Barack Obama’s $ 350 Billion Request in Relation to Fiscal Policy

The declaration of recession by the United States of America has been the official indicator that the country is indeed very much affected by the global financial crisis. The country is facing difficulties in many areas especially when it comes to the situation of their economy. This is clearly exemplified by an article that features President-elect Barack Obama urging the Congress to allow his administration to use the other $ 350 billion of the $ 700 billion rescue package. The main objective of the Obama administration is to use the $ 350 billion of financial bailout funds to help the Main Street more rather than the Wall Street. This amount of money will become available to the Treasury Department within the span of 15 days unless the Congress will pass a law to prevent it (Kelley and Fritze). However, some Republicans clearly oppose the plan to spend more. They justified such position with their perspective that such plan will not be effective. These Republicans asserted that they will only support the spending if there are assurances that the money will not be misspent. There are also some American citizens who are also skeptical about Obama’s plan because of the mismanagement of the first $ 350 billion during the Bush Administration. On the other hand, those who support Obama’s request understand the weariness of the people but they encourage them not to prevent the Obama Administration to use the funds because of their disappointment with the previous administration. President Obama sought to reassure the Congress by promising them that there will be transparency to the process and more money will be directed to address the foreclosure crisis. This is in support with the letter sent by Obama’s economic adviser Lawrence Summers to the Congressional leaders that the country’s fragile economy entails them to act â€Å"both quickly and wisely† (Kelley and Fritze). The economic principle applicable to this article is fiscal policy. Fiscal policy pertains to the â€Å"deliberate changes in government spending and tax collections designed to achieve full employment, control inflation, and encourage economic growth† (McConnell and Brue 214). In relation with this, the request of President Obama for $ 350 billion exemplifies fiscal policy. The situation of the country under which the President made this request is in time of recession. It is said that fiscal policy is most applicable in such kind of economic condition. During time of recession, an expansionary fiscal policy is a possible way to address the problem. A possible reason behind the occurrence of recession is that the profit expectations on investment project have dimmed which curtailed investment spending and decreased aggregate demand. In this case, the federal government has three main options that it can use in order to stimulate the economy. These options are: (1) Increase government spending, (2) reduce taxes, or (3) use some combination of the two (McConnell and Brue 215). It is quite observable that President Obama opted to choose the first option, which is increased in government spending. A sufficient increase in the spending of the government can aid in pushing the economy out of recession. This will address one of the problems in times of recession because increased government spending will also increase aggregate demand. Nevertheless, the initial increase in aggregate demand is not the end because the multiplier effect will increase the original money spent by the government. The greater shift in the aggregate demand curve due to the multiplier process that magnifies the initial variation in spending into more successive rounds of new consumption spending (McConnell and Brue 215-216). Lastly, the political considerations that are observable in the article are also a part of implementing fiscal policy. This is due to the fact that fiscal policy is conducted in the political environment. As a result, economic considerations might be taken aside because of political concerns. It is also a common practice for politicians to rationalize actions and policies that are beneficial to one’s interest (McConnell and Brue 223). This is clearly proven by the opposite poles that the Republicans and Democrats have with regards to this issue.

Gay Marriage argument Essay

The issue of legalizing gay marriage has always been a matter of great controversy in the United States. Many people believe that legalizing gay marriage is immoral and unconstitutional. â€Å"Untraditional,† â€Å"unlawful,† and â€Å"unethical† are some of the many terms used to describe gay marriage. Not all individuals feel this way. The issue has created widespread division both politically and socially. Advocates strongly believe that gay marriage is a constitutional right, while the opposition claims it has too many social disadvantages. In present day society the number of peoples in support of gay marriage is higher than ever. One of the many advocates for pro gay marriage is Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry. Wolfson presents numerous arguments for the legalization of gay marriage in his article â€Å"Without Nationwide Gay Marriage, U.S. Government Discriminates.† Using emotional, logical, and legal appeal, Wolfson presents his argument. Same-sex couples should be able to celebrate their relationships through the bondage of marriage just like heterosexual couples. Many same-sex couples want to marry and they should be able to since it is there human right. Evan Wolfson explains it flawlessly when he proclaimed â€Å"Marriage is an important moment in life when we make a public promise of love and dedication to the person we are building a life with, and ask our friends and family to support us and hold us accountable. Couples who have made that commitment in life should have the same commitment under the law; called marriage.† It is unjust to rid taxpayer citizens of this right. It is societies norm that marriage should be between a man and woman, but it is not written anywhere within the constitution. It is a saddening injustice to discriminate citizens due to their sexual orientation. This is appropriately presented when Wolfson writes â€Å"Under the law, marriage touches every aspect of life, from birth to death, with taxes in between. Denial of the freedom to marry is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on lesbian and gay families—discrimination by their own government†¦particularly in these tough economic times.† The benefits of marriage should be extended to all individual during the present economic situation. According to Wolfson, Withholding from these benefits by preventing same sex marriage is a prime example of discrimination. There is no logical to reason to prevent gay marriage since it has been proven successful. â€Å"Gay couples share in the freedom to marry in six states and the District of Columbia; the sky hasn’t fallen.† Gay marriage has been proven successful in other parts of the world along with some of the United States. Same sex marriage is gaining more and more acceptance, yet it is discriminated against state and federal governments. The Federal government targets homosexual couples through the enactment of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Wolfstan claims â€Å"DOMA harms married same-sex couples by withholding the more than one thousand federal responsibilities and protections accorded all other married couples.† Benefits such as social security survivor and health coverage are withheld from â€Å"married† couples. The constitution commands â€Å"equal justice for all† and Wolfson believes its time to abide by our nation’s written law. Although Evan Wolfson presents valid points, there are many holes in his argument. The author disregards many aspects while portraying his own ideas. To begin with, why is it necessary to define a relationship with the title of â€Å"Marriage?† If two people of the same sex want to be in a relationship, why not just be together? The author claims that â€Å"Gay couples share in the freedom to marry in six states and the District of Columbia; the sky hasn’t fallen.† In the literal sense this statement is true, but what about the rise in divorce rates in the six states and District of Columbia? The sky hasn’t fallen, but there may be negative consequences to the legalization of gay marriage. Wolfston also charges the state and federal governments with discrimination against gays. It is the government’s job to please the majority, and if anti-gay legislation will do that, so be it. If same sex couples are offended with state policies, why can’t they move to a different state or country? Wolfson mentions many appropriate points, but why doesn’t he mention any outside sources? Providing no information from experts in the fields or resources challenges the credibility of his argument. Marriage is traditionally defined as a union between a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, or man and a man. The legalization of gay marriage would cause social and economic perils that can’t be overlooked. In his article †Opinion: Gay marriage should not be made legal,† Ryan Normandin presents numerous legitimate reasons as to why gay marriage shouldn’t be legalized. Many gay rights advocates believe that they have the right to marry whomever they want under the equal rights protection clause, but that is certainly not the case. As Normandin explains in his article, â€Å"They claim that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees them the right to marry whomever they desire, including members of the same sex. To forbid this would, in their minds, be discrimination. But do all people have the right to marry whomever they want already, with the exception of same-sex couples? No; states have laws regulating marriage, forbidding first cousins from marrying, brothers and sisters from marrying, parents and offspring from marrying, and people from marrying animals, inanimate objects, or multiple other individuals.† The legalization of gay marriage would open legal doors to other forms of relationships such as polygamous, incestuous, and other nontraditional relationships. By the logic of gay marriage, everyone has an equal right to marry whomever or whatever he or she pleases. It is only fitting that state and federal governments regulate marriage, he claims. Traditional marriage is beneficial to the American government, which makes it appropriate for couples to receive tax breaks and numerous benefits. Ryan Normnadin explains it best when he literates â€Å"The rationale is that males and females, when married, are more likely to procreate, thus ensuring the continuation of American society. It is certainly to America’s advantage to have citizens, so there exists a compelling state interest justifying government subsidization of heterosexual marriage.† Since traditional marriage is helping the United States procreate, it is in the government’s best interest to subsidize marriage that is increasing its number of citizens. Many individuals in favor of gay rights believe that happiness of same-sex couples is enough a reason for its legalization. Unfortunately, that is not the case since â€Å"happiness† is not a compelling enough argument when weighed against the drawbacks of gay marriage. One of the major drawbacks is that same sex couple can not nurture a child properly. The well being of a child cannot be jeopardized for â€Å"happiness.† Although gay couples can’t reproduce, artificial insemination and adoption are some options. Although, these arguments do not prove a viable option because complications can arise. Normandin refers to University of Canterbury professor Bruce J. Ellis to prove this point. Professor Ellis’s research claims â€Å"greater exposure to father absence was strongly associated with elevated risk for early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy.† These are risks that can’t be taken lightly just to make lesbian couples â€Å"happy.† There are also risks involved in parenting in regards male couples. The author also refers to Stanford psychologist Eleanor MacCoby who points out that â€Å"mothers, on average, may have somewhat stronger parental ‘instincts’ when it comes to responding to young infants.† It is of utter importance for a child to grow up with both a mother and father. According to Normandin’s beliefs, â€Å"Happiness† is not enough reason to harm the future of countless children. Ryan Normandin presents a compelling argument, but there are flaws in many of his ideas. For example, the author compares gay marriage to incest and bestiality. Is it really fair to compare gay marriage to such formidable acts against nature? Bestiality and incest have far more negative effects then gay marriage, so it is not fair to compare them. They inability of gay couples to reproduce is another point Normandin brings about. Although this statement is valid, isn’t artificial insemination a tool that can help lesbian couples procreate? What about the thousands of neglected children male couples can save? Lastly, the author quotes various professionals to point out that children of same sex couples will have complications due to an absent father or mother. Studies show that this maybe true, but what about family members that can fill that absent role present in same-sex couples? Can’t the grandmother or aunt provide maternal care to a child of a male couple? Why can’t a grandfather or uncle act as a fatherly figure for a lesbian couple’s child? Normandin provided a very compelling argument, but there are minor doubts to his ideas. After analyzing both sides of the issue along with my prior experiences and knowledge, gay marriage should not be legalized. Both articles made valid points, but Ryan Normandin’s opinionative piece â€Å"Opinion: Gay marriage should not be made legal† changed my perception on this issue entirely. Viewing marriage as a governmental issue, not a personal one, made me realize that marriage isn’t only about happiness. Marriage between a man and a woman is beneficial to the government, therefore it is allowed. Since same-sex marriage doesn’t pose benefits, such as procreation, to the United Sates or its citizens, it is either prohibited or highly restricted. Reproduction is required for the survival of any society and legalizing gay marriage would deem procreating unimportant. Gay marriage also causes dire consequences for the couple’s kids. I have witnessed my co-worker’s only kid, Marshall, with an absentee father figure. Due to a missing father, Marshall took part with the wrong crowd and disregarded all authority. I have also witnessed the psychological problems with kids who are missing a mother. My cousin, who has two mothers, is socially awkward and lacks basic conversation skills. To ensure the full health of a child, they need both a mother and a father figure to provide motherly and fatherly instincts. Same sex households are not ideal environments for children. Another good point that Normandin posed was that the legalization of gay marriage would open doors to other kind of relationships such as polygamy. This would undoubtedly lead to further deconstruction of marriage and family. I also believe same sex marriage to have detrimental effects on society. A news report I read claimed that legalizing gay marriage in Scandinavia is linked to the cause of population decline and higher divorce rates. Numerous researches state that homosexual relationships don’t last long term. The fact that Wolfson did not provide any outside sources was another factor that shaped my opinion. I believe that outside sources make an argument much more credible. Challenging cultural, moral, social values, the disadvantages of gay marriage greatly outweigh the advantages. Works Cited Normandin, Ryan. â€Å"Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech.† Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 06 July 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. . Wolfson, Evan. â€Å"Without Nationwide Gay Marriage, U.S. Government Discriminates.† US News. U.S.News & World Report, 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. .

