Carnival Cruise Line, The Fun Ship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Carnival Cruise Line, The Fun Ship - Assignment Example Whereas such an approach may work well in many other product or service offerings that exist within the current economy, oftentimes when people go on vacation luxury and immunity are some of the first things that they seek to ensure our present. Although there is nothing wrong with seeking to make Carnival Cruise Lines the Walmart of cruise lines, publicly stating such an approach is likely have a negative impact on sales and further foster negative images within the consumer. Anytime one seeks to engage with the given firm as a means of determining its overall strength within the market, it is necessary to perform what is known as a SWOT analysis. Such a SWOT analysis is merely shorthand for analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats the present themselves to given firm with any given market. Accordingly, in analyzing Carnival Cruise Lines strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, it is the understanding of the student that the most salient strengths ar e with regards to its recognizable name, large budget and extent vessels and staff, and overall profitability of the brand. Each of these strengths helps the firm, even if economic difficulties present themselves, to continue to exist and draw upon these strengths as a means of furthering business. Likewise, with regards to weaknesses, it can be understood that Carnival Cruise Lines exhibits the following: poor public relations, bad image, and a brand that is struggling to differentiate itself within a market that is increasingly saturated. Similarly, with regards to opportunities, these can be understood as a means to counter the weaknesses that it been previously mentioned (DATAMONITOR, 2013). Accordingly, the opportunities are as follows: working to increase public relations, building a better image, and finding a more appropriate way to can P with and stand apart from the many forms of competition the currently exist within the market. Lastly, the threats that it been chosen to be analyzed within this brief response are concentric upon the following: noticeable downturn in economy, reduction in overall number of people each year choosing cruises as their preferred means of vacation travel, and the demographic shift that threatens to further reduce cruise participation once the baby boomer generation discontinues their currently high level of vacation spending. As a function of these specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, the reader can come to be understanding that the primary issue facing Carnival Cruise Lines is with regards to the extent which it continue to be relevant within the current market, as well as speak to specific concerns that individuals within society have doubtless come to realize with respect to the overall cleanliness, hygiene, and safety of cruises as a form of relaxation and vacation. As with any firm, one of the most effective means of determining the overall financial success that it is enjoyed over the past several years is to review the stock price and draw inference upon the means by which investors have valued the company over time. As a function of performing this particular analysis with current cruise lines, it can be determined that the most financially turbulent times were of course realize right after the financial crash 2007/2008 (Conant, 2013). At such a time, Carnival Cruise L

Comparison of Heroin Lies with The Basketball Diaries Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Heroin Lies with The Basketball Diaries Essay Heroin is a deadly drug, which kills approximately one million people every year. In this essay I will be comparing two dramatic acts. Heroin Lies, which I acted out. The other is a 1995 hit called The Basketball Diaries. I chose this particular film to compare with my act because they have several similarities but also a number amount of differences. The beginning of the film The Basketball diaries starts with an ordinarily boy waking up in bed on a normal day. Instantly you see that he has got a type of book in his hand, which later on we see that it is his diary which he occasionally writes in. In the block opposite him we see a strong religious woman constantly shouting out what seems to be a prayer. We then witness the boy by the name of Jimmy Carroll change from an innocent being to a horrifying beast as he tells this religious woman to Shut up! We now see that Jimmy has a horrible side to him. As we watch on we see that Jimmy Carroll is a star basketball player on his New York City Catholic school team. Fellow basketball team mates Mickey and Neutron and unofficial cheerleader Pedro are Jimmys closest friends, and whenever trouble stalks one, it invariably affects them all. So, when the drug cycle starts, it quickly spreads to each of the four corners of the friendship. What begins as casual use first becomes a weekend habit, then an everyday obsession. Grades plummet, on-court performance becomes unreliable, and crime looms as the only means to pay for a seemingly endless supply of uppers, downers, cocaine, and heroin. Heroin Lies is a play written by Wayne Denfhy. The story is about a young teenage girl that is having problems with friends. Later on she finds her self addicted to heroin and soon after dies at an early age. We chose a scene from the play and we made changes to the scene as apart of our task, for example we added monologues and dialogues. I learnt a lot about the characters in our scene. Vicki was a young stubborn teenager who had a lot of confusing things going on in her life, although she finally decided to make a decision and start taking drugs to solve her problems. Mandy had been involved with drugs longer than Vicki. So obviously Mandy would be more confident about it. Mandy can easily loose her temper as we showed in the play when Vicki hits the drugs all over the floor. Mandy ends up slapping Vicki. This implies that Mandy is quite violent and doesnt know how to control her emotions very well. My character (Jason) wears corded trouser and an old knitted woollen jumper to sho w that he bought them from Oxfam, since what he wears is mentioned in the script. I believe that Jason is quite immature watching playschool and pretending to grow into a big tree. However this end scene Mandy got what she came for. Jason, my character, was an older brother of Vicki, as it says in the script however I had played him younger then Vicki. As Mandy was flirting with me I used a stuttering voice to emphasize the fact that I was shy. This tells us that Jason is growing up as the tree is growing, and Vicki is stuck, still having problems with friends and drugs. This scene Mandy probably would like to know more about Jason. Not only does the relationship between Mandy, and Jason but the relationship with Vicki later on in the scene. Vicki seems more dominating with Jason since she scares him off. I dont believe that Vicki feels very comfortable having Mandy in her house. This results in Vicki snatching the drugs off Mandy and Mandy hitting Vicki. After Vicki has been hit. Mandy comes to her senses and tells her she regrets hitting her and asks Vicki to take some drugs. I believe that this is the most important part of the scene because this is the first step of Vicki ending her life. Heroin Lies and The Basketball Diaries in my opinion had interesting but defiantly very similar characters. Vicki Brown (Heroin Lies) who is a drug addict who gets thrown out of her house. Jimmy Carroll (The Basketball Diaries) is a drug addict and like Vicki Brown gets thrown out of his house. This is an example of a similarity. However after becoming a drug addict Vicki Brown then leads to a tragic ending. Whilst Jimmy Carroll then realises his mistakes, then fights his addiction to drugs. I have researched Heroin to find out more about this drug. Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a serious problem in America. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction. (From a website discussing drugs) The play that I did Heroin Lies and the film The Basketball Diaries had several similarities and differences. The main similarity that I picked up was that these two plays were based on drugs. This is also the main reason I chose to compare these two plays. Heroin Lies was set in the 90s, which is modern time. These days it tends to be teenagers that are addicted to these drugs. The film The Basketball Diaries was also set in the 90s, which again the teenagers are pushed towards Heroin.

The Life Of Jesus :: essays research papers

The Life of Jesus The New Testament is mainly based on the life of Jesus and the early church. He is known as the son of God though his parents were Mary and Joseph. Jesus was born in a stable in city of Bethlehem as there was no room in the inns. Once he was born, Mary had no crib to place him in, so they made one with a troth and some straw. Three Kings and some shepherds came to visit him. The kings gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Jesus and his family travelled to Jordan from Galilee so Jesus could be baptised. Jesus went all over Galilee preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He educated in the synagogues, speaking and reading in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin. He taught people how to live properly and to always make the right decision. He also told many parables. Jesus healed many different people with incurable diseases and sicknesses. He performed many miracles with the power of God. It was time for Jesus to choose his twelve apostles. He chose Simon, James, John, Andrew, Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas. They all came from different backgrounds. Judas was the apostle who betrayed Jesus. It was time for the last supper. Jesus sat down with his disciples at the table to share the bread and wine. Jesus went to pray in Gethsemane with his disciples when Judas arrived with an armed crowd sent by the chief priests. They arrested him. Jesus was brought to Pilate and he sentenced him to death. Then he was crucified. When he died, a man named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus and he replied yes. Joseph took the body down wrapped him in linen and placed him in a tomb. He rolled a large stone across the entrance. Jesus's body still had to be anointed, so the day after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James came to dress him. When they arrived the stone was rolled open so they entered though shocked that it was open. In there they saw a man in a white robe, an angel. They were shocked even more. The angel calmed the women and told them that he had been raised. The women were so afraid that they ran out of the tomb yet they were filled with joy. A man stopped them. It was Jesus. The women were so happy.

