Financial Information Retrieval and Analysis of Hewlett-Packard Essay

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

Triple Des Against A Brute Force Attack Computer Science Essay

Triple Des Against A Brute Force Attack Computer Science Essay Over the last few years, the Internet has evolved into a ubiquitous network and inspired the development of a variety of new applications in business and consumer markets. So, Multiprotocol Label Switching is another Challenge and a versatile solution to address the problems faced by present- day networks. Main objective of MPLS is to provide Security in the data exchanged. So, In this paper we have implemented Encryption Algorithms like AES, DES and Triple DES to provide sufficient levels of security for protecting the Confidentiality of the data in MPLS Network. This Paper also analyzes the Performance of these algorithms against Brute-Force Attack implemented in the MATLAB environment to protect the MPLS Network MPLS stands for Multiprotocol Label Switching, is a technology proposed by Internet engineering Task Force (IETF) it was designed to facilitate several problems areas in the internet including routing performance and is increasingly being adopted by service providers in their core networks. MPLS solutions are to be used with Layer2 and Layer 3 Protocols. MPLS has emerged as a potential solution for addressing traffic engineering, security and survivability for IP networks. So, a label is assigned to a packet when it enters the MPLS network at ingress Label Switched Router [1]. So, a label is a short fixed length identifier which is of 20 bits ranging from 0 to 19 that is used to forward the packets. Within the network the labels are used to route the packets without regard to the original packets header information. So, in this paper to secure the data which is attached with the label, various Encryption algorithms like AES, DES and Triple DES has been implemented on MPLS network. Ou r technique does not require any hardware, it is totally based on software.Following Sections discusses the proposed scheme. Section 2 discusses the Security Requirements of MPLS network. Section 3 gives the quick overview of the various encryption algorithms used in this technique. Section 4 walks through the used setup environment and the settings for the encryption algorithms on MPLS. This section also illustrates the performance evaluation methodology chosen settings to allow for a better comparison. Section 5 gives a thorough discussion about the implementation results. Finally, Section 6 concludes this paper by summarizes the key points and other related information. 2. Security Requirements of the MPLS Network Network Managers have many options for site to site connectivity like Traditional leased lines, ATM based connectivity and frame relay. But other two types of modern VPNs i.e MPLS and IPSec are becoming increasingly attractive to network managers [2]. In pure IP network it is easy to spoof IP addresses which is a key issue in Internet Security. But, because MPLS works internally with labels, instead of IP addresses, so it not so easy to breach the security. The very fact to make concept clear is that it is not possible to insert packets with wrong labels into the MPLS network from outside, since the customer edge(CE) is unaware of the MPLS core and thinks that it is sending IP packets to the router [3]. The intelligence is done in (PE) provider edge device where based on the configuration, the label is chosen and prepended to the packet. So, MPLS is more secure than normal IP addressing technique. But, the spoofing here can also be possible. The attacks like brute force attack can break the security, although it is not so easy, but it can do so. MPLS alone cannot provide security, it can be combined with IPSec to provide sufficient levels of secu rity. So, various encryption and hashing algorithms are used to maintain the confidentiality of the data. IPSec requires each side to authenticate with the other, so privacy is maintained in IPSec VPN through the use of encryption. A secure MPLS network provides the following facilities to its users [2]: Data Confidentiality: IPSec VPNs provide data confidentiality through robust encryption algorithms. It seeks to ensure data confidentiality by defining a single path between physical sites on a service provider network. This prevents attackers from accessing transmitted data unless they place sniffers on the service provider network. Though MPLS minimizes the chance that data may be intercepted, IPSec provides better confidentiality through encryption. Data Integrity: IPSec uses hashing algorithms to ensure data integrity. There are inherent methods as such to provide data integrity within MPLS VPNs. However, the odd of data being shared by a man-in-the-middle attack is low due to the separation address space and routing information provided by MPLS VPNs. Data Availability: IPSec relies on the Internet for transport. Although an attacker could not read the data, but it could DOS an IPSec VPN by entering false routes into the Internet Routing tables. MPLS VPNs rely on LSPs i.e. Label Switched Paths for transport and since LSPs have local significance only, spoofing is difficult to accomplish. Thus MPLS, can provide better data availability in this regard. Service Reliability: MPLS has the ability to protect the communication session against denial of service attacks. 3. REQUIREMENT OF ENCRYPTION ON LABELS IN MPLS NETWORK In this paper encryption on labels in MPLS network is proposed using AES, DES and Triple DES encryption algorithms. For implementing and evaluating above encryption algorithms we have done the following steps: Encrypt the data with one of the above mentioned algorithms. Encode the data according to MPLS. Brute Force Attack has been done. Time taken to find a correct key is measured against different key lengths. Data Label Encrypt Label Data MPLS Decrypt Secret Key Brute Force Attack Figure 1. Data Encryption This paper analyzes the effectiveness of AES, DES and Triple DES encryption algorithms against brute force attack on MPLS network. The comparison has been conducted by running brute force attack program against these algorithms. 3.1 Implementation Setup This section describes the implementation environment and the used system components. The implementation of DES, Triple DES and AES uses classes available in JAVA package javax.crypto. Separate functions for encryption and decryption have been implemented in MATLAB using JAVA cryptography API. Figure 2 JAVA Cryptography Package Brute Force program is implemented in MATLAB environment. This implementation is thoroughly tested and is optimized to give the maximum performance for the algorithm. 3.2 Methodology Used This Section will discuss the methodology and its related parameters like: system parameters, experiment factors and experiment initial settings. 3.2.1 System Parameters The experiments are conducted using Intel 64-bit processor with 32 GB of RAM. The program is written in MATLAB. The experiments will be performed couple times to assure that the results are consistent and are valid to compare the different algorithms .The brute force attack has been done using single PC. It can be enhanced by the use of parallel computers with high computational powers to decrease the time required to find the key for the above algorithms. 3.2.2 Experiment Factors In order to evaluate the performance of the compared algorithms against brute force program on MPLS networks, the experimental factors must be determined. The chosen factors here to determine the effectiveness of encryption algorithms are the key length and the time taken to breach an algorithm by brute force program. 3.2.3 Experimental Initial Setting We started the attack with 8 bit of key length and extended upto 64 bit. It can further increased upto supported key length of AES algorithm i.e 256 bits. But for this high computational power is required in terms of parallel computers to breach the algorithms. 4. Results and Discussions This Section will show the results obtained from running the brute force program on AES, DES and Triple DES. The results of implementation have been shown below in the form of graphs. The time of launch of brute force attack is shown at the start of the program as in Fig. 3. Figure 3 Screenshot of running brute force program The program exits on success of the attack on the encryption algorithm which is shown below in fig. 4 Figure 4. Screenshot of cracked algorithm The time required to break the encryption algorithm, actual encrypted string and the label applied, all are shown in fig. 5 Figure 5 Screenshot of various factors like time to break, actual encrypted string and the label applied It is highlighted here that the implementation has been performed assuming that the user has arrived at all the correct values of the key and only two values of the key is to be cracked. This has been done to save the time required. The key length can be optimized to reduce the time taken for encryption and decryption process so that it does not slow down the system. i) Effect of key length variation We compare the change in security performance by using different key lengths for encryption algorithms. Graphs are plotted between the time required to find the correct key and different key lengths. We have taken six different scenarios by increasing the length of the key. Table 1 DIFFERENT KEY LENGTHS Scenario Key length (Bits) 1 8 2 16 3 24 4 32 5 40 6 48 7 56 8 64 Following are the graphs for scenarios stated in table1. These graphs show the number of seconds required to breach the corresponding algorithm against brute force attack. Figure 5 Number of seconds required with key length of 8 bits Figure 6 Number of seconds required with key length of 16 bits Figure 7 Number of seconds required with key length of 24 bits Figure 8 Number of seconds required with key length of 32 bits Figure 9 Number of seconds required with key length of 40 bits Figure 10 Number of seconds required with key length of 48 bits Figure 11 Number of seconds required with key length of 56 bits Figure 12 Number of seconds required with key length of 64 bits The above graphs show the time taken to find the key by the brute force program on DES, Triple DES and AES for different key lengths. From these graphs it is analyzed that time taken by brute force attack increases exponentially with the increase in key length. It is clear from the graphs that in case of AES algorithm, brute force attack takes more time to find a key. Therefore, it has a better security than DES and Triple DES. i) Effectiveness of algorithms against brute force attack The results of the iterations of brute force program have been shown in the below figure in Table 2. This graph is plotted in MATLAB environment. The above data and graph represents the effectiveness of AES, DES and Triple DES algorithms against brute force attack. It is evident from the data presented that AES proves to be of better security against the brute force attack than DES and Triple DES for securing MPLS network. Figure 13 Effectiveness of AES, DES and Triple DES against brute force attack Table 2 Number of seconds required to breach DES, Triple DES and AES KeyLength (bits) DES (Seconds Triple DES (Sec) AES (Sec) 8 0.27 0.31 0.55 16 39.59 52.11 110.44 24 1442.52 4575.13 17443.22 32 3085.02 10534.81 36758.31 40 7765.12 21435.13 78252.12 48 15229.91 44671.11 156277.81 56 30118.73 89212.15 330115.42 64 65416.91 122294.54 775313.21 5. CONCLUSIONS The presented results showed that AES has a better security than DES and Triple DES against brute force attack since AES takes more time to break by brute force program for a given key length. Time taken by AES algorithm to break the security considerably increases with the increase in key lengths. respectively.

