Indigenous Religion

Define indigenous religion, and describe at least one aspect of indigenous religions that exists in a similar form in a traditional mainstream religion. The word indigenous means â€Å"originated in†, and thus the term â€Å"indigenous religion† means â€Å"the original religion of a place. † Essentially this term is applied to the group of people of any religion, culture, or area. The indigenous religion is a unique religion associated with the particular group. For example, the native tribes in the United States follow indigenous religious beliefs which are practiced without any interference of outsiders.Another example is â€Å"Shinto† from Japan which is confined only to a particular place and is not practiced anywhere outside of Japan. Thus, all the cultures had been indigenous at one time which has grown slowly and gradually. The aspects of the indigenous religion which have never changed are is the thought of human sacrifice which was necessary to g ain the attention, or to get closer to God. In modern Judeo-Christianity, the crucifixion and (alleged) resurrection of Jesus, blood sacrifice was focused in order to create atonement and pay for sins.Thus, the old and savage act of sacrificing a human in a certain way is alive from the traditional time to current. The term religion is defined differently by different authors and researchers. It refers to the belief in spiritual beings or it is the beliefs and practices that unite several groups of people into a single moral community. It is of great importance for the society because of the variety of reasons. Religion can have great importance for a society for a variety of reasons and depends on the culture and governmental style; it facilitates the controlling process of society.In nations where the government has a large amount of control over the population, religion plays the substantial role. Define religion, and discuss why it is useful in society. Explain why it is importa nt for you personally to understand the beliefs of other religious groups. The contention between religion and science has always been the topic of debate for decades. The science depends on proper reasoning and empiricism while religious beliefs rely on revelation, faith and sacredness.According to some scholars, science and religion are entirely separate as religion is a fairy tale while science is backed by evidence. Thus, they cannot be united in harmony. According to me, both science and religion can coexist as these are entirely different things. But the ultimate aim of both is for the betterment of mankind and thus, interconnection may form between science and religion. Moreover, as long as a person possesses separate spiritual beliefs from empirical facts, science and religion can actually coexist as being religious does not imply that it is the conflicting belief with science.

National academy of sciences Essay

I HAVE spared you, even as I spared myself, an arithmetical consummation of my inquiry, but the data here cited instruct us that the cost of the drug war is many times more painful, in all its manifestations, than would be the licensing of drugs combined with intensive education of non-users and intensive education designed to warn those who experiment with drugs. We have seen a substantial reduction in the use of tobacco over the last thirty years, and this is not because tobacco became illegal but because a sentient community began, in substantial numbers, to apprehend the high cost of tobacco to human health, even as, we can assume, a growing number of Americans desist from practicing unsafe sex and using polluted needles in this age of AIDS. If 80 million Americans can experiment with drugs and resist addiction using information publicly available, we can reasonably hope that approximately the same number would resist the temptation to purchase such drugs even if they were available at a federal drugstore at the mere cost of production. And added to the above is the point of civil justice. Those who suffer from the abuse of drugs have themselves to blame for it. This does not mean that society is absolved from active concern for their plight. It does mean that their plight is subordinate to the plight of those citizens who do not experiment with drugs but whose life, liberty, and property are substantially affected by the illegalization of the drugs sought after by the minority. I have not spoken of the cost to our society of the astonishing legal weapons available now to policemen and prosecutors; of the penalty of forfeiture of one’s home and property for violation of laws which, though designed to advance the war against drugs, could legally be used — I am told by learned counsel — as penalties for the neglect of one’s pets. I leave it at this, that it is outrageous to live in a society whose laws tolerate sending young people to life in prison because they grew, or distributed, a dozen ounces of marijuana. I would hope that the good offices of your vital profession would mobilize at least to protest such excesses of wartime zeal, the legal equivalent of a My Lai massacre. And perhaps proceed to recommend the legalization of the sale of most drugs, except to minors. 2. Ethan A. Nadelmann We turned to Mr.Nadelmann to pursue the inquiry. Formerly in the Political Science Department at Princeton, he is now the director of the Lindesmith Center, a drug-policy research institute in New York City. He is the author of Cops across Borders: The Internationalization of U. S. Criminal Law Enforcement. THE essayists assembled here do not agree exactly on which aspect of the war on drugs is most disgraceful, or on which alternative to our current policies is most desirable, but we do agree, as Mr.Buckley expected, on the following. The â€Å"war on drugs† has failed to accomplish its stated objectives, and it cannot succeed so long as we remain a free society, bound by our Constitution. Our prohibitionist approach to drug control is responsible for most of the ills commonly associated with America’s â€Å"drug problem. † And some measure of legal availability and regulation is essential if we are to reduce significantly the negative consequences of both drug use and our drug-control policies. Proponents of the war on drugs focus on one apparent success: The substantial decline during the 1980s in the number of Americans who consumed marijuana and cocaine. Yet that decline began well before the Federal Government intensified its â€Å"war on drugs† in 1986, and it succeeded principally in reducing illicit drug use among middle-class Americans, who were least likely to develop drug-related problems. Far more significant were the dramatic increases in drug- and prohibition-related disease, death, and crime. Crack cocaine — as much a creature of prohibition as 180-proof moonshine during alcohol prohibition — became the drug of choice in most inner cities. AIDS spread rapidly among injecting drug addicts, their lovers, and their children, while government policies restricted the availability of clean syringes that might have stemmed the epidemic. And prohibition-related violence reached unprecedented levels as a new generation of Al Capones competed for turf, killing not just one another but innocent bystanders, witnesses, and law-enforcement officials. There are several basic truths about drugs and drug policy which a growing number of Americans have come to acknowledge. 1. Most people can use most drugs without doing much harm to themselves or anyone else, as Mr. Buckley reminds us, citing Professor Duke. Only a tiny percentage of the 70 million Americans who have tried marijuana have gone on to have problems with that or any other drug. The same is true of the tens of millions of Americans who have used cocaine or hallucinogens. Most of those who did have a problem at one time or another don’t any more. That a few million Americans have serious problems with illicit drugs today is an issue meriting responsible national attention, but it is no reason to demonize those drugs and the people who use them. We’re unlikely to evolve toward a more effective and humane drug policy unless we begin to change the ways we think about drugs and drug control. Perspective can be had from what is truly the most pervasive drug scandal in the United States: the epidemic of undertreatment of pain. â€Å"Addiction† to (i. e. , dependence on) opiates among the terminally ill is the appropriate course of medical treatment. The only reason for the failure to prescribe adequate doses of pain-relieving opiates is the â€Å"opiaphobia† that causes doctors to ignore the medical evidence, nurses to turn away from their patients’ cries of pain, and some patients themselves to elect to suffer debilitating and demoralizing pain rather than submit to a proper dose of drugs. The tendency to put anti-drug ideology ahead of compassionate treatment of pain is apparent in another area. Thousands of Americans now smoke marijuana for purely medical reasons: among others, to ease the nausea of chemotherapy; to reduce the pain of multiple sclerosis; to alleviate the symptoms of glaucoma; to improve appetite dangerously reduced from AIDS. They use it as an effective medicine, yet they are technically regarded as criminals, and every year many are jailed. Although more than 75 per cent of Americans believe that marijuana should be available legally for medical purposes, the Federal Government refuses to legalize access or even to sponsor research. 2. Drugs are here to stay. The time has come to abandon the concept of a â€Å"drug-free society. † We need to focus on learning to live with drugs in such a way that they do the least possible harm. So far as I can ascertain, the societies that have proved most successful in minimizing drug-related harm aren’t those that have sought to banish drugs, but those that have figured out how to control and manage drug use through community discipline, including the establishment of powerful social norms. That is precisely the challenge now confronting American society regarding alcohol: How do we live with a very powerful and dangerous drug — more powerful and dangerous than many illicit drugs — that, we have learned, cannot be effectively prohibited? Virtually all Americans have used some psychoactive substance, whether caffeine or nicotine or marijuana. In many cases, the use of cocaine and heroin represents a form of self-medication against physical and emotional pain among people who do not have access to psychotherapy or Prozac. The market in illicit drugs is as great as it is in the inner cities because palliatives for pain and depression are harder to come by and because there are fewer economic opportunities that can compete with the profits of violating prohibition. 3. Prohibition is no way to run a drug policy. We learned that with alcohol during the first third of this century and we’re probably wise enough as a society not to try to repeat the mistake with nicotine. Prohibitions for kids make sense. It’s reasonable to prohibit drug-related misbehavior that endangers others, such as driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, or smoking in enclosed spaces. But whatever its benefits in deterring some Americans from becoming drug abusers, America’s indiscriminate drug prohibition is responsible for too much crime, disease, and death to qualify as sensible policy. 4. There is a wide range of choice in drug-policy options between the free-market approach favored by Milton Friedman and Thomas Szasz, and the zero-tolerance approach of William Bennett. These options fall under the concept of harm reduction. That concept holds that drug policies need to focus on reducing crime, whether engendered by drugs or by the prohibition of drugs. And it holds that disease and death can be diminished even among people who can’t, or won’t, stop taking drugs. This pragmatic approach is followed in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, and parts of Germany, Austria, Britain, and a growing number of other countries. American drug warriors like to denigrate the Dutch, but the fact remains that Dutch drug policy has been dramatically more successful than U.S. drug policy. The average age of heroin addicts in the Netherlands has been increasing for almost a decade; HIV rates among addicts are dramatically lower than in the United States; police don’t waste resources on non-disruptive drug users but, rather, focus on major dealers or petty dealers who create public nuisances. The decriminalized cannabis markets are regulated in a quasi-legal fashion far more effective and inexpensive than the U. S. equivalent. The Swiss have embarked on a national experiment of prescribing heroin to addicts. The two-year-old plan, begun in Zurich, is designed to determine whether they can reduce drug- and prohibition-related crime, disease, and death by making pharmaceutical heroin legally available to addicts at regulated clinics. The results of the experiment have been sufficiently encouraging that it is being extended to over a dozen Swiss cities. Similar experiments are being initiated by the Dutch and Australians. There are no good scientific or ethical reasons not to try a heroin-prescription experiment in the United States. Our Federal Government puts politics over science by ignoring extensive scientific evidence that sterile syringes can reduce the spread of AIDS. Connecticut permitted needle sales in drugstores in 1992, and the policy resulted in a 40 per cent decrease in needle sharing among injecting drug users, at no cost to taxpayers. We see similar foolishness when it comes to methadone. Methadone is to street heroin more or less what nicotine chewing-gum and skin patches are to cigarettes. Hundreds of studies, as well as a National Academy of Sciences report last year, have concluded that methadone is more effective than any other treatment in reducing heroin-related crime, disease, and death. In Australia and much of Europe, addicts who want to reduce or quit their heroin use can obtain a prescription for methadone from a GP and fill the prescription at a local pharmacy. In the United States, by contrast, methadone is available only at highly regulated and expensive clinics.