Mass-Observation, Microscopy, and the Everyday Essay -- Essays Papers

Mass-Observation, Microscopy, and the Everyday The everyday is an assimilation of fragmented happenings that are interwoven to manifest society. A general stereotype of society can not be drawn from a single fragment, but must be created through an examination of the relationships between individual pieces. Every fragment, no matter how banal, contributes to the understanding of the everyday. In order to study the everyday, the use of microscopy and Mass-Observation are essential because they provide a way of viewing the everyday in a way that is unfamiliar. Every minute atom is part of a whole intricate system of operations. Though the atom is minute, the way it interacts with the objects around it is important. Whether it is transmitting information, relaying information, or interacting with another atom, these inner-workings combine to create a functional system. In the everyday, the smallest of fragments is important to understanding society and what drives it through time. Interactions of fragments give insight into the general environment in which the fragment belongs. Formally, examiners of the everyday focused on studying society through large social structures. Simmel, one of the major theorists in German philosophy and social science around the turn of the century, views the everyday differently. He believes that the everyday can not be studied on the macroscopic level, but instead should be viewed at the microscopic level (Ben Highmore 37). Simmel emphasizes using microscopic investigations of interactions between fragm ents to gain insight into the everyday (Highmore 37). His project of ‘microscopy’ allows for the fragments of the everyday to be studied in a way that generalized society as a whole. ... ...nd analyzed. Though social microscopy it used to study the social aspect of the everyday, every fragment is important. Simmel stated â€Å"Even the lowest, intrinsically ugly phenomenon can be dissolved into contexts of color and form, feeling and experience which provide it with significance† (Highmore 39). It is through microscopy and Mass-Observation that the everydayness of society is studied in a way that is made unfamiliar. Works Cited - Bancroft, Angus. â€Å"Georg Simmel.† Introduction to Sociology. (Nov. 1998). 8 Nov. 2004 . - Baudelaire, Charles. Paris Spleen. New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1970. - Highmore, Ben. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory. London and New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2002. - Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books Inc., 1998. Mass-Observation, Microscopy, and the Everyday Essay -- Essays Papers Mass-Observation, Microscopy, and the Everyday The everyday is an assimilation of fragmented happenings that are interwoven to manifest society. A general stereotype of society can not be drawn from a single fragment, but must be created through an examination of the relationships between individual pieces. Every fragment, no matter how banal, contributes to the understanding of the everyday. In order to study the everyday, the use of microscopy and Mass-Observation are essential because they provide a way of viewing the everyday in a way that is unfamiliar. Every minute atom is part of a whole intricate system of operations. Though the atom is minute, the way it interacts with the objects around it is important. Whether it is transmitting information, relaying information, or interacting with another atom, these inner-workings combine to create a functional system. In the everyday, the smallest of fragments is important to understanding society and what drives it through time. Interactions of fragments give insight into the general environment in which the fragment belongs. Formally, examiners of the everyday focused on studying society through large social structures. Simmel, one of the major theorists in German philosophy and social science around the turn of the century, views the everyday differently. He believes that the everyday can not be studied on the macroscopic level, but instead should be viewed at the microscopic level (Ben Highmore 37). Simmel emphasizes using microscopic investigations of interactions between fragm ents to gain insight into the everyday (Highmore 37). His project of ‘microscopy’ allows for the fragments of the everyday to be studied in a way that generalized society as a whole. ... ...nd analyzed. Though social microscopy it used to study the social aspect of the everyday, every fragment is important. Simmel stated â€Å"Even the lowest, intrinsically ugly phenomenon can be dissolved into contexts of color and form, feeling and experience which provide it with significance† (Highmore 39). It is through microscopy and Mass-Observation that the everydayness of society is studied in a way that is made unfamiliar. Works Cited - Bancroft, Angus. â€Å"Georg Simmel.† Introduction to Sociology. (Nov. 1998). 8 Nov. 2004 . - Baudelaire, Charles. Paris Spleen. New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1970. - Highmore, Ben. Everyday Life and Cultural Theory. London and New York: Taylor and Francis Group, 2002. - Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books Inc., 1998.

