Analysis Of My Last Duchess - 1187 Words

In the poems studied, love and death are presented in very different ways. ‘My Last Duchess’ is a dramatic monologue, which describes the Duke’s obsession with his Duchess. Similarly, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ presents love and death as a battle to prevent deaths’ victory. ‘Remember’, in contrast, explores love and death through subverting the sonnet form to guidance on coping with the death of your partner. The title ‘My Last Duchess’ demonstrates from the outset the Duke’s obsession by the use of the possessive pronoun â€Å"My†. Furthermore, the fact that it is a monologue with no other contributory voice exemplifies his need to dominate and possess even the dialogue. ‘The curtain I have drawn for you’ is an oblique and metaphorical reference to the death of the Duchess not only is he revealing the Duchess’s portrait but also the beginning of her end. His need to possess is expressed by ‘I call that piece a wonder, now’ the use of the word ‘now’ and ‘piece’ is significant. It is only when his wife is a portrait that he can admire her and control who looks upon her. The Duchess has been silenced through death. Browning presents love through the obsession of the Duchess and reflects on how death can be caused by this. The Duke is based on Alonso II who was the ruler of Ferrara, Italy in 1559-1597, and his wife Lucrezia died in a skeptical circumstance. The duke and the envoy go back downstairs while the duke talks about a dowry and about this statue of the godShow MoreRelatedMy Last Duchess Analysis929 Words   |  4 Pages The characters of â€Å"My Last Duchess† are the Duke and the Duchess. At the start of the poem the Duke is looking at a picture of his deceased wife, the Duchess. The Duke is remembering the day the Duchess posed for the painting, â€Å"That piece a wonder, now; F ra Pandolf’s hands /Worked busily a day, and there she stands† (Browning lines 3-4). The Duke talks about how easily the Duchess was â€Å"impressed† with small gifts given to her by others and that she had a wandering eye, â€Å"Too easily impressed; sheRead More Analysis of My Last Duchess Essay585 Words   |  3 Pages‘My Last Duchess’ is a poem written by Robert Browning in 1845. It’s a first person narrative of a duke who is showing the ambassador around his palace and negotiating his marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As they are walking through the palace, the duke stops and looks at the beautiful portrait of his lovely last duchess. The duke speaks his thoughts about the girl, and as the poem progresses we begin to realize that his last duchess had been murdered. â€Å"†¦I gave commandsRead MoreAnalysis of Dramatic Monologue in My Last Duchess1866 Words   |  8 PagesThe Analysis of Dramatic monologue In My Last Duchess Abstract: Dramatic monologue which is an important poetic form which invented and practiced principally by Robert Browning, Alfred Tennyson, Matthew Arnold in the Victorian Period. Though the technique is evident in many ancient Greek dramas, the dramatic monologue as a poetic form achieved its first era of distinction in the work of Victorian poet Robert Browning. Brownings poems My Last Duchess and Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, thoughRead MoreMy Last Duchess Character Analysis897 Words   |  4 Pages In the short poem My Last Duchess, the author Robert Browning starts the story with the Duke introducing his pitch to one of his servants to let him marry the servant’s daughter. The duke later takes the servant upstairs and shows him around his prized possession art gallery. The duke finally proceeded onto his prize possession onto to which was a portrait of his ex-wife; he then started to describe to him what his ex-wife was like and he started to get very worked up and angry. He rambled on aboutRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem My Last Duchess 1837 Words   |  8 Pagesmonologs. One of his monologs includes the famous poem â€Å"My Last Duchess† which was first recognized in 1842. The pace of the poem builds towards the revelation that the Duke had his wife murdered, then to the quick addition of his terms for the marriage arrangement. The tone of assurance that he uses within the poem shows that the Duke considers himself totally justified and he remains remorseless and confident in his sense of power. In â€Å"My Last Duchess,† Browning explores how absolute power can corruptRead MoreAnalysis of the Duke in Brownings My Last Duchess Essay494 Words   |  2 PagesAnalysis of Duke In My Last Duchess, by Robert Browning, the character of Duke is portrayed as having controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits. These traits are not all mentioned verbally, but mainly through his actions. In the beginning of the poem the painting of the Dukes wife is introduced to us: Thats my last Duchess painted on the wall,/ looking as of she were still alive (1-2). These lines leave us with the suspicion that the Duchess is no longer alive, but at this point were areRead MoreAnalysis Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning1523 Words   |  7 PagesZografakis English Period 8 7 November 2014 Throughout history, gender roles have been an important barrier in society. Women are forced to satisfy expectations established by men and society. â€Å"My Last Duchess,† by Robert Browning, focuses on the powerful Duke establishing certain expectations of the Duchess, and attempting to control her. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, concentrates on Laertes establishing certain expectations of Ophelia, and seeking to control her. A Room of One’s Own, by VirginiaRead MoreAnalysis of the Setting in My Last Duchess and Dover Beach Essay669 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of the Setting in My Last Duchess and Dover Beach At first glance the setting of a poem is the psychological and physiological environment in which the story takes place. In some instances, the setting is used to develop the characters. Robert Browning and Matthew Arnold use the setting to expose their character traits. My Last Duchess and Dover Beach, respectively, portray the weaknesses of the characters using elements from the setting. The text, page 629 and 630, tells us thatRead MoreAnalysis Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning2479 Words   |  10 Pagesmore subtly by societal constructs such as marriage. For ‘a man attaches himself to woman - not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself’ , and this concept of a one-sided, selfish relationship is apparent in literary pieces. Within the setting of ‘My Last Duchess’, the Renaissance period, men held all-encompassing and direct control over their daughters and wives. The common practice in this era, of arranged marriage for dowry, consolidated the concep t of women as a resource for they represented moneyRead More Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Essay examples1222 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Murder mystery intrigue. All describe Robert Brownings poem, My Last Duchess. From the speakers indirect allusions to the death of his wife the reader might easily think that the speaker committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy. His flowery speech confuses and disguises any possible motives, however, and the mystery is left unsolved. The poem is a great example of dramatic dialogue, a poetic form used to narrate and dramatize. It consists

