The Individual Markings of the Black Swallowtail

The Individual Markings of the Black Swallowtail The black swallowtail, one of North America’s most familiar butterflies, frequently visits backyard gardens. They are a very common sight and youve likely seen the butterfly and caterpillar quite often, especially near your vegetables.   How to Identify Black Swallowtails This large butterfly has black wings with yellow markings and a wingspan of 8 to 11 centimeters. The male displays a row of bold yellow spots, while the female’s spots are faded shades of yellow and blue. The black swallowtail’s colors mimic those of similar species, such as the giant or pipevine swallowtails. To identify the black swallowtail, look for a pair of black dots centered in larger orange circles on the inner edge of the hind wings. The black swallowtail caterpillar changes appearance each time it molts. In the last few stages of growth, it is white and green with black bands and yellow or orange spots. The black swallowtail is also known as the Eastern black swallowtail, the parsley worm, and the parsnip swallowtail. The last two names refer to the insects proclivity to feed on plants in the carrot family. Black swallowtails fall into the Papilionidae family, which includes other swallowtails: Kingdom – AnimalPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – LepidopteraFamily – PapilionidaeGenus – PapilioSpecies – polyxenes What Do Black Swallowtails Eat? The butterflies feed on nectar from flowers. Caterpillars feed on plants in the carrot family, which includes dill, fennel, parsley, and carrots. Life Cycle Like all butterflies, the black swallowtail undergoes a complete metamorphosis. The life cycle has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Egg - It takes 3-5 days for eggs to hatch.Larva - The caterpillar has five instars  (the stage  between molts).Pupa - The chrysalis stage lasts 9-11 days, or over the winter.Adult - Northern areas have one or two generations; southern areas may have three. Special Adaptations and Defenses The caterpillar has a special gland called an osmeterium that emits a foul odor when it is threatened. The orange osmeterium looks like a forked snake tongue. Caterpillars also ingest oils from the host plants  of the carrot family; the foul taste of the chemical in their bodies repels birds and other predators. The chrysalides of the black swallowtail can be green or brown, depending on the color of the surface to which they are attached. This form of camouflage keeps them hidden from predators. The adult butterfly is thought to mimic the pipevine swallowtail, which is distasteful to predators. Habitat and Range of Black Swallowtails You will find black swallowtails in open fields and meadows, suburban yards, and roadsides. They are most common in  North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Their range extends south all the way to the northern tip of South America and they are also present in Australia.

Die Lorelei by German Poet Heinrich Heine

Die Lorelei by German Poet Heinrich Heine Heinrich Heine was born in Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany. He was known as Harry  until he converted to Christianity when he was in his 20s. His father was a successful textile merchant and Heine followed in his fathers footsteps by studying business. He soon realized he did not have much aptitude for business and switched over to law. While at the university, he became known for his poetry. His first book was a collection of his travel memoirs called Reisebilder (Travel Pictures) in 1826. Heine was one of the most influential German poets in the 19th century, and German authorities tried to suppress him because of his radical political views. He was also known for his lyrical prose, which was set to music by classical greats, such as Schumann, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. The Lorelei One of Heines famous poems, Die Lorelei, is based on a German legend of an enchanting, seducing mermaid who lures seamen to their death. It has been set to music by numerous composers, such as Friedrich Silcher and Franz Liszt.   Here is Heines poem:   Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten,Dass ich so traurig bin;Ein Mrchen aus alten Zeiten,Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.Die Luft ist kà ¼hl, und es dunkelt,Und ruhig fliesst der Rhein;Der Gipfel des Berges funkeltIm Abendsonnenschein.Die schà ¶nste Jungfrau sitzetDort oben wunderbar,Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet, Sie kmmt ihr goldenes Haar.Sie kmmt es mit goldenem KammeUnd singt ein Lied dabei;Das hat eine wundersame,Gewaltige Melodei.Den Schiffer im kleinen SchiffeErgreift es mit wildem Weh;Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,Er schat nur hinauf in die Hà ¶h.Ich glaube, die Welllen verschlingenAm Ende Schiffer und Kahn;Und das hat mit ihrem SingenDie Lorelei getan. English translation (not always translated literally): I dont know what it meansThat I am so sadA legend of  bygone daysThat I cannot keep out of my mind. The air is cool and night is coming.The calm Rhine courses its way.The peak of the mountain dazzlesWith evenings final ray.The fairest of maidens is sittingUp there, a beautiful delight,Her golden jewels are shining,Shes combing her golden hair.She holds a golden comb,Singing along, as wellAn enthrallingAnd spellbinding melody.In his little boat, the boatmanIs seized by it with a savage woe.He does not look upon the rocky ledgeBut rather high up into the heavens.I think that the waves will devourThe boatman and boat in the endAnd this by her songs sheer powerFair Loreley has done. Heines Later Writings In Heines later writings, readers will note an increased measure of irony, sarcasm, and wit. He often ridiculed sappy romanticism and over exuberant portrayals of nature. Though Heine loved his German roots, he often critiqued Germanys contrasting sense of nationalism.  Eventually, Heine left Germany, tired of its harsh censorship, and lived in France for the last 25 years of his life. A decade before he died, Heine became ill and never recovered. Though he was bedridden for the next 10 years, he still produced a fair amount of work, including work in Romanzero und Gedichte and Lutezia, a collection of political articles. Heine did not have any children. When he died in 1856, he left behind his much younger French wife. The cause of his death is believed to be from chronic lead poisoning.

The advertisement's impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent Research Paper

The advertisement's impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example This study focuses on adolescent girls within Saudi Arabia. This country was chosen because there have been few studies undertaken on advertising in this part of the world. It is likely that the effects that advertising has on adolescent girls will be significantly different in this part of the world than in Western country. Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern country that currently has a population of around 26.5 million people . There is a significant amount of segregation between the genders, and females mostly wear long black robes that cover their bodies . Because of this, it is likely that the influences that advertising has on the nutrition habits and behavior of adolescent girls is different in Saudi Arabia than it is in countries in the Western world. In particular, the aim of this research was to analyze the nutritional habits and behavior of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia, and what effect advertising had on these habits. It was hypothesized that girls exposed to a high amou nt of advertising for unhealthy food would make poorer nutritional decisions than those who had less exposure to advertising. Review of the Literature Adolescence is a particularly important time in development, as decisions made and habits formed during this developmental period partially carry over to adulthood . For example, many adolescents, particularly females, do not eat breakfast in the morning due to a shortage of time or the desire to lose weight. This habit can carry through into their adult life, and females who had this habit when they were adolescents are likely to continue to feel that breakfast is not important. In addition, there is significant concern that the diet of adolescents is... This  «The advertisement’s impact on the nutritional habits of adolescent girls in Saudi Arabia » essay outlines and analyzes how the ad changed nutritional behavior of girls in this country. Advertising targeted at young females tends to focus on images of females who are thin, pretty and with good physiques. These images are often airbrushed, or the women themselves have achieved this physical form through eating poorly. Research indicates that advertising images of thin or beautiful women have negative effects on the body image of women viewing them. This can lead to dissatisfaction with their current body, and the modification of beliefs and behaviors associated with eating (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). An example of this is that most females in advertisements for products are thin. This can result in adolescent females feeling that they are inadequate, and beginning to reduce their food intake to attempt to reach this unrealistic goal. Consequently, young females often starve themselves. These habits can remain long into adulthood, and may cause significant physical damage. This effect is strongest in adolescence where individuals are most concerned about their appearance and how they are perceived by others. Additionally, adolescent females are subject to extreme levels of hormones, and this can elevate their responses (Shepherd & Dennison, 1996). Adolescent females use images of others to construct their perceptions about themselves (Thomsen, et al., 2004). Negative body image is associated with a wide range of negative nutritional habits.

