Civil War, Religion or Economy

To what extent do you accept Lawrence Stone’s view that religion rather than economic interests influenced the taking of sides among the gentry in 1642? Religion was a huge part of 17th century England, and can be seen as one of the highest contributing factors to the civil war. Most of the country consisted of Protestants with a minority of Catholics, however this did not mean there was no friction between the two. The religious quarrels began right at the start of Charles' reign, when Charles married Henrietta Maria, a French Catholic.Although Charles didn't choose to marry her – his father, James, set up the marriage – the public, especially the Puritans, didn't like having a Catholic as Queen. A few extremists even saw this as a sign that Charles was secretly Catholic! After the King dissolved Parliament, he made William Laud the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1633. While Laud was Archbishop, he made many changes to the Church. Most of these changes involved be atifying the Church and bringing back robes for priests, statues and stained-glass windows.All these things reminded the English of Catholicism, and it did not please the Presbyterians (puritans) who believed that church should just be about â€Å"you† and God, no extravagance was required and it was considered to be unnecessary. In 1636, Archbishop Laud decided to introduce the English Prayer Book (which stated how services should be run) into Scotland. There was nationwide rioting, because no one wanted to follow the new Prayer Book. Scotland was a Presbyterian (Puritan) country, and they thought that the English Prayer Book was far too Catholic to use in Scotland.This eventually led to many Scots, called the Covenanters, marching down the country in an attempt to invade England. At this point, Charles had to call Parliament to ask for taxes to pay for the war, but was horrified to see that most of the MPs were on the Covenanters' side. Parliament agreed that the Prayer Boo k was too Catholic, so Charles dissolved them again, but after he ran out of money to pay the Scots, he was forced to call Parliament again. These actions support the view of Source 6 that the populace believed in an authoritarian popish plot to undermine English laws and liberties, and significantly â€Å"true religion†.This plot was made apparent by the â€Å"alarming† support from the â€Å"evil councillors† at court. The Grand Remonstrance’s famous phrases signify these views and suggest that it was common belief that the King and his advisors were involved in a popish plot. Parliament first put Laud on trial, and found him guilty. Later they decided to execute Strafford on charges of organising an army in Ireland, where he governed. It turned out that this was a big mistake. As soon as Strafford was executed, the Irish Catholics rebelled against the Protestants, saying they were rebelling for the King.Although it was clear this was not true, Parliame nt did not trust the King when he asked them for an army, and so refused, believing he would use it to crush them instead. Notably, in contradiction to both Sources 5 and 6, Source 7 states that the gentry held no clear alignments as war broke out. There is said to be no â€Å"clear association† of wealth or political sympathies before the war, but correlations do appear in 1645. However, religion is considered to be far more decisive than any socio-economic correlation, suggesting that if any factor could be attributed to the taking of sides, it would in fact be religion.This is supported by the fact that in Yorkshire, over a third of the Royalist gentry were Catholics, and over half the Parliamentarians were Puritans. In contrast to the view that religion was the main influencing factor in the taking of sides among the gentry in 1642, it is also believed that economic interests were responsible for influencing the gentry. James was the first King to reign over both England and Scotland, and when he came down from Scotland it is said that he was astonished at how rich England was, while James had needed to borrow money for his travelling expenses.When James died in 1625, Charles came to the throne, and he, like his father, had very little money. Once Charles became King, the County Faction  wanted him to go to war with the Catholics in Spain, so Charles asked them for taxes to use on the war. They refused to pay enough, so the war was hopeless, and Parliament blamed the King for this. The reason Parliament granted so few taxes was that they wanted to make sure they were called again. Charles, a firm believer in the Divine Right of Kings, thought that he should not have to rule with Parliament, and the only thing that kept him calling it was money.One good example of the way Parliament made sure they were called back in Charles' reign was tonnage and poundage. These were duties imposed on certain imports and exports. It was normal for these duties to be decided in the first Parliament of a monarch's reign, but in the case of Charles, they only decided on it for one year, so the King would be forced to call them again. Although Charles tried to ask for more money, Parliament refused, because they believed he spent it on his favourites. Because of this, Charles had to get himself more money.He began using the Church Courts, exploiting taxes such as ‘ship money’, and selling monopolies and titles. He also opened a Court of Star Chamber, which he used to fine people heavily to raise money. Since the judges in the Star Chamber were officials of the Crown, and there was no jury, Charles could be sure of getting a favourable result. Parliament was furious with this, and immediately drew up the  Petition of Right, which asked the King to stop illegal taxation. The King signed it, but only because Parliament threatened to impeach Buckingham, one of the King's favourites.The quarrels about money went on, and eventually Char les decided to dissolve Parliament. He reigned without them for 11 years. When the new prayer book was brought into Scotland, a group called the Covenanters attempted to invade England. Charles called a Parliament to try and get taxes to fight the Covenanters, but they refused, so Charles dissolved them again. He was forced to pay the Scots ? 850 a day to stop them advancing, and eventually, in 1641, his money ran out, and he had to call Parliament – he was bankrupt and at their mercy, so money was definitely a key factor in the outbreak of the civil war.With the economic depression and impoverishment of the populace, the gentry were bound to rebel against the king. Source 5 suggests that this was the main reason why the gentry rebelled against the king. In contrast to Source 6 which suggests religion was the reason, Source 6 implies that the gentry were merely part of a â€Å"blind protest† against the depressing economic situation the found themselves in. In conclusi on it can be suggested that neither economic interest nor religion were individual influences in the taking of sides in 1642.It would be a much more accurate judgement to suggest that a mixture of the two were responsible. The combined fears of a popish plot and a continued depression, or even loyalty to the king may have motivated the gentry in taking sides. This is implied by the variety of evidence from all three sources, mention economic influences and significant religious motivations that would have been completely relevant to the population, but more specifically to the gentry.

How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor Essay

How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor By Erik S. Reinert The book How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor is written by Erik S. Reinert and it is published in 2007. Reinert is a 62-year-old Norwegian economist who specializes in development economics and economic history (Wikipedia). Reinert attended the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland (where he studied economics), Harvard University for MBA, and Cornell University for Ph.D.(Wikipedia). In addition to How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor, Reinert has written six books which focus around the theory of uneven development and the history of economic thought and policy (Wikipedia). Reinert is not only an eminent scholar in his field, but also a distinguished entrepreneur. In 1972 he founded a small industrial firm that did color sampling to the paint and automotive industries. Later he developed the firm and added production plants in Norway and Finland, and by the time he sold it in 1991, the company had become the largest of its kind in Eu rope (Wikipedia). Reinert is influenced by Friedrich List and it shows in his piece. Reinert suggests that â€Å"globalization would have been a positive-sum game for all countries if the world has taken Friedrich List’s path to economic integration† (Reinert, 161.). Friedrich has developed his own theory about the timing of tariffs and free trade, and the sequence basically goes like this: (1) a period of free trade for all nations (2) a period when small states protect and build their own industries (4) a period when all countries establish their own competitive industrial sectors (Reinert, 161.).After going through all the above steps, it’s time to open for global free trade and globalization will benefit the poor nations as well as the rich ones. Based on Reinert’s education level, the amount of research and publication he has done in the field of uneven development and his work experience, it can be concluded that Reinert is both qualified educationally and by experience to write this book. How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor is Reinert’s most recent English-language book and his purpose of writing this book is to find out the causes of poverty and to explain the mechanisms that produce the huge gap between the rich and the poor. He looks through the economic history of the past 500 hundred years and concludes the economic structure that most rich countries follow faithfully and eventually make them rich: industrialization policies first, free trade second. Once the rich countries become rich (e.g. the European countries), the type of economic understanding employed by them during their transition from poor to rich dies and they comes up with the completely different standard economics (abstract â€Å"high† theories) for export to poor countries. As a consequence, the standard economics, such as the Washington Consensus, proves to be damaging to poor countries and makes them even poorer. It can be observed that the rich countries were those who emulated the leading industrial nations, such as the United Kingdom, into â€Å"the Age of Industry† (Reinert, 123.) Industrialization is the very first step towards success. With the effect of increasing returns and specialization, the benefit of industrialization goes much further. Industrialized countries take all the jobs that require high skills and technology, while the jobs industrialized countries can no longer mechanize or innovate further, such as straightening of the wire, are farmed out to the non-industrialized countries (Reinert, 39.) Rich countries produce mechanizable products while poor countries can only produce non-mechanizable ones and it explains why no country is able to get rich by only producing raw materials (Reinert, 134.). An industrial sector is essential for a country to become rich. As time zips by, technology and increasing returns, which are main sources of economic power, create economic barriers to entry and make it even more difficult for poor countries to catch up (Reinert, 40.). Rich countries specialize in the right economic activities also develop economic scale and as a consequence, more labor is needed to perform the tasks and the cost of each unit of product falls (Reinert, 40.). Workers are paid more and the things they buy cost less. Both outcomes reflect the two ways to raise the standard of  living: to receive higher wages or to lower the prices of goods (Reinert, 131.). On the other side, rich countries force the conclusions of standard economic policies which they would not apply at home, upon the poor nations that are under their wings, such as keeping the colonies as pure suppliers of raw materials (Reinert, 39.). The rhetoric-reality gap plays an important role in keeping poor countries poor. Another factor that is crucial to the poor nations is the timing of opening up of an economy because free trade tends to destroy the most efficient industries in the least efficient countries (Reinert, 251.). Most rich countries are industrialized before the free trade, so that when they enter the market, they are capable to compete with other countries and get the maximum benefits from globalization but for poor nations, the free trade is like adding frost to snow. In conclusion, Reinert sees the wealth as a result of industrialization, together with other factors such as increasing returns, synergies and he blames poverty for deindustrialization, and the wrong timing of free trade. In general, I agree with Reinert’s opinion that industrialization and the timely free trade policy are the keys to wealth. The development path of China can be a perfect example for this. China was very prosperous during the Tang dynasty, and many western countries sent scholars all the way to China to learn from its success. But during the Qing dynasty, the government chose the policy of isolation and it destroyed the economic development of China. The Qing government restricted the external transport and foreign trade. Imported goods were heavily taxed. The variety and quantity of exported goods were limited as well. China isolated itself from others while many western competitors were in the process of industrialization. Many industrialized western nations were seeking new territories and the deindustrialized China without any advanced arms naturally became their target. Effortlessly, their machine guns bombed the â€Å"locked† country. After that, China learned lessons and started to choose economic structure carefully. Instead of following the immediate economic integration, China followed the Marshall Plan whose goal is to reindustrialize. Fortunately, China chose the right economic structure this time and it was used as proof of the excellence of globalization while Russia, a country faithfully followed the advice given by the World Bank and IMF, experienced disastrous  consequences (Reinert, 118.). Although China has gone back to the right track, but the fact that China is a developing country instead of a developed country demonstrates that the scar caused by the mistaken choice of economic policy and deindustrialization hasn’t healed. The story of China shows the consequences of failing to recognize the importance of industrialization and timely free trade. The failure explains why poor countries are poor and the presently weal thy countries are those who embrace the industrialization and capitalism. Generally speaking, the book is well written. Reinert organizes the book by using sub headings to separate the content and drawing examples from the economic history to support his theories, which make the book more understandable and reliable. There are only a few graphics, a bibliography and a very long appendix at the end, suggesting there are a lot of facts and in-depth research behind the book. The only problem that I have with this book is the repetitiveness of theories. Reinert is very focused on his theme but sometimes he tends to overemphasize it by repeating the similar theories in different chapters. I would recommend the book to readers who have a particular interest in the topic of equalization, or the gap between the rich and the poor. Reinert discusses a lot of highly controversial subjects and people would want to find out the answers. Bibliography S. Reinert, Erik, How Rich Countries Got Rich and Why Poor Countries Stay Poor, London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_S._Reinert