The Afterpiece Essay -- English Theater Playlet

The Afterpiece: How and Why "Afterpieces were short, humorous playlets which followed the five act main attraction and concluded the theatrical evening in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries" (Bevis vii). During the eighteenth century the afterpiece became a fixture of the English theatre, but double billing was not a practice unique to English theatre. It was done in France during the late seventeenth century and probably had been experimented with elsewhere. But the afterpiece in England is believed to have originated independently of the French practice (Origins 58). The regular presentation of afterpieces began out of economic necessity and was continued after it was found to be a great asset to British theatre not only economically but artistically. During the rule of James I, the work day of the working and business classes ended well after the theatre evening had begun. It became customary for members of the working class to attend the last two acts of a play without having to pay anything for admission. The managers of the London theaters didn't view this late free admission as a problem and never attempted to dissuade people from taking advantage of it, but by the time Charles II took the throne theaters were losing profits by allowing it. After Dorset Garden and Drury Lane merged in 1682, the decision was made to begin charging those who came only for the second half of the show. Londoners could attend the last two acts of a five act play for a fraction of the price (Origins 53-54). Of course, after years of being admitted for free, there must have been many complaints from those who felt that they shouldn't have to pay if they were not going to see a complete performance of a piece. But, since there was only o... ...hose receipts (after house charges) went to the actor, actress, author or theatre employee whose `night' it was (Bevis xi). Works Cited Bevis, Richard W. Eighteenth Century Drama: Afterpieces. London: Oxford University Press, 1970. Hotson, Leslie. The Commonwealth and Restoration Stage. New York: Russell & Russell Inc., 1928. Jason, Phillip K. "The Afterpiece: Authors and Incentives," in Restoration and 18th Century Theatre Research, 12 (1973), 1-13. Jason, Phillip K. "The Afterpiece: Origins and Early Development," in Restoration and 18th Century Theatre Research, 1 (1986), 53-62. Lawrence, W.J. Old Theatre Days and Ways. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1935. Annotated Loftis, John. Steele at Drury Lane. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1952. Roose-Evans, James. London Theatre. Oxford: Phaidon Press Limited, 1977.

Powderhouse Productions

One of the major challenges for engineering today is to develop infrastructure that is able to withstand the forces of nature without creating an impact of the natural environment and at the same to support the growth of cities and industries.Malaysia’s Storm water Management and Road Tunnel is one example of the effort to develop the urban landscape while at the same time responding to the demands for environmental management.Though the city is not among the highest in average precipitation, it has been vulnerable to flash floods which have the potential of progressively growing in terms of impact considering the rate of the city’s growth. The government hopes to be able to deal with Kuala Lumpur’s concerns regarding flooding seamlessly with its current city planning and to support future urban development projects.Project BriefThe project, completed on the 14th May of 2007 is the longest stormwater channel in South East Asian region. The project aims to relieve the traffic congestion in getting into the Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur or KL as well as to manage seasonal flooding. The project’s main proponents are the country’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Malaysian Highway Authority and the consortium of Gamuda Berhad and Malaysian Mining Corporation Berhad. Preliminary feasibility studies were conducted by the Mott MacDonald Group (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel, 2007).The project broke ground in 2004 when tunneling using slurry shield tunnel boring machines began from Gemilang and Tuah commenced simultaneously. The former was completed in April 2006 and the latter a year later. The tunnel has three modes of operations ranging from no rainfall, minor rainfall and storm water diversion and major rainfall and storm water diversion.The double deck motorway tunnel has a length of 4 kilometers and links the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway and the Kg. Pandan Roundabout KL-Seremban Expressway (Kuala Lumpur Flood Mitigation Project, 2007). This crates direct access to the KL city center and the Sungai Besi Airport. So far, access to the motorway has been limited to light vehicles only.The stormwater tunnel has a length of 9.7 kilometers and a diameter of 13.2 meters. The main holding basin directs the storm water flows into programmable reservoirs. The reservoirs are twin-box culvert that also manages the release of the stormwater. Ventilation of the motorway is accomplished with shaft structures equipped with exhausts and fresh air injectors. Management and conditions are maintained through centralized control room through remote computer systems sensor monitoring at interval of one kilometer (Powderhouse Productions, 2006). So far, has been limited access to the motorway to light vehicles only though the project has been fully completed and operational. The government aims to allow full access by the end of May and operation of the stormwater tunnels during the upcoming monsoons (St ormwater Management and Road Tunnel, 2007)

Morality in “A Farewell to Arms”

The concept of morality refers to the dimension of human existence whereby man confronts or finds himself, an ideal vision of man, or an ideal state and goal of his existence which he finds himself oriented toward. The ideal vision thus constitutes for him an exigency, a demand to action in accord with the ideal vision and goal. By the same token, this ideal vision of man constitutes a fundamental norm in relation to which his life and actions are judged to be either right or wrong, good or bad. Right and wrong literally mean being straight or not, in line with, in conformity or not, with the norm. On the other hand, good and bad are often used as equivalents of right and wrong. However, in more precise language, right and wrong refer specifically to that which is morally binding or obligatory. Thus, the right action is that which we ought to do or ought to have done, whereas the wrong action is that which we ought to refrain from or ought to have refrained from doing. (Williams) In a shorter and briefer evaluation of the concept of morality, morality stands for what is established as standard for right and wrong. It goes for what the society has as norm or custom. An action can be permissible though it is not moral. However in this regard, rightness and wrongness are out of issue. Practicability is said to be the motivation force for such action which is primarily due to its character as necessary. Yet, necessity is strictly beyond the sphere of morality. Morality in â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† or  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Farewell to Manzanar† The story boldly exposed the transformation of the character of Lt. Fredric Henry while he engaged to different characters. First transformation occurs after he met Catherine. Before, he was initially described as immature and womanizer. The nature of his work asked him to leave his personal interests over his goal as soldier – that which is to obey the army and fight for his country. In this initial scene, Henry was not really aware of what he was doing. He hanged out with his comrades. He drank alcoholic beverages. He engaged himself to many women. But such seemed to be normal for a soldier like him. Being a soldier, he was ordered to risk his life in order to do his job. As compensation, he wanted to relax by having night-outs and drinking sessions with his co-soldiers. However, when he knew Catherine, he suddenly became serious in his life. He was now more considerate in all that he did. He stopped going to bars. He stopped hanging out with his comrades. He instead focused himself on his relationship with Catherine. For a while, he wanted to be free from his work as a soldier. Nevertheless no matter how he was serious with the girl, he just cannot put away his being a soldier. Catherine was pregnant. He wanted to be at her side. Yet he knew that he had to go back to the front and function as a soldier. He was in a dilemma. He knew that if he chose the former, he would neglect his duty as a soldier to his country. And if he chose the latter he would neglect his obligation to Catherine and to their baby as father. But like what was stated earlier, he knew that his work requires sacrifice of his personal interests – that which is more important is the interest of his country and countrymen. Later on, he virtuously considered the latter. Upon knowing that there was this conspiracy to bring down the army by some of his co-soldiers, he escaped from the army. In this scene, Henry can be seen as a soldier that upon knowing what was really happening, he had chosen to leave the army instead of reporting the incident to his superiors – maybe because he was somewhat worried of himself. But then as a servant of his country, his duty is to protect and fight for his country no matter what happen. In this aspect, he acted against his duty. When he fled from the army, he happened to meet again with Catherine. Realizing that he had a responsibility toward her and their baby, he convinced her to go to Switzerland and make new life. The girl agreed and together they ran away. It is to be noted that before the two met and became in love with each other, they had already duties to their countries. Henry was a soldier and Catherine was a nurse. When they escaped, they turned down these supposed jobs in pursuit of their own interests. Honestly, I cannot literally say that they had committed a moral crime of being selfish. Selfishness can be right in certain situations. But still, they left their posts as servants of their country hence somehow they can be criticized for doing such. To analyze Henry’s transformation, his character started at the end of the continuum, far from being moral. But after he met Catherine, he became aware of the rightness and wrongness of his actions. Conversely, in the end of the story his moral ascendancy was exposed to conflicting duties –duty to his country as a soldier and duty to Catherine and his baby as father. Personally, I think that Henry failed to exercise his practical reason for choosing his own interest over his country’s interest. And this can be supported by the ending when Catherine and his child died. It suggested that he had picked the wrong decision therefore he suffered its ill-consequences. Using Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism and Virtue Ethics Moral Theories are important in the evaluation of human actions. They serve as the chief framework and criteria for moral judgment.(Timmons) Furthermore, morality is said to be one of the most contested concepts. Its truthfulness and applicability are always put into question. It is true that morality is more specific than the concept of ethics because ethics refers to the study of human actions whereas morality pertains to a particular set of standards in which moral judgment is being based.(Williams) Now, in evaluation of morality, there are different aspects that moral theories tend to look at.(Harris) Kantianism or the Kantianism, one of the Deontological theories, implies that human actions are judged with reference to duty or obligation.(Baron) On the contrary, Utilitarianism states that moral judgment can be done by appealing to the consequences of human actions.(Mill) Nevertheless, Virtue Ethics does not focus its evaluation neither on the duty or consequence of an action but rather on the character or the intention of the acting agent.(Hursthouse) It is noteworthy to use the abovementioned moral theories in analyzing the transformation of Lt. Henry’s character throughout the story. Kantian ethics would most likely criticize Henry for not fulfilling his duties to his country and to his baby. As mentioned earlier, Henry first left Catherine even if he was already aware of the latter’s pregnancy. When he escaped from the army, he reconciled with Catherine and planned to move to Switzerland. Obviously, as it was manifested in the novel, Henry neglected his duty as soldier. For Kantianism, such undertaking is morally wrong. In relation to the Utilitarian principle, greatest good for the greatest number, Henry also failed to act morally.(Mill) He undervalued his job as soldier and instead pursued his personal interest. Though his action would benefit him, Catherine and the baby; what was deserted was his task of fighting and protecting his country and his fellow countrymen. Obviously, the latter was greater in number as compared to the former and possessed the most intrinsic good. Utilitarianism would say that Henry failed to act morally. Finally, Virtue ethics suggests that the assessment of Henry’s decisions and actions should be based on his character and intention.(Hursthouse; Williams) Giving the fact that Henry had this intention of escaping and abandoning the army for he valued more his life (though there is nothing wrong for doing such), virtue ethics would say that Henry was not virtuous for not being courageous in facing the worse situation that he supposedly had. Moreover, he was not virtuous for he did not make a good judgment in making decisions or in solving the dilemma that he had. As a result, he acted against what is morally right in the light of the Virtue ethics. Conclusion To sum up, the novel: A Farewell to Arms can be described as a story of struggle.(Hemingway) This struggle was all about freeing oneself from the sphere of war, from the sphere of morality. Morality suggests what one ought to do and not to do.(Williams) It talks about standards and code of conducts. On the other hand, morality fades in the sphere of warfare and in the sphere of love. One has the privilege to either stick to what he think is right rather than do what society tells him to do so. At the end of the day, what gives person happiness is what really counts. References/ Works Cited: Baron, Marcia W. Kantian Ethics Almost without Apology New ed ed: Cornell University Press, 1999. Harris, C. E. Applying Moral Theories 5th ed: Wadsworth Publishing, 2006. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. Reprint ed: Scribner, 1995. Hursthouse, Rosalind. On Virtue Ethics. New ed ed: Oxford University Press, 2002. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. IndyPublish, 2005. Timmons, Mark. Moral Theory Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. , 2002. Williams, Bernard. Morality: An Introduction to Ethics (Canto). Reissue ed: Cambridge University Press, 1993.      