Unit 3 DB introduction to law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 3 DB introduction to law - Essay Example Similarly, the department is responsible for administration of prisons and other correctional facilities in which it offers services such as supervision of the facilities and provision for the convicts’ needs within the correctional systems (Gaines and Miller, 2011; Siegel and Worrall, 2012). Other law enforcement agencies also provide services in the same area. The department for example shares law enforcement roles with the police department and investigative roles with the â€Å"Federal Bureau of Investigations† (Lambert and Regan, 2001, p. 123). I hold the opinion that the department is not adequate in its scope of duty. This is because its roles are diverse in technical fields that require different and specialized expertise. I would therefore recommend, is I had an opportunity, that the department be streamlined into a specialized role or be structured with independent and specialized sub departments (Lambert and Regan,

The Impact of Media on Teens Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Media on Teens Essay Many adolescent teens are exposed to numerous encounters with the media that have a negative impact on their judgments, actions, and opinions. This is referring to the video games, movies, television shows, and magazines that surround them everyday. We begin to discover how it effects their decisions and behaviors. Adolescence is a time when young people are identifying important aspects of socialization like employment, gender rolls, and the development of morals, values, and beliefs. However, it is also a time when family influence and ties become weaker and outside presences become stronger and more important in the lives of the young. Appearance Most teens search for guidance, not from their parents but from a celebrity, pop star, or actor. These people may only be a role model for a short period of time simply because the teenager has a slight interest in they’re work or could even be as capricious as they released a new album that month. Some examples are make-up ads, â€Å"hot or not† articles, and even some television programs such as the Bachelorette create this false image of perfection that teenagers aspire to be like. This specifically targets their expectations, priorities and self-esteem. Teen girls initiate this mindset where they overanalyze every situation. The way they dress, the amount of makeup they put on, and even how they judge the appearance of the people around them including their friends. In a recent interview with Notre Dame Secondary School’s Child Youth Worker, Mrs. Kennedy states, â€Å"they strive to be what they see in magazines and on the news. It really begins to hurt and damage their self esteem† (Kennedy). With so many years of experience with the youth, Mrs. Kennedy’s very capable of describing how teenagers feel through various situations and why. She talks with teens everyday that go through self-esteem and family issues and agrees that the media, â€Å"especially the social media† (Kennedy), greatly affects the way teenagers view and judge  themselves. â€Å"Some movie ads can be very offensive to not only women but also men. Most stereotypes also developed from movies and television shows.† (Williams) Teenagers may not be physically forced to hide who they truly are but are frightened enough to choose to mask themselves. When high school student Matthew Smith was asked his opinion on the growing population of homosexual teens, he stated, â€Å"everyone now is more accepting to your sexuality than they would have been say 10..15 years ago. Media has really helped it along.† (Smith) Two other high school students had similar beliefs when it came to the openness teenagers are being given with their sexual preferences. This is one example of a positive influence the media has on the way teenagers can express themselves. They encourage teens to be â€Å"comfortable in their own skins† and to not be ashamed of their natural instincts. Some illustrations are the television show 1 Girl 5 Gays, the Gay Pride Parade, and even the numerous Gay/Lesbian support groups funded by some celebrities. Both teenage boys and girls are less ashamed of who they choose to have an interest in, in today’s society. In the latest survey conducted by Ashley Sanchez, 54% agreed that teenagers could be open with their sexuality. (Figure 1) Even if 46% disagreed, the good outweighs the bad. Over time, teens are becoming more and more focused on the useless things instead of the bigger picture. Their priorities have changed drastically. Media advertisements emphasize that in order to be considered what we classify as â€Å"cool† or â€Å"hip† we must own the latest gear or wear the newest line of clothing. In addition to this, many teens only follow what is socially acceptable. If it is not in the latest teen magazine it’s considered â€Å"totally last year† and will be shunned if worn. In a recent survey 44% agreed, and 24% strongly agreed that beauty and appearance is very important (Figure 2). This means more than half of the tabulated results find their appearance to be very important. This is a shocking result because it shows roughly how many teenagers really do care about the way they look. There are positive and negative affects that the media has on the teenage mind concerning their appearance and the way they see and portray  themselves. However, one must take into consideration that these statistics may increase in time because of the different ways one can access and is exposed to the media. Personality, Morals and Behaviour The way a teenager behaves weighs heavily on those who surround and nurture them throughout their childhood years. (Picard). Nonetheless, studies show that during adolescence the mind goes through drastic changes. The frontal lobe in the brain has not yet developed and this is essential for decision making and reasoning. That is one rationale as to why teenagers can be described as reckless and daft at times. A teenage mind is extremely vulnerable to outside influences. When they see their favorite actor or singer do something that is inappropriate they think it becomes acceptable. Approximately one million teens get pregnant and give birth every year in the United States. Eighty percent of those births are to unmarried teens. Teenage pregnancy has serious consequences for the mother, the child and society in general. Teenage pregnancy frequently leads to limited future prospects for many teen mothers who are unable to complete high school. Adolescents who have babies are also more prone to health problems and experience a maternal death rate 2.5 times higher than women aged 20-24(ProQuest Staff). For example, the shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are two television demonstrations of underage pregnancy. None of these teen moms are married, and half of their children’s biological fathers want little or nothing to do with them. This taints both teenage girls and boys’ minds with deceitful and inaccurate interpretations of sex and love. Shows like these pollute the idea of raising a child and marriage with an easy way to fame. (Jennings) It changes teenage morals to the impression that since it’s on the television that it is okay to imitate their behavior. Not all teens are as naà ¯ve as to go and engage in sexual behavior just to be famous but the fact that these teenage mothers allow a recording crew to follow them around and film their day-to-day lives and constant arguments with their boyfriends is ludicrous and sends a terrible message to other teenage women. When students were asked if reality television could be educational, the results showed more than half of the students agreed that it could be  educational. (Figure 3) â€Å"I really don’t umde rstand how it could be educational. I think it’s more for entertainment purposes† (Kennedy). Many children born to teenage mothers suffer from low birth weight and other related health problems, with a large proportion of them having insufficient health insurance. Children of teen parents often receive inadequate care because teens are rarely able to provide the nurturing and stimulation required by infants for normal development. Although teen pregnancy rates declined throughout the 1990s, a 3 percent jump in births to teen mothers between 2005 and 2006 raised alarm that sex education programs and campaigns to reduce teen motherhood were failing. â€Å"Teens don’t understand what it means to be truly mature, or respecting themselves as a human, not an object†. (Mellor). Some people think that providing teenagers with contraceptives is the best way to lower teen pregnancy rates, while others think the focus should be on abstinence education (ProQuest Staff). Teenage violence has never really been a big topic of discussion, however one cannot ignore the on-and-off teenage rages that occur. Children all over the world are engrossed in warfare in their little boxed-up world that is their constant companion. Parents think nothing now about their teenage child playing violent video games for hours each day. There is the known positive correlation between habitual violent video game play and mild and severe forms of physical aggression. This study brings out the belief that children in highly individualistic cultures such as in the United States and Canada are more prone to this effect. All children will become more aggressive if repeatedly exposed to violent video games, and younger children are more susceptible to this than older ones. (Hulaimi). Teens in Nintendo mania may have issues with self-control. The part of the brain that video gaming stimulates is the amygdala, the part connected with emotional arousal. What the violent content of the video game does is stimulation of the brains arousal centers, doing little to the cortical areas involved in perception and thinking. (Jayson). Stereotypes are repetitively in the media. Some movies not only humiliates teenagers of specific races but also drives them away from their own culture because they are afraid of being teased or ridiculed. â€Å"If youre of a certain descent, you are portrayed in the media a specific way and most people adjust their personalities to fit those stereotypes.† (Nadesh). Teens begin to lose their true personalities because  they are trying to fit this mold of what the media deems is socially acceptable. Communication and Relationships Adolescence is a crucial time for friendships, and relationships to develop and become more serious. Websites like Twitter and Facebook have become extremely popular to the teenage population. It affects the way they communicate with one another. â€Å"Before, if two people wanted to talk to one another they would usually do it face to face or on the phone. But overtime, weve become so used to just chatting with people online or texting them that not only has it changed the way we communicate but also the kinds of relationships we have with certain people.