Planning techniques Essay

According to the BCG matrix, companies’ business units can be categorized into 4 categories. These categories are based on the amalgamations of market share and market growth relative to the biggest competitor. Based on BCG matrix, it is very good for the company when its products have large market share or the product’s market is growing very fast. The Boston Consulting Group Portfolio Matrix Stars indicate that the business or the product has high market share and high growth. †¢Large amount of money are invested and so these businesses/products are expected to generate considerable amount of cash. They are the leaders in that particular business. †¢Usually approximately in balance on net cash flow. Nevertheless, if any effort is needed to be made to keep the share it should been done because if the market share is maintained then the returns will be a cash cow. Cash cows are companies or products which have low market growth and high market share. †¢These are mature and successful businesses with high profit and cash generation †¢There is little need for investment because of the low growth. Dogs represent companies or products which have low growth and low market share. †¢These businesses neither generate nor consume a large amount of money. †¢The number of dogs in a company should be avoided and minimized. Question marks display organizations or products with high growth and low market share. †¢Question marks require huge amount of investment and have low returns because the market share is low. †¢If the market share stays low than question marks will constantly demand large amounts of money and as the growth terminates, they will convert in a dog. †¢However, if the market share increases then the question marks may return into a star and ultimately a cash cow as the market growth slows. The BCG Matrix Method helps to understand a common strategy mistake make by the companies which is: having a one-size-fits-all-approach to strategy. In such circumstances: A.Cash cows Business Units will reach easily their profit target and their managers will be permitted to invest more money in  the businesses which are developed but not growing any more. B.Dogs Business Units will not stop investing in order to ‘turn the business around’ C.Subsequently the investment made in Question Marks and Stars Business Units is mediocre and thus they do not have the opportunity to become cash cows. In this scenario there are only two things that the companies should do. Either these SBU should receive decent amount of cash to allow them to become a cash cow (or star), or companies should not invest anymore and try to take whatever amount of cash out of the question marks. Some of the drawbacks of the BCG Matrix are: 1.Having a high market share does not mean that the company or the product will be successful. 2.The attractiveness of markets is not indicated only by the market growth 3.It may happen that Dogs can achieve higher returns than Cash Cows. Profit impact on market strategy (PIMS) The Profit Impact of Market Strategy (PIMS) is a program which started initially in the USA, to determine how profit impacted on marketing strategy and vice versa. Based on the information collected from participating companies, PIMS estimated businesses’ market position and proposed feasible strategies. According to Lancaster, Massingham and Ashford (Essentials of Marketing, 4th edition, McGraw Hill), PIMS seeks to address three basic questions: †¢What is the typical profit rate for each type of business? †¢Given current strategies in a company, what are the future operating results likely to be? †¢What strategies are likely to help improve future operating results? Dibb, Simkin, Pride and Ferrell (Marketing Concepts and Strategies, 4th European edition, Houghton Mifflin) cite six principal areas of information that PIMS holds on each business: †¢characteristics of the business environment †¢competitive position of the business †¢structure of the production process †¢how the budget is allocated †¢strategic movement †¢Operating results. Businesses which want to use the service have to present detailed information, containing details of their: †¢competitors and market †¢balance sheet †¢assumptions about future sales. In return, PIMS produces four reports, described by Lancaster, Massingham and Ashford as: 1. A ‘PAR’ report – demonstrates the ROI and cash flows that are considered ‘normal’ for that particular kind of business, displaying its market, competition, technology, and cost structure. 2. A ‘Strategy Analysis’ report – shows the likely effects of strategy changes on ROI/cash flow both short and long term. This is achieved by analyzing the information of other companies in an analogue business making similar moves, from an equal starting-point and in similar business environment. 3. A ‘Report on Look-Alikes’ (ROLA) – analyzes strategically equivalent businesses more closely and then predicts the best combination of strategies for that particular company 4. An ‘Optimum Strategy’ report – is almost the same as ROLA because it recommends the best strategy for the company based on the experience of othe r companies in the same position. One of the disadvantages of this model is that the data has been misinterpreted in some cases. In addition, another area which can be argued is connecting the profitability to the market share. Shell Directional Policy Matrix The Shell Directional Policy Matrix is another refinement upon the Boston Matrix. It has two dimensions, vertical and horizontal. Next to the vertical axe are company’s competitive capabilities and next to the horizontal axe are the prospects for sector profitability. Different strategic decisions will be implied depending on the position of a Strategic Business Unit (SBU) in the matrix. Each of the cells is explained below: Disinvest: Disinvesting is the best option when the SBU is running in losses  with ambiguous cash flow because the situation is not going to ameliorate in the future. These liquidate or move the assets. Phased withdrawal: SBU’s with average competitive capability in low growth market has almost no chance to generate cash and as such they should be eliminated sequentially. Double or quit: this is all about gambling. There are two possible options to gamble and these are either to invest more in order to take full advantage of the prospects displayed by the market or to abandon the business. Custodial: SBU’s are just like a cash cow, milk it and do not commit any more resources. In this situation the corporate has to make a decision whether to get help from other SBU’s or exit the scene to concentrate more on other attractive business. Try harder: SBU may be doing fine for the moment but the future does not look promising and thus additional resources to strength their capabilities will be required. By trying harder, the company may take advantage of the business prospects thoroughly. Cash Generator: This is like a cash cow where no further amounts of cash are invested and SBU may carry on with their operations because the generation of cash is strong and satisfactory profit is made. Growth: In order to support product invention and R&D activities the SBU’s need investment. So ensuring that enough resources are available is crucial to grow the market. Market Leadership: Significant resources are concentrated on the SBU and so it must be the first priority. SHELL DPM has its limitations. The first limitation is that it assumes that the similar factors are entirely applicable for appraising the prospects of any product/business.

McDonalds Products and Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

McDonalds Products and Marketing - Assignment Example There are also a few items available for sale that are part of the branding of the corporation in the form of t-shirts, mugs, and other such items. One of the more popular items is the ‘Happy Meal Toy’, which has obtained a status as a collectible item. Therefore, the item is not only of interest to children but to adults who become involved with this type of collecting. According to the annual report of 2007, the three most important products of the year were the Snack Wrap, the introduction of McGriddles in Japan, and the McCafe concept which is working toward selling a great deal of coffee in the form of specialty coffees and lattes [p.11]. Revenue was increased in Argentina with the introduction of ’El Placer del Momento’ which were designed around a rotating flavor schedule [p. 15]. The most successful ‘Happy Meal Toy’ campaign of 2007 was the tie in with Shrek the Third, in which 115 countries had participating McDonald’s franchises [p. 17]. With creative products and items that are created specifically for the markets within a country, such as a snack wrap that has shrimp as a protein base for Japan [15], McDonald’s has a consistent record of using The McDonald’s corporation does not publish its product sales figures, therefore it is not possible to build an accurate Boston Matrix. However, with information gathered from the 2007 Annual Report, a representation of what those figures could look like is made within the above matrix. McDonald’s has determined that proprietary information will not be released in any form even for use by students in a research project [Student, 2009] According to the report, Big Macs, French Fries and the rest of the core menu are responsible for 75% of the total revenue [2007 Annual, 2008 11].  Examples of where some of the products might possibly fit into this type of a matrix are used in the above grid.