Vietnam war outline essays

Vietnam war outline essays Indochina is made up of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It was colonized by the French in the late 1800's and given up in 1939. Japan tookover Frances loss after that. After Japans defeat in 1945, Vietnams patriot and communist, Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh declared Vietnam independent. After that, France came to claim their loss. The US supported France fearing the "Domino Theory" would take affect after in 1949 China fell to communism. In 1950, the US sent troops to South Korea to prevent the dominos from falling. The Vietnamese took fort Dien Bien Phoo in May of 1954, so then the French finally pulled out. That set up 2 nations North Vietnam and South Vietnam split at the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh was in the North and was a Communist Ngo Dinh Diem was in South and disliked communism. He argued that if there was an election to choose a leader of 1 unified nation, that Ho In 1956, Diem closed all elections, and appointed local officials. That gave him less of support. Also he didnt win the support of the peasants, that was a major mistake... in the south Vietminh members who were located in South Vietnam formed their own communist party. Diem called them the Viet Cong meaning Vietnamese Communists. North Vietnam supported the rebellion in the early parts. In 1959 the Vietminh set up a supply route to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia. They were then named the Ho Chi Minh trail. Also in 1959, the first American advisors were killed during a battle. By 1960 the Vietcong had about 10,000 troops and were threatening to overthrow Diem. Then the US sent 15,100(WorldBook) more US advisors in from 1961 - 1963. The Buddhists also had a hard time with Diem, they felt he did not give enough religious freedom. The Buddhists also held the better part of Vietnams popul ...

Free Essays on Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there... Free Essays on Goodman Brown Free Essays on Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there...

3 Ways to Become a Better Writer... No its not hopeless!

3 Ways to Become a Better Writer... No its not hopeless! The Dershowitz Dilemma An article in the July/Aug 2012 Yale Alumni Magazine listed some famous Yale graduates’ favorite classes and the stories behind them. In one vignette, Alan Dershowitz, Yale ‘62LLB, Attorney, Harvard law professor and best-selling author, told a surprising (and very well-written) tale (The Class Ill Never Forget): In his first-year Torts class, Dershowitz received a dreaded D on his first written assignment. His Professor, Guido Calabresi, wrote a comment implying that Mr. Dershowitz, though a sound thinker, might not be suited to the practice of law due to his sub-par writing ability. The problem, as Calabresi stated it, was that Dershowitz wrote as if he were â€Å"having a conversation with [his] friends in Brooklyn.† The professor worked all semester to step Dershowitz’s writing up to an acceptable level. Apparently it worked. Will you ever learn? Dershowitz is not the only writer capable of being trained. For many years, for instance, I have been editing my mother’s New Year’s letter. It used to take a lot of work and a lot of verbal wrestling with Mom. Nowadays, I breeze through in a few minutes with very little to suggest. Mom learned too! She is now one of my sharpest editors. Master Editor Sol Stein, in his book Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies, shares about a time when he sat on a panel with four other editors. A question was posed about how to control the â€Å"pace† of a book. Stein’s colleagues agreed that â€Å"pace was a matter of ear or instinct, and [was] hence unteachable† (p. 193). Stein disagreed. He went on to explain to an eager audience how to change the pace of a novel. Stein proves in his book that pace is just one of many teachable writing skills. If you find yourself lamenting that you are â€Å"just not a good writer,† consider whether you have the time and motivation to learn to be a better one. Things like descriptive writing can be taught. Title writing can be taught. Grammar can be taught. Keeping a reader’s interest can be taught. 3 Ways to Become a Better Writer (by no means an exhaustive list) 1. Read More I remember hearing that the best way to learn to write well was to read good writing. I am fortunate that as a child I was an insatiable bookworm; I’m sure I learned much of my writing technique through osmosis. The good news is: It’s never too late to start reading. Do you want to raise the level of your writing? If you have a commute that involves public transit, or if you have a lazy Sunday afternoon at your disposal, why not pick up one of the classics†¦ or maybe an Alan Dershowitz novel will be all you need. 2. Read Aloud Reading your writing aloud can also enhance your writing prowess. Sometimes something as simple as listening to yourself will ensure that your writing works. If you trip over a sentence or a word when reading out loud, or if you start to bore yourself, it’s time to edit until you like what you hear. Remember, the books we love the most are just as powerful as Books on Tape as they are in print. 3. Find a great editor A third option, and perhaps the most reliable if you need good writing now, is to submit your writing over, and over, and over again to a good editor (I humbly suggest The Essay Expert for this option). You will get an immediately improved product; and, if you are like many of my clients, you will likely find that your writing improves naturally as you study and accept edits and coaching. My mother, when I told her she would be featured in this article, joked, â€Å"Sure, Brenda I get it If your mother can do it, anyone can.† Are you looking for a great editor? Not ready to put in the time and energy to improve your writing yourself? Contact The Essay Expert. I look forward to making you look great!

Vaccines for Children Computer Input Manual Research Paper

Vaccines for Children Computer Input Manual - Research Paper Example We have adopted Vermont Immunization Registry (IMR) at the Family Medical Center, which is a powerful tool to ensure proper treatment and timely immunization. This has helped in saving many by ensuring that the right vaccine is administered to the children (Maciosek et al., 2006). The efficiency of the offices is also improved since the required time to gather review records of immunization is reduced. When there is a disease outbreak, it is very easy for public health departments to identify those individual at risk by the use of registry. Gap Analysis Although the applied registry is efficient, it is not fully implemented in our Family Medical Centre. Problem Analysis Learning how to operate our registry is very important. This is because its computerized application, which is to some extent complicated, needs qualified personnel to be able to fill in the data. Rationale of Importance of Problem Our healthcare facility is accredited with vaccines for children. Data input should be correctly done to be able to guide on the appropriate type of vaccine administered and the relevant time to vaccinate. If this is not achieved, there will be a loss of program, and services will not be offered to the public.

Christian Ethics Moral Compass Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Christian Ethics Moral Compass - Essay Example Customers normally prefer lower priced goods over the higher priced goods (Griffin, 2010). Going back to the issue, reducing the store prices to the level set by the competitors is economically correct. The store will be able to generate revenues. More customers will flock to the store to buy the products and services. With the high demand, the company or store will be able to stay in business for many years (Johnson, 2011). In addition, the giving of warranties to the customer will achieve the company or store’s purpose. The warranties will encourage the customers to trust the company or store. The warranties assure the customers that the company or store will be able to back up its sales Further, the company or store’s purpose process includes lowering its expenses in order to achieve the revenue targets. Lowering the store’s expenses allows the reduction of the company or store’s selling prices. The company or store correctly used old parts that were re cycled from other machines. The chosen machine sources are either damaged or no longer in use (Gill, 2011). In addition, God emphasized, â€Å"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).† The first man, Adam, was immediately given a purpose in life. His job was to manage the Garden of Eden. Adam was immediately given a purpose in life, to take care of the Garden. As the story goes, Adam was also required to comply with some of God’s rules. The rules include God’s prohibiting Adam from eating the fruit of life. Just like in any organization, everyone, especially the organization’s requiring the leaders to comply with organizational rules. Craig Johnson (2011) emphasized that the purpose of leadership is to ensure that ethical values are implemented.  