† (Nadesh). A lot of teens feel driven by this lust or love concept. â€Å"Teens fall into traps very easily, especially when they truly believe the gestures are genuine† (Mellor). Since a lot of teens have barely experienced a real relationship they have a very vague perspective on love. Nearly 1.5 million high school students across the country experience physical violence at the hands of a dating partner each year, according to a website created by the National Dating Abuse Hotline and the awareness group, Break the Cycle. One in three adolescents have experienced physical, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse from a boyfriend or girlfriend. (Duret). Unlike adults, teens in abusive relationships dont typically live together or see one another much outside of school. Their battleground becomes the telephone and social media. This is where put-downs, name-calling and jealousy manifest in angry phone calls and Facebook posts. (Duret). There have been multiple cases where the teenager’s significant other’s jealousy would be pushed to the extreme and murders will occur. (Duret) The case of Brandon Nicholas Santos, 18, arrested on first-degree murder charges in the death of girlfriend Emilie Sineace, 16. Police said Santos drove to Sineaces suburban Lake Worth house Sept. 14 and sent her a text message to come outside. When she did, he fired six shots at her. Half of them hit her, and Sineace, an Inlet Grove High student and aspiring surgeon, died the next morning. Now Santos, who recently played football at Park Vista High, may spend the rest of his life in prison. Teens often bring up the 2009 case of RB singers Chris Brown and Rihanna. The celebrity couple turned a national spotlight on domestic violence among young adults when Brown was arrested and sentenced to probation for attacking Rihanna (Duret). The couple separated in the aftermath, but recent media reports have them back together. This sends teens a confusing message about domestic violence. It gives them the idea that if you love each other enough, you can work through situations like this. People are asking questions like: Is there such as thing as Facebook Addiction Disorder? The fact of the matter is it’s not so much a disorder, but it is a form of addiction. Mental Health Experts around the world are probing the dark side of social media. â€Å"When people become too comfortable talking behind a computer they end up being uncomfortable talking in face-to-face. Lots of awkward teens out there that don’t know how to keep a conversation going anymore.† (Goorahoo). We are in an era where Internet devices are always on and meeting face-to-face is becoming increasingly rare as people choose to meet screen-to-screen. There are some very valuable things about social media and networking, and there are also some dangers. Historically, the changes have been in musical taste and style of dress. Now it has to do with technology and the use of technology to deal with social relations. (Pilieci). Facebook, (Figure 4) has more than 800 million users accessing it regularly, and roughly 425 million accessing the site using a mobile device. There are 18 million Canadians on Facebookmore than half our population and with that more than 12 million of them visit the site daily. On a per-capita basis, [Figure 4] [Figure 4] Canada has the highest number of Facebook users in the world. The average Canadian has 225 friends on the social network, though recent studies from the University of Waterloo have shown that as many as half of our friends are people we dont even really know. (Pilieci) Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills, outlined the results of some recent research, which also points to the darker side of social media. He found that Teens using Facebook have more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including anti-social behaviours. Some psychologists are calling this Facebook Addiction Disorder. This is basically when people are afraid to disconnect from social media services because they think theyre going to missing something important. While older groups may be using it to see pictures of family members or brag about their latest accomplishments, younger generations are using it to gossip. (Pilieci). It’s also a danger because as soon as something is on the Internet it can never be erased. In a way the social media is actually making us sick. It constructs the indication that the unhealthiest relationships are normal, and that spending five hours a day on a network is reasonable. It corrupts the way we socialize and get closer to other people. To a certain extent, teens are allowing themselves to have open profiles with private information that anyone can have access to. They are not only endangering themselves but potentially also their ‘225 facebook friends.’ The Aftermath and Physical Damage Suicide can date back to as early as 500 BCE where in the Greek colony of Ceos, citizens over age 60 years or incapacitated by illness are allowed to commit suicide by drinking state-provided poppy juice or hemlock. Fast-forwarding to1980, in a 17-month period, 28 teenagers took their own lives in Chicagos privileged North Shore suburbs. Researchers reveal statistics that show rising signs of violent discontent among youth from affluent families. (ProQuest). Bullying is a major aspect to teen suicide. (Figure 5). â€Å"Bullying will be a HUGE problem no matter where you’re from. When you’re bullied you feel like there is no way out. You get pushed so far to the edge that you give up and just kill yourself. This is happening more and more often because of our accesses to technology and instant communication.† (Goorahoo). Teens have this tendency to want to feel in power. As soon as they have power, it’s a constant battle to sustain their title. Bullies will torment their victim into such a deep state of depression that they will begin having suicidal thoughts. The exact causes of suicide are complex, with an interplay of psychological, biological, social and environmental factors.  However about 95% of cases spring from mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia. (Picard) Many people, especially the young, keep their suffering a secret because they don’t know where or who to turn to. The media renders a lot of help hotlines and prevention programs but how much are they really enforcing it? School is the ideal setting for prevention. School Boards are bombarded with requests to implement health-promotion programs, and suicide-prevention lectures; however, there is little evidence that any of this is very effective. Those who routinely cut-themselves are usually victims of some form of bullying and find that by harming themselves it releases their emotions. Whether they are gay, lesbians, victims of sexual abuse, or just people of a certain culture. Nevertheless, young men are still about five times more likely to die of suicide than young women. (Picard) Media also plays a role in this because of the way men are anticipated to act. They feel the need to persistently have this macho, egotistical persona but what studies now show is that men can be just about as self-conscious as women. Teen boys hide their emotions, feelings and thoughts a lot more than teen girls. Especially when they are with their friends. This is because the media displays the impression of a sensitive man as a homosexual. In most cases, this is not true, of course. All of these bottled up emotions eventually leads to substance and drug abuse. The media blames movies and television shows for this, but those things are the media. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the world, within the United States alone 23 percent of high school students said theyd recently smoked marijuana, making it more popular than cigarettes. (Ritter) Sometimes the habit is developed straight out of the teen’s home or family, but for the most part teen’s smoke simply to have something to do with their friends. (Figure 6) Drinking, on the other hand, mainly has to do with family difficulties. Teens use it as a stress reliever or to forget certain memories. â€Å"Even parent’s drinking occasionally may be influential to their kids without even knowing it.† (Kennedy). Along with all of this comes the increasing number of non-active teenagers. With fast food restaurants frequently being built within a mile radius of most homes it becomes a very convenient place to dine. Teens enjoy going to fast food restaurants for two main reasons: to eat a meal for a cheap price, and to be away from home for a little while. For children of normal weight, the risk of developing high blood pressure or pre high blood pressure rose 6% for every 1,000 milligrams of sodium consumed per day. But the risk rose 74% for children who were overweight. (McKay) Since fast food restaurants are in such convenient places for teenagers to just pop in and eat a burger, they will do it. It’s not only extremely unhealthy because most fast food restaurant’s meat is processed but teens won’t do much physical activity afterwards to work it off. Obese teens not only make easy targets for bullies, in the case of girls, theyre more likely to turn into bullies themselves, according to the findings of a Canadian study on the social fallout of being overweight. (Kirkey) Since a teenager’s priorities have changed, so have their extracurricular activities. Teens are more concerned with shopping and instant messaging one another than maintaining a healthy diet. According to Statistics Canada, 17 per cent of children in Canada are overweight; nine per cent are obese. (Kirkey) Although, there’s maintaining a healthy diet but then there’s going to the extremes with not eating at all. Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa may be caused by environmental factors, which switch on specific genes that trigger the dysfunctional eating behaviour. (Cresswell) Many teens will not allow themselves to eat because of what someone said, or something they saw on the television. This occurs in men also, however men don’t stop eating they go on protein diets. This can also be harmful to their body because your body needs some fat in order to function. Media surrounds teens everywhere they go whether they like to acknowledge it or not. Most teens are becoming more aware of their surroundings and the influences around them by the age of fifteen but do not think much of it until around eighteen. In today’s world people cannot live without media.  Thus, we know that various media and its artifacts can have a lot of effects on our daily lives, our society, and us. We must understand that a lot of what we see on television, hear on the radio, or see in the print are there in order for us to change our minds about certain views or opinions. So, to fully understand and comprehend the nature and effects of the production techniques of the media and its effects on the teenage mind we must consider the many aspects of media. Work Cited Cresswell, Adam. Environmental Factors May Trigger Anorexia. Weekend Australian. 25 Aug 2012: 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 14 Dec 2012. Duret, Daphne. High School Dating Violence on the Rise. Palm Beach Post. 14 Nov 2012: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2 Dec 2012. Goorahoo, Khamron. Personal interview. 6 Dec. 2012 Hulaimi, Wan A. The Impact of Violent Video Games on Children. New Straits Times. 22 Apr 2012: 21. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2 Dec 2012. Jayson, Sharon. Study the Player, Not the Video Game. USA TODAY. 15 Sep 2011: D.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Dec 2012. Jennings, Alicia. â€Å"When You Trust Someone and It Threatens Your Body.† Teen Voices. 24 2008. 22-23. Print. Kennedy, Mrs.. Personal interview. 11 Oct. 2012. Kirkey, Sharon. Obese Teen Girls More Likely to Be Bullies, Says Canadian Study. Postmedia News. 21 Jan 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Dec 2012. McKay, Betsy. New Study: Sodium a Concern for Children. Wall Street Journal. 17 Sep 2012: A.2. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 5 Dec 2012. Nadesh, Janani. Email interview. 5 Dec. 2012. Picard, Andre. â€Å"Everyone Has a Role In Being Vigilant About Cries for Help.† Globe and Mail. 28 Sep 2011: A.8 SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Oct 2012. Pilieci, Vito. Do Social Networks Make Us Sick?. Ottawa Citizen. 24 Mar 2012: B.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Dec 2012. ProQuest Staff. At Issue: Teenage Pregnancy. ProQuest LLC. 2012: n.pag. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2 Dec 2012. ProQuest Staff. Suicide Timeline. Leading Issues Timelines. 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 2 Dec 2012. Ritter, Malcolm. Teen Pot Use Linked to Later Declines in IQ. Baxter Bulletin. 27 Aug 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 1 Dec 2012. Smith, Matthew. Personal interview. 11 Dec. 2012. Williams, Tee-Ara. â€Å"Are These Movie Ads a Big Mistake?† Teen Voices. 08 2004: 56-57. Print.