Liberian Production and Export of Rubber and Economic Growth Term Paper

Liberian Production and Export of Rubber and Economic Growth - Term Paper Example Economic and productive activities collapsed as looting and vandalism became the norm. GDP and GNP fell by over 90% in less than two decades (Radalach). This was reversed by the inception of Ellen Johnson Sir leaf as the President in January 2006.Since then the country has been in peace and great achievements have been made in the economic recovery especially in the agricultural sector, mining industries, infrastructural growth and education among others. Agriculture has been the biggest sector in the economy of Liberia with rubber being the main cash crop for export. The current government has introduced policies to foster peace, launch reconstruction and development, and build strong systems for governance and democracy. (Daft) The most important issues for Liberia’s continued growth and prosperity and unity for peace is through the establishment of the foundation for rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth. The government has established the implementation of poli cies plan aimed at both political stability and inclusive economic recovery that are mutually reinforcing, and that to sustain development over time, it has embarked on rebuilding institutions and physical infrastructure and invest in human capacity through strong health and education programs. Its initial strategy following the inauguration was articulated in its â€Å"First 150-Day Action Plan,† describing the steps that both the government and the donor community would participate in during the period from January and June 2006. This was coupled with the development of an Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy, this was finalized in 2007 and its purpose was to cover the period from late 2006 through mid-2008. The government is furthering this by working on the modalities of poverty reduction strategies that covered the period between 2008 and 2010. All three of these strategies are organized around a framework with four basic pillars. †¢ Expanding peace and security. â₠¬ ¢ Revitalizing economic activity †¢ Strengthening governance and the rule of law †¢ Rebuilding infrastructure and providing basic services The governments financial situation and limited personnel been has increased the governments need for the international support since the international community would play a big role in Liberia’s reconstruction through resource mobilization and manpower for the growth of the country. As a result the government at an early stage has introduced mechanism to closely monitor the donor activities. The new Liberian government is working on a different model that ensures effective coordination and consistent approaches both between the government and the donors and across government agencies. It is establishing a structure in which the decisions are made by a small group, chaired by the government rather than a donor that could execute decisions more quickly and easily. It also wants an administrative structure that is consistent wit h the substantive structure of growth and development of agriculture and other pillars of the economy. The government is working to involve the entire population so that the country’s population is involved in the employment of youths to avoid the return of Liberia’s conflict as a result of political and economic exclusion of large segments of society that characterized the countries previous unrests. Land and property

Renoir Etching and Drypoint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Renoir Etching and Drypoint - Essay Example Their dresses have been engraved with lines that look wiry and have ends that taper. All other features of on these women depict the same quality of lines. Taking a closer look at the lines, they portray rough scratches made by some sharp pointed object. These lines have been repeatedly scratched on the plate so as to come up with complete images. The objects on the background, seemingly children playing, reveal this act of scratching without leaving distinct lines on the images. Furthermore, the ridges left after the engraving process are not very regular and deep. The burr, it seems, was not removed during the entire process of incising. From far, an audience may be under the impression that this piece of art is drawing; which is not the case. It is only a colorless ‘dry point’ that can create such a shadowy scratch on a plate. Nonetheless, the use ‘dry point’ has given the picture a feathery touch that may be attractive to most

The Observing a Cemetery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Observing a Cemetery - Essay Example I was deeply engrossed in the sweet and soft music of natures’ orchestra while shiny, intricately engraved brass cross stood directly above to guard me against all evils. As l touched the soft flowers and felt the crisp leaves under me, it dawned on me that like never before, my mind is perfectly clear and my thoughts absolutely focused. Grief-stricken by the obvious neglect, l slumped against a tombstone. Thick overgrown grass and weeds surrounded me. The sky above me was misty and overcast and the atmosphere seemed ghastly. The bitter cold autumn wind bit my body irritably. I watched in sadness, a woman weeping at a nearby grave, her sobbing breaking the eerie silence, like an erroneous note in a chorus. From the ruins of a mausoleum, the wrinkled undertaker was constantly staring at me suspiciously with his tired eyes. The air was thick with the unpleasant smell of exposed skeletons. As my realized the gross disrespect and neglect, the cold and stinging arms of guilt grippe d me. The old oak tree looked just like the untendered graves, a heartbreaking failure to provide rightfully owed perpetual care. In anguish, all my senses screamed sorrow and sadness and l could not lift my eyes from the ground. I was deeply resenting coming here and wanted desperately for this disrespect to end. In these two paragraphs, I described a cemetery, a place by and large associated with negative undertones. In the first paragraph, I describe the graveyard in affirmative radiance, focusing on the serenity, tranquility, and beauty, while in the second I cast a negative shadow, focusing on neglect, and that â€Å"guilty† feeling that seems to grip your body. A Direct Statement of Meaning: I concluded the first paragraph with †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å" it dawned on me that like never before, my mind is perfectly clear and my thoughts absolutely focused.†Ã‚  Ã‚  

Different Proportion of M&M Candies in Each Colour between Two Sample Research Paper

Different Proportion of M&M Candies in Each Colour between Two Sample Proportions - Research Paper Example There were 1535 blue candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of blue candies is 0.2087. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.1994, 0.218). There were 1587 orange candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of orange candies is 0.2157. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.2063,0.2251). There were 1320 green candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of green candies is 0.1794. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.1707, 0.1882). There were 925 yellow candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of yellow candies is 0.1257. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.1182, 0.1333). There were 990 red candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of red candies is 0.1346. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.1268, 0.1424). There were 999 brown candies in the bag out of 7356 candies and the proportion of brown candies is 0.1358. The 95% Confidence Interval is (0.128, 0.1436).The sample size in estimating the proportion is 438. In testing w hether the given sample proportion of blue candies (0.2087) matches with the population proportion 0.24 of blue candies. The hypothesis is rejected (Z=-6.291) since the observed value is less than the expected value -1.96. Hence there is a significant difference between the sample proportion and population proportion. In testing whether the given sample proportion of orange candies (0.2157) matches with the population proportion 0.2 of orange candies, the hypothesis is rejected (Z=3.3754) since an observed value is greater than the expected value 1.96. Hence there is a significant difference between the sample proportion of orange candies and population proportion of orange candies. In testing whether the given sample proportion of green candies (0.1794) matches with the population proportion 0.16 of green candies, the hypothesis is rejected (Z=4.5492) since the observed value is greater than the expected value 1.96.

Impacts of Screens and Television on children Research Paper

Impacts of Screens and Television on children - Research Paper Example And though many parents do not feel disturbed regarding this issue, pedestrians claim that the impact of screens can be really damaging for children`s psyche. Generally, children`s behaviour, sleeping patterns, academic performance, the level of aggression, and physical health are affected by enormous time over the screen. However in this paper I am going to prove that the time spent by children in front of screens and the quality of the media products consumed play a decisive role for the overall effect. One of the major negative consequences of the time spent in front of screens is the influence on brain development. Despite the fact that scientists learn more and more how exactly child`s brain is changing there is still no clear picture of the impact of external factors on its work. The plasticity, flexibility, and weak connections between neurons make it possible to influence and reshape child`s brain. Neuroscientists claim that long and repetitive stimulation influence emotional and cognitive development of kids in different ways. First it is possible to speak of establishing of certain â€Å"habits of mind† by recurrent activities. Second, lack of certain stimuli also results in the mode of brain work. Children from the early age need directed communication with close people, diverse and intensive linguistic environment, stimulating physical interaction, and relevant to their age academic opportunities to develop normally. At the same time lack of these stimuli and passi vity deprive children of valuable resources (Healy, 2011). As a result children will further feel difficulties with engaging into normal social activities, playing, and using their cognitive abilities on the full capacity. However, if parents can keep balance between these activities and control children`s time spent with screen media it is possible to keep balance. Many experts claim that excess of Television and other screen media influence negatively imagination of children because of

Accounting Changes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Changes - Assignment Example Michael Ramos (2008) professional opined the primary reason for restatement is to present a more realistic picture of the company’s financial statement reports in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and accounting standards. The company’s plan to restate the financial statements generated a corresponding -35% decline in its sales figure. The company has been desperately using all its collection expertise to force one of its major clients, Sinovel Wind Group, to pay for its long overdue liabilities to American Superconductor. Sinovel is strategically located Chinese company. The financial statements were restated to reflect the adjustments on American Semiconductor’s results of business operations for the year 2010. The financial statement restatement precipitated to the reduction of the company’s revenues from U.S. $ 215.7 million to only U.S. $ 74.7 million for the year 2010. The restatement precipitated to the reduction of its 2011 1st quarter financial statement revenue from $360 million to only $307 million.... The restatement was overdue because the financial statements were originally prepared to present projected data that had to be adjusted. Specifically, American Superconductor had booked its sales before the revenues were received. Question 3. There are changes that American Superconductor is expected to introduce related to the company’s internal control and accounting principles as a result of the need to restate the company’s balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows. Orice Williams (2007) reiterated the changes are needed to comply with the stock exchange policy of ensuring public confidence is not reduced. The change includes the implementation of the new accounting data as a basis for the preparation of the next accounting period’s financial statements. The next accounting period will no longer take into consideration data which had not been included in the restated financial statements. The auditing and accounting officers must adopt the restated financial statement accounts for all future financial statements accounts in compliance with the financial accounting principle of consistency and understanding. Consistently prepared financial statements enable the users of the financial statements to compare and contrast financial statement data between two accounting periods. Management must explain the reason for accounting change as well as the effects of the accounting change to dispel any doubts among the financial statement users. For example, the users can scrutinize the difference in the revenues for 2010 and 2011. Question 4. John Tracy emphasized (2009) the restatement of the company’s leadership will cast doubts on the need to restate the financial statements. The trustworthiness

