Essays --

All it takes is one person to take the lives of twenty six students. Imagine dropping your kid off at school, and finding out that they, along with twenty five other classmates were killed by a single gunman. This was the reality for many parents at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut. And while this terrorist act affected the lives of 26 families, it also affected America as a nation. A day after the tragic shooting, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre addressed the media, and examined how America needs to take action to protect our children. In La Pierre’s speech, he claims how the effect of a gun can differ depending on who is firing the gun. Through the use of logos, pathos, and demagoguery, he effectively provides an argument that existing gun laws have not saved us from the violence that our society has developed. The use of Logos in LaPierre’s speech is evident through the use of facts supported by his impactful words and statistics. LaPierre depicts how the media has created a violent culture in our society today, â€Å"A child growing up in America witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18.†(La Pierre, 17) He claims that in today’s world, many movies, video games, and T.V. shows depict violent situation that usually involved bad guys shooting innocent people. LaPierre wants people to see that the media is too blame for this violent culture. By using large numbers such as sixteen and two hundred thousand, he is able to prove that media does have an effect on our society. LaPierre believes that anything can influence society, and the killers are the ones who will incorporate movie scenes into their real life actions... ... right now, starting today, in a way that we know works †(LaPierre, 3) The italicized words allow the audience to reflect on themselves. LaPierre wants people to realize that they can make a change and provide money/guns for school security even if the government will not. He also states the words â€Å"we† and â€Å"family† throughout his whole speech. This is LaPierre’s most effective use of Pathos. He is constantly remind the audience he is on their side and that he is suffering with all the families that have lost loved ones. LaPierre incorporated pathos and logos to create the effect he desired on his audience. He demonstrates logos effectively by the use of facts and supporting evidence. He also uses pathos to appeal to the audience’s emotions. Both strategies, give provide a greater chance that the audience will agree with his argument for armed security in schools. Essays -- All it takes is one person to take the lives of twenty six students. Imagine dropping your kid off at school, and finding out that they, along with twenty five other classmates were killed by a single gunman. This was the reality for many parents at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut. And while this terrorist act affected the lives of 26 families, it also affected America as a nation. A day after the tragic shooting, the National Rifle Association’s Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre addressed the media, and examined how America needs to take action to protect our children. In La Pierre’s speech, he claims how the effect of a gun can differ depending on who is firing the gun. Through the use of logos, pathos, and demagoguery, he effectively provides an argument that existing gun laws have not saved us from the violence that our society has developed. The use of Logos in LaPierre’s speech is evident through the use of facts supported by his impactful words and statistics. LaPierre depicts how the media has created a violent culture in our society today, â€Å"A child growing up in America witnesses 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence by the time he or she reaches the ripe old age of 18.†(La Pierre, 17) He claims that in today’s world, many movies, video games, and T.V. shows depict violent situation that usually involved bad guys shooting innocent people. LaPierre wants people to see that the media is too blame for this violent culture. By using large numbers such as sixteen and two hundred thousand, he is able to prove that media does have an effect on our society. LaPierre believes that anything can influence society, and the killers are the ones who will incorporate movie scenes into their real life actions... ... right now, starting today, in a way that we know works †(LaPierre, 3) The italicized words allow the audience to reflect on themselves. LaPierre wants people to realize that they can make a change and provide money/guns for school security even if the government will not. He also states the words â€Å"we† and â€Å"family† throughout his whole speech. This is LaPierre’s most effective use of Pathos. He is constantly remind the audience he is on their side and that he is suffering with all the families that have lost loved ones. LaPierre incorporated pathos and logos to create the effect he desired on his audience. He demonstrates logos effectively by the use of facts and supporting evidence. He also uses pathos to appeal to the audience’s emotions. Both strategies, give provide a greater chance that the audience will agree with his argument for armed security in schools.