Harry Potter: Good or Evil? Essay -- Essays Papers

Harry Potter: Good or Evil? Throughout adolescents, a child is taught to use his or her imagination. A child is read stories of a talking cat or a silly old bear while still young and naà ¯ve. The child is read such stories to encourage use of his or her creativity. The ideas of such characters are for pure amusement and are obviously fictional. Unfortunately, today there are issues of censorship that stifle a person’s creativity. The most recent book being criticized by censors is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Censors claim that the reading of such novels encourages witchcraft, and therefore should be banned. Although critics of the Harry Potter series are well intentioned in their ideas of banning this novel in schools, the actual banning of the novel is far more destructive. What these critics fail to recognize is that the reading of such an imaginative novel allows for children’s creativity to flourish, rather than allowing them to turn to negative forms of entertainment. T he banning of certain novels in schools is extremely important in today’s society, but only when the novel is destructive to a child’s upbringing. In past history, such classics as Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, and J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye have been banned. Critics justified their actions by stating that such novels are inappropriate for school age children. Critics have now targeted the highly creative Harry Potter series. At the beginning of the school term the American Library Association was bombarded with complaints from parents about potentially harmful content in the series. Unfortunately, opinions vary and there is no simple answer. Although citizens of the United States are given the right to Freedom of Press under the First Amendment, this does not allow schools to incorporate every piece of literature within the curriculum. Schools are torn because as Linda Harvey states in â€Å"USA Today†, â€Å"No school includes everything. Few public schools would accept books advocating drunken driving, bulimia or rape. And itâ₠¬â„¢s rare to find novels in school libraries about teens who proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ† (Harvey). Reading material that encourages such horrendous acts as drunk driving and rape should be the focus of the countries problems, rather then a child’s fantasy series that only encou... ...children to communicate with furniture.’ And we all know where that can lead, don’t we† (Blume)? Works Cited Blume, Judy. â€Å"Is Harry Potter Evil?† The New York Times. 22 Oct. 1999. 17 Nov. 2000 http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe. Cain, Michael Scott. â€Å"Crazies At The Gate.† Portals Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking. Eds. Mary T. Segall and William R. Brown. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. 599-608. Harvey, Linda. â€Å"Protect our Kids.† USA Today. 6 Sept. 2000. 17 Nov. 2000 http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe. Plato. â€Å"On Censorship of Literature for School Use.† Portals Reading, Writing and Critical Thinking. Eds. Mary T. Segall and William R. Brown. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999. 586-589. Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1998. Schmidt, Dominic. â€Å"Choice, Not Censorship, Is the Issue Over ‘Harry Potter’ in School.† Los Angeles Times. 7 Nov. 1999. 17 Nov. 2000 http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe. â€Å"Harry Potter faces biggest foe yet in book censors.† USA Today. 6 Sept. 2000. 17 Nov. 2000 http://www.lexis-nexis.com/universe.