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Leadership - Essay Example So, far we have talked about culture taken in a broader sense, however organization culture is a quite a narrowed down classification of culture and it could differ significantly from organization to organization. For instance the organizational culture of a hospital may differ significantly from that of a not-for-profit organization or a retail firm or even take the example of law firm. The basic Organizational Culture has some characteristics which if an organization can capitalize can pay them off big time for example culture are made up robust values which are almost impossible to change in a brief period of time so if an organization is able to capitalize on such characteristic it could inject ethics from the very outset of its existence. It could make loyalty, efficiency leadership and many different qualities such as these an integral part of it an employee routine. Employees are highly skilled and tend to stay in the organization, while working their way up the ranks. The organization provides a stable environment in which employees can development and exercise their skills. Examples are universities, hospitals, large corporations, etc. Employees are "free agents" who have highly prized skills. They are in high demand and can rather easily get jobs elsewhere. This type of culture exists in fast-paced, high-risk organizations, such as investment banking, advertising, etc. The most important requirement for employees in this culture is to fit into the group. Usually employees start at the bottom and stay with the organization. The organization promotes from within and highly values seniority. Examples are the military, some law firms, etc. Employees dont know if theyll be laid off or not. These organizations often undergo massive reorganization. There are many opportunities for those with timely, specialized skills. Examples are savings and loans, large

Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Critique - Essay Example A well structured communication should use ethos, logos and pathos efficiently. Whereas many people use logos, ethos and pathos in their communication, they fail to make it clear to the audience where the idea comes from, what it brings, and what it means for the future. Just like Steve Jobs, a great talk need to show a contrasting comparison between the problem and proposed solution. Traditionally, talks and essays have been structured in terms of introduction, body, and conclusion. However, it seems that great communicators do not end up with a conclusion summing up the entire talk but rather end with a climax. Arguably, ending up with a climax in a talk makes the speech memorable for a long time. What comes out strikingly from great speakers is the additional ability to use visual aids and body language to put more vigor to their talk. Great motivational speakers are an inspiration for young people especially students who are looking forward to change the world. Indeed, having a life changing idea is only half of the equation, effectively communicating the idea is the other

A Teacher's Expectations of Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Teacher's Expectations of Students - Essay Example This is so that each student in a school will have goals that they should be obtaining in their learning each year. Without guidelines written in stone passed down from the state departments of education, there would be no map of direction for teachers to follow. When expectations are developed, whether true or not in reality, it can be perceived as being true. If these expectations are met, students experience a self-fulfillment prophecy (Stipek). In an average classroom, students on the first day of school will not only learn the name of their teacher, but they will be given a basic idea of what their classroom rules will be throughout the year or semester. Situations may arise and students may test their teachers patience with behavior but as long as guidelines for discipline are set in stone and every student is treated fairly, the students will learn to respect the unsaid expectations of the teacher. A teacher must enter his or her classroom that first day with a mapped out plan . With older students, a teacher might distribute a syllabus that describes the expectations and objectives of the class. However, with younger students, giving them a written out format like a syllabus may not be as useful because they may not be able to read it yet if they are very young or may not have the ability to interpret it well enough to make it apply to them personally. When a teacher expects a lot from his or her students, he or she has the ability to push them to learn. Through a teacher's own passion for learning and teaching, he or she can instill that same drive into the students' minds. When looking at students in grades fourth through sixth grades, this is a trying time to get the students to become more independent with their studies. They will be learning that they are in charge of completing their own assignments. It is also a crucial time when harder homework starts trickling in and the students begin to realize the importance of taking initiative to complete t heir assignments on time. In these grade levels, it is also still a time when it is normal to reward students for excellence by offering trinkets or other awards for a job well done. Students respond well to positive reinforcement. While they are not yet young adults and are not still young children, this age of students are in a transitional period. If a teacher rewards a student for a perfect score on a vocabulary test, it is evident that he or she is encouraging the students to push themselves to also receive perfect scores. This can then influence their academic achievements and improve their grades. This also gives them incentive to get a better grade next time. Sometimes teachers give their students materials that go beyond what other students their age are doing. If a fourth grader is given an eighth grade level book to read and write a report on, it is fulfilling because they are working with more advanced materials. This increases their mastery and productivity by exposing them to curriculum that is beyond regular achievement. Why reach for the clouds if you can touch the stars? If you dream it, you can become it. These are both statements that propose reaching for higher expectations. Students will achieve more if they are pushed to their boundaries and beyond. In the process, students will become brighter and more intelligent when exposed to curriculum that is above their grade level. Some expectations that would positively influence a student's achievements would be to

Power in organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Power in organizations - Essay Example With reference to this aspect, the paper will discuss about the importance of power within an organization in a more diversified manner. Additionally, the paper also ensures a discussion regarding steps that the organization takes in order to encourage its employees and management to adopt and maintain an ethical and legal approach in their activities within organizational operations. Discussion Importance of power in an Organization The significance and the strong presence of power within an organization depict the fact that in the absence of it, proper execution of the operational activities of the organization will be highly uncertain. In precise, it can be depicted that power, which is mostly associated with the top level management and leaders of organizations is utilized as a major resources towards directing and accomplishing the goals and activities set by the organization for long and short term. Furthermore, the possessor of power in an organization will have the authority to manage various resources of the organization to ensure optimization of the benefits acquired from the same. Contextually, it will be vital to mention that effective use of these resources will further result in accomplishment of the organizational objectives, ensuring overall efficiency of the organization. Apart, from this vital aspect, power of a leader and a manager implies about their ability to influence higher authorities of an organization for accomplishment of the desired goals. Additionally, power of leaders and mangers assist them in promoting and reforming advanced strategies prevailing within an organization. This will enhance the probability of getting positive results from the utilization of the aforementioned resources. In addition to that, the possessor of power (leaders or managers) in any organization will also have the privilege to decide on the size of the organization, incorporation of latest technologies, operational approaches of the organization and alloca tions of the resources among other. Hence, it can be affirmed that a person acquiring maximum power in any organization will have his/her presence and influence in almost every sector of the organization with which he/she will be accountable to steer the overall performance of the organization towards a positive direction (Clegg, Courpasson & Phillips, 2006). Types of Power The above discussion apparently depicts the importance of power in an organization. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding regarding the facet of power in any organization, the various forms and sources of power will be vital to illustrate. In general, there are five types of power in any organization which further include coercive, legitimate, reward, referent and expert power among others. Coercive power, also regarded as the most primitive form of power in workplace that provides a person with the authority to punish or threaten the subordinates owing to non-completion of any task or inefficiency in th e same. This kind of power is implemented in scenarios where business is in a deteriorating position (Morgan, 2006). Subsequently, legitimate power refers to the formal rights of the top level leaders related to their designation within an organization. This type of power is quite universal and applied in ensuring proper functioning of the business through

A Teacher's Expectations of Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Teacher's Expectations of Students - Essay Example This is so that each student in a school will have goals that they should be obtaining in their learning each year. Without guidelines written in stone passed down from the state departments of education, there would be no map of direction for teachers to follow. When expectations are developed, whether true or not in reality, it can be perceived as being true. If these expectations are met, students experience a self-fulfillment prophecy (Stipek). In an average classroom, students on the first day of school will not only learn the name of their teacher, but they will be given a basic idea of what their classroom rules will be throughout the year or semester. Situations may arise and students may test their teachers patience with behavior but as long as guidelines for discipline are set in stone and every student is treated fairly, the students will learn to respect the unsaid expectations of the teacher. A teacher must enter his or her classroom that first day with a mapped out plan . With older students, a teacher might distribute a syllabus that describes the expectations and objectives of the class. However, with younger students, giving them a written out format like a syllabus may not be as useful because they may not be able to read it yet if they are very young or may not have the ability to interpret it well enough to make it apply to them personally. When a teacher expects a lot from his or her students, he or she has the ability to push them to learn. Through a teacher's own passion for learning and teaching, he or she can instill that same drive into the students' minds. When looking at students in grades fourth through sixth grades, this is a trying time to get the students to become more independent with their studies. They will be learning that they are in charge of completing their own assignments. It is also a crucial time when harder homework starts trickling in and the students begin to realize the importance of taking initiative to complete t heir assignments on time. In these grade levels, it is also still a time when it is normal to reward students for excellence by offering trinkets or other awards for a job well done. Students respond well to positive reinforcement. While they are not yet young adults and are not still young children, this age of students are in a transitional period. If a teacher rewards a student for a perfect score on a vocabulary test, it is evident that he or she is encouraging the students to push themselves to also receive perfect scores. This can then influence their academic achievements and improve their grades. This also gives them incentive to get a better grade next time. Sometimes teachers give their students materials that go beyond what other students their age are doing. If a fourth grader is given an eighth grade level book to read and write a report on, it is fulfilling because they are working with more advanced materials. This increases their mastery and productivity by exposing them to curriculum that is beyond regular achievement. Why reach for the clouds if you can touch the stars? If you dream it, you can become it. These are both statements that propose reaching for higher expectations. Students will achieve more if they are pushed to their boundaries and beyond. In the process, students will become brighter and more intelligent when exposed to curriculum that is above their grade level. Some expectations that would positively influence a student's achievements would be to