Face It: the Impact of Gender on Social Media Images Essay

Social websites like Facebook enable users to upload self-created digital images; it is therefore of interest to see how gender is performed in this domain. A panel used a literature review of pictorial features associated with gender traits, and a sample of Facebook pictures to assess gender stereotypes present in Facebook images. Traits emerging in greater prominence in pictures of males included active, dominant, and independent. Those prominent with female users included attractive and dependent. These findings generally conform to gender stereotypes found in prior research and extend the research regarding stereotypical gender traits displayed in professional media depictions to self-selected social media displays. They also extend the research on gender differences in impression management generally, in both interpersonal communication and social media, to include gender-specific traits that are part of young mens and women’s impression management. Keywords: Facebook; Ge nder Display; Impression Management; Role Theory; Social Media Jessica Rose (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Susan Mackey-Kallis (Ph.D., Penn State University, 1986) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Len Shyles (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1981) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Kelly Barry (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. Danielle Biagini (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater San Diego area. Colleen Hart (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a student at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Lauren Jack (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. The authors would like to thank Dr. Jesse Frey of the Mathematics Department of Villanova University f or his help in creating the tables presented in this article. Correspondence: Susan Mackey-Kallis, Department of Communication, 800 E. Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085; E-mail: susan.mackey-kallis@villanova.edu ISSN 0146-3373 print/1746-4102 online # 2012 Eastern Communication Association DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2012.725005 The centrality of gender embodiment has animated recent debates in media studies about the relationship among gender representations in media, gendered bodies in virtual space, and gender as performance. With the emergence of social media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, users have an online platform that allows them to communicate widely, to virtually manage others’ impressions of them, and to even express gendered identities in cyberspace. With over 500 million active users as of 2011 (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics), Facebook dominates the social media market. Offering a highly interactive platform, Facebook users can leave comments on their friends’ walls, provide status updates and photos, and can even access one another wirelessly through Facebook Mobile. As of 2010, users spent over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ press/info.php?statistics), often updating their Facebook profiles to add relat ionships to their friends lists. One well-known feature of Facebook is the user’s profile picture, displayed in the upper left-hand corner of each user’s homepage. Intended to be the first thing seen, it is arguably one of the most important features of the user’s Facebook page. The profile picture offers friends, acquaintances and even potential employers a firstimpression of the user’s appearance and, perhaps, their character. Therefore, the content of users’ Facebook profile pictures is an important object of study for researchers interested in how people practice impression management. According to role theory, people follow unwritten social and cultural rules and norms as they behave ‘‘in ways that are different and predictable depending on their respective social identities and the situations they find themselves in’’ (Biddle, 1986, p. 68). Gender identity and gender roles are a significant part of everyday life and, according to Goffman, are actually constituted through social interaction (1976). Gender shapes how people make sense of themselves and their social relationships. However, as Wood notes, ‘‘What gender means depends heavily on cultural values and practices; a culture’s definitions of masculinity and femininity shape expectations about how individual men and women should communicate; and how individuals communicate establishes gender that, in turn, influences cultural views’’ (Wood, 2009, p. 20). Gender display, as a continuous communication loop, is defined by society and expressed by individuals as they interact while shaping evolving societal expectations regarding gender. In contemporary media and culture, women’s and men’s social desirability and gender have often been defined in terms of their bodies. For women, this has often involved comparing themselves to and even replicating the ‘‘thin ideal’’ (presented in modern mass media despite the looming specter of anorexia and bulimia), altering their bodies to heighten perceived sexuality or youthfulness (through cosmetic surgery, exercise or eating), or conforming to traditional definitions of femininity including qualities such as submissiveness or sentimentality (through dress, cosmetics, style, etc.). For men, gender-based definitions of success frequently revolve around presenting or developing their bodies as strong, youthful, active, and physically dominant. The evolution of social media (such as Facebook) and online digital gaming environments (such as massive, multiple online games [MMOs]) now offer venues where individuals can consciously self-select an d present virtual versions of themselves that can either conform with, challenge, or defy societal expectations and media presentations. Digital formats, on the one hand, represent exciting possibilities for individuals who can explore the freedom of presenting a physical self that might differ from the one they present or perform in everyday life or from socially-defined expectations. As Rettberg argues, ‘‘our fascination with creating digital self-portraits is indicative of our collective coming of age where we as a culture are discovering that we have voices online and can express ourselves rather than simply accepting the mass media’s views of the world’’ (2009, p. 453). On the other hand, digital formats may simply offer a chance to replicate cultural and mass media normative versions of the individual, specifically as they relate to gender. Since how people present and perform their bodies in virtual spaces offer specific impressions, many of which relate to gender, one objective of the current study is to examine how gender portrayals manifest themselves in self-selected social media displays. Specifically, can social media website content help us understand more about gender roles and the way people present themselves in the virtual social world? Do the ways they manage their images reinforce existing gendered stereotypes? Because social networks such as Facebook are relatively recent phenomena, the content of self-presentation profile pictures has not been analyzed in great depth. Extant literature supports the idea of expected gender roles unique to males and females (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen, Dozier, & Horan, 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990) and the idea that society advocates these roles through various media (Bell & Milic, 2002; Hancock & Toma, 2009), with both males and females engaging in impression management in order to control their public image (Dominick, 1999; Jones, 1997; Leary, 1996). Witmer and Katzman (1997) argued that females may display more emotional graphics than males while communicating on the Internet. Extant literature, however, only reveals one study that has examined gender differences in self-selected portraits in self-posed photographs (Mills, 1984) and one study that has examined gender differences in Facebook profile pictures (Strano, 2008). Strano’s study, focusing exclusively on gender difference in impression management, found that women engage in management more than men (Strano, 2008). In a related area of literature, self-presentation in computer-mediated communication (CMC), some studies suggest a great deal of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ on the Internet (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Witmer & Katzman, 1997) with some estimates as high as 60% (Roberts & Parks, 1999), and with males ‘‘gender-swapping’’ more than females (Bruckman, 1993; Suler, 1999). The fantastical and fantasy-based nature of many gaming environments, however, and the anonymous nature of most CMC in general might suggest that the freedom to reinvent oneself not only in terms of gender but also race, ethnicity, and other variables is much broader than in Facebook profile pictures. Facebook friends, who may know the person in real life, recognize a photograph as a self-selected presentation but, researchers argue, most likely do not assume that the profile picture reflects extensive alteration or photo retouching. The current study, therefore, makes a unique contribution by investigating whether self-selected Facebook profile pictures exhibit stereotypical gender roles consistent with traits emerging from existing research. Literature Review Gender Roles Some researchers suggest that gender differences result from a variety of factors including socialization and biology; as such, gender roles are often manifested through communication and culture (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen et al., 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990; Wood, 2009). West and Zimmerman (1987) claim gendering is a routine interaction of everyday life. ‘‘Both gender role and gender display focus on behavioral aspects of being a man and a woman’’ (p. 127). They use Goffman’s (1976) account of ‘‘gender display’’ to suggest gender is also constituted through interaction. Says Goffman, ‘‘If gender [can] be defined as the culturally established correlates of sex (whether in consequence of biology or learning), then gender display refers to conventionalized portrayals of these correlates’’ (1976, p. 69). Goffman cites sports as a framework to explain masc uline tendencies, asserting that the male gender is categorically viewed as aggressive, strong, and competitive. In agreement, West and Zimmerman (1987) assert that ‘‘Doing gender is unavoidable . . . because of the social consequences of sex-category membership: [this includes] the allocation of power and resources not only in the domestic, economic, and political domains but also in the broad arena of interpersonal relations’’ (p. 145). As men and women tend to assume ‘‘proper’’ societal gender roles, associated behaviors are viewed as cultural markers that indicate norms of social interaction. Williams and Best (1990) searched for gender stereotypes among respondents from 25 nations worldwide. Participants were presented with a list of 300 character traits and instructed to indicate whether the trait was ‘‘more frequently associated with men than with women,’’ ‘‘more frequently associated with women than with men,’’ or ‘‘not differentially associated with the two sexes.’’ Table 1 presents results for the traits most commonly associated with men and women and indicates the traits isolated for this analysis. Gender Roles in the Media Society often promotes gender role markers as social norms through photographs and other visual displays used in advertising. Wanta and Legett (1989) studied the media images of male a nd female athletes of the 1987 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, concluding that men and women were depicted differently in terms of emotion, dominance, and power. Goffman (1976) accounts for these traits in his research of magazine and newspaper photography, finding women to be pictured in more submissive positions while men are depicted in more elevated positions. Based on Goffman’s inquiries, Wanta and Legett (1989) hypothesized that female tennis players would be shown more often in positions implying helplessness than male tennis players. Goffman’s (1976) studies of power within photographs asserted that the more dominant a person’s face was (i.e., the more full-front, direct-to-camera orientation of the face, and the greater the percentage of photo space taken up by the face), the more power was held and=or portrayed by the person pictured. Wanta and Legett used these ideas to predict that the photographs of female tennis players would focus more on the players’ bodies, while male tennis players would have more concentrated images of their faces. However, the majority of Wanta and Legett’s (1989) hypothe ses remained unsubstantiated; their gender stereotypes were not confirmed. In fact, opposite portrayals often emerged. They concluded that the photographer was trying to break gender stereotypes. In contrast to the work of Wanta and Legett, the research conducted in the current study does not rely on images shot by professional photographers. Rather, the present analysis is based on self-selected and, almost exclusively, self-created Facebook profile pictures. Gender roles, present in everyday interaction, are also enacted on television. Lauzen and colleagues (2008) examined gender roles enacted by men and women on television. Using a stratified random sample of 124 prime-time television series airing on six broadcast networks during the 2005–06 seasons, they looked at the rates at which men and women fell into categorically different social roles. Taking a category scheme developed by earlier research, Lauzen and colleagues defined social roles as the things ‘‘people do in daily life’’ (see Eagly & Steffan, 1984, p. 735). These roles vary from childcare and household chores to workplace activities. Through a content analysis, they found male characters on prime-time television were more likely to inhabit work roles, including blue collar, white collar, and extracurricular activities, while women were portrayed in more interpersonal roles involving romance, friendship, and family. Similarly, in their content analysis of 827 Australian magazine advertisements from 1997–98 to determine the presence of stereotypical gender roles, Bell and Milic (2002) concluded that ‘‘Males were more frequently shown in ‘narrative’ ways (as actors) than females, and this is true of both groups and individuals. Women were more likely than men to ‘behave’ (or to express emotion)’’ (p. 215). Their findings suggest stereotypical gender traits of men and women consistent with those of Williams and Best (1990) and consistent with Goffman’s (1976) analysis of advertising which found that women were ‘‘more likely to be portrayed performing submissive or appeasing gestures such as head or body canting, bending one knee inward (‘bashful knee-bend’), smiling, clowning, and acting less seriously’’ and were ‘‘often portrayed as being under the physical care and protection of a man’’ (as cited in Bell and Milic, 2002, p. 205). Ragan (1982) analyzed gender differences in 1,296 portrait photos from high school and university yearbooks, concluding there are gender differences; females smiled more than males, smiled more expansively than males, tilted their heads at greater angles than males, faced the camera less directly than males, and wore glasses less frequently than males. While this research identifies gender differences, it was limited by an influential factor: Photographers posed the subjects (Ragan, 1982). In hopes of accounting for this limitation, Mills (1984) conducted a study in which 34 men and 34 women were asked to present themselves as typical college students in pictures. Mills’ findings reinforced the suggestion that females smile more, and smile more expansively, than males. Gender stereotypes also abound in video games. Female characters are represented as highly sexualized while male characters possess exaggerated strength, are hypermasculine, aggressive, and, with the exception of showing hostility, lack emotion. They are also less likely to display helping or nurturing qualities (Robinson, Callister, Clark, & Phillips, 2008). One study found that the central role for male characters was ‘‘competitor’’ while females’ central roles were ‘‘victim,’’ ‘‘damsel in distress,’’ or ‘‘evil obstacle’’ for the hero to overcome (Heintz-Knowles et al., 2001). The findings of these video game content analyses have remained fairly consistent over time and have also been shown to be perceived by audiences (Robinson et al., 2008). Based on the work from several decades of research on gender roles from the fields of advertising, television, photography, digital gaming studies, and cultural studies, it is apparent that masculinity often implies strength, ambition, and independence, whereas femininity implies physical attractiveness, reverence, and sentimentality (Wood, 2009). The rapid growth of digital media invites researchers interested in the cultural impact of gender to investigate this alternative outlet for self-presentation. This study provides a natural extension of such work in investigation of gender differences in self-selected Facebook profile pictures. Self-Presentation Goffman (1959) argued that individuals were concerned with self-presentation during all social encounters. This is because, among other reasons, impressions impact the opinions of others regardless of an individual’s intentions. Burr (2002) claims J. Rose et al. The other people making up our audience can, by their own conduct, either legitimate or reject our claim to be a certain kind of person, and Goffman (1959) argues that this is done by carefully monitoring the match or mismatch between what we ‘give’ (the things we say or do to create an impression) and what we ‘give off’ (the body language, our general demeanor—the communicative aspects of our conduct that are harder for us to control and manipulate). The creation and maintenance of impressions is therefore a two-way street (2002, p. 73). Hence, for Goffman (1959), the ‘‘presentation of self in everyday life’’ and the roles maintained are pertinent to everyday interaction. People constantly play characters to avoid embarrassment and to ‘‘fit-in’’ with social norms. Gender role, then, focuses on the collectivity of logical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses to social situations (Burr, 2002). Most self-presentation studies have examined the concept only in face-to-face communication (Goffman, 1959; Leary 1996). Recent studies (Oh, 2004; Cho, 2006) about self-presentation in personal websites analyze only the styles and not gender display specifically. Similar to face-to-face contexts, individuals do make choices about gender-related impressions over the Internet. A number of studies, for example, have demonstrated extensive ‘‘gender-swapping’’ in ‘‘avatar’’ creation for online gaming and in text-based CMC (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Suler, 1999). In these virtual environments, physical identity markers are not apparent and, as a result, the self is more fluid and changeable (Gergen, 1991) and offers increased opportunities for strategic self-presentation (Walther, 1993; Walther, Anderson, & Park, 1994). Gender is often one of the variables that communicators can consciously shape in these mediated environments (Roberts & Parks, 1999; Bruckman, 1993; Wilbur, 1996). Some researchers have gone so far as to argue that the computer-mediated environment is a gender-bending world (Witmer & Katzman, 1997). Modern gaming environments, in particular, allow gamers to design or choose ‘‘avatars,’’ their virtual self in the gaming world, that possess a variety of differing characteristics such as height, weight, age, gender, dress, and profession. In these environments, the avatar becomes ‘‘inextricably linked to their performance of self and engagement in [a virtual] community’’ (Taylor , 1999, p. 438). Despite the above cited studies of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ and self-presentation in CMC, no researchers have examined the extent to which social media users ascribe to gender stereotypes in their presentation of self on the Internet. Samp, Wittenberg, and Gillett (2003) examined the extent to which ‘‘gender schematic’’ individuals (individuals with either strong masculine or feminine gender orientations versus androgynous orientations) and individuals who were high (versus low) self-monitoring engaged in gender-swapping on the Internet. The researchers in this study used self-report data from Internet users about their online gender-swapping behavior generally. The researchers in the current study, by contrast, provide a content analysis of actual Facebook profile pictures in terms of the presence or absence of gender stereotypes and do not focus on gender swapping. Hancock and Toma’s 2009 study of profile pictures on online dating websites created and posted with the intention of creating relationships comes closest to the focus of the current study. In line with Goffman’s (1959) suggestion that self-presentation is the process of packaging and editing the self in order to create a certain impression for an audience, Hancock and Toma (2009) examined the impact of gender on self-presentation and social desirability. They found that both women and men ‘‘edit’’ their profiles to create a better self-presentation through self-enhancement (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Some participate in ‘‘selective self-presentation,’’ an even more controlled act of impression management in which imag es are changed or distorted, often leading to further inaccuracy portrayed by the profile (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Having the ability to ‘‘select’’ or specifically change or display particular points of interest, the users can greatly affect the impression made of them (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Both men and women on the online dating social network use ‘‘selective self-presentation’’ to their advantage to give the impression of being more desirable to their audiences. Hancock and Toma (2009) suggest men and women can control their self-presentation through social networks (i.e., online dating sites). Such sites comprise one segment of social networks; Facebook is another. Realizing stereotypical gender roles are present in society, Dominick (1999) studied how men and women presented themselves on personal homepages. Dominick (1999) coded 500 randomly sampled personal homepages based on demographic and personal information, creative expressions, and photographs. He used Jones’ (1997) five strategies of image construction: ingratiation (state ments of modesty, familiarity, and humor); competence (statements of abilities and achievements); intimidation (statements of anger and unpleasantness); exemplification (acts of moral superiority); and supplication (images of helplessness, while acting self-deprecating; Dominick, 1999). He concluded that females released more information than males while both males and females were equally likely to have photographs on their pages. Women’s photographs tended to be more sentimental in nature, while men’s more often were ‘‘joke images’’ and images that made them seem more competent and capable. He concluded that ‘‘A personal web page can be viewed as a carefully constructed selfpresentation’’ (Dominick, 1999, p. 647). Dominick asserted that the concept of impression construction exposes the different strategies men and women use to present themselves through images and information to gain a higher level of likeability, respect, and power in society (1999). Jones (1997) noted that individuals strive to be liked and accepted, resulting in social rewards such as friendship, social support, companionship, romance, and social status. Because smiling is associated with being liked and competent, Jones (1997) correlates gestures with the ingratiation and competence strategies of image construction. As Facebook was not founded until 2004, Dominick’s (1999) study is expanded upon in this study (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet). Buffardi and Campbell (2008) studied whether photographs from a variety of social networks are self-promoting. They state, ‘‘Self-promoting connoted persuading others about one’s own positive traits’’ (p. 1307) and define physical attractiveness as the degree to which an individual appears self-promoting and vain in a photograph. While not examining gender differences in self-promotion per se, the researchers did examine ‘‘how sexy and modest . . . the individual in the main photo appeared to be’’ (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008, p. 1307).