Issues with Revenue Recognition Within the Software Industry

Issues With Revenue Recognition within the Software Industry The Isoft Example Financial Controller-SoftWarehouse Ltd This report has been prepared for the Board of Directors of SoftWarehouse Ltd for elucidation about the contentious issues that have given rise to the publication of the article concerning Isoft’s issues with revenue recognition. Finally, it will also assess whether or not these issues are likely to affect SoftWarehouse Ltd. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary:3 Introduction:5Part 1- Examining the Isoft Ltd example:5 PART 2 – The issues faced by software companies in relation to revenue recognition:6 Part 3- Issues raised that may impact SoftWarehouse Ltd:7 Part 4 – Future changes in revenue recognition standard:8 Conclusion:9 Reference List:10 Executive Summary: This report has been prepared for the Board of Directors of SoftWarehouse Ltd for elucidation about the contentious issues that have given rise to the publication of the article concernin g Isoft’s issues with revenue recognition.Finally, it will also assess whether or not these issues are likely to affect SoftWarehouse Ltd. In January 2006, Isoft, a Manchester based supplier of software applications for the healthcare sector, announced that its profit would be below market expectations due to a required change in its accounting policy for revenue recognition. Isoft was forced to reverse revenue of approximately ? 70m in 2005 and ? 55m in 2004 – when Deloitte found that Isoft was recognizing revenue sooner than it should have been.The underlying principle of Isoft’s historic revenue recognition policy had been that the value of the product licenses was recognised at the time of delivery, while the value of support and servicers was recognised as they were performed. Moreover, the value of licences was identifiable and separable form the implementation and support services provided. This is not aligned with what the AASB Revenue states. Consequent ly, Isoft engaged in controversial accounting practices. The company recognised revenue at the start of long-term contracts instead of recognising revenue over the life of the contract.Isoft was recognising revenues from contracts even though actual payments for some projects were due over an extended period (for example: one project it recognized revenue even though actual payments were to be paid over a two-year period). The accounting practice of recognising revenue in this method lead to an overstatement of its income, and therefore had the effect of misleading the stock market and Isoft’s overall credibility. After realigning its revenues to the current period (in 2006) to reflect a fair value of its performance, 40% was taken off its share values and the company was forced to lay off 10% of its staff.Isoft adopted a new revenue recognition policy, which more appropriately reflects the changing nature of the business as the group is involved with more complex and long-te rm product supply projects. In the new policy, licence revenues will be recognised over the same period as the implementation of revenues, which may range from a few months to a number of years from contract signature. This will increase visibility and predictability of earnings. At SoftWarehouse Ltd, our contracts with our customers involve the sale of customised software as well as its implementation and maintenance services.We recognise revenue in accordance to AASB 118. The revenue therefore, is recognised over the length of the contract. Due to the fact that our selling prices include an identifiable amount for the subsequent services, that amount is deferred and recognised as revenue over the period during which the service is performed. We recognise revenue by reference to the stage of completion of the transaction at the end of the reporting period. Therefore, I am confident that we will not encounter similar issues, which were faced by Isoft.However, due to the lack of guid ance from the IFRS and GAAP standards on revenue recognition, it is foreseeable that interpretations could become misguided or unaligned with these standards in the future. The issues raised by Isoft elucidate the importance of recording an accurate picture of its earnings. The joint project of the FASB and the IASB is trying to converge the two sets of standards and offer a single revenue recognition model that can be applied consistently to various transactions – which would address these issues of lack of guidance.Introduction: In January 2006, Isoft Ltd, a Manchester based supplier of software applications for the healthcare sector, announced that its profit would be below market expectations due to a change in its accounting policy for revenue recognition, when it announced its results for the year ended April 2006. This situation is not unusual within the software industry and reflects the issues that software companies face when it comes to accounting for revenues.As t he financial controller of SoftWarehouse Ltd, my goal is to clarify and explain the main issues faced by Isoft Ltd; the consequences of those issues on the business and finally; to determine if those practices could also impact the financial reporting within SoftWarehouse Ltd. Part 1- Examining the Isoft Ltd example: The underlying principle of Isoft Ltd’s historic revenue recognition policy had been that the value of product licences was recognised at the time of delivery, while the value of support and services was recognised as they were performed (Isoft 2006).Moreover, under this policy, the value of licences was identifiable and separable from the implementation and support services provided (Isoft 2006). AASB 118- Revenue (AASB 2010), gives some guidance on how to recognise revenue: â€Å"When the selling price of a product includes an identifiable amount for subsequent servicing, that amount is deferred and recognised as revenue over the period, which the service is p erformed. AASB (2010) illustrates that statement by giving an example which can be applied to Isoft Ltd’s situation: â€Å"When the selling price of a product includes an identifiable amount for subsequent services (for example, after sales support and product enhancement on the sale of software), that amount is deferred and recognised as revenue over the period during which the service is performed. The amount deferred is that which will cover the expected costs of the services under the agreement, together with a reasonable profit on those services. † Therefore, it seems that Isoft Ltd’s traditional policy is acceptable under AASB 118- Revenue.Isoft Ltd had to change its revenue recognition after Deloitte had found that some revenues had been recognised earlier than they should have been (Stafford 2006), which lead to an overstatement of its income and therefore had the effect of misleading the stock market (Griffiths and Bowers 2006), and thus affect Isoftâ⠂¬â„¢s credibility. When the company was obliged to realign its revenues to the current period in 2006 to reflect a fair value of its performance, its revenues got wiped out and it knocked 40% off its share values. The company also announced that at 10% of its staff would be laid off (Meyer 2006).Under Isoft Ltd’s new revenue recognition policy, licence revenues will be recognised over the same period as implementation revenues, which may range from a few months to a number of years from contract signature, and over the full duration of the contract in the case of managed services (Isoft Ltd 2006). The group stated that a change of accounting policy for revenue recognition is needed to more appropriately reflect the changing nature of the business as the group is involved with more complex and long-term product supply projects (Isoft Ltd 2006).Isoft Ltd also mentioned that its new revenue recognition policy would increase visibility and predictability of earnings (RNS 2006). PART 2 – The issues faced by software companies in relation to revenue recognition: Isoft Ltd was accused of being engaged in controversial accounting practices. The main issue with Isoft Ltd’s accounting practices is that it was recognising revenue sooner than it should have been. The company recognised revenue at the start of long-term contracts instead of recognising revenue over the life of the contract (Moulds 2006).Indeed, during the year 2004-2005, Isoft Ltd accounted in full for the revenue raised as part of long-term contracts at the time of receiving part prepayments. Analysts had found that Isoft Ltd, the main software supplier for the NHS’s ? 6. 2bn IT project, was recognising revenues from contracts even though actual payments for projects were only due over two years time (Neveling 2006). For the year ending April 2004, Isoft Ltd recognised ? 30m of payments from Accenture and CSC who were implementing the NHS’s technology overhaul (UK Parli ament 2007).One of the main issues in accounting is about revenue recognition, especially in our IT industry. As KPMG (2009) stated, IFRS does not provide any specific guidance on revenue recognition for software related transactions. The IFRS standard and the Australian GAAP standard on revenue recognition lack guidance when a transaction involves both a good and services related to that good (IASB 2008) – which is often the case for software companies. The difficulty for software companies resides in the fact that due to this vagueness, it is hard to distinguish the revenue from the software and the revenue from the services offered.As Stafford (2006) mentioned, Isoft Ltd is not the first software company to have had issues with revenue recognition. Part 3- Issues raised that may impact SoftWarehouse Ltd: At Softwarehouse Ltd, we are providing customised software to our customers in the mining industry. Our contracts with our customers involve the sale of customised softwar e as well as its implementation and maintenance services. We recognise revenue according to AASB 118, which we previously mentioned in detail in part 1.AASB (2010) adds an interesting point for guidance: â€Å"fees from the development of customised software are recognised as revenue by reference to the stage of completion of the development, including completion of services provided for post delivery service support. † The revenue is therefore, recognised over the length of the contract. Due to the fact that our selling prices include an identifiable amount for the subsequent services we deliver, that amount is deferred and recognised as revenue over the period during which the service is performed.We recognise revenue by reference to the stage of completion of the transaction at the end of the reporting period. We are confident that we will not encounter a similar situation than the one Isoft Ltd went through. However, I have to admit that the AASB is not giving clear guida nce regarding revenue recognition, which leaves us with our own interpretation. Due to this lack of guidance, it could be foreseeable that our interpretation could become misguided or unaligned with the AASB. We should always be aware that even though our policy is acceptable under the Australian GAAP, it doesn’t mean that we are protected from making mistakes.Indeed, Isoft Ltd’s traditional policy was acceptable under the Australian GAAP. However, as their contracts changed, Isoft Ltd did not update its policy, which led to misalignment. At Softwarehouse Ltd, we have to bear in mind that if the type of contracts or transactions that we offer change, then we will have to update our policy to accurately reflect our financial position. Ultimately, we must ensure that we do not recognise revenue too early and overstate our income. Part 4 – Future changes in revenue recognition standard:We are still keeping a close eye on the project regarding the new revenue recogn ition model: the Contract- based revenue recognition model. This is a joint project of the FASB and the IASB whose goal is to converge the two sets of standards (Henry & Holzmann 2009) and to offer single revenue recognition model that can be applied consistently to various transactions (IASB 2008). If adopted the proposed standard will replace existing standards AASB 118- Revenue. The core principle of this model is that an entity would recognise revenue from contracts with customers when it transfers promised goods or services to the customer.The amount of revenue recognised would be the amount of consideration promised by the customer in exchange for the transferred goods or services (RSM Bird Cameron 2011). Under this new revenue recognition model, it is stated that the â€Å"entity should recognise revenue when its net position in a contract with a customer increases as a result of satisfying a performance obligation. An entity satisfies a performance obligation when it transf ers goods and services to a customer. † (IFRS 2008). The last exposure draft (IFRS 2011) indicates â€Å"if a romised good or service is not distinct, an entity would combine that good or service with other promised goods or services until the entity identifies a bundle of goods or services that is distinct. Therefore, the entity would account for the bundle as a single performance obligation†. The revenue for that performance obligation would then be recognised over time by selecting an appropriate measure of progress towards complete satisfaction of the performance obligation (IFRS 2011). Conclusion: One of the main issues in accounting concerns revenue recognition, especially within the software/IT industry.The IFRS and the Australian GAAP standards on revenue recognition lack guidance when it comes to multiple element transactions. Due to this lack of guidance, it is foreseeable that interpretations could become misguided or unaligned with the IFRS or Australian GAA P standards. The issues raised by Isoft Ltd, elucidate the importance of recording an accurate picture of its earnings. Indeed, Isoft had to change its revenue recognition after it was exposed that some revenues had been recognised earlier than they should have been, which lead to an overstatement of its income and therefore had the effect of misleading the stock market.The joint project of the FASB and the IASB is trying to address these issues of lack of guidance. Reference List: Australian Accounting Standards Board 2010, AASB 118 Revenue. Available from: www. aasb. gov. au. [20 March 2012]. Griffiths, I & Bowers, S 2006, ‘Revealed: Isoft’s U-turn on accounts problems’, The Guardian 2 November. Available from: . [8 April 2012]. Henry, E & Holzmann, OJ 2009, ‘Contract-Based Revenue Recognition’, The Journal of Corporate Accounting & Finance, pp. 77-81. Available from: Proquest [28 March 2011].House of Commons, Committee of Public Accounts 2007, Dep artment of Health: the national programme for IT in the NHS, The Stationary Office, London. International Accounting Standards Board 2008, Discussion Paper Preliminary views on revenue recognition in contracts with customers. Available from: . [20 March 2012]. IFRS 2011, Exposure draft revenue from contracts with customers. Available from: . [5 April 2012]. KPMG 2009, Impact of IFRS on the Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industries. Available from: < https://www. in. kpmg. com/securedata/ifrs_Institute/Files/IFRS_IT. df>. [ 10 April 2012]. Meyer, D 2006, ‘NHS IT timescale questioned as Isoft CEO resigns’, Zdnet 15 June. Available from: . [7 April 2012]. Moulds, J 2006, ‘Isoft directors and ex- auditors face questioning in new inquiry’, The Telegraph 26 October 2006. Available from: . [5 April 2012]. Neveling, N 2006, ‘What’s going on at Isoft’, Financial Director 31 August 2006. Available from: . [7 April 2012]. R NS 2006, Isoft Change in Accounting Policy. Available from: . [5 April 2012]. RSM Bird Cameron Chartered Accountants, 2011, Revenue Recognition- New and Revised Proposal, Available from: http://www. rsmi. com. au/rsbcwr/_assets/main/lib90034/111220_financial%20insight_revenue%20recognition%20web. pdf>. [28 March 2012]. Stafford, P 2006, ‘Revenue Recognition is Isoft’s Curse’, Financial Times 9 August. Available from: http://www. ft. com. [5 April 2012]. Uk Parliament 2007, Memorandum submitted by Ian Griffiths and Simon Bowers. Available from: . [8 April 2012].