Designing a radio frequency controlled robot platform Free Essays

string(147) " of utilizing wireless moving ridges to convey signal is, signal will be affected by the presence electromagnetic intervention in the environment\." Introduction: Presents, wireless communicating engineering has been spread outing quickly. It is important part to human being as the distance between each other become shorter because of these radio engineerings, such as Radio Frequency, Microwave, Bluetooth, LAN and WIFI engineerings. Wireless communicating devices are indispensable to human being lives as people use to pass on with other by utilizing cordless phones and other radio devices. We will write a custom essay sample on Designing a radio frequency controlled robot platform or any similar topic only for you Order Now Besides that, wireless frequence devices are being applied in infirmary or a nursing place for monitoring of patients, and besides the radio mouse, keyboards for computing machine countries and robotics every bit good. Since the radio communicating engineering is important and indispensable to human lives, so the wireless frequence technique has been chosen as the robot remote control in order to look into and use this engineering. The wireless frequence technique uses on this undertaking but non other radio engineerings because it has the suited transmittal scope and more dependable than other techniques. For illustration, infrared technique requires signal transmit in line with unobstructed between the sender and receiving system. Radio frequence technique applies on this undertaking for conveying the signal sent by user from sender to robot ‘s receiving system in order to command the going waies of automaton, such as move frontward, rearward, left or right. The scope between RF sender and receiving system is based on the frequence of its faculty. Higher frequence RF faculty will hold farther transmittal scope and RF range from 100 kilohertzs to 1 GHz. It is propagating along the land or contemplation from the ionosphere so reaches the receiving system. The wireless frequence controlled robot platform motions non merely command by RF remote control, but besides obstacle sensors. Two supersonic detectors are installed on the forepart and dorsum of automaton to move as obstruction sensors to avoid obstruction in the class set by the accountant. Furthermore, a PIC ( Peripheral Interface Controller ) is used to command the turning way of motors which the automaton wheels by determines RF and supersonic detector signals. When there is an obstruction in the class set of automaton, automaton will halt, so LED on automaton platform will illume on and the doorbell will makes a warning sound to bespeak accountant to alter the going way of automaton. Aim: The purpose of the undertaking is to plan a RF ( Radio Frequency ) Controlled Robot Platform which the going way of automaton is controlled by RF remote control within a peculiar scope without the usage of electrical music directors. Besides that, detectors will be installed to move as an obstruction sensor of this automaton to do certain it can avoid obstructions in the class set by the accountant. Furthermore, a micro accountant will be used to command and to implements the operation by analysis the signal receives from distant control and detectors. For this undertaking, it involves larning to utilize detectors, Peripheral Interface Controllers and larning its scheduling every bit good. BACKGROUND LITERATURE: A PIC microcontroller is use to move as a control Centre of the automaton as it has computation, memory and I/O maps. By utilizing PIC, C scheduling or assembly linguistic communications accomplishments are required as microcontroller operations are based on the package programming to implement the undertakings. The PIC16F76 [ 1 ] has been chosen as the microcontroller of this undertaking as it has several particular pins and characteristics that suits for this undertaking demands such as: O PIC16F76 has a entire figure of 28 pins. It is made up of three I/O ports ( Port A, B and C ) which has a 22 I/O pins in sum. O In I/O port A, there are five input channels of 8-bit Analog-to-Digital Module which allows transition of an parallel input signal to a corresponding 8-bit digital figure that is helpful in analysis the signal transmits from RF receiving system. O Two PWM ( Pulse Width Modulation ) Capture/Compare pins those are good in control the velocity and on/off of the DC motor by puting PWM responsibility rhythm. O SCL and SDA pins can pass on with supersonic straight. An supersonic is a type of detector that uses to bring forth high frequence ( above 20 KHz ) sound wave pulsations and detects an object by construing the reverberations signal from its sound moving ridge pulsation. The sound moving ridge pulsations are going in one way, when it detects an object, the echoed signal will be reflected back to the transducer of the supersonic detector. The scope from detector to object is able to find by ciphering the continuance of clip between the minute the sound wave pulse detects the object and clip for the echoed signal to return back to detector. When detector detects an object, it will trip a signal and sends it to PIC. Supersonic detector is good in observing liquids, seeable objects and irregularly molded objects. Therefore, it has been chosen to move as an obstruction sensor of this undertaking instead than other detectors. Besides that, supersonic detector has a higher sensing scope and the reflected signal does non affected by the surface and colour of objects. The supersonic detector SRF08 [ 2 ] is a high public presentation supersonic scope finder with a scope from 3cm to 6m. The communicating between SRF08 with microcontroller is via I2C coach. The I2C coach consists of 2 active wires and a land. Bi-directional SDA and SCL are the active coachs. SDA is Serial Data line and SCL is Consecutive Clock line, both of them have a pull-up resistance to +5v someplace on I2C coach. SRF08 is ever a slave ne’er a coach maestro. For the wireless frequence remote control, the wireless wave signal can go through around or through the object, such as wood, glass, walls and other stuffs. The advantages of utilizing wireless frequence remote control are, signal transmits range farther than infrared distant control and signal does non necessitate to be transmitted in line to receiver. The disadvantage of utilizing wireless moving ridges to convey signal is, signal will be affected by the presence electromagnetic intervention in the environment. You read "Designing a radio frequency controlled robot platform" in category "Essay examples" A RF faculty [ 3 ] ( TWS-434 and RWS-434 ) has transmitter frequence 433.92 MHz when it end product is 8mW with a scope of about 200 pes for indoors and 400 pes for out-of-doorss. It is ability to accept both digital and additive inputs. Operating electromotive force is 1.5 to 12 volts-DC. For the RWS-434 receiving system, it is besides operates at the same frequence which is 433.9 2 MHz and a sensitiveness of 3uV. The receiving system has both additive and digital end products and runing electromotive force from 4.5 to 5.5 volts-DC supply. Two DC Gear motors are installed on the automaton platform as the motor thrusts ( wheels of automaton ) . The EMG30 [ 4 ] motor is a DC motor with encoder. Encoder is used to tracking the figure of revolutions and the place of motor. The rated electromotive force of this motor is 12v. These are the characteristics of EMG30 DC motor: O No burden velocity: 216 revolutions per minute O No load current: 150 ma O Rated torsion: 1.5 kg/cm O Rated current: 530 ma O Rated velocity: 170 revolutions per minute O Rated end product: 4.22 W The motor shaft can be rotated in two waies that clockwise or counter-clockwise way. Therefore, the automaton moves frontward or rearward merely inversing the mutual opposition of the power supply of the DC motor. The turning operation makes by holding two wheels turning in different waies at the same time. This motor has Hall detectors [ 5 ] every bit good. A hall detector varies its end product electromotive force in response to alterations in magnetic field, it used for placement and velocity sensing applications of this undertaking. An H-bridge is a four shift elements device which enables a electromotive force to be applied across the motor or burden in merely one way. It is utilizing to move as a motor control circuit that allow DC motor to run forwards and backwards by providing the electromotive force to different switches. An H-bridge is built with four switches. When the switches S1 and S4 are closed, S2 and S3 are unfastened a positive electromotive force will be applied across the motor. The electromotive force will be in the reversed way by opening S1 and S4 switches, shuting S2 and S3 switches. The H-bridge is by and large used to change by reversal the mutual opposition of the motor, but it can be besides used to halt the motor or to allow the motor run freely. Switches S1 and S2 or S3 and S4 should non be closed at the same clip as it will do a short circuit on the input electromotive force. L298 [ 6 ] is a high electromotive force and high current double full-bridge driver. The chief intent of L298 is to move as a motor accountant to command the rotate way of DC motor harmonizing to the end product electromotive force from PIC. It is taken from mention of â€Å" H-bridges: Theory and Practice † , available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mcmanis.com/chuck/robotics/tutorial/h-bridge/ S1 S2 S3 S4 Motions of the motor 1 0 0 1 Motor moves right 0 1 1 0 Motor moves left 0 0 0 0 Motor free tallies 0 1 0 1 Motor brakes 1 0 1 0 Motor brakes WORK DONE: In the past few hebdomads, a batch of consideration and research undertakings have been done. For illustration, the extension rule of wireless frequence, and besides the working rule of H-bridge motor control and PWM. Some tutorials that helpful and related to the PIC scheduling have been read as good. On the other manus, all the constituents of this undertaking have been decided after reading the datasheets of each constituent. At the same clip, automaton platform has been designed and sent to the mechanical ‘s workshop in order to cut metal home base into the designed form. Furthermore, the pin connexions between the PIC, detectors and motors have been decided after reading datasheets of constituents and PIC. So far, the advancement of this undertaking is on the measure of circuit conventional designing and larning the package scheduling of PIC undertakings. Pin 1: Seriess connected with a 10kI © resistance to +5v DC supply. Pins 2 A ; 3: End product ports for LEDs. Pins 5 A ; 7: to move as inputs from shaft encodes of motor. Pin 8: Connect to land. Pin 9 A ; 10: Connect to a parallel crystal 4 MHz and two series 33 pF capacitances with land. Pins 12 A ; 13: PWM outputs connect to the H-bridge. Pins 14 A ; 15: I/O ports of I2C lines connect to the supersonic detectors. Pin 18: End product port for doorbell. Pins 25 A ; 26: End product signals connect to H-bridge. Pins 21, 22, 23 and 24: Act as input ports from RF receiving system. Advancement AND Plan: Now, it is on the measure of larning package scheduling and circuit conventional designing undertakings, but it is a small spot delayed due to the clip disbursement on the undertaking less than undertaking program for past few hebdomads, since I was busy in making other faculty ‘s assignments and could non make up one’s mind the constituents on clip. On the following semester, the clip disbursement on this undertaking will be more than the novice program in order to catch up the advancement that has been planned as undertaking program. These are the major undertakings that will transport out consequently on the undermentioned semester: 1. RF faculty proving. 2. Supersonic faculty testing. 3. DC motor testing. 4. PCB circuit design. 5. PCB etching and soldering of constituents. 6. Prototype theoretical account building. 7. Trial and seek run the automaton system to modify the scheduling of PIC. 8. Troubleshooting and debugging. 9. Test overall functionality. On the undermentioned semester, the clip disbursement on making this undertaking will be 18 hours per hebdomad. The item agenda of this undertaking has been shown on the Gantt chart. List OF REFERENCE: Book: DEVENDRA K. MISRA, â€Å" Radio-Frequency and Microwave Communication Circuits † , Printed in the United States of America, By John Wiley A ; Sons, Inc, 2001. Newton C. Braga, â€Å" Roboticss, Mechatronics, and Artificial Intelligence, Experimental Circuit Blocks for Designers † , Printed in the United States of America, By Newnes Boston Oxford Auckland Johannesburg Melbourne New Delhi, 2002. Internet: Richard J. Valentine, â€Å" Motor Control Electronics Handbook † , Printed in the United States of America, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , accessed by 30th October 2009, E-book, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //books.google.com/books? id=kLZL5hTsVIYC A ; printsec=frontcover A ; source=gbs_navlinks_s # v=onepage A ; q= A ; f=false Jim Brown, â€Å" Brief H-BRIDGE THEORY OF OPERATION † , Written at April 1998, accessed by 1st November 2009, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dprg.org/tutorials/1998-04a/ Chuck McManis, â€Å" H-bridges: Theory and Practice † , accessed by 1st November 2009, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mcmanis.com/chuck/robotics/tutorial/h-bridge/ Milan Verle, â€Å" PIC Microcontrollers † , mikroElektronika ; 1st edition, Written at 2008, accessed by 25th November 2009, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mikroe.com/en/books/picmcubook/ch5/ Nebojsa Matic, â€Å" Programing PIC Microcontroller in BASIC † , mikroElektronika, Chapter 6 PWM Module, accessed by 1st December 2009, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mikroe.com/en/books/picbasicbook/06.htm # 6.5 Chuck McManis, â€Å" H-bridges: Theory and Practice † , accessed by 1st November 2009, available from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.mcmanis.com/chuck/robotics/tutorial/h-bridge/ Bibliography [ 1 ] PIC16F7X Data Sheet 28/40-Pin, 8-bit CMOS FLASH Microcontroller, By Microchip Technology, Inc. , 2002. hypertext transfer protocol: //ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/30325b.pdf [ 2 ] SRF08 High Performance Ultrasonic Range Finder, By Acroname, Inc. , 1994-2009. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R145-SRF08.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.robot-electronics.co.uk/htm/srf08tech.shtml [ 3 ] Radio Frequency Module ( TWS-434 and RWS-434 ) Data Sheet, By Rentron Electronic. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rentron.com/Files/rf.pdf [ 4 ] DC Gear motor ( EMG 30 ) Data Sheet, By technonots.co.uk. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.technobots.co.uk/acatalog/info_1453_005.html [ 5 ] Hall Sensor Principles, By Honeywell.com. hypertext transfer protocol: //content.honeywell.com/sensing/prodinfo/solidstate/technical/chapter2.pdf [ 6 ] L298 H-Bridge Data Sheet, By STMicroelectronics. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.st.com/stonline/products/literature/ds/1773.pdf How to cite Designing a radio frequency controlled robot platform, Essay examples