China Currency Exchange Rate Essay

The currency regime adopted by China is neither fixed nor flexible exchange rate system. China has announced in 2005 the â€Å"end of its firm peg against the dollar, instead allowing it to trade within a narrow band against a basket of currencies.† China regime is managed floating system where the currency increases very slowly year by year and the China government prevent the currency from changing quickly in the short term. The reason why Chinese government intervene in the currency market is to lower exchange rate to increase employment, maintain a fixed rate to maintain stability and improve their current account deficit. China government manage its currency rate by buying foreign currencies to increase supply of China currency, therefore lowering its currency value. They also lower the value of its currency by lowering their interest rates. In the case of China, it is very difficult and challenging for them to adopt the fixed exchange rate system due to their disadvantages. Firstly, China government must always adjust its interest rate so maintain the exchange rate. Changing the interest rate frequently will cause fluctuations in investments and growth and also stable employment. There is also a possibility that the export rate may be set at the wrong level. For example, if it was set at a higher level, this could affect China export competitiveness and their domestic market will suffer. Question 4b Though China has been heavily criticised by some foreign countries like USA for their practice, there are some advantages to managed flow system. Firstly, the managed flow system will ensure stability in China compared to floating. This is because if China suddenly appreciate their currency, their exports production will suffer and there will be lots of unemployment as a result. However there are disadvantages to managed floating system as well. People will try to challenge the earn funds from the currency as this system is very prone to speculative attack. Experiences have shown that speculative attacks could decrease the growth of a country’s gross domestic product by 6 percent or more.

Ellingtonia Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ellingtonia Music - Essay Example The two principles that he applied to his life and which could guide others to achieve success were (a) willingness to learn, and (b) capacity to move with the demand of times. One, who rose from the grassroots level in life, knew the value of success and how to maintain that level, once he reached the top. His upbringing had much to do with the leadership qualities in his professional life that led him to success. John Edward Hasse writes, â€Å" Even before he acquired the nickname â€Å"Duke,† young Ellington was a natural aristocrat—in bearing, manners, taste, dress, and self-confidence. Cultivating airs and graces, and foreshadowing his future relationships with women, he even had his female cousin bow down to him as a sign of respect.† To him music was the passion and mission of life and not commission. (Meaning earning money for self-aggrandizement, forsaking the business ethics) It was a rare combination of qualities for an artist to be guided by business acumen. He began taking lessons in piano at the age of seven, and by then his family friends had recognized his latent genius in music. Hasse writes, â€Å"When he was seven or eight, attending Garnet Elementary School, his mother signed him for his first formal training in music.†At the age of 18, he entered the music world with a bang, and this was his first master-stroke to make entry in the business world in relation to music. He issued the biggest advertisement in the telephone yellow pages regarding his aspirations to become a bandleader.... One, who rose from the grassroots level in life, knew the value of success and how to maintain that level, once he reached the top. His upbringing had much to do with the leadership qualities in his professional life that led him to success. John Edward Hasse writes, â€Å" Even before he acquired the nickname â€Å"Duke,† young Ellington was a natural aristocrat—in bearing, manners, taste, dress, and self-confidence. Cultivating airs and graces, and foreshadowing his future relationships with women, he even had his female cousin bow down to him as a sign of respect.†(24)To him music was the passion and mission of life and not commission. (Meaning earning money for self-aggrandizement, forsaking the business ethics) It was a rare combination of qualities for an artist to be guided by business acumen. He began taking lessons in piano at the age of seven, and by then his family friends had recognized his latent genius in music. Hasse writes, â€Å"When he was seve n or eight, attending Garnet Elementary School, his mother signed him for his first formal training in music.†(26)At the age of 18, he entered the music world with a bang, and this was his first master-stroke to make entry in the business world in relation to music. He issued the biggest advertisement in the telephone yellow pages regarding his aspirations to become a bandleader. His reach in the world of music was limited then, and yet he had self-confidence and faith in his own abilities to make a mark in his chosen field. The advertisement worked and soon he was directing many area bands in Washington D.C. At the same time, he revised his techniques of playing piano, in the light of the practical experience gained. His next

The U.S. Involvement with Haiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The U.S. Involvement with Haiti - Essay Example cial and residential building were severely or totally collapsed, including thousands of schools, hundreds of hospitals, university building, factories, telephone networks, roads etc were all totally destroyed. Infrastructure necessary to respond to the disaster was also severely damaged including all the hospitals in the northwest including air, sea and land transport facilities and all the communication systems. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in America and it was totally impossible for Haitian government to cope with the damage of such scale. United States was the biggest and most powerful country in that region and being the most powerful nation on earth they have the responsibility of taking the leading role in helping Haiti to come over that disaster. Luckily United States government knows this responsibility well enough and they were the first ones to came forward and respond to this disaster. United States government and United States civil organizations provided millions of dollars to help the people of Haiti right after the disaster took place and they planned to give much more in the coming days. United States immediately send search and rescue teams to give help to those who need them immediately. But the damage being done by earthquake was so huge that it is going to take several months or even years to rebuild the infrastructure and make things normal again and this is wh at US government exactly understood, the US government said that they were in it for the long haul as it is going to take years to bring things on the normal course again. United States government had signed an agreement with UN to formalize the help process, it give United States responsibility and control over ports, roads, airports. They also have been given responsibility to make Haitian authorities responsible for law and order. There are thousands of US troops in Haiti to take part in rescue and rebuild process. US is also controlling Haiti’s collapsed president

Carry Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Carry Trade - Essay Example e all too apparent that in the globalised and networked economies, no country can consider itself safe, if there are adverse signals from one corner of the world. Carry trade is termed to be an important factor in such a scenario, which has led to cascading effects for majority of exporters and manufacturers of cars and electronic products. While on the one hand exports are down and production are down, on the other hand a large number of job losses is causing further slide in economy. This raises the curiosity about the importance of carry trade in this scenario. Carry trade, as the name suggests is the trading activity that one indulges by carrying forward the returns or losses of the holdings by an individual or a business entity. Yen has been a popular instrument amongst the trading community as an important tool for holding foreign exchange and dealing in financial transactions. Selling the Yen at lower interest rates and then using the funds for purchasing higher interest curre ncies like dollar or pounds would yield considerable profits. Such a carry trade prospered, with the hope of sustaining the higher swap ratio and lower interest rates on Yen. But, with western economies reeling under recession, the Yen has considerably become strong, resulting in some loss making propositions for Carry trades. This has brought the issue of carry trade in focus. This study is an effort towards analyzing the trends in Carry trade over the years and its impact on the economic conditions of different countries. An effort will also be made to foresee the futuristic trends while analysing and comparing the development of the markets. Economic activities, financial services, and banking have experienced quite a few changes in the last couple of decades. With the opening up of economies, the industrial activities saw an upsurge on global scale. The financial system around the world also saw need to have a matching regulatory mechanism. The exchange rates became more

Engage Gladwell, Olson, and Nathan in a conversation to explain how Essay - 1

Engage Gladwell, Olson, and Nathan in a conversation to explain how individuals - Essay Example People spend most part of their childhood, until early adulthood, in learning institutions. For that reason, it is likely that they will grow up with what they learn. This will also increase interaction with other groups and fortify relationships (Olson 339). Gladwell joins Olson through the focus on Freedom schools (Gladwell 233). On the other hand, Nathan points out those students who do not socialize benefit less from integrated schools (Nathan 321). In the main, intermarriages bring together people of different races. Intercommunity dating is an asset rather than a liability (Olson 343). In Olson view, advantages of intermarriages outweigh disadvantages. Social interactions such as intermarriages should be encouraged (Nathan, 319). In essence, this will reduce intolerance by the children born from parents of different races. These children will be more open to the whole world at large, hence build stronger relationships. Open-mindedness, especially on issues relating to intermarriages, strengthens relationships. Inclusion, sharing and participation are important (Nathan 317). Acquaintances are also important since they generate more ideas than friends do (Gladwell 234). By sharing information through social media, people accept other people’s culture and develop strong relationships. In addition, cultural differences become less, for the greater good of the

INFLUENCE OF INTERVENTION ON MEDIA RELATING TO TOBACCO CONTROL ISSUES Essay

INFLUENCE OF INTERVENTION ON MEDIA RELATING TO TOBACCO CONTROL ISSUES IN INDIA - Essay Example As tobacco consumption becomes a global concern, countries around the globe face the rising concerns attributable to tobacco use. In this condition, India is not different. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS India,2010) is a mechanism that has been developed to track tobacco prevalence, exposure to second hand smoking, exposure to tobacco advertising /promotion, cessation, knowledge and attitudes; that are critical for tobacco control program, policies and evaluation. GATS India provide these estimates at national and state level and has captured urban/rural and gender specific data. In the report, GATS India (2010) has shown that 35% of adults or one-third of the population of India use tobacco in some form or another. Of these 35% adult users, 21 % use only smokeless tobacco, 9% only smoke and 5% smoke as well as use smokeless tobacco. Based on these figures, it is estimated that tobacco users in India is round 274.9 million, with 163.7 million users of only smokeless tobacco, 68.9 million only smokers, and 42.3 million users of both smoking and smokeless tobacco (GATS India, 2010, p xxxv). Furthermore, the prevalence of overall tobacco use among males is 48 percent while among females is 20 percent (GATS India, 2010). In this context, the government of India, in 2003, has enacted the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 (COTPA). The law prohibits the use of tobacco to protect the health of the public, to ban its advertisement and to provide for regulation of trade, commerce, production, supply and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the country (Ministry of Health, 2003). The key elements of COPTA includes The Smoke-free Rule was revised on October 2008 to redefine the term ‘public place’ in order to