Council Responsible for Genetics Essay Example for Free

Council Responsible for Genetics Essay The Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG) is a non-profit NGO with a focus on biotechnology , the Council for Responsible Genetics was founded in 1983 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An early voice concerned about the social and ethical implications of modern genetic technologies, CRG organized a 1985 Congressional Briefing and a 1986 panel of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, both focusing on the potential dangers of genetically engineered biological weapons. Francis Boyle was asked to draft legislation setting limits on the use of genetic engineering, leading to the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989. CRG was the first organization to compile documented cases of genetic discrimination, laying the intellectual groundwork for the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). The organization created both a Genetic Bill of Rights and a Citizens Guide to Genetically Modified Food. Also notable are CRGs support for the Safe Seeds Campaign (for avoiding gene flow from genetically engineered to non-GE seed) and the organization of a US conference on Forensic DNA Databanks and Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System. In 2010 CRG led a successful campaign to roll back a controversial student genetic testing program at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2011, CRG led a campaign to successfully enact (GINA) in California which extended genetic privacy and non-discrimination protections to life, disability and long term care insurance, mortgages, lending and other areas. The Peoples Petition The Peoples Petition was an online campaign to express support for medical experimentation using animals in the United Kingdom. Within a year of launch the number of signatures exceeded 21,850 and included Tony Blair, the then-serving Prime Minister. By 13 May, the petition had recorded 13,000 signatures. The following day, in the wake of publicity around a number of acts of intimidation by animal rights activists, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced in the Sunday Telegraph, that he intended to add his name to the petition. As an unusual move for a serving politician, Blair described his intention as a sign of just how important I believe it is that as many people as possible stand up against the tiny group of extremists threatening medical research and advances in the UK. The petition offered the opportunity for individuals of any age or place of residence to express support for three assertions: * Medical research is essential for developing safe and effective medical and veterinary treatments, requiring some studies using animals. * Where there is no alternative available, medical research using animals should continue in the UK. * People involved in medical research using animals have a right to work and live without fear of intimidation or attack.

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay Example for Free

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay In the study of communications, reaching a common consensus on how to apply a shared and common understanding of communications seems to be a near impossible task. After being introduced to the seven traditions of communications by Craig in his essay â€Å"Communication Theory as a Field†, I choose to explore the tradition he categorizes as Phenomenology. My initial understanding on the study of communications were quite limited to the transmission view, dominated by a sender and receiver framework. Interestingly, the transmission model in it’s origin was culturally rooted in religion, and used as a tool for the dissemination of Euro centric religious values and practices globally. With advancement in technology, especially in the 1920’s, the North American perspective on communication shifted the transmission model from religion to science to reflect a multidisciplinary approach in to the study of communications. As a practitioner of what was once the transmission view, the Catholic Church had experienced tremendous religious propagation of its message through forcible transmission all over the world. Based on Craig’s essay, the Catholic Church of today then embodies traits of a ritual view of communication, and is aligned with religious communication, and expression such as fellowship, participation, community, communion, and common faith. The phenomenological model of communication shares characteristics with the ritual view that I will be exploring through the Roman Catholic Eucharistic liturgy. The phenomenological tradition described by Craig, â€Å" conceptualizes communication as dialogue or the experience of otherness† (p. 217). Communication in this tradition is not rooted in verbal transmission but instead a shared experience on plains that extend beyond tradition verbal or textual communication. For the purpose of this paper phenomenological tradition can be seen as a form of communication expressed metaphysically as well. Gadamers’ theory from â€Å"Truth and Method†, focus on tradition and language as a primary form of communication. His ideology is that: we are only able to make sense of ourselves and the world around us because our consciousness has been shaped by history and traditions in ways we are largely unaware of wareness expands our understanding of the tradition. His description of an I-Thou relationship as the question-answer logic that underlies hermeneutic experience creates communication by identifying, hermeneutics, â€Å"that lead to a dialectical process of interpretation and growth of understanding. As a phenomenological practitioner, this theory has very intrinsic value. Communication in this practice provides a very meaningful and existential experience that I am to able to engage in with my Creator, in the absence of any other person. As a Roman Catholic, I have had many questions about the way we participate in mass. My parents grew up on the island of Trinidad, in a devout Catholic community. The Spanish, that had at one time colonized Trinidad, were very committed to their mission of converting the indigenous people of the island. The spread Catholicism throughout the country was profuse, with community churches everywhere, (even building one across the street from my mother’s house), and adding a monastery and seminary college a mile further up the mountainside where my father lived. Catholicism was not just a religion in our community, it was a part of the culture, and employed many of the villagers as they worked for the seminary. My grandparents were in fact Hindu, and converted to Catholicism because of the strong influence and presence it had within the community. As a Roman Catholic child, I had been told to repeat, chant, and act with humility, adoration and reverence during mass. I did not understand what we were doing or what the intention was. I became harder and harder to find meaning in going to church. In my late teens I stopped attending mass because there was no intrinsic connection for me in my faith practice. I remained a spiritual and deeply rooted faith based person, but I could not come to terms with many of the teachings of my church. I stayed out of church for many years. At some point, I became curious about what it meant. I was not looking for a theological understanding per se, but instead, what did â€Å"it† mean? The chanting, the collective response in unison, the prayers itself. What was I blindly repeating every Sunday? I chose to study the teachings of the Catholic Church in university at Newman Theological College to gain a scholarly perspective. Many things became clear, although I did acquiesce on some ideological points, (my own hermeneutical experience). Inspired by my academic insights, I returned to church as a knowledgeable participant of the mass, understanding that as part of the community, I would belong to the collective voice of the fellowship of Christ. The Catholic mass is deeply enriched with both Phenomenological Theory as well as Semiotic Tradition. In some regard you must look at the semiotics in order to fully understand what is being communicated during certain points in the eucharistic liturgy. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the phenomenological aspects. The Eucharistic liturgy is a two century old tradition, considered the real presence of Christ at the last supper carried out each Sunday, and is considered an integral part of Catholic worship. As Catholics we believe Jesus began a significant new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. It causes us to collectively and intrinsically share in the experience of his sacrifice through his death and resurrection. The description of the liturgy I’m presenting here reflects a very basic summation of the ritual. At the start of the liturgy we are asked to offer ourselves up, and surrender to God. As we participate in the Eucharistic Prayer we are in the act of giving thanks. The congregation is humbled as Christ is transubstantiated from man into the elements of bread and wine. We collectively mourn as Jesus is offered to the Father in sacrifice for the sins of man. We participate in the Lords Prayer, and a prayer for peace. The Holy Spirit is invited to come down upon us and unite the community of worshipers into one body as we prepare to accept the communion, and offer each other a sign of peace. As a community we should be considered one body, ready to receive Christ as a single body in the form of the host. Prior to accepting the communion we collectively humble ourselves stating our unworthiness and asking for compassion and forgiveness for our transgressions. As members of the congregation travel to the the altar, it represents a pilgrimage in this life from a journey of birth to death, and to the heavenly Father. Once each individual receives the host, we communally belong to the larger body of Christ. An aspect of the phenomenological theory of communication as seen by Buber can be practically applied in this example. The I-Thou relationship is present when looking at the relationship each individual member of the ongregation has with their Creator, or even Catholicism itself. The act of worshiping communally creates an experience and awareness of each other that reflects dialogue in Gadamer’s model of phenomenology. Prayer itself is a great example of the I-Thou relationship the Buber describes. Although it contradicts Gadamers â€Å"parallel concept of conversation emphasiz[ing] the object or subject matter of conversation that brings people together in dialogue† (p. 219). Buber also notes that, â€Å"dialogue can be entirely wordless, yet deeply meaningful† (p. 19), and talks about how sacred silence itself can be on page 227, which is evident throughout the moments of the liturgy in which individuals respond on an emotional level through reverence, humility, sorrow, or repentance. Burber’s theory of a person living life with an open mind, open to experience and in essence living the life of dialogue is what resonates most for me. My critical exploration into understanding the Catholic mass has supported my dialogue in prayer with my creator, as well as my participation as a member of the Catholic church. It would be assumed that since developing a clearer understanding of the mass, that I would be regularly attending. That is not the case. What I grew to understand is that I cannot effectively belong to the congregation if I am not intrinsically communicating through action, intention and prayer when I attend. For that reason, I go to church when I have a deeper calling to do so. My I-Thou relationship within my faith is not compromised as I connect to my creator in conversation and prayer every day, however, my I-Thou relationship with the other church goers would be compromised and lacking authenticity if I attend mass out of obligation.