Why were the police unable to catch Jack the Ripper?

There are several factors that can be used for why the murderer was never caught, firstly: There were no witnesses, whether this was part of the murderers plan, to find someone without people, or to kill them somewhere isolated then dump their body elsewhere is unknown. It could be accounted to luck that there were no witnesses, and the people who did come forward to give evidence gave several different descriptions, which contradicted each other. If there was someone who witnessed the murder, maybe he would have been caught. The victims were prostitutes; people who usually avoided the police anyway. They were easy victims for several reasons. Firstly, they had a dangerous profession anyway, they risked being beaten up and murdered every night, so maybe with a serial killer out their, they didn't see their chances as any lower or any higher of being murdered. They also really needed the money, to risk going out every night, they were very poor, so they still went out. They would take clients to a place that was isolated from other people, it made it easier for the murder, as noone would hear them, and there would be no witnesses. Also prostitutes were often drunk and vulnerable anyway, making them easier to silence. Because the killer did not know his victims, it made it harder to solve. It is the same case today with the Washington Sniper. If you target people you have no connection with, then there is no way to relate you to them. You cannot ask other friends or family about other people they knew in their life who might kill them, or who is suspicious. It gives the police no link, so they don't have much to follow up on. Other than he was killing prostitutes, and there were hundreds in London. Also, this was one of the first big cases detectives of a poorer area (Whitechapel) had to deal with, their usual methods included rounding up suspicious looking suspects, and patrolling the poorer areas. This was obviously not going to work in this case. Because the Ripper had to blend in, if he wanted prostitutes to go with him. Also, the Ripper's gruesome mutilation was not what the police were used to dealing with, it was not a domestic murder case, therefore they had no leads, but the Ripper was striking at random prostitutes, therefore they had no idea where he could be. There was also a lot of misleading evidence. There were hundreds of letters sent in claiming to be from Jack the Ripper. Only 3 of which are considered to be anywhere near liable. Two of which are from the same person, staring with â€Å"Dear Boss† for these two letters, it could have been sent in straight after reading the newspaper, or made up from a journalist trying to promote the story. The other one however, came with half a kidney, that looked likely to be taken from one of the victims. Other false leads like Leather Apron were also off-putting. The anti-semantic writing on the wall, found near Catherine Eddowes's body, could have also have been a great help, or a disaster. If it was a clue, it was wiped off the wall, and therefore they could not use it to compare handwriting. Or it could be false, leading to riots. The Jews in the past had been blamed for a lot of murders, as they were widely disliked, but still held a lot of money and power in general. Any mention of the killer being Jewish would have lead to riots, which the police did not want on top of trying to catch the killer. It can be said they did their best using what evidence they had. There was no forensic evidence, finer prints were not used until 1901, there was no DNA evidence, and photography in this case had only just started, it made the police's job finding evidence difficult with so little of anything to go on. If they had had DNA evidence, more accurate records of criminals and better security (cameras in the streets) then maybe he would have been caught. But because of limited evidence, of the killer leaving no weapons behind, and clothing and possession were later accounted for, the police had little to go on. The police were also under a lot of pressure from the press and politicians. With the press thinking up of one story after another, it maybe gave the police too many useless leads that wasted their time. The media was constantly bombarding the police force: their usual methods were slow, and not very effective. However now, they were under pressure to catch someone, they had to speed things up, which would have resulted in several wrong suspects, and evidence. They were expected by the public to catch the ripper, after 5 murders that were not prevented after heightened security from the police, it made the public and media put more pressure on. The killings stopped, there are several suspected reasons for this. However, if the murders had continued, it is entirely feasible that someone would have eventually caught him, with so few prostitutes on the street, and so many metropolitan police. Some suspected reasons are: The police were getting to near to catching him, to risky to carry on. He died, or was imprisoned for another crime. Many deaths went unreported to the police. Moved to another part of the UK, with not as good as the metropolitan police force, or just simply moved away. Or moved to another country. After the ripper murders, there were several murders in America, with the same pattern. Because of no international links, noone ever linked the two together. After committing so many crimes and knowing the end was near, killed himself, this too would have carried no concern with the press. He had killed enough people. This one is most unlikely. It has been observed with other psychopaths and serial killers, they only stop when they have been caught, or die. It was probably not as much of a lust as a fixation. They caught the Ripper, but it infact was connected to the royal family or government, and it would have been a huge public scandal, and uproar would ensure, so they never told the press, or anyone else in the police force he was caught.

Pearl Harbor Raid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pearl Harbor Raid - Essay Example The consequences of this nuclear attack changed the course of history. Had Japan not carried out that attack on Pearl Harbor back in 1941, USA might not have entered the war and history, as we know it, would have been different. There are many people who might argue this act of the USA to be a despicable one even though it did bring the war to a close. The fact that the Japanese Army practically ran the country and its foreign policies controlled by it did not make matters better for the already war torn millions inside Japan. Whether this justifies the bombing or not is a debatable point. However, the attack at Pearl Harbor and the consequent entry of USA into the World War II in an active role signified the inevitable downfall of the Japanese Empire. The Pearl Harbor raid had its share of controversies which made worse the already declining situation for the Japanese. Even though the Japanese were to have issued a warning of the attack as per war time codes dictate, due to supposed delays, the news reached an hour after the initial attack commenced (Howard, 1999). This â€Å"sneak attack† allowed the then President of the USA to rally the country behind him in the name of an unannounced treacherous attack and plunge into the war. The Japanese confidence in their superior navy and army, and woeful ignorance of the major strides of the Americans in the fields of nuclear warfare led to the ultimate surrender in September 1945 which brought the World War II to its fateful end.