American Beauty Film Critique Essay

There are few films that achieve the high level of quality exhibited by that of the 1990 beautiful tragedy, American Beauty. The film is a true masterpiece in both content and how this content is delivered to the viewers. It excels at being an enlightening and relevant drama about American life, and never fails to keep the audience entertained by providing many instances of well-placed humor. Every scene is filmed including metaphoric elements that not only show great stylistic and aesthetics, but also create a mood and feeling for the theme of the movie. American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film that is set in suburban America, in a normal neighbourhood, following the everyday life of the central protagonist, Lester Burnham, who is living the typical ‘American Dream’. He appears to have a great job, big house, loving wife and daughter and even a white picket fence. However, all is not as it seems as appearance can often be deceiving; if we just â€Å"look closer†, we as audience members soon see that he realises both his wife, over bearing and controlling Carolyn and jaded teenage daughter, Jane think that, in the words of Jane, he is â€Å"this gigantic loser† and they’re right. The character of Lester is initially portrayed as a depressed, sad and lonely forty-year-old man, deprived of freedom and struggling to find anything worth living for. However as the film progresses Lester’s persona as a character is dramatically developed with the introduction of an equally intriguing character, Angela Hayes. Everything changes for Lester the night he is forced by his wife to his daughters school to see her perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, engrossed in a pompon routin, parading and dancing around the court, he sees his ‘angel’: Angela his daughter’s high-school classmate. Angela fulfills the stereotypical idea of what beauty physical beauty is. She is thin, blonde, big blue-eyed and immediately catches Lester’s attention; Angela is not Lester’s highway to bliss, but she is at least a catalyst for his freedom (Ebert, 1999). His thoughts, and the dissatisfaction they stimulate, blast him free from years of emotional torture and bring him right back to his youth. It is from this moment on that Lester transforms into a spontaneous hormone-driven teenage boy, who smokes marihuana, works out, and uits his job all in order to impress his Angel-a. American Beauty uses Angela as the image of Lester’s broader want; that being his underlying desire for freedom and evidentially beauty. However, she symbolizes the potential underlying superficiality of physical beauty that is slowly revealed towards the end of the film. The film portrays many of the hidden problems within the white picket fence American dream along with addressing the problems many Americans have with feeling free and accepting their own identity. The film shows the vastly different worlds that people can live in whilst still living on the same street, and the disorder and frenzy that lies veiled in a society that we all try to portray as being as perfect as possible. In doing so, American Beauty reveals that the only way to calm the chaos is to find beauty in everything. To â€Å"look closer† is a must for truly understanding and identifying with the continuous bombardment of symbolism that is constantly being illustrated in this film. American Beauty portrays such themes as the falseness in lust, power and appearance and that we need to remind our selves â€Å"†¦of all the beauty there is in the world†, as beauty is a matter of opinion. Beauty however, is the most significant and explored theme in American Beauty. Another prevailing theme is the notion of the characters journey and transformation throughout the film. Lester’s journey can almost be compared to one from childhood from adulthood, figuratively speaking as evidentially, he steps into a mature, paternal phase where he takes responsibility and finds meaning in life, as an adult. Many techniques were used to portray these themes and influence audiences opinions of characters and events, including film techniques of cinematography, soundtrack as well as such visual techniques of symbolism, colour and contrast and both aesthetic and stylistic elements. American Beauty is a complex film that relies so heavily on mis-en-scene and cinematography to portray its message. In particular this is showcased during one scene that truly puts the ‘American Beauty’ into perspective; the opening scene or as it is often referred to as, the â€Å"High Point Scene†. The film explores the concepts of what true beauty really is and as suggested in the title of the film, the American Dream and how far this ‘dream’ really goes and what it actually means; this is explored further from the films tagline â€Å"look closer†; to think about perceived desire and to analyze more what these wants are. Through the exploration of the opening scene and a study of how the cinematography, mise en scene and sound foreshadows plot points in the rest of the film, the underlying messages and symbolism will be uncovered. The movie opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham reclining on a bed, complaining about her father. The scene begins with what is referred to as a flash forward, in cinematic terms. The line â€Å"Someone really should just put him out of his misery† is a hint towards the mid life crisis that the father Lester is currently going through and the ways in which she is aware of the pain he is dealing with, not knowing what he truly wants. Through the mise en scene and cinematography displayed throughout the scene, the audience is enabled to receive a glimpse