Rights of the Accused Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rights of the Accused - Essay Example The chief controversy regarding â€Å"due process of law† rests on the Supreme Court’s application of the clause within the Fourteenth Amendment to pertain to guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights to states via the process of â€Å"incorporation† (Ramen, 2001). As such, the application of â€Å"liberty† relates to liberties and procedures outlined within the Bill of Rights, plus other rights, liberties, and conditions that may not necessarily be found within the Bill of Rights (Shea, 2011).   The â€Å"due process† clause guarantees that individuals accused of perpetrating crimes should be awarded a fair trial (Holmes & Ramen, 2012). The rights entail right to a jury trial, a presumption of innocence the prosecutors expected to prove guilt â€Å"beyond reasonable doubt (the utmost standard of attestation that exists within the legal system), the right to be indicted by a grand jury (5th), the right to counsel (6th), the right to a speedy and public trial, safeguard from brutal and extraordinary punishment (8th), the right against self-incrimination (5th) and protection from double-jeopardy (5th). Other â€Å"due process† guarantees encompass the right of the accused persons to face their accusers (6th), and the right to become aware of the charges against the defendant (6th) (Wilson, 2009).   The principle of the 4th Amendment is to refuse the Federal Government the power to conduct arbitrary searches and seizure of property. The Fifth Amendment demands that a citizen cannot be accused of a serious crime devoid of a grand jury investigation, besides outlawing double jeopardy (Ramen, 2001).

Becoming a soccer fan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Becoming a soccer fan - Essay Example My team members and I were the main characters. The time of event was in my 4th grade days. i. Background and Setting This is where I introduce my thesis statement. I shall introduce how the whole story, which centers on how the impact of my role model and a victory in a street soccer competition started. BODY This part of the essay unfurls the main events that happened in the essay. In this case, the essay is a flashback narration of a particular moment of my life. The brief of the story is the victory my soccer team won in a street soccer competition and how I related the victory to the story of my role model and ever since developed strong passion for soccer with anticipation to becoming like my role model on day. I have divided the body of the essay into three sub-sections as detailed below ii. The Story of my Role Model I shall present how I was fortunate to tune in to a TV station one day to see my role model being interviewed and the story he shared in the interview. iii. Prep aration for the Competition I shall talk about a hitch that hit the team in the midst of our preparation. The strange replacement for our captain who was me. iv. The competition and Victory I shall talk about how the competition got under way. How my team surprisingly took the first position, wining the cup. The shock of my life when I was named the best player in the tournament. CONCLUSION The conclusion seeks to summarize the essay and talks about the changes that the entire experience of the street soccer brought on my life. There were lessons I learnt and all these have been factored in the conclusion. The lessons make the essay worth narrating to someone. v. Reflection on the Victory to the story of my Role Model I shall talk about how I came out of the competition, reflecting on the story I heard from my role model and the hope it gave me for the future vi. The changes my experience brought me This will be the concluding part of the essay, talking about the new lifestyle I ado pted after the competition. Planning the Essay INTRODUCTION – ? page i. Background and Setting This is where I introduce my thesis statement. Stories of our role models can have a great impact on our lives and change our way of life forever. I shall introduce how the whole story, which centers on how the impact of my role model and a victory in a street soccer competition started. Soccer had been my favorite game right from childhood. This should perhaps be because soccer was the first game I was introduced to. I grew up in a house where everyone loved soccer. My dad was so passionate about soccer that he would never miss a live soccer game on television for any other thing: especially when his favorite team, Manchester United was playing. My mum even tells me of how my father nearly lost his job because of soccer. She said my daddy once kept postponing working on some files he brought home on a weekend because he had a series of live matches to watch on TV. Even my mother wa s influenced to love soccer because she had to keep my father company whenever he sat behind the television to watch what he enjoyed most. For my elderly brothers, they had no other choice than to join community soccer teams. So when I ended up playing a justifier match for a local team, at 4th grade, it was not surprising. BODY – 3 pages ii. The Story of my Role Model – 1 page I shall present how I was fortunate to tune in to a TV station one day to see my role model being

Interenatinal human rights midterm essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interenatinal human rights midterm - Essay Example The ICCPR was ratified by the General Assembly in 1966 while the optional Protocol was adopted on the same day (OHCHR). The fact that only Marigold is a member state of the International Criminal Court does not deprive it of the right to take its case to the ICC. According to Article 12 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the ICC has territorial jurisdiction over a crime where the criminal conduct has occurred in the territory of a state which is a member of the ICC (United Nations). Therefore, if the governments of Oakland and Beechland do not cooperate in administering justice to the people, the Marigold government can take its case to the ICC. Another option that is available to Marigold is that under Article 42 of the ICCPR, any member state may request the Committee to take up the matter and constitute a commission to decide the matter. However, this request will only be accepted if the domestic alternatives according to international law have been exhausted (OHCHR). Under this Article, the Committee may set up a Commission after satisfying that all the domestic alternatives have been tried. The Commission would be constituted of five members as opposed to the seven members decided by the Arborian Commission. It would be situated at the United Nations headquarters, the UN office in Geneva, or even at The Hague if the member states, i.e. Marigold and Beechland so determine. If any step taken by the Marigold government fails to address the loss of the Arborian community, then the individuals may make a complaint to the Human Rights Committee under Article 1 of the Optional Protocol of the ICCPR (OHCHR). However, to make a valid request, it is essential that the individual should have exhausted all the domestic resources. However, Article 5 of the Optional Protocol makes a concession in the case where the provision of appropriate remedies by the State government

Social Media Essay Example for Free

Social Media Essay Social media today is one of the most advanced platforms for companies to market their product instantaneously and to a large audience with just a click of a button. With the current technological boon the world is undergoing, social media has definitely taken the front seat and helped an array of organisations from different fields to become some of the world’s leading profitable organisations. Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of Internet marketing that utilizes social networking websites such as Facebook, twitter, instagram etc. as a marketing tool to advertise and market their products to the general public. This essay will focus on the different uses that social media websites have to cater to marketing with reference to a multinational, e-business company called amazon. Since the internet is such a large market with a colossal number of social networking sites, it is important for organisations to plan before they venture into a marketing campaign on what exactly they need to achieve.. see more:social networks and our young generation. speech Amazon has now dominated the world of e commerce and online retailing with an immense competitive advantage by engaging customer satisfaction and planning a genuine marketing strategy. A large proportion of amazon’s marketing is on social media websites which is an appropriate place to find a large target audience to its website. Some of the companies’ key motives and strategy on social media marketing are discussed below. Firstly, amazon has established a clear cut goal of marketing online to increase brand awareness by promoting and advertising with sales offer to its target group on social networking arenas. Secondly the company has figured on what types of social media platforms they need to market their website on. Some of its primary marketing campaign takes place on sites such as Facebook, YouTube, twitter and Instagram, which are largely driven and operated by a young population who are more likely to shop online. Also its has engulfed and adapted strategies such as engage potential customers, prioritize the brand, measure the outcome, listen to feedback and control and develop its image. Social media has gained so much attention today, with a large population hooked onto social networking sites. This has given a massive opportunity for entities to market their products on these sites to a large audience with  sometimes at no cost to post online. amazon is a pioneer in social media marketing with its active involvement in advertising and promoting its business online. from directly emailing existing customers about sale offers to posting about its products on their facebook fanpage, it definitely has a large and active social media marketing involvement.