Effect of Technology on the Education of the Young Children

Question: Discuss the effect of technology on the education of the young children? Answer: Technology plays an important role in our life. In case of child education, this field has a great importance. In future in the field of child education technology may play a significant role. Even now the technology acquires a great part of our daily schedule. Day by day technology become easier to handle, and the early childhood software become evolved. This in turn enhances the child usage of technology. It is the childhood educator's responsibility to critically examine the effect of the technology on the child (Abramovich Connell, 2014). Television has a great role in the child education. The evolution procedure comes in the way of television, video, and then the computer. This has a significant effect on the children's life. Today's children are growing up in this changing digital world and can cope up with this. We can found the presence of technology in our home, office, school, and also in a community nowadays. Today's children are continuously facing with this kind of tech nologies. Teachers are using this kind of technologies in the education of the children. These technologies in turn change our behavior towards life. A new term evolves; that is digital literacy, which shapes the development as well as the education system and procedure for the young children. Medias and technology are the tools that are effective if are used in a right way (Afolabi, 2013). A childhood educator should see if the technology is being used in an appropriate way. The childhood educators can maintain the interaction with the parents about the child education through online. Reference list Abramovich, S., Connell, M. (2014). Using Technology in Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education: A Sociocultural Perspective.ISRN Education,2014, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2014/345146 Afolabi, F. (2013). Catch Them Young in Basic Science and Technology Education through Child-to-Child Approach.Journal Of Educational And Social Research. doi:10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p38

Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention Plan

Studies show that people misuse drugs because of a number of reasons that are yet to be identified, but the costs paid are very high. This implies that the outcomes of drug abuse are critical to the society. It is identified that drug abuse is dangerous to an individual’s life, particularly in terms of behaviour because it affects an individual’s interaction and relationships in society.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A strong connection between crime and substance abuse exist meaning that misuse of drugs is a major cause of social crimes, such as robbery, rape, carjacking, and aggravated assault. Generating an effective treatment plan that would resolve issues affecting a drug addict is always an uphill task that many counsellors are yet to come into terms with. In this regard, it is proven through research that the best prevention and intervention strategy is applicable at childhood and adolescence whereby the young people are educated on the dangers of drug abuse. A 2010 national report on housing survey in the United States established that over 22 million people in the United States utilize drugs on daily basis (Murphy, 2008). A further study revealed that over seven percent of American teenagers are binge drinkers. A number of factors influence individuals to utilize drugs. In the case of Lisa, drug abuse affects her behaviour greatly because it endangers the lives of other people. She threatens her marriage partner with a knife whenever she is under the influence of an illicit drug. The behaviour of her father and her early childhood experiences affected her behaviour tremendously. In the case of Lisa, her family background is to blame for her current tribulations. It is reported that she is a Mexican heterosexual with two children aged eight years, yet her behaviour does not match t hose of an ordinary mother. She was exposed to drug abuse at a very tender age of twelve. Even though she no longer uses lethal drugs, such as cocaine, she is addicted to some drugs, which has considerably affected her behaviour. Her family was poor and lived in slums, with poor economic and social conditions. Her primary socialization took place in a slum area whereby she was exposed to hardships, such as being forced to fight to prove her strength. She could always witness her father beating his wife. She grew up knowing that fighting is acceptable in society hence threatening her boyfriend with a knife is not a mistake.Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As she joined school, her socialization was not any different since she could easily join a gang that harassed other students in school. When asked to explain the reasons for her behaviour, she does not really understand why she behaves the way she does. The only thing she remembers is her father’s voice getting loud. She even admits that she is simply doing what his father did to her mother. This shows that fighting and the use of drugs is natural to her. Biological Predisposition Lisa’s behaviour can be understood from a biological point of view through the study of genetics. This is what psychologists refer to as biological predisposition. The concept suggests that an individual is likely to behave in a certain way because of the genetic makeup. This implies that people with similar genes would likely show some symptoms of a psychological disorder or a disease. Twins could portray different psychological conditions mainly because of biological predispositions, but not biological determinant. Biological determinant is different because it influences members of the same family in a similar way, but biological predisposition means that an individual could pick up a certain condition or behavi our. In other words, picking a particular condition or disease from parents is not guaranteed. For biological predisposition to take place, certain stressors should be present, which forces an individual to pick up the condition. Lisa picked up her father’s cruel behaviour mainly because of the environment in which she was brought up. The environment acted as a stressor that allowed Lisa to pick up the violent behaviour from the father (Barraca, Yarto, Olea, 2000). Research shows that an individual cannot easily pick up behaviour from parents because of the prevailing conditions. The environment could be different meaning the conduct of an individual would definitely differ from that of her or her parents. If the conditions are similar, there is a high likelihood that an individual will inherit certain actions from his or her parents. This is true for the case of Lisa who inherited violent behaviour from the father. It is reported that her father used to fight Lisa’s mother daily. Whenever Lisa engages in armed conflicts, she hears her father’s voice. When designing a treatment plan, biological predisposition is an important factor to consider.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Family considerations The family is the basic unit of social development meaning that it influences the life of an individual in a number of ways. The family is known to be a primary socializing agent implying that it plays a crucial role in moulding the behaviour of children at an early age. However, the media and other agents of socialization, such as the polity, are overtaking the role of the family. The family influenced Lisa since peace and tranquillity were rare in her father’s home. The father was extremely violent while the rest of the family members could comfortably incite children to fight as they watched. To understand Lisa’s situation, the role of the family should be evaluated. Exposure to violent conduct might perhaps affect the position of an individual in society. In this regard, an individual would not be able to execute his or her functions appropriately owing to the early childhood experiences. Lisa’s family background is affecting her relationship, which might lead to complexities, such as death and injury. When designing a treatment plan for the patient in the case presented above, understanding the role of the family would be crucial (Caldwell, Woolley, Caldwell, 2007). The history of Lisa’s family should be comprehended extensively before offering any advice. Cultural Consideration Culturally competent treatment plan would demand that the values of the Lisa and her boyfriend be respected and be incorporated into the treatment designing process. The cause of Lisa’s violent behaviour should be interpreted from a cultural perspectiv e since not all cultures have a similar definition of violent conduct. In some cultures, children are informed right away if a traumatizing event takes place. Research supports the idea that cultural factors have enormous influence on bio-psychological experiences regarding violence in children. This implies that the reactions of Lisa could be a result of cultural factors since she has always been exposed to violence. This shows that ethno-cultural aspects, such as religion and family values, play a critical role as far as vulnerability of an individual to violent behaviour is concerned. Lisa could be manifesting violent behaviour mainly because of her cultural background whereby children are allowed to engage in fights to prove their strength. The way she would respond to the treatment plan depends on cultural factors. In this regard, the counsellor will have a number of roles to play as far as the influence of cultural factors is concerned.Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The first thing the psychologists would do is to recognize cultural disparities in the biased insight of trauma and response. Moreover, the counsellor would need to comprehend the role of values in the understanding of shock and revitalization process. Through this understanding, the social worker would be in a position to assist Lisa to bring back a sense of security through trust building. Therapy Model Before addressing the consequences of any disorder or disease, it must be diagnosed for proper analysis and recommendation. Studies show that family therapy model is an effective tool of addressing psychological problems such as depression, digestive disorders, chronic disorders, drug abuse, issues related to parenting, and issues that come about in relationships. Family therapy is effective as compared to other traditional therapies because it involves all family members in resolving issues affecting them. Scholars in the field of mental health appreciate the role of family therap y meaning that they also endorse family and marriage therapists to conduct diagnosis. Some observe that there is no adequate literature in the field of family and marriage therapy, which prevents effective diagnosis. Moreover, misunderstanding the process of assessment and diagnosis among family therapists is another reason cited. Assessment and diagnosis Assessment refers to the treatment process of identifying the signs and symptoms, which are associated with mental and emotional disorders. The disorders are then compared with the standardized disorders. It should be noted that the treatment process should be based on the health condition of the patient because patients differ based on their coping abilities. The therapist develops a treatment plan after completing the process of diagnosis. The treatment plan helps in the process of alleviating the symptoms. Some instruments are utilized in the process of diagnosis and measuring the condition of the patient, including psychometric instruments (Kreppner, 2005). Family therapy is a process that uses systemic and relational theories in diagnosing and treating patients, including couples, family members, and families in general. Treatment plan and intervention strategies Practitioners in the field of counselling employ a number of trauma treatment models and strategies. Trauma-informed assessment is one of the intervention strategies that could be used to deal with issues facing Lisa. This means that the role of each actor is important. Therefore, a critical review should be conducted to determine the role of each person as far as managing a traumatic event or situation is concerned. Based on this, it is true that each person has a role to play in initiating trauma-informed practices (Stevens, Smith, 2013). To support traumatized individuals, such as Lisa, certain terms should be evaluated in detail. Counsellors and specialized psychologists should change their approach in terms of addressing the problems that traumatized individual go through. Ethical and legal considerations Psychological code of conduct demands that counsellors observe the set rules and regulations in addressing issues facing their clients. For instance, they should not share critical information with other third party agents. Any given discussed in the treatment room should not be exposed to any person. Regarding legal considerations, the methods that a psychologist decides to apply should be compliant with the internationally and nationally recognized standards. References Barraca, J., Yarto, L., Olea, J. (2000). Psychometric properties of a new family life satisfaction scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 16(2), 98–100. Caldwell, B., Woolley, S., Caldwell, C. (2007). Preliminary estimates of cost-effectiveness for marital therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(3), 392–406. Kreppner, K. (2005). Family assessment and methodological issues: Discussion. European Journal of Psy chological Assessment, 21(4), 249–254. Murphy, J.J. (2008). Solution-focused counselling in schools (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counselling Association. Stevens, P., Smith, R. L. (2013). Substance abuse counselling: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. This case study on Substance Abuse Assessment and Intervention Plan was written and submitted by user Madilynn Cortez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Twitter Fiction. Really!