into the events that have just occurred. Through the use of a lesser quality picture, shaky footage and dimmed lighting the audience is able to identify with the fact that the imagery being presented has that of a ‘home movie’ feel. The utilization of ‘raw footage’ within this drama genre of film gives the audience a sense of reality towards the character, hence making the dialogue seem more legitimate and believable. The addition of a pause into the characters dialogue helps to support and express the sense of ‘reality’ further, as it is as if she is really thinking about what she is saying. The rather ambiguous approach to the delivering of the line â€Å"You want me to kill him for you? † helps to draw attention to Jane’s reaction as apposed to the interviewers own intensions. This poses both Jane Burnham, the daughter and the unidentified interviewer as suspects to her father’s upcoming murder. However the abstruse approach from the interviewer combined with the daughters reply is foreshadowing what is to come later in the film, as each character related to the father is set up to be the possible murderer of his death. By using the body language as a primary tool for communication, the reply of â€Å"Yeah, would you† to the previous statement, suggests that she is almost daring the interviewer to kill him. This is expressed through the dominant changing of levels when she sits up, almost creating a shift in power, and looks down and straight into the camera, but at the same time also insinuates some sarcasm on her part. The audience learns in the very first lines of the movie that Jane’s dad, Lester, is not the father that she wants. The opening credits roll, and the shot switches to an aerial view of a neighborhood. The exact location is not specified, and that is very intentional. It is important that this not be a critique of a specific area, but of American culture as a whole. The scene begins with an aerial shot of a suburb, with Lester Burnham introducing the audience to his life and informing them that â€Å"In less than a year, I’ll be dead,† and â€Å"in a way, I’m dead already. † This dialogue is heightened through the following shots of Lester lying alone on a bed in a very dull coloured room, thus signifying the meaninglessness life in which he is leading. The utilization of an aerial shot here creates the idea that the world is looking down on him. The dominant use of bright lighting also indicates that it is the morning, however through the use of shadowing casted over Lester, it expressed to the audience that he is still in ‘the dark’; he is yet to be enlightened. Visual techniques are a constant feature in American Beauty, including the use of colour, contrast and symbolism. The primary recurring prop that is introduced at the beginning of the film is a rose, in which the audience first sees in a close up before Lester’s wife Carolyn Burnham picks it up. The first shot of the rose seems out of place, beginning with the flower filling the frame and then moving down to focus on the thorns before Carolyn’s clippers cut it. The rose symbolizes the impotence of not only the love life between Lester and Carolyn but the idea of the American Dream. This shot not only draws attention to the rose as a recurring object in the film, but it also serves as a metaphor for the Burnhams: on the outside they appear perfect, like the flower, but underneath they are rotten and broken (represented by the thorns). In this shot the character of Carolyn is also introduced and is instantly perceived as a cold, workaholic who is obsessive about how they (the family) is presented. This portrayal is demonstrated through the line â€Å"See the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident†, thus showing the audience what level she will go to, to maintain order and control. What is also noticeable about this shot is the mise en scene, in particular the red roses, white picket fences and the blue painting on the house. These colours in specific represent the American flag and therefore the American dream. These objects are most perceived to be included within the American dream as well as stereotypical figure of Carolyn, the suburban housewife. This ideology however, creates contrast with the cinematography. Many scenes are metaphoric in how they are shot, and what is in the frame symbolizes a higher, deeper meaning. This is demonstrated when, Lester looking out the window of his house at his wife, and the blinds on the window represent jail cell bars. Even the blocks of text on his computer screen at work, (shown later in the film) represent jail cell bars. Lester is â€Å"in jail† because his life at this point is so empty and missing substance. This cinematography technique often used in film nior is utilized to convey the emotions of disassociation and distance which in this case, is the way in which Lester feels towards his wife; he is no longer associated with her. American Beauty† is more than a biting satire on suburban life. This somewhat contrived story is meant to be an allegory. Alan Ball’s richly textured screenplay, brilliantly executed stylistic and aesthetic elements such as cinematography, mise en scene and symbols are effectively demonstrated throughout this masterpiece of a film. Every single shot is so carefully taken and layered with such vast significance that it is a marvel to behold. â€Å"Look closer,† the film’s tag line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we yearn for and spend our life chasing. There isn’t a single example of a film done better. Not only is the content top-notch, but the technical aspects of the movie are excellent as well. American Beauty truly demonstrates the power of film.