Locke: Of Identity And Diversity

Locke: Of Identity And Diversity I will begin by analyzing John Lockes theory of personal identity. Locke describes personal identity in his chapter Of Identity and Diversity, where he differentiates identity into different components until he creates a more general account of identity. Locke begins by explaining how Each individual atom is the same at a time, and stays the same over time.1It is in his first few lines that Locke stresses that identity for atoms depends on their continued identical existence over time. He then makes it clear that the most important part of identity of an organism is the continuation of the same life. However, Lockes difficulty is in deciding if physical or psychological continuity was more important. It is clear that Locke rejects the idea that the identity of the human body is a necessary part of the identity of a person. Locke proves this point using his example of the soul of a prince in the body of a cobbler: For should the soul of a prince, carrying with it the consciousness of the princes past life, enter and inform the body of a cobbler, as soon as deserted by his own soul, everyone sees he would be the same person with the prince, accountable only for the princes actions; but who would say it was the same man?2 In this example Locke shows that the human body is not necessary in personal identity since you could have the same person in two different bodies. Since the physical body cannot maintain personal identity, Locke comes to the conclusion that it must be the psychological aspect of humanity that retains personal identity. 1It is at this point that the emphasis of identity is placed on the psychological rather than the physical aspect of life as stated in Lockes second book: This may show us wherein personal identity consists: not in the identity of substance, but in the identity of consciousness3 Lockes next point was to differentiate between a man and a person. He uses the example of a rational talking parrot and compares it to an organism with the same shape as a human being though; it is unable to engage in rational discourse.1 This thought experiment is used by Locke to demonstrate that rationality is not an essential part of a man. Since rational discourse was not a necessary part of man. Locke expressed identity using something else. Thus, Locke finally narrowed down the integral part of personal identity to consciousness. Lockes definition of conscious is as follows: Consciousness is both a necessary and a sufficient condition for a morally vital sense of personal identity.3 Locke describes the essence of self as being their consciousness, which he states as something distinguishable for every thinking thing. This consciousness is described as the sameness of a rational being. The unique characteristic of consciousness is that allows it to retain personal identity is that it can be extended backwards to any past action or thought. It is this characteristic that Locke uses to explain his theory of personal identity. 4Locke also disagrees with the Cartesian view of the soul, which held that a mans soul was of an entirely different essence than his body, focusing more on the connectedness of the same conscious thought. Therefore, Locke reaches the conclusion that personal identity can only be achieved through psychological continuity. As a result of this, psychological continuity relies only on the beings ability to consciously look back on their previous existence and be able to distinguish between conscious thought and memory. This distinction is extremely important to bec ause Locke is frequently ambiguous when dealing with both terms. When he refers to conscious memory, he implies that it represents the consciousness of a past experience. Conscious thought, on the other hand, involves perceiving that one perceives. Locke explains that when we will anything, we are always conscious of it. Psychological continuity, as Locke describes it, also insinuates that a person who exists at one time is indistinguishable with a person who exists at a second time only if the first person remembers some past experience that connects the second person to the second time. Therefore, Lockes definition of personal identity centers around the continuity of the consciousness, which is able to relate past and present memories and retain some sense of self awareness. Now that I have explained and given an analysis of Lockes theory of personal identity, I will now evaluate the validity of Lockes theory by proving that his account of personal identity is incorrect. Lockes arguments contain flaws from their conception. I have a great difficulty with Lockes statement of self-conscious awareness as the main constituent of personal identity since intrinsically that consciousness is available only to each unique self. Due to this dilemma, third party juries will be subject to error in many cases. In order to further explain this point, I will divide my argument into two questions; what does personal identity consist of and how can one tell a person is the same? First, since Locke defined personal identity as a persons consciousness, I will use that as my basis for this argument. Thus, since we can only tell a person through their physical aspect, it becomes impossible to distinguish if someone elses consciousness resides in the person you are looking at . An example would be if a person robbed a bank but wasnt conscious of the fact that he performed the act in the first place. According to Locke, the man should be free of all charges since he wasnt the same person who robbed the bank. This however is preposterous if in a courtroom there is evidence of that person robbing the bank, the only exception being if the person could prove they lost consciousness throughout the event. Another error found within Lockes argument centers around the fact that even though a person can switch bodies, it is the consciousness that determines the identity of the bodies. Thus it is clear that while Lockes statements seem perfectly rational in theory, practically though, they have no weight. Another flaw found in Lockes argument, is in how he leaves out particular cases where his theory of psychological continuity cannot apply. First however, I must define the distinction between person and man. Locke defines man as a living body of some particular sh ape. A person, on the other hand, is an intelligent thinking being that can know itself as itself the same thinking thing in different times and places.4An example of this would be humans who remain in vegetative conditions and show no mental faculties whatsoever. According to Lockes description of personal identity these human beings are not considered persons since nothing can be discovered from their past in order for that individual to define their psychological identity. Lockes argument between man and person becomes too controversial since the definition of both terms can never truly be settled. In conclusion, after providing examples to counterclaim Lockes argument that personal identity originates from psychological continuity it is clear that Lockes view on identity is too flawed to be correct when defining identity for each person. 1William, Uzgalis. John Locke > The Immateriality of the Soul and Personal Identity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/supplement.html (accessed October 13, 2010). 2Locke, John. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 517-518. 3John, Locke. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 514. 4John, Locke. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 515. sBibliography Uzgalis, William. John Locke > The Immateriality of the Soul and Personal Identity (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/supplement.html (accessed October 13, 2010). Locke, John. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 517-518. Locke, John. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 514. Locke, John. Of Identity and Diversity. In Essay Concerning Human Understanding Volume Two. 1690. Reprint, Toronto: Dover Publications, 2005. 515.

Jfk Conspiracy Essay -- essays research papers

The debate about Kennedy’s assassination has been mixed by emotional arguments array of conspiracy theories that try to explain why a popular president was shot. I believe that President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, Texas was a conspiracy. The U.S. Government has admitted that the American people have not been told the truth about the assassination. The Committee on Assassinations believes that on the basis of evidence available to it, that President JFK was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. The committee also stated that is was unable to identify "the other gunman" implying that the first gunman was Oswald, but they never verified him as one. One reason the extent of the conspiracy wasn’t determined is because the funding for the investigation was suddenly cut. The conspirators did not want the committee to find out. Someone that could cut of the funds to a government aided project most have some authority. Newly discovered documents reveal that George Bush was directly involved in the murder. The document places Bush working with a now famous CIA agent, Felix Rodriguez. He claims that he quit the CIA in 1976, just after being sent to prison for his role in the Watergate burglary. According to Rolling Stone however, Rodriguez still goes to the CIA headquarters monthly to receive assignments and have his blue 1987 bulletproof Cadillac service...

Human Origin Teachings :: essays research papers

In my humble opinion, I think public schools have the right to teach about anything they want. Hence the word â€Å"public† schools, parents should have that authority as to whether or not they want their child to attend a school where teachings can get disobedient to their religious belief or not. That’s why there is a private school. Anybody can believe in God. But, when there is an answer to a problem or issue that is proven to be correct, then why not rely on that as well. My reasoning is as follows: No creationist, to my knowledge, has given an example of any evidence that, if found, would falsify a young earth or a global flood, in spite of being asked repeatedly. But of course there are all sorts of possible observations that would refute these theories. If creationists really, truly believed in these things, then they would readily respond to the challenge by offering a statement of potential falsehood, in the certain knowledge that the falsifying evidence has not and would never be found. Their reluctance to do so reveals that deep down; they know that their ideas would not stand up to scrutiny. Evolution is a theory based on the evidence at hand (fossil record, genetic data, age of earth/universe etc). The basic idea is evolution is science, it’s tested, it stands up to the questions, and it’s able to adapt to take new input to expand our knowledge. Creation is a theory that is declared by religion, and then spends all its time desperately trying to defend itself. Science never works by absolute certainty or "truth", but it does work by proposing models that have empirical consequences, and we can have considerable confidence in various models which have been stringently tested and explored. Evolution is one such; it stands in relation to biology pretty much as the periodic table stands in relation to chemistry. Please be respectful and admit that some very talented people have some very good ideas on the creationist side. I must admit that it is the same for evolution. Ultimately, neither creation nor evolution wins. Each side is NEVER able to even approach a single universal and self evident fact without using evidence, experience, faith, or heresy. Public schools seem to be so horrifically oblivious to the idea of sensitivity. Science isn't the process where we prove what's right and wrong. Human Origin Teachings :: essays research papers In my humble opinion, I think public schools have the right to teach about anything they want. Hence the word â€Å"public† schools, parents should have that authority as to whether or not they want their child to attend a school where teachings can get disobedient to their religious belief or not. That’s why there is a private school. Anybody can believe in God. But, when there is an answer to a problem or issue that is proven to be correct, then why not rely on that as well. My reasoning is as follows: No creationist, to my knowledge, has given an example of any evidence that, if found, would falsify a young earth or a global flood, in spite of being asked repeatedly. But of course there are all sorts of possible observations that would refute these theories. If creationists really, truly believed in these things, then they would readily respond to the challenge by offering a statement of potential falsehood, in the certain knowledge that the falsifying evidence has not and would never be found. Their reluctance to do so reveals that deep down; they know that their ideas would not stand up to scrutiny. Evolution is a theory based on the evidence at hand (fossil record, genetic data, age of earth/universe etc). The basic idea is evolution is science, it’s tested, it stands up to the questions, and it’s able to adapt to take new input to expand our knowledge. Creation is a theory that is declared by religion, and then spends all its time desperately trying to defend itself. Science never works by absolute certainty or "truth", but it does work by proposing models that have empirical consequences, and we can have considerable confidence in various models which have been stringently tested and explored. Evolution is one such; it stands in relation to biology pretty much as the periodic table stands in relation to chemistry. Please be respectful and admit that some very talented people have some very good ideas on the creationist side. I must admit that it is the same for evolution. Ultimately, neither creation nor evolution wins. Each side is NEVER able to even approach a single universal and self evident fact without using evidence, experience, faith, or heresy. Public schools seem to be so horrifically oblivious to the idea of sensitivity. Science isn't the process where we prove what's right and wrong.