Philosophy Notes on Kant Essay

Morality is entirely determined by what someone wills because a good will is the only thing that is good with out provocations. Every other character trait is only morally good once we qualify it as such. Kant morality is all about what someone wills and not about the end result or consequence is. Someone can be happy but for immoral reasons. Kant it is really the thought that counts. Motivation is everything. What does Bentham and Mills look at consequences and happiness. Kant thinks of these things as matter of riddle in the game of morality. Think of it this way. If we think of someone as our favorite moral hero in past and present because of the various things they did, accomplish, brought about. All you are doing when you admire such people is judging results. What we see. But if we are really judging moral worth on what we see we are then failing to adjudicate moral worth entirely. After all we have no idea what the shop clerks real motives are. Perhaps she is honest because she thinks this is the best way to make money. If this wasn’t her true motivation she may start ripping people off as soon as she could. Think back to what glaucon says. He says it is better to appear to be moral than to really be moral. Kant believes this is a much more comman way of going aobut things that it probably happens most of the time given that many people don’t have moral motivations that we really have no way of knowing what peopole’ motivations are. Perhaps Abraham Lincoln and MLK motivations were not stemmed form good will at all but only for honor, fame or fortune. We simply don’t know. Remember there are many people who were unlucky failed to bring any results even thought they hated good will or moral principles. They are forever unknown they are forever anonymous. He says we should stick to what pure reason tells and tells us it doesn’t care about consequences, doesn’t care about actions, doesn’t care about results. It cares about motivation. We can never tell anyone’s motivation just from look at them. Kant argues that if we look around the natural world that by in large things seem to fill their end for what they are designed for. Cheetahs usually have four legs and are good at catching prey. By and large, natural entities fulfill their designed purpose. Eyeballs are designed to see and usually do. Sure they eventually pucker out but for most part our eyes work how they were designed to function. But if we look at this larger thing called the human person and then assumed he was designed for happiness in the same way a cheetah was designed to run and catch prey and the eyes were designed to see we can conclude that the design of the human person were wrong. We can’t be designed for the purpose of being happy because if we were we would be a strange anomaly of nature. But why do we say this because we are species. We are a species that is defined by pain and suffering and anxiety and depression that results in misery. We are sad, miserable and pathetic. Unfortunately, argues Kant, we aren’t designed to be happy. The purpose of life isn’t to be happy! It is to be moral. Instead we are designed to be moral. Happiness may forever be out of reach but that’s ok because that is not the purpose of being human. The purpose of being human is to be moral and happiness may not have anything to do with each other. Kant’s theory is seen as deontological because it is all about duty. Kant argues that to be moral we have to consider duty compared to what we might want to do based on our emotions and inclinations. The name of the game is DUTY. We must be motivated by duty in order to be moral. Ex: if we only help out in a soup kitchen only because it makes us feel good then we aren’t properly moral. If happiness is your only motivation because once you stop feeling good about it you will quit working in the soup kitchen. You will burn out fast. Emotions can’t motivate. They can accompany but can’t motivate it. You can’t be motivated by sentiments or emotions. They aren’t moral or immoral. They are just†¦there. We can’t help them. In other words we are motivated to help because it’s your duty and you also like to help then that is all fine and good. Consider your enjoyment a nice bonus but a bonus that is entirely outside of the moral realm. Again difference on one hand being motivated by duty whilst liking it all the while and on the other hand being motivated only because you like it is this. If you are motivated by an emotion than once you cease having that emotion you will quit. The man who works in the soup kitchen only because it makes him feel good will immediately quit because he wants to feel good about it. It won’t take him long because it will be really stressful because it’s really smelly work. You have to deal with smelly people. If someone says if your heart isn’t in it then it is not worth doing. Kant would say this is total rubbish. You have no control over whether your heart will be in it or not. Do it because it is your duty. You only do it because of your rational or rationality. Morality is based on duty and that’s it. So how do figure out what duty is. Kant says we figure out to be what means to be the dutiful person by considering the act from pure reason alone and to get rid of emotion and sentiment. Duty stems from pure reason. Acting from sentiment and emotion is not properly rational. Kant wants to figure out what it means to be a rational, moral person. He does this by considering what pure reason is and pure reason is an aspect of the human person that is not particular to emotions or passions, or pathology or hormones or sentiments. For Kant, rationality is something that is much more pure. Something entirely bound up with nothing biological. Nothing evolutionary. Nothing emotional. Nothing empathetic. Kant would have been very much at home with the idea of the intergalactic senate. Lots of different sorts of biological beings with various physical attributes but all sharing in the same transcendental rationality attached to their particular alien biology. He would have been much more in line with Spocs decision making than captain kirk. Kant is spac. Most of us acting on emotion like Captain Kirk aren’t being truly ration and therefore aren’t truly being moral at least as far as Kant is concerned. To do the moral thing is to do that thing which is based on duty. We determine what our duty on what maxims can be universalized with out contradiction. We consider our duty via pure rationality and pure rationality tells us that one only acts morally if their actions are universalizable. Kant it is important to consider morality this way because this way we can make morality certain and self-evident. To say we act on a universalizable maxim is to say that a immoral action is precisely that action with is based on a maxim that can not be universalized with out contradiction. Thus, the reason you cannot steal is because to base ones action on stealing you would have to have one maxim that steal if you cannot afford to pay. But this creates a situation that cannot be universalized. If everyone stole if they cannot afford to pay then there would be no such thing as theft. This would destroy the very concept of legitimate theft. You would destroy the very concept of property and ownership making theft impossible. . You can only make sense of stealing most people don’t steal most of the time. Thus to act immorally is to count on everyone else or most of everyone else to follow a certain role precisely in order for you to get away with not following that rule. What holds for stealing also holds for lying. You can only get away with lying if most people don’t lie most of the time. To universalize lying would destroy the possibility of being able to tell a lie. Kant differentiates imperative based and hypotheses and imperatives that are categorical or come from pure reason. Hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. Kant says that all imperatives are based on hypotheses that are not properly moral. That is that no action that is based on hypothesis that a certain thing will come about if a action is done can be properly be called a moral action. Thus for example if I base my example that I base my hypothesese that my action will result in a certain pleasure or emotion than it isn’t properly moral. Morality is not a means end rational thing in this way. It can’t be. Hypothetical imperatives. Precisely because it is only a hypothesis, we do not KNOW with certainty that a certain action will bring about a certain consequence. Morality must be based on some certain principles and all means are based on hypothesis. We think or hypothesize that doing a certain action will give us pleasure or happyness. Utilitarians act on a hypothetical imperative and this is because utilitarians are trying to get good consequences. The problem with this theory, says Kant, is that you are trying to bring about something that you might not have the foggiest clue how to bring about. Morality by contrast, says Kant, can’t be based on knowledge that you might not have. We don’t know for sure how to bring about happiness. We think we know if we pass a policy that it will bring about more jobs to stimulate the economy but we don’t know that for sure. Morality can’t be an experiment. It must be based on a set of principles or as Kant calls it the categorical imperative. That action which is at the same time is able to be a universal law. Categorical imperatives are based on the certainty that only pure reason gives us. Only categorical imperatives can bring us true morality. This stuff about law is important. In his theory everyone is a legislature of moral law. We are all moral legislature. Remember that Kant does not think we can discover facts out there in nature or by meditating on the forms like Plato thinks. He actually disagrees with Plato and Aristotle and agrees with the Utilitarians on this point where as these ancient thinkers say we discover moral facts on the nature of the good. Kant argues that we construct moral law from a rightly working from pure rationality like they did in the intergalactic senate. As rational agents we have the ability to construct moral law. We do not discover moral law. It is not part of the world. We create moral law, based on the logic of pure reason. Literally make it. But just because it is subjectively constructed doesn’t mean morality can’t be objective. If moral principles are based on categorical imperatives from maxims then the constructive moral laws are the same time objective. He concedes that morality is intersubjectively objective. That’s the name of the game to create laws that are intersujectively subjective. Even though morality is constructed, it is still objective. This is because you can only legislate—or create—morality one way: the way given to you by pure reason.