Accordig To The Requirement In The File Example

Accordig To The Requirement In The File Example Accordig To The Requirement In The File – Assignment Example number The Starting Point And Scattering Of Anatomically Modern Homo Sapiens It is now known that anatomically modern Homo sapiens originated from Africa, and then dispersed to Europe and Asia. This discovery does come with evidence, and there have been different models explaining how the dispersal took place, and why researchers and archaeologists have come to a conclusion that these anatomically modern Homo sapiens came from Africa. One of such models is explained by Mellars who indicates that there are two explanations to the origin and dispersion. The first possibility is that the anatomically modern Homo sapiens moved from Africa through North Africa and the Nile Valley, then dispersed to the East Asia and west Europe. The second possibility through which they dispersed to Asia and Europe is from Ethiopia, across that edge of the Red Sea, moving eastward along the South Asian coastline, or northward through Arabia.Current evidence showing such origin and dispersal are from Mitoc hondrial DNA analysis coupled with archaeological findings in Africa. Currently, Mitochondrial DNA lineage analysis strongly supports the second hypothesis about the dispersal of this anatomically modern Homo sapiens. The analysis indicates that it is only the L3 lineage members that dispersed from Africa. The lineage then diversified into N, M, and R derivative lineages. These are commonly found in modern Asian populations, but they diversified into Southern Asia and Malaysia at least 50,000 Before Present and 65,000 Before Present respectively. Studies on the Y chromosome also reveal similar conclusion. This only means that the anatomically modern Homo sapiens dispersed into Europe and southwest Asia through western or central Asia (Mellars). Work CitedMellars, Paul. Why Did Modern Human Populations Disperse From Africa ca. 60,000 Years Ago? A New Model. PNAS, 105 (25). Web.pnas.org/content/103/25/9381.long