Twitter Fiction. Really! Twitter Fiction. Really! Twitter Fiction. Really! By Simon Kewin The Twitter microblogging/social networking site is an invaluable resource for writers. It can, for example, provide a stream of links to useful web pages or it can enable writers to keep in touch with editors, publishers or other writers.   You may not know, however, that Twitter can also be used to publish fiction directly. This may seem unlikely, given the 140 character limit on the size of a â€Å"tweet† (a Twitter post), but many people do use the system for precisely this.   Writing very short fiction is not a new development. Ernest Hemingway, for example, once wrote the following six-word story :   For sale: baby shoes, never worn.   This would fit into a tweet four times over. Hemingway reportedly considered it the finest prose he had ever written.   But writing such short fiction is by no means easy. Each word has to be placed with the utmost care. Achieving a satisfying story arc, or any sort of believable character description, is challenging. Often, the trick is to leave much of the story out; to imply it so that readers fill in the details for themselves. There is no time for scene-setting or preamble; you need to catch the key moment of the story. Not all stories written for Twitter will be successful, but trying to create one can teach you a lot about concise writing and careful word selection. If you’re interested in producing stories short enough to be published via Twitter, there are even magazines that specialize in doing so : markets you can submit your work to as you would for any other magazine. The following are recommended :   Thaumatrope – for genre fiction (SF, fantasy, horror) Nanoism – for more literary fiction PicFic – for stories based on a weekly pictorial prompt   Of course, there’s nothing to stop you publishing your own fiction tweets yourself if you wish to, perhaps including an appropriate â€Å"hashtag† so that other users can more easily find your work. Precisely how to do that is a subject for another article †¦ Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is Dative Case?7 Other Types of Pronouns

Why Car Interiors Get So Hot in Summer

Why Car Interiors Get So Hot in Summer Weve all heard the saying, If you cant take the heat, get out of the kitchen. But during summer, you could insert the word car  into that sentence just as easily. Why is it that your car feels like an oven, no matter if you park in the sun or shade? Blame the greenhouse effect.   A Mini Greenhouse Effect Yes, the same greenhouse effect that traps heat in the atmosphere and keeps our planet at a comfy temperature for us to live is also responsible for baking your car on warm days.  Your cars windshield not only allows you an unobstructed wide view while on the road, it also allows the sunlight an unobstructed pathway inside your cars interior. Just like , the suns shortwave radiation passes through a cars windows. These windows are only warmed a little, but the darker colored objects that the sunrays strike (like the dashboard, steering wheel, and seats) are heated immensely due to their lower albedo. These heated objects, in turn, heat the surrounding air by convection and conduction. According to a 2002 San Jose University study, temperatures in enclosed cars with a basic gray interior rise approximately 19 degrees F in 10 minutes time; 29 degrees in 20 minutes time; 34 degrees in half an hour; 43 degrees in 1 hour; and 50-55 degrees over a period of 2-4 hours.   The following table gives an idea of just how much above the outside air temperature ( °F)  your cars interior can heat up over certain periods of time.   Time Elapsed 70 F 75F 80F 85F 90F 95F 100F 10 minutes 89 94 99 104 109 114 119 20 minutes 99 104 109 114 119 124 129 30 minutes 104 109 114 119 124 129 134 40 minutes 108 113 118 123 128 133 138 60 minutes 111 118 123 128 133 138 143 1 hour 115 120 125 130 135 140 145 As you can see, even on a mild 75 degree day, the inside of  your car would warm to triple digit temperatures in just 20 minutes!  Ã‚   The table also reveals another eye-opening reality: that two-thirds of the temperature spike happens within the first 20 minutes! This is why drivers are urged not to leave children, the elderly, or pets in a parked car for any amount of time no matter how seemingly short because contrary to what youd think, the bulk of the temperature rise happens within those first few minutes.   Why Cracking the Windows is Useless If you think you can avoid the dangers of a hot car by cracking its windows, think again. According to the same San Jose University study, temperatures inside a car with its windows cracked down rise at a rate of 3.1  °F every 5 minutes, compared to 3.4  °F for closed windows. The   just isnt enough to significantly offset the .    Sunshades Offer Some Cooling Sunshades (shades that fit inside the windshield) are actually a better cooling method than cracking windows. They can reduce your cars temperature by as much as 15 degrees. For even more cooling action, spring for the  foil type since these actually reflect the suns heat back through the glass and away from the car. Why Hot Cars are a Hazard A stifling hot car isnt only uncomfortable, its also dangerous to your health. Just like overexposure to high air temperatures can cause heat illness such as heatstroke and hyperthermia, so can   but even faster since because they. this leads to hyperthermia and possibly death. Young children and infants, the elderly, and pets are most susceptible to heat illness because their bodies are less skilled at regulating temperature. (A childs body temperature warms 3 to 5 times faster than an adults.) Resources and links: NWS Heat Vehicle Safety: Children, Pets, and Seniors.   Heatstroke Deaths of Children in Vehicles. noheatstroke.org McLaren, Null, Quinn. Heat Stress from Enclosed Vehicles: Moderate Ambient Temperatures Cause Significant Temperature Rise in Enclosed Vehicles. Pediatrics Vol. 116 No. 1. July 2005.

Sex and Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sex and Relationship - Essay Example hese are often no longer connected to how a person is seen in legal or individual terms but some differences still divide people and cause debate where there should be none. Homosexuality or being gay is one such position where unwanted discrimination or even harassment may be conducted against a person. As discussed by the article, relationships between gay individuals should have as much legal value as they hold between straight couples. Denying this right becomes a negative influence on the relationships between gay couples. I feel that such positions are not only harmful for the gay individual against whom they are committed but also against the social setup since they harm the interests of a just and free society. What society needs to create is a legal structure for rights regarding homosexuals because the current situation offers protections to gays only pertaining to their individual rights but does allow them equal rights when it comes to creating a family. Heterosexual couples can adopt children much easier than homosexual couples. The tax/economic benefits given to heterosexual couples are much better than the ones awarded to a homosexual couple (IGLHRC, 2006). Of course, the single cause of the discrimination between the two sets of couples is their personal sexual lives. If our country remains divided on the issue and continues to enforce a pattern of discrimination against homosexual unions in marriage, we would only be reducing our total output as a country. By creating lesser human beings in legal terms and not allowing gay unions in marriage or gay rights as groups of individuals, the law makers of today would create problems for the society of tomorrow. There may not be an armed resistance movement, but the country would certainly be treating some of its citizens as lesser than the others. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as given by the United Nations declares as its first article that, â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal in

Riyadh City Council, Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Riyadh City Council, - Essay Example For instance, they have experienced problems with improving the methods for keeping up with rapid changes such as civilizational shifts or new lifestyles among community members (Al-Nuaim 2001). To consider services for health, safety, and security, housing plans, and preservation of the environment and historical sites has become a challenge for Riyadh’s local administrators. Moreover, most often, the public’s opinion on the policies implemented by the City Council as well as on the implementation of projects and activities, and the performance of the governing body, has created difficulties for mayors and the rest of the administration in developing their community (Al Riyadh 2004). Because of these, the Riyadh City Council has aimed to boost their performance by focusing on the capability of their workforce, enhancing their projects by being consistent with the community’s needs, and providing their administration with the necessary procedural and managerial s pecialisations. One weak point that the local city councils in Riyadh has demonstrated is that they are not very capable of integrating various departments for planning and implementation, hence, reducing their likelihood for accomplishing main goals. The Royal Decree No. 5 in Riyadh has mandated the division of municipalities and villages along with the regulations and functions that go with them. Although municipalities have been given administrative and financial autonomy with which authorities and obligations are extended, regional decentralization has not been fully achieved through the administrations’ actual performance. Moreover, mayors and deputy directors lack the proper guidance and follow-up measures in securing the coordination of administrative practices and activities, and maintaining a good level of performance and usage of performance management approaches. The current study, thus, aims to answer the question: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the perf ormance management system of Riyadh City Council? In relation, it aims to address the following objective: 1. Identify the strengths and weaknesses with regards to the performance management system in the Riyadh City Council. 2. Provide recommendations on the areas that need further improvement in the performance management system of the Riyadh City Council. Review of Related Literature Introduction The local and municipal government of Riyadh has aimed to improve and develop their local community by reaching out to the public as well as understanding and finding solutions to various problems. This ability occurs by allowing the local administration to interact with the community which brings about the effective involvement of citizens in relevant activities, thereby increasing the likelihood for national participation in the development process. In order to allow such circumstances to occur, there is a need to look into how the Riyadh City Council sets their standards for performan ce management as well as the actions that they take to generate favorable outcomes. Performance Management: An Overview The important need for implementing an effective and well-organized performance management system has significantly increased over the years. This has occurred due to the fact that performance management can not only enhance performance but the quality of a company as well (Lawson, Stratton, and Hatch 2003). Without the necessary regarding the implementation of systems for performance management, organizations can experience inefficiency and decreased productivity, thus the need to further look into the components of successful performance management. The concept of performance management can be applied on the performance of either the organization as a whole or the individual