Ontology in Anselm, Descartes and Kant Essay

Ontology is a purported proof that God exists. The ontology provided by St. Anselm in the eleventh century set the standard in Western thought, and on which all subsequent ontology attempted to measure itself. Before the renaissance and the age of reason it was generally agreed that only a fool would deny the existence of God. Accordingly the ontology of St. Anselm employs the attitude of a fool – meaning some one without any of the higher concepts of philosophy – as the crux of the argument. The argument commences with a definition of God: â€Å"Now we believe that [the Lord] is something than which nothing greater can be thought† (81). The association made is to perfection, for only in perfection can we conceive nothing beyond. In traditional attempts at ontology the strategy was to find God amongst the splendor of his creation. Anselm, however, eschewed the evidence of experience and tried to affect a proof from pure thought. It is placed in the head of a simpleton, and in this way is made to appear as stemming from the innate mind, and not clouded by the errors of perceptual understanding. Anselm’s fool wants to cling to the idea that â€Å"God is not!† But such atheism does not strangle the thought processes inside the head. It necessarily searches for perfection, that being the natural inclination of man, which is to seek happiness, comfort, order, and so on. Can the fool imagine perfection, asks Anselm. The answer is that he cannot. For whatever ideal it fixes on, the mind surges past it for something even better. However, this relentless ascendancy within the mind presages the existence of perfection therein, for otherwise the mind chases after nothing. Now, since we have already identified perfection with God, the mind imagines God, and indeed strives towards it. Existence in the mind will not suffice as ontology. Therefore, as the next step in the argument, Anselm attempts to measure the idea with reality. We must next consider whether that which has been imagined as perfect has a corresponding reality beyond the mind. If it does not then we have a contradiction. For being in the mind alone we are then able to imagine something even greater than it. That which was imagined as perfect now turns out have something that is more perfect than it. Anselm is sure that he has found a contradiction here. So he proceeds to conclude:   â€Å"Therefore, there is no doubt that something than which a greater cannot be thought exists both in the understanding and in reality† (82). Descartes, though largely accepting this ontology, doesn’t accept the contradiction derived in the final step. He argues that reality has not been introduced at all, but only an idea if reality. In the final analysis the entire ontology is taking place in the head. It is an imagined God that Anselm proves, says, Descartes, not a real one. His correction, therefore, was to consider the phenomenal world after all. In this manner he laid out what has famously come to be known as â€Å"Cartesian doubt†. The world of sensory experience, when examined philosophically, naturally induces doubt, for all perspectives are subjective. It is impossible to construe an objective form subjective sensory experience. But instead of holding back doubt Descartes allows it full reign. He starts to explore what else can be doubted. Soon it is found that not only material reality, but also all the perceptions and ideas of the mind must also be doubted, for they all stem from the same faculty of understanding. But his doubting reach must come to and end eventually, when he comes to consider consciousness itself. Descartes discovers that he is unable to doubt the â€Å"I†, for it is the â€Å"I† itself that is doubting, i.e. thinking. Thus his famous conclusion, â€Å"Cogito, ergo sum† – I think, therefore I am (68). From the proof of self-existence to the proof of God is a simple step. A self that is subject to doubt is imperfect, and therefore implies the existence of Creator who is perfect. Kant, in turn, comes to dismiss both these attempts at ontology on the simple premise that existence is not a predicate. In other words, it is meaningless to say simply â€Å"God is.