Oracle California

Oracle California Introduction/Background On May 31, 2001, Oracle Corporation (Oracle), with the assistance of its dependent broker Logicon Inc (Logicon), sealed a six-year enterprise licensing agreement (ELA) with the state of California to provide statewide database software and maintenance support to over 270,000 state employees. On face value, the contract, worth almost $95 million, seemed beneficial to the state in not only achieving significant volume discounts by broadly licensing the software, but also reducing its overall administrative costs (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Overall, it was argued by Oracle and Logicon’s officials that the statewide software contract would help California save up to $100 million in taxpayers’ dollars over six to 10 years (Borland, 2002; Gilbert 2002b).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oracle California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More But as noted in a report by the California State Auditor, this contract could have seen the state spend $6 million to $41 million more on Oracle database software and maintenance support than it would have if no contract was sealed (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). The present paper analyzes the Oracle and California case in depth, its major actors, triggering forces, consequences and long-term effects. Problem Discussion The Oracle and state of California case, it can be argued, revolves around poor contracting practices as witnessed by the loopholes and oversights inherent when the state entered into an ELA with Oracle (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Information technology (IT) is generally considered an enabler of the state’s agility, particularly when its use results in massive cost efficiencies and productivity (Reddick, 2012). In this particular case, however, â€Å"†¦a preliminary survey by the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) of 127 state departments two months earlier strongly suggested that relatively few s tate workers might need or want any new Oracle Corporation (Oracle) products† (Howle Hendrickson, 2002, p. 1). But state officials went ahead to buy into the deal despite prior knowledge from the survey which insinuated that Oracle products were not a priority. Additionally, it is evident how Logicon, the official reseller for Oracle, quickly immersed itself in the deal and aimed for key contacts that it would need in Sacramento political circles not only to win political favoritism (Borland, 2002), but also reap handsomely in a deal that state officials admit they never took adequate time to ascertain Logicon’s data (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). While it is arguable that Oracle viewed the California case in light of victimization due to political temperatures reminiscent of an election year (Gilbert, 2002a), it is evident how the contract was grounded in political influence and smoothed by capitol relationships (Borland, 2002). But although the state legislative audit c ommittee held two months hearings with 30 witnesses and 2500 pages of documents, contradictory testimony throughout the trial proved inadequate in providing an accurate picture of how the multi-million deal was finalized or structured (Borland, 2002). Consequently, the following analysis is an attempt to provide in-depth insights into some overriding scenarios of the case.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Analysis To date, it remains difficult to outline the undercurrents of Oracle and California case, but at least we can now map out the factors that come into play to precipitate the case. In one of his recommendations to the Governor’s office, Kelso cited in Peterson (2002) advocates for â€Å"†¦a clearer assignment of roles and responsibilities for IT planning, management, procurement and project management† (p. 1). The lack of this function cou pled with a faulty contracting system, in my view, allowed Logicon the opportunity to exploit weak governance structures and push through a defective deal. While the state was loosing money, Logicon stood to make a massive $28 million from the ELA, a fact that state officials may not have been apprised of (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Political maneuvers on the part of Logicon to ensure the contract went through complicated issues (Gilbert, 2002a), but not to the extent demonstrated by state bureaucrats, who not only failed to scrutinize the deal as much as they could have, but never questioned Oracle’s promises of cost savings and estimates for the number of business licenses that the state would need (Borland, 2002). Up until now, it is yet unclear why the above oversights and errors were committed. Although ultimately California officially canceled the sprawling six-year contract with Oracle on July 23 2002 (Borland, 2002; Gilbert, 2002b), contradictory testimony throughout the trial means that it may not be clear how and why these oversights and errors went unnoticed (Borland, 2002). To date, according to this author, â€Å"†¦it’s also unclear whether Oracle or Logicon is to blame for the convoluted contract – or whether state officials were too trusting of the promised cost savings and license estimates in the first place† (para. 13). It may not be clear why the convoluted contract involving California and Oracle went through despite shortcomings, but it is certainly clear who the major players were. From the critical evaluation of literature on the case, it cannot escape mention that both Oracle and Logicon undertook critical roles in ensuring the contract went through. The role played by the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) was equally critical in facilitating a faulty deal that investigations revealed could have led to the loss of millions of taxpayers’ money (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). In particular, th e General Services and Information Technology departments bore a heavy burden of the case (Borland, 2002)Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oracle California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While reading through the various documents highlighting the case, it is clear that Logicon engaged in adaptive malpractices with the help of Ravi Mehta to win the contract for Oracle and afterwards benefit financially through contract fees and loyalties (Borland, 2002). Mehta’s greatest contribution, it seems, was to scout for ‘political connectedness’ to win the contract for Oracle through campaign money contributions. Indeed, governor Gray Davis had already received a $25,000 campaign contribution from Oracle some few days after the deal was signed (Borland, 2002), not mentioning that Mehta, acting for Logicon, solicited the assistance of Sen. Richard Polanco and Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh with an obvious intention of sealing the contract (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Therefore, it can be argued, the salient trend reminiscent throughout the pre-contract signing era was for Logicon to act as the deal broker while Oracle provided the financial resources needed for political maneuvering. Inside the state agencies, it is evident from the case readings that the General Services limited their legal counselors in all contracts, causing vague contractual terms and missing language that went a long way to open a window of opportunity for misuse and misrepresentation (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). This particular department, in conjunction with the department of Finance, had also been accused for failing to effectively evaluate the state’s actual need for the Oracle contract. Employees from the IT department were also netted as major players as they, in conjunction with their counterparts in Finance and General Services, approved the ELA without taking the necessary steps to validate the cos ts savings projections presented by Logicon (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Moving away from the key players, it is imperative to analyze the consequences and the aftermath of the contract, as well as the long-term effects. By far the biggest consequence of the convoluted contract was the wounding up of the state’s department of information technology (Gilbert, 2002b), an institution that had been established in 1995 to steer the state clear of IT-related system failures and challenges (Peterson 2002; California Technology Agency, 2011). An underlying consequence or aftermath of the contract was the resignation of senior state officials, including Eliaz Cortez, the then head of the state’s department of information technology (Gilbert, 2002b). Politicians who accepted campaign contributions from Ravi Mehta of Logicon as a means to woo political favors also suffered heavy political setbacks from the exposure.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Indeed, Governor Davis, who was due for re-election in November 2002, had to return the $25,000 campaign contribution facilitated by Oracle upon the signing of the contract (Borland, 2002; Howle Hendrickson, 2002; Gilbert 2002b). It is also obvious that both Logicon and Oracle suffered from dented images and public reputation, a fact that is evident from the accusations and counter-accusations both firms traded against each other during the Audit hearings. In one instance, Oracle executives said they all but ignored Mehta’s recommendations that the software giant contributes money to political campaigns (Borland, 2002), but they still went ahead to contribute $25,000 to Governor Davis’ campaign kitty (Howle Hendrickson, 2002). Such misalignment of facts caused embarrassment for Oracle and its main lobbyist in the deal – Logicon. The long-term effects of the convoluted contract are best illuminated by Kelso in his recommendations to the office of Governor. Amon g the most important, Kelso cited in Peterson (2002) underlines the need â€Å"†¦to have a clearer assignment of roles and responsibilities for IT planning management, procurement and project management† (p. 1). It is generally felt that some overlap of roles as well as confusion about which state agency or department was ultimately responsible for which type of IT project may have given a window of opportunity for the defective contract to progress, thus the need to undertake long-term measures of not only making clear assignments of roles and responsibilities, but also encouraging public input and public vetting of major IT projects to avoid such oversights and errors (Peterson, 2002). Lastly, the Oracle California case also demonstrates the need for long-term concerted efforts aimed at aligning the state’s IT governance structure with the actual structure of California state government with the view to achieve harmony among the many dispersed units (Peterson, 2 002). In the view of many commentators, the dispersed governance structure and the level of autonomy exercised by state agencies and departments could have exacerbated the situation. Conclusion Key Learning Outcomes Through an insightful analysis of available literature, the present paper has brought important angles of the Oracle and California case into the limelight. As already mentioned elsewhere, the investigators failed to unearth what was really going on due to the nature and complexity of the evidence adduced (Howle Hendrickson, 2002), but the investigation was closed with deep criticism of almost every single player involved (Borland, 2002). A major key learning for state officials is to what is right instead of what they feel is politically expedient. Another key learning revolves around avoiding political and monetary influence in undertaking state contracts. Additionally, the convoluted contract exposes the need to have effective state employees who have the capacity t o synthesize and make meaning of all contractual documents, as well as the need for effective leadership, coordination and collaboration between various state agencies and departments to seal all loopholes that could be used by self-interested contractors and individuals to achieve selfish gains (Peterson, 2002). Reference List Borland, J. (2002). Lawmaker: â€Å"Influence† drove Oracle deal. CNET News. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/news/lawmaker-influence-drove-oracle-deal/ California Technology Agency. (2011). History of the California Technology Agency. Retrieved from https://cdt.ca.gov/about/ Gilbert, A. (2002a). Auditors joust over Oracle contract. CNET News. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/news/auditors-joust-over-oracle-contract/ Gilbert, A. (2002b). California cancels Oracle contract. CNET News. Retrieved from https://www.cnet.com/news/california-cancels-oracle-contract/ Howle, E.M., Hendrickson, S.M. (2002). Enterprise Licensing Agreement: The State failed to exercise due diligence when contracting with Oracle, potentially costing tax payers millions of dollars. California State Auditor. Retrieved from bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2001-128.pdf Peterson, S. (2002). California DOIT closes up shop. Government Technology. Retrieved from https://www.govtech.com/e-government/Californias-DOIT-Closes-Up-Shop.html Reddick, C.G. (2012). Public administration and information technology. Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning.

Fascinating Facts About the January Birthstone Gorgeous Garnet

Fascinating Facts About the January Birthstone Gorgeous Garnet SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips January babies and the people who love them, get ready to learn about one of the oldest and diverse birthstones around: the garnet. This January birthstone has more than 20 different varieties, has been found on every continent, and has a history dating back thousands of years. Read on to learn everything you need to know about garnets, from the rainbow of colors they come in, to what they signify, and fun facts about this gemstone. What Color Are Garnets? What is the January birthstone color? The most common and well-known color for garnets is a dark red. Under some dim lighting conditions, the garnet stone is such a dark color it can look almost black. However, in well-lit areas, the deep red color of the garnet will become clear as the stone sparkles in the light. Red garnets are the most common, but garnets can be found in a wide range of colors including oranges, purplish and pinkish reds, yellows, blues, and greens. Green garnets, known as either demantoid or tsavorite garnets depending on their composition, are a particularly rare and valuable form of the gem. Blue garnets, also very rare, have the ability to alter the appearance of their color. In natural light, they appear blue-green, but this changes to purple under artificial lighting. A green garnet set in a necklace. What Do Garnets Signify? Garnets symbolize friendship and trust, and they are a great gift to give to someone who has been a loyal friend. Additionally, garnets also symbolize a separated love and hope for a quick return. The reason for this comes from a Greek myth where the god Hades gave the goddess Persephone a pomegranate when she left him to ensure her quick return. Garnets are often associated with pomegranates because the name garnet comes from the Greek phrase â€Å"pomum granatum† which means pomegranate seed. And it’s true, small garnets do resemble the dark red seeds of a pomegranate! In addition to being the birthstone for January, garnets are the gemstone traditionally given on 2nd wedding anniversaries, and they are also the state mineral of Connecticut and the state gemstone of New York. The star garnet, a rare variety which appears to have a star shape in the center when cut, is the state gemstone of Idaho. Where Are Garnets Found? Garnets are one of the most widespread gems, and they have been found in many regions around the world, including Russia, the Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Tanzania, India, Thailand, the USA, and Brazil. Today, the highest-quality garnets are found in East Africa, particularly Tanzania and Kenya. In the 1990s, a deposit of rare blue garnets was discovered in Madagascar. To date, this is the only place on Earth where blue garnets have been found. Wouldn't that be a great January birthstone gift! During the 19th and 20th centuries, green garnets were thought to exist almost exclusively in Russia’s Ural mountains, but since the 1970s deposits have been found in Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya, and, to a smaller extent, Pakistan and Antarctica. Garnets are often found near the Earth’s surface, usually within pebbles in riverbeds or deposited on beaches. They can be found within metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rocks, although metamorphic deposits are the most common and where nearly all red garnets are found. A deposit of garnets that have yet to be cut and polished. A Brief History of Garnets For thousands of years, people across the world have admired and coveted garnets, whether because they believed the stones had special powers or just for their beauty. Some of the oldest garnets have been found in Egyptian tombs, as part of necklaces created over 5,000 years ago to decorate the bodies of pharaohs. In ancient Roman times, garnets were highly prized and frequently used to decorate sword hilts and gold jewelry. During this time, garnets became a widely-traded gem and the most popular gemstone in the ancient Roman world. In the Middle Ages, garnets were a favored gemstone of both clergy and the nobility. A large deposit of garnets discovered in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), helped garnets become more popular and spread throughout Europe. Garnets reached their highest peak of popularity in the late 1800s when they were one of the most fashionable gemstones to purchase and wear. The rare and valuable green demantoid garnets were prized by Russian czars, and the famed Russian jeweler Gustav Fabergà © (known for his jeweled eggs) often used them in his work. During the Victorian Era, jewelry with melanite garnets, garnets with an opaque black color, were especially popular in Europe. Garnets are now a popular gemstone throughout the world, prized for their rich hues and rainbow of colors. In addition to being used as a gemstone, garnets’ high abrasiveness makes them useful for industrial purposes, such as sandblasting and water filtration. In fact, the majority of garnets harvested today are used for industrial purposes. Only the highest-quality stones are used for jewelry and other decorative uses. An antique brooch featuring a garnet in the center. Using Garnets in Jewelry Looking to buy a January birthstone for a lucky someone? Garnets can be cut to almost any size and shape, so they are used in many types of jewelry, including rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. They are often set in gold to highlight the deep red color most commonly found in garnets. The cost of a garnet will vary widely depending on its size, cut, color, and clarity, but garnets are less expensive than many other gemstones because of their abundance. You can often find garnet jewelry for less than $100, making it a great gift. Red garnets are the most common and least expensive variety of the gemstone, while blue and green garnets are the most expensive. Garnets have a high hardness and refractive index, which means they are both brilliant and difficult to damage. This makes them durable and eye-catching stones to use in jewelry. A garnet bracelet that shows off the dark color of the stones. Interesting Facts About the January Birthstone Because garnets and diamonds form under similar conditions, the two stones are often found together. In fact, there have even been some instances of diamonds being found inside garnets. In the Bible, it’s said that Noah used a garnet lantern to help navigate his ark in the night. Many early travelers carried a garnet with them as the stone was thought to help protect the owner from evil and provide light during the night. Garnets were also believed to bring victory in battle. Crusaders often carried jewelry or ornaments that contained garnets to protect them as they fought. Also, when they fought against the British in 1892, the Hunza people of what is now Pakistan used garnet bullets in battle because they thought they were more deadly than lead bullets. In the Middle Ages, garnets were purported to have numerous healing powers, and they were believed to reduce fever, bleeding, and inflammation. Keeping one by you while you slept was also believed to ward off nightmares.