Production of a teaching material with accompanying commentary on Essay

Production of a teaching material with accompanying commentary on design principles (equivalent of 3500 words) - Essay Example According to Syatriana et al, (2013, p.11), writing and speaking are termed as the productivity skills while reading and listening are both the receptive skills. Productivity skills are the fruits of receptive skills. Therefore, reading and listening skills within the students will always determine their overall performances. Our instructional material will focus the language skills for grammar improvement to be fully felt. The appendix will show the instructional materials that were used. This model argues that the first stage in the development of teaching materials is for the teachers and learners to identify the current trends in teaching and learning respectively. Every time the material developer should ensure that they always introduce new materials. The next phase will be to identify the area of problem that the language subjects are experiencing since one neither can nor solve a problem that has no roots. Contextualization of the materials is the next stage whereby the locally available materials are used in language skills. Pedagogical realization will involve design of appropriate exercise, activities and assignments that will help the students to gauge what they have leant. Finally, the materials are physically produced in the form of course books inclusive of visual, book size and layout (Syatriana et al., 2013, p.15). I am going to apply the model in designing of the instructional materials. In the two hours lesson, the students are going to improve their grammar skills in usage of articles and comparative and superlative phrases. In conjunction with the intended lesson plan, the students will have a chance to refresh on their past learnt materials and apply them. For example, there will be use of punctuation marks and opposites. The punctuation marks to be used are comma, full stop and question marks. As a teacher, the usage of the articles will first be defined and their appropriate use made in vowels and consonant

United States Cuba Relations And The Economies Politics Essay

United States Cuba Relations And The Economies Politics Essay Economic sanctions can be and are a valuable tool for enforcing international norms and protecting our national interests. The U.S. Policy of applying economic pressure in Cuba originated soon after Fidel Castro came into power in 1959. The United States first imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba on February 3, 1962, after the Kennedy Administration became convinced that Castro was moving rapidly toward the establishment of a totalitarian regime in alliance with the Soviet Union. Castro had not only confiscated U.S. and other Cuban and foreign-owned properties on the island, but had been providing indiscriminate support for violent revolution throughout the Americas as part of his efforts to carry on the continental struggle against the Yankees, which he considers to be his true destiny. The embargo was formally begun by President, John F. Kennedy, and has been supported by all successive Presidents. The U.S. embargo has had a major impact on the Cuban economy involving trade, wages, and jobs; and in addition, it has affected many United States businesses both directly and indirectly. The Helms-Burton Act is one of the major bills regarding trade with Cuba, and it has encountered much opposition and controversy both in the United States and abroad. Only recently was the news media ban in Cuba lifted allowing American journalists to get news from within Cuba. Health care in Cuba is also a major concern and is strongly affected by the Cuban Embargo. Our policy on Cuba is illustrative of one of the principal goals of economic sanctions-to encourage our friends and allies to adopt policies that can advance our common interests. Our allies and trading partners disagree with our embargo and have urged us to alter the provisions of the Libertad Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act named after its principal sponsors. Cubas economy is in complete disarray as a direct result of Castros insistence on adhering to a discredited economic model-that of communism. The impact of the U.S. embargo was offset during the Cold War years by five to six billion dollars in subsidies a year from Russia. The economic problems in Cuba were exacerbated by the demise of the Soviet Union. The U.S.S.R. annually gave nearly five billion dollars in subsidies to the Castro government. However, the communist regime dedicated a bulk of these funds to maintaining an over-sized military machine and to a massive internal security apparatus. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba suffered a 35% decline in its gross domestic product between 1989 and 1993 (see chart), revealing an inherently dysfunctional economy. Food shortages and failure to provide basic public services incited disturbances that began to threaten the regime. In order for the communist government to survive, they had to undertake certain limited economic reforms because of these problems coupled with the continuing embargo. In the mid-1990s, the Cuban government began to allow private citizens to offer certain services under strict government scrutiny. Then in 1997, they introduced heavy taxes that forced many of these people out of business. In this sector, employment peaked at 206,000 in 1996, and then fell to 170,000 in 1997. The Cuban government has actively encouraged foreign investment, but forbids private investment by Cuban citizens, leaving it hostile to private enterprise. Not until 1993, did the Cuban government make it legal for Cubans to possess U.S. dollars. Since then, it has become the major currency. Failure by the communists to launch major economic reforms has fostered the development of a large black market and vividly growing corruption. Those with access to dollars can purchase imported goods at government-run dollar stores. To earn dollar tips, many skilled persons, such as doctors, teachers, engineers, and scientists are working in more remedial jobs in restaurants or as taxi drivers. Nevertheless, the Cuban government has not employed any credible effort to adopt market-based policies and continues to keep tight control over the highly centralized economy. Over 80% of the work force are employed by the state. To encourage a democratic transition in Cuba, Congress passed the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) in 1992, which tightened the embargo by prohibiting American owned or controlled subsidiaries located abroad from doing business with Cuba. The sanctions will also have an unanticipated indirect effect on the American economy too. In addition to the immediate impact of sanctions on trade with the target, Cuba, many American businesses will suffer. American businessmen claim that the effects of even limited unilateral trade sanctions will go well beyond the targeted sectors. They also argue that the effects of such action will tend to linger long after the embargo is lifted because U.S. forms will come to be regarded as unreliable suppliers. Exports lost today may mean lower exports after the sanctions are lifted because U.S. firms will not be able to supply complementary parts, replacement parts, or related technologies. These indirect effects may extend beyond the sanctioned products and even beyond the time period in which the sanctions are imposed. Jobs in the export sector of the economy tend to pay better than the average wages. Thus even in the full employment economy that the U.S. is enjoying now, the loss of exports still means a loss in wages-the export wage sector premium. The export sector wage premium is about 12 to 15 percent, taking into account both direct and indirect employment. In 1995, the average salary in the manufacturing sector was about $34,020, so the premium paid by the export sector was about $4080 per worker (12% of $34,020). What these figures mean is that, as a consequence of U.S. sanctions, workers probably lost between $800 million and $1 billion in export sector wage premiums in 1995. In some periods in the last two decades, when the U.S. economy was not flourishing with full employment, and when jobs were not readily available, the loss of these exports may have added to the unemployment rolls. But even if the loss of exports had a zero effect on unemployment, it certainly reduced the number of good paying jobs. If the next twenty years see similar applications of sanctions in the United States, the cumulative loss of wage premiums could be around $20 billion (20 years times roughly $1billion a year). This is a heavy cost for us, and does not even take into account less tangible costs like making U.S. companies seem unreliable as suppliers and handing over business to foreign competitors. U.S. businesses are alarmed by the proliferation of trade sanctions by federal, state, and local governments and are pushing for legislation making it harder to use commerce as a weapon in international disputes. USA*Engage and its 632 businesses and organization members argue that unilateral trade sanctions rarely work, and often, they do backfire and have a bad affect ion American interests. Most of the analysis of the effectiveness of economic sanctions suggests they have limited utility for changing the behavior or governments of target countries. Previous research at the Institute for International Economics concluded that US sanctions had positive outcomes in fewer than one in five cases in the 1970s and 1980s. Much less is known about the costs of economic sanctions for the U.S. economy. Foreign investment in Cuba has failed abysmally to meet the regimes own expectations. Many of the countries that had committed investment hardly reached what they had actually promised (see chart below). Originally targeted at $500 million per year when new measures to attract foreign investment were introduced in 1990, the three-year investment total (FY 90-91 to 92-93) barely reached $500 million. For thirty years, the United States had a media ban restricting the media from having outposts in Cuba. American news bureaus were closed down in Cuba in 1969 when Castros government expelled the last members of the Associated Press who had been operating in the country. Almost thirty years later, in February 1997, President Clinton stated that ten news organizations would receive licenses allowing them to resume operations in Cuba. The decision to lift the news media restrictions came at a time when questions concerning relations with Cuba began to cause policy rifts between the United States and our European allies. Despite this minor concession made by the White House concerning the media networks, the policies of the Clinton Administration remained avidly anti-Castro. Clintons main intentions concerning Cuba are to promulgate democratic reforms in the government and bring an end to four decades of communism in Cuba. During Clintons first term in office, he signed into law, a bill that imposed sanctions on any country that chose to do business with the Castro government, the Helms-Burton Act. Our European allies argued that the law was an attempt by the United States to control the foreign policies of other countries. And they vowed to challenge the law before the newly formed World Trade Organization (WTO). After Cuban fighter jets shot down two passenger planes without warning in February 1996, President Clinton showed no hesitation in signing this bill into law. Part of his intentions were to send Cuba a powerful message that the United States will not tolerate further loss of American life, as Clinton stated himself. The bill targets companies doing business in Cuba in an attempt to block crucial international investment sought by the Cuban government. It allows Americans to sue companies that profit from the property the Cuban government has confiscated in the past 35 years, a stipulation many U.S. allies have shown opposition for. One of the major reasons for the imposition of the embargo was the Cuban Governments failure to compensate thousands of U.S. companies and individuals whose properties, large and small, were confiscated after the revolution. They specifically targeted and took property owned by U.S. nationals. Under the Cuba claims programs in the 1960s, the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission certified 5,911 valid claims by U.S. nationals against the Government of Cuba. The Castro government also took property from thousands of Cubans, some of whom have since become U.S. citizens. Under the law, any person who makes use of property confiscated from Americans by Castros government can be denied entry into the United States. Cuban-American Representative Ileana Ros-Lechtin, R-Florida, said the bill will penalize those who have become Castros new patron saints: the foreign investors who callously traffic in American confiscated property in Cuba to profit from the misery of the Cuban worker. The bill also urges the president to seek an international embargo against Cuba, but currently, no other economic power observes an embargo. Cuba doesnt seem very concerned though. The main victim of this law will be the United States itself, said Paul Taladrid, Cubas deputy minister for foreign investment, because it will have to face the opposition of the r est of the world, or its closest allies. Although many U.S. allies oppose parts of the policy, they have said that they agree with us on the key goal of encouraging democracy and human rights in Cuba. Even when supporting Cubas resolution at the UN General Assembly against the U.S. embargo of Cuba, The European Union made clear its opposition to Cubas human rights policies. The best known and most controversial parts of the Act are Title III and Title IV which created a private cause of action in U.S. Courts and prohibits visas and entry into the United States to those who traffic in confiscated property claimed by a U.S. national. The provisions extend well beyond Americas legal reach. These provisions prompted the European Union to initiate a complaint against the U.S. in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Canada and Mexico called for consultations under the provisions of NAFTA. Many think that the Act is a misguided principle; critics claim that it attempts to undermine the regime of Castro by depriving him of hard currency. This is futile, not only because the U.S. finds itself alone in its policy of isolating Cuba; although sometimes a lonely policy may be the right one. Both Canada, the biggest investor in the island country, and the European Union are still poised to retaliate against the United States. American allies reject the idea of making foreign policy under threat of lawsuit. Although the United States has such a problem with other countries not backing the embargo, an embarrassing example is still extant. After the foundation of the state of Israel, an Arab boycott penalized foreign firms for doing business with the new state. America rightly opposed this policy; now it must prepare to reverse itself. U.S. allies in Europe and Latin-America are livid over Helms-Burton; by what right, they ask, do U.S. Courts presume to impose sanctions against foreigners doing their own business in Cuba? Several of these countries have passed counteracting laws allowing their citizens to sue in their courts if Helms-Burton cases are brought against them in the United States. All this does is leave a potential legal rats nest benefiting nobody but the lawyers. Helms-Burton in section 306(b) gives the President authority to suspend the provisions allowing lawsuits against traffickers for successive periods of six months if he finds that such a step is necessary to the national interests of the United States and will expedite the transition to democracy in Cuba. President Clinton has already exercised this option several times to appease the dissention from our allies. We have been able to manage this serious disagreement with our close allies and trading partners and advance the promotion of democracy in Cuba. Under Secretary Eizenstat reached an Understanding with the EU in April 1997 under which the EU agreed to suspend its WTO case and step up its efforts to promote democracy in Cuba. The parties also agreed to negotiate disciplines on property confiscated in contravention of international law, including property in Cuba, and principles on conflicting jurisdictions. These discussions are in a crucial phase and, if an agreement is reached, the Administration will discuss with Congress the possibility of obtaining authority to waive Title IV of the Act. There is a large body of misconceptions about the present state of health care in Cuba, including the false accusation that it is the U.S. policy to deny medicine or medical supplies and equipment to the Cuban people. The end of Soviet subsidies forced Cuba to face the real costs of its health care system. Unwilling to adopt the economic changes necessary to reform its dysfunctional economy, the Castro government quickly faced a large budget deficit. In response, the Cuban Government made a deliberate decision to continue to spend money to maintain its military and internal security apparatus at the expense of other priorities including health care. In 1995, Cubas imports totaled $2.8 billion dollars, yet only $46 million dollars only 1.5% of overall foreign purchaseson medical imports for its 11 million people. By comparison, Cubas neighbor, the Dominican Republic, spent $208 million dollars on medical imports for its 7.5 million citizens in 1995. The US embargo does NOT deny medicines and medical supplies to the Cuban people. As stipulated in Section 1705 of the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the U.S. Government routinely issues licenses for the sale of medicine and medical supplies to Cuba. The only requirement for obtaining a license is to arrange for end-use monitoring to ensure that there is no reasonable likelihood that these items could be diverted to the Cuban military, used in acts of torture or other human rights abuses, or re-exported or used in the production of biotechnological products. Independent non-governmental organizations, international organizations, or foreign diplomats can perform monitoring of sales. Since 1992, 36 of 38 license requests have been approved to U.S. companies and their subsidiaries to sell medicine and medical equipment to Cuba. Sales have included such items as thalamonal, depo-provera, pediatric solutions, syringes, and other items. The Department of Commerce declined the other two requests for licenses it received for failure to meet legal standards. Both of these exceptions to the general policy of approving commercial medical sales occurred in 1994. Moreover, the U.S. embargo on Cuba affects only U.S. companies and their subsidiaries. Other nations and companies are free to trade with Cuba. Should Cuba choose not to purchase from the U.S., it can purchase any medicine or medical equipment it needs from other countries. Such third-country transactions only cost an estimated 2%-3% more than purchases from the U.S. as a result of higher shipping costs. In closing, the essential element of the tragedy of the Cuban people is not the United States-Cuba conflict; rather, it is the struggle of eleven million people who seek to assert their human dignity and reclaim the inalienable political, economic and civil rights that were taken away from them by the Castro regime. The Cuban people have been victims of one of the most oppressive regimes of the twentieth century. The systematic violation in Cuba of each and every human right recognized in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been faithfully documented in recent years at the UN Human Rights Commission and by respected human rights organizations throughout the world. The truth is there for all that wish to see. Impervious to the deplorable living conditions of the people, the asphyxiating lack of liberty, and to repeated international calls for democratic change, Castro staunchly clings onto the reins of absolute power. Yet, despite the regimes relentless repres sion, those on the island are courageously demonstrating their commitment to change with increasing resolve. The U.S. economic embargo against the Castro regime has weakened its capability to repress this universal desire for freedom and is an expression of moral support that strengthens the will of those who seek to wrestle from the hands of a dictator the destiny of a whole nation.