Learning Difficulties: Causes

Learning Difficulties: Causes Learning Difficulties LO. 1 Explain what is meant by learning disabilities, and outline their possible causes and manifestations. The term and definition of learning disability has its controversies and ambiguousness and the term means different things to different people having various cultural and medical connotations. Individuals identified as having learning difficulties are recognized and understood by the communities in which they live, the personal services they need, and the kind of support they expect. Yet, generally Learning Disability can be defined as a cognitive disorder that adversely affects peoples ability to interpret visual and auditory information or to link different pieces of information from different parts of the brain to integrate them in a coherent manner. There is thus an apparent lack of integration and coordination of information (see Emerson et al., 2001). These limitations as revealed through learning disabilities can be manifested as specific difficulties with coordination, attention, spoken and written language, or even self-control. Difficulties in learning also affect schoolwor k and can lead to impediments in learning to read and write. According to the Department of Health, Learning Disability can be defined as A significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information, to learn new skills (impaired intelligence), with, a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning) and which started before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development. (DOH, 2001 p14) Specifically in Scotland the term learning disability is used to describe: those with a significant, lifelong condition that started before adulthood, that affects their development and which means they need help to understand information, learn skills and cope independently. (Scottish Executive, 2000) According to the British Institute of Learning Disabilities, (BILD), Learning Disability is just a label. BILD points out that the term learning disability is being increasingly replaced by the term learning difficulties and as given by the Warnock Committee learning difficulties is a term used to cover specific problems with learning in children that might arise as a result of a number of different factors, eg medical problems, emotional problems, language impairments etc (BILD, 2005). There can be different types of learning disabilities that can be categorized into three broad groups:Learning Disabilities related to developmental speech and language disorders. Learning Disabilities associated with academic skills disordersLearning Disabilities associated with coordination disorders, learning handicaps and problems in integration of informationFor deciding that someone has learning disabilities, three diagnostic criteria are used: Intellectual Ability Legislative definitions of learning disability Social competence. Learning disability can also be classified into two main categories and the causes can be genetic or environmental. Learning disability can occur due to several different types of causes. Impairments causing learning difficulties can occur before, after or during birth. Before birth reasons can be congenital and include Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, Hurler syndrome or Fragile X syndrome. Oxygen deprivation during birth and postnatal illnesses, brain injury or meningitis can lead to learning disabilities and impaired cognitive development. Environmental factors leading to learning disabilities can include infections, trauma, drugs or social deprivation and neglect (Watson, 2003). As we have already mentioned particular types of learning disabilities are associated with particular kinds of manifestations and specific learning characteristics. LO.2 Estimate the prevalence of learning disabilities and appreciate the impact that this may have on professional health care practice. The incidence and prevalence of learning disability is difficult to determine as the only manifestations of learning disability that can be detected at birth are clear syndromes like Down syndrome and the majority of infants with learning disabilities go undetected till much later. Delays in childrens cognitive development help ascertain whether they have learning disabilities. Prevalence of a disease or a general condition is the estimation of the number of people affected as a proportion to the general population. If IQ is used as an indicator of learning disability, then many people with learning disabilities go unaccounted for. Administrative prevalence of any such condition refers to the number of people that are provided with some form of service from caring agencies. The general consensus is that the overall prevalence of moderate and severe learning difficulties are 3-4 people per 1000 in the general population (DoH, 1992). The prevalence of severe to moderate disability has been recorded at 3.7 per 1000 population whereas the prevalence of mild learning disability seems to affect 20-30 per 1000 of the general population. Further it has been observed that among 3-4 persons in 1000 within UK suffering with learning disabilities nearly 30% report severe or profound learning problems. Within the group of individuals suffering from severe learning difficulties most also suffer from multiple physical and sensory impairments as also behavioral difficulties. These individuals require lifelong support to maintain themselves and to achieve a level of lifestyle. Emerson et al (2001), have suggested that within UK there are some 230,000-350,000 persons with severe learning disabilities, and around 580,000-1,750,000 persons with mild learning disabilities. They also suggest in their study that there are differences in male and female prevalence rates and incidence of disabilities with males showing higher prevalence than females. Enable et al. (2003) have suggested that the number of people with learning disabilities has increased by 1.2 % a year over the last 35 years and since 1965 the number of people with severe learning disabilities has increased by 50%. There are many controversies on the validity and use of epidemiological data and on prevalence and incidence rates of learning disabilities. All children with learning disabilities are not reported and in most cases it is difficult to understand the symptoms of learning disability until at a much later stage. One of the major problems is the argument that collection of data on disabled individuals invariably leads to labeling and brings in concerns as to whether such discrimination is useful or necessary. However some scholars have argued that labeling helps in identifying the disabled individuals and ensures that special needs of such people are met through adequate care provisions. Incidence rates and prevalence data on learning disabilities are helpful in clinical practice as it provides an estimate of the nature and extent of support that healthcare services should be prepared to provide. LO.3 Describe how people with learning disabilities have been misunderstood in the past and how this may affect contemporary provision of health care for them. Attitudes and beliefs about people with learning disabilities have changed rapidly in the last few decades and have consequently shaped healthcare provisions available to this group of people. Models of social inclusion and community care have replaced traditional models of institutional care and there is more emphatic appreciation of civil and human rights of individuals with learning disabilities. It has been argued that the rate of change in services to disabled individuals has been slow in Scotland as compared to other parts of Britain, but this has also helped enable accurate assessment and greater response to fulfilling needs of people with learning disabilities. Social care policies by the Department of Health, legislative definitions of learning difficulties along with human rights campaigning for such people and increased spread of awareness that learning disability is more of a convenient label, have altogether led to improved conditions and stronger commitments to provide a more person centered approach to care than before. People with severe or moderate learning disabilities were regarded as mentally deficient or retarded and since the implementation of the Mental Deficiency Act in 1913, it was recommended and all mentally retarded be categorized according to the level of disability and by 1929 100, 000 mentally retarded individuals were institutionalized in the UK. Although in the early 19th century, institutional care for patients with learning disabilities aimed at modifying or changing mental defect, this was quickly replaced by a philosophy of control and coercion in custody. The initial institutionalized colonies were changed to long term hospitals following the NHS 1946 Act. By the 1950s and 1960s the concept of custodial institutionalized care for learning disabilities was questioned and there was an eventual introduction of community care. In 1971 the White Paper Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped was introduced in Great Britain and the care philosophy was led by the concept of normalization rather than segregation. This was aimed to increase social participation and greater social roles of individuals with learning disabilities to integrate them in mainstream society. The contemporary provision of health care as set by the Department of Health or NHS gives emphasis to schedules of community care, social inclusion and social participation of individuals with learning disabilities and discourages institutionalization. LO.4 Define the concept of inclusion and identify barriers that serve to exclude people with learning disabilities from mainstream services. Introducing the strategy for services supporting people with learning disabilities in England, the Department of Health (2001) has described social inclusion in the following words:Being part of the mainstream is something most of us take for granted. We go to work, look after our families, visit our GP, use transport, go to the swimming pool or cinema. Inclusion means enabling people with learning disabilities to do those ordinary things, make use of mainstream services and be fully included in the local community.'(p24) People with learning disabilities have long been marginalized and excluded from society not only regarding social issues but also indirectly on decisions about their own lives. The Human Rights Act 2000 has also stressed on the basic fundamental rights of such individuals and this has given them a voice and strength in society. Whether it is choice of career or access to health services, the individuals with learning disabilities now have many options, and varied preferences. According to Jenkins et al (2003), an inclusive approach recognizes that formal and informal elements of the wider society need to change or adapt to enable excluded people to use opportunities and services. This explains the general approach in providing care to individuals with learning disabilities and the aim is to help them adapt and merge with the mainstream society with increased opportunities and special services. Yet there are major barriers to providing such individuals with the advantages of normal provisions and services. Some of these barriers include the nature of the problems that can involve severe physical or mental impairment. Factors identified as impediments to social inclusion of learning disabled individuals can be the process of labeling itself which discriminates socially healthy individuals from the disadvantaged ones. Although labeling has it won advantages, identifying individuals as disabled can lead to special exclusion and discrimination in areas of jobs, lifestyle or social participation. Although the situation has drastically improved after recognition of human rights needs of the learning disabled, the disadvantaged peoples own low levels of motivation, heightened social anxiety, discomfort in social participation, feelings of inferiority and practical problems in not being able to perform normal physical activities are common barriers to a health social life for these individuals. The mindset of people towards disadvantaged individuals may be changing but needs to change even further. Several associated illnesses, physical, visual, language deficiencies, special health needs such as weight problems, requirements in special schools and education needs are also some of the barriers that impede the active participation of such individuals in mainstream society. LO.5 Identify the main additional health problems faced by people with learning disabilities, and the consequent challenges posed to mainstream health services. Some of the associated health problems in people with learning disabilities are Mental illness such as schizophrenia, anxiety and depression and also challenging behavior such as aggression and self-injury. Prevalence rates of mental health illnesses are greater among individuals with learning difficulties than among the general population. Learning-disabled persons are also categorized as mentally deficient or retarded as they may not be able to perform intelligence tests due to their learning problems. Thus such people may be categories as having severe intellectual difficulties resulting in subnormality or abnormality. Abnormal conditions are however more of psychopathic disorders found widely in these individuals. Epilepsy shows higher prevalence rates in persons with learning disabilities than in the normal population. The British Epilepsy Association has estimated that there are nearly 200,000 people with learning disabilities severely affected by the learning disability disorder. (BILD, 2001) Physical and Sensory disabilities are common in people with learning disabilities as visual and auditory impairments are common in such conditions. Hearing impairment is found in individuals with Downs Syndrome and these additional disabilities are also associated with the fact that the persons with learning problems do not get support as far as using other devices are concerned. Complex health needs are common among people with learning disabilities and issues such as weight problems, or lack of a balanced diet are barriers in the betterment of such individuals. Significant numbers of people with such conditions do not engage in required amounts of physical activities and there is also a general lack of awareness about the amount or nature of diet that should be taken for a sedentary life. This leads to further complications such as heart problems, kidney problems etc at a young age. Chronic dental problems, poor oral health and unhealthy teeth and gums are some of the common problems. Such individuals have untreated tooth decay that is prolonged and causes damage, as well as a very poor sense of oral hygiene with irregular or minimal brushing and cleaning of the mouth etc. This aggravates other associated health problems. Facing and consequently overcoming health problems are the major barriers and also the major challenges not only for individuals with learning disabilities but also for social workers, community healthcare professionals and the Department of Health as a whole.The concept of social inclusion necessitates that these related health problems should be considered. LO.6 Discuss the importance of working in partnership with people with learning disabilities, using advanced communication skills, and the concept of capacity to give informed consent, along with the potential impact this may have on professional health care practice. According to Dunbar, working in partnership with people with learning disabilities is an essential first step towards social inclusion of such individuals. He wrote, people with learning disabilities or a mental illness should be treated in the same way as other people, not in side rooms. this lessens the chance of the person being out of sight, out of mind (Dunbar, 2003). This possibility of discrimination of such individuals have led to the recognition of the need for improved training, services and communication skills to effectively support and help these individuals. Health care professionals caring for persons with learning disabilities are required to have positive attitudes towards their patients. However within the healthcare setting negative attitudes and discriminatory practices are common and several studies have reported that such individuals are deprived of health care facilities and do not receive the care they should receive. In certain cases, inappropriate and derogatory language is also used to describe such patients and there have been reports of denied access to aids such as glasses or hearing equipment that can improve the quality of life for such individuals. The NHS Executive (1998) has stated that nursing staff require special training opportunities to face and overcome their fears or prejudices towards people with learning disabilities in order that they may learn to treat them with respect and equally as they treat other normal patients. Nurses and other health professionals should always try to go beyond social obstacles and try to meet or associate with such individuals in normal social situations and recognize their needs and shed any notion of stereotypes. The White Paper The same as you (Scottish Executive, 2000) has placed great emphasis on the needs of individuals with learning disabilities and to treat them equally. These are: being at the centre of decision making and have more control over their care; being included, better understood and supported by the communities in which they live; having information about their needs and the services available, so that they can take part, more fully, in decisions about them; having the same opportunities as others to get a job, develop as individuals, spend time with family and friends, enjoy life and get the extra support they need to do this; and being able to use local services wherever possible and special services if they need them. (Scottish Executive, 2000) It is recommended that specialized training should be provided to nurses to help them explore strategies of care for learning disabled individuals. Assisting in enabling inclusion and stressing on a holistic improvement of health and lifestyle of the individuals are areas of focus in nursing for such people. However as individuals with learning disabilities usually show auditory or speech difficulties, communicating with them effectively is a major challenge for nursing professionals and requires special skills and training. Communication is essential as according to legislative policies informed consent of the individual as to what treatment he should be subjected to and what his decisions are, lie as the primary focus of treatment. This is both an ethical and legal requirement that individuals with learning disabilities should be made aware and be allowed to express their opinions on any treatment or health care procedures (Eldridge, 2003). Conclusion: In this article we discussed 6 learning outcomes related to the health care needs, definitions, legislative policies, social implications and challenges of individuals with learning disabilities. Bibliography Human Rights Act (1998) London: HMSO. Mental Deficiency Act (1913) London: HMSO. Mental Health Act (1959) London: HMSO. Department of Health (2001) Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. London: The Stationery Office.Disability Discrimination Act (1995) London: HMSO. Scottish Executive (2002) Promoting health, supporting inclusion. Edinburgh: Stationery Office. National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) London: HMSO. Department of Health (1999) Once a day. London: NHS Executive. DOH (1998) Signposts for success in commissioning and providing health services for people with learning disabilities. London: NHS Executive. DOH (1989) Caring for people: community care in the next decade and beyond. Cm.849. London: HMSO. DoH (1992) Social care for adults with learning disabilities. (Mental Handicap (LAC (92)15). London. HMSO. Dunbar, I. (2003) Inquiry under the fatal accidents and sudden death inquiry (Scotland) Act1976 into the death of James Mauchland. Sheriffdom of Tayside, Central and Fife at Dundee, Scotland. Emerson, E.; Hatton, C.; Felce, D. and Murphy, G. (2001) Learning disabilities: the fundamental facts. The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. London. Jenkins, R.; Mansell, I. and Northway, R. (2003) Specialist learning disability services in the UK. In: Gates, B. Learning disabilities: towards inclusion. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. pp349-367. World Health Organization (1993) Describing developmental disability. Guidelines for a multiaxial scheme for mental retardation (learning disability), 10th revision, Geneva: WHO. Gates, B. (2000) Knowing: the importance of diagnosing learning disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 4(1) pp5-6. Enable (7 Oct 2002) Adults with Incapacity Act (2000). Available at, http://www.enable.org.uk/ld/awi/ Also Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act (2000) London: HMSO. Eldridge, P. (2003) Ethics and research involving people with learning disabilities. In: Markwick, A. and Parrish, A. Learning disabilities: themes and perspectives. Edinburgh: Elsevier Science pp65-80. Department of Health (2001) Valuing people: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. London: The Stationery Office. Hogenboom, M. (2001) Living with genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability. London: Jessica Kingsley. Scottish Executive (2000) The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive. Watson, D. (2003) Causes and manifestations of learning disabilities. In: Gates, B. (ed) Learning disabilities: toward inclusion. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. British Institute for Learning Disabilitieshttp://www.bild.org.uk/links/ Department of Healthhttp://www.doh.gov.uk The Scottish Executivehttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/ National Health Servicewww.nhs.uk