Actions and context of social Essay Example for Free

Actions and context of social Essay Hale arrives in Salem and begins to interrogate Abigail. He is very direct and soon Abigail realises that she cannot avoid his questions any more. She knows she must escape his attention but she cannot run otherwise she will look suspicious. Instead, she cleverly implicates Tituba. Abigail constructs her involvement to become the leader of the proceedings, trying to force the other girls and her into following her lead. After confession, Tituba is told to tell the names of people seen with the devil. Mrs Putnam asks whether her past midwives had been in contact with the devil. Abigail soon says the names of Sarah Good and Goody Osburne as she quickly reveals that they are in contact with the devil. By satisfying her interrogators suspicions, despite their untruthfulness she can divert attention away from herself. Her intelligence and unique influence is demonstrated as she does so and sends the professional men of the court into a frenzied excitement, as they believe they have found someone in touch with the devil. By being the first and shouting out names, she has power and trust with the court. She then begins to call out more names, adding to Titubas list. This excites Betty whom immediately rises and joins in the chanting of names. She is described to be calling out hysterically and with great relief. Then their ecstatic cries turn into a gleeful tone, adding an evil edge. Abigail has forged her way out of trouble and Betty has picked up on the plan, assured that she is safe from punishment and joins Abigail. They are now beyond accusation or danger and happy to call names out. Betty is following Abigail, but Abigail has no need to continue as she has already said Elizabeths name. The other names of people, she has no involvement with and most importantly, people who bear no importance in Salem and are vulnerable to prosecution. It is a fiendish scene, as if the girls are possessed by evil. They are not however and that leaves only one reason, that Abigail is wreaking her specific revenge for her parents deaths. It is one of her more evil actions in the play, as it cannot be accounted for. This shows that she does not hate and have power over people she wants revenge for, but everyone of human society. In my opinion, she is a disturbed character. She is initially perceived as being wild bright and proud. Her character then develops a ghastly quality that becomes a large influence over everybody in the village of Salem. She abuses this ability to turn things to her advantage and others fate. She develops an evil insensitive, which would seem to be her character, however occasionally she shows different emotions in moments of intense passion and fear. Abigail is the hidden secret of the play. She covers behind her sweet little girl innocence and manipulates it between the characters, which brings up many truths from the past. Her quest however, soon becomes an addiction as she has people killed and blames anyone to get back John Proctor.

Computer Cryptography :: Exploratory Essays

Computer Cryptography When I first read the term computer cryptography, I thought that it was a technical term for â€Å"hacking.† After looking up â€Å"cryptography† on an on-line dictionary, I was sure I wasn’t far from the truth. But after further examining the topic, I find I am only partly right. Computer cryptography is a very complex thing. According to David Banisar [1], â€Å"Cryptography provides a means of accomplishing two crucial functions-encryption and authentication.† In order to understand cryptography, I think it is best to first look at encryption and authentication. Then I will examine how it affects the privacy of personal computer users and how the government is attempting to deal with the cryptography issue. I will also take a brief look at quantum computers and their effect on the computer society. Encryption is a security process, designed to secure information being sent electronically. It’s kind of like sending a message military-style. Instead of saying, â€Å"The president has left the White House,† a military official might say something like, â€Å"The eagle has left the nest.† The difference between the example above and encryption is that encryption has more to do with mathematics, since computers communicate using numbers, not letters. Authentication is just as it sounds. Authenticity means, â€Å"Not false or imitation. [2]† I also found that authenticate means, â€Å"to prove or serve to prove the authenticity of. [3]† Basically, it’s making something legitimate. Well, authenticating a computer document is the same as signing the document. The sender uses a unique â€Å"digital signature† to let the receiver know that the document is official and sent from the right person. So, to sum it up, computer cryptography software is designed to send and receive important messages using a type of secret code to send the message and an electronic signature to let you know the receiver’s software allowing him to easily read the message is real. The message is then decoded by message. When personal computer users purchase something online, they use a credit card number or bank account number to make their purchase. This number is sent through the website to the company you’re shopping with. If there are any â€Å"bugs† in the site’s programming, other users can get a hold of your account information and use it to do the same, to purchase things online, where no one is there to verify that that is you (Stephen Budianski, â€Å"Losing the Code War,† Atlantic Monthly, 2002).

Provide support to maintain and develop skills for everyday life Essay

Skills for everyday life allow people to do the things that meet their daily needs. These are also known as activities of daily living that have a direct affect on any individual’s health and well-being. It is often thought that care workers look after people by doing things for them. Another approach is to do things with people. Today care workers should work in partnership with individuals and groups of individuals. Partnership is about working together as equals in order to : -Support the individual to make as many decisions about their care as possible -Support the individual to do as much for themselves as possible. Activities of daily living – skills that directly affect an individual’s everyday health and well- being Partnership – working together as equals. Working in partnership can maintain and develop individual skills . Care workers can still involve the individual even when doing things for them. They consider individual needs when maintaining skills for everyday life. Doing things for individuals: Providing too much care can make people’s problems worse: – Individuals can lose skills they once used – Individuals do not learn new skills -Individuals do not regain skills they have lost. Read more:  Outline Agreed Ways of Working That Relate to Managing Pain and Discomfort At different stages of life individuals might have different health problems that affect their skills for everyday life.Being aware of the activities of daily living helps care workers understand the problems that individuals might have. Problems with everyday living skills: -Physical health ( Feeling unwell such as with a fever leads to tiredness and inability to carry on with the usual activities of daily living. -Learning disabilities (An individual with learning disabilities might take longer to learn new everyday skills) -Mental health (An individual with mental health problems might neglect themselves so they do not eat and drink) People may not be strong enough to dress themselves or prepare their own meals. -Physical disability (Some physical disabilities prevent individuals  going shopping unsupported) -Social isolation (An individual who is lonely is less likely to communicate with others) Care workers can develop their understanding of an individual’s condition and how best to work in partnership to maintain, regain and develop their skills.If a condition prevents an individual from using skills of everyday life, the result can have a significant impact on the person’s quality of life. The effect of conditions on everyday skills: -Pain -Inconvenience -Isolation -Humiliation -Distress -Discomfort

Analyse the Pricipal Causes of the Spanish Civil War

Analyse the principal causes of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) Many historians have said that the Spanish Civil war was fuelled by political, economical, international ambitions and social conditions. The combat which was happening between socialism and fascism that dominated Europe, around the time of the war, only made matters worse. Spain was a monarchy in 1920 when King Alphonso XIII was in reign. The monarchy collapsed during 1931 due to the fact that the Spanish people detested the King and the dictatorial regimes which he supported.The monarchy was overthrown by the republicans once the downfall of General Miguel Primo de Rivera’s government came on the 29th January 1930. The Wall Street Crash is what led Rivera and his dictatorial regime to downfall it was only normal for King Alphonso XIII and the monarchy, which were in support of Rivera’s regime, to be targeted and overthrown. Where Spain stood politically, economically and socially reveals the prime cause s of the Spanish Civil War.Throughout this essay I will be analysing the principal causes of the Spanish Civil War by looking at the political, economical and social causes which contributed towards the war. After the monarchy was overthrown, the 2nd republic was created. The 2nd republic consisted of liberals and communists, also known as the left wing. This caused tension between the left and right wing due to the fact that the right wing mostly consisted of fascists and conservatives. The left wing however, realised that they did not possess all the power by simply leading the 2nd republic.The right wing consisted of the army and the Catholic party CEDA. The army was used to being in power especially when they were under the reign of King Alphonso XIII (because of his dictatorial means) so when the new government (led by Manuel Azana) decreased the army’s political importance and their costs were cut it only angered the right wing even further causing more of a tension bet ween both wings. CEDA, the right wing party, dedicated to protecting the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and landlords, was led by Gil Robles and had the support of many Spaniards from the upper classes.The government started addressing and attacking churches and land owners claiming that they had too much privileges in the society, the government only did this once they realised the power CEDA possessed and the influence and support that it has. The attack was seen as a means to alter and redeem some of the power which CEDA possessed, however this was a fail. This is when the fight between fascism and socialism began to take place; building up, along with other causes, to the Spanish Civil War.Spain’s economy was very poor and the Wall Street Crash only made it worse for Spain. Spain had an underdeveloped industrial sector that made them suffer economically. Industrial workers could not get jobs and the threat of inflation only made matters worse. The government wasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t in support of peasants or landlords and this widened the gap between the poor and the rich. It became evident to the poor that the government were not supporting them resulting in the government losing support. All these issues were making Spain more and unstable both socially and economically.Spain suffered from agricultural poverty, land was owned by the wealthy and the wealthy preferred to benefit from their own wealth rather than grant land to peasants. The government introduced the Agrarian law of 1932 which was the distribution of land among peasant, this process however was failure and the government then introduced the Cases Viejas revolt during 1933, this however led to the suppression of members of the right wing by the government and this suppression lost them a great deal of support.Due to the great deal of support which the government lost, over the accusations of government troops killing 25 people in search of anarchists, Azana resigned from Prime Minister an d the elections which were called in November 1933 were won by CEDA. The most vital issue which caused social unrest was the independence which Basque and the province Catalonia region were demanding. These regions were culturally and ethically different from the rest of the country hence why they wanted to separate themselves and constitute their own government.This did not go down well with the army, who were in the right wing, due to the fact that they preferred the idea of unity instead of the idea of autonomy. The army’s state of thinking almost reflects Spain’s old-fashion social structure where the rich had the â€Å"bread† and left the peasants with â€Å"crumbs†. Wealthy landlords and ‘aristocracy’ had extensive political influence and used it in favour of themselves.The right wing, specifically CEDA and the army were representing the upper class as well as defending the Roman Catholic Church; the army played more of a role in taking full advantage of its power rather than defending the Roman Catholic Church or representing the upper class. The left wing, however, were willing to give Basque and Catalonia their independence. They were following in the footsteps of the British government in the sense they wanted everyone to be equal in the eyes of the law.The right wing did not accept any changes made after the monarchy was abolished as they were clear representatives of the privileged and the rich; this difference in interest between the two parties caused some social instability. To make matters worse the radical left wing had carried out and displayed many acts of violence, weakening the already feeble country. Overall, the difference of interest within the left, right wing and the radical left contributed to the arrival of the Spanish Civil war.The society was unsure and had little faith in Spain due to its poor and failing economy. The social tension which arose from Basque and Catalonia’s demand for independence, only added to the many other problems that Spain was already struggling to handle. The social, economical and political causes of the Spanish Civil war has been analysed in the essay and it can be summed up that the main causes was the social instability and the difference of interest between the political parties. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://ibhistory. wikidot. com/4