Free Essays on Sex In Advertising

SEX IN ADVERTISING Sex sells. A truth known in advertising, this famous clichà © has become the core of most American advertising tactics. In everyday life, the average buyer is subjected to thousands of ads each day, many of which contain sexual imagery. Flipping through a 200-page Abercrombie and Fitch clothes catalogue and searching on their internet site, you notice something odd–the models are not wearing any clothes. Not only are they buff, and naive looking, men and women nude, but they are posed in numerous sexual poses. The issue includes a shot of a girl at the seashore arching her back, putting her fingers through her hair, naked from the waist up, and a hot guy wearing a wet T-shirt and nothing else ...grabbing his crotch; other shots contain group kisses. Also when I first entered the site the first picture that came up were 4 guys laughing together with no clothes on. Near the end of the catalog that comes out every quarter, finally, there are clothes showed, modeless. I believe t he creators of their advertisement needed a way to show their non-sexual clothing in a sexual way to get the buyer to be intrigued about wearing it. Abercrombie obviously is doing well if they have been around since 1892. Eventually, sex sell ads will seem like they are getting old so I think that in order to avoid this occurrence, balancing appropriate influential tactics with promotional advertising would be the best thing to do.... Free Essays on Sex In Advertising Free Essays on Sex In Advertising SEX IN ADVERTISING Sex sells. A truth known in advertising, this famous clichà © has become the core of most American advertising tactics. In everyday life, the average buyer is subjected to thousands of ads each day, many of which contain sexual imagery. Flipping through a 200-page Abercrombie and Fitch clothes catalogue and searching on their internet site, you notice something odd–the models are not wearing any clothes. Not only are they buff, and naive looking, men and women nude, but they are posed in numerous sexual poses. The issue includes a shot of a girl at the seashore arching her back, putting her fingers through her hair, naked from the waist up, and a hot guy wearing a wet T-shirt and nothing else ...grabbing his crotch; other shots contain group kisses. Also when I first entered the site the first picture that came up were 4 guys laughing together with no clothes on. Near the end of the catalog that comes out every quarter, finally, there are clothes showed, modeless. I believe t he creators of their advertisement needed a way to show their non-sexual clothing in a sexual way to get the buyer to be intrigued about wearing it. Abercrombie obviously is doing well if they have been around since 1892. Eventually, sex sell ads will seem like they are getting old so I think that in order to avoid this occurrence, balancing appropriate influential tactics with promotional advertising would be the best thing to do.... Free Essays on Sex In Advertising Using sexually provocative material makes advertising more effective. Many people have different opinions on this controversial issue. Sex is appealing and sex in ads often makes the ads appealing also. Although some companies say they never use sex to help any of their products sales. Could it be found through research of sexual ads, magazines, movies, and interviews that using sexually provocative advertising is or isn’t effective? Using sex in advertisement has its double standards, because what is considered to be sexy to a man may be trash to a woman. In some cases the product is overshadowed by sex anyway, that’s all that most males will remember, the sexual content. (www.wsu.edu:8080/~taflinge/sex.html, Richard F. Taflinge, 5/28/96) Sex in ads is seen by some of society as unnecessary and vulgar. On the other hand though, there is a percentage that thinks it’s acceptable and effective. A random number of students were interviewed at Northern Kentucky University, and were asked questions like, â€Å"Is it ok to use sex in advertising?† And, â€Å"Does it motivate you to buy the product?† (www.nku.edu/~issues/sexinadvertising/interviewnonapp.html, Kara McElwee, 3/31/04) Jennifer Drews, a student at Northern Kentucky University says she thought it was ok to use sex and she admitted it does motivate her to buy the product. Another student, Aaron Nieporte said that it’s ok for cologne ads but as for underwear it has to be sexy on him not the model. Jennifer Super said, â€Å"It’s alright to a certain extent. They tend to go overboard sometimes. It does not motivate me to buy a product.† (www.nku.edu/~issues/sexinadvertising/interviewnonapp.html, Kara McElwee, 3/31/04). Lewis Prabell said sex in advertising is ok, but it didn’t influence him to buy a product either, and Christy Doerhofer didn’t have a problem with it as long as it was tasteful and depending upon the model she might be persuaded to buy the pro...

Suffer and Suffrage

Suffer and Suffrage Suffer and Suffrage Suffer and Suffrage By Maeve Maddox When I first encountered the words suffrage, suffragist, and suffragette, I imagined that they had something to do with suffering. After all, black men and black and white women had to suffer before they acquired the right to vote, didn’t they? Actually, the two words have different origins. Suffer descends from a Latin word that meant, â€Å"to endure,† or â€Å"to suffer† in the same sense that we use the word. Syrian refugees suffer tough conditions at Jordan refugee camp. Rhinos suffer at the hands of poachers. Women Suffer Most from [economic] Crisis. Suffer is used both transitively (with a direct object) and intransitively. For example, one suffers a heart attack, abuse, or neglect, but suffers from heart disease, diabetes, or other medical conditions. Subtle differences can exist between transitive and intransitive use. Compare: Indian schools suffer federal neglect. Indian schools suffer from federal neglect. The first sentence can be construed to mean only that the schools are being neglected or ignored. The second sentence suggests that the schools are experiencing negative results because of the neglect. The word suffer in the King James translation of Mark 10:14 seems to have more to do with suffrage than suffer: â€Å"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of God.† Jesus is telling his events’ organizers to allow the children to take part in the proceedings. The Latin source of the word suffrage meant, â€Å"a vote of support.† The first definition given for suffrage in the OED is â€Å"Prayers, especially intercessory prayers, intercessions.† By the 16th century, the word had the meaning of â€Å"a vote given in assent to the election of a person† and â€Å"in an extended sense, a vote for or against any controverted question or nomination.† Shakespeare used suffrages to mean â€Å"votes of approval† in Titus Andronicus (1594): People of Rome, and people’s Tribunes here, I ask your voices and your suffrages. –I.i.218. Edward Gibbon (The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 1776) used suffrage to mean â€Å"the collective vote of a body of people.† The framers of Article V of the U.S. Constitution were apparently the first to use the word to mean â€Å"the right or privilege of voting as a member of a body, state, etc.†: no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. The word suffragist initially had the non-gendered meaning of â€Å"an advocate of the extension of the political franchise.† After about 1885, the word came to be applied most frequently to advocates of voting rights for women. When the word was feminized into suffragette, British women embraced it, but in the United States, the term was viewed as disparaging. American women preferred suffragist or â€Å"suffrage worker.† Suffragette also came to have a connotation of radicalism and militancy in the United States. The suffix -ette comes from the French feminine diminutive suffix. In English it is ordinarily used to form nouns denoting small or brief examples of the thing denoted by the first element: diskette: small disk towelette: small towel kitchenette: small kitchen H.W. Fowler objected to the coinage suffragette because it tended â€Å"to vitiate the popular conception of the termination’s meaning.† He consigned the word to oblivion: â€Å"May its influence on word-making die with it!† I doubt he’d much care for our new word dudette. You can learn some fascinating facts about the history of universal suffrage at these two sites: Universal Suffrage U.S. Voting Rights. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireWhat's a Male Mistress?Ulterior and Alterior

Sex as Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sex as Crime - Essay Example Similarly, sex as crime becomes highly obvious in a critical analysis of rape which is another type of sexual assault against females and it is more regular a practice in the modern society. Therefore, a reflective analysis of rape and domestic violence in relation to sex as crime assumes several themes and values such as humanist, minimalist, tolerant, responsible, and pro-feminist. Such an analysis also includes an investigation of the advantages and disadvantages of legislation and government control in the areas of rape and sexual violence. Significantly, "it remains the case that 'sex crime' (defined in its broadest sense to include issues such as soliciting, violence against sex workers, rape in war, internet grooming) is often considered to be less important, both legally and academically, than issues such as policing, community safety, white-collar crime and imprisonment. It is also fair to say that, given the current backlash against feminism, these issues are further margi nalised. Critical study in this area challenges both the workings of the criminal justice system and definitions of 'traditional' criminology." (Letherby, 5) Therefore, a pro-feminist and gender-sensitive approach to these issues highlights the problems with the stereotypical definitions of genderless 'sex crime'. A reflective analysis of rape and domestic violence in the contemporary world emphasises that the concept of 'sex as crime' is an essential one which covers several areas of criminal justice system and social issues. The concept of 'sex as crime' and rape and domestic violence The concept of 'sex as crime' in relation to rape and domestic violence assumes prominent role in the criminal justice system as well as policy matter. Significantly, rape and domestic violence against women became one of the most crucial policy priorities in the UK by the year 2000 as a result of the tree-decades long feminist campaigning. Contemporary investigations and researches reveal that the issues of rape and domestic violence have increased tremendously and there is poor handling of these issues in the criminal justice system. In fact, there is no other crime than rape which is handled more defectively by the criminal justice system and it is also under-reported crime. Whereas the vast majority of rape victims do not report the sexual attacks on them, it is also significant that the prosecution rate of rape cases is also much lower than other serious crimes. In fact, rape is a special type of sex crime where the case of the victim is much more serious than what is commonly p erceived. "As a crime, rape is in a class by itself; in the experience of the crime, in people's response to the victim and in the law enforcement skills needed to investigate and prosecute the crime Unlike victims of any other crime, rape victims are often subject to concerted ostracizing, disbelief, and blame. Hostilities against the victim quickly gather steam. These hostilities are frequently bolstered by powerful (male dominated) institutions such as schools, churches, businesses, families, and authorities." (Sex Crimes: Police Response and Investigation) Therefore, the issue of

Call to action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Call to action - Essay Example ‘Fracking’ also known as hydraulic fracturing is a process of fracturing rock by injecting fluids into dikes or Cracks. Sands is mixed with water and various chemicals and injected at high pressure to create small fractures in a wellbore. This causes fluids containing petroleum, gas and other minerals to move to the well. The technique has been used in most countries with coal seam gas, tight oil, shale gas, and tight gas. Through hydraulic fracturing, countries with oil deposits have acquired maximum extractions from the wells leading to economic stability. The process can lead to extraction of rich hydrocarbons, which could be hard to extract in other ways. Due the internationals widespread success of fracking, most of the countries are adopting this method. This has led to the development of new rules and regulations. In the United States, the EPA ensures these laws are enforced. Additionally, the procedure has had its disadvantages. Most of these are environmental im pacts such as contamination of ground water. During the fracking process, chemical are mixed with water and injected into dikes. These dikes may be connected or have underground channels that lead the chemicals to the water table hence causing contamination. It leads to depletion of fresh ground water. There is also presence of poisonous gases which are being released into the atmosphere during the process. Noise pollutions also caused by pumps providing the hydraulic pressure needed to inject water into the cracks. Most of these impacts have harmful effects to human health. Due to the negative impacts, the process is under international scrutiny. Laws and regulations have been put in place to regulate the level of pollution to the environment. Some countries have employed total bans to prevent fracking while others have set up regulations to help standardize the process. Drilling licenses in the United States of America are being issued on a contract with set rules and regulations that have to be followed during hydraulic fracturing. Grants to improve technology Financial institutions and the Congress should provide grants to help improve technology used in most of the E.P.A laboratories. This will indirectly help in conserving the environment since the laboratories are used to carry out tests. Financial institutions include banks, microfinance organizations and other global organizations such as the World Bank and European Union. Additionally, grants should also be issued to other research institutions provide funds to set up laboratories and pay researches. Extreme research will help scientists and environmentalists to come up with better ways of oil drilling. They may also come up with new ideas on the type of chemicals used leading to the use of environment friendly chemicals. The type of technology used in fracking may be improved because of increased research. Research will help in brainstorming and attainment of new ideas and innovations. Petroleum eng ineers discovered the fracking process in the 1940s. They there is the need to come up with other processes that are environmental friendly. To achieve grants, oil-drilling investors will have to establish project proposals on the type of projects and processes used. Signing of contracts will lead to issuing of string-attached grants. There should also be nationwide campaigns to cause awareness of the impacts of hydraulic fractur