The relevance of personal networks (social contacts) in China and, Essay

The relevance of personal networks (social contacts) in China and, especially, in Germany - Essay Example Personal networks serve as sources of information on business, education, jobs and wage prospects. Hence, personal networks or social contacts remain more valued when they comprise contacts of individuals from a range of diverse networks. This essay presents a qualitative research analysis based on interviews conducted on five Chinese students in Germany. Following an interview with Kenny (Chinesestudent_De_02_Kenny N.d.:1-18), personal networks enable individuals to gain a wider perspective of ideas and thoughts when faced with challenging situations or issues requiring appropriate decision making. In addition, social networks in Germany enabled Kenny to arrange everything for his studies abroad thereby easing the whole process. Chinese students studying in Germany have created a website forum where they interact establish social contacts and receive answers to problems they encounter while in Germany. This forum remains useful as the Chinese in Germany experience similar problems and could obtain useful feedback from their colleagues who have stayed long enough in Germany or had similar experiences. The main difference between personal networks in in China and Germany would be that those in China are honest while those in Germany know more about the world and have exposure to more things. Kenny goes on further to state that social contacts possess lifestyle attitudes which vary in both China and Germany. Social networks also facilitate the discovery of ideas that an individual may have not thought of in advance or missed out. Moreover, certain things an individual could do relies much on the type of social contacts a person has. According to Kenny, establishing personal networks in China remain rather easier than in Germany. More so, he indicates that an individual needs to have personal networks of those people he or she likes and who possess similar

Program Improvement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Program Improvement - Research Paper Example Therefore, by improving the program, we would be expecting to have a program that is more useful, of higher quality and easier to implement. As a result, we would be increasing the capability of the program to achieve its key objective and goal of ensuring that all education professionals become effective in research undertaking and management. The ‘training the trainers’ program, as earlier proposed, could either use coordinated multidisciplinary units or adapt integrated, interdisciplinary units. However, the effects of these types of units would be different when applied in the program. In our case, the ones that would best serve the needs of the program are the integrated, interdisciplinary units. According to Swango and Steward (2002), an integrated, interdisciplinary unit incorporates the entire core subjects learners need to learn. In this kind of units, an educator administers to learners concepts tailored towards different disciplines. These kinds of units would revolve around different subjects and, thus, they would be involving different concepts that can be applied by all the learners regardless of their field of expertise. There are various reasons that make integrated, interdisciplinary units to serve the needs of this program better than the other types of units. ... This would make all the learners involved in the program gain equally regardless of their area of specialization. Moreover, we can teach several interdisciplinary concepts within a unit. This saves both time and resources while still achieving the required goals and objectives. Therefore using this kind of units in the program would make the process of implementation much easier. However, integrated, interdisciplinary units also have some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that in this kind of units, the concepts taught are unified. This makes it difficult for the learners to distinguish concepts that belong to a specific discipline. Another disadvantage is that in this type of units, learners are taught some concepts that do not fit their area of specialization. Such concepts might not be useful in their professional undertaking hence learning those concepts make no difference in their career. As the program team, we thought that it is better to give people additional inform ation instead of giving them inadequate information. This is why we decided to use this type of units despite knowing these two disadvantages of this type of units. A very good example is a unit designed to teach how to design an educational research. Such kind of unit could include several concepts some of them designing a survey, designing an experiment and designing a psychometric research integrated in one unit. It could also include the moments of how to design a research in different disciplines of education like science education, language education or social sciences education. The unit would integrate different concepts, as well as explain their various applications in different disciplines. As a result, the unit would have a greater capability of

The financial crisis and credit crunch that occurred world-wide Essay

The financial crisis and credit crunch that occurred world-wide between 2007-09 - Essay Example Impact of Recession on Economy of United States The main reason behind the occurrence of any recession is decrease in the total expenditure of a country. Real GDP is considered as the most appropriate indicator which gauges an economy’s movement. If the real GDP of any economy speeds up its growth rate, the chances for the economy to grow in the broader respects increases sharply and a â€Å"boom† stage of business cycle can be observed. On the other hand, once people start sensing that their income would no longer be enough to manage their expenditures, they start cutting their expenditures. As a result, the overall confidence level of the people shakes up which in turn leads to a massive decrease in the overall expenditures of the people. The demand side gets shrink thus putting a stoppage to the overall production of the country. In this way, the production process suffers and experiences severe thus inviting a recession. It takes years for the people to believe that their expenditures would be met easily and they would be able to incur expenditure on luxury items (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). 1. Residential Investments In United States, the collapse of the housing market and sub prime mortgage was the major reason behind this whole debacle which pushed the US economy into dark valleys of recession. US economy experienced such a massive decline in its real GDP after post Word War II era, but at this time tight monetary policy was the main reason behind the recession. The tumbling situation of the housing market of US stated off showing its deeper effects in the last quarter of 2005 where the growth rate in terms of housing investment remained at breakeven level and did not find any increase. That was the first sign of the recession of the US economy (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). First quarter of 2006 reflected a decline of around -3.6% in the residential housing which was the first real shock to the econo mists. But with a massive and sharp decline of -16.6% in the growth rate of US economy buzzed the voice of a major financial crisis which eroded almost everything in later 2008. The same declining phase kept going along till the first quarter of 2009 when they reported a negative growth of around -32%. So overall it is basically the extreme underperformance of the US housing market that lead to a major debacle which turned into a global financial crisis and took every country into its effects (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). 2. Labor Market The effect of recession that started off in 2006 due to steep declines in growth faced by the housing market, hit labor market in late 2007. Since the inception of the housing market down fall in late 2006, the unemployment rate remained constant at 4.4%. That unemployment rate of 4.4% lasted till December 2007 and after that it just began to climb up so rapidly that in mid 2009 it reached to more than double of what used to be i n December 2007 such that it amounted to around 9.4% in the mid 2009 which has been the highest unemployment rate since 1983. 3. Business Investments The recession also created mess on different other investment areas such that the all other kinds of investments followed the same track the one followed by residential investment sector. Business investment especially investments in respect of equipments and software started their declining pattern in the beginning of 2008 and the whole

Lighting for households Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lighting for households - Essay Example Some like the roof windows act as a means of ventilation, these are relatively cheap to buy and easy to install. Electrical fittings can also be used to provide additional light at night. Instead of using bulbs with a high watt, more bulbs should be used to give an even spread of light. It would be better if the bulbs were changed from a single pendant to fitting one with multiple arms. Table and wall lights should also be installed to provide light and illuminate dark areas. Table, wall and floor should also be installed to improve the quality of light at night. The houses should have white ceilings and light or white walls as this will make the room appear brighter due to reflection of light around the room (Trade Lighting Company, 2014). Illuminating the ceiling and the top half of the room will make the room appear brighter. The fireplace can be used at night to provide additional light as well as heat. Quality of light that gets into households can be improved by doing the simplest and most inexpensive of things, therefore, it is recommended that; curtains should be secured and tied back from the windows to prevent obstruction of the sunlight (Almeida, Bertoldi, and Ricci, 87). Secondly, curtains that blocks light should be avoided since that translates to less light in the room and thus poor lighting. Net curtains should also be avoided since they block the light instead, shades should be fitted The shades and fittings used on the windows greatly influence the amount of light that goes into the house, therefore, they ought to use shades and fitting that will allow and direct light into the house. Ultimate concern should be considered to ensure that the shades do not shield light, but they prevent glare (Almeida, Bertoldi, and Ricci, 90). In addition to this, the windowsills should be white rather than using dark colors since white reflects the light unlike other darker

The Impact of Urban Industrialization on Early Twentieth-Century Art Research Paper

The Impact of Urban Industrialization on Early Twentieth-Century Art - Research Paper Example The two depictions of labourers through the work of Courbet and Manet are very different in scope and social setting. The labourers in the Courbet piece, The Stone Breakers (1848-1850) are labourers in the field, the reflection of his background as having been raised in a farming family evident in his depiction of labour. The Manet piece, Olympia (1863) shows a woman servant, her job doting on the subject of the piece and presenting a very different version of work. Where the labourers of Courbet are creating and achieving, the Manet piece reflects an indulgence and luxury. Manet’s family was financially wealthy, thus his exposure to servants may have been different than Courbet, although his family undoubtedly had them as well. Manet lived an urban life where Courbet lived a rural life during his youth. The French Revolution of 1848 was about to work and labour, thus allowing for the paintings to provide context for the political aesthetics and issues of the time period. Pari s was being built to reflect less of an indulgence and more of the socially relevant economic problems of the time, thus these paintings contribute to that discourse, even in the more indulgent nature of Manet’s work. In comparison to Caillebotte’s Floor Scapers (1875), the pieces are less activated, where Caillebotte’s view of labour was much more intensely positioned. The workers are engaged in hard labour, where the work of Courbet and Manet do not show this same activation. In discussing urban industrialization, the work of Umberto Boccioni and Ernst Ludwig Kirschner provides context for the changes that were being experienced at the turn of the 20th century.

Managing strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing strategy - Case Study Example Starbucks Corporation is a global coffee retailing organisation headquartered in Seattle of United States (US). It was established in the year 1985 by three English partners named Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker (Smith, 2007). It is one of the leading coffee house conglomerates in the world with a substantial reputation and corporate brand image (Bigboardnews.Com, 2012; Thompson & Shah 2010). Apart from beverage sector, it also deals in restaurants and entertainment division. Starbucks is the market leader in beverage sector in global market with annual revenue of $10.7 billion at the end of the year 2010 (Starbucks Corporation, 2009). Starbucks mainly attempts to offer most delicious coffee to its customers in order to inspire individuals in the targeted market (Starbucks Corporation, 2011). Hence, from the SWOT analysis, it can be clearly depicted that even though Starbucks is a renowned organisation with a sustainable corporate image in international market, it includes certain limitations as mentioned above. Besides, it can also lead to varied threats as well due to alternative market trends and preferences amid the targeted customers. This might also result due to globalisation. Hence, from the above PESTEL analysis, a detail overview about varied external factors which are most likely to have a substantial impact over Starbucks’ international operations can be evaluated in an appropriate way in order to understand the impact of these aspects on Starbucks. Thus, from this investigation, it can be clearly determined that there are higher prospects of expansion and development of Starbucks in future years. With reference to the PESTLE analysis, the prime factors which can offer a significant impact on Starbucks can be identified which is described below: Starbucks is one of the leading coffee retailing brands in the global context which positions itself as the market leader in food and beverage sector.

