on. The two main treatments, psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy, are a long term process that focuses on developing awareness of these unconscious feelings. Psychodynamic therapy, like psychoanalysis, consists of three days a week over a long period of time. It is considered that patients who meet at least twice weekly benefit more than those who do not. Unlike psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on the person’s life as it is now; the current and conscious thought patterns and behavior. They are not concerned with exploring and altering underlying personality patterns or unconscious processes (Kowalski & Western,  2009). The focus is on the present feelings and not the childhood experiences. Cognitive-based therapies are relatively short term and direct. Specific recommendations are made to bring about change in behavior. The sessions are well structured with questioning, and the patient usually is sent home with an assignment (Mote, 2011). While most cognitive behavioral techniques try to alter behavior, such as classical conditioning, cognitive therapy focuses on changing dysfunctional cognitions (Kowalski & Western, 2009). These behaviors are automatic, and not unconscious. Therapy is a process of identifying and altering these automatic thoughts. Cognitive therapy techniques such as rational-emotional behavior therapy recognize the behaviors and works to mediate between the activating conditions and the emotional reactions. As each of the other therapies are more therapist-patient, Humanistic therapies focus on the world of the patient and qualities that make him or her unique (Mote, 2011). The therapy techniques that are used, Gestalt therapy and Roger’s client centered therapy, are primarily based on becoming aware of one’s own emotions, values, and motivations to bring about change. With group therapy, the individuals are concentrated on the individual dynamics and their reactions in the group process. Family therapy is centered on the structure of the family, and the main roots of conflict in family interaction.

It Doesn’t Matter Case Study Essay

This is information era. The evolution of human society from agricultural society to industrial society, and to today’s information technology society, shows that information technology is playing a more and more important role. People who can access to information the most quickly would be the winners in the market. With the continuous development of consumer demand, and the progress of information technology industry, IT has been widely existed in every corner of the modern commercial society. We use computers to work, use software to improve the efficiency of information processing, use the Internet to transfer information, use E-mail and other technics to achieve efficient communication. We can say that the development of information technology promotes the development of the whole industry. According to Carr that information technology’s power and ubiquity grows, its strategic importance diminishes. I agree with this statement to some extends.   Like electric power in the past: the discovery of electric brought the second industrial revolution to the world. Nowadays, people cannot imagine life without electric. Electricity is everywhere and it is easily available. But it doesn’t mean that electricity is no longer important. It means that the market value of electric has changed tremendously. The market of infrastructure construction of electric is saturated. People are charging for using electric which was offered by electric power companies. IT is on the same way. Nowadays, people are building their own â€Å"electric plants† in their companies. The trend of the market is that there will be professional â€Å"IT plant companies† who can provide the techniques to every industry. Different kinds of industry are more and more relying on information technology. What people really need in the IT-era is not super computer and software, but the information. Companies invest in IT infrastructure to achieve the information, process the information and improve the efficiency eventually. With the development of the IT technology, there are many companies to provide professional technology service for the enterprises. Enterprises do not need to set up information technology team to develop their own software and system. They can obtain information technology support in the same way of calling ATT to set up homophone: professional workers will come to install equipment and provide service support. Cloud computing makes IT technology go from every computer CPU to the clouds. People don’t need to update their computer processing speed since that cloud computing makes information processing completed in the clouds. People’s computer becomes the information receiving window. The software in those computers also becomes less important. Software in the clouds can also obtain. Data is processing and storing in the clouds, so that special large memory in the computer is no longer necessary. Computers only need to get results from the clouds to show. There will be great advance in cloud computing in the in the near future. Software in the cloud will replace the software in the computers. The high-speed information transmission technology will have to improve as premise. For example, company can use the inventory management software in the cloud to manage their stock. Workers update the data online through a website where different kinds of database management strategies can be chosen.. The order information will be transferred to the suppliers online automatically. I consider Carr’s arguments in the article to be hold just for infrastructure investments. Today’s investment in IT industry should be focused on for example cloud instead of infrastructure. With the progress of cloud computing technology, the market demand of hardware and infrastructure will shrink.