Heat and space travel essays

Heat and space travel essays Heat and Insulation Methods and Problems in Space Travel Effective heat control in spacecrafts is crucial in ensuring a safe environment for astronauts, from landing, to their orbit in space, and to their final re-entry back to Earth. It allows spacecraft components and systems to operate effectively, without temperatures becoming too extreme. An uneven distribution of heat causes different parts of the spacecraft to heat and contract, causing the spacecraft to warp, and its components to break. Heat sources can be both internal, such as the friction between the spacecraft parts, propulsion and electrical energy, or external, such as that of the sun. Throughout the spacecrafts journey, thermal heat levels must be balanced by ensuring that the amount of heat leaving the ship equals the amount of heat energy entering the ship. This can be achieved through passive and active means. The thermal protection system, or TPS, is one such passive system, which applies a careful arrangement of insulating materials to the outer skin of the spacecraft, in order to maintain spacecraft temperatures. As well as creating the aerodynamics of the craft, it absorbs heat and prevents it from reaching delicate parts of the craft. Materials chosen must perform in temperatures ranging from the extreme cold of space, which can reach -1570C, to temperatures over 1500 0C upon re-entry. Friction caused by plasma flow, as well as the damaging vibrations on re-entry, are also problematic. Varieties of ceramic tiles, which are made from high purity silica, help to overcome these difficulties, as they are light-weight, durable, and dispel heat extremely quickly. Black and white surface coatings affect their degree of insulation. High-temperature surface insulation tiles are used in the underside of the spacecraft, around the windows, and on the edges of the vertical stabiliser. Low-tempe rature surface insulation tiles are used on parts of the fuselage ( ...

Analysis of Prompt and Utter Destruction

He contends that because of their lack of knowledge of the actual damage that the force of the explosion would cause, that American politicians including President Truman made a decision based on certain assumptions. Now to address the query, was the assault on Japan with atomic bombs necessary? Samuel J. Walker had always been intrigued by the history surrounding the decision to assail Japan with the use of the atomic bombs. He was so fascinated that he made it a personal assignment to conduct research on the issue in his own time. Walker did not do so as part of his obligation as the historian for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. His research reveals that President Truman came into presidency without any absolute knowledge of what was occurring on the part of the United States in the war effort. In addition, the Manhattan Project (the title given to the engineering team that was developing the atomic bomb by Roosevelt) was almost a complete enigma to Truman when he entered his term as President (13). As President, Truman was concerned with ending the war as soon as possible in order to reduce the loss of American troops. It is logical to conclude that any leader would be concerned with the sacrifice of life affecting their country; however, abiding by moral principles must also be considered. The bomb was considered by the American government to be the quickest and most effective way to end the war at the time, in addition to lowering the cost of American lives (36). The reason that the atomic bomb was considered to be very effective was because it had the capability to wipe out an entire city, including troops, men, women, and children. Would an act of this capacity be considered as moral? Scholars dispute the morality of Truman’s decision, some arguing it was warranted by Japan’s aggression and refusal to surrender, and other scholars suggesting that the assaults were the moral equivalent of the Nazi holocaust (109). I postulate that to annihilate an entire city of people in one fell swoop is something that neither man nor nation should be able to decide, even if they conceive the other party to be deserving of such a punishment in retribution for their actions. In addition to the desire to end the war and thus the casualties to the American troops, Truman had other reasons for considering the approval of the atomic attacks. Truman was enlightened by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in a meeting on April 25, 1945 on the capability of the bomb, and the enormous expense incurred in developing it. This was one reason that Truman’s conclusion was to use the bomb against Japan, as there had to be a justifiable explanation for the expense incurred. Also, if he had not employed the use of the atomic bomb, he would not be able to justify to the American people why he had chosen not to do so, as there were so many American lives lost. It was alleged after the atomic assaults on Japan the decision to carry out the attacks was made in order to prevent as many as 500,000 to 1 million American casualties or deaths. However, there has been no proof provided that Truman received any information that an invasion on Japan would cause that number of casualties (39). Learning that the presentation of the number of estimated casualties was skewed to ensure a favourable opinion from the majority of the American public solidifies my opinion that the atomic assaults were unnecessary. If they had been necessary, why not be forthcoming about the lesser estimation of casualties? Yet another reason that Truman and his cabinet decided to attack is that American relations with the Soviet Union during that time were becoming strained. It was important to the American government to strengthening the United States’ ties to the Soviet Union. The desire for amicable relations with the Soviet Union was a factor in the conclusion to use the bombs against Japan (95). At the time, the Soviet Union was preparing to declare war against Japan, and joining them or preceding them in the war would apparently strengthen the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States. The opinion was that the United States was a stronger power and that the Soviet Union would not be able to defeat Japan without U. S. intervention (41). However, with the Soviet Union and the United States working together, Japan would most likely be defeated in a short amount of time, making the atomic assaults on Japan even more unnecessary. Regardless of the option to partner with the Soviet Union, the United States decided to act alone in their attacks. Finally, the most pressing reason that the government and Truman argued that they had to use the bombs was the sentiment of outrage that the American public harboured over the attack on Pearl Harbour and their resulting fury if something had not been done in retaliation to that horrific event (20). In all honesty the American public would have been assuaged with a victory no matter the means by which it was achieved. The American government was fully aware of the fact that there would be civilian casualties, in addition to the soldiers and sailors of Japan (62). Preservation of the lives of the innocent is of the utmost importance. The American government had pronounced that there would be hundreds of thousands of American lives saved due to the bombings, but later statements by Truman stated the numbers to be in the â€Å"thousands†, which coincided with actual estimates from the military in the summer of 1945 (93). Truman and the government opted to save thousands of American soldier’s lives, and kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese men, women and children. In addition to all of the reasons the American government had for dropping the bombs on Japan, they came to the conclusion that there were not any viable reasons presented against doing the atomic assaults which outweighed the reasons in favour of dropping them. However, there were other options for the American government to proceed with in order to secure a victory. There was a planned invasion on Kyushu as well as continued aerial bombings and blockades (36). It is understandable that the American government would want to appease the American public, secure relations with the Soviet Union, justify the expense of developing the bomb, and reduce the cost of American lives, however; the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was horrendous and morally detestable. The sheer volume of innocent lives lost due to the bombs, as well as the agony caused by the radioactive material, was most assuredly not justified. There would have definitely been many more American troops lost if the bombs were not dropped, but I do not agree that it justifies killing innocent men, women, and children on such a large scale. I particularly enjoyed the way that Walker states it -â€Å"The fundamental question that has triggered debate about Trumans decision since shortly after the end of World War II is, Was the bomb necessary? In view of the evidence now available, the answer is yes . . . and no. Yes, the bomb was necessary to end the war at the earliest possible moment. And yes, the bomb was necessary to save the lives of American troops, perhaps numbering in the several thousands. But no, the bomb was probably not necessary to end the war within a fairly short time without an invasion of Japan. And no, the bomb was not necessary to save the lives of  hundreds  of thousands of American troops† (97). Bibliography Walker, Samuel J. Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the use of atomic bombs against Japan. 1997. eBook.