The Credit Crisis and the Resulting Effects on the Financial World Essay Example for Free

The Credit Crisis and the Resulting Effects on the Financial World Essay All of these events are what has led to what analysts have said to be a recession. This paper will attempt to explain the causes that credit issues had on the financial crisis as well as show how liquidity played a major role in throwing debt markets into panic and in some cases failure. I will also give some insight into how the debt markets became inactive because of these issues. We will also take a look at how interest rates affected this crisis as well as how the stock market and initial public offerings (IPOs) were affected. The Beginnings of the Bubble Burst After the internet bubble burst of 2000 the Federal Reserve Bank was worried about a serious deflationary period. Because of this fear they did not want to counteract the housing bubble. The Federal Reserve Bank actually lowered the federal funds rate from 6. 5% to 1% in the period from 2000 to 2003. This was done in order to soften the blow from the internet bubble and was encouraging people to borrow at faster rates. During this time period, banks also went through a serious transformation period where instead of holding onto debt, they used new financial innovations to bundle them and sell the risk off onto other investors. This process was named originate and distribute. In this banking model loans were put together, tranched and sold via securitization. To tranche means to slice up the pool of debt into say slices of a pie. Each pie slice has a different risk involved, credit rating and thus different amounts of interest paid. Securitization is where these slices are then sold to different investors as bonds or Collaterized Mortgage Obligations (CMOs). The principal and interest on the debt, underlying the security, is paid back to the various investors regularly. These types of new innovations led to new investors and thus access to more liquidity for banks. Banks began to thrive with all the new opportunities for them to create more liquidity. As you can see from this chart, Securitization was being exploited at alarming rates. [pic] This in turn, allowed them to be able to lend more money. The problem was not the increased amounts of loans that banks gave out, the problem lied with whom these banks were lending money. Of course the added pressures growing in the market from the government and financial institutions werent helping matters. As I mentioned earlier, The Federal Reserve Bank was lowering the federal funds rate in the years of 2000 through 2003 which encouraged people to invest in real estate. At the time the real estate market was on a tremendous upswing. However in the years of 2004 through 2006 they started increasing the federal funds rate (FFR) which made 1-5 year adjustable rate mortgages more expensive to reset for homeowners. There was another side effect of the rising FFR, generally when interest rates rise, assets fall in value. This would mean that speculation in real estate would be much riskier for investors, and this may have led to the eventual housing bubble burst. However this did not stop banks from targeting a new market. A new customer target entered the market for banking systems, Sub-prime borrowers. Originally, banks were, for the most part only lending to prime borrowers, a group of borrowers who are considered the most credit-worthy, indicated by a FICO score greater than 720. These prime borrowers were able to borrow money at the markets best interest rate and were also considered safe investments. Sub-prime borrowers on the other hand, were less than desirable potential customers to lend to. Their credit ratings were much lower than prime borrowers, meaning they were more likely to be late with payments on loans or even default all together. Now, initially banks may have strayed away from giving as many loans out to sub-prime borrowers as they did, however added pressures by the government and financial institutions were mounting. When the Securities and Exchange Commission relaxed the net capital rule in 2004, this allowed the five biggest investment banks to dramatically increase the leverage they could use and also allowed them to aggressively expand on their issuance of mortgage backed securities (an asset-backed security or debt obligation that represents a claim on the cash flows from mortgage loans through securitization). This then pressured government entities such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to expand their riskier lending to sub-prime borrowers, and this led as an example for other banks that followed suit. Financial Market Begins to Feel the Pain and the Onslaught of Liquidity Issues Arise The rise of securitized products ultimately led to a flood of cheap credit, and lending standards fell. Now that banks had a way to get rid of the majority of risk involved in lending money, via securitized products being sold to financial institutions, they took an easy going approach to approving and monitoring loans. Banks came up with new ways to give out mortgage loans with no down-payments, jobs and even income! These were called piggyback mortgages (the combination of two loans to take the need of a down payment away) and NINJA (no income, no job or assets). These loans were given on the assumption that people if people needed money they could always refinance and actually horribly wrong and in fact the opposite happened. Loans started to default a domino effect began causing liquidity crisis as well as other issues. The trigger for the liquidity crisis began in early 2007, when sub-prime mortgage defaults started increasing at damageable speeds. Mortgage-backed Securities, CDOs and asset-backed securities (a security whose value and income payments are derived from and collateralized (or backed) by a specified pool of underlying assets) all took a huge hit. This dominoed into the shadow banking system (financial institutions that do not have the same regulations as banks because they do not take deposits like banks do) causing many institutions great problems. The major issue was that a lot of these shadow banks had borrowed from investors in short-term, liquid markets (such as money markets and commercial paper markets) and then took this money and lent it out to corporations or invested in long term investments, less liquid assets. In most cases these long term assets that were purchased were mortgage-backed securities. So as you can see the default on sub-prime mortgages was deeply intertwined with all that shadow banking systems were involved in. Once the mortgages defaulted and investors became weary of investing in mortgage backed securities, these financial institutions that had so heavily depended on short term monetary loans from the investors were finding themselves quickly bankrupt. Because the shadow banks are not regulated such as depository banks they are also not able to use the lender of last resort, the U. S. Central Bank. In short financial institutions were in a serious bind. They needed to sell their long term loans for cents on the dollar to be able to pay off the short term loan payments and in the end many institutions were out of business. Some notable companies in 2008 that closed down shop were Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers. And the long and short of it is that these financial institutions were also highly leveraged. That coupled with the long term illiquid investments they held were the shadow bankers downfall. The effects of defaulted mortgages did not stop there. The effects of defaulted mortgages continued to snowball into a huge problem for such companies as AIG. AIG is an international insurance company that had heavily invested in credit default swaps. The major problem that started the downfall of AIG was the downgrade of its credit rating. When you have a credit rating of AAA you do not, by industry standards, have to give collateral when entering into credit swaps. When AIG had to start providing collateral with their trading counter parties the problem of liquidity started. This was not just a small problem either; they had backed 100 cents on the dollar to CDSs. They had engaged in over 440 billion dollars worth of CDSs of which almost 60 billion were structured by sub-prime loans. In their first half of 2008 they reported 13. 2 billion in losses. They were on the verge of what could have sent our whole financial system into chaos. Had AIG failed it would have sent a wave of bankruptcy through the financial world that would have collapsed the entire market. Because after all, they were insuring financial institutions, who were holding risk for banks who had defaulted mortgage loans. The bailout by the U. S. Government saved AIG by giving them the biggest bailout in history, 85 billion dollars (of which the US Government got an 80 percent equity stake). That was not even the end of it; AIG was given another 77 billion after that. The buck basically stopped with AIG, as they were too big to fail. They had offered a product that while markets were doing well AIG was successful, but as the market declined they entered into what analysts say was inevitable. They offered to cover all risk when offering 100 cents on the dollar, and once the defaults on prime mortgages made it through the entire financial world they had to back the product they offered in CDSs and obviously they could not. The Financial Market Freezes The collapse of the shadow banking system was an igniter of the market freezing. They had accounted for one third of all U. S. lending mechanisms leading into this crisis. The reasoning was because investors that had been supporting the financial institutions with short term money loans quickly bailed out once things started to go wrong. With this absence of monetary injection into the shadow banking systems they were no longer able to fund mortgage funds, corporations and others in need of their services. This caused banks to have a serious absence of liquidity as well, leading them to start hoarding money. This meant that instead of banks loaning to counter-parties in need they held onto the funds in fear of needing liquidity in the future. This was a serious problem and one that will not be fixed in years to come. A lot of the forms of securitization that were once available are likely gone forever. The reasoning behind them disappearing is that they were designed in a time of very loose credit conditions and that time has gone, at least for now. While banks have raised their lending standards it was the rise and fall of shadow banks that inevitably led to the inactivity of debt markets. The Stock Market Follows As I mentioned earlier, the defaults on sub-prime mortgages spiraled into many liquidity problems in the financial markets. They caused investors to start fearing that markets would continue to drop. Banking institutions bankrupted, and with AIG on the brink of disaster, matters only got worse. Investors caused bank runs (Groups of people all withdrawing money from banking institutions at the same time), Illiquidity, and massive panic in stock markets. As we can see from this table, The S;P 500 index was significantly hit by these defaults. As you can see, during the crisis period volatility was 43. 6% (325% of pre-crisis period). [pic] This table reflects how the average investor was feeling about the market. As you can see in the post-crisis analysis the market volatility is still at 20. 9% and the average is actually lower than the crisis period. This next chart reflects the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW). As you can see here, the chart mirrors the information given in the last table. March 2009 was the low point of the market (where the crisis ended), and the market has rebounded. It has not yet returned to its previous high of 14,000 but it has steadily been on the incline since March 2009. This gives us hope in looking to the future, that even in the trenches our economy can rebound. Effects on Initial Public Offerings Initial public offerings are the first sale of stock by a company to the public. This allows companies big and small to raise capital for their firms. With the severe economic downturn in 2008, it sent a wave of negative effects worldwide, which hit the IPO markets hard. IPO markets plummeted by over 60% in both deal numbers and funds raised. Up until 2008, there had been record-setting years with IPOs. The problem lied with the illiquid markets. There was a significantly less money that investors were willing to supply for IPOs. Although IPOs were taking a significant hit, U. S. and China still led the way as far as funds raised from IPOs Companies with strong business plans and innovative products for the economy were still able to realize positive gains in the public markets. Looking towards the future, IPOs will rebound. Analysts say that signs point to new horizons for IPOs, favoring companies that offer innovative and public solutions for the changing environment. Looking Towards the Future In short, our financial world hit a wall when sub-prime mortgages were abused. Securitization multiplied the effects from default mortgages causing financial ripples that destroyed many firms. Other problems such as the relaxing of regulations and the pressures from the U. S government to give out sub-prime mortgages only made things worse. Greed ran wild and should have taught us a lesson on what deregulation and the abuse of sub-prime borrowers can do to markets. We also need to keep banks more regulated and have the government always keeping a watchful eye on the shadow banking system. Congress and the Obama Administration have taken the first step forward to preventing a repeat by putting into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As regulators begin the rule-making process it is estimated that the act mandates nearly 250 regulations and 70 studies. Just as quickly as it was passed, however, the industry was hard at work lobbying to diminish the protections under the act by intervening as much as possible in the rule-making process that follows any such legislation. Additionally, the industry lobbyist are hard at work in an effort to get the newly elected Republican-controlled House of Representatives to weaken the legislation’s impact through low funding of the various regulatory enforcement provisions. I would hope that in the future we can learn from this crisis and realize that lending to borrowers with good credit, and income that can afford the payments of a loan, are very important aspects in lending. Equally, financial institutions must get back to seriously following their own loan policies, since most policiesthat were ignored allowed for loans to be approved that should not have been. . Works Cited 1. United States. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The Financial Crisis Timeline. Web 09 Dec. 2010.