Othello :: essays research papers

After reading Shakespeare’s play OTHELLO you have to ask yourself is Othello as much a victim as he is a murderer? An assumption may be that because Othello kills his wife after the devious behavior of Iago, then maybe Othello is a victim of Iago’s evil. Some may argue that the sin of Iago to plot the down fall of the moor, is worse because it becomes a calculating mind compared to Othello’s sin because he has become a pawn in Iago’s hands. However, it is noticed that Othello allows himself to be manipulated. Iago’s suggestion of the infidelity of Desdemona, Othello’s wife, provides just the excuse Othello needs to justify the destruction of the wife he believes can not truly love him. Desdemona’s murder is a result of Othello’s pride and quick judgment, as a result, he must be held accountable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Othello, unlike Iago, is capable of forming strong, loving relationships. His genuine friendship with Iago confirms this fact. Othello allows himself to be influenced by Iago, and allows Iago to bring out his most evil characteristics. Although Iago may be the more evil of the two, Othello does little to prevent his instincts from becoming dominant. To see why Othello commits his crime and why he has to be held accountable for it, we must examine his motive. It can be claimed that what actually causes Othello to commit murder is not his being mentally weakened and manipulated by Iago, but rather his own pride and lack of confidence which he allows to gain control. Othello is a strong leader, but he is insecure with his personal qualities. He is in a new city with different customs. He has a new bride, a young and beautiful girl, who he loves but does not know well. The Moor surely is aware of the widespread prejudice in Venice and certainly has to question why Des demona would go against her culture by marrying a black man. Othello has his doubts about Desdemona before Iago begins his scheming. Even though his wife shows nothing but love for him, Othello cannot believe in her love wholeheartedly. â€Å"Tis not to make me jealous to say my wife is fair, feeds well, loves company†¦Nor from mine own weak merits will I draw the smallest fear or doubt of her revolt, for she had eyes and chose me† (Act III, Scene III, 198) Othello is going to conclude that Desdemona's compassion and virtue alone enable her to love him.

Great Expectations Essay -- Great Expectations Essays

In Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, the main character named Pip suffers through a conflict of confusing good and bad people. He repeatedly disregards the people that love and care for him and instead chooses to care for people who do not care for him. When making these choices, Pip senses that he is making the wrong decisions and therefore confuses good and bad and also confuses himself. After Pip first meets Estella, he begins to dislike everything he has ever known. He is uncomfortable feeling common in front of Estella and takes out his frustration on Joe, the one who brought him up to be common. â€Å"I determined to ask Joe why he had ever taught me to call those picture-cards, Jacks, which ought to be called knaves. I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should have been so too† (65). Here, Pip begins to look down on Joe even though Joe has only done the best that he could. Still, Joe continues to be kind to Pip even when Pip makes mistakes. He is not the only one that Pip hurts though. Biddy is another person Pip disrespects. At first Pip is too blinded by his love for Estella to notice that Biddy truly cares for him, and by the time he realizes it, it is too late. Pip confides all his secrets in Biddy and even tells her how unhappy he is with his common lifestyle. â€Å"’Biddy,’ said I, after binding her to se crecy, ‘I want to be a gentleman’† (127). Biddy tries to rationalize Pip’s thoughts so that he will see what is truly important, but he just cannot see past his desire for Estella. In this way, Pip is already ignoring Biddy and her great advice. When Pip receives his fortune from his secret benefactor, his disregard for the two people that love him the most becomes much worse. Before hi... ... of why his common life and being with Biddy is much better than the alternative, Estella. However, after all those reasons come to him, the remembrances of Satis House and Estella rush back to him and he is thrown into a conflict between the two. The worst part of Pip’s conflict comes from the fact that even Estella warns him of her cruelty. She tells him how she has no heart to love and will never care for him (229). Still, it is not until the end of the novel that Pip realizes all of his mistakes and his conflict is somewhat resolved. All in all, Pip messed up throughout the novel. He chose to ignore those that loved him and were good to him, viewing them as bad memories of his past, and instead sought after a heartless girl who could never love him. These inner and outer conflicts that Pip experiences from his decisions shape Charles Dickens’ classic novel.