Do The Right Thing :: essays research papers

The first scene begins with a close up shot of Senor Love Daddy's mouth, the top of a microphone, and an alarm clock. The alarm clock, being used as a prop, is making a very loud, annoying, ringing sound. This is done in order to get the viewers attention to the problem of racism. After the ringing stops, we start reframing in, and zooming out slowly, seeing more of Senor Love Daddy and the microphone. There is hard lighting present in the scene. The entire shot has a reddish color to it. A slow zoom and the reddish color are used to show the viewer how hot the setting of the movie is. The color also reflects tension, conflict, anger, and frustration, things that are not being expressed in the film yet. As we are zooming out, Senor Love Daddy says "Wake up, wake up, wake up†¦" This part of the scene is also is intended to get the viewers attention to the problem of racism. The foreground and some of the middle ground are in shallow focus. This is a get in your face type of shot, letting the viewer know that this movie will be in your face for the next two hours and that the viewer better pay attention to the problem at hand: racism. This shot is solely for the viewers, to get their attention. We stop zooming out once we see the whole microphone. At that point, we start tracking out and the camera starts moving slowly up, via a crane. We now see the reflection of the street outside Senor Love Daddy's workplace, on the glass window Senor Love Daddy is facing. We also see hats of many different cultures sitting Senor Love Daddy's desk. This shows that he respects many different cultures and shows he is a very open person. Also Senor Love Daddy's workplace is street level. He talks to all the characters in the movie like Mookie, Radio Raheem, and the people playing outside with the fire hydrant. This shows he is willing to communicate with the neighborhood and also show once again that he is a very open person. He is always looking outside the window at the community. Senor Love Daddy is not hiding from anybody. He is the voice of the neighborhood. The camera continues moving up on a crane until it is at an high angle, and we start panning to the left.

An African American Fight for Respect Essay

For thousands of years women have been fighting for many things, one of the most important being respect. Some people may think respect for a woman is simply holding the door for her as she walks through, pulling her chair out for her before she is seated, or maybe just standing when she leaves the table; but respect is so much more than that. Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. Respect is a feeling that cannot just be given to someone, it is a feeling that must be earned, fought for, or rewarded. For the African American woman, respect did not come by so easily no matter how hard they fought or even if they earned it. Examples of the African American woman fighting for her respect, has once upon a time been one of the many themes during all literary periods. The two works that I chose have the similar theme of respect. The literary pieces are â€Å"Sweat† by Zora Neale Hurston and â€Å"The Color Purple† by Alice Walker. These two works show the same theme of respect for black women and the struggle for it from men. Though both stories have comparisons that could go on for days, they just as well have their differences by the way the handle the theme of respect. Alice Walker has been writing stories and poetry for many years. As a graduate of Spelman College she was given great opportunities and was given a solid education. Women’s rights and respect has always been two topics close to Alice’s heart. It has been said, that â€Å"Alice Walker expresses the struggles of black people, particularly women, and their lives in a racist, sexist, and violent society. † Her writings also lean more towards the roles of black women through culture and history. On March 3, 2008 Alice Walker was arrested on International Women’s Day for crossing the police line at a rally in front of The White House. Walker has set a standard and has never had any need or want to change it. Of the many stories that Alice Walker has written, the one that stands out the most to me dealing with the female struggle for respect is the story made movie and musical, â€Å"The Color Purple. † â€Å"The Color Purple,† is a story written in 1982 that has won multiple awards and recognitions for its not so classy taste and realistic views. Some of these awards being from the Blue Ribbon Awards, Black Movie Awards, Golden Globe Awards, eleven nominations during the Oscars, and plenty more. The main characters in â€Å"The Color Purple,† are Celie Harris Johnson and Mister Albert Johnson. Celie has been abused since she was just a young girl; she had two children by her father Leonard and she is forced to marry Albert, a young widower, by the age of fourteen. During her years of being married to Albert, she is taunted, disrespected, beaten, and abused up until she turns her life around when she meets Shug Avery, a well-known Jazz singer, who comes to live with the couple. Shug takes it upon herself to help Celie raise her self-confidence so she can not only stand up to her husband and demand respect, but to feel beautiful about herself inside and out. By the end of the story, Celie stands up to Avery and is finally reconnected with the family that was once taken away from her. Another great black female author who proudly carries the theme of respect in her stories is Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston, a graduate of Howard University, was a well-known author during the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston is most known for her famous literary piece entitled, â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† which caught the eyes of readers around the world. Like Alice Walker, Zora Neale Hurston has also won multiple awards for her fabulous novels, short stories, and poems. The story â€Å"Sweat† written by Zora Neale Hurston takes place in a small all black town located near Orlando, Florida. This story, like many others with disrespect towards the wife, starts off with husband Sykes taunting his wife Delia by tricking her into thinking that the whip he throws over her shoulders is a snake, knowing she is deadly terrified of them. Throughout the story, Delia deals with infidelity, abuse, rumors, and taunting from her husband. Towards the end of the story, her husband buys a rattlesnake and refuses to take it back where he found it from, knowing his wife is terrified. In the end, that very snake gets loose, bites, and kills him; Delia stands their watching him die. The website articlemyriad. com states â€Å"The reader can speculate on whether or not Delia was too afraid to move to get help for her husband, but it is the general consensus that she purposefully let him die. While you could argue both, if you are going to contend that she was just afraid, you’d better take a closer look at the text before trying to defend your point. † One of the greatest comparisons in this story is the lack of respect the husbands have for their wives, a marriage is supposed to be filled with trust, respect, love, and honesty, all of which the two marriages in â€Å"The Color Purple† and â€Å"Sweat† lacked. Although there are many comparisons, there were also contrasts in the two stories, although not exactly easy to find with a closed mind. A contrast in these two stories to me that stood out the most were the personalities of the two wives in the stories. In â€Å"The Color Purple,† Celie is abused and taken advantage of, but holds a quiet tongue until the end; Delia in â€Å"Sweat† is abused and taken advantage of , but she always speaks her mind and portrays her true feelings towards something. With these two stories I felt it was good to have the personalities of the women who wanted respect to be completely different so that I could compare and contrast just a bit more clearly. One was more hidden and kept feelings to herself, the other more outgoing and stronger like all women should be. In conclusion, respect for women, especially blacks, has been a subject that will always be discussed and fought for. Zora Neale Hurston and Alice Walker described the struggle for respect in many similar and different ways. I stated earlier that for thousands of years women have been fighting for many things, one of the most important being respect and that respect was a feeling that cannot just be given to someone, it is a feeling that must be earned, fought for, or rewarded. I am proud of the long way that not only African American women have come, but women all race and I am blessed to have such profound women to look up to. Women in the past who have fought for our rights set a high standard for the rest of us to follow and I look forward to doing just so. Works Cited 1. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature: Second Edition Henry Louis Gates Jr. & Nellie Y. McKay.