Poetry Is Key Essay Example for Free

Poetry Is Key Essay I interview Amani because she is a teenager guided by mentorship. She revealed to me how being mentored by positive, loving, and caring people has changed who she is as a person. She said â€Å"I see a big change in myself. It’s like my whole life I’ve been so angry and upset, and it was all because I was being misguided and I didn’t have the chance to become who I am now. † This interview helped me because It kind of showed me what type of response I should be getting from the kids in my program. It is simply a calibration of how the kids that decide to participate in my mentorship program should react. Frohman, Denice. Denice Frohman Gangsta Poetry YouTube. YouTube, 16 June 2009. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. This video is a video of a youth poetry mentor for PYPM (Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement) who also participated in the Unliter Us Campaign. In this poem she speaks about differ writing tools (metaphors, similes, personification, etc) and different types of poems (haiku, slam, etc). She also talks about motivating the youth to get involved in poetry and imagination. This poem will help me because It is not only an introduction to different types of poetry and all types of writing tools but it’s in a cool poem that, to me, will make the kids want to know more and be less reluctant to participate in my program. Howard, Zora. Zora Howard Mama (lyrics). YouTube. YouTube, 04 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a video by a youth slam poet alumni named Zora Howard who is now on a traveling adult poetry group called Strivers Row. This video is of a poem she performed. The poem is in letter form so it starts out saying, â€Å"Dear Son,†. Evidently, she is talking to her son in the letter. Her son is in the army and she’s writing him on his birthday just reminiscing about all the things they used to talk about and do before he was drafted into the army. This poem will help me because performance wasn’t at a competition so the tension is low and she’s just releasing. Although, from my knowledge, the poem is just not real fact for her, it still tells a story in it. It will show the kids how to turn a poem from a regular free  form poem into a letter or a story. James, Cliche M. Who Needs Mentorship. Personal interview. 27 Jan. 2013. I interview the mom of a boy who had never had any form of mentorship to ask her if she thought that mentorship was important and who did she think that it was for. She said that she thinks that it is a difference between â€Å"needing† mentorship and â€Å"wanting† it. She feels as though kids who going down the wrong road in life or kids who just have pain in there life that is hard to let go of should have mentorship. This interview helped me with my research because it, for the most part, proved to me that I made the right choice in targeting kids who have some pain in them, kids that practically have nothing to look forward to because of the situation that their parents are in. James, Nasir. The Importance of Mentorship. Personal interview. 27 Jan. 2013. I interview my nephew, a 15 year old boy who has had mentorship every super since he was 12. I asked him what the importance of mentorship was. At first he was a little reluctant because he though that he didn’t get much out of it but when I began to ask him other questions to break it down. Questions like was there anything about his personality that changed because of the interaction with someone who you could put your trust in and things like that. He ultimately said that after 3 years of being in contact with his mentors, he has seen a difference in who he is and that being with them, he now knows what kind of man he wants to be. He also said that if he didn’t have mentors, he would still have become a good person it would have taken a bit longer. This interview was important because I wanted to know how younger teens felt about mentorship because if they didn’t care, then there would be no purpose of me doing it in the long run because it wouldn’t have changed anything. Lissaint / Strivers Row, Carvens. Praise by Carvens Lissaint. YouTube. YouTube, 02 Feb. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is another video of a youth poet alumni from New York city. He is another member of the poetry group called strivers row and in his younger years, he was on the NYC poetry team that went to the nation wide poetry competition BNV (Brave New Voices) which  premiered on HBO in 2006. This poem is about poetry and every sense that plays a part in writing and speaking poetry. I think that this will help me because I know that a lot of people have a single story about poetry. A lot of people don’t really know what it cane be and in this poem, the poet Carvens Lissaint, touches in on all of that . Mans, Jasmine. Michelle Obama by Jasmine Mans. YouTube. YouTube, 25 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a video of yet another strivers row poet. Jasmine Mans was on the NYC team in 2006. This is a video of a poem she recorded called Michelle Obama. This poem is about how first lady Michelle Obama inspires young black women to be great and do great things. It tells them that because she did it, that they can. I think that this will be a good video to use in my program because when I visited the shelter, there was a significant number of girls and I think that showing them this will help them find confidence. Perrin, Brianna. The Importance of Mentorship. Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2013. I interview a senior named Brianna Perrin about her experience with mentorship and community service to get a better understanding of how she felt about it afterward. I also got a chance to find out what she took from the experience as a person who had been mentored and decided to pass it on. I think that this interview was very helpful and very successful. It gave me a perspective of a person who had the same urge as I had. She expressed to me that to her it was more than just helping others and I feel the same way. Going to the shelter is about more than helping others its also a branch of growth for myself. Poetic Devices. Poetic Devices. N. p. , n. d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is a link to a list of poetic devices. This link will be useful because I know that even I don’t know so It’ll help me and help the kids at the program. Poetry. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. I decided to use this link because some people think that poetry is only one thing, when in all actuality, poetry can be many things. This will be helpful because it will give a mor formal introduction than me saying this is was a metaphor is. It will actually explain to them what things are and how they should be used. I also think that this will show the kids the overall brand of poetry so that they know that poetry can be almost anything. This will be just an outline for what I want the kids to take from this program come April or May. Shearlds, Khalil. Mentorship. Personal interview. 7 Jan. 2013. This is the Manager, Center for Parenting Early Childhood Education at the People’s Emergency Center. I interviewed him about the importance of mentorship and who needs it. This interview was important for me to do because this is what he does on a day to day basis. He mentors kids to show them where they can go and to let them know that they don’t have to stay planted in a place where they aren’t happy just because someone put them there. This will be important in the long run because, not that I already didn’t know, i will always know my mission. What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy? What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy? N. p. , 05 Apr. 2007. Web. 04 Jan. 2013. This is a link to the definition of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I was talking to someone about my capstone and they told me that my whole idea fell along the lines of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When I looked it up it actually told me a lot about myself and why poetry seemed to work for me. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that is directed toward dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors and cognitive processes. It’s basically disturbances of your feelings triggered by the things and stresses that you go through. This helped me because it told me almost exactly what these kids are going through inside. Young, B. I Am A Queen Urban Word NYC BNV Semis 2008. YouTube. YouTube, 24 July 2008. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. I decided to use this video of a New York City Poet B. Young. This poem was about his theory of why he would want to be a queen in the game of chess because it’s not about being the protected, he thinks that the protecter is the most important. I decided to use this video because I think it is a good perspective for young men to A realize how important a Queen/girl is and B to understand that being the protected or being the person who everyone who is always being looked after isn’t always who you want to be, sometimes you want to be apart of something bigger. Z. , Sharvon. Philly Youth Poetry Movement. Philly Youth Poetry Movement RSS 20. N. p. , 01 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2013. This is the website for PYPM or Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement. This is the where I got my mentoring from so not to incorporate and utilize this source would be foolish of me. This website will give me the latest updates on the PYPM team, there videos and events that I could possibly invite my teens to. I can use the videos posted on the website and some of the ideas from poetry workshops to use during my program.