The Current “Age of Accountability” Law in Light of Developmental Psychology Current Law Upheld Case Study

In the case study provided, one can see many areas where the development of the child in question can be taken into consideration when looking at the case from a law standpoint. In any case involving children, one must always take into account their environment, their developmental age, and their true age. With each age group, there is a norm for development and each child must be evaluated regarding that norm. In this case, the current law regarding the â€Å"age of accountability† can be upheld through three basic points. These points are the biosocial, the cognitive, and the psychosocial areas of development. Each area plays a huge role in whether or not a child (at the age of six) can be held accountable for such a violent act. In the area of biosocial development, everything from a child’s nutrition to brain development to abuse can affect their perceptions (Berger, 2008). In the case provided, the six year old boy, coming from a single parent household, could very easily suffer developmentally in this area. Historically, single parent households make much less than households where both parents are present. Less income (socioeconomic status decline) could equal less nutritious food to aid in proper development. At the age of the child provided for this case study, he seems to be at the norm for brain development. At this age, even though children can think in rapid succession, they do not process the information to the point of seeing the true consequences. The child is also not completely able to use deductive reasoning when thinking the situation through from beginning to end and vice versa (Berger, 2008). Emotions at this point also play a key role in the development of the child provided. At this age, emotions such as anger (which would commonly be felt after the scuffle on the playground) can grow over a few hours and especially overnight, in a child who has anger or guilt problems anyway. While anger is a normal emotion, some children at this age struggle with the appropriate way to deal with it and lash out, resulting in injury. Taking into consideration the lifestyle of the juvenile in question, abuse and/or neglect could also be a large problem in his dealing with anger issues. While he may see the maltreatment he could be receiving as just basic attention, he is unable to process the true impact of the situation at his age (Berger, 2008). When the child sees anger at home, he is more likely to engage in anger motivated activities outside the home. Cognitive development of the six year old boy must also be taken into consideration when upholding the age of accountability law. Due to the fact that children of this age tend to be very self-centered and have the ability to focus on one idea (regardless of perception), a child with anger issues will see their problem is the whole world and that that one focal point is to stop the angry feeling (Berger, 2008). While to an adult this is irrational thought since the consequences are not planned for, to a child this creates harmony in their world of â€Å"me. Social learning at this age is a huge influence on how they react to their environment. In the case provided, the child is reacting the only way he knows how. Since both his father and grandfather are in the corrections system for gun related charges, it is likely that the child is only modeling the behavior he feels is set forth by those before him (Berger, 2008). While the child does not realize what he is doing at the time, he is an apprentice in thinking in the same way the other male figures have acted in his life. Even though the child has a male influence in his life (his uncle), it does not seem to be constructive as the uncle is likely the one who left the gun out irresponsibly. To uphold the current law, it should also be taken into consideration that a child at this age is merely attempting to make the difference between belief and reality. What a child sees on television and plays in video games can also play a role in their perception of the world as well as their cognitive and psychological development (Berger, 2008). Children before the age of seven have a difficult time realizing the reality and the fantasy within their environment. To them, a violent act is just the means to the end, the consequences are not their concern, and their goal is to end their own suffering regardless of the cost due to their self-centeredness. In the area of psychosocial development, a child should not be held accountable at the age of six due to their emotional status, ability to receive and internalize emotion, and falling victim to their parents’ style of parenting (Berger, 2008). If a child is subjected to authoritarian parenting, they are more likely to be less happy, suffer from depression, and feel guilty about situations in their environment. In the case presented, this could very well be the case for the child as his reason for extreme anger could be internalizing guilt for his father and grandfather being out of his life and in prison. Permissive parenting could also be a cause of developmental issue in a child of this age as they would be lacking of self control and unhappy. Again, the media begins to play a role in the lives of children this age. When a child observes violence and hatred, then they will most likely exude this type of behavior as well if it does not go corrected by a parent (Berger, 2008). When the media is the â€Å"parent† of the child, television used as a babysitter, the only role model they have are the actors on television to mimic and model their behavior. Overall, based on the information provided by Berger in the text, the law regarding whether or not the child in the case from Michigan should be held accountable should be upheld. It can be seen from the information provided above that the child is not developed enough to weigh the consequences of their actions and are most likely victims to their environment. Children cannot control what they are shown and thus at age six should not be accountable for their violent actions when they do not understand what the repercussions of their action could be and do not understand something as complex as taking another life.