Analyze a Retailer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyze a Retailer - Research Paper Example After this acquisition the company grew gradually in size and operations and the refineries figure was increased to 16 by the end of 1997. Throughout the 80s and the 90s era, the company operated in diversified energy operations i.e. from the refining of petroleum products to the marketing of those products. Valero Energy Corporation produces and markets different products in the market. Their products range from gasoline to jet fuel. Besides these, the company also produces other specialty products such as Propane, Process oils, Asphalt, etc. The company operates in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean through its retail outlets. The company had been performing well in terms of profitability but in the year 2009, their profits had transformed into losses. The company had reported a loss of $58 million dollars which was a better profit figure of $761 million in 2008. This downfall would have been because of the global recession. The company aims to strengthen their position by transforming this loss figure into a profit figure and keeping in intact for further years to follow. (Annual Report,

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Essay

Descartes And Letters Exchanged Between Elizabeth of Bohemia On the Body-Mind Problem - Essay Example In this letter, she appears to suggest that the reason for her departure is the murder of Francois d’Espinay (who had courted not only mother but also her younger sister) by Phillipe (her brother) in broad daylight (Atherton 25). Ironically this act seems to have been carried out with Elizabeth’s knowledge. She tells Descartes that she will carry a draft of The Passions of the Soul treatise that he had given to her, but remarks that previously his presence had had provided the remedy to her passions, since both his reasoning and maxims had failed to do so. Letter II: Descartes to Elizabeth, September 1646. The response to Elizabeth commences with a reference to a correspondence they exchanged recently about Machiavelli’s The Prince; Elizabeth had asked him to read it. Descartes remarks that he has discovered in the Prince a lot of precepts which have been very good to him, but his major criticism is that Machiavelli has failed to provide a clear contrast between princes who have acquired power through illegitimate methods and those who have done so through just means. He says that the former are bereft of solid foundations, and the states they create will inevitably slip into tyranny (Descartes & Griffith 22). Descartes also criticizes Machiavelli’s arguments concerning the prince’s relations to enemies, the common people, allies and prominent personalities. He rebukes Machiavelli’s suggestions that people should feign friendship if that is what they have to do in order to satisfy the desires, stating that â€Å"friendship is something too sacred to abuse in this way†. Descartes also take issue with Machiavelli’s recommendation that the prince should sometimes feel free to dishonor promises (Descartes says this would ruin the prince’s reputation), and insists that the prince should steer clear of the people’s contempt and hatred. In an important passage for the interpretation by Regnault, Des cartes examines Machiavelli’s suggestion, in chapter 15, that because the world is corrupt, it is inevitable that one will self-destruct if he always wants to be a good man, and that when the occasion calls for it a prince must always prepare to be wicked so as to maintain and sustain oneself (Atherton 32). Descartes does not agree with this maxim, unless by a good man Machiavelli means a simple and superstitious man who does not wage war on the Sabbath, and whose conscience can remain clear only when if he changes his people’s religion. However, if by a good man we mean he who relies on his true reasoning for everything he does, then it is obvious that the best thing is to always try to be good. In response to Princess Elizabeth’s own dilemmas, Descartes simply recommends that she adopt and put into action those maxims which show that everybody’s felicity depends only on him/herself, and that it is very important to conduct oneself outside the rules and boundaries of fortune so that, while one fails to miss the opportunities to grab the advantages it offers, one does not make him/herself unhappy when it refuses to grant them. Considering that in all earthly affairs there are always reasons for and against, one should mainly focus on those that convince one to approve and sanction what happens (Peursen 28). Letter III: Elizabeth to Descartes, 10 October 1646. Now settled in Berlin, Elizabeth starts her letter by stating that the

What contribution can 'Lean Thinking' make to the contemporary Essay

What contribution can 'Lean Thinking' make to the contemporary challenges of public service delivery - Essay Example However, sometimes you find that once businesses hits the quality mark at the onset stages of production, they tend to relax and things slow down, making the delivery slip back into the low quality conditions. This is an undesirable phenomenon especially in the competitive business world of the century we live in. As a result of businesses losing their clients because of slackness in the quality level of their products and services, most have resorted to affecting the total quality management concept. The concept presents a number of underlying advantages to the businesses and organizations that run it. The concept of total quality management (TQM) an al the underlying sub-concepts of this process will be analyzed in full in the next discourse. Here, the definition of TQM and the philosophy underling the TQM will be carried out. Also, the elements of TQM, benefits, effectiveness as well as the TQM frame work will be looked into. Lastly, the paper will close by discussing the quality standards and offering the universally acceptable quality of standards. Definition and philosophy of TQM Hawkes and Adams define the TQM as the practice of integrating the various components of the various inputs that are used in the production of high quality products or services that are designed to meet or even surpass the expectations of the clients (32). According to Tari, being in agreement of this definition, TQM also encompasses the issue of involvement of all the various components that make this delivery of quality products or services to be enabled (182). For the delivery of quality products, the management team of the company, the employees, the different levels of contact between the management and the employees such as the suppliers as well as the customer are all involved. Each person or level of involvement plays a very keen role in ensuring that the quality of the product or services, measured using certain pre-ordained measurements is not compromised. To keep the n otation of TQM constant, the concept operates under a certain philosophy. This is the philosophy that guides the level of involvement of the various components that translates to the delivery of quality products and services. The philosophy of TQM states that if quality is maintained and upheld in all areas of the production process at all times, there is no doubt that this builds up an organizational culture that is largely responsible for meeting the various needs of the customer. In other words, the philosophy of TQM employs the use of effective management to develop a constant habit that allows for constant and consistent production of various products and services of a company (Petersen, 468). Elements of a quality management system For the TQM process to be successful, a number of elements have to be employed in such a combination that allows for easy and effective application. These processes offer a guideline onto how the TQM will be appraised once a certain organization dec ides to operate under this concept. The recognized elements under TQM will be analysed in the following discussion. There are eight elements of TQM as shall be noted herein. The first element of TQM is the element of ethics. Ethics, by definition, is the a code of ethics prescribed in an organization that largely governs the way employees in a certain organization behave or relate with each other inside their organization as well as with other people outside the organization (Zink, 394). Different organizations have different rules and regulations that govern their employees. As a result, the behavior of employees in one organization could be quite

US Stock Market and GDP Analysis

US Stock Market and GDP Analysis Stock Prices Definition Stock (or share) which is sometimes known as equity is a claim to partial ownership or holdings of a firm. Initially, the original owners of a firm sell their shares or stock to gain additional funds to finance the firm expansion which can be said as the owners sell part of the ownership of the firm to the stockholders. This is known as the Initial Public Offering (IPO). After the IPO, the stocks can be sold and resold by the stockholders in the stock market with the aim of gaining profitable returns through the price differences of the stock. Stock prices are determined through trading on a stock exchange such as NASDAQ, SP 500 and DJIA. Generally, stock prices reflect investor expectations for future corporate earnings and thus reflect for future economic growth. The Origin of the Stock Market The stock market originated in Europe prior the industrial revolution in the 1700s. Many traders in the market wished to make investment in huge businesses but this could not be affordable with a single trader. Thus, they gathered their funds together to invest in a new business as partners (Grazian, 2008). This is similar to the practice of shares nowadays and has inspired the origin of the stock market. In the beginning, the stock market trading started on an informal note. The traders met at coffeehouse which was used as a market place in the 1700s. The first exchange was created in Philadelphia during 1800 and in New York during 1817 and finally the trading rules were formed (Grazian, 2008). In the United States, the first stock exchange took place in Philadelphia over 220 years ago which was known as the â€Å"Board of Brokers† and the Board met at the coffeehouse. The Board of Brokers was later changed into the Philadelphia Stock Exchange in 1875 and it is now included in NASDAQ as NASDAQ OMX PHLX. The market became more structured without manipulative auctions and a fair commission structure was formed. The group of stock brokers was reorganized and known as the â€Å"New York Stock and Exchange Board† in 1817 (Terrell, 2006). In 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (or the Dow) created by Charles Dow and one of his business associate, Edward Jones was first calculated. Along with other stock market index, such as NASDAQ and SP 500, the Dow is one of the most closely indicator to track the stock market activity. Besides the Dow, SP Dow Jones Indices also determined the SP 500 in 1957 (Standard and Poor’s, 2009). The SP 500 is more preferable than other stock market indices as it is determined through a more diverse constituency and weighting methodology with 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping. It is recognized as the best representation of the U.S. stock market and also classified as a leading indicator for the U.S. economy. Thus, the stock indices from the SP 500 were used as the data in this study. c. Stock Prices As an Economic Indicator Economic indicators give us a better idea of where the economy is headed. There are two types of economic indicators, which are the leading indicators and the lagging indicators. Leading indicators often change before the economic adjustment and thus can be used to predict the future economy whereas the lagging indicators reflect the economy’s past performance and only identifiable after the economic adjustment. Stock market is a leading indicator. Most people will first look at the stock market performance first when talk about the economic trends although it is not the most important indicator. This is because stock prices mainly depends on the expected earnings of the domestic firms, thus it can indicate the economy trend if the estimated earnings are accurate. A strong market usually followed with economy expansion while a down market always leads to economic downturn. However, it is undeniable that here are inherent flaws for stock prices to act as a leading indicator for the future economy performance. Firstly, the estimated earnings can be inaccurate. Secondly, the vulnerability of stock market which is probably adjusted or manipulated. For example, the government can manipulate the market to keep it high via various strategies to avoid public from panicking of economic crisis and the traders and corporations can manipulate the market via high-volume trades or other strategies. Thus, the true underlying strength or value of stock prices may become unobvious due to its vulnerability to be manipulated. Thirdly, the stock market is also susceptible to the creation of bubbles (Binswanger, 2004), which may convey false information about the economy’s direction. Economic Activity Definition The goal of economic activity is to produce goods and services in order to fulfill the needs and wants as well as to improve the social welfare. Economic activities are related to production, distribution, exchange and consumption of goods and services at all level in the society. Furthermore, economic activities can be defined as human activities which are performed in exchange for money or money’s worth, in other words, economics activities are those efforts performed by human to earn income, money, wealth and to maximize their satisfaction of wants with scarce means. The primary aim of the economic activity is to produce goods and services with an objective to make them available to the consumers. Thus, gross domestic product (or GDP) is one of the common ways to assess the economic activity. In this study, the economic activity is also represented by the indicator of GDP. The Origin and History of GDP The idea of gross domestic product (GDP) arose during the period post-carnage of the Great Depression and World War II in 1930s. GDP which was described as the ultimate measure of a country’s overall welfare, a window into an economy’s soul and the statistic to end all statistics was used widely and globally and become the defining economic indicator in the last century (Dickinson, 2011). Simon Kuznets, an economist at the National Bureau of Economic Research introduced a formula to determine GDP to the U.S. Congress in 1937.The original formulation of GDP was essential as it included all economic production in a nation. However, Kuznets’ formula was not being widespread utilized until the Bretton Woods conference created World Bank in 1944. After that, GDP was used widely as a tool to determine the nation’s economic condition. Although there are few economists questioned on the accuracy of GDP in measuring overall economic welfare, the GDP is still widely used now (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2008). GDP is also described as one of the great invention in the 20th century because without this invention, economists, researcher and policymakers could not have played their role effectively with the unorganized data. GDP As an Economic Indicator Unlike the stock prices which serve as leading indicator, GDP serves as lagging indicator which changes after the economy adjustment. Although lagging indicators do not show the direction of economic trend, they reflect how the changes in economy over time. GDP is a tool that typically recognized by economists to measure the economic welfare. Increase in GDP indicates that the economy is strong while decrease in GDP indicates that the economy is weak. As stated previously, GDP is not a flawless indicator, many economists questioned on its accuracy especially in the financial market as some strategies such as quantitative easing and excessive government spending could have been carried out by the government to boost up the GDP of a nation. Despite of the flaw, as a lagging indicator, GDP is still a good determinant to measure the economic condition of a nation. Theories on Predictive Power of the Stock Price for the Future Economic Activity There are two theories in the theoretical literature on the forecasting ability of the stock prices for the future economic activities. The first theory explains the forward looking behavior of the stock market while the second theory discusses the causal effects of the stock prices on the economic activity (Croux Reusens, 2013). Forward Looking Behavior of the Stock Market Based on the idea that the stock price is the present value of future dividends (Fama, 1990), the theory of forward looking behavior of the stock market arose. The purpose for the stockholders to own stock is to earn from the interest difference when the stock is resold or to earn the dividends from the corporation. The increasing stock prices reflect the higher expectation of stockholders to earn more dividends. As the dividend is a payment made by a corporation to its stockholders out of its profit, the increase in expectation of stockholders towards future dividends gained indicates that there will be a rise in the corporation’s profit. Furthermore, the corporation’s profit is known to be positively correlated with the GDP of a nation, thus the rise in corporation will bring increment to the nation’s GDP. Therefore, a rise in the current expectation towards the nation’s future economic activity will definitely result in increase in the stock price. However, several researchers have argued that the vulnerable property of stock market to be manipulated may affect its predictive power towards the future economic activity. Stock prices may deviate from their fundamental value due to the speculative bubbles (Binswanger, 2004). Speculative bubbles is a situation in which the securities’ pieces such as stock prices rise far above their actual value as a result of irrational exuberance rather than the basic underlying fundamentals of the market. This can attract investors or stock traders to invest in order to take advantage of the profits. After some time, the bubbles will eventually burst and causes the stock prices will drop below their market value before they reach the equilibrium again. Thus, from this phenomenon, stock prices may deviate from the fundamental value sometime and hence its predictive power will be reduced. Apart from that, the globalization of the investment market also may reduce the predictive power of sto ck prices towards the nation’s GDP (Mao Wu, 2007). This means that is foreign investment in the domestic activity which brings about increase in stock price, however, since it is the foreign investment, it may not bring direct impact on the nation’s GDP. Causal Effects of the Stock Prices on the Economic Activity The causal effects of stock prices on the economic activity can be seen through the activity of consumption and investment. The connection between the stock prices and consumption can be explained by the wealth effect (Modigliani, 1971). The wealth effect refers to the increase in spending which due to the increase in perceived wealth. The rise in stock prices will bring about an increase in the income and wealth of the stockholders, they may increase their consumption as a result from having higher purchasing power. Since consumption is positively correlated with the GDP, the increase in consumption as a result from the rise in stock prices will affect the nation’s GDP. However, Pearce (1983) argued that the wealth effect depends on the distribution of stock holders in the nation. For example, most of the stockholders in the United States are comprised of small groups of rich people who have lower propensity to spend out of wealth. Besides, the causal effect of stock prices on the economic activity can also be seen through the activity of investment which its impact is on the cost of capital. The cost of capital is the fund for a firm to finance its business. The sources for capital can be varied from company to company such as equity financing and debt financing. Generally, the cost of capital is the weighted sum of the cost of equity and the cost of debt. With the increase in the stock price, the effective cost of equity will be reduced as a result from overvaluation of the stock price (Fischer Merton, 1984). Besides, cost of debt also will be lowered due to high stock prices as it could give some positive signals towards the lenders and thus raise the creditworthiness of the firms which would result in better loan condition (Morck et al., 1990). The Economy of the United States There is lots of news recently about the rapid growth rate of China absolutely furious pace for over the last decade and may overtake the United States to be the largest economy in the world. Nevertheless, the United States still keep the place of the largest economy in the world by far in the year of 2013. The United States has been keeping the place of the world’s largest economy for at least a century. With one third of the world’s millionaires and 40% of the world’s billionaires stay in the nation, the United States become the wealthiest nation in the world. The diversify economy and open market in the United States helps the economy to stay strong. The United States is also considered the largest manufacturer and the most influential financial markets in the world. Stock Prices in the United States The United States is considered to have the most influential and largest financial markets in the world. Almost every large company in the US is traded on a Stock Exchange. This study employed SP 500 as the stock market indices to be analyzed as it is the best representation of the U.S. stock market with 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping through a more diverse constituency and weighting. Figure 1.1 Time plot for quarterly average of daily SP 500 stock price index in the United States (Source: Economic Research, 2013) Figure 1.1 shows the moving trend of stock prices in the period from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. From the figure, the stock prices in the United States generally showed a fluctuating rising trend with a record of expansion from 1974 to 2000 with gradual increasing rate at the beginning and higher pace increasing rate later from 1993 to 2000. There were significant market downturns in 2002 and 2008. The stock prices reached the peak in the second quarter of 2000 and started to drop afterwards until the minimum point in the first quarter of 2003. This market downturn has been known as the market crash of 2000. The causes for this crash are believed to be the corporation corruption, overvalued stocks and the emergence of day-traders or momentum investors. Several strategies has been listed out by the government to overcome the crash, for example accounting reforms to have better disclosure of corporate balance sheet form and new rules are set for the day-traders to apply more restriction. Besides the market downturn of 2000, there was a market downturn in 2008 as well. From the figure, the stock price index continued to rise after the market crash in 2000 and reached at maximum point in the second quarter of 2007 but falls gradually afterward till the minimum point in the first quarter of 2009. This period was ranked among the most horrified financial market history in the United States. This market crash is believed to be caused by the corporate corruption and the mortgage crisis. The stock price indices continue to climb after the market crash of 2008. GDP of the United States The United States has been the largest economy in the world in term of GDP level for at least a century. Figure 1.2 Time plot for quarterly GDP in the United States (Source: OECD. StatExtracts, 2013) The figure 1.2 shows the time plot of GDP of the United States from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. Generally, the GDP level in the United States showed a gradual increasing trend across the period. From the figure, there are slight decreases in the GDP level are shown in 1982 and 1991 as a result of economic crisis. In addition, a more significant fall of GDP level was shown in the third quarter of 2008 after a gradual increasing trend. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) declared that there was an economic recession since 2007. This economic fall is believed to be the result of mortgage crisis during that period. Relationship between Stock Prices and GDP of the United States The United States is famous to be the largest economy and the most influential financial market in the world. The tradition connection of stock prices and GDP of the United States has always be the topic of interest to be study among the researchers. Figure 1.3 Time plot for quarterly GDP and quarterly average of daily Stock Price in the United States (Source: Economic Research, 2013 and OECD. StatExtracts, 2013) Figure 1.3 shows the relationship between stock prices and GDP in the time plot from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. In the tradition connection of the stock price and GDP, stock price is believed to contain the predictive power towards the GDP. From Figure 1.3, the stock prices generally moving in the same direction with GDP. However, the market crash in 2000 brought about economic expansion instead of the economic recession. This phenomenon goes against with the tradition relationship between stock price and GDP. However, the market crash of 2008 has successfully predicted the economic recession in 2008. Therefore, the contradict phenomena have again caught the attention of several parties to further study in the predictive power of stock price towards the GDP. Objective Although the theories and the tradition relationship state that the stock prices contain the predictive power towards the future economic activity, there are several theoretical and empirical researchers have contradicted opinions. Moreover, the historical data of stock prices and GDP of the United States also show a general similar moving direction of the stock prices and GDP but the market crashes in 1987 and 2000 resulted in economic expansion instead of economic recession. This issue has again prompted the further research in the tradition relationship of the stock prices and the economic activity. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the predictive power of stock price on the future economic activity, i.e. future GDP in the United States. Scope of Study This study focuses on the United States which the quarterly data is obtained with the sampling period from first quarter of 1974 to third quarter of 2013. The national stock price index of the United States, SP 500 is chosen. The quarterly average of the daily index is calculated because it is believed to be more representative for the entire quarter than the value at the end of quarter. Besides, quarterly nominal GDP is chosen as the representative for the economic activity. Both data is expressed in the domestic currency with CPI base year of 1982.