Understanding The Causes Of Phobias Psychology Essay

Understanding The Causes Of Phobias Psychology Essay Phobia is one of the famous psychological disorders and many people suffer from it, therefore we choose it as a topic of our research. Moreover, phobia is an attractive topic because it is a personal disorder. Although phobia is spread widely, many people do not know what the word means, so if we want to give a definition for phobia, we can say it is an irrational fear that produces a conscious avoidance of the feared subject, activity, or situation (Preda, 2010). Not all phobias have a name, but that doesnt mean that they do not exist, they exist and need to be cared. People who suffer from phobic disorder are different in their own type of phobia; also those people may live in different environments or in the same environment. In our research, we are trying to know if the environment plays a role in having phobia or not. So we made a survey on adults in different places in UAE, targeting Emiratis and expatriates for more than 5 years in GCC countries and it includes questions askin g about the types of phobia the sample have, the reason of their phobia and the procedures to overcome phobia in their opinion. According to Murtagh (2002) there are three classifications of phobic states. First , specific phobia which for example , spiders , snakes , dogs , thunder, toads,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc, for example, When a few friends walk around and suddenly a big snack show up, perhaps some of them will get little fear and the others will have extreme fear (Ophidiphobia) . For those people who get little fear, maybe they will shock or they will feel fear or terror, but will they be snaking phobic?! Perhaps the snake will step back while they are standing steady. Their feeling of fear or terror will decrease or refluent, and if there are wary about snack, they will not feel phobia .but for the others who feel so scared, they cant see snakes. They even cannot accept the concept of biting and poisons. They cant forget it because their minds relive it over and over again. Second Agoraphobia, fear of spaces or public places, it is more likely to occur in public transportation or shops. People who have this type of phobia avoid being outside home because they feel like they will lose control and cant do anything. Third, social phobias like fear, anxiety or provoking from social activities, those people cant deal with other people; they feel shy of speaking or acting. In 2010 Morrow said that any phobia can be developed as a traumatic experience in three situations. First, direct exposure to a traumatic event means a direct learning experience. For example, some people have dog phobia because they have bitten by a dog, so the reason of their phobia is a direct experience to a traumatic event (dog bite). Second, Witnessing a traumatic event, or in  simple words  (observational learning experience). When someone fears from specific thing or situation because of traumatic event of that thing or situation, some others may suffer from phobia from the same thin g or situation. For example, when parents fear from heights or they have tragic experiences on it, which can cause a phobic behavior on individual who grows with them towards heights. Another environment factor can develop a phobia is hearing or reading about any dangerous situation or events (informational learning). Anyone can get or have a specific phobia when hearing or reading about these kinds of situations. For example, a fear from flying could be caused by repeatedly listening to any news talking about plan crashes. Also any child could get phobia from an animal when their parents warn them all the time about the danger from it. Also phobia can cause by combine two elements together one is neutral stimulus and the other is an anxiety response like someone driving in the highway (neutral stimulus) and suddenly he got sudden attack , he will panic ( anxiety response) that make him develop avoidance of highways and become a phobic. Recent Findings: The basic neuroimaging research suggests that greater activation of the amygdale to novel versus familiar faces may be an underlying trait marker for social phobia. Social phobia may represent a phenotype that expresses a genetically driven trait of social withdrawal, which may be related to infantile inhibited temperament (Kagans syndrome). The development of virtual reality therapy as therapeutic tool for social phobia appeared promising in one controlled, but not randomized, study. A controlled study suggests that social phobias in children can be effectively treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. This represents an extension of the work done with adults. Venlafaxine appears an effective short-term treatment for social anxiety disorder in two controlled studies. A new compound, pregabalin, appeared clearly effective in a positive controlled study. This trial marks the advent of a new pharmacological lineage for social phobia. Both venlafaxine and pregabalin, h owever, have been studied in short-term studies. Longer follow-up and relapse prevention studies are warranted. Phobias are characterized by excessive fear, cued by the presence or anticipation of a fearful situation. Whereas it is well established that glucocorticoids are released in fearful situations, it is not known whether these hormones, in turn, modulate perceived fear. As extensive evidence indicates that elevated glucocorticoid levels impair the retrieval of emotionally arousing information, they might also inhibit retrieval of fear memory associated with phobia and, thereby, reduce phobic fear. Here, we investigated whether acutely administrated glucocorticoids reduced phobic fear in two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in 40 subjects with social phobia and 20 subjects with spider phobia. In the social phobia study, cortisone (25 mg) administered orally 1 h before a socio-evaluative stressor significantly reduced self-reported fear during the anticipation, exposure, and recovery phase of the stressor. Moreover, the stress-induced release of cortisol in placebo-treated subject s correlated negatively with fear ratings, suggesting that endogenously released cortisol in the context of a phobic situation buffers fear symptoms. In the spider phobia study, repeated oral administration of cortisol (10 mg), but not placebo, 1 h before exposure to a spider photograph induced a progressive reduction of stimulus-induced fear. This effect was maintained when subjects were exposed to the stimulus again 2 days after the last cortisol administration, suggesting that cortisol may also have facilitated the extinction of phobic fear. Cortisol treatment did not reduce general, phobia-unrelated anxiety. In conclusion, the present findings in two distinct types of phobias indicate that glucocorticoid administration reduces phobic fear. (Leila M. Soravia, 2006) As we know Phobia is extreme anxiety (fear) to a certain objects, conditions or people. Medical phobia is known to be fear of health related objects and conditions (e.g. blood, death, diseases, cancer, infections, injections, and bacteria). From a survey done by our group members the statistics show that 26% of males suffer from medical phobia, while only 22% of females suffer from the same kind of phobia. Its hard to define what causes medical phobia, sometimes an unpleasant experience triggers it and this is usually would happen in an early age. (Marks, 1987) One of the well known kinds of medical phobias is the phobia from blood. In males and females the amount of people suffering this phobia are 13%. This type of phobia is common in adults and children. Its most common with the persons own blood, and most of the time it leads the person to faint, nausea, anxiety, and severs vomiting. (Marks, 1987)It could also be not from a personal experience, but that kind is not as sever as the one from the personal experiences. Death phobia is the most common kind of medical phobia in both males at 26% and females at 25%. This happens usually at an early age when the persons lose someone close to them. Also their fear of what comes after death, and their unaccomplished goals. Phobia from diseases is more common in males than in females 22% to 7% respectively. This phobia is triggered more in males because they are more outdoors more than females, diseases transfer between humans through simple things as simple as air. It usually occurs from personal experiences. This phobia includes all kinds of diseases, from a simple cold or flu to deadly diseases such as Suflas and malaria. Phobia from cancer is common more in females at 25% while in males its only 11%. It is not the same as phobia from diseases, this is only phobia from cancer and all its types (e.g. heart cancer, lung cancer, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). The phobia attack strikes straight when they hear the word cancer. This phobia is mostly triggered from personal experience or someone close to them experiences it. At 13% in males and females, infection phobia causes the person to spend a lot of time under the shower and scared to death to get hurt and there constantly visiting the doctors for full body check-ups to make sure they are infection-free from everything. Extreme fear of injections or phobia from injections combines several phobias together (i.e. blood, injury, and being threatened by sharp objects). This kind of phobia is equally common in males and females at 13%, p eople suffering from this phobia always refuse to consult doctors simply because of their fear to have to take a blood test, and its very hard to convince them otherwise. Phobia from bacteria is the least common in males and females at 2% to 4% respectively. People suffering this kind of phobia always have to stay clean and everything around them has to stay clean too, these people usually get sick a lot more and faster than other people because their immune system is weaker. (Marks, 1987) For males, (12%) who afraid from water and see , (17.5%) of them shows there panic from monsters, (32.5%) of them admit that they are extreme fear from ghosts, (2.5 %) shows that they terrified from clowns,(15%) shows that they terrify from flying, and (2.5%) shows that they are panic from electricity . on the other hand , females are showing also phobia toward those situation, (14%) shows that they afraid from water and sea, (14.3%) of them are afraid from monsters , ( 28.6% ) of them shows that panic from ghosts, (26.2%) of them are extremely fear from graves, ( 2.4% ) of them are fear from clowns, (9.5%) shows that they are afraid from sea, ( 14.3%) of them are fear from flying, no one of female is afraid of electricity. As statistical graph shows, the extreme fear (from both genders) is from ghosts, graves and monsters, this phobia could happen due to some reasons. First, it might be that person sees many quick death events in front of his eyes and it develop in him the extreme fear of graves. Second, who like to be alone in every time and situations, he/she will felt the ghosts around them, they will think that they are followed and that will make them very scared. Third, the media play a big role in spreading the ghost and monster phobias, for example: Amityville Horror a film about ghosts, the purpose for it was to earn more many and to scare people (Stefko, 2010) So we can infer that the majority of causing phobia is past experience, may they faced the situation from first time individually or with groups like friends who may have genetic phobia or they have past experience on the same situation as a result the person has phobic because of that. we will not considered the answer of I dont know as an important factor because as we say some of people especially female (from figure) not prefer to tell what is the reason of having phobia or it may one of the other factors such as society or media or even past experience . Although there is no meaningful difference between people who get phobia from society and people who get phobia from media but it shows also meaningful reason of the high of society phobia rather than media. The reason is that people are more interact with each other; they share their feeling of different things. It is obvious that media is the last thing that lead to phobia to UAE people earthier the people have no much time to watch or listen to media or they expressed early that there is nothing on TV that make them become phobic because they used of it . From both genders we noticed that 46% of them think that facing and dealing with the phobic condition is the best way to overcome phobia. We can say that the reason of their opinion is they have phobia because of something or situation they did not test it before, or they may think facing and dealing with the phobic condition can make them get used to the phobic situation and beat their fear. For those who chose (counseling) and they represent 24%, the reason of their choice, is counseling can help them by giving them some advices to beat their fear. 30% is the percentage of who chose (support of family and friends) as the best procedure, and they may think that when family and friends support them by encouraging them they will overcome their phobia.