State of Israel and the future threats. I argue that the biggest Essay

State of Israel and the future threats. I argue that the biggest threat could be marks of the Israeli state in the future will be an internal threat more than any external enemy - Essay Example Finally conclusions were arrived at based on the findings of the work. This work is based on secondary sources for retrieving relevant information pertaining to the topic. In this regard, reliable sources such as academic books, authentic websites, journals, and government documents were scrutinised. This work proves that Israel has been threatened to a major extent by the internal problems discussed, rather than any external threats. This region comprised of Israel was under British rule from 1917 to 1948, and during this period the Arab religious groups underwent several crucial socio – economic changes. Such change was not uniform across the various religious groups and displayed considerable diversity. The Christian Arabs experienced this change, much more swiftly than the Druze and the Muslims. The fertility rate declined among these groups, with the exception of the Muslim Arabs. 1 From the economic perspective, Israel had been envisaging a number of difficulties. This nation had not achieved a transformation into a competitive market system from a socialist state, as at the end of the 20th century. The military was obliged to address new dangers from inimical Islamic nations, such as Iraq and Iran, which boasted of long range missiles in their arsenal. Furthermore, the military had to address the challenge of becoming a more technical and less manpower intensive force. 2 However, significant change was in the offing for Israel, during the commencement of the 21st century. Internally, the denizens of this nation had been struggling with traditional and contemporary issues. Some of these issues were those of religion and state and their relationship to Jewish identity. Another issue pertained to the endeavours to mitigate religious influence upon personal matters, such as marriage and divorce. 3 The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel was made at Tel Aviv, on 14

W 6 Marketing A&S answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W 6 Marketing A&S answers - Essay Example ent can be made for the use of advertisement, particularly billboard advertisement as forms of promotion rather than communication as the most effective way to approach advertisement in the healthcare sector. This stand is taken with the position that Berkowitz (2010) takes on the public perception and expectation from advertisement. In their opinion, the growing concern of the public on quality and cost as the two most critical variables for consideration when deciding on health service gives service providers a major responsibility to ensuring that they are able to meet the consumer at the point of this perception. Meanwhile, using advertisement for the form of communication only emphasizes on issues of advocacy without giving prior concern to competitive arguments such as differences in quality and cost. Based on this reasoning, it would generally be accepted that the best way to portray healthcare advertisement is to use it as a form of promotion where the advertiser persuades the recipient on key aspects of quality and cost that the company in charge has to offer. In a related study by Sprigings and Allen (2012), it was confirmed that affordability and quality are the most important factors the customers look out for in advertisement. In billboard advertisement also, there is often not sufficient space to say more. The space that is secured would therefore be best used to promote than communicate as communicating advertisements require more space and messages (Berkowitz,

Exam Notes - Strategic Management Analysis Essay - 1

Exam Notes - Strategic Management Analysis - Essay Example The company engages in the business of producing electric vehicles that are more efficient and appealing to many users than the steam cars. It exists to improve the environmental conditions that the previous locomotives have degraded due to the high level of greenhouse gases that they emit into the atmosphere. Despite the rigidity and complexity of the motor industry, Better Place Company cooperates with all stakeholders to control a sisable market share and beat competition. For example, the company targets corporate clients to be the potential buyers of electric vehicles it intends to manufacture. This group of stakeholders is imperative because the targeted consumers can influence the operations in the company by either propelling it to success in the market or reducing its dominance if they refuse to purchase the products. Governments are the second major stakeholders for the company. They include national governments and local authorities of the country and specific areas where the company operates a franchise. For instance, the company operates in the United States and intends to open branches in Israel, Denmark, Japan, Canada, and Australia among others globally. The branch in Israel is very significant to the company because it specialises in research and development to improve the quality of output. This means that the company must work with the respective government of each country to ensure uninterrupted operations and sustainability. These governments are equally important because their policies, in areas of taxation and electric utility may affect the company. The other important category of stakeholders for this company is its suppliers. This group includes car manufacturers, battery companies and venture capital firms whose contributions and influences to the company are immense. For example, venture capital firms are important to the organisation because they provide the much needed capital for startup. For instance, they helped the company to r aise a total of $200 million to initiate the business (Etzion & Struben 2011, p. 2). Battery manufacturers, including Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, A123 Systems and Automotive Energy Supply Corporation are also significant because they would provide connectivity for the electronic vehicles with switching stations, positioned to charge and swap batteries so that the vehicles would change them at convenience (Etzion & Struben 2011, p. 6). In addition, there has to be battery chargers at each station capacitated to charge the batteries within the shortest time possible. The car manufacturers such as General Motors, Ford, Subaru, Mitsubishi, and Toyota would provide experts who will contribute to the development of the electric cars (Etzion & Struben 2011, p. 12). Figure1: Stakeholder Analysis Topic 2 - Industry and Scenario Analyses In this scenario, the analysis is on Porter’s five forces, including the suppliers, potential entrants, buyers, substitutes, and competitive rivalry th at have a remarkable impact on the progress of the company (Porter 2008, p. 3). Certainly, the company understands that changes in the means of transportation came from the need to counter the increasing animals’ wastes and nuisance that they caused in urban centers. Other changes that necessitated the manufacturing of electric vehicles were the adoption of clean energy and other liquid fuels, which include ethanol, kerosene and gasoline in addition to petrol (Etzion & Struben

Historical Overview of Reentry for Exoffenders Research Paper

Historical Overview of Reentry for Exoffenders - Research Paper Example Likewise, it cannot be viewed as an option, but it ultimately reflects the iron law of imprisonment: They all come back (Mays & Winfree, 2009). With the ever increasing number of prisoners in the U.S. Jails, and with about 600,000 prisoners leaving prison every year at an average of around 1,600 ex-convicts per day, the United States Department of Justice launched the first Reentry Partnership Initiative in 1999 (Mays & Winfree, 2009). The Reentry programming launched was structured around the principles guiding community prosecution and oriented policing. It works on building on criminological research, which has proven that informal social controls like peer groups, family and other community social factors will ultimately have a more direct influence on an ex-convicts behavior after their release from prison as compared to the more formal social controls such as the use of probation and parole supervision (Carison, & Carrett, 2007). Reentry programming also tries to create and develop close ties and partnerships between the existing criminal justice agencies and the community groups. Finally, it is committed to implement ing only the best practices that seem to work based on the empirical research conducted. A prisoner’s reentry is generally not classified as a single event but as a process comprising of a series of several events that are spread out across a given timeline and are often interrelated and all geared towards the culmination of the release of an individual prisoner from prison into the larger free community (Mays & Winfree, 2009). The prisoner reentry process is supposed to begin immediately a prisoner is convicted and starts serving a confinement sentence at a prison facility. The process can be subdivided into several subsequent stages. An ideal Prisoner reentry model should include four stages: These are prison-based rehabilitation, transitional services, community after –