Strategic Review of Australian Department Store David Jones

David Jones Limited (DJS) is an Australian retailer tracing its origins back to 1838 when it first opened in Sydney to sell â€Å"the best and most exclusive goods† (DJS, 31 Oct. 2009). It has since expanded to become a national retail chain comprising of nearly 40 premium department stores. The subject of this analysis is a strategic business unit (SBU) that is playing an increasingly important role in the company’s future growth strategy; namely the provision of financial services. As the result of a strategic alliance with American Express (AMEX), DJS launched the David Jones American Express (DJA) card in 2008 (ASX Media Release, 20 February 2008). To effectively analyse the value proposition of this SBU and product it is important to first examine the overall value proposition of the company. As defined by Kotler, a company’s value proposition is the set of benefits which it promises to deliver to consumers in order to satisfy their needs (Kotler et al. 009). In the case of DJS these core benefits are the provision of an â€Å"empowering level of customer service†, a distinctive store ambiance, a unique and high quality product range and international brand portfolio offered at competitive prices, and a mission statement to â€Å"be the best full line, differentiated department store† (DJS Enterprise Agreement 2006). Key aspects of this proposition include the company’s focus on quality, luxury and aspiration. In terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs it demonstrates a desire to deliver an experience and array of products which satisfy needs of belongingness and self-esteem in a potential buyer (Maslow 1954). It also forms the basis for the company’s positioning strategy and its marketing orientation towards customer satisfaction (AFR Boss Magazine, October 2009, p. 22). The company strives to deliver these key benefits to a primary target market consisting of â€Å"three generations of women (daughter, mother, grandmother) from households with above average disposable incomes† (DJS JP Morgan Conf. October 2009). In other words DJS has a segmenting, targeting and positioning (STP) strategy that is female skewed and aimed at the affluent ‘AB demographic’ which constitutes the top 20% of the socio-economic quintile based on education, income and occupation (Roy Morgan, 2009). The value proposition of the DJA card dovetails into this broad set of company values , offering an array of additional benefits and functionality for DJS customers that compliment the company’s market position as an aspirational brand (ASX Media Release, 20 Feb. 2008). Whereas historically the company’s branded store card was only accepted in DJS stores, the DJA card offers customers credit facilities at any merchant who accepts AMEX. It therefore leverages the AMEX brand as a leading global payments, network and travel company with its corresponding level of acceptance to offer DJS customers additional credit purchasing power and functionality (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). The DJA card also offers unique reward benefits and gift points to loyal customers, professing to â€Å"turn everyday spending into dream brands and dream destinations† (DJS, 31 Oct. 009). The value propositions of DJS and DJA can be considered effective for a number of key reasons. Firstly the core beliefs which underpin these value propositions have remained largely consistent over time, with only small changes in response to evolving markets. This is important given they act as the foundation of a company’s brand building process (MM 2009, p. 2-34). Secondly they are unique, leveraging DJS focus on luxury and aspiration to help differentiate product offerings like the DJA card from that of competitors. Thirdly these values augment the company’s segmenting and positioning strategy by providing clear benefits targeted to their core customer base. Lastly the value proposition is well communicated, permeating all aspects of their marketing mix and integrated marketing communications strategy through mediums such as in-store branding, direct mail, print media, publicity, and online marketing. An overall analysis of the five C’s was conducted for the DJA business unit: Company| Strengths: Joining of two strong brands, reduction of risk for DJS, wealthy customer base, strong growth of financial services, distinctive ‘house of brands’. Weaknesses: Potential damage to DJS brand by alliance partner’s actions, fee structure, lack of acceptance of AMEX cards generally, higher merchant fees associated with AMEX. Opportunities: Store expansion increasing reach of customer base for DJA card, expansion of DJA alliance, supplementary card, status program. Threats: Cardholder resentment at annual fee, alliance partner motivations, Myer IPO, supermarket co-branded cards, AMEX debt recovery procedures. | Customers| DJS retail: â€Å"DJ’s core customer comprises of 3 generations of women; daughter, mother, grandmother, with a household income of >$75,000 p. . † (Macquarie Australia Confere nce, 2009, Mark McInnes). As the DJA credit card is a product development strategy, of supplying new products to existing markets, the customers of DJA are essentially the same as the current DJS customers. | Collaborators| Strategic alliance with AMEX in the provision of the DJA credit card. International alliances with other retail stores when the DJA card is used within their stores (eg. Harrods, Harvey Nichols, etc. ). Other local ‘bonus partners’ in the DJA reward program (eg. Vintage Cellars). Competitors| DJs competitive environment is summarised using the following adaptation of Porter’s Five Forces (Porter, 1908, in MKMT, 2009, 1-26). Industry Competitors: Mastercard, Visa, and other smaller credit card providers. Along with other AMEX co-branded credit cards and store cards. New Entrants: Barriers to entry in the credit card market are high including capital for lending and the setup of infrastructure. Although these issues can be mainly overcome by forming a strategic alliance with one of the major credit card providers, as has been done in the case of the DJA credit card. Substitutes: There are a number of substitutes to the DJA credit card including EFTPOS direct from bank accounts DJS store cards, Visa Debit and cash. Power of Suppliers: Threat of forward integration by alliance partner AMEX. | Context| DJA’s operating context is defined using the following adaptation of PESTLE model (MKMT, 2009, 1-29). Political: Operating within each Australian State requires understanding of a multitude of separate state governments’ regulators, government policy and the impact on consumer confidence in the provision of credit cards. Proposed changes to the National Consumer Credit Regime currently being considered by the Federal Treasury. Economic: Performance of the credit card sector is closely linked to consumer confidence within the market, key indicators affecting consumer confidence include; GDP growth, unemployment rates, interest rates, banking sector health, public sector debt. Increasing levels of private sector credit card debt. Socio-Cultural: Current trends in fashion affecting ‘house of brands’ and indirectly the DJA card. Societal downward trend away from carrying and transacting with cash towards the use of alternative point of sales payments. Technological: New competitors in the form of online shopping experience. Legal: Operating within numerous legal jurisdictions requiring understanding of each unique jurisdiction in relation to providing financial services. Environmental: Current push towards credit card companies to introduce paperless billing. Demographic: Increasing standard of living in Australia leading to greater take up of credit cards and other lending avenues. Ageing population in Australia which is aligned with the DJS brand and the DJS core customer base. | SWOT Analysis (MM 2009, 1-25) Strengths: (S1) Brand strengths: David Jones is a strong iconic Australian brand with 170 year history (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009) and David Jones has offered branded credit cards to its customers for 48 years (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009). American Express formed in 1850 and in the 1950s, issued its first credit card (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). The DJA card capitalises on the strength of both brand heritages and service cultures, both locally and internationally (ASX Media Release, 20 Feb. 2008). S2) Strong financial structure with reduced risk to DJS: Alliance partner is responsible for the credit policy and owns the receivables of the Financial Services business with the transfer of $374. 3m of largely debt funded receivables to American Express (DJS FY09, 24 Sept. 2009) and so the risk associated with the portfolio sits with AMEX not DJS. (S3) Wealthy customers: Core customers have above average disposable income with a hous ehold income of greater than $75,000 (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009). (S4) Strong growth of financial services: 7. % growth in past year and same projected over next four years and large growth in core customer base (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009). (S5) Distinctive House of Brands: positioning with the best product range, great service and the reinvigoration of high-value stores (David Jones FY 09, 24 Sept. 2009). Each DJS offering needs to be distinctly branded in a way which creates an individual brand relationship with the customer whist also aligning with the overall position of the master brand of DJS itself (Aaker and  Joachimsthaler 2000). (S6) Growth of brands: Strong range of national and international brands (DJS JP Morgan Conf. Oct 2009). The growth of these brands via ‘the introduction of 50 new department store exclusive brands to its portfolio across all categories’ at DJS stores is more attractive to buyers (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008). (S7) Fee structure: High membership fees, merchant fees, and credit fees generate more cash for generous rewards program. Weaknesses: (W1) Risk of DJS brand being linked to AMEX: DJS brand linked to AMEX credit policy and debt recovery. AMEX are perceived to be a pushy credit provider, with one shareholder describing AMEX as a â€Å"low grade† card that diminishes David Jones' â€Å"prestigious reputation†, (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008). (W2) Fee structure: Internal shareholders resistance to the $99 annual membership fee and 20. 49% per annum interest rate (the DJS Store card was free to join). (W3) High merchant fees and low merchant acceptance: AMEX merchant fees are the highest of all mainstream credit cards on offer in Australia (RBA, 6 Nov. 2009). This has led to lower acceptance of AMEX compared to MasterCard and Visa Australia wide. Overall AMEX and DJS have complimentary and mutual strengths that compensate for their individual weaknesses, giving them greater combined strength. Opportunities: (O-1) DJA credit card usage outside DJS stores: The strong history of the store-card (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009) and the high proportion of store-card holders in the DJA card program (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008) imply that card usage is likely to continue to be concentrated in-store. Given national expenditure in Department Stores accounts for less than 9% of total retail spending (ABS Retail Trade, Sept 2009); there is large opportunity for DJA to grow revenue through usage in the wider retail market. O-2) DJA credit card usage inside DJS stores: The DJS store-card is held by many cardholders as a status symbol (Hanson, 2009, pers. Comm, 30 Oct. ). DJA may build on this perception to encourage greater spending in-store and greater in-store usage of the DJA card. (O-3) DJA cardholder expansion: The DJA card program inherited 400,000 active accounts from DJS (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009). However this is a small percent age of the market, given there are over 14. 3 million credit card accounts in Australia (RBA, 6 Nov 2009). Increasing the number of DJA cardholders, within the target segment, is a significant opportunity for DJA. Leveraging the increased market coverage, to be achieved by the DJS store expansion program (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009), is one such means of increasing cardholder numbers. (O-4) Expansion of the DJA alliance: In addition to credit cards, AMEX offers a range of insurance products, travel and financial services (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). DJA currently offers insurance products and travel services to their cardholders through their Gift Points program (DJS, 31 Oct. 009). DJA may offer a wider range of AMEX insurance products, travel and financial services, under the DJS brand, to their existing DJA cardholders and DJS customers. Threats (T): (T-1) Resentment of the annual fee: Many DJA cardholders, whom had migrated from the DJS store-card, resented the newly imposed $99 annual fee (DJS, 31 Oct. 2009). The resentment of the fee is re-ignited annually when the fee is levied, such t hat cardholders will continue to re-evaluate the on-going benefits of the DJA credit card. T-2) Alliance partner AMEX: Under the DJA alliance, the merchant fee is waived on purchases made within DJS stores on DJA credit cards (Hanson, 2009, pers. Comm, 30 Oct. ). Given the DJA credit card history as a DJS store-card, a high proportion of spending is conducted within DJS stores, thereby limiting the merchant fees collectable by DJA. AMEX would benefit significantly by luring DJA credit cardholders to alternate AMEX products, so AMEX would receive merchant fees on card purchases within DJS stores. (T-3) The Myer IPO: Preferential share allocations were offered to Myer One cardholders in the Myer IPO (Business Day, 23 Sept. 2009). Current and potential DJA credit card customers may have been swayed away to the Myer One card program to benefit in the Myer IPO. (T-4) Supermarket linked credit cards: The co-branded credit card market is keenly contested by department stores, supermarkets and petrol companies to name a few. Monthly retail expenditure on food is over five times greater than department store expenditure (ABS Retail Trade, Sept 2009). Customers may elect to align their credit card with the retail store where they spend the most money, the most frequently. (T-5) AMEX Debt recovery procedures: Under the DJA alliance, debt recovery is handled by AMEX. Strong debt recovery procedures and activity from AMEX may reflect poorly on the DJA card and the DJS stores as customer may not differentiate between the two. References Ansoff, I. Strategies for Diversification, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 35, Issue 5, Sep-Oct 1957, pp. 113-124. Maslow, A. 1954, Motivation and personality, Harper and Row. Aaker, D. A. , ; Joachimsthaler, E. 2000, Brand leadership: Building assets in the information society, Journal of Consumer Marketing. Kotler, P. , Adam, S. , Denize, S. ; Armstrong, G. 2009, Principles of marketing, 4th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall. Marketing Management, 2009, AGSM MBA Programs Graduate Diploma in Management. ASX Media Release, David Jones selects American Express as its strategic alliance partner for its general purpose card, 20 February 2008. Mitchell, S. , AFR Boss Magazine, October 2009, p. 22 McInnes, M. , ; Goddard, S. , David Jones – JP Morgan Conference Oct 2009. David Jones, Full Year (FY09) Results: August 2008 – July 2009, http://www. davidjones. com. au/images/corp/pdf/2009/FY09_Results_24Sep09. pdf, 24 September 2009. McInnes, M. , National Consumer Credit Regime, http://www. treasury. gov. u/consumercredit/content/consultation/submissions/downloads/national_consumer_credit_regime/David_Jones. pdf , 12 June 2009) Reserve Bank of Australia, Credit and Charge Card Statistics, http://www. rba. gov. au/statistics/bulletin. html , September 2009 @ 5pm. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Retail Trade, http://www. ausstats. abs. gov. au/ausstats/meisubs. nsf/0/0C3F2426BB831DF3CA257662000E0A71/$ File/85010_sep%202009. pdf , September 2009, p6 ASX Media Release, David Jones Selects American Express as its Strategic Alliance Partner for its General Purpose card, http://www. asx. com. au/asxpdf/20080220/pdf/317jmwgpqdm2qr. df , 20 February 2008. Samador, L. , Investors Turn on David Jones Amex card, http://news. theage. com. au/business/investors-turn-on-david-jones-amex-card-20081128-6mtb. html, 28 November 2008. Business Day, Premier results add weight to timing of Myer float, http://www. businessday. com. au/business/premier-results-add-weight-to-timing-of-myer-float-20090922-g0ly. html, 23 September 2009. David Jones, David Jones Enterprise Agreement 2006, http://www. sda. org. au/images/awards/award13. pdf, Accessed 2 Nov. 2009. www. americanexpress. com, Accessed 31 October 2009 @ 5pm www. davidjones. com. au, Accessed 31 October 2009, @ 5pm