Cultural Context Of Pregnancy And Childbirth Sociology Essay

Cultural Context Of Pregnancy And Childbirth Sociology Essay Childbirth, a universally experienced natural event is uniquely valued as a culturally relatable life experience. While common to all peoples and cultures it is deeply imbedded with significant beliefs, traditions and values unique to each culture. (Rassin, Klug, Nathanzon, Kan Silner, 2009) I will detail cultural variations found in Saudi Arabia with notations regarding how the Muslim religion places a significant influence on the experience of marriage, pregnancy and childrearing. The Muslim religion guides individual behavior in all aspects of life, including relationships between husband and wife, parent and child and between individual and society. Whereas western culture values the individual, independence and self-sufficiency and this outlook pervades all aspects of our society as well as influencing our perspectives on the world around us. By comparison Arabic Muslim societies reject the individual approach as a threat to social structure; sacrificing individuality to mainta in a collective way of life. (Achoui Dwairy, 2006) Historically, the American mans role in marriage, parenting and during childbirth has undergone a reconstruction in the last 50 years. Husbands used to be considered the dominant source of income and power in a marriage, a father functioned as a disciplinarian, in the birthing room a father was relegated to a separate location to wait till the delivery was over. Fathers today are considered partners in the marriage; they take a more nurturing roll in parenting and are considered an integral and vital member of the delivery team. Conversely, Arabian men and women have maintained more traditionally gender separated roles through all aspects of their lives from marriage, childbirth and the rearing of their young. Interestingly, the age at time of marriage is becoming closer between the two cultures, American women average marital age is 26 with mens average age being 27. Arabic women are tending to marry later in life in their early twenties instead of in their teens as the population moves toward urban life with greater emphasis on career. Arabic family life contrasts though with children being supported by their parents well into adulthood as the children mature they are expected to tend to the needs of their aging parents. (Rashad, Osman Roudi-Fahimi) Sexual virtue is highly valued in Muslim communities and there are stringent cultural norms that restrict the sexual and social behavior of women. (Papadopoulos, 2006) Marriage in this culture carries special social status, in particular on the bride as a rite of passage and is viewed as a socially, culturally and legally acceptable sexual relationship. (Rashad, Osman Roudi-Fahimi) Many Arabic couples choose a spouse for themselves although the marriage remains a social and economic contract between the two families. (Rashad, Osman Roudi-Fahimi) Early marriage is still seen, but tends to occur in lower socioeconomic and stricter religious sects or subcultures. There tends to be a wider age disparity between husband and wife the younger the female is in the marriage, with subsequently higher than average birth rates, lower levels of education, greater rates of sexually transmitted diseases and elevated mortality rates during pregnancy and delivery. (Rashad, Osman Roudi-Fahimi) Marriage creates pressure to begin bearing offspring regardless of the society, and here the number of children born to Americans and Arabs differs somewhat as Muslim women are virtually mandated by their Islamic religion to bear children, womens value and purpose is to build and raise a family, with pregnancy occurring earlier in an Arabic marriage often within the first few months. (Papadopoulos, 2006) Pregnancy is fundamentally the same throughout the world, but how we manage care of the pregnant women does differ. The number of women using birth control in Saudi Arabia is on the rise, (Rassin, Klug, Nathanzon, Kan Silner, 2009) yet women often require the permission of her husband for basic health care (Saudi Arabia: Womens, July) severely impacting womens health and ability to decide for herself the care she desires. Arabic women are much less likely to have genetic testing to assess for genetic anomalies or disorders despite the high rate of consanguinity found in the Arabic communities. (Rashad, Osman Roudi-Fahimi) Arabic women tend to not work outside the home during pregnancy and are less likely to have drivers licenses overall. (Rassin, Klug, Nathanzon, Kan Silner, 2009) Educational opportunities regarding pregnancy and the impending delivery are much less available to the Arabic woman as they are more often cared for by their mothers and mothers-in-law throughout their antenatal and post natal periods. (Rassin, Klug, Nathanzon, Kan Silner, 2009) The physical birth experience varies little and is universally regarded as one of the most joyous occasions but the social structures that surround labor and delivery varies greatly. Traditional Muslim deliveries are primarily a female only state of affair and the men are not expected to participate in the experience. (Linda Cassar, 2006) The delivery most often occurs at a hospital with the womans mother or mother-in-law in attendance. Arabic women tend to be more demonstrative expressing labor pain through screaming and crying yet they use epidural anesthesia less often. Almost all Arabic women also breast feed their newborns which may last on average 9 or more months. (Rassin, Klug, Nathanzon, Kan Silner, 2009) Many Muslim cultures have rituals that are used to protect the baby from evil spirits that may include the use of charms, amulets, stones, the reading of verses from the Quran, and the whispering of prayers in the newborns ears by the male family members. Circumcision of m ale children occurs among Arabic families though there is no prescribed time frame as is common to the Jewish faith. (Linda Cassar, 2006) The rearing of young is vastly different from culture to culture; the psychosocial development of children depends on how they are raised by their parents, and by their society. The behavior of the children influences the parents behavior just as the cultural values and norms influences the parents behaviors. Western cultures place emphasis on psychological individuation and tend to appreciate autonomy, fostering independence as the child matures to self-sufficiency. Arab societies tend to be collective and authoritarian, the extended and nuclear family are more important than the individual and the Muslim religion reinforces this collective point of view. Arabian children grow up with values of loyalty and respect for their families and are socialized with punishments to enforce these values, norms and behaviors. The Arab individual possesses an identity that is enmeshed in the collective family identity. (Achoui Dwairy, 2006) Achoui, M., Dwairy, M. (2006). Introduction to three cross-regional research studies on parenting styles, individuation, and mental health in arab societies. JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 37(No. 3), 221-229. Retrieved from http://ipac.kacst.edu.sa/eDoc/eBook/4465.pdf Cassar, L. (2006). Cultural expectations of Muslims and Orthodox Jews in regard to pregnancy and the postpartum period: a study in comparison and contrast. International Journal Of Childbirth Education, 21(2), 27. Papadopoulos, I. (2006). Transcultural health and social care: Development of culturally competent practitioners. Elsevier Health Sciences. Rashad, R., Osman, M., Roudi-Fahimi, F. (n.d.). Marriage in the arab world. In POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU. Washington, DC: POPULATION REFERENCE BUREAU. Retrieved from http://www.prb.org/pdf05/marriageinarabworld_eng.pdf Rassin, M., Klug, E., Nathanzon, H., Kan, A., Silner, D. (2009). Cultural differences in child delivery: comparisons between Jewish and Arab women in Israel. International Nursing Review, 56(1), 123-130. doi:10.1111/j.1466-7657.2008.00681.x Saudi arabia: Womens rights promises broken. (July, 2009 08). Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/news/2009/07/08/saudi-arabia-women-s-rights-promises-broken Selin, H. (2009). Childbirth across cultures: Ideas and practices of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum. New York: Springer Science and Business Media. (Selin, 2009)