Diagnosing and Treating Depression Essay -- essays research papers

When someone says the word depression, it causes a great deal of confusion to American people today. Frequently, depression is used to describe when someone is feeling low, miserable, or having ‘gotten out of bed on the wrong side'. However, doctors use the word in two different ways. They can use it to describe the symptom of low mood, or to refer to a specific illness, Depression. Doctors make a diagnosis of depression after assessing the severity of the low mood, other associated symptoms and the duration of the problem. People who have experienced an episode of depression are at risk of developing another in the future. A small amount of people may experience an incidence of depression as part of a type of bipolar disorder, manic depression, which is characterized by episodes of both low and high dispositions. Depression is very common in the United States, occurring in more than five to ten percent of Americans over their lifetime. A â€Å"depressing† statistic is that women are twice more likely to get depression than men. There are no individual personality types that are more at risk than others, yet some risk factors have been identified. These include inherited or genetic factors, such as having parents or grandparents who have endured depression. Some non-genetic factors that can contribute to depression are having a tragedy early on in life such as the death of a parent or close friend. The causes of depression are very obscure and unknown to psychologists. Heredity is a major factor because it leads to the chemical imbalances of the neurotransmitter, Serotonin. Early life experiences like a death may make some people more susceptible. Another cause of depression could be stressful life events, such as losing a job or ... ... of phone numbers that you can call to receive help. Sometimes these are better because you can talk to a real person, even a depression survivor, who can more easily understand your problems. The first is the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program whose number is 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433). Another anonymous hotline is the National Depressive & Manic-Depressive Association (800) 826-3632. The National Foundation for Depressive Illness also has a 24/7 hotline: (800) 248-4344. The last hotline is D/ART Depression Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment: (800) 969-6942. Feel free to use any one of these toll free numbers to try and control your, or a friend’s, depression. One book that can help is Frank Minirth’s Freedom From Depression. Overall, depression can lead to many worse things, and the best thing that we can do is identify it early and try to treat it.

Frankenstein essay :: English Literature

Frankenstein essay The monster is called such because of his appearance; Frankenstein could be judged a monster because of his actions. Who do you think is most monstrous and why? Support your opinion with references to Shelly’s book, Pullmans play and any other interpretations you have seen. To answer this question we must first define the term monster. There are many ways a person can be a monster. If someone does not look good they are defined as a monster, if someone kills people they are defined as a monster, and if their beliefs are different to ours we also call them a monster. Keeping all this in mind it is very hard to label someone or something a monster, but in this essay I will try to describe who is more monstrous- the creator Frankenstein or his creation the monster. Frankenstein could be called a monster because he is trying to play god. He created the monster from the bodies of the dead so this makes him a monster because he will be causing masses of emotional pain to the relatives of the dead. However this could also be a strong proof of his humanity because his experiments show the curious nature that is in every human; he has just taken it one step further and decided to act on his curiosity. Atheist’s who don’t believe in life after death could even call him good hearted because he is recycling! Another reason for Frankenstein being monstrous is that he decided to try and play god a second time when he wanted to create the monster a bride. However this was done at the monsters request so it could be argued that this shows the humane side of Frankenstein because it shows compassion for others. He realized the monster was lonely so decided to create him a companion. The monster could be called more monstrous than Frankenstein because of two reasons. One he looks like a monster and as he is made from the rotting flesh of dead he probably smells like one too. The second reason is because he kills innocent people; this is portrayed in all versions of the story that I have seen/read so far. Pullmans play explains the murder by saying it was a revenge act against Frankenstein who in abandoning him caused him lots of emotional pain. The monster wanted to see him hurt. Most versions of the story agree with this view but brook’s version explains the murder of the child as an experiment. The monster had seen flowers can float so wanted to see if humans could float as well.

We are the Plague, We are the Cure :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

We are the Plague, We are the Cure Why is it that the fate of our nation seems to be in a downward spiral of despair? It seems as if everywhere you turn, you are greeted with grim visages of violence and misery. What is this plague which afflicts our society and has taken away the innocence and happiness of past generations? Our society is condemned to its current state due to its individualistic desires. If man is the downfall of himself, then is he also the plague of his society? You might believe that only recently with the advent of the Internet are we pushing ourselves too far, but this is far from the truth. This problem has hung as a spectre over society since its origin. In Genesis 3, we are first introduced to this plague on society. As Adam and Eve wandered the Garden of Eden, they were tricked by the serpent into eating from the Tree of Knowledge. After condemning all three for their disobedience God commented that, "the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:22) This plague continues to today. If you think about it, we are all becoming increasingly dependent on technology. In a recent work by Bill Joy, this thought really hit home. To think that soon, "People won't be able to just turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning them off would amount to suicide." This is what our dependence will cause, and this dependence is cause by our desire to push ourselves harder than is necessary. (Joy 2) As you can see this problem began when society did, and will not end until society does also. Technology and history are not the only fields in which society's plague are present, however. Recently, it seems as if every time you open the newspaper you are greeted with a declaration of 'breaking' news on the Presidential election. For hundreds of years, this process seemed so simple. Of course, there were times when society's little evil would spring up and try to do damage.

Madam

Introduction to Roman Society and Culture Erik Gunderson (e. [email  protected] ca) TR10-12; Brennan Hall 200 Of? ce Hours at Lilian Massey 207: M 2-3; TR 9-10; and by appointment Description: Our goal is to become familiar with some of the key events, personalities, and themes of Roman civilization. We will examine in particular those issues that the Romans themselves emphasized as essential aspects of Roman identity. Evaluation: mid-term exam: in-class essay: ? nal examination: Texts: Required: Livy, Livy The Early History of Rome, Books I-V. Penguin) (ISBN: 978-0140448092) Petronius, Satyricon (Penguin) (ISBN: 978-0140444896) Course reader Suggested: Karl Christ, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilization (California) (ISBN: 0520056345) On-Line: http://antisigma. classics. utoronto. ca/classes/2011-12/cla233_wi2012/ [user: cla233; pass: wi2012] https://portal. utoronto. ca/ [check here in case there are problems with the above] 30% 30% 40% CLA233 Syllabus 1 We ek Date 1 10 Jan 12 Jan 2 17 Jan 19 Jan 3 24 Jan 26 Jan 4 31 Jan 02 Feb 5 07 Feb Theme Introduction Warriors ReadingLivy, History of Rome, Book 1 Livy, History of Rome, Book 1 Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 Plutarch, Life of Aemilius Paulus Ruler and ruled Quintus Cicero, Essay on Running for Consul Plautus, Pseudolus Petronius, Satyricon, â€Å"Dinner with Trimalchio† 09 Feb Mid-term exam 6 14 Feb Speakers 16 Feb Quintilian, Institutes, Book 12 Tacitus, Dialogue on Oratory Reading Week 7 28 Feb 01 Mar Members of a family 8 06 Mar 08 Mar 9 13 Mar Social performers 15 Mar In-class paper 10 20 Mar 22 Mar 11 27 Mar Polytheists 29 Mar 12 03 Apr 05 Apr Conclusion Seneca, Moral Letters, Book 1 Suetonius, Life of Nero Livy 39. -19; Apuleius, Golden Ass, Book 11 Lucretius 1. 1-158; Plautus, Amphytruo, prologue Lucian, Alexander Sample declamations; Petronius, â€Å"Puteoli† + â€Å"Eumolpus† Cicero, Letters to his Friends, Books 14 & 16 Taci tus, Annales 13. 1-30; 14. 1-28 Plautus, Aulularia Pliny, Letters, Book 3 CLA233 Syllabus 2 Administrative notes: 1. If any member of the class is obliged to miss a test for reasons beyond his/her control, there will be no make-up exam, and the weight of the exam in question will be transferred to the next comparable element of the course requirements.Only illness, serious personal af? iction, religious obligation, and unforeseeable duties of family care will be considered good reasons for missing a test. Satisfactory evidence must be provided. If such evidence is not provided, the exam will be given zero as its score. 2. The instructor is happy to see individual members of the class to discuss any aspect of the course. But please note that this does not mean that the instructor will give private tuition to individuals.In particular, he cannot be expected to give tuition that merely repeats material covered in regular class time. Instruction is given in the classroom only. During th e of? ce hours indicated above members of the class should feel free to drop by the instructor’s of? ce without any need to make an appointment. If, however, these hours do not suit your timetable, please see the instructor at the end of class, or get in touch by telephone or email, to make an appointment at a time that suits both parties. . Members of the class are free to consult the instructor by e-mail where this is appropriate, but are asked to keep this to a minimum. Matters that need only a few moments' attention can be dispensed with more conveniently in a direct personal exchange at the end of a class. Members of the class should need no reminding that e-mail requests for individual tuition in the form of, for example, detailed questions on texts discussed in a class which a given individual did not attend will not be granted. 4.In cases of academic misconduct the instructor will assume that all members of the class are familiar with the Faculty’s codes of beh avior on academic matters and student conduct. See The Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar (http://www. artsandscience. utoronto. ca/ofr/ calendar/rules. htm#behaviour). If you are unfamiliar with these codes and the binding de? nitions of terms such as plagiarism, you are expected to become acquainted with them before submitting any work for this course. CLA233 Syllabus 3