† Our concepts of understanding allow us to apply reason in the form of sentences that contain both subject and predicate. So that we can say that ‘God is good’, or that ‘God is merciful’. But simply ‘God is’ is not meaningful, and human understanding does not allow such speculation. In effect, Kant is saying that ontology is not possible. This is in concord with the rest of Kant’s philosophy, which emphasizes that we are not able to pronounce on the noumenal world, i.e. on â€Å"things in themselves†. He describes three categories of noumena – the soul, the material world, and God, the last being the source of the first two. Therefore God is definitely part of Kant’s philosophical scheme, only that he remains beyond human understanding, and we cannot even pronounce on God is the simplest form – ‘God is.† Just as we cannot know anything about the soul, or the material world, as things in themselves, but only come to know the consequences of them. Our understanding is limited to the phenomenal world, where practical reason applies. Kant also speculates on the existence of a transcendental â€Å"pure reason†, that which overcomes the anomalies of practical reason. Pure reason is identified as an end in itself, and is thus identified with perfection. He stipulates it as a moral imperative that we pursue â€Å"pure reason† as the highest goal. Yet he refuses to identify this perfection with God, and differs with Anselm on this point. He also differs with Descartes’ ‘cogito, ego sum’, and complains that logic is being applied to derive existence, the rationale being that the part cannot be used to explain the whole. The least objectionable ontology, in my opinion, is that of St. Anselm’s. To make this point I will show that the refutations put forward by Descartes and Kant are not appropriate. Descartes’ complaint was that the proof given by Anselm is wholly ideal, without reference to the phenomenal world to give it substance. But Anselm does indeed refer to the phenomenal world, when he introduces the postulate that the ideal of perfection has no corresponding existence in the real world. In fact on this postulate the entire argument hinges, for it is used to derive the contradiction, from whence the ontology ensues. â€Å"Cartesian doubt† a merely a long-winded way of coming to the same conclusion. Kant’s complaint, on the other hand, is not really an argument at all, but rather a boast that he has not has to use the words â€Å"God exists† anywhere in his philosophy. For to pick on the grammar of â€Å"God exists† on the justification that the noumenal world is unknowable is taking matters too strictly. Even accepting Kant’s theory, it is not right that we desist from pronouncing the existence of God. He may not have done so explicitly, but Kant does indeed pronounce of the existence of God in the implicit sense. As a moral precept to action he gives us the categorical imperative: â€Å"I am never to act otherwise than so that I could also will that my maxim should become a universal law† (13). The universal law is pertaining to the moral law, which is described as an end itself, and therefore is no different from the idea of perfection. An imperative is only categorical when it works universally, without contingency. To paraphrase Kant, the rationale of human existence is to pursue the moral life in order to attain to perfection, in other words, God. Other than the fastidious insistence of grammar, Kant does not really object to Anselm’s ontology. With both Descartes’ and Kant’s objections discredited, Anselm’s ontology must stand as the best, being the simplest and most intuitive. Works Cited Anselm. Basic Writings. Translated by Thomas Williams. Boston: Hackett Publishing, 2007. Descartes, Rene. Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies. Translated by John Cottingham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Kant, Immanuel. Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing, 2004.   