Comparative Essay of Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now

Comparative Essay of Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now The ties between Joseph Conrad's book, â€Å"Heart of Darkness† and Francis Coppola's movie, â€Å"Apocalypse Now† are unmistakable. Apocalypse Now's correctness in following the story line of the Heart of Darkness is amazing although the settings of each story are from completely different location and time periods. From the jungle of the Congo in Africa to the Nung river in Vietnam, Joseph Conrad's ideals are not lost. In both the book and the movie, the ideas of good and evil, whiteness, darkness, and racism are clear. Also, characterization in both the novel and the movie are very similar. Both The Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now examine the good and evil in human beings. In â€Å"The Heart of Darkness†, Marlow speaks of Fresleven who was killed in a fight with some natives. The argument between Fresleven and the natives was over some chickens, and Fresleven felt he had been ripped off in the deal. Marlow describes Fresleven as "†¦the gentlest, quietest creature that ever walked on two legs."(p. 13 Conrad) However, later in the same paragraph Marlow says,"†¦he probably felt the need at last of asserting his self-respect in some way. Therefore he whacked the old nigger mercilessly."(p. 13 Conrad) Soldiers in combat are forced to bring the evil within themselves out every time they go into battle. The scene in Apocalypse Now where Captain Willard first meets Lt. Colonel Kilgore, show’s the power at which combat has in bringing out the dark side in humans. The attitude the soldiers have towards their enemy in the scene shows how evil humans can be. Kilgore demonstrates his dark side when he tosses the "death cards" on to the bodies of the dead Viet... ...ly in order to agree with the times, but deep in the heart of it its the same. Kurtz in both cases is the heart of the evil, in the novel he spreads his evil in the ways he runs the ivory trade and enslaves the natives. In the movies Kurtz shows his evil in the way he begins his own colony and becomes a devil god, using human examples of death to govern his "tribe". Another similarity is the way Coppola has pictured military machinery that has been broken down. This is a way of symbolizing the breakdown of the white man. The American strength is in it's machinery according to the movie, and the book uses a civilized way of life as the strength of the white man, in both cases they were conquered. Both the novel and the movie Apocalypse Now show clearly that evil does not control, and cruelty of other people is just not the way to see something through, a dark dream.

Iago as the Hero of Shakespeares Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Sha

Iago as the Hero of Othello      Ã‚  Ã‚   A Shakespearean play always includes a typical villain character. He is boisterous, egotistical, sometimes witty, and all too eager to seek revenge. In William Shakespeare Othello, Iago is the well-liked, trusted, and brave ensign of the great Venetian general Othello, or so it appears. Iago actually possesses all of the typical villainous qualities, however Iago conducts himself with great composure, and by manipulating his counterparts, he makes people believe he is on their side. I find this characteristic to be a very intriguing one that is not easy to perform. It is perhaps Iago's villainous actions throughout this play that lead me to believe that he is the hero rather than the typical villain. In the first scene of the play, we learn that Iago is jealous of Cassio because he has just received the rank of lieutenant, which Iago was expecting to receive. It is also obvious to the reader that Iago is contemptous of Othello who granted Cassio such a high ranking. From this point on Iago is able to It is from this scene on that Iago uses his brilliance to capture the attention of the people, both onstage and off. In order to do this Iago begins by informing the Moor that his new father-in-law has found out about his new relationship to Othello, and in turn he is very angry. However, a scene earlier Iago is the one who skillfully informs Barbantio that his daughter has run off with the Moor, but he did not actually do the telling. Instead Iago used more convincing words in order to get Roderigo to think he would win the new brides heart, if only he attempted to break up the marriage first by telling the father. When Iago finally tells the Moor that Barbantio is coming for him, we ... ...ns, he does not have to be a nice man, he just has to be able to act like one. A man who can change his entire demeanor with the wind, does not have to be viewed as a role model, but he is a hero in my mind. Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Othello. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Shakespeare, William.   â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice.†Ã‚   The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   Ed. Sarah Lawall.   New York and London:   W. W. Norton & Company, 1999.   2115 – 2192. Vaughan, Virginia Mason, and Kent Cartwright, eds. Othello: New Perspectives. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 1991.    Iago as the Hero of Shakespeare's Othello Essay -- GCSE Coursework Sha Iago as the Hero of Othello      Ã‚  Ã‚   A Shakespearean play always includes a typical villain character. He is boisterous, egotistical, sometimes witty, and all too eager to seek revenge. In William Shakespeare Othello, Iago is the well-liked, trusted, and brave ensign of the great Venetian general Othello, or so it appears. Iago actually possesses all of the typical villainous qualities, however Iago conducts himself with great composure, and by manipulating his counterparts, he makes people believe he is on their side. I find this characteristic to be a very intriguing one that is not easy to perform. It is perhaps Iago's villainous actions throughout this play that lead me to believe that he is the hero rather than the typical villain. In the first scene of the play, we learn that Iago is jealous of Cassio because he has just received the rank of lieutenant, which Iago was expecting to receive. It is also obvious to the reader that Iago is contemptous of Othello who granted Cassio such a high ranking. From this point on Iago is able to It is from this scene on that Iago uses his brilliance to capture the attention of the people, both onstage and off. In order to do this Iago begins by informing the Moor that his new father-in-law has found out about his new relationship to Othello, and in turn he is very angry. However, a scene earlier Iago is the one who skillfully informs Barbantio that his daughter has run off with the Moor, but he did not actually do the telling. Instead Iago used more convincing words in order to get Roderigo to think he would win the new brides heart, if only he attempted to break up the marriage first by telling the father. When Iago finally tells the Moor that Barbantio is coming for him, we ... ...ns, he does not have to be a nice man, he just has to be able to act like one. A man who can change his entire demeanor with the wind, does not have to be viewed as a role model, but he is a hero in my mind. Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretations: William Shakespeare's Othello. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (page 39-55) Shakespeare, William.   â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice.†Ã‚   The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   Ed. Sarah Lawall.   New York and London:   W. W. Norton & Company, 1999.   2115 – 2192. Vaughan, Virginia Mason, and Kent Cartwright, eds. Othello: New Perspectives. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 1991.   

Bloom’s Taxonomy Essay

Bloom believes that there are six cognitive levels that classifies thinking in cognitive levels, with each level being more complex than the previous one. Which means that the human brain has the capacity to do more than acquire and understand factual knowledge. Below are the six cognitive levels. 1. Creating Putting elements together to form a coherent, or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating. planning or producing. 2. Evaluating Making judgments based on a criteria and stands through checking and critiquing. 3. Analyzing Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to overall structure or purpose threw the differentialine organizing, and attributing. 4. Applying carrying out or using a procedure through implementing, understanding/ constructing manage from oral, written, and graphic message through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining. 5. Understanding constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying,classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining. 6. Remembering retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long – term memory. I believe that this is the basic process that most people use to remember and learn a new concept. As almost all projects start with an idea which is where you would create your outline/ idea then you would normally evaluate and analyze that outline/ idea. If you feel that steps one – three were going to work you would then apply your idea. Once the idea has been applied it will help you to understand the concept. Which will make remembering it much easier.