Gender inequality

As such, considerations of occupational segregation and human capital theories are together not enough to understand the continued existence of a gendered income disparity. [6] The glass ceiling effect is also considered a possible contributor to the gender wage gap or income disparity. This effect suggests that gender provides significant disadvantages towards the top of Job hierarchies which become worse as a person's career goes on. The term glass ceiling implies that invisible or artificial barriers exist which prevent women from advancing within their Jobs or receiving promotions.These barriers exist in spite of the achievements or qualifications of the women and still exist when other characteristics that are Job-relevant such as experience, education, and abilities are controlled for. The inequality effects of the glass ceiling are more prevalent within higher-powered or higher income occupations, with fewer women holding these types of occupations. The glass ceiling effect al so indicates the limited chances of women for income raises and promotion or advancement to more prestigious positions or Jobs.As women are prevented by these artificial barriers, from either eceiving Job promotions or income raises, the effects of the inequality of the glass ceiling increase over the course of a woman's career. [10] Statistical discrimination is also cited as a cause for income disparities and gendered inequality in the workplace. Statistical discrimination indicates the likelihood of employers to deny women access to certain occupational tracks because women are more likely than men to leave their Job or the labor force when they become married or pregnant.Women are instead given positions that dead-end or Jobs that have very little mobility. [4] In Third World countries such as the Dominican Republic, female ntrepreneurs are statistically more prone to failure in business. In the event of a business failure women often return to their domestic lifestyle despite t he absence of income. On the other hand, men tend to search for other employment as the household is not a priority. [11] The gender earnings ratio suggests that there has been an increase in women's earnings comparative to men.Men's plateau in earnings began after the 1970s, allowing for the increase in women's wages to close the ratio between incomes. Despite the smaller ratio between men and women's wages, disparity still exists Census data suggests that women's earnings are 7 percent of men's earnings in 1999. [7] The gendered wage gap varies in its width among different races. Whites comparatively have the greatest wage gap between the genders. With whites, women earn 78% of the wages that white men do.With African Americans, women earn 90% of the wages that African American men do. With people of Hispanic origin, women earn 88% of the wages that men of Hispanic origin do. There are some exceptions where women earn more than men: According to a survey on gender pay inequality b y the International Trade Union Confederation, emale workers in the Gulf state of Bahrain earn 40 per cent more than male workers. [12] Professional education and careers[edit] The gender gap also appeared to narrow considerably beginning in the mid-1960s. Gender Inequality 11. ‘Women will never enjoy the same rights as men. ‘ Do you agree? We live in a world full of changes. In the past, women have been disgraced and were treated as lower class. A woman had no authority, no say and no rights to make a decision. Their duty at home was just cooking meal, cleaning the house, taking care of children and many things like these. However in today's world, the status of women is at a high level not only in the family aspect but also in the business area when compared to the past.I believe that women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, but it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some basic right women should receive, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right t o food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.In some workplace, wage discrimination still exists as women are not allowed the same pay as men who are of similar ranks to them. The root of this problem is to society, a woman should be at home, taking care of children and not out there in the working world. The income difference maybe expected to serve as a deterrence to women, encouraging them to remain as housewife. However, this mindset is starting to change. Vice versa, men are starting to accept the fact that they too, do play a role in bringing up and caring more for their children and this gives rise to a new role named ‘househusbands'.Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level.People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family. In many countries, the issue on gender inequality still exists. Many women were not given their even dignity.While 2012 ended with the death of the 23-year-old paramedic student, who died fighting wounds sustained fighting off her rapists in a moving bus in the Indian capital of Delhi, it has invoked the issue of gender inequality in India. The outcry over the Delhi gang-rape has sparked a furious debate on the horrors that confront women in India. While the debate has put a spotlight on the inadequacies in India’s rape laws and policing, and exposed misogynist Indian â€Å"leaders†, the deep-rooted sexual inequality in the country that lies at the root of the misogyny and sexual violence has not received the attention it deserves. Gender Inequality I chose to write Toulmin Essay proposal about gender inequality in the work place. The Toulmin Essay next week will be about gender inequality in society. Gender inequality in the work place is a small component of the larger picture of com/is-patriarchy-the-main-cause-of-gender-inequality/">gender inequality in society. There are several ways in which women have been discriminated against in the workplace over the years. From the very start of the hiring process women have had to face animosity and repression in the corporate world.Women had to have more experience and better credentials than equivalent male applicants if they hoped to even get a second glance. And though there has been significant improvement in some areas, the job market still remains prejudice toward women in various forms. One of the things that have changed some since women first became part of the work force is the willingness of employers to hire female employees. Women used to have to fight much harder to pr ove their competence, and, even then they rarely secured high level positions.It is becoming more common to see women in some of these high level positions now, but they still have to sacrifice much more than the men do to get to the top and have to work harder to stay there. The most predominate way in which women feel the inequality of gender discrimination is the gross difference in the pay they receive compared to men. Women in every industrialized society around the world are paid far less for performing the same tasks as their male counterparts. The gap is profound –â€Å"on average, women in the United States earn only 68% of what men are paid (206),† and that number has remained consistent throughout the years.Although some of the gap is due to the type of fields’ men and women choose to pursue, discrimination also plays a huge role. It used to be societies view that men should support their families and women should be at home care for the house and the kids. That concept carries over into the business world in a few ways. Employers feared hiring women for long term positions out of fear they would leave once they got married and had children, or the affect that caring for children would have on job performance (â€Å"the child penalty)†.Because of these outside responsibilities women were seen as being less committed to their careers, so employers saw them as more of a liability to the company than an asset. This, along with the idea that men have better leadership skills, and women were better in â€Å"support services like human resources or public relations,† women were rarely offered promotions to top ranking positions (especially those positions like sales and marketing that affect the bottom line and are stereotypically male).Once they reach a particular point on the corporate ladder they hit the glass ceiling and are stuck where as the men seem to have no limits whatsoever. More frustrating than the limitatio ns women face in the â€Å"male† job market is the biased treatment they receive even within the fields that are considered to be famine (such as nursing, teachers, librarian, etc. ) When men pursue careers in these types of areas, they are not met with a criticizing stigma,and their capabilities are not questioned like women’s are.Men never experience hitting the glass ceiling whatever their career choice might be. In fact, they experience the exact opposite! Even in traditionally female dominated jobs, men are shown favoritism. They get more offers for higher level positions and higher salaries to start, and they are given better benefits, hours, and work assignments, and they move up the lines faster than their women coworkers on what is called the glass escalator. Even though the inequality between genders is gradually decreasing, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.Women are becoming the sole source of income in many homes because of the dynamics of the changing society. Shrinking the wage gap and continue to dispel the stereotypes that surround women is necessary. Encouraging our young women to pursue education and training is one solution. By encouraging our young people to do this, and the more qualified females there are out in the job market to fill these high level positions, the more pressure employers will feel to hire them and society’s views and beliefs will slowly begin to evolve with the times. Gender Inequality 11. ‘Women will never enjoy the same rights as men. ‘ Do you agree? We live in a world full of changes. In the past, women have been disgraced and were treated as lower class. A woman had no authority, no say and no rights to make a decision. Their duty at home was just cooking meal, cleaning the house, taking care of children and many things like these. However in today's world, the status of women is at a high level not only in the family aspect but also in the business area when compared to the past.I believe that women have progressed in their status quo but to a larger extent, but it is true that women will never enjoy the same rights as men as in many societies, women have yet to achieve gender equality as men are still generally dominant. Some basic right women should receive, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the law; and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to participate in culture, the right t o food, the right to work, and the right to education have been achieved but not all, especially not when compared to men.In some workplace, wage discrimination still exists as women are not allowed the same pay as men who are of similar ranks to them. The root of this problem is to society, a woman should be at home, taking care of children and not out there in the working world. The income difference maybe expected to serve as a deterrence to women, encouraging them to remain as housewife. However, this mindset is starting to change. Vice versa, men are starting to accept the fact that they too, do play a role in bringing up and caring more for their children and this gives rise to a new role named ‘househusbands'.Statistics have also proven so. Worldwide, women work two thirds of the world’s working hours and produce half of the world’s food yet women only earn 10 percent of the world’s income and own less than 1 percent of the world’s property. Moreover, in Forbes 2009 top richest people in the world, the only female that came close to the top ten was Alice Walton whose wealth was not even earned by herself but an inheritance from her family. It is clearly illustrated that although women have been given economic rights, the playing field in the workplace is still not level.People still think that a woman’s role is ultimately as the housewife and not the one with a successful career or the one who is able to help the company advance. Therefore, women have enjoyed more rights than before but women will never enjoy the same rights as men as society has been structured such that women are tasked as caregivers of the family. In many countries, the issue on gender inequality still exists. Many women were not given their even dignity.While 2012 ended with the death of the 23-year-old paramedic student, who died fighting wounds sustained fighting off her rapists in a moving bus in the Indian capital of Delhi, it has invoked the issue of gender inequality in India. The outcry over the Delhi gang-rape has sparked a furious debate on the horrors that confront women in India. While the debate has put a spotlight on the inadequacies in India’s rape laws and policing, and exposed misogynist Indian â€Å"leaders†, the deep-rooted sexual inequality in the country that lies at the root of the misogyny and sexual violence has not received the attention it deserves.