Palestinian and Israeli conflict Essay

Palestinian and Israeli conflict is the famous dispute between the Palestinians and the Israelis and it’s a dispute which is ongoing and a conflict which is explosive and continuing. It is one of the most sensitive and important issue discussed (Shah, 2000). The term has been used as a reference for the same conflicts earlier phrases and this conflict is usually very wide ranging. International actions have been forced in the conflict due to violence that had resulted from the dispute. Besides the international actions, human rights and security concerns are also prompted. This conflict has a great variety of thoughts and view in the societies and highlights the deep divisions of the Palestinians and the Israelis societies. The Israelis and the Palestinians have two different religions but this religion is not the reason for the conflict, its all about the land. Both groups knew the area as Palestine which they claimed. But after the 1948-49 war this land had been divided into three parts which were the West Bank, the state of Israel and the Gaza Strip. Issue There were many issues that had occurred between the Palestinians and Israelis. The West Bank and the Gaza strip had been occupied by the Israelis. The Israelis were asked by the Palestinians to withdraw the land but the Israelis instead started to expand its settlements throughout the processes of peace and continue to do so today as well. In order to regain the Palestine for the Palestinian Arabs they demanded a tow state in the Gaza and the West Bank. The Israelis on the other hand refused to create a state as they believed that it would result in a base for the terror groups but in the final negotiations the Israelis agreed to create the state with very limited control to the Palestinians over its resources and its borders. The refugee problem was another important issue in the conflict. There were about 726000 Palestinians who were forced to leave their homes in the war that had followed in 1948 (Gelvin, 2007). The Palestinian refugees were about 4 million. The refugees were in poor conditions in the camps of Gaza and the West Bank. There was a Palestinian demand for sending the refugees back to their homes in Israel. The Israelis whereas opposed to this as they felt that there would be a majority of the Arab Palestinians and this would end the Israel being a Jewish Israeli state. To the problem of the refugees mentioned above the answer of the Palestinians was of creating riots and destroy the Israelis by violence. By violence the Palestinians got hold of many of the areas of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. And most of the population was in hold of the Palestinians. For the answer to this again the Israelis took a step which was of the Israeli Repression. They limited the flow of the Palestinian workers to Israel to prevent any terrorist activities from happening and there were strict border checks of these workers. This greatly reduced the Palestinian standard of living. Those Palestinians who did come to work were humiliated or awaited for long hours at the check points. For any of the terror attacks at the checkpoints the Israelis starting firing at vehicles as a result of which many innocent civilians were put to death. The Israelis had launched the defensive Wall in the West bank operation and started reoccupying the territories in the West bank which were under the Palestinians. There were further checkpoints made by the IDF (Israel Defense forces) and any of the towns were for long time periods kept in curfew and the disrupting daily life, education and work. The IDF had killed about 3500 Palestinians and had destroyed the Palestinian houses. The problems that the Palestinians had to go through because of the Israelis were also due to the reason that the Israelis wanted to ensure their security. Causes The Israel Palestine conflict causes are too complex. The entire area was known as the Palestine before even the Israelis entered. The place was not called Palestine at the time of the Ottoman Empire but it had been divided into separate parts which were called ‘Vilayets’ which were further subdivided into even smaller units known as the ‘Sanjaks’. This Palestine term was just used by the Muslims, Jews and Christians to just describe their likeness for that region. The place was conquered by the Europeans. This region then was named the Palestine under the British Administration ad the people there were given identity cards labeling their nationality as the Palestinians. This was the time when the conflict arose between the Palestinians and the settlers of the Zionist who had been arriving from Russia and the Eastern Europe. The European settlers had a want to build a community of the Jewish people, though Israel wasn’t created then but only the want was enough to create a conflict between the European settlers and the Palestinian Arabs (Caplan, 2009). The land that was owned by the Palestinian Arabs was taken away from them and they were evicted by the new owners of that land, the land that was brought by the European from the European Zionist funds. This entire process gave rise to a conflict which had quite violent results. The time when Israel came into place during the years 1947 and 1948, many of the Palestinian residents were forced to leave their homes and were not allowed to return to their homelands. All these people became the Palestinian refugees and their troubles were the actual root to the conflict between the Israel and the Palestinian conflict. Solution The solution to this conflict which I can think of is for the Israel to become one state under the vote democratically and populated