Music Therapy

Professor Yankee 11/19/12 Music Therapy Why do people use this type of therapy exactly? Well music has been used as medicine for thousands of years and there's a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy find benefits in using it to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to improve communication, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring.A lot of people don't understand what kind of therapy this is, people have different assumptions about it but it is a real profession that takes a bachelor music degree. Music therapists work with a variety of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. It is often used in cancer treatment to help reduce pain, anxiety, and nausea caused by chemotherapy. Some people believe music therapy may be beneficial to the health care of children with cancer by promoting social interaction and cooperation.There is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, rapid heart beat, depression, and sleeplessness. There are no claims music therapy can cure cancer or other diseases, but medical experts do believe it can reduce some symptoms, aid healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient’s quality of life. Ancient Greek philosophers believed music could heal both body and mind, Native Americans used singing and chants to heal millennia. More formal approaches begin in World War two when hospitals started using music to help soldiers with shell shock.In 1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world. Music therapists design music sessions for individuals and groups based on their needs and tastes. Some aspects of music therapy include making music, listening to music, writing songs , and talking about lyrics. Music therapy may also involve imagery and learning through music. It can be done in different places such as hospitals, cancer centers, at home, or anywhere people can benefit from its calming or stimulating effects. The patient does ot need to have any musical ability to benefit from music therapy. Most peoples reaction to music is a burst of energy upon hearing an upbeat song or a sense of calm during a soothing classical piece. Music therapy uses this connection between music and mood. It has also been shown to lower amounts of the hormone cortisol, which becomes elevated under stress, and to increase the release of endorphins, the body’s natural â€Å"feel-good† hormones. Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting.A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from can cer. Music therapy works by stimulating parts of the brain that are associated with music in a person with Alzheimer’s disease, the section of the brain that allows direct recall of memories is damaged. Musical memories, however, are associated not only with the music itself but also with the circumstances surrounding the musical experience. Listening to music can indirectly stimulate the recall of memory fragments that otherwise could not be retrieved.The ability to retrieve some memories can be comforting to people with dementia. In a different manner, music therapy can assist those with Parkinson’s disease. In a person with Parkinson’s, the part of the brain that organizes thoughts and movements into action is damaged. Music with a strong, rhythmic beat can stimulate motor control, movement and coordination. Studies show that gait training that uses music improves walking speed and coordination for people with Parkinson’s.In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally trained therapist has a helpful effect and is considered safe when used with standard treatment. Musical intervention by untrained people can be ineffective or can even cause increased stress and discomfort. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences. Besides that there are no real risks or dangers to using music to heal. But how far can music heal you?There was a study that examined 200-300 patients with diabetes participants in a three year study starting this April. Although we do know that music can help vasculature, mental states and mood, there is little to no evidence to suggest that music therapy will help the outcome of diabetes. Perhaps there will be some miraculous benefit for patients suffering from diabetes to engage in extreme music therapy, however previous research indicates that it is not the music itself that determines the benefits, b ut the emotional responses to the music that is the key.Even though there is little evidence to support that music will help diabetes. Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults. Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from cancer.Some studies have suggested that music may help decrease the overall intensity of the patient’s experience of pain when used with pain-relieving drugs. Music therapy can also result in a decreased need for pain medicine in some patients, although studies on this topic have shown mixed results. Studies have shown that students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels, and show improvement in nonmusical abilities as well. Other studies have shown that listening to music composed by Mozart produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities.Studies of brain circulation have shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain. This has been called the â€Å"Mozart effect. † Although the reasons for this effect are not completely clear, this kind of information supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways. What can be improved ? Verbal & nonverbal communication, Gross and fine motor movement,Range of motion, Relaxation techniques, Anger management skills, Expression of emotion, Sensory integration, Academic skills, and Leisure skills. We use music to make your life better.Whether you need help socially, cognitively, physically, emotionally, or developmentally, music can help you get better and music therapists trained on how to do that. What’s more interesting, though, is why it works. When used properly, music can be an incredibly powerful treatment tool. And not just because it’s fun, relaxing, and motivating, but because music has a profound impact on our brains and our bodies. First off music is the core function of our brains, we have physiologic responses to music,Our brain is primed early on to respond to and process music.Every time your breathing quickens, your heart-rate increases, or you feel a shiver down your spine, that’s your body responding physiologically to music. Qualified music therapists can use this to help stimulate a person in a coma or use music to effectively help someone relax. Music often has a predictable steady beat, organized phrases, and a structured form. Most country/folk/pop/rock songs, they’re often organized with a verse-chorus structure. They’re organized in a way that we like and enjoy listening to over and over again.Even sound waves that make up a single tone or an entire chord are organized in mathematical ratios–and our brains really like this predictability an d structure. Music is in our everyday lives, we hear it in the store, at school, church, music is part of our thoughts, how we speak, even when there's none around we can still it in our heads. With all these benefits that music can carry, it's no surprise that music therapy is growing in popularity. Many hospitals are using music therapists for pain management and other uses. Music therapists help with several other issues as well, including stress.While music therapy is an important discipline, you can also achieve many benefits from music on your own. Music can be used in daily life for relaxation, to gain energy when feeling drained, for catharsis when dealing with emotional stress, and in other ways as well. Music therapy has been proven to be an effective form of therapy in a variety of areas for a multitude of ailments. However, there is still much more theorizing, discussion, and research that needs to be done in this area, and that fact makes it all the more interesting.Thr ough technological advances and constantly evolving musical styles as well as cross-cultural influences, this is one form of therapy that will never cease to be innovative and topical. Hopefully, researchers will continue to treat this topic as a serious area of psychology and one that deserves to be molded into a more scientific pedagogy through advancement and refinement of research and therapeutic techniques. I believe there is much more to be discovered about music and its effect on humanity.