Why was the Nile River important for the rise of successful states in Essay

Why was the Nile River important for the rise of successful states in North Africa - Essay Example The river flows for more than 4000 miles through the Sahara desert, farmlands, swamps, villages, and large cities. Across its length, the Nile divides into several streams to form a delta before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is regarded as international waters shared among countries along its source, flow, and mouth including Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt. Since time in memorial, rivers have shaped the course of human history creating and sustaining great civilisations along its banks. River Nile is the birthplace of the greatest civilisations in the ancient world in Northern Africa and its importance remains vital to date. This paper seeks to highlight the importance of the Nile River for the rise of successful states in North Africa. The Nile forms large water basin along its length that has proven essential to nations in North Africa. The Sahara desert extends to nations serviced by river Nile including Egypt and Sudan creating varying climate regions. In North Africa, Egypt and Sudan receive sparse rainfall while as the south receives heavy downpour, contributing flooding in the north. The floodwaters drain to the north carrying with them fertile soil that formed the foundation of life in North Africa. The regular flooding of the Nile River emptied in valleys leaving them highly fertile and ready for growing season. Ancient civilisations established farming techniques to cater for their population, providing enough food for consumption and excess for trade purposes. Besides the fertile lands, river Nile provided water for irrigation purposes in farms along the river during the dry season. Farmers practised basin irrigation, which was a prolific adjustment of the natural rise and fall of the river where they regulated the flow of floodwaters into the basin through a network of earthen banks along the river. Irrigation allowed cultivation of large tracks of land even during the dry summer to provide food fo r the emerging civilisation. This saw a significant expansion of agricultural practices making Egypt and surrounding settlements the breadbasket for other civilisations such as the Roman Empire. Agricultural production received a boost with the construction of the Aswan High Dam, which saw the water harnessed for irrigation purposes leading to increased food production (Awulachew et al 12). The farmers cultivated wheat, barley, flax, and vegetables while rearing fowl, cattle, sheep, and goats. Agriculture played an important role in the economies of countries along the Nile basin by providing food to sustain the population. The existing government became wealthy and strong among the neighbouring nations leading to prosperity among its population. Owing to the increased production of food, there was an influx of population along the river valleys. The increase in population necessitated amicable governance for a harmonious existence. In addition, the population increase strained avai lable resources leading to the expansion of the existing settlements to accommodate new families. This contributed to the establishment of towns and cities along the fertile valleys of river Nile and with the intensified population growth, the leaders established territories governed through stratified government organs. The Nile River provides a stable source of water for both domestic and industrial use, which ensured a low cost of production of goods and services translating to increased efficiency and level of production. In regard to this, the economy thrives owing social security creating unlimited potential in terms of growth. This is especially because the government can focus on other economic sectors by committing large

Historical Overview of Reentry for Exoffenders Research Paper

Historical Overview of Reentry for Exoffenders - Research Paper Example Likewise, it cannot be viewed as an option, but it ultimately reflects the iron law of imprisonment: They all come back (Mays & Winfree, 2009). With the ever increasing number of prisoners in the U.S. Jails, and with about 600,000 prisoners leaving prison every year at an average of around 1,600 ex-convicts per day, the United States Department of Justice launched the first Reentry Partnership Initiative in 1999 (Mays & Winfree, 2009). The Reentry programming launched was structured around the principles guiding community prosecution and oriented policing. It works on building on criminological research, which has proven that informal social controls like peer groups, family and other community social factors will ultimately have a more direct influence on an ex-convicts behavior after their release from prison as compared to the more formal social controls such as the use of probation and parole supervision (Carison, & Carrett, 2007). Reentry programming also tries to create and develop close ties and partnerships between the existing criminal justice agencies and the community groups. Finally, it is committed to implement ing only the best practices that seem to work based on the empirical research conducted. A prisoner’s reentry is generally not classified as a single event but as a process comprising of a series of several events that are spread out across a given timeline and are often interrelated and all geared towards the culmination of the release of an individual prisoner from prison into the larger free community (Mays & Winfree, 2009). The prisoner reentry process is supposed to begin immediately a prisoner is convicted and starts serving a confinement sentence at a prison facility. The process can be subdivided into several subsequent stages. An ideal Prisoner reentry model should include four stages: These are prison-based rehabilitation, transitional services, community after –

Quest For Vengeance And Distorted Personalities Essay

Quest For Vengeance And Distorted Personalities - Essay Example This essay examines the adverse effects vengeance has had on the central figure of Paulina in Death And The Maiden, and Claire Zachanassian in The Visit. Death And The Maiden, combining effortlessly elements of suspense, mystery and morality, intertwines them with highly interesting insights into the psychological recesses of a victim, forced to live with the open wounds of her persecution. The play, taking place in an unnamed country, is set in the times when the country has just escaped from a brutal fascist regime. Paulina lives with her husband Gerardo, who was once an activist working against the dictatorship and is now a member of a committee assigned to investigate human-rights violations. A few years back, Paulina was kidnapped and brutally raped and tortured while blindfolded, by a sadistic doctor who played Franz Schubert's quartet "Death And The Maiden." She believes that the stranger that her husband has now brought into their home is the doctor responsible for her traumatic experience. She imprisons the doctor, extracts a forced confession from him and yet, instead of killing him, lets him go in the end. The play provides the reader with ample chances to look inside the tortured soul of Paulina and understand the extent to which her personality has been distorted by her past experiences. Paulina insists fiercely that the prisoner be put on trial and adamantly refuses to hear the moderate voice of her husband, showing that she has lost all rationality and reason and is blinded by a terrible rage. By depicting this, Dorfman has shown how thirst for revenge remains dormant, hiding beneath the layers of a victim's, in this case Paulina's, personality creating an illusion of normalcy, lulling the victim's loved ones into a false sense of complacency. However, when Paulina is shown to be reliving a traumatic experience from her past, her hatred resurfaces again with such violence that it shocks. When Paulina binds the doctor to a chair, she gags him using her panties. This action of hers is highly insightful as it shows that the doctor's total degradation is her main aim and nothing else, and only the most humiliating treatment meted out to her prisoner will satisfy her. She does this because unconsciously she desires the doctor to go through the same mental and emotional torment that she went through. Seeing him helpless, physically bound and gagged, writhing in agony and even unable to feed himself, gives her a deep, perverse satisfaction. Keeping her secret activities against the fascist regime of her country and her courage during her captivity in view, we can safely to assume that Paulina is a decent human being with a high moral sense and belief in lofty ideals such as freedom and justice, but when it comes to Dr. Roberto Miranda, she remorselessly throws all those ideals to the wind and becomes a tigress, thirsty for blood. Dorfman effectively highlights the inner turmoil of Paulina's soul by juxtaposing her tormented psyche with physical proof of how much she suffers. The reader can actually feel her nerves taut with tension due to her clipped dialogues and her equally explosive diatribes. The following tirade of hers, serves as a clear indication of her suffering under a spell of hatred, as she says, "And why