by both the Palestinians and the Israelis. There are three reasons for me to choose this solution. Firstly, the Palestinians want to live back in their homeland and if they do they would feel satisfied and would have a feeling of achieving what they always wanted. The Palestinians always thought of getting back their country and live in their homeland. If they live with the Israelis it would make them feel optimistic about their children’s future. Their goal has always been to return to their homeland so if they would succeed in achieving their goal then they would stop violence. The second reason is that of much less violence. As the Palestinians would be heard through the voting and them participating in the affairs of the government they would not create violence and blow off people to get heard. This would result in less fear and greater safety for the Israelis. Moreover, there would be no violence for retaliation from the Israeli terrorists. Lastly, the democratic government would be fair to both the groups as it would contain both the Israelis and the Palestinians. To the citizens all the leaders would be fair if they’re elected otherwise they won’t be re-elected. For the leaders both the groups would vote and if one leader favors just one group then the other group would not vote for him. The Palestinian and Israeli leaders would have to be fair and equal no matter whatever religion they’re following (Homie, 2007). Conclusion This conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is a very sensitive issue and the solution which I think would work is that of Israel becoming a democratic state. I believe this is the best solution as it’ll provide both the groups with a homeland and also allow them to participate in the government of their own. This can be an effective step towards peace. References Shah A. (2000). Palestine and Israel Introduction. December 20, 2000. From www. globalissues. org Homie G. (2007). A Solution to the Israeli Palestine Conflict. May 6, 2007. From www. newsflavor. com Gelvin J. L. (2007). The Israel-Palestine conflict: one hundred years of war. Edition: New. Caplan N. (2009). The Israel-Palestine conflict: contested histories. Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.

Sex and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sex and Gender - Essay Example les of bias will likely always occur in one form or another, but the suggestion that there has somehow been a concerted, secretive international conspiracy by evil corporations directed against women is ridiculous. This paper debunks the glass ceiling myth by examining the arguments by those who would defend its existence and by injecting context and perspective into the discussion. Prior to delving into the multiple facets of the supposed wage gap between men and women in the workplace, one indisputable aspect should be addressed. This nation operates on a capitalistic system. Companies large and small, in every industry and service, have one main goal which is to make a profit, the bigger the better. Therefore, it is an economic reality that if a company could hire women who would accept 25 percent less compensation than a man to perform the same job, as is popularly claimed, they would hire only women. Since this phenomenon hasn’t occurred either locally or nationally, it can be safely assumed that there is no gender-based disparity in wages, no unspoken conspiracy to discriminate against women, no glass ceiling. A recent study which surveyed nearly 900 companies of various sizes found that about half reported that it was at least somewhat likely its next CEO would be of the female gender. This would not have been the case 30 years ago when women, driven by economic necessity, began to enter the workforce in larger numbers. Business analysts have estimated that â€Å"it takes the average man 20 years to become general manager, 25 years to become president, and 30 years to become CEO assuming he has the personal and professional qualities to make it in the first place† (Larson, 2005). Thirty years after women on the whole became more career oriented, they are today as likely as men to assume the head position of businesses, right on schedule. It is only reasonable to expect that there was a gender discrepancy among the top jobs in the beginning years

Mortgage Backed Securities and their role in the economic crisis Essay

Mortgage Backed Securities and their role in the economic crisis - Essay Example This will normally lead to a fall in the countries’ GDP, a rising and falling of prices because of inflation and deflation and a drying up of liquidity. It normally can take a form of recession or a depression. The economic crisis began with bursting of the united states housing bubble and high default rates on subprime adjustable rate mortgages (ARM),and variable rate mortgages beginning around 2005 to 2006(Wall Street Journal, December 4, 2007). Prior to the crisis, the government policies and competitive pressures encouraged high risk lending practices for several years. The role of Mortgage Backed Securities in the economic crisis The financial crisis was highly felt in the market in 2008. The civil fraud charges was filed against several major credit rating agencies for their role in developing mortgage bond that helped bring about the financial crisis in 2008. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S.  Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently looking at t he role these companies played in the crisis and exploring the possibility of holding them accountable. The crisis began to affect the financial sector in February 2007, when HSBC, the world's largest (2008) bank, wrote down its holdings of subprime-related MBS by $10.5 billion, the first major subprime related loss to be reported. During 2007, at least 100 mortgage companies either shut down, suspended operations or were sold. Top management has not escaped unscathed, as the CEOs of Merrill Lynch and Citigroup resigned within a week of each other. As the crisis deepened, more and more financial firms either merged, or announced that they were negotiating seeking merger partners. (Wall Street Journal. Online, May 2008). Credit risk arises because the borrower has the option of defaulting...This paper outlines the role of the mortgage backed securities (MBS) in the surfacing of financial crisis Mortgage backed securities are loans that are normally purchased from mortgage companies, banks and originators and then assembled into groups by a private entity, a governmental or a quasi governmental. The securities are then offered by the entity. These securities are offered through the securitization, that represents the claims on the principal and interest payments made by borrowers on their loans in the group. Most of the mortgages are offered by a U.S. Government agency known as the National Mortgage Association or government-sponsored agencies which comprises of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association Mortgage bonds or mortgage-backed securities were secured by a mortgage on one or more assets. They are generally backed by real property or real estate holdings. The mortgage bondholder has a claim to the underlying property and can sell it off to compensate for the default if the homeowner paying their mortgage defaults. Economic crisis refer to a situation where the economy of a nation or a country undergoes a sudden downturn which is brought about by financial crisis. The financial crisis was highly felt in the market in 2008 The civil fraud charges was filed against several major credit rating agencies Credit risk arises because borrower has the option of defaulting on the loan one owes. In the real sense, lender is the one who bore the credit risk on the mortgages issued. It was made possible for lenders to sell the right to receive the payments on mortgages they issue through securitization. This led to several risks in the financial sector

Audit Committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Audit Committee - Essay Example It assists a business to achieve the aim through fetching methodical, closely controlled advance towards appraisal as well as develop efficiency of risk management, control, and governance processes. The Code of Ethics is essential as well as suitable in favour of the career of internal auditing, originated since it is resting on faith placed in its aim promise regarding governance, risk management, and control (Beattie & Fearnley, n.d.). The Codes of Ethics used by internal auditors is likely in the direction of affect as well as support the subsequent standards: These are the main objectives of ethics that are to be followed in every case for being in the area of code of ethics. Integrity Objectivity Confidentiality Competency Independence and External Part of Audit Committee The Audit Committee is answerable, used for making certain it analysis’s at least once a year the credentials, presentation and sovereignty of auditors. Also, the Audit Committee shall analysis a ceremo nial printed declaration clearing up every relation among The External Auditors as well as Parent Company as well as its subsidiary. The Audit Committee will sustain a dynamic discussion with the autonomous auditors, casing a few revealed relations or checks so as to might force their neutrality and sovereignty. The Audit Committee will evaluate every future take on by company or its subsidiary of administration point or senior persons previously working through the sovereign auditors who offered checks towards the corporation. The Audit Committee will get, or counsel The Board of Directors so as to it takes, suitable measures towards managing the sovereignty of company’s External Auditors. To have an efficient association among the Audit Committee and External Audit, here exists a system contained to assist a release as well as guileless trade of information among Committee Members as well as External Audit all the time. Audit Committee members must exist inside an arrangeme nt, talented to frankly talk about subjects of attention in a responsive way with External Auditors within several areas enclosed through the Committee’s function (Beattie & Fearnley, n.d.) External audit committee coverage The Audit Committee is supposed to be briefed on the projected External Audit reporting as well as completely believe on subsequent given terms by the company: the financial report regions of audit focus, appraisal of entity risks, as well as related fees; projected performance audit coverage; Some possible duplication among internal audit coverage. It can be predictable so as to the Audit Committee will evaluate every considerable association from External Audit about Intended Audit, Audit in development, accomplished audit, as well as widen a ranking incitement for the External Auditor to live there next to every committee summit meant for every schedule matter (by means of the omission of members-only gatherings so as to the Committee might grasp occasi onally). Present there on every summit as a witness permits the external auditor to get a improved perceptive of an organizations functions as well as dangers along with, between other belongings, allows external auditor to offer a standing information lying on Audit doings furthermore to present contribution in favor of the committee’s consideration (BPP, 2011). Question 2: Audit and