Brian Thorne Counselling Review

Louise, a young woman, presented to Brian Throne with a great deal of physical and mental pain and had been subjected to cyclical depression for a umber of years, usually occurring during the month of February. Before providing details under a number of skills subheadings I would like to make a general comment on Throne's capacity to summaries that which had been said by Louise at various stages throughout the session.A common criticism of the person-centered approach is that it is merely re-hashing what the client has Just said, resulting in a very slow and not very dynamic process, Brian Throne shows here how both reflection and summarizing can have very quick and positive impact on the client, when carried out tit skill. When Throne summarizes he manages somehow to add an extra layer of understanding and complexity to his summary. Which seems to allow the client to not only agree but open to further exploration.At one point during the session, Louise physically changes her posture and facial expression when Throne managed to not only reflect what had just been said but also added a layer of meaning that seemed hidden to the client. It is as if his reflection and summarizing has a synergistic and additive affect. In one particular instance he does this with a single word, ‘Personae? [22:01]. On other occasions he deftly follows his summaries with a gentle probing and allows the client enough silence and space to contemplate on what has been said and subsequently offer a reply.I can only hope that someday I can apply even a tiny fraction of the skill shown by Brian Throne. Attending and Active Listening I have combined examples of these two skills since as Throne seamlessly applies these skills throughout the session. His body language, which includes a forward- leaning posture, mirroring of Louse's facial expressions and genuine laughter at the appropriate times, all show a counselor staying in the present moment with his client throughout. He frequentl y verbalizes that he understands what she is saying and follows this up with impressive reflection and summarizing.Reflective skills Although Throne applies this throughout I have chosen a particular time [37:38], which I believe is a good example of this skill. Throne says ‘It doesn't seem genuine to you to plan anything? ‘ he Is asking this question since Louise describes how she has learned to adopt strategies in order to cope socially. She has done this for so long hat she is no longer sure which is the real her. She is taken aback by this summary and Throne Immediately states that he Is merely ‘holding it up to you'.Although this almost literal example of reflecting skills, I believe it is very apt. Being Concrete Louise finds it difficult to start the session and Throne Immediately Jumps in to Empathy When Louise describes her constant planning and strategist for every social situation, Throne replies with ‘That's so wearying? [23:38]; this to me is one of many obvious displays of empathy, which almost always get a positive response from the linen. Probing Throne probes throughout, always in a gentle and non threatening way.These probes are almost always preceded by a brief summary and/or reflection. A very good example of this is when Throne asks Louise Why did you want to drink alcohol on the train? [27:07]. Asked by another counselor, this question might elicit a defensive response but Louise tentatively supplies an answer, which is subsequently expanded on after more gentle probing. Feedback When Louise asks Throne why he asked the question about why she wanted alcohol n the train, he provides succinct but gentle feedback, which allows the session to enter a new area.He replies by saying ‘Because it seemed to me that you wanted to escape. ‘ [28:17]. Conclusion There are other examples of the skills described above throughout the session but I have tried to include the ones I felt allowed for a deeper relationship b etween counselor and client. I enjoyed this session very much and it has focused my attention on the skills required to help our clients acquire a greater awareness of themselves and their environments.

King Lear: A Tragic Hero

King Lear: A Tragic Hero King Lear by William Shakespeare Is an example of a classic tragedy. The mall character, King Lear, Is the tragic hero, which Is one of the aspects of a tragedy. King Lear wrongfully judges his daughters when he asks them to describe their love for him. He banishes one of his daughters. Cornelia, even though she is the only one that truly loves him. When he discovers that his other daughters General and Reagan do not actually love him, he starts to go insane. However, Lear eventually realizes his mistakes and tries to mend his relationships.King Lear is a tragic hero because wrought his suffering, brought on by his pride, he learns to Judge people based on character rather than appearances. King Lear is a complex character that has many flaws. However, the flaw that causes him most trouble is his hubris. He makes mistakes and he is too proud to admit them. One of his biggest mistakes is banishing Cornelia. Lear avows: â€Å"Let it be so C†¦ ] as thou my sometime daughter† (1. 1 . 120-134). Lear expresses his newfound hatred for Cornelia. Even though she is being honest, he is furious. This is an example of Learns pride.The second somebody does not absolutely adore him, he becomes brash and angry. He quickly makes the decision to ban his own daughter and disown her, even though she is the only one that loves him truly. During his monologue, he claims that he is no longer a father to Cornelia because he finds her actions so wretched. He is horrified by the fact that somebody does not praise him like a god, so the only thing he can do to regain his position of nobility is to banish her and show that he has power over her. This Is an awful quality that Is part of what leads to Learns fall.Even General and Reagan recognize that Lear has made a terrible mistake. Goner† claims â€Å"He always loved our sister most, and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly† (1. 1. 336-338). Even the appal ling sisters understand what Lear does not. It Is shown that even if they are awful and greedy, General and Reagan still comprehend that Cornelia is caring and Lear is being unreasonable. Right in the beginning of the play, it is clear that Lear does not want to admit his flaws, which in Itself Is a flaw. His pride causes his the kingdom.General and Reagan end up betraying him and he is left out in the storm to suffer. Learns pride is one of the factors as to why he is a tragic hero. As a result of his pride, Lear suffers. This experience leads to his misdiagnosis. General and Reagan leave Lear out in the middle of a storm. Lear is betrayed by his own daughters whom he thinks love him endlessly. Having been stranded in the storm, King Lear descends Into madness. He feels that praise Is more Important than true feelings. Right from the start of the betrayal, Lear already knows that he will start to go crazy.Lear shouts â€Å"O Fool, I shall go mad! † (2. 4. 328). Lear sees his own future. He knows how he reacts to things and feels as though this is the worst thing to ever happen to him. King Lear actually becomes so insane that he imagines his gathers. Lear rambles on, saying: â€Å"I'll see their trial [†¦ ] but let them be changed† (3. 6. 37-85). Lear Is at the point in his insanity where he is completely his mad state he is trying to mend his relations even though it is not actually happening. Lear is so depressed during this time and is suffering deeply.He is experiencing new feelings and is doing things that he has never had to do before. This suffering is one of the reasons why King Lear is a tragic hero. King Learns suffering is what makes him realize that he is wrong and that his hubris is a major flaw in his personally. This misdiagnosis is major to the book and it's plot because Lear now knows that he has made detrimental mistakes. The first sign of this realization is when Cornelia is speaking with Lear and he acts as if he does no t know her. Lear admits: â€Å"If you have poison for me, I will drink it.I know you do not love me, for your sisters have, as I do remember done me wrong† (4. 7. 82-84). Lear realizes that he wrongly Judged Cornelia and he feels awful about it. King Lear understands that Cornelia will hate him and fully understands why she feels the way she does. However, all he wants is Cordillera's forgiveness. He now comprehends true eve and understands that have one person who truly loves you is better than having multiple people falsely gawking over you. This is a huge development in Learns character and shows the fixation of his tragic flaw.He finally puts other people's thoughts and feelings in front of his own and is not afraid of being mediocre. His hubris is gone and he is a better person. By the end of the play, King Lear reciprocates Cordillera's love and loyalty. King Lear exclaims: â€Å"Her voice was soft, gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman† (5. 3. 328-329). N ot only does Lear realize what true love is, but he also learns how to love others correctly. He is appreciative of Cornelia now that he realizes how much he loves her.This misdiagnosis is a characteristic of Learns that makes him a tragic hero. The play King Lear by William Shakespeare teaches about human suffering through the main character King Lear. Learns suffering shows that all humans must go through some sort of pain before having full clarity. This suffering may come from mistakes made by the person, Just like Lear wrongfully Judging Cornelia and his other daughters. Learns pride and lack of insight leads to his distress. However, this pain leads to misdiagnosis, which makes King Lear a tragic hero. King Lear: A Tragic Hero King Lear: A Tragic Hero King Lear by William Shakespeare Is an example of a classic tragedy. The mall character, King Lear, Is the tragic hero, which Is one of the aspects of a tragedy. King Lear wrongfully judges his daughters when he asks them to describe their love for him. He banishes one of his daughters. Cornelia, even though she is the only one that truly loves him. When he discovers that his other daughters General and Reagan do not actually love him, he starts to go insane. However, Lear eventually realizes his mistakes and tries to mend his relationships.King Lear is a tragic hero because wrought his suffering, brought on by his pride, he learns to Judge people based on character rather than appearances. King Lear is a complex character that has many flaws. However, the flaw that causes him most trouble is his hubris. He makes mistakes and he is too proud to admit them. One of his biggest mistakes is banishing Cornelia. Lear avows: â€Å"Let it be so C†¦ ] as thou my sometime daughter† (1. 1 . 120-134). Lear expresses his newfound hatred for Cornelia. Even though she is being honest, he is furious. This is an example of Learns pride.The second somebody does not absolutely adore him, he becomes brash and angry. He quickly makes the decision to ban his own daughter and disown her, even though she is the only one that loves him truly. During his monologue, he claims that he is no longer a father to Cornelia because he finds her actions so wretched. He is horrified by the fact that somebody does not praise him like a god, so the only thing he can do to regain his position of nobility is to banish her and show that he has power over her. This Is an awful quality that Is part of what leads to Learns fall.Even General and Reagan recognize that Lear has made a terrible mistake. Goner† claims â€Å"He always loved our sister most, and with what poor judgment he hath now cast her off appears too grossly† (1. 1. 336-338). Even the appal ling sisters understand what Lear does not. It Is shown that even if they are awful and greedy, General and Reagan still comprehend that Cornelia is caring and Lear is being unreasonable. Right in the beginning of the play, it is clear that Lear does not want to admit his flaws, which in Itself Is a flaw. His pride causes his the kingdom.General and Reagan end up betraying him and he is left out in the storm to suffer. Learns pride is one of the factors as to why he is a tragic hero. As a result of his pride, Lear suffers. This experience leads to his misdiagnosis. General and Reagan leave Lear out in the middle of a storm. Lear is betrayed by his own daughters whom he thinks love him endlessly. Having been stranded in the storm, King Lear descends Into madness. He feels that praise Is more Important than true feelings. Right from the start of the betrayal, Lear already knows that he will start to go crazy.Lear shouts â€Å"O Fool, I shall go mad! † (2. 4. 328). Lear sees his own future. He knows how he reacts to things and feels as though this is the worst thing to ever happen to him. King Lear actually becomes so insane that he imagines his gathers. Lear rambles on, saying: â€Å"I'll see their trial [†¦ ] but let them be changed† (3. 6. 37-85). Lear Is at the point in his insanity where he is completely his mad state he is trying to mend his relations even though it is not actually happening. Lear is so depressed during this time and is suffering deeply.He is experiencing new feelings and is doing things that he has never had to do before. This suffering is one of the reasons why King Lear is a tragic hero. King Learns suffering is what makes him realize that he is wrong and that his hubris is a major flaw in his personally. This misdiagnosis is major to the book and it's plot because Lear now knows that he has made detrimental mistakes. The first sign of this realization is when Cornelia is speaking with Lear and he acts as if he does no t know her. Lear admits: â€Å"If you have poison for me, I will drink it.I know you do not love me, for your sisters have, as I do remember done me wrong† (4. 7. 82-84). Lear realizes that he wrongly Judged Cornelia and he feels awful about it. King Lear understands that Cornelia will hate him and fully understands why she feels the way she does. However, all he wants is Cordillera's forgiveness. He now comprehends true eve and understands that have one person who truly loves you is better than having multiple people falsely gawking over you. This is a huge development in Learns character and shows the fixation of his tragic flaw.He finally puts other people's thoughts and feelings in front of his own and is not afraid of being mediocre. His hubris is gone and he is a better person. By the end of the play, King Lear reciprocates Cordillera's love and loyalty. King Lear exclaims: â€Å"Her voice was soft, gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman† (5. 3. 328-329). N ot only does Lear realize what true love is, but he also learns how to love others correctly. He is appreciative of Cornelia now that he realizes how much he loves her.This misdiagnosis is a characteristic of Learns that makes him a tragic hero. The play King Lear by William Shakespeare teaches about human suffering through the main character King Lear. Learns suffering shows that all humans must go through some sort of pain before having full clarity. This suffering may come from mistakes made by the person, Just like Lear wrongfully Judging Cornelia and his other daughters. Learns pride and lack of insight leads to his distress. However, this pain leads to misdiagnosis, which makes King Lear a tragic hero.

In Defense of Gun Control Laws Essay

Guns have always been associated with crimes. The use of guns may either work in the positive or the negative way. On the positive side, it could help in deterring the proliferation of crimes. The mere use or presence of it is sufficient for other criminals to stop their criminal intents. However, this is just one way of looking at gun use and ownership. If guns could be used for combating crimes and criminals, it could also be used to the proliferation of criminal acts. Many evil minded people would utilize firearms in order to compel people to do as they desire—including unlawful acts. The mere presence of a gun is sufficient to threaten an individual and to put one’s life in danger. Any wrong move in using a loaded gun might be the end for another’s life. It is due to this reason that the ownership, possession and use thereof are strictly regulated by the state. For anti-gun control advocates, they feel the need for less strict regulations on gun control and ownership. They are advocating that the laws be relaxed and for the law makers that gun ownership is essential in fighting criminals and crimes. It serves as the ordinary man’s protection against abusive individuals. In this day and age, there so many crimes that are being committed and a great number of criminals causing chaos to society, thus, the need for greater protection against them. Such advocates also invoke that it is their constitutional to own guns. However, in a case decided last June 2008 by the United States Supreme Court, it was upheld that reasonable efforts under of controlling the proliferation of firearms on the hands of private individuals is allowed. The law enforcers and makers however should be guided that there should be no outright ban on handguns (Newsbatch, 2008). This ruling of the Supreme Court would indicate that ownership of guns is not only limited to the military but it also extends to ordinary individuals so long as there is proper regulation. Indeed there is nothing wrong in the ownership and possession of guns as long as there is proper regulation thereof of the enactment and recognition of gun control laws. Blackstone, a former US District Court Judge also shares the view that the public should not be prohibited of their right to bear arms. They should be accorded this right especially in a country where there is a vast militia power. The bearing of firearms is the security of the people against abuse and their mode of defending themselves. However, this should be done in moderation and should be properly regulated (Guncite, 2007). In opposition to the claim that the ownership and possession of guns help deter criminality in the country, this cannot hold to be always true. As previously indicates, the use of guns may work positively or negatively. Instead of stopping crimes, it could even be the means of committing thereof. According to the article of Deborah White (n. d. ), the United States has the highest number of private people owning guns. There are about 80 million Americans of 50 percent of the total homes which own 223 million of guns. Attached with this figure is the fact that more than 30, 000 men and women in the United States die each year due to gun shoot wounds, this is the highest homicide rate from guns around the world. Moreover, it should be noted that among the 30, 000 deaths indicated above, only 1, 500 of which are caused by accidental killings. This is a very alarming figure since it would imply that the high percentage gun ownership and gun shot related incidents have a positive relation. The more guns there are in the streets, the greater is the number of people dying with a bullet on their bodies. Policy Almanac (n. d. ) also reported that there has been a 173 percent increase from 1985 to 1993 and 126 percent from 1993 to 1999 in the number of homicides which are annually committed with the use of a firearm by persons who are between the ages 14 to 24. The figures should serve as a wake up call for law enforcers and remind them the need to properly regulate the ownership of guns and the use thereof. There should be more restrictive laws to be imposed by the state. Stricter measures could lead to lesser crime rate as well as crime related incidents. In order the address the issue on gun control, several laws were enacted federally and locally or by state. On the federal level, the first major mandate was enacted in 1934. Based on this initiative, the sale of machine guns and other fully automatic firearms will be regulated. Four years after such legislation, another law was passed requiring gun sellers to have a license. In addition, the law also prohibits the sale of guns to those who have been convicted of violent crimes. The next law which addressed the issue on gun ownership was passed in 1968. This law is the Gun Control Act of 1968. Based on the said law, imported guns are to be regulated and gun-licensing requirements will be increased. The list of people who should not own and should not be sold with firearms was extended to individuals who have been convicted with any form of non-business related crime, those who are incompetent mentally d those who have been using illegal drugs. After the said legislation, another federal law was again passed in 1986. Such mandate indicated mandatory penalties on the use of a gun to commit federal felonies. Included in the said law is the prohibition on the use of bullets which have the capacity to penetrate bulletproof apparel. Manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons were also banned in 1990 (Newsbatch, 2008). After the said law was promulgated by the Congress, another federal gun regulation was passed in 1994, the Brady Bill. The said bill is considered as the most comprehensive federal effort on gun control. Through this law, a five day waiting period is necessary before purchasers can have their guns. Such period would give the law enforcement agencies to investigate the background of the purchaser. However, this law did not last as it was declared by the Supreme Court to be an infringement on state’s rights. The law was re-drafted and provided that the conducting of background investigation will be accomplished through a national computer system. The provision on the five day waiting period was also removed. In terms of the state or local laws, there has been variance in the enactment of the laws. However, the common provisions include Child Access Prevention law or the prohibition on leaving a loaded weapon which could be easily accessed by a minor. Another is the concealed weapon law or the need to obtain a license which would allow one to carry a concealed weapon. Others include the following: regulation of private sale to minors, regulating all secondary market sales, ban on assault weapons and the one hand gun a month laws, among others. Despite these seemingly comprehensive laws, there is a need to impose stricter measures in order to regulate the ownership, use and possession of guns. Although it is recognized that there is a need for guns in the society, the continued sale thereof to private individuals and the growing number of people who own such should be carefully studied. Guns are very dangerous. It carries with it an authority which no other object could possess. The mere presence thereof is already a cause for alarm. People who have such may use it to protect themselves or to threaten other people. Given the extraordinary authority accorded to firearms, people who are not properly oriented with the use thereof may abuse such authority. Thus, there is a need to regulate the use, possession and ownership thereof to have proper guidance and to eliminate the bad effects thereof to the society. The authority that comes with any firearm carries with it the responsibility to utilize it only to purposes to which it was intended and not to create abuse. Despite the high funding that come from anti-gun control laws, politicians should comply with their basic responsibility to uphold the common good in the society. They should not be easily swayed by the sources of their funds during the last elections.