U.S. War on Terror-Iraq Essay Example for Free

U.S. War on Terror-Iraq Essay The U. S in the aftermath of terrorist incidents on September 11 in the mainland America embarked upon an anti-terrorist campaign in the world. In a following state of the union address by the president of the U. S. , Iraq was declared to comprise the â€Å"axis of evil†. President George W. Bush affirmed that the Iraqi regime exhibited its grave aggression toward United States, and hankered after to build up â€Å"weapons of mass destruction† for more than a decade. Bush further illustrated the Iraqi government as a grave and growing danger as it might employ â€Å"weapons of mass destruction† to blackmail or attack the US. He further showed a connection between Saddam Hussein’s government and terrorist groups. Bush declared that the United States of America will not permit the worlds most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the worlds most dangerous weapons. (U. S. Executive Office. 2002) Vice President Dick Cheney re-emaphzised the threat from Iraq and stated that we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. He also declared that many of us are convinced that Saddam will acquire nuclear weapons fairly soon†¦containment is not possible when dictators obtain weapons of mass destruction and are prepared to share them with terrorists who intend to inflict catastrophic casualties on the United States. † Earnest preparations were set in motion to launch a military invasion against Iraq. An attempt at cobbling coalition of countries on the pattern of 1990 antedating the gulf-war 1 fell miserably short of its intended objectives, as U. K alone notably contributed towards the war plan, in addition to mere token contributions from Australia. As military mien and might were accumulated around Iraq with fanfare fro the purpose of war, a resolution was presented to the united nations security council as a product of after thought on the part of the U. S. and on the promptings of the British prime minister . The underlying in tent in the resolution was the conferment of legitimacy upon the anticipated invasion of Iraq. The UN resolution 1441 passed unanimously on November 8, 2002 sanctioned U. N. inspection teams to bring about disarmament of Iraq. (U. N. Security Council, 2002) The use of military force was not envisaged by the majority of the Security Council members to affect disarmament. The US and its allies moved another resolution in the council to sanction use of military force against Iraq. However, due to the inability to secure required number of votes for its passage in the SC, the resolution was withdrawn by the Y. S. The eagerness to rationalize its war efforts against Iraq led the U. S. to project shifting rational of war from disarmament of Iraq suspected to be in possession of the weapons of mass destruction, to the regime change, through bringing about political liberation and introduction of democracy in Iraq, to some others. Finally, the real motives underlying the military invasion of Iraq could not remain without coming to surface. The issue of the justification of Iraq war, once surveyed with the advantage of retrospection, imparts invaluable lessons. The doctrine of preemption contained in a document entitled The U. S. National Security Strategy was announced in September last, the epoch making events leading to the war against Iraq are the subject matter of the ensuing discourse. An astounding paradox, the war though as a mean to purge Iraq of its presumed stock of the WMD is proclaimed part of the U. S anti-terrorism campaign in the world, however, any established definition of terrorism is not yet recognized by the U. N. the substantive ramifications of such an omission are to be realized. The Iraq situation in the aftermath of war and U. S. military occupation bears an historic significance for the Islamic civilization. The outcome in the Iraq conflict, as in such instances of military occupation gathered from history, of course, will depend upon the response the Muslims are able to forge over a period against the extraordinary challenge that has come to emerge. The chief UN weapon inspector, Dr. Blix told the UNSC in a crucial report that no WMD were discovered in Iraq by the UN team. At the same time, the report maintained that Saddam Hussein had not accounted for any banned weapons. Dr. al-Baradei reported that inspectors found no evidence that Iraq had restated its nuclear weapons program. No Iraqi cooperation was needed for the inspection work, because in nuclear verification, particularly with an intrusive verification system, the presence ore absence of a nuclear weapons program in a state could be assessed even without the full cooperation of the inspected state. The U. S foreign secretary at that time Mr. Collin Powell addressed the UN SC and sought to make a case against Iraq of ‘denial and deception’. (U. S. Department of State, 2003) The satellite pictures from Iraq of the apparent evidences for the manufacture of rockets exceeding UN permitted dimensions an ranges , and for rocket launchers exceeding the size needed for limited range missiles, were beamed at the screens in the UNSC and around the world. Artistic renderings of the mobile laboratories for producing bio and chemical weapons were presented and a claim , on the basis of information gathered from defectors , was made that there were at least eighteen such laboratories in the possession of Iraq. Mr. Powell recounted that Iraq had failed to account for Anthrax and other lethal bio and chemical weapons, which according to the UN inspectors report in the 1998, Iraq was suspected of owning. Included in the evidence among the aerial photographs of the buildings was an â€Å"organizational chart† of supposed al-Qaeda operations in Iraq, a couple of tare recordings that lent themselves to varied interpretations and a large number of undated reports by unnamed Iraqi defectors. Further, in the report, the secretary made a case that Iraq had repeatedly tried to import sophisticated parts that could be used in a gas centrifuge to produce enriched uranium. In particular, that Iraq had sought â€Å"high-specification aluminum tubes from eleven different countries†. Mr. Powell admitted the fact that â€Å"there is controversy about what these tubes are for â€Å". Iraq explained that the tubes were for missiles, and that the UN experts agreed that the tubes were consistent with Iraq’s view point and â€Å"not directly suitable† for a centrifuge. According to Mr. Powell the debate missed the point: Iraq had no business buying the tubes for any purpose, for those are banned. The early reviews of Mr. Powell’s performance were mixed. In the U. S. audience he changed so many minds that half of all Americans were than ready to go to war immediately, compared with only a third the previous month, according to the Newsweek poll . In contrast among the member states of the UN, Mr. Powell’s case for a US –led war on Baghdad as a â€Å"smoking mirrors† and nothing to do with reality, and plain wrong. He described the presentation by Mr. Powell before the UNSC as a compelling case and sound argument only for the unknowing. Some critics suggested the entertainment of skepticism concerning Mr. Powell’s report. Previous instance s of the use of disinformation by the US government to drum up support for war was cited. These included from relatively subtle measures like the doctoring of satellite photos to convince the Saudi government that Iraq was amassing troops for an invasion of Saudi Arabia in 1990, to incredibly crude ones like the continuing claims by the U. S. officials, including Mr. Bush, that â€Å"Iraq† expelled weapons inspectors in 1998. However as covered in the press at the time, the inspectors were withdrawn at the behest of the U. S. The doctrine of preemption was declared in a document, â€Å"the National Security Strategy of the United States† on September 20 during an address by the president at the WestPoint. A law was also passed ,The USA PATRIOT Act, commonly known as the Patriot Act, is an Act of Congress that United States President George W. Bush signed into law on October 26, 2001. The acronym of USA PATRIOT ACT stands for â€Å"Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. This act broadens the authority of US law enforcement agencies to a large extent for the sake of fighting terrorism on the soil of United States and abroad. The most important provisions of the Act includes that the law enforcement agencies has been made immensely powerful and they have been allowed to search telephone, e-mail accounts, medical records, financial records and many other things, restrictions and limitations have also been loosed on intelligence gathering related to other countries within the United State . the authority of the Secretary of Treasury has been increased greatly and now he can monitor and control the financial transactions, particularly those involving foreign individuals and entities. The â€Å"Patriot law† also enhances the discretion of law enforcement agencies and immigration authorities so that they can now detain and deport immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts with more ease and less restrictions. This act also sheds its light on the definition of terrorism and domestic terrorism is included in its domain. The significance of the ‘doctrine of preemption’ resides in the fact that it represented a remarkable departure from the historical policy of the U. S. as followed by successive American presidents. (ALCU) Although Patriot act provides surveillance agencies with great powers to search and eavesdrop to intercept and counter any terrorist activity but critics of the Act has illustrated that Patriot Act forfeited legal and constitutional shields of liberty and privacy for American citizen. For example, Susan Herman views that Patriot Act is against the spirit of cherished American ideals of freedom and democracy. She described that Patriot act lack a balance between rights of the American citizens and the President’s initiative to curb the terrorist activities. She says that Presidential powers in Patriot act are imperative for the protection of American citizen’s from future terrorists attacks but he is also responsible to â€Å"preserve, protect and defend the constitution† that safeguards the privacy and individuals rights of the people. (Herman, 2002) The policy of deterrence and containment has been pursued by the U. S to prevent wars. The knowledgeable persons view this enunciation of the recent national security policy, to be a paradoxical approach in the historical perspective, for it envisages resorting to war in order to prevent it. The justification of the doctrine is perceived by its source to reside in the logic that, â€Å"given the goals of rogue states and terrorists, the U. S. can no longer solely rely on a reactive posture †¦we cannot let our enemies strike first. As a matter of common sense and self defense, America will act against such emerging threats before they are fully formed. † The newly conceived U. S. strategy is fraught with serious consequences , due to its unilateral appropriations of the prerogative to impose its authoritative order upon other nations in the world by the U. S. it makes no pretensions of referring to any legal or moral framework that is subscribed to in the world. the sovereignty of states , guaranteed in the UN charter as sacrosanct and forming one of the fundamental principles of international relations since the Treaty of Westphalia 1648, has been exposed to a hazard unknown in the world before. The UN sanctioned inspection process was proceeding satisfactorily as acknowledged by other veto-using members of the council. However, the U. S. and its allies presented a resolution in the SC to require its authorization for the immediate use of force against Iraq to bring about disarmament. As become evident that the proposed resolutions would not come to muster the requisite number of votes in the council for its passage, and there loomed the inevitable threat of vetoes from France and Russia, the US deemed it convenient to withdraw the proposed resolution. The new doctrine, tested on the grounds of its initial application in Iraq, is a counter to international law and a subversion to the collective security system of the UN . the essential element of the collective security system of the UN is the prohibition of arbitrary use of force under all circumstances, it is the prerogative of the UNSC to determine in each instance the nature of the conflict, the threat arising from it, and the measure to be adopted against an aggressor. The doctrine of preemption is a usurpation of the UNSC’s role as an international collective peace-keeping organization. The outcome of war in Iraq-the removal of Saddam Hussain , regime change and occupation of Iraq – is by no means a validation of the doctrine. As a matter of fact , abysmal failure to establish the discovery of WMD and the US not becoming a force of liberation for the people of Iraq , who are in agitation to restore their independence from foreign occupation, such aftermath of war on Iraq provides a censure, and not the justification, for the doctrine. The international commission of jurists (ICJ), in response to the ultimatum issued by Mr. Bush warning Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within forty eight hours, declared that invasion of Iraq would be illegal and tantamount to a war of aggression. The Geneva-based non-governmental body, comprised of sixty eminent jurists, expressed its deep dismay for the reason that,† a small number of states are poised to launch an outright illegal invasion of Iraq which amounts to a war of aggression. † The ICJ insisted that without SC authorization, no country could use force against another country except in self-defense against an armed attack. It emphasized that â€Å"there was no other plausible legal basis for the invasion of Iraq than a UNSC resolution that sanctioned it. † A critical analysis of the facts and events related to the US war on Iraq harbors a wealth of lessons, which should be the subject matter of another discourse. In the aftermath of the terrorist incident s of September 11, the US has demonstrated a gradual yet persistent shift away from internationalism. The abandonment of the Kyoto protocol –the treaty establishing the international criminal court –the repeal of Anti-Ballistic missile Treaty, non-compliance with the UN Resolution 1441, launching of the invasion of Iraq without the sanction of the UNSC, the assassination attempt at Saddam-in strict legal sense and before the formal declaration of war- and the disinclination from the involvement of the UN in the administration of post-war Iraq, are the instances of the US international conduct, among others. The rational of war against Iraq, after undergoing changes as adjustments for the purpose of plausibility, has finally emerged to be the control of rich oil reserves in Iraq, reconstruction, contracts for the US construction conglomerates, and far wider strategic aims in the middle-east. Such aims include the building of military basis in Iraq and conversion of the middle-east into a â€Å"free trade zone,† as announced by the US president. To sum up, despite controversies related to the Iraq war, what is needed for Iraq both by U.S government and Iraqi nations is, as enunciated in the national security strategy of the US as well, to provide for the common defense. It is anticipated that with vision and valor the present and historic crises the world of crescent will be cope with by overcoming implicit dangers, and harnessing opportunities. Noteworthy it is, the word crisis in an ancient oriental language is comprised of two meanings at once, the danger and opportunity.