Peace and order Essay

Maintenance of public order is a core function of governance. The Indian Constitution, while according a pre-eminent position for the fundamental rights of citizens, recognizes the importance of public order, by providing for legislation imposing reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order. Under the Constitution of India, the Union and the federating units, that is, the States have well-defined areas of responsibility. ‘Public Order’ and ‘Police’ are essentially the responsibilities of State Governments. However, the Central Government assists them by providing Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs) as and when required. The Administrative Reforms Commission is looking at ‘Public Order’ with a view to suggest a framework to strengthen administrative machinery to maintain public order conducive to social harmony and economic development. And also to build capacity for conflict resolution. ARC is looking into all aspects of the subject therefore the focus is on studying the causes of public disorder, how early symptoms of disorder should be detected and addressed well in time, what should be the role of various stakeholders in maintenance of public order, how the enforcement machinery should be made more effective to deal with public disorder. The Commission is examining the subject by focusing on its components namely causes of conflicts and their resolution, secondly the role of civil administration, media, society, Judiciary and NGOs in maintaining public order, and thirdly the role of police and the need for reforms. Accordingly each one of these is being discussed in great length in t hree separate workshops. In the first workshop which is being organized jointly with the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), the role of civil administration and other stakeholders would be discussed, in the second workshop, which is being organized jointly with CPR and the Kannada University the different types of conflicts in the Indian Society would be discussed, and in the third workshop being organized jointly with the National Police Academy the Role of Police would be discussed. The aim of the first workshop on public order is to identify the salient  lessons we can learn from a variety of experiences in dealing with public disorder. The workshop will help the ARC to think through some of the challenges posed for the maintenance of public order by the role of the four agencies namely the civil administration, the judicial interventions, the civil society and the media. How can these agencies be strengthened to make them promoters of a more humane public order? What are some of the difficulties that actors in these different domains face? What are some of the commonly leveled criticisms of these agencies? Do these criticisms need some administrative or legal response? What explains the success of failure of these agencies on some occasions. Although the focus of the workshop will be on reforms that can be implemented, this workshop would like to discuss these issues in the widest possible perspective so that new and innovative ideas can be countenanced. The main task of the workshop will be to identify problems and challenges in these domains, and to recommend possible solutions. The purpose of the second workshop that is on ‘Conflict resolution† is to (a) engage in free and frank discussions about the causes of conflicts in India, (b) arrive at some conclusion about the role and importance of different ethnic factors in the origin and continuance of these conflicts so that (c) fundamental solutions can be proposed to address the deep-rooted causes for the sustainable maintenance of public order. The emphasis will be on coming up with specific recommendations pertaining to administrative reform. Similarly the third workshop, which is being organized jointly with the National Police Academy, would focus on the role of police and police reforms.   Before I go into the role of various stakeholders, I would like to clarify the meaning of the word public order. Any violation of Law is a problem of Law and Order, but every such violation is not a case of disturbance of public order. The dividing line between ‘Public order’ and ‘Law and Order’ is very thin. The Apex Court has explained the concept of public order.   It is the potentiality of an act to disturb the even tempo of the life of the community which makes it â€Å"prejudicial to the maintenance of public order†. If the contravention in its effect is confined only to a few  individuals directly involved, as distinct from a wide spectrum of public, it would raise the problem of â€Å"law and order† only. It is the potentiality of the act to disturb the even tempo of the life of t he community which makes it â€Å"prejudicial to the maintenance of public order†. Importance of maintaining public order: India today is poised to emerge as a global economic power with all its high growth rate of economy and all-round economic development. For realizing our legitimate aspirations of economic development, it is essential that the problems of peace and order are managed efficiently in the country. No developmental activity is possible in an environment of insecurity and disorder. Failure to manage the multifarious problems arising out of violent conflicts based on religious, caste, ethnic, regional or any other disputes, can lead to unstable and chaotic conditions. Such conditions not only militate against realization of our economic dream, but also would jeopardize our survival as a vibrant democracy. We have to look at the problem of public order management and the role of law enforcement in that regard, in this perspective. We should not forget that it is the weaker sections which suffer the most in any public disorder. Whose responsibility is to maintain public order-role of civil administration: Undoubtedly, it is the role of the police, as the principal law enforcement agency to preserve public order. The magistracy and the judiciary also have a vital role in preserving public order. But there are other agencies within the governmental set up which have to contribute towards preserving public order. It is the police which bears the brunt of violations of the Laws and also the ensuing violence. But in a large number of addressing the root cause is much beyond their purview. The case of recent demolitions in Delhi is an example. The main cause there has been the non enforcement of the building regulations by the officials who were entrusted this task. Another example is the ‘Ulhasnagar demolitions’. If one looks at the causes of public disorder, there are a host of reasons. These may be broadly classified into socio-economic, political, historical  and administrative. I am not going into the details of each one of these but I would like to highlight that a large number of public disorders have administrative reasons as their root cause. Therefore we have to bring in change in our mindset. Our response to public disorder should commence at the very initial stage, and it is here that the role of entire civil administration including both regulatory and developmental becomes important. The period after independence has seen a tremendous increase in spread of education and alongside has increased the awareness among the people and so also the aspirations. And when these aspirations are not met, tensions prevail within the society, which if not redressed have the potential of erupting as a problem of public disorder. Increasingly, and rightly so, administration is not being perceived as a ruling class. People are realizing that they are service providers. The administration must also realize this role. Wrong doings of administration, which in the past may have got muted acceptance, are no longer being tolerated by the civil society. We have to provide an administration which is fair, objective and transparent. How to achieve this is a challenge before us. Role of the Judiciary: Access to justice is fundamental to the ‘Rule of Law†. If the citizens feel that access to justice is delayed or is not effective, they get alienated. If they feel that punishment is meted out to the wrong doers only in a few cases, they have a tendency to disassociate them with the judicial process and stop taking interest as a complainant, a witness or a pancha. Sometimes a landlord looking to get a recalcitrant tenant out, a tenant seeking protection from an avaricious landlord, families involved in property disputes, start by thinking that gangsters (goondas) can settle their problems which the courts are going to take ages to do. If this becomes common, criminality will be a substitute for ‘Rule of Law’. We have to ensure that we do not reach such a precarious situation. Criminals should be intimidated by what Shakespeare called â€Å"The awful majesty of the law†, other wise they will become a law unto themselves. Various Law Commissions  have suggested reforms in the criminal and civil justice administration system, which need to be acted upon. Role of the media: The importance of a free press, for a healthy democracy cannot be overemphasized. More importantly, it is a sort of check and balance that keeps the authorities on their toes on the one hand and a type of mirror that enables people in authority to get a continuous reality check, on the other. This remains an important role for the media, despite the increasing pressures of commercialization. The fact that democratic India could avoid famines, Amartya Sen has suggested, was almost entirely due to the role of the media in sensitizing authorities to the urgency of providing relief. Indeed our free and energetic media is, in fact, our best early warning system. But what is essential is that the media should play a responsible role. It has been observed that at times, a part of the media has not been quite objective in their reporting. Sometimes the media also plays a role in spreading prejudices, as they needless to say, are more interested in sensational news than sensible constructive news. We may deliberate as to how the potential of media can be tapped in maintaining public order. Role of the Society, NGOs: A democratic society cannot function properly if everything in it is left only to the State or even to statutory bodies. Because of the increasing complexities of societies everything cannot be taken care of by the Governmental institutions. The gap has to be filled up by the civil society. Government intervention itself will be in fructuous if it is not underpinned by voluntary action. Moreover the exercise of political power through civil society opens the way for democracy in real sense of the term. Civil society consists of open and secular institutions that mediate between the citizen and the State. In the absence of civil society, the State machinery and civil servants becomes the dominant and the only repository of power. The modern idea of civil government requires emergence  of civil society which would make people self-reliant rather than remain dependent on State institutions. Participation by the civil society makes the citizens active agents instead of becoming merely passive recipients of welfare. We, especially in the government need to realize that in a healthy growth model of a free democratic society, the Government is just one of the participants. The Government exists as one of the servitors in the service of the society. Indeed the awareness that government alone can neither solve all the problems of the society nor it is the only crucial actor in addressing major societal issues has dictated the need to look beyond Government. Interdependence and need to find solutions to societal problems call for greater collaboration between the government and civil society. A large number of Non Governmental organizations (NGOs) are working in the developmental fields. But the number of such NGOs dedicating themselves to preservation of public order is limited. We can perhaps learn from experiences of some of these NGOs and recommend measures to pave the way for their greater involvement. Role of the Police: I should have taken up the role of police first, as they are the main actors in this process. But as I have mentioned that we will be discussing this issue at great length in the third workshop, which we are organizing at the National Police Academy. But I would suggest that aspects of police administration which require interaction with other governmental agencies and stakeholders may be discussed in this workshop. Conclusion: Development and security are truly mutually inter-related. We need therefore, to evolve a combined strategy to deal simultaneously with the twin challenges of development and security within the framework of a democratic polity committed to respect for all fundamental human freedoms and also committed to upholding the rule of law. Internal conflict management is the key to the success of participative democracy, strengthening national  solidarity and cohesion and firming up the nation’s resolve and capability to meet any external threats to its security and territorial integrity. The deficiencies in this vital area need to be plugged through judicial and police reforms, better citizen participation in governance, transparency and more effective and integrated approach to public order maintenance. Violations of public order, given their socio-economic, political and administrative causes demand a concerted response from different wings of the civil administration. When this is done at the nascent stage itself, minor discords can be prevented from turning into major public disorders. The challenge lies in institutionalizing a mechanism so that all wings of the civil administration as well as other stakeholders work in a coordinated fashion. I hope that these two workshops would be able to come up with substantial recommendations for a framework and a roadmap for maintaining public order.

Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail

Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail University Of Phoenix HIS/110 August 25, 2012 Kim Murphy Life of the Female Pioneer on the Oregon Trail My life as a female pioneer taking the journey down the Oregon Trail was one of hardship and adventure. During the early 1800s settlers began to explore new territory in the New World looking for new opportunities. Through the pioneer journeys of Lewis and Clark a route through America was discovered that would take settlers to new land in the Pacific Northwest portion of the country. To reach the new land pioneers, such as I, had to travel down what became known as the Oregon Trail.Through the Oregon Trail the expansion of the West began but to get to this new part of the country I would have to travel two thousand miles along with other pioneers from my part of the country. We started in Missouri that required us to travel through five states to reach our new destination. To reach the new land offered to myself and the other pioneers in the New World, we would travel in large groups with people in wagons and on horseback. This was to help ensure our safety as we traveled the Oregon Trail to the new land in the West.Our travels included men, women, and children of all ages. Although I made the choice to go myself, there were many women on the trail that had to face the hardships of the long trail because their husbands had chosen to take this adventure. This was difficult for many of them because they were forced to leave their already established homes in exchange for the hardships of the trail and an uncertain future in the Pacific Northwest. To travel down the Oregon Trail, we travelled in horse drawn wagons and had oxen’s pulling carts of supplies.I like other pioneer families left my home with my worldly possessions that I could afford to carry. We faced being robbed at gunpoint by highway men on the trail. Another danger faced by the female pioneers and the wagon train were attacks by Native America ns. The Wagon Trains were attacked and burned and the men were killed leaving the women, children, and wagon supplies to be stolen by the Indians. Women were forced to become the slave of an Indian family or the wife of an Indian brave while the children were adopted by Indian families or made to be slaves.I and the other women were responsible for ensuring the food supply lasted on the long journey as well as packing the wagon. We were also responsible for cooking the meals on the Oregon Trail. We were required to wear long dresses with long sleeves in oppressive heat and care for all of the needs of the men and children as well as tend to the sick. There was a major risk to the female pioneer of losing our husbands or even our children to illness or accidents along the Oregon Trail. If the food supply ran short the men would hunt for food, use supplies meant for our new homes, or die of starvation.Illnesses, such as Typhoid and cholera, were common and would spread through the wag on trains creating more work for us women (Bledsoe, 1984). The overworked women would in turn become more vulnerable to becoming sick and perishing. Women who gave birth while on the Oregon Trail faced vast difficulty and in many cases the female pioneer or the new born would die. Women pioneers were usually fairly young because women during this time married as young as 14 but quickly toughened up because of the major responsibilities we faced on the trail.Despite the many hardships faced by myself and the other female pioneers, we helped to pave the way for future generations of Americans and bravely traveled to an unknown land to build a new life. The Oregon territory was originally jointly owned by American and the British but was acquired by America in 1846 and expanded the territory of the United States (Eddin, 2009). Before Oregon was acquired by America the area was sparsely populated and the single woman, such as I, had little opportunity to find a husband. In most cases we would marry a farm hand or the closest neighbor.Marriages were rarely based on love but instead of convenience and the benefit to the family. A large majority of pioneers became farmers making the pioneer women a farming wife but also required her to deal with the harsh winters that were associated with the area and adjust to a life of constant isolation. Once American acquired the Oregon territory the population began to expand and the pioneer families were offered more opportunity as well as single women, such as I, had more opportunity to meet potential husbands.New towns and cities began to emerge and we women were no longer forced to sew our own clothes. It also provided a more convenient and affordable way for us to buy food than in the past. Once the population began to grow in Oregon the society became more modernized and life for I and the other pioneer women became less harsh. References Bledsoe, L. (1984). Adventuresome Women on the Oregon Trail: 1840-186. http://www. js tor. org/discover/10. 2307/3346237? uid=3739256&uid=2129&uid Eddin, O. (2009). The Oregon Country and Westward Expansion. http://www. thefurtrapper. com/oregon_country. htm

Love Defined by the Little Mermaid Essay

What is the ultimate purpose of a fairytale? According to Bruno Bettelheim its purpose is to show children â€Å"that a struggle against severe difficulties in life is unavoidable, is an intrinsic part of human existence-but that if [they do] not shy away, but steadfastly [meet] unexpected and often unjust hardships, [they master] all obstacles and at the end [emerge] victorious†(8). Disney’s The Little Mermaid fulfills this purpose; children see Ariel’s struggles and because they identify with her they feel as if they struggle and triumph with her (Bettelheim, 9). Ariel is a very likable character, she’s witty, beautiful, and children can relate to her. Some of the obstacles and struggles Ariel faces are things children face in their own lives, for example Ariel’s desire to be independent and establish herself. Although The Little Mermaid conforms to Bruno’s formula, it also teaches children other life lessons that may not be healthy or appropriate in the long run. In this case the messages sent to children concerning romance and love provide children images and behaviors that teach them true love is spontaneous, passionate, for attractive people only, and is â€Å"happily ever after†. What is a real life definition of love? Love is a complex and profound concept that cannot be easily defined. Robert Sternberg explains love by breaking it into three different concepts known as the Triangular Theory of Love (as cited by Miller, 246-50): intimacy, passion and commitment. The Triangular Theory of Love defines intimacy as â€Å"feelings of warmth, understanding, communication, support, and sharing that often characterize loving relationships†(as cited by Miller, 247). Passion is â€Å"physical arousal and desire†¦often [taking] the form of sexual longing, but [can be] any strong emotional need that is satisfied by ones partner† (as cited by Miller, 247). And last but not least commitment is defined as â€Å"the decisions to devote oneself to a relationship and work to maintain it†(as cited by Miller, 247). When these three concepts are put together in different combinations you get different types of love, eight to be specific (Miller, 249). The type of love that is shown in The Little Mermaid is infatuation, which is passion with no commitment and no intimacy. Ariel falls in love with Eric the very moment she lays eyes on him, she knows nothing about him but believes she loves him. This example of love at first sight teaches children if you are strongly attracted to someone the first time you see them that this simple attraction, often times physical attraction signifies love. But what is it about Eric that attracts Ariel to him? Is it his dark hair, perfect smile, his dimples, his body and the fact that he is dancing? Possibly, but what also needs to be taken into account is who he is being compared to. The other men on the ship are either old, fat, scrawny, bald, boyish looking, have teeth missing or are dressed badly. Eric is the complete opposite of them. Another aspect to look at this from is what Miller, Perlman, and Brehm refer to as the misattribution of arousal, which is in basic form misplacing or exaggerating our attraction to others (251). They explain that we can be aroused by something positive or negative, not knowing we are aroused by it and then attribute another event or person as the reason for our arousal (251-252). Which is what happens in the movie, just minutes before seeing Eric, Ariel has an argument with her father. The argument is about her missing the concert and swimming up to the surface. The argument seems one sided because Triton does all the talking and doesn’t let Ariel explain herself. She swims off to where she keeps her collection of human things that she finds on her adventures with Flounder, her animal sidekick. She begins to sing about wanting to be human so she can experience lying on the beach, walking on two feet and feeling the warmth from a fire. Afterwards she sees a ship passing over and swims to the surface, partly out of rebellion and partly out of curiosity. Her emotions are already aroused before she sees Eric. Furthermore, she has already made up in her mind that she wants to be human; Eric just becomes an excuse, the reason why she should become human. Ariel experiences a misplaced attraction; Eric makes her emotions make sense. The problem now is Eric has no idea she even exists. On the other side, Eric too experiences a similar form of misattributed arousal. Eric has a conversation with Grimsby about finding a wife. Eric is obviously under a lot of pressure to settle down but he wants to find the right girl. Not to long after this conversation the ship is struck by lightening. Everyone escapes and makes it on the life- boat, but Eric swims back to the ship to save his dog Max. The ship blows up and Eric falls in the water. Ariel then saves his life by swimming him safely to shore. This is the very first time Eric sees Ariel, they have no conversation, she’s just looking into his face singing. Ariel is startled by Max and goes back in the water. Eric realizes that she is â€Å"the one† and instantly falls in love with her. Now that Eric knows that Ariel exists all she can do is wait for him to come save her from a life under the sea. Marcia Lieberman says that â€Å"most of the heroines†¦are merely passive, submissive, and helpless† (388). And she goes on to say, â€Å"many of the girls are not merely passive, however; they are frequently victims and even martyrs as well†(390). Ariel doesn’t do anything after saving Eric’s life. She swims around the castle in â€Å"lala land†, daydreaming and fantasizing of her prince. But not only does this show her passiveness, she is also portrayed as a victim. Her father doesn’t understand her; he wants her to live a life under the sea but refuses to see how unhappy she is with that life. After Triton finds out about Eric he destroys Ariel’s collection along with the statue of Eric. Ariel is then left with no other choice but to go behind her fathers back and see Ursula, the sea witch. Ursula offers Ariel the chance of a lifetime, to be with Eric, but it doesn’t come without paying a price. Ariel has to give Ursula her voice, leaving her to seduce Eric with her beauty. This message tells children that love is based on beauty. Ursula tells Ariel that she â€Å"has [her] looks, [her] pretty face, [and not to underestimate] the importance of body language†. Basically telling her that her â€Å"beauty [is her] most valuable asset, perhaps her only valuable asset†(Lieberman, 385). Thus, indiscreetly telling her to disregard the importance of character, integrity and individuality and to focus on being beautiful. Ariel is young, has big blue eyes, red full lips. Long flowing red hair, a perfect body, she is half naked and has fair skin. Compared to all the other characters Ariel has the most sex appeal, and being that children relate to her over all the other characters, children want to be like her. But not only does Ariel have sex appeal she has a pleasant and friendly personality. She is caring, adventurous, independent, good-tempered, and outgoing. The problem with this image is children, mainly girls â€Å"may be predisposed to imagine that there is a link between the loveable face and the lovable character, and to fear, if plain themselves, that they will also prove to be unpleasant, thus using the patterns to set up self-fulfilling prophecies†(Lieberman, 385). Ursula for example is ugly, fat, old and has a mean personality. Children may begin to think that ugly people have â€Å"ugly† personalities and cant have true love, and pretty people have â€Å"pretty† personalities and are the only people who can experience true love. Jillian Cantor and Leta McGaffey Sharp explain it in this way, â€Å"women are won by sensitive men with chocolates and flowers, men are dazzled with beauty and wit, and life is not complete without a happy marriage and children. This single, narrowly defined perspective leaves many people in the dust with, so it seems, little chance for romance and love. If you don’t fit into this story line, you seem to be destined to die alone-and miserable about it. â€Å"(327). Obviously this is not true to real life, but it is the message being sent to children. In real life relationships, true love is based not only on attraction, but a healthy, stable balance of commitment, trust, care, intimacy, and passion. Beauty and romance fade and if that is the only thing sustaining your love, love fades as well. Ariel’s goal is to get Eric to kiss her. Notice Eric doesn’t have to tell her â€Å"I love you†; he has to kiss her, which is in itself very sexual. Kissing can lead to many other things, but at the same kissing can just be kissing and nothing more. But this hints that there is some sexual attraction, and sexual need associated with love, and that without a magical kiss love doesn’t exist. Eric doesn’t know Ariel’s name until they are in the boat. He is confused over if he loves her or not, if she is the girl who saved him, but he doesn’t know the girls name, he knows nothing about her. This portrays men as shallow because he is acting strictly on beauty and not character, at least Ariel knows his name and a little about him, making women seem as if they care more about character than looks. Anyone who has grown up hearing or watching fairytales can predict the ending of The Little Mermaid. It has the ideal perfect ending for a love story and fairytale. The girl is saved by her prince charming, the villain is defeated, there is a celebration (usually a wedding) and there is a magical kiss. Eric saves Ariel from Ursula and is in turn rewarded with Ariel’s hand in marriage. Marriage is â€Å"the fulcrum and major event†(Lieberman, 386) in this story. It is at the end, but nonetheless the major event. It is when everyone gets what they want. This is where the story ends; it shows nothing of the married life. Marcia Lieberman observes that fairytales focus more on the courtship in relationships and not married life, which she says can cause children to â€Å"develop a deep-seated desire to be courted, since marriage is literally the end of the story†(394). Children will begin to think relationships end in happily ever after, when in real life no relationship is perfect, at some point there will be some kind of stress or strain in the relationship, weather an argument, financial difficulties or infidelity, it will happen. So if these are the messages being sent to children through The Little Mermaid, isn’t it setting them up for disappointment and failure? If children believe this is the way things should be, they will seek out those things and when they are faced with true love in real life they wont recognize it. Or if children feel unattractive or unworthy they may not accept love when given to them because they have been conditioned to believe love is only for pretty people, not average or ugly people. This outlook on love isn’t healthy for children, or anyone for that matter. Bettelheim would argue that † a more complex plot would confuse [children]†, but I believe this oversimplification confuses children even more. Yes love is hard to explain to children because love doesn’t happen the same for everyone, but should children be focusing on love at such a young age? If the ultimate purpose of a fairytale is to show children they can overcome life’s obstacles, why not present them with obstacles they are facing at the moment? Like the struggle of establishing themselves as individuals by defining who they are. Those lessons are the lessons that should be taught through any fairytale, not lessons telling children that love is spontaneous, passionate, for attractive people and â€Å"happily ever after†. Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment.